Category Archives: Hunter/Equitation

Hot Wheels Rolls to Victory with Darragh Kerins in $8,000 G&C Farm 1.45m Jumpers

Darragh Kerins (IRL) and Hot Wheels won the $8,000 G&C Farm 1.45m Jumpers. Photo © Sportfot

Wellington, FL – February 1, 2012 – The FTI Consulting Winter Equestrian Festival welcomed exhibitors for the fourth week of competition, which starts today and goes through Sunday, February 5. In the opening class in the International Arena, Darragh Kerins (IRL) guided Hot Wheels to victory in the $8,000 G&C Farm 1.45m Jumpers.

Week four of the FTI WEF runs February 1-5, and is sponsored by Adequan. The Budweiser Clydesdales will be making two appearances at the FTI WEF this week. The first will be before the $80,000 Adequan Grand Prix, CSI 2* on Saturday, February 4, and again on Sunday, February 5 before the Suncast 1.50m Championship Jumper Classic. The 2012 FTI Winter Equestrian Festival has 12 weeks of competition that conclude on April 1, 2012, and they will be awarding more than $6 million in prize money through the circuit.

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Alltech National Horse Show Announces 2012 Dates and Locations for ASPCA Maclay Regionals

Sarah Milliren of Sapula, OK, won the 2011 ASPCA Maclay National Championships. Photo Credit: Rebecca Walton/PMG

Lexington, KY – February 1, 2012 – The Alltech National Horse Show, 129th edition is pleased to announce the dates and locations for this year’s ASPCA Maclay Regional competitions. The horse shows’ qualifying classes determine which riders will compete in this year’s ASPCA Maclay National Championship, which will be held at the Alltech Arena in Lexington, Kentucky on November 4, 2012.

The ASPCA Maclay Horsemanship class has been held since 1933, and it is one of the most prestigious competitions for junior riders in the United States. Its winners are some of the biggest names in equestrian sport. Previous winners include: William Steinkraus in 1941, Frank Chapot (1948), George Morris (1952), Leslie Burr Howard (1972), Stacia Klein Madden in 1987, and Nicole Shahinian Simpson in 1992. The 2010 ASPCA Maclay National Championship winner was Hayley Barnhill, and in 2011 Sarah Milliren was named the winner.

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The NARG Top 25 of 2011 – See Who’s Best in Show

Year Two: The NARG Top 25 Shows in North America Are Revealed

Wellington, FL – February 1, 2012 – Following the overwhelmingly positive response to our 2010 Top 25 report, NARG’s host of volunteers once again invested hundreds of hours to numerically evaluate 50 of the top horse shows in North America. The 2011 results are an interesting mix of events – including a couple of Canadian champions, a promising new beginning for The National Horse Show, several new discoveries and two most improved shows.

Canada claimed the top two spots this year. The highest marks once again go to Spruce Meadows, a venue that continues to exemplify our aspirations for great sport in North America. The number two title this year goes to a Canadian discovery, Thunderbird Show Park. Both venues are tremendous places to compete and show jumpers should seriously consider adding these solid examples of top tournaments to their summer schedule.

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Jacksonville Winter Series Week 3

Jersey Boy & Jennifer Alfano

The Jacksonville Winter Series has come and gone.  We enjoyed a fantastic three weeks of shows that were marked with great exhibitor parties, superb competition, camaraderie, perfect weather and a touching & successful benefit dinner.  Thank you to all of our exhibitors who supported not only the series, but the Wounded Warrior Project & the Clay County 4-H as well.  In excess of $14,000 was raised for these very worthy causes.

Congratulations to the following Circuit Champions:
Adult Amateur Hunter – Cezanne & Carrie Ettinger
Adult Amateur Jumper – Leroy Brown 17 & Kelly Maloney
Amateur Owner Jumper – Thoughtful & Keri Guanciale
Children’s Hunter – Unlimited & Madison Maners
Children’s Jumper – 2 The Nines & Sophia Bertot
Green Pony Hunter – Blue Ridge Sweet Dreams & Devin Seek
High Performance Hunter – MJ & Mary Eufemia
Junior Hunter – Felicci & Caroline Kellog
Junior/Amateur Owner Jumper – Tanimara & Anne Bingler
Short/Long Stirrup Hunter – Barrington’s Brew of Magic & Samantha Palermo
Pony Hunter – Tuscany & Ashton Alexander
Pre-Children’s/Adult Hunter – Summer Daze & Patricia Simpson Zeh
Pre-Green Hunter – Summer Daze & Patricia Simpson Zeh

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Jennifer Alfano and Jersey Boy Take Jacksonville Winter A to Z by Storm

Jennifer Alfano and Jersey Boy won the $25,000 USHJA International Hunter Derby during the last week of the Jacksonville Winter Series A to Z. Photo By: Flashpoint Photography

Buffalo, NY – January 31, 2012 – As 2012 kicks off for SBS Farms, Inc., it is apparent that nothing is going to stand in their way. Professional rider and trainer Jennifer Alfano rode Jersey Boy to a spectacular win in the Jacksonville Winter Series $25,000 USHJA International Hunter Derby last week. She and her mounts have earned numerous distinctions in the hunter rings, riding to the top scores with ease and consistency.

Alfano rode Jersey Boy to the reserve championship in the High Performance Hunters earlier in the week, earning the first and second place ribbons over fences as well as the blue ribbon for their efforts in the handy course. The team was only getting started for the week.

“Jersey Boy was awesome this week; he did great in the High Performance Hunters and then was spectacular for the derby,” Alfano described. “The first round he went around really lightly and skillfully but in the handy he was really just beautiful.”

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FTI Consulting Winter Equestrian Festival: Week Three Wrap-up and Week Four Upcoming Events

Wellington, FL – January 30, 2012 – The FTI Consulting Winter Equestrian Festival finished its third week of competition with success for hunter, jumpers, and equitation riders. The third week of the FTI WEF was sponsored by Horseware Ireland. The fourth week, sponsored by Adequan, is on February 1-5. The 2012 FTI Winter Equestrian Festival has 12 weeks of competition that conclude on April 1, 2012, and they will be awarding more than $6 million in prize money through the circuit.

Upcoming Events for Week Four – Don’t Miss These Exciting and Fun Activities!

The Lunch & Learn Series, presented by World Development Group, will continue this week on Thursday, February 2, at The Wellington Club. Admission is free and lunch is provided. No prior equestrian knowledge is required to attend the events. This week’s class, “Degenerative Joint Disease in the Equine Athlete,” features speaker Dr. Victoria Maxwell and is sponsored by Adequan. Every attendee at the Lunch & Learn Series will be entered to win a grand prize.

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EQUUS Foundation’s Fete Cheval – Fun for All & All for Fun!

McLain Ward and Louise Serio at the 2011 Fete Cheval. Photo courtesy of Phelps Media Group.

WESTPORT, CT – January 30, 2012 – With equestrians representing the dressage, eventing, hunter, jumper, and polo communities, the EQUUS Foundation’s signature event at the Winter Equestrian Festival, Fete Cheval, promises to be the most entertaining event for horse enthusiasts this season in Wellington, Florida.

The Fete Cheval presented by Spy Coast Farm will be held on Friday, March 9, 2012, and feature cocktails, an auction, dinner in the exclusive International Club with a ringside view of the evening’s entertainment in the International Arena.

“What makes the Fete Cheval so unique is that it is all about fun, and lets very serious riders demonstrate their natural competitive spirit in games that they all recall from their youth,” said Elizabeth Press, co-chairing the event with Hillary Dobbs and Patricia Keenan, ” – games like Musical Stalls, Sit a Buck, and others.”

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Katie Dinan and Nougat Du Vallet Capture $50,000 Horseware Ireland CSI2* Grand Prix

Lili Hymowitz Sweeps the Gotham Small Pony Hunter Division with a Little “Bit of Love”

Katie Dinan and Nougat du Vallet. Photos © Sportfot

Wellington, FL – January 29, 2012 – Eighteen-year-old Katie Dinan (USA) and Grant Road Partner’s Nougat Du Vallet led the victory gallop in the $50,000 Horseware Ireland CSI 2* Grand Prix this afternoon at the 2012 FTI Consulting Winter Equestrian Festival (FTI WEF). Running through April 1, 2012, the FTI WEF will award more than $6 million in prize money throughout its 12-week circuit. Today’s class concluded the third week of competition, sponsored by Horseware Ireland.

Thirty-seven entries showed in this afternoon’s grand prix over a course set by Olaf Petersen, Sr. of Germany. Fifteen were able to clear the first round course to advance to the jump-off, and seven finished the class double clear. The lead changed hands several times throughout the jump-off as riders chased the clock, but it was Katie Dinan and Nougat Du Vallet, second to last in the order, who captured the win. The pair blazed through the course in 37.36 seconds for their first major grand prix victory.

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Stadium Jumping, Inc. Hosts 2012 Tampa Equestrian Series March 28 – April 7, 2012

Kent Farrington and Uceko won the 2011 Gene Mische American Invitational, presented by G&C Farm. Photo by: James Parker/Kathy Russell, The Book LLC

Tampa, FL – January 30, 2012 – Stadium Jumping, Inc., one of the nation’s leading horse show production companies, is pleased to announce the official dates of the 2012 Tampa Equestrian Festival and 40th Annual $200,000 Gene Mische American Invitational presented by G & C Farm. The world’s top equestrians will come together for two weeks of competition, held from March 28 – April 7, 2012 at the Bob Thomas Equestrian Center at the Florida State Fairgrounds in Tampa, FL.

The Tampa Equestrian Series will kick off its two weeks of competition with the Tampa Bay Classic CSI-W, which is scheduled for March 28 – April 1, 2012. It will be followed by the Tournament of Champions CSI, which will be held April 3-7, 2012.

The 40th Annual $200,000 Gene Mische American Invitational, presented by G&C Farm, will be the highlight event on the final day of competition, April 7, at the Raymond James Stadium in Tampa. The world’s top horses and riders will gather to compete under the lights during one of the premier show jumping events in the United States.

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Pensacola and Jacksonville Circuit Champions and Other News

Today was a kind of sad day in Pensacola because it’s the day we say good-bye and pack, but are very excited to head to our flagship show in Gulfport.  Success is the best word to describe the new Florida winter circuit in Pensacola.  We did not get the numbers we were hoping for our first year but all the divisions filled and our Grand Prix classes jammed the stands with spectators.  We have signed on the dotted line to come back next year and maybe even for four weeks.

I flew back and forth for three weeks from east to west spending my time at both circuits in north Florida.  I will be glad to stay in one time zone when we get to Gulfport next week.

The shows in Jacksonville were also a success.  Again, the shows were lighter than they have been in the past but the shows ran well, thanks to a great crew and staff.  The shows in Jacksonville will run in 2013 and NFHJA is also planning four weeks next year.

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