FTI WEF 4 Ride & Learn presented by Palm Beach Riding Academy

Well-known professional Geoff Teall will be conducting a clinic on "The Right Approach to Hunters" on Tuesday, January 29, at 3:00 pm, sponsored by Draper Therapies. The fence height will be 2'6'' and the session is priced at $100.00 per horse and rider. If you are interested please call Sean Jones at 561-784-4275 or e-mail at sean@equestriansport.com.

The Sanctuary Open House

On Wednesday, January 30, there will be an Open House at The Sanctuary located at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center from 4:00-5:30 pm. Come check out a state-of-the-art facility designed for conditioning and enhancing the performance of some of the best equine athletes in the world.  

FTI WEF 4 Lunch & Learn presented by Copy and Print Depot� at Office Depot�

This week's Lunch & Learn will be focusing on "Enhancing Equine Health and Performance Naturally" sponsored by Omega Alpha. Dr. Gordon Chang will be presenting from 11:30 am-1:30 pm on Thursday, January 31, at the Wellington Club, which is located on the side of the International Arena. A nice lunch will be provided, along with the chance to enter a free raffle. Please note that the Lunch & Learns are only open to riders, trainers and owners. For more information please call 561-793-5867.

Wellington Dressage CDI-W3* presented by The Dutta Corp.

On January 31- February 3 there will be international level dressage at the Stadium for the first CDI of the season at the Adequan Global Dressage Festival. A drop-box will be set up right outside the show office, which means entering has never been so easy! See dressage stars, including Susan Dutta, David Marcus and Tinne Vilhelmson-Silfven, and watch the fascinating musical freestyle under the lights at 7:30 pm on Friday, February 1st.

Tiki Hut Happy Hour

Stop by the Tiki Hut for a refreshing beverage and a light snack during the $33,000 Ruby et Violette WEF Challenge Cup Round 4, Thursday afternoon at 1:00 pm. Bring some friends and watch the competition from a prime location.

The Styleliner has arrived at the 2013 FTI WEF

Please join Joey Wolffer for a casual gathering at her new location on the walkway between the Eugene R. Mische Grand Hunter Ring and The Gallery, on Friday, February 1, from 2-5 pm. Everyone is welcome to come see The Styleliner and all of the great fashions inside!
 

$100,000 Fidelity Investments� CSI 2* Grand Prix

Watch as the best riders in the world compete for a piece of the $100,000 purse on Saturday, February 2, at 7:00 pm under the lights. Aside from intense competition, there will be a live band, carousel rides, face-painting, a magician, crafts, bouncy castles, a petting zoo, pony rides, and more! Saturday Night Lights events have never been so exciting!

Save the Date! - Animal Health Expo

The Animal Health Expo will be held on February 16, from 8 am to 9 pm at The Wellington Club. Learn about products, services, and techinques to help improve your horse's health and well-being. Meet vets and industry experts and get answers for your horse health questions. For more information, please contact melaniepeterson@equestriansport.com or shellie.neubauer@animalhealthinternational.com.

Save the Date! - FTI WEF 5 Ride & Learn presented by Palm Beach Riding Academy

Champion hunter rider Sandy Ferrell will be conducting a clinic on "Developing Confidence in Your Young Hunter" on Tuesday, February 5 at 3:00 pm in the Eugene R. Mische Grand Hunter Ring. The fence height will be 2'6'' and the session is priced at $100.00 per horse and rider. If you are interested please call Sean Jones at 561-784-4275 or e-mail at sean@equestriansport.com.

Week Three Wrap-Up: Brianne Goutal and Onira Triumph in $50,000 CSI 2* Grand Prix at The Stadium at PBIEC

Week three of the FTI Consulting Winter Equestrian Festival (FTI WEF) concluded with an exciting $50,000 CSI 2* Grand Prix on Sunday afternoon held on the grass derby field at The Stadium at The Palm Beach International Equestrian Center (PBIEC). The class saw a win for U.S. rider Brianne Goutal and Remarkable Farms LP's Onira in a four-horse jump-off. Todd Minikus (USA) and Macoemba finished second, Laura Kraut (USA) and A. Lebon's Jubilee d'Ouilly were third, and Luis Larrazabal (VEN) aboard Anabel Simon's G&C Sacramento placed fourth.

Uliano Vezzani of Italy was the course designer for week three's international show jumping competition in Wellington. In Sunday's $50,000 CSI 2* Grand Prix, Vezzani set the track on the beautiful grass field for 46 competitors and only four were able to clear the course without fault. The bogey fence, a tall wavy-plank vertical off of a tight left-hand turn came down for the majority of competitors, but there were many other rails around the course as well.

Jumping off, Laura Kraut and Jubilee d'Ouilly were the first pair to attempt the short course for the tie breaker and had that bogey fence down (although the top rail had been replaced with a straight pole) for four faults in 36.01 seconds and earned the third place honors. Luis Larrazabal and G&C Sacramento were up next and made it to the last fence on course before dropping a rail for four faults in 38.90 seconds, which placed the duo in fourth. Todd Minikus and Macoemba followed and went for the clear round in a slower pace of 40.60 seconds, which eventually finished second. Last to go, the pressure was on for Brianne Goutal and Onira to go clear and fast. They jumped without fault and galloped through the timers in 38.96 seconds for the win.

Seventeen-year-old Onira, a KWPN gelding by Nimmerdor x Ramiro, is a longtime experienced partner for Goutal. The pair has earned many wins together around the world over the past 11 years and the rider knew that she could count on her horse to give it his all this afternoon.

"Onira has jumped incredibly all year," Goutal stated following her victory. "This is a great way to start the season for him in his first big class out. We have gone through a lot together, so it is great."

"I had a lot of firsts with him," the rider detailed. "First junior jumpers, first equitation finals win, first prix de states, first nations cup, first win down here now, so no complaints from me."

Commenting on the course, Goutal acknowledged, "I really liked it. I didn't think it was going to be quite as hard as it ended up. I thought we would have between six and eight clear at least, but there were a few points of the course that really got people. That wavy plank was very difficult to jump clean. You kind of had to be right in the right place and the horse could not go in one direction even half a millimeter. The triple caught a lot of people as well. I think you saw faults everywhere, which is the kind of course that I like, not just in one place."

Goutal has had a great year with many top placings for her horses and is now off to a great start for the winter circuit. She remarked, "It has been really good year. My horses are all going really well. I have a great team of people with me and a great group of horses as well. It seems that everything has kind of aligned for me just not to mess it up so much. For the moment everything is going better than planned."

The top riders discussed jumping their horses on the field at The Stadium at PBIEC. For Goutal, Onira has always loved the grass, but she admits that some horses like it better than others. Second place finisher, Todd Minikus, shared his opinion as well.

"I think it is an excellent venue and it is a nice change for the horses," Minikus noted. "The fact of the matter is we start to think about jumping on the grass as a little bit prehistoric because we get so accustomed to jumping on the all-weather footing, but this held up quite nicely for the many horses that went around."

Macoemba did very well on the grass and Minikus was proud of his rounds. The horse is just nine years old and relatively new to this level of competition.

"He really had no experience before I got him, so he has come a long way since May," Minikus admitted. "He has done some nice things. We had some bumps through the summer, but down here he was second in the World Cup class at Holiday and Horses and he won one of the smaller grand prix and jumped nice here today."

Goutal knew Macoemba previously and spoke about his improvement with Minikus. "I think that to say that Todd has transformed that horse is an understatement," Goutal recognized. "It is amazing what he has done with him."

Minikus missed some time showing at the FTI WEF in the last couple of years due to illness and injury, but is coming back strong and attempting to get some top horses again.

"It is a tough game," he declared. "We get a little casual about (WEF) I think, but I don't care what anybody says, this is the toughest competition that there is in the world, week in and week out. To have horses that jump here, those are good horses and they are hard to come by. Brianne's horse and that horse that Laura is riding; we are like 'Oh yeah, just a little class over on the field this weekend,' but look at the list of people and horses! We get a little complacent, but I think it is a big deal."

Laura Kraut's third place mount, Jubilee d'Ouilly, is a very experienced 16-year-old mare that Kraut just started riding this season when the horse's previous rider in Europe got injured. Kraut appreciates the significance of getting great horses and hopes to keep the ride as long as possible.

"The owner is really excited about her success so far and I think she is a great addition to my string," Kraut said. "She is 16 years old, but she acts like a six-year-old. I just like her. She is a spicy mare. She is really brave and really experienced. Any one of the three of us sitting here would enjoy riding her. She is just so experienced; it is nice to walk on the field and know that she is not going to be green or strange about anything. She tries so hard."

Hunter Results: Thursday through Sunday

Sons Souci and Havens Schatt earned championship honors in the Equine Tack & Nutritionals First Year Green Hunter division during week three of the FTI Consulting Winter Equestrian Festival (FTI WEF). This will be the third week one of Schatt's mounts has collected championship titles. Caroline Moran's Bacardi, ridden and trained by Schatt, has been division champion weeks one and two at the FTI WEF. Schatt and Sons Souci, a ten-year-old Warmblood mare owned by CH Farm LLC, earned high scores over two days of competition both over fences and under saddle. The pair was second and seventh over fences and second under saddle on day one, followed by first and third places over fences on day two of competition for the division.

Reserve champion of the division was Mythical, ridden by Kelley Farmer and owned by David Glefke and Dr. and Mrs. Kenneth Garber. Farmer and Mythical were first and third over fences day one before placing second in the over fences stake round on day two.  

Samba and Jessica Ungerer were awarded championship honors for the Adult Amateur 18-35 Hunter division during week three of the FTI WEF. Ungerer and her eight-year-old German Warmblood gelding are trained by Robert Bielefield and Jeff Ayres. The pair won both over fences classes during day one of competition for the division and were second and fourth over fences before winning the under saddle class on day two.

Reserve champion was Charity Durgan and Fit to Print Farm's Lead Story. Durgan and Lead Story were third in both over fences classes during day one of competition. The pair took home two blue ribbons during day two over fences, followed by a third place finish in the under saddle class.

Way Cool and Victoria Colvin were named champions of the Antar�s Large Junior 15 and Under Hunter division during week three of competition for the FTI WEF. Colvin and "Coolie," an eleven-year-old Hanoverian gelding, were first in one over fences round during day one of competition for the division. On day two, the pair won another over fences class before placing third under saddle.

Reserve champion was Statement and Lili Hymowitz. Hymowitz piloted her seven-year-old Westphalian gelding to fourth and first places over fences on day one, followed by seventh and second place ribbons over fences and sixth under saddle on day two. Hymowitz also took home Rider/Owner Championship honors for the division.

Lili Hymowitz dominated the Voltaire Design Large Pony Hunter division on the last day of competition for week three of the FTI Consulting Winter Equestrian Festival (FTI WEF). Hymowitz was champion of the division with Scott Stewart's Westside, a ten-year-old Warmblood gelding. The pair won both over fences rounds on day one of competition for the division and placed second under saddle. On day two, Westside and Hymowitz placed first and third over fences.

Enjoy the Laughter, Hymowitz's eight-year-old German Riding Pony, took home the reserve championship title. Hymowitz and Enjoy the Laughter won the under saddle class and jumped to two second places on day one before earning fifth and second place ribbons over fences on day two. The duo was also named Rider/Owner Champion for the division.

For full results, please visit www.showgroundslive.com.

Week 3 Classic winners:

$10,000 Griffis Group High Junior Jumpers -Gabriela Mershad and Caprilli HSF

$10,000 Hollow Creek Farm Medium Junior Jumpers -Victoria Colvn and Atessa BLH
$10,000 Westwind Realty Adult Jumpers 18-35 - Leigh Cofer and Camera Ready
$10,000 Martha Jolicoeur Adult 36-49 Jumpers - Vicki Lowell and Tippitoo
$10,000 Charles Owen Low Amateur-Owner Jumpers - Rafael Jose Contreras and Valeino
$10,000 Maria Mendelsohn Low Junior Jumpers - Victoria Colvin and Waikiki
$10,000 Horseware Don Little Masters - Betty Beyers and Wish Bridge
$10,000 Animo USA Medium/Amateur-Owner Jumpers - Tori Corts and Rockstar

EnTrust Children's Jumper 14 & Under - Clarissa Chumaceiro and Medium Platiere

FarmVet Adult Modified Jumpers - Victoria Manger and Charakter

EnTrust Children's Jumper 15-17 - Hayley Geraine and Martini

Children's Modified Jumpers - Cloe Hymowitz and Glen Mentino

Paddock Cake Low Adult Jumper 18-35 - Kristen Landino and Diamond Chill

Paddock Cakes Low Adult Jumper 36 & Over - Niki McCardle and Hoolie Hoo

Come visit us today!

Week Three Wrap-Up: Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation Team Tops 4th Annual FTI Consulting Great Charity Challenge Presented by Fidelity Investments�

Riders Darragh Kenny, Catherine Pasmore, and Meg O'Mara were the winning team of the fourth annual FTI Consulting Great Charity Challenge presented by Fidelity Investments� (FTI GCC) on behalf of their charity JDRF (the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation) on Saturday evening at the FTI Consulting Winter Equestrian Festival (FTI WEF). Sponsored by Jessie Pasmore and Martha Jolicoeur and corporate sponsor Stone Hill Farm, the three riders made up the top team of the night over 33 other pro-am teams representing Palm Beach County charities.

A signature event of the twelve-week FTI Consulting Winter Equestrian Festival, this year's FTI GCC will distribute approximately $1.5 million to the 34 lucky Palm Beach County charities that were chosen at random to be represented in the pro-am team relay competition. Each team was made up of junior and amateur riders competing side by side with top professionals.

A crowd of over 5,000 spectators came out to enjoy the family fun event as part of the "Saturday Night Lights" series. The JDRF (Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation) was the winning team of the night with riders Meg O'Mara, Catherine Pasmore, and Darragh Kenny. O'Mara did have one rail down, but the trio's speedy trips made up for it and their time of 92.361 seconds won the top prize of $150,000 for their charity.

Coming in second was College for Kids - Take Stock in Children, sponsored by the Mirabal Family and G&C Farm as well as corporate sponsor Palm Beach Illustrated. The team consisted of three Venezuelan riders from G&C Farm, including youngest rider Maria Emilia Chapellin Mirabal, Carolina Chapellin Mirabal and professional Luis Fernando Larrazabal with a combined time of 93.248 seconds to earn $125,000.

The first of three wild card charities drawn at the during the night, the Junior League of the Palm Beaches finished third and won $100,000. The team, made up of Perla Boord, Lillie Keenan, and David Blake, was sponsored by Pine Hollow Farm and corporate sponsor Gut Einhaus. They finished with a time of 93.998 seconds overall.

As the professional representative for the JDRF team, Irish rider Darragh Kenny (who turns 25 on Thursday) was thrilled to be competing in the event for the first time. Kenny is known for his speed, and rode the same horse Vanotrouska, owned by Megan Bifano, that he showed in week one's $55,000 Nespresso Battle of the Sexes.

Commenting on the night, Kenny smiled, "It was fantastic. It is a great atmosphere. I think it is a really good thing that they have here and it is for a great cause. I have never ridden for charity before but I think it is great to have the chance to do that. It is enjoyable for everybody and it is nice that we are giving back to something as well. I would for sure do this again in the future."

When asked what advice he gave his teammates for the night, Kenny stated simply, "I just told them to win. There was no plan, just go as fast as you can and leave the jumps up."

Catherine Pasmore (20) was riding her veteran mount My Boy and was even more excited to ride for her randomly matched charity due to a personal connection to the JDRF. Pasmore's uncle was diagnosed with juvenile diabetes and passed away at a young age. The connection gave Pasmore extra inspiration.

"It is personal to me," she stated. "Obviously all charities are a great cause, but riding for something that hits so close to home was very exciting. It gave me the extra drive to really go for it."

Pasmore also enjoyed the camaraderie of the evening. "It is just a really fun class," she declared. "We get to come out and work as a team and I think we all definitely pulled our weight; it was exciting."

Eighteen-year-old Meg O'Mara echoed her teammates' sentiments and explained that this was her first time even seeing the class let alone competing in it.

"I definitely was lucky to be able to watch all 24 teams before me because I didn't really know how it went," O'Mara noted. "I had a really fast horse, so I was happy about that."

O'Mara showed Mavis Spencer's Valencia in the class. She noted, "It was really fun. I would definitely do it every other year. This was my first type of team experience."

Lora Hazelwood, Executive Director for JDRF, the greater Palm Beach County Chapter, was on hand to accept the $150,000 check for her great cause and cheer on the team. Hazelwood explained that this was the JDRF's fourth year trying to get in to the FTI GCC.

"The first year we were too late when we applied," Hazelwood admitted. "The first and second year that we did get in for the lottery we (weren't chosen from the random draw). This year was our third year (being eligible) and we thought that three times would be the charm, but we had no expectation. We would have been thrilled with just $10,000. We are just completely overwhelmed."

"It means a tremendous amount to win," Hazelwood added. "This is a lot of money for any non-profit organization, especially coming off of a recession. This is the most exciting thing that has happened to us in a number of years. We were really pleased to learn that our team sponsor, Jessie Pasmore, has a personal connection to type-1 diabetes and we were not even aware of that. The teams are just randomly assigned, so we think there was some serendipity; there is no such thing as coincidence. We thought that was amazing."

Full results and more information on the competition and winning charities of the 2013 FTI GCC will be available soon. For more information, visit www.ftigreatcharitychallenge.com.

Jumper Results:
Wednesday through Saturday

Week three of the FTI Consulting Winter Equestrian Festival began with the $8,000 G&C Farm 1.45m speed class on Wednesday morning at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center. The win went to Olympic gold medalist Peter Wylde (USA) aboard Windward Farm and Jessica Suida's Zidane, a nine-year-old KWPN gelding by Sam R x Cantos.

The course designer in the International Arena for week three competition was Uliano Vezzani of Italy. Vezzani set the track for twenty-nine entries in the $8,000 G&C Farm 1.45m speed class and saw 13 clear rounds. The fastest of those rounds belonged to Peter Wylde and Zidane in a time of 65.599 seconds.

Canada's Ian Millar and Dixson, owned by Ariel and Susan Grange, finished second to Wylde and Zidane in 67.123 seconds. Karen Polle (USA) and With Wings placed third with their time of 67.779 seconds. From Great Britain, Ben Maher and Dolores, owned by Mrs. Wang, were fourth in 68.175 seconds and Tim Gredley finished fifth in 68.326 seconds with Unex Competition Yard's Unex Omelli.

Also showing on Wednesday, Maria Schaub and Bonnie Smith's Tuya had the fastest of 15 clear rounds out of 61 entries in the $6,000 Spy Coast Farm 1.40m speed class for a win. In the $6,000 Spy Coast Farm 1.40m jump-off class, Ben Maher and Mrs. Phillips' Quiet Easy 4 wrapped up the day with victory in a class of 68 entries with 17 jumping off and five double clear rounds.

Renowned show jumper Katie Monahan-Prudent guided Michael Smith's V to victory in Thursday's $33,000 Ruby et Violette WEF Challenge Cup Round 3. The seasoned veteran topped young U.S. competitors Kristen Vanderveen (23) aboard Bull Run's Eternal and Lauren Tibso aboard Tequestrian Farms' Roundthorn Madios (28) who finished second and third respectively.

In Thursday's $33,000 Ruby et Violette WEF Challenge Cup Round 3, Vezzani saw 58 competitors with 13 advancing to the jump-off. Over the short course, only five riders were able to clear the track without fault. Katie Monahan-Prudent and V, an 11-year-old KWPN gelding by Landstreicher x Lennard, raced through the course in 34.99 seconds for the win.

Kristen Vanderveen (USA) and Bull Run's Eternal finished in 35.36 seconds for the second place prize. Lauren Tisbo (USA) and Roundthorn Madios stopped the clock in 35.86 seconds to place third. Great Britain's Tim Gredley and Unex Omega Star, owned by Unex Competition Yard, were fourth in 35.87 seconds, and Fernando Cardenas (USA) and Quincy Car placed fifth in 36.01 seconds. Peter Wylde (USA) and The Wannahave Group's Sandor de la Pomme had the fastest round of the day in 33.32 seconds, but a rail at the last fence put them into sixth place.

Twenty-one -year-old Alise Oken and Hi Hopes Farm, LLC's Teirra kicked off Friday's competition with a win in the $2,500 RCG Farm High Amateur-Owner Jumper Power and Speed class in the International Arena at PBIEC. Oken and Teirra were clear in both the power and speed rounds with the fastest time of 28.990 seconds to win the class.

Sophie Morner was the only other rider to clear both rounds aboard Lovsta Stuteri's Nichebourg and finished second with her time of 29.350 seconds. Bhaskar Dasgupta and Zinesse had four faults in the speed phase in 30.887 seconds to place third.

Also showing in the International Arena on Friday, Laura Chapot and Bradberry continued their consistent performance in the $6,000 Spy Coast Farm 1.40m Speed Challenge classes. The duo placed second in the class during week one, won it during week two, and repeated their victory during this third week of competition. In the $6,000 Spy Coast Farm 1.40m jump-off class, Eric Lamaze and Wang Chung M2S, owned by Morningside Stud and Torrey Pines Stable, wrapped up the day with a victory.

The highlight of Saturday's afternoon session in the International Arena at PBIEC was the $25,000 Suncast� 1.50m Championship Jumper Classic with 28 entries competing. In an exciting eight-horse jump-off, Peter Wylde and The Wannahave Group's Wannahave were victorious by three-tenths of a second with the fastest of six double clear rounds in 35.512 seconds. The ten-year-old KWPN gelding by Manhattan x G. Ramiro Z is a new mount for Wylde since his recent collaboration with North Run trainers Missy Clark and John Brennan, and he is excited to have the ride.

Wannahave's previous rider, Darragh Kenny, finished second and third aboard two of his new mounts. Kenny finished second riding Samantha Tuerk's Watch Me VD Mangelaar in 35.815 seconds and also took third place honors with Mavis Spencer's Valentino in a time of 36.673 seconds. Leslie Howard and Jane Clark's Tic-Tac finished fourth in 37.020 seconds. Ben Maher and Dolores, owned by Mrs. Wang, finished fifth in 37.784 seconds. Athina Onassis de Miranda placed sixth with a time of 41.268 seconds aboard AD Welcome du Petit Vivier, owned by the rider along with Victory Equestrian.