Category Archives: Competitions

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

Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games 2010 Day 13 Vaulting Championships

Leave a comment
Germany's Simone Wiegele heads the leaderboard after today's Female Individual Freestyle Vaulting Championship at the Alltech FEI WEG. Photo: FEI/Kit Houghton.

WIEGELE AND LOOSER HEAD VAULTING RANKINGS AFTER FREESTYLE by Louise Parkes

Lexington, 7 October – The Alltech Arena at the Horse Park in Kentucky, USA was packed to capacity today for the first round of the Male and Female Freestyle Vaulting Championships at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games.  And a superb performance from Germany’s Simone Wiegele clinched pole position in the Female division while Switzerland’s Patric Looser now heads the Male Freestyle leaderboard. Scores from yesterday’s Compulsory Test and today’s Freestyle decide the current standings.

The crowd really got involved with every test, hardly able to contain their enthusiasm until the end when, time after time, they burst into waves of spontaneous applause as the 20 Male, and 33 Female vaulters put on quite a show.

Continue reading Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games 2010 Day 13 Vaulting Championships →

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

Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games 2010 Day 13 Four-In-Hand Driving Championship

Leave a comment
USA’s Chester Weber is the joint-leader after the first day of Driving Dressage. Photo: FEI/Rinaldo Craen

WEBER AND CHARDON SHARE EARLY LEAD AFTER FOUR-IN-HAND DRIVING DRESSAGE by Cindy Timmer

Lexington, 7 October – With twelve more competitors to go, USA’s Chester Weber and title defender IJsbrand Chardon from The Netherlands have already set the standard in today’s driven dressage, with the two drivers scoring the same marks to take the early lead.

The many spectators were treated to wonderful dressage tests in the Driving Stadium, which was blessed with a warm autumn sun.

Chardon was second to go in the morning and put down a wonderful performance which was awarded by the international Ground Jury with a score of 35.97 penalty points to go into first place. With the Swedish warmblood geldings Isovlas Tango and Isovlas Paganini in the lead of his team and the Dutch warmblood horses Zidane and Whooper in the wheel, Chardon produced a near faultless dressage test.

Continue reading Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games 2010 Day 13 Four-In-Hand Driving Championship →

*Featured/Spotlights, Championships, Competitions, Contributors/Press, Disciplines, Events, FEI, Show Jumping, World Equestrian Games

German Team Unbeatable on Show Jumping World Championships, Presented by Rolex

1 Comment

October 6, 2010 – Lexington, Ky. – Germany was nearly perfect tonight in the Show Jumping World Championships, presented by Rolex, and they rode off with the team gold medal (17.8 faults). France jumped up to the silver medal (24.32), and Belgium climbed up to the bronze medal (24.7) at the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games.

Ten teams moved forward to tonight’s final round under the lights of the Rolex Stadium, after jumping a speed round on Monday and then nearly the same course as tonight on Tuesday to narrow the field down from the original 27 teams.  France entered the final round poised in fifth place, while Belgium stood eighth.

Germany had not won the World Championship since 1998.

“Twelve years is a long time ago, and there have been exciting years since then,” said Otto Becker, the German chef d’equipe, dryly. “All the riders and all the grooms, and the whole German federation, is fantastic to work with, and tonight’s victory is the result.”

Continue reading German Team Unbeatable on Show Jumping World Championships, Presented by Rolex →

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

U.S. Team Leads the Way in Vaulting World Championships at 2010 Alltech FEI WEG

1 Comment

October 6, 2010 – Lexington, KY – The Vaulting World Championships swung into action today at the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games, with the compulsory portion of both team and individual competition being contested at the Alltech Arena.

At day’s end, the U.S. team held the highest score (7.207), followed by Germany (6.996) and Austria (6.990). Switzerland (6.880) and France (6.594) rounded out the top five. Team freestyle continues on Friday, with the final freestyle round on Sunday.

Vaulting combines gymnastic and dance elements, performed to music on a cantering horse. A longeur, who controls the horse, completes the three-way partnership, and harmony between all participants is imperative. Vaulting has been an FEI-recognized discipline since 1983.

Although there is a lot of competition left before medals are awarded, the Americans are happy with their inaugural performance on home soil.

Continue reading U.S. Team Leads the Way in Vaulting World Championships at 2010 Alltech FEI WEG →

*Featured/Spotlights, Championships, Competitions, Contributors/Press, Disciplines, Events, FEI, Show Jumping, World Equestrian Games

Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games 2010 Day 12 Jumping Team Final

Leave a comment
Germany stormed to victory in the Team Jumping Championship at the WEG tonight. Pictured left to right - Carsten-Otto Nagel, Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum, Marcus Ehning and Janne-Freidericke Meyer. Photo: FEI/Kit Houghton.

GERMANS CLINCH TEAM JUMPING GOLD IN A THRILLER by Louise Parkes

Lexington, 6 October – Germany swept to a crisp, clean victory in the Team Jumping Championship at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games in Kentucky, USA tonight.  And a new page of jumping history was written, when, for the very first time, a victorious German Championship side included two lady riders.  Janne Friederike Meyer and Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum joined forces with Carsten-Otto Nagel and Marcus Ehning to clinch gold ahead of France in silver and the surprising Belgians who took bronze.  The Belgians have been competing in the Promotional League in recent seasons, but, already set to return to the top-level Meydan FEI Nations Cup series in 2011 after topping the rankings in the second-division series this year, they must now be considered a serious force to be reckoned with once again.

Today the Germans did it in the best way possible when producing three zero scores from their first three riders.  Last man in was Ehning who picked up four faults with Plot Blue, but as he said tonight, “Thanks to my team I was already a World Champion before I went in!” The French rallied brilliantly to snatch silver.  They were lying fifth overnight, but World No. 1 Kevin Staut was furious with himself about his opening effort on Monday and was determined to make amends.  His last-to-go clear with Silvana de Hus was the clincher when added to a faultless run from Olivier Guillon and Lord de Theize and just a single error from both Penelope Leprevost (Mylord Carthago) and Patrice Deleveau (Katchina Mail).

Read more> http://www.horsesinthesouth.com/article/article_detail.aspx?id=12292

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

Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games 2010 Day 12 Para Dressage Championship

1 Comment
Hannelore Brenner and Women of the World claimed individual gold in Grade 3 of the Para Dressage Championship at the WEG today. Photo: FEI/Kit Houghton.

INDIVIDUAL GOLD FOR WELLS AND BRENNER by Louise Parkes

Lexington, 6 October – Great Britain’s Sophie Wells and Germany’s Hannelore Brenner claimed the first individual gold medals in the Para Dressage Championship at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games in Kentucky, USA today.

Wells, who is also highly-competitive in able-bodied sport and who competed on the fifth-placed British team at the European Young Riders Championship at Kronberg in Germany this summer, scooped the Grade 4 title.  She produced a forward, flowing test with no mistakes from her chestnut gelding Pinocchio to score 71.677 which left her just over 1.5 points ahead of silver medallist Frank Hosmar from Germany while Denmark’s Henrik Weber Sibbesen claimed bronze.

Continue reading Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games 2010 Day 12 Para Dressage Championship →

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

Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games 2010 Day 12 Vaulting Championships

1 Comment
Germany's Gero Meyer won the Male Individual Compulsory Test as the Vaulting Championships got underway today at the WEG. Photo: FEI/Dirk Caremans.

USA LEADS TEAM CHAMPIONSHIP, BRITISH AND GERMAN RIDERS TOP INDIVIDUAL TESTS by Louise Parkes

Lexington, 6 October – The host nation took the early lead in the Vaulting Championships at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games in Kentucky, USA today where Germany’s Gero Meyer headed up the Male Individual and Great Britain’s Joanne Eccles topped the Female Individual competition.

Today’s tests were all based around the seven compulsory movements and the US team horse, Palatine, with lunger Carolyn Bland at the end of the line, helped the Americans to rack up a winning score of 7,207.  Germany lies second after the first day, with Austria in third ahead of Switzerland, France, Slovakia and Brazil.

The British team had to settle for eighth place, with Australia in ninth, while South Africa rounded up the top 10 nations.  A total of 20 countries are represented by teams in the FEI World Vaulting Championship.

Continue reading Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games 2010 Day 12 Vaulting Championships →

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

Americans Sweep Presentation to Start Driving World Championships at Alltech FEI WEG

2 Comments

October 6. 2010 – Lexington, KY – The Americans who will be contesting the Driving World Championships wish today’s presentation competition counted toward the medal scores, but they don’t. It was just for fun and beauty — and a bottle of champagne presented to each of the 17 drivers who took part.

The three judges declared Chester Weber the winner, awarding him 49.5 of a possible 50 points. James Fairclough (48.33) and Tucker Johnson (48.17), who’ve been Weber’s championship teammates for most of the last two decades, finished second and third.

The grooms and drivers spent about 10 hours polishing the horses, harnesses and vehicles, before putting on their finest driving livery. Not all drivers in these World Championships took part in this presentation.

Continue reading Americans Sweep Presentation to Start Driving World Championships at Alltech FEI WEG →

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

Wells and Brenner Gather Gold in Para Dressage World Championships

1 Comment

October 6, 2010 – Lexington, KY – British riders have traditionally dominated the medals at the Para Dressage World Championships, and Sophie Wells lived up to that history by taking individual gold in the grade IV individual test, aboard the flashy chestnut Dutch Warmblood, Pinocchio. Her score of 71.677 percent gave her the definitive lead over the Netherlands’ Frank Hosmar, and Denmark’s Henrik Weber Sibbesen at the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games.

“I was quite pleased with my test,” said Wells, 20. “ My horse was a little difficult to warm up, but I thought that the trot work was actually quite good. He came against me a little bit when I picked up the canter after the walk, but then he came back to me again, which was good.  When we were in here on Monday, he was quite distracted by the open corners, but today he was much better.”

Hosmar, 42, was equally thrilled with his score of 70.129 percent aboard his bay Dutch Warmblood Tiesto.

Continue reading Wells and Brenner Gather Gold in Para Dressage World Championships →

*Featured/Spotlights, Championships, Competitions, Contributors/Press, Disciplines, Events, FEI, Show Jumping, World Equestrian Games

Germany Takes Team Lead on Day 2 of Jumping World Championship, Presented by Rolex

1 Comment

October 5, 2010 – Lexington, KY – Germany rose to the top of the leaderboard with a score of 17.80 on the second day of team competition in the Jumping World Championship, presented by Rolex, at the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games.

An impressive showing by Brazil put them in second with 18.49 faults, with the U.S. fractionally behind them in third place (18.69 faults). Tomorrow (Wednesday) the 10 top-placed teams will contest the third and final round to decide the gold medal.

Brazil’s Rodrigo Pessoa, who sits in second individually, said the team is thrilled with their performance today, but he knows there are many more jumps in front of them.

Continue reading Germany Takes Team Lead on Day 2 of Jumping World Championship, Presented by Rolex →