All posts by Associate Editor

Competitions, Contributors/Press, Disciplines, Dressage, Events, FEI, Para-Equestrian, Phelps Media Group, World Equestrian Games

ParaEquestrians Wrap Up Incredible Week with Freestyle Performances

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Susan Treabess and Moneypenny placed 10th representing the United States during the Freestyle competition for Para-Dressage. Photo © 2010 Lauren R. Giannini.

Lexington, KY – October 11, 2010 – Wow describes the quality of the routines, the variety of the music, the ambition and the talent displayed in the Freestyle competition of the first-ever Para-Dressage championships staged during the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games at Kentucky Horse Park. The five Freestyle classes took place during the last three days of the Games, with the medal ceremony for all grades taking place around noon on Sunday.

Grade III para-riders put on their dancing shoes Friday morning with Hannelore Brenner (GER) adding more gold to her collection. In the afternoon Emma Shearborn (GBR) and Purdy’s Dream harvested gold in Grade Ia.

Saturday morning competitors classified Grade II kicked off the restraints of standardized FEI para-tests with Dr. Angelika Trabert (GER) partnering with Ariva-Avanti to capture the gold by .05 over Gert Vollmer (NED) and Triumph who scored 75.850. Great Britain’s Jo Pitt claimed the bronze, scoring 74.950 with Estralita.

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Community/Charity, Contributors/Press, Events, Fundraisers, Sydney Masters-Durieux

Step by Step Benefit for Children at PBIEC Hosted by Olympian Margie Engle

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Olympic Show Jumping Medalist Margie Engle & Step by Step Foundation’s Liliane Stransky Host 2nd Annual “All In for Charity 2011” Poker Tournament & Charity Benefit for Children in Need around the World

(Sunday, March 13, 2011 – 6:30 PM to Midnight)

WHO:  Event Chair Margie Engle, an Olympic medalist and 10-time AGA Rider of the Year, and Step by Step Foundation’s President Liliane Stransky, will host the “All In for Charity 2011” poker tournament and charity benefit dinner.  Olympic riders Chris Kappler, Jimmy and Danielle Torano, international course designer Olaf Peterson, and ESP’s CEO Mark Bellissimo, will be among the guests invited back to the tables for this fun filled benefit and night of gaming.

WHAT: Step by Step Foundation’s 2nd annual benefit to help raise funds for children in need around the world.  The transformation into a fun-filled casino will take place in The Hospitality Tent, overlooking the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center’s international arena. General admission will include a catered buffet dinner and a seat at the tables for roulette, craps, poker, Three Card Draw, Black Jack, and other games of chance. There will be dancing and a DJ, exclusive art, equestrian merchandise, celebrity memorabilia, and prizes awarded throughout the night.

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Contributors/Press, Disciplines, Dressage, Driving, Events, FEI, Media/Radio/TV Sources, Para-Equestrian, Show Jumping, Vaulting, World Equestrian Games

2010 Radio Show Episode 125 by SUCCEED – Final Day of WEG Coverage

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Daily radio coverage of the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games continues with a wrap up of the day’s events. We recap the Jumping Rolex Top Four results, Para Dressage Individual Freestyle, Combined Driving Obstacles final results, Vaulting Freestyle Team Finals competition today as we record at the International Equestrian Festival in front of a live audience. Listen in.

2010 Radio Show Episode 125 by SUCCEED – Show Notes and Links:


  • Coverage: Follow all the coverage of the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games on the Horse Radio Network.

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Championships, Competitions, Contributors/Press, Disciplines, Dressage, Events, FEI, Para-Equestrian, World Equestrian Games

Great Britain and Germany Share the Gold Medals in Para Dressage Freestyle at WEG

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October 10, 2010 – Lexington, KY – Riders from Great Britain and Germany dominated the freestyle in all five grades of the Para Dressage World Championships at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games.  Today’s competition decided the grade IV champion, and it was Great Britain’s Sophie Wells on Pinocchio (78.50%).

Gold-medal winners over the last few days include Germany’s Hannelore Brenner on Women Of The World (79.20%) in grade III, Germany’s Dr. Angelika Trabert on Ariva-Avanti (75.90%) in grade II, Great Britain’s Lee Pearson on Gentleman (82.50%) in grade Ib, and Great Britain’s Emma Sheardown on Purdy’s Dream (78.55%) in grade Ia.

“He was a little bit more energetic than normal, so I decided not to go in with a whip, and that was very abnormal, so I was taking a risk from the beginning, really,” said Wells.  “When I picked up the walk he came against me and he stopped and then I thought ‘Oh my gosh I need to find somewhere else in my plan where I can put in another simple change’.  So all the time when I was going through my next movements I was trying to think where I could put it in.” Pearson created his top-scoring freestyle just for this competition.

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Championships, Competitions, Contributors/Press, Disciplines, Events, FEI, Vaulting, World Equestrian Games

USA Claims Gold in Vaulting World Championships at Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games

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October 10, 2010 – Lexington, KY – If you asked the Team USA vaulters how they were feeling this afternoon, they’d answer with a chorus of screams. They feel that good, because they pulled out a come-from-behind win to earn the team gold medal at the Vaulting World Championships, held as part of the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games.

“We really connected today — we looked each other in the eye,” said team member and coach Devon Maitozo. “Our horse was just beautiful, and we had the love of the audience with us, which helped. We just were in our bodies today.”

Today was a contrast from the previous team freestyle competition on Friday, when two team members fell from their horse, because, said Maitozo, the team horse, Palatine, was spooky in the arena. The U.S. team had led after the compulsory exercises, but then dropped to third place after the fall, behind Germany and Austria.

To prepare for Sunday’s round, Maitozo said, “We made a different plan for the horse and for ourselves. We took a step back from the intensity of the energy before. We really calmed ourselves down, collected ourselves, and the horse had a longer warm-up but a much more calm warm-up.”

Read more> http://www.horsesinthesouth.com/article/article_detail.aspx?id=12332

*Featured/Spotlights, Championships, Competitions, Contributors/Press, Disciplines, Dressage, Driving, Events, FEI, World Equestrian Games

Exell Makes Australian History in Driving World Championships at Alltech FEI WEG

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October 10, 2010 – Lexington, KY – Boyd Exell accomplished something today that no other Australian has ever done at a previous Driving World Championships — he won the individual gold medal, at the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games.

With one ball down in the obstacles phase, held in front of a packed Driving Stadium at the Kentucky Horse Park, Exell (134.04) edged IJsbrand Chardon of the Netherlands (135.24) and Tucker Johnson of the United States (150.06).

Johnson is the second four-in-hand driving medalist in the history of the U.S. team, and he led teammates Chester Weber (who was the first U.S. individual medalist, winning individual silver in 2008) and James Fairclough to the team silver medal (330.92). This is the second team silver medal this trio has won at the World Equestrian Games. (The first was in 2002.)

Chardon, a four-time individual world champion, led the Netherlands to the team gold medal (279.77), the third time they’ve won the team gold medal in the World Equestrian Games. Germany moved up to the bronze medal (322.20) when Tomas Eriksson of Sweden was eliminated for going off course and took his third-placed team with him.

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*Featured/Spotlights, Championships, Competitions, Contributors/Press, Disciplines, Dressage, Events, FEI, Para-Equestrian, World Equestrian Games

Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games 2010 Day 16 Para Dressage Championships

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On the Para Dressage podium on the final day of the WEG - the medallists from the Freestyle Grade 4 Championship - (left to right) Michele George BEL (silver), (centre) Sophie Wells GBR (gold) and (right) Frank Hosmar NED (bronze).

WELLS’ VICTORY TAKES BRITAIN TO TOP OF THE MEDAL TABLE by Louise Parkes

Lexington, 10 October – Para Dressage rider Sophie Wells claimed Grade 4 Freestyle gold to put Great Britain at the top of the medal table as the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games came to a close at the Horse Park in Kentucky, USA today having attracted a massive attendance of over 500,000 spectators to the 16-day extravaganza. The British Para squad have been in fantastic form, scooping six individuals gold medals along with the team title.  And Wells steered her 13 year old gelding Pinocchio to victory today despite a glitch in her test.

Belgium’s Michele George took silver with FBW Rainman ahead of The Netherlands’ Frank Hosmar and Tiesto in bronze.

STOPPED
Wells’ test began well.  “I was quite happy with my trot but then when I picked up the walk he came against me and my first movement was a compulsory, which was a simple change, and he stopped!” she explained.  Now she had to make a quick decision.  “I knew I had to find somewhere else in my plan where I could put in another simple change, so all the time I was going through my next movements I was trying to think where I could put it in, and I didn’t want to mess up my floor plan because it’s good and they give you marks for that as well – times three,” she explained.

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*Featured/Spotlights, Championships, Competitions, Contributors/Press, Disciplines, Dressage, Driving, Events, FEI, World Equestrian Games

Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games 2010 Day 16 Four-In-Hand Driving Championship

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Boyd Exell (AUS) finally claimed the World Four-in-Hand Driving title he has been craving when winning at the WEG today. Photo: FEI/Rinaldo de Craen

GOLD AT LAST FOR EXELL by Cindy Timmer

Boyd Exell from Australia has been on the hunt for a gold medal in four-in-hand driving for many years and at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games in Kentucky it finally came together for him. After a World Record dressage test and third place in the marathon, Exell drove a safe cones course and won his first individual gold medal. Dutch driver IJsbrand Chardon took the silver; with the bronze going to USA’s Tucker Johnson. The Dutch team won the gold, ahead of the USA and Germany.

Drama-filled day
Today was another drama-filled day in the full Driving Stadium as there were problems with the timing system half-way through the competition. Team drivers Ludwig Weinmayr from Germany and USA’s Chester Weber had to leave the arena while the repairs were done. Weber was the first driver to go after the enforced break and the 35-year-old multiple US Champion showed his professionalism by driving the first double clear round of the day despite the long wait. His compatriot James Fairclough followed him and did the same to secure team silver for the USA.

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*Featured/Spotlights, Championships, Competitions, Contributors/Press, Disciplines, Events, FEI, Vaulting, World Equestrian Games

Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games 2010 Day 16 Vaulting Championships

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The host nation claimed the Team title in the Vaulting Championships at the WEG today. Pictured on the podium are (centre) USA - gold, (left) Germany - silver, and (right) Austria - bronze. Photo: FEI/Kit Houghton.

USA SCOOPS VAULTING TEAM TITLE by Louise Parkes

Lexington, 10 October – The host nation held their nerve and really rose to the occasion today to win the Team title in the Vaulting Championships at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games in Kentucky, USA.  On Friday their Freestyle routine fell apart when their horse, Palatine, became anxious in the arena and they had to settle for third place as a result.  But today it all came together beautifully, and to the theme of Romeo and Juliet, with Rosalind Ross and Devon Maitozo playing the lead roles, they rocketed back up the leaderboard to steal gold.

Silver went to Germany while Austria took bronze, and the Swiss team slotted into fourth ahead of France in fifth and Brazil in sixth. A total of 12 nations competed.

CROWD-PULLER
Vaulting has been a major crowd-puller at the Kentucky Horse Park, and the sport looks set to go from strength to strength in the US having received extensive coverage throughout the week in the media.  Maitozo said the benefit of highlighting it through inclusion in the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games has been immeasurable – “This has been an amazing opportunity to put our sport on the map in the US,” he pointed out.

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Championships, Competitions, Contributors/Press, Disciplines, Events, FEI, Show Jumping, World Equestrian Games

Le Jeune Rides to Gold in Show Jumping World Championships, Presented by Rolex, at Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games

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October 9, 2010 – Lexington, KY – After five days of competition, six different courses, and a total of 115 jumps, Belgium’s Philippe Le Jeune took home the gold medal in the Show Jumping World Championships, presented by Rolex, at the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games.  Aboard all four horses, including with his Vigo D’Arsouilles, Le Jeune was the only rider to finish with 0 faults over tonight’s four rounds.

Abdullah Al Sharbatly of Saudi Arabia took the silver medal with 8 faults this evening, and Canada’s Eric Lamaze took home bronze with 9 faults.  Brazil’s Rodrigo Pessoa, the 1998 world champion, was a close fourth with 12 faults.

“I had no difficult moments,” said Le Jeune, 50.  “I was very concentrated.  When I sat on every horse, I had decided to go their way and not that they had to go to my way.  I wasn’t going to try to ride like Eric or Rodrigo.  I have my own way of riding, but the other three were blood horses, more blood horses than Vigo.  I had decided to feel how they were going to go, and it paid off.”

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