Category Archives: Events

Competitions, Contributors/Press, Disciplines, Events, HITS, Hunter/Equitation, Show Jumping

Ocala Winter Festival Paves the Way for One of the Most Memorable Winter Circuits of All Time

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© ESI Photography. Kent Farrington and Up Chiqui on course in the $25,000 SmartPak Grand Prix, presented by Pfizer Animal Health.

OCALA, FL (February 23, 2011) – What do you get when you mix beautiful weather, talented horsemen, first-class facilities, exciting events and fabulous prize money? The answer is simple: HITS Ocala! The Ocala Winter Festival marked the second AA rated week of show jumping in the ‘Sunshine State’.

The two Grand Prix and weekly Devoucoux Hunter Prix saw record-breaking entries this week. In Thursday’s $25,000 SmartPak Grand Prix, presented by Pfizer Animal Health, Kent Farrington  (above right) of Chicago, Illinois, emerged as the winner out of what was then a record 48 starters, aboard Up Chiqui, owned by William Dobbs, Alex Boone and Farrington. Thursday’s track proved challenging, as only five returned for the jump-off. Sunday’s $50,000 class set a new record three days later with 50 entries, as Andre Thieme of Germany and Cesar won their first Grand Prix of the season. Despite the bigger entries and challenges on Sunday’s course, 12 talented teams advanced to the jump-off for an exciting conclusion. Thieme also picked up the third place ribbon aboard his own Uvalier, while German native Matthias Hollberg, now of Apex, North Carolina, was second aboard Apex Equestrian Center’s Wadisson. Both Farrington and Thieme are aiming to qualify for the 2011 Pfizer $1 Million Grand Prix on September 11 in Saugerties, New York.

© ESI Photography. Tracy Fenney and MTM La Costa on course in the $10,000 Devoucoux Hunter Prix.

$10,000 Devoucoux Hunter Prix
The Devoucoux Hunter Prix has been the premier hunter event each week throughout the circuit, and Sunday’s outstanding $10,000 event showed just how eager the hunter riders are to qualify for the Diamond Mills $500,000 3’3″ Hunter Prix Final on September 10-11 in Saugerties, New York, as 70 riders tracked the course. Standing tall at the end of the $10,000 Devoucoux Hunter Prix was High-Performance rider Tracey Fenney of Flower Mound, Texas. Fenney, who is one of the all-time leading Grand Prix riders at HITS Ocala, was delighted to show her skills in the hunters aboard Mr. and Mrs. Ken MacKenzie’s MTM La Costa. Second place was awarded to standout junior Meg O’Mara aboard Walk the Line, owned by Don Stewart and O’Mara. The duo had a successful week at the Ocala Winter Festival, picking up two first place ribbons in the Large Junior Hunter 16-17 division, which helped earn them the Reserve Champion honors. Rounding out the top three was professional rider Kate Conover of Ocala, Florida aboard Doreen Toben’s Black Tie Affair.

Read more> http://www.horsesinthesouth.com/article/article_detail.aspx?id=13306

Community/Charity, Competitions, Contributors/Press, Disciplines, Events, Hunter/Equitation, National Horse Show, Phelps Media Group, Show Jumping

2011 National Horse Show to Be Held at Kentucky Horse Park

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The 2011 National Horse Show will be held at the new Alltech Indoor Arena at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, KY. Photo Courtesy of Alltech.

New York, NY – February 23, 2011 – The National Horse Show Association of America, Limited (NHSAA) is pleased to announce that it will be hosting the ASPCA Alfred B. Maclay Finals as well as a full complement of hunters and jumpers in 2011. These exciting events will be held November 2-6, 2011, at the new Alltech Indoor Arena at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, KY. For the past five years, the ASPCA Alfred B. Maclay Finals have been held at the Syracuse Invitational Sporthorse Tournament in Syracuse, NY. After lengthy discussions with the top professionals in the hunter and equitation divisions, the National Horse Show determined that it is in the best interest of the sport, equitation division, and the Maclay to relocate the competition to a new venue.

The Board of Directors for the National Horse Show is looking forward to a bright future at the Kentucky Horse Park. “We’re very fortunate that Syracuse gave us a home until we could sort things out. It was a great stepping stone for what is going to be the future of the National Horse Show,” noted President Mason Phelps, Jr. “It is certainly our desire to make the National Horse Show in Kentucky as similar to Madison Square Garden as possible. The very first objective is to do the best we can by the Maclay Finals.”

“The Kentucky Horse Park is honored to be the new site of the National Horse Show’s ASPCA Maclay Finals,” said Kentucky Horse Park Executive Director John Nicholson. “I am personally elated and we are committed to do all that we can to make the show worthy of its grand history.”

Continue reading 2011 National Horse Show to Be Held at Kentucky Horse Park →

*Featured/Spotlights, Competitions, Contributors/Press, Disciplines, Dressage, Events, Phelps Media Group

2011 World Dressage Masters Palm Beach Thanks International Polo Club Palm Beach for Continued Support

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Margaret Duprey's Otto, ridden at the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games by Todd Flettrich. Photo Credit: Susan J. Stickle

Wellington, FL – February 21, 2011 – The World Dressage Masters Palm Beach, which forms part of the world’s most prestigious dressage series, will take place on March 9-11, 2011 at the Jim Brandon Equestrian Center in West Palm Beach, FL. The preservation of WDM Palm Beach is due to the generous and enthusiastic support of its presenting sponsor, International Polo Club Palm Beach.

When it was announced that the 2011 World Dressage Masters Palm Beach was to be cancelled, it appeared that the world’s richest dressage competition would disappear from North America. However, the Goodman family, International Polo Club Palm Beach and its members stepped in quickly to ensure that the show would go on. “In my talks with Mr. Goodman, he showed a profound interest in not only saving the Masters for 2011, but to extend IPC’s commitment for the long-term,” says WDM Managing Director John van de Laar. “WDM, IPC and Wellington Classic Dressage created a three year agreement, so from now on it can only get better.”

A dressage competition sponsored by a polo club isn’t as odd as it sounds. Events featuring dressage, such as the breast cancer fundraiser Challenge of the Americas, have been held at the International Polo Club for the past number of years. Approximately 20 percent of IPC members are involved with dressage in South Florida, including International Dressage Rider Arlene ‘Tuny’ Page.

Continue reading 2011 World Dressage Masters Palm Beach Thanks International Polo Club Palm Beach for Continued Support →

Championships, Competitions, Contributors/Press, Disciplines, Events, Hunter/Equitation, Jennifer Wood, Show Jumping

Marie Hecart and Babbe van’t Roosakker Speed to Win Suncast 1.50m Championship Jumper Series Classic

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Marie Hecart and Babbe van't Roosakker won the $25,000 Suncast 1.50m Championship Jumper Series Classic during week 6 at the 2011 FTI WEF. Photo © Sportfot

Weatherly Stroh and Sigfried Top $5,000 WCHR Amateur-Owner 3’3″ Hunter Classic Spectacular

Wellington, FL – February 19, 2011 – The Suncast 1.50m Championship Jumper Series Classic was held today, and it was Marie Hecart (FRA) on Babbe van’t Roosakker, owned by Haras de la Rogue, who were the fastest double clear combination. They won the sixth event in the Suncast 1.50m Championship Jumper Series, which will award $50,000 in rider bonus money at the end of the series.

The FTI Winter Equestrian Festival’s sixth week of competition continues through Sunday, February 20. Week six, sponsored by Fidelity Investments, will feature the $50,000 G&C Farm Palm Beach Jumping Derby on Sunday at 3 p.m. at The Stadium. The 2011 WEF will continue through April 3 and award more than $6 million in prize money.

There were 34 entries in today’s 1.50m classic, and seven of those were able to find the clear round over a course designed by Steve Stephens of Palmetto, FL. Hecart and Babbe van’t Roosakker, a 10-year-old Belgian Warmblood mare by Kannan, were able to keep a quick pace and efficient turns for the fastest clear jump-off ride in 39.496 seconds.

Continue reading Marie Hecart and Babbe van’t Roosakker Speed to Win Suncast 1.50m Championship Jumper Series Classic →

*Featured/Spotlights, Championships, Competitions, Contributors/Press, Disciplines, Driving, Events, FEI, FEI

Final Startlist Announced For FEI World Cup Driving In Leipzig

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Boyd Exell will be facing strong opponents in Leipzig. FEI/Rinaldo de Craen

Driving fans will be treated to a thrilling Final for the 10th season of the FEI World Cup Driving series in Leipzig, Germany, from 27 April to 1 May 2011.Five of the seven four-in-hand drivers who will start in Leipzig have already won a World Cup round this season, highlighting the incredible level of skills for this year’s FEI World Cup Driving Final.

The finalists will all start from scratch and, as this year’s series was so tightly contested, it won’t be until the very last second of the Final on the afternoon of Sunday 1 May that the new World Cup Champion will be announced.

British-based Australian driver Boyd Exell – double World Cup champion and gold medallist at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games in Kentucky last year – will be aiming for a hat trick in Leipzig. Exell has won three out of the six competitions this season and was runner-up three times, but he will be facing up to the strongest ever indoor opponents.

Dutch driver Koos de Ronde, runner-up in the 2010 final and winner at this year’s FEI World Cup Driving competition in Mechelen for the third time in a row, has his sights set on the overall series title once again. De Ronde is a very fast driver and will certainly give Exell a run for his money in Leipzig.

Continue reading Final Startlist Announced For FEI World Cup Driving In Leipzig →

*Featured/Spotlights, Competitions, Contributors/Press, Disciplines, Dressage, Events, JRPR

Cesar Parra and Piaffe-Performance Students Make a Splash at the Wellington Classic Dressage Spring Challenge CDI

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International dressage rider and trainer Cesar Parra, who owns Piaffe-Performance with locations in Florida and New Jersey, rode into the winner’s circle at the Wellington Classic Dressage Spring Challenge CDI on Grandioso. (Photo courtesy of Horse Sport Photo.com)

Wellington, FL (February 21, 2011) – International Dressage Rider Cesar Parra and his students at Piaffe-Performance made a big splash at the Wellington Classic Dressage Spring Challenge CDI, when Parra and all eight of his students rode into the winner’s circle. Despite rain that kept the sky cloudy and the rings muddy, the riders at Piaffe-Performance shone as they captured the blue in 11 classes at the show.

“I am so excited about this show and how all of my riders did. I am so proud of everyone,” Parra said. “We had eight riders and won 11 classes, which is truly wonderful. In addition to my students doing great, I feel like I rode two very special horses, Grandioso and Lindner, and was very pleased that both horses did their best and were successful.”

Parra said that although the rings were a mess and it was raining, he made the decision to ride. “It was raining like crazy and a lot of competitors were scratching but I made the decision to go ahead and compete and I am really glad I did,” Parra said. “I was able to ride and warm up like I always do and within five minutes the sun came out. I competed Grandioso in the Intermediaire 2 class, which is a more risky and more forward test, but Grandioso stepped up to the challenge and I am so proud of him.”

Continue reading Cesar Parra and Piaffe-Performance Students Make a Splash at the Wellington Classic Dressage Spring Challenge CDI →

Community/Charity, Competitions, Contributors/Press, Events, Fundraisers, Show Jumping

2011 FTI Great Charity Challenge Presented by Fidelity Investments Is Huge Success and Awards More Than $1 Million to 32 Palm Beach County Charities

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The Kessler family competed for Resource Depot. Photos © Anne Gittins Photography, Sportfot, and ManciniPhotos

Wellington, FL – February 20, 2011 – The Palm Beach International Equestrian Center in Wellington, Florida transformed into a field of dreams for 32 Palm Beach charities in the second annual FTI Great Charity Challenge presented by Fidelity Investments where over a million dollars was raised in an exciting Pro-Am show jumping event on February 19. A signature event of the 12 week FTI Consulting Winter Equestrian Festival, the event featured 32 teams of three riders ranging in age from 11 to 70 where amateurs competed side by side with their professional heroes. Each team was randomly assigned to a charity to compete for $1,020,000 in prize money with the winning charity receiving $150,000 with a sliding scale to 32nd place of $10,000. A crowd of 6,000 came out to enjoy the family fun as part of the Saturday Night Lights series which continues through April 2nd.

Every team was generously sponsored by an equestrian family with additional monies coming from corporate and individual donors as well as all proceeds from ticket and VIP table sales for the evening’s event produced by Equestrian Sport Productions, which donates its staff and venue for the event.

The winning team, competing for Wheels for Kids, set a blazing fast time of 91.376 seconds. The riders were Olympian Pablo Barrios, 18-year-old Luis Fernando Larrazabal, and 14-year-old Emmanuel Andrade. All three riders are from Venezuela and competed for team sponsors, Gustavo and Carolina Mirabal of G&C Farm. The Mirabals, Barrios, and Larrazabal live in Wellington, FL.

Read more> http://www.horsesinthesouth.com/article/article_detail.aspx?id=13288

*Featured/Spotlights, Competitions, Contributors/Press, Disciplines, Events, Hunter/Equitation

Glen Senk Steals the Spotlight with Another Place in the Peggy Cone Memorial WCHR Adult Hunter Classic

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Glen Senk and Another Place are the winners of the Peggy Cone Memorial WCHR Adult Hunter Classic during the sixth week of the 2011 FTI Winter Equestrian Festival. Photo © Sportfot

Olivia Esse and Small Affair Win WCHR Junior/Amateur-Owner Palm Beach Hunter Classic Spectacular

Wellington, FL – February 20, 2011 – Glen Senk did more than steal the show this morning as fifty-three entries came out for a chance to win the title in the Peggy Cone Memorial WCHR Adult Hunter Classic. Senk had a total of four entries in the class, all of which placed in the top twelve. Senk’s newest mount, Another Place, took top honors in the class with an average score of 83.5 in the first round and 85.5 in the second round.

Senk, and his own Fashion Farm, recently purchased Another Place, an eight-year-old Holsteiner gelding by Carano, through his trainer Scott Stewart. This week marks only the fifth time that Another Place has shown in competition. “He’s the sweetest, gentlest, kindest animal,” beamed Senk about his new horse.

Senk went on to place third on his own mount Declaration, a nine-year-old Westphalian gelding by Collin-L. He was awarded sixth on another of his mounts, Blessed. Blessed is a seven-year-old Holsteiner mare by Limotas. Senk’s fourth ride, Highland Park, also owned by Senk’s Fashion Farm, was awarded the eleventh place award. Highland Park is a twelve-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding by Welt Hit II.

Continue reading Glen Senk Steals the Spotlight with Another Place in the Peggy Cone Memorial WCHR Adult Hunter Classic →

*Featured/Spotlights, Competitions, Contributors/Press, Disciplines, Events, Jennifer Wood, Show Jumping

Beezie Madden Scores Second Win of the Week with Prima in $50,000 G&C Farm Palm Beach Jumping Derby

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Beezie Madden and Prima jumping out of the Devils' Dyke. Photos © Sportfot

Wellington, FL – February 20, 2011 – Two-time Olympic gold medalist Beezie Madden scored her second win this week at the FTI Winter Equestrian Festival in the $50,000 G&C Farm Palm Beach Jumping Derby. She and Prima, owned by Neapolitan Holding Co., LLC, were the fastest over a challenging derby course on the grass field at The Stadium.

The FTI Winter Equestrian Festival’s sixth week concluded today and was sponsored by Fidelity Investments. The 2011 WEF will continue through April 3 and award more than $6 million in prize money.

There were 22 entries in today’s derby, and the course was designed by Richard Jeffery of Bournemouth, England. It featured a step bank, open water, liverpools, Devil’s Dyke, and a triple option jump through a “maze” of hedges. The format was Table C, where rails down were converted into added seconds for a final time.

Madden and Prima, a 12-year-old KWPN mare by Kigali x Nimmerdor, went ninth in the order and were lightning fast through most of the course. With a huge, open stride, Madden barely pulled on the reins and made the trip look smooth and easy. They had no faults for a final time of 122.81 seconds for the win.

Continue reading Beezie Madden Scores Second Win of the Week with Prima in $50,000 G&C Farm Palm Beach Jumping Derby →

*Featured/Spotlights, Classic Company, Competitions, Contributors/Press, Disciplines, Events, Hunter/Equitation, Show Jumping

Gulfport Winter Classic Offers “Lagniappe” for All!

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Holly Shepherd & Figaro B. ©Flashpoint Photography

Gulfport, MS — Feb 20, 2011 — A Cajun expression Lagniappe (lan-yap), “small extra gift”, describes best what Mother Nature left as a token on her visit to the Gulf Coast Winter Classics. Not only did temps continue to heat up, but so did the rivalry for supremacy in both the Hunter and Jumper divisions.

Beginning in the Hunter Divisions where for the second week several of the top horse-rider combinations turned in stellar performances. Holly Shepherd of Grand Bay, AL rode Figaro B for owner Linda Bobrik to the Championship in the 1st Year Green Working and top place in the USHJA Hunter Classic, while Hillsboro, VA based Tom Brennan picked up the tri colors in the 2nd Year Green Working aboard Lynn Rice’s Purple Heart. And taking the Championship title in the High Performance Hunters for week two was Cincinnati, OH resident Sarah Mechlin paired with Olivia Weaver’s agreeable horse Yes Indeed.

Over in the jumper rings the theme was “Les Bon Temps Rouler”, let the good times roll, and in Friday afternoon’s Lucky Sevens Welcome Stake Wilhelm Genn of Lebanon, OH kept on enjoying the good times with his mount Copyright 3 taking the victory.

Continue reading Gulfport Winter Classic Offers “Lagniappe” for All! →