Logos of the USPEA, 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games, Horse Radio Network, and Kentucky Performance Products. Logos property of their respective owners.
Thousand Oaks, CA – June 14, 2010 – The United States Para-Equestrian Association (USPEA) would like to thank everyone involved with the Para-Webathon, which occurred on June 8, 2010 at 7:00 PM. Broadcasted from the studios of Alltech, the Para-Webathon was presented by the USPEA and Horse Radio Network. For two hours supporters for the United States Para-Equestrian Team were able to call or click to donate to the Para-Equestrians. The Para-Webathon was a very successful event bringing in $10,000 to support the organization. The USPEA will be using this money for the 10 riders that will travel to Lexington, Kentucky, for the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games. The Para-Webathon would not have achieved its success without the volunteers, equestrians, Alltech, Horse Radio Network, and Kentucky Performance Products.
Todd Flettrich and Otto. Photo by Susan J. Stickle.
Wellington, FL – June 14, 2010 – Dressage rider Todd Flettrich will depart for Europe the week of June 14, 2010, to compete in international competition with his Grand Prix mount Otto, a 13-year-old Danish Warmblood gelding (Rambo X Rampal), owned by Cherry Knoll Farm. Flettrich plans to begin his trip competing in Fritzen, Austria, and will then head to the Falsterbo Horse Show CDI 5* in Sweden on July 8-11, 2010. Flettrich will then show at The World Equestrian Festival at CHIO Aachen on July 9-18, 2010.
CHIO Aachen is the “Official International Equestrian Tournament of the Federal Republic of Germany” and the #1 ranked horse show in the world. It is a huge honor for Flettrich and Otto to be invited to compete amongst many of the world’s greatest horses and riders at this illustrious event. Flettrich will use the opportunity to gain exposure on the world stage and experience championship competition on the international level as he prepares for the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games (WEG).
Rich Fellers and Flexible won the opening World Cup Qualifier at Thunderbird Show Park. Photo By: Totem Photographics.
Unlucky number seven narrows the field at Thunderbird Show Park
Langley, BC (June 8, 2010) – Thunderbird Show Park welcomed international riders from four continents to the CSI2*-W Keg Steakhouse & Bar World Cup on Saturday. Twenty-six entries from Canada, the United States, Ireland and Venezuela challenged Peter Holmes course, but with a technical triple combination and 1.60m vertical at fence seven, just three advanced to the jump-off. Rich Fellers and Flexible were flawless through two rounds to finish with the only double clear of the day and a win in the season’s first World Cup class for the FEI North American League.
“Flexible loves this ring and he’s comfortable here, so I came in today feeling really good about letting him do his thing,” explained Fellers. “I had a little touch on that number seven fence in the first round, so in the jump-off I took it wide and gave it extra time to make sure that I didn’t take it out.”
Thousands Oaks, CA – June 7, 2010 – The United States Para-Equestrian Association (USPEA) would like to announce that it is now a 501(c)(3) public charitable organization. The USPEA provides programs, clinics, and competition opportunities for athletes with physical disabilities. Riders compete under the United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) rules during their competitions and many of the athletes compete at the highest level of their sport. Becoming a 501(c)(3) was a momentous occasion for the USPEA. This status will encourage donors, supporters, and equestrian enthusiasts to supply funding for the United States Para-Equestrians.
The show season of 2010 is going to be exciting for the USPEA as it will be the first year that the Para-Dressage discipline will compete on the world stage at the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games in Lexington, KY. As the number of Para-Equestrian participants expands and more of the public becomes aware of this unique equestrian discipline, the Para-Equestrians will continue to need more support. The USPEA would like to see this type of benefaction continue through the World Games, the 2012 London Olympics, and beyond.
Thousand Oaks, CA – June 2, 2010 – This year is the most exciting calendar year for the United States Para-Equestrian Team in history. It will be the first time ever that the Para-Dressage team will compete with all of the equestrian disciplines at the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games (WEG) in Lexington, KY. The hopeful WEG riders first stop this summer was May 28-30, 2010, in Ashburn, Ontario, Canada. While in Canada riders earned top scores for their performances including the Silver Medal for the United States. Riders used this show as their last big qualifier for the 2010 World Equestrian Games Selection Trials scheduled for June 24-27, 2010 held at the Lamplight Equestrian Center in Wayne, Illinois.
The Para-Equestrian’s journey to Ashburn, Ontario, Canada was to compete at the WindReach International Para-Dressage CPEDI3* and WindReach EC Gold Para-Dressage Competition. This FEI event was an official qualifier for WEG.
Lexington, KY – June 2, 2010 – On Friday, May 21, 2010, third graders from Simmons Elementary School in Woodford County, Kentucky, had a chance of a lifetime. The young children visited the spectacular Kentucky Horse Park as part of the SPEAKS program. The acronym stands for Supporting and Promoting Equine Awareness in Kentucky Schools (SPEAKS) program. The SPEAKS program is a way to take equine education to the next level. Bobby Murphy, who has been the main component of spreading the SPEAKS vision, visited Simmons Elementary School in December 2009 and found that the program can be just as effective in the classroom as it could be at the Kentucky Horse Park. Five months later he fulfilled his promise to bring the children to the Kentucky Horse Park for this wonderful opportunity.
Representatives from Young Professionals Committee of the United States Hunter Jumper Association (USHJA), ambassadors from Just World International, and young riders from the Kentucky Spring Classic were present to teach the children many basics about the sport and what makes horses so important in their lives. Continue reading Kentucky Horse Shows, LLC, Hosts SPEAKS Program at the Kentucky Horse Park→
Wellington, FL – May 28, 2010 – Dressage rider Todd Flettrich rode in a Steffen Peters clinic at Carol Cohen’s Two Swans Farm recently, continuing to stay at the top of his game in preparation for the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games (WEG). Based in Coatesville, PA, and Wellington, FL, Flettrich has had a fantastic season with his mount Otto, a 13-year-old Danish Warmblood gelding (Rambo X Rampal), owned by Cherry Knoll Farm. The pair has earned several top placings throughout the country and is qualified to compete in the Selection Trials for the Games, which will determine who rides on the Team in Lexington, KY, this fall.
Flettrich spent two winters training with Steffen Peters in California earlier in his career, and was thrilled to have the opportunity to get some tips from the renowned rider during this important show season. “I think that Steffen is a super rider and trainer, and I feel that he has so much to offer to the sport,” Flettrich noted. “Steffen commented on similar things that I work on with Hubertus [Schmidt] and Oded [Shimoni], but he doesn’t see us on a regular basis, so his attention was brought right to our problems and he addressed them quickly. I rode Otto the first day in a snaffle and I rode him the next day in a double, and I thought the horse went great. Everything Steffen said was very helpful and I feel like I got so much out of working with him.”
Brandon Boterf and Freckles garnered a gold medal in the Western Stock Seat Equitation, as well as a silver medal in the Working Trails at the Special Olympic State Equestrian Games. Photo Courtesy of the VTRC.
Loxahatchee, FL – May 27, 2010 – The Vinceremos Therapeutic Riding Center (VTRC) recently returned from the Special Olympic State Equestrian Games, held May 21-22, where 16 of their top students had the opportunity to compete. This year’s competition was held at the Florida State Fairgrounds in Tampa, FL.
VTRC took home five gold medals, nine silver medals, nine bronze medals, five fourth place ribbons, two fifth place ribbons and one sixth place ribbon. The team representing VTRC included 16 riders who participated in 19 events. The events included English and western equitation, trail ride competition, dressage, and pole bending. VTRC had numerous riders compete in the level ‘A’ classes that requires them to walk, trot, and canter unassisted. Pole Bending proved to be one of the most successful events for VTRC as all of the athletes maneuvered exceptionally well through the poles.
Wellington, FL – May 21, 2010 – Gigi Stetler, owner of RV Sales of Broward, recently prevailed in her protest against Equestrian Show Holdings LLC, over trespassing charges alleged to have occurred at the 2010 FTI Winter Equestrian Festival. Stetler and RV Sales of Broward have been a longtime sponsor at the Winter Equestrian Festival in Wellington, FL, and have had a standing sponsorship contract since 1992. In 2010, however, the Winter Equestrian Festival chose not to renew Stetler’s sponsorship contract after securing her confidential client list under the ruse they were getting in line to prepare files for the 2010 show year.
According to Stetler, she was on the show grounds at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center as a “spectator, exhibitor and participant of the horse show,” the weekend of February 12-14, 2010 and had an enjoyable show. Then on February 16, 2010, she received a cryptic email letter advising her that she was not permitted on any of the show grounds and should she come on the grounds she would be arrested for trespassing. This warning was sent on behalf of property owners, not the show Licensee, and was not defined in time and scope. After attempting to rectify the problem head-on with the property owners and getting nothing but delay and inattention, Stetler filed a protest with the USEF for the horse show refusing her entries and not allowing her on the show grounds. On March 24, 2010, Stetler was given a full day hearing, with all parties in attendance, with the USEF Hearing Committee in Lexington, Kentucky, and on May 17, 2010, the USEF made a unanimous decision in Stetler’s favor.
Todd Minikus and Pavarotti tied with Cara Raether and Ublesco for the first place prize in the $55,000 Mary Rena Murphy Grand Prix at the Kentucky Spring Classic. Photo By: Lindsay Y McCall/PMG.
Lexington, KY – May 22, 2010 – Tonight’s amazing finish in the $55,000 Mary Rena Murphy Grand Prix, sponsored by Audi of Lexington, will go down in history. The crowd went wild when Todd Minikus and Pavarotti crossed the finish line in an exciting 35.24 seconds to take over the lead during the jump-off, but when Cara Rather and Ublesco managed to stop the timers at the same 35.24 seconds the night became historical.
The fantastic grand prix at the Kentucky Spring Classic was held in the Main Stadium, site of the show jumping events for the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games, with the course designed by Conrad Homfeld. The first round had 16 jumping efforts that included a liverpool, a double combination, and a triple combination. Ten riders were able to complete the first round without fault and advance to jump-off. The short course began over a single vertical and a made a sharp right turn to a single oxer before making a left turn to the oxer-vertical double combination. Riders then made a made dash to a single vertical, which they had to slice before continuing to a single oxer. Finally they made a full circle to a single vertical before galloping home over a large oxer towards the gate.
