Competitions, Dressage, Events, FEI, FEI

FEI Balkan Dressage Championships 2011, Istanbul (TUR)

Leave a comment

DOUBLE-GOLD FOR GREECE AND TURKEY, BUT ROMANIA’S ALEXANDRESCU SECURES SENIOR TITLE by Louise Parkes

Alexandra Alexopoulou from Greece claimed Young Rider Individual Gold at the FEI Balkan Dressage Championships 2011 in Istanbul (TUR) riding Marco Polo.

Lausanne (SUI), 20 JULY 2011 – Turkish riders claimed team and individual gold in the Children’s division while Greece dominated both the Junior and Young Rider Individual finals at the recent FEI Balkan Dressage Championships, Romania took the Senior title when Selina Alexandrescu and Merkur Siker Casino reigned supreme.

This year the fixture returned to Istanbul in Turkey where the very first Balkan Championships took place in 1968.  The 2011 venue was the Istanbul Equestrian Club at Maslak, and riders from four countries – Greece, Turkey, Romania and Bulgaria – participated at the event.

TWO-WAY CONTEST
Only one team championship took place, and it was the Turkish foursome of Lina Uzunhasan (Sjonnie), Ekin Karahan (Adamo), Ella Irene Gurso (Zinnia) and Karla Yona Nahmias (Ubaldi) who clinched the gold in a two-way contest with their neighbours from Greece.  It was a close-fought affair however, with just over three marks separating the two sides at the end of the competition in which the test produced by Turkey’s Nahmias and Ubaldi proved pivotal. The scores from judges Alla Soubbotina, Irmeli Summanen, Bo Jena, Maja Stukelj and Victoire Mandl gave Nahmias a mark of 71.483 which tipped the odds in favour of the Turkish side.

Nahmias had to settle for runner-up spot in the Preliminary Competition in which team-mate Lina Uzunhasan and Sjonnie came out on top.  But in the Individual Final the situation was reversed, with Uzunhasan taking silver with a score of 67.321 while Nahmias, now really into her stride, registered 72.036 to top the medal podium.  Bronze went to Kyveli Tzortzaki (Ombox Yamma Yamma Man), who, together with Vasiliki Valtairou (Chiron), Konstantina Katsiti (Gelo Notturon) and Isabella-Nina Ravini (Guinness) was a member of the silver-medal-winning Greek team.

Continue reading FEI Balkan Dressage Championships 2011, Istanbul (TUR) →

Competitions, Contributors/Press, Events, Hunter/Equitation

Page Tredennick’s Splash Wins $5,000 USHJA National Hunter Derby

Leave a comment

Page Tredennick's Splash took home the blue ribbon in the $5,000 USHJA National Hunter Derby sponsored by Nutrena. Photo credit: Flying Horse Photography

Jackson Brittan Finishes 1st and 2nd in the $5,000 Pony Hunter Derby

Parker, CO — Because the popularity of the hunter derby continues to grow, an entire day was devoted to this event during the final week of the Colorado Summer Circuit. From the ponies to the high performance horses, there was a big money derby in each division. The day was punctuated with the popular Pink Coat Luncheon sponsored by Littleton Equine Medical Center and produced by Foxfire Farm, as well as an end of day exhibitor’s party.

$5,000 USHJA National Hunter Derby Sponsored by Nutrena
Thirty-three horses competed in the $5,000 USHJA National Hunter Derby sponsored by Nutrena during The Colorado Horse Park’s Derby Day. Riders found a flowing course that utilized the hilly terrain of the large derby field at the park.

Emily Hertz rode Page Tredennick’s Splash to the win in the two-round class. The nine-year-old Dutch Warmblood/Thoroughbred gelding had only competed in one non-rated Derby prior to today’s class. “He really rose to the occasion,” Tredennick said. “He’s a ham — a sweet, sweet horse.”

While Splash may have wondered what he was doing in the large arena with long, flowing distances to the heavily decorated fences, he quickly got down to the business of showcasing his quality jump and beautiful canter. Hertz explained, “I thought he was perfect in the handy round; I couldn’t have asked him to be any better.”

Continue reading Page Tredennick’s Splash Wins $5,000 USHJA National Hunter Derby →

Community/Charity, FEI, Show Jumping

In Memoriam: Double Olympic Champion d’Oriola (FRA)

Leave a comment
France's double Olympic champion Pierre Jonqueres d'Oriola, who has died at the age of 91.

Lausanne (SUI), 20 July 2011 – France’s double Olympic champion Pierre Jonqueres d’Oriola passed away at his home in the Pyrenees on Tuesday 19 July. He was aged 91.

Born on 1 February 1920, d’Oriola won individual gold in the Jumping at the 1952 Olympics in Helsinki riding Ali Baba. This was the second Olympic medal for the d’Oriola family in Helsinki. Only six days earlier his cousin Christian d’Oriola had won gold in the fencing.

Twelve years later in Tokyo, Pierre Jonqueres d’Oriola again took individual Jumping gold, this time on Lutteur B, and led the French to team silver. D’Oriola’s was the only gold for France in the Tokyo Olympics, earning him special congratulations from General de Gaulle and the rider received a hero’s welcome on his return to his homeland.

He won individual gold at the 1966 world championships in Buenos Aires (ARG) with a new horse Pomone B. D’Oriola rode in the change-horse final against three other legendary names in the sport – José de Borhoques (ESP), Raimondo d’Inzeo (ITA) and Nelson Pessoa (BRA) – to become the first French rider to claim the title. D’Oriola went on to take silver in the team event at the Mexico Olympics in 1968, his fifth and final appearance at the Olympic Games.

Continue reading In Memoriam: Double Olympic Champion d’Oriola (FRA) →

Contributors/Press, FEI, Revolution Sports, Show Jumping

The Rolex One to Watch – June 2011

1 Comment
Hans-Dieter Dreher riding Magnus Romeo in the Rolex Grand Prix at the 2011 CHIO Aachen. Photo: Kit Houghton/Rolex

20 July 2011 – The Rolex One to Watch for June 2011 is German rider, Hans-Dieter Dreher. Based at the Grenzland Stud in Eimeldingen, Germany, the 39-year-old jumped from number 386 to 231 during June – a move up the Rolex Rankings of 155 places.

The Rolex One to Watch is an initiative which identifies the rider who has made the biggest jump within or into the Top 250 of the Rolex Rankings the previous month.

Hans-Dieter Dreher was born in Schopfheim in February 1972 and grew up on his parents’ riding yard in Adelhausen, Baden-Wuerttemberg, Germany. He started riding as a six-year-old and was trained by his father, Horst Dreher, who was himself a successful rider in the region at this time.

Hans-Dieter began show jumping at nine years old, and by the age of 13 had won his first title as junior champion of Baden-Wuerttemberg. After completing school, he finished his professional education as a rider and later worked at a stable in Alsace, France for three years. He currently rides and trains at the Grenzland Stud in Eimeldingen in the south of Germany, owned by Dr. Carmen Vogt-Brändlin.

Continue reading The Rolex One to Watch – June 2011 →

Contributors/Press, Equine Assisted Therapy, Media/Radio/TV Sources, Publications/Media, Training/Clinics

Equine Therapy: “BUCK” the Movie, by Claire Dorotik

Leave a comment

Before Ceasar Milan came onto the scene, people thought that fixing bad behavior in dogs had little to do with the dog owner, and even less to do with the relationship he/she had with the dog. Well, we now know that the way a dog acts is often a telling reflection of the way the owner handles him/her. And what Ceasar has done for dog owners, Buck Brannaman has done for horse owners. The newly released movie “Buck” tells the story.

Weaving easily between poignant moments at several of Buck’s four day colt starting workshops and glimpses into his home life and horrific past, the movie sheds light into horse and human relationships in a way not seen before. As the inspirational force for the movie, “The Horse Whisperer” with Robert Redford, Buck has taken the teachings of the late Ray Hunt, and embarked on a non-stop journey to encourage people to re-think the nature of the horse and the way he is trained.

In one of his well-attended seminars Brannaman describes riding the horse as asking a prey animal to “allow a predator (human) to crawl on his back,” then adds that he’d also like to “strap some pieces of dead animal (saddle) on the horse’s back too.” The movie then intersperses interviews with several of Buck’s friends, followers, and clients that have seen miracles occur with their mounts, and in the process, given cause to reconsider not just how they approach their horse, but their life as well.

Continue reading Equine Therapy: “BUCK” the Movie, by Claire Dorotik →

Community/Charity, Contributors/Press, Publications/Media

NO SECRET SO CLOSE excerpt #28, by Claire Dorotik

Leave a comment

NO SECRET SO CLOSE is the story of a the most unthinkable betrayal humanly possible — at only 24 years old, Claire Dorotik’s father has been murdered, her mother arrested, and now, in a sinister twist of fate, Claire’s mother points the finger at Claire, accusing her of killing her own father. Battling the feelings of loss, abandonment, terror, and dissociation, and also learning about them, Claire struggles to stay in her master’s program for psychotherapy. However, when Claire’s brothers also betray her and side with her mother, Claire is left all alone to care for the 18 horses she and her mother owned. As the story unfolds, what is revealed is the horses’ amazing capacity for empathy in the face of human trauma, and the almost psychic ability to provide the author with what had been taken from her. Arising from these horrifying circumstances, the most unthinkable heroes — the horses — show Claire that life is still worth living.

Excerpt #28 from NO SECRET SO CLOSE:

In the end, it was she who made the first move. Stepping up to the car, she handed me a piece of paper. “Claire, your dad’s not back from his run,” she said, her voice trembling. “You need to call the police sergeant right away. OK? He wants to know Bob’s running routes.” On the paper, she had scribbled the name, Sergeant Brady, and a phone number.

I had run with my dad enough to know there could only be one reason he hadn’t returned. He’d been hurt. My body went numb with the thought of what, or who, might have overtaken him. I had felt that strangeness in the area any number of times while running, and knew he had too. We’d never exactly spoken about our fears. But we had all kinds of names for the strange types we’d see while running.

It could have been me, was all I could think. Why him and not me? I would have been an easier target, certainly.

Continue reading NO SECRET SO CLOSE excerpt #28, by Claire Dorotik →

Competitions, Events, HITS, HITS, Hunter/Equitation, Show Jumping

Silvio Mazzoni and Remonta Habano Capture the $40,000 Purina Mills Grand Prix, Presented by Pfizer Animal Health, at HITS Culpeper Week III

Leave a comment
© ESI Photography. Silvio Mazzoni rides to victory aboard his own Remonta Habano in Sunday's $40,000 Purina Mills Grand Prix at HITS Culpeper.

CULPEPER, VA (July 19, 2011) – Silvio Mazzoni of Leesburg, Virginia and his own Remonta Habano captured their second Grand Prix victory at HITS this year by winning Sunday’s $40,000 Purina Mills Grand Prix, presented by Pfizer Animal Health, at HITS Culpeper. The duo also won the blue in the $25,000 SmartPak Grand Prix, presented by Pfizer Animal Health, at the Ocala Winter Classic this winter.

Prior to the start of Sunday’s main event, the Topaz Vaulters, an equine gymnastics spectacle, gave a special performance to kick off an afternoon of show jumping. Course designer Jose “Pepe” Gamarra of Ellenton, Florida made the $40,000 class his debut at HITS Commonwealth Park. His first round saw seven horse-and-rider combinations go clear and then return for the jump-off.

“The course was great,” said Mazzoni, who gained momentum for Sunday’s victory after a fourth-place finish in Friday’s $15,000 Brook Ledge Open Jumper Prix with Remonta Habano. “It was a very technical track, which asked a lot of the right questions.”

First to return in the jump-off was Alexa Lowe of Upperville, Virginia aboard Windsor Farm Sales’ Amicello. The team wasted no time in setting the Great American Time to Beat at 45.306 seconds with a clear effort.

Mazzoni followed and easily took the lead with a blistering time of 39.741 seconds.

Continue reading Silvio Mazzoni and Remonta Habano Capture the $40,000 Purina Mills Grand Prix, Presented by Pfizer Animal Health, at HITS Culpeper Week III →

Championships, Competitions, Events, FEI, FEI, Show Jumping

FEI Central Asian Open Jumping Championships 2011, Astana (KAZ)

Leave a comment

KAZAKHSTAN’S SOLOVYOV TAKES INDIVIDUAL GOLD, RUSSIA SCOOPS TEAM TITLE by Louise Parkes

Peter Solovyov (Liebestraum Z) is awarded with his individual gold medal at the FEI Central Asian Open Jumping Championships 2011. Photo: FEI/Alexander Buikevich.

Lausanne (SUI), 18 JULY 2011 – Peter Solovyov took individual gold for the host nation at the recent FEI Central Asian Open Jumping Championship staged in Astana, Kazakhstan where Russia won the team title.  This was the third major fixture to take place in Kazakhstan this year, following the Endurance and Dressage Championships which were held in May and June.  It is a measure of the development of, and enthusiasm for, the equestrian disciplines in the region that the 2011 calendar has been such a busy one.  And Solovyov’s victory is a major boost to the small National Federation which boasts a panel of just five riders in its senior Jumping squad this season.

Solovyov’s march to individual glory was a gradual one, with his opening effort with It’s Me du Mesnil leaving him 23rd in a field of 26 starters.  It was Russia’s Karin Ruslan and Migdolas who came out on top here, ahead of Kazakhstan’s Talyat Islamov and Atom in second while another Russian, Sergey Shepelin, steered Amigo into third place.

Astana, which officially became the capital city of the newly-independent Kazakhstan in 1997, was only granted its name the following year.  In Kazakh, the word Astana means “capital”, but it also has Persian origins referring to a “threshold”, and, located where it is, on the cross-roads between East and West, that threshold has been crossed by many of its neighbours this summer as they have pursued their equestrian hopes and dreams. Competitors from five nations – Russia, Kazakhstan, Kyrgyzstan, Georgia and Urkraine – lined out in these championships.

Continue reading FEI Central Asian Open Jumping Championships 2011, Astana (KAZ) →

Competitions, Contributors/Press, Events, Hunter/Equitation

John Pearce Victorious in the $40,000 Griffis Apartment Funds Grand Prix

Leave a comment

Small Affair Dominates the Hunters in Week Five at the Colorado Summer Circuit

Small Affair, shown here with John French, dominated week five of the Colorado Summer Circuit with two championships and two classic wins. Photo credit: Flying Horse Photography

Parker, CO — Have you jumped at a mile high? If not, you are missing one of the most talked about horse shows of the year. With its expanded six-week schedule, The Colorado Horse Park has been the summer vacation spot with big money for both hunters and jumpers. Of course, this show is also about the parties, including the Friday Afternoon Club at A Bit of Tack, sponsored this week by Arenus, and an exhibitor party that rocked for hours after the Grand Prix.

Week five of the Colorado Summer Circuit was highlighted by the $40,000 Griffis Apartment Funds Grand Prix. Twenty-nine entries contested the course designed by Dave Ballard. Among the trouble spots was the triple combination into the crowd, with a related distance to the Griffis Group jump, the final obstacle on the course. Maggie Jayne, Elgin, IL, who had four rides in the class, reflected, “I thought it was a nice, challenging course.”

John Pearce had no difficulty with the first round, qualifying both of his rides, Son of a Gun and Chianto, for the jump-off. Karen Cudmore also qualified two horses and Jayne, rode Thomas Edison to a perfect first round to join the World Equestrian Games veterans in the second round.

Karen Cudmore and Southern Pride were first to return. As always, the perennial winner gave the audience a thrill. The 1998 Holsteiner stallion cut an impressive figure, but he lowered the last fence in a time of 33.892.  Pearce and Son of a Gun were next. Although they had won last week’s $30,000 Grand Prix Presented by Nutrena, this week they too were foiled by the last jump. Although the pair’s time of 31.973 gave the rest of the class something to aim for.

Continue reading John Pearce Victorious in the $40,000 Griffis Apartment Funds Grand Prix →

Disciplines, Dressage, Jane Savoie, Training/Clinics

Motivation from Moshi 71, by Jane Savoie

Leave a comment

Winning. What does that feel like to you? For me, I’ve “won” when I feel that flow through my body and everything comes together. I find it easy to feel flow when I’m cantering. I have a “winning” canter. It’s my favorite gait. When Jane was first teaching me tempi changes, I lost that sense of flow until I had the muscle memory of changing leads whenever she asked. Once I got that muscle memory, the changes became easy and flow returned. I felt like I’d “won.”

Winning doesn’t have to be about blue ribbons. If you’ve been away from riding for a while, you may feel like you’ve won if you simply get out to the barn and get on your horse for ten minutes. Walking around may be as far as you want to go today. If you’re a serious competitor, you may have that sense of a w in by perfecting that challenging movement. If you’re a teacher, you may feel like you’ve “won” when your student ends the lesson with a smile.

There are many ways to find that sense of a Win. The key is simply to look for it. And when you do, remind yourself to pay attention to how it feels. Then you can consciously create it again and again. It’s being in that positive space that creates even more success.

What could you do today that would make you feel like a success? I’m going to perform perfect pirouettes today, both directions. That gives me a terrific successful feeling!

Continue reading Motivation from Moshi 71, by Jane Savoie →

Your Southern Source for Everything Horse

Share via
Facebook
X (Twitter)
LinkedIn
Mix
Email
Print
Copy Link
Copy link
CopyCopied