Friday, November 20, 2015

Dutch Harness Filly For Sale ~ Katelyn

Dutch Harness Filly For Sale ~ Katelyn was born in 2015 by DHH Stallion Sandokan. She has the cutest expressions and is very sweet. She is trotting along with her dam which shows a little of what she will look and move like in the future. She should mature close to 16.2h. View more horses at http://ift.tt/1HmFLlj
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Dutch Harness Filly For Sale

Beautiful Dutch Harness Filly For Sale ~ Karalinda was born in 2015 and by DHH Stallion Sandokan. She has a beautiful head and neck as well as great movement. She should excel in dressage and/or driving.
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Bouncer Dutch Harness Cross For Sale

Dressage or Driving Prospect For Sale. Born in 2015 and by DHH Alex. He is a full sister to Big Beauty. Bouncer is located in PA
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Horses Etc. LLC: Dressage Judges’ Retirement Age May Go To 72 from ... https://t.co/pFbIw85Jft


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Wednesday, November 18, 2015

Dressage Judges’ Retirement Age May Go To 72 from 70 Years of Age as Sport Undergoes Dramatic Makeo https://t.co/dSEkAuAvGs


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Monday, November 16, 2015

Royal Gem Bred by late Lloyd Landhamer to be Competed by Missy Fladland at Dutta Corp. US Champions https://t.co/LJdi3IW8BL


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Sunday, November 15, 2015

USA Dutta Corp. Grand Prix & Intermediate Championship Horses & Riders Confirmed


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Saturday, November 14, 2015

Carol Lavell Gifted Memorial Fund Makes Grants to Adult Amateurs


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Friday, November 13, 2015

“Eddie” Jose Eduardo Garcia Luna, Groom for Steffen Peters, Named FEI 2015 Best


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Thursday, November 12, 2015

“Radical Changes” to Olympic Equestrian Formats Outlined at FEI General Assembly


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November 13, 2015 at 01:30AM
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Global Dressage Festival Prize Money Close to $700,000 in Olympic Year


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Tuesday, November 10, 2015

Changes Proposed for Protective Head Gear for Horses & Humans


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Monday, November 9, 2015

Drastic Change in Dressage Error Rule Center of Controversy at FEI General Assembly


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November 09, 2015 at 11:34PM
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Can You Still Find Warmbloods For Sale In The USA

Can You Still Find Warmbloods For Sale In The USA
You can find nice warmbloods for sale in the United States! There is a lot of confusioned buyers that think they have to go to europe to get the best bloodlines.. That basically is not the situation. Keep in mind breeders are buying semen from europe to breed their mares here in the USA so you don't have to go to europe

It is entirely conceivable to locate a decent bloodline warmblood that has extraordinary attributes and is reasonably priced. Presently, this may take some time, and you may need to test out a lot of horses to locate the right one yet the truth is that great bloodlines exist in the United States. 

While it is surely genuine that the abroad breeds may have the best genealogy and history in their local nation it isn't genuine that these attributes are selective to just a select group. 
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tUYC72QeRNI


Purchasing a horse inside of the United States can spare you a large amount of cash.. The expense of transporting a horse $7k or more. 

Warmbloods are for sale in many states and countries.  The real question is what's your budget. That will determine where you look.

You don't need to pay a premium cost to discover a horse that suits your needs. Just make sure you do your home work first!

Can You Still Find Warmbloods For Sale In The USA https://t.co/rJfK5BUjff


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November 09, 2015 at 04:56PM
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Equine Sense of Smell

I think they do!
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Victories by 2 Generations of Family Highlighted 28 US Dressage Finals Championship–Wrap Up Results


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Sunday, November 8, 2015

I just joined https://t.co/KuWrJvRhSV. Sign up for a free account and follow me! https://t.co/QlAluLS6V5


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November 08, 2015 at 08:18PM
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Almost Quarter Century on from Olympic team bronze, Michael Poulin Rides Thor to US Finals Grand Pr https://t.co/WoiDyRcOkF


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November 08, 2015 at 06:22AM
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Beata Stremler & Rubicon Make it 2 for 2 in Winning Zakrzów CDI3* Grand Prix Special


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November 08, 2015 at 06:22AM
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Matthias Bouten & Söhnlein Brilliant MJ Capture Munich CDI4* Grand Prix Freestyle


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Saturday, November 7, 2015

2015 PSI Auction Horse in the Spotlight: Bocuse - MD Horse Country

http://ift.tt/1GPDuCK NICE!!
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Tommie Visser & Vingino Win Lier CDI4* Grand Prix Freestyle


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November 07, 2015 at 11:08PM
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Canadian Trainer & Rider Neil Ishoy Dies–1959-2015


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Show Jumpers available to be purchased



Show jumpers are a specific sort of steed that can be fairly hard to locate a flawless match. Indeed, even the most restless stallion can be appropriately taken care of by an accomplished rider. Disposition and identity certainly will become an integral factor when purchasing a stallion additionally remember your own riding aptitudes and your capacity to handle troublesome steeds.

A steed that is a jumper will be wired to move around quick, these stallions are bread to be sharp witted so they are additionally going to be really savvy, moderately talking. When you ride the steed around surprisingly would you say you are ready to handle how he or she responds to you? Will you envision one another's developments heretofore? These are qualities of well preparing on both of your finishes and are the indication of an incredible purchase in the event that you can bear the cost of it.
Obviously, on the off chance that you can locate an extraordinary arrangement then you may feel constrained to hop on it, too bad play on words planned. In any case, please remember that these arrangements may be for reasons unknown you may not know about, but rather obviously dependably do your own due constancy when purchasing anything of this much esteem. Despite the arrangement you may get on the off chance that you don't coexist with the steed you wish to purchase then it is essentially a disputable issue in any case, it is ideal to proceed onward and let another person get the steed who may coexist better with it.

You may even need to go abroad to locate your next prize show jumper. While some case that the United Kingdom is the best place to purchase this kind of steed at this time there may be raisers in your nation that can satisfy your needs without worrying about transportation abroad. In the event that you do go the global course please remember the different lawful issues you may run over. Purchasing a steed in a sure nation implies you will work under that nations laws, so simply be arranged legitimately on the off chance that you think of a few issues later on.

It is clear that just by taking a gander at recordings and photographs of stallions you will most likely be unable to tell on the off chance that they are an ideal choice for you. While you may start your hunt online you will presumably need to travel, potentially awesome separations, to locate the ideal steed. On the off chance that you are willing to experience the greater part of this and you have the cash and time to do as such then incredible. Nonetheless, please remember these costs when searching for a steed; it is the steed itself as well as everything that accompanies the steed, for example, the shipping and the vet visits.

While the various promotions online and in the different magazines may appear there are various show jumpers available that doesn't imply that they are every one of the an appropriate fit for you and your needs. Continuously consider your financial plan, the age of the stallion, and in addition your own particular riding capacities.

2015 PSI Auction Horse in the Spotlight: Bocuse https://t.co/8c6aHOP7ni via @weebly


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Friday, November 6, 2015

Poulin Daughter & Father Place 1st, 2nd at US Dressage Final Grand Prix–Championship Results


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Beauty arrived in Florida today to begin her training under saddle!!! Can't wait to see her under saddle! https://t.co/E58xlXWs2d


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Check out our post!


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Welcome To Five Phases Farm

We only have a few spots available for training horses! We have a great facility and a lot to offer. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ln8QDXsL5BE
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Thursday, November 5, 2015

Olympic Individual Latest Rankings With Four Months to Go

Judy Reynolds of Ireland on Vancouver K. © 2015 Ken Braddick/dressage-news.com

Judy Reynolds of Ireland on Vancouver K. © 2015 Ken Braddick/dressage-news.com

Nov. 5, 2015

By KENNETH J. BRADDICK

The latest individual dressage rankings for the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro were released by the International Equestrian Federation (FEI) Thursday with four months to go for qualifying.

The standings as of the end of October of the top rider and horse combinations qualifying through the seven geographic groups or individual ranking list saw Ireland’s Judy Reynolds on Vancouver K and Ukraine’s Inna Logutenkova on Don Gregorius consolidate their positions.

Of the 60 starting places assigned to dressage at Rio next summer, the most ever, 40 are allocated for 10 teams directly qualifying, each with up to four combinations, and 20 individuals.

The 10 nations with teams already qualified are Brazil, as host, Germany, Great Britain, Netherlands, Australia, United States, Spain, Sweden, France and Japan.

Individuals have qualified so far from Canada, Mexico, South Africa and Korea.

The remaining 16 individuals spots will be allocated after the end of the official qualifying period on Mar. 6, 2016, 10 by geographic groups and six from overall Olympic rankings.

AS AN EXAMPLE ONLY, here’s how the system works using the latest rankings as if qualifying was completed, as calculated unofficially by dressage-news.com.

Geographic Groups

A-Northwest Europe 2 places—1. Denmark (Anna Kasprzak/Donnperignon), 2 Denmark (Mikala Gundersen/My Lady)

B-Southwest Europe 2 places—1. Austria (Victoria Max-Theurer/Blind Date) 2. Switzerland (Marcela Krinke Susmelj/Smeyers Molberg)

C-Central/Eastern Europe 2 places—1. Russia (Inessa Merkulova/Mister X) 2. Ukraine (Inna Logutenkova/Don Gregorius)

D-North America 1 place—Canada (Megan Lane/Caravella)

E-Central/South America 1 place—Dominican Republic (Yvonne Losos de Muñiz/Foco Loco W)

F-Africa/Middle East 1 place—Palestine (Christian Zimmermann/Cinco de Mayo)

G-Southeast Asia/Oceania 1 place—New Zealand (Julie Brougham/Vom Feinsten)

Individual Ranking List (after geographic group allocations)

1. Ireland (Judy Reynolds/Vancouver K)

2. Denmark (Daniel Bachmann Andersen/Blue Hors Loxana)

3. Belgium (Fanny Verliefden/Annarico)

4. Norway (Trude K. Hestengen/Tobajo Pik Disney)

5. Belgium (Jeroen Devroe/Eres DL)

6. Portugal (Gonçalo Carvalho/Batuta)

If the standings remain unchanged for the next four months, Denmark would qualify three individual combinations and thus able to start a so-called “composite” team in Rio.

Canada has one individual already qualified and by dominating the North American group is likely to qualify a second individual but faces a tough contest in the individual rankings for a third slot to field a team.

Belgium has two combinations among the six at the top of the individual rankings.

However, 13 designated Olympic qualifying competitions remain in 2015, 11 in Europe, one in Australia and one in Japan.

The Olympic qualifying competitions from Jan. 1 to Mar. 6, 2016 will not be named for about another month but there are 29 shows on the tentative calendar in that period, 17 in Europe, eight in the United States (six in Wellington, Florida and two in Burbank, California) and one each in Australia, New Zealand, Qatar and Japan.

Wednesday, November 4, 2015

Olympic Horse Transport Certificates for Rio Published by Brazil to End Uncertainty Over Equestrian Events

rio2016 logo

RIO DE JANEIRO, Bov. 4, 2015–Health certificates to enable horses to enter and leave Brazil for Olympic equestrian events were published by the Ministry of Agriculture Wednesday, ending a threat to staging horse sports in Rio de Janeiro next summer.

The health certificates were published in the government journal to cover about 200 horses that will compete next August in dressage, eventing and jumping at the Deodoro sports complex about an hour outside Rio.

Agreement between the Brazilian Ministry of Agriculture and the Brazilian Equestrian Confederation was reached last week after several weeks of what were described as “tense” negotiations over the import and export of the Olympic horses.

Transcript of the formal government announcement (in English/Portuguese) is available here.

USA Federation Includes Junior Riders, Vets in Broadened Range of Responsible Parties in Horse Drug Violations

USEF logo
LEXINGTON, Kentucky, Nov. 3, 2015–The U.S. Equestrian Federation aanounced Tuesday approval of a broad expansion of the range of responsible parties involved in violations of horse drugs and medications rules.

The change in the rule that now will cover junior riders as well as others was approved by the USEF board of directors and will take effect Dec. 1. It comes in the wake of drug cases in the hunter/jumper divisions that have generated widespread criticism of the current rules.

Under the change, individuals who are responsible and accountable parties–defined as “Persons Responsible and Support Personnel”–is being expanded.

The Trainer will continue to be held accountable for violations.

In addition, however, “and in the absence of substantial evidence to the contrary Persons Responsible may include the individual who rides, vaults or drives the horse and/or pony during competition, the owner and Support Personnel. Support Personnel includes, but is not limited to, grooms, handlers, longeurs, and veterinarians if they are present at the competition or have made a relevant decision about the horse and/or pony.”

“Under the new rule, a junior exhibitor might fall under the Persons Responsible; there must be substantial evidence to support holding a junior accountable.”

The USEF said that neither the Trainer nor any Persons Responsible, including Support Personnel, may be relieved from his responsibility under the Drugs and Medications Rules due to a lack or insufficiency of stable security. Therefore, the insufficiency of stable security or lack of security will not be an acceptable defense to any drug positive or medication overage in a horse.

The USEF said it is considering additional changes as a result of feedback.

Monday, November 2, 2015

Adelinde & Parzival Drop to No. 378 in World as Pair Near Retirement

Parzival being ridden by Adelinde Cornelissen at the Olympic Games in London in 2012. ©  Ken Braddick/dressage-news.com

Parzival being ridden by Adelinde Cornelissen to team bronze and individual silver medals at the Olympic Games in London in 2012. © Ken Braddick/dressage-news.com

Nov. 2, 2015

By KENNETH J. BRADDICK

Adelinde Cornelissen and Jerich Parzival plunged to No. 378 in the world in the latest International Equestrian Federation rankings released Monday, as the horse nears 19 years old and retirement from a remarkable career of nine years at top sport earning medals at Olympics, World Games, European Championships and two World Cup titles.

The FEI rankings to the end of October show the pair dropped from 27th place a month earlier, reflecting a single international competition this year–the 121st CDI Grand Prix career start–that was followed by the Netherlands’ team coach dropping the pair from the championship squad and Adelinde admitting that retirement for the big chestnut is “certain” in 2016.

The Grand Prix record for Parzival (Jazz x Ulft) and Adelinde, now 36 years old, is marked by the only combination to beat Totilas when ridden by Edward Gal at the height of the black stallion’s career–they did it twice–medals at all six championships the pair competed in, though one was devastating because of  disqualification of Parzival with blood in the mouth.

The partnership began when Adelinde, then a full-time school teacher, was asked to prepare the gelding (Jazz x Ulft) for sale after he’d been out in a field by himself so long the big chestnut was difficult to  handle.

The first international Big Tour competition was a CDI3* at Zwolle, Netherlands in February, 2007.

A month later, the combination achieved its first world ranking of 523rd out of 641 combinations on the world standings.

Adelinde Cornelissen and Parzival at 2009 European Championships beating Totilas in the Grand Prix Special. © Ken Braddick/dressage-news.com

Adelinde Cornelissen and Parzival at 2009 European Championships beating Totilas in the Grand Prix Special. © Ken Braddick/dressage-news.com

By mid-2009, Adelinde and Parzival had climbed to No. 3 in the world, just in time for the arrival of Totilas that caused a seismic change in dressage.

However, in the 27 competitions that Edward Gal rode Totilas in international Grand Prix from June 17, 2009 to  Sept. 30, 2010 the pair were beaten only twice, both times by Adelinde and Parzival–the Grand Prix Special at the European Championships in Windsor, England in 2009 and the Grand Prix at the World Cup Final in ‘s-Hertogenbosch, Netherlands in 2010 (Totilas went on to win the title).

The greatest heartbreak for Adelinde and Parzival came in 2010 when the horse bit his tongue in the Grand Prix at the World Games in Kentucky, drawing blood that caused automatic disqualification. Despite the loss of their second ranked combination, Totilas and Edward led Holland to its first world championship–Adelinde was awarded a gold medal as a member of the victorious team although she didn’t want it. A tearful Adelinde Cornelissen on Jerich Parzival with blood showing on the horse's mouth that led to the pair being eliminated from the World Games in 2010. © Ken Braddick/dressage-news.com

A tearful Adelinde Cornelissen on Jerich Parzival with blood showing on the horse’s mouth that led to the pair being eliminated from the World Games in 2010. © Ken Braddick/dressage-news.com

The next year, 2011, was full of highlights.

Adelinde and Parzival won the World Cup Final in 2011, the first of back-to-back victories in the annual individual championships centered on the Freestyle.

At the European Championships at Rotterdam the pair  took top honors in the Grand Prix Special and Freestyle and placed second behind Great Britain’s Carl Hester on Uthopia in the Grand Prix.at the European Championships in Rotterdam. The Dutch couple beat Totilas then ridden by Matthias Alexander Rath of Germany

Adelinde and Parzival were No. 1 in the world.

Adelinde Cornelissen and Jerich Parzivalafter in 2012 winning their secnd straight World Cup Final. © 2012 Ken Braddick/dressage-news.com

Adelinde Cornelissen and Jerich Parzivalafter in 2012 winning their secnd straight World Cup Final. © 2012 Ken Braddick/dressage-news.com

After their 2012 World Cup success, the pair did not compete again at CDI until the Olympics in London in summer. There, Charlotte Dujardin on Valegro awaited.

The British pair was the star at their hometown Olympics, the 100th anniversary of dressage at the Games and the first ever medals for Britain in the sport at any Olympics. But Adelinde and Parzival were superb, placing second in the Grand Prix, the Special and the Freestyle.

Championship team and individual medals–but no gold–came at the 2013 Europeans and 2014 World Games and more first place ribbons.

Parzival ridden out of the 2014 World Games after the pair's last championship competition for the Netherlands. © Ken Braddick/dressage-news.com

Parzival ridden out of the 2014 World Games after the pair’s last championship competition for the Netherlands. © Ken Braddick/dressage-news.com

Adelinde has no other horses in the latest world rankings that have grown to 765 combinations.

Sunday, November 1, 2015

Dutta Corp. Festival of Champions Qualifying Closed for USA Grand Prix & Intermediare Championships

Laura Graves on Verdades at the Pan American Games where the pair won team gold and individual silver medals. © 2015 Ken Braddick/dressage-news.com

Laura Graves on Verdades at the Pan American Games where the pair won team gold and individual silver medals. © 2015 Ken Braddick/dressage-news.com

By KENNETH J. BRADDICK

WELLINGTON, Florida, Nov. 1, 2015–Laura Graves on Verdades squeaked into the 2014 Festival of Champions almost unknown but emerged with star billing and go into this year’s United States championships presented by The Dutta Corp. ranked second in the nation, according to the final qualifying rankings.

Fifteen horses and riders that qualified in CDIs over 10 months ending Saturday will be invited to the Tim Dutta Grand Prix and Intermediare Championships to be held for the first time at the Global Dressage Festival grounds in Wellington Dec. 8-12. Pony through Under-25 Divisions were held in summer.

The Grand Prix Championships will also be a qualifying competition for riders seeking to go to Europe for yet-to-be named CDI observation events aimed at choosing the American team for the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro next summer. The European tour will be after the winter circuits in Florida and California.

While the competition is not a CDI, it will be run under international rules and will have a ground jury in line with international standards–Gary Rockwell and Linda Zang of the United States, Hans Christian Matthiesen of Denmark, Peter Holler of Germany and Christof Umbach of Luxembourg.

The championships are decided by results of all three levels–for Big Tour, Grand Prix, Special and Freestyle and for Small Tour Prix St. Georges, Intermediaire I and Freestyle.

Steffen Peters of San Diego, California heads the Grand Prix rankings on Legolas with Laura of Plymouth, Florida on Verdades second and Steffen on Rosamunde third. Allison Brock of Wellington on Rosevelt is ranked fourth.

Steffen plans to take both horses to the championships to seek a fifth straight Grand Prix championship and seventh crown in the past nine years, unprecedented in a quarter century of the event.

The U.S. championship rankings of the top four combinations match the order of standings of Americans in the world–Steffen on Legolas No. 9, Laura on Verdades No. 15, Steffen on Rosamunde No. 24 and Allison on Rosevelt No. 46.

Kathleen Raine of Murieta, California on Breanna is the fifth ranked American at No. 48 in the world but did not declare for the championships after success in Germany in late summer. Kathleen, who has competed the 15-year-old Hanoverian mare extensively in Europe in the past three years, told dressage-news.com she opted to spend more time there competing and training.

Sabine Schut-Kery on Sanceo at the Pan American Games. © 2015 Ken Braddick/dressage-news.com

Sabine Schut-Kery on Sanceo at the Pan American Games. © 2015 Ken Braddick/dressage-news.com

Sabine Schut-Kery of Thousand Oaks, California on Sanceo is atop the Intermediare rankings but she is moving the horse up to Grand Prix after the pair’s Pan American Games team gold medal so does not plan to make the trip to Florida.

Shelly Francis of Loxahatchee, Florida is ranked second on Rubinio. Shelly has two horses ranked in the Grand Prix, Doktor at No. 5 and Danilo eighth.

Charlotte Jorst of Reno, Nevada has Kastel’s Nintendo at No. 6 in the Grand Prix rankings and Kastel’s Adventure at No. 5 and Fraktura at No. 8 in the Intermediare.

Eliane Cordia-van Reesema of Rowayton, Connecticut also has horses ranked in both divisions—Jewel’s Amethyst at No. 12 in the Intermediare and Jewel’s Adelante 19th in the Grand Prix.

Kimberly Herslow of Stockton, California on Rosmarin who also won Pan Am gold as team mates with Sabine and Sanceo at Small Tour as well as Steffen and Legolas and Laura and Verdades did not declare for the championships as she, too, decided to move to Big Tour.

A national show of all levels, the Wellington Classic Holiday Challenge, will be staged in conjunction with the championships on the same weekend. The prize list will be posted on http://www.globaldressagefestival.com.

(The Festival of Champions are the national championships of the U.S.Equestrian Federation while the U.S. Dressage Finals being held in Kentucky this week are head-to-head national competitions of adut amateur and open divisions qualifying through regional groups organized by the U.S. Dressage Federation.)

The qualifying combinations on the Festival of Champions rankings are:.

Tim Dutta Grand Pix National Championship Rankings
1. Steffen Peters, San Diego, California – Legolas, 13, Westfalen gelding – 76.157% (average score)
2. Laura Graves, Plymouth, Florida – Verdades, 13, KWPN gelding – 75.510
3. Steffen Peters – Rosamunde, 8, Rhineland mare – 73.920
4. Allison Brock, Wellington, Florida – Rosevelt, 13, KWPN stalllion – 72.687
5. Shelly Francis, Loxahatchee, Florida – Doktor, 12. Oldenburg gelding – 70.958
6. Charlotte Jorst, Reno, Nevada – Kastel’s Nintendo, 12, KWPN stallion – 69.802
7. Catherine Haddad-Staller, Califon, New Jersey – Mane Stream Hotmail, 13, Oldenburg gelding – 69.282
8. Shelly Francis – Danilo, 11, Hanoverian gelding – 68.999
9. Arlene Page, Wellington – Woodstock, 12, KWPN gelding – 68.931
10. Arlene Page -Alina, 17, Danish Warmblood mare – 68.890
11. Katherine Bateson-Chandler, Wellington – Alcazar, 10, KWPN gelding – 68.821
12. Devon Kane, Wellington – Destiny, 12, Danish Warmblood gelding – 68.099
13. Beatrice Marienau, Oak Creek, Colorado – Stefano 8, 16, KWPN gelding – 67.974
14. Heather Oleson, Eagle, Idaho – Victor, 13, KWPN gelding – 67.767
15. Susan Dutta, Wellington – Currency DC, 15, Oldenburg gelding – 67.398
16. Kimberly McGrath, Redlands, California – Winslow, 12, KWPN gelding – 67.341
17. Alice Tarjan, Oldwick, New Jersey – Elfenfeuer, 8, Oldenburg mare- 67.123
18. Jan Ebeling, Moorpark, California – FRH Rassolini, 12, Hanoverian stallion – 66.987
19. Eliane Cordia-van Reesema, Rowayton, Connecticut – Jewel’s Adelante, 15, Swedish Warmblood gelding – 66.642
20. Tracy Lert, Scotts Valley, California – Udo, 14, KWPN gelding – 66.408
21. Sharon McCusker, Ashby, Massachusetts – Wrigley, 12, KWPN gelding – 66.326
22. Brian Hafner, Sonoma, California – Lombardo LHF, 16, Hanoverian gelding – 65.700
23. Elizabeth Ball, Encinitas, California – Liaison, 12, Westfalen mare – 65.617
24. Kathy Priest, Versailles, Kentucky – Wild Dancer, 12, KWPN mare – 65.545
25. Adrienne Pot, Barrington Hills, Illinois – Something Special C, 16, KWPN Gelding- 63.652

Tim Dutta Intermediare I National Championship Rankings
1. Sabine Schut-Kerry, Thousand Oaks, California – Sanceo, 9, Hanoverian gelding – 71.764%
2. Shelly Francis, Loxahatchee, Florida – Rubinio, 9, Westfalen gelding- 71.303
3. Elizabeth Ball, Encinitas, California – Avanti, 10, KWPN gelding – 70.886
4. Tina Konyot, Palm City, Florida – Wyoming, 14, Hanoverian gelding – 70.704
5. Charlotte Jorst, Reno, Nevada – Kastel’s Adventure, 10, KWPN gelding – 70.002
6. Lelie Webb, Bakersfield, California – Harmony’s Armani, 10, KWPN mare – 69.351
7. Christina Vinios, Wellington, Florida – Folkestone, 9, Oldenburg gelding – 69.177
8. Charlotte Jorst – Fraktura, 12, Hanoverian mare – 68.735
9. Katie Riley, Whitehouse Station, New Jersey – Toy Story, 9, KWPN gelding – 68.578
10. Dorothy Morkis, Dover, Massachusetts – Artiest, 10, KWPN gelding – 67.606
11. Susanne Hassler, Chesapeake City, Maryland – Harmony’s Boitano, 9, KWPN gelding – 67.461
12. Eliane Cordia-van Reesema, Rowayton, Connecticut – Jewel’s Amethyst, 10, KWPN gelding – 67.312
13. Heather Kennedy, Colorado – Babushka RTH, 8, KWPN mare – 66.711
14. Cesar Parra, Whitehouse Station, New Jersey -Blickpunkt 4, 10, Westfalen stallion – 66.575
15. Heather Michaels, Wellington – Abacus, 10, KWPN stallion – 65.890
16. Melissa Jackson, Parrish, Florida – Whirlpool, 12, Hanoverian gelding – 65.796
17. Missy Fladland, Griswold, Iowa – Royal Gem, 10, Oldenburg gelding – 64.288

This report was prepared by dressage-news.com and presented by Cunningham & Cunningham Livestock insurance.

Friday, October 30, 2015

Olympic Horse Imports for Rio Agreed Between Brazil & Europe

The 2016 Olympic Games equestrian venue at Deadoro, Brazil.

The 2016 Olympic Games equestrian venue at Deadoro, Brazil.

RIO DE JANEIRO, Oct. 30, 2015–Brazil and the European Union reached an agreement for Olympic equestrian events to go-ahead as scheduled at Rio de Janeiro next summer, O Globo reported Friday, after what the newspaper described as “a tense month of intense negotiations” over horse import requirements.

The terms of the settlement will be published officially next week, the city’s most prominent newspaper reported, and presented to the International Equestrian Federation (FEI) General Assembly meeting in Puerto Rico Nov. 10-13.

The Brazilian Equestrian Confederation raised the prospect last month that failure to amend the country’s import restrictions could force the three Olympic disciplines of dressage, eventing and jumping to be moved from the Deodoro sports complex an hour outside Rio to another country.

The Pan American Games were staged at the same Deodoro complex in 2007.

O Globo said the owners of horses bred in Europe were dissatisfied with Brazil Ministry of Agriculture requirements for a certificate to allow temporary import of animals. The threat was made public during an international dressage event in Sao Paulo.

The agreement provides for Brazil to accept the same procedures used in Europe.

“Everyone involved in the process is comfortable,” the newspaper quoted  Olympic Delivery Authority, Marcelo Pedroso. “Health safety is preserved, guarded. The event is preserved. It is a solution that meets all involved.”

Three health models will now cover participation of horses in the Olympic equestrian events–one used for the South American economic bloc known as Mercosur, one established by the European Union and a third version, more complicated, written specifically for the Games.

The FEI was reported to have given its blessing to the proposal.

Thursday, October 29, 2015

Beatriz Ferrer-Salat & Delgado Win Lyon World Cup Grand Prix

Beatriz Ferrer-Salat on Delgado. © 2015 Ken Braddick/dressage-news.com

Beatriz Ferrer-Salat on Delgado. © 2015 Ken Braddick/dressage-news.com

LYON, France, Oct. 29, 2015–Spain’s Beatriz Ferrer-Salat rode Delgado, her European Championship individual bronze medal mount, to victory in the Equita World Cup Grand Prix Thursday on a personal best score.

Beatriz and the 14-year-old Westfalen gelding that she spent years nursing injuries scored 79.260 per cent to beat the previous best of 77.186 per cent in the Europeans Grand Prix in August that was an emotional high point of their five years of on-again, off-again Big Tour career.

Sweden’s Patrik Kittel on Deja, the 11-year-old Swedish Warmblood mare, placed second on 76.400 per cent while Fabienne Lütkemeier on her German team World Games horse D’Agostino FRH was third on 74.400 per cent.

The Freestyle to decide points in the second of nine Western European League World Cup qualifiers is scheduled for Friday and will be the first time the Spanish team combination have competed in the annual  individual world championship series.

Results:

CDI-W Grand Prix (E) (H) (C) (M) (B) Total
1. 602 Delgado Ferrer – Salat, Beatriz ESP 2500.00 EUR 404.5 391.0 388.5 393.0 404.5 1981.5 points
chest 14y.G /de Niro/Weltmeyer/WESTF/ESP40884/ Deliber S.L. 80.900 % 78.200 % 77.700 % 78.600 % 80.900 % 79.260 %
1. 1. 1. 1. 1.
2. 615 Deja Kittel, Patrik SWE 2000.00 EUR 380.5 381.0 376.5 370.5 401.5 1910.0 points
bay 11y.M /Silvano/Don Schufro/SWB/102ZW84/ Marie Harward 76.100 % 76.200 % 75.300 % 74.100 % 80.300 % 76.400 %
2. 2. 2. 2. 2.
3. 606 D’Agostino FRH Lütkemeier, Fabienne GER 1500.00 EUR 369.5 374.0 372.0 369.5 375.0 1860.0 points
chest 15y.G /De Niro/Shogun xx/HANN/GER42139/ Capellmann-Lütkemeier,Gina 73.900 % 74.800 % 74.400 % 73.900 % 75.000 % 74.400 %
3. 4. 3. 3. 4.
4. 614 Smeyers Molberg Krinke Susmelj, Marcela SUI 1200.00 EUR 369.0 378.0 368.0 362.0 379.5 1856.5 points
bay 14y.G /Michellino/Rambo/DWB/DEN40115/ Meyer Irene + Krinke Susmelj Marcel 73.800 % 75.600 % 73.600 % 72.400 % 75.900 % 74.260 %
4. 3. 4. 4. 3.
5. 607 Vancouver K Reynolds, Judy IRL 900.00 EUR 348.0 363.5 353.5 348.0 363.0 1776.0 points
bay 13y.G /Jazz/Ferro/KWPN/IRL40808/ Joe & Kathleen Reynolds 69.600 % 72.700 % 70.700 % 69.600 % 72.600 % 71.040 %
8. 6. 8. 9. 5.
5. 610 Batuta Carvalho, Goncalo POR 900.00 EUR 350.0 365.0 357.5 355.0 348.5 1776.0 points
bay 9y.M /Quixote/Icaro/LUS/103CG41/ Ishi – Intern. Sport Horses Investm 70.000 % 73.000 % 71.500 % 71.000 % 69.700 % 71.040 %
7. 5. 6. 5. 9.
7. 604 Badinda Altena Volla, Pierre FRA 500.00 EUR 352.5 349.0 362.0 352.5 350.0 1766.0 points
chest 9y.M /Tolando/Goodtimes/KWPN/103HK27/ M. Pierre Volla – M. Sebastien Voll 70.500 % 69.800 % 72.400 % 70.500 % 70.000 % 70.640 %
6. 9. 5. 6. 7.
8. 612 Raffaelo v. Bene Aerne, Anna-Mengia SUI 500.00 EUR 357.0 356.5 355.5 340.5 349.0 1758.5 points
grey 14y.S /Royal Diamond/Lanacar/BAY/104NB08/ Aerne-Caliezi Anna-Mengia 71.400 % 71.300 % 71.100 % 68.100 % 69.800 % 70.340 %
5. 7. 7. 12. 8.
Other, non-placed competitors
9. 605 Spirit of the Age OLD Brune, Bernadette GER 347.5 351.5 348.5 352.5 356.0 1756.0 points
dbay 11y.S /Stedinger/Donnerhall/OLDBG/103PE45/ Brune,Bernadette 69.500 % 70.300 % 69.700 % 70.500 % 71.200 % 70.240 %
9. 8. 9. 6. 6.
10. 601 Finckenstein TSF Svane, Rikke DEN 342.0 342.5 348.0 341.0 348.5 1722.0 points
black 13y.S /Latimer/Kennedy/TRAK/103FA60/ Rikke Svane 68.400 % 68.500 % 69.600 % 68.200 % 69.700 % 68.880 %
10. 11. 10. 11. 9.
11. 616 Beckham Mattsson, Marina SWE 334.5 343.5 331.0 348.5 329.0 1686.5 points
chest 13y.G /Bernstein 761/Koncertz xx/SWB/102UP49/ Lottie Mattsson 66.900 % 68.700 % 66.200 % 69.700 % 65.800 % 67.460 %
13. 10. 13. 8. 11.
12. 613 Dandy de la Roche CMF CH Joannou, Antonella SUI 338.0 330.5 331.0 341.5 328.0 1669.0 points
chest 10y.G /Dressage Royal/Walt Disney/CH/104JV36/ Joannou Antonella 67.600 % 66.100 % 66.200 % 68.300 % 65.600 % 66.760 %
11. 12. 13. 10. 13.
13. 603 Sunny Boy Jimenez, Juan Antonio ESP 335.5 325.5 339.0 335.0 328.5 1663.5 points
bay 11y.G /Stedinger/OLDBG/103BX09/ Juan Antonio Jimenez Cobo 67.100 % 65.100 % 67.800 % 67.000 % 65.700 % 66.540 %
12. 13. 11. 13. 12.
14. 611 Santurion de Massa Pinto, Daniel POR 320.0 322.0 331.5 327.5 303.5 1604.5 points
bay 9y.S /Munchhausen/Estoiro/103YD95/ Syndicat Santurion 64.000 % 64.400 % 66.300 % 65.500 % 60.700 % 64.180 %
14. 14. 12. 14. 15.
15. 608 Sal Rizzo, Silvia ITA 305.0 300.5 299.0 298.0 311.5 1514.0 points
bay 16y.S /Mississipe/Golegã/LUS/POR40061/ Hof Marabunta / Silvia Rizzo 61.000 % 60.100 % 59.800 % 59.600 % 62.300 % 60.560 %
15. 15. 15. 15. 14.

Data of competition:
 Judges: (E)  Isabelle Judet (FRA)  Total prize money:
10000 EUR
(H)  Ghislain Fouarge (NED)
(C)  Kartina Wüst (GER)
(M)  Jacques van Daele (BEL)
(B)  Christof Umbach (LUX)

Wednesday, October 28, 2015

Carl Hester Talks to Horse Magazine About Euro Champs & Judging

Carl Hester talking to Chris Hector The Horse Magazine

Carl Hester talking to Chris Hector The Horse Magazine


/>Interview by Chris Hector

Let’s talk about Nip Tuck – I guess there must have been dozens of horses that you have started that look more glamorous, that move more brilliantly, that never made Grand Prix. How important is what you can’t see, what’s inside?

“Good point, that horse proves it all doesn’t he? I’m 48, coming up 25 years at championship level with different horses, and that one still taught me a great lesson. His owner Jane de la Mare is a really good friend of mine, she was a groom at Dr B’s (Dr Bechtolsheimer, father of Laura and owner of Carl’s Barcelona Olympic ride, Giorgione) when I was a rider there. So this is a good partnership between the three of us. We started at the bottom, Jane and I together. She’s from the Channel Islands too. When I got the horse, Nip Tuck was nothing on the way up, but I always said, ‘I know he will do a Grand Prix’, that’s all I could say…”

How did you know that?

“You know when you ride him. You can ride that horse in a pair of slippers, it just wants to go. You don’t have to ride with a whip or spurs, nothing. The sensitivity is there, and if you touched him with a whip, the horse was like, right, I’m going to piaffe. That was a natural thing for him to do.”

“I said, I think I can teach him everything. Last year, when he got to Grand Prix I said, he’s not going to be good enough. Jane said, oh please do a Grand Prix with him before we sell him. I said, we’ll go down the road where no one goes. We went to a back-of-beyond Grand Prix, and the blooming horse gets 77%. He was as green-as-a-leek. When I came out, I said, I can’t believe it, he was pretty tense last year, he’s a very hot horse, and January / February is not a good time of the year for him because he’s not in the field as much as I’d like. I said that’s unbelievable – the horse is so tense, but he tries his absolute hardest not to make a mistake, he’s doing what I said.”CarlNipTuck

“Then Jane said, ‘oh please will you do one international’. I went, I’m not doing an international on him, he’s just not good enough! ‘Please before we sell him, do an international’. I said I’ll take him to Saumur, that’s a small one. And of course, he gets 71% at his first international! I thought, maybe I am being a bit hasty here, I’d better settle down and start believing in him. I just changed my mind about him – the biggest thing is that every day I wake up I think I can’t wait to get on that horse. He will go through the Grand Prix in a snaffle and a pair of slippers, it is a very unusual horse. I know physically it is demanding for him, he’s got a long back, his hind legs were naturally always out, he didn’t really have a walk because he was so tight, he didn’t really have a canter because he was so tense and always trying to run off – and his trot had to be developed.”

“Everything that goes in a Grand Prix has helped make him a better horse. Once he learnt a canter pirouette, he started to take the weight back in canter, once he learnt to passage, the trot started to develop because before he had no lift, no nothing. It has just been a great lesson for me and I am delighted that I have been proved wrong, because it helps you in so many ways. It helps you as a trainer, because instead of saying to somebody, oh your horse is not good enough, now I say, well actually I tried this, I tried that, let’s see if we can develop something with your horse. Obviously on a personal level, every horse I get up to this level is a challenge for me, and that’s what I do it for. I love the opportunity to get a horse up to this level.”

“I suppose the best thing about it, at my age, I’ve done so many championships, it is not about winning a medal, I don’t care if I win a gold medal. I would love to, but bearing in mind, Valegro and Nip Tuck work together, I’m looking at one and looking at the other, and there is no point in me thinking, why is she getting that score and I’m getting mine? I know why, you don’t need to be a dressage expert to get it, but I really feel that when the horse does a test like he did in the Special, that horse put as much effort in, as much hard work in his head, as Valegro. So, on the one hand, if somebody hung a little plastic gold medal around my neck yesterday, I’d be like, thanks very much because that horse deserved his gold medal yesterday.”

After Valegro didn’t have the greatest Grand Prix did you give Charlotte one of your famous bollickings?

“You know, I didn’t this time. One good thing happened in that Grand Prix, I don’t think anyone could be critical of Fiona (Bigwood), for where she is now, and where we are with her training, she met our expectations. Brilliant. I missed my flying change at the end of the canter and got a 4, fair enough, quite right. Charlotte didn’t count to six, she counted to seven. Did I lose the Team Gold medal or did she lose the Gold Medal? One of us did, and I think this was not the time to be saying to Charlotte, you caused that, it could have been my score as well, it was that close.”

“Another reason is that I do realize at times, that her confidence, while she is a very brash, forward person, I know deep down, out the back, there’s this whole thing about Aachen, it was like absolutely stifling for her, to the point of I’m not really sure I want to ride. I was thinking we need a bit of reverse psychology here. It’s like, we could have had a gold, but we didn’t think we were going to get a gold, we got a silver and we just have to be happy that seven years on the trot, we’ve won medals.”

She was totally different in the Special?

“Totally, it was like back to the old days. The other thing to remember is that it was ten degrees cooler for the Special than it was for the Grand Prix, and the horse is just not great when it is hot. You’ve stood next to him Chris, you’ve seen his legs, he’s a chunky monkey. When it’s hot, he’s like, stuff it. There’s one thing in his favor, but it does work against him as well, he doesn’t care about crowds and he doesn’t care about arenas. He’s so laid back. Unfortunately you don’t have the lift effect when he goes into the arena. He’s happy, he’s jolly, he’s up for it – even when he’s a bit hot or tired – I know it is not going to make any difference when he goes in, he still feels the same. It’s great for all the relaxation marks, not great when you need him hot and looking like a million dollars. He was getting better in Special.”

I don’t want to drop you into it, but we do have to say, going into Rio, the judging situation is fragile? Marks were all over the place in the Grand Prix and the Special – I don’t think these are evil people, I think they are trying their hardest to do a difficult job, but we do have a problem…

“Yes, we’ve had a problem but the general consensus is that after these championships, it will sort itself out because of what’s happened. On the positive side, two judges finally became brave enough to give marks that no-one thought would ever be given to Totilas. Finally somebody stood up and said, I don’t think this is right, we are going to give the marks it deserves, surely that gives the confidence to the other judges that they’ve really got to start being competent enough to actually give their marks, rather than think, what am I supposed to give? These people have been around for years and of course they are not evil people, they are good people, but I think this championship will make them, and we’ll get it sorted.”

What worries me, if you look at the composition of our judging panels, they are not people who have come from business, where they have to make very fast decisions under pressure, or, none of them comes from a background where they have ridden a top Grand Prix horse…

“It was interesting, Mr Truppa said to me, ‘we judged at Hagen, and did you see the results?’ He said, ‘we were all the same.’ You were all the same? He said, ‘that’s the old group, we are the original group that has been doing it for years.’ That is a problem, on one hand we have to open the judging to the world, take judges from all over the place, every country has trained them up, but there isn’t a culture in so many of these countries of having ridden at an advanced level, of having been immersed in it for years, and I think a lot of people think the panel has to consist of those people that have been in it for a long time, who have the experience to judge alongside each other and have the feeling for it. So the answer is in their own body.”

But we are not going to have a change to the Rio panel, and one of those judges distinguished herself by giving a silver to Andreas Helgstrand, and then distinguished herself by giving an 80 to Totilas here at the Europeans – her reward? Rio.

Carl is chuckling: “Third time lucky, that’s all I can say, and for the sake of the Olympics, let’s hope that is the right one.”

HesterNipTuckCh2Do you think it would help if they had some sort of instant replay available to them in their box, they could say, I want to see movement 12 again, that wouldn’t be time consuming…

“Great idea, but then they need to wait till the following rider has finished, at the moment the JSP fill that role. They will correct it if it is wrong. You can see on my sheet, they corrected the score, and Charlotte’s.”

Put you up or down?

“Down. Poor Michael Eilberg, his ambition here was a 70%, and you know what, he got 70 in the Grand Prix and they corrected it down to 69 something. He does the Special and gets 70 something, they correct it down, to 69 something. So I know the JSP was in operation.”

How can we have an experienced Ground Jury that can’t see a lame horse? We now have veterinary evidence that the horse was lame from day one, hello, where were the vets?

“Surely it has to start at the trot up. The interesting thing that I found out from this championships, it’s not is the horse lame or sound, it’s is the horse fit to compete. What the hell is the difference there? The horse has to be sound, that is fit to compete. It’s not a question of, it’s slightly off but it’s fit to compete? It can only be is the horse sound? – and that can only start at the top. If they have to have three vets at a trot up, then let’s have them. That’s where it starts.”

“We’ve had to open up the warm ups, they are open now, perhaps the trot up has to be open as well.”

Do you still get an Aachen buzz

“Yes, I do. The interesting thing is that I don’t ride at Aachen very often. I’ve actually been last here, I hold that record. In 2004 on Escapado, that walk of shame, coming out of A, to go back through the entrance and to the stables, is probably one of the longest walks I’ve ever walked, with that damn horse jogging the whole way back, foaming and so over-excited. That was my Olympic preparation. It caused a huge controversy, I heard women in the toilet who were like can you believe they put Carl Hester on the team, grr grr. The selectors were very good to me that year, I said, my horse will be fine if he is able to be in a venue for a couple of weeks. He can’t come to Aachen on a Wednesday and compete on a Thursday, and expect him to be settled. He was just too nervous, he was mostly Thoroughbred that horse. I’ve had that privilege, so Aachen has never been a place where I’ve had a great ride.”

“Then with Charlotte, of course, she started getting the vibe off me, like well let’s not go to Aachen. I don’t mean for the championship but generally. But it is without doubt a great show. This is where the WEG should be all the time. It’s absolutely perfect, people love it. It’s full of buzz and atmosphere, great stabling and surfaces, there is nothing to complain about. As a competitor I’m just glad it went right for me, and right for Charlotte, and our team. Funnily enough I could see it on my face when I finished the Special, it was like, I actually really enjoyed that. No nerves, no nothing, just out there enjoying my ride and in an atmosphere that is appreciative when things go well. There is a buzz still for me.”

This article first appeared in the October 2015 issue of THM.

Monday, October 26, 2015

French Show Jumper Bought by USA’s Debbie Stephens Found Slaughtered on Her Florida Farm

Steve Stephens standing in front of the stable where the show jumper Phedras de Blondel was taken and slaughtered, apparently for meat.

Steve Stephens standing in front of the stable where the show jumper Phedras de Blondel was taken and slaughtered, apparently for meat.

By KENNETH J. BRADDICK

A 12-year-old French show jumper brought into the United States three days ago by prominent American rider Debbie Stephens and her Olympic course designer husband Steve Stephens was found butchered on their farm in the Gulf Coast community of Palmetto, Florida on Sunday.

The body of the Selle Français gelding Phedras de Blondel that had been competed by Christian Hermon up to CSI4* level mostly in France for the past four years was found in a pen on the Stephens’ Imperial Farms Equestrian Center. The legs and much of the body had been cut off and taken.

Steve Stephens, who was a co-designer of the jumping course at the 2008 Olympic Games and was the main course designer at the Winter Equestrian Festival in Wellington, Florida until 10 years ago, reported the slaughter of Phedras de Blondel to the Manatee County Sheriff’s Department.

“Basically what we know is someone came in and gutted the horse for the meat, we think,” said Dave Bristow of the sheriff’s department.

Debbie had been driving around the farm looking for the horse and saw a broken fence. She called a female farmhand to check.

“When the girl got down there, she found the horse,” Steve said. “She called my wife and said, ‘You can’t believe this.’ She was emotionally just blown apart. She didn’t know what to think. She had never seen anything like it before.”

Palmetto is about 200 miles (320km) from Wellington and Palm Beach and 130 miles (210km) south of Ocala, another area of Florida with a large horse population. The incident raised serious concerns about security. Most horse stables are unguarded and individual stalls are usually unlocked to allow easy access in case of an emergency.

Steve, 64, said that Debbie had recently gone to Germany to buy the horse that he estimated at 1,200 lb. (about 545kg).

He told the Bradenton Herald that Phedras was furtively led from his stall between 8:30 p.m. Saturday and 6:45 a.m. Sunday, taken to a pen in the back of the 27-acre (11ha) farm that the Stephens have owned since the early 1960s, killed and expertly butchered.

Debbie holds the women’s high jump record of 7-feet, 8-inches (234cm).

The perpetrator will be charged with occupied burglary, grand theft and cruelty to animals, Dave Bristow said.

A full investigation of the crime scene was ongoing Sunday afternoon, but no suspects had been identified.

Investigators believe the perpetrator was someone wanting horse meat, knew the farm had horses and took Phedras because he was a big, heavy horse, he said.

“We don’t think they wanted this particular horse other than for its size,” he told the Herald. “We are hoping someone saw something unusual, an unusual car or truck in the area. The farm is not that far from the highway.

“We have never had a case like this that I can remember. It’s grisly. There has been a case in the Palm Beach County area involving a slaughterhouse, but nothing like that here.”

Phedras was flown into the United States Friday and, as a gelding, quickly passed through quarantine

“The horse looks like he was butchered out for slaughter after he was killed,” Steve said. “This was a murder. If I had to make a guess, it was someone who knows how to hunt, like hunt deer, and knew how to take a large animal’s life quickly. We have no enemies. We have no idea who did this.

“We want to talk about this and get it in the light so our neighbors who have animals can be aware that this happened.

“These people came to butcher this horse out. They didn’t just come with those sharp knives for nothing. They had all intentions of doing what they did. They knew what they were going to do. This was a horse farm. I don’t think he was targeted specifically. Maybe they went by size. ‘Here’s a big one. Let’s take this one. We have more animal.’

“But to go to the trouble of taking him out of his stall, leading him down a path, taking him to the far property that is sort of out of sight, and then do what they did.” Stephens added.

A security camera was set up in the stall area, but he did not know whether it captured any video of the horse being led out.

Sunday, October 25, 2015

Steffen Peters Headlines Robert Dover HorseMastership Week

Steffen Peters securing another god medal for the United States at the Pan American Games last summer. © 2015 Ken Braddick/dressage-news.com

Steffen Peters securing another god medal for the United States at the Pan American Games last summer. © 2015 Ken Braddick/dressage-news.com

WELLINGTON, Florida, Oct. 25, 2015–Steffen Peters, Olympic, World and Pan American Games medalist for the United States and World Cup champion, will headline the 2016 Robert Dover HorseMastership Week next January that will also feature Laura Graves in the fifth year of the event.

.“This will be by far the most exciting clinic to date,” Robert said of the event in its fifth year that brings a select group of Junior and Young Riders from across the country to the the Global Dressage Festival show grounds in Wellington Jan. 5-9.

“Our Juniors and Young riders need to be our future investment,” said Steffen of San Diego, California.

The lineup, in addition to Robert and Steffen, includes U.S, youth coaches George Williams and Charlotte Bredahl-Baker and Laura Graves, fifth individually at the 2014 World Games and Pan Am team gold and individual silver medalist.

Presenters include: Dr. Rick Mitchell, U.S. team veterinarian; Jane Savoie, international rider and author; Janet Foy, international judge; Laura King, sports psychologist and performance coach; Kenneth J. Braddick, editor of dressage-news.com; Charles Tota, owner of The Dressage Connection and Master Saddle Fitter; Endel Ots, who represented the U.S. at the World Young Horse Championships in Verden, Germany in 2015, and Kim Herslow, member of U.S. gold medal team at this summer’s Pan Ams.

Participants include riders: Alexander Dawson of  Kenosha, Wisconsin; Mikayla Frederick of Johnston, Iowa; Kristin Counterman of Ashburn, Virginia; Tillie Jones of Lincoln, Nebraska; Allison Nemeth of Flemington, New Jersey; Bebe Davis of Wellington; Natalie Pai of Middleburg, Virginia; Kerrigan Gluch of Mount Pleasant, Michigan; Allie Hopkins of Dallas, Texas; Asia Rupert of Greenwich, Connecitcut; Claire McNulty of Holland, Michigan; Lilly Simons of Sharon, Connecticut; Cassidy Gallman of Poway, California; Molly Paris of Mint Hill, North Carolina; Anna Weniger of Apex, North Carolina; Nicholas Hansen of Catawissa, Pennsylvania, and Lindsay Holleger of Whigham, Georgia.

Auditors are Julia Barton of Kansas; Jessica Fan of Texas; Chloe Hatch pf Florida; Bug Karls of Colorado; Jordan Lockwood of Tennessee, and Kylie McKereghan or Oregon.

Mark Bellissimo and Equestrian Sport Productions, owners of the Global show grounds,  are prime sponsors as is the Van Kampen Foundation which is donating use of the covered arena for all riding sesseions.

Each rider will ride with one trainer on the first two days of the clinic, everyone will have the third day off, then ride with a second trainer the last two days. Additionally, one afternoon, the group will get a tour of Oded Shimoni’s Wellington barn and watch some training.

“These kids have worked hard to be eligible for this program,” said Dressage 4 Kids founder Lendon Gray. “They deserve to be exposed to the best of the best.”

Lessons and presentations are open to auditors all days at $30/a day; $20 for half day or $125 for the week.