80 SIDELINES SEPTEMBER 2014
FOR HORSE PEOPLE • ABOUT HORSE PEOPLE
the biggest shows in Europe. He describes it as a real event, so
much so that the event was televised across Belgium. Even those
who were unfamiliar with equine sports saw the show on TV and
could relate to the excitement and energy of the sport. But sadly,
Jumping Brussels ended several years ago. Christophe and
Nelson Pessoa partnered together to take over Jumping Brussels
and created Audi Masters in 2004.
Applying the same attention to high-performance sport and
luxury branding, the partners ambitiously sought to make the
equestrian sport appeal to the general public. Developing the
professional organization of equestrian sports, like one might see
with football, basketball, tennis or golf, required participation from
the best riders and horses, a unique venue, appealing vendors
and targeted media communications locally and internationally.
It was certainly a difficult task, but one they ultimately achieved.
The concept laid the foundation for what would become the
Masters Grand Slam with its first event being The Gucci Paris
Masters in 2009. After Europe, the second destination was Asia
and the debut of Longines Hong Kong Masters followed that in
2013.
With an initial first look at New York’s Barclay Center, Christophe
and his team decided to look further west to find the perfect venue
to showcase his “American dream.” This year, in its only North
American location, the LA Masters will debut at the Convention
Center in downtown Los Angeles — right in the heart of the
entertainment area that includes the Nokia Theater, L.A. Live and
the world famous Staples Center.
The Masters concept calls for a host location that has both the
global recognition to meet its luxury branding standards and a
venue that can accommodate about 300,000 square feet of indoor
show grounds.
Now, after the arduous task of securing the dates for what will
be Los Angeles’ first taste of five-star show jumping since the 1984
Summer Olympics, Christophe had to assemble a team to ensure
his dream is realized. Enter Dale Harvey, the dynamic horse
show organizer of West Palms Events. Dale runs high-quality
horse shows up and down the state of California with shows in
Sacramento, Flintridge, Huntington Beach and Del Mar.
For the West Coast show jumping community, the existence of a
five-star event to showcase the best international talent and many
of the best national riders is so important for the development of
the talent base.
The global link the Masters will create between Paris, Hong
Kong and L.A. will be very important to its ongoing popularity and
success. Christophe said, “All the best branding is to be found in
Hong Kong, Paris and L.A. It’s pertinent for the communication
and pertinent for the right partners and sponsors.” When asked if
he would reveal where the fourth destination might be, Christophe
grinned with slyness and said, “I have many offers, but right now I
am focusing on the success of L.A.”
The integrated nature of Christophe’s businesses are a road
map for the sport’s development. The Masters events decidedly
bring recognition of the sport to the masses on a global scale. This
is the manifestation of Christophe’s dream. He once was asked
if he was worried because the Gucci Paris Masters was the first
five-star event in France and today there are five: Gucci Paris
Masters, Saut Hermes, Global Champions Tour Chantilly, Global
Champions Tour Cannes and Paris Eiffel Jumping. Christophe
said, “No, this is not a problem for me because today we are
talking about show jumping! This is like a dream. The story is not
finished, but I am very happy.”
Meeting Christophe was nothing short of inspirational. It is truly
a rare and remarkable thing when you meet someone who is
actually
living his dream.
About the writer: Sophie St. Clair is a high school sophomore from
Southern California. She has an interest in the psychology of high performance
athletes. She is also a Junior Ambassador for Children’s Hospital Los Angeles where
she works to raise funds and awareness for the hospital. Sophie is working toward
becoming a professional show jumper but is taking it “one jump at a time.”
A beautiful friendship
Photo by Heather Smith
Paralympics in 2012. “Dr. Rodrigo Vazquez did surgery
and I took the next two years focusing only on him and
keeping him happy and not on any kind of competition
goals,” remembered Holly. “By paying close attention to
his needs and taking our time in the rehabilitation, he
exceeded all expectations when he came back to work
and was ready to do anything for me.”
After a successful season back to work in 2014, Rubino
helped Holly qualify as a para-equestrian for the 2014
WEG. The duo had an outstanding chance of making
the team and she also hoped that they could earn scores
towards her USDF gold medal. Since Holly aged out of
Young Riders, Rubicon helped her make her debut as an
open rider. Holly reflected, “My favorite moment we had
together was the last time we ever competed, at the night
of the freestyles at the Del Mar National Horse Show.
Originally, I was just going to do a demonstration ride
for para-dressage, but ended up doing an I-1 freestyle
in the test of choice. We placed second in a large class
with so many amazing professionals. The energy in the
arena that night was electric and Rubino was nervous but
trusted me and put in a brilliant performance. It’s a feeling
I’ll never forget.”
Riding Rubino made Holly find even more passion for
the sport she loves. “I’m so grateful to have ridden and
befriended a horse like him and I’ll carry the lessons he
taught me through the rest of my life,” acknowledged
Holly.
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