Endel Ots and Lucky Strike (Photo courtesy of the 2015 Oldenburger Landesturnier)

Oldenburg, Germany (July 23, 2015) – American Grand Prix dressage rider Endel Ots has shown how prepared he is for the FEI World Breeding Dressage Championships for Young Horses this August. Ots and Lucky Strike claimed the first win of the 2015 Oldenburger Landesturnier, or “Oldenburg Championships,” on Tuesday in the FEI Five-Year-Old Einlaufprüfung, or “opening competition.”

“Today’s competition was so much fun,” said Ots after winning his first-ever European competition. “It was a super atmosphere. This is a perfect lead up to the World Championships in Verden.”

Ots will be competing Lucky Strike and six-year-old Oldenburg gelding Samhitas in the FEI World Breeding Dressage Championships for Young Horses in Verden, Germany in August. The 2015 Oldenburger Landesturnier is part of his final preparations for Verden. Only one other American has ever qualified both a five-year-old and a six-year-old for these renowned championships.

Endel Ots and his father, Max Ots, own Lucky Strike, a German-bred five-year-old Hanoverian gelding (Lord Laurie x His Highness). Ots originally discovered Lucky Strike in Belgium and has owned the impressive gelding for nearly two years. “He is the only qualified five-year-old in the U.S. for Verden,” Ots explained, proud of his young partner.

“I want to give a huge thank you to Evi Strasser for her help all season, and for organizing my stay here in Europe,” Ots said. “Evi Strasser has been helping me every step of the way.” Ots also noted his appreciation for Hans Heinrich and Kathrin Meyer Zu Strohen who have hosted Ots during his European stay and Viola Abrahams for coaching at this week’s competition.

Ots also credits United States Young Horse Coach Christine Traurig. Although the two have only been working together for about a month, Traurig’s coaching has been invaluable to Ots. “There will be great things in the future for the young horses in the USA under Christine’s guidance,” he said. Traurig was in Hagen, Germany serving as Chef d’equipe for the U.S. Nations Cup team when Ots arrived in Germany earlier this month to begin preparing for competition. “I changed my plane ticket around, and when Hagen was over I went to work with Endel,” Traurig explained. A video of Ots and Lucky Strike schooling in Germany with Traurig can be HERE. “Since then, we have been in communication almost daily about how the horses are doing,” Traurig continued.

“When Endel called me and gave me the news that he and Lucky Strike had won the class at the Oldenburg Championships, I was of course super excited! He went to this prestigious show as an American, showed up, did his test, and won the class. I think that’s a remarkable accomplishment. I’m really excited for him,” Traurig said.

As Ots continues training for the FEI World Breeding Dressage Championships for Young Horses in Verden, Traurig’s advice for him is simple. “I said to him, just stay in the zone. He knows his horses and he knows what he can accomplish in the ring – he is a very good rider. My advice to him is to not think that he has to change something drastically to make another big difference in his performance. His performances were already super getting him to Verden – if they weren’t, he wouldn’t be going there!” she smiled. “He has done a very fine job getting his young horses to the point where they have the quality to go to Verden and compete well there. He has proven himself to be successful.”

Traurig will be at the FEI World Breeding Dressage Championships for Young Horses to cheer on Ots as he represents his country.

Ots’s home base is in Wellington, Florida at the Palm Beach Equine Sports Complex. To learn more about Endel Ots Dressage, visit www.endelotsdressage.com, email EndelOts@gmail.com, or call (920) 562-5714.

Contact: Endel Ots
endelots@gmail.com
1-920-562-5714

British Dressage selectors have announced the UK Sport National Lottery funded dressage squad for the upcoming FEI European Championships, which take place in Aachen, Germany (12-16 August 2015).

This summer’s event is the last major Championship before next year’s Olympic Games in Rio, where GBR will be represented having already qualified a Dressage team place following Team Silver at the World Equestrian Games in 2014.

The selected squad has been named as (in alphabetical order):

• Fiona Bigwood (39) from Horsham, West Sussex with Penny Bigwood’s Atterupgaards Orthilia
• Charlotte Dujardin OBE (30) from Newent, Gloucestershire with Mrs Roly Luard, Mrs Anne Barrott and Mr Carl Hester’s Valegro
• Michael Eilberg (28) from Redditch, Worcestershire with Mr Ferdi Eilberg’s Marakov
• Carl Hester MBE (48) from Newent, Gloucestershire with Miss Jane de la Mare and his own Nip Tuck

Chef d’Equipe Richard Waygood commented; “I’m delighted once again to be taking such a strong British team to a European Championships. I’m looking forward to working with Fiona, as she gets her call-up to the team for the first time since WEG 2010, and for Michael to have a new Championship ride is very exciting.

“We’re in the envious position that yet again we have competitive riders on the team, and looking ahead this is yet another good stepping-stone on the road to Rio.”

Selected Reserves (in order of selection):

• Spencer Wilton (42) from Thatcham, Berkshire with Jen Goodman and his own British Bred Super Nova II
• Anna Ross (42) from Salisbury, Wiltshire with Mrs Jane Sewell’s Die Callas

All four selected athletes contest the team competition (with the three best scores counting); the top thirty athletes after the Grand Prix [team test] then go forward to contest the Grand Prix Special, with only the top fifteen athletes progressing through to the Grand Prix Freestyle.

Equestrian Team GBR is supported by the UK Sport National Lottery funded World Class Programme; the British teams are very grateful to the support they receive from official Team GBR suppliers Dodson & Horrell, Equi-Trek, Land Rover, NAF, NuuMed, Point Two Equine, Tagg Equestrian and Toggi.

July 23, 2015 11:10

Somerford Park Farm hosted the first of this year’s seven regional championships (18 – 20 July) and saw massive entries in the BackinAction prelim classes which were split into two, with more than 40 entries in each section.

Forty-four-year-old Cerian Screen, who works full time as a pharmacist in Aberystwyth, Wales, and has a four-year-old daughter, conquered her competition nerves to ride her seven-year-old home-bred mare Donna Bella (by Donnersohn) into top spot in prelim section A.

“’Roxy’ can be a real dressage diva – the last time we went to a new venue, she threw a strop just before we started our test and had to be led past the judges and into the arena, so I was a bit apprehensive about what she might do at Somerford as neither of us had been there before,” said Cerian, who trains with Serina Pincus and gets up at 5.30am to ride before work. “We’ve only done four competitions this year and won three of them, but I was nervous because she can be quite naughty. With the flags, flowers and three judges’ boxes to contend with, I thought it might blow her mind, but on the day she was brilliant and didn’t bat an eyelid!”

Cerian, who hadn’t competed without a test caller before, had an early draw and held her nerve while waiting almost five hours until the end of the class to discover the final result: “I never imagined we would win – I was just delighted that Roxy behaved so well. . . now I’m already starting to get nervous about going to the nationals, but luckily my good friend Genette who comes with me to competitions is a brilliant support, and I’m going to practice breathing and focussing techniques!”

The prelim section B was also hotly contested, with 41-year-old Chrissy Leak and her 14hh seven-year-old traditional coloured cob  mare, It’s Just Rosie (pictured), clinching first place.

“I bought Rosie from a dealer as a four-year-old who’d got her from Appleby Fair,” explained Chrissie, who works full time for Northern Rail as a train conductor in Blackpool and keeps Rosie at DIY livery. “I’ve had horses all my life, but had huge gaps in my riding due to work and lack of finance, so I wanted a horse which was kind and gentle to bring on. My mum died of lung cancer nine years ago and left me some money which I used to buy Rosie, so I named Rosie after her – she’s kind, gentle and a real people person  — she’s my best buddy!

“I do suffer from competition nerves, but Rosie always looks after me and tries her best, “ said Chrissie, who celebrated her win by treating her two good friends and travel companions Rachel and Hayley with a trip to Burger King.

“I then came home and poured myself a vodka by which time my Facebook page was in meltdown! I can’t wait to go to the nationals now, I’ve only ever been as a spectator before, so to compete at Stoneleigh is a dream come true.”

The highest score of the three days, 76.53%, belonged to the phenomenal 16-year-old Phoebe Peters and St Lucci, who soared into the lead in the Top Spec Medium Open championship.

The combination, who are in their last year of ponies, were having their final competitive preparation ahead of their call up for their fourth consecutive FEI Pony European Championships in Malmo, Sweden, next month.

It was another “red -letter day” for Lucy Cartwright with  Justin and Isobel Wessels’ fabulous five-year-old San Marco, high scoring winners of the Dodson & Horrell Novice Open title.

This in-form combination, who clocked up a mega score of 9.1 as the  highest score of the Shearwater young horse championships at Hartpury’s Premier League just a week ago, proved outstanding once again.

“Marco’s only five, but he’s an amazing horse who is so willing and forward thinking – he just loves to work and has three fantastic paces which are all as good as each other,” said 27-year-old Lucy, who was previously based with her trainer Carl Hester for six years (during which time she also won the 2006 Badminton Young Horse finals with Valegro) before setting up DL Dressage with her partner Daniel Bremmer at Carole Felton’s stunning yard in the Cotswolds.

“Isobel, who also helps me with him and has been a fantastic support, bought Marco from Jayne Lancashire’s Dressage International as a three-year-old and rides him a couple of days a week. We’re hoping to do the six-year-old classes with him next year, as well as some novices and elementaries and see how it goes, but I feel incredibly lucky to ride him.”

DL Dressage had much to celebrate as Lucy was also runner up in the medium open with Niki and Mervyn Franklyn’s Leonello, as well as third in the Saracen Horse Feeds Intermediate I with Waterloo V, while the yard’s working pupil, 19-year-old Alex Chick, won the Equine Construction Advanced Medium Restricted title with SOS Montevideo.

Twenty-four-year-old Darcas Lever, a former junior and young rider team member from Warrington, was the winner of the Equine Construction Advanced Medium Open and runner-up in the Fairfax Saddles Prix St Georges with her own Valentijn WG, a 13-year-old KWPN gelding by Cabochan.

“’Lewis’ [named after the Formula One racing driver] came to me originally to be sold, but although he can be quirky and sharp, we’ve formed a good relationship. He’s got a lot of potential and we bring out the best in each other,” said Darcas, who trains with Darryl Thickitt and is based at Cockshot Dressage, where she produces horses and ponies for showing and dressage.

After competing at Somerford Park for three days, Darcas, who also has an 18-month-old son Jacob, had a brief stopover at home with just three hours in bed before making a 2am start for the four-hour journey to the Scottish Horse Show at the Royal Highland showground where she was competing two horses in HOYS qualifiers.

“I divide my time between showing and dressage, which can be a bit hectic with show dates clashing, but dressage always takes the priority,” said Darcas.

For full results, visit the Somerford Regionals website

Photo and copy courtesy of Jo Prestwich

RESULTS

BackinAction Prelim

Section a – Cerian Screen with Donna Bella – 72.37%

Section b – Chrissy Leak with It’s Just Rosie – 70.06%

Dodson & Horrell Novice Restricted

Section a – Cara Sweeney with Belissima – 72.07%

Section b – Freya Metters with Maesmynach Jester – 67.99%

Dodson & Horrell Novice Open

Lucy Cartwright with San Marco 75.23%

NETTEX Elementary Restricted

Section a – Rebecca Jackson with Blixem 71.46%

Section b – James McCullough with Diluvio 69.01%

NETTEX Elementary Elementary Open

Sarah Kingswell with The Contact People Destiny D 69.79%

Top Spec Medium Restricted

Georgie Wheeler with Don Camillo II 69.32%

Top Spec Medium Open

Phoebe Peters with St Lucci 76.53%

Equine Construction Advanced Medium Restricted

Alex Chick with SOS Montevideo 68.95%

Equine Construction Advanced Medium Open

Darcas Lever with Valentijn WG 71.36%

Fairfax Saddles Prix St Georges

Tracey Tomlinson with Undercover 68.99%

Saracen Horse Feeds Intermediate I

Jenny Rose with Tabriz 67.32%