Category Archives: Dressage

The Discipline of Riding Dressage

*Featured/Spotlights, Championships, Competitions, Dressage, Events, JRPR, USEF

Caroline Roffman Wins Young Adult Brentina Cup Championship at 2011 Collecting Gaits Farm/USEF Dressage Festival of Champions

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Caroline Roffman rode Beemer to the win in the Young Adult Brentina Cup Championship. (Photo courtesy of Sue Stickle)

Gladstone, NJ (September 16, 2011) – Dressage rider Caroline Roffman added another prestigious title to her growing resume, cementing her place in the history books of dressage riders by winning the Young Adult Brentina Cup Championship aboard Beemer at the 2011 Collecting Gaits Farm/USEF Dressage Festival of Champions in Gladstone, New Jersey. Roffman’s Brentina Cup victory comes on the heels of a successful 2011 Markel/USEF National Young Horse Dressage Championships at the Lamplight Equestrian Center in which she rode away with three Reserve Championships aboard San City, Bon Chance and Pie.

As dressage’s reigning “it girl,” Roffman piloted Beemer to a close victory over Olivia Lagoy-Weltz and Riffalino. Roffman said she was thrilled to ride Beemer, a sales horse owned by her trainer Lars Petersen and Global Dressage, and that the 13-year-old gelding has given her a great introduction to the Grand Prix ring.

“I had dreamed of competing at Gladstone in the Brentina Cup for years, ever since the class was developed,” Roffman said. “To win this award was so exciting, but it was mostly icing on the cake. Just being there and being part of it was thrilling.”

While Roffman has been riding Beemer throughout the year, she wasn’t certain if he would be available to compete in the Brentina Cup since he was for sale. “The opportunity Lars gave me to ride Beemer was incredible and gave me so much experience. I am so lucky and I cannot thank him enough,” Roffman said. “Beemer will now be marketed for sale and with several people already inquiring about him I doubt he will be around for long.”

Continue reading Caroline Roffman Wins Young Adult Brentina Cup Championship at 2011 Collecting Gaits Farm/USEF Dressage Festival of Champions →

Championships, Competitions, Dressage, Events, Para-Equestrian, USEF

Wentz Leads 2011 USEF Para-Equestrian Dressage National Championships

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Jonathan Wentz and NTEC Richter Scale. Photo: Lindsay Yosay McCall 2011.

Saugerties, NY – A blast of autumn greeted riders on the second day of 2011 USEF Para-Equestrian Dressage National Championships as temperatures dropped to near 40 degrees overnight. The cool weather did not stop the best Para-Equestrian competitors in the U.S. from achieving strong scores in their Freestyles. Competitors from the five different grades (athletes are graded based on the severity of their disability) of Para-Equestrian Dressage are vying for the National Championship title.

Jonathan Wentz, a member of the Kentucky Equine Research U.S. Para-Equestrian Dressage Team at the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games, heads the field in the National Championship with his WEG partner, NTEC Richter Scale.

Wentz (Richardson, TX), who has two rides in the Grade 1b division, used the experience he gained last year in Kentucky. He rode his coach Kai Handt’s NTEC Richter Scale to a score of 71.515% in Friday’s Team Test, which counts for 40% of the overall score, and produced an eye-catching Freestyle today to score 71%. Wentz will try to maintain his lead tomorrow’s finale, the Individual Test.

Wentz found that his experience at last year’s WEG has served him well: “You know what the judges are looking for,” he said. “At WEG I learned how to fight for it and read the judges’ sheets and work on what they were looking for.”

Continue reading Wentz Leads 2011 USEF Para-Equestrian Dressage National Championships →

*Featured/Spotlights, Championships, Competitions, Dressage, Events, Para-Equestrian, USEF

United States Para-Equestrians Excel at the 2011 Fall Festival of Dressage CPEDI3*

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Mary Jordan (Grade IV) and Sebastian. Photos © Lindsay Yosay McCall

Saugerties, NY – September 16, 2011 – At 7:30 a.m. Friday morning it was a brisk but beautiful 46 degrees at the 2011 NEDA Fall Festival of Dressage and 2011 USEF Para-Equestrian Dressage National Championships. Twenty-four Para-Equestrians competed in the CPEDI3* with riders from U.S.A., Ireland, Canada, Mexico, and Bermuda. Grade Ia, Ib, II, and III were dominated by United States riders.  James Dwyer of Ireland and his horse Orlando earned the Grade IV win. With the tough competition of the CPEDI3* and the National Championships hanging over the United States Para-Equestrians, the U.S.A still excelled over the rest. It may be September, but these riders are preparing and building their team for 2012 when London hosts the 2012 Paralympics.

Friday’s competition for the CPEDI3* consisted of the same scoring style as the Paralympics, the Team and Individual score of each team rider will be combined and averaged.  The lowest averaged number will be dropped from each team’s score and a final tally will be conducted.  The 2011 USEF Para-Equestrian Dressage National Championship scores are calculated with the team competition representing 40% of the total score, Saturday’s Freestyle representing 20% followed by Sunday’s Individual classes earning the last 40%. For many equestrians, this is a weekend not about scores but about first time rides, first time shows, and first time travels.

Dale Dedrick a retired Orthopedic Surgeon from Ann Arbor, Michigan is a brand new rider to Para-Equestrian Dressage. In Friday’s Team competition she earned the top score of 70.079% in Grade II. Dedrick was happy with Bonifatius’ progress and performance for his first day out.  She noted, “Bonifatius is a great horse and he has phenomenal gates.  The test today was not my best test but it was a good test.” Since being introduced to the Para-Equestrian world Dedrick has utilized a training program that fits her inability to tolerate a lot of activity for a duration of time.  She explained, “Since I have a pacemaker, I can’t tolerate a lot of activity.  Therefore, I ride in short bursts and walk for a length of time.  Those long walks on the bit have increased my horse’s back strength, endurance, and it has overall helped both of us.”

Continue reading United States Para-Equestrians Excel at the 2011 Fall Festival of Dressage CPEDI3* →

Competitions, Dressage, Events, JRPR, Pan American Games

Dressage Rider Endel Ots and Toscano Named as Alternates to the U.S. Dressage Team for the 2011 Pan American Games

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Endel Ots on Toscano. (Photo courtesy of Sue Stickle)

Gladstone, NJ (September 16, 2011) – Dressage rider Endel Ots rode away from the 2011 Collecting Gaits Farm/USEF Festival of Champions with a successful Small Tour under his belt, as well as being named the alternate for the U.S. Dressage Team at the 2011 Pan American Games in Guadalajara, Mexico. Ots competed Kristin and Steve Cooper’s KWPN gelding Toscano at Gladstone, where the 25-year-old rider held his own against veterans Steffen Peters, Heather Blitz and Cesar Parra.

“The whole weekend was really wonderful. I am very honored and excited to be an alternate. Anne Gribbons told me that both she and Steffen were alternates at one time, and then they made the team in later competitions,” Ots said. “It has been my dream to be part of a team and represent my country in international competition. I am so lucky to have the horse that I’m riding and to have such a great team that stands behind me including my trainer Lars Petersen, Toscano’s owners Kristin and Steve Cooper, Melissa Taylor, Caroline Roffman, my dad and so many others. I owe them the credit.”

Ots and Toscano, or Teddy as he is called, placed fifth at Gladstone in the FEI Intermediaire I Test with a score of 71.053%. The highly respectable placing came in a class dominated by Peters, Blitz and Parra, who will all compete for the U.S. in the Pan Am Games along with Marissa Festerling. “Teddy was super for every ride at Gladstone. I had some mistakes in the Prix. St. George but they were all mine. I got a little too excited in my aids and Teddy made some mistakes. In the Intermediaire I was much more calm. I wanted to show what Teddy could do and it was nice because every judge said ‘the horse and rider in great harmony’,” Ots said, adding that he had a few highlights at the show. “One was when we came out of the ring after our Intermediaire ride Lars said ‘good job’ and that really meant a lot to me.”

Continue reading Dressage Rider Endel Ots and Toscano Named as Alternates to the U.S. Dressage Team for the 2011 Pan American Games →

*Featured/Spotlights, Competitions, Dressage, Events, Hunter/Equitation, Media/Radio/TV Sources, National Horse Show, Phelps Media Group, Show Jumping

Dover’s World to Highlight 128th Alltech National Horse Show

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Robert Dover. Photo courtesy of Client

Wellington, FL – September 14, 2011 – Robert Dover, dressage expert and former Olympian, will host the President of the National Horse Show Association on an upcoming session of his popular radio program, Dover’s World. Mason Phelps, Jr. who also runs Phelps Media Group in Wellington, FL, will appear on the September 20th program of Dover’s World to discuss the 128th Alltech National Horse Show. Joining Phelps and Robert Dover will be Leo Conroy, co-manager of the Alltech National Horse Show and Vice President of the National Horse Show Association of America.

Tickets are already on sale for this prestigious event, and listeners can tune in to Dover’s World next Tuesday to learn all about this year’s highly-anticipated contest. Taking place this year at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, KY, the Alltech National Horse Show will feature a wide array of both hunter and jumper events. In addition, the ASPCA Alfred P. Maclay finals will also occur during the show’s five-day run, November 2nd-6th, 2011.

“There is so much excitement in the air about the first Alltech National Horse Show to take place at the beautiful Kentucky Horse Park,” commented Dover. “I am looking forward to speaking with Mason Phelps and Leo Conroy to hear of all the latest plans in the works to make the NHS better than ever! I hope everyone will tune in this Tuesday evening, September 20th, to Dover’s World, for all the information directly from the horse’s mouth!”

“With the show being in Lexington this year, there will be no shortage of topics to discuss on Tuesday’s show,” noted Phelps. “With an abundance of hunter and jumper events as well as the Maclay Finals, the competition is going to be more engaging than ever.”

Continue reading Dover’s World to Highlight 128th Alltech National Horse Show →

Competitions, Dressage, Events, Media/Radio/TV Sources

Taking It All In Gets a Lot Easier at Dressage at Devon 2011: Devon, Pennsylvania, September 27 – October 2, 2011

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September 2, 2011 (Devon, PA) – Spectators at 2011 Dressage at Devon (www.dressageatdevon.com) will be able to add multimedia to their experience. Dressage at Devon Radio, powered by FLR Sports Radio, allows guests to enhance their knowledge and education of dressage by listening to the comments and opinions of some of the foremost experts in the world of dressage.  Spectators will also get a behind the scenes listen to critiques of the rider and horse during their performance.

Starting Friday September 30th, spectators with the credit-card sized FLR Sports Radio will be able to listen in on comments from Alison Head, Sara Schmitt, and Kem Barbosa, as well as receive special announcements and content.  On Saturday September 1st the experts will include Suzanne King, Monica Sinks and Kathy Connelly.  Sunday September 2nd will include comments and opinions by Anne Moss and several others. Visitors will be able to watch the event from anywhere on the show grounds and still listen to the exclusive commentary, available only to those with a personal receiver.

Those new to Dressage will gain a true appreciation of the sport.  Professionals will gain new insights into what goes on behind the scene in the judges’ booth.

The FLR Sports Radio receiver is a lightweight credit card-sized radio receiver that comes complete with earbuds, battery and a lanyard to hang around the neck.

Continue reading Taking It All In Gets a Lot Easier at Dressage at Devon 2011: Devon, Pennsylvania, September 27 – October 2, 2011 →

*Featured/Spotlights, Championships, Competitions, Dressage, Events, Para-Equestrian, USEF

Strong Field Set to Vie for 2011 USEF Para-Equestrian Dressage National Championship

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Rebecca Hart 2010 National Champion. Photo by Fire and Earth Photography

Lexington, KY – A star-studded field of 22 horse-and-rider combinations is set to contest the USEF Para-Equestrian Dressage National Championship this weekend in Saugerties, NY. Held September 16-18 during the NEDA Fall Festival elite competition will be held in Grades 1a- IV. These championships are held in conjunction with the Saugerties CPEDI3*, which will host riders not only from the U.S. but also Bermuda, Canada, Ireland, and Mexico.

Competitors will ride three different test within their grade, the horse-and-rider combination with the highest final score will be crowned 2011 USEF Para-Equestrian Dressage National Champion. The Team Test and Individual Championship Test will both count for 40% of the overall score; the final 20% of the cumulative score will be determined by the Freestyle Test.

Seven members of the Kentucky Equine Research U.S. Para-Equestrian Dressage Team that competed at the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games will contest these championships. Jonathan Wentz, Kim Decker, Laura Goldman, Mary Jordan, Rebecca Hart, Robin Brueckmann, and Wendy Fryke look to utilize the experience they gained last fall in Kentucky.

Hart is among the most decorated athletes in para-equestrian competition, having represented the U.S. on both the World Championship and Paralympic stage. She prepared for the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games by winning both champion and reserve honors at last year’s National Championship. She will try and claim her fifth championship in six years; she was also the winner of the 2006, 2008, and 2009 National Championships, with Jessica Ransehousen’s Lord Ludger.

Continue reading Strong Field Set to Vie for 2011 USEF Para-Equestrian Dressage National Championship →

Championships, Competitions, Dressage, Events, JRPR, USEF, USEF

Barbara “Bebe” Davis Rides Away with Reserve Championship in Inaugural National Pony Rider Championship at 2011 Collecting Gaits Farm/USEF Festival of Champions

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Barbara “Bebe” Davis and her pony Bohdjan are presented with their award by Jim Wolfe and Lois Yunkins. (Photo courtesy of Sue Stickle)

Gladstone, NJ (September 14, 2011) – The inaugural USEF National Pony Rider Championships may have been a small division at the 2011 Collecting Gaits Farm/USEF Festival of Champions in Gladstone, New Jersey, but for Massachusetts resident Barbara “Bebe” Davis it was a big experience and one she will remember the rest of her life. Competing on her pony Bohdjan, Davis captured the Reserve Championship in the new National Pony division, but also experienced the thrill of victory and the agony of defeat in one single weekend.

Riders in the USEF Pony Rider Championship are the future of dressage riders for our country, and Davis said she would use her experience at Gladstone to grow and as a stepping-stone for future national competitions. Davis grew up in Cohasset, Massachusetts, and her family bought a home in New Jersey to be close to their trainer, Dr. Cesar Parra, and his Piaffe Performance Farm.  “Bohdjan did really well the first day. We came in second with a score of 63.611% while Allison Cyprus came in first with a 63.944%, so I felt confident with such a close race,” Davis said. “During the awards ceremony my pony got scared and he never settled down the rest of the weekend and was certainly nervous during our second test and didn’t perform well. I was disappointed, to say the least, because I didn’t want to let my trainer Dr. Cesar Parra down.”

Parra, who trains Davis out of his Piaffe-Performance farm in New Jersey, praised the 13-year-old rider and said disappointment was the furthest thing from his mind. “I was really proud of Bebe. It’s very special to ride at Gladstone and coming up the hill to the arena, knowing there is a crowd of people on both sides can be intimidating,” Parra said. “Bebe handled it really well and it was a great and growing experience for her. A show like the Festival of Champions makes you a better and stronger rider mentally and no one can ever take the experience, and what you gain from it, away from you.”

Continue reading Barbara “Bebe” Davis Rides Away with Reserve Championship in Inaugural National Pony Rider Championship at 2011 Collecting Gaits Farm/USEF Festival of Champions →

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

Shelly Temple to Represent US at World Pony Driving Championships

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Shelly Temple and Cooper compete in cones at the Germany National Championship in Minden, Germany, August 2011. Photo: Bettina Ruckelshaus

For the second time in her career, US National Champion Combined Pony Driver Shelly Temple and her Morgan gelding LR Ami B-Line (Cooper) will represent the US at the World Pony Driving Championships.  This year the event is held in Lipica, Slovenia, September 22-25, 2011.

Making the US Team has been a yearlong process for Shelly, Cooper, and her navigator/husband, Fran Doto.  They and other members of the long listed drivers have been competing and training under the tutelage of US driving coach, Michael Freund.  Overa August and September several long listed drivers have trained and competed in Europe.  In August, Shelly was 5th at the German National Championship in Minden, Germany where she won the dressage and cones classes for single ponies.

Shelly acknowledges the team aspect of combined driving: “I am thankful for the USEF’s support and the training and instruction from Michael Freund over the past year.  Michael’s coaching has been instrumental at improving all aspects of my driving.  I also appreciate the support of the individual donors and corporate sponsors whose products keep Cooper health, fit, and in top form: Kentucky Equine Research, Kombat Boots, Purina feeds, Omega Fields, ThinLine, Leather Therapy, and Charles Owens.  This is truly a team sport and I couldn’t be competing next week in the World Championships without the generosity of sponsors and all the great people who have donated to Team Catalyst.”

Other members of the USEF World Pony Driving Team are Miranda Cadwell, Jennifer Matheson, Wendy O’Brien, Laurie Astegiano, and Allison Stroud.  Suzy Stafford will compete as an individual.

U.S. Coverage will be available here: http://www.usefnetwork.com/coverage/archives.aspx.

More information is available here: http://www.lipica.org/en/enter-page/305?id=113.

To follow Shelly and Team Catalyst World Championship efforts, visit http://catalystdriving.blogspot.com/.

Competitions, Dressage, Events, FEI, FEI, Show Jumping

Lyon (FRA) to Host FEI World Cup Jumping and Dressage Finals in 2014

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Lausanne (SUI), 14 September 2011 – Following the withdrawal last week of Guadalajara’s (MEX) bid to host the FEI World Cup Final Jumping in 2014, the FEI Bureau has today allocated the FEI World Cup Jumping and Dressage Finals 2014 to Lyon (FRA). The French city was one of two bidders for the 2014 Finals.

“We very much regret that Guadalajara was not able to comply with the FEI requirements within the timeframe and we understand that they need some more time to put on a perfect event. They are now working on a bid for the FEI World Cup Final in 2015 and we look forward to receiving it,” said FEI Secretary General Ingmar De Vos.

“We are delighted to give the 2014 FEI World Cup Finals in both Jumping and Dressage to Lyon and look forward to spectacular sport in France.”

The FEI World Cup Jumping and Dressage Finals 2014 will run from 16-20 April.

Media contacts:
Grania Willis
Director Media Relations
grania.willis@fei.org
+41 78 750 61 42

Malina Gueorguiev
Manager Media Relations
malina.gueorguiev@fei.org
+41 78 750 61 33