Tag Archives: U.S. Dressage Team

Robert Dover Approved for US Dressage Chef d’Equipe/Technical Advisor Position

Lexington, KY – The United States Federation’s Executive Committee has approved the recommendation of Robert Dover as the next Chef d’Equipe/Technical Advisor for the U.S. Dressage Team pending the successful negotiation of a contract with John Long, USEF CEO and James Wolf, USEF Executive Director of Sport Programs.

For more information regarding the process of hiring the Technical Advisor/Chef d’Equipe for the U.S. Dressage Team, contact Jenny Van Wieren-Page at (859) 225-6949 or by email JVanWieren@usef.org.

US Teams Ready for Action at Wellington Nations Cup CDIO3*

Heather Blitz and Paragon (SusanJStickle.com)

Lexington, KY – The focus of U.S. dressage this week will be firmly on The Stadium in Wellington, Florida for the Wellington Nations Cup CDIO3* presented by Stillpoint Farm. Held in conjunction with the 2013 Adequan Global Dressage Festival, America’s only CDIO will run April 11-14. The United States will look to secure a repeat victory after claiming top honors in 2012. The home nation will be represented by two teams; each composed of two Grand Prix (Big Tour) combinations and two Prix St. Georges (Small Tour) competitors.

A total of 10 teams composed of riders from the United States, Australia, Austria, Canada, Colombia, Denmark, Germany and Venezuela will vie for top honors in Friday’s Nation Cup. This competition holds added significance as it is being used to test the proposed format for the 2015 Pan American Games. Team placings will be determined by the scores earned Friday, with Big Tour riders performing the FEI Grand Prix Test and Small Tour combinations riding the FEI Prix St. Georges Test. Those in Big Tour competition will receive a bonus of three percentage points for receiving 58% or higher in the FEI Grand Prix Test to be added to their team total.

On Saturday, competitors return to The Stadium to begin their quests for individual honors. The top finisher will be crowned by combining his/her scores from the Freestyle, performed Saturday, and Sunday’s test of either the FEI Intermediaire I for Small Tour riders or the FEI Grand Prix Special for Big Tour riders.

USA I Team

Heather Blitz, Shelly Francis, Caroline Roffman and Kimberly Herslow look to help USA I Team stand atop the podium in Nations Cup competition. Blitz (Wellington, FL) and Francis (Loxahatchee, FL) represent the home nation as they go head-to-head with other Big Tour competitors. Blitz rides her own 2011 Pan American Games Team Gold and Individual Silver medalist Paragon. The pair, who is competing in its second year at the Grand Prix level, has earned many top results over the last 12 months. Francis makes a return trip to CDIO Wellington, after representing the United States in 2012. She has moved her partner from last year’s competition, Patricia Stempel’s Doktor, up to Grand Prix this year and the pair has been earning competitive scores and gaining valuable experience throughout the Florida circuit.

Roffman (Wellington, FL) and Herslow (Stockton, NJ) round out the USA I Team in Small Tour competition. Roffman is no stranger to CDIO Wellington competition, having represented the U.S. at the Nations Cup in 2012. She will ride her own Her Highness O this week, who is her winning partner from the 2012 USEF National Developing Horse Prix St. Georges Dressage Championship presented by the Dutta Corp and Performance Sales International. Herslow will look to showcase the partnership she has built over the years with Kiroli Enterprises LLC’s Rosmarin. The pair stepped up to the Prix St. Georges level in May of 2012 and has been steadily improving.

USA II Team

The USA II Team also boasts a formidable line-up of Cesar Parra, Susan Dutta, Chris Hickey and Justin Hardin. Parra (Whitehouse Station, NJ) and Dutta (Wellington, FL) will represent the U.S. on the Big Tour. Parra, a member of the Gold medal-winning U.S. team at the 2011 Pan American Games, will ride Michael and Sarah Davis’ Van the Man. Dutta will ride Tim Dutta Inc.’s Currency DC.

Chris Hickey and Witness Hilltop (SusanJStickle.com)
Chris Hickey and Witness Hilltop (SusanJStickle.com)

Hickey (Colora, MD) and Hilltop Farm Inc.’s Witness Hilltop make their second Nations Cup appearance after helping the U.S. claim victory in 2012. The veteran pair will again compete in the Small Tour competition. Rounding out the USA II Team is Hardin (Long Valley, NJ) and Judith Cardella’s Wyatt Star. The pair who stepped up to the Prix St. Georges level in 2012 will look to showcase its improvement over the last 12 months.

Additional U.S. riders will participate in the Wellington Nations Cup CDIO3* presented by Stillpoint Farm on composite teams with competitors from other nations.

The USEFNetwork.com presented by SmartPak will live stream all the action of the Team competition on Friday. For the live stream, video, photos, news and more, visit: http://www.usefnetwork.com/featured/2013DressageNationsCup/.

To learn more about the Adequan Global Dressage Festival, visit: http://www.globaldressagefestival.com/.

Follow the 2013 U.S. Dressage Team here.

Solid Gold! USET Foundation Benefit at Palm Beach International Equestrian Center

Wellington, FL – March 13, 2013 – Equestrian Sport Productions and Wellington Equestrian Partners are pleased to announce that they will host a USET Foundation Benefit on Friday, April 12, 2013, at 6:30 pm. Held in the Global Pavilion at The Stadium at PBIEC, home to the Adequan Global Dressage Festival (AGDF), the benefit has the theme of “Solid Gold!” and will raise money toward funding the U.S. Dressage Team in their 2013 European tours. The tours are in preparation for the 2014 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games in Normandy, France.

“We are excited to host this benefit for our U.S. Dressage Team,” said Mark Bellissimo, CEO of Equestrian Sport Productions. “We have shown our commitment to the sport of Dressage through the Adequan Global Dressage Festival, and this fits perfectly in our goals to help the sport.”

U.S. Olympian Robert Dover stated, “We welcome everyone to this event to help raise money for our U.S. Dressage Team. The tours are imperative for our teams to be competitive in the upcoming world championship, and funding is a must for our teams to be well-prepared. We hope everyone will come out to support our team and have fun at the same time!”

In addition to the benefit dinner, there will be an exciting live auction to win “A Day with a Team Rider,” that can be a chance to fulfill your dreams of spending the day with one of the Team’s top equestrians. Take a clinic, go out to dinner, or go for a trail ride – it’s up to the winner!

The evening’s entertainment will include a special performance by the AGDF judges, followed by a live auction for a seat next to a judge for the following day’s competition at the Wellington Dressage Nations Cup CDIO 3*/CDI 3* presented by Stillpoint Farm.

The dress for the event is “casual to gilded” to fit with the gold theme. Tickets are available at $200 each or $1,600 for a table of eight. Sponsorship is also available at Silver ($2,500), Gold ($5,000), and Platinum ($10,000) levels.

For tickets, tables, and sponsorships, please contact:
Annie Cizadlo
(218) 349-3452
kodester1@yahoo.com

For more information on Equestrian Sport Productions, please visit www.equestriansport.com or the Adequan Global Dressage Festival, please visit www.globaldressagefestival.com.

The United States Equestrian Team Foundation (www.uset.org) is the non-profit organization that supports the competition, training, coaching, travel and educational needs of America’s elite and developing international, high-performance horses and athletes in partnership with the United States Equestrian Federation.

For more information on the USET Foundation, please call (908) 234-1251, or visit USET ONLINE at www.uset.org.

MEDIA CONTACT:
Phelps Media Group, Inc.
12012 South Shore Blvd #105
Wellington, FL 33414
561-753-3389 (phone)
561-753-3386 (fax)
pmginfo@phelpsmediagroup.com
PhelpsMediaGroup.com

Applications Now Being Accepted for USEF Dressage Technical Advisor/Chef d’Equipe

Lexington, KY – The Search Committee formed by the United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) to assist in hiring the next Technical Advisor/Chef d’Equipe for the U.S. Dressage Team has approved the job description for the position.

The Search Committee is composed of:

Eric Straus, Chairman
Janet Foy
Catherine Haddad-Staller
Susan Dutta
Anne Kursinski
David O’Connor

The job description can be found at http://www.usef.org/documents/highPerformance/dressage/2013DRTA_ChefJobDescription.pdf.

Continue reading Applications Now Being Accepted for USEF Dressage Technical Advisor/Chef d’Equipe

Gribbons Will Not Continue as Technical Advisor to the U.S. Dressage Team

Lexington, KY – Anne Gribbons, the Technical Advisor to the U.S. Dressage Team since December 2009, has informed the USEF she does not wish to be considered for the position after her contract expires November 30, 2012.

“It has been a privilege and my pleasure to spend the past three years working with the greatest of our American dressage athletes,” stated Gribbons. “I wish them all the best of luck and much success in the future.”

Gribbons served as Technical Advisor to the U.S. Dressage Team at three international championships during her tenure with the USEF. At the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games, Gribbons guided the U.S. to a fourth place team finish and assisted Steffen Peters in winning two Individual Bronze medals with Four Winds Farm’s Ravel. At the 2011 Pan American Games in Guadalajara, Mexico, the U.S. Dressage Team had a historic medal sweep of all three Individual medals in addition to winning Team Gold. In the summer of 2012, Gribbons led the U.S. to a sixth place finish at the 2012 London Olympic Games.

Continue reading Gribbons Will Not Continue as Technical Advisor to the U.S. Dressage Team