Tag Archives: dressage

*Featured/Spotlights, Competitions, Dressage, Events

A Week of Poetry in Motion Concludes at Dressage at Devon

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October 2, 2011 (Devon, PA) – More than 35,000 spectators enjoyed the equine entertainment and education provided by more than 700 horses (and their riders) at this year’s Dressage at Devon.

Tuesday through Thursday featured the breed division in which young horses, from weanlings to six-year-olds, shown both in-hand and under saddle, had their day in the sun (or in the rain depending on the time of day).  Friskiness dominated the younger classes as their handlers worked hard to show off their charges.

The open breed class – the largest in the world – featured many of the horses that are likely to become the dressage stars of the future. Stunning young horses that wowed the crowd included Radiance HVBH, a Hanoverian by Rotspon out of EM Whitney claimed the USDF/Great American Insurance Group Mare Championships; Innverness, by Parabol out of Parelex who won the Stallions 4 Years and Older and Felix, a 4-year-old Oldenberby who won the Materiale Champtionship after coming in second in the USEF Materiale 4 and 5 Year Old Stallions and Gelding class.  EM Rheporter, by Shakespeare RSF, meeting stiff competition, earned first place in both the Mare Championship and the Mature Horse Championship.

It goes without saying that the people at Dressage at Devon love horses. But then there are breeders who have chosen to specialize in a particular breed.  Each has their own reasons for their choice and each is passionate. The individual classes showed off the beauty of 20 breeds including the Warmblood Horse of Trakehner Origin, the German Oldenburg Verband, Morgan, Rheinland Pfalz-Saar International, Haflinger and Cleveland Bay.

Continue reading A Week of Poetry in Motion Concludes at Dressage at Devon →

*Featured/Spotlights, Competitions, Dressage, Events

Wizard Conjures Up His Second Grand Prix Win at Dressage at Devon

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Adrienne Lyle and Wizard

October 1, 2011 (Devon, PA) – Dressage enthusiasts wait all year for Dressage at Devon where professional riders from around the world compete in the Dixon Oval and Gold Ring. Eagerly awaited, however, is the talent and experience shown in the Saturday classes – providing the standards for which dressage riders strive.

The Next Generation

Tanya Strasser-Shostak, from St. Adele Canada, and her 6-year-old Reserve Champion Oldenburg stallion, Cappuccino Tyme, teamed for a win in the FEI Pony Team Test CDN. This test, among other things, challenges rider and pony with a six-loop serpentine on a counter canter. A family affair, Tanya’s mother Evi Strasser bought Cappuccino Tyme when he was three and has worked with Tanya to help her train him. Given his youth, Tanya was pleased with Cappucino Tyme’s performance and ability to focus despite the distractions of Devon. “He was really good considering this was his first big show,” she said.

Other juniors had also had their day. Nicolas Torres Rodriguez, originally from Columbia, executed a blue-ribbon ride on Silver Label, a 14-year-old Swedish Warmblood owned by Michael Shondel. The gray gelding is by Rambo out of Nicca.  “It’s fantastic to be here and to win. It’s beyond what I expected,” said Rodriguez, smiling.

Continue reading Wizard Conjures Up His Second Grand Prix Win at Dressage at Devon →

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

The Final Round of America’s Favorite Equestrian Is Underway. Vote for Your Favorite!

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WESTPORT, CT – October 1, 2011 – The results of Round 4 of America’s Favorite Equestrian are in. Three equestrians in each of the eight disciplines that participated in the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games have moved onto the Final Round.

“America’s Favorite Equestrian is an innovative and contemporary concept designed to engage the equestrian community,” said John Long, CEO, United States Equestrian Federation (USEF). “It is an exciting project to be a part of because the proceeds benefit so many worthy causes supported by The EQUUS Foundation.”

“Like any new program, getting the word out is always a challenge”, said Lynn Coakley, President, The EQUUS Foundation. “We hope that the America’s Favorite Equestrian program will help us build grass roots support within the equestrian community to improve the quality of life of horses and promote the use of horses to enrich the lives of those in need. A $5 donation multiplied by the many who already know the magical and powerful impact of horses in our lives will go a long way.”

Who Will Win?
Voting ends on October 31, 2011. America’s Favorite Equestrians will be selected based on the athletes with the highest number of votes recorded in each of the eight disciplines.

This is it! Keep Voting! All it takes is a $5 gift to The EQUUS Foundation to insure that your favorite is America’s favorite. Click here to see the equestrian entries and to vote.

Continue reading The Final Round of America’s Favorite Equestrian Is Underway. Vote for Your Favorite! →

*Featured/Spotlights, Competitions, Dressage, Events, Media/Radio/TV Sources

Performance Division Off to a Running Start at Dressage at Devon

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Guy McLean

September 30, 2011 (Devon, Pa.) – Spectators at Dressage at Devon today had the chance to listen to step by step commentary provided by Dressage experts on Dressage at Devon Radio. This year’s event benefits from an expanded field of notable experts who are willing to share an insider’s perspective, adding engagement and enhancing interest for all levels of spectators. For the riders, experienced and novice alike, the educational opportunity is invaluable, as the listener gains real-time insight into the thought process of the judges.

“We call the ability to bring this type of event-based broadcast to individual spectators ‘edu-tainment’,” said Don Costanza, partner in the Fort Wayne, Indiana-based FLR Group. “It is well received by spectators because it brings an extra dimension to their experience.” The FLR Group provides the technology and the radios to make Dressage at Devon radio a reality.

Costanza was eager to express his appreciation for Dressage at Devon. ‘’We work with venues all over the country, but Devon has a special place in our hearts. The people are personable, friendly, and professional. This is one of the coolest places to be! We are humbled and honored to be invited back every year.”

Guy McLean, a Special Attraction

During the day, and continuing on throughout Saturday and Sunday, spectators will enjoy the incredible performances of Guy McLean. Guy and his equine partners – Hope, Seuel, Pride, and Spinnaby – have performed all over the world, winning the hearts and minds of thousands of equestrian fans. Guy was first seated on a horse at the tender age of 16 months and began training horses seriously at age 15. When asked how he accomplishes amazing equestrian feats, he uses two words: devotion and dedication. He simply wants to be the best equestrian he can be.

Continue reading Performance Division Off to a Running Start at Dressage at Devon →

Dressage, Eventing/H.T., FEI, Olympic Games, Show Jumping

Three Hundred Days to London 2012

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Lausanne (SUI), 1 October 2011 – Today, 1 October 2011, marks 300 days to go to the 2012 London Olympic Games where equestrian sport will celebrate its centenary on the Olympic Programme.

So far, teams and individual riders from 18 nations have qualified to compete in the three Olympic equestrian disciplines of Jumping, Dressage and Eventing.

Australia, Belgium, Brazil, Canada, Denmark, Egypt, France, Germany, Japan, The Netherlands, New Zealand, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Syria, Ukraine and the USA will compete alongside host nation Great Britain.

To date, Germany and Sweden join host nation Great Britain in having qualified teams in all three disciplines.

In just two weeks, eyes will be turning to the 16th Pan-American Games (14 to 29 October) in Guadalajara (MEX), which will host team qualifiers for FEI Olympic Groups D (North America) and E (South and Central America). Two nations from these groups which have not yet qualified will be able to secure their spot in Eventing and Dressage and three teams will qualify in Jumping.

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*Featured/Spotlights, Breeds, Competitions, Dressage, Events

Dressage at Devon Breed Division Wraps Up as Performance Classes Begin on Day 3

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September 29, 2011 (Devon, PA) – It goes without saying that the people at Dressage at Devon – competitors and spectators alike – love horses.  But then there are the breeders that have chosen to specialize in a particular breed. All breeders have their own reasons for their choices.

L. Hunter Wilson, owner, trainer and rider from Margaux Tip LLC, based in Martinsburg, West Virginia, loves her Cleveland Bays.  The breed originated in England, where they were used for carriages and as fox hunters – in fact, they pulled the carriages to the hunt, did the hunt, and pulled them home again.

Wilson and her husband have bred Cleveland Bays for 12 years.  “My husband had a mare that was half Cleveland Bay and he fell in love with them – he made it his personal passion.  And passion is important with this breed.  Today it is estimated that there are only about 250 breedable pureblood Cleveland Bay mares in the world.

Another crowd-pleaser is the Haflinger – a relatively small horse, always a flaxen chestnut in color with distinctive gaits. The breed traces its ancestry to the Middle Ages and there are several theories for the breed’s origin.  But today, Chelsea Deephouse, Assistant Trainer at Dreamfield Manor Farm in Coopersburg, PA, just knows that she loves the breed.  “They’re smart and kind,” she said, pointing out that she has evented and done hunter classes as well as dressage – and done will – with her horses.

The individual classes showed off the beauty of 20 breeds including the Warmblood Horse of Trakehner Origin, the German Oldenburg Verband, Morgan, Rheinland Pfalz-Saar International, and even Spanish Mustangs.  And the day was not over yet as Dressage at Devon moved into the Performance Division.

Continue reading Dressage at Devon Breed Division Wraps Up as Performance Classes Begin on Day 3 →

*Featured/Spotlights, Championships, Competitions, Dressage, Driving, Events, FEI, JRPR

Pony Team USA Drives to Team and Individual Bronze Medal at the 2011 FEI Pony Driving World Championships

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Chef d’Equipe Chester Weber (far left) with Pony Team USA at the 2011 World Pony Driving Championships in Lipica, Slovenia. (Photo courtesy of Marie de Ronde-Oudemans)

Lipica, Slovenia (September 30, 2011) – The United States’ reputation as a force to be reckoned with in the sport of combined driving just got stronger thanks to a stellar performance at the 2011 FEI Pony World Driving Championships.  After the marathon, the US Pony Team was placed third and they defended that finish through the cones, bringing home the Team Bronze Medal.  Their total of 402.3 earned them the medal behind Germany with a 359.4 and The Netherlands with a 375.4.  Suzy Stafford, who was competing as an individual for the United States, brought home her second consecutive Individual Bronze Medal after a brilliant cones phase boosted her from fourth to third.  Stafford won an Individual Bronze Medal in Germany in 2009 and an Individual Gold Medal at the 2005 World Pony Driving Championships in England.

Chef d’Equipe Chester Weber was pleased with the US Teams’ successes.  “The single Pony and Pony Pairs and pony teams all put in excellent performances here in Lipica,” Weber stated.  “Team Bronze is a fantastic achievement for the Pony Team, and is highlighted by Stafford’s Individual Bronze Medal.  The Pairs Team also had a great show, and both Teams gained invaluable experience showing and training on the international level.”

Weber, who finished second in the FEI World Cup Standings this year for Four-in-Hand Combined Driving, also served as Chef d’Equipe for the Pony Team in 2007 and 2009, and this was his first year as Chef for the Pairs Teams.  Weber is a seasoned international competitor in the Four-in-Hand, and returned to the States to win the US Four-in-Hand Reserve National Championship.  While competing in Europe he was mentored by the US Four-in-Hand Chef d’Equipe, Ed Young.  “I have been working with Ed since 2006, and with Michael Young, the Team Coach, since 1998,” Weber said.  “We were determined to use our knowledge and experience to improve the US Pony and Pairs Teams, and I think we did just that.  My hopes were that we could create a medal finish for the US while exposing our drivers to the sport at the highest level and increasing their depth of experience.  Clearly the standings for both Teams and Suzy Stafford medaling in the individual competition are a mark of our success.”

For more information on the US Pairs and Pony Team and results from Lipica, visit http://usefnetwork.com/featured/2011DrivingWorldChampionships/. For more information on Weber and his combined driving team, visit their website at www.chesterweber.com.

For more information contact:
Chester Weber
chester@chesterweber.com
www.chesterweber.com
1-352-895-1139

Competitions, Dressage, Events

Last Minute Plans Change the Course of Events at the Dressage at Devon Grand Championship

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September 28, 2011 (Devon, PA) – The world-famous Breed Division at Dressage at Devon continued today.  With some of the most stunning horses from around the world competing, it was Rheporter, Dazzle, Rabiola and Doctor Wendell MF who treated spectators to the final feast for the eyes, floating around the Dixon Oval as they competed for top honors in the Grand Championship.

It was déjà vu when Rabiola won the Four-Year-Old and Older Broodmare’s class.  The mare by Metall out of Fabiola by Zadok took home the same honor in 2010.

The Born in the U.S.A. Breeders Awards were started in 2003 to recognize and reward the achievements of American sport horse breeders.  Horses conceived and foaled in the U.S. are eligible for the fourteen different categories. The High Point winner for the Born in the U.S.A. was Sterlicht GGF owned by Rachel Ehrlich, followed by Reserve Champion Duet MF, owned by Maryanna Haymon.

Radiance HVH, a Hanoverian by Rotspon out of EM Whitney and bred and owned by High Valley Hanovarians in Suches, Georgia, claimed the USDF/Great American Insurance Group Mare Championship.  Earlier in the day she had won the USEF Materiale for 4- and 5-year-old Mares and the 4- and 5-year-old Maiden and Yeld Mare class. Innverness, by Parabol out of Parelez, who was bred by Hilltop Farm and owned by Ursula Ferrier, was the winner of the Stallions 4 Years and Older.

Continue reading Last Minute Plans Change the Course of Events at the Dressage at Devon Grand Championship →

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

Land Rover Awards $50,000 in Performance Grants to the Land Rover U.S. Eventing Team

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Tiana Coudray and Ringwood Magister. Photo: www. stockimageservices. com

After a hugely successful early fall campaign for the Land Rover U.S. Eventing Team, six riders will receive Land Rover Performance Grants based on their performance at the 2011 Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials or the 2011 Fidelity Blenheim Palace International Horse Trials.

2011 Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials (CCI4*) – Northampton, UK
Boyd Martin led the American effort with the Neville Bardos Syndicate’s Neville Bardos at the Burghley CCI4*. The pair finished seventh, earning a $10,000 Land Rover Performance Grant in addition to the $15,000 base grant which they received prior to their trip to the UK as part of the Land Rover Competition and Training Grant initiative. Their $10,000 Land Rover Performance Grant was based on their top 10% finish at a CCI4*.

“It was fantastic gesture for Land Rover to reward Neville with the $10,000 bonus thanks to his top finish at Burghley,” said Martin. “A huge international trip like this amounts to thousands of dollars in expenses, and this performance grant will be going directly toward offsetting a lot of the costs for Neville’s trip to England. Land Rover has absolutely made my dream of competing at Burghley a reality with their grants.”

Sinead Halpin rode Manoir de Carneville to a 15th place finish at the Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials and will receive a $5,000 Land Rover Performance Grant for their top 20% finish at a CCI4*. Halpin’s trip to her first European CCI4* was funded by the USET Foundation’s Jacqueline Mars Grant.

2011 Fidelity Blenheim Palace International Horse Trials (CCI3*) – Woodstock, UK
Tiana Coudray jumped up to a second place finish with Ringwood Magister at the Blenheim CCI3*, marking a return to form for the California combination. They will receive a $10,000 Land Rover Performance Grant based on their top 10% finish. Clark Montgomery and Loughan Glen finished fifth and Will Faudree and Pawlow were eighth, which also marked a top 10% finish for both combinations. They will also receive an additional $10,000. Both Faudree and Montgomery received Land Rover Competition and Training Grants to fund their trip, as did Phillip Dutton, who finished 12th on Mighty Nice. Dutton and Mighty Nice finished in the top 20% at Mighty Nice’s first CCI3*, meaning that they receive a $5,000 Land Rover Performance Grant.

Disciplines, Dressage, Jane Savoie, Training/Clinics

Motivation from Moshi 78, by Jane Savoie

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I’m a people whisperer. A Moshi Level Five People Whisperer, to be exact. Fellow horses come to me when they are confused by their people and ask what their person really meant by their crazy people language. These poor confused horses say things like, “my person says she’s the boss when on my back by directing where we go, but then moves her feet and backs away from me on the ground, which says I’m the boss instead of her. I’m confused!”

I remind them that people have a different language than we do, and we horses need to learn to be “people whisperers.” That means we have to do our best to learn to listen to human commands with our ears, and to ignore the loud body language people scream at us. It’s very hard for us to do, as we naturally listen to body language much more readily than noise. People are very confusing and incongruent to equines, and sometimes the mixed signals make us a bit crazy.

To help, I am posting this message to all my horse friends:

Dear fellow equine: When your human freely gives you lots of treats or lets you push her around with your nose, that means she loves you, not that you’re her boss. I know it is uncomfortable and confusing because to you this behavior means you’re in charge, but you need to learn to tolerate this and not take over. Try not to get confused when she then turns around and asks you to yield your feet to her direction and control.

Continue reading Motivation from Moshi 78, by Jane Savoie →