The course

The World Cup is the most prestigious winter event – a championship title coveted by many riders. If you ask them how they feel as winter approaches, they can think of only one thing: qualifying for the final – they dream of adding their own name to the prestigious list of previous winners.

The World Cup winner is champion of the indoor show jumping world. Winning the title is all the more rewarding as the qualifying rounds are extremely tough (and the European league is by far the most competitive): the first hurdle is to finish among the 18 best riders in Europe. Then you have to win the extremely challenging 3-stage final.

The competition to reach that point is terrifying - knowing that exactly 100 riders have already tried their chances in the three stages held earlier this season (the Verona event was not completed due to the tragic death of the great Hickstead at the end of his round). The number of contestants continues to increase throughout the season, but there will only ever be 18 finalists - 19 counting Christian Ahlmann, from Germany, winner of the 2011 final in Leipzig last April, who is entitled to defend his title in Hertogenbosch next April, without competing in the qualifying rounds.

While some riders are already practically certain to qualify after the first two stages in Scandinavia, like the European Champion, Rolf-Göran Bengtsson from Sweden (leader of the provisional ranking with 43 points) or Pius Schwizer, from Switzerland (2nd with 40 points,) tied with British rider, Nick Skelton, the other competitors still have to prove their worth.

In the past, we have seen riders who arrived in Bordeaux without any points, but came back into the running after a single win and obtained the coveted ticket to the final. However, things will be very different this year.

For the moment, two French riders are in the Top 18: Patrice Delaveau (7th) and Kevin Staut (12th). They only need just under twenty points, which should not be difficult to obtain by 26 February, when the Göteborg stage, in Sweden, offers a last opportunity to qualify. In contrast, those who have been emulating the fable of the tortoise and the hare this year will hardly be able to count on Bordeaux to save their winter season, as the cancellation of Vigo means that they really have no possibility of catching up with the field. This is the case of Michel Robert, Simon Delestre, and Eugénie Angot, sleepers in the current ranking, who need to pick up enough points in Geneva, London, and Malines (before the end of this year), then in Leipzig and Zurich (in 2012) before they come to Bordeaux. The situation is more urgent for other riders, including Roger-Yves Bost, the recent winner of the Global Champions Tour final, or even Marcus Ehning, from Germany, triple winner of the World Cup – whose scorecards are still blank. They need to wake up before Bordeaux!

Generali Bordeaux High by cavadeos.com Jump High jump is back!

High jump has fascinated spectators since the mid-20th century, when Chilean Alberto Larraguibel Morales established the world record in 1949. The "capitano" cleared a huge, 2.47-metre spread jump on a horse called Huaso. Frenchman Michel Parot challenged this record in the 1970s, on a gigantic French saddle horse called Tancarville. He jumped 2.41 metres in 1974, beating the French record, and very nearly managed to clear a 2.53-metre fence!

This tradition will be revived in Bordeaux, with an event featuring a special fence, designed for the occasion by Jean-François Morand. The event will be run under "Bordeaux" rules, prepared by experts and a group of riders, and approved by the FEI to ensure proper respect for the horses. This event is intended to thrill the audience.

Today's horses are more powerful than they used to be in the last century and more capable of jumping these heights. However, they are less well-prepared for this atypical event. Will a new record be set in Bordeaux? Nothing is less certain… although, in Stockholm, last December, Robert Whitaker (son of John) beat the world bareback high-jump record by clearing a 2.12-metre wall! So, with a saddle... In any case, the audience should certainly appreciate this exciting event.