Longines CSIO St.Gallen

The first documented equestrian event in St.Gallen took place on 28 September 1884 on the Kreuzbleiche and was organised by the Ostschweizer Cavallerie Verein (Eastern Switzerland Cavalry Association), which is now known as the OKV. In June 1909, the first show jumping Nations Cup was held as part of the «London International Horse Show», which continues to this day. Six teams took part in the event. On 9 October 1910, the racing club organised the first show jumping competition at Breitfeld. In 1916, it was held at Espenmoos for the first time and, five years later, it was held at Kreuzbleiche for the last time. Thereafter, the national show jumping competitions were held back at Breitfeld. From 1953, under OC President Hans Hausamann, the tournament became internationally known as the «St.Galler Internationale Pferdesporttage» («St.Gallen International Equestrian Days»).

St.Gallen was considered a centre of the textile industry at the time, and the combination of the elegant style and traditional, rural background of the majority of spectators lent the tournament a unique atmosphere. In 1981, the «St.Galler Internationale Pferdesporttage» were held at Gründenmoos for the first time. The first Nations Cup of Switzerland took place there in 1985. Peter Stössel took over the presidency in 1989 and organised the European Show Jumping Championships in 1995, as well as the Nations Cup tournament, which, in even years, was held in Lucerne, until 2006. Since 2007, the Nations Cup tournament has been held exclusively in St.Gallen. Today, more than 200 volunteers, officials and a dedicated organising committee led by Nayla Stössel work together to ensure that this equestrian spectacle can be held every year.