THE RELAY RIDERS HAVE ARRIVED

Relay riders have arrived in Oirschot from Berlin

On Sunday August 6, 10 Icelandic horses and their riders arrived in the centre of Oirschot after a 46-stage, 1,000-kilometer relay ride from Berlin. This relay ride is a traditional part of the festivities surrounding the World Championships for Icelandic horses.

The horses and riders were greeted by a delegation of enthusiastic onlookers, Coen Buijsse representing the WC2023 organisation, President of FEIF Jean-Paul Balz and the mayor of Oirschot Judith Keijzer-Verschelling.

Coen welcomed everyone on behalf of the World Championships: “It is great that we can continue the tradition and welcome the relay riders after a long race. They are carrying the official baton from the last location of the World Championships four years ago. In the baton, there is a letter from the organizers with words of friendship and wishes for a sp event. We will read this during our opening ceremony on Wednesday to a stadium filled with thousands of fans of this breed who have traveled here from all over the world.

The mayor added: “I can imagine that you have had a wonderful journey. As a hospitable municipality, we find it an honor to host the World Championships and the relay riders here for the third time. The hard work that the organization has put in is visible and is a boost for the whole of Oirschot and the surrounding area.”

Jean-Paul Balz, president of FEIF, thanked all the riders for their dedication, after which it was time to toast the race and the upcoming start of the World Championships.

Day tickets are still available for this beautiful event, at nice prices. More information about the program can be found on the website: WC2023.nl.

See you in Oirschot!
Photos: Henk Peterse & Patty van der Kaaij