Derosa Daily
On The Scene at the FEI Las Vegas World Cup for Dressage and Showjumping

$25,000 WCHR World Cup Team Hunter Challenge Presented by the AHJF

For those of us who watched this drama unfold it was as if we were seeing some aspects of our sport for the first time. On Saturday when the $25,000 WCHR World Cup Team Hunter Challenge presented by the AHJF pitted four of the European show jumper riders those seats filled up quickly. And as we watched Rodrigo Pessoa, Nick Skelton, Michael Whitaker and Marcus Ehning face off against the top hunter riders in the U.S. – Louise Serio, Scott Stewart, Peter Pletcher and John French – the audience was cheering on the two teams. And when the Europeans just squeaked by the Americans with only a seven point difference it was an eye opener for both the U.S. and the Europeans. For the U.S. it showed that even the best show jumpers in the world can enjoy riding a hunter and for the Europeans it opened their vision to the potentials of adding hunter competitions into their horse shows. It was a fascinating and well received addition to the World Cup program.

The exhibitions also gave the show a unique twist. It took your everyday horse show and made it into a spectator event. And those exhibitions weren’t long. They were short and sweet and left you amazed by the talent and skill of the many artists. It also gave you a chance to see Vegas while still enjoying the horse show, whether it was Elvis singing and shaking, or some gymnastic demonstration where you watched in awe at the unbelievable talent hosted in this city.