All posts by Associate Editor

*Featured/Spotlights, Competitions, Dressage, Events, Para-Equestrian

Alix Szepesi and William Repeat Winning Ways at Global Dressage Festival National Classic 2

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Alix Szepesi and William. Photos: www.susanjstickle.com

Wellington, FL – March 21, 2012 – Alix Szepesi of Hamilton, MA topped the leader board again at the Global Dressage Festival National Classic 2 on Wednesday, the second and final day of the show.  Szepesi and William, owned by Margie Kelk, scored 75.541% in the USEF First Level Test 2-Open at the Stadium show grounds of the Global Dressage Festival (GDF).  Szepesi was not even supposed to compete this week and was a late entry.

“His owner was originally going to compete with William, but sometimes he gets nervous in the warm-up and he was a little naughty, so I decided to show him instead,” said Szepesi.  “Thankfully management was able to accommodate the changes. We are very appreciative of their efforts.”

William was originally slated to be a show jumper and showed exceptional talent, but he did not like Liverpool fences, so Kelk turned him into a dressage horse.

Continue reading Alix Szepesi and William Repeat Winning Ways at Global Dressage Festival National Classic 2 →

*Featured/Spotlights, Competitions, Events, Olympic Games, Show Jumping, USEF

Eight Stand Out in Opening Day of USEF Selection Trials for U.S. Show Jumping Team

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Charlie Jayne and Athena. Photos © Sportfot

Wellington, FL – March 21, 2012 – Week eleven of the FTI Consulting Winter Equestrian Festival kicked off on Wednesday with the exciting first round of the USEF Selection Trials for the U.S. Show Jumping Team for the 2012 Olympic Games. Eight of the USA’s top show jumping duos stood out from the pack with clear rounds in Selection Trial #1, including Reed Kessler and Cylana, Charlie Jayne and Athena, Margie Engle and Indigo, Laura Kraut and Teirra, Kirsten Coe and Baronez, Kent Farrington and Uceko, Christine McCrea and Romantovich Take One, and Mario Deslauriers and Urico.

Today’s class was the first of four challenging rounds in the USEF Selection Trials. The next two rounds, similar to Nations Cup format, will be held on Thursday, March 22. The first round is at 1 p.m. and the second round starts with festivities at 7 p.m. and the first horse at 8 p.m. The final round in jump-off format is on Saturday, March 24, with festivities starting at 7 p.m. and first horse at 8 p.m.

Continue reading Eight Stand Out in Opening Day of USEF Selection Trials for U.S. Show Jumping Team →

Championships, Competitions, Events, Show Jumping, USEF

American Stars Line Up with USEF National Show Jumping Championship at Stake in Wellington

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USEF Selection Trials to Run Concurrently

Lexington, KY – Twenty-seven of the United States’ best show jumping riders will take over the International Ring at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center March 21-24 to vie for the 2012 USEF National Show Jumping Championship. The championship runs concurrently with the USEF Selection Trials for the US Show Jumping Team for the 2012 Olympic Games, meaning there is plenty on the line at the FTI Consulting Winter Equestrian Festival.

The USEF National Show Jumping Championship has been on hiatus since 2008 but the 2012 return features four classes over three days of jumping.

“It is wonderful,” said U.S. Chef d’Equipe George Morris. “In most other countries this is a very big deal, this national championship. We definitely needed to incorporate it into the trials because my concern is that horses are always asked to do more.”

Continue reading American Stars Line Up with USEF National Show Jumping Championship at Stake in Wellington →

*Featured/Spotlights, Competitions, Events, Phelps Media Group, Show Jumping

Kent Farrington and Uceko to Defend Title at Gene Mische American Invitational

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Kent Farrington and Uceko, winners of the 2011 Gene Mische American Invitational. PHOTO: ©Parker/Russell, The Book LLC

Tampa, FL – March 20, 2012 – Kent Farrington and Uceko, the winners of last year’s Gene Mische American Invitational, presented by G & C Farm, will be returning to defend their title when the “Super Bowl of Show Jumping” returns to Tampa’s Raymond James Stadium on Saturday, April 7, 2012 at 7:30 p.m.

This year marks the 40th anniversary for this enduring classic and promises to be a thrilling night of show jumping as the world’s greatest riders and horses gather in the Tampa Bay area to decide the American Invitational title.

But for Farrington and Uceko to win a second time, much less in back to back years, the dynamic duo will have to defy the odds. Over long and storied forty year history of America’s greatest show jumping test, only two horses have ever put together back to back wins and only four horses in total have been able to win the event twice.

Continue reading Kent Farrington and Uceko to Defend Title at Gene Mische American Invitational →

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

Adrienne Lyle and Accolade Ride Away with World Development Group Award at Wellington Classic Spring Challenge

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Adrienne Lyle and Accolade won the Fourth Level Test of Choice at the Wellington Classic Spring Challenge and also rode away with the World Development Group Award. (Photo courtesy of JRPR)

Wellington, FL (March 21, 2012) – Dressage rider Adrienne Lyle has had great success with Peggy Thomas’s Oldenburg gelding Wizard, and during the Wellington Classic Spring Challenge Lyle rode into the winner’s circle on her up-and-coming young horse Accolade. A Dutch mare also owned by Thomas, Accolade is poised to make a statement on the national scene as she is not only a talented mare but is the half-sister of the legendary Brentina, owned by Thomas and ridden by Lyle’s trainer Debbie McDonald.

Lyle and Accolade won the USEF Fourth Level Test of Choice with a score of 70.714%, and also took home the World Development Group Award, sponsored by the World Development Group, a premier developer of the Equestrian Lifestyle. “Accolade and Brentina have the same dad, Brentano II. Accolade is a little more of a modern type with a ton of scope and a lot of athletic ability. She and Brentina are very similar in personality and temperament, which is very fun. Accolade is a very special mare,” Lyle said.

Continue reading Adrienne Lyle and Accolade Ride Away with World Development Group Award at Wellington Classic Spring Challenge →

*Featured/Spotlights, Competitions, Dressage, Events, Para-Equestrian

Alix Szepesi and William Are High Score Winners at Global Dressage Festival National Classic 2

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Alix Szepesi and William. Photos: www.susanjstickle.com

Wellington, FL – March 20, 2012 – Alix Szepesi of Hamilton, MA captured the high score of the day at the Global Dressage Festival National Classic 2 on Tuesday.  Riding William, owned by Margie Kelk, Szepesi scored 74.189% in the USEF First Level Test 2-Open at the Stadium show grounds of the Global Dressage Festival (GDF).

“William is a dream to ride in the ring.  He gets really nice scores and he is fun to ride,” said Szepesi of the eight-year-old Dutch Warmblood.

William was originally a show jumper, but he did not particularly like taking Liverpool fences, so his owner decided to try dressage.

Continue reading Alix Szepesi and William Are High Score Winners at Global Dressage Festival National Classic 2 →

Competitions, Dressage, Events, JRPR

Mathilde Blais Tetreault and Michelangelo Win Everglades Dressage Young Rider Award at Palm Beach Dressage Derby CDIW

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Mathilde Blais Tetreault captured the blue in the FEI Young Rider Individual Test. (Photo courtesy of JRPR)

Wellington, FL (March 20, 2012) – During her second year in the Young Riders, Canadian rider Mathilde Blais Tetreault and Michelangelo captured the blue in the FEI Young Rider Individual Test at the Palm Beach Dressage Derby CDIW. During the prestigious show, Tetreault also won the Everglades Dressage Young Rider Achievement Award sponsored by Everglades Dressage and Bethany Peslar.

Tetreault said she was thrilled to win the Young Rider Achievement Award, and was also pleased with Michelangelo’s performance. “My horse was really good in the Young Rider Individual Test. He was very calm and quiet and did everything perfectly,” Tetreault said. The Montreal rider trains with Albrecht Heidemann.

Continue reading Mathilde Blais Tetreault and Michelangelo Win Everglades Dressage Young Rider Award at Palm Beach Dressage Derby CDIW →

Contributors/Press, Driving, Events, Fundraisers

TeamSterling Hosts Successful Fundraiser March 16

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Funds Aid Combined Driver Sterling Graburn’s Quest for World Championship Gold

GEORGETOWN, KY – MARCH 21, 2012 – On Friday March 16, TeamSterling hosted a successful fundraiser at Spindletop Hall in Lexington, KY. The event brought together members of the Bluegrass Regions’ equestrian community for an evening of dining, music, and a silent auction.

The event raised nearly $7,000, with proceeds going to the nation’s leading combined driving competitors Sterling Graburn and the Larry Denny-owned Dutch Harness Horse Ulano and their quest for the gold at the FEI World Singles Driving Championships 2012, to be held in Lezirias, Portugal Sept. 12-16.

Continue reading TeamSterling Hosts Successful Fundraiser March 16 →

Dressage, FEI, FEI, USEF

USEF Names Riders for 2012 Reem Acra FEI World Cup Dressage Final

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Lexington, KY – The United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) will be represented by two American dressage riders at the 2012 Reem Acra FEI World Cup Dressage Final to be held in ‘s-Hertogenbosch, The Netherlands, April 18-22.

The United States will be represented by the top two riders from the North American League. The following horse/rider combinations qualified during World Cup Qualifying Events held throughout the 2011-2012 season:

Name/Age/Hometown/Horse/Age/Breed/Sex/Owner

Jan Ebeling/53/Moorpark, CA/Rafalca/15/Oldenburg/Mare/Amy Ebeling

Jim Kofford/49/Raleigh, NC/Pharaoh/13/Belgian Warmblood/Gelding/Hannah Shook and Mitzi Presnell

Please visit the USEF World Cup Final page for further information: http://usef.org/_IFrames/breedsdisciplines/discipline/alldressage/WorldCupTM.aspx.

Details about the Final are available here: http://www.indoorbrabant.com/en/.

For more information, contact Jenny Van Wieren-Page, Director of Dressage High Performance Programs at (859) 225-6949 or email jvanwieren@usef.org.

Competitions, Events, Hunter/Equitation, Phelps Media Group, Show Jumping

Tampa Equestrian Series Adds New Hunter and Jumper Divisions

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Tampa, FL – March 20, 2012 – The 2012 Tampa Equestrian Series is pleased to announce that it has added new hunter and jumper divisions to the lineup for the two-week horse show. Thanks to popular demand by this year’s exhibitors, the Tampa Equestrian Series has added Performance Working Hunter 3’6-3’9″and Performance Working Hunter 3’3″divisions, as well as Low Adult and Low Children’s Jumper divisions. The Tampa Equestrian Series is scheduled for March 28 – April 7, 2012, at the Bob Thomas Equestrian Center at the Florida State Fairgrounds in Tampa, FL.

The hunter ring has recently added the Performance Hunter 3’6″-3’9″ division and the Performance Hunter 3’3″ division to its list of rated events, and the Tampa Equestrian Series is pleased to welcome these new additions. The classes will be held in the Main Hunter Ring during the first two days of competition for each week of the show. The divisions have also been added to the Tampa Equestrian Series Awards.

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