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Rolex FEI World Cup Jumping 2010/2011

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New Rolex Season Gets Underway This Sunday

Oslo (NOR) 15 October 2010 – Oslo in Norway is the venue for the exciting first leg of the 2010/2011 Rolex FEI World Cup Western European League Jumping series this Sunday, October 17.

This weekend’s line-up includes six of the top-ten riders on the Rolex World Rankings including No. 1 Kevin Staut from France, Switzerland’s Pius Schwizer (No. 3), Germany’s Ludger Beerbaum (No. 7) and Marco Kutscher (No. 8), Australia’s Edwina Alexander (No. 9) and Ireland’s Jessica Kuerten (No. 10).  The riders are all keen to earn early points on the road to the series final which will take place in Leipzig, Germany from 27 April to 1 May 2011.

Marcus Ehning, a member of the German team that claimed gold in the Jumping Championship at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games in Kentucky, USA just over a week ago, is the defending Rolex FEI World Cup Jumping champion.

You can watch all the action from the 13 qualifying legs, and the final, LIVE on FEI TV – don’t miss a hoof-beat!

Read more> http://www.horsesinthesouth.com/article/article_detail.aspx?id=12364

Championships, Competitions, Contributors/Press, Disciplines, Events, FEI, Jennifer Wood, Show Jumping, World Equestrian Games

Pablo Barrios and G&C LaGran Finish in Top 30 at 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games

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Pablo Barrios and G&C LaGran finished in the top 30 in the world at the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games. Photo © Randi Muster/Mustphoto, Inc.

Lexington, KY – October 13, 2010 – Pablo Barrios and G&C LaGran accomplished their goal of being in the top 30 riders in the world when they made the individual final at the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games (WEG) in Lexington, KY. Barrios competed through all four individual rounds in the competition on G&C LaGran, owned by Barrios and G&C Farm. Barrios was also part of the Venezuelan team, the first time that the country has fielded a team in the world championships.

G&C Farm is based in Wellington, FL, and owned by Gustavo and Carolina Mirabal of Venezuela. Barrios, who competes for Venezuela, is also based in Wellington.

Barrios and G&C LaGran started out the WEG with a bang when they finished fourth in the opening individual speed round. Their time of 69.42 seconds was the fastest in the entire class, and with four faults converted for a final time of 73.42 seconds, they finished with a top placing.

“We had a very good speed class, the fastest time in the class,” Barrios said. “Unfortunately we had a rail, but it was enough to stay fourth. He’s a very fast horse, and that’s the kind of class that I can win. I went for it, but we were a little short.”

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Competitions, Contributors/Press, Disciplines, Dressage, Driving, Events, FEI, FEI, Show Jumping, World Equestrian Games

World Class Drivers in 2010-2011 FEI World Cup Driving

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13 October 2010 – Following the success of the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games in Kentucky, the Driving world can expect more thrilling competition as the sport moves indoors for the 10th season of the FEI World Cup Driving.

Ten top class drivers, including eight from the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games, will battle for the Driving World Cup title in seven competitions. For the first time ever, all three FEI World Cup Finals – the Rolex FEI World Cup Jumping; the Reem Acra FEI World Cup Dressage; and the FEI World Cup Driving – will be staged together in one venue at Leipzig in Germany.

Five World Champions

The qualification season consisted of 14 competitions throughout Europe and no less than five World Champions have qualified for the 2010-2011 season.

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Chester Weber Finds Silver Lining at WEG and Helps US Team Clinch Silver Medal

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Chester Weber and his team take a victory lap after the cones phase of the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games in Lexington, Kentucky. (Photo courtesy of My Weber)

Lexington, KY (October 12, 2010) – Combined Driver Chester Weber showed himself to be a world class competitor during the final days of the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games, when he brilliantly won the cones phase of the Combined Driving event with a lightning fast time of 200.42 to help the U.S. team clinch the Silver Medal. US Teammates Weber, James Fairclough and Tucker Johnson not only won the team Silver, but Johnson won the Individual Bronze as well, while the Netherlands won the team Gold and Germany the team Bronze.

On the first day of the Combined Driving competition, a standout dressage test had Weber tied for second place with IJsbrand Chardon of the Netherlands. However, things weren’t all smooth sailing for Weber; the eight-time USEF National Four-In-Hand Champion experienced bad luck on the marathon phase when one of his horses put a leg over a trace and a groom had to dismount to help the horse. The groom dismounting added points to Weber’s score and put him out of the running for an individual medal.

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Competitions, Contributors/Press, Disciplines, Dressage, Events, FEI, Para-Equestrian, Phelps Media Group, World Equestrian Games

ParaEquestrians Wrap Up Incredible Week with Freestyle Performances

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Susan Treabess and Moneypenny placed 10th representing the United States during the Freestyle competition for Para-Dressage. Photo © 2010 Lauren R. Giannini.

Lexington, KY – October 11, 2010 – Wow describes the quality of the routines, the variety of the music, the ambition and the talent displayed in the Freestyle competition of the first-ever Para-Dressage championships staged during the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games at Kentucky Horse Park. The five Freestyle classes took place during the last three days of the Games, with the medal ceremony for all grades taking place around noon on Sunday.

Grade III para-riders put on their dancing shoes Friday morning with Hannelore Brenner (GER) adding more gold to her collection. In the afternoon Emma Shearborn (GBR) and Purdy’s Dream harvested gold in Grade Ia.

Saturday morning competitors classified Grade II kicked off the restraints of standardized FEI para-tests with Dr. Angelika Trabert (GER) partnering with Ariva-Avanti to capture the gold by .05 over Gert Vollmer (NED) and Triumph who scored 75.850. Great Britain’s Jo Pitt claimed the bronze, scoring 74.950 with Estralita.

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Championships, Competitions, Contributors/Press, Disciplines, Dressage, Events, FEI, Para-Equestrian, World Equestrian Games

Great Britain and Germany Share the Gold Medals in Para Dressage Freestyle at WEG

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October 10, 2010 – Lexington, KY – Riders from Great Britain and Germany dominated the freestyle in all five grades of the Para Dressage World Championships at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games.  Today’s competition decided the grade IV champion, and it was Great Britain’s Sophie Wells on Pinocchio (78.50%).

Gold-medal winners over the last few days include Germany’s Hannelore Brenner on Women Of The World (79.20%) in grade III, Germany’s Dr. Angelika Trabert on Ariva-Avanti (75.90%) in grade II, Great Britain’s Lee Pearson on Gentleman (82.50%) in grade Ib, and Great Britain’s Emma Sheardown on Purdy’s Dream (78.55%) in grade Ia.

“He was a little bit more energetic than normal, so I decided not to go in with a whip, and that was very abnormal, so I was taking a risk from the beginning, really,” said Wells.  “When I picked up the walk he came against me and he stopped and then I thought ‘Oh my gosh I need to find somewhere else in my plan where I can put in another simple change’.  So all the time when I was going through my next movements I was trying to think where I could put it in.” Pearson created his top-scoring freestyle just for this competition.

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Championships, Competitions, Contributors/Press, Disciplines, Events, FEI, Vaulting, World Equestrian Games

USA Claims Gold in Vaulting World Championships at Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games

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October 10, 2010 – Lexington, KY – If you asked the Team USA vaulters how they were feeling this afternoon, they’d answer with a chorus of screams. They feel that good, because they pulled out a come-from-behind win to earn the team gold medal at the Vaulting World Championships, held as part of the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games.

“We really connected today — we looked each other in the eye,” said team member and coach Devon Maitozo. “Our horse was just beautiful, and we had the love of the audience with us, which helped. We just were in our bodies today.”

Today was a contrast from the previous team freestyle competition on Friday, when two team members fell from their horse, because, said Maitozo, the team horse, Palatine, was spooky in the arena. The U.S. team had led after the compulsory exercises, but then dropped to third place after the fall, behind Germany and Austria.

To prepare for Sunday’s round, Maitozo said, “We made a different plan for the horse and for ourselves. We took a step back from the intensity of the energy before. We really calmed ourselves down, collected ourselves, and the horse had a longer warm-up but a much more calm warm-up.”

Read more> http://www.horsesinthesouth.com/article/article_detail.aspx?id=12332

*Featured/Spotlights, Championships, Competitions, Contributors/Press, Disciplines, Dressage, Driving, Events, FEI, World Equestrian Games

Exell Makes Australian History in Driving World Championships at Alltech FEI WEG

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October 10, 2010 – Lexington, KY – Boyd Exell accomplished something today that no other Australian has ever done at a previous Driving World Championships — he won the individual gold medal, at the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games.

With one ball down in the obstacles phase, held in front of a packed Driving Stadium at the Kentucky Horse Park, Exell (134.04) edged IJsbrand Chardon of the Netherlands (135.24) and Tucker Johnson of the United States (150.06).

Johnson is the second four-in-hand driving medalist in the history of the U.S. team, and he led teammates Chester Weber (who was the first U.S. individual medalist, winning individual silver in 2008) and James Fairclough to the team silver medal (330.92). This is the second team silver medal this trio has won at the World Equestrian Games. (The first was in 2002.)

Chardon, a four-time individual world champion, led the Netherlands to the team gold medal (279.77), the third time they’ve won the team gold medal in the World Equestrian Games. Germany moved up to the bronze medal (322.20) when Tomas Eriksson of Sweden was eliminated for going off course and took his third-placed team with him.

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Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games 2010 Day 16 Para Dressage Championships

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On the Para Dressage podium on the final day of the WEG - the medallists from the Freestyle Grade 4 Championship - (left to right) Michele George BEL (silver), (centre) Sophie Wells GBR (gold) and (right) Frank Hosmar NED (bronze).

WELLS’ VICTORY TAKES BRITAIN TO TOP OF THE MEDAL TABLE by Louise Parkes

Lexington, 10 October – Para Dressage rider Sophie Wells claimed Grade 4 Freestyle gold to put Great Britain at the top of the medal table as the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games came to a close at the Horse Park in Kentucky, USA today having attracted a massive attendance of over 500,000 spectators to the 16-day extravaganza. The British Para squad have been in fantastic form, scooping six individuals gold medals along with the team title.  And Wells steered her 13 year old gelding Pinocchio to victory today despite a glitch in her test.

Belgium’s Michele George took silver with FBW Rainman ahead of The Netherlands’ Frank Hosmar and Tiesto in bronze.

STOPPED
Wells’ test began well.  “I was quite happy with my trot but then when I picked up the walk he came against me and my first movement was a compulsory, which was a simple change, and he stopped!” she explained.  Now she had to make a quick decision.  “I knew I had to find somewhere else in my plan where I could put in another simple change, so all the time I was going through my next movements I was trying to think where I could put it in, and I didn’t want to mess up my floor plan because it’s good and they give you marks for that as well – times three,” she explained.

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Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games 2010 Day 16 Four-In-Hand Driving Championship

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Boyd Exell (AUS) finally claimed the World Four-in-Hand Driving title he has been craving when winning at the WEG today. Photo: FEI/Rinaldo de Craen

GOLD AT LAST FOR EXELL by Cindy Timmer

Boyd Exell from Australia has been on the hunt for a gold medal in four-in-hand driving for many years and at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games in Kentucky it finally came together for him. After a World Record dressage test and third place in the marathon, Exell drove a safe cones course and won his first individual gold medal. Dutch driver IJsbrand Chardon took the silver; with the bronze going to USA’s Tucker Johnson. The Dutch team won the gold, ahead of the USA and Germany.

Drama-filled day
Today was another drama-filled day in the full Driving Stadium as there were problems with the timing system half-way through the competition. Team drivers Ludwig Weinmayr from Germany and USA’s Chester Weber had to leave the arena while the repairs were done. Weber was the first driver to go after the enforced break and the 35-year-old multiple US Champion showed his professionalism by driving the first double clear round of the day despite the long wait. His compatriot James Fairclough followed him and did the same to secure team silver for the USA.

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