Just at the World Equestrian Games for example, Shawn Flarida and RC Fancy Step were the team to beat in reining. They delivered mightily in the team competition, taking the highest score and securing the US gold medal. Then, just a few short days later, one little mistake put them in last place in the individual competition.

Then our US show jumping team, who has been a powerhouse on the international scene for ages, started out the week exceptionally well, earning the top spot for the team with the two best scores of the day. But it was all downhill from there. With rails and stops from our top two horses, the US show jumpers ended up in tenth place at the end of the team competition.

The team gold went to Germany, who is also one of the top show jumping nations but who hasn’t won the world championship medal since 1998. It’s also the first time they’ve put two women on the team (ahem, maybe that proves something?). Three out of four riders of the German riders went clear in last night’s team show jumping finals to secure the gold medal.

Silver went to the French and bronze to the Belgians, who both admitted they hadn’t expected to make the medals stand.

The final team standings were 4. Brazil 5. Canada 6. Sweden 7. Australia 8. Kingdom of Saudi Arabia 9. Great Britain and 10. United States.

Now, the top 30 riders will move on to the individual competition. They are led by Roderigo Pessoa of Brazil. Laura Kraut and McLain Ward will move forward for the US, currently in 19th and 26th respectively. They are going to have to put in some spectacular rides to make it to the Final Four – but I know if anybody can, it’s these two and their horses. They were my favorites in the Beijing Olympics and I still have very high hopes for them.

Out of 120 horses, only about 22 had clear rounds. I saw lots of wet feet in the liverpool, and the gate that gave Karen O’Connor’s Mandiba trouble during the eventing was the bane of many jumpers’ existence as well. The jumps were beautiful, but built to fall easily, as it seemed like all a horse had to do was look at them funny to get a fault.

Not surprisingly, the US team is solidly in the lead after the first round. Mario Deslauriers and Urico are in the lead followed close behind by McLain Ward and Sapphire. The other US Team members, Lauren Hough on Quick Study and Laura Kraut on Cedric are in 41st and 49th respectively. Germany is currently in second and France in third.

Yesterday’s Speed Round served as the first individual qualifiers. The fault received are converted to points which also carry over to today’s team competition.

Visit the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games site for a full list of results, as well as some cool flash video course maps for each round of the jumping competition.

The World Equestrian Games jumping format is one of a kind, making it one of the most exciting jumping competitions to watch. Here’s a quick tutorial on show jumping in general and more specifically how it’s going to work at WEG.

What You Need To Know About Jumping

Jumping competition is simple to understand, if not to actually do. If you get over all the obstacles, in the right order, in the fastest time, with the fewest penalties, you win.

In international Grand Prix jumping, each horse and rider team is required to complete a course of 10-13 jumps including verticals, spreads, water, walls, and double and triple combinations. They have a set time in which they need to complete the course. Riders are eliminated for going off-course (taking the jumps out of order), if their horse refuses to jump two times, or if they fall off. They incur penalties for knocking rails down on the fences or for finishing over the time limit.

typically, the winner is the horse and rider team with the fewest penalty points. If multiple pairs have clear rounds, they move to a jump off. There, if more than one pair has a clear round, the winner is the one who went clear with the fastest time. However, the World Equestrian Games is a speed format that varies a little bit from the traditional Grand Prix. It’s one of a kind!

It often pays to take risks by making shorter turns and more difficult routes that save time … but also make it more difficult to jump the fences cleanly. But that’s when it gets really exciting!

2010 World Equestrian Games Jumping Format

As with all other disciplines at WEG, there are individual and team medals for the jumping competition. The jumping competition will be held in 5 rounds. The first three count towards the individual and team championships, and the final two rounds complete the individual competition.

Jumping Team Competition

Each nation competing at WEG in jumping sends a team of 4 horse and rider combinations. All four riders on each team participate in each phase as long as they ride well enough to remain qualified. The best three scores for each round count towards the team’s overall score.

The top 10 teams (nations) will compete in the third and final round and have a chance at the medals.

Jumping Individual Competition: the Rolex Final Four

The World Equestrian Games individual jumping format is entirely unique. The field is narrowed down over four rounds and several days until we are left with the top four riders. On the final night, all the riders compete on their own horses – and then swap and ride everyone else’s too. Can you imagine getting the change to ride the best four horses in the world all in one night?

On the last night, known as the Rolex Final Four, each rider completes a jumping round on his own mount first. After all four have gone, they start swapping. They get a chance to warm-up in full view of the crowd, and then they keep going until all four riders have jumped all four horses.

Breakdown of the Jumping Rounds

Round 1: Speed Cup for Team/Individual

The first round is a little different, as it’s a speed competition also known as a Table C. Rather than going within the allotted time and incurring faults for having rails down, all rails are converted to seconds that are added to the competitors time. So, if a rider goes in 57 seconds but knocks a rail, they are given a final time of 1:01 (4 seconds added for each rail down). This means that a fast rider who has a rail could earn a better score than a horse who goes clear but has a slower time.

Round 2: Nations Cup Team/Individual

Round 2 returns to the more traditional format, where riders must complete the round within an allotted time without incurring penalties – known as Table A.

Round 3: Nations Cup Team Final

The top 10 teams will compete for medal placements using the Table A format. A jump-off will be included if there’s a tie.

Round 4: Individual

The top 25 riders after the first two rounds will get to compete for the final individual qualifying round using the Table A format,.

Round 5: Individual Final Four

The final four ride off for the gold, silver, and bronze medals.

World Equestrian Games Jumping Schedule

• World Equestrian Games articles on Regarding Horses
• Purchase WEG tickets through TicketMaster

All About The Disciplines

• Para Dressage
• Eventing
• Combined Driving
• Jumping
• Dressage
• Reining
• Endurance
• Vaulting

Here are the riders who have a shot at making the team of 5 to represent the US in show jumping at WEG.

Name/Horse (Hometown)
1. McLain Ward/Sapphire (Brewster, N.Y.)
2. Laura Kraut/Cedric (Wellington, Fla.)
3. Lauren Hough/Quick Study (Wellington, Fla.)
4. Nicole Shahinian-Simpson/Tristan (Thousand Oaks, Calif.)
5. Richard Spooner/Cristallo (Agua Dulce, Calif.)
6T. Mario Deslauriers/Urico (New York, N.Y.)
6T. Beezie Madden/Danny Boy (Cazenovia, N.Y.)
8. McLain Ward/Rothchild (Brewster, N.Y.)
9. Hillary Dobbs/Quincy B (Sussex, N.J.)
10. Beezie Madden/ Mademoiselle (Cazenovia, N.Y.)
11. Candice King/Skara Glen’s Davos (Wellington, Fla.)
12. Rich Fellers/Flexible (Wilsonville, Ore.)
13. Todd Minikus/Pavarotti (Loxahatchee, Fla.)
14. Cara Raether/Ublesco (North Palm Beach, Fla.)
15. Bob Kraut/Graf Lando (Oconomowoc, Wis.)

Alternates in order:
Ashlee Bond/Chivas Z (Hidden Hills, Calif.)
Georgina Bloomberg/Fiedi 3 (New York, N.Y.)
Jeffery Welles/Armani (Wellington, Fla.)
Nicole Shahinian-Simpson Kilkenny Rindo (Thousand Oaks, Calif.)
Charlie Jayne/Athena (Elgin, Ill.)

The selectors chose McLain Ward and Sapphire, Laura Kraut and Cedric (all of the 2008 gold-medal Olympic team) and Lauren Hough and Quick Study as their discretionary choices (put straight to the longlist and exempt from the trials. The rest of the long list is made up of the horse and rider combinations who led the standings after the trials.

Narrowing Down the Show Jumping Long List

The Long List will be divided into three groups that will compete on the following European Tours this summer:

• Group A will compete on Tour #1: CSIOs La Baule, Rome and St. Gallen
• Group B will compete on Tour #2: CSIOs Rotterdam and Aachen
• Group C will compete on Tour #3: CSIOs Falsterbo, Hickstead and Dublin

After the European tour, the selectors, the Chef d’Equipe, and the team veterinarian will narrow down the long list to a group of up to 10 horse/riders. This short list will be the official nominations submitted to the FEI by mid-August.

photo credit: flying tiger

It’s been two years since I wrote my first post outlining the upcoming World Equestrian Games. Then it felt like this nebulous future event that wasn’t really real, and now it’s little more than half a year away! To this fan, it finally feels like this is finally happening now that trials to select the show jumping shortlist for the US team are underway.

The top American show jumpers and their horses are down in Wellington, Florida, half-way through battling it out to make one of the 15 spots available on the shortlist. The top nine riders at the end of five rounds will be shortlisted, as well as six discretionary choices.

They will then be sent to Europe to compete in the Top League. From there the top 4 horse and rider combos and one alternate will officially be selected to represent the United States in jumping at the World Equestrian Games this fall.

The riders who are selected by a committee of three people with input from US team coach George Morris will receive a discretionary bye – which means they make the shortlist without competing in the USEF selection trials. One of these pairs is McLain Ward and Sapphire who have earned back-to-back Olympic show jumping gold. Laura Kraut and Cedric, also of the 2008 Olympic gold medal team, and Lauren Hough and Quickstudy have also received byes. The other three have yet to be named.

Richard Spooner and Cristallo currently lead the selection trials list followed by Candice King and Skara Glen’s Davos, Nicole Shahinian-Simpson on Trista, Hillary Dobbs and Quincy B, and McLain Ward and Rothchild.

The selection trials for WEG show jumping shortlist will conclude with two more rounds this weekend: Friday at 2 p.m. and the final trial on Sunday as part of the $100,000 CN U.S. Open at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center. Visit the United States Equestrian federation site for more information and latest news on the World Equestrian Games show jumping selection trials.

And be sure stop back, as I’ll post the entire short list of riders as soon as they are all named.

Thanks to Regarding Horses reader Doug for letting me know about the series tickets available for the 2010 World Equestrian Games English disciplines through Active Travel. If you are planning to attend WEG for jumping, dressage, or eventing, you can get tickets for all the events in each discipline as well as your hotel as a package deal. Here’s the information provided by Active Travel:

In addition to the general admission tickets that are on sale for WEG 2010 via Ticketmaster,  Active Travel, Inc., which specializes in offering the best riding trips worldwide, is proud to be featuring discipline series ticket and accommodation packages to WEG in 2010.

“We have worked closely with Alltech and Short’s  Sports to develop special packages for this event featuring a limited supply of A level premier seating tickets including hotel accommodations” said Stacey Adams, President.  “We are excited to be offering these packages as folks won’t have to purchase tickets one at at a time from Ticketmaster and we have already guaranteed the hotel rooms so we’ve tried to make it a true one stop shop” she said.

The company is currently offering complete discipline series tickets to Dressage, Show Jumping and Eventing along with other disciplines on a requested basis.  All packages include daily tickets to each day of competition in the requested discipline, A level preferred seating, hotel accommodation, daily breakfast, daily transportation to the Kentucky Horse Park (with one exception) and all taxes.

Click here to review  package details.

Reservations can be made online at www.activeridingtrips.com or by phone at 800.973.3221.

2010 Radio Show Episode 56 – Show Jumping, Reining & a Spotlight Eventer Update:

• Thank you to Dr. Andy Clark for inviting us to record from the $50,000 CSI-W Lexington Grand Prix to conclude the Hagyard Challenge Series.
• It was great to speak with past World Equestrian Games competitors Mclain Ward and Margie Engle.
• We appreciate Dan Wahl, Executive Director of the National Reining Horse Association, and Reiner Pete Kyle for joining us for a few minutes.
• A very tired Spotlight Eventer Jessica Phoenix spent a few minutes telling us about her trip to England. See Jessica’s bio and her website.
• The Meydan Group, a racetrack development group in Dubai with ties to the Dubai royal family, will be the presenting sponsor of the Endurance Competition. The Dubai Royal Family has a rich history intertwined with horses. Dubai’s ruler, and vice president of the United Arab Emirates, Sheikh Mohammed bin Rashid al Maktoum is a keen endurance rider, and will head a team at next year’s games. Read more…
• The National Reining Horse Association will also be a sponsor of the Alltech World Equestrian Games next year, and will be bringing a very exciting new component to the reining competition. After the final round of the reining in next year’s Games, the NRHA will sponsor a Reining Freestyle Exhibition Competition.
• Tickets officially go on sale next Friday, 25th September, if you’re a member of the American Quarter Horse Association, another sponsor of the World Games, you’re going to have two days to get a jump on the rest of us. Starting at noon on Monday September 21st, and ending at midnight on Wednesday, AQHA members will be able to order up to six tickets per session, online only.
• Alltech have picked ten Kentuckians to spread the word about next year’s Games, and everything related to them. Ten Ambassadors, each representing one of the State’s congressional districts have been chosen by Alltech.
• Visit the World 2010 WEg Officiqal Blog at 2010alltechweg.blogspot.com.
• Finnish Dressage rider Kyra Kyrklund has retired her top horse Max, after finishing 7th in the recent European Championships at Windsor. Read more…
• Please support our sponsors because we would not be here without them:

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Television coverage of the World Equestrian Games will be provided by NBC Sports. I’m guessing online streaming will be available also. I’ll post as soon as more information is available.

General Admission tickets will be available for entrance into the Kentucky Horse Park and will include acccess to the tradeshow, exhibits, demonstrations, and pavilions.

Ticket prices and event start times have been finalized for the eight world championships, which are being held outside of Europe for the first time in their history. Tickets will go on sale September 25, 2009, exactly one year before the Games arrive in Kentucky. Approximately 600,000 tickets will be available with prices starting as low as $25.

Ticket prices vary by day and stage of the competition.

Reining

• Early rounds: $95
• Individual Finals: $120
  

Endurance

• $45
  

Dressage

• Team Grand Prix: $60-90
• Grand Prix Special: $95-125
• Grand Prix Freestyle: $110-140

Eventing

• Dressage: $45-60
• Cross Country: $45
• Show Jumping: $80-105

Show Jumping

• Initial Speed and Team: $60-90
• Team Finals: $80-110
• Individual Finals: $90-120

Para Dressage

• $25-45

Driving

• $45-50

Vaulting

• $35-45

See competition schedule and ticket pricing for the specific details..

Angel Karolyi of Venezuela was chosen to be the 2010 Radio Show Spotlight Jumper. Angel joins us for a lively chat about his family, career and his plans to qualify for the Alltech FEI 2010 World Equestrian Games. Also, Akaash Maharaj, CEO of Equine Canada gives us an update on how the preparations are going in Canada for the 2010 WEG. Listen in…

2010 Radio Show Episode 43 – Spotlight Jumper, Angel Karolyi and a Look at Canada:

• Don’t forget to register to win a $300 supply of SUCCEED Digestive Conditioning Program or a 2010 World Equestrian Games T-Shirt.

• Last weekend was a busy one for anyone trying to get a head start on picking the three day event teams for next year’s WEG. The US sent 26 year old Will Coleman from Virginia over to Luhmuhlen in Germany to contest the four star there with Twizzel, after a minor injury in the spring prevented him from running at Rolex, and he did us proud.
• At three star level, Canadian Hawley Bennet won the Bromont CCI in Canada riding Gin n Juice.
• In England at the Bramham three star CCI, Andrew Nicholson rose to the top with a clear show jumping round on the final day, snatching victory from local girl Nicola Wilson.

• All the horses competing at next year’s World Games will have their feet well taken care of by the American Farrier’s Association, or AFA, and this has now been extended to all the test events as well.
• Collecting Gaits Farm has once again signed on to sponsor the United States Equestrian Federation Dressage Festival of Champions at Gladstone, New Jersey.
• Thank you to Akaash Maharaj, CEO of Equine Canada, for joining us with the Canadian update. We are looking forward to having you back!

• Congratulations to Angel Karolyi from Venezuela for being chosen as the 2010 Radio Show Spotlight Jumper. See Angel’s website. We will follow Angel and his progress to getting to the 2010 WEG. Here is Angel riding at Washington in 2008:

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