Category Archives: Competitions

Confident Klimke Retains Lead at Luhmühlen

Ingrid Klimke (GER) and Butts Abraxxas were fast and clear round Capt Mark Phillips’ Cross Country course to retain their lead at Luhmühlen, the third leg of the HSBC FEI Classics. (Photo: Kit Houghton/FEI)

19 June 2010 – Ingrid Klimke (GER) was deservedly jubilant after a superb Cross Country ride on Butts Abraxxas which kept her in the lead and still on her Dressage score at Luhmühlen (GER), presented by E.ON Avacon, the third leg of the HSBC FEI Classics.

Klimke, who says her nerve has not been affected at all by the recent birth of her second child, said: “I’m really thrilled. My plan worked, my horse felt confident and fit and although I had thought I would take the long route at the corner in the arena (23), when I got there I decided I would like the challenge!”

Klimke declared herself “eager for tomorrow”, but she has no room for error in the final Jumping phase. Olympic team bronze medallists Sharon Hunt and the 16-year-old Tankers Town, who have proven ability over the coloured poles, have moved up three places to lie second and are just 3.8 penalties behind.

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Klimke Clinches Pole Position at Luhmühlen

Luhmühlen debutants Ingrid Klimke (GER) and FRH Butts Abraxxas head the field after Dressage at the German CCI4*, the third leg of the HSBC FEI Classics (Photo: FEI/Kit Houghton)

18 June 2010 – Ingrid Klimke (GER) proved that she is back at the top of her game when producing a typically convincing display to take the Dressage lead at Luhmühlen, presented by E.ON Avacon, which is the third leg of the HSBC FEI Classics.

The Olympic and World team gold medallist, who gave birth to her second daughter, Philippa, on March 8, is, surprisingly, making her debut at her home nation’s CCI4*, and is out to convince the German selectors that she should be a member of the team defending their title at the FEI Alltech World Equestrian Games in September.

Klimke, 42, was relieved at the calmness of the 13-year-old Butts Abraxxas, which she said had been over-excited on his arrival at the event. “He was doing the flying changes without any help from me,” she joked. “Fortunately, in the arena he was so relaxed and was totally listening to me.”

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FEI Secretary General Marks 100-day Countdown to the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games

17 June 2010 – Alex McLin, FEI Secretary General, marks the 100-day countdown to the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games with a specially extended video message today, expressing his confidence that the FEI’s flagship event will be an incredible celebration of equestrian sport when it opens in the 1,200 acre Kentucky Horse Park on 25 September.

“Spectators can expect to see the best equestrian sport can offer,” Alex McLin says. “The Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games are 100 days away so we’re in the final stretches of preparation. It’s hard to believe it’s been five years since the award of the bid because everything that’s been achieved since then is absolutely incredible.

“All the infrastructure has been delivered on time, the teams are working well together on the ground and we have every reason to be confident that we’ll have a fantastic Games.”

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Meydan FEI Nations Cup 2010 – Rotterdam Preview

FEI TV – Follow the fourth leg of the 2010 Meydan FEI Nations Cup series in Rotterdam LIVE on FEI TV – www.feitv.org

CAN THE FRENCH MAKE IT A FABULOUS FOUR?

Rotterdam (NED), 15 June 2010 – As the 2010 Meydan FEI Nations Cup series reaches the half-way stage at Rotterdam in The Netherlands this Friday, the big question on everyone’s lips is, “Can the runaway French be stopped in their tracks?” The defending series champions have a commanding advantage at the top of the 2010 leaderboard after their hat-trick of victories at La Baule (FRA), Rome (ITA) and St Gallen (SUI) over the last four weeks, and Chef d’Equipe Laurent Elias is taking no chances with another crack side for this latest fixture.

The French are also the defending champions at Rotterdam where Penelope Leprevost was the heroine in 2009 when clinching the honours in a thrilling third-round head-to-head against America’s McLain Ward.  The lady from Normandy has firmly established herself as a linchpin of her national side since then, and is again selected for this week’s event alongside Kevin Staut, Patrice Deleveau, Michel Robert and Marie Etter Pellegrin.

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Todd Flettrich Receives Invitation to Compete at CHIO Aachen

Todd Flettrich and Otto. Photo by Susan J. Stickle.

Wellington, FL – June 14, 2010 – Dressage rider Todd Flettrich will depart for Europe the week of June 14, 2010, to compete in international competition with his Grand Prix mount Otto, a 13-year-old Danish Warmblood gelding (Rambo X Rampal), owned by Cherry Knoll Farm. Flettrich plans to begin his trip competing in Fritzen, Austria, and will then head to the Falsterbo Horse Show CDI 5* in Sweden on July 8-11, 2010.  Flettrich will then show at The World Equestrian Festival at CHIO Aachen on July 9-18, 2010.

CHIO Aachen is the “Official International Equestrian Tournament of the Federal Republic of Germany” and the #1 ranked horse show in the world. It is a huge honor for Flettrich and Otto to be invited to compete amongst many of the world’s greatest horses and riders at this illustrious event. Flettrich will use the opportunity to gain exposure on the world stage and experience championship competition on the international level as he prepares for the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games (WEG).

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FEI World Cup Driving Qualification – Vecsés

Koos de Ronde (Ned), winner of the CAIO Vecsés 2010. (c) Marie de Ronde-Oudemans.

Victory for de Ronde in Vecsés

Vecsés (HUN), 13 JUNE 2010 – Dutch four-in-hand driver Koos de Ronde took the victory at the international combined driving event in Vecsés, Hungary. De Ronde stayed ahead of home driver Zoltán Lázár in this FEI World Cup Qualifying competition, where the horse teams also battled in the nations competition. Switzerland’s Werner Ulrich came third, improving every event with his Lusitano team of horses.

Heat hit Hungary

The temperature in Vecsés, the home base of the sympathetic Hungarian four-in-hand driver József Dobrovitz and his family, rose to around 30 degrees Celsius throughout the weekend. The organising committee had taken the necessary precautions to ensure the welfare of the horses and shortened the A-section of the marathon to 1,2 kilometres and lowered the pace of the walk section. All competitors got fifteen minutes instead the usual ten minutes rest at the obligatory halt in the marathon before the obstacle phase. This turned out to be a wise decision and none of the competing horses had any problems at the finish of the marathon.

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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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Chester Weber Wins 2010 Four-In-Hand Garden State Driving Event in New Jersey

Combined Driver Chester Weber continued his winning streak in New Jersey, capturing the Four-in-Hand Garden State Driving Event in Allentown. (Photo courtesy of PicsofYou.com)

Allentown, NJ (June 11, 2010) – Chester Weber continued his long running winning streak in New Jersey, capturing the 2010 Four-In-Hand Garden State Driving Event Championship. As the eight-time United States National Four-In-Hand Combined Driving Champion, Team Weber cruised to victory in all three phases of the Garden State event, a selection trial for the World Equestrian Games in Kentucky this fall.

“The event went really well and the entire team, both people and horses, seems to be in top form leading up to WEG,” Weber said, adding that the heat and humidity did play a factor, especially for Reno, his six-year-old leader who seemed to have a hard time with it.

Despite the weather, and footing that wasn’t ideal, Team Weber triumphed over 10 other four-in-hand teams, finishing with a score of 116.64 penalties while runner-up Josh Rector finished with a score of 140.67. Jimmy Fairclough, who has long been Weber’s top competition, went off course in the cones phase and was eliminated.

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2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games to Celebrate 100 Days to Go with Festival

June 11, 2010 – LEXINGTON, KY – The Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games, with several key sponsors and partners, will celebrate 100 Days to Go until the world’s most prestigious equestrian event comes to Kentucky with a celebration in downtown Lexington on June 17.

The Fifth Third Pavilion at Cheapside Park will be transformed into a celebration and preview of things to come from September 25-October 10, 2010, when the world championships in eight equestrian sports are contested at Lexington’s Kentucky Horse Park.

The 100 Days to Go Celebration will kick off at 11 a.m., with live music and a culinary preview of the Games, including Dippin’ Dots, Alltech Angus and Kentucky Ale.

At noon, the Games’ title sponsor, Alltech, will announce the line up for the Alltech Fortnight Festival, a sixteen-day concert series which will take place in venues around the state of Kentucky concurrent with the Games.

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

Isabell Werth on Warum Nicht. © 2010 Ken Braddick

CANNES, France, June 10 – Isabell Werth on Warum Nicht led a German sweep of the top three places in the Exquis World Dressage Masters Grand Prix presented by Massa Stud Thursday, but was disappointed the horse was distracted by flowers blowing in the wind.

Riding in her third WDM this year – she came third in Palm Beach in February and at Munich last month – and her first ever competition in Cannes, Isabell and her 2007 World Cup champion mount scored 71.489 per cent, a fraction ahead of Anja Plönzke on Le Mont d’Or with 71.447 per cent and Matthias Alexander Rath on Triviant UNICEF with 70.851 per cent.

This French Riviera resort was the launching pad in 2008 for the world’s richest lineup of dressage competitions that has grown to five premier CDI5* competitions this year, each one with prize money of €100,000 (US$120,000). Falsterbo, Sweden has been added to the calendar this year and followed by the 2010 finale at Hickstead, England.

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