Tag Archives: Budweiser Clydesdales

Breeds, Community/Charity

Budweiser Clydesdales Will Lead Military Bowl Parade Once Again in 2021

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The Military Bowl Foundation announced that the world-famous Budweiser Clydesdales will continue their tradition of headlining the gameday Military Bowl Parade from Downtown Annapolis to Navy-Marine Corps Memorial Stadium, prior to the 2021 Military Bowl presented by Peraton, benefiting the USO, on Monday, December 27.

This year’s Military Bowl Parade steps off at City Dock at 10 a.m. ET and proceed through historic downtown along Main Street and West Street en route to the stadium. Admission to the parade is free.

The parade annually attracts thousands of spectators lining the streets of Annapolis to view a wide variety of groups participating in the parade. The parade also features several Recipients of the Medal of Honor, the nation’s highest military honor presented for personal acts of valor above and beyond the call of duty.

A color guard will lead the procession, followed by the Budweiser Clydesdales, musical groups, civic organizations, military-themed groups, and youth clubs, including Anne Arundel Youth Football Association (AAYFA) championship teams. (The Bowl invites AAYFA championship teams to participate in the parade and receive complimentary game tickets each year.) Each team participating in the Military Bowl will be represented by its marching band and spirit squad.

“The Military Bowl Parade is an annual tradition bringing together residents who live nearby and football fans who travel to the National Capital Region to cheer on their teams,” Military Bowl President & Executive Director Steve Beck said. “It is a special moment when the Parade starts and groups begin making their way through historic downtown to the stadium. The Military Bowl is very appreciative of our partners at Katcef Brothers Inc., who arrange the participation of the Budweiser Clydesdales.”

This year’s Military Bowl presented by Peraton, benefiting the USO, will be held on Monday, December 27, kicking off at 2:30 p.m. ET and televised on ESPN. The game once again will match teams from the Atlantic Coast Conference and the American Athletic Conference. Proceeds from the Bowl benefit the USO and Patriot Point, the Military Bowl Foundation’s retreat for wounded, ill and injured service members, their families, and caregivers.

About the Author – EOA Staff

Eye On Annapolis is a community-based site focusing strictly on Anne Arundel County. These staff postings are general news postings made by our team of bloggers throughout the day and are not attributed to any one particular staff person.

www.eyeonannapolis.net

Breeds, Community/Charity

The Horse Capital Parade

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For our friends in Florida, an amazing experience with horses is coming soon: the Horse Capital Parade!

Where: Downtown Square Ocala, Florida, the surrounding streets and at the Downtown Market.
March 7, 2020 at 1:00pm – 6:00pm

A vendor village will open at 1pm on the Downtown Square with a beer and wine garden, great vendors, horse breed meet-and-greets, and at 4:30pm, an incredible horse breed parade, the speedy Historic Stagecoach, and the grand finale with the Budweiser Clydesdales. Watch them harness the Clydesdales at 2pm at the Downtown Market. There are also wonderful restaurants with outdoor dining where you can watch the parade.

Gentle Carousel Miniature Therapy Horses
www.Horse-Therapy.org
www.facebook.com/TherapyHorses

Breeds, Championships, Competitions, Hunter/Equitation, Show Jumping

Scott Stewart Defends Devon Grand Hunter Championship with Cameo

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Scott Stewart and Cameo (Photo: The Book LLC)

Devon, Pa. – May 31, 2017 – Scott Stewart of Wellington, Florida has been coming to the Devon Horse Show for many years to compete in the professional hunter divisions, but despite winning at the event countless times, the prestige of coming to the historic horse show and earning the Devon Leading Hunter Rider award continues to be a special accomplishment for him.

Dr. Betsee Parker’s Cameo, one of Stewart’s many mounts, took home the Devon Grand Hunter Championship award and the Fourth Sally Deaver Murray Memorial Challenge Trophy on Wednesday after also earning the championship tricolor in the High Performance Working Hunter division.

On Tuesday, the pair received two high scores of 92 to claim both blue ribbons in the over fences rounds. The duo topped the handy round on Wednesday, finishing with an impressive score of 89, took third place in the stake class with a score of 89 and also nabbed the undersaddle. Originally a breeding stallion in Europe, Stewart spotted the now 10-year-old Warmblood gelding in 2013 and knew he had the potential to prosper in the hunter ring. Stewart only brings him out to compete a few times each year at the country’s foremost venues, and Devon is one of them.

Taking the reserve champion ribbon in the High Performance Working Hunter division was Jennifer Hannan aboard Flamingo-K, owned by Equinimity LLC.

In addition to Cameo, Stewart campaigned three other Dr. Parker-owned horses in the Dixon Oval: Private Life, Lucador and A Million Reasons. While Lucador shows in the High Performance Conformation Hunter division, Private Life is known for being a winning combination with Stewart in the Green Conformation Hunters. A Million Reasons achieved not only top ribbons in the High Performance Working Hunter division at the 2017 Devon Horse Show, but was also called into the winner’s circle to take the Leading Mare award and the “Bunty” Sellers Perpetual Trophy for the second year in a row.

To make his victories that much sweeter, Stewart accumulated the most points to secure the highly-coveted Devon Leading Hunter Rider award and the Helen Hope Montgomery Scott Perpetual Trophy for the thirteenth time.

Gillian Beale King and Alta Mira Win Ladies Side Saddle Championship

Ladies Day at the Devon Horse Show and County Fair featured a long-standing tradition: the Ladies Side Saddle championship. The hunter hack and over fences classes were featured in the Dixon Oval during the day on Wednesday, and competitors returned later in the evening to compete under the lights for the final under saddle class before pinning the champion. Ultimately, the True Blue Challenge Trophy was awarded to Gillian Beale King and Natalie Peterson’s Alta Mira.

It has been a dream of King’s to earn a Devon tricolor since she first started coming to the Devon Horse Show when she was a little girl. King and Alta Mira finished off the division with a first, second and third place ribbon. Debra Taylor and Hypnotic earned the reserve champion tricolor to round out the division.

Side saddle has been a part of the Devon Horse Show tradition for as long as anyone can recall. The style of riding was first introduced in Great Britain by Anne of Bohemia in 1382, at the time of her marriage to King Richard II. It introduced a more independent way of travel, since travel was primarily through cart or carriage back then.

Budweiser Clydesdales to Perform at Devon

The world-famous Budweiser Clydesdales will be performing at the Devon Horse Show and Country Fair on Friday, June 2, and Saturday, June 3, weather permitting. The Clydesdales will parade around the Dixon Oval, pulling the Budweiser wagon with the signature Dalmatian dog riding along.

The hitch that will be performing at Devon this year comes from Merrimack, New Hampshire and there are 10 Clydesdales with the crew. Eight horses go out on the hitch each day, with two resting per day. The New Hampshire hitch is one of three traveling hitches, while the other two are based out of Colorado and Missouri.

Brenda Carpenter Photography

This hitch travels 10 months out of the year and they will stay at Devon until the final day of the show. From here, the hitch goes back to New Hampshire to rest before heading back out on the road to perform in York, Pennsylvania and Johnstown, Pennsylvania.

This year, while the “East Coast Hitch,” as they are commonly known, has been at Devon, they have also been attending other events in the area. On Memorial Day, the crew went to the Pottstown Memorial Day Parade. The day before, they attended an event in Media. The hitch has been taking single horses out to Anheuser-Busch distributors as well.

The Budweiser Clydesdales have a storied history. Anheuser-Busch first acquired a hitch of Clydesdales when August Busch Jr. gave them to his father, August Sr., as a gift to celebrate the repeal of Prohibition. The Clydesdales went on a tour of the United States to thank those who had made the repeal possible, and they have been traveling across the nation ever since.

The Clydesdales are known as ‘gentle giants.’ On average, they each weigh 2,000 pounds and are 18 hands tall, which is approximately 6 feet. All of the Budweiser Clydesdales are similarly marked, with a bay coat, black mane, white blazes down the nose and white legs.

In just one day, the Clydesdales eat about 40 pounds of hay and drink between 25 and 30 gallons of water, which is in addition to a portion of grain each day. The hay and bedding for all of Budweiser’s 150 Clydesdales comes from one farm.

The wagon that is a part of this hitch dates back to the 1900s and weighs 9,000 pounds. The Dalmatian who rides on the wagon is another Budweiser trademark and each hitch has at least one. The Dalmatians used to help watch the hitch back when the Clydesdales were used for deliveries. They would run on the side of the wagon and protect the products. The Dalmatians have been traveling to performances with the Clydesdales since the 1950s.

“We are thrilled to have the Budweiser Clydesdales come to Devon – ‘Where Champions Meet.’ Our spectators are thrilled to have them perform and all of us from Devon are proud to have them as our guest. A big thank you goes to Anheuser Busch and Penn Distributors for their help in getting this exhibition to Devon,” said Rich O’Donnell, Devon Horse Show president.

Contact: Rebecca Walton
phone 561.753.3389 fax 561.753.3386
rjw@phelpsmediagroup.com
PhelpsMediaGroup.com

Breeds, Community/Charity

Meet the Newest Budweiser Clydesdale

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Budweiser is raising a glass to its newest Clydesdale horse Mac, its first foal of 2016 born Tuesday at 1:20 a.m.

To see him, Bud drinkers will have to giddy up over to the Warm Springs Ranch in Boonville, Missouri, home of more than 160 Clydesdale horses, a breed that originated in the mid-18th century in Scotland in Lanarkshire (aka Lanark). Its name is believed to be “inspired by” the river that runs through that area, the River Clyde, according to The Livestock Conservancy and the Clydesdale Horse Society. Historically used for pulling heavy cargo, they were brought to North America in the mid-19th century.

“The tradition of the Budweiser Clydesdales started in 1933 when they made their first-ever appearance as a gift from August A. Busch, Jr. and Adolphus Busch to their father in celebration of the repeal of Prohibition,” Anheuser-Busch said in a statement. “Realizing the marketing potential of a horse-drawn beer wagon, the company also arranged to have a second six-horse Clydesdale hitch sent to New York. The Clydesdales made a stop in Washington D.C. in April 1933 to reenact the delivery of one of the first cases of Budweiser to President Franklin Delano Roosevelt.”

Nowadays, Clydesdales are said to be primarily used for “breeding and show.” But no word on when Mac will appear in his first Super Bowl commercial.

Story by Olivia B. Waxman as published in Time

*Featured/Spotlights, Driving, Show Jumping

Record Breaking 10,000 Attendees – Record Wins

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Chester Weber and his team on course in the marathon. (Photo courtesy of PicsofYou.com)

Ocala, FL (March 23, 2014) – The motto on its show program, Chase Perfection, Catch Excellence, perfectly encapsulated this year’s Live Oak International, March 20-23, at Live Oak Plantation in Ocala, FL, as history was made in U.S. National Four-in-Hand competition, Olympic Show Jumping champions converged, and Super Bowl stars of both the commercial TV screen and stadium met in one superlative week of competition in front of a record 10,000 fans.

Writing yet another chapter in American combined driving history, Chester Weber of Ocala, FL, defended his U.S. Four-in-Hand Horse title with a record 11th victory on a final score of 116.33, also accepting the Jean Keathley Award sponsored by Michael Freund for lowest dressage score by an FEI whip.  Second place went to Sarasota, FL whip Misdee Wrigley-Miller, who accepted the Anne Bliss Memorial Award sponsored by Michael Freund as the most elegant lady driver throughout the competition.

Bringing an Olympic cachet to the show jumping competition was reigning 2012 Olympic Individual Gold medalist Ben Maher, whose flawless rounds on Jane Clark’s Aristo Z led to another Florida championship for him this season after victory in Saturday’s $50,000 CSI2*W Live Oak Grand Prix (42.48 seconds).  Second place was Ashlee Bond Clarke riding Little Valley Farm’s Agrostar, whose win qualified her for the World Cup.

After four classes of show jumping competition, the luck of the Irish in the $10,000 E2 Leading Rider Award went to 2012 Olympic Individual Bronze medalist Cian O’Connor.

Clydesdales
The Budweiser Clydesdales

Super Bowl sports star power was apparent in a double dose at Live Oak International. The 6’5” two-time National Football League Super Bowl linebacker Max Montoya of Hebron, KY, known and loved for his signature lime-green ‘fauxhawk’ helmet, was large and in charge as he drove to the top of the Intermediate Pair Horse championship with his Georgian Grandes.  Also drawing thousands of fans and rightly winning applause throughout the week were the world famous stars of the Super Bowl television commercials, the Budweiser Clydesdales.

While the big boys had star power some of the littlest riders stole the show on Sunday when a small herd of small riders entered the ring for the leadline class to resounding applause.  Special thanks to sponsors Sleepy P Ranch.

Demonstrating that driving horses (or ponies) isn’t just for the gentleman was Misdee Wrigley-Miller of Sarasota, FL, the reserve champion in the U.S. National Four-in-Hand and winner of the Anne Bliss Memorial award as the most elegant lady driver of the event. Wrigley-Miller, who drove her first pony at age four, was adamant that combined driving was not about muscle, but finesse and saw her reserve championship as an a opportunity to serve as a role model for younger equestriennes.

Ten thousand spectators and 17 nations added up to a winning equation for Live Oak International organizers and brother-sister team, Chester Weber and Juliet Reid.  Weber intimated that there is still more to come, with plans in 2015 of expanding the program to embrace Three-Day Eventing, too.

“I foresee Live Oak International as America’s Aachen,” Weber said, comparing the goals of the Ocala venue to the esteemed European venue.

In Florida’s ‘horse capital,’ it’s amply possible. For more information on Live Oak International, visit www.liveoakinternational.com.

For more information contact:
Damian Guthrie
561 290 9668
Live Oak International
www.liveoakinternational.com
info@liveoakinternational.com

Community/Charity, Driving

Wake Up Each Morning to Something Special: WOCA Radio 96.3FM and NBC Sports Radio 100.1FM Talk Horses

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The Budweiser Clydesdales during Thursday’s performance at the 2014 Live Oak International. (Photo courtesy of JRPR)

Ocala, FL (March 20, 2014) – Live from the Live Oak International, tune your radio dial in to Friday and Saturday morning broadcasts bringing Ocala the most interesting characters and champions competing this weekend at Florida horse country’s most prestigious annual tradition.

On Friday, March 21, WOCA Radio 96.3FM/1370AM will air “Horse Sense” presented by the Equine Alliance of Marion County live 9:30 a.m.to 11:00 a.m. with news talk show hosts Joe Martone and Crystal Fernung.

On Saturday morning, NBC Sports Radio 100.1FM/900AM will broadcast “Horsetalk” presented by Tack Shack of Ocala, live from Live Oak from 8 a.m. to 9 a.m. with host Louisa Barton.  Or listen live online anywhere at floridasportstalk.fm.

Wake up with some of the most famous horses and horsemen in the world as Ocala’s favorite morning radio hosts take you behind the scenes with the competition, talk with its defending champions, and learn about the horses, athletes and local volunteers who make Live Oak International one of the most important Ocala events of the year.

The Live Oak International CAI/CSI-W 2*, now through Sunday, March 23, at Live Oak Plantation is hosting 2012 British Olympic Team Gold Medalist Ben Maher, 2012 Olympic Bronze Medalist Cian O’Connor, Olympian McLain Ward, 10-time National Four-in-Hand Champion Chester Weber, and the Super Bowl’s world-famous Budweiser Clydesdales. Live Oak also was selected by the U.S. Equestrian Federation (USEF) to host Ocala’s only 2014 Showjumping World Cup qualifier.

For more information on the Live Oak International please visit www.liveoakinternational.com.  Follow Horsetalk, presented by Tack Shack of Ocala, on NBC Sports Radio at floridasportstalk.fm.

For more information contact:
Damian Guthrie
561 290 9668
Live Oak International
www.liveoakinternational.com
info@liveoakinternational.com

Dressage, Driving, JRPR

Chester Weber, Suzy Stafford Take Early Leads Following Yellowframe Farm FEI Driven Dressage

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Chester Weber and his team during the Yellowframe Farm FEI Driven Dressage. (Photo courtesy of PicsofYou.com)

Ocala, FL (March 20, 2013) – The 2014 Live Oak International is underway, bringing the best competitors in show jumping and combined driving to Live Oak Plantation in Ocala, Florida.  The prestigious competition, considered the premier combined driving event in North America, was favored with flawless weather and a strong showing of appreciative spectators as the equestrian extravaganza began.

Wednesday opened with FEI Horse Inspections for the Combined Driving Event (CDE) whose modern roots trace to 1968 when Britain’s Prince Philip, then-president of the Federation Equestre Internationale (FEI), initiated the formulation of international rules for a sport performed by countless generations around the world.

The first phase of the CAI Live Oak International kicked off Thursday morning at 9am with the FEI driven dressage (from the French word, ‘to train’) that tested each driver and team with a prescribed sequence of movements, driven from memory, and executed within the parameters of lettered markers around the arena.

“Today was great sport and I have high hopes for the rest of the weekend,” said Chester Weber.  Facing a roster of challengers from the United States and Canada, defending Four-in-Hand champion Weber is seeded first (78.1%) in the FEI Four-in-Hand Horse USEF National Championship sponsored by Ariat with a better than 10-point lead ahead of closest contender and last year’s Pair Horse champion at Live Oak, Misdee Wrigley-Miller (67.5%). Proving once again why his crisp presentation and accuracy have earned Weber the nickname, Mr. Dressage, judges Skar, Turbe, Counsell, Nicoli and Christ all scored him handily (35.02 points) for this first of three deciding phases.

USA driver Suzy Stafford leads in the FEI Single Horse division, with a 74.3% top score ahead of closest contender, Leslie Berndl’s (USA) 71.9%.  Stafford trained for a career as a dressage and combined training instructor before a leg injury ended her riding career but became a boon to American combined driving.  In 2001, she began working with seven-time US National Pair Driving champion Lisa Singer and has since become one of the most respected lady whips in the world, as well as a top contender for Live Oak’s Single Horse driving crown.

During the lunch break, the Budweiser Clydesdales put on an impressive display with their six-in-hand, a remarkable spectacle that will be repeated on Saturday before the $50,000 Live Oak International CSI**-W Grand Prix.  Ten-time National Four-in-Hand champion, Chester Weber, who is hosting the equestrian extravaganza at his family’s Live Oak Plantation, was first introduced to driving taking the reins of Clydesdale horses.

USA drivers currently seeded first include Tracey Morgan, who leads (70.5%) the FEI Single Pony sponsored by Hillcroft Farm; Boots Wright leads in Intermediate Pair Pony (74.3%). Wiebe Dragstra is at the top in the Intermediate Pair Horse (73.3%), as is Steve Wilson and his Lipizzaners in the FEI Pair Horse (67.6%).

Germany’s Carola Slater-Diener closes the first day of competition as its highest-placed international entry, leading (64.7%) the FEI Pair Pony, sponsored by Hillcroft Farm, ahead of US driver Jennifer Matheson (64%).

As glorious as any competing team was the special lunchtime appearance of the stars of the Super Bowl TV commercials:  the Budweiser Clydesdales.  More than 16 tons of groomed horses and gleaming tack, hitched to a vintage Studebaker beer wagon, drew waves of fans of all ages as they effortlessly figure-eighted their way around the arena.

Thursday will open with the FEI Horse Inspection for show jumping horses and the Driving Marathon Course Inspection, followed by the Competitor’s Welcome event at 6pm.

Friday promises to be a day of exciting competition, offering the Intermediate Driven Dressage, the $5,000 1.30m Joan Pletcher Realty Power and Speed class, and $10,000 Waldron Wealth Welcome Stake.

Admission is $10 at the gate for adults and $5 for seniors and children under 12. It is strongly recommended that spectators bring lawn chairs. Concessions and a Vendor Village will be open during the entire competition. Tailgating is available for the Driving Marathon Saturday. To reserve a tailgating space contact 352-207-3615.

For more information on Live Oak International, including a full schedule of events, visit their website at www.liveoakinternational.com. Listen to live radio broadcasts on Friday morning, 9:30-11 a.m. on WOCA 96.3FM/1370AM and Saturday morning, 8-9 a.m. on NBC Sports Radio 100.1FM/900AM.

For more information contact:
Damian Guthrie
561 290 9668
Live Oak International
www.liveoakinternational.com
info@liveoakinternational.com

*Featured/Spotlights, Breeds, Driving

World Famous Budweiser Clydesdales to Make Appearances at 2014 Live Oak International

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Super Bowl commercial stars and heralds of American equestrian tradition, the Budweiser Clydesdales will be performing at the 2014 Live Oak International. (Photo courtesy of Budweiser)

Ocala, FL (March 13, 2014) – The ‘biggest’ TV commercial celebrities horse lovers have ever known – the world famous Budweiser Clydesdales – will make public guest appearances during the Live Oak International CDE/CSI2*W, March 19-23, at Live Oak Plantation, the 5,000-acre Ocala, Florida equestrian estate of Charlotte Weber and home of 10-time National Four-in-Hand Driving Champion Chester Weber.

Tri-Eagle Sales, the local Anheuser-Busch distributor, has arranged for the mighty feathered team to visit Ocala in conjunction with their sponsorship of Live Oak International.

The Budweiser Clydesdales will appear at the Live Oak International on Thursday, March 20 and Saturday March 22.  Following a 45 minute hitching session where fans are welcome to watch, ask questions and take photos, the 8 horse hitch team will put on a driving demonstration.  On Saturday they will be positioned with the stunning back drop of Live Oak Plantation for photo ops and beer tasting from the wagon.

This year’s NFL Super Bowl marked the second consecutive year – and 12th time in 14 years – that Anheuser-Busch earned one of the most coveted honors in American advertising, USA TODAY’s consumer-judged Ad Meter for Super Bowl Commercials, with the spot, ‘Puppy Love,’ featuring a feisty, round-bellied puppy smitten by a friendly Clydesdale draft horse.

Producing the award-winning ad, whose popularity ignited a viral frenzy on YouTube, involved 17 Clydesdale horses and eight Golden Labrador puppies, and was created by ad agency, Anomaly. Horse and dog owners avidly shared both the Puppy Love commercial and its behind-the-scenes look at the making of the video. See both links here:

Puppy Love commercial: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uQB7QRyF4p4

Puppy Love behind-the-scenes: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6mXTklvnGYo

Today’s Budweiser Clydesdales belong to an historic breed whose19th century origins trace to Scotland’s valley or “dale” of Lanarkshire along the River Clyde.  A wealthy landowner, the Duke of Hamilton, imported six Great Flemish Horses. Known as war horses and for farm work, the Great Horses were crossed with Scottish mares and soon people outside Lanarkshire were referring to the powerful giants with graceful feathered legs as Clydesman’s horses or simply, Clydesdales.

In the early days of American beermaking, a brewer’s success hinged on how far his horses could pull a load in a day. Clydesdales, capable of pulling loads heavier than a ton at a walking speed of five miles per hour, became the unrivalled harness horse of choice for the brewing industry.

To qualify for a place on today’s world-famous eight-horse hitch, a Budweiser Clydesdale must meet size, color, and disposition requirements including standing 18 hands (about six feet) at the shoulder when mature and weighing approximately 2,000 pounds.

All Budweiser Clydesdales are geldings and must be true bay in color, with a black mane and tail, four white stockings and a blaze.  A “gentle giant” temperament is also essential to each hitch horse’s role as an equine ambassador meeting millions of horse-loving fans annually.

Harnessing 16 tons of horseflesh usually takes 45 minutes. The wheel horses, the team’s strongest, are harnessed first and closest to the wagon, followed by the body, swing, and lead teams.  Each Clydesdale is then individually hitched to their iconic red, white and gold 1903 Studebaker-built beer wagon.  After all eight horses are hitched, their driver will adjust lines (reins), weighing 40 pounds and that, once taut, can top out at well over 75 pounds.

Chester Weber, the 2013 Four-in-Hand National Champion, got his start driving Clydesdales when he was only ten years old at Live Oak.  In decades past, his family hosted and organized one of the largest draft horse shows in Ocala, and the gentle giants will always have a place in his heart.  Coincidentally the last Clydesdale sold by Weber went to Budweiser’s St. Louis hitch, and Live Oak Plantation has a long history of success and championships with Clydesdales.

Live Oak International’s biggest equestrian celebrities will be joined during the event by some of today’s brightest equestrian athletes, including 2012 British Olympic team Gold medalist Ben Maher, 2012 Olympic Bronze Medalist Cian O’Connor, and Olympian McLain Ward.  With over 40 entries representing 12 countries, this year’s Live Oak International CSI-W 2* is also a qualifying event for the American Invitational on April 5, being held for the first time in Miami. Two-time Olympic show jumping course designer Leopoldo Palacios will again design the course for Live Oak International’s John Deere grand prix grass field.

True to its roots, the Live Oak International will host world-class combined driving, including the 2014 National Four-in-Hand Championship where 10-time National Champion Chester Weber will defend his title.  Driving fans can still count on the most precise, most beautifully turned-out, and most bold pony and horse teams competing here.

Live Oak International is America’s first event to bring world-class show jumping together with world-class combined driving at one venue at one time. Elegant marathon tailgating, trend-setting boutiques at the Vendor Village, a Kids Zone featuring a bounce house, and Charles Owen Competitors Club will further assure that every LOI attendee will find an event and experience sure to please.

Admission is $10 per person, $5 for children under 12, with proceeds benefiting the Marion County Therapeutic Riding Association.  For more information on the Live Oak International, including VIP Hospitality seating and sponsorship opportunities, please visit www.liveoakinternational.com.

For more information contact:

Johnny Robb
561 290 9668
johnnyrobb@mac.com

Kristen Black
850 544 9238
kblack@tallbud.com

*Featured/Spotlights, Breeds

The Budweiser Clydesdales Are Visiting the Kentucky Horse Park!

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Photo courtesy of Steve Faust

Now through Wednesday, October 24, park guests may see the magnificent Budweiser Clydesdales up close and personal, along with their ever-present Dalmatian buddies and human crew in the historic Big Barn.

On Sunday, October 21, these horses will make an appearance in full hitch at the Horses of the World Show at 2:00 pm.

Don’t miss this rare opportunity to see the Budweiser Clydesdales during their short layover in Lexington.

For visitor information, the public may contact the Kentucky Horse Park at (859)233-4303 or (800)678-8813 or info@kyhorsepark.com.

Media contact:  Lisa Jackson, (859)259-4224, lisa.jackson@ky.gov

Competitions, Events, Hunter/Equitation, Show Jumping

Hot Wheels Rolls to Victory with Darragh Kerins in $8,000 G&C Farm 1.45m Jumpers

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Darragh Kerins (IRL) and Hot Wheels won the $8,000 G&C Farm 1.45m Jumpers. Photo © Sportfot

Wellington, FL – February 1, 2012 – The FTI Consulting Winter Equestrian Festival welcomed exhibitors for the fourth week of competition, which starts today and goes through Sunday, February 5. In the opening class in the International Arena, Darragh Kerins (IRL) guided Hot Wheels to victory in the $8,000 G&C Farm 1.45m Jumpers.

Week four of the FTI WEF runs February 1-5, and is sponsored by Adequan. The Budweiser Clydesdales will be making two appearances at the FTI WEF this week. The first will be before the $80,000 Adequan Grand Prix, CSI 2* on Saturday, February 4, and again on Sunday, February 5 before the Suncast 1.50m Championship Jumper Classic. The 2012 FTI Winter Equestrian Festival has 12 weeks of competition that conclude on April 1, 2012, and they will be awarding more than $6 million in prize money through the circuit.

Continue reading Hot Wheels Rolls to Victory with Darragh Kerins in $8,000 G&C Farm 1.45m Jumpers →