Jumping Peel & Maas goes international

For eleven years, national show jumping event Jumping Peel & Maas excited equestrians alike. The summer event which is organized by Stal Hendrix in the Netherlands is raising the bar and organizing their first international show from 1 to 4 June with CSI3*, CSI1* and CSIYH classes to jump.

"We’ve always enjoyed organizing the national editions of JPM, but for several years now we’ve been entertaining the idea of stepping things up a notch”, Michel Hendrix begins. Michel runs the newest venue of the family business and is one of the three board members JPM, together with his sister Janou and nephew Timothy.

Raising the bar After a three-year break, partly due to the corona pandemic, the organization is now making a fresh start. "For a horse region like Limburg, I think a new CSI will be a nice addition to the existing outdoor competitions in the province." The first international edition will take place at the Stal Hendrix sport and trading stable location, some 1.5 kilometers from the original site where the family have their stallion and breeding stable in Kessel.

Quality over quantity "The new venue is not necessarily set up to host a CSI. So, we considered several other venues, but in the end, not really worked out as we envisioned. Then we walked around our own site once more, everything fell into place after all. We slightly scaled back the format and made the number of entries a bit smaller. Quality over quantity, that's what we're going for."

Sport and ambiance at top level Logistically, everything is close together. The main arena - a fixed sand arena - with a new warm-up arena almost next to it. The stables are also a stone’s throw away. "We hope to create the same ambiance as we enjoyed at the former location of JPM. We are not going for a mass competition, but a CSI that suits the location with top sport as the main motto. A show where it is pleasant for the riders, grooms, spectators and sponsors. If everyone enjoys themselves and has good show, it is successful as far as we are concerned".

Program The program includes classes at CSI3*/CSI1*/CSIYH level with a total of three ranking classes, including the 1.50m Grand Prix. "We have kept one of the fixed top national classes, the Master jumping, in which we are going to have a mix of international and local riders. It will be a different field of competitors than before, that's for sure, but with the CSI1* included, some former national riders will still be able to compete. In addition, we will keep the Hendrix competition for young horses which will take place on 31 May."