Dressage-News

By KENNETH J. BRADDICK

WELLINGTON, Florida, Feb. 12, 2014–Nine teams from seven countries have been confirmed for the Adequan Global Dressage Festival Nations Cup to be held Feb. 18-23 that will be part of the world series for the first time and a final test of a new Pan American Games format of mixed small and big tour combinations.

The nations with teams for the CDIO3* are Australia, Canada, Colombia, Germany, Netherlands, Spain and the United States–with Canada and the U.S. each fielding two teams. The teams:

AUSTRALIA
Karin Davis, Port Perry, Ontario/Morris, 10, Friesen, stallion
Kelly Layne, Wellington Florida/Udon P, 13, Dutch Warmblood, gelding
Nicholas Fyffe, Wellington/Tolstoy, 14, Dutch Warmblood, gelding
Ilse Schwarz, Wellington/Cadenza, 14, Oldenburg, gelding

CANADA
Team 1
David Marcus, Campbellville, Ontario/Chrevi’s Capital, 14, Danish Warmblood, gelding
Belinda Trussell, Stouffville, Ontario/Anton, 14, Saxony, gelding
Brittany Fraser, New Glasgow, Nova Scotia/All In, 9, Dutch Warmblood, gelding
Chris Von Martels, Ridgetown, Ontario/Zilverstar, 10, Dutch Warmblood, gelding

Team 2
Megan Lane, Loretto, Ontario/San D’or, 8, Westfalen, gelding
Evi Strasser, Sainte Adele, Quebec/Rigaudon Tyme, 10, Oldenburg, gelding
Tom Dvorak, Hillsburgh, Ontario/Ribot, 12, Oldenburg, gelding
Jill Irving, Moncton, New Brunswick/Dio Mio, 11, Hanoverian, gelding

COLOMBIA
Marco Bernal, Wellington/Rossini 234, 14, Westfalen, gelding
Carmen Franco, Wellington/Don Akzentus, 12, Oldenburg, stallion
Marco Bernal, Jr., Wellington/Farewell IV, 13, Westfalen, stallion

GERMANY
Neve Myburgh, Wellington/Lexington Star, 11, Hanoverian, gelding
Kim Jesse, Warendorf, Germany/Charming 8, 16, Rhinelander, stallion
Maria Kaldewei, Delefeld, Germany/Companero 12, 16, Hanoverian, gelding
Marcus Orlob,  Annandale, New Jersey/ Shakespeare RSF, 10, Hanoverian, stallion
Kevn Kohmann, Wellington/Zephyr, 10, KWPN, gelding

NETHERLANDS
Kerensa Muller, Loxahatchee, Florida/TBA
Leida Collins-Strijk,Riethoven, Netherlands/Woodstock, 11, KWPN, gelding
Danielle Houtvast, Riethoven, Netherlands/Palermo, 20, Hanoverian, gelding
Patrick Tigchelaar, Califon, New Jersey/Davidor 4, 9, Hanoverian, gelding

SPAIN
Paula Matute, Wellington/Tarpan Ymas, 14, Dutch, stallion
Juan Matute, Jr., Wellington/Don Diego Ymas, 11, stallion
Marta Renilla, Tomball, Texas/Presumido, 11, P.R.E., stallion

UNITED STATES
Team 1
Silva Martin, Cochranville, Pennsylvania/Rosa Cha W, 9, Australian Warmblood, mare
Tina Konyot, Palm City, Florida/Calecto V, 16, Danish Warmblood, stallion
Adrienne Lyle, Ketchum, Idaho/Wizard, 15, Oldenburg, gelding
Shawna Harding, Aiken, South Carolina/Rigo, 13, Hanoverian, gelding

Team 2
Shelly Francis, Loxahatchee, Florida/Doktor, 11, Oldenburg, gelding
Catherine Haddad-Staller, Califon, New Jersey/Mane Stream Hotmail, 12, Oldenburg, gelding
Ashley Wimmer, Winston-Salem, North Carolina/Somerhall, 9, Oldenburg, mare
Justin Hardin, Long Valley, New Jersey/Wyatt Star, 11, KWPN gelding

INDIVIDUALS
Natalia Martin, Puerto Rico/Diamonds R Forever, 12, Hanoverian, mare
Luis Reteguiz-Denizard, Puerto Rico/Royal Affair, 12, Hanoverian, gelding

This year will be the third year of the only non-championship Nations Cup in the Western Hemisphere.

It is also the second year of the development of the Nations Cup global series that includes Vidauban, France; Rotterdam, Netherlands; Kristiansand, Norway; Aachen, Germany and Hickstead, England.

This year’s Nations Cup presented by Stillpoint Farm will be the first fullscale trial of a new format of mixed small tour and big tour combinations for the 2015 Pan American Games to be held in Toronto. The goal of the mixed format was to raise the level of dressage at the Pan Ams that has been held at small tour, but was not considered appropriate as a qualifier for the Olympic Games that are at Grand Prix.

The first two years saw several teams of riders from different countries but growing international presence at the the Global Dressage Festival has led to more nations able to start squads made up riders from a single nation.

The schedule calls for three straight days of competition for horses and riders that complete the Nations Cup made up of two separate tests, similar to the 2012 Olympic format that included both the Grand Prix and the Special for the team compettion and the Freestyle for individual medals.

Teams can comprise a minimum of three and a maximum of four combinations. A maximum of two can be Grand Prix.

The first stage of team competition will be Prix St. Georges and Grand Prix.

The second stage will be Intermediaire I and Grand Prix Special.

Grand Prix level combinations will receive a bonus of 1.5 percentage points. So if a team of four has two Grand Prix combinations the team can add six percentage points to its total–1.5 percentage points for each combination in each of the two competitions.

All rides will be judged by the same panel, with the small tour going first followed by the big tour.

The Prix St. Georges/Grand Prix will be held Wednesday, Feb. 19 and the Intermediaire I/Grand Prix Special on Thursday, Feb. 20.

The top finishing half of both the small tour and the big tour move on to the Freestyle to decide individual medals and held on Friday night, Feb. 21.

A request by Arlene “Tuny” Page of Stillpoint Farm for the Friday night VIP club to be a “special” black tie event and for judges and other officials to also be in black tie has met with widespread support for a rare opportunity to create a different atmosphere.