Tag Archives: Show Jumping

Competitions, Contributors/Press, Diana de Rosa, Disciplines, Dressage, Eventing/H.T., Events, Show Jumping

Heart of the Carolinas Three-Day Event Finishes to Rave Reviews

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Low Score Winner Becky Brown and EZ Win Nikon Camera

Jim Baker and Wings. All photos by Diana De Rosa

The riders couldn’t say enough nice things about Heart of the Carolinas Three-Day Event in Chesterfield, SC at Southern Eighths Farm.  They loved the facility, the organization, the footing, the courses, the jumps – just everything.

When it was all over Jim Baker and Wings claimed the victory in the Beginner-Novice division (58.30).  “The format and the organization were topnotch.  I can’t say enough about it,” he readily commented.

Becky Brown and EZ dominated the Training level (32.90) and Anne Lane Maunder and Penny Lane (37.30) were the winners in the Novice division.  As the Low Score rider of the event, Brown was in awe when she was presented with a Nikon D3100 Camera Kit.  “I’m floored,” she commented.  “I can’t believe I won this camera.  We’ve all had our eye on it all weekend.”

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King Reigns Supreme at Second Leg of HSBC FEI Classics in Kentucky

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Mary King (GBR) finishes first and second in the second leg of the HSBC FEI Classics in Kentucky (USA). (c) Amy Dragoo/FEI

Lexington, KY (USA) – Mary King (GBR), a regular visit to the Rolex Kentucky Three Day Event for many years, at last goes home with a coveted Rolex watch, plus the lion’s share of the prize-money. In a superb display of cool horsemanship, she finished first and second and now has a convincing 10-point lead over Badminton winner Mark Todd (NZL) after the second leg of the HSBC FEI Classics.

King, 49, who was third at Badminton last weekend on Imperial Cavalier, has made history as the first rider in modern times to win a CCI4* on a home-bred horse, Kings Temptress by Primitive Rising, coincidentally the sire of last year’s winner, Cool Mountain, out of King’s own mare Kings Mistress.

In addition, King joins an elite band of riders – Ian Stark (Badminton 1988), Mark Todd (Burghley 1987) and Blyth Tait (Burghley 1998) – to finish first and second at a CCI4*.

She jumped clear on both her horses, and, having ridden out of order on the Davies family’s 10-year-old Fernhill Urco, at his first CCI4*, had the luxury of knowing she was unbeatable before she entered the stadium on Derek Baden’s Kings Temptress.

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King Crowned Champion of 2011 Rolex Kentucky CCI4*

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Halpin Takes USEF National CCI4* Championship on First Try

Mary King and Kings Temptress. Photo by Shannon Brinkman/USEF.

Lexington, KY – Mary King was not going to be stopped in her quest to take a Rolex watch back to Great Britain. Lying first and second after the cross-country at the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event presented by Bridgestone –  with Kings Temptress and Fernhill Urco – she did not flinch in the final show jumping phase and jumped an immaculate double-clear round on both horses.

For the first time in history, the champion and reserve champion of America’s only CCI4* was the same rider. King was confident and excited coming into the show jumping, and she rode with a professionalism that was inspiring.

Kings Temptress added nothing to her fourth-placed dressage score of 47.7, they jumped immaculately around Saturday’s cross-country course and then sealed the win over today’s jumping track. King took home top honors with her 11-year-old homebred mare, who is now owned by Derek Rostron Baden. Her closest competition was her stablemate, Fernhill Urco, who emerged from his first CCI4* with second-place honors after only adding eight time faults to his dressage score. The Portuguese-bred grey gelding owned by Sue and Edwin Davies and Janette Chinn, jumped an immaculate clear round and really proved himself at the level. His clear round, jumped out of order due to the proximity of the placings, gave King great confidence to know that whatever happened with the second horse, the top honors were going home with the British veteran.

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Americans Hang Tough: Three Jump into Top 12 at the 2011 Rolex/FEI World Cup Final

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Beezie Madden and Coral Reef Via Volo. Photo by Rebecca Walton/Phelps Media Group.

Leipzig, Germany – The Rolex/FEI World Cup Final came to a close Sunday afternoon in Leipzig, Germany, with two final rounds of jumping. The U.S. had strong representation in this competition as they sent seven of the 27 riders into the ring. In the third and final competition, riders jumped two rounds over Frank Rothenberger’s demanding 1.60m courses. The entire field would contest the first round, with 19 riders returning to the arena one last time to determine who would be crowned champion.

Beezie Madden (Cazenovia, NY) and Coral Reef Via Volo jumped two impressive clear rounds to tie for the win of the class as well as tie for fourth place in the overall World Cup Final ranking on a score of 12. Coral Reef Ranch’s exciting Belgian Warmblood mare made easy work of the 12-obstacle course. In the second round, Madden made an incredible save heading to the double combination, fence 11, after Coral Reef Via Volo spooked at the crowd heading to the double combination after fence 10.

“She went amazing,” Madden said. “There’s probably nothing she can’t jump, and I had a lot of confidence in that when I went out there.”

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Mary King Takes 1st and 2nd at Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event

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Mary King, riding Kings Temptress. Photos credit Stock Image Services.com, provided by Rolex.

Mary King (GBR) today, Sunday 1st May 2011, held her nerve, and her overnight lead, to finish in first and second position after the final Show Jumping phase at the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event, in Lexington.

William Fox-Pitt riding Neuf Des Coeurs finished in 4th position and Oliver Townend riding ODT Sonas Rovatio was 6th, with both riding clear rounds in the Show Jumping.

Quotes from Mary King/Kings Temptress: “I was much too excited to get much sleep last night – I ended up watching a film at 2am in the morning! I was fairly calm today, I always feel that with three day events that yesterday is the big day, you want to get through it and your horses to be well, and today whatever will be will be – you just have to go in there, try and keep calm, ride each fence and try and forget about all the crowds around, and you sort of feel whatever’s going to happen is going to happen and hope they are going to pick up their feet and that it all works out!”

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Ahlmann Claims Rolex FEI World Cup in Thrilling Finale

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On the winners' podium for the 2010/2011 Rolex FEI World Cup Jumping final at Leipzig, Germany today: Eric Lamaze, Christian Ahlmann, and Jeroen Dubbeldam. Photo: FEI/Kit Houghton.

Leipzig (GER), 1 May 2011 – Germany’s Christian Ahlmann claimed the Rolex FEI World Cup Jumping 2010/2011 title in a thrilling finale on his home ground in Leipzig today with superb jumping from his stallion, Taloubet Z.  Sharing the lead with fellow-countryman Marco Kutscher, the 36-year-old rider added just four faults to an otherwise foot-perfect performance to finish ahead of reigning Olympic champion Eric Lamaze from Canada, while The Netherlands’ Jeroen Dubbeldam rocketed up from overnight 11th to finish third when producing one of only two clear double clears on the final afternoon.

There was huge disappointment for Kutscher who had the world’s most prestigious indoor title in his sights until his luck ran out at the very end.  Such was the unforgiving nature of Frank Rothenberger’s testing courses however that the slightest of errors proved very costly indeed.  Today’s jumping was about scope, speed, courage, accuracy and, most importantly, the rideability of the horses.  In the end it was Ahlmann’s 11-year-old Taloubet Z who put all the ingredients together to create the winning formula.

Read more> http://www.horsesinthesouth.com/article/article_detail.aspx?id=13781

Competitions, Contributors/Press, Diana de Rosa, Disciplines, Dressage, Eventing/H.T., Events, Show Jumping

Heart of the Carolinas Three-Day Event – Results after Cross Country

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Anne Lane Maunder and Penny Lane. Photos by Diana De Rosa

On April 30th the key day of the Heart of the Carolinas Three-Day Event took place with great results.  Mother Nature was kind bringing beautiful weather for the Beginner-Novice, Novice and Training level divisions.  When the day was over, Becky Brown rode EZ to the top place with a score of 32.90 in Training.  Anne Lane-Maunder continued her lead on Penny Lane in the Novice division (29.30).  Beginner-Novice rider Jim Baker with Wings completed the Cross Country to maintain his lead (54.30).

Debbie Williamson, Ball Ground, GA, Chief Veterinarian, was pleased with how everything went.  “The day went really well.  The horses were in good condition.  Everyone got to go and the horses finished the Cross Country course with no accidents and finished well in the 10 minute box.”

Debbie is no newcomer to Three-Day Eventing and put the same care into this event that she does for the higher level events she does.  “I set this vet box the same way I would at any FEI event and it went like clockwork thanks to an excellent group of volunteer help,” she added.

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Mary King on Song for a One-Two at the Second Leg of the HSBC FEI Classics

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Mary King (GBR) is lying in both first and second position after the Cross-Country phase at the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event. © Amy Dragoo/FEI

Lexington, KY (USA), 30 April 2011 – Great Britain’s Mary King is the one to beat in tomorrow’s final jumping phase at the Rolex Kentucky Three Day Event, second leg of the HSBC FEI Classics. The Devon-based rider holds the lead aboard Kings Temptress while the Portuguese-bred Fernhill Urco is two penalties behind in second.

“I never dreamed that I would be in this position when I left England,” said King. “They are two very different horses. Kings Temptress is very experienced at this level and was fluent all the way round. Fernhill Urco has no experience at this level and he was a bit green at the first water but he improved the further he went.”

A clear jumping round for 2.8 time penalties sees Australia’s Clayton Fredericks in third with Be My Guest, a rise of seven places through the scoreboard following the Dressage.

“The first time I walked the course this week it was under water but today I thought it was perfect going,” said Fredericks. “After watching Mary spin round inside the time I thought the ground was going to be fast but actually it did take its toll, particularly later in the day.”

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Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event, Cross Country Day

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Mary King and Kings Temptress. All photos credit Stock Image Services.com, provided by Rolex.

Mary King (GBR) today, 30th April 2011, is currently lying in both first and second position after the Cross-Country phase at the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event, in Lexington. Rolex Grand Slam contender Mark Todd (NZL) is lying in 18th with his horse Grass Valley after a run out late on in the course.

William Fox-Pitt riding Neuf Des Coeurs is lying in 6th position and Oliver Townend riding ODT Sonas Rovatio is in 7th place.

Quotes from Mary King/Kings Temptress: “I was a bit too fast. I was slightly back at nine minutes, and I pressed her and she really responded!” “The ground was amazing. If this had been a horse trial in England, it would have been cancelled days ago!” [Horse’s third 4-star]: “I bred this mare, and looking back on how awkward she was at her first event, and how she’s adapted to make it work is very rewarding. The course rode very much as it walked, which shows what a fabulous course designer he is.”

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Kessler Leads American Effort in Final Round of EY Cup

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Reed Kessler and Ligist. Aly Sanderford/ Phelps Media Group

Leipzig, Germany – The EY Cup, held in conjunction with the Rolex/FEI World Cup Final, came to close in Leipzig this morning with the final round of the CSI2*. The six Americans riders that have been contesting the competition all week looked to complete their time in Germany on a high note. With each competitor limited to riding one horse, there was all to play for over Frank Rothenberger’s 1.45m course. Twenty-nine combinations would start the first round with six returning to the jump-off.

Reed Kessler of Armonk, NY lead the American effort placing fifth with her Swedish Warmblood Ligist. Throughout the three rounds of the EY Cup, Kessler improved her performance each time she entered the ring. As the sixth horse in the ring, Ligist jumped a confident clear round to be the first to qualify to return for the shortened course.

“I had some really bad luck yesterday, I had a really fast time and he just nicked the back rail in front which is so unlike him. The luck evened out today, as he nicked the first couple, after the first few jumps he started jumping really well. I was definitely excited to be the only clean American.”

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