Championship venue ruled out of 2024 owing to payment dispute
The historic venue that hosted the 2023 eventing Europeans and has previously held a world championship and Nations Cups will not run this year owing to a quarrel over money.
Le Grand Complet horse trials at Haras du Pin, the venue where Ros Canter led the Brits to double gold last year and which was also home to eventing at the 2014 World Equestrian Games, has been cancelled for 2024.
It comes down to a dispute over a five-figure bill, as reported by Eventing Nation. Recently shared details of the spat also include the claim that last year’s European Championships was under threat of being cancelled weeks before it started.
In simple terms, national stud Haras du Pin and local authority Conseil Départmental de l’Orne implemented an upfront fee said to be €80,000 (£68,662) for Le Grand Complet organisers Ustica, payable on 27 December, to use the site for the event in 2024. The fixture was set to run CCI2*-L, CCI3*-S and CCI4*-S classes.
The site’s recent €24m development, partly funded by public money, was stated to be the reason behind this new upfront fee.
Ustica was also asked to fund further development, including relocating the shopping village. Discussions over costs and logistics have been running for some time, which led to the threat of the Europeans being cancelled in June last year.
“We deplore the way in which our association, which has been fully invested for years in the development of the sport, is excluded from a site that it has largely contributed to promoting, since Le Grand Complet is recognised as the only event to welcome so many visitors to Haras du Pin,” said Valérie Moulin, Le Grand Complet president.
“Today, after €24m has been invested from public funds, this tool becomes a profit centre, whose cost of use is simply inaccessible to associations in the sector.
“This choice is harmful not only for external organisers, but especially for the entire sector and the territory.”
She added: “The passion is still absolutely there for all of Ustica’s members, and we hope to deliver news in 2025 of its return to Le Pin, or its movement elsewhere.”
In response, Haras du Pin nodded to its redevelopment as the reason behind the new fee.
“This new equestrian complex of international level and these new major facilities obviously involve new challenges and economic objectives,” said a statement from the venue.
“Le Haras du Pin has therefore revised the entry requirements of event organisers, in order to offer them a tailor-made welcome while respecting the economic balance of the Haras. It is in this context that a commitment on booking requirements was proposed to the Ustica association.
“Without commitment from Ustica, Haras du Pin was forced to take a decision to advance in its already busy 2024 season, and define a sports program with many national and international events, including an international showjumping competition as part of the Normandy Summer Tour, for example. This is why the dates requested by Ustica were assigned to another organiser.
“Le Haras du Pin regrets this situation because, if relations with Ustica have always been complicated on an administrative level, the sporting aspect under the authority of [cross-country course-designer Pierre] Le Goupil and [event director Guillaume] Blanc has always been there. Haras du Pin is ready to welcome Ustica in 2025.”
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