Category Archives: Championships

2012 Intercollegiate Horse Show Association National Championships: The Pinnacle of a College Career

Kels Bonham, 2012 Cacchione Cup winner. Photo by Al Cook

Fairfield, Connecticut – May 11, 2012 – Never before in its 39-year history had an Intercollegiate Horse Show Association hunter seat team coach won two IHSA National Championships for two different colleges or universities.

But that was before Mary Drueding. Drueding, already selected by the IHSA nominating committee to receive its Lifetime Achievement Award, demonstrated an irrefutable argument in defense of her coaching excellence and expertise as her St. Lawrence University Saints hunter seat team clinched the IHSA Collegiate Cup during the 2012 National Championships, May 3-6, at the Hunt Horse Arena of the North Carolina State Fairgrounds in Raleigh.

Hunter Seat Results

In 1989, while assistant coach for her alma mater, Drueding (’83) and Colby-Sawyer College made their first IHSA National Championship appearance.  In 1991, she was made head coach and, three years later, under judge George Morris (one of Drueding’s personal heroes) Colby-Sawyer again had the IHSA National Championship-winning team.  Drueding was inducted into the Colby-Sawyer Hall of Fame in 2007.

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Eduardo Munoz and Evonne Hart Win World Development Group High Score Circuit Championships at Global Dressage Festival

Eduardo Munoz won the High Score Circuit Championship during the 2012 Global Dressage Festival circuit. (Photos courtesy of SusanJStickle.com)

Wellington, FL (May 2, 2012) – Eduardo Munoz, who rides with Dr. Cesar Parra’s Piaffe Performance Farm, rode Calidian Sun to the World Development Group High Score Circuit Championship during the 2012 FTI Global Dressage Festival in Wellington. World Development Group, a premier developer committed to building the equestrian lifestyle, sponsored the First Level division at each show throughout the Global Dressage Festival circuit.

Evonne Hart, riding Landino, earned the World Development Group Reserve High Circuit Championship. Munoz won the High Circuit Championship with a 76.034 and Hart earned the Reserve Championship with a 72.568. Munoz and Hart competed at the Global Dressage Festival’s inaugural 2012 circuit, one of the world’s largest international and national dressage circuits featuring a CDI3*, a CDI5*, and the first non-championship CDIO Nations Cup in the Western Hemisphere.

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Jeanne Hobbs Sails Southern River to Championship of Farm Vet Level Five Jumpers and Places Third in Grand Prix at HITS Culpeper

Jeanne Hobbs and Southern River in Wellington earlier this year. Photo by SportFot

Wellington, FL – April 24, 2012 – Jeanne Hobbs found her groove at HITS Culpeper winning the Farm Vet Level Five Championship with her own mount, Southern River. In the $40,000 Grand Prix, Hobbs piloted Nielsen B to third place honors.

The conditions were not ideal, with fifty-degree weather and rain. But Danny Foster’s courses rode well for Hobbs and her two horses and, despite the cold and rain, they delivered outstanding performances.

“Southern River is 100% Thoroughbred,” shared Hobbs about her twelve-year-old partner. “I’ve had him since he was about three and a half years old, and he’s a super-fast, careful and brave horse. He won the first day at Culpeper, and he went in and won the second day as well. That’s him. He’s a winner. He enjoys winning. The faster you go, the better he jumps.”

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Sterling Graburn Captures USEF National Single Horse Championship

Sterling Graburn and Ulano navigate the Hazards at Southern Pines. Photo by Pics Of You

GEORGETOWN, KY – APRIL 17, 2012 – Kentucky-based equestrian Sterling Graburn went wire-to-wire this weekend at the Southern Pines Combined Driving Event to claim his second USEF National Single Horse Championship title.

The National Championship ran concurrently with the Southern Pines CDE, which was held at the Carolina Horse Park April 13-15.

On Friday Graburn, driving the Larry Denny-owned Ulano, took the lead during the dressage phase of the championship CDE and continued to dominate the competition over the marathon and cones courses, which were contested over the remainder of the weekend. Graburn finished first overall with a final score 119.76, besting the second place finisher by more than 10 points.

The Southern Pines CDE also served as a United States Equestrian Federation Selection Trial that will determine team members for the 2012 Singles World Driving Championships, to be held in Lezirias, Portugal September 12-16.

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Victoria Colvin and Inclusive Win Sanctuary Equine Sports Therapy & Rehabilitation Center Sponsored Hunter Championship Second Week in a Row

Victoria Colvin rode Inclusive to the Championship in the Second Year Green Working Hunters during week ten of the 2012 Winter Equestrian Festival. (Photo courtesy of Sportfot.com)

Wellington, FL (April 16, 2012) – Teen wonder rider Victoria Colvin, known as Tori, already has an award-winning resume at the tender age of 14, and the Loxahatchee based rider was once again in the winner’s circle during the tenth week of the 2012 Winter Equestrian Festival, riding away with the championship in the Second Year Green Working Hunter division. The division was sponsored by The Sanctuary Equine Sports Therapy & Rehabilitation Center, a world-class rehab and conditioning facility located in Ocala, Florida. The Sanctuary also sponsors the First Year Green, Regular Conformation and Green Conformation divisions.

Colvin won the championship on Inclusive, owned by Scott Stewart and Dr. Betsee Parker, a repeat performance as she and Inclusive also won the championship during week nine of the world-class show circuit. Colvin recently made headlines when she rode away with the $50,000 WCHR Palm Beach Hunter Spectacular at WEF, beating out her own trainer, Scott Stewart, as well as the country’s top professionals. Colvin also competed Inclusive in the Hunter Spectacular, placing third in the prestigious class.

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Graburn Produces Wire-to-Wire Victory to Claim Second USEF National Single Horse Championship

Sterling Graburn claims his second USEF National Championship (Picsofyou.com)

Raeford, NC – The USEF National Single Horse Championship concluded Sunday afternoon at the Carolina Horse Park, with the cones phase shaking up the final standings. Time faults and balls down proved extremely costly for competitors all day at the Southern Pines CDE, which hosted the USEF National Championship. Sterling Graburn seized the lead in the Single Horse division during Friday’s dressage and refused to relent over Richard Nicoll’s challenging marathon and cones courses to produce a wire-to-wire victory.

Graburn (Georgetown, KY) held his nerve and drove a determined, confident cones phase on the Twin Gates Farm Derby Field to claim his second USEF National Champion title. Driving Larry Denny’s Ulano, Graburn added three faults for a knock down and just .43 time penalties over Sunday’s course to complete on a score of 119.76.

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Graburn Extends Lead in the USEF National Single Horse Championship at the Southern Pines CDE

Sterling Graburn and Ulano (Picsofyou.com)

Raeford, NC – Competitors in the USEF National Single Horse Championship set scorching paces through Richard Nicholl’s eight obstacle marathon course. Leading times through each obstacle dipped lower and lower as the afternoon went on. Sterling Graburn, Friday’s dressage leader, posted the quickest marathon score of the division, lengthening his overall lead, and he heads into Sunday’s cone phase on a score of 116.33.

Graburn (Georgetown, KY) won today’s marathon and retained the National Championship lead, which is running in conjunction with the Southern Pines CDE, on the strength of quick smooth driving. Piloting his own Ulano, Graburn posted the leading times in hazards two and six.

The KWPN gelding was formerly a member of a Four-in-Hand team but is taking to the Singles division quite well. Graburn was pleased with his horse and their performance today barring a mishap in the final obstacle.

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Graburn Storms to the Front of the USEF National Single Horse Championships at the Southern Pines CDE

Raeford, NC – Thirteen of the best U.S. drivers in the Single Horse division went to task Friday afternoon on the Twin Gates Farm Derby Field at the Carolina Horse Park. The USEF National Single Horse Championship got underway with the dressage phase under sunny skies. At the end of the first day Sterling Graburn holds a six point lead in the division.

Graburn (Georgetown, KY) drove a flashy and accurate test to score a 37.97. Graburn’s KWPN gelding, Ulano, impressed the Ground Jury with his presence and stunning gaits. Their attractive and powerful test was only marred by a few bobbles.

“I have a really, really good horse. He was very good today and really steady. We had a little impulsion problem at Live Oak but his impulsion was good today.” Said Graburn: “He is a good mover and was rewarded for that. It [the test] was steady and even without too many technical errors.”

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News from the 2012 Adequan FEI North American Junior/Young Rider Championships

Winners from NAJYRC 2011 (Brant Gamma)

Lexington, KY – Less than four months before the Opening Ceremonies for the 2012 Championships, planning is already well underway. 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. This year the event will run July 17-22, 2012.

Schedule:

The Tentative Competition Schedule for competitors is available here: http://www.youngriders.org/Schedule.aspx, and as soon as the Draft Schedules get approved by the FEI they will be posted. We have made some changes this year to the schedule, as we are sharing the Kentucky Horse Park with Breyerfest, not with the Kentucky Summer Horse Show.

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Field of 14 Set to Vie for USEF National Single Horse Champion Honors at the Southern Pines CDE

Robin Groves drives for her second National Championship title this weekend. (Picsofyou.com)

Lexington, KY – A strong field of 14 drivers is set to contest the USEF National Single Horse Championship this weekend at the Carolina Horse Park in Raeford, NC. Held in conjunction with the Southern Pines CDE, competition will run April 13-15 and will be doubly important as it also serves as a Selection Trial for the 2012 Singles World Driving Championship, which will be held in Lezirias, Portugal, September 12-16.

The National Championship competition will feature a mixture of decorated veteran drivers and rising young talent. Four previous USEF National Single Horse Champions will be contesting the 2012 edition of the event. Kim Stover (1999), Sterling Graburn (2008) and Robin Groves (2010) all look to secure their second titles, while Kelly Valdes (1996, 1998) will be in pursuit of her third USEF National Championship.

Valdes will be incredibly busy this weekend as in addition to driving she also helps to organize the Southern Pines CDE.

Continue reading Field of 14 Set to Vie for USEF National Single Horse Champion Honors at the Southern Pines CDE