Recently reported by dressagedaily.com, Equine Canada and Dressage Canada have decided to require dressage helmets in all levels of competition for 2012.

Ottawa, ON — Equine Canada and Dressage Canada are taking an industry-wide leadership role by requiring all dressage riders to wear helmets in competition. Commencing in 2012, a national rule change will require all riders to wear helmets for all levels of Equine Canada sanctioned dressage competition.

The rule for January 1, 2012 is: SAFETY HEADGEAR
All riders, regardless of age or level or competition, must wear ASTM/SEI or BSI/BS EN approved protective headgear at all times when mounted at any EC-sanctioned Dressage competition at the event location. “I am very proud of our Dressage Committee for taking this step,” said Equine Canada president Michael Gallagher. “I believe we are the first national federation in the world to introduce this rule across all levels, and I can guarantee we will not be the last.”

This change for 2012 is a modification to the rule that was put in place in May 2011 where all riders competing in Fourth Level and below, FEI Young Horse Tests, Material and equitation classes at Bronze, Silver and Gold shows had to wear helmets. This rule also included non-competing riders as well.

“Helmet use is an important step and component in the safety for all our members,” said John Harris, chair of Equine Canada Board’s Task Force on Safety. “In 2012 Equine Canada will launch a safety audit across the entire organization to examine and identify best practices for safety. The well-being of our members needs to always be the primary concern of the organization.”

“I am thrilled that Canada is promoting the use of helmets,” said Canadian Olympian Ashley Holzer, who routinely wears helmets during competition. “Helmets prevent head injuries, and I feel a rule that promotes the safety of its riders is a great rule.”

“Riders4Helmets is delighted that Equine Canada is demonstrating that riders safety comes before tradition by implementing helmet rule changes in dressage shows at all level,” said Lyndsey White, co-founder www.riders4helmets.com. “Courtney King-Dye’s accident showed that safety has nothing to do with level of skill. Any rider can suffer a traumatic brain injury—even an Olympian. Equine Canada should be congratulated on taking this monumental step.”

Most of the feedback received by the Dressage Canada Rules Committee on the subject of helmet safety was in favour of riders wearing approved helmets in competition. This rule change came after an open, democratic process, in which all Canadian dressage riders had a chance to express their views to the proposal.

The requirement of helmets in dressage competition after the tragic King Dye accident has been growing in many notable countries recently. With this decision Canada will become the first nation in the world to require dressage helmets in all levels of competition.

In July and August, Rotterdam will be the Equestrian Capital of Europe hosting two top equestrian events: the FEI European Dressage Championships and CHIO Rotterdam. To create a more equestrian feel, 25 life-sized models of real horses will be located around the city centre of Rotterdam. The horses will be painted and decorated by local artists and students and will be used for several activities this summer. The organizing committee for the EC and the Rotterdam City Government strongly believe this initiative connects equestrian sports, art and culture.

“At least for a short period Rotterdam will be the Equestrian Capital of Europe,” says Frans Lavooij, president of the Organizing Committee. “The FEI EC Dressage directly followed by the 63rd edition of the CHIO Rotterdam will bring the whole equestrian world to Rotterdam. This is a nice way to profile these major events in our City linking sports, art and culture.”

About FEI European Dressage Championships 2011

From August 17th until 21st 2011, the FEI European Dressage Championships take place. It will be an important competition as this is a Pre-Olympic year and the championships qualify for London 2012. The Dutch have lead the international dressage for many years now and will strongly defend their European title on their home turf. Competition will be intense as 21 countries have applied.

On Wednesday and Thursday there are the Grand Prix Team Championships, Saturday the Grand Prix Special and on Sunday the Grand Prix Freestyle. Saturday night the Equestrian Gala programme is going to be spectacular, a ‘must’ for everybody who likes dressage.

The event will be the perfect opportunity for exposing equestrian sports, particularly dressage. The Royal Dutch Equestrian Federation (KNHS), City of Rotterdam, Rotterdam Topsport and the CHIO Rotterdam are the organizers of the FEI European Dressage Championships 2011 supported by the main sponsor Rabobank.

Source dressagedaily.com

The first major test of a 2012 Olympics venue – the equestrian events taking place in Greenwich Park until Wednesday – has so far been a low-key affair.

Temporary stables have been erected where sunbathers normally loll, and newly recruited volunteers still seem a little hazy on local geography.

But outside the gates, a small gaggle of protesters gathered in the sun to continue their campaign against holding Olympic equestrian events in the park.

The doggedly polite group held banners reading: “Stop horsing around in Greenwich Park,” and “Get thee to Windsor forthwith ye dunderheads” while the cream of the equestrian world took part in the Greenwich Park eventing international on the other side of the fence.

Inside, scores of children from nearby schools watched bemused as the British three-day eventer Piggy French put her horse through its dressage paces to the sound of the Black Eyed Peas.

To help convince residents of the merits of holding the equestrian events in the royal park, 2,000 tickets have been made available for the arena each day, with 5,000 for the cross country on Tuesday.

But not everyone was happy. Four women who had travelled from Hertfordshire after hearing on the radio what they thought was an appeal for the public to test the venue were turned away disappointed because they did not have tickets.

And Rachel Mawhood of the Nogoe (No to Greenwich Olympic Equestrian Events) pressure group said the inconvenience caused by the test event had alerted residents to the upheaval they would suffer during the Games, when the park will be closed for about six weeks.

“We think we still hold the moral high ground,” she said of their increasingly forlorn battle to get the Olympics organisers, Locog, to move the events to Windsor or another venue.

“This has never been built on before. It is a public park surrounded by areas of high deprivation. It’s the backyard for thousands of people living in cramped estates. People have said it looks unrecognisable and like an open prison.”

Campaigners’ concerns span the contravention of ancient bylaws, the erosion of acid grassland, whether or not organisers are holding to the terms of their planning permission and fears that the transport infrastructure will not cope.

The London 2012 chairman, Lord Coe, looked at home as he walked the cross country course in wraparound shades. He said he believed long-running consultations with residents had quelled most of their concerns. Coe has long-standing links to the sport and said holding the events in Greenwich would deliver on a promise he made to competitors.

“The competitors, some of whom are very good friends of mine, all sat down and said we had the ability to do something no one had ever done before. That is, to not let the sport be disembodied and to give them the full Olympic experience,” he said.

“There’s no country that puts on an equestrian event as well as we do. The commitment was to make it close, showcase the sport and to get new audiences into equestrian events. You could not have guaranteed to put one more person into the sport had you taken it back to its heartland again.”

The competitors praised the venue, which involved closing a large area of the park next to the National Maritime Museum and the Queen’s House to construct the 2,000-seat grandstand. The arena, constructed on a raised platform to avoid damaging the grass, will house 22,000 spectators at Games time while the cross-country course takes in much of the Park.

“Turning to the right during the dressage test, seeing the view of the skyline is surreal. You think you could be in a movie but it’s actually happening,” said French.

Organisers say for the first time equestrian competitors will feel at the heart of the action.

They believe a TV backdrop that combines historic 17th-century Inigo Jones architecture and the skyscrapers of Canary Wharf will give the sport added appeal and introduce a new generation of fans. Meanwhile, its proximity to Stratford will enable athletes to stay in the village.

“The venue looks great. It’s novel for us to be in the middle of a big city for an event, and so far everything seems to have gone very smoothly,” said the double Olympic gold medallist Mark Todd, a New Zealander. “Normally, we are stuck out on a limb miles away at an Olympics, so it’s nice to be part of it.”

The British multiple Olympic eventing gold medalist William Fox-Pitt was also enthusiastic. “Wow, it has an Olympic feel already and this is just a test event,” he said.

Not everyone in the equestrian world has been so positive. Mark Phillips wrote in Horse & Hound recently: “We are all excited about going to Greenwich for the test event, but for the Brits it will be a little poignant as the post-Olympics legacy will be nothing like the facilities we are seeing elsewhere.”

Others believe the £42m being spent to stage the events in Greenwich Park, in common with a temporary venue strategy that will see beach volleyball take place in Horse Guards Parade and shooting at the Royal Artillery Barracks in Woolwich, would be better spent leaving a legacy of permanent facilities.

But Richard Davison, captain of the Team GB dressage team, said the pluses would far outweigh the minuses.

“It’s great to see it come alive. It’s going to be a beautiful venue,” said Davison.

“Normally, the horse parks are 40 minutes out of town. They are way out in the sticks. This is phenomenal. So far, every international observer or rider has said it’s amazing.”

Source guardian.co.uk

As reported by dressagedaily.com, the World Dressage Masters Palm Beach was a resounding success with competitors and fans.

The 2011 World Dressage Masters Palm Beach presented by International Polo Club Palm Beach finished in spectacular style on the evening of Friday March 11th, as eight of the world’s top dressage pairs performed Grand Prix Freestyles for a sold out audience of 1200 at the Jim Brandon Equestrian Center in West Palm Beach, Florida. The performances got progressively more exciting as the evening progressed, with the final competitor, Olympic and World Equestrian Games medalist Steffen Peters of the United States, putting the crown on the evening with a dynamic and nearly flawless ride on Ravel that earned him 84.55%, the highest score ever awarded at the WDM Palm Beach. Tinne Vilhelmsson Silfven of Sweden rode Favourit to 77.975% and second place, while Peters’ team-mate from the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games Tina Konyot was third with 76.775% on Calecto V.

Peters’ victory was just one of several causes for celebration for the WDM Palm Beach’s sponsors, organizers and participants. The fact that the event took place at all in 2011 is a remarkable achievement in itself. Following the announcement from the hosts of the 2009 and 2010 WDM Palm Beach in late November that the event had been canceled, it appeared that the North American leg of the world’s richest dressage series, which is also North America’s only CDI5*, would disappear from American soil. But in January, Wellington Classic Dressage made a three year agreement to produce the WDM Palm Beach. When the Goodman family and International Polo Club Palm Beach stepped up to become presenting sponsors, the WDM Palm Beach’s future was secured. Financial support also came from Ravel’s owner, Akiko Yamazaki.

In little more than a month, International Polo Club, International Polo Club Catering and Wellington Classic Dressage spared nothing in their preparations. Paying attention to every detail, they created an event that served not only the dressage community, but also a wider public – giving North Americans a rare opportunity to witness top international dressage at close proximity. “I want to thank the organizers for setting up this competition in such a short time,” said WDM founder and CEO Anthony M. Kies on Friday evening. “To the Goodman family, we thank you very much. Without you and Akiko this was not possible. I think we had a fantastic show tonight.” The Grand Prix Freestyle, whose competitors received 60,000 of the 100,000 Euros in prize money awarded at the WDM Palm Beach, was the center piece of a Southern France-themed gala affair. Featuring a five course dinner and wine from many of France’s top wine regions – from Champagne to Bordeaux – International Polo Club Catering literally transformed the arena at the Jim Brandon Center to resemble an elegant evening in the French countryside.

WDM Rider Rankings Following WDM Palm Beach 2011 (top 10):

1. Anja Ploenzke (GER)
2. Michal Rapcewicz (POL)
3. Tinne Vilhelmsson Silfven (SWE)
4. Anne Van Olst (DEN)
5. Christa Laarakkers (NED)
6. Valentina Truppa (ITA)
7. Steffen Peters (USA)
8. Adelinde Cornelissen (NED)
9. Evi Strasser (CAN)
10. Anky Van Grunsven (NED)

Dressage Masters In Palm Beach Has Been Sold Out

Recently reported by dressagedaily.com, the World Dressage Masters Palm Beach has been Sold Out.

The World Dressage Masters Palm Beach CDI5 presented by International Polo Club Palm Beach got off to an auspicious start on Wednesday, March 9th as all 15 horses were presented to the FEI Ground Jury and passed the mandatory inspection. They will go on to compete in the Grand Prix, Grand Prix Special and Grand Prix Freestyle over the next two days. The highlight of the WDM Palm Beach is Friday evening’s Grand Prix Freestyle, which will be accompanied by a ringside gala dinner inspired by the food and wine of Southern France. Friday evening’s performance, which will accommodate 1200 spectators, is now sold out. Following the CDI3* Grand Prix of the Wellington Classic Dressage Challenge II, which is being held concurrently with the WDM Palm Beach, two combinations from that class have accepted invitations to compete in the WDM Palm Beach. Gary Vander Ploeg of Canada and Yvonne Losos de Muñiz of the Dominican Republic will join the 15 American, European and Canadian riders who were previously invited. Additionally, there has been one change to the original list of competitors: following the withdrawal of Canada’s Evi Strasser, another Canadian, Jacqueline Brooks, will take her place with Gran Gesto. Brooks has been a member of the Canadian Dressage Team at the Olympics and World Equestrian Games, and is a Pan American Games team silver medalist. A total of nine nations will be represented at the WDM Palm Beach presented by International Polo Club Palm Beach, including several of the world’s leading horse and rider combinations.

Prior to the start of competition on Thursday, riders had an opportunity to train and familiarize their horses with the competition arena. Danish Olympian Anne van Olst, whose horse Exquis Clearwater moved to the competition venue on the weekend, says she is impressed with the work the organizers have done to create a world class atmosphere. “So far everything looks great. They have created a beautiful ambience and the stables are very good. The people are incredibly friendly and have done their best to make us feel comfortable and welcome.”

Pierre St. Jacques is one of six Americans competing in the WDM Palm Beach, and he agrees with Van Olst’s first impression of the venue. “In the short amount of time they’ve had to put this together, they have done a fantastic job,” he says. “The atmosphere is as nice as any show in Europe. This is what we need more of in the US.”

In addition to a complete transformation of the Jim Brandon Equestrian Center to resemble the countryside of Provence, the footing for the competition arena and warm up areas has been enhanced with German Geo Textile footing, a state of the art fibre that is used at many world class venues. “The footing is great,” says WDM Palm Beach competitor Shannon Dueck.

The West Palm Beach event, the World Dressage Masters is unique in the United States, as the only five star FEI dressage competition on the North American continent. Worldwide the show is also the richest dressage series in history, with 400,000 Euros in prize money – 100,000 of which will be awarded at the World Dressage Masters in Palm Beach this year.

The American leg of the Exquis World Dressage Masters CDI5 is back on. Wellington Classic Dressage and the World Dressage Masters (WDM) are working together to host North America’s only CDI5*in Palm Beach Florida, during the Wellington Classic Dressage Challenge II CDI currently scheduled for March 10-13, 2011. “The Exquis World Dressage Masters would not be complete without a show in the U.S. We belong here,” said Anthony M. Kies, CEO of the World Dressage Masters. “We are very proud that Wellington Classic Dressage, which has an excellent reputation, has offered to stage WDM in Palm Beach for the next three years, starting with this year.”

“The Exquis World Dressage Masters CDI5* is the premiere Dressage circuit in the World, open to the top international riders, and offering an unprecedented 100,000 Euros in Prize Money. On behalf of Wellington Classic Dressage, we are honored to have the opportunity to host this very prestigious event,” said Noreen O’Sullivan, show manager for Wellington Classic Dressage.

The World Dressage Masters CDI5*already has strong support from America’s top dressage competitors, including Steffen Peters. Peters is already making plans to compete with Ravel in Florida with the full backing of Ravel’s owner, Akiko Yamazaki.

“It is very important for our riders and audiences to have the first-hand exposure to world-class dressage, which the World Dressage Masters shows provide. I am very grateful for WDM’s commitment to keep the show in the U.S. and for Wellington Classic Dressage and the other sponsors who have stepped in to make a 2011 show a reality. Quick actions and decisions were necessary and it all came through thanks to great efforts by all involved,” Yamazaki said.

Peters echoed her sentiments saying that he was “very excited about the successful rescue efforts for the World Dressage Masters. A tremendous team effort will assure the momentum for dressage in the United States. I would like to thank the entire WDM team and I’m looking forward to another world class competition in America.”

John van de Laar, managing director of WDM, thanked the U.S. dressage community for its support in making the American leg of WDM a reality. “I am so glad that the US dressage community has pulled together to make this happen. If it weren’t for people like Akiko Yamazaki, Steffen Peters and John Wash, president of the International Polo Club, we would have lost WDM for the U.S. They deserve big credit for their support and commitment,” he said.

Support has also come from the International Polo Club Palm Beach, which has pledged to serve as presenting sponsor and plans to bring polo action to the special WDM weekend on the Sunday of the nearly week-long dressage action. John Wash, president of Club Operations for IPCPB, said “ International Polo Club is proud to be a WDM sponsor.”

“This prestigious event belongs in the Wellington area now and in the future,” he said. “Many of the best equestrians and performance horses in the world descend on our region each winter for world-class competition in dressage, polo and show jumping. International Polo Club is pleased to be a part of this and we look forward to our continued working relationship with the equestrian world.”

The World Dressage Masters CDI5* Palm Beach will be held at the Palm Beach County Jim Brandon Equestrian Center, pending final approvals, making it one of four Masters competitions being held in 2011. The other three are Munich June 2-5 (also the final Nürnberger WDM Rider Ranking,) Falsterbo July 7-11 and Hickstead July 29-31.

Van de Laar proudly announced that WDM has found a new presenting partner until 2014. “The name of the company will be presented during WDM Palm Beach,” he said.

While WDM and dressage supporters give much credit to Wellington Classic Dressage for stepping in to host the Florida Masters competition, O’Sullivan called it a group effort. “This will be the only CDI5* in North America and it is a great undertaking and a tremendous effort to host this prestigious event. We are honored that Akiko Yamazaki and Steffen Peters immediately stepped up to offer their support to us in our efforts to host this show, and we are excited that International Polo Club Palm Beach has also joined us as our Presenting sponsor. This truly is a ‘Team Effort’ and we are excited to work together to present the World Dressage Masters CDI5*Palm Beach Florida, pending approval for 2011 and beyond!”

Source dressagedaily.com

The top Dressage riders in the nation are set to compete at the annual Palm Beach Dressage Derby, as reported by usef.org.

The best dressage riders in the world will soon descend on Loxahatchee, FL, all with the goal of becoming a winner at one of the country’s most prestigious dressage competitions—the 27th Annual Palm Beach Dressage Derby. This year’s Palm Beach Dressage Derby, March 4-7, has an added bonus for attracting top riders as it is a qualifier for the Selection Trials for the 2010 Alltech/FEI World Equestrian Games Dressage Team.

With more than $12,000 in prize money and awards, the Palm Beach Dressage Derby attracts the best riders in the world and also draws thousands of spectators to the Horse Park Equestrian Estates in Loxahatchee. Admission and parking are free and visitors can enjoy watching classes of all levels, including the always-popular musical freestyles, which will be held Sunday, March 7.

In addition to the spectacular equestrian competition, visitors will also have the chance to shop till they drop at the Boutiques at the Derby—over 30 stores featuring everything from tack and riding attire to artwork and equestrian-themed house wares. Concessions are also available on the show grounds.

Lead line riders will once again be center stage at the Palm Beach Dressage Derby, as the show will host the Championship Lead Line Class for the sixth year. Another highlight of the show is the Famous Derby Brunch on Sunday afternoon, with proceeds benefiting the United States Equestrian Team (USET) Foundation.

If you would like to learn more or attend the Derby please visit the Palm Beach Dressage Derby website at www.pbderby.com.