Ahead of a weekend of world class equestrian sport, Global Champions Tour launched its first show in Switzerland in elegant style.

Leading riders from Europe, the Middle East, the United States and Latin America converged on Lausanne where the eyes of the equestrian world will be fixed on Saturday night’s GCT Grand Prix of Switzerland.

Some of the most famous names in show jumping began warming at the Bellerive showground in advance of the 5* competitions starting tomorrow. Alvaro de Miranda, Richard Spooner, Laura Kraut, Edwina Tops-Alexander, Kevin Staut, Pénélope LePrevost and Philippe Rozier took advantage of the practice time to prepare for a packed weekend of competition.

The evening began with a fun event for spectators when leading Swiss junior riders teamed up with senior riders in a relay competition. The competition was won by Faye Schoch and Elisa Oltra.

Earlier luxury Swiss watchmaker Jaeger-LeCoultre presented its latest sophisticated Rendez-Vous timepiece for women. Jaeger-LeCoultre ambassadors Edwina Tops-Alexander and model Xenia Tchoumitcheva attended the event in Jaeger-LeCoultre’s elegant VIP lounge alongside the arena.

The elegant theme continued when the renowned Cadre Noir equestrian troop gave a display of stunning horsemanship in the main jumping arena. Dressed in their signature black uniforms the Cadre Noir is based in Saumur, western France, and was founded in 1828 originally to train the French Cavalry. Elite riders and ringmasters demonstrated the extraordinary skills and acrobatics of the Cadre Noir horses in the floodlit display.

On Friday the serious business of top-level show jumping will get underway leading up to Saturday evening’s ranking battle in the GCT Grand Prix of Switzerland. 

Here are some facts and figures about the prestigious event:

• 466,500 total € prize money
• 15,000 visitors expected
• 250 horses
• Over 100 riders including 30 of the world’s best
• 1,000 cubic metres sand
• 450 tonnes of structures installed
• 272 specially constructed stables
• 250 volunteers from Lausanne
• 25 official partners including main sponsor Jaeger-LeCoultre and transport and environmental partner Nissan
• 3 spectacular shows of horsemanship by the world famous Cadre Noir
• International TV reach via Eurosport (130 million homes in 59 countries) and Swiss channel RTS which reaches 1.6m French speakers.

Riders from the Junior Challenge

With Edwina Tops Alexander