The sport of equestrian jumping’s most prestigious event is coming to Orange County.

The Longines Fédération Equestre International Jumping Nations Cup USA, a qualifying event leading up to the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris, will be hosted at the Rancho Mission Viejo Riding Park from May 12 to 14, marking the first time the competition is being held on the West Coast.

The competition is intended to be the highlight of the San Juan Capistrano International taking place from May 9 to 14.

“We’re thrilled to be bringing the highest caliber of show jumping competition back to Southern California,” said Stephanie Lightner, vice president of operations for Blenheim EquiSports, organizers of the competition. “It’s a great opportunity for our West Coast audience to experience top sport.”

The competition being held in San Juan Capistrano is the third qualifying leg of the 10-event FEI Nations Cup series, in which teams have the opportunity to earn points toward the Pan American Games in Santiago, Chili, the FEI Nations Cup Final, and ultimately the 2024 Paris Olympics.

Along with the United States, teams from Ireland, Mexico and Canada will be competing.

“We’re hitting the competition with some major firepower,” said Robert Ridland, who is coach for Team USA and the contracted operator of the city-owned riding park along with his wife, Hillary. “The reason is that we are trying to qualify for the Nation’s Cup final which is in Barcelona in the first week in October, and if we win that, we get an automatic bid to the Olympic Games in Paris.”

If Team USA does not qualify for the Olympics at the Nations Cup Final, it would have one more last chance to qualify at the Pan American Games in December.

The U.S. jumping team competing in San Juan Capistrano will have riders from the American delegation that won the world championship in North Carolina five years ago, including Laura Kraut and Mclean Ward.

All the riders on Team USA have competed in multiple, high-level international competitions.

“The beauty of our sport is that it’s the only sport in the world where men and women compete at the highest level and at the same level,” Ridland said. “And the other aspect of our sport is that it is not subjective. You either knock those jumps down or you don’t knock them down.”

The Rancho Mission Viejo Riding Park was scheduled to host the Nations Cup qualifier in 2022, but an equine virus that had spread through parts of California forced the event to be postponed.

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Situated off Ortega Highway and Avenue La Pata, the 40-acre riding park is coupling several VIP experiences over the three days of the competition and has other riding events planned as part of the extended San Juan Capistrano International.

In March, the San Juan Capistrano City Council approved a short-term lease extension for Blenheim Facility Management to continue overseeing operation of the riding park since its use agreement was set to expire on March 31.

The lease between the city and Blenheim Facility Management is now good through June 30.

The Blenheim group and the city are still in negotiations for a long-term lease agreement.

Along with equestrian competitions, the Ridlands have opened the space to more community events, including concerts, youth sports, a rodeo, an Easter egg hunt, a barbecue contest and open riding days.

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