A Championship Spot An exceptional cast was on hand at San Patrignano in the second week of June to help conceive the ad that will promote the next edition of the European Show Jumping Championships, to be held in the equestrian centre of the Rimini-based drug rehabilitation facility from the 21st to the 24th of June, 2005.

Directing the troupe was Francesco Appoloni, Italian director of such important features as "Much Ado about love", and "Just do it", winner of 2003's Golden Globe Italia. Not wanting to reveal the details of the ads until they are officially screened on July 15th at the World Equestrian Festival in Aachen, Appoloni nevertheless underlines the fundamental idea behind the story. "We want to present a first-class sporting event to the world, without forgetting the importance of life in the community. Thanks in part to equitation and horses, many young men have been able to face and overcome their problems."

This message certainly was not lost on four of the world's top riders, who arrived at San Patrignano to appear as actors in the ad: German Ludger Berbaum, Swiss rider Markus Fuchs, The Belgian Ludo Phillipaerts, and Jerry Smit, an Italian rider.

"The outstanding participation of these riders demonstrates the importance of the social and humanitarian message of this event, which we will be hosting next year.", explains Giacomo Muccioli, president of the organizing committee. He also cares to underscore the spirit in which the riders endorsed the community with their likeness. "They are very busy, but their participation in the ad is a testament to their admiration and goodwill toward the young men and women of the community. They are payed for every event the attend, but all they asked of us was to film on a day which was not too close to a competition. We find that the federations (FEI, FISE) and the institutions are just as helpful. For example, the City of Riccione helped us shoot several scenes in the city."

Those who had the most fun with the unusual situation seemed to be the riders. Smit, who had a starring role in all of the clips, was surprised by the amount of work neccesary to film just one scene. "I had fun filming the piece, and I understood how difficult the work of an actor is. I realise how much work there is behind the scenes of a film." Phillipaerts was happy to have "taken part in the game". Beerbaum, surely the most at ease of the four in front of a camera lens, agreed that the atmosfere was just right. "In Germany we film ads right before the Olympics and the World Championships, and here as well the crew was very professional, very good. Above all, considering the message and the reasons for the ad, it moved us considerably." Fuchs added that the "perfect organizzation of the shooting confirms the capabilities of the community, and that the next European Championships will be of the highest caliber."

Appoloni had praise for the four riders,"It's not easy to find the time to film even a bit part, but they were great." He went on to add, "The biggest problem was having only four days to film the entire ad. However, thanks to the preparation, the location scouting on the grounds of the community by the costume designer, director of photography, and by members of the community, we were able to execute a precise work plan. Filming is sort of 'now or never'. One has to be prepared to grasp each new situation or new idea that comes up during the work. Actually, one of the ads was created on the spot from what surrounded us on the jumping course."

There seems to be little doubt as to the quality of the final product. The recipe contains all the essential ingredients: an established director, testimonials from worls-class athletes, production by the Filmmaster Group (the team behind such campaigns as Fiat, Tim, and Mercedes) and, most of all, the stories of the young men and women of the community.

The story of their relationship with horses and their dedication to the world of equestrian sports, which helped them leave drug addiction behind.

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