Steffen Peters. Photo by Ken Braddick/ dressage-news.com
Glenda McElroy, who probably has run more dressage competitions, including four World Cup Finals on the West Coast, than any other show manager in the United States, is excited about the initiative to create a dressage stadium in Palm Beach, FL, as are the top riders competing at her shows.
“Anything that can showcase dressage and appeal to a broader audience, bring a brighter spotlight to the sport, is good for dressage,” she said during her Festival of the Horse World Cup qualifier at the Los Angeles Equestrian Center.
Some of California’s top dressage figures who were competing at the LAEC in Burbank came out strongly in support of plans to build a new dressage complex as part of Phase II of development of the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center, home to the world famous Winter Equestrian Festival.
Former British Olympic dressage rider Jane Gregory has died at the age of 51 from a suspected heart attack.
Gregory first rode for Britain in 1994 and went on to team up with Cupido at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics.
And the Wiltshire-based rider returned to Olympic action three years ago in Hong Kong when she rode Lucky Star.
“This is tragic news. Her enthusiasm, energy, dedication and positive outlook on life was infectious,” said British Dressage chief Jennie Loriston-Clarke.
“Jane was an inspiration to many in the sport and was so proud every time she competed for her country.
“She will be dearly missed by all in British dressage and everyone who had the privilege to meet her or watch her perform.”
The two-time Olympian, who was born in Bromley, is survived by her husband Aram, the Hong Kong dressage rider with whom she set up a yard in 2001 before marrying in 2006 after more than 20 years together.
Steffen Peters and Weltino's Magic. Photo by Jennifer M. Keeler
Burbank, CA – In sunny California, the competition for a coveted spot on the U.S. and Canadian Pan American Games teams heated up during the Festival of the Horse CDI-W/Y/J, held March 31 – April 3, 2011, at the Los Angeles Equestrian Center in Burbank. Despite a large and talented group of international competitors, there was no stopping Steffen Peters with what the judges deemed his new “super horse”, Weltino’s Magic.
Peters and Jen Hlavacek’s nine-year-old Westfalen gelding (Weltino x Diva by Diamond Boy) swept the small tour with impressive scores of 75.395% in the Prix St. Georges and 77.237% for the Intermediaire I, and debuted their new freestyle to a score of 79.417%. “The first word that comes to mind is ‘fun’,” says Peters in describing the weekend’s rides. “He’s really a pleasure to ride, so supple and forward now, it’s like that feeling that I get from Ravel.”
On Peters’ heels throughout the competition were Guenter Seidel and Sundayboy (Dutch Warmblood gelding by Kennedy, owned by Richard and Jane Brown), who earned second-place finishes in both the Prix St. Georges and Intermediaire I; as well as Freestyle runner-up Jan Ebeling and Anne Romney’s Sandrina (Oldenburg mare by Sandro Hit x Stutbuch by Ganymed). “There are really nice horses here on the West Coast,” noted judge Cara Whitham (5* CAN). “While I haven’t seen every single horse out there, at this point and from what we saw this weekend it looks like it may be a U.S. team of gentlemen riders going to Guadalajara for the Pan Ams. It’s very strong out here. But it is still a long while until October. We’ll see!”
Lisa Wilcox and Pikko del Cerro HU rode away as the Vita Flex Victory Pass Award winner at the International Horse Sport Dressage Premier in Wellington. Gustavo Martinez holds the Vita Flex Victory Pass prize. (Photo courtesy of JRPR)
Wellington, FL (April 5, 2011) – Thanks to a brilliant ride in the Intermediaire I class at the International Horse Sport Dressage Premier, Lisa Wilcox and Pikko del Cerro HU rode away as the Vita Flex Victory Pass Award winner. Sponsored by Vita Flex Nutrition, the award is given to a horse and rider who display remarkable skill during a show.
Wilcox, an Olympic bronze medalist, has recently taken over the ride on the eight-year-old bay stallion by Pik L. Considered a horse to watch, Pikko del Cerro was the 2009 FEI Six-Year-Old National Champion.
“This was Cerro’s first Intermediaire I class and he was excellent and I was really, really happy with him,” Wilcox said. “He has some moments where he was getting tired but he really stuck with me. His extensions were exceptional and in general he was with me. I know it is a hard test and he is still developing, so it’s exciting to see this.”
Wilcox, who operates out of Wellington, Florida, said she hopes to qualify Pikko del Cerro for the Pan Am Games and the Developing Horse classes. “I hope to do my first CDI with him in March,” Wilcox said.
Cesar Parra wrapped up his show season by riding Agastrofos into the winner’s circle at the International Horse Sport Dressage at Equestrian Estates Show in Loxahatchee, Florida. (Photo courtesy of Susan J Stickle)
Loxahatchee, FL (April 7, 2011) – International Dressage Rider and trainer Cesar Parra wrapped up the Florida show season at the International Horse Sport Dressage Show at Equestrian Estates with more big wins, describing the show as a “beautiful finish” to a great season. Parra, who owns Piaffe-Performance with locations in Florida and New Jersey, is never one to rest on his laurels and left the show to fly to Colombia, South America, to teach a clinic but not before raving about the success of the horses and his Piaffe-Performance team.
“This season was truly an amazing one and a true blessing. In total we earned 32 wins and many of the second places were because other Performance farm horses finished first. The words ‘Thank You’ cannot convey the depth of my gratitude to all of my team members, our horse owners, grooms, friends and everyone else involved,” Parra said.
While Parra and his Piaffe-Performance team are now heading back to New Jersey, Parra was thrilled with their 2011 winter experience. “This weekend concluded our Florida show season and again it was a successful one. I was very proud of Dave and Taunia Reed’s Agastrofos. On Saturday we won a very competitive PSG class with a 74.7%. On Sunday we rode in the USEF Developing Horse Qualifier and were narrowly beat out of first place by only a tenth of a point, still earning a 69.4%. I could not have been happier with Aga’s performance both days,” Parra said.
Stephanie Frederick won the Premier Sportsmanship Award at the International Horse Sport Dressage Show. Josh Zorn presented the award on behalf of Premier Equestrian. (Photo courtesy of JRPR)
Loxahatchee, FL (April 8, 2011) – Wellington rider Stephanie Frederick had a smile on her face while competing Valentino Flemming at the International Horse Sport Dressage Show, and that smile helped Frederick ride away with the Premier Equestrian Sportsmanship Award. Sponsored by Premier Equestrian, a leading supplier of dressage arenas, horse jumps, arena footing and stable accessories, the Premier Sportsmanship Award is awarded to a rider who displays a high level of sportsmanship during a show.
Frederick was thrilled to win the Premier Sportsmanship Award and shared her secret to being a good sport. “You need to stick with it and be positive. If you want it badly enough you need to keep working hard at it and eventually you will get there,” Frederick said.
Frederick, who was awarded a pair of German-designed Roeckl gloves from Premier Equestrian for winning the Sportsmanship Award, added that having her parents attend the show also put a smile on her face. “My parents, Jim and Cindy Frederick, are my biggest supporters,” she said.
Caroline Roffman rode Bon Chance to victory in the FEI Young Horse Test for Six-Year-Olds at the International Horse Sport Champions Cup CDI3* show. (Photo courtesy of Susan J Stickle)
Loxahatchee, FL (April 7, 2011) – When the International Equestrian Federation awarded dressage rider Caroline Roffman with the 2010 FEI Rising Star Award they said Roffman was “one of the brightest hopes of the U.S. Dressage community.” Roffman lived up to their prediction at the International Horse Sport Champions Cup CDI3* at Equestrian Estates in Loxahatchee, riding into the winner’s circle again and again and taking home high scores on several of her horses.
“I could not have imagined a show going much better for my horses than the Champions Cup. All of my horses made good progress from the last show and really showed me they are on track for success in their prospective levels,” Roffman said. “I showed three horses in two classes each and finished first in all six classes with qualifying scores.”
Roffman rode into the winner’s circle on Pie in the FEI Test of Choice class with a score of 69.412 and in the USEF Developing Horse class with a score of 71.618. “Pie did his first two Developing Horse classes and showed me he is very capable of doing this level quite well. He continues to gain confidence inside the show arena and I am excited for his future,” Roffman said.
Riders from over 20 colleges and universities throughout the United States will converge at the Canterbury Equestrian Show Place in Newberry, Florida to compete at the Intercollegiate Dressage Association’s 9th annual National Championship. Over 100 riders will compete April 30 and May 1 as either part of a 4 member team or as individuals in each of the IDA’s four divisions: Introductory, Lower Training, Upper Training and First Level.
The IDA is comprised of 680 student riders representing 60 colleges and universities in the US and Canada divided into 10 regions. The qualifying teams and individual riders have earned their way to the Championship by earning points in IDA sanctioned competitions held throughout the academic year within their respective regions.
University of Florida and their dressage team are hosts for the event. Along with their host duties, the team are among the early qualifiers for the competition which include Delaware Valley College, last year’s National Champion Team, Virginia Intermont College, and Mt. Holyoke College. With three national championship titles each, Virginia Intermont and Mt. Holyoke have dominated the IDA since it began as a national organization in 2001.
Lexington, KY – The United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) will be represented by three American dressage riders at the 2011 Reem Acra FEI World Cup Dressage Final to be held in Leipzig, Germany, April 27 – May 1.
The United States will be represented by two combinations from the North American League and one from the Western European League. The following horse/rider combinations qualified during World Cup Qualifying Events held throughout the 2010-2011 season:
Name/Age/Hometown/Horse/Age/Breed/Sex/Owner
North American League* Jan Ebeling/52/ Moorpark, CA/Rafalca/14/Oldenburg/Mare/Ann Romney
Shawna Harding/41/Aiken, SC/Come On III/12/Danish Warmblood/Gelding/Shawna Harding
*Tina Konyot (Palm City, FL) topped the standings in the North American League for 2010-2011 season but declined the opportunity to compete in the 2011 Final.
Western European League Catherine Haddad/47/Vechta, Germany/Winyamaro/11/Hanoverian/Gelding/Catharine Haddad
Linda Parelli, Pat Parelli, Anabel Balkenhol, and Klaus Balkenhol at Equitana in Germany. (Photo courtesy of Parelli Natural Horsemanship)
Ocala, FL (April 6, 2011) – Pat and Linda Parelli, founders of Parelli Natural Horsemanship, are in the midst of a European tour that is drawing the attention of dressage stars, sell-out crowds and die-hard Parelli enthusiasts from around the world. The Parellis recently wrapped up several days at Equitana in Germany and will now head to the Parelli Celebration at the LG Arena in Birmingham, U.K., April 9-10.
“During Equitana I had the chance to meet with Olympic Gold Medalist Klaus Balkenhol and his daughter Anabel,” Linda Parelli said. “It was exciting to share our natural horsemanship training methods that utilize equine psychology, or what we coin Horsenality, with Klaus, who along with being an Olympic Gold Medalist in dressage was also the very successful former coach of the German and U.S. dressage teams. Not surprisingly the common sense communication techniques that help the horses and riders achieve success are universal at all levels.” Linda is scheduling the last few days of the April tour in Germany with the Balkenhols to share some behavior balancing natural horsemanship techniques with Anabel Balkenhol.
Linda added that the Balkenhols are not the only world-class dressage riders who have taken an interest in the Parelli Natural Horsemanship program and incorporated the system into their training. “After the Parelli Celebration in the U.K., I will head to France and then to Spain where I will again have the opportunity to train and exchange ideas with dressage great Luis Lucio,” she said. “I really appreciate the talent and dedication of competitive dressage riders and have seen so many dressage riders overcome behavior issues that impeded their success by being open minded and incorporating natural horse training into their training program. This trip I am looking forward to riding with Luis on his dressage horses and working on my dressage skills, too.”
