Tag Archives: FEI

Contributors/Press, Disciplines, FEI, Show Jumping

FEI Course Attracts Record Number of Participants

January 21, 2011 Associate Editor Leave a comment

Lausanne (SUI), 21 January 2011 – The new FEI Education System for Jumping Officials will be the key feature of an official FEI Refresher Course for Jumping Judges which will be held on 29 January 2011 in Zurich, venue of the ninth leg of the Rolex FEI World Cup. A record number of participants – 160 FEI Officials from 45 countries on five continents – have confirmed their attendance. The Course, directed by FEI Jumping Committee Chairman Sven Holmberg and International Show Jumping Officials Club (ISJC) President Stephan Ellenbruch, will also include updates on FEI legal and veterinary matters. A Seminar for Jumping Stewards and Course Designers will also be held in Zurich.

The general assembly of the ISJC will take place on the same day at the invitation of the Swiss Equestrian Federation and the organising committee of Mercedes-CSI Zurich.

The complete programme of the day is available on this link.

Contact:

Grania Willis

Director Press Relations

grania.willis@fei.org

+41 78 750 61 42

Malina Gueorguiev

Manager Press Relations

malina.gueorguiev@fei.org

+41 78 750 61 33

Competitions, Contributors/Press, Disciplines, Dressage, Events, FEI, FEI

Reem Acra FEI World Cup Dressage 2010/2011 – Preview Round 7

January 21, 2011 Associate Editor Leave a comment

REEM ACRA SERIES RE-COMMENCES IN AMSTERDAM TOMORROW – Cornelissen favourite after victory in today’s Grand Prix

Amsterdam (NED), 21 January 2011 – The Netherlands’ Adelinde Cornelissen looks set to take the seventh leg of the 2010/2011 Reem Acra FEI World Cup Dressage season by storm when the series re-commences on her home turf in Amsterdam tomorrow after partnering the fabulous 14 year old gelding Jerich Parzival to a clear-cut victory in today’s Grand Prix at the Dutch fixture. Cornellisen had an advantage of more than four percentage points over runner-up Patrick Kittel riding Watermill Scandic for Sweden, and all five judges – Holland’s Mrs. E. Mouw and Mr. W. Ernes, Mr. J. M. Roudier from France, Belgium’s Mr. J. van Daele and Great Britain’s Mr. S. Clarke – put her in No. 1 spot.

With only three further qualifying legs remaining before the final which kicks off in Leipzig, Germany at the end of April the pressure is mounting with every round, and Amsterdam attracted a strong line-up of 20 top dressage contenders. The top-15 from today’s Grand Prix have qualified for tomorrow’s Freestyle and amongst the seven flying the host nation flag will be Hans Peter Minderhoud who secured maximum points at the sixth leg in Mechelen, Belgium in December. This morning, however, he had to settle for eighth place with IPS Tango, while it was team-mate Sander Marijnissen who produced the second-best Dutch result when slotting in just ahead of him in seventh, riding Moedwil.

*Featured/Spotlights, Community/Charity, Contributors/Press, Disciplines, Eventing/H.T., FEI

In Memoriam: Rebecca Broussard (USA)

January 4, 2011 Associate Editor 1 Comment

Lausanne (SUI), 4 January 2011 – Rebecca Broussard, one of the most loyal supporters of Eventing in the United States, passed away at her home in Montana on 24 December 2010 after losing her battle against cancer.

Born in Jeanerette, Louisiana on February 17, 1942, Becky Broussard was one of the best known “behind-the-scenes” names in US Eventing, owning top horses for Phillip Dutton, Karen O’Connor, Cathy Wieschoff, Amy Tryon and Ralph Hill, among others. She was also the founder of The Event at Rebecca Farm in Kalispell, Montana, which began in 2002 and now includes an FEI World Cup qualifier. The Event, which celebrates its 10th anniversary this year, attracts riders from across the US.

Becky had long talked about her love of helping riders in the West compete on the world stage and her vision also included plans to bring riders from Europe to Montana in the future. She provided financial support for US riders to travel to Strzegom (POL) for the 2009 HSBC FEI World Cup final and, last summer, helped organise a historic flight of 18 horses from the East Coast, including many Olympians, to compete at The Event at Rebecca Farm.

Continue reading In Memoriam: Rebecca Broussard (USA) →

*Featured/Spotlights, Competitions, Contributors/Press, Disciplines, Dressage, Driving, Events, FEI, FEI

Hat Trick for Koos de Ronde in Mechelen

December 31, 2010 Associate Editor 1 Comment

DeRondeKoosNED_20101230_2617 — Koos de Ronde on his way to his hat trick victory in Mechelen. Photo: FEI/Rinaldo de Craen

Koos de Ronde did it again. The Dutch golden team member of Kentucky has won the FEI World Cup Driving competition in Mechelen for the third time in a row. De Ronde beat Hungary’s Jozsef Dobrovitz with an exciting fast and clear round to put the pressure on last-to-go and wild card driver Boyd Exell. But the World Champion from Australia was unable to stay clear and left the arena with 15 penalty points. When the scores were finally tallied, De Ronde was declared the deserved winner.

Charley is back
After wins in 2008 and 2009 in the Nekkerhal just 140 kilometres from his home in The Netherlands, Koos de Ronde was determined to be the best again in Mechelen. Koos was very pleased to be able to use his black horse Charley in the lead of his team again after having to replace him at Budapest due to injury. De Ronde put his team in the highest gear from the start and was the only driver with two clear rounds.

Too generous
Boyd Exell, who had received one of the three wild cards from the organisers, was last to go in the Winning Round after a very fast first round. Koos had asked him to be generous before he went into the fully packed arena, but Boyd explained afterwards that he had not planned to be that generous! Boyd, who had swapped his leaders around, went too fast in tight places and knocked three balls down.

*Featured/Spotlights, Competitions, Contributors/Press, Disciplines, Events, FEI, FEI, Show Jumping

Rolex FEI World Cup Jumping 2010/2011 – Round 8

December 30, 2010 Associate Editor 1 Comment

JessMech — Mireille Puttevils, Rolex Belgium, presents Jessica Kuerten with a Rolex watch after the Irish rider's victory with Castle Forbes Myrtille Paulois in today's leg of the Rolex FEI World Cup Jumping series. Photo: Dirk Caremans/FEI.

KUERTEN KEEPS THE BELGIANS AT BAY ON THEIR HOME TURF AT MECHELEN by Louise Parkes

Mechelen BEL, 30 December 2010 – Ireland’s Jessica Kuerten fended off a powerful challenge from the host nation contingent to scoop maximum points in the eighth leg of the 2010/2011 Rolex FEI World Cup Jumping series at Mechelen in Belgium this afternoon. From a starting field of 38 only four went into the second-round jump-off, and the 41 year old German-based rider snatched victory when second-last to go against the clock riding Lady Georgina Forbes’ Castle Forbes Myrtille Paulois.

“It was a very special win, and I feel quite emotional,” Kuerten said afterwards. “We really wanted to win, we were unbelievably motivated and we had to go very fast to beat Gregory Wathalet. Winning this and the Queen’s Cup on Tuesday has made it a fairytale week!” she added. Belgium’s Wathalet took runner-up spot with Sea Coast Cortes C while his fellow-countrymen Jos Lansink (Casper Van Spieveld) and Niels Bruynseels (NASA) filled third and fourth places respectively as the home riders put on a great show in front of their own crowd in the packed Nekkerhal Arena.

*Featured/Spotlights, Competitions, Contributors/Press, Disciplines, Dressage, Events, FEI, FEI

Reem Acra FEI World Cup Dressage 2010/2011 – Round 6, Mechelen

December 28, 2010 Associate Editor 1 Comment

GalMech — The Netherlands' Edward Gal and Sisther de Jeu won the sixth leg of the 2010/2011 Reem Acra FEI World Cup Dressage series in Mechelen, Belgium today. Photo: Dirk Caremans/FEI.

GAL REIGNS SUPREME WHILE MINDERHOUD TAKES MAXIMUM POINTS AND SALZGEBER FORGES AHEAD ON LEADERBOARD by Claartje van Andel

Mechelen (BEL), 28 December 2010 – The Netherlands’ Edward Gal and his mare Sisther de Jeu simply did what they set out to do at the sixth leg of the 2010/2011 Reem Acra FEI World Cup Dressage series in Mechelen, Belgium today when following their victory in the Grand Prix with the same result in the Freestyle. As Gal is the title defender and does not receive points in his starts, his partner, Hans Peter Minderhoud, claimed maximum points when runner-up with the mare Exquis Nadine. And Ulla Salzgeber, winner at both Kaposvar in Hungary and at Frankfurt in her native Germany this season, finished third with her chestnut mare Wakana to forge a strong lead at the top of the series leaderboard.

Gal was relieved and happy with the win. He took the rather inexperienced mare Sisther de Jeu to Olympia in London and now to Mechelen. “She is very sensitive and is not used to a lot of noise and to the crowds, but she is learning to behave better, and to relax – this definitely will be her future,” the 40 year old rider said with confidence. His Freestyle music is just like the famous Freestyle of his former ride, the stallion Totilas which has now been sold to Germany. The score was created by Dutch musician Joost Peters, who is married to Dutch dressage rider and trainer Mischa Koot, and the music cast a mysterious spell over the movements of Sisther de Jeu who began to really show what she can do during the test.

Continue reading Reem Acra FEI World Cup Dressage 2010/2011 – Round 6, Mechelen →

Awards, Competitions, Contributors/Press, Disciplines, Events, FEI, FEI, Racing, Show Jumping, Western/Reining

FEI Month in Review – December 2010

December 27, 2010 Associate Editor 1 Comment

12/01/2010 Malmö to host inaugural FEI World Reining Finals in 2011

12/03/2010 Guatemala to stage FEI World Jumping Challenge Final

12/05/2010 Ultimate win for Ulrich in Budapest

12/11/2010 Swiss Jumping team presented with 2008 Olympic bronze at 50th anniversary Geneva show

12/12/2010 Journalists to vote for best press office in Rolex FEI World Cup Western European League 2010/2011 season

12/13/2010 FEI President names Executive Board members

12/16/2010 FEI and Reem Acra give Christmas treat to children from inner city London horse charity

KEY EVENTS, ITEMS AND MEETINGS – DECEMBER 2010

Clean Sport presentation and FEI Veterinarian Course, Budapest (HUN), 1-2 December

FEI Veterinary Director Graeme Cooke presented Clean Sport to members of the Hungarian NF and gave an official FEI veterinarian course.

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

2011 FTI Winter Equestrian Festival Offers over $6 Million in Total Prize Money and Adds Eight FEI ROLEX Ranking Point Classes

December 23, 2010 Associate Editor 1 Comment

Wellington, FL – December 22, 2010 – The 2011 FTI Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF) will run for 12 weeks from January 12 to April 3, and this year’s competition will offer more opportunities for show jumpers to accumulate FEI ROLEX ranking points than ever before. For riders to start their year off strongly, the only place to gain this amount of points in North America is at the FTI WEF. The FTI WEF will award more than $6 million in prize money throughout the circuit, and $3.2 million of that will be given in the open jumper classes. For the FEI level jumpers, they will compete for $2.7 million in prize money.

“Adding more FEI ROLEX ranking classes is part of our dedication to providing the best equestrian sport,” said Michael Stone, President of Equestrian Sport Productions. “The riders that compete at the FTI WEF will more chances to gain points this year at our events during the winter season than anywhere else in the continent.”

Thanks to the support of G&C Farm, owned by Gustavo and Carolina Mirabal, the FTI WEF was able to add eight new FEI ROLEX ranking classes to the schedule. There are now 27 ranking classes during the FTI WEF, and these eight new FEI ROLEX ranking classes increased over 20% from last year. “Now there will be over 10,000 points available,” Stone said.

Continue reading 2011 FTI Winter Equestrian Festival Offers over $6 Million in Total Prize Money and Adds Eight FEI ROLEX Ranking Point Classes →

*Featured/Spotlights, Competitions, Contributors/Press, Disciplines, Dressage, Events, FEI, FEI

Reem Acra FEI World Cup Dressage 2010/2011

December 19, 2010 Associate Editor Leave a comment

SALZGEBER REIGNS SUPREME AS GERMANY DOMINATES by Claartje van Andel

Frankfurt (GER), 19 December 2010 – Germany’s Ulla Salzgeber and her reliable chestnut Herzruf’s Erbe won the fifth leg of the Reem Acra FEI World Cup Dressage series in the festive surroundings of the Frankfurter Festhalle in Frankfurt today. The victory was the more remarkable as Salzgeber had not been able to practice her Freestyle in a full size arena of 20 by 60 meters before the competition. The German dressage star is in the middle of moving her training facility closer to her yard in order to have more fields surrounding her stable and training centre, so she was delighted with today’s result. German riders filled the top three places and five of the top six slots on their home turf today, Denmark’s Princess Nathalie Zu Sayn-Wittgenstein preventing them from achieving a total white-wash when slotting into fourth.

“All the German team colleagues of the WEG were competing here, so I am too proud of this win!” said Salzgeber after a very well-concentrated test in which the trot-work was a particular highlight. Her “Boney M” musical score has been used before with her former dressage super-star, the great Rusty with whom Salzgeber was crowned champion at both the FEI World Cup Dressage finals in Aarhus and ‘s-Hertogenbosch in 2001 and 2002. The German rider feels it is also very fitting to Herzruf’s Erbe.

*Featured/Spotlights, Competitions, Contributors/Press, Disciplines, Events, FEI, FEI, Show Jumping

Rolex FEI World Cup Jumping 2010/2011 – Round 7, Olympia

December 19, 2010 Associate Editor 1 Comment

EMOTIONAL MICHAEL WHITAKER WINS COVETED OLYMPIA CROWN by Louise Parkes

London GBR, 19 December 2010 – Emotion ran high as Great Britain’s Michael Whitaker celebrated his spectacular victory in today’s seventh leg of the 2010/2011 Rolex FEI World Cup Jumping series at Olympia in London. The 50 year old Yorkshire-born rider was almost speechless with delight after seeing off a class field that included second-placed Irishman Billy Twomey and World No. 1 Kevin Staut from France who had to settle for third. Whitaker choked back the tears in a post-competition TV interview – “The draw had a lot to do with it,” he said modestly, but this did little justice to the skill with which he steered his 10 year old gelding home to an explosion of applause from the ecstatic home crowd.

“The best man won here today,” declared Twomey, whose former mentor, Whitaker, has watched the Irishman steadily climb up the rankings this season. “They say form is temporary, but class is permanent!” Twomey added, paying the ultimate compliment to the man who started him on his road to success.

UNDER-ESTIMATED
Course designer Guilherme Jorge from Brazil admitted that he had under-estimated the quality of today’s 37-strong field. “I don’t build very often here in Europe and I know the level of the competition is very high – I should have built bigger. The jumping here has been really amazing,” he said.

Horses in the South – An Equine News Publisher