WDM Reacts to Cancellation of Exquis World Dressage Masters

Tuesday evening November 30, Exquis World Dressage Masters Management received an email from Equestrian Sport Productions’s president Michael Stone stating that ESP had decided to cancel the WDM Palm Beach 2011 (February 3-5).

“We were very surprised by this news,” Anthony M. Kies, CEO of WDM management says. “First of all because WDM has a running contract with ESP and secondly because several top North American and European riders had already confirmed to travel to Florida to compete in the WDM.”

WDM regrets that ESP has chosen to inform the press without consulting WDM. This has resulted in a situation where the US dressage community is left with many questions about the future of WDM in the US.

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Therefore WDM Management is happy to announce that US dressage icons Akiko Yamazaki (owner of ‘USEF’s Horse of the Year’ Ravel) and 2010 WEG Bronze medalist Steffen Peters are determined to secure WDM for the North American riders and public and have gladly offered their help in finding a good place to stage WDM.

Canadian rider and IDRC board member Evi Strasser is clear in her comments: “We cannot afford to lose this great competition and definitely need to go the extra mile to keep it here.”

WDM will stage a press conference on December 28 during the World Cup show in Mechelen (Belgium), in which it will present the 2011 WDM Calendar, a new media- partnership and the pre-announcement of a new partner.

The Exquis World Dressage Masters is an initiative of equestrian innovator Exquis and international sports marketing agency SportBizz

The Exquis World Dressage Masters is the richest dressage circuit in the world and is sponsored by Exquis, Moorland Stables and Moorland Investments, Nürnberger Versicherungsgruppe, Axel Johnson Group and Jerich International.