Category Archives: FEI

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

Leibler and Watson 108 Prepare for the FEI Young Rider World Cup Dressage Final in Germany

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Isabelle Leibler and Watson 108 National Young Rider Dressage Championships (SusanJStickle.com)

Lexington, KY – Isabelle Leibler and her own Watson 108 have arrived safely in Germany and have begun diligently preparing to represent the US at the FEI Young Rider World Cup Dressage Final. Leibler (Greenwich, CT) and the 14-year-old Westphalian gelding arrived early this week in Kronberg im Taunus. They will be based at Schafhof, the renowned training and breeding center of Ann Kathrin Linsenhoff, Klaus Martin Rath, and Matthias Rath, prior to heading to Frankfurt for the competition.

Leibler and Watson 108 were invited to represent the US at the 2011 Finals after posting the highest average in the FEI Young Rider Freestyle Test at CDI-Ys during the qualifying period. This pair landed in Germany after a strong 2011 campaign that included winning a team Bronze medal and two Gold medals, individual and freestyle, at the Adequan/FEI North American Junior and Young Riders Championships presented by Gotham North. Additionally, they were crowned National Young Rider Dressage Champions at the 2011 Collecting Gaits Farm/USEF Festival of Championships.

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Competitions, Dressage, Events, FEI, FEI

Swedish Riders Hold the Reins at the Top of Reem Acra Rankings

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Lausanne (SUI), 28 November 2011 – Previously lying in equal-seventh position, Sweden’s Patrik Kittel has now moved into second place on the Western European League table following his superb victory with Toy Story in the third leg of the Reem Acra FEI World Cup Dressage 2011/2012 series in Stockholm, Sweden yesterday.

His Swedish colleague, Tinne Vilhelmson Silfven, who was only 0.1 point behind Kittel’s winning score when filling runner-up spot yesterday, continues to head the leaderboard going into the next round at Olympia in London, Great Britain on 14 December.

Please find below the updated leaderboard.

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Competitions, Dressage, Events, FEI, FEI

Kittel Wins Out in Super-Tight Battle in Stockholm

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Patrik Kittel and Toy Story won the third leg of the Reem Acra FEI World Cup Dressage series on their home turf in Stockholm, Sweden this afternoon. Photo: FEI/Roland Thunholm.

Stockholm (SWE), 27 November 2011 – Patrik Kittel headed up a Swedish one-two in the third leg of the Reem Acra FEI World Cup Dressage 2011/2012 series in Stockholm, Sweden today.  But it was a close-fought affair as the 35-year-old rider and his 11 year old gelding, Toy Story, only pipped Tinne Vilhelmson-Silfven and Don Auriello by 0.1 of a percentage point, while Germany’s Isabell Werth (Warum Nicht FRH) and Helen Langehanenberg (Responsible) had to settle for third and fourth places respectively.

In a weekend full of interesting twists and turns, multiple champion Werth finished well down the line in seventh place in Saturday’s Grand Prix won by Vilhelmson-Silfven. And, adding to the litany of surprises, was a very pleasant one for Norway’s Siril Helljesen who steered her lovely mare, Dorina, into Grand Prix runner-up spot.

But Kittel’s latest Freestyle victory underlines his great strength in depth.  He has 13 Grand Prix-level horses now at the base in Muenster, Germany which he has been operating for the last 15 years.  “I’m very lucky to have so many right at the moment,” he said this afternoon. “Toy Story does not have a great amount of experience but he is very talented and he really took me by surprise today!” he pointed out.

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*Featured/Spotlights, Competitions, Driving, Events, FEI, FEI

Exell Uncontested Winner in Stockholm

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Boyd Exell (AUS), winner of the third FEI World Cup Driving 2011/2012 qualifier held in Stockholm (SWE) this weekend. ©Anna Vähäkuopus/FEI

Stockholm (SWE), 27 November 2011 – Triple FEI World Cup Driving Champion Boyd Exell (AUS) is the uncontested winner of the third FEI World Cup Driving competition of the season in Sweden’s capital Stockholm. Exell drove two fluent clear rounds and finished well ahead of wild card driver Tomas Eriksson (SWE) and IJsbrand Chardon (NED).

Practice rounds

After two ‘practice competitions’ in Hannover and Stuttgart where he competed with a wild card, Boyd collected his first World Cup points of the season. He began using a new horse this season to replace some of the older horses on his four-in-hand team. After two competitions and some good advice from the previous owner Jozsef Dobrovitz, the eight-year-old trotter Bajnok is now a reliable member of Boyd’s team.

Fire works

Boyd drove two impeccable rounds in the Globen Arena in Stockholm where the enthusiastic spectators contributed to a fantastic atmosphere. Sweden’s Dan Henriksson had challenged the drivers by designing a technical course with many different options. This resulted in a very exciting competition the highlight of which was the fireworks going off when the competitors crossed the finishing line on the bridge.

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

Beerbaum Storms to Victory in Stuttgart

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Magali Dubois Vaucher from Rolex presents a Rolex time-piece to Germany’s Ludger Beerbaum who won today’s fifth leg of the Rolex FEI World Cup Jumping 2011/2012 series at Stuttgart, Germany riding Gotha. Photo: FEI/Karl-Heinz Frieler.

Stuttgart (GER), 20 November 2011 – Ludger Beerbaum claimed the honours for Germany today in the fifth leg of the Rolex FEI World Cup Jumping Western European League series on his home turf at Stuttgart.  Madeleine Winter-Schulze’s 10-year-old mare, Gotha, has been going from strength to strength in the hands of the five-time Olympian in recent months, and produced a superb jump-off round to clinch maximum points for the 48-year-old veteran who won the prestigious series title 18 years ago.

It was no walk-in-the-park afternoon for the world’s top competitors, with only six of the 39 starters finding all the answers to the demanding 13-fence first-round track set by Christa Jung.  The German course designer stretched them from the first fence to the last, and the eight retirements on course were testament to the degree of difficulty.

“It was not too technical but it was quite big – Christa did a good job,” Beerbaum said afterwards. “There were mistakes at all the fences, except, I think, the first – it was selective,” he added.

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

Stuart Tinney Jumps His Way to Adelaide HSBC FEI Classics Victory

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Stuart Tinney on Panamera jumps to victory at the HSBC FEI Classics in Adelaide. Jenny Barnes Photography/FEI.

Adelaide (AUS), 20 November 2011 – Stuart Tinney (AUS) and Panamera produced a superb Jumping clear today to clinch victory at the HSBC FEI Classics in Adelaide, the second leg of the 2012 series.

The beautiful clear riding by Tinney on the 12-year-old Staccato mare gave him enough to elevate him to the victory dais with a total of 51.30 penalties. “Frankly, I’m a little surprised to be sitting here,” said Tinney. “The mare is a lovely jumper and I knew she would jump clear if I rode her well enough.” Panamera jumped just one of four clear rounds of the 21 to start the final HSBC FEI Classics Jumping phase. “It is fantastic that HSBC has come on board and I will try to think of ways to get more HSBC points.”

“I came here to win,” declared Western Australian sheep farmer, Sonja Johnson, and she very nearly did riding Nikki Brooks’ racehorse Parkiarrup Illict Liaison. The flashy chestnut just rubbed a rail for the addition of four penalties and second place by less than a rail. Johnson, who returns to Western Australia to “commence shearing” was delighted with Liaison’s performance and hopes that this effort “has put us right back in the mix for London.”

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

Shane Rose Keeps a Cool Head on Sultry Cross Country Day at HSBC FEI Classics in Adelaide

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Shane Rose on HSBC FEI Classics debutante Taurus leads after Cross Country in Adelaide. Jenny Barnes Photography/FEI.

Adelaide (AUS), 19 November 2011 – With storm clouds threatening over the nearby Adelaide hills, Shane Rose kept his cool riding the HSBC FEI Classics debutante Taurus to come home clear Jumping and time to remain on his Dressage score moving from third to first place with 45.40 penalties.

“The secret is to have nice horses and to ride them well,” said Rose. “Taurus is a great horse and he is getting better. He was great today.”

Western Australian sheep farmer and Olympic silver medalist Sonja Johnson proved today that she is tough and is certainly no one horse wonder. Her success with the Australian Stock Horse, Ringwould Jaguar, is now part of Olympic history, but she was back to her Cross Country best today riding the barely 16hh Thoroughbred gelding Parkiarrup Illict Liason by Made of Gold.

They posted the second of just two HSBC FEI Classics Cross Country clears. Their efforts have catapulted them from 11th after the Dressage phase to second place with 49.80 penalties. “He’s a fabulous little South Australian bred Thoroughbred and he bucked a lot of jockeys off before he came to me,” explained Sonja. “He is fit and loves it out there. He is a great fun horse.” Sonja’s efforts are all the more remarkable, as she has only been able to ride since last August following a broken pelvis, the result of a riding accident.

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*Featured/Spotlights, Competitions, Driving, Events, FEI, FEI

Koos de Ronde Drives Four Clear Rounds at FEI World Cup

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Dutch driver Koos de Ronde has won the second leg of the FEI World Cup Driving in Stuttgart. De Ronde, who drove four clear rounds, was very happy to secure his first ever win in Stuttgart. Wild card driver Boyd Exell finished in second place only 0.68 seconds behind De Ronde. De Ronde’s compatriot and Hannover winner IJsbrand Chardon came third.

World Class
The seven drivers put down an excellent performance this afternoon in the Stuttgart Schleyer Halle, which was filled with enthusiastic spectators. The sensational course, designed by German course designer Falk Böhnisch, the excellent footing, the well-chosen music and the light show all contributed to a World Class Driving competition.

Exciting competition
Zoltan Lázar, Boyd Exell, IJsbrand Chardon and Koos de Ronde all drove clear rounds. Lázar was 5 seconds short to make it to the winning round and finished fourth in his first FEI World Cup Driving competition this season.

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Competitions, Contributors/Press, Eventing/H.T., Events, FEI, FEI, Media/Radio/TV Sources, Show Jumping

FEI TV This Weekend – HSBC FEI Classics in Adelaide and Rolex FEI World Cup Jumping in Stuttgart

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Lausanne (SUI), 18 November 2011 – FEI TV, the official FEI video platform, has a LIVE double bill in store this weekend.

FEI TV will be LIVE for Cross Country and Jumping at the second leg of the HSBC FEI Classics in Adelaide (AUS) AND at the fifth leg of the Rolex FEI World Cup Jumping in Stuttgart (GER) – full programme here:

Saturday 19th November

HSBC FEI Classics in Adelaide: Cross Country
– LIVE from 02.10 GMT – 04.35 GMT (03.10 CET – 05.35 CET) 12.40 – 15.05 local time
– DELAYED LIVE from 09.00 GMT – 11.25 GMT (10.00 CET – 12.25 CET) 19.30 – 21.55 hrs local time

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

Megan Jones’ Bid for HSBC Classics Points Gets Off to Perfect Start in Adelaide

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Megan Jones (AUS) in the lead after Dressage at HSBC FEI Classics in Adelaide. Jenny Barnes Photography/FEI.

Adelaide (AUS), 18 November 2011 – Experience leads the way after the Dressage phase of the Deloitte Australian International 3 Day Event, the second leg of the HSBC FEI Classics 2012 series calendar.

Crowd favourite and home town girl Megan Jones heads the leader board after the Dressage in the 4* competition riding her home-bred Kirby Park Irish Jester.

“It was exciting to be back at Adelaide with Jester,” commented Jones after her posting a winning score of 43.30. It was far from his best Dressage mark, but Jones was delighted to be in the driving seat again with her 2005 Adelaide 4* winner.

And relief it must be, as the 2006 world and 2008 Olympic team silver medalist almost died after a severe bout of travel sickness on the way to the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games in Kentucky last year.

Now, with five months preparation time and two pre-Adelaide competitions, this weekend will prove the test to determine the possibility of the 18-year-old Jester having another crack at the Olympic Games. At the end of day one Jones was glad “he remembered how to do it”.

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