It is a beautiful, sunny June morning. There is a sudden stir among spectators gathered at the Sopot Hippodrome… The first rider enters the parkour. The horse’s mane is elegantly braided, its coat is glossy. The rider’s outfit is impressive, too: white jodhpurs, officer boots glistening in the sun, an elegant tailcoat, gloves. When they start their performance and jump over hurdles with confidence and elegance, it becomes clear that they are the best of the best, the elite of global horse-riding.
The horse gallops near the audience, beating out the three-bar rhythm, which stirs up excitement. Before each hurdle, the spectators keep their fingers crossed, especially when the rider is Polish and is competing with the best riders from all over the world.
The International Showjumping Competition CSIO 5* in Sopot in June will give you such a thrill. It is a celebration of horse-riding attended by people from all over Europe who want to watch the champions riding live.
CSIO 5* is the most prestigious horse-riding event in Poland and one of the most important in Europe. 5* means the highest-level international show, which determines the value of prizes, while the letter ‘O’ in its name means that the Nations Cup is held during the competition. Since last year, the Sopot competition has been included in the first division of the European Nations Cup, which means it is one of top horse-riding competitions in Europe, a counterpart of the football Champions League. It is a great honour to the organisers.
The CSIO 5* competition in Sopot is traditionally held in the middle of June, from Thursday to Sunday. This year, it takes place between 13 and 16 June. On each of the days, competitions in various rounds are held: Small, Medium, and Big. Individual competitions vary in terms of hurdle height and difficulty level.
The most important competition during the event, Grand Prix, takes place on Friday, while on Sunday, the Longines FEI Jumping Nations CupTMis held. The competitors include teams from Ireland, France, the Netherlands, Germany, Austria, Brazil, Poland, and the last year’s winners – Belgium.
The organisers also invite individual riders to participate in the event. Poland, apart from its national team, may enter as many as 12 individual riders. It is a real treat for our equestrians, who go up in the global ranking of the FEI International Equestrian Federation thanks to participating in such prestigious and important competitions.
The prizes in CSIO 5* are very attractive – last year, Poles won over PLN 500 thousand in total, which was almost one fourth of the prize pool. This year, riders from all over the world will compete for financial prizes. The prize pool is over PLN 2 million.
CSIO 5* is not only for equestrian fans. It is also a chance to watch Olympic medallists as well as European and world champions live and see living legends in person.
For those who do not know the sport well yet, it is a perfect opportunity to learn more about it. Watching an equestrian competition live is completely different from watching it on television. Nothing compares to hearing Mazurek Dąbrowskiego during the flower ceremony and watching a Pole leading the honour round.
That is why you cannot pass up CSIO 5*, all the more so because on Thursday and Friday, admission to the event is free. The organisers aim at promoting the discipline, which is a part of Polish cultural heritage.
Remember that the tradition of CSIO in Poland dates back to pre-war times, when Poles were regarded as one of the best equestrians in Europe, and it was not unusual that the Polish team won the Nations Cup. Today, over the years, we are reminded of the talent of Polish riders and cheer for them heartily.
