Media updates

Your Fortune Telling Days Are Over

Media updates
23 July 2007 Author: webmaster

Tarot Cards, Palm Reading, Runes, Tea Leaves, Numerology, Diviners; what does the future have in store? Disputed or undisputed most of us would like a little hint as to how the future unfolds. But when it comes to the world of Jumping, or any equestrian discipline for that matter, there is a fairly accurate way of pinpointing some of the stars of tomorrow. And it just so happens that we will be privy to this confidential information in the next few days to come.

Indeed, the FEI European Jumping Championships for Young Riders and Juniors is set to be held in the Norman town of Auvers (FRA) from 25-29 July. The category for Young Riders came into being in 1979 when, at the request of the National Federations, the FEI made a new age category so as to better bridge the gap between the junior and senior competitions. Thus in 1981, at the first European Jumping Championship for Young Riders, Jan Tops, who would go on to be a future Olympic team medallist became the first European Young Rider Jumping Champion, a premonitory start to say the least.

Another heavyweight won the 1983 Individual European Jumping Championships for Young Riders, Roger-Yves Bost, while 1984 saw a young Ludger Beerbaum with his first European medal, team bronze. The names of many future European, World and Olympic Champions would continue to unroll, such as Christian Ahlmann and Marcus Ehning, two of the present mainstays of the German national team, members of the winning European Young Riders teams in 1993 and 1994, to name but a few.

Taking a glance at this year’s edition of the FEI European Jumping Championships for Young Riders and Juniors, there will be 181 riders representing 29 countries, a new record for these Championships, and certainly the equestrian event of the year in lower Normandy. Ranging from 14 to 21 years of age, these future stars of the equestrian circuit will be united during the next five days at the Auvers Stables, in the heart of the Manche region, in Normandy (France) with one objective in mind: a European Team or Individual Championship title. The last time that France organized an event of this kind, bringing together two age groups (juniors and young riders) in the same discipline, was 12 years ago.

The event, which has mobilized the region, will also be host to a variety of animations such as equestrian shows with Jean-François Pignon, the Nation’s parade with carriages, a visit of the D-Day museum on Wednesday with a cocktail on the beach, among many of the festivities. Furthermore, a traditional village will be installed in the grounds of the castle and a sports horse auction will take place in the evening on Friday 27 July.

Eric Navet, Individual and Team World Champion, is a loyal rider to competitions organized in Auvers and will be the Official Ambassador of the European Championships for Junior and Young Riders 2007. Moreover, it was exactly 20 years ago, in 1977, that Eric Navet was crowned Junior Individual European Champion in Tour de Peilz (Switzerland), riding Brooklyn. As far as these Championships he says “It will be the opportunity to discover the Eric Navets and Eugénie Angots of the 2012 Olympic Games.”

So put your crystal balls away and tune in to the FEI European Jumping Championships for Young Riders and Juniors being held in Auvers (FRA) from 25-29 July.

X