Ecovet Performance of the Week

Want to see what trust looks like between horse and rider? Look no further than this winning jump-off performance from Harrie Smolders and Monaco.

We’re not shy about our love for the Global Champions Tour: the multi-stop international show jumping competition might embody everything elite about the sport, including competitors’ ability to jet-set around the world with their string of top-notch horses, but it also allows new fans across multiple continents the opportunity to watch some truly world-class equestrians in action. That kind of exposure is well worth it, in our mind.

The show jumping fans of Shanghai were treated to quite the performance over the weekend with Global Champions League and Tour competition heating up. Of all the outstanding rounds, this jump-off performance from the Netherlands’ Harrie Smolders and Monaco is one of our favorites.

Nothing embodies trust between horse and rider like this intense course: while to the uninitiated, show jumping may look like a race to the finish, going fast is actually one of the harder aspects of a discipline that requires a carefully-balanced horse to tackle the big fences. Being able to blaze a course while leaving all the rails in their cups requires training, practice and of course great trust between horse and rider.

This was Monaco’s first Global Champions Tour performance, and according to Smolders, the first time he had been asked to go fast. Looks to us like it was a great success all around!

Go riding!