Bern, Switzerland — The U.S. Vaulting Team took on the top competition in the world last week at the 2024 FEI Vaulting World Championship for Seniors. The team finished fourth overall, with individual competitors turning in good performances over four days of competition in Bern, Switzerland.

Kimberly Palmer (Half Moon Bay, Calif.) earned a strong fifth-place finish in the Individual Senior Female division, which saw a total of 28 competitors. Vaulting on Rosenstolz 99, a 2007 Rheinlander gelding owned by Club Ippico Monzese, with lunger Laura Carnabuci of Italy, Palmer placed sixth in the compulsory and technical tests, then earned an impressive 8.803 in her freestyle test to finish fifth with an overall score of 8.349.

Senior World Championship first-timer Caroline Morse (Los Gatos, Calif.) also earned a top-10 finish overall, vaulting on Grasshoper AF, a 2009 American warmblood gelding she co-owns with Jana Morse and lunged by Samantha Matson. Morse finished eighth individually with a personal-best score of 8.156.

Paula Hampshire (Kaysville, Utah), who has represented the U.S. Vaulting Team at past championships as part of the squad, made her international senior debut as an individual at Bern. Hampshire vaulted with Bellmiro, a 2006 Swiss Sporthorse gelding owned and lunged by Dimitri Suhner of Switzerland.

Individual Senior Male

Daniel Janes (Stanwood, Wash.) turned in the top performances for the American contingent in the individual male division, finishing 11th in a competitive division with Caretes Auhoern, a 2009 Holsteiner gelding owned and lunged by Jana Leib of Germany. Janes, a veteran member of numerous past senior championship teams, finished on an overall individual score of 7.818.

Also competing for the U.S. were Jace Brooks (Eagle Mountain, Utah) with Dorian, a 2003 Württemberger gelding owned and lunged by Claudia Petersohn of Italy; and Todd Griffiths (Salem, Utah) with Lightning, a 2015 Quarter Horse/Percheron gelding owned by Raelyn Snyder and lunged by Nicholas Hansen.

Squad

The Pacific Coast Vaulters represented the U.S. team in the squad competition with lunger Carolyn Bland of Great Britain and Eldoctro, the 2009 KWPN gelding Bland co-owns with Emily Rose. The squad placed fifth in the compulsory test and fourth in the freestyle test to come in a close fifth overall with a score of 7.628.

The Pacific Coast Squad at the 2024 FEI World Championships was composed of Francesca Foster (Las Vegas, Nev.), Daniel Janes (Stanwood, Wash.), Maria McLean (Cedar Spring, Mich.), Emma Milito (Brighton, Colo.), Naomi Morgenthaler (Menlo Park, Calif.) and Emily Rose (Santa Cruz, Calif.)

Pas de Deux

Two pairs represented the U.S. in pas de deux competition at Bern. Shaina Hammond (Eagle Mountain, Utah) and Alyssa Stoddard (Eagle Mountain, Utah) earned an overall eighth-place finish for their two tests with Corocoro 2, a 2005 Deutsches Sportpferd owned and lunged by Gudrun Lenz. Allegra Hart (Mebane, N.C.) and Raelyn Snyder (Elysburg, Pa.), finished in ninth place with Snyder’s 2015 Quarter Horse/Percheron gelding, Lightning, and lunger Nicholas Hansen.

Team France won the team gold with a score of 9.239. Germany secured silver with a 8.923 ahead of the host country, Switzerland, which won bronze with an 8.970.

See the full results here.

Replay

The replay of the 2024 FEI Vaulting World Championship for Seniors is available on ClipMyHorse.TV/FEI.TV with a ClipMyHorse.TV Membership.

— Edited Press Release

Thanks to CareCredit for our spring and summer equestrian coverage.

The post U.S. Vaulting Team Completes Successful Outing at the 2024 FEI Vaulting World Championship for Seniors appeared first on Horse Illustrated Magazine.

In addition to Native American performances which opened each competition session, there was shopping in the trade fair and plenty of fun and educational presentations in the demonstration ring. Lots of activities kept the kids entertained, too. It was all a fitting way to wrap a week of international competition hosted by the welcoming and capable folks in this intriguing and delightful Midwestern city. 

As things come to a close yesterday evening in Omaha, Omaha Equestrian Foundation Chair Lisa Roskens reflected on hosting the FEI World Cup Finals twice, “It’s impossible not to think about 2017 because so much a part of what we are doing is a reflective of that experience. In fact, in many ways it’s a bit of a reunion this year. Obviously, many of the challenges of 2017 we worked to resolve and improve upon. Nothing is perfect, you always have little blips, but our goal is to always be responsible to our athletes and the grooms and say to them, ‘What can we do to make it your best experience?’”

She praised the people involved with making both years hosting the FEI World Cup a success, “I really feel like our team has come together. We’ve stuck to our plan, but pivoted where necessary. I’m very, very proud to be associated with this and all of these wonderful people.”

Vaulting Finals

On the second and final day of the FEI Burlington Capital World Cup Vaulting Finals, individual females competed first, then individual males and finally, the pas-de-deux pairs. The start list for each class Saturday was in reverse order of placing from the first day of competition. The final overall results in each group were determined by averaging the scores from Thursday and Saturday.

Roskens, who is also CEO of Burlington Capital, explained why the company chose to sponsor the World Cup Vaulting Finals this year, “For us, it was a very logical thing. Our job as an investment management firm is to help elevate, whether it is a business that needs capital raised or whether it’s our investors who come with us on adventures. Our job is to lift people up and we thought vaulting was a great analogy. And, we wanted to support something new. That’s part of what we do at Burlington.”

Individual Female 

In the Individual Female Freestyle vaulting test first of the eight to compete was Averill Saunders from Canada, then fourth from last to go was the USA’s Kimberly Palmer.  Next to last was Switzerland’s Danielle Bürgi (who was a close second in the technical test on Thursday), and the final competitor was the leader from Thursday, Kathrin Meyer from Germany. 

Saunders, 19, Sundre, Alberta, vaulted on Max lunged by Sarah Krauss of Germany. She improved on her Thursday score earning 7.327 for an overall average of 6.858 good enough for 7th place. 

Vaulting on Romeo lunged by Christoph Lensing, Palmer (25, Half Moon Bay, California) also bettered her Thursday score garnering 7.983 for an overall average of 7.736 and ultimately 4th place. Palmer noted that she had never competed on Romeo before, so it took time to get to know the gelding and she had to adjust some of the choreography due to the tempo of Romeo’s canter. This meant omitting some of her more technically difficult elements; had she done them she could have potentially scored higher. 

Palmer commented on her Freestyle test, “I think it went pretty good. It started off pretty strong and I was happy with my performance. I skipped a couple of my harder moves just to ensure that I would keep the performance rolling. It is what it is. It is hard to make choices within the one minute, 10 seconds that you have to do your routine in front of everybody. I’m okay. I’m happy with it.” 

Bürgi’s performance put pressure on Meyer for the lead where she actually scored better in the Freestyle than Meyer (Freestyle score for Bürgi was 8.599 and for Meyer 8.556). In the end, however, Meyer’s average for the two days was higher (8.428) for the overall win which included a trophy and her piece of the total $10,100 offered by sponsor Burlington Capital Foundation for vaulting ($3,050). 

Meyer spoke about her win during the vaulting press conference, “It’s always a bit hard to tell after the winter training how the others will be. Of course, I hoped I would win this, but you never know. We have a great female vaulter field, so I was hoping to show what I’m able to do and that worked pretty well. It was the first time for us three [Meyer and her horse San Classico S and her mother Sonja who was her longeur] at such a great competition, and I’m really happy we did such a good job.”

Check out the results for the World Cup Finals Individual Female Vaulting.

Individual Male 

The USA’s Daniel Janes (27, Moss Beach, California) was first of six to vault in the Individual Male Freestyle test Saturday. Although an experienced vaulter who has competed as an individual and a member of pas-de-deux pairs and squads before, this was Janes’ first World Cup Finals in the Individual Male division. He noted earlier in the week that freestyle was his specialty and he showed it in his score Saturday earning 8.299, the second-best score of any of the Men’s Freestyle tests. However, the overall standings were a combination of both days’ scores, so his combined score of 7.190 put him in 6th overall at the end of the day.

Janes talked about his great freestyle performance and his horse after their round, “That is exactly what I was hoping for—a round like that. Nothing is ever perfect, but this was close to perfect for me on my progression with Romeo. It is really awesome. There were several moves that we really hit to the full extension, even better than in practice. The mount, the flying ground jumps—those were even better Saturday than normal. That was even a little bit of a surprise for me in a way. He [Romeo lunged by Christoph Lensing] was calm and collected and was really nice to vault with. That was really fun to wave at my family in the crowd and a lot of friends and people I know in the US vaulting world.”

Jannik Heiland from Germany vaulting on San Classico S (lunged by Sonja Meyer) continued his dominance of the division earning 8.666 for his freestyle and an overall final score of 8.551 for the win over the Netherlands’ Sam dos Santos vaulting atop the German horse Max lunged by Krauss in second (8.0520). The victory earned him a trophy and $3,050 from Burlington Capital. 

“The arena is just awesome,” said Heiland after his freestyle, “To win a World Cup Final, it was a big wish for me to get this title in my life. The whole event was really great. There were even more viewers compared to Thursday. It’s a massive arena and it was a very great feeling. It was an honor for me to be here.”

He explained his freestyle, “The theme was bionic. When people look for very specific things which happen in nature and they try to adapt it and they try to copy it―try to copy it with modern technologies. That’s the mixture of nature, animals, humans and technology.”

Find complete results for the Individual Male Vaulting.

Pas-de-Deux

The last competition of the 2023 Burlington Capital World Cup Vaulting Finals was the Pas-De-Deux division. Four pairs, 2 from Germany and one each from Austria and Denmark took turns showing their second Freestyle test Saturday to the delight of the audience. 

In the end, the two German pairs topped the division with Chiara Congia and Justin van Gerven who vaulted on German horse Max (longed by Alexandra Knauf) taking the title (overall score 8.341) with Diana Harwardt and Peter Kunne on DSP Sir Laulau lunged by Hendrik Falk in second place (overall score 7.876). Congia and van Gerven took home a trophy and $4,000 in prize money provided by Burlington Capital. 

Congia and van Gerven, who announced that this World Cup was their last competition together, had the top score on day one and the overall best average for the win. But, the big story of the pas-de-deux competition Saturday was the amazing comeback of Harwardt and Kunne. Harwardt had a fall during their first test on Thursday leaving them in last place that day, but a lovely performance earned them the top score Saturday (8.516) bringing their average score up to finish in 2nd.    

Another notable fact was that Congia and van Gerven had to borrow the horse Max when their regular horse (Highlight FRH) went lame at the last minute after the horse inspection but before their first test. The crowd-pleasing signature move of Congia and van Gerven was something to behold. In that maneuver Congia balanced on her stomach with arms outstretched on the back of van Gerven’s shoulders without either of them holding onto the other (see photo). 

Congia talked about how that felt and their round in the press conference, “I feel like I am flying. We did a lot of work; we trained the whole last season. I’m really happy that this time we could win, even if it was bit different from what we planned.”

Find the full results of the Pas-De-Deux Vaulting.

Show Jumping Winner Crowned

The final event of the 2023 Omaha FEI World Cup was the Longines Jumping Finals Saturday evening. Earlier in the week the jumpers had begun competition with a speed class on Wednesday tackled by 40 competitors and then a Table A with jump-off class with 39 starters on Thursday. 

Tonight the competitors jumped over two courses, A and B rounds, designed by Bernardo Costa Cabral (POR). Points were cumulative over the three days and four courses of competition.

Thirty horse and rider combinations, competing in reverse order of the standings, tackled course A, a Table A with no jump off, 1.60-meter track that included 12 numbered obstacles and 15 jumping efforts. Then, there was a break and course reset with the top 20 coming back for round B, a Table A with jump-off, 1.60-meter challenge, again with 12 numbered obstacles and 15 jumping efforts, and 6 obstacles in the jump-off, which in the end was not needed.  

The evening’s competition started with only 10 penalty points separating the leading 11 horse and rider pairs as Round A began.  Andreas Schou (DEN) riding Darc de Lux and Pius Schwizer (SUI) riding Vancouver de Lanlore were tied at 0 penalties at the beginning of the night, with Henrik Eckermnn (SWE) and King Edward sitting on 1 and Richard Vogel (GER) and United Touch S with 2 penalties. 

The USA’s Hunter Holloway and Pepita Con Spita also carried three points into Round A from the previous rounds, as did Brazil’s Yuri Mansur and Vitiki. Other Americans competing in Round A were Nicholas Dello Joio and Cornet’s Cambridge, McLain Ward and Callas, Aaron Vale and Prescott, and Devin Ryan and Eddie Blue. 

Three competitors jumped cleanly to add nothing to their previous totals in Round A, Dennis Lynch (IRE) on Brooklyn Heights, Martin Fuchs (SUI) on Leone Jei and Harrie Smolders (NED) on Monaco N.O.P. When the top six going all had rails down, the standings shifted again. 

Starting Round B, less than two rails (8 points) separated the top 6 horse and rider combinations. American rider Holloway was one of those, tied for 5th with Mansur. US riders Ryan and Dello Joio were further down in the standings, but competed in Round B as well. The top four in the standings and thus the last four to go were Harry Charles (GBR) on Balou du Reventon, then Smolders, von Eckermann and Schwizer.

Riders who went clear in Round B were Kevin Staut (FRA) on Visconti du Telman, Lynch and Brooklyn Heights, Schou and Darc de Lux, Mansur and Vitiki, Holloway and Pepita Con Spita and finally von Eckermann and King Edward. But, since it was cumulative, it depended on how many points they carried from previous rounds to determine the overall winner and it was exciting down to the last before anyone knew for sure who had won. 

When Smolders dropped one rail, and Charles and Schwizer each dropped two rails, Eckermann and King Edward, who jumped next to last, clenched the championship. For the title they received a ribbon and trophy and their portion of the 300,000 Euros provided for Saturday’s competition by Longines (172,500 Euro or about $189,594.75 US). Ribbons and prize money were given to the top 16 Saturday. 

Eckermann said in the final press conference after the win that King Edward felt better than ever tonight and he only jumped three jumps to warm up before the second round. “It was a fantastic feeling jumping around there. What makes him very, very special―he’s like a dog at home, he’s so easy and so relaxed. He’s a very small horse, but when he comes in the ring it feels like he’s growing 5 centimeters or more and that makes the difference. Some horses they come in and they get a bit shy, but with him you can feel how it’s like starting an engine.”

Smolders and Monaco N.O.P. finished second and Holloway and Pepita Con Spita took third edging out Mansur and Vitiki since they had a faster time in the final round. Holloway was joyful to finish on the podium in her second-ever World Cup Finals and in front of the home crowd (her Kansas farm is only two hours from Omaha). She won 78,750 Euros (about $86,554.13 US), a trophy and ribbon. 

“I think I’ve always had pretty big goals, and this has always been a big goal of mine,” she explained in the press conference, “To be sitting with riders such as this, it’s obviously a great honor. I’m very excited to be here, thrilled. I think my horse performed great all week. My relationship with her has been great; it’s only getting stronger and building. I feel like we’re just getting started. I’m very excited for the future with her.”

Ryan and Eddie Blue finished 13th and Dello Joio and Cornet’s Cambridge 20th. US Jumping Chef d’Equipe Robert Ridland commented on the week for the USA, “Obviously, Hunter’s podium finish was fantastic. She was so focused all week long. This wasn’t just the two rounds Saturday; this was all four. She absolutely deserved to be there. I’m very happy with Nick’s and Devin’s horses. [Eddie Blue] is back and jumping in great form at this level, and Nick and Cornet’s Cambridge are on an upward trajectory. Overall, Omaha was a very positive week.”

Check out the final results from the 2023 Longines World Cup Jumping Finals in Omaha.

Demo Ring & Trade Fair

In the demonstration ring there were presentations on barrel racing, hay steaming, horsemanship, reining, sidesaddle riding and Western dressage. The North Hills Hunt Club and the Omaha Mounted Patrol also made appearances and the Fjord, Paint and Saddlebred breeds were showcased. 

The good work of the equine charity Brooke USA was highlighted. And, the week-long “David versus Goliath” competition between a 19.3-hand Percheron gelding named Luke and a pinto Miniature Horse called Killer concluded. 

Many families attended and kids lined up to take their turn leaping over the mini-jump course and to find out how to braid tails, wrap horse legs and more. They also had the opportunity to meet a number of horse breeds in the stabling area. 

The Native American area, presented by the local Bluebird Cultural Initiative, was busy with history presentations, music and dance, and Native American-made products were offered for sale. Throngs of people trooped through the trade fair purchasing everything from equestrian-themed art and home décor, to tack and riding clothes, books and magazines, feed and horse care items, and home improvement and beauty products. 

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Final World Cup Wows

There have been so many wonderful “wow” moments over the last week. Witnessing the continued brilliance of Germany’s Jessica von Bredow-Werndl and the elegant Trakehner mare TSF Dalera BB earn a second-consecutive FEI World Cup Dressage Finals Championship, on top of their gold-medal performance at the Tokyo Olympics in 2021, was certainly a big one. (Perhaps next year in Paris, we’ll get to see a faceoff between this fabulous pair and the 2022 World Champions Charlotte “Lottie” Fry (GBR) and the attractive black stallion Glamourdale who opted to sit out this World Cup.)

Then, there was the quietly consistent jumping of Sweden’s unassuming super horse, King Edward ridden by Henrik von Eckermann. Von Eckermann and the diminutive chestnut gelding captured the 2023 Longines World Cup title here to add to their 2022 World Championship win and their Tokyo Olympic team gold, with King Edward performing barefoot all the while―who needs shoes!

Adding the elegant and daring sport of vaulting to the roster was another “wow” bonus for this World Cup Finals. The exciting combination of horsemanship and gymnastics was new to many of the spectators and they thoroughly enjoyed watching, enthusiastically applauding all of the competitors after their rounds. 

In addition to Longines’ continued support of show jumping, Havensafe Farm and Burlington Capital stepped up to sponsor dressage and vaulting, respectively, which is also to be celebrated! Without sponsors large sporting events would not happen; it is that simple. So, a huge thank you to all three businesses! Please remember them as you shop and invest. 

The last, and equally important, “wow” to acknowledge from the 2023 Omaha World Cup is the people. From the event organizers and volunteers to our media center commissary crew to the shop keepers and restaurateurs around the city, people in Omaha are just plain nice, as well as very proficient. With two World Cup Finals under their belts, they have much to be proud of. All riders praised the venue and organizers with good reason. Thank you, Omaha. We will be back. 

World Cup Finals 2024-2026

The 2024 FEI World Cup Finals will be held next April in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, the first time that a Middle Eastern country has hosted.

Then, the 2025 FEI World Cup Finals will be held in Basel, Switzerland, and in 2026 the Finals return to the USA when Fort Worth, Texas, will stage this FEI event for the first time. 

The organizers for both Riyadh and Fort Worth were in attendance in Omaha observing. After the finish of the jumping yesterday evening, there was a ceremony “handing over the reins” of the World Cup Finals to Riyadh 2024. 

Roskens said she’ll be in attendance at these upcoming World Cup Finals. She said she is thrilled to see the Finals coming back to the US in 2026 and that the Omaha Equestrian Foundation (OEF) will offer to support the other organizers in any way possible. When asked if the OEF will consider bidding on another Finals in the future, she didn’t rule it out, but said the group needs time to rest and regroup first. 

She commented on how Fort Worth 2026 will build on what they started in Omaha, “One of our goals was to grow the sport. Well, if somebody is bidding [for FEI competition here in the USA] and winning the bid, that’s great for us. So, we want to make sure that whatever we do next is a collaborative thing that doesn’t conflict with what they are trying to do. We want to take the time to be supportive of their preparations and have offered help however we can.”

Relive the Action

Fans can see all of the action by replaying competition sessions from the 2023 Omaha FEI World Cup Finals on FEI TV via the Clip My Horse service. A paid subscription is required; sign up here.

For daily news briefs and more information about the 2023 Omaha FEI World Cup Finals see their website.

View full results from the 2023 Omaha FEI World Cup Finals by going to the Longines Timing website.

If you didn’t get the chance to go to Omaha this time for all of the equestrian competition and tourism opportunities, the Omaha Equestrian Foundation (OEF) stages a large, USEF-rated show in the CHI Health Arena each spring called The International Omaha. For more information about that show, visit the OEF’s website. For more information about fun things to do and see in Omaha, check out Visit Omaha.

April 12, 2023:  Update on Dressage Horse Torveslettens Titanium RS2

Dutch rider Marieke van der Putten announced on her Facebook page on April 9 that her Omaha World Cup Finals horse Torveslettens Titanium RS2, who she had to pull from competition before the Freestyle due to a case of colic, had undergone successful surgery at Iowa State University’s Large Animal Hospital. “Tito” is recovering at the hospital and his groom Sanne Vondel has stayed in the USA to help care for him until he can fly home to the Netherlands. 

Van der Putten, who has returned home to Groesbeek, the Netherlands, issued this statement:  “[The] most important thing is that he is doing fine now! Nothing is more important than for him being healthy and happy. Of course he has a long way to go, but Tito is the biggest little, pretty fighter on this planet, so I am sure he will be back strong and healthy as ever! A big thank you to Edwin Enzerink, who is our team vet and stayed with him the whole time and did an amazing job. And Sanne Vondel you are the best. During his stay in Iowa to recover from surgery Sanne gives him a lot of cuddles, all the love he needs and more.”

Torveslettens Titanium RS2 and van der Putten finished 8th (70.776) in the World Cup Finals Grand Prix dressage class on April 5. He is an 11-year-old Danish Warmblood gelding (Totilas—Toerveslettens Stamina, Stedinger) owned by Jacques Lemmens and Saskia Lemmens-Reijnen. Best wishes to him for a speedy recovery and a long, successful career!

For the complete coverage of the 2023 FEI World Cup in Omaha, click here.

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The post Vaulting and Show Jumping Wrap 2023 Omaha FEI World Cup Finals appeared first on Horse Illustrated Magazine.

Thursday was day two of competition at the 2023 Omaha FEI World Cup Finals in the CHI Health Center in Omaha. The day was action packed with a full roster of educational presentations and children’s activities in the demonstration arena in the trade fair and FEI World Cup Finals vaulting and show jumping competition in the main arena. 

Vaulting Begins

New to the FEI World Cup roster in Omaha was the FEI World Cup Vaulting Finals presented by Burlington Capital Foundation. Individual men and women and pairs (pas-de-deux) will compete over two days (yesterday and Saturday). The men and women performed a technical test Thursday and will do a freestyle test on Saturday, while the pas-de-deux athletes will do a free test each day. The highest combined score from the two days determines the winners.

Germany and the USA each provided five vaulting horses and the vaulters were assigned a horse and longeur prior to the competition. Most vaulted on borrowed horses and only had a few days to get to know their mounts, making the competition even more challenging for them. Yet, the vaulters all put on a lovely show for the appreciative crowd that cheered for every competitor.

Competing in vaulting were: eight women from six countries (Austria, Canada, Germany (2), Hungary, Switzerland (2), and the USA); six men from four countries (Germany (2), the Netherlands, Switzerland (2), and the USA), and four pas-de-deux pairs from three countries (Austria, Denmark, and two from Germany). 

Individual Female Technical Test

First up on Thursday’s competition docket was the vaulting individual female technical test. Germany’s Kathrin Meyer showed the depth of her experience performing a smooth, expressive and accurate test to take the lead in the individual female division. Having her mother Sonja as the longeur and her family’s horse San Classico S as her mount helped her feel right at home and she scored 8.299 over Swiss vaulter Danielle Bürgi (8.092) vaulting on Best Brew lunged by Andrea Selch of the USA in 2nd. 

Meyer commented on her horse and the competition after her round, “I’m so proud of him. We’ve had him for 10 years. There were small things that I wasn’t 100% happy with, but it was the first time I showed this routine for the season, so it was a good job for the three of us. The lights [in the CHI Health Arena] create a different atmosphere than a normal competition. The audience was great, and I’m happy to be here.”

Taking 3rd place in the female technical was Sophie Julia Wagner, Germany, on DSP Sir Laulau lunged by Hendrik Falk, also from Germany (7.532). Fourth was Hungary’s Blanka Németh on Lunar Eclipse lunged by Kimberly Wellmann of the USA (7.519). 

The USA’s Kimberly Palmer, vaulting on Romeo lunged by Christoph Lensing of Germany, put in a nice round to finish with a 7.489 for 4th place in the technical test. She talked about Romeo and her test, “I think at first I was pretty nervous. I don’t know if anyone could see that, but my horse was a bit more excited than I was hoping for. But then I was able to hold it together and make it through in a good routine. As the routine went on, he started to calm down, but I was so in it that I didn’t really notice. I’m glad he was able to relax in. Hopefully in the second round he’ll be feeling really good. It was really great. The lights―you just feel famous―everything is dark and you’re in the light. It’s really empowering and gives you energy.”

Eva Nagiller from Austria, on Killian lunged by Mary McCormick of the USA, took the 6th spot (7.394). Young Canadian vaulter Averill Saunders entertained the crowd performing on Max lunged by Sarah Krauss earned a 6.597 putting her in 7th. Finishing 8th was Nadja Büttiker (SUI) who vaulted on Garth ISF lunged by Jodi Rinard (USA). View the full vaulting individual female technical test results here.

Individual Male Technical Test

The individual male vaulters were second to compete in the CHI Health arena this afternoon. Once again, a vaulter from Germany topped the rankings after the technical test when Jannik Heiland vaulting from atop the German horse San Classico S lunged by Sonja Meyer scored 8.436. 

Heiland explained that San Classico was not his normal competition horse and talked about his routine, “Honestly this is not my usual team. I had to change the horse short term, so this was my fifth time on the horse. Therefore, I was happy with the round. My horse I trained at home all the time was too old for this big journey, so I decided to use another horse. My first plan was to go with Highlight, but there were some problems and I had to change the horse. I did a few trainings before we left for here. We had two short trainings here in Omaha, and then the technical test. Everything was not perfect, but I think 90% of the technical test was very good. I look forward to the freestyle on Saturday.”

Taking 2nd was the Netherland’s Sam Dos Santos who performed on the German horse Max lunged by Krauss (7.952), followed by Andrin Müller from Switzerland who also vaulted on Max in 3rd (7.176). Fourth was another Swiss vaulter Lukas Heppler who performed on US horse Best Brew lunged by Selch with 6.885 and filling the 5th spot was Germany’s Julian Wilfling on German horse Aragorn 102 lunged by Alexander Zebrak (6.691). 

US vaulter Daniel Janes, who was in his first World Cup as an individual (he had previously competed as a part of a pas-de-deux), performed on Romeo lunged by Lensing to thunderous applause from the home-country crowd and scored 6.081 for 6th. “I was really proud of the beginning of the routine,” exclaimed Janes, “We had a really strong start and hit the full range of movements. Things got a little bumpy here and there in the middle, but I’m also proud that Romeo and I kept it together. I pushed through to the end even though there was one mistake. He [Romeo] had more energy for sure, but was still very smooth and professional in the ring. So, that was nice.”

Janes also said he really enjoys performing to music while vaulting and said the day’s music was written by Son Lux. Son Lux also wrote the music Janes will use for his freestyle on Saturday, but Janes explained the music has a contrasting vibe to Saturday’s song, “This is the part that’s most special to me, performing well with the music. I can feel that and try to transfer it to the audience. I try to set up my routine to reflect that, although it’s not the easiest to set up in the technical test with the prescribed movements. I don’t always know why I’m drawn to a song, but I was drawn to this song. I’m a freestyle vaulter, so I’m a really looking forward Saturday.”

View the full vaulting individual male technical test results here.

Pas-de-Deux Free Test #1

The final vaulting class of the afternoon was the pas-de-deux. The two German pairs were expected to lead the pack, but with spirited competition from the Austrian and Danish vaulters to make it interesting. For the most part that was what played out, but when German vaulter Diana Harwardt had a fall from their horse (DSP Sir Laulau lunged by Falk) during the routine with partner Peter Kunne, they dropped to finish 4th (7.236). She was OK, but it interrupted the flow of the test and affected their score Thursday; they will have a chance to redeem themselves on Saturday, however. 

As predicted by those in the know, the other German pair, Chiara Congia and Justin van Gerven who vaulted on German horse Max (lunged by Alexandra Knauf), topped the results list for Thursday’s pas-de-deux with 8.370. They were followed by the Austrian pair Romana Hinter and Eva Negiller on Killian lunged by McCormick in 2nd (7.657) with Danish vaulters Freja Linde and Maria Thinggaard Sorensen on Lunar Eclipse lunged by Wellmann in 3rd (7.267). 

Congia and van Gerven explained that they were supposed to vault on their own horse Highlight FRH who had passed the first horse inspection on Tuesday, but then had slightly injured herself in a subsequent practice session, so they were switched to competing on Max. “We are lucky enough to be able to compete on him [Max]. We know him because he’s from our stable, but we haven’t trained really on him. He did an amazing job. It’s amazing [here in the CHI Health Arena]. The arena is huge and it’s so special for us to compete here. We’re not really used to this big of an arena,” said Congia. 

Van Gerven agreed that they were lucky to do well on Max with little time to prepare and shared that Omaha is the last competition for him and Congia as a pair. He previewed their plans for Saturday’s free test, “On Saturday we will show the World Championship Freestyle from last year [Herning, Denmark]. Mostly it’s contemporary and we dance together. We want to bring this to the audience and show them a good feeling. It’s always good to have a good first round. We know now what to do and where are some difficult parts and we can work on those for the freestyle. Max will get a lot of care so he can relax before Saturday.” 

View the full vaulting individual pas-de-deux free test 1 results here.

The vaulters will return on Saturday afternoon, April 8, at 1:15 p.m. Central US time for their final tests to determine the winners in each division. 

Jumpers Day Two

After an exciting jumper speed round Wednesday, 39 of the 40 original starters from 19 different countries returned to compete in the second day of the Longines FEI World Cup Finals. The class was a Table A, 1.60-meter competition with jump off over course designer Bernardo Costa Cabral’s track with 14 numbered obstacles and a total of 17 jumping efforts. The competitors jumped in reverse order of their results from Wednesday. 

Nine combinations jumped the first round cleanly and returned for the jump off which featured two tight roll-back turns followed by longer lines across the arena. The nine pairs who returned for the jump-off were:  Julien Epaillard with Donatello d’Auge (FRA); Victoria Gulliksen and Equine America Papa Roach (NOR); Devin Ryan and Eddie Blue (USA); Harry Charles and Balou du Reventon (GBR); Richard Vogel and United Touch S (GER); Yuri Mansur and Vitiki (BRA); Hunter Holloway and Pepita Con Spita (USA); Andreas Schou and Darc de Lux (DEN), and Pius Schwizer and Vancouver de Lanlore (SUI).  

Gulliksen, Charles, Vogel, Schou and Schwizer all produced clear rounds in the jump-off, but Vogel’s time was a sizzling 35.11 seconds, 0.14 seconds faster than Charles’ for the win and 34,500 Euros in prize money. Third was Schou, 4th was Schwizer, 5th was Gulliksen and 6th was Mansur. The USA’s Holloway placed 7th and Ryan 8th. View full results from Thursday’s jumper class here.

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Vogel talked about his horse and the course in the press conference following the class, “I think everyone can see how amazing this horse is. He has such a big stride and that doesn’t necessarily make it easy in such a small and delicate indoor. But, he just gives his best and tries his heart out and in such a jump-off I was lucky enough to leave a stride out here and there and that suited us.”  

“The first round was pretty technical,” he continued, “There were enough short lines, especially for my horse, so I was very delighted with how my horse handled it. Also in the results I think you could see it was a tough enough class. Not too easy, not too soft. I think the course builder did a good job.”  

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Holloway was also in the press conference as the top-placed American rider and she was thrilled with how her mare Pepita con Spita had gone over the last two days, “She’s very clever and smart. She’s stronger than ever and has really come this week to play. She’s definitely top of her game and I’m just trying to keep up with her. Round one was super today and she jumped great again and fought hard for me. We had an unlucky rail when I was a little deep in the jump-off, but she was excellent.” 

The jumpers also had a day off Thursday, but will return for their third and final day of competition on Saturday evening, April 8, at 7:15 p.m. Central, when they will jump two rounds (A and B). The top 30 from Thursday’s competition will return for Round A and then the field will be further whittled down to 20 for Round B. The rider’s scores from each class are added to together for a cumulative score to determine the overall winner on Saturday evening. 

Around the FEI World Cup Venue

The demonstration ring had a full schedule of breed appearances and educational events Thursday. Dressage, vaulting and horsemanship were featured along with an equine nutrition lecture and in-hand jumping. Breeds showcased included Akhal-Tekes, Fell Ponies, Foxtrotters, Friesians, Highland Ponies, Paint Horses and Saddlebreds. US Dressage Team Technical Advisor Debbie McDonald gave a presentation and the equine charity Brooke USA was spotlighted too. There were also many hands-on kids’ learning activities including how to braid a horse’s tail or wrap a bandage around a leg, among others. And, Native Americans from the Bluebird Cultural Initiative performed traditional dance and music.

Thursday’s World Cup Wows

For our crew member Michelle Downey, Thursday’s “World Cup Wow” was the poetry of the vaulting pas-de-deux competitors as the performed their intricate, artistic and athletic routines. She was also in awe meeting Germany’s dressage and event rider Ingrid Klimke and her daughter Greta at the Trakehner Initiative Olympia reception Thursday evening. 

For me, the wows from Thursday evening were the nine clear first rounds over a very challenging show jumping course and the lightening-fast jump-off that gave Richard Vogel and United Touch S the win. And, seeing Hunter Holloway of Topeka, Kansas, a fellow Midwestern girl, shine in the jumper class was absolutely great!

For all articles about the 2023 FEI World Cup in Omaha, click here.

Watch the FEI World Cup On Demand

Fans can relive all of the action by replaying all sessions of the 2023 Omaha FEI World Cup Finals on demand on FEI TV via the Clip My Horse service which requires a paid subscription; sign up here.

This recap of day two of competition at the 2023 FEI World Cup Finals is a web exclusive for Horse Illustrated magazine. Click here to subscribe!

The post Vaulting Debuts & Day Two of Jumping at Omaha FEI World Cup Finals appeared first on Horse Illustrated Magazine.

U.S. Equestrian is proud to recognize Sydney Schimack of Laporte, Colo., as the 2019 U.S. Equestrian Vaulter of the Year. Schimack, who competed for the bronze medal-winning U.S. Vaulting Team Squad at the FEI Vaulting World Championships for Juniors, stood out among the applicant pool based on her 2019 competition scores, personal essay and letters of recommendation.

Seventeen-year-old Schimack competed in Europe for the first time this year, securing impressive placings in both the squad and individual female sections. Schimack placed in the top 10 in the CVIJ2* Individual Female and, along with fellow squad members from the Rocky Mountain High Performance Team, finished third in the CVIJ2* Squad in Saumur, France. Schimack went on to compete with the squad at the prestigious FEI Vaulting World Championships for Juniors in Ermelo, the Netherlands, where they won the bronze medal. She also competed in the World Championships as an individual, advancing to Round 2 and finishing in the top 10 as the highest-placed U.S. individual female athlete.

Back home in the U.S., Schimack vaulted in seven high-level squad and individual CVIJ2* competitions in 2019, including the Pacific Cup CVI, Rocky Mountain Cup Utah, and Woodside Vaulters Spring Fest, and placed either first or second at every one.

Schimack is undeniably a rising star in the U.S. vaulting community, recently competing in the senior individual section for the first time at the American Vaulting Association Region IV Octoberfest. Backed by her supportive family, friends, and vaulting club, Schimack is eager to continue learning and gaining experience in senior-level competitions in Europe and the U.S.

Stay up to date with U.S. Vaulting by following USA Vaulting on Facebook and US Equestrian on Instagram and Twitter. Use #USAVaulting.

Further Reading

• What is Equestrian Vaulting?

The post Sydney Schimack Named 2019 U.S. Equestrian Vaulter of the Year appeared first on Horse Illustrated Magazine.

Two new disciplines started today at the FEI World Equestrian Games Tryon 2018. Para-dressage took over the Tryon Arena while vaulting moved in to the indoor arena where reining took place last week at 2018 WEG. Read on for Para-Dressage and Vaulting starting in the second week of the 2018 World Equestrian Games in Tryon, North Carolina.

Holding on to Gold

Para-dressage is divided into grades 1 through 5 and riders are classified into grades based on type of physical impairment. Grade 1 tests are walk-only. Grades 2 and 3 are walk and trot. Grade 4 includes walk, trot, and canter with lateral movements at the walk and trot. Grade 5 is at walk, trot, and canter with lateral movements at all gaits at 2018 WEG.

Today, grades 2, 4, and 5 completed their individual tests. Grade 4 was first to go, with a field that included two of the U.S. team’s riders, Angie Peavy and Kate Shoemaker. It also included the 2016 Paralympic gold medalist, Sanne Voets of the Netherlands with her Paralympic mount, Demantur N.O.P., a Dutch Warmblood gelding. Voets rode a clean test to earn a score of 73.927% and the WEG gold medal. Rodolpho Riskalla of Brazil won silver with Don Henrico, and Danish rider Susan Jensby Sunesen won bronze with CSK’s Que Faire at 2018 WEG.

Peavy and her chestnut Oldenburg mare, Royal Dark Chocolate, finished in sixth place with a 68.707. Shoemaker was less than a tenth of a point behind to finish in seventh place with her Hanoverian stallion, Solitaer at 2018 WEG.

In grade 2, 2016 Paralympic bronze medalist Stinna Tange Kaastrup took the gold with Horsebo Smarties. Former eventer Pepo Puch of Austria, who won gold at the 2016 Paralympics, took silver with his Hanoverian gelding, Sailor Blue. Dutch rider Nicole den Dulk won the bronze with her Dutch Warmblood, Wallace N.O.P at 2018 WEG.

Great Britain’s Sophie Wells, Paralympic gold medalist from 2016, took gold again here, winning the grade 5 individual test with C. Fatal Attraction, an 11-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding. Frank Hosmar of the Netherlands won silver with his Dutch gelding, Alphaville N.O.P. German rider Regine Mispelkamp won the bronze with her Rheinlander gelding, Look At Me Now

Para-Dressage will continue on Wednesday with grade 3 tests at 9:30 a.m. and Grade 1 at 1:30 p.m. EDT at 2018 WEG.

On the Circle

The first day of vaulting brought the compulsory rounds for the squad, individual female, and individual male divisions. In the compulsories, each athlete demonstrates seven standard exercises. The scores earned in the compulsory rounds will be combined with the freestyle rounds to determine medals at 2018 WEG.

There was a close battle for the top of the leaderboard in the squad competition today, with the Swiss squad narrowly moving ahead of the Germans. The Austrian team currently sits in third, but only 0.006 points separate them from the fourth-placed American team at 2018 WEG.

For the individual female division, Austria’s Katharina Luschin and Daniela Fritz have the first and third spots, respectively, with Germany’s Kristina Boe in second. Tessa Divita is the top-placed American woman, currently in 14th place. Elizabeth Osborn and Mary McCormick of the U.S. are in 19th and 20th place, respectively at 2018 WEG.

Germany currently dominates the individual male leaderboard, with Thomas Brüsewitz and Jannik Heiland holding down the first and second spots. France’s Lambert Leclezio is in third. The Americans, Colton Palmer, Kristian Roberts, and Daniel Janes are clustered farther down the leaderboard, in 14th, 15th, and 16th place at 2018 WEG.

Vaulting continues tomorrow with the team, individual male, and pas de deux freestyles. The Nations Teams Freestyle: Individual and Squad, is scheduled for live broadcast on NBC Sports Network at 6 p.m. EDT on Wednesday, September 19.

Coming Up for 201 WEG

Show jumping gets underway tomorrow with the first rounds of individual and team competition. Parts of the competition are scheduled to be broadcast live on Olympic Channel at 9 a.m. and 1:30 p.m. EDT on Wednesday, September 19.

See the full broadcast schedule here.

Watch on tv.fei.org (requires a paid subscription.)

Tryon 2018 WEG Moment of the Day

Your WEG Moment of the Day for Tuesday, September 18: Lunger Monika Winkler-Bischofberger offers some quiet encouragement to vaulting horse Acardi van de Kapel before Swiss vaulter Lukas Heppler’s compulsory round in the individual male competition.

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