Beach Bound: The Longines Global Champions Tour Hits the Beach in Florida for Second Stop

59 riders from 21 countries are scheduled to participate in the Miami Beach event which starts today and continues through Saturday, and the United Kingdom and Ireland are well-represented in Florida. British competitors this year are Scott Brash, Ben Maher and Emily Moffitt. For its part, the Emerald Isle is fielding young phenom Bertram Allen, Michael Kearins, and Darragh Kenny.

The 2017 Tour brings together the world’s Top 30-ranked show jumping riders in 15 locations around the world, traveling as far afield as Shanghai, China before November’s Final in Doha, Qatar at the futuristic Al Shaqab Equestrian Centre. In addition to the Champion of Champions trophy and the unparalleled prize money on offer, another characteristic of this series created by former Olympic rider Jan Tops of the Netherlands is its picturesque and emblematic settings. The Miami Beach leg reflects that idea, with swimmers and sunbathers visible in the background as the elite horse and rider pairs face off on the beach.

Indeed, the seaside stadium can sometimes present a challenge for the multi-million dollar sport horses. Last year, Brash told the Miami Herald newspaper that horses can get spooked by the waves crashing in beside the course in Miami. “If there’s a distraction, it’s our job to calm them and get them adjusted to it,” he said.

In any case, the world’s best riders in the sport have great experience managing their partners’ states-of-mind, and there is certainly a star-studded list of riders set for Miami Beach, which kicks off today with a first CSI 5* (the top level) at 1.50/1.55 metres. The top two-ranked riders in the world, Americans McLain Ward and Kent Farrington, will be there. And Ward is fresh off his sweeping victory at the Longines FEI World Cup Jumping Final in Omaha, Nebraska at the start of the month.

Eric Lamaze of Canada, Lorenzo de Luca of Italy, Steve Guerdat of Switzerland, and Spain’s Pilar Lucrecia Cordon are just some of the additional big names aiming to pick up valuable Tour points in Florida. There are other names among the Miami Beach riders that would be recognizable to the wider public: Georgina Bloomberg, Jennifer Gates and Jessica Springsteen (daughters of Michael, Bill and Bruce respectively) — although in the show jumping world they are known first and foremost for their top level skill. That will be put to the test alongside all the other riders this weekend on the coastal city’s golden sands.