Tag Archives: Show Jumping

Pony, Show Jumping, USEF

Zone Four Faultless to Earn 2013 Team Championship at the US National Pony Jumper Championships

Leave a comment

Team Medalists (Shawn McMillen Photography)

Lexington, KY – Clear rounds were the order of the day in the Alltech Arena on Thursday evening as 11 teams went to task over Marc Donovan’s 12-obstacle track. Team medals in the US National Pony Jumper Championship were at stake as competition was held in the two-round Nations Cup format. Following the first round the top six teams came back to jump the same course in round two, in addition to 12 combinations that were jumping for individual classification.

For a second consecutive year, the team from Zone Four proved unbeatable as they cruised to the Gold medal on a score of zero faults. All four riders, Morgan Gravely, Micaela Smith, Cooper Dean, and Heather Vaxer, jumped double clear for Zone Four on Thursday.

“Our whole team rode it really well and it worked out great,” said Gravely (High Springs, FL) of the course, of which her own and Celia Evan’s Dragon’s Lair Banner made light work in the lead-off position for the team. “Last year, Zone Four won too, and it was all new riders this year and to come and win is awesome.”

Echoing her teammate’s thoughts on how meaningful it was to win, Smith (Clover, SC) was ecstatic with her pony Blue Me Away’s performance and that of the Zone Four spirit.

“I’ve never won anything this big before in my life,” said Smith. “We were pretty pumped up when one of us went clear.”

Dean (Fayette, AL) has only been riding his pony American Hero for a year, but has quickly forged a relationship with the gelding.

“He’s the best pony I could ever have.  I’ve only had him a year but it has been the best year of my life and to come and do this (win), it’s just unbelievable.”

Riding in the anchor position for Zone Four, Vaxer (Del Ray Beach, FL) did not have to jump her own Cha Cha Cha in the second round as her team had already clinched Gold, but did so to maintain her Individual standing. She also felt it was important to continue to contribute alongside her teammates.

“I’m really excited; there’s a lot of adrenaline. We have a really strong team; they’re all so supportive. We all knew how we wanted to plan this. It was a lot of pressure but it all worked out.”

Collecting the Silver medal was the Zone Five Combined Team with eight total faults. Jumping in the anchor position, Caitlyn Conors (Glen Mills, PA) added her name to the double-clear list with two immaculate trips on her own Break Away. Carson Ruff (Maple Park, IL) was the lead-off rider for her team, producing four- and zero-fault rounds with Sarah Ruff’s Jet Pilot, while Emma Ellis (Annapolis, MD) was clear in round one and had a single rail in round two to collect four faults with her own Tangled Up in Blue. Rounding out the Zone Five Combined Team was Emma Bach (Cincinnati, OH) and Maria Kneipp’s Lucky Charm.

Zone Seven earned the Bronze medal after completing the two rounds of jumping on a score of 27. Their team was composed of Caroline Zaunbrecher (Lafayette, LA) with her own Fire Van Battenbroek, Madison Massey (Pelham , AL) and Picasso, Sedona Chamblee (Keller, TX) with her own Lucky Star and double-clear combination Elizabeth McDougald (Lawton, OK), and her own Knock My Sox Off.

A total of nine combinations jumped double clear on Thursday night including Zone Four’s Gravely, Smith, Dean and Vaxer, along with Zone Five Combined Team’s Connors, Zone Seven’s McDougald and Christina Rodriguez (Dade City, FL) and her own A Lotta Moxie of Team Blue as well as Camilla Siekmann (Washington Crossing, PA) with her own Mist of a Champion from Zone Two and Team Red’s Elena Stoltzfus (Gap, PA) with Hugh Cann’s Swears Like a Sailor.

In Individual standings, Gravely, Dean, Vaxer, Connors, McDougald, Rodriguez, Siekmann, and Stoltzfus all lead on a three round total of zero faults.

The Individual Champion for the 2013 US National Pony Jumper Championship will crowned following the conclusion of Friday’s Individual Final.

By Helen Murray

To follow all the action from the US National Pony Jumper Championship and the 2013 US Pony Finals, visit: http://usefconnect.com/ponyfinals/.

Competitions, Show Jumping

Paul O’Shea and Instant Karma Race to Victory in $20,000 ESP Welcome Stake

Leave a comment

Paul O’Shea and Instant Karma, winners of the $20,000 ESP Welcome Stake.

A half a second behind, Charlie Jacobs finishes second with Flaming Star

Hampton Falls, NH – August 8, 2013 – Irish eyes were smiling on a day that started with overcast skies and a hint of rain, but ended in brilliant sunshine in Hampton Falls, New Hampshire, as Paul O’Shea and his long-time partner Instant Karma topped a strong field of fifty-five competitors to take the win in the $20,000 ESP Welcome Stake class, the first of the big money classes headed into the big weekend here at the Silver Oak Jumper Tournament.

Munich, Germany’s Olaf Petersen, Jr. is designing the tests out on the huge grass field and today came up with the perfect course, one that yielded fourteen clear rides from the fifty-five that went to the post. Of those fourteen, eight horse and rider combinations went on to be double clear in the chase for the title over the short course.

“I think it worked out pretty well,” said Petersen. “The thing is, it’s only a 1.40m class, but it has to be a little more difficult. It was technical enough with three combinations and some of the jumps at 1.45m. Also, I’m trying to judge how good is the level of riders and horses for the Sunday grand prix. My plan was not to scare them already, but to see what I had in the class,” he said.

Petersen always builds in a progression, leading up to the main event, which in this case is the $75,000 Equestrian Estate Planning Group Grand Prix on Sunday afternoon. “And this is really the only chance that I can see the horses and see how to judge for Sunday.”

Speaking of the facility here at Silver Oak, Petersen said, “It’s great. It’s amazing. There are not many places like this in all of the world and the footing is very good. Though it was raining a bit early this morning, the field is still perfect and there’s not one place to complain.”

That’s pretty much been the sentiment of all of the riders competing here this year. Leslie Howard called Silver Oak “the Spruce Meadows of the East.” Another rider said the grass footing is “like a carpet.”

Those ideal conditions led to the fourteen clear, but in the jump-off it was decided right away with the first three to return for the tiebreaker taking the top three spots in the final order.

Charlie Jacobs and Flaming Star. Photo by Kenneth Kraus
Charlie Jacobs and Flaming Star. Photo by Kenneth Kraus

The first to master the first round course and first pair to return, Charlie Jacobs and CMJ Sporthorses’ Flaming Star made it look easy the second time around as well, dodging the in-ring photographer and still putting up a stellar time of 45.025 seconds, a time that in the end would be a half a second too slow.

Darragh Kenny challenged next with the flashy chestnut Quiz, owned by Oakland Ventures, but crossed the finish line 9/10ths of a second off the pace set by Jacobs, tripping the timers in 45.961 seconds.

And then, as the third to go, O’Shea and his mare sealed the deal on the Welcome Stake.

With a quick start over fence #1, O’Shea and Instant Karma were off and running and never let up until the end. Neat and tidy all the way around and then a great cut to the double combination headed for home and a fast gallop to the final oxer set O’Shea up for the win as he raced across the finish line in 44.547 seconds, the only rider on the day to break through the 45 second barrier.

“She’s been a great mare for me,” said a beaming O’Shea following his victory gallop. “I’ve had her since she was a foal, so a long time. I bought her with a friend of mine and she’s been a really, really successful mount for me.”

O’Shea talked about his winning ride.

“I thought to come to the first jump on the left rein. I thought that would be a faster approach and it turned out to be right,” he explained. “It gave me a straighter line to the second fence. Coming around to fence #9, it was important to stick close to the oxer in passing and we did that. Fence nine was a big enough oxer, that’s for sure. And then it was a matter of keeping the pace through the turn for home, over the double combination. Finally, it was eight very long strides to the last fence. I saw Charlie Jacobs, the first to go, was able to get the eight, so I thought I’d have a go at it too,” he said.

O’Shea found a great gallop to that final fence and Instant Karma gave him a huge effort to seal the win. “Walking the course, that was actually a normal ten stride walk, so you think, going against the clock you could do nine, right? But to get the eight strides, you really have to go to get that and we did.”

“She’s very good in her turns, very rideable, very balanced, and that’s makes it a lot easier to get the job done,” O’Shea added. “But, I really think I won it going to number one; I think I saved a lot of time coming off that left rein.”

“I love this place. I think it’s the nicest show I’ve ever been to really,” O’Shea commented. “It’s a beautiful setting. It’s a dream for any horse or rider. The ground is absolutely fantastic and they have everything for us. Food, fruit, water, they even have carrots for the horses, they just really want to look after us and make sure we’re happy. The stalls are huge. I can’t say enough nice things about this show.”

Speaking of the big grand prix field, O’Shea noted, “A good grass surface is very rare these days. The horses love it and we riders really love it, so it’s great to have that.”

“Hopefully I’ll have three horses ready to go on Sunday and we can bring that one home as well,” he said in conclusion.

As we mentioned the first three were all alone at the top of the leaderboard.

Finishing in fourth place, almost four seconds off the winning pace was Ramiro Quintana and St. Bride’s Farms’ Whitney. Quintana tripped the timers in 48.416 seconds. Fifth place went to Goodwin’s Loyalty, owned and shown by Kevin Babington. They crossed the finish line in 48.531 seconds. Babington nailed down sixth place as well, stopping the clock in 49.119 seconds on Shorapur, owned by Shorapur LLC.

Ziedento, another St Bride’s Farm entry, finished seventh with Ramiro Quintana in the irons and eighth place went to Lilli, owned by the Gotham Enterprizes and shown by Georgina Bloomberg.

Earlier in the day, Paul Halpern guided Super G to victory in the Open Jumpers 1.30m Power and Speed. Halpern was clean through the Power phase and raced home in the Speed phase in 34.724 seconds for the win.

It was a narrow victory as Leslie Howard finished just 2/10ths of a second off the pace to take home second place honors with Moon Doggie and then finished third with Zaragoza. Howard broke the beams in 34.954 seconds with Moon Doggie for the red ribbon and crossed the finish line in 35.518 with Zaragoza.

Halpern returned to pick up the white ribbon for fourth place with Marquis, finishing the speed phase in 36.549 seconds.

Kevin Babington and Lauren Tisbo rounded out the top six placings with Tamina and Sting Van de Withoeve.

Tomorrow, Open, Junior-A/O Jumpers and the popular Pro Am team competition takes center stage.

The $75,000 Equestrian Estate Planning Group Grand Prix dominates the Sunday schedule in Hampton Falls as an elite group of top riders will vie for big prize money in the class and the $25,000 Boston Strong Bonus. The $25,000 cash prize will go to any horse and rider combination that win both the $75,000 Equestrian Estates Planning Group Grand Prix at Silver Oak and the Grand Prix at Fieldstone next week. Sunday’s Grand Prix is preceded by the $15,000 Agero Speed Classic.

Saturday’s session features a number of exciting show jumping competitions, including the Show Jumping Hall of Fame Classics for top Junior and Amateur Owner Jumpers and the $15,000 DG Ventures Speed Derby, a challenging test over 18-20 obstacles in a race for the title.

Media Contact:
Phelps Media Group, Inc.
12012 South Shore Blvd #105
Wellington, FL 33414
561-753-3389 (phone)
561-753-3386 (fax)
pmginfo@phelpsmediagroup.com
PhelpsMediaGroup.com

Competitions, Show Jumping

Darragh Kenny and Ramiro Quintana Score Opening Day Wins as Silver Oak Jumper Tournament Kicks Off

Leave a comment

Darragh Kenny and Picolo. Photos by Tony DeCosta.

Fifteen-year-old Maria Brugal takes opening class with Arann DV

Hampton Falls, NH – August 7, 2013 – Five days of exciting show jumping got underway on Wednesday as the inaugural Silver Oak Jumper Tournament lifted off under gorgeous partly sunny skies in what’s known as the Seacoast region of the Granite State. For those that have never made the trip to New Hampshire, we suggest you put it on your to do list right away. This is a beautiful part of the United States that stretches for miles along the Atlantic Ocean from New Hampshire’s border with Massachusetts to the Piscataqua River and New Hampshire’s border with Kittery, Maine.

Hampton Beach is a wonderful beach town, right on the ocean with classic old hotels with balconies overlooking the main drag, magnificent beach houses, the famous “Shell” and some of the best seafood (and fried dough) you’ll ever get a chance to eat.

Here are a few other things you might not know about New Hampshire.

Of the thirteen original colonies, New Hampshire was the first to declare its independence from Mother England, a full six months before the Declaration of Independence was signed. In 1833 the first free public library in the United States was established in Peterborough. New Hampshire adopted the first legal lottery in the twentieth century United States in 1963. The Pierce Manse in Concord is the home of the only New Hampshire citizen ever elected President, Franklin Pierce, and most importantly, the Bavarian-style hamlet of Merrimack is home to one of the famous eight-horse hitches and the Clydesdales maintained by the Anheuser-Busch Brewery.

Just a couple of miles down the road from the beach is the Silver Oak Equestrian Center, a horseman’s jewel in Hampton Falls, NH.

Show Chairman Jeff Papows has spent a year and a lot of money getting the property ready for this year’s event, including a complete makeover and change of location of Jumper Ring #2 and making sure the stunning grass grand prix field is in perfect condition. His hard work has been rewarded with nearly four hundred horses turning out for this inaugural offering. “We couldn’t be more excited,” said a delighted Papows. “The phone hasn’t stopped ringing this past week and all of us are delighted with the turnout for the show. We had to overcome a lot to get the show rolling this year. We had to deal with cautious exhibitors who were scared by the terrible press the previous event garnered and then the worst blow of all, the death of my dear friend David Birdsall,” he said.

Birdsall, who passed away unexpectedly earlier this year, was the owner of the Silver Oak Equestrian Center. There will be a special ceremony honoring his memory during Sunday’s Grand Prix festivities.

There’s a new Vendor Village location, with a number of fun shops located there and others situated across the grounds. And the food… the food is going to be great if last night’s opening staff meeting and get together is any indication. The White Apron, located in Dover, will be providing their delicious delicacies throughout the week. They have won numerous awards and it’s easy to see why.

Germany’s Olaf Petersen, Jr. is on hand to design the course for this year’s Silver Oak Tournament. Petersen, one of the world’s most popular and respected builders, has worked the world’s best shows, including the 2004 Athens Olympic Games and the North American Junior and Young Rider Championships.

Maria Brugal and Arann DV
Maria Brugal and Arann DV

In the first event of the day, the 1.20m Open Jumpers, Time First Jump-Off class, it was junior rider Maria Brugal scoring the victory with her feisty gray horse Arann DV. The fifteen-year-old rider ripped through the short course in 45.357 seconds for the win, topping a starting field of forty-one in the opening affair.

Of the forty-one that went to the post, fifteen went on to the jump-off, fourteen of those going double clear.

Second through fourth places were tightly bunched within the 46 second range. Eight tenths a second behind in second place was Kevin McCarty and Ambitious who tripped the timers in 46.127 seconds. Third place went to Allyson Shryoc, piloting Cheval D’Espoirz to a final time of 46.227 seconds, just a tenth of a second off the pace for second place. Rounding out the top four was Maria Brugal’s second mount, Diabolo Van Cadzandhoeve, crossing the finish line in 46.780 seconds.

“This is my first time here,” smiled Brugal, who rides with “Titi” Mills. “Riding out on the big field was great fun. The grass is in wonderful shape, the footing is great and you could do a lot of galloping. It’s refreshing to come to a new place that’s so beautiful.”

Speaking of her equine partner, Brugal said, “He’s an eight-year-old. I just got him last year. We’ve been working with him a lot. He’s a little bit strong, but I think our hard work is beginning to pay off.”

The 1.30m Jumpers, also scored at Table II, Sec 2b Time First Jump-Off class was next with thirty-one going to the post.

The last proved to be the best as Ramiro Quintana stormed to victory on Bialda, a top seven-year-old Young Jumper owned by St. Bride’s Farm of Upperville, Virginia. Quintana blasted through the finish line in 34.719 seconds to steal the win from Darragh Kenny and Mantana, owned by Oakland Ventures. Kenny had held the lead since the thirteenth to go in order. Kenny’s second place time was 35.483 seconds. Kenny also secured third place with Quiz, second to last to go in the class. Quiz, also owned by Oakland Ventures, tripped the timers in 36.454 seconds.

“David and Barbara Roux bought the horse a year ago for me to bring along. She’s very scopey, she’s very brave and she’s really quite fast as you saw in today’s class,” Quintana said of Bialda. “She’s going to the Hampton Classic to compete in the Seven-Year-Old Young Jumper Finals and then I’ll bring her along through the program, advancing her to the Eight-Year-Olds next year.”

Ramiro Quintana and Bialda
Ramiro Quintana and Bialda

Quintana, who outdistanced Kenny by almost a full second, explained where he found the faster track. “I got a chance to watch Darragh go,” he said. “I left out a stride in the last line and did seven there where everyone else was doing eight and I was quite neat to one-two-three and back on the double combination.”

“Awesome. A great venue,” Quintana said of the Silver Oak facility. “This is the first time here for me and I couldn’t be happier that I came. I have a bunch of young horses here. I have six-year-olds, seven-year-olds, eight-year-olds and I wanted to give them the experience and mileage on grass because they are all headed to the Hamptons. It’s hard to find shows in America in the summer where there’s a grass field and this field is absolutely perfect,” he noted and added, “Plus, I was really pleased with Olaf; you’ve got a great course designer in Olaf Petersen, Jr. with good footing and beautiful jumps so the horses are jumping really, really well. I couldn’t be happier.”

Rounding out the top six were Lauren Tisbo and Tequesta Farms’ Sting Van de Withoeve, Peter Leone aboard Alias, owned by Kiva Iscol and Candice King with Bellissimo LLC’s VDL Maleklou. Tisbo clocked in at 37.133 seconds, Leone broke the beams in 37.548 seconds and King came home in 37.670 seconds.

Of the thirty-one that started, sixteen went clear the first time and fourteen went on to be double clear.

The final event on opening day was the 1.40m Open Jumpers, Table II Section 2b, Time First Jump-Off with twenty starters. This time around, Irish rider Darragh Kenny left no doubt, making sure he wouldn’t get bumped out of the top spot. In fact, he finished first and second to wrap up a very successful afternoon.

Riding Oakland Venture’s Picolo, Kenny secured the victory without really trying. “I didn’t think I was that fast on my last horse. At that point, I knew I had the class won and I was only really schooling for the Welcome class tomorrow,” Kenny explained. “But, he’s naturally so fast; it’s so easy to gallop with him. In the jump-off I didn’t think I was faster, but he’s so quick across the ground and he’s so careful, you don’t have to worry about anything at the jumps. It’s so rare that a horse does both.”

Kenny, who had been leading with Quiz, another Oakland Ventures entry in 34.732 seconds, managed to slice a tenth of a second off of that time with Picolo to finish in 34.633 seconds for the victory.

“I bought him during the off week at Spruce Meadows,” Kenny noted. “He came from France two weeks ago and went straight to HITS Saugerties where he placed in all four grand prix over the two weeks in Saugerties. He was second last Friday and second in the $100,000 grand prix up there. I brought him here and wasn’t really intending on showing him today, but I’ve only had him two weeks and had never ridden him on grass, so I thought I’d get him out and see how it goes,” he said.

Kenny, who ventured out on his own after a long stint with top trainer Missy Clark, has developed a nice group of young horses and couldn’t be happier at this point of his life. “Really good,” he smiled. “I’ve got a great string of horses – very careful, very competitive and easy to ride. I think it’s going to be a little bit of fun for me now. I have some great clients and some wonderful horses underneath me, so I couldn’t be happier.”

As far as the Silver Oak facility, Kenny said, “I think the facility and the horse show is absolutely fantastic. I think it’s a brilliant show. The show is run well, the field is beautiful, the footing is super, so it’s really enjoyable to be here. The people are so nice. I can’t say enough good things about this horse show. And the course designer did a lovely job today.”

With a lot of clean rounds through the three classes today, Kenny expects that to change as the week progresses. “Nobody had anything bad happen. I think he was just trying to be fair today. Just get everybody in the ring, get everybody jumping around and get everybody happy. I think he will be a little tougher tomorrow and then I think he’ll be quite tough by the time we get to Sunday,” Kenny stated. “I think he has a good feel for the good riders that are competing here.”

Molly Ashe-Cawley finished third in today’s 1.40m class with Lincourt Gino, owned by Monica Carrera. Crossing the finish line in 34.883 seconds, Ashe-Cawley missed the mark by just 2/10ths of a second. Fourth place went to another Darragh Kenny mount, Cequila, owned by Oakland Ventures, who broke the beams in 35.248 seconds.

Fifth place went to Ziedento and Ramiro Quintana for the St. Bride’s Farm and sixth went to Wiesielottie from the Winley Farm.

The $20,000 Welcome Stake highlights tomorrow’s show schedule, along with a variety of Open and Junior-A/O Jumper classes.

The $75,000 Equestrian Estate Planning Group Grand Prix dominates the Sunday schedule in Hampton Falls as an elite group of top riders will vie for big prize money in the class and the $25,000 Boston Strong Bonus. The $25,000 cash prize will go to any horse and rider combination that win both the $75,000 Equestrian Estates Planning Group Grand Prix at Silver Oak and the Grand Prix at Fieldstone next week. Sunday’s Grand Prix is preceded by the $15,000 Agero Speed Classic.

Saturday’s session features a number of exciting show jumping competitions, including the Show Jumping Hall of Fame Classics for top Junior and Amateur Owner Jumpers and the $15,000 DG Ventures Speed Derby, a challenging test over 18-20 obstacles in a race for the title.

Media Contact:
Phelps Media Group, Inc.
12012 South Shore Blvd #105
Wellington, FL 33414
561-753-3389 (phone)
561-753-3386 (fax)
pmginfo@phelpsmediagroup.com
PhelpsMediaGroup.com

Show Jumping, USEF

USEF Names Horses for CSIO5* Dublin, Top U.S. Jumpers Set to Earn Winning Results

Leave a comment

Beezie Madden and Cortes ‘C’ (Shawn McMillen Photography)

Lexington, KY – The United States heads into the CSIO5* Dublin on top form after claiming second place honors in the Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup of Great Britain presented by Longines last week at CSIO5* Hickstead. Four members of the Hickstead squad head to the premiere Irish competition. Beezie Madden, McLain Ward, Reed Kessler and Katie Dinan will look to secure another set of top finishes for the U.S. They will be joined by Kent Farrington who was the Chef d’Equipe of the winning U.S. team at CSIO3* Bratislava. Robert Ridland will serve as the Chef d’Equipe this week at CSIO5* Dublin.

Madden (Cazenovia, NY) was one of only six riders to jump a double clear effort in Hickstead’s Nations Cup and will look to replicate that feat this weekend. The reigning Rolex/FEI World Cup has helped the U.S. earn victory in the $75,000 Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup presented by G&C Farm at CSIO Wellington as well as to second place finishes in Rotterdam and Hickstead.

At CSIO5* Dublin, Madden will ride Abigail Wexner’s Cortes ‘C’, Coral Reef Ranch’s Coral Reef Via Volo, as well as Wexner’s Amadora and Breitling LS.
Cortes ‘C’ is a 2002 Belgian Warmblood gelding.
Coral Reef Via Volo is a 1998 Belgian Warmblood mare.
Amadora is a 2003 KWPN mare.
Breitling LS is 2006 Dutch Warmblood stallion.

McLain Ward and Rothchild (Randi Muster)
McLain Ward and Rothchild (Randi Muster)

Ward (Brewster, NY) was the winner of the Dublin Grand Prix in 2010 and will look to add his name to the trophy for a second time this week. A two-time Team Olympic Gold medalist, he will set his sights on earning top finishes throughout the week for the U.S. in Dublin.

At CSIO5* Dublin, Ward will ride Grant Road Partners LLC’s Super Trooper De Ness,  Sagamore Farms’ Rothchild, and Procedure Inc’s Cadence.
Super Trooper De Ness is a 2002 Belgian Sport Horse stallion.
Rothchild is a 2001 Warmblood gelding.
Cadence is a 2001 Swedish Warmblood gelding.

At just 19 years old, Kessler (Lexington, KY) is already making a profound effect in the sport of jumping. Last summer she made her Olympic debut in London and has continued to secure top results in Europe and the U.S. including finishing 10th in her first Rolex/FEI World Cup Final.

At CSIO5* Dublin, Kessler will ride her own Cylana, Ligist and Kessler Show Stables’ Soraya De L’Obstination.
Cylana is a 2002 Belgian Warmblood mare.
Ligist is a 2000 Swedish Warmblood gelding.
Soraya De L’Obstination is 2002 Belgian Warmblood mare.

Dinan (Wellington, FL), the 2011 Adequan/FEI North American Junior & Younger Rider Championships presented by Gotham North Gold medalist, heads into CSIO5* Dublin on strong form. In June, she helped the U.S. to a second place finish in Spruce Meadow’s Nations Cup competition jumping double clear and being honored as the Furusiyya Rider of the Day.

Reed Kessler and Cylana (Sportfot)
Reed Kessler and Cylana (Sportfot)

At CSIO5* Dublin, Dinan will ride Grant Road Partners LLC’s Nougat Du Vallet, Glory Days and Couletto K James.
Nougat Du Vallet is a 2001 Selle Francais gelding.
Glory Days is a 2001 Swedish Warmblood gelding.
Couletto K James is 1996 Hanoverian gelding.

Farrington (Wellington, FL) was a member of the winning U.S. team in the $75,000 Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup presented by G&C Farm in March at CSIO Wellington. The 2013 Pan American Games Team Gold medalist will look to display the form that helped him win the $150,000 CSIO 4* Grand Prix presented by Wellington Equestrian Realty this week in Dublin.

At CSIO5* Dublin, Farrington will ride R.C.G. Farms’ Uceko, and Robin Parsky’s Blue Angel.
Uceko is a 2001 Dutch Warmblood gelding.
Blue Angel is 2002 Anglo European mare.

By Helen Murray

To learn more about the CSIO5* Dublin, visit: http://www.dublinhorseshow.com/.

Follow the 2013 U.S. Jumping Team here.

 

Phelps Media Group, Show Jumping

Young Rider Abigail McArdle Dominates International FEI Competitions

Leave a comment

Abigail McArdle and Cosma 20. Photos By: Parker/Russell – The Book LLC.

Barrington, IL – August 5, 2013 – Just one year ago, Abigail McArdle captured the 2012 North American Junior/Young Riders Championships Young Rider Show Jumping Individual Gold Medal with five clear rounds aboard her talented mare Cosma 20. This summer, the duo has moved into the Open Jumper division at international competitions, including the Dinard CSI 3* International Horse Show, the Chantilly CSI 2* Global Champions Tour and the Spruce Meadows Tournament. Producing speedy, clear rounds week after week, McArdle and Cosma 20 have continued their winning ways, claiming multiple victories against the best riders in the world.

Most recently, McArdle competed at the Dinard CSI 3* International Horse Show, held July 24-28 in France. McArdle captured two winning awards with Cosma 20. The first was during Saturday’s 1.45m Open Jumper Speed class, where they beat 42 entries with the fastest clear round by almost two seconds. They then went on to win Sunday’s 1.40m Open Jumper Speed class as well to culminate an excellent weekend.

“Everything was a little bit bigger in Dinard,” explained McArdle. “Overseas there is a lot of focus on speed classes. I’ve been trying to move up with Cosma, and that is one of the bigger 1.45m classes that I have jumped.”

Their win in Dinard came just one week after the Chantilly Global Champions Tour event where McArdle and Cosma once again led the victory gallop, this time in the 1.40m Open Jumpers. Out of 87 entries, 12 advanced to the jump-off and six riders were able to produce a second clear effort, but none would be as fast as McArdle. She shot through the timers in 36.86 seconds, almost two seconds faster than the previous leader to capture the winning honors.

To prepare to compete in Europe, McArdle traveled to Calgary, Alberta to show at the legendary Spruce Meadows. She kicked things off by winning the $5,000 Friends of the Meadow 1.45m Welcome Stake during the ‘Continental’ Tournament.

“The first week of Spruce we did the Open 1.40m division, and we won two days, so we jumped 1.45m for the rest of the weeks,” stated McArdle. “It was my first real FEI win against the professional riders. They were hard courses, and the jumps were big. It was a super experience, and it gave me a lot of confidence going to Europe.”

During the four weeks of Spruce Meadows, McArdle racked up 10 first place finishes in the FEI divisions between her two mounts Cosma 20 and Bravoman. The finale came on July 4, during the North American’ Tournament. Competing sixth in the order of 23 entries, McArdle and Cosma 20 captured and held on to an early lead during the $33,000 Zoetis Horse Health Care Cup 1.45m Speed Derby.

Abigail McArdle and Cosma 20
Abigail McArdle and Cosma 20

“Cosma 20 is a great derby horse,” acknowledged McArdle. “We were lucky to be able to school all kinds of derby fences at the Kessler’s farm in Kentucky before we came, and I think that was a huge advantage. My horse had seen everything, jumped the grob and jumped off the bank. That class was lots of fun, and it was one of those courses with 20 jumps, so you have to pick where you are going to gallop between fences. We had a really wonderful Spruce Meadows!”

McArdle excelled in the High Junior Jumpers, but rather than move to the High Amateur-Owner Jumpers, she pushed herself to begin competing against the professional riders. “The goal is always to push yourself,” she stated. “We did so well last year and then our test was when we got to Spruce: can we still win in the Open 1.40m, where the courses are harder and the competition is tougher, and when we did win we decided to move up.”

Over the last two years, McArdle has developed a special bond with Cosma 20 that helps her be so successful. “It has been moving up for me and it’s been moving up for Cosma,” she noted. “Every time you move up you learn more about your horse, so it’s been a great experience for me. She’s such a great horse, and she is so careful.  Anytime you have a careful horse, it’s about being able to figure out how to let them jump clean as the jumps go up. I have a lot of confidence in her to continue winning in the future.”

McArdle’s legendary trainer Katie Prudent is also confident about the pair’s future. “Cosma and Abby are a match made in heaven,” commented Prudent. “She just rides the mare so beautifully, and it wouldn’t be a horse for just anyone. Cosma is extremely careful, and Abby does a wonderful job with her because Abby has a great eye and never ever misses and never puts a horse in a position where it might not have confidence. Because of that, she gives the horse tremendous confidence. They are just a winning team.”

Prudent added, “Abby rides so well, and she has aspirations to be on the team one day. I love to give the kids an opportunity to go to a higher level. I don’t see any end in sight.”

Next week, McArdle will conclude her European tour by competing at the Valkenswaard Global Champions Tour before staring her freshman year at the University of Miami. McArdle will continue to focus on competing and advancing with Cosma 20 next winter during the 2014 Winter Equestrian Festival.

Rebecca Walton for Phelps Media Group, Inc. International

MEDIA CONTACT:
Phelps Media Group, Inc.
12012 South Shore Blvd #105
Wellington, FL 33414
561-753-3389 (phone)
561-753-3386 (fax)
pmginfo@phelpsmediagroup.com
PhelpsMediaGroup.com

Competitions, FEI, Show Jumping

Great German Win at Hickstead, but Dublin Furusiyya Qualifier Will Be Decisive

Leave a comment

(L to R) – Marcus Ehning, Hans-Dieter Dreher, Chef d’Equipe Otto Becker, Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum and Ludger Beerbaum. Photo: FEI/John Stroud.

Hickstead (GBR), 2 August 2013 – Germany won the penultimate leg of the Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup Jumping Europe Division 1 series at Hickstead, Great Britain this afternoon.  But it is still uncertain whether the most formidable of Jumping nations will make the cut for the inaugural Final in Barcelona, Spain in September. With just one qualifying leg remaining, in Dublin, Ireland in seven days’ time, it is still very much hanging in the balance.

The German victory today was clear and concise as, not for the first time in his career, anchorman Ludger Beerbaum was surplus to requirements in the second round because his sister-in-law, Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum, and team-mates Hans-Dieter Dreher and Marcus Ehning had already clinched it.  Finishing on a four-fault score, the winning side had an eight-fault advantage over the French and US teams who shared runner-up spot, while the Irish were only fractionally further adrift in fourth when registering a 13-fault total.

It was a disappointing day for the British who, a year after their spectacular team glory on home turf at the London 2012 Olympic Games, had to settle for fifth place along with Ukraine when both sides racked up 17 faults apiece.  It wasn’t a great day for the Dutch either, who slotted into seventh when putting 20 faults on the board, while Switzerland lined up last of the eight competing nations with 32 faults.

Five double-clears

Winning team-member, Marcus Ehning, described Kelvin Bywater’s course as “not the biggest”, after he produced one of five double-clears on the day from Plot Blue. The other four came from the reigning FEI World Cup Jumping champions, America’s Beezie Madden and Cortes C, Britain‘s Olympic team gold medallist Scott Brash partnering the mare, Ursula, and from two of the Irish team – pathfinder Shane Breen with Cos I Can and anchorman Billy Twomey with Diaghilev.

The White Horse planks that followed the triple bar at fence two hit the floor a number of times as did both elements of the following double.  Bywater included three doubles in his track, with no triple combination.  The double at six also claimed a number of scalps as did the relatively innocuous-looking vertical after that, but it was the run from the open water at fence eight to the big white oxer at fence nine that produced some of the most dramatic moments as riders fought to regain control on the downhill slope between the two obstacles.  A curving line to the notorious Hickstead planks at 10 then led to the final line of an oxer to a double.

Michaels-Beerbaum was the only one of the German foursome to fault first time out when her fabulous 10-year-old mare, Bella Donna, was strong on the run after the open water.  But with clears from the remaining three, the Germans were already in control with the only zero score at the end of the first round.  And even though the Dutch, French and Americans were just a single fence behind, and the Ukrainians were carrying only five faults, it seemed the writing was already on the wall as round two began with the Irish and British each carrying nine faults and the Swiss already lying last with 20.

Irish Rally

The double-clears from Breen and Twomey saw the Irish rally as they only had to add one of the single errors registered by Capt Michael Kelly (Annestown) and Niall Talbot (Nicos de la Cense) second time out.  Meanwhile despite Brash’s foot-perfect performance and a second-round clear for Peter Charles and Murka’s Odie de Frevent, the British crumbled when pathfinders, William Funnell and Billy Congo, had another two fences down and Ben Maher’s Olympic gold medal winning ride, Tripple X showed nothing like his usual form when adding 13 more faults to the eight collected in the first round.  British Chef d’Equipe, Rob Hoekstra, said afterwards that he was disappointed in the performances of both horses, “and when two of your four are below par you just don’t stand a chance,” he pointed out.  Meanwhile the Ukrainian team added 12 more faults to also lose their grip, the Americans and French added eight each and the Dutch racked up 16 faults to completely disappear from the reckoning.

All this just widened the gap between the Germans and the rest, Dreher’s single mistake at the first element of the double at four having little influence after two classic exhibitions from Ehning and Michaels-Beerbaum.  The Germans cruised home to clinch the Edward Prince of Wales trophy for the 13th time in the history of the British Nations Cup.

Fantastic Job

At the post-competition press conference, Chef d’Equipe Otto Becker said, “My team did a fantastic job today but I’m still not so happy after St Gallen.”  The German team withdrew from the third leg of the Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup Europe Division 1 series due to the extremely wet weather conditions at the Swiss fixture and lost out on the opportunity to pick up points there.  Each nation had pre-selected four of the eight legs for points-gathering purposes.  Today it was France, Germany, Great Britain and Ukraine who were all vying for points.

The Germans returned to the fray with a win in Rotterdam (NED) followed by a third-place finish on home soil at Aachen, but today’s competition provided their final points-gaining opportunity and now they go to Dublin next week with only one purpose – to prevent some of the other nations from qualifying for the Final by placing as prominently as they can in the battle for the Aga Khan Cup, thereby clinching one of the six available places themselves.  Teams can only earn the points relevant to their finishing place on any given day.  And with Ehning and Michaels-Beerbaum joined by Rolf Moormann, Janne-Friederike Meyer and Patrick Stuhlmeyer, it’s going to be “Germany versus everyone else” at Dublin next week in one last thrilling clash.  The four teams fighting for points at the Irish fixture will be Great Britain, Spain, Ukraine and the host nation.

13th Victory

This was Germany’s 13th victory in the 84-year history of the Edward Prince of Wales trophy for the Nations Cup of Great Britain.  But it was Hickstead-based Irishman, Shane Breen, who earned the Furusiyya Rider of the Day award which was decided by London 2012 Olympic Games course designer Bob Ellis.

Breen was happy with Ireland’s fourth-place finish.  “It’s been a great day and we are delighted,” he said.  “It’s been a great competition and Germany were worthy winners – they were very good and very strong on the day.  The conditions were super and the course was very well built,” he pointed out.  Looking ahead, he said, “I’m very much looking forward to Dublin next week now.  I hopefully have Balloon to ride in the Nations Cup, and Dublin counts as points for us – so a bit of added pressure!”

With the last points on offer, and a mighty German team determined to limit the number available to the other sides, it’s still all to play for in this one last leg.  Ludger Beerbaum said today that his country has “a small chance” of making it to Barcelona – “maybe a five percent chance,” he said.  But Team Germany in determined mood is a formidable force at any time.  And they are not going to give up without a fight.

For further information on the 17th leg of the Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup Jumping 2013 series at Hickstead (GBR), go to website www.hickstead.co.uk or contact Press Officer Victoria Spicer, Email press@hickstead.co.uk, Tel: +44 1273 834 175.

The next and last leg of the Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup Jumping Europe Division 1 series takes place on Friday, 9 August in Dublin, Ireland.  For information on the Irish fixture, check out website www.dublinhorseshow.com or contact Press Officer Niamh Kelly, Tel + 353 86 3828531, Email niamh@rds.ie.

Detailed result here.

Facts and Figures:

Hickstead in Great Britain presented round 17 of the Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup Jumping 2013 series and the seventh leg of Europe Division 1.

Just one further leg of Europe Division 1 remains.  It will take place in Dublin (IRL) on Friday 9 August.

4 of the 8 competing nations were battling for qualifying points towards the inaugural Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup Jumping 2013 Final which will take place at the Real Club de Polo in Barcelona, Spain 26-29 September.

The 4 nations were France, Germany, Great Britain and Ukraine.

6 nations will qualify for the Final from Europe Division 1.

The USA fielded teams today in two different divisions of the Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup Jumping series.  Richard Spooner (Cristallo), Reed Kessler (Cyland), McLain Ward (Rothchild) and reigning FEI World Cup champion Beezie Madden (Cortes C) lined out in European Division 1 at Hickstead while Catherine Pasmore (Bonanza Van Pamsel), Quentin Judge (HH Dark de la Hart), Megan Nusz (Dynamo) and Kirsten Coe (Calypso) lined out in the European Division 2 leg in Bratislava, Slovakia.

The US team won at Bratislava.

Course designer in Hickstead today was Great Britain’s Kelvin Bywater.

The youngest horse in today’s competition was the 9-year-old LB Eagle Eye competed by Christina Liebherr for Switzerland.

The oldest was the 16-year-old Plot Blue ridden by Germany’s Marcus Ehning.

Plot Blue produced one of five double-clear rounds.  The other four came from Ireland’s Billy Twomey (Diaghilev) and Shane Breen (Cos I Can), Great Britain’s Scott Brash (Ursula) and America’s Beezie Madden (Cortes C).

Quotes:

Marcus Ehning (GER) – “It feels very good.  I was first to go in our team and went double-clear and couldn’t have gone any better.  I really look forward to Dublin, especially as my horse went so well today.”

William Funnell (GBR) – “Obviously on our home one we would to be very disappointed really. For myself, I was hoping to come and jump two clears and it didn’t happen. My horse didn’t jump badly but it didn’t happen – it’s always nice to win at home. Hopefully we’ve got a good team for Dublin – Nick Skelton will be back in action next week, plus Scott Brash, Ben Maher and Robert Smith so we’ve got a good solid team there – with a bit of luck things will go in the right order and it’s all to play for!”

Beezie Madden (USA) – “My horse felt fantastic. He loves the field and pretty much jumped ‘rub-free’ both rounds. It looked like we were right in the hunt in the first round and then wasn’t looking great in the second, but we finished on a strong note and it’s fantastic to finish in second place in the end.  We qualified in our own League (North American, Central American and Carribbean League) so off to Dublin, where Cortes will do the Nations Cup and we have pretty much the same team as today with Kent Farrington taking the place of Richard Spooner.”

Standings:

The full standings for Europe Division 1 of the Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup Jumping 2013 series after 7 legs can be found at this link.

For further information on the Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup Jumping series check out this link.

“Furusiyya” (Arabic: فروسيه) this single Arabic word conveys so much, embracing the idea of horsemanship, chivalry, and equestrian knowledge in general. The term is a derivation of faris, or horseman and faras, a horse.

Longines is the Official Timekeeper of the Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup Jumping series.

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 a timepiece was made with a horse and jockey engraved on the watch face. Over the years, the brand has built strong and long-lasting links with equestrian sports. In 1926, for the first time, the brand was involved as timekeeper for the Official International Equestrian Competition of Geneva. 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 Hickstead:

Victoria Spicer
Email: press@hickstead.co.uk
+44 1273 834 175

At FEI:

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

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

At Revolution Sports + Entertainment:

Tim Welland
tim@revolutionsports.co.uk
+44 7787 780 036

*Featured/Spotlights, FEI, Show Jumping

United States Jumps to Top Finishes in Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup Competitions

Leave a comment

The Winning U.S. Team (Alex Warriner/USEF Archive)

Lexington, KY – The U.S. jumpers showed their depth Friday as they earned top results in two hard-fought Furusiyya FEI Nations Cups. A team of rising stars headed to Bratislava, Slovakia and produced spectacular rounds to earn an American victory at CSIO3* Bratislava’s Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup, while a team of Nations Cup veterans jumped at the CSIO5* Hickstead, earning a second place finish in the Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup of Great Britain presented by Longines.

CSIO3* Bratislava

The U.S. team of Catherine Pasmore, Quentin Judge, Megan Nusz, and Kirsten Coe, led by Chef d’Equipe Kent Farrington, headed into Bratislava’s Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup with their sights firmly set on a podium finish. Over two rounds of jumping a testing track designed by Edward Petrovic, the talented squad proved unbeatable to finish on a total of four faults and earn victory over 12 other nations.

Pasmore (Wellington, FL) rode Pasmore Stables, LLC’s 12-year-old Belgian Warmblood gelding Bonanza Van Paemel in the lead-off position for the U.S. producing a faultless effort in the first round and setting the tone for the afternoon. Judge (Wellington, FL) was next up for the U.S. and utilized his experience gained from jumping at many of North America’s most prestigious competitions to jump a clear round of his own with HH Dark de la Hart. Jumping in her first Nations Cup, Nusz (The Woodlands, TX) produced the third consecutive fault-free trip of the first round for the U.S. with the talented Amalaya Investments’ Dynamo. Coe (Royal Palm Beach, FL) rode in the anchor position with Ilan Ferder’s 11-year-old Belgian Warmblood gelding Calypso, collecting five faults in the first round.

At the conclusion of round one the United States stood atop the leaderboard and headed into the afternoon’s second round on a score of zero.

In round two, the U.S. combinations continued to jump superbly to clinch their first place finish. Pasmore returned to produce her second clear round of the day, to be one of six to jump double clear. Judge and Double H Farm’s 10-year-old Belgian Warmblood stallion looked to add their names to the double clear list but a single mistake left them on a score of four faults. Nusz again displayed impressive form in Bratislava, as she jumped her second clear of the day with the 10-year-old Belgian Warmblood gelding Dynamo.

Nusz’s clear effort in round two meant the U.S. could not be beaten and therefore Coe did not need to return to complete a second trip. The U.S. won on a total of four faults.

Finishing in second place behind the U.S. was Brazil on a score of eight faults and Finland collected third place with a total of 12 faults.

To learn more about the CSIO3* Bratislava, visit: http://www.csio.sk/2011/index.php.

CSIO5* Hickstead

The United States sent a formidable team into Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup of Great Britain presented by Longines to jump two rounds of Kelvin Bywater’s difficult course. Led by Chef d’Equipe Robert Ridland, Richard Spooner, Reed Kessler, McLain Ward, and Beezie Madden used their experience to propel the U.S. to an equal second place finish on a score of 12 faults.

Spooner (Agua Dulce, CA) served as the pathfinder over Bywater’s course with his veteran Cristallo. Show Jumping Syndications International’s 15-year-old Holsteiner gelding proved to be strong throughout the course, producing a 16 fault effort in the first round. Kessler (Lexington, KY) rode in the second spot for the U.S., producing an immaculate clear round on her Olympic partner Cylana. Next up for the U.S. was Ward (Brewster, NY) and Sagamore Farms’ 12-year-old Warmblood gelding Rothchild; the pair lowered a single rail, the plank at fence three, for a four fault total in round one. Madden (Cazenovia, NY) entered Hickstead’s International Arena needing to produce a clear with Cortes ‘C’ to keep the U.S. in contention heading into round two. As she has done on numerous occasions, Madden delivered when the pressure was on, guiding Abigail Wexner’s 11-year-old Belgian Warmblood gelding to a faultless round.

The U.S. headed into Hickstead’s second round in three-way tie for second place on a score of four.

In round two, Spooner and Cristallo produced an improved effort but still finished with a score of eight after lowering two rails on the second half of the course. Kessler and the 11-year-old Belgian Warmblood mare Cylana repeated Spooner’s effort and also jumped an eight fault round. Returning for a second time, Ward used all of his expertise to produce a faultless effort to keep the pressure on the other nations. Madden replicated her immaculate first round performance, producing a second clear effort of the day to be one of five riders to produce a double clear.

Germany earned top honors in the Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup of Great Britain presented by Longines finishing on a two round total of four faults. France also finished on a 12 fault total to tie with the U.S. for second place.

To learn more about CSIO5* Hickstead, click here.

Follow the 2013 U.S. Jumping Team here.

By Helen Murray

*Featured/Spotlights, Show Jumping

USEF Names Horses for CSIO5* Hickstead as Jumpers Eye Top Finishes

Leave a comment

Beezie Madden and Cortes ‘C’ (Sportfot)

Lexington, KY – A talented team of jumpers descends upon Hickstead, England this week to represent the U.S. at the CSIO5* Hickstead. The prestigious competition will run August 1-4 and hosts the Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup of Great Britain presented by Longines on Friday, August 2nd. The U.S. will be represented by three veterans as Beezie Madden, McLain Ward, and Richard Spooner all look to score top honors throughout the week. Additionally, young rising stars Reed Kessler and Katie Dinan make their Hickstead debuts.

Madden (Cazenovia, NY), the reigning Rolex/FEI World Cup champion, heads into Hickstead’s prestigious competition on a roll. In addition to collecting her first World Cup title, she was a member of the U.S. team that won the $75,000 Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup presented by G&C Farm at CSIO Wellington. The two-time Olympic Gold medalist most recently won the Longines Global Champions Tour Grand Prix in Chantilly two weeks ago with Cortes ‘C’.

At CSIO5* Hickstead, Madden will ride Abigail Wexner’s Cortes ‘C’ and Coral Reef Ranch’s Coral Reef Via Volo.
Cortes ‘C’ is a 2002 Belgian Warmblood gelding.
Coral Reef Via Volo is a 1998 Belgian Warmblood mare.

Ward has stood atop the podium alongside Madden on many U.S. Teams including at the 2004 and 2008 Olympic Games and the 2011 Pan American Games. The Brewster, New York, native has enjoyed a successful 2013 campaign on an array of horses. In April, he teamed up with Super Trooper De Ness to finish in fifth place at the Rolex/FEI World Cup Final in Gothenburg, Sweden. A month later, Ward won his record eighth Wells Fargo Grand Prix of Devon with Rothchild.

McLain Ward and Rothchild (Randi Muster)
McLain Ward and Rothchild (Randi Muster)

At CSIO5* Hickstead, Ward will ride Sagamore Farms’ Rothchild, Grant Road Partners LLC’s Super Trooper De Ness and Procedure Inc.’s Cadence.
Rothchild is a 2001 Warmblood gelding.
Super Trooper De Ness is a 2002 Belgian Sport Horse stallion.
Cadence is a 2001 Swedish Warmblood gelding.

Spooner (Agua Dulce, CA) has more than 100 Grand Prix victories to his name and has spent much of the last few years adding to his legacy, collecting top finishes at some of Europe’s most prestigious competitions. With longtime partner Cristallo, he closed out the month of June with his third career win in the Longines Global Champions Tour Grand Prix of Monte Carlo. A veteran of numerous U.S. Nations Cup teams, Spooner will look to secure top results throughout the week in Hickstead.

At CSIO5* Hickstead, Spooner will ride Show Jumping Syndications International’s Cristallo, Molly Ohstrom’s Caretol 2 and Oscany, Inc.’s Let’s Dance.
Cristallo is a 1998 Holsteiner gelding.
Caretol 2 is a 2003 Holsteiner gelding.
Let’s Dance is a 2002 Holsteiner gelding.

A year ago, Kessler (Lexington, KY) made her Olympic debut; at 18 years old she was the youngest athlete to ever represent the U.S. in the equestrian competition. Since returning from London, she has been on a tear, winning both stateside and abroad. In October of 2012, she won the $100,000 President’s Cup Grand Prix, CSI 3*-W, Presented by Events DC at the Washington International Horse Show with Olympic partner Cylana. Kessler has continued to impress this year, jumping double clear to help the U.S. win the $75,000 Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup presented by G&C Farm at CSIO Wellington and finishing 10th in her Rolex/FEI World Final debut.

Reed Kessler and Cylana (Shannon Brinkman)
Reed Kessler and Cylana (Shannon Brinkman)

At CSIO5* Hickstead, Kessler will ride her own Cylana and Ligist.
Cylana is a 2002 Belgian Warmblood mare.
Ligist is a 2000 Swedish Warmblood gelding.

Dinan (Wellington, FL) is another young American talent that is making a name for herself at the highest level. The Harvard University student made her Rolex/FEI World Cup Final debut in April with Nougat Du Vallet, finishing in 16th place. In June, Dinan jumped a double clear with Nougat Du Vallet to help the U.S. Stripes team earn second place in the Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup at the CSIO5* Spruce Meadows. For this effort she was awarded the Furusiyya Rider of the Day title.

At CSIO5* Hickstead, Dinan will ride Grant Road Partners LLC’s Nougat Du Vallet, Glory Days and Couletto K James.
Nougat Du Vallet is a 2001 Selle Francais gelding.
Glory Days is a 2001 Swedish Warmblood gelding.
Couletto K James is 1996 Hanoverian gelding.

The Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup of Great Britain presented by Longines will begin at 2:15pm BST on Friday, August 2.

By Helen Murray

To learn more about CSIO5* Hickstead, click here.

Follow the 2013 U.S. Jumping Team here.

Championships, Dressage, Eventing/H.T., FEI, FEI, Show Jumping

Peters Steals the Limelight as Brilliant British Take Four-Time Gold

Leave a comment

(L to R) silver medallist Semmieke Rothenberger (GER), gold medallist Phoebe Peters (GBR) and bronze medallist Lisanne Zoutendijk (NED). Photo: FEI/Helen Revington.

Team Double for Germany While Ireland Clinches Individual Jumping Title

Lausanne (SUI), 29 July 2013 – British riders dominated the podium at the FEI European Pony Championships 2013 in Arezzo, Italy where Phoebe Peters created a sensation when storming to victory in both Individual and Freestyle Dressage, and Yasmin Ingham secured double-gold in Eventing.  Germany topped the team events in Dressage and Jumping, while Susan Fitzpatrick clinched the Individual Jumping title for Ireland.

A total of 159 competitors from 17 nations lined out, and the flags of Austria, Belgium, Czech Republic, Denmark, France, Great Britain, Germany, Hungary, Ireland, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Russia, Spain, Sweden and Switzerland adorned the showgrounds.  Temperatures soared throughout the week, but ponies and riders coped admirably under the Tuscan sun.

Arezzo Equestrian Centre has long been a favourite with senior jumping riders throughout the spring season as horses are prepared for their tough summer schedule during the hugely popular Toscana tournament.  In a literally ground-breaking move, however, the venue expanded its potential with the creation of a brand new cross-country course for this year’s European Pony fixture.  Designed by Italy’s Francesco Finocchiaro the 24-fence track stretched into the surrounding countryside before returning to a dramatic finish within the famous Boccaccio arena. Italy’s Pier Francesco Bazzocchi designed the tracks for the Jumping Championships, and the quality of competition in all three disciplines was nothing short of spectacular.

Dressage

Germany took the team title for the 23rd time in the 27-year history of the Dressage Championships which were first staged at San Remo, Italy in 1986.  The Netherlands claimed silver medal spot and the British stood on the third step of the podium. Britain’s Peters gave warning of what was to come when producing the highest score of the entire competition with SL Lucci who achieved a mark of 77.795.

Germany already held the lead at the halfway stage thanks to excellent rides for Nadine Krauss (Danilo) who scored 75.692 and Sophie Kampmann (Voyager) who earned a mark of 75.513 on the first day. And although Semmieke Rothenberger and the great Deinhard B didn’t show their usual brilliance when scoring 71.846 the following morning, the German side still had the gold in their grasp before last-line rider, Hannah Cichos, extended their margin of advantage over their Dutch rivals with 74.590 from Equestricons Lord Champion.

The German total came to 225.795, with the Dutch combined score 221.513 while the British posted 219.667. Fourth place went to Denmark (212.33) with France in fifth (204.000) and Belgium in sixth place (203.700).  A total of 13 teams competed, with the British returning to the medal podium for the first time in six years.

After the team medal ceremony, Ground Jury member, Freddy Leyman from Belgium, couldn’t disguise his delight with the level of sport.  “We are seeing all of the riders producing very high-quality performances.  The standard just gets better and better every year and there are so many top combinations.  It’s different for the judges than it was five years ago.  Now it is a bigger challenge for us because the difference between the riders is in every little detail,” he said.  And there was a great deal more excitement to come.

Peters sensationally clinched Individual gold two days later. She threw down the gauntlet with another fabulous test that oozed confidence, grace, lightness and accuracy for a score of 79.049. Four of the five judges put her in first place with a winning margin of just over half a percentage point ahead of Rothenberger in silver with 78.463, while The Netherlands‘ Lisanne Zoutendijk continued to impress when clinching bronze with Champ of Class scoring 77.317.

British Chef d’Equipe, Liz Mills, said, “We were all hoping for good things here because they (Peters and SL Lucci) have been so very, very consistent.  They won at Saumur and Compiegne – and at Vidauban they won six tests.  In total they have won 11 out of 15 competitions in the last while.  They are a fantastic partnership!” she pointed out.

Peters has been riding SL Lucci for two years and was on last year’s British team at the European Championships in Fontainebleau.  Under the tutelage of Peter Storr, her partnership with her gelding has gone from strength to strength.  When asked how she felt about her incredible victory, the 14-year-old rider said modestly, “I’m really pleased.  Every time I ask, Lucci gives me 110 percent, and he tries so hard for me.”  She was particularly pleased with “the simple changes; he’s very strong at that, and today they pulled the score up again.”  She says she is inspired by her trainer and by the stunning Olympic performances of the British senior team.  “Charlotte (Dujardin) and Carl (Hester) have paved the way for us all now!” she pointed out.

While she was waiting to go into the medal ceremony, her pony was standing sleepily, probably wondering if there might be a few extra carrots in his feed that night.  “He’s always like this,” Peters said, “but when he goes into the arena he really lights up, that’s one of the great things about him.  He’s the best, he amazes me, and there were things I could have done much better today so we can do even better again!” she added.

And she was right about that too.  When it came to the Freestyle the pair was in a class of their own, placing particular emphasis on their exceptional symmetry in canter-work.  The entire test had a sense of calm cooperation, and as they marched up the centre line it was clear they were about to create another sensation.  The spectators gasped when a score of 84.000 went up on the scoreboard – that was always going to be near-impossible to beat.

And so it proved.  With just four left to go, Germany’s Sophie Kampmann and Voyager earned a mark of 77.875 before Zoutendijk and Champ of Class took their turn.  And, as Dutch Chef d’Equipe Tineke Bartels commented afterwards, “Champ of Class was even more fit than yesterday.  His test was more fresh and he rode more uphill, and his attitude was very nice.”  The Dutch partnership was rewarded with a great mark of 80.775 for silver medal spot while Germany’s Rothenberger and Deinhard B posted 80.625 for bronze medal position.  Peters’ double gold was all the more remarkable for the fact that British riders had never previously taken any individual medal at the FEI European Pony Championships.

Ground Jury member, Susanne Baarup from Denmark, said the judges were all in agreement about the top three riders, and echoed the sentiments of so many of those who witnessed this amazing week of pony dressage. “The standard is getting so high, we just don’t know where it will end!” she said.

Jumping

In a spectacular battle that went right down to the wire, Germany emerged to claim the Jumping Team title ahead of Great Britain in silver and Ireland in bronze medal position.  At the halfway stage it seemed the defending champions from Britain had it all sewn up with the only zero score, but France, Ireland and Germany were all lying just a fence behind and, in the end, three second-round clears from Germany sealed it.

The French lost out in dramatic style when last-line rider, Megane Moissonnier’s stallion Jimmerdor de Florys, stopped twice for a heart-breaking elimination that opened the door for the Irish.  This was the sixth time for Germany to take Team Jumping gold.  Their last victory was at Bishop Burton in Great Britain in 2010 and their first was back in 1989 at Millstreet in Ireland where Marcus Ehning, now one of the most famous names in the sport, was a member of the winning side.

The British began to look vulnerable when pathfinders Amy Inglis and Lea du Genier hit the middle of the triple combination at fence eight, but Emily Ward steadied the ship when following with a concentrated clear from King Mac.  However when Faye Adams’ chestnut mare, the 14-year-old Some Like It Hot, put a foot in the water, the picture began to change again.  By then the Irish looked well out of it following a double-error from opener Tim McDonagh with Imagine If One and four faults apiece for Matt Garrigan (Future Interest) and Killian Norris (Javes Alun).

In contrast, only the opening German partnership of Philipp Schulze Tophoff (Mentos Junior 2) made a second-round error while team-mates Enno Klaphake (Pepper Ann), Justin Tebbel (Okehurst Little Bow Wow) and Lara Volmer (Carrick 13) jumped superb clear rounds to pile the pressure on the French and British in the battle for the gold.  Tressy Muhr had opened the French second-round effort with three fences down with Qredo des Islots, but Jean Zhemal (Nymphe du Sud) and Ninon Castex (Quabar des Monceaux) were foot-perfect so, if Moissonnier could follow suit, then they would be on level-pegging with the Germans and perhaps the British.  But there was a groan of horror when the French rider’s pony decided he had enough, first stopping at the vertical at fence three and then again at the oxer at fence five, to bring their day to an end.  France would now have to count those 12 faults from Muhr, and suddenly the Irish were back in the game because their final partnership of Susan Fitzpatrick and Rock Dee Jay produced a brilliant clear to leave them on a total of 12.

It was now all up to 2012 Individual Champion, Mille Allen from Great Britain.  If she could return without penalty then one of the two four-faults on her team’s score-sheet could be dropped and they would go into a jump-off for gold against Germany.  But, as Chef d’Equipe Katrina Moore said afterwards, ”The water played a big part in the British result,” and it wasn’t a good one as the judge’s flag was raised yet again.

There were a lot of wet Germans in the aftermath, Chef d’Equipe Peter Teeuwen first to be unceremoniously deposited in the lake in the Baccocchi Arena before his riders joined him.  They all arrived into the post-competition press conference looking a little less than pristine but with big smiles on their faces. “I’m very proud of my riders and my ponies,” the winning team manager said.  “We didn’t start so well in the first round but in the afternoon we were better and we really fought for the gold.”  British Chef d’Equipe, Katrina Moore, said, “We always knew the Germans would be hard to beat so we were not surprised by how strong they were.” Looking forward, she added, “Now we have four riders in the top 12 going into the Individual Final and we are very hopeful about that.”

And what a thriller the Individual final was, with Ireland’s Susan Fitzpatrick emerging to take the gold and a five-way jump-off for silver and bronze. Denmark’s Jessica Toelstang held the lead going into the final day with a zero score followed by Ninon Castex from France (Quaber des Monceaux) carrying just a single penalty, while the eventual gold and silver medallists were amongst the group of eight pony-and-rider combinations who had four penalty points each at this stage.  Castex took over the lead when clear in the opening round while Toelstang left a pole on the floor and so was sharing silver medal spot with Fitzpatrick and Allen as round two began, and another five riders were now tied for bronze on eight faults.

It was Fitzpatrick’s double-clear that clinched it for the 14-year-old from Country Kilkenny.  Allen hit the oxer at fence four second time out, while there was a gasp when Toelstang and her 16-year-old mare lowered the second fence moving both of these riders onto an eight-fault tally.  And there was heart-break for Castex who had already left a fence on the floor before her stallion got into a muddle in the triple combination and stopped at the last element.  She circled and finished, but with nine faults on the board all her dreams of Championship glory had slipped away.

With the Irish girl now confirmed in gold medal spot, the five-way jump-off for the remaining medals began with a four-fault round from German team gold medallist Lars Volmer and his fabulous grey stallion Carrick 13.  There were three of the British silver medal winning team still in contention, and Amy Inglis was first of these to go against the clock, but the middle part of the double fell for four faults.  Team-mate Emily Ward was next in with King Mac and produced the first clear in 33.52, but Allen and Song Girl shaved just under a second off that with a superb run in 32.91 that clinched silver while Toelstang and her mare, Nikolina, breezed home in 33.28 for the bronze.

Fitzpatrick, only the fifth Irish rider to take the coveted Individual Jumping title, thanked her trainer, Denis Flannelly, and all her back-up team.  She admitted she had gold in her sights coming to these championships with the 11-year-old gelding son of Arko lll, Rock Dee Jay, who twice earned team silver for Ireland with Max O’Reilly-Hyland in the saddle.  “I did hope for gold, but it’s hard to believe I actually got it!” the Irish girl said afterwards.

Eventing

In bronze medal position going into the final jumping phase of the Eventing Championship, all four British team members went clear to finish on their dressage scores and snatch victory from the French who had to settle for silver, while the defending champions from Ireland rose from fourth place to clinch the bronze.

Yasmin Ingham was crowned Individual champion when, lying third going into the final day, the two riders ahead of her both faltered.  The Italian team slipped from the reckoning when two of their riders collected penalties, and eight faults proved particularly costly for Matteo Guidici (Mon Nantano de Florys) who dropped from silver medal position to finish ninth individually for the host nation.  It was also a desperately frustrating day for Victor Levecque from France whose stunning dressage and cross-country performances seemed to have set him up for the individual title, only to be denied by a stop and a fence down on the final afternoon.  However the strength of the lead he had established in the Dressage arena was underpinned by the fact that he was still able to finish in individual bronze medal spot.  Meanwhile a clear with Perle de Boisdelanouse clinched individual silver for his team-mate Marine Bolleret who was hovering just outside the medal zone in fourth as the final phase began.

On cross-country day, all four of the leading nations maintained their Dressage positions.  The French had just a 1.70 point advantage over Italy in second place with Great Britain just over four points further adrift being closely stalked by the Irish.  The Germans were lying fifth as the day began, but their chances were dashed when Anna Kamieth retired with Mr Harvey after a stop at the third element of the Roller Coaster combination at fence 11 and Julian Wipperman was eliminated for a fall from Chessy at the Steeplechase fence at eight.

The Roller Coaster, which followed the Water Splash at 10, produced some interesting moments as the slope on the landing side of the first element seemed to take some ponies by surprise, and the nearby Hill and Boat water complex also proved influential, with refusals for three different riders at the first element.  However it was the brush corner at 20, located in the Boccacci Arena and jumped on a bending line following the previous drop into water, that racked up the most penalties. From the starting field of 49, there were seven cross-country eliminations while a total of 41 completed, and 27 added nothing to their Dressage scores.

Just 1.80 faults separated the top two teams in the final analysis, while the Irish finished six points further adrift.  Ingham (Craig Mor Tom), Rose Nesbitt (Carrowmore Gemstone), Libby Seed (Mr Vick) and Charlotte Bacon (Three Wells Breeze) completed with a tally of 142.20 to take gold for Britain, while the French side of Bolleret and Levecque along with Yfke Bourget (Daijpour) and Marie Gagneux (Plume de Virey) posted 144.00 for silver.  Ireland’s Shannon Nelson (Millridge Buachaill Bui), Lucy Latta (Nono), Donnacha O’Brian (Ice Cool Bailey) and Nessa Briody (Rathnaleen Dark Secret) registered 150.90 to push the host nation off the medal podium by a margin of just 2.80 penalty points.  The relieved Irish Chef d’Equipe, Sue Shortt, said she was glad that her side had not lost out on the medals by such a narrow margin.  “I couldn’t have faced going home if we had been beaten by 0.7 percent!” she pointed out.  Ireland’s Nelson finished individually fourth.

British Chef d’Equipe Sarah Hancox said, “We brought a very talented squad of six girls who have bonded into a great team.  They all achieved personal bests in dressage and they all finished on their dressage scores”.  French Chef d’Equipe, Emmanuel Quittet, held a protective arm around Levecque during the final post-competition press conference.  “I’m feeling very sad for him,” Quittet said, “but I’m happy for the result in the end.”

Italy’s Katherine Lucheschi, a member of the Ground Jury for Eventing, praised the organisation of the entire FEI European Pony Championship fixture at Arezzo, and the flexibility and ingenuity shown by the team who made it all happen.  “When we came here on Tuesday we were amazed by the wonderful facilities.  They had never held a three-day-event here in Arezzo, but Francesco Finocchiaro and his assistant Gianni Gusci Renzetti have done an amazing job building the cross-country course from scratch, and the whole week has been a wonderful experience and a great success.”

Results:

FEI European Pony Team Dressage Championship:  GOLD – Germany 225.795: Danilo (Nadine Krauss) 75.692, Voyager (Sohie Kampmann) 75.513, Deinhard B (Semmieke Rothenberger) 71.846, Equestricons Lord Champion (Hannah Cichos) 74.590; SILVER – Netherlands 221.513: Hassendonck S Sultan (Joelie Peters) 71.487, Champ of Class (Lisanne Zoutendijk) 75.821, Kingsley Ciske (Demy Kurstjens) 71.974, Dr Watson (Febe van Zwambagt) 73.718; BRONZE – Great Britain 219.667: Valido’s Sunshine (Rebecca Bell) 66.128, Holsteins Derwisch (Rose Hugh-Smith) 67.795, Dynasty (Erin Williams) 74.077, SL Lucci (Phoebe Peters) 77.795.

FEI European Pony Individual Dressage Championship:  GOLD – SL Lucci (Phoebe Peters) GBR 79.049; SILVER – Deinhard B (Semmieke Rothenberger) GER 78.463; BRONZE – Champ of Class (Lisanne Zoutendijk) NED 77.317.

FEI European Pony Freestyle Championship:  GOLD – SL Lucci (Phoebe Peters) GBR 84.000; SILVER – Champ of Class (Lisanne Zoutendijk) NED 80.778; BRONZE – Deinhard B (Semmieke Rothenberger) GER 80.625.

FEI European Pony Team Jumping Championship:  GOLD – Germany 4 faults: Mentos Junior (Philipp Schulze Topphoff) 8/4, Pepper Ann (Enno Klaphake) 0/0, Okehurst Little Bow Wow (Justine Tebbel) 4/0, Carrick 13 (Lars Volmer) 0/0; SILVER – Great Britain 8 faults: Lea du Genier (Amy Inglis) 0/4, King Mac (Emily Ward) 4/0, Some Like it Hot (Faye Adams) 0/4, Song Girl (Millie Allen) 0/4; BRONZE – Ireland 12 faults: Imagine If One (Tim MacDonagh) 0/8, Future Interest (Matt Garrigan) 4/4, Javas Alun (Killian Norris) 0/4, Rock Dee Jay (Susan Fitzpatrick) 4/0.

FEI European Pony Individual Jumping Championship:  GOLD – Rock Dee Jay (Susan Fitzpatrick) IRL 4; SILVER – Song Girl (Millie Allen) GBR 8/0 32.91; BRONZE – Nikolina (Jessica Toelstang) DEN 8/0 33.28.

FEI European Pony Eventing Team Championship:  GOLD – Great Britain 142.20: Craig Mor Tom (Yasmin Ingham) 44, Carrowmore Gemstone (Rose Nesbitt) 48.00, Mr Vick (Libby Seed) 49.20, Three Wells Breeze (Charlotte Bacon) 60.80; SILVER – France 144.00: Perle du Boisdelanoue (Marine Bolleret) 45.20, Qualitat des Bourdons (Victor Levecque) 45.70, Djaipour (Yfke Bourget) 53.10, Plume de Virey (Marie Gagneux) 73.00; BRONZE – Ireland 150.90: Millridge Buachaill Bui (Shannon Nelson) 47.30, Nono (Lucy Latta) 47.50, Ice Cool Bailey (Donnacha O’Brian) 56.10, Rathnaleen Dark Secret (Nessa Briody) 77.80.

FEI European Pony Eventing Individual Championship:  GOLD – Craig Mor Tom (Yasmin Ingham) GBR 44.00; SILVER – Perle du Boisdelanoue (Marine Bolleret) FRA 45.20; BRONZE – Qualitat des Bourdons (Victor Levecque) FRA 45.70.

By Louise Parkes

Competitions, Kentucky Horse Shows, Show Jumping

Haley Gassel’s Double Clear Effort Wins High Amateur-Owner Classic at Kentucky Summer Horse Show

Leave a comment

Haley Gassel and Quite Dark 2.

Lexington, KY – July 28, 2013 – As the first week of competition at the Kentucky Summer Series concluded, it was Haley Gassel who stepped into the center of the Rolex Stadium to claim her winning prize for the $5,000 Show Jumping Hall of Fame High Amateur-Owner Classic, sponsored by Audi of Lexington. The talented young rider piloted Quite Dark 2 to the lone double clear effort to capture the victory. In the $7,500 Show Jumping Hall of Fame High Junior Jumper Classic sponsored by Sleepy P Ranch, Mexico’s Juan Pablo Gaspar and his lucky mount Shamrock dashed through the finish to best a seven-horse jump-off.

For today’s High Amateur-Owner and Junior Classics, Richard Jeffery of Bournemouth, England set a track mimicking’s last night grand prix. The test included an open water, a vertical-vertical double combination, and the triple bar-oxer-vertical triple combination. For the jump-off, riders had to show over a wide oxer and roll-back to a vertical before turning to a new oxer and jumping the last two parts of the triple combination. Then they continued over a single oxer, rolling back to another vertical with a bending line to an oxer and finishing over a single vertical just passed the gate.

Only four horse and rider combinations managed to best the course and advance to the tiebreaker during the High Amateur-Owner Classic. Friday’s winners Haley Schaufeld of Leesburg, VA, and Harley 86 were the first to return. They had the pace, but they made an error coming across the single to the single oxer after the combination. Their four-faults in a time of 37.810 seconds would hold up for second place.

Chelsea Moss of Medford, NJ, attempted to catch Schaufeld’s time with Dolce D’ive Z, but after rolling back to the first vertical they lowered the height of the new oxer, incurring four faults as well in a time of 41.305 seconds, which was good enough for third place.

Haley Gassel, of Lenoir City, TN, was only focused on one thing with Quite Dark 2: going double clear. Although the pair had a conservative pace as they made their way through the track, the scopey horse left each rail in place, tripping the timers at 44.620 seconds.

Although Gassel had left the door open for the final competitors, Wilton Porter of Bartonville, TX, and Neolisto Van Het Mierenhof, they were unable to take advantage of the opportunity. The win was almost in their grasp, but a miscalculation to the final oxer sent rails flying, and they finished in fourth place with a time of 45.109 seconds, sealing Gassel’s victory.

“Quite Dark 2 is a little bit slower. I try to go double clean before I think about the pace, and double clean won today,” said Gassel. “The course was definitely a little bit technical. Some of the lines walked on the half stride, but it was doable. My horse is used to a big German guy, so he takes a lot of leg and a little hand to keep him up and going forward. If he gets too low that’s when he has the rails. If you ride him right he won’t touch the rails.”

Gassel imported Quite Dark 2 from Germany in February, and the college junior is now focused on the 2014 North American Junior and Young Rider Championships (NAJYRC). She noted, “He originally was my backup horse, but now he is my number one horse. He’s definitely capable of doing it. I plan to go to Midway College for Equine Rehabilitation after Young Riders.”

Today’s winner in the Junior Jumper Classic just finished competing in the NAJYRC last week for Mexico, where he finished seventh individually. Today though, all the luck was on Juan Pablo Gaspar’s side with talented mount Shamrock. Seven horse and rider combinations returned to the Rolex Stadium to compete over the short course, but only three could leave the rails intact a second time.

The first to do so was Friday’s winner and NAJYRC Individual Junior Silver medalist Katherine Strauss of Southampton, NY, with her veteran partner Chellando Z. They quickly made their way through the course, jumping each fence with room to spare and clocking in at 39.252 seconds.

Juan Pablo Gaspar and Shamrock
Juan Pablo Gaspar and Shamrock

Gaspar was not willing to let Strauss have the victory today though. He picked up a very quick pace and spun through each of the tight turns, never touching a rail and dashing across the finish line in 38.043 seconds, a full second faster. Strauss attempted to catching Gasper with her second mount, Capacity, and although they were clear she fell short of the time again in 40.289 seconds. Capacity and Chellando Z would take home third and second, respectively, but the blue ribbon went to Gaspar and Shamrock.

“I am very happy, and I thank my horse,” smiled Gaspar. “I think the jump-off was really good, very competitive. Shamrock is a little bit strong sometimes, but I’ve had only him six times, so I am very happy with him.”

Gaspar continued, “I think he is my grand prix horse now. Next week I am looking to do the $25,000 Hagyard Lexington Classic, and if he jumps really well then hopefully the grand prix as well.”

Earlier in the day, Lizzie Van Der Walde took home both first and second place competing the NAL/WIHS Low Junior Jumper Classic, sponsored by Johnson Horse Transportation. She qualified for the jump-off with her first mount Zibon 2, owned by 2VR Showjumpers of Morriston, FL, setting a clear time to beat of 40. 397 seconds. When Van Der Walde entered the ring with her second mount Zadermus, owned by Dasilva Investments of Ann Arbor, MI, though, there was no stopping them. They left all the fences in place and blazed through the timers in 37.003 seconds, a winning time by three seconds. The third place award went to Andre Mershad and Laqueria, owned by Juan Ortiz of Wellington, FL, while Lucas Porter of Bartonville, TX, and Patriot placed fourth, each producing double clear rounds as well.

“I thought both horses jumped really well,” expressed Van Der Walde. “Zadermus is a little faster naturally; he’s quick-footed. He’s really hot, so it took a little while to get used to him, but we’ve clicked now. He’s really forward and he turns really well, so in the jump-offs you can get him to the long distance and he’ll leave them all up.”

Van Der Walde trains with grand prix rider Aaron Vale, and always enjoys coming to the Kentucky Horse Shows. “I love Kentucky; it’s one of my favorite shows that we come to all year,” she stated. I love the competition and the classes are big enough to be challenging. It’s a really nice show.”

The first class of the day was the Low Amateur-Owner Jumper Classic. There were three riders that produced double clear efforts, but a winning time meant Kenzie Donovan of River Hills, WI, and Colando rode home with the blue ribbon. Anne Gardner of Charlotte, NC, and Cassandra Z were just one second shy of the lead for second place, while Cindy Fuller and Ingaletta, owned by Full Stride Farm of Cumming, GA placed third.

Today marks the conclusion of the Kentucky Summer Horse Show, but the Kentucky Summer Classic will get underway on Tuesday. The highlight events in the Rolex Stadium will include the fifth $25,000 Hagyard Lexington Classic and the $50,000 Kentucky Summer Grand Prix, sponsored by Audi of Lexington.

For more information on the Kentucky Summer Series, please visit www.kentuckyhorseshows.com.

Rebecca Walton for Phelps Media Group, Inc. International

MEDIA CONTACT:
Phelps Media Group, Inc.
12012 South Shore Blvd #105
Wellington, FL 33414
561-753-3389 (phone)
561-753-3386 (fax)
pmginfo@phelpsmediagroup.com
PhelpsMediaGroup.com