Tag Archives: FEI

Community/Charity, Eventing/H.T., FEI

In Memoriam: Bill Roycroft (AUS)

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Lausanne (SUI), 31 May 2011 – Australian equestrian legend James George “Bill” Roycroft OBE passed away on Sunday 29 May at the age of 96.

Bill Roycroft was one of Australia’s greatest Olympians and one of only five Australians to have competed in five consecutive Olympic Games.

His Olympic début was in Rome in 1960 where he helped secure Australia’s first-ever equestrian medal – team gold in Eventing.

He went on to compete in three Summer Olympics with his sons. In Tokyo (1964) he competed with his eldest son Barry, in Mexico City (1968) he was joined by Wayne where they won bronze together and in Munich (1972) he competed with youngest son Clarke. In Montreal (1976) he secured bronze with Barry and Wayne, becoming Australia’s oldest Olympic medallist and competitor at 61 years and 31 days.

Bill Roycroft became an Officer of the Order of the British Empire (OBE) in 1969 for his service to sport, and was awarded an Order of Merit by the Australian Olympic Committee in 1978 for his outstanding achievement in sport.

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Competitions, Events, FEI, FEI, Show Jumping

FEI Nations Cup 2011 – Round 2

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DUTCH DOMINATE IN ROME by Louise Parkes

The Dutch team won the second leg of the 2011 FEI Nations Cup at the Piazza di Siena in Rome (ITA) today. L to R: Eric van der Vleuten, Harrie Smolders, Chef d'Equipe Rob Ehrens, Jeroen Dubbeldam and Gerco Schroder. Photo: FEI/Bruno di Lorenzo.

Rome (ITA), 27 May 2011 – The Netherlands secured a convincing victory in the second leg of the 2011 FEI Nations Cup series in Rome (ITA) today where the Belgians were runners-up ahead of the Irish in third.

This was only the second time for a Dutch side to come out on top at the Piazza di Siena, and two of today’s team – Jeroen Dubbeldam and Eric van der Vleuten – were also on the winning side back in 2004.  The smoothness of their success was such that anchorman Dubbeldam did not have to return to the arena in round two because the result was already decided, and the Dutch now go to the next leg at St Gallen (SUI) next Friday lying third on the leaderboard, while the Belgians are in second and the Irish retain the driving seat.

FOOD FOR THOUGHT
Giovanni Bussu’s 12-fence track provided plenty of food for thought, with faults evenly spread but the open water proving the bogey of the day.

The French were in charge at the half-way stage, counting just two time faults when both Penelope Leprevost (Mylord Carthago HN) and Simon Delestre (Couletto) missed the 80-second time limit in otherwise faultless runs, and anchorman Michel Robert (Kellemoi de Pepita) went clear.  The Belgians were next in line carrying five while the USA was in third carrying eight.  The Dutch and British were lying joint-fourth with nine faults apiece but the Irish had already accumulated 13, so seemed unlikely to repeat their spectacular win at the opening leg in La Baule two weeks ago.

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*Featured/Spotlights, Competitions, Events, FEI, FEI, Show Jumping

FEI Nations Cup 2011 – Draw Report, Round 2

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IT’S ALL EYES ON THE IRISH IN ROME by Louise Parkes

Larkhill Cruiser – Cian O'connor (IRL) - A member of the winning team. Copyright: Christoph Bricot/FEI

Rome, 26 May 2011 – The Irish team are hot favourites to win the second leg of the 2011 FEI Nations Cup series in Rome (ITA) tomorrow, but they got the worst of the draw today and so will be first into the ring as the action gets underway in the stunning surroundings of the Piazza di Siena.  A total of nine teams will line out in this leg of the elite eight-nation tournament, as the host country makes a guest appearance on home turf.

The order-of-go for tomorrow’s competition is as follows: 1, Ireland; 2, France; 3, USA; 4, The Netherlands; 5, Denmark; 6, Germany; 7, Italy; 8, Great Britain; 9, Belgium.

PROSPECTS
Discussing team prospects this evening, Belgian Chef d’Equipe, Philipp Guerdat, said that “everyone has a chance, but the Irish are very strong because they have been winning everywhere!”  Robert Splaine’s side stormed to victory in the opening leg of the FEI Nations Cup in La Baule, France two weeks ago, and then another Irish selection topped the podium at the FEI Promotional League in Copenhagen, Denmark a week later.  It seems they are the hottest team in town.

Continue reading FEI Nations Cup 2011 – Draw Report, Round 2 →

Community/Charity, FEI, Show Jumping

In Memoriam: Joaquín Pérez de las Heras (MEX) 1936 – 2011

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Joaquín Pérez de las Heras, the Mexican double Olympic bronze medallist who has died at the age of 75.

Lausanne (SUI), 26 May 2011 – Joaquín Pérez de las Heras (MEX), double bronze medallist at the 1980 Moscow Olympics and with a professional jumping career spanning over 30 years, passed away on Friday, 20 May at the age of 75. His wife Joan and his daughter Katya were by his side.

Mr Pérez was widely tipped by the international equestrian community as a medal contender in Moscow having already competed at three previous Olympic Games in Mexico (1968), Munich (1972) and Montreal (1976). He had also enjoyed a highly successful European tour in the months running up the 1980 Games.

Riding the American-bred Alimony he clinched individual bronze and team bronze with compatriots Jesús Gómez Portugal, Alberto Valdes and Gerardo Tazzer in the Central Lenin Stadium, now part of Moscow’s Luzhniki Olympic complex.

Mr Pérez was born in Ameca, Jalisco in central-western Mexico in 1936. At the age of 11 he became hooked on jumping after riding Arete (MEX), the horse ridden by Lieutenant Colonel Humberto Mariles (MEX) to double gold at the 1948 Olympic Games in London (GBR), a feat unequalled by any other Mexican sportsman at the time.

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Awards, Community/Charity, FEI

FEI Award-Winning Groom Says Employers’ Nominations Boost Motivation

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Lausanne (SUI) 25 May 2011 – A week after nominations opened for the FEI Awards 2011, Michelle Tipper, the British winner in last year’s Best Groom category, has called on athletes and horse-owners to make their nominations.

“I highly recommend that employers nominate their staff,” said Tipper. “It is such a boost to your motivation to have this recognition and it’s great for the employer, as good grooms work so much better for employers who care.”

The freelance groom, who works regularly with British Dressage riders Paul and Bobby Hayler and Nicky and Richard Barrett, said it was an “honour and a privilege” to win the 2010 Best Groom Award. “It is fantastic that the hard work that grooms do behind the scenes is being recognised internationally,” Tipper said.

Nominations for all five categories of the FEI Awards (Best Groom, Reem Acra Best Athlete, HSBC Rising Star, Against All Odds, and Development) can be made via the dedicated website www.feiawards.org.

The winners will fly to Rio de Janeiro, Brazil to attend the FEI Awards Ceremony at a VIP gala dinner, which will take place during the FEI General Assembly in November.

Nominations close on 31 July.

Media contact:
Marianne Burkhardt
Publications Coordinator
FEI Corporate Communications
Marianne.Burkhardt@fei.org
Tel. +41 21 310 84 71
Mobile: +41 79 789 90 25

Championships, Competitions, Endurance Riding, Events, FEI

FEI Central Asian Endurance Championship 2011

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Bissemaganbetov Captures Gold as Kazakhstan Scoops All the Medals, by Louise Parkes

Lausanne (SUI), 24 May 2011 – The host nation of Kazakhstan captured all the medals at the 2011 FEI Central Asian Endurance Championship staged in Talgar earlier this month.  Altyngali Bissemaganbetov claimed gold, while Amangeldy Munaitbayev took silver and Kairzhan Andybay clinched the bronze.  Just six of the 16 starters completed the 80kms course, and the only non-Kazakh in the final line-up was the sole competitor from Turkmenistan, sixth-placed Oleg Karabayev.

Bissemaganbetov made history as he secured his success riding the Adai horse Oyly.  The Adai, a breed native to Kazakhstan, was only recently awarded an official pedigree following tests conducted by a State Commission in the Mangistau Steppes earlier this year. These horses are cherished for their hardiness, and Oyly proved just how tough they can be.

GROWING
The sport of Endurance is growing in the region, and Kyrgyzstan was also represented as the competition got underway on 15 May.  Talgar, which lies close to the city of Almaty, is at the foothills of the Zailiisky Mountains where the Asian winter-sports championships regularly take place.  The town is also on the Silk Road – the network of trade routes that stretches across Asia, linking East to West – and close to the Caspian Sea.  Demonstrating the spread of the sport, some of the competitors travelled over 500 kilometres to compete in the championship.

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Competitions, Events, FEI, FEI, USEF, Western/Reining

McCutcheon Golden at the 2011 FEI Reining World Final; Schmersal Brings Home Silver

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Bökeberg, Sweden – Set in a beautiful arena and in front of a capacity crowd, the 2011 FEI World Reining Final was an electric atmosphere at Bökebergs Gård, Sweden, just outside of Malmö. The best reining horses in the world contested the highly coveted title and Tom McCutcheon of the United States was flawless in his effort to the top of the podium.

Riding Darlins Not Painted to an extraordinary score of 229.5, McCutcheon – the double-Gold medalist at the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games – added another Gold medal to his impressive resume and continues his dominance of international high-performance reining events. Darlins Not Painted is owned by Turnabout Farm.

In the Silver medal position, also from the U.S., Craig Schmersal aboard Miss Lil Addy Tude, owned by KC Performance Horses, gave the crowd a thrill with an incredible score of 227.5. Schmersal, showing on the mare at only the second FEI Reining event, had nothing but praise for his mount and the attractive American Quarter Horse was one of the crowd favorites from the first horse inspection.

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Eventing/H.T., FEI, Media/Radio/TV Sources

Eventing Radio Episode 142 by Bit of Britain – Clarke Johnstone, Kiwi on a Mission

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New Zealand rider Clarke Johnstone has won both World Cup rounds Down Under and heads to the UK to continue his Olympic dream. Doug Payne joins Chris as co-host and reflects on his fortunes in New Jersey. Tune in right here…

Eventing Radio Episode 142 by Bit of Britain – Show Notes and Links:

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

2011 Markel/USEF Young Horse Dressage Selection Trials Set to Get Underway in Illinois

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Lexington, KY – The prestigious Markel/USEF Young Horse Dressage Program kicks off this Friday at Dressage at Lamplight in Wayne, IL, with the first of three regional Selection Trials aimed at selecting the U.S. representatives for the 2011 FEI World Breeding Championships held in Verden, Germany, August 3-7, 2011.

The three selection trials include Dressage at Lamplight in Wayne, IL, May 20-22; Dressage at Flintridge in La Canada-Flintridge, CA, May 26-29; and VADA/NOVA Summer Dressage in Leesburg, VA, June 3-5.

In order to qualify for the Markel/USEF Young Horse Dressage Short List, horses must have earned an overall score of 8.2 or better at one of the Markel/USEF Young Horse Dressage Selection Trials or via international competitions.

The 2010 winners included: Central Champion Six-Year-Old GP Super Crusador, owned by Grand Prix Equestrian and ridden by Kassandra Barteau; Central Champion Five-Year-Old WakeUp, owned and ridden by Emily Wagner; Western Champion Six-Year-Old Selten HW, owned and ridden by Elizabeth Ball; Western Champion Five-Year-Old Bellino, owned and ridden by Mark Carter; Eastern Champion Six-Year-Old De Facto, owned by Martha Singh and ridden by Christopher Schruefer; Eastern Champion Five-Year-Old Suntreader, owned by Pamela Erdman and ridden by Inga Janke.

For more information about the Markel/USEF Young Horse Dressage Program, please visit http://www.usef.org/_IFrames/breedsdisciplines/discipline/alldressage/NatlYHProgram.aspx or contact Jeannie Blancq, USEF National Director of Dressage at jblancq@usef.org.

Awards, Community/Charity, FEI

Nominations Now Open for FEI Awards 2011

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The Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI), the governing body of equestrian sport, is pleased to announce that nominations for the FEI Awards 2011 are now open.

Members of the worldwide equestrian community are invited to make their nominations via the dedicated website www.feiawards.org.

The awards, which were launched in 2009, aim to acknowledge outstanding achievement in the following five categories:

* Reem Acra Best Athlete, for the athlete (equine or human) or combination that, over the past year, has demonstrated exceptional skill in the arena and taken the sport to a new level;
* HSBC Rising Star, for a rider aged 14-21 who has demonstrated significant talent and commitment;
* Development, for a development project, individual or organisation demonstrating skill, dedication and energy in expanding the sport;
* Against All Odds, to celebrate a disabled rider or an individual who has overcome extreme personal difficulties to achieve proficiency in equestrian sport;
* Best Groom, for the often uncelebrated, yet important person who works behind the scenes.

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