:Kathleen Landwehr

Aachen, Germany – The Land Rover U.S. Eventing Team arrived at the renowned venue in Germany to take part in the Aachen CICO3*, August 12-14. Though the Nations Cup is not part of the FEI European Championships Aachen 2015, which is hosting the disciplines of dressage, driving, jumping, reining, and vaulting, a field of top international eventing combinations ensures a challenging competition. Nine teams are set for the start of the Aachen CICO3*. The U.S. team consists of Lynn Symansky and Donner, Lauren Kieffer and Veronica, Colleen Rutledge and Covert Rights, and Phillip Dutton and Fernhill Cubalawn.

The Land Rover U.S. Eventing Team in Aachen (USEF Archives)

“The horses traveled well. We have an experienced group and we are looking forward to the weekend,” said Chef d’Equipe David O’Connor. “[Aachen] is truly one of the best horse shows in the world, so it is great to be here.”

Leading off for the U.S. team is Land Rover USEF Competition Grant recipients Symansky (Middleburg, Va.) and Donner, a 12-year-old Thoroughbred gelding owned by The Donner Syndicate, LLC. Earlier this year, the pair was fourth in The Fork CIC3* and 12th in the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event presented by Land Rover. Over the summer, Symansky and Donner were second in the CIC3* at the inaugural Land Rover Great Meadow International presented by Adequan.

Last month, Kieffer (Middleburg, Va.) was a member of the Gold medal team at the Pan American Games in Toronto, Canada, riding Meadowbrook’s Scarlett. With Team Rebecca, LLC’s Veronica, Kieffer hopes to have an excellent week in Aachen. She and the 13-year-old Dutch Warmblood mare were the 2014 Rolex/USEF CCI4* Eventing National Champions after finishing in second at the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event presented by Land Rover. Recently, the pair finished seventh in the Equi-Trek Bramham International CCI3*. Kieffer and Veronica were awarded a Karen E. Stives Endowment Fund for High Performance Eventing Competition Grant for the Aachen CICO3* and Blenheim CCI3*, through the USET Foundation.

Rutledge (Frederick, Md.) makes her debut representing the U.S. with her own Covert Rights in Aachen. In the nine-year-old Thoroughbred Cross gelding’s debut at the CCI4* level, Rutledge rode him to an 11th-place finish in the 2015 Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event presented by Land Rover. The pair then finished third in the CIC3* at the inaugural Land Rover Great Meadow International presented by Adequan. Rutledge and Covert Rights are in Europe on a Jacqueline B. Mars Competition Grant, through the USET Foundation.

Dutton (West Grove, Pa.) and Thomas Tierney and Simon Roosevelt’s Fernhill Cubalawn are a solid combination, even though he and the 12-year-old Holsteiner gelding have a relatively new partnership. At the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event presented by Land Rover, he rode Fernhill Cubalawn to a fifth-place finish in the horse’s first attempt at the CCI4* level. As the top-placed American combination, the pair won the Rolex/USEF CCI4* Eventing National Champion title. Dutton is coming off winning a Team Gold medal at the Pan American Games with Fernhill Fugitive, and aims to display the same top form with Fernhill Cubalawn in Aachen. Dutton and Fernhill Cubalawn were also awarded a Karen E. Stives Endowment Fund for High Performance Eventing Competition Grant for the Aachen CICO3*, through the USET Foundation.

On Thursday, Symansky and Donner will be the first U.S. pair down centerline at 9:00 a.m. CEST followed by Kieffer and Veronica at 10:30 a.m. Rutledge and Covert Rights will be next at 12:15 p.m., with Dutton and Fernhill Cubalawn acting as the anchor combination at 2:37 p.m. The jumping phase will also take place on Thursday, beginning at 5:30 p.m. CEST. The cross-country phase will start at 2:00 p.m. CEST on Friday.

Find out more about the Aachen CICO3*.

The USEF International High Performance Programs are generously supported by the USET Foundation, USOC, and USEF Sponsors and Members. Without the support of these organizations and individuals, it would not be possible to support our athletes. The USEF is especially grateful to individuals who give generously of their time and money to support the equestrian teams.

From Charles Owens

Millbrook, N.Y.  – The second annual $5,000 Charles Owen Award was presented by former Olympian and U.S. Chef d’Equipe David O’Connor at the benefit luncheon at the Millbrook Horse Trials on Sunday, August 2.

USEF high performance athletes with David O’Connor

O’Connor presented this year’s award to United States Equestrian Federation’s (USEF) high-performance eventing riders. Several of these top riders are regular competitors at the Millbrook Horse Trials including Olympians Boyd Martin, Philip Dutton, and Buck Davidson.

David O’Connor is a two-time Olympian who earned a Gold medal at the 2000 summer games in Sydney, Australia. He has held top coaching roles for the U.S. and Canadian eventing teams. O’Connor is a member of the U.S. Eventing Hall of Fame and was named Chef d’Equipe of the U.S. eventing team in 2013.

“I’m delighted to present this award to these top riders who are role models, not only as gifted equestrians, but for setting important safety standards in the sport,” O’Connor said.

Charles Owen, the leading British helmet maker for more than 100 years, last year donated $15,000 to create a three-year award to recognize a person or team who has made a significant contribution to highlighting safety in the sport. While helmets have long been required for jumping competitions, riders competing in dressage have followed the tradition of wearing top hats at leading events.

At last year’s World Equestrian Games, held in September in Normandy, France, every member of the U.S. eventing team wore safety helmets during the dressage phase of the competition, opting for protective headgear over the traditional top hats.

David O’Connor presenting the Charles Owens Award

The importance of appropriate head protection came to the forefront in 2010 when Olympic dressage rider Courtney King Dye sustained a serious head injury from a fall while schooling a young horse without a helmet. King Dye and Riders4Helmets, the organization she leads to highlight safety, were last year’s recipient of the Charles Owen award.

Since King Dye’s accident, the United States has been a leader in the drive for the adoption of safety helmets in dressage. On April 1, a new rule went into effect requiring that helmets be worn for all U.S. Equestrian Federation events, including Grand Prix dressage, the highest level of the sport.

“The U.S. eventing team showed great leadership in promoting safety on a world stage,” said Roy Burek, Managing Director of Charles Owen. “We are proud to support them in their efforts to encourage all riders to wear helmets every time they ride.”

O’Connor frequently attends the Millbrook Horse Trials to watch potential team candidates compete. “Millbrook is an excellent venue to observe the preparedness of elite horse-rider combinations,” he said.

The Millbrook Horse Trials took place July 30-August 2 at Coole Park Farm on Bangall-Amenia Road in Millbrook, N.Y.

For more information, visit www.millbrookhorsetrials.com.

Aachen (GER), 13 August 2015

Photo Caption: The Netherlands claimed the FEI European Dressage Championships 2015 team title at Aachen, Germany today. On the podium: Diederik van Silfhout, Patrick van der Meer, Edward Gal, Hans Peter Minderhoud and Chef d’Equipe Wim Ernes. (FEI/Dirk Caremans)

FEI YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=M56XiTxS5dg&feature=youtu.be

Gal leads Netherlands to third European team title

By Louise Parkes

The Netherlands claimed team gold ahead of Great Britain in silver and Germany in bronze at the FEI European Championships 2015 in Aachen, Germany today. It was a cliff-hanger of a competition, with the result decided by a superb performance from Edward Gal and Glock’s Undercover NOP. However Great Britain’s Charlotte Dujardin and Valegro produced the biggest score of the day, posting 83.229 to finish more than half a percentage point ahead of the Dutchman.

Today’s result has also decided the last three European qualifying spots for the Rio 2016 Olympic Games, and it is Spain, Sweden and France, who lined up fourth, fifth and sixth respectively, that have made the cut.

The Spanish really pulled it out of the bag today, Morgan Barbancon Mestre putting in a poignant performance with Painted Black on the final event of the 18-year-old stallion’s career, while Beatriz Ferrer-Salat, silver medallist at the Olympic Games in Athens in 2004, boosted their chances when slotting into individual fifth spot with Delgado.

This was The Netherlands’ third time to take European team gold, and their first time to field an all-male side. They made history when breaking the German stranglehold on the title in 2007 and then did it again two years later, before the British broke the mold once again in 2011. Dutch Chef d’Equipe Wim Ernes said recently that he expected his side to take team bronze at these championships, so when asked this evening what he thought of that now, he replied “that was a few weeks ago, since then we just practiced and got better, and so today we won!”

Had the advantage

Team Germany had the advantage as the competition resumed this morning, but when Hans Peter Minderhoud went to the top of the scoreboard with a mark of 77.856 with Glock’s Johnson that tipped the balance in The Netherlands’ favour.

He was followed into the ring by Britain’s Carl Hester whose gelding, Nip Tuck, was a little unsettled through parts of his test. “But he’s so consistent, he’s never had under 70 percent” said the London 2012 Olympic Games team gold medallist after posting 75.400.

Three horses later you could feel the electricity in the air as Germany’s Matthias Alexander Rath and Totilas took their turn. They were expected to secure their country’s position at the top of the leaderboard, but their mark of 75.971 always looked vulnerable. The German rider said afterwards that “the piaffe could have been more active”, expressing surprise at his score. But only two horse-and-rider combinations broke the 80 percent barrier today, and the first of those was ridden by Gal, the man who produced Totilas to become the first super-star horse of the sport of Dressage before the stallion’s sale to Germany in 2010.

Sensitivity

Gal has often struggled to contain Glock’s Undercover’s sensitivity and anxiety, but today the 14-year-old stallion showed exactly what his rider always said he could do. The judges clearly relished the utter consistency of the horse’s passage and piaffe, the steadiness of his tempi changes and the smoothness of the canter work when awarding the new leading mark of 82.229. That promoted the Dutch into an even stronger position, and although British stars Charlotte Dujardin and Valegro would better that by 0.8 percent, it was the Dutchman who took centre stage at the post-competition press conference having clinched it for his country.

The final Dutch score was 235.629 but it was a close-fought affair with the British runners-up just 1.4 behind while the Germans were more than three points further adrift in bronze medal spot.

Asked how he produced such a confident test under extreme pressure today, Gal explained, “I think it’s the experience my horse has now, he’s done more big competitions, he did Las Vegas (Reem Acra FEI World Cup™ Dressage Final), and that was impressive for him. Here, when you are in the ring you don’t notice so much around you because there are so many judges houses that you can’t see out anyway!” he joked.

“But no” he continued, “for him it was quite a good atmosphere. The people are far away, and in the ring it was really quiet, it felt good and that gives him the confidence, and gives me the confidence that he is quiet and I can ride  – and that makes an amazing test!” he explained. “I think we are the happiest team here!” Gal added, and Carl Hester responded, “I think that’s true – we have a great team too, but we’re not as happy as you!”

Happy mood

Germany’s Isabell Werth was also in a happy and sporting mood even though that 23rd FEI European Dressage team title had slipped from her country’s grasp. “It was our goal to come first, but it’s boring to win all the time and much more exciting to come third and to have to start again next year!” she joked. “To be honest we tried our best, but in the end we missed some things…we were not as good as we can be, and I think the third place was right. Congratulations to the Dutch and the British – but be careful” she warned with a smile, “we want to come back, we will do our homework and next year we will do a better performance!”

Next year is on everyone’s mind as today’s result has given all of the teams an indication of what they need to do if they want their Olympic dreams to come true. And this evening sthe judges for the Rio 2016 Olympic Dressage competitions were confirmed. Brazil’s Maribel Alonso was already named as President and today’s draw means that she will be joined by Stephen Clarke (GBR), Gary Rockwell (USA), Edward de Wolff van Westerrode (NED), Peter Holler (GER), Thomas Lang (AUT) and Susanne Baarup (DEN). First reserve for the Rio Ground Jury is Annette Fransen-Iacobaeus (SWE) with Isabelle Judet (FRA) as second reserve.

For more information on the FEI European Championships 2015 in Aachen visit www.aachen2015.de.

Results FEI European Championships Aachen 2015 here

Wellington, FL (August 13, 2015)— A summer of international competition just became even more exciting for dressage rider and trainer Devon Kane, as she recently finalized a sponsorship from Uvex. Uvex specializes in personal protective sports equipment, and one of the company’s most celebrated products is equestrian helmets. When Kane, who is the owner and head trainer at Diamante Farms in Wellington, Florida, discovered Uvex helmets, the innovative product quickly became her first choice for head protection.

Kane is currently spending her summer training and competing based out of her trainer Olympic Gold Medalist Hubertus Schmidt’s barn in Germany, where her love for Uvex first began. “I found Uvex helmets three years ago when I went to Germany for the summer and all the Bereiters and Assistants were wearing them in Hubertus Schmidt’s barn,” Kane explained. “It was a group of very pretty, young, fashionable and hard working girls, and the styles were fabulous on them.” Once Kane saw the helmets, she knew she needed to try them out herself. “The Uvex styles are very trendy and sporty, giving the rider a more modern, streamlined look instead of the older style larger helmets that distract from the riders features,” Kane said.

Uvex, based in Bavaria, Germany, has followed Kane’s progression through the levels in dressage and has been as impressed with Kane as Kane was with the helmets. Maria Wynne of Uvex explained, “Uvex has been watching the U.S. market and media for some considerable time, and Devon immediately came to our attention. Her talent and work ethic are obvious and she consistently produces her horses to succeed. Also, the fact that Devon had independently chosen to wear Uvex shows us that she is savvy and very aware of how products can enhance performance.”

Uvex helmets feature a sleek look with less bulk, and an adjustment system that allows for any head shape to fit comfortably within the helmet. “Uvex helmets are unique in that they offer the genius of the Independent Adjustment system, which means that Uvex can be adjusted to fit the depth and circumference of different head sizes and shapes,” Wynne said. “Uvex helmets also feature active ventilation, which funnels cooling air over the top of the head to prevent the dreaded ‘helmet hair.’”

Kane is enthusiastic about the partnership, and wore her new Uvex gear to represent Team USA at the recent Nations Cup CDIO5* in Falsterbo, Sweden. She is now preparing for more competitions in Europe before returning to the United States in time to train for Wellington’s prestigious Global Dressage Festival. She will show her young stallion Sir Galanto for the first time in the Small Tour at the CDI Darmstadt-Karnichstein in Germany on August 19-23.

As a company built around innovative products and designs, Uvex is always looking forward. The company sees its quality of always striving to be the best reflected in Kane— making this partnership as perfect a fit as Kane’s new helmets. “The future of the sport lies in progress and embracing new technology, and Devon represents all of these attributes,” said Wynne. “Devon is young, beautiful, talented, smart, and a great athlete who produces happy horses while looking great. Many, many youngsters will be aspiring to be like her, and she sets a wonderful example not only with her results but also in the way that she is always seeking to learn and experience more in order to move up the ranks.”

For more information about Uvex helmets and other protective sports equipment, visit www.uvex-group.com. To find out more about Devon Kane and the success of her training and boarding business at Diamante Farms, visit www.DiamanteFarms.com or call 561-307-2831.

Lausanne (SUI), 13 August 2015

Rio 2016 FEI Reportage photobook – share and enjoy

The Rio 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games are now just around the corner, and to celebrate the first Games to be held in South America, the International Equestrian Federation (Fédération Equestre Internationale, FEI) has specially commissioned a stunning online Rio 2016 FEI Reportage photobook.

The Rio 2016 FEI Reportage photobook – www.fei.org/reportage/rio2016testevent – celebrates the passion, joy and athleticism of Olympic and Paralympic Equestrian at Rio, where the sport will mark 104 years in the Olympic movement and 20 years in the Paralympic Movement, and all in one of the most culturally diverse countries in the world.

Images by Raphael Macek

All images in the Rio 2016 FEI Reportage photobook are by Brazilian photographer Raphael Macek. His father, a veterinarian and horse breeder, instilled a passion and love for animals in in him from a young age. After graduating with a fine art degree from New York Institute of Photography, it was not long before Macek’s inspiration turned back to his family roots. Macek now travels the world capturing the beauty and emotions of animals and horses.

Share & enjoy #Rio2016 images

All images in the Rio 2016 FEI Reportage photobook can be shared on Facebook and Twitter with the hashtag #Rio2016

The Rio 2016 Olympic equestrian action gets underway the day after the Opening Ceremony on 5 August 2016. The world’s best horses and riders will compete for medals in the Olympic disciplines of Eventing, Dressage and Jumping over 12 days of intense competition at the Olympic Equestrian Centre in the Deodoro Olympic Park.

Para-Equestrian Dressage is then set to be a major highlight at the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games, which start on 7 September, and promise to be the largest celebration yet of high-performance sport for people with an impairment.

Photo caption: The Rio 2016 FEI Reportage photobook celebrates the passion, joy and athleticism of Olympic and Paralympic Equestrian. (FEI)

Equestrian at Deodoro Olympic Park

The Deodoro Olympic Park is the second largest Rio 2016 Games cluster. Deodoro’s nine venues will host the Olympic sports of basketball, BMX, canoe slalom, fencing, hockey, modern pentathlon, mountain biking, rugby sevens, shooting and the Paralympic sports of wheelchair fencing, Football 7-a-side and shooting alongside Jumping, Dressage, Eventing, and Para-Equestrian Dressage: www.rio2016.org/en/the-games/map-of-the-venues-0

Rio 2016 Olympic Games – qualified nations

Brazil, as host nation, earns automatic team qualification for Rio 2016. Full details on qualified nations will be updated at http://fei.org/fei/games/olympic/rio-2016 & www.fei.org/fei/games/paralympic/rio-2016. The following nations have so far qualified Olympic team spots for Rio 2016 Olympic Games:

Jumping: Argentina, Brazil, Canada, France, Germany, Netherlands, Sweden, Ukraine, USA, Qatar

Dressage: Australia, Brazil, Germany, Great Britain, Netherlands, USA

Eventing: Australia, Brazil, Canada, Germany, Great Britain, Ireland, Netherlands, USA

The remaining equestrian team places at the Rio 2016 Olympic Games will be decided at continental qualifiers, including the FEI European Championships in Aachen (Dressage and Jumping) and the Longines FEI European Eventing Championships in Blair Castle (GBR), while individual places will be decided according to world rankings.

Rio 2016 Paralympic Games – qualified nations

Brazil, as host nation, earns automatic team qualification for Rio 2016, and Great Britain, The Netherlands and Germany were the first nations to qualify team spots for the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games (they qualified at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games™ 2014).

The next high profile Rio Paralymic Games qualifier will be held at the FEI European Para-Dressage Championships in Deauville (FRA) on 18-20 September.

All athletes competing at the Olympic and Paralympic Games must obtain the minimum eligibility requirements.

Rio 2016 useful links

www.rio2016.com/en/the-games/olympic

https://twitter.com/rio2016_en

www.facebook.com/rio2016

www.youtube.com/rio2016

https://instagram.com/rio2016

12.08.2015 – Lead for Germany at half-time