Anthony d’Ambrosio defends his courses

US-american course designer Anthony d’Ambroiso was the man in charge of the courses at the Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping Final in Las Vegas (USA) from 15 to 19 April 2015 – and had to deal with a lot of critique from the riders.

Mclain Ward (USA) said that it ‚was the worst sport he has seen in any championship in his career‘ in Las Vegas. Marcus Ehning (GER) found some straight forward words as well: ‚On Thursday, the last line was totally unnecessary for me. It was a bit more like a joke with too many hard falls.‘

Anthony d’Ambrosio has now defended the courses and talked to the british equestrian platform Horse & Hound about it: “I have read the comments made by McClain Ward and Marcus Ehning, two individuals for which I have great respect. I truly wish it had gone better for both of them at the final.

As to the courses, I stand behind them, and feel that although there were some tough questions asked, such as the triple in friday’s final II [second leg], they were appropriate for a World Cup final, and made the best of the confines of the arena.

In the end, I believe we had a good result each day, and I am impressed with how many young riders finished in the top 12. The future of the sport looks very strong. I congratulate all of the riders who took part, and admire them for their efforts during the week. I am happy to have been designing when Steve Guerdat won the title that had eluded him so many times. He is a fantastic rider and horseman.”

Find the full article of Horse & Hound here »

Source: horseandhound.co.uk