Category Archives: *Featured/Spotlights

Special features, spotlights, headlines

*Featured/Spotlights, Dressage, FEI, Olympic Games, Para-Equestrian

Fifteen Para-Equestrians Secure London 2012 Training Grants

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New Zealand’s Frances Dick, one of 15 international Para-Equestrians to secure Eurovestech training grants in the countdown to London 2012. Image: Equestrian Sports New Zealand.

Lausanne (SUI), 8 December 2011 – Fifteen Para-Equestrians from five different countries have secured a share of a €25,500 London 2012 training grant from Eurovestech plc, the pan-European development capital fund.

Three riders from Hong Kong, Israel, New Zealand, Poland and Russia will use the grants to fund their training, with London 2012 Paralympic qualification as their major goal.

The grants were launched in July this year to support Para-Equestrians from nations where funding is limited and who have not won medals at the Paralympics, World Championships or World Equestrian Games since 2004.

New Zealand’s Frances Dick, who is aiming to compete at the London 2012 Paralympic Games, is delighted to be awarded a training grant. “My dream of bringing home a medal from the London 2012 Paralympics has just got a whole lot closer and the grant comes at a time when funding is critical in the countdown to 2012.”

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*Featured/Spotlights, Eventing/H.T., FEI, FEI

Mary King Celebrates $50,000 HSBC Windfall

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Mary King (GBR), who débuted the HSBC Rankings armband in July, now secures 50,000 USD bonus as rankings leader at the end of the 2011 season. Photo: Barry Gomer.

Lausanne (SUI), 8 December 2011 – Mary King (GBR), who recently claimed 150,000 USD after becoming this year’s HSBC FEI Classics champion, is celebrating yet again after clinching a 50,000 USD bonus as the HSBC Rankings leader at the end of the 2011 season.

King, who celebrated her 50th birthday in June of this year, will be presented with her prize at the British Equestrian Writers’ Association annual awards lunch on 15 December at the London International Horse Show in Olympia (GBR).

This is the first time King has finished the season at the top of the rankings since being declared world number one at the end of 1991. First and second place finishes in the HSBC FEI Classics in Kentucky (USA), third at both Badminton and Burghley (GBR), fourth at Pau (FRA) and eighth at Luhmühlen (GER) gave King a season-end tally of 601 points. This put her at the top of the HSBC Rankings with a 15-point lead over William Fox-Pitt (GBR), who finished the season in second place, 73 points ahead of Andrew Nicholson (NZL).

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

Equus Events Announces New Show at the South Carolina Equine Park in Camden, SC

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December 6th, 2011 ~ Equus Events, Inc. is pleased to announce a new event that is being introduced on its 2012 horse show calendar. The inaugural “Winter Classic” will take place February 24-26 at Camden’s South Carolina Equine Park. The SCEP has recently gone through major renovations including footing by Bob Kiser (footing consultant for the 2010 World Equestrian Games), improved stabling with rubber mats in every stall, and many other structural and cosmetic updates throughout the entire park. The two outdoor rings contain “all-weather” footing and the covered arena has an all-purpose footing that suits many disciplines.

The Winter Classic will host numerous USEF “A” rated divisions and classes, classics, and will also feature a USHJA National Hunter Derby on Saturday afternoon featuring many of the area’s top hunter riders and horses. Daily hospitality and a Saturday evening Exhibitor’s Party are on the agenda as part of the event as well. As always, Equus Events continues to offer unique, exhibitor oriented events that strive to give their customers a horse show that excels in the highest level of quality, competition, and hospitality. “The new Winter Classic will be no different and will be a welcome addition to our expanding event schedule,” said show organizer J. P. Godard. “We are very excited to be back in Camden and invite you to re-discover the SCEP and this wonderful town.”

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

Kelley Farmer and Taken Win $20,000 USHJA International Hunter Derby at Holiday and Horses

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Kelley Farmer and Taken won the $20,000 USHJA International Hunter Derby. Photo © ManciniPhotos

Wellington, FL – December 4, 2011 – The 2011 edition of Equestrian Sport Productions’ Holiday and Horses show concluded today with the $20,000 USHJA International Hunter Derby as the highlight class in the International Arena. Kelley Farmer of Keswick, VA, rode Nancy Amling’s Taken to the win.

There were 18 entries in the derby, and the top 12 returned for a second handy round. Farmer and Taken held the lead through the first round, which they set by scoring a 180. They returned as last to go in the handy round and with handy bonus points of 8 and 9, they bettered their score with a 188. Their total of 368 gave them the win by three points.

Second place went to Kristy McCormack and Sundance, who received scores of 175 and 189.5 from the judges – they had a spectacular handy round – for a total of 365. Elizabeth Kenny and Bravo van de Kwaakelhoek finished on a total of 363 for third place, while Farmer placed fourth with AM Free’s Bases Loaded at 350 points. Generous and David Olinyk also had 350 points for fifth place.

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

Margie Engle and Indigo Grab Victory in FEI World Cup Grand Prix, CSI 2* at Holiday and Horses

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Indigo and Margie Engle. Photos © ManciniPhotos

Wellington, FL – December 3, 2011 – The $50,000 FEI World Cup Grand Prix was the highlight class of the week at the Holiday and Horses Show, hosted by Equestrian Sport Productions (ESP) at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center in Wellington, FL. Margie Engle of Wellington, FL, and Indigo were able to secure the victory in the FEI World Cup qualifier, and Engle also finished second with Lord Spezi. The show concludes on Sunday, December 4.

Anthony D’Ambrosio of Red Hook, NY, set the course for 42 entries and six were able to find the path to a clear round. “I thought it was a good course,” Engle said. “The oxer to oxer one stride you don’t see very often. You need to have that for World Cup courses. It’s a real scope test and you need a legitimate horse to do it. There were a lot of rails in different places. If you’re going to do World Cup Finals, you need that. He tested everything; he tested carefulness, he tested scope, the verticals were quite tall. I thought he did a great job.”

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*Featured/Spotlights, Competitions, Driving, Events, FEI, FEI

Excellent Exell to the Fore Again in Budapest

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Boyd Exell (AUS), winner of the fourth FEI World Cup Driving 2011/2012 qualifier held in Budapest (HUN) this weekend. ©Rinaldo de Craen/FEI

Budapest (HUN), 4 December 2011 – Just a week after his first FEI World Cup victory of the season in Stockholm, Boyd Exell (AUS) repeated that winning performance by scoring at the fourth leg of the FEI World Cup Driving 2011/2012 in Budapest, Hungary today. Exell stayed ahead of home driver and favorite Jozsef Dobrovitz (HUN) and Stuttgart-winner Koos de Ronde (NED).

Change of horse
It was by no means a certainty that Exell would win again, however. One of his experienced leader horses, the 17-year-old gelding Spitfire, did not pass the first horse inspection due to a minor injury in his foot and Exell was forced to put his spare wheeler horse Clinton Star in the lead of his four-in-hand. Exell put Clinton Star to the test in the warm-up competition and the prizegiving ceremony on the first day, when he finished second behind Koos de Ronde. Exell’s gamble paid off and Clinton Star got even faster in today’s FEI World Cup Driving competition and contributed to the Australian’s second victory of the season. Following wins in 2008 and 2009, this was Exell’s third win in Budapest. Local hero Jozsef Dobrovitz, from the nearby village of Vecsés, was cheered on by his enthusiastic home crowd in the Laszlo Papp Arena and drove his team of Lipizzaner horses to a well-deserved second place.

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*Featured/Spotlights, Competitions, Dressage, Events, FEI, FEI, USEF

Leibler and Watson 108 Prepare for the FEI Young Rider World Cup Dressage Final in Germany

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Isabelle Leibler and Watson 108 National Young Rider Dressage Championships (SusanJStickle.com)

Lexington, KY – Isabelle Leibler and her own Watson 108 have arrived safely in Germany and have begun diligently preparing to represent the US at the FEI Young Rider World Cup Dressage Final. Leibler (Greenwich, CT) and the 14-year-old Westphalian gelding arrived early this week in Kronberg im Taunus. They will be based at Schafhof, the renowned training and breeding center of Ann Kathrin Linsenhoff, Klaus Martin Rath, and Matthias Rath, prior to heading to Frankfurt for the competition.

Leibler and Watson 108 were invited to represent the US at the 2011 Finals after posting the highest average in the FEI Young Rider Freestyle Test at CDI-Ys during the qualifying period. This pair landed in Germany after a strong 2011 campaign that included winning a team Bronze medal and two Gold medals, individual and freestyle, at the Adequan/FEI North American Junior and Young Riders Championships presented by Gotham North. Additionally, they were crowned National Young Rider Dressage Champions at the 2011 Collecting Gaits Farm/USEF Festival of Championships.

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*Featured/Spotlights, Competitions, Dressage, Events, FEI, Olympic Games, Para-Equestrian

Record Breaking Ticket Sales for Paralympic Equestrian at London 2012

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Team USA ( Left to Right) Jonathan Wentz, Mary Jordan, Rebecca Hart, and Wendy Fryke at 2011 NEDA Fall Festival of Dressage CPEDI3*. Photo © 2011 Lindsay Y McCall

Lausanne (SUI), 2 December 2011 – Sales of Paralympic Equestrian tickets for the London 2012 Paralympic Games have broken records, with more than 40,000 tickets already sold. And there is a further opportunity for spectator numbers to increase with remaining tickets going on sale on 2 December.

The number of tickets sold to date for the 11 Paralympic Equestrian events taking place in Greenwich Park next year (30 August – 4 September) has already overtaken the previous record of 33,000 spectators that watched the Beijing 2008 Paralympic equestrian events in Hong Kong.

In total over one million tickets have already been purchased for the 20 sports at the London 2012 Paralympic Games since they went on sale this year.

“We have six days of Paralympic Equestrian competition in Greenwich Park, in a country where Para-Equestrian Dressage was pretty much born,” said Tim Hadaway, Equestrian Competition Manager at Greenwich Park, venue for the London 2012 Olympic and Paralympic Games.

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

United States Para-Equestrians Take to the Air for 2011 Melbourne CPEDI3* in Australia

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Mary Jordan and Sebastian. Photos ©2 011 Lindsay Y McCall

Thousand Oaks, CA – December 1, 2011 – With a Team Gold under their belt earned at the 2011 CPEDI3* in Mexico City, the United States Para-Equestrian Team takes to the air headed to beautiful Melbourne, Australia. The 2011 CPEDI3* in Werribee, Victoria, Australia begins Thursday, December 8th with a horse inspection, followed by the Team Test on Friday, Individual Test on Saturday, and finally the Freestyle competition on Sunday, December 11, 2011. This international competition will be held in conjunction with the Saddle World Dressage Festival held at the Werribee Park National Equestrian Center located southwest of Melbourne, Australia. The United States Para-Equestrian Team consists of Donna Ponessa from New Windsor, NY for Grade Ia, Rebecca Hart of Unionville, PA for Grade II, Erin Alberda of Woodinville, WA for Grade III, and Mary Jordan from Wells, ME representing Grade IV. Each rider will compete throughout the weekend against Para-Equestrian team members from Australia, New Zealand, and Japan. This competition is one more stride on the road to the 2012 Paralympics held in London, England.

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

Megan Edrick and Cadence Triumph in $31,000 Holiday and Horses Opener Grand Prix

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Megan Edrick and Cadence won the $31,000 Holiday and Horses Opener Grand Prix. Photo © ManciniPhotos

Wellington, FL – December 1, 2011 – Megan Edrick and Cadence jumped to an exciting victory in the $31,000 Holiday and Horses Opener Grand Prix CSI 2* at Equestrian Sport Production’s Holiday and Horses competition on Thursday afternoon. The win was Edrick’s fourth grand prix victory of the year with Cadence after topping a class in St. Louis this summer and recently earning back to back victories in Atlanta. The rider won her very first grand prix just last summer.

The $31,000 Holiday and Horses Opener saw 46 entries in the first round of competition showing over a course set by Anthony D’Ambrosio. Seventeen were able to clear the course without fault, and sixteen of those entries returned for the jump-off.

Andres Rodriguez was first to return over the short course and jumped clear and fast aboard Arao Enterprises’ Caballito, setting the time to beat at 38.08 seconds. Rodriguez and Caballito held the lead through fourteen rounds, almost securing a wire to wire victory, until Megan Edrick and Cadence entered the ring. Last to go in the order, Edrick and Cadence took over the top spot with a time of 37.84 seconds, pushing Rodriguez into second place.

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