adambroom.com

HONG KONG — Four horses and their riders were suspended from Olympic show jumping on Thursday after preliminary tests suggested that the skin of the horses might have been treated with a banned derivative of chili peppers.

Combinations of horses and riders from Brazil, Germany, Ireland and Norway were suspended after initial tests showed the presence of capsaicin, which is widely used in topical ointments for the treatment of minor horse injuries. The substance is banned at the Olympics because it can also serve as a mild stimulant.

The banned rider Tony Andre Hansen and his horse, Camiro, were part of the Norwegian show jumping team that captured a bronze medal on Monday. The international federation for equestrian sports, the sport’s governing body, deferred a decision on whether to revoke the bronze medal until after final test results were confirmed.

Another round of tests on medical samples from the horses will take a week, the federation said in a statement. A hearing on the second round of tests is to be held by Sept. 8, and a final decision issued by the first week of October.

Denis Lynch, the suspended Irish rider, said at a news conference on Thursday that he had used an ointment, Equi-Block, for more than a year to help warm the back muscles of his horse, Latinus, for competition. He said that he had never thought to mention it to his team’s veterinarian or noticed that the label mentioned that the ointment contained capsaicin.

Dr. Midge Leitch, a veterinarian at the University of Pennsylvania who worked for the United States equestrian team at the 1988, 1996 and 2000 Olympics, said in a telephone interview that the riders might have unknowingly used products containing capsaicin. “It’s pretty readily detected, so most people would not use it knowingly at an Olympic Games,” she said.

Skin swabs are routinely taken from horses at the Olympics to test for capsaicin. Though capsaicin is widely used in horse ointments, it occurs in such small quantities that Equi-Block and other products are widely marketed as being legal for use on horses engaged in competitions.

Equi-Block is distributed by MiracleCorp of Dayton, Ohio. When told that a horse had been suspended from the Olympics after supposedly being treated with his product, Nick Woods, the Equi-Block sales and marketing consultant for MiracleCorp, said, “There should not have been a problem with it.”

Woods referred all further questions to the company’s president and chief executive, Bill Sherk, who did not return calls for comment.

Leitch said that capsaicin-free ointments were available and that Olympic riders should always pay great attention to the ingredients of every horse medicine used.

This year is the first time that Olympic equestrian events have been held at a place that also has on site one of the world’s handful of equine antidoping test laboratories. The Hong Kong Jockey Club laboratory has built a global reputation for thoroughness to discourage the chicanery that has sometimes marred horse racing in Asia.

In an unusual incident last year, for example, someone sneaked onto a racecourse here and buried pneumatic tubes and sedative-tipped darts in the turf where the horses start.

The scheme, at a different site in Hong Kong from where the Olympic competition is being held, was uncovered just before racing began. The police have speculated that the plan may have been to place bets on long-shot horses, then fire darts into the bellies of the favorites, but detectives have failed to find the culprits.

The positive results in initial tests this week are the latest setback for a sport that has struggled with doping standards for years. In the Athens Olympics in 2004, the winning show jumping team from Germany and the winning individual show jumper from Ireland were disqualified and required to surrender their gold medals when tests discovered banned chemicals in the horses.

The banned chemicals in those cases did not include capsaicin. The international equestrian federation has taken the position that deliberate horse doping is not a widespread problem in the sport and that most violations result from the use of medicines by riders who do not realize that the treatments include banned chemicals.

In addition to Lynch on Latinus and Hansen on Camiro, the combinations of riders and horses suspended on Thursday were Bernardo Alves of Brazil on Chupa Chup and Christian Ahlmann of Germany on Coster.

All six Olympic equestrian events were moved to Hong Kong after Beijing was unable to convince international veterinary groups that it could provide sites demonstrably free of equine influenza, an airborne disease endemic in China.

Olympic officials succeeded on Thursday in finishing the individual show jumping event, the last equestrian event in Hong Kong, before the expected arrival of Typhoon Nuri on Friday. Eric Lamaze of Canada, aboard Hickstead, won the gold medal. Rolf-Goran Bengtsson of Sweden, aboard Ninja, won the silver; and Beezie Madden of the United States, aboard Authentic, took the bronze.

The USA pipped Canada for team Jumping gold in a thrilling third-round jump-off at Sha Tin Stadium in Hong Kong tonight (Monday). And Norway climbed all the way up from overnight joint-sixth place to take bronze thanks to a spirited team performance.

The Swiss had to settle for fourth ahead of Germany and The Netherlands in joint-fifth while Great Britain, down to just three team-members due to the loss of John Whitaker and Peppermill, finished sixth. As Swedish luck ran out, they plummeted from third to eighth while the Australians slotted into ninth place but the Aussies, also with just three in their side, fought a tremendous battle after pathfinder Peter McMahon broke his collarbone in a fall in the practice ring.

To take a medal with just three riders however is a remarkable feat by any measure. Team Canada’s day began with the news that Mac Cone’s horse, Ole, would be withdrawn as he was unsound, but nothing was going to kill their hunger for a share of those Olympic medals. “The odds are that you have no chance with a team of just three but you gotta try,” said Canadian hero Ian Millar tonight, and try they did, to the very end.

TENSION

There was huge tension in the British camp right up to the start of the competition as they awaited the Appeal Committee decision in relation to John Whitaker’s participation. Whitaker’s 11-year old stallion was withdrawn yesterday because he was stiff and uncomfortable, but was considered fit for duty again today. And when the Ground Jury met this morning (Monday) at 11am to consider a request from the British team, it was agreed that the horse and rider could compete in tonight’s second round of the team event. 

However seven of the nine qualified teams then lodged a protest following which the Ground Jury upheld its earlier decision but when the teams formally launched an appeal to the Appeal Committee who met at Sha Tin at 4pm local time today the objections were upheld and the British rider was declared ineligible to jump.

The rule which was applied was Article 264.4 from the FEI Rules for Jumping Events which states that “a full Nations Cup team comprises four competitors each riding the same horse throughout the competition. All members of each team must take part in the first round, except as stated in paragraph 4.2 below and in paragraph 7.2″. Paragraph 4.2. states that “if a team, comprising four competitors, cannot improve its placing in the first or second round after its third competitor has completed his course, the fourth competitor may be withdrawn”. A clear or four-fault round from Whitaker yesterday would have improved the British result.

A 13-fault opening effort from Nick Skelton and Russel put the final nail in the British coffin as the competition got underway tonight.

THE TEST

Another track full of questions and surprises faced horses and riders once again - Leopoldo Palacios and Steve Stephens presenting them with flair, colour and creativity.

A left-hand turn after the opening vertical led to the triple bar followed by a dog-leg to the 1.50m white oxer at three and then a check of control and positioning at the skinny, snaky planks at fence four. A left-hand bend to the vertical at five was followed by another big question over the first of the three doubles on the track - would horses be distracted by the liverpool water-trays under both the opening oxer and the vertical second element? Now the pressure was full-on with acceleration required on approach to the narrow open water - 4.10m wide - with just four good strides to the next double, vertical to vertical, at fence eight. This would prove pivotal. A turn-back to the oxer at nine, a right bend to the planks at 10 and a left-hand turn brought horses down the final line. And here the brightly-coloured wall at 11 was followed by a double of oxers at 12 and then, on a curving line, the final vertical at 13.

“It’s a difficult track - it was very technical yesterday and even more so today,” said Belgium’s reigning World Champion Jos Lansink whose stallion Cumano is clearly really enjoying his jumping again after a long lay-off due to injury. “The course builder is using the water fences very cleverly,” he pointed out after putting in one of the earliest tours of the course, picking up just two time faults. “The water is going to be a problem for a lot of riders,” he added, and he was quite correct.

A GOOD START

The first-day joint-leaders from the USA made a good start when McLain Ward’s only mistake with Sapphire was at the water, and when Laura Kraut’s Cedric put in a spectacular clear they were looking very strong indeed. “Tonight he was completely relaxed,” Kraut said afterwards. “We had a mix-up in the practice ring when he thought a shadow was a groundline but things like that don’t bother him, it just made him more attentive, and he felt amazing in there. My biggest worry was about the liverpool double but he soared over it. It’s hard to believe how much he has come on over the last year. In May 2007 we jumped in the Super League in Rome and it was too much for him but he has decided to peak at the right moment - I’m thrilled with him,” she pointed out.

The joint-leaders from Switzerland however were in trouble right away. Pathfinder Christina Liebherr had a nightmare ride with No Mercy who lived up to his name when dragging her at break-neck speed around much of the track and, having hit the oxer at three, put a foot in the water and lowered the oxer at nine she had to pull up in front of the second element of 11 before circling to finish. “He is either a genius or a crazy horse, and today he was a crazy, crazy horse,” the rider said in resignation after putting 23 faults on the board.

Team-mate Pius Schwizer meanwhile made an amazing recovery when Nobless M threw in an objection on the approach to the vertical at five, and did well to complete with just five faults this time out.

All eyes were on the Germans who, so surprisingly, were trailing the field after yesterday’s opening round but any hope of a rapid climb up the order would be halted by 19 faults for Marco Kutscher when, in an effort to take a sharp check after a strong ride to the water, he stopped Cornet Obolensky in his tracks. Clearly unsettled, the handsome stallion completed, dropping several fences on his way home.

RISING

The Australians however were really rising to the challenge and Laurie Lever’s excellent four-fault effort with the brave Drossel Dan was followed by a fabulous clear from Edwina Alexander and Itot du Chateau. If last man in, 23 year old Matt Williams, could hold it together they would be challenging for a medal at the end.

Lying fourth overnight, the Norwegians were also making good progress despite a 12-fault result from pathfinder Stein Endresen when Morten Djupvik and Casino lowered only the second element of the double at fence eight and Geir Gulliksen picked up just five with Cattani. The Dutch were unable to make any real headway, eight faults for Angelique Hoorn and O’Brien and a good five-fault round from Marc Houtzager and Opium followed by an unhappy 27 from Vincent Voorn and Alpapillon-Armanie. And the Swedes, in overnight third, were fading fast too, Peter Eriksson’s good opening four-fault result with Jaguar Mail followed by 20 from Lotta Schultz and Calibra and 17 for Helena Lundback and Erbblume - they couldn’t claw their way back from there.

The Canadians however were blossoming under pressure - Jill Henselwood paving the way with a superb clear, one of just five on the day, from the aptly-named Special Ed and Eric Lamaze keeping them right in the game with just a single mistake, at the second element of the penultimate double, with the big-jumping Hickstead. And as it came down to the closing stages it was clear that the weight of Canadian responsibility would fall on the mature shoulders of nine-time Olympian Ian Millar.

The line-up was already taking shape, the Germans finally finished off when Ludger Beerbaum’s All Inclusive stopped when the partnership could not find the distance from the water to the following double to complete with six faults while Australian hopes were finally dashed by 17-fault round from Matt Williams. “I did too much with my horse in the warm-up, and halfway around the course I paid the price,” the young man said philosophically.

A GREAT DEAL

The Dutch just couldn’t stay afloat despite just a single error for Gerco Schroder and Monaco but Norwegian anchorman Tony Andre Hansen produced another fabulous round with Camiro. Hansen has been training with former Irish rider Gerry Mullins for the last six years and he has honed to skills to great effect over the past 12 months - his one time-fault the only addition to the Norwegian scoreline. “I want to thank Gerry a lot,” he said today, “he pushed me and pushed me and here we are now - I owe him a great deal,” he added.

It was clear that Norway would now take bronze but it took a foot-perfect round from Ian Millar to secure the Canadian position and, if Beezie Madden could leave all the fences up when last to go with Authentic then the Americans would take gold ahead of them. But a foot on the tape at the bogey water ensured a jump-off instead, both teams now sharing a total of 20 faults apiece.

You could cut the air with a knife as McLain Ward led the way in the third and final round, throwing down the gauntlet with the coolest clear from Sapphire over the new track which asked for a strong gallop to the new final oxer, and when Henselwood hit the wall, now fence two, the Canadians began to look vulnerable. Laura Kraut piled on the pressure with an amazing ride with Cedric who also left the fences intact but Lamaze pulled it back for Canada when producing the quickest time, 36.35 seconds, with Hickstead. If Will Simpson made a mistake then it would all fall back on Millar again, but a powerful clear from Carlsson Vom Dach sealed the deal - it was all over and the US held that precious gold while the Canadians had to do with silver.  That wasn’t really a problem for them though, because they have waited a long, long time for this.

HISTORICAL

It was an historic Canadian moment because they have not held an Olympic medal since Tom Gayford, Jim Day and Jim Elder took gold in Mexico City in 1968 - a full 40 years ago. And at 61 years of age, the record-breaking Ian Millar was very happy with tonight’s result. “I’ve been riding on Canadian teams for 39 years” he said, “and there have been a lot of good days but the Olympic Games have never gone my way so to be part of this is remarkable. I want to say thanks to my great team and horses and to the team that have been behind us all,” he added.

“When Mac’s horse was out this morning it didn’t seem like we had any chance of a medal, and then Jill inspired us all with her great ride. She left us no choice but to have a real go - she set the standard and we had to follow” he explained. And, even though he will be 65 when the next Olympic Games are held in 2012, he is looking forward to it already. “I’m going to try again for London - I’ve picked out the horse already!” he said. 

The Norwegians meanwhile were relishing their bronze, a first-ever Jumping prize for their country which has not taken part in the equestrian Olympic contest since 1992. “When we qualified at the Europeans last summer we didn’t really believe we could go this far - you dream that it might happen but this, to us, is as good as winning gold!” said Stein Endresen.  “Finally we have a team riding at the same level at the same time - and the team spirit has been unbelievable” said Hansen while team manager, Sylve Soderstrand, added with some satisfaction “the team have stuck to the plan we made two years ago, and that is why we are here today.”

The Americans meanwhile were looking happy if a little stunned and Laura Kraut admitted that the whole of the final sequence of events had taken her by surprise. “I was a bit dazed and confused going into the jump-off, we weren’t really sure it was going to happen until the last minute and our horses were already going back to the stables - there was no time to think about it. I just knew, going in, that I needed to be clear and fast and it just turned into our night - the Canadians made us work for it though!” she pointed out. 

“I was sorry because I made my team jump in the jump-off - I should have sealed it in the second round, but I’m glad how it worked out” said Beezie Madden. Team manager George Morris was looking pretty pleased too, because it had worked out just fine.

An American triumph, a Canadian moment to remember and for Norway the reward of commitment and the willingness to work together to make the impossible dream into a reality.

For Will Simpson, it was the horse tip of a lifetime.

Had it not been for a contact in Germany, an Olympic Games dream might have been put on hold until 2012 for the 49-year-old horseman for El Campeon Farms in Thousand Oaks.

Twelve-year-old Holsteiner gelding Carlsson vom Dach will be Simpson’s ride for show jumping events in Hong Kong for the 2008 Olympics.

“He has all the ingredients,” said Simpson, who has trained with the dark bay horse since the spring of 2007. “He’s brave. Careful. Fast.”

The perfect blend for Simpson’s go-for-broke style.

It will be Simpson’s first Olympic appearance.

Owed, in part, to Gilbert Boeckmann, who advised Simpson to look into purchasing Carlsson vom Dach from Christian Seimer.

“Like in every business, when you buy a horse, it’s due diligence,” said El Campeon owner Eva Gonda. “It’s not just having a talented horse. It’s seeing that talent of horse is compatible with the rider.”

Six months after the horse was brought to Ventura County, Simpson knew that he had a perfect match.

Simpson brings 38 years of riding experience to the biggest event of his career.

In a sport that Americans more than likely would associate with wealthy families, Simpson can bring a different face.

“It’s seen as a hobby for the elite,” said Gonda, an accomplished rider herself.

With his down-to-earth charm, Simpson could be marketed as the “Cowboy Equestrian.”

“Will is a showman,” said Gonda. “He has a great personality. At the same time, he has a very competitive spirit with a hunger to succeed. He has compassion for the horse, but is not one to be overly so. For all the years of knowing him, he has always been considered a cowboy.

“He’s a good athlete and a student of horsemanship. He’s inquisitive. He watches videotapes of the masters.”

Simpson might look as good on the saddle of a palomino.

Chasing after robbers in a scene from the Old West.

“People describe me as a go-for-it rider,” said Simpson. “I am usually very fast in the first round and in the jump-off. I attack the course.”

Horsemanship has been part of Simpson’s surroundings as he grew up in Springfield, Ill.

Three years after being introduced to the sport, the 14-year-old Simpson became so proficient his parents sent him to Chicago to serve a two-year apprenticeship.

He became skilled in many aspects of the horse business.

“I can wear every hat,” said Simpson, who has worked for El Campeon Farms for the last 12 years. “I can do the shoeing. I can work with the young horses. I can drive the trucks. I can teach. I love it all. There is always something to learn in the horse business.”

Simpson made an impression on the sport early in his career by setting an outdoor high-jump record of 7 feet, 914 inches on Jolly Good in 1985 in Cincinnati.

Seventeen years later, he won the West Coast League with a score of 91 — third highest total in the league’s history — out of a maximum 100. He won the Del Mar International Grand Prix four straight years, captured the 2006 CANA Cup, the 2007 Ariat Grand Prix and has represented the United States five times in World Cup finals.

Nothing has compared to his 2008 season.

Right out of the gate, Simpson won the $100,000 Zada Enterprises Masters Cup in Wellington, Fla., on March 2.

One month later, he saddled Tosca to victory in the 1.40-meter Jumper Classic at the Tournament of Champions during the Tampa (Fla.) Equestrian Festival. The two were victorious at the $25,000 International Accumulator in Charlotte, N.C., where Simpson scored 65 points in the fastest time of the night (46.19) in mid-April.

In Europe for a three-month-long training session, Simpson placed second to England’s John Whitaker in a jump-off at the Samsung Super League in Rome on May 24. Simpson had the fastest time, but clipped one of the three elements.

Those performances helped gain Simpson confidence on the international stage without compromising the long-range plan he and Gonda had mapped out.

“Instead of planning how to get to the Olympics, we made a plan for what to do when we get there,” said Simpson. “We worked backward from the Olympics.

“We had a fresh horse when we started the season and a fresh one when we ended.”

Most of his European trip was spent in Germany, where many of the top equestrian’s athletes reside.

As Simpson has studied their styles and techniques, not far from his thoughts is the event’s biggest rival.

“The course designer is the enemy,” said Simpson.

Like golf, equestrian courses have their own little quirks. Most of the top riders avoid courses that have a reputation of being slippery.

The 100-meter by 80-meter Sha Tin course in Hong Kong was designed by an Australian equestrian architectural firm of Timothy Court and Company.

“We know his habits and are training for them,” said Simpson. “I feel prepared.”

Before the competition, Simpson will walk the course. “I’ll just take the whole thing in and figure out what the course is like; how it starts and how it finishes. Will speed be a factor or will there be an element of surprise?”

At the age of 49, Simpson’s best days appear ahead of him.

“It takes a long time to learn how to do it,” said Simpson, “but you get to do it for a long time. I want to do a few more Olympic Games.”

Ten-year-old daughter Sophie and 6-year-old son Ty are his inspirations.

“They are a big role in why I keep going,” he said.

Competitors for the showjumping events were in the eye of the storm in Hong Kong.

Things quietened down for a while, but the weather started to get quite bad again and it is expected to get a lot worse - and that is a worry for the horses and riders here.

At the moment there has not been too much damage. Some flags, hoardings and barriers have been blown down around the Olympic venue at Sha Tin and there are some very wet looking microphones.

Other than that, everything is in one piece.

Under Hong Kong law, if a typhoon reaches category 8, as this one now has, all employees have to go home, so the shops are shut and public transport is not running.

Luckily there was a short lull in the weather for the Olympic transport to start running again so competitors managed to get to the Olympic venue at the Hong Kong racecourse.

Forecasters are predicting the typhoon to last for two days which could have a big impact on the riders and horses.

A contact I have who is at the event has spoken to all of the British grooms and they are not at all worried at the moment.

Unlike grooms with other teams, the Brits are all staying here with the horses so are on hand to look after them during the storm.

For other teams stuck away from their horses, it means letting someone else do that.

So the British team is very happy now - but the worry is that that might change if this lasts for two days, as forecast.

The main problem will be the fact everyone has to stay indoors.

Like all of us, horses like a bit of outside space and if they cannot be exercised properly they could get restless and agitated.

There is an indoor arena - but with more than 100 horses on site access would have to be tightly controlled.

There is also going to be much less time to practice in competition conditions. In the show jumping for instance, each nation is given a slot so they can get used to jumping under lights. But the practice has been cancelled today.

I imagine the organisers will be able to cope with all this and squeeze in enough practice for all the teams to get their fair share once the typhoon passes.

But it is a worry at this late stage, with the equestrian competition starting on Saturday.

Previous in series

Businesswoman Lis Astall has been appointed as the new president of the British Show Jumping Association (BSJA).

Lis, who has worked at Accenture for 25 years and is currently European managing director for government, will succeed John Hales as president at the end of this year.

In her previous role as Accenture’s UK managing director she worked closely with the BSJA, helping young riders to reach their potential through the Accenture-sponsored Junior and Young Rider Pathway Programme, which was launched in 2000.

Michael Mac, chairman of the BSJA said: “We feel extremely fortunate to have someone of Lis Astall’s calibre joining us. Her support of British show jumping has always been invaluable and we look forward to working with her in the lead up to 2012.

“I would also like thank John Hales for the tremendous commitment, time and energy he has given the role in addition to the support he gives as one of the UK’s leading owners in both Arko III and Russel”.

Ms Astall said: “I feel honoured to accept the position of president within British show jumping especially bearing in mind the exciting time ahead with the London 2012 Olympics looming.

“I am extremely keen to be an active president and put something back into a sport which continues to bring me so much enjoyment”.

Lis currently competes at amateur level BSJA, British Eventing and British Dressage.

CLINTON CORNERS-Blue Danube, an 8-year-old horse raised and trained in Clinton Corners, took first place in show jumping at the DeLuca Toyota Tundra Grand Prix in Ocala, Fla.
Blue Danube was raised and trained at Tatra Farm in Clinton Corners. Blue Danube is a warm blood thoroughbred cross.

Of the 46 horses entered in the grand prix, only Blue Danube and Shandor 41 advanced to the jump off.

Aaron Vale, Blue Danube’s rider, stated that, “We saw bigger fences in the first round than we had all circuit. It was a long course with some of the harder fences at the end.”
Blue Danube was the last horse to jump. Shandor 41 jumped first and had three rails down. Vale and Blue Danube had a hard rub on the first jump, but the rail stayed up, and the duo easily traversed the rest of the course, clearing it in 41.248 seconds.

Tatra Farm will receive $30,000 of the $100,000 total purse of prize money. The rest will be distributed among the other twelve placing riders and horses.

Patricia Garthwaipe Towle, the owner of Tatra Farm where Blue Danube was trained, was very excited with the win.

It was also an exciting day for Pavel Blaho, Towle’s business partner. A year ago, Blaho underwent emergency surgery and spent the next five months in intensive care.

But Blaho’s recovery went well enough that he was able to fly to Florida to watch the competition and to see Blue Danube’s win. This was Blaho’s first outing since the surgery, and Towle was happy that it turned out to be such a joyous day.

Towle was excited about Blue Danube’s win, adding, “we were able to breed a top notch US horse.”

Blue Danube comes from very good breeding. His grandfather won the Olympic gold medal in 1984 in show jumping.

Blue Danube is a young horse, only 8, and this grand prix was only his third. “He just started competing in grand prix,” Towle commented.

The Florida show jumping circuit begins at the end of January. Rider and horses start preparing for the circuit in December. The competition on March 16 is the grand finale and signals the closing of the Florida circuit.

While Blue Danube is a relative newcomer to the grand prix, he is no stranger to competition. When he was 4, he competed in the International Jumping Futurity held in Raleigh, NC. He also made it to the national finals in Wellington, FL. when he was 5.

“He’s been developing to be a star,” Towle said.

Towle’s young jumper program has also produced other winning horses. Adonis, Blue Danube’s half-brother, was a reserve champion at the nationals when he was 5.

Blue Danube also has four sisters currently in training at Tatra Farm, located in Clinton Corner. They are still young, but Towle expects great things from them in the future.

For now, Blue Danube will rest for two weeks. “It’s been really intense,” Towle stated, referring to the recent competition schedule. She added that he deserves a rest, and that they will figure out what is in Blue Danube’s future after the two-week break.

The young jumper training program at Tatra Farm is part of the Young Jumper Championships. Young Jumper Championships is designed to identify the most promising young show jumping prospected competing in the United States. This program was developed in cooperation with the International Jumper Futurity.

Tatra Farm also boards as well as trains horses. For more information call 914-475-1391.
 

GOLDEN girl Ellen Whitaker has signed a new major sponsorship deal with her long-time supporters Caldene.

Yorkshire-based Caldene – one of the most established and well-known brands in the equestrian industry – is happy that one of the highest profile sponsorships in the world of showjumping is going from strength to strength.

Ellen has a huge fan base and growing team of top horses and is well established in the major league.

Currently ranked sixth in Great Britain and 66th in the FEI Rolex World rankings, Ellen has a hectic Spring schedule planned, competing at the British Open in Birmingham as well as shows throughout Europe.

Ellen and Caldene have worked together for the last four years and the Bradford-based company remain very committed to supporting Ellen in her quest by extending and further enhancing their backing.

Marketing manager Richard Lawrence said: “We have had a wonderful four years with Ellen fronting the advertising campaigns and helping to develop the brand further.

“The new sponsorship package sees a significant investment in Ellen and her efforts and we are delighted to support her. The sponsorship is the largest we have been involved with.

“The photo-shoots with Ellen are always good fun with the images bringing a great lifestyle feel to our advertising campaigns.”

Ellen’s top rides include her 2007 European team horse Locarno 62, owned by Dawn Makin; new horse to the team Ocolado, also owned by Dawn and previously with James Fisher; as well as her stalwarts Kanselier and Henri de Here.

Ellen said: “I really enjoy working with the team and am looking forward to an exciting few years ahead thanks to the new sponsorship support.

“The range is fantastic with both the competition gear and leisure collections catching my eye. I wouldn’t want to wear anything else. I am very fortunate to have secured backing from a number of the leading names in the industry and recognise without both their assistance and the support from very good owners competing at top-level would be very difficult. It looks set to be a really exciting year.”

Authentic and Beezie Madden and Sapphire and McLain Ward have been named to the US showjumping short list to the Olympic Games, by the US Equestrian Federation Ad Hoc Committee on Selection.

Selectors have the discretion to recommend up to four of the 10 horse/rider combinations to the short list regardless of their participation or placing in the selection trials. The remaining six combinations will be chosen according to their ranking at the conclusion of the Selection Trials which run February 27-March 9 in Wellington, Florida.

The short list will travel to Europe and compete at CSIO’s La Baule, Rome, St. Gallen, Rotterdam and Aachen before Selection for the 2008 Olympic Games is finalized in early July.

Madden and Authentic, a 13-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding owned by Abigail Wexner, were members of the 2004 Gold Medal winning Olympic Team in Athens and won Team and Individual Silver Medals at the 2006 World Equestrian Games in Aachen, Germany.

Ward and Sapphire, a 13-year-old Belgian Warmblood mare owned by Ward and Blue Chip Bloodstock, were on both medal winning teams with Madden and Authentic in Athens and Aachen.

In addition to a new premiere location in Hampton Falls, NH, the Fidelity Investments Jumper Classic welcomes a new course designer, Linda Allen of Salinas, CA. Allen will design the grand prix ring, which will feature the $75,000 Fidelity Investments AGA Grand Prix, the $10,000 Welcome Stake, the $10,000 Speed Stake and $15,000 Mohegan Sun Derby, just to name a few of the classes. There will be a total of over 20 classes held in the grand prix ring.

Allen has more than 30 years of experience in the show jumping world, from competing in the 1970s to designing the 1996 show jumping course in the Olympic Games in Atlanta, GA, and the 1992 World Cup Finals in Del Mar, CA. She won the Walter Cox Trophy and American Horse Shows Association (AHSA) Course Designer of the Year award four times. Allen is one of only 10 individuals originally accredited in 1993 by the International Equestrian Federation (FEI) as an FEI Official International Course Designer. She is an FEI International Judge, show jumping clinician, and has designed courses worldwide as well as throughout the U.S. U.S. show jumpers are familiar with her professionalism and designs that challenge the horse and rider while maintaining a safe environment for the athletes.

For the past nine years, the Jumper Classic has enlisted the course design services of Richard Jeffery of the United Kingdom, who worked with Allen on the 1996 Olympics.

“I am truly looking forward to doing the Jumper Classic as, from all that I have heard from both Richard and many riders, this event is one of the few unique and special events on the calendar in the U.S.,” said Allen. “It will be a challenge to follow Richard Jeffery as course designer, but I believe that our shared philosophy—to always present courses that are challenging yet fair to each and every competitor taking part, as well as providing a beautiful and exciting spectacle to spectators—will help maintain a continuity for the Jumper Classic, keeping it an event that competitors look forward to returning to year after year.”

Jumper Classic Show Manager, Margaret Lynch, who has been part of the exciting growth of this show over the past 19 years, said, “We are fortunate to have been able to secure Linda Allen to carry on the expert course designing at the Jumper Classic. Linda comes to us with top credentials. We are very excited about having not only a new venue but a new course designer to work with and the first ever American Grand Prix Association (AGA) competition at this great new location.”

The Silver Oak Equestrian Center in Hampton Falls, NH, features a grass grand prix ring, an all weather grand prix ring, as well as four warm-up rings. All-weather footing and a grass stadium are key features of this new venue, which will retain the European flair that the Jumper Classic has become known for among its top-notch athletes and devoted spectators. It is the only AGA-sanctioned show jumping event in New England.

“The organizing committee has an avid interest and an attention to detail that brings it far above the ‘cookie cutter’ events that are the norm today,” Allen said, adding that she strives to design a course that has an appeal for spectators as well, “be they afficianados of the sport or first timers.”

For more information, please visit www.jumperclassic.com or call (978) 283-7708.

Romelia Calderon and her 2007 FEI World Cup mount Pernot captured the blue ribbon in Sunday’s $25,000 HITS Grand Prix to conclude the Kachina Classic at HITS Arizona.

Calderon, who won the first Grand Prix at HITS Thermal in 2007, got the best of 25 pairs in the first round and nine combinations in the jump-off to score $7,500 in prize money for Riley Stables. The Mexican rider was also eighth aboard John’s Flight.

Calderon and Pernot were first to go in the jump-off and set Great American Time to Beat at 38.93 seconds. What made Calderon’s effort even more impressive was that only one other pair managed a double-clear round. Natasha Merback and her mount Van Schundel’s Cincy were fourth to challenge the jump-off route and negotiated a clean round, stopping the clocks in 39.08 to secure second place and $5,500 for Redliw Corporation.

The winner of last Sunday’s $25,000 HITS Grand Prix, Allison Kroff and Miss Hans were sixth to go in the jump-off and had an unlucky rail down midway through the track to secure third place. Another top finisher was Brandie Halloway and her mount Argentina, who finished in fourth place for Hayes Investment Corp. Holloway also saw an unlucky rail hit the floor midway through the course. The veteran of the the HITS Arizona Winter Circuit was also fourth and sixth in last Sunday’s $25,000 HITS Grand Prix.

Rounding out the top five were Lane Clark and mount David. Clark and David were inches from a clear round but suffered heartbreak at the final effort as they dropped the last fence on the jump-off course. Clark collected $1,500 in prize money for owner Anne Cole.

In other action at HITS Arizona, Tammy Chiplo and Lottie secured the $4,000 Junior/Amateur-Owner Jumper High Classic. Laura Schenker and Calajary led the way in the $2,500 Junior/Amateur-Owner Jumper Low Classic, while Lindsay Udelson and Haute Brian took home blue in the $2,500 Modified Junior/Amateur Jumper Classic. In the hunters, it was Ashley Bolwar and Most Wanted who triumphed in the $1,000 Junior/Amateur-Owner Hunter Classic. Sarah Thomas and Quality took first in the $500 Marshall & Sterling Children’s Hunter Classic, while Holly Andrews-Kramber and Time and Again took home the blue in the $500 Marshall & Sterling Adult Hunter Classic. For more results from the Kachina Classic, visit http://www.hitsshows.com/resultswinter_08.html.

The next grand prix show jumping event will be the $25,000 HITS Grand Prix scheduled for Sunday, February 24.

The six-week event has been a staple of West Coast circuits for many years. HITS took over production of the circuit in 1991. The HITS Arizona Winter Circuit offers a full range of competition classes for beginners to advanced riders. Exhibitors gain valuable experience in the show ring under the eye of some of the country’s top judges.

For more information and a complete schedule of classes and events, visit www.HitsShows.com.