FEI News
FEI Press News 30/04 - 13 October 2004
By Muriel Faienza
Oct 14, 2004

- FEI Executive Board Meeting
- FEI World Cup Western European League opens in Oslo
- Samsung Nations Cup Series update
- FEI Dressage World Cup update (Canadian and Central European Leagues)
- FEI World Endurance Championsip in Dubai
- FEI World Reining Masters, Luis Orizondo will represent the Dominican Republic in the Final
- In Memoriam: death of Olympic horse Royal Kaliber

FEI EXECUTIVE BOARD MEETING

The Executive Board met on 5 and 6 October 2004 in London. The main topics of the discussions were the following:

- FEI Temporary Committee
The 2nd Vice President Leopoldo Palacios (VEN) asked the Executive Board to release him from his function as member of the Temporary Committee which had been created to investigate the injuries of three Jumping horses during the Athens Olympic Games since he felt that the Committee should remain completely independent from any body or function. He said that he would provide all information which was in his possession and would be available to the Committee in an advisory capacity. The Board members agreed to the request and thanked the 2nd Vice President for the assistance he had provided to the Committee to date.

- 2008 Olympic Games Beijing - Report on visit
Following a report on the recent visit of the FEI mission to Beijing the Board agreed that they would try to hold their January 2005 meeting in Beijing so as to use this opportunity to meet with BOCOG representatives in order to clarify the various aspects of the preparation of the equestrian competitions at the 2008 Olympic Games.

- 2010 FEI World Equestrian Games (WEG)
Following the request from all three candidates for the 2010 WEG, Kentucky (USA), Basse-Normandie (FRA) and Abu Dhabi/Dubai/Sharjah (UAE), the Executive Board decided to postpone the deadline for submitting the complete bids until 15 November 2004. The Board members then specified the basic conditions for the bids.

- South American Dressage Championship
The Executive Board confirmed the change of location of the 2004 South American Dressage Championship for Seniors, Young Riders, Juniors and Children. The Championship will be held in the Haras Del Capricho, Buenos Aires (ARG) from 17 to 20 November 2004.

- Commercial matters
The Commercial Director gave a report on the progress his Division had achieved so far and on the various projects which were currently in process. A detailed report would be presented to the Bureau at its November meeting in Buenos Aires.

- Paralympic Games
The Executive Board members expressed their satisfaction with the very positive reports received from various sources on the equestrian competitions at the 2004 Paralympic Games. The impressive camaraderie of the riders was found particularly touching and was given as an example of sportsmanship.

- Spruce Meadows OC presentation
The Spruce Meadows OC representatives gave a very interesting presentation on their remarkable and extremely successful Jumping competitions which they had started organising over 30 years ago. With the increasing number of events all over the world the OC was facing a serious problem with regard to date clashes and was seeking date protection, in particular for their CSIO 5*. The Executive Board members felt that all efforts should be made to assist Spruce Meadows in finding a solution.

The next meeting will be held on 14 November 2004 in Buenos Aires, the day preceding the Bureau meeting.

FEI WORLD CUP JUMPING WIM WINS OSLO OPENER

Dutch rider Wim Schroder galloped to victory in the opening leg of the 2004/2005 FEI World Cup Jumping series (Western European League) in Oslo last Sunday riding Eurocommerce Montreal.

It was no easy win as a total of 18 of the 38 starters qualified for the jump-off which was consequently fast and furious with the lead changing rapidly throughout. The show was staged in the Spektrum Stadium in the centre of Oslo and 8,000 spectators enjoyed the competition while a total of 21,000 people attended the ever-improving three-day indoor fixture.

Norwegian course designer Anders Hofskjolds had a difficult week as his computer laptop was stolen at the showgrounds on Thursday so he had no access to his prepared course-plans. The track he set for Sunday's competition seemed almost too easy with so many first-round clears but Wim insisted afterwards that it was trickier than it appeared "horses can be a bit rusty at the first big indoor show so the course-builder has to be careful about that. However some of the riders who got through to the jump-off today were a bit lucky actually!" he said. Olympic silver medallist Rodrigo Pessoa was first to jump against the clock but 17 faults from Harry Potter left the door wide open for the rest.

Robert Splaine set the first real target when next into the ring with Coolcorron Cool Diamond but was taking no chances when going for a careful clear in 37.57 as this was the stallions's first big show for 14 months.

Fifth to take up the challenge was Germany's Christian Ahlmann and the mare Comtessa who went into the lead when shaving 0.6 off the Irishman's time. However Switzerland's Steve Guerdat immediately bettered that when crossing the line with Isovlas Orchidee almost a second quicker.

Frenchmen Edouard Couperie (Pro Pilot 11) and Philippe Leoni (Cyrenaika FRH) both left all the fences standing as did Denmark's Thomas Velin and Godsend du Revendy but without threatening the leader and Guerdat was looking good until Wim cantered into the ring. Scorching round the track, the 33 year old Dutchman stopped the clock in 34.71 and the rest could not catch him.

Germany's Otto Becker slotted into second spot with Dobel's Cordina who clocked up a good time of 35.16 seconds when second-last to go while Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum finished third with Checkmate ahead of Guerdat in fourth and Wim Schroder's younger brother Gerco in fifth with Eurocommerce Montreal.

It was a lucrative weekend for the Schroder family as Gerco, who picked up 7,000 euro for today's effort, had already collected 10,000 euro when winning yesterday's Grand Prix with Eurocommerce Lanapoule while Wim pocketed 25,000 euro for today's successful outing. He now plans to compete in Helsinki next Sunday – "I need to do well there too because there are quite a few Dutch riders who want to compete in the World Cup series and we only get two places at each event so I need to get my points quickly so that I can get to Las Vegas" he said.

RESULT: 1, Eurocommerce Montreal (Wim Schroder) Ned 0/0 34.71; 2, Dobel's Cordina (Otto Becker) Ger 0/0 35.18; 3, Check Mate (Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum) Ger 0/0 35.30; 4, Isovlas Orchidee (Steve Guerdat) Sui 0/0 35.47; 5, Eurocommerce Monaco (Gerco Schroder) Ned 0/0 36.29; 6, Swanky (Marco Kutscher) Ger 0/0 36.70; 7, Pro Pilot 11 (Edouard Couperie) Fra 0/0 36.87; 8, Comtessa (Christian Ahlmann) Ger 0/0 37.51; 9, Coolcorron Cool Diamond (Robert Splaine) Irl 0/0 37.57;10, Cyrenaika FRH (Philippe Leoni) Fra 0/0 38.72; 11, Godsend du Revendy (Thomas Velin) Den 0/0 38.87; 12, Corino (Bernardo Alves) Bra 0/4 34.51; 13, Classic H (Helena Persson) Swe 0/4 35.82; 14, Hofgut Liederbach's Ingmar (Pia-Luise Aufrecht) Ger 0/4 36.86; 15, Andante (Tina Lund) Den 0/4 37.60; 16, S+L 11th and Bleeker (Gerfried Puck) Aut 0/8 36.56; 17, VDL Cardento (Peter Eriksson) Swe 0/8 37.57; 18, Harry Potter (Rodrigo Pessoa) Bra 0/17 51.58; 19, VDL Groep Eve des Etisses (Hubert Bourdy) Fra 1 flt 74.36; equal 20, Semtex P (Jose Alfredo Hernandez) Mex, Rubezahl (Alvaro Munoz Escassi) Esp, Mac Kinley (Rolf Goran Bengtsson) Swe, Warrior W (Marc Wirths) Ger, Sails Away (Sebastian Numminen) Fin, L'Accorde (Christian Anfinnsen) Nor, Kira (Ludo Philippaerts) Bel, Nottingham (Schuyler Riley) USA 4 flts; 28, VDL Groep Think Twice (Leopold Van Asten) Ned 6 flts; equal 29, Indigo (Beat Mandli) Sui, Galant de Semilly (Jos Lansink) Bel, Joskin (Marcela Lobo) Mex, Katerina (Clare Bronfman) USA, Clear Rounds Than Party (Geir Gulliksen) Nor, Favoritas (Nina B Johnsen) Nor 8 flts; equal 35, Florie du Moulin (James Davenport) Gbr, ET Royal Volo (Tony Andre Hansen) Nor 12 flts; 37, Gimini (Kirsti Svaboe) Nor Elim; 38, Anka (Marcus Ehning) Ger Ret.

FEI WORLD CUP JUMPING 2004/2005 –
LEADERBOARD AFTER ROUND 1 AT OSLO:
Wim Schroder – 20
Otto Becker – 17
Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum – 15
Steve Guerdat – 13
Gerco Schroder – 12

The second leg of the FEI World Cup 2004/005 series takes place in Helsinki, Finland on Sunday 17 October and the contact details are as follows: Show Director is Tom Gordin, Show Secretary is Hanna Hurme - email hanna.hurme@helsinkihorseshow.fi and Press Officer is Kati Hurme-Leikkonen Tel. (mobile) ++358 40 5144753,
email kati.l.hurme@kolumbus.fi; Website: www.helsinkihorseshow.fi

SAMSUNG NATIONS CUP SERIES
SWEDEN AND SWITZERLAND FIGHT FOR SUPER LEAGUE STARTING PLACE

The penultimate leg of the Samsung Nations Cup Series took place last Friday 8 October in Athens (GER). Riders from 17 countries participated, among which 11 with a team. The event took place at the Olympic stadium of Markopoulo, and saw the participation of the two contenders for the Super League status: Sweden and Switzerland.

Ireland won the Samsung Nations Cup of Greece, after a jump-off against Sweden. It was the third time that the Irish team was victorious at the CSIO of the Hellenic capital after 1998 and 1999. The Irish team composed of Peter Smyth/Zara Pride, Shane Breen/World Cruise, Gerry Flynn, Bornacoola and Conor Swail Conduct, concluded the competition on 16 points, as did the determined Swedish Team. The technical course was built by Uliano Vezzani.

Gerry Flynn, who was the only Irish to go clear in both rounds, was sent to the Jump-off against Svante Johnasson, who had scored the only double clear of the Swedish team on Nostradamus 972. The Irish pair went clear on 40.12 seconds. Johnasson gave everything possible to beat the time set by the Flynn and finished on only 39.48 seconds, but had two rails down.

Switzerland finished 3rd with 20 points in total, ahead of Hungary (22) and Germany (28).

The host team had a marvellous first round with only 4 faults which brought them to second position. Petris, Mytilineou and Athanasiades were the three riders to return for the second round. To the disappointment of the spectators, the Greek team collapsed and scored 32 penalties to finish overall 7th. Italy, Turkey and Croatia did not qualify for the second round.

Before the last event of the Series, which will be held in Buenos Aires (ARG) on Friday 12 November, Sweden leads the standings with 44 points, ahead of Switzerland on 43 points. The winner of the Series will be promoted to the Samsung Super League status for 2005, replacing Italy, which was relegated after the last event of the Series in Barcelona (ESP) last month.

Both Switzerland and Sweden will compete in Buenos Aires, along with Italy Brazil, Mexico, Uruguay, Chile and Argentina.

The Swedish Equestrian Federation will do its utmost to reclaim their Super League status (they were the ones to be relegated at the end of the 2003 season). Rolf-Göran Bengtsson and Peder Fredricson from the Olympic bronze winning team, Helena Persson Olympic reserve and Svante Johansson will make the trip to South America. According to Chef d'Equipe Rolf Grass, the Swiss selection includes Niklaus Schurtenberger, Pius Schwizer, Beat Grandjean and Beat Mändli, but the final team will be confirmed in a few weeks.

The last CSIO of the season, which will be held at the Haras del Capricho near Buenos Aires promises to be thrilling. To beat Sweden and finish on top of the Samsung Nations Cup standings, Switzerland must either win (to end up with a total of 46 points) or be second to any other team than Sweden. By finishing second, the Swiss would end up with the same total as Sweden (44 points), but would win on the number of first place classifications, which serves as tie break for the promotion to Super League status. Sweden won in Drammen (NOR), Falsterbo (SWE) and Bratislava (SVK), while Switzerland was victorious in Ypäjä (FIN), Keckskemet (HUN), Poderbrady (CZE) and Zagreb (CRO).

Press contact CSIO Buenos Aires
Romina Mendez, Marketing Director El Capricho 2004 CSIO-W
Telephone: 0054911 56906994, email: rmendez@rominamendez.com.ar


FEI WORLD CUP DRESSAGE
Canadian League

After 15 events part of the Canadian League, the final standings are now available on the FEI website dressage section (direct link
http://62.2.231.126/PDFS/D/03_03/D_04_WC_can.pdf

The Top 5 riders of standings will compete at the League Final which will be held in the frame of the Royal Winter Fair in Toronto from in November 2004. The best 5 will compete in the Grand Prix and the top 4 of the Grand Prix will compete in the Freestyle Final. Toronto will also host a leg of the World Cup Jumping.

FEI World Cup Dressage
Canadian League Final standings (8 October)

1) Quantum Tyme /Evi Strasser (PQ) 70 pts
2) Gran Gesto/Jacqueline Brooks (ON) 62 pts
3) Proton/Cynthia Ishoy (ON) 31 pts
4) Korona/Shannon Dueck (FL) 29 pts
5) Mark/Leslie Reid (BC) 20 pts
Wholio/Jonathon Costin (ON) 4.5 pts

Central European League

Kaposvar (HUN) will be the last event of the Central European League before the Final to be held held in Warsaw (POL) from 17 to 20 March. The Hungarian CDI-W will take place next week-end fron 15 to 17 October.2005.

Tatiana Yanson (RUS) is leading the standings of the World Cup Central European League on 38 points, closely followed by Iryna Lis (BLR) on 37 points. Tatyana Sleptzova (RUS) is third with 35 points. The complete standings are published on the FEI website www.horsesport.org.

So far 31 riders from nine different nations have participated to the League.

2004 WORLD ENDURANCE CHAMPIONSHIP
DUBAI (UAE), 27 January 2005

The United Emirates Equestrian Federation informed the FEI that the website for the Dubai Championship will officially be open on 1 November 2004.

For more information on the championship and press accreditation, please contact: sue@emiratesendurance.com
fax 0097 1 43 30 00 70

FEI WORLD REINING MASTERS SERIES PRESENTED BY NETJETS:
DOMINICAN REPUBLIC ANNOUNCES CHANGE

Luis Orizondo, and not Hector Luis Lahoz, will represent the Dominican Republic in the FEI World Reining Masters Finals presented by NetJets, which will be held in Oklahoma City on 2 December 2004.

Orizondo is a veterinarian from Santo Domingo and two years ago, with a small group of friends, he started the Dominican Association for Reining, of which he still is the chairman. Orizondo is also a member of the Dominican Equestrian Federation and serves on the Executive Committee in the Reining department.

Orizondo will be joining the following riders in the FEI World Reining Masters Finals:

- Austria: Rudi Kronsteiner
- Belgium: Ann Poels
- Canada: Francois Gauthier - Cody Sapergia
- Dominican Republic: Luis Orizondo
- Germany: Volker Schmitt - Steffen Breug
- Great Britain: Doug Allen – Francesca Sternberg
- Israel: Shai Kaneti
- Italy : Aldo Lorenzoni - Dario Carmignani
- Netherlands: Rieky Young
- Switzerland: Kraehenbuehl
- Sweden: Fredrik Thomsson
- USA : Todd Crawford - Todd Sommers

The FEI World Reining Masters Series is organised for the first time this year. The presenting sponsor is NetJets, the world's leading provider of fractional aircraft ownership. NetJets fractional aircraft ownership allows individuals and companies to buy part of a private jet at a fraction of the cost of whole aircraft ownership, and guarantees availability 7 days a week, 365 days a year. In 2003, the NetJets Europe Fleet and the NetJets US Fleet together flew more than 250,000 flights to more than 145 countries.

Along with NetJets as the presenting sponsor, AQHA, NRHA, RHSF, and Classic S Ranch have generously donated funds to make the FEI World Reining Masters Finals a premier event.

IN MEMORIAM

Royal Kaliber, one of the United States most brilliant horses ever to
compete internationally in show jumping, was euthanised on 8 October 2004 in the Netherlands. He underwent colic surgery for intestinal adhesions on 27 September and had been recovering well until 6 October, when his progress considerably slowed. "More adhesions were found in the intestine that were not repairable" explained Dr Tim Robert, a veterinarian for the US Equestrian Federation team, "we had no choice but do the humane thing and euthanise him." or more information contact Maria Partlow, USEF Head of Media at (502) 777-3459.

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