2014 CDI Ryazan: Developing Dressage in Russia. An interview with Yuri Kupriyanov

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2014 CDI-JYR Ryazan

2014 marked the third edition of the CDI J-YR Ryazan, held at the Club Victoria on the outskirts of Ryazan, 200km south of Moscow. The Club Victoria, named after owner Yuri Kupriyanov’s daughter, is a state-of-the-art venue, designed by the Aachen School Of Equestrian Design’s Arno Gego, where every minute detail is geared towards the wellbeing of horse and rider, as well as being aesthetically pleasing: from the rubber-matted, covered hallways to the stables with individual, all-weather outdoor pens.

The club, which also boasts a top restaurant serving locally sourced food and a hotel, pays particular attention to children, including a crèche and a minizoo, while in winter the outdoor arenas become an ice-skating rink, with up to 100 children coming to skate, ride or play each day.

Eurodressage grabbed the chance to have a chat with owner Yuri Kupriyanov on developing dressage in Russia, why it’s still important for up-and-coming riders to train in Europe, and what it takes to attract top international riders to shows in the country.

The show is held in memory of Dr Elena Petushkova. How has Russian dressage changed since her gold medal-winning ride at the Munich Olympics?

At some point in the 1980s our country fell a little bit behind the rest of Europe in terms of dressage. Before then, in the 1960s, European riders were learning from our riders; Dr Elena Petushkova in particular was the pride of our country, did a lot for the development of dressage in Russia and our riders dream to be like her and achieve what she managed to achieve. She is a real success story for us, and this is the reason why we decided to name the CDI Ryazan after her – to honour her memory, but also the tradition of Russian dressage.

Unfortunately, since that time, we lost part of our equestrian traditions. When I came into the sport of dressage, thanks to my daughter Victoria, I started to realize how far away we are from the best European riders. Thankfully, we now have a group of businessmen who have children doing dressage and through them we are trying to bring back this tradition in our country, working really hard to develop dressage in the country again.

What steps can be taken to develop dressage in Russia, then?

The first step is obviously buying horses of really good quality in Europe – truly high-level horses. This is something that we have recently started doing. Another important step is the building of really good modern equestrian clubs throughout the country. Club Victoria is, I hope, an example of this. But there is something else which is even more important than all this; in my opinion, what is truly key is that we have started to invite really top international judges to the country so that they can show us our problems, and give us a sense of direction for us to improve. Katrina Wüst, Frenk Jespers, Wojtek Markowski are a few of the names who have already visited the Club Victoria for clinics and seminars. I firmly believe that soon we will improve our results because we, as Russians in general, are cooperating with top trainers and judges from Germany, Holland, and Denmark both on an individual basis and through inviting them here to give clinics and masterclasses.

What else can be done to allow the most promising talents to blossom?

Through my first-hand experience with my daughter Victoria [who is competing internationally in juniors], I realize how important it still is to spend training periods in Europe. It’s still too difficult to be based in Russia and be successfully competing in Europe, so we feel that moving to Europe is important. That experience is invaluable for our riders. I therefore want to buy a yard to be used for the development of Russian riders in Europe – in other words, a training base open to Russian national teams for them to be based at when in Europe and compete from.

The 2014 CDI-JYR Ryazan trophy table This has to be a two-way process, though. What can you do to attract international riders to shows in Russia?

This is still the main issue with shows in Russia – it’s so difficult to attract international riders. This has to be resolved on a governmental level. It’s not so much a question of funding, but rather bureaucracy and paperwork. The fact is that the biggest obstacle is still crossing the borders; even our own Russian horses, coming home from shows abroad, can sometimes stand for 24 hours at the border. There is not one European rider at the moment who would be ready to sacrifice their top horse like that. Flying is easier, but it is much more expensive and can still be problematic, as horses can still stand at the airport for hours while waiting for the paperwork. This, more than financial expenses, is the reason why it’s still so difficult to have a truly international competition in Russia.

The plans for the CDI Ryazan continue to be ambitious, with a CDI3* being added to the 2015 edition – junior/young rider and big tour classes will run on two consecutive weekends.