Rudi Kronsteiner and Finest Copyshot. Photo courtesy NRHA
Kreuth, Germany – The 2011 National Reining Horse Association (NRHA) European Futurity & NRHA Show started in Kreuth, Germany today with the first section of the $187,000 added Open Futurity go round. A total of 81 four-year-old reining horses from all over Europe were shown in Ostbayernhalle to kick off the first day of the weeklong show. Austrian Rudi Kronsteiner, 2010 NRHA European Futurity Level 4 Open Champion, had the best run today riding Finest Copyshot to a score of 222.5. The sorrel American Quarter Horse mare is by I Am Shotgunner out of Its Another Footwork by Footworks Finest. Finest Copyshot, bred and owned by Anja Deutzmann, was very successful last year with Bernard Fonck in the saddle. The Belgian who won the 2009 NRHA European Level 4 Open Futurity, was the Western Event Snaffle Bit Level 4 Open Futurity Champion, Oakland Reining Classic Level 4 Open Futurity Champion and Italian Level 4 Open Futurity finalist with this mare.
Bernard Fonck and Ruf Footwork are second at the moment after scoring a 220. Fonck rode the stallion by Footworks Finest out of Jasmines Ruf Blonde (owner and breeder Dr. Paul Van Hooft) to the Austrian Reining Horse Association Western Star Level 4 Open Futurity Championship (for three-year-olds) last year.
Fonck also managed to tie for Level 4 Open third place today riding Big Sky Whizard (Topsail Whiz x Isle Bea Dun It, owned by Color Invest A & S Deredowscy) with Broadmoor Cassie (Broadmoor x Classy Parette, owned by Impresa Agricola Cuoghi) ridden by Pietro Artinghelli (ITA) – both scoring a 219.5. The mare now leads the Level 3, Level 2 and Level 1 Open Futurity go round with Artinghelli.
Greystone's Adirondack A'Herne, also known as "Harry.”
New York City – Former United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) member and breeder Cindy Fletcher is the proud owner of Greystone’s Adirondack A’Herne, also known as “Harry,” an 18-year-old bay Connemara stallion who appeared this month on stage at the “Martha Stewart Show.”
Previous to his Martha Stewart stardom, Harry has made his mark in the show ring, winning more than 50 champion or reserve champion driving titles and numerous year-end awards. Harry now serves as an ambassador of sorts for the breed, representing Connemara ponies at both the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games as well as Equine Affairs in Massachusetts.
Named for the region in western Ireland where the breed originated, Connemara ponies are agile creatures renowned for their versatility and gentle, willing dispositions. The sure-footed breed has great stamina and adaptability, and traditionally was used to pull carts loaded with seaweed from the shore up to the potato fields. However, the multifaceted animals are also skilled at just about anything a pony can do – jumping, dressage, driving and long-distance running.
Arenus, a premier provider of innovative health and nutritional products for pets and horses, is pleased to announce that Olympian and international dressage rider Steffen Peters is now an official Arenus Ambassador. (Photo courtesy of Susan J Stickle)
St. Louis, MO (March 31, 2011) – Arenus, a premier provider of innovative health and nutritional products for pets and horses, is pleased to announce that Olympic Dressage rider Steffen Peters has joined Arenus as an official Arenus Ambassador. Peters, who is fresh off a staggering victory at the World Dressage Masters in Palm Beach, Florida, exemplifies talent and horsemanship. Scoring an impressive 84.550% in the Grand Prix freestyle, Peters and his mount Ravel, owned by Akiko Yamazaki, continued a winning streak that has made Americans proud over the past years. Peters made history at the 2010 World Equestrian Games in Kentucky when he rode Ravel to the bronze medal in the Grand Prix Special.
Peters, a native of Germany, became a United States citizen in 1992. He competed on his first U.S. team during the 1996 Atlanta Olympics when the team took home the bronze medal. At the 2006 World Equestrian Games, Peters and Ravel helped the U.S. team capture the bronze medal. At the 2008 Olympics, Peters and Ravel finished fourth but set the dressage ring on fire a year later when they won the FEI Rolex World Cup Final in Las Vegas. Peters and Ravel then went on to sweep the Grand Prix, the Special and the Freestyle at Aachen, a feat never before mastered by an American rider.
Beezie Madden rode away as the Vita Flex Victory Pass Award winner when she and Mademoiselle won the $31,000 WEF Challenge Cup. (Photo courtesy of JRPR)
Wellington, FL (March 31, 2011) – Olympic Gold Medalist Beezie Madden and Mademoiselle, owned by Abigail Wexner, raced to victory in the $31,000 WEF Challenge Cup during the sixth week of the 2011 FTI Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF). As the winner of the class, Madden also rode away with the Vita Flex Victory Pass Award, sponsored by Vita Flex Nutrition.
“My horse was terrific,” Madden said, as she rode out of the winner’s circle. “She was out here last year so I had confidence that she would be good. She was fantastic, especially in the jump-off.”
The Grand Prix, which was held on the grass at The Stadium, featured 29 entries with nine riders going clean in the first round to advance to the jump-off. Madden commented that she liked the grass field venue and won the $75,000 Grand Prix last year in the same location aboard Coral Reef’s Via Volo. The Challenge Cup was Madden’s first Grand Prix victory of the 2011 WEF season.
Washington, D.C., March 30, 2011 — The Washington International Horse Show (WIHS), the leading indoor championship horse show in the country, is pleased to announce Bridget Love Meehan as the new Executive Director. Meehan joins the executive leadership of WIHS – Juliet W. Reid, President; Greg W. Gingery, Chairman; and Anthony F. Hitchcock, Chief Operating Officer – as the show prepares for its 53rd annual event taking place October 25-30 at Verizon Center.
Meehan comes to WIHS from Discovery Communications, the world’s number one nonfiction media company, where she served in a variety of senior roles since 2004. Most recently, as director of strategic planning and communications, she was responsible for the development and execution of marketing solutions and brand-building opportunities for the domestic distribution market. Prior to that, she was vice president and managing director at Hayes & Associates, specialists in Washington, D.C. event production and sponsorship management, where she designed and executed national marketing and public affairs campaigns for corporate and non-profit clients.
Lexington, KY – Following their Committee Meeting on March 29, the Eligible Eventing Athletes Committee decided that they would like to have another opportunity to interview the two short-listed candidates for the position of U.S. Eventing Chef d’Equipe/Technical Advisor, which becomes available in 2013. Leslie Law and David O’Connor were named to the Short List by a Search Committee earlier this month. The Eligible Eventing Athletes Committee considered the applicants and decided they wanted to do more research before they made their recommendation to the Eventing High Performance Committee. The Eligible Eventing Athletes Committee and the High Performance Training Listed Riders will have the opportunity to meet with and interview Law and O’Connor during The Fork Horse Trials in a closed session to be held in Norwood, NC April 6-10.
Nine applications for this position were received by the USEF. The Search Committee reviewed the applications, and of those, interviewed six. After those interviews, Law and O’Connor were short-listed. The USEF hosted an Open Forum at the Red Hills International Horse Trials on March 10, where Law and O’Connor made presentations and answered questions from the eventing athletes. More information about this forum is available here: http://usef.org/_IFrames/newsdisplay/viewPR.aspx?id=6758&star=true.
Following the Forum at Red Hills, the Search Committee recommended both candidates to the Eligible Eventing Athletes Committee and the Eventing High Performance Committee for their consideration.
This is your premium equine online magazine portal, news aggregator and THE place
to list your horse-related equestrian events and advertise your equine
supplies, services, products, horses, ponies, equipment and target the Southern
USA. We are constantly enhancing HorsesintheSouth.com to be better and better
for you!
