04.30.17
Posted in Eventing, Rolex Kentucky 3 Day Event, Three-Day Eventing at 7:58 pm by EPR
Jung Scores A Three-Peat at Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event, Presented by
Land Rover
Lexington, KY, April 30, 2017-In the 39-year history of the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event, presented by Land Rover, only three riders have ever managed to win two years in a row. But Michael Jung made history by winning the 2017 Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event for a third consecutive time aboard FischerRocana FST. The German duo lowered one rail in show jumping to finish on 42.7 penalties, just ahead of France’s Maxime Livio and Qalao Des Mers in second (44.6) and England’s Zara Tindall and High Kingdom in third (46.6).
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Michael Jung was all smiles when he received the Rolex watch for winning with FischerRocana FST at Rolex Kentucky. (Michelle Dunn Photo)
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By placing fourth, a pair of U.S. veterans, Phillip Dutton and Mr. Medicott (54.6), who took home the Roger Haller Memorial Trophy for the Rolex/USEF CCI4* Eventing National Championship. Dutton won the national championship for a record fifth time, and his finish this weekend on three horses gives him an astounding 40 completions at the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event, presented by Land Rover.
Show jumping day was hot and blustery, but that didn’t prevent 24,159 fans from packing the Rolex Stadium to see the best in the world compete for $400,000 in prize money. Double-clean rounds were few and far between, with only one coming in the first session, for Will Faudree and Pfun. There would only be three more in the second session, for Livio, Tindall and Kurt Martin on Delux Z. Dutton and Mr. Medicott would leave all the rails in the cups, but add 1 time penalty to his score.
Jung, 34, Horb, Germany, would continue his streak of not being perfect, but still being good enough, by having a rail down in the triple combination. However, his six-point lead going in to the show jumping allowed for one mistake to claim the victory.
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One rail down was not enough to keep Michael Jung of Germany from winning Rolex Kentucky aboard FischerRocana FST (Michelle Dunn Photo)
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“Without the horse you are just walking people, I’m not sure how you say that in English,” said Jung with a laugh. “This is a very wonderful horse, she is absolutely a top horse, and she is always fighting for me. We have a partnership, I know everything that she needs for me to motivate her. But she was perfect. I am so thankful for my whole team and my horse.”
Jung went on to say the he felt his rail in the triple combination had begun earlier on course when she spooked at the stark white rails of an the Race Track Rail combination. “Maybe I used my hands too much,” he admitted. “Then we had the problem in the triple and I had two more jumps so that made me nervous!”
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Maxime Livio and Qalao Des Mers of France were nearly perfect, but had to settle for second place at Rolex Kentucky. (Michelle Dunn Photo)
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Livio, 29, Saumur, France, had been chasing Jung all weekend, and he is the only person to have beaten him in recent memory, but he settled for second place today. His powerful double-clean round put the pressure on Jung as he cantered out of the ring.
“There is always a little pressure in the ring, especially at a four-star with all the top riders,” Livio said. “With my horse, I just have to stick to him and stick to my ride, and if I do that the pressure goes down. I know if I’m very focused on my riding, the horse will do his best. But, of course there is pressure because I want to be good enough for my horse, and after that it’s good for me to start to put pressure on (Jung). I think to try beat such a rider you have to be 100 percent all the time. All this week my horse was 100 percent, but I was maybe only 90 percent in dressage. But after that I have no regrets.”
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Zara Tindall and High Kingdom of Great Britain had a much better trip this time, to finish third at Rolex Kentucky. (Michelle Dunn Photo)
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Tindall, 35, Gloucestershire, England, came in to this event keeping her expectations in check following a difficult trip to the Kentucky Horse Park two years ago where an injury in the stable prevented her from even starting. But each day she put in a sparkling performances to, like Livio, be one of only two to finish on their dressage score.
“I’m obviously very lucky to come back and very thankful to my owner and to Land Rover and Rolex to be able to come back,” she said. “It’s great to be sitting up here with these guys. My horse was fantastic all the way through the competition -he jumped great today.
“He doesn’t owe me anything,” added Tindall, noting the horse has been in the ribbons at several four stars and has an Olympic medal and a World Championship medal on his resume. “I loved riding him all weekend. This is such a fantastic competition, thanks for having it.”
Dutton came to Kentucky without his usual enthusiasm. In the fall of 2016, his step-daughter LeeLee Jones suffered a devastating head injury while riding, and has been in the hospital or a rehabilitation facility ever since. “It’s not easy,” he said, emotion coloring his voice. “LeeLee is in rehab at Bryn Mawr and I’m very glad for the livestreaming because she apparently loved watching. But it’s a struggle and it’s something I hope you all don’t ever have to go through. Everybody in the horse world has been great–it’s a great family to be a part of.”
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Veteran competitors Phillip Dutton and Mr. Medicott took home the Roger Haller Memorial Trophy for the Rolex/USEF CCI4* Eventing National Championship. (Michelle Dunn Photo)
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Dutton, 53, West Grove, Pa., brought three horses to Kentucky, and all three finished in the top 10, with Fernhill Fugitive finishing eighth (63.0) and I’m Sew Ready finishing 10th (69.1). But it was his top placing mount, Mr. Medicott, who brought Dutton his fifth national championship.
“Cave,” as he is known, is 18 this year, well past the age that many horses are competing at this level, but he has Olympic performances to his name and was bought for Dutton with those goals in mind. Unfortunately, he suffered an injury and has spent the last two years recovering, but after showing Dutton he was ready, he earned a trip to Rolex Kentucky.
“I was quite unsure about whether I should bring him,” Dutton admitted. “He’s been off for two years, but there wasn’t much else for him the rest of the year that was suitable, and for a horse like this, this is an appropriate event. But for him to show so much heart-I mean, I only did one horse trial on him in two years. He’s such as an incredible horse. I probably didn’t have him fit enough, but he was just incredible this weekend.”
While the horse looked wonderful all weekend, Dutton announced that he would be retiring Mr. Medicott from this level of competition.
In the Dubarry of Ireland Nations Team Challenge, Team USA jumped out in front of the combined New Zealand/France/Germany team to win with a score of 179.2. The combined team finished second with 180.3 over Team Canada in third with 231.5. Team USA included Hannah Sue Burnett/Under Suspection, Boyd Martin/Cracker Jack, Dutton/Fernhill Fugitive, and Lauren Kieffer/Vermiculus.
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Ballynoe Castle RM gets a special bouquet during his retirement ceremony from rider Buck Davidson and groom Kathleen Blauth-Murray. (Michelle Dunn Photo)
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Prior to the show jumping, Buck Davidson retired his venerable mount Ballynoe Castle RM in front of cheering crowds. Buck and “Reggie’s” friends and family turned out to wish the Irish Sport Horse gelding a happy retirement. Davidson and his long-time groom Kathleen Blauth-Murray choked back tears as they draped him in flowers and a blanket commemorating his long career.
In all, 80,654 people came to the Kentucky Horse Park this weekend to enjoy amazing performances at the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event, presented by Land Rover.
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07.27.11
Posted in Competitions, Dressage, Eventing, Kentucky Horse Park, Show Jumping, Young Rider Championships at 10:26 pm by EPR
Adequan FEI North American Junior and Young Rider Championships
Kentucky Horse Park’s Rolex Stadium: July 27-31
The NAJYRC is the premier equestrian competition in North America for junior and young riders, age 14-21. Young equestrians vie for team and individual FEI medals in the three Olympic equestrian disciplines of show jumping, dressage, eventing and the FEI World Equestrian Games disciplines of reining and endurance. Many of North America’s best equestrians who now regularly represent their country on Olympic, World Championship and Nations Cup teams got their first taste of international experience at NAJYRC. Watch a short video of last year’s NAJYRC.
Nearly 250 riders, ages 14-21, from 6 countries, along with their families, trainers, friends, veterinarians, farriers, judges, volunteers and spectators (174 riders from the U.S., 59 riders from Canada, 10 riders from Mexico, 2 riders from Columbia, 1 rider from Germany and 1 rider from Spain)
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04.30.11
Posted in Disciplines, Eventing, Rolex Kentucky 3 Day Event at 10:16 pm by Thomas
As happens more times then not this time of the year in Kentucky, the weather went from bad to great in a matter of a days. The weather for the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event: Cross Country Day started out a little chilly but soon warmed up and it turned into a gorgeous day. Many people have sun-burns to prove it, which if I can give one bit of advice, wear Sun Screen.
Way to take the Lake.
The jump at the Head of the Lake is always a crowd favorite and this year was no exception. We watched a number of horses through this jump and other then a few minor mis-steps they all completed it with authority.
There were a few horses retired or eliminated over the length of the course but no major career ending injuries to any horse or rider and so that makes it a good Cross Country Day when everybody can come back another day.
At the end of the day, Mary King on KINGS TEMPTRESS with a clean round and no time faults was in first going into tomorrow’s Show Jumping finale.икони
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10.04.10
Posted in 2010 Games, Disciplines, Eventing, Results, World Equestrian Games at 3:47 am by Press Release
Lexington, KY — It was back to Rolex Outdoor Stadium today for the conclusion of the Eventing World Championships, presented by Reem Acra, where Germany’s Michael Jung (33.0) remained dominant and claimed the individual gold medal as Great Britain (139.4) took the team gold medal.
Canada jumped to the team silver medal (151.5), just ahead of New Zealand (154.8) in the bronze-meal position. The United States finished fourth (160.3).
William-Fox-Pitt led the British charge on Cool Mountain by claiming the individual silver medal (42.0), while Andrew Nicholson led the New Zealand charge on Nereo by claiming the individual bronze medal (43.5). Karin Donckers of Belgium finished fourth (44.4).
Great Britain last won the World Championship team gold at the 1994 World Games, while Canada had not won a World Championship medal at all since winning the team gold medal at the 1978 World Championships here at the Kentucky Horse Park.
“It’s very hard to pinpoint one thing to mark our success,” said Fox-Pitt. “I think we’re very lucky back home to have fantastic support. And we have a good team here—we’ve been on lots of teams together now. We get on and have a lot of fun. We’re also riding fantastic horses, and we had luck on our side. Tina [Cook] didn’t have the luck on her side [on cross-country], so the pressure was very much on but the other three of us had a great competition, and we’re very lucky today.”
The Canadian riders said that they owe much of their success to coach David O’Connor, who won the team gold medal on the U.S. team at the 2002 World Games.
“He is so responsible for, not just coaching us, but putting together the program that has created these results,” said team member Kyle Carter. “Four years ago the WEG was a real disappointment for us, and since then it’s gotten stronger and stronger—and it has everything to do with him. Everybody he’s brought in is just excellent and top-notch. He’s brought another level to it.”
The Canadians also praised O’Connor for helping with their mental game.
“He encourages us with positive reinforcement mentally, so it’s not just about the riding,” said team member Selena O’Hanlon. “It’s about what you do at home, how you think about it, and how you visualize it. I think that’s really big part of it, because in every other sport I can think of—like football, tennis, all of them—you have to read books to make sure you are mentally fit as well.”
Nicholson said he’d hoped New Zealand could earn a medal for the first time since winning the team gold at the 1998 World Games.
“I was hoping to have a chance to get an individual medal,” said Nicholson. “I obviously have a lot of confidence and faith in Nereo. He’s very consistent in all three phases, and as a team we’ve come along through this year and gotten a bit more together and a bit stronger. I was thinking if we could get in the top four or five as team—so to get a medal as a team is a great bonus.”
Teammate Mark Todd, 54, competed in the 1978 World Championships at the Kentucky Horse Park before winning the individual gold medal in the 1984 and 1988 Olympics. He retired from eventing after the 2000 Olympics but decided to make a comeback two years ago. His top horse Gandalf died unexpectedly last winter, and he wasn’t sure Grass Valley would be ready for these World Games until a few months ago. But now he has a new wind in his sails.
“It’s just like starting over really,” said Todd. “I’m really enjoying being back in the sport. I’ve got a nice team of young horses coming along. I’ve got a great bunch of team members here. This team has been fantastic to be involved with, and I think we can only get better from here on in. The sport changed a lot, obviously, even since I gave up. It’s taken a wee while to sort of adjust to this, but I think I’m starting to get the hang of it.”
Jung remained atop the leader board throughout this championship on La Biosthetique-Sam FBW, finishing on their dressage score of just 33.00. Jung credits his success to the time he spends with the horse.
“I have trained him to do everything, and I’ve been with him almost daily,” said Jung. “That’s why he trusts me. We’re very good working together because of our longstanding working and training together. Over the last few years we’ve grown together so much, and I really hope that we can do this in London [the 2012 Olympics].”
Richard Jeffery’s show jumping course consisted of 16 elements to be jumped in a time allowed of 90 seconds. Some 22 of the 55 horse-and-rider combinations that started today’s final phase completed the course with double-clear rounds.
The U.S.’s only individual combination, Becky Holder and Courageous Comet, stood third overall after yesterday’s cross-country phase, but Holder withdrew in the holding box at the third horse inspection this morning. Courageous Comet lost a front shoe on the early part of yesterday’s course and is thought to have over-compensated in the opposite leg. He is expected to make a full recovery.
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10.03.10
Posted in 2010 Games, Disciplines, Eventing, Three-Day Eventing, World Equestrian Games at 9:58 am by Thomas
The Course for the final phase of Eventing, Stadium Jumping has been put online and it looks to be well thought out both from the horse/rider perspective as well as the spectator perspective. The link for the video of the map is provided below.
Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games
Eventing: [Stadium Jumping Course Map(Video)]
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10.02.10
Posted in 2010 Games, Disciplines, Eventing, Results, World Equestrian Games at 10:26 pm by Press Release
Lexington, KY — As the day’s third-last starter, Germany’s Michael Jung and La Biosthetique-Sam FBW made the cross-country
course look easy at the Eventing World Championships, presented by Reem Acra. The pair added nothing to their dressage penalty score of 33.00, to keep the lead they took yesterday in the dressage phase at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games.
Creeping up behind Jung after equally impressive rounds are Great Britain’s William Fox-Pitt on Cool Mountain, finishing on their dressage score of 42.00, and USA’s Becky Holder on Courageous Comet, finishing on 42.50.
Of the 79 horses that started today’s course, 60 finished (75.9%). Some 13 riders, including Jung and Fox-Pitt, finished faster than the ideal time of 11:14 and added nothing to their dressage penalties.
Jung, 28, said his warm-up didn’t go as he’d planned, because of a hold on course. “I was on my horse almost double the time I normally would have been,” said Jung. “The big problem was I just didn’t
Michael Jung and La Biosthetique-Sam FBW at the Rolex Water Complex
know when I would start. There was also a really fresh wind that came up, and I didn’t want my horse to get very cool. I wanted to keep him really warm.”
Despite the less-than-ideal preparation, Jung was thrilled with the course and La Biosthetique Sam FBW, 10, whom he has ridden since the gelding was 5 years old.
“Thus was my first championship at the four-star level,” he said. “I think it was a difficult course but a fair one for the horses. One of the big difficulties was there were demanding jumps all over the course, so at every jump you really had to concentrate, and every jump asked a very big effort from your horse, from the first jump until the end.”
Fox-Pitt, 41, agreed that course designer Michael Etherington-Smith had created a proper championship track. “I think in reality no one would have guessed it would cause the trouble it did,” he said. “It looked very imposing, but in many aspects it was a quite straightforward, big, attacking track. For it to cause enough trouble for me to have moved up from 12th to second—I am amazed. I think the last three horses of the day made it look like a canter around the park.”
Holder, 41, said she was up on all her minute markers until she got near the end, but then she became a little conservative trying to make sure she got home “nice and tidy,” adding 3.2 time penalties to her score. She added that she breathed more easily after putting certain parts of the course behind her. “It was certainly a relief to have the coffin and wishing well combination in my rear-view mirror,” she said. “It felt like he went through them easily, and that gave me a great amount of confidence for the rest of the course.”
Jung said that his plan for tonight was to have a drink, enjoy the being in the lead, and go to bed early. He praised his experience at the World Games thus far.
“For me it was always a dream to participate in the world championships, so now being in the lead is more than a dream,” he said. “I would put the saddle on him and ride it again now. I loved it very much.”
Fox-Pitt he said that he too planned to l live in the moment and not worry about tomorrow. “I think enjoying the moment is very important,” he said. “You never know what’s going to happen. In a way I don’t want tomorrow to come. I am quite enjoying the moment now.”
Fox-Pitt and his British teammates hold a narrow lead in the team standings, with a total score of 139.4. The United States team holds second place (143.7), and Canada holds third (147.5).
Holder is riding as an individual, not as a member of the U.S. team. She’s rooting hard for the team, though. “I think all of us are kind of glad that the British team is feeling our breath down their necks a little bit,” she said with a smile. “We’ve been working really hard on our show jumping with Katie Prudent, and we’re hoping to put a good show on tomorrow.”
Fox-Pitt said they are definitely feeling the pressure. “The pressure is going to be on even more,” he said. “To be going into show jumping with such little space between the top two teams is going to be terrifying. We’re going to need to jump very, very well.”
The remaining 60 horses will be presented to the ground jury in Sunday morning’s final horse inspection, and show jumping will begin at 12:45 p.m.
Iman du Golfe, ridden by Juan Carlos Garcia (ITA), was injured in a fall at fence 20. He was treated at Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital for a deep laceration over the left elbow region. X-rays showed no major fracture, although there is a small bone chip near the elbow.
The laceration has been sutured, and the horse is resting comfortably. The Rood & Riddle attending veterinarians are optimistic that the horse will make a full recovery.
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Posted in 2010 Games, Announcement, Disciplines, Eventing, World Equestrian Games at 7:45 pm by Press Release
Iman du Golfe, horse #73 ridden by Juan Carlos Garcia (ITA), was treated at Rood & Riddle Equine Hospital for a deep laceration over the left elbow region. X-rays showed no major fracture, although there is a small bone chip near the elbow.
The laceration has been sutured, and the horse is resting comfortably. The Rood & Riddle attending veterinarians are optimistic that the horse will make a full recovery.
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Posted in 2010 Games, Announcement, Disciplines, Eventing, World Equestrian Games at 7:35 pm by Press Release
Iman du Golfe (ITA), horse number 73, was injured in a Cross-Country fall at fence 20 this afternoon at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games in Lexington, Kentucky. Veterinarians attended to the horse immediately. The horse was stabilized at the fence and transported by horse ambulance to the nearby Rood & Riddle veterinary hospital for further assessment and treatment.
The rider, Juan Carlos Garcia, was taken to the hospital and initial reports are that he is in good condition.
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Posted in 2010 Games, Disciplines, Eventing, World Equestrian Games at 8:49 am by Thomas
I was able to track down the Order of Go for today’s Cross Country and the map of the Course at the links listed below.
Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games Eventing Cross Country
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10.01.10
Posted in 2010 Games, Disciplines, Eventing, World Equestrian Games at 9:40 am by Press Release
Lexington, Ky., Sept. 30, 2010 — Simone Deitermann and Ingrid Klimke of Germany set the standard today in the first day of dressage in the Eventing World Championships, presented by Reem Acra, at the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games.
Deitermann, 29, scored 36.00 penalties aboard Free Easy NRW. Klimke scored 41.30 penalties aboard FRH Butts Abraxxas. Deitermann, competing in her first World Games, is riding as an individual, while Klimke, a veteran of several previous World Games and Olympics, has put the German team in first place. Combined with Dirk Schrade’s score of 42.50 on Gadget de la Cere, Germany stands in first place (83.8), ahead of Australia (91.0), Sweden (91.7), Great Britain (93.2) and the United States (96.5).
William Fox-Pitt of Great Britain rode Cool Mountain into third place (42.00), just ahead of Schrade. Fifth-placed Paul Tapner is leading the Australian charge (43.80).
Deitermann has been studying economics and working as an accountant while preparing for these World Games. She said that she is riding as an individual, and not as a team member, because the other riders on the German squad are more experienced than she is. “I work half a day as an accountant and half a day on riding. It’s enough time to train, and it works for me,” she said.
Of her performance today, Deitermann said, “I am so very happy. He was so god. The first trot was not so good, but the rest was very good. He was a bit nervous the first time I had him in the stadium, but he has gotten better each time.”
Klimke, 42, expected her horse to score better than he did this afternoon. “He was soft in my hand and very supple. Normally he would get more marks for such a test. I would expect to be in n the 30s,” she said. But she allowed, “The atmosphere is quite something. We don’t ride much in this kind of atmosphere.”
While dressage will continue with another 39 riders, most are already looking ahead to the almost four-mile cross-country course, designed by Mike Etherington-Smith, where they’ll compete on Saturday. A crowd of 30,000 people is expected to cheer for them.
“It’s a true championship track. It’s demanding, and the terrain is tough,” said Fox-Pitt, 41, who rode Cool Mountain to win the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event here at the Kentucky Horse Park in April. “A few fences out there are going to cause problems. It has a similar feel to the spring [Rolex Kentucky], but I think that’s more of a Mike E.-S. feel. It’s warm enough here, and the terrain is tough enough that you have to be prepared to come to Kentucky. They have to be fit.”
Klimke had a similar evaluation of the course. “It is quite challenging. It’s definitely a four-star competition, but that’s why we ware here. Fence 26 will be a question. It depends on how much petrol is in the tank and how is your time, if you want to take the direct route,” she said. “I think we will see some lovely rounds, but the time will be hard to make because of the hills.”
The Eventing World Championships, presented by Reem Acra, resume on Friday at 9:00 a.m. and continue until 4:30.
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09.29.10
Posted in 2006 Games, 2010 Games, Disciplines, Eventing, World Equestrian Games at 8:34 pm by Press Release
Nearly 81 competitors from 22 countries presented horses at today’s first horse inspection just 24 hours before the start of the Eventing World Championships, presented by Reem Acra, at the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games. One horse from Mexico was the only competitor not accepted at the jog, leaving just 80 competitors from 21 countries competing in the championship.
Two horses—one from Portugal and one from Poland —were held and then accepted upon re-presentation.
None of the individual medalists from the 2006 World Games in Aachen are here to defend their medals, but the teams that medaled in Aachen are all here to see if they can improve upon their results from four years ago.
Countries that will field full teams include Great Britain, Japan, South Africa, Belgium, Brazil, Sweden, Australia, Italy, France, Ireland, USA, Germany, Canada and New Zealand. Those countries will also aim for individual medals in addition to Austria, The Netherlands, Portugal, Finland, Poland, Argentina and Denmark.
Eventing officials presiding over today’s horse inspection included: Judges Marilyn Payne (USA), Anne-Mette Binder (DEN) and David Lee (IRL); chief steward Sally O’Connor (USA); technical delegate Tom Ryckewaert (BEL); assistant technical delegate Gretchen Butts (USA); foreign veterinary delegate Gerit Matthesen (GER); associate veterinarian Lisa Krump (USA); and president of the veterinary commission Catherine Kohn (USA).
The competition will begin tomorrow at 9:00 a.m. with Day 1 of the dressage phase.
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09.28.10
Posted in 2010 Games, Disciplines, Eventing, World Equestrian Games at 8:01 am by Press Release
LEXINGTON, KY—The 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games have announced the definite entries for the Eventing World Championship, presented by Reem Acra.
Twenty-three countries have submitted definite entries, resulting in 85 riders and 85 horses and a total of 14 teams.
The Eventing competition will begin with part one of the Dressage phase on September 30 at 9:00 a.m. EDT. Part two of the Dressage phase will continue on October 1, with the Cross Country and Show Jumping phases following October 2 and 3, respectively.
Definite entries for Jumping, Para-Dressage, Driving and Vaulting will be available within the coming days.
Tickets to the 2010 Games are still available but selling quickly. Experience it in person by securing your tickets today at www.alltechfeigames.com/tickets or 1-888-934-2010.
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