Tag Archives: World Dressage Masters

World Dressage Masters Palm Beach Presented by International Polo Club Palm Beach

Wellington, FL – February 7, 2011 – Dressage is the oldest of equestrian disciplines and the basis for true harmony between rider and horse. The Greek philosopher Xenophon wrote the first recorded book on horsemanship in 350 BC. At that time and long after, horses were trained for warfare. During the Renaissance the riding schools of Vienna and Saumur contributed a lot in sophisticating dressage.

However only in the 20th century the public discovered the beauty of the ‘dancing horses’. The 1912 Olympic Games in Stockholm were the first to stage dressage on an Olympic level. Dressage has never left the Olympic podium since and with the introduction of the Grand Prix Freestyle to Music in 1996 in Atlanta, dressage quickly gained popularity all over the world. Grand Prix Dressage, the highest expression of horse training, is considered to be the art of equestrian sport.

To compliment this fantastic sport and to contribute to its further internationalization and growth, sports marketing agency SportBizz, equestrian innovator Exquis have launched the World Dressage Masters (WDM) initiative in 2008. In 2011 the World Dressage Masters will feature four top class CDI5* shows:

9-11 March, Palm Beach, Florida USA

2-5 June, Munich, GER (final Nürnberger WDM Rider Ranking)

7-9 July, Flasterbo, SWE

29-31 July, Hickstead, GBR

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World Dressage Masters Coming to Palm Beach

Noreen O'Sullivan and John Flanagan will be the management team for the 2011 World Dressage Masters Palm Beach. Photo By: Rebecca Walton/PMG.

Wellington, FL (February 8, 2011) – The World Dressage Masters Palm Beach presented by International Polo Club Palm Beach is set to take place at the Jim Brandon Equestrian Center on March 9-11, 2011. The World Dressage Masters presented by Axel Johnson Group is the world’s richest dressage series, with 100,000 Euros in prize money offered at the Palm Beach event alone. It attracts many of the world’s top competitors, including Olympic and World Championship medalists.  Twenty of the world’s top ranked dressage pairs from Europe, the US, and Canada will be invited to compete in this prestigious event.

The American leg of the Masters, North America’s only CDI5* competition, was in danger of being cancelled for 2011, but thanks to the generous support of the Goodman family, International Polo Club Palm Beach and the show management team of Wellington Classic Dressage, the show will go on. Wellington Classic Dressage has entered into an agreement to host the World Dressage Masters Palm Beach for the next three years.

“On behalf of Wellington Classic Dressage, we are honored to have the opportunity to host this very prestigious event, with the help and support of our presenting sponsor International Polo Club Palm Beach and Akiko Yamazaki,” says Noreen O’Sullivan, show manager for Wellington Classic Dressage.

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Wellington Classic Dressage Challenge to Host 2011 Exquis World Dressage Masters CDI5*

Steffen Peters and Ravel at the World Dressage Masters. Photo by Ken Braddick.

West Palm Beach, FL – Pending FEI approval, the Exquis World Dressage Masters CDI5* has been rescheduled for March 9-12 at the Wellington Classic Dressage Challenge in West Palm Beach, FL. The featured event, the Freestyle, will be held under the lights on Friday evening. The only CDI5* held annually in the United States, the World Dressage Masters attracts some of the world’s best.

Over the last two years, World, Olympic and World Cup Champions have all been in attendance and 2011 promises to not disappoint. Held for the first time at the world-class Palm Beach County Jim Brandon Equestrian Center in West Palm Beach – South Florida will again welcome the dressage world.

For more information, please visit: http://www.wellingtonclassicdressage.com/index.html or http://www.worlddressagemasters.com/EN/. Please contact Eva Salomon with questions at esalomon@usef.org.

Adelinde Cornelissen & Jerich Parzival Win Exquis WDM Freestyle at Hickstead

Adelinde Cornelissen on Jerich Parzival holding aloft the Exquis World Dressage Masters trophy with Mike Rutherford and wife, Angie, on left and WDM Chief Executive Officer Anthony Kies, and Tosca and Kees Visser of Moorland Stables. © 2010 Ken Braddick

HICKSTEAD, England, Aug. 1 — Adelinde Cornelissen and Jerich Parzival dominated the final Exquis World Dressage Masters of the year with a resounding victory in the Grand Prix Freestyle Sunday with Dutch team mate Hans Peter Minderhoud on Exquis Nadine was runner-up.

Adelinde and the 13-year-old chestnut gelding ranked No.2 in the world, received a score of 85.650 per cent with Hans Peter and the mare receiving marks of 78.850 percent in the €60,000 (US$78,000) freestyle.

Great Britain’s Laura Bechtolsheimer and Andretti, who had finished second behind Adelinde in the Grand Prix, was third on 78.250 per cent. Adelinde and Parzival had won the Grand Prix with a score of 81.362 per cent, a margin of eight percentage points over the second placed pair.

Great Britain’s Carl Hester, in the first CDI5* since getting the ride back on Liebling II, won the €30,000 (US$39,000) Moorlands Grand Prix Special earlier Sunday, and most likely secured a place on Great Britain’s team for the World Equestrian Games in Kentucky next month.

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Adelinde & Parzival Post Best Ever Grand Prix Score to Win Exquis World Dressage Masters at Hickstead

Adeline Cornelissen and Jerich Parzival. © 2010 Ken Braddick

HICKSTEAD, England, July 31 — Adelinde Cornelissen rode Jerich Parzival to victory at the Exquis World Dressage Masters Saturday with their best ever Grand Prix score of 81.362 per cent while Laura Bechtolsheimer and Andretti turned in their best ever result of 73.362 per cent for runner-up and home side joy.

Hans Peter Minderhoud and Exquis Nadine, selected to be on the Dutch team with Adelinde at the World Equestrian Games in Kentucky in September, finished third with 70.936 per cent.

The €10,000 (£8,320/US$13,000) Grand Prix kicked off the fifth and final CDI5* event for 2010, the second year of the richest lineup of dressage competitions that started with Palm Beach, USA, then moved to Munich, Germany, Cannes, France and Falsterbo, Sweden for the first time. Each of the events carries total prize money of €100,000 (£83,200/US$130,000).

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Germany’s Anja Plönzke Tops Nürnberger WDM Rider Rankings

Anja Plönzke on Le Mont d'Or at the Exquis World Dressage Masters in Falsterbo, Sweden in mid-July. Photo: © 2010 Ken Braddick

Anja Plönzke of Germany is atop the latest Nurnberger World Dressage Masters Rider Rankings after the first two of five CDI5* events on the 2010-11 lineup in which Nurnberger Versicherungsgruppe awards €25,000 (US$31,800) to the winner.

So far this year in the events which count toward the award, the finished 2nd in the Grand Prix and 3rd in the Grand Prix Special at Cannes, France and 3rd in the Grand Prix in mid-June and 4th in the Grand Prix Freestyle at Falsterbo, Sweden last week.

Her results accumulated 1,090.5 points, with Poland’s Michal Rapcewicz in second place on 855 points and Anky van Grunsven of The Netherlands in third place with 765 points.

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Anky & Painted Black Win Falsterbo World Dressage Masters Freestyle for 5th WDM Title

Anky van Grunsven receiving the Exquis World Dressage Masters trophy from WDM CEO Anthony Kies and daughter, Renee. © 2010 Ken Braddick

FALSTERBO, Sweden, July 10 — Anky van Grunsven gave a display of her trademark Queen of the Freestyle when she rode IPS Painted Black to victory in the Exquis World Dressage Masters Grand Prix Kür presented by Axel Johnson Group for her fifth WDM CDI5* title in two years of the richest lineup of competitions on the globe.

Competing in the inaugural €100,000 (US$126,400) WDM at the Falsterbo Horse Show and her first time at this summer beach resort, Anky and the 13-year-old stallion posted a score of 82.40 per cent. The freestyle that was presented by Axel Johnson Group had total prize money of €60,000 (US$75,800) with first place earning €16,000 (US$20,200).

Germany’s Ulla Salzgeber and the 10-year-old mare Wakana showed none of the spookiness from shows earlier this year and placed second on 75.90 per cent with Tinne Vilhelmson Silfven and Favourit awarded 75.40 per cent. They were the hometown favorites of the enthusiastic Swedish crowd that numbered 3,000 paid spectators and many hundreds more who crowded every available place around the arena in sunny weather with temperatures above 80 degrees (27C).

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Jonny Hilberath & Amüsant Win Moorland Grand Prix Special Dressage Derby

Jonny Hilberath and Amüsant in victory gallop after winning Exquis World Dressage Masters Grand Prix Special. © 2010 Ken Braddick

FALSTERBO, Sweden, July 9 — Germany’s Jonny Hilberath who has been competing Amüsant internationally for just four months notched their first victory Saturday by winning the inaugural €30,000 (US$37,860) Moorland Grand Prix Special Dressage Derby presented by Agria as part of the Exquis World Dressage Masters.

Jonny and the 12-year-old Oldenburg gelding owned by Elisabeth Max-Theurer and competed once internationally by her daughter, Victoria, almost two years ago scored 69.292 per cent despite mistakes in both the one- and two-tempi changes. The Netherlands’ Christa Laarakkers and Divoza Horseworld Ovation finished second with 67.250 per cent and hometown favorite Charlotte Haid Bondergaard on Lydianus was third on 66.292 per cent.

For Jonny and Amüsant’s first WDM, and the first time the Falsterbo Horse Show has included the prestigious CDI5* in its competition schedule the win earned them €9,500 (US$12,000) while Christa, who competed at WDM in Palm Beach earlier this year, earned €7,000 (US$8,830) and Charlotte €5,500 (US$6,940).

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Anky & Painted Black Win First Falsterbo World Dressage Masters Grand Prix

Anky van Grunsven on IPS Painted Black in the Exquis World Dressage Masters Grand Prix Thursday. © 2010 Ken Braddick

FALSTERBO, Sweden, July 8 — Anky van Grunsven, the most successful rider in the Exquis World Dressage Masters, on Thursday rode a newly recovered IPS Painted Black to victory in the Grand Prix of the first €100,000 CDI5* competitions staged by the Falsterbo Horse Show.

Tinne Vilhelmson Silfven, one of Sweden’s most popular dressage stars, gave the big crowd that turned out to support the event good cause to applaud even more enthusiastically than they did for all the riders when she and the 11-year-old Favourit turned in a performance that placed them second.

Anky and the 13-year-old stallion Painted Black was the unanimous choice by the judges for first place in the Nurnberger Versicherungsgruppe Grand Prix presented by Agria with a score of 75.234 per cent with Tinne and Favourit posting marks of 71.957 per cent. Germany’s Anja Plönzke and Le Mont d’Or, competing in their fourth WDM CDI5* event so far this year–Palm Beach in the USA, Munich, Germany and Cannes, France in addition to Falsterbo–was third on 68.723 per cent.

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Isabell Werth & Warum Nicht Win Exquis World Dressage Masters Grand Prix Freestyle

Isabell Werth and Warum Nicht in Cannes. © 2010 RBPresse

CANNES, France, June 12 – Isabell Werth rode Warum Nicht FRH to victory in the Exquis World Dressage Masters Grand Prix Freestyle Saturday night, the event providing the first victory for the German pair in more than a year and since returning to competition after a six-month break to give birth to a son.

Isabell, competing in her third straight €100,000 (US$121,000) WDM CDI5*, scored 77.950 per cent with Belgium’s Stefan van Ingelgem and Withney van’t Genthof in second place on 70.90 per cent and Poland’s Michael Rapcewicz on Randon third on 69.20 per cent.

She was smiling happily at the end of the ride on the 14-year-old Hanoverian gelding on whom she won the World Cup Final in 2007, although she did not get to give her final salute until about midnight as the €60,000 (US$72,700) freestyle did not start until completion of the Global Champions Tour jumping Grand Prix in this French Riviera resort.

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