2023 World Cup Finals: What do Dressage People Do on Holiday? Watch Dressage

A few months ago, Kim, the owner of the farm where I board my training horses, came up with the idea of doing a trip to Omaha for the FEI World Cup Finals. Together with Sue, another trainer at the farm, we bought tickets, reserved hotel rooms, and organized flights. We were really looking forward to our getaway, as we were at the end of another exhausting winter season in Wellington and needed the time off. True to horse people, our time off meant going to do horse stuff… why not?!

Butterflies

For all of us it was the first FEI World Cup Final we attended and for me was also the first time to have media accreditation, thanks to the idea of a good supportive friend. To tell you the truth, I had butterflies in my stomach because my camera is less than ideal and I have very little experience with this, but I tried to concentrate on doing my own thing while also enjoying my vacation.

Packing for winter weather proved to be a challenge but I managed not to be cold. The hotel we booked was a 10-minute walk from the CHI Health Center and Wednesday morning we had 30F which felt like 18F (-1C and -7C): not good for our blood used to Florida temperatures!

Catching Up

We flew on Tuesday afternoon which meant we missed the jog, the schooling in the main arena, the draw, and the welcome party, so we organized to get up early on Wednesday to head over and try to catch up.

The place is very nice, with a very clean, modern design, ample areas and impeccable rooms for VIP, sponsors, media, press conference and hospitality (and bathrooms!). The main entrance leads to a huge hall where they set up a vendor area with numerous shops surrounding the main warm-up arena and the exhibitions ring.

The activity is almost non-stop. I hope the competition stalls are far away from this noise, to let the horses rest. There is also a small arena by the stabling, but we are not allowed there.

One of the best things about this World Cup is that many of the officials and staff working in it are people I know from the shows in Wellington, some are really good friends giving me a great sense of familiarity. I said hello to most of them, crossed paths with other visitors that I knew, others that are Facebook friends.

Exploring

Then I went to check the media center to get my accreditation (yeay!) and see the rest of the place.  It was early and none of the rooms were busy, very different from the rest of the days. Main access to the competition arena was closed but I managed to get there as the media has that liberty. It is smaller than I thought but still impressive! They were working on it, dragging, and moving things around.

I checked the spots where photographers are allowed to stand: two by the corners on the short side by A and the whole short side by C. Plus, we were allowed to take pictures from any place in the stands, granted not a seat taken by a spectator. By the short side at the corner at F, there was a section of the tribune reserved for media with chairs and tables. Direct opposite, at the corner at K, there was the section reserved for the riders and their teams. By the short side at A there was the VIP section, the “kiss and cry” area where there is a camera pointed out to the team while the competitor is in the ring.

There is also a “mixed media zone” on the corridor from the warm-up to the main arena, where interviews are being held with the riders. The VIP section had tables staged on different levels by the short side at C. They looked simply decorated, yet elegant.

Grand Prix

After visiting with more friends and going around the vendors, we started getting ready for the first competition, the Grand Prix. We found our seats, a very nice place in the corner by M. I decided to stay “mobile” going between the stands, the warm-up, and the photographers’ spots. To tell you the truth, it took me a while to find myself: when I was watching the main ring, I felt I should be spotting the action in the warm-up and vice versa. Slowly, I got into the rhythm of things and was pleased with what I did, paying attention to the rider’s schedule and breaks to move from one to the other place.

I’m not going into details of what the tests looked like, there are wonderful reports about them. I just want to say that it was a privilege and honour to see every one of them compete. All made a wonderful impression on my mind, an inspiration that I needed to feel.

My first awards' ceremony to attend as a photographer was fun though intimidating. I had seen them up close during the World Equestrian Games in Tryon 2018 and knew you had to take a spot quick and guard it, as everyone else wanted to take advantage of the “best” view. How fun it is to feel them doing the victory lap just by your side!

Babylonian

Next up: the press conference. So entertaining! There was confusion between announcer, Nicho Meredith, and the winner of the class, Jessica von Bredow-Werndl, when he asked if she liked the steaks. She understood “State” and responded she hadn’t had time to do sightseeing. Isabell cleared “Steak not State”, then she laughed saying “oh no, I’m vegan!” and Steffen took the opportunity later to say he will be eating all the steaks she will not…

Vaulting and Jumping

Another highlight of this trip was being able to watch the first round of vaulting and the first two jumping competitions. The vaulters are beyond amazing: what a beautiful, elegant sport yet so technical and complicated! And the jumpers always bring so much excitement to the arena. The obstacles were humongous, with intricate courses, proving that the athletic ability of these horses is beyond measure. Watching King Edward, the Olympic team gold medalist, World Champion and now World Cup Champion: priceless!

Managed to do a short tour of the old city, ate a delicious steak, and enjoyed the cooler weather for a change from our never-ending scorching Florida heat.

It Takes a Village

Up into the last day of our trip, I organized to go watch the early schooling in the main arena. Got there when they were doing sound check for the freestyles and then was delighted watching Isabell with Quantaz, Jessica with Dalera, Anna with Davinia, Steffen with Mopsie, Thamar with Ich Weiss, Justina with Nabab, and Johanna with Mazy Klovenhoj work. I mean… these are the moments where you don’t want to go back to reality. It is such a great opportunity to be able to observe and learn from their different styles. Another eye-opening fact is that no matter how you ride, it really takes a special kind of village to get there. Every rider is accompanied by grooms, trainers, relatives, federation officials, delegation members, etc.

Had lunch in the media hospitality room, went around one more time through the vendor area, walked through the back arena where they have the special exhibitions and educational expo with tons of activities for kids to go on. Every day they had school buses with children of different ages attending that side. 

There were also long lines of fans waiting for the athletes to sign autographs on their posters, shirts, hats, and of course, take pictures with them. Went to the hotel to work on pictures and rest a little before going back to the media hospitality room to have an early dinner with other photographers and then get ready for the Freestyles. A note: the food was quite good!

Freestyle Finale

The Dressage final class was so amazing to watch! The place was around 2/3 full of discipline fanatics that cheered on with passion every competitor. Beautiful to witness the involvement in what was happening as you heard murmuring when something didn’t go as planned, claps trying to stay with the rhythm, oooohhhs and aaaaahhhs. And the explosions at the end of every freestyle! From the first one to the last one, all of them had the public’s full attention and interest.

Of course, the last group of the class was apotheotic with Anna, Isabell, Jessica, Steffen, and Nanna going in that order. There is a special connection when you hear Top Gun’s music with Anna’s ride. It’s no secret that I’m a huge fan of Isabell and was in tears at the end of her freestyle; what a champion she is! I found incredibly beautiful the lightness and ease of Dalera. So much fun to hear the upbeat music from Steffen. And Nanna’s powerful yet graceful ride! Just wow, what an unforgettable night!

Enjoyed again sharing the awards ceremony with a crowd of photographers, although I was being pushed back by some of the most experienced ones. Anyway, I found a little spot where I could watch and take a few pictures of the very happy athletes and their horses being held in the back, ready for the victory lap. The champagne war was epic, with Isabell going not only after her colleagues but also after Janet Foy, president of the Ground Jury.

Today, as I finish writing this, I feel very grateful to have been able to witness such great sport. I’m returning home with my gas tank full again.