Gianluca Bormioli speaks to HSJ

It is a hot moment for Gianluca Bormioli, the coach of the Italian Show Jumping team as well as the Pony teams along with Angelo Cristofoletti.Not so hot are the temperatures in Hagen, Germany, where it has been raining copiously in recent days ahead of tomorrow’s international Young Rider Festival CSIO J/YR.Hagen’s competition is an important part of the season as the riders for the J/YR European Tournament will be named following the event. We spoke to Gianluca Bormioli in Hagen as he was seeking cover from the incessant rain.Important days coming up on an important stage. What is the general situation in the Italy camp?Everything is good at the moment; up until now we have competed in the three CSIO competitions with some decent results. I wanted to unite some of the best riders and horses here in Hagen in view of the European championships. The idea is to come away from this event with the team sheet already drawn up. The competitions so far were to get an idea of things but now we are starting to get serious and we have to knuckle down.What is the atmosphere like amongst the riders?The atmosphere is excellent, relaxed and tranquil. Last year we started with a bang but lost our way at the European Championships. This year it has been the opposite, we started slowly and we hope to turn it around come the Euros.In the CSIO in Holland we came fifth out of ten nations with our second team, an excellent result. I would also add the excellent results obtained in Reims, and so we are ready for this CSIO. We also have three riders who will be competing for the individually so I hope to be spoilt for choice after Hagen.Are the youngsters riding mature or young horses?They are quite mature horses, the minimum age is 8 years.Who is the most in form rider?No comment, I just want to say that it is a good group, they all have a good chance of doing well.Do the weather conditions worry you?Not really. There is a lot of rain and it is cold but the structures are holding up well. We hope that is eases up, of course, but normally the main worry for us is the heat and the humidity. The horses feel better with these temperatures than with the heat and humidity.