Tag Archives: Driving

Chester Weber Goes Two-for-Two with Four-In-Hand Win at CAI-Altenfelden

Chester Weber won the Four-In-Hand competition at the 20th annual CAI-Altenfelden in Austria. Weber is now two-for-two in his European tour. (Photo courtesy of Marie de Ronde-Oudemans)

Altenfelden, Austria (June 22, 2011) – Combined Driver Chester Weber is now two-for-two in his European tour, winning the Four-In-Hand competition at the 20th annual CAI-Altenfelden in Austria. Weber’s win had the foreign press praising the American driver, referring to Weber as “remarkable,” “special guest,” “the American driving sport super star” and the “dressage specialist.”

Weber proved he was the “dressage specialist” in the four-in-hand, which the Europeans call the king discipline, by decidedly winning the dressage by 12 points. “I won the dressage, was fourth in the marathon and second in the cones,” Weber said. In combined driving the winner is the driver with the lowest cumulative score, and in the end the stars and stripes were flying as Weber captured the overall win.

While Weber and his team proved they were capable of winning the entire four-in-hand class with an 8-point lead, all eyes were on the American driver during his dressage test. European news sources reported that Weber was an “American driving sport super star who was in a class of his own” following his dressage test. “I work very hard with my team on the dressage, so I am flattered to hear so many great remarks about our test,” Weber said, adding that he is pleased with the two new horses on his team, Uniek and Splash owned by Jane Forbes Clark, as they have added depth and talent to his string.

Weber, who is the eight-time USEF National Four-In-Hand Combined Driving Champion, described the Altenfelden driving competition as a great atmosphere. “I had a chance to meet and compete against drivers from the Eastern part of Europe,” he said. “I usually don’t have a chance to go up against these drivers so it was a great experience for me.”

Continue reading Chester Weber Goes Two-for-Two with Four-In-Hand Win at CAI-Altenfelden

Chester Weber Claims Second European Four-in-Hand Victory

Altenfelden – the driving competition with heart

Chester Weber. Courtesy of HippoEvent.

Altenfelden, Austria – The 20th anniversary of the CAI Altenfelden is history. It was an event with top sport performances by competitors from 18 nations. Chester Weber, the American driving sport star and winner of the king class (the four-in-hand horse class), said, “I like the nice atmosphere of the Altenfelden competition. The people are all very friendly and try to support the competitors the best they can. During this competition I have the opportunity to meet and compete against drivers from the Eastern part of Europe – more than I usually do in the other competitions. This is a great and different experience for me.”

The marathon test is in every driving competition one of the action high points. It is also drawing the crowds. During the 2011 Altenfelden marathon the competitors had to complete eight obstacles – two of which were built new this year, the others were remodeled. Different weather conditions – from sun to heavy rain – were made the test even more dambing for the competitors, but the international top drivers mastered them without accident. Wins for Tomas Eriksson (SWE), Reinhard Burggraf (GER) and Henrik Höper (DEN) in the horse classes.

Continue reading Chester Weber Claims Second European Four-in-Hand Victory

This Week in International Disciplines – June 16, 2011

Clark Montgomery and Loughan Glen. (Stockimageservices .com Photo).

Eventing
The Bromont CCI drew many U.S. riders to Canada for the weekend and all three CCI divisions were won from wire-to-wire. Clark Montgomery and Loughan Glen picked up a big win in the CCI3* finishing on a score of 47. The pair maintained their dressage lead adding just a handful of time faults on their clean cross country round, and went in to the show jumping phase with a rail in hand. They had the fourth fence down, the only fault during their otherwise lovely round, enabling Montgomery to hold on to the win. Great Britain’s Leslie Law rode Rehy Lux to a close second while Philip Dutton and William Penn finished third. Canadian Rebecca Howard and Roquefort won the CCI2* but Americans Hannah Sue Burnett and Harbour Pilot and Philip Dutton and Mighty Nice rounded out the top three. In the CCI1* Will Coleman and Zipp added just a few time cross country time penalties and a rail in stadium to their dressage score to win on a 47.80.

Please visit http://www.evententries.com/livescoring/64.html for complete results and www.bromont3dayevent.com for more information.

Jumping
Numerous jumping competitions took place around the globe this past week, but Spruce Meadows in Calgary had the majority of the U.S. entries.

Continue reading This Week in International Disciplines – June 16, 2011

The Bromont International Driving: A Unique Opportunity in Canada

Chester Weber wins the 2010 Bromont International Driving. Photo Credit: Normand St-Jacques.

Bromont, Quebec, June 15, 2011 – The Bromont International Driving celebrates its 10th anniversary and invites you to join us!

On the picturesque setting of the Bromont Olympic Equestrian Park in the Eastern Townships, the Bromont International Driving is getting ready for its 10th edition. The only FEI Combined Driving show in Canada, Bromont International Driving is proud to host some of the best drivers of the sports’ elite on one of the best sites in the country.

Last year’s 9th edition was particularly successful: the show allowed participating drivers a chance to qualify for the Kentucky World Games. Moreover, the International hosted a record 8 four-horse driving teams including talented American driver Chester Weber, an honor for the competition.

For its 10th edition, the Bromont International Driving is hoping to host even more driving teams. Amongst our officials this year, we are happy to count FEI Judge Marsoe Larose and returning course designer Gunnar Larsson, who was here in 2007.

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Champion Driver Suzy Stafford Is All Smiles after Competing at the Elk Creek CDE

Suzy Stafford competed Miss Josephine and Peace of Mind at the Elk Creek CDE in Maryland. Stafford is shown here with Peace of Mind during their winning dressage test. (Photo courtesy of Vicki Long)

Chester County, PA (June 10, 2011) – Believing in the motto “practice makes perfect,” Gold Medalist Combined Driver Suzy Stafford competed at the Elk Creek CDE, held at Fair Hill in Maryland, with the hopes of perfecting the training and skills of two of her talented ponies. Stafford drove away all smiles following the event, saying she was pleased with the progress of each of her equine partners including her registered half-Arabian mare, Miss Josephine, who is long-listed for the 2011 FEI World Pony Driving Championships in Europe.

“I wanted to use Elk Creek as a schooling event to prepare Josephine for her European debut at the World Pony Championships, which will be held in Slovenia in September,” Stafford said. “I was just schooling Josie so I didn’t finish the marathon, but she won the best dressage and cones in the advanced division. Josie is in a good place right now in her training program and we are improving our dressage score every time out.”

Stafford said her goal is to not have Josie peak too early, as she wants the pony’s ultimate performance to be in September. While Josephine will make her debut at the World Pony Driving Championships, Stafford is a veteran of the championships and in 2005 won an Individual Gold Medal with Cefnoakpark Bouncer, a Team Bronze with Bouncer in 2007 and an Individual Bronze with Courage To Lead in 2009. “My goal for the 2011 World Pony Driving Championships is to win medals and represent the United States to the best of our ability,” Stafford said.

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American Flag Waves High in Hungary as Chester Weber Wins at Vecses

Chester Weber, America’s reigning four-in-hand driving champion, proved he also has the ability to dominate on foreign soil when he won the international combined driving competition in Vecses, Hungary. (Photo courtesy of Marie de Ronde-Oudemans)

Vecses, Hungary (June 8, 2011) – The American flag was waving high in Hungary when Combined Driver Chester Weber drove the team, comprised of two of Jane Clark’s horses and two of his own horses, to victory at CAIO Vecses, an international combined driving competition in Vecses, Hungary. Weber won the dressage phase with a score of 37.25, placed sixth in the marathon and followed it up with a double clear cones trip which launched him into the win with a total score of 145.51. Koos de Ronde, of the Netherlands, finished in second with 149.63 and Jozsef Dobrovitz, of Hungary, came in third with a score of 150.22.

Weber, who celebrated his 36th birthday on the day of the dressage test at the CAIO Vecses, said he was thrilled with the win and pleased with the results throughout the competition. “I used Jane Clark’s horses Uniek and Splash in the dressage test and was very pleased that we received a first place from all five judges,” Weber said. “The marathon was exceptionally competitive, and it was fantastic to compete against the best drivers in the world. We posted the fastest time on the sixth obstacle of the marathon, which I was very happy about.  We then went double clear in the cones and ended up second in that phase to round out our win.”

Weber, who is the eight-time USEF National Four-In-Hand Combined Driving Champion, is staying in Europe as he prepares for Aachen in July. “We brought nine horses with us to Europe and right now we are staying outside of Frankfurt, Germany at Michael Freund’s, our U.S. team coach, as we continue to work the horses. Next week we will compete at the CAI Altenfelden in Austria,” Weber said.

Continue reading American Flag Waves High in Hungary as Chester Weber Wins at Vecses

Weber Wins in Vecsés

Chester Weber (USA) won the dressage and stayed in the lead throughout the competition in Vecsés to claim the first CAIO victory of his career. (c) Marie de Ronde-Oudemans.

Vecsés (HUN), 5 June 2011 – Chester Weber, the USA’s top four-in-hand driver, has won the international combined driving competition in Vecsés, Hungary this weekend. Weber took the lead in the dressage and held onto the top spot throughout the weekend. Dutch driver Koos de Ronde was runner-up, ahead of Vecsés-organizer József Dobrovitz, but it was the home side Hungary that won the nations competition, ahead of The Netherlands and Germany.

Birthday present
Chester Weber celebrated his 36th birthday on 3 June with the victory in the dressage competition at Vecsés. The five O-judges, chaired by Dr Franz-Josef Vetter from Germany, were impressed and unanimously awarded Weber’s test first place. Chester used Jane F. Clark’ s two KWPN-geldings Uniek and Splash, which previously formed the pair of US pair driver Keady Cadwell. Before the dressage, Chester had some discussions with his trainer Michael Freund about whether or not to use the new horses at Vecsés, but Chester decided he had to try them somewhere. Chester got his way; the team went beautifully and put down a fantastic performance. József Dobrovitz came second in the dressage, ahead of Zoltán Lázár.

Marathon heat
The marathon was won by Werner Ulrich of Switzerland. Ulrich drove his team of three Lusitanian horses and a Swiss-bred gelding very fast through the eight difficult obstacles, designed by Gabor Fintha from Hungary. The thermometer at the start of the marathon indicated no less than 39 degrees Celsius, but the Portuguese Lusitanian horses proved that they are used to the heat and took Ulrich into first place. Koos de Ronde had to take an extra loop in the last obstacle which cost him precious seconds and the victory in this exciting phase. Zoltán Lázár finished third in the marathon. Weber was further down the order in sixth, but still held onto the overall lead going into the cones.

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Tucker Johnson Returns to the Dixon Oval to Claim the Devon Pleasure Carriage Drive Championship

Tucker Johnson at Devon (Photo courtesy of Alden Corrigan and Meg Wiederseim).

Devon, PA – One of the highlights of Memorial Day weekend is the Devon Pleasure Carriage Drive from St. David’s Church through the tree-lined neighborhoods along the 4-½ mile route to the Dixon Oval. The images of majestic animals pulling magnificently maintained coaches draw crowds of spectators and tailgaters alike, both at St. David’s and along the Pleasure Carriage Drive route to the Devon Horse Show and Country Fair.

The event begins with competitors assembling in one of St. David’s fields surrounded by throngs of tailgaters for the initial judging by division (Horses, Ponies, Light Commercial and Farmers) before they are permitted to begin their journey to the Dixon Oval. The judges are looking to see if the vehicle has the proper appointments, if the turnout is correct, if the right horses are hooked up to the right vehicle, and if people are dressed reasonably, but not necessarily in period outfits.

Once the competitors begin their drive, they are judged on their performance by road judges placed strategically along the route. The road judges watch the competitors working on the road, and look for obvious mistakes like failing to stop at a stop sign, if horses gallop up the hill and have a problem, go too fast down a hill, or if they are crowding another carriage and don’t use their whip correctly.

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Champion Driver Suzy Stafford to Judge Brandywine Valley Driving Club’s Continuous Driving Schooling Event

Suzy Stafford will be judging the Brandywine Valley Driving Club’s Continuous Driving Schooling Event on May 28th at Canvasback Farm in Port Deposit, Maryland. (Photo courtesy of Linda Gallo)

Chester County, PA (May 26, 2011) – Gold medalist Suzy Stafford, who has been long-listed for the 2011 FEI World Pony Driving Championships with her registered half Arabian mare Miss Josephine, will be judging the Brandywine Valley Driving Club’s Continuous Driving Schooling Event on May 28th at Canvasback Farm in Port Deposit, Maryland. Stafford, an award-winning international driver, operates Stafford Carriage Driving out of Chester County in Pennsylvania and Aiken, South Carolina.

“I am really looking forward to being part of the Brandywine Valley Driving Club’s (BVDC) Continuous Driving Schooling Event. This is a great way for me to give back to the local driving club,” Stafford said. “I will be able to give advice and tips in a non-threatening and relaxed atmosphere. I am hoping that everyone learns a great deal during the day.”

The Continuous Driving Schooling Event is a fun, low-key schooling event for everyone from new to accomplished drivers. “It will be a great event for new drivers because they can enjoy this relaxed event without feeling pressure. My goal is to give them plenty of friendly encouragement, teach them as much as possible throughout the day and help them fall in love with driving just as I have,” Stafford said.

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America’s Favorite Equestrian Round 2 Closing on May 31!

WESTPORT, CT – May 23, 2011 – One more equestrian with the lowest number of votes in each discipline will drop off the list at the end of Round 2 on May 31, 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 competition.

America’s Favorite Equestrians Round 2:

Dressage: Todd Flettrich, Courtney King-Dye, Debbie McDonald, Leslie Morse, Steffen Peters, Guenter Seidel
Driving: Tucker Johnson, Fred Merriam, Lisa Singer, Suzy Stafford, Rochelle Temple, Chester Weber
Endurance: Garrett Ford, Becky Hart, Dave Rabe, Robert Ribley, Julie Suhr, Bill Wilson
Eventing: Tiana Coudray, Phillip Dutton, Boyd Martin, Karen O’Connor, Kimberly Severson, James C. Wofford
Jumping: Margie Engle, Joe Fargis, Laura Kraut, Anne Kursinski, Beezie Madden, McLain Ward
Para-Dressage: Jennifer Baker, Robin Brueckmann, Laura Goldman, Mary Jordan, Susan Treabess, Jonathan Wentz
Reining: Casey Deary, Andrea Fappani, Shawn Flarida, Tom McCutcheon, Tim McQuay, Randy Paul
Vaulting: Megan Benjamin, Ali Divita, Kenny Geisler, Devon Maitozo, Mary McCormick, Katherine Wick

How to Vote:
Visit the link at http://www.equusfoundation.org/vote.

Continue reading America’s Favorite Equestrian Round 2 Closing on May 31!