Category Archives: FEI

*Featured/Spotlights, Competitions, Eventing/H.T., Events, FEI, FEI

Auffarth Takes Control for Germany in Strzegom

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Left to right: Hans Melzer, Chef d’Equipe for the German Eventing Team with Frank Ostholt, Sandra Auffarth, Andreas Dibowski and Elmar Lesch being presented with their trophy by the Mayor of Strzegom Zbigniew Suchyta.

Lausanne (SUI), 5 June 2012 – Germany is proving the nation to beat this year, after European silver medallist Sandra Auffarth opened the 2012 FEI World Cup Eventing with a convincing victory at Strzegom (POL) at the weekend and led her team to a second win in the FEI Nations Cup Eventing series.

Germany, which won the inaugural competition at Fontainebleau (FRA) in March, now has a commanding lead of 13 points over Spain at the halfway mark in the FEI’s brand new team Eventing series.

Auffarth made her team début in the winning German quartet at last year’s HSBC FEI European Eventing Championships in Luhmühlen (GER), and had won an HSBC Training Bursary for her outstanding performance at the HSBC FEI Classics in Luhmühlen – her first 4* event – only six weeks previously. She stamped her Olympic credentials at the weekend by leading from the start in the CICO3*-W on the 10-year-old chestnut Opgun Louvo and, adding nothing to her excellent Dressage score of 36.7, set an unmatchable target. The 26-year-old was also eighth on Parancs.

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*Featured/Spotlights, Competitions, Events, FEI, FEI, Show Jumping

Dutch Do It Again at St Gallen

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Pictured left to right - Jeroen Dubbeldam, Gerco Schroder, Rob Ehrens (Chef d'Equipe), Marc Houtzager and Leon Thijssen. Photo: FEI/Valeria Streun.

St Gallen (SUI), 1 June 2012 – A nail-biting last-to-go round from Gerco Schroder and Eurocommerce New Orleans clinched victory for The Netherlands at the FEI Nations Cup in St Gallen, Switzerland today.

Germany came into this third leg of the 2012 series as clear favourites following their emphatic success in Rome (ITA) last Friday.  But, just as it did 12 months ago, the Swiss venue provided a classic example of what makes the sport of Nations Cup Jumping so appealing – its utter unpredictability.  And in a repeat of last year’s exciting event, it was the Dutch who out on top once again.

The host nation enjoyed another great day when sharing second place with Great Britain, while team Germany finished fourth ahead of Belgium in fifth and Ireland in sixth, France in seventh and Sweden in eighth place.

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*Featured/Spotlights, Competitions, Eventing/H.T., Events, FEI, FEI

Eleven Nations Line Up for Eventing “Double” in Poland

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Clarke Johnstone (NZL) clinched the FEI World Cup Eventing 2011 victory on Orient Express after setting an unmatchable target from the start of the season. Photo: PSV J. Morel.

Lausanne (SUI), 1 June 2012 – A total of 44 starters from 11 nations will be competing in the FEI World Cup Eventing 2012 series at this weekend’s Strzegom Horse Trials (POL), which doubles as the third leg of the FEI Nations Cup Eventing 2012, the FEI’s first team Eventing series.

Some high-profile combinations will be aiming to take an early lead at the first of the four-leg FEI World Cup Eventing series, which this year celebrates its 10th birthday. These include Kenki Sato, who helped secure Japan’s team qualification for Eventing at the London 2012 Olympic Games and will be going all out on Chippieh and Toy Boy.

Six nations will also be taking the opportunity to secure valuable points for the FEI Nations Cup Eventing at Strzegom.

Germany, top of the FEI Nations Cup Eventing leaderboard since the first leg of this exciting trial series in Fontainebleau (FRA), has nominated a strong team in a bid to build on its current five-point lead over France, which has not sent a team to Strzegom.

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Competitions, Events, FEI, FEI, Show Jumping

Irish Get Best of the Draw at St Gallen

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(Back row, L to R) - Philippe Guerdat, Chef d’Equipe Belgium; Henk Nooren, Chef d’Equipe France; Rob Hoekstra, Chef d’Equipe Great Britain; Sylve Soderstrand, Chef d’Equipe Sweden; Rob Ehrens, Chef d’Equipe The Netherlands. (Front row, L to R) - Robert Splaine, Chef d’Equipe, Ireland; Peter Stossen, President Organising Committee CSIO St Gallen; John Roche, Jumping Director, FEI; Otto Becker, Chef d’Equipe Germany; Urs Grunig, Chef d’Equipe Switzerland. Photo: FEI/Katja Stuppia.

St Gallen (SUI), 31 May 2012 – The luck of the Irish may be about to change as they have the advantage of being drawn last to go in tomorrow’s third leg of the FEI Nations Cup 2012 at St Gallen, Switzerland.  Their last-place finish in Rome (ITA) a week ago has plunged them to the bottom of the series leaderboard, but Chef d’Equipe, Robert Splaine, will be hoping to do something about that when tomorrow’s competition gets underway.

The order of go is as follows:  1, The Netherlands; 2, Germany; 3, Switzerland; 4, Belgium; 5, France; 6, Great Britain; 7, Sweden; 8, Ireland.

The team managers will select their sides later today after the warm-up competition.  There is a new format for CSIO St Gallen this year, with the show running over three days instead of four, and of course the centre-piece of tomorrow’s first-day action will be the FEI Nations Cup.  The records show that, since it was first staged in Lucerne in 1927, Germany has won the Swiss Nations Cup more times than any other country – on 20 occasions over the last 85 years.

DEFENDING CHAMPIONS

It is the Dutch, however, who return as defending champions, having won at St Gallen in 2011.  And they will be first into the ring tomorrow, after Rob Ehrens has selected his side from Gert-Jan Bruggink, Jeroen Dubbeldam, Marc Houtzager, Gerco Schroder and Leon Thijssen.  Schroder and Houtzager both competed in Rome (ITA) last Friday where the team finished equal sixth with Great Britain.

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*Featured/Spotlights, Competitions, Eventing/H.T., Events, FEI, FEI

Great Britain Scores on Home Ground

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Piggy French and Jakata led Great Britain to victory at the second leg of the FEI Nations Cup Eventing. Photo: Fiona Scott-Maxwell/FEI.

Lausanne (SUI), 29 May 2012 – Great Britain atoned for a slow start in the new FEI Nations Cup Eventing series by scoring a convincing victory in the second leg, held at the Subaru Houghton International Horse Trials (GBR) in Norfolk over the weekend, in which they beat Australia by nearly 30 penalties.

Germany, winners of the opening competition at Fontainebleau (FRA) in March, finished a close third and remains at the head of the FEI Nations Cup Eventing leaderboard.

Britain came last in Fontainebleau, but team trainer Yogi Breisner, determined to put on a good show on home ground, picked an unbeatable quartet headed by Piggy French and Jakata, individual winners of the CIC3* which incorporated the FEI Nations Cup Eventing.

An individual third place for Sarah Cohen (Treason) and seventh for Francis Whittington (Sir Percival lll) helped stretch the winning margin. Team GB would have won even if counting the discard score of Mary King and Kings Temptress, who took it easy across country, and Britain has now jumped into equal third place with Spain in the FEI Nations Cup Eventing after two out of six legs.

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*Featured/Spotlights, Competitions, Events, FEI, FEI, Show Jumping

Convincing Win for Germany in Rome

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(from left to right): Chef d’Equipe Otto Becker, Marcus Ehning, Marco Kutscher and Ludger Beerbaum (back row), Italian Minister for Foreign Affairs Mr Giulio Terze, FEI President HRH Princess Haya and Mr Andreas Paulgross, President of FISE. Photo: FEI/Bruno de Lorenzo.

ROME (ITA), 25 May 2012 – A powerful German team breezed to victory in the second leg of the FEI Nations Cup 2012 series at the Piazza di Siena in Rome (ITA) this afternoon.  On a day when FEI President, Princess Haya, visited the venue where she competed herself during her jumping career, and where all the talk was about the forthcoming Olympic Games in London and the proposed changes to the FEI Nations Cup format, the competition provided the excitement that has ensured its survival for over a century.

Switzerland finished a close second today, just four faults behind the winning side, while the first-leg winners from Belgium slotted into third.  The host nation of Italy, making a guest appearance since they no longer compete in the Top League, did themselves proud when galloping into fourth spot ahead of France, while The Netherlands and Great Britain shared sixth.  For Sweden and Ireland however it was a difficult day when both were left vulnerable due to rider eliminations and had to settle for eighth and ninth places respectively.

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Competitions, Events, FEI, FEI, Show Jumping

League Leaders from Belgium First into the Ring in Rome

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At the Draw Press Conference for the second leg of the FEI Nations Cup 2012 in Rome (ITA) today: Rob Ehrens (Dutch Chef d’Equipe), Henk Nooren (French Chef d’Equipe), Otto Becker (German Chef d’Equipe), Rob Hoekstra (Chef d’Equipe Great Britain), Sophie Ruiz-Leimer (FEI Nations Cup Representative), Antonio Giovanonni (Rome CSIO Event Director), Robert Splaine (Irish Chef d’Equipe) and Stefano Scaccabarozzi (Italian Chef d’Equipe).

ROME (ITA), 24 May 2012 – The Belgian team, winners at La Baule, France two weeks ago, will be pathfinders as the second leg of the FEI Nations Cup 2012 series gets underway tomorrow at the Piazza di Siena in Rome (ITA).  Italian summer-time has definitely arrived, with temperatures reaching 24 degrees this afternoon.  And the heat is expected to rise even further tomorrow when the eight Top League Jumping nations battle for supremacy at the world-famous and much-loved CSIO which is celebrating its 80th anniversary.

Also in action will be the host nation which no longer competes in the Top League, but which is likely to put in a big effort when making a guest appearance in front of the home crowd.

The complete draw for the order-of-go is as follows:  1, Belgium; 2, Italy; 3, The Netherlands; 4, Switzerland; 5, Ireland; 6, Sweden; 7, Great Britain; 8, Germany; 9, France.

THE SAME TEAM

Italian Chef d’Equipe, Stefano Scaccabarozzi, confirmed today that he will be sending out the same team that won the FEI Nations Cup Promotional League leg in Lummen, Belgium earlier this month.

That was a tough 14-nation contest, but Juan Carlos Garcia (Bonzai van de Warande), Francesca Capponi (Stallone), Natale Chiaudani (Almero 12) and Luca Marziani (Wivina) proved toughest of all and, on form, could put plenty of pressure on the Top League sides tomorrow.

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*Featured/Spotlights, Competitions, Events, FEI, FEI, Show Jumping

Wathelet Wins It for Belgium in Thrilling Two-Way Jump-Off at La Baule

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FEI TV: enjoy LIVE programming, highlights, interviews and archive footage at www.feitv.org.

Pictured on the podium, surrounded by officials from the City of La Baule, the Organising Committee, the FEI and the French Federation are team members Philippe Le Jeune, Gregory Wathelet, Chef d’Equipe Philippe Guerdat, Niels Bruynseels and Dirk Demeersmans. Photo: PSV/FEI.

La Baule, 11 May 2012 – In a super-tight fight to the finish, the Belgian team came out on top at the opening leg of the FEI Nations Cup 2012 series in La Baule, France this afternoon.  It took three tough rounds of jumping to decide the result however, as The Netherlands chased them all the way to a third-round jump-off in which Gregory Wathelet clinched it with his new ride, the 10 year old mare Euphony Cadjanine Z.

It was very much a family affair as brothers Jens and Peder Fredricson were joined by Peder’s wife Lisen Fredricson to claim third for Sweden along with Henrik von Eckermann.  They completed with just five faults on the scoreboard over two rounds, and with a single-fault advantage over Germany in fourth place.

The British looked threatening in the opening stages, but faded to share fifth with the Irish and Swiss on 12 faults in the final analysis, while for the home side it was a disappointing day as they had to settle for eighth and last place at this season-opener.

Anchor rider, Penelope Leprevost, lifted French hearts however when producing one of eight double-clear performances from Topinambour.

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Competitions, Events, FEI, FEI, Show Jumping

Swiss First into the Arena as FEI Nations Cup 2012 Gets Underway at La Baule

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YouTube: Philip Ghazala previews tomorrow’s first leg of the 2012 FEI Nations Cup series at La Baule http://youtu.be/B1bhhwhfWyk

(from left to right): John Roche, FEI Director of Jumping, Rémi Cléro, President of the Organising Committee, and Nadia Poirier, Show Director pictured at today’s draw for the first leg of the FEI Nations Cup 2012. © Jean Morel PSV Photo/FEI

La Baule (FRA), 10 May 2012 – The Swiss team will be first into the ring when the FEI Nations Cup 2012 series gets underway in La Baule, France tomorrow afternoon (11 May), while the host nation has drawn the coveted last-to-go spot. The draw took place this morning, and the eight competing nations will enter the arena in the following order:

1, Switzerland; 2, Ireland; 3, Great Britain; 4, The Netherlands; 5, Sweden; 6, Germany; 7, Belgium; 8, France.

The FEI Nations Cup celebrates 103 years of world-class team competition in 2012. La Baule has staged 24 Nations Cup events since 1970 and has traditionally been the first port of call since the Top League was established in 2003. French riders have won on their home turf on eight occasions over the last 42 years, but only twice, in 2003 and again in 2010, since the Top League format was introduced nine years ago.

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

Pivotal Opening Round at La Baule as FEI Nations Cup 2012 Paves Way to London Olympic Games

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Team Germany, winners of the FEI Nations Cup Top League 2011. Pictured from left to right: Carsten-Otto Nagel, Ludger Beerbaum, Otto Becker (Chef d'Equipe), Marco Kutscher and Thomas Voss. © FEI/CHIO Rotterdam Press

Lausanne (SUI), 8 May 2012 – As the FEI Nations Cup celebrates its 10th anniversary in 2012, the world-class series will have an extra edge in the lead-up to this summer’s London Olympic Games. Chefs d’Equipe and trainers will use this most testing team Jumping tournament to view the form and medal-winning potential of the talent available to them, and there is huge anticipation of a great season ahead.

French riders in particular will be under no illusions as the action gets underway this Friday afternoon (11 May) on their home ground at La Baule. Pascal Dubois, National Technical Director of the Fédération Française d’Equitation (FFE) said recently, “Because it is the only CSIO 5* in France, we have to honour our nation with a most experienced team in La Baule. The programme for the top 10 rider-horse couples in France amongst which the Olympic team will be chosen is set. According to the results obtained in La Baule, we will compose a team which will participate to the Rome CSIO 5*, to St Gallen and to Rotterdam. The FEI Nations Cup circuit is the format which comes the closest to the Olympic Games, requiring both performance but also a good team cohesion. Evidently, we are going to be very attentive to each rider’s performance.”

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