Racing fans don’t usually follow the show jumping scene and vice versa, and to most people dressage is just plain boring. But when the seventh leg of the Global Champions Tour took place in Chantilly it was the occasion to swap roles. While the world’s best show jumpers competed in a 1.000 m sprint, some of the world’s best jockeys got in the saddle to jump a ten obstacle course. The experiment was interesting as most of the jockeys had never jumped anything before. Thanks to some coaching from their show jumping partners, they all made it through the course and in a style that greatly improved once they were racing against the clock. And it was not over here; after Saturday’s polo lessons at Aprémont, show jumpers Edwina Alexander and Pénélope Leprévost took a crash course in dressage. Even if everything was new to them, including the long stirrups and uncomfortable Stübben saddles, both were hooked and made attempts to piaff, passage, and do a  Spanish walk as well as a curtsey.

“It is definitely more physical work than in jumping, where we have horses that have more blood so you don’t have to ride so strongly with your legs. But when you think a little bit about what you want to do these horses just react straight away. It shows that there’s been a lot work training them,” said Alexander who won the GCT Grand Prix on a wet and slippery course where it was all about having complete control. To Pénélope Leprévost, who came in third, the elevated trot of her horse was most extraordinary feeling.  “It is different than show jumping were it’s all about the movement of the gallop, which I like to keep round with the horse’s head down. I liked the different personalities of each horse and that the rider can adapt to them. They are formidable and trying to do their best for us. In the race the feeling was fantastic; here I think it is a lot about communicating with the horse, so I didn’t dare to say to much as I didn’t want him to lose confidence in me,” said Leprévost who won Friday’s race in front of jumping pros such as Kevin Staut, Eric Lamaze and Rodrigo Pessoa.

Photos Pascal Renauldon