Championship 2002

For the first time, the WEG included seven disciplines with Reining making a strong and most appreciated first appearance. The great spectator attendance and the attention from the media brought considerable benefits to the host city as well as the whole province. Moreover, Andalusia, the Spanish province where Jerez is located, is true horse country, enjoying a rich equestrian tradition going back centuries. Jerez is the city of the Real Escuela Andaluza del Arte Equestre (Royal Andalusian School of Equestrian Art), a major ambassador for the area.

In sporting terms, the event was simply excellent. Three different venues hosted the different events, including the local football stadium for Jumping and Dressage and a covered arena for the Vaulting and Reining.

Amazing Frenchman, Eric Navet, already had four WEG medals in his trophy cabinet; team and individual gold from Stockholm in 1990 and team silvers from The Hague in 1994 and Rome in 1998. The 2002 WEG yet again provided him with two more medals; the first for finishing second individually and the other medal for his team, for whom his contribution was invaluable.

Ireland's Dermott Lennon took the world by surprise when the quiet farmer's son claimed the individual honours with his great mare Liscalgot, while Sweden's Helena Lundback became the second woman, following in the footsteps of Gail Greenough (Aachen 1986), to earn a place in the change-horse final with her little mare Mynta. Mares were to the fore again in the individual final with Liscalgot and Mynta joined by American rider Peter Wylde's Fein Cera, but Navet's Dollar du Murier was one of the four super-stallions that did French horse-breeding proud as they soared to victory in the team competition.