Category Archives: FEI

Competitions, Dressage, Events, FEI, FEI

FEI Balkan Dressage Championships 2011, Istanbul (TUR)

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DOUBLE-GOLD FOR GREECE AND TURKEY, BUT ROMANIA’S ALEXANDRESCU SECURES SENIOR TITLE by Louise Parkes

Alexandra Alexopoulou from Greece claimed Young Rider Individual Gold at the FEI Balkan Dressage Championships 2011 in Istanbul (TUR) riding Marco Polo.

Lausanne (SUI), 20 JULY 2011 – Turkish riders claimed team and individual gold in the Children’s division while Greece dominated both the Junior and Young Rider Individual finals at the recent FEI Balkan Dressage Championships, Romania took the Senior title when Selina Alexandrescu and Merkur Siker Casino reigned supreme.

This year the fixture returned to Istanbul in Turkey where the very first Balkan Championships took place in 1968.  The 2011 venue was the Istanbul Equestrian Club at Maslak, and riders from four countries – Greece, Turkey, Romania and Bulgaria – participated at the event.

TWO-WAY CONTEST
Only one team championship took place, and it was the Turkish foursome of Lina Uzunhasan (Sjonnie), Ekin Karahan (Adamo), Ella Irene Gurso (Zinnia) and Karla Yona Nahmias (Ubaldi) who clinched the gold in a two-way contest with their neighbours from Greece.  It was a close-fought affair however, with just over three marks separating the two sides at the end of the competition in which the test produced by Turkey’s Nahmias and Ubaldi proved pivotal. The scores from judges Alla Soubbotina, Irmeli Summanen, Bo Jena, Maja Stukelj and Victoire Mandl gave Nahmias a mark of 71.483 which tipped the odds in favour of the Turkish side.

Nahmias had to settle for runner-up spot in the Preliminary Competition in which team-mate Lina Uzunhasan and Sjonnie came out on top.  But in the Individual Final the situation was reversed, with Uzunhasan taking silver with a score of 67.321 while Nahmias, now really into her stride, registered 72.036 to top the medal podium.  Bronze went to Kyveli Tzortzaki (Ombox Yamma Yamma Man), who, together with Vasiliki Valtairou (Chiron), Konstantina Katsiti (Gelo Notturon) and Isabella-Nina Ravini (Guinness) was a member of the silver-medal-winning Greek team.

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Championships, Competitions, Events, FEI, FEI, Show Jumping

FEI Central Asian Open Jumping Championships 2011, Astana (KAZ)

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KAZAKHSTAN’S SOLOVYOV TAKES INDIVIDUAL GOLD, RUSSIA SCOOPS TEAM TITLE by Louise Parkes

Peter Solovyov (Liebestraum Z) is awarded with his individual gold medal at the FEI Central Asian Open Jumping Championships 2011. Photo: FEI/Alexander Buikevich.

Lausanne (SUI), 18 JULY 2011 – Peter Solovyov took individual gold for the host nation at the recent FEI Central Asian Open Jumping Championship staged in Astana, Kazakhstan where Russia won the team title.  This was the third major fixture to take place in Kazakhstan this year, following the Endurance and Dressage Championships which were held in May and June.  It is a measure of the development of, and enthusiasm for, the equestrian disciplines in the region that the 2011 calendar has been such a busy one.  And Solovyov’s victory is a major boost to the small National Federation which boasts a panel of just five riders in its senior Jumping squad this season.

Solovyov’s march to individual glory was a gradual one, with his opening effort with It’s Me du Mesnil leaving him 23rd in a field of 26 starters.  It was Russia’s Karin Ruslan and Migdolas who came out on top here, ahead of Kazakhstan’s Talyat Islamov and Atom in second while another Russian, Sergey Shepelin, steered Amigo into third place.

Astana, which officially became the capital city of the newly-independent Kazakhstan in 1997, was only granted its name the following year.  In Kazakh, the word Astana means “capital”, but it also has Persian origins referring to a “threshold”, and, located where it is, on the cross-roads between East and West, that threshold has been crossed by many of its neighbours this summer as they have pursued their equestrian hopes and dreams. Competitors from five nations – Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Georgia and Urkraine – lined out in these championships.

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

Tseliapushkina in the Driving Seat, but Faminou Moves to Third in FEI World Cup Rankings

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Alena Tseliapushkina (BLR) on her 2008 Beijing Olympic horse, Passat, puts her stamp on the fifth leg of FEI World Cup Eventing 2011 in Minsk.

Lausanne (SUI), 18 July 2011 – Alena Tseliapushkina (BLR) led from the start to put her stamp on the fifth leg of the FEI World Cup Eventing held on her home ground at Minsk (BLR).

Riding her 2008 Beijing Olympic horse, Passat, she scored the only sub-50 Dressage mark and added just 1.6 time penalties across the country to finish ahead of Russian rider Mykhailo Nastenko on Coolroy Pit.

In what Technical Delegate Andy Griffiths (GBR) described as a first-class event, attended by the Belarusian Minister for Sport, there was an impressive 30 starters from Russia and Belarus. A total of 23 finished the Cross Country, with 15 of those clear over the fences and three also inside the time. Twenty-three horses completed the competition, which was televised.

Runner-up Nastenko also gained useful extra points with an eighth place, but it was Aliaksandr Faminou (BLR) who made the biggest impact on the FEI World Cup Eventing rankings by shooting into third in the standings when scooping fourth, sixth and seventh placings.

New Zealander Clarke Johnstone is still way out in front in the rankings, having won the first two events of the season. He is now based in Britain, from where he can easily compete at the next leg in Malmö (SWE) on 05-07 August 2011 and the final event at Haras du Pin (FRA) on 18-21 August to secure his pole position.

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

Dutch Make It a Hat-trick in Aachen Thriller

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Chef d'Equipe Rob Ehrens (front) celebrates The Netherlands' victory in the fifth leg of the FEI Nations Cup 2011 tonight with team members (L to R) Gerco Schroder, Jur Vrieling, Jeroen Dubbeldam and Eric van der Vleuten. Photo: FEI/Kit Houghton.

Aachen (GER), 14 July 2011 – The Dutch continued their triumphant rampage through the 2011 FEI Nations Cup series when recording their third victory of the season on the hallowed turf of Aachen, Germany tonight.  In a cliff-hanger of a competition, filled with all sorts of drama, the result was not decided until the last man entered the arena.

As it came down to the closing stages, it seemed the host nation might follow the success they enjoyed in Sweden last Friday with another memorable night on their home ground.  But two late fences down for anchorman Ludger Beerbaum and Gotha snatched defeat from the jaws of victory, and Germany was obliged to share runner-up spot with the come-back kings from Ireland and the impressive new-look British side.

The last-to-go French looked like challenging the eventual winners in a two-way showdown, but a double-error from Michel Robert and Kellemoi de Pepita put paid to that.  In cold, wet weather conditions, tonight’s contest was the toughest of tests, but an unforgettable evening of great sport.

The result has reinforced the Dutch hold at the top of the series leaderboard, but for Belgium, the USA and Denmark, things are now getting critical.  With just three legs left to go, the Americans remain in second-last spot with only the struggling Danes behind them and the Belgians 2.5 points ahead.  The Belgians failed to complete today as their recent run of form seriously unravelled.  And the French are only a single point ahead of the Belgians going into the next leg at Hickstead in two weeks’ time.  The battle at the bottom of the leaderboard is intensifying with every round.

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Competitions, Events, FEI, FEI, Show Jumping

FEI Nations Cup 2011 – Round 5, Draw Report

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IRISH FIRST INTO THE RING AT AACHEN by Louise Parkes

The draw for the fifth leg of the FEI Nations Cup 2011 took place in Aachen (GER) this evening. Photo: FEI/Dirk Caremans.

Aachen (GER), 13 July 2011 – The Irish will be first to go in tomorrow’s fifth leg of the FEI Nations Cup 2011 following the draw which took place at the German venue this afternoon.  The wet weather has failed to dampen spirits at the Soers Arena, and the draw press conference was a lively affair, although some of the team managers arrived a little late.

“I think we need a new rule – that when the Chef isn’t there we shouldn’t do the draw!” joked Ireland’s Robert Splaine whose face dropped when he realised that, in his absence, his team had been pulled out of the hat as pathfinders for tomorrow.  For once this season it seems the defending series champions from France may have fortune on their side, as they will be last to go of the eight competing nations.

The starting order is as follows: 1, Ireland; 2, Great Britain; 3, The Netherlands; 4, USA; 5, Denmark; 6, Germany; 7, Belgium; 8, France.

LESS THAN A WEEK
It is less than a week since the fourth round of the series at Falsterbo in Sweden where this week’s hosts from Germany came out on top.  The German team went to the Swedish fixture determined to improve their position on the leaderboard, and succeeded by promoting themselves to third place following a great effort from a very strong team.

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Auctions, Community/Charity, Driving, FEI, JRPR

Bid on Fantastic Items in eBay Auction to Help Champion Driver Suzy Stafford Make It to the 2011 World Pony Driving Championships

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Suzy Stafford has been long-listed for the 2011 FEI World Pony Driving Championships with her registered half-Arabian mare Miss Josephine. (Photo courtesy of Pics of You)

Chester County, PA (July 12, 2011) – World Champion driver Suzy Stafford has been long-listed for the 2011 FEI World Pony Driving Championships with her registered half-Arabian mare Miss Josephine, but before Stafford and Josie head to Slovenia the determined driver still has a great deal of work to do. Part of that work includes raising funds for the trip, so Stafford will be hosting an eBay auction beginning Friday, July 15th, featuring a variety of fabulous items both equestrian and non-equestrian.

All proceeds from the auction will go toward funding Stafford and Josie’s World Championship trip to Slovenia.  ”I am really excited that people will have the chance to bid on so many great items, from a week’s vacation in Maine to many, many equestrian related items,” Stafford said, adding that she wants to thank her many supporters who donated items to the auction. “I am truly grateful to all my supporters! I would like to thank all the donors of these wonderful items for their on-going support and generosity including Dover Saddlery, Shawn Faust, Jim Graham, Hidden Valley Acres, Bit of Britain, Beth and Dan Steinke, Chester Weber, Dansko, Unionville Feed, Weyerbacher Brewing Company, Vita Flex, Unionville Saddlery, Fridays’s Horse, Jewelry by Moolenschot, Equine Journal, Larry Poulin, Stoltzfus Farm Service, Inc., and Harness by Smucker.”

Some of the items in Stafford’s eBay auction include: a one-week vacation waterfront rental house in Maine; a personal brewery tour and tasting by the owner/brewer of Weyerbacher Brewery in Easton, Pennsylvania; a new deluxe Black with Brass Harness by Smucker; a “signed” Breyer Model of Jamaica, Chester Weber’s Horse of the Year; a “signed” Breyer model of Stafford’s Gold Medal driving pony Cefnopark Bouncer; a new Charles Owen Helmet; a “signed” print from Delaware artist Shawn Faust; a one-hour photography lesson with nationally recognized photo journalist Jim Graham; training with Bronze and Silver Medal Dressage rider and trainer Stacey Parvey-Larrson; a pair of Dansko shoes of your choice; and a new bridle.

Continue reading Bid on Fantastic Items in eBay Auction to Help Champion Driver Suzy Stafford Make It to the 2011 World Pony Driving Championships →

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

Sweden Soars to the Top of the Promotional League Table

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L to R - Arthur Gustavo Da Silva (La Toya), Christina Liebherr (LB Callas Sitte Z), Claudia Gisler (Touchable) and Niklaus Schurtenberger (Fifty Fifty) pictured during the prize-giving with Chef d'Equipe Urs Gruning in the foreground. Photo: FEI/Drammen Press.

Lausanne (SUI), 12 July 2011 – Sweden holds the lead in the 2011 FEI European Promotional League series following consistently good results over the past few weeks. Carrying 49 faults, they have a good advantage over the Italians and Swiss who are playing cat-and-mouse in second and third places respectively, but with only a single point separating them.  The battle for promotion to the Top League FEI Nations Cup series in 2012 is a tough one, and the Swedes are showing just how hungry they are to return to the elite level of the sport from which they were relegated at the end of last season.

It was the Swiss who held sway at the European Promotional League leg in Drammen, Norway last month, but it was a close call when they only pipped the runners-up from Turkey by a single fault.  Switzerland’s Arthur de Silva (La Toya 111), Niklaus Schurtenberger (Fifty Fifty), Claudia Gisler (Touchable) and Christina Liebherr (LB Callas Sitte Z) completed with a total of eight faults, but a double-clear from former Irish team member Gerry Flynn (SIEC Ledgepoint), who has been flying the Turkish flag in recent years, put Turkey in a strong position.

However Cagri Basel (SIEC Goldrush) followed an opening zero score with 15 faults, and when Omer Karaevli (Dadjak Ter Puttenen) added five more to his first-round time penalty and Burak Azak (SIEC Castelo Branco) lowered just one fence in the second round, then the Turkish total of nine left them frustratingly close to challenging the Swiss to a third-round jump-off.

PARTICULARLY REMARKABLE
Poland finished third with 22 faults, particularly remarkable considering they fielded only a three-man team and particularly impressive as pathfinder, Msciwaj Kiecon (Urbane) produced two flawless performances.  Sweden picked up 10.5 valuable points when slotting into joint fourth with Denmark – Sweden’s Peder Fredricson and H&M Arctic Aurora Borealis producing the third double-clear of the competition – while Italy slotted into sixth ahead of Finland in seventh and the host nation of Norway in eighth place.

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Championships, Competitions, Events, FEI, FEI, Show Jumping

FEI European Jumping Championships for Children, Juniors and Young Riders 2011

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A DOUBLE GOLD FOR BELGIUM AND ITALY AS NEXT GENERATION TAKES CENTRE STAGE by Louise Parkes

Pictured (L to R): Nicola Philippaerts (team and individual gold), Victor Kumps, Jessica Geurts and Olivier Philippaerts, (front) Chef d'Equipe Rik Deraedt. Photo: FEI/Michael Steiger.

Lausanne (SUI), 11 JULY 2011 – Rising stars, and many with familiar names, shone brightly at the FEI European Jumping Championships for Children, Juniors and Young Riders 2011 staged in Comporta (POR) over the weekend.  Nicola and Olivier Philippaerts, twin sons of long-time Belgian senior team rider Ludo Philippaerts, were members of the victorious Belgian Young Rider side, and 18 year Nicola also took the individual Young Rider title.  Meanwhile Virginia Caruso confirmed the competitiveness of Italian jumping right now when helping to scoop Junior team gold before also taking the individual honours yesterday.

Ireland clinched the first gold medals on offer in Saturday’s Children’s Team decider. But it was Lisa Nooren, daughter of world-famous coach Henk Nooren who is currently managing the French senior team, who came out on top in the Children’s individual competition the result of which, like so many of the other classes at these championships, had to be decided by a jump-off.  The quality of competition was extraordinary, with the top four riders producing flawless performances over five tough rounds, but Nooren and the 10 year old Dutch-bred Ubalia produced a superior turn of foot against the clock that left them with an advantage of more than 2.5 seconds over silver medallist Paul Delforge (Kaloubet d’Toureelle) from France, while Belgium’s Maxine de Pelsmaeker (Whippersnapper) claimed the bronze. Hungary’s Zoltan Lazar Jr (Afrodite) finished just outside the medal placings when second-quickest across the line, but with a single fence on the floor this time out.

Individual Children’s Champion Nooren said her victory was a family effort.  “It is a great privilege to have a father like mine.  He cannot often be at the competitions with me, so my mother coaches me, but at home the three of us work together as a group,” she explained.

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

Mission Accomplished by Germany at Falsterbo

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The German team of Carsten Otto Nagel, Thomas Voss, Marco Kutscher and Ludger Beerbaum pictured with Chef d'Equipe Heinrich Hermann Engemann after winning today's fourth leg of the FEI Nations Cup 2011 at Falsterbo, Sweden. Photo: FEI/Lotta Gyllensten.

Falsterbo (SWE), 8 July 2011 – It was a case of “mission accomplished” for the German team at Falsterbo, Sweden today when they won the fourth leg of the FEI Nations Cup 2011 and consequently rocketed up the series leaderboard to third place.  In a thrilling competition that saw the defending double-champions share runner-up spot with the host nation as, at last, the pendulum of good fortune began to swing back in the direction of the French, the Dutch had to settle for fourth ahead of the Irish in fifth while the USA clinched sixth place.

The withdrawal of Tim Stockdale and Fresh Direct Kalico Bay left the British vulnerable in the second round and in seventh at the end of the day despite otherwise consistently good performances. And while the Belgians finished eighth with a big score of 47 faults on an afternoon they will probably not care to remember, it was an even more difficult day for the Danes who finished last and are now so far behind at the bottom of the league table that it seems nothing can save them from relegation in their debut season of top-level Nations Cup jumping.  Punished in the first round by the elimination of anchorman Thomas Velin who seemed at odds with his long-time ride Godsend du Reverdy, their chances were completely crushed when Tina Lund’s Qrispy D Ive Z simply refused to take part in the second round.

LEVEL PEGGING
The Germans and Swedes were in the lead on level pegging with just four faults apiece at the end of the round one, followed closely by the Irish carrying eight and then the French with 12, the Dutch with 13, the USA with 15 and the British with 16 faults on the board.  Denmark and Belgium were already trailing the field with 25 and 27 faults respectively, the 34 faults collected by last-line-rider Jan Vinckier (Ursela) seriously compromising Belgian chances.  But to say he was unfortunate second time out would be a complete understatement.  The triple combination – vertical, oxer, vertical – at fence eight was the bogey of the day, but Ursela had lowered only the previous oxer before she slipped on landing over the second element of the treble and slid to a stop in front of the third.  Persistent rain throughout the opening round had necessitated the movement of some fences to better ground, but it still proved increasingly challenging as the competition progressed.

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

FEI Nations Cup Jumping Gets Back Underway at CSIO5* Falsterbo

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Charlie Jayne and Athena. Photo by Sophie Durieux.

Lexington, KY – FEI Nations Cup Jumping gets back underway tomorrow at CSIO5* Falsterbo. After a month’s hiatus, the world’s top show jumping teams will return to the ring in Sweden. The U.S. has drawn the first position of the nine teams for their Chef d’Equipe George Morris.

Charlie Jayne will lead things off for the U.S. with The London Group’s Athena. This pair has jumped in the Nations Cups in La Baule, Rome, and St. Gallen making this their fourth consecutive appearance.

Two Young Riders will jump in the second and third positions. Saer Coulter and Copernicus Stables’ Springtime will follow Jayne into the ring and Lucy Davis will ride Old Oak Farm’s Nemo 119 in the third position. Both Team Gold medalists at the 2010 Adequan FEI North American Junior & Young Rider Championships presented by Gotham North, they contested their first Nations Cup at CSIO4* Buenos Aires last fall. They are now also taking their first step into the top level of CSIO5* jumping together.

Christine McCrea will jump in the anchor spot on Romantovich Take One for Candy Tribble. This pair has been brilliant in Europe so far, jumping two clear rounds over a tough track in St. Gallen’s Nations Cup and then jumping to third in the Grand Prix two days later.

For more information about these riders, please visit: http://www.usefnetwork.com/featured/2011FEINationsCup/ which will also feature footage of the American competitors once the competition is over. Live coverage is available at www.feitv.org.