Steffen Peters and Ravel Sunday at CHIO Aachen. Photo: Ken Braddick/ dressage-news.com.
Aachen, Germany – Team USA wrapped up the 2011 World Equestrian Festival CHIO in Aachen, Germany, with more strong performances, including a second-place finish for Steffen Peters and Ravel in the Grand Prix Freestyle CDIO and a win for show jumper McLain Ward on Rothchild.
Peters and Ravel, owned by Akiko Yamazki and Four Winds Farm, stepped up their game today and gave the best dressage horse in the world a run for his money in the Grand Prix Freestyle CDIO for the Deutsche Bank Prize.
The judges gave Ravel and Peters technical scores of 77.25, 77.00, 80.50, 80.50, and 76.75, along with artistic scores of 86.00, 83.00, 83.00, 89.00, and 87.00 for an overall 82.000% – just .825% off the winning score set by Matthias Rath of Germany and Totilas.
According to Dressage-news.com, Peters said, “It felt fantastic. I’m still searching for words to describe it. The icing on the cake was the reaction of the crowd. That was a huge honor. I finished fifth in the Grand Prix and the Special, so to come within fractions of Totilas and Parzival in the freestyle is amazing.”
Laura Kraut on Teirra during the Warsteiner jumping competition at 2011 CHIO Aachen. Photo by Alex Grimm/Bongarts/Getty Images.
Aachen, Germany – Another American victory came Saturday at the World Equestrian Festival CHIO in Aachen, Germany. Show jumper Laura Kraut rode Woodstock O, owned by Joan Kalman and The Freedom Group, to the win in the Sparkassen-Youngsters Cup. They were also awarded with the overall special prize for the best rider/horse of the three Youngsters Cup competitions.
Kraut and Woodstock O have consistently been in the ribbons this week in the Youngsters Cup, with clear rounds in the previous two speed classes. “I don’t think he rubbed a fence the whole time. I didn’t go fast the first two days, even though they were speed classes, because it doesn’t really matter. The goal is to qualify for the final and save yourself for the last class,” Kraut explained.
They did just that, as Woodstock O, an 8-year-old KWPN gelding, was clear through two rounds today and the fastest in the jump-off to take home the top prize over Philipp Weishaupt (GER) on Urmel 86 and Lars Nieberg (GER) with Coco Mademoiselle.
Kraut said, “We jumped the first round at 9:15 this morning and we didn’t have the jump-off until 2:15 in the afternoon. This morning he was actually quite fresh and strong. He was sort of a handful to ride around, but he jumped brilliantly. By the afternoon, he settled down and he was so good in the jump-off. It was his type of course with a lot of galloping. Even though he’s small, his stride is very big. He did everything he was supposed to do.”
Aachen, Germany – Team USA continued their success at the CHIO Aachen with strong performances over the past two days. Steffen Peters and Weltino’s Magic, owned by Jen Hlavacek, won the Preis der VUV-Vereinigte Unternehmerverbände Aachen.
The class was the Prix St. Georges of the small tour, and the 9-year-old Westfalen gelding received judges’ scores of 71.053, 73.553, 72.632, 75.000, and 70.658 for a total percentage of 72.579.
USEF Dressage Technical Advisor Anne Gribbons stated, “Under Steffen’s expert guidance, Weltino’s Magic made a grand debut in Europe at the small tour. Hearing our national anthem after the Prix St. Georges, which was the first class of the event, made the U.S. team feel like we are off to a good start!”
Dressage competition continues tomorrow with the Grand Prix CDIO class. The U.S. team will be:
Steffen Peters (San Diego, CA) and Ravel (owned by Four Winds Farm and Akiko Yamazaki);
Jan Ebeling (Moorpark, CA) and Rafalca (owned by Ann Romney and Amy Roberts Ebeling);
Guenter Seidel (Cardiff, CA) and UII (owned by Dick and Jane Brown);
Todd Fettrich (Royal Palm Beach, FL) and Otto (owned by Cherry Knoll Farm).
Lexington, KY – The United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) will be represented in four disciplines at CHIO Aachen, which runs July 8-17, 2011 in Aachen, Germany. Please click on any athlete or team name for more information about them.
The following horse/rider combinations have been named in ranked order to represent the U.S. in Dressage:
Steffen Peters (San Diego, CA) will ride Four Winds Farm and Akiko Yamazaki’s Ravel
Ravel is a 13-year-old KWPN gelding
Jan Ebeling (Moorpark, CA) will ride Ann Romney and Amy Roberts Ebeling Rafalca
Rafalca is a 14-year-old Oldenburg mare
Guenter Seidel (Cardiff, CA) will ride Dick and Jane Brown’s UII
UII is a 10-year-old Dutch Warmblood
Todd Flettrich (Royal Palm Beach, FL) will ride Cherry Knoll Farm’s Otto
Otto is a 15-year-old Danish Warmblood gelding
Catherine Haddad-Staller (Vectha, Germany) and Winyamaro have been named as the first ranked substitute.
(L) Noreen O'Sullivan, Steffen Peters, Tinne Vilhelmson-Silfven , Tina Konyot, John Goodman. Photo Credit: Lynndee Kemmet
Thousands of horses and riders converged in West Palm Beach Florida from around the world to compete once again this winter, making this season the richest and most successful season ever for Dressage in Florida. The ever-popular Wellington Classic Dressage (WCD) and Gold Coast Dressage Association (GCDA) shows at the beautiful Palm Beach County Jim Brandon Equestrian Center were joined this year by International Horse Sport Palm Beach (IHS) shows at the Equestrian Estates Horse Park. Combined, these three Dressage organizations host more than 23 weeks of competitions year-round, including 6 International CDI competitions.
The premiere event of the winter season was clearly the World Dressage Masters CDI5* Series Presented by Axel Johnson Group. The World Dressage Masters is one of the richest Dressage Series internationally, with only 4-6 shows hosted around the world, each boasting over 100,000 Euros in Prize Money (approximately $140,000). The WDM CDI5*Palm Beach Show was hosted March 9-12, 2011 by Wellington Classic Dressage, with International Polo Club as Presenting Sponsor. “We are honored to host this very prestigious show for 2011 and beyond, and to work with the WDM team and IPC to make this year’s event a resounding success,” stated John Flanagan, Managing Partner for Wellington Classic Dressage. What an honor too, that America’s top rider, Steffen Peters on Ravel, owned by Akiko Yamazaki, took home the top prize by winning the WDM Grand Prix Freestyle with a score of 84.53%, followed by Sweden’s Tinne Vilhelmson-Silfven on Favourit with 77.90%, and US Rider Tina Konyot and Calecto V with 76.65%. The 2012 WDM CDI5* Palm Beach is slated for January 26th-29th, 2012.
Wellington Classic Dressage’s eleven-show series kicked off high season with the Wellington Classic Holiday Challenge in December and wrapped up the winter season with the Wellington Classic Challenge III on the 1st of May. The WCD series is held at the very popular Jim Brandon Equestrian Center, which boosts excellent footing and stabling, several competition rings, including a covered arena, riding trails and a Western Events area on over 111 acres. Gold Coast Dressage Association, the local GMO hosted their centerpiece show also at Jim Brandon, the GCDA Opener CDIW. International Horse Sport hosted Florida’s traditional favorite and longest-running CDI, the Palm Beach Dressage Derby CDIW, as well as 4 other shows at the beautiful Horse Park at Equestrian Estates in nearby Loxahatchee, which this year underwent many upgrades and improvements.
Plus How Totilas Impacts Modern Breeding, the Road to Grand Prix with Idocus, and Other Hot Topics
Cor Loeffen and Steffen Peters answered questions about identifying talented horses. Photo by Monica Sakurai.
Sutherlin, OR – If your goal is to breed, own or ride the next Ravel, Totilas, Judgement ISF, Idocus, or Popeye K, the KWPN-NA Annual Meeting added to your inspiration. With insights from Olympic medalist Steffen Peters and renowned breeder and KWPN judge Cor Loeffen, along with networking with some of the world’s biggest and best KWPN horse breeders, the event was the largest in recent years. Two hundred enthusiastic equestrians gathered in Visalia, California to discuss and debate the best way to produce and manage superstar equines.
Longtime breeder, Scot Tolman of Spofford, NH, attends the KWPN-NA Annual Meeting in search of adding even more knowledge to his 20-plus years of breeding Dutch horses. “The breeders lead the KWPN; it’s an evolving studbook. Ravel and Totilas are shaping the breeding of dressage horses,” he says. “As breeders, we must be aware of what is happening in sport and [understand] what [qualities] stallions are producing.”
Conversations throughout the meeting always turned to particular stallion and mare lines and the traits they are known for producing. Scot referenced Jazz. Although the stallion has produced 40 Grand Prix horses, Jazz is often recognized only for producing hot temperaments. Scot continues, “Sometimes people hyper-focus on one trait. You can’t knock down horses because of one trait. You have to grasp the big picture.”
Clinics to be administered by United States Equestrian Federation
Gladstone, NJ – May 23, 2011 – The USET Foundation is pleased to announce that four Elite Dressage Rider Clinics are to be held this fall. Two clinics will be held on the west coast and two on the east cost, both with U.S. Olympic athlete and World Equestrian Games medalist Steffen Peters and USEF Technical Advisor Anne Gribbons. The clinics will be by invitation only for horse and rider combinations on the USEF Grand Prix Long List and are designed to provide guidance and instruction for the top U.S. Dressage horses and riders in preparation for the 2012 Olympic Games. The USEF Dressage High Performance Committee will develop specific invitation criteria for the clinics based on recommendations from Anne Gribbons.
“We are so pleased to be able to offer these clinics thanks to the generosity of Betsy Juliano,” stated USET Foundation President, Jane Forbes Clark. “Betsy has made a gift commitment through 2014, which will ensure that these important clinics take place, helping to prepare our horses and riders for international championship competition. Betsy truly understands the value and importance of making sure our riders receive the high level of training and guidance that will continue to make the United States competitive among the top Dressage nations,” Clark remarked. Juliano, the owner of Havensafe Farm, is a member of the USET Foundation National Advisory Committee, a competitor in the adult amateur division and the owner of international prospects.
International dressage star Steffen Peters rides his equine partner Ravel in a saddle by Custom Saddlery. (Photo courtesy of Sheryl Ross)
Aiken, SC (April 26, 2011) – World Equestrian Games Bronze Medalist Steffen Peters calls his equine partner, Ravel, his “horse of a lifetime.” Ravel, a 13-year-old KWPN gelding owned by Akiko Yamazaki, has helped Peters win more medals and awards than most riders could dream of during their career.
Peters rides Ravel in a dressage saddle made by Custom Saddlery and said the talented horse thrives under the saddle. Following the duo’s victory at the CDIO Aachen, were they swept all three classes, the Grand Prix, the Grand Prix Special and the Grand Prix Freestyle, Peters told a Custom Saddle fitter that “It was all the saddle!”
Thanks to their long-standing partnership with Peters and Ravel, Custom Saddlery is now letting the gorgeous gelding help his fans make it to the winner’s circle by taking part in Custom Saddlery’s “Find Ravel” contest. Photos of Ravel can be found on the Custom Saddlery website (www.mysaddle.com) and each person who correctly emails in the page names where Ravel’s photos can be found will be entered to win a pair of DSB Dressage Sport Boots, designed to provide excellent protection as well as comfort for the horse.
Steffen Peters. Photo by Ken Braddick/ dressage-news.com
Glenda McElroy, who probably has run more dressage competitions, including four World Cup Finals on the West Coast, than any other show manager in the United States, is excited about the initiative to create a dressage stadium in Palm Beach, FL, as are the top riders competing at her shows.
“Anything that can showcase dressage and appeal to a broader audience, bring a brighter spotlight to the sport, is good for dressage,” she said during her Festival of the Horse World Cup qualifier at the Los Angeles Equestrian Center.
Some of California’s top dressage figures who were competing at the LAEC in Burbank came out strongly in support of plans to build a new dressage complex as part of Phase II of development of the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center, home to the world famous Winter Equestrian Festival.
Steffen Peters and Weltino's Magic. Photo by Jennifer M. Keeler
Burbank, CA – In sunny California, the competition for a coveted spot on the U.S. and Canadian Pan American Games teams heated up during the Festival of the Horse CDI-W/Y/J, held March 31 – April 3, 2011, at the Los Angeles Equestrian Center in Burbank. Despite a large and talented group of international competitors, there was no stopping Steffen Peters with what the judges deemed his new “super horse”, Weltino’s Magic.
Peters and Jen Hlavacek’s nine-year-old Westfalen gelding (Weltino x Diva by Diamond Boy) swept the small tour with impressive scores of 75.395% in the Prix St. Georges and 77.237% for the Intermediaire I, and debuted their new freestyle to a score of 79.417%. “The first word that comes to mind is ‘fun’,” says Peters in describing the weekend’s rides. “He’s really a pleasure to ride, so supple and forward now, it’s like that feeling that I get from Ravel.”
On Peters’ heels throughout the competition were Guenter Seidel and Sundayboy (Dutch Warmblood gelding by Kennedy, owned by Richard and Jane Brown), who earned second-place finishes in both the Prix St. Georges and Intermediaire I; as well as Freestyle runner-up Jan Ebeling and Anne Romney’s Sandrina (Oldenburg mare by Sandro Hit x Stutbuch by Ganymed). “There are really nice horses here on the West Coast,” noted judge Cara Whitham (5* CAN). “While I haven’t seen every single horse out there, at this point and from what we saw this weekend it looks like it may be a U.S. team of gentlemen riders going to Guadalajara for the Pan Ams. It’s very strong out here. But it is still a long while until October. We’ll see!”
