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FeaturedHampton Green Farm to Host Dressage 4 Kids Fundraiser at Region 2 Championships
 Maria Lithander at Dressage by the Bay. Photo © 2009 Diana Hadsall. Traverse City, MI – August 31, 2010 – Horse Sports by the Bay is pleased to announce that Hampton Green Farm, known nation-wide for their dedication to dressage and to the development of the PRE Horse for Dressage in America, will be hosting a Dressage 4 Kids Fundraiser and exhibitor party during the Great American Insurance Group/Region 2 Dressage Championships on Saturday, September 11. The Regional Championships are being held from September 9 – 12 at Flintfields Horse Park in Traverse City, MI, which is home to the prestigious Horse Shows by the Bay Equestrian Festival. The fundraiser features a silent auction which will include riding helmets donated from English Riding Supply and other retail pieces donated by Sporthorse Saddlery and Equine Source among others. Funds collected from the auction and from ticket sales to the exhibitor party will go directly back to Dressage 4 Kids’ extensive education campaign. Donations are still being taken for the Auction; please email here for more information. Chester Weber’s Jamaica Featured in “Beloved Horses in Second Careers” Book to Be Released in September
 Jamaica is being featured in a new book called “Beloved Horses in Second Careers” by Sharon Miner. Jamaica was rescued from a slaughterhouse before becoming part of Weber’s award-winning team. (Photo courtesy of BlueCentaur.com) Ocala, FL (August 30, 2010) – Jamaica, Chester Weber’s award-winning combined driving horse who was rescued from a slaughterhouse in Belgium, captured the nation’s attention when he won the most prestigious horse title in the country and became the USEF Farnam Platform Horse of the Year. Now, Jamaica’s rags to riches story is being told in the book Beloved Horses in Second Careers (Infinity Publishing) which will be released in September. Written by Sharon Miner, the book focuses on horses who started their career in one discipline and then went on to have rewarding second careers. Jamaica’s “second career” turned out to be an amazing one, as he famously became part of Weber’s record-breaking international Four-In-Hand Combined Driving team. Jamaica, now 19, was a member of seven of Weber’s National Four-In-Hand Combined Driving National Championship teams. Marcus Ehning, King of Rio
 Photo: Marcus Ehning, by Cymon Taylor. There was a lot riding on the last day of the GCT: the Million Euro Bonus, the Grand Prix of Brazil and the Leading Rider Award, which itself was worth over 25’000 Euro to the winner. Uliano Vezanni was in charge of building the course to sort them out and the first round produced eleven clear rounds but to the amazement of many, Marco Kutscher, leader of the GCT rankings, was not among them when he had two down with Catoki. And Jos Lansink’s chance of snatching the winner’s part of the Bonus disappeared when Spender S had two fences down. But Marcus Ehning was in the eighteen second round contestants and so was Edwina Alexander, lying in fourth but ready to capitalise on anyone else’s misfortunes. Mares and Marcus Rule in Rio
 Marcus Ehning. All photos by Lulu Kyriacou Tonight’s two part class in Rio was a glowing tribute to mares as they filled the top four places in a fourteen horse jump off. The Prix Bradesco was a winning round class so the best 20% went through to the second round against the clock where all of them started on zero. There was another 125’000 in total prize money and this class was open to the national riders as well as the GCT ones so sixty horses were originally in the field. The second phase later that evening was diminished by one when Ellen Whitaker was taken ill and could not jump off. Phillip Weishaupt started the ball rolling on dark bay Souvenir 29 and the pair set an excellent standard of 40.95. It did not like he had left much room for maneuver either. Billy Twomey on another mare Tinka’s Serenade was first to get past the German combination by just two tenths of a second, and then Roger Yves Bost, next in on his young mare Nifrane de Kreisker, removed a stride coming to the last and clipped a second off the Irishman’s time. This was looking unbeatable but you can never say never when the last to jump is Marcus Ehning. Riding his Sandro Boy sired Sabrina, a daring turn to the second last had the desired effect and his time of 39.63 was enough to give him another win on a mare who has barely been unplaced this season. GCT Brazil Begins with Wins for Christian and Luis
 Luis Francisco Azevedo. Photos by Lulu Kyriacou. With the anticipation of seeing the biggest prize in show jumping decided on Saturday and 30’000 at stake for the show’s leading rider and groom, there was much at stake as the last round of the 2010 Global Champions Tour began in Rio De Janeiro tonight. The show started in the best way possible for the Brazilian organisers and audience when Luis Francisco Azevedo won the first class by a whisker from Alvaro de Mirando Neto. Riding his chestnut gelding Une A Basta, Luis Francisco snatched the lead from Edwina Alexander and Kisby with a time of 51.51. Next to go was Alvaro and AD Norson has been prominent in GCT speed classes this year but today was not his night. To screams of encouragement, the pair galloped for the last only for the clock to show 51.68. The Brazilian pair was immediately followed by Denis Lynch and Lacroix but he ended up a second adrift of the winner although 52.66 was good enough for third. Luis Francisco is the youngest son of a famous show jumping family. His father has represented the country at the Olympic Games and his brother Luis Felipe, who went so well in the GCT Grand Prix of Monaco, is also competing here. |
