5 september 2014

WEG Normandië: Interview met Richard Nicoll

The Organising Committee is expecting 16.000 spectators for the marathon, which takes place on Saturday on La Prairie racecourse in Caen. There are no more tickets available on site. O-Course Designer Richard Nicoll (USA) is responsible for the design of the eight great-looking marathon obstacles, including a clock and a farm house with well house

“I designed the obstacles, but the actual building was done by the French course builder Benoit, the French course designers Jacques Tamalet and Philippe Blossier were very important in the laying out of the course and the sections. All these people have done a wonderful job,” explains Nicoll, who was also responsible for the course design at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games™ 2010 in Kentucky.

Richard Nicoll in one of the umpire seats, which are specially made for each obstacle

When designing the obstacles, Nicoll had two major goals; safety for the horses and the competitors and an attractive sight for the public: “This is why I have chosen not to build long entrances and exits, I want to prevent that drivers gallop out of the obstacles onto the racetrack into the path of the other competitors.” Richard Nicoll has created a nice variety with more open and more technical obstacles: “I have tried to make the obstacles attractive for the spectators as well, they all include many different route options, so it will be exciting to see which routes the drivers will take.”
To protect the footing in certain areas of the race course, three of the obstacles had to be built with portable elements as it was not allowed to put material into the ground, of which some of the are made heavier with sand bags to prevent them from moving.