Once again, Madrid hosts the dressage world cup, the horse jumping world cup and the cowboy dressage masters cup from November 24 to 26 in 40,000 square meters. The three competitions are part of the Ifema Madrid Horse Week fair, attended by the best riders and horsewomen in the world ranking.
This is the most important equestrian event held in Spain. The horse industry represents 7,392 million euros annually in Spain, which represents 0.59% of the GDP and maintains 149,863 jobs, according to data from the Study on the impact of the equestrian sector in Spain, prepared by the consulting firm Deloitte.
About 300 horses are expected to participate, which will compete for one of the prizes, which together add up to a prize of 550,000 euros. Every year around 45,000 people come to see this show.
The investment in the event rises to 7 million euros for the 2023 edition. Participants from 43 countries attend.
As an anecdotal fact, every year 1,500 tons of sand are used at this fair, distributed across the different tracks, competitions and training areas. Also, the equivalent of 14 trailers loaded with 75 cubic meters of iron each are lifted. In addition, more than 2 kilometers of cable are required to illuminate the event and the same amount of fencing to protect the horses. In addition, every day at the event more than 30 cubic meters of manure are collected, which are sent to a recycling plant to make compost.
Among the celebrities who attend the event each year, public figures stand out, such as Bertín Osborne, Mar Saura, Luis Figo, Genoveva Casanova, Marina Danko, Carlos Baute or Chenoa, among others.
In this year’s edition, the center court will host the show on Saturday night by the royal school of equestrian art of Jerez de la Frontera, which celebrates its fiftieth anniversary in 2023.
For Daniel Entrecanales, president of the Ifema organizing committee, “it may seem like a consolidated event, but it is a project that must be won every year.” For his part, Javier Revuelta, president of the Royal Spanish Equestrian Federation, highlighted that “you will be able to see the Spanish riders who have qualified for the Paris Olympic Games.”
In the presentation of the event, Almudena Maíllo, delegate councilor for tourism of the Madrid City Council, recalled that this event “brings together the two pillars that the council seeks: a commitment to sport and top-level competitions to attract quality tourism.”
