Category Archives: Events

Competitions, FEI, FEI, Show Jumping

FEI Nations Cup – Top League Statistics

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STACKING UP THE STATISTICS – NINE YEARS ON by Louise Parkes

Lausanne (SUI), 28 September 2011 – From the moment the concept of a Top League Nations Cup series was first devised by the FEI at the start of the new millennium, it grabbed the imagination and enthusiastic support of all those involved in the sport of Jumping.  And now, nine years on, and having returned to its original eight-leg, eight-nation format, some new statistics tell the story of the contribution of individual riders to one of the biggest success-stories in the history of equestrian sport – the FEI Nations Cup.

Since the inaugural Samsung Super League season got underway in 2003, a total of 13 nations – Great Britain, Germany, USA, Ireland, Belgium, Switzerland, The Netherlands, France, Sweden, Italy, Spain, Denmark and Poland – have battled it out for the coveted title that sets the best Jumping nation apart from the rest.  Germany holds the record for most wins, with four over the eight-year period including the 2011 title which they secured at the final leg of this year’s series in Rotterdam last month.

NO SURPRISE
It comes as no surprise then, that German riders dominate the statistical table for Riders with Most Wins between 2003 and 2011. This is headed up by Marco Kutscher who has been on 12 victorious teams.  From 25 starts, he produced 10 clear rounds and 4 double-clears and he has therefore made an exceptional contribution to his country’s success-rate.  Next in line is fellow-countryman Ludger Beerbaum with 11 wins from 26 starts, while Marcus Ehning lies third on this table with 10 wins from 30 starts and Christian Ahlmann is in fourth with nine.

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

Land Rover Awards $50,000 in Performance Grants to the Land Rover U.S. Eventing Team

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Tiana Coudray and Ringwood Magister. Photo: www. stockimageservices. com

After a hugely successful early fall campaign for the Land Rover U.S. Eventing Team, six riders will receive Land Rover Performance Grants based on their performance at the 2011 Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials or the 2011 Fidelity Blenheim Palace International Horse Trials.

2011 Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials (CCI4*) – Northampton, UK
Boyd Martin led the American effort with the Neville Bardos Syndicate’s Neville Bardos at the Burghley CCI4*. The pair finished seventh, earning a $10,000 Land Rover Performance Grant in addition to the $15,000 base grant which they received prior to their trip to the UK as part of the Land Rover Competition and Training Grant initiative. Their $10,000 Land Rover Performance Grant was based on their top 10% finish at a CCI4*.

“It was fantastic gesture for Land Rover to reward Neville with the $10,000 bonus thanks to his top finish at Burghley,” said Martin. “A huge international trip like this amounts to thousands of dollars in expenses, and this performance grant will be going directly toward offsetting a lot of the costs for Neville’s trip to England. Land Rover has absolutely made my dream of competing at Burghley a reality with their grants.”

Sinead Halpin rode Manoir de Carneville to a 15th place finish at the Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials and will receive a $5,000 Land Rover Performance Grant for their top 20% finish at a CCI4*. Halpin’s trip to her first European CCI4* was funded by the USET Foundation’s Jacqueline Mars Grant.

2011 Fidelity Blenheim Palace International Horse Trials (CCI3*) – Woodstock, UK
Tiana Coudray jumped up to a second place finish with Ringwood Magister at the Blenheim CCI3*, marking a return to form for the California combination. They will receive a $10,000 Land Rover Performance Grant based on their top 10% finish. Clark Montgomery and Loughan Glen finished fifth and Will Faudree and Pawlow were eighth, which also marked a top 10% finish for both combinations. They will also receive an additional $10,000. Both Faudree and Montgomery received Land Rover Competition and Training Grants to fund their trip, as did Phillip Dutton, who finished 12th on Mighty Nice. Dutton and Mighty Nice finished in the top 20% at Mighty Nice’s first CCI3*, meaning that they receive a $5,000 Land Rover Performance Grant.

Competitions, Dressage, Events

Dressage Youngsters Have Their Day: Day One of Dressage at Devon

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September 27, 2011 (Devon, PA) – The world-famous breed show at Devon began today with some of the world’s most exciting dressage prospects present.  Except for the specifically designated Individual Breed Classes, all classes were open to horses of any breed and horses could compete without regard to color, size, pedigree, or origin.

The Young Horse/Sport Horse classes included all horses up to and including three years of age.  “The breeding of sport horses in the United States has taken a quantum leap in the last decade,” said Melanie Sloyer, Breed Division Chairperson. “Today set the stage for a great 2011 show.”

Shining brightly in 2011 to capture top honors of the USDF/Great American Insurance Group Colt Championship was Dorian Gray owned by Erin Brooke Freedman and bred by BCM Bosman Muller. Reserve Champion went to Schigazzo, bred and owned by Lea Ann Hansen.

Dazzle, bred by Victoria Lamas Wanner and owned by Taylor Minnucci, did not disappoint in 2011.  This animated three-year old filly was close on El Paso ISF’s tail in 2010.  “She is always wanting to show and not afraid to give it her all.  She wants to dazzle!” commented Bruce Griffin, handler, after winning not just the 2011 Young Horse Champion but also the USDF/Great American Insurance Group Filly Championship.  Reserve Champion went to Bahia Breeze, owned by Michelle Ryan.

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Awards, Dressage, JRPR, Products/Services

World Equestrian Brands, LLC to Sponsor “Tack Matters” Award during 2012 Dressage Season

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Carl Hester with Moviestar. (Photos courtesy of World Equestrian Brands, LLC)

Wellington, FL (September 27, 2011) – Dressage riders competing on the 2012 Dressage circuit in south Florida will have the opportunity to win prizes from World Equestrian Brands extensive line of tack and equestrian products thanks to a new award called “Tack Matters.” Sponsored by World Equestrian Brands, the US distributor of Amerigo saddles and strap goods, Vespucci, E. A. Mattes, and Equilibrium products, the “Tack Matters” Award recognizes riders competing in functional, beautiful and well-fitting tack.

“World Equestrian Brands is really excited to be sponsoring the ‘Tack Matters’ Award during the dressage season. Being in Florida in the winter is certainly the place to be, and we look forward to seeing the riders and of course all of the winners of this new award,” said Robin Moore, President of World Equestrian Brands. “The tack we use on our horses certainly does matter and we hope this award helps bring awareness to the importance of proper, well made and great fitting tack. World Equestrian Brands has a complete line of products for dressage riders and we know the winners of the ‘Tack Matters’ Award are going to be thrilled to get to pick something from our extensive line of must-have products.”

The Vespucci, Amerigo and Amerigo Vega products carried by World Equestrian Brands are designed by Peter Menet, who has developed a following among top riders in the world as an expert saddle, bridle and equestrian product designer. “Peter follows the philosophy of using the natural biomechanics of the horse to create accessories and tack that helps optimize your horse’s true potential,” Moore said.

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*Featured/Spotlights, Competitions, Dressage, Events, Phelps Media Group

International Polo Club Palm Beach to Bring World Dressage Masters Back to United States in 2012

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Tinne Vilhelmsson Silfven, Steffen Peters, and Tina Konyot, victorious at last year's World Dressage Masters event in Palm Beach. Photo: Susan J. Stickle

Wellington, FL – September 21, 2011 – As an exciting staple of the Wellington winter equestrian scene, International Polo Club Palm Beach will once again bring one of the world’s most elite dressage events to South Florida next year. The World Dressage Masters CDI5* Palm Beach will be sponsored by International Polo Club Palm Beach in 2012, bringing together two of the most thrilling horse sport presenters. Occurring January 26-29, 2012 at the Jim Brandon Equestrian Center in West Palm Beach, the World Dressage Masters event is sure to entertain spectators, challenge riders, and reflect the athletic spirit of its presenting sponsor, International Polo Club Palm Beach.

As the founding force behind International Polo Club Palm Beach, John Goodman and family are pleased to be able to offer dressage enthusiasts a chance to glimpse the world’s best riders. “Last year was so successful, and proved to be a sold-out event,” said Goodman. “With more time to prepare this year, the competition for 2012 looks to be even better than ever.”

As a CDI5* event, the World Dressage Masters Palm Beach presented by International Polo Club Palm Beach involves the highest and most difficult levels of dressage tests for riders and their horses. Featuring a Grand Prix, a Grand Prix Special, and a Grand Prix Freestyle, this show brings a new challenge for each day of competition. The World Dressage Masters circuit also awards €100,000 in prize money per show to its winning riders, making this one of the world’s most lucrative dressage contests, as well as one of the most impressive.

Noreen O’Sullivan, owner of Wellington Classic Dressage, which produces World Dressage Masters in Palm Beach, added, “The show last year was such a wonderful experience for everybody. We’re very excited to again be able to partner with International Polo Club Palm Beach and bring the top dressage riders in the world back to Wellington this winter.”

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

FEI World Jumping Championships for Young Horses 2011 – Lanaken (BEL)

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DOUBLE GOLD FOR ZANGERSHEIDE STUDBOOK, BUT BELGIAN WARMBLOOD WINS YOUNGEST CATEGORY by Louise Parkes

Jessica Kuerten steered Ayumi Kotani's Zangersheide stallion, Cor dela Rossa Z, to victory in the 7 Year Old Final at the FEI World Jumping Championships for Young Horses 2011. Photo: FEI/Peter van del Bulck.

Lausanne (SUI), 26 September 2011 – Horses from the Zangersheide Studbook claimed two of the three gold medals on offer at the 2011 FEI World Jumping Championships for Young Horses staged in Lanaken, Belgium over the weekend.  This event is long-established as the shop window for up-and-coming champions, and for the many breeding organisations who annually compare their merit throughout four days of tough competition.

It was a particularly satisfying result for the host venue at Zangersheide Stud, home to the highly influential and extremely successful Zangersheide Studbook which dates back to its earliest origins in 1992 when Leon Melchior first began to apply a scientific approach to the traditional methods of producing top-class Jumping horses.  And ensuring that all the main honours remained with the host nation, it was the Belgian Warmblood Studbook that reigned supreme in the youngest category for 5 Year Olds.

The event, staged in warm and sunny weather conditions, attracted a phenomenal 80,000 visitors who came to see over 800 jumpers in action.  A total of 206 started in the 5 Year Old category, a massive 265 in the 6 Year Olds and 240 in the 7 Year Old division.  And with €220,000 up for grabs, along with the enormous prestige that is automatically attributed to every medal-winner, the competition was razor-sharp.

FEROCIOUS BATTLE
A total of 58 qualified for Sunday’s 5 Year Old Final, and 35 of these went clear in the first round, so it was a ferocious battle for the medal placings as these youngsters raced against the clock.  The quality of the talent on show however was demonstrated when 15 managed to complete with double-clear performances, but the best of all was the Belgian Warmblood mare Gladys – Wandor v Mispelaere x Toulon – who scorched home quickest for Belgium’s Yves Vanderhasselt.

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*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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