Kentucky Combined Driving Team One Step Closer to World Championships

Team Sterling Is 2nd Overall at Live Oak International

GEORGETOWN, KY – MARCH 30, 2012 – Sterling Graburn and his equine partner Ulano gave another exceptional performance at the Live Oak International Combined Driving Event held in Ocala, FL March 22-25.

In the highly contested FEI Single Horse competition Team Sterling battled hard to finish 1st in dressage with a score of 44.54 and 2nd overall with a score of 124.61, ceding top honors by a mere 1/10 of a point.

Ulano, the 11-year-old Dutch Harness horse owned by Larry Denny, dazzled in the dressage portion of the CDE while he continued to show improvement in the marathon, noted Graburn. “It was a very challenging marathon course with many technical hazards,” he said. “But we are still fine tuning our marathon and expect to see even better results next time.”

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Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum Rules $32,000 WEF Challenge Cup Round 12

Johannes Ehning and Cayenne 162 Win $32,000 G&C Farm 1.45m Classic; Darrin Dlin and Janou Top $10,000 Adequan 5-Year-Old Young Jumper Final; Hayley Barnhill and Surf’s Up Lead Performance Working Hunter 3’3″ Division

Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum and Checkmate 4. Photos © Sportfot

Wellington, FL – March 29, 2012 – Germany’s Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum rode to an exciting one-two finish on Thursday afternoon in the $32,000 WEF Challenge Cup Round 12 at the FTI Consulting Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF). Michaels-Beerbaum topped the class aboard Cantano and finished second riding Checkmate 4, both owned by Octavia Farms LLC. Other wins for the day went to Johannes Ehning and Cayenne 162 in the $32,000 G&C Farm 1.45m Classic and Darrin Dlin and Janou in the $10,000 Adequan 5-Year-Old Young Jumper Final. In the hunters, Hayley Barnhill and Surfs Up were presented championship honors in the Performance Working Hunter 3’3″ division.

Sponsored by FTI Consulting, Inc., the final week of the FTI Consulting Winter Equestrian Festival will feature the highlight grand prix of the season, the $500,000 FTI Consulting Finale Grand Prix, CSI 5*, on Saturday, March 31. The USHJA International Hunter Derby will host the top 25 on the grass field at The Stadium on Sunday, April 1.

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Adrienne Lyle and Wizard Are Magical at $120,000 5* West Palm Beach

Adrienne Lyle and Wizard. Photo: www.susanjstickle.com

Wellington, FL – March 29, 2012 – Adrienne Lyle, 27, and Wizard took the top award at the Global Dressage Festival (GDF) in the FEI Grand Prix at the $120,000 5* West Palm Beach, presented by Diamante Farms.  Their score of 73.021% placed them well above Anja Plonzke of Germany on Le Mont d’Or, who received 71.851% to come in second, and Ashley Holzer of Canada on Breaking Dawn with 70.957% for third place.

Lyle works as an assistant trainer for Debbie McDonald at Peggy and Parry Thomas’ River Grove Farm.  She and McDonald brought six horses for the Florida winter, among them Wizard (Weltmeyer-Pica, Classiker).  Lyle was given the ride on Wizard because her height was a better fit with the gelding. “Debbie is tiny and Wizard is huge so she said, ‘Why don’t you try him?’ And we just clicked,” Lyle said of the 13-year-old Oldenburg gelding.

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Hunt Tosh Pilots Say Again to Multiple Hunter Wins on Day One of Tampa Bay Classic

Hunt Tosh and Say Again earned top honors in the Green Conformation Hunters at the Tampa Bay Classic. Photo By: Elsie Vieira/PMG

Tampa, FL – March 28, 2012 – The Tampa Equestrian Series, held at the Bob Thomas Equestrian Center in Tampa, FL, is off to a great start in its first day of competition. The hunter ring was especially prominent today with a consistent string of winning horse and rider combinations. It was Hunt Tosh who stole the show today, he swept the over fences in multiple divisions aboard his talented mounts, and caught the judges’ eyes with consistency, pace and execution.

The day began with the Green Conformation Hunters, taking on their hunter and handy courses with nothing short of confidence and skill. The well-crafted pattern of the course, designed by Keith Bollotte, was evident as Tosh directed Say Again, owned by Mr. and Mrs. Douglas Wheeler, to each fence with perfect striding. The handy round included a trot fence that steadily led to a bending line, followed by an ending roll back. Tosh has had numerous wins with Say Again in their short amount of time together, and he was quick to acknowledge his mounts tenacity.

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Amanda Steege Sets the Standard Topping Hunter Results for Tampa Bay Classic

Amanda Steege and Caschmier rode to the top of the hunter results during the Tampa Bay Classic's second day of competition. Photo By: Elizabeth Vieira/PMG

Tampa, FL – March 29, 2012 – Today saw immense competition as the hunters turned the second day of the Tampa Bay Classic into a nail biter. Although Hunt Tosh piloted his mount Say Again into the spotlight yesterday with his sweeping wins in the over fences, it was Amanda Steege who came out on top earning four hunter championships today. Adrienne Iverson also was awarded the tricolor championship aboard Maximus, taking the top honors in the second day of the Pre-Green Hunters.

The morning commenced with a competitive class of Pre-Green Hunters, completing the division for the first week of the Tampa Equestrian Series. Submerged in a group of talented horse and rider teams, it was Iverson who would take the championship honors. She directed Maximus, owned by Redfield Farm, to a triplet of winning rides. Under the direction of trainer Emil Spadone, Iverson managed to seal her spot at the top in the first day of the Tampa Bay Classic.

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Nevada’s Wild Horses Need Your Help

Comments Needed for the Desatoya Herd & Other News

Wild horses of Nevada

Dear Wild Horse & Burro Defenders;
Please help the Desatoya Wild Horse herd in central Nevada by commenting on the helicopter stampede and removal plan in which the vast majority of wild horse families would lose their freedom later this year. As many as 500 horses could be removed from their legally designated Wild Horse Herd Management Area of over 160,000 acres. BLM is only allowing for 127-180 wild horses, while permitting the year round grazing of 600 head of privately owned livestock.

Instead of preparing an Environmental Assessment (EA) for just the wild horse removal, BLM has included this wild horse action as part of a habitat restoration project EA. The “restoration” plan calls for the cutting of pinyon, juniper and sagebrush to improve the habitat for threatened populations of sage grouse. Yes, that’s right — destroying sagebrush habitat to help struggling sage grouse populations. It is easy to conclude that the “restoration” might also create more grazing land for welfare cattle. Livestock damage is the major cause of declining sage grouse populations throughout the West.

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Save the Date: April 27 – Thoroughbred Racing Meets Thoroughbred Sport Horses

Lexington, KY – The United States Equestrian Federation, The Jockey Club, the Kentucky Thoroughbred Association and Keeneland are bringing the racing industry and the sport horse world together in April. On Friday April 27, the last day of Keeneland’s Spring Race Meet and during the 2012 Rolex Kentucky CCI4* presented by Bridgestone, Keeneland is hosting a reception for stakeholders from both industries.

In 2012, The Jockey Club launched an important initiative called the Thoroughbred Incentive Program (T.I.P.). This program is designed to encourage the retraining of Thoroughbreds into other disciplines upon completion of careers in racing or breeding. T.I.P. offers sponsorship for Thoroughbred-only classes and divisions and high point Thoroughbred awards at open horse shows and competitions, a Thoroughbred of the Year Award and a Young Rider of the Year Award.

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So8ths/Nikon Three-Day Event to Showcase Nation’s Finest Eventing Riders and Clinicians

Rebecca Howard. Photo by Diana De Rosa

If you haven’t been tracking the progress of the second annual So8ths/Nikon Three-Day Event in the “Heart of the Carolinas,” May 3-6, 2012, then it’s time you take notice. Why? Because some of the most talented Eventing riders and trainers are doing just that. They think so highly of this event that is focused on amateur riders and training-level horses that they are donating their time. They will serve as clinicians to the first event that will showcase all three of the lower levels (Beginner Novice, Novice and Training) as recognized three-day events.  In the past Training has been recognized at the three-day level but it was only this past February that BN and N were added into the fold by the U.S. Eventing Association.

What makes Southern 8ths Farm, Chesterfield, SC, so special is that this 300-acre paradise is like a mini-Rolex in that it has some of the best facilities in the nation, which are often only reserved for the upper lever riders. Here you have 45 permanent stalls, regulation size arenas, over three miles of manicured Roads & Tracks, a huge airy indoor arena and so much more.

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Teams Announced for the Third Annual International Gay Polo Tournament

2011 International Gay Polo Tournament Teams

Wellington, FL – March 28, 2012 – Marc and Melissa Ganzi, owners of Grand Champions Polo Club and Honorary Chairpersons for the Third Annual International Gay Polo Tournament, are pleased to announce the following professional players who will anchor the four teams:

Jason Crowder, rated 6 goals, literally grew up on a polo field. As a child he lived in a condo on the edge of the main field at Santa Barbara Polo Club. He played on the undefeated Lucchese team that swept the 20-goal series. Crowder was crowned MVP of the 2011 Pacific Coast Open, a true hometown hero. Crowder currently plays for the Piaget Polo Team in the 20-goal series.

Nic Roldan, rated 7 is one of the top professional polo players in the world and holds many of the highest accolades in the sport including being the youngest player to ever win the U.S. Open Polo Championship at age 15. Roldan is a brand ambassador for luxury Swiss watchmaker Piaget and a Wilhelmina model.

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USEF Names 2012 Show Jumping European Young Rider & Junior Rider Tour

Lexington, KY – The following riders and horses have been named by the United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) to the 2012 Show Jumping European Young Rider and Junior Rider Tour. These combinations were selected based on the criteria outlined in the Selection Procedures for the 2012 Show Jumping Young Rider and Junior Rider Tour. The Selection Procedures can be found here:

http://usef.org/documents/highPerformance/showJumping/2011YRTourSP_FINAL.pdf
http://usef.org/documents/highPerformance/showJumping/2011JRTourSP_FINAL.pdf

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