The Gothenburg Horse Show was held for the first time in 1977, and since then over 3 million people have visited the event at Scandinavium in Gothenburg. The very first World Cup Final in showjumping was held in 1979, and subsequently became a recurring event.
In 2006, the Gothenburg Horse Show was designated the world’s best indoor horse show by the international showjumping riders. Some of the reasons for this success are our enthusiastic audience, long-standing partners and loyal volunteers. We still have volunteers who have been working with us right from the start, back in 1977!
The history of showjumping
There have been fiftheen World Cup Finals held at Scandinavium in the years: 1979, 1982, 1984, 1986, 1988, 1991, 1993, 1995, 1997, 1999, 2001, 2008, 2013, 2016 and 2019.
World Cup champions that have been favorites of the audience include Ian Millar with Big Ben, John Whitaker with Milton, and Rodrigo Pessoa with Baloubet du Rouet – all of whom competed at Scandinavium. Swedish riders, of course, also ride and compete in the World Cup, as well as in the Gothenburg Trophy and other international classes.
During the 1980s the Gothenburg Horse Show was honored with the prestigious award "Europe’s best indoor show". Scandinavium is known for being an audience-friendly horse show, that has a lively audience that is both young and enthusiastic. Furthermore, the Swedish audience is considered to be very knowledgeable about equestrian sports.
It was also during the shows at Scandinavium that flower arrangements in the arena were introduced. This is something that, more or less, all other international horse shows do today!
The history of dressage
In 1982, a dressage show of a higher standard was introduced to the Gothenburg Horse Show and in 1989 the first World Cup Final in dressage was held.
The fact that we had an audience of 11,000 people, all watching Margit Otto-Crépin from France win the final with her horse Corlandus, was very impressive according to dressage experts around the world. Today, seven World Cup Finals in dressage have been held at Scandinavium in 1989, 1992, 1994, 1996, 1998, 2003, 2013 and 2016. In 1998, we had a Swedish victory thanks to the popular pair Louise Nathhorts and Walk on Top. The latest final to be held at the Gothenburg Horse show was in 2016 and was won by the Dutch rider Hans Peter Minderhoud and his horse Glock’s Flirt.
The history of driving
The Swedish driving team have had great international success, and in 2000 they won both the team and individual gold medals with the driver Tomas Eriksson.
Four-in-hand has always been a popular feature of the show at Scandinavium, but in 2002 it was turned into a competitive event – when the FEI Driving World Cup final was held in Gothenburg. It has been held there ever since.
