Press release from CHI Geneva

Taking place on 11-15 December, the CHI Geneva brings together the world's best in jumping, indoor cross and four-in-hand driving. Former Olympic champion Steve Guerdat will be gunning for another IJRC Top 10 Final, having already won it a record three times, and for success in the Rolex Grand Prix, where team-mate and friend Martin Fuchs will be eyeing another Grand Slam event win after his Spruce Meadow "Masters" triumph in Calgary. In indoor cross, meanwhile, three-time Olympic individual eventing champion Michael Jung of Germany will be the man to beat, though the British, French and Swiss contingents will all be out to stop. And in four-in-hand driving, Switzerland's Jérôme Voutaz will be looking to make his mark against the two stars of the World Cup circuit: Boyd Exell and Bram Chardon. Completing the extensive CHI Geneva programme of events are a series of events in the attractions ring, taster sessions, masterclasses and forums on horse well-being.

The 63rd Concours Hippique International de Genève (CHI Geneva) will serve up five enticing days of top-quality events across three disciplines, as well as original attractions, dressage masterclasses, forums on horse welfare, and pony-riding taster sessions, all in an equestrian village featuring around 100 exhibitors and a host of things for the public to discover and try. As if that were not enough, they will also be at the heart of the action and have the chance to watch the riders and horses warm up.

Complete with a water feature, mound and spectacular jumps – three of which were used at this year's Olympic Games in Paris – the main arena will host the amateur Prix UBS du Jockey Club events on Wednesday between 08:00 and 17:00 (admission free) and international events for U-25 and elite riders from 10:15 on Thursday. The highlight of that day will come at 19:45, with a ceremony held in honour of the 15 Olympic medallists from Paris 2024 who will be competing at Palexpo, among them Steve Guerdat. The day's events will come to a close with the Trophée de Genève, the first of two qualifying events for Sunday's Rolex Grand Prix.

The action resumes at midday on Friday with the Coupe Discovery, for U-25 riders, which will be followed by the Prix des Communes Genevoises, the second Rolex Grand Prix qualifier, at 14:15. Kicking the evening off at 18:15 is the indoor cross event, presented by La Tribune de Genève and featuring stars of the discipline Rosalind Canter, Michael Jung, Karim Laghouag and Stéphane Landois. The field also includes five Swiss riders, among them Robin Godel, a winner here on Grandeur de Lully in 2021, and Mélody Johner, taking part in her last major event with Toubleu de Rueire. It promises to be an exciting occasion.

Rounding off the day in style at 21:00 is the 23rd Rolex IJRC Top 10 Final, the equivalent of tennis' season-ending tour finals. World No. 2 Guerdat is making his 12th appearance in the event, while Martin Fuchs, ranked 11th, is the first reserve.

Saturday is family day at the CHI Geneva and kicks off with the Grand Prix Land Rover Discovery, for U-25 riders, at 09:45. Next on the programme, at 12:00, is the Coupe UBS du Jockey Club, a relay event complete with an eventing rider, Jockey Club winners, up-and-coming pony riders, and agility dogs. The next event in the main arena is Pas de Deux with the Marques sisters, while Antonella Joannou gives a dressage masterclass in the attractions arena.

The afternoon's action comes to a close with the famous Coupe de Genève, a unique event with its combination jumps, including the house-speciality quadruple bar. In the evening, attention turns to four-in-hand driving, presented by the Institut International de Lancy; La Grande Chasse, with its natural obstacles and long stretches; and the UBS Challenge, which showcases jumping's leading lights. There will be plenty happening in the attractions arena too, with the Swiss Breed Classic Super Final and an equestrian display.

The best Swiss 7- and 8-year-old horses are in action at 09:30 on Sunday. The world's leading drivers, including Exell, Chardon, de Ronde and Voutaz, will then take centre stage in the latest round of the FEI World Cup, presented by RTS, which will broadcast four of the CHI Geneva's main events between Friday evening and Sunday. Afterwards, the main arena will play host to Miron Bococi's freestyle horse show.

Then, at 14:30, comes the high point of the weekend: the Swiss leg of the Rolex Grand Slam of Show Jumping. The stakes could not be higher for Martin Fuchs, who will be going flat out for victory on Leone Jei, following their Calgary win, while Guerdat is dreaming of a fourth victory in the event. Last year's winner, Richard Vogel, a recent victor in Lyon and Stuttgart on the gravity-defying United Touch S, will also be thinking big, as will world No. 1 Henrik von Eckermann, who has been keeping his King Edward back for this event. The field also includes Great Britain's three-time Olympic gold medallist Ben Maher, and the USA trio of McLain Ward, Kent Farrington and Karl Cook.

More than 400 spacious 4x3m boxes will be set up in the stables to house some talented, agile horses, each with their own temperament. For four days in December, the world of horses and equestrianism is waiting for you to discover at Palexpo, a world of elite sport, spectacle, excitement and magic that offers something for both diehard equestrian fans and newcomers alike.