Showjumping fans can look forward to seeing some of their favourite British riders out in force at this year’s Liverpool International Horse Show later this month (28-31 December).
Competing at the Echo Arena in Liverpool, fans can catch a glimpse of John and Michael Whitaker who will ride alongside Robert Smith, William Funnell, Harry Charles and Laura Renwick as they battle it out for a place in the hotly-anticipated grand prix taking place on New Year’s Eve. The fences stand at 1.60m with Longines world ranking points and a share of the €75,000 prize pot up for grabs.
Irish riders Billy Twomey, Shane Breen, Anthony Condon, Michael Duffy and Conor Swail are also in the lineup alongside international riders Felicie Bertrand from France, Tobias Meyer from Germany and Andrew Kocher of the United States.
The crowd-favourite puissance on Sunday (30 December) will see experienced riders David Simpson, Mikey Pender, James Smith, Nano Healy and Michael Whyte among the startlist to take on the famous big red wall. The 2017 top prize was shared by British riders Holly Smith and Louse Saywell and Irish rider Christopher Megahey, who all went the full five rounds leaving the wall intact at 2.2m.
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Show president Nina Barbour said: “The puissance is always such a crowd pleaser and we are delighted that so many of the stars are heading to Liverpool. The Sunday evening is really building up to be a must-see performance.”
Other classes across the four days include the CSI4* with an 87-strong start list (Thursday 27), the mini major that will see future stars on ponies team up with top riders in a pairs relay (Sunday 30); and the speedy knockout class (Monday 31) which begins with eight pairs of riders racing against each other up and down a mirror image of showjumps to secure their place in the next round.
Tickets for the show are still available.
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