Tag Archives: hunter/jumper

Pensacola Highlights and Lots of News!

I just returned from the USEF Annual meeting in Cincinnati, so I missed the first week in Pensacola but I understand they had a great week.  The following are the highlights and at the bottom of this page is lots of BIG NEWS.

This year we made some changes to our schedules so that the Classics are held on Saturday instead of Sunday.  That made it so everyone was able to make their getaway flights since the show ended earlier.  Classic Company will continue this “Classic” schedule with all their shows this year.

The week started out with a great party hosted by Pensacola Sports Association hosted an “Iron Chef” party with the finest chefs from the area and everyone was talking about it the next day.

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Beezie Madden and Simon Take First “Saturday Night Lights” Victory in $30,000 Surpass Grand Prix

Spandau and Schaefer Raposa Garner Marley Goodman Small Junior Hunter 16-17 Championship

Beezie Madden and Simon. Photos © Sportfot

Wellington, FL – January 14, 2012 – The FTI Consulting Winter Equestrian Festival (FTI WEF) hosted its first “Saturday Night Lights” event this evening with the $30,000 Surpass Grand Prix. Olympic gold medalist Beezie Madden (USA) and new mount Simon, owned by Abigail Wexner, took home the blue ribbon. Nick Skelton (GBR) and Beverley Widdowson’s Unique finished second, while Cian O’Connor (IRL) rode Blue Loyd, owned by Ashkirk Ltd and Cian O’Connor, to third place.

In the first round of the grand prix, Olympic gold medalist McLain Ward fell with Oh D’ Eole at the 8b obstacle. Ward was taken out of the ring to an ambulance and transported to Wellington Regional Medical Center, where he is being attended by specialists for a fractured kneecap. Oh D’ Eole was examined by veterinarians and is unhurt.

Continue reading Beezie Madden and Simon Take First “Saturday Night Lights” Victory in $30,000 Surpass Grand Prix

Louise Serio and Castle Rock Sweep Performance Working Hunters at WEF I

Louise Serio and Castle Rock Swept the Performance Working 3'6" Hunter division at WEF I. Photo By: SportFot

Wellington, FL – January 14, 2012 – The prestigious Winter Equestrian Festival got underway with its first week of competition at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center in Wellington, FL. Derbydown owner and trainer Louise Serio started off right, claiming the Performance Working 3’6″ Hunter Championship after sweeping the division aboard Bryan Baldwin’s Castle Rock. Serio also took home the reserve championship honors in the Pre-Green Level 2 Hunters with Aate’, owned by Bright Star 158, LLC.

Over the years, Serio and Castle Rock have won many coveted titles, including WEF’s 2011 WCHR Pro Hunter Classic and 2010 USHJA International Hunter Derby. This week they returned the arena and were unstoppable. The duo claimed the first place prize in all of the Performance Working 3’6″ Hunter classes, and were eventually honored with the championship tricolor.

Continue reading Louise Serio and Castle Rock Sweep Performance Working Hunters at WEF I

Olympic Silver Medalist Peter Leone to Present and Sign DVDs at College Preparatory Invitational on Saturday January 14

Peter Leone and Select winning the $100,000 Grand Prix of Devon. Photo by Charles Fox

Wellington, FL – January 13, 2012 – Olympic Silver Medalist Peter Leone will join Kimberly S. Jaussi, Ph.D., at a workshop, “Leadership, Vision and the Equestrian Athlete”, to share his experiences, answer questions and offer advice. The workshop will be held during the College Preparatory Invitational (CPI) in the Special Events Pavilion at the Palm Beach Equestrian Center at 11:00 am on Saturday, January 14, 2012.

After the workshop Leone will autograph his DVD, Ride the Body: Select Insights of Peter Leone, that he produced along with Jaussi. The informative and practical DVD will be awarded to all the first place winners at the CPI. A drawing will be held during the workshop for additional DVD prizes.

Leone and Jaussi also co-authored the upcoming book, Peter Leone’s Show Jumping Clinic: Success Strategies for Equestrian Athletes (Storey Publishing), which will hit the shelves in spring of 2012.

Continue reading Olympic Silver Medalist Peter Leone to Present and Sign DVDs at College Preparatory Invitational on Saturday January 14

$200,000 Gene Mische American Invitational, Presented by G & C Farm, Returns to Raymond James on April 7

Kent Farrington and Uceko were the winners of the 2011 Gene Mische American Invitational. PHOTO © James Parker, The Book LLC

Tampa, Florida – January 13, 2012 – The 2012 Gene Mische American Invitational, presented by G & C Farm returns to Tampa’s Raymond James Stadium on Saturday, April 7, 2012 at 7:30pm.

This year marks the 40th anniversary of this enduring classic and promises to be a magical night of show jumping as the world’s greatest riders and horses gather in the Tampa Bay area to decide the American Invitational title. Also, with the 2012 Olympic Games on the horizon, this year’s American Invitational, presented by G & C Farm, becomes even more exciting and spectators at Raymond James will get a chance to see many of the top riders who have made their way on to the short list of qualifiers for London.

Over the years, the American Invitational has been recognized as the crown jewel of American show jumping, and year in and year out, has been one of its toughest tests. Often called the Super Bowl of Show Jumping, the event also offers one of the biggest purses in all of equestrian sport.

Continue reading $200,000 Gene Mische American Invitational, Presented by G & C Farm, Returns to Raymond James on April 7

EquestrianCoach.com’s Bernie Traurig, Judge of the College Preparatory Invitational, to Speak at 5:00 on January 14

Wellington, FL – January 12, 2012 – The legendary Bernie Traurig will speak at the College Preparatory Invitational (CPI) to present his educational online program: EquestrianCoach.com. The presentation will be held in the Special Events Pavilion at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center at 5:00 pm on Saturday, January 14, 2012.

EquestrianCoach.com is offering a special rate for colleges, universities, schools and youth organizations that provide riding programs or equine degree programs. Participating programs will earn free subscriptions for coaches to use as curriculum.

According to Shelby French, CEO of United States Hunter Jumper Association (USHJA) and former Director of Riding at Sweet Briar College, “What Bernie is offering through his equine educational program is something you should seriously explore to enhance the program of teaching and training at your college. This is a truly amazing educational opportunity and one that I hope you will spend some time investigating and imagining the many ways that you can utilize it in your curriculum.”

Continue reading EquestrianCoach.com’s Bernie Traurig, Judge of the College Preparatory Invitational, to Speak at 5:00 on January 14

Round 1 of $30,000 WEF Challenge Cup Series Goes to McLain Ward and Oh’ D Eole at WEF

Castle Rock and Louise Serio Sweep CWD Performance Working Hunter 3’6″ Championship

McLain Ward with Oh D'Eole. Photos © Sportfot

Wellington, FL – January 12, 2012 – Olympic gold medalist McLain Ward (USA) was able to beat a field of 39 competitors to take the first round victory in the $30,000 WEF Challenge Cup Series at the 2012 FTI Consulting Winter Equestrian Festival. He and Oh’ D Eole triumphed in the jump-off over Charlie Jayne (USA) on Chill R Z and Darragh Kerins (IRL) with Hot Wheels. Today’s grand prix marked the start of an exciting show jumping season, where riders will compete over 12 weeks to win bonus money in the $100,000 FTI Consulting Rider Challenge.

The first week of the FTI WEF runs through Sunday, January 15, and is sponsored by Surpass. The 2012 FTI Winter Equestrian Festival has 12 weeks of competition that conclude on April 1, 2012, and they will be awarding more than $6 million in prize money through the circuit. The highlight jumper class in week one is the $30,000 Surpass Grand Prix on Saturday, January 14, at 7 p.m.

Continue reading Round 1 of $30,000 WEF Challenge Cup Series Goes to McLain Ward and Oh’ D Eole at WEF

2012 FTI Consulting Winter Equestrian Festival Competition Begins with Great Expectations

Cian O’Connor and Everything Capture First G&C Farm 1.45m Jumper Victory

Cian O'Connor (IRL) and Everything won the $8,000 G&C Farm 1.45m Jumpers on the opening day of the 2012 FTI Consulting Winter Equestrian Festival. Photo © Sportfot

Wellington, FL – January 11, 2012 – The FTI Consulting Winter Equestrian Festival (FTI WEF) kicked off competition today with hunter/jumper classes in 10 rings. In the International Arena, Olympian Cian O’Connor (IRL) scored the first win of the season with Everything, owned by Abdulla Humaid Al Muhairi, in the G&C Farm 1.45m Jumpers.

The first week of the FTI WEF runs through Sunday, January 15, and is sponsored by Surpass. The 2012 FTI Winter Equestrian Festival has 12 weeks of competition that conclude on April 1, 2012, and they will be awarding more than $6 million in prize money through the circuit. The highlight jumper class in week one is the $30,000 Surpass Grand Prix on Saturday, January 14, at 7 p.m.

This week’s course designer in the International Arena is Steve Stephens of Palmetto, FL. The G&C Farm 1.45m class was a time first round format and welcomed 19 entries. O’Connor and his first mount, Blue Loyd owned by Ashkirk Ltd and O’Connor, were neat around the course to finish in sixth place.

Continue reading 2012 FTI Consulting Winter Equestrian Festival Competition Begins with Great Expectations

Sophie & Katherine Make Horse Jump Out of Cupcakes and Bake One Ton Creation

DC CUPCAKES: ONE TON CUPCAKE Premieres Monday, January 16 at 10 PM (ET/PT) on TLC

Sophie and Katherine build the Cupcake Jump at the Washington International Horse Show. Shawn McMillen Photography

Sophie and Katherine, the sisters who own Georgetown Cupcake, have a huge order from the Washington International Horse Show to make a full-sized horse jump out of cupcakes. Horses jumping over cupcakes? Why yes! The country’s leading indoor metropolitan horse show is just a few blocks away from Sophie and Katherine’s Georgetown Cupcake shop. A special jump made from the now famous sweets was a surprise addition to an exciting evening of world-class show jumping competition. Tune in to see if any of the horses, riders or fans got to eat one!

At the same time, the sisters attempt to break the world record for largest cupcake. With the help of Mommy and Sophie’s nuclear engineer husband Steve, they set out to bake a one ton cupcake, first finding an oven huge enough for all 2000 pounds of homemade batter, and then baking it to perfection.

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2012 FTI Consulting Winter Equestrian Festival Hosts Opening Press Conference

The panel of Michael Stone, Mark Bellissimo, Louise Serio, Christine McCrea, Rodrigo Pessoa and Hunter Harrison spoke about the 2012 FTI Consulting Winter Equestrian Festival at the opening press conference. Photos © ManciniPhotos.

Wellington, FL – January 10, 2012 – The 2012 FTI Consulting Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF) hosted its opening press conference on Tuesday afternoon at the White Horse Tavern in Wellington, FL. A large crowd of local, national, and international media were in attendance to hear the latest news on the 12-week competition, which begins tomorrow. The FTI WEF will host thousands of the world’s best horses and riders on January 11 – April 1 at the beautiful Palm Beach International Equestrian Center (PBIEC) in what has become the world’s largest and longest running horse show.

This afternoon’s press conference was hosted by Equestrian Sport Productions’ (ESP) CEO Mark Bellissimo and President Michael Stone, with additional commentary from top hunter rider and trainer Louise Serio, Pan American Games Show Jumping Individual and U.S. Team Gold Medalist Christine McCrea, Wellington Equestrian Partner Hunter Harrison, and Olympic Show Jumping Gold Medalist Rodrigo Pessoa.

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