Dressage-News

By KENNETH J. BRADDICK

WELLINGTON, Florida, Feb. 18, 2014–Canada will be first of nine teams to go in the Wellington Nations Cup Wednesday that kicks off the second season of the experimental global series of dressage team events.

The Stillpoint Farm Nations Cup is being held for the third year at the Global Dressage Festival grounds as the only non-championship event of its type in the Western Hemisphere and is designed to test a new format of mixed Grand Prix and Prix St. Georges combinations for the Pan American Games. However, aside from two teams each from the United States and Canada, Colombia is the only other team from the Americas.

The order of go for the two-phase event that mimics the 2012 Olympic format–Prix St. Georges and Grand Prix Wednesday and Intermediate 1 and Grand Prix Special Thursday–is: 1. Canada 1, 2. Canada 2, 3. Australia, 4. USA 1, 5. Netherlands, 6. USA 2, 7. Colombia, 8. Germany, 9. Spain.

Individual medals will be awarded in the Freestyle Friday.

The inclusion of the American fixture in this year’s calendar suggests the appeal of the concept is already spreading with Vidauban, France; Rotterdam, Netherlands; Kristiansand, Norway, Aachen, Germany and Hickstead, England bringing the number to six for 2014, two more than the 2013 debut circuit.

The Netherlands won the 2013 series.

For 2014, each event is of equal standing, and the best three results for each nation over the six events will decide the overall result.

A minimum of four teams will take part in each event, and there is no maximum limit. A team consists of a minimum of three and a maximum of four athlete/horse combinations. Organisers have the right to invite a limited number of additional home or foreign individual competitors.

Prize money for each event is at least €20,000 (US$27,500) for the team competition for CDIO 5*, €15,000 (US$20,600) for CDIO4* and €10,000 (US$13,750) for CDIO3*.

Wellington is a CDIO3*.

Trond Asmyr, FEI Director Dressage said: “Last year we only had qualifiers in Europe, so we are very happy now to also include a venue outside Europe which sets the series on the road to becoming truly global.”

Referring to this week’s opening fixture in Florida he continued: “This is the first time for a leg of the series to take place in the USA, and also the first time for Big Tour and Small Tour riders to combine in mixed teams. This is the formula that will be in use for the Pan American Games next year, so it will be interesting to see how it works out and we are all very much looking forward to the coming season.”

Stillpoint Farm CDIO3* Nations Cup Teams
AUSTRALIA
Karin Davis, Port Perry, Ontario/Morris, 10, Friesen, stallion
Kelly Layne, Wellington Florida/Udon P, 13, Dutch Warmblood, gelding
Nicholas Fyffe, Wellington/Diamond Geezer, 13, Oldenburg, gelding
Ilse Schwarz, Wellington/Cadenza, 14, Oldenburg, gelding

CANADA 1
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
Megan Lane, Loretto, Ontario/San D’or, 8, Westfalen, gelding

CANADA 2
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
Maya Markowski, /Lumiere Markowski, Maya
Maya Markowski, St. Clements, Ontario/Lumiere, 11, Canadian Warmblood, 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
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/Zerbino Interagro, 10, Lusitano, gelding
Leida Collins-Strijk, Riethoven, Netherlands/West Side, 11, KWPN, gelding
Danielle Houtvast, Riethoven, Netherlands/Palermo H, 20, Hanoverian, gelding
Patrick Tigchelaar, Califon, New Jersey/Davidor 4, 9, Hanoverian, gelding

SPAIN
Carlos Munoz, Wellington/Klouseau, 13, Trakehner, gelding
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

USA 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

USA 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

Individual
Luis Reteguiz-Denizard, Puerto Rico/Royal Affair, 12, Hanoverian, gelding
Joanne Vaughan, Georgia/Elmegarden’s Marquis, 15, Danish Warmblood, gelding