Two Bundeschampionate qualification events were being held in South Germany on the weekend of 30 May – 2 June.  The 5-year old Biscaya and the 6-year Acconessa won the qualifier in Heidenheim, while the 5-year old Sandbrink and the 6-year old Fiderstern led the field at the qualifier held at Waldhauserhof in Sauerlach.
The field of competitors in Heidenheim was quite small with only a total of 14 horses competing in the Bundeschampionate qualification classes. Sabina Schrodter and the Westfalian bred mare Biscaya (by Beltoni) reigned in the L-level test with 8.2 and referred Meike Lang on Lord Frodo (by Lord Loxley I) to a second place with 8.0. In the 6-year old division no horse was able to score the criterium of 8.0 or higher for Warendorf but the winner of the M-level test was Renate Rapp on the Baden Wurttemberger bred Acconessa (by Amicelli) with 7.7.
In Sauerlach 22 horses gathered for the Bundeschampionate qualification tests. Local hero Ralf Kornprobst won the 5-year old division aboard Kerstin Klieber’s licensing champion Sandbrink (by San Amour x Cabaret) with 8.1. The duo scored 8.5 for trot, 7.5 for walk, 8.0 for canter and submission and 8.5 for general impression. Uwe Schwanz and Sissy Max-Theurer’s Oldenburg stallion Roi du Soleil (by Rosandro x August der Starke) was second with 8.0. The combination earned 8.5 for trot, 7 for walk, 9 for canter, 7.5 for submission and 8.0 for general impression.
The Sauerlach 6-year old preliminary test was won by Schwanz on Christine Eglinski’s Bavarian gelding Fiderstern (by Fidertanz x Rohdiamant). The combination scored 8.0 in total and got 9 for trot, 6.5 for walk, 8 for canter and submission and 8.5 for general impression. Nicole Graupner and the Westfalian stallion Abastan (by Abanos x Florestan) were second with 7.8 in total.

Submitted on 06/06/2013
The US athletes and horses are heading to Europe this summer to tune their engines for next years, World Equestrian Games. It’s not all glam and glitter for these top Grand Prix horses and riders. The clear path for a North American is a tough, long and treacherous plane ride, many van trips, a ferry for some, with the athlete all covered in hay and bedding during the trips. Aiming for the highest honor, competing for the US and planning a tour on the CDI circuit for the international stage takes planning, budgeting, fundraising, hard work, and sacrifice. Costs involved in competing at the FEI levels involved many aspects beginning with the cost of quality horse flesh, their maintenance, show fees, travel budgets, training and always preparing for the unexpected. Whether a rider and horse is supported in part by a benefactor or not, sacrifices are always made, as this effort becomes full time often pulling the trainer from their students and livelihood. National organizations and the efforts of the USET Foundation to assist in training and expenses have increased especially approaching a World Equestrian Game (WEG) year. Getting on the short-list next year will be an achievement itself, but we all know it’s that invasion of Europe that’s going to make the USA take over that podium.
The new Technical Advisor/Chef d’Equipe, Robert Dover, really is working hard to help the athletes have a fighting chance next year. He hosted a USET Fundraising dinner to help many athletes get to Europe right away.
Robert Dover said, “We were thrilled with the outcome of the USET Foundation Benefit for Dressage High Performance Athletes preparing for the 2014 World Equestrian Games in Normandy, a few weeks ago. We raised over $160,000, thanks to our fantastic sponsors and platinum level table donors, Equestrian Sport Production, Kim and Frederic Boyer, David and Tuny Page and Fritz Kundrun who totally underwrote the event; as well as to everyone who came out and supported the event through their attendance and lively auction bidding!
The USET Foundation contributes approximately $2.5 million dollars each year to the USEF’s High Performance programs, and this benefit supplemented this already generous support. The additional funds raised, restricted for dressage, made it possible to increase the amount of funding each of the 10 horse/rider combinations received for their European competition and training this year.
Our greatest avenue for support is the USET Foundation. It is through the generosity of individuals who make the USET Foundation part of their charitable giving each year, and are willing to make major gift commitments over a multi-year period, that we will be able to put together a comprehensive high performance program including providing meaningful grants to our riders that will help prepare our “team” for success at international championships. Every dollar helps and sending any donation to the USET Foundation ensures our Teams of a stronger future in this very expensive sport.
My goal is to help in every way possible to produce more funding for every division within our Dressage discipline, from the Juniors through the Young Riders and Horses, to the Developing and Elite International divisions. Success requires as much or even greater funding than our greatest competitor nations in our sport. Therefore, this must be among one our most important goals. Americans are winners at heart and I know that they rarely fail to meet any challenge put in front of them.”

RELEASE: June 6, 2013
Lexington, KY – The top young dressage horses on the east coast will demonstrate their talents this weekend at the VADA/NOVA Summer June Dressage Show which hosts the 2013 Markel/USEF Young Horse Dressage Eastern Selection Trial. These five- and six-year-old horses will be vying for a spot to represent the U.S. at the FEI World Breeding Championships for Dressage Young Horses in Verden, Germany in August, as well as a spot on the Markel/USEF Young Horse Dressage Short List. Combinations will need to score 8.2 or higher this weekend in Leesburg, Virginia to be eligible to represent the U.S. in Verden, while a score of 7.8 or higher earns a place on the Short List.
The Selection Trial begins Saturday, June 8, as both five- and six-year-olds will perform their respective FEI Preliminary Tests which account for 40% of the overall score. The remaining 60% of scores will be earned Sunday, June 9, in their respective FEI Final Tests.
In the five-year-old division, seven entries will be competing for top honors. Heather Blitz (Wellington, FL) will ride Oak Hill Ranch’s Danish Warmblood Ripline (Blue Hors Hotline x Riviera/Blue Hors Cavan), the top ranked horse on the five-year-old 2013 Markel/USEF National Young Horse Dressage Ranking List presented by HorseShow.com. The pair has been posting impressive scores and is eying a win in a competitive division. Silva Martin (Unionville, PA) will ride the second horse on the ranking list, Melinda Walton’s Hanoverian gelding Benefactor RRS (Bonheur x Heidekleid/Rubinstein I), as well as two other mounts: Camilla Van Liew’s Hanoverian Stallion Fortissimo B (ES Fabuleux x EM Romai/Rubinstein I) and Anne Laver and Windurra USA, LLC’s Dutch Warmblood gelding Di Solitaire (unknown breeding).
Two entries will go head-to-head in the six-year-old division. Alice Tarjan (Oldwick, NJ) will ride the top ranked horse on the six-year-old 2013 Markel/USEF National Young Horse Dressage Ranking List presented by HorseShow.com, her own Oldenburg mare Elfenfeuer (Florencio x Unknown/Sion). The Danish Warmblood gelding Leonardo (Solos Landtinus x Rambala/Rambo) will be ridden by owner Kim Gentry (Germantown, TN). The pair has had respectable performances and hopes to shine in Leesburg.
To learn more about VADA/NOVA Summer June Dressage Show, visit http://www.vadanova.org/.

The British Dressage selectors have announced the team of four that will be contesting the CDIO5* Nations Cup competition in Rotterdam, The Netherlands on 19-23 June 2013. Two British riders, who won historic gold at the 2011 European Dressage Championships at the same venue in Rotterdam, return on the team.
The selected team includes:
Charlotte Dujardin riding Carl Hester and Roly Luard’s Valegro
Carl Hester riding Mrs J A Green’s Fine Time IV
Gareth Hughes riding Elizabeth Brewin’s DV Stenkjers Nadonna
Daniel Watson riding Susie Farnon’s Fideramber
World Class Dressage Programme Manager, Richard Waygood commented; “We’re all very excited to be going to Rotterdam; it gives an extra dynamic to the competition with Aachen and Rotterdam being back to back. It is exciting for British dressage that we have top class horses and are able to field two teams [at Rotterdam and Aachen], which will give more people the chance to compete at this level and brings with it a wonderful opportunity for them to gain experience at a 5* competition within a team environment”.

The Junior divison at the 2013 CDI Compiegne on 30 May – 2 June 2013 saw some talented youngsters take the stage with Maisie Scruton taking out the team test, leaving Claire Louise Averkorn to steal victory in the individual and kur. The British and German junior both relished their victories and look forward to the European Championships at the same venue in five weeks.”
The win in the team test on Friday was the highlight of the CDI for me, but also the support from the all of team GBR, including Carl Hester, was very special,” Scruton told Eurodressage.
Following up her win with a third in the individual and a fifth in the kur, Maisie felt her horse Hot Chocolate, a 16-year old Oldenburg mare by Sandro Hit x Landstreicher, was very tense in the kur after a confusion regarding the music. This was not the only confusion of her weekend. “At home she was training very well but this was our first international competition,” said Scruton. “We were very pleasantly surprised with a win and two very good placings on equally good scores each day. The real challenge of the competition was the individual test where I had a 9% difference between the E and B judges which was difficult but taken on the chin as I cannot please everyone all of the time! So I have work to do!”
In her first year at junior riders, Scruton acknowledges that the change from ponies to horses is a hard one. “It was a difficult transition and I really feel I underestimated how difficult it would be,” she said.  ”Also, Hot Chocolate and I took a while to come together but we are really starting to form a lovely partnership.”
Owning “Madam Hot” for just over 8 months, the mare was previously ridden by Italian rider Chiara Prijs-Vitale and since coming to Maisie, has already taught the British youngster a lot! “While I have had many fantastic experiences on my pony Rembrandt DDH, the highlight of my career has to be winning the team test in Compiegne on Friday with Hot Chocolate. Hearing the British national anthem play for me was surreal and has always been on my bucket list!”
Trained by Julie Blanchard for the last ten years, Maisie keeps her competition horses at Julie’s yard, Ninegates Farm in East Yorkshire. “We are currently working on harmony between horse and rider and we use training from Jenny Loriston-Clark and the German system learned from Julie’s time in the USA.”
Set to fulfill that dream of competing in the junior European Championships in Compiegne this year, Maisie aims to continue the success and to enjoy her time with her talented horses. “And to learn as much as possible to use in my future dressage career,” she added.
From Florida to France, Matute Shows Consistency
Travelling from Wellington, Florida, for the summer championships in Europe, Spanish Juan Matute Guimon and his Hanoverian Don Diego (by Don Frederico) showed remarkable consistency throughout the weekend. Third in the team test,  Matute claimed a second in both the individual and the kur tests with 70.421 and 72.875%.”
I’m very happy, particularly as it was my first CDI in Europe after a successful season in Wellington,” started Juan. “My horse gave me his best and I enjoyed being at such a big show with very good riders from a number of nations. The highlight for me was seeing Carl Hester train and compete everyday with his new horse.”
Setting himself the personal challenge of keeping his scores in the 70s in Europe, Juan achieved what he set out to do and loved making new friends along the way. “The atmosphere was just fantastic with lots of interesting young people to meet,” he added.
Junior Juan spent the summer season competing in Wellington at small tour level on some of his other horses. “The plan is to move Don Diego forward to Young Rider tests after the European Championships this summer.”
The 10-year old Don Diego is known as a noble, sweet and generous horse. He has been trained and competed by Spanish WEG team rider Jose Antonio Garcia Mena. “My dad bought him as a 4 year-old at the Hanoverian Auction,” said Juan Jr. “My father continues to train me in Wellington, Florida. We follow the classical scale of training, focusing on building up the strength of our horses, both physically and mentally. We believe that a happy horse gives always his best to the rider.
“Working on the bend in the lateral movements and the collection, Juan is also training the 7 year-old P.R.E. stallion, Escritor de Ymas II, owned and bred by Yeguada de Ymas. The bay stallion is currently showing juniors with daughter Paula Matute.
Averkorn Does the Double
Very happy with his results, Juan’s consistency still couldn’t quite match Germany’s Claire Louise Averkorn, who, after finishing second in the team test on 70.135%, rose to victory in both the individual and kur tests with 71.974 and 73.5 % aboard the 9-year old Hanoverian Condio B (by Contendro x Willems Ass x Weltmeyer).
We drove to Compiegne Thursday morning with the hope to have a good competition and a nice weekend but we did not except results like this,” said Claire. “The weather was really good and for our first test I felt we went okay with only a few little mistakes. However this was just a really good beginning of a great weekend. The individual test on Saturday was much better as our trot was much more expressive and the whole test was comparatively faultless. We were really happy with the result.”
Claire’s trainer, German pony team trainer Cornelia Endres, was also very satisfied with Claire’s performance, particularly with her winning kur. “Ms. Endres has trained me for over seven years at her Eulenhof in Dülmen and we felt the freestyle test on Sunday was for sure a highlight of this competition. Nearly everything happened how it was planned!”
Condio B was purchased from Stephan Baumgart in 2005 when he was just a yearling. “As a result of his breeding we hoped that he would be a good jumping horse and in the beginning he started in a few jumping competitions for young horses.We quickly had to accept that his bigger talent was dressage,” Averkorn explained.
With a number of other talented horses in work, Claire is currently training Condio’s 5-year old nephew, Untouchable B (by Uccello x Contendro) and the 5-year old gelding Wat’n Wunder N (by Wakantanka M x Lauries Crusador xx). “I’m also really lucky that the family Henglein offered me the ride on Henglein’s Licosto. This 8-year old stallion has been trained by Ms. Endres since December and he has a really remarkable workmanship. I hope that I am permitted to ride him for a longer time.”With a total of nine horses in work, six of them being her own horses, Claire travels to Eulenhof six times a week for lessons and trains at home with mother Petra. Averkorn has planned on competing at the 2013 CDIO-PJYR Hagen next week with Condio B and Licosto.
“My big dream is, of course, to start for the German team at the European Championships this year,” said Averkorn.

British rider Michael Eilberg and Woodlander Rockstar were well-placed at small tour at Arnhem CDI3*, the Netherlands (30 May – 2 Jun 2013).

Michael (pictured) rode Lynne Crowden’s Woodlander Rockstar (Rotspun x Sao Paulo) to score 70.02% for second place in the high-quality prix st georges which was won by the Netherlands’ Hans Peter Minderhoud and nine-year-old stallion Glock’s Ziesto (Lancet x Clavecimbel).

Michael’s sister, Maria, who normally partners Woodlander Rockstar, loaned him the ride on the 11-year-old stallion. “Maria kindly let me borrow him as my own small tour horse was unfit for the show,” said Michael, “and he needed an outing for fitness so we took him along. He did a fantastic job for me – I’m really pleased with him. I have competed him before, but not for a couple of years, so it shows what a stable, solid horse he is to perform with a different rider.”

Michael and Rockstar went on to gain third place in the inter I kür with 72.52%, riding a floor plan choreographed to a compilation of Dire Straits tracks. They were a hair’s breadth behind second placed Dutchman Geert Jan Raateland and the Jazz gelding Zorro (72.75%) in the class which was headed by Minderhoud and Glock’s Ziesto on a score of 79.65%.

Lynne Crowden, Woodlander Rockstar’s owner, was at the show in full support. “It was great for Lynne to let me ride him and that she had the confidence in me,” said Michael.

Michael also rode his father Ferdi’s 13-year-old Latvian gelding Marakov in the big tour. The established partnership scored an uncharacteristically low 62.21% in the grand prix which they turned round for a 69.55% ninth place in the following day’s freestyle.

“There was lively hospitality and we were competing in the evenings so there was a lot of noise to deal with, and we had a bad warm-up for the grand prix as there were carriages preparing for a half-time demo,” explained Michael. “Marakov found this a challenge to deal with so became spooky – once he gets the heebie-jeebies, he’ll spook at anything.”

Michael however wasn’t perturbed for the next day’s freestyle. Drawn first to go, they rode to their ‘Transformers’ music compiled by Tom Hunt. “I was feeling confident as Marakov is quite good at comebacks and I know him so well. He’d had more time to settle and did a really good test – it was back up to standard,” said Michael.

Also flying the flag for GB was Amy Stovold with her new grand prix ride Debonnet, Laura Swain’s 10-year-old Don Schufro gelding. The pair scored 64.25% in the grand prix and 70.77% for eighth place in the freestyle. Amy and Debonnet, who made their grand prix debut at Keysoe Premier League show at the end of April scoring 71%+, look to have a bright future ahead of them.

The big tour classes were dominated by the host nation’s Edward Gal riding the 11-year-old KWPN stallion Voice (De Niro x Rohdiamant). They posted 75.72% in the grand prix and 81.22% for their kür.