October 7, 2010 – Lexington, Ky., – The battle has begun for the Individual and Team medals in the Four-In-Hand Driving World Championships, held as part of the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games, and tied for the top spot are two of the sport’s biggest names.
IJsbrand Chardon of The Netherlands was the second driver in the arena for the opening Dressage phase, and he turned in a spectacular performance to score a 35.97.
In the next to last position was Chester Weber, driving for the United States, and he turned in the identical score to stand tied with Chardon for first place.
Neither Chardon nor Weber is a stranger to this top level of competition. Chardon, a legend in the sport of Driving, has been Dutch National Champion twenty-one times and has won medals in four World Equestrian Games, including Team and Individual Gold. Weber has won eight consecutive U.S. National Championships and has a Team Silver Medal from the 2002 World Equestrian Games in Jerez de la Frontera, Spain.
October 7, 2010 – Lexington, KY – Great Britain continued its historical domination of the Para Dressage World Championships by taking the team gold, and sweeping all three individual medals in the Grade Ia division, as well as the individual gold and silver in grade Ib. These medals follow yesterday’s gold-medal performance by Sophie Wells, bringing to seven the total British medal count in para dressage at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games.
Leading the British charge was Sophie Christiansen, 22, who took individual gold in the grade Ia test with a score of 76.100 percent and provided a crucial score for her team. Christiansen was overcome when her score was announced.
“My trainer decided I should ride for longer today. I normally ride for 15 minutes, and today I rode for 30 minutes,” she said. “I’m so happy with him because he just took care of me. That score is the highest I’ve ever gotten in the individual test. The feeling afterward is so wonderful. I was so nervous this morning!”
October 6, 2010 – Lexington, Ky. – Germany was nearly perfect tonight in the Show Jumping World Championships, presented by Rolex, and they rode off with the team gold medal (17.8 faults). France jumped up to the silver medal (24.32), and Belgium climbed up to the bronze medal (24.7) at the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games.
Ten teams moved forward to tonight’s final round under the lights of the Rolex Stadium, after jumping a speed round on Monday and then nearly the same course as tonight on Tuesday to narrow the field down from the original 27 teams. France entered the final round poised in fifth place, while Belgium stood eighth.
Germany had not won the World Championship since 1998.
“Twelve years is a long time ago, and there have been exciting years since then,” said Otto Becker, the German chef d’equipe, dryly. “All the riders and all the grooms, and the whole German federation, is fantastic to work with, and tonight’s victory is the result.”
October 6, 2010 – Lexington, KY – The Vaulting World Championships swung into action today at the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games, with the compulsory portion of both team and individual competition being contested at the Alltech Arena.
At day’s end, the U.S. team held the highest score (7.207), followed by Germany (6.996) and Austria (6.990). Switzerland (6.880) and France (6.594) rounded out the top five. Team freestyle continues on Friday, with the final freestyle round on Sunday.
Vaulting combines gymnastic and dance elements, performed to music on a cantering horse. A longeur, who controls the horse, completes the three-way partnership, and harmony between all participants is imperative. Vaulting has been an FEI-recognized discipline since 1983.
Although there is a lot of competition left before medals are awarded, the Americans are happy with their inaugural performance on home soil.
October 6. 2010 – Lexington, KY – The Americans who will be contesting the Driving World Championships wish today’s presentation competition counted toward the medal scores, but they don’t. It was just for fun and beauty — and a bottle of champagne presented to each of the 17 drivers who took part.
The three judges declared Chester Weber the winner, awarding him 49.5 of a possible 50 points. James Fairclough (48.33) and Tucker Johnson (48.17), who’ve been Weber’s championship teammates for most of the last two decades, finished second and third.
The grooms and drivers spent about 10 hours polishing the horses, harnesses and vehicles, before putting on their finest driving livery. Not all drivers in these World Championships took part in this presentation.
October 6, 2010 – Lexington, KY – British riders have traditionally dominated the medals at the Para Dressage World Championships, and Sophie Wells lived up to that history by taking individual gold in the grade IV individual test, aboard the flashy chestnut Dutch Warmblood, Pinocchio. Her score of 71.677 percent gave her the definitive lead over the Netherlands’ Frank Hosmar, and Denmark’s Henrik Weber Sibbesen at the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games.
“I was quite pleased with my test,” said Wells, 20. “ My horse was a little difficult to warm up, but I thought that the trot work was actually quite good. He came against me a little bit when I picked up the canter after the walk, but then he came back to me again, which was good. When we were in here on Monday, he was quite distracted by the open corners, but today he was much better.”
Hosmar, 42, was equally thrilled with his score of 70.129 percent aboard his bay Dutch Warmblood Tiesto.
October 5, 2010 – Lexington, KY – Germany rose to the top of the leaderboard with a score of 17.80 on the second day of team competition in the Jumping World Championship, presented by Rolex, at the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games.
An impressive showing by Brazil put them in second with 18.49 faults, with the U.S. fractionally behind them in third place (18.69 faults). Tomorrow (Wednesday) the 10 top-placed teams will contest the third and final round to decide the gold medal.
Brazil’s Rodrigo Pessoa, who sits in second individually, said the team is thrilled with their performance today, but he knows there are many more jumps in front of them.
Lexington, Ky., Oct. 4, 2010 — U.S. riders Mario Deslauriers, on Urico, and McLain Ward, on Sapphire, set the pace in the first leg of the team competition at the Jumping World Championships, presented by Rolex. Their performance led the U.S. team to the top of the team rankings, with two more days of team jumping to go at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games.
Deslauriers and Urico stopped the clock after a clear round in 71.25 seconds. Ward and Sapphire, riding almost five hours later in the field of 121 horses, fell just short, in 71.79 seconds.
Sandor Szasz of Hungary, who is competing in his first international championship and has never placed in a major international competition before, surprised his competitors and the roaring crowd in the Rolex Arena by urging Moosbachhofs Goldwing through the finish in 73.24 seconds.
October 2, 2010 – Lexington, KY – As the day’s third-last starter, Germany’s Michael Jung and La Biosthetique-Sam FBW made the cross-country course look easy at the Eventing World Championships, presented by Reem Acra. The pair added nothing to their dressage penalty score of 33.00, to keep the lead they took yesterday in the dressage phase at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games.
Creeping up behind Jung after equally impressive rounds are Great Britain’s William Fox-Pitt on Cool Mountain, finishing on their dressage score of 42.00, and USA’s Becky Holder on Courageous Comet, finishing on 42.50.
Of the 79 horses that started today’s course, 60 finished (75.9%). Some 13 riders, including Jung and Fox-Pitt, finished faster than the ideal time of 11:14 and added nothing to their dressage penalties.
October 2, 2010 – Iman du Golfe (ITA), horse number 73, was injured in a Cross-Country fall at fence 20 this afternoon at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games in Lexington, Kentucky. Veterinarians attended to the horse immediately. The horse was stabilized at the fence and transported by horse ambulance to the nearby Rood & Riddle veterinary hospital for further assessment and treatment.
The rider, Juan Carlos Garcia, was taken to the hospital and initial reports are that he is in good condition.
Update:
Iman du Golfe, horse #73 ridden by Juan Carlos Garcia (ITA), was treated at Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital for a deep laceration over the left elbow region. X-rays showed no major fracture, although there is a small bone chip near the elbow.
The laceration has been sutured, and the horse is resting comfortably. The Rood & Riddle attending veterinarians are optimistic that the horse will make a full recovery.
Iman du Golfe was injured in a Cross-Country fall at fence 20 this afternoon at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games in Lexington, Kentucky.
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