Dressage

The second weekend of competition in the Collecting Gaits Farm/USEF Festival of in Gladstone, NJ at the USET Foundation Headquarters. This week saw National Champions crowned in the Junior, Young Rider, and Brentina Cup divisions. The Grand Prix division, which served as the USEF Selection Trial for the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games also wrapped up with a second Grand Prix on Friday and the Grand Prix Freestyle on Sunday.

The National Junior Dressage Championships began the weekend with 12 riders contesting the FEI Junior Team Test. The class was led by Jamie Pestana and Winzalot with a score of 68.500%, Catherine Chamberlain and Verdicci were just off the pace with a score of 68.486%, and third place was taken by Genay Vaughn and Waranja. On Saturday in the individual test, Pestana and Winzalot were the only ones to score over a 70% earning a 70.236% to become the National Junior Dressage Champions. Chamberlin and Vaughn remained consistent to take home Reserve Champion and third place respectively.

Saturday kicked off with the National Young Rider Dressage Championships team test. Meagan Davis took a commanding lead on Bentley. The pair put in a personal best performance and was rewarded with a 70.211%. Mackenzie Pooley and Jonkara scored 67.526% for second. In third place, Jillian Kemenosh and Nelzon demonstrated their solid partnership with a score of 66.316% as the first combination in the ring. Wrapping up the National Young Rider Dressage Championships on Sunday was the individual test, Kemenosh and Nelzon were as solid as they've been all season, winning the class with a 69.562% to place them third overall. Pooley and Jonkara were third in the class, finishing as the Reserve Champions while Davis' individual second place was enough to maintain the top spot and become the National Young Rider Dressage Champion.

The National Young Adult Brentina Cup Dressage Championships bridges an important gap between the young rider ranks and the Grand Prix level. Kayce Redmond and Latino held on to their lead from the first competition and delivered their second consecutive winning performance on Sunday to become the National Brentina Cup Champions. Erin Shea jumped up into the reserve champion spot during her first season at Grand Prix. Aboard Sue McKeown's 21-year-old Swedish gelding, Marshal, their score of 63.860% in the Grand Prix test pushed them up the leaderboard from fourth after the first class and into the reserve championship spot. Nicolia Zamora held on to her third place finish with Ramsgate D in her final year of Brentina Cup competition with a two-day score of 62.816%.

Tina Konyot and Calecto V kept the momentum they started the first weekend with another win in the Grand Prix on Friday. Todd Flettrich and Otto put in a very dynamic performance for second place, while Pierre St. Jacques rounded out the top three with a polished effort on Lucky Tiger. Concluding six days of intense competition, the Grand Prix Freestyle took place on Sunday with Konyot and Calecto V demonstrating the incredible strength of their partnership with a winning score of 75.750% giving Konyot her very first National Grand Prix Championship title. Flettrich and Otto were second in the Freestyle to take Reserve Champion, Katherine Bateson-Chandler and Nartan rounded out the top three in the National Championship..

For complete results please click here.

Jumping

The CSI5* Valkenswaard in The Netherlands marked the eighth leg of the Global Champions Tour and the US riders did not disappoint.

US Superstars, Laura Kraut and Cedric were as impressive as ever, taking home the win in the Global Champions Tour - VDL Groep Grand Prix. Kraut was a winner earlier in the week aboard Unique in the 1.45m Medium Tour. With consistent performances all summer Kraut is now ranked sixth on the Global Champions Tour Ranking List.

With the up-and-coming KWPN gelding, Zhivago, Beezie Madden was fourth in the Young Horses 1.35m/1.40m class and won the Final Young Horses class. Madden was also fifth in the Derby of Valkenswaard with Prima. In the Global Champions Tour - VDL Groep Grand Prix she rode Coral Reef Via Volo to an 11th place finish.

Lauren Hough finished fourth in both the 1.45m Medium Tour class and in the Final Medium Tour 1.50 class with Casadora.

For complete results and rankings please click here.

Eighteen-year-old Eirin Brunheim is representing the United States at the Youth Olympic Games Team in Singapore on the North/Central America and Caribbean Islands Team. Thirty-one riders on borrowed horses are competing for Team and Individual medals on continental teams in the first Youth Olympic Games.

Information and results is available here.

US Nominated Entries for the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games

The USEF has now named the Short Lists/Nominated Entries for all eight World Equestrian Games disciplines, to view the complete lists please visit:

Combined Driving

Dressage

Endurance

Eventing

Jumping

Para-Equestrian

Reining

Vaulting

ENDS


For more information about the U.S. High Performance programs click here.

The U.S. will send teams in eight different disciplines to the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games in Lexington, KY, in September of 2010. Watch this space for information about the best in the U.S. on the road to Kentucky. For more information or to submit High Performance news, please e-mail Joanie Morris at [email protected].