The WARSAW JUMPING event was organised by the Polish Jockey Club and the National Support Centre for Agriculture from 30^th September to 4^th October. The honorary patron of the event was the President of the Republic of Poland, Andrzej Duda. The races were held to commemorate the 100^th anniversary of Poland’s victory over the Bolsheviks in the Battle of Komarów in 1920.

The participants of WARSAW JUMPING competed in four disciplines:

• show jumping;
• eventing;
• dressage;
• combined driving.

Certain horse racing elements were also present. The Jockey Jumping Challenge, being a jumping competition for horse jockeys, and a show race with the top Polish show jumping and eventing stars, were held as part of the event.

The five-day series of competitions culminated in the Grand Prix, with total prizes amounting to PLN 125,000. In spite of the qualification requirement, fifty competitors in the Grand Prix is an unusual number in national competitions, all due to the prestigious nature of the event and high financial bonuses. The event attracted many competitors experienced in international competitions. The basic parkour of 145 centimetres with 13 obstacles (including double and triple combinations and the water obstacle) were completed perfectly by seven pairs.

 

The winner was Krzysztof Ludwiczak, representing the Stajnia Ludwiczak Foundation and riding Cros Blue, the only one to score a ‘double clear’.

‘For me it was a lucky competition. The parkour was very demanding given it was a national competition, as the level reflected the ranking class level. Everything was organised in a manner which would be appropriate for five-star events. I hope that next year it will be possible to attract even more fans of equestrianism to the Służewiec Track and the quality of organisation will be equally as high,’ said the winner.

The level of the LOTTO TOP 10 competition, held in Poland for the very first time, was also very high. It was attended by the best Polish jumpers. All participants showed fantastic form. Ultimately, the best was proven to be Jarosław Skrzyczyński riding Olimpic Star. The second box went to Kamil Grzelczyk of KJ Agri, riding Mister Dr Heigl, and Michał Kaźmierczak of KJ Verso La Natura took third place, riding Wilander.

‘Looking at the parkour today, I knew it would not be easy. Not only was it aimed at verifying technicalities, but also artificial light was used, but I was able to achieve the target planned. Olimpic Star performed wonderfully,’ said Jarosław Skrzyczyński.

The organisers of WARSAW JUMPING expect that next year it will be possible to hold a series of competitions of this type in several cities. Potential venues include: Krakow, Wroclaw, Sopot, Poznan, and Warsaw.