Successful turf test at Gründenmoos stadium

As a result of the exceptionally heavy rainfall during the 2024 tournament, several show jumping competitions had to be canceled. OC President Nayla Stössel therefore began immediately after the end of the tournament to clarify how the weather resistance of the grass arena at Gründenmoos could be further improved. Together with the City of St. Gallen as the owner and the Canton of St. Gallen, and with the involvement of internationally renowned expert Michel Poncelet, the ground was meticulously analyzed and the proposed measures have been implemented since August 2024. Yesterday, the turf was tested by world-class show jumper Martin Fuchs and Swiss elite squad member Dominik Fuhrer. One part of the pitch was watered with up to 100 liters per square meter. The other part had only received natural rainfall since Sunday. The two riders jumped several times over the obstacles set up in both parts of the arena and shared their impressions with Michel Poncelet and representatives of the city of St. Gallen and the Longines CSIO St. Gallen.

The test went extremely well for Martin Fuchs: "The ground conditions were very good in the additionally watered part, and even perfect in the part with the natural rainfall. I'm already really looking forward to the tournament!" Expert Michel Poncelet was also satisfied. "The soil samples show that the turf now has a much better consistency thanks to the measures implemented and the structure of the soil has also been greatly improved. This is also thanks to the excellent cooperation with the city of St. Gallen and the Stadtgrün team." OC President Nayla Stössel is also satisfied: “We have achieved the desired significant improvement in ground quality within a year, which makes me very confident.”.