Tag Archives: dressage

It’s a Wrap! The Week That Was the 2011 Adequan/FEI NAJYRC

Team show jumping medals ceremony. Photo: Sportfot.

Lexington, KY – After a week of intense heat and one suspenseful afternoon of strong thunderstorms, the 2011 Adequan/FEI North American Junior & Young Rider Championships presented by Gotham North wrapped up today under sunny skies at the Kentucky Horse Park. The competition in all five disciplines – dressage, endurance, eventing, reining, and show jumping – was intense, and the approximately 250 riders from six countries showed that they had come to win.

Endurance
The first competition to wrap up this year was the inaugural North American Young Rider Endurance Championship. Friday’s 75-mile ride featured both CEI2* and CEI4* divisions. The United States brought home four Gold medals, three Silvers, and two Bronze medals in the endurance competition.

In the CEI4* divisions, Team USA took home the Gold after accruing a collective ride time of 25 hours, 25 minutes, and 31 seconds.

Individually in the CEI4*, Kelsey Russell and My Wild Irish Gold (USA) took home the Gold, Lindsay Bean and Tektonic (USA) the Silver, and Kyle Gibbon and Missu Koran (USA) the Bronze.

Also in the CEI4* division, Tektonic received the Best Conditioned Horse Award.

In the CEI2* class, the Team Gold medal was awarded to Team USA Northeast A, whose collective ride time totaled 25 hours, 40 minutes, and 57 seconds.

Continue reading It’s a Wrap! The Week That Was the 2011 Adequan/FEI NAJYRC

Isabelle Leibler of Region 8 Awarded Freestyle Dressage Gold after Storm Temporarily Suspends Competition

Dressage Freestyle Young Rider medalists. Photo: SusanJStickle.com

Lexington, KY – It was a stormy afternoon at the Kentucky Horse Park for part of the USDF/Platinum Performance North American Junior and Young Rider Dressage Championship at the 2011 Adequan/FEI North American Junior & Young Rider Championships presented by Gotham North, but storms could not dampen the brilliance of the dressage being performed.

Competition was suspended at approximately 3:30 p.m. when a thunder and lightning storm passed through the area, knocking out electricity at the Rolex Stadium. But thanks to the quick work of the Organizing Committee and Kentucky Horse Park staff, the show soon resumed.

The Young Rider division was intensely competitive, punctuated by the last rider’s flawless freestyle. Isabelle Leibler and Watson 108 representing Region 8 were rewarded for their brilliant test with a score of 74.00%, which earned the pair the Individual Gold medal.

“This is the third time we’ve performed [this freestyle] in competition, so we’re going through the ropes, trying to see how it ends up, and how the striding work,” she said after her test. “Today, he just felt like he was right there for me and he had my back. He was ready for everything. I was so excited to have a feeling that my horse was there with me… it was the most amazing feeling.”

Leibler rode the 14-year-old Westphalian gelding to music from the movie “ET.”

“It’s my favorite movie, so I tried to put something together because it’s just my favorite. I think it fits Watson, and I think we made a good piece.”

Continue reading Isabelle Leibler of Region 8 Awarded Freestyle Dressage Gold after Storm Temporarily Suspends Competition

Area VII’s Florence Miller Leads the Pack of Junior Three-day Eventers after Phase 1 Dressage

Area VII's Florence Miller sits atop the CCI*. Photo: Diana De Rosa.

Lexington, KY – The 2011 Adequan/FEI North American Junior & Young Rider Championships presented by Gotham North continued today at the Kentucky Horse Park with Junior competitors completing the dressage phase of the USEA North America Junior Eventing Championship.

Topping the leader board of the CCI* event is Florence Miller of Area VII who ended her dressage test with only 47.3 penalty points aboard her horse, Tuscan Sun.

Area V representative Alyssa Philips and Sundance Bay are a little more than four points behind Miller while Sable Giesler and Evil Munchkin of Team Ontario are sitting comfortably in third.

“My horse is doing pretty nicely in dressage right now,” said the Montana-based Miller of her 8-year-old Thoroughbred. “It’s one of his stronger phases, and he had a really nice test today.”

For Philips, the score may have represented a personal best. “Sundance had a really nice test today, Generally he’s good all around, in each phase, but today he was very good. I think this is one of the best tests that we’ve had at the one-star level.”

The cross-country phase kicks off at 8:00 a.m. on Saturday, and the top Juniors have already walked course.

“I think it’s really fair,” said Giesler. “It has a few tricky questions, like the corners, but it should ride well.”

If only it would rain.

Continue reading Area VII’s Florence Miller Leads the Pack of Junior Three-day Eventers after Phase 1 Dressage

Leibler and Lahey Take the Gold in Individual Dressage at the 2011 NAJYRC

Young Rider Devon Brown leads after the dressage phase. Photo by Brant Gamma Photos.

Lexington, KY – The competitive action jumped into high gear on Day Two of the 2011 Adequan/FEI North American Junior & Young Rider Championships presented by Gotham North, which got underway at the Kentucky Horse Park yesterday and will continue through Sunday.

In the Rolex Stadium, it was a quest for Individual Gold for dressage competitors, then, later in the day the show jumpers took the course for phase one of the Individual qualifiers. Across the compound, three-day eventers took part in the dressage portion of their eventing championship, and in the Alltech Arena, the Team Reining finals wrapped up the day.

In all, 34 Young Riders vied in the USDF/Platinum Performance Dressage Championship Individual tests today, but it was Region 8 representative Isabelle Leibler aboard Watson 108 who earned the Gold. Team Gold medalist Brandi Roenick (Region 5) and Pretty Lady took Silver while Chase Hickok (Region 1) and Palermo captured the Bronze.

Kelli McLean Newton and Luciano (Region 7) sat at the top of the leader board for a good part of the day with a 64.526, but soon after the lunch break the scores just kept growing higher. But it was Leibler, a Team Bronze medalist, who turned in the winning performance that scored a 67.289.

In the end, less than half a point separated the top three riders.

Continue reading Leibler and Lahey Take the Gold in Individual Dressage at the 2011 NAJYRC

London 2012 Dressage Judges Long List Announced

Lausanne (SUI), 28 July 2011 – The FEI has published its long list of judges for the Dressage event at the London 2012 Olympic Games.

The long list is made up of 11 5* judges from eight nations:

Stephen Clarke (GBR)
Maribel Alonso (MEX)
Evi Eisenhardt (GER)
Wim Ernes (NED)
Ghislain Fouarge (NED)
Isabelle Judet (FRA)
Gary Rockwell (USA)
Jean-Michel Roudier (FRA)
Mary Seefried (AUS)
Leif Törnblad (DEN)
Katrina Wüst (GER)

A blind draw of the long listed judges will take place at FEI headquarters in Lausanne (SUI) on 23 September 2011 to finalise the members of the London 2012 Olympic Ground Jury.

Continue reading London 2012 Dressage Judges Long List Announced

Region 5 and Region 1 Take the Team Dressage Gold Medals at the 2011 Adequan/FEI NAJYRC

Region 5 claimed the Gold medal in the Young Rider competition. Photo by SusanJStickle.com

Lexington, KY – Temperatures soared, but dressage competitors managed to keep their cool as the 2011 Adequan/FEI North American Junior & Young Rider Championships presented by Gotham North kicked off today at the Kentucky Horse Park.

This is the third year the championships have been held at the Kentucky venue, which was the site of the 2010 Alltech/FEI World Equestrian Games last fall.

The day began with Junior and Young Rider dressage competitors vying side-by-side in the USDF/Platinum Performance Dressage Championship Team tests and ended with the pomp and pageantry of the official opening ceremonies.

Competitors started early in the Young Rider Team dressage event, but late in the day when the dust cleared from the center line it was U.S. Region 5 standing on the Gold-medal podium for the second year in a row.

Brandi Roenick, aboard Pretty Lady, Madeleine Birch on Uoeri, Catherine Chamberline on Verdicci, and Aylin Corapcioglu aboard Ruhmann captured the top spot with a combined Team score of 198.104.

“It’s just great to be a double Gold medalist!” gushed Birch, 20, who was part of the 2010 Gold-medal-winning Young Rider Team, “especially coming back here with my own horse,” she added.

Continue reading Region 5 and Region 1 Take the Team Dressage Gold Medals at the 2011 Adequan/FEI NAJYRC

NAJYRC Stars on the Rise at the Kentucky Horse Park

Lexington, KY – It’s “all hands on deck” as the final touches are being made and the horses and riders are arriving at the Kentucky Horse Park for what has become a celebrated annual event – the Adequan/FEI North American Junior & Young Rider Championships presented by Gotham North. And for the 2011 competition, there are some exciting additions to this highly-regarded series of international championships.

In addition to championships being contested in dressage, eventing, and show jumping, for the first time at the NAJYRC, the discipline of endurance will contest a CEI4* 100-mile championship race (a CEI2* 75-mile, non-championship race will also be run concurrently). Additionally, reining, which joined the championships in 2008 for the first time, will have two divisions for the first time in 2011. Non-championship events will also take place in the form of a vaulting demonstration during the Opening Ceremonies and a pair of para-dressage freestyles prior to the dressage freestyle championships on Saturday.

In all, some 250 riders spanning six countries have made the pilgrimage to the Kentucky Horse Park to battle for medals. Among them include:

174 riders from the U.S. (57 dressage, 19 endurance, 39 eventing, 52 jumping, 7 reining)
59 riders from Canada (21 dressage, 3 endurance, 9 eventing, 12 jumping, 14 reining)
10 riders from Mexico (3 endurance, 3 jumping, 4 reining)
2 riders from Columbia (endurance)
1 rider from Germany (endurance)
1 rider from Spain (endurance)

Continue reading NAJYRC Stars on the Rise at the Kentucky Horse Park

FEI Counts Down to 100 Years of Olympic Equestrian Sport

Lausanne (SUI), 27 July 2011 – Olympic fever is ramping up as today marks the one-year countdown to the London 2012 Olympic Games and 100 years of equestrian sport in the Olympic movement.

The London 2012 Olympic Games Opening Ceremony on 27 July will be followed by 12 days of equestrian competition in Greenwich Park, where the world’s best horses and riders will compete for six gold medals in the Olympic disciplines of Eventing, Dressage and Jumping.

To celebrate one year to go, the FEI will be running London 2012 image campaigns on Facebook and will be constantly updating news on both Facebook and Twitter as nations qualify for the equestrian events.

The London 2012 Organising Committee (LOCOG) has also launched an interactive twitter stadium and world map on www.london2012.com/1yeartogo.

“The excitement in the run-up to the Olympic equestrian events at London 2012 is huge and the stunning location of Greenwich Park means that we are at the heart of the Games,” said HRH Princess Haya, President of the FEI. “We are proud to be given centre stage at such a poignant time when we will be marking 100 years of equestrian sport in the Olympic movement.

Continue reading FEI Counts Down to 100 Years of Olympic Equestrian Sport

Motivation from Moshi 72, by Jane Savoie

Words have power. They have energy. They create a state of being in our minds. Horses don’t use words, but we understand the energy behind what you say.

You’ve probably heard the saying, “Sticks and stones may break my bones, but words will never hurt me.” I say, the wounds from a stick or stone will probably heal, but the damage caused by the negative words we hear may sting for life.

Never underestimate how your words affect those around you, as well as how they reflect back and affect YOU. If your self-talk is negative, your experience is going to be negative. If you speak positively, your experience will reflect the same. If you bark and growl at your horse without careful thought to the attitude you’re projecting, your horse is going to feel insecure and you’re going to maintain a negative vibration. If you’re snapping at the people around you, the energy you’re projecting can be just as damaging as a pointed stick jabbing into someone’s heart.

Have you ever asked yourself, is it better to be right, or is it better to be kind? It’s a very pertinent question. Sometimes you have to stand your ground and be firm in what you consider “right.” Sometimes being right is just not that important. Choosing which applies in each situation is one of the things you have to decide on your own. Observing the results of your choices, right or wrong, is where wisdom is born.

Continue reading Motivation from Moshi 72, by Jane Savoie

FEI European Dressage Championships for Young Riders and Juniors 2011, Broholm Castle (DEN)

TRIUMPHANT GERMANS MAKE IT FIVE-TIME GOLD, HAT-TRICK FOR ROTHENBERGER by Louise Parkes

Young Rider Individual medallists (L to R): Cathrine Dufour DEN (silver), Sanneke Rothenberger GER (gold) and Carina Nevermann Torup DEN (bronze). Rothenberger also won Young Rider Team and Freestyle gold. Photo: FEI/Ridehesten.

Lausanne (SUI), 24 JULY 2011 – German riders had it almost all their own way when claiming both the Young Rider and Junior team titles as well as three of the individual gold medals on offer at the FEI European Dressage Championships for Young Riders and Juniors 2011 at Broholm Castle in Denmark this weekend.  But the host nation did themselves proud when finishing a close second in both team events and then coming out on top in today’s Junior Freestyle Championship won by Nanna Skodborg Merrald and Millibar.

For Germany’s Sanneke Rothenberger these championships have been a particular triumph, as the 18 year old daughter of Olympians Sven and Gonnelien Rothenberger continues an ever-upward trajectory in her already impressive career.  She won team gold as a Pony rider, and in 2007 made history in the German Youth Riders Championship when clinching silver in both the Pony and Junior divisions.  She won team and individual gold at the FEI European Junior Championships in 2009 and last year claimed team gold and individual silver at Young Rider level.  This weekend, with her 10 year old Oldenburg gelding Deveraux which she has been competing for the last four years, she stepped up her game even further when taking Young Rider Team, Individual and Freestyle gold, firmly placing herself at the forefront of her sport and displaying an awesome talent in the making.

HRH Princess Benedikte of Denmark, the dedicated and active patroness of the Danish Equestrian Federation, attended the event and today the FEI President, HRH Princess Haya, was also at Broholm Castle to present the medals to the winning riders. It has been a testing few days in every respect, as the weather did all it could to disrupt this year’s fixture with pouring rain and high winds creating a less-than-perfect competition environment.  But the next generation of top-class dressage competitors rode through it with determination and emerged triumphant in the end.

Continue reading FEI European Dressage Championships for Young Riders and Juniors 2011, Broholm Castle (DEN)