EQUITANA 2023: Sport and breeding, show and shopping

The programme of the World Equestrian Show from 9 to 15 March is particularly multi-faceted. From training to breeding, the best from all sectors will be represented in Essen. 

Exciting sport, spectacular shows and an incomparable shopping experience are what Equitana has to offer next year. From trailers to accessories, from special feed to the entire stable construction system, nationally and internationally renowned brands will be represented with their products and innovations at the World Equestrian Show. Top riders and internationally sought-after trainers give tips for horse-friendly training. In cups and competitions, successful athletes and young talents compete in various disciplines and in the Hop Top Show, sought-after artists from all over Europe prove that even the seemingly impossible is possible in the relationship between man and horse.

The future of breeding

The future of breeding is the main topic at Equitana on Tuesday, 14 March. Well-known studs and private stations will show stallions from their strongest side in a show presented by Marstall. In addition to powerful moving warmbloods and typey ponies for sport, cold-blooded horses, gaited horses and other small horse breeds will also impress with their quality.  

The State Stud of North Rhine-Westphalia will be showcasing its stallions in various programme items. The warmbloods prove themselves in the arena and at the jump and the cold-blooded horses also flex their muscles. Typical stallions from renowned bloodlines and with Hanoverian, Holstein or Westphalian brand are the speciality of the Rüscher-Konermann stallion station. At Equitana, they will be presenting an exclusive selection from their broad portfolio with selected sires. Elegant athletes with impressive pedigrees and the best dispositions for dressage, jumping and eventing are at the Hoffrogge stallion station. The family business from Dorsten presents some special talents at the Equitana with their advantages for the different disciplines. Performance-oriented and highly successful pony sires will be presented by Ferienhof Stücker and Gestüt Bönninger.

Other breeders and private stallion owners will also present outstanding Icelandic horse sires and approved sires for Haflinger and Shetland horse breeding. 

As the youngest gaited horse breed, the Aegidienberger will celebrate their 40th anniversary at Equitana. The International Gaited Horse Association will focus on the breed's versatile talent and impressive development. Walter Feldmann had presented the first of his kind at the Equitana in 1983 with Primero and caused quite a stir. 

Dressage in all facets

Within the discipline of dressage, numerous currents and training methods have become established. The variety of concepts, their similarities and differences will be made visible by a very special programme item on Sunday, 12 March. For the first time, four prominent instructors will jointly present their respective principles and demonstrate by means of examples how they can be put into practice. Dressage trainer Dr. Britta Schöffmann stands for the traditional way of dressage training according to the criteria of the training scale: For her, tact, suppleness, impulsion, straightening and collection are the guiding values for training and developing a horse. 

Richard Hinrichs embodies the classical-baroque art of riding. With great passion he dedicates himself to the training of horses up to the high school - both from the ground and under the saddle. When training riders, he places particular emphasis on a psychological balance in order to be able to communicate with the horse in an understandable way and via the finest aids. 

As the founder of academic horsemanship, Bent Branderup comes to Essen. For him, dressage should primarily serve the horse and not the other way round. The various lessons up to the high school are intended to bring the horse into balance and help it to remain agile and healthy in the long term. 

With the École de Légèreté, Philippe Karl has also founded his own school. For the French riding master, ease in dealing with the partner horse is at the centre of his philosophy. He focuses entirely on training without coercion and pressure. His concept combines the knowledge of the old masters such as Xenophon, Baucher or La Guérinière with modern knowledge from anatomy, physiology, biomechanics, balance, psychology and ethnology. All four masters of dressage will be together in the arena for the first time at Equitana, making the different approaches comprehensible and comparable. 

Western Sport in Hall 7

Top trainers also pass on their knowledge in the various disciplines of western sport. Exclusive lessons can be followed by Kay Wienrich, Maik Bartmann and Sascha Ludwig, among others. Further highlights are the Wittelsbuerger Western Focus Days as well as the Extreme Trail by Tom Büchel, where the aim is to train the sense of balance, attention and learning ability with the help of various obstacles. The whole variety of western sport, the different breeds, the focus of the individual disciplines and teaching sessions with renowned instructors can be experienced during the entire duration of the fair in the Western Ring in Hall 7. Numerous exhibitors will also be presenting new products as well as equipment and accessories for horse and rider.  

The Equitana Cups 

To perform like the stars of the Hop Top Show in the big ring of the Equitana and to thrill the audience with their own choreography - at the Show Cup of the Uelzener Versicherung, talented riders will have the chance to prove themselves in the spotlight on Saturday, 11 March. Neither breed nor riding style count for the big performance, only imagination. Unusual performances with original ideas are required to win the points of the expert jury and the hearts of the spectators. After all, the applause from the stands is part of the judging.

In the Josera Working Equitation Cup, the young equestrian discipline will present itself in all its fascinating diversity on Friday, 10 March. Baroque horse breeds are particularly often on the starting list in this competition. The compact physique of Andalusians, Lusitanos or Camargue horses is an advantage when it comes to skill and speed in the trail. The requirements are based on the tasks of southern European cattle herders. Their daily work in the field requires great versatility and flexibility from rider and horse. 

Versatility and quick reactions to fine aids are also in demand at the EWU Ranch Riding Cup on Thursday, 9 March. The aim of the new western discipline is to present a horse that is willing to stand at the aids and can also be controlled well at higher gaits. In addition to trot and canter reinforcement, lateral gaits, canter changes and riding over poles are therefore also required. Several national and state champions compete against each other at Equitana. 

The cross-country course of the USG Indoor Eventing leads over ditches and walls through bushes and other natural hurdles. Top riders and promising up-and-coming pairs will compete against each other and against time on Monday, 13 March. Instead of long gallops, the obstacles follow each other in short succession. This requires tight turns, pinpoint control and a perfect relationship of trust between rider and horse. 

In the Icelandic Horse Cup on Wednesday, 15 March, the Icelandic horses ignite a drumfire in tölt and racing pass. On the oval track, the horses from the island of fire and ice not only take the bends at a fast pace, they also really make speed on the straights. A spectacle worth seeing, not only for gaited horse fans.

Fast-paced equestrian games

The Mounted Games in Essen promise spectacular manoeuvres. Similar to a relay race, the teams compete directly against each other. At a stretched gallop, for example, the participants have to pick up or place objects, pierce a ring with a lance, jump off and on again or complete a slalom course and then send their team mate off on the track. Originally introduced to keep soldiers fit in peacetime, the games have long since developed into a fascinating sport, with tournaments up to and including world championships. The Mounted Games Association Germany will provide exciting insights into this discipline during Equitana. 

Tickets for Equitana 2023 as well as for the three training evenings with Uta Gräf and Andreas Kreuzer, the Liberty Stars as well as Frédéric Pignon and the Hop Top Show are available online in the ticket shop.