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News Archive
News - May, 2006
James Paterson-Robinson qualifies for WEG Selection
Europe-based James Paterson-Robinson had a clear first round at the Concours Hippique Eindhoven (NED) last weekend and thus got the second half-'COC'. Geelong's big-time showjumping rider James Paterson-Robinson and his mount Splendid van de Heffinck are on track for the World Equestrian Games.
The duo finished sixth in the Grand Prix at Eindhoven in the Netherlands this week to gain another prized certificate of capability for the Games in Aachen, Germany, in August. The international team had already qualified for the Games after jumping double clear rounds at the Grand Prix at Maubeuge, France, earlier this month. A former Barwon Heads Pony Club rider, Paterson-Robinson has been riding in Europe for six years. He came to prominence by being the first Australian rider to win the prestigious FEI World Breeding Showjumping Championship for Young Horses at Lanaken, Belgium, in 2001 and again in 2003. Last season Paterson-Robinson was leading rider at Dunkerque, France, and won a class at the British Horse of the Year Show. But it was not until he secured the ride on Neil Jones' Belgian warmblood gelding Splendid van de Heffinck that he looked toward the World Equestrian Games.
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Kristy Oatley and Don Bolero second in Hamburg Derby
The 2006 German Jumping and Dressage Derby in Hamburg is a traditional highlight of the sport. The Derby competitions involve a change of horses to determine the winner. Kristy and Don Bolero got 2nd place in the Grand Prix with 71.083% and also second in the Kür with 76.6%.
In the Derby, Kristy rode Insterburg (and the others' horses) against Isabell Werth and Le Touquet and Jochen Vetters with Fanano. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
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WEG Dressage Selection to be announced mid-June
The EFA will publish an announcement on selection of Australian Dressage Representatives for WEG 2006 on this web late Saturday, 17 June 2006. National Dressage Selectors will meet with National Training Advisor Ulla Salzgeber and National Team Veterinarian Denis Goulding at the Dressage High Performance Camp being conducted in
For further information please contact High Performance Manager Brett Mace on 02 8762 7777 or on 0412 174 257. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Ernie Dingo named Ambassador for 160km-long Endurance contest
Well-loved television and travel celebrity Ernie Dingo will be the Ambassador to the Tom Quilty Gold Cup 2006. And popular country music star Adam Brand will showcase Australian country music to the international and local riders and crews attending the event.
The punishing 160km–long endurance pursuit, which is being be held in Boonah, South East Queensland in June, has attracted 350 nominations from across Organiser Dick Collyer said that Ernie Dingo was a most popular choice. “We want to showcase what is best about country “Adam Brand has legions of fans here in Australia, and we’re thrilled that he has agreed to provide a concert for the riders, crews and officials – especially those visitors from overseas, who may not have experienced Australian country music. It will help make the event a memorable one.”
The objective of the Quilty is to test horse and rider - ‘100 miles on one horse in one day’. Competitors will begin the ride over bush tracks at a freezing midnight on Friday 9th June. Although they have a full 24 hours to complete, the winners are expected to cross the finish line in about 14 hours – arriving from 2pm on Saturday afternoon. Riders will also be vying for the coveted Best Conditioned awards, which reward the excellent physical condition of the top endurance horses.
SHEIKHS, COWBOYS AND PRINCES AMONG QUILTY HOPEFULS
A contingent of royal sheikhs more used to galloping across the deserts of Arabia , an American cowboy who trains among the bears, rattlesnakes and canyons of the Sierra Nevada, a Japanese businessman who has battled for almost a decade to qualify, and a Malaysian prince who is also a top international rider.
These are just some of the overseas competitors who will fly in to the South East Queensland town of
The Australians are fielding some of their top riders, such as Queenslanders Peter and Penny Toft, Sydney’s Jennifer Gilbertson, Victorian Meg Wade and international junior champion, Brooke Warner from
Contenders will begin the ride in the foothills of the Scenic Rim at a freezing midnight on Friday 9th June. Although they have a full 24 hours to complete, the winners are expected to cross the finish line in about 14 hours – arriving from 2pm on Saturday. Riders will also be vying for the coveted Best Conditioned awards, which reward the excellent physical condition of the top endurance horses. The objective of the Quilty, set out in 1966 by founders, bush legend, RM Williams, and Kimberly cattleman, Tom Quilty, is to test horse and rider - ‘100 miles on one horse in one day’.
Riders are expected to arrive in Boonah with their horses from as early as two weeks before the event. One of For further information, please contact:
Pamela Robson on (07) 3839 8747 or 0412 158 886 or email: pamela@robson-dixon.com
Dick Collyer on (07) 5463 1979 or email: collyer@gil.com.au
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Clayton Fredericks places 1st and 4th in Saumur CCI*** (FRA)
Just a week after winning the World Cup Qualifier at Chatsworth (GBR), Clayton and Ben Along Time have won the 2006 Saumur CCI***. Clayton placed 4th with his second ride Nullabor.
Congratulations, Clayton.
Full Results (PDF).
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Mixed fortunes at the Aachen CHIO World Horse Festival
Boyd Exell finishes in 5th position after the third test in the Four-in-Hand Driving event at the biggest and most prestigeous European horse show. Boyd had no penalties in this final test.
Boyd was in 6th place before the obstacle (cone) driving competition with 124.46 penalties after placing 8th in the Dressage and also 8th in the Marathon (cross-country) tests. The obstacle driving competition is the Driving equivalent to the Jumping test of the Three-Day Event. The CHIO Aachen Press Service wrote after the Marathon: In spite of the abysmal weather, 24,000 spectators watched the marathon competition in the Forest of Aachen (Wohnwelt Pallen Marathon). The heavy rainfall of the previous day and the resulting soft ground had induced the organisers to omit obstacle 7 from the course and extend the allowed time by two minutes. The 26 drivers all had problems with obstacle 4, which was located on a downhill slope. Fortunately, there were no accidents, but several teams collected time faults. The World Champion of 1998, Werner Ulrich (Switzerland) achieved the best marathon result, followed by the reigning Vice-World Champion, Zoltan Lazar (Hungary) and the World Champion of 2002, Ysbrand Chardon (the Netherlands).
Australia's sole competitor in the Dressage, Kristy Oatley, blamed herself for the not as good as expected result with Quando Quando in the CHIO Grand Prix. They finished 26th with a respectable score of 66.5%. The pair came 17th in the Grand Prix Special. Kristy placed 9th in the CDI Grand Prix with her mount Don Bolero on 68.167% and another series of Olympic qualifying scores.
A report from Karen Everett, Boyd's assistant and Chef.Boyd was 5th at We arrived on site on Wednesday with the first inspection on Thursday which went smoothly for us going first. However, for the later nations we had teams of horses warming up to use the practice arenas where horses were being walked prior to the trot up and it was chaotic. This will be address before WEG! Practise arenas were an issue as there was not enough space. We had one set up dressage arena with times allocated to the various nations and there was another arena similar size next to this dressage arena. The only other area was behind the stables which was rough, and this was all we had for 26 teams (they are wanting around 50 for WEG) so they are planning to create another training area. We were on sixth in the dressage but thankfully we had a couple of good dressage drivers on before us and parts of the test were superb, but Boyd's halt and rein back need working on. However, people were muttering that this was a team that would win the dressage in the future! Despite the weak halt , rein back and subsequent walk, Boyd was still 8th after the dressage so we were very pleased and as prize giving was down to 8th place the horses got the chance to go in the main arena, which is quite an experience. The atmosphere is electric so great training for the horses! Friday night they issued a severe weather warning, the weather was dire but coming from 5 of the 6 obstacles drove really well and fluently, but on obstacle 3 he came in a little fast and pulled a turn too late and he also missed another turn in the same obstacle. However, although Boyd was a little disappointed what he didn't realise is that every driver had a mistake somewhere on the marathon and we finished 8th, but the marathon scores were extremely close only three points between the top eight! Back to the show ground for another prize giving ceremony although Boyd only took in a pair as three of the horses had each lost a shoe on the marathon so we were getting those replaced! We were now lying in 6th place and Saturday evening we were all hoping to go and watch the dressage, but were all too tired! The cones course was very tight on time, but Boyd and I worked out the split timings and he drove the best round I have ever seen him drive. He was spot on with his timing, the rhythm never varied and he drove cleanly - there had only been 2 or 3 double clears when he went in the arena! There were a total of 6 double clears by the end, but we had moved up to 5th place and definitely put pressure on the leaders! There was a drive-off, in which we were fourth, but Boyd took it steadily - thank goodness! And other prize-giving ceremony. Then time for packing up before the final prize giving-ceremony. I think it is all these prize-giving ceremonies in the main arena that takes it out of you. The horses’ harness and carriages are constantly being prepared! However, we are not complaining!! Boyd drove home through the night so should be back home for now giving the horses who were superb a well-earned rest!
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Six Bar Success at the Royal Windsor Horse Show
Victorian rider Matt Williams who now resides in England rode very successfully at the Royal Windsor Horse Show held 11 - 14 May 2006. Matt who recently turned 21, is a former Junior Australian Showjumping Champion(2003) and World Cup placegetter. He has four Australian-owned horses stabled at his West Sussex base. It was with the 10yo grey Holsteiner gelding Contact that he finished equal first in the Six-Bar Competition at Windsor.
In a thrilling contest in front of a huge crowd both Matt and Irish rider Peter Charles jumped 1.95m to share the win. Among the other placegetters were English riders Guy Williams and Mark Armstrong with England-based South African David McPherson in 5th and Ryan Prater and John Whitaker in equal 6th.. Matt also rode his Irish-bred 10yo gelding Kimberley in the Young Rider classes picking up an 8th place in a qualifying event. Matt received an invitation to ride Contact in the Young Rider Grand Prix where they jumped one of only six clear rounds in a field of 30 and finished in 6th place after having two rails down in the jump off. After recent successes in Belgium and Italy with Contact and Kimberley, Matt is looking forward to more success on the European circuit this year. | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
Clayton Fredericks and Shane Rose win Eventing World Cup Qualifiers
They did it on opposite sides of the world, Chatsworth (GBR) and Warwick (AUS-Qld.) 
Shane Rose - Winners are grinners. FEI Eventing World Cup Update: Chatsworth (GBR) and Warwick (AUS)
Press Release 5 16 May 2006
Aussies dominate across the world By Kate Green
It was The Aussies seem to be enjoying a purple patch after Andrew Hoy’s CCI 4-star double at Kentucky (USA) and Badminton (GBR) in the preceding two weekends, while Phillip Dutton (AUS) still leads the FEI Eventing World Cup rankings on 170 points.
There are now five Australians in the Top Ten of the FEI Eventing World Cup rankings after 11 of the 17 qualifiers for this year’s final at Malmö (21-24 September) have taken place. Clayton Fredericks is third on 152 points behind Karin Donckers (BEL, 165), Shane Rose is sixth on 118, Andrew Hoy seventh (114) and Lucinda Fredericks ninth (103).
Eight nations were represented at Chatsworth, but it was yet another Australian, Bill Levett, who held the clear dressage lead on Minuto (39.1). However, as the horse was returning to work after a year off, he decided to withdraw him after that phase.
The old turf cross-country going held up well during a damp weekend at the beautiful parkland of the Duke of Devonshire’s Chatsworth House, but it is an undulating course and no one came anywhere near the optimum time of 6min 40sec. Lucinda Fredericks (AUS) was second fastest on her 2002 Blenheim CCI 3-star winner Headley Bravo and added 15.6 to her third-placed dressage score (45.7) which was good enough to take her into a narrow lead for the final, jumping, phase on 61.3. However, the mare hit two rails to drop to second place (69.3) and allow her husband Clayton, the reigning FEI Eventing World Cup champion on Edwin and Peta Macauley’s Ben Along Time, to rise from third into the top spot (66.1) after he achieved one of only seven clear rounds.
Lucinda took her demotion in good humour, saying: “I’m hoping Clayton will get to the FEI World Equestrian Games so I have more chance of winning the World Cup final!” Cindy Rawson (USA) was second after dressage on
Fiona Hobby (GBR), who works as a physiotherapist, was best of the home side and scored her best ever international result in third place on Smart Approach (71.2). Andrew Nicholson (NZL) atoned for a disappointing dressage mark (58.4) on the Spanish-bred Fenicio with a storming cross-country round – easily the fastest (9.6) - and rose to eventual fourth place with just one show jump down (72).
All but six of the 32 starters completed the competition and there was little trouble over Mike Etherington-Smith’s immaculately presented cross-country course David Evans, the same duo responsible for the track at the 2008 Olympics. There was one big form upset, though, when the favourite, William Fox-Pitt (GBR) took a crashing fall over the second fence on Moon Man (fourth after dressage on 48.3) and was eliminated.
Matt Ryan (AUS) also caused excitement when Slight of Hand ran out and took off over the ropes, galloping through tradestands and crowds before Matt could get him back on to the course. He withdrew before show jumping. The winning horse, Ben Along Time, a quality 11-year-old son of the Irish jumping sire Cavalier, has rarely put a foot wrong in his Eventing career. Clayton hopes the horse will gain him his first Australian squad placing since 1995, despite the pair not competing at Badminton. “The format of these World Cup qualifiers really suits this horse, so I’m hoping we have done enough to impress the selectors,” said Clayton, who is the hard-working chairman of ERA (Event Riders Association).
Clayton, 36, is from Full results on: www.bdwp.co.uk/cha
Over at
Shane produced a magnificent dressage test (38.2) and was easily the fastest across country (0.8), all of which proved somewhat fortunate when, admitting that All Luck’s show jumping was perhaps a little rusty, he hit three rails. His nearest rival after dressage, Craig Barrett (AUS) on Staccato (45.7), who scored the only other sub-50 mark in the field of 18 Australian riders, dropped down the order to eventual sixth (87.7) after a cross-country stop.
Carlene Barton was third on Covers (74.9), ahead of Robert Palm (The Regulator, 75.4) and Blair Richardson (Moneystone Equity, 78.3). A great deal of work had been done on the cross-country course at
The FEI World Cup series stays in For the full standings of the FEI Eventing World Cup, please check www.feiworldcup.org
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Dressage judging advice from Dr. Volker Moritz
At a Judges' Clinic during the recent highly successful Sydney CDI 3-Star, Dr. Volker Moritz impressed judges with his approach to judging. Dr. Moritz also agreed to make some of his papers available to the Australian Dressage Judging community. Go to page.
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Interim FEI Secretary General steps down
The FEI) has announced that Jean-Claude Falciola stepped down from his position as Interim FEI Secretary General as of 12 May 2006. The decision followed a meeting with the newly elected FEI President, HRH Princess Haya, and the FEI 1st Vice President Sven Holmberg at the FEI Headquarters in Lausanne (SUI).
Michael Stone, FEI Sports Director, will take over from Mr Falciola as Acting FEI Secretary General. He will take up both the Sports Director’s and Secretary General’s responsibilities as of today, until a permanent appointment is made. Mr Falciola will remain available to the end of the month to allow a smooth transition. The selection process for a permanent FEI Secretary General will be initiated immediately and a decision will be taken after the FEI World Equestrian Games. Jean-Claude Falciola took up the position of Ad Interim FEI Secretary General in September 2005 to manage the FEI’s day-to-day business with the view that he would allow a seamless handover to a permanent FEI Secretary General. At the FEI Executive Board Meeting held after the 2006 FEI General Assembly in Kuala Lumpur last week, it was deemed necessary to move the organization forward at pace, leading to the recruitment of a permanent FEI Secretary General. It was felt that although the appointment of Mr Falciola had been a sensible choice at the time, the election of a new FEI President and Bureau meant a new direction. One of the key conclusions of the meeting was that the permanent FEI Secretary General should have a sound working knowledge of the equestrian industry and the National Federations that make up the FEI. The FEI President, HRH Princess Haya, said: “Jean-Claude has provided a level of stability in a particularly delicate period of flux for the FEI and I would like to take this opportunity to thank him for his valuable contribution. We now need an FEI leader with a solid knowledge of the equine and sports industry. With Michael Stone taking up the acting position we believe that we can keep the momentum of change going while actively seeking the man or woman who will help fulfill the aspirations laid out in my election Manifesto.”
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Rachael Sanna and Chatham Park Jac win Grand Prix Kür
Before a packed house at the Sydney International Equestrian Centre, the pair became the resounding stars of the 2006 Sydney CDI 3-Star. For more information, complete results and plenty of photos, please visit www.sydneycdi.com .
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Kristy Oatley and Quando Quando on a Roll Kristy Oatley Kristy Oatley and Quando Quando continue their great form in the lead-up to WEG They achieved 9th place in the Grand Prix at Hagen CDI 3-star in Germany on the weekend. The pair scored 68.958% to pull ahead of Hubertus Schmidt (GER), Cindy Ishoy (CAN) and Leslie Morse (USA) in a huge field of 43. The class was won by Isabell Werth and Satchmo on 74.417%.
Ten combinations contested the Grand Prix Special. Kristy and Quando Quando placed 7th with a great score of 69.12%. Isabell Werth and Satchmo had a super show to take out the Special on 75.12%
This exciting performance at Hagen follows a great result at Braunschweig CDI 3-star recently where the pair again placed 9th - this time pushing Isabell Werth and Satchmo into 10th place by 0.08%. Quando Quando's stable mate Don Bolero was 5 places and just 0.75% behind in 14th place on 66.04%. Kristy and Quando Quando then went on to win the Freestyle with a score of 72.475%
Kristy has entered Wiesbaden in early June and we look forward to seeing this consistent pair again soon.
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