Equestrian Sport Productions (ESP) has announced that the Trump Invitational, due to be held on January 3, 2016, at The Mar-a-Lago Club in Palm Beach, has been cancelled.

Due to a series of recent heavy, unprecedented rain events occurring over the past few weeks during which cars were parked on the lawn, the grass turf footing for the jumping arena on the back lawn of The Mar-a-Lago Club was deemed unfit for competition. With the event weeks away, there was not enough time to repair the turf to a level necessary for a world-class event.

ESP CEO Mark Bellissimo stated, “We are extremely disappointed to announce this cancellation. We discussed the situation with the Trump Organization, and we agreed that we have to put the safety and welfare of the horses and riders first and foremost. The footing is not up to the excellent standards of the past two years of the event, and we would not want to risk anyone having any issues. It is our desire to maintain a high standard for quality.”

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