I couldn’t tell from your post if you were there in person to watch Carl’s ride or not (I say this because I think the horse looks better in person than he does in video), but when I was at the Europeans a couple of years ago, I totally thought the same thing…at first. What Carl does with this horse is nothing short of remarkable. He has said multiple times that Barney doesn’t have great extensions and he’s really had to work at making him into the horse that he is…he was never expecting Barney to get to this point. And because of that, I’ve developed such a soft spot for that horse and even more respect for Carl as a rider. It inspires me so much, because in a way, it’s kind of like a lot of us who are adult ammies. Many of us are riding really nice, well-bred horses, but maybe they fall just a little bit short in some aspects and while they score respectably, they’re not world record breakers. So here’s Carl, a brilliant trainer and rider, on a horse who doesn’t have the most extravagant movement, taking that horse and earning 3rd place at the World Cup, because he rides accurately and the horse is correct in what he does. THAT’S what impresses me the most.
I have a question for those that were there. I have seen quite a few photos on Facebook of people (not big name trainers, just regular people) who were allowed in the restricted area and watched the warm up. Was this something that was with the VIP tickets or maybe these people had some kind of connection to the organizers?
From what I’ve been reading, the warm-up was right in the middle of the vendor area, which made it easy for everyone to get a good view of the warm-up area. No special VIP pass needed.
^the above is correct. One large warmup was accessible to the general crowd though FEI stabling and another warmup area were locked down as you’d expect. It was fantastic to be able to watch pairs immediately before and after their time in the competition arena–especially for those who had no previous exposure to the sport. They were able to see these world class pairs without event tickets. Expo was free and open to all.
As a person from the North, personally, I definitely wouldn’t want it to go back to Omaha. There’s nothing to do. I’m a total nerd and get guide books and look at Trip Advisor for the “Top Ten” things to do in the cities I visit. In Omaha in this spring season, if the weather is poor, like is was, you are screwed. They have a museum, a good zoo, and a botanical garden. I guess I’m spoiled when I have world class things like that in by own backyard in Milwaukee and Chicago. It’s not like Miami, the LA area, or even St. Louis. (I’m not even going to get in to European travels.)
In Vegas, you can lay out by the pool, go shopping, sightsee, eat at world class restaurants, etc during the day or late at night. We went on a super informative half day trip to Hoover Dam, saw a mindblowing David Copperfield show, walked up and down the strip just taking pictures and walking through the hotels like the Bellagio, ate at an extremely fancy restaurant at the top of the Paris Hotel to early celebrate my 25th birthday. I know people are complaining about travelling to the West coast, but since the induction in 1980, Gothenburg has held it a record 13 times, then Vegas with 6. (It’s like why in horse racing, Santa Anita holds the host record…soon to be tied with Churchill…as the weather is perfect and there are things to do if you extend your stay past the two championship days.) It’s cliché, but Europeans know Vegas and are willing to travel there, so you get a nice international crowd. No one knows where Omaha is; sadly, most Americans don’t know where Omaha is. It’s a nice idea, but it’s best left in Vegas or Europe. If my health was better and my SI injections would work, I wouldn’t mind flying to Sweden. You could drive up to Stockholm or ferry over to Denmark and do lots of sightseeing and take in incredible culture.
I was incredibly blessed with media credentials for the Omaha WC Finals, but wound up not going due to not wanting to sit in my hotel room for half the day before jumping in the evening. And I know qualifiers were going on until the wire, but as a media photographer/journalist, it’s very frustrating, not to mention incredibly expensive, to know a week before a confirmed rider’s list, and then not knowing almost until you show up, what horses the riders brought. And though I school upper level dressage (up to PSG), taking pictures of the same tests just seven riders gets very monotonous…except for the beautiful freestyles. I guess with my Rolex credentials, I’ll stick around for Michael Jung and Philip Dutton’s tests, then skedaddle to see stud farm tours and Old Friends, as I can’t sit through 40+ of the same tests over two days.
Again, too many overlapping competitions where the best riders brought most of their best horses and competed in Saut Hermès just a week ago, where their final GP was $450,000 euros, not to mention the $50,000-$120,000 classes throughout the preceding four days. Then, WEF Week 12 with the $130k Suncast Finals and $500k Rolex GP, which drew international riders and way more top horses, was moved up to Week 11 as dates with the WCSJ Finals coincided. If you read Practical Horseman Feb(?) issue, George Morris himself gave a somewhat lengthy explanation of his disapproval of the World Cup timing and dates…and I totally agree. Then, right after Saturday night’s big “finale,” riders went straight to Ocala on Sunday for the HITS $1 million GP. That’s why Kent didn’t go to Omaha, even though he was leading the East Coast rankings by a mile. Way more prize money right in FL. Again, I was blessed to have credentials and cover last year’s WEF Week 12 with the big GPs. Practically the entire Irish team was there last year as well as this year, Eric Lamaze, Ian Millar, MMB, Sergio Alvarez Moya, Ben Maher, and Luciana Diniz came over and brought Lennox and Fit for Fun, which I’m so mad I missed seeing.
Although the prize money for the WCSJ Finals is a total of $750,000 euros, which is basically equal to our dollar now, you need to come in first or second to make bank. First place = $172,500 euros, second place = $131,250 euros, third place = $78,750 euros, fourth place = $60,000 euros, and fifth place = $52,500 euros…and it just goes down from there.
And the European riders that came are not a good line up compared to 2015. Had three top French riders then. And I’m not even going to get in to the Americans that are competing this year. Furthermore, though last year was an Olympic year, two members of the French gold-medal winning team competed: Penelope Levprovost rode Vagabond de la Pomme, on whom she came in second in 2015. Kevin Staut brought two of his top horses: Elky van het Indihof HDC, and For Joy Van’t Zorgvliet HDC. Though not on the Olympic team, Patrice Delaveau was with Lacrimoso 3 HDC and Simon Delestre brought Qlassic Bois Margot. Harrie Smoulders rode Emerald, Daniel Deusser brought Cornet d’Amour (from 2015), Christian Alhmann brought Colorit and Taloubet Z
Plus, LGCT starts literally right after the World Cup. Mexico City, then Miami Beach.
FEI and USEF need to better coordinate. As a spectator, with or without media credentials, I’d rather see top riders and their first string horses, which only a handful of riders brought, rather than this more mediocre turnout.
And I don’t care about breed shows…go to special expos for that. That doesn’t belong at the World Cup Finals. And while some might find it cool seeing the riders warm up over two fences, they did the same layout as the LA Masters in 2014 and 2015 (before they made the mistake of moving it out of downtown and to Long Beach where they were giving tickets away as the stands were empty.) And they could’ve had so many more people in the stands here if they didn’t have those damn VIP areas on either end…they something similar with the LA/Long Beach Masters last year and had VIP around the lower ring so unlike the downtown LA convention center, where you could literally reach out and touch the riders, you were at least 8’ up. Organizers are getting greedy, and it isn’t working for people who don’t have that kind of money.
But that’s just my opinion.
BUB, I live in Chicago, and I actually attended the Omaha WC Weds-Sun (far more affordably than had it been in Vegas). I think we have different opinions on Omaha’s merits (perhaps also relative to Milwaukee’s) and all that there is to do there (or not). I do agree that if a spectator attended with expectations of a big city or Vegas-level of entertainment, they probably weren’t going to have the experience they’d hoped for. Nothing is like Vegas; we’ll never get Vegas anywhere but there. Also, the World Cup simply doesn’t need to be on a coast near or in a big city: that’s not where English disciplines need and have room to grow. Omaha could offer them this. I also had no trouble finding things to do every day (though the early rain was a bummer), walked all over Old Market, had great meals, excellent service, and some impressive local beer. Have you ever been there? Your post makes it seem not.
By all accounts, the Omaha WC had attendance numbers that were, at over 55k, very impressive for any show. I would be more concerned about VIP seating taking away the seats of the commoners, but the stadium wasn’t completely full-- not even for today’s SJ final. Plus, my seat at mid court was much better than those seats on the short end-- and I’m a nobody. The warmup setup, which you were unimpressed by (I guess in concept), I thought was a wonderful way to give and unticketed visitor a toe on the escalator of engagement by being an arm’s length away, watching these pairs work. It was also close to shopping and drinks.
I’m not sure what “breed show” you’re referring to; do you mean that you found it nonsensical to allow visitors exposure to horses of all types (since they can’t wander about the FEI stalls for obvious reasons) by allowing them to walk a row of stalls and see a breed or Pony Club demo here or there? Or a quick session on footing or shoeing? Or a demo riding lesson? Why the dismissiveness? Steffen and Kasey doing mounted games on ponies with local Pony Clubbers es no bueno? I thought it was marvelous fun. The event can’t just cater to those in the know. If it does, the sport cannot grow. This is OF COURSE the job of a World Cup final: generating interest in horse sports. I’m there for the sport that I already know and love; others need an accessible point of entry. That stuff might not be for me, but I see its value.
As several have mentioned in the HJ forum, riders and coaches, including and perhaps especially the Europeans, extolled the praises of the horse friendly all-indoor setup-- no in-and-out temperature extremes as in Vegas (and no oddly shaped competition space). To me, that’s what it’s most about. As far as Kent electing not to come and others bringing whatever horses they did, I imagine all have horses’, owners’, and their own reasons for making the choices they did. They’re professionals, and if it made more financial sense for them to stay in FL, or if some of their other mounts are better suited to an outdoor venue, of if they had multiples to show in different divisions there, I suppose I understand. As someone who watched all four rounds of showjumping, though, I can say that I didn’t see a whole lot of lackluster going on beyond round two. And I have a great deal of personal experience with lackluster. I don’t really think that the USEF’s jam-packed calendar of money-stuffed, multi-week shows is an easy thing for the FEI to work around. The entire calendar has come to be dominated by these monolithic megashow circuits; I don’t suppose HITS would be willing to cut things short a bit to give an American WC some breathing room? Probably not. Everyone wants to make money. Riders will just have to choose-- and they did.
Do you honestly believe most Americans “don’t know where Omaha is”? Come on! I’m not sure whether to feel mildly insulted as an American or as a midwesterner. I grew up in New England; it’s middle America, not Middle Earth. (-:
I wish you’d given it a chance. You might have been pleasantly surprised by how well they pulled off the event.
https://www.chronofhorse.com/forum/f…sking-too-much
^^ Is this you? If so, your opinion is not of much interest especially since you did not attend.
This is you as well? https://www.chronofhorse.com/forum/forum/discussion-forums/hunter-jumper/9700683-thoughts-on-how-omaha-handled-wc/page2
It’s nice that you ride PSG dressage but what does that have to do with the WC in Omaha, which you didn’t attend?
You remind me of someone in my breed circle who complains relentlessly about an end of season show. Show isn’t close enough, rings aren’t big enough, management was terrible, yet has NEVER EVER attended or even shown in any of the divisions that would qualify them.
No, these were people that were in the “lock down” warm up. I was well aware of the warm up that was in the middle of the vendor area. I just wonder how they were able to go back there and watch. Someone is already sharing pics on Fb of Edward Gal and Rollkur, etc
NJRider, I think you’re mistaken. One FEI warm-up ring was just that – – locked down. Physical security at all points of access. If a spectator were back there, he or she would have access to the stabling as well. There was a second warm-up ring to which spectators had visual access by means of a double line of dark PVC fence. There was yet a third ring for demonstrations that was in the middle of expo itself.
I am referring to the second ring, which is the ring that you were almost certainly looking at. There was no one allowed access in the FEI stabling area, which is where that first ring was located. If you know of people who made it back there without a credential, they had to get through ever present security personnel at ever access point and really should be reported to the FEI
I am guessing these people who posted pics of them in the lock down must have had some kind of inside connection that let them in there. I was wrong, though-- the rollkur pics are from the public warm up not the hidden warm up. I went back and looked again.
Omaha - Congrats! What a fantastic time. I had an absolute blast.
I loved the public warm up ring, with the tailgating, celebrity Pony Club Games, demos, before-ride sugars, after-ride hugs.
The seats were great - we moved around the arena for different events, and there wasn’t a bad seat.
Shopping - Fan.freaking.tastic.
The demo ring was educational. A few of the topics I didn’t watch, as they were geared more to the kids and families, but some were still applicable to the advanced horseman. The course designer guy was so interesting! Loved it.
Century Link staff was helpful. FEI Info table was helpful. Event Staff was helpful.
My only suggestion, would to better post and announce all of the activities going on. I know I missed things I wish I would have watched! I was glad to hear the one announcement about the Celebrity Pony Club Games - I would have been disappointed to hear that Steffen Peters participated, and I had missed it!
For those complaining about Omaha not having things to do - You totally missed out. I went with the intent of seeing and learning all I could! We were in the Center for almost 14 hours on Friday/12 on Saturday, just doing, watching, and shopping. Why would it matter what else there was to do in town???
We went out for a couple of meals, and they were great. For the other meals, the food at the center (and some Stella…) was certainly sufficient.
Bravo, Omaha. I’ll be back!!!
I got the impression that the poster did go, but didn’t try to explore the area. It was an odd post.
Goldenrow, awesome report! Sounds like I need to put this on my bucket list. 
I had a blast and sincerely hope it comes back to Omaha. I much preferred this WC over the two I have attended in Las Vegas.
Sheilah
I also saw some pics which were not from the public areas. I’m wondering if they were from the couple places you could see back into that warmup - the demo stalls and where it opened up for the pathway into the main arena, perhaps?
I didn’t watch any dressage warmups other than seeing Kasey Perry-Glass have a beautiful, relaxed, enjoyable ride with hundreds of spectators, followed by a relaxed cooldown walk along the edge of the arena with Kasey talking to the little kids who were watching as she went past, a smile and friendly demeanor the whole time. It made me a fan of her attitude, and I hope she is able to hold on to that love as she goes.
I really enjoyed watching the jumpers schooling, since I was there closer to the times of the dressage rides and therefore those riders were mostly not riding while I was there (I was in the stadium while they were warming up to compete.) Some of them have seats and hands any dressage rider would be thrilled to have. Others are less classical…
I think Omaha did a spectacularly good job with this event. I heard a huge number of positive comments, and really came to like the city a lot - when it’s not somewhere I ever saw myself having a reason to go unless for the College World Series. We stayed about 20 minutes from the CenturyLink Center and so went to restaurants outside of downtown and had wonderful food, the people were all great, and it was a fabulous time. Other than the fact Vegas is cheaper for me because I can drive there, I found that I much preferred Omaha. I think because large equestrian events are not commonplace, they put special care and effort into this event. Even with a warmup in the middle of the vendor fair, the horses still generally seemed to handle things well, riders seemed to enjoy themselves, etc. The app created for the event was a lovely touch as well.
My only complaints were: 1) Parking lots we could and couldn’t use were fairly poorly marked. Luckily it wasn’t a huge area so we were able to figure it out, but that wasn’t well done. 2) I wish they featured the horses as much as they feature the riders in the app and program. I absolutely loved how a jumper rider was basically putting on a clinic of sympathetic and patient riding of a hot, tense horse, and tried to figure out who it was after - but nothing showed the horse so I couldn’t tell! Day 2, I made a point of actually looking at the rider’s face since his number with that horse wasn’t in the day sheet so it wasn’t his world cup horse. I still couldn’t figure out who it was so day 3 asked a member of the jumper press who knew all the riders. (It was Lorenzo de Luca of Italy, who came in second on that horse, Limestone Grey, in the GP of Omaha that night.) 3) Two of the women’s restrooms were shut down during the Freestyles, and the line during the break was HUGE. They should have temporarily turned at least one of the men’s rooms into a women’s room to help solve the imbalance.
Those are super minor complaints. There were lots of people I would have loved to spend time with and didn’t, but I just spent multiple days in crowds and I am an introvert who HATES crowds - and I had a great time. To me, that’s a pretty good indicator that there was a fantastic job done by organizers.
For those who don’t already know, the world cup is returning to Las Vegas, April 15-19, 2020. There is a new arena practically right on the strip that could be used—T Mobile arena.
I also preferred Omaha to Vegas. The venue was better and loved that we could see most of the warmups.
Many of the people who were watching the warmups, going through the gallery of horse breeds and looking at the vendors were curious locals. I think it’s amazing for both sports for people who know nothing about English riding to get such a personal, up close introduction. Because the stabling and hotel were attached to the venue, I saw several riders just walking around the vendor area on Wednesday afternoon (Carl Hester, Edward Gal, Inessa Merkulova). I also walked right by George Morris next to the warmup ring. I didn’t see a single competitor or well known rider the entire time in Vegas.
There was plenty to do between the horse show itself (shopping, actual competition and watching the daily jumper warmups), the zoo, the bars, the restaurants and the stores in Old Market.
Unlike Vegas, the restaurants were reasonably priced and surprisingly good. I didn’t have a decent meal the entire time I was in Vegas but still paid out the wazoo for every meal.
There was also the added bonus that I didn’t return from Omaha with everything I packed smelling like cigarette smoke.
I also noticed Glock Voice’s feet. He almost looked coon footed in person.
I was not impressed with Hester’s ride. Both Nip Tuck and Glock’s Voice didn’t appear to sit much in piaffe. It looked like they were just bouncing their hind end. Both horses seemed to have similar piaffes but Voice’s trot extensions were beautiful. Nip Tuck’s trot extension was practically non existent. 3 or 4 horses were striking the ground with their hind toe during the passage, including Nip TUck
Rosamunde’s piaffe really hurt her. She almost looked like she was about to step on her hind feet and then she’d get stuck for a few seconds when he asked for a transition. I’m curious if that has been an issue in her other recent tests or if it’s recent. It seemed much worse during the freestyle than it did in the Grand Prix.
I am in complete agreement with you, IdahoRider.
We LOVED Omaha and wished we had more time to explore the city and surrounding area.
We ate three amazing dinners at three different restaurants; beautifully presented, absolutely delicious top quality, mainly locally sourced food, lovely wines, informed and gracious staff and servers. The three we visited were also very interesting spaces in old repurposed buildings.
The Old Market area (which we did not explore as much as we would have liked to) has original big brick warehouses renovated as multilevel arcades with shops and restaurants. It also has cobbled streets and carriages.
There seems to be a lot of green space in the city - parks and trees everywhere. In at least one park the many trees were strung with thousands of white lights in their bare branches - a gorgeous sight at night.
We also spent all day at the WC, where the volunteers were cheerful and helpful (and had spiffy polo shirts and jackets!)
The venue was pretty awesome, spacious, plenty of room for the vendors, shoppers & spectators. As noted by others, it was much more horse friendly than the T&M. Watching the schooling was great!
Yes, there could have been more food choices on the main floor, but meh. We ate breakfast at the hotel, grazed on show food during the day, and had those spectacular dinners at night. No complaints.
My friends and I could have watched Isabell teach all day, but we talked to quite a few people who were there because it was the WORLD CUP, not because they were dressage or show jumping fans. For them, a variety of the other demos were more accessible and enjoyable. At the Freestyle I was sitting next to a couple from SD who show QHs, and we got to compare the paths for qualifying for the WC and the QH World Show or the Congress, and what the horses do after a major competition. So, while personally I would have preferred a more dressage/sj focus for the demos, I think the orgs probably reached a broader audience with the ones they offered.
Vegas was fun. Once. (And I’ve been there twice.) I would MUCH prefer to return to Omaha.
I wanted to take a few minutes to tell everyone who came to our lovely midwestern area (I am from a city 1 1/2 hours straight north of Omaha and got my master’s degree at the University of Nebraska @ Omaha) that we are all so pleased that you came, that you enjoyed our midwestern hospitality, and that we hope you come back, if Omaha is lucky to get the bid again for this event.
I was so proud of Omaha and so happy to see so many visitors enjoying themselves. We came on Saturday for the Grand Prix Freestyle final and I was in tears nearly throughout the entire competition. To see this calibre of riding and competition right here in our own backyard was INCREDIBLE and it renewed by enthusiasm and inspiration to keep on pluggin’ away in my solitary arena at home. . .
THANKS TO ALL OF YOU FOR COMING! And you are all warmly welcomed to come back again!
Although I think it’s great that the WC will be coming back to the USA, I will not be attending Vegas. BTDT. Spent most of my time in bed with a migraine from the smoke, lights, and sounds. It’s a fun scene for some, but not me.
Omaha was so much more inviting and friendly.
