The Bromont CCI4*-S Three Day Event, held Aug. 13-16 in Bromont, Quebec, has been named as a leg of 2020 FEI Eventing Nations Cup series.
Sabrina Ibáñez, secretary general of the Fédération Équestre Internationale, confirmed on Nov. 16, during the FEI board meeting held in Moscow, that Bromont was allocated the competition.
Bromont is just one of nine Eventing Nations Cup events listed on the FEI calendar including the finale at Boekelo, the Netherlands.
Led by Sue Ockendon, Bromont Horse Trials Inc. organizes this popular national and FEI level competition held each year in August as well as the MARS Equestrian Bromont CCI Three Day Event and Little Bromont happening in June.
“This is really important for the Americas to have this opportunity; there are so few chances to qualify and to gain the experience for the Olympic and other major games,” said Ockendon. “Teams are already talking about coming in June for the MARS Equestrian Bromont CCI Three Day Event to ready themselves for the FEI Eventing Nations Cup in August.”
The FEI requires three countries to compete at a Nations Cup, something the Great Meadow International (Virginia) struggled with when it hosted a leg from 2016 to2018.
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Ockendon said that Mexico has committed to sending a team, and she hopes there might be enough British or Irish riders in the U.S. to form teams. She hopes to have participation from European countries in the future.
“If you look back at the Nations Cup, they’ve picked teams out of the Nations Cup,” she said. “It’s going to be tough for me the first year because we’ve only really got two countries, America and Canada, and we have to try and make up those teams. I want to bring in different teams, not Britain or Germany, but Swiss or Poland—people so we could have a comparative group to compete against.”
Ockendon plans to provide free entries and stabling to teams for the August event. The cross-country course will be designed by Derek di Grazia, who also designs the June event.
Ockendon is a supporter of Under 25 riders at the June event, offering separate divisions, and she’s considering a mock Nations Cup for them alongside the August event.
“I’m working on all different angles. I don’t know if it’s going to work, but keep your fingers crossed for me!” she said.
