Tuesday, February 22, 2011

Hunter/Jumper: Ocala: HITS: Tracy Fenney Finishes Ahead of 70 Entries in $10,000 Devoucoux Hunter Prix at HITS Ocala with Junior Meg O’Mara in Second Place

© ESI Photography.
Tracy Fenney and MTM La Costa, owned by Mr. and Mrs. Ken MacKenzie, on course in Sunday's $10,000 Devoucoux Hunter Prix at HITS Ocala.

OCALA, FL (February 22, 2011)--In a weekend that saw a record number of entries in several divisions, including two record-setting highs for Grand Prix entries, Sunday’s $10,000 Devoucoux Hunter Prix was the icing on the cake. An outstanding 70 pairs started on a course designed by Tim Hott of Tennessee, as a mix of Professionals, Amateurs, and Juniors were awarded the top ribbons.

Dressage: USEF: USEF Hosts Successful Dressage Observation Session in Florida By Leah Oliveto



Lexington, KY - Dressage riders in Florida had the opportunity to hone their skills with USEF Technical Advisor Anne Gribbons  and USEF Developing Dressage Coach Debbie McDonald  in a USEF Observation Session, February 14-15. Ten riders and 12 horses took part in the two day session which followed a weekend of competition for many at the Wellington Classic Spring Challenge CDI-W.

Anne Gribbons Advises Sharon McCusker and Wrigley at the USEF Observation Session
(Photo: Eva Salomon/USEF Archives)
day session which followed a weekend of competition for many at the Wellington Classic Spring Challenge CDI-W.

Held at Walter and Mary Anne McPhail's High Meadow Farm in Loxahatchee, FL, the session was formatted to give all riders the unique benefit of gaining expertise from both Gribbons and McDonald. The pair worked jointly with all the riders on Monday and then split the effort on Tuesday with Gribbons lending guidance to the more advanced combinations and McDonald focusing on the developing combinations.  

Rider JJ Tate saw much improvement with her Intermediaire I horse, Faberge. 

"The clinic with Anne and Debbie was super helpful," said Tate. "I got assistance from both of them on the first day and it was great to get their joint feedback on my horse. On the second day, I had a fabulous ride with Debbie; I felt she helped me get to a brand new level with my horse. We followed up on what we all had worked on the first day, and Faberge just felt amazing."

Following a solid performance in the weekend's CDI-W Grand Prix, Susan Jaccoma rode Wadamur on both days of the session, "I enjoyed having the first day with Anne teaching and Debbie adding what she saw to my lesson," said Jaccoma.  "Anne and Debbie work well together. I enjoyed having two pairs of experienced eyes on me!"

The next Observation Session will take place April 6-7 in San Diego, CA with Gribbons, for more information please click here. 

Dressage: USEF: ATTENTION DRESSAGE COMPETITION MANAGERS: Dressage Competitions Invited to Submit Applications for 2012 USEF/NAJYRC Qualifiers


From the USEF Dressage Department
Lexington, KY - The United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) invites licensed dressage competitions to apply to become an official 2012 "qualifying competition" for the USEF Dressage Developing Programs and the Adequan FEI North American Junior & Young Rider Dressage Championships presented by Gotham North (NAJYRC).

DEADLINE:  APRIL 30, 2011

The USEF Developing Programs & the NAJYRC Program include the following:
 USEF National Championships for Ponies, Juniors, Young Riders, & Young Adult "Brentina Cup"
 FEI North American Junior & Young Rider Dressage Championships
 USEF National Young Horse &  Developing Horse Dressage Championships

Competitions licensed for dates from January 1, 2012 - December 31, 2012 will be considered at this time.  

A completed application for each licensed competition must be submitted and received by April 30, 2011.  Applications received after this deadline will NOT be considered. The on-line application is available via the USEF website at this link:  http://www.usef.org/_IFrames/breedsdisciplines/discipline/alldressage/QualifyingComp/QualCompApp.aspx

ENDS

For questions or further information, please contact Jeannie Putney, USEF National Director of Dressage, jputney@usef.org or (859) 225-6918.

Revised - Hunter: Jumper: Marie Hecart and Babbe Van't Roosakker Speed to Win Suncast 1.50m Championship Jumper Series Classic Weatherly Stroh and Sigfried Top $5,000 WCHR Amateur-Owner 3'3" Hunter Classic Spectacular

We wish to apologize for originally posting incorrect photos of Weatherly Stroh and Sigfried. Please see the correct photos of Wetherly and Sigfried below and thanks Weatherly for bringing this to our attention ~ ed.
Marie Hecart and Babbe Van't Roosakker won the $25,000 Suncast 1.50m Championship Jumper Series Classic during week 6 at the 2011 FTI Winter Equestrian Festival. Photo © Sportfot, Official Sport Photographer of the FTI Winter Equestrian Festival, www.sportfot.com .

For Immediate Release
Jennifer Wood and Lauren Fisher for Jennifer Wood Media, Inc.

Wellington, FL - February 19, 2011 - The Suncast 1.50m Championship Jumper Series Classic was held today, and it was Marie Hecart (FRA) on Babbe van't Roosakker, owned by Haras de la Rogue, who were the fastest double clear combination. They won the sixth event in the Suncast 1.50m Championship Jumper Series, which will award $50,000 in rider bonus money at the end of the series.

The FTI Winter Equestrian Festival's sixth week of competition continues through Sunday, February 20. Week six, sponsored by Fidelity Investments, will feature the $50,000 G&C Farm Palm Beach Jumping Derby on Sunday at 3 p.m. at The Stadium. The 2011 WEF will continue through April 3 and award more than $6 million in prize money.

There were 34 entries in today's 1.50m classic, and seven of those were able to find the clear round over a course designed by Steve Stephens of Palmetto, FL. Hecart and Babbe van't Roosakker, a 10-year-old Belgian Warmblood mare by Kannan, were able to keep a quick pace and efficient turns for the fastest clear jump-off ride in 39.496 seconds.

Second place went to Sergio Niento Del Rio with Fabiana, who were also double clear in 41.246 seconds, while Scott Brash (GBR) and Intertoy Z were just behind in third with a time of 41.361 seconds.

Hecart and Babbe have a long history together. Hecart's family and father, famous show jumper Michel Hecart, run a large breeding operation of 200 horses at Haras de la Rogue, which is next to the Deauville show grounds. Babbe has been in the barn since she was two years old. Hecart rode the mare when she was five years old before she moved to North America. Michel Hecart will be in Wellington tomorrow to help the French team in the $75,000 FEI Nations Cup, presented by G&C Farm, on Friday, March 4.

She explained, "All the horses that I ride now are from them. It's perfect for me; they send horses to me that are for sale. It works well. I knew her a little bit when she was young, but she has changed a lot. My dad rode her, and she did grand prix in France."

Hecart said of the course, "I think it was a nice course considering the ring. He didn't build too big, which is good because there were a lot of tight turns. I watched parts of the jump-off. I wanted to make sure what I walked would work, and that I could do the inside turn. I just went, and it worked!"

Hecart and Babbe were third in last week's 1.50m class, which shows great consistency for the mare. "She just started showing here three weeks ago," Hecart smiled. "It's always nice to win."
Marie Hecart and Babbe van't Roosakker with
ringmaster Cliff Haines and Lauren Tisbo of Suncast

Hunters Compete in the E.R. Mische Grand Hunter Ring

World Champion Hunter Rider (WCHR) competition continued at the FTI WEF today with an exciting win for Weatherly Stroh and Sigfried in the $5,000 WCHR Amateur-Owner Hunter 3'3" Classic. Stroh and Sigfried, owned by Susanne Stroh, earned a score of 164 to top the class. Sandra Epstein and Catamount finished in second place, just half a point behind the leaders with a score of 163.5. Nicole Olinyk and Sea Walker finished in third with a 160.75, and Jean Sheptoff rode Condesi to fourth place honors with a score of 155.25.

Weatherly Stroh and Sigfried $5,000 win the WCHR Amateur-Owner Hunter 3'3" Classic -  Sportfot photo
 Class winner Weatherly Stroh is from Colorado and this is her first time competing in Wellington at the FTI Winter Equestrian Festival. Stroh usually shows in Arizona during the winter season and was excited for a change of scenery this year. While in Florida, Stroh is riding with trainer Heather Irvine.

"Heather talked us into coming and I just wanted to see what it was like," Stroh stated. "It has been great; it is way beyond what we expected. Everybody has been so friendly and the weather is fantastic. The jumps are beautiful and the rings are great. It has been a lot of fun."

Stroh's mount today was Sigfried, a nine-year-old Westphalian gelding. Sigfried shows in the Second Year Green Hunters with rider Erynn Ballard, and this is Stroh's first year riding him. Sigfried also showed in last night's professional WCHR Palm Beach Hunter Classic Spectacular with Ballard and was in top form for Stroh today.

"He is just so much fun to ride; he has the best canter, which makes it so easy to find the jumps on," Stroh noted. "You just loop the reins and he goes. I am having so much fun with him. Yesterday I was a little bit inconsistent so I knew today that there were people that had better scores than me, so my goal was just to be smooth and try not to do anything drastic."

Stroh plans to take next week off and will then compete two more weeks in Florida. She will return to Colorado for the summer and then hopes to compete at indoors this fall. As she gets more comfortable and confident in her partnership with Sigfried, Stroh also hopes to move up to the 3'6" division this year.
Weatherly Stroh and Sigfried in their championship presentation - Sportfot photo

The sixth week of the FTI Winter Equestrian Festival will conclude tomorrow with the $50,000 G&C Farm Palm Beach Jumping Derby on the grass field at The Stadium at 3 p.m. The WCHR Junior/Amateur-Owner Hunter Classic Spectacular will be the highlight hunter class of the day.

For full results please visit www.showgroundslive.com and for more information, visit www.equestriansport.com.

Final Results: $31,000 WEF Challenge Cup Round 6

1 BABBE VAN'T ROOSAKKER MARIE HECART HARAS DE LA ROGUE: 0/0/39.496

2 FABIANA SERGIO NIENTO DEL RIO SERGIO NIENTO DEL RIO: 0/0/41.246

3 INTERTOY Z SCOTT BRASH     SCOTT BRASH: 0/0/41.361

4 ROSALIA LA SILLA ALBERTO MICHAN     LA SILLA: 0/4/39.205

5 TORONTO CANDICE KING     AAA EQUESTRIAN LLC: 0/4/43.158

6 DANTE LUIS ALEJANDRO PLASENCIA    LUIS ALEJANDRO PLASENCIA: 0/8/40.331

7 COPILOT JACKIE MC QUADE     JACKIE MCQUADE: 0/8/40.696

8 G&C TROPI GOLD GUSTAVO ARROYO     G&C FARM: 2/87.168

9 QUAINTON QUIRIFINO Z BEN MAHER     QUAINTON STUD: 4/75.131

10 G&C NAPOLEON GUSTAVO ARROYO     G&C FARM: 4/80.250

11 CELESTA RODRIGO DIAZ     RODRIGO DIAZ: 4/80.427

12 AMI DES GEMMES CORY HARDY     INTERNATIONAL GROUP: 4/81.075


Jumping: Ocala: HITS: International Star Andre Thieme Scores Big as HITS Ocala Reaches New Heights in a Record-Breaking Weekend

© ESI Photography.
Andre Thieme and Cesar on course in Sunday's $50,000 HITS Grand Prix, presented by Pfizer Animal Health. 



OCALA, FL (February 22, 2011)-- The Ocala Winter Circuit had a record-breaking weekend as the $50,000 HITS Grand Prix, presented by Pfizer Animal Health, had the largest Grand Prix starting field ever seen in Ocala with 50 competitors in the tack. Sunday's record came on the heels of Thursday's $25,000 SmartPak Grand Prix, presented by Pfizer Animal Health, which set the record at 48 starters. Andre Thieme of Plau Am See, Germany, and his own Cesar captured the top prize in the $50,000 event to highlight the week of competition at the Ocala Winter Festival.

Reining: Current FEI Reining Standings as of February, 2011

Please view pdf attached here for current FEI Reining Standings.

FEI Reining Standings 28.01.2011 Final Version
The FEI is the international governing body for Reining. For further information please visit www.fei.org