Record Number Of CDIs Scheduled Around World For 2017

The Adequan Global Dressage Festival show grounds in Wellington, Florida which hosts eight CDIs, the most of any venue in the world. © Ken Braddick/dressage-news.com

Oct. 3, 2016

By KENNETH J. BRADDICK

A record number of CDIs–international dressage competitions–is scheduled for 2017 led by the Americas and Europe, as show at the deadline for listing horse shows with the International Equestrian Federation (FEI).

The schedule lists 167 shows in 36 countries for 2017, up 5.69 per cent from 158 shows in 2016, according to a dressage-news.com analysis.

The rate of increase was greatest in the Americas where the number of events increased to 40 next year, an increase of 17.647 over the 34 events this year.

The United States dominated with 24 events, the most of any nation in the world, while Brazil with six shows replaced Canada with four shows for second place in the Americas. The total for the region was boosted by three events in Colombia and one each in Guatemala, Mexico and Uruguay.

The number of events for Europe will increase to 111 in 2017, a 6.730 per cent increase over the 104 in 2016, led by Germany with 20, 11 in Russia at its highest ever number, France with 10 and Austria also scheduling the country's most ever with nine as has Belgium with seven. Expansion continues in Central Europe–Hungary with three, Ukraine and Lithuania with two each, Belarus, Slovenia, Estonia and the Czech Republic one each.

Šamorín in Slovakia, which the FEI reports is seeking to host the 2018 World Equestrian Games, has not scheduled an international dressage or eventing competition in 2017 though it lists several endurance, jumping and vaulting competitions.

The number of dressage events scheduled for Oceania dropped to 11 in 2017, nine in Australia and two in New Zealand, from 13 this year.

For Asia, the schedule listed four events next year, down from six this year that also includes the first CDI in mainland China. Africa is scheduled to host a single event in 2017 as it did in 2016.

The deadline for scheduling shows was Oct. 1, but additions, changes and modifications can be made throughout the year.

Aachen's Deutsche Bank stadium that hosts the single richest dressage event in the world. © Ken Braddick/dressage-news.com

The number of dressage competitions with significant prize money has increased significantly in the past decade.

From just four CDI5* events–two in Germany and two in France–in 2008, the number has grown to 13 with 11 in Europe and one each in the United States and Qatar that require minimum prize money of 90,000 Swiss francs (US$92,610).

The number of CDI4*s requiring minimum prize money of 24,000 Swiss francs (US$24,700) will increase to 24 next year–22 in Europe, two in the United States–from eight in 2007.

Although significantly smaller in overall numbers of shows than the other Olympic equestrian disciplines of eventing and jumping, dressage has shown growth of 29.457 per cent over the past decade compared with 22.488 per cent increase in eventing shows and 31.320 per cent for jumpers.

However, after increases in the growth of eventing for several years, the number of events staged annually peaked in 2015 at 274 then dropped to 260 this year with 256 scheduled for 2017.

Jumping has shown substantial growth to 696 events scheduled for 2017 up from 677 this year and 530 in 2008.