Equita Lyon: Five questions for Grégory Bodo, course designer for the Show Jumping World Cup

From October 29 to November 9, Europe's largest horse show, "Equita Lyon," takes place at Eurexpo. To mark the occasion, Lyon Capitale asked five questions to the course designer for the Longines Jumping World Cup leg. Grégory Bodo has been designing the Equita Lyon Grand Prix course since 2017 and notably designed the show jumping course for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.

What is the role of a course designer in a show jumping competition?

The course designer plays a key role in the equestrian world. Like the director in film, they are the stage manager, and the riders and horses are the actors. The course designer has free rein; everything stems from their imagination. They are given a set of obstacles and express themselves by designing courses, following a path with sequences of varying technical difficulty, which they then propose to the riders and horses. It is then up to the riders and their mounts to solve the challenges. These challenges include issues of height, distance, and visibility of the obstacles.

What factors are taken into account when designing a World Cup course?

We take into account the field of horses we are facing, the nature of the terrain on which we will be competing, whether it is composed of sand, grass, what its surface area is... We also take into account the available obstacle equipment and the scoring system of the competition: against the clock, in two rounds, etc...

What, in your opinion, constitutes a good career path?

For me, a good competition is linked to results. The horses need to progress smoothly, without any major incidents, eliminations, or riders withdrawing. There need to be a few minor faults, spread out over time, and a reasonable number of clear rounds. The goal is to offer sport, develop the horse-and-rider pairs, and provide a bit of excitement and a show, all while ensuring the competition remains as fair as possible.

What are the special features of the Equita Lyon track?

Equita is truly a unique competition; here we have all the infrastructure to ensure the horses perform in the best possible conditions. It's one of the largest indoor arenas in the world, notably the largest on the World Cup circuit. I enjoy working on arenas like these; it's easier for me to express myself here.

Any hints about the route of this weekend's Grand Prix?

The World Cup Grand Prix is ​​going to be quite tricky. As usual, there will be fourteen obstacles, seventeen efforts. It will feature the full range of obstacles I can offer, including a wall, a slackline obstacle, a triple bar, an obstacle with plants inside, a fairly narrow obstacle...

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