by Nancy Jaffer | Apr 17, 2024
Defending champion Henrik von Eckermann of Sweden and his peerless mount, King Edward, took the first leg of the Longines FEI World Cup Show Jumping Finals in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, on Wednesday, just as they did last year in Omaha.
“It was a great round today,” the world number one-ranked rider said with a broad smile.
Henrik von Eckermann and King Edward on their way to victory. (FEI Photo)
“It was a much better round than I had in Omaha, even if the result is the same after the first day. It was much more calm. King Edward felt like he jumped amazing from the first jump to the last. and i could do it without chasing.
“I could just keep his big strides going so the course was really my favorite that way.”
The class was a one-round speed affair, with each knockdown adding three seconds to a competitors time. The route was planned by Frank Rothenberger, with Alan Wade as the technical advisor, two gold-standard technicians.
World Cup Course number one.
For young riders with less experience, like 19-year-old Zain Shady Samir of Egypt, it was possible to go around at a careful pace to gain mileage at the top of the sport, trying not to risk a knockdown (he had only one with London Eye, and stands twenty ninth of 34 starters.)
For those who have been there and done that many times at the finals, a daring shortcut and careful planning insured a race around the clock that left the best high in the standings. Henrik’s time of 66.28 seconds was a full 1.12 seconds ahead of his countryman, Peder Fredricson on the aptly named Catch Me Not.
Not surprisingly, Kent Farrington was the best American, tying for fourth on Toulayna with France’s Julien Epaillard (Dubai du Cedre). They both had a time of 69.69 seconds but Kent had a clean round while always speedy Julien had a rail to add 3 to his original clocking of 66.69, which would have put him second if all the poles had stayed in place. They were behind Germany’s third-place Hans Dieter Dreher and the long-strided Elysium (68.49).
Kent Farrington and Toulayna.
Most of the U.S. contingent was young and riding in their first World Cup Finals. But 19-year-old Californian Skylar Wireman impressed, finishing tenth on Tornado (72.49) with no knockdowns. Another Californian, Jill Humphrey, jumped clean on the U.S.-bred son of Connor, Chromatic BF, in 73.79 seconds.
The Cup continues on Thursday with a time first jump-off test.
Click here for results
Click on this link for point standings
by Nancy Jaffer | Apr 15, 2024
The U.S. dressage Olympic rankings got a good shake-up over the weekend, with candidates competing in shows on both coasts.
Candidates are looking toward being named next month to the eight-member contingent that will ride in European observation competitions prior to selection of the team for the Paris Games. There is one more show left that carries points in both the East and West
Steffen Peters leads with an average of 73.620 after a victories in Del Mar, Calif., on Four Winds Farm’s Suppenkasper, his Tokyo Olympics team silver medal partner.
Steffen Peters and Suppenkasper. (Photo © 2023 by Nancy Jaffer)
The previous leader, 2023 Pan American Games team gold medalist, Sarah Tubman, sank to fourteenth after a difficult show at the World Equestrian Center in Ocala. Her average is now 69.583.
New combinations are on the rise, meanwhile.
Adrienne Lyle stands second and third with Helix (72.655) and Lars van de Hoenderheide (72.259), while Endel Ots is right behind on Zen Elite’s Bohemian (71.764). Adrienne’s horses also are owned by Zen Elite; both she and Endel didn’t start showing them until this year.
Another duo that is new to the show ring, Marcus Orlob and Alice Tarjan’s Jane, stands eighth on 70.060. To read more about Marcus and Jane, simply go to the main story on this website, or click here
Marcus is just ahead of Kasey Perry-Glass, several times the medal-winning teammate of Steffen and Adrienne. She is ninth with Heartbeat W.P. (70.543), the successor to her now-retired veteran, Dublet.
Another West Coaster, Anna Buffini, is fifth with her Fiontini (71.494), while Pan American Games individual bronze medalist and team gold medalist Anna Marek is one place behind in sixth with Janet Simile’s Fire Fly (71.040). She is in Saudi Arabia riding Fayvel in the FEI World Cup Finals this week.
Seventh is Katherine Bateson-Chandler, who seems to have found the key to Jennifer Huber’s Haute Couture (70.935), previously reserve for the 2021 Dutch Olympic team with Dinja van Liere.
by Nancy Jaffer | Apr 9, 2024
In an effort to increase support for equestrian athletes, the U.S. Equestrian Team Foundation has issued “a call to action” geared to 100 days before the start of this summer’s Paris Olympics and Paralympics.
USET Foundation Giving Day, set for April 17, offers an opportunity not only for making financial contributions, but also for spreading awareness and fundraising so the U.S. team can have an impact on the international stage. But response was so good that a match for giving has been extended to April 18.
The cost of sending a team to the Olympics and Paralympics is understandable when you consider that the U.S. is sending 16 horses, with plane fare running $20,000/horse; 16 grooms, four veterinarians, two farriers, two equine physiotherapists and two human physiotherapists, a team doctor,12, 345 pounds of equipment and, oh yes, 16 riders.
It can’t be done without generous contributions.
“Ultimately, this day embodies the spirit of community and generosity, uniting stakeholders behind a common goal of empowering American riders to shine on the global equestrian stage,” a statement from the Foundation emphasized.
The Foundation suggests posting on social media with the hashtags #PathwaytoParis and #USETFoundation GivingDay” to explain why supporting U.S. athletes is important to you. Think of what it costs to get riders, horses and support staff to Paris, as well as to the preparation competitions beforehand that will hone the competitive edge of the U.S. teams.
If you post about Giving Day on line, include this link.
by Nancy Jaffer | Apr 10, 2024
McLain Ward, Kent Farrington, Laura Kraut and Aaron Vale — the U.S. bronze medal team at the Ocala Longines League of Nations competition last month — are among those who have been named to the 10-member U.S. show jumping Olympic short list in preparation for the Paris Games.
Laura Kraut and Baloutinue. (Photo © 2024 by Nancy Jaffer)
The Olympic squad will be chosen from the riders on this list, who will be competing in observation events in Europe, everywhere from the League competitions at St. Gallen, Switzerland, and Rotterdam, Holland, to Aachen. Selection of the team will be made by July 7.
Aaron Vale and Carissimo. (Photo © 2024 by Nancy Jaffer)
McLain’s mounts for the tour include veterans Callas and Contagious, as well as newcomer Ilex (second in the Winter Equestrian Finale last month), and Quimi del Maset, a 10-year-old who is the youngest of that group.
McLain Ward and Callas. (Photo © 2024 by Nancy Jaffer)
Kent is also fielding a four-horse string, with Greya, Landon, Myla and Toulayna in his corner, while Laura has her 2021 team silver Olympic mount Baloutinue, in addition to Bisquetta and Dorado 212. Aaron is riding Carissimo 25.
Kent Farrington and Landon. (Photo © 2024 by Nancy Jaffer)
Those names were no surprise. Neither was Karl Cook (Caracole de la Roque and Kalinka Van’t Zorgvliet, who has done a lot of winning in recent seasons. And Callie Schott, who wowed the crowd with a third-place finish in the grand prix last month at the World Equestrian Center, is on the list with Garant, the former mount of Beezie Madden.
Others named are Jessica Springsteen with her 2021 Olympic team silver medal ride, Don Juan van de Donkhoeve; Lillie Keenan (Argan de Beliard and Kick On), Katie Dinan (Out of the Blue SCF) and Natalie Dean (Acota).
by Nancy Jaffer | Apr 12, 2024
A day after winning the Grand Prix for the Freestyle on Thursday with Lars van der Hoenderheide at the World Equestrian Center Ocala, Adrienne Lyle took Friday’s Grand Prix for the Special with Lars’ stablemate, Helix. (73.065 percent).
Then she topped the Special itself with Helix on Saturday, in a narrow victory over Endel Ots and Bohemian, 71.533 percent to 71.021 percent. Bohemian was much more consistent than he was in the Grand Prix for the Special. Like Lars, both those horses are owned by Zen Elite Equestrian.
Discussing Helix, a 12-year-old KWPN gelding, Adrienne assessed him this way: “He is a horse that has incredible try.”
“It’s new riding, new style, a different program, and from the second he got here, he’s so open to letting you mold him however you want to. I’m incredibly impressed with his character.”
Adrienne and Helix in the Grand Prix for Special. (Photo by Andrew Ryback Photography)
In the Grand Prix for the Special, Adrienne’s former teammate, Kasey Perry-Glass, was second on 71.065 percent with Heartbeat W.P. Endel slid into third with 70.782 on Bohemian, who was fourth in the 2021 Olympics when ridden by Denmark’s Cathrine Laudrup-Dufour. Bohemian’s Ocala score was marred by problems in the one-tempis, with marks ranging between 3 and 5.
Katherine Bateson-Chandler now seems to be in sync with Haute Couteur, after coaching from British dressage mastermind Carl Hester. She was fourth with 69.717 percent. In the Special, Katherine moved up to third on 67.447 percent. Kasey was seventh (65.851). To see complete results for the Grand Prix Special, click here.
Things didn’t go so well for Sarah Tubman and First Apple, who have been leading the Olympic Games dressage rankings with an average of 73.469. Until Friday, they hadn’t shown since last fall, when they were on the gold medal team at the Pan American Games.
In the Grand Prix for the Special, Sarah was ninth with 67.587. The combination’s weakest point was the flying change between the pirouettes, with marks of 3 and 4. In the Special itself, she and First Apple had problems with both piaffe and the transition from collected walk to passage/piaffe, finishing 12th of 15 starters on 63.808. While she obviously has lost her lead in the standings, they have not been officially updated so it’s not certain where she ranks.
To read about Friday night’s Freestyle, click here.
by Nancy Jaffer | Apr 8, 2024
Fran Steinwedell, a fervent supporter of horse sports, passed away Monday.
“She loved her family and was passionate for horses and the show jumping community. She spent much of her life improving our sport for the West Coast,” her daughter, Francie, wrote on social media.
A familiar figure at ringside, Fran supported the quest of another Californian, Anne Kursinski, to go to the Olympics. She bought Livius, Anne’s 1984 Olympic reserve mount who won the Grand Prix of Rome, then invested in Starman, Anne’s team silver medal mount at the 1988 Olympics. In 1996, Anne was aboard Eros, a horse in which Fran and her sister, Carlene Blunt invested. They were able to watch her be part of the silver medal team in that Olympics.
Fran Steinwedell with her sister, Carlene Blunt and longtime horse show manager Honey Craven in 2002. (Photo © 2002 by Nancy Jaffer)
An honorary life trustee of the U.S. Equestrian Team Foundation, Fran was inducted into the Show Jumping Hall of Fame for the hours and contributions she devoted to the sport.
In addition to her sister, survivors include Fran’s three children: Bill and his wife, Barbara; Jim and his wife, Jennifer, and Francie and her husband Richard Carvin; six grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren.
