Tag Archives: dressage

Dressage, FEI, Para-Equestrian

FEI General Assembly Opens in Rio de Janeiro (BRA)

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Rio de Janeiro (BRA), 11 November 2011 – The Federation Equestre Internationale (FEI) General Assembly opened in Rio de Janeiro (BRA) today with a meeting of the FEI Bureau, the first in four days of meetings culminating in the General Assembly on Monday 14 November.

At its meeting today, the Bureau unanimously agreed to a proposal from the Dressage Committee to withdraw the proposed addition to Article 430.7.6: evidence of blood in the arena, in order to allow the Veterinary Committee to study the issue from a horse welfare perspective.

The Veterinary Committee has been asked to propose a general rule, in consultation with the various disciplines, that is valid and applicable for all FEI disciplines. This will be discussed at the FEI Sports Forum in April 2012 as part of the Veterinary Regulations revision, for adoption by the General Assembly in 2012 and implementation on 1 January 2013.

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Community/Charity, Dressage, FEI

In Memoriam: Wolfgang Niggli (SUI)

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Wolfgang Niggli, one of the most eminent figures in international Dressage, is remembered for his services to the international equestrian community © Elisabeth Weiland

Lausanne (SUI), 8 November 2011 – Wolfgang Niggli (SUI), one of the most eminent figures in international Dressage, passed away on Sunday 30 October at the age of 89.

Wolfgang Niggli won his first junior Dressage competition in 1937. He went on to compete in Jumping as a teenager and rode in Steeplechases before studying engineering at the Zurich Technological Institute and becoming a part-time riding officer in the Swiss cavalry.

In 1947, he took the opportunity of being based close to France’s prestigious military equestrian school in Fontainebleau to perfect his riding and competed in many Jumping and Dressage competitions, as well as Steeplechasing.

After working in the USA for several years as an engineer, Wolfgang Niggli returned to Switzerland where he became Vice President (Construction) of the North Eastern Swiss Power Company, but still found time to indulge his passion for equestrian sport.

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Dressage, Events, Olympic Games, Training/Clinics, USEF

USEF and USET Foundation Set to Host Six Olympic Games Preparation Dressage Clinics

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Anne Gribbons at a 2011 Training Session (Photo: USEF Archives)

Lexington, KY – Beginning in December, the USEF and USET Foundation will host six Olympic Games Preparation Dressage training sessions/clinics. Riders will have the unique opportunity to work with USEF Technical Advisor Anne Gribbons and U.S. Olympic, World Equestrian Games and Pan American Games medalist Steffen Peters. These clinics will focus on preparing potential team riders for the 2012 Olympic Games Selection Trials and Olympic Games.

The clinics are by invitation only, based on criteria set forth by the USEF High Performance Dressage Committee and concentrating on athlete/horse combinations with international competition experience and the prospect of contributing to a Team or Individual medal at the 2012 Olympic Games. For more information please see the USEF website. Clinics will take place December 2011 – April 2012 with three being held in California and three in Florida.

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Community/Charity, Dressage, Driving, Endurance Riding, EQUUS Foundation, Eventing/H.T., National Horse Show, Para-Equestrian, Show Jumping, USEF, Vaulting, Western/Reining

2011 America’s Favorite Equestrians – and the Winners Are…

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WESTPORT, CT – November 5, 2011 – Jenny Belknap Kees, Chairman of the Board of The EQUUS Foundation and John Long, President of the United States Equestrian Federation, announced “America’s Favorite Equestrians” for 2011representing the disciplines of Driving, Dressage, Endurance, Eventing, Jumping, Para-Dressage, Reining and Vaulting at their Victory Celebration on Friday, November 4, 2011, at the Alltech National Horse Show in Lexington, Kentucky.

The program was established by the two organizations to recognize the heroes in our equestrian sport and to build grass roots support within the equestrian community for the many worthy causes supported by The EQUUS Foundation on behalf of horse welfare and the people who benefit from the horse’s unique ability to empower, teach and heal.

“One of the best actions we have taken in recent years is to partner with The EQUUS Foundation,” said John Long. “We look forward to continuing to build our relationship in the future.”

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Championships, Competitions, Dressage, Driving, Events, USEF

Sterling Graburn Leads after Dressage Phase at USEF National Single Horse Championship at Katydid

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Lexington, KY – An exciting day of dressage in Aiken, SC, showcased some of the very best in the U.S. vying for USEF National Single Horse Championship honors at the Katydid CDE.

After all but one of 19 horses passed inspection – Wilson Groves’ UVM Worthy was deemed unfit to compete – Sterling Graburn (Georgetown, KY) drove to the lead in Friday’s dressage competition phase, on a score of 43.09. Kate Shields (Middleburg, VA) was in second on a score of 45.87 followed by Olof Larsson (Ocala, FL) who finished on a score of 46.72.

A fairly new event in the growing driving community of Aiken, this marks the first USEF National Championship held at Katydid.

The drivers will now turn their focus to Saturday’s marathon which begins at 9 a.m. ET.

Complete results are available at: http://drivingnews.us/results/results2011/Katydid/KD11-Dressage100.pdf.

Visit www.USEFNetwork.com for photos, articles and information about the U.S. drivers throughout the event.

For more information on combined driving programs please contact Elizabeth Staller at estaller@usef.org.

Competitions, Dressage, Events

Equestrian Sport Productions to Host Dressage at Holiday and Horses Competition

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Wellington, FL – November 4, 2011 – Equestrian Sport Productions (ESP) is pleased to announce the addition of dressage to this year’s Fall Circuit at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center (PBIEC). Dressage at Holiday and Horses will be held November 18-20, 2011, at the main show grounds of the PBIEC.

Dressage at Holiday and Horses will be a USEF/USDF Level Two competition. The show will be a Great American Insurance Group/USDF Regional Qualifier and will host classes for the USDF/Dover Adult Amateur Medal Program.

Judges will include William Solynjes ‘S’ and Marlene Schneider ‘S’ with Technical Delegate Linda Lester ‘r’.

“Entries are now open and we look forward to welcoming our dressage friends back to the PBIEC,” said ESP President Michael Stone.

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*Featured/Spotlights, Competitions, Dressage, Eventing/H.T., Events, Pan American Games, Show Jumping, USEF

Ten Medals for Equestrian Team USA at the 2011 Pan American Games

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The U.S. Sweep in Dressage (Photo: Rick Mitchell)

It was an epic adventure in Mexico for the United States Equestrian Federation’s Dressage, Eventing and Jumping Teams. They won a record 10 medals across the three disciplines and cemented a solid foundation for the 2012 Olympic Games.

Bookended by double Gold medalists Steffen Peters, who rode the Hlavacek’s Weltino’s Magic to record scores in the dressage ring at the Guadalajara Country Club, and Christine McCrea, who jumped five immaculate rounds on Windsor Show Stables’ Romantovich Take One at the same venue 10 days later, the U.S. won at every turn.

The dressage team of Peters, Heather Blitz, Marissa Festerling and Cesar Parra got the winning going – they cruised to Team Gold over Canada and Colombia – and then reinforced it with a sweep of the individual medals for Peters, Blitz and Festerling. The standard was extraordinary and with each test, a new challenge was handed over. Personal bests were the order of the day for the freestyles, Blitz and her Paragon made Olympic veteran Peters work for every point, after they wowed the crowd at their first Team Championship. Festerling commandeered a terrific Bronze medal effort out of a very energetic Big Tyme and also stood on the podium for the second time at her first championship.

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Dressage, Para-Equestrian, Training/Clinics

International Dressage Trainer Sabine Rijssenbeek

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Sabine Rijssenbeek coach of Para-Equestrian Eleanor Brimmer at the 2011 USEF Para-Equestrian National Championships in Saugerties, NY. Photo © 2011 Lindsay Y McCall

Tucson, AZ – November 3, 2011 – Warm winters, kind equestrians and the west coast competitions and clinics are what first attracted trainer Sabine Rijssenbeek to Tucson, Arizona.  In 2006 Sabine landed in Phoenix, Arizona to give a clinic at a Dutch breeding facility.  Her impressive background as a rider, manager, and trainer in Holland attracted many competitive equestrians to her clinic. Three months later Sabine was asked back for her second clinic where she met a rider looking for a horse from The Netherlands. It would not be long before Sabine landed in the United States with a horse in hand from the Netherlands and a suitcase to stay for three months in Tucson, Arizona. Sabine became popular for her training skills not only in Arizona but all over the United States including California, Texas, and Minnesota.  Since graduating with a Master’s degree from Deurne University in the Netherlands in 1975, Sabine has worked hard managing and training over 400 horses in Great Britain, Holland, and the United States. Her unique skills in both dressage and show jumping have created exciting professional paths for her including teaching a Para-Equestrian Dressage competitor in FEI events.

“What started as three weeks to help train this horse I brought to Arizona from The Netherlands, turned into a three month stay.  I loved Arizona, I was captivated by the equestrians, and I could not resist the horses; Of course I wanted to stay,” noted Sabine.

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Awards, Breeds, Competitions, Dressage, Events, JRPR, Wellington Classic Dressage

Calamus Interagro Wins Interagro Lusitano High Score Award at Wellington Classic Dressage Autumn Challenge

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Marcel van der Burgh and the Lusitano stallion, Calamus Interagro, won the High Point Lusitano Award at the Wellington Classic Dressage Autumn Challenge Show. (Photo courtesy of JRPR)

Wellington, FL (November 4, 2011) – International rider and trainer Marcel van der Burgh, a native of Holland who now operates out of Loxahatchee, Florida, rode the five-year-old Lusitano stallion Calamus Interagro to the High Score Lusitano Award during the Wellington Classic Dressage Autumn Challenge Show. Sponsored by Interagro Lusitanos, the largest breeder and exporter of Lusitano horses in the world, the High Score Lusitano Award recognizes the highest scoring Lusitano during a dressage competition and highlights the dynamic and competitive Lusitano breed.

Calamus was bred at Interagro Farms in Brazil and imported to the United States during Interagro’s 2011 Lusitano Collection International Horse Auction. The handsome stallion was purchased by a Michigan rider and put into training with van der Burgh. “Calamus is very rideable and easy going, especially for a stallion. I really like the Lusitano breed as they are sensitive but still great for amateurs,” he said. “Our goal with Calamus is to train him up through the levels and have his owner ride and compete him.”

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*Featured/Spotlights, Competitions, Dressage, Events, FEI, Olympic Games

Australia and New Zealand Qualify for 2012 Olympic Dressage

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Lyndal Oatley on Potifar and Mary Hanna on Sancette, both representing Australia, on their lap of honour at the end of the regional Olympic qualifier which finished today at Ermelo (NED). (c) Rinaldo de Craen/FEI

Lausanne (SUI), 2 November 2011 – Australia and New Zealand have qualified for the team Dressage competition at the London 2012 Olympic Games as a result of their performance at the two-part regional qualifier held in Sydney (AUS) on 28 October and in Ermelo (NED) today, 2 November.

Three teams – Australia, New Zealand, and South Africa – were in competition for the two slots available to nations from the FEI Olympic Groups F (Africa and Middle East) and G (South East Asia and Oceania).

Team Australia, consisting of Rachael Sanna/Jaybee Alabaster, Chantal Wigan/Ferero, Lyndal Oatley/Potifar, and Mary Hanna/Sancette, scored an average result of 69.255% (team total 207.765%) which put them in the lead at the end of the three-team competition.

Team New Zealand, which was composed of Louisa Hill/Bates Antonello, Vanessa Way/KH Arvan, Nicky Pope/Fabarchie, and Shiwon Green/Gosh, finished second on an average team score of 64.922% (team total 194.767%). Team South Africa, consisting of Zilla Pearse/Sarkozy, Nicole Smith/Victoria, Denise Hallion/Bomond, and Adriaan van Wijk/Othello 216, were a close third with an average score of 63% (team total 188.999%). The complete results are available at this link.

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