Lustre of the Gemstone
Friday, June 01 2012
Thursday night prior to winning the Grand Prix, McLain Ward formally retired his two-time Olympic gold medal partner, Sapphire. He rode the 16 year old chestnut mare into the ring through to the awards section where she stood while the announcer read her list of accomplishments, and then Ward dismounted, removed the saddle, replacing it with a white sheet embroidered with her name. He took her past the grandstand where her fans could get up close to admire her, then walked back out the “in gate”, into the warm up ring, and down to the far end nearest the stabling area. As he handed her off to a waiting groom, in the distance I could see his hand move to his bowed head and it was clear that he was wiping away a tear.
Interagro Lusitanos Combines the Interagro Collection and Lusitano Collection® Auctions
Thursday, May 17 2012
Canopus Interagro, a striking buckskin stallion by Tufão Interagro, is one of the horses to be presented at the auction.
- Published in What's Happenin', Z-Blogs
Georgina Bloomberg and Pegasus Co-host Grand Prix Luncheon
Thursday, May 17 2012
Pegasus Therapeutic Riding. 1- Georgina Bloomberg (center) with two of the Pegasus volunteers who staff The Rider's Closet: Judy Williams of Patterson, N.Y. (left), and Kim Dow of Briarcliff Manor, N.Y
- Published in What's Happenin', Z-Blogs
2012 Live Oak Hounds USPC Foxhunting Challenge Award
Saturday, May 12 2012
May 10, 2012 (Lexington, KY) - The sixth annual Live Oak Hounds USPC Foxhunting Challenge Award is made possible through the generous support of Mr. and Mrs. C. Martin Wood III, Joint Masters of the Live Oak Hounds in Monticello, Florida, and Past Presidents of the MFHA. The Award is designed to encourage Pony Club members who do not regularly hunt to try the sport, and to reward members who hunt on a regular basis to act as mentors to the less-experienced Pony Club members. $10,000 in awards will go to top six Pony Clubs who regularly take the greatest number of active Pony Club members out hunting. Congratulations to the following Challenge winners: 1 st place Red Rock Hounds Pony Club in Nevada 2 nd Place Blue Mountain Pony Club in Maryland 3 rd Place Old Dominion Hounds Pony Club in Virginia 4 th Place Millbrook Pony Club in New York 5 th Place Elkridge-Harford Pony Club in Maryland 6 th Place Silver Springs Pony Club in Missouri/Illinois Honorable Mention goes to the following participating clubs: Carbon Hooves Pony Club (WA), Genesee Valley Pony Club (NY), Goldens Bridge Hounds Pony Club (NY), Greenville Foothills Pony Club (SC), Mendon Pony Club (NY), South Creek Pony Club (FL), Wayne-DuPage Pony Club (IL) Hunts that participated in the Challenge were: Wayne-DuPage Hunt, Red Rock Hounds, Blue Mountain Hunt, Old Dominion Hounds, Blue Ridge Hunt, Middleburg Hunt, Millbrook Hunt, Elkridge-Harford Hunt, Shawnee Hounds, Woodbrook Hunt, Genesee Valley Hunt, Goldens Bridge Hounds, Green Creek Hounds, Genesee Valley Hunt, Live Oak Hounds, South Creek Fox Hounds A total of 127 Pony Club members participated in the Live Oaks Hounds USPC Fox Hunting Challenge, and together, they logged more than 1,000 days spent enjoying the sport of Fox Hunting! About MFHA - The Masters of Foxhounds Association of America was formed in 1907 and is the governing body of organized fox, coyote, other acceptable legal quarry and drag hunting in the United States and Canada. The MFHA’s main activities are: the promotion of the sport; the publication of a Foxhound Stud Book; the recognition of organized Hunts which have met its standards; the recordation of countries and boundaries for organized hunting establishments; and the registration of Hunts as a preliminary step toward recognition
- Published in What's Happenin', Z-Blogs
Nice Stephanie Sold to Penelope Leprovost
Thursday, May 10 2012
"Nice Stephanie, pictured with Courtney Vince of Canada, was sold by Belgium's Ashford Farm and Jos Lansink Horses to Penelope Leprovost of France." Photo Credit -- www.1clicphoto.com Lanse, Belgium — Enda Carroll and Courtney Vince of Ashford Farm, in partnership with Jos Lansink Horses, have sold the horse Nice Stephanie to Penelope Leprovost of France. Ashford Farm, based in Lasne, Belgium, bought the eight-year-old Swedish Warmblood mare (Cardento x Ralme Z) in June of 2011 in partnership with 2006 World Champion Jos Lansink of Belgium. Purchased as a sales investment, Nice Stephanie competed under Vince of Milton, Ontario, Canada, before being sold to Leprovost in April of 2012. “When we first tried ‘Stephanie’, she had all the qualities that we look for in a young horse; she was careful, scopey and had blood,” said Carroll, who has represented his native Ireland in Nations’ Cup competition as well as at the 2005 European Young Riders’ Show Jumping Championship.”We concentrate on buying the best young horse prospects and producing them, and I had wanted to invest in a horse with Jos not only because he is well-respected in the industry as a rider, but also as a dealer. ‘Stephanie’ presented us with the ideal opportunity.” In 2011, Vince competed with Nice Stephanie in the young horse divisions, qualifying for the World Young Horse Breeding Championships held at Zangersheide in Lanaken, Belgium.Of the 206 horses competing in the Seven-Year-Old Division at the World Breeding Championships, Nice Stephanie was one of only 23 horses to jump clear in both qualifying rounds. This winter, Vince moved Nice Stephanie up to the 1.45m international division, competing in their first CSI2* Grand Prix in Valencia, Spain. Following that event, the horse was sold for Leprovost to ride.Ranked 16th in the world as of May 1, Leprovost is a regular competitor on the international show jumping stage representing her native France.Leprovost and Nice Stephanie made their debut together at CSI4* Antwerp, Belgium, held April 26-29, where the mare competed in her first 1.50m competition.
- Published in What's Happenin', Z-Blogs
Rolex in Retrospect: Beverly Equestrian Toasts Allison Springer, Karen O’Connor & Marilyn Little-Meredith
Tuesday, May 08 2012
Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event provided the first major step in the US team selection process for the 2012 Olympics. Several riders made incredible bids for their ticket to London and on May 6 Beverly Equestrian Center (The Plains, VA) celebrated the three eventers for their rides ’round Rolex. Marilyn Little-Meredith, Allison Springer and Karen O'Connor celebrate Rolex and their quest to make the US 3-day team for the London Olympics this August with a congenial crowd at Beverly Equestrian Center. © Lauren R Giannini Allison Springer & Arthur – they broke through several years of bad luck and misfortune to finish second overall and the best of the Americans to win the USEF National Four-Star championship. In the event that Allison & Arthur make the team, this will be their first Olympics.
- Published in Lauren Gallops, Z-Blogs
FOURTEEN TEAM HOPEFULS TO COMPETE AT DEVON
Monday, May 07 2012
DEVON, Pa.— The always exciting Open Jumping at the Devon Horse Show and Country Fair will have an extra fillip of tension thrown in this year as 14 of the competitors who are long-listed for the show jumping team at the London Olympics will be competing in two of the Observation Events that will decide the eventual team. Devon, which runs May 24 to June 3, benefits Bryn Mawr Hospital, to which it has donated over $14 million during the 10 decades of their association. Among the 14 long-listed competitors are four Olympic or World Championships medal winners. Leading the list are McLain Ward of Brewster, N.Y., and Beezie Madden of Cazenovia, N.Y., both with two Olympic team gold medals and a World Championships team silver, and Laura Kraut of Wellington, Fla., with one Olympic team gold medal. Margie Engle, also of Wellington, has a World Championships team silver medal, and another of the long-listed riders, Mario Deslauriers of New York, N.Y., is an Olympic and World Championships veteran. In all, 31 riders have qualified to show at Devon, including Laura Chapot of Neshanic Station, N.J., who has been Leading Open Jumper Rider at Devon for four of the past six years, always battling it out for that honor with Ward, who has won the Grand Prix at Devon six times. This will be a particularly tension filled event for Ward, as he had to skip the selection trials in Wellington in March because he had fractured his kneecap when a horse fell with him in January at the Winter Equestrian Festival in Wellington.
- Published in What's Happenin', Z-Blogs
Top Judges Named for the First-Ever Southeast Medal Finals in Jacksonville
Sunday, May 06 2012
Wellington , FL- April 26, 2012- The First Annual Southeast Medal Finals will take place on September 21-23 2012 at the Jacksonville Equestrian Center. Sponsors are lining up to support this great new show. Highlights include the Southeast Junior and Adult 3′ Medal Finals, ASPCA Maclay Regionals and much more.
- Published in What's Happenin', Z-Blogs
Canadians Earns Personal Best Results at CCI 4* Rolex Kentucky Three Day Event
Friday, May 04 2012
Peter Barry finished in 11th place in the 2012 edition of the CCI 4* Rolex Kentucky Three Day Event, held April 26–29, at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, KY, USA. Photo credit—Shannon Brinkman, www.shannonbrinkman.com Ottawa, ON— Canadians Peter Barry and Jessica Hampf finished in 11th and 19th place respectively in the 2012 edition of the CCI 4* Rolex Kentucky Three Day Event, held April 26–29, at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, KY, USA
- Published in What's Happenin', Z-Blogs
ROLEX IN RETROSPECT: 1st of May Thoughts, A Few Cheers & Jeers
Tuesday, May 01 2012
Hello, horse sports fans - Rolex was its usual three-ring, four-star greatest equestrian show on earth. We love being there, in spite of & perhaps because of the marathon-intense dawn to midnight work days, and we’re already planning for next year, but in addition to great cheers, there were some serious disappointments. JEERS to the official videographers of Rolex KY It sucked in places, the video coverage of the XC by the official videographers – such as only two fences shown of Sara Kozumplik and Manolo Blahnik – I mean, what’s wrong with these people? I would mention them by name but don’t care to give them any ink! How many riders did they “cheat” of XC footage? They wasted precious time filming riders who had just come off the course, showed at least one derriere view of trim/slim female rider (lovely but this is not a nightclub, it’s cross-country!), no sound but several seconds of rider being interviewed, and lots more footage of horses being sponged off – gee whiz, get your priorities in order. We want to see the jumping, the action – the cross-country heart of eventing!!! Sara Kozumplik has devoted years to Manolo Blahnik - here they are in Manny's four-star debut at the third last fence on the cross-country, the double offset brushes which demand precision and momentum so late in the course. But the official video shows them at two jumps only - WTH??
- Published in Lauren Gallops, Z-Blogs