The 7th Longines Equestrian Beijing Masters, presented by Dashing Equestrian, a CSI3* Equestrian event marked the FEI had its grand opening the Bird’s Nest today. This classic equestrian event held by China Equestrian Association and the National Stadium(“the Bird’s Nest”). It was also co-produced by the operation team of the world top equestrian event CHIO- Aachen-ART along with Mr. Ludger Beerbaum, who was known as “the father of equestrian in Germany”. Longines acts as the title sponsor and official timekeeper of the event, while BMW is the diamond partner and mobility partner. The Longines Beijing Equestrian Masters is the first top international equestrian event which has been held in the Birds Nest for seven years in a row.
From the Oct. 13th to Oct. 15th, the top 173 pairs of Chinese and international horse and rider are gathering together again at the Birds Nest where they will compete and show their equestrian talents to the world in the six levels of competitions, including Longines Grand Prix (150cm), International Team Competition (145cm), BMW Elite Class (130-135cm), Team Champions (120-125cm), Dashing Challenge Class(100-110cm) and BMW Drive & Jump Competition. The riders are going to present a grand annual equestrian feast to all audiences while competing for a total of 172 million RMB worth prizes.
Event Roundup 1st Day
Dashing Challenge Class 1st Round (100-110cm)
The first competition for today was the Dashing Challenge Class 1st Round(100-110cm). 65 rider and horse pairs are fighting for a place of Dashing Challenge Class Final on 14th Oct. The riders were busy getting themselves ready and adjusted for the game early this morning. There was neither gender nor age gap in this competition. The oldest rider took part in the Dashing Challenge Class is 61 years old while the youngest is only 10. The old and the young were completing on the same platform while enjoying the happiest moment of equestrian brought to their lives. That’s the charming part of equestrian, which is also a memorable moment in Chinese equestrian history.
After three-hour competition, rider Ma Zhiyuan with his horse BEC SPENCER from Yuehewan finished the game by 55.17s with zero penalty won the champion of the Dashing Challenge Class 1st Round. He showed his extraordinary skills and stable mental state. Zhou Xiaomao with Cadancha from Shanghai Aijiu finished the game by 55.74s became the runner-up while Li Zitong from CKUR with ESME got the third place. The chief range officer Mr. Nigel King presented the awards to the top eight riders.
International Team Competition 1st Round (120-125cm)
Later today, 39 rider and horse pairs from 13 equestrian clubs competed in the first round of Team Championship to earn the tickets to the final on Oct. 14th. Three riders from each club took part in the competition, which required the overall skills of the riders as well as the stability of the horses from each club. Kenneth Team won the first place, while Dashing Equine being the runner-up and Hebei Weiersi being at the 3rd place.
Spotlights outside the field:
Horse Inspection
The ceremony of horse inspection this morning is an essential procedure in the equestrian competitions’ traditions. The patrol judges are going to judge if the horses are fit enough to take part in the competitions by observing the appearance and state of the horses and listening to the marching sound of the horses. The riders participating in the Beijing Master trotting by the judges with their beloved horses symbolized the grand opening of the 7th Longines Beijing Equestrian Masters. From this moment on, the classics started to be seen once again.
International Riders’ Warm-up
After the 1st Round of Dashing Challenge Class, all the international competitors participating in the Beijing Masters went in the stadium to do the warm-up. The attention catcher was that this year’s event gathered the most and the best international riders of the world of all time, with a total of 36 riders. Mr. Ludger Beerbaum, who’s known as “the father of equestrian in Germany” led many top international riders with the best grades to join the competition, including FEI 6th Place German rider Christian Ahlmann and FEI 9th Place Spanish rider Sergio Moya. As well as German rider Marcus Ehning, Sweden rider Henrik Von Eckermann, and lots more excellent riders that the world ‘s equestrian fans love to talk about are going to reveal their excellence at Birds Nest soon. We could call it the classic moment of the Beijing Masters.
Welcome Party
On the Welcome Party after the first day’s competition, Mr. Ludger Beerbaum, together with the Vice President and International Marketing Director of Longines Mr. Juan-Carlos Capelli presented the LEWA certifications to all the students at the training camp from Oct. 9th to 12th. Later, the organizing committee hosted a draw ceremony for the International Team Competition on Oct. 14th, in which Chinese riders are able to team up with the top international riders. Finally, Mr. Ludger Beerbaum, the Executive Vice-president of Dashing Equine, Mr. Michal Mronz and the president of Dashing Equine Ms. Li Jing with all the guests at the party raised the glass and toasted together with a wish for the great victory for the 7th Longines Beijing Equestrian Masters. Let’s wait and see!
About Longines Beijing Equestrian Masters
As a CSI3* equestrian event marked by the FEI, the Longines Beijing Equestrian Masters had its first show at the Birds Nest in 2011 and had its grand retuen in 2012. The Beijing Masters is so far a top international equestrian event of the highest level in China.
The Longines Beijing Equestrian Masters was held by Chinese Equestrian Association, and the National Stadium. It is also an international event co-produced by Dashing Equine with world top equestrian event team CHIO-AACHEN as well as Mr. Ludger Beerbaum, who’s known as “the father of equestrian in Germany”. Apart from that, the Beijing Masters kept its tradition of a opening ceremony and show-jumping competition at night, which makes it pleasant to watch. This is not only the highest platform for both Chinese and international riders to compete but also a fashion party which combines all sorts of interactive activities. The equestrian carnival held differently every year promotes the equestrian culture as well as the idea of universal equestrian.
About Longines
Longines was found in Sait-Imier in Switzerland in 1832. The brand carries its inherited delicacy, tradition, elegance and extraordinary functions to reach its watch manufacturing specialization. Longines has been the official timer of world championships and the cooperative partners of International association of Physical Culture and Sports Federations, which gave itself rich experiences and glorious traditions. Longines has been supporting the elegant equestrian sport for a long time and building its bond to the elegance. Longines is a well-known brand under the world leading watch manufacturer SWATCH, who’s known for its delicate timing products to the world. The logo of the winged hourglass has left its mark in more than 150 countries.
About BMW
BMW is one of the most successful car and motorcycle manufacturers of the world, which includes BMW, MINI and Rolls-Royce. It provides car finance as well as high-end traveling services for its clients. As a transnational company, BMW possess 31 manufacturing and reassembling factories in 14 countries, while their products were sold to more than 140 countries and regions. In 2015, BMW has sold around 2,247,000 cars and 137,000 motorcycles around the world. The profit BMW made before tax from 2015 is around 9.22 billion euros, while the sales revenue reached to 92.18 billion euros. Till the end of 2015, the faculty of BMW reached to 122,244. The success of BMW is based on its precautions and responsibilities. Therefore, BMW carries the ecological and social sustainability in their values. As all-around product responsibilities and clear energy-saving promises have been set as an important part of BMW’s long-term strategies.
About CASTEL
CASTEL was by Pierre Castel in 1949 along with eight of his siblings in Bordeaux, France. They have distributed all their efforts to promote French wine to the world. Castel Maison have always been holding the wishes to share the love of wine with everyone else, as well as the belief of producing the finest wine to fulfill clients and customers’ needs. Castel Maison’s history is full of glories, and now it has gradually become the biggest wine manufacturer in France and Europe. Since 1998 when it entered the Chinese market, it has been dedicated to promoting French wine culture as well as paying great attention to the development of Chinese sports.
About Dashing Equine
Beijing Dashing Equine was found in 2010. At the beginning of its establishment, it held the first international equestrian event in China successfully at the Birds Nest with Mr. Ludger Beerbaum who’s known as “the father of equestrian in Germany”. The 2012 CHIO Aachen’s organizer ART cooperated with Dashing Equine started the internationalization of the Longines Beijing Equestrian Masters, in which the great Swiss brand watch Longines successfully titled the event and served as the official timer. The Longines Beijing Equestrian Masters will be held at the Birds Nest till 2020 at least. At moment, Dashing Equine has reorganizes the advantageous resources domestically and internationally from all aspects in the equestrian industry. Its core business includes the running and developing of the sports events, the representatives of the riders, the media, the operating and managing of equestrian clubs as well as the importing and merchandising of the horses and saddlery. Dashing believes in this eco-equestrian business chain which allows them to push Chinese equestrian to the higher international level and cultivate the best Chinese riders as well as elites in managing equestrian events.