Thirty Years On… The Rolex FEI World Cup™ throws itself into the thirty first with verve and vigour

The winning formula…
A winning formula has staying power and as 30 years of success have already shown, the Rolex FEI World Cup™ can claim just that. It was in 1978 that the series began, when Switzerland’s Max Ammann came up with a format for a tournament that would begin in the autumn of one year and conclude the following spring. At the time, indoor show jumping competitions were few and far between, so it was welcomed with open arms.

Nine indoor events in Europe; three in North America plus the Florida circuit of February/March 1979 concluding with the first World Cup Final in Gothenburg (SWE), one of many for the mythic Scandinavium arena, were the solid foundations which have since supported tremendous growth in numbers, attendance and scope. The very first Final, with its exciting jump off between Hugo Simon on Gladstone and Katie Monahan on The Jones demonstrated just how much the concept could capture the imagination and enthusiasm of spectators.

From just two leagues it has expanded to a total of 14 around the globe today, and for the 2008-2009 season, 128 qualifiers will test the verve, determination and skill of an international line out vying for the ultimate honours, to participate and perhaps even get a chance at wining the Rolex FEI World Cup^TM title, to be discerned at the Thomas & Mack arena in Las Vegas in April 2009…   

The winning attitude
As a series, the Rolex FEI World Cup^TM has taken the finest ingredients of international competition, the top riders, the best locations, the most challenging courses and combined them into one impressive package.

The essence of the Rolex FEI World Cup^TM, which remains unchanged since its beginnings in 1978, is its unapologetic focus on individual performance, and combined with excellence, talent, focus and precision so as to create a performance that is the zenith of perfection.

This season sees the commitment of the series partner Rolex enter its second year, and thus further impressing the company’s hallmark on the history of FEI World Cup™ Jumping and its 30-year tradition.

The winning form
Riders at this level are the ambassadors of the sport and are instrumental in keeping the spotlight focused on elite performance while inspiring the young riders who steadily infiltrate their ranks. Thirty years later and 425 riders from 43 countries have taken part in the Finals, including the brothers John and Michael Whitaker who have clearly made a point of attending the final as they clock up respectively 21 and 20 participations at the 30 previous editions!  

While it was Austria's Hugo Simon and Gladstone who took the honours in the opening season as well as 16 and 17 years later in 1996 and 1997, the title has been hotly disputed, at first by the Americans and the Canadians and more recently by the Germans. Indeed, a quick look at the winners from the past ten years, places Germany in the hot seat with five titles to their name, two of which can be claimed by the reigning title holders, Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum and Shutterfly. However, with the Olympic Games so fresh in our minds, it seems as though the fates of USA and Canada may once again be synonymous with success at the World Cup…

It certainly promises to be another vintage year for the FEI World Cup™ Jumping series, and with the addition of the much awaited and highly prized CSI Zurich to the prestigious line out for venues which make up the 2008-2009 Rolex FEI World Cup™ season, a feast of world class jumping. Indeed, as one of the top indoor show jumping events around the world, which sees 42,000 visitors, including non-equestrian fans, flock to Zürich's Hallenstadion every year, the appeal, panache, quality and standing of the FEI World Cup^TM Jumping series is set to break and make new records for the next t