Lexington, KY – Less than four months before the Opening Ceremonies for the 2012 Championships planning is already well underway. Five disciplines (a total of 9 championships for juniors and young riders) will take part in the only FEI Championship to be held annually in North America. This year the event will run July 17-22, 2012.

Schedule:

The Tentative Competition Schedule for competitors is available here:

http://www.youngriders.org/Schedule.aspx and as soon as the Draft Schedules get

approved by the FEI they will be posted. We have made some changes this year to the schedule, as we are sharing the Kentucky Horse Park with Breyerfest not with the Kentucky Summer Horse Show.

Resources/FAQ:

There is also a Chef’s Manual and other useful information posted on the website, please reference the Team Resources page for more information: http://www.youngriders.org/FAQ.aspx.

Qualifying is of course well underway for most disciplines, it’s a good time to make sure all your FEI numbers are up-to-date and your passport is valid, the Chef’s Manual has some guidelines and information regarding these things.

Discipline Directors here at the USEF will be able to answer technical questions you may have regarding selection and qualifying:

Dressage: Hallye Griffin: hgriffin@usef.org

Eventing: Shealagh Costello scostello@usef.org

Jumping: Jennifer Haydon: jhaydon@usef.org

Reining and Endurance: Vonita Bowers at vbowers@usef.org or Leah Oliveto: loliveto@usef.org.

Hospitality:

If you would like a private table in the Kentucky Club, reserve one early! These were a huge seller in 2011, so buy one before they sell out! This means you will have a shady, dry spot to watch all the action in Rolex Stadium. The order form is on this page: http://www.youngriders.org/documents/forms/NAJYRCHospitalityForm.pdf, and Helen Murray can help answer questions. She can be reached at Helen Murray hmurray@usef.org.

Hotels, Camping, etc:

There is information about the official hotels here: http://www.youngriders.org/Accommodations.aspx, please book early as Breyerfest makes it a busy time. There is always camping available here at the Kentucky Horse Park, contact Christy at the Campground Store, they can book your space for you, and they’re holding some for this event so book early! Phone: 859-259-4857 Website: http://www.kyhorsepark.com/camping-in-the-park

Sponsors:

We are thrilled to have our title and presenting sponsors: Adequan and Gotham North returning with their unwavering support for the program.

Divisional sponsors remain unchanged too:

Dressage: Platinum Performance/US Dressage Federation

Eventing: US Eventing Association

Jumping: US Hunter Jumper Association

Reining: SmartPak

We are looking for a title sponsor for endurance, please be in touch if you would like to be involved in this awesome event.

The Canadian Federation continues to pledge their support, along with numerous sponsors and donors who continue to help make this incredible program possible.

Opportunities to get involved are available; please email Scott Carling at scarling@usef.org for more information.

Vendors:

We anticipate the vendors being set up steps away from the stabling, directly across from the Kentucky Club Hospitality Tent. Don’t miss an opportunity to bring your products to a young, dynamic consumer group. With the addition of Breyerfest, the Park will be full of people during this week. Vendor information is available on the website: http://www.youngriders.org/documents/forms/NAJYRC_Vendor_Form.pdf

Program:

If you would like to advertise in the program, please contact Kim Russell (krussell@usef.org) – good luck ads, thank you’s as well as standard advertisements are all welcome – this is a great souvenir from the event, and every rider, along with spectators, sponsors, officials and staff get one and most hang on to them for a long time. More than just a one-week shot at exposure – these programs are kept for years as everyone involved with the event holds on to them.

Don’t forget to ‘Like’ us on Facebook, we love friends and the more people that know about this program, the better. We’re on Twitter too, so you can follow us there.

ENDS

Please let us know if you have any questions: jmorris@usef.org or 859.225.2052

From: http://www.horsetalk.co.nz/news/2012/03/058.shtml

Horse sport’s governing body had added its support to the Brighton Declaration on Women and Sport, with FEI President Princess Haya signing a formal agreement this week.

FEI President Princess Haya signs the agreement for the adoption of the Brighton Declaration on Women and Sport by the FEI in the company of First Vice-President John McEwen (right) and Second Vice-President Pablo Mayorga (left).

Princess Haya, a vocal advocate for women in sport, signed the agreement for the formal adoption by the FEI of the Brighton Declaration, joining signatories that include the IOC, IPC and numerous International Federations.

The FEI member Federations voted unanimously at the 2011 FEI General Assembly in Rio de Janeiro in support of the FEI becoming a signatory of the Brighton Declaration.

The Brighton Declaration was the result of an international conference on women and sport in Brighton, UK in 1994. It is based on 10 principles: Equity and Equality in Society and Sport; Facilities; School and Junior Sport; Developing Participation; High Performance Sport; Leadership in Sport; Education, Training and Development; Sports Information and Research; Resources; Domestic and International Cooperation.

The document was signed during the FEI Executive Board’s March meeting and Princess Haya, one of only two female International Federation presidents, used the opportunity to comment on the ongoing commitment of both the FEI and the IOC to promoting women in sport.

“Equestrian sport is one of the few Olympic sports in which women compete on equal terms with men. Signing the Brighton Declaration today shows the ongoing commitment of the FEI to equality in our sport”, Princess Haya said.

“The IOC is working hard to have female participation and representation at all levels. The IOC and President Rogge in particular have done so much to promote women in sport and in the Olympic movement, both in the sporting arena itself and on the governance side.

“The Olympic Charter states that sports are a right for everyone and there should be no discrimination in practicing sports on the basis of gender,” Princess Haya said.

“That is central to the FEI ethos and we truly value the fact that our sport is one based on equality. Not only do men and women compete on equal terms, but we also have women serving in senior positions at all levels in our sport.”

Women first competed in Olympic equestrian sport 60 years ago. Denmark’s Lis Hartel, individual silver medalist in Dressage at the 1952 Olympic Games, was one of four female riders competing in Helsinki. The first woman to participate in Olympic Jumping was Pat Smythe (GBR), who won team bronze at the 1956 Olympic Games in Stockholm. Eight years later, Lana du Pont (USA) was the first woman to compete in an Olympic three-day event when she rode in Tokyo in 1964.

In 1976 in Montreal, Barbara Kemp became the first woman to design an Olympic cross-country course. The first woman to design an Olympic Jumping course was Linda Allen, who produced the courses at the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta (USA).

The International Dressage Riders Club may be suspended as an associate member of the FEI, with the FEI Bureau saying the club has an “apparent lack of respect for the fundamental principles of good governance”.

The issue stems from a disagreement over representation on the FEI’s Dressage Committee. Two members of the International Dressage Riders Club (IDRC) – Luis Lucio (ESP) and Maria Ines (COL) – had their membership stripped after they were chosen by their National Federations for the athlete representative post on the Dressage Committee.

The IDRC stated that its Secretary General Wayne Channon had been democratically elected by the IDRC membership to represent the Club on the FEI Dressage Committee and the fact that other candidates were standing against the Club’s chosen candidate was undemocratic and had to be stopped.

The pair, who had joined the IDRC after being nominated for the Dressage Committee by their National Federations, were removed from IDRC membership after the club passed new Statutes at its General Assembly on October 30. The new Statutes allowed the IDRC General Assembly to remove IDRC members without an opportunity to be heard. The new Statutes had not been provided to members in advance of the General Assembly, nor had they been finalised at the time of the General Assembly, the FEI said.

The two expelled members both requested an opportunity to be heard by the IDRC but were rejected. The FEI opposed the actions of the IDRC and invited it several times to reinstate the two members, which the IDRC declined to do each time.

One of the criteria for appointment of the athlete representative to an FEI Technical Committee is that the candidate must be a member of the relevant FEI-recognised international association. By removing the only two candidates standing against the IDRC chosen candidate, the Club stripped the other two candidates of their eligibility. (more…)

Lexington, KY – At the 2011 FEI General Assembly, it was announced that there will be new FEI Pony Tests effective January 1, 2012.

A link to the 2012 tests can be found on the USEF website:

http://www.usef.org/_IFrames/breedsdisciplines/discipline/alldressage/dressagePonies.aspx

The qualifying period for the USEF National Pony Dressage Championship began August 2, 2011 and will end May 28, 2012. The 2012 FEI Pony Team Test and the 2012 FEI Pony Individual Test must be used at qualifying competitions beginning January 1, 2012. A pony/rider combination must complete both the Team and Individual Tests at a designated USEF/NAJYRC Qualifying Competition The calendar of these competitions can be found on the USEF website.

The pony/rider combinations who have submitted an Application of Intent and achieved the minimum number of required scores will be ranked according to these scores. Invitations to the 2012 National Pony Dressage Championships will be based upon this ranking list.

ENDS

The US bid to host the 2018 World Equestrian Games has originated from the Wellington, Florida-based Equestrian Sport Productions, which proposes holding the event at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center.

Equestrian Sport Productions (ESP) sent in its formal Expression of Interest to the FEI via the United States Equestrian Federation. That step is the first towards submitting a bid to host the games.

Seven other countries – Austria, Australia, Canada, Hungary, Morocco, Russia, and Sweden – have registered their interest with the FEI to host the games.

“We are very excited for the bid,” said ESP President Michael Stone.

“We believe it will be a great opportunity for the Village of Wellington, Palm Beach County, and the State of Florida. We believe that working on this bid will help bring ESP-produced events to the next level and will only help increase the quality of our shows and the exposure of equestrian sport.”

USEF CEO John Long said the organisation looked forward to working with Equestrian Sport Productions on the bid. “The support of local and state government will be essential in this effort,” Long said.

“The USEF is looking forward to sharing experiences learned from the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games held in Kentucky just last year.”

Organisers said the world-class equestrian and support facilities in Wellington, and the prestige that Wellington holds in the equestrian world, provide an excellent framework from which to begin a pursuit of the bid for the 2018 FEI World Equestrian Games.

Five women have been honoured with an FEI Award for their contributions to equestrian sport.

The winners of the FEI Awards were named at a ceremony at Rio de Janeiro’s Copacabana Palace Hotel at the end of the FEI’s General Assembly on Monday.

The winners are:

Soraya Ourrais (FRA/MAR) – Development Award

Nina Lamsam Ligon (THA/USA) – HSBC Rising Star Award

Alice Gaillard (FRA) – Best Groom Award

Meg Wade (AUS)- Against All Odds Award

Adelinde Cornelissen (NED)- Reem Acra Best Athlete

FEI President Princess Haya said equestrian sport was one of the only sports in which men and women compete as equals. “But the accomplishments, dedication, determination and courage of our winners really stood out among the many nominations – male and female – that we received. Adelinde, Alice, Nina, Meg and Soraya are an example and an inspiration to the entire equestrian community,” she said.

Soraya Ourrais (FRA/MAR)
Development Award

Soraya won this awards for her enormous contribution to the revival of equestrian sport in Cambodia, where it disappeared in the 1970s in the tragedy of the Khmer Rouge regime.

A Level 1 FEI coach, Soraya trained more than 350 beginners, as well as grooms and Cambodia’s first instructor and judge. In the absence of any equine veterinarians, she travelled to neighbouring countries for advice and technical solutions to recurrent problems and established a network for the provision of medicine and vaccines. She also organised school trips, youth camps and courses to promote equestrianism and was the brain behind Horse Future, a programme that benefits underprivileged children and has provided Cambodia with its national equestrian team.

Best Groom Award
Alice Gaillard (FRA)

Alice’s equestrian adventures began more than 50 years ago at Etrier de Bourgogne, a riding club in Dijon, where, she still grooms nearly every day at the age of 75.

For decades, Alice juggled her job at a mustard manufacturer with grooming at the club and for top Eventing riders Marie-Christine Duroy, Bruno Bouvier and Jean Teulere. Her work with Duroy and Teulere took her to the FEI World Equestrian Games and the Olympic Games.

Alice continues to groom for young athletes such as Astier Nicolas, whom she accompanied to Badminton this year. The riders consider it an honour to work with this emblematic figure of French Eventing.

Against All Odds Award
Meg Wade (AUS)

Until Meg’s fall from her horse at an Australian Endurance race in 2009, she was one of the discipline’s leading international riders. She had competed in 65 160km events and won 25 of them.

Meg’s accident left her with a traumatic brain injury. She remembers nothing of the accident or the six weeks she spent in Canberra hospital. Out of a coma but in Post Traumatic Amnesia, she was airlifted to another hospital for rehab. She spent 255 days there.

In November 2010, Meg rode a horse for the first time since her accident with Riding for the Disabled. A few weeks later, she was riding in her home arena.

Meg’s driving licence was reinstated in January, meaning she can drive to events and ride a quad bike onto courses to monitor the horses that she continues to train and enter into competitions with other riders. In October, she completed a 5km celebrity ride at the Tom Quilty Gold Cup, the Australian National Endurance Championship.

HSBC Rising Star Award
Nina Lamsam Ligon (THA/USA)

Based in the USA, dual national Nina Lamsam Ligon rides for the Kingdom of Thailand.

At the age of 15, Nina rode on the USA junior team at the FEI North American Juniors and Young Riders Championships. Her successes prompted the Thai National Team to invite her to compete with them at the 2007 Southeast Asian Games in Pattaya. As the Thai Eventing team’s youngest and first female rider, she won Individual Gold and contributed to Thailand’s Team Gold win.

Nina’s fourth place at the 2010 Asian Games in Guangzhou led the Thai team to a Silver medal. She has become an inspiration for young riders in Thailand and her success and hard work are significantly contributing to the Thai Equestrian Federation’s leadership efforts to develop Eventing, nationally and throughout Asia.

Reem Acra Best Athlete
Adelinde Cornelissen (NED)

The Reem Acra FEI World Cup Dressage 2010/2011 series proved to be a spectacular season for Adelinde and her powerful chestnut gelding Jerich Parzival. The Dutch duo won all five qualifiers they competed in before dancing to victory to the sound of Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker Suite at the Final in Leipzig.

Success has continued to smile on the talented young Dutchwoman. At the FEI European Dressage Championships in August, she carried off the Individual Freestyle and the Individual Grand Prix Special titles in front of the elated crowd in Rotterdam.

National equestrian federations from around the world have put their hats in the ring to host the 2018 World Equestrian Games.

The FEI has received official expressions of interest from the National Federations of Australia, Canada, Hungary, Morocco, Russia, Sweden, and the USA. The deadline for receipt of signed documentation was midnight CET on Tuesday.

FEI Secretary General Ingmar de Vos said having a record seven federations looking to host WEG 2018 was the best possible endorsement of the FEI’s flagship event.

“It also shows the value of the review that the FEI has commissioned of the bidding process for the FEI World Equestrian Games and FEI European Championships, which is aimed at raising the profile of these events and their associated revenues by creating a competitive, well structured and transparent bid process.”

And the economic rewards of hosting the event will not have been lost on the seven bidders, with a Deloitte study showing the total economic impact of the 2010 games in Kentucky of between $US373 and $US396 million. The FEI-commissioned study revealed a direct economic impact of $233 million and an indirect economic impact of between $140 and $163 million.

Attendances were also up for 2010, with attendance figures of 507,000, and spectator numbers exceeding 40,000 on four separate peak days. Ninety-six percent of local visitors agreed that hosting the event was beneficial to Kentucky, and 74% of international visitors stated that they would be more likely to return to Kentucky as a result of the Games.

The 2010 games were the biggest equestrian event ever staged in the US and the first FEI World Equestrian Games held outside Europe, received the largest block of equestrian programming ever available for viewing in the US market.

More than 38 hours of programming was aired in the US, including over 20 hours of live coverage. US Olympic network NBC broadcast 8.5 hours of coverage, which included a five-hour broadcast on cross country day, 3 October.

The event generated 16 days of live High Definition broadcast coverage, with 66 television channels from around the world airing 1556 broadcasts. About 474 broadcast hours were transmitted, an additional 153 hours, or a 32% increase, when compared with the 2006 games in Aachen.

FEI TV produced 16 days of live internet broadcasts, which included 175 hours of Video on Demand, daily highlight shows and 116 features and interviews.

The FEI World Equestrian Games are held every four years, in the middle of the Olympic cycle. The seven FEI disciplines – Jumping, Dressage and Para-Equestrian Dressage, Eventing, Driving, Endurance, Vaulting and Reining – are all included on the competition schedule.

The inaugural FEI World Equestrian Games were hosted in Stockholm (SWE) in 1990. Since then the Games have been staged in The Hague (NED) in 1994, Rome (ITA) in 1998, Jerez (ESP) in 2002, and Aachen (GER) in 2006. The first Games to be staged outside Europe were in Kentucky (USA) in 2010.

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From Dressage-News.com:

GUADALAJARA, Mexico, Sept. 26–A record 12 national teams will compete in dressage at next month’s Pan American Games , 11 of them seeking to qualify for two places at the 2012 Olympic Games. The United States has already qualified for London. (more…)

A working group consisting of international Dressage judge Katrina Wüst, former Olympian Margit Otto-Crepin and international trainer David Hunt has been created to review Senior tests for 1 January 2013 and other tests for 1 January 2014.

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