Thermal, Calif. – Desert International Horse Park (DIHP) unveiled a stunning lineup of new jumps across the hunter and jumper rings at the park, including a new slate of obstacles for the Grand Prix Arena, to celebrate the start of the 2023 Desert Circuit. Custom-built by Mihai Simion of Salt & Jumps, a French company specializing in the design and production of elite horse show fences, the Grand Prix Arena now boasts new fences featuring unique collaborations between DIHP and Simion.
Salt & Jumps, a partner of the FEI and based in France, is well known for their creation of stunning and unique obstacles put into the highest level of show jumping competition across the globe.
The company, headed by Simion himself, originally from Romania, has innovated and given a new look to equestrian obstacles, proving nothing is off limits. They quickly launched from handcrafted and handmade material to using machine tools, digital cutting, and three-dimensional sculpting. Salt & Jumps is now capable of executing the most challenging of visions, reproducing and transforming any object or dream into obstacles to be jumped on horseback. This has brought them worldwide renown and led to their selection to build fences for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games. They are also currently in the running for the 2024 Paris Olympic Games.
“We are thrilled to have collaborated with Simion and his team, and we believe these jumps have elevated our level of show jumping even further, a huge goal for us in creating this facility,” said Steve Hankin, President and CEO of DIHP. “To look out across the Grand Prix Arena and see jumps fit for the Olympic Games is a dream.”
Salt & Jumps boasts an impressive resume, including:
- Tokyo 2020 Olympics
- 2022 FEI World Championships in Herning, Denmark
- 2014 FEI World Championships in Normandy, France
- 2019 Pan American Games in Lima, Peru
- Longines FEI World Cup Jumping in Lyon and Paris, France
- 2019 FEI European CH-J-YR Jumping Championship
- London Olympia Horse Show
- Dublin Horse Show
- Royal Windsor Horse Show
- Longines Global Champions Tour
- Traverse City Horse Shows
“My strategy [with working with American shows] was to implement my business more and more in the United States and to have the American riders discover my jumps, since we build 3D jumps no other company does,” Simion said of expanding into the United States with venues such as DIHP. “We worked [with DIHP] to create thematic jumps to inspire riders and spectators and to make them feel that they are in California, and [specifically] Palm Springs. We are pleased to have worked for this team designing and finding the best solutions for their arena.”
Head to Instagram to see more of our stunning new jumps!