Category Archives: *Featured/Spotlights

Special features, spotlights, headlines

*Featured/Spotlights, Championships, Competitions, Contributors/Press, Disciplines, Eventing/H.T., Events, FEI

FEI World Eventing Championships for Young Horses

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Germany's Andreas Dibowski, here pictured with his winning ride Mighty Magic, claimed the top two places in the 7 Year Old Championship at the FEI World Eventing Championships for Young Horses at Le Lion d'Angers, France over the weekend.

DIBOWSKI DOMINATES AT LE LIONS D’ANGERS

Le Lion d’Angers (FRA), 25 October 2010 – Germany’s Andreas Dibowski dominated the 25th World Eventing Championship for Young Horses, staged at the Haras Nationaux du Lion d’Angers, France from 21 to 24 October.

The German Olympian and his much-admired stallion Mighty Magic (Mytens XX/Heraldik XX) which finished second in last year’s 6-year-old class, returned to take the coveted 7-year-old title with a convincing victory. For good measure a clear round in the final jumping phase secured second place with Butts Avedon, who like Dibowski’s 2010 Badminton runner-up ride Euroridings Butts Leon is also sired by the WBFSH top ranked stallion Heraldik XX.  This was a dream result for the 44-year-old from Dohle in Lower Saxony.

“Although I have prepared hard for this competition and had victory in mind, first and second was not a thought. When I was younger I was a fan of Andrew Nicholson and today I was privileged to be standing on the podium with him,” Dibowski said, referring to the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games bronze medallist whose double clear with Quimbo earned third place. New Zealand veteran, Nicholson, was also 16th with Qwanza, another by the Holstein stallion Lacros, and bred by Pedro Beca in Spain.

Read more> http://www.horsesinthesouth.com/article/article_detail.aspx?id=12415

*Featured/Spotlights, Awards, Community/Charity, Contributors/Press, Events, FEI, Show Jumping, World Equestrian Games

Eric Lamaze Named as Owner of the Year

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(L-R): Christian Baillet, Chairman of the JOC and Sven Holmberg, First Vice-President of the FEI, presenting Owner of the Year award to Eric Lamaze

19 October 2010 – For the second year running, Eric Lamaze and John Fleischhacker, joint-owners of the 14 year old bay stallion Hickstead, have been awarded the prestigious title of “Owner of the Year” by the Jumping Owners Club. Hickstead and Canadian rider Eric Lamaze continued their superb form to maintain their position as the most successful horse and rider combination in 2009.

Christian Baillet, Chairman of the Jumping Owners Club, and FEI First Vice President Sven Holmberg presented the award to Eric Lamaze. The ceremony took place during the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games in Lexington (KY), USA.

Formed in 2005 and supported by Rolex, the Jumping Owners Club is an exclusive organisation of international owners which works towards growing the popularity of the sport around the world. It is the only body which represents the views and opinions of the owners, and works closely alongside the FEI in building the profile and inclusiveness of Jumping.

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*Featured/Spotlights, Competitions, Contributors/Press, Diana de Rosa, Disciplines, Driving, Events, Hunter/Equitation, Show Jumping

WEG Comes to WIHS

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Chester Weber. Photos by Diana De Rosa.

World Equestrian Games Riders and Drivers to Attend 52nd Annual Washington International Horse Show

October 18, 2010 – The finest riders and drivers in the world assembled at the historic 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games (WEG) last month in Kentucky. The Washington International Horse Show is pleased to welcome a number of these great horsemen and horsewomen October 26-31 at Verizon Center in Washington, DC.

Chester Weber, Ocala, FL, winner of the WEG Team Silver Medal for four-in-hand driving will bring his brilliant team of four to WIHS on Thursday, Friday and Saturday evenings for an exciting exhibition. Olympic Gold Medalist McLain Ward, Brewster, NY, the highest placed show jumper at WEG with a 7th individually, will be competing in the $100,000 President’s Cup Grand Prix Saturday night and other jumper classes throughout the week. He is a past winner of this highlight event. Also on hand will be show jumping superstar Rodrigo Pessoa, Brazil, who made it to the elite Final Four at WEG, and Venezuelan Pablo Barrios, whose performance at WEG advanced him into the select individual competition.

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*Featured/Spotlights, Competitions, Contributors/Press, Disciplines, Events, FEI, FEI, Show Jumping

Rolex FEI World Cup Jumping 2010/2011

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Germany's Christian Ahlmann is presented with his Rolex watch by Anthony Schaub from Rolex. Photo: FEI/Roger Svalsrod.

AHLMANN WINS AS GERMAN RIDERS DOMINATE OPENING ROLEX LEG AT OSLO by Louise Parkes

Oslo (NOR) 17 October 2010 – Christian Ahlmann won the opening leg of the 2010/2011 Rolex FEI World Cup Jumping Western European League series at Oslo in Norway this afternoon where German riders scooped the top three places.  And Ahlmann’s victory was all-the-more creditable for the fact that the 36 year old rider suffered the tragic loss of one of his top horses, the nine year old stallion Calvados Z, earlier in the day.

“For sure today it wasn’t easy for me to ride and to concentrate on my job,” Ahlmann said after completing his victory gallop with his 10 year old stallion Taloubet Z, “but Taloubet really did his very best for me.”  It was the German master, Ludger Beerbaum, who slotted into second place ahead of Lars Nieberg in third. The first non-German in the line-up was fourth-placed Frenchman Kevin Staut, who headed Holland’s Leon Thijssen in fifth place.

Read more> http://www.horsesinthesouth.com/article/article_detail.aspx?id=12368

*Featured/Spotlights, Contributors/Press, Diana de Rosa, Disciplines, Dressage, Driving, Endurance Riding, Eventing/H.T., Events, FEI, Para-Equestrian, Show Jumping, Vaulting, Western/Reining, World Equestrian Games

The 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games

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Steffen Peters – Individual Bronze – USA. Photos by Diana De Rosa

Bringing the World to Kentucky

“What a journey this continues to be,” said Dr. Pearse Lyons, as he sat mesmerized by the incredible talent he was witnessing on September 25 as he watched each performer showcase their talents during the Opening Ceremonies of the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games.  It had been four years since Dr. Lyons had made the decision for his company, Alltech, a worldwide leader in animal nutrition, health and performance, to be the first major sponsor of this event.

This day was especially significant and he wasn’t about to miss even one beat of the evening’s performances.

“As the first performers entered the arena, I felt a great sense of relief and a sense of achievement,” commented Dr. Lyons after pausing for a moment to answer the question of how significant it was to have the Games start officially. “That relief wasn’t just for me but for our people at Alltech and for WEG.  We all planned it and our people and the WEG people came together to get the job done.  It’s been a great example of a team effort.  So, how do I feel?  I feel really delighted, especially to see our people really get into it and get involved.”

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*Featured/Spotlights, Community/Charity, Contributors/Press, Products/Services

SUNCOAST Pine Shavings

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

Chester Weber Finds Silver Lining at WEG and Helps US Team Clinch Silver Medal

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Chester Weber and his team take a victory lap after the cones phase of the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games in Lexington, Kentucky. (Photo courtesy of My Weber)

Lexington, KY (October 12, 2010) – Combined Driver Chester Weber showed himself to be a world class competitor during the final days of the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games, when he brilliantly won the cones phase of the Combined Driving event with a lightning fast time of 200.42 to help the U.S. team clinch the Silver Medal. US Teammates Weber, James Fairclough and Tucker Johnson not only won the team Silver, but Johnson won the Individual Bronze as well, while the Netherlands won the team Gold and Germany the team Bronze.

On the first day of the Combined Driving competition, a standout dressage test had Weber tied for second place with IJsbrand Chardon of the Netherlands. However, things weren’t all smooth sailing for Weber; the eight-time USEF National Four-In-Hand Champion experienced bad luck on the marathon phase when one of his horses put a leg over a trace and a groom had to dismount to help the horse. The groom dismounting added points to Weber’s score and put him out of the running for an individual medal.

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*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.

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

*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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