Nations Cup Series for 2016 Kicks Off With Six Teams at Wellington Global

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Nations Cup teams in the Adequan Global Dressage Festival CDIO3* in Wellington. © 2016 Ken Braddick/dressage-news.com
Nations Cup teams in the Adequan Global Dressage Festival CDIO3* in Wellington. © 2016 Ken Braddick/dressage-news.com

WELLINGTON, Florida, Mar. 29, 2016–The 2016 Nations Cup series kicks off Wednesday with six teams from around the world set to compete in an unique mixed Big and Small Tour CDIO3* at the Adequan Global Dressage Festival.

Teams from Australia, Canada, Costa Rica, Denmark, Spain and the United States are in the lineup for the first of seven Nations Cups–the other six are in Europe–after three years testing the format. Germany entered the event with two riders who had competed in previous Nations Cups but pulled out when the federation said the national coach did not personally know all the prospective team members.

The Nations Cup presented by Stillpoint Farm of Wellington will be over two days–with Grand Prix and Prix St. Georges the first day and Grand Prix Special and Intermediate 1 the second stage.

Australia, Canada and the United States have full Big Tour teams while Denmark has mixed competitors and Costa Rica and Spain are all Small Tour. Bonus points are awarded Big Tour combinations.

The Wellington event led to an upgrade to mixed level teams at the 2015 Pan American Games from all Small Tour previously and seeks to have only teams with at least one Grand Prix competition in the next Pan Ams in Lima, Peru in 2019.

The teams:

Australia's team of Ilse Schwarz, Kelly Layne and Kim Gentry. © 2016 Ken Braddick/dressage-news.com
Australia’s team of Ilse Schwarz, Kelly Layne and Kim Gentry. © 2016 Ken Braddick/dressage-news.com
Canada's team of Karen Pavicic, Megan Lane, Belinda Trussell and Jacqueline Brooks. © 2016 Ken Braddick/dressage-news.com
Canada’s team of Karen Pavicic, Megan Lane, Belinda Trussell and Jacqueline Brooks. © 2016 Ken Braddick/dressage-news.com
Costa Rica team members Christer Egerstrom, Michelle Batalia, Anne Marie Egerstrom and chref d'equipe Patrick Burssens. © 2016 Ken Braddick/dressage-news.com
Costa Rica team members Christer Egerstrom, Michelle Batalia, Anne Marie Egerstrom and chef d’equipe Patrick Burssens. © 2016 Ken Braddick/dressage-news.com
Denmark riders Mikala Gundersen, Rikke Poulsen, Lars Petersen and Signe Kirk Kristiansen. © 2016 Ken Braddick/dressage-news.com
Denmark riders Mikala Gundersen, Rikke Poulsen, Lars Petersen and Signe Kirk Kristiansen. © 2016 Ken Braddick/dressage-news.com
Spain--Alfonso Tamirez, Pablo Gomez Molina, Juan Antonio Jimenez Cobo, Juan Matute, Jr. and chef d'equipe Maria Guimon. © 2016 Ken Braddick/dressage-news.com
Spain–Alfonso Ramirez, Pablo Gomez Molina, Juan Antonio Jimenez Cobo, Juan Matute, Jr. and chef d’equipe Maria Guimon. © 2016 Ken Braddick/dressage-news.com
USA--Kasey Perry Glass, Arlene Page, Shelly Francis, Laura Graves and chef d'equipe Robert Dover. © 2016 Ken Braddick/dressage-news.com
USA–Kasey Perry Glass, Arlene Page, Shelly Francis, Laura Graves and chef d’equipe Robert Dover. © 2016 Ken Braddick/dressage-news.com