The Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ qualifier in Las Vegas, part of the North American League (NAL) for the 2024/2025 season will not be replaced due to the short time frame to organize a high-quality replacement in November, it was announced Friday.
Additionally, commercial and broadcast commitments already in place would have posed significant challenges, and adding a replacement qualifier would have created difficulties in maintaining consistent broadcast coverage and partnership agreements.
The 2024/25 season will only have seven NAL qualifiers, but those seeking to qualify for the April finals in Switzerland will still use four scores to make the cut.
Todd Hinde, FEI Director of Jumping said, “We believe this decision is essential to maintaining the competitive integrity of the league. We look forward to the upcoming bidding process and to working closely with organizers to ensure that future events meet the high standards of the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™.”
Blenheim EquiSports, which got the rights for the qualifier through 2027, called off the competition due to “unforeseen circumstances.” When asked for specifics, Robert Ridland, president of Blenheim, said “I cannot comment at this time.”
Meanwhile, cancellation of the Vegas qualifier led to new possibilities for the Marshall+Sterling Insurance/USHJA National Championships, which had been scheduled to run with the Cup qualifier at the South Point Hotel and Casino.
That show will be a stand-alone produced by the Desert International Horse Park, led by Steve Hankin. Pat Boyle will continue as show manager.
Explaining his decision to become involved with the championships, Steve said, “We’re excited to put on a great event in Vegas and continue to help build up the sport. We’re two months out from the event and we want it to be successful. We’re going to put in a lot of energy and focus on the event and the sport and that’s what we care about.”
Showing in Vegas is a highlight of the year for those qualifying for the USHJA Championships.
Discussing working with Steve and Desert International Horse Park, USHJA President Britt McCormick commented, “Their expertise, coupled with Pat Boyle’s continued leadership, will elevate this year’s championships, allowing us to bring more opportunities to our competitors.”
Those include enabling the Nov. 11-17 fixture to accept additional participants and showcase key competitions in slots previously reserved for the international-level show jumping. The Western Conference Equitation Finals will be the highlight on Saturday night, while the IHSA/USHJA 3’3″ Hunter Seat Medal Final West is the feature for Sunday.
Conor Swail won the Longines FEI qualifier in Las Vegas last year. (Andrew Ryback Photography)
Ridland guided the Olympic show jumping team in Paris to its third consecutive silver medal under his direction as chef d’equipe. His contract for that position is up for renewal at the end of this year; such contracts in all the Olympic disciplines run with the Games quadrennium.
It has been a rough year for Blenheim EquiSports, which lost some dates for its shows due to water quality issues involving the Rancho Mission Viejo Riding Park it runs south of Los Angeles. For previous stories about the topic, click here and here.