Michelle Robson (AUS); Darlene Milord (HAI); Alex Hua Tin (CHN); Wendy Gidlow (RSA).
Copenhagen (DEN), 19 November 2009 – At a glittering ceremony in Copenhagen on 19 November, five heroes of the equestrian world became the first recipients of the new FEI Awards.
Best Rider
Show jumper Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum of Germany received the Best Rider accolade.
“It’s a great honour for me to win this award, particularly as it’s the first time it’s been awarded. It’s an accomplishment every rider would consider very important, and it’s so nice to have my achievements recognised.” said the 39-year-old German rider, who has won the last two Rolex FEI World Cup finals on her superlative horse Shutterfly. Meredith was not present in Copenhagen.
Best Groom
Michelle Robson, a 25-year-old Australian, won the Best Groom award. Michelle has worked for Olympic event rider Shane Rose for six years, caring for his competition horses and also working with young racehorses.
Molly the Pony will receive the Spot Courage Award during the Fifth International Equine Conference on Laminitis and Diseases of the Foot.
Wellington, FL – December 9, 2009 – The Fifth International Equine Conference on Laminitis and Diseases of the Foot is pleased to announce that Molly the Pony will be received the Spot Courage Award at this year’s event. Molly the Pony was rescued by Kaye and Glenn Harris after Hurricane Katrina, and is one of the world’s only prosthesis-wearing ponies. The conference was held November 6-8, 2009, at the Palm Beach County Convention Center in West Palm Beach, FL.
“One of the first questions I am usually asked is how is it possible that Molly does not have laminitis,” said Kaye Harris, Molly the Pony’s owner. “Laminitis was the major fear and the reason the doctors originally did not want to perform the operation, so I think it is very important that there is a conference that researches ways to treat and cure this disease. I’m very excited to have accepted this award on behalf of the team of people that have taken care of Molly, as well as on the behalf of Molly. Molly is a very courageous pony and I was thrilled to meet this group of people.”
Molly the Pony received the Spot Courage Award on Friday, November 6, at 1 p.m. during the Conference. Dr. Rustin Moore presented the award to Molly and her owner, Kaye Harris. Following the presentation of the award Harris spoke briefly until 2 p.m. about her experiences with Molly. Read more> http://www.horsesinthesouth.com/article/article_detail.aspx?id=9321
After 20 years of separation, AQHA’s Journals set to reunite.
The American Quarter Horse Journal, December 16, 2009 – For more than 20 years, The American Quarter Horse Racing Journal has been a stand-alone publication serving racing owners, breeders, trainers and fans. It wasn’t always that way. Starting with the first issue of The Quarter Horse Journal in 1948, racing has always been an integral part of the American Quarter Horse and the American Quarter Horse Association.
Starting with the January 2010 issue, the Racing Journal will again be a part of The American Quarter Horse Journal. The Racing Journal section — Q-Racing — will join the other discipline sections: halter; rail and pattern; reining, cutting and cow horse; and ranching, rodeo and ropes.
“This decision was not an easy one to make, and many different scenarios were considered before the AQHA Executive Committee and Racing Council approved this change,” said Jim Bret Campbell, AQHA’s senior director of marketing and publications. “Many consumer publications have had to restructure how they do business or have gone out of business altogether. After considering all of the options, allowing this change seemed the best way to continue serving our members, subscribers and advertisers.” Read more> http://www.horsesinthesouth.com/article/article_detail.aspx?id=9310
Moorlands Totilas and Dutch rider Edward Gal beat their own impressive record when claiming the Grand Prix Kur in the CDIW at Olympia on Wednesday evening with a score of 92.30% to win by a massive ten percent margin. The nine year old black Stallion by Gribaldi was victorious earlier in the year at the FEI European Championships at Windsor, on that occasion posting a score or 90.70% to win the Freestyle individual Gold medal.
Performing to a bespoke classical music ensemble named ‘Totally Totilas’ the Stallion executed an accurate test that highlighted his extravagant paces, immense power and superb elevation.
Last year’s winners, Adelinde Cornelissen and Parzival, also representing the Netherlands, had to settle for 2nd place on this occasion on a score of 82.05%. The 12 year old chesnut gelding by Jazz looked tense having been unsettled by the electric atmosphere as 8,500 spectators looked on. Read more> http://www.horsesinthesouth.com/article/article_detail.aspx?id=9305
The American Quarter Horse Journal, December 10, 2009 – Freaky could complete the climb from claimer to world champion in less than 11 months with a victory in the $750,000 Champion of Champions (G1) at 440 yards on Saturday night at Los Alamitos Race Course.
The Champion of Champions winner has been named world champion more times than the winner of any other American Quarter Horse race. Six of the top-10 ranked horses in the AQHA Racing-HorseplayerPRO.com weekly national poll are racing in the Champion of Champions.
Freaky (TR Dasher-Chickasecret by Raise A Secret) raced for a $50,000 claiming price in January and finished in fifth place. Since then, he has won five of six starts, capped by a sensational four-race winning streak. The Adan Farias-trainee scored his latest three wins over Grade 1 company, and he has set three Los Alamitos track records this year. Read more> http://www.horsesinthesouth.com/article/article_detail.aspx?id=9300
The American Quarter Horse Journal, December 10, 2009 – In July 2009, an AQHA task force recommended changes to several versatility ranch horse rules. Approved by the AQHA Executive Committee, the rule changes will more closely align versatility ranch horse classes with AQHA Alliance Partner Ranch Horse Association of America and other ranch horse associations like the American Ranch Horse Association and the Stock Horse of Texas.
These changes will make it easier for exhibitors to compete in multiple associations with a single set of rules and will make it easier for show management to have classes that are dual-approved by multiple associations. The task force also recognized the need to decrease the time needed to conduct the class, which has limited the number of exhibitors able to participate. Read more> http://www.horsesinthesouth.com/article/article_detail.aspx?id=9298
Gladstone, NY – December 14, 2009 – The USET Foundation is pleased to announce that they have awarded the Amanda Warrington Grant to Three-Day Event rider Heather Morris of Lewisville, TX. The Amanda Warrington Grant is awarded through the Amanda Pirie Warrington Fund.
The Amanda Pirie Warrington Fund was established by Amanda’s family in her memory with the purpose of helping provide financial assistance to a developing event rider who has been identified as a rider with great talent and ability to represent the United States in the future.
The committee for the grant selects a recipient that they believe will benefit from the opportunity of continuing their training with top coaches and competing against the world’s best horse and rider combinations in three-day eventing, which is one of three Olympic equestrian disciplines. Read more> http://www.horsesinthesouth.com/article/article_detail.aspx?id=9296
The Netherlands' Edward Gal and Moorlands Totillas set a new world record in the Grand Prix Freestyle for the third time this year when scoring 92.30% to win the fourth leg of the 2009/2010 FEI World Cup™ Dressage series at the Grand Hall at Olympia in London. Click for larger image.
EDWARD AND TOTILLAS BREAK FREESTYLE RECORD – AGAIN! Sensational Dutch partnership set Olympia alight……
London (GBR), 16 December 2009 – The Netherlands’ Edward Gal and Moorlands Totillas set a new world record in the Grand Prix Freestyle for the third time this year when scoring 92.30% to win the fourth leg of the FEI World Cup™ Dressage series at the Grand Hall at Olympia in London tonight. With another breath-taking performance that put him in an entirely different class to the rest of the 13-strong field, the nine year old stallion showed even more confidence than he displayed when taking Freestyle gold at the Alltech FEI European Championships at Windsor last August. Stockholm winner Adelinde Cornelissen had a difficult evening with Parzival who was gripped with nervous tension and failed to give of his best, but this Dutch duo still held on for second place, while British hearts were lifted by a great third-spot finish for one of their all-time favourites, Carl Hester with Liebling 11.
SUPERLATIVES
The superlatives have already all been used up where Totillas and Gal are concerned. They created a huge sensation when de-throning long-time Freestyle record-holder Anky Van Grunsven with an amazing test at Hickstead in July where they scored 89.50%, and then came back to raise the bar even higher when taking the European title with a mark of 90.75%. They did that despite some irregular scores, but tonight the judges were very much in agreement about artistic merit – Gal and Totillas blended brilliantly with their musical accompaniment which perfectly compliments the stallion’s enormous presence. It is the power with which he pumps off the floor in piaffe and passage that particularly distinguishes him along with his ease of elevation. He looks comfortable in his body even when executing the most difficult of movements.
Richard Davison led the first tranche of riders with a mark of 75.15% for Hiscox Artemis, but fellow-Briton Laura Bechtolsheimer overtook him when racking up 77.35% with a lovely ride on Andretti H. Hester however earned 78.45% for a really accurate performance when third-last into the arena. He was delighted with Liebling – “I didn’t think he had much more to give me after Windsor so I’m really happy to put another 5% on my score from last night” he said.
In yesterday’s Grand Prix his mark of 72.21% was good enough for third place, while Cornelissen and Gal were separated by just over two percentage points as Totillas again got the edge, but the difference between the latter two tonight was much more extreme. The moment Parzival entered the arena he was electrified with fear and Cornelissen did well to persuade him to go to work despite his obvious reservations. She is philosophical about his nervous nature, knowing that she must live for the days when he finds it possible to overcome it and show what he is truly capable of achieving. “Yesterday he was pretty good but I knew he was going to be a handful from the minute we came in the ring today. He was so spooky, but at least now he is getting better because he’s willing to give it a try even though he’s worried. There was a time when he’d just run out of the ring. I’ve been riding him for seven years now and its all about trust and confidence – you have to keep building him up” she pointed out. Her score of 82.05% was nevertheless still only just over one point below her winning result from the third leg of the FEI World Cup™ Dressage series in Stockholm two weeks ago.
REALLY RELAXED
Nerves are not something Gal has to battle with where Totillas is concerned. “He’s always really relaxed, the only problem is that he gets distracted by things going on around him but he’s not worried about them, just interested, and so sometimes loses his attention” the rider explained. He could feel how good the horse’s work was tonight – “it just felt great” he said. “In the very beginning of his training he had trouble with the changes but once he learns something you don’t have to keep going over it again and again, he remembers. It’s all very easy for him and he learns very quickly” he explained after putting the record-breaking 92.30% on the board.
His plan for Totillas now is to compete at the FEI World Cup™ Dressage Final at s’Hertogenbosch in March and at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games in Kentucky later in the year “and that we both have fun while we are doing it!” he added. Tonight’s result sees him share the league leaderboard with Cornelissen while Van Grunsven completes the Dutch dominance in third.
Ground Jury President, Stephen Clarke, was delighted with another record-breaking night – “the judges did a great job, they reacted to what they saw. Tonight Carl did his best Grand Prix ever, Adelinde coped really well in difficult circumstances and Edward left me speechless!” he said.
The next leg of the 2009/2010 FEI Dressage World Cup™ series takes place in Frankfurt, Germany next weekend.
RESULT: 1, Moorlands Totilas (Edward Gal) Ned 92.30%; 2, Parzival (Adelinde Cornelissen) Ned 82.05%; 3, Liebling 11 (Carl Hester) GBR 78.45%; 4, Andretti H (Laura Bectolsheimer) GBR 77.35%; 5, Hiscox Artemis (Richard Davison) GBR 75.15%; 6, Cadillac (Catherine Haddad) USA 73.60%; 7, Apollo van het Vijverhof (Jeroen Devroe) Bel 72.25%; 8, Ovation (Christa Larakkers) Ned 72.20%; 9, Louis d’Or (Henriette Andersen) GBR 70.20%; 10, Mr President (Stephanie Croxford) GBR 69.70%; 11, Whitni Star (Marc Boblet) Fra 69.65%; 12, Fitzcerraldo (Judith Harvey) GBR 69.00%; 13, Exquis Clearwater (Anne Van Olst) Den 67.85%.
FEI WORLD CUP™ DRESSAGE – STANDINGS AFTER FOURTH LEG AT OLYMPIA, LONDON:
1. Adelinde Cornelissen, Edward Gal - 35
3. Anky Van Grunsven - 34
4. Matthias Alexander Rath - 27
5. Jeanette Haazen, Aat Van Essen, Monica Theodorescu- 24
8. Hubertus Schmidt - 23
9. Tinne Vilhelmson - 20
10. Hans Peter Minderhoud, Peter Gmoser - 19
FACTS AND FIGURES
Edward Gal and Moorlands Totillas set a new world record in the Grand Prix Freestyle for the third time this year when scoring 92.30% in tonight’s competition.
Each time Gal has re-set the target it has been on British soil – he first broke the record in Hickstead in July, then did it again at the Alltech FEI European Championships at Windsor in August and then at Olympia in London tonight.
13 riders started in today’s Grand Prix Freestyle to Music
There were 5 from Great Britain, 3 from The Netherlands, and one each from Denmark, France, Belgium and the USA.
Judge at E was M. Almasy (FRA); Judge at H was W. Markowski (POL); Judge at C was S. Clarke (GBR); Judge at M was I. Wessels (GBR) and Judge at B was K. Wuest (GER)
The youngest horses in the competition were the 9 year olds Apollo van het Vijver ridden by Belgium’s Jeroen Devroe and Moorlands Totilas ridden by The Netherlands’ Edward Gal.
The oldest horse in the calss was the 15 year old Mr President ridden by Great Britain’s Stephanie Croxford.
QUOTES
Stephen Clarke, Ground Jury President – “At Windsor we saw a new level in the sport and we wondered if we’d ever see it again, but to see it getting even better is unbelievable!”
Edward Gal, talking about his Master Class at Olympia with Sisther de Jeu “she is also a good horse but needs more time to settle in an arena like this – she is sometimes quite tense”.
Adelinde Cornelissen – “I never go into the ring to come second – I always try to do my best for myself and for Parzival”.
Carl Hester – “I’m aware of my horse’s limitations and very happy with the scores he got – he’s steadily improving all the time”.
Edward Gal, when asked if Totillas knows how good he is – “No, he’s not spoiled that way, he’s very easy-going. But he does like attention!”
Western European League Calendar 2009/2010:
1 Odense (DEN), 17 – 18 October
2 Lyon (FRA), 29 – 30 October
3 Stockholm (SWE), 28-29 November
4 London Olympia (GBR), 15-16 December
5 Frankfurt (GER), 19-20 December
6 Mechelen (BEL), 26-27 December
7 Amsterdam (NED), 22-23 January
8 Neumünster (GER), 20-21 February
9 Göteborg (SWE), 26-27 February
FINAL ‘s-Hertogenbosch (NED), 25-27 March
� FEI World Cup™ Dressage, the only worldwide series in this discipline, has entered its 25th season. The series, created in 1985, comprises four leagues: Western European, Central European, North American (including Canada) and Pacific (Australia, New Zealand, Asia). Each FEI World Cup™ Dressage qualifier consists of a Grand Prix test, which in turn is a qualification for the Freestyle to music competition, where league points are accumulated towards places in the Final. Judged on both technical and artistic merit, the FEI World Cup™ Dressage combines art, sport and partnership between horse and rider at the highest level and consistently proves a winning formula with audiences all over the world.
Technical Note: The FEI World Cup Dressage™ Champion does not earn points in his/her starts but is automatically qualified to the next Final with two FEI World Cup™ Dressage qualifiers completed. Riders not belonging to the Western European League (WEL) or Central European League (CEL) cannot earn points in the WEL unless they have declared to compete in the WEL 2009/2010. These riders may however transfer the results from a maximum of three (3) WEL qualifiers to their own League. Points earned by CEL riders will be transferred to the CEL standings.
The Federation Equestre Internationale (FEI), founded in 1921, is the international body governing equestrian sport recognised by the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and includes 133 National Federations. Equestrian sport has been on the Olympic programme since 1912 with three disciplines – Jumping, Dressage and Eventing. It is one of the very few sports in which men and women compete on equal terms. It is also the only sport which involves two athletes – horse and rider. The FEI has relentlessly concerned itself with the welfare of the horse, which is paramount and must never be subordinated to competitive or commercial influences.
� Media Contact:
Kelly Smith, press officer at Olympia
+44 207 598 6513 kellys@hpower.co.uk
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