Category Archives: FEI

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

FEI European Young Riders Eventing Championship, Blair Castle (GBR)

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BRITAIN CLAIMS TEAM TITLE, GERMANY’S FULLGRAEBE IS INDIVIDUAL CHAMPION by Louise Parkes

Germany's Freya Fullgraebe and Oje Oje claimed individual gold at the FEI European Young Riders Eventing Championship at Blair Castle (GBR). Photo: FEI/John Grassick.

Lausanne (SUI), 23 August 2011 – Great Britain secured team gold, while Germany’s Freya Fullgraebe took the individual title at the FEI European Young Riders Eventing Championship 2011 which was staged against the spectacular backdrop of Blair Castle in Scotland (GBR) over the weekend.

The British record in these Championships in more than impressive, with six team titles in the last seven years and joint-victory with Germany in 2010.  This time around it came down to an exciting climax on the final afternoon when they held off a strong challenge from the Irish who had to settle for silver, while Germany took bronze.

Fullgraebe’s individual success was well-deserved as she was the only competitor, from 57 starters, to finish on her dressage score.

A total of eight nations lined out in the Team Championship and seven fielded full teams including the host country, Ireland, Germany, Italy, Switzerland, France and Poland while Russia sent out just three riders.  Russia’s team chances were dashed when Elizabeta Radionova and Rafiner were eliminated.

The cross-country course proved influential as expected, with 10 eliminations and only four horse-and-rider partnerships returning within the time allowed. The arrowhead at 9c proved the most influential fence on Roland Alexander’s track.

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Championships, Competitions, Driving, Events, FEI, FEI

Twenty-four Nations Represented at 15th FEI World Pairs Driving Championships in Conty

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Reigning World Champion Harrie Verstappen (NED) will defend his gold medal in Conty. Image: Rinaldo de Craen/FEI.

The Driving world will gather in the Picardie region in France this week (24-28 August), when the Ateliers du Val de Selle will host the 15th FEI World Pairs Driving Championship in Conty. Sixty-nine competitors from 24 nations, will battle against each other for the individual and team medals, with 18 nations fielding teams and six countries sending individuals.

Amongst the competitors is reigning World Champion Harrie Verstappen (NED), who will not only defend his individual gold medal, but also help defend the Dutch team title, won at the 2009 FEI World Pair Driving Championship in Kecskemét (HUN). The 2009 silver medallist Beat Schenk (SUI) is one of the many medal favourites, as well as Vilmos Lazar (HUN), who has just recovered from several broken ribs.

The youngest competitor in Conty is the 15-year-old Anna Sandmann (GER), daughter of successful international four-in-hand driver Christoph Sandmann, who will act as her navigator in the marathon. Anna is competing as an individual.

The course design in Conty is in the capable hands of Barry Hunter (GBR), who is making his World Championship debut. Barry has been an international course designer since 2004 and has worked in the UK and the USA, including Lowther, Sandringham, Royal Windsor, Erddig, British National Championships, Live Oak, Sunshine State and Katydid events.

The Ground Jury is chaired by Dr Klaus Christ (GER) and the members are Anne-Marie Turbe (FRA), Bert Jambon (BEL), Hanspeter Rüschlin (SUI) and Diana Brownlie (GBR).

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Competitions, Eventing/H.T., Events, FEI, FEI

Johnstone Clinches FEI World Cup Eventing 2011 Series Victory

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Lausanne (SUI), 23 August 2011 – Clarke Johnstone (NZL) was celebrating with a large bottle of champagne, part of his spoils from Haras du Pin (FRA), where he finally sealed victory in the FEI World Cup Eventing 2011.

“I’ve just flown five horses from New Zealand to England, so I’m not really in credit at the moment!” joked Johnstone. “But this is a very satisfying result and I’m going to enjoy it.”

Johnstone is perennially successful in FEI World Cup Eventing – he finished fifth overall last year – but this time the 24-year-old World team bronze medallist set an unmatchable target right from the start of the season. He scored a win and a third place in his native New Zealand, at Kihikihi, and when he also triumphed in the next event in the series, at Sydney (AUS), the dye was cast.

For good measure, Johnstone completed Haras du Pin (FRA), the seventh and final event in the 2011 series, in sixth place on Kihikihi winner Orient Express, but his overall series victory was assured even before the competition started at the French venue.

Another of the younger riders, Christopher Burton (AUS), tracked Johnstone all the way, only finishing four points shy to take second place in the series.

Burton put up a magnificent fight. Having slotted into second at Kihikihi (NZL) and second and fifth at Sydney (AUS); riding the same two horses, Newsprint and Holstein Park Leilani, he then finished second and third at Haras du Pin to close the gap. But even if he had won the series climax, he would still have been an agonising one point in arrears behind Johnstone.

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

Dancer, Wrigley-Miller and Yoder Set to Drive in Their First FEI World Pair Driving Championship

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Joe Yoder winning the 2011 National Championship (Photo by Picsofyou.com)

Lexington, KY – The 2011 FEI World Pair Driving Championship get underway this week in Conty, France, and three American drivers are set to make their International Championships debut. Led by Chef d’Equipe Chester Weber and Coach Michael Freund, the U.S. will be represented by Katherin Dancer, Misdee Wrigley-Miller and Joe Yoder. These three drivers drove as a team at Reisenbeck CAI in July and earned valuable international experience which Weber believes will serve them well going into the World Championship.

Dancer, a German expatriate now lives in California where she runs a riding program – she drives a team of Warmblood horses and comes off a strong spring which featured a third place finish at the USEF National Pair Driving Championships at the Live Oak CDE in March. She is guided by her husband Scott, who serves as her navigator.

Wrigley-Miller is also driving on her first international team, but she is also hugely successful in the Saddlebred world. She drives a promising group of young warmbloods and with her pair, Wrigley-Miller had top finishes at the Live Oak CDE, Sunshine State CDE and at the German National Championships. She also competed at Great Britain’s Royal Windsor Horse Show in 2010.

She has one of the best navigators in the world, Dutch superstar Koos de Ronde, on her carriage for the marathon.

“We made that decision earlier in the year,” said Weber. “It seems to be going quite well. There was a small injury to one of her best marathon horses – but that horse is back for the World Championships and we are excited about that.”

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*Featured/Spotlights, Championships, Competitions, Endurance Riding, Events, FEI, FEI

FEI World Endurance Championships For Young Horses 2011, Compiegne (FRA)

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BAHRAIN AND UAE TAKE YOUNG ENDURANCE HORSE TITLES by Louise Parkes

Salman Isa Al Radhi from Bahrain steered Persepolia Larzac to win the 8 Year Old title at the FEI World Endurance Championships for Young Horses 2011. Photo: FEI/Gilly Wheeler.

Lausanne (SUI), 22 August 2011 – Horse and rider combinations from Bahrain and the United Arab Emirates claimed the titles at the FEI World Endurance Championships for Young Horses which took place at Compiegne in France last Friday. Over testing courses, and in intense heat, it was Bahrain’s Salman Isa Al Radhi and Persepolia Larzac who returned the quickest time in the 8 Year Old division, while the UAE’s Shames Sd Sn Al Marri produced a strong ride with Qatar La Majorie to win the 7 Year Old competition.

Endurance riding only developed into a competitive sport in the 1950s and arrived in Europe during the following decade. In 1982 it became an FEI-approved discipline, and gradually the number of events increased. In 1998 the World Championships were staged in the United Arab Emirates, with competitors from 47 Federations taking part, and this proved the catalyst for an explosion of growth in participation over the following years.

This year’s FEI World Championships for Young Endurance Horses attracted competitors from 20 countries – Austria, Bahrain, Belgium, Brazil, France, Germany, Great Britian, Italy, Luxembourg, Netherlands, Norway, Oman, Portugal, Qatar, Slovakia, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, United Arab Emirates, Uruguay.

8 Year Olds
Of the 27 starters in the 8 Year Old Championship, a total of 14 were representing France, but the host nation had to settle for silver medal position when Bahrain’s Al Radhi completed the 160 km course with an average speed of 19.442 kmh. Al Radhi, who only joined the Royal Endurance Team of Bahrain in 2011, was delighted with the performance of his mare Persepolia Larzac.  “From the third loop I could feel her speed.  I rode her in a 160km race in Germany this year and came fifth, but this is my first time in Compiegne,” he explained.

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

Who Will Make History at the HSBC FEI European Eventing Championships?

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Kristina Cook leads Great Britain to Gold at HSBC FEI European Championships 2009 in Fontainebleau (FRA). Image: Kit Houghton/FEI.

Lausanne (SUI), 22 August 2011 – The hand of history will be resting heavily on some of the 71 riders heading for this week’s HSBC FEI European Eventing Championship in Luhmühlen (GER) on 25-28 August, as anticipation mounts for what promises to be an enthralling competition.

Host nation Germany, the reigning Olympic Champions, were World Champions in 2006, and their superstar rider Michael Jung (GER) is widely tipped for yet more individual honours. But they are making no secret of their longing to win European team gold on home ground for the first time – they had to settle for silver last time in Luhmühlen in 1999.

German team trainers Hans Melzer and Christopher Bartle have some of the world’s most talented and experienced riders from which to choose a dozen representatives – the home side is allowed 12 places.

Most notable among them are the World Champion Jung, riding his fabulous horse La Biosthetique Sam, and a quartet of Olympic gold medallists: Ingrid Klimke, Frank Ostholt, Peter Thomsen and dual CCI4* winner Andreas Dibowski.

Add to that mix former Pau CCI4* winner Dirk Schrade and Luhmühlen CCI4* runner-up Sandra Auffarth, who has been taking the circuit by storm, plus a host of other consistently successful competitors, and German supporters could well be celebrating by Sunday evening.

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

FEI European Dressage Championships 2011 Day 4, Freestyle

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CORNELISSEN IS THE FREESTYLE QUEEN by Louise Parkes

On the podium after the Grand Prix Freestyle: L to R - silver medallist Carl Hester (GBR), gold medallist Adelinde Cornelissen (NED) and bronze medallist Patrik Kittel (SWE). Photo: FEI/Peter Nixon.

Rotterdam (NED), 21 August 2011 – The Netherlands’ Adelinde Cornelissen was in a class of her own as she claimed her second gold medal in two days when winning the Grand Prix Freestyle at the FEI European Dressage Championships 2011 in Rotterdam (NED) this afternoon.

Yesterday she was super-cool when topping the Grand Prix Special, despite an error of course that might have unhinged many others, but today she was simply super-confident, ultra-professional and totally concentrated as she steered Jerich Parzival to a flawless performance that left the Freestyle result beyond any doubt.  “She did a wonderful job, and was the clear winner of the day,” said Ground Jury President Ghislain Fouarge afterwards.

In a gripping competition filled with all kinds of possibilities, the spectators engaged with every competitor that came into the ring and expressed their opinion each time a result went up on the board. There was a huge roar from the home side when Cornelissen was awarded the winning mark of 88.839, but it was almost matched by the approval registered for the 84.179 achieved by silver medallist Carl Hester from Great Britain who has stolen the hearts of a whole new generation of dressage fans. Bronze went to Sweden’s Patrick Kittel whose foot-perfect test with Watermill Scandic was awarded 83.429.

These Championships have provided a refreshing boost for the sport of Dressage, as a rising tide is exposing a wealth of new human and equine talent while also highlighting the quality of the current stars.

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

FEI European Dressage Championships 2011 Day 3, Grand Prix Special

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ADELINDE DOES THE DOUBLE ON A DRAMATIC DAY IN ROTTERDAM by Louise Parkes

Adelinde Cornelissen and Jerich Parzival won gold in the Grand Prix Special at the FEI European Dressage Championships 2011 today. Photo: FEI/Peter Nixon.

Rotterdam (NED), 20 August 2011 – Adelinde Cornelissen defended her title in style when recording her second successive victory in the Grand Prix Special at the FEI European Dressage Championships 2011 in Rotterdam, The Netherlands today.  On the afternoon she claimed gold with Jerich Parzival at Windsor in Great Britain two years ago she set a new world-record with her sparkling chestnut gelding. But today’s competition was an altogether different affair as, despite the highest expectations, the leading riders all made significant mistakes including the eventual champion.

Cornelissen’s class showed through however with a superb recovery.  “I knew I had to ride double-well afterwards!” she explained, and that was exactly what she did, producing a run of late scores that not only rescued her from disaster but provided her with the ultimate accolade once again.

British riders took silver and bronze, Carl Hester and Uthopia once again displaying their massive potential, and Laura Bechtolsheimer and Mistral Hojris producing a much-improved performance to that shown in Thursday’s Team Championship in which she and her team-mates reigned supreme.

The biggest surprise of the day was the uncertain performance of Germany’s Matthias Alexander Rath and Totilas. In the team event 48 hours earlier it seemed the stallion and his relatively new rider were at last cementing their partnership, but from the outset this afternoon they were hesitant and sometimes at odds with one another. Despite that, they finished just outside a medal position in fourth place.

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

New Zealand’s Johnstone Has One Last Push in FEI World Cup Eventing

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Clarke Johnstone (NZL) - leader since first leg of FEI World Cup Eventing 2011 in Kihikihi (NZL). Photo: Kit Houghton/FEI

Lausanne (SUI), 19 August 2011 – Antipodean riders Clarke Johnstone (NZL) and Chris Burton (AUS) are making absolutely sure of their FEI World Cup Eventing bonus by travelling to the last event in the 2011 series, which is underway at Haras du Pin (FRA) today.

Both riders are now based in Britain, where they are making quite an impact on the national circuit.

They will be hard to beat in the race to secure the FEI World Cup Eventing 2011 champion title and for Clarke Johnstone this would be a sweet victory after his brilliant wins at the first and second legs at Kihikihi (NZL) and Sydney (AUS).

A strong field of 47 riders representing 12 nations will contest this popular event, including several leading French names and Olympians such as Mark Todd (NZL) and Clayton Fredericks (AUS), so the Antipodean influence is expected to be strong.

Emily Baldwin, who scored a one-two-three on Drivetime at FEI World Cup Eventing’s third leg at Chatsworth (GBR), and was last year’s Le Pin winner, had signalled that she would be returning to the final leg of the 2011 series in her quest for further points. She will be missed after suffering a broken collarbone at Gatcombe.

Follow the event on www.legrandcomplet.com.

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Competitions, Dressage, FEI, FEI, Olympic Games

Three More Teams Qualify for London 2012 Olympic Games Dressage

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Lausanne (SUI), 19 August 2011 – Sweden, Spain and Denmark qualified for the London 2012 Olympic Games as a result of their placings in yesterday’s FEI European Dressage Championships 2011 team competition. Sweden finished fourth on a score of 214.437%, Spain was fifth (211.580%), and Denmark sixth (209.985%). The three leading nations at the Championships had already achieved Olympic qualification. Gold medallists Great Britain are automatically qualified as next year’s Olympic Games’ host nation. The silver medallists from Germany and the bronze medallists from The Netherlands had previously secured their spots at last year’s Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games in Kentucky.

This brings the number of teams qualified to date for London 2012 to seven: Great Britain, Germany, The Netherlands, USA (who qualified at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games in Kentucky), Sweden, Spain and Denmark.

The next event for direct team qualification is the Pan American Games to be held in Guadalajara (MEX) from 14 to 29 October. The two best placed teams from Olympic Groups D (North America) and E (Central and South America), excluding the USA, will secure participation in London.

The Pan American Games will be followed by the two FEI-approved qualification events which will take place in Sydney (AUS) on 28 October and Ermelo (NED) on 2 November which are open to teams from the Olympic Groups F (Africa and Middle East) and G (South East Asia and Oceania). Combined standings from both competitions will be produced and the two best ranked teams, excluding the teams listed above, will qualify for London 2012.

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