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Seven days until Spring MET 2018 kicks off

Monday, 08 January 2018
Spring MET 2018

Photo © Hervé Bonnaud / www.1clicphoto.com Scott Brash. Photo © Hervé Bonnaud / www.1clicphoto.com.

The countdown comes towards an end! Next week the Mediterranean Equestrian Tour 2018 finally kicks off with its spring-edition in Oliva Nova, Spain.  

The Spring MET 2018 will count a total of ten weeks of competition, offering 1.390.500 Euro in prize money, divided with 266.300 Euro for MET I (16-28.1.2018), 426.700 Euro for MET II (6-25.2.2018), 426.700 Euro for MET III (13.3-1.4.2018) and 270.800 Euro for MET IV (10-22.4.2018). There will be three Longines Ranking classes during each week of the Tour, giving the riders a total of thirty chances to gather valuable world ranking points.

For the first part of the Tour – MET I – top names have entered. Scott Brash (GBR) – Team Olympic Champion from 2012, Lorenzo De Luca (ITA) – current world no. six, Nicola Philippaerts (BEL), Julien Epaillard (FRA) and Pedro Veniss – all five-star Grand Prix winners, are just some of the many good riders that will visit Oliva this season for the spring-edition.

“I have been to the Mediterranean Equestrian Tour for a few times now, and I think it is a really good venue,” Scott Brash says. “For me, and for what I want to do, MET is the perfect option: I want to be able to bring a student with me and get my own horses going.”

“The venue at MET makes it easy to keep an eye on everything, with the rings being so close to each other,” Brash continues. “I think I will be bringing Hello President, Hello Senator and Hello Franklin with me, and my student takes three horses as well. I will be staying for two weeks, then I take one week off and return for another couple of weeks.”

Photo © Jenny Abrahamsson / www.worldofshowjumping.com. Lorenzo De Luca. Photo © Jenny Abrahamsson / www.worldofshowjumping.com.

For Lorenzo De Luca, this year’s participation marks his MET-debut and the Italian rider – that competes for Stephex Stables – is excited about going to Oliva. “I will be going to the Mediterranean Equestrian Tour for MET I, and then I return for MET II,” says De Luca.

“I chose to go to the MET because I first of all had heard very good things about the Tour. What really caught my attention was that the venue is so complete, with a grass ring, several sand rings as well as the beach close by. There are so many options,” De Luca continues. “I will be bringing quite a few new horses aged eight and nine, so for me it is important to be able to jump them in different rings under different conditions to get to know them and form a partnership with them. At the same time, I will also bring one of my best and most experienced horses – Armitage Boy – and for him it will be fantastic to be able to go to the beach to get some variation and just enjoy. I think he will love it! So, there is something to suit all my horses and their needs.”

De Luca will continue his outdoor season at the Winter Equestrian Festival in Wellington, and says: “I think the MET will be a good preparation for that. I bring eight horses to MET, and some of these will then move on to Wellington after.”

With several rings, modern stabling facilities, excellent infrastructure as well as a variety in culinary experiences – all in one practical complex, Oliva Nova Equestrian Centre offers the riders and their teams the best of the best. And, with the stunning beach – open for horses and riders six out of seven days a week – just a stone’s throw away from the competition arena, there is not much more to ask for when in Oliva.

“We are very proud that some of the biggest names in showjumping are choosing the Mediterranean Equestrian Tour as their destination this year, and we look forward to welcome the horses, riders and their teams to Oliva for ten weeks of top sport,” says MET Event Director Bettina Pöhls.

 

 



Source: Press release from the Mediterranean Equestrian Tour // Pictures © Hervé Bonnaud / www.1clicphoto.com and Jenny Abrahamsson / www.worldofshowjumping.com



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