SANTI SERRA IMPREGNATES PLAZA DE ORIENTE WITH MAGIC AT THE OFFICIAL PRESENTATION OF IFEMA MADRID HORSE WEEK

The dressage show by Santi Serra, sponsored by the Universidad Alfonso X el Sabio (UAX) -which he gave a preview of today- will be the star attraction of the opening day of IMHW, next Thursday, November 28, in the central ring of pavilion 12 of IFEMA

At the official presentation of the event, held this morning in the Plaza de Oriente, the Councilor for Tourism of Madrid, Almudena Maíllo, highlighted that “IMHW provides us with a true projection of excellence and for a few days turns Madrid into the equestrian capital of the world, definitely contributing to the magical moment that the city is experiencing”

According to Daniel Entrecanales, president of the IMHW Organizing Committee, “we continue to grow and we wish we could do more. The intention is to live up to our name and complete the entire week”

In addition to the World Cups in Jumping and Dressage, this edition includes the Final of the Copa del Rey de Maestros de la Vaquera and an extensive programme of activities and shows for all audiences

Tickets will go on sale soon on the event's official website: www.madridhorseweek.com

Madrid, 24 October 2024. The renowned horse trainer Santi Serra has emerged this morning as the undisputed star of the official presentation of IFEMA MADRID HORSE WEEK (IMHW), the most important equestrian event held annually in our country, whose next edition will take place in pavilions 12 and 14 of IFEMA between 28 November and 1 December.

Accompanied by two imposing Friesian horses, Santi Serra, the man who whispers to horses, has offered a preview of the magical dressage show in the Plaza de Oriente in Madrid, which, sponsored by the Universidad Alfonso X el Sabio (UAX), can be seen exclusively on the opening day of this new edition of IMHW, on Thursday, November 28, together with the spectacular Cosaco Volley show by Compagnie Impulsion.

In this 2024 edition, the event - which year after year brings together the world's equestrian elite in the capital - extends its proposal to four days and, in addition to the World Cups of Jumping and Classical Dressage, includes in its extensive program of competitions and shows for all audiences the Final of the Copa del Rey de Maestros de la Vaquera.

"IMHW makes everything possible and is a winning bet," said Almudena Maíllo, Councilor for Tourism of the Madrid City Council during the presentation ceremony. According to the councillor, “it is impossible for the City Council not to align itself with an event that in 10 years has achieved all this and that is perfectly aligned with the tourism model that we want for Madrid. IMHW provides us with a true projection of excellence and for a few days turns Madrid into the equestrian capital of the world, definitely contributing to the magical moment that the city is experiencing.”

In the words of Daniel Entrecanales, president of the IMHW Organising Committee, “We continue to grow and I wish we could do more. The intention is to live up to our name and complete the entire week. But for now, we are starting by extending the event by one day and we want Thursday afternoon to be the most important day in terms of spectacle: we are going to have Santi Serra with a brutal show, the Clarion and Timbales Band of the Royal Guard Squadron, which has always been at our events, and the Cossack vaulting company, which is pure adrenaline. This way we are going to make Thursday a very important night and a perfect plan to go with families to have a great time, enjoy the shows and have dinner."

For his part, the executive vice president of IFEMA Madrid, Daniel Martínez Rodríguez, referred to the event as "the best in its category. An event so consolidated, with international prestige, that grows in volume and in visitors, logically is an event that we are very interested in supporting, because it helps us reach our objective, which is to help Madrid."

For Ricardo Echeita, deputy director general of Sports Studies and Training of the Community of Madrid, "if there is an event that unites the sense of a department like ours, that of Culture, Tourism and Sport, it is this one. IMHW facilitates access for Madrid residents to a sport that we want to remove the elitist label from, since, as this event clearly shows, it is accessible and full of values."

"Being able to perform in Madrid, in the capital of our country, is WOW. I can only say that and thank IMHW and UAX. I hope that our artists [the horses] surprise the public and that they clearly receive our message: without abuse, with well-being and play, anything can be achieved,” commented Santi Serra during the presentation.

Serra's show, presented by UAX, was already present at the 2012 and 2018 editions of IMHW, reaping a resounding success with the public and critics in both cases. His extraordinary connection with the horses imbues a magical show in which the animals act and synchronise without ropes, saddles or bits, paying attention only to the human voice of the trainer. An internationally renowned show that promises to once again sell out on the opening day of IMHW, and whose tickets will soon go on sale on the event's official website: www.madridhorseweek.com

This opening day also includes the spectacular Cossack Vaulting show by Compagnie Impulsion, with which the renowned French company, for the first time in Spain, will thrill the public with the most difficult yet in each of its Hungarian post and Cossack vaulting numbers. The skill of the French performing impossible acrobatics and gymnastic exercises on their horses at full gallop will offer the ideal counterpoint to Serra's exciting proposal, completing an unrepeatable program of shows, which can only be seen on this opening day on Thursday.

In this 2024 edition, IMHW once again has the support of IFEMA Madrid, the Community of Madrid and the City Council of the capital; and of relevant brands, such as Longines, ¡Hola!, Porsche, Grupo Eulen, Estrella Damm, Universidad Alfonso X el Sabio, Gilmar, Rodilla, AON, Air Europa, Marca, Radio Marca, Ruber, Exterior Plus, Fuera de Serie and Hamburguesa Nostra, an important list of sponsors that also includes Jet Set Sports, a North American company with 40 years of experience offering hospitality packages around major international sporting events, and to which Mutua Madrileña and Virtus wines have joined for the first time this year. Furthermore, the organisation has once again placed its trust in the UZALACAÍN team to guarantee the success of the event in the gastronomic part of its exclusive VIP boxes and tables. This year, with the extension to four days, more than 5,000 people are expected to attend the competitions and shows that IMHW has to offer.