Saudis spending big on show jumping ahead of Paris Games

LONDON: Saudi Arabia's splurge on big name soccer signings has generated plenty of headlines but the Gulf kingdom has also been splashing the cash in show jumping's equine transfer market ahead of deadline day for next year's Paris Olympics.

Harry Charles, who competed for Britain in the individual and team events at Tokyo 2020 and hopes to be a medal contender next year, told Reuters the market had been "a bit crazy" of late.

"I think in the next few months before December 31st you’ll see a lot of transfers of horses for a lot of riders because that’s a cutoff for the Olympics," said Charles, whose father Peter won team gold at London 2012.

"A lot of people are trying to acquire the horse they need for next year. Luckily I’m in a pretty good condition at the minute," added the 24-year-old, the world's number one under-25 show jumper.

Charles, a team bronze medallist at last year's world championships, said the Saudis and Ireland's Coolmore Showjumping had been big spenders.

"They’re buying pretty much anything that comes available," he said. "It makes it a bit harder for the rest of us but they also put more money back into the sport so it’s the way the world works.

"It can make it a bit difficult but sometimes you’ve got to look under the top shelf and then you can find some unpolished diamonds which is what makes it fun."

Top British mare Equine America Spacecake was sold to the Saudi Equestrian Federation at the end of 2022 and helped the country qualify for Paris with Khaled Almobty in the saddle.

"The offers were getting bigger and bigger until it just became impossible to turn down," previous rider Ellen Whitaker told Horse & Hound.

Saudi Arabia has won only four Olympic medals and two have been in show jumping -