The horde at the gates of Rome

The 2018 edition of “Cavalli a Roma”, the horse fair scheduled from the 16th till the 18th of February, will include two international show jumping events with 350 horses taking to the field.
Among the main events is the Sei Barriere (Six Hurdles), the qualification event for the Piazza di Siena CSIO of the same name, set for Saturday the 17th and the 1.45m Grand Prix valid for the FEI Ranking List, set for Sunday 18th.
The event will see a number of stars take to the field including veteran rider Arnaldo Bologni; winner of Rome’s Piazza di Siena Grand Prix; Gianni Govoni; Olympian who has also claimed three World Championships; Gabriele Grassi; Italian representative at the 2010 World Cup.
As well as the more renowned riders a number of promising youngsters will be strutting their stuff, including Giacomo Casadei; bronze medalist at the Junior European Championships in 2017; and Priscilla Pigozzi Garofalo; gold medal winner in the team event at the 2016 pony European Championships.
Uliano Vezzani, the course designer of important events like the Piazza di Siena CSIO, Longines Global Champions Tour Roma and the World Cup in Verona, will be coordinating events on the field. Vezzani, a source of pride for Italy in the world, is among the squad of chef de piste which the international equestrian federation has submitted to the CIO for the Tokyo 2020 Olympics.
Talking about the upcoming event, the Italian Master stated: “This is an event with incredible potential for growth”.
Cesare Croce has been chosen for the technical direction of the two international show jumping competitions. President of the FISE between 1996 and 2008, the longest presidency in the Federation’s history, is currently in charge of the FISE Dressage department.
According to Croce “ The Roma Fair is an exceptional opportunity to blend all the elements within the world of equestrian sports, but most of all it is an occasion in which to put horses at the centre of public attention. Consequently, the event will create great opportunities to introduce youngsters to a “friend” which has no equal, while engaging older people with a sport that can be practised at any age. The competition has an ambitious soul, and aims to grow not just in a competitive sense but also as a completely new event.” Cesare Croce went on to ponder the idea of a possible Mediterranean Cup.
(ph. ©Cavalli a Roma/Stefano Grasso)
DANIELA CURSI Addetta stampa CSI 1*/2* -Concorso Internazionale di Salto ostacoli