All posts by Associate Editor

*Featured/Spotlights, Competitions, Contributors/Press, Disciplines, Dressage, Events, Phelps Media Group

World Dressage Masters Palm Beach Attracts Top International Riders

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Shannon Dueck on Ayscha. Photo Credit: Susan J. Stickle, Phelps Media Group.

Wellington, FL – February 25, 2011 – With less than two weeks until the World Dressage Masters Palm Beach presented by International Polo Club Palm Beach gets under way on March 9-11 2011, a number of the world’s top riders and their horses are preparing to travel to South Florida.  The World Dressage Masters presented by Axel Johnson Group will award more than 400,000 Euros over four competitions in 2011, making it the world’s richest dressage series. The first of those competitions is the WDM Palm Beach, where 18 competitors, including several Olympic and World Championship medalists, will vie for 100,000 Euros in prize money.

The WDM Palm Beach, which will be held at the Jim Brandon Equestrian Center in West Palm Beach, is produced by Wellington Classic Dressage. Noreen O’Sullivan, a Managing Partner with Wellington Classic Dressage, is excited to welcome such an impressive international line up to South Florida. “We’re thrilled to host this competition and to have riders and horses of this caliber coming to the World Dressage Masters Palm Beach. We want people to feel treated to a truly international experience.”

On February 21st, Canadian Dressage Team Technical Advisor Robert Dover named Shannon Dueck of Loxahatchee, FL as the Canadian Wild Card recipient for the WDM Palm Beach. Originally from British Columbia, Dueck made South Florida her permanent home in 2003. “I love being able to ride all year round without having to relocate my entire barn in the winter months,” she says. “The weather here in the winter is second to none, and I have the opportunity to compete with the best from all over North America.”

Continue reading World Dressage Masters Palm Beach Attracts Top International Riders →

Breeds, Contributors/Press, Wild Horse Sources

Saving America’s Mustangs Responds to BLM’s Thursday Announcement

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Dear Friends & Supporters,
Saving America’s Mustangs (SAM) is encouraged by yesterday’s announcement by Bureau of Land Management Director Bob Abbey that major changes are on the horizon for the Wild Horse and Burro Program.  However, we have many concerns about the timetable to make these changes and actions that the BLM will take in the intervening time while America waits for these changes to go into effect.  It is also hard not to recognize that promises have been made in the past with no results and the startling number of horses that continue to be gathered remains an untenable fact and something needs to be done about gathers in the short term to protect the diminishing numbers of wild horses left on the range.  The incremental and minimalist approach taken in the past has not served anyone well and the public is crying out for reform in the short-term.

Looking at the specifics of Director Abbey’s statement, we would call for Secretary Salazar and Director Abbey to take an in depth look at the following:

1.       The current Appropriate Management Levels (AML) is severely flawed in a number of ways.  The number of aums allocated to horses compared with those given to cattle is skewed badly and must be changed.  The BLM must do an audit of the forage on all public lands allotments and ensure that there is true equity where multiple uses are concerned.

Continue reading Saving America’s Mustangs Responds to BLM’s Thursday Announcement →

*Featured/Spotlights, Art/Photography, Contributors/Press, Events

The Equine Vision of Robert Vavra

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Kentucky Horse Park to Present a 60-Year Retrospective by the World’s Premier Photographer of Horses

LEXINGTON, KY (February 24, 2011) – Famed novelist James Michener once wrote, “Though equus has fired the imaginations of painters from the prehistoric hunter-artists of Altamira to Leonardo da Vinci, Velazquez, Goya and Picasso, still in the history of photography no cameraman has recorded the horse with such excitement and personal style as has Robert Vavra.  His photographs are works of art; they are interpretations of the horse as perceptive as those done by Stubbs and Remington.  They are a joy to see, because they evoke the inner nature of the horse.”

Today Vavra is universally recognized as the world’s premier photographer of equines, and his work will be the focus of the Kentucky Horse Park’s next exhibition, Vavra’s Vision: The Equine Images of Robert Vavra, Mar 19 – May 30 in the International Museum of the Horse – a Smithsonian Affiliate. The exhibition is being presented courtesy of the International Institute of Photographic Arts.

By portraying the horse in his fresh and very personal way, Vavra has become an icon in his own lifetime. He is the author of 37 books accounting for more than 3 million volumes in print, in eight languages. This retrospective exhibition will delve into the world that Vavra has created through his lens over the last 60 years while circling the globe. In photographs, in film and in print, his images capture the strength, beauty and wisdom of the horse.

Read more> http://www.horsesinthesouth.com/article/article_detail.aspx?id=13315

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

$200,000 Gene Mische American Invitational Presented by G&C Farm Remains a Tampa Tradition

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Jeffery Welles and Armani, winners of the 2010 Gene Mische American Invitational, presented by G&C Farm. Photo © Kenneth Kraus

Raymond James Stadium to Once Again Host America’s Premier Outdoor Show Jumping Event

Tampa, FL – February 24, 2011 – The city of Tampa, Florida will once again play host to one of the world’s premiere show jumping event, as the $200,000 Gene Mische American Invitational, presented by G&C Farm, returns to Raymond James Stadium on Saturday, April 9, 2011 at 7:30 p.m.

Once again, the stellar event bears the name of the founder of the class, Stadium Jumping’s legendary Gene Mische, who first brought the event to the Tampa Bay area in 1973. Mische died recently after a long and hard fought battle with cancer, but was thrilled to be able to witness last year’s class before he passed away.

In addition to G&C Farm, who returns for a second year as the presenting sponsor, Stadium Jumping welcomes Horsewares Ireland, Land Rover, Gold and Diamond Source, Morgan Stanley, Innisbrook Resort and Elizabeth Busch Burke, who have all generously come forward to join in the 2011 sponsorship of America’s premier show jumping event.

Continue reading $200,000 Gene Mische American Invitational Presented by G&C Farm Remains a Tampa Tradition →

*Featured/Spotlights, Community/Charity, Contributors/Press, FEI, Show Jumping

In Memoriam: Debby Winkler (USA/GER)

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Debby Winkler riding Sakrus © Julia Rau

Debby Winkler (née Malloy), wife of German Jumping legend Hans Günter Winkler, has passed away following a tragic riding accident. Mrs Winkler was seriously injured in a fall at the end of a training session on 18 February and was rushed to the University Clinic in Münster in critical condition. Sadly her injuries were too severe and, despite the best possible medical care, she died on 21 February. She was 51 years of age.

American-born Debby Malloy married five-times Olympic champion Hans Günter Winkler in 1994, having trained with him in Warendorf since 1986. Debby Winkler was successful in many Jumping events, her greatest achievement being a second place finish in the Frankfurt Grand Prix in 1998 with Sakrus HG.

Debby Winkler was a close personal friend to FEI President HRH Princess Haya, who said, “There is a comfort in knowing that horsemen and women who move on from our world, straight from the saddle, have done so on the terms they would have wished for. And yet I cannot find the words to justly pay tribute to Debby. She was so quiet in her ways, so kind and accepting, so humble and gentle that one would have thought she would live forever.

Continue reading In Memoriam: Debby Winkler (USA/GER) →

*Featured/Spotlights, Championships, Competitions, Contributors/Press, Disciplines, Events, Hunter/Equitation, JRPR

Champions Elizabeth Towell Boyd and Louise Serio: The Sanctuary Honors Duo of High Performance Working Hunter Champions during Fifth and Sixth Weeks of WEF

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Elizabeth Towell Boyd and Brunello won the Sanctuary High Performance Working Hunter division during the fifth week of the 2011 FTI Winter Equestrian Festival. Louise Serio and Castle Rock (pictured) won the title during week six. (Photo courtesy of Sportfot)

Wellington, FL (February 24, 2011) – The Sanctuary at PBIEC, the new world-class full horse therapy and conditioning center located on the Winter Equestrian Festival show grounds, honored two High Performance Working Hunter champions during the fifth and sixth weeks of the 2011 FTI Winter Equestrian Festival. Elizabeth Towell Boyd and Brunello rode away as the High Performance Working Hunter Champions during week five and Louise Serio and Castle Rock captured the High Performance title during week six.

Boyd and Serio are well known in the show world and both have long resumes attesting to their success in the hunter ring. Boyd, who owns Brunello with Janet Peterson, works out of her family’s Finally Farm in South Carolina. Brunello, a 13-year-old Hanoverian gelding, is a veteran hunter who Boyd said she reserves for big classes. In 2010, Boyd and Brunello won the WCHR Palm Beach Hunter Classic Spectacular.

Serio and Castle Rock, week six winners of The Sanctuary High Performance Working Hunter Championship, showed the hunter world how to stay on top when they won the 2011 WCHR Palm Beach Hunter Classic Spectacular under the lights in the International Arena at PBIEC. Castle Rock, a 12-year-old KWPN Dutch Warmblood gelding by Corland, is one of the country’s leading hunters.

Continue reading Champions Elizabeth Towell Boyd and Louise Serio: The Sanctuary Honors Duo of High Performance Working Hunter Champions during Fifth and Sixth Weeks of WEF →

Competitions, Contributors/Press, Disciplines, Events, HITS, Hunter/Equitation, Show Jumping

Ocala Winter Festival Paves the Way for One of the Most Memorable Winter Circuits of All Time

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© ESI Photography. Kent Farrington and Up Chiqui on course in the $25,000 SmartPak Grand Prix, presented by Pfizer Animal Health.

OCALA, FL (February 23, 2011) – What do you get when you mix beautiful weather, talented horsemen, first-class facilities, exciting events and fabulous prize money? The answer is simple: HITS Ocala! The Ocala Winter Festival marked the second AA rated week of show jumping in the ‘Sunshine State’.

The two Grand Prix and weekly Devoucoux Hunter Prix saw record-breaking entries this week. In Thursday’s $25,000 SmartPak Grand Prix, presented by Pfizer Animal Health, Kent Farrington  (above right) of Chicago, Illinois, emerged as the winner out of what was then a record 48 starters, aboard Up Chiqui, owned by William Dobbs, Alex Boone and Farrington. Thursday’s track proved challenging, as only five returned for the jump-off. Sunday’s $50,000 class set a new record three days later with 50 entries, as Andre Thieme of Germany and Cesar won their first Grand Prix of the season. Despite the bigger entries and challenges on Sunday’s course, 12 talented teams advanced to the jump-off for an exciting conclusion. Thieme also picked up the third place ribbon aboard his own Uvalier, while German native Matthias Hollberg, now of Apex, North Carolina, was second aboard Apex Equestrian Center’s Wadisson. Both Farrington and Thieme are aiming to qualify for the 2011 Pfizer $1 Million Grand Prix on September 11 in Saugerties, New York.

© ESI Photography. Tracy Fenney and MTM La Costa on course in the $10,000 Devoucoux Hunter Prix.

$10,000 Devoucoux Hunter Prix
The Devoucoux Hunter Prix has been the premier hunter event each week throughout the circuit, and Sunday’s outstanding $10,000 event showed just how eager the hunter riders are to qualify for the Diamond Mills $500,000 3’3″ Hunter Prix Final on September 10-11 in Saugerties, New York, as 70 riders tracked the course. Standing tall at the end of the $10,000 Devoucoux Hunter Prix was High-Performance rider Tracey Fenney of Flower Mound, Texas. Fenney, who is one of the all-time leading Grand Prix riders at HITS Ocala, was delighted to show her skills in the hunters aboard Mr. and Mrs. Ken MacKenzie’s MTM La Costa. Second place was awarded to standout junior Meg O’Mara aboard Walk the Line, owned by Don Stewart and O’Mara. The duo had a successful week at the Ocala Winter Festival, picking up two first place ribbons in the Large Junior Hunter 16-17 division, which helped earn them the Reserve Champion honors. Rounding out the top three was professional rider Kate Conover of Ocala, Florida aboard Doreen Toben’s Black Tie Affair.

Read more> http://www.horsesinthesouth.com/article/article_detail.aspx?id=13306

Community/Charity, Competitions, Contributors/Press, Disciplines, Events, Hunter/Equitation, National Horse Show, Phelps Media Group, Show Jumping

2011 National Horse Show to Be Held at Kentucky Horse Park

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The 2011 National Horse Show will be held at the new Alltech Indoor Arena at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, KY. Photo Courtesy of Alltech.

New York, NY – February 23, 2011 – The National Horse Show Association of America, Limited (NHSAA) is pleased to announce that it will be hosting the ASPCA Alfred B. Maclay Finals as well as a full complement of hunters and jumpers in 2011. These exciting events will be held November 2-6, 2011, at the new Alltech Indoor Arena at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, KY. For the past five years, the ASPCA Alfred B. Maclay Finals have been held at the Syracuse Invitational Sporthorse Tournament in Syracuse, NY. After lengthy discussions with the top professionals in the hunter and equitation divisions, the National Horse Show determined that it is in the best interest of the sport, equitation division, and the Maclay to relocate the competition to a new venue.

The Board of Directors for the National Horse Show is looking forward to a bright future at the Kentucky Horse Park. “We’re very fortunate that Syracuse gave us a home until we could sort things out. It was a great stepping stone for what is going to be the future of the National Horse Show,” noted President Mason Phelps, Jr. “It is certainly our desire to make the National Horse Show in Kentucky as similar to Madison Square Garden as possible. The very first objective is to do the best we can by the Maclay Finals.”

“The Kentucky Horse Park is honored to be the new site of the National Horse Show’s ASPCA Maclay Finals,” said Kentucky Horse Park Executive Director John Nicholson. “I am personally elated and we are committed to do all that we can to make the show worthy of its grand history.”

Continue reading 2011 National Horse Show to Be Held at Kentucky Horse Park →

*Featured/Spotlights, Competitions, Contributors/Press, Disciplines, Dressage, Events, Phelps Media Group

2011 World Dressage Masters Palm Beach Thanks International Polo Club Palm Beach for Continued Support

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Margaret Duprey's Otto, ridden at the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games by Todd Flettrich. Photo Credit: Susan J. Stickle

Wellington, FL – February 21, 2011 – The World Dressage Masters Palm Beach, which forms part of the world’s most prestigious dressage series, will take place on March 9-11, 2011 at the Jim Brandon Equestrian Center in West Palm Beach, FL. The preservation of WDM Palm Beach is due to the generous and enthusiastic support of its presenting sponsor, International Polo Club Palm Beach.

When it was announced that the 2011 World Dressage Masters Palm Beach was to be cancelled, it appeared that the world’s richest dressage competition would disappear from North America. However, the Goodman family, International Polo Club Palm Beach and its members stepped in quickly to ensure that the show would go on. “In my talks with Mr. Goodman, he showed a profound interest in not only saving the Masters for 2011, but to extend IPC’s commitment for the long-term,” says WDM Managing Director John van de Laar. “WDM, IPC and Wellington Classic Dressage created a three year agreement, so from now on it can only get better.”

A dressage competition sponsored by a polo club isn’t as odd as it sounds. Events featuring dressage, such as the breast cancer fundraiser Challenge of the Americas, have been held at the International Polo Club for the past number of years. Approximately 20 percent of IPC members are involved with dressage in South Florida, including International Dressage Rider Arlene ‘Tuny’ Page.

Continue reading 2011 World Dressage Masters Palm Beach Thanks International Polo Club Palm Beach for Continued Support →

Contributors/Press, Disciplines, Dressage, Media/Radio/TV Sources

Dressage Radio Episode 92 – Shawna Harding & Brett Parbery

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Shawna Harding shares her big news of being the recipient of the Carol Lavell Advanced Dressage Award. Brett Parbery is back in the co-host chair and we welcome a new sponsor in EquiSketch. Join in with us right here…

Dressage Radio Episode 92 – Show Notes and Links:

  • Host: Chris Stafford
  • Co-host: Brett Parbery – www.brettparbery.com
  • Photo Credit: Susan Stickle
  • Guest: Shawna Harding – www.shawnaharding.com
  • Guest: Nicholas & Amber Garcia – www.EquiSketch.com
  • News: Reem Acra FEI WC Qualifier, Neumunster, Germany, Round 8 – www.fei.org
    1. Ulla Salzgeber – Herzuf’s Erbe, GER 81.350 %
    2. Isabelle Werth – Satchmo, GER 80.850 %
    1. Helen Langehanenberg – Damon Hill NRW, GER 77.675 %
    2. Hans Peter Minderhoud – Exquis Nadine, GER 77.100%

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