For the first time in years this was not a competition dominated by the dressage action of the first two days, and as the drama unfolded on cross country day, more and more crowds descended towards the course and big screens, seemingly oblivious to the mud and cold.

There was a noticeable buzz in the air, and as the day drew on and people had satisfied their shopping needs and in many cases filled themselves with booze, the drama began to reach a crescendo and gasps came a-plenty as one by one several of the dressage leaders fell by the wayside.

Within an hour 4 of the first 5 after dressage set out onto course only for none to come home clear. First dressage leader Kai Ruder refused at the outlander bank when going well. Then came, probably, the hard luck story of the week as Francis Whittington, just weeks after being hospital bound through Meningitis fell as Sir Percival tripped up the Beaufort Steps. Until that point he had produced the most fluent display of cross country riding seen all day, and looked set to cruise around inside the time.

Then, within minutes the crowd got their wish to see someone drenched in Badminton’s famous lake. Ironically, it was probably the person they least wanted to see come a cropper, as Tina Cook, leading Brit, European Champion and pre- event favourite got a ducking.

In the midst of all the action, Paul Tapner set off on Inonothing, and despite all the surrounding chaos, there was an air of inevitability that he would pilot his mount to the top of the leaderboard as he set off, focused and steely eyed in determination.

After the Cross Country, the competitive action was by no means finished for the day, as debate raged as to where the best party would be taking place. The two main contenders seemed to be “The Mane Event” held in the outside chance marquee on site, and the Badminton Blowout, held at the Vine Tree, a stone’s throw from the event. After much contemplation I chose the former, which certainly didn’t disappoint. I turned up, still splattered in mud, but feeling rather pleased with myself for bringing some clean shoes, only to find everyone immaculately turned out looking ready for the catwalk. The fillies and mares on show definitely a match for anything the event could provide and the party lasted long into the early hours.

The next morning there was no time for a hangover, as the show jumping once again provided a nerve-jangling finale. However as soon as Tapner was over the first couple of fences, the result was never in doubt as Inonothing never looked like having a pole down, let alone the two that would have cost him victory.

The result was fitting end to a week where Tapner, known as one of the hardest workers on the circuit, proved a class apart, and has surely now marked himself down as one of the world’s elite.

HE Sheikh Majid bin Mohammed Al Maktoum son of HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum, ruler of Dubai, crossed the wire first in the CEI** 75 mile event in a ride time of 6:05:30. Danielle Mc Gunigal finished the CEI*** in a ride time in 6:30:41.  The CEI*** was originally an FEI qualifying event at a distance of 100 miles (160 km), but lost its status when it was shortened to 120 km after the footing became questionable in the inclement weather.

“I have mixed feelings about shortening the race,” said Mc Gunigal. “The footing was only getting worse. Some of the parts of the trail that we have to go over were already slippery and deep and if the race was kept at the original distance, we would have had to go over it again, so in that sense, I am glad they shortened it. But I was hoping to use this race to qualify my horse (Gold Raven) for next year, and now we have to do it at another event, so that is very disappointing.”

HE Sheikh Majid bin Mohammed Al Maktoum was thrilled with his win despite the conditions.

“It was amazing. This is the sport that we most love. It’s our history,” said Sheikh Majid.  “Given the weather today, the course was amazing. But the weather made it very difficult. There wasn’t any hard part, other than the ground being a bit slippery. Other than that, it was excellent. There wasn’t anything wrong or bad.”

The rain was a recurring focus of the day, with a downpour shortly before the start of the rides. It continued throughout the day for all mandatory veterinary exams, creating a messy vet gate and slippery footing.

Two-time Endurance World Champion Valerie Kanavy and mother of Danielle McGunigal, was affected by the weather and footing. Kanavy was eliminated after her horse LM Parys fell on the second loop.

“We were crossing the road on the blacktop and she just slipped,” said Kanavy.  “She went down and I went right after. She has recovered and is doing fine now.”

The event was aptly named as an endurance test. The endurance levels of the athletes from the 23 countries participating were truly tested.  However, according to Mubarak Khalifa of the UAE the weather was no big deal. “Endurance riders are used to riding in all kinds of weather, so this is normal.”

One noticeable absentee was HH Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum was expected to compete but never made the trip to Kentucky due to commitments in Dubai.

About the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games

The Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games are the world championships of eight equestrian disciplines recognized by the Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI). HRH Princess Haya Bint Al Hussein of Jordan is the current president of the FEI. The Games are held every four years and this will be the first occurrence in the United States.

The Games will be broadcast on NBC Sports, which has marked the largest commitment to network coverage of equestrian sport in U.S. television history. The 2010 Games are expected to have a statewide economic impact of $150 million, and current sponsors include Alltech, Rolex, John Deere, Ariat International, Inc., Meydan, Rood and Riddle Equine Hospital, and AQHA. For more information on the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games, please visit

www.alltechfeigames.com.

Kentucky Cup: Cheryl Dell and TR Reason to Believe – Springville, CA

He lost his mother when he was 6 hours old, and he was raised with a goat. Maybe that’s one explanation why 11-year-old Reason “has got personality!”

Cheryl Dell, a veterinarian from Springville, California, first saw Reason when she was looking for a backup endurance horse. She couldn’t, however, afford him at the time, and tried not to think about him. It was her husband who secretly went and looked at Reason and rode him, and arranged with Carl Fudge of Sturgeon Creek Arabians in Manitoba, Canada to make payments. Since then (2005) it’s been a great ride: 21 finishes in 23 starts (in the US), 19 of those in the top five, including 8 wins and 4 BCs, and 5 hundred-mile finishes.

On the endurance trails, Reason is “point and go” – though he wasn’t always that way. “What a difference a couple of years makes in personality, vet checks, and on the trail. He’s now all business, no nonsense. He grew up, got seasoned. He conserves his energy at the start… but he didn’t do this at first! It used to take him a long time to pulse down at first because of the excitement. Now he gets excited, but he’s calm about it, not amped or wacky. Now he’s usually always down in 1-2 minutes in the vet gates.”..

Read the entire story
Date: 10-9-2009
By: theequestrianvagabond.blogspot.com

Visit our bio page on Cheryl Dell

Clones of Event Horse Che Mr. Wiseguy Expected in March

Two foals that will be born in March 2010 are the first clones of a three-day event horse. A Belgian Warmblood gelding owned by Ronald Zabala-Goetschel of Quito, Ecuador, and Kennett Square, Pa., Che Mr. Wiseguy is a dark bay gelding with three white socks and a blaze. Zabala-Goetschel said that since competing at the Rolex Kentucky CCI 4* in April 2009, the horse has quite a fan club. Based on that performance, horse and rider are qualified to represent Ecuador at the World Equestrian Games in 2010.

“He’s a very good mover and usually goes clean in the show jumping, and so far he has never had a stop in his life in cross country or show jumping,” he said. “He’s the horse of a lifetime.”

Before cloning Wiseguy, Zabala-Goetschel first tried to breed a full sibling to him; he found both his dam and his sire, but dam Noblesse was not for sale and sire Jolie had been gelded. Zabala-Goetschel was able to obtain frozen semen from Jolie and eventually Noblesse’s owner agreed to let him try for a foal but the breeding to the 19-year-old mare was unsuccessful after several attempts. After having success with another stallion, another stallion, they tried again with Jolie and found out earlier this week that the mare was in foal. The embryo was transferred to a surrogate mare in Belgium.

But Zabala-Goetschel realizes that a full sibling still isn’t a match.

“The only way to get a genetic match is by cloning; even identical twins are different,” he said. “Everywhere I go top riders want to buy this horse. It’s a compliment, but I would never sell him. There are not many horses in the world that have reached the four-star level with a clean record; everybody wants a Wiseguy.”

The cloning is being handled by ViaGen, a company in Texas. Kathleen McNulty, an authorized sales representative, said ViaGen handles everything from collecting the tissue sample to foaling the clones, which go to their owner at two months of age. The conception rate for cloning is around 20%, but because they are manufacturing the embryos they can try again and again, and a live foal is guaranteed.

While cloning runs $165,000 per clone, in the case of cloned geldings that are successful performance horses, owners might be able to make their money back through breeding fees. As McNulty pointed out, “Clones have the exact same strand of DNA, so the clone itself doesn’t really have to do anything [to prove itself].”

Zabala-Goetschel plans to use Wiseguy’s clones for both sport and breeding. The Zangersheide Stud in Belgium will provide papers and the U.S. Equestrian Federation has agreed to provide the passports necessary for cloned event horses to compete. And what about “nature vs. nurture”? In an effort to help the clones learn the ropes, Zabala-Goetschel plans to turn the youngsters out with Wiseguy so that they can learn from him.

“It will be quite interesting to see how they turn out,” he said.

Sheik Enters Endurance Test

Dubai ruler Sheik Mohammed bin Rashid Al Maktoum and his son, Sheik Majid, will compete for the United Arab Emirates team in next Wednesday’s Kentucky Cup Endurance race — an official test event for the 2010 Alltech World Equestrian Games at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington.

The Kentucky Cup Endurance is attracting riders from more than 20 countries as they prepare for next year’s Endurance World Championship at the 2010 Games. The test event features 75-mile and 100-mile races conducted over a series of loops through the Horse Park and surrounding properties.

The 75-mile race will begin at 7:30 a.m. and the 100-mile race at 7:45 a.m. Admission to the event is free, with parking $3 at the entrance to the Kentucky Horse Park…

Read the entire story
Date: 10-7-2009
By: www.courier-journal.com

Meet Beezie Madden

USEF Announces Riders for the North American Endurance Team Challenge.

An afternoon with Beezie Madden, Equestrian Olympic Champion will take place at Wegmans DeWitt store, 6789 E. Genesee St. in Fayetteville on Saturday Oct. 10 from 1 to 5 p.m.

Wish Beezie luck at the upcoming Syracuse Invitational and next year’s World Equestrian Games. This is an opportunity to meet the champion, take pictures, get autographs and ask questions about her career.

Chester Weber Wins Record-Setting Seventh Win at United States National Four-In-Hand Driving Championship

Combined Driving National Champion Chester Weber is known for setting goals and achieving them. He added a factor of risk to it this year, by announcing his goal was to become the first driver to win the USEF National Four-In-Hand Driving Championships seven years in a row.

It was a risk worth taking for Weber, who captured his seventh win during the Four-In-Hand Driving Championship at the Kentucky Cup and Lexington Driving Classic. “When you set goals and make them clear to everyone around you it does add more pressure,” Weber said. “However, you also make the goal very clear to yourself and your team and there is no question what you are trying to achieve.”

Weber won the record-setting title by 10 points, beating out fellow American Tucker Johnson, who was also going for the lucky seventh win. Throughout the three phases of the competition, Weber and his team won the dressage and cones phase and came in second to Australian driver Boyd Exell in the marathon.

Ed Young, the Chef d’Equipe of the United States Driving Team, was very pleased with Weber’s seventh win. “I was most pleased with the improvements Chester has made in both the marathon and cones phases of the competition. Chester has spent a great deal of time and energy identifying his strengths and weaknesses as a competitor and then sought out the support necessary to strengthen the weaker areas,” Young said. “Weber’s ability to set goals and focus on those goals, without being distracted, is an incredible asset to a high performance athlete.”

Weber said his biggest challenge during the competition was to drive clear on Sunday. “I knew that I could have three balls down in the cones and still win the competition, however I wanted to win convincingly,” he said. “In order to prepare myself for next season I forced myself to not become lax but to concentrate more.”

Weber’s concentration paid off, but was challenged a bit by his well-known horse Jamaica, the 2008 USEF Horse of the Year. Instead of using Jamaica in the marathon and cones, Weber saved the 18-year-old superstar for cones only in hopes of keeping the horse fresh. Jamaica turned out to be too fresh and a bit of a handful, giving Weber the added pressure of an excited horse. “We still got it done,” Weber said with a smile, adding that despite everything Jamaica is a seasoned professional.

Weber is always quick to give credit to his equine team members, and said his proudest moments throughout the competition came from his five-year-old horse Reno W who competed all three days in the lead. “He was a star in the dressage and he tried his hardest in the marathon. I am sure it was a little overwhelming for him as I tried for a win and not just to maintain my position,” Weber said.

Weber, who is known in combined driving circles for his dedication and hard work, spent the past months training with difficult cones courses to prepare for the National Championships. Weber said Germany’s Michael Freund came to his farm in August and September to help Weber prepare for his seventh victory as well as work on Weber’s goal of competing in the World Equestrian Games in 2010.

“Michael wanted me to train on some very difficult courses as he knows that next year at WEG that is what it will come down to,” Weber said. “We were unable to drive cones at the Laurels due to the weather, so we used training elements from difficult courses at the big CAI’s in Europe this past summer. By the end I was training on courses made up of only those difficult elements. It was nuts and there was little to no flow, but I figured what doesn’t kill me makes me stronger.”

Weber’s determination not only paid off, but has allowed him to now shift his focus toward the future. “I guess we will work all winter preparing for number eight at the Live Oak International next March,” he said, adding that after Live Oak he is looking forward to WEG.

Weber isn’t the only one eager for the United States combined drivers to compete at WEG. As the chef d’equipe for the US four-in-hand, Young said, “I feel very optimistic about the US Driving Team’s ability to be on top at WEG 2010 and I expect Chester to play an important part in that goal.”
For more information on Weber and his combined driving team, visit their website at www.chesterweber.com.

20 Questions for Chester Weber

Check out our featured athlete of the week, Kentucky Cup Driving contestant, Chester Weber. Watch Chester and other World Equestrian Games veterans at the official driving test event of the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games, Kentucky Cup Driving, this weekend (October 1-4) at the Kentucky Horse Park.

CHESTER C. WEBER
AGE: JUNE 3 1975 (33)
DISCIPLINE: DRIVING
COUNTRY: USA

1. When did you start in your discipline?
In 1989

2. How did you get into driving?
I first started to compete with draft horses, specifically with Clydesdales, and when I went off to Boarding school at Blair Academy in Blairstown, NJ I was introduced to Combined Driving by Jimmy Fairclough

3. Do you have any lucky driving attire?
Not really, I joke some times that there is magic in my old top hat

4. Do you have any advice for younger riders aspiring within your discipline?
Concentrate on the details and remembers winners train and losers complain

5. Who is your equestrian idol?
Michael Freund

6. If there was one other discipline you could compete in, what would it be?
Jumping

7. What characteristic or quality do you value most in a horse?
Temperament of a winner, without that training is for nothing

8. Where will you be in 5, 10 years?
At Live Oak Stud with my wife and family

9. What are 3 things you are most likely to find in your refrigerator?
St. Pellegrino water, limes and fresh fish

10. What is one thing you always take with you to horse shows/on the road?
Movies for amusement

11. What is the coolest place in the world driving has taken you?
Aachen during the CHIO

12. Given the chance, what horse(s) other than your own would you like to compete with?
Chardon’s team from 1998

13. What is your favorite horse show?
CHIO Aachen

14. What is the best/worst part about driving and competing?
Best, the travels. Worst, packing

15. What have horses and competing taught you?
“Winners train losers complain” all good horsemen and women can cull ruthlessly, and with horses you need humility

16. What have been the biggest rewards of your career?
Getting to work with fabulous horses

17. What are you most likely to be doing if/when you’re not driving?
Skiing on the snow or in the water or playing tennis

18. How do you unwind after a long day?
Glass of French Burgundy

19. How do you juggle your driving career with your life as a mom/dad?
I am neither mom nor dad that I know of

20. What excites you most about the 2010 Games in Kentucky?
Competing in my backyard aginst the world’s best

21. Have you ever ridden any other disciplines?
Not really

22. What music are you currently listening to?
Country

23. What do you think when you think about possibly riding in next year’s WEG?
The challenges of tomorrow’s training

24. What are you doing to try to get there?
Training and keeping focused

25. What impact do you think having WEG in the US will have on horse sports in this country?
It will have a great impact on bringing our sport to the masses of horse lovers in the US.

Weber Sets Record with Seventh Straight USEF National Four-in-Hand Driving Championship

It wasn’t easy, but Chester Weber never wavered and netted his seventh straight USEF National Four-in-Hand Driving Championship at the Kentucky Cup and Lexington Driving Classic. Weber’s win also bodes well for the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games, as this event served as the test event for next year’s WEG also to be held at the Kentucky Horse Park.

Weber beat long time teammate Tucker Johnson (and another driver going for a record seven wins) by 10 points, but the rivalry challenged Weber all weekend.

“Tucker made me work really hard for this,” said the winner after adding 2.30 penalties in the Cones.

Australian driver Boyd Excell proved he will be a force to be reckoned with in 2010 as he split the American pair in the overall standings with the team American Keady Cadwell hopes to drive next year.

Historically Weber finds the Cones the most challenging of the three phases and felt the pressure Sunday, but he never flinched, even though he had a very fresh horse on his team for the finale.

Jamaica, the 2008 Farnam/USEF Horse of the  Year is 18 this year and sat out the first two phases, a decision that meant for a good feeling left wheeler on Sunday.

“Jamaica was at the left wheel and was very difficult,” said Weber. “He must have been too fresh from not running the marathon. I guess that is what I get for trying to save an 18-year-old.”

An emotional Larry Poulin retired from the sport on the highest of high notes – he wired the Pair Horse Championship field in an immaculate performance.

“I made it through the sport and finished on top,” said Poulin simply after his win. “Its not all about me it is about my horses.  It has been five years for them to be here,”

Poulin comes from a family of prolific dressage riders, a sport he will return his focus to now that he is hanging up his carriage.

The 2009 National  Championships also draws Suzy Stafford’s pony, Courage to Lead’s, career to a close. On the strength of an amazing marathon performance, the were 10 points clear of dressage winner Shelley Temple.

“I wanted her  to go out a champion,” said Stafford, a two-time Individual medalist at the last two World Championships.

A new face won the Single Horse Championship, as Fritz Grupe maintained the lead he commanded on the first day despite the fact that his horse has only been driven as a single three times.”

The National title made the four day trip from California easier  to bear.

“It’s great to be here in KY and to get a medal,” said Grupe. “ I was scheduled to be on a fishing trip in Alaska, but he was driving so well I decided to come. “It is encouraging to know those of us from the West are competitive.”

Grupe won his championship by just more than five points, making this the closest of all the FEI classes.

There were two other titles defended at the 2009 USEF National Driving Championships,

In the Pony Champs, Tracey Morgan and Lisa Stroud both extended their streaks, sweeping the Pairs and Team Championships respectively. Both popular drivers won by very comfortable margins.

With Two Working Arms, Vaulter Carries Home National Title Cup

When we last left MacKenzie Thurman, she was wearing a sling on her arm and a frown on her face.

Just days before competing at the American Vaulting Association Nationals last August, she suffered a broken left arm that sidelined her for the biggest event of the year —and of her young career.

But 13 months later, she’s back on horseback and wearing one wide smile of pride.

Not only did she once again qualify to compete at the national level, but she and her Mt. Eden Vaulting Club teammates brought the 2009 United States Equine Federation/AVA National Championship back from a trip to Lexington, Ky…

Read the entire story
Date: 9-29-2009
By:www.theunion.com