All posts by Associate Editor

*Featured/Spotlights, Competitions, Events, Hunter/Equitation, Show Jumping

Pessoa and HH Palouchin Keep Winning Streak Going in $32,000 G&C Farm 1.45m Classic

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Chapot Picks Up Two Spy Coast Farm 1.40m Victories

Rodrigo Pessoa and HH Palouchin. Photos © Sportfot

Wellington, FL – March 14, 2012 – There were three competitive classes in the International Arena on the opening day of week 10 of the FTI Consulting Winter Equestrian Festival. Starting out the day was another win for Rodrigo Pessoa (BRA) and HH Palouchin, owned by Double H Farm, in the $32,000 G&C Farm 1.45m Classic. Following that, another familiar face in the winner’s circle, Laura Chapot entered again and won the $6,000 Spy Coast Farm 1.40m speed class with Bradberry. In the last class, the $6,000 Spy Coast Farm 1.40m Jump-off class, Chapot rode Quointreau Un Prince, owned by Laura Chapot and McLain Ward, to the win.

Sponsored by Artisan Farms, week ten features two classes on Sunday, March 18, on the grass field at The Stadium. Starting at 10:30 a.m., the $15,000 Artisan Farms Young Rider Grand Prix Final runs first and is followed by the $80,000 Pennfield Feeds Grand Prix CSI 2* at 2 p.m.

Continue reading Pessoa and HH Palouchin Keep Winning Streak Going in $32,000 G&C Farm 1.45m Classic →

Contributors/Press, Events

Kentucky Horse Park Set to Open 34th Season with New Attractions

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Photo by www.PixBySteve.com.

LEXINGTON, Ky. (March 13, 2012) – The Kentucky Horse Park’s 34th season is set to begin Thursday, March 15, when the park returns to its regular hours of 9am to 5pm daily through November 4. Visitors will be entertained and delighted as the park features special events and themed weekends throughout the season.

Highlights of this season will include the park’s newest attraction, the Kids Barn, which features interactive exhibits, while the park’s education department staff will host daily hands-on activities with the park’s resident horses in the Kids Barn each day.

Also new this season is a daily show called “Horses of the World,” which is an updated and energized version of the traditional Parade of Breeds show. It’s a perfect opportunity for park visitors to watch and learn about some of the horse breeds that may not be familiar and will include horses representing some of the park’s many different breeds from as far away as India, Turkmenistan, Egypt, and Europe.

Continue reading Kentucky Horse Park Set to Open 34th Season with New Attractions →

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

$20,000 Artisan Farms Young Rider Team Event Victory Goes to Zone Two

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Charlotte Jacobs and Promised Land helped the Zone Two team claim their victory during the $20,000 Artisan Farms Young Rider Team Event. Photo By: Rebecca Walton/PMG

Wellington, FL and East Aurora, NY – March 13, 2012 – The third leg of the four-part Artisan Farms Young Rider Grand Prix Series was held on Thursday of Week IX of the Winter Equestrian Festival. Amidst rough weather with rain and thunderstorms, eight teams of four gathered to compete under the looming storm clouds hanging over the International Ring for the $20,000 Artisan Farms Young Rider Team Event. Team E was comprised of riders from Zone 2, which included Charlotte Jacobs with Promised Land, Lydia Ulrich riding Santos Utopia, Gabrielle Bausano showing Ubico H, and Lillie Keean aboard Vanhattan, and they outshone the competition with five clear rounds and only a four-fault total score.

Overcast skies and bouts of torrential rain plagued the two-round competition, but riders remained focused on the course that included many technical aspects. A number of riders found fault at a skinny vertical following the open water, as well as the vertical-vertical double combination at the end of the course, which was designed by Leopoldo Palacios. Only five riders from the teams produced clear efforts during the first round, but after jumping it once the rounds only improved with 12 fault-free rounds during the second half of the event.

Continue reading $20,000 Artisan Farms Young Rider Team Event Victory Goes to Zone Two →

*Featured/Spotlights, Competitions, Events, Hunter/Equitation, Show Jumping

Equus Events Inc. Presents the 2012 Atlanta Spring Challenge Horse Show

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Photo copyright Shawn McMillen photography: Daniel Geitner and Sympa soar to the victory over the Fenwick Equestrian jump in the 2011 $25,000 Atlanta Spring Challenge Grand Prix

March, 13th, 2012 – This May the Georgia International Horse Park will once again play host to the Atlanta Spring Challenge Horse Show.  Produced by Aiken, SC based J. P. Godard and Equus Events, the show offers a fitting end to the spring season and a perfect stop for those on their way to Devon.  The show now in its 9th year has become a favorite of those attending events at the Horse Park which was site of the equestrian portion of the 1996 Olympic Games.

“We have added new classes and special events each year,” said show organizer J. P. Godard.  The show started out a single “A” rated horse show in 2004 and has now grown to a five day “AA” rated event that attracts some of top hunter and jumper riders throughout the country.  In today’s economy it takes a lot more than the average horse show to survive and to actually grow throughout the last 8 years is a major feat in itself.  Godard believes this consistent growth can be attributed to Equus Events and its staff striving to offer more than just the average horse show.

Continue reading Equus Events Inc. Presents the 2012 Atlanta Spring Challenge Horse Show →

*Featured/Spotlights, Contributors/Press

USDA APHIS Horse Protection Program Listening Session at Kentucky Horse Park

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The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service’s (APHIS) Animal Care Program will hold listening sessions throughout the United States [including the Kentucky Horse Park] to obtain public feedback on the Horse Protection Program.  In particular, APHIS is interested in hearing feedback on the questions below:

•         Congress passed the Horse Protection Act in 1970 to eliminate the cruel and inhumane practice of soring horses. How close are we to achieving the goal?

•         Can the industry achieve a consensus on how to carry out a self-regulatory program to enforce the Horse Protection Act in a consistent way?

•         What responsibilities should USDA-certified Horse Industry Organizations (HIOs) have within the industry?

Continue reading USDA APHIS Horse Protection Program Listening Session at Kentucky Horse Park →

Community/Charity, Driving, JRPR

Combined Driver Chester Weber Named to Florida Horse Park Foundation Board of Directors

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Chester Weber has been named to the Board of Directors at the Florida Horse Park Foundation. (Photo courtesy of My Elisabeth Weber)

Ocala, FL (March 13, 2012) – Combined Driver Chester Weber, the eight-time United States National Four-In-Hand Champion, has been named to the Board of Directors at the Florida Horse Park Foundation, located in Ocala, Florida. Weber, a favorite son of his hometown of Ocala, is one of America’s most decorated Combined Drivers as well as a strong supporter of the equestrian community.

Weber’s extensive resume continues to grow each year, and Weber and his award-winning team of horses kicked off 2012 by driving into the winner’s circle at the Sunshine State CDE, which took place at the Florida Horse Park. He followed Sunshine State with a victory at the 2012 Little Everglades CDE, taking the FEI Four-in-Hand Division with a spectacular dressage test. Weber also had a great deal to celebrate in 2011 as the United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) named him a 2011 Equestrian of Honor and he was also the recipient of the Becky Grand Hart Trophy. He was named the 2011 Driving Horseman of the Year in The Chronicle of the Horse Magazine’s annual American Horses In Sport issue. Weber’s successful 2011 included a European tour that kept him in the winner’s circle, with wins at CAIO Veces, CAI Altenfelden and CAIO Riesenbeck. “We had our best results ever at Aachen, it was truly a memorable summer,” Weber said.

Continue reading Combined Driver Chester Weber Named to Florida Horse Park Foundation Board of Directors →

Competitions, Dressage, Events, Wellington Classic Dressage

International Riders Return to Global Dressage Festival for $15,000 Wellington Dressage Classic CDI***

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Ashley Holzer of Canada and Pop Art. Photo: www.susanjstickle.com

Wellington, FL – March 13, 2012 – International riders will once again be featured at the $15,000 Wellington Dressage Classic CDI***, presented by the Chesapeake Dressage Institute, to be held March 15-18 at the Global Dressage Festival (GDF) Stadium in Wellington, Fl.  Riders from the United States and several nations including: Argentina, Canada, Colombia, Denmark, and Germany will be competing.

The FEI Grand Prix Freestyle class will once again be featured under the lights on Saturday evening, March 17.  Spectators will have the opportunity to watch the horses “dance” to the music as they perform dressage movements under the lights in the spectacular Global Dressage Festival International Arena.  Other highlights of the Wellington Dressage Classic include the FEI Grand Prix and FEI Olympic Grand Prix Special, the FEI Prix St. Georges, the FEI Intermediaire I and FEI Intermediaire Freestyle.

Continue reading International Riders Return to Global Dressage Festival for $15,000 Wellington Dressage Classic CDI*** →

*Featured/Spotlights, Contributors/Press, FEI, Revolution Sports, Show Jumping

Francie Steinwedell-Carvin – The Rolex One to Watch for March 2012

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Francie Steinwedell-Carvin riding Taunus at the CSI2*-W Thermal in California (USA). Photo: Flying Horse Photography/ROLEX

14 March 2012 – The Rolex One to Watch for March 2012 is awarded to Francie Steinwedell-Carvin (USA). Based at Meadow Grove Farm in California, the 51-year-old jumped from 338th to 231st during February – a move up the Rolex Rankings of 107 places.

In recent years, Steinwedell-Carvin has enjoyed successes at a variety of high calibre competitions, taking part in numerous Grands Prix and FEI World Cup events with her many talented mounts, including Splitfire, Twistar and Toldine. 2011 was a successful year for the American rider, who finished third at the CSI2*-W in Burbank (USA) with the 12-year-old gelding, Taunus, in September, before going on to claim victory at the CSI2*-W in Las Vegas (USA) two months later with the same horse.

Steinwedell-Carvin has had an impressive start to 2012, finishing first with Taunus at the CSI2*-W in Thermal (USA), in January. Steinwedell-Carvin’s delight was evident. “It was so great to be the only American woman in the jump-off, and to win it was surreal,” she commented. Steinwedell-Carvin’s latest triumph saw her finish in third place at the Grand Prix Final CSI2*-W Thermal (USA) in March. We look forward to witnessing what Steinwedell-Carvin has in store for the rest of 2012.

Continue reading Francie Steinwedell-Carvin – The Rolex One to Watch for March 2012 →

Competitions, Events, USEF, Western/Reining

Cowgirls Knock Off Top-Ranked Bulldogs

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Mamie Tomlin

STILLWATER, Okla. – The Oklahoma State equestrian team defeated the No. 1 Georgia Bulldogs, 13-10, at Animal Science Arena Saturday.

“I am very proud of the way we rode today, especially of our seniors,” coach Larry Sanchez said. “Georgia is a very good team and are well coached. I look forward to seeing them again at Nationals.”

Seniors highlighted the day, winning four head-to-head points and two MVPs in their final competition in Stillwater.

The western team continued to roll as they cruised to an 8-3 win. It was their seventh team victory of the season. Senior Caroline Daniels led the Pokes with a 73-70.5 win in reining, earning MVP honors. Fellow senior Rachel Houchin picked up a 72.5-69 victory, and Katy Krshka and Christy McElreath added points to secure a 4-1 victory.

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*Featured/Spotlights, Competitions, Eventing/H.T., Events, USEA, USEF

Phillip Dutton and Mystery Whisper Take Home the First Adequan USEA Gold Cup of 2012

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Phillip shows off his Adequan USEA Gold Cup Trophy. Leslie Mintz/USEA Photo.

Phillip Dutton entered the final round of the Adequan USEA Gold Cup CIC3* at the Red Hills Horse Trials with three rails in hand. However, the significant lead was wasted as Phillip and the Wildasin’s Mystery Whisper jumped clean around Fuzzy Mayo’s course and added only three time penalties to finish on the score of 35.7. Only seven of the twenty rounds (Rachel Jurgens and Ziggy withdrew before the morning’s horse inspection) in the CIC3* were completed without poles falling.

“I’m very excited about Mystery Whisper,” said Phillip. “It is a bit of a fairy tale to have the horse for a very short amount of time and all credit to Heath Ryan who actually bred the horse, broke the horse, and educated the horse. It’s been pretty easy so far to get to know him, and it’s fortunate that the Wildasins have allowed me to ride the horse for a while.”

Continue reading Phillip Dutton and Mystery Whisper Take Home the First Adequan USEA Gold Cup of 2012 →