Tickets for Olympia 2008 go on sale
Christmas may seem a long way off but tickets for Olympia, the London International Horse Show go on sale from Monday June 23rd. The show runs from Tuesday 16th December until Monday 23rd December.
The major show jumping competitions include the Rolex FEI World Cup™ Qualifier on H&M Sunday (21st December), the Puissance on Friday 19th December and the Grand Prix on Monday 22nd December. The FEI World Cup Dressage sponsored by The Berkeley Group has its grand prix phase on Tuesday 16th December and the Kür on Wednesday 17th December. The Grand Prix is the most difficult level of dressage and includes movements like Piaffe, where the horse gives the impression of trotting on the spot and Passage which is a trot with suspension and elevation. In the Kur or Freestyle Test to Music the rider can choose the music, the choreography and the sequence of movements that have to be shown. In the Free Style test, the technical skill and the artistic performance are evaluated. On the artistic part, one of the most important things is that the horse can do all the movements in the rhythm to the music.
In addition to the displays and competitions there is also the Olympia Shopping Village located in the National Hall which offers over 200 shops selling a very diverse variety of gifts, equestrian goods, food and clothing. More than 75,000 visitors attend Olympia every year. Olympia traditionally has a Christmas finale which includes Father Christmas on his sleigh, snowflakes and the Olympia Christmas Carol. Further information about Olympia, the London International Horse Show can be found on their website www.olympiahorseshow.com.
June 21st 2008