Tag Archives: FEI

Kessler Leads American Effort in Final Round of EY Cup

Reed Kessler and Ligist. Aly Sanderford/ Phelps Media Group

Leipzig, Germany – The EY Cup, held in conjunction with the Rolex/FEI World Cup Final, came to close in Leipzig this morning with the final round of the CSI2*. The six Americans riders that have been contesting the competition all week looked to complete their time in Germany on a high note. With each competitor limited to riding one horse, there was all to play for over Frank Rothenberger’s 1.45m course. Twenty-nine combinations would start the first round with six returning to the jump-off.

Reed Kessler of Armonk, NY lead the American effort placing fifth with her Swedish Warmblood Ligist. Throughout the three rounds of the EY Cup, Kessler improved her performance each time she entered the ring. As the sixth horse in the ring, Ligist jumped a confident clear round to be the first to qualify to return for the shortened course.

“I had some really bad luck yesterday, I had a really fast time and he just nicked the back rail in front which is so unlike him. The luck evened out today, as he nicked the first couple, after the first few jumps he started jumping really well. I was definitely excited to be the only clean American.”

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American Tiana Coudray in the Lead Going into Today’s Cross Country at the Second Leg of the HSBC FEI Classics

Tiana Coudray (USA) and Ringwood Magister are in the lead after Dressage at the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event, second leg of the HSBC FEI Classics.

Lexington, KY (USA), 30 April 2011 – Following two days of dressage at the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event, second leg of the HSBC FEI Classics, America’s Tiana Coudray is in pole position with her Jersey Fresh CCI*** 2010 winner Ringwood Magister.

The duo earned the best marks from the judges for a penalty score of 40.8.

“The trot work was tidy but maybe a bit conservative. It was during the canter work that I felt confident enough to show off what Magister can do – that’s the best bit for him,” said Coudray. “When we cantered down the centre line for the final time that’s when it hit me we’d done a good test.”

Britain’s Mary King is less than a penalty behind the leading duo with her four-star first timer Fernhill Urco.

“I wasn’t expecting such a good test from him. He’s a positive-thinking horse who is always forward and I find him strong but in the last month he’s really improved,” said King, who also occupies fourth with her home-bred bay mare Kings Temptress.

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Exell Sets the Tone in Leipzig

Boyd Exell on his way to victory in the warm up round of the FEI World Cup Driving Final in Leipzig. Photo: FEI/Rinaldo de Craen

Leipzig (GER) 29 April 2011 – Title defender Boyd Exell from Australia has won the warm up round of the FEI World Cup Driving Final in Leipzig this evening. The current four-in-hand World Champion was the only driver who finished the course in a clear round. Sweden’s Tomas Eriksson came second driving his brand new marathon carriage. Dutch driver Koos de Ronde finished third.

Ring rusty
The competitors were all a bit ring rusty after a break of several months. Some drivers competed in the last World Cup competition in Bordeaux at the start of February; others had an even longer break after the show in Mechelen at the end of December.

Wild card replacement
Home driver Georg von Stein replaced wild card driver Christian Plücker who unfortunately had to withdraw only two days ago because of two injured horses. Plücker had won the special indoor competition at the German Equestrian Centre in Warendorf in February and had herewith claimed the wild card. Von Stein finished second and was therefore the first candidate to replace Plücker. Von Stein had kept on training his horses so it was not difficult for him to prepare his team for his first ever World Cup start. Von Stein finished fifth in tonight’s competition, behind Switzerland’s Werner Ulrich.

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Jan Ebeling and Rafalca Make Top 10 at the Reem Acra FEI World Cup Dressage Final

Jan Ebeling and Rafalca. (Photo by Aly Sanderford/ Phelps Media Group)

Leipzig, Germany – The Reem Acra FEI World Cup Final got underway Thursday evening with the grand prix presented by Sparkasse. The U.S. sent three combinations to the arena in Hall One of the Leipzig Exhibition Hall. The American horse/rider combinations did not disappoint in the field of 17.

First in the arena for the U.S. were Jan Ebeling and Ann Romney’s Rafalca. This veteran pair demonstrated fluid trot work emphasized by a solid half-pass and had a consistent canter tour. Throughout the test, Rafalca was the picture of obedience and finished with a fluent centerline.

The 52-year-old from Moorpark, CA, could not have been more proud of his longtime partner and found vindication tonight for a tense FEI World Cup Final debut in Las Vegas in 2009.

“I couldn’t be happier with her, she didn’t really have any mistakes and she handled the arena really well, for me that was one thing I really wanted to show everyone, she is not as silly as she was two years ago in Vegas.”

Rafalca and Ebeling earned a score of 68.191% to finish the grand prix in 10th place.

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Star-Studded List of Entries Ready to Ride at Ariat Kentucky Reining Cup

Shawn Flarida and KR Lil Conquistador. Photo by Anthony Trollope.

Lexington, KY – Cool and breezy weather provided a welcome change at the Kentucky Horse Park Thursday – perhaps the calm before the proverbial storm we’ll see Friday and Saturday nights as the 2011 Ariat Kentucky Reining Cup gets ready to unleash a roster of star-studded talent in the Alltech Arena.

Twenty horses were presented during Thursday’s reining horse inspection at the Alltech Arena; all horses were accepted and will be vying for the title in the CRI 5* Open FEI Reining on Friday, April 29. The CRI 5* will offer $90,000 in total prize money for the individual and team competition (running concurrently). This is currently the only five-star reining event in the Western Hemisphere scheduled for 2011.

Last year’s Gold medal-winning Adequan U.S. Reining Team returns in its entirety (Tom McCutcheon, Shawn Flarida, Tim McQuay and Craig Schmersal), each rider going head-to-head in a battle to claim this individual title, most of them partnering up with horses other than those we saw during the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games.

But those aren’t the only crowd favorites. In fact, the entire entry list reads like a “who’s who” in the sport of reining.

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Margie Engle in Fifth Place after First Round of the Rolex/FEI World Cup Jumping Final

Margie Engle and Gladewinds Farm. Photo by Rebecca Walton/Phelps Media Group.

Leipzig, Germany – The Leipzig Exhibition Center hosted the first round of the Rolex FEI World Cup Jumping Final, the speed leg, this afternoon and all ten American combinations looked to get a head start on the competition. Frank Rothenberger set a scopey yet technical course that tested all 43 competitors in the 2011 Final and allowed for a number of different lines and options to be ridden. With the faults converted format, finding the correct balance between forward and efficient riding and careful jumping was the name of the game.

Margie Engle (Wellington, FL) piloted Gladewinds Farm, Garber, Griese and Hidden Creek Farm’s Indigo through the finish in a time of 65.62 seconds to stand in fifth place. Engle used all of her experience to guide the ground covering Dutch Warmblood gelding to an efficient clear round. A handy turn to the vertical at four and executing the inside turn to the ninth fence, the Rolex vertical, ensured the pair a strong result.

“I wanted to be in the top ten, and he was great.  Once I started jumping he felt like he really focused on everything and rode great,” Engle said of the ever-maturing Indigo. “He’s never really gone in and gone fast in the first round so I wanted to just go medium because he tends to be high strung normally.”

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Cornelissen Cruises to Victory in Reem Acra FEI World Cup Dressage Grand Prix

The Netherlands' Adelinde Cornelissen and Jerich Parzival on their way to victory in the Grand Prix at the Reem Acra FEI World Cup Dressage final in Leipzig, Germany tonight. Photo: FEI/Kit Houghton.

Leipzig (GER), 28 April 2011 – The Netherlands’ Adelinde Cornelissen moved ever-closer to taking the 2010/2011 title tonight when recording a convincing victory in the Grand Prix with Jerich Parzival at the Reem Acra FEI World Cup Dressage final in Leipzig, Germany.  Hotly-tipped to scoop the honours following a spectacular indoor season, the Dutch rider and her powerful chestnut gelding produced a confident performance that put a score of 80.957 on the scoreboard.  And as German contenders Ulla Salzgeber and Isabell Werth had to settle for third and fourth places respectively, it was the Danish Princess, Nathalie zu Sayn-Wittgenstein, who snatched runner-up spot with a personal-best result from Digby.

Nerves got in the way of the performances of some of the earliest contenders, but the second tranche of riders exploded into action with a lovely test from up-and-coming German star Helen Langehanenberg who steered Damon Hill NRW into a temporary lead with a mark of 73.480. However Cornelissen, drawn fifth from the end, broke completely new ground when Parzival earned 80.957. The strength of this partnership is now beyond any doubt, the rider super-confident and the horse long past the edgy moments that previously prevented him from showing his true potential.  It is difficult to imagine that the Dutch partnership can be overtaken for the supreme award of this indoor international dressage season during which their class has been undeniable.

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FEI TV Goes behind the Scenes at Rolex FEI World Cup Jumping Finals 2010/2011

Leipzig (GER), 28 April 2011 – FEI TV’s Phil Ghazala captures the excitement at the Rolex FEI World Cup Jumping Finals in Leipzig (GER) with a fascinating behind-the-scenes reportage featuring interviews with riders, course designer Frank Rothenberger, visits to the stables and some of the 300 trade stands.

Watch it on the FEI’s YouTube channel here.

Fab Four
For the first time in the history of equestrian sport, the Rolex FEI World Cup Jumping, Reem Acra FEI World Cup Dressage, FEI World Cup Driving and the inaugural FEI World Cup Vaulting will take place under one roof in Leipzig (27 April to 1 May), bringing together four world-class disciplines for a fabulous festival of sport.

Live Coverage
Watch high quality, uninterrupted LIVE coverage on FEI TV according to the following timetable (all times are in GMT):

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Stuttgart Media Team Scoops Rolex FEI World Cup Press Office Award for 2010/2011

Jörg Klopfer (GER), press officer of the Stuttgart Masters team, presented with “Best Press Office” award for the Rolex FEI World Cup Western European League 2010/2011 © Kit Houghton/FEI

Lausanne (SUI), 28 April 2011 – The Stuttgart German Masters media team has been awarded the inaugural Best Press Office award for its outstanding contribution to the Rolex FEI World Cup Western European League 2010/2011.

Over 200 journalists and photographers covering the 12 Western European League qualifiers of the Rolex FEI World Cup 2010/2011 season cast their votes for the press office that has demonstrated exemplary communication skills, high quality on-site and online media services and ability to supply information swiftly.

The Best Press Office award was introduced at the start of the Rolex FEI World Cup 2010/2011 season to celebrate the hard work of the event organising teams.

Jörg Klopfer, press officer of the Stuttgart German Masters team, was presented with the award at a Rolex Media Reception in the Leipzig Press Club today during the FEI World Cup Finals in Leipzig (GER). Jörg Klopfer is a former journalist and a previous award winner for services to the press. He was press chief at the 1993 IAAF World Athletics Championships in Stuttgart, which was covered by over 3,000 journalists and the Stuttgart team won the Association Internationale de la Presse Sportive (AIPS) award for best press centre.

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U.S. Horses Fit to Compete in the Reem Acra FEI World Cup Dressage Final

Shawna Harding and Come On III at the First Horse Inspection at the 2011 Reem Acra FEI World Cup Final. (Photo by Aly Sanderford/PMG)

Leipzig, Germany – The United States presented three horses to the veterinary panel at the Horse Inspection this afternoon for the Reem Acra FEI World Cup Dressage Final. All proved sound and ready to compete. There were 18 horse/rider combinations fielded from the 11 nations competing at the 2011 Final.

The U.S. will be represented by:

Rider / Age / Home Town / Horse / Age / Breed / Sex / Owner
Jan Ebeling / 52 / Moorpark, CA / Rafalca / 14 / Oldenburg / Mare / Ann Romney
Catherine Haddad-Staller / 47 / Vechta, Germany / Winyamaro / 11 / Hanoverian / Gelding / Catherine Haddad-Staller
Shawna Harding / 41 / Aiken, SC / Come On III / 12 / Danish Warmblood / Gelding / Shawna Harding

“All of our combinations looked good, sound and ready to compete. Everyone is really excited to be here,” said Eva Salomon, USEF Dressage Team Chef d’Equipe. “We will do our first training in the main arena tonight and look forward to getting underway tomorrow.”

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