Juan Matute and Morgan Barbançon, faithful to the appointment with IFEMA MADRID HORSE WEEK 2023

With this year's competition, both the Spanish Juan Matute and the French Morgan Barbançon have participated in five editions of the IMHW Dressage World Cup, or in other words, all the editions that the world circuit has been in Spain.

Barbançon is very much loved in the Madrid competition, as it should be remembered that she started her sporting career under the Spanish flag, both in the junior and adult categories, coming to represent Spain in all the highest level equestrian events: London 2012 Olympic Games, the World Equestrian Games in Caen (France) 2014 or the European Championships in Aachen (Germany) 2015, where the Spanish team was fourth having Morgan as teammates precisely three riders who have competed at IFEMA Madrid Horse Week: Daniel Martín Dockx, Beatriz Ferrer-Salat and José Antonio García Mena.

The rider, now based in Belgium, also has a very special relationship with the World Cup, as she has won several competitions (some still with Spanish nationality, such as Mariakalnok in Hungary or Augustowek in Poland) and has already been in five editions of the Final, having been seventh in the 2022-2023 edition with "Sir Donnerhall II OLD".

With this veteran Oldenburg has also participated in Madrid, where this year she repeated her fourth place in the Kür Grand Prix World Cup, but was no less than second in the Grand Prix, her best result in the Western European League.

Also a very intense relationship with the World Cup has the Spaniard Juan Matute, who has been in venues in several countries in Europe and the United States and who in the 2021-2022 season achieved what was one of his great desires, to participate in a World Cup Final.

A star since his juvenile stages, becoming European Junior Champion in 2015, his bond with IFEMA Madrid Horse Week is very strong, as it is the city where he was born: "for me it is a very special competition. It is the event of the year in our country, the only Dressage World Cup event we have in Spain and to be able to be at IFEMA, in my city, surrounded by all my friends, sponsors, clients...".

That is why Juan considers that there could not have been a better place for the retirement of "Quantico". Therefore, this has been a very special edition for him, being the last competition of a horse that has accompanied him for almost a decade, from his Young Rider stage to the highest level: with him he won bronze at the European Championship for Under 25s and also made his debut in a major equestrian competition with the Spanish team, at the World Equestrian Games in Tryon (USA).

After the race, Juan and "Quantico" received a tribute from the organizing committee that touched the rider. "It is a great pride to have retired "Quantico" here. I am very grateful for the opportunity that Oxer gave me with that call from Álvaro Arrieta, and of course also to Daniel Entrecanales. The truth is that I am very excited to have been in another edition and I want to be here for many more years with different horses. I am very hopeful of being able to achieve it", he concludes.