Breaking new ground, Au-Delà des Pistes is delighted to announce the introduction of a series of show-jumping competitions, reserved for retrained racehorses, starting in March 2018.
The initiative is the result of a partnership between the charity, Au-Delà des Pistes, whose mission is to promote the retraining of racehorses in France, and the Pole Européen du Cheval – Boulerie Jump, based in Le Mans and directed by Philippe Rossi. All seven stages of the Au-Delà des Pistes Trophy will be held at the state-of-the art site, with the inaugural competition scheduled for Saturday 17 March, leading up to the final on Saturday 29 September. The classes will be held over show-jumping courses of between 80 cm and 100cm, offering riders of retrained racehorses a valuable opportunity to showcase their skills and the talents of their equine partners.
Au-Delà des Pistes President Aliette Forien commented : “By giving riders of retrained racehorses the chance to show off what their horses are capable of, as well as highlighting the passion that they invest into giving these horses a second career, we are convinced that it can only serve to encourage more riders to try a former racehorse. To witness the Thoroughbred taking part in events like this one can’t help but be convinced of their intelligence, generosity and versatility, as well as moved by the intensity of the bond between horse and rider. Natural-born athletes, often bred with jumping in mind unlike other breeds, combined with their willingness to please, means they often make good show-jumpers. In addition, the Au-Delà des Pistes Trophy is a wonderful opportunity for all riders of former racehorses to come together around their shared passion in a top-class setting at Boulerie Jump. We’d like to thank Philippe Rossi and his team for their support and assistance in launching this series.”
The classes will all be considered official competitions and entries can be made via the Federation Francaise d’Equitation’s website www.ffecompet.ffe.com . Participants will earn points for each stage with the top performers qualifying for the final stage on Saturday, 29 September.
Au-Delà des Pistes announced the launch of the Trophy during their AGM on 19 January. You can access the annual report here which covers the development of the charity since its inception in 2016, as well as outlining strategy for 2018.