Tag Archives: dressage

FEI European Pony Championships 2011, Jaszkowo (POL)

BRITISH, GERMANS AND FRENCH DOMINATE IN POLAND by Louise Parkes

The gold medal winning British Jumping team at the FEI European Pony Championships 2011 in Jaszkowo (POL) - L to R - Graham Babes, Jessica Mendoza, Amy Inglis and Beth Vernon. FEI/Helen Revington.

Lausanne (SUI), 12 August 2011 – British riders took team and individual Jumping gold, Germany claimed two of the three Dressage titles, and France dominated the Eventing competitions at the FEI European Pony Championships 2011 staged at Jaszkowo, Poland from 26 to 31 July.

JUMPING
The Jumping team Championship was an exciting and close-fought affair, with just one fault separating the victorious British from the fighting Irish at the end of the day, while the Dutch were much further adrift when claiming bronze.  The British had the whip hand after the first round with clears from all four riders, and the Irish were five faults in arrears while having to count a single time penalty from Max O’Reilly-Hyland (Rock Dee Jay), and an additional four faults when both Michael Duffy (Kadia Mouche) and anchor Emma O’Dwyer (Jacknell Street) left one on the floor.

But British pathfinder Amy Inglis (Nils D Hurl Vent) picked up 12 faults second time out, and although second-line rider Beth Vernon (Falaza) completed a double-clear, both Graham Babes (Dollar Girl) and Jessica Mendoza (Tixylix) made a single mistake to bring their tally to eight.  Bertram Allen had opened the Irish account with a first-round clear from Acapella Z, but this time they returned with four faults on the board, and despite great second-round clears from both O’Reilly-Hyland and O’Dwyer, they were obliged to count four more when Duffy also made a single error.  That single first-round time fault from O’Reilly-Hyland proved expensive in the final analysis.

The Dutch meanwhile rocketed up from sixth at the halfway stage to take the bronze. Jens Van Grunsven, nephew of dressage legend Anky Van Grunsven (Indorado), recovered from a 12-fault opening round to go clear second time out, Amber Fijen (Winning Mood) picked up five in round one and four next time out, Leon Tine Bruin (Scapa SB) made just a single mistake in round one but collected 17 on his return to the arena and Megan Laseur (Ensilla) followed a five-fault first effort with a clear to leave The Netherlands with a total of 18 faults.

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It’s a Silver Anniversary for FEI European Dressage Championships, but Who Will Take the Gold?

Lausanne (SUI), 11 August 2011 – The FEI European Dressage Championships 2011 will celebrate 25 years of spectacular sport as the action gets underway at the Kralingse Bos arena in Rotterdam (NED) next Wednesday morning.  The world of Dressage has undergone significant change since Switzerland’s Henri Chammartin and Wolfdietrich won the first Individual title in Copenhagen (DEN) IN 1963, and while only 16 riders from eight nations lined out in that inaugural fixture, participation is at an all-time high this time around with 66 competitors from 21 nations and a total of 16 teams vying for the coveted medals.

Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Spain, Estonia, Finland, France, Great Britain, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Russia, Switzerland, Sweden and the Ukraine will all be represented in what promises to be an epic battle over four tough days of competition beginning on 17 August.

INCREASINGLY COMPETITIVE
The FEI European Dressage Championships, as we know them today, emerged from the FEI Grand Prix events that date right back to 1927 and which became increasingly competitive throughout the 1950s.  The winners were often referred to as European Champions, so it came as no surprise when Chammartin, FEI Grand Prix champion in 1955, 1958 and again in 1959, claimed gold at the first official FEI European Dressage Championship four years later. In fact he was a double-medallist in 1963, also taking bronze with his second ride Woerman while Germany’s Harry Boldt and Remus finished in silver-medal position.

Two years further on, in 1965, the first Team Championship took place in which the three Dressage powers of the time – Germany, Switzerland and the Soviet Union – finished in that order while Chammartin won his second Individual title.  The great Swiss rider, who recently passed away at the age of 92, also competed in five consecutive Olympic Games between 1952 and 1968 and collected five Olympic medals including gold in Tokyo in 1964.

Continue reading It’s a Silver Anniversary for FEI European Dressage Championships, but Who Will Take the Gold?

Five Nations Apply to Host 2015 FEI European Championships under New Bid Process

Lausanne (SUI), 9 August 2011 — Organisers from five nations – Belgium, Germany, Great Britain, The Netherlands, and Poland – have applied to stage a European championship for Seniors in one or several FEI disciplines in 2015 under a new bid process launched by the FEI in March of this year. The objective of the new bid process is to raise the profile of the FEI European Championships by selecting candidates able to deliver sporting events of the highest quality.

Aachen, host of the 2006 FEI World Equestrian Games and the famous annual World Equestrian Festival, has expressed interest in the FEI European Championships 2015 in Jumping, Dressage, Eventing, Driving, Vaulting and Reining. The discipline which attracted the highest interest is Eventing, for which no less than five applications have been received.

The bidding process for the 2015 FEI European Championships for Seniors was launched in March 2011 and will run until April 2012. The process consists of two phases. During Phase I, the Applicant Phase which ended on 31 July 2011, applicants were required to indicate which one or more of the European Championships they would be interested in staging and provide information relating to their ability to meet minimum Championship requirements.

Phase II, the Candidate Phase, will begin on 1 September 2011. During the Candidate Phase, candidates will be required to provide greater detail on all aspects of the event. The Championships in the Olympic disciplines of Jumping, Dressage and Eventing will be allocated by the FEI Bureau in April 2012. The successful candidates for the Championships in the non-Olympic disciplines will be announced a year later in April 2013.

Enquiries relating to the bid process should be directed to FEI Legal Counsel Francisco P. Lima (francisco.lima@fei.org).

Media contacts:

Ruth Grundy
Manager Press Relations
ruth.grundy@fei.org
+41 78 750 61 45

Malina Gueorguiev
Manager Press Relations
malina.gueorguiev@fei.org
+41 78 750 61 33

2011 IFSHA World and Grand National Championship Horse Show

Lexington, VA – The 2011 IFSHA Friesian World and Grand National Horse Show will return this year to the East Coast and will for the second time in its history be held at the Virginia Horse Center in Lexington, VA. Hundreds of classes will fill the five days of competition, beginning with dressage on Wednesday judged by Virginian, The Honorable Elizabeth Lewis of Keswick. In addition to classes from Intro through Grand Prix, IFSHA is proud to introduce Western dressage to the schedule this year as one of the Recognized Breed Affiliates of the newly formed Western Dressage Association.

Judging the halter and performance divisions throughout the week will be a “dream team” of United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) women: The Honorable, Sue Burkman, Los Alomos, CA; Nancy Troutman, Salem, VA; and Judith Warner of Asheville, NC, respectively. This panel of three judges will rotate duties as call judge during the show, depending on their specialties and fields of expertise. Joining the talented trio in rotation on the carriage driving classes will be The Honorable ADS Judge Mickey Bowen of Unionville, PA. An open carriage driving division has been added to the show this year to take advantage of our judges skills and encourage local whips to join the fun.

USEF Steward Shirley Nowak and Dressage Technical Delegate Janice Enneking will be available for exhibitors’ questions. Master of Ceremonies Doug Shane of Penrose, CO, will add his golden voice and library of music to assure a festive mood to the event. The management team of Gareth A. Selwood and Nancy Nathanson will once again run the show with their usual flair and are excited to announce that this year the IFSHA Board of Directors has chosen “The Yellow Ribbon Fund” as the official charity to benefit from this year’s show. The Yellow Ribbon Fund was founded in 2005 to help injured service members and their families who are recuperating at Walter Reed Army Medical Center and The Navy Medical Center. A special “Yellow Ribbon” Championship class will be held during the Horse Show on Saturday Night with all entry fees collected from that class donated to the Yellow Ribbon Fund in the name of the winner of that class. It will be sure to be a highlight of the show.

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Piaffe-Performance Team Winning on Two Continents

Piaffe-Performance Students Dominique Cassavetis and Chase Hickok Win Gold and Silver Medals at North American Junior and Young Rider Dressage Championships

Chase Hickok, a student at Piaffe-Performance Farm, riding Palermo at the 2011 USDF/Platinum Performance North American Junior and Young Rider Dressage Championships. (Photo courtesy of Sue Stickle)

Lexington, KY (August 8, 2011) – Dominique Cassavetis and Chase Hickok, students at Cesar Parra’s Piaffe-Performance Farm, mounted the medal podium at the 2011 USDF/Platinum Performance North American Junior and Young Rider Dressage Championships in Lexington, Kentucky, following an intense competition that included not only brilliant performances but severe storms as well. Despite the weather, the staff, friends and family at Piaffe-Performance were all smiles as Cassavetis rode away as part of the Junior Gold Medal winning team from Region 1 and Hickok won the Individual Silver medal in the Young Rider Freestyle and the Individual Bronze in the Young Rider Team test. While his students were winning in North America, Dr. Parra was wrapping up a successful European tour.  Parra and Grandioso, owned by Sara and Michael Davis, racked up impressive wins overseas and proving that they are formidable competition at the international level.

Katie Riley, Senior Trainer at Piaffe-Performance, was thrilled with the young rider’s results. “We are all so proud of Dominique and Chase. They really rose to their fullest potential and showed that they have very bright futures ahead of them,” Riley said. “Dominique was part of the NAJYRC Junior team aboard Charming Princess, and they won the Gold Medal which was absolutely fantastic.”

Hickok piloted Palermo, a 14-year-old Dutch Warmblood, to Individual Bronze in the Young Rider Team test and to Individual Silver medal in the Young Rider Freestyle, earning at 70.725%. “This was our first time to do this freestyle in competition and we rode to Latin-themed music,” Hickok said. “The music is really great because it matches Palermo by having a lot of energy and personality. It also really showed off his gaits. He has the most heart of any horse I’ve known and really does his best for me every day. I also have to thank Katie Riley, for coaching me at the show, as well as Kevin Kohmann and Laura Pradels for their work on my freestyle. But mostly, my parents for their support and encouragement.”

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FEI World Championships for Young Dressage Horses, Verden (GER)

ASTRIX DOES THE DOUBLE, BUT WOODLAND FAROUCHE IS THE SHOW-STEALER by Louise Parkes

The Hannoverian mare Woodlander Farouche, with Michael Eilberg on board, produced spectacular scores to take the 5 Year Old title at the FEI World Championships for Young Dressage Horses 2011. Photo: FEI/Karl-Heinz Freiler.

Lausanne (SUI), 8 August 2011 – Over 50,000 visitors descended on Verden, Germany for the FEI World Championships for Young Dressage Horses 2011 over the weekend as the KWPN stallion, Astrix, claimed his second gold medal in succession with The Netherlands’ Emelie Scholtens on board.  But the sensation of the event was the Hannoverian mare, Woodlander Farouche ridden by Great Britain’s Michael Eilberg, who took the coveted 5 Year Old title with a spectacular score of 9.72%.

Staged in the heart of Lower Saxony, these Championships have long been recognised as the cradle of the equine dressage stars of the future, and this year’s crop of youngsters were a truly exciting bunch.

TALKING POINT
The British-born Woodlander Farouche, bred by Lynne Crowden in Monmouthshire, England, became the talking point of the show when scoring 9.28 to win last Friday’s 5 Year Old Qualifier.  The judges awarded scores of 9.5, 9.2 and 9.7 for trot, canter and walk, and 25 year old Eilberg described the mare, which he has been riding since she was three years old, as “an incredible horse”.  Looking forward to Sunday’s final he added, “There is of course more pressure to come, but it is a good feeling that she has already presented such an outstanding performance. This strengthens the self-confidence of both of us,” he pointed out.

Second place went to Damon’s Divene, daughter of the double World Champion stallion Damon Hill out of a Rubin Royal dam and bred by Christian Becs.  Helen Langehannenberg steered the horse to a final score of 8.76, while two others shared third place.  Belgium’s Tom Franckx-Goen was awarded a mark of 8.64 with the Dutch-bred IPS Bon Bravour, and Germany’s Jessica Michel matched that with the Hannoverian Swing de Hus.

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Lexington Welcomes Dutch Sport Horse Trainer

Lexington, Kentucky — August 6 — Dutch sport horse trainer Arnold Warmels has relocated his Nashville, Tennessee training site to the Horse Capital of the World, Lexington, KY. Warmels came to capture the excitement built from the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games. Warmels and his wife Lisa are both seasoned equestrians and were active in the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games in a variety of aspects.

Warmels’ training center, Fryslan Valley Sport Horses, is located at Blue Stone Farm in Lexington.  Warmels is a Dutch trainer of young sport horses for both dressage and driving and also specializes in Breed Inspection preparation and European Lunging.  He has given clinics worldwide and offers his services for the European horse breeds, for which he also offers translation and import services. Demonstrations, clinics, Keuring preparation, In-Hand services, and lessons are just some of the many dedicated services Warmels offers.

“Arnold is one of the best clinicians I have ever met. His very loving, jovial and authentic nature filled with knowledge made the attendees fulfilled at the end of the day. Each one was commenting about how much they learned and shared how they will implement all of this knowledge in the field. Most of all everyone is ready for an encore session,” Michele Bronson, Phoenix, AZ.

“No matter the discipline preferred for the young horse, we assist owners by giving their horse a strong foundation and education that will last a lifetime and assess his potential for the future,” says Warmels.

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Dressage Debuts at 2012 College Preparatory Invitational

Equestrian Sport Productions Announced as Presenting Sponsor

A flat class at the 2011 CPI at the beautiful show grounds of the PBIEC. Photo Credit: Rolando Conesa.

Wellington, FL – August 3, 2011 – The College Preparatory Invitational (CPI) will add dressage seat classes to the 2012 edition of their event, held January 13-15. Held at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center (PBIEC) in Wellington, FL, this year’s CPI will be a must-attend event for aspiring hunt seat and dressage collegiate riders. You definitely can’t learn this stuff through an online class as dressage requires hands on learning and a careful teacher! The application for the dressage classes is now available online at www.collegeprepinvitational.com and is due by October 1, 2011.

With new dressage seat equitation classes at this year’s competition, the CPI is also excited to welcome six-time dressage Olympian Robert Dover as the judge.

Dover noted, “I was fortunate enough to ride competitively during my university years, but would have loved to have access to a program which included a CPI back then. It will most certainly be of great benefit to Dressage in the United States to have stronger grass roots programs for our young riders.”

Dover believes that collegiate programs for dressage riders are beneficial, and the CPI is a wonderful way to get involved and learn more about riding at school.

“The Intercollegiate Program has always been a great source of continuing training for riders who are at an age when school and riding are difficult to continue simultaneously,” he said. “The addition of a strong program for Dressage will do for our sport what it has done for the hunter/jumpers riders. Using top instructors to work with young riders who are in college will provide for ongoing progress so necessary for talented youth, whether they intend to go on as professionals in the industry or not.”

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The Results Are In for Round 3 of America’s Favorite Equestrian!

WESTPORT, CT – August 2, 2011 – The results of Round 3 of America’s Favorite Equestrian are in. Four equestrians in each of the eight disciplines that participated in the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games have moved onto Round 4.

Who’s In the Lead?
Dressage: Debbie McDonald followed by Steffen Peters, Guenter Seidel and Courtney King-Dye.
Driving: Chester Weber followed by Tucker Johnson, Rochelle Temple and Suzy Stafford.
Endurance: Becky Hart followed by Dave Rabe, Julie Suhr and Bill Wilson.
Eventing: Tiana Coudray followed by Boyd Martin, Kimberly Severson and Phillip Dutton.
Jumping: Anne Kursinski followed by Beezie Madden, Margie Engle and McLain Ward.
Para-Dressage: Jennifer Baker followed by Mary Jordan, Jonathan Wentz and Robin Brueckmann.
Reining: Andrea Fappani followed by Tom McCutcheon, Shawn Flarida and Tim McQuay.
Vaulting: Megan Benjamin followed by Katherine Wick, Devon Maitozo and Ali Divita.

Keep Voting! One more equestrian with the lowest number of votes in each discipline will drop off the list at the end of Round 4 on September 30, 2011. Don’t let it be your favorite! All it takes is a $5 gift to The EQUUS Foundation to keep your favorite in the running for America’s Favorite Equestrian.

How to Vote:
Visit the link at http://www.equusfoundation.org/vote.

For a $5 contribution, you can select your favorite equestrian (listed by discipline) and follow the instructions provided to use mobile texting to vote. After texting your vote, you must reply YES to confirm your vote and $5 donation.

Continue reading The Results Are In for Round 3 of America’s Favorite Equestrian!

FEI North American Junior/Young Rider Championships 2011

NEXT GENERATION RISE TO THE CHALLENGE AT TOUGH KENTUCKY CHAMPIONSHIPS by Louise Parkes

Avery Klunick, Alyssa Phillips, Alexa Ehlers and Victoria New, USA Area 5's Gold Medal Junior Eventing Team Champions. Photo: FEI/Anthony Trollope.

Lausanne (SUI), 1 August 2011 – A heat-wave and thunderstorms failed to throw the next talented generation off their stride at the FEI North American Junior and Young Rider Championship which came to a thrilling conclusion at the Horse Park In Kentucky, USA yesterday.  Open to riders from the USA, Bermuda, Canada, Mexico, Puerto Rico and the Caribbean Islands, the five-day action-packed fixture attracted 250 entries, all hoping to make their mark in the five disciplines of Dressage, Endurance, Reining, Jumping and Eventing.

DRESSAGE
US Region 5 captured Young Rider Dressage Team gold.  Aylin Corapcioglu (Ruhmann), Madeleine Birch (Uceri), Catherine Chamberline (Verdicci) and Brandi Roenick (Pretty Lady) completed with a combined score of 198.104, but only pipped Canada BC/QC – Emily Fownes (Frapuccino), Mathilde Tetrault (Michelango), Anna Mylai Messier (Marzipan) and Esmee Ingham (Norseman) – by just over one point, while USA Region 8 were less than another point further adrift in bronze.

Roenick produced the highest score of the competition, 69.289, and the 16 year old from Arizona complimented her team-mates: “It’s an awesome opportunity to ride with these girls and really get to know them,” she said.  Canada’s Esmee Ingham put the Canadian silver medal in context.  “Since British Columbia is on the West Coast and Quebec City is so far east, for us to come together as a team having never met, and to take a medal is really incredible!” she pointed out.

Roenick had to settle for silver in the Individual Championship however when Isabelle Leibler (Watson) took gold and fellow-American Chase Hickok (Palermo) claimed the bronze.  And it was Hickok who moved into silver medal position in the Freestyle in which Leibler’s flawless performance with her 14 year old Westphalian gelding earned a winning score of 74.00. “He just felt like he was right there for me… it was the most amazing feeling,” Leibler said.  Mackinzie Pooley claimed the bronze with her last ride in international competition with the 20 year old Oldenburg Jonkara.

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