Compiègne, France – The Dutta Corp. U.S. Dressage Team returns to FEI Nations Cup™ CDIO5* Compiègne where they will take on seven teams vying for podium honors May 18-21. Full of Nations Cup veterans, the U.S. team of Shelly Francis, Arlene “Tuny” Page, and Kathleen Raine are poised to challenge the standards in the Grand Prix ring this weekend. Jennifer Hoffmann and XXXL Rubinio NRW have withdrawn for veterinary reasons. Chef d’Equipe Charlotte Bredahl-Baker will lead the team as they compete in the following order:
Kathleen Raine and Breanna: Raine (Murrieta, Calif.) and Breanna, her own, Jennifer Mason, and David Wightman’s 2000 Hanoverian mare, look to continue their 2017 success after a win in the Burbank World Cup Grand Prix. Most recently, the combination placed third in the Grand Prix and Grand Prix Special CDI3* at the Dressage Affaire in March.
Shelly Francis and Danilo: Francis (Loxahatchee, Fla.) and Danilo, Patricia Stempel’s 2004 Hanoverian gelding, are poised for success at CDIO5* Compiègne after a successful showing during the 2017 Adequan Global Dressage Festival (AGDF). The pair won the FEI Grand Prix CDI3* and FEI Grand Prix Freestyle CDI3* during week 10, followed by the FEI Grand Prix CDI3* during week 11. Francis has a strong list of Nations Cup accolades that she brings with her to CDIO5* Compiègne, including a team gold medal at CDIO5* Compiègne in 2016 with Stempel’s Doktor.
Arlene “Tuny” Page and Woodstock: Page (Wellington, Fla.) and her own Woodstock bring a wealth of Nations Cup experience to CDIO5* Compiègne. She and the 2003 Dutch Warmblood gelding were part of the team gold-medal efforts during the 2016 Stillpoint Farm FEI Nations Cup.
Grand Prix TV will live stream the FEI Nations Cup CDIO5* Compiègne, with the Nations Cup Grand Prix live stream beginning Saturday, May 20, through Sunday, May 21.
By Julian McPeak, US Equestrian Communications Department
Steffen Peters will compete on Legolas 92 (pictured) and Rosamunde in the Big Tour in the 2015 Dressage Pan American Games European CDI Observation Event Squad (Photo courtesy of JRPR).
Aiken, SC (May 12, 2015) – Custom Saddlery is proud to announce that three of the outstanding riders the company sponsors have been named to the 2015 Dressage Pan American Games European CDI Observation Event Squad. Steffen Peters, Kathleen Raine, and Sabine Schut-Kery were chosen to compete for the chance to represent Team USA in the 2015 Pan American Games to be held from July 10-26 in Toronto, Canada. “We’re just so blessed here at Custom Saddlery to have some of the world’s best riders,” says Custom Saddlery’s saddlefitter Sarah Boothe, expressing the sentiment of the company, which is the Official Saddle of the United States Dressage Team through the 2016 Olympics.
Olympian Steffen Peters recently earned a third place ranking in the Grand Prix at the 2015 Reem Acra FEI World Cup Dressage Finals in Las Vegas, riding in his Custom saddle. To achieve this placing, Peters and his mount Legolas 92 scored an incredible 76.832 percent. The year so far has been flowing in Peters’ favor, as he can already boast wins in Wellington, Florida and San Juan Capistrano, California, amongst others. Peters has been riding in Custom Saddles for a large portion of his riding career, and will once again rely on the brand during his performances in the 2015 Dressage Pan American Games European CDI Observation Event Squad. “We’re thrilled to have worked with Steffen for over a decade now,” says Boothe. Peters has been named not once but twice to the 2015 Dressage Pan American Games European CDI Observation Event Squad – the Californian will compete in the Big Tour on both Legolas 92, a 2002 Westphalian gelding, and Rosamunde, a 2007 Rheinlander mare. Both horses are owned by Four Winds Farm.
Kathleen Raine, also hailing from California, is an influential figure in the dressage community, constantly proving herself a talented and experienced competitor in the sport. She started off 2015 strong, competing at the Adequan Global Dressage Festival in Wellington, Florida. Raine and Breanna – a 2001 Hanoverian mare owned by Raine, Jennifer Mason, and David Wightman – received high placings in the Grand Prix and also took home first place in the Grand Prix Special in the CDI5* competition. Raine is an accomplished trainer, co-owning Adventure Farm training facility with her husband David Wightman. Raine and Breanna have been named to the 2015 Dressage Pan American Games European CDI Observation Event Squad to compete in the Big Tour.
Sabine Schut-Kery and Alice Womble’s Sanceo, a 2006 Hanoverian stallion Sanceo, have been named to the 2015 Dressage Pan American Games European CDI Observation Event Squad to compete in the Small Tour. The duo has been a pair to watch this year, already winning multiple competitions at FEI Prix St. George and Intermediate levels. Schut-Kery has been riding Sanceo since he was three years old, and their familiarity with one another shows as they continue to deliver solid performances in the ring. Schut-Kery was a part of the USDF Amateur Program in 2014, traveling around her home state of California giving amateur clinics. “She really gives back a lot of her time to the dressage community,” explains Boothe of Schut-Kery’s dedication to the sport.
Kathleen Raine will compete Breanna in the Big Tour (Photo courtesy of Sheryl L Ross Photography)
Custom Saddlery strives to make saddles that provide both riders and their horses with comfort and the ability to perform to their full potentials. Anyone who has tried out a Custom saddle knows that the perfect saddle can make a great difference in the show ring. “People just have to sit in a Custom saddle one time,” Boothe comments. “Once they sit in the saddle, it changes their position and the way the horse goes. I’ve seen horses that are very short-strided fitted with a Custom saddle that opens their shoulders and gives them the freedom to move correctly. I’ve watched countless horses evolve just by changing the saddle.” Custom Saddlery is excited to watch Peters, Raine, and Schut-Kery compete in the 2015 Dressage Pan American Games European CDI Observation Event Squad, and is proud to supply them with saddles that can help propel them toward the 2015 Pan American Games.
To learn more about Custom Saddlery and discover a saddle designed just for you and your horse, visit www.mysaddle.com or call 1-800-235-3865.
Kathleen Raine and Breanna. Photos copyright SusanJStickle.com.
Wellington, FL – February 7, 2015 – Kathleen Raine (USA) and the lovely mare Breanna scored a 73.667% to win the FEI Grand Prix Special CDI 5*, presented by Diamante Farm at Week 5 of the Adequan® Global Dressage Festival (AGDF). Tinne Vilhelmson-Silfven (SWE) and Divertimento followed in second with a 72.000% and Jill Irving (CAN) and Degas 12 rounded out the top three with a 69.078%. Week 5 AGDF continues tomorrow with a schedule of junior and amateur classes and the FEI Intermediaire 1 Freestyle CDI 1*, presented by Mission Control, highlighting the last day of competition.
Raine and Breanne have been partners for more than 10 years, as she began working with the mare when she was four years old. The duo’s performances this week at AGDF are a testament to the time Raine has dedicated to creating a strong partnership with the mare. “It has been so fun to have had her for so long. We know each other really well, and I enjoy starting them from the beginning and training them up,” said Raine.
The duo’s extended stay in Europe this past season has really helped Breanna cope with large atmosphere venues. “Being in Europe really helped her suppleness and her whole way of going. I can see it in her reaction, her consistency, and the atmospheres we were able to experience there, which we don’t really have here. It helped to boost her confidence,” said Raine.
Vilhelmson-Silfven performed a very correct test on her partner Divertimento. “Tim”, who is known to get excited in electric environments, settled nicely for Vilhelmson-Silfven during the test. “This is our third week showing, and he keeps going and holding up very well. The weather earlier in the week made him a bit more excited than I wanted, but we cope with it and have figured out how to handle it,” she explained.
Divertimento’s large size can be intimidating to some, but he is the sweetest horse in the barn according to Vilhelmson-Silfven, which is what makes him so fun to work with. “He’s the sweetest one. Absolutely anyone could hack him, but once he hears applause he starts to get worked up,” she commented. “He tries really hard and all he wants to do is his best for you.”
Jill Irving and Degas 12 had a lovely test to place them third in the class. “I am so thrilled with our performance. He has finally become a man!” she exclaimed. “He was very good and I feel like now we’re covering ground in the canter, especially in the two-tempis. We landed right on the letter.”
Irving is the presenter of the Jill Irving Owner’s Award at each “Friday Night Stars” Grand Prix Freestyle event of the 2015 season, highlighting owners of winning combinations in both the CDI Prix St. Georges tests and the AGDF National Shows. “I think this city, Wellington, has grown so much and is so international now. Just right now we have Sweden, Canada, and the U.S. represented here and I thought that it was time we started recognizing the owners who are such great stakeholders,” said Irving.
She hopes the award will continue to draw the spotlight to many of the owners who make this sport possible. “I just felt like this was something really dear to my heart, and I’m so passionate about this sport. I think the owners deserve to get a trophy and have some time in the limelight,” she continued.
Steffen Peters and Rosamunde
Steffen Peters (USA) and Rosamunde, the spectacular mare who has wowed crowds this week at AGDF, took home another win, this time in the FEI Grand Prix Special CDI 3*, presented by Wellington Equestrian Realty. The duo received a 73.745% to win the class followed closely by Charlotte Jorst and Kastel’s Nintendo scoring a 69.608% and Shelly Francis and Danilo in third on a 69.137%.
Peters said the pair made further strides building their relationship today, as “Rosie” really impressed him in her ability to carry herself. “The beautiful thing about today was that I found I can really trust her in the piaffe. I didn’t trust her enough in the first piaffe in the Grand Prix on Thursday, and she got a little bit quick,” he explained. “I rode it today just like I do in training and that is quite unusual to be able to do with a horse in the show arena. Her one-tempis also worked beautifully and they were a bit straighter already than the first day.”
The mare looks to be the next big star of dressage in the U.S. and continues to impress Peters with her trainability and willingness. “She is a horse you can really count on. Never since I have had her has she taken a wrong step or said no. She just has that type of attitude that reminds me an awful lot of Ravel. She has the power and this beautiful soft connection,” he smiled. “When we retired Ravel I didn’t think I would ever get that feeling again in the show arena, and it is a true honor to ride a horse like that not just in the show ring, but every single day.”
Peters will look to continue educating the mare at the Grand Prix level but will be very careful not to push too hard because of her young age. “When I get home I would like to work on the transition from piaffe to passage and the straightness of the changes. Otherwise I am perfectly happy, and it is just sensational for an eight-year-old horse to be at this level. I would be silly to criticize her.”
Charlotte Jorst has another fantastic ride aboard her stallion, Kastel’s Nintendo. The duo has only been together for a year, but you would never be able to tell from their consistent performances in the ring. “He always feels great. I’m still learning how long to warm him up and today I think I may have warmed him up a bit too much because if he comes out soft, he only needs ten minutes to feel great,” she said commenting on her test today.
The pair will compete again in two CDIs in March at AGDF and will look forward to a strong summer circuit in California. “I don’t know what I’m going to do after California, but I’m going to continue competing because I have so much fun.” Jorst will be adding a new mount to her growing string, as she recently purchased Akeem Foldager from Andreas Helgstrand in Denmark and the horse will arrive on U.S. soil next week. “I’m just over the moon, and we will see how I can ride him. Maybe he will be a Pan American Games contender, but I’m just going to see if I can ride him first and get the one and two tempis because they’re the hardest for me, but if we can get them, I would love to go for it.”
Shelly Francis (USA) and Danilo had a strong showing in the class, and Francis feels like she is starting to get a hold of Danilo’s nerves in the ring. “If you overwhelm him he just gets hotter and hotter, so I am being really careful to make sure we don’t fry him mentally and do it the right way. He is so talented physically, he just has a little bit of catching up to do mentally,” she said.
The pair enjoys relaxing work sessions during the week to help keep the gelding calm and continue to build on their already solid relationship. “He’s learning to trust me more, and he’s staying much calmer. He really internalizes everything and starts to get nervous. We do a lot of work in the field several days a week and give him a chance to look at things. It’s good for him. He’s a very stimulated horse.”
To learn more about the Adequan® Global Dressage Festival and for schedules and ride times, please visit www.globaldressagefestival.com for more information. The FEI CDI5*/3*/1* competition will continue through Sunday, February 8, 2015.
About the Adequan Global Dressage Festival:
The Adequan Global Dressage Festival (AGDF) is one of the world’s largest international and national dressage circuits featuring 7 FEI Dressage events, including a 5* and the only FEI Nations’ Cup Series CDIO in the Western Hemisphere. The AGDF offers more than $650,000 in prize money for the seven international competitions, making it one of the richest circuits in the world. The Stadium at Palm Beach International Equestrian Center facility includes the Van Kampen covered arena (made possible by Kimberly and Frederic Boyer and family) and four outdoor arenas with world-class footing, 200 permanent stalls, and a VIP seating area.
Aachen, Germany – The U.S. riders continued to show strong form in CDI4* competition on Friday at CHIO Aachen as both riders landed in the top seven. The United States was represented by Kathleen Raine and Lisa Wilcox in the Lindt-Prize where 10 entries from seven countries performed the FEI Grand Prix Special.
Raine (Murrietta, Calif.) and Jennifer Mason, Kathleen Raine, and David Wightman’s 14-year-old Hanoverian mare, Breanna, earned a score of 71.804% from the Ground Jury of Isabelle Judet, Magnus Ringmark, Stephen Clarke, Dietrich Plewa, and Francis Verbeek-van Rooy. The ninth-place finishers from the 2014 The Dutta Corp/USEF Grand Prix Dressage National Championship and Selection Trial for the U.S. Dressage Team Short List for the 2014 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games finished in fifth place.
Short List for the 2014 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games U.S. Dressage Team members Wilcox (Loxahatchee, Fla.) and Betty Wells’ 11-year-old Hanoverian gelding, Denzello, earned a score of 69.922% to finish in seventh place.
Germany’s Isabell Werth and Don Johnson FRH were the winners of the Lindt-Prize with a score of 76.765%.
Dressage competition at CHIO Aachen continues Saturday with the CDIO5* Grand Prix Special and CDI4* Freestyle.
