Elite and global competition comes to Windsor next year, with 5* Show Jumping, 4* Dressage, Nations Cup Carriage Driving and 2* Endurance all taking place over the course of the five-day Horse Show which has become the largest outdoor equestrian event in the country.
The Show will have a total prize fund of over £520,000 – the largest of any UK outdoor show – which includes €275,000 for the newly introduced Rolex Grand Prix. This will be the largest single prize for a 5* Show Jumping class in the UK.
Royal Windsor Horse Show is a highlight of the British equestrian calendar and kicks off the busy summer show season. The 2017 event has been boosted by the announcement of Rolex as a new Official Partner; they join long established partners Land Rover, Laurent-Perrier, DAKS, Hermès, The Dorchester Collection, Musto and Martin Collins Enterprises.
Show Director, Simon Brooks-Ward, said: “2017 is an extremely exciting year for Royal Windsor Horse Show with the elevation to 5* level, putting us alongside the best international horse shows in the world. Our sponsors and supporters are vital partners in this event and we’re delighted that Rolex has come on board to join our family.”
In addition to the international Show Jumping on offer, equestrian enthusiasts can also enjoy top-class Showing, with over 140 classes planned into the busy showing programme which includes, newly introduced this year, a Supreme Show Championship. As always, HM The Queen will be keeping a watchful eye on the competition, having had a highly successful 2016 show when she competed her ex-racehorse Barber’s Shop.
On Friday 12th May the already established 120km CEI2* Royal Windsor Endurance will take place in Windsor Great Park. This year, it will be joined by a CEI1* 80km and an Endurance GB 40km ride, all conducted under FEI rules.
Furthermore, the Show will again host the Land Rover CAIO4* International Driving Grand Prix, which will take place over four days of the Show and include an FEI World Cup™ Qualifier for the Four-In-Hand class, and will see a welcome return of the Horse Pairs.
Evening performances will be back for 2017 with 4* Dressage Grand Prix and Freestyle to Music on Thursday and Friday respectively and 5* Show Jumping on Saturday. All evening performances will include displays from The Household Cavalry Mounted Regiment and The King’s Troop Royal Horse Artillery.
Tickets for the show are now on sale and once again, Royal Windsor Horse Show organisers are delighted to offer free admission to all visitors on the opening day of the show, dubbed as ‘Windsor Wednesday’ on 10th May (free tickets must be reserved in advance). Tickets for evening performances can be purchased separately or jointly with day tickets and there are options to reserve grandstand seating in prime positions.
The general admission ticket price for adults on Thursday 11th May is £17.00 and £20.00 on Friday 12th May. On Saturday 13th May and Sunday 14th May showground entry is £27.50 for adults and £14.00 for children. There are discounts for group bookings and concessions as well as family value tickets for two adults and three children for £70 on either Saturday or Sunday.
For those seeking a more exclusive experience at Royal Windsor, packages are now also available to purchase offering access to the Members Enclosure or the new Windsor Enclosure. The premium Members Enclosure has seating alongside the Royal Enclosure, a Members restaurant, bar and terrace all of which overlook the main Castle Arena. The Windsor Enclosure is a new introduction to Royal Windsor and provides an enclosure with a bistro, bar and lawn on the north-east end of the Castle Arena and pre-booked seating in proximity to the Royal Enclosure.
All tickets can be purchased at www.rwhs.co.uk or by telephoning the box office on 0844 581 4960 from the UK and +44 (0)1753 743589 internationally.
For more information, please contact Gayle Telford, Revolution Sports + Entertainment
E: gayle@revolutionsports.co.uk T: + 44 (0)203 176 0355
Royal Windsor Horse Show The Show will take place from 10th-14th May 2017. Over 55,000 visitors are expected to attend the Show which offers its audience an extensive programme of first class equestrian competition and displays in 5 arenas.
The displays in the main Castle Arena include The Musical Ride of The Household Calvary Mounted Regiment, The Musical Drive of the King’s Troop RHA, The DAKS Pony Club Mounted Games and The Shetland Pony Grand National. As well as the equestrian competitions and activities, there are over 220 shops in the Shopping Village, with a wide range of products for sale, from jewellery and fashion, to food and drink. Her Majesty the Queen has attended every year since it started in 1943 and it is the only time of the year that the private grounds of Windsor Castle are open to the public. Royal Windsor Horse Show is organised by HPower Group, also organisers of Olympia, The London International Horse Show www.hpower.co.uk.
Lausanne (SUI), 9 October 2016 – After a second place finish on the podium in 2015, Bulgaria’s Denis Furlanski captured individual gold riding Moz in the 100km FEI Balkan Endurance Championships 2016 at Velika Pisanica in eastern Croatia.
Furlanski, who last year won team gold and individual silver at the 90km Balkan Championships, headed Moz into the cold morning fog through the forest trails coming into the first vet check just behind top Croatian athlete Zrinka Bilen on the 10-year-old mare Sally.
They left for the second loop at the same time, but Furlanski and the 10 year-old Shagya gelding pulled ahead and completed the ride in the afternoon sun in 04:54:28 with an average speed of 20:376 km/h.
Fellow Bulgarian Desislava Aleksieva, finishing five minutes later on the 9-year-old Arabian, Pompey, scored individual silver with the ride time of 04:59:37, and bronze was won by Zrinka who arrived three minutes later over the finish line.
Team spirit
With Bulgaria’s one-two finish, the team had a leg up on the top podium spot, and thanks to the sixth-place finish of third team member Ruz Nedkova-Ivanova on Morfey the team’s combined ride time of 15:11:53 secured the gold medal.
Croatia, with Bilen’s individual bronze in the bag, narrowly missed team gold with Stefano Osip on the 8-year-old Shagya gelding Hajna finishing fourth and Iva Lipovac taking fifth place with 9-year-old mare Hita. They completed in a combined ride time of 15:18:15.
Greece took home team bronze finishing in 21:53:53 with Viktoria Schoina on Koheilan XIII 16 SALA, Irini Mitona on Aphroditi and Sotirios Patisouras on Sheikh, who finished 10th, 11th and 12th, in that order.
A total of 30 rider/horse combinations from Bulgaria, Croatia, Greece and Turkey started out at 07:00 on the FEI Balkan Endurance Championships 2016 trail, which left from the Kukavica sports centre in Velika Pisanica into a forested area with excellent horse trails.
Timer and member of the Organising Committee Antun Baković said of the day: “Everything connected to facilitating the event went smoothly thanks to enthusiastic athletes and supporting crew, and the experience of Technical Delegate and Foreign Judge Anita Goedl and officials led by Teodora Kostova, President of the Ground Jury.”
Germany’s Sarah Arnold and Tsagan Nour. (FEI/Pamela Burton)
Nègrepelisse (FRA), 24 September 2016 – Smart riding brought Sabrina Arnold (GER) and Tsagan Nour to the top of the podium at the FEI World Endurance Championship for Young Horses (7 years) in Nègrepelisse, France.
The 120km Championship, which finished with an all-female 1,2,3 Friday afternoon, with Arnold and Tsagan Nour galloping over the finish line in a time of 05:59:04, culminated in the prize giving.
Spain’s second-placed rider Emma Rosell Segura riding Danco completed in 06:05:58, followed by third over the line and also from Spain Laia Soria Pinol on Nervi Del Rieral finishing the four loops just two seconds later.
After starting the second loop in 10th position after a 2-minute recovery in the first hold, Arnold was assured that her mount was doing well with the trail conditions. Continuing with good recoveries, the duo was able to move up in the finish order on each loop and took possession of the ride on the final loop to emerge victorious.
France seals Best Condition
The first-placed French rider, Paul Bard, riding Volny Du Leff, finished sixth and later the highly coveted Best Condition was awarded to his seven-year-old chestnut gelding.
Ana Barbas (POR) riding her own E Da Fuica scored fourth and Mohammed Khalifa Al Sowaidi (QAT) riding Dufawan finished fifth, with the rest of the top eleven spots secured by French athletes on this striking trail in the Tarn-et-Garonne department in the Midi-Pyrénées region of southern France.
Young Horses – future champions
These annual FEI World Endurance Championships for Young Horses, first held in Compiègne, France in 2001, are an important foundation ride for future champion horses as they mature.
A total of 42 combinations from Bahrain, Croatia, Denmark, Germany, Great Britain, Italy, Netherlands, Portugal, Qatar, Slovakia, Spain, USA and the UAE joined 52 combinations from France for this year’s Championship.
Trail tactics – Sabrina Arnold and Tsagan Nour
Tsagan Nour is part-owned by French champion rider Jean Philippe Frances, technical advisor and partner to the 36-year-old Arnold, who has been a distance rider since she was a child. Together they made a plan for the Championship’s challenges:
“These horses are young and it is better for their mind to have a companion,” she explained. “On the first loop we were too fast and I slowed down and rode with two other riders. My horse was immediately good in the vetting and I rode with our second rider on the next track through the third loop. On the fourth, the rider from Qatar rode with me for a while. On the last loop, the trail was very challenging. I had some information from other friends on the trail that we were many minutes in the lead, so I slowed him down and let him breathe.”
First-time Championship trail
The FEI Endurance Championship for Young Horses 2016 was held for the first time in this farming community northeast of Montauban. The course followed forest trails and farm tracks from the equestrian centre in Domaine de Pousiniès through local communes of Saint-Etienne-de-Tulmont, Nègrepelisse, Vaïssac, and Genebrieres. Temperatures for the day hit 26C by 2pm. Organised by Endurance Equestrian Nègrepellsse, and supported by the Sheikh Mansoor Bin Zayed Al Nahyan Global Arabian Horse Festival, the trail was contested with four loops of 35kms, 30kms, 35kms and 22kms, beginning at 07:30.
FEI Endurance Director Manuel Bandeira de Mello said of the day: “Horses in Young Championships are not yet at their maximum fitness, and the most important thing for me was how well the riders managed their horses.”
Gérard Aurel, President of Endurance Équestre de Nègrepelisse, said after the ride: “We are very happy to have organised this Championship with 14 nations and the day went very well.”
Lausanne (SUI), 17 September 2016 – In a day of weather that changed as often as the ride leaders, Spain’s Jaume Punti Dachs captured individual gold and led his compatriots Alex Luque Moral and Angel Soy Coll to the team title at the Longines FEI World Endurance Championships 2016 in Samorin (SLK).
Punti Dachs, who also took team and individual gold at the European championships at the Samorin venue 12 months ago, had a perfect ride on the nine-year-old grey Twyst Maison Blanche to complete the 160km track in 06:46:42 with an average speed of 23.60 km/h.
Fellow Spaniard Alex Luque Moral and Calandria, the lovely 10-year-old grey mare that deservedly took the best conditioned horse award, were 50 seconds off the pace to take individual silver, with Bahrain’s HH Sheikh Nasser Bin Al Kalifa taking bronze with Waterlea Dawn Treader in a time of 06:49:47.
The Spanish led an all-European team podium, with France taking silver and the Netherlands holding on for bronze.
The track, which ran between the river Danube and the neighbouring canal, as well as through forestry and farmland, was flat and fast and the 134 starters set off at pace from the 6am mass start.
Punti Dachs was consistently in the top 10 over the first four loops, and the 47-year-old, who was a team gold medallist over the challenging Sartilly terrain at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games™ 2014 in Normandy (FRA), ended his day with a flourish to scoop double gold and add the world title to his European crown. His wife Maria Alvarez Ponton, who was vetted out after the second loop, previously held the two titles concurrently after winning European and world gold in 2009 and 2010.
Twyst Maison Blanche wasn’t the first horse across the finish line, but the final vet check is the real finish line and when both the United Arab Emirates runners, Napoli Del Ma (Saif Ahmad Al Mazroui) and Quran El Ulm (Ganem Abdullah Al Merri) were vetted out and Uruguay’s LG Muneerah wasn’t presented by Jonatan Rivera Iriarte, top honours went to Punti Dachs.
In fact none of the UAE team recorded a completion score, even though HH Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed Al Maktoum and Ramaah had been at the head of the field throughout, until the 12-year-old gelding went out at the fourth vet gate. Sadly, Ajayeb, the 15-year-old chestnut mare ridden by Sheikh Hamdan’s team mate Sheikh Rashid Dalmook Al Maktoum, tripped and fell on the fourth loop of the track, suffering an irreparable injury to her right front leg and had to be euthanised.
“It was a very tough day,” Punti Dachs said. “There were magnificent horses in front of me, but endurance sometimes happens like this. You do everything right and then something goes wrong. It’s like life.”
It’s been something of a winning spree for Spain as their all-female team won the European Endurance Young Riders and Juniors Championships in Portugal earlier in the month.
Alex Luque Moral was thrilled to take team gold and individual silver in Samorin. “I slowed down to save my horse after the first fast loop, and then for the last loop, I decided to really have fun with my mare and show everyone what she could do after all the training for this championship.”
Angel Soy Coll, whose sixth-place finish sealed Spain’s victory, said: “I am very happy and very grateful to have been part of the team. It was a tough day but think I managed to do what was expected of me and my horse and get a good result for the Spanish team.”
Bronze medallist HH Sheikh Nasser Bin Hamad Al Khalifa, the only non-European on the podium, trained the 11-year-old Waterlea Dawn Treader for the championships at home in Bahrain and France. “The race was very difficult especially the third loop because of the humidity. I believed in my plan and it worked. My horse was not tired at all; he was perfect.”
See final Longines FEI World Endurance Championships 2016 scores: www.wech2016.com.
Athletes pictured here at the Longines FEI World Endurance Championships 2012 in Euston Park (GBR). (FEI/Henry Browne)
Lausanne (SUI), 15 September 2016 – A record 46 nations will contest the Longines FEI World Endurance Championships 2016 this Saturday (17 September), with the world’s top Endurance athletes already on-site at Slovakia’s state-of-the-art Šamorín Equestrian Centre, brain-child of Slovakian businessman Mario Hoffmann.
A total of 136 horse/rider combinations will head out on the 160-kilometre track in a 6am mass-start, with five loops of 40, 35, 35, 30 and 20kms running across grass, field and forest tracks alongside the River Danube and skirting around Bratislava at the foot of the Little Carpathians mountain range.
The youngest competitor at the Longines FEI World Endurance Championships is 14-year-old Pilar Saravia from Uruguay. Currently ranked number three in the world, she won her first 3* 160km ride on home soil in July, with her second 3* 160km win in Buenos Aires just two weeks later.
Saravia and the grey mare SM Dhanderiega, her winning ride in Buenos Aires, will be flying the flag for the seven South American countries at these Championships, challenging the world’s most seasoned Endurance athletes for a podium spot.
The United Arab Emirates claimed team gold and all three individual medals at the Longines FEI World Endurance Championships 2012 in Euston Park (GBR), as well as team, individual silver and bronze at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games™ 2010 in Lexington, Kentucky (USA).
HH Sheikh Hamdan Bin Mohammed Al Maktoum, Crown Prince of Dubai, who took individual gold at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games™ 2014 in Normandy (FRA), team gold in 2012 and individual bronze in 2010, will lead a team of five at this year’s Championships in Šamorín, including 2010 and 2012 fellow team member Sheikh Rashid Dalmook Al Maktoum.
Spain’s Endurance “armada” is also looking formidable for these Longines Championships. Maria Alvarez Ponton, current world Endurance number one – who famously won individual gold at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games™ 2010 seven weeks after giving birth to Maria, the first of her two daughters, and in doing so became the first Endurance athlete to hold both World and European titles at the same time – will be competing with her husband and Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games™ 2014 gold medal winning team-mate Jaume Punti Dachs.
He last led Spain to team gold at the FEI European Championships in Šamorín in October last year. They are joined by their 2015 European Championships team member Alex Luque Moral, 2009 European Championships team gold medalist Silvia Yebra Altimiras and Angel Soy Coll, who finished second at the Spanish Endurance Championships in Badajoz in April of this year.
France, who celebrated double Olympic success in Rio with team golds in Eventing and Jumping, will be bringing their samba passion to Šamorín. Jean Philippe Frances, who led France to Endurance team silver at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games™ 2014, and to silver again at last October’s European Championships where he also won individual bronze, will lead a team of five. His successful partnership with 10-year-old gelding Secret de Mon Coeur (Secret of my Heart), which claimed the Best Condition award at last year’s European Championships, will continue in Šamorín.
“We have the best Endurance athletes on the planet competing in the Longines FEI World Endurance Championships on Saturday,” said FEI Endurance Director Manuel Bandeira de Mello.
“The world’s top Endurance athletes get to compete at this level only every two years, at either the World Endurance Championships which coincide with the Olympic cycle, or at the FEI World Equestrian Games.
“Endurance is the fastest growing FEI discipline and at Šamorín we have 46 out of a total of 53 countries currently involved in international Endurance competitions. We’re all looking forward to seeing these athletes showcase this incredible sport, which is a real test of the partnership between horse and rider, and the ability to cross all kinds of terrain.”
Roberts Wins Endurance Gold, USA Southeast Takes Endurance Team Gold
Lexington, KY – On Saturday afternoon, dressage riders competed for their Freestyle Individual medals in the Rolex Stadium at the 2013 Adequan/FEI North American Junior & Young Rider Championships presented by Gotham North (NAJYRC). Ayden Uhlir (Region 6) and Sjapoer won their second Individual Gold medal of the week in the Young Rider division. Laurence Blais Tetreault and Lowelas also won another Gold medal in the Junior division. Endurance riders competed in their 75-mile race yesterday, and it was Cassandra Roberts (Team USA Southeast) who won the race for the Gold medal with Viktory Banner. The USA Southeast team took Gold in endurance.
The top 15 Individuals advanced to the Freestyle Championship today and were judged by Bernard Maurel (FRA) at E, Linda Zang (USA) at H, Jane Ayers (USA) at C, Martin Richenhagen (GER) at M, and Annette Fransen-Iacobaeus (SWE) at B.
The highest score of the day went to Ayden Uhlir (18, Kirkland, WA) and Sjapoer, her 14-year-old KWPN gelding by Contango. They had judges’ scores of 74.000% at E, 68.375% at H, 73.625% at C, 73.625% at M, and 71.250% at B for a total of 72.175% and the Gold medal.
Uhlir showed no loss of concentration when her music went out as she did tempis down the diagonal. She continued with her test without a hiccup and when the music came back on again, she was in time and finished as her music ended. “I’m pretty happy with it even though my music went out,” she smiled. “Two years ago I probably would have had a conniption, but I think it shows progress that I kept my cool.”
She explained, “I was on time with my music when it went out. I just stayed on my exact pace. I knew that when the music would come back on, I’d be where I was supposed to be. I didn’t let the music affect me in any way. I knew my pattern, I just rode it, and it all worked out in the end.”
Uhlir revamped her Freestyle music for Sjapoer since last year and this was the first time they performed it in competition. “This year I wanted to do something that was maybe a little bit classier. I really think it fits Sjapoer really well,” she said. “He just has that special quality about him that makes him so fancy. We needed to find the music that fits his personality and not the music that I just wanted to get. I’m really happy with my Freestyle.”
Although she won Gold yesterday, Uhlir “didn’t have any expectations at all” for today. “I had to forget about yesterday and I was riding a completely new day. It worked well because I didn’t feel as much pressure and was focusing on what we had to do at that moment,” she related. “I was very happy and it was a good end to our last Young Riders year.”
Jamie Pestana (20, Livermore, CA) and Winzalot had another Silver medal performance with a score of 70.975%. Their scores were E: 66.625%, H: 70.250%, C: 70.750%, M: 74.750%, and B: 72.500%.
She said of her test, “I was pretty happy with my test. There were a few things that could have gone better, but overall I was really happy with his attitude. He really likes his extended trots, so those were fun. Some of his tempis were good today. He felt really rideable.”
Her pop rock music included tracks from Nickelback, Pink, and the Slumdog Millionairesoundtrack. “It really clicked with Winzalot; he kind of picked the music for me,” she said.
After this success, they are “taking it slow and seeing” what future plans will be. “Usually when I try to make plans with my horse, they go awry,” she said wryly. “We’ll see how the year of training goes.”
The Bronze medal went to Tanya Strasser Shostak (18, St. Adele, QB, CAN) on Action Tyme, a 13-year-old Oldenburg stallion by Aktuell with a score of 70.500%. Their judges’ scores were E: 68.500%, H: 72.875%, C: 70.250%, M: 73.000%, B: 67.875%.
Action Tyme has been competing at the Grand Prix level for years with Tanya’s mother, Evi Strasser, and it took time and convincing for Tanya to get the ride on him. They became a pair just two months ago.
“We purchased him when he was five and I rode him then. I always loved him because he’s got the best personality. I’ve been trying to convince her for quite a few years, probably eight years now, to let me compete him,” Strasser Shostak said with a smile. “She said when her other horse is ready for Grand Prix, she would let me ride Action Tyme. She held up her end of the deal, so I couldn’t be happier right now.”
Strasser Shostak took a Freestyle test from another horse and then realized it “suited him quite well,” so they adjusted it to fit Action Tyme. This week, Strasser Shostak was fifth in the Individual class and fourth with her team. “I definitely had high expectations, maybe not with the horse, but with myself,” she said. “As the days went on, I really wanted it more because I was always so close. I tried to go for the scores, and it paid off.”
In 2012, Laurence Blais Tetreault (16, Montreal, QB, CAN) was the Junior Freestyle Gold medalist, and while she was on a different horse this year, she was able to repeat that accomplishment. Riding Lowelas, a 13-year-old Trakehner gelding by Hockey 41, she scored a 71.525% for the win. Her judges’ scores were E: 69.750%, H: 70.875%, C: 72.750%, M: 73.375%, and B: 70.875%.
The judges for the Junior class were Mercedes Campdera (MEX) at E, Joan Macartney (CAN) at H, Janet Foy (USA) at C, Axel Steiner (USA) at M, and Bo Jena (SWE) at B.
Tetreault chose her music and put it together with her sister Mathilde, who competed here as a Young Rider.
She said she feels lucky to be able to be at NAJYRC, and to go home with another Gold medal. “It just means so much because you realize when you put a lot of time practicing at home that it pays off so much. It’s just really great,” she expressed. “I would definitely recommend NAJYRC to other riders. It prepares you if you want to go further (in the sport). In my future, I think I’m going to look back and be so happy that I got the chance to do this.”
Naima Moreira Laliberte (16, Montreal, QB, CAN) and Windbreaker 3, a 12-year-old Westphalian gelding by Windspiel As, were also competing with little experience with their Freestyle music due to their three-month-old relationship. Laliberte had chosen her music for another horse and found that it matched with Windbreaker 3.
Laliberte echoed Tetreault’s feelings. “I’m really grateful to be here because it was a really last minute qualification,” she pointed out. “This competition, I’m grateful because I won three medals. It was pretty consistent and I’m happy with my horse.”
Barbara Davis (15, Bedminster, NJ – Region 1) rode to her first NAJYRC medal in her first time at NAJYRC with Rotano, her 12-year-old Hanoverian gelding by Rotspon. Their score of 69.875% gave them the Bronze medal. Her judges’ scores were E: 70.875%, H: 69.500%, C: 69.250%, M: 70.250%, B: 69.500%.
Davis picked out her “techno pop” music and prepared it two weeks ago with new music for the trot work. “This is the first time I’ve competed with this particular music,” she said. “I rode it three or four times at our barn. I’ve listened to it the entire day today to get the transitions. I was really comfortable with it because I only changed the trot music.”
She said of her experience here, “I really enjoyed myself. Now when I do go to a CDI or regular show, I’ll feel like it’s less stressful.”
Endurance Has Improved Turnout for Great Results
Cassandra Roberts of the USA Southeast and Viktory Banner finishing the 75-mile endurance race (Brant Gamma Photography)
Four teams were fielded for this year’s endurance race and it was a great opportunity for young riders to experience the FEI competition and what they can do for their country in the future. Leading the Gold medal-winning team for the USA Southeast was Cassandra Roberts (16, Bronson, FL) on Viktory Banner, who also won the Individual Gold medal with a winning time of 6:19:31.
This was the first time that Roberts had ridden Viktory Banner in competition. She got the ride on him after her mare was injured. “I’ve ridden him a little in training, but that’s all,” she said. “I expected to go fast! He had a lot of experience before I started riding him. He’s an amazing horse. It was pretty exciting. It makes me feel pretty good to win two Gold medals.”
The Individual Bronze medalist was also on Team USA Southeast. Heleen deBeer (19, Atlanta, GA) and DCL Mooi Penny finished in 8:19:22. Although she was born in South Africa, deBeer has lived in the United States for 12 years. She has been riding DCL Mooi Penny for two years.
“Penny is a very sensitive, loving mare to her riders. She is a delicate mare with a lot of staying power and fantastic heart rate recoveries,” deBeer said.
They were joined by Taylor White (15, Camden, SC) on Hoover the Mover with a time of 9:08:10, as well as Katie Baldino with Reminisonce +/ and Mallory Capps (19, Atlanta, GA) with Masterpiece Vlad. The USA Southeast had a team time of 23:47:03.
Capps said of the experience, “Riding for a team is definitely a good experience. Everyone is very supportive and you have a great crew. Everybody, including myself and Katie, as soon as we got pulled, we hopped in and supported our team because we wanted to see our team get a Gold medal. It’s a team sport and that’s what endurance is really about. We helped Northeast and Canada (too). It doesn’t matter what team you’re on. It’s like one big family.”
The USA Southeast Chef d’Equipe, Ann Stuart, was excited to see more riders compete in Endurance at NAJYRC this year. “I really appreciated it because a lot of us are getting older. We were looking around a few years ago wondering who was going to come up and ride in endurance races. We have an incredible squad. We filled in gaps in other teams. We’re lucky in Southeast to have so many riders; I’m really encouraged about that. They had great attitudes,” she said.
Emma Webb (19, Flesherton, ON, CAN) from Team Canada was a double Silver medalist with Vagas. She led the team with a time of 7:29:40. Jessica Yavis (17, Winfield, AB, CAN) and Jahlad (8:33:11) and Jaylene Janzen (20, Edmonton, AB, CAN) on Sakic (9:42:51) helped their team finish second with a total team time of 25:45:42.
Webb spoke about her relationship with Vagas, noting that she borrowed him for this competition: “Last December, I got to race him 75 miles and that went really well. I’ve been riding him a bit this summer, but this is the second time I’ve actually competed on him. He’s a fun pony. We had a good time.”
Webb was a part of the Gold medal-winning team at last year’s NAJYRC. This year, she was on a new horse, Vagas, who is owned by her neighbor. “I’ve ridden him more than just at this competition,” she acknowledged. “He’s an eight-year-old Arabian off the track.”
It was not all a smooth ride for Webb, however. She explained, “It was stressful, but we made it around. He lost the same shoe twice. The shoe has been put on four times in the last 10 days, so there wasn’t much foot left by the time we were done. But with his shoe on, he was sound and he passed the vet checks.”
Webb has aspirations to make Canada’s team for next year’s Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games (WEG) in Normandy, France. It is a big goal for a young rider. “Maybe we’ll make it to WEG next year, it may be on my own horse,” she remarked. “There are only so many people that have horses that are at that level (in Canada) and want to go to WEG. It is a really big commitment.”
The Bronze Team medal went to USA Northeast Combined with a team total time of 26:49:48. Michael Bishop (16, Raleigh, NC) and TEF Sunflash had a time of 8:33:14 to lead them, while Forest Green (16, Star Tannery, VA) and LR Amana Tabi finished in 9:08:15. Just behind him was Maria Muzzio (15, Fairfax, VA) on Khlil Asam in 9:08:19, and a split second behind was Hunter Green (15, Star Tannery, VA) and DJB Braveheart, who finished in 9:08:20. Sydney Sumrall (16, Atlanta, GA) and DCL Mooi Koedoe were also part of the team.
Bishop’s horse, TEF Sunflash, won the Best Conditioned Horse Award. “Flash is a very high energy, strong horse. He loves to go and he hardly ever stops really. He drinks well and he’s very fit. He’s done three 75-mile races since December.”
They have only been paired together since the beginning of May. “We had to figure everything out at the Biltmore Endurance Ride, which was our qualifying ride for Young Riders,” he said. “The Best Conditioned Horse Award was great to get, but the Team medal was a big honor.”
The Adequan/FEI North American Junior & Young Rider Championships presented by Gotham North conclude tomorrow with the Stadium Jumping phase for Eventing, which will determine the Team and Individual medals for CCI1* and CCI2*.
For full results or to learn more about the Adequan/FEI North American Junior & Young Rider Championships presented by Gotham North, please visit www.youngriders.org.
NAJYRC showcases the best young rider and junior horse/rider combinations in dressage, eventing, jumping, reining, and endurance. Young equestrians from across the continent will descend on the Kentucky Horse Park to vie for FEI medals at these Championships.
Lexington, KY – The United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) has elected a new Endurance Eligible Athlete Committee.
Endurance Eligible Athlete Committee
Melody Blittersdorf, Vice Chair
Kyle Gibbon
Carolyn Hock
Suzanne Hayes
Suzanne Hedgecock
Valerie Kanavy, Chair
Joseph Mattingley
Margaret Sleeper, Athlete Representative to the Endurance High Performance Committee
Deborah Reich
Heather Reynolds
Stephen Rojek
Heather Reynolds (left) riding Riverwatch at the 2012 Longines FEI World Endurance Championship (Merri Melde)
Lexington, KY – The United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) is pleased to announce the winners of two prestigious awards in the discipline of Endurance, the Maggy Price Endurance Excellence Award and the Brunjes Junior/Young Rider Trophy. The awards will be presented at the USEF Horse of the Year Awards gala and dinner on Friday, January 18, 2013 at the Louisville Marriott Downtown in Louisville, Kentucky.
Heather Reynolds Dunnellon, FL
The Maggy Price Endurance Excellence Award, sponsored by Gold Medal Farm, and Larry and Valerie Kanavy, is in memory of Maggy Price, who was the 1992 FEI World Endurance Championship Silver medalist instrumental in the development of international endurance in the U.S. The award is presented to the Endurance Rider Ranking List athlete with the most points earned in the competition year.
Lexington, KY – Pending final FEI approval, the Adequan/FEI North American Junior & Young Rider Championships presented by Gotham North (NAJYRC) will once again be held at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, KY. The annual competition will be held July 17-21, 2013. The United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) has received preliminary approval for these dates and location and is awaiting final allocation from the FEI Bureau.
In 2013, the NAJYRC again hosts championship caliber competition across five disciplines. In the Olympic disciplines of dressage, eventing and jumping as well as the Western discipline of reining, champions will be crowned in both Junior and Young Rider divisions. Endurance, which is included as a championship for the third time, offers an FEI championship for Young Riders.
This is the fifth consecutive year that the NAJYRC will be held at the Kentucky Horse Park, the site of the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games.
For more information regarding the 2013 Adequan/FEI North American Junior & Young Rider Championships presented by Gotham North, visit: youngriders.org.
Lexington, KY – The United States Equestrian Federation mourns the loss of a great competitor and ambassador for equestrian sport. Kathy Brunjes passed November 1, 2012 following a courageous battle with cancer.
Brunjes was an avid endurance rider logging 6,745 lifetime competition miles. Her passion for the sport of endurance saw her compete all over the world including representing the United States in Jerez, Spain at the 2004 FEI World Endurance Championships. Brunjes then travelled to Abu Dhabi, UAE in 2008 to compete in the President’s Cup and later the same year as a member of the U.S. squad at the FEI World Endurance Championship in Malaysia.
In addition to being a renowned competitor, Brunjes participated in governance of the sport as a member of the USEF Board of Directors since 2007. She served on the Youth Sports Committee, the Administration and Finance Working Group, the Endurance High Performance Committee and was the chair of the Endurance Eligible Athletes’ Committee. Brunjes was also active within the American Endurance Ride Conference as a former chair and as a member of the International Committee.
Lexington, KY – The United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) has elected a new Endurance Eligible Athlete Committee.
Lexington, KY – Pending final FEI approval, the Adequan/FEI North American Junior & Young Rider Championships presented by Gotham North (NAJYRC) will once again be held at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, KY. The annual competition will be held July 17-21, 2013. The United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) has received preliminary approval for these dates and location and is awaiting final allocation from the FEI Bureau.