Category Archives: Championships

Championships, Competitions, Events, Hunter/Equitation, Kentucky Horse Shows, Phelps Media Group, Show Jumping

Catherine Tyree Earns Championship and Reserve Tricolors in Junior Hunters at Kentucky Summer Classic

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Catherine Tyree and Savant won reserve championship Award in the Large 16-17 Junior Hunters at the Kentucky Summer Classic. Photo By: Kendall Bierer/PMG.

Lexington, KY – August 7, 2011 – The last day of the Kentucky Summer Classic began with looming clouds; however, the Kentucky Horse Park was filled with nothing but sunshine and a cool breeze as the afternoon approached. The best horse and rider combinations competed for top honors during their respective divisions in the Covered Arena and Stonelea Ring for the Small Junior 15 & Under Hunters, Small Junior 16-17 Hunters, Large 15 & Under Junior Hunters and Large 16-17 Junior Hunters.

Today, Catherine Tyree did not disappoint, as she brought home not only the championship award for the Small 16-17 Junior Hunter division, but also the reserve championship honors for the Large 16-17 Junior Hunters. Aboard Concetto, owned by First Partners Inc. of Chicago, IL, Tyree won two first place ribbons in yesterday’s Small 16-17 Junior Hunter Division and the fourth place ribbon today. In the Large 16-17 Junior Hunter Division Tyree and Savant earned the third place ribbon and fourth place ribbon in yesterday’s classes as well as two second place ribbons and the fourth place ribbon in the under saddle class today.

Tyree has been riding Concetto for the last four years and believes that the time they have been together has really helped them to grow with one another and move into the Junior Hunters. “Sometimes he acts a bit like a stallion in the barn and when he’s schooling, but once he gets in the ring he’s all work,” explained Tyree. “He goes in, he knows his job, always jumps a ten; he’s so fantastic.”

Due to Concetto’s long stride and easy-going personality, the handy round has become his forte. “He needs a very easy ride, outside you get on a nice gallop and go down, nothing bothers him and he has a huge stride. He jumps the oxers great all the time; you just have to keep his balance up a little bit. He loves to turn and gallop. He really shines in the handy.”

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Championships, Competitions, Events, Hunter/Equitation, Kentucky Horse Shows, Phelps Media Group, Show Jumping

Cece Williamson and Northstar Win Tricolor in Amateur-Owner 3’3″ Hunters at the Kentucky Summer Classic

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Cece Williamson and Northstar won the Amateur-Owner 3'3" Hunter Championship at the Kentucky Summer Classic. Photo By: Kendall Bierer/PMG.

Lexington, KY – August 6, 2011 – A light breeze helped keep competitors cool as the sun shone brightly over the Stonelea Ring at the Kentucky Horse Park during the Kentucky Summer Classic. Today, the Amateur-Owner Hunter classes came to a close, presenting their championship and reserve championship awards after riders competed for top honors in their respective divisions.

In the Amateur-Owner 18-35 Hunters, Pure Abundance, ridden by Wesley Newlands of Toronto, Canada, made a strong comeback and eventually took home the top honors. Yesterday, the pair won the fourth place ribbon over fences as well as the second place ribbon in the under saddle. Combined with the duo’s third place ribbon in the over fences class and the first place ribbon in the handy today, the talented combination garnered enough points to bring home the championship tricolor.

Newlands has owned Pure Abundance for four years, and believes that a large part of their success is based on the fact that they are finally very solid together as a horse and rider combination. “My rounds today were very solid, and honestly, my horse couldn’t have been any better,” smiled Newlands as she gave her horse a pat. “I can always depend on him when I go into the ring, and he is always trying to win.”

The talented rider and Pure Abundance have had a very successful season. The duo was just named champion at Devon this past year, and Newlands is hoping to continue their success during Indoors. If her rounds today were any sign, then there may not be much hoping involved. “I went for a solid round today in the handy,” she described. “Most people attempted to go through the gap of the white and brown jumps, but I know my horse gets a little spooky, so I went around and it gave me a nice smooth trot jump and led to a solid finish.”

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Championships, Competitions, Driving, Events, FEI, FEI, USEF

USEF Names FEI World Pair Driving Championship Team, Nominated Entry Submitted for FEI World Pony Driving Championships

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Lexington, KY – The United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) has named the following drivers to represent the United States at the two driving World Championships set to take place over the next two months.

The 2011 FEI World Pair Driving Championships will take place in Conty, France August 24-28, 2011, and the three drivers who will represent the U.S. with pairs of horses will be:

Kathi Dancer (Woodside, CA)
Misdee Wrigley-Miller (Lakewood Ranch, FL)
Joe Yoder (Aiken, SC)

Alternates:

Lisa Singer (Chadds Ford, PA)
Alan Aulson (Georgetown, MA)

The USEF also named the Nominated Entry for the 2011 FEI World Pony Driving Championships which will be held in Lipica, Slovenia September 22-25, 2011.

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Championships, Competitions, Events, HITS, HITS, Hunter/Equitation, USEF

USEF National Junior Hunter Championship Continues

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©ESI Photography. Lillie Keenan rode to victory for the second time in Tuesday's $4,000 Large Junior Hunter 15 & Under Classic Round aboard Madison.

SAUGERTIES, NEW YORK (August 3, 2011) – On Tuesday, the USEF National Junior Hunter Championship – East Coast at HITS-on-the-Hudson welcomed Junior equestrians to the Strongid C 2X Grand Prix Stadium for the first phase of competition. Riders vied for individual Champion awards as well as Wild Card Berths in September’s Diamond Mills $500,000 Hunter Prix Final.

Riders in Small Junior 15 and Under, Large Junior 15 and Under, Small Junior 16-17, and Large Junior 16-17 completed the first two phases of the three-phase format on Tuesday. The initial standings were established after the scores from a $4,000 Classic Hunter Round, worth 40% of the overall score, were then coupled with the scores of the $2,000 Under Saddle Phase, worth 20% of the overall score. After the third and final phase, the top ten overall in each section will be pinned, and the champion rider of each section will receive a Wild Card Berths for September’s Diamond Mills $500,000 Hunter Prix Final.

Small Junior Hunter 15 & Under

Lillie Keenan of New York, New York aboard Don Stewart’s Confidential established a strong hold on the top spot of the overall rankings in the Small Juniors 15 and Under, winning both the Classic Round with a score of 88 and the Under Saddle with an impressive 92.

“My goal is to qualify for the [Diamond Mills] $500,000 [Hunter Prix] Final and winning the Wild Card would be great,” said Keenan, who trains with Andre Dignelli at Heritage Farm. “I would love to show Confidential in the Hunter Prix Final. He is so much fun to ride and the class will be a great match for us.”

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Championships, Competitions, Eventing/H.T., Events, FEI, FEI

HSBC FEI European Eventing Championships 2011 – Luhmühlen

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Lausanne (SUI), 3 August 2011 – A total of 15 nations have announced their intention to compete at the HSBC FEI European Eventing Championships 2011 (25-28 August).

The 30th running of the Championships will be hosted for the fifth time at Luhmühlen (GER), which has been synonymous with international Eventing since 1975.

As well as the excitement of the Championships themselves and the battle for medals, the two best ranked teams from Olympic Groups A, B & C at the HSBC FEI European Eventing Championships 2011 will also qualify to take part at the London 2012 Olympic Games.

Visit the FEI Press Kit Zone to download the HSBC FEI European Eventing Championships 2011 press kit, which includes:

•    Nations intending to field teams and individuals
•    Competition timetable and media contacts
•    Interview with Julia Otto, Event Director and Managing Director of Turniergesellschaft Luhmühlen mbH
•    Detailed history of FEI European Eventing Championships
•    Images dating back to 1977 (free for editorial purposes)
•    HSBC FEI European Eventing Championships interesting facts and figures
•    The medals table (1953 – 2009)
•    Interview with Ginny Elliot (GBR) – still the only rider to have won three European titles in a row

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*Featured/Spotlights, Championships, Competitions, Dressage, Endurance Riding, Eventing/H.T., Events, FEI, Show Jumping, Western/Reining

FEI North American Junior/Young Rider Championships 2011

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NEXT GENERATION RISE TO THE CHALLENGE AT TOUGH KENTUCKY CHAMPIONSHIPS by Louise Parkes

Avery Klunick, Alyssa Phillips, Alexa Ehlers and Victoria New, USA Area 5's Gold Medal Junior Eventing Team Champions. Photo: FEI/Anthony Trollope.

Lausanne (SUI), 1 August 2011 – A heat-wave and thunderstorms failed to throw the next talented generation off their stride at the FEI North American Junior and Young Rider Championship which came to a thrilling conclusion at the Horse Park In Kentucky, USA yesterday.  Open to riders from the USA, Bermuda, Canada, Mexico, Puerto Rico and the Caribbean Islands, the five-day action-packed fixture attracted 250 entries, all hoping to make their mark in the five disciplines of Dressage, Endurance, Reining, Jumping and Eventing.

DRESSAGE
US Region 5 captured Young Rider Dressage Team gold.  Aylin Corapcioglu (Ruhmann), Madeleine Birch (Uceri), Catherine Chamberline (Verdicci) and Brandi Roenick (Pretty Lady) completed with a combined score of 198.104, but only pipped Canada BC/QC – Emily Fownes (Frapuccino), Mathilde Tetrault (Michelango), Anna Mylai Messier (Marzipan) and Esmee Ingham (Norseman) – by just over one point, while USA Region 8 were less than another point further adrift in bronze.

Roenick produced the highest score of the competition, 69.289, and the 16 year old from Arizona complimented her team-mates: “It’s an awesome opportunity to ride with these girls and really get to know them,” she said.  Canada’s Esmee Ingham put the Canadian silver medal in context.  “Since British Columbia is on the West Coast and Quebec City is so far east, for us to come together as a team having never met, and to take a medal is really incredible!” she pointed out.

Roenick had to settle for silver in the Individual Championship however when Isabelle Leibler (Watson) took gold and fellow-American Chase Hickok (Palermo) claimed the bronze.  And it was Hickok who moved into silver medal position in the Freestyle in which Leibler’s flawless performance with her 14 year old Westphalian gelding earned a winning score of 74.00. “He just felt like he was right there for me… it was the most amazing feeling,” Leibler said.  Mackinzie Pooley claimed the bronze with her last ride in international competition with the 20 year old Oldenburg Jonkara.

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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

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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.

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Championships, Competitions, Events, Show Jumping, USEF

Katherine Dinan and Samantha Schaefer Jump to Golds at the USHJA NAJYRC

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Gold medalist Young Rider Katherine Dinan. Photo: Sportfot.

Lexington, KY – Young Rider Katherine Dinan piloted the 13-year-old New Zealand Thoroughbred-cross gelding, Vancouver, quickly and carefully around the Rolex Stadium on Sunday to finish with a score of 10.14 – and a Gold medal.

It was the final day of jumping at the USHJA North American Junior and Young Rider Show Jumping Championship at the 2011 Adequan/FEI North American Junior & Young Rider Championships presented by Gotham North.

“I was a little nervous going into the first round [today],” said Dinan, from Zone 2. “Coming in on top, there was definitely some pressure. I thought my horse jumped really well today. I had two verticals down in the first round… but he jumped really well in the second round. I was proud that he pulled it together.

“It was definitely challenging with the five classes. He’s the kind of horse that will do two or three classes at a horse show, so I was expecting him to be a little less alert today, but he was really good. I have 100% faith and confidence in him. I know he can jump the world. I’m a very lucky girl.”

Finishing just behind Dinan in Silver-medal position were Zone 4’s Samantha Senft and Early Morning-a 9-year-old Dutch Warmblood mare, who amassed a total score of 10.24.

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

Devon Brown and Dynamic Image Win Eventing Gold – Leading CCI2* from Start to Finish

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Alyssa Phillips and 19-Year-Old Sundance Bay Claim CCI*

CCI2* Gold medalist Devon Brown on Dynamic Image. Photo: Sportfot.

Lexington, KY – Sunday’s USEA North American Junior Eventing Championship closed an action-packed week of competition at the 2011 Adequan/FEI North American Junior Rider & Young Rider Championships presented by Gotham North. The intense heat that plagued the area was a challenge for the eventers as well, but the majority of the horses and riders looked fresh and ready to complete the event.

Devon Brown and Dynamic Image (Area III) led the CCI2* from start to finish after posting a flawless show jumping round to finish on their dressage score of 50.5. The pair was awarded the Individual Gold medal after making easy work of the show jumping course.

“It’s unreal,” she said after her ride. “I came here just hoping for a good run in all three phases and to give him a good confident run. I was a little worried because he hadn’t done much all spring. It was just amazing. He just went above and beyond and just tried his heart out.

Jumping all the way from seventh to take home the Individual Silver medal was Area V & IX’s Jacob Fletcher with his flashy colored Australian Sport Horse gelding Falcon Splash. The pair jumped double clear over both the cross-country and show jumping courses to finish on their dressage score of 57.2.

In ninth after dressage, Fletcher said he didn’t foresee the leap up the scoreboard to the Silver-medal position: “My goal was to make time on cross-country and have clean show jumping. To go from ninth to second… I don’t think anyone can foresee that in such a big competition.”

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Championships, Competitions, Dressage, Events, USEF

Isabelle Leibler of Region 8 Awarded Freestyle Dressage Gold after Storm Temporarily Suspends Competition

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Dressage Freestyle Young Rider medalists. Photo: SusanJStickle.com

Lexington, KY – It was a stormy afternoon at the Kentucky Horse Park for part of the USDF/Platinum Performance North American Junior and Young Rider Dressage Championship at the 2011 Adequan/FEI North American Junior & Young Rider Championships presented by Gotham North, but storms could not dampen the brilliance of the dressage being performed.

Competition was suspended at approximately 3:30 p.m. when a thunder and lightning storm passed through the area, knocking out electricity at the Rolex Stadium. But thanks to the quick work of the Organizing Committee and Kentucky Horse Park staff, the show soon resumed.

The Young Rider division was intensely competitive, punctuated by the last rider’s flawless freestyle. Isabelle Leibler and Watson 108 representing Region 8 were rewarded for their brilliant test with a score of 74.00%, which earned the pair the Individual Gold medal.

“This is the third time we’ve performed [this freestyle] in competition, so we’re going through the ropes, trying to see how it ends up, and how the striding work,” she said after her test. “Today, he just felt like he was right there for me and he had my back. He was ready for everything. I was so excited to have a feeling that my horse was there with me… it was the most amazing feeling.”

Leibler rode the 14-year-old Westphalian gelding to music from the movie “ET.”

“It’s my favorite movie, so I tried to put something together because it’s just my favorite. I think it fits Watson, and I think we made a good piece.”

Continue reading Isabelle Leibler of Region 8 Awarded Freestyle Dressage Gold after Storm Temporarily Suspends Competition →