FEI Jumping World Challenge Final puts Ecuador on Sound Footing

Some travelled further than others, with athletes from New Zealand, Indonesia and Israel joining two representatives from the host country and the first-ever qualifier from the Democratic Republic of Congo in a line-up that featured a balance of males and females, ages and riding styles.

To add to the difficulties of travelling across time zones to compete in Quito’s famously high altitude was the fact that the competition, as is the norm with the World Challenge Final, would be conducted on borrowed horses. This is not only a challenge for the riders, but also for the organisers, with Lucho Barreiro – a Level 3 National Coach and FEI Tutor attached to the venue – tasked with finding and preparing the horses for the event, and FEI Solidarity Tutor Jaime Morillo entrusted with designing a suitable course for those horses and their riders. 

This process was facilitated by the enthusiastic participation of the Ecuadorian National Police, who provided 19 of the 27 horses for the competition, which were allocated in a random draw on the opening day. The athletes then had just two days to get familiar with their new acquaintances before the first qualifying competition.

“It gives you a lot of experience, and teaches you to be able to ride all types of horses, and not just yours,” said local rider Roberto Garzozi Puig, who successfully qualified with his horse Golden Boy to carry home hopes into Sunday’s final.

There, a high-quality event received a fitting climax when Giorgia Ieromazzo of the Dominican Republic, needing to guide her mount Magnus Jarea to a clear round to clinch the gold medal, delivered in style. New Zealand’s Christine Cornege and South Africa’s Matthiew Morrison filled the other podium positions, while Morocco’s Sami Cherkaoui had earlier won the farewell competition.

But the FEI World Jumping Challenge Final is not just about winning…

By going to a new country and mixing with athletes from all over the world, the participants benefit from a cultural exchange – and the Ecuadorian Equestrian Federation went above and beyond to provide them with that.

After the first day of qualifying, all 53 foreign visitors (including athletes, coaches, chefs d’équipe, friends and family members) toured downtown Quito on a chiva bus, before being treated to a traditional musical performance and a twilight tour of the magnificent Iglesia de San Francisco.

On the competition field, the World Challenge Final is just as enriching in a sporting sense as it is cultural one. By giving National Federations and Organising Committees a chance to test the systems they have in place, and coaches and riders to test their skills on an international platform having qualified through the FEI World Challenge Series, the Final serves as a melting pot not just of different countries, styles and languages, but of all of FEI Solidarity’s educational activities.

Just like her Organising Committee colleagues Morillo and Barreiro, the Ecuadorian Equestrian Federation’s charismatic Secretary General, Gloria Vinueza de Cuesta, has been through the FEI’s courses, and her experience was vital to the smooth running of the Final as she served as event director and a member of the jury.

Now, De Cuesta believes that her Federation can capitalise on the momentum that hosting the Final has given them.

She said:

“The equestrian facilities at this club are really beautiful, and thanks to this competition, for the first time in Ecuador we have built an arena with optimal conditions that you can see only in first-world countries.

“So this is a fantastic opportunity to us, and this is all thanks to the FEI, and to Ingmar de Vos, the President, who decided on Ecuador to host this competition.”