Tag Archives: dressage

The United States Para-Dressage Riders Earn Top Honors at WindReach International Para-Dressage CPEDI 3*

WindReach International Para-Dressage CPEDI3*

Thousand Oaks, CA – June 2, 2010 – This year is the most exciting calendar year for the United States Para-Equestrian Team in history.  It will be the first time ever that the Para-Dressage team will compete with all of the equestrian disciplines at the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games (WEG) in Lexington, KY.  The hopeful WEG riders first stop this summer was May 28-30, 2010, in Ashburn, Ontario, Canada.  While in Canada riders earned top scores for their performances including the Silver Medal for the United States.  Riders used this show as their last big qualifier for the 2010 World Equestrian Games Selection Trials scheduled for June 24-27, 2010 held at the Lamplight Equestrian Center in Wayne, Illinois.

The Para-Equestrian’s journey to Ashburn, Ontario, Canada was to compete at the WindReach International Para-Dressage CPEDI3* and WindReach EC Gold Para-Dressage Competition.  This FEI event was an official qualifier for WEG.

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Mystery Writer & Grand Prix Dressage Rider Tami Hoag Relocates to Florida Year Round

"Traveling from coast to coast is for the birds," says Tami Hoag, taking a little time out to enjoy a few parrots in her new year round residence in tropical Florida.

Wellington, FL (June 2, 2010) – New York Times bestselling mystery writer and Grand Prix dressage rider Tami Hoag has traveled from coast to coast each year to live the winters in Florida and the summers in California. This year marks a big change for Hoag as she has decided to stay in Wellington year round.

Hoag will continue to create her thrilling and heart-stopping murder mystery New York Times Bestsellers while she trains and competes in Florida. “The stress of traveling back and forth is a lot for the horses and this is a great opportunity to settle in and make Wellington home. The best resources are available in the area including boarding, training and showing,” said Hoag.

Hoag released her latest mystery novel Deeper Than the Dead this year and it quickly became Hoag’s fifteenth New York Times bestseller. Hoag is in full swing with the sequel to Deeper Than the Dead called Secrets to the Grave. “It is already scheduled to go on sale in December of 2010, so no time to dilly-dally. My day consists of riding in the morning, the gym in the afternoon, and working in the evenings,” Hoag said.

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Todd Flettrich and Otto Participate in Steffen Peters Clinic

Todd Flettrich and Otto. Photo by Ken Braddick.

Wellington, FL – May 28, 2010 – Dressage rider Todd Flettrich rode in a Steffen Peters clinic at Carol Cohen’s Two Swans Farm recently, continuing to stay at the top of his game in preparation for the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games (WEG). Based in Coatesville, PA, and Wellington, FL, Flettrich has had a fantastic season with his mount Otto, a 13-year-old Danish Warmblood gelding (Rambo X Rampal), owned by Cherry Knoll Farm. The pair has earned several top placings throughout the country and is qualified to compete in the Selection Trials for the Games, which will determine who rides on the Team in Lexington, KY, this fall.

Flettrich spent two winters training with Steffen Peters in California earlier in his career, and was thrilled to have the opportunity to get some tips from the renowned rider during this important show season. “I think that Steffen is a super rider and trainer, and I feel that he has so much to offer to the sport,” Flettrich noted. “Steffen commented on similar things that I work on with Hubertus [Schmidt] and Oded [Shimoni], but he doesn’t see us on a regular basis, so his attention was brought right to our problems and he addressed them quickly. I rode Otto the first day in a snaffle and I rode him the next day in a double, and I thought the horse went great. Everything Steffen said was very helpful and I feel like I got so much out of working with him.”

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Vinceremos Therapeutic Riding Center Victorious at Special Olympic State Equestrian Games

Brandon Boterf and Freckles garnered a gold medal in the Western Stock Seat Equitation, as well as a silver medal in the Working Trails at the Special Olympic State Equestrian Games. Photo Courtesy of the VTRC.

Loxahatchee, FL – May 27, 2010 – The Vinceremos Therapeutic Riding Center (VTRC) recently returned from the Special Olympic State Equestrian Games, held May 21-22, where 16 of their top students had the opportunity to compete. This year’s competition was held at the Florida State Fairgrounds in Tampa, FL.

VTRC took home five gold medals, nine silver medals, nine bronze medals, five fourth place ribbons, two fifth place ribbons and one sixth place ribbon. The team representing VTRC included 16 riders who participated in 19 events. The events included English and western equitation, trail ride competition, dressage, and pole bending. VTRC had numerous riders compete in the level ‘A’ classes that requires them to walk, trot, and canter unassisted. Pole Bending proved to be one of the most successful events for VTRC as all of the athletes maneuvered exceptionally well through the poles.

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FEI Launches Official YouTube Channel

25 May 2010 – The FEI has launched its first ever official video channel on YouTube http://www.youtube.com/feichannel as part of SportAccord’s The Sports Hub. This unique internet destination and comprehensive multi-sport platform provides a single access point for a whole range of sports and multi-sport events.

The Sports Hub includes a series of independently operated sub-channels categorised by sport and discipline, making it easy for sports enthusiasts to watch videos of their favorite sports and events.

With its fully customised look and feel, the new FEI channel offers equestrian fans around the world the chance to view constantly updated official equestrian videos.

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Vinceremos Therapeutic Riding Center Prepares for Special Olympic State Equestrian Games

Thomas Mickel represented Vinceremos Therapeutic Riding Center aboard Belle in a Western Equitation class with the help of volunteer Jamie Miller during the Special Olympic Area Equestrian Games. Photo Courtesy of VTRC

 Loxahatchee, FL – May 18, 2010 – Vinceremos Therapeutic Riding Center (VTRC) is currently preparing to participate in the Special Olympic State Equestrian Games, which will be held May 21-22, 2010, in Tampa, Florida. Sixteen riders qualified for the Games after competing at the Area level March 27, 2010, in Ft. Pierce, FL.

During the Special Olympic State Equestrian Games riders will have the opportunity to compete in English and western equitation, trail ride competition, dressage, and pole bending. The riders representing VTRC range from needing full support with a leader and two sidewalks to independent riders who walk, trot, and canter on their own. They also have several riders competing in the training level dressage tests.

The qualified riders have been working on dressage test, equitation skills, pole bending, and barrel racing to prepare for the exciting competition. In addition to the 12 students traveling to the Games, six horses and 17 volunteers will be in Tampa for the event to support VTRC.

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How to “Unstick” Your Horse’s Shoulders, by Jane Savoie

If your horse’s shoulders are stuck, it’s like having a kink in a water hose. The energy can’t flow from behind, over the back, into your hands where it can then be recycled back to the hind legs.

Here are two shoulder suppling exercises for you to try with your stiff horse.

1. Make a 20-meter box with 4 corners in the walk.

  • To give you more control of your horse’s shoulders, do the exercise in counter flexion. (That is, you’ll just barely see his outside eye or nostril.)
  • If you’re going to the left, ask for right counter flexion with your right wrist. Stay in counter flexion during the entire exercise.
  • At the first corner, bring both hands to the left to swivel your horse’s shoulders around the corner.
  • Then, soften the contact without letting the reins get loopy.
  • After the corner, walk straight ahead in counter-flexion.
  • At the next corner, bring both hands to the left again.
  • Do this in all four corners.
  • As your horse’s shoulders become more supple, it’ll get easier to spin his shoulders around the turn without meeting resistance.
  • You can tell there’s no resistance when the weight in your hands stays the same as you swivel your horse’s shoulders around the corner.

2. Ride down the long side of the ring, and move your horse’s shoulders slightly to the left and right.

  • Walk down the long side of arena.
  • Flex your horse at the poll opposite the direction you’ll be moving his shoulders. For example, when riding to the left, ask for a counter flexion to the right by turning your right wrist. Then, take both hands to left to slide your horse’s shoulders over. Move the shoulders over only 1-2 inches.
  • Now change to correct flexion by turning your left wrist.
  • Move both arms to the right to pop the shoulders back out to the track.
  • Smoothly and fluidly move the shoulders back and forth as you work your way down the long side.

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Diagrams Published for Stewards Manual on Warm-up Techniques

Long, deep

11 May 2010 – The new Annex (XIII) created by the Working Group that produced a revised FEI Stewards Manual on warm-up techniques for Dressage has now been completed, following the production of three diagrams to illustrate permitted positions of the horse’s head and neck during pre- and post-competition training.

One of the key stipulations in the Working Group’s report was that all unacceptable training methods and techniques must be stopped immediately. The Working Group was also insistent that abuse of the horse must be avoided and, in particular, stressing the horse, aggressive riding and inflicting pain and/or discomfort on the horse must be prevented.

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British-based Riders Hit HSBC FEI World Cup Trail

12 May 2010 – British-based riders have their first chance to earn points in the valuable HSBC FEI World Cup Eventing series at Chatsworth (GBR) this weekend (May 15-16), and five nations are represented in the entry of 33.

Paul Tapner (AUS), fresh from his thrilling Badminton success, is two-handed with Kilfinnie ll and Tiger Flynne, and is joined by fellow Australians Bill Levett with Sea Oro and Sam Griffiths, having his first major international competition this year with Happy Times, third at Badminton and Burghley last year.

The Chatsworth CIC***-W has often proved a pointer to future international success, and Clayton Fredericks (AUS), who won this class in 2006 on Ben Along Time, is riding his smart new acquisition Bendigo lll, a German-bred horse proven in Grand Prix Dressage and Jumping which has been taking the national season by storm.

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U.S. Dressage Chef D’Equipe Anne Gribbons Praises Todd Flettrich on Preparation for the 2010 World Equestrian Games

Todd Flettrich and Otto. Photo by: Susan J. Stickle

Wellington, FL – May 10, 2010 – Based in Coatesville, PA, and Wellington, FL, Todd Flettrich has had a successful dressage career and is well on his way to qualifying for this year’s Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games (WEG).  Anne Gribbons, a renowned rider and trainer who has known Flettrich since the start of his career, has watched Flettrich as a young rider, has competed with him and against him, and has judged him in competition for years. Now the United States Dressage Team Chef D’Equipe, Gribbons watched Flettrich and his Grand Prix mount Otto very closely this season and thinks that it looks promising for the talented duo to qualify for the U.S. Team that will compete at the WEG in the fall.

Cherry Knoll Farm purchased Otto, a 13-year-old Danish Warmblood gelding (Rambo X Rampal), in 2009 and he and Flettrich have since formed an excellent partnership and have earned several top placings throughout the country.  Gribbons watched Flettrich and Otto ride in educational clinics put on by the United States Equestrian Federation in the fall and has followed every qualifier for the WEG that the pair has shown in. “I must say that Todd is blessed with a confident and experienced horse that is very ambitious and can do all of the movements very well,” Gribbons noted. “We have lovely horses coming along, but some of them at this point are still green and that is not Todd’s horse, his horse is very competent and confident, so that is great.”

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