The Longines Royal West show jumping competition kicked off Thursday, at the Agrium Western Event Centre in Calgary and it goes until October 30.

John Anderson event organizer says there's an impressive list of riders from around the world including 2008 silver medal Olympian..

"Jill Henselwood is here, Erynn Ballard, Keean White and Sam Perone from Chili because, they're all vying for the precious world cup points to earn themselves a trip to the world cup final next year in Omaha Nebraska."

Seventeen year old competitor Izzy Biron says there's some big money up for grabs.

Izzy Biron

"This is a new competition and has only been running for three years and there's quite a lot of prize money offered here and it's a really good show for people that are competitive and really want to win."

Brian Morton from Abbotsford B.C. who has been riding for 25 years says he's got his eye on top spot.

Brian Morton

"This is a pretty exciting event here in downtown Calgary, it's the first indoor show of the season so it's an adjustment for the horses and the riders. It's a first-class competition which culminates in the world cup qualifier at the end of next week which we've all got our sights on."

250 horses have been registered for the ten day event, and the highlight of the competition is the $130,000 Longines FEI World Cup event which takes place next Saturday October 29.

Organizer & President of Rocky Mountain Show Jumping John Anderson.