Swedish Chef d’équipe has confirmed ten riders for Falsterbo Horse Show’s CSIO 10-13 July.

“Every show before the World Equestrian Games is important but Falsterbo is naturally a step on the way” says Sylve.

Rolf-Göran Bengtsson, Henrik von Eckermann, Peder Fredricsson, Niklas Jonsson, Douglas Lindelöw and Alexander Zetterman are all potential team riders for the Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup™ on Friday 11 July.

Three other riders to participate in the CSIO are Angelica Augustsson, Erika Lickhammer and Johan Lundh. The tenth rider was confirmed this weekend when Niklas Arvidsson won the Swedish Showjumping Championship.
Malin Baryard Johnsson and Jens Fredricsson are candidates for the World Equestrian Games but will not be competing in the top competitions. It is a bit early for their horses Tornesch and Lunatic who are both back in action after a break but not yet ready for the biggest jumps.
The last two Swedish riders will be confirmed after qualifications in Falstebro 5-6 July where twelve riders will have a chance to join the CSIO.

Falsterbo Horse Show 5-13 July 2014
Contact
Lisa Johansson, press relations Falsterbo Horse Show, +46 708 92 48 38, press@falsterbohorseshow.com
Sylve Söderstrand, Chef d’équipe Showjumping, +46 735 11 41 11
Annika Ersgård, Sports Director Showjumping, Swedish Equestrian Federation, +46 0220 456 11 annika.ersgard@ridsport.se

Photo: Krister Appelfeldt

Falsterbo Horse Show is one of Europe’s leading competitions at the very top level of international equestrian sport. Over the years, a great deal of work has gone into improving and developing the venue and the event. Now Rolf-Göran Bengtsson will be helping to add the finishing touches.

Rolf-Göran has been a full-time professional showjumper at an international level for many years. He has also taken part in and won all the major classes at Falsterbo. He first competed at Falsterbo in the early 1980s, so he has extensive knowledge of showjumping and of the developments in the competitions at Falsterbo.

–          “I need advice from someone who will be my eyes and ears in the world of international showjumping and who can pick up on what people want from Falsterbo. Of course, my personal choice was Rolf-Göran, who is the most successful Swedish showjumper of all time. I’ve known him for many years, so it seemed obvious to ask him if he would be prepared to take on this role. Naturally I was very pleased when he said yes, said Jan-Olof “Jana” Wannius.

–          “I’m glad that Jana asked me and I will do everything I can to help. Falsterbo is a fantastic competition venue which has grown unbelievably over the years. It’s great to be involved in developing and fine-tuning the show. I’m very impressed that Jana wants to make Falsterbo even better,” said Rolf-Göran Bengtsson.

Falsterbo Horse Show takes place from 5 to 13 July. The international classes begin on Thursday 10 July.

One of eight competitions of the Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup™ in the European top division is held in Falsterbo and now one team from USA is attending this summer.

 Nations Cup is the most prestigious showjumping series for national teams in the world. Each nation competes in teams of 4 riders. Last year Germany won and in 2012 Sweden won in Falsterbo. This year USA is coming to give it a try on Friday July 11^th.

 – It is fantastic that USA is coming to visit us with a full team.  Considering the great conditions that they have for horse shows in the U.S, it feels good that they choose to come to Falsterbo. The riders get tougher competition and the audience can see more good sport, says “Jana” Wannius, President Falsterbo Horse Show

–The US Jumping Team is delighted to be returning to Falsterbo Horse Show in 2014 and are extremely grateful to the Organizing Committee for the invitation.  Falsterbo is one of Europe’s top Nations Cup events and as part of the Furusiyya Nations Cup, European Division 1 series, it will allow our US Jumping riders, both established and our future championship riders, to compete against some of the world’s very best riders and horses. We are excited to be Jumping in Sweden again and looking forward to top competition as well as Falsterbo’s great fans and atmosphere and of course the Rabbit Jumping!, says Lizzy Chesson, Managing Director of Show Jumping Programs, United States Equestrian Federation

Folksam Scandinavian Open 6-year old horses , 1:st semifinal will be starting at 15:20 (5:20 pm) today, Monday.

 Frank Rothenberger is ranked as one of the best course designers in the world. He designs the international courses at Falsterbo Horse Show.

 He has been designing the courses here for over 15 years. Last year Frank was not on site himself due to the Olympic Games, but this year he will be here all week.

“The best teams in the world are coming to Falsterbo, so the courses need to be challenging, as all the teams want to gain points in the Nations Cup,” says Frank Rothenberger, International course designer.

“The people, the place itself, numerous horse enthusiasts among the spectators, a relaxed atmosphere and top quality all round make Falsterbo extra special,” continues Frank.

“In show jumping, the most important person in the whole competition is the course designer; I am delighted to welcome Frank Rothenberger again this year,” says ‘Jana’ Wannius, President of Falsterbo Horse Show

Surveys of the arena by Lars Roepstorff, a professor in equine functional anatomy at the Swedish University of Agricultural Sciences (SLU), have shown excellent results. One survey revealed that shock absorption at Falsterbo’s International jumping arena is somewhat better than the majority of comparable arenas (for international jumping competitions) examined by Professor Roepstorff. This is a positive finding, as it theoretically reduces the risk of injury.

After surveying Falsterbo’s main arena, Professor Roepstorff published a summary of his findings, saying,

“The surface consistency is such that it provides good hoof support on landing after jumps without being too hard. It is within limits that are on a par with other arenas used for the same purposes. There is good shock absorption of the maximum load during landing. It is somewhat better than the majority of comparable arenas (for international jumping competitions) we have surveyed.

“This is a positive finding, as it theoretically reduces the risk of injury. At the same time, the shock absorption is not so great that the arena can be deemed ‘deep’ or ‘soft’, which means conditions are ideal for the horses to perform well, and that there is less risk of injury.”

“We are extremely pleased with these findings. We know that Falsterbo’s arena is built on the site of an old lake bed, and the 15-metre-deep sand under the grass makes the surface fantastically springy,” says Jan-Olof ‘Jana’ Wannius, President of Falsterbo Horse Show.

“After this year’s competitions we will focus our attention on work to make the surface even more level than it is today,” continues Jana.

A Wild Card to Falsterbo Horse Shows class ” Runsten Village Young Rider Grand Prix”  will be given away to the rider that placed 2nd in  Årsta Runstens competitions 16th June.

The Wild card gives acess to compete in Falsterbo 10-11 juli.