Tag Archives: USEF National Four-in-Hand Championship

Lucky 13 for Team Weber at 2016 Live Oak International

Photo courtesy of www.PicsOfYou.com.

Ocala, FL (February 29, 2016) – Chester Weber has set the bar even higher for four-in-hand driving, winning a record thirteenth USEF National Four-in-Hand Championship this weekend. “Thirteen is a lucky number in my family. We try our hardest. It’s not just me driving – there is a wonderful support team behind me. Everybody works as hard as they can to get it done,” said a grateful, and now record 13-time champion, Chester Weber at the conclusion of the 25th edition of the Live Oak International driving event. The 2016 Live Oak International horse show, held on February 25-28, presented the USEF National Four-in-Hand Championship on the 5,000-acre Ocala, Florida equestrian estate owned by the Weber family.

Weber piloted the four stalwart bay KWPN geldings co-owned with Jane Forbes Clark – Boris W, Danzer, Para, and Ultra – in dressage, then swapped Para out for Team Weber’s new rising star Amadeus in marathon and cones. Team Weber drove to a decisive 173.20 points overall to finish 38 points ahead of closest contenders, Pennsylvania whip Allison Stroud (211.62) and fellow Florida horseman Craig Grange (260.89).

Weber, known internationally as “Mr. Dressage,” drove the team to a fluid win in the opening dressage phase on Thursday and set a commanding lead after Saturday’s marathon to drive towards a “lucky” 13th title. “I was really, really pleased. It was a great day for driving and I was really tickled with the horses. They did a great job. That’s what we are here for – it’s about the horses,” Weber commented.

The horses amply delivered for Weber and Clark, posting the fastest times across six of the seven obstacles on the spacious outdoor marathon course created by Gabor Fintha to add just 118.70 penalties to their first day score. On Sunday’s closing cones phase, Team Weber dropped just a single tennis ball atop cone six to incur minimal penalties and clinch the championship title.

“This team is going to be really competitive internationally,” said Weber. “This was a real test of driving every step, because the course shared an arena set with show jumping fences. The course at the FEI Worlds probably won’t have jumps in it, but will certainly offer its own technical challenges. There was a great atmosphere in our arena, similar to a World Championships.”

The FEI Four-in-Hand and Single Horse divisions at Live Oak International served as selection trials for drivers aiming for the 2016 FEI World Driving Championships, to be held on August 31 – September 4 in Breda, The Netherlands. Team up with Team Weber as they continue their march toward the FEI World Four-in-Hand Championships and follow news, live posts, video and photo galleries, and preferred product reviews at www.chesterweber.com.

For more information, contact:
Chester Weber
chester@chesterweber.com
1-352-895-1139

Chester Weber Earns Record 12th USEF National Four-in-Hand Championship

Photo courtesy of Pics Of You.

Lexington, KY (October 6, 2015) – ‘When it rains it pours,’ they say. Yet even the perfect storm predicted by local weather forecasters could not stand in the way of a historic twelfth USEF National Four-in-Hand Championship for Ocala, Florida horseman Chester Weber. Weber piloted his four matched bay KWPN geldings, co-owned by Jane F. Clark, in the Kentucky Classic CAI2* to defend Team Weber’s title.

Their performance says it all: First place (38.07) in Dressage, first place (145.92) in Marathon, and first place (3.00) in Cones.

Team Weber delivered clean and decisive victories across a spectrum of phases and weather conditions. The four-in-hand division opened under dark and rainy skies, necessitating the relocation of the tests from their traditional grass arena into the Rolex Stadium. A fresh combination of KWPN Dutch Warmblood veterans Ultra, Para, and Boris W, paired with rising star Danzer, didn’t miss a beat. The team delivered brilliant trot work and a confident rein back for the Ground Jury of Martha Hanks-Nicoli (USA), Marsoe LaRose (CAN), and Nikke Palsson (SWE). “It was exciting to have younger horses do so well,” said Weber. “Rolex Stadium had a nice feel.”

Despite a continuation of the inclement weather into Saturday’s Marathon, Team Weber performance remained unbeatable. They not only won over cross-country marathon but also posted the fastest times in their division on five of course designer Richard Nicoll’s seven obstacles. “The horses were very fresh in the cool, damp weather in Kentucky this past weekend,” Weber adds.

Team Weber added 107.85 penalty points after marathon kept them in the lead going into Sunday’s cones phase, where a single ball at cone 5 added just three penalties to an overall 148.92 score – and Weber’s unprecedented twelfth U.S. Four-in-Hand national title.

“I was pleased with the team; they worked well together,” Weber said. “I had Boris in the left wheel and Para in the right wheel. I have driven them a lot this way, but I haven’t really competed them in the cones phase; I was pleased with how they handled everything. Unfortunately, I had one down that I think Danzer kicked. He is inexperienced, so the way that the course was set up – having to drive between two cars – made him unsure. He lost his concentration, and dropped out of the contact. Besides that I was pleased. We drove to plan and it was pretty straightforward.”

After making history with his twelfth USEF National Four-in-Hand Championship, Weber continues train for future successes with his KWPN team.

Team up with Team Weber as they drive next to the 6th Annual Hermitage Classic on October 16-18 in Goshen, Kentucky. Follow news, live posts, video and photo galleries, and preferred product reviews at www.chesterweber.com.

For more information, contact:
Chester Weber
chester@chesterweber.com
1-352-895-1139
www.chesterweber.com

Weber Wins 11th USEF National Four-in-Hand Championship at Live Oak International

Chester Weber takes his victory lap after winning his 11th USEF National Four-in-Hand Championship (Picsofyou.com)

Ocala, Fla. – The competition came to a close Sunday afternoon for the drivers in the FEI Four-in-Hand division sponsored by Seminole Wellness at Live Oak International. Held in conjunction with the USEF National Four-in-Hand Championship, the division’s results were decided following the cones phase. After meeting the challenge put forth by the 720-meter 19-obstacle course designed by Harmut Kaufmann (GER), Chester Weber won not only the division but his 11th USEF National Four-in-Hand Championship. The championship also serves as the Selection Trial for the 2014 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games (WEG), giving Weber’s performance another reason for being a special achievement.

Weber (Ocala, Fla.) smoothly guided his and Jane Clark’s team of Royal Dutch Warmblood geldings through the cones course, earning the only double clear round in the division. Adding nothing to his score on the final day of competition, he finished with a score of 116.33.

“They’re all as special as the first one,” Weber commented on winning his 11th USEF National Four-in-Hand Championship. “It was one of my big goals this year to attend the national championship. I am pleased to be here and have the opportunity.”

As he aims for the 2014 WEG, Weber noted, “It was really good experience to have to drive clear under some pressure. We trained a lot over cones since our last event and it really paid off. My team was really great today. That was one of the nicest cones rounds I’ve ever driven. There was no resistance and it flowed and felt really good.”

Misdee Wrigley-Miller (Lakewood Ranch, Fla.) earned her first USEF National Four-in-Hand Reserve Champion title upon the completion of the cones phase. She and her team of Dutch Warmblood geldings knocked five balls from their cones and incurred 13.02 time penalties for a total of 28.02 penalties added to their previous score for a final score of 350.56.

“It’s really something to be sitting here next to Chester and I feel honored. I started driving Four-in-Hand in December and three months later to have completed a competition in this atmosphere is really wonderful.”

Wrigley-Miller plans to travel to Europe this summer to give herself and her horses more experience and while the WEG is a thought, she has another reason for driving a team of horses. When asked if she sees herself as a role model for girls, Wrigley-Miller replied, “That’s one of my main reasons for doing this. I think this is a wonderful sport and I think women can do it too at the highest level.”

While Wrigley-Miller received a Reserve Champion title, she finished third in the FEI Four-in-Hand division sponsored by Seminole Wellness behind Darryl Billing of Canada. He added 50.42 penalties following the cones phase to finish with a final score of 267.24 to earn second place.

The FEI Single Horse division, which also served as the Selection Trial for the 2014 FEI World Driving Championships for Singles being held September 25-28 in Izsak, Hungary, was won by Suzy Stafford (Wilmington, Del.). She guided PVF Peace of Mind to a 5.73-fault round after knocking the ball at cone two and incurring 2.73 time penalties to end up with a final score of 112.57. Stafford was only 0.67 penalties ahead of second-place finisher Leslie Berndl (Newcastle, Calif.), who guided Uminco to clear cones round with just 1.16 time penalties to finish with final score of 113.24. Jacob Arnold (Ocala, Fla.) rounded out the top three with one ball down and only 0.97 time penalties with Wise Guy to finish on a score of 135.68.

If you want to catch up on the action from Live Oak International, on-demand video footage of the driving marathon and cones phases and the jumping classes from Saturday and Sunday will be available shortly on USEFNetwork.com.

By Kathleen Landwehr

For more information about Live Oak International, visit http://liveoakinternational.com/.

Follow the U.S. Driving Team here.

Weber Delivers on Marathon Day of USEF National Four-in-Hand Championship at Live Oak International

Chester Weber (Picsofyou.com)

Ocala, Fla. – A warm, sunny morning at Live Oak International set the stage for the USEF National Four-in-Hand Championship sponsored by Ariat. The competitors had a large undertaking guiding their teams of horses through the seven-obstacle marathon course designed by Hartmut Kaufmann of Germany. The Ocala, Fla. venue saw a huge turnout of spectators present to see an exciting day of competition. Chester Weber maintained his lead in the Wellness being held in conjunction with the championship.

Weber (Ocala, Fla.) remained in top form throughout the marathon phase adding 81.31 penalties to his dressage score of 35.02 to sit in first place with a score of 116.33. He expertly drove his and Jane Clark’s team of Royal Dutch Warmblood geldings through the obstacles, having the quickest times of the day for the Four-in-Hand competitors.

“The horses were like music today. It was fantastic! It felt like I was a conductor sitting behind them. Everything was light, nice,” said Weber. “It was really quite warm for an end-of-March day in Ocala. It was 80 degrees.” However, the team didn’t seem fazed by the warm conditions and performed as usual.

“The crowd was fantastic! Every time I went out of an obstacle they got louder,” Weber commented about the phenomenal turnout. “It had a really nice feel, a real European [competition] feel. It was really nice. You had the feeling that the spectators were really enthusiastic about what was going on. The horses couldn’t have been better; they all showed up at a national championship like they were supposed to.”

Misdee Wrigley-Miller (Lakewood Ranch, Fla.) lies in Reserve Champion position after tackling the challenging marathon course. She and her team of Dutch Warmblood geldings struggled at times but finished strongly. After earning a dressage score of 51.97 and 270.57 penalty points on Saturday, Wrigley-Miller sits in second place in the national championship heading into Sunday’s cones phase with a score of 322.54.

In the FEI Four-in-Hand Horse division, Darryl Billing of Canada moved up to second place with his team. After earning 63.59 in the dressage phase and finishing second in the marathon phase with a total of 153.23 penalty points, he is in second place with a score of 322.54 going into the last day of competition.

Championship competition concludes Sunday with the cones phase beginning at 9:00am ET.

Anyone interested may watch the cones phase live on the USEF Network presented by SmartPak. USEFNetwork.com will be live streaming the driving cones phases on Sunday beginning at 9:00am ET. Live Oak International also hosts a CSI 2* jumping competition and USEF Network coverage will include Sunday’s $34,000 Winning Round CSI 2*at 2:30pm ET. On-demand video footage of the driving marathon and Saturday’s jumping class, the $50,000 CSI 2*-W Live Oak International Grand Prix will be available shortly on USEFNetwork.com.

Suzy Stafford (Wilmington, Del.) remains in the lead in the FEI Single Horse division, which is also serving as the Selection Trial for the 2014 FEI World Driving Championships for Singles being held September 25-28 in Izsak, Hungary. Following the marathon phase, she added 65.75 penalty points to her dressage score of 41.09 to sit atop the leaderboard with a score of 106.84.

By Kathleen Landwehr

For more information about Live Oak International, visit http://liveoakinternational.com/.

Follow the U.S. Driving Team here.

Weber Leads USEF National Four-in-Hand Championship Set at Live Oak International Following Dressage Phase

Chester Weber (Picsofyou.com)

Ocala, Fla. – A foggy morning gave way to a sunny afternoon at Live Oak International as the three competitors in the USEF National Four-in-Hand Championship sponsored by Ariat entered the John Deere Arena to perform their dressage test. The championship also serves as the USEF Selection Trial for the 2014 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games. Held in conjunction with the FEI Four-in-Hand division sponsored by Seminole Wellness, Chester Weber currently sits atop the leaderboard following the dressage phase with a score of 35.02.

Weber (Ocala, Fla.) performed his signature lovely dressage test with his and Jane Clark’s team of Royal Dutch Warmblood geldings to earn the winning score. He guided his team expertly throughout the test, highlighted by great trot work and circles. After winning at the Kingdom of the Sun CDE last month, Weber aims to maintain his winning streak and claim his eleventh USEF National Four-in-Hand Championship title.

“I drove a really experienced team here and I couldn’t be more pleased with the horses,” stated Weber. “They are in really good form showing they are headed in the right direction towards Normandy, our goal for this summer. It’s always a bit of a challenge to be involved with the organization of an event and to compete here, but I was really pleased with the horses and how they showed up today.”

Misdee Wrigley-Miller (Lakewood Ranch, Fla.) lies in second place after scoring 51.97 with her team of Dutch Warmblood geldings. She performed a smooth, fluid test to sit in the Reserve Champion position. With a win at Sunshine State CDE and a third-place finish at the Kingdom of the Sun CDE earlier this year, Wrigley-Miller seems to be on track for another top performance.

Casey Zubek (Manhattan, Ill.) holds the third-place position after earning a score of 58.57. He and his team of Dutch Warmblood geldings executed a nice test highlighted by a solid reinback. Zubek hopes to improve after earning a second-place finish at the Kingdom of the Sun CDE.

Championship competition resumes Saturday with the marathon phase beginning at 9:00am ET. The championship title will be decided Sunday following the cones phase beginning at 9:00am ET.

Anyone interested can watch the marathon and cones phases live on the USEF Network presented by SmartPak. USEFNetwork.com will be live streaming the driving marathon and cones phases on Saturday and Sunday beginning at 9:00am ET and 8:00am ET respectively. Live Oak International also hosts a CSI 2* jumping competition and USEF Network coverage will include jumper classes on Saturday at 2:00pm ET and Sunday at 2:30pm ET.

In addition to the USEF National Four-in-Hand Championship, the FEI Single Horse division serves as the Selection Trial for the 2014 FEI World Driving Championships for Singles in Izsak, Hungary being held September 25-28. Suzy Stafford (Wilmington, Del.) sits a atop the FEI Single Horse division leaderboard after scoring 41.09.

By Kathleen Landwehr

For more information about Live Oak International, visit http://liveoakinternational.com/.

Follow the U.S. Driving Team here.

USEF National Four-in-Hand Championship Set to Begin at Live Oak International

Lexington, Ky. – Three entries will vie for the USEF National Four-in-Hand Championship title this week at Live Oak International in Ocala, Fla. Held March 19-23, the drivers will perform in the dressage, marathon, and cones phases and hope to come out on top by the competition’s end.

Chester Weber (Ocala, Fla.) aims for his eleventh USEF National Four-in-Hand Championship title. After winning his tenth National title just five months ago at the Kentucky Classic CDE, Weber has remained in top form, winning the Advanced Horse Team division at the Kingdom of the Sun CDE. He began the competition with a personal-best dressage score of 30.89 and maintained his lead throughout the marathon and cones phases to finish on a score of 124.81.

Misdee Wrigley-Miller (Lakewood Ranch, Fla.) aided the U.S. team to a fourth-place finish at the 2013 FEI World Driving Championships for Pairs last September in Topolcianky, Slovakia, but this year she has changed her focus to the Four-in-Hand division. She is off to a great start in 2014, winning at Sunshine State CDE and coming in third in the Kingdom of the Sun CDE in the Advanced Horse Team divisions.

Casey Zubek (Manhattan, Ill.) rounds out the championship field in Ocala. In September 2013, he and his team won the Advanced Horse Team division at the Hermitage Classic CDE. Zubek kicked off 2014 with a second-place finish at the Kingdom of the Sun CDE in the Advanced Horse Team division.

Competition begins Thursday at 9:00am ET with dressage, while the marathon phase kicks off on Saturday at 9:00am ET. The championship title will be decided Sunday following the cones phase beginning at 9:00am ET.

Anyone interested can watch the marathon and cones phases live on the USEF Network presented by SmartPak. USEFNetwork.com will be live streaming the driving marathon and cones phases on Saturday and Sunday beginning at 9:00am ET and 8:00am ET respectively. Live Oak International also hosts a CSI 2* jumping competition and USEF Network coverage will include jumper classes on Saturday at 2:00pm ET and Sunday at 2:30pm ET.

By Kathleen Landwehr

For more information about Live Oak International, visit http://liveoakinternational.com/.

Follow the U.S. Driving Team here.