Saugerties, New York – April 1, 2010 -The Pfizer $1 Million Grand Prix has been the talk of the town this winter as the excitement amongst the world’s top riders is on the rise in anticipation of qualifying for this unprecedented event. Over the course of the HITS Winter Circuits, 159 top Grand Prix riders took advantage of 35 HITS Pfizer Million Qualifiers as they vied for $1.5 million in prize money and one of 40 coveted slots on the Pfizer Million Eligible Rider Rankings List.
The Winter Circuits in Thermal and Ocala produced 45 eligible riders who competed in eight or more HITS Grand Prix classes. The Top 40 Eligible Riders based on money won on their leading horse is a diverse group of renowned riders from around the country, and around the world. Riders from the East and West Coasts, as well as those who reside internationally, now occupy the top ten spots of the Rankings. Canadian Olympic Silver Medalist Jill Henselwood tops the list with $104,100 on Bottom Line thanks to her first-place finish in the $300,000 Lamborghini Grand Prix of the Desert, presented by Pfizer Animal Health, while New Zealand’s Guy Thomas is in second with $83,950 aboard his leading horse, Peterbilt. Texas’ Tracy Fenney used her win in the $100,000 DeLuca Toyota Tundra Grand Prix, presented by Great American Insurance Group, to take hold of the number three spot on the Rankings, followed by California riders Keri Potter in fourth with $53,150 aboard Rockford I and Susan Hutchison in fifth with $43,500 aboard Cantano. Great Britain’s Helen McNaught and Maryland’s Tracy Magness are currently tied for sixth with $43,000 in prize money on their mounts, while East Coast rider, Callan Solem is in eighth with $42,000.Rounding out the top ten are Canadian Olympians John Anderson and John Pearce with $40,900 and $39,950 in prize money, respectively.
Tommy Serio, riding Khrome owned by Cindy Firestone, won the Baby Green Hunter Championship during the ninth week of the 2010 FTI Winter Equestrian Festival. (Photo courtesy of Randi Muster Photography)
Wellington, FL (April 1, 2010) – Top hunter trainer Tommy Serio rode Khrome, owned by Cindy Firestone, into the winner’s circle in the Baby Green Hunter division during the 2010 FTI Winter Equestrian Festival. Draper Equine Therapy, makers of therapeutic products for horses and riders, sponsors the Baby Green Division.
Serio, from Virginia, has spent more than three decades as a professional, developing a lengthy and prestigious resume along the way. In 2006 and 2007, Serio rode the outstanding hunter stallion Popeye K to the USEF Reserve National Championship in the Regular Conformation.
“Tommy is an outstanding trainer and hunter rider and it is exciting to see him take a young horse like Khrome into the ring and come out with the weekend championship,” said Kat Wojtylak, Product Manager of Draper Equine Therapy. “The future is very bright for all the horses in the Baby Green division.”
The Wee Reds performed at the Players Club Dressage under the Stars finale in Wellington. (Photograph courtesy of Linda Kern, Caribbean Dreams Miniature Horses)
Wellington, FL – A four-in-hand team of perfectly matched American Miniature Horses put on a dazzling show at the finale of the Dressage under the Stars competition at the Players Club & Restaurant in Wellington, proving that big things do come in small packages. The Wee Reds, owned by Linda Kern of Caribbean Dreams Miniature Horses in Loxahatchee, Florida, and boasting 10 National Championship and Reserve Championship titles, were the opening act of the finale at the star-studded event.
Combined Driver Chester Weber, the eight-time U.S. National Four-In-Hand Champion and a judge for the evening’s Dressage under the Stars finale, drove the award-winning Wee Reds in a cones course demonstration. Weber, who has driven the talented tiny team at two Wellington Holiday horse shows, also brought the judges in by carriage, much to the delight of the crowd.
Kihikihi (NZL), 1 April 2010 – The action in the 2010 HSBC FEI World Cup Eventing moves ‘down under’ where a determined Megan Jones (AUS) will be travelling back to New Zealand to defend her title at the Mitavite International Horse Trials at Kihikihi this weekend (2-4 April).
Jones was one of the most successful HSBC FEI World Cup Eventing riders in 2009, winning the Sydney (AUS) leg as well, and led the standings leaderboard for most of last year. If she can replicate that form, she will have as much chance as any of winning the lion’s share of the US$180,000 on offer to the top 15 riders in the series, which comes to a climax at Schenefeld (GER) in August after 12 CIC***-W events in 10 countries across three continents.
Jones is bringing the same horse as last time, her talented little home-bred grey Kirby Hall Irish Jester, on which she won a team silver medal and finished 4th individually at the 2008 Olympics in Hong Kong.
Sue Jaccoma’s Wadamur, a 10-year-old Hanoverian gelding, won the 2010 EQUILITE Grooming & Conditioning Award, sponsored by Arenus, at the WEF Dressage Classic CDI*3.
Wellington, FL (March 31, 2010) – Sue Jaccoma’s Hanoverian, Wadamur, proved once again that he stands out from the rest when he won the EQUILITE 2010 Grooming and Conditioning Award for the second time during the winter dressage circuit. Wadamur won the prestigious award during the WEF Dressage Classic CDI3* at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center, and was awarded EQUILITE brand products from award sponsor Arenus, makers of animal health products and supplement blends including Sore No More.
Thanks to his shiny coat and excellent condition, Wadamur also won the EQUILITE 2010 Grooming and Conditioning Award during the Wellington Classic Dressage Spring Challenge CDI. “A completely different set of judges chose Wadamur at the WEF Dressage Classic to win the grooming and conditioning award,” said Stacey Small, creator of the EQUILITE line of products. “Wadamur has a brilliant coat and fit body so it isn’t surprising that he would win the award at two different shows.”
Conyers, GA — March 31, 2010 — Classic Company’s president Bob Bell announced the first ever Musical Freestyle Hunt Seat Equitation Championship will premiere at the upcoming Atlanta Summer Classics, June 16-27, in the former Olympic Grand Prix arena of the Georgia International Horse Park.
The idea came to Bell while outside a schooling ring on an off day of his show, sitting in a golf cart chatting on his phone the sound of a nearby stereo drifted over causing his attention to shift towards the horse and rider working over the fences to the beat of the music playing. “I saw the look of pure enjoyment on the rider’s face. Both horse and rider were having a great time with the music as a backdrop to their workout, so it started me on a quest to recreate that fun in our class offerings,” Bell mused.
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