Jennifer Alfano on Jersey Boy © Teri Rehkopf, HorsesintheSouth.com

I finally got to see an indoor hunter derby under the lights at the huge covered arena at the Clay County Agricultural Center in Green Cove Springs, FL (just south of Jacksonville) at the annual Jacksonville Winter Series.  I missed it last year due to other commitments I had, but made it to the USHJA $25,000 International Hunter Derby this year. Read more about the derby and the Jax Winter Series here.

Every year I get to see the  hunter classes and the grand prix jumping, but I haven’t seen a hunter derby other than what I can see online. I was really cool and not what I expected – a lot faster! Hard to shoot pictures and figure out a good spot to be in, but I got a few good shots anyway.

I was really great to see some of the hunter riders here that we put articles online about. It’s amazing that some of these riders can do so many different horses all in one class, too! Kelly Farmer rode 6 horses; Jennifer Alfano, who won the class on Jersey Boy, rode 4 horses; Liza Boyd rode 2 horses. Talk about being in shape – what athletes these women are. They are all winners in my eyes, including the 15 year old young lady that rode!

As usual, the North Florida Hunter Jumper Association put on a great dinner before the show with viewing access to the whole ring. I will definitely be making it to the next hunter derby that we have in close proximity.

Kelly Farmer on Bases Loaded © Teri Rehkopf, HorsesintheSouth.com

We are overwhelmed with shows in our area and I wish I could go see them all. On my list next is to go to a combined driving show. Here’s hoping we have good weather since these aren’t in a nice covered arena. I have been shooting pictures in the covered arena during a rain with the wind blowing hard and gotten slightly wet and cold. That’s no fun, lol. We Floridians aren’t used to the cold. It went from 21 degrees in the morning 2 days ago back up to 78 degrees today!

This weekend is my dressage club’s schooling show and it’s supposed to rain. We desperately need the rain here as we are so dry and my pastures need it, but can’t it be when it’s not the day of a show?

South America rugby players and staff celebrate their victory at the first annual International Weekend. Photo Credit: Lila Photography

Wellington, FL (April 23, 2011) – Fueled by their rugged rugby “sevens” and scintillating tennis, South Africa took an 8-7 advantage over the United States after the first day of the inaugural International Weekend Saturday at International Polo Club Palm Beach.

Four men’s rugby teams featuring world-class players rarely seen in South Florida entertained an appreciative crowd of more than 500 spectators. The hard-hitting, fast-paced sport was compared to American football without pads and drew frequent applause from the crowd.

Top-seeded South America, featuring several young Brazilian national 7s players, defeated No. 2 seed South Africa 24-14 in the final. They were joined by the U.S. and Great Britain as the four teams played in a round-robin to determine the final seedings. South Africa, led by Emerging Springboks Earl Lewis and Cameron Peverett, rallied from a 12-0 deficit to defeat the USA 33-12 in a first-round match.

“Spectators who had never seen rugby before had a sense of awe about the sport,” said Gavin Curtis, head coach of the Fort Lauderdale rugby club who refereed the tournament. “Rugby people said what a great facility this is.”

The tennis was just as punishing as the rugby but no one came close to being injured. Rising star Ryan Sweeting of Fort Lauderdale, who recently captured the prestigious U.S. Men’s Clay Court Championships, lived up to his promise with a dominating 8-2 triumph over Izak Van De Merve but South Africa won the overall tennis event 3-2.

South Africa earned two points in men’s rugby, tennis and women’s rugby. The United States won the competition in golf and women’s field hockey.

Three sports will be contested on Sunday — cricket, croquet and polo. Cricket begins at 11 a.m. and polo starts at 3 p.m. The overall champion will be crowned following the polo match.

Ben Rothman, currently the No. 1-ranked croquet player in the world, plays David Bent of Delray Beach in the final at 9 a.m.

The inaugural event is the brainchild of International Polo Club Palm Beach, which wants to utilize the Club as an on-going sporting venue for a variety of traditional, international sports in addition to its namesake sport, polo, which began some 2,000 years ago. In keeping with its tradition of respecting sports of history, like polo, the nation’s number one polo club, International Polo Club Palm Beach, is pleased to host an event of this caliber and create a new tradition in South Florida.

Media Contact: Mason Phelps
Phelps Media Group, Inc. International
phone 561.753.3389  fax 561.753.3386
pmginfo@phelpsmediagroup.com

Norman Dello Joio and Notre Star de la Nutria. Photos © ManciniPhotos

Wellington, FL – April 19, 2011 – The Equestrian Sport Productions (ESP) Spring Circuit continued last week with week 5 on April 13-17. ESP was very pleased to see that exhibitor numbers at the show increased 25% from 2010. The horse show offered a full schedule of hunter/jumper competition, with three classes featured: the $10,000 Pennfield Feeds Open Jumper Welcome Stake, the $7,500 Reist Industries High Junior/Amateur-Owner Jumper Stake at The Stadium, and the $30,000 ESP Spring 5 Grand Prix.

The winner of the $30,000 ESP Spring 5 Grand Prix was Norman Dello Joio (USA) on Notre Star de la Nutria, owned by La Nutria and Thelma Ramero Cloud. They beat out 40 entries in the class for the USEF Ranking Class victory with double clear rounds and a jump-off time of 45.960 seconds. Second place went to Traffic Boy, ridden by Shane Sweetnam (IRL) for Spy Coast Farm LLC. They were also clear in 46.637 seconds. The last double clear ride was by Aaron Vale (USA), who piloted Texola for himself and Joan Kalman. They stopped the timers in 47.378 seconds for third place.

Quentin Judge and HH Sandor

Earlier in the week, the open jumpers had their $10,000 Welcome Stake, sponsored by Pennfield Feeds. Quentin Judge rode Double H Farm’s HH Sandor to first place in a jump-off time of 37.045 seconds. Kristen Vanderveen and Bull Run’s La Bamba were second in 37.176 seconds, while Sweetnam and Traffic Boy were third with a time of 38.994 seconds.

The High Junior/Amateur-Owner Jumpers had the opportunity to compete on the grass field at The Stadium this week in their $7,500 stake class sponsored by Reist Industries. The jumper courses this week were designed by Richard Jeffery of Bournemouth, England. He designed challenging courses for the jumper riders, and the junior/amateur riders had the special distinction of being the first riders to use the derby bank at The Stadium.

Julianna Fischer and Lola at The Stadium

The junior/amateur jumper course offered many options, and the fastest over the course was Julianna Fischer, who rode her horse Lola for their third win in a row in the class. Kaely Tomeu and Belle Bleu S, owned by Jerry and Maria Sweetnam/Spy Coast Farm LLC, were second. Danielle Cooper and Fidelity Farms’ Calantus were third.

The ESP Spring Circuit will continue this week on April 19-23 (no competition on Easter Sunday) at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center. Highlights include the $25,000 USEF Computer List Grand Prix, $10,000 Pennfield Feeds Open Jumper Welcome Stake, and the $5,000 USHJA National Hunter Classic.

For more information or the prize list, please visit www.equestriansport.com. For full results, please visit www.showgroundslive.com/esp/results.

Final Results: $30,000 ESP Spring 5 Grand Prix

1 NOTRE STAR DE LA NUTRIA NORMAN DELLO JOIO USA LA NUTRIA/THELMA RAMERO CLOUD: 0/0/45.860
2 TRAFFIC BOY SHANE SWEETNAM IRL SPY COAST FARM LLC: 0/0/46.637
3 TEXOLA AARON VALE USA AARON VALE/JOAN KALMAN: 0/0/47.378
4 CASADORA LAUREN HOUGH USA LAURA MATEO: 0/4/43.930
5 HH SANDOR QUENTIN JUDGE USA DOUBLE H FARM: 0/8/47.046
6 TURBO R PETER LUTZ USA KELLY TROPIN: 1/95.915
7 INDIANA 127 PETER LUTZ USA DAVENPORT INC.: 4/87.566
8 LAPSUS DU LAVOIR LJUBOV KOCHETOVA RUS LJUBOV KOCHETOVA: 4/88.638
9 TANGELO Z SHANE SWEETNAM IRL SPY COAST FARM LLC: 4/88.670
10 URBAN BLYTHE MARANO USA RIVERVIEW FARM LLC: 4/88.706
11 DOZENT KATHERINE NEWMAN USA MIMI ABEL SMITH: 4/89.594
12 PAPARAZZI 10 AARON VALE USA THINKS LIKE A HORSE: 4/90.233

Final Results: $10,000 Pennfield Feeds Open Jumper Welcome Stake

1 HH SANDOR QUENTIN JUDGE USA DOUBLE H FARM: 0/0/37.045
2 BULL RUN’S LA BAMBA AKRISTEN VANDERVEEN USA BULL RUN JUMPERS INC.: 0/0/37.176
3 TRAFFIC BOY SHANE SWEETNAM IRL SPY COAST FARM LLC: 0/0/38.994
4 SCARFACE NICK DELLO JOIO USA TONY WEIGHT: 0/0/39.226
5 ROUNDTHORN MADIOUS ANDREW BOURNS IRL ANDREW BOURNS: 0/0/40.572
6 JUMLORD Z ALLYSON BLAIS USA ALLYSON BLAIS: 0/0/41.819
7 DOZENT KATHERINE NEWMAN USA MIMI ABEL SMITH: 0/0/42.272
8 AL CALYPSO SAMUEL PAROT CHL SAMUEL PAROT: 0/4/37.066
9 NOTRE STAR DE LA NUTRIA NORMAN DELLO JOIO USA LA NUTRIA/THELMA RAMERO CLOUD: 0/4/37.471
10 EARLY MORNING SAMANTHA SENFT USA SUMMER SEAS STABLE: 0/4/41.926
11 ALSVID RICHARD MOLONEY IRL EQUINIMITY LLC: 0/6/52.441
12 BOO VAN HET KASTANJEHOF ANDREW WELLES USA PETER WELLES: 0/8/37.013

Final Results: $7,500 Reist Industries High Junior/Amateur-Owner Jumper Stake

1 LOLA JULIANNA FISCHER JULIANNA FISCHER
2 BELLE BLEU S KAELY TOMEU JERRY AND MARIA SWEETNAM/SPY COAST FARM LLC
3 CALANTUS DANIELLE COOPER FIDELITY FARMS
4 EARLY MORNING SAMANTHA SENFT SUMMER SEAS STABLE
5 OUTRIGGER PAIGE COLES PAIGE COLES
6 ANJELICA GABRIELLE STERN GABRIELLE STERN
7 JUMLORD Z ALLYSON BLAIS ALLYSON BLAIS
8 ORMSBY HILL LIZA FINSNESS LIZA FINSNESS

Equestrian Sport Productions, LLC
14440 Pierson Rd., Wellington, FL 33414
561-793-5867 (phone)
561-753-3386 (fax)

Jennifer Wood Media, Inc.
Equestrian Public Relations
803-240-7488
info@jenniferwoodmedia.com

Clara Belden
Public Relations and Marketing
561-793-5867
clara@equestriansport.com

Wellington, FL – April 14, 2011 – Equestrian Sport Productions (ESP) is proud to congratulate all of the Circuit Champions for the 2011 season. ESP is also thrilled with the many accomplishments that were made throughout the 2011 season and look forward to continued improvements during the summer months to make the 2012 Winter Equestrian Festival one of the best horse shows in the world.

Throughout the twelve weeks of competition, more than $6 million was awarded in prize money, and over $1 million was raised for 32 charities in the FTI Great Charity Challenge presented by Fidelity Investments.

The 2011 FTI WEF also saw increased numbers of horses, riders, owners, and trainers from last year. Almost 5,000 horses and more than 3,000 riders competed over the twelve weeks of competition. It is no surprise that these numbers increased this year, due to the world-class events that were offered throughout the circuit.

The 2011 FTI Winter Equestrian Festival Circuit Champion Awards were presented to the top finishers in every division, based on prize money and points won.

One of the biggest winners was the Chapot family of Neshanic Station, NJ. They took home four circuit championships, while Mary Chapot was named the Oakcroft Overall Jumper Owner and Oakcroft Overall Jumper Trainer. Laura Chapot was the Oakcroft Overall Jumper Rider. They won the same overall titles in 2010.

Christina Kelly of Lexington, KY, was nearly unbeatable in the junior jumpers this year. She won seven out of the 12 High Junior Jumper classics and took home 12 division championships during the circuit. She was circuit champion in the EquiFit High Junior Jumpers and Reist Industries Medium Junior Jumpers. Kelly was awarded with the Pin Oak Farm Perpetual Trophy as the high score junior jumper rider.

Murray Kessler of Armonk, NY, took home his third straight circuit championship this year in the Masters Jumper division. He won six championship ribbons during the 12 weeks of competition. Kessler was awarded the Howard A. Newman Perpetual Memorial Trophy.

Scott Stewart of Flemington, NJ, continued his dominance in the hunter ring again this year. He took home 14 championships during the 2011 circuit and numerous reserve championships. He was also Oakcroft Overall Hunter Owner and Oakcroft Overall Hunter Trainer in addition to his circuit championships, the same two overall awards that he won last year.

Stewart’s student, Victoria Colvin of Loxahatchee, FL, was in the winner’s circle an astounding 32 times this circuit and won numerous Reserve Championships. Colvin rode Sanzibar to the Martha Jolicoeur/Illustrated Properties Small Junior 15 & Under Hunter circuit championship.

The Oakcroft Overall Hunter Rider award went to Meredith Darst of Lebanon, OH. Darst won 24 championships this year in the pony and junior hunters. Darst was circuit champion in the Gotham North Small, Visse Wedell/Elebash Medium, and Large Pony Hunter divisions on the Dr. Betsee Parker-owned entries, Elation, Enchanted Forest, and For the Laughter, who also won the Betsy Smith Mimnaugh Perpetual Trophy.

The Christy Conard Perpetual Trophy for Equestrian Excellence went to Elizabeth Benson of Whitehouse Station, NJ.

Cedric, owned by Happy Hill Farm, was awarded the Simba Run Perpetual Trophy, which is awarded to the owner of the open jumper who has earned the most prize money in classes of 1.45m or more.

The 2010 FTI Winter Equestrian Festival exceeded expectations, and is in the books as a great success. The team at Equestrian Sport Productions would like to give a warm thank you to all who participated throughout the 2010 season, and look forward to seeing everyone again in 2011.

For more information, please visit www.equestriansport.com.

Equestrian Sport Productions, LLC
14440 Pierson Rd., Wellington, FL 33414
561-793-5867 (phone)
561-753-3386 (fax)

Jennifer Wood Media, Inc.
Equestrian Media Relations
803-240-7488
info@jenniferwoodmedia.com

Clara Belden
Public Relations and Marketing
561-793-5867
clara@equestriansport.com

Newberry, FL – Riders from more than 20 colleges and universities throughout the United States will converge at the Canterbury Equestrian Show Place in Newberry, FL, to compete at the Intercollegiate Dressage Association’s 9th annual National Championship. More than 100 riders will compete April 30 and May 1 as part of a 4-member team or as individuals in each of the IDA’s four divisions: introductory, lower training, upper training and first level.

The IDA is comprised of 680 student riders representing 60 colleges and universities in the U.S. and Canada, divided into 10 regions. The qualifying teams and individual riders have earned their way to the championship by earning points in IDA-sanctioned competitions held throughout the academic year within their respective regions.

University of Florida and its dressage team are hosting for the event. Along with their host duties, team members are among the early qualifiers for the competition, which include Delaware Valley College, last year’s National Champion Team, Virginia Intermont College, and Mt. Holyoke College. With three national championship titles each, Virginia Intermont and Mt. Holyoke have dominated the IDA since it began as a national organization in 2001.

Unlike traditional dressage competition where riders show on their own horses, IDA shows require that the host school provide the horses and tack, and riders chose their horses through random draw. This means that they are showing on unfamiliar horses with only 10 minutes of warm-up time to establish a relationship before entering the show ring.

In addition to the experience being very challenging, it brings a sense of team spirit to the sport of dressage not found anywhere else. “There is such camaraderie among the riders and the coaches,” says Lisa Moosmueller-Terry, vice president of the IDA and Intermont’s dressage coach. “The competition is intense, but there is still such a sense of support from the other teams. We all applaud one another and are happy when the ribbons are well distributed among riders from all the regions.”

Officials for the event are USDF “S” judge Charlotte Trentlemam, of Ocala, FL, and “R” judge Lisa Payne of Wellington, FL. Among the numerous sponsors for the event are Thornhill Saddles, Perri’s Leather, Techniche, Dressage Today and Westfield Whips.

The IDA began in 1995 as an informal competition among a small group of colleges and secondary schools in the northeast. Michelle Hoffman, who was a student at Mt. Holyoke during this time, was the originator of the IDA concept. She personally drew up the basic structure for the team competition and the guidelines for calculation of team points, which, for the most part, are still in use today.

Johnson and Wales University, Mt. Holyoke College, Ethel Walker School, Williston Academy, Stoneleigh Burnham School and Savannah School of Art and Design were all among the first school-sponsored programs seeking to develop dressage as a “team” sport. The rapid international growth of dressage inspired greater development within college and secondary school riding programs. This led to an increase in participation and interest in a more formally constructed national organization.

In the spring of 2001, the first eastern region finals were held at Virginia Intermont College. During the finals, representatives from numerous colleges and secondary schools met to approve by-laws, elect officers and create the structure for the organization that is dedicated to increasing interest and participation in competitive dressage at the college and secondary school level.

The organization began with a handful of college members and quickly grew to include riders from across the U.S. and Canada. In 2003, the IDA became a college only organization.

Steffen Peters. Photo by Ken Braddick/ dressage-news.com

Glenda McElroy, who probably has run more dressage competitions, including four World Cup Finals on the West Coast, than any other show manager in the United States, is excited about the initiative to create a dressage stadium in Palm Beach, FL, as are the top riders competing at her shows.

“Anything that can showcase dressage and appeal to a broader audience, bring a brighter spotlight to the sport, is good for dressage,” she said during her Festival of the Horse World Cup qualifier at the Los Angeles Equestrian Center.

Some of California’s top dressage figures who were competing at the LAEC in Burbank came out strongly in support of plans to build a new dressage complex as part of Phase II of development of the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center, home to the world famous Winter Equestrian Festival.

Steffen Peters, Olympic and World Games medal winner and 2009 World Cup champion who has competed in all three World Dressage Masters CDI5* competitions in Palm Beach, said: “It has the real possibility of being the Aachen of the United States.”

“It could be even better than Aachen, with the infrastructure of hotels, retail and all the services for horses and riders in one place,” said Steffen, who lives in San Diego, CA.

He was competing at this World Cup qualifier with Weltino’s Magic aiming for a place on the U.S. team for the Pan American Games in October.

“Finally someone with a vision,” said Jan Ebeling, who completed qualification for the World Cup Final in Germany at the end of this month.

“This is exactly what we need in this country for dressage,” said Jan who represented the U.S. on the gold medal team at the 2003 Pan American Games and the World Cup Final in Las Vegas in 2009 and also competed in the CDI5* in Wellington in 2009. He lives in Moorpark, California.

Leslie Morse, who was on the 2006 World Equestrian Games U.S. team and is well known as a competitor in Europe, said she is considering competing in Florida next winter.

“It will now be possible for me to travel to Florida because of the prize money,” she said. “I hope everyone will support this project and rally together. Hopefully, this is just the beginning.”

Glenda McElroy’s Cornerstone Events Management based at LAEC, in addition to World Cup Finals, has organized hundreds of horse show including dozens of CDIs and U.S. team selection trials over more than three decades. And the “regulars” at her shows read like a roster of America’s best: Debbie McDonald, Guenter Seidel, Jan Ebeling, Leslie Morse, Steffen and Shannon Peters and many more.

Although the World Cup Dressage Finals she has run, including the three at Las Vegas that outdrew jumping for spectators, this icon of show management is looking for ways to increase participation in the sport.

Making stars of the top dressage horses to kids and families – as was done with Brentina, Debbie McDonald’s Olympic and World Equestrian Games medal and the first U.S. World Cup champion. Those efforts need to be stepped up.

The shows themselves need more than just dressage that may be appreciated by participants, but should display different disciplines and breeds to appeal to a broad cross-section of spectators.

“I would love to see promotion of our American horses to our prospective audiences,” she said. “I think people would be really attracted to that, they would feel a real connection.”

She recalls the train saga across Canada for Big Ben, one of the most famous horses in jumping history, when Ian Millar retired his mount.

“There are a lot of things that need to be done at different levels,” she said. “Getting the discipline recognized as a sport would help.”

Most of the competition venues in California, she said, also could use a face lift, not least the LAEC in Burbank that was state of the art when it was built in 1983 but hasn’t been upgraded since.

“I hope that Florida’s new venue is very successful,” she said. “What’s good for Florida will benefit everybody.”

PHOTO © V. Valenti/James Leslie Parker - Kent Farrington and Uceko won Saturday night's $200,000 Gene Mische American Invitational at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, Florida.

Tampa, FL – April 9, 2011 – Kent Farrington piloted the gray warmblood Uceko to two clear rounds to win Saturday’s $200,000 Gene Mische American Invitational, presented by G & C Farm, in Tampa, Florida.

This was the 39th year for the Invitational, which was held at Tampa’s famed Raymond James Stadium.

It is the first that was held after the death of Gene Mische last year. Mische, the founder of Stadium Jumping, Inc., was the creator of the Invitational.

This year the event attracted over 7,800 spectators.

Farrington, of Greenwich, CT, took home $60,000 for the win. It was Farrington’s first win at the Tampa event. Coming in second was Canada’s Ian Miller riding Star Power. Miller, who won the event in 1992 with Big Ben, won $44,000 for his double clear ride on Saturday night.

Both had two clear rounds, but Farrington’s faster jump off time of 36.64 seconds gave him the victory over Miller, who took 41.72 seconds to clear the eight fence tiebreaker course.

“I was really happy with my horse,” Farrington said. “I knew I had to go really quick with these guys coming behind me, so it was a pretty impressive win for such a young horse.”

Farrington said Uceko, a 10-year-old Dutch bred, was injured last year and was given a long rest before being brought back to competition this year.

“I’m thrilled. He’s great,” Farrington said.

Also making the jump off were McLain Ward and Margie Engle. But each had a rail down in the jump off to finish with four faults each. Ward, riding Rothchild, came in third to win $26,000. Engle on Indigo, a gray warmblood, was fourth. She received a check for $16,000.

Ward said he took his leg off Rothchild when headed into the first jump of a double combination on the short course. That, he said, may have cost him the rail.

“It’s not for lack of effort on Rothchild’s part,” Ward said. “I was thrilled with my horse.”

Miller said the Steve Stephens designed course was typical of past Invitational events.

“As a designer, he believes in putting a lot of muscle in a course,” Miller said. To get around the course, Miller said, a horse had to be brave and forward.

The first round, with only four clear, proved the truth of Miller’s statement.

Farrington, Ward and Millar agreed that the Invitational is a special event.

“It’s a highly coveted event and it’s good to have an Invitational win on one’s resume,” Ward said. “This is a class we all grew up wanting to win,”

Millar said the Invitational, which is in its 39th year, is a tradition for show jumpers. “For years,” he said, “the winter show season was in Tampa, culminating in the Invitational.”

Farrington said he used to watch the Invitational as a child and had all the tapes available of the event. That way, he said, he had a chance to watch the famous riders like Millar and Michael Matz. “Winning it is an honor,” he said.

Only six of the 29 riders went clear over the jumps, and two of those – Shane Sweetnam of Ireland and Schuyler Riley of Wellington, FL – missed their chance in the jump-off when they narrowly missed the 91 second time and got one time fault each.

Close behind Sweetnam and Riley were several with only four and five faults: Christine McCrea, with Romantovich Take One, came in seventh followed in order by Beezie Madden and Mademoiselle and Mario Deslauriers riding Urico. All three had only one rail down. In 10th place was Ian Millar’s daughter, Amy and her mount Costa Rica Z, and Katie Levy, the first to go in the class, came in 11th aboard Vent Du Nord. Both had five faults for a downed rail and a time penalty. In 12th place was Aaron Vale and Quito, who had the best time of the riders who accumulated eight faults.

Keean White of Canada, Candice King of Wellington, Andres Rodriguez of Venezuela, Gemma Paternoster of Great Britain and Georgina Bloomberg of New York voluntarily withdrew during the first round. And Lauren Hough was eliminated when Quick Study twice refused to jump a liverpool oxer.

1 10 Uceko Kent Farrington USA 0.00 90.02 0.00 36.64
RCG Farm
2 15 Star Power Ian Millar CAN 0.00 89.66 0.00 41.72
Team Works
3 16 Rothchild McLain Ward USA 0.00 86.79 4.00 37.84
Sagamore Farms
4 19 Indigo Margie Engle USA 0.00 86.00 4.00 38.80
Griese Garber Hidden Cr
5 20 Lapacco Schuyler Riley USA 1.00 92.22
South Beach Stables
6 5 Rolette Shane Sweetnam IRL 1.00 93.68
Spy Coast Farm
7 8 Romantovich Take One Christine McCrea USA 4.00 85.31
Candy Tribble
8 9 Mademoiselle Beezie Madden USA 4.00 86.93
Abigail Wexner
9 11 Urico Mario Deslauriers USA 4.00 88.12
Jane F. Clark
10 23 Costa Rica Z Amy Millar CAN 5.00 91.32
Millar Brooke & Ann Matth
11 1 Vent du Nord Kate Levy USA 5.00 91.55
Kate Levy LLC
12 26 Quito Aaron Vale USA 8.00 87.96
Walter Vlan

Media Contact: Mason Phelps
Phelps Media Group, Inc. International
phone 561.753.3389  fax 561.753.3386
pmginfo@phelpsmediagroup.com

Lisa Wilcox and Pikko del Cerro HU rode away as the Vita Flex Victory Pass Award winner at the International Horse Sport Dressage Premier in Wellington. Gustavo Martinez holds the Vita Flex Victory Pass prize. (Photo courtesy of JRPR)

Wellington, FL (April 5, 2011) – Thanks to a brilliant ride in the Intermediaire I class at the International Horse Sport Dressage Premier, Lisa Wilcox and Pikko del Cerro HU rode away as the Vita Flex Victory Pass Award winner. Sponsored by Vita Flex Nutrition, the award is given to a horse and rider who display remarkable skill during a show.

Wilcox, an Olympic bronze medalist, has recently taken over the ride on the eight-year-old bay stallion by Pik L. Considered a horse to watch, Pikko del Cerro was the 2009 FEI Six-Year-Old National Champion.

“This was Cerro’s first Intermediaire I class and he was excellent and I was really, really happy with him,” Wilcox said. “He has some moments where he was getting tired but he really stuck with me. His extensions were exceptional and in general he was with me. I know it is a hard test and he is still developing, so it’s exciting to see this.”

Wilcox, who operates out of Wellington, Florida, said she hopes to qualify Pikko del Cerro for the Pan Am Games and the Developing Horse classes. “I hope to do my first CDI with him in March,” Wilcox said.

“Vita Flex Nutrition was pleased be part of the International Horse Sport Dressage Premier and we congratulate Lisa and Pikko del Cerro on a brilliant performance,” said Allyson St. Vincent, brand manager for Vita Flex Nutrition. “This is an exciting award for us to present and we know the riders who receive it will also enjoy the product they receive as part of the award.”

Vita Flex Nutrition delivers winning results with innovative equine products formulated specifically for the extreme performance demands of equine athletes.  Researched and tested by equine nutritionists and veterinarians, Vita Flex products have been relied upon for more than two decades by owners, trainers, and top riders.  Joint supplements, such as Equinyl Combo, contain the patented ComfortX ingredient which helps manage inflammation associated with training and competition, provides joint health support, increases flexibility and shortens recovery time by reducing the emigration of neutrophils to the site of the inflammation.

For more information about Vita Flex Nutrition products, visit their website at www.vitaflex.com or call (800) 848-2359.

ComfortX, Equinyl and Vita Flex are trademarks of Farnam Companies, Inc.

For more information contact:
Johnny Robb, JRPR
(561) 753-4608
johnnyrobb@mac.com

Todd Minikus won the “Rider Wellness Award” during the 2011 FTI WEF. The award is presented by The Wellington Institute and Juan Gonzalez, Director of Marketing, was on hand to give Minikus his award. (Photo courtesy of JRPR)

Wellington, FL (April 8, 2011) – Grand Prix Show Jumper Todd Minikus proved during the final two weeks of the 2011 FTI Winter Equestrian Festival that you can’t keep a good rider down. Despite a shattered collarbone that resulted in surgery at the beginning of the circuit, Minikus was back in the winner’s circle winning the $31,000 WEF Challenge Cup and earning the prestigious “Rider Wellness Award” from The Wellington Institute.

Minikus’s amazing comeback had his fellow riders applauding and the Wellington based rider, whose resume includes winning the $100,000 Budweiser American Invitational, was thankful for the camaraderie. “We all travel the same circuits and know each other well. We have respect and admiration for each other when someone comes back from an injury,” Minikus said.

Minikus was pleased to win the “Rider Wellness Award” from The Wellington Institute and said he looks forward to visiting the wellness center. “I had some bad luck this winter with smashing my collarbone and having to have surgery. I tried to get back to riding as soon as I could and I started riding at the five-week mark after surgery,” he said. “I was only able to show the last two weeks of the circuit but I am glad to be back.”

Juan Gonzalez, Director of Marketing for The Wellington Institute, presented Minikus with his “Rider Wellness Award” and congratulated Minikus on making a comeback after his injury. “The Wellington Institute serves the equestrian community and Todd will love learning how we can help him ride and compete without fatigue and have the ability to look and feel like he did when he was in his 20’s,” Gonzalez said. “We focus on prevention and we have been thrilled that so many high performance athletes have come to rely on us.”

The Wellington Institute, a true wellness center dedicated solely to wellness, weight loss, and anti-aging medicine, was founded by Dr. Jennine Cabanellas, who is fondly called the “Queen of Anti-Aging” by riders everywhere. Dr. Cabanellas has developed a following in the equestrian community, from hunters to jumpers to dressage riders such as six-time Olympian Robert Dover who said he feels like he is 20 years old again thanks to Dr. Cabanellas.

“We are very pleased to be supporting the equestrian community by offering the Rider Wellness Award,” she said. “Many, many riders have had success with our programs and we really want to be supportive and give back to the equestrian community. Please stop by and visit us, or check out our website, to see all the many opportunities The Wellington Institute has to offer.”

For more information on The Wellington Institute visit their website at www.thewellingtoninstitute.com.

For more information contact:
The Wellington Institute
561-333-3440
www.thewellingtoninstitute.com

Cesar Parra wrapped up his show season by riding Agastrofos into the winner’s circle at the International Horse Sport Dressage at Equestrian Estates Show in Loxahatchee, Florida. (Photo courtesy of Susan J Stickle)

Loxahatchee, FL (April 7, 2011) – International Dressage Rider and trainer Cesar Parra wrapped up the Florida show season at the International Horse Sport Dressage Show at Equestrian Estates with more big wins, describing the show as a “beautiful finish” to a great season. Parra, who owns Piaffe-Performance with locations in Florida and New Jersey, is never one to rest on his laurels and left the show to fly to Colombia, South America, to teach a clinic but not before raving about the success of the horses and his Piaffe-Performance team.

“This season was truly an amazing one and a true blessing. In total we earned 32 wins and many of the second places were because other Performance farm horses finished first. The words ‘Thank You’ cannot convey the depth of my gratitude to all of my team members, our horse owners, grooms, friends and everyone else involved,” Parra said.

While Parra and his Piaffe-Performance team are now heading back to New Jersey, Parra was thrilled with their 2011 winter experience. “This weekend concluded our Florida show season and again it was a successful one. I was very proud of Dave and Taunia Reed’s Agastrofos. On Saturday we won a very competitive PSG class with a 74.7%. On Sunday we rode in the USEF Developing Horse Qualifier and were narrowly beat out of first place by only a tenth of a point, still earning a 69.4%. I could not have been happier with Aga’s performance both days,” Parra said.

Parra also competed Linder, a promising young horse owned by Michael and Sarah Davis. “I competed Lindner in the First level classes. Each time out he shows more and more maturity and his tremendous talent. We placed second in a large class on Sunday scoring a 73.1%. Winning that same class was Piaffe-Performance’s own Nadine Buberl with Dave and Taunia’s Sandro Star, who we call Superman. This weekend proved to be their best yet. They won on Saturday with a 72% and Sunday earned a 74%. Nothing makes me happier than to have our students and riders successful,” Parra said. “They are keeping me sharp!”

Parra said he is looking forward to continuing to show in New Jersey as each of his horses, riders and students works to achieve their individual goals. “I cannot believe the winter show season is over. It went so fast,” Parra said. “I have said it before, but it is so true – none of our success would have been possible without the trust and constant support of everyone at Piaffe-Performance.”

For more information on Parra or Piaffe-Performance visit their website at www.piaffe-performance.com.

For more information contact:
Dr. Cesar Parra
drcesarparra@msn.com
www.piaffe-performance.com
410-977-8352