ONE of the world's top show jumping course designers arrived in Bermuda this week to conduct clinics and lessons for local riders and designers.

Olaf Petersen from Germany is the only person to have designed courses in the show jumping for two Olympic Games ? the 1988 Seoul Olympics and the 2004 Games in Athens.

"He certainly has quite a bio," Bermuda Equestrian Federation chief Mike Cherry said this week of Petersen.

"He will be here until Tuesday and he is going to try and improve our overall performance in show jumping and will also conduct clinics on building a course," said Cherry.

Besides building two Olympic courses, Petersen has also built the courses at the 1990 World Championship in Stockholm as well as four European Championships, numerous Nations Cups and World Cups.

Cherry said: "He will start off initially with individual clinics for those riders who have signed up. He will want to see where we are and where we need the most help."

On Saturday Petersen will conduct a clinic for course building and then course walking.

Cherry said: "He will show how to build a course in the first place and how the riders should walk it and then how they should ride it." Petersen will also be at Vesey Street on Sunday for the final day of the BHPA Fall Show where for the first time Bermuda will compete in the Caribbean Adult Jumping Competition. "We have had the CEA Junior Jumping Competition for some time now but this will be the first time we have had the Adult Competition," said Cherry.

While the riders in the CEA Junior competition travel to the likes of Jamaica and the Cayman Islands for their shows (Bermuda also hosts a round) the adults will stay in Bermuda. "It is similar to the way the FEI World Jumping Challenge is held," said Cherry.

During the FEI Challenge riders in Bermuda's world group jump their own horses over a course in Bermuda which is exactly the same as the courses in other countries.

Cherry said all the show jumpers at the BHPA show this Sunday will be eligible to enter. "We can have as many as we want but there will be two different heights and only the top three scores will count for the team."

Petersen will be on hand to critique the riders following the show.

Other countries in the CEA Adult competition include Jamaica, Trinidad, Barbados and Antigua.

Cherry said that Bermuda managed to get Petersen to come here for the clinics as he has worked with local course designer Heidi Mello.

"Heidi also designed the course which will be used for the CEA Adult Jumping Competition," he added.