Category Archives: Championships

Championships, Competitions, Dressage, Events, USEF, USEF

UPDATED: Entries Confirmed for the 2011 Collecting Gaits Farm/USEF Dressage Festival of Champions

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Steffen Peters and Ravel. Photo: SusanJStickle.com

Lexington, KY – With six USEF National Dressage Championships and selection for U.S. Dressage Team for the 2011 Pan American Games on the line, the 2011 Collecting Gaits Farm/USEF Dressage Festival of Champions is the place to be September 8-11, 2011.

The USET Foundation Headquarters plays host to the prestigious event in Gladstone, NJ which is headlined by the Grand Prix National Dressage Championships and the Intermediaire I National Dressage Championship (which also serves as the USEF Selection Trial for the U.S. Dressage Team for the 2011 Pan American Games).

Returning to vie for the title in the Grand Prix is Ravel. The most decorated American dressage horse in history makes his first trip to compete at Gladstone for owners Akiko Yamazaki and Four Winds Farms. With Steffen Peters, the 13-year-old Dutch gelding was the 2008 Collecting Gaits Farm/USEF National Grand Prix Champion (contested in California), the 2009 Farnam/Platform USEF Horse of the Year, he won the FEI World Cup Dressage Final in 2009 and swept the CHIO Aachen that same year, he was also double Individual Bronze medalist at the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games.

Peters (San Diego, CA) will be looking to add another National Championship title to the horse’s resume – and 2011 marks a first for Ravel as well as a return for Peters. Peters hasn’t competed at Gladstone since he won the 2007 Collecting Gaits Farm/USEF Grand Prix National Championships with Lombardi.

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Championships, Competitions, Dressage, Events, FEI, FEI, Para-Equestrian

High Expectations as FEI European Para-Equestrian Dressage Championships Get Underway in Moorsele

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Lausanne (SUI), 2 September 2011 – The FEI European Para-Equestrian Dressage Championships, held under the patronage of Her Royal Highness Princess Astrid of Belgium, got underway yesterday in Moorsele with 79 riders from 19 countries set to compete at the Club Quadrille in Belgium.

Great Britain have been the Para-Equestrian Dressage power-house of recent times and are current Paralympic, World and European title holders, but with recent announcements that both nine-time Paralympic gold medallist Lee Pearson and Beijing silver medallist Ricky Balshaw will not be competing due to injuries, Germany and Denmark will be looking to shift the traditional British domination of the sport.

“Due to the absence of Pearson and Balshaw, outsiders Germany, who finished second at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games in Kentucky, and Denmark, who came in third, have a golden opportunity to finally take the European title,” said Quadrille’s founder and Belgian Dressage Champion from 1977 until 1982, Anne D’Ieteren who is also the current President of the Belgian Paralympic Committee and member of the FEI Para-Equestrian Committee since 2010.

Belgium also has a strong team. “Bert Vermeir, bronze medallist in Athens 2004, should be considered a serious candidate for the Grade III medals, despite having suffered a severe injury in Deauville four months ago. Tthe same applies for José Lorquet in his come-back in Grade Ib. And I hope Ciska Vermeulen, one of our rough Belgian diamonds, will wow in her first European Championships,” added d’Ieteren.

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Championships, Competitions, Driving, Events, FEI, FEI

FEI Open European Driving Championships for Four-In-Hand Return after 30 Years

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Györgyi Bardos of Hungary, pictured right, is the individual FEI European Driving Four-in-Hand Championship title holder. He won the last edition of the event held in 1981.

Lausanne (SUI), 1 September 2011 – The FEI Open European Driving Championships for Four-in-Hand are back on the FEI calendar for the first time since 1981. Outdoor Brabant, formally known as Breda Hippique, is proud to host the seventh edition of these Championships, which will be held on the traditional show grounds of the Prinsenhoeve Estate in Breda, The Netherlands, from 1 to 4 September 2011.

Breda has hosted the only national team competition (CAIO) for Four-in-Hand in The Netherlands for many years. In 1995, Breda hosted the first ever European Driving Championships for Four-in-Hand ponies as well as the FEI World Para Equestrian Driving Championships in 2010.

The FEI European Driving Championships for Four-in-Hand were first organised in 1971 in Budapest (HUN) and were held every two years until 1981 at which stage they were discontinued.

The titleholder is Györgyi Bardos from Hungary, the individual winner of the last 1981 Championships which took place in Zug, Switzerland.

This year’s edition is open to European and non-European drivers. The competition counts as a qualifier for the indoor FEI World Cup Driving, which is held during the winter season. Only competitors from Europe can claim the individual and team medals.

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Championships, Competitions, Dressage, Pan American Games, USEF, USEF

Entries Confirmed for the 2011 Collecting Gaits Farm/USEF Dressage Festival of Champions

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Lexington, KY – With six USEF National Dressage Championships and selection for U.S. Dressage Team for the 2011 Pan American Games on the line, the 2011 Collecting Gaits Farm/USEF Dressage Festival of Champions is the place to be September 8-11, 2011.

The USET Foundation Headquarters plays host to the prestigious event in Gladstone, NJ which is headlined by the Grand Prix National Dressage Championships and the Intermediaire I National Dressage Championship (which also serves as the USEF Selection Trial for the U.S. Dressage Team for the 2011 Pan American Games).

Returning to vie for the title in the Grand Prix is Ravel. The most decorated American dressage horse in history makes his first trip to compete at Gladstone for owners Akiko Yamazaki and Four Winds Farms. With Steffen Peters, the 13-year-old Dutch gelding was the 2008 Collecting Gaits Farm/USEF National Grand Prix Champion (contested in California), the 2009 Farnam/Platform USEF Horse of the Year, he won the FEI World Cup Dressage Final in 2009 and swept the CHIO Aachen that same year, he was also double Individual Bronze medalist at the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games.

Peters (San Diego, CA) will be looking to add another National Championship title to the horse’s resume – and 2011 marks a first for Ravel as well as a return for Peters. Peters hasn’t competed at Gladstone since he won the 2007 Collecting Gaits Farm/USEF Grand Prix National Championships with Lombardi.

Continue reading Entries Confirmed for the 2011 Collecting Gaits Farm/USEF Dressage Festival of Champions →

*Featured/Spotlights, Championships, Competitions, Endurance Riding, Events, FEI, FEI

FEI Balkan Endurance Championships 2011 – Koprivshtitsa (BUL)

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DOUBLE GOLD FOR BRILLIANT BULGARIANS by Louise Parkes

Individual champion, Bulgaria's Miroslav Borshosh, celebrates his gold medal winning performance with Munir B. The partnership also took the Best Condition award. Photo: FEI/Radostina Genova.

Lausanne (SUI), 30 August 2011 – The host nation scooped team and individual gold at the FEI Balkan Endurance Championships 2011 staged at Koprivshtitsa in Bulgaria last weekend. The Bulgarian side was the only finishers in the three-nation team contest, while Miroslav Borshosh produced an impressive and well-judged performance with his Arab gelding, Munir B, to emphatically claim the individual title.

Koprivshtitsa, which lies on the Topolnitsa River and in the Sredna Gora mountains, is well-known for its architecture. and for the folk-music festivals that ensure it is a very popular destination for tourists.  It is also home to a National Festival of Bulgarian Folklore which takes place every five years, attracting musicians, artists and craftsmen from across the country.  So visitors to these FEI Championships experienced an authentic take on Bulgarian culture and heritage.

The horses and riders were truly tested with an 86 kilometre course that started at 1,000 feet above sea level and rose a further 400 feet.  “The competitors did a great job,” said FEI Technical Delegate Bo Kjellgren (SWE) afterwards, “and the Bulgarian Federation was very much behind the event, giving it huge support.”

VERY TOUGH
Poland’s Dr Piotr Szpotanski, a highly-experienced FEI Veterinary Delegate, described the competition trail as “very tough”, but was surprised how well the horses coped with it.  “I found it frightening when I was driving the mountain trail in my car, but the horses seemed to find it much easier!” he said.  Rumours of wild mustangs running loose through the countryside, and even the occasional wolf prowling in the wilderness, didn’t deter the competitors from the task at hand.

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*Featured/Spotlights, Championships, Competitions, Dressage, Events, JRPR

Dressage Rider Caroline Roffman Takes Three for Three Tri-Colored Ribbons at the Markel/USEF National Young Horse Dressage Championships

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Caroline Roffman riding Bon Chance at the 2011 Markel/USEF National Young Horse Dressage Championships. (Photo compliments of PhelpsPhotos.com)

Wayne, IL (August 30, 2011) – On the same weekend that Hurricane Irene battered its way up the East Coast, dressage rider Caroline Roffman took the 2011 Markel/USEF National Young Horse Dressage Championships at the Lamplight Equestrian Center by storm. Roffman, of Wellington, Florida, rode away with three Reserve Championships aboard San City, Bon Chance, and Pie, once again solidifying her place in the dressage world as a successful trainer and competitor.

“San City was Reserve Champion in the Five-Year-Old division, Bon Chance tied for the Championship in the Six-Year-Olds, although because it is an American show the tie breaker goes to the American horse, and Pie finished as Reserve Champion in the Developing Horse Championships,” Roffman said. “What a weekend!”

Roffman was especially pleased with San City, a Hanoverian eventing stallion owned by Linda Crabtree, who made history in the Five-Year-Old Preliminary Test when he earned an 89% and a comment of “Wow” from judge Linda Zang.

“On the first day San City was amazing and he went above and beyond what he had ever done before,” Roffman said. “He really couldn’t have done any better. His 89% score was the highest ever given in the U.S. He was a little tired the second day, but I am still so proud of him.”

Continue reading Dressage Rider Caroline Roffman Takes Three for Three Tri-Colored Ribbons at the Markel/USEF National Young Horse Dressage Championships →

Breeds, Championships, Competitions, Events, More/Other, USEF

Merrill Murray and Courageous Lord Earn Third Consecutive Five-Gaited World’s Grand Championship

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Merrill Murray and Courageous Lord. Photo: Jen Corcoran/E Motion

Louisville, Kentucky – It’s an annual tradition in Louisville. Champions are crowned, history is made, dreams come true, and sterling silver trophies glisten under the lights of Freedom Hall. American Saddlebred Horses, Roadster Horses and Hackney and Harness Ponies compete to be called a World’s Champion, a World’s Champion of Champion, or the most desired title: a World’s Grand Champion.

On Saturday, it was a three-peat triumph for rider/trainer Merrill Murray, who celebrated his third – and final – $100,000 Five-Gaited World’s Grand Championship victory atop the American Saddlebred gelding Courageous Lord.

The crowd cheered, clapped and whistled on Stake Night – the final night of the weeklong event – for Courageous Lord, clearly the fan favorite. After a crowd rousing victory pass, Murray thanked God, and his wife, blacksmiths, chiropractor, vet, farm owners, and fans of Courageous Lord. And mentioned the ride was no longer his.

The 10-year-old chestnut, trained by Murray, was sold to Peter and Lynn Via of Fox Grape Farms about a month ago. Murray announced after his grand performance, which included a work off, the ride now belongs to Dr. Owen Weaver.

In other stakes, Real Action, ridden by Peter Cowart, won the Three-Gaited Grand Championship, and Gabe Deknatel and The Daily Lottery repeated as champions in the Amateur Five-Gaited Championship.

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Championships, Competitions, Eventing/H.T., FEI, FEI, Olympic Games

Two More Teams Qualify for London 2012 Olympic Games Eventing

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Lausanne (SUI), 19 August 2011 – France and Sweden qualified for the London 2012 Olympic Games as a result of their placings in the HSBC FEI European Eventing Championships 2011 team competition. France finished in silver medal position on a score of 151.10 and Sweden placed fourth (199.20). Germany, the leading nation at the Championships, had already achieved Olympic qualification. Bronze medallists Great Britain are automatically qualified as next year’s Olympic Games host nation.

Five countries had secured their Olympic participation at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games 2010 in Kentucky: Canada, New Zealand, USA, Germany, and Belgium. These added to the host nation and the two countries qualified this weekend bring the number of Eventing teams qualified to date for London 2012 to eight.

The next event for direct team qualification is the Asia Pacific Eventing Championship which will take place at Blenheim (GBR) from 8 to 11 September and which is open to teams from the Olympic Groups F (Africa and Middle East) and G (South East Asia and Oceania). The best placed team at this event will qualify.

The Asia Pacific Eventing Championship will be followed by the Pan American Games to be held in Guadalajara (MEX) from 14 to 29 October. The two best placed teams from Olympic Groups D (North America) and E (Central and South America), excluding the USA and Canada, will secure participation in London.

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*Featured/Spotlights, Championships, Competitions, Dressage, Events, USEF

Exciting Conclusion for the Markel/USEF National Young Horse Dressage Championship, USEF National Developing Horse Dressage Championship, and USEF Dressage Seat Medal Finals

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Marlena Kurz and Ode. All photos: Chuck Swan/Swan Photography LLC

Wayne, IL – Competition finished up Sunday at the Lamplight Equestrian Center as the top 6-year-olds and developing horses in the U.S. vied for top honors in the Markel/USEF National Young Horse Dressage Championship and USEF National Developing Horse Dressage Championship sponsored by The Dutta Corp. and Performance Sales International. Additionally, nine competitors would ride for medals in the USEF Dressage Seat Medal Finals presented by Dressage Today in the 14-18 division.

The final day of these USEF National Dressage Championships got underway with the USEF Dressage Seat Medal Finals presented by Dressage Today. The strong field demonstrated solid fundamentals and poise under pressure throughout the entire class including the challenging pattern. The final three riders to demonstrate the pattern, which called for proficiency in transitions between gaits and the ability to lengthen and collect, would claim the top three spots.

All three riders were competing in their first USEF Dressage Seat Medal Finals presented by Dressage Today on borrowed horses.

Marlena Kurz (San Antonio, TX) claimed top honors and the Gold medal riding Ode to an impressive 84%. Kurz was able to make the numerous transitions in the pattern look effortless by utilizing a soft and consistent contact and a correct seat.

Despite having only ridden Stephanie Fettig’s Dutch Warmblood since Tuesday, the 16-year-old was delighted with the gelding. “Even when he was tired he gave it his all, he was really with me the whole time. He’s a good boy I really enjoyed riding him.”

Continue reading Exciting Conclusion for the Markel/USEF National Young Horse Dressage Championship, USEF National Developing Horse Dressage Championship, and USEF Dressage Seat Medal Finals →

*Featured/Spotlights, Championships, Competitions, Dressage, Driving, Events, FEI, FEI

Carola Diener (GER) Is the New World Pair Driving Champion

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World champion Carola Diener (GER) during the obstacle driving competition at the FEI World Pair Driving Championships 2011. Photo © Rinaldo de Craen/FEI

Dutch Team Keep Team Gold

Conty (FRA), 24-28 August 2011 – Twenty-three-year-old Carola Diener (GER) became the new world champion at the 15th FEI World Pair Driving Championships at Conty, France. She performed a superb dressage test, drove a wonderful marathon and was near-perfect in the obstacle driving competition. The silver medal went to home representative Stéphane Chouzenoux; Tom Engbers from The Netherlands won individual bronze.

The Dutch team, led by Harry de Ruyter, who was appointed chef d’équipe in February, took home the gold while Germany claimed the silver. The host nation was delighted to win the bronze.

Ladies first
Germany was represented with two lady drivers for the first time in history: German pair champion Carola Diener as a team member and 15-year-old Anna Sandmann as an individual competitor. Carola set the basis for her first world medal in the dressage test, which she won ahead of the experienced drivers Beat Schenk (SUI) and Georg Moser (AUT). Diener, who is the stable manager of German international four-in-hand driver Christoph Sandmann, came 12th in the marathon but kept her lead in the individual standings. The marathon was won by 24-year-old Tom Engbers, ahead of Tibor Nagy jr. (HUN), aged only 21. Diener was last to go in the very difficult obstacle driving competition, designed by Barry Hunter (GBR). Going into the last phase, Carola had one ball in hand as well as some time penalties but the professional horsewoman that she is kept her cool leaving all the balls on the cones and recording only 1,94 penalty points for exceeding the time allowed. “It is an incredible feeling to be the new world champion, but it hasn’t quite sunk in yet,” she said.

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