It was a stunning morning as the sun rose above the city skyscrapers, and then you turn to Stanley Park to see something unusual. Horses jumping? Yes, horses jumping. Three horses and professional riders came to Stanley Park this morning bright and early. The picturesque scene of horses flying over huge jumps with the city in the background was something exceptional. The horses were jumping in Stanley Park to give a teaser for the upcoming international event in Langley this weekend.
The three riders out at Stanley Park were all professionals, they compete at the highest level – Olympic height of a metre-60 (1.60 metres). These riders compete all over the world and are in town for the weekend for the Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping.
Ben Asselin one of the three riders is Alberta born, at only 23 he has represented Team Canada on various occasions. Gareth Graves was the other Canadian, and is from Vancouver Island. He has risen up the ranks of international competition and also runs a training business. Karl Cook as the representing American won the Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping in Langley last year, and hopes to repeat again this year. As some of the top riders in the world, these three came out bright and early to Stanley Park to give Vancouver a taste of what show jumping is all about.
Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping is a series that takes place all over the world, the event in Langley is at Thunderbird Show Park, and it is one of the qualifiers for the series. The riders compete in the qualifiers throughout North America to gain the necessary points to then compete in the finals that happen in Paris, France. Only two Canadians will be able to qualify for the finals, so we will be there cheering for our Canadians this weekend!
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