Tag Archives: Devon Horse Show

Third 2012 US Show Jumping Team Observation Event Set to Get Underway at Devon Horse Show

Beezie Madden and Coral Reef Via Volo (Shannon Brinkman)

Devon, PA – All eyes will be on the Devon Horse Show this week as 13 of the top jumping combinations in the U.S. compete in the third of four 2012 U.S. Show Jumping Team Observation Events. Horses and riders on the USEF Long List for the U.S. Show Jumping Team for the 2012 Olympic Games will jump in Thursday’s Wells Fargo Grand Prix of Devon and Saturday’s Open Jumper Stake.

Beezie Madden will be extremely busy this week as she brings her three long listed horses to compete at the Devon Observation Event. Madden will compete Coral Reef Via Volo in the mare’s first Observation Event classes this week. The 14-year-old Belgian Warmblood and Madden teamed up to win Team Gold and Individual Silver medals for the U.S. at last year’s Pan American Games in Guadalajara, Mexico. She will also ride Abigail Wexner’s talented geldings Simon and Cortes ‘C’. Both horses had strong showings at the Observation Event in Lexington, KY earlier this month. Simon jumped to victory in the $50,000 Hagyard Lexington Classic and collected third place honors in the $75,000 Commonwealth Grand Prix. While Cortes ‘C’ finished fourth in the latter.

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Taylor Harris Insurance $200,000 Triple Crown Challenge Set for Debut at Devon Horse Show on May 31

Middleburg, VA – May 21, 2012 – The first leg of the all new Taylor Harris Insurance Services $200,000 Triple Crown Challenge, America’s richest rider bonus, is set for lift off just days from now at the legendary Devon Horse Show and Country Fair.

This unique challenge offers a spectacular $200,000 top prize for any show jumping rider that can put together back to back to back wins on the same horse at three of the nation’s most prestigious grand prix events.

The first event of the Taylor Harris Triple Crown Challenge, the $100,000 Wells Fargo Grand Prix of Devon, takes place in Devon, Pennsylvania, on Thursday evening, May 31, 2012. Rider registration is required; forms are available in the Devon Horse Show Office.

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US Show Jumping Chef d’Equipe to Undergo Treatment for Cancer

Lexington, KY – U.S. Show Jumping Chef d’Equipe George Morris will be undergoing treatment for prostate cancer this spring.

Morris will remain in his position of Chef d’Equipe and will stay closely involved with the program, the selection process and the riders even though he will be unable to travel to the Observation Events.

Morris has asked Robert Ridland (who was recently named the Morris’ successor beginning in 2013: http://www.usefnetwork.com/news/8096/2012/2/21/robert_ridland_approved_for_us_sh.aspx) to attend the Observation Events and monitor the technical aspects of those competitions and report to Morris.

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US Show Jumping Team Observation Events to Be Held in Four Locations

Lexington, KY – The United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) announced today the four competitions which will host the 2012 US Show Jumping Team Observation Events. These events will play an important role in selecting the U.S. Show Jumping Team for the 2012 Olympic Games.

Following the USEF Selection Trials at the FTI Consulting Winter Equestrian Festival March 21-24, 2012, a Long List of athlete/horse combinations will be ranked. Any of these combinations wishing to continue in the Olympic Selection process will have to contest two of the four USEF Observation Events.

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Callan Solem Wins the Richard E. McDevitt Style Award at the Devon Horse Show

Callan Solem was presented with the Richard E. McDevitt Style Award after placing second in the $100,000 Wells Fargo Grand Prix of Devon aboard VDL Torlando. Photo By: James Parker/The Book LLC.

Devon, PA – June 7, 2011 – With its home base just a few miles away in Chester Springs, Pennsylvania, Callan Solem Show Stables competed at the prestigious Devon Horse Show this past week. Professional rider Callan Solem showcased her two leading mounts under the lights in the historic Dixon Oval, during the $100,000 Wells Fargo Grand Prix of Devon.  Solem placed second aboard VDL Torlando, and eighth with Magic Cruise. Following the Grand Prix ride for ribbons, Solem was pleased to be named the winner of the Richard E. McDevitt Style Award. “It has always been a goal of mine,” she said. “So many amazing riders have won it before; it certainly is an honor to win that award, it added to a very exciting week.”

Designer Olaf Peterson presented the country’s leading riders with a challenging grand prix course, but Solem had clear first rounds on both of her horses. She went in the first slot to show in the jump-off with VDL Torlando, and the duo paved the way with a second clear effort, which would eventually garner them the second place honors. Solem then tackled the track with Magic Cruise to score the eighth place award.

“It is such a great show and a really special place to do so well, so I was very happy,” commented Solem. “I think Olaf did a great job with the course, it was difficult but he got the result he wanted. VDL Torlando is just turning 11 years old, so he’s entering the prime of his life. I’ve had him since he was six and he has so much experience now; it’s fun to have developed him. He’s starting to go like a professional. He came out there and knew exactly what he needed to do, he felt very knowledgeable.”

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SBS Farms and Jersey Boy Dominate 2011 Devon Horse Show

Jennifer Alfano and Jersey Boy won the $25,000 USHJA International Hunter Derby of Devon for the second year in a row. Photo Credit: Jessica Nemzoff/ PhelpsSports.com.

Devon, PA – June 6, 2011 – For the second year in a row, SBS Farms’ leading duo of Jennifer Alfano and Jersey Boy proved unstoppable by scoring the winning title during the $25,000 USHJA International Hunter Derby of Devon. Alfano and Jersey Boy led the competition from start to finish by scoring a 184 during the first round and a 200 during the handy round for a total of 384. Their incredible success at the 2011 Devon Horse Show also included the High Performance Working Hunter Championship, and Alfano was presented with the Leading Lady Hunter Rider award for excellent effort during the professional hunter divisions.

“When Jersey Boy wants to win, he really wants to win, and today, he intended on winning,” smiled Alfano after her winning ride in the Derby. “He was a little frisky in the first round, but he came back in the second round and he was just on. He is a great handy horse – his gallop is so loose and natural and he turns so easily, so it’s really fun to do the handy rounds on him, because he’s one of those horses that can gallop and turn at the same time, which I think is rare.”

Owner and trainer Susie Schoellkopf added, “Developing that kind of handiness isn’t something that happens overnight, but is definitely a huge part of being successful in the derbies. Rodney Jenkins always said, ‘When you’re going to do the hard options, you better do them really, really well.’ I think that is a really good point that I have always believed as a judge and a trainer and I think that you have to know how to do it and you have to be able to do it well and make the turns happen.”

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Georgina Bloomberg Launches Teen Book Series

Real Life and Equestrian Experiences of Mayor’s Daughter Inspire The A Circuit; Available Today, May 24, 2011

New York, NY – May 24, 2011 – Today, Georgina Bloomberg, an accomplished professional equestrian, philanthropist and youngest daughter of Mayor Michael Bloomberg, launches The A Circuit (Bloomsbury, original paperback, $9.99), the first in a series of teen novels set within the equestrian world she knows so well.  Co-written with Cathy Hapka, Georgina brings an authenticity and flair to the books that will entice as much as they will fascinate.  The second novel in the series, entitled My Favorite Mistake, is scheduled to be released in March 2012.

The A Circuit is the A-List meets the elite horse world, capturing the lives of three teenagers, Zara, the wild child of a famous rock star, Kate, a working student serious about riding, and Tommi, a billionaire heiress, as they navigate the life of privilege and competition and figure out how to succeed while being true to themselves. The social drama set within an elite world will have teens flocking to this series.

The A Circuit captures the pressures and struggles that riders face, and is also a great lesson that working together in any sport can bring different people together,” said Georgina when asked why she decided to write the series.

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