Tag Archives: Lauren Kieffer

Championships, Competitions, Eventing/H.T., Show Jumping

Nicole Walker Claims Canadian Show Jumping Championship Title

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Nicole Walker riding Falco van Spieveld. Photo by Ben Radvanyi Photography.

Toronto, Ontario – Nicole Walker of Aurora, ON claimed the $125,000 Canadian Show Jumping Championship title on Saturday night, November 3, at the 96th Royal Agricultural Winter Fair in Toronto, ON.

“I will never forget this! It feels amazing. I’m very excited for my whole team, and I think the horse deserves a title like this because he’s such a special boy. I’m glad he could have a title to his name.” ~ Nicole Walker, who will celebrate her 25th birthday on Sunday, November 4

Having claimed victory in Friday’s $25,000 Canadian Show Jumping Championship – Round One, presented by Lothlorien, Walker held the lead coming into Saturday night’s two-round competition. The defending Canadian Champions, Amy Millar, 41, of Perth, ON and Heros piled on the pressure by opening Saturday night’s competition with a clear round while Walker incurred four faults.

When the top six in the standings went through to the all-deciding final, Walker kept her cool to deliver another clear jumping round, picking up one time fault over the course set by Ireland’s Alan Wade to bring her total score to five faults. When Millar and Heros faulted the second time out, their final score of 7.13 penalty points left them in second place, handing Walker her first Canadian Show Jumping Championship title riding Falco van Spieveld, a 13-year-old Belgian Warmblood gelding.

Canadian Olympian Beth Underhill of Schomberg, ON delivered a clear round riding Count Me In to finish in third position, while 12-time Canadian Show Jumping Champion Ian Millar, 71, of Perth, ON took fourth place riding Calvin Klein for Brookstreet Stables. Olympic team silver medalist Mac Cone of King City, ON guided Zaia di san Giovanni to fifth for owner Mark Samuel’s Chadburn Holdings Inc., while Hyde Moffatt of Brantford, ON also made the cut for the top six riding Granturo.

As the defending Under 25 National Champion at the Royal Horse Show, Walker has grown up competing at the annual Royal Horse Show.

“I had a lot of friends and family here tonight as it’s very close to home,” said Walker, who trains with 2012 Irish Olympic individual medalist Cian O’Connor and his assistant trainer, Mark Kinsella. “But beyond everything, the atmosphere is incredible here. It has so much tradition. I would recommend every rider to come visit it at some point, even if they’re not riding. It’s just such a cool experience.”

With their top finishes on Saturday night, Walker and Amy Millar earned their tickets into the international division as the two highest placed finishers in the Canadian Show Jumping Championships not already qualified. Erynn Ballard of Tottenham, ON, Keean White of Rockwood, ON, and Ian and Jonathon Millar, both of Perth, ON, qualified based on their standings in the Longines World Rankings while Jump Canada’s high performance committee named Ali Ramsay of Victoria, BC and Beth Underhill of Schomberg, ON as its two picks for the international division. The international division opens on Wednesday, November 7, featuring the $36,000 Jolera International Welcome in the evening session.

Lauren Kieffer Rocks $20,000 Horseware Indoor Eventing Challenge

The popular $20,000 Horseware Indoor Eventing Challenge rocked the house on Saturday night as competitors tackled a mix of delicate show jumping fences and challenging cross-country obstacles set by course designer Mark Phillips. Lauren Kieffer of Middleburg, VA made her Royal Horse Show a winning one, riding Glendening Avis, a 13-year-old buckskin Canadian Sport Horse mare owned by Callie Evans, to victory.

“I’m thrilled.  The mare is just incredible; she tries her guts out,” said Kieffer, who was riding a borrowed mount that she rode for the first time on Friday.  “It’s very rare that you hop on something and sync together so quickly.  It was so much fun to do this on her, and I felt so in sync with her.

“Brandon and Kendal certainly put the pressure on; I was hoping for a little bit more breathing room!” joked Kieffer following her indoor eventing debut.  “The format is fun; it’s energetic.  If it gets one person to leave here and go Google ‘eventing’ and get into it, then it did its purpose.”

Finishing second was Toronto’s own Brandon McMechan riding Oscar’s Wild to a clear round in a time of 92.78 seconds to hold off third-placed Kendal Lehari of Uxbridge, ON, who was also clear riding Totally Frank in a time of 94.30 seconds.

At the conclusion of the Horseware Indoor Eventing Challenge, World Championship and Pan American Games medalist Selena O’Hanlon of Kingston, ON was presented with the Michael Gutowski Award, donated by Mr. Iain Gilmour, as the highest-ranked Canadian athlete on the Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI) Eventing World Athlete Rankings.

For more information on the Royal Horse Show, the marquee event of The Royal Agricultural Winter Fair, please visit www.royalfair.org/horseshow.html.

Championships, Competitions, Show Jumping

Nicole Walker Opens Royal Horse Show with a Win

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Nicole Walker riding Falco van Spieveld. Photo by Ben Radvanyi Photography.

Toronto, Ontario – Nicole Walker of Aurora, ON opened the Royal Horse Show with a win in the first phase of the $125,000 Canadian Show Jumping Championship held Friday, November 2, as part of the 96th Royal Agricultural Winter Fair in Toronto, ON.

Speed was the name of the game in Friday night’s $25,000 Canadian Show Jumping Championship, Round 1, presented by Lothlorien. As the final competitor to tackle Irish course designer Alan Wade’s speed track, Walker laid down the winning round, jumping clear in a time of 64.37 seconds with her partner of three years, Falco van Spieveld, a 13-year-old Belgian Warmblood gelding.

“It was nice to be able to watch a couple go since I went last,” said Walker, 24, of being the final competitor on course. “I knew just how fast I needed to go without risking too much. Hopefully we will have the same luck tomorrow.”

As the defending Under 25 National Champion at the Royal Horse Show, Walker spoke to her progression from winning in the Under 25 division to winning the opening phase of the Canadian Championships.

“The Under 25 program is a great stepping stone,” said Walker. “You get to be in [the Coca Cola Coliseum] and be in that kind of pressure situation. Being indoors is a bit of a different vibe than outdoors. You really need to be on it. Just having that experience helped to get to the next level.”

In a sport where men and women compete as equals, it was another young female athlete, Ali Ramsay, 26, who finished runner-up. Riding Casino, a 10-year-old Oldenburg owned by Ramsay and Angelstone Farms, the Victoria, BC native also left all the rails in place and crossed the timers in 66.47 seconds. Keean White, 35, of Rockwood, ON and Leilani left two poles on the ground, but their incredibly fast time of 59.04 seconds held up for third place despite having an eight-second time penalty added for an adjusted total of 67.04 seconds.

It was a family affair as 12-time Canadian Show Jumping Champion Ian Millar, 71, of Perth, ON took fourth place with a time of 70.23 seconds riding Calvin Klein for Brookstreet Stables while the reigning Canadian Champion, Amy Millar, 41, also of Perth, placed fifth with a time of 70.63 seconds riding her 2016 Rio Olympic mount, Heros.

Lauren Kieffer Makes Royal Horse Show Debut

Opening night of the Royal Horse Show also featured the $20,000 Horseware Indoor Eventing Challenge. Making her Royal Horse Show debut, Lauren Kieffer of Middleburg, VA rode Glendening Avis, a 13-year-old buckskin Canadian Sport Horse mare owned by Callie Evans, to victory in the opening phase of competition. With a clear round in a time of 90.03 seconds over the course designed by Mark Phillips, the Olympic, World Championship, and Pan American Games veteran now holds the lead heading into the second and final round of competition on November 3. Finishing second was Toronto’s own Brandon McMechan riding Oscar’s Wild to a clear round in a time of 92.78 seconds to hold off third-placed Kendal Lehari of Uxbridge, ON, who was also clear riding Totally Frank in a time of 94.30 seconds.

For more information on the Royal Horse Show, the marquee event of The Royal Agricultural Winter Fair, please visit www.royalfair.org/horseshow.html.

*Featured/Spotlights, Eventing/H.T.

Kieffer and Veronica Finish in Top 10 at Badminton Horse Trials

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Shannon Brinkman Photo.

First American Combination in a Top 10 Finish in More Than a Decade

Badminton, England – Land Rover/USEF Eventing Grant recipient Lauren Kieffer and Veronica became the first American combination to finish in the top 10 of the Mitsubishi Motors Badminton Horse Trials on Sunday in more than a decade. 2007 was the last time a U.S. combination broke the top 10 barrier, when Kim Severson (Charlottesville, Va.) and Winsome Adante finished third.

Placing ninth overall, Kieffer (The Plains, Va.) and the 16-year-old Dutch Warmblood mare owned by Team Rebecca, LLC contested their seventh four-star event together, showing their experience from start to finish. Ending on a score of 38.6, the pair greatly improved their position from 2017, when they finished 17th overall. This year, Kieffer and Veronica held a spot consistently in the top 10 through all three phases of competition.

After their trip down the centerline, Kieffer and Veronica sat tied for the 10th position on a score of 25.0 after dressage. With the goal of improving upon their run from 2017, the combination headed into the cross-country phase. They jumped a clean course, but added some time penalties, boosting their overall position to seventh and a score of 34.6.

“I am absolutely ecstatic with [Veronica] – she is such an amazing little mare,” said Kieffer after their trip around the course designed by Eric Winter. “I came out and had a bit of a chip on my shoulder from last year and just wanted to prove that we could attack the course. [Veronica] was happy to do it.”

The show jumping phase saw the combination drop a single rail, slipping to ninth overall, but laying claim to a top 10 finish.

“[Veronica] jumped super,” said Kieffer. “We don’t get to practice jumping on grass very often, but she really jumped well out of it. Sometimes at the end of a four-star they are pretty haggard feeling, and she really felt great. She felt like she does every day, so I really couldn’t be more thrilled with how she came out this weekend.”

Fellow Americans Will Coleman (Charlottesville, Va.) and Four Star Eventing Group’s 15-year-old Irish Sport Horse gelding OBOS O’Reilly retired on the cross-country course, while Madeline Backus (Larkspur, Colo.) and her and Laura Backus’s 17-year-old Anglo-Trakehner mare P.S. Arianna were eliminated on cross-country.

Full Results

From the US Equestrian Communications Department

Eventing/H.T., Kentucky Three-Day, Revolution Sports

Behind the Scenes with Lauren Kieffer ahead of Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event

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(MAHWAH, NJ) – April 21, 2017 – Land Rover North America is pleased to announce the ‘Land Rover Best Ride of The Day’ programme will return to the 2017 edition of the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event Presented by Land Rover.

Ahead of this year’s competition Land Rover North America went behind the scenes with the 2016 winner of the prize, Olympian and U.S. Land Rover Eventing Team rider Lauren Kieffer. The 90 second copyright-free film can be viewed and shared here.

To learn more about the 2017 Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event Presented by Land Rover, please visit: www.RK3DE.org.

Competitions, Eventing/H.T.

Kieffer Finishes Fourth in Military Boekelo-Enschede CCIO3*

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Lauren Kieffer and Meadowbrook’s Scarlett (Libby Law Photography)

Boekelo, The Netherlands – The U.S. contingent had a respectable performance in the solid international field of 97 combinations in the Military Boekelo-Enschede CCIO3*. Land Rover/USEF Eventing Competition Grant recipient Lauren Kieffer and Meadowbrook’s Scarlett led the way as the top U.S. pair in fourth place.

Kieffer (Middleburg, Va.) began the competition with a fabulous dressage test aboard Marie Le Menestrel’s Meadowbrook’s Scarlett to earn a score of 42.10 from the Ground Jury of Wayne Quarles (USA), Sándor Fülöp (HUN), and Ciska van Meggelen-Peek (NED). Sitting in second place heading into cross-country, Kieffer and the 2007 Thoroughbred cross mare delivered a stellar round over a challenging track designed by Sue Benson (GBR). They added only 2.40 time penalties to their score to maintain second place on the leaderboard. Kieffer and Meadowbrook’s Scarlett had an unfortunate rail at fence nine and single time penalty over the show jumping track designed by Jos Brinkman (NED), adding 5.00 penalties to their score. The pair still managed to claim an impressive fourth-place finish with a final score of 49.50 in the mare’s European debut.

“I’m very honored to have received the Land Rover grant with Meadowbrook’s Scarlett, owned and bred by Marie Le Menestrel, and I’m very pleased with her performance. Boekelo is always an eye-opening experience with younger horses, and I am very happy with how Scarlett handled the challenge. She rose to the occasion in the dressage and I was pleased we put forward a competitive score for the USA. She tackled the cross-country with ease, and despite our one rail, I’m happy with how she handled the always tough show jumping track,” Kieffer said. Commenting on the benefits of competing at Boekelo, she added, “As a rider, it is incredibly invaluable and important to have these opportunities to compete overseas and I am very grateful for the support that allows me to do so.”

Elinor MacPhail (Ocala, Fla.) put forth a great effort in her European debut with Sally Crane’s RF Eloquence, beginning with a lovely dressage test that earned a score of 48.20. She and the 2005 Holsteiner gelding were determined on cross-country day, but added 17.20 time penalties to their score. They had a rail at fence five and a single time penalty over the show jumping track to finish on a score of 70.40 in 23rd place.

Tamra Smith (Murrieta, Calif.) tactfully rode West Coast Dempsey Syndicate’s Dempsey in the biggest competition he has faced thus far in his career. The 2008 Dutch Warmblood gelding struggled with tension in the dressage test to receive a score of 59.10. Smith guided Dempsey well on cross-country day to finish with 16.40 time penalties. They closed out the competition with a rail down a fence 3B and four time penalties in show jumping for eight penalties to end on a score of 83.50 in 32nd place.

Two other U.S. combinations also contested the Military Boekelo-Enschede CCIO3*. Kylie Lyman (White River Junction, Vt.) and Joan Nichols’ Lup the Loop, a 2008 Irish Sport Horse gelding, received a Jacqueline B. Mars Competition Grant through the USET Foundation. They were off to a strong start with a dressage score of 50.70, but were eliminated on cross-country after running into problems early on. Smith had a second mount, The Twizted Systers, LLC’s 2006 Irish Sport Horse mare Twizted Syster. They had a respectable dressage test to score 53.90, but were eliminated due to a fall on cross-country. Both were unharmed.

Overnight leaders Stephanie Böhe (GER) and Haytom held on for the win, finishing on their dressage score of 43.90. Fellow countryman Andreas Dibowski and FRH Butts Avedon finished second on a score of 45.40, and Oliver Townend (GBR) and Cooley SRS were third on a score of 47.60.

Find out more about the Military Boekelo-Enschede CCIO3* and view the results.

By Kathleen Landwehr

Competitions, Dressage, Eventing/H.T., Olympic Games

US Olympic Eventing Team Tied for Sixth after Dressage at Rio Olympic Games

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Lauren Kieffer and Veronica (Shannon Brinkman Photo)

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil – Eventing competition at the Olympic Equestrian Center at Deodoro continued on Sunday with the second day of dressage. The U.S. Olympic Eventing Team moved up from seventh place and is now tied with New Zealand for sixth place on a total of 137.50. Lauren Kieffer and Phillip Dutton gave strong performances for the U.S. in a hotly contested team competition. Germany currently leads the team standings on a total of 122, followed closely by France in second on 122.20, and Australia in third on 126.40.

Leading off day two of dressage for the U.S. was Kieffer (Middleburg, Va.) on Team Rebecca LLC’s Veronica. The pair performed a beautifully consistent test with expressive trot work, but received low marks for the final collected canter and salute, earning a 47.30. “She was really good,” expressed Kieffer of the mare. “Her trot work was really nice – probably some of her strongest trot work. The walk tends to be her more difficult gait and she was quite good through that. I was happy with the canter. I think she missed the one change, but she seemed to really get punished at the end so I am bit disappointed with our score for sure.” Looking forward to Monday’s cross-country, Kieffer said, “The cross-country is very strong and I have a feeling by the end of tomorrow, today won’t matter much. It’s certainly a very strong track, one of the strongest tracks I’ve ever done. The footing is great through. There are lots of options to get home if you are having trouble. If you want to go for the win, you are really going to have to take some risks and it’s going to be tough out there.”

Phillip Dutton and Mighty Nice (Shannon Brinkman Photo)
Phillip Dutton and Mighty Nice (Shannon Brinkman Photo)

Anchoring the U.S. team was six-time Olympian Phillip Dutton (West Grove, Pa.) with HND Group’s Mighty Nice. Giving a clutch performance, Dutton rode Mighty Nice to a personal best for the pair at the four-star level, a 43.60. They are now the highest-placed American combination in 15th. With the exception of a bobble in the final flying change, the test flowed nicely and impressed in the canter work. “Obviously, you can always be better,” said Dutton. “The last flying change wasn’t that great, but there’s a lot of atmosphere in there and I couldn’t be more proud of my horse. I was hoping to get close to 40. That’s close to as good as he can do right now.” Turning his focus to cross-country, Dutton said, “I think it’s going to be difficult. I am at an advantage to see how it’s riding [Dutton goes penultimate in the order], but it’s a pretty unique kind of course. I think time is going to play a part and it’s going to cause a fair bit of trouble. It will be interesting to see some team strategies. What they are going to do and how they are going to go. Because the time is going to be hard to get, there is pressure all the way around. It’s going to be a proper competition.”

The top of the individual leaderboard did not change much with Great Britain’s William Fox-Pitt maintaining the lead on a score of 37.0 on his horse Chilli Morning and Australia’s Christopher Burton and Santano II holding second on 37.60. Mathieu Lemoine and Bart L took over third individually on a score of 39.20 for France.

NBCOlympics.com Livestream

Keep up-to-date on equestrian competition at the Rio Olympic Games on the USEFNetwork.com. Coverage includes links to live streams and TV coverage, athlete bios, behind-the-scenes photos, and more.

Classic Communications/USEF Communications Department

*Featured/Spotlights, Dressage, Eventing/H.T., Olympic Games

US Olympic Eventing Team Ready to Begin Equestrian Competition in Rio

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Boyd Martin and Blackfoot Mystery (Shannon Brinkman Photo)

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil – The eventing horse inspection officially kicked off equestrian competition at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Friday. Over the next 14 days, 204 athlete-and-horse combinations in the three equestrian disciplines of eventing, dressage, and show jumping will compete for coveted Team and Individual medals at Rio’s Deodoro Olympic Equestrian Center. The U.S. Olympic Eventing Team of Phillip Dutton and Mighty Nice, Lauren Kieffer and Veronica, Boyd Martin and Blackfoot Mystery, and Clark Montgomery and Loughan Glen were deemed fit and ready to compete and will join a total of 65 combinations representing 24 countries. The U.S. Team will be led by U.S. Eventing Coach David O’Connor, the 2000 Olympic Games Individual Gold medalist.

“We are in pretty good spirits and have had a great prep,” said O’Connor. “The horses traveled really well and are relaxed. They have done a great job here in Brazil welcoming us and the horses. We feel good with our two lead-offs tomorrow in Boyd and Clark; both horses look like they’ve really come on and are great. Then we finish strong with Lauren and Phillip on day two. I am actually quite pleased and confident with how the horses have been going.”

The U.S. has drawn 12th in the starting order among the 13 countries participating in team competition. The U.S. riders will compete in the following order.

Dressage Day One, Saturday, August 6:

Leading off for the U.S. will be Martin (Cochranville, Pa.), a 2012 Olympic veteran, and highest-placed U.S. rider at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games in 2014 and 2010, and Team Gold medalist at the 2015 Pan American Games. Martin will ride the Blackfoot Mystery Syndicate LLC’s Blackfoot Mystery, a 2004 Thoroughbred gelding. This partnership is only a year old but has already proven its merit with a top-ten finish at the 2015 The Dutta Corp./USEF Three-Star Eventing National Championship. In 2016, Martin and ‘Big Red’ placed sixth at the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event presented by Land Rover.

Next in the order is Montgomery (Bryan, Texas), a first-time Olympian, who will ride Holly and William Becker, Kathryn Kraft, and Jessica Montgomery’s Loughan Glen, a 2003 Irish Sport Horse gelding. This pair has been based in England for the last three years, gaining significant competitive experience. Montgomery and ‘Glen’ had an impressive 2015, winning the CIC3* at the Belton International, CIC2* at Somerford Park International, and CCI3* at Blenheim Palace International, along with a sixth-place finish at Luhmühlen CCI4*. Most recently, this pair won the 2016 Land Rover Great Meadow International presented by Adequan.

Lauren Kieffer and Veronica (Shannon Brinkman Photo)
Lauren Kieffer and Veronica (Shannon Brinkman Photo)

Dressage Day Two, Sunday, August 7:

First into the arena for the U.S. on day two will be Kieffer (Middleburg, Va.), a first-time Olympian, who will ride Team Rebecca LLC’s Veronica, a 2002 KWPN mare. ‘Troll’, as she known in the barn, is a tough, sassy mare that has won the heart of Kieffer in their three-year partnership. This duo helped bring home a Team Bronze medal at the 2015 CICO3* at Aachen. Most recently, they were winners of the 2016 Rolex/USEF CCI4* National Championship at the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event presented by Land Rover.

Anchoring the U.S. Team will be Dutton (West Grove, Pa.), who is contesting his sixth Olympic Games, having earned Team Gold medals in 2000 and 1996 for his native Australia. He is also a two-time Pan American Games Team Gold medalist for the U.S. and will ride HND Group’s Mighty Nice, a 2004 Irish Sport Horse gelding. Mighty Nice, known as Happy, was imported by Dutton and Bruce Duchossois in 2010. Following Duchossois’ passing in 2014, friends put together the HND Group in order to support Dutton’s goals of competing Happy at the highest levels of the sport. The pair has been consistently demonstrating its athletic prowess, earning the Reserve Championship title at the 2015 The Dutta Corp./USEF Three-Star Eventing Championship and placing fourth at the 2016 Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event presented by Land Rover.

The eventing competition commences with the dressage phase, August 6-7. The cross-country phase follows on August 8, and the competition concludes on August 9 with show jumping.

Dressage Starting Order

NBCOlympics.com Livestream

Keep up-to-date on equestrian competition at the Rio Olympic Games on the USEFNetwork.com. Coverage includes links to live streams and TV coverage, athlete bios, behind-the-scenes photos, and more.

Classic Communications/USEF Communications Department

Eventing/H.T., FEI, FEI

USA Team Makes History with Win at The Plains

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Boyd Martin, Phillip Dutton, Lauren Kieffer and Clark Montgomery with Helen McDonald and Deborah Sandford for Land Rover North America and US Chef d’Equipe David O’Connor. (FEI/Stock Image Services)

Lausanne (SUI), 11 July, 2016 – Clark Montgomery (USA) flew back from Britain to his home country to lead a strong American quartet to victory in the fifth leg of the 2016 FEI Nations Cup™ Eventing, held for the first time outside Europe, at the Land Rover Great Meadows International at The Plains, Virginia.

Riding the Irish-bred Loughan Glen, the horse he is hoping to partner at the Rio Olympic Games next month, Montgomery finished the clear individual winner and led the US team to a convincing victory over Canada.

“It means a lot to win at Great Meadow this weekend,” Montgomery said after the historic victory. “I have been based in England for a while so to get to come home in the US and compete in front of the home crowd, means a huge amount to me.”

His team mates Boyd Martin, Phillip Dutton and Lauren Kieffer finished sixth, seventh and ninth to set an unbeatable target and secure their country’s first victory in the FEI Nations Cup™ Eventing series.

This was the first time the USA has hosted FEI Nations Cup™ Eventing, with Great Meadows International putting on an excellent event as the series made its debut outside Europe. Mike Etherington-Smith’s Cross Country course rode extremely well, with 27 of the 40 starters finishing clear of jumping faults, but the clock was a deciding factor with just four combinations making the optimum time.

Colleen Loach was best of the second-placed Canadian team, finishing 14th on Qorry Blue D’Argouges. Her three team mates also went clear across the country, but were hampered by their Dressage marks to finish 38.3 adrift of the winning US squad.

Three British riders travelled across the Atlantic to join forces with US-based Briton Justine Dutton to make up a full four-person British team. Jodie Amos and Wise Crack finished best of the visiting British, in third place individually, adding no further penalties to their Dressage score of 49.0.

Ben Way (GBR) riding Willows Tipster finished 26th after finishing only two seconds over the optimum Cross Country time, but Justine Dutton had two refusals out on course and Ros Canter was eliminated for a rider fall.

Despite their mixed fortunes, the British team finished third overall, earning enough points to give them a clear lead over Germany at the halfway mark in the FEI Nations Cup™ Eventing series.

The action returns to Europe this weekend, and the competition is expected to be strong in Aachen (GER) 14-17 July.

Full results on www.greatmeadowinternational.com.

By Kate Green

FEI Media Contacts:

Grania Willis
Director Press Relations
grania.willis@fei.org
+41 787 506 142

Leanne Williams
Manager Press Relations
leanne.williams@fei.org
+41 79 314 24 38

Eventing/H.T., USEF

US Eventing Team Wins Land Rover Great Meadow International

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Clark Montgomery and Loughan Glen (StockImageServices.com)

The Plains, Va. – The Land Rover U.S. Eventing Team made history Sunday, handily capturing the inaugural FEI Nations Cup™ Eventing competition at the Land Rover Great Meadow International presented by Adequan®. Leading from start to finish, the team of Phillip Dutton, Lauren Kieffer, Boyd Martin, and Clark Montgomery had a favorable competition with noteworthy performances in their final stateside preparation event before the Rio Olympic Games, scoring 138.3 penalties. Canada moved up to second with an overall score of 177.6 penalties and Great Britain placed third with 254.3 penalties.

“It was a great weekend at Great Meadow,” said U.S. Eventing Team Coach David O’Connor. “The horses got the runs they needed and there are things to work on in the next couple weeks on the way to Rio, but I am quite confident with how the horses traveled and handled the course today and the competition as a whole.”

Montgomery (Tetbury, England) and Loughan Glen, owned by Jess Montgomery, Kathryn Kraft, and Holly and Bill Becker, were the overnight leaders and did not disappoint the massive crowd at Great Meadow as they led from start to finish. The pair performed the best dressage test of the competition, scoring 36.3 penalties, remained faultless through show jumping, and incurred 1.2 time penalties by going three seconds over the optimum time of 6:36 in the cross-country phase for a combined score of 37.5 penalties.

“It means a lot to win at Great Meadow this weekend,” said Montgomery. “I have been based in England for a while, so to get to come home in the U.S. and compete in front of the home crowd means a huge amount to me.”

Dutton (West Grove, Pa.) was the pathfinder for the team and the competition going first in all three phases. Riding Ann Jones and Thomas Tierney’s Fernhill Fugitive, Dutton had a credible first day scoring 47.2 penalties in dressage and going clear in show jumping. The pair knocked down a flag at the imposing Beverly Equestrian Brush Corners obstacle, but negotiated the remainder of the course without incident, adding only 3.2 time penalties to their two-phase score of 50.4 penalties.

Martin (Cochranville, Pa.) and Gloria Callen’s Welcome Shadow were clear in show jumping to enter the final phase on their dressage score of 48.8 penalties. The pair rode second for the team on the Mike Etherington-Smith-designed cross-country course adding 1.6 time penalties to also finish on 50.4 penalties.

Kieffer (Middleburg, Va.) and Marie Le Menestrel’s Meadowbrook’s Scarlett contributed to the winning team score having just one rail down in show jumping and incurring a mere .4 time faults in cross-country for a final score of 55 penalties.

Individually, Americans placed four out of the top five. Marilyn Little and RF Demeter, owned by Jacqueline Mars, Raylyn Farms and Patrick and Eileen Witte, moved up from fourth after day one to place second. Holly Payne Caravella and Santino, owned by Beth Groblewski, were fourth with 50 penalties and Hannah Sue Burnett rode Under Suspection, owned by Mary Ann Ghadban, from 16th place to fifth overall scoring 50.2 penalties. Jodie Amos and Wise Crack of Great Britain were third on 49 penalties.

Complete results

On-demand footage of the competition will be available shortly on USEFNetwork.com.

From the USEF Communications Department

Art/Photography, Auctions, Community/Charity

Lauren Kieffer and Lisa Curry Mair Join Forces to Benefit the Brooke

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“Lauren and Patrick at Rolex”. Image courtesy of Lisa Curry Mair.

One of three-day eventing’s own top riders, Lauren Kieffer, and Vermont-based artist, Lisa Curry Mair of Canvasworks Designs, have teamed up to raise funds for Brooke USA. In May, Lauren sent Lisa one of her boots that was destined for the boot pile in the back of the tack-room closet. The charity, Brooke USA, supports the work of the Brooke, the world’s largest international equine welfare charity, which has worked tirelessly for over 80 years to improve the lives of working horses, donkey, mules and thus, the many people that rely on them.

Lisa is blazing a new creative path by painting life back into “retired” saddles and boots, covering them with her own equestrian inspired folk-art designs. They really are a unique twist on a classic equestrian staple and are a wonderful way to commemorate a horse-of-a-lifetime, a notable competition win, or even the history of one’s own farm. Put on display in your trophy case, library, tack room or entryway, both the saddles and boots are conversation pieces that are also true works of art.

Want one of these fabulous creations for your very own? Now’s your chance! Interested bidders have until 5:00 pm on August 3rd to place the highest bid for “Patrick and Lauren at Rolex.” To bid, visit Canvasworks Designs’ blog and comment with your bidding price. That’s it. Simple.

All bidders will receive a daily email with the current highest bid. Winner will be announced on August 3rd. The winning bid will be a tax-deductible donation made directly to the Brooke USA. For more information, contact Canvasworks Designs directly.