European Maccabi Games Staged in Berlin for First Time

BERLIN, July 31, 2015–The European Maccabi Games are being staged in Berlin for the first time with dressage teams from eight nations on borrowed horses competing in the historic event Aug. 3-4.

Teams from Australia, Denmark, Hungary, Israel, the Netherlands, Spain and the United States as well as Germany have joined 2,000 other athletes from 36 countries taking part in the so-called “Jewish Olympics” that were formally opened at a venue that had been used in the 1936 Berlin Games. Hitler had tried to ban Jews from those Olympics.

Gisela Hinnemann, a member of the German Equestrian Federation, and German team world champion Helen Langehanenberg will present the dressage Nations Cup medals. German federation education ambassador Christoph Hess, a prominent dressage judge, will host a symposium.

Maccabi leaders admitted there was stiff opposition from many older Jews around the world to Berlin as the site of this year’s Games as they saw it as the beginning of the Holocaust. Security was extraordinarily tight against a backdrop of a vitriolic anti-Maccabi campaign waged on the internet by German neo-Nazis as well as the slaughter of Israeli athletes during the 1972 Munich Olympics.

Opening of the Olympic Games in Berlin on Aug. 1, 1936

World Young Horse Championships Attract Record Number of Nations

Sezuan, the 2014 five-year-old World Young Horse Champion, ridden by Dorothee Schneider. © Ken Braddick/dressage-news.com

VERDEN, Germany, July 30, 2015–A record 23 nations have entered 84 horses and 70 riders in the FEI World Breeding Dressage Championships for Young Horses next week with 2014 five-year-old champion Sezuan ridden by Dorothee Schneider of Germany returning for the six-year-old division.

The championships will be at Verden, Germany where it has been for 16 of the last 18 years before it moves to Ermelo, the Netherlands for at least three years along with an expanded program by adding a seven-year-old division.

Germany, as expected, has the biggest contingent with 16 horses followed by the Netherlands with 12, Sweden eight, Belgium six, Austria and Denmark each with five, Spain four, Finland, France and Hungary each with three, Czech Republic, Estonia, Great Britain, Norway, Portugal and the United States each with two and Australia, Lithuania, Morocco, New Zealand, Russia, Switzerland and Ukraine each with one.

New Zealand is competing for the first time with Shiwon Green to ride her five-year-old F 1.

The number of nations competing in the championships has grown in small steps over the past 10 years, hovering around 17 to 22 nations except for 2014 when the number of nations represented at Verden dipped to 15 when the event was followed two weeks later by the World Equestrian Games.

Ingrid Klimke celebrating world six-year-old championship at Verden, Germany in 2006. © Ken Braddick/dressage-news.com

Among the most famous horses to emerge from the championships was Damon Hill that was ridden by Ingrid Klimke at the championships for the 2006 title then taken over by Helen Langehanenberg who won Olympic team silver and World Games and European Championship team gold and the British-bred Woodlander Farouche ridden by Michael Eilberg.

World Young Horse Championship 6-Year-Old Class of 2012. Where Are They Now? – Part 1 of 3

Woodlander Farouche being ridden by Michael Eilberg in 2012 world championships. © Ilse Schwarz/dressage-news.com

July 29, 2015

By KENNETH J. BRADDICK

When Woodlander Farouche became the world six-year-old champion the breakthrough as the first British-bred horse to win the title was only part of what later became apparent–just how many talented horses graduated in the Class of 2012.

At least another year or two will have to pass before the picture becomes clear, but three years on several of the 15 horses from the 2012 championships final are making their mark in the international competition arena. As expected, most are at Small and Medium Tour but several are heading to Grand Prix.

Farouche (Fürst Heinrich x Dimaggio) has an army of fans as the British Hanoverian is ridden by Michael Eilberg to rack up victory after victory at Prix St. Georges/Intermediate level–actually, undefeated in 10 international starts from young horse through Small Tour in the past three years. As a result, the duo generate scrutiny and excitement reminiscent of that applied to Great Britain’s team ahead of its historic gold medal performance at the Olympic Games in London the same year the mare was young horse champion–2012.

From the same Class of 2012 other prospective superstars emerged that, if their development continues, could mean they meet up again at world and European championships and Olympics beyond this decade. Some of the riders have changed from the championships.

Among them: Samba King that Matthias Alexander Rath rode to victory in the 2014 Nürnberger Burgpokal, Germany’s most prestigious Small Tour championship; fellow German Victoria Michalke undefeated on Novia 6 at Medium Tour this year; Sir Donnerhall II that overcame what could have been a career-ending show stall accident to return to international competition with Spain’s young star Morgan Barbançon; German-based American Jennifer Hoffmann and Florentinus V and several others.

The successes recorded by so many of the Class of 2012 graduates from what is officially called the FEI World Breeding Championships for Young Horses prompted dressage-news.com to review the records of the past three years and will periodically check future results.

Farouche, though, that Ilse Schwarz of dressage-news.com who was present at both the five and six-year-old finals headlined as “breathtaking, near perfect,” has been a star by any standard. Much of that is due to how Michael has brought along the horse since watching her on the lunge line at three years of age .

“Quite early on, we knew she was going to be a bit different,” said the typically understated 28-year-old who rode Half Moon Delphia for Britain at the 2013 European Championships and 2014 World Games and has been selected on Marakov for this year’s Europeans.

Woodlander Farouche ridden by Michael Eilbert. File photo by Ilse Schwarz/dressage-news.com

“We started riding her at four, took her to a few shows and then we knew we had something that was a bit special.”

Training with his father, Ferdi, “we allow the horses to dictate within reason, but you have to put a challenge to them at times. It has to be in the horse’s best interests not to push them beyond their reach or you pay for it later on. With her we’ve been cautious. She’s 17.2 hands with long legs and we wanted to make sure we weren’t too greedy but develops naturally and mentally so hopefully she can stand the high level work when she gets to it.”

The pair are “playing with a bit of everything… piaffe, passage… five one-times changes” preparing for the Grand Prix.

“Things are looking really exciting at the moment. When we go past a mirror and I’m doing some passage that I felt was OK and I look in the mirror and it looks amazing.”

Medium Tour is the goal for early next year and, he said, “if she takes that on quite well then the Grand Prix. The nice thing is I can definitely see she will make Grand Prix but when and where we don’t know yet.

“I keep telling myself good things come to those who wait, You can easily get so greedy. The longest route  is the shortest route.”

The annual championships have come around again, being staged at Verden, Germany next week where it has been held in recent years but moves to the Netherlands in 2016. The emphasis has changed over the years–sometimes focused on “breeding” other times on “performance.”

Some past champions went on to international laurels at Big Tour but a review of records in the past decade show that fewer made it to Big Tour than appears likely from 2o12.

The stallion Damon Hill that Ingred Klimke rode to the six-year-old championship in 2006 then was taken over by Helen Langehanenberg to climb to No. 2 in the world was one that did.

The spectacular Donna Unique as the 2010 champion ridden by Andreas Helgstrand logged a couple of winning international Small Tour performances before a succession of different riders, a sale that became embroiled in allegations of questionable commissions led to the disappearance from the public eye of the mare but is reportedly pregnant.

Donna Unique being ridden by Andreas Helgstrand in the World Six-Year-Old Championships in 2010. File photo © Ilse Schwarz/dressage-news.com

Part 2: 2012 World Six-Year-Old Championship finalists making their mark moving to Grand Prix

Boston Withdraws from Bidding for 2024 Olympic Games

July 27, 208

The United States Olympic Committee and the Boston 2024 organizing group announced Monday withdrawal of the city’s bid for the 2024 Olympic Games when the effort failed to win sufficient public support.

The USOC said it will explore the possibility of finding another city to commit to a bid in which Paris, Hamburg, Rome and Budapest have expressed strong interest.

Boston is the latest city to fail to get sufficient public support for a bid for the Games held once every four years, primarily because of the high cost requiring guarantees of taxpayer funding.

Dressage, eventing and jumping are among the sports on the Olympic schedule for 2016 in Rio de Janeiro and 2020 Tokyo Games.

Aachen Releases App for Smartphones, Pads for European Championships

AACHEN, Germany, July 27, 2015–An app for the European Championships of dressage, driving, jumping, reining and vaulting for Apple and Android smartphones and pads has been released by the organizers of the Aachen event that begins Aug. 11.

The free app jointly developed with the German software company SAP is available in the Play Store and in the App Store under the name “Aachen 2015.”

The app contains maps of the show grounds and competition stadiums, biographies of  riders, the program, start and result lists, directions and parking as well as games.

An updated version of the highly popular “Public Judging” for dressage and vaulting competitions that was introduced at the Aachen CHIO last year will be available right before the start of the Europeans.

The championships open with a pageant in the Main Stadium the evening of Tuesday, Aug. 11.

A newly developed app for the CICO3* Event that is not part of the championships is being launched by the Aachen organizers and SAP in collaboration with NetAachen, the official communications provider, to display information from the cross-country competition in real-time.

Dressage begins Wednesday, Aug. 12 with the first of two days of Nations Cup with the Grand Prix Special scheduled for Saturday, Aug. 15 and the Grand Prix Freestyle for Sunday, Aug. 16.

Dressage will be in the 40,000-seat Main Stadium as it was at the 2006 World Games.

The link to iTunes:  https://itunes.apple.com/en/app/aachen-2015/id1014414655?mt=8

The link to Google Play Store: https://play.google.com/store/apps/details?id=de.interactivepioneers.chioem

 

UAE Suspension Over Endurance Lifted by FEI

LAUSANNE, Switzerland, July 27, 2016–Suspension of the United Arab Emirates for “major”welfare issues with Endurance horses has been lifted by the International Equestrian Federation (FEI) after agreement was reached on measures to combat the abuse.

The FEI Bureau unanimously approved the immediate reinstatement of the UAE National Federation after the signing of an agreement that, the international governing body of horse sports said Monday, “guarantees horse welfare will be fully respected and that FEI Rules will be stringently enforced at all Endurance events, both national and international, in the country.”

The EEF was provisionally suspended in mid-March following an investigation by the FEI into major horse welfare issues and non-compliance with FEI rules and regulations in Endurance in the UAE.

The EEF proposed an extensive list of actions it would undertake to address the issues. The FEI sought more changes before the suspension was lifted.

Lisa Wilcox Adds Galant to USA 2016 Olympic Prospect Mix

Lisa Wilcox competing Galant at Grand Prix. © 2015 Ken Braddick/dressage-news.com

By KENNETH J. BRADDICK

WELLINGTON, Florida, July 27, 2015–Lisa Wilcox has begun competing at Grand Prix the the nine-year-old Galant that she has trained from four years of age to become a prospect for the United States’ team for the Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro along with the American-bred stallion Pikko del Cerro HU and the Canadian-owned Denzello.

Galant and Cerro will likely, in Lisa’s words, go “neck and neck” in the increasingly crowded campaign for one of the four spots on the American team as the number and quality of confirmed and prospective Big Tour horses has grown rapidly in the past two years.

“We’ll just sit back and may the best man win.”

The United States assured itself of a team start at Rio after taking gold at the Pan American Games earlier this month and now is focusing efforts over the next year on building the squad.

Galant improved dramatically over the month of the first two Grand Prix national competition with a single judge, scores jumping from mid-60 per cent to almost 74 per cent in vastly different circumstances, both in Wellington a few hundred yards (meters) apart. The first was in an outdoor arena on a typical hot and humid Florida summer day while the second was in a covered arena with two side-by-side competition arenas and a hectic adjacent warmup ring.

“I’m really thrilled with him,” Lisa said of the Belgian Warmblood she found as a four-year-old in the stables of Diederik Wigman in Belgium that was intended as a mount for owner Jacqueline Shear.

“You can’t tell with horses that age how they’ll turn out.

“He had three great gaits and a lot of temperament, a nice trot but not spectacular.”

The “temperament” combined with being spooky was what led Jacqueline to turn over the ride to Lisa.

Lisa did not show Galant until he was six years old. Then in the past year she competed him at Small Tour in a “half hearted” effort in the Pan Am Games qualifiers, while working on Grand Prix movements at the same time.

“Once he learned the piaffe and passage he just blossomed,” the 48-year-old Lisa said.

Lisa has established a base in Wellington since returning home a decade ago from Europe where she had became one of the top riders with the stallion Relevant. The pair were on the U.S. team that won silver at the 2002 World Games in Jerez, the best ever world championship finish for the nation, team bronze at the Olympics in Athens in 2004 and second at the 2003 Europeans (yes, Europeans, as it was open to all-comers that year).

She trains and competes Cerro and other horses bred and owned by Horses Unlimited of Albuquerque, New Mexico as well as Galant for Jacqueline Shear and Denzello for Canadian Betty Wells.

Pikko del Cerro competed by Lisa Wilcox at the Global Dressage Festival in Wellington, Florida. © 2015 Ken Braddick/dressage-news.com

After the Global circuit this winter, Lisa stayed home in Wellington to work with the horses with no pressure of championship deadlines.

Although she began riding Galant at a young age so not inheriting issues from another rider,”we really needed him to develop mentally. He was very immature until this last season when he matured tremendously. The national shows we’ve done have really started to get him to relax. He’s phenomenal when he is relaxed.

“Relevant was fine around other horses but he was extremely shy in small arenas by himself.

“Galant is the opposite. He is more confident, not intimidated by the atmosphere as he is by other horses. When he gets into the arena it’s, phew! I can relax now. When someone drops something in the VIP area, he doesn’t react. That impresses me.

“He is further along than I expected, how mature he is in the Grand Prix. He’s surprising me; I didn’t expect that.

“He’s a pussycat around humans. ‘Rico suave’ is what we call him as he loves the ladies, when the grooms are messing with him he loves that. With his own kind he’s very shy and timid, but with people he’s right in your pocket.”

Pikko del Cerro also has become much stronger since winter and is “now extremely sound, extremely healthy.”

Both horses will compete at CDIs in the northeast United States in the Fall before returning to Florida for the winter circuit.

Europe is not on the schedule at this stage but that would change if she qualifies one or both of the horses for what may be a competition swing similar to this year’s tour of shows in Germany for the Pan Am Games short listed squad.