Author Karin Blignault unravels the basic philosophies behind Equine Biomechanics for Riders and we have a report from the Kentucky Dressage Association’s spring show. Plus two new features begin on this week’s episode so take a listen right here.
Dressage Radio Episode 106 – Show Notes and Links:
“Ancient Bronzes of the Asian Grasslands” Will Be Presented by the Arthur M. Sackler Foundation
An ornament from Inner Mongolia, third to fifth century BCE, from the exhibition.
LEXINGTON, KY (June 2, 2011) – Continuing its tradition of offering world-class exhibitions to the public, the Kentucky Horse Park’s International Museum of the Horse – a Smithsonian Affiliate – is making final preparations for its next exhibition, Ancient Bronzes of the Asian Grasslands from the Arthur M. Sackler Foundation, June 24 – Oct. 9.
Ancient Bronzes of the Asian Grasslands presents a major sampling of steppe art from the collections of the late Arthur M. Sackler, M.D. Curated by Trudy S. Kawami, Ph.D., Director of Research for the Arthur M. Sackler Foundation, the exhibition presents eighty-five works illustrating the personal decorations and equipment of the horse-riding steppe dwellers of the second and first century BCE.
The Eurasian grasslands, also known as the steppes, cover a region extending from northern China westward through Mongolia, to the plains of Eastern Europe. This exhibition focuses on the eastern or Asian steppes whose rolling grassy plains are punctuated by snow-topped mountain ranges like the Tien Shan (Heavenly Mountains), and deserts like the Gobi and the Taklamakan.
Henri Chammartin (SUI) and Woermann during their winning test at the 1964 Tokyo Olympic Games
Lausanne (SUI), 2 June 2010 – Olympic and European Dressage champion Henri Chammartin (SUI) passed away this week at the age of 92. A legend in the Dressage world, he competed in five consecutive editions of the Olympic Games – Helsinki 1952, Stockholm 1956, Rome 1960, Tokyo 1964, and Mexico 1968 – winning a total of five medals.
During his first Olympic participation in 1952, Chammartin was a member of the Swiss team that claimed team silver. He received his second Olympic medal – a team bronze – in 1956.
Henri Chammartin became Olympic champion in 1964 and also won his second team silver that year. He rode the 13-year-old Swedish-bred Woermann which had travelled to Tokyo only as a reserve horse to his stablemate and reigning European champion Wolfdietrich, which was unfortunately lame.
Tokyo 1964 was the first Olympic Games to which horses were flown by aircraft. The Swiss team departed from Amsterdam on 28 September at noon and arrived, with a stop-over in Anchorage, Alaska, on 29 September at 3pm.
USA HEADS THE START-LIST FOR ROUND THREE AT ST GALLEN by Louise Parkes
L to R - Peter Stossel, President CSIO St Gallen, John Roche, FEI Jumping Director and Henk Nooren, Chef d'Equipe for the French team. Photo: FEI/Katja Stuppia.
St Gallen (SUI), 2 June 2011 – The American team will be first into the ring for tomorrow’s third leg of the 2011 FEI Nations Cup at St Gallen, Switzerland. A total of nine nations will compete, as the Swiss, who were relegated at the end of last season, join the eight Top League countries for a guest appearance on their home ground.
And the host nation looks strong, with Steve Guerdat (Jalisca Solier), Werner Muff (Kiamon), Jannike Sprunger (Uptown Boy) and Pius Schwizer (Carlina) ready to show that their country is still a force to be reckoned with. The teams will start the first round of the competition in the following order: 1, USA; 2, Denmark; 3, Germany; 4, The Netherlands; 5, Ireland; 6, Belgium; 7, France; 8, Switzerland; 9, Great Britain.
BIG ATMOSPHERE The generous dimensions of the St Gallen arena helps create a big atmosphere and tremendous competition at this popular annual fixture, and, as Dutch Chef d’Equipe, Rob Ehrens, said last week after leading his team to victory in Rome (ITA): “It will be great to be back jumping on grass again at St Gallen. When the footing is good on grass, then there’s nothing better!”
Chicago (EWA) – The Equine Welfare Alliance and Animal Law Coalition applaud Rep. Jim Moran and House of Representatives Appropriations Committee members who stood up for the horses this week. Rep. Moran introduced an amendment to the proposed agriculture appropriations bill to make sure commercial horse slaughter in the U.S. remains illegal.
The amendment was accepted by the Committee on a vote of 24 to 21 and it’s now on to a vote by the full House on the agriculture appropriations bill on June 15.
The amendment de-funds (prohibits funds from being spent on) ante-mortem inspections of horses to be slaughtered for human consumption. Without these inspections required by federal law, horses cannot be commercially slaughtered for human consumption in the U.S. The inspections have been de-funded since 2006. http://www.animallawcoalition.com/horse-slaughter/article/1809
The next step must be a ban on exports of U.S. horses for slaughter for human consumption. More than two thirds of Americans support a ban on horse slaughter. Proponents have avoided discussing what is clear to most Americans – the inherent cruelty of horse slaughter. As Dr. Lester Friedlander, DVM & former Chief USDA Inspector, told Congress in 2008, “The captive bolt is not a proper instrument for the slaughter of equids, these animals regain consciousness 30 seconds after being struck, they are fully aware they are being vivisected.”
Dressage preparations for the Pan American Games continued as Prix St Georges and Intermediaire I competition took place at CDIs across the country. Jan Ebeling swept the small tour at CDI Flintridge with Rosenzauber 8, scoring 70.263% in the Prix St Georges, 70.702% in the Intermediaire I and 70.292% in the Freestyle.
At the CDI Lexington, Lisa Wilcox and Pikko del Cerro HU dominated the Small Tour. They scored 71.008% in the Prix St. Georges and 76.624% in the Intermediaire I. Claire Darnell won the Intermediaire I Freestyle with a score 73.458%.
In the small tour at CDI Allentown in New Jersey, Canadian Ashley Holzer took the top spot in the Prix St. Georges, but Cesar Parra, the 2010 Collecting Gaits Farm/USEF National Intermediaire I Dressage Champion, was second on Grandioso with a score of 70.395%. Holzer continued her winning ways in the Intermediaire I, where Endel Ots took second with Toscano on a score of 69.430%. Parra then went on to win the Freestyle with a score of 72.417% Holzer also won the Grand Prix on her veteran Pop Art, local rider Lauren Sammis was second with Sagacious HF with a score of 67.851%. They repeated the one-two placings in the Grand Prix Freestyle. Melissa Taylor was third behind Sammis in the Grand Prix but led the victory celebration in the Grand Prix Special with Schumacker Solyst on a score of 65.792%.
The American Quarter Horse Journal, June 1, 2011 – The May 28th mega-program at Remington Park produced not one, but two, new No. 1-ranked horses in the latest AQHA Racing.com-Horseplayernow.com National Top 10 polls. Heritage Place Futurity (G1) winner High Rate of Return zoomed to the top of the rankings for 2-year-olds, while Rylees Boy registered a sharp Remington Park Invitational Championship (G1) score and the top position in the poll for older horses.
Rylees Boy handled one of the strongest fields ever assembled and did it by holding off the late charge of last week’s No. 1-ranked runner Louisiana Senator, who was flying late but came up a head short in defeat. Pollsters rewarded Louisiana Senator with a No. 2 ranking this week. Third-place finisher Streakin Down earned the No. 9 national ranking for his efforts. The Invitational included four of the top seven-ranked horses in the national poll last week and lived up to its billing. Former world champions Freaky and Stolis Winner finished fourth and fifth, respectively, underscoring the race’s quality, which featured the earners of more than $7.1 million lifetime.
The rankings for older horses also got a solid jolt when last year’s All American Futurity presented by Sentient Jet (G1) runner-up and beaten favorite JLS Mr. Bigtime made his 2011 debut in the poll at No. 5. The Louisiana-bred tallied the Delta Downs Louisiana Breeders’ Derby (RG2) by a head on Saturday as the odds-on choice in his first finals appearance of the season. Another 3-year-old who debuted this week in the poll for older horses was Heritage Place Derby (G2) upsetter Capo De Capi, who knocked off stablemate Freighttrain B in Saturday’s final and was rewarded with a No. 8 national ranking.
Just a reminder that the Atlanta Summer Classic is just two weeks from today. We have lots planned and should be a great two weeks in Conyers.
Week One – $25,000 USHJA Hunter Derby
$35,000 Grand Prix
$2,500 USHJA Hunter Classic
USEF Emerson Burr Grant competition for Pony Riders
Tuesday between the shows – USHJA Clinics – No Charge
Pony Model Clinic – 11am – Under the covered Arena
Water Jump Clinic – 1 pm – Under the covered Arena
Week Two- $2,500 USHJA Hunter Classic
$3,500 Gamblers Choice & Outback Steakhouse Charity Dinner
$35,000 Grand Prix
USHJA “Just Ask the Judges” Clinic – Thursday after the show.
Call with questions or for stall reservations; we still not are sure about the tent this year: 843 768 5503.
See you at the rings,
Bob Bell
The Classic Company, Ltd. www.ClassicCompany.com
Phone/FAX: (843) 768-5503
Post Office Box 1311 Johns Island SC 29457
Eric Lamaze (CAN) elevated to number one in Rolex Rankings
Lausanne (SUI), 1 June 2011 – Olympic champion Eric Lamaze (CAN), 43, is celebrating after securing the world number one slot in the Rolex Rankings for the third time in his career.
The Canadian’s back-to-back Grand Prix wins at La Baule (FRA) and Rome (ITA) on his super-stallion Hickstead have put him 111 points ahead of 31-year-old Kevin Staut (FRA), who had topped the Rolex Rankings since 1 August 2010.
Lamaze first shot to the top of the Rolex Rankings on 1 January 2009 and stayed there for three months. He was back in the number one slot for a second time in July 2010, the month in which he famously won the Rolex Grand Prix of Aachen with a broken foot.
Lamaze, who took individual gold and team silver with Hickstead at the Beijing 2008 Olympic equestrian events in Hong Kong, has represented Canada at five consecutive FEI World Equestrian Games – 1994, 1998, 2002, 2006 and 2010 where he earned individual bronze with Hickstead – and at three Pan American Games, at which he earned team bronze in 1999 and team silver and individual bronze in 2007.
European Champion Kevin Staut is now in second place ahead of Billy Twomey (IRE), with Hong Kong individual silver medallist Rolf-Göran Bengtsson (SWE) in fourth and Twomey’s compatriot Denis Lynch in fifth.
1 June 2011 – Multiple award-winning actor and producer and United Nations Messenger of Peace Michael Douglas has lent his support to the FEI Awards 2011 by highlighting their significance and calling on the worldwide equestrian community to make nominations.
Commenting on the FEI awards, which reward the horses, men, women and youngsters who have contributed to the progress and excellence of equestrian sport, Douglas said:
“The FEI Awards provide a platform for the global community to applaud riders and organisations for their outstanding achievements. I am delighted to offer my support and urge you to submit your nominations for the 2011 FEI Awards. At the end of the year, in Rio de Janeiro, we will pay tribute to equestrians who have gone above and beyond the call of duty and in doing so, celebrate the very best of equestrian sport.”
Over his hugely successful career, Douglas has walked the red carpet numerous times to receive prestigious awards. These include two Oscars (Best Picture for his production of One Flew over the Cuckoo’s Nest (1979) – a film that scooped Oscars in five categories – and Best Actor for his role in Wall Street (1987).
