Category Archives: Vaulting

*Featured/Spotlights, Championships, Competitions, Events, FEI, FEI, Vaulting

FEI Open European Vaulting Championships for Seniors and Juniors 2011 – Le Mans (FRA)

August 24, 2011 Associate Editor Leave a comment

ECCLES AND LOOSER MAINTAIN SUPREMACY AND GERMANY CLAIMS DOUBLE TEAM GOLD by Louise Parkes

Lausanne (SUI), 24 August 2011 – Great Britain’s Joanne Eccles and Switzerland’s Patrick Looser maintained the form that clinched their 2010 world titles when winning the Female and Male Individual gold medals at the FEI Open European Vaulting Championships 2011 at Le Mans, France last weekend. German vaulters were strong however, taking both Senior and Junior Team gold, and the Pas de Deux and Junior Male titles, while Italy’s Silvia Stoppazzine claimed the Junior Female Individual honours.

Over 200 competitors from 19 countries – Germany, Austria, Switzerland, Slovakia, Denmark, Netherlands, France, Italy, Hungary, Great Britain, Russia, Republic of South Africa, Mauritius, Belgium, Czech Republic, Norway, Poland, Finland and Sweden – gathered at Le Mans for the 15th edition of these Championships. The success of the Vaulting competitions at last year’s Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games in Kentucky, USA has led to a tremendous upsurge of interest in this sport which originally emerged from ancient Greece, where warriors were trained to ride independently of their horses as they brandished weapons. Today it is a competitive discipline, open to both men and women, in which both dynamic and static gymnastic elements are combined and performed on a catering horse. It demands outstanding physical fitness from the vaulter and a harmonious relationship with the horse and longeur.

SENIORS
Germany got off to a great start when pipping Switzerland in Thursday’s Senior Team Compulsory Test, but the result was reversed on Saturday when it was the Swiss who came out on top in the Freestyle while, once again, Austria slotted into third. And it was a close-fought affair in Sunday’s decider with the judging panel of Veronique Girard, Elzbieta Dolinska, Gaby Benz, Heddy Boelsma Den Hartog, Ute Schoenian and Anna Kull unafraid to award high marks where appropriate. The biggest score of the day came from Ute Schoenian, at E, who awarded 9.773 to the German side whose longeur Jessica Schmitz and horse Arkansas 51 rounded up a great performance. The final German total of 8.300 left them just .053 clear of the Swiss silver medallists, while Austria completed in bronze medal position with 7.980 on the board.

Continue reading FEI Open European Vaulting Championships for Seniors and Juniors 2011 – Le Mans (FRA) →

Championships, Competitions, Eventing/H.T., Events, Show Jumping, USEF, USEF, Vaulting

This Week in International Disciplines – August 18, 2011

August 19, 2011 Associate Editor Leave a comment

Madden439 — Beezie Madden and Cortes 'C'. Photo by Stefano Grasso/GCT

Jumping
The U.S. show jumpers had a strong showing in the final week of the two-week Horse Festival in Valkenswaard, The Netherlands. Beezie Madden and Cortes ‘C’ claimed victory in the weekend’s most prestigious class; the Global Champions Tour Grand Prix of Valkenswaard sponsored by the VDL Groep. In only their second grand prix together, Madden and Cortes ‘C’ were the fourth and last pair to go in the jump-off, storming to the win in a time of 38.38 seconds. Ireland’s Denis Lynch riding Lantinus 3 was second and Jur Vrieling and VDL Bubalu of The Netherlands claimed third place.

On Friday, Laura Kraut and Teirra were third in the Medium Tour 1m45 CSI5* against the clock class. Cortright Wetherill and Carlos were second in the Special Invitational 1m35 CSI1*.

On Saturday, Wetherill claimed a fourth-place finish with Whoops in the Special Invitational 1m25 CSI1*. Wetherill finished his competition week by riding Carlos to a second-place finish in the Special Invitational 1m35 CSI1* against the clock.

For more information and results, visit http://www.globalchampionstour.com/events/2011/valkenswaard/results.

Continue reading This Week in International Disciplines – August 18, 2011 →

*Featured/Spotlights, Championships, Competitions, Events, FEI, FEI, Vaulting

Le Mans Welcomes over 200 Vaulters for FEI Open European Vaulting Championships 2011

August 16, 2011 Associate Editor Leave a comment

EcclesJ-KENT10F5222 — Vaulting star Joanne Eccles (GBR), reigning Individual World and European Champion © Dirk Caremans/FEI

Lausanne (SUI), 16 August 2011 – The 15th FEI Open European Vaulting Championships for Seniors and Juniors will see over 200 athletes from 19 nations bidding for the medals tomorrow in Le Mans, France (17-21 August).

Reigning Individual World and European Champion Joanne Eccles (GBR) will be on a mission to retain her title against competition from 33 Female Individual Vaulters.

World and FEI World Cup Vaulting Champion Patric Looser (SUI) and European Champion Nicolas Andreani (FRA) will also be going head-to-head with 14 other Senior Male Athletes in the battle for this year’s European Vaulting Champion title.

In addition, eight Senior and 10 Junior Teams of seven Vaulters will compete at the Championship, along with 12 in the Pas de Deux.

Ten vaulters from South Africa, along with Junior Individual Male Lambert Leclezio from Mauritius, are also making the journey to this year’s FEI Open European Vaulting Championships, making it a truly international affair.

“Spectators in Le Mans will see highly impressive Athletes delivering powerful and original performances as Individuals, Teams and Pas de Deux,” said Ian Williams, Director Non-Olympics Sports at the FEI.

“We will see well-known Champions vying for the top spot and witness many more international Vaulters pushing themselves to the limit to come up through the ranks – it will be an extremely exciting Championship.”

Continue reading Le Mans Welcomes over 200 Vaulters for FEI Open European Vaulting Championships 2011 →

Championships, Competitions, Events, USEF, USEF, Vaulting

Stevens, McCormick, Woodside Vaulters Victorious at USEF/AVA National Vaulting Championships

August 15, 2011 Associate Editor Leave a comment

Denver, CO – More than 300 top equestrian vaulters in the United States came together this weekend at the National Western Complex in Denver, CO for the USEF/AVA National Championships – and they did not disappoint.

The Woodside Vaulters of Woodside, CA, gained the top spot on the podium in the Team Championships. The A team consists of Katharine Wick, Gabe Aniello, Allysa Bonora, Tessa Divita, Kathryn Jaggers, Siddartha Kreaden, Katherine Salisbury. The team vaulted on Stanford, lunged by Julie Divita.

“Our team competition was especially good this year, at all levels, from the lowest levels to the highest level,” said Linda Bibbler, Vice President of Competitions for the American Vaulting Association (AVA). “I was happy to see such strong representation from all parts of the country. All together the quality of the individual vaulters, pas de deux, and teams was very high.”

The Woodside Vaulters continued to dominate with Patrick Stevens, the Men’s Individual National Champion, on Agado lunged by Julie Divita, and Giovanni lunged by Krista Mack. In 2007, Stevens was the USEF/AVA National Vaulting Champion in the Silver Men’s division, and in 2009 he was second. In 2010, Stevens finished sixth at the USEF/AVA National Vaulting Championships.

For the second year in a row, the Women’s Individual National Champion was Mary McCormick, one of America’s most decorated vaulters. McCormick, of Mt. Eden Vaulters, Saratoga, CA, vaulted on Sir Anthony Van Dyck (aka “Spike”) lunged by Carolyn Bland. McCormick was named USEF Vaulter of the Year in 2007 and 2009.

Next year, the AVA/USEF National Vaulting Championships will take place at the Alltech Arena at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, KY, August 1-5, 2012.

For more information about USEF Vaulting, visit: http://usef.org/_IFrames/breedsDisciplines/discipline/allVaulting.aspx.

Championships, Competitions, Dressage, Driving, Eventing/H.T., Events, FEI, Show Jumping, Vaulting, Western/Reining

Five Nations Apply to Host 2015 FEI European Championships under New Bid Process

August 9, 2011 Associate Editor Leave a comment

Lausanne (SUI), 9 August 2011 — Organisers from five nations – Belgium, Germany, Great Britain, The Netherlands, and Poland – have applied to stage a European championship for Seniors in one or several FEI disciplines in 2015 under a new bid process launched by the FEI in March of this year. The objective of the new bid process is to raise the profile of the FEI European Championships by selecting candidates able to deliver sporting events of the highest quality.

Aachen, host of the 2006 FEI World Equestrian Games and the famous annual World Equestrian Festival, has expressed interest in the FEI European Championships 2015 in Jumping, Dressage, Eventing, Driving, Vaulting and Reining. The discipline which attracted the highest interest is Eventing, for which no less than five applications have been received.

The bidding process for the 2015 FEI European Championships for Seniors was launched in March 2011 and will run until April 2012. The process consists of two phases. During Phase I, the Applicant Phase which ended on 31 July 2011, applicants were required to indicate which one or more of the European Championships they would be interested in staging and provide information relating to their ability to meet minimum Championship requirements.

Phase II, the Candidate Phase, will begin on 1 September 2011. During the Candidate Phase, candidates will be required to provide greater detail on all aspects of the event. The Championships in the Olympic disciplines of Jumping, Dressage and Eventing will be allocated by the FEI Bureau in April 2012. The successful candidates for the Championships in the non-Olympic disciplines will be announced a year later in April 2013.

Enquiries relating to the bid process should be directed to FEI Legal Counsel Francisco P. Lima (francisco.lima@fei.org).

Media contacts:

Ruth Grundy
Manager Press Relations
ruth.grundy@fei.org
+41 78 750 61 45

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

Community/Charity, Dressage, Driving, Endurance Riding, EQUUS Foundation, Eventing/H.T., Para-Equestrian, Phelps Media Group, Show Jumping, Vaulting, Western/Reining

The Results Are In for Round 3 of America’s Favorite Equestrian!

August 2, 2011 Associate Editor Leave a comment

WESTPORT, CT – August 2, 2011 – The results of Round 3 of America’s Favorite Equestrian are in. Four equestrians in each of the eight disciplines that participated in the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games have moved onto Round 4.

Who’s In the Lead?
Dressage: Debbie McDonald followed by Steffen Peters, Guenter Seidel and Courtney King-Dye.
Driving: Chester Weber followed by Tucker Johnson, Rochelle Temple and Suzy Stafford.
Endurance: Becky Hart followed by Dave Rabe, Julie Suhr and Bill Wilson.
Eventing: Tiana Coudray followed by Boyd Martin, Kimberly Severson and Phillip Dutton.
Jumping: Anne Kursinski followed by Beezie Madden, Margie Engle and McLain Ward.
Para-Dressage: Jennifer Baker followed by Mary Jordan, Jonathan Wentz and Robin Brueckmann.
Reining: Andrea Fappani followed by Tom McCutcheon, Shawn Flarida and Tim McQuay.
Vaulting: Megan Benjamin followed by Katherine Wick, Devon Maitozo and Ali Divita.

Keep Voting! One more equestrian with the lowest number of votes in each discipline will drop off the list at the end of Round 4 on September 30, 2011. Don’t let it be your favorite! All it takes is a $5 gift to The EQUUS Foundation to keep your favorite in the running for America’s Favorite Equestrian.

How to Vote:
Visit the link at http://www.equusfoundation.org/vote.

For a $5 contribution, you can select your favorite equestrian (listed by discipline) and follow the instructions provided to use mobile texting to vote. After texting your vote, you must reply YES to confirm your vote and $5 donation.

Continue reading The Results Are In for Round 3 of America’s Favorite Equestrian! →

Championships, Competitions, Dressage, Endurance Riding, Eventing/H.T., Events, Para-Equestrian, Show Jumping, USEF, Vaulting, Western/Reining

It’s a Wrap! The Week That Was the 2011 Adequan/FEI NAJYRC

August 1, 2011 Associate Editor Leave a comment

medals415 — Team show jumping medals ceremony. Photo: Sportfot.

Lexington, KY – After a week of intense heat and one suspenseful afternoon of strong thunderstorms, the 2011 Adequan/FEI North American Junior & Young Rider Championships presented by Gotham North wrapped up today under sunny skies at the Kentucky Horse Park. The competition in all five disciplines – dressage, endurance, eventing, reining, and show jumping – was intense, and the approximately 250 riders from six countries showed that they had come to win.

Endurance
The first competition to wrap up this year was the inaugural North American Young Rider Endurance Championship. Friday’s 75-mile ride featured both CEI2* and CEI4* divisions. The United States brought home four Gold medals, three Silvers, and two Bronze medals in the endurance competition.

In the CEI4* divisions, Team USA took home the Gold after accruing a collective ride time of 25 hours, 25 minutes, and 31 seconds.

Individually in the CEI4*, Kelsey Russell and My Wild Irish Gold (USA) took home the Gold, Lindsay Bean and Tektonic (USA) the Silver, and Kyle Gibbon and Missu Koran (USA) the Bronze.

Also in the CEI4* division, Tektonic received the Best Conditioned Horse Award.

In the CEI2* class, the Team Gold medal was awarded to Team USA Northeast A, whose collective ride time totaled 25 hours, 40 minutes, and 57 seconds.

Continue reading It’s a Wrap! The Week That Was the 2011 Adequan/FEI NAJYRC →

Competitions, Events, HITS, HITS, Hunter/Equitation, Show Jumping, Vaulting

HITS Culpeper July Wrap-Up

July 23, 2011 Associate Editor Leave a comment

Rave reviews for new Grand Prix footing, riders use Culpeper as their stepping-stone to qualify for the Pfizer Million and Diamond Mills Hunter Prix Final, while sponsors Pfizer Animal Health and Purina Mills enjoy some southern hospitality

Babington-va_wk2_11_gp_jump — © ESI Photography. Kevin Babington and Mark Q on course in the $40,000 Strongid C 2X Grand Prix.

CULPEPER, VA (July 22, 2011) – HITS Culpeper enjoyed two strong weeks of competition during its July shows – the Showday National and the Cavalier Classic – with higher than expected entries as exhibitors flocked to Culpeper, Virginia from all corners of the country. An action-packed schedule, which included two more qualifiers each for the Pfizer $1 Million Grand Prix and Diamond Mills $500,000 Hunter Prix Final, along with new Grand Prix footing, made Culpeper a “must show” for many exhibitors looking to punch their ticket to this year’s Grand Finale in September.

The Showday National opened up the two-week series and was the first opportunity riders had to test out the newly resurfaced Grand Prix ring. “I thought the footing was excellent and the horses all jumped well,” said Ramiro Quintana of West Palm Beach, Florida who, aboard November Hill Farm’s Versace, captured the $1,000 Level 6 Morningside Training Farm Jumpers during the Showday National. “With all the improvements that are being made in Culpeper I am sure it will once again be considered one of the top destinations in American show jumping.”

Culpeper catches Pfizer Million fever
During the Showday National, Kevin Babington of Gwynedd Valley, Pennsylvania wasted no time at all getting comfortable with the new Grand Prix footing when he rode his own Mark Q to the blue in the $40,000 Strongid C 2X Grand Prix, presented by Pfizer Animal Health, and picked up his second of eight Grand Prix needed to become eligible for the Pfizer Million. Silvio Mazzoni of Leesburg, Virginia was all business on Sunday when he won the $40,000 Purina Mills Grand Prix, presented by Pfizer Animal Health, during the Cavalier Classic aboard his own Remonta Habano, which propelled him into the top 10 of the Pfizer Million Rider Rankings with more than $26,000 in prize money.

Continue reading HITS Culpeper July Wrap-Up →

Competitions, Events, Jennifer Wood, USEF, Vaulting

U.S. Vaulting Team Posts Medal-Winning Results at CHIO Aachen

July 13, 2011 Associate Editor Leave a comment

Aachen, Germany – The U.S. Vaulting contingent posted fantastic results at this year’s CHIO in Aachen, Germany, with a full complement of athletes. The “developing team” was made up of a mixture of seasoned veterans and vaulters new to performing at CHIO Aachen. The squad won two medals at the world’s most competitive vaulting competition, and has had solid results through three days of classes.

Mary McCormick gave a very impressive performance through three days of competition in the Female Individual Classification. On Friday, she and Gustafsson with longeur Lars Hansen posted a score of 8.227 for fourth place in the freestyle class. She improved on Saturday in the second classification freestyle test with a score of 8.240. On Sunday, she received a final score of 7.901 for the overall Bronze medal in the Individual Female classification.

The second Bronze medal for USA Vaulting came in the new Pas de Deux class with USA Vaulting veterans Devon Maitozo and Rosalind Ross. They started out with a score of 7.805 on Friday vaulting with equine partner Flashlight and longeur Alexandra Knauf. On Saturday, they finished with a final score of 7.911 for the Bronze medal.

Craig Coburn, U.S. Chef d’Equipe, said, “As the USA Vaulting Chef d’Equipe at the 2011 CHIO Aachen, I am proud to say that the American team was extremely successful this weekend. With the support of the USEF, we were able to win two medals; Mary McCormick won the Bronze medal in the Ladies Individual event, while Devon Maitozo and Rosalind Ross won the Bronze medal, this is also the first time the U.S. has competed internationally in Pas de Deux.”

Continue reading U.S. Vaulting Team Posts Medal-Winning Results at CHIO Aachen →

Competitions, Events, USEF, Vaulting

Four Top 5 Finishers at Aachen CHIO

July 12, 2011 Associate Editor Leave a comment

Aachen, Germany – Four American Vaulting Association vaulters placed in the Top 5 at the Aachen CHIO this weekend. Mary McCormick placed third in the Women’s Division; Devon Maitozo & Rosey Ross placed third in the Pas de Deux. The Woodside Team placed fifth in the Nations Cup and the Mt. Eden Sun Team took second in the Sparkasse division.

Watch Mary McCormick’s performance>

The results>

Horses in the South – An Equine News Publisher