2TD8TDW London Excel International Horse Show 17 Dec 2023 The Defender Shetland Pony Grand National holds all the excitement of the world famous Grand National horse race on a miniature scale! Shetland Ponies and their riders race around the Show's main International Arena at a fast and furious pace - it really is one of the highlights of the Show.Paul Quezada-Neiman/Alamy Live News Credit: Paul Quezada-Neiman/Alamy Live News
The show features CSI5* showjumping – John and Jack Whitaker and Scott Brash are among the entries – and displays, as well as the famous racing Shetlands.
“The team wanted to bring a touch of London to Hong Kong and also provide them with a ‘never before seen’ experience,” a spokesperson for HPower told H&H. “Knowing that horse racing is very popular in Hong Kong, it was felt that the perfect fit for the show would be to take some riders from the Shetland Pony Grand National out to Hong Kong. Some of the riders that were seen in the finals at London International will be making the trip eastwards in February. The Hong Kong Jockey Club is one of the partners for the new Hong Kong show and the excitement is already mounting.”
Event director Jo Peck added that the team is delighted to be able to take the ponies and riders.
“We know that this will set the event on fire – it being a completely new experience to the Hong Kong audience who are so proud of their horse racing,” she told H&H. “I’m convinced these horses and riders are going to be an instant hit.”
Those who took part in the London puissance last year were invited to do the same, and the six-bar, in Hong Kong. The puissance entry list includes Brits Seb Hughes, Gemma Stevens, Nathan Bull, Maisy Williams, Elliott Smith and Paul Gaff.
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It was announced last September that the first Longines Hong Kong International Horse Show would run, and that it is to be an annual event.
“It is a collaboration to bring world-class equestrian excellence to Hong Kong,” a spokesperson for the event said at the time. “Longines, the title sponsor with the founding partner the Hong Kong Jockey Club and partners Cathay Cargo and the Hong Kong Tourism Board, have thrown their full support behind LHKIHS, to create one of the most distinguished events in the equestrian calendar.”
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Eleanor is an experienced journalist who spent over eight years working for local and national newspapers before joining H&H as news editor in March 2016. Passionate about equine welfare and exposing the truth, Eleanor has reported on all aspects of the industry, from Brexit to anti-bullying campaigns, and from dressage rules to mules. Her sport of choice is showjumping, in which she competes her own horses, and she also enjoys reporting at local jumping shows through to international championships.
