The 2013 Salon du Cheval in Paris, France, on 2 - 3 December 2013 was all about donkeys, shetlands, arabian showing and so much more. Somewhere in all of this there was a CDI dressage competition, but to discover it was like making one's way through a labyrinth. As a groom working for an international dressage rider at the 2013 CDI Paris, I was able to experience the show from behind the scenes and to bring the CDI Paris back to its former World Cup glory a lot of work still lies ahead.
Location, Location, Location
For starters I could offer a helpful note to the organiser. Upon arrival to the show, as you enter the gates for the Paris CDI, can you please provide a key phrase sheet for aid? It would have very helpful to have had directions, a location of the stables, the training and riding times, the location of stable manager, or even the location of the actual competition, not to mention the location for shopping and a coffee/bar.
The directions to the show venue were somewhat difficult to interpret. The venue is held within a park of show rooms. Directives were sent to the riders in advance, especially for where you has to go on arrival for disinfection of the vehicle and validation of the horse. The text also included cryptic directions to the stable. Could the car park P10 be found? Did the parking attendants speak any other language other than French, or moreover know what car parks the horses had to go into? No! Riders such as Hubertus Schmidt and Nadine Cappellman were at the suffering of the directions. They only arrived 20 minutes before the trot up was due to commence.
For us, after much hand signaling and awful French on my behalf -- including a phone call home to my dad to ask him to google the French word for stable -- we found the barn. Retrieving the stable manager was another mission in itself, but finally two hours after having arrived through the Park gates we had our horse unloaded and bedded down.
Quadrupeds Galore
In the UK we have the Shetland Grand National held at Olympia every year and we met the equivalent on our way to the trot up. Twenty Shetlands with children on board ready to perform in the main arena, dressed in clown outfits, were just the start. Having guided the mini's to the side to allow the horses through, we met face on with donkeys in carriages coming towards us direct from the main arena. By this moment in time, a line of eight dressage horses was being walked towards the trot up area, all having to divert course to allow a path for the mules braying with their carriages. Praise to the riders who managed to hold on to their steeds!
Security and Communication
A big concern that many of us had was the lack of security for the horses. The wristbands to allow access to the stable area were never checked or asked for. The doors to the stable area were not policed in any form and the main entrance to the venue was metres away, allowing some members of the public to use to stables as an access point. During the evening the gates to the lorry park were left open with no security on them until 8am the following morning. From the main arena to the stable area there were people to man the connections between public and horses. However, there were no checks in place for who was who. On a number of occasions I found employees of trade stands and members of the public walking around talking and touching the horses; not ideal when you are trying to remain within FEI regulations for anti doping.
The communication between organisers, riders and grooms was a difficult hurdle. Timings for use of the arena, start times, necessary paper work, etc were running on a "need to know basis." Starting lists were produced late and then amended throughout the course of the day. The corrections to the timetable were only written on a piece of paper at the end of the rows of the stables. It would be by chance if you could see the corrections.
The start of the Grand Prix was made one hour later due to the over running of the showjumping clinic. Upon arrival to the warm up arena we were informed that during the course of the competition we were now running an additional 20 minutes later. Of course the riders adapted to the situation, but the lack of communication was a cause for concern. Any teething issues should have been ironed out from the Grand Prix class. The "relaxed French nature" became too relaxed in places and the slightly chaotic, unorganised nature carried over to the Kur, where they were running 15 minutes late. Throughout all of this there was a smile on most riders/grooms' and trainers' faces, because what else could we do? Cry?
The Arena
The arena had seating for 5,000 people and if you subtracted grooms, riders, owners, family and friends there were about 100 spectators in Paris, which was a huge shame. In a throw back to time gone by gone was the fancy electronic scoring system and a welcome return to good old pen and paper. The one small drawback to the return of the old faithful made determining final positioning and those needing to present for prize giving somewhat confusing and difficult to obtain. The information didn't even filter down to the steward who was asking somewhat bemused riders where they had placed. He got the same reply off each rider: a shrug of the shoulders and an ask around to the other riders or grooms standing nearby.
It must be said that once in the prize giving, in the correct order, all of the horses looked amazing in their rugs and the prizes offered were incredible.
Like at many indoor shows, the catering section next to the arena can be very loud and disruptive. In the early stages of the Grand Prix some of the riders were treated to a display of table cloth folding at close range. Thankfully the flapping did not cause a horse holed shape to be made in the ceiling of the arena and was put to a halt by the fifth rider in.
With the focus that was put on the Arabian Championships and the Paris Masters dressage seemed like a second thought in Paris, or a filler between the gap of the two competitions. During the warm-up the horses were subjected to the changing of trade stands, which involved drilling, banging, removal of plastic sheets, maneuvring of machinery and various bits and pieces. Maybe it would have been better suited for Police Horse training rather than for the sensitive nature of the dressage horse. Thankfully none of the riders were of a nervous disposition. However, to see the master pieces created after the banging it was a shame that we had to leave before the were open (but not for the bank balance). On a special note, no riders nor horses were harmed during the making of the Gucci stand.
For the caffeine addicts amongst us, be warned as the price is 5,50 euro for a ‘large coffee’ which is smaller than my iPhone. Can one of next year's sponsors please include either the more affordable Starbucks or Costa Coffee?
On a Positive Note
Inside the showroom, the bars, trade stands, arenas were all exquisite. Chandeliers hanging from the ceiling, sofas, seating, arena surfaces, connection from warm up to main arena was all very well done. The fundamentals for a very good show had been adhered to, tailored to the needs of the public and producing high standards for the horses and riders.
It is a huge achievement for a show to pull off such a diversity in equestrian disciplines. However, for the show to excel each discipline needs to be of the highest standard to attract the best riders and horses. This is surely what the organisers of any good show want to achieve. The competition has everything going for it and it could be an amazing show. The sponsorship and venue are there and ready, it's was just the finer details that need ironing out.
Text and Photos by Louise Robson for Eurodressage
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