Category Archives: *Featured/Spotlights

Special features, spotlights, headlines

Steffen Peters Sweeps the Prix St. Georges and the Grand Prix Special at the 2011 Collecting Gaits Farm/USEF Festival of Champions

Steffen Peters and Weltino's Magic. Photos: SusanJStickle.com

Gladstone, NJ – Steffen Peters (San Diego, CA) dominated the day at the 2011 Collecting Gaits Farm/USEF Festival of Champions winning both the Prix St. Georges and the Grand Prix Special with Weltino’s Magic and Ravel respectively. A veteran superstar for the U.S. Dressage Team over the last 10 years, Peters proved that not only is Ravel on top form, but that Weltino’s Magic’s winning streak is still going strong.

“That’s a first,” said Peters of scoring an 80% and a 79% on his two horses.

With selection for the 2011 Pan American Games on the line, there was everything to play for in the Intermediaire I National Dressage Championship and Peters dominated the Prix St. Georges test which serves as the first leg of this three-part Championship.  He rode Jen Hlavacek’s Weltino’s Magic to a record score in this specific Championship scoring 79.789% for a huge win.

“I was happy in Aachen,” said Peters. “It was his first time in a really big stadium and in his earlier days he could be a bit spooky… I thought he would be able to handle this arena and he did. He was soft in the bridle, he’s not always the most supple, but today he was.”

Weltino’s Magic put in an excellent test and Peters was impressed with how much the horse, which his wife Shannon rode at the beginning of his career, has matured. He was the 2008 Reserve Champion in the Markel/USEF National Young Horse Dressage Championship with Shannon and she believed in him from the beginning.

Continue reading Steffen Peters Sweeps the Prix St. Georges and the Grand Prix Special at the 2011 Collecting Gaits Farm/USEF Festival of Champions

Isabelle Leibler and Watson 108 Lead National Young Rider Championship

Battle of the Pony Riders Begins at 2011 Collecting Gaits Farm Dressage Festival of Champions

Isabelle Leibler and Watson 108. Photos: SusanJStickle.com

Gladstone, NJ – The 2011 Collecting Gaits Farm/USEF Dressage Festival of Champions kicked off day two with grey skies and ground that was doing its best to dry out after Thursday’s deluge.

With four championships on the line, Friday proved busy. Isabelle Leibler rode determinedly in the Young Rider Dressage National Championship on Watson 108 and set a mark that couldn’t be beat.

They were the only pair to score above 70% and their 70.263% meant they took a convincing lead over Brandi Roenick on Pretty Lady and Jillian Kemenosh on Nelzon. All three of these riders have been successful at the Junior and Young Rider level, and for them, coming to Gladstone is an annual pilgrimage not to be missed.

Leibler (Greenwich, CT), despite her considerable success over the last two years, thought Watson was at his best today.

“It’s my best score so far,” said Leibler, who is 16. “I had little mistakes in my fours, I wasn’t paying attention. I couldn’t ask for anything more from him. He doesn’t have a lot of confidence naturally.”

The Individual Gold medalist from the 2011 Adequan/FEI Junior & Young Rider Championships presented by Gotham North (NAJYRC) continued her winning streak in Gladstone, and Leibler was incredibly pleased with how Watson went.

Continue reading Isabelle Leibler and Watson 108 Lead National Young Rider Championship

Jules Stiller Leads the Land Rover U.S. Eventing Team after Day 1 at Fidelity Blenheim International Horse Trials

Jules Stiller and Enjoy Me. Photo: www. stockimageservices. com

Lexington, KY – Competition at the Fidelity Blenheim Palace International Horse Trials got underway with 49 of the 97 competitors in the CCI3* cantering down centerline in the dressage ring. The American contingent of Will Faudree (a Land Rover Training and Competition Grant Recipient), Jules Stiller, Tiana Coudray and Aimee Chambers had a strong showing on the first day, occupying four of the top 14 placings. Great Britain’s Piggy French, fresh off a Team Bronze medal at the HSBC FEI European Eventing Championships, heads the field with Lemington Lett Dance on a score of 42.7.

U.K.-based Vermonter Jules Stiller will be looking for an improved result at the CCI3* level after a fall on the cross-country at the 2011 Bramham CCI3* last spring with Enjoy Me. They had a stellar effort on the first day and lie third on a score of 46.2 halfway through the division.  This combination was most recently placing 11th at the CIC3* at Hartpury.

“He was fantastic,” said Stiller about the 10-year-old Westphalian gelding.  “He does a good test anyway but today he did the best test he’s ever done. When I came out of the ring, Mark Phillips told me he thought I did a 38 and I was really excited, so I was a little disappointed when I heard the score but he stayed right in there which is fantastic.”

Sarah Cohen lies second on Irish Jester on a 44.0. Stiller is looking forward to making amends for the mistake she and Enjoy Me made at the horse’s CCI3* debut.

“So far the course looks really good,” said Stiller. “We had a bad fall this spring so I will be looking for a clear round and then go as fast as I can. But my goal is to give him a good ride.”

Continue reading Jules Stiller Leads the Land Rover U.S. Eventing Team after Day 1 at Fidelity Blenheim International Horse Trials

Peters Overcomes Elements to Add Another Win to Ravel’s Resume at the 2011 Collecting Gaits Farm/USEF Dressage Festival of Champions

Steffen Peters and Ravel. Photos: SusanJStickle.com

Gladstone, NJ – Rain greeted the competitors on the first day of the 2011 Collecting Gaits Farm/USEF Dressage Festival of Champions but the quality of the competition shone through. The Grand Prix National Championship headlined the day, and the rain was at its heaviest during the class. Due to the conditions, the Prix St. Georges – which was scheduled for this afternoon – has been postponed until Friday, which will push the Intermediaire I Championship back one day.

Steffen Peters rode Ravel like it was 70 and sunny (which it probably was at their San Diego base) and between the raindrops put in the effort that the fans were expecting from the 2008 National Champions, the 2009 FEI World Cup Dressage Champions, the 2009 CHIO Aachen Champions and most recently, the Individual Bronze medalists from the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games. Peters rode according to the conditions.

“I rode a little more conservatively,” said Peters. “I went for a clean test and it worked out great. He’s such a trooper.”

The 13-year-old Dutch gelding owned by Four Winds Farm and Akiko Yamazaki made his first competitive appearance in Gladstone and rose to the historical atmosphere. They scored 77.660% in a valiant, yet somewhat soggy test. The footing in the Dick and Jane Brown Arena was redone in 2010 and held up admirably in the conditions. The New Jersey area has been plagued by flooding and incredible amounts of rain between Hurricane Irene and the remnants of Tropical Storm Lee.

“I really trusted the decision that they made,” said Peters. “It was safe, not slippery. I think the horses felt a little stuck. But they weren’t slipping at all. The main concern is safety and the decision to call it safe was very good.”

Continue reading Peters Overcomes Elements to Add Another Win to Ravel’s Resume at the 2011 Collecting Gaits Farm/USEF Dressage Festival of Champions

Champion Driver Suzy Stafford’s Pony Miss Josephine Shines in Dressage Phase of German National Pony Championships

Suzy Stafford and her half-Arabian Miss Josephine competed at the German National Pony Championships in Minden, Germany, placing second in the dressage phase. (Photo courtesy of Bettina Ruckelshaus)

Minden, Germany (September 8, 2011) – Gold medalist Suzy Stafford’s registered half-Arabian mare Miss Josephine put her best hoof forward in the dressage phase of the German National Pony Championships in Minden, Germany, placing second amongst a highly competitive field. Stafford and several other members of the U.S. team competed at Minden in preparation for the 2011 FEI World Pony Driving Championships in Slovenia.

“Josie and I started out well on dressage day. We came in second in dressage behind another U.S. pony team driver Shelly Temple. I was thrilled as Shelly and Cooper have been a pair for many years and have proven themselves as the dressage favorite in the States. Josie put in one of her best performances to date and I was overjoyed with how she did. Josie has only shown in the advanced level five times including Minden,” Stafford said.

Stafford said the marathon day was just as successful for Josie. “We had a good round and I was pleased how fit and ready she felt throughout the whole course. The rain the night before made for some slippery conditions but with the help of Janelle Marshal, my ‘rent a gator’ and Team Australia pony driver, we had a safe and noteworthy score. I felt Josie and my timing was a bit off due to the lapse of time in between shows, but now I feel the practice Josie and I had at Minden will help prepare us for the challenges ahead,” Stafford said.

Stafford and Josie were in second place going into the cones division; however, things didn’t go as smoothly as Stafford hoped. “We dropped to 11th place after the cones, which was very disappointing,” Stafford said. “But I will use this unfortunate circumstance to become a better driver, trainer and student under the influence of our coach Michael Freund. I think the cones issue was a biting problem in hindsight, so we have worked on that and should have things sorted out for the Championships.”

Continue reading Champion Driver Suzy Stafford’s Pony Miss Josephine Shines in Dressage Phase of German National Pony Championships

Land Rover Grant Recipients Headline Six Americans at Fidelity Blenheim Place Horse Trials

Loughan Glen and Clark Montgomery (Photo: www. stockimageservices. com)

Lexington, KY – The next round of Land Rover Competition and Training Grant Recipients will test their eventing skills at the 2011 Fidelity Blenheim Palace International Horse Trials in Woodstock, England September 8-11. 2010 winner William Fox-Pitt (on Parklane Hawk) are fresh from their win at last week’s Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials, will have two chances to win the CCI3*, but the U.S. is coming well-armed with an arsenal of horses and riders.

Phillip Dutton (West Grove, PA) will lead the effort as the most experienced rider in the group. The four-time Olympian (and two-time Olympic Gold medalist while representing Australia) will ride Bruce Duchossois’ Mighty Nice in the horse’s first CCI3*. A recipient of a 2011 Land Rover Competition and Training Grant, Dutton was second at the Blenheim CCI3* in 2003 on Nova Top. Mighty Nice is a 7-year-old Irish Sport gelding who was third at the Bromont International CCI2* in June.

“I’m excited to bring Mighty Nice to Blenheim,” said Dutton. “I believe he is a horse with a big future and I think Blenheim will be a great stepping stone for him.”

Clark Montgomery (Chattahoochee, GA) is a former Young Rider champion and he too is a 2011 Land Rover Competition and Training Grant Recipient. He will ride Kathleen Kraft, Carole Montgomery and Holly Becker’s winning machine Loughan Glen. With the 8-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding, Montgomery won the CCI2* last fall at the Fair Hill International, earning National Championship honors in the process,  he has won four Horse Trials so far in 2011 and the Bromont International CCI3*. Most recently he won his final preparation at the Millbrook Horse Trials in August.

Continue reading Land Rover Grant Recipients Headline Six Americans at Fidelity Blenheim Place Horse Trials

Piaffe-Performance Team Shines at CDI Saugerties with Numerous Wins, the Two Highest Scores of the Show and a Clean Sweep of the Small Tour

Dr. Cesar Parra (center) stands with his team of riders from Piaffe-Performance at the CDI Saugerties. (Photo courtesy of Piaffe-Performance Farm)

Whitehouse Station, NJ (September 5, 2011) – Dressed in their navy blazers and khaki pants when they weren’t riding, the riders from Piaffe-Performance, led by international dressage rider and trainer Dr. Cesar Parra, were easy to spot at the CDI Saugerties show. The Piaffe-Performance team was on fire, burning up the scoreboard with phenomenal wins, excellent scores and personal bests.

Parra set the pace for his riders by making a clean sweep of the Small Tour classes aboard Grandioso, owned by Michael and Sarah Davis. “For Piaffe-Performance this was probably our most successful show ever. What an amazing weekend,” Para said. “Grandioso and I scored a CDI personal best of 75.614% in the Intermediaire I class. Our team also had the highest two scores of the show with multiple wins in the 3rd and 4th level classes.”

Kevin Kohmann and Federleicht rode away with the highest score of the show with a 78.9% while Nadine Buberl earned a 77.8% on Lindner. “Bebe Davis won the Pony test and showed her Rotano for the first time ever with a really nice score, showing what a bright future they have,” Parra said. “In the Junior CDI our riders placed first and second with Nicholas Torres Rodriguez and Silver Label winning both classes, with a score of over 70% on the second day. It was their first show together so I am very proud of them. I am also proud of Piaffe-Performance student Dominique Cassavetis who placed second in the same classes.”

The wins didn’t end there, as Chase Hickok and Krista Schrager rode away with first and second in the Young Riders. “John McGinty won his division of 4th level with Windsor, Susie won with Manny, Katie with Leo, Nadine did super with Superman and Aga showed off his new moves schooling through the weekend,” Parra said.

Continue reading Piaffe-Performance Team Shines at CDI Saugerties with Numerous Wins, the Two Highest Scores of the Show and a Clean Sweep of the Small Tour

Shelly Temple Takes 5th Place at the Minden CDE in Germany

On her quest to make the US Pony Driving Team for the second time, Shelly Temple and her Morgan gelding LR Ami B-Line (Cooper) have been training in Germany since August.

Shelly and Cooper competed at the Minden CDE in Germany, August 25-28, 2011.  Minden is a large event featuring the German National Championships.  The first day of competition began with a bang with their win in the Single Pony dressage class with a score of 43.39.

On marathon day Shelly took a conservative approach with Cooper to ensure he was safe on the technical and long course.  However, on day 3, cones, Shelly and Cooper turned it on.  They took 2nd place in cones with a double clear (i.e., making the time requirement with no faults).  “I was very pleased with my cones course; it was very smooth and Cooper went well,” states Shelly.  Overall, Shelly remarks that the German show was great and featured many excellent top pony drivers: “The Germans will be very hard to beat in Lipica [World Championships].”

Accompanying Shelly, Cooper, and her husband to Europe are the feeds, supplements, and equipment of her sponsors: Kentucky Equine Research, Kombat Boots, Purina feeds, Omega Fields, ThinLine, Leather Therapy, and Charles Owens.  Shelly is thankful for the support of her sponsors and donors: “This is truly a team sport as I couldn’t be here without the generosity of my sponsors and all the great people who have donated to Team Catalyst.”

Cooper is currently grazing grass and preparing for the World Pony Championships in Slovenia September 22-25.  She hopes to build upon her 2007 success as a member of the U.S. Bronze medal team as well as silver medallist in dressage.  To follow Shelly and Team Catalyst on their efforts to make the US Team for the 2011 Pony Driving World Championship visit her blog at http://catalystdriving.blogspot.com/.

For more information contact:
Shelly Temple
Windsor, South Carolina
rskydiver@aol.com
www.catalystdriving.com

Freestyle Gold Medals Bring British Haul to a Magnificent Eight

Denmark's Stinna Kaastrup and Labbenhus Snovs added Freestyle Grade Ib gold to Team and Individual silver at the FEI European Para-Equestrian Dressage Championships 2011 at Moorsele, Belgium yesterday. Photo: FEI/Liz Gregg.

Moorsele (BEL), 5 September 2011 – With the Team and three Individual titles already under their belt, the British brought their gold medal haul to a magnificent eight when adding victory in Freestyle Grades Ia, II, III and IV to their tally on the final afternoon of the FEI European Para-Equestrian Dressage Championships 2011 at Moorsele in Belgium yesterday.  Only Denmark’s Stinna Kaastrup prevented them from making it a complete whitewash in the closing stages of the event that produced fantastic competition and presented many new stars of the future.

It was one of the stalwarts of the sport who took the first Freestyle title on offer in Grade Ia when British veteran, Anne Dunham, claimed top of the podium after a test with the ever-reliable Teddy that earned her a personal best score of 79.200.  “He was just brilliant!” Dunham said of the horse that also helped her take team and individual honours.  Freestyle Silver went to British team-mate Emma Sheardon with Purdy’s Dream on a score of 74.100 while Sweden’s Anita Johnsson and Donar took bronze with 73.950, heading a strong challenge from Helen Kearney who became the first-ever Irish rider to claim a medal at the FEI European Para-Equestrian Dressage Championships the previous day. The 22 year old competitor, who hails from Dunlavin in County Wicklow and who only began riding three years ago, took Individual bronze in Grade Ia, and Irish Chef d’Equipe, Naomi Donoghue, said afterwards, “It was a tremendous day for Helen and the Irish Para Equestrian squad.  We have achieved our first European medal and I firmly believe there will be many more to come.”

CONVINCING MARGIN
Kaastrup won Freestyle Grade Ib by a convincing margin, pinning Austria’s Pepo Puch (Good Boy’s Feeling) into silver medal position ahead of Finland’s Katja Karjalainen (Rosie) in bronze.  The 17 year old Danish rider, double bronze and silver Freestyle medallist at last year’s Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games in Kentucky, lives on Fyn, the third-largest of Denmark’s islands, and she trains intensively with the help of coach Lotte Straarup.  She began riding as a therapeutic pursuit and learned to really enjoy it with her first pony, whom she said, “was very nice, but a bit big!”

Continue reading Freestyle Gold Medals Bring British Haul to a Magnificent Eight

Déjà Vu Molly Braswell – 2011 ASPCA Maclay Southeast Regional Champion

Molly Braswell & El Campeons Danish ©Flashpoint Photography

Green Cove Springs, FL — September 4, 2011 — Molly Braswell of Ocala, FL is celebrating her Birthday weekend the same as last year, by besting 30 top competitors to capture the ASPCA Maclay Regional Championship (Region 3, the Southeast), held during 2011 North Florida Hunter Jumper Association’s Labor Day Horse Show at the Agricultural Center in Green Cove Springs, FL.

Michael Rheinheimer designed a technical 12 fence first round course to aid judges Patricia Harnois and John Roper in narrowing the field of 30 down to one winner – or in this case a repeat victory for Molly Braswell. “It was a good course, for me a little long coming out of the first line, but otherwise I was really happy with it,” Braswell said.

Turning 18 years old today made this competition bittersweet for Braswell as it marks the countdown of her final season as a “Junior” rider.  She trains at Terrapin Hill Farm with her father Bob Braswell and assistant trainer Courtney de Hechavarria and has been partnered with the Elizabeth Dove owned El Campeons Danish a little over a year. When asked for some specifics, such as age on her mount, Braswell giggled and said, “I’m not gonna tell you! He’s a Danish Warmblood and I love him!” A little encouragement and compliments of their performance brought out a confession from a proud Braswell that this stellar gelding is twenty-four years old and in amazing form, and keeping his stride.

Continue reading Déjà Vu Molly Braswell – 2011 ASPCA Maclay Southeast Regional Champion