Category Archives: Show Jumping

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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Christine McCrea Honored with 2012 Whitney Stone Cup from USET Foundation

The USET Foundation presented Christine McCrea (center) with the Whitney Stone Cup. Photo By: Phelps Media Group

Gladstone, NJ – January 30, 2012 – The United States Equestrian Team Foundation is pleased to announce that Pan American Games Show Jumping Team and Individual Gold medalist Christine McCrea of East Windsor, CT, is the recipient of the 2012 Whitney Stone Cup. The award is presented annually to an active competitor who displays consistent excellence in international competition and high standards of sportsmanlike conduct while serving as an ambassador for the United States and equestrian sport. McCrea represented the United States on numerous occasions in 2011 with her talented mount, Romantovich Take One, and earned Show Jumping’s Individual Gold medal at the 2011 Pan American Games with five clear rounds.

McCrea was presented with the trophy during the USET Foundation’s benefit, “An English Country Evening”, at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center in Wellington, FL, on January 27, 2012.

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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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Kutscher and Obolensky Are in a Class of Their Own at Zurich

YouTube: http://youtu.be/wK0-_t4Gq08

Photo: FEI/Karl-Heinz Frieler.

Zurich (SUI), 29 January 2012 – Germany’s Marco Kutscher steered Cornet Obolensky to victory in the tenth qualifying leg of the Rolex FEI World Cup Jumping Western European League 2011/2012 series at Zurich in Switzerland this afternoon.  The 13 year old stallion produced an exhibition of effortless jumping to outclass the rest of the 40-strong field on a tough day that saw six riders opting to retire in the opening round.

Course designer, Rolf Ludi, really piled on the pressure with a colossal track that quickly separated the best from the rest.  But one man who was unfortunate to miss a place in the seven-horse jump-off was Belgium’s Ludo Philippaerts whose 14 year old Kassini Jac left all the fences intact, only to be penalised for crossing the finish line just outside the 69-second time limit.

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The Women Continue Their Reign in $55,000 Nespresso Battle of the Sexes

Kessler Goes Clear for $25,000 Suncast 1.50m Championship Jumper Classic Victory

Michael Murphy and Ultrafox. Photos © Sportfot

Wellington, FL – January 28, 2012 – It was a packed house at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center this evening as the women earned their fourth consecutive victory in the $55,000 Nespresso Battle of the Sexes at the FTI Consulting Winter Equestrian Festival. The ladies swept the three phase competition with 29 points over the men’s score of 17 to win. Reed Kessler of Armonk, NY, was the only clear round to win the $25,000 Suncast Championship Jumper Classic with Pacha de Nantuel. In the hunter ring, Heather Hooker took the championship in the Bainbridge Amateur-Owner 18-35 Hunter with Castlekeep.

Week three of the FTI WEF runs Wednesday, January 25, through Sunday, January 29, and is sponsored by Horseware Ireland. The $50,000 Horseware Ireland CSI 2* Grand Prix will be held on Sunday, January 29. 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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Alejandro Karolyi and Vichy Are Fastest to Win Spy Coast Farm 1.40m Speed Challenge

Christel Weller and Kallaway Secure Tricolor in Horseware Ireland Adult Amateur 3’3 Hunters in One Day

Alejandro Karolyi and Vichy. © Sportfot

Wellington, FL – January 27, 2012 – The Spy Coast Farm 1.40m Speed Challenge had a class full of competitors going against the clock, but the fastest by almost six seconds was Alejandro Karolyi (VEN) on Vichy, owned by Torrey Pines Stable.

Week three of the FTI WEF runs Wednesday, January 25, through Sunday, January 29, and is sponsored by Horseware Ireland. The highlight jumper classes in week three are the $55,000 Nespresso Battle of the Sexes on Saturday, January 28, as well as the $50,000 Horseware Ireland CSI 2* Grand Prix on Sunday, January 29.

Forty-five entries showed in today’s $6,000 Spy Coast Farm 1.40m Speed Challenge over a course set by Olaf Petersen Sr. of Germany. Karolyi and Vichy went midway through the class and set a time of 63.926 seconds, which no one would come close to with a clear round. The next fastest pair was Caribe and Steve Schaefer, who posted a time of 69.044 seconds. Third place went to Lauren Hough on Clip Z, who was clear in 69.623 seconds.

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Russian Olympian Ljubov Kochetova Wins Premier Equestrian Sportsmanship Award during First Week of Winter Equestrian Festival

Ljubov Kochetova. (Photo courtesy of JRPR)

Wellington, FL (January 26, 2012) – Russian Olympian Ljubov Kochetova showed off her upbeat attitude while competing a five-year-old Westphalian gelding named Corrado during the first week of the 2012 Winter Equestrian Festival, and her positive attitude helped her take home the Premier Equestrian Sportsmanship Award. Sponsored by Premier Equestrian, LLC, a leading supplier of dressage arenas, horse jumps, arena footing and stable accessories, the Premier Sportsmanship Award is presented to a barn or rider who displays a high level of sportsmanship during a show and the winner receives a gift certificate for $100 worth of Premier products.

Kochetova, who was born in St. Petersburg, Russia, competed in the 2008 Olympics aboard Ilion Kilen. She said she currently has her sights set on the 2012 Olympics in London. “We are still in the middle of the race to see who will compete in the Olympics,” she said.

Kochetova was pleased to win the Premier Sportsmanship Award. “I am very grateful to Premier,” she said. “Corrado is a very young and inexperienced horse so if he wins anything I am thrilled.”

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Nick Skelton and Carlo 273 Repeat Victory in $32,000 WEF Challenge Cup Round 3

Jimmy Torano and Bentley Bring Home the Pre Green Hunter Level 1 3′ Division Championship

Nick Skelton and Carlo 273. Photos © Sportfot

Wellington, FL – January 26, 2012 – For the second week in a row, Nick Skelton and Beverley Widdowson’s Carlo 273 led the victory gallop in the Thursday afternoon $32,000 WEF Challenge Cup Grand Prix in Wellington. Today’s class was the third in the series at the 2012 FTI Consulting Winter Equestrian Festival, which runs through April 1, 2012.

Week three of the FTI WEF runs Wednesday, January 25, through Sunday, January 29, and is sponsored by Horseware Ireland. The highlight jumper classes in week three are the $55,000 Nespresso Battle of the Sexes on Saturday, January 28, as well as the $50,000 Horseware Ireland CSI 2* Grand Prix on Sunday, January 29.

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Rolf-Gӧran Bengtsson Claims the Green & Gold

Rolf-Gӧran Bengtsson wearing the Green & Gold at the ninth qualifying leg of the Rolex FEI World Cup Jumping in Leipzig (GER). Photo: Karl-Heinz Frieler / ROLEX

Swedish show jumper Rolf-Gӧran Bengtsson has claimed the coveted Green & Gold armband from Canadian rider and Rolex Testimonee, Eric Lamaze, after he was crowned the Number One rider in the world according to the latest Rolex Rankings. Bengtsson is the first ever Swede to become the number one ranked rider in the world.

Lamaze originally held the Green & Gold between July and August 2010, and also between June and December 2011; however, following impressive performances at the Rolex FEI World Cup Jumping qualifiers in Lyon (first place), Stuttgart (third place) and Geneva (second place), Bengtsson soon staked his claim to the Number One spot.

Bengtsson’s great run of recent form also includes fourth place in the Grand Prix at the CSI5* in Abu Dhabi (UAE); fourth place at the CSI5* in Paris (FRA); and fifth place in the Rolex FEI World Cup Jumping qualifier in London Olympia (UK). Not forgetting his individual victory at the FEI European Championships in Madrid (ESP), Bengtsson had a truly remarkable 2011; his achievements were duly recognised when he won Sweden’s most prestigious sports award at the Swedish Sports Gala 2012.

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EQUUS Foundation Announces Scholarship for Young Equestrians

Left to Right: Heidi Lengyel, Catherine Herman, and Jeanne Rouco-Conesa. Photo courtesy of Dru Gassner, Majestic Images

WESTPORT, CT – January 25, 2012 – The EQUUS Foundation has partnered with the College Preparatory Invitational (CPI) Horse Show Scholarship Fund to establish a scholarship open to the participants at the College Preparatory Invitational Horse Show, held January 13-15, 2012, at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center in Wellington, Florida.

The mission of the CPI is to prepare and educate student riders in grades 8 – 12 about the format of college equestrian competition, encourage academics and horsemanship, and to provide the riders with resources to create their desired college equestrian experience.

All the horses and necessary tack for the show are provided by CPI. The show is specifically geared to promote college recruitment of equestrians by providing the opportunity for coaches and potential students to meet.

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