Tag Archives: Driving

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

Shelly Temple Takes 5th Place at the Minden CDE in Germany

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On her quest to make the US Pony Driving Team for the second time, Shelly Temple and her Morgan gelding LR Ami B-Line (Cooper) have been training in Germany since August.

Shelly and Cooper competed at the Minden CDE in Germany, August 25-28, 2011.  Minden is a large event featuring the German National Championships.  The first day of competition began with a bang with their win in the Single Pony dressage class with a score of 43.39.

On marathon day Shelly took a conservative approach with Cooper to ensure he was safe on the technical and long course.  However, on day 3, cones, Shelly and Cooper turned it on.  They took 2nd place in cones with a double clear (i.e., making the time requirement with no faults).  “I was very pleased with my cones course; it was very smooth and Cooper went well,” states Shelly.  Overall, Shelly remarks that the German show was great and featured many excellent top pony drivers: “The Germans will be very hard to beat in Lipica [World Championships].”

Accompanying Shelly, Cooper, and her husband to Europe are the feeds, supplements, and equipment of her sponsors: Kentucky Equine Research, Kombat Boots, Purina feeds, Omega Fields, ThinLine, Leather Therapy, and Charles Owens.  Shelly is thankful for the support of her sponsors and donors: “This is truly a team sport as I couldn’t be here without the generosity of my sponsors and all the great people who have donated to Team Catalyst.”

Cooper is currently grazing grass and preparing for the World Pony Championships in Slovenia September 22-25.  She hopes to build upon her 2007 success as a member of the U.S. Bronze medal team as well as silver medallist in dressage.  To follow Shelly and Team Catalyst on their efforts to make the US Team for the 2011 Pony Driving World Championship visit her blog at http://catalystdriving.blogspot.com/.

For more information contact:
Shelly Temple
Windsor, South Carolina
rskydiver@aol.com
www.catalystdriving.com

Championships, Competitions, Driving, Events, FEI, FEI

First European Title for IJsbrand Chardon

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Dutch champion IJsbrand Chardon won his first European four-in-hand title in Breda this weekend. Photo © Rinaldo de Craen.

Breda (NED), 1-4 September 2011 – Four-time world four-in-hand champion IJsbrand Chardon (NED) has added a new title to his long list of successes. Chardon won the first FEI Open European Driving Championships for Four-in-Hand since 1981, which were held in Breda, the Netherlands this weekend. Jozsef Dobrovitz from Hungary won the silver medal; the bronze medal went to Chardon’s fellow country- and teammate Koos de Ronde. The Dutch team took the lead from the very beginning and won the European team gold ahead of Hungary and Germany. Reigning world champion Boyd Exell from Australia won the Open category.

Determined
Although the emphasis of the competition was obviously on the European Championships, IJsbrand Chardon had another goal in Breda and that was to beat Boyd Exell. Exell managed to beat Chardon at every event where both drivers competed this year. Chardon is a winner at heart and is determined to beat Exell. In Breda, he came very close. Exell took the lead after a beautiful Dressage test whereas Chardon won the marathon. The difference between the rivals after the Dressage and Marathon competitions was only 0.10 penalty points in favour of Exell. In the final obstacle driving competition, second to last starter Chardon knocked a ball off the last pair of cones which gave Exell a wider margin, which the world champion did not even need in the end. Exell drove an excellent clear round within the time allowed and was declared winner of the Open category of FEI European Driving Championships for Four-in-Hands.

Risky
IJsbrand Chardon had mixed feelings afterwards. On one hand, he was happy to have won his first European Championships and on the other he was not pleased with his second place behind Boyd Exell. “I am a top sportsman and I like to win,” Chardon said. “I opened the attack on Boyd and focussed completely on beating him, which was very risky. Luckily, it went well and I did not lose but I would have preferred to compete against him in an equal battle.” Chardon, whose eldest daughter Jeannette rode in the two-star Eventing competition at Breda at the same time, competed with the 15-year-old Swedish warmblood Tango and the KWPN geldings Whooper, Zion and Darco in Dressage. KWPN-gelding Tomasson replaced Zion in the Marathon and Cones competitions.

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Championships, Competitions, Driving, Events, FEI, FEI

FEI Open European Driving Championships for Four-In-Hand Return after 30 Years

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Györgyi Bardos of Hungary, pictured right, is the individual FEI European Driving Four-in-Hand Championship title holder. He won the last edition of the event held in 1981.

Lausanne (SUI), 1 September 2011 – The FEI Open European Driving Championships for Four-in-Hand are back on the FEI calendar for the first time since 1981. Outdoor Brabant, formally known as Breda Hippique, is proud to host the seventh edition of these Championships, which will be held on the traditional show grounds of the Prinsenhoeve Estate in Breda, The Netherlands, from 1 to 4 September 2011.

Breda has hosted the only national team competition (CAIO) for Four-in-Hand in The Netherlands for many years. In 1995, Breda hosted the first ever European Driving Championships for Four-in-Hand ponies as well as the FEI World Para Equestrian Driving Championships in 2010.

The FEI European Driving Championships for Four-in-Hand were first organised in 1971 in Budapest (HUN) and were held every two years until 1981 at which stage they were discontinued.

The titleholder is Györgyi Bardos from Hungary, the individual winner of the last 1981 Championships which took place in Zug, Switzerland.

This year’s edition is open to European and non-European drivers. The competition counts as a qualifier for the indoor FEI World Cup Driving, which is held during the winter season. Only competitors from Europe can claim the individual and team medals.

Continue reading FEI Open European Driving Championships for Four-In-Hand Return after 30 Years →

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

Carola Diener (GER) Is the New World Pair Driving Champion

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World champion Carola Diener (GER) during the obstacle driving competition at the FEI World Pair Driving Championships 2011. Photo © Rinaldo de Craen/FEI

Dutch Team Keep Team Gold

Conty (FRA), 24-28 August 2011 – Twenty-three-year-old Carola Diener (GER) became the new world champion at the 15th FEI World Pair Driving Championships at Conty, France. She performed a superb dressage test, drove a wonderful marathon and was near-perfect in the obstacle driving competition. The silver medal went to home representative Stéphane Chouzenoux; Tom Engbers from The Netherlands won individual bronze.

The Dutch team, led by Harry de Ruyter, who was appointed chef d’équipe in February, took home the gold while Germany claimed the silver. The host nation was delighted to win the bronze.

Ladies first
Germany was represented with two lady drivers for the first time in history: German pair champion Carola Diener as a team member and 15-year-old Anna Sandmann as an individual competitor. Carola set the basis for her first world medal in the dressage test, which she won ahead of the experienced drivers Beat Schenk (SUI) and Georg Moser (AUT). Diener, who is the stable manager of German international four-in-hand driver Christoph Sandmann, came 12th in the marathon but kept her lead in the individual standings. The marathon was won by 24-year-old Tom Engbers, ahead of Tibor Nagy jr. (HUN), aged only 21. Diener was last to go in the very difficult obstacle driving competition, designed by Barry Hunter (GBR). Going into the last phase, Carola had one ball in hand as well as some time penalties but the professional horsewoman that she is kept her cool leaving all the balls on the cones and recording only 1,94 penalty points for exceeding the time allowed. “It is an incredible feeling to be the new world champion, but it hasn’t quite sunk in yet,” she said.

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Championships, Competitions, Dressage, Driving, Events, FEI, USEF

Dancer, Wrigley-Miller, and Yoder in Fifth Place at Their First FEI World Pair Driving Championship

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Joe Yoder at the 2011 FEI World Driving Pair Championship. Photo: Marie de Ronde

Yoder Drives to Sixth in Dressage

Lexington, KY – At the 2011 FEI World Pair Driving Championship in Conty, France, American Joe Yoder drove to sixth place Friday in the dressage and the American team – all three drivers making their International Championship debut – sits in fifth place heading into Saturday’s marathon.

Led by Chef d’Equipe Chester Weber and Coach Michael Freund, the U.S. is being represented by Yoder, the 2011 USEF National Pair Driving Champion, and Katherin Dancer and Misdee Wrigley-Miller. The trio drove at Reisenbeck CAI in July and earned valuable international experience as they represent their country this week.

Thursday morning marked the beginning of the dressage competition phase and it was Wrigley-Miller drawn as the first and only U.S. competitor on opening day. Wrigley-Miller is in the top half of the pack of 69 drivers, in 20th place on a score of 52.86.

The pressure then passed to Dancer and Yoder on Friday. Dancer is in 34th individually with a score of 58.88. Yoder’s impressive sixth-place mark of 44.03 means the team sits in fifth with 96.9 penalties. Germany leads with 84.1 over Switzerland, The Netherlands, and France. The top two scores from each phase count for the Team Classification.

Individually, German Driver Carola Deiner leads with a score of 35.58.

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Championships, Competitions, Driving, Events, FEI, FEI

Twenty-four Nations Represented at 15th FEI World Pairs Driving Championships in Conty

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Reigning World Champion Harrie Verstappen (NED) will defend his gold medal in Conty. Image: Rinaldo de Craen/FEI.

The Driving world will gather in the Picardie region in France this week (24-28 August), when the Ateliers du Val de Selle will host the 15th FEI World Pairs Driving Championship in Conty. Sixty-nine competitors from 24 nations, will battle against each other for the individual and team medals, with 18 nations fielding teams and six countries sending individuals.

Amongst the competitors is reigning World Champion Harrie Verstappen (NED), who will not only defend his individual gold medal, but also help defend the Dutch team title, won at the 2009 FEI World Pair Driving Championship in Kecskemét (HUN). The 2009 silver medallist Beat Schenk (SUI) is one of the many medal favourites, as well as Vilmos Lazar (HUN), who has just recovered from several broken ribs.

The youngest competitor in Conty is the 15-year-old Anna Sandmann (GER), daughter of successful international four-in-hand driver Christoph Sandmann, who will act as her navigator in the marathon. Anna is competing as an individual.

The course design in Conty is in the capable hands of Barry Hunter (GBR), who is making his World Championship debut. Barry has been an international course designer since 2004 and has worked in the UK and the USA, including Lowther, Sandringham, Royal Windsor, Erddig, British National Championships, Live Oak, Sunshine State and Katydid events.

The Ground Jury is chaired by Dr Klaus Christ (GER) and the members are Anne-Marie Turbe (FRA), Bert Jambon (BEL), Hanspeter Rüschlin (SUI) and Diana Brownlie (GBR).

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*Featured/Spotlights, Championships, Competitions, Driving, Events, FEI, FEI, USEF

Dancer, Wrigley-Miller and Yoder Set to Drive in Their First FEI World Pair Driving Championship

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Joe Yoder winning the 2011 National Championship (Photo by Picsofyou.com)

Lexington, KY – The 2011 FEI World Pair Driving Championship get underway this week in Conty, France, and three American drivers are set to make their International Championships debut. Led by Chef d’Equipe Chester Weber and Coach Michael Freund, the U.S. will be represented by Katherin Dancer, Misdee Wrigley-Miller and Joe Yoder. These three drivers drove as a team at Reisenbeck CAI in July and earned valuable international experience which Weber believes will serve them well going into the World Championship.

Dancer, a German expatriate now lives in California where she runs a riding program – she drives a team of Warmblood horses and comes off a strong spring which featured a third place finish at the USEF National Pair Driving Championships at the Live Oak CDE in March. She is guided by her husband Scott, who serves as her navigator.

Wrigley-Miller is also driving on her first international team, but she is also hugely successful in the Saddlebred world. She drives a promising group of young warmbloods and with her pair, Wrigley-Miller had top finishes at the Live Oak CDE, Sunshine State CDE and at the German National Championships. She also competed at Great Britain’s Royal Windsor Horse Show in 2010.

She has one of the best navigators in the world, Dutch superstar Koos de Ronde, on her carriage for the marathon.

“We made that decision earlier in the year,” said Weber. “It seems to be going quite well. There was a small injury to one of her best marathon horses – but that horse is back for the World Championships and we are excited about that.”

Continue reading Dancer, Wrigley-Miller and Yoder Set to Drive in Their First FEI World Pair Driving Championship →

*Featured/Spotlights, Dressage, Driving, JRPR

Chester Weber Named Chef d’Equipe for United States Pair and Pony Pair Teams

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Chester Weber competing at the 2011 CAI Riesenbeck. Weber was named Chef d’Equipe for the US Pony and Pair Driving Teams. (Photo courtesy of My Elisabeth Weber)

Ocala, FL (August 12, 2011) – Chester Weber’s contributions to the sport of Combined Driving are many and recently Weber’s expertise was recognized again when he was named the Chef d’Equipe of the US Pair and Pony Teams.  Weber served as Chef d’Equipe for the Pony Teams in 2007 and 2009, and this will be his first time as Chef d’Equipe for the Pair Team.  He was nominated for the Chef d’Equipe position by the Pair and Pony Team sub committees and chosen by the Driving High Performance committee.  Weber recently returned from competing in Europe, where he racked up an impressive round of wins.  While overseas, he was mentored by Ed Young, Chef d’Equipe for the US Four-in-Hand teams.

“I have been working with Ed Young since 2006 and am pleased that he could support both me and all of the US drivers in Europe,” said Weber.  “Our pair drivers just drove their first Nations Cup show in preparation for the World Pair Championships in Conty, France at the end of August.  I will be the Chef d’Equipe at that show and at the World Pony Driving Championships in Lipica, Slovenia in September.  Ed is also the vice chair of the High Performance Committee and has been a great resource for me.”

Weber has been working with Team Coach Michael Freund since 1998, and they will do their part to help the US Pair and Pony Teams reach the medal podium.  Weber’s marked enthusiasm for the sport and eighteen years of experience will no doubt give this year’s pony and pair teams an edge.  The pair team has no previous international championship experience, and while they are all seasoned equestrians in their own right, having the knowledge and leadership of a seasoned international competitor will boost their odds.

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Championships, Competitions, Dressage, Driving, Eventing/H.T., Events, FEI, Show Jumping, Vaulting, Western/Reining

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

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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

Community/Charity, Driving, FEI

Champion Driver Suzy Stafford’s Journey to the World Championships Is One Step Closer Thanks to Successful eBay Auction

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Suzy Stafford has been nominated for the 2011 FEI World Pony Driving Championships with her registered half-Arabian mare Miss Josephine. (Photo courtesy of Meredith Fetters)

Chester County, PA (August 8, 2011) – From winning world championships to winning gold medals, champion driver Suzy Stafford has found great success in the field of combined driving. Stafford hasn’t done it alone, however, and believes it takes a “team” for real success to be achieved. Stafford, who has been nominated for the 2011 FEI World Pony Driving Championships with her registered half-Arabian mare Miss Josephine, recently called upon her team – which includes sponsors, clients, friends, family, horse lovers and driving enthusiasts – to take part in an online eBay auction to help her raise the finances needed to travel to the World Championships in Slovenia.

“The eBay auction featured a variety of fabulous equestrian and non-equestrian items and I want to thank everyone who went online and bid,” Stafford said. “I have raised half of my budget for the trip and this was a big help in getting closer to reaching my goal.  Shipping a pony and two carriages overseas is quite expensive, as you can imagine!  There was a lot of last minute, ‘stealth’ bidding, and I am very pleased with the enthusiasm of the bidders and the outcome of the auction.”

Stafford added that she also wanted to thank all of the supporters who stood behind her and donated prizes. “There were so many fabulous items, from dressage or driving lessons with Larry Poulin to a catered three-course dinner for six to signed Breyer Model Horse statues.  The two most popular items turned out to be the Dansko shoes and quilted dog bed; they went for more than expected,” Stafford said. “All the proceeds from the auction will go toward helping Josie and I travel to the World Championships in Slovenia, a trip that will cost over $40,000 including airfare for Josie and the shipping of the carriages and equipment. Without the support of my sponsors and contributors, none of this would be possible.  Knowing that I have been helped in such a big way makes me even more thrilled to thank all of the donors, including Dover Saddlery, Shawn Faust, Jim Graham, Hidden Valley Acres, Bit of Britain, Beth and Dan Steinke, Chester Weber, Dansko, Unionville Feed, Weyerbacher Brewing Company, Vita Flex, Equine Journal, Larry Poulin and Harness by Smucker.”

Continue reading Champion Driver Suzy Stafford’s Journey to the World Championships Is One Step Closer Thanks to Successful eBay Auction →