Horse Guards Parade in London has undergone a transformation in the past week, as it prepares to host the world’s top showjumpers.
An 80m x 48m sand arena has been built at the central London site ahead of the three-day Longines Global Champions Tour competition, which starts on Thursday (14 August).
More than 1,100 tonnes of sand has been delivered to Horse Guards for the arena, which was set up last week (pictured right).
There will be approximately 240 horses competing and nine of the world’s top 10 showjumpers among those in action.
It is the first time the venue has hosted an international equestrian event and Brits — including world number one Scott Brash (pictured below left) and number two Ben Maher — will be competing.
“It is great to be at such a fantastic venue. This is a very important international event for British showjumping and all credit to everyone involved,” said Scott.
Showjumping will be shown live on BBC2 on Friday (15 August) from 3pm-5pm and Saturday (16 August) from 5.15pm-7pm.
For more information visit: www.globalchampionstour.com
For full report and analysis on the London leg of the GCT, don’t miss next week’s issue of H&H magazine — out Thursday 21 August.
