Category Archives: Olympic Games

Competitions, Dressage, Eventing/H.T., Events, FEI, Olympic Games, Show Jumping

Equestrians from 41 Nations Qualify for London 2012 Olympic Games

Leave a comment

Lausanne (SUI), 2 March 2012 – Riders from 41 nations have qualified to compete in the equestrian events at the London 2012 Olympic Games.

The FEI Olympic Athletes Rankings in Jumping, Dressage, and Eventing are published today (2 March). They are the final stage of the qualification by nation process, which concluded yesterday (1 March).

Azerbaijan, Ireland, Portugal, and Russia qualified through the FEI Olympic Athletes Rankings in Jumping bringing the total number of nations represented by individual riders to 11. Argentina, Colombia, Ireland, and Japan will be represented by two riders each whereas Azerbaijan, Bermuda, Egypt, Jordan, Portugal, Russia, and Syria will be entering one individual each. Fifteen countries will be represented by teams.

Continue reading Equestrians from 41 Nations Qualify for London 2012 Olympic Games →

*Featured/Spotlights, Community/Charity, Eventing/H.T., Olympic Games, Phelps Media Group, Show Jumping

Vote Bill Steinkraus into the US Olympic Hall of Fame, Urges Bernie Traurig

Leave a comment
The timeless style of William Steinkraus

Wellington, FL – March 1, 2012 – EquestrianCoach.com’s Bernie Traurig encourages enthusiasts of the sport to vote for William Steinkraus for the US Olympic Hall of Fame. Traurig first met Steinkraus with he was 14 years old at a horse show in Long Island where he was competing in the equitation and junior jumper divisions. There was an award for the most promising junior rider with the potential to represent the United States Equestrian Team.  Steinkraus selected Traurig.

“I was so honored and proud to receive this trophy from Bill. To this day it sits on my mantel,” shared Traurig. “Bill had a huge influence on my career.”

When Traurig was 18 he had been training with Capt Vladimir Littauer for five years. His father wanted him to go to college. Traurig had other ideas. He wanted to be a professional horseman.

Continue reading Vote Bill Steinkraus into the US Olympic Hall of Fame, Urges Bernie Traurig →

Community/Charity, Olympic Games, USEF

US Olympic Committee and Allstate Include William Steinkraus among 2012 U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame Nominees

Leave a comment

Fan voting has begun.

Northbrook, Ill. – The U.S. Olympic Committee and Allstate Insurance Company (NYSE: ALL) today announced the list of nominees eligible for induction into the U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame presented by Allstate and invited fans to start voting for those athletes and teams they feel are most deserving of a spot in the Class of 2012.

The nominee list consists of the following 18 individual Olympic athletes, five Paralympic athletes and five teams.

Continue reading US Olympic Committee and Allstate Include William Steinkraus among 2012 U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame Nominees →

Associations/Breeds, Community/Charity, Conferences, FEI, Olympic Games, Show Jumping

Saudi Arabia’s First Female Olympian Addresses IOC Women and Sport Conference

Leave a comment
Dalma Rushdi Malhas, Saudi Arabia’s first female Olympian, addressing the fifth IOC Women and Sport conference.

Lausanne (SUI), 26 February 2012 – Dalma Rushdi Malhas, who made history by becoming the first Saudi female athlete to compete on the Olympic stage when she rode at the inaugural Youth Olympic Games in 2010, was amongst a high-profile group of speakers who addressed the recent IOC Women and Sport conference in Los Angeles (USA). The 20-year-old, who won individual bronze in Singapore, spoke of her hope of gender equality in all sports.

“I cannot yet compare myself to the riders of the Saudi First Team, but I am determined to give my best to reach their level one day, and prove that all women athletes, all over the world, should be given equal opportunities,” she said.

Twenty-four hours earlier, Malhas had received the loudest applause of the day after being invited onto the stage by IOC Executive Board member Nawal El Moutawakel of Morocco. Malhas, and then her mother, were brought on stage to demonstrate that female athletes from the Middle East can make their mark on the international sporting arena.

Continue reading Saudi Arabia’s First Female Olympian Addresses IOC Women and Sport Conference →

*Featured/Spotlights, FEI, Olympic Games

FEI President Looks Forward to Another 100 Years of Equestrian Sport in Olympic Movement

Leave a comment
Sweden's Carl Bonde and Emperor won the individual Dressage gold on home ground in Stockholm at the 1912 Olympic Games.

Lausanne (SUI), 22 February 2012 – The London 2012 Olympic Games marks 100 years of equestrian sport in the Olympic movement, and FEI President HRH Princess Haya is looking forward to celebrating the centenary at Greenwich Park this summer.

“We are really proud to be celebrating 100 years of Olympic equestrian sport at the London 2012 Games and it’s wonderful that we will be doing that at an iconic venue like Greenwich Park right in the heart of the Games,” FEI President HRH Princess Haya said today.

“Greenwich Park is the second largest venue in London 2012 and tickets for the Cross Country were one of the fastest to sell out. Demand has been so high for our sport that tickets for all the equestrian disciplines were sold out in a matter of weeks, establishing us as one of the most popular sports in the Games.

Continue reading FEI President Looks Forward to Another 100 Years of Equestrian Sport in Olympic Movement →

*Featured/Spotlights, Competitions, Dressage, Events, FEI, Olympic Games, Para-Equestrian

200 Days to Go to London 2012 Paralympic Games

Leave a comment
Denmark’s Stinna Kaastrup, pictured here preparing for the Freestyle Grade Ib competition at the FEI European Para-Equestrian Dressage Championships 2011, which she went on to win aged just 17. Photo: Liz Gregg.

Lausanne (SUI), 10 February 2012 – The London 2012 Paralympic Games look set to take Paralympic Equestrian into the history books for many reasons, as we get one step closer on the eve of the 200-day countdown (11 February).

Sales of Paralympic Equestrian tickets for London 2012 have already broken records.

More than 40,000 tickets were sold before Christmas last year, dramatically overtaking the previous record of 33,000 for the 2008 Paralympic Equestrian events held in Hong Kong.

Mexico will also be making its Paralympic Equestrian début on 30 August – 4 September in Greenwich Park represented by a team of four riders, and Ireland will be competing for the very first time as a Paralympic Equestrian Team.

Continue reading 200 Days to Go to London 2012 Paralympic Games →

Dressage, Olympic Games, Para-Equestrian, USEF

USA Is One of Twenty-three Nations to Qualify for London 2012 Paralympic Games

Leave a comment
Chef d'Equipe Missy Ransehousen, Dale Dedrick, MD, Rebecca Hart, Mary Jordan, Jonathan Wentz, and coach Kai Handt, USA Team that earned the needed first place over Canada in Wellington, Florida January 2012 (Lindsay McCall)

Lexington, KY – Coming off of a strong performance at the recent Wellington Classic Sunshine Challenge CPEDI3* Team Qualifier for the Paralympics in Wellington, FL USA’s Para-Dressage team has earned a spot at the 2012 Paralympic Games in London. “It’s very exciting,” says Chef d’Equipe Missy Ransehousen “I was very pleased with not only the team but with the individuals. They are a good group of people, working hard, and going forward with a good plan in mind.”

Team USA bounced back from a 2nd place finish at the Gold Coast Opener CPEDI3* and earned an important victory over Canada in the Wellington Classic Sunshine Challenge.

Details of the competition are available here.

Though they are excited to be London bound the USA Para-Equestrians won’t be taking time off before the games begin. There are two more CPEDI3* events on the schedule, one in Katy, Texas and one San Diego, California, and the Paralympic selection trials in June.

Team USA earned their qualification by virtue of a Second place finish on the FEI Para-Equestrian team rankings list.

Dressage, FEI, Olympic Games, Para-Equestrian

Twenty-three Nations Qualify for London 2012 Paralympic Games

Leave a comment

Lausanne (SUI), 1 February 2011 – Para-Dressage riders from 23 nations have qualified to take part in the London 2012 Paralympic Games. The qualification process, which began in October 2010, finished yesterday, 31 January 2012.

As the top three ranked teams at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games 2010, Great Britain, Germany and Denmark will each be represented by a team of four plus one individual rider. Canada, the top ranked nation on the Para-Equestrian Team ranking list for countries not otherwise qualified, will also receive five qualification slots.

Eleven nations, which qualified through the Para-Equestrian Team ranking list and regional distribution of teams, will be entering teams of four riders. The 11 nations are USA, Netherlands, Brazil, Ireland, Italy, Belgium, South Africa, Mexico, Singapore, Australia and France.

Continue reading Twenty-three Nations Qualify for London 2012 Paralympic Games →

Dressage, Events, Olympic Games, USEF

USEF Dressage Kicks Off 2012 with USET/USEF Pre-Olympic Games Clinics and USEF Developing Dressage Clinic

Leave a comment
Heather Blitz, Betsy Juliano, Anne Gribbons, James Kofford on Pharaoh and Steffen Peters (USEF Archive)

Lexington, KY – Continuing with preparations for the 2012 Olympic Games, the United States Equestrian Team Foundation (USET) and United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) kicked off 2012 with two training sessions for Dressage Olympic hopefuls. Betsy Juliano graciously opened the doors of her Havensafe Farm South to riders in Wellington, FL, January 6-8. The following weekend, Steffen Peters hosted a session for West coast riders at his Arroyo Del Mar farm in San Diego, CA. Also taking place in California, the first USEF Developing Dressage Clinic of 2012 was held at Epona Farms, owned by Michael and Linda Fowler in Thousand Oaks, CA.

The USET/USEF pre-Olympic Games clinics, made possible by a gift from Betsy Juliano to the USET Foundation, featured instruction from USEF Technical Advisor and Coach Anne Gribbons and Olympian Steffen Peters. At the Florida clinic were seven horses (six riders) including 2011 Pan American Games Team Gold and Individual Silver medalists Heather Blitz and Paragon. Over three days the combinations worked with Peters and Gribbons individually, rode the Olympic Grand Prix Special and reviewed video of the tests with Gribbons.

Continue reading USEF Dressage Kicks Off 2012 with USET/USEF Pre-Olympic Games Clinics and USEF Developing Dressage Clinic →

Competitions, Dressage, Events, Olympic Games, Para-Equestrian

Announcing 2012 London Paralympic Qualifier: Houston Dressage Society 2012 Spring Classic CPEDI3*

Leave a comment

Houston, TX – January 24, 2012 – As the 2012 London Paralympics approach, the opportunity to qualify individually as a para-equestrian dressage rider is down to just six months. Before time runs out para-equestrians should consider adding to their schedule the Houston Dressage Society 2012 Spring Classic CPEDI3* scheduled for April 26-29 in Katy, TX. The Houston Dressage Society (HDS) has masterfully planned to produce an impressive CPEDI3* event at the Great Southwest Equestrian Center. From the remarkable facilities to the carefully executed show schedule, the HDS is looking forward to hosting many international level para-equestrian dressage riders.

As President of HDS and the Recognized Show Chair, Kathy Jones is thrilled to showcase Texas hospitality.  She noted, “I am delighted to offer the para-equestrian dressage riders one last chance to qualify for the 2012 London Paralympics.  In early 2011, para-equestrian dressage rider Jonathan Wentz of North Texas Equestrian Center approached our team to produce a CPEDI3*. Within an instant I knew that a competition that has this caliber of horses and F.E.I. athletes would fit right in with our goals as a dressage society. With the help of North Texas Equestrian Center and Kai Handt this show has been made possible.”

Continue reading Announcing 2012 London Paralympic Qualifier: Houston Dressage Society 2012 Spring Classic CPEDI3* →