Tag Archives: FEI

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

McCutcheon and Schmersal to Represent U.S. at Inaugural FEI World Reining Final

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Lexington, KY – The inaugural FEI World Reining Final gets underway in Malmo, Sweden this week as part of a four-day reining event at Bökeberg, Skåne. The United States will be represented by two of its top reining athletes, Tom McCutcheon and Craig Schmersal.

World Champion and Team Gold medalist from the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games, McCutcheon heads to Malmo with the momentum of a banner year at his back. He was named 2010 USEF Equestrian of the Year and his WEG horse, Gunners Special Nite, was crowned 2010 Farnam/USEF Horse of the Year. Gunners Special Nite won’t be making this trip, so McCutcheon will be relying on Darlins Not Painted, a 9-year-old American Paint Horse mare owned by Turnabout Farm.

“I always look forward to the opportunity to represent the U.S.,” said McCutcheon. “It’s always great to show in front of European reining fans; they’re loud and they love reining!”

McCutcheon will be joined by WEG Teammate and Individual Silver medalist, Craig Schmersal, who will ride Miss Lil Addy Tude in her first overseas appearance. The 9-year-old American Quarter Horse mare just finished second in the CRI5* at the Ariat Kentucky Reining Cup, proving she can be a formidable opponent in a big venue.

The Final in Malmo marks another important opportunity for the U.S. Reiners to prove their prowess on the world stage. Each National Federation is only invited to send two athletes (with one horse each) to contend for $100,000 in prize money. The one-round event takes place at 19:00 CEST on Saturday May 21.

FEI TV will broadcast the FEI World Reining Final on www.feitv.org.

More information is available about this event here: http://worldreiningfinal.com/.

*Featured/Spotlights, Championships, Driving, FEI, FEI, JRPR

Suzy Stafford Long-Listed for 2011 FEI World Pony Driving Championships in Slovenia

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

Chester County, PA (May 19, 2011) – Gold medalist Suzy Stafford has been long-listed for the 2011 FEI World Pony Driving Championships with her registered half Arabian mare Miss Josephine. Stafford operates her Stafford Carriage Driving facility out of Chester County in Pennsylvania from April to December and is stationed in Aiken, South Carolina from January through April.

“I am very excited that Josephine has been long-listed for the Pony Driving Championships,” Stafford said. “I have owned her since September of 2010 and she doesn’t have quite the show experience that many of the other ponies I have competed had, but she does have the quality and the talent to win. I am confident she will be ready for the World Championships by September.”

Although their partnership is relatively new, Stafford and Josephine have already proven they have the drive to win. The pair won the Reserve National Single Pony Championships at Live Oak International earlier this year and as the most consistent competitors in three selection trials held in Florida, Stafford and Josephine drove away as the winners of the Triple Crown of Driving sponsored by Live Oak International, the Sunshine State CDE and Little Everglades CDE.

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Championships, Competitions, Contributors/Press, Eventing/H.T., Events, FEI, FEI

HSBC FEI European Eventing Championships 100-Day Countdown

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Lausanne (SUI), 18 May 2011 – The 100-day countdown to the HSBC FEI European Eventing Championships 2011 is being celebrated today at an international media event held at Luhmühlen (GER), which on 25-28 August will be hosting the championships for the fifth time since they were created in 1953.

Eventing legend Captain Mark Philips (GBR) welcomed guests to the brand new site, which is expected to attract record numbers of fans this year to commemorate the 30th running of the FEI European Eventing Championships. He was joined by German team coach Hans Melzer and Olympians Marina Köhncke (GER) and Andreas Dibowski (GER).

HSBC has agreed a further three-year term as global sponsor of FEI Eventing to include title sponsorships of the HSBC FEI European Eventing Championships in both 2011 and 2013 and the HSBC FEI Classics until the end of 2013. Luhmühlen will host the third leg of the HSBC FEI Classics 2011 series on 16-19 June.

HSBC has supported the FEI Classics series since 2008 and will be contributing US$ 1 million in prize money over the next three years, which represents the biggest prize pot on offer in Eventing on an annual basis.

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Community/Charity, FEI

In Memoriam: Roland Désourdy (CAN)

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M. Roland Désoudry, 1917 - 2011

Roland Désourdy (CAN), known by his many Canadian friends as Monsieur Roland, passed away at the end of last month at the age of 93. A well-known businessman in Québec, he founded Ville de Bromont, which he planned as a city for the 21st century and which has developed into the city of Bromont that we know today.

Mr Désourdy, who was first and foremost a horseman, was instrumental in the organisation of the equestrian events of the 1976 Montreal Olympic Games. The equestrian stadium built at Bromont, where all the competitions were held except for team Jumping, was considered to be near perfect. There was seating for 15,000 spectators on the side of the valley and on the other side were the facilities for the organisation, the media and VIPs. The steeplechase for the three-day event was nearby, as was the cross-country course.

The 1976 Olympic equestrian competitions lifted the level of equestrianism in Canada, leading to the great success the country has enjoyed since Michel Vaillancourt’s individual silver medal in those very Olympic Games and on to Eric Lamaze’s individual gold in Hong Kong in 2008.

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Community/Charity, Events, FEI

FEI Equestrian Community Integrity Unit Unanimously Voted into Statutes

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Lausanne (SUI), 17 May 2011 – The FEI Equestrian Community Integrity Unit (ECIU), which was established in January 2010, has been drafted into the FEI Statutes and will now be a permanent fixture in the structure of the Federation.

The revision to the FEI Statutes to officially establish the ECIU as a permanent entity was passed unanimously at the recent Extraordinary General Assembly in the Olympic Museum in Lausanne (SUI).

The Statutes state that “the ECIU is an Independent Body with its chairperson reporting directly to the FEI President or his or her designee(s).

“The ECIU is a mechanism to protect integrity principles within the equestrian community, including, but not limited to, the “Clean Sport” programme and betting or corruption risks. It will be responsible for investigating any integrity issues related to the FEI, Headquarters, and all bodies whether volunteer or not. It will also maintain a review power, as needed, over the General Assembly, FEI Bureau, and FEI Executive Board.”

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*Featured/Spotlights, Championships, Competitions, Eventing/H.T., Events, FEI

Romania’s Bogdan Takes Individual Title as Bulgaria Scoops Team Gold

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(L to R) the gold medal winning Bulgarian team of Veselin Petrov, Svetlin Ivanov and Illyan Iskarov with (on right) newly-crowned Individual Balkan Eventing Champion Milashcon Bogdan from Romania.

Romania’s Milashkon Bogdan claimed individual gold at the 2011 FEI Balkan Eventing Championships in Shumen, Bulgaria last Sunday.  The host nation’s Iliyan Iskarov slotted into silver medal position ahead of fellow-countryman Veselin Petrov in bronze while the only other finisher, Bulgaria’s Svetlin Ivanov, was fourth – thus ensuring a clear-cut victory for Bulgaria in the team championship.

A total of eight horse-and-rider partnerships started the competition, and it was Romania’s Viorel Bubau and the seven year old chestnut mare, Arctic, who held the lead after dressage when producing a test that earned 53.94 from the Ground Jury that consisted of Germany’s Carl Heinz Boess (President), Katherina Luchechi (ITA), Yuri Valev (BUL) and Peter Eck (BUL).

CLOSE BEHIND
Bogdan and his 10 year old Westphalian mare, Lady Kera, were close behind on a score of 53.91 in second place however, so when the leader, and third-placed Ozhan Sezer (Pinar) from Turkey, were eliminated on cross-country day then the score-board changed dramatically.

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*Featured/Spotlights, Competitions, Dressage, Eventing/H.T., Events, FEI, FEI, Show Jumping

Baldwin in the Driving Seat in FEI World Cup Eventing at Chatsworth

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Emily Baldwin (GBR) celebrates victory at Chatsworth (GBR), the third leg of FEI World Cup Eventing 2011, with by Michel Asseray (FRA). Photo: FEI/Fiona Scott-Maxwell.

Lausanne (SUI), 16 May 2011 – British riders got their chance to make an impression on the FEI World Cup Eventing 2011 leaderboard when, at the third leg, Emily Baldwin (GBR) spearheaded a one-two-three for the home side at Chatsworth (GBR).

Baldwin and the Dutch-bred Drivetime have a reputation as CIC3* specialists and won the FEI World Cup event at Haras du Pin (FRA) last year, a competition that Baldwin has signalled she will be returning to in August in her quest for further points.

Victory at Chatsworth was compensation for an unfortunate Badminton, when the pair stopped at the lake. As a result, Baldwin was seen riding strongly into Chatsworth’s imposing water fences.

“I’m relieved,” she smiled afterwards. “Drivetime has redeemed himself. He jumped into the second water, which was bigger than Badminton, absolutely fine, and his dressage and jumping were really good, so I’m pleased with him.”

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Competitions, Contributors/Press, Disciplines, Events, FEI, FEI, Show Jumping

Irish Clinch Victory in Thrilling Season-Opener at La Baule

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Irish eyes were smiling at La Baule in France today when (L to R) Billy Twomey, Cian O'Connor, Shane Sweetnam and Cameron Hanley won the opening leg of the 2011 FEI Nations Cup. Photo: FEI/Christophe Bricot.

La Baule, 13 May 2011 – Ireland won the opening leg of the 2011 FEI Nations Cup series in a nail-biting thriller at La Baule in France today. On an afternoon when the form-book was turned on its head, Robert Splaine’s side of Shane Sweetnam (Amaretto Darco), Billy Twomey (Romanov), Cian O’Connor (Larkhill Cruiser) and Cameron Hanley (VDL Southwind) produced superb jumping to finish with a two-fault advantage over the runners-up from Belgium, while the mighty German side had to settle for third spot in the eight-nation clash.

Nations Cup jumping is never predictable, which is one of the reasons for its continuing popularity more than a century after it all began.  But few could have expected that the host country – defending series champion and winners on their home turf in 2010 – would finish second-last, followed only by the newcomers from Denmark.  On a difficult day for the Danes, already disadvantaged by the withdrawal of second-line rider Emilie Martinsen after her horse, Caballero, suffered a colic attack, they retired early in the second round.  So they go into the next leg in Rome (ITA) in two weeks’ time already trailing on the leaderboard, and with a mountain to climb if they are to survive their debut-season at the elite level of this super-tough sport.

A FEW SURPRISES
Course designer, Frederic Cottier, appeared to have been quite lenient as the competition began, but by the end of the first round there had already been a few surprises including elimination for World No. 1 Kevin Staut whose mare, Silvana de Hus, stopped twice at the penultimate combination to the dismay of the home crowd.

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*Featured/Spotlights, Contributors/Press, Disciplines, FEI, Revolution Sports, Show Jumping

The Rolex One to Watch – April 2011

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Simone Coata - The Rolex One to Watch for April 2011

13 May 2011 – The Rolex One to Watch for April 2011 is the Italian rider, Simone Coata. Based in Campagnano, near Rome, Italy, the 24-year-old jumped from number 281 to 179 during April – a move up the Rolex Rankings of 102 places.

The Rolex One to Watch is an initiative which identifies the rider who has made the biggest jump within or into the Top 250 of the Rolex Rankings the previous month.

Simone began riding aged nine, following in his father, Piero’s, footsteps. He regularly rides with his father and his brother, Luca, and has two trainers: Giorgio Nuti – the 1972 Olympic Champion – and Gianluca Bormioli. His cousin, Stefano Brecciaroli, is a well-known Eventing rider and was a team silver medallist at the 2010 HSBC FEI European Eventing Championship in Fontainebleau, France.

As a pony rider Simone was a member of the Italian team at the FEI European Eventing Championship in Aachen, Germany, and also at the FEI European Jumping Championship in Jerez de la Frontera, Spain. In 2008, he was on the senior Italian team that won the FEI Nations Cup in Athens, Greece.

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Competitions, Contributors/Press, Disciplines, Events, FEI, FEI, Show Jumping

Germany First to Go as 2011 FEI Nations Cup Gets Underway at La Baule Tomorrow

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La Baule, 12 May 2011 – The German team will be first into the ring as the 2011 FEI Nations Cup gets underway at La Baule, France tomorrow afternoon when the Dutch will have the advantage of starting last of the eight competing countries.  The draw took place today, and the running order will be as follows:

1, Germany; 2, Great Britain; 3, USA; 4, Belgium; 5, Denmark; 6, Ireland; 7, France; 8, The Netherlands.

Fabulous weather has greeted visitors to the charming seaside town this week, and riders can look forward to excellent footing for their horses as the show-ground has undergone extensive renovation to repair the serious damage caused by a massive storm last August.  More than 50 cms of rainwater swamped the area, and the repair-work which began in September took five months to complete.  As a result of the work in the intervening period however, conditions are now better than ever, so the stage is set for a great opening round to the eight-leg top-level series.

HOPES AND EXPECTATIONS
The Chefs d’Equipe talked about their expectations for tomorrow’s competition, and for the season which will conclude in Rotterdam (NED) in August.

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