International Jumping It’s the event of the year in Blaye! For more than 40 years, horse enthusiasts, high-level athletes and novices have gathered for four days in the moat of the Blaye citadel to watch the competition for some or the show for others.
This is because here, you are on the land of the famous horse Jappeloup who won the gold medal in 1988 at the Seoul Olympic Games. Jappeloup and his breeder Henri Delage, one of the initiators of Jumping de Blaye, have been in the minds of volunteers and organizers since the beginning of this show jumping competition.
Jumping is a sporting competition like nowhere else but it is also a state of mind. A family spirit because the volunteers grew up together and saw the competition evolve: first national in 1983 then international since 1997. Under the kindness of Titou Valleys until 2000 and Gilles Vallaeys today, the youngest are proud to take up the torch!
Our volunteers are back and they will be ready. They will ensure the staging with enthusiasm and kindness, the score will be well played.
All the spectators, horse lovers or not, athletes or simple walkers, are intoxicated by the show, the atmosphere, the decor... The competition takes place at the foot of the Porte Royale de the Citadel of Blaye, in the moat of the fortress. The ramparts are illuminated for the occasion, projectors installed to illuminate the track where the jumping bars follow one another. Between each event, volunteers are busy, judges are measuring, friends' glasses are clinking, horses are stamping on the paddock...
Then comes the Baréme A test at the 135cm time trial or that of the CSI1* with progressive difficulties at 120cm. At each jump, the crowd stationed around the track, under the VIP tivoli or on the ramparts, holds their breath! Seeing the rider and the horse become one is beautiful even if you don't know anything about horse riding. We all thrill together at the efforts of the horse and the prowess of the rider. At the end of the lap, the thunderous applause ringing against the wall proves it!
Jumping is also about conviviality and traditions! Don't miss the Saint Hubert's Day mass on Sunday morning accompanied by the huntsmen and above all, take advantage of the different food stands at the event. At the end of the competition, the citadel of Blaye burst into flames with the July 14 fireworks taken from the ramparts on the Porte Dauphine side, facing the city center.
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