Wellington, FL (July 19, 2010) – Dressage rider Caroline Roffman’s brilliant Young Rider career may be behind her, but that isn’t keeping the talented 21-year-old from shining as a young professional. Roffman and her Hanoverian gelding Bon Chance have qualified for the Markel/USEF National Young Horse Championship in Lamplight, Illinois, July 22-25.
“I will be competing Bon Chance, or Moto as I call him, in the five-year-old Preliminary and Championship Class, American Bred Horse at the Young Horse Championships,” Roffman said. “This is really exciting for me because I have had Moto since he was three and I am proud to say that I have done all of the riding and training myself, with lessons from my trainer Lars Petersen.”
This will be the duo’s second trip to the Young Horse Championships, as Bon Chance was the Reserve Four-Year-Old Champion at the prestigious show last year. Bon Chance was bred by American breeders Marefield Meadows out of Virginia. “I feel really honored to once again be competing at the Young Horse Championships. I believe this program allows the United States to develop future team horses and we are incredibly lucky to have people like Scott Hassler to guide us down the right path,” Roffman said.
DOUBLE GOLD FOR GERMANY AT JARDY
19 July 2010 – Germany boasts many of the best riders in the world and the new generation, competing at Haras de Jardy (Marnes la Coquette) over the last week, showed that they are more than ready to step into the big boots of their senior counterparts. The venue, just outside Paris in France, hosted the 2010 FEI Children on Horses, Junior and Young Rider European Jumping Championships from 13 to 18 July and Germany took team gold in Juniors and Young Riders while Great Britain claimed the Children’s team title.
Sweden’s Douglas Lindelow claimed the Young Riders individual title while Belgium’s Olivier Philippaerts was crowned Junior champion and Tressy Muhr of France earned the Children’s individual trophy.
Children on Horses – British Reign Supreme
British youngsters sprang a surprise in the Children’s Team Championship. The four riders trained by Corinne Bracken, coach and leader of the three competing British teams, completed Thursday’s team challenge on a zero score to clinch gold. In silver medal position was Italy with four faults, followed by Ireland in bronze with just five while Belgium and France tied for fourth place.
Greek Riders Dominate, but Romania’s Alexandrescou Takes Senior Individual Gold
5 July 2010 – Greek riders claimed a colossal medal-haul at the 2010 FEI Balkan Dressage Championships in Katerini, Greece over the weekend including three sets of team gold and two individual titles. However yesterday (Sunday) it was Romania’s Sorin Alexandrescou who was crowned Senior Individual champion with a great performance from Mercur Casino as his Greek opponents had to settle for silver and bronze.
The Balkan Championships, which first took place in Istanbul, Turkey in 1968, have embraced a varying number of disciplines down the years and Dressage first featured in 1992. The region covers Croatia, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Serbia, Montenegro, Macedonia, Romania, Bulgaria, Greece, Cyprus, Turkey and Moldovia, and, from the outset, the Championships have succeeded in promoting and improving the standard of equestrian sport in south-east Europe. This year the Jumping and Dressage disciplines have been scheduled for separate locations and from 2 to 4 July, the Pieria Riding Club in Katerini, which hosted the Balkan Jumping Championships in September 2009, opened its gates once again for the 2010 Dressage equivalent.
Whitehouse Station, NJ (July 5, 2010) – International dressage rider Dr. Cesar Parra and Olympia, the 13-year-old KWPN gelding owned Dr. Lori Washton, are currently ranked number one for the FEI small tour heading into the 2010 Collecting Gaits Farm/USEF National I-1 Dressage Championships.
Parra has been riding Olympia for over a year and recently returned from a very successful winter season in Florida. Parra and Olympia returned to New Jersey and made their debut at the ESDCTA Memorial Day Show. The pair won the Prix St. Georges with a score of 71.789 and also the Intermediaire I with a score of 71.000 percent. In total, this pair has shown at this level just over a dozen times and has consistently scored over 70%. Parra started showing Olympia a year ago at the Centerline Events Westbrook Hunt Club show and won the Prix St George with 75%. Last year the pair won 8 out 9 CDI classes and Parra won the coveted High Score FEI Rider Award at Dressage at Devon aboard Olympia. This year, at the New Jersey Horse Park CDI on Memorial Day they continued their victory streak winning both classes. “Olympia has developed into such an ideal horse to show. He is always trying his best,” said Parra.
Long List for 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games Announced
Wayne, IL – June 28, 2010 – The final day of intense competition for the USEF Para-Equestrian Dressage National Championships and the USEF Para-Dressage Selection Trials for the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games concluded Sunday. Earning both the championship rosette and cooler and the reserve championship rosette and cooler was Rebecca Hart. Hart rode both of her mounts to top honors over the last three days. Hart and Kazan earned the National Championship and Hart and Norteassa earned the reserve championship. Hart was surrounded by top coaches including her trainer and Chef d’Equipe of the USEF Para-Dressage team, Missy Ransehousen; top judges Chris Porterfield (GBR), Lillian Iannone (ARG), and Carlos Lopes (POR); and top competition.
The weekend’s competition was a chance for the riders to not only compete among their peers, but to gain experience in front of international judges. The three days of Para-Dressage competition included the team test, individual test and freestyle competition. On Sunday, the freestyle test added the music element to the test where riders showcased their artistic abilities on horseback.
May 10, 2010 – LEXINGTON, KY – Champion rider and equine competitor Stacy Westfall will entertain audiences as she performs without a saddle or bridle on her champion horse, Roxy, in the Opening Ceremonies of the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games.
Westfall, who has appeared on Ellen and is a YouTube sensation, will bring her champion reining horse, Whizards Baby Doll (“Roxy”), out of retirement to participate in the Opening Ceremonies for the world’s most prestigious equestrian competition.
Tickets to the 2010 Games Opening Ceremonies, held on the evening of September 25, are still available and can be purchased at www.alltechfeigames.com/tickets.
We take a look at the final test events including the Rolex Kentucky Three Day Event. How did it all go, who placed on top and is the Kentucky Horse Park ready for the Alltech FEI 2010 World Equestrian Games…
2010 Radio Show Episode 88 – Show Notes and Links:
William Fox-Pitt maintained his lead to win the 2010 Rolex Kentucky Three Day Event. Listen in as NBC Color Commentator Donna Barton Brothers co-hosts this final show from Rolex. ..
Eventing Radio Show Episode 77 – Rolex Final Report, William Fox-Pitt Wins:
Picture: They started the 2010 Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event in the lead and finished it that way. Great Britain’s William Fox-Pitt jumped a double-clear show jumping round with Cool Mountain on Sunday to clench his first Rolex Kentucky victory. Phillip Dutton and Woodburn jumped into second place after a faultless trip, while Becky Holder caught only one rail with Courageous Comet to finish in third place. Photo by Josh Walker from useventing.com.
Co-Host: NBC Color Commentator Donna Barton Brothers
William Fox-Pitt (GBR) today, 25th April 2010, went clear in the Show Jumping on the final day at the 2010 Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event to crown his first win at ‘The Rolex’ with his starting dressage score of 42.8.
Audio interviews with William Fox-Pitt, Phillip Dutton, Becky Holder, the press conference after Day Three with the riders, Rupert Bell ‘s live commentary on William Fox-Pitt’s Show Jumping round, plus an interview with Oliver Townend reflecting on his cross country day and attempt to win the Rolex Grand Slam, are also available to listen to, and download for free, on the links below:
25 April 2010 William Fox-Pitt (GBR) said he did not come to the Rolex Kentucky Three Day Event with the expectation of winning, but, once in the driving seat, he was clearly not going to relinquish the golden opportunity without a fight and he now has his first Rolex watch to complement his seven other 4-star wins.
William Fox-Pitt (GBR) aboard Cool Mountain on their way to victory in the first leg of the HSBC FEI Classics™ at Lexington,KY (USA). Click on image for larger view.
And, with the choice of three good rides – Idalgo, Macchiato and Sea Cookie – at next weekend’s Mitsubishi Motors Badminton Horse Trials, he could gain a commanding advantage in the HSBC FEI Classics™, an award he won in its inaugural year in 2008.
Cool Mountain, his winning ride at Kentucky, is a 10-year-old Thoroughbred gelding by the prolific Eventing sire Primitive Rising. This was his 4-star debut, having won at 3-star level, at Blair Castle (GBR) last year and been consistent throughout his career.
“He is a pleasure to train,” said Fox-Pitt. “He is very straightforward and genuine, and I have always felt there was more to come. I am absolutely thrilled with him, though – to win is beyond my wildest dreams.”
Fox-Pitt’s nearest rival, Kimberley Severson (USA) had a most unfortunate Jumping round – a total of 32 faults (24 jumping, 12 time) and plummeted to 25th, and it was the 2008 winner, Phillip Dutton (USA), who rose three places to 2nd on Woodburn with a clear round.
Becky Holder (USA) retained 3rd place on Courageous Comet with just one rail, but Boyd Martin’s meteoric rise continued, up another four places to 4th on Neville Bardos, and Canadian Stephanie Rhodes-Bosch and Port Authority continued upwards, to eventual 5th place with a clean sheet. In addition, she won the HSBC Training Bursary for the best-placed first-time 4-star competitor.
Oliver Townend (GBR) was discharged from hospital in the morning, but having sustained minor injuries, could not jump his ODT Master Rose and so withdrew.
37 horses completed the competition with 9 clear Jumping rounds.
Prize Money
HSBC will contribute US$ 1million to the series over the next three years. Prize-money is awarded, as follows, to the top five riders on the leaderboard after the fifth and final event:
WINNERS OF THE 2009 SEASON
1. Oliver Townend (GBR) – US$ 150,000 (Series champion);
2. Dirk Schrade (GER) – US$ 75,000;
3. Andreas Dibowski – (GER) US$ 50,000;
4. William Fox-Pitt (GBR) – US$ 33,000;
5. Sam Griffiths (AUS) – US$ 25,000
Notes to Editors
HSBC, the world’s local bank, is a platinum partner of FEI and global sponsor of the eventing discipline.
As part of this partnership, HSBC is title sponsor of the HSBC FEI Classics™ and HSBC FEI World Cup™.
At the centre of all HSBC’s sponsorships is a commitment to youth, education and community. The Pony Club and HSBC have teamed up to create the HSBC Pony Club Eventing Training Programme.
For further information, including Rules and Standings, visit www.fei.org. Previews, reports, results and photographs for each event will be available from the FEI throughout the season.