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DemonstrationsLusitanos Light Up the Season at West Palm Beach’s Waterfront Holiday HorseFest Cherri Reiber and the Lusitanos Zerbino Interagro and Visitor Interagro presented a tandem driving exhibition at the Fidelity Investments Holiday HorseFest. (Photo courtesy of JRPR) West Palm Beach, FL (December 17, 2010) – Two magnificent Lusitanos, driven in tandem by Cherri Reiber, kicked off the holiday season in style at Fidelity Investments Holiday HorseFest at the Meyer Amphitheatre in West Palm Beach’s downtown waterfront. With more than four thousand spectators in attendance, the Lusitanos’ thrilling demonstration lit up the holiday show, which was presented as a fun and festive afternoon of show jumping, musical performances, pony rides, holiday fun, prize giveaways and a competition for the 2011 $1 Million Great Charity Challenge. “The crowd really enjoyed the tandem driving exhibition and the two Lusitanos, Vistor Interagro and Zerbino Interagro, piloted by Reiber put on a fabulous performance,” said Peter Van Borst, the United States representative for Interagro Lusitanos, the largest breeder and exporter of Lusitano horses in the world. “Tandem driving is considered by driving aficionados to be one of the most difficult forms of the driving discipline due to the fact of minimal control over the lead horse. These two horses have only been working together for a few weeks, and despite the imposing venue Vistor Interagro and Zerbino Interagro put on a show that the crowd will remember for a long time.” Read more> http://www.horsesinthesouth.com/article/article_detail.aspx?id=12749 Lipizzaner Stallions and Riders Perform Classical Dressage for the King of Bahrain Holly Johnson of JRPR and the Lipizzan stallion, Pluto Valdamora, also known as Pete. Pete was one of eight Lipizzans to be rescued from neglect and brought into the show to perform the courbette, the most difficult of the ‘airs above the ground’ maneuvers. (Photo courtesy of JRPR) Manama, Kingdom of Bahrain (December 17, 2010) – Ten horses and eight riders braved a 16-hour plane ride to the Middle East this November to present the King of Bahrain with a demonstration of classical dressage. King Hamad ibn Isa Al Khalifa staged the Bahrain Animal Production Show this month and brought in the Lipizzaner Stallion Show as the headliner. Also known as the Mara’ee, the agricultural show featured animal trainers, breeders and performers from around the world. Holly Johnson, a marketing associate for JRPR, Inc, was one of the eight riders to perform in Bahrain. The 23-year-old joined the tour immediately after graduating from the University of Miami in May of 2009, and was thrilled to be asked to ride overseas. Johnson works as a marketing associate for Johnny Robb Public Relations (JRPR), an equestrian focused PR firm based in Wellington, Florida. “Bahrain was quite an experience. We had to ride the stallions through hordes of people, as well as past camels, goats, donkeys and Arabian horses in full traditional dress. But the stallions are used to intimidating situations and were very well behaved, for the most part,” Johnson added with a laugh. “It was also wonderful to see all of the Lipizzans again since you get so attached to them when you’re all traveling and showing on the road.” Pat Parelli Demonstrates Training Methods at the International Dressage Forum in Portugal Pat Parelli, founder of the Pat Parelli Program, was invited to demonstrate his natural horsemanship techniques at the two-day International Dressage Forum at the Academide de Dressage in Portugal. (Photo courtesy of the Pat Parelli Program) Arruda dos Vinhos, Portugal (December 6, 2010) – Pat Parelli may be an American cowboy, but that didn’t stop him from wowing the world’s greatest dressage riders and trainers at the two-day International Dressage Forum at the Academide de Dressage in Portugal. Parelli, who has an international following and is considered one of the founders of the natural horsemanship movement, was invited to participate in the Dressage Forum by Mariette Whitages, “O” Judge and former chairman of the FEI Dressage Committee. Parelli was part of an international list of respected trainers, riders, judges and breeders at the forum, including Edward Gal, Kyra Kyrkland, Sven Rothenberger and Hans Riegler. Whitages invited Parelli so the internationally renowned horseman could share his revealing insights into the horse’s mind and his concepts on keeping equine athletes happy. Parelli held the elite dressage audience spellbound as he worked with a Lusitano stallion that was afraid of a longe whip. In quick order, Parelli showed how to get the stallion over his fear of the whip and to trust and pay attention using a natural approach that took the stallion’s individual personality into consideration. Miniature Horse Shows Off High Jumping Skills and Gets Crowd on Their Feet during Opening Ceremonies at Syracuse Invitational An American Miniature Horse named Royal Oaks Impressive Rolex showed off his jumping skills during the opening ceremony of the Syracuse Invitational Sport Horse Tournament. (Photo courtesy of Stephanie Himlin) Syracuse, NY (November 12, 2010) – A tiny American Miniature Horse named Royal Oaks Impressive Rolex showed off his jumping skills in a big way during the opening ceremony of the Syracuse Invitational Sport Horse Tournament. Rolex, owned by Stephanie Himlin of New York, is a five-year-old gelding that is registered with the American Miniature Horse Registry (AMHR). “This was the second year that Rolex took part in the opening ceremony and people remembered him from last year and it was a great success. The opening was a real crowd pleaser and people were going nuts,” Himlin said. Rolex had big hooves to fill, as he performed in front of Olympic horses from all over the world. “Rolex did the opening act on Friday, Saturday and Sunday and was also in the Parade of Breeds. We did one jump to get the crowd on their feet and then we stood by the military and the gentleman who played the anthem on his trumpet,” Himlin said. “It really was beautiful. As soon as the trumpet ended, they introduced us and then the first Olympic horse entered.” Hackney Ponies Added to the Excitement at the World Equestrian Games Lieutenant Dan, a Hackney Pony owned by Georgia Blevins, gave a high stepping, action packed driving demonstration at the WEG. (Photo by JRPR) Lexington, KY (November 9, 2010) – Early Edition, a high stepping Hackney Pony, took part in a driving demonstration at the Equine Village at the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games, much to the delight of the crowd who gathered around to find out more about the glamorous, eye-catching Hackney. Early Edition, owned by T. J. and Georgia Blevins of Blevins Farm in Bowling Green, Kentucky, is an American and Canadian National Champion Hackney Pleasure Pony. Blevins said she was thrilled to be asked to perform a demonstration with Early Edition at the World Equestrian Games and was pleased that so many people were introduced to the breed. In addition to winning the Canadian National Champion Pleasure Pony title in 2009, the flashy Hackney, who is trained by Matt Schuckert of Debonaire Stables, also won the Championship at the Indianapolis Charity Horse Show in 2010. Early Edition was bred by Bent Tree Farms of Virginia and started his career as a Road Pony, becoming the 2002 World Champion Four-Year-Old Road Pony Champion. Under the ownership of the late Jane Mueller, Early Edition switched to the Pleasure Pony division where in 2006 he became the World Grand Champion Pleasure Pony. Read more> http://www.horsesinthesouth.com/article/article_detail.aspx?id=12521 Chester Weber Thrills Crowds with Combined Driving Demonstration and Autograph Sessions at Washington International Horse Show Chester Weber recently shared his passion for driving with thousands of enthusiastic spectators at the Washington International Horse Show. (Photo © Diana De Rosa Photography) Washington, D.C. (November 4, 2010) – Combined Driver Chester Weber, the eight-time USEF National Four-In-Hand Champion, recently shared his passion for driving with thousands of enthusiastic spectators at the Washington International Horse Show. In addition to the driving demonstrations, Weber also autographed posters and signed copies of the book, For the Love of the Horse, Volume III, which features a story about his highly decorated equine teammate Jamaica. Weber, who helped the U.S. Combined Driving team clinch the Silver Medal at the 2010 World Equestrian Games, said the driving demonstrations at the Washington International Horse Show went extremely well. “The show always draws large crowds and it’s always a great experience for me when I get to introduce new people to the sport of combined driving,” Weber said. American Trakehner Assoc. Convention at Jacksonville Equestrian Center (Nov. 11-13)I am a volunteer with the American Trakehner Association and a Florida Trakehner breeder. I am writing to ensure you are aware that the American Trakehner Association convention is being held this year at the Jacksonville Equestrian Center on Nov. 11-13, and to invite any/all of your members to come participate in the events! We are aware of the many assets the JEC brings to north Florida and are actively involved in encouraging the ATA to designate Jacksonville as one of four permanent, rotating sites for our annual conventions. An involved and interested public would go a long way towards making that point! You may be already know that the ATA keeps a closed stud book as it slowly rebuilds this oldest of the warmblood breeds from near extinction after WWII, when there were as few as 10 breeding mares left from the great Trakehner stud mare herds. For this reason, our inspections are very important and one of the highlights of our conventions. We will have a stallion and a mare inspection at this convention, as well as voluntary marks on foals being presented. American Shetland Ponies and Minis Wow the Crowd at the Secretariat Festival in Kentucky Chuck McCallister gave a harness demonstration with his award-winning pony Seamair All That Glitters during the Secretariat Festival in Paris, Kentucky. (Photo by JRPR) Paris, KY (October 7, 2010) – While the recent Secretariat Festival in Paris, Kentucky was all about the famous Triple Crown winner called Big Red, some of Secretariat’s smaller equine cousins put on a show during the festival that brought the fans to their feet. Members of the American Shetland Pony Club and American Miniature Horse Registry (ASPC/AMHR) wowed the crowd with a driving exhibition, costume contest, jumping and halter demonstrations. Chuck McCallister, of Tuigpaarden Farms in Ocala, Florida and Shelbyville, Kentucky, gave a harness demonstration with his award-winning pony Seamair All That Glitters, a double registered American Show Pony and American Hackney Pony. “Glitter is part of the American Show Pony Registry that was created by the American Shetland Pony Club in 1995,” said Zona Schneider, Director of Operations with the ASPC/AMHR, who was on hand for the Secretariat Festival. “The American Show Pony Registry includes Hackneys, Shetlands and Shetland/Hackney crosses that measure 48” and under at the wither. American Show Ponies are sought after as impressive athletes and are a crowd favorite when they drive into the show ring.” Arenus Sponsors Dressage Demonstration at 1 Million Grand Prix at HITS-on-the-Hudson Arenus Ambassadors Lars Petersen and Melissa Taylor performed a Pas de Deux at the HITS-on-the-Hudson $1 Million Grand Prix in Saugerties, New York. (Photo courtesy of Susan Stickle) Arenus Ambassador Olympian Lars Petersen and USDF Gold Medalist Melissa Taylor Perform Saugerties, NY (October 4, 2010) – Arenus Ambassadors Lars Petersen and Melissa Taylor showed off their dressage prowess at the HITS $1 Million Grand Prix when they performed a dressage demonstration, sponsored by Arenus, during the debut of the Pfizer $1 Million Grand Prix at HITS-on-the-Hudson in Saugerties, New York. Petersen and Taylor, of Legacy Farms in Wellington, Florida, are sponsored by Arenus, a premier provider of innovative health and nutritional products for pets and horses. “Lars and I were pretty excited about our Pas de Deux,” Taylor said. “It was our first time to perform a demonstration together and we were representing Arenus, a company that offers some of our favorite products including SORE NO-MORE, PrePro and STEADFAST EQUINE just to name a few.” Cesar Parra Takes Home Blue Ribbon in Intermediaire Freestyle at Dressage at Devon Cesar Parra won the Intermediaire Freestyle. All Photos: Hoof Print Images Devon, PA — Cesar Parra often leads the victory gallop at Dressage at Devon and this year was no exception. After finishing third in the Prix St. Georges and Intermediaire I classes, he rode for the win and succeeded, receiving a 73.50% and the blue ribbon in the Intermediaire Freestyle. The class featured a roster of Pan American Games contenders and was the grand finale of the six-day show. “I wanted to go full power,” Parra said of his pre-ride plan. He felt he had ridden conservatively on Friday and wanted the last day of the show to reflect his horse Olympia’s potential. The 14-year-old gelding by Jazz does his best work when he is able to go with more power, explained Parra. “He likes that tempo. He likes when… he can just go.” For Parra, the freestyle is one of his favorite classes. “I hear the music and I just get excited,” he said of his Earth, Wind and Fire music. |
