August 8, 2011 – Next week, US National Champion combined driver Shelly Temple and her Morgan gelding Cooper (LR Ami B-Line) will fly to Germany to prepare for the World Pony Driving Championships in Slovenia.
Prior to the Championship, “Team Catalyst” will stay in Frankfurt, Germany and train with Michael Freund, the USET driving coach and multi-time world champion. While in Germany, Shelly and Cooper will compete at Minden, the German national pony championship, along with other short-listed US drivers.
Shelly and Team Catalyst are excited about the opportunity to represent the United States and compete in their second world championship. In 2007 Shelly was a silver medalist in dressage and a member of the bronze medal US team. Shelly and Cooper have been the USEF National Champions for the past two years and have their eye on the gold medal. To follow Shelly’s progress, visit her blog at http://www.catalystdriving.blogspot.com/ or her website at http://www.catalystdriving.com/.
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.
Lexington, KY – The United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) has named the following drivers to represent the United States at the two driving World Championships set to take place over the next two months.
The 2011 FEI World Pair Driving Championships will take place in Conty, France August 24-28, 2011, and the three drivers who will represent the U.S. with pairs of horses will be:
Lisa Singer (Chadds Ford, PA)
Alan Aulson (Georgetown, MA)
The USEF also named the Nominated Entry for the 2011 FEI World Pony Driving Championships which will be held in Lipica, Slovenia September 22-25, 2011.
Team Catalyst, Shelly Temple, Fran Doto and ‘Cooper’, are very proud to once again be poised to represent our country at the World Pony Driving Championships to be held in September, 2011 in Lipica, Slovenia. You may know that Team Catalyst had this honor in 2007 when the championships were held in Denmark, finishing with a silver individual medal in dressage and an overall team bronze. We were very proud to have played a part in such a strong US showing!
Team Catalyst has had continued success at major combined driving events in 2010 and 2011, most recently the Live Oak International Combined Driving Event, where we won the 2011 USEF National Championship in a very competitive class, our second National Championship in a row and third total. At Live Oak, Cooper won the coveted ‘Hanzi Award’, given to the best horse in the competition in the opinion of the judges, just as he had in 2010.
In 2007 the cost of transporting pony, people, and equipment to Europe as well as training and competition costs totaled nearly $35,000. Costs have only risen since then. With driving being a small group when compared to other international equestrian sports, our National Federation only covers a small portion of our expenses. Our ability to attend and compete at this year’s event will depend on our ability to raise the funds to do so; the bulk of which will come from private donations.
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.
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.
Chester Weber with Kainzi the rabbit and Para, a KWPN gelding from Weber’s team. Kainzi and Para became stable mates at Altenfelden as the black rabbit’s presence keeps Para calm at competitions. (Photo courtesy of J. Schwarzl)
Riesenbeck, Germany (July 26, 2011) – If you are superstitious you might credit combined driving champion Chester Weber’s fourth winning weekend in Europe to his team’s “four lucky rabbit’s feet.” Team Weber’s companion mascot, a hefty black rabbit named Kainzi, joined them earlier this summer at Altenfelden as a stable mate to Para to help keep the KWPN gelding calm at competitions. It was love at first sniff for Para and Kainzi and word is that the rabbit may have “four lucky feet.”
But it takes more than luck to pull off the clean sweep in the dressage and the safe marathon round that made Team Weber impossible to beat last weekend at the Riesenbeck CAI. It does however seem a bit lucky that for the third time in his career Weber won the prestigious German Fahrderby. And as luck would have it, the win at Riesenbeck catapulted Weber into the number one ranked position for the FEI World Cup standings.
Weber, who seems generally fond of the rabbit, is more likely to credit the support of Jane Clark and chef d’equipe Ed Young for Team Weber’s success. “The additional support of Jane Clark is playing an important role in our success,” said Weber. The Fahrderby win at Riesenbeck is a sweet victory for team Weber. “The derby is an old traditional competition with a history going back over 50 years. There are two additional pair competitions: a pairs show ring class and a pairs dressage test. It is a very thorough test of the quality of the horses’ training,” Weber explained after his record-breaking score of 24 penalty points for an impressive average score of 8.5. Weber added, “It was great to be back in the heat of it in Riesenbeck. I feel that I gained added insight and was thrilled to have the opportunity to drive a course in the same venue as next year’s World Championships that was also designed by the same course designer.”
Chester Weber is pleased to welcome Ariat International, the leading performance footwear and apparel brand for equestrian athletes around the world, to Team Weber’s list of sponsors. (Photo courtesy of My Elisabeth Weber)
Ocala, FL (July 22, 2011) – Team Weber is currently in Europe representing the United States in the world of combined driving. As the United States’ most decorated team brings their award-winning prowess to the international stage, they will be proudly decked out in Ariat clothing. Ariat International, the leading performance footwear and apparel brand for equestrian athletes around the world, is pleased to announce they are joining combined driver Chester Weber’s team of sponsors.
“The quality and fit of the Ariat products are perfect for us,” said Weber. “We wore shirts, vests, jackets and hats from Ariat for the last championships and really liked them. We train in all-weather situations and their clothing is perfect for that.”
Weber, the eight-time USEF National Four-In-Hand Combined Driving Champion who is based out of Live Oak Plantation in Ocala, is a driving force in the world of combined driving. He recently proved to be unstoppable overseas, where he went two-for-two by capturing wins at CAI Altenfelden in Austria and the CAIO Vecses in Hungary. His European tour then continued with the 2011 World Equestrian Festival CHIO in Aachen, Germany, where Team Weber put in a brilliant performance, placing third overall. After such success in Europe, Weber is currently tied for first place in the FEI World Cup standings. The European tour wraps up with the CAI Riesenbeck in July, a venue in which he has already found great success.
Weber has competed for the U.S. in three World Equestrian Games and was part of the U.S. Silver Medal Team at the 2010 Games in Kentucky. Weber also earned an Individual Silver Medal in the Four-in-Hand World Driving Championships in Beesd, The Netherlands, making him the first American to ever win an Individual Medal at the World Driving Championships.
Chester Weber, with the new additions of Uniek and Splash owned by Jane Clark, put in a brilliant performance at the 2011 World Equestrian Festival CHIO at Aachen. (Photo courtesy of Franz Steindl)
Aachen, Germany (June 20, 2011) – American Four-In-Hand Combined Driver Chester Weber put in a brilliant performance at the 2011 World Equestrian Festival CHIO Aachen, earning the highest results of his career at Aachen with a win in Dressage and finishing in the third place in the individual standings. Weber, the eight-time USEF National Four-In-Hand Combined Driving Champion, is now tied for first place in the standings for the FEI World Cup qualifications after 9 of 14 competitions.
Following his victory at the prestigious CHIO Aachen, Weber, the 2008 World Champion silver medalist, wrote on his Facebook page to thank and update his many fans in the United States. “Thanks to everyone for the support. We had our best results at Aachen ever. One first, two seconds, one fifth and one seventh place finish. In the combination we ended third!”
Weber, who competed as an individual for the United States, made headlines across the globe during his second dressage test, when he piloted Para, Senate and Jane Clark’s Splash and Uniek to a first place victory with a total score of 34.69. Exell earned a 37.12 in the second dressage test to place second. While Weber had two canter mistakes in the dressage test, he kept his cool and persevered to win. “When I made the mistakes I said to myself ‘bring them back and just go again’ and it went well from there,” he said.
During his winning dressage test, Weber scored an impressive 193, 203, 194, 196 and 193 from the judges. His dressage score helped him win the Prize of Martello Immobilienmanagement GmbH & Co. KG. “This was the first time I scored under 40 penalty points with my two new leader horses and I am very pleased with that,” Weber said. Ed Young, the United States Driving Chef d’Equipe, said Weber drove a wonderful test and described it as “beautiful.”
Lexington, Kentucky, USA. July 18, 2011: The Horse Radio Network (HRN) has launched its second new show this month, the Driving Radio Show, which is the first radio show of its kind to take a look at the world of carriage driving. From competition to recreational driving, the Driving Radio Show will cover all aspects of the sport. This weekly podcast is hosted by Four-in-Hand driver Dr. Wendy Ying and Glenn the Geek, HRN founder, and can be heard online at www.drivingradioshow.com, www.americandrivingsociety.com, or www.drivingnews.us. It is also available as a free podcast on iTunes.
The first episode is live and features part one of a fascinating interview with David Saunders, former Coachman at the Royal Mews in London for Queen Elizabeth II and Prince Phillip, competitive driver and all around great horseman. Plus, a competition report from Driving News, an update from the American Driving Society, and Dr. Ying’s first look at Traditional Chinese Medicine and the Five Elements.
“Being a recreational driver for twenty years I am thrilled to have a Driving Radio Show in the stable of shows on HRN. I am very excited to be working with Dr. Wendy Ying, who is great fun and highly regarded throughout the world driving,” says Glenn the Geek, who founded HRN three years ago. “If you are at all interested in driving, then this show is for you.”
Steffen Peters and Ravel Sunday at CHIO Aachen. Photo: Ken Braddick/ dressage-news.com.
Aachen, Germany – Team USA wrapped up the 2011 World Equestrian Festival CHIO in Aachen, Germany, with more strong performances, including a second-place finish for Steffen Peters and Ravel in the Grand Prix Freestyle CDIO and a win for show jumper McLain Ward on Rothchild.
Peters and Ravel, owned by Akiko Yamazki and Four Winds Farm, stepped up their game today and gave the best dressage horse in the world a run for his money in the Grand Prix Freestyle CDIO for the Deutsche Bank Prize.
The judges gave Ravel and Peters technical scores of 77.25, 77.00, 80.50, 80.50, and 76.75, along with artistic scores of 86.00, 83.00, 83.00, 89.00, and 87.00 for an overall 82.000% – just .825% off the winning score set by Matthias Rath of Germany and Totilas.
According to Dressage-news.com, Peters said, “It felt fantastic. I’m still searching for words to describe it. The icing on the cake was the reaction of the crowd. That was a huge honor. I finished fifth in the Grand Prix and the Special, so to come within fractions of Totilas and Parzival in the freestyle is amazing.”
