FEI CHAMPIONSHIP PREVIEW

Greven-Bockholt (GER), 13 August 2009

PONY DRIVING WORLD GATHERS IN GREVEN-BOCKHOLT

>From 13 to 16 August, the focus of the Driving World is set on Greven-Bockholt, a small village close to the city of Münster in northern Germany, for the fourth edition of the FEI World Combined Pony Driving Championships.

Numbers

Ninety drivers from 18 nations will compete in the single, pair and four-in-hand classes for the individual titles.

Nine nations will battle for the team medals. Each team consists of a minimum of one and a maximum of two single, pair and four-in-hand drivers. In addition, the Championship is open to individual competitors (maximum one per nation per class) as well.

Greven has hosted national and international driving competitions for many years and the Organising Committee was also responsible for the 2008 FEI World Para-Equestrian Driving Championship.

Title defenders

Title holders from the 2007 FEI World Combined Pony Driving Championships in Dorthealyst Jan de Boer from the Netherlands (pony team), USA’s Miranda Cadwell (pony pair) and Peter Koux from Denmark (single pony) will be present in Greven. Germany has the advantage of defending its gold team medal on home ground.

Officials

Germany’s Dr. Wolfgang Asendorf, course designer at the 2006 FEI World Equestrian Games, is responsible for the course design in Greven. The Jury is chaired by Hans-Peter Rüschlin from Switzerland and is completed by Gé König from the Netherlands, Klaus Peppersack from Germany, Anne Marie Turbé from France and Andrew Counsell from Great Britain.

Programme

Thursday, 13th August:

08.00 hrs.: dressage single ponies

15.15 hrs.: dressage pony pairs (first part)

19.30 hrs.: Opening Ceremony

Friday, 14th August:

08.00 hrs.: dressage pony pairs (second half)

13.00 hrs.: dressage pony teams

ca. 17.30 hrs.: prize giving ceremony

19.30 hrs.: Varieté Dinner

Saturday, 15th August:

08.30 hrs.: marathon single ponies, pony pairs and pony teams

20.45 hrs.: prize giving ceremony

Sunday, 16th August:

08.30 hrs.: obstacle driving single ponies

followed by prize giving ceremony

12.00 hrs: obstacle driving pony pairs

followed by prize giving ceremony

15.30 hrs: obstacle driving pony teams

followed by prize giving ceremony

ca. 18.00 hrs: Award ceremony

Additional information and media contact: www.greven2009.de