Category Archives: Olympic Games

Associations/Breeds, Awards, Olympic Games

Nominations for Olympic Torch and Rings of Gold Awards

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May 25, 2012 – Nominations are now being accepted for three prestigious United States Olympic Committee awards: the Olympic Torch Award and the Rings of Gold Award for both an individual and program.

OLYMPIC TORCH AWARD (click for more information)

The Olympic Torch Award is presented to an individual in recognition of outstanding service to the U.S. Olympic Movement.

Now an annual honor, the award was first established in 1965. The recipient has made a positive impact on the Olympic Movement in the United States and has made many contributions to promoting the Olympic Ideals throughout the country.

Criteria

  • Honors an individual
  • Recognizes meaningful impact on U.S. Olympic Movement
  • Does not need to be awarded in same year of contributions

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

Steffen Peters Granted Request to Not Attend Dressage USEF Selection Trials

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Steffen Peters and Ravel at the 2011 Festival of Champions (Susan J. Stickle)

Lexington, KY – The United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) announced today that Steffen Peters (San Diego, CA) has submitted a request to not attend the USEF Selection Trials for the 2012 U.S. Dressage Team for the 2012 Olympic Games with Four Winds Farm’s Ravel. These Trials will be held as part of the USEF Festival of Champions in Gladstone, NJ. The USEF Dressage Selectors met on May 24, 2012 and approved his request to be considered for the Short List/FEI Nominated Entry on the team without attending the USEF Selection Trials in accordance with USEF Olympic Games Selection Procedure.

The USEF Selection Procedure for Dressage for the 2012 Olympic Games states:

Continue reading Steffen Peters Granted Request to Not Attend Dressage USEF Selection Trials →

*Featured/Spotlights, Competitions, Dressage, Events, FEI, Olympic Games, Para-Equestrian

Final 100 Days to London 2012 Paralympic Games

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Vladimir Vinchon (FRA) pictured at the FEI European Para-Dressage Championships 2011 in Moorsele (BEL). © Lizz Gregg/FEI

Lausanne (SUI), 21 May 2012 – Today, 21 May, marks 100 days to go to the London 2012 Paralympic Games. The International Paralympic Committee (IPC) has announced that these will officially be the biggest Games ever, with 165 countries set to participate in 21 sports over 17 days.

Para-Dressage riders from 26 nations have qualified to participate in the equestrian events, which will take place at Greenwich Park from 30 August to 4 September.

Host nation Great Britain, Germany, Denmark and Canada have qualified the maximum number of riders and will each be represented by a team of four and one individual.

Nine countries – USA, The Netherlands, Brazil, Ireland, Italy, Belgium, South Africa, Australia and France – have qualified four riders.

Continue reading Final 100 Days to London 2012 Paralympic Games →

*Featured/Spotlights, Competitions, Events, Kentucky Horse Shows, Olympic Games, Phelps Media Group, Show Jumping

Beezie Madden and Simon Win $50,000 Hagyard Lexington Classic at Kentucky Spring Horse Show

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Beezie Madden and Simon won the $50,000 Hagyard Lexington Classic at the Kentucky Spring Horse Show. Photo By: Rebecca Walton/PMG

Lexington, KY – May 11, 2012 – Tonight marked the first of two Observation Events during the Kentucky Spring Horse Show, where the victory went to long listed rider Beezie Madden aboard Simon during the $50,000 Hagyard Lexington Classic. Only two horse and rider combinations were able to complete the course without jumping or time faults, but after a long winter, second place finisher Margie Engle withdrew from the jump-off with Indigo to save him for another day. Six entries left all the fences intact during today’s class, but were just over the time allowed to add a time fault to their score. The fastest of the group was Charlie Jayne with Chill R Z, who took home the third place honors.

Tonight’s course was designed by Richard Jeffery of Bournemouth, England, and featured a triple bar-oxer double combination, an oxer-vertical double combination, and a vertical-oxer liverpool double combination. A number of faults came at the second jump, a tall vertical near the gate, and the first and last double combinations. The biggest factor was time though, with only five riders completing the course without additional infractions due to time, and only two were able to do so while leaving all the rails in place.

Continue reading Beezie Madden and Simon Win $50,000 Hagyard Lexington Classic at Kentucky Spring Horse Show →

*Featured/Spotlights, Competitions, Events, Hunter/Equitation, Kentucky Horse Shows, Olympic Games, Show Jumping, USEF

Second 2012 US Show Jumping Team Observation Event Features 15 of America’s Best Jumpers

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Reed Kessler and Cylana (Sportfot)

Lexington, KY – The second of four 2012 US Show Jumping Team Observation Events takes place this weekend at the Kentucky Spring Horse Show held at the Kentucky Horse Park. Fifteen members of the USEF Long List for the U.S. Show Jumping Team for the 2012 Olympic Games are set to contest two Observation Event classes. On Friday, these combinations will jump alongside other entries in the $50,000 Hagyard Lexington Classic and will return to the Rolex Stadium Sunday afternoon to try and top an open field in the $75,000 Commonwealth Grand Prix.

The top three combinations from the USEF Long List for the U.S. Show Jumping Team for the 2012 Olympic Games have all made the trip to Lexington to compete in this Observation Event. Seventeen-year-old Reed Kessler brings her own top-ranked Cylana, the horse she rode to the 2012 USEF National Show Jumping Co-Champion title in March. Kessler will also serve as owner and rider of fifth-ranked Mika this weekend.

Continue reading Second 2012 US Show Jumping Team Observation Event Features 15 of America’s Best Jumpers →

*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.”

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

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

Fellers and Flexible Do It Again, Flying to Victory in the $50,000 Surfside Grand Prix

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Rich Fellers & Flexible (Rick Osteen Photography)

Del Mar, CA – An international field contested the $50,000 Surfside Grand Prix presented by ShowBiz Magazine Friday evening at the Del Mar National Horse Show. Of the 26 entries in the class, six combinations were members of the USEF Long List for the U.S. Show Jumping Team for the 2012 Olympic Games. The prestigious California horse show, held at the Del Mar Fairgrounds, serves as the first of four 2012 US Show Jumping Team Observation Events. Leading the victory lap tonight were Rich Fellers and Flexible, having bested the five horse jump-off, which included three long listed combinations.

Lauren Hough was the first member of the USEF Long List for the U.S. Show Jumping Team for the 2012 Olympic Games to produce a fault-free effort over the first round. Riding Robyn Parsky’s Blue Angel, the Wellington, FL resident jumped a tidy, efficient round over the initial course. In the jump-off the 10-year-old Anglo-European mare looked on her way to producing a second clear round but slicing the turn to the penultimate jump resulted in four faults. They finished in fourth place.

Continue reading Fellers and Flexible Do It Again, Flying to Victory in the $50,000 Surfside Grand Prix →

*Featured/Spotlights, Competitions, Dressage, Events, Olympic Games, Para-Equestrian

Para-Equestrians Prepare for Houston Dressage Society Spring Classic I & II CPEDI3*

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Lauren Barwick and Off to Paris from Canada. Photo © 2012 Lindsay Y McCall for the USPEA

Katy, TX – April 25, 2012 – In two months United States Para-Equestrians will be vying for a spot on the United States Paralympic Equestrian Team heading to the London Games. With the United States Team qualified, Para-Equestrians have traveled to Houston, Texas for their last opportunity in the United States to qualify as an individual. The Houston Dressage Society (HDS) is pleased to host the Spring Classic I & II CPEDI3* sponsored by The COR Group at the Great Southwest Equestrian Center. Running concurrently with the CPEDI3* will be the CDI3*and CDI1* sponsored by North Texas Equestrian Center and $10,000 HDS Dressage Derby. Fifteen Para-Dressage horses and rider combinations will compete over three days including riders from the United States and Canada.

On Thursday, April 26, 2012, Para-Equestrian horses and riders will present their mounts for the exciting FEI Jog. On Friday, April 27, 2012, Para-Dressage competition will kick off with the Team Test, followed by Saturday’s Individual Test, and finishing with the musical Freestyle Competition and awards ceremony. Although many of the equestrian athletes have already earned their qualifying score for the 2012 USEF Paralympic Selection Trials, this will be one last opportunity to compete under international ground jury Kathy Amos Jacob (FRA), David Schmutz (USA), Kristi Wysocki (USA), and Carlos Lopes (POR). Lopes has been selected as part of the judging panel for the 2012 London Paralympics making this competition even more interesting.

Continue reading Para-Equestrians Prepare for Houston Dressage Society Spring Classic I & II CPEDI3* →

Competitions, Eventing/H.T., Events, Olympic Games, USEF

Two Additional Selection Trials Added for 2012 Land Rover U.S. Eventing Team

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Lexington, KY – Attention all U.S. Eventing applicants for the 2012 Land Rover U.S. Eventing Team: please be advised that the following CCI3*s have been added as Selection Trials for the 2012 Olympic Games Eventing Team.

Tattersalls International CCI3*, Ratoath, Ireland May 31 – June 3, 2012

Bromont International CCI3*, Bromont, Canada June 7-10, 2012

These are in addition to the Rolex Kentucky CCI4* presented by Bridgestone, the Mitsubishi Motors Horse Trials (GBR), the Jersey Fresh CCI3*, and the Saumur CCI3* (FRA) which will take place over the next four weeks.

Please contact Sara Ike at 908.326.1164 or via email: sara.ike@usef.org with any questions.

Follow the Land Rover U.S. Eventing team at http://www.usefnetwork.com/featured/2012Eventing/.

Competitions, Eventing/H.T., Events, Olympic Games, USEF

Barbury Castle Horse Trials to Serve as Final Mandatory Outing for the 2012 Land Rover U.S. Eventing Team

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Lexington, KY – The Barbury Castle Horse Trials in Marlborough, England will be the final Mandatory Outing for eventing athletes attempting to claim a spot on the U.S. Eventing Team at the 2012 Olympic Games. The event runs June 28 – July 1, 2012. More information about the competition, which will serve as a final preparation for several international teams, can be found at http://www.barburyhorsetrials.co.uk/.

As stated in the Selection Procedures, all short listed athlete/horse combinations will be required to demonstrate their continued preparation, soundness, and ability by competing at the Mandatory Outing. U.S. selectors and veterinarians will be on hand to observe.

The 2012 Land Rover U.S. Eventing team will be announced on July 2, 2012.

Contact Sara Ike at 908.326.1164 or via email, sara.ike@usef.org, with any questions.

Follow the Land Rover U.S. Eventing team at http://www.usefnetwork.com/featured/2012Eventing/.