Category Archives: Show Jumping

Jacksonville Winter Series Week 1 Recap

Photos: El Grecco & Robert Lee

The Jacksonville Winter Series is off to a great start with two spectacular Exhibitor Parties hosted by Chad & Brooke Watridge of Ridgewater Show Stables & Sweet Sensations of Green Cove Springs.  The 4-H had a great turnout for their auction and all who attended had a wonderful time.

A huge thank you to all our Barns, Trainers & Exhibitors who showed at Week 1 and a special congratulations to all of our Champions & Reserve Champions.

A-Rated Division Champions & Reserves.  The full list of results is fully searchable at Horse Shows Online.

Conformation Hunter
MJ, Owned by Kevin & Mary Euphemia
Thoughtful, Owned by Keri Guanciale

Performance Working Hunter 3’6” & 3’9”
Quincy & Sportin Life, both owned by Lindsay Wolf

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FTI Consulting Winter Equestrian Festival Week One Wrap-up and Week Two Upcoming Events

Wellington, FL – January 16, 2012 – The FTI Consulting Winter Equestrian Festival has put week one in the books. It was a week of great competition and everyone at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center can look forward to an exciting second week of competition.

The first week of the FTI WEF is sponsored by Surpass. The second week of the FTI WEF runs from Wednesday, January 18, through Sunday, January 22, and is sponsored by Wellington Equestrian Realty. 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 Two – Don’t Miss These Exciting and Fun Activities!

The Ride & Learn Series is composed of weekly mounted riding clinics that will be conducted by some of the most well-known and experienced professionals in the business. The cost to ride in the clinic is $125, and auditing is free. These clinics will take place every Tuesday, beginning the second week of the FTI WEF with a clinic by Patricia Griffith in the International Arena on January 17. Space to ride in the clinics is limited, so contact Rosemary Bertin at 561-371-9598 cubbybertin@comcast.net to join in.

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Nick Skelton and Unique Win $25,000 Suncast 1.50m Championship Jumper Classic

Debbie Kelly and Sheldon Cooper Win Camping World Adult Amateur Hunter 51+ Championship

Nick Skelton and Unique. Photos © Sportfot

Wellington, FL – January 15, 2012 – The FTI Consulting Winter Equestrian Festival concluded competition for week one today. In the International Arena, the $25,000 Suncast 1.50m Championship Jumper Classic was the main event. Nick Skelton (GBR) continued his solid week of success and capped it with a win on Unique, owned by Beverley Widdowson. Darragh Kenny (IRL) and Wannahave, owned by The Wannahave Group, finished second, while Alexa Pessoa (USA) on Madison was third.

The first week of the FTI WEF is sponsored by Surpass. The second week of the FTI WEF runs from Wednesday, January 18, through Sunday, January 22, and is sponsored by Wellington Equestrian Realty. 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.

Continue reading Nick Skelton and Unique Win $25,000 Suncast 1.50m Championship Jumper Classic

Pensacola Highlights and Lots of News!

I just returned from the USEF Annual meeting in Cincinnati, so I missed the first week in Pensacola but I understand they had a great week.  The following are the highlights and at the bottom of this page is lots of BIG NEWS.

This year we made some changes to our schedules so that the Classics are held on Saturday instead of Sunday.  That made it so everyone was able to make their getaway flights since the show ended earlier.  Classic Company will continue this “Classic” schedule with all their shows this year.

The week started out with a great party hosted by Pensacola Sports Association hosted an “Iron Chef” party with the finest chefs from the area and everyone was talking about it the next day.

Continue reading Pensacola Highlights and Lots of News!

Beezie Madden and Simon Take First “Saturday Night Lights” Victory in $30,000 Surpass Grand Prix

Spandau and Schaefer Raposa Garner Marley Goodman Small Junior Hunter 16-17 Championship

Beezie Madden and Simon. Photos © Sportfot

Wellington, FL – January 14, 2012 – The FTI Consulting Winter Equestrian Festival (FTI WEF) hosted its first “Saturday Night Lights” event this evening with the $30,000 Surpass Grand Prix. Olympic gold medalist Beezie Madden (USA) and new mount Simon, owned by Abigail Wexner, took home the blue ribbon. Nick Skelton (GBR) and Beverley Widdowson’s Unique finished second, while Cian O’Connor (IRL) rode Blue Loyd, owned by Ashkirk Ltd and Cian O’Connor, to third place.

In the first round of the grand prix, Olympic gold medalist McLain Ward fell with Oh D’ Eole at the 8b obstacle. Ward was taken out of the ring to an ambulance and transported to Wellington Regional Medical Center, where he is being attended by specialists for a fractured kneecap. Oh D’ Eole was examined by veterinarians and is unhurt.

Continue reading Beezie Madden and Simon Take First “Saturday Night Lights” Victory in $30,000 Surpass Grand Prix

Olympic Silver Medalist Peter Leone to Present and Sign DVDs at College Preparatory Invitational on Saturday January 14

Peter Leone and Select winning the $100,000 Grand Prix of Devon. Photo by Charles Fox

Wellington, FL – January 13, 2012 – Olympic Silver Medalist Peter Leone will join Kimberly S. Jaussi, Ph.D., at a workshop, “Leadership, Vision and the Equestrian Athlete”, to share his experiences, answer questions and offer advice. The workshop will be held during the College Preparatory Invitational (CPI) in the Special Events Pavilion at the Palm Beach Equestrian Center at 11:00 am on Saturday, January 14, 2012.

After the workshop Leone will autograph his DVD, Ride the Body: Select Insights of Peter Leone, that he produced along with Jaussi. The informative and practical DVD will be awarded to all the first place winners at the CPI. A drawing will be held during the workshop for additional DVD prizes.

Leone and Jaussi also co-authored the upcoming book, Peter Leone’s Show Jumping Clinic: Success Strategies for Equestrian Athletes (Storey Publishing), which will hit the shelves in spring of 2012.

Continue reading Olympic Silver Medalist Peter Leone to Present and Sign DVDs at College Preparatory Invitational on Saturday January 14

$200,000 Gene Mische American Invitational, Presented by G & C Farm, Returns to Raymond James on April 7

Kent Farrington and Uceko were the winners of the 2011 Gene Mische American Invitational. PHOTO © James Parker, The Book LLC

Tampa, Florida – January 13, 2012 – The 2012 Gene Mische American Invitational, presented by G & C Farm returns to Tampa’s Raymond James Stadium on Saturday, April 7, 2012 at 7:30pm.

This year marks the 40th anniversary of this enduring classic and promises to be a magical night of show jumping as the world’s greatest riders and horses gather in the Tampa Bay area to decide the American Invitational title. Also, with the 2012 Olympic Games on the horizon, this year’s American Invitational, presented by G & C Farm, becomes even more exciting and spectators at Raymond James will get a chance to see many of the top riders who have made their way on to the short list of qualifiers for London.

Over the years, the American Invitational has been recognized as the crown jewel of American show jumping, and year in and year out, has been one of its toughest tests. Often called the Super Bowl of Show Jumping, the event also offers one of the biggest purses in all of equestrian sport.

Continue reading $200,000 Gene Mische American Invitational, Presented by G & C Farm, Returns to Raymond James on April 7

Neville Bardos and Sjoerd Named 2011 Horses of the Year by the USEF

Horse of the Year Neville Bardos (Photo Courtesy of USEA)

Cincinnati, OH – For the first time ever, the USEF crowned two horses with its highest honor, one from an International Discipline and one from a National Discipline. Neville Bardos and Sjoerd were named 2011 Horses of the Year at tonight’s USEF annual Horse of the Year celebration. Honored for their accomplishments in 2011 their roads through the last 12 months, while both exceptional, have been very different.

Videos of all of the Horses of Honor are available here: http://www.usefnetwork.com/featured/USEFAnnualMeeting2012.

Neville Bardos – Eventing

He shouldn’t have lived. But he did. He shouldn’t have returned to his life as an event horse. But he returned better than ever. Trapped in a burning barn for 45 minutes, Neville Bardos made a miraculous recovery from injuries sustained in a fire that claimed the lives of six other horses at his rider Boyd Martin’s barn in West Grove, PA. The now 13-year-old Australian Thoroughbred gelding won the USEF National CCI3* championship in 2009 and was 10th at the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games – leading the U.S. effort. But his life changed dramatically in the early hours of Memorial Day in 2011. Martin pulled him out of the burning barn to safety. Neville Bardos was left with horrific injuries due to massive amounts of smoke inhalation and the subsequent damage to his throat.

Continue reading Neville Bardos and Sjoerd Named 2011 Horses of the Year by the USEF

EquestrianCoach.com’s Bernie Traurig, Judge of the College Preparatory Invitational, to Speak at 5:00 on January 14

Wellington, FL – January 12, 2012 – The legendary Bernie Traurig will speak at the College Preparatory Invitational (CPI) to present his educational online program: EquestrianCoach.com. The presentation will be held in the Special Events Pavilion at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center at 5:00 pm on Saturday, January 14, 2012.

EquestrianCoach.com is offering a special rate for colleges, universities, schools and youth organizations that provide riding programs or equine degree programs. Participating programs will earn free subscriptions for coaches to use as curriculum.

According to Shelby French, CEO of United States Hunter Jumper Association (USHJA) and former Director of Riding at Sweet Briar College, “What Bernie is offering through his equine educational program is something you should seriously explore to enhance the program of teaching and training at your college. This is a truly amazing educational opportunity and one that I hope you will spend some time investigating and imagining the many ways that you can utilize it in your curriculum.”

Continue reading EquestrianCoach.com’s Bernie Traurig, Judge of the College Preparatory Invitational, to Speak at 5:00 on January 14

Round 1 of $30,000 WEF Challenge Cup Series Goes to McLain Ward and Oh’ D Eole at WEF

Castle Rock and Louise Serio Sweep CWD Performance Working Hunter 3’6″ Championship

McLain Ward with Oh D'Eole. Photos © Sportfot

Wellington, FL – January 12, 2012 – Olympic gold medalist McLain Ward (USA) was able to beat a field of 39 competitors to take the first round victory in the $30,000 WEF Challenge Cup Series at the 2012 FTI Consulting Winter Equestrian Festival. He and Oh’ D Eole triumphed in the jump-off over Charlie Jayne (USA) on Chill R Z and Darragh Kerins (IRL) with Hot Wheels. Today’s grand prix marked the start of an exciting show jumping season, where riders will compete over 12 weeks to win bonus money in the $100,000 FTI Consulting Rider Challenge.

The first week of the FTI WEF runs through Sunday, January 15, and is sponsored by Surpass. 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. The highlight jumper class in week one is the $30,000 Surpass Grand Prix on Saturday, January 14, at 7 p.m.

Continue reading Round 1 of $30,000 WEF Challenge Cup Series Goes to McLain Ward and Oh’ D Eole at WEF