February 28, 2010 – CHICAGO, (EWA) – The funding testimony for the planned sanctuaries dubbed by wild horse supporters as “Salazoos” outlined last October by Interior Secretary Ken Salazar, will be heard by the Senate Appropriations Committee on Energy and Natural resources on March 3, at 10am.
The outcome of the testimony will decide if our wild horses belong on their western public lands or in “zoos” in the East and Midwest and whether the BLM will commit millions upon millions of future dollars to warehouse wild horses and burros that would otherwise live without cost to the taxpayers in their natural habitat where they have lived for centuries.
The requested funding would increase the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) budget by $42M to purchase one of the seven planned “Salazoos.” The Equine Welfare Alliance (EWA) and its over 100 member organizations, Animal Law Coalition, The Cloud Foundation and numerous Mustang advocate and welfare organizations are vehemently opposed to increased funding for the BLM for this incredible financial sinkhole. Read more> http://www.horsesinthesouth.com/article/article_detail.aspx?id=10398
Ireland's Jessica Kuerten and Castle Forbes Libertina. Photo: Kit Houghton.
JESSICA AND LIBERTINA TAKE GOTHENBURG BY STORM
Gothenburg (Swe), 28 February 2010 – Ireland’s Jessica Kuerten nearly brought the roof down at the Scandinavium arena in Gothenburg, Sweden today with a rip-roaring ride from Castle Forbes Libertina that scooped their second victory of the 2009/2010 Rolex FEI World Cup Jumping season. It’s getting down to the wire now with only one qualifying leg remaining and every precious point counting towards a place at the series final in Geneva, but Kuerten has cruised into a qualifying spot with the greatest of ease and today’s victory suggests she will be one of the favourites when the final kicks off at the Swiss venue next month.
Germany’s Marco Kutscher galloped into second place with the deceptively fast Cash while former World Champion Dermott Lennon slotted into third with the gelding Hallmark Elite which he says “has the makings of another Libertina.” If he is right about that then Irish show jumping is in very good shape indeed.
Ireland's Jessica Kuerten and Castle Forbes Libertina with Magali Dubois-Vaucher of Rolex after their victory in the twelfth leg of the Rolex FEI World Cup Jumping series in Gothenburg, Sweden today. Photo: Kit Houghton.
THE KEY
Course designer Rolf Ludi set them a tough task in the tight confines of the Gothenburg ring, but nine of the 39 starters found the key to go into the decider against the clock. The unluckiest ones included Holland’s Gerco Schroder with Eurocommerce New Orleans and Germany’s Lars Nieberg with Levito who both missed out when picking up just a single time fault, while four other riders opted to retire when things simply weren’t going their way.
The bogey fence on the track was the triple combination at fence five which penalised 14 horse and rider combinations, while the plank on top of the first element of the double of verticals at fence seven also proved influential. And amongst the nine four-faulters were reigning European Champion Kevin Staut, German star Marcus Ehning with his exciting bay mare Sabrina, Great Britain’s Ben Maher with Robin Hood and Vigo winner Australia’s Edwina Alexander this time riding Cevo Itot du Chateau. Read more> http://www.horsesinthesouth.com/article/article_detail.aspx?id=10387
OCALA, FL (February 26, 2010) — HITS Ocala’s 2009 Leading Grand Prix Rider Tracy Magness made her anticipated return to the winners’ circle yesterday after capturing the $25,000 HITS Grand Prix, presented by Pfizer Animal Health, aboard Mr. and Mrs. John Bartko’s Tarco Van Ter Moude, at Post Time Farm in Ocala, Florida.
“I feel like we’ve been knocking on the door for the last two weeks,” said Magness who has competed in all seven of the Grand Prix classes offered in Ocala so far this season, and has placed in six of them. “In the last two Sundays, we had the lightest of rubs which caused us to drop a couple of rails, but our luck has finally changed.”
International Course Designer Aki Ylanne of Riihimaki, Finland, who is in Ocala for the first time, set a wide-open course with some tricky challenges that produced four for the jump off out of a field of 21.
The first of those clear rounds came from the very first rider on course, Harold Chopping of Southern Pines, North Carolina, aboard Penelope Strait and Jenna Hoy’s Little Glen’s Valentino. The duo, who placed fifth in Sunday’s $50,000 EMO Grand Prix, presented by Pfizer Animal Health, went clear well within the time allowed for the first round. Read more> http://www.horsesinthesouth.com/article/article_detail.aspx?id=10385
Wellington, FL – February 26, 2010 – The Ninth Annual Challenge of the Americas is excited to announce another brand new addition to its performance lineup – a fantastic four-bar show jumping competition. Held in Wellington, FL, on Saturday, March 13, 2010, the evening will get underway at 5:30 p.m. with the show jumping, and will also feature musical grand prix team quadrilles, and a figure skating dressage exhibition. The event is presented by International Polo Club Palm Beach (IPC) and will benefit the Breast Cancer Research Foundation (BCRF).
The exciting four-bar competition will feature four top horses and junior riders competing over a series of jumps, each set progressively higher, with every obstacle one or two strides apart. As the horses and riders jump each round, the fences will increase in height, becoming more difficult to clear. The riders will exhibit the excitement and power of show jumping as they navigate the fences right in front of the IPC grand stand on Piaget field.
The four-bar competition will be managed by course designer Bobby Murphy and will feature jumps that have been generously donated by Wrenwood Farms from their spectacular International Hunter Derby, which was held in Naples, FL, in 2008. Read more> http://www.horsesinthesouth.com/article/article_detail.aspx?id=10383
2008 Olympic Gold Medalist Laura Kraut will give a clinic on Tuesday, March 2, at 3:30 p.m. on natural obstacles. The clinic will be held in the International Arena at the 2010 FTI Winter Equestrian Festival. The cost of the clinic is $100 and auditors are welcome for free.
Kraut added a team gold medal to her stellar career at the 2008 Olympic Games in Hong Kong with her top mount, Cedric. Always a top competitor in grand prix circles, she was an integral part of the U.S. team in the Samsung Super League in 2007. Kraut helped bring home a Team Silver Medal for the U.S. Show Jumping Team at the 2006 World Equestrian Games.
In 2004, Kraut was a member of the second place team in the $50,000 Samsung Nations Cup in Florida, and helped the United States secure a fourth place overall finish in the Samsung Super League. In 2003, she was the top placed American at the World Cup Final, where she tied for the fifth position out of 41 starting horse and rider combinations. In 2002, she was a member of the U.S. Team which won the first outdoor Nations Cup held in the United States; and at the Samsung Nations Cup Series, she was named Leading Rider after tying for first place on Liberty. Kraut was a U.S. team alternate at the 2002 World Equestrian Games in Spain, and in the 2000-2001 competition season, she was honored as reserve champion AGA Rider of the Year. Kraut was also a member of the U.S. show jumping team at the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games. She makes her home in Wellington, FL and enjoys spending time with her young son, Bobby.
Upcoming Clinics
Tuesday, March 9
2008 Olympic Gold Medalist Will Simpson on how to ride jump-offs.
Tuesday, March 16
Grand Prix Rider Kim Prince, topic TBD.
Tuesday, March 23
Bobby Murphy continuation on course building.
Tuesday, March 30
Sandy Ferrell on how to ride a hunter derby.
For more information, please contact Rosemary Bertin Palm Beach Riding Academy at cubbybertin@comcast.net or 561-371-9598.
For more information on the 2010 FTI Winter Equestrian Festival, please visit www.equestriansport.com.
Wellington, FL – February 27, 2010 – The Taylor Harris Insurance Services (T.H.I.S.) Children’s Medal 14 & Under kicked off the day in Ring 6 this morning at the 2010 FTI Winter Equestrian Festival. Twenty-two competitors vied for the blue ribbon today, and a chance to help qualify for the T.H.I.S. National Children’s Medal Finals that will take place at the Capital Challenge Horse Show in October 2010.
Maggie Savoie received first place honors aboard her horse Danico. The 14-year-old Massachusetts native is currently a freshman in high school at the Lincoln School for Girls in Providence, and she commutes to Florida on weekends to compete at the FTI Winter Equestrian Festival. “I get really tired, but this is what I do, and I don’t do anything else, so it’s worth it,” Savoie explained of her busy travel schedule.
Savoie has owned Danico, a 12-year-year old Westphalian gelding, for about three years and credits him for much of her winnings. “It was definitely a team effort between the two of us. I couldn’t have done it without him,” she acknowledged. “If he wasn’t underneath my leg when I asked him to move up or slow down, I wouldn’t have gotten the distances that I did,” she continued.
On March 3, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee will hold a hearing on the U.S. Department of Interior‘s budget request for Fiscal Year 2011. Included is an increase of $12 million for the controversial Bureau of Land Management Wild Horse and Burro program, and $42.5 million to purchase the first of several holding pastures in the Midwest or East to house wild horses taken from the West.
Rebecca McGoldrick and Tenfold, owned by Sarah Busbice, won the $10,000 Adult Amateur 18-35 Jumper Classic during the sixth week of the Winter Equestrian Festival. (Photo courtesy of Randi Muster Photography)
Wellington, FL (February 26, 2010) – Leasing a horse for the weekend proved to be a successful move for rider Rebecca McGoldrick, who cruised to victory in the $10,000 Adult Amateur 18-35 Jumper Classic during the sixth week of the 2010 FTI Winter Equestrian Festival. McGoldrick rode Tenfold, owned by Sarah Busbice, in the Classic, which was sponsored by Classic Equine Equipment, a nationally recognized leader in quality horse stall systems and stable accessories.
“When a company like Classic Equine sponsors a class like the Classic Adult Amateur Jumpers, it really makes the class more important and adds to the excitement,” said David Oliynyk, McGoldrick’s trainer and owner of Oliynyk Show Stables in Plainville, Massachusetts. “The winner of the Classic rides away with $3,000, and that is a substantial amount of money. We were very pleased that Classic Equine sponsored the class.”
Classic Equine Equipment was founded on a love for horses and a commitment to their ultimate care and safety and Classic’s love for horses is evident in their support of the horse community. “We really enjoy sponsoring the Classic Adult Amateur 18-35 Jumpers,” said Adam Busse, President of Classic Equine. “We believe it is important to support the equestrian community and sponsoring classes and meeting riders means a great deal to us. We are continually inspired by ideas that riders and owners have, so it really turns out to be a win-win situation for us.”
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