Category Archives: Competitions

*Featured/Spotlights, Competitions, Events, Show Jumping, USEF

Demi Stiegler Champion of the Platinum Performance/USEF Talent Search Final – West

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Demi Stiegler. Photo by Flying Horse Photography

Lexington, KY – On Saturday afternoon at the L.A. International Jumping Festival (Sep 21-25), a crowd gathered on LAEC’s grass Cricket Field to watch the Show Jumping phase of the demanding and prestigious Platinum Performance/USEF Show Jumping Talent Search Finals West. When all was said and done, Demi Stiegler (Robin Stiegler and Archie Cox, trainers) led the victory gallop as champion of the 41-entry field.

“It was amazing!” Stiegler said of her win. “I was sixth coming into Phase III, and I knew from the Flat and Gymnastics Phases I just had to stay consistent. I tried to just concentrate on what would work best for my horse and myself and not worry about the pressure, and it paid off.” This was Stiegler’s second Talent Search Final, having competed in it in 2009.

The course for Phase III was fairly straightforward, with long distances between jumps to give riders a chance to think through each element – although they had to be careful not to let their horses get too fast or strung out with all that space. The two trickiest spots were the eighth jump, a skinny vertical after a sharp bending line, and the last line that started with a water jump followed by a bending line to a short one-stride combination. Stiegler sailed gracefully through the course, earning a score of 89. Scores in the multiplier for this phase was “2”, and added to the two earlier phases, and Stiegler’s overall score of 389.5 moved her from sixth into third place going into the final phase.

Sage Flynn (Hap Hansen, trainer) executed the Phase III course beautifully and earned the top score for the round of 92, which kept her in second place with 401 overall. Zoie Nagelhout (Archie Cox, trainer) went into Phase III in the lead, and her smooth and capable trip earned her a score of 88.5 and just kept her in the lead with 402. Taylor Harris (Elvenstar, trainer) joined them in the work off with a combined score of 380.5.

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

Team and Individual Bronze for Pony Team USA at the FEI Pony World Driving Championships

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The U.S. Pony Drivers defended their third-place marathon finish – driving a confident cones phase to secure a Team Bronze medal at the 2011 FEI Pony World Driving Championships in Lipica, Slovenia. Their three-phase total of 402.3 guaranteed Bronze behind driving powerhouse nations, Germany, who won on 359.4, and The Netherlands on 375.4. Additionally, Suzy Stafford – driving as an Individual for Team USA – drove an impeccable cones phase to move from fourth to third and secured her second consecutive Individual Bronze medal.

Single Pony Championship

Finishing just two places behind Stafford (Wilmington, DE) and Josephine, Randy Cadwell (Southern Pines, NC) drove Kabam to sixth in the division, adding just 1.88 penalties in the final phase. Shelly Temple (Windsor, SC) finished just outside the top 10 with LR Ami B-Line, ending up 11th on 130.97.

Pair Pony Championship

Jennifer Matheson (Aiken, SC) drove determinedly all weekend, and finished 10th to lead the U.S. effort in the Pairs division. Wendy O’Brien (Aiken, SC) put in a valiant effort in her first Team appearance, finishing 22nd overall.

“I thought it was great,” said Matheson. “We all worked really really hard. Some of us had personal bests, I was in that category. Wendy and Lisa had outstanding weekends, everyone worked hard. The team worked well together which was really nice and everyone helped everyone out. We worked really hard, at the beginning of the year we thought we had a chance for bronze, we knew that the Germans and the Dutch were really, really strong but we worked really really hard and we succeeded.”

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

Three New World Champions in Pony Driving

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18-year-old Bram Chardon (NED) won the four-in-hand category at the FEI World Driving Championships for Combined Ponies 2011. Photo © Rinaldo de Craen.

Lipica (SLO), 21-25 September 2011 – Three new world champions were crowned at the end of four wonderful days of competition at the FEI World Driving Championships for Combined Ponies in Lipica, Slovenia. Bram Chardon from The Netherlands won gold in the four-in-hand pony class, Dieter Baackmann from Germany was declared world champion in the pony pairs class and Kristina Klindt from Denmark is the new world champion in the pony singles class. Germany was untouchable from the very beginning and took the team gold.

New generation
Young drivers took the medals this weekend just as was the case a month ago at the FEI World Pairs Driving Championships in Conty (FRA). A new generation of drivers has successfully entered combined pony Driving at the highest level. With 18-year-old Bram Chardon and 23-year-old Kristina Klindt winning the gold medals and many other young drivers taking the top placings, the future of pony Driving is looking bright indeed.

Four-in-hands
Bram Chardon (NED) is following in his father’s footsteps. This was the championship debut for the son of four-time world four-in-hand champion IJsbrand Chardon. It did not come easy for Bram though. After placing fifth in Dressage, he won the marathon by driving his team of grey Welsh ponies fast and smooth through the eight spectacular marathon obstacles. Bram took over the lead from Germany’s defending world champion Tobias Bücker who had won the Dressage. Bram had one ball in hand going into the final obstacle driving competition but proved to be a true champion and drove a magnificent double clear round, securing his first ever gold medal. Bram’s fellow team member and 2007 world champion Jan de Boer won individual silver and the 2009 world pony pair champion Daniel Schneiders (GER) made an excellent debut in the four-in-hand category by winning the bronze.

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*Featured/Spotlights, Competitions, Events, FEI, FEI, Show Jumping

Sweden Wins FEI Promotional League Final in Barcelona Cliff-Hanger

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(L to R) Rolf-Goran Bengtsson, Svante Johansson, Angelica Augustsson, Malin Baryard-Johnsson and Chef d'Equipe Sylve Soderstrand. Photo: FEI/Nacho Olano.

FEI TV – enjoy LIVE programming, highlights, interviews and archive footage at www.feitv.org.

Barcelona (ESP), 25 September 2011 – The Swedish team came out the winners at the Promotional League Final in Barcelona, Spain this afternoon and will now rejoin the elite eight-nation FEI Nations Cup series in 2012.  But, on a roller-coaster afternoon, it took a monumental effort from last-line Swedish rider Rolf-Goran Bengtsson to seal the coveted qualifying spot.

Despite the fact that three of the opposing sides were reduced to just three team-members, and were therefore unable to discount one performance, the four-strong Swedish team relied heavily on the man who, just seven days ago, claimed the Individual gold medal at the FEI European Jumping Championships in Madrid.

The host nation of Spain finished second, with just a single-fault advantage over The Ukraine in third, while the Canadians lined up fourth ahead of the Italians who looked threatening to the very end but who had to settle for fifth in the final analysis.  The last two places in the seven-nation line-up were filled by Poland and Russia, each hampered when fielding just three riders, but showing flashes of form that would suggest their time will come in future years.

For the Swedes, today’s result was an enormous relief.  Last Sunday, Bengtsson pointed out during the final press conference in Madrid that, despite his personal triumph and the Olympic qualification earned through the fifth-place finish in the FEI European Team Championship, there was still another big job to be done this weekend in Barcelona.  So for the 49 year old newly-crowned European champion and reigning Olympic silver medallist it was a case of “mission accomplished” as, ably supported by Malin Baryard-Johnsson, Angelica Augustsson and Svante Johansson, he helped restore his country to its rightful place in the premiership of team Jumping.  “I’m very happy,” he said with his usual degree of understatement this evening.

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

Day Three: FEI World Pony Driving Championships – U.S. Maintains Bronze Medal Position

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Shelly Temple and LR Ami B-Line (Photos: Marie de Ronde)

The U.S. Pony Drivers had another successful day in Lipica, Slovenia at the 2011 FEI World Pony Driving Championships. As a team they forged through difficult marathon conditions to lie third in the standings heading into Sunday’s finale. Germany leads comfortably with a combined score of 345.01, with The Netherlands sitting the Silver medal position on 360.39. On 382.08, the U.S has a wide margin over the fourth-placed British team.

Single Pony Championship

Less than 10 points separate the top nine ponies in the Single Pony Championship, three of which are Americans. Individual driver Suzy Stafford (Wilmington, DE) was the Individual Bronze medalist in 2009, will attempt to drive her way back in to the individual medals again on Sunday. She currently is fourth with Josephine. Shelly Temple, who drives LR Ami B-Line (Windsor, SC), and Miranda Cadwell, who drives Kabam (Southern Pines, NC), are in eighth and ninth respectively, with less than half a point separating the two American drivers.

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Competitions, Events, Show Jumping, USEF

Zoie Nagelhout Leads after Gymnastics Phase of Platinum Performance/USEF Show Jumping Talent Search Final – West

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Lexington, KY – The 2011 Platinum Performance/USEF Show Jumping Talent Search Final – West is well under way at the L.A. International Jumping Festival, September 21-25, in Burbank, CA. The flat phase, first of the four phases took place Thursday night. The judging team of noted judge Sue Ashe and her daughter, international jumper rider Molly Ashe, tested the riders on their mastery of the skills needed to properly prepare a jumper for flatwork, including a demonstration of haunches in and a flying change to the counter canter.

After the scores were tallied, Carly Anthony emerged as the winner of Phase I with a score of 96, followed by Zoie Nagelhout with 93.

“It was awesome,” said Anthony. “It was basic, but a good test of the fundamentals. It definitely prepared me for the second phase, which was another great test.”

Friday night brought Phase II of the competition, a challenging gymnastics round that tested each rider’s ability to ride accurately and remain focused to manage the different combinations and distances.

“We put together a course we thought was fair,” judge Sue Ashe said. “It could be done beautifully, or the riders could have some problems if they were not prepared. We didn’t want anyone to leave discouraged by the course; we wanted them to leave wanting to come back and do better next year, and to finish the class a better rider than they began it.”

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Community/Charity, Competitions, Dressage, JRPR, Products/Services

PanaCavallo and Cavalleria Toscana Kick Off Gold Sponsorship at 2011 Dressage at Devon

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From left to right, Adrienne Lyle and Debbie McDonald with Debbie Witty measuring Wizard for a PanaCavallo bridle. (Photo courtesy of Trilogy)

Devon, PA (September 23, 2011) – Among the not-to-be-missed newcomers at Dressage at Devon this year will be PanaCavallo and partners, Cavalleria Toscana. PanaCavallo will be introducing their new line of bridles and kicking off their exciting partnership with Cavalleria Toscana, an elegant line of Italian equestrian clothing. PanaCavallo and Cavalleria Toscana will be based in the booth just behind the show office at Dressage at Devon, giving dressage enthusiasts a peak at the new PanaCavallo bridles and the hottest new looks in Italian equestrian fashions.

Michael Davis, owner of PanaCavallo, is thrilled to partner with Cavalleria Toscana and launch their debut at Devon, one of the premier equestrian events in the country. “In addition, Trilogy Saddles, a distributor of our PanaCavallo bridles will also be at Devon showcasing the bridles and building customized bridles at the show,” Davis added.

Debbie Witty, President of Trilogy, said she is excited about the PanaCavallo bridles and feels their quality of workmanship is superb. The bridles really enhance the comfort of the horse.  Best of all, Witty will offer custom fitted PanaCavallo bridles. “There are four different types of PanaCavallo bridles and they are all very horse friendly, offering great comfort for the horse in addition to being extremely functional,” Witty said.

The PanaCavallo bridles feature a double and snaffle bridle in each model, the Aristocrat, the Grandeur, the Elite and the Elite Classic. “When a bridle creates pressure on a horse’s nose or ears, it can be very uncomfortable. The PanaCavallo cavesons are nicely cushioned and gives the horse a lot of relief,” Witty said, adding that the bridles are beautiful and made of European leather. “The crownpiece of the PanaCavallo bridles are contoured, which works out great for horses with bigger ears. The contour also creates comfort around the ear for all horses, relieving any pressure or pinching.”

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Competitions, Events, Show Jumping, USEF

The 2011 Platinum Performance/USEF Show Jumping Talent Search Final – West Is Underway

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Lexington, KY – The Platinum Performance/USEF Show Jumping Talent Search Final – West continues today at the Los Angeles Equestrian Center with Phase II of the Final, the gymnastics portion. This final runs during the 2011 LA International Jumping Festival.

Yesterday’s flatwork phase was won by Carly Anthony who rode Abrakadabra in a determined performance.

The Platinum Performance/USEF Show Jumping Talent Search Finals has produced some of the country’s top jumping riders. Past winners include two-time Olympic Gold medalist McLain Ward, winner of over 100 grand prixs Richard Spooner, Pan American Gold medalist Lauren Hough and Rolex FEI World Cup Finals winner Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum.

The Platinum Performance/USEF Show Jumping Talent Search Final is a four-phase competition which tests the fundamental skills and horsemanship in a challenging format. The competition is made up of three phases: flatwork, gymnastics, and a jumping course which consists of show jumping over grand prix styled fences (which may include natural obstacles). Using a format modeled after the World Championships’ final ride-off; the top-four competitors ride their own horses, as well as the three other competitor’s horses over a shortened course.

The Platinum Performance/USEF Show Jumping Talent Search Finals are the ultimate test of horsemanship and show jumping skill for American junior and young riders.

More information is available in the prize list: http://www.usef.org/documents/disciplines/jumper/TalentSearchClass/TalentSearch2011.pdf.

Information about the LA International Jumping Festival is available here: http://www.langershows.com/laec/show_details.php?show_id=190.

Competitions, Events, FEI, FEI, Show Jumping

Italy to Lead the Way at Promotional League Final in Barcelona

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CSIO Barcelona Show Director Daniel Giro (left) and FEI Jumping Director John Roche (right) at the draw for the order-of-go for the FEI Nations Cup Promotional League Final 2011. Photo: FEI/Nacho Olano.

FEI TV Preview: http://youtu.be/KfqXxcm8Oks

Barcelona (ESP), 24 September 2011 – The Italian team will be pathfinders as the much-anticipated FEI Nations Cup Promotional League Final gets underway at the Real Club de Polo in Barcelona, Spain tomorrow afternoon.  A total of seven nations will battle it out for the last remaining qualifying spot in the 2012 FEI Nations Cup series, and the order-of-go for tomorrow’s competition is as follows:

1, Italy; 2, Ukraine; 3, Russia; 4, Canada; 5, Sweden; 6, Spain; 7, Poland.

It is expected to be a hard-fought affair, and three of the teams may comprise only three riders instead of the full complement of four, allowing them no drop-score as a result.  At today’s press conference, Canadian Chef d’Equipe, Mark Laskin, announced that his side may be only three-strong, while both Poland’s Rudiger Wassibauer and Russian team manager Aleksander Varnavskiy, both confirmed that their sides will be one rider short.

SIGNIFICANT IMPROVEMENTS
FEI Jumping Director, John Roche, congratulated the Organising Committee on the significant improvements made to the showgrounds for the 2011 fixture, during which CSIO Barcelona celebrates its centenary. The Real Club de Polo was the Jumping venue during the 1992 Olympic Games in Barcelona, and has a long and strong connection with equestrian sport.

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Competitions, Hunter/Equitation, Jennifer Wood, Media/Radio/TV Sources, Products/Services, Show Jumping

Capital Challenge Horse Show Creates an Innovative New Social Media Experience with Virtual Celebration

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Upper Marlboro, MD – September 23, 2011 – Capital Challenge Horse Show is proud to announce the launch of its first annual Virtual Horse Show and Fair.  In partnership with Virtual Celebration and sponsored by Hoof Beat Media, the virtual experience will begin on September 23, 2011, and all horse lovers are invited to participate.

“As part of our overall mission to engage our loyal exhibitors and followers, we are extremely excited to extend the Capital Challenge experience in a highly innovative way to those who can attend the show in person and to those who follow us from a distance,” explained Oliver Kennedy (Co-Manager).  “Virtual Celebration has brought together their incredible knowledge of social media with their experience in the horse market to create a really fun and unique experience.”

From the early development of their website and the creation of the Daily Update, to their Facebook page and the popular EquestrianSport.TV, show management has always strived to be the best at bringing the experience of Capital Challenge to everyone. It is only natural the Capital Challenge extends its reach into the virtual world.

Register online (it’s free!) at www.virtualcelebration.com/capitalchallenge and enter the virtual show rings to be a part of the action.  In the Jumper Ring, try to guess what pony went to the Olympics; enter the “caption this photo” contest in the Equitation Ring; and in the Hunter Derby Ring watch a video of the world’s largest horse.  And there’s so much more – Share-A-Pony with other virtual exhibitors, create your own Exhibitor page by adding games, photos, videos, and other widgets, all for free.  Share your favorite memories; predict who will win classes at the “live” horse show; vote on your favorite funniest photo and give your opinions on everything from twitter to riding in the rain.  There will even be a virtual trail ride that meanders through Facebook, Twitter, MustPhoto, Virtual Celebration and more, all while on a Capital Challenge Scavenger Hunt.

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