Category Archives: Events

Competitions, Events, Pan American Games, Show Jumping, USEF

Changes to the U.S. Show Jumping Squad for the 2011 Pan American Games Announced

Leave a comment

Lexington, KY – The United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) announces the following updates to the U.S. Show Jumping Squad for the 2011 Pan American Games.

Lauren Hough has withdrawn Quick Study from their position as travelling reserve following an uncharacteristic performance at Spruce Meadows in the Grand Prix on September 11, 2011.

The first ranked substitute, Margie Engle and Indigo have also withdrawn.

Therefore, the second ranked substitute, Kent Farrington (Chicago, IL) and RCG Farm’s Uceko, will now serve as the travelling reserve.

The athlete/horse combinations named to the team remain unchanged (in ranked order):

Beezie Madden (Cazenovia, NY) will ride Coral Reef Ranch’s Coral Reef Via Volo
McLain Ward (Brewster, NY) will ride Grant Road Partners LLC’s Antares F
Christine McCrea (East Windsor, CT) will ride Candy Tribble and Windsor Show Stables’ Romantovich Take One
Laura Kraut (Wellington, FL) will ride Happy Hill Farm’s Cedric

The 2011 Pan American Games will take place October 14-30, 2011 in Guadalajara, more information about the Games is available here: http://www.guadalajara2011.org.mx/ENG/01_inicio/.

Follow the US Riders on the USEF Network: http://www.usefnetwork.com/featured/2011PanAmGames/.

*Featured/Spotlights, Championships, Dressage, Driving, Events, FEI, FEI

Seventeen Nations to Compete at the FEI World Driving Championships for Combined Ponies 2011

Leave a comment
Tobias Bücker of Germany is the title defender in the four-in-hand category © Rinaldo de Craen

Lausanne (SUI), 20 September 2011 – From 21 to 25 September, the Lipica Stud Farm in Slovenia will host the fifth edition of the FEI World Driving Championships for Combined Ponies. Seventy-seven drivers from 17 nations will compete in the singles, pairs and four-in-hand classes.

Title defender Melanie Becker (NED) will compete with her world champion pony Ostara’s Sandor in the singles category. Pony pairs world champion Daniel Schneiders (GER) has successfully moved on to the pony four-in-hand class. One of Schneider’s biggest opponents will be the reigning pony four-in-hand champion Tobias Bücker (GER).

The eldest competitor is 65-year-old Hannu Kalalahti (FIN), who will be making his world championship debut at Lipica. The youngest competitor David Palkovics (HUN) will celebrate his 14th birthday on the Marathon day of his first world championship.

There will be six teams, each consisting of a minimum of one and a maximum of two drivers per class and per nation, fighting for the medals. Title defender Germany and silver medallist The Netherlands are tipped as the favourites for the nations competition.

The Driven Dressage and Cones Competitions will be held in the main stadium. Swiss FEI O-course designer Christian Iseli, who is well-known for his work at world championships, has built eight beautiful obstacles located close to each other in the fields of the Lipica Stud Farm. For the first time the Marathon will include a cool down section where the ponies will be given a few moments of rest after they complete the course and before the compulsory veterinary inspection.

Continue reading Seventeen Nations to Compete at the FEI World Driving Championships for Combined Ponies 2011 →

*Featured/Spotlights, Competitions, Events, Hunter/Equitation, Show Jumping

Harold Chopping and Patent Pending Top the $15,000 Aiken Fall Festival Jumper Classic

Leave a comment
Harold Chopping and Patent Pending. Shawn McMillen Photography

August 19, 2011 – Sunday marked the final day of the 2011 Aiken Fall Festival II.  It was an exciting action packed weekend filled with many special classes and events at Highfields Event Center in Aiken, SC.  Saturday evening featured the $15,000 Aiken Fall Festival Jumper Classic sponsored by Fenwick Equestrian along with Mexican Fiesta and Margaritas For Mutts in the VIP tent to benefit Danny and Ron’s Rescue.  Patrons also had the chance to bid on several silent auction items donated by Hot To Trot Boutique, Oak Manor Saddlery, Equine Divine, and The Gamboa Family.  Raffle tickets had also been sold throughout the week for several beautiful gift baskets with all proceeds going directly this wonderful charity.  Wendy Arndt and Team IEC sponsored the dinner and the sounds of New Holland Rd. entertained the crowd following the class.

A strong field of 22 competitors was on hand to try their luck at the challenging course designed by J. P. Godard. 6 entries out of the original field graduated to the jump off and with the double 5 AB giving the majority of the class trouble it came down to just two clear rounds.  Second to go in the jump off Harold Chopping of Southern Pines, NC and Kendra Bullington’s 8 year old mare Patent Pending turned in a fast and precise trip with a time of 33.129 establishing the time to beat.  Last week’s Open Welcome Stake winner Josh Dolan and his Skylands Con Chino Z were the last pair to enter the ring and gave Chopping a run for his money finishing with the only other clear round and a time of 33.939 just .810 seconds behind Chopping and Patent Pending who would end up the victors.  Karen Kerby’s T/Salemon and Daniel Geitner finished third, Tokade De Kalvarie and Natalie Johnson fourth, Marie Le Menestrel’s Aero and Dustin Ball were fifth, and rounding out the top 6 was George and owner rider Kitt Ritter.  The winners Chopping and Patent Pending received a trophy and Fenwick Equestrian High Performance Body Guard Cooler provided by Fenwick Equestrian.

Continue reading Harold Chopping and Patent Pending Top the $15,000 Aiken Fall Festival Jumper Classic →

*Featured/Spotlights, Championships, Competitions, Dressage, Events, Para-Equestrian, USEF

Wentz Obtains 2011 USEF Para-Equestrian Dressage National Championship

Leave a comment

Jonathan Wentz and NTEC Richter Scale. Photos © Lindsay Yosay McCall

USA Team Achieves First at CPEDI3*

Saugerties, NY – September 18, 2011 – Intensity, impulsion, power are three words that defined Sunday’s Para-Equestrian Individual Test competition at the 2011 NEDA Fall Festival of Dressage. Sunday was the last day of the CPEDI 3* and it was the championship day for the 2011 USEF Para-Equestrian Dressage National Championship. After Saturday’s Freestyle only a tenth of a point separated Jonathan Wentz and Dale Dedrick for the National Championship. Following an exceptional day of tests Wentz earned the scores he needed to earn the national championship. Only .308 behind Wentz was Dale Dedrick and Bonifatius who garnered the highest score of the day from Judge E, Anne Prain of France, a 75%. Dedrick’s percentage secured the reserve championship accolade. In the CPEDI3* Team competition Para-Equestrians from USA, Canada, Ireland, Mexico, and Bermuda competed in Grades Ia-IV under judges Anne Prain of France, Kjell Myhre of Norway, and Carlos Lopes of Portugal. The USA achieved the top ranking with team members Jonathan Wentz, Mary Jordan, Wendy Fryke, and Rebecca Hart.

Hart was the third place finisher in the 2011 USEF Para-Equestrian Dressage National Championships in addition to supporting the USA Team competition. After three days of tests Hart was delighted with Lord Ludger. She noted, “I was really happy with LoLu; this was his first major competition where he had to be on it three days in a row.  He handled the pressure and he even stepped up to the plate for me.”

Continue reading Wentz Obtains 2011 USEF Para-Equestrian Dressage National Championship →

Championships, Competitions, Events, HITS, Hunter/Equitation, Show Jumping

Youngsters Capture Championships in the Children’s Hunter Divisions at the 2011 Marshall & Sterling League National Finals

Leave a comment
Joe Norick of Marshall & Sterling Insurance, Inc. presents the Champion award to Jennifer Staniloff in the Children's Hunter Pony Small Division. Photos © ESI Photography.

SAUGERTIES, NY (September 18, 2011) – Jennifer Staniloff will always remember her first trip to HITS-on-the-Hudson in Saugerties, New York. On Saturday afternoon, the fourth grader was named Champion in the Children’s Hunter Pony Small Division at the 2011 Marshall & Sterling League National Finals aboard Nancy Buzzeta’s Shimmer.

Staniloff of Setauket, New York and Shimmer led the way as they captured the blue ribbon in the first over fences class and then finished second in the under saddle, which helped to fuel their drive to the Children’s Hunter Pony Small Division Champion. Reserve Champion went to One Way or Another, owned and shown by McKinley DeAngelo of Allentown, New Jersey.

“My favorite part about being here was getting in the big ring and making it work together with my pony,” said Staniloff. “I gave him a big bath and helped my mom pack the tack trunk before we left and when we were doing all of this I had a feeling that we would do great! My pony did everything that I asked him to do.”

“Jennifer has been riding with me for about 10 months,” said trainer Rita Timpanaro. “She really devotes a lot of her time to riding and I am very proud of her. This is a tremendous accomplishment.”

Children’s Hunter Pony Medium Division

To say that Anna Platek’s first year competing at big horse shows was a success would be an understatement!

The 12-year-old soccer and skiing star scored Championship honors in the Marshall & Sterling League’s Children’s Hunter Pony Medium Division aboard Yasmin Rizvi’s Forever After, making her first season of showing a major hit!

Continue reading Youngsters Capture Championships in the Children’s Hunter Divisions at the 2011 Marshall & Sterling League National Finals →

*Featured/Spotlights, Competitions, Dressage, Events, JRPR, Pan American Games, USEF

Dr. Cesar Parra Rides Away from Collecting Gaits Farm/USEF Festival of Champions on Emotional High and as Member of 2011 U.S. Pan Am Dressage Team

Leave a comment
Dr. Cesar Parra and Grandioso during the awards ceremony at the 2011 Collecting Gaits Farm/USEF Festival of Champions at Gladstone. (Photo courtesy of Sue Stickle)

Gladstone, NJ (September 19, 2011) – Dr. Cesar Parra, the international dressage rider who has made no secret about his love for the United States of America, realized a dream come true during the 2011 Collecting Gaits Farm/USEF Festival of Champions when he was named as a member of the 2011 United States Dressage Team headed to the Pan American Games in Mexico. Parra also made history with his Pan Am goal, becoming the first Latin American rider to compete on a United States Dressage Team. The Intermediaire I Championship served as the USEF Selection Trials for the upcoming Games, and Parra rode Michael and Sarah Davis’s Grandioso to third place in the division and to a spot on the team.

Parra, a former dentist from South America who went on to become one of Colombia’s top international riders, moved his family to the United States in 1999 and became an American citizen in 2008. Last year at Gladstone Parra recognized his first dream of becoming an American champion when he rode Lori Washton’s Olympia to the National Intermediaire I Championship. Parra’s second dream, to represent the United States by being a member of the U.S. Dressage Team, has now also become a reality.

“This past weekend was very emotional and exciting for all of us. We had set as a goal to make the USA team for the Pan Am Games, so to accomplish that is wonderful. I feel very blessed to be representing the country that has given my family and I such a wonderful new life,” Parra said. Parra is no stranger to the Pan Am Games as he placed fourth individually at the 2003 Pan Am Games riding for Colombia. As a Colombian rider he also competed in the Olympics, the World Equestrian Games and was named the Colombian National Champion multiple times.

Continue reading Dr. Cesar Parra Rides Away from Collecting Gaits Farm/USEF Festival of Champions on Emotional High and as Member of 2011 U.S. Pan Am Dressage Team →

Classic Company, Classic Company, Competitions, Events, Hunter/Equitation, Show Jumping

Tryon Fall Classic 2011

Leave a comment

It is with great regret I send this message. After 25 years of management of the Tryon Fall Classic we have been forced to cancel this year’s event.  Single “A” shows across the country are failing to get enough entries.  Almost 25 percent of the all the USEF “A” shows have cancelled so far this year and the Tryon Fall Classic is now a statistic for 2011.

Carol Kent and I plan to get together soon and discuss plans for 2012 which could include a new venue and a different set of class offerings.  We did not work this hard and long to give up now.

Have a great fall and see you in Atlanta in November.  The prize list is in the mail and online.

See you at the rings,
Bob Bell
The Classic Company, Ltd.
www.ClassicCompany.com
Phone/FAX:  (843) 768-5503
Post Office Box 1311  Johns Island  SC 29457

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

Caroline Roffman Wins Young Adult Brentina Cup Championship at 2011 Collecting Gaits Farm/USEF Dressage Festival of Champions

Leave a comment
Caroline Roffman rode Beemer to the win in the Young Adult Brentina Cup Championship. (Photo courtesy of Sue Stickle)

Gladstone, NJ (September 16, 2011) – Dressage rider Caroline Roffman added another prestigious title to her growing resume, cementing her place in the history books of dressage riders by winning the Young Adult Brentina Cup Championship aboard Beemer at the 2011 Collecting Gaits Farm/USEF Dressage Festival of Champions in Gladstone, New Jersey. Roffman’s Brentina Cup victory comes on the heels of a successful 2011 Markel/USEF National Young Horse Dressage Championships at the Lamplight Equestrian Center in which she rode away with three Reserve Championships aboard San City, Bon Chance and Pie.

As dressage’s reigning “it girl,” Roffman piloted Beemer to a close victory over Olivia Lagoy-Weltz and Riffalino. Roffman said she was thrilled to ride Beemer, a sales horse owned by her trainer Lars Petersen and Global Dressage, and that the 13-year-old gelding has given her a great introduction to the Grand Prix ring.

“I had dreamed of competing at Gladstone in the Brentina Cup for years, ever since the class was developed,” Roffman said. “To win this award was so exciting, but it was mostly icing on the cake. Just being there and being part of it was thrilling.”

While Roffman has been riding Beemer throughout the year, she wasn’t certain if he would be available to compete in the Brentina Cup since he was for sale. “The opportunity Lars gave me to ride Beemer was incredible and gave me so much experience. I am so lucky and I cannot thank him enough,” Roffman said. “Beemer will now be marketed for sale and with several people already inquiring about him I doubt he will be around for long.”

Continue reading Caroline Roffman Wins Young Adult Brentina Cup Championship at 2011 Collecting Gaits Farm/USEF Dressage Festival of Champions →

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

FEI European Jumping Championships 2011 Final Day

Leave a comment
L to R - Silver medallist Carsten-Otto Nagel from Germany, Gold medallist Rolf-Goran Bengtsson from Sweden and Bronze medallist Nick Skelton from Great Britain. Photo: Kit Houghton/FEI.

For a wrap-up of the Championships including interview with gold medallist Rolf-Goran Bengtsson (SWE) click http://youtu.be/smMqIO173pc.

HISTORIC FIRST AS SWEDEN’S BENGTSSON AND NINJA SWEEP INDIVIDUAL GOLD, by Louise Parkes

Madrid (ESP), 18 September 2011 – Sweden’s Rolf-Goran Bengtsson and the brilliant little Ninja la Silla added European gold to their 2008 Olympic silver medal when sweeping to victory in the closing stages of the individual title-decider at the FEI European Jumping Championships in Madrid, Spain today. This was a historic first, as the only European medal previously stashed in the Swedish trophy cabinet throughout the 54-year history of this event is the bronze collected by the same rider at Arnhem in Holland in 2001.

In a cliff-hanger of a class that had spectators on the edges of their seats right to the very end, the pendulum of good fortune appeared to have swung in the direction of The Netherlands’ Gerco Schroder who was in the lead as the final round got underway. But Lady Luck was not smiling on the Dutchman today, and it was Germany’s Carsten-Otto Nagel and Corradina who claimed their second successive European silver medal, while Great Britain’s Nick Skelton and Carlo took bronze.

It truly was a battle of the giants of the sport. And in the end it was the sport that everyone was talking about tonight. The extraordinary atmosphere of cooperation that prevailed throughout the entire week between the riders, officials and organisers created a powerful sense of a great sport in good shape. As Ground Jury President, Stephan Ellenbruch, pointed out, “It’s been a fantastic event, and at the end of it we can only see smiling faces which is great!”

Continue reading FEI European Jumping Championships 2011 Final Day →

Championships, Competitions, Dressage, Events, Para-Equestrian, USEF

Wentz Leads 2011 USEF Para-Equestrian Dressage National Championships

Leave a comment
Jonathan Wentz and NTEC Richter Scale. Photo: Lindsay Yosay McCall 2011.

Saugerties, NY – A blast of autumn greeted riders on the second day of 2011 USEF Para-Equestrian Dressage National Championships as temperatures dropped to near 40 degrees overnight. The cool weather did not stop the best Para-Equestrian competitors in the U.S. from achieving strong scores in their Freestyles. Competitors from the five different grades (athletes are graded based on the severity of their disability) of Para-Equestrian Dressage are vying for the National Championship title.

Jonathan Wentz, a member of the Kentucky Equine Research U.S. Para-Equestrian Dressage Team at the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games, heads the field in the National Championship with his WEG partner, NTEC Richter Scale.

Wentz (Richardson, TX), who has two rides in the Grade 1b division, used the experience he gained last year in Kentucky. He rode his coach Kai Handt’s NTEC Richter Scale to a score of 71.515% in Friday’s Team Test, which counts for 40% of the overall score, and produced an eye-catching Freestyle today to score 71%. Wentz will try to maintain his lead tomorrow’s finale, the Individual Test.

Wentz found that his experience at last year’s WEG has served him well: “You know what the judges are looking for,” he said. “At WEG I learned how to fight for it and read the judges’ sheets and work on what they were looking for.”

Continue reading Wentz Leads 2011 USEF Para-Equestrian Dressage National Championships →