Tag Archives: hunter/jumper

Breeds, Competitions, Events, Hunter/Equitation, USEF

Ooh Ah Named 2011 Sallie B. Wheeler/USEF National Hunter Breeding Champion

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Ooh Ah, 2011 Best Young Horse West Coast and Sallie B. Wheeler/USEF National Hunter Breeding Champion. Photo: Maria Morgan

Warrenton, VA – The chestnut filly with the large blaze was the best in the west – with judges then determining Ooh Ah the 2011 Sallie B. Wheeler/USEF National Hunter Breeding Champion.

Ooh Ah (Nob Hill x Holy Cow by Fire Jade), bred and owned by Leslie Nelson and handled by John Ducharme, is an 18-month-old Thoroughbred cross. She competed against several dozen other horses in Southern California at the Del Mar Horse Park on August 31, with the Best Young Horse and Reserve Best Young Horse that day going on to challenge the East Coast victors for the title of National Best Young Horse.

“I really didn’t think this day would ever come,” Nelson said. “I was in such a state of shock.”

It’s not that Nelson isn’t used to winning West Coast. With Ooh Ah, it was her third West Coast victory. But the overall Grand Champion trophy was always just out of reach.

But not this time, not with Ooh Ah, known around the barn as Josie. “This time, the stars aligned,” Nelson said. “She is without a doubt the quietest, nicest, most uncomplicated filly. She’s just really simple.”

Simple enough – and perfect enough – to get the top votes of judges on both coasts.

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Competitions, Events, Hunter/Equitation, Show Jumping

Atlanta Summerfest Wrap-Up

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Tamino and Christina Jason. Steven G. Webb Photography

August 30th, 2011 – The second week of the Atlanta Summerfest show series concluded Sunday at Chatt Hills (Bouckaert Farms) in Fairburn, GA.  J. P. Godard and his Equus Events handled the managing duties during this second week of the two week long “A” rated series.  The facility, owned by Olympic 3 Day Eventer Carl Bouckeart, once again received rave reviews from exhibitors and it is no surprise why.  “We have had outstanding feedback this year for the event,” said manager J. P. Godard.  “Thanks to Carl Bouckaert, Ritch Temple, and all of the staff here at Chatt Hills for allowing us to put on the show at their beautiful facility. We are really looking forward to putting on more events here in the future.”  From the gorgeous architecture of the stabling to the fabulous footing to the thousands of acres to ride, Chatt Hills is one of the premiere facilities in the country and it’s conveniently local to the hustle and bustle of downtown Atlanta make it a prime stop on the horse show calendar for the hunter/jumper set.

Chatt Hills was the place to be Saturday evening as all of the “hustle and bustle” was taking place in the jumper ring with 18 horse rider teams turning out for the $5,000 Atlanta Summerfest Jumper Classic.  H. J. Wings and Things of Tyrone, GA provided an old fashioned cook out for exhibitors and spectators to enjoy on the hill as they watched the competition below.  The party was sponsored by the Atlanta Summerfest Hospitality Sponsors: Brad Spragg and the Atlanta Hunt Club, Casey Whitaker, Elizabeth Warmington and Brooksgate Stable Inc., Harrison and Danielle Ford and Hillford Farm, Matt Martin and Windy Oaks Farm, and The Farm House.  7 out of the original field of 18 riders qualified their horses for the second round jump off over the J. P. Godard designed course.  In the end it was blue two weeks in a row for Aiken, SC’s Christina Jason as she guided her Tamino to the win with a clear effort and time of 38.753 blazing to the victory over Charles De Gunzburg’s Mambo De Lezeaux and Tryon, NC native Clayton Russell.  “It was a great two weeks of showing and I would like to thank Cathy and Daniel Geitner for giving me such great horses to ride,” said Jason. “Tamino was just great!”  Originally from Rochester, MI, Christina has been riding for the Geitner’s DFG Stables since last October and has already accumulated many top awards and championships in both the hunter and jumper ring.  Tamino is a 16 Hanoverian gelding in which Jason purchased from Vicky Miller in November of 2010.  Jason continued, “He took time off from November until May with his first show back being at the Tryon Riding and Hunt Club July show, so I am excited he rose to occasion tonight!”

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Classic Company, Classic Company, Competitions, Events, Hunter/Equitation, Jacksonville Winter Series, Show Jumping

Tryon Fall Classic and Other Classic Co. Updates

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Just some updates and reminders.  The 21st Annual Tryon Fall Classic is three weeks away at Harmond Field, Sept. 23-25.  The highlight of the show will again be the Tri State Age Group Equitation Finals.  The top ten riders from the NCHJA, SCHJA and GHJA in 11 and Under, 12-14 and 15-17 will compete for a silver trophy for each age group.  A list of qualified riders is on our website home page at www.ClassicCompany.com and invitations have been mailed.  If you think you have qualified and are not on the list, please call Tissy at our home office.  By moving the show from FENCE, we have reduced the costs of production and we have lowered the stall and entry fees from last year.  We have also added several opportunity classes that do not require membership to either USEF or USHJA to compete.  For those of you who have not competed at Harmond Field, you will be very impressed by the stabling and footing in the show rings.  Carol and I are looking forward to seeing you at our annual event.  Please call our office for reservations: 843 768 5503.

The Atlanta Fall Classic I & II, Nov. 9-20, will have many new classes this year along with the annual finals for NCE and NHJL.  Qualified riders for NCE will be posted soon on our website.

We are well into the planning for the winter shows: Jacksonville Jan. 11-29, Pensacola Jan. 11-29.  Both circuits will offer USEF AA rated hunters and $25,000 Grand Prix classes each week.  More details on both will be available soon.

See you at the rings,
Bob Bell
The Classic Company, Ltd.
www.ClassicCompany.com
Phone/FAX:  (843) 768-5503
Post Office Box 1311  Johns Island  SC 29457

Competitions, Events, HITS, HITS

Pfizer Million Weekend Prepares to Make History as Well as Honor It

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©ESI Photography. West Point Cadets present the American Flag in the background of the awards for the first ever Pfizer $1 Million Grand Prix at HITS-on-the-Hudson last year.

SAUGERTIES, NEW YORK (August 30, 2011) — The purpose of Pfizer Million Weekend will be two-fold this year as the world’s richest day in show jumping also falls on the ten-year anniversary of the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center and Pentagon. While handing out the biggest purses that the sport of show jumping has ever seen, HITS will also take time to remember the heroes of September 11, 2001.

Following the pinning of the first ever Diamond Mills $500,000 Hunter Prix Final Champion, HITS will welcome the cadets of the West Point Military Academy Color Guard and Equestrian Team to escort the American Flag into the Strongid C 2X Grand Prix Stadium. A group of five West Point cadets will set the mood to the tune of the National Anthem as riders, spectators, and HITS staff alike take a moment to remember the events of the 2001 attacks.

“Many of the cadets who now attend West Point are doing it because of what happened that day,” said Sherry Cashman, coach of the West Point Equestrian Team. “It is a meaningful way for them to be honored for that as well as have the chance to participate in an event of this caliber.”

The West Point cadets will be joined, this year, by local servicemen and women, visiting the HITS-on-the-Hudson show grounds as honored guests. Uniformed fire, police and ambulance personnel from Saugerties and the surrounding region will be thanked and celebrated as they march alongside the West Point Cadets into the Grand Prix stadium.

Just a car-ride away from lower Manhattan, emergency service organizations in the Hudson Valley region heard the call for help on September 11, 2001. Many local groups donated time, manpower, supplies and equipment to the rescue and rebuilding efforts.

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Competitions, Events, Hunter/Equitation, National Horse Show, Phelps Media Group, Show Jumping

Alltech National Horse Welcomes Sasco Creek Farm and Weeks Family as $50,000 Welcome Speed Sponsor

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Lexington, KY – August 29, 2011 – The Alltech National Horse Show, 128th edition, announced today that Sasco Creek Farm and the Weeks family have graciously agreed to join forces with this year’s event as sponsors of the $50,000 Sasco Farm Welcome Speed Stake, presented by Mr. & Mrs. William H. Weeks and family.

The Alltech National Horse Show CSI-W 4* will be staged at the Alltech Arena at the world-renowned Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, Kentucky, site of last year’s Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games.

The $50,000 Sasco Creek Farm Welcome Speed Stake is the first class in an Open Jumper division that features fabulous prize money for the inaugural event, including the Saturday night main event, the $250,000 Alltech National Horse Shoe Grand Prix.

As owner Bill Weeks points out, Sasco Creek Farm, located in Connecticut and also in Wellington, Florida, was purchased as the home base for his family of equestrian competitors, daughters Alexa and Whitney and wife, Olivia Weeks. “We built the barn for the girls so they could learn to take care of their own horses and train at home,” he said. “My wife and daughters grew up riding and over time I also fell in love with the sport.”

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Competitions, Events, Hunter/Equitation, Phelps Media Group, Show Jumping

Yann Candele Takes Over Hagyard Challenge Series Lead

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Yann Candele and Azzaro won the $25,000 Hagyard Lexington Classic during the Bluegrass Festival Horse Show, and steady results have earned the rider the lead in the Hagyard Challenge Series standings. Photo: Heather Bellock/PMG

Lexington, KY – August 29, 2011 – Canada’s Yann Candele has taken over the lead in the 2011 Hagyard Challenge Series after earning strong finishes with four mounts over the last two weeks during the Bluegrass Festival Horse Show and the KHJA Horse Show. Two weeks ago, Candele took home the winning prize aboard Azzaro during the $25,000 Hagyard Lexington Classic, and also placed fifth and sixth. During the KHJA Horse Show, Candle placed sixth, ninth, and eleventh in the prestigious class to earn valuable points towards the $45,000 Leading Rider Bonus.

McLain Ward, who claimed the first and second place honors in the $25,000 Hagyard Lexington Classic during the Kentucky Summer Horse Show aboard Pjotter Van De Zonnehoeve and Vocas, currently holds the second place position. Young rider Christina Kelly placed third in Thursday’s event aboard Creata Van Ten Biesen and her steady results throughout the series have now earned her enough points to be tied for third place in the standings with Ian Millar. During the Kentucky Spring Horse Show, Millar showed Instyle and Star Power to fourth and fifth place finishes, respectively, during both of the $30,000 Hagyard Lexington Classics.

The Hagyard Challenge Series features seven show jumping events at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington. The rider who accumulates the most points in the series will receive a $45,000 Leading Rider Award, presented after the $50,000 World Cup Qualifier held on September 23, 2011, during the Kentucky National Horse Show.

Several generous sponsors have helped make this exciting series event happen. These gracious supporters include: presenting sponsor Pfizer Animal Health, Audi of Lexington, Dean Dorton Allen Ford, Hagyard Flex-tra 200, Wyatt Equine Law Group, Johnson Horse Transportation, Chase, and J. P. Morgan.

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Competitions, Events, Hunter/Equitation, Jennifer Ward, Show Jumping

Hayley Alfonso and Lennox Put Manitoba on the Map

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Hayley Alfonso and Lennox won the $31,000 CSI2* Eunice Krausert Memorial Grand Prix on August 24 at the Rocky Mountain Classic II in Calgary, AB. Photo - Cansport

Calgary, Alberta – Hayley Alfonso of St. Andrews, MB, posted the only clear round to win the $31,000 CSI2* Eunice Krausert Memorial Grand Prix held August 24 at the Rocky Mountain Classic II in Calgary, AB.

From a starting field of 26 entries, only Alfonso riding Lennox 157 produced a clear round over the tough track set by German course designer Anne Kathrin Guenther.

Three other riders managed clear rounds but fell victim to the clock, incurring one fault for exceeding the 86-second time allowed.  Tracy Epp of Langley, BC, stopped the clock in 87.06 seconds riding Santee to place second while Beda Wachter of Innisfail, AB, took third place with a time of 87.93 seconds riding WH Carthago Sun III, his 10-year-old Canadian Warmblood stallion.  Lisa Carlsen of Spruce Grove, AB, came through the timers in 88.84 seconds with Cuba Libre to place fourth.  With the fastest four fault effort, Marshall Whyte of Cochrane, AB, rounded out the top five aboard Quinlan, the 11-year-old Hannoverian gelding he rode to victory one week earlier in the $31,000 CSI2* Laramide Oil and Gas Grand Prix.

Having competed in the grand prix events held during the Rocky Mountain Classic I one week earlier, Alfonso was surprised by the size of the course for the $31,000 CSI2* Eunice Krausert Memorial Grand Prix.

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Competitions, Events, Hunter/Equitation, Jennifer Wood, Show Jumping

Amanda Steege Takes Top Two Spots in $25,000 New England Hunter Derby Final at Fieldstone Summer Showcase

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Amanda Steege and Duval. All photos © Anne Gittins Photography and © Jennifer Wood Media, Inc.

Halifax, MA – August 26, 2011 – The Fieldstone Summer Showcase had a full day of competition in the Grand Prix Field today and it was Amanda Steege of Bedminster, NJ, who rode to a one-two finish in the $25,000 New England Hunter Derby Final. Steege rode Duval, owned by Randi Vladimer of Malvern, PA, to victory. Majestic, owned by Tony Arena of Fairport, NY, and Steege were second. Olympian Leslie Howard of Fairfield, CT, took the top prize in the $7,500 Herb Chambers Companies Speed Stake on Goed Zo, owned by the 73 West Group of Toronto, Ontario, Canada. The Fieldstone Summer Showcase features top hunter/jumper competition at their beautiful facility in Halifax, MA.

UPDATE: Today marked the fourth day of competition for the Fieldstone Summer Showcase, which will now run through Saturday, August 27. The MHJ Finals will run at the same times and in the same rings but now on Saturday instead of Sunday. The $25,000 Herb Chambers Companies Grand Prix start time has been moved to 9 a.m. on Saturday, August 27.

There were 45 entries in the $25,000 New England Hunter Derby Final, and they competed through two rounds to find the winner. The top 12 scoring horses from the first round returned for a handy round, which included a trot jump, hand gallop, and walking over a log. The courses were designed by Nathan Panetta.

“I thought they were fun courses,” Steege said. “I loved that the jumps were mostly off your eye and off the gallop. It really let you show off on a horse that had a pretty canter who perked his ears and looked for the jump. I liked doing the natural jumps in the first round. The way that they used them was really appropriate for this level of a class because it definitely was somewhat challenging without feeling trappy or so different that the horses didn’t want to participate. I have to commend the course designer for that.”

Continue reading Amanda Steege Takes Top Two Spots in $25,000 New England Hunter Derby Final at Fieldstone Summer Showcase →

Events, Hunter/Equitation, Show Jumping, Training/Clinics, USEF

2012 George H. Morris Horsemastership Training Session Presented by USEF

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2011 George H. Morris Horsemastership Training Session. Photo: USEF Archives.

Lexington, KY – The sixth annual George H. Morris Horsemastership Training Session presented by the United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) will take place January 3-7, 2012, at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center in Wellington, FL.

An opportunity not to be missed, Morris, the legendary horseman and Chef d’Equipe of the U.S. Show Jumping Team, will again lead top young riders in a comprehensive program including mounted sessions, with other experts teaching stable management, veterinary care and nutrition. Riders will assume sole responsibility for their horses during the Training Session, the goal being to develop a pipeline of young “horsemasters” for future U.S. Equestrian Teams.

The invitation system for the participants will be announced in September, but auditing of the mounted and educational sessions is free and open to the public; however, a donation to The USET Foundation will be greatly appreciated.

More information will be available at www.USEF.org.

For additional information on the 2012 George H. Morris Horsemastership Training Session, contact Lizzy Chesson at lchesson@usef.org.

Competitions, Events, Hunter/Equitation, Jennifer Wood, Show Jumping

Amanda Steege and Bavarian Rule in the $10,000 Fieldstone 2’9″ Hunter Derby Final at Fieldstone Summer Showcase

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Amanda Steege and Bavarian won the $10,000 Fieldstone 2'9” Hunter Derby Final. Photo © Anne Gittins Photography

Halifax, MA – August 25, 2011 – The Fieldstone Summer Showcase hosted two hunter derbies today on the beautiful grass Grand Prix Field. Amanda Steege of Bedminster, NJ, rode Bavarian, owned by Lise Revers of Weston, MA, to victory in the $10,000 Fieldstone 2’9” Hunter Derby Final. In the $10,000 Pony Hunter Derby Final, Jordyn Freeman of Long Meadow, MA, took the top two places on Blueberry Hill and Head’s Up. The Fieldstone Summer Showcase features top hunter/jumper competition at their beautiful facility in Halifax, MA.

Today marked the third day of competition for the Fieldstone Summer Showcase, which will now run through Saturday, August 27. The MHJ Finals will run at the same times and in the same rings but now on Saturday instead of Sunday. The $25,000 Herb Chambers Companies Grand Prix start time has been moved to noon on Saturday, August 27 (from 3 p.m.). The $7,500 Herb Chambers Companies Speed Stake has been moved to Friday, August 26, at approximately 11 a.m. (from Saturday).

Professional rider Amanda Steege had a brand-new ride on Bavarian, who was only purchased three weeks ago by Revers. Revers trains with Lindsey Moore, who had Steege compete today on the 10-year-old Holsteiner gelding. “My dad has been helping Lindsey Moore. I got lucky!” Steege said with a smile.

The new pairing practiced yesterday and entered the ring together for the first time in the derby. They had a solid score of 84 in the first round, and with a handy hunter score of 86, they moved into the lead with a total of 170. Second place in the class went to Socrates, ridden by Kristen Bumpus and owned by Jackie Arakelian of Winchester, MA.

Continue reading Amanda Steege and Bavarian Rule in the $10,000 Fieldstone 2’9″ Hunter Derby Final at Fieldstone Summer Showcase →