By The Dressage Foundation

Krystal Wilt (Pat Hendrick Photography)

The Dressage Foundation is pleased to announce that the inaugural Karen Skvarla Fund Grant has been awarded to young professional, Krystal Wilt, of Sand Lake, NY. Krystal intends to use the $500 grant to ride two horses in Eastern New York Dressage and Combined Training Association’s Gary Rockwell clinic in May.

Krystal is a high school biology teacher who devotes the rest of her hours to dressage training. She would like to build her dressage career to a point where she can teach, ride and train full time.  “I am honored to have been selected as the first Karen Skvarla Fund Grant recipient.  I love Gary’s training approach and I am excited to obtain valuable knowledge and exercises to bring back to my students and their horses,” Krystal says.  “I am extremely grateful for this opportunity, and I look forward to finding ways to give back to The Dressage Foundation and my local dressage community in the future.”

The purpose of the Karen Skvarla Fund is to provide grants enabling young dressage professionals to pursue training or educational opportunities.  Grant applicants should be in the beginning stages of their dressage careers as instructors and/or trainers. The Karen Skvarla Fund Grant selection committee will especially look for applicants who are eager to grow and improve, and who are fair and respectful to both students and horses.

The Karen Skvarla $300-$500 Grant will be awarded annually.  Applications are due on or before February 15th of each year.  A Selection Committee will review applications and announce a decision no later than April 15th.  The application can be found at www.dressagefoundation.org under the Dressage Instructors section of “Apply for a Grant.”

Las Vegas (USA),  15 April 2015

Photo Caption: Conducting the draw for tomorrow’s opening competition of the Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping 2015 Final at the Hakkasan nightclub at the MGM hotel in Las Vegas: (L to R) defending champion Germany’s Daniel Deusser, 2012 champion America’s Beezie Madden and commentator Peter Doubleday. (FEI/Dirk Caremans)

FEI Photo Catalogue: Free images for editorial purposes are available from the FEI Photo Catalogue.

Longines and Reem Acra draws take place at FEI World Cup™ 2015 Finals in Las Vegas

By Louise Parkes

Russia’s Inessa Merkulova will lead the way in Dressage and Belgium’s Jos Verlooy will be  the first Jumping rider into the ring when the much-anticipated FEI World Cup™ Finals 2015 begin at the Thomas & Mack arena in Las Vegas, USA tomorrow.

There was a big attendance for tonight’s draw which took place at the Hakkasan nightclub in the MGM hotel. It was America’s Steffen Peters and Denmark’s Agnete Kirk-Thinggaard who selected the names and numbers that decided the order-of-go for the Reem Acra FEI World Cup™ Dressage Grand Prix which will begin at 12 noon local time.

The draw for the first leg of the Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping Final, which follows at at 19.00 tomorrow evening, was conducted by defending champion Daniel Deusser from Germany assisted by America’s Rich Fellers and Beezie Madden who claimed the coveted trophy in 2012 and 2013 respectively.

All three former Jumping champions are competing with the same horses with which they previously enjoyed success, and Madden starts in 25th place with Simon while Deusser goes 33rd with Cornet D’Amour followed immediately by Fellers partnering his 19-year-old living legend, Flexible in 34th place. A total of 41 horse-and-rider combinations are listed to contest the opening speed class in the Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping Final and you can find the full running order here

Exception

The Hakkasan nightclub usually applies an age restriction of 21 years, but an exception was made for the two young Jumping riders, Jos Verlooy and Ireland’s Bertram Allen, who are still only 19.

Having risen from 70th place to the No 10 spot in the latest Longines rankings after a sensational run of form over the last year, Allen is hotly-tipped to make a big impression this week. But he insisted today that “there are 20 or 25 riders here who could win”. He was happy with how his grey mare, Molly Malone, schooled this morning, and, when asked about his plans for the coming days, said “I’ll be going out every day to win, but just how I’m going to do it I don’t exactly know yet!”

His natural horsemanship has already earned him a huge fan-club, not least in his home country. He said today, “I really appreciate the support and goodwill I’m getting from home and I will be doing my very best here this week. I’m ready to crack on with it now, and if it doesn’t go well it won’t be because myself and Molly aren’t trying! We both like a good atmosphere, and I think the buzz in this arena is going to be amazing!”

Warm-up sessions

Everyone agrees that the Thomas & Mack is an electric venue, and earlier today there were plenty of spectators watching the warm-up sessions for both Jumping and Dressage. Daniel Deusser showed that he means business when he says he wants to take the Longines title for the second year in row, putting on an exhibition with Cornet D’Amour over the eight-fence practice track.

And defending Reem Acra champion, Great Britain’s Charlotte Dujardin who also holds the world no 1 spot in her discipline, was greeted by a wave of applause before even entering the arena later in the day with her world-record-beating specialist Valegro, who seemed to thoroughly enjoy showing off in front of the crowd.

They are drawn 12th of the 18 starters in tomorrow’s Reem Acra Grand Prix, while leading German challenger Isabell Werth will be 15th to go with El Santo and The Netherlands‘ Edward Gal and Glock’s Undercover precede Germany’s Jessica von Bredow-Werndl and Unee BB who will be last into the ring. You can find the full running order here.

American eyes

Steffen Peters, winner of the FEI World Cup™ Dressage title at Las Vegas in 2009 with Ravel, will go in 16th place tomorrow with Legolas. But American eyes will also be closely watching the performance of their brightest new star, Laura Graves, who, despite an early draw in fourth spot, is expected to finish well up the leaderboard with Verdades at the end of the opening competition and to be in strong contention in Saturday’s Reem Acra Freestyle finale.

FEI First Vice-President and Chair of the Jumping Committee said tonight “both the Dressage and Jumping titles are so important for any athlete to win and I’d like to thank Reem Acra and our First Partner, Longines, for their fantastic support. We are also really grateful to the USEF, but most of all we are grateful to our great ally, the horse, who does such wonderful things for us and brings so much happiness into all of our lives”.

FEI YouTube: Charlotte Dujardin GBR

Las Vegas (USA),  14 April 2015

Photo Caption: The Thomas & Mack Arena in Las Vegas, USA where the FEI World Cup™ 2015 Finals will get underway on Thursday 16 April. (FEI/Dirk Caremans)

All-systems-go for FEI World Cup™ 2015 Finals in Las Vegas

By Louise Parkes

The stage is set and it’s all-systems-go at the Thomas & Mack Arena in Las Vegas, USA where the Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping and Reem Acra FEI World Cup™ Dressage 2015 Finals get underway on Thursday.

All horses passed their veterinary inspections today, and even that provided entertainment with some over-exuberant equines giving their handlers a hard time. Age is no barrier to naughty behaviour as Morgan Barbacon’s 18-year-old stallion, Painted Black, demonstrated when breaking free and going for a quick gallop around the ring before regaining his decorum. And there were plenty of high-jinks from the jumpers too, although Rich Fellers’ 19-year-old stallion, Flexible, was as relaxed as it is possible to be.

Huge anticipation

There is huge anticipation of a great week ahead, and tomorrow is dedicated to warm-up classes before the excitement goes into over-drive with a rapid-fire opening day on Thursday when the Reem Acra FEI World Cup™ Dressage Grand Prix gets the action underway at 12 noon and the opening competition of the Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping takes place at 19.00 local time.

Early on Friday morning the Dressage riders and horses have the opportunity to rehearse their Freestyle, and at 19.00 the second Jumping competition take place. Saturday brings the much-anticipated Freestyle, which will bring the Reem Acra Final to a close, starting at 12 noon. And then on Sunday the new Longines Jumping champion will be crowned following the top-30 Final.

Defending Reem Acra FEI World Cup™ Dressage champion, Great Britain’s Charlotte Dujardin, reports that her super-star gelding, Valegro, is feeling the heat a little. “The temperature has definitely hit him, he doesn’t have long to acclimatise before he starts to compete but it’s great to be here and taking part in this show in the middle of the desert! He’s flown well and the last two days we gave him some easy time, not too much work. He’s gone from winter at home to this incredible heat, and I’m hoping he’s not suffering from jet-lag!” she said. It has been windy and sunny today in the entertainment capital of the world, with the barometer showing a temperature of 85 degrees at 15.30 local time.

Challenges

The Thomas & Mack Arena presents many challenges for equestrian competitions due to its unusual shape and size. It regularly hosts concerts and sporting fixtures, including boxing, football and basketball tournaments. “It’s a bit like a huge lunge-pen!” Dujardin said today, “I’m told it’s bigger than Olympia (London) but it doesn’t feel like it, maybe it’s because the seats rise so high around the ring. How are they going to fit seven judges in there?” she asked with a laugh. “It will be my first time to start my test inside the arena so that should be interesting too!” she added.

It is always a big test for the course designer too, but America’s Anthony D’Ambrosio knows what’s expected because he also presented the tracks for the 2009 FEI World Cup™ Jumping Final in Las Vegas. He’s been an FEI 4* course designer for over 10 years and is a double-recipient of the USHJA Course Designer of the Year Award.

Defending Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping champion, Germany’s Daniel Deusser, said today that the size of the arena is not a problem for him or for Cornet D’Amour. In fact he’s feeling pretty upbeat about his chances of doing the double this week and walking away with that coveted Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping trophy for the second year in a row.

“For my horse it’s not a disadvantage. In a small arena the fences come up very fast but he’s so rideable and has a great technique. I’ve had good results with him in small indoor arenas and big ones too, and recently he was fantastic in Doha (QAT) and in Den Bosch (NED) so I’ve got a great feeling with him right now. I don’t want to say that I’m going to win again, but I’m feeling really confident!”

It’s going to be a thriller from start to finish, so don’t miss a hoof-beat. If you can’t be there, then watch all the action LIVE on FEI TV!!

Facts and Figures:

Things to know about the Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping Final:

A total of 45 Jumping horses were presented at the first veterinary inspection at the Thomas & Mack Arena in Las Vegas today and were passed fit to compete.

4 riders presented two horses each – Kevin Staut (FRA), Katie Laurie (NZL), Kirsten Coe (USA) and Vinton Karrasch (USA).

Following the withdrawal of Saudi Arabia’s Abdullah Alsharbatly, the starting field for the Final is reduced to 41 riders.

The draw for order-of-go in Thursday’s first competition will take place tomorrow (Wednesday) evening.

Course designer is America’s Anthony d’Ambrosio.

In the 37-year history of the FEI World Cup™ Jumping Finals, a total of 496 riders from 53 nations have competed.

The USA holds the record for the greatest number of riders attending the Finals, with a total of 113. The country with the next highest number is Germany with a total of 48.

Austria’s Hugo Simon was the first winner of the FEI World Cup™ Jumping title at the inaugural Final in Gothenburg, Sweden in 1979. Riding Gladstone, he came out on top in a two-way jump-off against America’s Katie Monahan and The Jones Boy.

Great Britain’s Michael Whitaker holds the record for the greatest number of attendances at the Final. He competed on 23 occasions but never won the title.

Defending champion is Germany’s Daniel Deusser (Cornet D’Amour).

Germany’s Marcus Ehning (Singular LS La Silla) is bidding to become the first-ever rider to win the FEI World Cup™ Jumping title for the fourth time.

There are three competitions to decide the Longines FEI World Cup™ 2014/2015 champion:

Competition 1 is a Speed class, with seconds added for knockdowns.

Competition 2 is one round against the clock, and one jump-off which is also against the clock. Results are then converted into points which are carried into the third and last competition.

Competition 3 is two rounds of jumping over a Grand Prix course of fences between 1.50m and 1.60m in height. The top 30 horse-and-rider combinations are eligible to compete but only 20 go through to the second round. The leading rider after the first two competitions goes last, and starts on a zero score.

Total prizemoney for the Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping 2014/2015 Final is €1.3m.

Ground Jury: Kim Morris (CAN) President, David Distler (USA), Neil O’Connor (USA), Jack Robson (USA), Sven Holmberg (SWE). Technical Delegate Leopoldo Palacios (VEN).

Things to know about the Reem Acra FEI World Cup™ Dressage Final:

A total of 18 horses were presented at the first veterinary inspection in the Thomas & Mack Arena in Las Vegas today and all were passed fit to compete.

The draw for order-of-go in Thursday’s first competition, the Grand Prix, will take place tomorrow (Wednesday) evening.

The new champion will be crowned following the second competition, the Grand Prix Freestyle, which take place at 12 noon on Saturday 18 April.

What the judges are looking for, as explained by Stephen Clarke (GBR), FEI 5* judge,

“exciting, expressive Dressage, but with the horse completely in harmony with the rider. The energy, so beautiful to watch, comes from impulsion as opposed to tension.”

Ground Jury: Lilo Fore (USA) President, Stephen Clarke (GBR), Francis Verbeek (NED), Peter Holler (GER), Hans Christian Matthiesen (DEN), Annette Fransen-Iacobaeus (SWE), Maria Schwennesen (AUS). Technical Delegate Freddy Leyman (BEL).

Denmark’s Anne-Grethe Jensen was the first winner of the FEI World Cup™ Dressage Final. Riding Marzog, she pinned Great Britain’s Christopher Bartle and Wily Trout into runner-up spot while Switzerland’s Christine Stuckelberger finished third with Rubelit von Unkelruf at the inaugural event in ‘s-Hertogenbosch, The Netherlands in 1986.

Defending champions are the double Olympic gold medallists and multiple world-record holders, Charlotte Dujardin and Valegro from Great Britain.

This is the 30th anniversary FEI World Cup™ Dressage Final, and the fifth time for the event to take place in the USA.

Los Angeles hosted the Final in 1995, and it has subsequently been staged in Las Vegas in 2005, 2007, 2009 and again this year.

Ticket Sales:

Tickets for the Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping and Reem Acra FEI World Cup™ Dressage 2015 Finals have been sold in all 50 states in the USA and in 30 countries around the world.

Timetable:

Thursday April 16: Reem Acra FEI World Cup™ Dressage Grand Prix – 12 noon

Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping Final 1 – 19.00

Friday April 17: Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping Final 2 – 19.00

Saturday April 18: Reem Acra FEI World Cup™ Dressage Freestyle Final – 12 noon

Sunday April 19: Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping Final 3 – 12 noon.

Rider biographies – Jumping: view online and download from http://www.fei.org/bios

Rider biographies – Dressage http://www.fei.org/bios

By Horse Canada

Wellington, FL (April 14, 2015)— Twenty-five-year-old Chase Hickok and the KWPN gelding Sagacious HF proved themselves to be an unstoppable force from the first time they went down centerline at the 2015 Adequan Global Dressage Festival. The pair finished the winter show season just as strongly as they started it, concluding a string of ten victories with an FEI Young Rider Grand Prix win on March 13. Hickok, who is trained by Kevin Kohmann based out of Diamante Farms, competed Sagacious in five competitive CDI weekends in the Under 25 division — and won all classes that she entered in the Wellington, Florida show series. The Under 25 division was sponsored by Diamante Farms, a founding sponsor of the Adequan Global Dressage Festival and active supporter of the youth dressage community.

“I’m certainly proud of our winning streak and the scores we received. Our rides continued to improve all season, and I am very happy with the work we put in and the consistency of our results,” said Hickok, who has been working with Sagacious since April of last year, when she leased him from Al Guden of Hyperion Farm. “Even more than that, I’m so proud of the partnership we’ve created and the harmony we’ve developed, both in and out of the arena. Nothing makes me more proud or excited than when people comment on the bond we’ve created or on how happy Sagacious is. That’s what is most important to me and what I love most about this sport.”

Al Guden of Hyperion Farm, who owns Sagacious, said, “I think their success is pretty amazing. For the entire year, Chase has been at the top of the Brentina Cup standings.” Hickok and Sagacious are currently ranked No. 2 in the FEI Youth Dressage World Ranking List – U25. Such lofty ranking is not commonly seen from a U.S. horse and rider combination. Sagacious was awarded Crown Predicat from the KWPN for being among the top 100 dressage horses in 2009, and last year finished as the top KWPN horse at Grand Prix.

Hickok’s winnings this season were particularly meaningful because her home stable, Diamante Farms, sponsored the Under-25 Grand Prix division throughout the show series. “The Kanes are such generous supporters of our sport, and I can’t thank them enough for their sponsorship of the U25 Division, and the entire 5-star competition in February,” said Hickok about Diamante Farms’s mother-and-daughter team Terri and Devon Kane. “I feel so fortunate to be a part of the amazing family they have created at the barn.”

In addition to her ten blue ribbons, Hickok was awarded a Diamante Farms duffel bag and saddle pad for her impressive performances this season. Terri Kane, owner of Diamante Farms, said, “These are our up-and-coming professionals. I think it is important to support them and to show our support by sponsoring the U-25 division.”

Diamante Farms, which has been an integral part of the Adequan Global Dressage Festival since its inception four years ago, was a constant presence in the show series, having also acted as presenting sponsor of the prestigious 5* competition, including hosting a beautiful Olympian Salute. The farm’s ten-acre estate — complete with an indoor and an outdoor arena with world-class footing — houses twenty-one horses, half of which are currently competing. The facility offers top-quality training, clinics, boarding, and sales, and Head Trainer Devon Kane and Co-Trainer Kevin Kohmann (who trains Hickok and Sagacious) are dedicated to achieving the best performance possible in their horses.

“Devon has had so much success, starting in the Young Riders and working her way up the levels, and is a fabulous role model for all up and coming riders in the sport,” enthused Hickok. “It’s been so much fun to watch and be a part of her success in the open Grand Prix this season. Terri and Devon are just the nicest people you could hope to meet and do so much for us all— we truly owe so much to them!”

Now that the winter dressage season has ended, Hickok says Sagacious will get a well-deserved break, with plenty of hack days and time out of the arena before returning to competition. “We are hoping to spend some time training and competing in Europe during the early part of the summer, returning in time to compete at the National Championships in the Brentina Cup division at Lamplight,” she said.

For more information about Diamante Farms, visit www.DiamanteFarms.com or call 561-307-2831.

Photo 1: Chase Hickok and Sagacious HF dominate the Under 25 division, sponsored by Diamante Farms, at the 2015 Adequan Global Dressage Festival.  From left to right, with Sagacious HF: Chase Hickok, Terri Kane of Diamante Farms, and Sagacious HF’s owner Al Guden.

Photo 2: Chase Hickok and Sagacious HF rake in the ribbons in the Under 25 division, sponsored by Diamante Farms at the 2015 Adequan Global Dressage Festival

Devon, PA – Each year, Dressage at Devon (DAD) selects a foal to follow on its path to the Breed Show at DAD where hundreds of colts and fillies show each year. Each foal is the product of careful breeding and watchful tending as they, hopefully, grow into champions. This year, we will follow Toschufro TT (Totilas x Baba x Don Schufro), an inquisitive, leggy, bay colt with a white star, born on January 1, 2015.

Breeding

“For my first breeding ever, I was determined to start at the top,” said breeder Elizabeth Souther Tarbell (Greenwich, CT).

Totilas captured world attention with his 2010 World Equestrian Games performance. With partner Edward Gal, Totilas became an unprecedented Triple Gold Medalist: Dressage Grand Prix Special, Dressage Grand Prix Freestyle and Dressage Team Grand Prix and, at the same time, a world record holder.

“After seeing the video of this unprecedented performance (Grand Prix Freestyle), I knew I wanted to breed to this amazing stallion.” She purchased four doses of Totilas semen shortly thereafter. The next step was finding just the right mare. “We wanted to breed Totilas to a mare that had performed, at least, at FEI level and we wanted to breed to a mare sired by Don Schufro.” (Donnerhall x Pik Bube)

An extensive search led her to Dr. Heather Farmer and her husband Dorian. Their mare, Baba, was personally trained by US Olympic coach, Anne Gribbons, to Grand Prix and Baba’s sire was Don Schufro. “Baba was exactly the mare we had been seeking. In fact, we liked this mare so much, we bred to her twice, and Toschufro’s half brother, Don Rubinstein TT (Rubinstein x Baba) was born February 21, 2015.

When Baba became pregnant, an embryo transfer was performed and Toschufro’s surrogate mom, Opal, has proven to be a caring and maternal protector. According to Elizabeth “Opal is a veritable wall of protection given her large, 1800 pound+ Percheron stature.”

“Toschufro TT is everything we had hoped for. He is inquisitive and bold and we are very pleased with what we see in him so far,” says Elizabeth. “During the course of the summer, we plan to take Toschufro and his surrogate mom to one or two breed shows. In the meantime, he is already accepting a halter and blankets and we will continue his ‘baby training’ through the summer.”

“Our ultimate goal as horse breeders, as responsible human beings, and in our partnerships, will always be to ensure that the future of Toschufo TT and all the dressage horses that we promote and manage have an opportunity to enjoy the solid and steady training required to be able to compete up to Grand Prix and, while doing so, be given the chance to be…horses.”

Dressage at Devon 2015

We look forward to seeing Toschufro and hundreds of other foals at Dressage at Devon. The breed division takes place September 29 through October 1. The performance division begins on October 1 and runs through October 4.

Look for additional updates on the Dressage at Devon website (www.dressageatdevon.org) as the show draws near. Reserved seating is available online for Dressage at Devon 2015 at www.dressageatdevon.org. Box seats are in demand so, for information as to availability or for group sales, please contact Robbie Kankus at boxseats@dressageatdevon.org, tickets@dressageatdevon.org or 610-358-1919.

About Dressage at Devon

Dressage at Devon (www.dressageatdevon.org) has been a premier North American Equestrian event since its founding by the Delaware Valley Combined Training Association in 1975, and became a separate organization in 2006.  It combines world-class dressage competition and the world’s largest open breed show with the international Fall Festival show and special activities for the entire family.  The six-day event attracts hundreds of horses from around the world and thousands of spectators.  Dressage at Devon is a 501(c) (3) PA non-profit organization, benefitting equine education.