Tag Archives: FEI Nations Cup

FEI Nations Cup 2011 Round 6

GERMANY WINS THROUGH IN EXCITING THREE-WAY SHOWDOWN by Louise Parkes

(L to R): Hickstead's Daisy Bunn, German team members Holger Wulschner, Janne-Frederike Meyer, Chef d'Equipe Sonke Sonksen, Philipp Weishaupt and Marcus Ehning, FEI President HRH Princess Haya and Andrew Finding, British Equestrian Federation. Photo: FEI/Kit Houghton.

Hickstead (GBR), 29 July 2011 – Germany emerged victorious in a three-way jump-off against France and the USA at the sixth leg of the FEI Nations Cup 2011 at Hickstead (GBR) today.  In a competition that produced big scores as the notoriously testing British track took its toll, it was Marcus Ehning who sealed the result with the only double-clear of the competition and the quickest run against the clock.

The French lined up second ahead of the Americans in third, but for the USA the danger has not gone away.  Lying second-last on the series table going into today’s event, they failed to improve their position and must now head to Dublin, Ireland next week under even greater pressure.  The Germans, meanwhile, have overtaken the Irish to move into second place on the leaderboard and lie just a comfortable five points off the leading Dutch who, however, didn’t enjoy their best afternoon when having to settle for joint-sixth alongside the struggling Irish in today’s competition.  It was another rough day for the Danes whose fate appears to be sealed.  They look relegation-bound in this, their debut season, having picked up just eight points from the six legs of the series to date.  It will take something very special indeed to rectify that situation with just two competitions left to go.

HALFWAY STAGE
The Germans and French were joint-leaders at the halfway stage, carrying just four faults each.  Olivier Guillon (Lord de Theize) and Roger-Yves Bost (Nifrane de Kreisker) contributed clears to the French cause while Penelope Leprevost (Topinambour) and Kevin Staut (Silvana de Hus) left just one fence on the floor. Meanwhile Germany’s Janne-Friederike (Cellagon Lambrasco) and Marcus Ehning (Plot Blue) were foot-perfect, thus ensuring Philipp Weishaupt’s single error was the only addition to their scoreline as Holger Wulschner’s (Cefalo) double-error was dropped.

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Dutch Make It a Hat-trick in Aachen Thriller

Chef d'Equipe Rob Ehrens (front) celebrates The Netherlands' victory in the fifth leg of the FEI Nations Cup 2011 tonight with team members (L to R) Gerco Schroder, Jur Vrieling, Jeroen Dubbeldam and Eric van der Vleuten. Photo: FEI/Kit Houghton.

Aachen (GER), 14 July 2011 – The Dutch continued their triumphant rampage through the 2011 FEI Nations Cup series when recording their third victory of the season on the hallowed turf of Aachen, Germany tonight.  In a cliff-hanger of a competition, filled with all sorts of drama, the result was not decided until the last man entered the arena.

As it came down to the closing stages, it seemed the host nation might follow the success they enjoyed in Sweden last Friday with another memorable night on their home ground.  But two late fences down for anchorman Ludger Beerbaum and Gotha snatched defeat from the jaws of victory, and Germany was obliged to share runner-up spot with the come-back kings from Ireland and the impressive new-look British side.

The last-to-go French looked like challenging the eventual winners in a two-way showdown, but a double-error from Michel Robert and Kellemoi de Pepita put paid to that.  In cold, wet weather conditions, tonight’s contest was the toughest of tests, but an unforgettable evening of great sport.

The result has reinforced the Dutch hold at the top of the series leaderboard, but for Belgium, the USA and Denmark, things are now getting critical.  With just three legs left to go, the Americans remain in second-last spot with only the struggling Danes behind them and the Belgians 2.5 points ahead.  The Belgians failed to complete today as their recent run of form seriously unravelled.  And the French are only a single point ahead of the Belgians going into the next leg at Hickstead in two weeks’ time.  The battle at the bottom of the leaderboard is intensifying with every round.

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FEI Nations Cup 2011 – Round 5, Draw Report

IRISH FIRST INTO THE RING AT AACHEN by Louise Parkes

The draw for the fifth leg of the FEI Nations Cup 2011 took place in Aachen (GER) this evening. Photo: FEI/Dirk Caremans.

Aachen (GER), 13 July 2011 – The Irish will be first to go in tomorrow’s fifth leg of the FEI Nations Cup 2011 following the draw which took place at the German venue this afternoon.  The wet weather has failed to dampen spirits at the Soers Arena, and the draw press conference was a lively affair, although some of the team managers arrived a little late.

“I think we need a new rule – that when the Chef isn’t there we shouldn’t do the draw!” joked Ireland’s Robert Splaine whose face dropped when he realised that, in his absence, his team had been pulled out of the hat as pathfinders for tomorrow.  For once this season it seems the defending series champions from France may have fortune on their side, as they will be last to go of the eight competing nations.

The starting order is as follows: 1, Ireland; 2, Great Britain; 3, The Netherlands; 4, USA; 5, Denmark; 6, Germany; 7, Belgium; 8, France.

LESS THAN A WEEK
It is less than a week since the fourth round of the series at Falsterbo in Sweden where this week’s hosts from Germany came out on top.  The German team went to the Swedish fixture determined to improve their position on the leaderboard, and succeeded by promoting themselves to third place following a great effort from a very strong team.

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Sweden Soars to the Top of the Promotional League Table

L to R - Arthur Gustavo Da Silva (La Toya), Christina Liebherr (LB Callas Sitte Z), Claudia Gisler (Touchable) and Niklaus Schurtenberger (Fifty Fifty) pictured during the prize-giving with Chef d'Equipe Urs Gruning in the foreground. Photo: FEI/Drammen Press.

Lausanne (SUI), 12 July 2011 – Sweden holds the lead in the 2011 FEI European Promotional League series following consistently good results over the past few weeks. Carrying 49 faults, they have a good advantage over the Italians and Swiss who are playing cat-and-mouse in second and third places respectively, but with only a single point separating them.  The battle for promotion to the Top League FEI Nations Cup series in 2012 is a tough one, and the Swedes are showing just how hungry they are to return to the elite level of the sport from which they were relegated at the end of last season.

It was the Swiss who held sway at the European Promotional League leg in Drammen, Norway last month, but it was a close call when they only pipped the runners-up from Turkey by a single fault.  Switzerland’s Arthur de Silva (La Toya 111), Niklaus Schurtenberger (Fifty Fifty), Claudia Gisler (Touchable) and Christina Liebherr (LB Callas Sitte Z) completed with a total of eight faults, but a double-clear from former Irish team member Gerry Flynn (SIEC Ledgepoint), who has been flying the Turkish flag in recent years, put Turkey in a strong position.

However Cagri Basel (SIEC Goldrush) followed an opening zero score with 15 faults, and when Omer Karaevli (Dadjak Ter Puttenen) added five more to his first-round time penalty and Burak Azak (SIEC Castelo Branco) lowered just one fence in the second round, then the Turkish total of nine left them frustratingly close to challenging the Swiss to a third-round jump-off.

PARTICULARLY REMARKABLE
Poland finished third with 22 faults, particularly remarkable considering they fielded only a three-man team and particularly impressive as pathfinder, Msciwaj Kiecon (Urbane) produced two flawless performances.  Sweden picked up 10.5 valuable points when slotting into joint fourth with Denmark – Sweden’s Peder Fredricson and H&M Arctic Aurora Borealis producing the third double-clear of the competition – while Italy slotted into sixth ahead of Finland in seventh and the host nation of Norway in eighth place.

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Mission Accomplished by Germany at Falsterbo

The German team of Carsten Otto Nagel, Thomas Voss, Marco Kutscher and Ludger Beerbaum pictured with Chef d'Equipe Heinrich Hermann Engemann after winning today's fourth leg of the FEI Nations Cup 2011 at Falsterbo, Sweden. Photo: FEI/Lotta Gyllensten.

Falsterbo (SWE), 8 July 2011 – It was a case of “mission accomplished” for the German team at Falsterbo, Sweden today when they won the fourth leg of the FEI Nations Cup 2011 and consequently rocketed up the series leaderboard to third place.  In a thrilling competition that saw the defending double-champions share runner-up spot with the host nation as, at last, the pendulum of good fortune began to swing back in the direction of the French, the Dutch had to settle for fourth ahead of the Irish in fifth while the USA clinched sixth place.

The withdrawal of Tim Stockdale and Fresh Direct Kalico Bay left the British vulnerable in the second round and in seventh at the end of the day despite otherwise consistently good performances. And while the Belgians finished eighth with a big score of 47 faults on an afternoon they will probably not care to remember, it was an even more difficult day for the Danes who finished last and are now so far behind at the bottom of the league table that it seems nothing can save them from relegation in their debut season of top-level Nations Cup jumping.  Punished in the first round by the elimination of anchorman Thomas Velin who seemed at odds with his long-time ride Godsend du Reverdy, their chances were completely crushed when Tina Lund’s Qrispy D Ive Z simply refused to take part in the second round.

LEVEL PEGGING
The Germans and Swedes were in the lead on level pegging with just four faults apiece at the end of the round one, followed closely by the Irish carrying eight and then the French with 12, the Dutch with 13, the USA with 15 and the British with 16 faults on the board.  Denmark and Belgium were already trailing the field with 25 and 27 faults respectively, the 34 faults collected by last-line-rider Jan Vinckier (Ursela) seriously compromising Belgian chances.  But to say he was unfortunate second time out would be a complete understatement.  The triple combination – vertical, oxer, vertical – at fence eight was the bogey of the day, but Ursela had lowered only the previous oxer before she slipped on landing over the second element of the treble and slid to a stop in front of the third.  Persistent rain throughout the opening round had necessitated the movement of some fences to better ground, but it still proved increasingly challenging as the competition progressed.

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FEI Nations Cup Jumping Gets Back Underway at CSIO5* Falsterbo

Charlie Jayne and Athena. Photo by Sophie Durieux.

Lexington, KY – FEI Nations Cup Jumping gets back underway tomorrow at CSIO5* Falsterbo. After a month’s hiatus, the world’s top show jumping teams will return to the ring in Sweden. The U.S. has drawn the first position of the nine teams for their Chef d’Equipe George Morris.

Charlie Jayne will lead things off for the U.S. with The London Group’s Athena. This pair has jumped in the Nations Cups in La Baule, Rome, and St. Gallen making this their fourth consecutive appearance.

Two Young Riders will jump in the second and third positions. Saer Coulter and Copernicus Stables’ Springtime will follow Jayne into the ring and Lucy Davis will ride Old Oak Farm’s Nemo 119 in the third position. Both Team Gold medalists at the 2010 Adequan FEI North American Junior & Young Rider Championships presented by Gotham North, they contested their first Nations Cup at CSIO4* Buenos Aires last fall. They are now also taking their first step into the top level of CSIO5* jumping together.

Christine McCrea will jump in the anchor spot on Romantovich Take One for Candy Tribble. This pair has been brilliant in Europe so far, jumping two clear rounds over a tough track in St. Gallen’s Nations Cup and then jumping to third in the Grand Prix two days later.

For more information about these riders, please visit: http://www.usefnetwork.com/featured/2011FEINationsCup/ which will also feature footage of the American competitors once the competition is over. Live coverage is available at www.feitv.org.

FEI Nations Cup 2011 – Draw Report, Round 4

AMERICANS IN THE HOT SEAT AS ROUND FOUR GETS UNDERWAY by Louise Parkes

The draw for the fourth leg of the FEI Nations Cup 2011 series took place at Falsterbo, Sweden this evening. Photo: Falsterbo Press Office.

Falsterbo (SWE), 7 July 2011 – The American team have the unenviable task of of being first into the ring when the FEI Nations Cup 2011 resumes at Falsterbo, Sweden tomorrow afternoon.  The draw took place this evening, and the order of go for the competition which begins at 14.30 local time is as follows:

1. USA: 2, Belgium; 3, The Netherlands; 4, Germany; 5, Great Britain; 6, Sweden; 7, Ireland;  8, Denmark; 9, France.

The nine-team line-up reflects a guest appearance for the host country in the eight-leg, eight-nation tournament.  Sweden is entitled to compete despite relegation to the Promotional League last season.  They can’t take points from tomorrow’s competition, but the home runners could well pull off a big and satisfying result – they won here on their home ground last summer, and they’ve been fighting hard, and very successfully, in this year’s Promotional League series.  Chef d’Equipe, Sylve Soderstrand, is sending out his big guns – Rolf-Goran Bengtsson, Malin Bayard-Johnsson and Peder Fredrickson along with Angelika Augustsson, winner of the Gothenburg leg of the Rolex FEI World Cup Jumping series last season.  “We are here with our best team. And we are very pleased to compete on our homeground,” he said today. But this is not only a different league from where we have been competing recently – it is a different planet!” he added.

SUPREMELY CONFIDENT
The first three legs have been so exciting, and Dutch Chef d’Equipe, Rob Ehrens, should be feeling supremely confident after the double scored by his teams in both Rome (ITA) and St Gallen (SUI) over the previous two legs.  “I hope we keep up our form” he said in typically stoic fashion this afternoon.

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Falsterbo Next Port of Call for FEI Nations Cup 2011 Series

Lausanne SUI, 1 July 2011 – The eight-leg FEI Nations Cup 2011 series reaches the halfway stage when it resumes, after a four-week break, at Falsterbo, Sweden next Friday (8 July), and with The Netherlands holding a solid lead at the top of the league table.  Once again this will be a nine-nation contest as the host country is entitled to compete despite being relegated to the Promotional League last season.  They cannot earn Top League points, but the Swedes could well pull off a big result because they won here on their home turf last summer and they have been fighting hard, and very successfully, in this year’s Promotional League series.  They may well be on their way back to the elite level of the sport.

Swedish Chef d’Equipe, Sylve Soderstrand, named his side earlier this week and it includes the young lady who set the Gothenburg leg of last season’s Rolex FEI World Cup Jumping series alight with a superb winning performance.  Riding the Cruising mare Midtown du Tillard, 24 year old Angelica Augustsson became an overnight sensation when producing a devastating turn of speed in the 12-horse jump-off which left Australian star Edwina Alexander and German ace Ludger Beerbaum in her immediate wake.  Beerbaum was moved to comment afterwards, “This is the cream – it doesn’t come better than this, and we will remember today for a very long time.”  And Augustsson will be in the distinguished company of Rolf-Goran Bengtsson, Malin Baryard-Johnsson and Peder Fredricson.  It seems the Swedes really do intend to make an impression next Friday afternoon.

SUPER-CONFIDENT
The Dutch will be feeling super-confident after their back-to-back double of victories in Rome (ITA) and St Gallen (SUI) which have ensured their 4.5 advantage at the head of the leaderboard.  Team manager Rob Ehrens said from the outset that he wanted to do most of the hard work early this season to ease the pressure closer to the FEI European Championships in Madrid in September – and it has worked like a dream.  He is, however, still taking a strong squad that includes Piet Raymakers Jr, Leon Thijssen, Maikel van der Vleuten, Vincent Voorn and Albert Zoer.

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Madden, Kraut, Hough, McCrea & Farrington to Jump for U.S. at CSIO5* Hickstead & CSIO5* Dublin

Lexington, KY – The United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) named the following horse/rider combinations for CSIO5*competitions: Hickstead and Dublin, which are part of the 2011 FEI Nations Cup Series. These riders will jump at CSIO5* Hickstead, England, July 26-31 which is held in conjunction with the Longines Royal International Horse Show and CSIO5* Dublin, Ireland, August 3-7 as part of the prestigious Royal Dublin Horse Show.

Beezie Madden (Cazenovia, NY) will ride Coral Reef Ranch’s Coral Reef Via Volo
Coral Reef Via Volo is a 13-year-old Belgian Warmblood mare

Laura Kraut (Wellington, FL) will ride Happy Hill Farm’s Cedric or Stars and Stripes’ Tierra
Cedric is a 13-year-old Holsteiner gelding
Teirra is an 11-year-old KWPN mare

Lauren Hough (Wellington, FL) will ride Laura and Meredith Mateo’s Quick Study
Quick Study is a 12-year-old Selle Francais gelding

Christine McCrea (Windsor, CT) will ride Windsor Show Stable’s Romantovich Take One
Romantovich Take One is an 11-year-old KWPN gelding

Kent Farrington (Chicago, IL) will ride R.C.G. Farm’s Uceko
Uceko is an 11-year-old KWPN gelding

Information about Hickstead and the Longines Royal International Horse Show is available here: http://www.hickstead.co.uk/horse-shows.aspx.

Information about the Royal Dublin Horse Show is available here:  http://www.dublinhorseshow.com.

USEF Names Jumping Teams for CSIO5* Falsterbo and CSIO5* Aachen

Lexington, KY – The USEF has named the following horse/rider combinations to represent the U.S. at the next two shows of the FEI Nations Cup Series.

The following horse/rider combinations will compete in Sweden at CSIO5* Falsterbo July 7-10, 2011.

Charlie Jayne (Elgin, IL) will ride The London Group’s Athena
Athena is an 11-year-old Belgian mare

Christine McCrea (Windsor, CT) will ride Romantovich Take One
Romantovich Take One is an 11-year-old KWPN gelding

Lucy Davis (Los Angeles, CA) will ride Old Oak Farm’s Nemo 119
Nemo 119 is a 12-year-old Holsteiner gelding

Saer Coulter (San Francisco, CA) will ride Copernicus Stables’ Springtime
Springtime is a 12-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding

Schuyler Riley (Wellington, FL) will ride South Beach Stables’ Lapacco
Lapacco is a 12-year-old Holsteiner gelding

Continue reading USEF Names Jumping Teams for CSIO5* Falsterbo and CSIO5* Aachen