Latest news
31 October 2008
Strictly horses m'lord
Strictly Come Dancing judge Arlene Phillips and musical mastermind Andrew Lloyd Webber are to be guest judges at the very first Express Eventing International Cup.
The two TV favourites, who are famous for working with the very best musical and dance talents on the stage and screen, will critique the dressage (or ‘dancing’) section of this exciting new form of the equestrian sport of eventing at the Millennium Stadium on 30 November.
Express Eventing, in association with British Eventing, is a condensed version of three-day eventing – dressage, show jumping and cross country – packed into just half a day and under the roof of the international sporting arena, the Millennium Stadium.
Arlene and Andrew will be giving their outspoken views on how the very best riders from around the world interpret the music in the dressage arena.
Arlene, who has choreographed many stage musicals, including Starlight Express and the Sound of Music and is also Director of the upcoming Strictly Come Dancing Live Tour, and Andrew, who is the world’s most successful composer and producer and has recently been recruited by the BBC to write the UK’s next Eurovision song, will join international dressage judges Jennie Loriston-Clarke, Isobel Wessels, Frances Verbeek and Andrew Gardner to assess each rider’s dressage performance.
The all-star line up of international riders, which will include Olympic medallists, World Cup winners, European champions and winners of the most prestigious eventing competitions in the world, such as Badminton and Burghley, will each perform a four-minute 'freestyle' dressage test, set to their own choice of music.
There will be a list of compulsory movements and some optional ones. The test will be assessed by judges: two for technical correctness and paces, one for overall impression, another for use of the arena and inventiveness, and the fifth for the successful interpretation of the chosen music.
Andrew, who is excited about the task in hand, said: “My wife Madeleine was an international eventer, so this sport has been a big part of our life – though I will admit that I still have a lot to learn about horses. I am delighted to be asked to play a part in what is a great new sporting event.”
Arlene said: “It is so much fun using my experience in all sorts of different arenas and this is a first for me. I always enjoy working with Andrew on a project and this is certainly an original one. With 20 different riders choosing 20 different pieces of music, it is going to be fascinating to see how the horses respond and the competition evolves.”
For more information and to buy tickets for Express Eventing International Cup, go to www.eeicup.com <http://www.eeicup.com> or call the Express Eventing Ticketmaster hotline 08705 582582.
ends
In association with British Eventing
For further information, please contact
Express Eventing
Helen Barklam
01772 316924
07917 148900
Email: helen.barklam@tricornevents.com
Musto
Aline Pilcher
Tel: 01243 532516
Mobile: 07710 348554
b.p.p.r@btconnect.com
Notes to editors
Expert commentaries, a new scoring system and state-of-the-art stadium technology will enable spectators to follow the progress of competitors, knowing exactly what each needs to do to win.
The competition starts with a freestyle dressage programme, set to music, where horse and rider are judged not only on the degree of difficulty, but on artistic interpretation. Competitors then enter the combined jumping stage, a first for eventing. After the last show jump is completed, a ‘pit-stop’ tack change enables horse and rider to prepare for the challenges of the cross-country course.
Rider who have signed up to take part in Express Eventing are:
British - Tina Cook, Mary King, William Fox-Pitt, Lucy Wiegersma, Oliver Townend
Australian - Clayton Fredericks, Lucinda Fredericks
New Zealand – Mark Todd, Andrew Nicholson, Caroline Powell
China – Alex Hua Tian
Belgian - Karin Donckers
Germany - Dirk Schrade, Bettina Hoy
France - Nicolas Touzaint, Rodolphe Scherer
Italy - Vittoria Panizzon
Sweden - Linda Algotsson
American - Philip Dutton, Buck Davidson
Musto Clothing for Express Eventing
An innovative partnership
Musto, renowned for making the world’s leading sailing and country sports clothing for over 35 years, applies its technical expertise in design, fabrication, components and construction to make sure its products perform in the most testing conditions. It is fitting, therefore, that the company has been invited to design and produce a technical and functional five-piece collection for the riders at Express Eventing, the world’s newest, most dynamic and innovative development in competition riding.
GORE-TEX® Show Jumping Jacket
Constructed from a newly-developed, lightweight GORE-TEX® 2 layer laminate with a high twist polyester twill, which gives the fabric a soft hand feel but is durably waterproof, windproof and breathable. GORE-TEX® stretch panels are included in key areas – side and under arms - for increased ease of movement when you’re riding at full stretch. The jacket is mesh lined for optimum breathability and comfort when worn with the coordinating PrimaLoft® Jacket.
The Show Jumping Jacket has a sports-fit, which has been designed and shaped to perform in the arena and an ergonomic sleeve shape allows optimum movement and comfort. An innovative two-piece collar with detachable throat tab gives a smarter look and provides protection in foul weather. The centre two-way zip is protected by a shaped storm flap with partially concealed studs for a clean look. Adjustable cuffs, splash-proof zipped pockets, twin zipped gusseted rear vents and pommel flap make this the ultimate jacket in terms of performance, protection and technology.
