Championships, Competitions, Events, Hunter/Equitation, USEF

Schaefer Raposa Earns Top Honors in Pessoa/USEF Hunter Seat Equitation Medal Finals at Pennsylvania National Horse Show

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Schaefer Raposa wins the Pessoa/USEF Hunter Seat Equitation Medal Finals at Pennsylvania National Horse Show. Photo: Phelps Media Group

Harrisburg, PA – Capping off an eventful junior weekend at the Pennsylvania National Horse Show, the Pessoa/USEF Hunter Seat Equitation Medal Finals presented by Randolph College saw Schaefer Raposa of Wellington, FL, earn the coveted championship honors. Edging out some of the most skilled young riders in the nation, Raposa smoothly tackled the first two rounds aboard her talented mount Charlie Z, as well as one challenging final test. Her quiet confidence garnered the top spot by evening’s end, with Brittany Hurst of Jackson, NJ, and Allison Fithian of Monterey, CA, finishing second and third, respectively. Rounding out the top four from the final test was Katie Tyler of North Kingstown, RI.

Today’s championship event featured two demanding rounds of competition followed by a test of the top four riders. The first course featured three imposing double combinations, a skinny coop without standards, and a triple bar. The judges invited the top 25 riders to return for the second course, which began with a three fence bending line, an oxer-oxer double combination, and a difficult plank vertical.

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*Featured/Spotlights, Competitions, Dressage, Events, Pan American Games, USEF

Gold for US Dressage Team at 2011 Pan American Games

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The Gold Medal-Winning U.S. Dressage Team. Anthony Trollope/ Stockimageservices.com

The U.S. Dressage Team’s Gold medal never looked in doubt today at the 2011 Pan American Games. They started off confidently and with each ride, the margin improved. They stormed to victory and won their fourth consecutive Pan American Games Team Gold medal – a first in the sport of Dressage. Their combined average score of 74.421% left them well clear of the Canadians who won Silver with a combined average of 70.413%. Colombia put in a valiant late effort to surge into the top three with 69.632%.

Led by Olympic veteran Steffen Peters (San Diego, CA) on Weltino’s Magic – the only combination to score over 80% – the U.S. Team put on an exhibition. Peters’s score of 80.132% is a Pan American Games record. A strong anchor rider, Peters had the luxury today of a little less pressure due to the fact that the entire team put in top 10 performances.

“It was one of the best tests this horse has done,” said Peters. “I have to say a big thank you to my teammates because they gave me a very relaxed position to start in today. Over the past few years I have always had to carry a lot of weight on my shoulders as the very last rider but the team did an awesome job, every single horse, every single rider.”

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*Featured/Spotlights, Championships, Competitions, Eventing/H.T., Events, Show Jumping, USEF

Martin & Lyman Produce Clear Rounds to Claim 2011 USEF National Eventing Championships

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Boyd Martin and Ying Yang Yo. Photo: Shannon Brinkman

Elkton, MD – Sunday brought an action-packed slate of show jumping at the 2011 Dansko Fair Hill International. With the top riders in both the CCI3* and CCI2* divisions tremendously close, clear rounds were at a premium. Boyd Martin and Kylie Lyman rose to the occasion producing fault-free rounds to win their CCI3* and CCI2* divisions as well as claim 2011 USEF National Eventing Championships.

The leaderboard in both the divisions at the Dansko Fair Hill International saw great fluctuations as a result of Sally Ike’s challenging track.

Full scores are available here: http://www.evententries.com/livescoring/14839.html.

2011 USEF National CCI3* Eventing Championship

Martin, the leader following the dressage phase, jumped a clear round on Ying Yang Yo to clinch his second USEF National CCI3* Eventing Championship. Martin (West Grove, PA) and the 15 year-old Australian Thoroughbred gelding rattled a few rails but all stayed in place for the pair to finish on a score of 52.

Continue reading Martin & Lyman Produce Clear Rounds to Claim 2011 USEF National Eventing Championships →

*Featured/Spotlights, Competitions, Contributors/Press, Events, FEI, FEI, Show Jumping

Schwizer Scoops Maximum Points at Rolex Opener in Oslo

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Pius Schwizer is presented with a Rolex watch by Magali Dubois Vaucher from Rolex. Photo: FEI/Roger Svalsrod.

Oslo (NOR), 16 October 2011 – Switzerland’s Pius Schwizer swept to victory in the opening leg of the Rolex FEI World Cup Jumping 2011/2012 series at Oslo in Norway today with a thrilling last-to-go run from Carlina.  With 14 into the jump-off it was never going to be an easy one to take, but the 49 year old rider raced home to pin Germany’s Philipp Weishaupt and Souvenir into second, while Portugal’s Luciana Diniz and Winningmood slotted into third.

“This is my very first success in a World Cup qualifier, so I’m super-pleased with the result!” Schwizer said after collecting the winner’s prize of a Rolex watch.  “I’ve been second and third a few times, but it feels really great to be first – and Carlina was brilliant today!” he added.

DIDN’T COMPROMISE
The compact Telenor Arena in Oslo measures just 35 metres by 75 metres, but course-designers Terje Olsen-Nalum and Anders Hafskjold didn’t compromise on height and width, giving the 40 starters plenty to think about.  The triple combination at fence six – oxer, vertical, oxer – proved influential, but it was the 1.70m-wide oxer at fence nine that hit the floor most often in the first round as nine horse-and-rider combinations faulted there.

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*Featured/Spotlights, Competitions, Eventing/H.T., Events, FEI, FEI, Show Jumping

Mary King Clinches HSBC FEI Classics, as Fox-Pitt Adds Pau to His CCI4* Tally

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Mary King

Lausanne (SUI),16 October 2011 – William Fox-Pitt (GBR) showed the amazing strength of his horsepower when his exciting young horses Oslo and Lionheart finished first and third at Les Etoiles des Pau (FRA), the final leg of the HSBC FEI Classics 2011.

However, it was the unstoppable Mary King (GBR) who claimed the 150,000 USD prize, the biggest single award in Eventing, as HSBC FEI Classics champion for 2011. She clinched the title with a magnificent clear Jumping round on Imperial Cavalier, which elevated her six places to fourth.

King has been placed no lower than eighth at all five of the HSBC FEI Classics events this year, which is a remarkable achievement. She is the first woman to win the title since the series started in 2008 and has kept it in British hands for the fourth consecutive year.

Continue reading Mary King Clinches HSBC FEI Classics, as Fox-Pitt Adds Pau to His CCI4* Tally →

*Featured/Spotlights, Championships, Competitions, Eventing/H.T., Events, USEF

Byyny & Lyman Set the Pace in the USEF National Eventing Championships

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Jan Byyny and Inmidair (Shannon Brinkman Photo)

Elkton, MD – Clear jumping and quick trips across the country were the name of the game Saturday at the 2011 Dansko Fair Hill International. The rain that plagued the first two days of competition was nowhere in sight as the sun shone over Derek di Grazia’s tracks. Heavy going resulted in time faults for many of the competitors and a shake-up on the leaderboard in both divisions. Jan Byyny and Kylie Lyman produced two of the quickest rounds of the day in the CCI3* and CCI2* to lead their respective divisions and USEF National Eventing Championships.

All will be to play for in Sunday’s show jumping as one rail separates the top four in the CCI3*. In the CCI2* nine points divide first from tenth.

Full scores are available here: http://www.evententries.com/livescoring/14839.html.

2011 USEF National CCI3* Eventing Championship

Byyny (Purceville, VA) rose from fifth place after the dressage to lead the CCI3* on her own Inmidair with a score of 51.2. The 12-year-old New Zealand Thoroughbred gelding rocketed around the 10:08-minute course, adding just 4.4 penalties.

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*Featured/Spotlights, Championships, Competitions, Events, Show Jumping, USEF

Meg O’Mara and Sinatra IV Go for the Gold in Randolph College/Junior Jumper Championships at Harrisburg

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Meg O'Mara and Sinatra IV. Photo: Phelps Media Group

Harrisburg, PA – An action-packed junior weekend continued to wow the crowd at the Pennsylvania National Horse Show tonight, as Phase III of the Randolph College/USEF Individual Championships culminated in a triumph for junior jumper Meg O’Mara. Riding out of Romson, NJ, O’Mara and Sinatra IV had one of only two clear rounds of the evening, emerging victorious through a steady, controlled approach. Earning the silver medal tonight was Savannah Talcott of Wildwood, MO, who bested third place finisher Reed Kessler of Amrock, NY in a suspenseful jump-off.

O’Mara and Sinatra IV held a solid lead going into tonight’s final event, with just a single fault to their name. The duo produced another brilliant performance over the difficult course designed by Steve Stephens of Palmetto, FL. They were one of only two horse and rider combinations to leave all fences intact, retaining their highly impressive one fault score. O’Mara and Sinatra’s IV confidence and consistency prevailed, as they claimed the winning title to the lead final victory gallop.

After her flawless turn in the ring tonight, gold medal winner O’Mara remarked, “There was a little bit of pressure, but I knew that it could go perfectly with Sinatra. He’s such a special horse that I knew he’d be able to do it. Sinatra is the best horse in the world; he’s the sweetest thing ever, and my mom says she wants him to live in our backyard! We actually went through a little bit of a bumpy patch this spring, but we’ve come back to an amazing show.”

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Championships, Competitions, Events, Show Jumping, USEF

Zone 2 Tops $15,000 USEF Prix de States Team Championship at Pennsylvania National Horse Show

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Katie Dinan and Belle Dame D. Phelps Media Group.

Harrisburg, PA – It was an exciting night of jumper action at the Pennsylvania National Horse Show tonight, as the $15,000 USEF Prix de States Team Championship and Individual Championship Phase II took place in Harrisburg, PA. The team from USEF Zone 2 swept the top spot for the second year in a row with excellent rides by Meg O’Mara of Rumson, NJ, Katie Dinan of New York, NY, Charlotte Jacobs of Buffalo, NY, and last night’s Randolph College/USEF $7,500 Individual Championship Phase I winner Reed Kessler of Armonk, NY. Despite an initial tie for second place between Zones 5 and 7, the silver medal was ultimately awarded to Zone 5 thanks to Nora Laue of Wilmette, IL.

Sponsored by Randolph College, the competition featured 32 of the country’s top junior jumpers showing over a technical course by Steve Stephens of Palmetto, FL with compact turns and three different combinations. Riders also had to scale the Pennsylvania National Horse Show signature vertical, which proved to be a problem fence for several riders. Since the competition mixed individual riders as well as riders representing their USEF zones, the crowd was able to witness a variety of jumper talent.

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Community/Charity, Competitions, Events, Media/Radio/TV Sources, Pan American Games, USEF

From USEFNetwork.com to ESPN: Extensive Coverage of 2011 Pan American Games

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What? The Pan American Games features 42 nations participating in 36 events. Equestrian sport is represented by 14 athletes who make up 627 athletes to represent the United States.

Where? This year’s event is taking place in Guadalajara, Mexico, and is set to be the largest sporting event of 2011.

When? Equestrian competition runs from October 16-29, 2011. Please visit http://www.guadalajara2011.org.mx/eng/01_inicio/index.asp for more information about the Games.

Want to Watch? The United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) is providing wall-to-wall coverage including photographs – featured and on-the-grounds – and blogs on USEFNetwork.com. Follow the U.S. Team at the Pan American Games at: http://www.usefnetwork.com/featured/2011PanAmGames/ and on Twitter at: @USEquestrianHP.

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*Featured/Spotlights, Competitions, Dressage, Events, Pan American Games, USEF

Team Dressage Medals Up First at 2011 Pan American Games

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Cesar Parra and Grandioso at the Jog. Anthony Trollope/ stockimageservices.com

Dressage, the first equestrian discipline of the 2011 Pan American Games, begins Sunday, October 16, at the Guadalajara Country Club. The four American dressage horses were presented this morning to the Ground Jury and looked spectacular in the Mexican sunshine. All were accepted without incident. The U.S. has drawn sixth out of the 12 teams vying for Team medals. They will ride the Prix St. Georges test in the following order (unconfirmed times):

1. Cesar Parra and Grandioso (9:12 am)
2. Marisa Festerling and Big Tyme (11:18 am)
3. Heather Blitz and Paragon (2:36 pm)
4. Steffen Peters and Weltino’s Magic (5:00 pm)

Riding for the first time as an American, Colombian ex-patriate Cesar Parra (Whitehouse Station, NJ) is first up for the American team riding Michael and Sarah Davis’ Grandioso. Fourth in the 2003 Pan American Games for Colombia, Parra is also a licensed dentist. The 2010 National Champion at the Intermediaire I level at the Collecting Gaits Farm/USEF Dressage Festival of Champions, he has had considerable national success so far as an American.

Continue reading Team Dressage Medals Up First at 2011 Pan American Games →

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