Tag Archives: Hans-Dieter Dreher

New York Empire Team Announced for 2019 Global Champions League Season

Georgina Bloomberg and Manodie II H competing at the 2018 Global Champions League event in Miami, FL. Photo by Stefano Grasso/GCL.

Wellington, FL – New York Empire team owner Georgina Bloomberg of New York, NY has put together an experienced and talented team of six riders for the 2019 Global Champions League (GCL) season. With a series stop in New York being added as the GCL series finale in 2019, the NYE team is excited for the season ahead.

Bloomberg, an experienced international rider who won team bronze at the 2015 Pan American Games and has represented the U.S. on many Nations Cup teams, competes for the New York Empire herself. She’ll wear the team’s distinctive red and black horsehead logo for the first time in 2019 at the Miami stop of the tour on April 18-20. Joining her on the team will be British Olympic team gold medalist Scott Brash, who jumped for the New York Empire last year as well.

The New York Empire team debuted in 2018, joining the line-up of 19 teams competing on the prestigious GCL tour. New York Empire finished in 16th in the 2018 season and qualified for the GCL Playoffs in Prague.

New additions to the team for 2019 are Denis Lynch, Hans-Dieter Dreher, Daniel Bluman, and Spencer Smith, who rides as the Under 25 member of the team. “I’m excited for the start of the GCL season with this team,” said Bloomberg. “Last year was the first season for the New York Empire team, and it ended up not going the way we’d hoped. Everybody had bad luck with horses last year; it was one thing after another with injuries and bad luck. This year we really want to get back in there and have a shot at it.”

Brash earned team gold with Great Britain in the 2012 Olympic Games and won the Global Champions Tour (GCT) series and season final in 2013. “Scott has been an amazing teammate and as long as he wanted to be on the team, he was without a doubt my first choice for a spot,” said Bloomberg.

“I’m thrilled to be returning to the New York Empire team,” Brash said. “I look forward to the GCL season because we have a strong team. I’ve been teammates with Georgina on GCL teams since 2016 and 2017, when we both rode for the Miami Glory, and it’s always great to compete with her.”

Lynch, an Irish rider based in Germany, is a veteran of Olympic and World Equestrian Games and FEI World Cup Finals. He rode with Bloomberg and Brash on the 2017 Miami Glory GCL team and helped the 2018 Miami Celtics team to third place in the series standings. “Denis is someone I really trust as a friend and a horseman,” said Bloomberg. “It’s always nice to have people who you know are going to go in and produce in the ring, but also who you can trust and rely on outside the ring to help with a practice fence or walk the course with as well. Denis knows me as a rider and knows my horses, and I like him as a person.”

Lynch has a strong line-up of horses with the five-star veteran and former ride of Bertram Allen, Hector van d’Abdijhoeve, joining his string this year. He also has a new three-star horse in Chablis and two talented nine-year-olds. “We thought a lot about it and went out and bought some good horses to help the team,” Lynch said. “I’m really looking forward to the series this season and being on board with New York Empire. It looks like a really exciting and strong team. It’s quite an international team; I think it’s a good bunch and we should do well.”

Hans-Dieter Dreher, who is known as “Hansi,” has represented Germany in two FEI World Cup Finals. He has experienced horses like Berlinda, Embassy, Prinz, Twenty Clary, and Cachacco Blue to choose from when serving on NYE teams. “I am very proud to be a part of this top team this year,” Dreher said. “I have some very good horses to make some good results for the team and I am very motivated.”

Bloomberg and Bluman have been friends for many years, so she was thrilled to have him join NYE this year. Bluman, who competes for Israel but is based in North Salem, NY, and Wellington, FL, showed for the Monaco Aces on the 2016 GCL season, helping them finish third in the standings that year. “Daniel is someone I’ve known since he was a kid,” Bloomberg said. “He was responsible for me finding my first rescue dog, Hugo, and adopting him. That was the beginning of my journey with the animal activism. I consider him family. He’s wonderful and has a good string of horses.”

Bluman, a veteran of two Olympic Games and four World Equestrian Games, considers himself an honorary New Yorker. He has five-star veterans Sancha and Ladriano in his string for the GCL events and plans to also use Entano and Colestina for NYE team appearances. “New York is home for me — my wife and I have a place in North Salem — so it’s very fitting that I’m riding for the New York Empire. I’m excited to be part of it,” he said. “I think it’s a good team — when you put two of those riders together, whichever combination it is, I think it’s a strong entry. I have a few horses to pick from and I think it’s important to take it seriously and focus on getting a good result for the team at each of the shows so we can qualify for the final in a very strong position.”

Joining the New York Empire will be the first time that U25 rider Spencer Smith of the U.S. has competed on a GCL team. Smith, who won the 2014 USEF Medal Finals and now trains with Canadian individual Olympic gold medalist Eric Lamaze, has become a consistent competitor at the CSI5* level, including winning the CSI2* Grand Prix at the 2018 Longines GCT London aboard Happiness. “For me, it’s one of the highest honors to have been chosen for this. A big thank you to Georgina for supporting a young American rider like she always does,” said Smith. He has his two top mounts, Happiness and Theodore Manciais, as well as some younger horses to use for GCL events.

“I think we have a really strong team. It’s such a great line-up,” Smith said. “Just being able to compete side-by-side with some of these riders will be a great learning opportunity. From a competitor’s standpoint, it’s great to know you’ll always have a really strong teammate. That gives you a lot of confidence. I think the final in New York is going to be awesome, especially since that’ll be our home court. It’s going to be a really exciting event.”

Bloomberg has known Smith since he was a young rider. “Spencer has really proven himself as a young rider and he’s somebody who isn’t just coming up in the ranks and having good results, but he’s also someone I really like as a person,” she said. “He’s a really polite young man who’s getting great direction from Eric and from his parents. I wanted a younger rider on the team who wasn’t just someone who was producing results, but also someone who I thought was going to be a great part of the team not only inside the ring, but also outside it.”

The 2019 GCL season kicks off with the first event in Doha, Qatar on February 28 – March 2. Dreher, Brash, and Lynch are slated to jump for New York Empire in Doha. The series then travels to Mexico City, Mexico on April 11-13 before coming to U.S. soil on April 18-20 for the Miami event. The GCL and GCT tour visits many of the world’s most iconic cities, such as Rome, Paris, London, New York, Shanghai, Madrid, and Montreal.

The New York event, which will take place on September 27-29 on Governor’s Island in New York City’s harbor with views of the Statue of Liberty and the Manhattan skyline, is the final event for 2019 regular season. Prague, Czech Republic will again play host to the thrilling Global Champions Playoffs on November 21-24.

“When you have a good team like the one we have and you’re riding with people that you like, it’s an exciting concept,” Bluman said of the GCL tour. “The destinations are beautiful events with great prize money. You’re riding with the best riders in the world, and that’s always what we look to do.”

See more at the Global Champions League site.

Contact: Molly Sorge
molly@jumpmediallc.com

Spectacular Victory for Germany’s Dreher and Embassy ll at Longines Leg in Leipzig

Hans-Dieter Dreher and Embassy ll won the ninth leg of the Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping 2014/2015 Western European League series on home ground at Leipzig, Germany today. (FEI/Karl-Heinz Freiler)

Leipzig (GER), 18 January 2015 – Hans-Dieter Dreher and the fabulous stallion, Embassy ll, produced an exhibition of spectacular jumping to win the ninth leg of the Longines FEI World Cup™ 2014/2015 Western European League series on home ground at Leipzig, Germany today.

The handsome 14-year-old horse was on top form when clinching victory from last-to-go spot in the five-way jump-off against the clock. And the spectators went wild at the end of a superb but super-tough afternoon of sport during which Frank Rothenberger’s first-round track tested the mettle of the very best.

It was an unexpected final line-up, with Norway’s Geir Gulliksen and Edesa S Banjan finishing second ahead of Italy’s Luca Moneta and Connery in third while Germany’s Felix Hassmann and Horse Gym’s Balzaci were fourth. Sweden’s Douglas Lindelow and Casello filled fifth place while Frenchman, Kevin Staut, was sixth with the quickest four-fault result in the first round.

Big and bold

Rothenberger’s track was typically uncomplicated but big and bold. Key to success, as the winning rider pointed out, was the courage of the horse and the conviction of the rider. “It wasn’t enough to have a good jumper today; you needed a fighter as well,” Dreher said.

Enormous oxers tested nerve from the outset, and the scope required to clear the triple combination at fence six, where the opening triple bar was followed by a massive oxer and then a vertical, was exceptional. And riders then had to gather up their onward-bound mounts to cope with the short three-stride distance to the following 1.60m vertical at seven which hit the floor regularly.

The blue vertical at fence three was influential, with Ireland’s Thomas Ryan eliminated with Quite Zero here, while Sweden’s Henrik von Eckermann (Cantinero) and Switzerland’s Jane Richard-Philips (Quister de Guidenboom) also endured a single refusal at this one.

Fascinating contest

It was a fascinating contest from the outset, with Moneta and Connery lulling onlookers into a false sense of security with a brilliant round when first to go, but those clears would prove very elusive indeed. With the time-allowed set at 70 seconds the Italian was initially awarded a time-fault. However, when it was re-set at 72 seconds, the pair was pathfinders against the clock, and they never flinched, setting the target with another great run in 38.40 seconds. However, they clearly lost a little time on the rollback to the double at fence nine when the first element didn’t come up on the perfect stride. It came up much better for Gulliksen who went into the lead in 37.72 seconds, and when Hassmann and Lindelow both left two fences on the floor only Dreher stood between the Norwegian and a career-defining success. But the German wasn’t going to let this winning opportunity slip from his grasp.

“I didn’t have much luck in last year’s qualifier in Leipzig. I was riding well but didn’t win, but today I had some good luck to help me along the way!” he said afterwards. It didn’t look like luck; it looked like pure class as Embassy ll answered his every call including a big ask at the final vertical to clear the line more than a second-and-a-half quicker than Gulliksen for the win.

“I love this horse – he has such a big heart!” said Dreher afterwards.

Delighted

Gulliksen was delighted with his result too. “My podium finish today goes to show that if you keep trying you will eventually give yourself a chance to succeed!” he said. “I knew my horse wasn’t going to be as fast as Hans’, but as long as I didn’t knock one down I would have a chance,” he added. Talking about Edesa S Banjan’s career, he explained, “He was ridden from the ages of 7 to 11 in 1.30m classes. Marlon Zanotelli then started riding him at Grand Prix level. I actually bought him without riding him first and I actually didn’t like him in the beginning! I was then told by one of the guys working on the sales team that he needs to be taken to competitions. I didn’t believe him at first. I took him out to compete and he was warming up fine, nothing special. As soon as I was 2 meters away from the in-gate, he then woke up and completely transformed. I jumped clear! He really is a competition horse after all!” he said.

Moneta, meanwhile, continues to add to his growing fan-base. His unusual riding style, with hands held high and reins very short, sets him apart, as does his extraordinary bond with his talented and free-running string. “I am so proud of my horse,” he said of Connery who proved so difficult that his owner gave him “for free” to the Italian horseman. “He was 10 or 11 years old, and at the beginning he was very stressed and emotional, but we built our relationship step-by-step and now he is getting great. It’s still hard for him to compete in such crowded arenas with so much atmosphere,” Moneta explained.

Lying 18th on the Western European League after today’s competition, the Italian still has work to do if he is to make it to the Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping 2014/2015 Final in Las Vegas, USA in April but, on 36 points, Dreher has qualification in his sights as does Gulliksen who has now accumulated 38.

For further information on the ninth leg of the Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping 2014/2015 Western European League at Leipzig, Germany, visit website www.engarde.de or contact Press Officer Andreas Kerstan, Email andreas.Kerstan@comtainment.de, Tel +49 177 75 32 624.

The next leg takes place in Zurich, Switzerland on Sunday 25 January 2015. For details of the Swiss fixture, check out website www.mercedes-csi.ch or contact Press Officer Roman Gasser, Email roman.gasser@mercedes-csi.ch, Tel +41 79 635 5005.

Full result here.

Facts and Figures:

Leipzig in Germany presented the ninth leg of the Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping 2014/2015 Western European League series today.

40 starters, 12 from the host nation.

5 qualified for the second-round jump-off against the clock.

Winning rider was 46-year-old Hans-Dieter Dreher from Germany partnering the spectacular 14-year-old Hanoverian stallion Embassy ll.

Today’s result has promoted Dreher to 12th in the Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping 2014/2015 Western European League standings.

Course designer was Germany’s Frank Rothenberger.

10 horse-and-rider combinations missed out on the jump-off when collecting four faults in the first round.

The most influential fences in the first-round course were the triple combination at fence 6 and the following vertical at fence 7.

7 riders decided to retire in the first round.

1 rider, Ireland’s Thomas Ryan, was eliminated for two refusals at fence three with Quite Zero.

After 9 legs of the Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping 2014/2015 Western European League, a total of 126 athletes have participated in the series with 75 of those collecting points.

There are 3 further legs to run in the Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping 2014/2015 Western European League – at Zurich, Switzerland next Sunday 25 January, at Bordeaux, France on Saturday 7 February and at Gothenburg, Sweden on Sunday 1 March.

The Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping 2014/2015 Final will take place in Las Vegas, USA from 15-19 April 2015.

Quotes:

Geir Gulliksen (NOR): “This is one of the best shows on the circuit; I always want to come here. When the NF asks me where I want to go, I always say Leipzig! Volker (Wulff) is the best Organiser out there. He works for the riders, not for the money, and always tries to do the best for them. From a rider’s point of view, he is the master!”

Luca Moneta (ITA): “It’s always nice to jump a double-clear in such a big competition. This is particularly true when you are competing in Germany, most definitely the best Jumping country in the world, as the course is really tough and technical.”

Hans-Dieter Dreher (GER), when asked if he intends to qualify for the Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping 2014/2015 Final which will take place in Las Vegas, USA in April: “Yes, I will try! I go to Zurich next week with my other horse and I will try to get another good placing.”

Volker Wulff (Event Director, Leipzig): I am very happy with the whole class, the whole show. We have had four wonderful days. We are very satisfied and we have a future of at least six more years following our contract renewal with Sparkasse. Thanks to my whole team, the sponsors and the riders for the wonderful sport. With Hans winning today, as a German, I am extra happy because it also means we will hopefully be in the front pages of the newspapers tomorrow morning!”

FEI YouTube: http://goo.gl/3cI02W

Full standings here.

Longines Live Timing Jumping application: available free for download from The App Store (iPhone) & Android Markets. Combining precision and performance, this is a detailed and exclusive application designed especially for Jumping fans – follow live results, see latest Longines Rankings, view competition schedules, obtain exclusive information and alerts on your favorite riders and get all the latest FEI news.

Rider biographies: view online and download from http://fei.org/fei/your-role/media/biographies.

Longines has been based at Saint-Imier (SUI) since 1832. Its watchmaking expertise reflects a strong devotion to tradition, elegance and performance. It has generations of experience as the official timekeeper at world championships and as a partner of international sports federations.

Longines’ passion for equestrian sports began in 1878, when it produced a chronograph engraved with a jockey and its mount. Over the years, the brand has built strong and long-lasting links with equestrian sports. In 1912, Longines was proud to partner with its first Jumping event, the Grande Concurso Hippico Internacional, in Portugal.

Today, Longines’ involvement in equestrianism includes Jumping, Endurance and flat racing.

Longines is a member of The Swatch Group S.A., the world’s leading manufacturer of horological products. With an excellent reputation for creating refined timepieces, the brand, whose emblem is the winged hourglass, has outlets in over 130 countries.

By Louise Parkes

Media Contacts:

At Leipzig:

Andreas Kerstan
andreas.kerstan@comtainment.de
+49 4307 82 79 70

At FEI:

Grania Willis
Director Media Relations
Grania.willis@fei.org
+41 78 750 61 42

Ruth Grundy
Manager Press Relations
ruth.grundy@fei.org
+41 78 750 61 45

Local Hero Dreher Produces Dazzling Win at Longines Leg in Stuttgart

Germany’s Hans-Dieter Dreher and Embassy ll won the fourth leg of the Longines FEI World Cup Jumping Western European League series. Photo: FEI/Karl-Heinz Frieler.

Stuttgart (GER), 17 November 2013 – Germany’s Hans-Dieter Dreher produced the performance of a life-time when winning the fourth leg of the Longines FEI World Cup Jumping 2013/2014 series at Stuttgart today.  And his victory was all the more celebrated because he was competing in front of his local crowd.

The 41-year-old Swiss-based rider simply galloped the rest into the ground with a stunning run from Embassy ll in the nine-horse jump-off against the clock.  And it was a field of champions he left in his wake, including reigning Olympic gold medallist, Steve Guerdat from Switzerland, who had to settle for runner-up spot for the third time this season.  The Olympic champion has, however, now risen to the very top of the Western European League leaderboard and can relax for the remainder of the winter months in the knowledge that he has earned his place at the Longines FEI World Cup Jumping Final which will take place at Lyon, France next April.

Course-designer, Christa Jung, has a long and distinguished link with the Stuttgart fixture and presented a superb track that brought the cream to the top once again today.  The jump-off line-up also included two FEI World Cup Jumping triple champions, Germany’s Marcus Ehning and Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum, the reigning FEI European Champion, Roger Yves Bost from France, Billy Twomey who has been a linchpin of the Irish team for many years, Australian star Edwina Tops-Alexander and rising American star Lucy Davis. And it didn’t disappoint, with an almighty and thrilling battle deciding the final placings.

First-round challenge

Jung’s first-round challenge weeded out her nine clears from the field of 40 that included 12 riders representing the host nation.  Starting them out over an oxer, the big blue wall at fence two was one of four obstacles standing at the maximum 1.60m and that led on to the triple bar at three and the following vertical at fence four.  The latter proved the undoing of two partnerships, as Norway’s Stein Endresen bit the dirt when the grey, Cassiopeia, stopped here and Germany’s Patrick Stuhlmeyer decided to retire with Lacan when the 10-year-old also ground to a halt at this one. After the oxer at five riders turned down a long line that began with a vertical at six, oxer at seven and another narrower vertical – 1.60m tall – at eight, before turning left-handed to the water-tray oxer at nine.

The most influential fence on the track was next, and all three elements of the orange-coloured triple combination – vertical, vertical, oxer – fell throughout the competition.  The one-stride distance between elements was testing, and 17 horses faulted here.  The vertical at 11 was followed by a tricky double which opened with an oxer and finished with a vertical topped by a white plank, while the final oxer at fence 13 also played its part, penalising several who would otherwise have kept a clean sheet.  The time-allowed of 69 seconds kept riders on their toes, and The Netherlands’ Gerco Schroder riding Catelino van de Helle, and Germany’s Maurice Tebbel with Cooper, each collected just a single time fault in otherwise flawless performances to slot into tenth and eleventh spots respectively.

Long-time partner

Ireland’s Billy Twomey and the his long-time partner, the 16-year-old mare Tinka’s Serenade, set the jump-off target at 38.67 seconds when first to go but US rider, 20-year-old Lucy Davis, lost her chance with Barron when kicking out the first of the remaining two elements of the former triple combination, now the fourth obstacle on the new track.  Jung’s test was about turning skills, balance, speed and sharpness, and the German crowd went wild when Marcus Ehning reset the parameters with a great round from Cornado NRW that included a very tight angle at the white oxer at fence 15, just three from home, which helped them to stop the clock on 38.21 seconds.

However Guerdat and his Olympic ride, Nino des Buissonnets, immediately displaced them at the top of the order when cruising even further ahead to break the beam in 37.57 seconds, so when Dreher entered the arena it seemed that might be as fast as it could get.  But the German wasn’t intimidated.  His horse had been showing form all week and he set off at a blistering pace, with Embassy ll showing a very clean pair of heels as he raced through the finish more than a full second faster than the Olympic gold medal winning duo.

Try as they would, the rest couldn’t catch him, Australia’s Edwina Tops-Alexander and her hugely popular veteran partner Cevo Itot du Chateau crossing the line in 39.09 seconds, Roger Yves Bost losing out when his European Championship winning mare, Castle Forbes Myrtille Paulois, slipped on the turn after fence four which resulted in a pole down at the following oxer, Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum going clear but slow with Bella Donna and only 1993 FEI World Cup Jumping champion Ludger Beerbaum seriously putting on the pressure with a great round from Chaman that slotted him into third place in 37.74 seconds.

Congratulate

Beerbaum was one of the first to congratulate the winner.  “Well done Hansy!” he said at the post-competition press conference.  “I think he really deserved to win today; the jump-off was world class. When you see the time he achieved, and that of the other competitors, it shows just how unbelievable his jump-off was. Today it was impossible to beat him!”

Talking about his own result, Beerbaum continued, “I think I performed close to my maximum; I am more than pleased. I’ve started to collect some World Cup points which was my personal goal.”  And the German ace complimented Jung’s course-building talent – “I would also like to say that we had one of the best courses ever – it was not easy to build a course bearing in mind the quality of the riders that are here in Stuttgart. The jump off was exciting, no question.”

Runner-up Guerdat was gracious in defeat. “Congratulations to Hansy; I think he did an amazing job. He is a great rider and a great guy; he really deserved to win today. I think I had one of the only horses that could beat him. I have to try a bit harder next time and come back for a win!” he said.

The reigning Olympic champion can now rest on his laurels knowing that his job is done.  “I’m glad to be qualified for the Final; it makes my passage there less work for now!” he said this evening.

The right tactic

Dreher meanwhile reflected on a fantastic day’s work. “I am very happy, especially with my jump-off – I chose the right tactic. My horse was really strong for the last few weeks, and in two classes here we had just one fence down, he was really good so I was hopeful we would go clear today.  To win I was not so sure however!” he admitted.

He said he believed he won the class by taking out a stride on the first line in the jump-off – “He’s a very fast horse – I made up on the first distance when I took one stride less and I think I won it there,” he pointed out.  Dreher has rocketed to prominence over the past three years thanks to a great bunch of horses which he rides from his base just outside Basel in Switzerland.  “If you don’t have good horses then you have no chance, and I’m very pleased for Embassy.  This is our biggest win ever. He has been in great shape this year; he won a class in Aachen and we rode together on the team at the Nations Cup in Rotterdam,” he explained.  Originally from Adelausen in Baden-Wuerttemberg, close to Stuttgart, It was also particularly pleasing to put on such a spectacular performance in front of his home crowd who went wild with delight at the success of their local hero.

Today’s result has boosted Dreher to sixth place on the Longines FEI World Cup Jumping Western European League table. Great Britain’s Scott Brash lies second, German team-mate Marcus Ehning is in third, Portugal’s Luciana Diniz is in fifth place and Edwina Tops-Alexander lies fifth.

“I’d like to try to qualify for the Final, but for now all I know is that I plan to ride at Mechelen (Belgium) after Christmas,” Dreher said this evening. “After that I have to talk to our trainer before I find out what other qualifiers I can go to,” he explained.  Following today’s extraordinary win, however, it seems most likely that he will be provided with plenty more qualifying opportunities over the coming months.

For more information on the fourth leg of the Longines FEI World Cup Jumping Western European League 2013/2014 series at Stuttgart, Germany, visit http://stuttgart-german-masters.de/aktuell/ or contact Press Officer Joerg Klopfer, Email joerg.klopfer@in.stuttgart.de, Tel: +49 (0)7 11 / 95 54 – 31 28.

The next leg of the series takes place at London/Olympia on Saturday 21 December.  For details of the British fixture, go to website or contact Press Officer Jo Peck, Email JoPeck@hpower.co.uk, Tel +44 1753 847 900.

Full result here.

Facts and Figures:

Stuttgart, Germany presented round 4 of the Longines FEI World Cup Jumping 2013/2014 series.

40 starters from 19 nations – Australia, Austria, Azerbaijan, Belgium, Brazil, Finland, France, Germany, Great Britain, Ireland, Japan, Mexico, Morocco,  Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Switzerland, USA.

12 of the 40 starters were from the host nation.

The youngest horse in today’s competition was the 8-year-old Chico, ridden by Germany’s Philipp Weishaupt.

The oldest horse was the 17-year-old Cevo Itot du Chateau competed by Australia’s Edwina Tops-Alexander.

9 horse-and-rider combinations qualified for the second-round jump-off against the clock.

The time-allowed in the first round was 69 seconds.

13 fences in the first round and the most influential obstacle was the triple combination at fence 10.

1 elimination – Stein Endresen from Norway who fell when his grey, Cassiopeia, stopped at the vertical fence 4.

2 retirements – Germany’s Patrick Stuhlmeyer and Lacan following at a stop at fence four, and Spain’s Sergio Alvarez Moya and Carlo who retired after collecting 12 faults.

Course designer was Germany’s Christa Jung who was celebrating her 30th year of course-building at the prestigious indoor tournament.

The Longines FEI World Cup Jumping 2013/2014 Final will take place in Lyon, France from 17 to 21 April 2014.

Quotes:

Steve Guerdat, talking about finished second at three different Longines FEI World Cup Jumping qualifiers so far this season – “I’m not taking enough risk; I have a go but I’m not being risky.”

Course Designer Christa Jung – “We saw very good sport today. I have been working on this course for the past three weeks. The last two days I have changed it three times! I think I ended up with the right course – we had some great sport. I thought we would have 8 or 10 clear rounds.”

FEI Jumping Director John Roche – “I’d like to mention Longines and thank them for everything that they do for equestrian sport. There are six qualifiers left until the final in Lyon so we have many exciting events to look forward to!”

Steve Guerdat, talking about his competition plans for the coming weeks – “I go to Palma (Italy), Stockholm Top 10 Final, Salzburg and the big show at Geneva.”

FEI TV: don’t miss a hoofbeat – www.feitv.org.

Longines Live Timing Jumping application: available free for download from The App Store (iPhone) & Android Markets. Combining precision and performance, this is a detailed and exclusive application designed especially for Jumping fans – follow live results, see latest Longines Rankings, view competition schedules, obtain exclusive information and alerts on your favorite riders and get all the latest FEI news.

Rider biographies: view online and download from http://fei.org/fei/your-role/media/biographies.

Longines has been based at Saint-Imier (SUI) since 1832. Its watchmaking expertise reflects a strong devotion to tradition, elegance and performance. It has generations of experience as the official timekeeper at world championships and as a partner of international sports federations.

Longines’ passion for equestrian sports began in 1878, when it produced a chronograph engraved with a jockey and its mount. Over the years, the brand has built strong and long-lasting links with equestrian sports. In 1912, Longines was proud to partner with its first Jumping event, the Grande Concurso Hippico Internacional, in Portugal.

Today, Longines’ involvement in equestrianism includes Jumping, Endurance and flat racing.

Longines is a member of The Swatch Group S.A., the world’s leading manufacturer of horological products. With an excellent reputation for creating refined timepieces, the brand, whose emblem is the winged hourglass, has outlets in over 130 countries.

By Louise Parkes

Media Contacts:

At Stuttgart:

Joerg Klopfer
Email: joerg.klopfer@in.stuttgart.de
Tel: +49 (0)7 11 / 95 54 – 31 28

At FEI:

Grania Willis
Director Media Relations
Grania.willis@fei.org
+41 78 750 61 42

Ruth Grundy
Manager Press Relations
ruth.grundy@fei.org
+41 78 750 61 45

Malina Gueorguiev
Manager Media Relations
Email: malina.gueorguiev@fei.org
Tel: +41 787 506 133

At Longines:

Longines International Public Relations
publicrelations@longines.com

Dreher and Magnus Romeo Bag Victory in Bordeaux

Hans-Dieter Dreher and Magnus Romeo won the eleventh leg of the Rolex FEI World Cup Jumping 2012/2013 series. Photo: FEI/Christophe Bricot

Bordeaux (FRA), 9 February 2013 – Germany’s Hans-Dieter Dreher and the stallion, Magnus Romeo, secured the biggest victory of their career together when topping the eleventh leg of the Rolex FEI World Cup Jumping Western European League 2012/2013 series at Bordeaux, France tonight.  In a dramatic eight-horse jump-off, they pipped the increasingly impressive partnership of Sweden’s Henrik von Eckermann and Gotha FRH for the honours, while host nation representative, Penelope Leprevost, slotted into third with Nayana.

Tonight’s result has also earned the winning rider a spot at the Rolex FEI World Cup Jumping 2012/2013 Final which will take place in Gothenburg, Sweden at the end of April.  “This will be my first time to make it to the Final, so I’m very happy about that, and my horse is in super form!” Dreher said.

Fair and Not Too Big

He described the first-round track set by Italy’s Uliano Vezzani as “fair and not too big”, but it certainly presented plenty of problems for many of the 39 starters.  As Leprevost said afterwards, “When we walked the course it didn’t seem too difficult, but with Uliano you always know there is something to think about!”, and so it turned out.

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The Rolex One to Watch – June 2011

Hans-Dieter Dreher riding Magnus Romeo in the Rolex Grand Prix at the 2011 CHIO Aachen. Photo: Kit Houghton/Rolex

20 July 2011 – The Rolex One to Watch for June 2011 is German rider, Hans-Dieter Dreher. Based at the Grenzland Stud in Eimeldingen, Germany, the 39-year-old jumped from number 386 to 231 during June – a move up the Rolex Rankings of 155 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.

Hans-Dieter Dreher was born in Schopfheim in February 1972 and grew up on his parents’ riding yard in Adelhausen, Baden-Wuerttemberg, Germany. He started riding as a six-year-old and was trained by his father, Horst Dreher, who was himself a successful rider in the region at this time.

Hans-Dieter began show jumping at nine years old, and by the age of 13 had won his first title as junior champion of Baden-Wuerttemberg. After completing school, he finished his professional education as a rider and later worked at a stable in Alsace, France for three years. He currently rides and trains at the Grenzland Stud in Eimeldingen in the south of Germany, owned by Dr. Carmen Vogt-Brändlin.

Continue reading The Rolex One to Watch – June 2011