Tag Archives: Show Jumping

*Featured/Spotlights, Competitions, Events, Kentucky Horse Shows, Phelps Media Group, Show Jumping

Reed Kessler and Ligist Earn 1.45m Open Jumper Blue at Kentucky Spring Classic

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Reed Kessler and Ligist won the 1.45m Open Jumper class at the Kentucky Spring Classic. Photo By: Rebecca Walton/PMG

Lexington, KY – May 16, 2012 – Sunny skies greeted the exhibitors as they kicked off the Kentucky Spring Classic in the Rolex Stadium of the Kentucky Horse Park. Once again it was Reed Kessler at the top of the leader board as she piloted Ligist to the only double clear effort in today’s 1.45m Open Jumper class to earn the blue ribbon prize. Earlier in the day, Andre Rodriguez and Remonta Eden sped to victory in the 1.40m Open Jumpers, just topping Kessler and Onisha, who placed second during the speed class.

Germany’s Olaf Petersen Jr. built a technical track for the 1.45m Open Jumper class that snaked through the Rolex Stadium and included a triple bar, two double combinations, and an open water option. Only two horse and rider combinations were able to master the first round and advance to the jump-off, which featured three new fences and a double combination.

Reed Kessler, of Lexington, KY, and Ligist were third on the posted order, and made the first round look easy as they made their way over each obstacle. Advancing to the short course, Kessler picked up a quick gallop, and despite a hard rub at the first part of the double combination, they left each rail intact and dashed across the finish line in 32.588 seconds.

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*Featured/Spotlights, Competitions, Events, Kentucky Horse Shows, Show Jumping, USEF

Deslauriers and Urico Win in the Rain, Claim Top Honors in the $75,000 Commonwealth Grand Prix

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Mario Deslauriers and Urico (Shawn McMillen Photography)

Lexington, KY – The second of four 2012 US Show Jumping Team Observation Events came to a close Sunday afternoon at the Kentucky Horse Park. With 16 entries contesting the $75,000 Commonwealth Grand Prix, which served as the second class of the Observation Event held in conjunction with the Kentucky Spring Horse Show. Grey skies and rain could not deter the 14 members of the USEF Long List for the U.S. Show Jumping Team for the 2012 Olympic Games from showcasing their talents over Richard Jeffrey’s 14 obstacle course.

In the first round of competition four combinations, all from the long list, were able to produce faultless efforts and qualify for the jump-off.

In the jump-off, Mario Deslauriers and Urico were untouchable as they cruised to a fault free effort in a time of 35.15 seconds and claimed top honors in the $75,000 Commonwealth Grand Prix.

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*Featured/Spotlights, Competitions, Events, Kentucky Horse Shows, Phelps Media Group, Show Jumping

Mario Deslauriers & Urico Win $75,000 Commonwealth Grand Prix at Kentucky Spring Horse Show

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Mario Deslauriers and Urico won the $75,000 Commonwealth Grand Prix at the Kentucky Spring Horse Show. Photo By: Rebecca Walton/PMG

Lexington, KY – May 13, 2012 – Rain plagued the Kentucky Horse Park throughout the day at the Kentucky Spring Classic, but it did not stop the country’s top competitors as they entered the Rolex Stadium for the $75,000 Commonwealth Grand Prix. As the second U.S. Show Jumping Team Observation Event during the show, today’s grand prix event featured a challenging scope test, which only three Olympic hopefuls were able to master. Mario Deslauriers piloted Urico to the fastest clear jump-off to claim the victory, while 17-year-old Reed Kessler placed second aboard Mika with the other fault free round. Beezie Madden also advanced to the short course with both Simon and Cortes ‘C’, but placed third and fourth, respectively, after earning four faults with each.

The first round of Richard Jeffery’s demanding track included to wide oxers in the first line, followed by an even larger triple bar. There was also an open water to an airy vertical-vertical double combination. Riders then headed away from home through an oxer-oxer-vertical triple combination and finished over a long line with two liverpools. Eight of today’s 16 entries managed to complete the course with just four faults to their name, attesting to the level of the competitors in the ring. Four horses left every rail in the cups and advanced to the short course.

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*Featured/Spotlights, Competitions, Events, Kentucky Horse Shows, Phelps Media Group, Show Jumping

Wilton Porter and Patriot Earn Second High Junior Jumper Victory at Kentucky Spring Horse Show

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Wilton Porter and Patriot win High Junior Jumpers at the Kentucky Spring Horse Show. Photo By: Rebecca Walton/PMG

Lexington, KY – May 12, 2012 – For the second day in row, Wilton Porter galloped to victory aboard his talented gelding Patriot in the High Junior Jumpers at the Kentucky Spring Horse Show. Completing an excellent double clear effort, he managed to edge out Emanuel Andrade and La Fe Forli by just two-tenths of a second to take home top honors. Later in the day, Andrade earned his own blue ribbon, showing Mikos to the top of the leader board in the Low Junior Jumpers. The High Amateur-Owner Jumpers were also held in the Rolex Stadium today, where Meagan Nusz and Vesuvius claimed the top prize with a fault-free jump-off effort.

Andrade was the first to produce a double clear round during today’s High Junior Jumpers with La Fe Forli, setting the pace at a very quick 32.759 seconds. Porter and Patriot proved to be the only other fault-free combination over the short course, clocking in at 32.759 to take over the lead and earn the class win for the second day in a row. Abigail McArdle managed to produce the fastest jump-off track, breaking the beam at 29.968 seconds, but four faults with Cosma 20 earned the third place honors. Porter also managed to pick up the fourth place prize with his second mount Punch, and his brother Lucas Porter was fifth with Psychee D’Amour as the only other duos to show over the shortened track.

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*Featured/Spotlights, Competitions, Events, Kentucky Horse Shows, Phelps Media Group, Show Jumping

Hagyard Challenge Series Offers $50,000 Leading Rider Award, Beezie Madden Leads Standings

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Beezie Madden and Simon Lead the 2012 Hagyard Challenge Series Leading Rider Standings. Photo By: Kendall Bierer/PMG

Lexington, KY – May 12, 2012 – The Kentucky Spring Horse Shows began on Wednesday, and one of the highlight events was the kick-off of the 2012 Hagyard Challenge Series, sponsored by the Hagyard Equine Medical Institute. The Hagyard Challenge Series consists of seven grand prix classes to be held during the 2012 show series at the Kentucky Horse Park. Following the final event, a cash prize of $50,000 will be awarded to the rider accumulating the most points throughout the series.

The Kentucky Spring Horse Show, held May 9-13, 2012, featured the lead-off event on Friday night with the $50,000 Hagyard Lexington Classic. The top riders from across the nation gathered to compete over a challenging course and vie for the winning title and valuable points towards the $50,000 Leading Rider Award during the U.S. Show Jumping Team Observation Event. At the end of the night it was Beezie Madden and Simon in the winner’s circle, and the talented rider now leads the in the standings. The Kentucky Spring Classic, May 16-20, 2012, will host the second the $30,000 Hagyard Lexington Classic, CSI 2* on Thursday, May 17.

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*Featured/Spotlights, Competitions, Events, Kentucky Horse Shows, Olympic Games, Phelps Media Group, Show Jumping

Beezie Madden and Simon Win $50,000 Hagyard Lexington Classic at Kentucky Spring Horse Show

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Beezie Madden and Simon won the $50,000 Hagyard Lexington Classic at the Kentucky Spring Horse Show. Photo By: Rebecca Walton/PMG

Lexington, KY – May 11, 2012 – Tonight marked the first of two Observation Events during the Kentucky Spring Horse Show, where the victory went to long listed rider Beezie Madden aboard Simon during the $50,000 Hagyard Lexington Classic. Only two horse and rider combinations were able to complete the course without jumping or time faults, but after a long winter, second place finisher Margie Engle withdrew from the jump-off with Indigo to save him for another day. Six entries left all the fences intact during today’s class, but were just over the time allowed to add a time fault to their score. The fastest of the group was Charlie Jayne with Chill R Z, who took home the third place honors.

Tonight’s course was designed by Richard Jeffery of Bournemouth, England, and featured a triple bar-oxer double combination, an oxer-vertical double combination, and a vertical-oxer liverpool double combination. A number of faults came at the second jump, a tall vertical near the gate, and the first and last double combinations. The biggest factor was time though, with only five riders completing the course without additional infractions due to time, and only two were able to do so while leaving all the rails in place.

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*Featured/Spotlights, Competitions, Events, FEI, FEI, Show Jumping

Wathelet Wins It for Belgium in Thrilling Two-Way Jump-Off at La Baule

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FEI TV: enjoy LIVE programming, highlights, interviews and archive footage at www.feitv.org.

Pictured on the podium, surrounded by officials from the City of La Baule, the Organising Committee, the FEI and the French Federation are team members Philippe Le Jeune, Gregory Wathelet, Chef d’Equipe Philippe Guerdat, Niels Bruynseels and Dirk Demeersmans. Photo: PSV/FEI.

La Baule, 11 May 2012 – In a super-tight fight to the finish, the Belgian team came out on top at the opening leg of the FEI Nations Cup 2012 series in La Baule, France this afternoon.  It took three tough rounds of jumping to decide the result however, as The Netherlands chased them all the way to a third-round jump-off in which Gregory Wathelet clinched it with his new ride, the 10 year old mare Euphony Cadjanine Z.

It was very much a family affair as brothers Jens and Peder Fredricson were joined by Peder’s wife Lisen Fredricson to claim third for Sweden along with Henrik von Eckermann.  They completed with just five faults on the scoreboard over two rounds, and with a single-fault advantage over Germany in fourth place.

The British looked threatening in the opening stages, but faded to share fifth with the Irish and Swiss on 12 faults in the final analysis, while for the home side it was a disappointing day as they had to settle for eighth and last place at this season-opener.

Anchor rider, Penelope Leprevost, lifted French hearts however when producing one of eight double-clear performances from Topinambour.

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Competitions, Events, FEI, FEI, Show Jumping

Swiss First into the Arena as FEI Nations Cup 2012 Gets Underway at La Baule

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YouTube: Philip Ghazala previews tomorrow’s first leg of the 2012 FEI Nations Cup series at La Baule http://youtu.be/B1bhhwhfWyk

(from left to right): John Roche, FEI Director of Jumping, Rémi Cléro, President of the Organising Committee, and Nadia Poirier, Show Director pictured at today’s draw for the first leg of the FEI Nations Cup 2012. © Jean Morel PSV Photo/FEI

La Baule (FRA), 10 May 2012 – The Swiss team will be first into the ring when the FEI Nations Cup 2012 series gets underway in La Baule, France tomorrow afternoon (11 May), while the host nation has drawn the coveted last-to-go spot. The draw took place this morning, and the eight competing nations will enter the arena in the following order:

1, Switzerland; 2, Ireland; 3, Great Britain; 4, The Netherlands; 5, Sweden; 6, Germany; 7, Belgium; 8, France.

The FEI Nations Cup celebrates 103 years of world-class team competition in 2012. La Baule has staged 24 Nations Cup events since 1970 and has traditionally been the first port of call since the Top League was established in 2003. French riders have won on their home turf on eight occasions over the last 42 years, but only twice, in 2003 and again in 2010, since the Top League format was introduced nine years ago.

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*Featured/Spotlights, Community/Charity, Show Jumping

The Jumping Owners Club Announces the Launch of Its New Website

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Wednesday 9 May 2012 – The Jumping Owners Club (JOC) today announced the launch of its first ever website which has been created to both raise awareness of the Club and its role within equestrian sport, as well as to provide Club members with a single source of news and information. The website address is www.jumpingownersclub.com.

The JOC was founded in partnership with the FEI in 2004 to recognise the role of the owner in the sport of Show Jumping, and to provide them with a representative voice. The Club currently has over 50 members from around the world, all of whom own horses which compete at a variety of levels. The Club is chaired by Mr. Christian Baillet, owner of Randgraaf, and notable members include Mrs. Madeleine Winter-Schulze, owner of Gotha FRH and Coupe de Coeur 2 ridden by Ludger Beerbaum, and Mrs. Emmanuele Perron-Pette, owner of Kevin Staut’s leading mare Silvana HDC.

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*Featured/Spotlights, Contributors/Press, Revolution Sports, Show Jumping

George Whitaker – The Rolex One to Watch for May 2012

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George Whitaker proudly wearing his team bronze medal at the FEI European Jumping Championships for Children, Juniors and Young Riders 2011 in Comporta (POR). Photo: SPORTFOT/Rolex

9 May 2012 – The Rolex One to Watch for May 2012 is George Whitaker (GBR). Currently based in Huddersfield, Yorkshire in Northern England, the 19-year-old jumped from 354th to 231st during May – a move up the Rolex Rankings of 123 places.

George is from the most successful family in the sport of Jumping, and he forms part of the next generation of the Whitaker dynasty, along with his brother William, and cousin Ellen. His uncles, John and Michael, have been the cornerstone of the British Jumping team for the last 30 years; they both won team silver at the Los Angeles 1984 Olympic Games as well as numerous European and World Championship medals.

George is part of the British Equestrian Federation’s UK Sport-funded World Class Development Programme, which works with talented riders to maximise their potential and deliver success in Dressage, Eventing and Jumping. He is also currently undergoing an apprenticeship with the intention of gaining skills in horse care and management.

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