Category Archives: Competitions

USEF Names Jumping Teams for CSIO5* Falsterbo and CSIO5* Aachen

Lexington, KY – The USEF has named the following horse/rider combinations to represent the U.S. at the next two shows of the FEI Nations Cup Series.

The following horse/rider combinations will compete in Sweden at CSIO5* Falsterbo July 7-10, 2011.

Charlie Jayne (Elgin, IL) will ride The London Group’s Athena
Athena is an 11-year-old Belgian mare

Christine McCrea (Windsor, CT) will ride Romantovich Take One
Romantovich Take One is an 11-year-old KWPN gelding

Lucy Davis (Los Angeles, CA) will ride Old Oak Farm’s Nemo 119
Nemo 119 is a 12-year-old Holsteiner gelding

Saer Coulter (San Francisco, CA) will ride Copernicus Stables’ Springtime
Springtime is a 12-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding

Schuyler Riley (Wellington, FL) will ride South Beach Stables’ Lapacco
Lapacco is a 12-year-old Holsteiner gelding

Continue reading USEF Names Jumping Teams for CSIO5* Falsterbo and CSIO5* Aachen

Champion Driver Suzy Stafford Is All Smiles after Competing at the Elk Creek CDE

Suzy Stafford competed Miss Josephine and Peace of Mind at the Elk Creek CDE in Maryland. Stafford is shown here with Peace of Mind during their winning dressage test. (Photo courtesy of Vicki Long)

Chester County, PA (June 10, 2011) – Believing in the motto “practice makes perfect,” Gold Medalist Combined Driver Suzy Stafford competed at the Elk Creek CDE, held at Fair Hill in Maryland, with the hopes of perfecting the training and skills of two of her talented ponies. Stafford drove away all smiles following the event, saying she was pleased with the progress of each of her equine partners including her registered half-Arabian mare, Miss Josephine, who is long-listed for the 2011 FEI World Pony Driving Championships in Europe.

“I wanted to use Elk Creek as a schooling event to prepare Josephine for her European debut at the World Pony Championships, which will be held in Slovenia in September,” Stafford said. “I was just schooling Josie so I didn’t finish the marathon, but she won the best dressage and cones in the advanced division. Josie is in a good place right now in her training program and we are improving our dressage score every time out.”

Stafford said her goal is to not have Josie peak too early, as she wants the pony’s ultimate performance to be in September. While Josephine will make her debut at the World Pony Driving Championships, Stafford is a veteran of the championships and in 2005 won an Individual Gold Medal with Cefnoakpark Bouncer, a Team Bronze with Bouncer in 2007 and an Individual Bronze with Courage To Lead in 2009. “My goal for the 2011 World Pony Driving Championships is to win medals and represent the United States to the best of our ability,” Stafford said.

Continue reading Champion Driver Suzy Stafford Is All Smiles after Competing at the Elk Creek CDE

Al Reef Endurance Festival Live Feed Follows Australasian Endurance Forum (AUS)

Lausanne (SUI), 10 June 2011 – The 150-plus delegates representing nine different nationalities at the Australasian FEI Endurance Conference and Forum have now moved onto the Al Reef Endurance Festival, which takes place in Toorbul, Queensland (AUS) 11-14 June.

All the action from the Australasian Championship, which follows the highly successful conference, can be viewed on a live feed from http://iequine.com/events/al-reef-endurance-festival.

Footage begins on Saturday 11 June at 12.30pm with vetting and a pre-ride talk later that afternoon. Sunday morning is when the action unfolds – coverage starts at 5.00am and runs all day. On Monday 13 June there will be a live feed for a series of work-outs and presentations.

FEI Media contacts:

Ruth Grundy
Manager Press Relations
ruth.grundy@fei.org
+41 78 750 61 45

Malina Gueorguiev
Manager Press Relations
malina.gueorguiev@fei.org
+41 78 750 61 33

Alltech National Horse Show Welcomes Pony Lane Farm as Sponsor of the High Performance Hunter Division

Kelsey Thatcher on Milous De Fontaine. ©Parker/Russell - The Book LLC.

Lexington, KY – June 10, 2011 — The Alltech National Horse Show, 128th Edition, announced today that Pony Lane Farm has come on board as sponsors of this year’s High Performance Hunter Division.

The Alltech National Horse Show will be staged at the Alltech Arena at the world-renowned Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, Kentucky, site of last year’s Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games.

In addition to the CSI-W 4* ranking from the FEI, this year’s Alltech National Horse Show will feature world-class hunter competition, including the Pony Lane Farm sponsored High Performance Hunter Division.

Pony Lane Farm, the leading USEF Hunter Owners for the 2009 and 2010 show seasons, is not only the home base for young riders Kelsey and Madeline Thatcher, but also home to popular breeding stallion Klotaire Du Moulin. Klotaire is by the legendary stallion Voltaire and is sire of many of this country’s top hunters. Klotaire competed this past summer in the Super League, winning top prizes at La Baule, Rome, Rotterdam and Dublin. Klotaire continues to compete in the U.S. at the Grand Prix level with owner Kelsey Thatcher and rider Maggie Jayne.

Continue reading Alltech National Horse Show Welcomes Pony Lane Farm as Sponsor of the High Performance Hunter Division

FEI Nations Cup 2011 Promotional League Update

SWISS LOOKING STRONG IN PROMOTIONAL LEAGUE SERIES by Louise Parkes

Lausanne (SUI), 9 June 2011 – The Swiss, relegated from the Top League in 2010 but clearly on form when making a guest appearance in the FEI Nations Cup on their home ground at St Gallen last week, are heading the 2011 European Promotional League table after the first three legs of the series and look set for an early return to the elite level of the sport.

This year the Promotional League looks a little different, with teams from three qualifying groups entitled to battle it out for a place in the 2012 Top League.  The 12 nations which have competed in the European series so far are Switzerland, Spain, Sweden, Italy, Brazil, Australia, Austria, Saudi Arabia, Norway, Portugal, Hong Kong and Hungary, but the Swiss advantage is a slender one going into the fourth of the six rounds at Drammen, Norway next week.

OPENING LEG
The Swiss finished sixth at the opening leg in Linz-Ebelsberg, Austria early last month, and ninth at round two in Copenhagen, Denmark a week later.  However, runner-up spot behind Sweden at Lisbon, Portugal two weeks ago has given them a 0.5 point advantage over the Spanish who have registered an eighth and two fifth-place finishes so far.  The Spanish put up some tremendously spirited performances when joining the Top League last season and are making a determined effort to qualify once again.

Continue reading FEI Nations Cup 2011 Promotional League Update

Alltech National Horse Show Program Advertising on Sale Now

The Kentucky Horse Park entrance. Photos courtesy of Alltech.

Lexington, Kentucky – June 8, 2011 – The Alltech National Horse Show, 128th edition, announced today that advertising space for this year’s official horse show program is now on sale.

 

Over the years, the National Horse Show program has been one of the finest and most complete catalogs of any show in the world. Many past editions have become collector’s items. The 2011 edition for the exciting Kentucky debut will be no exception.

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

This CSI-W 4* event will attract the nation’s finest equestrians and large crowds are expected for every session.

Those wishing to be a part of this year’s official horse show program should contact Advertising Director Laura Reed at reed.laura@insightbb.com or call 859-321-7687.

Continue reading Alltech National Horse Show Program Advertising on Sale Now

This Week in International Disciplines – June 8, 2011

Rich Fellers and Flexible Before the Rain. Photo by Beatrice Scudo

Jumping

The U.S. Nations Cup team jumped to fourth place at CSIO St. Gallen in Switzerland on Friday. The Nations Cup was a good effort by the U.S. squad over a very difficult track. Margie Engle and Indigo, Charlie Jayne and Athena, Rich Fellers and Flexible and Christine McCrea and Romantovich Take One fought hard until the end with McCrea jumping clear in both rounds. This result moved the U.S. into fifth in the FEI Nations Cup Series standings after the first three legs.

The efforts kicked off on Thursday where Ashlee Bond and Cadett 7 were fifth in the Radisson Blu Hotel, St. Gallen, which was a speed class. On Saturday, Fellers and McGuinness were runners-up in the Wegelin & Co. Privatbankiers Table C class, and on Sunday Fellers returned to the irons on Flexible and put in a heroic effort in the Longines Grand Prix of Switzerland in a deluge of rain and wind to place second behind Great Britain’s Nick Skelton. McCrea was third in the Grand Prix on Romantovich Take One.

Please visit www.csio.ch for complete information or visit: http://www.usefnetwork.com/featured/2011FEINationsCup/ for highlights, photos and coverage of the American effort in the FEI Nations Cup Series.

Continue reading This Week in International Disciplines – June 8, 2011

Caroline Roffman Overcomes the Blues to Bring Home the Blues at the Capital Dressage Classic

Caroline Roffman rode Pie into the winner’s circle at the prestigious 2011 CDI3*Y/J Capital Dressage Classic in Raleigh. Roffman won two USEF Developing Horse classes on Pie and also took home the blue in the USEF Brentina Cup aboard Beemer. (Photo courtesy of WNC Photography)

Raleigh, NC (June 8, 2011) – Dressage rider Caroline Roffman encountered a few setbacks as she headed north to compete at Allentown and Raleigh, including three flat tires, a broken axel and having to scratch one of her horses from competition at Allentown. While Roffman could have been singing the blues during the ill-fated trip to New Jersey, she turned things around and brought home the blues in North Carolina at the prestigious 2011 CDI3*Y/J Capital Dressage Classic in Raleigh. Roffman, who was named the 2010 FEI Rising Star by the International Equestrian Federation, won two USEF Developing Horse classes on Pie with scores of 73.235 and 69.706, and also took home the blue in the USEF Brentina Cup aboard Beemer with a 68.974.

“After what was a disastrous start to our two-week show tour, Raleigh ended up being a great success. I finished qualifying Beemer for the Brentina Cup and Pie for the Developing Horse Championships. After a minor setback for Pie when we were broken down on the side of the road, it was necessary to scratch him from Allentown,” Roffman said. “With several days off and many fingers crossed, Pie went back under saddle at Raleigh where he really rose to the occasion and won both of his classes in a highly competitive field of horses.”

Roffman added, “One of the judges wrote on Pie’s test that he was an ‘incredible horse,’ which really made my weekend,” Roffman said. “This is his first year back in the show ring and to be in the winner’s circle with him is just phenomenal. I have had Pie since he was four years old and he is eight now. I trained him myself and he qualified for the Six-Year-Old Championships but wasn’t able to attend due to a lameness issue. But he is back now, stronger and better than ever.”

Continue reading Caroline Roffman Overcomes the Blues to Bring Home the Blues at the Capital Dressage Classic

American Flag Waves High in Hungary as Chester Weber Wins at Vecses

Chester Weber, America’s reigning four-in-hand driving champion, proved he also has the ability to dominate on foreign soil when he won the international combined driving competition in Vecses, Hungary. (Photo courtesy of Marie de Ronde-Oudemans)

Vecses, Hungary (June 8, 2011) – The American flag was waving high in Hungary when Combined Driver Chester Weber drove the team, comprised of two of Jane Clark’s horses and two of his own horses, to victory at CAIO Vecses, an international combined driving competition in Vecses, Hungary. Weber won the dressage phase with a score of 37.25, placed sixth in the marathon and followed it up with a double clear cones trip which launched him into the win with a total score of 145.51. Koos de Ronde, of the Netherlands, finished in second with 149.63 and Jozsef Dobrovitz, of Hungary, came in third with a score of 150.22.

Weber, who celebrated his 36th birthday on the day of the dressage test at the CAIO Vecses, said he was thrilled with the win and pleased with the results throughout the competition. “I used Jane Clark’s horses Uniek and Splash in the dressage test and was very pleased that we received a first place from all five judges,” Weber said. “The marathon was exceptionally competitive, and it was fantastic to compete against the best drivers in the world. We posted the fastest time on the sixth obstacle of the marathon, which I was very happy about.  We then went double clear in the cones and ended up second in that phase to round out our win.”

Weber, who is the eight-time USEF National Four-In-Hand Combined Driving Champion, is staying in Europe as he prepares for Aachen in July. “We brought nine horses with us to Europe and right now we are staying outside of Frankfurt, Germany at Michael Freund’s, our U.S. team coach, as we continue to work the horses. Next week we will compete at the CAI Altenfelden in Austria,” Weber said.

Continue reading American Flag Waves High in Hungary as Chester Weber Wins at Vecses

Tryon Summer Classic Wrap Up

Christina Jason and Renoir Z. Photos by Hoofclix and Mark Lehner.

June 6th, 2011~ Tryon, NC – The 2011 Tryon Summer Classic came to a close yesterday.  The show took place at FENCE (Foothills Equestrian Nature Center) in beautiful Tryon, NC June 2-5.  FENCE is an over 380 acre nature, education, and recreation facility nestled in the foothills of the Blue Ridge Mountains.   Equus Events, Inc. handled the managing duties this week.

The Tryon Hounds were once again the show’s beneficiary and put on two fabulous parties during the event.  On Friday evening the $2,500 USHJA National Hunter Derby was held under the lights along with an Exhibitors’ Party in the VIP Tent sponsored by the Tryon Hounds.  While exhibitors and spectators enjoyed cocktails and dinner, 16 horses and riders were prepping to compete in the National Hunter Derby.  Joseph Carnicom of Toledo, OH designed the course which featured 4 height options and natural obstacles such as coups, brush boxes, split rail fencing and rustic logs.  Christina Jason and Allison Mills Renoir Z came home victorious in the class with a first round score of 87 and a second round score of 85 which gave them a 189 two round total to take the win over Lisa Otto’s Duke Principe MF and rider Holli Adams.  Christina rides for DFG Stables and Daniel and Cathy Geitner out of Aiken, SC.  She handled most of the riding duties this week at the Tryon Summer Classic along with Cathy Geitner while Daniel was with clients at the Devon Horse Show.  “The hospitality at this show is fantastic, the courses were great and Renoir Z really rose to the occasion!”  Originally from Rochester, MI, the young professional now lives in Aiken, SC.  “I already owe a lot of my accomplishments to Cathy and Daniel.  They are both great horseman and I am privileged to learn from the best”.

Continue reading Tryon Summer Classic Wrap Up