Category Archives: *Featured/Spotlights

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

$200,000 Gene Mische American Invitational Presented by G&C Farm Remains a Tampa Tradition

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Jeffery Welles and Armani, winners of the 2010 Gene Mische American Invitational, presented by G&C Farm. Photo © Kenneth Kraus

Raymond James Stadium to Once Again Host America’s Premier Outdoor Show Jumping Event

Tampa, FL – February 24, 2011 – The city of Tampa, Florida will once again play host to one of the world’s premiere show jumping event, as the $200,000 Gene Mische American Invitational, presented by G&C Farm, returns to Raymond James Stadium on Saturday, April 9, 2011 at 7:30 p.m.

Once again, the stellar event bears the name of the founder of the class, Stadium Jumping’s legendary Gene Mische, who first brought the event to the Tampa Bay area in 1973. Mische died recently after a long and hard fought battle with cancer, but was thrilled to be able to witness last year’s class before he passed away.

In addition to G&C Farm, who returns for a second year as the presenting sponsor, Stadium Jumping welcomes Horsewares Ireland, Land Rover, Gold and Diamond Source, Morgan Stanley, Innisbrook Resort and Elizabeth Busch Burke, who have all generously come forward to join in the 2011 sponsorship of America’s premier show jumping event.

Continue reading $200,000 Gene Mische American Invitational Presented by G&C Farm Remains a Tampa Tradition →

*Featured/Spotlights, Community/Charity, Contributors/Press, FEI, Show Jumping

In Memoriam: Debby Winkler (USA/GER)

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Debby Winkler riding Sakrus © Julia Rau

Debby Winkler (née Malloy), wife of German Jumping legend Hans Günter Winkler, has passed away following a tragic riding accident. Mrs Winkler was seriously injured in a fall at the end of a training session on 18 February and was rushed to the University Clinic in Münster in critical condition. Sadly her injuries were too severe and, despite the best possible medical care, she died on 21 February. She was 51 years of age.

American-born Debby Malloy married five-times Olympic champion Hans Günter Winkler in 1994, having trained with him in Warendorf since 1986. Debby Winkler was successful in many Jumping events, her greatest achievement being a second place finish in the Frankfurt Grand Prix in 1998 with Sakrus HG.

Debby Winkler was a close personal friend to FEI President HRH Princess Haya, who said, “There is a comfort in knowing that horsemen and women who move on from our world, straight from the saddle, have done so on the terms they would have wished for. And yet I cannot find the words to justly pay tribute to Debby. She was so quiet in her ways, so kind and accepting, so humble and gentle that one would have thought she would live forever.

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

Champions Elizabeth Towell Boyd and Louise Serio: The Sanctuary Honors Duo of High Performance Working Hunter Champions during Fifth and Sixth Weeks of WEF

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Elizabeth Towell Boyd and Brunello won the Sanctuary High Performance Working Hunter division during the fifth week of the 2011 FTI Winter Equestrian Festival. Louise Serio and Castle Rock (pictured) won the title during week six. (Photo courtesy of Sportfot)

Wellington, FL (February 24, 2011) – The Sanctuary at PBIEC, the new world-class full horse therapy and conditioning center located on the Winter Equestrian Festival show grounds, honored two High Performance Working Hunter champions during the fifth and sixth weeks of the 2011 FTI Winter Equestrian Festival. Elizabeth Towell Boyd and Brunello rode away as the High Performance Working Hunter Champions during week five and Louise Serio and Castle Rock captured the High Performance title during week six.

Boyd and Serio are well known in the show world and both have long resumes attesting to their success in the hunter ring. Boyd, who owns Brunello with Janet Peterson, works out of her family’s Finally Farm in South Carolina. Brunello, a 13-year-old Hanoverian gelding, is a veteran hunter who Boyd said she reserves for big classes. In 2010, Boyd and Brunello won the WCHR Palm Beach Hunter Classic Spectacular.

Serio and Castle Rock, week six winners of The Sanctuary High Performance Working Hunter Championship, showed the hunter world how to stay on top when they won the 2011 WCHR Palm Beach Hunter Classic Spectacular under the lights in the International Arena at PBIEC. Castle Rock, a 12-year-old KWPN Dutch Warmblood gelding by Corland, is one of the country’s leading hunters.

Continue reading Champions Elizabeth Towell Boyd and Louise Serio: The Sanctuary Honors Duo of High Performance Working Hunter Champions during Fifth and Sixth Weeks of WEF →

*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.

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*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 →

*Featured/Spotlights, Community/Charity, Contributors/Press, Disciplines, Dressage, Driving, JRPR, USEF

Award-Winning Combined Driver Chester Weber Appears on HRTV Show Filmed at Live Oak Stud

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Combined Driver Chester Weber, the eight-time USEF Combined Driving National Champion, will appear on an HRTV show filmed on location at Live Oak Stud, Weber’s home, in Ocala. (Photo courtesy of Ray Jowers Ocala Digital Art Masters and Camera Club)

Ocala, FL (February 21, 2011) – Television crews and cameras descended on the rolling hills of Live Oak Stud in Ocala recently, to not only film a show about the farms success in the race horse world but to also interview Combined Driver Chester Weber and capture footage of his famous equine teammate Jamaica. While the show will chronicle the success of Weber’s mother, Charlotte Weber, the owner of Live Oak Stud who has solely guided the 4,500-acre Thoroughbred farm for the last four decades, it will also touch on Weber and his achievements in the combined driving world.

Raised on the family’s Thoroughbred operation, Live Oak Stud, Weber dreamed of being a jockey when he was young. At 6’2” he physically outgrew that possibility, so Weber turned his heart and his attention to driving. Weber soon discovered that driving brought out his competitive nature and he fell in love with the speed and challenge of combined driving.

Considered a force to be reckoned with in the Combined Driving world, Weber is the eight-time USEF National Four-In-Hand Driving Champion. He has competed in three World Equestrian Games, was the first American to win the prestigious German Fahrderby at Riesenbeck and he also accomplished what no other American had done before when he won the Individual Silver Medal at the 2008 World Driving Championships.

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*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.

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*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! →