Tag Archives: hunter/jumper

*Featured/Spotlights, Auctions, Breeds, Contributors/Press, Dressage, Events, Hunter/Equitation, Show Jumping

Horses Unlimited’s Mega Reduction Sale Gives Buyers an Opportunity to Purchase Some of the Best Bloodlines with Minimum $1000 Bid

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Credit: Susan J Stickle, Caption: Leonardo's Quest HU is by the Grand Prix stallion Leonberg out of dam from the famous bloodlines of Quebec and Capitol.

Albuquerque, NM — Potential buyers will have a one-time chance to purchase horses from the heart of the herd of the nation’s leading breeder, Horses Unlimited. On Saturday, August 27, 2011 at 3:00 p.m. MDT, Horses Unlimited will sell nearly 40 homebreds via auction at their farm in Albuquerque, New Mexico. Rarely does an opportunity like this come along for sporthorse enthusiasts. “We have put together the best collection of horses we have ever offered for this auction,” says Anne Sparks, owner of Horses Unlimited.  Every horse that reaches the minimum reserve bid of $1000 will be sold. The collection includes a variety of hunters, jumpers and dressage horses. They represent some of the finest Hanoverian, Oldenburg, RPSI, Holsteiner and Westfalen bloodlines available anywhere in the world, including those of Donnerhall, Weltmeyer, Wolkenstein II, Sandro, Pik L, Leonberg, Hailo, Capitol and Quebec.  “After more than a decade, I’ve decided to scale back my breeding operation. I will still be involved, just with a smaller herd of breeding and performance horses,” added Sparks.

Currently ranked first on the USEF Leading Dressage Breeders list, Horses Unlimited has proven that Sparks’ breeding philosophies produce quality athletes that have successful performance careers. The Pik L son, Pikko Del Cerro HU, is the leading point earner on the list of fourteen dressage performers bred by Anne Sparks. Last week, Pikko del Cerro HU was fully licensed as a stallion by the American Hanoverian Society. Ridden by Olympian Lisa Wilcox, Cerro is currently eighth in the USDF Intermediaire I standings and thirteenth in Prix St. Georges. His sire, Pik L, is a proven producer and potential buyers can choose from ten of his offspring in Saturday’s sale.

Horses Unlimited’s top ranking was obtained from the performance of offspring by four of Sparks’ stallions. Eight of those are sired by Pik L, with Leonberg, Glorioso Noir and Galant du Serein siring the balance of performers.  Multiple offspring by these sires are also available in the herd reduction.

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

Havens Schatt and Valencia Win the Championship Tricolor in the High Performance Hunters at the Bluegrass Festival Horse Show

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Havens Schatt and Valencia win the High Performance Hunter Championship award at the Bluegrass Festival Horse Show. Photo Credit: Kendall Bierer/PMG.

Lexington, KY – August 18, 2011 – Although thunderstorms threatened the morning classes at the Kentucky Horse Park, diligent horse and rider combinations turned out to the Stonelea Ring for the second day of the Bluegrass Festival Horse Show. Thankfully, the sun began to make its way through the clouds, and riders were blessed with beautiful weather yet again as they made their rounds. Today marked the conclusion of the professional hunters divisions, awarding top honors to riders in their respective divisions. Scott Stewart and Dedication took home the tricolor champion award in the First Year Green Working Hunters, while Hunt Tosh and Cold Harbor garnered the champion award in the Green Conformation Hunters. Patricia Griffith piloted Sienna to a strong conclusion in the Second Year Green Working Hunters earning the top honors. Elizabeth Boyd and Casallo swept the over fences and won the under saddle in the Regular Conformation Hunters. It was Havens Schatt aboard Valencia, who earned the championship prize in the High Performance Hunters, proving consistent with their past performances.

As seen by their previous performances, Havens Schatt and Valencia, owned by CH Farm, LLC of Delano, MN, seem to have the High Performance Hunters figured out. Yesterday, the talented duo claimed two second place ribbons during the over fences classes, narrowly missing the blues with scores of 84 and 86. However, Schatt and Valencia continued today with strong and consistent rounds, earning scores of 84 and 80 over fences and the first place position in the under saddle class, proving to be the Champions of the High Performance Hunters.

“I felt as though our rounds were really good today, although I did think that she was better yesterday in the Working Hunter classes,” Schatt admitted. “We are still trying to figure things out; Valencia sometimes forgets that the handy is not a jump-off. I think that some of her jumper instinct comes back to her and she gets a little worked up for that.”

Continue reading Havens Schatt and Valencia Win the Championship Tricolor in the High Performance Hunters at the Bluegrass Festival Horse Show →

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

Get a Leg Up on the Alltech National Horse Show

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[Lexington, KY] – With the historic Alltech National Horse Show preparing for its Lexington debut this fall, horse enthusiasts and members of the community are invited to attend an informational program about the show and the experiences that will be available to spectators during the five-day event.

Free and open to the public, Alltech’s popular Equine News and Brews program will be held August 25 at Alltech’s Lexington Brewing and Distilling Company in downtown Lexington.

“The Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games were transformational for Lexington and for the Commonwealth of Kentucky,” said Dr. Pearse Lyons, president and founder of Alltech, the first-ever title sponsor of the Games and of the National Horse Show.  “Opportunity once again literally landed in our backyard with the National Horse Show.”

“As with the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games in 2010, we are eager to help people understand and enjoy this year’s highly acclaimed equestrian competition, along with experiencing the many exhibits and demonstrations on the show grounds for the entire family.”

The 2011 Equine News and Brews program, he added, is designed to “build on the spirit of the Alltech FEI Games by providing a forum for all those who share a love of the horse.  The open, casual dialogue encouraged at Equine News and Brews is meant to serve as a catalyst in fostering local involvement and interest in the equine industry.”

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Championships, Community/Charity, Competitions, Events, FEI, FEI, Hunter/Equitation, Show Jumping, Sydney Masters-Durieux

Daniela Stransky Takes Gold for Venezuela & Champions Children’s Charity during FEI Americas Jumping Championships

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Daniela Stransky and Ikarus

Florida Teen Wins Best Individual Junior Rider during Final Leg of Competition in Ecuador

Daniela Stransky, the 15 year old equestrian from Stransky’s Mission Farm who champions the children’s charity Step by Step Foundation, piloted her gelding Ikarus to the Junior Jumper Best Individual Rider Medal during the final weekend of the 2011 FEI Americas Jumping Championships held in Guayaquil, Ecuador from July 26 to 31, 2011.

More than 85 top young show jumping riders, ages 12 to 21, came from over a dozen countries including Colombia, Peru, Chile, Argentina, Uruguay, Brazil, Canada and the United States to compete at the prestigious international competition hosted by the Ecuador Equestrian Federation from July 26 to 31, 2011. Representing her native Venezuela for the first time, Stransky competed over double courses designed by Mrs. Marina Acevedo of Brazil on Wednesday, Thursday, and Saturday.

The Miami Dade County High School student took top honors aboard her big gray Warm Blood and was the only rider from her country to compete in the high Junior division. She was awarded the individual gold for her efforts.

“It is an honor to have my daughter represent her native country,” stated Daniela’s mother Liliane.  “We are so very proud that she had such success her first time here.”

Continue reading Daniela Stransky Takes Gold for Venezuela & Champions Children’s Charity during FEI Americas Jumping Championships →

*Featured/Spotlights, Championships, Competitions, Events, Hunter/Equitation, Maclay, National Horse Show, Phelps Media Group, Show Jumping

Alltech National Horse Show Finds a Home at the Horse Park in Lexington, Kentucky

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Photo credit: Alltech

After a hundred plus year run in the heart of New York City at Madison Square Garden, the nation’s oldest indoor horse show has been somewhat nomadic for the past decade, having landed on the Piers in New York for two unsuccessful seasons following the departure from Madison Square Garden, and then stopping in Wellington, Florida, for four years before finally landing in Syracuse, NY, four years ago.

Then, after numerous complaints by a large segment of the National Horse Show exhibitor base, Mason Phelps, Jr., along with the progressive thinking members of the Board of Directors of the National Horse Show, spearheaded the drive to finally give this national equestrian treasure a permanent home. The site they chose was the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, Kentucky.

“It was the logical and perfect place for the National,” Phelps said. “It’s quite simply one of the outstanding venues in the entire world. Also, the excellent management infrastructure that Hugh Kincannon has had in place for years makes this a seamless transition,” he noted.

The Alltech National Horse Show, 128th Edition, will be held from November 2-6, 2011, at the beautiful, new Alltech Indoor Arena at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington.

“I speak on behalf of the entire Kentucky Horse Park in saying that we are honored to be chosen as the venue of the Alltech National Horse Show and it is our sincere wish that it will be a long and happy association,” said John Nicholson, Executive Director of the Kentucky Horse Park.

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

Red Rock Hounds Returns to Demonstrate Fox Hunting at 2011 $25,000 Franktown Meadows Hunter Derby

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Carson City, NV – August 16, 2011 – The 2011 $25,000 Franktown Meadows USHJA International Hunter Derby will take place at the Franktown Meadows Equestrian Facility in Carson City, Nevada on September 5, 2011. As spectators admire the beautiful hunter derby course set upon the foothills of the Sierra Nevada Mountain Range they will be treated to a display of the sport of fox hunting by Lynn Lloyd of Red Rock Hounds from Reno, NV. Following the fox hunting presentation, the Franktown Meadows Hunter Derby will showcase the best horse and rider combinations in the country as they compete for the winning title.

Lynn Lloyd will demonstrate and explain the excitement of fox hunting, the hounds, and the tradition of this wonderful sport. This event will take place at 12:00 p.m. with the derby beginning at 1:00 p.m. Lloyd and her team at Red Rock Hounds will be parading 80 of her fabulous American bred Walker Hounds around the hunter derby course on horseback.  Lloyd is excited to gallop around and show off her prized hunting dogs as she enjoys sharing her passion with the public.

“I think it is good exposure for the hounds. It is part of the hunter derby,” noted Lloyd. “The derby came because of field hunting. All of the hunters came from the field or that’s how it all started so this is kind of presenting its roots. I think that they begin to understand that this is where hunters in the show ring began and that hunting in America is still available and we hope it stays available. I want people to understand the freedom and being in nature. I think it grounds people and I want them to remember the fun of horses. Sometimes I think they forget that.”

Lloyd began hunting in England where she became captivated with fox hunting. She explained, “The first time I heard the call of a hound something inside me came alive. I have not stopped hunting since. I feel as though I am the luckiest person on the face of the earth. We have so much land to hunt on in Nevada that you cannot believe it. You never have to stop the hounds or the horses and it is the best way to see nature and the beautiful state of Nevada.”

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Community/Charity, Competitions, Events, HITS, Hunter/Equitation, Media/Radio/TV Sources, Show Jumping

HITS Joins Forces with HRTV, the Network for Horse Sports, and A Good Show to Bring Equine Show Jumping Competition to Broadcast Television Starting with the 2011 Pfizer $1 Million Grand Prix

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©ESI Photography. Two-time Olympic Gold Medalist McLain Ward of Brewster, New York captured the first ever Pfizer $1 Million Grand Prix aboard Sapphire in September of 2010.

SAUGERTIES, NEW YORK (August 16, 2011) — HITS, Inc. is pleased to announce a multi-year partnership with HRTV and A Good Show (AGS) to bring coverage of the 2011 Pfizer $1 Million Grand Prix and other select competition from the national HITS show series to broadcast television. As part of the deal, HRTV and A Good Show will also provide a free, live webcast of the second-annual Pfizer $1 Million Grand Prix and first-ever Diamond Mills $500,000 Hunter Prix Final on Sunday, September 11.

“This is an exciting partnership that will, for the first time ever, bring both national and international coverage and attention to a U.S. show jumping series,” said Tom Struzzieri, HITS President & CEO. “We believe that by working with HRTV and A Good Show we will once again raise the bar for American show jumping and provide an opportunity for the world to watch some of the best in equestrian sport.”

In addition to the Pfizer Million coverage, this agreement will extend to include coverage of select high-profile events showcased at the 2012 HITS Desert Circuit in Thermal, California and the 2012 HITS Ocala Winter Circuit in Ocala, Florida.

HRTV, the Network for Horse Sports, is a 24/7 multimedia network dedicated to serving the news, information and entertainment needs of one of the world’s largest, but most underserved audiences – horse fans. Leading with the finest in thoroughbred racing, HRTV also delivers programming for virtually all equine sports.

Continue reading HITS Joins Forces with HRTV, the Network for Horse Sports, and A Good Show to Bring Equine Show Jumping Competition to Broadcast Television Starting with the 2011 Pfizer $1 Million Grand Prix →

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

USEF Pony Finals Wrap-Up: August 10-14, 2011

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Sunday was the last day of the 2011 United States Equestrian Federation Pony Finals National Championships, and it began bright and early with exciting competition in the Covered Arena at the Kentucky Horse Park. The EquiSport Insurance/USEF Pony Medal Finals brought the 2011 Pony Finals to an end. Leading the class from beginning to end with a solid two rounds over fences was Madison Goetzmann and Denmark to garner the championship prize.

The top 20 riders returned for the second round including nine medium ponies, four small ponies, and seven large ponies. Today’s courses were designed by Bobby Murphy and consisted of short lines, rollbacks, a halt, and a trot jump. Goetzmann was at the top of the order for today’s second round and executed another flawless trip making the lines look easy. Goetzmann of Skaneateles, NY, and Denmark proved to be unbeatable, eventually earning them the Easter Sunday Memorial Trophy donated by Ms. Catherine A. Kaiser and Ms. Jennifer T. Pesko. Katherine Strauss of Southampton, NY, and Sumerland were originally ranked tenth during their first course; however, with an exceptional second round they earned the reserve championship honors. Lucy Deslauriers of New York, NY, and Macy Grey were ranked eighth coming into the second round and earned the third place honors after an impressive round.

The judges were confident with their decision after the second round and the riders were not asked to return for a test phase. At the end of the day, Goetzman was named the 2011 EquiSport Insurance/USEF Pony Medal Winner aboard Denmark, while Strauss and Sumerland earned the reserve championship honors. Taking home third place honors was Deslauriers and Macy Grey, who performed excellent rounds during both phases of Sunday’s event.

Hunter Highlights: August 10-14

It was beautiful and sunny for the first day of the 2011 United States Equestrian Federation Pony Finals National Championship at the Kentucky Horse Park. Tuesday, the top ponies and riders from across the nation gathered at the Walnut Ring for the Green Pony Hunters Model and Under Saddle, as well as the Regular Medium Pony Hunter Model. Throughout the year riders have worked diligently to qualify for this prestigious event and compete for the winning honors.

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*Featured/Spotlights, Championships, Competitions, Events, Hunter/Equitation, USEF

Madison Goetzmann and Denmark Win 2011 EquiSport Insurance/USEF Pony Medal Finals

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Madison Goetzmann and Denmark. Photo by Shawn McMillen

Lexington, KY – The last day of the 2011 United States Equestrian Federation Pony Finals National Championships began bright and early with exciting competition in the Covered Arena at the Kentucky Horse Park. The EquiSport Insurance/USEF Pony Medal Finals brought the 2011 Pony Finals to an end. Leading the class from beginning to end with a solid two rounds over fences was Madison Goetzmann and Denmark to garner the championship prize.

The top 20 riders returned for the second round including nine medium ponies, four small ponies, and seven large ponies. Today’s courses were designed by Bobby Murphy and consisted of short lines, rollbacks, a halt, and a trot jump. Goetzmann was at the top of the order for today’s second round and executed another flawless trip making the lines look easy. Goetzmann of Skaneateles, NY, and Denmark proved to be unbeatable, eventually earning them the Easter Sunday Memorial Trophy donated by Catherine A. Kaiser and Jennifer T. Pesko. Katherine Strauss of Southampton, NY, and Sumerland were originally ranked tenth during their first course; however, with an exceptional second round they earned the reserve championship honors. Lucy Deslauriers of New York, NY, and Macy Grey were ranked eighth coming into the second round and earned the third place honors after an impressive round.

Eleven-year-old Goetzmann has been riding Denmark for four years and this is her fourth Pony Finals competition. “He’s amazing, I was very excited,” she smiled. “I was definitely prepared and we have been practicing a lot. Patricia [Griffith] never lets me go to shows unprepared.”

Goetzmann’s trainer, Patricia Griffith of Heritage Farm, added, “The course looked easier than it rode. I knew she could do it, because she has ridden much harder courses. Whenever you need this pony, he is usually there. At Heritage Farm we really try to have no stone left unturned as far as preparation. What I do well, or I hope I do well, is try to teach them how to think for themselves and figure out how to get it done without me helping them all the time.”

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*Featured/Spotlights, Championships, Competitions, Events, Hunter/Equitation, USEF

Grand Pony Hunter Championship Title Goes to Meredith Darst at 2011 USEF Pony Finals

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Julia Curtis and The Waterboy Win the Pony Jumper Individual Finals

Meredith Darst and Enchanted Forest. Photo by Shawn McMillen

Lexington, KY – The fifth day of the 2011 United States Equestrian Federation Pony Finals was warm and sunny as the Large Pony Hunter Over Fences kicked off the day in the Walnut Ring. For the third year in a row, For The Laughter claimed the Overall Large Pony Hunter Championship, this time with Meredith Darst in the irons. As the USEF National Hunter Pony Championships presented by Sallee Horse Vans came to a close, the Grand Hunter Pony Championship title was awarded to Darst and Enchanted Forest for their efforts in the Medium Pony Hunter division earlier in the week. The final event of the day was the Individual Pony Jumper Finals where Julia Curtis and The Waterboy jumped to the championship honors.

Earlier this week, Meredith Darst and Enchanted Forest, owned by Dr. Betsee Parker of Middleburg, VA, had an incredible performance in the Medium Pony Hunter division. They were in the lead going into the over fences phase and with a beautiful trip they scored the blue ribbon prize and were eventually presented with the Overall Medium Pony Hunter Championship. The Large Pony Hunters were the last to compete this week, but Darst and Enchanted Forest’s excellent effort prevailed and they scored the Grand Hunter Pony Championship. The duo was awarded the International Jumping Derby Perpetual Trophy, and also has the “Trip of the Show.”

“Enchanted Forest has been really good,” smiled 13-year-old Darst. “I started to ride him at the beginning of WEF. He has a huge stride, so I can go really slowly, but you have to sit up a little bit at the jump because he likes the gap. He has easy lead changes and his canter is very comfortable. Enchanted Forest has been there and done that, so he’s pretty made, plus he’s very pretty and moves very nicely.”

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