The London International Horse Show, formerly the Olympia London International Horse Show, is one of the UK's biggest equestrian competitions. Previously held at Olympia, London, it has been hosted by

ExCeL London ExCeL London (an abbreviation for Exhibition Centre London) is an exhibition centre, international convention centre and former hospital in the Custom House, Newham, Custom House area of London Borough of Newham, Newham, East London. It is sit ...

since 2021. It is best known as the host of the UK legs of the FEI ( International Equestrian Federation) World Cup series in

dressage Dressage ( or ; a French term, most commonly translated to mean "training") is a form of horse riding performed in exhibition and competition, as well as an art sometimes pursued solely for the sake of mastery. As an equestrian sport defined b ...

show jumping Show jumping is a part of a group of English riding equestrianism, equestrian events that also includes dressage, eventing, Show hunter, hunters, and equitation. Jumping classes are commonly seen at horse shows throughout the world, including th ...

and driving, however it also has multiple other showjumping classes, as well as fun competitions for example, The Shetland Pony Grand National and the Kennel Club Dog Agility. Each performance will also normally have two international equestrian displays. Some of the sessions are broadcast live by the BBC each year, and all sessions are streamed. It is held over six days in the week preceding Christmas, and involves over 400 horses and ponies. The Show, and many of the events in it, are Christmas themed. The show is run by the HPower Group, with

Simon Brooks-Ward Major General Simon Howe Brooks-Ward, is a British event organiser and former senior Army Reserve officer. Through his company, The HPower Group, he is most well known for organising large-scale equestrian events worldwide. Military career Br ...

as Director. The event is owned b
Clarion Events

History

The first London International Horse Show in its current form was held in 1907; however an agricultural show (known as the first great horse show) was held at the Olympia venue from 1888. Reginald Gardiner Heaton, a horse breeder from Chatteris in Cambridgeshire, is said to have thought up the Show. Early in 1906, Gardiner Heaton invited friends to dinner with the intention of persuading them to organise an international show on similar lines to those in New York, Paris and Brussels. The dinner was successful and Reginald Heaton became the managing director, a post he held for over 25 years. The inaugural show was attended by aristocracy and royalty including Edward VII, Alexandra of Denmark, George V, Princess Mary Adelaide of Cambridge The entrants were from countries including France, Italy, Belgium and Russia.

Lord Lonsdale Earl of Lonsdale is a title that has been created twice in British history, firstly in the Peerage of Great Britain in 1784 (becoming extinct in 1802), and then in the Peerage of the United Kingdom in 1807, both times for members of the Lowth ...

, then president of the

National Sporting Club The National Sporting Club was a club founded in London in 1891, which did more to establish the sport of boxing in Great Britain than any other organisation. Origins The club was founded on 5 March 1891 as a private club. Its premises were at ...

of Britain, was the show's first President. The directors listed in early programmes included many prominent and wealthy patrons, with at least 10 dukes, 11 marquises, 54 earls, 25 viscounts, 80 barons, and 28 knights who were made honorary vice-presidents. The show was closed during World War I and suffered from the economic instability and industrialisation between the wars. In 1939 the last International Horse Show was held at Olympia. It was resurrected in 1947 at a different venue in White City, London. However, in December 1972, Reginald Heaton and Raymond Brooks-Ward decided to bring a horse show back to Olympia. "Olympia – The London International Horse Show" became a highlight of the equestrian calendar and part of the equestrian Christmas tradition. The Olympia London International Horse Show celebrated its 100th anniversary in 2007 as "one of Europe's oldest equine competitions". In 2010 it was held as CSI 5*-W (

Show Jumping World Cup The FEI Show Jumping World Cup is an annual international competition among the world’s best show jumping horses and riders. The series, created in 1978, today comprises 14 leagues on all continents. The best riders from 132 preliminary competiti ...

event) and CDI-W (

Dressage World Cup The FEI World Cup Dressage Final is an annual international dressage series involving the world's best dressage horses and riders. It has been held since 1985. The World Cup is run in the form of a CDI. History The history of the World Cup ...

event). The 2020 Olympia London International Horse Show was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. In 2021 the show moved to a new venue at

and was renamed the London International Horse Show. In 2023, the organisers announced a new second full-size arena for the show which is named the New Horizon Plastics London Arena. This houses additional showing classes in association with the BSPS, the BSHA and the ASAO. It also houses additional Kennel Club Dog Agility Classes and various Masterclasses with key individuals from the equestrian world.

Competitions

The show has FEI competitions in driving,

and

as well as showing and mounted games.

Driving

There are three driving events, the Extreme Driving and two FEI World Cup classes. Teams of four horses drive round a set of obstacles against the clock, with two grooms also on the carriage. Faults are gained if an obstacle is knocked or the incorrect route is taken, the top score with least faults wins.

Dressage

The Show hosts FEI Dressage World Cup qualifiers, which usually take the format of a Grand prix on the first day, and Freestyle Dressage to Music on the second where riders are allowed to choreograph their own routine to music incorporating a number of compulsory movements. Dressage winners at the Show have included

Charlotte Dujardin Charlotte Susan Jane Dujardin (born 13 July 1985) is a British dressage rider, equestrian and writer. A multiple World and Olympic champion, Dujardin has been described as the dominant dressage rider of her era. She held the complete set of ava ...

Charlotte Fry Charlotte Fry (born 11 February 1996) is an Olympic, European Championships and World Championships medal-winning British dressage rider. Personal story A daughter of Laura Fry, who competed at the 1992 Summer Olympic Games in Barcelona, Cha ...

and

Carl Hester Carl Hester (born 29 June 1967 in Cambridgeshire, England) is a British dressage rider competing at Olympic level. As of 8 August 2012 the Fédération Équestre Internationale (FEI) rank him 12th in the world riding Uthopia. In 2012, Hester f ...

Showjumping

The show has showjumping classes on each day of the show, most with Christmas themed names such as the Longines Christmas Cracker. These culminate in the 1.60m Longines FEI

on the Sunday and the London Grand Prix on the last day of the Show. Riders generally compete over the week and have the chance of gaining points in each class for leading rider. Many of the top showjumping riders in the world compete annually, as well as many of Britain's finest, including

Harry Charles Harry Charles (born 15 July 1999) is a British show jumping competitor. He represented Great Britain at the 2020 Summer Olympics in Tokyo 2021, competing in individual jumping and team jumping. Charles replaced Holly Smith in the individual co ...

Ben Maher Benjamin Richard Maher MBE (born 30 January 1983, in Enfield) is a British show jumper. He represented Britain at the 2008 Beijing Olympics, 2009 European Championships in Windsor, 2012 London Olympics, 2016 Rio Olympics and the 2020 Tokyo Oly ...

Scott Brash Scott Brash MBE (born 23 November 1985) is a Scottish showjumper. He began riding the horse Hello Sanctos in early 2012. They competed as part of the British Team at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London winning a gold medal in the team jumping e ...

and many more. The event also has non FEI competitions including the Puissance, the Six Bar, accumulators, the Mini-Major Relay and the Markel Champions Challenge where

jockey A jockey is someone who rides horses in horse racing or steeplechase racing, primarily as a profession. The word also applies to camel riders in camel racing. The word "jockey" originated from England and was used to describe the individual ...

s compete at showjumping to raise money for the Injured Jockeys Fund.

Showing

The show hosts the final for the

British Show Pony Society The British Show Pony Society (BSPS), formed in the autumn of 1949, is an organisation which oversees affiliated show pony, hunter pony and working hunter pony competitions for children's ponies in the United Kingdom. The Society offers three s ...

Mountain and Moorland championships and the London International Senior Showing Series Championships. In 2023, a new second arena was announced, and with it the London International Showing Series; the Finals of which take place at the Show.

Displays

In more recent years, the show also has equestrian displays which show different forms of horsemanship from around the world. Participants have included the

Metropolitan Police Service The Metropolitan Police Service (MPS), formerly and still commonly known as the Metropolitan Police (and informally as the Met Police, the Met, Scotland Yard, or the Yard), is the territorial police force responsible for law enforcement and ...

's mounted regiment, the Household Cavalry and the King's Troop, Royal Horse Artillery. Each year there is also a Shetland Pony Grand National in which a group of riders aged 8–14 ride

Shetland ponies The Shetland pony is a Scottish breed of pony originating in the Shetland Isles in the north of Scotland. It may stand up to at the withers. It has a heavy coat and short legs, is strong for its size, and is used for riding, driving, and ...

around a track over small jumps mimicking the Grand National held at Aintree. Many of these riders, such as Sam Twiston-Davies, have progressed to become professional jockeys. All proceeds from the event go to the Bob Champion Cancer Trust. Every season concludes with the Christmas Finale, a mix of theatricals, dancing and singing, ending with a visit from Father Christmas in a horse-drawn carriage.

Kennel Club Dog Agility

The Show hosts popular Agility classes from The Kennel Club in several sections including ABC (Anything But Collie) and Small, Medium and Large dog breeds. These dogs run around racing and jumping over obstacles to compete for the fastest time.

Gallery

File:Line up in the veteran class at Olympia Horse Show 2017.jpg, Line up in the veteran class at Olympia Horse Show 2017 File:Fei Driving World Cup at the Olympia Horse Show 2017.jpg, Fei Driving World Cup at the Olympia Horse Show 2017 File:The Metropolitan police mounted department demo at Olympia Horse Show 2017.jpg, The Metropolitan police mounted department demo at Olympia Horse Show 2017 File:John Whitaker and Argento jumping at Olympia 2017.jpg, John Whitaker and Argento jumping at Olympia 2017 File:The Shetland Grand National at Olympia 2017.jpg, The Shetland Grand National at Olympia 2017 File:Pony Club Games team dressed as elves as part of the Christmas finale at Olympia 2017.jpg, Pony Club Games team dressed as elves as part of the Christmas finale at Olympia 2017

External links

London International Horse Show Website

London International Horse Show results
(search "London" in the input field)

References

{{Reflist, refs=https://www.usef.org/compete/disciplines/combined-driving Equestrian sports competitions in the United Kingdom Sports competitions in London Show jumping events Dressage events Equestrian sports in England Horse driving competition Olympia London Horse showing and exhibition