United States Eventing Association

Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games 2014 Preview, Part 2: Changes Planned for 2014 Games Cross-Country Course

As the gallop toward the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games 2014 in Normandy begins, all eyes are focused on the start box at Haras du Pin.

What kind of cross-country course can we expect? As Senior Coach to the U.S. Eventing Team David O’Connor pointed out, Haras du Pin is a known commodity because a CIC3* is held there every year. “Haras du Pin has a lot of terrain,” he said. “Eventing at the Games will be very cross-country dominated, and that’s good. It’s an 11-and-a-half minute course, and it will be very much a fitness course.”

Jean-Marc Varillon, Eventing discipline manager for Normandy, is also director for the Pau 4*. In an interview, he described the 2014 Games track as “very good, very demanding – large and hilly, with many ups and downs.” He has been coordinating with Pierre Michelet, the Games course designer, with whom he has worked closely for many years at Pau.

“The fences have been designed and will be put on the track in July. We know exactly where they will be placed,” said Varillon, who confirmed that the course has three new water jumps. (More details in our upcoming Preview, Part 3.)

When planning the test event, Varillon and his team “decided not to run a ‘mini WEG’ but to really test some specific parts of the competition.” Those included: new cross-country footing; new technology to feed information from the fence judges to the cross-country control center; and transporting the horses from Haras du Pin to the main Games stadium in Caen, where show jumping will take place on the final day.

Caen is 50 miles from Haras du Pin, so transportation issues are considerable. Transport at the test event went smoothly, but as Varillon pointed out, it will be a bigger challenge at the Games, with 60 to 80 horses to transport, compared with 40 horses at the test event.

Another variation is that the test event was a 2*, while the Games will be 4*. All the fences will be different in 2014, as will the distances. The cross-country test track was approximately 4,500 meters; it will be 6,800 meters next year. A brand new dressage arena is being built for the Games. It will be located just in front of the castle, which will make a magnificent backdrop.

Varillon deemed the test event a success, saying that the course “rode well – almost better than expected. All the riders seemed happy with it.”

He got positive feedback from the national federations, whose main concern after the test event was housing accommodations. There are few hotels in the area, as Haras du Pin is out in the countryside, about an hour from the Games Village and the main competition sites in Caen. Varillon said a decision has been made to build a temporary hotel onsite at Haras du Pin for riders and their teams (trainers, grooms, veterinarians, etc.).

Also onsite will be the main eventing office and temporary housing for the horses. The stabling at Caen, the stadium jumping site, will be similar to that at the London Olympics, which drew accolades.

Building the hotel “was the only way to have proper accommodations for the competitors,” said Varillon. “They will be close to their horses all day and all night long.”

Haras du Pin, as he noted, is called “Versailles du cheval” (Versailles for horses). “You cannot miss going there,” he said. “The landscape and environment are wonderful. When you see the decorated cross-country fences and the magnificent track, you will remember it all your life.”