CCI 4*-L Saumur Complet: in the footsteps of champions

She impressed the audience last year ! Few month before winning gold at the Olympic Games, the german rider, Julia Krajewski with her mare Amande de B’ Neville, won the CCI 4*-L during the 35th edition of Saumur Complet. From April the 28th to May the 1st, Verrie Hippodrome will receive the top world eventing riders… and its public after 2 years absence due to the pandemic. Let’s discover the 2022 program from one of the three most important French eventing.
Saumur: an inescapable reference in word eventing
French capital of horse, host of the prestigious Saumur’s Cadre noir, Saumur is deeply devoted to horses and its practice. The first Saumur Complet edition took place in 1986. Since then, all of the best eventing riders already competed to this event and dream to win it. The story of the event, labelised  « Terre de Jeux » for Paris 2024 Olympic Games, is written by the legends of this discipline.
The three-times winner of this competition, the mythic New Zealand Mark Todd, two-times individual Olympic champion in 1984 and 1988, took the gold in Saumur in 1987 with Charisma, the horse he won in Los Angeles and Seoul with, opening the way to other icons. Among other, in 1994, Jean Teulère, Olympic team Champion, ten years later, Nicolas Touzaint with Tatchou, also member of the win French Team in 2004, Mathieu Lemoine and Bart L who won gold in Rio with the Blue Team in 2016 and the latest, the German Julia Krajewski, stunning
this summer in Tokio with Amande de B’Neville, who ofered herself a premonitory olympic Victory in 2021.
In 2022, the CCI 4*-L from Saumur is definitly on the Pratoni del Vivaro’s (Italy) World Eventing Championship path.
For the first time in 2022, four competition levels
True horse riding triathlon, eventing is a sport that encompasses three separate equestrian events  : dressage, cross-country and show jumping and it required to the horse and its rider a high versatility. Until 2019 january the 1st, eventing competition had two versions  : CCI and CIC. Since then, the diference in denomination is between the so-called “short“ (CCI-S) and “long“ (CCI-L) formats. The CCI-L, by their level and their prestige, remain the top category of eventing. For example, from April the 28th to May the 1st, the Saumur Complet CCI 4*-L will be raced on about 5  700 meters distance. Only the best riders will finish the cross-country without penalties, in the time decided by the course designer. In addition to the CCI4*-L, three other format are ofered to the riders  : a CCI 3*-S, a CCI 2*-L, and for the first time a CCI1*-Intro, which is a great en huis clos, certes, mais un véritable soutien au sport et à la culture Pour lutter e!cacement contre la propagation de la pandémie de Covid-19, le Comité Equestre de Saumur a décidé d’un
huis clos pour sa 35e édition de Saumur Complet. Au nom du sport, l’hippodrome de Verrie accueillera ainsi, du 29 avril au 2 mai 2021, plus de 200 chevaux et leurs cavaliers, venus courir un un CCI 2*-L et/ou un CCI 3*-S et/ou la compétitionreine de ce week-end angevin, le CCI 4*-L. La résidence de création artistique «“ Grand Air“ » , véritable «“ touche“ » de Saumur Complet, est maintenue. Les compétitions  ainsi que la visite de l’exposition «“Grand Air“» seront retransmises via un ambitieux dispositif digital.  
opportunity for the riders and their horses to gain experience and compete in higher levels. Ofering diferent formats allows to riders to come to Saumur with several young horses, an other opportunity to teach them their ‘job’ on the 1*, 2* and 3* contests. The 4 levels cross-country will take place on two days, for even more great sport and show, on Saturday an Sunday. 300 horses are expected in the Maine-et-Loire area.  Rendez-vous majeur du calendrier printanier des cavaliers de concours complet internationaux, Saumur Complet 2021 tient solidement la barre, en donnant rendez-vous aux amoureux de sports équestres du 29 avril au 2 mai 2021. Cette 35e édition, touchée de plein fouet par la crise sanitaire,
comme l’ensemble des événements sportifs et culturels en Europe, proposera un format inédit, en huis clos, sans public… mais l’âme de l’événement est bel et bien là !
A sportive and family event
The eventing is a show by itself, a story told on few days and which the outcome is uncertain until the last second. And the audience knows it, they come every years by thousand in Verrie Hippodrome.
In addition to this big event, the Comité Equestre de Saumur (Equestrian Commitee of Saumur) ofers to the visitors an artistic walk in the nature with the Grand Air Exhibition. A two kilometers walk in the wood will show you about ten monumental artwork. This art exhibition is created in partnership with the Abbaye Royale de Fontevraud (Royal Abbaye of Fontevraud).
For the runners, Saumur Complet also ofers a friendly run in the nature called La Verrie’Table which allows to Sport de haut niveau et culture en plein air et hors les murs : la marque de fabrique de Saumur Complet Trois niveaux de compétition sont proposés aux cavaliers : un CCI 2*-L, un CCI 3*-S et un CCI 4*-L. Dernière étape discover the cross-country’s fences on two distances choices : 12 km or 7 km.
For the first time in 2022, « La Verrie’Table » will be a night race the Saturday 30th April. Registration from March the 7th on  www.adeorun.com : a headlamp is highly recommanded. In 2019, almost 500 runners discovered the huge and protected Verrie Hippodrome, in perfect conditions with an excellent floor. Saumur Complet, it is also an about fithty exhibitors village which also contributes to this inescapable event’s success.

Saumur Complet Press Release
Blizko Communication
Daniel Koroloff – daniel@blizko-communication.com
Photo © Comité Equestre de Saumur / Photos Les Garennes