Category Archives: Disciplines

Region 3 Dressage Team at NAJYRC Gets Support from Generous Sponsors

It Takes a Village

From left to right, Mattie Zepernick, Mallory Kent, Kati Dagge, Lindsey Holleger, and Rebecca Cohen of the Region 3 Dressage Team. (Photo courtesy of Carol Cohen)

Lexington, KY (July 20, 2012) – Any competitive dressage rider knows the value of sponsors and supporters, and that this support can come from many sources, from parents to companies.  This year’s 2012 Region 3 Dressage Team at the North American Junior Young Rider Championships (NAJYRC) is well aware of how important this village of support can be, and are grateful that their sponsors’ generosity has helped them get to the championships.  The Region 3 Team consists of Rebecca Cohen, Mattie Zepernick, Mallory Kent, Kati Dagge, Lindsey Holleger, Alexandra Kitchen, Lauren Knopp, and Michelle Sheriden.

Carol Cohen, whose daughter Rebecca Cohen is a junior rider on the Region 3 Team with her horse Downtown, was instrumental in organizing this fleet of sponsors.  Ranging from major corporations to small businesses and relatives, the Region 3 team enjoys the support of Ralph Lauren, Cavalor, International Polo Club, Polo Gear USA, The Tackeria, ShowChic, Stillpoint Farm, Owls Roost Farm, Two Swans Farm, Larsen Farms, and Guardian Bedding, 2KGrey, Aiken Dry Goods, Central Tennessee Dressage Association, Dover Saddlery, Global Dressage, Keystone Equestrian Center, Red Sky LLC, South Carolina Dressage & Eventing Association, Southwind Dressage and Eventing Association, Stall Watch, Sue Bender, Tack Room, Tack Shack of Ocala, Wit’s End Tack Shop and the support of  their families and parents.

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Surprise Victory for Ireland at Hickstead

(Left to right) Richie Moloney, Darragh Kerins, Chef d’Equipe Robert Splaine, Clem McMahon and Shane Breen. Photo: FEI/Kit Houghton

Hickstead (GBR), 20 July 2012 – The Irish produced the shock of the season when beating crack sides from Germany and France to win the seventh leg of the FEI Nations Cup 2012 series at Hickstead (GBR) this afternoon.

Trailing at the bottom of the league table after an inconsistent run that included a miserable last-place finish in Falsterbo, Sweden just seven days ago, Robert Splaine’s side appeared to have it all to do in this penultimate round of the eight-leg tournament. But they came out with all guns blazing to finish with just four faults for a definitive victory over the French who completed with eight, while Germany slotted into third with 12.  The host nation lined up fourth when collecting a total of 20 faults, and Sweden and Belgium shared fifth with 24 apiece.  A first-round total of 20 put paid to Dutch chances and they concluded the day with 28 faults on the board for second-last spot ahead of the Swiss, whose 40-fault result left them last by a long margin.

As always, the Hickstead fences took their toll, but faults were spread all around the track set by Great Britain’s Bob Ellis – the man who will build the courses for the forthcoming London Olympic Games at Greenwich Park.

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A Wide-Open Contest for Jumping Glory

Canada's Ian Millar will be setting a new Olympic record across all sports when lining out in his 10th Games at London 2012. Photo: FEI/Kit Houghton.

Lausanne (SUI), 20 July 2012 – Since equestrian sport was first officially embraced by the Olympic movement a century ago, Jumping has always been the largest and most popular discipline, and the historical records tell of wonderful horse-and-rider partnerships whose names will never be forgotten. Golden heroes like Germany’s Hans Günter Winkler, Italy’s Raimondo d’Inzeo and Graziano Mancinelli, Pierre Jonqueres d’Oriola from France and America’s Bill Steinkraus are the stuff of legend, their names forever forged into the annals of their sport.

At the Beijing 2008 Olympic equestrian events in Hong Kong four years ago, the Canadians broke new ground as Eric Lamaze and the late, great stallion Hickstead helped earn the first-ever individual title for their country. It was an epic battle in which Sweden’s Rolf-Goran Bengtsson had to settle for silver with Ninja, while America’s Beezie Madden and Authentic took the bronze. All three of these riders will be in action once again at London 2012 where the Americans will be vying for a hat-trick of team titles. If they succeed, they will join Germany as the only other nation to clinch gold at three successive Olympic Games.

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US Is Golden with Young Riders & Juniors in SmartPak Reining Championships

Eventing and Show Jumping Start Competition

Reining Junior Team Gold - USA Southeast on their victory lap (Waltenberry)

Lexington, KY – The Reining Team Championship competition was tightly contested today at the Adequan/FEI North American Junior and Young Rider Championships presented by Gotham North (NAJYRC) with Team USA South-Central claiming the top of the podium in Young Rider Competition and Team USA Southeast in the Gold position for Juniors.

The NAJYRC runs through Sunday, July 22, at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, KY. Five disciplines (a total of 9 championships for juniors and young riders) will take part in the only FEI Championship to be held annually in North America. The NAJYRC is the premier equestrian competition in North America for Junior and Young Riders, ages 14-21.

**Please be aware that tomorrow’s Show Jumping team classes for Juniors will run in the Rolex Stadium at 4:30 p.m., followed by the Young Riders competition.

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British to Show the Way on Home Turf at Hickstead

FEI Commercial Manager Nathalie Taylor (left) and Show Director John Farmer (right) at the draw for the starting order in tomorrow’s seventh leg of the FEI Nations Cup. Photo: FEI/Lotte Stevens.

Hickstead (GBR), 19 July 2012 – The host nation is unfazed by being drawn first to go in the penultimate leg of the FEI Nations Cup 2012 series at Hickstead (GBR) tomorrow afternoon.  A week ahead of the opening ceremony of the London 2012 Olympic Games the British are in bullish form, and Chef d’Equipe, Rob Hoekstra, said today, “I am not really concerned by starting first, the riders I brought have ridden here many times and they know what they’re doing. It’s brilliant to be at Hickstead a week prior the start of the Games – riding in front of your home crowd is a great test,“ he added.

The order-of-go for the seventh leg of the series is: 1, Great Britain; 2, Netherlands; 3, Germany; 4, Ireland; 5, Sweden; 6, France; 7, Belgium; 8, Switzerland.

Experienced

The British contingent is indeed an experienced one, and includes Peter Charles who will fly the Union Jack at Greenwich Park when the Olympic Jumping competition gets underway on 8 August.  He has been selected for the Games with Vindicat, but will line out tomorrow with Nevada.  Joining him in tomorrow’s team will be Tina Fletcher, riding the Olympic reserve horse Hello Sailor, and of course no side at Hickstead ever seems quite complete unless a member of the legendary Whitaker family is included.  John Whitaker, who has enjoyed many famous days at the Sussex venue, will partner Argento while William Funnell rounds up the team with Billy Angelo.

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USEF Names Nominated Entry for U.S. Para-Equestrian Driving Team

Gladstone, NJ – Following the approval of the USEF High Performance Working Group and the USEF Executive Committee, the following drivers have been named to the Short List/Nominated Entry for the 2012 FEI World Para Equestrian Driving Championship for Singles.

Karen Gorham (Grade II)

Pam Johnson (Grade II)

Diane Kastama (Grade I)

The 2012 FEI World Para Equestrian Driving Championship for Singles will take place in Breda, The Netherlands, August 30 – September 2, 2012.

Follow the U.S. Para-Equestrian and Driving Teams here.

Canadian and American Athletes Join to Form a Winning Partnership

Clarksburg, Maryland, July 18, 2012 – Barbara Strawson of Maryland, and her recently acquired Holsteiner gelding, Amicelli, won top Grand Prix honors at the 2012 Dressage at Lexington Horse Show on July 13-15 held at the Virginia Horse Center in Lexington, VA.

Winning first place in both Saturday’s FEI Grand Prix, and then again in Sunday’s $500 Challenge FEI Grand Prix TOC sponsored by Cumberland Farm with a 66.968%, Strawson is now poised to compete in the Dressage at Devon Horse Show at the end of September.

“Amicelli is a consummate showman,” said Strawson. “He clearly loves what he does.  We both experienced a period of adjustment on the road to building a solid partnership in the ring, but I have been pleased with our results.  By our second show, we received the final scores for our USDF Gold Medal.  I am thrilled with this accomplishment, and look forward to the rest of the season. In a handful of shows, we have qualified for the BLMs, the regional finals, and have now received our qualifying scores for Devon!”

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United States Region 5 Takes Dressage Young Rider Team Gold Medal for Third Consecutive Year; Canada/Quebec Wins Dressage Junior Team Gold

Gold medal winning team dressage young riders from Region 5 (Susan J. Stickle)

Lexington, KY – The first medals of the 2012 Adequan/FEI North American Junior & Young Rider Championships presented by Gotham North (NAJYRC) were awarded today to the dressage teams for juniors and young riders. The dressage competition is sponsored by Platinum Performance and the United States Dressage Federation.

Region 5 from the United States – Madeline Birch, Victoria Fernalld, Brandi Roenick, and Devon Wycoff – took the gold medal and accomplished this feat for an amazing third year in a row. U.S. Region 7 won the silver medal, while the Canada/Quebec team were bronze. In the junior team competition, Nicole Babich Moran, Laurence Blais Tetreault, Frederique Bourgault, and Naima Moreira Laliberte for the Canada/Quebec team won the gold medal. U.S. Region 7 won another silver medal, and U.S. Region 9 was bronze. The NAJYRC runs through Sunday, July 22, at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, KY.

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Traders Point Hunt Charity Horse Show Provides Jumper Highlights August 7-12

Zionsville, IN – July 18, 2012 – The Traders Point Hunt Charity Horse Show (TPHCHS) brings the most desirable featured competitions to the forefront of their weeklong show. TPHCHS will offer top classes for riders of all experience levels from August 7-12, 2012, including several prestigious championships and Grand Prix opportunities. The jumper highlights are a chance for riders from across the nation to showcase their talented mounts against some of the best.

The long anticipated $30,000 Mr. & Mrs. Russell Fortune, Jr. Memorial Grand Prix will take place Friday, August 10, 2012 at 5 pm. The event is open to all horses, and the height will be set at 1.50 meters, testing riders and horses alike in preparation for the $60,000 Grand Prix of Indianapolis to be held Sunday, August 12 at 2 pm.

TPHCHS will also offer the USHJA Zone 5 Open Jumper Championship which will consist of the two phases including the $2,000 1.40m Time First Round Phase I and the $3,000 1.40m Time First Round Phase II. The show will offer numerous Open Jumper classes, including the 1.20m Open Jumpers, 1.30m Open Jumpers, and the esteemed $1,000 1.35m Open Jumpers.

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Big Buzz Ahead of Olympic Dressage at Greenwich Park

The Netherlands' Anky Van Grunsven celebrated a hat-trick of back-to-back Individual Olympic titles at the Beijing 2008 equestrian events in Hong Kong. She is pictured riding double Olympic champion Salinero who will line out once again at London 2012.

Lausanne (SUI), 18 July 2012 – There was a time when the world of international Dressage was all too predictable, but how much that has changed. Since the last Olympic Games in 2008 this sport has experienced an extraordinary make-over which, despite the reticence of the purists, has ensured that the buzz ahead of London 2012 could hardly be more electrifying.

Who could have known that one black stallion would prance into a floodlit arena on an August night in 2009 and that things would never be the same again? The Dutch combination of Totilas and Edward Gal are no longer together, and the horse whose magical spell attracted a whole new audience to this most disciplined of sports during a record-breaking spree that is already the stuff of legend, will not be returning to the country where it all began during the FEI European Championships three years ago. His new rider, Germany’s Mathias Alexander Rath, cannot compete in London due to unfortunate ill-health, but Totilas has already created a wonderful legacy – gone is the stuffiness, and the fear of making a mistake. If riders are prepared to take the risk, the rewards for expressive, inspired performances – while still retaining the accuracy – are scores like we have never seen before.

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