Blog Report: A Ray of Sunshine and Just-Out-of-Bed Looks at 2025 CDIO Compiègne

Text © Eurodressage (this article expresses Eurodressage's opinion and eye-witness account of the competition). 
Photos © Eurodressage NO REPRODUCTION ALLOWED / NO SCREEN SHOTS for social media

From one show to the next. After a fabulous weekend at the stalwart CDI Horses and Dreams in Hagen to one of my favourite shows in the year, the CDIO Compiègne in France. Hagen was such a fabulous competition, impeccably organized as always by the generous Kasselmann family, and the Louisdor Cup qualifier as absolute highlight class of the week.

I wrote two extensive blogs live from Hagen, but Saturday morning brought some unexpected gale force wind in my face that knocked me off my magnetic north. I didn't feel like writing up my final day at this wonderful show. After the lovely Nurnberger Burgpokal qualifier on Saturday noon, I drive home to Belgium, grinding my teeth like an unhappy dressage horse, mulling over the criticism I received over featuring a photo of a sugared muzzle.

Four days later, I optimistically reset the needle of my compass and drove south on another laborious four-hour drive to make my way to Compiègne, France, a historic town one hour above Paris. I first went to CDI Compiègne in 2013 and haven't missed a single edition since, just because it's one of the best shows on the planet! Compiègne is one of my favourite show of the year, disregarding the nec plus ultra CDIO Aachen, the wonderful competitions in Hagen, and the holiday atmosphere in Wellington, Florida. Compiègne, to me, is the ultimate show. I love France, the drive into France is gorgeous, even on a bank holiday with four bumper-to-bumper traffic jams (Brussels, Mons, Valenciennes and Cambrai), the sun was shining bright. The sumptuous agricultural fields had yellow rapeseed flowers in full bloom, and the Thalys high-speed train sped by my car twice, putting my little over the allowed speed limit 140 km an hour into bigger perspective.

Once you arrive at the "Grand Parc" you know why this show is the best: easy parking, amazing arenas set in a sumptuous green park, plenty of space, a great trade fair with catering, and all soaked in a French "joie de vivre". But what about the castle in Wiesbaden (the parking sucks there), but what about the Hamburg Derby (great show but too far a drive for me to cover in person), but what about... what about ..?. I know what I'm saying. Come to Compiègne and be convinced of its supremacy. It's a great show and it should be a staple on every serious competitor's calendar!

After two years of horrendous rain in 2023 and 2024 it seems like the CDIO Compiègne is finally blessed with good weather. Today it was 29 c° and it felt like summer. There were plenty of rays of sunshine that accompanied on the way driving from Eurodressage headquarters in Belgium (No I'm not DUTCH but I speak Dutch/Flemmish) to France. I arrived at the show at 14h10 with the horse inspection beginning at 14h30.

The white tents and tupperware boxes with FEI passports were all set up in front of the trot-up space and soon a flock of international dressage judges and the FEI veterinarian gathered there to inspect all the horses.  I have been lamenting about it for years and it continues to be a big pet peeve that dressage riders are so lazy they can't braid their horses for the trot up. Today about 75% of the presented horses sported the "just out of bed look" with no mane plaited and riders in their normal stable wear, ready to muck a stall, instead of dressing up nicely for the occasion. Ai carramba; here is the sense of pride and formality! 

The judges had a busy afternoon as four horses were sent to the holding box and particularly the children and pony riders needed instruction on how to properly trot up a horse. Super helpful and willing, I heard judges scream in Dutch, French in English: "first walk, then trot, walk around to tree and turn to the right and then trot in a straight line towards us". For some it seemed like they were asked to solve the Poincaré conjecture. It made me wonder why their trainers didn't even bother to practise a horse inspection with their kids, or if all mimetic ability has gone lost now that generation alpha is glued to their face-hugging cell phone and can't look around and see what the grown-ups are doing before they try it thelmselves.

Either way, the horse inspection ran smoothly. While local visitors on the show ground celebrated the 1 May bank holiday by wandering around in the park watching dressage horses, I watched a little bit of the light training before I headed to my hotel, where I checked in and posted the first score of the 11 CDI's that are taking place across the globe this weekend. Can it get more ridiculous?

With summer temperatures remaining high through the evening I decided to favour a social life and I had a lovely dinner on the outside terrace of my hotel before returning to my room to write this little blog. I'm looking forward to tomorrow and as even though this is my 13th "Compiegne" I haven't lost any of my enthusiasm for it.

Photos © Eurodressage - NO SCREENSHOTS!

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Related Links
Scores: 2025 CDIO Compiègne
CDIO Compiègne Returns as Competition Staple and Fan Favourite on 2 - 4 May 2025