All posts by Associate Editor

Competitions, Events, Phelps Media Group, Show Jumping

Leslie Howard Rides to the Top of the 1.30m Leaderboard on Tampa Bay Classic’s First Day

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Leslie Howard and Goed Zo took the lead in the 1.30m Open Jumper class on the first day of the Tampa Bay Classic. Photo By: Kendall Bierer/PMG

Tampa, FL – March 28, 2012 – The Tampa Equestrian Series began their two-week horse show this morning at the Bob Thomas Equestrian Center with the Tampa Bay Classic, bringing in many of the top jumper riders to vie for the coveted championship honors. The competition was intense as competitors raced against the clock beneath the shade of the Covered Arena, attempting to prove themselves in the 1.30m Open Jumper class, but it was Leslie Howard aboard Goed Zo who posted a target time that proved resilient.

The course this afternoon was designed by Michel Vaillancourt of Canada, built to both challenging and technical for horse and rider alike. It featured a liverpool, a vertical-vertical-oxer triple combination and a oxer-vertical double combination. Only five riders posted clear rounds, demanding a grueling jump-off where time was one of the biggest factors. The short course included a tight right rollback, the double combination, and the liverpool.

Continue reading Leslie Howard Rides to the Top of the 1.30m Leaderboard on Tampa Bay Classic’s First Day →

*Featured/Spotlights, Awards, Competitions, Dressage, Events, JRPR

Steffen Peters and Legolas Win Rock Star Freestyle Award at Dressage Affaire World Cup

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Steffen Peters (shown here on Ravel) and Legolas won the Grand Prix Freestyle at the Dressage Affaire World Cup and they also took home the Rock Star Award from Cunningham & Cunningham Livestock, Inc. (Photo courtesy of Terri Miller)

Del Mar, CA (March 28, 2012) – Steffen Peters is well known for rocking the Grand Prix Freestyle on his champion partner Ravel, and during the Dressage Affaire World Cup at the Del Mar Horsepark Peters was back to rocking the scores – this time on his new equine partner Legolas. Thanks to a top score of 78.225%, Peters and Legolas also rode away with the Rock Star Award from Cunningham & Cunningham Livestock, Inc.

Peters has only been riding Legolas since Christmas, and the Del Mar show was their fourth competition together. Legolas is owned by Jerry Yang and Akiko Yamazaki, who also owns Ravel. “We are thrilled that Steffen and Legolas won the Rock Star Award. It is a great thing for the United States that Steffen now has two horses competing at the top of the sport, earning such high scores,” said Sara Cunningham, of Cunningham & Cunningham.

The Rock Star Award at the Del Mar show was sponsored by Cunningham & Cunningham Livestock, Inc., located in Harriman, New York in partnership with Wilson Cunningham West of California. The Rock Star Award highlights horse and rider combinations that excel in the Musical Freestyle classes. The winners are determined by the pair’s music selection, choreography and overall presentation.

Continue reading Steffen Peters and Legolas Win Rock Star Freestyle Award at Dressage Affaire World Cup →

*Featured/Spotlights, Competitions, Dressage, Events, FEI, FEI, USEF

Last-Minute Drama in the Countdown to the Reem Acra Final

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Lausanne (SUI), 28 March 2012 – With the Reem Acra FEI World Cup Dressage Final 2011/2012 now only a few short weeks away, the line-up of riders who will represent North America and Central Europe at ‘s-Hertogenbosch, The Netherlands from 19 to 22 April has been confirmed.  The USA’s Jan Ebeling and Shawna Harding will fly the North American flag, while Poland’s Katarzyna Milczarek and Michal Rapcewicz have clinched the two spots for Central Europe.

In total there are four geographic regions in which horse-and-rider combinations battle it out for a place at the annual Reem Acra FEI World Cup Dressage final, with a variety of qualification formats.  In the Western European League, now in its second season of sponsorship by New York fashion designer Reem Acra, there is a points-for-placings system, while competitors in the Central European and Pacific regions qualify through a league final and in North America, which embraces both the USA and Canada, the result is achieved by averaging the top two results.

Continue reading Last-Minute Drama in the Countdown to the Reem Acra Final →

Community/Charity, Events, Fundraisers, Phelps Media Group

Wellington’s American Express Ride for the Red Cross Raises $33,600

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Robert Levine, Red Cross CEO of the Palm Beaches, accepted a check from Kim, Charlie, and Peggy Jacobs during the American Express Ride for the Red Cross in Wellington, FL. Photo By: Rebecca Walton/PMG

Wellington, FL – March 27, 2012 – The first annual American Express Ride for the Red Cross proved hugely successful, raising $33,600 for the disaster relief organization on Monday, March 26, 2012. Several of the world’s top grand prix riders gathered at Marley Goodman’s Turtle Lane Farm at 1:00 p.m. for a trail ride through Grand Prix Village. Following the tour, the riders returned to Turtle Lane Farm for a catered reception, sponsored by Marley Goodman and Charlie Jacobs.

For a donation of $1,000 or $3,000 for a group of five, anyone could join the cause to benefit disaster relief, which offered the opportunity ride with legends such as Joe Fargis, Rodrigo Pessoa, Debbie Stephens and Candice King. Sheila Burke Reynolds of Manlius, NY, Candice King of Wellington, FL and Charlie Jacobs of Boston, MA chaired the event.

“I thought today was great,” said Charlie Jacobs, whose family’s Deeridge Farm made a $10,000 donation to the cause. “We got to tour around Grand Prix Village, and I personally got to see parts I had not seen previously. Candice King was kind enough to map out an hour-long route for our group. We all came out for a great cause, and had a lot of laughs, and raised some good money.”

Continue reading Wellington’s American Express Ride for the Red Cross Raises $33,600 →

*Featured/Spotlights, Competitions, Dressage, Events, Phelps Media Group

The Last Week of Qualifiers Takes Place Wednesday for Dressage under the Stars

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Horze Signs On as Finale Sponsor

Photo Courtesy of Client

Wellington, FL – March 27, 2012 – It is the penultimate week of Dressage under the Stars – the last week to qualify – and the competition promises to be fierce. Six horse and rider combinations have earned their place in the April 4th Finals, but Wednesday night’s competition will prove who else will vie for the championship.

Along with the excitement and rising anticipation, the crowd will be in for a spectacle as the esteemed Lusitano horse displays its elegance and beauty beneath the captivating ambiance of the night sky. The event’s producer Steve Williams is also pleased to announce Horze as the most recent sponsor of Dressage under the Stars.

Continue reading The Last Week of Qualifiers Takes Place Wednesday for Dressage under the Stars →

Auctions, Community/Charity, Dressage, Equestrian Aid Found., Equestrian Assistance, Fundraisers, JRPR

Equestrian Aid Foundation Auction Offers Spectacular Items and Raises over $35,000 during Palm Beach Dressage Derby

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Carol Cohen, second from left, won the breeding to World Champion Totilas during the Equestrian Aid Foundation/Palm Beach Dressage Derby ‘Inspection Reception’ auction. (Photo courtesy of Mary Phelps)

Wellington, FL (March 27, 2012) – The fourth annual Equestrian Aid (EAF) Palm Beach Dressage Derby “Inspection Reception” Fundraiser exceeded expectations, showing just how generous the dressage community is to their fellow equestrians.  The evening of bidding raised just over $35,000 for the EAF, and included some of the most spectacular and unique auction items to date.  The Equestrian Aid Foundation’s purpose is to help equestrians who have fallen on hard times, and the auction took place Thursday, March 1st at the beautiful Equestrian Estates show grounds immediately following the FEI Jog for the famous Palm Beach Dressage Derby CDI.

“The Palm Beach Dressage Derby kickoff party is a long standing tradition, with history going back over fifteen years,” said Mary Phelps, one of the key organizers and promoters of the event.  “Four years ago the kickoff party was turned over to the Equestrian Aid Foundation, and we want to thank all who have contributed to its success over the years.”  Items were on display in the elegant “Beer Garden,” a new addition to the historic show grounds.  The Equestrian Aid Foundation has delivered financial assistance to equestrians, horsemen, and equine professionals who are suffering from catastrophic illness or injuries throughout their time of need and relies on the generous funding of the equestrian community.

Continue reading Equestrian Aid Foundation Auction Offers Spectacular Items and Raises over $35,000 during Palm Beach Dressage Derby →

Contributors/Press, Equine Assisted Therapy

Equine Therapy: Human-Animal Bonds, by Claire Dorotik

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A study recently conducted by the American Pet Products Manufacturers Association found that 74 percent of dog owners, 60 percent of cat owners, and 45 percent of bird owners considered their pet as a child or family member. Sixty two percent of cat and dog owners said their pet helped them relax and relieved stress. Further, 59 percent of dog owners and 37 percent of cat owners thought their pets were not only good for their health but would help them live longer.

However, when the person is placed in a position of service, such as in a guardianship position, it was demonstrated that those who guard over a dog are more likely to survive after a heart attack. One hundred percent of the dog guardians polled said that they turn to their animal companions for emotional support, sometimes instead of friends. Further, 100 percent talk to their pets, and 97 percent of animal guardians think their pets understand what they are saying.

Continue reading Equine Therapy: Human-Animal Bonds, by Claire Dorotik →

Competitions, Events, More/Other, USEF

Saddle Seat World Cup Team Selection Trials Are Less Than a Week Away

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Lexington, KY – The nation’s top saddle seat riders will compete in the 2012 U.S. Saddle Seat World Cup Team Selection Trials held at William Woods University in Fulton, Missouri this Saturday, March 31, 2012 in hopes of earning a spot on the 2012 U.S. Saddle Seat World Cup Team. The Saddle Seat World Cup consists of a three-gaited and a five-gaited competition. At these Trials five team members and one alternate will be selected for each team. Athletes selected will represent the United States in December’s International Saddle Seat World Cup competition in South Africa.

The Saddle Seat World Cup is a bi-annual international competition that originated in the early 1980s as an informal exchange of saddle seat riders between the United States and South Africa. Teams from as many as five nations now compete for coveted World Cup titles.

Continue reading Saddle Seat World Cup Team Selection Trials Are Less Than a Week Away →

Competitions, Events, Kentucky Three-Day, USEF, Western/Reining

Country Music Legend Lyle Lovett to Compete at Ariat Kentucky Reining Cup

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Lexington, KY – Four-time Grammy Award winner and country music legend Lyle Lovett will join a world-class field of Reining riders competing in the second annual Ariat Kentucky Reining Cup, April 27-28 at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, KY.

The Ariat Kentucky Reining Cup (AKRC) is held during the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event, presented by Bridgestone, which runs April 26-29. The AKRC features a CRI3*, the only Three Star Reining competition currently scheduled in the United States for 2012, along with the popular $25,000 World Freestyle Championship. It is expected to draw some of the best horses and riders from around the globe.

Lovett’s participation adds to a musical theme for the weekend. Much like the Freestyle performances in figure skating, the Ariat Kentucky Reining Cup’s $25,000 World Freestyle Championship features top Reiners riding choreographed programs set to music. Additionally, the famed Country music group Exile will perform as part of a free two-hour concert on Saturday, April 28 from 3:30-5:30 pm. The show will be free to anyone holding a ticket to either the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event’s Cross-Country competition, 9:00 am – 3:30 pm, or the Ariat Kentucky Reining Cup’s World Freestyle Championship, 5:30-7:30 pm.

Continue reading Country Music Legend Lyle Lovett to Compete at Ariat Kentucky Reining Cup →

Dressage, Olympic Games, Training/Clinics, USEF

USET/USEF Dressage Pre-Olympic Games Training Sessions Wrap Up in Florida

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George Williams, Anne Gribbons, Steffen Peters and Betsy Juliano (Photos by Brigitte Voelk)

Lexington, KY – Preparations continue for the 2012 Olympic Games for the United States’ top dressage riders with USET/USEF pre-Olympic Games Training Sessions conducted by USEF Technical Advisor Anne Gribbons and Olympian Steffen Peters. The training session schedule in Florida, which kicked off January 6-8, also included sessions February 10-12 at Walter and Mary Anne McPhail’s High Meadow Farm in Loxahatchee, FL and concluded last weekend at Betsy Juliano’s Havensafe South Farm in Royal Palm Beach, FL.

The USET/USEF pre-Olympic Games Training Sessions have given Gribbons and Peters the ability to work with the majority of the country’s top contenders; the two have a dynamic partnership that lends itself greatly to guiding both horse and rider and elevating the level of performance from both. In preparation for the inclusion of the Olympic Grand Prix Special in the team competition at the 2012 Olympic Games, the training sessions allow riders to perform the test for Gribbons, who is also an FEI 5* judge, and then review film of the tests as a group.

Continue reading USET/USEF Dressage Pre-Olympic Games Training Sessions Wrap Up in Florida →