Tag Archives: FEI Nations Cup

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

Great Britain Scores on Home Ground

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Piggy French and Jakata led Great Britain to victory at the second leg of the FEI Nations Cup Eventing. Photo: Fiona Scott-Maxwell/FEI.

Lausanne (SUI), 29 May 2012 – Great Britain atoned for a slow start in the new FEI Nations Cup Eventing series by scoring a convincing victory in the second leg, held at the Subaru Houghton International Horse Trials (GBR) in Norfolk over the weekend, in which they beat Australia by nearly 30 penalties.

Germany, winners of the opening competition at Fontainebleau (FRA) in March, finished a close third and remains at the head of the FEI Nations Cup Eventing leaderboard.

Britain came last in Fontainebleau, but team trainer Yogi Breisner, determined to put on a good show on home ground, picked an unbeatable quartet headed by Piggy French and Jakata, individual winners of the CIC3* which incorporated the FEI Nations Cup Eventing.

An individual third place for Sarah Cohen (Treason) and seventh for Francis Whittington (Sir Percival lll) helped stretch the winning margin. Team GB would have won even if counting the discard score of Mary King and Kings Temptress, who took it easy across country, and Britain has now jumped into equal third place with Spain in the FEI Nations Cup Eventing after two out of six legs.

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

Convincing Win for Germany in Rome

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(from left to right): Chef d’Equipe Otto Becker, Marcus Ehning, Marco Kutscher and Ludger Beerbaum (back row), Italian Minister for Foreign Affairs Mr Giulio Terze, FEI President HRH Princess Haya and Mr Andreas Paulgross, President of FISE. Photo: FEI/Bruno de Lorenzo.

ROME (ITA), 25 May 2012 – A powerful German team breezed to victory in the second leg of the FEI Nations Cup 2012 series at the Piazza di Siena in Rome (ITA) this afternoon.  On a day when FEI President, Princess Haya, visited the venue where she competed herself during her jumping career, and where all the talk was about the forthcoming Olympic Games in London and the proposed changes to the FEI Nations Cup format, the competition provided the excitement that has ensured its survival for over a century.

Switzerland finished a close second today, just four faults behind the winning side, while the first-leg winners from Belgium slotted into third.  The host nation of Italy, making a guest appearance since they no longer compete in the Top League, did themselves proud when galloping into fourth spot ahead of France, while The Netherlands and Great Britain shared sixth.  For Sweden and Ireland however it was a difficult day when both were left vulnerable due to rider eliminations and had to settle for eighth and ninth places respectively.

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Competitions, Events, FEI, FEI, Show Jumping

League Leaders from Belgium First into the Ring in Rome

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At the Draw Press Conference for the second leg of the FEI Nations Cup 2012 in Rome (ITA) today: Rob Ehrens (Dutch Chef d’Equipe), Henk Nooren (French Chef d’Equipe), Otto Becker (German Chef d’Equipe), Rob Hoekstra (Chef d’Equipe Great Britain), Sophie Ruiz-Leimer (FEI Nations Cup Representative), Antonio Giovanonni (Rome CSIO Event Director), Robert Splaine (Irish Chef d’Equipe) and Stefano Scaccabarozzi (Italian Chef d’Equipe).

ROME (ITA), 24 May 2012 – The Belgian team, winners at La Baule, France two weeks ago, will be pathfinders as the second leg of the FEI Nations Cup 2012 series gets underway tomorrow at the Piazza di Siena in Rome (ITA).  Italian summer-time has definitely arrived, with temperatures reaching 24 degrees this afternoon.  And the heat is expected to rise even further tomorrow when the eight Top League Jumping nations battle for supremacy at the world-famous and much-loved CSIO which is celebrating its 80th anniversary.

Also in action will be the host nation which no longer competes in the Top League, but which is likely to put in a big effort when making a guest appearance in front of the home crowd.

The complete draw for the order-of-go is as follows:  1, Belgium; 2, Italy; 3, The Netherlands; 4, Switzerland; 5, Ireland; 6, Sweden; 7, Great Britain; 8, Germany; 9, France.

THE SAME TEAM

Italian Chef d’Equipe, Stefano Scaccabarozzi, confirmed today that he will be sending out the same team that won the FEI Nations Cup Promotional League leg in Lummen, Belgium earlier this month.

That was a tough 14-nation contest, but Juan Carlos Garcia (Bonzai van de Warande), Francesca Capponi (Stallone), Natale Chiaudani (Almero 12) and Luca Marziani (Wivina) proved toughest of all and, on form, could put plenty of pressure on the Top League sides tomorrow.

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

Wathelet Wins It for Belgium in Thrilling Two-Way Jump-Off at La Baule

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FEI TV: enjoy LIVE programming, highlights, interviews and archive footage at www.feitv.org.

Pictured on the podium, surrounded by officials from the City of La Baule, the Organising Committee, the FEI and the French Federation are team members Philippe Le Jeune, Gregory Wathelet, Chef d’Equipe Philippe Guerdat, Niels Bruynseels and Dirk Demeersmans. Photo: PSV/FEI.

La Baule, 11 May 2012 – In a super-tight fight to the finish, the Belgian team came out on top at the opening leg of the FEI Nations Cup 2012 series in La Baule, France this afternoon.  It took three tough rounds of jumping to decide the result however, as The Netherlands chased them all the way to a third-round jump-off in which Gregory Wathelet clinched it with his new ride, the 10 year old mare Euphony Cadjanine Z.

It was very much a family affair as brothers Jens and Peder Fredricson were joined by Peder’s wife Lisen Fredricson to claim third for Sweden along with Henrik von Eckermann.  They completed with just five faults on the scoreboard over two rounds, and with a single-fault advantage over Germany in fourth place.

The British looked threatening in the opening stages, but faded to share fifth with the Irish and Swiss on 12 faults in the final analysis, while for the home side it was a disappointing day as they had to settle for eighth and last place at this season-opener.

Anchor rider, Penelope Leprevost, lifted French hearts however when producing one of eight double-clear performances from Topinambour.

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Competitions, Events, FEI, FEI, Show Jumping

Swiss First into the Arena as FEI Nations Cup 2012 Gets Underway at La Baule

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YouTube: Philip Ghazala previews tomorrow’s first leg of the 2012 FEI Nations Cup series at La Baule http://youtu.be/B1bhhwhfWyk

(from left to right): John Roche, FEI Director of Jumping, Rémi Cléro, President of the Organising Committee, and Nadia Poirier, Show Director pictured at today’s draw for the first leg of the FEI Nations Cup 2012. © Jean Morel PSV Photo/FEI

La Baule (FRA), 10 May 2012 – The Swiss team will be first into the ring when the FEI Nations Cup 2012 series gets underway in La Baule, France tomorrow afternoon (11 May), while the host nation has drawn the coveted last-to-go spot. The draw took place this morning, and the eight competing nations will enter the arena in the following order:

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

The FEI Nations Cup celebrates 103 years of world-class team competition in 2012. La Baule has staged 24 Nations Cup events since 1970 and has traditionally been the first port of call since the Top League was established in 2003. French riders have won on their home turf on eight occasions over the last 42 years, but only twice, in 2003 and again in 2010, since the Top League format was introduced nine years ago.

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

Pivotal Opening Round at La Baule as FEI Nations Cup 2012 Paves Way to London Olympic Games

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Team Germany, winners of the FEI Nations Cup Top League 2011. Pictured from left to right: Carsten-Otto Nagel, Ludger Beerbaum, Otto Becker (Chef d'Equipe), Marco Kutscher and Thomas Voss. © FEI/CHIO Rotterdam Press

Lausanne (SUI), 8 May 2012 – As the FEI Nations Cup celebrates its 10th anniversary in 2012, the world-class series will have an extra edge in the lead-up to this summer’s London Olympic Games. Chefs d’Equipe and trainers will use this most testing team Jumping tournament to view the form and medal-winning potential of the talent available to them, and there is huge anticipation of a great season ahead.

French riders in particular will be under no illusions as the action gets underway this Friday afternoon (11 May) on their home ground at La Baule. Pascal Dubois, National Technical Director of the Fédération Française d’Equitation (FFE) said recently, “Because it is the only CSIO 5* in France, we have to honour our nation with a most experienced team in La Baule. The programme for the top 10 rider-horse couples in France amongst which the Olympic team will be chosen is set. According to the results obtained in La Baule, we will compose a team which will participate to the Rome CSIO 5*, to St Gallen and to Rotterdam. The FEI Nations Cup circuit is the format which comes the closest to the Olympic Games, requiring both performance but also a good team cohesion. Evidently, we are going to be very attentive to each rider’s performance.”

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Community/Charity, FEI, FEI

Saudi Equestrian Fund to Finance FEI Nations Cup Face-Lift

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Lausanne (SUI), 30 April 2012 – FEI President, HRH Princess Haya, announced today that the Saudi Equestrian Fund will finance the revitalisation of the FEI Nations Cup series. Announcing the agreement at the opening of the FEI Sports Forum in Lausanne (SUI) today, Princess Haya informed delegates that the Saudi Equestrian Fund will provide full financial support for the 2012 series and has also agreed to a five-year title sponsorship commencing in 2013, once the remodelling process has been finalised. The announcement was greeted with spontaneous applause from the 250 delegates attending the Sports Forum.

The Saudi Equestrian Fund was created by King Abdullah bin Abdulaziz by royal decree in November 2009 to give the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia a lasting legacy in equestrianism through sport and cultural events.

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*Featured/Spotlights, Competitions, Dressage, Events, FEI

David Marcus Leads Canadians in Sweep of Intermediaire 1 at WEF Wellington Dressage Nations Cup CDIO-3*

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David Marcus and Chrevi's Capital

Wellington, FL – April 14, 2012 – David Marcus and Chrevi’s Capital led the Canadians in a sweep of the top three places in the FEI Intermediaire 1 at the WEF Wellington Dressage Nations Cup CDIO-3*, presented by Stillpoint Farm, at the Global Dressage Festival (GDF) Stadium show grounds on Saturday afternoon.

Marcus’ score of 69.211% was followed closely by that of fellow Canadians Chris Von Martels aboard Udon P with a 67.974% and Diane Creech on Hallmark with a score of 66.132%.

“My horse was more confident and relaxed today,” said Marcus.  “The test rode better; I was very happy with him.  Yesterday was not his best day, I think it was because of Friday the 13, so for him to come back and be so great today really pleased me.”

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*Featured/Spotlights, Competitions, Dressage, Events, FEI, USEF

US Teams Win and Take Third at FEI Dressage Nations Cup in Florida

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Christopher Hickey and Witness Hilltop earned the top score at the Intermediaire I Freestyle (Susan J. Stickle)

Wellington, FL – Two U.S. Dressage teams competed in the Intermediaire I Freestyle Saturday night at the WEF Wellington Dressage Nations Cup CDIO 3* presented by Stillpoint Farm. Both went home with medals.

Helped by three of the night’s top seven scores, the first U.S. team beat out their American counterpart, a team from Europe, and two teams from Latin America to capture the FEI Nations Cup crown. The team was led by Christopher Hickey riding Hilltop Farm’s Witness Hilltop. The pair kept their momentum from Friday’s Prix St. Georges and scored a competition high 71.425%. Caroline Roffman and Pie scored 70.050%, Shelley Francis and Patricia Stemple’s Doktor 68.650%, Devon Kane and Diamante Farm’s Destiny 67.525% and together they edged out a victory on Saturday night. With a final score of 210.125 (the lowest score from teams of four riders was dropped) the first US team beat out the European team by less than one whole point.

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*Featured/Spotlights, Competitions, Dressage, Events, FEI, FEI, USEF

Dressage Teams from Around the World Assemble to Challenge for Nations Cup Title in Florida

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Lexington, KY – Eight teams from around the world are preparing to represent their countries and regions at the WEF Wellington Dressage Nations Cup CDIO3* presented by Stillpoint Farm in Wellington, FL this week and challenge for the $35,000 FEI Nations Cup title. The United States, Canada, Australia, Latin America and Europe will all be represented in small tour competition.

Comprising the United States team are four riders in the midst of very good 2012 seasons. Chris Hickey will ride Hilltop Farm’s Witness Hilltop with whom he recently won the Intermediaire I and Prix St. Georges at the Wellington Classic Spring Challenge. Shelly Francis will compete upon Patricia Stemple’s Doktor, Devon Kane upon Diamante Farm’s Destiny, and Caroline Roffman will look to continue her success with Pie. Roffman owns Pie and together they swept the FEI Prix St. Georges and FEI Intermediaire I classes at the $15,000 Wellington Dressage Classic CDI3* in March. Chef d’Equipe for the U.S. team will be Eva Salomon.

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