Category Archives: Competitions

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

Peters Overcomes Elements to Add Another Win to Ravel’s Resume at the 2011 Collecting Gaits Farm/USEF Dressage Festival of Champions

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Steffen Peters and Ravel. Photos: SusanJStickle.com

Gladstone, NJ – Rain greeted the competitors on the first day of the 2011 Collecting Gaits Farm/USEF Dressage Festival of Champions but the quality of the competition shone through. The Grand Prix National Championship headlined the day, and the rain was at its heaviest during the class. Due to the conditions, the Prix St. Georges – which was scheduled for this afternoon – has been postponed until Friday, which will push the Intermediaire I Championship back one day.

Steffen Peters rode Ravel like it was 70 and sunny (which it probably was at their San Diego base) and between the raindrops put in the effort that the fans were expecting from the 2008 National Champions, the 2009 FEI World Cup Dressage Champions, the 2009 CHIO Aachen Champions and most recently, the Individual Bronze medalists from the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games. Peters rode according to the conditions.

“I rode a little more conservatively,” said Peters. “I went for a clean test and it worked out great. He’s such a trooper.”

The 13-year-old Dutch gelding owned by Four Winds Farm and Akiko Yamazaki made his first competitive appearance in Gladstone and rose to the historical atmosphere. They scored 77.660% in a valiant, yet somewhat soggy test. The footing in the Dick and Jane Brown Arena was redone in 2010 and held up admirably in the conditions. The New Jersey area has been plagued by flooding and incredible amounts of rain between Hurricane Irene and the remnants of Tropical Storm Lee.

“I really trusted the decision that they made,” said Peters. “It was safe, not slippery. I think the horses felt a little stuck. But they weren’t slipping at all. The main concern is safety and the decision to call it safe was very good.”

Continue reading Peters Overcomes Elements to Add Another Win to Ravel’s Resume at the 2011 Collecting Gaits Farm/USEF Dressage Festival of Champions →

Competitions, Events, Hunter/Equitation, Maclay, National Horse Show, Phelps Media Group, Show Jumping

Alltech National Horse Show Tickets Now on Sale at Ticketmaster.com

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Lexington, KY – September 8, 2011 – The Alltech National Horse Show, 128th edition, announced today that tickets, ranging from only $10 to $30, are now available for purchase online at www.ticketmaster.com.

Children 12 and under are admitted free of charge when accompanied by a paying adult (limit 2 child tickets for every paid adult).

Additionally, fifty percent of the net proceeds from the General Admission gate receipts will be donated to the various charities that are featured each day at the Alltech National Horse Show. Those charities will be announced in the days ahead.

Doors for each session open 30 minutes prior to the start of the event. All seats are General Admission and parking is free.

The Alltech National Horse Show, 128th Edition, will be held from November 2-6, 2011, at the beautiful, new Alltech Indoor Arena at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington.

This year’s show, designated CSI4*-W, will feature a complete schedule of ‘AA’-rated hunter divisions, including the Pony Lane Farm High Performance Hunter section. Also on the agenda, a big money Open Jumper division highlighted by the Sasco Creek Farm $50,000 Welcome Speed Class, the $75,000 Double H Farms Thursday’s Jump-Off class, the $60,000 Spy Coast Farm Faults Converted Speed class on Friday and of course, the $250,000 Alltech National Horse Show Grand Prix, an FEI World Cup qualifying event. $100,000 will be up for grabs for the Junior and Amateur Jumper divisions, including the $50,000 SJHOF Junior/Amateur Championships, sponsored by Sleepy P Ranch, Chansonette and Deeridge Farm. The final Sunday is highlighted by the signature event of the National Horse Show, the ASPCA Alfred B. Maclay Finals, presented by C. M. Hadfield’s Saddlery.

Continue reading Alltech National Horse Show Tickets Now on Sale at Ticketmaster.com →

Competitions, Dressage, Events, Training/Clinics

Guy McLean, Australian Horseman Extraordinaire, to Perform at Dressage at Devon 2011

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Devon, PA (September 8, 2011) – Guy McLean is an accomplished, self-taught, thinking horseman who has entertained, inspired and educated many around the world.  Guy, with his equine partners, Hope, Sequel, Pride, and Spinnaby, have performed at the World Equestrian Games, The National Rodeo finals, and many more exciting venues.  McLean and his team of horses have won the hearts and minds of thousands, performing on stages and in arenas, as well as special exhibitions and countless special appearances both live and on television.

And this year, they will perform their equine magic at Dressage at Devon (www.dressageatdevon.org), taking place September 27 – October 2, 2011 at the Devon Fairgrounds, Devon, PA.

McLean translates his passion for horses to poetry as well.  As a two-time Australian Bush Poetry Champion, Guy McLean has a unique collection of Bush Poetry that touches hearts and fuels passion for every proud Australian.

What draws us to this animal?
This beast of flight and prey
What is it that enthralls us?
Makes us need them every day.

For me it is their beauty
And their undeniable power
Their Grace, their style and poise
In every second, every hour.

(excerpted from Why the Horse by Guy McLean)

Continue reading Guy McLean, Australian Horseman Extraordinaire, to Perform at Dressage at Devon 2011 →

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

Champion Driver Suzy Stafford’s Pony Miss Josephine Shines in Dressage Phase of German National Pony Championships

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Suzy Stafford and her half-Arabian Miss Josephine competed at the German National Pony Championships in Minden, Germany, placing second in the dressage phase. (Photo courtesy of Bettina Ruckelshaus)

Minden, Germany (September 8, 2011) – Gold medalist Suzy Stafford’s registered half-Arabian mare Miss Josephine put her best hoof forward in the dressage phase of the German National Pony Championships in Minden, Germany, placing second amongst a highly competitive field. Stafford and several other members of the U.S. team competed at Minden in preparation for the 2011 FEI World Pony Driving Championships in Slovenia.

“Josie and I started out well on dressage day. We came in second in dressage behind another U.S. pony team driver Shelly Temple. I was thrilled as Shelly and Cooper have been a pair for many years and have proven themselves as the dressage favorite in the States. Josie put in one of her best performances to date and I was overjoyed with how she did. Josie has only shown in the advanced level five times including Minden,” Stafford said.

Stafford said the marathon day was just as successful for Josie. “We had a good round and I was pleased how fit and ready she felt throughout the whole course. The rain the night before made for some slippery conditions but with the help of Janelle Marshal, my ‘rent a gator’ and Team Australia pony driver, we had a safe and noteworthy score. I felt Josie and my timing was a bit off due to the lapse of time in between shows, but now I feel the practice Josie and I had at Minden will help prepare us for the challenges ahead,” Stafford said.

Stafford and Josie were in second place going into the cones division; however, things didn’t go as smoothly as Stafford hoped. “We dropped to 11th place after the cones, which was very disappointing,” Stafford said. “But I will use this unfortunate circumstance to become a better driver, trainer and student under the influence of our coach Michael Freund. I think the cones issue was a biting problem in hindsight, so we have worked on that and should have things sorted out for the Championships.”

Continue reading Champion Driver Suzy Stafford’s Pony Miss Josephine Shines in Dressage Phase of German National Pony Championships →

Competitions, Events, FEI, FEI, Show Jumping

Swiss Win FEI Promotional League Series by Convincing Margin

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Steve Guerdat was one of the riders who helped secure Switzerland's return to the top-level FEI Nations Cup 2012 through victory in the 2011 FEI Promotional League series this season. Photo: FEI/Kit Houghton.

Lausanne (SUI), 8 September 2011 – As predicted, Switzerland has qualified for the 2012 FEI Nations Cup series having secured the 2011 FEI European Promotional League title by a convincing margin.  Finishing the season with 60.5 points, the Swiss completed with an advantage of 6.5 points over the runners-up from Sweden, while Italy placed third ahead of Spain.

The Swiss and Swedes were the main protagonists in the closing stages of the battle for the single qualifying spot available to the Promotional League Champions, each looking strong when making guest appearances in the top-level FEI Nations Cup 2011 series on their home turf this summer.  At St Gallen in June, the Swiss finished equal-second alongside the first-division British, while at Falsterbo in July the Swedes divided runner-up spot with the defending series champions from France.

In the end, it was their success in the final leg of the Challengers Series that clinched it for the Swiss as they collected the maximum 16 points available at Bratislava in Slovakia which boosted their position as the best six scores from their outings in both the Promotional and Challengers Leagues were calculated.

STRONG SWISS FOURSOME
It was the strong Swiss foursome of Martin Fuchs (Principal), Janika Sprunger (Uptown Bo), Steve Guerdat (Nino des Buissonnets) and Hensueli Sprunger (Kepi de Valse) that lined out at the Slovakian fixture, but they only pipped the runners-up from The Ukraine by a single fault, while Austria slotted into third.  A total of 16 faults in the first round put paid to Swedish chances here, as only the best eight nations returned in round two.  At the previous leg of the Challengers League in Sopot, Poland the situation had been reversed when the Swiss failed to make the cut while the Swedes picked up points for third place.

Continue reading Swiss Win FEI Promotional League Series by Convincing Margin →

Championships, Competitions, Dressage, Events, USEF, USEF

2011 Collecting Gaits Farm/USEF Dressage Festival of Champions Set to Begin

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Heather Mason and Warsteiner. Photo: SusanJStickle.com

Gladstone, NJ – The first glimpse of the horses and riders competing at the 2011 Collecting Gaits Farm/USEF Dressage Festival of Champions was had at the USET Foundation Headquarters as more than 54 horses and two ponies made the annual pilgrimage to jog before the Ground Jury at the USEF National Dressage Championships. The sun didn’t make an appearance, as Northern New Jersey continues to be plagued with rain, but plenty of lovely horses did.

The star-studded cast of horses and riders includes two of the last three Collecting Gaits Farm /USEF Grand Prix National Champions, the reigning Individual Bronze medalist from the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games, the reigning Individual Gold and Silver medalists from the 2003 Pan American Games, who were both also members of the Gold medal-winning Team.

For four days, Gladstone will feature the best that American dressage has to offer. With selection for the 2011 Pan American Games on the line in the Intermediaire I Championships, as well as six National titles, the competition which begins Thursday at 8:00 am in the Dick and Jane Brown Arena, promises to be world-class.

The Collecting Gaits Farm/USEF Grand Prix National Championships features Ravel, Akiko Yamazaki and Four Winds Farm’s superstar who won the 2008 title in California with Steffen Peters. This pair also swept the 2009 CHIO Aachen, won the 2009 FEI World Cup Dressage Final, and was the highest placed U.S. pair at both the 2008 Olympic Games and the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games, where they won two Individual Bronze medals. Peters also won the 2007 National Championship title on Lombardi. Tina Konyot was the 2010 champion on Calecto V – and they return to defend their title. This pair has had a quiet summer as Konyot recovered from a knee injury, but they were Peters and Ravel’s teammate on the 2010 WEG team, which placed fourth.

Continue reading 2011 Collecting Gaits Farm/USEF Dressage Festival of Champions Set to Begin →

*Featured/Spotlights, Competitions, Eventing/H.T., Events, USEF

Land Rover Grant Recipients Headline Six Americans at Fidelity Blenheim Place Horse Trials

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Loughan Glen and Clark Montgomery (Photo: www. stockimageservices. com)

Lexington, KY – The next round of Land Rover Competition and Training Grant Recipients will test their eventing skills at the 2011 Fidelity Blenheim Palace International Horse Trials in Woodstock, England September 8-11. 2010 winner William Fox-Pitt (on Parklane Hawk) are fresh from their win at last week’s Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials, will have two chances to win the CCI3*, but the U.S. is coming well-armed with an arsenal of horses and riders.

Phillip Dutton (West Grove, PA) will lead the effort as the most experienced rider in the group. The four-time Olympian (and two-time Olympic Gold medalist while representing Australia) will ride Bruce Duchossois’ Mighty Nice in the horse’s first CCI3*. A recipient of a 2011 Land Rover Competition and Training Grant, Dutton was second at the Blenheim CCI3* in 2003 on Nova Top. Mighty Nice is a 7-year-old Irish Sport gelding who was third at the Bromont International CCI2* in June.

“I’m excited to bring Mighty Nice to Blenheim,” said Dutton. “I believe he is a horse with a big future and I think Blenheim will be a great stepping stone for him.”

Clark Montgomery (Chattahoochee, GA) is a former Young Rider champion and he too is a 2011 Land Rover Competition and Training Grant Recipient. He will ride Kathleen Kraft, Carole Montgomery and Holly Becker’s winning machine Loughan Glen. With the 8-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding, Montgomery won the CCI2* last fall at the Fair Hill International, earning National Championship honors in the process,  he has won four Horse Trials so far in 2011 and the Bromont International CCI3*. Most recently he won his final preparation at the Millbrook Horse Trials in August.

Continue reading Land Rover Grant Recipients Headline Six Americans at Fidelity Blenheim Place Horse Trials →

Competitions, Events, Hunter/Equitation, Show Jumping, USEF

Victoria Colvin Wins the $50,000 USHJA International Hunter Derby at the 36th Annual Hampton Classic Horse Show

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Victoria Colvin and Inclusive

Bridgehampton, NY — Victoria Colvin, 13, of Loxahatchee, FL, took top honors on Inclusive, owned by Scott Stewart, in the Inaugural $50,000 USHJA International Hunter Derby at the 36th Annual Hampton Classic Horse Show in Bridgehampton, NY, on Saturday.

Colvin finished third in Round One and first in the Handy Hunter for an overall score of 398.500 points. Colvin’s trainer, Scott Stewart of Wellington, FL, finished second, third, and fourth, receiving an overall score of 396.00 on Dedication, owned by Fashion Farm, third on Garfield with an overall score of 378.500 points, owned by Steeplechase Farm, Inc., and fourth on Declaration, also owned by Fashion Farm.

The Handy Hunter course included several options for bonus points and Colvin took them all with “Captain,” as he is affectionately called.

“I wanted to take all the options in the Handy,” said Colvin. “They had really tight turns, so it was a little tough, but I wanted to take all of them.”
Colvin was surprised that she finished ahead of her trainer. “Scott had five in the class and he had three left after I went, so I was surprised that I won,” said Colvin. “Scott is always amazing.”

Stewart was not surprised. “She and Captain are always hard to beat,” said Stewart. “I was really happy for them.”

Continue reading Victoria Colvin Wins the $50,000 USHJA International Hunter Derby at the 36th Annual Hampton Classic Horse Show →

Competitions, Events, Hunter/Equitation, Media/Radio/TV Sources, National Horse Show, Phelps Media Group, Show Jumping

Marty Bauman Joins Alltech National Horse Show as Director of Media Services

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Marty Bauman of Classic Communications. PHOTO: ©2010 Diana DeRosa

Lexington, KY – September 7, 2011 – The Alltech National Horse Show, 128th edition, is pleased to announce the appointment of Marty Bauman as Director of Media Services and Operations.  The Alltech National Horse Show will debut at the Alltech Arena at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, KY, site of the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games, on November 2-6, 2011.

As Director of Media Services and Operations, Bauman will provide on-site media supervision and direct overall media operations during the horse show.  He and his staff will work closely with Phelps Media Group which has overall responsibility for the National’s public relations.

“Marty and I have been friends ever since I hired him to oversee the media for the American Jumping Derby in Newport, RI, back in the 1970s,” said Mason Phelps, Jr., President of the National Horse Show and of Phelps Media Group.  “He has the respect of the entire industry and with good reason.  I am thrilled that he and his Classic Communications team will be working with Phelps Media Group to provide the best possible media services for this year’s Alltech National Horse Show.”

Bauman previously served on the media staff of the National from 1984-2001 when it was at The Meadowlands Arena and Madison Square Garden, including more than a decade as its Chief Press Officer.  He has held similar positions with some of this country’s biggest equestrian events including the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event, the Hampton Classic Horse Show, the FEI World Cup Finals in Las Vegas and last year’s Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games.

Continue reading Marty Bauman Joins Alltech National Horse Show as Director of Media Services →

Competitions, Events, Hunter/Equitation, National Horse Show, Phelps Media Group, Show Jumping

Kentucky Travel Industry Association Names Alltech National Horse Show as Top 10 Fall Event

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The Alltech Arena at the Kentucky Horse Park

Lexington, KY – September 6, 2011 – The Kentucky Travel Industry Association named the Alltech National Horse Show as part of their line-up of 2011 Fall Top Ten Festivals and Events.

Founded in 1883 at the original Madison Square Garden, the National Horse Show is America’s oldest indoor horse show, firmly established as a major fixture on the national and international sports and social events calendars. For its 128th edition, the National Horse Show elected to move to the Kentucky Horse Park where it will be housed in the beautiful, new Alltech Indoor Arena. Now called the Alltech National Horse Show, the five-day event will offer $650,000 to the nation’s top riders. There will also be children’s activities, interactive exhibits, and special social events.

The Kentucky Travel Industry Association names its Top 10 Festivals & Events four times a year. To be eligible, festivals or events must be recommended or produced by a Kentucky Travel Industry Association member. A panel of impartial judges selects the winners for each season. Criteria for selection include popularity of the event, its impact on the local tourism economy as well as cultural and historical significance.

The Kentucky Travel Industry Association (KTIA) is a nearly 900 member, statewide association representing all sectors of the state’s travel industry. The Association’s mission is to unite Kentucky’s third largest industry through governmental interaction, communication and education. For more information on KTIA, phone 502.223.8687, email ktia@tourky.com, or visit www.KTIA.com.

The Alltech National Horse Show, 128th Edition, will be held from November 2-6, 2011, at the beautiful, new Alltech Indoor Arena at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington.

Continue reading Kentucky Travel Industry Association Names Alltech National Horse Show as Top 10 Fall Event →