Lexington, KY -A talented team of jumpers descend upon Hickstead, England this week to represent the U.S. at the CSIO5* Hickstead. The prestigious competition will run August 1-4 and hosts the Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup of Great Britain presented by Longines on Friday, August 2nd. The U.S. will be represented by three veterans as Beezie Madden, McLain Ward, and Richard Spooner all look to score top honors throughout the week. Additionally, young rising stars Reed Kessler and Katie Dinan make their Hickstead debuts.
Madden (Cazenovia, NY), the reigning Rolex/FEI World Cup champion, heads into Hickstead’s prestigious competition on a roll. In addition to collecting her first World Cup title, she was a member of the U.S. team that won the $75,000 Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup presented by G&C Farm at CSIO Wellington. The two-time Olympic Gold medalist most recently won the Longines Global Champions Tour Grand Prix in Chantilly two weeks ago with Cortes ‘C’.
At CSIO5* Hickstead, Madden will ride Abigail Wexner’s Cortes ‘C’ and Coral Reef Ranch’s Coral Reef Via Volo.
Cortes ‘C’ is a 2002 Belgian Warmblood gelding.
Coral Reef Via Volo is a 1998 Belgain Warmblood mare.
Beezie Madden and Cortes ‘C’ (Sportfot)
Ward has stood atop the podium alongside Madden on many U.S. Teams including at the 2004 and 2008 Olympic Games and the 2011 Pan American Games. The Brewster, New York, native has enjoyed a successful 2013 campaign on an array of horses. In April, he teamed up with Super Trooper De Ness to finish in fifth place at the Rolex/FEI World Cup Final in Gothenburg, Sweden. A month later, Ward won his record eighth Wells Fargo Grand Prix of Devon with Rothchild.
At CSIO5* Hickstead Ward will ride Sagamore Farms’ Rothchild, Grant Road Partners LLC’s Super Trooper De Ness and Procedure Inc’s Cadence.
Rothchild is a 2001 Warmblood gelding.
Super Trooper De Ness is a 2002 Belgian Sport Horse stallion.
Cadence is a 2001 Swedish Warmblood gelding.
McLain Ward and Rothchild (Randi Muster)
Spooner ( Agua Dulce, CA) has more than 100 Grand Prix victories to his name and has spent much of the last few years adding to his legacy, collecting top finishes at some of Europe’s most prestigious competitions. With longtime partner Cristallo, he closed out the month of June with his third career win in the Longines Global Champions Tour Grand Prix of Monte Carlo. A veteran of numerous U.S. Nations Cup teams, Spooner will look to secure top results throughout the week in Hickstead.
At CSIO5* Hickstead Spooner will ride Show Jumping Syndications International’s Cristallo, Molly Ohstrom’s Caretol 2 and Oscany, Inc.’s Lets Dance.
Cristallo is a 1998 Holsteiner gelding.
Caretol 2 is a 2003 Holsteiner gelding.
Lets Dance is a 2002 Holsteiner gelding.
Richard Spooner and Cristallo
(Sophie Durieux)
A year ago, Kessler (Lexington, KY) made her Olympic debut; at 18-years-old she was the youngest athlete to ever represent the U.S. in the equestrian competition. Since returning from London, she has been on a tear, winning both stateside and abroad. In October of 2012, she won the $100,000 President’s Cup Grand Prix, CSI 3*-W, Presented by Events DC at the Washington International Horse Show with Olympic partner Cylana. Kessler has continued to impress this year, jumping double clear to help the U.S. win the $75,000 Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup presented by G&C Farm at CSIO Wellington and finishing 10th in her Rolex/FEI World Final debut.
At CSIO5* Hickstead Kessler will ride her own Cylana and Ligist.
Cylana is a 2002 Belgian Warmblood mare.
Ligist is a 2000 Swedish Warmblood gelding.
Reed Kessler and Cylana
(Shannon Brinkman)
Dinan (Wellington, FL) is another young American talent that is making a name for herself at the highest level. The Harvard University student made her Rolex/FEI World Cup Final debut in April with Nougat Du Vallet, finishing in 16th place. In June, Dinan jumped a double clear with Nougat Du Vallet to help the U.S. Stripes team earn second place in the Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup at the CSIO5* Spruce Meadows. For this effort she was awarded the Furusiyya Rider of the Day title.
At CSIO5* Hickstead, Dinan will ride Grant Road Partners LLC’s Nougat Du Vallet, Glory Days and Couletto K James.
Nougat Du Vallet is a 2001 Selle Francais gelding.
Glory Days is a 2001 Swedish Warmblood gelding.
Couletto K James is 1996 Hanoverian gelding.
Katie Dinan and Nougat Du Vallet (Sportfot)
The Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup of Great Britain presented by Longines will begin at 2:15pm BST on Friday, August 2.
To learn more about CSIO5* Hickstead click here.
Follow the 2013 U.S. Jumping Team here.
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