2nd Central Asian Jumping and Dressage Championships

Riders from Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan and Uzbekistan met in Almaty (KAZ) from 9 to 12 June 1005for the 2nd Central Asian Jumping and Dressage Championships in the framework of a CSIO-W 3* and CDI 3*.

FEI Dressage Judges, among whom the Chairman of the Dressage Committee, Mariette Withages (BEL), judged the Dressage competitions ranging from Prix St Georges to the Grand Prix Kür, while Dr Hanfried Haring (GER), President of the Ground Jury, and Rakhshan Radpour (IRI), Technical Delegate took care of the Jumping competitions. The courses were built by FEI Course Designer Vladimir Platov (RUS). Dr Igor Kogan (RUS) acted as President of the Veterinary Commission.

The friendly atmosphere was one of the reasons for the success of the competitions. Improvements are visible several years after the introduction of the Jumping and Dressage World Cups followed by the setting up of the Central Asian Championships. It is clear that this event is of the utmost importance for the region’s small and still fragile equestrian community. It is now the task of the FEI together with the Central Asian NFs to use the existing potential in the best possible way so that they become competitive at an international level.

This event also provided the opportunity for the FEI to give the representatives of Georgia, Iran, Uzbekistan, Kyrgyzstan, Turkmenistan, Russia, Belarus and Kazakhstan information on the FEI Coaching System. Numerous questions were raised and the project gathered a lot of enthusiasm. The building of a riding and training centre in Almaty will without doubt play a major role for the education of coaches and the general development of the sport in the region.