fei focus 8
DESCRIPTION
next.fei.orgTRANSCRIPT
July 2011
Memory LaneRevisiting Olympic amp Paralympic Achievements ndash Page 06
One DayNicolas Theacutevenaz on Para-Equestrian Dressage ndash Page 34
Sands Of Time
OYSTER PERPETUAL DATEJUST
chio aachen world equestrian festival
JULY 8TH TO 17TH 2011AACHEN GERMANY
IT IS THE ULTIMATE DREAM FOR RIDERS THE
ULTIMATE SPECTACLE FOR ENTHUSIASTS
IT IS SIMPLY MAGNETIC AS THEY ASSEMBLE
TOGETHER ON HALLOWED GROUNDS UNITED
BY A N EQ UA L PA S S I O N W I TH E V ER Y
MASTERFUL JUMP ELEGANT PIAFFE AND
STUNNING ATHLETIC MOVEMENT AACHEN
EPITOMISES THE EQUESTRIAN EVENT AGAINST
WHICH ALL OTHERS ARE MEASURED
FEIFocus_CHIO_05_11indd 1 120511 0908
OYSTER PERPETUAL DATEJUST
chio aachen world equestrian festival
JULY 8TH TO 17TH 2011AACHEN GERMANY
IT IS THE ULTIMATE DREAM FOR RIDERS THE
ULTIMATE SPECTACLE FOR ENTHUSIASTS
IT IS SIMPLY MAGNETIC AS THEY ASSEMBLE
TOGETHER ON HALLOWED GROUNDS UNITED
BY A N EQ UA L PA S S I O N W I TH E V ER Y
MASTERFUL JUMP ELEGANT PIAFFE AND
STUNNING ATHLETIC MOVEMENT AACHEN
EPITOMISES THE EQUESTRIAN EVENT AGAINST
WHICH ALL OTHERS ARE MEASURED
FEIFocus_CHIO_05_11indd 1 120511 0908
OYSTER PERPETUAL DATEJUST
chio aachen world equestrian festival
JULY 8TH TO 17TH 2011AACHEN GERMANY
IT IS THE ULTIMATE DREAM FOR RIDERS THE
ULTIMATE SPECTACLE FOR ENTHUSIASTS
IT IS SIMPLY MAGNETIC AS THEY ASSEMBLE
TOGETHER ON HALLOWED GROUNDS UNITED
BY A N EQ UA L PA S S I O N W I TH E V ER Y
MASTERFUL JUMP ELEGANT PIAFFE AND
STUNNING ATHLETIC MOVEMENT AACHEN
EPITOMISES THE EQUESTRIAN EVENT AGAINST
WHICH ALL OTHERS ARE MEASURED
FEIFocus_CHIO_05_11indd 1 120511 0908
Note from theFEIPresidentHRH Princess Haya
We are just six months into the year and as I look back at recent events such as the indoor sporting showcase in Leipzig the inauguration of the FEI Headquarters or even the FEIrsquos forays into the new frontier that is social media I am reminded of the passion and constant state of flux in which our sport evolves
The subtitle of this edition of FEI FOCUS ldquoSands of Timerdquo is symbolic of that constant evolution falling grain by grain marking the past the future and where we stand in the present It also reminds us that it is not about leaping into the future but about taking thoughtful and measured steps towards greater di-versity acceptance and universality
Looking back in this edition we review the past 99 years of Olympic tradition in our Memory Lane focus and then look forward to the European Cham-pionships in all the FEI disciplines that will take place between the months of July and September Some of these Championships have a long tradition such as the FEI European Eventing and Jumping Champion-ships that date back to 1953 and 1957 respectively while for others such as the FEI European Para-Equestrian Dressage Championships they are only in the early stages of making their history but as they do they also contribute to the history of equestrian sport as a whole
Integrating Para-Equestrian in 2006 has been one of the important steps taken by the FEI towards greater universality and diversity within our sport and it is testimony to this integration that the cover of this edition features aspiring Swiss rider Nicolas Theacutevenaz and an article on his goals and motivation
Like many sports we rely heavily on our volunteer body who act behind the scenes to provide the athletes and the spectators with safe and fair con-ditions for competition and ensure that welfare and sportsmanship are always at the heart of their actions We feature Dr Gerit Matthesen in our ldquolife in a dayrdquo section to gain a better understanding of the type of person it takes to devote time and energy on a voluntary basis
The equestrian community is full of extraordinary people whose achievements in and out of the arena are the result of their outstanding ability to focus on their goals The FEI Awards celebrate that talent and determination and have shown us that whether you are an athlete a groom or the initiator of a project that enhances the lives of others you share a deep love for the horse and the belief that equestrianism at any level is well worth the time and energy that you devote to it I would like to encourage all readers to visit the FEI Awards website (wwwfeiawardsorg) to make nominations by 31 July to help us to express our gratitude to and admiration of those people who deserve it
The FEI Awards will be presented to the winners at a gala evening in Rio de Janeiro on the occasion of the FEI General Assembly hosted by Brazil You will find a brief introduction to the Brazilian National Federation in the Postcard from Brazil page 44 with facts and figures and a QampA with the President of the Brazilian National Federation Mr Luiz Roberto Guigni
Lastly I would like to thank all the guest that were able to attend the FEI Extraordinary General Assembly and the Inauguration in May for the beginning of a new chapter for the FEI For those that were unable to attend I hope you will be able to gage the warmth and genuine goodwill of all attending the event in the pages devoted to the celebration
02
Editorial
The King Hussein I Building will be a place for dialogue and decision-making as the FEI continues its mission to ad-vance the orderly growth of equestrian sport worldwide while ensuring that the welfare of the horse and a level playing field remain at the centre of all that we do
28 HSBC FEI ClassicsTM
A world class meeting of generations
30 Why the long face Viggo Mortensen
32 The other side of Laurent Elias
34 One day Nicolas Theacutevenaz
06 Olympic amp Paralympic Games Memory Lane
14 FEI World CupTM Finals Jumping Dressage Driving amp Vaulting
18 Preview FEI European Championships 2011
14
Follow us onTable of Contents
04
Contact Advertising FEI - Feacutedeacuteration Equestre Internationalerichardjohnsonfeiorg HM King Hussein I Building Chemin des Deacutelices 9 1006 Lausanne T +41 21 310 47 47 F +41 21 310 47 60 wwwfeiorg
Impressum - Focus Ndeg 7 - June 2011Circulation 2800Frequency QuarterlyEditor in Chief Olivia RobinsonDesign Art Equestrio SAPrinting Grafiche SIZ - ItalyCover copyHugues Siegenthaler
48 Alltech Tips Feeding to reduce stress for the equine traveller
50 FEI News FEI celebrates NEW Headquarters
56 FEI Insight Social Media - the new frontier
38 FEI Awards 2011
42 Globetrotter
44 Postcard from Brazil
46 A life in a day Dr Gerit Matthesen
28 HSBC FEI ClassicsTM
A world class meeting of generations
30 Why the long face Viggo Mortensen
32 The other side of Laurent Elias
34 One day Nicolas Theacutevenaz
5030
05FOCUS
1900Games of the II Olympiad Paris (FRA)Grand Prix Jumping long jump high jump hunter competition and a coaching competition were on the 1900 programme The events went officially unrecord-ed until the 1970s which is why it is often assumed that 1912 marks the first inclusion of equestrian sports on the Olympic programme Participation Twenty-four riders from 4 countries
1912Games of the V Olympiad Stockholm (SWE) Jumping Dressage and Eventing made their deacutebut in Stockholm and remain to this day the only equestrian disciplines on the Olympic programme It took two years to construct the new brick-built Olympic Sta-dium which served for the 1956 Olympic Equestrian Games and the 1990 FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade Participation Sixty-two riders and 70 horses from 10 nations ndash all European except for the USA
1920Games of the VII Olympiad Antwerp (BEL)World War I had just ended in 1918 and there were serious doubts that the 1920 Olympic Games would go ahead It was on 3 April 1919 that the IOC decided to accept the offer from Antwerp (BEL) The short term allocation of the Games did leave some in the lurch such as team USA who at first unable to find a passage to Europe at that late stage were able to secure the help of the military to transport the team Swedenrsquos solid and meticulous preparations were well rewarded as they picked up more than half of the 15 medals at stake and confirmed their stronghold on the sportParticipation Seventy-two riders from 8 nations Vaulting was for the first and only time on the Olympic programme
1924 Games of the VIII Olympiad Paris (FRA)First Olympic appearance for the FEIDid you knowThe Dressage arena of 60 x 20 m was in the centre of the huge Stade de Colombes at least 60 meters away from the public The five judges sat with their assistants on a long table together on a short side The
Olympic amp Paralympic Games
MemoryLane A journey of Olympicamp Paralympic achievements
In 2012 the disciplines of Jumping Dressage and Eventing celebrate 100 years of Olympic history For Para-EquestrianDressage itrsquos sixteen years of intense and ever increasing competition and participationTake a stroll down MemoryLane to revisit the sportingachievements of Championspast and present
1920 1921 1922
1924 1925 1926
1900 1901 1902 1903 1904
1912 1913 1914
06
individual winner in Jumping was Swiss militia officer Lt Alphonse Gemuseus on the eight-year old Irish-bred mare Lucette who had been bought for pound48 as an army remount horse in 1922The length of the Eventing Cross Country was 36kmParticipation Seventeen nations 126 horses
1928Games of the IX Olympiad Amsterdam (NED)By 1928 the IOC had clarified the definition of an amateur For equestrian sport an amateur was every professional officer actively serving or anyone riding solely for the sport and recognised by a national body as a gentlemanParticipation Twenty nations the major return was Germany ndash not invited in 1920 and 1924 ndash but now there in full force
1932Games of the X Olympiad Los Angeles (USA)Because the 1932 Olympics were held in the middle of the Great Depression and in the comparatively re-mote city of Los Angeles half as many athletes from only six nations took part compared to 1928 The Japanese team came by ship from Yokohama to Los Angeles France and Sweden took a ship to New York then travelled by railroad across the USA as did the
Mexicans The Dutch who sailed through the Panama Canal directly to Los Angeles remembered that the US equestrian team travelling by ship to Amsterdam in 1928 had kept their horses fit by hiring the tread-mill used during the filming of Ben Hur with its chariot races The Dutch constructed their own treadmill and kept their horses busy during the voyage
The first known Olympic Jumping course designer John A Barry (who rode for the USA in the 1920 and 1924 Olympics) supported by Sloan Doak (also an ex-perienced Olympic rider) built a course that was much more difficult than 1928 It had 18 obstacles and 20 jumping efforts over a length of 1060m No team fin-ished the competition and the team medals remained unclaimed
For the first time piaffe and passage were asked for in Dressage
In Eventing only two teams ndash USA and The Netherlands ndash finished the competition The team bronze remained unclaimed Participation Six nations
1932 1933 1934
1928 1929 1930
1912 Francersquos Jean Cariou - Individual gold and team silver Jumping medallist as well as individual bronze medallist in Eventing
07FOCUS
1936Games of the XI Olympiad Berlin (GER)The Games of the XI Olympiad were held in Berlin three years after the National-Socialist regime came to power in 1933 They are best remembered for Adolf Hitlerrsquos failed attempt to use sport to prove his theories of Aryan racial superiority The equestrian events held on the last five days of the 16-day programme played an important part in the overall running of these first monumental and politically misused Olympic GamesParticipation Twenty-one nations 127 riders - 7 coun-tries had full representation (3x3 riders) Germany won all the equestrian team and individual gold medals
1952Games of the XV Olympiad Helsinki (FIN) The 1952 Olympic Games brought some fundamen-tal changes to equestrian sport Most visible was the change from military riding to civilians Women were allowed in Dressage but not in Jumping or Event-ing The best known of these women is Lis Hartel of Denmark In 1944 at the age of 23 she was paralysed by polio and while she gradually regained the use of most of her muscles she remained paralysed below
the knee Despite being helped on and off her horse she went on to win the silver medal When gold med-allist Henri St-Cyr helped her up onto the victory platform for the medal presentation it was one of the most emotional moments in Olympic historyParticipation Twenty-five nations For the first time since 1912 Russian riders competed ndash now represent-ing the Soviet Union Canada Egypt amp Korea were also newcomers
1956Games of the XVI Olympiad Melbourne (AUS) Stockholm (SWE) When the IOC selected Melbourne (AUS) as host to the Games of the XVI Olympiad it had not taken into consideration the Australian six-month pre-shipment quarantine for horses In 1953 a meeting was held in Canberra attended by the federal authorities which recommended not to alter quarantine laws The IOC decided on a separate venue for the equestrian events and on 13 May 1954 chose Stockholm (SWE)The Jumping course was demanding it is considered by many as the first modern course There were no clears in the first round Hans Guumlnter Winkler (FRG) was in the
1936 1937 1938
1952 1953 1954
1956 1957 1958
1952 The Dressage medallists Andreacute Jousseaume (FRA) - bronze Henri St-Cyr (FRA) - gold Lis Hartel (DEN) - silver
08
lead with one knock-down riding the great mare Halla The horse had taken off early for the penultimate fence and Winkler was thrown into the air and went on to land heavily back in the saddle pulling a muscle in the pro-cess He knew that if he withdrew from the final round the German team would be eliminated Dizzy and in pain he rode anyway Halla completed the course without a fault They earned gold in both the individual and team events Winkler went on to win another five gold medals at various Olympics and is the only Jumper to win seven medals in total and the only rider in any discipline to earn medals in six different OlympicsParticipation Twenty-nine nations Australia Cambodia and Venezuela competed for the first time
1960Games of the XVII Olympiad Rome (ITA) The Australians were the 1960 Eventing sensation The foursome of Larry Morgan Neale Lavis Brian Crago and Bill Roycroft dominated the Cross-Country to an extent never experienced before At the end of the day Mor-gan was overwhelmingly in the lead ahead of Crago and Lavis Roycroft after a fall at the cement drain pipes was not too far back except for the fact that he was in hospital with a concussion and a broken collarbone When Cragorsquos potential silver medal horse Sabre was rejected at the second horse inspection Australia no longer had a team Forty-five-year old Bill Roycroft was taken out of hospital rode Our Solo to a clear round in the Jumping phase and secured team gold for Australia Participation Twenty-nine nations
1964Games of the XVIII Olympiad Tokyo (JPN) The 1964 Olympic Games were the first to be held in Asia These were only the second Olympics ndash after Los Angeles in 1932 ndash for which most horses had to travel across the world Most horses came by aircraft The Soviet horses still came by sea and were caught in the typhoon Wilda For the first time a former Olympic Jumping champion repeated his victory Forty-four year old Pierre Jonquegraveres drsquoOriola (FRA) the 1952 champion with Ali Baba won this time with the nine-year old Lutteur B Another first was the participation of a woman - Lana du Pont (USA) - in an Olympic Eventing competitionParticipation One hundred and sixteen riders from 20 countries competed in Tokyo
1968Games of the XIX Olympiad Mexico City (MEX) The choice of Mexico City to host the 1968 Olympics was a challenging one because of the cityrsquos high altitude 2300m which meant that the air contained 30 less oxygen than at sea level An adjustment pe-riod of three to four weeks for the horses was advised The horses from the Soviet Union Argentina and Ireland were in mid-September the first to arrive The last to stable were France and Germany on 28 September ie 20 days before the start of the com-petitions Of particular interest was the first par-ticipation of Dressage and Eventing riders from the German Democratic Republic In 1960 and 1964 their Eventers were part of a unified German team This time they were allowed to enter under their own flag The equestrian competitions were timed manually and electronically for the first time the electronic time was the official one Participation Eighteen nations
1972 Games of the XX Olympiad Munich (FRG) In 1972 everybody expected great Olympic Games and for the first ten days everything went smoothly But on 5 September 1972 peace was chattered as eight Palestinian terrorists representing the militant group ldquoBlack Septemberrdquo broke into the Olympic Village killed two members of the Israeli team and took nine more hostage In an ensuing battle all nine Israeli hostages were killed as were five of the ter-rorists and one policeman The Olympics were sus-pended for 34 hours In defiance of the terrorists the IOC ordered the competitions to resume IOC President Avery Brundage famously declaring ldquoThe Games must go onrdquo All other details about the Munich Games pale in significance The equestrian events were obviously also affected After the first day of Dressage on 5 September the second half of the competitors rode on 7 September the ride-off followed on the 9th Team Jumping at that time still preceding the closing ceremony took place on 11 September 1972Liselotte Linsenhoff on Piaff became the 13th Olym-pic Dressage champion ndash the third German to achieve this (after con Langen in 1928 and Pollay in 1936) but the first woman to do so Participation Twenty-seven nations
1964 1965 1966
1960 1961 1962
1972 1973 1974
1968 1969 1970
09FOCUS
1976Games of the XXI Olympiad Montreal (CAN) All in the Eventing geneshellip Mother Rita and daugh-ter Silva de Luna were both on the Guatemalan team Father Bill 61 and son Wayne Roycroft were on the bronze-medal winning Australian teamhellipFor the first time in the FEIrsquos Olympic history there was a disqualification due a positive medication case San Carlos the mount of the Irish Army Eventing rider Ronald McMahon The medical treatment after an injury during transport had been announced to the authorities But the rules suffered no exceptions Au-tomatic disqualification followed although there was no additional punishmentBarbara Kemp became the first woman to design an Olympic cross-country course Participation Twenty-three nations Guatemala and Puerto Rico were the newcomers
1980Games of the XXII Olympiad Moscow (URS) The 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow represented the lowest point in the history of the Olympic equestrian events as a US led boycott reduced the number of participating nations to 11 From the top equestrian nations only Austria with the reigning European Dres-sage champion Elisabeth (Sissi) Theurer and Italy with its Eventing team went to Moscow Sissirsquos decision to participate in Moscow created considerable contro-versy in her native Austria ndash resulting in the resignation of the President of the National Equestrian FederationParticipation Eleven nations
1984Games of the XXIII Olympiad Los Angeles (USA) The Los Angeles Games were the first since 1896 to be staged without government financing and became the model for future Games particularly after it was revealed that they had produced a profit of US$ 223 million The organisers depended heavily on existing facilities and corporate sponsors The celebrated Santa Anita racetrack was chosen as the competition site for the equestrian events It was the first time an Olympic equestrian event was organised by an existing man-agement of proven competence and long experienceIn response to the boycott of the 1980 Moscow Olym-pics a boycott led by the Soviet Union marked the 1984 OlympicsThe USA dominated the Jumping competition win-ning both individual and team gold with a superiority rarely experienced before or since Joe Fargis (USA) and Touch of Class were the first to achieve a dou-ble clear in the Olympic team competition Eventing legend Mark Todd from New Zealand (pictured left) won his first Olympic medalParticipation Thirty nations
1988Games of the XXIV Olympiad Seoul (KOR) The Seoul Games were highlighted by numerous exceptional performances For Dressage it was the first time that all three individual medals were award-ed to women Reiner Klimke (pictured above-right) captured his last Olympic medal as West Germany won the team Dressage competition With six gold and two bronze medals won at five Olympic Games ndash Reiner Klimke participated in six Olympic Games
1976 1977 1978 1980 1981 1982
1984 1985 1986
1988 1989 1990
altogether - he is the most decorated rider in Olympic history Only for the second time in the 76-year history of Eventing at the Olympics the defending champions repeated their victory Mark Todd (NZL) 32 with the 16-year-old Charisma For the first time qualifications were held to reduce the starting field for the individual Jumping The reigning European champions Pierre Du-rand (FRA) and the 13-year-old black gelding Jappe-loup added Olympic gold to their winningsParticipation Thirty-two nations
1992Games of the XXV Olympiad Barcelona (ESP) In Dressage the individual battle was played out be-tween Isabell Werthrsquos Gigolo and the defending Olym-pic champion from Seoul Nicole Uphoffrsquos 15-year-old Rembrandt Rembrandt and Uphoff triumphed and se-cured the gold After the repeat wins of Henry St-Cyr (SWE) in 1952 and 1956 on two different horses this was the first double triumph of a combination After the elaborate beautifully built and decorated Jump-ing obstacles of Seoul 1988 the Spanish decided on something different and the two architects in charge of designing the 25 obstacles used minimal figural and colour elements so as to more objectively define the difficulty of the obstacles This new vision did not find many partisansParticipation Thirty-four nations
1996Games of the XXVI Olympiad Atlanta (USA) The Atlanta Games saw extensive changes made to the competition formats of Dressage and Eventing Following the IOCrsquos reasoning whereby two sets of medals could not be distributed for the same effort the FEI split Eventing into two competitions team and individual An elaborate qualifying system in all three disciplines was created and for the first time quotas were establishedThe heat and humidity expected in Atlanta led to extensive research and measures aimed at protecting the welfare of the horses It was found that horses needed three weeks of acclimatisation ndash seven days to recover from the effects of transport and 14 days of passive acclimatisation to the new conditions The major measure was the installation of misting fans throughout the venueLinda Allen was the course designer the first woman to provide the Jumping courses at an Olympic GamesParticipation Thirty nations
1992 1993 1994
1996 1997 1998
1988 The German gold medal team (from left to right) - Ann-Kathrin Linsenhoff Monica Theodorescu Nicole Uphoff and Reiner Klimkecopy Kit Houghton
11FOCUS
1996The X Paralympic Games Atlanta (USA)1996 also marks for the first time equestrian sport was included at the Paralympics with Para-Equestrian Dressage on the programme The competition was run on borrowed horses Jo Jackson (GBR) won three gold medals the maximum possible For Great Britain it was a first of many team medalshellipParticipation Sixty-eight competitors from 16 nations
2000Games of the XXVII Olympiad Sydney (AUS) Forty four years after Melbourne 1956 when no horses would be allowed into Australia the Australian quarantine and inspection services proved to be much more accommodating The conditions were tough two weeks of pre-shipping quarantine in Europe and after arrival in Sydney two more weeks of quarantine on siteOf the 15 medal-winning horses 12 were thorough-breds and the other three were 78 thoroughbredsThe year 2000 was the final show-down of the two Dressage horses who had dominated the sport since the early nineties ndash Gigolo ridden by Isabell Werth (GER) and Bonfire ridden by Anky Van Grunsven (NED) with the latter taking gold medal honours Australia for the third time in a row won the team gold medal in EventingParticipation Thirty-seven nations
2000The XI Paralympic Games Sydney (AUS)The Australian spirit and warmth conveyed during the Olympics continued throughout the Paralympic Games thanks to the formidable cooperation between the Sydney Paralympic Organising Committee (SPOC) and the Sydney Organising Committee for the Olympic Games (SOCOG) Paralympic and Olympic athletes lived in the same village and enjoyed the same catering services medical care and facilities Errors in the scoring meant that medals had to be re-attributed but this did not cause too much upset Lee Pearson (GBR) took home three gold medals (including another team gold for GBR) the maximum possible while Australiarsquos Julie Higgins achieved an impressive double gold triumph Participation Seventy athletes from 23 nations
2004Games of the XXVIII Olympiad Athens (GRE) In 2004 the Games returned to Greece homeland to the Olympic GamesThe equestrian events were affected by controversies Waterford Crystal the horse ridden by Olympic cham-pion in Jumping Cian OrsquoConnor (IRL) tested positive to a prohibited substance generally administered to humans but forbidden for use in horses After lengthy legal procedures OrsquoConnor was disqualified and sanc-tioned The gold medal was awarded to second-placed
1996 1997 1998
2000 2001 2002
2000 2001 2002
2004 2005 2006
2000 The team podium in Eventing - Great Britain (silver) Australia (gold) USA (bronze) copy Kit Houghton
12
Rodrigo Pessoa (BRA) Another three horses tested positive as well As a result Germany lost its Jumping team gold which was awarded to the USA in February 2005 at a ceremony in Palm Beach FL (USA)A new competition format for Eventing involving two Jumping rounds one for the individual and one for the team standings was introduced The two roads and tracks (A + C) and the steeplechase (B) of the Endur-ance phase were abolishedParticipation Thirty-seven nations
the fact that main land China did not hold disease-free zone status from the International Organisation for Animal Health the competitions were held in Hong Kong 2000km away from the Olympic host city Beijing In order to protect animal welfare detailed studies on the effects of heat and humidity on horses were undertaken by the FEI in cooperation with top scientists The competition timetable was modified to avoid the hours of intense heat and the horses were stabled at the exceptional air-conditioned facilities provided by the Hong Kong Jockey Club Six horses five from Jumping tested positive to prohibited substances As a result Norway lost its first Jumping medal ndash bronze ndash which after more than two years of legal proceedings was awarded to Switzerland
Jumping gold went to team USA In Dressage Anky van Grunsven (NED) aboard Salinero won her seventh and eighth Olympic medals team silver and individual gold Eventing legend Mark Todd (NZL) made a much acclaimed come back but the spotlight was on Hinrich Romeike and the extraordinary Marius
The story of the 2008 Olympic Eventing gold med-allist is all the more extraordinary as Hinrich is an amateur rider By day his time is spent in his dental surgery attending to his many patients so his riding is restricted to after-hoursParticipation Forty-two nations
2008The XIII Paralympic Games Beijing (CHN)First Paralympic participation for the FEI following the inclusion of Para-Equestrian in 2006 to be governed alongside the 7 other disciplines These Games set a new benchmark for Para-Equestrian events with great facilities cheerful volunteers and large audiences totalling over 30000 - an unprecedented attend-ance for Para-Equestrian events
For the third Paralympics in a row Lee Pearson (GBR) won three gold medals keeping up his record of win-ning all the gold medals available to him Singa-porersquos Laurentia Tan picked up Asiarsquos first Paralympic Equestrian medals with two individual bronze medals Marco Alves picked up Brazilrsquos first Paralympic Equestrian medal with bronze in Grade Ib Participation Seventy-eight athletes from 28 nations
2004The XII Paralympic Games Athens (GRE)The venue was excellent and there was good support from local volunteers Both Debbie Criddle and Lee Pearson (pictured above) from Great Britain picked up the maximum three gold medals The International Paralympic Committee presented the Equestrian Technical Delegate with the award for Best Official of all the sports at the Paralympic Games Participation Seventy athletes from 29 nations
2008Games of the XXIX Olympiad Beijing (CHN) Hong Kong (CHN) For the second time in Olympic history the equestrian events were held separately from other sports Due to
2004 2005 2006
2008 2009 2010
2008 2009 20102004 Lee Pearson (GBR) in Athens where he scoopedthe maximum three gold medals available to him
13FOCUS
The climax of the indoor international Jumping sea-son brought together 43 riders from 21 nations and ended with Christian Ahlmann riding Taloubet Z to Germanys ninth victory in the 33-year history of FEI World Cuptrade Jumping Canadarsquos reigning Olympic champion Eric Lamaze took second place with Hickstead followed by Dutch combination Jeroen Dubbeldam and BMC Van Grunsven Simon who rocketed up from overnight 11th to finish third when producing one of only two double clears on the final afternoonGerman riders dominated from the first of the three qualifiers in Leipzig ndash the speed competition which Marco Kutscher with Cash won with 6355 seconds followed by his compatriots defending champion Marcus Ehning and Christian Ahlmann who took second and third place respectively In the second qualifier the withdrawal of Saudi Arabiarsquos Abdullah Al Sharbatly reduced the field to 40 starters Eric Lamaze took the lead with a fabulous clear in 4068 a win that bounced him up to fifth spot just six points behind the leading pair ndash an ascent he continued to master on the final day
J U M P I N GFINAL LEIPZIG
ROLEX FEI World Cuptrade
JUMPINGldquoIt was wonderful to be back in Leipzig again for yet another great Rolex FEI World Cuptrade Jumping Final in a city with such a rich cultural backgroundrdquo John Roche FEI Director of Jumping
FEI World Cuptrade Finals
REEm ACRA FEI World Cuptrade
DressaGe
DRESSAGEFINAL LEIPZIG
ldquoThe Reem Acra FEI World Cuptrade Dressage took place in a perfect setting with enough space for everyone to give their very best performancesrdquo Trond Asmyr FEI Director of Dressage
Adelinde Cornelissen (NED) and the magnificent Jerich Parzival danced to victory to the strains of Tchaikovskyrsquos Nutcracker Suite in the Freestyle com-petition that closed the Reem Acra FEI World Cuptrade Dressage Final Denmarkrsquos Nathalie zu Sayn-Witt-genstein and Digby finished second while Germanyrsquos Ulla Salzgeber steered Herzrufrsquos Erbe into third place The 2010 title-winner Edward Gal (GER) finished fourth with a great performance from Sisther de JeuThe top three mirrored those of the Grand Prix class two days earlier when a confident performance rewarded with a score of 80957 put Adelinde Cornelissen (NED) in first place followed by Denmarkrsquos Nathalie zu Sayn-Wittgenstein with Digby (76884 3) and Germanyrsquos Ulla Salzgeber riding Herzrufrsquos Erbe (76216 points) Defending champion Edward Gal rode a tense Sisther de Jeu with a disappointing test score of 70122 The final saw 17 horse and rider combinations from 10 nations compete ndash three from the USA The
Netherlands and Germany two from Sweden and one from Hungary Fin-
land Poland Belgium Great Britain and Denmark Fifteen riders went on to the Freestyle competition
Highlights available as video on demand on
15FOCUS
Boyd Exell (AUS) successfully defended his FEI World Cuptrade Driving title in Leipzigrsquos thrilling final speed-ing to victory in front of a wildly enthusiastic crowd and becoming the second driver to score a hat-trick of World Cup victories Hungaryrsquos Jozsef Dobrovitz drove two brilliant rounds with his team of Lipiz-zaner horses and finished second ahead of IJsbrand Chardon (NED) The FEI World Cuptrade Driving Final was run over two indoor competitions which took place on 29 April and 1 May Seven drivers competed Tomas Eriksson (SWE) Koos de Ronde (NED) Werner Ulrich (SUI) Christian Pluumlcker (GER) and the triumphant trio who after emerging from the first round on 1 May with the highest number of points qualified for the winning round immediately afterwards
FEI World Cuptrade
DrIVINGldquoOnce again the worldrsquos best indoor drivers came together for a thrilling final the com-bination of horses working together in a team driven by superbly skilled horsemento produce thrilling andspectacular driving sportrdquo Ian Williams FEI Director of Non-Olympic Sports
16
Switzerlandrsquos Patrick Looser and Germanyrsquos Simone Wiegele claimed the inau-gural FEI World Cuptrade Vaulting titles at the 20102011 FEI World Cuptrade Finals a glittering Freestyle to Music showcase held over two daysLooserrsquos fellow starters in the Menrsquos section were Nicolas Andreani (FRA) Viktor Bruumlsewitz (GER) Daniel Kaiser (GER) Lukas Klouda (CZE) Nikolaus Luschin (AUT) and Yvan Nousse (FRA) Looser 26 was under pressure having finished second to Nicolas Andreani from France in the first Freestyle competition But
the reigning World Champion who won three of the four qualifying rounds over the winter months produced a superb performance which left Andreani in second place and Germanyrsquos Viktor Brusewitz in third In addition to the victorious Wiegele contenders for the Female title were her three compatriots Pia Engelbury Ines Juumlckstock and Antje Hill Simone Jaumliser (SUI) Stefanie Kowald (AUT) and Anna Cavallaro (ITA) In the second
competition Wiegele followed team-mate Hill into the arena in Hall 1 which seemed to be much more to the liking of the
horses than the smaller ring used on the first day And although Hillrsquos routine was
dramatic and beautifully controlled it was Wiegelersquos more complex display that settled
the destination of the very first Female World Cup trophy
ldquoFor the first time an indoor final that provided the public with an opportunity to witness the gymnastic movements of
athletes atop magnificent horses all choreographed to breathtaking musical arrangementsrdquo
Ian Williams FEI Director of Non-Olympic Sports
Highlights available as video on demand on
WHEN AND WHERE
26 ndash 30 July FEI European Reining Championship for Seniors amp Juniors Wiener Neustadt (AUT)
16 ndash 21 August FEI European Vaulting Championships for Seniors amp Juniors Le Mans (FRA)
17 ndash 21 August FEI European Dressage Championships Rotterdam (NED)
25 ndash 28 August HSBC FEI European Eventing Championships Luhmuumlhlen (GER)
01 ndash 04 September Open FEI European Driving Championships for Four-in-Hand Breda (NED)
01 ndash 04 September FEI European Para-Equestrian Dressage Championships Moorsele (BEL)
10 September FEI European Endurance Championships Florac (FRA)
13 ndash 18 September FEI European Jumping Championships Madrid (ESP)
LIVE ONLive coverage and highlightsCheck out the FEI TV broadcasting schedule for all the latest information on events broadcast live on FEI TV
European Championships for seniors in all the FEI disciplines are being held in 2011 We take a quick 360deg look at the dates venues facts amp figures and triumphant moments of the past 50 years of European Championships
FeI europeanChampionships 2011
Donrsquot miss a beatComplete competition reports updates behind the scenes information facts and figures and more can be found on wwwfeiorg as well as our dedicated facebook twitter and you tube pages
18
Preview
For the 31st edition of the FEI European Jumping Championships the event returns to Spain 18 years after the Championships in Gijon only this time to be held at the Club de Campo Villa in Madrid The FEI European Jumping Championships take place every two years in the middle of the Olympic cycle and have been held since 1957 with the introduction of team medals in 1975
THE VENUEThe Club de Campo Villa de Madrid (ESP) has been host to an annual CSI for 100 years and will be tem-porarily replacing its usual grass in the main arena with all-weather sand footing to ensure perfect going for the Championship
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERSTeam ndash SwitzerlandIndividual ndash Kevin Staut (FRA)
OLyMPIC qUALIFICATIONThe 3 best ranked nations from Olympic Qualifying Groups A amp B at the 2011 FEI European Jumping Championships (excluding the teams already quali-fied at WEG) will be qualified to take part with a team consisting of 4 athletes amp 4 horses or 3 athletes amp 3 horses
GREAT HORSES OF THE EUROPEANCHAMPIONSHIPSDEISTER - An extraordinary horse with an extraordi-nary record With Germanys Paul Schockemohle on board this brilliant bay Hannoverian led won three consecutive individual gold medals - in Munich Germany in 1981 Hickstead England in 1983 and Dinard France in 1985 Bred by Hermann Hahl in Osterbruch Lower Saxony Deister was by Diskant out of Adlerklette by Adlerschild stood 171cms high and had the heart of a lion Deisters European medal
haul also included team gold at Munich in 1981 team silver in Rotterdam in 1979 and team bronze at both Hickstead in 1983 and Dinard in 1985 Despite his incredibly active career the hardy Deister who was born in February 1971 lived to the ripe old age of 29
MR SOFTEE - The closest challenger to Deister for the title of Champion of the Europeans is the Irish-bred Mr Softee - a three-time winner but with two different riders Mr Softee enjoyed a hugely success-ful career with David Broome However it was with another Briton David Barker that the chestnut horse with four white legs took the individual European ti-tle for the first time in London in 1962 This was then followed up with David Broomersquos victory in Rotter-dam in 1967 and in Hickstead in 1969 Broome once said that like many other top horses Mr Softee had a big opinion of himself - He thought he was a king - and he was right
Believe it or nothellip
bull Itwasonlyin1975thatwomenwere permittedtocompetealongsidemenin theEuropeanJumpingChampionshipsprior tothistherehadbeentheLadiesEuropean JumpingChampionshipsheldfrom1957- 1973
bull Only2womenhaveeverwonthe FEIEuropeanChampionshipsFrancersquos AlexandraLedermannin1999and MeredithMichaels-Beerbaum(GER) in2007
bull Germanyledthegoldtallywith20 medals(14individualamp6team)double theamountofrunnerupGreatBritainon 10(6individualand4team)
FeI eUroPeaN
JUMPINGChaMPIoNshIPs
13-18 September 2011
Madrid (SPAIN)
19FOCUS
LIVE coverage on
Rotterdam gets set to host the 25th edition of the FEI European Dressage Championships for the first time and only the second time for the Netherlands (Arnhem 1999) The FEI European Dressage Championships take place every two years in the middle of the Olympic cycle and have been held since 1963
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERS
Team ndash The Netherlands
Individual ndash Kuumlr to MusicEdward Gal (NED) amp Moorlands Totilas
Individual ndash Grand Prix SpecialAdelinde Cornelissen (NED) amp Jerich Parzival
OLyMPIC qUALIFICATIONThe 3 best ranked nations from Groups A B amp C at the 2011 FEI European Dressage Championships (exclud-ing the teams already qualified at WEG) will be quali-fied to take part with a team consisting of 3 athletes amp 3 horses
THE WIND OF CHANGEFor 21 consecutive Championships from 1965 to 2005 (no team title awarded in 1963) the Germans held the European title but the last two editions have seen an upset to that tradition with the Netherlands clenching gold In 2009 the Dutch domination was particularly strong with five out of six individual med-als awarded to Dutch riders and the sixth going to British rider Laura Bechtolsheimer
IN MEMORy OF HENRI CHAMMARTIN (SUI)At the time of writing a legend in the Dressage world Henri Chammartin (SUI) passed away at the age of 92 An Olympic and European Dressage champion Henri Chammartin won the first two editions of the
FEI European Championships in 1963 and 1965 riding Wolfdiedtrich and competed in five consecutive edi-tions of the Olympic Games ndash Helsinki 1952 Stock-holm 1956 Rome 1960 Tokyo 1964 and Mexico 1968 ndash winning a total of five Olympic medals includ-ing Olympic champion in 1964
RECORD BREAKINGhellip In 2009 the formidable partnership of The Nether-lands Edward Gal and Moorlands Totilas smashed the world Freestyle record before a packed house with Windsor Castle standing proudly as a backdrop when scoring 9070 (including an unbelievable 29 perfect-10 scores) to win the Freestyle gold medal
Believe it or nothellip
bull GermanyhaswontheEuropeanDressage TeamTitleon21occasions
bull Thegreatestnumberofteamstoparticipate inEuropeanDressageChampionshipsis 14-atHickstead(GBR)in2003andagainat Hagen(GER)in2005
bull GermanysDrReinerKlimkewonthreeindi vidualtitles-atAachenin1967ridingDux andagainin1973ridingMehmedandat Copenhagenin1985ridingAhlerich
bull WithGigoloGermanysIsabellWerthtook theindividualtitlein1995and1997and wontheGrandPrixSpecialatDonaueschingen Germanyin1991andatLipicaSloveniain 1993
bull AnkyvanGrunsvenhasthreewinstoher namendashin1999withBonfirefollowedbythe backtobackwinswithSalineroin2005and 2007
17-21 August 2011
Rotterdam Netherland
FeI eUroPeaN
DressaGeChaMPIoNshIPs
20
LIVE coverage on
These are the second FEI European Para-Equestrian Dressage Championships to be held since Para-Equestrian joined the FEI Family in 2006 Para-Equestrian Dressage has been a regular fixture at the Paralympic Games since 1996 The first FEI European Para-Equestrian Dressage Championships were held in southern Norwegian town of Kristiansand in 2009 with a total of 78 ath-letes from 22 countries participating
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERS
Team Great Britain
Grade Ia Individual - Sophie Christiansen (GBR) Freestyle - Emma Sheardown (GBR)
Grade Ib Individual amp Freestyle Lee Pearson (GBR)
Grade II Individual - Petra Van der Sande (NED) Freestyle - Angelika Trabert (GER)
Grade III Individual amp Freestyle
Hannelore Brenner (GER)
Grade IV Individual amp Freestyle Sophie Wells (GBR)
The mobility strength and coordination of competi-tors are assessed and athletes with similar functional ability profiles are grouped into competition grades that range from Grade Ia for the most severely im-paired to Grade IV for the least impaired This means that the competition within each Grade can be judged on the skill of the individual competitors on their horses regardless of their disabilities
CLUB qUADRILLEMoorsele has been host to a regular international Para-Equestrian Dressage events for the past few years with the Club Quadrille as organiser The Club Quadrille was founded in 1981 by Anne Van Neste-dIeteren Belgian Dressage Champion from 1977 un-til 1982 current President of the Belgian Paralympic Committee and member of the FEI Para-Equestrian committee It is a unique sports club that works with both able bodied and disabled athletes and is active in the promotion and education of the sport As member of the honorary IPC Board Her Royal Highness (HRH) Princess Astrid of Belgium has been a fervent supporter of the event and has attended on many occasions
Believe it or nothellip
bull LeePearson(GBR)haswoneverygold medalwithinreachatParalympicWorld andContinentallevelandtheEuropeans in2009werenodifferentwithanother triplegoldvictory
bull GreatBritainalsohavetheMidastouch whenitcomestoteammedalsndashandarethe currentParalympicWorldandEuropean titleholders
bull In2009Germanycamecloserthanever totakingthegoldmedalfromall-time championGreatBritain
1-4 September 2011
Moorsele Belgium
FeI eUroPeaN
Para-eqUestrIaNDressaGeChaMPIoNshIPs
21FOCUS
A record number of fans are expected to attend the HSBC FEI European Eventing Championships as they return to Luhmuumlhlen for the fifth time to mark the 30th edition of the ChampionshipsThe FEI European Eventing Championships take place every two years in the middle of the Olympic cycle and have been held since 1953
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERSTeam ndash Great BritainIndividual ndash Kristina CookMiners Frolic (GBR)
OLyMPIC qUALIFICATIONThe 2 best ranked nations from Groups A B amp C at the 2011 HSBC FEI European Eventing Champion-ships (excluding the teams already qualified at WEG) will be qualified to take part with a team consisting of 3 athletes amp 3 horses
THE VENUELuhmuumlhlen one of only six 4 events on the interna-tional Eventing calendar and part of the prestigious HSBC FEI Classicstrade series will greet Europersquos best athletes with a fresh look and feel this year following extensive renovation to the existing infrastructures The recently renovated showground includes three Dressage and two Jumping arenas a tribune able to seat 850 spectators with spectacular views as well as a newly designed entrance including six ticket box facilities and fully catered trade stands The show-ground also boasts an open air stage with space for up to 15000 spectators ldquoI am confident that the in-vestment in the infrastructure will be of great benefit to all involved whether you are a volunteer a groom an athlete ndash both the horses and the riders - as well as for the sponsors guests spectators and the fans We are re-ally looking forward to great competitions this year at both the CCI4CIC3 in June and at the Europeans in August and hope many will join us to witness this historic momentrdquo Julia Otto Event Director Luhmuumlhlen
HSBCHSBC has renewed their sponsorship for a further three-year term as global sponsor of FEI Eventing to include title sponsorships of the HSBC FEI European Eventing Championships in both 2011 and 2013 and the HSBC FEI Classicstrade until the end of 2013
OFFICIAL TIMEPIECE Rolex the leading name in luxury wrist watches will be the Official Timekeeper for the HSBC FEI European Eventing Championships 2011
Believe it or nothellip
bull GinnyElliot(bornHolgate)theonlyrider towinthreesuccessiveindividualtitlesand IanStarkholdthejointrecordforEuropean goldmedalswonndashseveneachbutLucinda Greenstillhasthemostmedals(10)
bull SupremeRockriddenbyPippaFunnell (GBR)istheonlyhorsetowinback-to-back titles(in1999and2001)hehasfour Europeangoldmedalsintotalequalingthe recordofKilbarryThePoacherandOver ToYouwhowonarecordfourconsecutive Europeanteamgolds(1999-2005)
bull PrincessAnneandZaraPhillipsaretheonly mother-daughtercombinationtowin Europeantitles(1971and2005)
bull GreatBritainhaveheldtheEuropeantitle forthepast8consecutiveChampionships (since1995)Andofthe29editionstodate (startingin1953)theteamhavewona whopping21
25-28 August 2011
Luhmuumlhlen Germany
hsBC FeI eUroPeaN
eVeNtINGChaMPIoNshIPs LIVE coverage on
22
In September Breda Hippique in The Netherlands will be host to the seventh edition of the FEI Euro-pean Driving Championships for Four-in-Hand not held since 1981 This edition is open to both Euro-pean and non-European drivers and will also count as a qualifier for the indoor FEI World Cuptrade Driv-ing which is held during the winter season Only competitors from Europe can claim the individual and team medalsThe FEI European Driving Championships for Four-in-Hand were first held in 1971 in Budapest and continued to be held every two years until 1981 at which stage they were discontinued
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERSTeam ndash HungaryIndividual ndash Gyoumlrgyi Bardos (HUN)
SOMETHING IN THE WATERhellip Hungary have won five out of six available team European titles and on the individual front two Hungarians stand out from the crowd Imre Abony ndash individual winner in 1971 and 1975 and Gyoumlrgyi Bardos triple consecutive winner in 1977 1979 1981
IN THE BEGINNINGhellipThe first European Championships took place in Budapest in 1971 and moved on to Windsor in Great Britain in 1973 Sopot in Poland in 1975 Donauesch-ingen in Germany in 1977 and in Haras du Pin in France in 1979 The sixth and last edition took place in 1981 in Zug Switzerland
THE VENUEBreda has hosted the only Nations competition (CAIO) for Four-in-Hand horses in The Netherlands for many years In 1995 Breda hosted the first FEI European Driving Championships for Four-in-Hand ponies and in 2010 was host to the FEI World Para-Equestrian Driving Championships Aside from the four-in-hand teams Breda will also host international pony teams and national horse pairs at the event this year
Believe it or nothellip
bull Hungaryhavewonfiveoutofsixteamgold titles
bull AugusteDubeyfromSwitzerlandwasthe onlynon-HungarianEuropeanChampion hewontheChampionshipsin1973
bull PrincePhilipFEIPresidentfrom1964- 1986whocelebratedhis90thbirhtday inJuneisanavidfanofDrivingandpartici- patedinsixWorldandthreeEuropean Championships
1-4 September 2011
Breda Netherland
FeI eUroPeaN
DrIVINGChaMPIoNshIPsfor FoUr-IN-haND
Note At the time of writing the FEI European DrivingChampionships for Four in Hand was pending approvalby the FEI Bureau
23FOCUS
The 14th edition of the FEI European Endurance Championships return to Florac in France twenty five years after the inaugural event was held there The FEI European Endurance Championships first took place in 1984 and were immediately followed up by a second edition in 1985 and have since been held every two years They have always been open to the world with two sets of medals presented ndash open and European
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERSTeam ndash SpainIndividual ndash Maria Alvarez Ponton amp Nobby
RECORD BREAKINGCurrent title holder Maria Alvarez Ponton amp super horse Nobby is the first rider to hold European and World titles at the same time She will be looking to confirm her stronghold on the sport following her second consecutive World title with a second con-secutive European title in Florac a feat no rider has managed to achieve at the Europeans to date
THE VET GATEModern competitions consist of a number of sec-tions known as lsquophasesrsquo At the end of each phase there is a compulsory halt for veterinary inspection Each horse which is thoroughly examined before it is allowed to start the ride must be presented for inspection within a set time of reaching each vetgate The time spent at each vetgate prior to inspection by the vets is counted as part of the overall competition time and the aim is to determine whether the horse is fit to continue the ride
THE SUPPORT CREWA vital part of Endurance riding is the support crew Riders are assisted by a team of helpers who meet them several times over the ride bringing bottles of water to pour over the horse to cool it down as well as a drink for the rider Crews also have spare equipment in case something breaks down or needs replacing
Believe it or nothellip
bull TheFrenchhavethemedaledgewith6 individualand4teamgoldmedalsfrom the14editionsheld
bull Floracistheonlyvenuetohostthe EuropeanChampionshipstwice(thefirst editionin1984andtheupcomingedition in2011)
bull EnduranceisthefastestgrowingFEI disciplinefrom2000to2010thenumber ofinternationaleventshavemultipliedby10
10 September 2011
Florac France
FeI eUroPeaN
eNDUraNCeChaMPIoNshIPs
24
Reem Acra Boutique 14 East 60th St New York New York 10022 2123088760 wwwreemacracom
356935B2_RA_brochure2_souvenir_programmeindd 1 82710 1012 AM
Vaulting became an FEI discipline in 1983 and saw its first FEI European Championship organised just one year later in the town of Ebreichsdorf in Austria This 15th edition of the Championship ndash which also includes the European Juniors competition return to France for the 4th time but for the first time in the world renowned venue of Le Mans famous for its 24 hour race
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERS
Team ndash Austria
Individual malelongeurhorseNicolas Andreani (FRA)Marina Joosten DuponIdefix de Braize
Individual femalelongeurhorseJoanna Eccles (GBR)John EcclesWH Bentley
THE WIND OF CHANGEGermany and Switzerland have traditionally bat-tled for the team title (Germany has 7 gold versus Switzerlandrsquos 5) but in 2009 Austria who had come second on four occasions since the inception of the Championships in 1984 finally climbed onto the top spot of the podium and claimed the title In terms of the individual performances Germany had the stronghold on the male category winning 11 out of 14 gold medals But again in 2009 France the only other country to have ever beaten a German male vaulter at the Europeans made it to the top spot of the podium for only the third time since the Championships began
Similarly with the female vaulters it was an all German domination until 2007 when Austriarsquos Sissi Jarz claimed gold followed by Joanna Eccles (GBR) in 2009 ndash leaving Germany off the top step of the podium entirely in 2009
GREAT BRITAIN ndash A VAULTING NATIONhellip Times have definitely changed from the Swiss German domination with current World and European titles held by Great Britainrsquos Joanna Eccles She was the first British vaulter (male or female) to claim a medal at the Europeans ndash let alone a gold medal - and then went on to secure the world title in Kentucky last year
Believe it or nothellip
bull TheonlycountryotherthanGermanyand SwitzerlandtohaveclaimedaEuropean VaultingtitleisSlovakiain2005
bull ChristophLensing(GER)holdsthemale medalrecordndashwiththreegold(19891993 amp1995)aswellassilverin1991
bull NadiaZuumllowandSilkeMichelberger (formerlyBernhard)withthreegoldmedals each
16-21 August 2011
Le Mans France
FeI eUroPeaN
VaULtINGChaMPIoNshIPs
26
This is only the fifth edition of the European Reining Championships since the discipline joined the FEI in 2000 and the first time they will be held in Austria The event also includes the FEI European Champi-onships for Juniors and Young Riders ndash a formula introduced in 2009 in Kreuth (GER) which proved to be a multigenerational success The FEI European Reining Championships take place every two years and have been held since 2003
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERSTeam ndash GermanyIndividual ndash Nina Lill (GER) riding Lena Cielo Jewel
THE JUDGINGReining horses are judged individually Each horse au-tomatically begins the required pattern with a score of 70 One or frac12 points are given or taken away for each manoeuvre Credit is given for smoothness fi-nesse attitude quickness and authority Controlled speed in the pattern raises the level of difficulty and makes the reining horse exciting to watch
Believe it or nothellip
bull ItalyandGermanyaretheonlytwonations tohavewongoldmedalsndashGermanyhas3 teamgoldand2individualgoldversus Italyrsquossingleteamgoldandtwoindividual gold
bull GermanyrsquosNinaLillwinnerin2009was thefirstwomantotaketheindividualtitle sincetheChampionshipsbeganin2003
bull OlympicWorldandEuropeanDressage ChampionAnkyVanGrunsven(NED) competedattheAlltechFEIWorldEques- trianGamestradein2010inbothDressageand hellipReining
bull 13nationswerescheduledtoattendthe Championshipatthetimeofwritingthe largestparticipationbycountryever recordedfortheEuropeans
26-30 July 2011
Wiener Neustadt Austria
FeI eUroPeaN
reININGChaMPIoNshIPs
27FOCUS
ldquoThirty-one yearsrsquo experience comes in handy some-timesrdquo joked the ever-relaxed Todd who was a leg-end by the time he ldquoretiredrdquo in 2000 with back-to-back Olympic golds five Burghley wins two world gold medals and three Badminton victories one on a horse he had never ridden before ldquoIt is incredibly special though right up there with the back-to-back Olympic golds When I came back to the sport (in 2008) it was to see if I could get back to top level It has always been my aim to win another big onerdquo
A World class meeting of Generations
The 2011 HSBC FEI Classicstrade could not have got off to a more epic start with wins at Badminton and Kentucky by two of the sportrsquos most enduring personalitiesThe 55-year-old New Zealander Mark Todd rolled back the years to score a fourth victory at the Gloucestershire venue 31 years after his first attempt in 1980
By Kate Green
28
HSBC FEI ClassicsTm
The resurgence of so much experienced talent makes it harder for younger riders to work their way up the leaderboard but 29-year-old Sinead Halpin (USA) had a spectacular CCI4 debut at Kentucky finish-ing third and best of the home side in distinguished company This achievement earned her the HSBC Training Bursary worth US$1000 towards training a prestigious and valuable award presented to the rider who achieves the best result on completing a CCI4 for the first time
The bursary winner at Badminton Fiona Hobby (GBR) 39 has had a rather longer wait to complete
her first CCI4 ndash she was 26th on Roma ML ndash but she has in the meantime produced two children had a career as a sports therapist and only switched from Jumping to Eventing relatively recently Hobby has vowed to spend the money on dressage train-ing ldquoRoma couldnrsquot believe it when she arrived in the arena and saw all those people but she was great across country really focussed Irsquom delightedrdquo
For Germanyrsquos Sandra Auffarth Luhmuumlhlen pro-vided an outstanding CCI4 debut on Opgun Louvo a young horse she has produced herself coming second and picking up the HSBC Training Bursary and the exciting prospect of a possible place in the squad for the forthcoming HSBC FEI European Event-ing Championship at Luhmuumlhlen (25-28 August) at which Germany as host nation will be entitled to field 12 riders
Last yearrsquos HSBC Training Bursary winners include Stephanie Rhodes-Bosch (CAN) who went on to win a team silver medal at the Alltech FEI World Equestri-an Gamestrade Lauren Shannon (GBR) who finished 17th at Badminton this year and Giovanni Ugolotti (ITA) who is furthering his career by basing himself in Brit-ain for the season and having lessons with Mark Todd
LIVE coverage and extensive highlights available on
Toddrsquos winning mount the 10-year-old NZB Land Vision was a green horse for this level and he fin-ished the Cross-Country phase tired but his rider kept his cool in an extraordinarily tight finish in which the price of one Jumping fence covered the top 12 riders any of whom could with a bit of luck have won the Mitsubishi Motors Trophy ldquoIn the end it came down to horse-power and Irsquove obviously got a good one hererdquo said Todd ldquoCharisma (his double Olympic gold medallist) will always be the most special horse but this one has no weak linksrdquo
As is the nature of the sport Toddrsquos lead in the HSBC FEI Classicstrade didnrsquot last long ndash he came down to earth with a bump the following weekend with a Cross-Country run-out on NZB Grass Valley his ride at the Rolex Kentucky Three Day Event (USA) and 49- year-old Mary King (GBR) stole the head-lines with a record one-two on Kings Mis-tress and Fernhill Urco It was Kingrsquos first CCI4 victory for 11 years ndash she has won Badminton twice and Burghley once ndash but she certainly smashed a few re-cords with this one She became the first rider to score a one-two at Kentucky the first in modern times to win a CCI4 on a home-bred horse and the oldest female to win a CCI4
King who has six team gold medals at World and European level plus competed at five consecutive Olympics had the luxury of knowing she had already won the event on the inexperienced 10-year-old Fernhill Urco a horse bred in Portugal by the time she entered the arena on Kings Mistress but she still produced a second clear round ldquoI never dreamed that I would be in this position and Irsquom enjoying the momentrdquo said the ever-smiling King ldquoIt was great to have the feeling of having already won on Fernhill Urco but I still wanted desperately to go clear on Kings Mistress as it is so special to win on a horse I bred myselfrdquo It was also an all clear from Germanyrsquos Andreas Dibowski and Euroriding Butts Leon in order to secure victory at the fourth leg of the HSBC FEItrade
Classicstrade in Luhmuumlhlen presented by EON Avacon
29FOCUS
The Danish-American actorpoet musician photographerand painter has been around horses most of his life from riding Hasufel and Brego in The Lord of the Rings trilogy to early childhood memories in Argentina his passion for floating as he describes it has never wavered
What is it about the horse that makes you a horse loverWe get along generally I respect their strength and their personal space Your first riding experience ndash was it bliss or terrorLike floating like being on a warm and floating mountain I remember being happy Do you think anyone can rideYes It is a question of allowing yourself to ride of allowing yourself to cooperate and not be in total control Children are more adept at figuring this out letting things happen without getting impatient or scared just as they are braver and less self-conscious about pronouncing new words or singing Anyone at any age or in any physical condition can
Viggo Mortensen
achieve a degree of success and satisfaction with horses even if it is just a question of touching them being near them If horses could talk what would they be sayingYou will know if you listen and watch them Is there a unique trait you look for in a horse that you canrsquot find in peopleThey are more patient and less apt to complain about lifersquos setbacks and physical ailments than most people I admire a tough smart horse what-ever its breed age or size What would you miss most if you could no longer go ridingThe companionship and the floating perhaps also the abandonment of usual daily worries that relaxed riding requires Whatrsquos your usual riding outfit consist ofAnything will do Loose-fitting clothes and good comfortable boots are a plus but not vital I have even ridden barefoot ndash naturally taking care to avoid being stepped on when not on the horse - but I do not recommend this to anyone The most important thing is to have a clear and focused mind to be THERE at all times when around horses and NOWHERE ELSE Sugar lumps or carrotsIrsquove been guilty of offering an occasional apple or carrot although it is best not to give horses anything special unless treats are part of training them for special tricks or stunts a pursuit best left to experts like master horse trainer Rex Peterson whom Irsquove had the good fortune to work with and study quite a bit Treats spoil horses and do not keep the animal focused on the task at hand Whatrsquos your favourite part of a horseThe brain What do you think young people gain from ridingSelf-confidence and an understanding of the value of cooperation
30
Why the long face
When did you first develop the bond with the horseThe first time I got on one as a little boy in ArgentinaYou either develop a bond of some kind or you fall off Of course you may even fall off if you develop the bond but you have to start (and restart) somewhere
Did your friends ride My brothers also rode and I have ridden with many kinds of people over the years ndash some good and patient with horses and some not If I had not rid-den as a boy I would probably have been wandering around fishing imagining I was a cowboy or an Indian or a Viking ndash which I did anyway Where in the world would you most like to rideMost anywhere will do but I have been extremely lucky to have ridden in many wide-open wild places ndash deserts grassy plains mountains by different seas and rivers in Argentina New Zealand North Africa and North America If you could spend one afternoon riding with a famous person (past or present)who would it be and whyIrsquoll give you 3 Oglala chief Tasunke Witko (Crazy Horse) my ancestor William F Cody or any real Gaucho from the province of Chaco Argentina
Two horses go out for dinner what kindof restaurant do they chooseLate spring grass near a slow-moving clean river with a gentle firm shoreline an hour before sun-down far from any people or other animals All time favourite horse filmI have a subjective soft spot for the stories and real horses involved in the making of ldquoHidalgordquo and the 2nd and 3rd installments of ldquoThe Lord Of The Ringsrdquo trilogy but I admire other ldquohorse moviesrdquo as wellThe 1953 French movie ldquoCrin-Blancrdquo (ldquoWhite Manerdquo) directed by Albert Lamorisse is a personal favourite
After three years at the head of the successful French Jumping team with back to back FEI Nations Cuptrade titles and a silver medal at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade Laurent Elias is moving on to new spheres with the French Horse amp Riding Institute where he will be training the riders of the National Riding School in Saumur
Laurent Elias
copy C
hris
toph
e Br
icot
32
The other side of
If I had not become a professional rider I would havehellipmade a career in a humanitarian organisation Horse riding is sometimes too trivial
My priority in life ishellipto be able to look at myself in the mirror in the morning and make sure I am at peace with my conscience
My familyhellipkeeps me grounded My wife helped me a lot when I was in charge of selections for France She took charge of my personal life and was the first person I called when we got the medal in Lexington I also admire my parents for the values they passed on to me
I remember my first ridingexperiencehellipaged six we were shooting a family film and I was on horseback I finished upside down under my horse for a long time I stopped riding for one year
I used to dream abouthellipsafaris One of my uncles was passionate about safaris Through him I became very interested in African trips and the jobs that allow you to travel as a reporter were fascinating to me as well
I have been thinking a lot abouthellipwhat happened in Japan these past few months First this tsunami that devastated everything without warning then the nuclear disaster It made me think that progress should not be destructive
My horse Gueacutenourhellipchanged my life I was just a coach and he brought me to the top I won the national championship in 1981 with him
My biggest challengehas always beenhellipshyness Horse riding has really helped me over-come it Horses brought me on stage and there I had to meet people
As a Chef dEquipehellipthere is no single defining achievement itrsquos all about the solidarity and the moments spent together as a team Irsquoll never forget the first time Penelope Leprevost rode her mare Jubileacutee drsquoOuilly in the FEI Nations Cuptrade of Rotterdam McLain Ward had just completed a real fast run with Sapphire We thought the Americans would win but she did it faster and beat Sapphire
In terms of eventshellipAachen is my favourite competition - for its won-derful organisation But we have also pretty good five star competitions in France
I donrsquot sleep muchhellipprobably because I am just happy to be alive
Irsquom not scared to laugh or cryhellipI laugh at the funny situations we sometimes find ourselves in life and enjoy people with quirky personalities I cry when I see others in pain
Laurent Elias and the French team en route to the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade copy PSV-Jean Morel
33FOCUS
Nicolas TheacutevenazAged 23 studies Robotics and Autonomous Systems Micro Engineering in Lausanne (SUI) alongside regular training and competition in Dressage and Para-Equestrian Dressage events Born with spastic diplegia Nicolas was introduced to horses via hippotherapy aged seven and quickly developed a passion for riding which not only helped with his physical condition but also taught him through Dressage the art of patience and perseverance
34
One day
Nicolas TheacutevenazAged 23 studies Robotics and Autonomous Systems Micro Engineering in Lausanne (SUI) alongside regular training and competition in Dressage and Para-Equestrian Dressage events Born with spastic diplegia Nicolas was introduced to horses via hippotherapy aged seven and quickly developed a passion for riding which not only helped with his physical condition but also taught him through Dressage the art of patience and perseverance
He has been fortunate to meet the right people (and horses) at the right time and has been working for the past five years with trainer Vicky-Eileen Baumann (pictured right) and her horses Magic and Lady (pictured right) ldquoShersquos bred them and knows them inside out which is very useful when I have to communicate with them - they know my voice intonations and a whole string of specific words or sounds ndash which really helps as my body canrsquot or doesnrsquot always have the strength to do sordquo
As a Grade II Para-Equestrian rider Nicolas competes in Para-Equestrian Dressage (PED) events as well as national events for able bodied riders as there are only a handful of PED riders and no events in Switzerland
Unable to attend the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade 2010 in Kentucky last year Nicolas and Vicky have their sights firmly set on the 2012 Para-lympic Games and will be looking to qualify with Lady over the next 12 months ndash alongside exams studies and everything else life has to offerhellip Who is your role model For different reasons I have different role mod-els Edward Gal Dane Rawlins Isabel Werth and Catherine Haddad
When did you start riding and why At age 7 I was sat on a horse for hippotherapy and liked the complicity with the horse which made me want to discover more
How do you feel when you ride Concentrated and industrious
Who is your biggest fan My trainerrsquos mum
Complete this sentenceOne day I would like tohellip have gained enough knowledge to be able to take care of and train my own horse
What are your long term goals as a rider Continue to do my best to enjoy what I do and show others itrsquos possible
How do you juggle studies and competition I think itrsquos really important to have goals and to do everything you can to achieve them and that includes taking on challenges because if you donrsquot try then yoursquoll never know what you could have achieved
What is your proudest achievement to date Participation in international events together with pursuing my studies
How do you feel after winning Still working towards discovering the feeling
What is the best advice anyone has ever given youMy trainer often repeats to me the famous saying by General LrsquoHotte ldquoCalme en avant droitrdquo which says so much about riding but can also be applied to so many other aspects of life
35FOCUS
What advice would you give someone looking to get involved in Para-Equestrian Dressage Train and ride with able-bodied athletes as often as possible Being around and working with horses is so rewarding Irsquod like - when Irsquom retired - to write a book to share these feelings with others and hope this will inspire them to get involved
Complete this sentenceIn the future I would like the sport to beeven ldquocleanerrdquo and fairer and if possible not more but less demanding on the horses
ldquoLast but not least Irsquod like to take the opportunity of this article to reach out to those who give me their trust and help be it with their time their friendship and any type of support Day after day to year after year team work is essential and Irsquoll do my best to continue deserving every-onersquos encouraging smilesrdquo
European Broadcasting Union
Union Europeacuteenne de Radio-Teacuteleacutevision
+41 (0)22 717 2111 wwweurovisionnet
We bring the event to your home
Eurovision
copy K
it H
ough
ton
FE
I
FEI_08_A4indd 1 03012008 162238
European Broadcasting Union
Union Europeacuteenne de Radio-Teacuteleacutevision
+41 (0)22 717 2111 wwweurovisionnet
We bring the event to your home
Eurovision
copy K
it H
ough
ton
FE
I
FEI_08_A4indd 1 03012008 162238
Nominations for the FEI Awards opened in May enabling the global equestrian com-munity to once again reward outstanding dedication to horse sport in five categories ndash Development Best Groom Against All Odds Rising Star and Best Athlete The search for the equestrian heroes of 2011 is now on who will be flown to Rio de Janeiro Brazil to receive their awards
Where are they now The FEI asked the current title-holders for an update on their activities
Follow us on
38
FEI Awards 2011
Ebony Horse Club (GBR)Winner of the Alltech FEI DevelopmentAward 2010
The Ebony Horse Club announced in December 2010 that after an eight-year fundraising effort it had the pound14 million necessary for building an equestrian cen-tre in one of Londonrsquos most deprived boroughs Since 1996 Ebony has offered youngsters in an area reput-ed for its gang culture high level of gun crime and drug dealing the chance to ride and learn key social skills The clubrsquos 50 members travel to riding schools across London on public transport or in minibuses ndash a logistical headache that the inner-city equestrian centre will end Construction work began in February
Ebony Horse Club founder and director Ros Spear-ing told the FEI ldquoRiding lessons are continuing and the club is preparing for the transitionrdquo Building will finish on 7 July but the centre will open for riding lessons in October ldquoThe horses will be brought to Brixton in the summer and will have time to acclimatise to their new environmentrdquo Spearing said The centre will include stabling for nine horses a small paddock and a flood-lit riding arena as well as a classroom for learning about horses and equine management Spearing is adamant that club members ndash present and future ndash care for their rides and wants the centre to serve as a stepping stone to careers in the horse industry
Ebonyrsquos existence will continue to depend on the generosity of donors For more information visit wwwebonyhorsecluborguk
Michelle Tipper (GBR)Winner of the FEI Best Groom Award 2010
Michelle Tipper has continued to juggle grooming and study since receiving her FEI Award in Novem-ber She has organised the grooms for the British European Junior and Young Dressage teams and in April her contract as a travelling groom for British Dressage riders Paul and Bobby Hayler took her to Addington for the first of many international com-petitions she will work at this year The Haylers have eight horses competing and the number she works with at each venue varies Tipper has also been help-ing British Dressage riders Nicky and Richard Barrett with yard duties ldquoI feel very lucky to work for both of these familiesrdquo said the FEI Best Groom Award win-ner adding that she feels part of the two families In March Tipper graduated from university with a Masters in Sport Psychology She is now working towards British Association of Sport and Exercise Science accreditation which requires at least 500 hoursrsquo supervised work experience and is present-ing sport psychology workshops in conjunction with the company Inside Performance Consulting Limit-ed (wwwinside-performancecom) The workshops are organised internationally for people of all ages from any sport To find out more contact Tipper at michelletipper1979yahoocom
39FOCUS
Michelle Tipper ndash copyWilliam TzengAward winners ndash copyWilliam TzengCaroline Roffman ndash copySharonPackercomEbony Horse Club ndash copyEbony Horse ClubEdward Gal and Totilas ndash copyKit HoughtonFEIAngelika Trabert ndash copyJulia Rau
Angelika Trabert (GER)Winner of the FEI Against All Odds Award 2010
German Para-Dressage rider Angelika Trabert has represent-ed her country at four Paralympic Games and won some 15 medals at national European and world championships She is currently seeking a new home for Londria the mare that con-tributed to her Team Silver medal win at the Hong Kong Para-lympics Londria who had a foal last year was also Trabertrsquos ride during her medal-winning performances at the European Championships in Hungary (2005) and Norway (2009)
Trabert said her decision to let go of Londria was hard to make but was necessary for financial reasons She will keep the foal Finaud Coquin and her mares Walmorel and Ariva-Avanti Trabert won the Para-Dressage Grade 2 Freestyle Champion-ship at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade with Ariva and said the horse was ldquowell and ready to go for the Europeans again in Belgium in September if we qualifyrdquo Trabert competed in her first international competition of 2011 in May in Man-nheim Germany where she came first in the Grade II indi-vidual and second in the freestyle She is taking part in the German Championships in June
Away from the equestrian world Trabert works as an anaes-thetist and has participated in medical missions in the rural ar-eas of Guinea for the organisation Mango In January she was back in Guinea as part of team that carried out 100 operations in 13 days wwwangelika-trabertde
Visit the recently refreshed FEI Awards website to find out more about the Awards the pastwinners the judges and to make yournominationsby 31 July
wwwfeiawardsorg
40
Caroline Roffman (USA)Winner of the HSBC FEI Rising StarAward 2010
Success continues to smile on twenty-two-year-old American Dressage rider Caroline Roffman Since re-ceiving the HSBC FEI Rising Star Award she has en-joyed numerous wins at small tour and young horse levels achieving scores in the mid-eighties and quali-fying two horses for the young horse championships
Roffman is currently showing six horses and has won several classes at PSG and Grand Prix level ldquoBut nothing is as exciting as to be going to Aachenrdquo said the young woman who has been described as the American Dressage communityrsquos brightest hope ex-plaining that at the FEI Awards ceremony in Chinese Taipei Frank Kemperman FEI Dressage Committee Chair and Chairman of the Managing Board at CHIO Aachen (GER) invited her to take part in the pres-tigious event Roffman will be the first American to compete in the Under 25 Grand Prix there and is hop-ing to take her horse Lux Stensvang
An interview with Caroline Roffman at the Palm Beach Dressage Derby CDI will be broadcast on the magazine programme Equestrian World on FEI TV the FEIrsquos official online video platform wwwfeitvorg
Edward Gal and Totilas (NED)Winners of the Reem Acra FEI Best Athlete Award 2010
The world-famous partnership of Dutch Dressage rider Edward Gal and the extraordinary Totilas ended in style in 2010 with notably three gold medal wins at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade
The first foal sired by the superstar stallion was born in January followed by two more in the spring Gal who has admired the foals told the FEI ldquoYou never know ndash maybe in a few yearsrsquo time Irsquoll have another Totilas readyrdquo At the beginning of April he was busy at home training nine horses and preparing for the Reem Acra FEI World Cuptrade Dressage Final in Leipzig and the European Championships in Rotterdam He had not yet decided which horses he was going to compete with but was particularly looking forward to the Freestyle to Music Asked what it was like to compete without Totilas Gal said ldquoEverybody ex-pected Totilas to win I find it easier to ride other horses because nobody expects me to win and when I do itrsquos really nicerdquo
41FOCUS
globetrotter
Seal of approval for the Adai horseSixty years have passed since an Adai horse reportedly set a record galloping 354km in one day Today the Adai horse a breed na-tive to Kazakhstan is back in the spotlight with a gold medal at the FEI Central Asian Endurance Championship in Talgaearlier in May only months after having been award-ed official pedigree status following tests
conducted by a State Commission in the Mangistau Steppes which allowed itto compete internationally The horses are cherished for their hardiness and Oyly ridden by Altyngali Bissemaganbetov (KAZ) proved just that when crossing the finishing line first demonstrating just how tough the Adai horses are and the beginning of a new era for sturdy breed on the international stage
Equestrian Australia Sport
Achievement Awards
In May the best of the best in
Equestrian sport gathered to cel-
ebrate the achievements of Austral-
iarsquos athletes coaches officials vets
administrators owners volunteers
and the many other people that
dedicate their time and enthusiasm
to equestrian sport The ceremony
also included the introduction of
Equestrian Australiarsquos Hall of
Fame won by the legendary Bill
Roycroft Boyd Exell winner of
the FEI World CupTM Driving
Final was awarded the interna-
tional athlete of the year
award
Kevin Stautbecomes first athlete representative on FEI
executive board
Kevin Staut one of Francersquos most successful Jumping riders became the first athlete to be appointed to the FEI Executive Board for a three-year term Staut (31) who has held the number one spot in the Rolex Rankings for Jumping since July 2010 has ridden on numerous Nations Cup teams for France and claimed individual gold at the Alltech FEI European Jumping Championships in 2009
HulA CARTSWorld Horse Welfare has greatly helped the liv
es of
five Senegalese cart horse owners by presenting them
with new Hula Carts The local people who depend on
their working horses for their livelihoods were specially
selected by the charity to receive the carts which have
been sponsored by members of the public in the uK
The Hula Carts are specifically developed to help the
horses pulling heavy loads in often difficult conditions
Equestrian Australia Sport
Achievement Awards
In May the best of the best in
Equestrian sport gathered to cel-
ebrate the achievements of Austral-
iarsquos athletes coaches officials vets
administrators owners volunteers
and the many other people that
dedicate their time and enthusiasm
to equestrian sport The ceremony
also included the introduction of
Equestrian Australiarsquos Hall of
Fame won by the legendary Bill
Roycroft Boyd Exell winner of
the FEI World CupTM Driving
Final was awarded the interna-
tional athlete of the year
award
Olympic legendBill Roycroft passes away aged 96
A legend of Equestrian sport in Australia James William
George Roycroft OBE known as ldquoBillrdquo was one of Austral-
iarsquos greatest Olympians and one of only five Australians to
have competed in five consecutive Olympic Games (from
1960 - 1976) as well as being Australiarsquos oldest medallist
and oldest competitor at 61 years and 31 days In May 2011
Bill was inducted in Equestrian Australiarsquos inaugural Hall
of Fame ndash he was Australiarsquos oldest living Olympian and
shared his dedication and enthusiasm for the sport with
his sons Barry Wayne and Clarke (See a brief description
of his exploits in the 1960 Olympic Games Memory Lane
article page 9 which catapulted Australiarsquos reputation as
one of the best Eventing teams in the world)
webinfofeiFEI web wizard Nicole Sigrist has added a new hub for the Press on wwwfeiorg called FEI Press Kits located in the Media section of the website The Press Kits zone which is also open to the general public is regularly updated with infor-mation relating to FEI series and specific events with flip books and downloadable PDFs as well as direct links to the Photo Catalogue the Rankings and Standings the Annual Report and more
100thanniversary for Finnish riding club
One of the three found-ing member clubs of
the Finnish Equestrian Federation the Suomen
Kenttaumlratsastusseura-Finska Faumlltrittklubbenon celebrates
its 100th anniversary in 2011 Magnus Rydman former President of the Finnish National Federation and Presi-dent of the FEI from 1935 ndash 1946 was one of the founders of the club Another of the founders of the oldest club in Fin-land was the Eventing rider Colonel Hans Olof von Essen whose fifth place at the Antwerpen Olympic Games re-mains the best Olympic equestrian result the country has ever achieved
Follow us on
43FOCUS
Interview with the President of the Brazilian Equestrian Federation Mr Luiz Roberto Giugni
The Brazilian Equestrian Federation has been a member Federation of the FEI for 75 years how has the sport developed over that time We were facing regular growth (average of 25 in the last decade) but in the last three to four years this rate has significantly increased up to 35 a year We believe that this is due to international achievements (two Jumping Olympic team bronze medals the individual Olympic Jumping gold medal won by Rodrigo Pessoa several Pan Am Jumping team gold medals recent Olympic pre-qualification in Kentucky (4th in the world in Jumping) and the organisations of a Global Champions Tour event in Brazil
In terms of developing the sport what are the most successful projects you have undertaken in recent yearsWe decided to invest in education and have hired international trainers for all the disciplines such as Jean Maurice Bonneau for Jumping Nick Turner for Eventing Eric Lette for Dressage Jean Louis Leclerc for Endurance Mattias Lang for Vaulting with the long term in mind that is at least until the end of 2012 and planning towards 2016 when Rio will host the Olympic Games
How popular is equestrian sport with young people in Brazil and how do you compete with some of the bigger sports for their attention Popularization is growing bit by bit in a country
decidedly dominated by soccer ndash being 5 times World Champion makes it a national passion But we are continuously looking to attract TV to our events as this is a huge step towards gaining visibility and popularity Can you tell us about the programmesinitiatives in place for disabled athletes We are actively pursuing this and have achieved really positive results in little time such as the great performances and medals earned at the Para-lympic Games in Hong Kong in 2008 We do this through clinics courses international exchanges of athletes and working alongside our National Paralympic Committee to support us in our efforts
Brazil will be host the FEI General Assembly at the end of the year what do you want all the visiting delegates to remember from their visit That we are more than just a really beautiful and warm country with the ability and capacity to organise great events and that we are committed to putting on the best Olympic Games ever
What are the main objectivesplans for the Brazilian Federation in the lead up to the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games Our NOC is really committed to raising the bar of all the sports to a level never seen before and we are working towards that in terms of our athletes our judges our venues and everything that is related to our sport and the quality of our sport In line with this objective we are providing incen-tives to owners to buy good horses aiming for 2016 and this is going to plan for now We expect to perform well at the upcoming Pan Am Games and Olympics on our trail to 2016
Is there anything else you would like to share with us I would like to thank HRH Princess Haya President of the FEI as well as the Executive Board for all the support that we are getting which has been paramount to the development of equestrian sport in our country
44
President Luiz Roberto GiugniSecretary General Luiz Antonio RoccoMember since 1935
15 members of staff work at the federation
20 regional federations are affiliated tothe Brazilian Equestrian Federation with over 300 member riding clubs
6 000 affiliated riders
91 national events were held in 2010
31 international events were held in 2010
All the FEI disciplines are practiced in BrazilJumping Dressage Eventing Vaulting Reining EnduranceDriving amp Para-Equestrian
14 breeding organisations
There are 58 million horses and ponies in Brazilmaking it the fourth largest equine population in the world
FAC
TS amp
FIG
URE
S
45FOCUS
Dr Gerit Matthesen56 is a private equine practitioner an FEI Vet and a member of the FEI Veterinary Committee He graduated in Veterinary Medicine from Berlin University in 1983 and since 1989 has worked or officiated at some 180 competitions and championships including the last two Olympics and FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade He lives near Frankfurt with his wife Carola and their sons Mike (16) and Lars (14)
46
A life in a day
Dr Gerit Matthesen56 is a private equine practitioner an FEI Vet and a member of the FEI Veterinary Committee He graduated in Veterinary Medicine from Berlin University in 1983 and since 1989 has worked or officiated at some 180 competitions and championships including the last two Olympics and FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade He lives near Frankfurt with his wife Carola and their sons Mike (16) and Lars (14)
I wake up earlier than I need to ndash at around 6am ndash because breakfast time with my family is sacred to me and I can then drive my boys to the village station to take the train to school After two cups of coffee (enough for the day) and a glass of orange juice I read the newspapers then head to my prac-tice offices in our indoor arena I have a quick look at our horses then start work
While I listen to my phone messages I deal with my emails and search the internet for news about veterinary medicine and horse sport I then start planning the dayacutes schedule with Anna my assistant vet
My mobile practice is in a nice fairly rural area in the north of Frankfurt There are lots of horse farms but it is not a classic breeding area like the northern part of Germany There are sport horses as well as pleasure horses I have examination rooms and stables for horses staying or mares foaling in my practice stables Itrsquos not a big clinic which gives me time to work at competitions
After seeing a few small animals in my practice I normally start my field service at 930am In my car I have enough equipment (ultrasound X-ray systems and endoscopical devices) for the dayrsquos examinations and standing procedures We mainly have lameness examinations to do or internal diseases to treat accompanied by routine work like vaccinations or carrying out pre-purchase or health certificate examinations If time allows I go home for a quick lunch but thatrsquos not every day
While Irsquom driving I have time to think and I write down everything that come to mind regarding sport competitions committees and so on You have to write down your thoughts when yoursquore over the age of 50
It is not easy planning my day because any emer-gency can destroy or delay my schedule For all the paperwork and certificates I need a time frame so
I often do that over quiet weekends when there are no competitions During the winter season I am less busy but in summer a lot of weekends are taken over by the competition schedule
I love my work especially in Eventing which is my favourite discipline My wife and I practiced it ndash not up to top level but it was a fine time despite a bro-ken ankle from a fall in 1988 which after 23 years is making walking more and more difficult for me
I like to do my competition work on a friendly but strict basis and I really like to hear riders saying they are treated fairly Over the years I have acquired a lot of experience and met all the officials and riders
Usually when I return home in the late afternoon there are more small animals to see When Irsquove done the dayrsquos paperwork I hope there will be no more emergencies such as cases of colic which usually occur in the early evening
I look forward to getting on my horse which is a beautiful show-jumper I like to ride but Irsquove stopped competing I do dressage jumping and go out into the fields but itrsquos all just for fun now
The day finishes with the family and a nice cold glass of German beer
Itrsquos a struggle to find time to spend with my family and I often have to cancel my holidays with them I am really grateful to my wife and the boys for their understanding of my job and to my assistant vet who covers for me when Iacutem out somewhere in the world of equestrian sport
ldquoThe combination of my profession and beinginvolved in differentaspects of top equestrian sport is my visionrdquo
47FOCUS
Pull your show attire from the closet clean your boots and tack groom the horses hook up and pack the trailer check the clock double check to make sure you have everything put on the shipping boots load your horses and away you drive to the competition venue or to the airport for transport to a distant event
You know the drill well but still you arrive tired per-haps even a bit frazzled Yoursquoll sleep (or try to) the next several nights in an unfamiliar bed or camp out in the living quarters of your trailer You awaken riveted on the competition playing out the dayrsquos classes in your mind wondering how your rides will fare against oth-ers praying that the weather will be cooperate and trying to control your nerves all the while knowing that no matter how well you have prepared many factors are out of your control You may even be in a different time zone
We go through a lot to compete our horses But if you think life on the road is stressful for you think about what itrsquos like for your horses Your back may be a bit sore from driving or being strapped into an airplane seat for hours on end but for horses transportation is far more demanding It is an athletic endeavour re-quiring an expenditure of energy to maintain balance during the constant movement of transport When your horses arrive they face social isolation from stablemates lack of security in novel environments altered training regimes water that tastes strange and the confines of an unfamiliar stall This routine impacts a horsersquos health and well being with effects
continuing long after the journey is over During transport toxic gases (such as ammonia or carbon monoxide) can cause damage to the lung epithelium precipitating respiratory disease The
final destination itself can also cause problems Usually horses are transported to environments where they will be mixing with other horses The mixing of horses from different environments with different infectious organisms and under stressful conditions further precipitates susceptibility to disease
This can have a severe impact on the equine gut The stress of transportation is known to increase gut ulceration in the horse a painful condition reducing performance and causing colic-like symptoms Stress can also slow the flow of digesta and alter the normal gut flora resulting in digestive upset and possibly diarrhoea or colic
The effects of travel stress on the gut are compounded by the typical diet of the regular equine traveller To maintain athletic ability high performance horses are often fed energy-charged diets contain-ing increased levels of starchy materials such as cereal grains Unfortunately this type of diet can reduce beneficial types of gut flora and promote gut acidity further predisposing the horse to digestive upsets and ulceration It is not surprising that stressed tired horses may not fulfill their potential on arrival
Feeding to reduce stress for the equine traveller
By Darlene RickerExecutive editor of Alltechrsquos EQUINE INTERNATIONAL magazine
48
Alltech Tips
growth of opportunistic Salmonella spp which are present in the intestinal tract of many healthy horses These bacteria then attach to the gut lining via a mannan sugar and penetrate it causing damage and resulting in diarrhoea One method of prevent-ing or minimising the attachment of these organ-
isms to the gut lining is to provide an adsorbant supplement A form of sugar found in the cell walls of certain yeasts can do this This sugar compound is called man-nan oligosaccharide or MOS MOS products such as Alltechrsquos Bio-Mosreg have been shown to re-duce the colonization of Salmonella
spp in the guts of certain species and augment the immune response to Salmonella spp potentially conferring an enhanced ability to fight infection Both Yea-Saccreg 1026 and Bio-Mos are among the natural products contained in Alltechrsquos LIFEFORCETM equine supplement which many FEI competitors have successfully incorporated into their daily feeding regimen at home and on the road
lifeforcehorsecom
and may be subject to health concerns in the days following a long journey Fortunately however you can curb some of the effects of travel stress on the horsersquos gut by nutritional supplementation Organic yeast products used to supplement a horsersquos diet can support the normal gut flora modifying the intesti-nal environment and improving the horsersquos digestion One such culture is Saccharomyces cerevisae in the form of Yea-Saccreg 1026 Alltechrsquos propriety organic yeast
Experiments were conducted to evaluate the effects Yea-Sacc on gut flora and gut acidity Horses were fed either a high-starch or a high-fibre diet both with and without supplementation of Yea-Saccreg 1026 Results indicated an excessive amount of starch in the gut The use of Yea-Sacc reduced acidity and stimulat-ed the activity of fibre-digesting bacteria in the hind-gut for both types of diet The result was maximised fibre digestibility and more efficient use of nutrients thus increasing the amount of energy available to the horse for performance and counteracting digestive upset Salmonellosis is one of the more commonly di-agnosed infectious causes of diarrhoea in horses Many cases develop after the stress of transport The effects of travel stress on the normal gut flora allow an over-
Moorlands Totilas arrives for the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade after air transport copy Dirk Caremans
HRH The Infanta Dontildea Pilar de Borboacuten former President of the FEI (1994-2006) also attended the inauguration along-side HRH Princess Lalla Amina Chairperson of the Royal Moroccan Federation for Equestrian Sports and member of the international Advisory Council of Special OlympicsThey were joined by International Olympic Commit-tee members representatives from other Interna-tional Federations federal and local Swiss authorities as well as architects and designers that worked on the project Switzerlandrsquos Martin Fuchs a member of the gold medal winning team at the inaugural Youth Olympic Games in Singapore last year accompanied FEI President Princess Haya in officially opening the FEI headquarters
ldquoThe building we are inaugurating today has been designed to serve our wonderful sportrdquo explained FEI
President Princess Haya ldquoI also feel an immense
sense of pride knowing that this building carries the name
of my late father and hope that this serves as a constant reminder
to all of us who work at the FEI of a unique statesman whose entire soul was devoted to the service of his people Our new headquarters will play a key role for the FEI and our National Federa-tions over the coming years It will be the environ-ment in which important discussions take place and fundamental decisions are taken as we continue our mission to advance the orderly growth of equestrian sport worldwide while ensuring that the welfare of the horse and a level playing field remain at the centre of all that we dordquo
FEI celebratesNEW Headquarters
Over 250 guests attended the inauguration ceremony on Friday 6 May at HM King Hussein I Building which was timed to coincide with the FEI
Extraordinary General Assembly so that attending NationalFederation representatives
could be a part ofthe celebrations
1 Youth Olympic Games team champion Martin Fuchs (SUI) FEI President HRH Princess Haya and her daughter HH Sheikha Al Jalila officially open the FEIrsquos new home 2 Gilbert Felli IOC Olympic Games Executive Director and FEI Secretary General Ingmar de Vos 3 HRH The Infanta Dontildea Pilar de Borboacuten sits down to an interactive quiz in the FEI Gallery 4 Guests gathered in the atrium of the FEI HeadquartersAll images copy Hugues SiegenthalerFEI
Highlights available on50
1
2
3 4
5
6 7
8
THE GALLERy
As well as housing offices for its 62 employees and conference facilities for its 133 National Federations the new headquarters also has a state-of-the-art in-teractive gallery showcasing equestrian sport
The Gallery is the brainchild of Dr Amichai Alper-ovich historian former Secretary General of the Is-raeli Equestrian Federation and curator of the Israeli Olympic Museum (opened in 2009) He worked hand in hand with the Tel Aviv based company Disk-In Pro and interior designer Oded Alony to help bring the content to life and the result is truly unique and ground breaking Giant glass surfaces act as interac-tive interfaces for the visitors to travel through time
The FEIrsquos new headquarters which were donated to the Federation by FEI Presi-dent HRH Princess Haya in 2007 fol-lowing a personal fundraising effort are conveniently located close to the Inter-national Olympic Committee and other international sports federations It has been written into the FEI Statutes that the new FEI headquarters building will always house the Federationrsquos offices In 2008 the building was thoroughly renovated in accordance with the Swiss MINERGIEreg construction standard for environmental responsibility which re-duces energy consumption by 25 per cent Only two per cent of renovated buildings in Switzerland meet the high Minergie standards Khuan Chew founder and design princi-pal of London-based architectural firm KCA International Ltd worked in close collaboration with Swiss-based architect Herveacute de Rham and interior designer Sia-vosh Adeli (SUI) to transform the build-ing which was built in the 1960s The modern and sleek interior was further enhanced with bespoke artworks pro-duced by Swiss creative agency b+g amp partners and imagery by world-famous equestrian art photographer Tim Flach where the simplicity and beauty of his equine subjects seamlessly embrace and accentuate the buildingrsquos pure lines and natural materials (see image left)
As they feasted on the innate beauty of their sur-roundings the guests also had the privilege to ex-perience the culinary talents of organic chef and specialist Gilles Wannaz and his team based in the town of Cully which sits on the edge of Lac Leman in Switzerlandrsquos famous Lavaux wine growing region
5 HRH Princess Haya welcomes the guests to the Inauguration of the HQ and the 90 year celebration of the FEI 6 Artwork by renowned pho-tographer Tim Flach 7 An organic and colourful buffet presented on an authentic lawn by local chef Gilles Wannaz 8 A life size horse sculpture by Christophe Dumont greeted the guests upon their arrival
53FOCUS
and space with the latest in touch technology revis-iting the history of the FEI the equestrian events at Olympic amp Paralympic Games the FEI World Eques-trian Gamestrade and information on all of the member National Federations with statistics videos images and text The Gallery also includes projections on ar-chitectural surfaces designed by Oded Alony referred to as the Origami as well as interactive stations and unique video projections on glass screens
For all those wishing to visit the FEI Gallery simply contact the FEI HQ to make an appointment and we would be delighted to take you on a journey to dis-cover or rediscover the human and equine athletes whose talents have marked equestrian history and inspired young riders drivers and vaulters around the world
Interview withDrAmichaiAlperovich
When did you first dream up the FEIInteractive Gallery When I found out the FEI was planning to move into new HQ in 2009 Disk-In Pro and I approached the FEI and presented them with several concepts for the space Before long we had agreed on the concept and we got to work
Why were you compelled to make it become a reality So that the FEI a prominent sports organisation could present itself to a growing audience in a new and visionary way with the latest technology And by doing so the FEI is a pioneer becoming the first International Federation to have a Gallery of this kind
What did you learn when researching and gathering content for the gallery I have learned a lot about the history of the FEI the strong Olympic tradition the diversity of disciplines the gender equality and the unique bond between horse and man One of the more fascinating topics was the evolution of the Dressage from itsrsquo Olympic debut to the modern Freestyle
Itrsquos very innovative technology what inspired you to take such a leap into the future with such a traditional sport Just as Dressage has evolved over the years and alongside the introduction of new disciplines partic-ularly Para-Equestrian you come to realise that the FEI is not as traditional as one would think Actually this kind of innovative presentation of equestrian history is really well suited to the FEI In the same way that you can have horse-man connections there is an audience-technology connection in the Gallery The audience have to be active in order to enjoy the depth of information the Gallery contains
54
Now it is time to open the door to new places to learn about sport ndash at the heart of sporting organi-sations themselves The Gallery is more than an informative tool it brings people to the sport andto the heart of its operations
Established in 1990 Disk-In Pro specialises in the planning design production and implementation of Museums Visitor Centres and sophisticated projects around the world This includes multi screen produc-tion animation 3D amp interactive films state-of-the-art software platforms and complex video displays for an unforgettable experience
Oded Alony holds a BA in Design from the Interior Design Section of the Holon Technological Institute and has since 1998 worked with Israelrsquos leading Architecture firms The Oded Alony Studio embraces holistic design a space where interior design lighting and graphics are brought together to create a harmo-nious project vision
Now that you have seen it unveiled to the public how would you like to see it evolve I hope the audience will be amazed from the design by architect Oded Alony and the new methods to deliver information whilst discovering the long his-tory of the FEI the diversity and the global reach of the organisation I hope the Gallery will become an icon in Lausanne and one of its highlights for visitors I promise the visitors a new platform to learn about equestrianism and each visit could be different as the information and themes will be updated and modi-fied regularly
This futuristic gallery is a first for anInternational Federation do you think thisis something all sports should invest inThe FEI took this courageous decision and now has this fantastic tool to present the organisation in new ways Sport is a huge cultural phenomenaWe have learned to consume sport in the arenas and stadiums in the press media and new media
Dr Amichai Alperovich
55FOCUS
SOCIAL MEDIAthe new frontier
Follow us on
The FEI has recently embarked on and embraced a whole new way of talking with the greater equestrian community through the ever expanding social media networks and platformsWith personalised Facebook Twitter and You Tube pages the FEI is taking it step by step and reaching out to this growing audience and listening to what they have to say
This new communication platform is by no means a substitution of the traditional communication path-ways but works alongside the press releases various publications and content on wwwfeiorg and wwwfeitvorg providing a new arena where the FEI can share interact and dialogue with fans of the sport and of equestrian values in general
We talk to Richard Johnson Director of Corporate Communications about the FEIrsquos commitment to social media
What compelled the FEI to venture onto the social media scene As a governing body with a vibrant and active com-munity of National Federations as well as thousands of fans the need to reach out to the online social community has never been stronger We have been watching the communities grow online for some time and have been listening to their conversations so being a part of it was the next logical step and a really important one The conversations will hap-pen with or without us so taking that step has been crucial in order to share our values and also build re-lationships with our fan base
Tradition meets modernity ndash does equestrian sportthe FEI have a place in social media Absolutely even though equestrian sport has a long history and is perceived as a traditional sport it is
always evolving In the 90 years of the FEI which was founded to govern the three Olympic disciplines it has grown to also oversee the disciplines of Driving Endurance Vaulting Reining and Para-Equestrian sport Or if you look at the early days when competi-tors were from military backgrounds and when wom-en did not compete alongside men to the complete gender equality we have today ndash a lot has changed and is in a constant state of change
The fans of equestrian sport are like any other fan base web savvy and eager for more information behind the scenes content and to share their opin-ions and thoughts ndash so it is an ideal partnership And from what we have seen these last few months and from the feedback we got from our blog at the Youth Olympic Games there is a real appetite for this
The FEI has dedicated Facebook Twitter and You Tube pages ndash why did you select these social media platforms The figures speak for themselveshellip Facebook Twit-ter and You Tube are the biggest players in the social networking space With over 500 million Facebook users 106 million Tweeters and 2 billion views a day on You Tube there has never been so much oppor-tunity for exposure Every site has different demo-graphics with different habits and needs so by having an FEI presence on these three networks we are able to cover a lot of ground and cater to different audi-ences by providing different types of content accord-ing to the platform
What are the main benefits of having a pres-ence on various social media platforms Itrsquos all about having a two way conversation ndash the benefits of dialogue where you can share content such as videos images facts and figures thoughts and values and then allow your fan base to react to get involved and to listen and learn from them By engaging with our audience and showing them that we are a modern and caring organisation and that we want to hear what they have to say then we are able to build trust and ultimately credibility in what we do and what we say
57FOCUS
TV
The offi cial video website of the Feacutedeacuteration Equestre Internationale
wwwfeitvorg
WATCH LIVE WATCH ONLINE
FEI TV is the FEIrsquos new offi cial video website and your ticket to the worldrsquos most prestigious competitions Sign-up to FEI TV (wwwfeitvorg) and get instant access to all the live broadcasts the extensive video-on-demand library all the highlights the behind the scenes reports the interviews and so much more Be at the heart of horsesport Join us
2823_1FEI_TV_Focus_165x226indd 1 170510 1124
It also keeps us alert as to what is being discussed and debated in the public sphere so that we can manage situations more effectively and be proactive in our messaging and information so that the facts are at the heart of the debate and not interpretations of them
How do you generate content for social media It was important when we launched our social me-dia presence that it be manageable with the exist-ing communications team in place ndash and so we have concentrated on keeping it simple and effective and using content innovatively Itrsquos not about reproduc-ing our website ndash but to engage with our fans and so often all you need is a good picture an interest-ing fact or great achievement to get the ball rolling For You Tube as we already have so much content generated from FEI TV it was simply a question of using bits and pieces from that content to provide the public with teasers from events interviews with winning riders or behind the scenes content which they can then follow up on FEI TV with a subscription
What are your Social media goals Itrsquos really to build relationships and dialogue with our fan base by using our content innovatively by listening to what they have to say and by engaging with the community And for the National Federa-tions that have yet to take that step we want to be a guiding hand that can help them get started so that they too can reap the benefits of social media net-working Our sport competes against other sports for attention so itrsquos really important that we the FEI and the National Federations keep our finger on the pulse and cater to our fans
How can National Federations get involved NFs wishing to find out more about Social Media can contact me (richardjohnsonfeiorg) and I would be more than happy to discuss opportunities and ways of getting started as well as our experience at the FEI
We asked our Facebook followers why it was important to use face-book and here are a few comments they came up with
bullItrsquos a great way to find out about shows and competitions
bullBecause facebook can provide up to the minute updates as to the what is going on in the horse community
bullWe can share information and ideas over long distances We can find and connect with people we wouldnt be able to otherwise
bullIt also lets us express the true realities of our spot to keep us grounded
bullIt can bring peoples attention to excellence ndash and expose the issues
58
TV
The offi cial video website of the Feacutedeacuteration Equestre Internationale
wwwfeitvorg
WATCH LIVE WATCH ONLINE
FEI TV is the FEIrsquos new offi cial video website and your ticket to the worldrsquos most prestigious competitions Sign-up to FEI TV (wwwfeitvorg) and get instant access to all the live broadcasts the extensive video-on-demand library all the highlights the behind the scenes reports the interviews and so much more Be at the heart of horsesport Join us
2823_1FEI_TV_Focus_165x226indd 1 170510 1124
ldquo Donrsquot accept drinks from a strangerrdquo
Armchair travel journalist
Are you living a life without boundaries Some well-meant advice is best ignored but itrsquos still good to know yoursquore covered when yoursquore away With HSBC Premier your family can be protected with both Travel Insurance and dedicated assistance when yoursquore abroad Which is reassuring to know when yoursquore making the most of life
HSBC Premier is subject to financial eligibility criteria and is available in over 40 countries and territories
Premier Travel Insurance covers you and your partner up to age 70 and your children travelling with you up to age 18
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A4 A4
Issued by HSBC Holdings plc Approved for use in UK by HSBC Bank plc Premier Travel Insurance is provided by Aviva Insurance UK Limited Customer Information Service PO Box 757 Hemel Hempstead Hertfordshire HP2 4SS Registered in England number 14259 Registered Office 8 Canada Square London E14 5HQ AC18770
201736_6000263_Coconut_226x165indd
Master 226x165
Rob Swainson 160211
HSBC - Coconuts Proof 01Head of Art TypographerDesigner ArtCreative Director Copywriter Account DirectorDIC Project ManagerPhotographer Illustrator Usage Model(s) Name(s) Usage
Media MediaStock Image Time Period Time Period
Territory Territory
8deg N ndash Kerala South India
OYSTER PERPETUAL DATEJUST
chio aachen world equestrian festival
JULY 8TH TO 17TH 2011AACHEN GERMANY
IT IS THE ULTIMATE DREAM FOR RIDERS THE
ULTIMATE SPECTACLE FOR ENTHUSIASTS
IT IS SIMPLY MAGNETIC AS THEY ASSEMBLE
TOGETHER ON HALLOWED GROUNDS UNITED
BY A N EQ UA L PA S S I O N W I TH E V ER Y
MASTERFUL JUMP ELEGANT PIAFFE AND
STUNNING ATHLETIC MOVEMENT AACHEN
EPITOMISES THE EQUESTRIAN EVENT AGAINST
WHICH ALL OTHERS ARE MEASURED
FEIFocus_CHIO_05_11indd 1 120511 0908
OYSTER PERPETUAL DATEJUST
chio aachen world equestrian festival
JULY 8TH TO 17TH 2011AACHEN GERMANY
IT IS THE ULTIMATE DREAM FOR RIDERS THE
ULTIMATE SPECTACLE FOR ENTHUSIASTS
IT IS SIMPLY MAGNETIC AS THEY ASSEMBLE
TOGETHER ON HALLOWED GROUNDS UNITED
BY A N EQ UA L PA S S I O N W I TH E V ER Y
MASTERFUL JUMP ELEGANT PIAFFE AND
STUNNING ATHLETIC MOVEMENT AACHEN
EPITOMISES THE EQUESTRIAN EVENT AGAINST
WHICH ALL OTHERS ARE MEASURED
FEIFocus_CHIO_05_11indd 1 120511 0908
OYSTER PERPETUAL DATEJUST
chio aachen world equestrian festival
JULY 8TH TO 17TH 2011AACHEN GERMANY
IT IS THE ULTIMATE DREAM FOR RIDERS THE
ULTIMATE SPECTACLE FOR ENTHUSIASTS
IT IS SIMPLY MAGNETIC AS THEY ASSEMBLE
TOGETHER ON HALLOWED GROUNDS UNITED
BY A N EQ UA L PA S S I O N W I TH E V ER Y
MASTERFUL JUMP ELEGANT PIAFFE AND
STUNNING ATHLETIC MOVEMENT AACHEN
EPITOMISES THE EQUESTRIAN EVENT AGAINST
WHICH ALL OTHERS ARE MEASURED
FEIFocus_CHIO_05_11indd 1 120511 0908
Note from theFEIPresidentHRH Princess Haya
We are just six months into the year and as I look back at recent events such as the indoor sporting showcase in Leipzig the inauguration of the FEI Headquarters or even the FEIrsquos forays into the new frontier that is social media I am reminded of the passion and constant state of flux in which our sport evolves
The subtitle of this edition of FEI FOCUS ldquoSands of Timerdquo is symbolic of that constant evolution falling grain by grain marking the past the future and where we stand in the present It also reminds us that it is not about leaping into the future but about taking thoughtful and measured steps towards greater di-versity acceptance and universality
Looking back in this edition we review the past 99 years of Olympic tradition in our Memory Lane focus and then look forward to the European Cham-pionships in all the FEI disciplines that will take place between the months of July and September Some of these Championships have a long tradition such as the FEI European Eventing and Jumping Champion-ships that date back to 1953 and 1957 respectively while for others such as the FEI European Para-Equestrian Dressage Championships they are only in the early stages of making their history but as they do they also contribute to the history of equestrian sport as a whole
Integrating Para-Equestrian in 2006 has been one of the important steps taken by the FEI towards greater universality and diversity within our sport and it is testimony to this integration that the cover of this edition features aspiring Swiss rider Nicolas Theacutevenaz and an article on his goals and motivation
Like many sports we rely heavily on our volunteer body who act behind the scenes to provide the athletes and the spectators with safe and fair con-ditions for competition and ensure that welfare and sportsmanship are always at the heart of their actions We feature Dr Gerit Matthesen in our ldquolife in a dayrdquo section to gain a better understanding of the type of person it takes to devote time and energy on a voluntary basis
The equestrian community is full of extraordinary people whose achievements in and out of the arena are the result of their outstanding ability to focus on their goals The FEI Awards celebrate that talent and determination and have shown us that whether you are an athlete a groom or the initiator of a project that enhances the lives of others you share a deep love for the horse and the belief that equestrianism at any level is well worth the time and energy that you devote to it I would like to encourage all readers to visit the FEI Awards website (wwwfeiawardsorg) to make nominations by 31 July to help us to express our gratitude to and admiration of those people who deserve it
The FEI Awards will be presented to the winners at a gala evening in Rio de Janeiro on the occasion of the FEI General Assembly hosted by Brazil You will find a brief introduction to the Brazilian National Federation in the Postcard from Brazil page 44 with facts and figures and a QampA with the President of the Brazilian National Federation Mr Luiz Roberto Guigni
Lastly I would like to thank all the guest that were able to attend the FEI Extraordinary General Assembly and the Inauguration in May for the beginning of a new chapter for the FEI For those that were unable to attend I hope you will be able to gage the warmth and genuine goodwill of all attending the event in the pages devoted to the celebration
02
Editorial
The King Hussein I Building will be a place for dialogue and decision-making as the FEI continues its mission to ad-vance the orderly growth of equestrian sport worldwide while ensuring that the welfare of the horse and a level playing field remain at the centre of all that we do
28 HSBC FEI ClassicsTM
A world class meeting of generations
30 Why the long face Viggo Mortensen
32 The other side of Laurent Elias
34 One day Nicolas Theacutevenaz
06 Olympic amp Paralympic Games Memory Lane
14 FEI World CupTM Finals Jumping Dressage Driving amp Vaulting
18 Preview FEI European Championships 2011
14
Follow us onTable of Contents
04
Contact Advertising FEI - Feacutedeacuteration Equestre Internationalerichardjohnsonfeiorg HM King Hussein I Building Chemin des Deacutelices 9 1006 Lausanne T +41 21 310 47 47 F +41 21 310 47 60 wwwfeiorg
Impressum - Focus Ndeg 7 - June 2011Circulation 2800Frequency QuarterlyEditor in Chief Olivia RobinsonDesign Art Equestrio SAPrinting Grafiche SIZ - ItalyCover copyHugues Siegenthaler
48 Alltech Tips Feeding to reduce stress for the equine traveller
50 FEI News FEI celebrates NEW Headquarters
56 FEI Insight Social Media - the new frontier
38 FEI Awards 2011
42 Globetrotter
44 Postcard from Brazil
46 A life in a day Dr Gerit Matthesen
28 HSBC FEI ClassicsTM
A world class meeting of generations
30 Why the long face Viggo Mortensen
32 The other side of Laurent Elias
34 One day Nicolas Theacutevenaz
5030
05FOCUS
1900Games of the II Olympiad Paris (FRA)Grand Prix Jumping long jump high jump hunter competition and a coaching competition were on the 1900 programme The events went officially unrecord-ed until the 1970s which is why it is often assumed that 1912 marks the first inclusion of equestrian sports on the Olympic programme Participation Twenty-four riders from 4 countries
1912Games of the V Olympiad Stockholm (SWE) Jumping Dressage and Eventing made their deacutebut in Stockholm and remain to this day the only equestrian disciplines on the Olympic programme It took two years to construct the new brick-built Olympic Sta-dium which served for the 1956 Olympic Equestrian Games and the 1990 FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade Participation Sixty-two riders and 70 horses from 10 nations ndash all European except for the USA
1920Games of the VII Olympiad Antwerp (BEL)World War I had just ended in 1918 and there were serious doubts that the 1920 Olympic Games would go ahead It was on 3 April 1919 that the IOC decided to accept the offer from Antwerp (BEL) The short term allocation of the Games did leave some in the lurch such as team USA who at first unable to find a passage to Europe at that late stage were able to secure the help of the military to transport the team Swedenrsquos solid and meticulous preparations were well rewarded as they picked up more than half of the 15 medals at stake and confirmed their stronghold on the sportParticipation Seventy-two riders from 8 nations Vaulting was for the first and only time on the Olympic programme
1924 Games of the VIII Olympiad Paris (FRA)First Olympic appearance for the FEIDid you knowThe Dressage arena of 60 x 20 m was in the centre of the huge Stade de Colombes at least 60 meters away from the public The five judges sat with their assistants on a long table together on a short side The
Olympic amp Paralympic Games
MemoryLane A journey of Olympicamp Paralympic achievements
In 2012 the disciplines of Jumping Dressage and Eventing celebrate 100 years of Olympic history For Para-EquestrianDressage itrsquos sixteen years of intense and ever increasing competition and participationTake a stroll down MemoryLane to revisit the sportingachievements of Championspast and present
1920 1921 1922
1924 1925 1926
1900 1901 1902 1903 1904
1912 1913 1914
06
individual winner in Jumping was Swiss militia officer Lt Alphonse Gemuseus on the eight-year old Irish-bred mare Lucette who had been bought for pound48 as an army remount horse in 1922The length of the Eventing Cross Country was 36kmParticipation Seventeen nations 126 horses
1928Games of the IX Olympiad Amsterdam (NED)By 1928 the IOC had clarified the definition of an amateur For equestrian sport an amateur was every professional officer actively serving or anyone riding solely for the sport and recognised by a national body as a gentlemanParticipation Twenty nations the major return was Germany ndash not invited in 1920 and 1924 ndash but now there in full force
1932Games of the X Olympiad Los Angeles (USA)Because the 1932 Olympics were held in the middle of the Great Depression and in the comparatively re-mote city of Los Angeles half as many athletes from only six nations took part compared to 1928 The Japanese team came by ship from Yokohama to Los Angeles France and Sweden took a ship to New York then travelled by railroad across the USA as did the
Mexicans The Dutch who sailed through the Panama Canal directly to Los Angeles remembered that the US equestrian team travelling by ship to Amsterdam in 1928 had kept their horses fit by hiring the tread-mill used during the filming of Ben Hur with its chariot races The Dutch constructed their own treadmill and kept their horses busy during the voyage
The first known Olympic Jumping course designer John A Barry (who rode for the USA in the 1920 and 1924 Olympics) supported by Sloan Doak (also an ex-perienced Olympic rider) built a course that was much more difficult than 1928 It had 18 obstacles and 20 jumping efforts over a length of 1060m No team fin-ished the competition and the team medals remained unclaimed
For the first time piaffe and passage were asked for in Dressage
In Eventing only two teams ndash USA and The Netherlands ndash finished the competition The team bronze remained unclaimed Participation Six nations
1932 1933 1934
1928 1929 1930
1912 Francersquos Jean Cariou - Individual gold and team silver Jumping medallist as well as individual bronze medallist in Eventing
07FOCUS
1936Games of the XI Olympiad Berlin (GER)The Games of the XI Olympiad were held in Berlin three years after the National-Socialist regime came to power in 1933 They are best remembered for Adolf Hitlerrsquos failed attempt to use sport to prove his theories of Aryan racial superiority The equestrian events held on the last five days of the 16-day programme played an important part in the overall running of these first monumental and politically misused Olympic GamesParticipation Twenty-one nations 127 riders - 7 coun-tries had full representation (3x3 riders) Germany won all the equestrian team and individual gold medals
1952Games of the XV Olympiad Helsinki (FIN) The 1952 Olympic Games brought some fundamen-tal changes to equestrian sport Most visible was the change from military riding to civilians Women were allowed in Dressage but not in Jumping or Event-ing The best known of these women is Lis Hartel of Denmark In 1944 at the age of 23 she was paralysed by polio and while she gradually regained the use of most of her muscles she remained paralysed below
the knee Despite being helped on and off her horse she went on to win the silver medal When gold med-allist Henri St-Cyr helped her up onto the victory platform for the medal presentation it was one of the most emotional moments in Olympic historyParticipation Twenty-five nations For the first time since 1912 Russian riders competed ndash now represent-ing the Soviet Union Canada Egypt amp Korea were also newcomers
1956Games of the XVI Olympiad Melbourne (AUS) Stockholm (SWE) When the IOC selected Melbourne (AUS) as host to the Games of the XVI Olympiad it had not taken into consideration the Australian six-month pre-shipment quarantine for horses In 1953 a meeting was held in Canberra attended by the federal authorities which recommended not to alter quarantine laws The IOC decided on a separate venue for the equestrian events and on 13 May 1954 chose Stockholm (SWE)The Jumping course was demanding it is considered by many as the first modern course There were no clears in the first round Hans Guumlnter Winkler (FRG) was in the
1936 1937 1938
1952 1953 1954
1956 1957 1958
1952 The Dressage medallists Andreacute Jousseaume (FRA) - bronze Henri St-Cyr (FRA) - gold Lis Hartel (DEN) - silver
08
lead with one knock-down riding the great mare Halla The horse had taken off early for the penultimate fence and Winkler was thrown into the air and went on to land heavily back in the saddle pulling a muscle in the pro-cess He knew that if he withdrew from the final round the German team would be eliminated Dizzy and in pain he rode anyway Halla completed the course without a fault They earned gold in both the individual and team events Winkler went on to win another five gold medals at various Olympics and is the only Jumper to win seven medals in total and the only rider in any discipline to earn medals in six different OlympicsParticipation Twenty-nine nations Australia Cambodia and Venezuela competed for the first time
1960Games of the XVII Olympiad Rome (ITA) The Australians were the 1960 Eventing sensation The foursome of Larry Morgan Neale Lavis Brian Crago and Bill Roycroft dominated the Cross-Country to an extent never experienced before At the end of the day Mor-gan was overwhelmingly in the lead ahead of Crago and Lavis Roycroft after a fall at the cement drain pipes was not too far back except for the fact that he was in hospital with a concussion and a broken collarbone When Cragorsquos potential silver medal horse Sabre was rejected at the second horse inspection Australia no longer had a team Forty-five-year old Bill Roycroft was taken out of hospital rode Our Solo to a clear round in the Jumping phase and secured team gold for Australia Participation Twenty-nine nations
1964Games of the XVIII Olympiad Tokyo (JPN) The 1964 Olympic Games were the first to be held in Asia These were only the second Olympics ndash after Los Angeles in 1932 ndash for which most horses had to travel across the world Most horses came by aircraft The Soviet horses still came by sea and were caught in the typhoon Wilda For the first time a former Olympic Jumping champion repeated his victory Forty-four year old Pierre Jonquegraveres drsquoOriola (FRA) the 1952 champion with Ali Baba won this time with the nine-year old Lutteur B Another first was the participation of a woman - Lana du Pont (USA) - in an Olympic Eventing competitionParticipation One hundred and sixteen riders from 20 countries competed in Tokyo
1968Games of the XIX Olympiad Mexico City (MEX) The choice of Mexico City to host the 1968 Olympics was a challenging one because of the cityrsquos high altitude 2300m which meant that the air contained 30 less oxygen than at sea level An adjustment pe-riod of three to four weeks for the horses was advised The horses from the Soviet Union Argentina and Ireland were in mid-September the first to arrive The last to stable were France and Germany on 28 September ie 20 days before the start of the com-petitions Of particular interest was the first par-ticipation of Dressage and Eventing riders from the German Democratic Republic In 1960 and 1964 their Eventers were part of a unified German team This time they were allowed to enter under their own flag The equestrian competitions were timed manually and electronically for the first time the electronic time was the official one Participation Eighteen nations
1972 Games of the XX Olympiad Munich (FRG) In 1972 everybody expected great Olympic Games and for the first ten days everything went smoothly But on 5 September 1972 peace was chattered as eight Palestinian terrorists representing the militant group ldquoBlack Septemberrdquo broke into the Olympic Village killed two members of the Israeli team and took nine more hostage In an ensuing battle all nine Israeli hostages were killed as were five of the ter-rorists and one policeman The Olympics were sus-pended for 34 hours In defiance of the terrorists the IOC ordered the competitions to resume IOC President Avery Brundage famously declaring ldquoThe Games must go onrdquo All other details about the Munich Games pale in significance The equestrian events were obviously also affected After the first day of Dressage on 5 September the second half of the competitors rode on 7 September the ride-off followed on the 9th Team Jumping at that time still preceding the closing ceremony took place on 11 September 1972Liselotte Linsenhoff on Piaff became the 13th Olym-pic Dressage champion ndash the third German to achieve this (after con Langen in 1928 and Pollay in 1936) but the first woman to do so Participation Twenty-seven nations
1964 1965 1966
1960 1961 1962
1972 1973 1974
1968 1969 1970
09FOCUS
1976Games of the XXI Olympiad Montreal (CAN) All in the Eventing geneshellip Mother Rita and daugh-ter Silva de Luna were both on the Guatemalan team Father Bill 61 and son Wayne Roycroft were on the bronze-medal winning Australian teamhellipFor the first time in the FEIrsquos Olympic history there was a disqualification due a positive medication case San Carlos the mount of the Irish Army Eventing rider Ronald McMahon The medical treatment after an injury during transport had been announced to the authorities But the rules suffered no exceptions Au-tomatic disqualification followed although there was no additional punishmentBarbara Kemp became the first woman to design an Olympic cross-country course Participation Twenty-three nations Guatemala and Puerto Rico were the newcomers
1980Games of the XXII Olympiad Moscow (URS) The 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow represented the lowest point in the history of the Olympic equestrian events as a US led boycott reduced the number of participating nations to 11 From the top equestrian nations only Austria with the reigning European Dres-sage champion Elisabeth (Sissi) Theurer and Italy with its Eventing team went to Moscow Sissirsquos decision to participate in Moscow created considerable contro-versy in her native Austria ndash resulting in the resignation of the President of the National Equestrian FederationParticipation Eleven nations
1984Games of the XXIII Olympiad Los Angeles (USA) The Los Angeles Games were the first since 1896 to be staged without government financing and became the model for future Games particularly after it was revealed that they had produced a profit of US$ 223 million The organisers depended heavily on existing facilities and corporate sponsors The celebrated Santa Anita racetrack was chosen as the competition site for the equestrian events It was the first time an Olympic equestrian event was organised by an existing man-agement of proven competence and long experienceIn response to the boycott of the 1980 Moscow Olym-pics a boycott led by the Soviet Union marked the 1984 OlympicsThe USA dominated the Jumping competition win-ning both individual and team gold with a superiority rarely experienced before or since Joe Fargis (USA) and Touch of Class were the first to achieve a dou-ble clear in the Olympic team competition Eventing legend Mark Todd from New Zealand (pictured left) won his first Olympic medalParticipation Thirty nations
1988Games of the XXIV Olympiad Seoul (KOR) The Seoul Games were highlighted by numerous exceptional performances For Dressage it was the first time that all three individual medals were award-ed to women Reiner Klimke (pictured above-right) captured his last Olympic medal as West Germany won the team Dressage competition With six gold and two bronze medals won at five Olympic Games ndash Reiner Klimke participated in six Olympic Games
1976 1977 1978 1980 1981 1982
1984 1985 1986
1988 1989 1990
altogether - he is the most decorated rider in Olympic history Only for the second time in the 76-year history of Eventing at the Olympics the defending champions repeated their victory Mark Todd (NZL) 32 with the 16-year-old Charisma For the first time qualifications were held to reduce the starting field for the individual Jumping The reigning European champions Pierre Du-rand (FRA) and the 13-year-old black gelding Jappe-loup added Olympic gold to their winningsParticipation Thirty-two nations
1992Games of the XXV Olympiad Barcelona (ESP) In Dressage the individual battle was played out be-tween Isabell Werthrsquos Gigolo and the defending Olym-pic champion from Seoul Nicole Uphoffrsquos 15-year-old Rembrandt Rembrandt and Uphoff triumphed and se-cured the gold After the repeat wins of Henry St-Cyr (SWE) in 1952 and 1956 on two different horses this was the first double triumph of a combination After the elaborate beautifully built and decorated Jump-ing obstacles of Seoul 1988 the Spanish decided on something different and the two architects in charge of designing the 25 obstacles used minimal figural and colour elements so as to more objectively define the difficulty of the obstacles This new vision did not find many partisansParticipation Thirty-four nations
1996Games of the XXVI Olympiad Atlanta (USA) The Atlanta Games saw extensive changes made to the competition formats of Dressage and Eventing Following the IOCrsquos reasoning whereby two sets of medals could not be distributed for the same effort the FEI split Eventing into two competitions team and individual An elaborate qualifying system in all three disciplines was created and for the first time quotas were establishedThe heat and humidity expected in Atlanta led to extensive research and measures aimed at protecting the welfare of the horses It was found that horses needed three weeks of acclimatisation ndash seven days to recover from the effects of transport and 14 days of passive acclimatisation to the new conditions The major measure was the installation of misting fans throughout the venueLinda Allen was the course designer the first woman to provide the Jumping courses at an Olympic GamesParticipation Thirty nations
1992 1993 1994
1996 1997 1998
1988 The German gold medal team (from left to right) - Ann-Kathrin Linsenhoff Monica Theodorescu Nicole Uphoff and Reiner Klimkecopy Kit Houghton
11FOCUS
1996The X Paralympic Games Atlanta (USA)1996 also marks for the first time equestrian sport was included at the Paralympics with Para-Equestrian Dressage on the programme The competition was run on borrowed horses Jo Jackson (GBR) won three gold medals the maximum possible For Great Britain it was a first of many team medalshellipParticipation Sixty-eight competitors from 16 nations
2000Games of the XXVII Olympiad Sydney (AUS) Forty four years after Melbourne 1956 when no horses would be allowed into Australia the Australian quarantine and inspection services proved to be much more accommodating The conditions were tough two weeks of pre-shipping quarantine in Europe and after arrival in Sydney two more weeks of quarantine on siteOf the 15 medal-winning horses 12 were thorough-breds and the other three were 78 thoroughbredsThe year 2000 was the final show-down of the two Dressage horses who had dominated the sport since the early nineties ndash Gigolo ridden by Isabell Werth (GER) and Bonfire ridden by Anky Van Grunsven (NED) with the latter taking gold medal honours Australia for the third time in a row won the team gold medal in EventingParticipation Thirty-seven nations
2000The XI Paralympic Games Sydney (AUS)The Australian spirit and warmth conveyed during the Olympics continued throughout the Paralympic Games thanks to the formidable cooperation between the Sydney Paralympic Organising Committee (SPOC) and the Sydney Organising Committee for the Olympic Games (SOCOG) Paralympic and Olympic athletes lived in the same village and enjoyed the same catering services medical care and facilities Errors in the scoring meant that medals had to be re-attributed but this did not cause too much upset Lee Pearson (GBR) took home three gold medals (including another team gold for GBR) the maximum possible while Australiarsquos Julie Higgins achieved an impressive double gold triumph Participation Seventy athletes from 23 nations
2004Games of the XXVIII Olympiad Athens (GRE) In 2004 the Games returned to Greece homeland to the Olympic GamesThe equestrian events were affected by controversies Waterford Crystal the horse ridden by Olympic cham-pion in Jumping Cian OrsquoConnor (IRL) tested positive to a prohibited substance generally administered to humans but forbidden for use in horses After lengthy legal procedures OrsquoConnor was disqualified and sanc-tioned The gold medal was awarded to second-placed
1996 1997 1998
2000 2001 2002
2000 2001 2002
2004 2005 2006
2000 The team podium in Eventing - Great Britain (silver) Australia (gold) USA (bronze) copy Kit Houghton
12
Rodrigo Pessoa (BRA) Another three horses tested positive as well As a result Germany lost its Jumping team gold which was awarded to the USA in February 2005 at a ceremony in Palm Beach FL (USA)A new competition format for Eventing involving two Jumping rounds one for the individual and one for the team standings was introduced The two roads and tracks (A + C) and the steeplechase (B) of the Endur-ance phase were abolishedParticipation Thirty-seven nations
the fact that main land China did not hold disease-free zone status from the International Organisation for Animal Health the competitions were held in Hong Kong 2000km away from the Olympic host city Beijing In order to protect animal welfare detailed studies on the effects of heat and humidity on horses were undertaken by the FEI in cooperation with top scientists The competition timetable was modified to avoid the hours of intense heat and the horses were stabled at the exceptional air-conditioned facilities provided by the Hong Kong Jockey Club Six horses five from Jumping tested positive to prohibited substances As a result Norway lost its first Jumping medal ndash bronze ndash which after more than two years of legal proceedings was awarded to Switzerland
Jumping gold went to team USA In Dressage Anky van Grunsven (NED) aboard Salinero won her seventh and eighth Olympic medals team silver and individual gold Eventing legend Mark Todd (NZL) made a much acclaimed come back but the spotlight was on Hinrich Romeike and the extraordinary Marius
The story of the 2008 Olympic Eventing gold med-allist is all the more extraordinary as Hinrich is an amateur rider By day his time is spent in his dental surgery attending to his many patients so his riding is restricted to after-hoursParticipation Forty-two nations
2008The XIII Paralympic Games Beijing (CHN)First Paralympic participation for the FEI following the inclusion of Para-Equestrian in 2006 to be governed alongside the 7 other disciplines These Games set a new benchmark for Para-Equestrian events with great facilities cheerful volunteers and large audiences totalling over 30000 - an unprecedented attend-ance for Para-Equestrian events
For the third Paralympics in a row Lee Pearson (GBR) won three gold medals keeping up his record of win-ning all the gold medals available to him Singa-porersquos Laurentia Tan picked up Asiarsquos first Paralympic Equestrian medals with two individual bronze medals Marco Alves picked up Brazilrsquos first Paralympic Equestrian medal with bronze in Grade Ib Participation Seventy-eight athletes from 28 nations
2004The XII Paralympic Games Athens (GRE)The venue was excellent and there was good support from local volunteers Both Debbie Criddle and Lee Pearson (pictured above) from Great Britain picked up the maximum three gold medals The International Paralympic Committee presented the Equestrian Technical Delegate with the award for Best Official of all the sports at the Paralympic Games Participation Seventy athletes from 29 nations
2008Games of the XXIX Olympiad Beijing (CHN) Hong Kong (CHN) For the second time in Olympic history the equestrian events were held separately from other sports Due to
2004 2005 2006
2008 2009 2010
2008 2009 20102004 Lee Pearson (GBR) in Athens where he scoopedthe maximum three gold medals available to him
13FOCUS
The climax of the indoor international Jumping sea-son brought together 43 riders from 21 nations and ended with Christian Ahlmann riding Taloubet Z to Germanys ninth victory in the 33-year history of FEI World Cuptrade Jumping Canadarsquos reigning Olympic champion Eric Lamaze took second place with Hickstead followed by Dutch combination Jeroen Dubbeldam and BMC Van Grunsven Simon who rocketed up from overnight 11th to finish third when producing one of only two double clears on the final afternoonGerman riders dominated from the first of the three qualifiers in Leipzig ndash the speed competition which Marco Kutscher with Cash won with 6355 seconds followed by his compatriots defending champion Marcus Ehning and Christian Ahlmann who took second and third place respectively In the second qualifier the withdrawal of Saudi Arabiarsquos Abdullah Al Sharbatly reduced the field to 40 starters Eric Lamaze took the lead with a fabulous clear in 4068 a win that bounced him up to fifth spot just six points behind the leading pair ndash an ascent he continued to master on the final day
J U M P I N GFINAL LEIPZIG
ROLEX FEI World Cuptrade
JUMPINGldquoIt was wonderful to be back in Leipzig again for yet another great Rolex FEI World Cuptrade Jumping Final in a city with such a rich cultural backgroundrdquo John Roche FEI Director of Jumping
FEI World Cuptrade Finals
REEm ACRA FEI World Cuptrade
DressaGe
DRESSAGEFINAL LEIPZIG
ldquoThe Reem Acra FEI World Cuptrade Dressage took place in a perfect setting with enough space for everyone to give their very best performancesrdquo Trond Asmyr FEI Director of Dressage
Adelinde Cornelissen (NED) and the magnificent Jerich Parzival danced to victory to the strains of Tchaikovskyrsquos Nutcracker Suite in the Freestyle com-petition that closed the Reem Acra FEI World Cuptrade Dressage Final Denmarkrsquos Nathalie zu Sayn-Witt-genstein and Digby finished second while Germanyrsquos Ulla Salzgeber steered Herzrufrsquos Erbe into third place The 2010 title-winner Edward Gal (GER) finished fourth with a great performance from Sisther de JeuThe top three mirrored those of the Grand Prix class two days earlier when a confident performance rewarded with a score of 80957 put Adelinde Cornelissen (NED) in first place followed by Denmarkrsquos Nathalie zu Sayn-Wittgenstein with Digby (76884 3) and Germanyrsquos Ulla Salzgeber riding Herzrufrsquos Erbe (76216 points) Defending champion Edward Gal rode a tense Sisther de Jeu with a disappointing test score of 70122 The final saw 17 horse and rider combinations from 10 nations compete ndash three from the USA The
Netherlands and Germany two from Sweden and one from Hungary Fin-
land Poland Belgium Great Britain and Denmark Fifteen riders went on to the Freestyle competition
Highlights available as video on demand on
15FOCUS
Boyd Exell (AUS) successfully defended his FEI World Cuptrade Driving title in Leipzigrsquos thrilling final speed-ing to victory in front of a wildly enthusiastic crowd and becoming the second driver to score a hat-trick of World Cup victories Hungaryrsquos Jozsef Dobrovitz drove two brilliant rounds with his team of Lipiz-zaner horses and finished second ahead of IJsbrand Chardon (NED) The FEI World Cuptrade Driving Final was run over two indoor competitions which took place on 29 April and 1 May Seven drivers competed Tomas Eriksson (SWE) Koos de Ronde (NED) Werner Ulrich (SUI) Christian Pluumlcker (GER) and the triumphant trio who after emerging from the first round on 1 May with the highest number of points qualified for the winning round immediately afterwards
FEI World Cuptrade
DrIVINGldquoOnce again the worldrsquos best indoor drivers came together for a thrilling final the com-bination of horses working together in a team driven by superbly skilled horsemento produce thrilling andspectacular driving sportrdquo Ian Williams FEI Director of Non-Olympic Sports
16
Switzerlandrsquos Patrick Looser and Germanyrsquos Simone Wiegele claimed the inau-gural FEI World Cuptrade Vaulting titles at the 20102011 FEI World Cuptrade Finals a glittering Freestyle to Music showcase held over two daysLooserrsquos fellow starters in the Menrsquos section were Nicolas Andreani (FRA) Viktor Bruumlsewitz (GER) Daniel Kaiser (GER) Lukas Klouda (CZE) Nikolaus Luschin (AUT) and Yvan Nousse (FRA) Looser 26 was under pressure having finished second to Nicolas Andreani from France in the first Freestyle competition But
the reigning World Champion who won three of the four qualifying rounds over the winter months produced a superb performance which left Andreani in second place and Germanyrsquos Viktor Brusewitz in third In addition to the victorious Wiegele contenders for the Female title were her three compatriots Pia Engelbury Ines Juumlckstock and Antje Hill Simone Jaumliser (SUI) Stefanie Kowald (AUT) and Anna Cavallaro (ITA) In the second
competition Wiegele followed team-mate Hill into the arena in Hall 1 which seemed to be much more to the liking of the
horses than the smaller ring used on the first day And although Hillrsquos routine was
dramatic and beautifully controlled it was Wiegelersquos more complex display that settled
the destination of the very first Female World Cup trophy
ldquoFor the first time an indoor final that provided the public with an opportunity to witness the gymnastic movements of
athletes atop magnificent horses all choreographed to breathtaking musical arrangementsrdquo
Ian Williams FEI Director of Non-Olympic Sports
Highlights available as video on demand on
WHEN AND WHERE
26 ndash 30 July FEI European Reining Championship for Seniors amp Juniors Wiener Neustadt (AUT)
16 ndash 21 August FEI European Vaulting Championships for Seniors amp Juniors Le Mans (FRA)
17 ndash 21 August FEI European Dressage Championships Rotterdam (NED)
25 ndash 28 August HSBC FEI European Eventing Championships Luhmuumlhlen (GER)
01 ndash 04 September Open FEI European Driving Championships for Four-in-Hand Breda (NED)
01 ndash 04 September FEI European Para-Equestrian Dressage Championships Moorsele (BEL)
10 September FEI European Endurance Championships Florac (FRA)
13 ndash 18 September FEI European Jumping Championships Madrid (ESP)
LIVE ONLive coverage and highlightsCheck out the FEI TV broadcasting schedule for all the latest information on events broadcast live on FEI TV
European Championships for seniors in all the FEI disciplines are being held in 2011 We take a quick 360deg look at the dates venues facts amp figures and triumphant moments of the past 50 years of European Championships
FeI europeanChampionships 2011
Donrsquot miss a beatComplete competition reports updates behind the scenes information facts and figures and more can be found on wwwfeiorg as well as our dedicated facebook twitter and you tube pages
18
Preview
For the 31st edition of the FEI European Jumping Championships the event returns to Spain 18 years after the Championships in Gijon only this time to be held at the Club de Campo Villa in Madrid The FEI European Jumping Championships take place every two years in the middle of the Olympic cycle and have been held since 1957 with the introduction of team medals in 1975
THE VENUEThe Club de Campo Villa de Madrid (ESP) has been host to an annual CSI for 100 years and will be tem-porarily replacing its usual grass in the main arena with all-weather sand footing to ensure perfect going for the Championship
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERSTeam ndash SwitzerlandIndividual ndash Kevin Staut (FRA)
OLyMPIC qUALIFICATIONThe 3 best ranked nations from Olympic Qualifying Groups A amp B at the 2011 FEI European Jumping Championships (excluding the teams already quali-fied at WEG) will be qualified to take part with a team consisting of 4 athletes amp 4 horses or 3 athletes amp 3 horses
GREAT HORSES OF THE EUROPEANCHAMPIONSHIPSDEISTER - An extraordinary horse with an extraordi-nary record With Germanys Paul Schockemohle on board this brilliant bay Hannoverian led won three consecutive individual gold medals - in Munich Germany in 1981 Hickstead England in 1983 and Dinard France in 1985 Bred by Hermann Hahl in Osterbruch Lower Saxony Deister was by Diskant out of Adlerklette by Adlerschild stood 171cms high and had the heart of a lion Deisters European medal
haul also included team gold at Munich in 1981 team silver in Rotterdam in 1979 and team bronze at both Hickstead in 1983 and Dinard in 1985 Despite his incredibly active career the hardy Deister who was born in February 1971 lived to the ripe old age of 29
MR SOFTEE - The closest challenger to Deister for the title of Champion of the Europeans is the Irish-bred Mr Softee - a three-time winner but with two different riders Mr Softee enjoyed a hugely success-ful career with David Broome However it was with another Briton David Barker that the chestnut horse with four white legs took the individual European ti-tle for the first time in London in 1962 This was then followed up with David Broomersquos victory in Rotter-dam in 1967 and in Hickstead in 1969 Broome once said that like many other top horses Mr Softee had a big opinion of himself - He thought he was a king - and he was right
Believe it or nothellip
bull Itwasonlyin1975thatwomenwere permittedtocompetealongsidemenin theEuropeanJumpingChampionshipsprior tothistherehadbeentheLadiesEuropean JumpingChampionshipsheldfrom1957- 1973
bull Only2womenhaveeverwonthe FEIEuropeanChampionshipsFrancersquos AlexandraLedermannin1999and MeredithMichaels-Beerbaum(GER) in2007
bull Germanyledthegoldtallywith20 medals(14individualamp6team)double theamountofrunnerupGreatBritainon 10(6individualand4team)
FeI eUroPeaN
JUMPINGChaMPIoNshIPs
13-18 September 2011
Madrid (SPAIN)
19FOCUS
LIVE coverage on
Rotterdam gets set to host the 25th edition of the FEI European Dressage Championships for the first time and only the second time for the Netherlands (Arnhem 1999) The FEI European Dressage Championships take place every two years in the middle of the Olympic cycle and have been held since 1963
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERS
Team ndash The Netherlands
Individual ndash Kuumlr to MusicEdward Gal (NED) amp Moorlands Totilas
Individual ndash Grand Prix SpecialAdelinde Cornelissen (NED) amp Jerich Parzival
OLyMPIC qUALIFICATIONThe 3 best ranked nations from Groups A B amp C at the 2011 FEI European Dressage Championships (exclud-ing the teams already qualified at WEG) will be quali-fied to take part with a team consisting of 3 athletes amp 3 horses
THE WIND OF CHANGEFor 21 consecutive Championships from 1965 to 2005 (no team title awarded in 1963) the Germans held the European title but the last two editions have seen an upset to that tradition with the Netherlands clenching gold In 2009 the Dutch domination was particularly strong with five out of six individual med-als awarded to Dutch riders and the sixth going to British rider Laura Bechtolsheimer
IN MEMORy OF HENRI CHAMMARTIN (SUI)At the time of writing a legend in the Dressage world Henri Chammartin (SUI) passed away at the age of 92 An Olympic and European Dressage champion Henri Chammartin won the first two editions of the
FEI European Championships in 1963 and 1965 riding Wolfdiedtrich and competed in five consecutive edi-tions of the Olympic Games ndash Helsinki 1952 Stock-holm 1956 Rome 1960 Tokyo 1964 and Mexico 1968 ndash winning a total of five Olympic medals includ-ing Olympic champion in 1964
RECORD BREAKINGhellip In 2009 the formidable partnership of The Nether-lands Edward Gal and Moorlands Totilas smashed the world Freestyle record before a packed house with Windsor Castle standing proudly as a backdrop when scoring 9070 (including an unbelievable 29 perfect-10 scores) to win the Freestyle gold medal
Believe it or nothellip
bull GermanyhaswontheEuropeanDressage TeamTitleon21occasions
bull Thegreatestnumberofteamstoparticipate inEuropeanDressageChampionshipsis 14-atHickstead(GBR)in2003andagainat Hagen(GER)in2005
bull GermanysDrReinerKlimkewonthreeindi vidualtitles-atAachenin1967ridingDux andagainin1973ridingMehmedandat Copenhagenin1985ridingAhlerich
bull WithGigoloGermanysIsabellWerthtook theindividualtitlein1995and1997and wontheGrandPrixSpecialatDonaueschingen Germanyin1991andatLipicaSloveniain 1993
bull AnkyvanGrunsvenhasthreewinstoher namendashin1999withBonfirefollowedbythe backtobackwinswithSalineroin2005and 2007
17-21 August 2011
Rotterdam Netherland
FeI eUroPeaN
DressaGeChaMPIoNshIPs
20
LIVE coverage on
These are the second FEI European Para-Equestrian Dressage Championships to be held since Para-Equestrian joined the FEI Family in 2006 Para-Equestrian Dressage has been a regular fixture at the Paralympic Games since 1996 The first FEI European Para-Equestrian Dressage Championships were held in southern Norwegian town of Kristiansand in 2009 with a total of 78 ath-letes from 22 countries participating
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERS
Team Great Britain
Grade Ia Individual - Sophie Christiansen (GBR) Freestyle - Emma Sheardown (GBR)
Grade Ib Individual amp Freestyle Lee Pearson (GBR)
Grade II Individual - Petra Van der Sande (NED) Freestyle - Angelika Trabert (GER)
Grade III Individual amp Freestyle
Hannelore Brenner (GER)
Grade IV Individual amp Freestyle Sophie Wells (GBR)
The mobility strength and coordination of competi-tors are assessed and athletes with similar functional ability profiles are grouped into competition grades that range from Grade Ia for the most severely im-paired to Grade IV for the least impaired This means that the competition within each Grade can be judged on the skill of the individual competitors on their horses regardless of their disabilities
CLUB qUADRILLEMoorsele has been host to a regular international Para-Equestrian Dressage events for the past few years with the Club Quadrille as organiser The Club Quadrille was founded in 1981 by Anne Van Neste-dIeteren Belgian Dressage Champion from 1977 un-til 1982 current President of the Belgian Paralympic Committee and member of the FEI Para-Equestrian committee It is a unique sports club that works with both able bodied and disabled athletes and is active in the promotion and education of the sport As member of the honorary IPC Board Her Royal Highness (HRH) Princess Astrid of Belgium has been a fervent supporter of the event and has attended on many occasions
Believe it or nothellip
bull LeePearson(GBR)haswoneverygold medalwithinreachatParalympicWorld andContinentallevelandtheEuropeans in2009werenodifferentwithanother triplegoldvictory
bull GreatBritainalsohavetheMidastouch whenitcomestoteammedalsndashandarethe currentParalympicWorldandEuropean titleholders
bull In2009Germanycamecloserthanever totakingthegoldmedalfromall-time championGreatBritain
1-4 September 2011
Moorsele Belgium
FeI eUroPeaN
Para-eqUestrIaNDressaGeChaMPIoNshIPs
21FOCUS
A record number of fans are expected to attend the HSBC FEI European Eventing Championships as they return to Luhmuumlhlen for the fifth time to mark the 30th edition of the ChampionshipsThe FEI European Eventing Championships take place every two years in the middle of the Olympic cycle and have been held since 1953
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERSTeam ndash Great BritainIndividual ndash Kristina CookMiners Frolic (GBR)
OLyMPIC qUALIFICATIONThe 2 best ranked nations from Groups A B amp C at the 2011 HSBC FEI European Eventing Champion-ships (excluding the teams already qualified at WEG) will be qualified to take part with a team consisting of 3 athletes amp 3 horses
THE VENUELuhmuumlhlen one of only six 4 events on the interna-tional Eventing calendar and part of the prestigious HSBC FEI Classicstrade series will greet Europersquos best athletes with a fresh look and feel this year following extensive renovation to the existing infrastructures The recently renovated showground includes three Dressage and two Jumping arenas a tribune able to seat 850 spectators with spectacular views as well as a newly designed entrance including six ticket box facilities and fully catered trade stands The show-ground also boasts an open air stage with space for up to 15000 spectators ldquoI am confident that the in-vestment in the infrastructure will be of great benefit to all involved whether you are a volunteer a groom an athlete ndash both the horses and the riders - as well as for the sponsors guests spectators and the fans We are re-ally looking forward to great competitions this year at both the CCI4CIC3 in June and at the Europeans in August and hope many will join us to witness this historic momentrdquo Julia Otto Event Director Luhmuumlhlen
HSBCHSBC has renewed their sponsorship for a further three-year term as global sponsor of FEI Eventing to include title sponsorships of the HSBC FEI European Eventing Championships in both 2011 and 2013 and the HSBC FEI Classicstrade until the end of 2013
OFFICIAL TIMEPIECE Rolex the leading name in luxury wrist watches will be the Official Timekeeper for the HSBC FEI European Eventing Championships 2011
Believe it or nothellip
bull GinnyElliot(bornHolgate)theonlyrider towinthreesuccessiveindividualtitlesand IanStarkholdthejointrecordforEuropean goldmedalswonndashseveneachbutLucinda Greenstillhasthemostmedals(10)
bull SupremeRockriddenbyPippaFunnell (GBR)istheonlyhorsetowinback-to-back titles(in1999and2001)hehasfour Europeangoldmedalsintotalequalingthe recordofKilbarryThePoacherandOver ToYouwhowonarecordfourconsecutive Europeanteamgolds(1999-2005)
bull PrincessAnneandZaraPhillipsaretheonly mother-daughtercombinationtowin Europeantitles(1971and2005)
bull GreatBritainhaveheldtheEuropeantitle forthepast8consecutiveChampionships (since1995)Andofthe29editionstodate (startingin1953)theteamhavewona whopping21
25-28 August 2011
Luhmuumlhlen Germany
hsBC FeI eUroPeaN
eVeNtINGChaMPIoNshIPs LIVE coverage on
22
In September Breda Hippique in The Netherlands will be host to the seventh edition of the FEI Euro-pean Driving Championships for Four-in-Hand not held since 1981 This edition is open to both Euro-pean and non-European drivers and will also count as a qualifier for the indoor FEI World Cuptrade Driv-ing which is held during the winter season Only competitors from Europe can claim the individual and team medalsThe FEI European Driving Championships for Four-in-Hand were first held in 1971 in Budapest and continued to be held every two years until 1981 at which stage they were discontinued
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERSTeam ndash HungaryIndividual ndash Gyoumlrgyi Bardos (HUN)
SOMETHING IN THE WATERhellip Hungary have won five out of six available team European titles and on the individual front two Hungarians stand out from the crowd Imre Abony ndash individual winner in 1971 and 1975 and Gyoumlrgyi Bardos triple consecutive winner in 1977 1979 1981
IN THE BEGINNINGhellipThe first European Championships took place in Budapest in 1971 and moved on to Windsor in Great Britain in 1973 Sopot in Poland in 1975 Donauesch-ingen in Germany in 1977 and in Haras du Pin in France in 1979 The sixth and last edition took place in 1981 in Zug Switzerland
THE VENUEBreda has hosted the only Nations competition (CAIO) for Four-in-Hand horses in The Netherlands for many years In 1995 Breda hosted the first FEI European Driving Championships for Four-in-Hand ponies and in 2010 was host to the FEI World Para-Equestrian Driving Championships Aside from the four-in-hand teams Breda will also host international pony teams and national horse pairs at the event this year
Believe it or nothellip
bull Hungaryhavewonfiveoutofsixteamgold titles
bull AugusteDubeyfromSwitzerlandwasthe onlynon-HungarianEuropeanChampion hewontheChampionshipsin1973
bull PrincePhilipFEIPresidentfrom1964- 1986whocelebratedhis90thbirhtday inJuneisanavidfanofDrivingandpartici- patedinsixWorldandthreeEuropean Championships
1-4 September 2011
Breda Netherland
FeI eUroPeaN
DrIVINGChaMPIoNshIPsfor FoUr-IN-haND
Note At the time of writing the FEI European DrivingChampionships for Four in Hand was pending approvalby the FEI Bureau
23FOCUS
The 14th edition of the FEI European Endurance Championships return to Florac in France twenty five years after the inaugural event was held there The FEI European Endurance Championships first took place in 1984 and were immediately followed up by a second edition in 1985 and have since been held every two years They have always been open to the world with two sets of medals presented ndash open and European
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERSTeam ndash SpainIndividual ndash Maria Alvarez Ponton amp Nobby
RECORD BREAKINGCurrent title holder Maria Alvarez Ponton amp super horse Nobby is the first rider to hold European and World titles at the same time She will be looking to confirm her stronghold on the sport following her second consecutive World title with a second con-secutive European title in Florac a feat no rider has managed to achieve at the Europeans to date
THE VET GATEModern competitions consist of a number of sec-tions known as lsquophasesrsquo At the end of each phase there is a compulsory halt for veterinary inspection Each horse which is thoroughly examined before it is allowed to start the ride must be presented for inspection within a set time of reaching each vetgate The time spent at each vetgate prior to inspection by the vets is counted as part of the overall competition time and the aim is to determine whether the horse is fit to continue the ride
THE SUPPORT CREWA vital part of Endurance riding is the support crew Riders are assisted by a team of helpers who meet them several times over the ride bringing bottles of water to pour over the horse to cool it down as well as a drink for the rider Crews also have spare equipment in case something breaks down or needs replacing
Believe it or nothellip
bull TheFrenchhavethemedaledgewith6 individualand4teamgoldmedalsfrom the14editionsheld
bull Floracistheonlyvenuetohostthe EuropeanChampionshipstwice(thefirst editionin1984andtheupcomingedition in2011)
bull EnduranceisthefastestgrowingFEI disciplinefrom2000to2010thenumber ofinternationaleventshavemultipliedby10
10 September 2011
Florac France
FeI eUroPeaN
eNDUraNCeChaMPIoNshIPs
24
Reem Acra Boutique 14 East 60th St New York New York 10022 2123088760 wwwreemacracom
356935B2_RA_brochure2_souvenir_programmeindd 1 82710 1012 AM
Vaulting became an FEI discipline in 1983 and saw its first FEI European Championship organised just one year later in the town of Ebreichsdorf in Austria This 15th edition of the Championship ndash which also includes the European Juniors competition return to France for the 4th time but for the first time in the world renowned venue of Le Mans famous for its 24 hour race
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERS
Team ndash Austria
Individual malelongeurhorseNicolas Andreani (FRA)Marina Joosten DuponIdefix de Braize
Individual femalelongeurhorseJoanna Eccles (GBR)John EcclesWH Bentley
THE WIND OF CHANGEGermany and Switzerland have traditionally bat-tled for the team title (Germany has 7 gold versus Switzerlandrsquos 5) but in 2009 Austria who had come second on four occasions since the inception of the Championships in 1984 finally climbed onto the top spot of the podium and claimed the title In terms of the individual performances Germany had the stronghold on the male category winning 11 out of 14 gold medals But again in 2009 France the only other country to have ever beaten a German male vaulter at the Europeans made it to the top spot of the podium for only the third time since the Championships began
Similarly with the female vaulters it was an all German domination until 2007 when Austriarsquos Sissi Jarz claimed gold followed by Joanna Eccles (GBR) in 2009 ndash leaving Germany off the top step of the podium entirely in 2009
GREAT BRITAIN ndash A VAULTING NATIONhellip Times have definitely changed from the Swiss German domination with current World and European titles held by Great Britainrsquos Joanna Eccles She was the first British vaulter (male or female) to claim a medal at the Europeans ndash let alone a gold medal - and then went on to secure the world title in Kentucky last year
Believe it or nothellip
bull TheonlycountryotherthanGermanyand SwitzerlandtohaveclaimedaEuropean VaultingtitleisSlovakiain2005
bull ChristophLensing(GER)holdsthemale medalrecordndashwiththreegold(19891993 amp1995)aswellassilverin1991
bull NadiaZuumllowandSilkeMichelberger (formerlyBernhard)withthreegoldmedals each
16-21 August 2011
Le Mans France
FeI eUroPeaN
VaULtINGChaMPIoNshIPs
26
This is only the fifth edition of the European Reining Championships since the discipline joined the FEI in 2000 and the first time they will be held in Austria The event also includes the FEI European Champi-onships for Juniors and Young Riders ndash a formula introduced in 2009 in Kreuth (GER) which proved to be a multigenerational success The FEI European Reining Championships take place every two years and have been held since 2003
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERSTeam ndash GermanyIndividual ndash Nina Lill (GER) riding Lena Cielo Jewel
THE JUDGINGReining horses are judged individually Each horse au-tomatically begins the required pattern with a score of 70 One or frac12 points are given or taken away for each manoeuvre Credit is given for smoothness fi-nesse attitude quickness and authority Controlled speed in the pattern raises the level of difficulty and makes the reining horse exciting to watch
Believe it or nothellip
bull ItalyandGermanyaretheonlytwonations tohavewongoldmedalsndashGermanyhas3 teamgoldand2individualgoldversus Italyrsquossingleteamgoldandtwoindividual gold
bull GermanyrsquosNinaLillwinnerin2009was thefirstwomantotaketheindividualtitle sincetheChampionshipsbeganin2003
bull OlympicWorldandEuropeanDressage ChampionAnkyVanGrunsven(NED) competedattheAlltechFEIWorldEques- trianGamestradein2010inbothDressageand hellipReining
bull 13nationswerescheduledtoattendthe Championshipatthetimeofwritingthe largestparticipationbycountryever recordedfortheEuropeans
26-30 July 2011
Wiener Neustadt Austria
FeI eUroPeaN
reININGChaMPIoNshIPs
27FOCUS
ldquoThirty-one yearsrsquo experience comes in handy some-timesrdquo joked the ever-relaxed Todd who was a leg-end by the time he ldquoretiredrdquo in 2000 with back-to-back Olympic golds five Burghley wins two world gold medals and three Badminton victories one on a horse he had never ridden before ldquoIt is incredibly special though right up there with the back-to-back Olympic golds When I came back to the sport (in 2008) it was to see if I could get back to top level It has always been my aim to win another big onerdquo
A World class meeting of Generations
The 2011 HSBC FEI Classicstrade could not have got off to a more epic start with wins at Badminton and Kentucky by two of the sportrsquos most enduring personalitiesThe 55-year-old New Zealander Mark Todd rolled back the years to score a fourth victory at the Gloucestershire venue 31 years after his first attempt in 1980
By Kate Green
28
HSBC FEI ClassicsTm
The resurgence of so much experienced talent makes it harder for younger riders to work their way up the leaderboard but 29-year-old Sinead Halpin (USA) had a spectacular CCI4 debut at Kentucky finish-ing third and best of the home side in distinguished company This achievement earned her the HSBC Training Bursary worth US$1000 towards training a prestigious and valuable award presented to the rider who achieves the best result on completing a CCI4 for the first time
The bursary winner at Badminton Fiona Hobby (GBR) 39 has had a rather longer wait to complete
her first CCI4 ndash she was 26th on Roma ML ndash but she has in the meantime produced two children had a career as a sports therapist and only switched from Jumping to Eventing relatively recently Hobby has vowed to spend the money on dressage train-ing ldquoRoma couldnrsquot believe it when she arrived in the arena and saw all those people but she was great across country really focussed Irsquom delightedrdquo
For Germanyrsquos Sandra Auffarth Luhmuumlhlen pro-vided an outstanding CCI4 debut on Opgun Louvo a young horse she has produced herself coming second and picking up the HSBC Training Bursary and the exciting prospect of a possible place in the squad for the forthcoming HSBC FEI European Event-ing Championship at Luhmuumlhlen (25-28 August) at which Germany as host nation will be entitled to field 12 riders
Last yearrsquos HSBC Training Bursary winners include Stephanie Rhodes-Bosch (CAN) who went on to win a team silver medal at the Alltech FEI World Equestri-an Gamestrade Lauren Shannon (GBR) who finished 17th at Badminton this year and Giovanni Ugolotti (ITA) who is furthering his career by basing himself in Brit-ain for the season and having lessons with Mark Todd
LIVE coverage and extensive highlights available on
Toddrsquos winning mount the 10-year-old NZB Land Vision was a green horse for this level and he fin-ished the Cross-Country phase tired but his rider kept his cool in an extraordinarily tight finish in which the price of one Jumping fence covered the top 12 riders any of whom could with a bit of luck have won the Mitsubishi Motors Trophy ldquoIn the end it came down to horse-power and Irsquove obviously got a good one hererdquo said Todd ldquoCharisma (his double Olympic gold medallist) will always be the most special horse but this one has no weak linksrdquo
As is the nature of the sport Toddrsquos lead in the HSBC FEI Classicstrade didnrsquot last long ndash he came down to earth with a bump the following weekend with a Cross-Country run-out on NZB Grass Valley his ride at the Rolex Kentucky Three Day Event (USA) and 49- year-old Mary King (GBR) stole the head-lines with a record one-two on Kings Mis-tress and Fernhill Urco It was Kingrsquos first CCI4 victory for 11 years ndash she has won Badminton twice and Burghley once ndash but she certainly smashed a few re-cords with this one She became the first rider to score a one-two at Kentucky the first in modern times to win a CCI4 on a home-bred horse and the oldest female to win a CCI4
King who has six team gold medals at World and European level plus competed at five consecutive Olympics had the luxury of knowing she had already won the event on the inexperienced 10-year-old Fernhill Urco a horse bred in Portugal by the time she entered the arena on Kings Mistress but she still produced a second clear round ldquoI never dreamed that I would be in this position and Irsquom enjoying the momentrdquo said the ever-smiling King ldquoIt was great to have the feeling of having already won on Fernhill Urco but I still wanted desperately to go clear on Kings Mistress as it is so special to win on a horse I bred myselfrdquo It was also an all clear from Germanyrsquos Andreas Dibowski and Euroriding Butts Leon in order to secure victory at the fourth leg of the HSBC FEItrade
Classicstrade in Luhmuumlhlen presented by EON Avacon
29FOCUS
The Danish-American actorpoet musician photographerand painter has been around horses most of his life from riding Hasufel and Brego in The Lord of the Rings trilogy to early childhood memories in Argentina his passion for floating as he describes it has never wavered
What is it about the horse that makes you a horse loverWe get along generally I respect their strength and their personal space Your first riding experience ndash was it bliss or terrorLike floating like being on a warm and floating mountain I remember being happy Do you think anyone can rideYes It is a question of allowing yourself to ride of allowing yourself to cooperate and not be in total control Children are more adept at figuring this out letting things happen without getting impatient or scared just as they are braver and less self-conscious about pronouncing new words or singing Anyone at any age or in any physical condition can
Viggo Mortensen
achieve a degree of success and satisfaction with horses even if it is just a question of touching them being near them If horses could talk what would they be sayingYou will know if you listen and watch them Is there a unique trait you look for in a horse that you canrsquot find in peopleThey are more patient and less apt to complain about lifersquos setbacks and physical ailments than most people I admire a tough smart horse what-ever its breed age or size What would you miss most if you could no longer go ridingThe companionship and the floating perhaps also the abandonment of usual daily worries that relaxed riding requires Whatrsquos your usual riding outfit consist ofAnything will do Loose-fitting clothes and good comfortable boots are a plus but not vital I have even ridden barefoot ndash naturally taking care to avoid being stepped on when not on the horse - but I do not recommend this to anyone The most important thing is to have a clear and focused mind to be THERE at all times when around horses and NOWHERE ELSE Sugar lumps or carrotsIrsquove been guilty of offering an occasional apple or carrot although it is best not to give horses anything special unless treats are part of training them for special tricks or stunts a pursuit best left to experts like master horse trainer Rex Peterson whom Irsquove had the good fortune to work with and study quite a bit Treats spoil horses and do not keep the animal focused on the task at hand Whatrsquos your favourite part of a horseThe brain What do you think young people gain from ridingSelf-confidence and an understanding of the value of cooperation
30
Why the long face
When did you first develop the bond with the horseThe first time I got on one as a little boy in ArgentinaYou either develop a bond of some kind or you fall off Of course you may even fall off if you develop the bond but you have to start (and restart) somewhere
Did your friends ride My brothers also rode and I have ridden with many kinds of people over the years ndash some good and patient with horses and some not If I had not rid-den as a boy I would probably have been wandering around fishing imagining I was a cowboy or an Indian or a Viking ndash which I did anyway Where in the world would you most like to rideMost anywhere will do but I have been extremely lucky to have ridden in many wide-open wild places ndash deserts grassy plains mountains by different seas and rivers in Argentina New Zealand North Africa and North America If you could spend one afternoon riding with a famous person (past or present)who would it be and whyIrsquoll give you 3 Oglala chief Tasunke Witko (Crazy Horse) my ancestor William F Cody or any real Gaucho from the province of Chaco Argentina
Two horses go out for dinner what kindof restaurant do they chooseLate spring grass near a slow-moving clean river with a gentle firm shoreline an hour before sun-down far from any people or other animals All time favourite horse filmI have a subjective soft spot for the stories and real horses involved in the making of ldquoHidalgordquo and the 2nd and 3rd installments of ldquoThe Lord Of The Ringsrdquo trilogy but I admire other ldquohorse moviesrdquo as wellThe 1953 French movie ldquoCrin-Blancrdquo (ldquoWhite Manerdquo) directed by Albert Lamorisse is a personal favourite
After three years at the head of the successful French Jumping team with back to back FEI Nations Cuptrade titles and a silver medal at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade Laurent Elias is moving on to new spheres with the French Horse amp Riding Institute where he will be training the riders of the National Riding School in Saumur
Laurent Elias
copy C
hris
toph
e Br
icot
32
The other side of
If I had not become a professional rider I would havehellipmade a career in a humanitarian organisation Horse riding is sometimes too trivial
My priority in life ishellipto be able to look at myself in the mirror in the morning and make sure I am at peace with my conscience
My familyhellipkeeps me grounded My wife helped me a lot when I was in charge of selections for France She took charge of my personal life and was the first person I called when we got the medal in Lexington I also admire my parents for the values they passed on to me
I remember my first ridingexperiencehellipaged six we were shooting a family film and I was on horseback I finished upside down under my horse for a long time I stopped riding for one year
I used to dream abouthellipsafaris One of my uncles was passionate about safaris Through him I became very interested in African trips and the jobs that allow you to travel as a reporter were fascinating to me as well
I have been thinking a lot abouthellipwhat happened in Japan these past few months First this tsunami that devastated everything without warning then the nuclear disaster It made me think that progress should not be destructive
My horse Gueacutenourhellipchanged my life I was just a coach and he brought me to the top I won the national championship in 1981 with him
My biggest challengehas always beenhellipshyness Horse riding has really helped me over-come it Horses brought me on stage and there I had to meet people
As a Chef dEquipehellipthere is no single defining achievement itrsquos all about the solidarity and the moments spent together as a team Irsquoll never forget the first time Penelope Leprevost rode her mare Jubileacutee drsquoOuilly in the FEI Nations Cuptrade of Rotterdam McLain Ward had just completed a real fast run with Sapphire We thought the Americans would win but she did it faster and beat Sapphire
In terms of eventshellipAachen is my favourite competition - for its won-derful organisation But we have also pretty good five star competitions in France
I donrsquot sleep muchhellipprobably because I am just happy to be alive
Irsquom not scared to laugh or cryhellipI laugh at the funny situations we sometimes find ourselves in life and enjoy people with quirky personalities I cry when I see others in pain
Laurent Elias and the French team en route to the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade copy PSV-Jean Morel
33FOCUS
Nicolas TheacutevenazAged 23 studies Robotics and Autonomous Systems Micro Engineering in Lausanne (SUI) alongside regular training and competition in Dressage and Para-Equestrian Dressage events Born with spastic diplegia Nicolas was introduced to horses via hippotherapy aged seven and quickly developed a passion for riding which not only helped with his physical condition but also taught him through Dressage the art of patience and perseverance
34
One day
Nicolas TheacutevenazAged 23 studies Robotics and Autonomous Systems Micro Engineering in Lausanne (SUI) alongside regular training and competition in Dressage and Para-Equestrian Dressage events Born with spastic diplegia Nicolas was introduced to horses via hippotherapy aged seven and quickly developed a passion for riding which not only helped with his physical condition but also taught him through Dressage the art of patience and perseverance
He has been fortunate to meet the right people (and horses) at the right time and has been working for the past five years with trainer Vicky-Eileen Baumann (pictured right) and her horses Magic and Lady (pictured right) ldquoShersquos bred them and knows them inside out which is very useful when I have to communicate with them - they know my voice intonations and a whole string of specific words or sounds ndash which really helps as my body canrsquot or doesnrsquot always have the strength to do sordquo
As a Grade II Para-Equestrian rider Nicolas competes in Para-Equestrian Dressage (PED) events as well as national events for able bodied riders as there are only a handful of PED riders and no events in Switzerland
Unable to attend the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade 2010 in Kentucky last year Nicolas and Vicky have their sights firmly set on the 2012 Para-lympic Games and will be looking to qualify with Lady over the next 12 months ndash alongside exams studies and everything else life has to offerhellip Who is your role model For different reasons I have different role mod-els Edward Gal Dane Rawlins Isabel Werth and Catherine Haddad
When did you start riding and why At age 7 I was sat on a horse for hippotherapy and liked the complicity with the horse which made me want to discover more
How do you feel when you ride Concentrated and industrious
Who is your biggest fan My trainerrsquos mum
Complete this sentenceOne day I would like tohellip have gained enough knowledge to be able to take care of and train my own horse
What are your long term goals as a rider Continue to do my best to enjoy what I do and show others itrsquos possible
How do you juggle studies and competition I think itrsquos really important to have goals and to do everything you can to achieve them and that includes taking on challenges because if you donrsquot try then yoursquoll never know what you could have achieved
What is your proudest achievement to date Participation in international events together with pursuing my studies
How do you feel after winning Still working towards discovering the feeling
What is the best advice anyone has ever given youMy trainer often repeats to me the famous saying by General LrsquoHotte ldquoCalme en avant droitrdquo which says so much about riding but can also be applied to so many other aspects of life
35FOCUS
What advice would you give someone looking to get involved in Para-Equestrian Dressage Train and ride with able-bodied athletes as often as possible Being around and working with horses is so rewarding Irsquod like - when Irsquom retired - to write a book to share these feelings with others and hope this will inspire them to get involved
Complete this sentenceIn the future I would like the sport to beeven ldquocleanerrdquo and fairer and if possible not more but less demanding on the horses
ldquoLast but not least Irsquod like to take the opportunity of this article to reach out to those who give me their trust and help be it with their time their friendship and any type of support Day after day to year after year team work is essential and Irsquoll do my best to continue deserving every-onersquos encouraging smilesrdquo
European Broadcasting Union
Union Europeacuteenne de Radio-Teacuteleacutevision
+41 (0)22 717 2111 wwweurovisionnet
We bring the event to your home
Eurovision
copy K
it H
ough
ton
FE
I
FEI_08_A4indd 1 03012008 162238
European Broadcasting Union
Union Europeacuteenne de Radio-Teacuteleacutevision
+41 (0)22 717 2111 wwweurovisionnet
We bring the event to your home
Eurovision
copy K
it H
ough
ton
FE
I
FEI_08_A4indd 1 03012008 162238
Nominations for the FEI Awards opened in May enabling the global equestrian com-munity to once again reward outstanding dedication to horse sport in five categories ndash Development Best Groom Against All Odds Rising Star and Best Athlete The search for the equestrian heroes of 2011 is now on who will be flown to Rio de Janeiro Brazil to receive their awards
Where are they now The FEI asked the current title-holders for an update on their activities
Follow us on
38
FEI Awards 2011
Ebony Horse Club (GBR)Winner of the Alltech FEI DevelopmentAward 2010
The Ebony Horse Club announced in December 2010 that after an eight-year fundraising effort it had the pound14 million necessary for building an equestrian cen-tre in one of Londonrsquos most deprived boroughs Since 1996 Ebony has offered youngsters in an area reput-ed for its gang culture high level of gun crime and drug dealing the chance to ride and learn key social skills The clubrsquos 50 members travel to riding schools across London on public transport or in minibuses ndash a logistical headache that the inner-city equestrian centre will end Construction work began in February
Ebony Horse Club founder and director Ros Spear-ing told the FEI ldquoRiding lessons are continuing and the club is preparing for the transitionrdquo Building will finish on 7 July but the centre will open for riding lessons in October ldquoThe horses will be brought to Brixton in the summer and will have time to acclimatise to their new environmentrdquo Spearing said The centre will include stabling for nine horses a small paddock and a flood-lit riding arena as well as a classroom for learning about horses and equine management Spearing is adamant that club members ndash present and future ndash care for their rides and wants the centre to serve as a stepping stone to careers in the horse industry
Ebonyrsquos existence will continue to depend on the generosity of donors For more information visit wwwebonyhorsecluborguk
Michelle Tipper (GBR)Winner of the FEI Best Groom Award 2010
Michelle Tipper has continued to juggle grooming and study since receiving her FEI Award in Novem-ber She has organised the grooms for the British European Junior and Young Dressage teams and in April her contract as a travelling groom for British Dressage riders Paul and Bobby Hayler took her to Addington for the first of many international com-petitions she will work at this year The Haylers have eight horses competing and the number she works with at each venue varies Tipper has also been help-ing British Dressage riders Nicky and Richard Barrett with yard duties ldquoI feel very lucky to work for both of these familiesrdquo said the FEI Best Groom Award win-ner adding that she feels part of the two families In March Tipper graduated from university with a Masters in Sport Psychology She is now working towards British Association of Sport and Exercise Science accreditation which requires at least 500 hoursrsquo supervised work experience and is present-ing sport psychology workshops in conjunction with the company Inside Performance Consulting Limit-ed (wwwinside-performancecom) The workshops are organised internationally for people of all ages from any sport To find out more contact Tipper at michelletipper1979yahoocom
39FOCUS
Michelle Tipper ndash copyWilliam TzengAward winners ndash copyWilliam TzengCaroline Roffman ndash copySharonPackercomEbony Horse Club ndash copyEbony Horse ClubEdward Gal and Totilas ndash copyKit HoughtonFEIAngelika Trabert ndash copyJulia Rau
Angelika Trabert (GER)Winner of the FEI Against All Odds Award 2010
German Para-Dressage rider Angelika Trabert has represent-ed her country at four Paralympic Games and won some 15 medals at national European and world championships She is currently seeking a new home for Londria the mare that con-tributed to her Team Silver medal win at the Hong Kong Para-lympics Londria who had a foal last year was also Trabertrsquos ride during her medal-winning performances at the European Championships in Hungary (2005) and Norway (2009)
Trabert said her decision to let go of Londria was hard to make but was necessary for financial reasons She will keep the foal Finaud Coquin and her mares Walmorel and Ariva-Avanti Trabert won the Para-Dressage Grade 2 Freestyle Champion-ship at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade with Ariva and said the horse was ldquowell and ready to go for the Europeans again in Belgium in September if we qualifyrdquo Trabert competed in her first international competition of 2011 in May in Man-nheim Germany where she came first in the Grade II indi-vidual and second in the freestyle She is taking part in the German Championships in June
Away from the equestrian world Trabert works as an anaes-thetist and has participated in medical missions in the rural ar-eas of Guinea for the organisation Mango In January she was back in Guinea as part of team that carried out 100 operations in 13 days wwwangelika-trabertde
Visit the recently refreshed FEI Awards website to find out more about the Awards the pastwinners the judges and to make yournominationsby 31 July
wwwfeiawardsorg
40
Caroline Roffman (USA)Winner of the HSBC FEI Rising StarAward 2010
Success continues to smile on twenty-two-year-old American Dressage rider Caroline Roffman Since re-ceiving the HSBC FEI Rising Star Award she has en-joyed numerous wins at small tour and young horse levels achieving scores in the mid-eighties and quali-fying two horses for the young horse championships
Roffman is currently showing six horses and has won several classes at PSG and Grand Prix level ldquoBut nothing is as exciting as to be going to Aachenrdquo said the young woman who has been described as the American Dressage communityrsquos brightest hope ex-plaining that at the FEI Awards ceremony in Chinese Taipei Frank Kemperman FEI Dressage Committee Chair and Chairman of the Managing Board at CHIO Aachen (GER) invited her to take part in the pres-tigious event Roffman will be the first American to compete in the Under 25 Grand Prix there and is hop-ing to take her horse Lux Stensvang
An interview with Caroline Roffman at the Palm Beach Dressage Derby CDI will be broadcast on the magazine programme Equestrian World on FEI TV the FEIrsquos official online video platform wwwfeitvorg
Edward Gal and Totilas (NED)Winners of the Reem Acra FEI Best Athlete Award 2010
The world-famous partnership of Dutch Dressage rider Edward Gal and the extraordinary Totilas ended in style in 2010 with notably three gold medal wins at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade
The first foal sired by the superstar stallion was born in January followed by two more in the spring Gal who has admired the foals told the FEI ldquoYou never know ndash maybe in a few yearsrsquo time Irsquoll have another Totilas readyrdquo At the beginning of April he was busy at home training nine horses and preparing for the Reem Acra FEI World Cuptrade Dressage Final in Leipzig and the European Championships in Rotterdam He had not yet decided which horses he was going to compete with but was particularly looking forward to the Freestyle to Music Asked what it was like to compete without Totilas Gal said ldquoEverybody ex-pected Totilas to win I find it easier to ride other horses because nobody expects me to win and when I do itrsquos really nicerdquo
41FOCUS
globetrotter
Seal of approval for the Adai horseSixty years have passed since an Adai horse reportedly set a record galloping 354km in one day Today the Adai horse a breed na-tive to Kazakhstan is back in the spotlight with a gold medal at the FEI Central Asian Endurance Championship in Talgaearlier in May only months after having been award-ed official pedigree status following tests
conducted by a State Commission in the Mangistau Steppes which allowed itto compete internationally The horses are cherished for their hardiness and Oyly ridden by Altyngali Bissemaganbetov (KAZ) proved just that when crossing the finishing line first demonstrating just how tough the Adai horses are and the beginning of a new era for sturdy breed on the international stage
Equestrian Australia Sport
Achievement Awards
In May the best of the best in
Equestrian sport gathered to cel-
ebrate the achievements of Austral-
iarsquos athletes coaches officials vets
administrators owners volunteers
and the many other people that
dedicate their time and enthusiasm
to equestrian sport The ceremony
also included the introduction of
Equestrian Australiarsquos Hall of
Fame won by the legendary Bill
Roycroft Boyd Exell winner of
the FEI World CupTM Driving
Final was awarded the interna-
tional athlete of the year
award
Kevin Stautbecomes first athlete representative on FEI
executive board
Kevin Staut one of Francersquos most successful Jumping riders became the first athlete to be appointed to the FEI Executive Board for a three-year term Staut (31) who has held the number one spot in the Rolex Rankings for Jumping since July 2010 has ridden on numerous Nations Cup teams for France and claimed individual gold at the Alltech FEI European Jumping Championships in 2009
HulA CARTSWorld Horse Welfare has greatly helped the liv
es of
five Senegalese cart horse owners by presenting them
with new Hula Carts The local people who depend on
their working horses for their livelihoods were specially
selected by the charity to receive the carts which have
been sponsored by members of the public in the uK
The Hula Carts are specifically developed to help the
horses pulling heavy loads in often difficult conditions
Equestrian Australia Sport
Achievement Awards
In May the best of the best in
Equestrian sport gathered to cel-
ebrate the achievements of Austral-
iarsquos athletes coaches officials vets
administrators owners volunteers
and the many other people that
dedicate their time and enthusiasm
to equestrian sport The ceremony
also included the introduction of
Equestrian Australiarsquos Hall of
Fame won by the legendary Bill
Roycroft Boyd Exell winner of
the FEI World CupTM Driving
Final was awarded the interna-
tional athlete of the year
award
Olympic legendBill Roycroft passes away aged 96
A legend of Equestrian sport in Australia James William
George Roycroft OBE known as ldquoBillrdquo was one of Austral-
iarsquos greatest Olympians and one of only five Australians to
have competed in five consecutive Olympic Games (from
1960 - 1976) as well as being Australiarsquos oldest medallist
and oldest competitor at 61 years and 31 days In May 2011
Bill was inducted in Equestrian Australiarsquos inaugural Hall
of Fame ndash he was Australiarsquos oldest living Olympian and
shared his dedication and enthusiasm for the sport with
his sons Barry Wayne and Clarke (See a brief description
of his exploits in the 1960 Olympic Games Memory Lane
article page 9 which catapulted Australiarsquos reputation as
one of the best Eventing teams in the world)
webinfofeiFEI web wizard Nicole Sigrist has added a new hub for the Press on wwwfeiorg called FEI Press Kits located in the Media section of the website The Press Kits zone which is also open to the general public is regularly updated with infor-mation relating to FEI series and specific events with flip books and downloadable PDFs as well as direct links to the Photo Catalogue the Rankings and Standings the Annual Report and more
100thanniversary for Finnish riding club
One of the three found-ing member clubs of
the Finnish Equestrian Federation the Suomen
Kenttaumlratsastusseura-Finska Faumlltrittklubbenon celebrates
its 100th anniversary in 2011 Magnus Rydman former President of the Finnish National Federation and Presi-dent of the FEI from 1935 ndash 1946 was one of the founders of the club Another of the founders of the oldest club in Fin-land was the Eventing rider Colonel Hans Olof von Essen whose fifth place at the Antwerpen Olympic Games re-mains the best Olympic equestrian result the country has ever achieved
Follow us on
43FOCUS
Interview with the President of the Brazilian Equestrian Federation Mr Luiz Roberto Giugni
The Brazilian Equestrian Federation has been a member Federation of the FEI for 75 years how has the sport developed over that time We were facing regular growth (average of 25 in the last decade) but in the last three to four years this rate has significantly increased up to 35 a year We believe that this is due to international achievements (two Jumping Olympic team bronze medals the individual Olympic Jumping gold medal won by Rodrigo Pessoa several Pan Am Jumping team gold medals recent Olympic pre-qualification in Kentucky (4th in the world in Jumping) and the organisations of a Global Champions Tour event in Brazil
In terms of developing the sport what are the most successful projects you have undertaken in recent yearsWe decided to invest in education and have hired international trainers for all the disciplines such as Jean Maurice Bonneau for Jumping Nick Turner for Eventing Eric Lette for Dressage Jean Louis Leclerc for Endurance Mattias Lang for Vaulting with the long term in mind that is at least until the end of 2012 and planning towards 2016 when Rio will host the Olympic Games
How popular is equestrian sport with young people in Brazil and how do you compete with some of the bigger sports for their attention Popularization is growing bit by bit in a country
decidedly dominated by soccer ndash being 5 times World Champion makes it a national passion But we are continuously looking to attract TV to our events as this is a huge step towards gaining visibility and popularity Can you tell us about the programmesinitiatives in place for disabled athletes We are actively pursuing this and have achieved really positive results in little time such as the great performances and medals earned at the Para-lympic Games in Hong Kong in 2008 We do this through clinics courses international exchanges of athletes and working alongside our National Paralympic Committee to support us in our efforts
Brazil will be host the FEI General Assembly at the end of the year what do you want all the visiting delegates to remember from their visit That we are more than just a really beautiful and warm country with the ability and capacity to organise great events and that we are committed to putting on the best Olympic Games ever
What are the main objectivesplans for the Brazilian Federation in the lead up to the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games Our NOC is really committed to raising the bar of all the sports to a level never seen before and we are working towards that in terms of our athletes our judges our venues and everything that is related to our sport and the quality of our sport In line with this objective we are providing incen-tives to owners to buy good horses aiming for 2016 and this is going to plan for now We expect to perform well at the upcoming Pan Am Games and Olympics on our trail to 2016
Is there anything else you would like to share with us I would like to thank HRH Princess Haya President of the FEI as well as the Executive Board for all the support that we are getting which has been paramount to the development of equestrian sport in our country
44
President Luiz Roberto GiugniSecretary General Luiz Antonio RoccoMember since 1935
15 members of staff work at the federation
20 regional federations are affiliated tothe Brazilian Equestrian Federation with over 300 member riding clubs
6 000 affiliated riders
91 national events were held in 2010
31 international events were held in 2010
All the FEI disciplines are practiced in BrazilJumping Dressage Eventing Vaulting Reining EnduranceDriving amp Para-Equestrian
14 breeding organisations
There are 58 million horses and ponies in Brazilmaking it the fourth largest equine population in the world
FAC
TS amp
FIG
URE
S
45FOCUS
Dr Gerit Matthesen56 is a private equine practitioner an FEI Vet and a member of the FEI Veterinary Committee He graduated in Veterinary Medicine from Berlin University in 1983 and since 1989 has worked or officiated at some 180 competitions and championships including the last two Olympics and FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade He lives near Frankfurt with his wife Carola and their sons Mike (16) and Lars (14)
46
A life in a day
Dr Gerit Matthesen56 is a private equine practitioner an FEI Vet and a member of the FEI Veterinary Committee He graduated in Veterinary Medicine from Berlin University in 1983 and since 1989 has worked or officiated at some 180 competitions and championships including the last two Olympics and FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade He lives near Frankfurt with his wife Carola and their sons Mike (16) and Lars (14)
I wake up earlier than I need to ndash at around 6am ndash because breakfast time with my family is sacred to me and I can then drive my boys to the village station to take the train to school After two cups of coffee (enough for the day) and a glass of orange juice I read the newspapers then head to my prac-tice offices in our indoor arena I have a quick look at our horses then start work
While I listen to my phone messages I deal with my emails and search the internet for news about veterinary medicine and horse sport I then start planning the dayacutes schedule with Anna my assistant vet
My mobile practice is in a nice fairly rural area in the north of Frankfurt There are lots of horse farms but it is not a classic breeding area like the northern part of Germany There are sport horses as well as pleasure horses I have examination rooms and stables for horses staying or mares foaling in my practice stables Itrsquos not a big clinic which gives me time to work at competitions
After seeing a few small animals in my practice I normally start my field service at 930am In my car I have enough equipment (ultrasound X-ray systems and endoscopical devices) for the dayrsquos examinations and standing procedures We mainly have lameness examinations to do or internal diseases to treat accompanied by routine work like vaccinations or carrying out pre-purchase or health certificate examinations If time allows I go home for a quick lunch but thatrsquos not every day
While Irsquom driving I have time to think and I write down everything that come to mind regarding sport competitions committees and so on You have to write down your thoughts when yoursquore over the age of 50
It is not easy planning my day because any emer-gency can destroy or delay my schedule For all the paperwork and certificates I need a time frame so
I often do that over quiet weekends when there are no competitions During the winter season I am less busy but in summer a lot of weekends are taken over by the competition schedule
I love my work especially in Eventing which is my favourite discipline My wife and I practiced it ndash not up to top level but it was a fine time despite a bro-ken ankle from a fall in 1988 which after 23 years is making walking more and more difficult for me
I like to do my competition work on a friendly but strict basis and I really like to hear riders saying they are treated fairly Over the years I have acquired a lot of experience and met all the officials and riders
Usually when I return home in the late afternoon there are more small animals to see When Irsquove done the dayrsquos paperwork I hope there will be no more emergencies such as cases of colic which usually occur in the early evening
I look forward to getting on my horse which is a beautiful show-jumper I like to ride but Irsquove stopped competing I do dressage jumping and go out into the fields but itrsquos all just for fun now
The day finishes with the family and a nice cold glass of German beer
Itrsquos a struggle to find time to spend with my family and I often have to cancel my holidays with them I am really grateful to my wife and the boys for their understanding of my job and to my assistant vet who covers for me when Iacutem out somewhere in the world of equestrian sport
ldquoThe combination of my profession and beinginvolved in differentaspects of top equestrian sport is my visionrdquo
47FOCUS
Pull your show attire from the closet clean your boots and tack groom the horses hook up and pack the trailer check the clock double check to make sure you have everything put on the shipping boots load your horses and away you drive to the competition venue or to the airport for transport to a distant event
You know the drill well but still you arrive tired per-haps even a bit frazzled Yoursquoll sleep (or try to) the next several nights in an unfamiliar bed or camp out in the living quarters of your trailer You awaken riveted on the competition playing out the dayrsquos classes in your mind wondering how your rides will fare against oth-ers praying that the weather will be cooperate and trying to control your nerves all the while knowing that no matter how well you have prepared many factors are out of your control You may even be in a different time zone
We go through a lot to compete our horses But if you think life on the road is stressful for you think about what itrsquos like for your horses Your back may be a bit sore from driving or being strapped into an airplane seat for hours on end but for horses transportation is far more demanding It is an athletic endeavour re-quiring an expenditure of energy to maintain balance during the constant movement of transport When your horses arrive they face social isolation from stablemates lack of security in novel environments altered training regimes water that tastes strange and the confines of an unfamiliar stall This routine impacts a horsersquos health and well being with effects
continuing long after the journey is over During transport toxic gases (such as ammonia or carbon monoxide) can cause damage to the lung epithelium precipitating respiratory disease The
final destination itself can also cause problems Usually horses are transported to environments where they will be mixing with other horses The mixing of horses from different environments with different infectious organisms and under stressful conditions further precipitates susceptibility to disease
This can have a severe impact on the equine gut The stress of transportation is known to increase gut ulceration in the horse a painful condition reducing performance and causing colic-like symptoms Stress can also slow the flow of digesta and alter the normal gut flora resulting in digestive upset and possibly diarrhoea or colic
The effects of travel stress on the gut are compounded by the typical diet of the regular equine traveller To maintain athletic ability high performance horses are often fed energy-charged diets contain-ing increased levels of starchy materials such as cereal grains Unfortunately this type of diet can reduce beneficial types of gut flora and promote gut acidity further predisposing the horse to digestive upsets and ulceration It is not surprising that stressed tired horses may not fulfill their potential on arrival
Feeding to reduce stress for the equine traveller
By Darlene RickerExecutive editor of Alltechrsquos EQUINE INTERNATIONAL magazine
48
Alltech Tips
growth of opportunistic Salmonella spp which are present in the intestinal tract of many healthy horses These bacteria then attach to the gut lining via a mannan sugar and penetrate it causing damage and resulting in diarrhoea One method of prevent-ing or minimising the attachment of these organ-
isms to the gut lining is to provide an adsorbant supplement A form of sugar found in the cell walls of certain yeasts can do this This sugar compound is called man-nan oligosaccharide or MOS MOS products such as Alltechrsquos Bio-Mosreg have been shown to re-duce the colonization of Salmonella
spp in the guts of certain species and augment the immune response to Salmonella spp potentially conferring an enhanced ability to fight infection Both Yea-Saccreg 1026 and Bio-Mos are among the natural products contained in Alltechrsquos LIFEFORCETM equine supplement which many FEI competitors have successfully incorporated into their daily feeding regimen at home and on the road
lifeforcehorsecom
and may be subject to health concerns in the days following a long journey Fortunately however you can curb some of the effects of travel stress on the horsersquos gut by nutritional supplementation Organic yeast products used to supplement a horsersquos diet can support the normal gut flora modifying the intesti-nal environment and improving the horsersquos digestion One such culture is Saccharomyces cerevisae in the form of Yea-Saccreg 1026 Alltechrsquos propriety organic yeast
Experiments were conducted to evaluate the effects Yea-Sacc on gut flora and gut acidity Horses were fed either a high-starch or a high-fibre diet both with and without supplementation of Yea-Saccreg 1026 Results indicated an excessive amount of starch in the gut The use of Yea-Sacc reduced acidity and stimulat-ed the activity of fibre-digesting bacteria in the hind-gut for both types of diet The result was maximised fibre digestibility and more efficient use of nutrients thus increasing the amount of energy available to the horse for performance and counteracting digestive upset Salmonellosis is one of the more commonly di-agnosed infectious causes of diarrhoea in horses Many cases develop after the stress of transport The effects of travel stress on the normal gut flora allow an over-
Moorlands Totilas arrives for the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade after air transport copy Dirk Caremans
HRH The Infanta Dontildea Pilar de Borboacuten former President of the FEI (1994-2006) also attended the inauguration along-side HRH Princess Lalla Amina Chairperson of the Royal Moroccan Federation for Equestrian Sports and member of the international Advisory Council of Special OlympicsThey were joined by International Olympic Commit-tee members representatives from other Interna-tional Federations federal and local Swiss authorities as well as architects and designers that worked on the project Switzerlandrsquos Martin Fuchs a member of the gold medal winning team at the inaugural Youth Olympic Games in Singapore last year accompanied FEI President Princess Haya in officially opening the FEI headquarters
ldquoThe building we are inaugurating today has been designed to serve our wonderful sportrdquo explained FEI
President Princess Haya ldquoI also feel an immense
sense of pride knowing that this building carries the name
of my late father and hope that this serves as a constant reminder
to all of us who work at the FEI of a unique statesman whose entire soul was devoted to the service of his people Our new headquarters will play a key role for the FEI and our National Federa-tions over the coming years It will be the environ-ment in which important discussions take place and fundamental decisions are taken as we continue our mission to advance the orderly growth of equestrian sport worldwide while ensuring that the welfare of the horse and a level playing field remain at the centre of all that we dordquo
FEI celebratesNEW Headquarters
Over 250 guests attended the inauguration ceremony on Friday 6 May at HM King Hussein I Building which was timed to coincide with the FEI
Extraordinary General Assembly so that attending NationalFederation representatives
could be a part ofthe celebrations
1 Youth Olympic Games team champion Martin Fuchs (SUI) FEI President HRH Princess Haya and her daughter HH Sheikha Al Jalila officially open the FEIrsquos new home 2 Gilbert Felli IOC Olympic Games Executive Director and FEI Secretary General Ingmar de Vos 3 HRH The Infanta Dontildea Pilar de Borboacuten sits down to an interactive quiz in the FEI Gallery 4 Guests gathered in the atrium of the FEI HeadquartersAll images copy Hugues SiegenthalerFEI
Highlights available on50
1
2
3 4
5
6 7
8
THE GALLERy
As well as housing offices for its 62 employees and conference facilities for its 133 National Federations the new headquarters also has a state-of-the-art in-teractive gallery showcasing equestrian sport
The Gallery is the brainchild of Dr Amichai Alper-ovich historian former Secretary General of the Is-raeli Equestrian Federation and curator of the Israeli Olympic Museum (opened in 2009) He worked hand in hand with the Tel Aviv based company Disk-In Pro and interior designer Oded Alony to help bring the content to life and the result is truly unique and ground breaking Giant glass surfaces act as interac-tive interfaces for the visitors to travel through time
The FEIrsquos new headquarters which were donated to the Federation by FEI Presi-dent HRH Princess Haya in 2007 fol-lowing a personal fundraising effort are conveniently located close to the Inter-national Olympic Committee and other international sports federations It has been written into the FEI Statutes that the new FEI headquarters building will always house the Federationrsquos offices In 2008 the building was thoroughly renovated in accordance with the Swiss MINERGIEreg construction standard for environmental responsibility which re-duces energy consumption by 25 per cent Only two per cent of renovated buildings in Switzerland meet the high Minergie standards Khuan Chew founder and design princi-pal of London-based architectural firm KCA International Ltd worked in close collaboration with Swiss-based architect Herveacute de Rham and interior designer Sia-vosh Adeli (SUI) to transform the build-ing which was built in the 1960s The modern and sleek interior was further enhanced with bespoke artworks pro-duced by Swiss creative agency b+g amp partners and imagery by world-famous equestrian art photographer Tim Flach where the simplicity and beauty of his equine subjects seamlessly embrace and accentuate the buildingrsquos pure lines and natural materials (see image left)
As they feasted on the innate beauty of their sur-roundings the guests also had the privilege to ex-perience the culinary talents of organic chef and specialist Gilles Wannaz and his team based in the town of Cully which sits on the edge of Lac Leman in Switzerlandrsquos famous Lavaux wine growing region
5 HRH Princess Haya welcomes the guests to the Inauguration of the HQ and the 90 year celebration of the FEI 6 Artwork by renowned pho-tographer Tim Flach 7 An organic and colourful buffet presented on an authentic lawn by local chef Gilles Wannaz 8 A life size horse sculpture by Christophe Dumont greeted the guests upon their arrival
53FOCUS
and space with the latest in touch technology revis-iting the history of the FEI the equestrian events at Olympic amp Paralympic Games the FEI World Eques-trian Gamestrade and information on all of the member National Federations with statistics videos images and text The Gallery also includes projections on ar-chitectural surfaces designed by Oded Alony referred to as the Origami as well as interactive stations and unique video projections on glass screens
For all those wishing to visit the FEI Gallery simply contact the FEI HQ to make an appointment and we would be delighted to take you on a journey to dis-cover or rediscover the human and equine athletes whose talents have marked equestrian history and inspired young riders drivers and vaulters around the world
Interview withDrAmichaiAlperovich
When did you first dream up the FEIInteractive Gallery When I found out the FEI was planning to move into new HQ in 2009 Disk-In Pro and I approached the FEI and presented them with several concepts for the space Before long we had agreed on the concept and we got to work
Why were you compelled to make it become a reality So that the FEI a prominent sports organisation could present itself to a growing audience in a new and visionary way with the latest technology And by doing so the FEI is a pioneer becoming the first International Federation to have a Gallery of this kind
What did you learn when researching and gathering content for the gallery I have learned a lot about the history of the FEI the strong Olympic tradition the diversity of disciplines the gender equality and the unique bond between horse and man One of the more fascinating topics was the evolution of the Dressage from itsrsquo Olympic debut to the modern Freestyle
Itrsquos very innovative technology what inspired you to take such a leap into the future with such a traditional sport Just as Dressage has evolved over the years and alongside the introduction of new disciplines partic-ularly Para-Equestrian you come to realise that the FEI is not as traditional as one would think Actually this kind of innovative presentation of equestrian history is really well suited to the FEI In the same way that you can have horse-man connections there is an audience-technology connection in the Gallery The audience have to be active in order to enjoy the depth of information the Gallery contains
54
Now it is time to open the door to new places to learn about sport ndash at the heart of sporting organi-sations themselves The Gallery is more than an informative tool it brings people to the sport andto the heart of its operations
Established in 1990 Disk-In Pro specialises in the planning design production and implementation of Museums Visitor Centres and sophisticated projects around the world This includes multi screen produc-tion animation 3D amp interactive films state-of-the-art software platforms and complex video displays for an unforgettable experience
Oded Alony holds a BA in Design from the Interior Design Section of the Holon Technological Institute and has since 1998 worked with Israelrsquos leading Architecture firms The Oded Alony Studio embraces holistic design a space where interior design lighting and graphics are brought together to create a harmo-nious project vision
Now that you have seen it unveiled to the public how would you like to see it evolve I hope the audience will be amazed from the design by architect Oded Alony and the new methods to deliver information whilst discovering the long his-tory of the FEI the diversity and the global reach of the organisation I hope the Gallery will become an icon in Lausanne and one of its highlights for visitors I promise the visitors a new platform to learn about equestrianism and each visit could be different as the information and themes will be updated and modi-fied regularly
This futuristic gallery is a first for anInternational Federation do you think thisis something all sports should invest inThe FEI took this courageous decision and now has this fantastic tool to present the organisation in new ways Sport is a huge cultural phenomenaWe have learned to consume sport in the arenas and stadiums in the press media and new media
Dr Amichai Alperovich
55FOCUS
SOCIAL MEDIAthe new frontier
Follow us on
The FEI has recently embarked on and embraced a whole new way of talking with the greater equestrian community through the ever expanding social media networks and platformsWith personalised Facebook Twitter and You Tube pages the FEI is taking it step by step and reaching out to this growing audience and listening to what they have to say
This new communication platform is by no means a substitution of the traditional communication path-ways but works alongside the press releases various publications and content on wwwfeiorg and wwwfeitvorg providing a new arena where the FEI can share interact and dialogue with fans of the sport and of equestrian values in general
We talk to Richard Johnson Director of Corporate Communications about the FEIrsquos commitment to social media
What compelled the FEI to venture onto the social media scene As a governing body with a vibrant and active com-munity of National Federations as well as thousands of fans the need to reach out to the online social community has never been stronger We have been watching the communities grow online for some time and have been listening to their conversations so being a part of it was the next logical step and a really important one The conversations will hap-pen with or without us so taking that step has been crucial in order to share our values and also build re-lationships with our fan base
Tradition meets modernity ndash does equestrian sportthe FEI have a place in social media Absolutely even though equestrian sport has a long history and is perceived as a traditional sport it is
always evolving In the 90 years of the FEI which was founded to govern the three Olympic disciplines it has grown to also oversee the disciplines of Driving Endurance Vaulting Reining and Para-Equestrian sport Or if you look at the early days when competi-tors were from military backgrounds and when wom-en did not compete alongside men to the complete gender equality we have today ndash a lot has changed and is in a constant state of change
The fans of equestrian sport are like any other fan base web savvy and eager for more information behind the scenes content and to share their opin-ions and thoughts ndash so it is an ideal partnership And from what we have seen these last few months and from the feedback we got from our blog at the Youth Olympic Games there is a real appetite for this
The FEI has dedicated Facebook Twitter and You Tube pages ndash why did you select these social media platforms The figures speak for themselveshellip Facebook Twit-ter and You Tube are the biggest players in the social networking space With over 500 million Facebook users 106 million Tweeters and 2 billion views a day on You Tube there has never been so much oppor-tunity for exposure Every site has different demo-graphics with different habits and needs so by having an FEI presence on these three networks we are able to cover a lot of ground and cater to different audi-ences by providing different types of content accord-ing to the platform
What are the main benefits of having a pres-ence on various social media platforms Itrsquos all about having a two way conversation ndash the benefits of dialogue where you can share content such as videos images facts and figures thoughts and values and then allow your fan base to react to get involved and to listen and learn from them By engaging with our audience and showing them that we are a modern and caring organisation and that we want to hear what they have to say then we are able to build trust and ultimately credibility in what we do and what we say
57FOCUS
TV
The offi cial video website of the Feacutedeacuteration Equestre Internationale
wwwfeitvorg
WATCH LIVE WATCH ONLINE
FEI TV is the FEIrsquos new offi cial video website and your ticket to the worldrsquos most prestigious competitions Sign-up to FEI TV (wwwfeitvorg) and get instant access to all the live broadcasts the extensive video-on-demand library all the highlights the behind the scenes reports the interviews and so much more Be at the heart of horsesport Join us
2823_1FEI_TV_Focus_165x226indd 1 170510 1124
It also keeps us alert as to what is being discussed and debated in the public sphere so that we can manage situations more effectively and be proactive in our messaging and information so that the facts are at the heart of the debate and not interpretations of them
How do you generate content for social media It was important when we launched our social me-dia presence that it be manageable with the exist-ing communications team in place ndash and so we have concentrated on keeping it simple and effective and using content innovatively Itrsquos not about reproduc-ing our website ndash but to engage with our fans and so often all you need is a good picture an interest-ing fact or great achievement to get the ball rolling For You Tube as we already have so much content generated from FEI TV it was simply a question of using bits and pieces from that content to provide the public with teasers from events interviews with winning riders or behind the scenes content which they can then follow up on FEI TV with a subscription
What are your Social media goals Itrsquos really to build relationships and dialogue with our fan base by using our content innovatively by listening to what they have to say and by engaging with the community And for the National Federa-tions that have yet to take that step we want to be a guiding hand that can help them get started so that they too can reap the benefits of social media net-working Our sport competes against other sports for attention so itrsquos really important that we the FEI and the National Federations keep our finger on the pulse and cater to our fans
How can National Federations get involved NFs wishing to find out more about Social Media can contact me (richardjohnsonfeiorg) and I would be more than happy to discuss opportunities and ways of getting started as well as our experience at the FEI
We asked our Facebook followers why it was important to use face-book and here are a few comments they came up with
bullItrsquos a great way to find out about shows and competitions
bullBecause facebook can provide up to the minute updates as to the what is going on in the horse community
bullWe can share information and ideas over long distances We can find and connect with people we wouldnt be able to otherwise
bullIt also lets us express the true realities of our spot to keep us grounded
bullIt can bring peoples attention to excellence ndash and expose the issues
58
TV
The offi cial video website of the Feacutedeacuteration Equestre Internationale
wwwfeitvorg
WATCH LIVE WATCH ONLINE
FEI TV is the FEIrsquos new offi cial video website and your ticket to the worldrsquos most prestigious competitions Sign-up to FEI TV (wwwfeitvorg) and get instant access to all the live broadcasts the extensive video-on-demand library all the highlights the behind the scenes reports the interviews and so much more Be at the heart of horsesport Join us
2823_1FEI_TV_Focus_165x226indd 1 170510 1124
ldquo Donrsquot accept drinks from a strangerrdquo
Armchair travel journalist
Are you living a life without boundaries Some well-meant advice is best ignored but itrsquos still good to know yoursquore covered when yoursquore away With HSBC Premier your family can be protected with both Travel Insurance and dedicated assistance when yoursquore abroad Which is reassuring to know when yoursquore making the most of life
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201736_6000263_Coconut_226x165indd
Master 226x165
Rob Swainson 160211
HSBC - Coconuts Proof 01Head of Art TypographerDesigner ArtCreative Director Copywriter Account DirectorDIC Project ManagerPhotographer Illustrator Usage Model(s) Name(s) Usage
Media MediaStock Image Time Period Time Period
Territory Territory
8deg N ndash Kerala South India
OYSTER PERPETUAL DATEJUST
chio aachen world equestrian festival
JULY 8TH TO 17TH 2011AACHEN GERMANY
IT IS THE ULTIMATE DREAM FOR RIDERS THE
ULTIMATE SPECTACLE FOR ENTHUSIASTS
IT IS SIMPLY MAGNETIC AS THEY ASSEMBLE
TOGETHER ON HALLOWED GROUNDS UNITED
BY A N EQ UA L PA S S I O N W I TH E V ER Y
MASTERFUL JUMP ELEGANT PIAFFE AND
STUNNING ATHLETIC MOVEMENT AACHEN
EPITOMISES THE EQUESTRIAN EVENT AGAINST
WHICH ALL OTHERS ARE MEASURED
FEIFocus_CHIO_05_11indd 1 120511 0908
OYSTER PERPETUAL DATEJUST
chio aachen world equestrian festival
JULY 8TH TO 17TH 2011AACHEN GERMANY
IT IS THE ULTIMATE DREAM FOR RIDERS THE
ULTIMATE SPECTACLE FOR ENTHUSIASTS
IT IS SIMPLY MAGNETIC AS THEY ASSEMBLE
TOGETHER ON HALLOWED GROUNDS UNITED
BY A N EQ UA L PA S S I O N W I TH E V ER Y
MASTERFUL JUMP ELEGANT PIAFFE AND
STUNNING ATHLETIC MOVEMENT AACHEN
EPITOMISES THE EQUESTRIAN EVENT AGAINST
WHICH ALL OTHERS ARE MEASURED
FEIFocus_CHIO_05_11indd 1 120511 0908
Note from theFEIPresidentHRH Princess Haya
We are just six months into the year and as I look back at recent events such as the indoor sporting showcase in Leipzig the inauguration of the FEI Headquarters or even the FEIrsquos forays into the new frontier that is social media I am reminded of the passion and constant state of flux in which our sport evolves
The subtitle of this edition of FEI FOCUS ldquoSands of Timerdquo is symbolic of that constant evolution falling grain by grain marking the past the future and where we stand in the present It also reminds us that it is not about leaping into the future but about taking thoughtful and measured steps towards greater di-versity acceptance and universality
Looking back in this edition we review the past 99 years of Olympic tradition in our Memory Lane focus and then look forward to the European Cham-pionships in all the FEI disciplines that will take place between the months of July and September Some of these Championships have a long tradition such as the FEI European Eventing and Jumping Champion-ships that date back to 1953 and 1957 respectively while for others such as the FEI European Para-Equestrian Dressage Championships they are only in the early stages of making their history but as they do they also contribute to the history of equestrian sport as a whole
Integrating Para-Equestrian in 2006 has been one of the important steps taken by the FEI towards greater universality and diversity within our sport and it is testimony to this integration that the cover of this edition features aspiring Swiss rider Nicolas Theacutevenaz and an article on his goals and motivation
Like many sports we rely heavily on our volunteer body who act behind the scenes to provide the athletes and the spectators with safe and fair con-ditions for competition and ensure that welfare and sportsmanship are always at the heart of their actions We feature Dr Gerit Matthesen in our ldquolife in a dayrdquo section to gain a better understanding of the type of person it takes to devote time and energy on a voluntary basis
The equestrian community is full of extraordinary people whose achievements in and out of the arena are the result of their outstanding ability to focus on their goals The FEI Awards celebrate that talent and determination and have shown us that whether you are an athlete a groom or the initiator of a project that enhances the lives of others you share a deep love for the horse and the belief that equestrianism at any level is well worth the time and energy that you devote to it I would like to encourage all readers to visit the FEI Awards website (wwwfeiawardsorg) to make nominations by 31 July to help us to express our gratitude to and admiration of those people who deserve it
The FEI Awards will be presented to the winners at a gala evening in Rio de Janeiro on the occasion of the FEI General Assembly hosted by Brazil You will find a brief introduction to the Brazilian National Federation in the Postcard from Brazil page 44 with facts and figures and a QampA with the President of the Brazilian National Federation Mr Luiz Roberto Guigni
Lastly I would like to thank all the guest that were able to attend the FEI Extraordinary General Assembly and the Inauguration in May for the beginning of a new chapter for the FEI For those that were unable to attend I hope you will be able to gage the warmth and genuine goodwill of all attending the event in the pages devoted to the celebration
02
Editorial
The King Hussein I Building will be a place for dialogue and decision-making as the FEI continues its mission to ad-vance the orderly growth of equestrian sport worldwide while ensuring that the welfare of the horse and a level playing field remain at the centre of all that we do
28 HSBC FEI ClassicsTM
A world class meeting of generations
30 Why the long face Viggo Mortensen
32 The other side of Laurent Elias
34 One day Nicolas Theacutevenaz
06 Olympic amp Paralympic Games Memory Lane
14 FEI World CupTM Finals Jumping Dressage Driving amp Vaulting
18 Preview FEI European Championships 2011
14
Follow us onTable of Contents
04
Contact Advertising FEI - Feacutedeacuteration Equestre Internationalerichardjohnsonfeiorg HM King Hussein I Building Chemin des Deacutelices 9 1006 Lausanne T +41 21 310 47 47 F +41 21 310 47 60 wwwfeiorg
Impressum - Focus Ndeg 7 - June 2011Circulation 2800Frequency QuarterlyEditor in Chief Olivia RobinsonDesign Art Equestrio SAPrinting Grafiche SIZ - ItalyCover copyHugues Siegenthaler
48 Alltech Tips Feeding to reduce stress for the equine traveller
50 FEI News FEI celebrates NEW Headquarters
56 FEI Insight Social Media - the new frontier
38 FEI Awards 2011
42 Globetrotter
44 Postcard from Brazil
46 A life in a day Dr Gerit Matthesen
28 HSBC FEI ClassicsTM
A world class meeting of generations
30 Why the long face Viggo Mortensen
32 The other side of Laurent Elias
34 One day Nicolas Theacutevenaz
5030
05FOCUS
1900Games of the II Olympiad Paris (FRA)Grand Prix Jumping long jump high jump hunter competition and a coaching competition were on the 1900 programme The events went officially unrecord-ed until the 1970s which is why it is often assumed that 1912 marks the first inclusion of equestrian sports on the Olympic programme Participation Twenty-four riders from 4 countries
1912Games of the V Olympiad Stockholm (SWE) Jumping Dressage and Eventing made their deacutebut in Stockholm and remain to this day the only equestrian disciplines on the Olympic programme It took two years to construct the new brick-built Olympic Sta-dium which served for the 1956 Olympic Equestrian Games and the 1990 FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade Participation Sixty-two riders and 70 horses from 10 nations ndash all European except for the USA
1920Games of the VII Olympiad Antwerp (BEL)World War I had just ended in 1918 and there were serious doubts that the 1920 Olympic Games would go ahead It was on 3 April 1919 that the IOC decided to accept the offer from Antwerp (BEL) The short term allocation of the Games did leave some in the lurch such as team USA who at first unable to find a passage to Europe at that late stage were able to secure the help of the military to transport the team Swedenrsquos solid and meticulous preparations were well rewarded as they picked up more than half of the 15 medals at stake and confirmed their stronghold on the sportParticipation Seventy-two riders from 8 nations Vaulting was for the first and only time on the Olympic programme
1924 Games of the VIII Olympiad Paris (FRA)First Olympic appearance for the FEIDid you knowThe Dressage arena of 60 x 20 m was in the centre of the huge Stade de Colombes at least 60 meters away from the public The five judges sat with their assistants on a long table together on a short side The
Olympic amp Paralympic Games
MemoryLane A journey of Olympicamp Paralympic achievements
In 2012 the disciplines of Jumping Dressage and Eventing celebrate 100 years of Olympic history For Para-EquestrianDressage itrsquos sixteen years of intense and ever increasing competition and participationTake a stroll down MemoryLane to revisit the sportingachievements of Championspast and present
1920 1921 1922
1924 1925 1926
1900 1901 1902 1903 1904
1912 1913 1914
06
individual winner in Jumping was Swiss militia officer Lt Alphonse Gemuseus on the eight-year old Irish-bred mare Lucette who had been bought for pound48 as an army remount horse in 1922The length of the Eventing Cross Country was 36kmParticipation Seventeen nations 126 horses
1928Games of the IX Olympiad Amsterdam (NED)By 1928 the IOC had clarified the definition of an amateur For equestrian sport an amateur was every professional officer actively serving or anyone riding solely for the sport and recognised by a national body as a gentlemanParticipation Twenty nations the major return was Germany ndash not invited in 1920 and 1924 ndash but now there in full force
1932Games of the X Olympiad Los Angeles (USA)Because the 1932 Olympics were held in the middle of the Great Depression and in the comparatively re-mote city of Los Angeles half as many athletes from only six nations took part compared to 1928 The Japanese team came by ship from Yokohama to Los Angeles France and Sweden took a ship to New York then travelled by railroad across the USA as did the
Mexicans The Dutch who sailed through the Panama Canal directly to Los Angeles remembered that the US equestrian team travelling by ship to Amsterdam in 1928 had kept their horses fit by hiring the tread-mill used during the filming of Ben Hur with its chariot races The Dutch constructed their own treadmill and kept their horses busy during the voyage
The first known Olympic Jumping course designer John A Barry (who rode for the USA in the 1920 and 1924 Olympics) supported by Sloan Doak (also an ex-perienced Olympic rider) built a course that was much more difficult than 1928 It had 18 obstacles and 20 jumping efforts over a length of 1060m No team fin-ished the competition and the team medals remained unclaimed
For the first time piaffe and passage were asked for in Dressage
In Eventing only two teams ndash USA and The Netherlands ndash finished the competition The team bronze remained unclaimed Participation Six nations
1932 1933 1934
1928 1929 1930
1912 Francersquos Jean Cariou - Individual gold and team silver Jumping medallist as well as individual bronze medallist in Eventing
07FOCUS
1936Games of the XI Olympiad Berlin (GER)The Games of the XI Olympiad were held in Berlin three years after the National-Socialist regime came to power in 1933 They are best remembered for Adolf Hitlerrsquos failed attempt to use sport to prove his theories of Aryan racial superiority The equestrian events held on the last five days of the 16-day programme played an important part in the overall running of these first monumental and politically misused Olympic GamesParticipation Twenty-one nations 127 riders - 7 coun-tries had full representation (3x3 riders) Germany won all the equestrian team and individual gold medals
1952Games of the XV Olympiad Helsinki (FIN) The 1952 Olympic Games brought some fundamen-tal changes to equestrian sport Most visible was the change from military riding to civilians Women were allowed in Dressage but not in Jumping or Event-ing The best known of these women is Lis Hartel of Denmark In 1944 at the age of 23 she was paralysed by polio and while she gradually regained the use of most of her muscles she remained paralysed below
the knee Despite being helped on and off her horse she went on to win the silver medal When gold med-allist Henri St-Cyr helped her up onto the victory platform for the medal presentation it was one of the most emotional moments in Olympic historyParticipation Twenty-five nations For the first time since 1912 Russian riders competed ndash now represent-ing the Soviet Union Canada Egypt amp Korea were also newcomers
1956Games of the XVI Olympiad Melbourne (AUS) Stockholm (SWE) When the IOC selected Melbourne (AUS) as host to the Games of the XVI Olympiad it had not taken into consideration the Australian six-month pre-shipment quarantine for horses In 1953 a meeting was held in Canberra attended by the federal authorities which recommended not to alter quarantine laws The IOC decided on a separate venue for the equestrian events and on 13 May 1954 chose Stockholm (SWE)The Jumping course was demanding it is considered by many as the first modern course There were no clears in the first round Hans Guumlnter Winkler (FRG) was in the
1936 1937 1938
1952 1953 1954
1956 1957 1958
1952 The Dressage medallists Andreacute Jousseaume (FRA) - bronze Henri St-Cyr (FRA) - gold Lis Hartel (DEN) - silver
08
lead with one knock-down riding the great mare Halla The horse had taken off early for the penultimate fence and Winkler was thrown into the air and went on to land heavily back in the saddle pulling a muscle in the pro-cess He knew that if he withdrew from the final round the German team would be eliminated Dizzy and in pain he rode anyway Halla completed the course without a fault They earned gold in both the individual and team events Winkler went on to win another five gold medals at various Olympics and is the only Jumper to win seven medals in total and the only rider in any discipline to earn medals in six different OlympicsParticipation Twenty-nine nations Australia Cambodia and Venezuela competed for the first time
1960Games of the XVII Olympiad Rome (ITA) The Australians were the 1960 Eventing sensation The foursome of Larry Morgan Neale Lavis Brian Crago and Bill Roycroft dominated the Cross-Country to an extent never experienced before At the end of the day Mor-gan was overwhelmingly in the lead ahead of Crago and Lavis Roycroft after a fall at the cement drain pipes was not too far back except for the fact that he was in hospital with a concussion and a broken collarbone When Cragorsquos potential silver medal horse Sabre was rejected at the second horse inspection Australia no longer had a team Forty-five-year old Bill Roycroft was taken out of hospital rode Our Solo to a clear round in the Jumping phase and secured team gold for Australia Participation Twenty-nine nations
1964Games of the XVIII Olympiad Tokyo (JPN) The 1964 Olympic Games were the first to be held in Asia These were only the second Olympics ndash after Los Angeles in 1932 ndash for which most horses had to travel across the world Most horses came by aircraft The Soviet horses still came by sea and were caught in the typhoon Wilda For the first time a former Olympic Jumping champion repeated his victory Forty-four year old Pierre Jonquegraveres drsquoOriola (FRA) the 1952 champion with Ali Baba won this time with the nine-year old Lutteur B Another first was the participation of a woman - Lana du Pont (USA) - in an Olympic Eventing competitionParticipation One hundred and sixteen riders from 20 countries competed in Tokyo
1968Games of the XIX Olympiad Mexico City (MEX) The choice of Mexico City to host the 1968 Olympics was a challenging one because of the cityrsquos high altitude 2300m which meant that the air contained 30 less oxygen than at sea level An adjustment pe-riod of three to four weeks for the horses was advised The horses from the Soviet Union Argentina and Ireland were in mid-September the first to arrive The last to stable were France and Germany on 28 September ie 20 days before the start of the com-petitions Of particular interest was the first par-ticipation of Dressage and Eventing riders from the German Democratic Republic In 1960 and 1964 their Eventers were part of a unified German team This time they were allowed to enter under their own flag The equestrian competitions were timed manually and electronically for the first time the electronic time was the official one Participation Eighteen nations
1972 Games of the XX Olympiad Munich (FRG) In 1972 everybody expected great Olympic Games and for the first ten days everything went smoothly But on 5 September 1972 peace was chattered as eight Palestinian terrorists representing the militant group ldquoBlack Septemberrdquo broke into the Olympic Village killed two members of the Israeli team and took nine more hostage In an ensuing battle all nine Israeli hostages were killed as were five of the ter-rorists and one policeman The Olympics were sus-pended for 34 hours In defiance of the terrorists the IOC ordered the competitions to resume IOC President Avery Brundage famously declaring ldquoThe Games must go onrdquo All other details about the Munich Games pale in significance The equestrian events were obviously also affected After the first day of Dressage on 5 September the second half of the competitors rode on 7 September the ride-off followed on the 9th Team Jumping at that time still preceding the closing ceremony took place on 11 September 1972Liselotte Linsenhoff on Piaff became the 13th Olym-pic Dressage champion ndash the third German to achieve this (after con Langen in 1928 and Pollay in 1936) but the first woman to do so Participation Twenty-seven nations
1964 1965 1966
1960 1961 1962
1972 1973 1974
1968 1969 1970
09FOCUS
1976Games of the XXI Olympiad Montreal (CAN) All in the Eventing geneshellip Mother Rita and daugh-ter Silva de Luna were both on the Guatemalan team Father Bill 61 and son Wayne Roycroft were on the bronze-medal winning Australian teamhellipFor the first time in the FEIrsquos Olympic history there was a disqualification due a positive medication case San Carlos the mount of the Irish Army Eventing rider Ronald McMahon The medical treatment after an injury during transport had been announced to the authorities But the rules suffered no exceptions Au-tomatic disqualification followed although there was no additional punishmentBarbara Kemp became the first woman to design an Olympic cross-country course Participation Twenty-three nations Guatemala and Puerto Rico were the newcomers
1980Games of the XXII Olympiad Moscow (URS) The 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow represented the lowest point in the history of the Olympic equestrian events as a US led boycott reduced the number of participating nations to 11 From the top equestrian nations only Austria with the reigning European Dres-sage champion Elisabeth (Sissi) Theurer and Italy with its Eventing team went to Moscow Sissirsquos decision to participate in Moscow created considerable contro-versy in her native Austria ndash resulting in the resignation of the President of the National Equestrian FederationParticipation Eleven nations
1984Games of the XXIII Olympiad Los Angeles (USA) The Los Angeles Games were the first since 1896 to be staged without government financing and became the model for future Games particularly after it was revealed that they had produced a profit of US$ 223 million The organisers depended heavily on existing facilities and corporate sponsors The celebrated Santa Anita racetrack was chosen as the competition site for the equestrian events It was the first time an Olympic equestrian event was organised by an existing man-agement of proven competence and long experienceIn response to the boycott of the 1980 Moscow Olym-pics a boycott led by the Soviet Union marked the 1984 OlympicsThe USA dominated the Jumping competition win-ning both individual and team gold with a superiority rarely experienced before or since Joe Fargis (USA) and Touch of Class were the first to achieve a dou-ble clear in the Olympic team competition Eventing legend Mark Todd from New Zealand (pictured left) won his first Olympic medalParticipation Thirty nations
1988Games of the XXIV Olympiad Seoul (KOR) The Seoul Games were highlighted by numerous exceptional performances For Dressage it was the first time that all three individual medals were award-ed to women Reiner Klimke (pictured above-right) captured his last Olympic medal as West Germany won the team Dressage competition With six gold and two bronze medals won at five Olympic Games ndash Reiner Klimke participated in six Olympic Games
1976 1977 1978 1980 1981 1982
1984 1985 1986
1988 1989 1990
altogether - he is the most decorated rider in Olympic history Only for the second time in the 76-year history of Eventing at the Olympics the defending champions repeated their victory Mark Todd (NZL) 32 with the 16-year-old Charisma For the first time qualifications were held to reduce the starting field for the individual Jumping The reigning European champions Pierre Du-rand (FRA) and the 13-year-old black gelding Jappe-loup added Olympic gold to their winningsParticipation Thirty-two nations
1992Games of the XXV Olympiad Barcelona (ESP) In Dressage the individual battle was played out be-tween Isabell Werthrsquos Gigolo and the defending Olym-pic champion from Seoul Nicole Uphoffrsquos 15-year-old Rembrandt Rembrandt and Uphoff triumphed and se-cured the gold After the repeat wins of Henry St-Cyr (SWE) in 1952 and 1956 on two different horses this was the first double triumph of a combination After the elaborate beautifully built and decorated Jump-ing obstacles of Seoul 1988 the Spanish decided on something different and the two architects in charge of designing the 25 obstacles used minimal figural and colour elements so as to more objectively define the difficulty of the obstacles This new vision did not find many partisansParticipation Thirty-four nations
1996Games of the XXVI Olympiad Atlanta (USA) The Atlanta Games saw extensive changes made to the competition formats of Dressage and Eventing Following the IOCrsquos reasoning whereby two sets of medals could not be distributed for the same effort the FEI split Eventing into two competitions team and individual An elaborate qualifying system in all three disciplines was created and for the first time quotas were establishedThe heat and humidity expected in Atlanta led to extensive research and measures aimed at protecting the welfare of the horses It was found that horses needed three weeks of acclimatisation ndash seven days to recover from the effects of transport and 14 days of passive acclimatisation to the new conditions The major measure was the installation of misting fans throughout the venueLinda Allen was the course designer the first woman to provide the Jumping courses at an Olympic GamesParticipation Thirty nations
1992 1993 1994
1996 1997 1998
1988 The German gold medal team (from left to right) - Ann-Kathrin Linsenhoff Monica Theodorescu Nicole Uphoff and Reiner Klimkecopy Kit Houghton
11FOCUS
1996The X Paralympic Games Atlanta (USA)1996 also marks for the first time equestrian sport was included at the Paralympics with Para-Equestrian Dressage on the programme The competition was run on borrowed horses Jo Jackson (GBR) won three gold medals the maximum possible For Great Britain it was a first of many team medalshellipParticipation Sixty-eight competitors from 16 nations
2000Games of the XXVII Olympiad Sydney (AUS) Forty four years after Melbourne 1956 when no horses would be allowed into Australia the Australian quarantine and inspection services proved to be much more accommodating The conditions were tough two weeks of pre-shipping quarantine in Europe and after arrival in Sydney two more weeks of quarantine on siteOf the 15 medal-winning horses 12 were thorough-breds and the other three were 78 thoroughbredsThe year 2000 was the final show-down of the two Dressage horses who had dominated the sport since the early nineties ndash Gigolo ridden by Isabell Werth (GER) and Bonfire ridden by Anky Van Grunsven (NED) with the latter taking gold medal honours Australia for the third time in a row won the team gold medal in EventingParticipation Thirty-seven nations
2000The XI Paralympic Games Sydney (AUS)The Australian spirit and warmth conveyed during the Olympics continued throughout the Paralympic Games thanks to the formidable cooperation between the Sydney Paralympic Organising Committee (SPOC) and the Sydney Organising Committee for the Olympic Games (SOCOG) Paralympic and Olympic athletes lived in the same village and enjoyed the same catering services medical care and facilities Errors in the scoring meant that medals had to be re-attributed but this did not cause too much upset Lee Pearson (GBR) took home three gold medals (including another team gold for GBR) the maximum possible while Australiarsquos Julie Higgins achieved an impressive double gold triumph Participation Seventy athletes from 23 nations
2004Games of the XXVIII Olympiad Athens (GRE) In 2004 the Games returned to Greece homeland to the Olympic GamesThe equestrian events were affected by controversies Waterford Crystal the horse ridden by Olympic cham-pion in Jumping Cian OrsquoConnor (IRL) tested positive to a prohibited substance generally administered to humans but forbidden for use in horses After lengthy legal procedures OrsquoConnor was disqualified and sanc-tioned The gold medal was awarded to second-placed
1996 1997 1998
2000 2001 2002
2000 2001 2002
2004 2005 2006
2000 The team podium in Eventing - Great Britain (silver) Australia (gold) USA (bronze) copy Kit Houghton
12
Rodrigo Pessoa (BRA) Another three horses tested positive as well As a result Germany lost its Jumping team gold which was awarded to the USA in February 2005 at a ceremony in Palm Beach FL (USA)A new competition format for Eventing involving two Jumping rounds one for the individual and one for the team standings was introduced The two roads and tracks (A + C) and the steeplechase (B) of the Endur-ance phase were abolishedParticipation Thirty-seven nations
the fact that main land China did not hold disease-free zone status from the International Organisation for Animal Health the competitions were held in Hong Kong 2000km away from the Olympic host city Beijing In order to protect animal welfare detailed studies on the effects of heat and humidity on horses were undertaken by the FEI in cooperation with top scientists The competition timetable was modified to avoid the hours of intense heat and the horses were stabled at the exceptional air-conditioned facilities provided by the Hong Kong Jockey Club Six horses five from Jumping tested positive to prohibited substances As a result Norway lost its first Jumping medal ndash bronze ndash which after more than two years of legal proceedings was awarded to Switzerland
Jumping gold went to team USA In Dressage Anky van Grunsven (NED) aboard Salinero won her seventh and eighth Olympic medals team silver and individual gold Eventing legend Mark Todd (NZL) made a much acclaimed come back but the spotlight was on Hinrich Romeike and the extraordinary Marius
The story of the 2008 Olympic Eventing gold med-allist is all the more extraordinary as Hinrich is an amateur rider By day his time is spent in his dental surgery attending to his many patients so his riding is restricted to after-hoursParticipation Forty-two nations
2008The XIII Paralympic Games Beijing (CHN)First Paralympic participation for the FEI following the inclusion of Para-Equestrian in 2006 to be governed alongside the 7 other disciplines These Games set a new benchmark for Para-Equestrian events with great facilities cheerful volunteers and large audiences totalling over 30000 - an unprecedented attend-ance for Para-Equestrian events
For the third Paralympics in a row Lee Pearson (GBR) won three gold medals keeping up his record of win-ning all the gold medals available to him Singa-porersquos Laurentia Tan picked up Asiarsquos first Paralympic Equestrian medals with two individual bronze medals Marco Alves picked up Brazilrsquos first Paralympic Equestrian medal with bronze in Grade Ib Participation Seventy-eight athletes from 28 nations
2004The XII Paralympic Games Athens (GRE)The venue was excellent and there was good support from local volunteers Both Debbie Criddle and Lee Pearson (pictured above) from Great Britain picked up the maximum three gold medals The International Paralympic Committee presented the Equestrian Technical Delegate with the award for Best Official of all the sports at the Paralympic Games Participation Seventy athletes from 29 nations
2008Games of the XXIX Olympiad Beijing (CHN) Hong Kong (CHN) For the second time in Olympic history the equestrian events were held separately from other sports Due to
2004 2005 2006
2008 2009 2010
2008 2009 20102004 Lee Pearson (GBR) in Athens where he scoopedthe maximum three gold medals available to him
13FOCUS
The climax of the indoor international Jumping sea-son brought together 43 riders from 21 nations and ended with Christian Ahlmann riding Taloubet Z to Germanys ninth victory in the 33-year history of FEI World Cuptrade Jumping Canadarsquos reigning Olympic champion Eric Lamaze took second place with Hickstead followed by Dutch combination Jeroen Dubbeldam and BMC Van Grunsven Simon who rocketed up from overnight 11th to finish third when producing one of only two double clears on the final afternoonGerman riders dominated from the first of the three qualifiers in Leipzig ndash the speed competition which Marco Kutscher with Cash won with 6355 seconds followed by his compatriots defending champion Marcus Ehning and Christian Ahlmann who took second and third place respectively In the second qualifier the withdrawal of Saudi Arabiarsquos Abdullah Al Sharbatly reduced the field to 40 starters Eric Lamaze took the lead with a fabulous clear in 4068 a win that bounced him up to fifth spot just six points behind the leading pair ndash an ascent he continued to master on the final day
J U M P I N GFINAL LEIPZIG
ROLEX FEI World Cuptrade
JUMPINGldquoIt was wonderful to be back in Leipzig again for yet another great Rolex FEI World Cuptrade Jumping Final in a city with such a rich cultural backgroundrdquo John Roche FEI Director of Jumping
FEI World Cuptrade Finals
REEm ACRA FEI World Cuptrade
DressaGe
DRESSAGEFINAL LEIPZIG
ldquoThe Reem Acra FEI World Cuptrade Dressage took place in a perfect setting with enough space for everyone to give their very best performancesrdquo Trond Asmyr FEI Director of Dressage
Adelinde Cornelissen (NED) and the magnificent Jerich Parzival danced to victory to the strains of Tchaikovskyrsquos Nutcracker Suite in the Freestyle com-petition that closed the Reem Acra FEI World Cuptrade Dressage Final Denmarkrsquos Nathalie zu Sayn-Witt-genstein and Digby finished second while Germanyrsquos Ulla Salzgeber steered Herzrufrsquos Erbe into third place The 2010 title-winner Edward Gal (GER) finished fourth with a great performance from Sisther de JeuThe top three mirrored those of the Grand Prix class two days earlier when a confident performance rewarded with a score of 80957 put Adelinde Cornelissen (NED) in first place followed by Denmarkrsquos Nathalie zu Sayn-Wittgenstein with Digby (76884 3) and Germanyrsquos Ulla Salzgeber riding Herzrufrsquos Erbe (76216 points) Defending champion Edward Gal rode a tense Sisther de Jeu with a disappointing test score of 70122 The final saw 17 horse and rider combinations from 10 nations compete ndash three from the USA The
Netherlands and Germany two from Sweden and one from Hungary Fin-
land Poland Belgium Great Britain and Denmark Fifteen riders went on to the Freestyle competition
Highlights available as video on demand on
15FOCUS
Boyd Exell (AUS) successfully defended his FEI World Cuptrade Driving title in Leipzigrsquos thrilling final speed-ing to victory in front of a wildly enthusiastic crowd and becoming the second driver to score a hat-trick of World Cup victories Hungaryrsquos Jozsef Dobrovitz drove two brilliant rounds with his team of Lipiz-zaner horses and finished second ahead of IJsbrand Chardon (NED) The FEI World Cuptrade Driving Final was run over two indoor competitions which took place on 29 April and 1 May Seven drivers competed Tomas Eriksson (SWE) Koos de Ronde (NED) Werner Ulrich (SUI) Christian Pluumlcker (GER) and the triumphant trio who after emerging from the first round on 1 May with the highest number of points qualified for the winning round immediately afterwards
FEI World Cuptrade
DrIVINGldquoOnce again the worldrsquos best indoor drivers came together for a thrilling final the com-bination of horses working together in a team driven by superbly skilled horsemento produce thrilling andspectacular driving sportrdquo Ian Williams FEI Director of Non-Olympic Sports
16
Switzerlandrsquos Patrick Looser and Germanyrsquos Simone Wiegele claimed the inau-gural FEI World Cuptrade Vaulting titles at the 20102011 FEI World Cuptrade Finals a glittering Freestyle to Music showcase held over two daysLooserrsquos fellow starters in the Menrsquos section were Nicolas Andreani (FRA) Viktor Bruumlsewitz (GER) Daniel Kaiser (GER) Lukas Klouda (CZE) Nikolaus Luschin (AUT) and Yvan Nousse (FRA) Looser 26 was under pressure having finished second to Nicolas Andreani from France in the first Freestyle competition But
the reigning World Champion who won three of the four qualifying rounds over the winter months produced a superb performance which left Andreani in second place and Germanyrsquos Viktor Brusewitz in third In addition to the victorious Wiegele contenders for the Female title were her three compatriots Pia Engelbury Ines Juumlckstock and Antje Hill Simone Jaumliser (SUI) Stefanie Kowald (AUT) and Anna Cavallaro (ITA) In the second
competition Wiegele followed team-mate Hill into the arena in Hall 1 which seemed to be much more to the liking of the
horses than the smaller ring used on the first day And although Hillrsquos routine was
dramatic and beautifully controlled it was Wiegelersquos more complex display that settled
the destination of the very first Female World Cup trophy
ldquoFor the first time an indoor final that provided the public with an opportunity to witness the gymnastic movements of
athletes atop magnificent horses all choreographed to breathtaking musical arrangementsrdquo
Ian Williams FEI Director of Non-Olympic Sports
Highlights available as video on demand on
WHEN AND WHERE
26 ndash 30 July FEI European Reining Championship for Seniors amp Juniors Wiener Neustadt (AUT)
16 ndash 21 August FEI European Vaulting Championships for Seniors amp Juniors Le Mans (FRA)
17 ndash 21 August FEI European Dressage Championships Rotterdam (NED)
25 ndash 28 August HSBC FEI European Eventing Championships Luhmuumlhlen (GER)
01 ndash 04 September Open FEI European Driving Championships for Four-in-Hand Breda (NED)
01 ndash 04 September FEI European Para-Equestrian Dressage Championships Moorsele (BEL)
10 September FEI European Endurance Championships Florac (FRA)
13 ndash 18 September FEI European Jumping Championships Madrid (ESP)
LIVE ONLive coverage and highlightsCheck out the FEI TV broadcasting schedule for all the latest information on events broadcast live on FEI TV
European Championships for seniors in all the FEI disciplines are being held in 2011 We take a quick 360deg look at the dates venues facts amp figures and triumphant moments of the past 50 years of European Championships
FeI europeanChampionships 2011
Donrsquot miss a beatComplete competition reports updates behind the scenes information facts and figures and more can be found on wwwfeiorg as well as our dedicated facebook twitter and you tube pages
18
Preview
For the 31st edition of the FEI European Jumping Championships the event returns to Spain 18 years after the Championships in Gijon only this time to be held at the Club de Campo Villa in Madrid The FEI European Jumping Championships take place every two years in the middle of the Olympic cycle and have been held since 1957 with the introduction of team medals in 1975
THE VENUEThe Club de Campo Villa de Madrid (ESP) has been host to an annual CSI for 100 years and will be tem-porarily replacing its usual grass in the main arena with all-weather sand footing to ensure perfect going for the Championship
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERSTeam ndash SwitzerlandIndividual ndash Kevin Staut (FRA)
OLyMPIC qUALIFICATIONThe 3 best ranked nations from Olympic Qualifying Groups A amp B at the 2011 FEI European Jumping Championships (excluding the teams already quali-fied at WEG) will be qualified to take part with a team consisting of 4 athletes amp 4 horses or 3 athletes amp 3 horses
GREAT HORSES OF THE EUROPEANCHAMPIONSHIPSDEISTER - An extraordinary horse with an extraordi-nary record With Germanys Paul Schockemohle on board this brilliant bay Hannoverian led won three consecutive individual gold medals - in Munich Germany in 1981 Hickstead England in 1983 and Dinard France in 1985 Bred by Hermann Hahl in Osterbruch Lower Saxony Deister was by Diskant out of Adlerklette by Adlerschild stood 171cms high and had the heart of a lion Deisters European medal
haul also included team gold at Munich in 1981 team silver in Rotterdam in 1979 and team bronze at both Hickstead in 1983 and Dinard in 1985 Despite his incredibly active career the hardy Deister who was born in February 1971 lived to the ripe old age of 29
MR SOFTEE - The closest challenger to Deister for the title of Champion of the Europeans is the Irish-bred Mr Softee - a three-time winner but with two different riders Mr Softee enjoyed a hugely success-ful career with David Broome However it was with another Briton David Barker that the chestnut horse with four white legs took the individual European ti-tle for the first time in London in 1962 This was then followed up with David Broomersquos victory in Rotter-dam in 1967 and in Hickstead in 1969 Broome once said that like many other top horses Mr Softee had a big opinion of himself - He thought he was a king - and he was right
Believe it or nothellip
bull Itwasonlyin1975thatwomenwere permittedtocompetealongsidemenin theEuropeanJumpingChampionshipsprior tothistherehadbeentheLadiesEuropean JumpingChampionshipsheldfrom1957- 1973
bull Only2womenhaveeverwonthe FEIEuropeanChampionshipsFrancersquos AlexandraLedermannin1999and MeredithMichaels-Beerbaum(GER) in2007
bull Germanyledthegoldtallywith20 medals(14individualamp6team)double theamountofrunnerupGreatBritainon 10(6individualand4team)
FeI eUroPeaN
JUMPINGChaMPIoNshIPs
13-18 September 2011
Madrid (SPAIN)
19FOCUS
LIVE coverage on
Rotterdam gets set to host the 25th edition of the FEI European Dressage Championships for the first time and only the second time for the Netherlands (Arnhem 1999) The FEI European Dressage Championships take place every two years in the middle of the Olympic cycle and have been held since 1963
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERS
Team ndash The Netherlands
Individual ndash Kuumlr to MusicEdward Gal (NED) amp Moorlands Totilas
Individual ndash Grand Prix SpecialAdelinde Cornelissen (NED) amp Jerich Parzival
OLyMPIC qUALIFICATIONThe 3 best ranked nations from Groups A B amp C at the 2011 FEI European Dressage Championships (exclud-ing the teams already qualified at WEG) will be quali-fied to take part with a team consisting of 3 athletes amp 3 horses
THE WIND OF CHANGEFor 21 consecutive Championships from 1965 to 2005 (no team title awarded in 1963) the Germans held the European title but the last two editions have seen an upset to that tradition with the Netherlands clenching gold In 2009 the Dutch domination was particularly strong with five out of six individual med-als awarded to Dutch riders and the sixth going to British rider Laura Bechtolsheimer
IN MEMORy OF HENRI CHAMMARTIN (SUI)At the time of writing a legend in the Dressage world Henri Chammartin (SUI) passed away at the age of 92 An Olympic and European Dressage champion Henri Chammartin won the first two editions of the
FEI European Championships in 1963 and 1965 riding Wolfdiedtrich and competed in five consecutive edi-tions of the Olympic Games ndash Helsinki 1952 Stock-holm 1956 Rome 1960 Tokyo 1964 and Mexico 1968 ndash winning a total of five Olympic medals includ-ing Olympic champion in 1964
RECORD BREAKINGhellip In 2009 the formidable partnership of The Nether-lands Edward Gal and Moorlands Totilas smashed the world Freestyle record before a packed house with Windsor Castle standing proudly as a backdrop when scoring 9070 (including an unbelievable 29 perfect-10 scores) to win the Freestyle gold medal
Believe it or nothellip
bull GermanyhaswontheEuropeanDressage TeamTitleon21occasions
bull Thegreatestnumberofteamstoparticipate inEuropeanDressageChampionshipsis 14-atHickstead(GBR)in2003andagainat Hagen(GER)in2005
bull GermanysDrReinerKlimkewonthreeindi vidualtitles-atAachenin1967ridingDux andagainin1973ridingMehmedandat Copenhagenin1985ridingAhlerich
bull WithGigoloGermanysIsabellWerthtook theindividualtitlein1995and1997and wontheGrandPrixSpecialatDonaueschingen Germanyin1991andatLipicaSloveniain 1993
bull AnkyvanGrunsvenhasthreewinstoher namendashin1999withBonfirefollowedbythe backtobackwinswithSalineroin2005and 2007
17-21 August 2011
Rotterdam Netherland
FeI eUroPeaN
DressaGeChaMPIoNshIPs
20
LIVE coverage on
These are the second FEI European Para-Equestrian Dressage Championships to be held since Para-Equestrian joined the FEI Family in 2006 Para-Equestrian Dressage has been a regular fixture at the Paralympic Games since 1996 The first FEI European Para-Equestrian Dressage Championships were held in southern Norwegian town of Kristiansand in 2009 with a total of 78 ath-letes from 22 countries participating
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERS
Team Great Britain
Grade Ia Individual - Sophie Christiansen (GBR) Freestyle - Emma Sheardown (GBR)
Grade Ib Individual amp Freestyle Lee Pearson (GBR)
Grade II Individual - Petra Van der Sande (NED) Freestyle - Angelika Trabert (GER)
Grade III Individual amp Freestyle
Hannelore Brenner (GER)
Grade IV Individual amp Freestyle Sophie Wells (GBR)
The mobility strength and coordination of competi-tors are assessed and athletes with similar functional ability profiles are grouped into competition grades that range from Grade Ia for the most severely im-paired to Grade IV for the least impaired This means that the competition within each Grade can be judged on the skill of the individual competitors on their horses regardless of their disabilities
CLUB qUADRILLEMoorsele has been host to a regular international Para-Equestrian Dressage events for the past few years with the Club Quadrille as organiser The Club Quadrille was founded in 1981 by Anne Van Neste-dIeteren Belgian Dressage Champion from 1977 un-til 1982 current President of the Belgian Paralympic Committee and member of the FEI Para-Equestrian committee It is a unique sports club that works with both able bodied and disabled athletes and is active in the promotion and education of the sport As member of the honorary IPC Board Her Royal Highness (HRH) Princess Astrid of Belgium has been a fervent supporter of the event and has attended on many occasions
Believe it or nothellip
bull LeePearson(GBR)haswoneverygold medalwithinreachatParalympicWorld andContinentallevelandtheEuropeans in2009werenodifferentwithanother triplegoldvictory
bull GreatBritainalsohavetheMidastouch whenitcomestoteammedalsndashandarethe currentParalympicWorldandEuropean titleholders
bull In2009Germanycamecloserthanever totakingthegoldmedalfromall-time championGreatBritain
1-4 September 2011
Moorsele Belgium
FeI eUroPeaN
Para-eqUestrIaNDressaGeChaMPIoNshIPs
21FOCUS
A record number of fans are expected to attend the HSBC FEI European Eventing Championships as they return to Luhmuumlhlen for the fifth time to mark the 30th edition of the ChampionshipsThe FEI European Eventing Championships take place every two years in the middle of the Olympic cycle and have been held since 1953
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERSTeam ndash Great BritainIndividual ndash Kristina CookMiners Frolic (GBR)
OLyMPIC qUALIFICATIONThe 2 best ranked nations from Groups A B amp C at the 2011 HSBC FEI European Eventing Champion-ships (excluding the teams already qualified at WEG) will be qualified to take part with a team consisting of 3 athletes amp 3 horses
THE VENUELuhmuumlhlen one of only six 4 events on the interna-tional Eventing calendar and part of the prestigious HSBC FEI Classicstrade series will greet Europersquos best athletes with a fresh look and feel this year following extensive renovation to the existing infrastructures The recently renovated showground includes three Dressage and two Jumping arenas a tribune able to seat 850 spectators with spectacular views as well as a newly designed entrance including six ticket box facilities and fully catered trade stands The show-ground also boasts an open air stage with space for up to 15000 spectators ldquoI am confident that the in-vestment in the infrastructure will be of great benefit to all involved whether you are a volunteer a groom an athlete ndash both the horses and the riders - as well as for the sponsors guests spectators and the fans We are re-ally looking forward to great competitions this year at both the CCI4CIC3 in June and at the Europeans in August and hope many will join us to witness this historic momentrdquo Julia Otto Event Director Luhmuumlhlen
HSBCHSBC has renewed their sponsorship for a further three-year term as global sponsor of FEI Eventing to include title sponsorships of the HSBC FEI European Eventing Championships in both 2011 and 2013 and the HSBC FEI Classicstrade until the end of 2013
OFFICIAL TIMEPIECE Rolex the leading name in luxury wrist watches will be the Official Timekeeper for the HSBC FEI European Eventing Championships 2011
Believe it or nothellip
bull GinnyElliot(bornHolgate)theonlyrider towinthreesuccessiveindividualtitlesand IanStarkholdthejointrecordforEuropean goldmedalswonndashseveneachbutLucinda Greenstillhasthemostmedals(10)
bull SupremeRockriddenbyPippaFunnell (GBR)istheonlyhorsetowinback-to-back titles(in1999and2001)hehasfour Europeangoldmedalsintotalequalingthe recordofKilbarryThePoacherandOver ToYouwhowonarecordfourconsecutive Europeanteamgolds(1999-2005)
bull PrincessAnneandZaraPhillipsaretheonly mother-daughtercombinationtowin Europeantitles(1971and2005)
bull GreatBritainhaveheldtheEuropeantitle forthepast8consecutiveChampionships (since1995)Andofthe29editionstodate (startingin1953)theteamhavewona whopping21
25-28 August 2011
Luhmuumlhlen Germany
hsBC FeI eUroPeaN
eVeNtINGChaMPIoNshIPs LIVE coverage on
22
In September Breda Hippique in The Netherlands will be host to the seventh edition of the FEI Euro-pean Driving Championships for Four-in-Hand not held since 1981 This edition is open to both Euro-pean and non-European drivers and will also count as a qualifier for the indoor FEI World Cuptrade Driv-ing which is held during the winter season Only competitors from Europe can claim the individual and team medalsThe FEI European Driving Championships for Four-in-Hand were first held in 1971 in Budapest and continued to be held every two years until 1981 at which stage they were discontinued
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERSTeam ndash HungaryIndividual ndash Gyoumlrgyi Bardos (HUN)
SOMETHING IN THE WATERhellip Hungary have won five out of six available team European titles and on the individual front two Hungarians stand out from the crowd Imre Abony ndash individual winner in 1971 and 1975 and Gyoumlrgyi Bardos triple consecutive winner in 1977 1979 1981
IN THE BEGINNINGhellipThe first European Championships took place in Budapest in 1971 and moved on to Windsor in Great Britain in 1973 Sopot in Poland in 1975 Donauesch-ingen in Germany in 1977 and in Haras du Pin in France in 1979 The sixth and last edition took place in 1981 in Zug Switzerland
THE VENUEBreda has hosted the only Nations competition (CAIO) for Four-in-Hand horses in The Netherlands for many years In 1995 Breda hosted the first FEI European Driving Championships for Four-in-Hand ponies and in 2010 was host to the FEI World Para-Equestrian Driving Championships Aside from the four-in-hand teams Breda will also host international pony teams and national horse pairs at the event this year
Believe it or nothellip
bull Hungaryhavewonfiveoutofsixteamgold titles
bull AugusteDubeyfromSwitzerlandwasthe onlynon-HungarianEuropeanChampion hewontheChampionshipsin1973
bull PrincePhilipFEIPresidentfrom1964- 1986whocelebratedhis90thbirhtday inJuneisanavidfanofDrivingandpartici- patedinsixWorldandthreeEuropean Championships
1-4 September 2011
Breda Netherland
FeI eUroPeaN
DrIVINGChaMPIoNshIPsfor FoUr-IN-haND
Note At the time of writing the FEI European DrivingChampionships for Four in Hand was pending approvalby the FEI Bureau
23FOCUS
The 14th edition of the FEI European Endurance Championships return to Florac in France twenty five years after the inaugural event was held there The FEI European Endurance Championships first took place in 1984 and were immediately followed up by a second edition in 1985 and have since been held every two years They have always been open to the world with two sets of medals presented ndash open and European
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERSTeam ndash SpainIndividual ndash Maria Alvarez Ponton amp Nobby
RECORD BREAKINGCurrent title holder Maria Alvarez Ponton amp super horse Nobby is the first rider to hold European and World titles at the same time She will be looking to confirm her stronghold on the sport following her second consecutive World title with a second con-secutive European title in Florac a feat no rider has managed to achieve at the Europeans to date
THE VET GATEModern competitions consist of a number of sec-tions known as lsquophasesrsquo At the end of each phase there is a compulsory halt for veterinary inspection Each horse which is thoroughly examined before it is allowed to start the ride must be presented for inspection within a set time of reaching each vetgate The time spent at each vetgate prior to inspection by the vets is counted as part of the overall competition time and the aim is to determine whether the horse is fit to continue the ride
THE SUPPORT CREWA vital part of Endurance riding is the support crew Riders are assisted by a team of helpers who meet them several times over the ride bringing bottles of water to pour over the horse to cool it down as well as a drink for the rider Crews also have spare equipment in case something breaks down or needs replacing
Believe it or nothellip
bull TheFrenchhavethemedaledgewith6 individualand4teamgoldmedalsfrom the14editionsheld
bull Floracistheonlyvenuetohostthe EuropeanChampionshipstwice(thefirst editionin1984andtheupcomingedition in2011)
bull EnduranceisthefastestgrowingFEI disciplinefrom2000to2010thenumber ofinternationaleventshavemultipliedby10
10 September 2011
Florac France
FeI eUroPeaN
eNDUraNCeChaMPIoNshIPs
24
Reem Acra Boutique 14 East 60th St New York New York 10022 2123088760 wwwreemacracom
356935B2_RA_brochure2_souvenir_programmeindd 1 82710 1012 AM
Vaulting became an FEI discipline in 1983 and saw its first FEI European Championship organised just one year later in the town of Ebreichsdorf in Austria This 15th edition of the Championship ndash which also includes the European Juniors competition return to France for the 4th time but for the first time in the world renowned venue of Le Mans famous for its 24 hour race
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERS
Team ndash Austria
Individual malelongeurhorseNicolas Andreani (FRA)Marina Joosten DuponIdefix de Braize
Individual femalelongeurhorseJoanna Eccles (GBR)John EcclesWH Bentley
THE WIND OF CHANGEGermany and Switzerland have traditionally bat-tled for the team title (Germany has 7 gold versus Switzerlandrsquos 5) but in 2009 Austria who had come second on four occasions since the inception of the Championships in 1984 finally climbed onto the top spot of the podium and claimed the title In terms of the individual performances Germany had the stronghold on the male category winning 11 out of 14 gold medals But again in 2009 France the only other country to have ever beaten a German male vaulter at the Europeans made it to the top spot of the podium for only the third time since the Championships began
Similarly with the female vaulters it was an all German domination until 2007 when Austriarsquos Sissi Jarz claimed gold followed by Joanna Eccles (GBR) in 2009 ndash leaving Germany off the top step of the podium entirely in 2009
GREAT BRITAIN ndash A VAULTING NATIONhellip Times have definitely changed from the Swiss German domination with current World and European titles held by Great Britainrsquos Joanna Eccles She was the first British vaulter (male or female) to claim a medal at the Europeans ndash let alone a gold medal - and then went on to secure the world title in Kentucky last year
Believe it or nothellip
bull TheonlycountryotherthanGermanyand SwitzerlandtohaveclaimedaEuropean VaultingtitleisSlovakiain2005
bull ChristophLensing(GER)holdsthemale medalrecordndashwiththreegold(19891993 amp1995)aswellassilverin1991
bull NadiaZuumllowandSilkeMichelberger (formerlyBernhard)withthreegoldmedals each
16-21 August 2011
Le Mans France
FeI eUroPeaN
VaULtINGChaMPIoNshIPs
26
This is only the fifth edition of the European Reining Championships since the discipline joined the FEI in 2000 and the first time they will be held in Austria The event also includes the FEI European Champi-onships for Juniors and Young Riders ndash a formula introduced in 2009 in Kreuth (GER) which proved to be a multigenerational success The FEI European Reining Championships take place every two years and have been held since 2003
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERSTeam ndash GermanyIndividual ndash Nina Lill (GER) riding Lena Cielo Jewel
THE JUDGINGReining horses are judged individually Each horse au-tomatically begins the required pattern with a score of 70 One or frac12 points are given or taken away for each manoeuvre Credit is given for smoothness fi-nesse attitude quickness and authority Controlled speed in the pattern raises the level of difficulty and makes the reining horse exciting to watch
Believe it or nothellip
bull ItalyandGermanyaretheonlytwonations tohavewongoldmedalsndashGermanyhas3 teamgoldand2individualgoldversus Italyrsquossingleteamgoldandtwoindividual gold
bull GermanyrsquosNinaLillwinnerin2009was thefirstwomantotaketheindividualtitle sincetheChampionshipsbeganin2003
bull OlympicWorldandEuropeanDressage ChampionAnkyVanGrunsven(NED) competedattheAlltechFEIWorldEques- trianGamestradein2010inbothDressageand hellipReining
bull 13nationswerescheduledtoattendthe Championshipatthetimeofwritingthe largestparticipationbycountryever recordedfortheEuropeans
26-30 July 2011
Wiener Neustadt Austria
FeI eUroPeaN
reININGChaMPIoNshIPs
27FOCUS
ldquoThirty-one yearsrsquo experience comes in handy some-timesrdquo joked the ever-relaxed Todd who was a leg-end by the time he ldquoretiredrdquo in 2000 with back-to-back Olympic golds five Burghley wins two world gold medals and three Badminton victories one on a horse he had never ridden before ldquoIt is incredibly special though right up there with the back-to-back Olympic golds When I came back to the sport (in 2008) it was to see if I could get back to top level It has always been my aim to win another big onerdquo
A World class meeting of Generations
The 2011 HSBC FEI Classicstrade could not have got off to a more epic start with wins at Badminton and Kentucky by two of the sportrsquos most enduring personalitiesThe 55-year-old New Zealander Mark Todd rolled back the years to score a fourth victory at the Gloucestershire venue 31 years after his first attempt in 1980
By Kate Green
28
HSBC FEI ClassicsTm
The resurgence of so much experienced talent makes it harder for younger riders to work their way up the leaderboard but 29-year-old Sinead Halpin (USA) had a spectacular CCI4 debut at Kentucky finish-ing third and best of the home side in distinguished company This achievement earned her the HSBC Training Bursary worth US$1000 towards training a prestigious and valuable award presented to the rider who achieves the best result on completing a CCI4 for the first time
The bursary winner at Badminton Fiona Hobby (GBR) 39 has had a rather longer wait to complete
her first CCI4 ndash she was 26th on Roma ML ndash but she has in the meantime produced two children had a career as a sports therapist and only switched from Jumping to Eventing relatively recently Hobby has vowed to spend the money on dressage train-ing ldquoRoma couldnrsquot believe it when she arrived in the arena and saw all those people but she was great across country really focussed Irsquom delightedrdquo
For Germanyrsquos Sandra Auffarth Luhmuumlhlen pro-vided an outstanding CCI4 debut on Opgun Louvo a young horse she has produced herself coming second and picking up the HSBC Training Bursary and the exciting prospect of a possible place in the squad for the forthcoming HSBC FEI European Event-ing Championship at Luhmuumlhlen (25-28 August) at which Germany as host nation will be entitled to field 12 riders
Last yearrsquos HSBC Training Bursary winners include Stephanie Rhodes-Bosch (CAN) who went on to win a team silver medal at the Alltech FEI World Equestri-an Gamestrade Lauren Shannon (GBR) who finished 17th at Badminton this year and Giovanni Ugolotti (ITA) who is furthering his career by basing himself in Brit-ain for the season and having lessons with Mark Todd
LIVE coverage and extensive highlights available on
Toddrsquos winning mount the 10-year-old NZB Land Vision was a green horse for this level and he fin-ished the Cross-Country phase tired but his rider kept his cool in an extraordinarily tight finish in which the price of one Jumping fence covered the top 12 riders any of whom could with a bit of luck have won the Mitsubishi Motors Trophy ldquoIn the end it came down to horse-power and Irsquove obviously got a good one hererdquo said Todd ldquoCharisma (his double Olympic gold medallist) will always be the most special horse but this one has no weak linksrdquo
As is the nature of the sport Toddrsquos lead in the HSBC FEI Classicstrade didnrsquot last long ndash he came down to earth with a bump the following weekend with a Cross-Country run-out on NZB Grass Valley his ride at the Rolex Kentucky Three Day Event (USA) and 49- year-old Mary King (GBR) stole the head-lines with a record one-two on Kings Mis-tress and Fernhill Urco It was Kingrsquos first CCI4 victory for 11 years ndash she has won Badminton twice and Burghley once ndash but she certainly smashed a few re-cords with this one She became the first rider to score a one-two at Kentucky the first in modern times to win a CCI4 on a home-bred horse and the oldest female to win a CCI4
King who has six team gold medals at World and European level plus competed at five consecutive Olympics had the luxury of knowing she had already won the event on the inexperienced 10-year-old Fernhill Urco a horse bred in Portugal by the time she entered the arena on Kings Mistress but she still produced a second clear round ldquoI never dreamed that I would be in this position and Irsquom enjoying the momentrdquo said the ever-smiling King ldquoIt was great to have the feeling of having already won on Fernhill Urco but I still wanted desperately to go clear on Kings Mistress as it is so special to win on a horse I bred myselfrdquo It was also an all clear from Germanyrsquos Andreas Dibowski and Euroriding Butts Leon in order to secure victory at the fourth leg of the HSBC FEItrade
Classicstrade in Luhmuumlhlen presented by EON Avacon
29FOCUS
The Danish-American actorpoet musician photographerand painter has been around horses most of his life from riding Hasufel and Brego in The Lord of the Rings trilogy to early childhood memories in Argentina his passion for floating as he describes it has never wavered
What is it about the horse that makes you a horse loverWe get along generally I respect their strength and their personal space Your first riding experience ndash was it bliss or terrorLike floating like being on a warm and floating mountain I remember being happy Do you think anyone can rideYes It is a question of allowing yourself to ride of allowing yourself to cooperate and not be in total control Children are more adept at figuring this out letting things happen without getting impatient or scared just as they are braver and less self-conscious about pronouncing new words or singing Anyone at any age or in any physical condition can
Viggo Mortensen
achieve a degree of success and satisfaction with horses even if it is just a question of touching them being near them If horses could talk what would they be sayingYou will know if you listen and watch them Is there a unique trait you look for in a horse that you canrsquot find in peopleThey are more patient and less apt to complain about lifersquos setbacks and physical ailments than most people I admire a tough smart horse what-ever its breed age or size What would you miss most if you could no longer go ridingThe companionship and the floating perhaps also the abandonment of usual daily worries that relaxed riding requires Whatrsquos your usual riding outfit consist ofAnything will do Loose-fitting clothes and good comfortable boots are a plus but not vital I have even ridden barefoot ndash naturally taking care to avoid being stepped on when not on the horse - but I do not recommend this to anyone The most important thing is to have a clear and focused mind to be THERE at all times when around horses and NOWHERE ELSE Sugar lumps or carrotsIrsquove been guilty of offering an occasional apple or carrot although it is best not to give horses anything special unless treats are part of training them for special tricks or stunts a pursuit best left to experts like master horse trainer Rex Peterson whom Irsquove had the good fortune to work with and study quite a bit Treats spoil horses and do not keep the animal focused on the task at hand Whatrsquos your favourite part of a horseThe brain What do you think young people gain from ridingSelf-confidence and an understanding of the value of cooperation
30
Why the long face
When did you first develop the bond with the horseThe first time I got on one as a little boy in ArgentinaYou either develop a bond of some kind or you fall off Of course you may even fall off if you develop the bond but you have to start (and restart) somewhere
Did your friends ride My brothers also rode and I have ridden with many kinds of people over the years ndash some good and patient with horses and some not If I had not rid-den as a boy I would probably have been wandering around fishing imagining I was a cowboy or an Indian or a Viking ndash which I did anyway Where in the world would you most like to rideMost anywhere will do but I have been extremely lucky to have ridden in many wide-open wild places ndash deserts grassy plains mountains by different seas and rivers in Argentina New Zealand North Africa and North America If you could spend one afternoon riding with a famous person (past or present)who would it be and whyIrsquoll give you 3 Oglala chief Tasunke Witko (Crazy Horse) my ancestor William F Cody or any real Gaucho from the province of Chaco Argentina
Two horses go out for dinner what kindof restaurant do they chooseLate spring grass near a slow-moving clean river with a gentle firm shoreline an hour before sun-down far from any people or other animals All time favourite horse filmI have a subjective soft spot for the stories and real horses involved in the making of ldquoHidalgordquo and the 2nd and 3rd installments of ldquoThe Lord Of The Ringsrdquo trilogy but I admire other ldquohorse moviesrdquo as wellThe 1953 French movie ldquoCrin-Blancrdquo (ldquoWhite Manerdquo) directed by Albert Lamorisse is a personal favourite
After three years at the head of the successful French Jumping team with back to back FEI Nations Cuptrade titles and a silver medal at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade Laurent Elias is moving on to new spheres with the French Horse amp Riding Institute where he will be training the riders of the National Riding School in Saumur
Laurent Elias
copy C
hris
toph
e Br
icot
32
The other side of
If I had not become a professional rider I would havehellipmade a career in a humanitarian organisation Horse riding is sometimes too trivial
My priority in life ishellipto be able to look at myself in the mirror in the morning and make sure I am at peace with my conscience
My familyhellipkeeps me grounded My wife helped me a lot when I was in charge of selections for France She took charge of my personal life and was the first person I called when we got the medal in Lexington I also admire my parents for the values they passed on to me
I remember my first ridingexperiencehellipaged six we were shooting a family film and I was on horseback I finished upside down under my horse for a long time I stopped riding for one year
I used to dream abouthellipsafaris One of my uncles was passionate about safaris Through him I became very interested in African trips and the jobs that allow you to travel as a reporter were fascinating to me as well
I have been thinking a lot abouthellipwhat happened in Japan these past few months First this tsunami that devastated everything without warning then the nuclear disaster It made me think that progress should not be destructive
My horse Gueacutenourhellipchanged my life I was just a coach and he brought me to the top I won the national championship in 1981 with him
My biggest challengehas always beenhellipshyness Horse riding has really helped me over-come it Horses brought me on stage and there I had to meet people
As a Chef dEquipehellipthere is no single defining achievement itrsquos all about the solidarity and the moments spent together as a team Irsquoll never forget the first time Penelope Leprevost rode her mare Jubileacutee drsquoOuilly in the FEI Nations Cuptrade of Rotterdam McLain Ward had just completed a real fast run with Sapphire We thought the Americans would win but she did it faster and beat Sapphire
In terms of eventshellipAachen is my favourite competition - for its won-derful organisation But we have also pretty good five star competitions in France
I donrsquot sleep muchhellipprobably because I am just happy to be alive
Irsquom not scared to laugh or cryhellipI laugh at the funny situations we sometimes find ourselves in life and enjoy people with quirky personalities I cry when I see others in pain
Laurent Elias and the French team en route to the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade copy PSV-Jean Morel
33FOCUS
Nicolas TheacutevenazAged 23 studies Robotics and Autonomous Systems Micro Engineering in Lausanne (SUI) alongside regular training and competition in Dressage and Para-Equestrian Dressage events Born with spastic diplegia Nicolas was introduced to horses via hippotherapy aged seven and quickly developed a passion for riding which not only helped with his physical condition but also taught him through Dressage the art of patience and perseverance
34
One day
Nicolas TheacutevenazAged 23 studies Robotics and Autonomous Systems Micro Engineering in Lausanne (SUI) alongside regular training and competition in Dressage and Para-Equestrian Dressage events Born with spastic diplegia Nicolas was introduced to horses via hippotherapy aged seven and quickly developed a passion for riding which not only helped with his physical condition but also taught him through Dressage the art of patience and perseverance
He has been fortunate to meet the right people (and horses) at the right time and has been working for the past five years with trainer Vicky-Eileen Baumann (pictured right) and her horses Magic and Lady (pictured right) ldquoShersquos bred them and knows them inside out which is very useful when I have to communicate with them - they know my voice intonations and a whole string of specific words or sounds ndash which really helps as my body canrsquot or doesnrsquot always have the strength to do sordquo
As a Grade II Para-Equestrian rider Nicolas competes in Para-Equestrian Dressage (PED) events as well as national events for able bodied riders as there are only a handful of PED riders and no events in Switzerland
Unable to attend the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade 2010 in Kentucky last year Nicolas and Vicky have their sights firmly set on the 2012 Para-lympic Games and will be looking to qualify with Lady over the next 12 months ndash alongside exams studies and everything else life has to offerhellip Who is your role model For different reasons I have different role mod-els Edward Gal Dane Rawlins Isabel Werth and Catherine Haddad
When did you start riding and why At age 7 I was sat on a horse for hippotherapy and liked the complicity with the horse which made me want to discover more
How do you feel when you ride Concentrated and industrious
Who is your biggest fan My trainerrsquos mum
Complete this sentenceOne day I would like tohellip have gained enough knowledge to be able to take care of and train my own horse
What are your long term goals as a rider Continue to do my best to enjoy what I do and show others itrsquos possible
How do you juggle studies and competition I think itrsquos really important to have goals and to do everything you can to achieve them and that includes taking on challenges because if you donrsquot try then yoursquoll never know what you could have achieved
What is your proudest achievement to date Participation in international events together with pursuing my studies
How do you feel after winning Still working towards discovering the feeling
What is the best advice anyone has ever given youMy trainer often repeats to me the famous saying by General LrsquoHotte ldquoCalme en avant droitrdquo which says so much about riding but can also be applied to so many other aspects of life
35FOCUS
What advice would you give someone looking to get involved in Para-Equestrian Dressage Train and ride with able-bodied athletes as often as possible Being around and working with horses is so rewarding Irsquod like - when Irsquom retired - to write a book to share these feelings with others and hope this will inspire them to get involved
Complete this sentenceIn the future I would like the sport to beeven ldquocleanerrdquo and fairer and if possible not more but less demanding on the horses
ldquoLast but not least Irsquod like to take the opportunity of this article to reach out to those who give me their trust and help be it with their time their friendship and any type of support Day after day to year after year team work is essential and Irsquoll do my best to continue deserving every-onersquos encouraging smilesrdquo
European Broadcasting Union
Union Europeacuteenne de Radio-Teacuteleacutevision
+41 (0)22 717 2111 wwweurovisionnet
We bring the event to your home
Eurovision
copy K
it H
ough
ton
FE
I
FEI_08_A4indd 1 03012008 162238
European Broadcasting Union
Union Europeacuteenne de Radio-Teacuteleacutevision
+41 (0)22 717 2111 wwweurovisionnet
We bring the event to your home
Eurovision
copy K
it H
ough
ton
FE
I
FEI_08_A4indd 1 03012008 162238
Nominations for the FEI Awards opened in May enabling the global equestrian com-munity to once again reward outstanding dedication to horse sport in five categories ndash Development Best Groom Against All Odds Rising Star and Best Athlete The search for the equestrian heroes of 2011 is now on who will be flown to Rio de Janeiro Brazil to receive their awards
Where are they now The FEI asked the current title-holders for an update on their activities
Follow us on
38
FEI Awards 2011
Ebony Horse Club (GBR)Winner of the Alltech FEI DevelopmentAward 2010
The Ebony Horse Club announced in December 2010 that after an eight-year fundraising effort it had the pound14 million necessary for building an equestrian cen-tre in one of Londonrsquos most deprived boroughs Since 1996 Ebony has offered youngsters in an area reput-ed for its gang culture high level of gun crime and drug dealing the chance to ride and learn key social skills The clubrsquos 50 members travel to riding schools across London on public transport or in minibuses ndash a logistical headache that the inner-city equestrian centre will end Construction work began in February
Ebony Horse Club founder and director Ros Spear-ing told the FEI ldquoRiding lessons are continuing and the club is preparing for the transitionrdquo Building will finish on 7 July but the centre will open for riding lessons in October ldquoThe horses will be brought to Brixton in the summer and will have time to acclimatise to their new environmentrdquo Spearing said The centre will include stabling for nine horses a small paddock and a flood-lit riding arena as well as a classroom for learning about horses and equine management Spearing is adamant that club members ndash present and future ndash care for their rides and wants the centre to serve as a stepping stone to careers in the horse industry
Ebonyrsquos existence will continue to depend on the generosity of donors For more information visit wwwebonyhorsecluborguk
Michelle Tipper (GBR)Winner of the FEI Best Groom Award 2010
Michelle Tipper has continued to juggle grooming and study since receiving her FEI Award in Novem-ber She has organised the grooms for the British European Junior and Young Dressage teams and in April her contract as a travelling groom for British Dressage riders Paul and Bobby Hayler took her to Addington for the first of many international com-petitions she will work at this year The Haylers have eight horses competing and the number she works with at each venue varies Tipper has also been help-ing British Dressage riders Nicky and Richard Barrett with yard duties ldquoI feel very lucky to work for both of these familiesrdquo said the FEI Best Groom Award win-ner adding that she feels part of the two families In March Tipper graduated from university with a Masters in Sport Psychology She is now working towards British Association of Sport and Exercise Science accreditation which requires at least 500 hoursrsquo supervised work experience and is present-ing sport psychology workshops in conjunction with the company Inside Performance Consulting Limit-ed (wwwinside-performancecom) The workshops are organised internationally for people of all ages from any sport To find out more contact Tipper at michelletipper1979yahoocom
39FOCUS
Michelle Tipper ndash copyWilliam TzengAward winners ndash copyWilliam TzengCaroline Roffman ndash copySharonPackercomEbony Horse Club ndash copyEbony Horse ClubEdward Gal and Totilas ndash copyKit HoughtonFEIAngelika Trabert ndash copyJulia Rau
Angelika Trabert (GER)Winner of the FEI Against All Odds Award 2010
German Para-Dressage rider Angelika Trabert has represent-ed her country at four Paralympic Games and won some 15 medals at national European and world championships She is currently seeking a new home for Londria the mare that con-tributed to her Team Silver medal win at the Hong Kong Para-lympics Londria who had a foal last year was also Trabertrsquos ride during her medal-winning performances at the European Championships in Hungary (2005) and Norway (2009)
Trabert said her decision to let go of Londria was hard to make but was necessary for financial reasons She will keep the foal Finaud Coquin and her mares Walmorel and Ariva-Avanti Trabert won the Para-Dressage Grade 2 Freestyle Champion-ship at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade with Ariva and said the horse was ldquowell and ready to go for the Europeans again in Belgium in September if we qualifyrdquo Trabert competed in her first international competition of 2011 in May in Man-nheim Germany where she came first in the Grade II indi-vidual and second in the freestyle She is taking part in the German Championships in June
Away from the equestrian world Trabert works as an anaes-thetist and has participated in medical missions in the rural ar-eas of Guinea for the organisation Mango In January she was back in Guinea as part of team that carried out 100 operations in 13 days wwwangelika-trabertde
Visit the recently refreshed FEI Awards website to find out more about the Awards the pastwinners the judges and to make yournominationsby 31 July
wwwfeiawardsorg
40
Caroline Roffman (USA)Winner of the HSBC FEI Rising StarAward 2010
Success continues to smile on twenty-two-year-old American Dressage rider Caroline Roffman Since re-ceiving the HSBC FEI Rising Star Award she has en-joyed numerous wins at small tour and young horse levels achieving scores in the mid-eighties and quali-fying two horses for the young horse championships
Roffman is currently showing six horses and has won several classes at PSG and Grand Prix level ldquoBut nothing is as exciting as to be going to Aachenrdquo said the young woman who has been described as the American Dressage communityrsquos brightest hope ex-plaining that at the FEI Awards ceremony in Chinese Taipei Frank Kemperman FEI Dressage Committee Chair and Chairman of the Managing Board at CHIO Aachen (GER) invited her to take part in the pres-tigious event Roffman will be the first American to compete in the Under 25 Grand Prix there and is hop-ing to take her horse Lux Stensvang
An interview with Caroline Roffman at the Palm Beach Dressage Derby CDI will be broadcast on the magazine programme Equestrian World on FEI TV the FEIrsquos official online video platform wwwfeitvorg
Edward Gal and Totilas (NED)Winners of the Reem Acra FEI Best Athlete Award 2010
The world-famous partnership of Dutch Dressage rider Edward Gal and the extraordinary Totilas ended in style in 2010 with notably three gold medal wins at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade
The first foal sired by the superstar stallion was born in January followed by two more in the spring Gal who has admired the foals told the FEI ldquoYou never know ndash maybe in a few yearsrsquo time Irsquoll have another Totilas readyrdquo At the beginning of April he was busy at home training nine horses and preparing for the Reem Acra FEI World Cuptrade Dressage Final in Leipzig and the European Championships in Rotterdam He had not yet decided which horses he was going to compete with but was particularly looking forward to the Freestyle to Music Asked what it was like to compete without Totilas Gal said ldquoEverybody ex-pected Totilas to win I find it easier to ride other horses because nobody expects me to win and when I do itrsquos really nicerdquo
41FOCUS
globetrotter
Seal of approval for the Adai horseSixty years have passed since an Adai horse reportedly set a record galloping 354km in one day Today the Adai horse a breed na-tive to Kazakhstan is back in the spotlight with a gold medal at the FEI Central Asian Endurance Championship in Talgaearlier in May only months after having been award-ed official pedigree status following tests
conducted by a State Commission in the Mangistau Steppes which allowed itto compete internationally The horses are cherished for their hardiness and Oyly ridden by Altyngali Bissemaganbetov (KAZ) proved just that when crossing the finishing line first demonstrating just how tough the Adai horses are and the beginning of a new era for sturdy breed on the international stage
Equestrian Australia Sport
Achievement Awards
In May the best of the best in
Equestrian sport gathered to cel-
ebrate the achievements of Austral-
iarsquos athletes coaches officials vets
administrators owners volunteers
and the many other people that
dedicate their time and enthusiasm
to equestrian sport The ceremony
also included the introduction of
Equestrian Australiarsquos Hall of
Fame won by the legendary Bill
Roycroft Boyd Exell winner of
the FEI World CupTM Driving
Final was awarded the interna-
tional athlete of the year
award
Kevin Stautbecomes first athlete representative on FEI
executive board
Kevin Staut one of Francersquos most successful Jumping riders became the first athlete to be appointed to the FEI Executive Board for a three-year term Staut (31) who has held the number one spot in the Rolex Rankings for Jumping since July 2010 has ridden on numerous Nations Cup teams for France and claimed individual gold at the Alltech FEI European Jumping Championships in 2009
HulA CARTSWorld Horse Welfare has greatly helped the liv
es of
five Senegalese cart horse owners by presenting them
with new Hula Carts The local people who depend on
their working horses for their livelihoods were specially
selected by the charity to receive the carts which have
been sponsored by members of the public in the uK
The Hula Carts are specifically developed to help the
horses pulling heavy loads in often difficult conditions
Equestrian Australia Sport
Achievement Awards
In May the best of the best in
Equestrian sport gathered to cel-
ebrate the achievements of Austral-
iarsquos athletes coaches officials vets
administrators owners volunteers
and the many other people that
dedicate their time and enthusiasm
to equestrian sport The ceremony
also included the introduction of
Equestrian Australiarsquos Hall of
Fame won by the legendary Bill
Roycroft Boyd Exell winner of
the FEI World CupTM Driving
Final was awarded the interna-
tional athlete of the year
award
Olympic legendBill Roycroft passes away aged 96
A legend of Equestrian sport in Australia James William
George Roycroft OBE known as ldquoBillrdquo was one of Austral-
iarsquos greatest Olympians and one of only five Australians to
have competed in five consecutive Olympic Games (from
1960 - 1976) as well as being Australiarsquos oldest medallist
and oldest competitor at 61 years and 31 days In May 2011
Bill was inducted in Equestrian Australiarsquos inaugural Hall
of Fame ndash he was Australiarsquos oldest living Olympian and
shared his dedication and enthusiasm for the sport with
his sons Barry Wayne and Clarke (See a brief description
of his exploits in the 1960 Olympic Games Memory Lane
article page 9 which catapulted Australiarsquos reputation as
one of the best Eventing teams in the world)
webinfofeiFEI web wizard Nicole Sigrist has added a new hub for the Press on wwwfeiorg called FEI Press Kits located in the Media section of the website The Press Kits zone which is also open to the general public is regularly updated with infor-mation relating to FEI series and specific events with flip books and downloadable PDFs as well as direct links to the Photo Catalogue the Rankings and Standings the Annual Report and more
100thanniversary for Finnish riding club
One of the three found-ing member clubs of
the Finnish Equestrian Federation the Suomen
Kenttaumlratsastusseura-Finska Faumlltrittklubbenon celebrates
its 100th anniversary in 2011 Magnus Rydman former President of the Finnish National Federation and Presi-dent of the FEI from 1935 ndash 1946 was one of the founders of the club Another of the founders of the oldest club in Fin-land was the Eventing rider Colonel Hans Olof von Essen whose fifth place at the Antwerpen Olympic Games re-mains the best Olympic equestrian result the country has ever achieved
Follow us on
43FOCUS
Interview with the President of the Brazilian Equestrian Federation Mr Luiz Roberto Giugni
The Brazilian Equestrian Federation has been a member Federation of the FEI for 75 years how has the sport developed over that time We were facing regular growth (average of 25 in the last decade) but in the last three to four years this rate has significantly increased up to 35 a year We believe that this is due to international achievements (two Jumping Olympic team bronze medals the individual Olympic Jumping gold medal won by Rodrigo Pessoa several Pan Am Jumping team gold medals recent Olympic pre-qualification in Kentucky (4th in the world in Jumping) and the organisations of a Global Champions Tour event in Brazil
In terms of developing the sport what are the most successful projects you have undertaken in recent yearsWe decided to invest in education and have hired international trainers for all the disciplines such as Jean Maurice Bonneau for Jumping Nick Turner for Eventing Eric Lette for Dressage Jean Louis Leclerc for Endurance Mattias Lang for Vaulting with the long term in mind that is at least until the end of 2012 and planning towards 2016 when Rio will host the Olympic Games
How popular is equestrian sport with young people in Brazil and how do you compete with some of the bigger sports for their attention Popularization is growing bit by bit in a country
decidedly dominated by soccer ndash being 5 times World Champion makes it a national passion But we are continuously looking to attract TV to our events as this is a huge step towards gaining visibility and popularity Can you tell us about the programmesinitiatives in place for disabled athletes We are actively pursuing this and have achieved really positive results in little time such as the great performances and medals earned at the Para-lympic Games in Hong Kong in 2008 We do this through clinics courses international exchanges of athletes and working alongside our National Paralympic Committee to support us in our efforts
Brazil will be host the FEI General Assembly at the end of the year what do you want all the visiting delegates to remember from their visit That we are more than just a really beautiful and warm country with the ability and capacity to organise great events and that we are committed to putting on the best Olympic Games ever
What are the main objectivesplans for the Brazilian Federation in the lead up to the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games Our NOC is really committed to raising the bar of all the sports to a level never seen before and we are working towards that in terms of our athletes our judges our venues and everything that is related to our sport and the quality of our sport In line with this objective we are providing incen-tives to owners to buy good horses aiming for 2016 and this is going to plan for now We expect to perform well at the upcoming Pan Am Games and Olympics on our trail to 2016
Is there anything else you would like to share with us I would like to thank HRH Princess Haya President of the FEI as well as the Executive Board for all the support that we are getting which has been paramount to the development of equestrian sport in our country
44
President Luiz Roberto GiugniSecretary General Luiz Antonio RoccoMember since 1935
15 members of staff work at the federation
20 regional federations are affiliated tothe Brazilian Equestrian Federation with over 300 member riding clubs
6 000 affiliated riders
91 national events were held in 2010
31 international events were held in 2010
All the FEI disciplines are practiced in BrazilJumping Dressage Eventing Vaulting Reining EnduranceDriving amp Para-Equestrian
14 breeding organisations
There are 58 million horses and ponies in Brazilmaking it the fourth largest equine population in the world
FAC
TS amp
FIG
URE
S
45FOCUS
Dr Gerit Matthesen56 is a private equine practitioner an FEI Vet and a member of the FEI Veterinary Committee He graduated in Veterinary Medicine from Berlin University in 1983 and since 1989 has worked or officiated at some 180 competitions and championships including the last two Olympics and FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade He lives near Frankfurt with his wife Carola and their sons Mike (16) and Lars (14)
46
A life in a day
Dr Gerit Matthesen56 is a private equine practitioner an FEI Vet and a member of the FEI Veterinary Committee He graduated in Veterinary Medicine from Berlin University in 1983 and since 1989 has worked or officiated at some 180 competitions and championships including the last two Olympics and FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade He lives near Frankfurt with his wife Carola and their sons Mike (16) and Lars (14)
I wake up earlier than I need to ndash at around 6am ndash because breakfast time with my family is sacred to me and I can then drive my boys to the village station to take the train to school After two cups of coffee (enough for the day) and a glass of orange juice I read the newspapers then head to my prac-tice offices in our indoor arena I have a quick look at our horses then start work
While I listen to my phone messages I deal with my emails and search the internet for news about veterinary medicine and horse sport I then start planning the dayacutes schedule with Anna my assistant vet
My mobile practice is in a nice fairly rural area in the north of Frankfurt There are lots of horse farms but it is not a classic breeding area like the northern part of Germany There are sport horses as well as pleasure horses I have examination rooms and stables for horses staying or mares foaling in my practice stables Itrsquos not a big clinic which gives me time to work at competitions
After seeing a few small animals in my practice I normally start my field service at 930am In my car I have enough equipment (ultrasound X-ray systems and endoscopical devices) for the dayrsquos examinations and standing procedures We mainly have lameness examinations to do or internal diseases to treat accompanied by routine work like vaccinations or carrying out pre-purchase or health certificate examinations If time allows I go home for a quick lunch but thatrsquos not every day
While Irsquom driving I have time to think and I write down everything that come to mind regarding sport competitions committees and so on You have to write down your thoughts when yoursquore over the age of 50
It is not easy planning my day because any emer-gency can destroy or delay my schedule For all the paperwork and certificates I need a time frame so
I often do that over quiet weekends when there are no competitions During the winter season I am less busy but in summer a lot of weekends are taken over by the competition schedule
I love my work especially in Eventing which is my favourite discipline My wife and I practiced it ndash not up to top level but it was a fine time despite a bro-ken ankle from a fall in 1988 which after 23 years is making walking more and more difficult for me
I like to do my competition work on a friendly but strict basis and I really like to hear riders saying they are treated fairly Over the years I have acquired a lot of experience and met all the officials and riders
Usually when I return home in the late afternoon there are more small animals to see When Irsquove done the dayrsquos paperwork I hope there will be no more emergencies such as cases of colic which usually occur in the early evening
I look forward to getting on my horse which is a beautiful show-jumper I like to ride but Irsquove stopped competing I do dressage jumping and go out into the fields but itrsquos all just for fun now
The day finishes with the family and a nice cold glass of German beer
Itrsquos a struggle to find time to spend with my family and I often have to cancel my holidays with them I am really grateful to my wife and the boys for their understanding of my job and to my assistant vet who covers for me when Iacutem out somewhere in the world of equestrian sport
ldquoThe combination of my profession and beinginvolved in differentaspects of top equestrian sport is my visionrdquo
47FOCUS
Pull your show attire from the closet clean your boots and tack groom the horses hook up and pack the trailer check the clock double check to make sure you have everything put on the shipping boots load your horses and away you drive to the competition venue or to the airport for transport to a distant event
You know the drill well but still you arrive tired per-haps even a bit frazzled Yoursquoll sleep (or try to) the next several nights in an unfamiliar bed or camp out in the living quarters of your trailer You awaken riveted on the competition playing out the dayrsquos classes in your mind wondering how your rides will fare against oth-ers praying that the weather will be cooperate and trying to control your nerves all the while knowing that no matter how well you have prepared many factors are out of your control You may even be in a different time zone
We go through a lot to compete our horses But if you think life on the road is stressful for you think about what itrsquos like for your horses Your back may be a bit sore from driving or being strapped into an airplane seat for hours on end but for horses transportation is far more demanding It is an athletic endeavour re-quiring an expenditure of energy to maintain balance during the constant movement of transport When your horses arrive they face social isolation from stablemates lack of security in novel environments altered training regimes water that tastes strange and the confines of an unfamiliar stall This routine impacts a horsersquos health and well being with effects
continuing long after the journey is over During transport toxic gases (such as ammonia or carbon monoxide) can cause damage to the lung epithelium precipitating respiratory disease The
final destination itself can also cause problems Usually horses are transported to environments where they will be mixing with other horses The mixing of horses from different environments with different infectious organisms and under stressful conditions further precipitates susceptibility to disease
This can have a severe impact on the equine gut The stress of transportation is known to increase gut ulceration in the horse a painful condition reducing performance and causing colic-like symptoms Stress can also slow the flow of digesta and alter the normal gut flora resulting in digestive upset and possibly diarrhoea or colic
The effects of travel stress on the gut are compounded by the typical diet of the regular equine traveller To maintain athletic ability high performance horses are often fed energy-charged diets contain-ing increased levels of starchy materials such as cereal grains Unfortunately this type of diet can reduce beneficial types of gut flora and promote gut acidity further predisposing the horse to digestive upsets and ulceration It is not surprising that stressed tired horses may not fulfill their potential on arrival
Feeding to reduce stress for the equine traveller
By Darlene RickerExecutive editor of Alltechrsquos EQUINE INTERNATIONAL magazine
48
Alltech Tips
growth of opportunistic Salmonella spp which are present in the intestinal tract of many healthy horses These bacteria then attach to the gut lining via a mannan sugar and penetrate it causing damage and resulting in diarrhoea One method of prevent-ing or minimising the attachment of these organ-
isms to the gut lining is to provide an adsorbant supplement A form of sugar found in the cell walls of certain yeasts can do this This sugar compound is called man-nan oligosaccharide or MOS MOS products such as Alltechrsquos Bio-Mosreg have been shown to re-duce the colonization of Salmonella
spp in the guts of certain species and augment the immune response to Salmonella spp potentially conferring an enhanced ability to fight infection Both Yea-Saccreg 1026 and Bio-Mos are among the natural products contained in Alltechrsquos LIFEFORCETM equine supplement which many FEI competitors have successfully incorporated into their daily feeding regimen at home and on the road
lifeforcehorsecom
and may be subject to health concerns in the days following a long journey Fortunately however you can curb some of the effects of travel stress on the horsersquos gut by nutritional supplementation Organic yeast products used to supplement a horsersquos diet can support the normal gut flora modifying the intesti-nal environment and improving the horsersquos digestion One such culture is Saccharomyces cerevisae in the form of Yea-Saccreg 1026 Alltechrsquos propriety organic yeast
Experiments were conducted to evaluate the effects Yea-Sacc on gut flora and gut acidity Horses were fed either a high-starch or a high-fibre diet both with and without supplementation of Yea-Saccreg 1026 Results indicated an excessive amount of starch in the gut The use of Yea-Sacc reduced acidity and stimulat-ed the activity of fibre-digesting bacteria in the hind-gut for both types of diet The result was maximised fibre digestibility and more efficient use of nutrients thus increasing the amount of energy available to the horse for performance and counteracting digestive upset Salmonellosis is one of the more commonly di-agnosed infectious causes of diarrhoea in horses Many cases develop after the stress of transport The effects of travel stress on the normal gut flora allow an over-
Moorlands Totilas arrives for the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade after air transport copy Dirk Caremans
HRH The Infanta Dontildea Pilar de Borboacuten former President of the FEI (1994-2006) also attended the inauguration along-side HRH Princess Lalla Amina Chairperson of the Royal Moroccan Federation for Equestrian Sports and member of the international Advisory Council of Special OlympicsThey were joined by International Olympic Commit-tee members representatives from other Interna-tional Federations federal and local Swiss authorities as well as architects and designers that worked on the project Switzerlandrsquos Martin Fuchs a member of the gold medal winning team at the inaugural Youth Olympic Games in Singapore last year accompanied FEI President Princess Haya in officially opening the FEI headquarters
ldquoThe building we are inaugurating today has been designed to serve our wonderful sportrdquo explained FEI
President Princess Haya ldquoI also feel an immense
sense of pride knowing that this building carries the name
of my late father and hope that this serves as a constant reminder
to all of us who work at the FEI of a unique statesman whose entire soul was devoted to the service of his people Our new headquarters will play a key role for the FEI and our National Federa-tions over the coming years It will be the environ-ment in which important discussions take place and fundamental decisions are taken as we continue our mission to advance the orderly growth of equestrian sport worldwide while ensuring that the welfare of the horse and a level playing field remain at the centre of all that we dordquo
FEI celebratesNEW Headquarters
Over 250 guests attended the inauguration ceremony on Friday 6 May at HM King Hussein I Building which was timed to coincide with the FEI
Extraordinary General Assembly so that attending NationalFederation representatives
could be a part ofthe celebrations
1 Youth Olympic Games team champion Martin Fuchs (SUI) FEI President HRH Princess Haya and her daughter HH Sheikha Al Jalila officially open the FEIrsquos new home 2 Gilbert Felli IOC Olympic Games Executive Director and FEI Secretary General Ingmar de Vos 3 HRH The Infanta Dontildea Pilar de Borboacuten sits down to an interactive quiz in the FEI Gallery 4 Guests gathered in the atrium of the FEI HeadquartersAll images copy Hugues SiegenthalerFEI
Highlights available on50
1
2
3 4
5
6 7
8
THE GALLERy
As well as housing offices for its 62 employees and conference facilities for its 133 National Federations the new headquarters also has a state-of-the-art in-teractive gallery showcasing equestrian sport
The Gallery is the brainchild of Dr Amichai Alper-ovich historian former Secretary General of the Is-raeli Equestrian Federation and curator of the Israeli Olympic Museum (opened in 2009) He worked hand in hand with the Tel Aviv based company Disk-In Pro and interior designer Oded Alony to help bring the content to life and the result is truly unique and ground breaking Giant glass surfaces act as interac-tive interfaces for the visitors to travel through time
The FEIrsquos new headquarters which were donated to the Federation by FEI Presi-dent HRH Princess Haya in 2007 fol-lowing a personal fundraising effort are conveniently located close to the Inter-national Olympic Committee and other international sports federations It has been written into the FEI Statutes that the new FEI headquarters building will always house the Federationrsquos offices In 2008 the building was thoroughly renovated in accordance with the Swiss MINERGIEreg construction standard for environmental responsibility which re-duces energy consumption by 25 per cent Only two per cent of renovated buildings in Switzerland meet the high Minergie standards Khuan Chew founder and design princi-pal of London-based architectural firm KCA International Ltd worked in close collaboration with Swiss-based architect Herveacute de Rham and interior designer Sia-vosh Adeli (SUI) to transform the build-ing which was built in the 1960s The modern and sleek interior was further enhanced with bespoke artworks pro-duced by Swiss creative agency b+g amp partners and imagery by world-famous equestrian art photographer Tim Flach where the simplicity and beauty of his equine subjects seamlessly embrace and accentuate the buildingrsquos pure lines and natural materials (see image left)
As they feasted on the innate beauty of their sur-roundings the guests also had the privilege to ex-perience the culinary talents of organic chef and specialist Gilles Wannaz and his team based in the town of Cully which sits on the edge of Lac Leman in Switzerlandrsquos famous Lavaux wine growing region
5 HRH Princess Haya welcomes the guests to the Inauguration of the HQ and the 90 year celebration of the FEI 6 Artwork by renowned pho-tographer Tim Flach 7 An organic and colourful buffet presented on an authentic lawn by local chef Gilles Wannaz 8 A life size horse sculpture by Christophe Dumont greeted the guests upon their arrival
53FOCUS
and space with the latest in touch technology revis-iting the history of the FEI the equestrian events at Olympic amp Paralympic Games the FEI World Eques-trian Gamestrade and information on all of the member National Federations with statistics videos images and text The Gallery also includes projections on ar-chitectural surfaces designed by Oded Alony referred to as the Origami as well as interactive stations and unique video projections on glass screens
For all those wishing to visit the FEI Gallery simply contact the FEI HQ to make an appointment and we would be delighted to take you on a journey to dis-cover or rediscover the human and equine athletes whose talents have marked equestrian history and inspired young riders drivers and vaulters around the world
Interview withDrAmichaiAlperovich
When did you first dream up the FEIInteractive Gallery When I found out the FEI was planning to move into new HQ in 2009 Disk-In Pro and I approached the FEI and presented them with several concepts for the space Before long we had agreed on the concept and we got to work
Why were you compelled to make it become a reality So that the FEI a prominent sports organisation could present itself to a growing audience in a new and visionary way with the latest technology And by doing so the FEI is a pioneer becoming the first International Federation to have a Gallery of this kind
What did you learn when researching and gathering content for the gallery I have learned a lot about the history of the FEI the strong Olympic tradition the diversity of disciplines the gender equality and the unique bond between horse and man One of the more fascinating topics was the evolution of the Dressage from itsrsquo Olympic debut to the modern Freestyle
Itrsquos very innovative technology what inspired you to take such a leap into the future with such a traditional sport Just as Dressage has evolved over the years and alongside the introduction of new disciplines partic-ularly Para-Equestrian you come to realise that the FEI is not as traditional as one would think Actually this kind of innovative presentation of equestrian history is really well suited to the FEI In the same way that you can have horse-man connections there is an audience-technology connection in the Gallery The audience have to be active in order to enjoy the depth of information the Gallery contains
54
Now it is time to open the door to new places to learn about sport ndash at the heart of sporting organi-sations themselves The Gallery is more than an informative tool it brings people to the sport andto the heart of its operations
Established in 1990 Disk-In Pro specialises in the planning design production and implementation of Museums Visitor Centres and sophisticated projects around the world This includes multi screen produc-tion animation 3D amp interactive films state-of-the-art software platforms and complex video displays for an unforgettable experience
Oded Alony holds a BA in Design from the Interior Design Section of the Holon Technological Institute and has since 1998 worked with Israelrsquos leading Architecture firms The Oded Alony Studio embraces holistic design a space where interior design lighting and graphics are brought together to create a harmo-nious project vision
Now that you have seen it unveiled to the public how would you like to see it evolve I hope the audience will be amazed from the design by architect Oded Alony and the new methods to deliver information whilst discovering the long his-tory of the FEI the diversity and the global reach of the organisation I hope the Gallery will become an icon in Lausanne and one of its highlights for visitors I promise the visitors a new platform to learn about equestrianism and each visit could be different as the information and themes will be updated and modi-fied regularly
This futuristic gallery is a first for anInternational Federation do you think thisis something all sports should invest inThe FEI took this courageous decision and now has this fantastic tool to present the organisation in new ways Sport is a huge cultural phenomenaWe have learned to consume sport in the arenas and stadiums in the press media and new media
Dr Amichai Alperovich
55FOCUS
SOCIAL MEDIAthe new frontier
Follow us on
The FEI has recently embarked on and embraced a whole new way of talking with the greater equestrian community through the ever expanding social media networks and platformsWith personalised Facebook Twitter and You Tube pages the FEI is taking it step by step and reaching out to this growing audience and listening to what they have to say
This new communication platform is by no means a substitution of the traditional communication path-ways but works alongside the press releases various publications and content on wwwfeiorg and wwwfeitvorg providing a new arena where the FEI can share interact and dialogue with fans of the sport and of equestrian values in general
We talk to Richard Johnson Director of Corporate Communications about the FEIrsquos commitment to social media
What compelled the FEI to venture onto the social media scene As a governing body with a vibrant and active com-munity of National Federations as well as thousands of fans the need to reach out to the online social community has never been stronger We have been watching the communities grow online for some time and have been listening to their conversations so being a part of it was the next logical step and a really important one The conversations will hap-pen with or without us so taking that step has been crucial in order to share our values and also build re-lationships with our fan base
Tradition meets modernity ndash does equestrian sportthe FEI have a place in social media Absolutely even though equestrian sport has a long history and is perceived as a traditional sport it is
always evolving In the 90 years of the FEI which was founded to govern the three Olympic disciplines it has grown to also oversee the disciplines of Driving Endurance Vaulting Reining and Para-Equestrian sport Or if you look at the early days when competi-tors were from military backgrounds and when wom-en did not compete alongside men to the complete gender equality we have today ndash a lot has changed and is in a constant state of change
The fans of equestrian sport are like any other fan base web savvy and eager for more information behind the scenes content and to share their opin-ions and thoughts ndash so it is an ideal partnership And from what we have seen these last few months and from the feedback we got from our blog at the Youth Olympic Games there is a real appetite for this
The FEI has dedicated Facebook Twitter and You Tube pages ndash why did you select these social media platforms The figures speak for themselveshellip Facebook Twit-ter and You Tube are the biggest players in the social networking space With over 500 million Facebook users 106 million Tweeters and 2 billion views a day on You Tube there has never been so much oppor-tunity for exposure Every site has different demo-graphics with different habits and needs so by having an FEI presence on these three networks we are able to cover a lot of ground and cater to different audi-ences by providing different types of content accord-ing to the platform
What are the main benefits of having a pres-ence on various social media platforms Itrsquos all about having a two way conversation ndash the benefits of dialogue where you can share content such as videos images facts and figures thoughts and values and then allow your fan base to react to get involved and to listen and learn from them By engaging with our audience and showing them that we are a modern and caring organisation and that we want to hear what they have to say then we are able to build trust and ultimately credibility in what we do and what we say
57FOCUS
TV
The offi cial video website of the Feacutedeacuteration Equestre Internationale
wwwfeitvorg
WATCH LIVE WATCH ONLINE
FEI TV is the FEIrsquos new offi cial video website and your ticket to the worldrsquos most prestigious competitions Sign-up to FEI TV (wwwfeitvorg) and get instant access to all the live broadcasts the extensive video-on-demand library all the highlights the behind the scenes reports the interviews and so much more Be at the heart of horsesport Join us
2823_1FEI_TV_Focus_165x226indd 1 170510 1124
It also keeps us alert as to what is being discussed and debated in the public sphere so that we can manage situations more effectively and be proactive in our messaging and information so that the facts are at the heart of the debate and not interpretations of them
How do you generate content for social media It was important when we launched our social me-dia presence that it be manageable with the exist-ing communications team in place ndash and so we have concentrated on keeping it simple and effective and using content innovatively Itrsquos not about reproduc-ing our website ndash but to engage with our fans and so often all you need is a good picture an interest-ing fact or great achievement to get the ball rolling For You Tube as we already have so much content generated from FEI TV it was simply a question of using bits and pieces from that content to provide the public with teasers from events interviews with winning riders or behind the scenes content which they can then follow up on FEI TV with a subscription
What are your Social media goals Itrsquos really to build relationships and dialogue with our fan base by using our content innovatively by listening to what they have to say and by engaging with the community And for the National Federa-tions that have yet to take that step we want to be a guiding hand that can help them get started so that they too can reap the benefits of social media net-working Our sport competes against other sports for attention so itrsquos really important that we the FEI and the National Federations keep our finger on the pulse and cater to our fans
How can National Federations get involved NFs wishing to find out more about Social Media can contact me (richardjohnsonfeiorg) and I would be more than happy to discuss opportunities and ways of getting started as well as our experience at the FEI
We asked our Facebook followers why it was important to use face-book and here are a few comments they came up with
bullItrsquos a great way to find out about shows and competitions
bullBecause facebook can provide up to the minute updates as to the what is going on in the horse community
bullWe can share information and ideas over long distances We can find and connect with people we wouldnt be able to otherwise
bullIt also lets us express the true realities of our spot to keep us grounded
bullIt can bring peoples attention to excellence ndash and expose the issues
58
TV
The offi cial video website of the Feacutedeacuteration Equestre Internationale
wwwfeitvorg
WATCH LIVE WATCH ONLINE
FEI TV is the FEIrsquos new offi cial video website and your ticket to the worldrsquos most prestigious competitions Sign-up to FEI TV (wwwfeitvorg) and get instant access to all the live broadcasts the extensive video-on-demand library all the highlights the behind the scenes reports the interviews and so much more Be at the heart of horsesport Join us
2823_1FEI_TV_Focus_165x226indd 1 170510 1124
ldquo Donrsquot accept drinks from a strangerrdquo
Armchair travel journalist
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HSBC - Coconuts Proof 01Head of Art TypographerDesigner ArtCreative Director Copywriter Account DirectorDIC Project ManagerPhotographer Illustrator Usage Model(s) Name(s) Usage
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8deg N ndash Kerala South India
Note from theFEIPresidentHRH Princess Haya
We are just six months into the year and as I look back at recent events such as the indoor sporting showcase in Leipzig the inauguration of the FEI Headquarters or even the FEIrsquos forays into the new frontier that is social media I am reminded of the passion and constant state of flux in which our sport evolves
The subtitle of this edition of FEI FOCUS ldquoSands of Timerdquo is symbolic of that constant evolution falling grain by grain marking the past the future and where we stand in the present It also reminds us that it is not about leaping into the future but about taking thoughtful and measured steps towards greater di-versity acceptance and universality
Looking back in this edition we review the past 99 years of Olympic tradition in our Memory Lane focus and then look forward to the European Cham-pionships in all the FEI disciplines that will take place between the months of July and September Some of these Championships have a long tradition such as the FEI European Eventing and Jumping Champion-ships that date back to 1953 and 1957 respectively while for others such as the FEI European Para-Equestrian Dressage Championships they are only in the early stages of making their history but as they do they also contribute to the history of equestrian sport as a whole
Integrating Para-Equestrian in 2006 has been one of the important steps taken by the FEI towards greater universality and diversity within our sport and it is testimony to this integration that the cover of this edition features aspiring Swiss rider Nicolas Theacutevenaz and an article on his goals and motivation
Like many sports we rely heavily on our volunteer body who act behind the scenes to provide the athletes and the spectators with safe and fair con-ditions for competition and ensure that welfare and sportsmanship are always at the heart of their actions We feature Dr Gerit Matthesen in our ldquolife in a dayrdquo section to gain a better understanding of the type of person it takes to devote time and energy on a voluntary basis
The equestrian community is full of extraordinary people whose achievements in and out of the arena are the result of their outstanding ability to focus on their goals The FEI Awards celebrate that talent and determination and have shown us that whether you are an athlete a groom or the initiator of a project that enhances the lives of others you share a deep love for the horse and the belief that equestrianism at any level is well worth the time and energy that you devote to it I would like to encourage all readers to visit the FEI Awards website (wwwfeiawardsorg) to make nominations by 31 July to help us to express our gratitude to and admiration of those people who deserve it
The FEI Awards will be presented to the winners at a gala evening in Rio de Janeiro on the occasion of the FEI General Assembly hosted by Brazil You will find a brief introduction to the Brazilian National Federation in the Postcard from Brazil page 44 with facts and figures and a QampA with the President of the Brazilian National Federation Mr Luiz Roberto Guigni
Lastly I would like to thank all the guest that were able to attend the FEI Extraordinary General Assembly and the Inauguration in May for the beginning of a new chapter for the FEI For those that were unable to attend I hope you will be able to gage the warmth and genuine goodwill of all attending the event in the pages devoted to the celebration
02
Editorial
The King Hussein I Building will be a place for dialogue and decision-making as the FEI continues its mission to ad-vance the orderly growth of equestrian sport worldwide while ensuring that the welfare of the horse and a level playing field remain at the centre of all that we do
28 HSBC FEI ClassicsTM
A world class meeting of generations
30 Why the long face Viggo Mortensen
32 The other side of Laurent Elias
34 One day Nicolas Theacutevenaz
06 Olympic amp Paralympic Games Memory Lane
14 FEI World CupTM Finals Jumping Dressage Driving amp Vaulting
18 Preview FEI European Championships 2011
14
Follow us onTable of Contents
04
Contact Advertising FEI - Feacutedeacuteration Equestre Internationalerichardjohnsonfeiorg HM King Hussein I Building Chemin des Deacutelices 9 1006 Lausanne T +41 21 310 47 47 F +41 21 310 47 60 wwwfeiorg
Impressum - Focus Ndeg 7 - June 2011Circulation 2800Frequency QuarterlyEditor in Chief Olivia RobinsonDesign Art Equestrio SAPrinting Grafiche SIZ - ItalyCover copyHugues Siegenthaler
48 Alltech Tips Feeding to reduce stress for the equine traveller
50 FEI News FEI celebrates NEW Headquarters
56 FEI Insight Social Media - the new frontier
38 FEI Awards 2011
42 Globetrotter
44 Postcard from Brazil
46 A life in a day Dr Gerit Matthesen
28 HSBC FEI ClassicsTM
A world class meeting of generations
30 Why the long face Viggo Mortensen
32 The other side of Laurent Elias
34 One day Nicolas Theacutevenaz
5030
05FOCUS
1900Games of the II Olympiad Paris (FRA)Grand Prix Jumping long jump high jump hunter competition and a coaching competition were on the 1900 programme The events went officially unrecord-ed until the 1970s which is why it is often assumed that 1912 marks the first inclusion of equestrian sports on the Olympic programme Participation Twenty-four riders from 4 countries
1912Games of the V Olympiad Stockholm (SWE) Jumping Dressage and Eventing made their deacutebut in Stockholm and remain to this day the only equestrian disciplines on the Olympic programme It took two years to construct the new brick-built Olympic Sta-dium which served for the 1956 Olympic Equestrian Games and the 1990 FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade Participation Sixty-two riders and 70 horses from 10 nations ndash all European except for the USA
1920Games of the VII Olympiad Antwerp (BEL)World War I had just ended in 1918 and there were serious doubts that the 1920 Olympic Games would go ahead It was on 3 April 1919 that the IOC decided to accept the offer from Antwerp (BEL) The short term allocation of the Games did leave some in the lurch such as team USA who at first unable to find a passage to Europe at that late stage were able to secure the help of the military to transport the team Swedenrsquos solid and meticulous preparations were well rewarded as they picked up more than half of the 15 medals at stake and confirmed their stronghold on the sportParticipation Seventy-two riders from 8 nations Vaulting was for the first and only time on the Olympic programme
1924 Games of the VIII Olympiad Paris (FRA)First Olympic appearance for the FEIDid you knowThe Dressage arena of 60 x 20 m was in the centre of the huge Stade de Colombes at least 60 meters away from the public The five judges sat with their assistants on a long table together on a short side The
Olympic amp Paralympic Games
MemoryLane A journey of Olympicamp Paralympic achievements
In 2012 the disciplines of Jumping Dressage and Eventing celebrate 100 years of Olympic history For Para-EquestrianDressage itrsquos sixteen years of intense and ever increasing competition and participationTake a stroll down MemoryLane to revisit the sportingachievements of Championspast and present
1920 1921 1922
1924 1925 1926
1900 1901 1902 1903 1904
1912 1913 1914
06
individual winner in Jumping was Swiss militia officer Lt Alphonse Gemuseus on the eight-year old Irish-bred mare Lucette who had been bought for pound48 as an army remount horse in 1922The length of the Eventing Cross Country was 36kmParticipation Seventeen nations 126 horses
1928Games of the IX Olympiad Amsterdam (NED)By 1928 the IOC had clarified the definition of an amateur For equestrian sport an amateur was every professional officer actively serving or anyone riding solely for the sport and recognised by a national body as a gentlemanParticipation Twenty nations the major return was Germany ndash not invited in 1920 and 1924 ndash but now there in full force
1932Games of the X Olympiad Los Angeles (USA)Because the 1932 Olympics were held in the middle of the Great Depression and in the comparatively re-mote city of Los Angeles half as many athletes from only six nations took part compared to 1928 The Japanese team came by ship from Yokohama to Los Angeles France and Sweden took a ship to New York then travelled by railroad across the USA as did the
Mexicans The Dutch who sailed through the Panama Canal directly to Los Angeles remembered that the US equestrian team travelling by ship to Amsterdam in 1928 had kept their horses fit by hiring the tread-mill used during the filming of Ben Hur with its chariot races The Dutch constructed their own treadmill and kept their horses busy during the voyage
The first known Olympic Jumping course designer John A Barry (who rode for the USA in the 1920 and 1924 Olympics) supported by Sloan Doak (also an ex-perienced Olympic rider) built a course that was much more difficult than 1928 It had 18 obstacles and 20 jumping efforts over a length of 1060m No team fin-ished the competition and the team medals remained unclaimed
For the first time piaffe and passage were asked for in Dressage
In Eventing only two teams ndash USA and The Netherlands ndash finished the competition The team bronze remained unclaimed Participation Six nations
1932 1933 1934
1928 1929 1930
1912 Francersquos Jean Cariou - Individual gold and team silver Jumping medallist as well as individual bronze medallist in Eventing
07FOCUS
1936Games of the XI Olympiad Berlin (GER)The Games of the XI Olympiad were held in Berlin three years after the National-Socialist regime came to power in 1933 They are best remembered for Adolf Hitlerrsquos failed attempt to use sport to prove his theories of Aryan racial superiority The equestrian events held on the last five days of the 16-day programme played an important part in the overall running of these first monumental and politically misused Olympic GamesParticipation Twenty-one nations 127 riders - 7 coun-tries had full representation (3x3 riders) Germany won all the equestrian team and individual gold medals
1952Games of the XV Olympiad Helsinki (FIN) The 1952 Olympic Games brought some fundamen-tal changes to equestrian sport Most visible was the change from military riding to civilians Women were allowed in Dressage but not in Jumping or Event-ing The best known of these women is Lis Hartel of Denmark In 1944 at the age of 23 she was paralysed by polio and while she gradually regained the use of most of her muscles she remained paralysed below
the knee Despite being helped on and off her horse she went on to win the silver medal When gold med-allist Henri St-Cyr helped her up onto the victory platform for the medal presentation it was one of the most emotional moments in Olympic historyParticipation Twenty-five nations For the first time since 1912 Russian riders competed ndash now represent-ing the Soviet Union Canada Egypt amp Korea were also newcomers
1956Games of the XVI Olympiad Melbourne (AUS) Stockholm (SWE) When the IOC selected Melbourne (AUS) as host to the Games of the XVI Olympiad it had not taken into consideration the Australian six-month pre-shipment quarantine for horses In 1953 a meeting was held in Canberra attended by the federal authorities which recommended not to alter quarantine laws The IOC decided on a separate venue for the equestrian events and on 13 May 1954 chose Stockholm (SWE)The Jumping course was demanding it is considered by many as the first modern course There were no clears in the first round Hans Guumlnter Winkler (FRG) was in the
1936 1937 1938
1952 1953 1954
1956 1957 1958
1952 The Dressage medallists Andreacute Jousseaume (FRA) - bronze Henri St-Cyr (FRA) - gold Lis Hartel (DEN) - silver
08
lead with one knock-down riding the great mare Halla The horse had taken off early for the penultimate fence and Winkler was thrown into the air and went on to land heavily back in the saddle pulling a muscle in the pro-cess He knew that if he withdrew from the final round the German team would be eliminated Dizzy and in pain he rode anyway Halla completed the course without a fault They earned gold in both the individual and team events Winkler went on to win another five gold medals at various Olympics and is the only Jumper to win seven medals in total and the only rider in any discipline to earn medals in six different OlympicsParticipation Twenty-nine nations Australia Cambodia and Venezuela competed for the first time
1960Games of the XVII Olympiad Rome (ITA) The Australians were the 1960 Eventing sensation The foursome of Larry Morgan Neale Lavis Brian Crago and Bill Roycroft dominated the Cross-Country to an extent never experienced before At the end of the day Mor-gan was overwhelmingly in the lead ahead of Crago and Lavis Roycroft after a fall at the cement drain pipes was not too far back except for the fact that he was in hospital with a concussion and a broken collarbone When Cragorsquos potential silver medal horse Sabre was rejected at the second horse inspection Australia no longer had a team Forty-five-year old Bill Roycroft was taken out of hospital rode Our Solo to a clear round in the Jumping phase and secured team gold for Australia Participation Twenty-nine nations
1964Games of the XVIII Olympiad Tokyo (JPN) The 1964 Olympic Games were the first to be held in Asia These were only the second Olympics ndash after Los Angeles in 1932 ndash for which most horses had to travel across the world Most horses came by aircraft The Soviet horses still came by sea and were caught in the typhoon Wilda For the first time a former Olympic Jumping champion repeated his victory Forty-four year old Pierre Jonquegraveres drsquoOriola (FRA) the 1952 champion with Ali Baba won this time with the nine-year old Lutteur B Another first was the participation of a woman - Lana du Pont (USA) - in an Olympic Eventing competitionParticipation One hundred and sixteen riders from 20 countries competed in Tokyo
1968Games of the XIX Olympiad Mexico City (MEX) The choice of Mexico City to host the 1968 Olympics was a challenging one because of the cityrsquos high altitude 2300m which meant that the air contained 30 less oxygen than at sea level An adjustment pe-riod of three to four weeks for the horses was advised The horses from the Soviet Union Argentina and Ireland were in mid-September the first to arrive The last to stable were France and Germany on 28 September ie 20 days before the start of the com-petitions Of particular interest was the first par-ticipation of Dressage and Eventing riders from the German Democratic Republic In 1960 and 1964 their Eventers were part of a unified German team This time they were allowed to enter under their own flag The equestrian competitions were timed manually and electronically for the first time the electronic time was the official one Participation Eighteen nations
1972 Games of the XX Olympiad Munich (FRG) In 1972 everybody expected great Olympic Games and for the first ten days everything went smoothly But on 5 September 1972 peace was chattered as eight Palestinian terrorists representing the militant group ldquoBlack Septemberrdquo broke into the Olympic Village killed two members of the Israeli team and took nine more hostage In an ensuing battle all nine Israeli hostages were killed as were five of the ter-rorists and one policeman The Olympics were sus-pended for 34 hours In defiance of the terrorists the IOC ordered the competitions to resume IOC President Avery Brundage famously declaring ldquoThe Games must go onrdquo All other details about the Munich Games pale in significance The equestrian events were obviously also affected After the first day of Dressage on 5 September the second half of the competitors rode on 7 September the ride-off followed on the 9th Team Jumping at that time still preceding the closing ceremony took place on 11 September 1972Liselotte Linsenhoff on Piaff became the 13th Olym-pic Dressage champion ndash the third German to achieve this (after con Langen in 1928 and Pollay in 1936) but the first woman to do so Participation Twenty-seven nations
1964 1965 1966
1960 1961 1962
1972 1973 1974
1968 1969 1970
09FOCUS
1976Games of the XXI Olympiad Montreal (CAN) All in the Eventing geneshellip Mother Rita and daugh-ter Silva de Luna were both on the Guatemalan team Father Bill 61 and son Wayne Roycroft were on the bronze-medal winning Australian teamhellipFor the first time in the FEIrsquos Olympic history there was a disqualification due a positive medication case San Carlos the mount of the Irish Army Eventing rider Ronald McMahon The medical treatment after an injury during transport had been announced to the authorities But the rules suffered no exceptions Au-tomatic disqualification followed although there was no additional punishmentBarbara Kemp became the first woman to design an Olympic cross-country course Participation Twenty-three nations Guatemala and Puerto Rico were the newcomers
1980Games of the XXII Olympiad Moscow (URS) The 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow represented the lowest point in the history of the Olympic equestrian events as a US led boycott reduced the number of participating nations to 11 From the top equestrian nations only Austria with the reigning European Dres-sage champion Elisabeth (Sissi) Theurer and Italy with its Eventing team went to Moscow Sissirsquos decision to participate in Moscow created considerable contro-versy in her native Austria ndash resulting in the resignation of the President of the National Equestrian FederationParticipation Eleven nations
1984Games of the XXIII Olympiad Los Angeles (USA) The Los Angeles Games were the first since 1896 to be staged without government financing and became the model for future Games particularly after it was revealed that they had produced a profit of US$ 223 million The organisers depended heavily on existing facilities and corporate sponsors The celebrated Santa Anita racetrack was chosen as the competition site for the equestrian events It was the first time an Olympic equestrian event was organised by an existing man-agement of proven competence and long experienceIn response to the boycott of the 1980 Moscow Olym-pics a boycott led by the Soviet Union marked the 1984 OlympicsThe USA dominated the Jumping competition win-ning both individual and team gold with a superiority rarely experienced before or since Joe Fargis (USA) and Touch of Class were the first to achieve a dou-ble clear in the Olympic team competition Eventing legend Mark Todd from New Zealand (pictured left) won his first Olympic medalParticipation Thirty nations
1988Games of the XXIV Olympiad Seoul (KOR) The Seoul Games were highlighted by numerous exceptional performances For Dressage it was the first time that all three individual medals were award-ed to women Reiner Klimke (pictured above-right) captured his last Olympic medal as West Germany won the team Dressage competition With six gold and two bronze medals won at five Olympic Games ndash Reiner Klimke participated in six Olympic Games
1976 1977 1978 1980 1981 1982
1984 1985 1986
1988 1989 1990
altogether - he is the most decorated rider in Olympic history Only for the second time in the 76-year history of Eventing at the Olympics the defending champions repeated their victory Mark Todd (NZL) 32 with the 16-year-old Charisma For the first time qualifications were held to reduce the starting field for the individual Jumping The reigning European champions Pierre Du-rand (FRA) and the 13-year-old black gelding Jappe-loup added Olympic gold to their winningsParticipation Thirty-two nations
1992Games of the XXV Olympiad Barcelona (ESP) In Dressage the individual battle was played out be-tween Isabell Werthrsquos Gigolo and the defending Olym-pic champion from Seoul Nicole Uphoffrsquos 15-year-old Rembrandt Rembrandt and Uphoff triumphed and se-cured the gold After the repeat wins of Henry St-Cyr (SWE) in 1952 and 1956 on two different horses this was the first double triumph of a combination After the elaborate beautifully built and decorated Jump-ing obstacles of Seoul 1988 the Spanish decided on something different and the two architects in charge of designing the 25 obstacles used minimal figural and colour elements so as to more objectively define the difficulty of the obstacles This new vision did not find many partisansParticipation Thirty-four nations
1996Games of the XXVI Olympiad Atlanta (USA) The Atlanta Games saw extensive changes made to the competition formats of Dressage and Eventing Following the IOCrsquos reasoning whereby two sets of medals could not be distributed for the same effort the FEI split Eventing into two competitions team and individual An elaborate qualifying system in all three disciplines was created and for the first time quotas were establishedThe heat and humidity expected in Atlanta led to extensive research and measures aimed at protecting the welfare of the horses It was found that horses needed three weeks of acclimatisation ndash seven days to recover from the effects of transport and 14 days of passive acclimatisation to the new conditions The major measure was the installation of misting fans throughout the venueLinda Allen was the course designer the first woman to provide the Jumping courses at an Olympic GamesParticipation Thirty nations
1992 1993 1994
1996 1997 1998
1988 The German gold medal team (from left to right) - Ann-Kathrin Linsenhoff Monica Theodorescu Nicole Uphoff and Reiner Klimkecopy Kit Houghton
11FOCUS
1996The X Paralympic Games Atlanta (USA)1996 also marks for the first time equestrian sport was included at the Paralympics with Para-Equestrian Dressage on the programme The competition was run on borrowed horses Jo Jackson (GBR) won three gold medals the maximum possible For Great Britain it was a first of many team medalshellipParticipation Sixty-eight competitors from 16 nations
2000Games of the XXVII Olympiad Sydney (AUS) Forty four years after Melbourne 1956 when no horses would be allowed into Australia the Australian quarantine and inspection services proved to be much more accommodating The conditions were tough two weeks of pre-shipping quarantine in Europe and after arrival in Sydney two more weeks of quarantine on siteOf the 15 medal-winning horses 12 were thorough-breds and the other three were 78 thoroughbredsThe year 2000 was the final show-down of the two Dressage horses who had dominated the sport since the early nineties ndash Gigolo ridden by Isabell Werth (GER) and Bonfire ridden by Anky Van Grunsven (NED) with the latter taking gold medal honours Australia for the third time in a row won the team gold medal in EventingParticipation Thirty-seven nations
2000The XI Paralympic Games Sydney (AUS)The Australian spirit and warmth conveyed during the Olympics continued throughout the Paralympic Games thanks to the formidable cooperation between the Sydney Paralympic Organising Committee (SPOC) and the Sydney Organising Committee for the Olympic Games (SOCOG) Paralympic and Olympic athletes lived in the same village and enjoyed the same catering services medical care and facilities Errors in the scoring meant that medals had to be re-attributed but this did not cause too much upset Lee Pearson (GBR) took home three gold medals (including another team gold for GBR) the maximum possible while Australiarsquos Julie Higgins achieved an impressive double gold triumph Participation Seventy athletes from 23 nations
2004Games of the XXVIII Olympiad Athens (GRE) In 2004 the Games returned to Greece homeland to the Olympic GamesThe equestrian events were affected by controversies Waterford Crystal the horse ridden by Olympic cham-pion in Jumping Cian OrsquoConnor (IRL) tested positive to a prohibited substance generally administered to humans but forbidden for use in horses After lengthy legal procedures OrsquoConnor was disqualified and sanc-tioned The gold medal was awarded to second-placed
1996 1997 1998
2000 2001 2002
2000 2001 2002
2004 2005 2006
2000 The team podium in Eventing - Great Britain (silver) Australia (gold) USA (bronze) copy Kit Houghton
12
Rodrigo Pessoa (BRA) Another three horses tested positive as well As a result Germany lost its Jumping team gold which was awarded to the USA in February 2005 at a ceremony in Palm Beach FL (USA)A new competition format for Eventing involving two Jumping rounds one for the individual and one for the team standings was introduced The two roads and tracks (A + C) and the steeplechase (B) of the Endur-ance phase were abolishedParticipation Thirty-seven nations
the fact that main land China did not hold disease-free zone status from the International Organisation for Animal Health the competitions were held in Hong Kong 2000km away from the Olympic host city Beijing In order to protect animal welfare detailed studies on the effects of heat and humidity on horses were undertaken by the FEI in cooperation with top scientists The competition timetable was modified to avoid the hours of intense heat and the horses were stabled at the exceptional air-conditioned facilities provided by the Hong Kong Jockey Club Six horses five from Jumping tested positive to prohibited substances As a result Norway lost its first Jumping medal ndash bronze ndash which after more than two years of legal proceedings was awarded to Switzerland
Jumping gold went to team USA In Dressage Anky van Grunsven (NED) aboard Salinero won her seventh and eighth Olympic medals team silver and individual gold Eventing legend Mark Todd (NZL) made a much acclaimed come back but the spotlight was on Hinrich Romeike and the extraordinary Marius
The story of the 2008 Olympic Eventing gold med-allist is all the more extraordinary as Hinrich is an amateur rider By day his time is spent in his dental surgery attending to his many patients so his riding is restricted to after-hoursParticipation Forty-two nations
2008The XIII Paralympic Games Beijing (CHN)First Paralympic participation for the FEI following the inclusion of Para-Equestrian in 2006 to be governed alongside the 7 other disciplines These Games set a new benchmark for Para-Equestrian events with great facilities cheerful volunteers and large audiences totalling over 30000 - an unprecedented attend-ance for Para-Equestrian events
For the third Paralympics in a row Lee Pearson (GBR) won three gold medals keeping up his record of win-ning all the gold medals available to him Singa-porersquos Laurentia Tan picked up Asiarsquos first Paralympic Equestrian medals with two individual bronze medals Marco Alves picked up Brazilrsquos first Paralympic Equestrian medal with bronze in Grade Ib Participation Seventy-eight athletes from 28 nations
2004The XII Paralympic Games Athens (GRE)The venue was excellent and there was good support from local volunteers Both Debbie Criddle and Lee Pearson (pictured above) from Great Britain picked up the maximum three gold medals The International Paralympic Committee presented the Equestrian Technical Delegate with the award for Best Official of all the sports at the Paralympic Games Participation Seventy athletes from 29 nations
2008Games of the XXIX Olympiad Beijing (CHN) Hong Kong (CHN) For the second time in Olympic history the equestrian events were held separately from other sports Due to
2004 2005 2006
2008 2009 2010
2008 2009 20102004 Lee Pearson (GBR) in Athens where he scoopedthe maximum three gold medals available to him
13FOCUS
The climax of the indoor international Jumping sea-son brought together 43 riders from 21 nations and ended with Christian Ahlmann riding Taloubet Z to Germanys ninth victory in the 33-year history of FEI World Cuptrade Jumping Canadarsquos reigning Olympic champion Eric Lamaze took second place with Hickstead followed by Dutch combination Jeroen Dubbeldam and BMC Van Grunsven Simon who rocketed up from overnight 11th to finish third when producing one of only two double clears on the final afternoonGerman riders dominated from the first of the three qualifiers in Leipzig ndash the speed competition which Marco Kutscher with Cash won with 6355 seconds followed by his compatriots defending champion Marcus Ehning and Christian Ahlmann who took second and third place respectively In the second qualifier the withdrawal of Saudi Arabiarsquos Abdullah Al Sharbatly reduced the field to 40 starters Eric Lamaze took the lead with a fabulous clear in 4068 a win that bounced him up to fifth spot just six points behind the leading pair ndash an ascent he continued to master on the final day
J U M P I N GFINAL LEIPZIG
ROLEX FEI World Cuptrade
JUMPINGldquoIt was wonderful to be back in Leipzig again for yet another great Rolex FEI World Cuptrade Jumping Final in a city with such a rich cultural backgroundrdquo John Roche FEI Director of Jumping
FEI World Cuptrade Finals
REEm ACRA FEI World Cuptrade
DressaGe
DRESSAGEFINAL LEIPZIG
ldquoThe Reem Acra FEI World Cuptrade Dressage took place in a perfect setting with enough space for everyone to give their very best performancesrdquo Trond Asmyr FEI Director of Dressage
Adelinde Cornelissen (NED) and the magnificent Jerich Parzival danced to victory to the strains of Tchaikovskyrsquos Nutcracker Suite in the Freestyle com-petition that closed the Reem Acra FEI World Cuptrade Dressage Final Denmarkrsquos Nathalie zu Sayn-Witt-genstein and Digby finished second while Germanyrsquos Ulla Salzgeber steered Herzrufrsquos Erbe into third place The 2010 title-winner Edward Gal (GER) finished fourth with a great performance from Sisther de JeuThe top three mirrored those of the Grand Prix class two days earlier when a confident performance rewarded with a score of 80957 put Adelinde Cornelissen (NED) in first place followed by Denmarkrsquos Nathalie zu Sayn-Wittgenstein with Digby (76884 3) and Germanyrsquos Ulla Salzgeber riding Herzrufrsquos Erbe (76216 points) Defending champion Edward Gal rode a tense Sisther de Jeu with a disappointing test score of 70122 The final saw 17 horse and rider combinations from 10 nations compete ndash three from the USA The
Netherlands and Germany two from Sweden and one from Hungary Fin-
land Poland Belgium Great Britain and Denmark Fifteen riders went on to the Freestyle competition
Highlights available as video on demand on
15FOCUS
Boyd Exell (AUS) successfully defended his FEI World Cuptrade Driving title in Leipzigrsquos thrilling final speed-ing to victory in front of a wildly enthusiastic crowd and becoming the second driver to score a hat-trick of World Cup victories Hungaryrsquos Jozsef Dobrovitz drove two brilliant rounds with his team of Lipiz-zaner horses and finished second ahead of IJsbrand Chardon (NED) The FEI World Cuptrade Driving Final was run over two indoor competitions which took place on 29 April and 1 May Seven drivers competed Tomas Eriksson (SWE) Koos de Ronde (NED) Werner Ulrich (SUI) Christian Pluumlcker (GER) and the triumphant trio who after emerging from the first round on 1 May with the highest number of points qualified for the winning round immediately afterwards
FEI World Cuptrade
DrIVINGldquoOnce again the worldrsquos best indoor drivers came together for a thrilling final the com-bination of horses working together in a team driven by superbly skilled horsemento produce thrilling andspectacular driving sportrdquo Ian Williams FEI Director of Non-Olympic Sports
16
Switzerlandrsquos Patrick Looser and Germanyrsquos Simone Wiegele claimed the inau-gural FEI World Cuptrade Vaulting titles at the 20102011 FEI World Cuptrade Finals a glittering Freestyle to Music showcase held over two daysLooserrsquos fellow starters in the Menrsquos section were Nicolas Andreani (FRA) Viktor Bruumlsewitz (GER) Daniel Kaiser (GER) Lukas Klouda (CZE) Nikolaus Luschin (AUT) and Yvan Nousse (FRA) Looser 26 was under pressure having finished second to Nicolas Andreani from France in the first Freestyle competition But
the reigning World Champion who won three of the four qualifying rounds over the winter months produced a superb performance which left Andreani in second place and Germanyrsquos Viktor Brusewitz in third In addition to the victorious Wiegele contenders for the Female title were her three compatriots Pia Engelbury Ines Juumlckstock and Antje Hill Simone Jaumliser (SUI) Stefanie Kowald (AUT) and Anna Cavallaro (ITA) In the second
competition Wiegele followed team-mate Hill into the arena in Hall 1 which seemed to be much more to the liking of the
horses than the smaller ring used on the first day And although Hillrsquos routine was
dramatic and beautifully controlled it was Wiegelersquos more complex display that settled
the destination of the very first Female World Cup trophy
ldquoFor the first time an indoor final that provided the public with an opportunity to witness the gymnastic movements of
athletes atop magnificent horses all choreographed to breathtaking musical arrangementsrdquo
Ian Williams FEI Director of Non-Olympic Sports
Highlights available as video on demand on
WHEN AND WHERE
26 ndash 30 July FEI European Reining Championship for Seniors amp Juniors Wiener Neustadt (AUT)
16 ndash 21 August FEI European Vaulting Championships for Seniors amp Juniors Le Mans (FRA)
17 ndash 21 August FEI European Dressage Championships Rotterdam (NED)
25 ndash 28 August HSBC FEI European Eventing Championships Luhmuumlhlen (GER)
01 ndash 04 September Open FEI European Driving Championships for Four-in-Hand Breda (NED)
01 ndash 04 September FEI European Para-Equestrian Dressage Championships Moorsele (BEL)
10 September FEI European Endurance Championships Florac (FRA)
13 ndash 18 September FEI European Jumping Championships Madrid (ESP)
LIVE ONLive coverage and highlightsCheck out the FEI TV broadcasting schedule for all the latest information on events broadcast live on FEI TV
European Championships for seniors in all the FEI disciplines are being held in 2011 We take a quick 360deg look at the dates venues facts amp figures and triumphant moments of the past 50 years of European Championships
FeI europeanChampionships 2011
Donrsquot miss a beatComplete competition reports updates behind the scenes information facts and figures and more can be found on wwwfeiorg as well as our dedicated facebook twitter and you tube pages
18
Preview
For the 31st edition of the FEI European Jumping Championships the event returns to Spain 18 years after the Championships in Gijon only this time to be held at the Club de Campo Villa in Madrid The FEI European Jumping Championships take place every two years in the middle of the Olympic cycle and have been held since 1957 with the introduction of team medals in 1975
THE VENUEThe Club de Campo Villa de Madrid (ESP) has been host to an annual CSI for 100 years and will be tem-porarily replacing its usual grass in the main arena with all-weather sand footing to ensure perfect going for the Championship
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERSTeam ndash SwitzerlandIndividual ndash Kevin Staut (FRA)
OLyMPIC qUALIFICATIONThe 3 best ranked nations from Olympic Qualifying Groups A amp B at the 2011 FEI European Jumping Championships (excluding the teams already quali-fied at WEG) will be qualified to take part with a team consisting of 4 athletes amp 4 horses or 3 athletes amp 3 horses
GREAT HORSES OF THE EUROPEANCHAMPIONSHIPSDEISTER - An extraordinary horse with an extraordi-nary record With Germanys Paul Schockemohle on board this brilliant bay Hannoverian led won three consecutive individual gold medals - in Munich Germany in 1981 Hickstead England in 1983 and Dinard France in 1985 Bred by Hermann Hahl in Osterbruch Lower Saxony Deister was by Diskant out of Adlerklette by Adlerschild stood 171cms high and had the heart of a lion Deisters European medal
haul also included team gold at Munich in 1981 team silver in Rotterdam in 1979 and team bronze at both Hickstead in 1983 and Dinard in 1985 Despite his incredibly active career the hardy Deister who was born in February 1971 lived to the ripe old age of 29
MR SOFTEE - The closest challenger to Deister for the title of Champion of the Europeans is the Irish-bred Mr Softee - a three-time winner but with two different riders Mr Softee enjoyed a hugely success-ful career with David Broome However it was with another Briton David Barker that the chestnut horse with four white legs took the individual European ti-tle for the first time in London in 1962 This was then followed up with David Broomersquos victory in Rotter-dam in 1967 and in Hickstead in 1969 Broome once said that like many other top horses Mr Softee had a big opinion of himself - He thought he was a king - and he was right
Believe it or nothellip
bull Itwasonlyin1975thatwomenwere permittedtocompetealongsidemenin theEuropeanJumpingChampionshipsprior tothistherehadbeentheLadiesEuropean JumpingChampionshipsheldfrom1957- 1973
bull Only2womenhaveeverwonthe FEIEuropeanChampionshipsFrancersquos AlexandraLedermannin1999and MeredithMichaels-Beerbaum(GER) in2007
bull Germanyledthegoldtallywith20 medals(14individualamp6team)double theamountofrunnerupGreatBritainon 10(6individualand4team)
FeI eUroPeaN
JUMPINGChaMPIoNshIPs
13-18 September 2011
Madrid (SPAIN)
19FOCUS
LIVE coverage on
Rotterdam gets set to host the 25th edition of the FEI European Dressage Championships for the first time and only the second time for the Netherlands (Arnhem 1999) The FEI European Dressage Championships take place every two years in the middle of the Olympic cycle and have been held since 1963
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERS
Team ndash The Netherlands
Individual ndash Kuumlr to MusicEdward Gal (NED) amp Moorlands Totilas
Individual ndash Grand Prix SpecialAdelinde Cornelissen (NED) amp Jerich Parzival
OLyMPIC qUALIFICATIONThe 3 best ranked nations from Groups A B amp C at the 2011 FEI European Dressage Championships (exclud-ing the teams already qualified at WEG) will be quali-fied to take part with a team consisting of 3 athletes amp 3 horses
THE WIND OF CHANGEFor 21 consecutive Championships from 1965 to 2005 (no team title awarded in 1963) the Germans held the European title but the last two editions have seen an upset to that tradition with the Netherlands clenching gold In 2009 the Dutch domination was particularly strong with five out of six individual med-als awarded to Dutch riders and the sixth going to British rider Laura Bechtolsheimer
IN MEMORy OF HENRI CHAMMARTIN (SUI)At the time of writing a legend in the Dressage world Henri Chammartin (SUI) passed away at the age of 92 An Olympic and European Dressage champion Henri Chammartin won the first two editions of the
FEI European Championships in 1963 and 1965 riding Wolfdiedtrich and competed in five consecutive edi-tions of the Olympic Games ndash Helsinki 1952 Stock-holm 1956 Rome 1960 Tokyo 1964 and Mexico 1968 ndash winning a total of five Olympic medals includ-ing Olympic champion in 1964
RECORD BREAKINGhellip In 2009 the formidable partnership of The Nether-lands Edward Gal and Moorlands Totilas smashed the world Freestyle record before a packed house with Windsor Castle standing proudly as a backdrop when scoring 9070 (including an unbelievable 29 perfect-10 scores) to win the Freestyle gold medal
Believe it or nothellip
bull GermanyhaswontheEuropeanDressage TeamTitleon21occasions
bull Thegreatestnumberofteamstoparticipate inEuropeanDressageChampionshipsis 14-atHickstead(GBR)in2003andagainat Hagen(GER)in2005
bull GermanysDrReinerKlimkewonthreeindi vidualtitles-atAachenin1967ridingDux andagainin1973ridingMehmedandat Copenhagenin1985ridingAhlerich
bull WithGigoloGermanysIsabellWerthtook theindividualtitlein1995and1997and wontheGrandPrixSpecialatDonaueschingen Germanyin1991andatLipicaSloveniain 1993
bull AnkyvanGrunsvenhasthreewinstoher namendashin1999withBonfirefollowedbythe backtobackwinswithSalineroin2005and 2007
17-21 August 2011
Rotterdam Netherland
FeI eUroPeaN
DressaGeChaMPIoNshIPs
20
LIVE coverage on
These are the second FEI European Para-Equestrian Dressage Championships to be held since Para-Equestrian joined the FEI Family in 2006 Para-Equestrian Dressage has been a regular fixture at the Paralympic Games since 1996 The first FEI European Para-Equestrian Dressage Championships were held in southern Norwegian town of Kristiansand in 2009 with a total of 78 ath-letes from 22 countries participating
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERS
Team Great Britain
Grade Ia Individual - Sophie Christiansen (GBR) Freestyle - Emma Sheardown (GBR)
Grade Ib Individual amp Freestyle Lee Pearson (GBR)
Grade II Individual - Petra Van der Sande (NED) Freestyle - Angelika Trabert (GER)
Grade III Individual amp Freestyle
Hannelore Brenner (GER)
Grade IV Individual amp Freestyle Sophie Wells (GBR)
The mobility strength and coordination of competi-tors are assessed and athletes with similar functional ability profiles are grouped into competition grades that range from Grade Ia for the most severely im-paired to Grade IV for the least impaired This means that the competition within each Grade can be judged on the skill of the individual competitors on their horses regardless of their disabilities
CLUB qUADRILLEMoorsele has been host to a regular international Para-Equestrian Dressage events for the past few years with the Club Quadrille as organiser The Club Quadrille was founded in 1981 by Anne Van Neste-dIeteren Belgian Dressage Champion from 1977 un-til 1982 current President of the Belgian Paralympic Committee and member of the FEI Para-Equestrian committee It is a unique sports club that works with both able bodied and disabled athletes and is active in the promotion and education of the sport As member of the honorary IPC Board Her Royal Highness (HRH) Princess Astrid of Belgium has been a fervent supporter of the event and has attended on many occasions
Believe it or nothellip
bull LeePearson(GBR)haswoneverygold medalwithinreachatParalympicWorld andContinentallevelandtheEuropeans in2009werenodifferentwithanother triplegoldvictory
bull GreatBritainalsohavetheMidastouch whenitcomestoteammedalsndashandarethe currentParalympicWorldandEuropean titleholders
bull In2009Germanycamecloserthanever totakingthegoldmedalfromall-time championGreatBritain
1-4 September 2011
Moorsele Belgium
FeI eUroPeaN
Para-eqUestrIaNDressaGeChaMPIoNshIPs
21FOCUS
A record number of fans are expected to attend the HSBC FEI European Eventing Championships as they return to Luhmuumlhlen for the fifth time to mark the 30th edition of the ChampionshipsThe FEI European Eventing Championships take place every two years in the middle of the Olympic cycle and have been held since 1953
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERSTeam ndash Great BritainIndividual ndash Kristina CookMiners Frolic (GBR)
OLyMPIC qUALIFICATIONThe 2 best ranked nations from Groups A B amp C at the 2011 HSBC FEI European Eventing Champion-ships (excluding the teams already qualified at WEG) will be qualified to take part with a team consisting of 3 athletes amp 3 horses
THE VENUELuhmuumlhlen one of only six 4 events on the interna-tional Eventing calendar and part of the prestigious HSBC FEI Classicstrade series will greet Europersquos best athletes with a fresh look and feel this year following extensive renovation to the existing infrastructures The recently renovated showground includes three Dressage and two Jumping arenas a tribune able to seat 850 spectators with spectacular views as well as a newly designed entrance including six ticket box facilities and fully catered trade stands The show-ground also boasts an open air stage with space for up to 15000 spectators ldquoI am confident that the in-vestment in the infrastructure will be of great benefit to all involved whether you are a volunteer a groom an athlete ndash both the horses and the riders - as well as for the sponsors guests spectators and the fans We are re-ally looking forward to great competitions this year at both the CCI4CIC3 in June and at the Europeans in August and hope many will join us to witness this historic momentrdquo Julia Otto Event Director Luhmuumlhlen
HSBCHSBC has renewed their sponsorship for a further three-year term as global sponsor of FEI Eventing to include title sponsorships of the HSBC FEI European Eventing Championships in both 2011 and 2013 and the HSBC FEI Classicstrade until the end of 2013
OFFICIAL TIMEPIECE Rolex the leading name in luxury wrist watches will be the Official Timekeeper for the HSBC FEI European Eventing Championships 2011
Believe it or nothellip
bull GinnyElliot(bornHolgate)theonlyrider towinthreesuccessiveindividualtitlesand IanStarkholdthejointrecordforEuropean goldmedalswonndashseveneachbutLucinda Greenstillhasthemostmedals(10)
bull SupremeRockriddenbyPippaFunnell (GBR)istheonlyhorsetowinback-to-back titles(in1999and2001)hehasfour Europeangoldmedalsintotalequalingthe recordofKilbarryThePoacherandOver ToYouwhowonarecordfourconsecutive Europeanteamgolds(1999-2005)
bull PrincessAnneandZaraPhillipsaretheonly mother-daughtercombinationtowin Europeantitles(1971and2005)
bull GreatBritainhaveheldtheEuropeantitle forthepast8consecutiveChampionships (since1995)Andofthe29editionstodate (startingin1953)theteamhavewona whopping21
25-28 August 2011
Luhmuumlhlen Germany
hsBC FeI eUroPeaN
eVeNtINGChaMPIoNshIPs LIVE coverage on
22
In September Breda Hippique in The Netherlands will be host to the seventh edition of the FEI Euro-pean Driving Championships for Four-in-Hand not held since 1981 This edition is open to both Euro-pean and non-European drivers and will also count as a qualifier for the indoor FEI World Cuptrade Driv-ing which is held during the winter season Only competitors from Europe can claim the individual and team medalsThe FEI European Driving Championships for Four-in-Hand were first held in 1971 in Budapest and continued to be held every two years until 1981 at which stage they were discontinued
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERSTeam ndash HungaryIndividual ndash Gyoumlrgyi Bardos (HUN)
SOMETHING IN THE WATERhellip Hungary have won five out of six available team European titles and on the individual front two Hungarians stand out from the crowd Imre Abony ndash individual winner in 1971 and 1975 and Gyoumlrgyi Bardos triple consecutive winner in 1977 1979 1981
IN THE BEGINNINGhellipThe first European Championships took place in Budapest in 1971 and moved on to Windsor in Great Britain in 1973 Sopot in Poland in 1975 Donauesch-ingen in Germany in 1977 and in Haras du Pin in France in 1979 The sixth and last edition took place in 1981 in Zug Switzerland
THE VENUEBreda has hosted the only Nations competition (CAIO) for Four-in-Hand horses in The Netherlands for many years In 1995 Breda hosted the first FEI European Driving Championships for Four-in-Hand ponies and in 2010 was host to the FEI World Para-Equestrian Driving Championships Aside from the four-in-hand teams Breda will also host international pony teams and national horse pairs at the event this year
Believe it or nothellip
bull Hungaryhavewonfiveoutofsixteamgold titles
bull AugusteDubeyfromSwitzerlandwasthe onlynon-HungarianEuropeanChampion hewontheChampionshipsin1973
bull PrincePhilipFEIPresidentfrom1964- 1986whocelebratedhis90thbirhtday inJuneisanavidfanofDrivingandpartici- patedinsixWorldandthreeEuropean Championships
1-4 September 2011
Breda Netherland
FeI eUroPeaN
DrIVINGChaMPIoNshIPsfor FoUr-IN-haND
Note At the time of writing the FEI European DrivingChampionships for Four in Hand was pending approvalby the FEI Bureau
23FOCUS
The 14th edition of the FEI European Endurance Championships return to Florac in France twenty five years after the inaugural event was held there The FEI European Endurance Championships first took place in 1984 and were immediately followed up by a second edition in 1985 and have since been held every two years They have always been open to the world with two sets of medals presented ndash open and European
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERSTeam ndash SpainIndividual ndash Maria Alvarez Ponton amp Nobby
RECORD BREAKINGCurrent title holder Maria Alvarez Ponton amp super horse Nobby is the first rider to hold European and World titles at the same time She will be looking to confirm her stronghold on the sport following her second consecutive World title with a second con-secutive European title in Florac a feat no rider has managed to achieve at the Europeans to date
THE VET GATEModern competitions consist of a number of sec-tions known as lsquophasesrsquo At the end of each phase there is a compulsory halt for veterinary inspection Each horse which is thoroughly examined before it is allowed to start the ride must be presented for inspection within a set time of reaching each vetgate The time spent at each vetgate prior to inspection by the vets is counted as part of the overall competition time and the aim is to determine whether the horse is fit to continue the ride
THE SUPPORT CREWA vital part of Endurance riding is the support crew Riders are assisted by a team of helpers who meet them several times over the ride bringing bottles of water to pour over the horse to cool it down as well as a drink for the rider Crews also have spare equipment in case something breaks down or needs replacing
Believe it or nothellip
bull TheFrenchhavethemedaledgewith6 individualand4teamgoldmedalsfrom the14editionsheld
bull Floracistheonlyvenuetohostthe EuropeanChampionshipstwice(thefirst editionin1984andtheupcomingedition in2011)
bull EnduranceisthefastestgrowingFEI disciplinefrom2000to2010thenumber ofinternationaleventshavemultipliedby10
10 September 2011
Florac France
FeI eUroPeaN
eNDUraNCeChaMPIoNshIPs
24
Reem Acra Boutique 14 East 60th St New York New York 10022 2123088760 wwwreemacracom
356935B2_RA_brochure2_souvenir_programmeindd 1 82710 1012 AM
Vaulting became an FEI discipline in 1983 and saw its first FEI European Championship organised just one year later in the town of Ebreichsdorf in Austria This 15th edition of the Championship ndash which also includes the European Juniors competition return to France for the 4th time but for the first time in the world renowned venue of Le Mans famous for its 24 hour race
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERS
Team ndash Austria
Individual malelongeurhorseNicolas Andreani (FRA)Marina Joosten DuponIdefix de Braize
Individual femalelongeurhorseJoanna Eccles (GBR)John EcclesWH Bentley
THE WIND OF CHANGEGermany and Switzerland have traditionally bat-tled for the team title (Germany has 7 gold versus Switzerlandrsquos 5) but in 2009 Austria who had come second on four occasions since the inception of the Championships in 1984 finally climbed onto the top spot of the podium and claimed the title In terms of the individual performances Germany had the stronghold on the male category winning 11 out of 14 gold medals But again in 2009 France the only other country to have ever beaten a German male vaulter at the Europeans made it to the top spot of the podium for only the third time since the Championships began
Similarly with the female vaulters it was an all German domination until 2007 when Austriarsquos Sissi Jarz claimed gold followed by Joanna Eccles (GBR) in 2009 ndash leaving Germany off the top step of the podium entirely in 2009
GREAT BRITAIN ndash A VAULTING NATIONhellip Times have definitely changed from the Swiss German domination with current World and European titles held by Great Britainrsquos Joanna Eccles She was the first British vaulter (male or female) to claim a medal at the Europeans ndash let alone a gold medal - and then went on to secure the world title in Kentucky last year
Believe it or nothellip
bull TheonlycountryotherthanGermanyand SwitzerlandtohaveclaimedaEuropean VaultingtitleisSlovakiain2005
bull ChristophLensing(GER)holdsthemale medalrecordndashwiththreegold(19891993 amp1995)aswellassilverin1991
bull NadiaZuumllowandSilkeMichelberger (formerlyBernhard)withthreegoldmedals each
16-21 August 2011
Le Mans France
FeI eUroPeaN
VaULtINGChaMPIoNshIPs
26
This is only the fifth edition of the European Reining Championships since the discipline joined the FEI in 2000 and the first time they will be held in Austria The event also includes the FEI European Champi-onships for Juniors and Young Riders ndash a formula introduced in 2009 in Kreuth (GER) which proved to be a multigenerational success The FEI European Reining Championships take place every two years and have been held since 2003
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERSTeam ndash GermanyIndividual ndash Nina Lill (GER) riding Lena Cielo Jewel
THE JUDGINGReining horses are judged individually Each horse au-tomatically begins the required pattern with a score of 70 One or frac12 points are given or taken away for each manoeuvre Credit is given for smoothness fi-nesse attitude quickness and authority Controlled speed in the pattern raises the level of difficulty and makes the reining horse exciting to watch
Believe it or nothellip
bull ItalyandGermanyaretheonlytwonations tohavewongoldmedalsndashGermanyhas3 teamgoldand2individualgoldversus Italyrsquossingleteamgoldandtwoindividual gold
bull GermanyrsquosNinaLillwinnerin2009was thefirstwomantotaketheindividualtitle sincetheChampionshipsbeganin2003
bull OlympicWorldandEuropeanDressage ChampionAnkyVanGrunsven(NED) competedattheAlltechFEIWorldEques- trianGamestradein2010inbothDressageand hellipReining
bull 13nationswerescheduledtoattendthe Championshipatthetimeofwritingthe largestparticipationbycountryever recordedfortheEuropeans
26-30 July 2011
Wiener Neustadt Austria
FeI eUroPeaN
reININGChaMPIoNshIPs
27FOCUS
ldquoThirty-one yearsrsquo experience comes in handy some-timesrdquo joked the ever-relaxed Todd who was a leg-end by the time he ldquoretiredrdquo in 2000 with back-to-back Olympic golds five Burghley wins two world gold medals and three Badminton victories one on a horse he had never ridden before ldquoIt is incredibly special though right up there with the back-to-back Olympic golds When I came back to the sport (in 2008) it was to see if I could get back to top level It has always been my aim to win another big onerdquo
A World class meeting of Generations
The 2011 HSBC FEI Classicstrade could not have got off to a more epic start with wins at Badminton and Kentucky by two of the sportrsquos most enduring personalitiesThe 55-year-old New Zealander Mark Todd rolled back the years to score a fourth victory at the Gloucestershire venue 31 years after his first attempt in 1980
By Kate Green
28
HSBC FEI ClassicsTm
The resurgence of so much experienced talent makes it harder for younger riders to work their way up the leaderboard but 29-year-old Sinead Halpin (USA) had a spectacular CCI4 debut at Kentucky finish-ing third and best of the home side in distinguished company This achievement earned her the HSBC Training Bursary worth US$1000 towards training a prestigious and valuable award presented to the rider who achieves the best result on completing a CCI4 for the first time
The bursary winner at Badminton Fiona Hobby (GBR) 39 has had a rather longer wait to complete
her first CCI4 ndash she was 26th on Roma ML ndash but she has in the meantime produced two children had a career as a sports therapist and only switched from Jumping to Eventing relatively recently Hobby has vowed to spend the money on dressage train-ing ldquoRoma couldnrsquot believe it when she arrived in the arena and saw all those people but she was great across country really focussed Irsquom delightedrdquo
For Germanyrsquos Sandra Auffarth Luhmuumlhlen pro-vided an outstanding CCI4 debut on Opgun Louvo a young horse she has produced herself coming second and picking up the HSBC Training Bursary and the exciting prospect of a possible place in the squad for the forthcoming HSBC FEI European Event-ing Championship at Luhmuumlhlen (25-28 August) at which Germany as host nation will be entitled to field 12 riders
Last yearrsquos HSBC Training Bursary winners include Stephanie Rhodes-Bosch (CAN) who went on to win a team silver medal at the Alltech FEI World Equestri-an Gamestrade Lauren Shannon (GBR) who finished 17th at Badminton this year and Giovanni Ugolotti (ITA) who is furthering his career by basing himself in Brit-ain for the season and having lessons with Mark Todd
LIVE coverage and extensive highlights available on
Toddrsquos winning mount the 10-year-old NZB Land Vision was a green horse for this level and he fin-ished the Cross-Country phase tired but his rider kept his cool in an extraordinarily tight finish in which the price of one Jumping fence covered the top 12 riders any of whom could with a bit of luck have won the Mitsubishi Motors Trophy ldquoIn the end it came down to horse-power and Irsquove obviously got a good one hererdquo said Todd ldquoCharisma (his double Olympic gold medallist) will always be the most special horse but this one has no weak linksrdquo
As is the nature of the sport Toddrsquos lead in the HSBC FEI Classicstrade didnrsquot last long ndash he came down to earth with a bump the following weekend with a Cross-Country run-out on NZB Grass Valley his ride at the Rolex Kentucky Three Day Event (USA) and 49- year-old Mary King (GBR) stole the head-lines with a record one-two on Kings Mis-tress and Fernhill Urco It was Kingrsquos first CCI4 victory for 11 years ndash she has won Badminton twice and Burghley once ndash but she certainly smashed a few re-cords with this one She became the first rider to score a one-two at Kentucky the first in modern times to win a CCI4 on a home-bred horse and the oldest female to win a CCI4
King who has six team gold medals at World and European level plus competed at five consecutive Olympics had the luxury of knowing she had already won the event on the inexperienced 10-year-old Fernhill Urco a horse bred in Portugal by the time she entered the arena on Kings Mistress but she still produced a second clear round ldquoI never dreamed that I would be in this position and Irsquom enjoying the momentrdquo said the ever-smiling King ldquoIt was great to have the feeling of having already won on Fernhill Urco but I still wanted desperately to go clear on Kings Mistress as it is so special to win on a horse I bred myselfrdquo It was also an all clear from Germanyrsquos Andreas Dibowski and Euroriding Butts Leon in order to secure victory at the fourth leg of the HSBC FEItrade
Classicstrade in Luhmuumlhlen presented by EON Avacon
29FOCUS
The Danish-American actorpoet musician photographerand painter has been around horses most of his life from riding Hasufel and Brego in The Lord of the Rings trilogy to early childhood memories in Argentina his passion for floating as he describes it has never wavered
What is it about the horse that makes you a horse loverWe get along generally I respect their strength and their personal space Your first riding experience ndash was it bliss or terrorLike floating like being on a warm and floating mountain I remember being happy Do you think anyone can rideYes It is a question of allowing yourself to ride of allowing yourself to cooperate and not be in total control Children are more adept at figuring this out letting things happen without getting impatient or scared just as they are braver and less self-conscious about pronouncing new words or singing Anyone at any age or in any physical condition can
Viggo Mortensen
achieve a degree of success and satisfaction with horses even if it is just a question of touching them being near them If horses could talk what would they be sayingYou will know if you listen and watch them Is there a unique trait you look for in a horse that you canrsquot find in peopleThey are more patient and less apt to complain about lifersquos setbacks and physical ailments than most people I admire a tough smart horse what-ever its breed age or size What would you miss most if you could no longer go ridingThe companionship and the floating perhaps also the abandonment of usual daily worries that relaxed riding requires Whatrsquos your usual riding outfit consist ofAnything will do Loose-fitting clothes and good comfortable boots are a plus but not vital I have even ridden barefoot ndash naturally taking care to avoid being stepped on when not on the horse - but I do not recommend this to anyone The most important thing is to have a clear and focused mind to be THERE at all times when around horses and NOWHERE ELSE Sugar lumps or carrotsIrsquove been guilty of offering an occasional apple or carrot although it is best not to give horses anything special unless treats are part of training them for special tricks or stunts a pursuit best left to experts like master horse trainer Rex Peterson whom Irsquove had the good fortune to work with and study quite a bit Treats spoil horses and do not keep the animal focused on the task at hand Whatrsquos your favourite part of a horseThe brain What do you think young people gain from ridingSelf-confidence and an understanding of the value of cooperation
30
Why the long face
When did you first develop the bond with the horseThe first time I got on one as a little boy in ArgentinaYou either develop a bond of some kind or you fall off Of course you may even fall off if you develop the bond but you have to start (and restart) somewhere
Did your friends ride My brothers also rode and I have ridden with many kinds of people over the years ndash some good and patient with horses and some not If I had not rid-den as a boy I would probably have been wandering around fishing imagining I was a cowboy or an Indian or a Viking ndash which I did anyway Where in the world would you most like to rideMost anywhere will do but I have been extremely lucky to have ridden in many wide-open wild places ndash deserts grassy plains mountains by different seas and rivers in Argentina New Zealand North Africa and North America If you could spend one afternoon riding with a famous person (past or present)who would it be and whyIrsquoll give you 3 Oglala chief Tasunke Witko (Crazy Horse) my ancestor William F Cody or any real Gaucho from the province of Chaco Argentina
Two horses go out for dinner what kindof restaurant do they chooseLate spring grass near a slow-moving clean river with a gentle firm shoreline an hour before sun-down far from any people or other animals All time favourite horse filmI have a subjective soft spot for the stories and real horses involved in the making of ldquoHidalgordquo and the 2nd and 3rd installments of ldquoThe Lord Of The Ringsrdquo trilogy but I admire other ldquohorse moviesrdquo as wellThe 1953 French movie ldquoCrin-Blancrdquo (ldquoWhite Manerdquo) directed by Albert Lamorisse is a personal favourite
After three years at the head of the successful French Jumping team with back to back FEI Nations Cuptrade titles and a silver medal at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade Laurent Elias is moving on to new spheres with the French Horse amp Riding Institute where he will be training the riders of the National Riding School in Saumur
Laurent Elias
copy C
hris
toph
e Br
icot
32
The other side of
If I had not become a professional rider I would havehellipmade a career in a humanitarian organisation Horse riding is sometimes too trivial
My priority in life ishellipto be able to look at myself in the mirror in the morning and make sure I am at peace with my conscience
My familyhellipkeeps me grounded My wife helped me a lot when I was in charge of selections for France She took charge of my personal life and was the first person I called when we got the medal in Lexington I also admire my parents for the values they passed on to me
I remember my first ridingexperiencehellipaged six we were shooting a family film and I was on horseback I finished upside down under my horse for a long time I stopped riding for one year
I used to dream abouthellipsafaris One of my uncles was passionate about safaris Through him I became very interested in African trips and the jobs that allow you to travel as a reporter were fascinating to me as well
I have been thinking a lot abouthellipwhat happened in Japan these past few months First this tsunami that devastated everything without warning then the nuclear disaster It made me think that progress should not be destructive
My horse Gueacutenourhellipchanged my life I was just a coach and he brought me to the top I won the national championship in 1981 with him
My biggest challengehas always beenhellipshyness Horse riding has really helped me over-come it Horses brought me on stage and there I had to meet people
As a Chef dEquipehellipthere is no single defining achievement itrsquos all about the solidarity and the moments spent together as a team Irsquoll never forget the first time Penelope Leprevost rode her mare Jubileacutee drsquoOuilly in the FEI Nations Cuptrade of Rotterdam McLain Ward had just completed a real fast run with Sapphire We thought the Americans would win but she did it faster and beat Sapphire
In terms of eventshellipAachen is my favourite competition - for its won-derful organisation But we have also pretty good five star competitions in France
I donrsquot sleep muchhellipprobably because I am just happy to be alive
Irsquom not scared to laugh or cryhellipI laugh at the funny situations we sometimes find ourselves in life and enjoy people with quirky personalities I cry when I see others in pain
Laurent Elias and the French team en route to the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade copy PSV-Jean Morel
33FOCUS
Nicolas TheacutevenazAged 23 studies Robotics and Autonomous Systems Micro Engineering in Lausanne (SUI) alongside regular training and competition in Dressage and Para-Equestrian Dressage events Born with spastic diplegia Nicolas was introduced to horses via hippotherapy aged seven and quickly developed a passion for riding which not only helped with his physical condition but also taught him through Dressage the art of patience and perseverance
34
One day
Nicolas TheacutevenazAged 23 studies Robotics and Autonomous Systems Micro Engineering in Lausanne (SUI) alongside regular training and competition in Dressage and Para-Equestrian Dressage events Born with spastic diplegia Nicolas was introduced to horses via hippotherapy aged seven and quickly developed a passion for riding which not only helped with his physical condition but also taught him through Dressage the art of patience and perseverance
He has been fortunate to meet the right people (and horses) at the right time and has been working for the past five years with trainer Vicky-Eileen Baumann (pictured right) and her horses Magic and Lady (pictured right) ldquoShersquos bred them and knows them inside out which is very useful when I have to communicate with them - they know my voice intonations and a whole string of specific words or sounds ndash which really helps as my body canrsquot or doesnrsquot always have the strength to do sordquo
As a Grade II Para-Equestrian rider Nicolas competes in Para-Equestrian Dressage (PED) events as well as national events for able bodied riders as there are only a handful of PED riders and no events in Switzerland
Unable to attend the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade 2010 in Kentucky last year Nicolas and Vicky have their sights firmly set on the 2012 Para-lympic Games and will be looking to qualify with Lady over the next 12 months ndash alongside exams studies and everything else life has to offerhellip Who is your role model For different reasons I have different role mod-els Edward Gal Dane Rawlins Isabel Werth and Catherine Haddad
When did you start riding and why At age 7 I was sat on a horse for hippotherapy and liked the complicity with the horse which made me want to discover more
How do you feel when you ride Concentrated and industrious
Who is your biggest fan My trainerrsquos mum
Complete this sentenceOne day I would like tohellip have gained enough knowledge to be able to take care of and train my own horse
What are your long term goals as a rider Continue to do my best to enjoy what I do and show others itrsquos possible
How do you juggle studies and competition I think itrsquos really important to have goals and to do everything you can to achieve them and that includes taking on challenges because if you donrsquot try then yoursquoll never know what you could have achieved
What is your proudest achievement to date Participation in international events together with pursuing my studies
How do you feel after winning Still working towards discovering the feeling
What is the best advice anyone has ever given youMy trainer often repeats to me the famous saying by General LrsquoHotte ldquoCalme en avant droitrdquo which says so much about riding but can also be applied to so many other aspects of life
35FOCUS
What advice would you give someone looking to get involved in Para-Equestrian Dressage Train and ride with able-bodied athletes as often as possible Being around and working with horses is so rewarding Irsquod like - when Irsquom retired - to write a book to share these feelings with others and hope this will inspire them to get involved
Complete this sentenceIn the future I would like the sport to beeven ldquocleanerrdquo and fairer and if possible not more but less demanding on the horses
ldquoLast but not least Irsquod like to take the opportunity of this article to reach out to those who give me their trust and help be it with their time their friendship and any type of support Day after day to year after year team work is essential and Irsquoll do my best to continue deserving every-onersquos encouraging smilesrdquo
European Broadcasting Union
Union Europeacuteenne de Radio-Teacuteleacutevision
+41 (0)22 717 2111 wwweurovisionnet
We bring the event to your home
Eurovision
copy K
it H
ough
ton
FE
I
FEI_08_A4indd 1 03012008 162238
European Broadcasting Union
Union Europeacuteenne de Radio-Teacuteleacutevision
+41 (0)22 717 2111 wwweurovisionnet
We bring the event to your home
Eurovision
copy K
it H
ough
ton
FE
I
FEI_08_A4indd 1 03012008 162238
Nominations for the FEI Awards opened in May enabling the global equestrian com-munity to once again reward outstanding dedication to horse sport in five categories ndash Development Best Groom Against All Odds Rising Star and Best Athlete The search for the equestrian heroes of 2011 is now on who will be flown to Rio de Janeiro Brazil to receive their awards
Where are they now The FEI asked the current title-holders for an update on their activities
Follow us on
38
FEI Awards 2011
Ebony Horse Club (GBR)Winner of the Alltech FEI DevelopmentAward 2010
The Ebony Horse Club announced in December 2010 that after an eight-year fundraising effort it had the pound14 million necessary for building an equestrian cen-tre in one of Londonrsquos most deprived boroughs Since 1996 Ebony has offered youngsters in an area reput-ed for its gang culture high level of gun crime and drug dealing the chance to ride and learn key social skills The clubrsquos 50 members travel to riding schools across London on public transport or in minibuses ndash a logistical headache that the inner-city equestrian centre will end Construction work began in February
Ebony Horse Club founder and director Ros Spear-ing told the FEI ldquoRiding lessons are continuing and the club is preparing for the transitionrdquo Building will finish on 7 July but the centre will open for riding lessons in October ldquoThe horses will be brought to Brixton in the summer and will have time to acclimatise to their new environmentrdquo Spearing said The centre will include stabling for nine horses a small paddock and a flood-lit riding arena as well as a classroom for learning about horses and equine management Spearing is adamant that club members ndash present and future ndash care for their rides and wants the centre to serve as a stepping stone to careers in the horse industry
Ebonyrsquos existence will continue to depend on the generosity of donors For more information visit wwwebonyhorsecluborguk
Michelle Tipper (GBR)Winner of the FEI Best Groom Award 2010
Michelle Tipper has continued to juggle grooming and study since receiving her FEI Award in Novem-ber She has organised the grooms for the British European Junior and Young Dressage teams and in April her contract as a travelling groom for British Dressage riders Paul and Bobby Hayler took her to Addington for the first of many international com-petitions she will work at this year The Haylers have eight horses competing and the number she works with at each venue varies Tipper has also been help-ing British Dressage riders Nicky and Richard Barrett with yard duties ldquoI feel very lucky to work for both of these familiesrdquo said the FEI Best Groom Award win-ner adding that she feels part of the two families In March Tipper graduated from university with a Masters in Sport Psychology She is now working towards British Association of Sport and Exercise Science accreditation which requires at least 500 hoursrsquo supervised work experience and is present-ing sport psychology workshops in conjunction with the company Inside Performance Consulting Limit-ed (wwwinside-performancecom) The workshops are organised internationally for people of all ages from any sport To find out more contact Tipper at michelletipper1979yahoocom
39FOCUS
Michelle Tipper ndash copyWilliam TzengAward winners ndash copyWilliam TzengCaroline Roffman ndash copySharonPackercomEbony Horse Club ndash copyEbony Horse ClubEdward Gal and Totilas ndash copyKit HoughtonFEIAngelika Trabert ndash copyJulia Rau
Angelika Trabert (GER)Winner of the FEI Against All Odds Award 2010
German Para-Dressage rider Angelika Trabert has represent-ed her country at four Paralympic Games and won some 15 medals at national European and world championships She is currently seeking a new home for Londria the mare that con-tributed to her Team Silver medal win at the Hong Kong Para-lympics Londria who had a foal last year was also Trabertrsquos ride during her medal-winning performances at the European Championships in Hungary (2005) and Norway (2009)
Trabert said her decision to let go of Londria was hard to make but was necessary for financial reasons She will keep the foal Finaud Coquin and her mares Walmorel and Ariva-Avanti Trabert won the Para-Dressage Grade 2 Freestyle Champion-ship at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade with Ariva and said the horse was ldquowell and ready to go for the Europeans again in Belgium in September if we qualifyrdquo Trabert competed in her first international competition of 2011 in May in Man-nheim Germany where she came first in the Grade II indi-vidual and second in the freestyle She is taking part in the German Championships in June
Away from the equestrian world Trabert works as an anaes-thetist and has participated in medical missions in the rural ar-eas of Guinea for the organisation Mango In January she was back in Guinea as part of team that carried out 100 operations in 13 days wwwangelika-trabertde
Visit the recently refreshed FEI Awards website to find out more about the Awards the pastwinners the judges and to make yournominationsby 31 July
wwwfeiawardsorg
40
Caroline Roffman (USA)Winner of the HSBC FEI Rising StarAward 2010
Success continues to smile on twenty-two-year-old American Dressage rider Caroline Roffman Since re-ceiving the HSBC FEI Rising Star Award she has en-joyed numerous wins at small tour and young horse levels achieving scores in the mid-eighties and quali-fying two horses for the young horse championships
Roffman is currently showing six horses and has won several classes at PSG and Grand Prix level ldquoBut nothing is as exciting as to be going to Aachenrdquo said the young woman who has been described as the American Dressage communityrsquos brightest hope ex-plaining that at the FEI Awards ceremony in Chinese Taipei Frank Kemperman FEI Dressage Committee Chair and Chairman of the Managing Board at CHIO Aachen (GER) invited her to take part in the pres-tigious event Roffman will be the first American to compete in the Under 25 Grand Prix there and is hop-ing to take her horse Lux Stensvang
An interview with Caroline Roffman at the Palm Beach Dressage Derby CDI will be broadcast on the magazine programme Equestrian World on FEI TV the FEIrsquos official online video platform wwwfeitvorg
Edward Gal and Totilas (NED)Winners of the Reem Acra FEI Best Athlete Award 2010
The world-famous partnership of Dutch Dressage rider Edward Gal and the extraordinary Totilas ended in style in 2010 with notably three gold medal wins at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade
The first foal sired by the superstar stallion was born in January followed by two more in the spring Gal who has admired the foals told the FEI ldquoYou never know ndash maybe in a few yearsrsquo time Irsquoll have another Totilas readyrdquo At the beginning of April he was busy at home training nine horses and preparing for the Reem Acra FEI World Cuptrade Dressage Final in Leipzig and the European Championships in Rotterdam He had not yet decided which horses he was going to compete with but was particularly looking forward to the Freestyle to Music Asked what it was like to compete without Totilas Gal said ldquoEverybody ex-pected Totilas to win I find it easier to ride other horses because nobody expects me to win and when I do itrsquos really nicerdquo
41FOCUS
globetrotter
Seal of approval for the Adai horseSixty years have passed since an Adai horse reportedly set a record galloping 354km in one day Today the Adai horse a breed na-tive to Kazakhstan is back in the spotlight with a gold medal at the FEI Central Asian Endurance Championship in Talgaearlier in May only months after having been award-ed official pedigree status following tests
conducted by a State Commission in the Mangistau Steppes which allowed itto compete internationally The horses are cherished for their hardiness and Oyly ridden by Altyngali Bissemaganbetov (KAZ) proved just that when crossing the finishing line first demonstrating just how tough the Adai horses are and the beginning of a new era for sturdy breed on the international stage
Equestrian Australia Sport
Achievement Awards
In May the best of the best in
Equestrian sport gathered to cel-
ebrate the achievements of Austral-
iarsquos athletes coaches officials vets
administrators owners volunteers
and the many other people that
dedicate their time and enthusiasm
to equestrian sport The ceremony
also included the introduction of
Equestrian Australiarsquos Hall of
Fame won by the legendary Bill
Roycroft Boyd Exell winner of
the FEI World CupTM Driving
Final was awarded the interna-
tional athlete of the year
award
Kevin Stautbecomes first athlete representative on FEI
executive board
Kevin Staut one of Francersquos most successful Jumping riders became the first athlete to be appointed to the FEI Executive Board for a three-year term Staut (31) who has held the number one spot in the Rolex Rankings for Jumping since July 2010 has ridden on numerous Nations Cup teams for France and claimed individual gold at the Alltech FEI European Jumping Championships in 2009
HulA CARTSWorld Horse Welfare has greatly helped the liv
es of
five Senegalese cart horse owners by presenting them
with new Hula Carts The local people who depend on
their working horses for their livelihoods were specially
selected by the charity to receive the carts which have
been sponsored by members of the public in the uK
The Hula Carts are specifically developed to help the
horses pulling heavy loads in often difficult conditions
Equestrian Australia Sport
Achievement Awards
In May the best of the best in
Equestrian sport gathered to cel-
ebrate the achievements of Austral-
iarsquos athletes coaches officials vets
administrators owners volunteers
and the many other people that
dedicate their time and enthusiasm
to equestrian sport The ceremony
also included the introduction of
Equestrian Australiarsquos Hall of
Fame won by the legendary Bill
Roycroft Boyd Exell winner of
the FEI World CupTM Driving
Final was awarded the interna-
tional athlete of the year
award
Olympic legendBill Roycroft passes away aged 96
A legend of Equestrian sport in Australia James William
George Roycroft OBE known as ldquoBillrdquo was one of Austral-
iarsquos greatest Olympians and one of only five Australians to
have competed in five consecutive Olympic Games (from
1960 - 1976) as well as being Australiarsquos oldest medallist
and oldest competitor at 61 years and 31 days In May 2011
Bill was inducted in Equestrian Australiarsquos inaugural Hall
of Fame ndash he was Australiarsquos oldest living Olympian and
shared his dedication and enthusiasm for the sport with
his sons Barry Wayne and Clarke (See a brief description
of his exploits in the 1960 Olympic Games Memory Lane
article page 9 which catapulted Australiarsquos reputation as
one of the best Eventing teams in the world)
webinfofeiFEI web wizard Nicole Sigrist has added a new hub for the Press on wwwfeiorg called FEI Press Kits located in the Media section of the website The Press Kits zone which is also open to the general public is regularly updated with infor-mation relating to FEI series and specific events with flip books and downloadable PDFs as well as direct links to the Photo Catalogue the Rankings and Standings the Annual Report and more
100thanniversary for Finnish riding club
One of the three found-ing member clubs of
the Finnish Equestrian Federation the Suomen
Kenttaumlratsastusseura-Finska Faumlltrittklubbenon celebrates
its 100th anniversary in 2011 Magnus Rydman former President of the Finnish National Federation and Presi-dent of the FEI from 1935 ndash 1946 was one of the founders of the club Another of the founders of the oldest club in Fin-land was the Eventing rider Colonel Hans Olof von Essen whose fifth place at the Antwerpen Olympic Games re-mains the best Olympic equestrian result the country has ever achieved
Follow us on
43FOCUS
Interview with the President of the Brazilian Equestrian Federation Mr Luiz Roberto Giugni
The Brazilian Equestrian Federation has been a member Federation of the FEI for 75 years how has the sport developed over that time We were facing regular growth (average of 25 in the last decade) but in the last three to four years this rate has significantly increased up to 35 a year We believe that this is due to international achievements (two Jumping Olympic team bronze medals the individual Olympic Jumping gold medal won by Rodrigo Pessoa several Pan Am Jumping team gold medals recent Olympic pre-qualification in Kentucky (4th in the world in Jumping) and the organisations of a Global Champions Tour event in Brazil
In terms of developing the sport what are the most successful projects you have undertaken in recent yearsWe decided to invest in education and have hired international trainers for all the disciplines such as Jean Maurice Bonneau for Jumping Nick Turner for Eventing Eric Lette for Dressage Jean Louis Leclerc for Endurance Mattias Lang for Vaulting with the long term in mind that is at least until the end of 2012 and planning towards 2016 when Rio will host the Olympic Games
How popular is equestrian sport with young people in Brazil and how do you compete with some of the bigger sports for their attention Popularization is growing bit by bit in a country
decidedly dominated by soccer ndash being 5 times World Champion makes it a national passion But we are continuously looking to attract TV to our events as this is a huge step towards gaining visibility and popularity Can you tell us about the programmesinitiatives in place for disabled athletes We are actively pursuing this and have achieved really positive results in little time such as the great performances and medals earned at the Para-lympic Games in Hong Kong in 2008 We do this through clinics courses international exchanges of athletes and working alongside our National Paralympic Committee to support us in our efforts
Brazil will be host the FEI General Assembly at the end of the year what do you want all the visiting delegates to remember from their visit That we are more than just a really beautiful and warm country with the ability and capacity to organise great events and that we are committed to putting on the best Olympic Games ever
What are the main objectivesplans for the Brazilian Federation in the lead up to the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games Our NOC is really committed to raising the bar of all the sports to a level never seen before and we are working towards that in terms of our athletes our judges our venues and everything that is related to our sport and the quality of our sport In line with this objective we are providing incen-tives to owners to buy good horses aiming for 2016 and this is going to plan for now We expect to perform well at the upcoming Pan Am Games and Olympics on our trail to 2016
Is there anything else you would like to share with us I would like to thank HRH Princess Haya President of the FEI as well as the Executive Board for all the support that we are getting which has been paramount to the development of equestrian sport in our country
44
President Luiz Roberto GiugniSecretary General Luiz Antonio RoccoMember since 1935
15 members of staff work at the federation
20 regional federations are affiliated tothe Brazilian Equestrian Federation with over 300 member riding clubs
6 000 affiliated riders
91 national events were held in 2010
31 international events were held in 2010
All the FEI disciplines are practiced in BrazilJumping Dressage Eventing Vaulting Reining EnduranceDriving amp Para-Equestrian
14 breeding organisations
There are 58 million horses and ponies in Brazilmaking it the fourth largest equine population in the world
FAC
TS amp
FIG
URE
S
45FOCUS
Dr Gerit Matthesen56 is a private equine practitioner an FEI Vet and a member of the FEI Veterinary Committee He graduated in Veterinary Medicine from Berlin University in 1983 and since 1989 has worked or officiated at some 180 competitions and championships including the last two Olympics and FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade He lives near Frankfurt with his wife Carola and their sons Mike (16) and Lars (14)
46
A life in a day
Dr Gerit Matthesen56 is a private equine practitioner an FEI Vet and a member of the FEI Veterinary Committee He graduated in Veterinary Medicine from Berlin University in 1983 and since 1989 has worked or officiated at some 180 competitions and championships including the last two Olympics and FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade He lives near Frankfurt with his wife Carola and their sons Mike (16) and Lars (14)
I wake up earlier than I need to ndash at around 6am ndash because breakfast time with my family is sacred to me and I can then drive my boys to the village station to take the train to school After two cups of coffee (enough for the day) and a glass of orange juice I read the newspapers then head to my prac-tice offices in our indoor arena I have a quick look at our horses then start work
While I listen to my phone messages I deal with my emails and search the internet for news about veterinary medicine and horse sport I then start planning the dayacutes schedule with Anna my assistant vet
My mobile practice is in a nice fairly rural area in the north of Frankfurt There are lots of horse farms but it is not a classic breeding area like the northern part of Germany There are sport horses as well as pleasure horses I have examination rooms and stables for horses staying or mares foaling in my practice stables Itrsquos not a big clinic which gives me time to work at competitions
After seeing a few small animals in my practice I normally start my field service at 930am In my car I have enough equipment (ultrasound X-ray systems and endoscopical devices) for the dayrsquos examinations and standing procedures We mainly have lameness examinations to do or internal diseases to treat accompanied by routine work like vaccinations or carrying out pre-purchase or health certificate examinations If time allows I go home for a quick lunch but thatrsquos not every day
While Irsquom driving I have time to think and I write down everything that come to mind regarding sport competitions committees and so on You have to write down your thoughts when yoursquore over the age of 50
It is not easy planning my day because any emer-gency can destroy or delay my schedule For all the paperwork and certificates I need a time frame so
I often do that over quiet weekends when there are no competitions During the winter season I am less busy but in summer a lot of weekends are taken over by the competition schedule
I love my work especially in Eventing which is my favourite discipline My wife and I practiced it ndash not up to top level but it was a fine time despite a bro-ken ankle from a fall in 1988 which after 23 years is making walking more and more difficult for me
I like to do my competition work on a friendly but strict basis and I really like to hear riders saying they are treated fairly Over the years I have acquired a lot of experience and met all the officials and riders
Usually when I return home in the late afternoon there are more small animals to see When Irsquove done the dayrsquos paperwork I hope there will be no more emergencies such as cases of colic which usually occur in the early evening
I look forward to getting on my horse which is a beautiful show-jumper I like to ride but Irsquove stopped competing I do dressage jumping and go out into the fields but itrsquos all just for fun now
The day finishes with the family and a nice cold glass of German beer
Itrsquos a struggle to find time to spend with my family and I often have to cancel my holidays with them I am really grateful to my wife and the boys for their understanding of my job and to my assistant vet who covers for me when Iacutem out somewhere in the world of equestrian sport
ldquoThe combination of my profession and beinginvolved in differentaspects of top equestrian sport is my visionrdquo
47FOCUS
Pull your show attire from the closet clean your boots and tack groom the horses hook up and pack the trailer check the clock double check to make sure you have everything put on the shipping boots load your horses and away you drive to the competition venue or to the airport for transport to a distant event
You know the drill well but still you arrive tired per-haps even a bit frazzled Yoursquoll sleep (or try to) the next several nights in an unfamiliar bed or camp out in the living quarters of your trailer You awaken riveted on the competition playing out the dayrsquos classes in your mind wondering how your rides will fare against oth-ers praying that the weather will be cooperate and trying to control your nerves all the while knowing that no matter how well you have prepared many factors are out of your control You may even be in a different time zone
We go through a lot to compete our horses But if you think life on the road is stressful for you think about what itrsquos like for your horses Your back may be a bit sore from driving or being strapped into an airplane seat for hours on end but for horses transportation is far more demanding It is an athletic endeavour re-quiring an expenditure of energy to maintain balance during the constant movement of transport When your horses arrive they face social isolation from stablemates lack of security in novel environments altered training regimes water that tastes strange and the confines of an unfamiliar stall This routine impacts a horsersquos health and well being with effects
continuing long after the journey is over During transport toxic gases (such as ammonia or carbon monoxide) can cause damage to the lung epithelium precipitating respiratory disease The
final destination itself can also cause problems Usually horses are transported to environments where they will be mixing with other horses The mixing of horses from different environments with different infectious organisms and under stressful conditions further precipitates susceptibility to disease
This can have a severe impact on the equine gut The stress of transportation is known to increase gut ulceration in the horse a painful condition reducing performance and causing colic-like symptoms Stress can also slow the flow of digesta and alter the normal gut flora resulting in digestive upset and possibly diarrhoea or colic
The effects of travel stress on the gut are compounded by the typical diet of the regular equine traveller To maintain athletic ability high performance horses are often fed energy-charged diets contain-ing increased levels of starchy materials such as cereal grains Unfortunately this type of diet can reduce beneficial types of gut flora and promote gut acidity further predisposing the horse to digestive upsets and ulceration It is not surprising that stressed tired horses may not fulfill their potential on arrival
Feeding to reduce stress for the equine traveller
By Darlene RickerExecutive editor of Alltechrsquos EQUINE INTERNATIONAL magazine
48
Alltech Tips
growth of opportunistic Salmonella spp which are present in the intestinal tract of many healthy horses These bacteria then attach to the gut lining via a mannan sugar and penetrate it causing damage and resulting in diarrhoea One method of prevent-ing or minimising the attachment of these organ-
isms to the gut lining is to provide an adsorbant supplement A form of sugar found in the cell walls of certain yeasts can do this This sugar compound is called man-nan oligosaccharide or MOS MOS products such as Alltechrsquos Bio-Mosreg have been shown to re-duce the colonization of Salmonella
spp in the guts of certain species and augment the immune response to Salmonella spp potentially conferring an enhanced ability to fight infection Both Yea-Saccreg 1026 and Bio-Mos are among the natural products contained in Alltechrsquos LIFEFORCETM equine supplement which many FEI competitors have successfully incorporated into their daily feeding regimen at home and on the road
lifeforcehorsecom
and may be subject to health concerns in the days following a long journey Fortunately however you can curb some of the effects of travel stress on the horsersquos gut by nutritional supplementation Organic yeast products used to supplement a horsersquos diet can support the normal gut flora modifying the intesti-nal environment and improving the horsersquos digestion One such culture is Saccharomyces cerevisae in the form of Yea-Saccreg 1026 Alltechrsquos propriety organic yeast
Experiments were conducted to evaluate the effects Yea-Sacc on gut flora and gut acidity Horses were fed either a high-starch or a high-fibre diet both with and without supplementation of Yea-Saccreg 1026 Results indicated an excessive amount of starch in the gut The use of Yea-Sacc reduced acidity and stimulat-ed the activity of fibre-digesting bacteria in the hind-gut for both types of diet The result was maximised fibre digestibility and more efficient use of nutrients thus increasing the amount of energy available to the horse for performance and counteracting digestive upset Salmonellosis is one of the more commonly di-agnosed infectious causes of diarrhoea in horses Many cases develop after the stress of transport The effects of travel stress on the normal gut flora allow an over-
Moorlands Totilas arrives for the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade after air transport copy Dirk Caremans
HRH The Infanta Dontildea Pilar de Borboacuten former President of the FEI (1994-2006) also attended the inauguration along-side HRH Princess Lalla Amina Chairperson of the Royal Moroccan Federation for Equestrian Sports and member of the international Advisory Council of Special OlympicsThey were joined by International Olympic Commit-tee members representatives from other Interna-tional Federations federal and local Swiss authorities as well as architects and designers that worked on the project Switzerlandrsquos Martin Fuchs a member of the gold medal winning team at the inaugural Youth Olympic Games in Singapore last year accompanied FEI President Princess Haya in officially opening the FEI headquarters
ldquoThe building we are inaugurating today has been designed to serve our wonderful sportrdquo explained FEI
President Princess Haya ldquoI also feel an immense
sense of pride knowing that this building carries the name
of my late father and hope that this serves as a constant reminder
to all of us who work at the FEI of a unique statesman whose entire soul was devoted to the service of his people Our new headquarters will play a key role for the FEI and our National Federa-tions over the coming years It will be the environ-ment in which important discussions take place and fundamental decisions are taken as we continue our mission to advance the orderly growth of equestrian sport worldwide while ensuring that the welfare of the horse and a level playing field remain at the centre of all that we dordquo
FEI celebratesNEW Headquarters
Over 250 guests attended the inauguration ceremony on Friday 6 May at HM King Hussein I Building which was timed to coincide with the FEI
Extraordinary General Assembly so that attending NationalFederation representatives
could be a part ofthe celebrations
1 Youth Olympic Games team champion Martin Fuchs (SUI) FEI President HRH Princess Haya and her daughter HH Sheikha Al Jalila officially open the FEIrsquos new home 2 Gilbert Felli IOC Olympic Games Executive Director and FEI Secretary General Ingmar de Vos 3 HRH The Infanta Dontildea Pilar de Borboacuten sits down to an interactive quiz in the FEI Gallery 4 Guests gathered in the atrium of the FEI HeadquartersAll images copy Hugues SiegenthalerFEI
Highlights available on50
1
2
3 4
5
6 7
8
THE GALLERy
As well as housing offices for its 62 employees and conference facilities for its 133 National Federations the new headquarters also has a state-of-the-art in-teractive gallery showcasing equestrian sport
The Gallery is the brainchild of Dr Amichai Alper-ovich historian former Secretary General of the Is-raeli Equestrian Federation and curator of the Israeli Olympic Museum (opened in 2009) He worked hand in hand with the Tel Aviv based company Disk-In Pro and interior designer Oded Alony to help bring the content to life and the result is truly unique and ground breaking Giant glass surfaces act as interac-tive interfaces for the visitors to travel through time
The FEIrsquos new headquarters which were donated to the Federation by FEI Presi-dent HRH Princess Haya in 2007 fol-lowing a personal fundraising effort are conveniently located close to the Inter-national Olympic Committee and other international sports federations It has been written into the FEI Statutes that the new FEI headquarters building will always house the Federationrsquos offices In 2008 the building was thoroughly renovated in accordance with the Swiss MINERGIEreg construction standard for environmental responsibility which re-duces energy consumption by 25 per cent Only two per cent of renovated buildings in Switzerland meet the high Minergie standards Khuan Chew founder and design princi-pal of London-based architectural firm KCA International Ltd worked in close collaboration with Swiss-based architect Herveacute de Rham and interior designer Sia-vosh Adeli (SUI) to transform the build-ing which was built in the 1960s The modern and sleek interior was further enhanced with bespoke artworks pro-duced by Swiss creative agency b+g amp partners and imagery by world-famous equestrian art photographer Tim Flach where the simplicity and beauty of his equine subjects seamlessly embrace and accentuate the buildingrsquos pure lines and natural materials (see image left)
As they feasted on the innate beauty of their sur-roundings the guests also had the privilege to ex-perience the culinary talents of organic chef and specialist Gilles Wannaz and his team based in the town of Cully which sits on the edge of Lac Leman in Switzerlandrsquos famous Lavaux wine growing region
5 HRH Princess Haya welcomes the guests to the Inauguration of the HQ and the 90 year celebration of the FEI 6 Artwork by renowned pho-tographer Tim Flach 7 An organic and colourful buffet presented on an authentic lawn by local chef Gilles Wannaz 8 A life size horse sculpture by Christophe Dumont greeted the guests upon their arrival
53FOCUS
and space with the latest in touch technology revis-iting the history of the FEI the equestrian events at Olympic amp Paralympic Games the FEI World Eques-trian Gamestrade and information on all of the member National Federations with statistics videos images and text The Gallery also includes projections on ar-chitectural surfaces designed by Oded Alony referred to as the Origami as well as interactive stations and unique video projections on glass screens
For all those wishing to visit the FEI Gallery simply contact the FEI HQ to make an appointment and we would be delighted to take you on a journey to dis-cover or rediscover the human and equine athletes whose talents have marked equestrian history and inspired young riders drivers and vaulters around the world
Interview withDrAmichaiAlperovich
When did you first dream up the FEIInteractive Gallery When I found out the FEI was planning to move into new HQ in 2009 Disk-In Pro and I approached the FEI and presented them with several concepts for the space Before long we had agreed on the concept and we got to work
Why were you compelled to make it become a reality So that the FEI a prominent sports organisation could present itself to a growing audience in a new and visionary way with the latest technology And by doing so the FEI is a pioneer becoming the first International Federation to have a Gallery of this kind
What did you learn when researching and gathering content for the gallery I have learned a lot about the history of the FEI the strong Olympic tradition the diversity of disciplines the gender equality and the unique bond between horse and man One of the more fascinating topics was the evolution of the Dressage from itsrsquo Olympic debut to the modern Freestyle
Itrsquos very innovative technology what inspired you to take such a leap into the future with such a traditional sport Just as Dressage has evolved over the years and alongside the introduction of new disciplines partic-ularly Para-Equestrian you come to realise that the FEI is not as traditional as one would think Actually this kind of innovative presentation of equestrian history is really well suited to the FEI In the same way that you can have horse-man connections there is an audience-technology connection in the Gallery The audience have to be active in order to enjoy the depth of information the Gallery contains
54
Now it is time to open the door to new places to learn about sport ndash at the heart of sporting organi-sations themselves The Gallery is more than an informative tool it brings people to the sport andto the heart of its operations
Established in 1990 Disk-In Pro specialises in the planning design production and implementation of Museums Visitor Centres and sophisticated projects around the world This includes multi screen produc-tion animation 3D amp interactive films state-of-the-art software platforms and complex video displays for an unforgettable experience
Oded Alony holds a BA in Design from the Interior Design Section of the Holon Technological Institute and has since 1998 worked with Israelrsquos leading Architecture firms The Oded Alony Studio embraces holistic design a space where interior design lighting and graphics are brought together to create a harmo-nious project vision
Now that you have seen it unveiled to the public how would you like to see it evolve I hope the audience will be amazed from the design by architect Oded Alony and the new methods to deliver information whilst discovering the long his-tory of the FEI the diversity and the global reach of the organisation I hope the Gallery will become an icon in Lausanne and one of its highlights for visitors I promise the visitors a new platform to learn about equestrianism and each visit could be different as the information and themes will be updated and modi-fied regularly
This futuristic gallery is a first for anInternational Federation do you think thisis something all sports should invest inThe FEI took this courageous decision and now has this fantastic tool to present the organisation in new ways Sport is a huge cultural phenomenaWe have learned to consume sport in the arenas and stadiums in the press media and new media
Dr Amichai Alperovich
55FOCUS
SOCIAL MEDIAthe new frontier
Follow us on
The FEI has recently embarked on and embraced a whole new way of talking with the greater equestrian community through the ever expanding social media networks and platformsWith personalised Facebook Twitter and You Tube pages the FEI is taking it step by step and reaching out to this growing audience and listening to what they have to say
This new communication platform is by no means a substitution of the traditional communication path-ways but works alongside the press releases various publications and content on wwwfeiorg and wwwfeitvorg providing a new arena where the FEI can share interact and dialogue with fans of the sport and of equestrian values in general
We talk to Richard Johnson Director of Corporate Communications about the FEIrsquos commitment to social media
What compelled the FEI to venture onto the social media scene As a governing body with a vibrant and active com-munity of National Federations as well as thousands of fans the need to reach out to the online social community has never been stronger We have been watching the communities grow online for some time and have been listening to their conversations so being a part of it was the next logical step and a really important one The conversations will hap-pen with or without us so taking that step has been crucial in order to share our values and also build re-lationships with our fan base
Tradition meets modernity ndash does equestrian sportthe FEI have a place in social media Absolutely even though equestrian sport has a long history and is perceived as a traditional sport it is
always evolving In the 90 years of the FEI which was founded to govern the three Olympic disciplines it has grown to also oversee the disciplines of Driving Endurance Vaulting Reining and Para-Equestrian sport Or if you look at the early days when competi-tors were from military backgrounds and when wom-en did not compete alongside men to the complete gender equality we have today ndash a lot has changed and is in a constant state of change
The fans of equestrian sport are like any other fan base web savvy and eager for more information behind the scenes content and to share their opin-ions and thoughts ndash so it is an ideal partnership And from what we have seen these last few months and from the feedback we got from our blog at the Youth Olympic Games there is a real appetite for this
The FEI has dedicated Facebook Twitter and You Tube pages ndash why did you select these social media platforms The figures speak for themselveshellip Facebook Twit-ter and You Tube are the biggest players in the social networking space With over 500 million Facebook users 106 million Tweeters and 2 billion views a day on You Tube there has never been so much oppor-tunity for exposure Every site has different demo-graphics with different habits and needs so by having an FEI presence on these three networks we are able to cover a lot of ground and cater to different audi-ences by providing different types of content accord-ing to the platform
What are the main benefits of having a pres-ence on various social media platforms Itrsquos all about having a two way conversation ndash the benefits of dialogue where you can share content such as videos images facts and figures thoughts and values and then allow your fan base to react to get involved and to listen and learn from them By engaging with our audience and showing them that we are a modern and caring organisation and that we want to hear what they have to say then we are able to build trust and ultimately credibility in what we do and what we say
57FOCUS
TV
The offi cial video website of the Feacutedeacuteration Equestre Internationale
wwwfeitvorg
WATCH LIVE WATCH ONLINE
FEI TV is the FEIrsquos new offi cial video website and your ticket to the worldrsquos most prestigious competitions Sign-up to FEI TV (wwwfeitvorg) and get instant access to all the live broadcasts the extensive video-on-demand library all the highlights the behind the scenes reports the interviews and so much more Be at the heart of horsesport Join us
2823_1FEI_TV_Focus_165x226indd 1 170510 1124
It also keeps us alert as to what is being discussed and debated in the public sphere so that we can manage situations more effectively and be proactive in our messaging and information so that the facts are at the heart of the debate and not interpretations of them
How do you generate content for social media It was important when we launched our social me-dia presence that it be manageable with the exist-ing communications team in place ndash and so we have concentrated on keeping it simple and effective and using content innovatively Itrsquos not about reproduc-ing our website ndash but to engage with our fans and so often all you need is a good picture an interest-ing fact or great achievement to get the ball rolling For You Tube as we already have so much content generated from FEI TV it was simply a question of using bits and pieces from that content to provide the public with teasers from events interviews with winning riders or behind the scenes content which they can then follow up on FEI TV with a subscription
What are your Social media goals Itrsquos really to build relationships and dialogue with our fan base by using our content innovatively by listening to what they have to say and by engaging with the community And for the National Federa-tions that have yet to take that step we want to be a guiding hand that can help them get started so that they too can reap the benefits of social media net-working Our sport competes against other sports for attention so itrsquos really important that we the FEI and the National Federations keep our finger on the pulse and cater to our fans
How can National Federations get involved NFs wishing to find out more about Social Media can contact me (richardjohnsonfeiorg) and I would be more than happy to discuss opportunities and ways of getting started as well as our experience at the FEI
We asked our Facebook followers why it was important to use face-book and here are a few comments they came up with
bullItrsquos a great way to find out about shows and competitions
bullBecause facebook can provide up to the minute updates as to the what is going on in the horse community
bullWe can share information and ideas over long distances We can find and connect with people we wouldnt be able to otherwise
bullIt also lets us express the true realities of our spot to keep us grounded
bullIt can bring peoples attention to excellence ndash and expose the issues
58
TV
The offi cial video website of the Feacutedeacuteration Equestre Internationale
wwwfeitvorg
WATCH LIVE WATCH ONLINE
FEI TV is the FEIrsquos new offi cial video website and your ticket to the worldrsquos most prestigious competitions Sign-up to FEI TV (wwwfeitvorg) and get instant access to all the live broadcasts the extensive video-on-demand library all the highlights the behind the scenes reports the interviews and so much more Be at the heart of horsesport Join us
2823_1FEI_TV_Focus_165x226indd 1 170510 1124
ldquo Donrsquot accept drinks from a strangerrdquo
Armchair travel journalist
Are you living a life without boundaries Some well-meant advice is best ignored but itrsquos still good to know yoursquore covered when yoursquore away With HSBC Premier your family can be protected with both Travel Insurance and dedicated assistance when yoursquore abroad Which is reassuring to know when yoursquore making the most of life
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A4 A4
Issued by HSBC Holdings plc Approved for use in UK by HSBC Bank plc Premier Travel Insurance is provided by Aviva Insurance UK Limited Customer Information Service PO Box 757 Hemel Hempstead Hertfordshire HP2 4SS Registered in England number 14259 Registered Office 8 Canada Square London E14 5HQ AC18770
201736_6000263_Coconut_226x165indd
Master 226x165
Rob Swainson 160211
HSBC - Coconuts Proof 01Head of Art TypographerDesigner ArtCreative Director Copywriter Account DirectorDIC Project ManagerPhotographer Illustrator Usage Model(s) Name(s) Usage
Media MediaStock Image Time Period Time Period
Territory Territory
8deg N ndash Kerala South India
The King Hussein I Building will be a place for dialogue and decision-making as the FEI continues its mission to ad-vance the orderly growth of equestrian sport worldwide while ensuring that the welfare of the horse and a level playing field remain at the centre of all that we do
28 HSBC FEI ClassicsTM
A world class meeting of generations
30 Why the long face Viggo Mortensen
32 The other side of Laurent Elias
34 One day Nicolas Theacutevenaz
06 Olympic amp Paralympic Games Memory Lane
14 FEI World CupTM Finals Jumping Dressage Driving amp Vaulting
18 Preview FEI European Championships 2011
14
Follow us onTable of Contents
04
Contact Advertising FEI - Feacutedeacuteration Equestre Internationalerichardjohnsonfeiorg HM King Hussein I Building Chemin des Deacutelices 9 1006 Lausanne T +41 21 310 47 47 F +41 21 310 47 60 wwwfeiorg
Impressum - Focus Ndeg 7 - June 2011Circulation 2800Frequency QuarterlyEditor in Chief Olivia RobinsonDesign Art Equestrio SAPrinting Grafiche SIZ - ItalyCover copyHugues Siegenthaler
48 Alltech Tips Feeding to reduce stress for the equine traveller
50 FEI News FEI celebrates NEW Headquarters
56 FEI Insight Social Media - the new frontier
38 FEI Awards 2011
42 Globetrotter
44 Postcard from Brazil
46 A life in a day Dr Gerit Matthesen
28 HSBC FEI ClassicsTM
A world class meeting of generations
30 Why the long face Viggo Mortensen
32 The other side of Laurent Elias
34 One day Nicolas Theacutevenaz
5030
05FOCUS
1900Games of the II Olympiad Paris (FRA)Grand Prix Jumping long jump high jump hunter competition and a coaching competition were on the 1900 programme The events went officially unrecord-ed until the 1970s which is why it is often assumed that 1912 marks the first inclusion of equestrian sports on the Olympic programme Participation Twenty-four riders from 4 countries
1912Games of the V Olympiad Stockholm (SWE) Jumping Dressage and Eventing made their deacutebut in Stockholm and remain to this day the only equestrian disciplines on the Olympic programme It took two years to construct the new brick-built Olympic Sta-dium which served for the 1956 Olympic Equestrian Games and the 1990 FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade Participation Sixty-two riders and 70 horses from 10 nations ndash all European except for the USA
1920Games of the VII Olympiad Antwerp (BEL)World War I had just ended in 1918 and there were serious doubts that the 1920 Olympic Games would go ahead It was on 3 April 1919 that the IOC decided to accept the offer from Antwerp (BEL) The short term allocation of the Games did leave some in the lurch such as team USA who at first unable to find a passage to Europe at that late stage were able to secure the help of the military to transport the team Swedenrsquos solid and meticulous preparations were well rewarded as they picked up more than half of the 15 medals at stake and confirmed their stronghold on the sportParticipation Seventy-two riders from 8 nations Vaulting was for the first and only time on the Olympic programme
1924 Games of the VIII Olympiad Paris (FRA)First Olympic appearance for the FEIDid you knowThe Dressage arena of 60 x 20 m was in the centre of the huge Stade de Colombes at least 60 meters away from the public The five judges sat with their assistants on a long table together on a short side The
Olympic amp Paralympic Games
MemoryLane A journey of Olympicamp Paralympic achievements
In 2012 the disciplines of Jumping Dressage and Eventing celebrate 100 years of Olympic history For Para-EquestrianDressage itrsquos sixteen years of intense and ever increasing competition and participationTake a stroll down MemoryLane to revisit the sportingachievements of Championspast and present
1920 1921 1922
1924 1925 1926
1900 1901 1902 1903 1904
1912 1913 1914
06
individual winner in Jumping was Swiss militia officer Lt Alphonse Gemuseus on the eight-year old Irish-bred mare Lucette who had been bought for pound48 as an army remount horse in 1922The length of the Eventing Cross Country was 36kmParticipation Seventeen nations 126 horses
1928Games of the IX Olympiad Amsterdam (NED)By 1928 the IOC had clarified the definition of an amateur For equestrian sport an amateur was every professional officer actively serving or anyone riding solely for the sport and recognised by a national body as a gentlemanParticipation Twenty nations the major return was Germany ndash not invited in 1920 and 1924 ndash but now there in full force
1932Games of the X Olympiad Los Angeles (USA)Because the 1932 Olympics were held in the middle of the Great Depression and in the comparatively re-mote city of Los Angeles half as many athletes from only six nations took part compared to 1928 The Japanese team came by ship from Yokohama to Los Angeles France and Sweden took a ship to New York then travelled by railroad across the USA as did the
Mexicans The Dutch who sailed through the Panama Canal directly to Los Angeles remembered that the US equestrian team travelling by ship to Amsterdam in 1928 had kept their horses fit by hiring the tread-mill used during the filming of Ben Hur with its chariot races The Dutch constructed their own treadmill and kept their horses busy during the voyage
The first known Olympic Jumping course designer John A Barry (who rode for the USA in the 1920 and 1924 Olympics) supported by Sloan Doak (also an ex-perienced Olympic rider) built a course that was much more difficult than 1928 It had 18 obstacles and 20 jumping efforts over a length of 1060m No team fin-ished the competition and the team medals remained unclaimed
For the first time piaffe and passage were asked for in Dressage
In Eventing only two teams ndash USA and The Netherlands ndash finished the competition The team bronze remained unclaimed Participation Six nations
1932 1933 1934
1928 1929 1930
1912 Francersquos Jean Cariou - Individual gold and team silver Jumping medallist as well as individual bronze medallist in Eventing
07FOCUS
1936Games of the XI Olympiad Berlin (GER)The Games of the XI Olympiad were held in Berlin three years after the National-Socialist regime came to power in 1933 They are best remembered for Adolf Hitlerrsquos failed attempt to use sport to prove his theories of Aryan racial superiority The equestrian events held on the last five days of the 16-day programme played an important part in the overall running of these first monumental and politically misused Olympic GamesParticipation Twenty-one nations 127 riders - 7 coun-tries had full representation (3x3 riders) Germany won all the equestrian team and individual gold medals
1952Games of the XV Olympiad Helsinki (FIN) The 1952 Olympic Games brought some fundamen-tal changes to equestrian sport Most visible was the change from military riding to civilians Women were allowed in Dressage but not in Jumping or Event-ing The best known of these women is Lis Hartel of Denmark In 1944 at the age of 23 she was paralysed by polio and while she gradually regained the use of most of her muscles she remained paralysed below
the knee Despite being helped on and off her horse she went on to win the silver medal When gold med-allist Henri St-Cyr helped her up onto the victory platform for the medal presentation it was one of the most emotional moments in Olympic historyParticipation Twenty-five nations For the first time since 1912 Russian riders competed ndash now represent-ing the Soviet Union Canada Egypt amp Korea were also newcomers
1956Games of the XVI Olympiad Melbourne (AUS) Stockholm (SWE) When the IOC selected Melbourne (AUS) as host to the Games of the XVI Olympiad it had not taken into consideration the Australian six-month pre-shipment quarantine for horses In 1953 a meeting was held in Canberra attended by the federal authorities which recommended not to alter quarantine laws The IOC decided on a separate venue for the equestrian events and on 13 May 1954 chose Stockholm (SWE)The Jumping course was demanding it is considered by many as the first modern course There were no clears in the first round Hans Guumlnter Winkler (FRG) was in the
1936 1937 1938
1952 1953 1954
1956 1957 1958
1952 The Dressage medallists Andreacute Jousseaume (FRA) - bronze Henri St-Cyr (FRA) - gold Lis Hartel (DEN) - silver
08
lead with one knock-down riding the great mare Halla The horse had taken off early for the penultimate fence and Winkler was thrown into the air and went on to land heavily back in the saddle pulling a muscle in the pro-cess He knew that if he withdrew from the final round the German team would be eliminated Dizzy and in pain he rode anyway Halla completed the course without a fault They earned gold in both the individual and team events Winkler went on to win another five gold medals at various Olympics and is the only Jumper to win seven medals in total and the only rider in any discipline to earn medals in six different OlympicsParticipation Twenty-nine nations Australia Cambodia and Venezuela competed for the first time
1960Games of the XVII Olympiad Rome (ITA) The Australians were the 1960 Eventing sensation The foursome of Larry Morgan Neale Lavis Brian Crago and Bill Roycroft dominated the Cross-Country to an extent never experienced before At the end of the day Mor-gan was overwhelmingly in the lead ahead of Crago and Lavis Roycroft after a fall at the cement drain pipes was not too far back except for the fact that he was in hospital with a concussion and a broken collarbone When Cragorsquos potential silver medal horse Sabre was rejected at the second horse inspection Australia no longer had a team Forty-five-year old Bill Roycroft was taken out of hospital rode Our Solo to a clear round in the Jumping phase and secured team gold for Australia Participation Twenty-nine nations
1964Games of the XVIII Olympiad Tokyo (JPN) The 1964 Olympic Games were the first to be held in Asia These were only the second Olympics ndash after Los Angeles in 1932 ndash for which most horses had to travel across the world Most horses came by aircraft The Soviet horses still came by sea and were caught in the typhoon Wilda For the first time a former Olympic Jumping champion repeated his victory Forty-four year old Pierre Jonquegraveres drsquoOriola (FRA) the 1952 champion with Ali Baba won this time with the nine-year old Lutteur B Another first was the participation of a woman - Lana du Pont (USA) - in an Olympic Eventing competitionParticipation One hundred and sixteen riders from 20 countries competed in Tokyo
1968Games of the XIX Olympiad Mexico City (MEX) The choice of Mexico City to host the 1968 Olympics was a challenging one because of the cityrsquos high altitude 2300m which meant that the air contained 30 less oxygen than at sea level An adjustment pe-riod of three to four weeks for the horses was advised The horses from the Soviet Union Argentina and Ireland were in mid-September the first to arrive The last to stable were France and Germany on 28 September ie 20 days before the start of the com-petitions Of particular interest was the first par-ticipation of Dressage and Eventing riders from the German Democratic Republic In 1960 and 1964 their Eventers were part of a unified German team This time they were allowed to enter under their own flag The equestrian competitions were timed manually and electronically for the first time the electronic time was the official one Participation Eighteen nations
1972 Games of the XX Olympiad Munich (FRG) In 1972 everybody expected great Olympic Games and for the first ten days everything went smoothly But on 5 September 1972 peace was chattered as eight Palestinian terrorists representing the militant group ldquoBlack Septemberrdquo broke into the Olympic Village killed two members of the Israeli team and took nine more hostage In an ensuing battle all nine Israeli hostages were killed as were five of the ter-rorists and one policeman The Olympics were sus-pended for 34 hours In defiance of the terrorists the IOC ordered the competitions to resume IOC President Avery Brundage famously declaring ldquoThe Games must go onrdquo All other details about the Munich Games pale in significance The equestrian events were obviously also affected After the first day of Dressage on 5 September the second half of the competitors rode on 7 September the ride-off followed on the 9th Team Jumping at that time still preceding the closing ceremony took place on 11 September 1972Liselotte Linsenhoff on Piaff became the 13th Olym-pic Dressage champion ndash the third German to achieve this (after con Langen in 1928 and Pollay in 1936) but the first woman to do so Participation Twenty-seven nations
1964 1965 1966
1960 1961 1962
1972 1973 1974
1968 1969 1970
09FOCUS
1976Games of the XXI Olympiad Montreal (CAN) All in the Eventing geneshellip Mother Rita and daugh-ter Silva de Luna were both on the Guatemalan team Father Bill 61 and son Wayne Roycroft were on the bronze-medal winning Australian teamhellipFor the first time in the FEIrsquos Olympic history there was a disqualification due a positive medication case San Carlos the mount of the Irish Army Eventing rider Ronald McMahon The medical treatment after an injury during transport had been announced to the authorities But the rules suffered no exceptions Au-tomatic disqualification followed although there was no additional punishmentBarbara Kemp became the first woman to design an Olympic cross-country course Participation Twenty-three nations Guatemala and Puerto Rico were the newcomers
1980Games of the XXII Olympiad Moscow (URS) The 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow represented the lowest point in the history of the Olympic equestrian events as a US led boycott reduced the number of participating nations to 11 From the top equestrian nations only Austria with the reigning European Dres-sage champion Elisabeth (Sissi) Theurer and Italy with its Eventing team went to Moscow Sissirsquos decision to participate in Moscow created considerable contro-versy in her native Austria ndash resulting in the resignation of the President of the National Equestrian FederationParticipation Eleven nations
1984Games of the XXIII Olympiad Los Angeles (USA) The Los Angeles Games were the first since 1896 to be staged without government financing and became the model for future Games particularly after it was revealed that they had produced a profit of US$ 223 million The organisers depended heavily on existing facilities and corporate sponsors The celebrated Santa Anita racetrack was chosen as the competition site for the equestrian events It was the first time an Olympic equestrian event was organised by an existing man-agement of proven competence and long experienceIn response to the boycott of the 1980 Moscow Olym-pics a boycott led by the Soviet Union marked the 1984 OlympicsThe USA dominated the Jumping competition win-ning both individual and team gold with a superiority rarely experienced before or since Joe Fargis (USA) and Touch of Class were the first to achieve a dou-ble clear in the Olympic team competition Eventing legend Mark Todd from New Zealand (pictured left) won his first Olympic medalParticipation Thirty nations
1988Games of the XXIV Olympiad Seoul (KOR) The Seoul Games were highlighted by numerous exceptional performances For Dressage it was the first time that all three individual medals were award-ed to women Reiner Klimke (pictured above-right) captured his last Olympic medal as West Germany won the team Dressage competition With six gold and two bronze medals won at five Olympic Games ndash Reiner Klimke participated in six Olympic Games
1976 1977 1978 1980 1981 1982
1984 1985 1986
1988 1989 1990
altogether - he is the most decorated rider in Olympic history Only for the second time in the 76-year history of Eventing at the Olympics the defending champions repeated their victory Mark Todd (NZL) 32 with the 16-year-old Charisma For the first time qualifications were held to reduce the starting field for the individual Jumping The reigning European champions Pierre Du-rand (FRA) and the 13-year-old black gelding Jappe-loup added Olympic gold to their winningsParticipation Thirty-two nations
1992Games of the XXV Olympiad Barcelona (ESP) In Dressage the individual battle was played out be-tween Isabell Werthrsquos Gigolo and the defending Olym-pic champion from Seoul Nicole Uphoffrsquos 15-year-old Rembrandt Rembrandt and Uphoff triumphed and se-cured the gold After the repeat wins of Henry St-Cyr (SWE) in 1952 and 1956 on two different horses this was the first double triumph of a combination After the elaborate beautifully built and decorated Jump-ing obstacles of Seoul 1988 the Spanish decided on something different and the two architects in charge of designing the 25 obstacles used minimal figural and colour elements so as to more objectively define the difficulty of the obstacles This new vision did not find many partisansParticipation Thirty-four nations
1996Games of the XXVI Olympiad Atlanta (USA) The Atlanta Games saw extensive changes made to the competition formats of Dressage and Eventing Following the IOCrsquos reasoning whereby two sets of medals could not be distributed for the same effort the FEI split Eventing into two competitions team and individual An elaborate qualifying system in all three disciplines was created and for the first time quotas were establishedThe heat and humidity expected in Atlanta led to extensive research and measures aimed at protecting the welfare of the horses It was found that horses needed three weeks of acclimatisation ndash seven days to recover from the effects of transport and 14 days of passive acclimatisation to the new conditions The major measure was the installation of misting fans throughout the venueLinda Allen was the course designer the first woman to provide the Jumping courses at an Olympic GamesParticipation Thirty nations
1992 1993 1994
1996 1997 1998
1988 The German gold medal team (from left to right) - Ann-Kathrin Linsenhoff Monica Theodorescu Nicole Uphoff and Reiner Klimkecopy Kit Houghton
11FOCUS
1996The X Paralympic Games Atlanta (USA)1996 also marks for the first time equestrian sport was included at the Paralympics with Para-Equestrian Dressage on the programme The competition was run on borrowed horses Jo Jackson (GBR) won three gold medals the maximum possible For Great Britain it was a first of many team medalshellipParticipation Sixty-eight competitors from 16 nations
2000Games of the XXVII Olympiad Sydney (AUS) Forty four years after Melbourne 1956 when no horses would be allowed into Australia the Australian quarantine and inspection services proved to be much more accommodating The conditions were tough two weeks of pre-shipping quarantine in Europe and after arrival in Sydney two more weeks of quarantine on siteOf the 15 medal-winning horses 12 were thorough-breds and the other three were 78 thoroughbredsThe year 2000 was the final show-down of the two Dressage horses who had dominated the sport since the early nineties ndash Gigolo ridden by Isabell Werth (GER) and Bonfire ridden by Anky Van Grunsven (NED) with the latter taking gold medal honours Australia for the third time in a row won the team gold medal in EventingParticipation Thirty-seven nations
2000The XI Paralympic Games Sydney (AUS)The Australian spirit and warmth conveyed during the Olympics continued throughout the Paralympic Games thanks to the formidable cooperation between the Sydney Paralympic Organising Committee (SPOC) and the Sydney Organising Committee for the Olympic Games (SOCOG) Paralympic and Olympic athletes lived in the same village and enjoyed the same catering services medical care and facilities Errors in the scoring meant that medals had to be re-attributed but this did not cause too much upset Lee Pearson (GBR) took home three gold medals (including another team gold for GBR) the maximum possible while Australiarsquos Julie Higgins achieved an impressive double gold triumph Participation Seventy athletes from 23 nations
2004Games of the XXVIII Olympiad Athens (GRE) In 2004 the Games returned to Greece homeland to the Olympic GamesThe equestrian events were affected by controversies Waterford Crystal the horse ridden by Olympic cham-pion in Jumping Cian OrsquoConnor (IRL) tested positive to a prohibited substance generally administered to humans but forbidden for use in horses After lengthy legal procedures OrsquoConnor was disqualified and sanc-tioned The gold medal was awarded to second-placed
1996 1997 1998
2000 2001 2002
2000 2001 2002
2004 2005 2006
2000 The team podium in Eventing - Great Britain (silver) Australia (gold) USA (bronze) copy Kit Houghton
12
Rodrigo Pessoa (BRA) Another three horses tested positive as well As a result Germany lost its Jumping team gold which was awarded to the USA in February 2005 at a ceremony in Palm Beach FL (USA)A new competition format for Eventing involving two Jumping rounds one for the individual and one for the team standings was introduced The two roads and tracks (A + C) and the steeplechase (B) of the Endur-ance phase were abolishedParticipation Thirty-seven nations
the fact that main land China did not hold disease-free zone status from the International Organisation for Animal Health the competitions were held in Hong Kong 2000km away from the Olympic host city Beijing In order to protect animal welfare detailed studies on the effects of heat and humidity on horses were undertaken by the FEI in cooperation with top scientists The competition timetable was modified to avoid the hours of intense heat and the horses were stabled at the exceptional air-conditioned facilities provided by the Hong Kong Jockey Club Six horses five from Jumping tested positive to prohibited substances As a result Norway lost its first Jumping medal ndash bronze ndash which after more than two years of legal proceedings was awarded to Switzerland
Jumping gold went to team USA In Dressage Anky van Grunsven (NED) aboard Salinero won her seventh and eighth Olympic medals team silver and individual gold Eventing legend Mark Todd (NZL) made a much acclaimed come back but the spotlight was on Hinrich Romeike and the extraordinary Marius
The story of the 2008 Olympic Eventing gold med-allist is all the more extraordinary as Hinrich is an amateur rider By day his time is spent in his dental surgery attending to his many patients so his riding is restricted to after-hoursParticipation Forty-two nations
2008The XIII Paralympic Games Beijing (CHN)First Paralympic participation for the FEI following the inclusion of Para-Equestrian in 2006 to be governed alongside the 7 other disciplines These Games set a new benchmark for Para-Equestrian events with great facilities cheerful volunteers and large audiences totalling over 30000 - an unprecedented attend-ance for Para-Equestrian events
For the third Paralympics in a row Lee Pearson (GBR) won three gold medals keeping up his record of win-ning all the gold medals available to him Singa-porersquos Laurentia Tan picked up Asiarsquos first Paralympic Equestrian medals with two individual bronze medals Marco Alves picked up Brazilrsquos first Paralympic Equestrian medal with bronze in Grade Ib Participation Seventy-eight athletes from 28 nations
2004The XII Paralympic Games Athens (GRE)The venue was excellent and there was good support from local volunteers Both Debbie Criddle and Lee Pearson (pictured above) from Great Britain picked up the maximum three gold medals The International Paralympic Committee presented the Equestrian Technical Delegate with the award for Best Official of all the sports at the Paralympic Games Participation Seventy athletes from 29 nations
2008Games of the XXIX Olympiad Beijing (CHN) Hong Kong (CHN) For the second time in Olympic history the equestrian events were held separately from other sports Due to
2004 2005 2006
2008 2009 2010
2008 2009 20102004 Lee Pearson (GBR) in Athens where he scoopedthe maximum three gold medals available to him
13FOCUS
The climax of the indoor international Jumping sea-son brought together 43 riders from 21 nations and ended with Christian Ahlmann riding Taloubet Z to Germanys ninth victory in the 33-year history of FEI World Cuptrade Jumping Canadarsquos reigning Olympic champion Eric Lamaze took second place with Hickstead followed by Dutch combination Jeroen Dubbeldam and BMC Van Grunsven Simon who rocketed up from overnight 11th to finish third when producing one of only two double clears on the final afternoonGerman riders dominated from the first of the three qualifiers in Leipzig ndash the speed competition which Marco Kutscher with Cash won with 6355 seconds followed by his compatriots defending champion Marcus Ehning and Christian Ahlmann who took second and third place respectively In the second qualifier the withdrawal of Saudi Arabiarsquos Abdullah Al Sharbatly reduced the field to 40 starters Eric Lamaze took the lead with a fabulous clear in 4068 a win that bounced him up to fifth spot just six points behind the leading pair ndash an ascent he continued to master on the final day
J U M P I N GFINAL LEIPZIG
ROLEX FEI World Cuptrade
JUMPINGldquoIt was wonderful to be back in Leipzig again for yet another great Rolex FEI World Cuptrade Jumping Final in a city with such a rich cultural backgroundrdquo John Roche FEI Director of Jumping
FEI World Cuptrade Finals
REEm ACRA FEI World Cuptrade
DressaGe
DRESSAGEFINAL LEIPZIG
ldquoThe Reem Acra FEI World Cuptrade Dressage took place in a perfect setting with enough space for everyone to give their very best performancesrdquo Trond Asmyr FEI Director of Dressage
Adelinde Cornelissen (NED) and the magnificent Jerich Parzival danced to victory to the strains of Tchaikovskyrsquos Nutcracker Suite in the Freestyle com-petition that closed the Reem Acra FEI World Cuptrade Dressage Final Denmarkrsquos Nathalie zu Sayn-Witt-genstein and Digby finished second while Germanyrsquos Ulla Salzgeber steered Herzrufrsquos Erbe into third place The 2010 title-winner Edward Gal (GER) finished fourth with a great performance from Sisther de JeuThe top three mirrored those of the Grand Prix class two days earlier when a confident performance rewarded with a score of 80957 put Adelinde Cornelissen (NED) in first place followed by Denmarkrsquos Nathalie zu Sayn-Wittgenstein with Digby (76884 3) and Germanyrsquos Ulla Salzgeber riding Herzrufrsquos Erbe (76216 points) Defending champion Edward Gal rode a tense Sisther de Jeu with a disappointing test score of 70122 The final saw 17 horse and rider combinations from 10 nations compete ndash three from the USA The
Netherlands and Germany two from Sweden and one from Hungary Fin-
land Poland Belgium Great Britain and Denmark Fifteen riders went on to the Freestyle competition
Highlights available as video on demand on
15FOCUS
Boyd Exell (AUS) successfully defended his FEI World Cuptrade Driving title in Leipzigrsquos thrilling final speed-ing to victory in front of a wildly enthusiastic crowd and becoming the second driver to score a hat-trick of World Cup victories Hungaryrsquos Jozsef Dobrovitz drove two brilliant rounds with his team of Lipiz-zaner horses and finished second ahead of IJsbrand Chardon (NED) The FEI World Cuptrade Driving Final was run over two indoor competitions which took place on 29 April and 1 May Seven drivers competed Tomas Eriksson (SWE) Koos de Ronde (NED) Werner Ulrich (SUI) Christian Pluumlcker (GER) and the triumphant trio who after emerging from the first round on 1 May with the highest number of points qualified for the winning round immediately afterwards
FEI World Cuptrade
DrIVINGldquoOnce again the worldrsquos best indoor drivers came together for a thrilling final the com-bination of horses working together in a team driven by superbly skilled horsemento produce thrilling andspectacular driving sportrdquo Ian Williams FEI Director of Non-Olympic Sports
16
Switzerlandrsquos Patrick Looser and Germanyrsquos Simone Wiegele claimed the inau-gural FEI World Cuptrade Vaulting titles at the 20102011 FEI World Cuptrade Finals a glittering Freestyle to Music showcase held over two daysLooserrsquos fellow starters in the Menrsquos section were Nicolas Andreani (FRA) Viktor Bruumlsewitz (GER) Daniel Kaiser (GER) Lukas Klouda (CZE) Nikolaus Luschin (AUT) and Yvan Nousse (FRA) Looser 26 was under pressure having finished second to Nicolas Andreani from France in the first Freestyle competition But
the reigning World Champion who won three of the four qualifying rounds over the winter months produced a superb performance which left Andreani in second place and Germanyrsquos Viktor Brusewitz in third In addition to the victorious Wiegele contenders for the Female title were her three compatriots Pia Engelbury Ines Juumlckstock and Antje Hill Simone Jaumliser (SUI) Stefanie Kowald (AUT) and Anna Cavallaro (ITA) In the second
competition Wiegele followed team-mate Hill into the arena in Hall 1 which seemed to be much more to the liking of the
horses than the smaller ring used on the first day And although Hillrsquos routine was
dramatic and beautifully controlled it was Wiegelersquos more complex display that settled
the destination of the very first Female World Cup trophy
ldquoFor the first time an indoor final that provided the public with an opportunity to witness the gymnastic movements of
athletes atop magnificent horses all choreographed to breathtaking musical arrangementsrdquo
Ian Williams FEI Director of Non-Olympic Sports
Highlights available as video on demand on
WHEN AND WHERE
26 ndash 30 July FEI European Reining Championship for Seniors amp Juniors Wiener Neustadt (AUT)
16 ndash 21 August FEI European Vaulting Championships for Seniors amp Juniors Le Mans (FRA)
17 ndash 21 August FEI European Dressage Championships Rotterdam (NED)
25 ndash 28 August HSBC FEI European Eventing Championships Luhmuumlhlen (GER)
01 ndash 04 September Open FEI European Driving Championships for Four-in-Hand Breda (NED)
01 ndash 04 September FEI European Para-Equestrian Dressage Championships Moorsele (BEL)
10 September FEI European Endurance Championships Florac (FRA)
13 ndash 18 September FEI European Jumping Championships Madrid (ESP)
LIVE ONLive coverage and highlightsCheck out the FEI TV broadcasting schedule for all the latest information on events broadcast live on FEI TV
European Championships for seniors in all the FEI disciplines are being held in 2011 We take a quick 360deg look at the dates venues facts amp figures and triumphant moments of the past 50 years of European Championships
FeI europeanChampionships 2011
Donrsquot miss a beatComplete competition reports updates behind the scenes information facts and figures and more can be found on wwwfeiorg as well as our dedicated facebook twitter and you tube pages
18
Preview
For the 31st edition of the FEI European Jumping Championships the event returns to Spain 18 years after the Championships in Gijon only this time to be held at the Club de Campo Villa in Madrid The FEI European Jumping Championships take place every two years in the middle of the Olympic cycle and have been held since 1957 with the introduction of team medals in 1975
THE VENUEThe Club de Campo Villa de Madrid (ESP) has been host to an annual CSI for 100 years and will be tem-porarily replacing its usual grass in the main arena with all-weather sand footing to ensure perfect going for the Championship
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERSTeam ndash SwitzerlandIndividual ndash Kevin Staut (FRA)
OLyMPIC qUALIFICATIONThe 3 best ranked nations from Olympic Qualifying Groups A amp B at the 2011 FEI European Jumping Championships (excluding the teams already quali-fied at WEG) will be qualified to take part with a team consisting of 4 athletes amp 4 horses or 3 athletes amp 3 horses
GREAT HORSES OF THE EUROPEANCHAMPIONSHIPSDEISTER - An extraordinary horse with an extraordi-nary record With Germanys Paul Schockemohle on board this brilliant bay Hannoverian led won three consecutive individual gold medals - in Munich Germany in 1981 Hickstead England in 1983 and Dinard France in 1985 Bred by Hermann Hahl in Osterbruch Lower Saxony Deister was by Diskant out of Adlerklette by Adlerschild stood 171cms high and had the heart of a lion Deisters European medal
haul also included team gold at Munich in 1981 team silver in Rotterdam in 1979 and team bronze at both Hickstead in 1983 and Dinard in 1985 Despite his incredibly active career the hardy Deister who was born in February 1971 lived to the ripe old age of 29
MR SOFTEE - The closest challenger to Deister for the title of Champion of the Europeans is the Irish-bred Mr Softee - a three-time winner but with two different riders Mr Softee enjoyed a hugely success-ful career with David Broome However it was with another Briton David Barker that the chestnut horse with four white legs took the individual European ti-tle for the first time in London in 1962 This was then followed up with David Broomersquos victory in Rotter-dam in 1967 and in Hickstead in 1969 Broome once said that like many other top horses Mr Softee had a big opinion of himself - He thought he was a king - and he was right
Believe it or nothellip
bull Itwasonlyin1975thatwomenwere permittedtocompetealongsidemenin theEuropeanJumpingChampionshipsprior tothistherehadbeentheLadiesEuropean JumpingChampionshipsheldfrom1957- 1973
bull Only2womenhaveeverwonthe FEIEuropeanChampionshipsFrancersquos AlexandraLedermannin1999and MeredithMichaels-Beerbaum(GER) in2007
bull Germanyledthegoldtallywith20 medals(14individualamp6team)double theamountofrunnerupGreatBritainon 10(6individualand4team)
FeI eUroPeaN
JUMPINGChaMPIoNshIPs
13-18 September 2011
Madrid (SPAIN)
19FOCUS
LIVE coverage on
Rotterdam gets set to host the 25th edition of the FEI European Dressage Championships for the first time and only the second time for the Netherlands (Arnhem 1999) The FEI European Dressage Championships take place every two years in the middle of the Olympic cycle and have been held since 1963
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERS
Team ndash The Netherlands
Individual ndash Kuumlr to MusicEdward Gal (NED) amp Moorlands Totilas
Individual ndash Grand Prix SpecialAdelinde Cornelissen (NED) amp Jerich Parzival
OLyMPIC qUALIFICATIONThe 3 best ranked nations from Groups A B amp C at the 2011 FEI European Dressage Championships (exclud-ing the teams already qualified at WEG) will be quali-fied to take part with a team consisting of 3 athletes amp 3 horses
THE WIND OF CHANGEFor 21 consecutive Championships from 1965 to 2005 (no team title awarded in 1963) the Germans held the European title but the last two editions have seen an upset to that tradition with the Netherlands clenching gold In 2009 the Dutch domination was particularly strong with five out of six individual med-als awarded to Dutch riders and the sixth going to British rider Laura Bechtolsheimer
IN MEMORy OF HENRI CHAMMARTIN (SUI)At the time of writing a legend in the Dressage world Henri Chammartin (SUI) passed away at the age of 92 An Olympic and European Dressage champion Henri Chammartin won the first two editions of the
FEI European Championships in 1963 and 1965 riding Wolfdiedtrich and competed in five consecutive edi-tions of the Olympic Games ndash Helsinki 1952 Stock-holm 1956 Rome 1960 Tokyo 1964 and Mexico 1968 ndash winning a total of five Olympic medals includ-ing Olympic champion in 1964
RECORD BREAKINGhellip In 2009 the formidable partnership of The Nether-lands Edward Gal and Moorlands Totilas smashed the world Freestyle record before a packed house with Windsor Castle standing proudly as a backdrop when scoring 9070 (including an unbelievable 29 perfect-10 scores) to win the Freestyle gold medal
Believe it or nothellip
bull GermanyhaswontheEuropeanDressage TeamTitleon21occasions
bull Thegreatestnumberofteamstoparticipate inEuropeanDressageChampionshipsis 14-atHickstead(GBR)in2003andagainat Hagen(GER)in2005
bull GermanysDrReinerKlimkewonthreeindi vidualtitles-atAachenin1967ridingDux andagainin1973ridingMehmedandat Copenhagenin1985ridingAhlerich
bull WithGigoloGermanysIsabellWerthtook theindividualtitlein1995and1997and wontheGrandPrixSpecialatDonaueschingen Germanyin1991andatLipicaSloveniain 1993
bull AnkyvanGrunsvenhasthreewinstoher namendashin1999withBonfirefollowedbythe backtobackwinswithSalineroin2005and 2007
17-21 August 2011
Rotterdam Netherland
FeI eUroPeaN
DressaGeChaMPIoNshIPs
20
LIVE coverage on
These are the second FEI European Para-Equestrian Dressage Championships to be held since Para-Equestrian joined the FEI Family in 2006 Para-Equestrian Dressage has been a regular fixture at the Paralympic Games since 1996 The first FEI European Para-Equestrian Dressage Championships were held in southern Norwegian town of Kristiansand in 2009 with a total of 78 ath-letes from 22 countries participating
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERS
Team Great Britain
Grade Ia Individual - Sophie Christiansen (GBR) Freestyle - Emma Sheardown (GBR)
Grade Ib Individual amp Freestyle Lee Pearson (GBR)
Grade II Individual - Petra Van der Sande (NED) Freestyle - Angelika Trabert (GER)
Grade III Individual amp Freestyle
Hannelore Brenner (GER)
Grade IV Individual amp Freestyle Sophie Wells (GBR)
The mobility strength and coordination of competi-tors are assessed and athletes with similar functional ability profiles are grouped into competition grades that range from Grade Ia for the most severely im-paired to Grade IV for the least impaired This means that the competition within each Grade can be judged on the skill of the individual competitors on their horses regardless of their disabilities
CLUB qUADRILLEMoorsele has been host to a regular international Para-Equestrian Dressage events for the past few years with the Club Quadrille as organiser The Club Quadrille was founded in 1981 by Anne Van Neste-dIeteren Belgian Dressage Champion from 1977 un-til 1982 current President of the Belgian Paralympic Committee and member of the FEI Para-Equestrian committee It is a unique sports club that works with both able bodied and disabled athletes and is active in the promotion and education of the sport As member of the honorary IPC Board Her Royal Highness (HRH) Princess Astrid of Belgium has been a fervent supporter of the event and has attended on many occasions
Believe it or nothellip
bull LeePearson(GBR)haswoneverygold medalwithinreachatParalympicWorld andContinentallevelandtheEuropeans in2009werenodifferentwithanother triplegoldvictory
bull GreatBritainalsohavetheMidastouch whenitcomestoteammedalsndashandarethe currentParalympicWorldandEuropean titleholders
bull In2009Germanycamecloserthanever totakingthegoldmedalfromall-time championGreatBritain
1-4 September 2011
Moorsele Belgium
FeI eUroPeaN
Para-eqUestrIaNDressaGeChaMPIoNshIPs
21FOCUS
A record number of fans are expected to attend the HSBC FEI European Eventing Championships as they return to Luhmuumlhlen for the fifth time to mark the 30th edition of the ChampionshipsThe FEI European Eventing Championships take place every two years in the middle of the Olympic cycle and have been held since 1953
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERSTeam ndash Great BritainIndividual ndash Kristina CookMiners Frolic (GBR)
OLyMPIC qUALIFICATIONThe 2 best ranked nations from Groups A B amp C at the 2011 HSBC FEI European Eventing Champion-ships (excluding the teams already qualified at WEG) will be qualified to take part with a team consisting of 3 athletes amp 3 horses
THE VENUELuhmuumlhlen one of only six 4 events on the interna-tional Eventing calendar and part of the prestigious HSBC FEI Classicstrade series will greet Europersquos best athletes with a fresh look and feel this year following extensive renovation to the existing infrastructures The recently renovated showground includes three Dressage and two Jumping arenas a tribune able to seat 850 spectators with spectacular views as well as a newly designed entrance including six ticket box facilities and fully catered trade stands The show-ground also boasts an open air stage with space for up to 15000 spectators ldquoI am confident that the in-vestment in the infrastructure will be of great benefit to all involved whether you are a volunteer a groom an athlete ndash both the horses and the riders - as well as for the sponsors guests spectators and the fans We are re-ally looking forward to great competitions this year at both the CCI4CIC3 in June and at the Europeans in August and hope many will join us to witness this historic momentrdquo Julia Otto Event Director Luhmuumlhlen
HSBCHSBC has renewed their sponsorship for a further three-year term as global sponsor of FEI Eventing to include title sponsorships of the HSBC FEI European Eventing Championships in both 2011 and 2013 and the HSBC FEI Classicstrade until the end of 2013
OFFICIAL TIMEPIECE Rolex the leading name in luxury wrist watches will be the Official Timekeeper for the HSBC FEI European Eventing Championships 2011
Believe it or nothellip
bull GinnyElliot(bornHolgate)theonlyrider towinthreesuccessiveindividualtitlesand IanStarkholdthejointrecordforEuropean goldmedalswonndashseveneachbutLucinda Greenstillhasthemostmedals(10)
bull SupremeRockriddenbyPippaFunnell (GBR)istheonlyhorsetowinback-to-back titles(in1999and2001)hehasfour Europeangoldmedalsintotalequalingthe recordofKilbarryThePoacherandOver ToYouwhowonarecordfourconsecutive Europeanteamgolds(1999-2005)
bull PrincessAnneandZaraPhillipsaretheonly mother-daughtercombinationtowin Europeantitles(1971and2005)
bull GreatBritainhaveheldtheEuropeantitle forthepast8consecutiveChampionships (since1995)Andofthe29editionstodate (startingin1953)theteamhavewona whopping21
25-28 August 2011
Luhmuumlhlen Germany
hsBC FeI eUroPeaN
eVeNtINGChaMPIoNshIPs LIVE coverage on
22
In September Breda Hippique in The Netherlands will be host to the seventh edition of the FEI Euro-pean Driving Championships for Four-in-Hand not held since 1981 This edition is open to both Euro-pean and non-European drivers and will also count as a qualifier for the indoor FEI World Cuptrade Driv-ing which is held during the winter season Only competitors from Europe can claim the individual and team medalsThe FEI European Driving Championships for Four-in-Hand were first held in 1971 in Budapest and continued to be held every two years until 1981 at which stage they were discontinued
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERSTeam ndash HungaryIndividual ndash Gyoumlrgyi Bardos (HUN)
SOMETHING IN THE WATERhellip Hungary have won five out of six available team European titles and on the individual front two Hungarians stand out from the crowd Imre Abony ndash individual winner in 1971 and 1975 and Gyoumlrgyi Bardos triple consecutive winner in 1977 1979 1981
IN THE BEGINNINGhellipThe first European Championships took place in Budapest in 1971 and moved on to Windsor in Great Britain in 1973 Sopot in Poland in 1975 Donauesch-ingen in Germany in 1977 and in Haras du Pin in France in 1979 The sixth and last edition took place in 1981 in Zug Switzerland
THE VENUEBreda has hosted the only Nations competition (CAIO) for Four-in-Hand horses in The Netherlands for many years In 1995 Breda hosted the first FEI European Driving Championships for Four-in-Hand ponies and in 2010 was host to the FEI World Para-Equestrian Driving Championships Aside from the four-in-hand teams Breda will also host international pony teams and national horse pairs at the event this year
Believe it or nothellip
bull Hungaryhavewonfiveoutofsixteamgold titles
bull AugusteDubeyfromSwitzerlandwasthe onlynon-HungarianEuropeanChampion hewontheChampionshipsin1973
bull PrincePhilipFEIPresidentfrom1964- 1986whocelebratedhis90thbirhtday inJuneisanavidfanofDrivingandpartici- patedinsixWorldandthreeEuropean Championships
1-4 September 2011
Breda Netherland
FeI eUroPeaN
DrIVINGChaMPIoNshIPsfor FoUr-IN-haND
Note At the time of writing the FEI European DrivingChampionships for Four in Hand was pending approvalby the FEI Bureau
23FOCUS
The 14th edition of the FEI European Endurance Championships return to Florac in France twenty five years after the inaugural event was held there The FEI European Endurance Championships first took place in 1984 and were immediately followed up by a second edition in 1985 and have since been held every two years They have always been open to the world with two sets of medals presented ndash open and European
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERSTeam ndash SpainIndividual ndash Maria Alvarez Ponton amp Nobby
RECORD BREAKINGCurrent title holder Maria Alvarez Ponton amp super horse Nobby is the first rider to hold European and World titles at the same time She will be looking to confirm her stronghold on the sport following her second consecutive World title with a second con-secutive European title in Florac a feat no rider has managed to achieve at the Europeans to date
THE VET GATEModern competitions consist of a number of sec-tions known as lsquophasesrsquo At the end of each phase there is a compulsory halt for veterinary inspection Each horse which is thoroughly examined before it is allowed to start the ride must be presented for inspection within a set time of reaching each vetgate The time spent at each vetgate prior to inspection by the vets is counted as part of the overall competition time and the aim is to determine whether the horse is fit to continue the ride
THE SUPPORT CREWA vital part of Endurance riding is the support crew Riders are assisted by a team of helpers who meet them several times over the ride bringing bottles of water to pour over the horse to cool it down as well as a drink for the rider Crews also have spare equipment in case something breaks down or needs replacing
Believe it or nothellip
bull TheFrenchhavethemedaledgewith6 individualand4teamgoldmedalsfrom the14editionsheld
bull Floracistheonlyvenuetohostthe EuropeanChampionshipstwice(thefirst editionin1984andtheupcomingedition in2011)
bull EnduranceisthefastestgrowingFEI disciplinefrom2000to2010thenumber ofinternationaleventshavemultipliedby10
10 September 2011
Florac France
FeI eUroPeaN
eNDUraNCeChaMPIoNshIPs
24
Reem Acra Boutique 14 East 60th St New York New York 10022 2123088760 wwwreemacracom
356935B2_RA_brochure2_souvenir_programmeindd 1 82710 1012 AM
Vaulting became an FEI discipline in 1983 and saw its first FEI European Championship organised just one year later in the town of Ebreichsdorf in Austria This 15th edition of the Championship ndash which also includes the European Juniors competition return to France for the 4th time but for the first time in the world renowned venue of Le Mans famous for its 24 hour race
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERS
Team ndash Austria
Individual malelongeurhorseNicolas Andreani (FRA)Marina Joosten DuponIdefix de Braize
Individual femalelongeurhorseJoanna Eccles (GBR)John EcclesWH Bentley
THE WIND OF CHANGEGermany and Switzerland have traditionally bat-tled for the team title (Germany has 7 gold versus Switzerlandrsquos 5) but in 2009 Austria who had come second on four occasions since the inception of the Championships in 1984 finally climbed onto the top spot of the podium and claimed the title In terms of the individual performances Germany had the stronghold on the male category winning 11 out of 14 gold medals But again in 2009 France the only other country to have ever beaten a German male vaulter at the Europeans made it to the top spot of the podium for only the third time since the Championships began
Similarly with the female vaulters it was an all German domination until 2007 when Austriarsquos Sissi Jarz claimed gold followed by Joanna Eccles (GBR) in 2009 ndash leaving Germany off the top step of the podium entirely in 2009
GREAT BRITAIN ndash A VAULTING NATIONhellip Times have definitely changed from the Swiss German domination with current World and European titles held by Great Britainrsquos Joanna Eccles She was the first British vaulter (male or female) to claim a medal at the Europeans ndash let alone a gold medal - and then went on to secure the world title in Kentucky last year
Believe it or nothellip
bull TheonlycountryotherthanGermanyand SwitzerlandtohaveclaimedaEuropean VaultingtitleisSlovakiain2005
bull ChristophLensing(GER)holdsthemale medalrecordndashwiththreegold(19891993 amp1995)aswellassilverin1991
bull NadiaZuumllowandSilkeMichelberger (formerlyBernhard)withthreegoldmedals each
16-21 August 2011
Le Mans France
FeI eUroPeaN
VaULtINGChaMPIoNshIPs
26
This is only the fifth edition of the European Reining Championships since the discipline joined the FEI in 2000 and the first time they will be held in Austria The event also includes the FEI European Champi-onships for Juniors and Young Riders ndash a formula introduced in 2009 in Kreuth (GER) which proved to be a multigenerational success The FEI European Reining Championships take place every two years and have been held since 2003
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERSTeam ndash GermanyIndividual ndash Nina Lill (GER) riding Lena Cielo Jewel
THE JUDGINGReining horses are judged individually Each horse au-tomatically begins the required pattern with a score of 70 One or frac12 points are given or taken away for each manoeuvre Credit is given for smoothness fi-nesse attitude quickness and authority Controlled speed in the pattern raises the level of difficulty and makes the reining horse exciting to watch
Believe it or nothellip
bull ItalyandGermanyaretheonlytwonations tohavewongoldmedalsndashGermanyhas3 teamgoldand2individualgoldversus Italyrsquossingleteamgoldandtwoindividual gold
bull GermanyrsquosNinaLillwinnerin2009was thefirstwomantotaketheindividualtitle sincetheChampionshipsbeganin2003
bull OlympicWorldandEuropeanDressage ChampionAnkyVanGrunsven(NED) competedattheAlltechFEIWorldEques- trianGamestradein2010inbothDressageand hellipReining
bull 13nationswerescheduledtoattendthe Championshipatthetimeofwritingthe largestparticipationbycountryever recordedfortheEuropeans
26-30 July 2011
Wiener Neustadt Austria
FeI eUroPeaN
reININGChaMPIoNshIPs
27FOCUS
ldquoThirty-one yearsrsquo experience comes in handy some-timesrdquo joked the ever-relaxed Todd who was a leg-end by the time he ldquoretiredrdquo in 2000 with back-to-back Olympic golds five Burghley wins two world gold medals and three Badminton victories one on a horse he had never ridden before ldquoIt is incredibly special though right up there with the back-to-back Olympic golds When I came back to the sport (in 2008) it was to see if I could get back to top level It has always been my aim to win another big onerdquo
A World class meeting of Generations
The 2011 HSBC FEI Classicstrade could not have got off to a more epic start with wins at Badminton and Kentucky by two of the sportrsquos most enduring personalitiesThe 55-year-old New Zealander Mark Todd rolled back the years to score a fourth victory at the Gloucestershire venue 31 years after his first attempt in 1980
By Kate Green
28
HSBC FEI ClassicsTm
The resurgence of so much experienced talent makes it harder for younger riders to work their way up the leaderboard but 29-year-old Sinead Halpin (USA) had a spectacular CCI4 debut at Kentucky finish-ing third and best of the home side in distinguished company This achievement earned her the HSBC Training Bursary worth US$1000 towards training a prestigious and valuable award presented to the rider who achieves the best result on completing a CCI4 for the first time
The bursary winner at Badminton Fiona Hobby (GBR) 39 has had a rather longer wait to complete
her first CCI4 ndash she was 26th on Roma ML ndash but she has in the meantime produced two children had a career as a sports therapist and only switched from Jumping to Eventing relatively recently Hobby has vowed to spend the money on dressage train-ing ldquoRoma couldnrsquot believe it when she arrived in the arena and saw all those people but she was great across country really focussed Irsquom delightedrdquo
For Germanyrsquos Sandra Auffarth Luhmuumlhlen pro-vided an outstanding CCI4 debut on Opgun Louvo a young horse she has produced herself coming second and picking up the HSBC Training Bursary and the exciting prospect of a possible place in the squad for the forthcoming HSBC FEI European Event-ing Championship at Luhmuumlhlen (25-28 August) at which Germany as host nation will be entitled to field 12 riders
Last yearrsquos HSBC Training Bursary winners include Stephanie Rhodes-Bosch (CAN) who went on to win a team silver medal at the Alltech FEI World Equestri-an Gamestrade Lauren Shannon (GBR) who finished 17th at Badminton this year and Giovanni Ugolotti (ITA) who is furthering his career by basing himself in Brit-ain for the season and having lessons with Mark Todd
LIVE coverage and extensive highlights available on
Toddrsquos winning mount the 10-year-old NZB Land Vision was a green horse for this level and he fin-ished the Cross-Country phase tired but his rider kept his cool in an extraordinarily tight finish in which the price of one Jumping fence covered the top 12 riders any of whom could with a bit of luck have won the Mitsubishi Motors Trophy ldquoIn the end it came down to horse-power and Irsquove obviously got a good one hererdquo said Todd ldquoCharisma (his double Olympic gold medallist) will always be the most special horse but this one has no weak linksrdquo
As is the nature of the sport Toddrsquos lead in the HSBC FEI Classicstrade didnrsquot last long ndash he came down to earth with a bump the following weekend with a Cross-Country run-out on NZB Grass Valley his ride at the Rolex Kentucky Three Day Event (USA) and 49- year-old Mary King (GBR) stole the head-lines with a record one-two on Kings Mis-tress and Fernhill Urco It was Kingrsquos first CCI4 victory for 11 years ndash she has won Badminton twice and Burghley once ndash but she certainly smashed a few re-cords with this one She became the first rider to score a one-two at Kentucky the first in modern times to win a CCI4 on a home-bred horse and the oldest female to win a CCI4
King who has six team gold medals at World and European level plus competed at five consecutive Olympics had the luxury of knowing she had already won the event on the inexperienced 10-year-old Fernhill Urco a horse bred in Portugal by the time she entered the arena on Kings Mistress but she still produced a second clear round ldquoI never dreamed that I would be in this position and Irsquom enjoying the momentrdquo said the ever-smiling King ldquoIt was great to have the feeling of having already won on Fernhill Urco but I still wanted desperately to go clear on Kings Mistress as it is so special to win on a horse I bred myselfrdquo It was also an all clear from Germanyrsquos Andreas Dibowski and Euroriding Butts Leon in order to secure victory at the fourth leg of the HSBC FEItrade
Classicstrade in Luhmuumlhlen presented by EON Avacon
29FOCUS
The Danish-American actorpoet musician photographerand painter has been around horses most of his life from riding Hasufel and Brego in The Lord of the Rings trilogy to early childhood memories in Argentina his passion for floating as he describes it has never wavered
What is it about the horse that makes you a horse loverWe get along generally I respect their strength and their personal space Your first riding experience ndash was it bliss or terrorLike floating like being on a warm and floating mountain I remember being happy Do you think anyone can rideYes It is a question of allowing yourself to ride of allowing yourself to cooperate and not be in total control Children are more adept at figuring this out letting things happen without getting impatient or scared just as they are braver and less self-conscious about pronouncing new words or singing Anyone at any age or in any physical condition can
Viggo Mortensen
achieve a degree of success and satisfaction with horses even if it is just a question of touching them being near them If horses could talk what would they be sayingYou will know if you listen and watch them Is there a unique trait you look for in a horse that you canrsquot find in peopleThey are more patient and less apt to complain about lifersquos setbacks and physical ailments than most people I admire a tough smart horse what-ever its breed age or size What would you miss most if you could no longer go ridingThe companionship and the floating perhaps also the abandonment of usual daily worries that relaxed riding requires Whatrsquos your usual riding outfit consist ofAnything will do Loose-fitting clothes and good comfortable boots are a plus but not vital I have even ridden barefoot ndash naturally taking care to avoid being stepped on when not on the horse - but I do not recommend this to anyone The most important thing is to have a clear and focused mind to be THERE at all times when around horses and NOWHERE ELSE Sugar lumps or carrotsIrsquove been guilty of offering an occasional apple or carrot although it is best not to give horses anything special unless treats are part of training them for special tricks or stunts a pursuit best left to experts like master horse trainer Rex Peterson whom Irsquove had the good fortune to work with and study quite a bit Treats spoil horses and do not keep the animal focused on the task at hand Whatrsquos your favourite part of a horseThe brain What do you think young people gain from ridingSelf-confidence and an understanding of the value of cooperation
30
Why the long face
When did you first develop the bond with the horseThe first time I got on one as a little boy in ArgentinaYou either develop a bond of some kind or you fall off Of course you may even fall off if you develop the bond but you have to start (and restart) somewhere
Did your friends ride My brothers also rode and I have ridden with many kinds of people over the years ndash some good and patient with horses and some not If I had not rid-den as a boy I would probably have been wandering around fishing imagining I was a cowboy or an Indian or a Viking ndash which I did anyway Where in the world would you most like to rideMost anywhere will do but I have been extremely lucky to have ridden in many wide-open wild places ndash deserts grassy plains mountains by different seas and rivers in Argentina New Zealand North Africa and North America If you could spend one afternoon riding with a famous person (past or present)who would it be and whyIrsquoll give you 3 Oglala chief Tasunke Witko (Crazy Horse) my ancestor William F Cody or any real Gaucho from the province of Chaco Argentina
Two horses go out for dinner what kindof restaurant do they chooseLate spring grass near a slow-moving clean river with a gentle firm shoreline an hour before sun-down far from any people or other animals All time favourite horse filmI have a subjective soft spot for the stories and real horses involved in the making of ldquoHidalgordquo and the 2nd and 3rd installments of ldquoThe Lord Of The Ringsrdquo trilogy but I admire other ldquohorse moviesrdquo as wellThe 1953 French movie ldquoCrin-Blancrdquo (ldquoWhite Manerdquo) directed by Albert Lamorisse is a personal favourite
After three years at the head of the successful French Jumping team with back to back FEI Nations Cuptrade titles and a silver medal at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade Laurent Elias is moving on to new spheres with the French Horse amp Riding Institute where he will be training the riders of the National Riding School in Saumur
Laurent Elias
copy C
hris
toph
e Br
icot
32
The other side of
If I had not become a professional rider I would havehellipmade a career in a humanitarian organisation Horse riding is sometimes too trivial
My priority in life ishellipto be able to look at myself in the mirror in the morning and make sure I am at peace with my conscience
My familyhellipkeeps me grounded My wife helped me a lot when I was in charge of selections for France She took charge of my personal life and was the first person I called when we got the medal in Lexington I also admire my parents for the values they passed on to me
I remember my first ridingexperiencehellipaged six we were shooting a family film and I was on horseback I finished upside down under my horse for a long time I stopped riding for one year
I used to dream abouthellipsafaris One of my uncles was passionate about safaris Through him I became very interested in African trips and the jobs that allow you to travel as a reporter were fascinating to me as well
I have been thinking a lot abouthellipwhat happened in Japan these past few months First this tsunami that devastated everything without warning then the nuclear disaster It made me think that progress should not be destructive
My horse Gueacutenourhellipchanged my life I was just a coach and he brought me to the top I won the national championship in 1981 with him
My biggest challengehas always beenhellipshyness Horse riding has really helped me over-come it Horses brought me on stage and there I had to meet people
As a Chef dEquipehellipthere is no single defining achievement itrsquos all about the solidarity and the moments spent together as a team Irsquoll never forget the first time Penelope Leprevost rode her mare Jubileacutee drsquoOuilly in the FEI Nations Cuptrade of Rotterdam McLain Ward had just completed a real fast run with Sapphire We thought the Americans would win but she did it faster and beat Sapphire
In terms of eventshellipAachen is my favourite competition - for its won-derful organisation But we have also pretty good five star competitions in France
I donrsquot sleep muchhellipprobably because I am just happy to be alive
Irsquom not scared to laugh or cryhellipI laugh at the funny situations we sometimes find ourselves in life and enjoy people with quirky personalities I cry when I see others in pain
Laurent Elias and the French team en route to the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade copy PSV-Jean Morel
33FOCUS
Nicolas TheacutevenazAged 23 studies Robotics and Autonomous Systems Micro Engineering in Lausanne (SUI) alongside regular training and competition in Dressage and Para-Equestrian Dressage events Born with spastic diplegia Nicolas was introduced to horses via hippotherapy aged seven and quickly developed a passion for riding which not only helped with his physical condition but also taught him through Dressage the art of patience and perseverance
34
One day
Nicolas TheacutevenazAged 23 studies Robotics and Autonomous Systems Micro Engineering in Lausanne (SUI) alongside regular training and competition in Dressage and Para-Equestrian Dressage events Born with spastic diplegia Nicolas was introduced to horses via hippotherapy aged seven and quickly developed a passion for riding which not only helped with his physical condition but also taught him through Dressage the art of patience and perseverance
He has been fortunate to meet the right people (and horses) at the right time and has been working for the past five years with trainer Vicky-Eileen Baumann (pictured right) and her horses Magic and Lady (pictured right) ldquoShersquos bred them and knows them inside out which is very useful when I have to communicate with them - they know my voice intonations and a whole string of specific words or sounds ndash which really helps as my body canrsquot or doesnrsquot always have the strength to do sordquo
As a Grade II Para-Equestrian rider Nicolas competes in Para-Equestrian Dressage (PED) events as well as national events for able bodied riders as there are only a handful of PED riders and no events in Switzerland
Unable to attend the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade 2010 in Kentucky last year Nicolas and Vicky have their sights firmly set on the 2012 Para-lympic Games and will be looking to qualify with Lady over the next 12 months ndash alongside exams studies and everything else life has to offerhellip Who is your role model For different reasons I have different role mod-els Edward Gal Dane Rawlins Isabel Werth and Catherine Haddad
When did you start riding and why At age 7 I was sat on a horse for hippotherapy and liked the complicity with the horse which made me want to discover more
How do you feel when you ride Concentrated and industrious
Who is your biggest fan My trainerrsquos mum
Complete this sentenceOne day I would like tohellip have gained enough knowledge to be able to take care of and train my own horse
What are your long term goals as a rider Continue to do my best to enjoy what I do and show others itrsquos possible
How do you juggle studies and competition I think itrsquos really important to have goals and to do everything you can to achieve them and that includes taking on challenges because if you donrsquot try then yoursquoll never know what you could have achieved
What is your proudest achievement to date Participation in international events together with pursuing my studies
How do you feel after winning Still working towards discovering the feeling
What is the best advice anyone has ever given youMy trainer often repeats to me the famous saying by General LrsquoHotte ldquoCalme en avant droitrdquo which says so much about riding but can also be applied to so many other aspects of life
35FOCUS
What advice would you give someone looking to get involved in Para-Equestrian Dressage Train and ride with able-bodied athletes as often as possible Being around and working with horses is so rewarding Irsquod like - when Irsquom retired - to write a book to share these feelings with others and hope this will inspire them to get involved
Complete this sentenceIn the future I would like the sport to beeven ldquocleanerrdquo and fairer and if possible not more but less demanding on the horses
ldquoLast but not least Irsquod like to take the opportunity of this article to reach out to those who give me their trust and help be it with their time their friendship and any type of support Day after day to year after year team work is essential and Irsquoll do my best to continue deserving every-onersquos encouraging smilesrdquo
European Broadcasting Union
Union Europeacuteenne de Radio-Teacuteleacutevision
+41 (0)22 717 2111 wwweurovisionnet
We bring the event to your home
Eurovision
copy K
it H
ough
ton
FE
I
FEI_08_A4indd 1 03012008 162238
European Broadcasting Union
Union Europeacuteenne de Radio-Teacuteleacutevision
+41 (0)22 717 2111 wwweurovisionnet
We bring the event to your home
Eurovision
copy K
it H
ough
ton
FE
I
FEI_08_A4indd 1 03012008 162238
Nominations for the FEI Awards opened in May enabling the global equestrian com-munity to once again reward outstanding dedication to horse sport in five categories ndash Development Best Groom Against All Odds Rising Star and Best Athlete The search for the equestrian heroes of 2011 is now on who will be flown to Rio de Janeiro Brazil to receive their awards
Where are they now The FEI asked the current title-holders for an update on their activities
Follow us on
38
FEI Awards 2011
Ebony Horse Club (GBR)Winner of the Alltech FEI DevelopmentAward 2010
The Ebony Horse Club announced in December 2010 that after an eight-year fundraising effort it had the pound14 million necessary for building an equestrian cen-tre in one of Londonrsquos most deprived boroughs Since 1996 Ebony has offered youngsters in an area reput-ed for its gang culture high level of gun crime and drug dealing the chance to ride and learn key social skills The clubrsquos 50 members travel to riding schools across London on public transport or in minibuses ndash a logistical headache that the inner-city equestrian centre will end Construction work began in February
Ebony Horse Club founder and director Ros Spear-ing told the FEI ldquoRiding lessons are continuing and the club is preparing for the transitionrdquo Building will finish on 7 July but the centre will open for riding lessons in October ldquoThe horses will be brought to Brixton in the summer and will have time to acclimatise to their new environmentrdquo Spearing said The centre will include stabling for nine horses a small paddock and a flood-lit riding arena as well as a classroom for learning about horses and equine management Spearing is adamant that club members ndash present and future ndash care for their rides and wants the centre to serve as a stepping stone to careers in the horse industry
Ebonyrsquos existence will continue to depend on the generosity of donors For more information visit wwwebonyhorsecluborguk
Michelle Tipper (GBR)Winner of the FEI Best Groom Award 2010
Michelle Tipper has continued to juggle grooming and study since receiving her FEI Award in Novem-ber She has organised the grooms for the British European Junior and Young Dressage teams and in April her contract as a travelling groom for British Dressage riders Paul and Bobby Hayler took her to Addington for the first of many international com-petitions she will work at this year The Haylers have eight horses competing and the number she works with at each venue varies Tipper has also been help-ing British Dressage riders Nicky and Richard Barrett with yard duties ldquoI feel very lucky to work for both of these familiesrdquo said the FEI Best Groom Award win-ner adding that she feels part of the two families In March Tipper graduated from university with a Masters in Sport Psychology She is now working towards British Association of Sport and Exercise Science accreditation which requires at least 500 hoursrsquo supervised work experience and is present-ing sport psychology workshops in conjunction with the company Inside Performance Consulting Limit-ed (wwwinside-performancecom) The workshops are organised internationally for people of all ages from any sport To find out more contact Tipper at michelletipper1979yahoocom
39FOCUS
Michelle Tipper ndash copyWilliam TzengAward winners ndash copyWilliam TzengCaroline Roffman ndash copySharonPackercomEbony Horse Club ndash copyEbony Horse ClubEdward Gal and Totilas ndash copyKit HoughtonFEIAngelika Trabert ndash copyJulia Rau
Angelika Trabert (GER)Winner of the FEI Against All Odds Award 2010
German Para-Dressage rider Angelika Trabert has represent-ed her country at four Paralympic Games and won some 15 medals at national European and world championships She is currently seeking a new home for Londria the mare that con-tributed to her Team Silver medal win at the Hong Kong Para-lympics Londria who had a foal last year was also Trabertrsquos ride during her medal-winning performances at the European Championships in Hungary (2005) and Norway (2009)
Trabert said her decision to let go of Londria was hard to make but was necessary for financial reasons She will keep the foal Finaud Coquin and her mares Walmorel and Ariva-Avanti Trabert won the Para-Dressage Grade 2 Freestyle Champion-ship at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade with Ariva and said the horse was ldquowell and ready to go for the Europeans again in Belgium in September if we qualifyrdquo Trabert competed in her first international competition of 2011 in May in Man-nheim Germany where she came first in the Grade II indi-vidual and second in the freestyle She is taking part in the German Championships in June
Away from the equestrian world Trabert works as an anaes-thetist and has participated in medical missions in the rural ar-eas of Guinea for the organisation Mango In January she was back in Guinea as part of team that carried out 100 operations in 13 days wwwangelika-trabertde
Visit the recently refreshed FEI Awards website to find out more about the Awards the pastwinners the judges and to make yournominationsby 31 July
wwwfeiawardsorg
40
Caroline Roffman (USA)Winner of the HSBC FEI Rising StarAward 2010
Success continues to smile on twenty-two-year-old American Dressage rider Caroline Roffman Since re-ceiving the HSBC FEI Rising Star Award she has en-joyed numerous wins at small tour and young horse levels achieving scores in the mid-eighties and quali-fying two horses for the young horse championships
Roffman is currently showing six horses and has won several classes at PSG and Grand Prix level ldquoBut nothing is as exciting as to be going to Aachenrdquo said the young woman who has been described as the American Dressage communityrsquos brightest hope ex-plaining that at the FEI Awards ceremony in Chinese Taipei Frank Kemperman FEI Dressage Committee Chair and Chairman of the Managing Board at CHIO Aachen (GER) invited her to take part in the pres-tigious event Roffman will be the first American to compete in the Under 25 Grand Prix there and is hop-ing to take her horse Lux Stensvang
An interview with Caroline Roffman at the Palm Beach Dressage Derby CDI will be broadcast on the magazine programme Equestrian World on FEI TV the FEIrsquos official online video platform wwwfeitvorg
Edward Gal and Totilas (NED)Winners of the Reem Acra FEI Best Athlete Award 2010
The world-famous partnership of Dutch Dressage rider Edward Gal and the extraordinary Totilas ended in style in 2010 with notably three gold medal wins at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade
The first foal sired by the superstar stallion was born in January followed by two more in the spring Gal who has admired the foals told the FEI ldquoYou never know ndash maybe in a few yearsrsquo time Irsquoll have another Totilas readyrdquo At the beginning of April he was busy at home training nine horses and preparing for the Reem Acra FEI World Cuptrade Dressage Final in Leipzig and the European Championships in Rotterdam He had not yet decided which horses he was going to compete with but was particularly looking forward to the Freestyle to Music Asked what it was like to compete without Totilas Gal said ldquoEverybody ex-pected Totilas to win I find it easier to ride other horses because nobody expects me to win and when I do itrsquos really nicerdquo
41FOCUS
globetrotter
Seal of approval for the Adai horseSixty years have passed since an Adai horse reportedly set a record galloping 354km in one day Today the Adai horse a breed na-tive to Kazakhstan is back in the spotlight with a gold medal at the FEI Central Asian Endurance Championship in Talgaearlier in May only months after having been award-ed official pedigree status following tests
conducted by a State Commission in the Mangistau Steppes which allowed itto compete internationally The horses are cherished for their hardiness and Oyly ridden by Altyngali Bissemaganbetov (KAZ) proved just that when crossing the finishing line first demonstrating just how tough the Adai horses are and the beginning of a new era for sturdy breed on the international stage
Equestrian Australia Sport
Achievement Awards
In May the best of the best in
Equestrian sport gathered to cel-
ebrate the achievements of Austral-
iarsquos athletes coaches officials vets
administrators owners volunteers
and the many other people that
dedicate their time and enthusiasm
to equestrian sport The ceremony
also included the introduction of
Equestrian Australiarsquos Hall of
Fame won by the legendary Bill
Roycroft Boyd Exell winner of
the FEI World CupTM Driving
Final was awarded the interna-
tional athlete of the year
award
Kevin Stautbecomes first athlete representative on FEI
executive board
Kevin Staut one of Francersquos most successful Jumping riders became the first athlete to be appointed to the FEI Executive Board for a three-year term Staut (31) who has held the number one spot in the Rolex Rankings for Jumping since July 2010 has ridden on numerous Nations Cup teams for France and claimed individual gold at the Alltech FEI European Jumping Championships in 2009
HulA CARTSWorld Horse Welfare has greatly helped the liv
es of
five Senegalese cart horse owners by presenting them
with new Hula Carts The local people who depend on
their working horses for their livelihoods were specially
selected by the charity to receive the carts which have
been sponsored by members of the public in the uK
The Hula Carts are specifically developed to help the
horses pulling heavy loads in often difficult conditions
Equestrian Australia Sport
Achievement Awards
In May the best of the best in
Equestrian sport gathered to cel-
ebrate the achievements of Austral-
iarsquos athletes coaches officials vets
administrators owners volunteers
and the many other people that
dedicate their time and enthusiasm
to equestrian sport The ceremony
also included the introduction of
Equestrian Australiarsquos Hall of
Fame won by the legendary Bill
Roycroft Boyd Exell winner of
the FEI World CupTM Driving
Final was awarded the interna-
tional athlete of the year
award
Olympic legendBill Roycroft passes away aged 96
A legend of Equestrian sport in Australia James William
George Roycroft OBE known as ldquoBillrdquo was one of Austral-
iarsquos greatest Olympians and one of only five Australians to
have competed in five consecutive Olympic Games (from
1960 - 1976) as well as being Australiarsquos oldest medallist
and oldest competitor at 61 years and 31 days In May 2011
Bill was inducted in Equestrian Australiarsquos inaugural Hall
of Fame ndash he was Australiarsquos oldest living Olympian and
shared his dedication and enthusiasm for the sport with
his sons Barry Wayne and Clarke (See a brief description
of his exploits in the 1960 Olympic Games Memory Lane
article page 9 which catapulted Australiarsquos reputation as
one of the best Eventing teams in the world)
webinfofeiFEI web wizard Nicole Sigrist has added a new hub for the Press on wwwfeiorg called FEI Press Kits located in the Media section of the website The Press Kits zone which is also open to the general public is regularly updated with infor-mation relating to FEI series and specific events with flip books and downloadable PDFs as well as direct links to the Photo Catalogue the Rankings and Standings the Annual Report and more
100thanniversary for Finnish riding club
One of the three found-ing member clubs of
the Finnish Equestrian Federation the Suomen
Kenttaumlratsastusseura-Finska Faumlltrittklubbenon celebrates
its 100th anniversary in 2011 Magnus Rydman former President of the Finnish National Federation and Presi-dent of the FEI from 1935 ndash 1946 was one of the founders of the club Another of the founders of the oldest club in Fin-land was the Eventing rider Colonel Hans Olof von Essen whose fifth place at the Antwerpen Olympic Games re-mains the best Olympic equestrian result the country has ever achieved
Follow us on
43FOCUS
Interview with the President of the Brazilian Equestrian Federation Mr Luiz Roberto Giugni
The Brazilian Equestrian Federation has been a member Federation of the FEI for 75 years how has the sport developed over that time We were facing regular growth (average of 25 in the last decade) but in the last three to four years this rate has significantly increased up to 35 a year We believe that this is due to international achievements (two Jumping Olympic team bronze medals the individual Olympic Jumping gold medal won by Rodrigo Pessoa several Pan Am Jumping team gold medals recent Olympic pre-qualification in Kentucky (4th in the world in Jumping) and the organisations of a Global Champions Tour event in Brazil
In terms of developing the sport what are the most successful projects you have undertaken in recent yearsWe decided to invest in education and have hired international trainers for all the disciplines such as Jean Maurice Bonneau for Jumping Nick Turner for Eventing Eric Lette for Dressage Jean Louis Leclerc for Endurance Mattias Lang for Vaulting with the long term in mind that is at least until the end of 2012 and planning towards 2016 when Rio will host the Olympic Games
How popular is equestrian sport with young people in Brazil and how do you compete with some of the bigger sports for their attention Popularization is growing bit by bit in a country
decidedly dominated by soccer ndash being 5 times World Champion makes it a national passion But we are continuously looking to attract TV to our events as this is a huge step towards gaining visibility and popularity Can you tell us about the programmesinitiatives in place for disabled athletes We are actively pursuing this and have achieved really positive results in little time such as the great performances and medals earned at the Para-lympic Games in Hong Kong in 2008 We do this through clinics courses international exchanges of athletes and working alongside our National Paralympic Committee to support us in our efforts
Brazil will be host the FEI General Assembly at the end of the year what do you want all the visiting delegates to remember from their visit That we are more than just a really beautiful and warm country with the ability and capacity to organise great events and that we are committed to putting on the best Olympic Games ever
What are the main objectivesplans for the Brazilian Federation in the lead up to the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games Our NOC is really committed to raising the bar of all the sports to a level never seen before and we are working towards that in terms of our athletes our judges our venues and everything that is related to our sport and the quality of our sport In line with this objective we are providing incen-tives to owners to buy good horses aiming for 2016 and this is going to plan for now We expect to perform well at the upcoming Pan Am Games and Olympics on our trail to 2016
Is there anything else you would like to share with us I would like to thank HRH Princess Haya President of the FEI as well as the Executive Board for all the support that we are getting which has been paramount to the development of equestrian sport in our country
44
President Luiz Roberto GiugniSecretary General Luiz Antonio RoccoMember since 1935
15 members of staff work at the federation
20 regional federations are affiliated tothe Brazilian Equestrian Federation with over 300 member riding clubs
6 000 affiliated riders
91 national events were held in 2010
31 international events were held in 2010
All the FEI disciplines are practiced in BrazilJumping Dressage Eventing Vaulting Reining EnduranceDriving amp Para-Equestrian
14 breeding organisations
There are 58 million horses and ponies in Brazilmaking it the fourth largest equine population in the world
FAC
TS amp
FIG
URE
S
45FOCUS
Dr Gerit Matthesen56 is a private equine practitioner an FEI Vet and a member of the FEI Veterinary Committee He graduated in Veterinary Medicine from Berlin University in 1983 and since 1989 has worked or officiated at some 180 competitions and championships including the last two Olympics and FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade He lives near Frankfurt with his wife Carola and their sons Mike (16) and Lars (14)
46
A life in a day
Dr Gerit Matthesen56 is a private equine practitioner an FEI Vet and a member of the FEI Veterinary Committee He graduated in Veterinary Medicine from Berlin University in 1983 and since 1989 has worked or officiated at some 180 competitions and championships including the last two Olympics and FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade He lives near Frankfurt with his wife Carola and their sons Mike (16) and Lars (14)
I wake up earlier than I need to ndash at around 6am ndash because breakfast time with my family is sacred to me and I can then drive my boys to the village station to take the train to school After two cups of coffee (enough for the day) and a glass of orange juice I read the newspapers then head to my prac-tice offices in our indoor arena I have a quick look at our horses then start work
While I listen to my phone messages I deal with my emails and search the internet for news about veterinary medicine and horse sport I then start planning the dayacutes schedule with Anna my assistant vet
My mobile practice is in a nice fairly rural area in the north of Frankfurt There are lots of horse farms but it is not a classic breeding area like the northern part of Germany There are sport horses as well as pleasure horses I have examination rooms and stables for horses staying or mares foaling in my practice stables Itrsquos not a big clinic which gives me time to work at competitions
After seeing a few small animals in my practice I normally start my field service at 930am In my car I have enough equipment (ultrasound X-ray systems and endoscopical devices) for the dayrsquos examinations and standing procedures We mainly have lameness examinations to do or internal diseases to treat accompanied by routine work like vaccinations or carrying out pre-purchase or health certificate examinations If time allows I go home for a quick lunch but thatrsquos not every day
While Irsquom driving I have time to think and I write down everything that come to mind regarding sport competitions committees and so on You have to write down your thoughts when yoursquore over the age of 50
It is not easy planning my day because any emer-gency can destroy or delay my schedule For all the paperwork and certificates I need a time frame so
I often do that over quiet weekends when there are no competitions During the winter season I am less busy but in summer a lot of weekends are taken over by the competition schedule
I love my work especially in Eventing which is my favourite discipline My wife and I practiced it ndash not up to top level but it was a fine time despite a bro-ken ankle from a fall in 1988 which after 23 years is making walking more and more difficult for me
I like to do my competition work on a friendly but strict basis and I really like to hear riders saying they are treated fairly Over the years I have acquired a lot of experience and met all the officials and riders
Usually when I return home in the late afternoon there are more small animals to see When Irsquove done the dayrsquos paperwork I hope there will be no more emergencies such as cases of colic which usually occur in the early evening
I look forward to getting on my horse which is a beautiful show-jumper I like to ride but Irsquove stopped competing I do dressage jumping and go out into the fields but itrsquos all just for fun now
The day finishes with the family and a nice cold glass of German beer
Itrsquos a struggle to find time to spend with my family and I often have to cancel my holidays with them I am really grateful to my wife and the boys for their understanding of my job and to my assistant vet who covers for me when Iacutem out somewhere in the world of equestrian sport
ldquoThe combination of my profession and beinginvolved in differentaspects of top equestrian sport is my visionrdquo
47FOCUS
Pull your show attire from the closet clean your boots and tack groom the horses hook up and pack the trailer check the clock double check to make sure you have everything put on the shipping boots load your horses and away you drive to the competition venue or to the airport for transport to a distant event
You know the drill well but still you arrive tired per-haps even a bit frazzled Yoursquoll sleep (or try to) the next several nights in an unfamiliar bed or camp out in the living quarters of your trailer You awaken riveted on the competition playing out the dayrsquos classes in your mind wondering how your rides will fare against oth-ers praying that the weather will be cooperate and trying to control your nerves all the while knowing that no matter how well you have prepared many factors are out of your control You may even be in a different time zone
We go through a lot to compete our horses But if you think life on the road is stressful for you think about what itrsquos like for your horses Your back may be a bit sore from driving or being strapped into an airplane seat for hours on end but for horses transportation is far more demanding It is an athletic endeavour re-quiring an expenditure of energy to maintain balance during the constant movement of transport When your horses arrive they face social isolation from stablemates lack of security in novel environments altered training regimes water that tastes strange and the confines of an unfamiliar stall This routine impacts a horsersquos health and well being with effects
continuing long after the journey is over During transport toxic gases (such as ammonia or carbon monoxide) can cause damage to the lung epithelium precipitating respiratory disease The
final destination itself can also cause problems Usually horses are transported to environments where they will be mixing with other horses The mixing of horses from different environments with different infectious organisms and under stressful conditions further precipitates susceptibility to disease
This can have a severe impact on the equine gut The stress of transportation is known to increase gut ulceration in the horse a painful condition reducing performance and causing colic-like symptoms Stress can also slow the flow of digesta and alter the normal gut flora resulting in digestive upset and possibly diarrhoea or colic
The effects of travel stress on the gut are compounded by the typical diet of the regular equine traveller To maintain athletic ability high performance horses are often fed energy-charged diets contain-ing increased levels of starchy materials such as cereal grains Unfortunately this type of diet can reduce beneficial types of gut flora and promote gut acidity further predisposing the horse to digestive upsets and ulceration It is not surprising that stressed tired horses may not fulfill their potential on arrival
Feeding to reduce stress for the equine traveller
By Darlene RickerExecutive editor of Alltechrsquos EQUINE INTERNATIONAL magazine
48
Alltech Tips
growth of opportunistic Salmonella spp which are present in the intestinal tract of many healthy horses These bacteria then attach to the gut lining via a mannan sugar and penetrate it causing damage and resulting in diarrhoea One method of prevent-ing or minimising the attachment of these organ-
isms to the gut lining is to provide an adsorbant supplement A form of sugar found in the cell walls of certain yeasts can do this This sugar compound is called man-nan oligosaccharide or MOS MOS products such as Alltechrsquos Bio-Mosreg have been shown to re-duce the colonization of Salmonella
spp in the guts of certain species and augment the immune response to Salmonella spp potentially conferring an enhanced ability to fight infection Both Yea-Saccreg 1026 and Bio-Mos are among the natural products contained in Alltechrsquos LIFEFORCETM equine supplement which many FEI competitors have successfully incorporated into their daily feeding regimen at home and on the road
lifeforcehorsecom
and may be subject to health concerns in the days following a long journey Fortunately however you can curb some of the effects of travel stress on the horsersquos gut by nutritional supplementation Organic yeast products used to supplement a horsersquos diet can support the normal gut flora modifying the intesti-nal environment and improving the horsersquos digestion One such culture is Saccharomyces cerevisae in the form of Yea-Saccreg 1026 Alltechrsquos propriety organic yeast
Experiments were conducted to evaluate the effects Yea-Sacc on gut flora and gut acidity Horses were fed either a high-starch or a high-fibre diet both with and without supplementation of Yea-Saccreg 1026 Results indicated an excessive amount of starch in the gut The use of Yea-Sacc reduced acidity and stimulat-ed the activity of fibre-digesting bacteria in the hind-gut for both types of diet The result was maximised fibre digestibility and more efficient use of nutrients thus increasing the amount of energy available to the horse for performance and counteracting digestive upset Salmonellosis is one of the more commonly di-agnosed infectious causes of diarrhoea in horses Many cases develop after the stress of transport The effects of travel stress on the normal gut flora allow an over-
Moorlands Totilas arrives for the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade after air transport copy Dirk Caremans
HRH The Infanta Dontildea Pilar de Borboacuten former President of the FEI (1994-2006) also attended the inauguration along-side HRH Princess Lalla Amina Chairperson of the Royal Moroccan Federation for Equestrian Sports and member of the international Advisory Council of Special OlympicsThey were joined by International Olympic Commit-tee members representatives from other Interna-tional Federations federal and local Swiss authorities as well as architects and designers that worked on the project Switzerlandrsquos Martin Fuchs a member of the gold medal winning team at the inaugural Youth Olympic Games in Singapore last year accompanied FEI President Princess Haya in officially opening the FEI headquarters
ldquoThe building we are inaugurating today has been designed to serve our wonderful sportrdquo explained FEI
President Princess Haya ldquoI also feel an immense
sense of pride knowing that this building carries the name
of my late father and hope that this serves as a constant reminder
to all of us who work at the FEI of a unique statesman whose entire soul was devoted to the service of his people Our new headquarters will play a key role for the FEI and our National Federa-tions over the coming years It will be the environ-ment in which important discussions take place and fundamental decisions are taken as we continue our mission to advance the orderly growth of equestrian sport worldwide while ensuring that the welfare of the horse and a level playing field remain at the centre of all that we dordquo
FEI celebratesNEW Headquarters
Over 250 guests attended the inauguration ceremony on Friday 6 May at HM King Hussein I Building which was timed to coincide with the FEI
Extraordinary General Assembly so that attending NationalFederation representatives
could be a part ofthe celebrations
1 Youth Olympic Games team champion Martin Fuchs (SUI) FEI President HRH Princess Haya and her daughter HH Sheikha Al Jalila officially open the FEIrsquos new home 2 Gilbert Felli IOC Olympic Games Executive Director and FEI Secretary General Ingmar de Vos 3 HRH The Infanta Dontildea Pilar de Borboacuten sits down to an interactive quiz in the FEI Gallery 4 Guests gathered in the atrium of the FEI HeadquartersAll images copy Hugues SiegenthalerFEI
Highlights available on50
1
2
3 4
5
6 7
8
THE GALLERy
As well as housing offices for its 62 employees and conference facilities for its 133 National Federations the new headquarters also has a state-of-the-art in-teractive gallery showcasing equestrian sport
The Gallery is the brainchild of Dr Amichai Alper-ovich historian former Secretary General of the Is-raeli Equestrian Federation and curator of the Israeli Olympic Museum (opened in 2009) He worked hand in hand with the Tel Aviv based company Disk-In Pro and interior designer Oded Alony to help bring the content to life and the result is truly unique and ground breaking Giant glass surfaces act as interac-tive interfaces for the visitors to travel through time
The FEIrsquos new headquarters which were donated to the Federation by FEI Presi-dent HRH Princess Haya in 2007 fol-lowing a personal fundraising effort are conveniently located close to the Inter-national Olympic Committee and other international sports federations It has been written into the FEI Statutes that the new FEI headquarters building will always house the Federationrsquos offices In 2008 the building was thoroughly renovated in accordance with the Swiss MINERGIEreg construction standard for environmental responsibility which re-duces energy consumption by 25 per cent Only two per cent of renovated buildings in Switzerland meet the high Minergie standards Khuan Chew founder and design princi-pal of London-based architectural firm KCA International Ltd worked in close collaboration with Swiss-based architect Herveacute de Rham and interior designer Sia-vosh Adeli (SUI) to transform the build-ing which was built in the 1960s The modern and sleek interior was further enhanced with bespoke artworks pro-duced by Swiss creative agency b+g amp partners and imagery by world-famous equestrian art photographer Tim Flach where the simplicity and beauty of his equine subjects seamlessly embrace and accentuate the buildingrsquos pure lines and natural materials (see image left)
As they feasted on the innate beauty of their sur-roundings the guests also had the privilege to ex-perience the culinary talents of organic chef and specialist Gilles Wannaz and his team based in the town of Cully which sits on the edge of Lac Leman in Switzerlandrsquos famous Lavaux wine growing region
5 HRH Princess Haya welcomes the guests to the Inauguration of the HQ and the 90 year celebration of the FEI 6 Artwork by renowned pho-tographer Tim Flach 7 An organic and colourful buffet presented on an authentic lawn by local chef Gilles Wannaz 8 A life size horse sculpture by Christophe Dumont greeted the guests upon their arrival
53FOCUS
and space with the latest in touch technology revis-iting the history of the FEI the equestrian events at Olympic amp Paralympic Games the FEI World Eques-trian Gamestrade and information on all of the member National Federations with statistics videos images and text The Gallery also includes projections on ar-chitectural surfaces designed by Oded Alony referred to as the Origami as well as interactive stations and unique video projections on glass screens
For all those wishing to visit the FEI Gallery simply contact the FEI HQ to make an appointment and we would be delighted to take you on a journey to dis-cover or rediscover the human and equine athletes whose talents have marked equestrian history and inspired young riders drivers and vaulters around the world
Interview withDrAmichaiAlperovich
When did you first dream up the FEIInteractive Gallery When I found out the FEI was planning to move into new HQ in 2009 Disk-In Pro and I approached the FEI and presented them with several concepts for the space Before long we had agreed on the concept and we got to work
Why were you compelled to make it become a reality So that the FEI a prominent sports organisation could present itself to a growing audience in a new and visionary way with the latest technology And by doing so the FEI is a pioneer becoming the first International Federation to have a Gallery of this kind
What did you learn when researching and gathering content for the gallery I have learned a lot about the history of the FEI the strong Olympic tradition the diversity of disciplines the gender equality and the unique bond between horse and man One of the more fascinating topics was the evolution of the Dressage from itsrsquo Olympic debut to the modern Freestyle
Itrsquos very innovative technology what inspired you to take such a leap into the future with such a traditional sport Just as Dressage has evolved over the years and alongside the introduction of new disciplines partic-ularly Para-Equestrian you come to realise that the FEI is not as traditional as one would think Actually this kind of innovative presentation of equestrian history is really well suited to the FEI In the same way that you can have horse-man connections there is an audience-technology connection in the Gallery The audience have to be active in order to enjoy the depth of information the Gallery contains
54
Now it is time to open the door to new places to learn about sport ndash at the heart of sporting organi-sations themselves The Gallery is more than an informative tool it brings people to the sport andto the heart of its operations
Established in 1990 Disk-In Pro specialises in the planning design production and implementation of Museums Visitor Centres and sophisticated projects around the world This includes multi screen produc-tion animation 3D amp interactive films state-of-the-art software platforms and complex video displays for an unforgettable experience
Oded Alony holds a BA in Design from the Interior Design Section of the Holon Technological Institute and has since 1998 worked with Israelrsquos leading Architecture firms The Oded Alony Studio embraces holistic design a space where interior design lighting and graphics are brought together to create a harmo-nious project vision
Now that you have seen it unveiled to the public how would you like to see it evolve I hope the audience will be amazed from the design by architect Oded Alony and the new methods to deliver information whilst discovering the long his-tory of the FEI the diversity and the global reach of the organisation I hope the Gallery will become an icon in Lausanne and one of its highlights for visitors I promise the visitors a new platform to learn about equestrianism and each visit could be different as the information and themes will be updated and modi-fied regularly
This futuristic gallery is a first for anInternational Federation do you think thisis something all sports should invest inThe FEI took this courageous decision and now has this fantastic tool to present the organisation in new ways Sport is a huge cultural phenomenaWe have learned to consume sport in the arenas and stadiums in the press media and new media
Dr Amichai Alperovich
55FOCUS
SOCIAL MEDIAthe new frontier
Follow us on
The FEI has recently embarked on and embraced a whole new way of talking with the greater equestrian community through the ever expanding social media networks and platformsWith personalised Facebook Twitter and You Tube pages the FEI is taking it step by step and reaching out to this growing audience and listening to what they have to say
This new communication platform is by no means a substitution of the traditional communication path-ways but works alongside the press releases various publications and content on wwwfeiorg and wwwfeitvorg providing a new arena where the FEI can share interact and dialogue with fans of the sport and of equestrian values in general
We talk to Richard Johnson Director of Corporate Communications about the FEIrsquos commitment to social media
What compelled the FEI to venture onto the social media scene As a governing body with a vibrant and active com-munity of National Federations as well as thousands of fans the need to reach out to the online social community has never been stronger We have been watching the communities grow online for some time and have been listening to their conversations so being a part of it was the next logical step and a really important one The conversations will hap-pen with or without us so taking that step has been crucial in order to share our values and also build re-lationships with our fan base
Tradition meets modernity ndash does equestrian sportthe FEI have a place in social media Absolutely even though equestrian sport has a long history and is perceived as a traditional sport it is
always evolving In the 90 years of the FEI which was founded to govern the three Olympic disciplines it has grown to also oversee the disciplines of Driving Endurance Vaulting Reining and Para-Equestrian sport Or if you look at the early days when competi-tors were from military backgrounds and when wom-en did not compete alongside men to the complete gender equality we have today ndash a lot has changed and is in a constant state of change
The fans of equestrian sport are like any other fan base web savvy and eager for more information behind the scenes content and to share their opin-ions and thoughts ndash so it is an ideal partnership And from what we have seen these last few months and from the feedback we got from our blog at the Youth Olympic Games there is a real appetite for this
The FEI has dedicated Facebook Twitter and You Tube pages ndash why did you select these social media platforms The figures speak for themselveshellip Facebook Twit-ter and You Tube are the biggest players in the social networking space With over 500 million Facebook users 106 million Tweeters and 2 billion views a day on You Tube there has never been so much oppor-tunity for exposure Every site has different demo-graphics with different habits and needs so by having an FEI presence on these three networks we are able to cover a lot of ground and cater to different audi-ences by providing different types of content accord-ing to the platform
What are the main benefits of having a pres-ence on various social media platforms Itrsquos all about having a two way conversation ndash the benefits of dialogue where you can share content such as videos images facts and figures thoughts and values and then allow your fan base to react to get involved and to listen and learn from them By engaging with our audience and showing them that we are a modern and caring organisation and that we want to hear what they have to say then we are able to build trust and ultimately credibility in what we do and what we say
57FOCUS
TV
The offi cial video website of the Feacutedeacuteration Equestre Internationale
wwwfeitvorg
WATCH LIVE WATCH ONLINE
FEI TV is the FEIrsquos new offi cial video website and your ticket to the worldrsquos most prestigious competitions Sign-up to FEI TV (wwwfeitvorg) and get instant access to all the live broadcasts the extensive video-on-demand library all the highlights the behind the scenes reports the interviews and so much more Be at the heart of horsesport Join us
2823_1FEI_TV_Focus_165x226indd 1 170510 1124
It also keeps us alert as to what is being discussed and debated in the public sphere so that we can manage situations more effectively and be proactive in our messaging and information so that the facts are at the heart of the debate and not interpretations of them
How do you generate content for social media It was important when we launched our social me-dia presence that it be manageable with the exist-ing communications team in place ndash and so we have concentrated on keeping it simple and effective and using content innovatively Itrsquos not about reproduc-ing our website ndash but to engage with our fans and so often all you need is a good picture an interest-ing fact or great achievement to get the ball rolling For You Tube as we already have so much content generated from FEI TV it was simply a question of using bits and pieces from that content to provide the public with teasers from events interviews with winning riders or behind the scenes content which they can then follow up on FEI TV with a subscription
What are your Social media goals Itrsquos really to build relationships and dialogue with our fan base by using our content innovatively by listening to what they have to say and by engaging with the community And for the National Federa-tions that have yet to take that step we want to be a guiding hand that can help them get started so that they too can reap the benefits of social media net-working Our sport competes against other sports for attention so itrsquos really important that we the FEI and the National Federations keep our finger on the pulse and cater to our fans
How can National Federations get involved NFs wishing to find out more about Social Media can contact me (richardjohnsonfeiorg) and I would be more than happy to discuss opportunities and ways of getting started as well as our experience at the FEI
We asked our Facebook followers why it was important to use face-book and here are a few comments they came up with
bullItrsquos a great way to find out about shows and competitions
bullBecause facebook can provide up to the minute updates as to the what is going on in the horse community
bullWe can share information and ideas over long distances We can find and connect with people we wouldnt be able to otherwise
bullIt also lets us express the true realities of our spot to keep us grounded
bullIt can bring peoples attention to excellence ndash and expose the issues
58
TV
The offi cial video website of the Feacutedeacuteration Equestre Internationale
wwwfeitvorg
WATCH LIVE WATCH ONLINE
FEI TV is the FEIrsquos new offi cial video website and your ticket to the worldrsquos most prestigious competitions Sign-up to FEI TV (wwwfeitvorg) and get instant access to all the live broadcasts the extensive video-on-demand library all the highlights the behind the scenes reports the interviews and so much more Be at the heart of horsesport Join us
2823_1FEI_TV_Focus_165x226indd 1 170510 1124
ldquo Donrsquot accept drinks from a strangerrdquo
Armchair travel journalist
Are you living a life without boundaries Some well-meant advice is best ignored but itrsquos still good to know yoursquore covered when yoursquore away With HSBC Premier your family can be protected with both Travel Insurance and dedicated assistance when yoursquore abroad Which is reassuring to know when yoursquore making the most of life
HSBC Premier is subject to financial eligibility criteria and is available in over 40 countries and territories
Premier Travel Insurance covers you and your partner up to age 70 and your children travelling with you up to age 18
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201736_6000263_Coconut_226x165indd
Master 226x165
Rob Swainson 160211
HSBC - Coconuts Proof 01Head of Art TypographerDesigner ArtCreative Director Copywriter Account DirectorDIC Project ManagerPhotographer Illustrator Usage Model(s) Name(s) Usage
Media MediaStock Image Time Period Time Period
Territory Territory
8deg N ndash Kerala South India
28 HSBC FEI ClassicsTM
A world class meeting of generations
30 Why the long face Viggo Mortensen
32 The other side of Laurent Elias
34 One day Nicolas Theacutevenaz
06 Olympic amp Paralympic Games Memory Lane
14 FEI World CupTM Finals Jumping Dressage Driving amp Vaulting
18 Preview FEI European Championships 2011
14
Follow us onTable of Contents
04
Contact Advertising FEI - Feacutedeacuteration Equestre Internationalerichardjohnsonfeiorg HM King Hussein I Building Chemin des Deacutelices 9 1006 Lausanne T +41 21 310 47 47 F +41 21 310 47 60 wwwfeiorg
Impressum - Focus Ndeg 7 - June 2011Circulation 2800Frequency QuarterlyEditor in Chief Olivia RobinsonDesign Art Equestrio SAPrinting Grafiche SIZ - ItalyCover copyHugues Siegenthaler
48 Alltech Tips Feeding to reduce stress for the equine traveller
50 FEI News FEI celebrates NEW Headquarters
56 FEI Insight Social Media - the new frontier
38 FEI Awards 2011
42 Globetrotter
44 Postcard from Brazil
46 A life in a day Dr Gerit Matthesen
28 HSBC FEI ClassicsTM
A world class meeting of generations
30 Why the long face Viggo Mortensen
32 The other side of Laurent Elias
34 One day Nicolas Theacutevenaz
5030
05FOCUS
1900Games of the II Olympiad Paris (FRA)Grand Prix Jumping long jump high jump hunter competition and a coaching competition were on the 1900 programme The events went officially unrecord-ed until the 1970s which is why it is often assumed that 1912 marks the first inclusion of equestrian sports on the Olympic programme Participation Twenty-four riders from 4 countries
1912Games of the V Olympiad Stockholm (SWE) Jumping Dressage and Eventing made their deacutebut in Stockholm and remain to this day the only equestrian disciplines on the Olympic programme It took two years to construct the new brick-built Olympic Sta-dium which served for the 1956 Olympic Equestrian Games and the 1990 FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade Participation Sixty-two riders and 70 horses from 10 nations ndash all European except for the USA
1920Games of the VII Olympiad Antwerp (BEL)World War I had just ended in 1918 and there were serious doubts that the 1920 Olympic Games would go ahead It was on 3 April 1919 that the IOC decided to accept the offer from Antwerp (BEL) The short term allocation of the Games did leave some in the lurch such as team USA who at first unable to find a passage to Europe at that late stage were able to secure the help of the military to transport the team Swedenrsquos solid and meticulous preparations were well rewarded as they picked up more than half of the 15 medals at stake and confirmed their stronghold on the sportParticipation Seventy-two riders from 8 nations Vaulting was for the first and only time on the Olympic programme
1924 Games of the VIII Olympiad Paris (FRA)First Olympic appearance for the FEIDid you knowThe Dressage arena of 60 x 20 m was in the centre of the huge Stade de Colombes at least 60 meters away from the public The five judges sat with their assistants on a long table together on a short side The
Olympic amp Paralympic Games
MemoryLane A journey of Olympicamp Paralympic achievements
In 2012 the disciplines of Jumping Dressage and Eventing celebrate 100 years of Olympic history For Para-EquestrianDressage itrsquos sixteen years of intense and ever increasing competition and participationTake a stroll down MemoryLane to revisit the sportingachievements of Championspast and present
1920 1921 1922
1924 1925 1926
1900 1901 1902 1903 1904
1912 1913 1914
06
individual winner in Jumping was Swiss militia officer Lt Alphonse Gemuseus on the eight-year old Irish-bred mare Lucette who had been bought for pound48 as an army remount horse in 1922The length of the Eventing Cross Country was 36kmParticipation Seventeen nations 126 horses
1928Games of the IX Olympiad Amsterdam (NED)By 1928 the IOC had clarified the definition of an amateur For equestrian sport an amateur was every professional officer actively serving or anyone riding solely for the sport and recognised by a national body as a gentlemanParticipation Twenty nations the major return was Germany ndash not invited in 1920 and 1924 ndash but now there in full force
1932Games of the X Olympiad Los Angeles (USA)Because the 1932 Olympics were held in the middle of the Great Depression and in the comparatively re-mote city of Los Angeles half as many athletes from only six nations took part compared to 1928 The Japanese team came by ship from Yokohama to Los Angeles France and Sweden took a ship to New York then travelled by railroad across the USA as did the
Mexicans The Dutch who sailed through the Panama Canal directly to Los Angeles remembered that the US equestrian team travelling by ship to Amsterdam in 1928 had kept their horses fit by hiring the tread-mill used during the filming of Ben Hur with its chariot races The Dutch constructed their own treadmill and kept their horses busy during the voyage
The first known Olympic Jumping course designer John A Barry (who rode for the USA in the 1920 and 1924 Olympics) supported by Sloan Doak (also an ex-perienced Olympic rider) built a course that was much more difficult than 1928 It had 18 obstacles and 20 jumping efforts over a length of 1060m No team fin-ished the competition and the team medals remained unclaimed
For the first time piaffe and passage were asked for in Dressage
In Eventing only two teams ndash USA and The Netherlands ndash finished the competition The team bronze remained unclaimed Participation Six nations
1932 1933 1934
1928 1929 1930
1912 Francersquos Jean Cariou - Individual gold and team silver Jumping medallist as well as individual bronze medallist in Eventing
07FOCUS
1936Games of the XI Olympiad Berlin (GER)The Games of the XI Olympiad were held in Berlin three years after the National-Socialist regime came to power in 1933 They are best remembered for Adolf Hitlerrsquos failed attempt to use sport to prove his theories of Aryan racial superiority The equestrian events held on the last five days of the 16-day programme played an important part in the overall running of these first monumental and politically misused Olympic GamesParticipation Twenty-one nations 127 riders - 7 coun-tries had full representation (3x3 riders) Germany won all the equestrian team and individual gold medals
1952Games of the XV Olympiad Helsinki (FIN) The 1952 Olympic Games brought some fundamen-tal changes to equestrian sport Most visible was the change from military riding to civilians Women were allowed in Dressage but not in Jumping or Event-ing The best known of these women is Lis Hartel of Denmark In 1944 at the age of 23 she was paralysed by polio and while she gradually regained the use of most of her muscles she remained paralysed below
the knee Despite being helped on and off her horse she went on to win the silver medal When gold med-allist Henri St-Cyr helped her up onto the victory platform for the medal presentation it was one of the most emotional moments in Olympic historyParticipation Twenty-five nations For the first time since 1912 Russian riders competed ndash now represent-ing the Soviet Union Canada Egypt amp Korea were also newcomers
1956Games of the XVI Olympiad Melbourne (AUS) Stockholm (SWE) When the IOC selected Melbourne (AUS) as host to the Games of the XVI Olympiad it had not taken into consideration the Australian six-month pre-shipment quarantine for horses In 1953 a meeting was held in Canberra attended by the federal authorities which recommended not to alter quarantine laws The IOC decided on a separate venue for the equestrian events and on 13 May 1954 chose Stockholm (SWE)The Jumping course was demanding it is considered by many as the first modern course There were no clears in the first round Hans Guumlnter Winkler (FRG) was in the
1936 1937 1938
1952 1953 1954
1956 1957 1958
1952 The Dressage medallists Andreacute Jousseaume (FRA) - bronze Henri St-Cyr (FRA) - gold Lis Hartel (DEN) - silver
08
lead with one knock-down riding the great mare Halla The horse had taken off early for the penultimate fence and Winkler was thrown into the air and went on to land heavily back in the saddle pulling a muscle in the pro-cess He knew that if he withdrew from the final round the German team would be eliminated Dizzy and in pain he rode anyway Halla completed the course without a fault They earned gold in both the individual and team events Winkler went on to win another five gold medals at various Olympics and is the only Jumper to win seven medals in total and the only rider in any discipline to earn medals in six different OlympicsParticipation Twenty-nine nations Australia Cambodia and Venezuela competed for the first time
1960Games of the XVII Olympiad Rome (ITA) The Australians were the 1960 Eventing sensation The foursome of Larry Morgan Neale Lavis Brian Crago and Bill Roycroft dominated the Cross-Country to an extent never experienced before At the end of the day Mor-gan was overwhelmingly in the lead ahead of Crago and Lavis Roycroft after a fall at the cement drain pipes was not too far back except for the fact that he was in hospital with a concussion and a broken collarbone When Cragorsquos potential silver medal horse Sabre was rejected at the second horse inspection Australia no longer had a team Forty-five-year old Bill Roycroft was taken out of hospital rode Our Solo to a clear round in the Jumping phase and secured team gold for Australia Participation Twenty-nine nations
1964Games of the XVIII Olympiad Tokyo (JPN) The 1964 Olympic Games were the first to be held in Asia These were only the second Olympics ndash after Los Angeles in 1932 ndash for which most horses had to travel across the world Most horses came by aircraft The Soviet horses still came by sea and were caught in the typhoon Wilda For the first time a former Olympic Jumping champion repeated his victory Forty-four year old Pierre Jonquegraveres drsquoOriola (FRA) the 1952 champion with Ali Baba won this time with the nine-year old Lutteur B Another first was the participation of a woman - Lana du Pont (USA) - in an Olympic Eventing competitionParticipation One hundred and sixteen riders from 20 countries competed in Tokyo
1968Games of the XIX Olympiad Mexico City (MEX) The choice of Mexico City to host the 1968 Olympics was a challenging one because of the cityrsquos high altitude 2300m which meant that the air contained 30 less oxygen than at sea level An adjustment pe-riod of three to four weeks for the horses was advised The horses from the Soviet Union Argentina and Ireland were in mid-September the first to arrive The last to stable were France and Germany on 28 September ie 20 days before the start of the com-petitions Of particular interest was the first par-ticipation of Dressage and Eventing riders from the German Democratic Republic In 1960 and 1964 their Eventers were part of a unified German team This time they were allowed to enter under their own flag The equestrian competitions were timed manually and electronically for the first time the electronic time was the official one Participation Eighteen nations
1972 Games of the XX Olympiad Munich (FRG) In 1972 everybody expected great Olympic Games and for the first ten days everything went smoothly But on 5 September 1972 peace was chattered as eight Palestinian terrorists representing the militant group ldquoBlack Septemberrdquo broke into the Olympic Village killed two members of the Israeli team and took nine more hostage In an ensuing battle all nine Israeli hostages were killed as were five of the ter-rorists and one policeman The Olympics were sus-pended for 34 hours In defiance of the terrorists the IOC ordered the competitions to resume IOC President Avery Brundage famously declaring ldquoThe Games must go onrdquo All other details about the Munich Games pale in significance The equestrian events were obviously also affected After the first day of Dressage on 5 September the second half of the competitors rode on 7 September the ride-off followed on the 9th Team Jumping at that time still preceding the closing ceremony took place on 11 September 1972Liselotte Linsenhoff on Piaff became the 13th Olym-pic Dressage champion ndash the third German to achieve this (after con Langen in 1928 and Pollay in 1936) but the first woman to do so Participation Twenty-seven nations
1964 1965 1966
1960 1961 1962
1972 1973 1974
1968 1969 1970
09FOCUS
1976Games of the XXI Olympiad Montreal (CAN) All in the Eventing geneshellip Mother Rita and daugh-ter Silva de Luna were both on the Guatemalan team Father Bill 61 and son Wayne Roycroft were on the bronze-medal winning Australian teamhellipFor the first time in the FEIrsquos Olympic history there was a disqualification due a positive medication case San Carlos the mount of the Irish Army Eventing rider Ronald McMahon The medical treatment after an injury during transport had been announced to the authorities But the rules suffered no exceptions Au-tomatic disqualification followed although there was no additional punishmentBarbara Kemp became the first woman to design an Olympic cross-country course Participation Twenty-three nations Guatemala and Puerto Rico were the newcomers
1980Games of the XXII Olympiad Moscow (URS) The 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow represented the lowest point in the history of the Olympic equestrian events as a US led boycott reduced the number of participating nations to 11 From the top equestrian nations only Austria with the reigning European Dres-sage champion Elisabeth (Sissi) Theurer and Italy with its Eventing team went to Moscow Sissirsquos decision to participate in Moscow created considerable contro-versy in her native Austria ndash resulting in the resignation of the President of the National Equestrian FederationParticipation Eleven nations
1984Games of the XXIII Olympiad Los Angeles (USA) The Los Angeles Games were the first since 1896 to be staged without government financing and became the model for future Games particularly after it was revealed that they had produced a profit of US$ 223 million The organisers depended heavily on existing facilities and corporate sponsors The celebrated Santa Anita racetrack was chosen as the competition site for the equestrian events It was the first time an Olympic equestrian event was organised by an existing man-agement of proven competence and long experienceIn response to the boycott of the 1980 Moscow Olym-pics a boycott led by the Soviet Union marked the 1984 OlympicsThe USA dominated the Jumping competition win-ning both individual and team gold with a superiority rarely experienced before or since Joe Fargis (USA) and Touch of Class were the first to achieve a dou-ble clear in the Olympic team competition Eventing legend Mark Todd from New Zealand (pictured left) won his first Olympic medalParticipation Thirty nations
1988Games of the XXIV Olympiad Seoul (KOR) The Seoul Games were highlighted by numerous exceptional performances For Dressage it was the first time that all three individual medals were award-ed to women Reiner Klimke (pictured above-right) captured his last Olympic medal as West Germany won the team Dressage competition With six gold and two bronze medals won at five Olympic Games ndash Reiner Klimke participated in six Olympic Games
1976 1977 1978 1980 1981 1982
1984 1985 1986
1988 1989 1990
altogether - he is the most decorated rider in Olympic history Only for the second time in the 76-year history of Eventing at the Olympics the defending champions repeated their victory Mark Todd (NZL) 32 with the 16-year-old Charisma For the first time qualifications were held to reduce the starting field for the individual Jumping The reigning European champions Pierre Du-rand (FRA) and the 13-year-old black gelding Jappe-loup added Olympic gold to their winningsParticipation Thirty-two nations
1992Games of the XXV Olympiad Barcelona (ESP) In Dressage the individual battle was played out be-tween Isabell Werthrsquos Gigolo and the defending Olym-pic champion from Seoul Nicole Uphoffrsquos 15-year-old Rembrandt Rembrandt and Uphoff triumphed and se-cured the gold After the repeat wins of Henry St-Cyr (SWE) in 1952 and 1956 on two different horses this was the first double triumph of a combination After the elaborate beautifully built and decorated Jump-ing obstacles of Seoul 1988 the Spanish decided on something different and the two architects in charge of designing the 25 obstacles used minimal figural and colour elements so as to more objectively define the difficulty of the obstacles This new vision did not find many partisansParticipation Thirty-four nations
1996Games of the XXVI Olympiad Atlanta (USA) The Atlanta Games saw extensive changes made to the competition formats of Dressage and Eventing Following the IOCrsquos reasoning whereby two sets of medals could not be distributed for the same effort the FEI split Eventing into two competitions team and individual An elaborate qualifying system in all three disciplines was created and for the first time quotas were establishedThe heat and humidity expected in Atlanta led to extensive research and measures aimed at protecting the welfare of the horses It was found that horses needed three weeks of acclimatisation ndash seven days to recover from the effects of transport and 14 days of passive acclimatisation to the new conditions The major measure was the installation of misting fans throughout the venueLinda Allen was the course designer the first woman to provide the Jumping courses at an Olympic GamesParticipation Thirty nations
1992 1993 1994
1996 1997 1998
1988 The German gold medal team (from left to right) - Ann-Kathrin Linsenhoff Monica Theodorescu Nicole Uphoff and Reiner Klimkecopy Kit Houghton
11FOCUS
1996The X Paralympic Games Atlanta (USA)1996 also marks for the first time equestrian sport was included at the Paralympics with Para-Equestrian Dressage on the programme The competition was run on borrowed horses Jo Jackson (GBR) won three gold medals the maximum possible For Great Britain it was a first of many team medalshellipParticipation Sixty-eight competitors from 16 nations
2000Games of the XXVII Olympiad Sydney (AUS) Forty four years after Melbourne 1956 when no horses would be allowed into Australia the Australian quarantine and inspection services proved to be much more accommodating The conditions were tough two weeks of pre-shipping quarantine in Europe and after arrival in Sydney two more weeks of quarantine on siteOf the 15 medal-winning horses 12 were thorough-breds and the other three were 78 thoroughbredsThe year 2000 was the final show-down of the two Dressage horses who had dominated the sport since the early nineties ndash Gigolo ridden by Isabell Werth (GER) and Bonfire ridden by Anky Van Grunsven (NED) with the latter taking gold medal honours Australia for the third time in a row won the team gold medal in EventingParticipation Thirty-seven nations
2000The XI Paralympic Games Sydney (AUS)The Australian spirit and warmth conveyed during the Olympics continued throughout the Paralympic Games thanks to the formidable cooperation between the Sydney Paralympic Organising Committee (SPOC) and the Sydney Organising Committee for the Olympic Games (SOCOG) Paralympic and Olympic athletes lived in the same village and enjoyed the same catering services medical care and facilities Errors in the scoring meant that medals had to be re-attributed but this did not cause too much upset Lee Pearson (GBR) took home three gold medals (including another team gold for GBR) the maximum possible while Australiarsquos Julie Higgins achieved an impressive double gold triumph Participation Seventy athletes from 23 nations
2004Games of the XXVIII Olympiad Athens (GRE) In 2004 the Games returned to Greece homeland to the Olympic GamesThe equestrian events were affected by controversies Waterford Crystal the horse ridden by Olympic cham-pion in Jumping Cian OrsquoConnor (IRL) tested positive to a prohibited substance generally administered to humans but forbidden for use in horses After lengthy legal procedures OrsquoConnor was disqualified and sanc-tioned The gold medal was awarded to second-placed
1996 1997 1998
2000 2001 2002
2000 2001 2002
2004 2005 2006
2000 The team podium in Eventing - Great Britain (silver) Australia (gold) USA (bronze) copy Kit Houghton
12
Rodrigo Pessoa (BRA) Another three horses tested positive as well As a result Germany lost its Jumping team gold which was awarded to the USA in February 2005 at a ceremony in Palm Beach FL (USA)A new competition format for Eventing involving two Jumping rounds one for the individual and one for the team standings was introduced The two roads and tracks (A + C) and the steeplechase (B) of the Endur-ance phase were abolishedParticipation Thirty-seven nations
the fact that main land China did not hold disease-free zone status from the International Organisation for Animal Health the competitions were held in Hong Kong 2000km away from the Olympic host city Beijing In order to protect animal welfare detailed studies on the effects of heat and humidity on horses were undertaken by the FEI in cooperation with top scientists The competition timetable was modified to avoid the hours of intense heat and the horses were stabled at the exceptional air-conditioned facilities provided by the Hong Kong Jockey Club Six horses five from Jumping tested positive to prohibited substances As a result Norway lost its first Jumping medal ndash bronze ndash which after more than two years of legal proceedings was awarded to Switzerland
Jumping gold went to team USA In Dressage Anky van Grunsven (NED) aboard Salinero won her seventh and eighth Olympic medals team silver and individual gold Eventing legend Mark Todd (NZL) made a much acclaimed come back but the spotlight was on Hinrich Romeike and the extraordinary Marius
The story of the 2008 Olympic Eventing gold med-allist is all the more extraordinary as Hinrich is an amateur rider By day his time is spent in his dental surgery attending to his many patients so his riding is restricted to after-hoursParticipation Forty-two nations
2008The XIII Paralympic Games Beijing (CHN)First Paralympic participation for the FEI following the inclusion of Para-Equestrian in 2006 to be governed alongside the 7 other disciplines These Games set a new benchmark for Para-Equestrian events with great facilities cheerful volunteers and large audiences totalling over 30000 - an unprecedented attend-ance for Para-Equestrian events
For the third Paralympics in a row Lee Pearson (GBR) won three gold medals keeping up his record of win-ning all the gold medals available to him Singa-porersquos Laurentia Tan picked up Asiarsquos first Paralympic Equestrian medals with two individual bronze medals Marco Alves picked up Brazilrsquos first Paralympic Equestrian medal with bronze in Grade Ib Participation Seventy-eight athletes from 28 nations
2004The XII Paralympic Games Athens (GRE)The venue was excellent and there was good support from local volunteers Both Debbie Criddle and Lee Pearson (pictured above) from Great Britain picked up the maximum three gold medals The International Paralympic Committee presented the Equestrian Technical Delegate with the award for Best Official of all the sports at the Paralympic Games Participation Seventy athletes from 29 nations
2008Games of the XXIX Olympiad Beijing (CHN) Hong Kong (CHN) For the second time in Olympic history the equestrian events were held separately from other sports Due to
2004 2005 2006
2008 2009 2010
2008 2009 20102004 Lee Pearson (GBR) in Athens where he scoopedthe maximum three gold medals available to him
13FOCUS
The climax of the indoor international Jumping sea-son brought together 43 riders from 21 nations and ended with Christian Ahlmann riding Taloubet Z to Germanys ninth victory in the 33-year history of FEI World Cuptrade Jumping Canadarsquos reigning Olympic champion Eric Lamaze took second place with Hickstead followed by Dutch combination Jeroen Dubbeldam and BMC Van Grunsven Simon who rocketed up from overnight 11th to finish third when producing one of only two double clears on the final afternoonGerman riders dominated from the first of the three qualifiers in Leipzig ndash the speed competition which Marco Kutscher with Cash won with 6355 seconds followed by his compatriots defending champion Marcus Ehning and Christian Ahlmann who took second and third place respectively In the second qualifier the withdrawal of Saudi Arabiarsquos Abdullah Al Sharbatly reduced the field to 40 starters Eric Lamaze took the lead with a fabulous clear in 4068 a win that bounced him up to fifth spot just six points behind the leading pair ndash an ascent he continued to master on the final day
J U M P I N GFINAL LEIPZIG
ROLEX FEI World Cuptrade
JUMPINGldquoIt was wonderful to be back in Leipzig again for yet another great Rolex FEI World Cuptrade Jumping Final in a city with such a rich cultural backgroundrdquo John Roche FEI Director of Jumping
FEI World Cuptrade Finals
REEm ACRA FEI World Cuptrade
DressaGe
DRESSAGEFINAL LEIPZIG
ldquoThe Reem Acra FEI World Cuptrade Dressage took place in a perfect setting with enough space for everyone to give their very best performancesrdquo Trond Asmyr FEI Director of Dressage
Adelinde Cornelissen (NED) and the magnificent Jerich Parzival danced to victory to the strains of Tchaikovskyrsquos Nutcracker Suite in the Freestyle com-petition that closed the Reem Acra FEI World Cuptrade Dressage Final Denmarkrsquos Nathalie zu Sayn-Witt-genstein and Digby finished second while Germanyrsquos Ulla Salzgeber steered Herzrufrsquos Erbe into third place The 2010 title-winner Edward Gal (GER) finished fourth with a great performance from Sisther de JeuThe top three mirrored those of the Grand Prix class two days earlier when a confident performance rewarded with a score of 80957 put Adelinde Cornelissen (NED) in first place followed by Denmarkrsquos Nathalie zu Sayn-Wittgenstein with Digby (76884 3) and Germanyrsquos Ulla Salzgeber riding Herzrufrsquos Erbe (76216 points) Defending champion Edward Gal rode a tense Sisther de Jeu with a disappointing test score of 70122 The final saw 17 horse and rider combinations from 10 nations compete ndash three from the USA The
Netherlands and Germany two from Sweden and one from Hungary Fin-
land Poland Belgium Great Britain and Denmark Fifteen riders went on to the Freestyle competition
Highlights available as video on demand on
15FOCUS
Boyd Exell (AUS) successfully defended his FEI World Cuptrade Driving title in Leipzigrsquos thrilling final speed-ing to victory in front of a wildly enthusiastic crowd and becoming the second driver to score a hat-trick of World Cup victories Hungaryrsquos Jozsef Dobrovitz drove two brilliant rounds with his team of Lipiz-zaner horses and finished second ahead of IJsbrand Chardon (NED) The FEI World Cuptrade Driving Final was run over two indoor competitions which took place on 29 April and 1 May Seven drivers competed Tomas Eriksson (SWE) Koos de Ronde (NED) Werner Ulrich (SUI) Christian Pluumlcker (GER) and the triumphant trio who after emerging from the first round on 1 May with the highest number of points qualified for the winning round immediately afterwards
FEI World Cuptrade
DrIVINGldquoOnce again the worldrsquos best indoor drivers came together for a thrilling final the com-bination of horses working together in a team driven by superbly skilled horsemento produce thrilling andspectacular driving sportrdquo Ian Williams FEI Director of Non-Olympic Sports
16
Switzerlandrsquos Patrick Looser and Germanyrsquos Simone Wiegele claimed the inau-gural FEI World Cuptrade Vaulting titles at the 20102011 FEI World Cuptrade Finals a glittering Freestyle to Music showcase held over two daysLooserrsquos fellow starters in the Menrsquos section were Nicolas Andreani (FRA) Viktor Bruumlsewitz (GER) Daniel Kaiser (GER) Lukas Klouda (CZE) Nikolaus Luschin (AUT) and Yvan Nousse (FRA) Looser 26 was under pressure having finished second to Nicolas Andreani from France in the first Freestyle competition But
the reigning World Champion who won three of the four qualifying rounds over the winter months produced a superb performance which left Andreani in second place and Germanyrsquos Viktor Brusewitz in third In addition to the victorious Wiegele contenders for the Female title were her three compatriots Pia Engelbury Ines Juumlckstock and Antje Hill Simone Jaumliser (SUI) Stefanie Kowald (AUT) and Anna Cavallaro (ITA) In the second
competition Wiegele followed team-mate Hill into the arena in Hall 1 which seemed to be much more to the liking of the
horses than the smaller ring used on the first day And although Hillrsquos routine was
dramatic and beautifully controlled it was Wiegelersquos more complex display that settled
the destination of the very first Female World Cup trophy
ldquoFor the first time an indoor final that provided the public with an opportunity to witness the gymnastic movements of
athletes atop magnificent horses all choreographed to breathtaking musical arrangementsrdquo
Ian Williams FEI Director of Non-Olympic Sports
Highlights available as video on demand on
WHEN AND WHERE
26 ndash 30 July FEI European Reining Championship for Seniors amp Juniors Wiener Neustadt (AUT)
16 ndash 21 August FEI European Vaulting Championships for Seniors amp Juniors Le Mans (FRA)
17 ndash 21 August FEI European Dressage Championships Rotterdam (NED)
25 ndash 28 August HSBC FEI European Eventing Championships Luhmuumlhlen (GER)
01 ndash 04 September Open FEI European Driving Championships for Four-in-Hand Breda (NED)
01 ndash 04 September FEI European Para-Equestrian Dressage Championships Moorsele (BEL)
10 September FEI European Endurance Championships Florac (FRA)
13 ndash 18 September FEI European Jumping Championships Madrid (ESP)
LIVE ONLive coverage and highlightsCheck out the FEI TV broadcasting schedule for all the latest information on events broadcast live on FEI TV
European Championships for seniors in all the FEI disciplines are being held in 2011 We take a quick 360deg look at the dates venues facts amp figures and triumphant moments of the past 50 years of European Championships
FeI europeanChampionships 2011
Donrsquot miss a beatComplete competition reports updates behind the scenes information facts and figures and more can be found on wwwfeiorg as well as our dedicated facebook twitter and you tube pages
18
Preview
For the 31st edition of the FEI European Jumping Championships the event returns to Spain 18 years after the Championships in Gijon only this time to be held at the Club de Campo Villa in Madrid The FEI European Jumping Championships take place every two years in the middle of the Olympic cycle and have been held since 1957 with the introduction of team medals in 1975
THE VENUEThe Club de Campo Villa de Madrid (ESP) has been host to an annual CSI for 100 years and will be tem-porarily replacing its usual grass in the main arena with all-weather sand footing to ensure perfect going for the Championship
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERSTeam ndash SwitzerlandIndividual ndash Kevin Staut (FRA)
OLyMPIC qUALIFICATIONThe 3 best ranked nations from Olympic Qualifying Groups A amp B at the 2011 FEI European Jumping Championships (excluding the teams already quali-fied at WEG) will be qualified to take part with a team consisting of 4 athletes amp 4 horses or 3 athletes amp 3 horses
GREAT HORSES OF THE EUROPEANCHAMPIONSHIPSDEISTER - An extraordinary horse with an extraordi-nary record With Germanys Paul Schockemohle on board this brilliant bay Hannoverian led won three consecutive individual gold medals - in Munich Germany in 1981 Hickstead England in 1983 and Dinard France in 1985 Bred by Hermann Hahl in Osterbruch Lower Saxony Deister was by Diskant out of Adlerklette by Adlerschild stood 171cms high and had the heart of a lion Deisters European medal
haul also included team gold at Munich in 1981 team silver in Rotterdam in 1979 and team bronze at both Hickstead in 1983 and Dinard in 1985 Despite his incredibly active career the hardy Deister who was born in February 1971 lived to the ripe old age of 29
MR SOFTEE - The closest challenger to Deister for the title of Champion of the Europeans is the Irish-bred Mr Softee - a three-time winner but with two different riders Mr Softee enjoyed a hugely success-ful career with David Broome However it was with another Briton David Barker that the chestnut horse with four white legs took the individual European ti-tle for the first time in London in 1962 This was then followed up with David Broomersquos victory in Rotter-dam in 1967 and in Hickstead in 1969 Broome once said that like many other top horses Mr Softee had a big opinion of himself - He thought he was a king - and he was right
Believe it or nothellip
bull Itwasonlyin1975thatwomenwere permittedtocompetealongsidemenin theEuropeanJumpingChampionshipsprior tothistherehadbeentheLadiesEuropean JumpingChampionshipsheldfrom1957- 1973
bull Only2womenhaveeverwonthe FEIEuropeanChampionshipsFrancersquos AlexandraLedermannin1999and MeredithMichaels-Beerbaum(GER) in2007
bull Germanyledthegoldtallywith20 medals(14individualamp6team)double theamountofrunnerupGreatBritainon 10(6individualand4team)
FeI eUroPeaN
JUMPINGChaMPIoNshIPs
13-18 September 2011
Madrid (SPAIN)
19FOCUS
LIVE coverage on
Rotterdam gets set to host the 25th edition of the FEI European Dressage Championships for the first time and only the second time for the Netherlands (Arnhem 1999) The FEI European Dressage Championships take place every two years in the middle of the Olympic cycle and have been held since 1963
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERS
Team ndash The Netherlands
Individual ndash Kuumlr to MusicEdward Gal (NED) amp Moorlands Totilas
Individual ndash Grand Prix SpecialAdelinde Cornelissen (NED) amp Jerich Parzival
OLyMPIC qUALIFICATIONThe 3 best ranked nations from Groups A B amp C at the 2011 FEI European Dressage Championships (exclud-ing the teams already qualified at WEG) will be quali-fied to take part with a team consisting of 3 athletes amp 3 horses
THE WIND OF CHANGEFor 21 consecutive Championships from 1965 to 2005 (no team title awarded in 1963) the Germans held the European title but the last two editions have seen an upset to that tradition with the Netherlands clenching gold In 2009 the Dutch domination was particularly strong with five out of six individual med-als awarded to Dutch riders and the sixth going to British rider Laura Bechtolsheimer
IN MEMORy OF HENRI CHAMMARTIN (SUI)At the time of writing a legend in the Dressage world Henri Chammartin (SUI) passed away at the age of 92 An Olympic and European Dressage champion Henri Chammartin won the first two editions of the
FEI European Championships in 1963 and 1965 riding Wolfdiedtrich and competed in five consecutive edi-tions of the Olympic Games ndash Helsinki 1952 Stock-holm 1956 Rome 1960 Tokyo 1964 and Mexico 1968 ndash winning a total of five Olympic medals includ-ing Olympic champion in 1964
RECORD BREAKINGhellip In 2009 the formidable partnership of The Nether-lands Edward Gal and Moorlands Totilas smashed the world Freestyle record before a packed house with Windsor Castle standing proudly as a backdrop when scoring 9070 (including an unbelievable 29 perfect-10 scores) to win the Freestyle gold medal
Believe it or nothellip
bull GermanyhaswontheEuropeanDressage TeamTitleon21occasions
bull Thegreatestnumberofteamstoparticipate inEuropeanDressageChampionshipsis 14-atHickstead(GBR)in2003andagainat Hagen(GER)in2005
bull GermanysDrReinerKlimkewonthreeindi vidualtitles-atAachenin1967ridingDux andagainin1973ridingMehmedandat Copenhagenin1985ridingAhlerich
bull WithGigoloGermanysIsabellWerthtook theindividualtitlein1995and1997and wontheGrandPrixSpecialatDonaueschingen Germanyin1991andatLipicaSloveniain 1993
bull AnkyvanGrunsvenhasthreewinstoher namendashin1999withBonfirefollowedbythe backtobackwinswithSalineroin2005and 2007
17-21 August 2011
Rotterdam Netherland
FeI eUroPeaN
DressaGeChaMPIoNshIPs
20
LIVE coverage on
These are the second FEI European Para-Equestrian Dressage Championships to be held since Para-Equestrian joined the FEI Family in 2006 Para-Equestrian Dressage has been a regular fixture at the Paralympic Games since 1996 The first FEI European Para-Equestrian Dressage Championships were held in southern Norwegian town of Kristiansand in 2009 with a total of 78 ath-letes from 22 countries participating
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERS
Team Great Britain
Grade Ia Individual - Sophie Christiansen (GBR) Freestyle - Emma Sheardown (GBR)
Grade Ib Individual amp Freestyle Lee Pearson (GBR)
Grade II Individual - Petra Van der Sande (NED) Freestyle - Angelika Trabert (GER)
Grade III Individual amp Freestyle
Hannelore Brenner (GER)
Grade IV Individual amp Freestyle Sophie Wells (GBR)
The mobility strength and coordination of competi-tors are assessed and athletes with similar functional ability profiles are grouped into competition grades that range from Grade Ia for the most severely im-paired to Grade IV for the least impaired This means that the competition within each Grade can be judged on the skill of the individual competitors on their horses regardless of their disabilities
CLUB qUADRILLEMoorsele has been host to a regular international Para-Equestrian Dressage events for the past few years with the Club Quadrille as organiser The Club Quadrille was founded in 1981 by Anne Van Neste-dIeteren Belgian Dressage Champion from 1977 un-til 1982 current President of the Belgian Paralympic Committee and member of the FEI Para-Equestrian committee It is a unique sports club that works with both able bodied and disabled athletes and is active in the promotion and education of the sport As member of the honorary IPC Board Her Royal Highness (HRH) Princess Astrid of Belgium has been a fervent supporter of the event and has attended on many occasions
Believe it or nothellip
bull LeePearson(GBR)haswoneverygold medalwithinreachatParalympicWorld andContinentallevelandtheEuropeans in2009werenodifferentwithanother triplegoldvictory
bull GreatBritainalsohavetheMidastouch whenitcomestoteammedalsndashandarethe currentParalympicWorldandEuropean titleholders
bull In2009Germanycamecloserthanever totakingthegoldmedalfromall-time championGreatBritain
1-4 September 2011
Moorsele Belgium
FeI eUroPeaN
Para-eqUestrIaNDressaGeChaMPIoNshIPs
21FOCUS
A record number of fans are expected to attend the HSBC FEI European Eventing Championships as they return to Luhmuumlhlen for the fifth time to mark the 30th edition of the ChampionshipsThe FEI European Eventing Championships take place every two years in the middle of the Olympic cycle and have been held since 1953
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERSTeam ndash Great BritainIndividual ndash Kristina CookMiners Frolic (GBR)
OLyMPIC qUALIFICATIONThe 2 best ranked nations from Groups A B amp C at the 2011 HSBC FEI European Eventing Champion-ships (excluding the teams already qualified at WEG) will be qualified to take part with a team consisting of 3 athletes amp 3 horses
THE VENUELuhmuumlhlen one of only six 4 events on the interna-tional Eventing calendar and part of the prestigious HSBC FEI Classicstrade series will greet Europersquos best athletes with a fresh look and feel this year following extensive renovation to the existing infrastructures The recently renovated showground includes three Dressage and two Jumping arenas a tribune able to seat 850 spectators with spectacular views as well as a newly designed entrance including six ticket box facilities and fully catered trade stands The show-ground also boasts an open air stage with space for up to 15000 spectators ldquoI am confident that the in-vestment in the infrastructure will be of great benefit to all involved whether you are a volunteer a groom an athlete ndash both the horses and the riders - as well as for the sponsors guests spectators and the fans We are re-ally looking forward to great competitions this year at both the CCI4CIC3 in June and at the Europeans in August and hope many will join us to witness this historic momentrdquo Julia Otto Event Director Luhmuumlhlen
HSBCHSBC has renewed their sponsorship for a further three-year term as global sponsor of FEI Eventing to include title sponsorships of the HSBC FEI European Eventing Championships in both 2011 and 2013 and the HSBC FEI Classicstrade until the end of 2013
OFFICIAL TIMEPIECE Rolex the leading name in luxury wrist watches will be the Official Timekeeper for the HSBC FEI European Eventing Championships 2011
Believe it or nothellip
bull GinnyElliot(bornHolgate)theonlyrider towinthreesuccessiveindividualtitlesand IanStarkholdthejointrecordforEuropean goldmedalswonndashseveneachbutLucinda Greenstillhasthemostmedals(10)
bull SupremeRockriddenbyPippaFunnell (GBR)istheonlyhorsetowinback-to-back titles(in1999and2001)hehasfour Europeangoldmedalsintotalequalingthe recordofKilbarryThePoacherandOver ToYouwhowonarecordfourconsecutive Europeanteamgolds(1999-2005)
bull PrincessAnneandZaraPhillipsaretheonly mother-daughtercombinationtowin Europeantitles(1971and2005)
bull GreatBritainhaveheldtheEuropeantitle forthepast8consecutiveChampionships (since1995)Andofthe29editionstodate (startingin1953)theteamhavewona whopping21
25-28 August 2011
Luhmuumlhlen Germany
hsBC FeI eUroPeaN
eVeNtINGChaMPIoNshIPs LIVE coverage on
22
In September Breda Hippique in The Netherlands will be host to the seventh edition of the FEI Euro-pean Driving Championships for Four-in-Hand not held since 1981 This edition is open to both Euro-pean and non-European drivers and will also count as a qualifier for the indoor FEI World Cuptrade Driv-ing which is held during the winter season Only competitors from Europe can claim the individual and team medalsThe FEI European Driving Championships for Four-in-Hand were first held in 1971 in Budapest and continued to be held every two years until 1981 at which stage they were discontinued
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERSTeam ndash HungaryIndividual ndash Gyoumlrgyi Bardos (HUN)
SOMETHING IN THE WATERhellip Hungary have won five out of six available team European titles and on the individual front two Hungarians stand out from the crowd Imre Abony ndash individual winner in 1971 and 1975 and Gyoumlrgyi Bardos triple consecutive winner in 1977 1979 1981
IN THE BEGINNINGhellipThe first European Championships took place in Budapest in 1971 and moved on to Windsor in Great Britain in 1973 Sopot in Poland in 1975 Donauesch-ingen in Germany in 1977 and in Haras du Pin in France in 1979 The sixth and last edition took place in 1981 in Zug Switzerland
THE VENUEBreda has hosted the only Nations competition (CAIO) for Four-in-Hand horses in The Netherlands for many years In 1995 Breda hosted the first FEI European Driving Championships for Four-in-Hand ponies and in 2010 was host to the FEI World Para-Equestrian Driving Championships Aside from the four-in-hand teams Breda will also host international pony teams and national horse pairs at the event this year
Believe it or nothellip
bull Hungaryhavewonfiveoutofsixteamgold titles
bull AugusteDubeyfromSwitzerlandwasthe onlynon-HungarianEuropeanChampion hewontheChampionshipsin1973
bull PrincePhilipFEIPresidentfrom1964- 1986whocelebratedhis90thbirhtday inJuneisanavidfanofDrivingandpartici- patedinsixWorldandthreeEuropean Championships
1-4 September 2011
Breda Netherland
FeI eUroPeaN
DrIVINGChaMPIoNshIPsfor FoUr-IN-haND
Note At the time of writing the FEI European DrivingChampionships for Four in Hand was pending approvalby the FEI Bureau
23FOCUS
The 14th edition of the FEI European Endurance Championships return to Florac in France twenty five years after the inaugural event was held there The FEI European Endurance Championships first took place in 1984 and were immediately followed up by a second edition in 1985 and have since been held every two years They have always been open to the world with two sets of medals presented ndash open and European
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERSTeam ndash SpainIndividual ndash Maria Alvarez Ponton amp Nobby
RECORD BREAKINGCurrent title holder Maria Alvarez Ponton amp super horse Nobby is the first rider to hold European and World titles at the same time She will be looking to confirm her stronghold on the sport following her second consecutive World title with a second con-secutive European title in Florac a feat no rider has managed to achieve at the Europeans to date
THE VET GATEModern competitions consist of a number of sec-tions known as lsquophasesrsquo At the end of each phase there is a compulsory halt for veterinary inspection Each horse which is thoroughly examined before it is allowed to start the ride must be presented for inspection within a set time of reaching each vetgate The time spent at each vetgate prior to inspection by the vets is counted as part of the overall competition time and the aim is to determine whether the horse is fit to continue the ride
THE SUPPORT CREWA vital part of Endurance riding is the support crew Riders are assisted by a team of helpers who meet them several times over the ride bringing bottles of water to pour over the horse to cool it down as well as a drink for the rider Crews also have spare equipment in case something breaks down or needs replacing
Believe it or nothellip
bull TheFrenchhavethemedaledgewith6 individualand4teamgoldmedalsfrom the14editionsheld
bull Floracistheonlyvenuetohostthe EuropeanChampionshipstwice(thefirst editionin1984andtheupcomingedition in2011)
bull EnduranceisthefastestgrowingFEI disciplinefrom2000to2010thenumber ofinternationaleventshavemultipliedby10
10 September 2011
Florac France
FeI eUroPeaN
eNDUraNCeChaMPIoNshIPs
24
Reem Acra Boutique 14 East 60th St New York New York 10022 2123088760 wwwreemacracom
356935B2_RA_brochure2_souvenir_programmeindd 1 82710 1012 AM
Vaulting became an FEI discipline in 1983 and saw its first FEI European Championship organised just one year later in the town of Ebreichsdorf in Austria This 15th edition of the Championship ndash which also includes the European Juniors competition return to France for the 4th time but for the first time in the world renowned venue of Le Mans famous for its 24 hour race
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERS
Team ndash Austria
Individual malelongeurhorseNicolas Andreani (FRA)Marina Joosten DuponIdefix de Braize
Individual femalelongeurhorseJoanna Eccles (GBR)John EcclesWH Bentley
THE WIND OF CHANGEGermany and Switzerland have traditionally bat-tled for the team title (Germany has 7 gold versus Switzerlandrsquos 5) but in 2009 Austria who had come second on four occasions since the inception of the Championships in 1984 finally climbed onto the top spot of the podium and claimed the title In terms of the individual performances Germany had the stronghold on the male category winning 11 out of 14 gold medals But again in 2009 France the only other country to have ever beaten a German male vaulter at the Europeans made it to the top spot of the podium for only the third time since the Championships began
Similarly with the female vaulters it was an all German domination until 2007 when Austriarsquos Sissi Jarz claimed gold followed by Joanna Eccles (GBR) in 2009 ndash leaving Germany off the top step of the podium entirely in 2009
GREAT BRITAIN ndash A VAULTING NATIONhellip Times have definitely changed from the Swiss German domination with current World and European titles held by Great Britainrsquos Joanna Eccles She was the first British vaulter (male or female) to claim a medal at the Europeans ndash let alone a gold medal - and then went on to secure the world title in Kentucky last year
Believe it or nothellip
bull TheonlycountryotherthanGermanyand SwitzerlandtohaveclaimedaEuropean VaultingtitleisSlovakiain2005
bull ChristophLensing(GER)holdsthemale medalrecordndashwiththreegold(19891993 amp1995)aswellassilverin1991
bull NadiaZuumllowandSilkeMichelberger (formerlyBernhard)withthreegoldmedals each
16-21 August 2011
Le Mans France
FeI eUroPeaN
VaULtINGChaMPIoNshIPs
26
This is only the fifth edition of the European Reining Championships since the discipline joined the FEI in 2000 and the first time they will be held in Austria The event also includes the FEI European Champi-onships for Juniors and Young Riders ndash a formula introduced in 2009 in Kreuth (GER) which proved to be a multigenerational success The FEI European Reining Championships take place every two years and have been held since 2003
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERSTeam ndash GermanyIndividual ndash Nina Lill (GER) riding Lena Cielo Jewel
THE JUDGINGReining horses are judged individually Each horse au-tomatically begins the required pattern with a score of 70 One or frac12 points are given or taken away for each manoeuvre Credit is given for smoothness fi-nesse attitude quickness and authority Controlled speed in the pattern raises the level of difficulty and makes the reining horse exciting to watch
Believe it or nothellip
bull ItalyandGermanyaretheonlytwonations tohavewongoldmedalsndashGermanyhas3 teamgoldand2individualgoldversus Italyrsquossingleteamgoldandtwoindividual gold
bull GermanyrsquosNinaLillwinnerin2009was thefirstwomantotaketheindividualtitle sincetheChampionshipsbeganin2003
bull OlympicWorldandEuropeanDressage ChampionAnkyVanGrunsven(NED) competedattheAlltechFEIWorldEques- trianGamestradein2010inbothDressageand hellipReining
bull 13nationswerescheduledtoattendthe Championshipatthetimeofwritingthe largestparticipationbycountryever recordedfortheEuropeans
26-30 July 2011
Wiener Neustadt Austria
FeI eUroPeaN
reININGChaMPIoNshIPs
27FOCUS
ldquoThirty-one yearsrsquo experience comes in handy some-timesrdquo joked the ever-relaxed Todd who was a leg-end by the time he ldquoretiredrdquo in 2000 with back-to-back Olympic golds five Burghley wins two world gold medals and three Badminton victories one on a horse he had never ridden before ldquoIt is incredibly special though right up there with the back-to-back Olympic golds When I came back to the sport (in 2008) it was to see if I could get back to top level It has always been my aim to win another big onerdquo
A World class meeting of Generations
The 2011 HSBC FEI Classicstrade could not have got off to a more epic start with wins at Badminton and Kentucky by two of the sportrsquos most enduring personalitiesThe 55-year-old New Zealander Mark Todd rolled back the years to score a fourth victory at the Gloucestershire venue 31 years after his first attempt in 1980
By Kate Green
28
HSBC FEI ClassicsTm
The resurgence of so much experienced talent makes it harder for younger riders to work their way up the leaderboard but 29-year-old Sinead Halpin (USA) had a spectacular CCI4 debut at Kentucky finish-ing third and best of the home side in distinguished company This achievement earned her the HSBC Training Bursary worth US$1000 towards training a prestigious and valuable award presented to the rider who achieves the best result on completing a CCI4 for the first time
The bursary winner at Badminton Fiona Hobby (GBR) 39 has had a rather longer wait to complete
her first CCI4 ndash she was 26th on Roma ML ndash but she has in the meantime produced two children had a career as a sports therapist and only switched from Jumping to Eventing relatively recently Hobby has vowed to spend the money on dressage train-ing ldquoRoma couldnrsquot believe it when she arrived in the arena and saw all those people but she was great across country really focussed Irsquom delightedrdquo
For Germanyrsquos Sandra Auffarth Luhmuumlhlen pro-vided an outstanding CCI4 debut on Opgun Louvo a young horse she has produced herself coming second and picking up the HSBC Training Bursary and the exciting prospect of a possible place in the squad for the forthcoming HSBC FEI European Event-ing Championship at Luhmuumlhlen (25-28 August) at which Germany as host nation will be entitled to field 12 riders
Last yearrsquos HSBC Training Bursary winners include Stephanie Rhodes-Bosch (CAN) who went on to win a team silver medal at the Alltech FEI World Equestri-an Gamestrade Lauren Shannon (GBR) who finished 17th at Badminton this year and Giovanni Ugolotti (ITA) who is furthering his career by basing himself in Brit-ain for the season and having lessons with Mark Todd
LIVE coverage and extensive highlights available on
Toddrsquos winning mount the 10-year-old NZB Land Vision was a green horse for this level and he fin-ished the Cross-Country phase tired but his rider kept his cool in an extraordinarily tight finish in which the price of one Jumping fence covered the top 12 riders any of whom could with a bit of luck have won the Mitsubishi Motors Trophy ldquoIn the end it came down to horse-power and Irsquove obviously got a good one hererdquo said Todd ldquoCharisma (his double Olympic gold medallist) will always be the most special horse but this one has no weak linksrdquo
As is the nature of the sport Toddrsquos lead in the HSBC FEI Classicstrade didnrsquot last long ndash he came down to earth with a bump the following weekend with a Cross-Country run-out on NZB Grass Valley his ride at the Rolex Kentucky Three Day Event (USA) and 49- year-old Mary King (GBR) stole the head-lines with a record one-two on Kings Mis-tress and Fernhill Urco It was Kingrsquos first CCI4 victory for 11 years ndash she has won Badminton twice and Burghley once ndash but she certainly smashed a few re-cords with this one She became the first rider to score a one-two at Kentucky the first in modern times to win a CCI4 on a home-bred horse and the oldest female to win a CCI4
King who has six team gold medals at World and European level plus competed at five consecutive Olympics had the luxury of knowing she had already won the event on the inexperienced 10-year-old Fernhill Urco a horse bred in Portugal by the time she entered the arena on Kings Mistress but she still produced a second clear round ldquoI never dreamed that I would be in this position and Irsquom enjoying the momentrdquo said the ever-smiling King ldquoIt was great to have the feeling of having already won on Fernhill Urco but I still wanted desperately to go clear on Kings Mistress as it is so special to win on a horse I bred myselfrdquo It was also an all clear from Germanyrsquos Andreas Dibowski and Euroriding Butts Leon in order to secure victory at the fourth leg of the HSBC FEItrade
Classicstrade in Luhmuumlhlen presented by EON Avacon
29FOCUS
The Danish-American actorpoet musician photographerand painter has been around horses most of his life from riding Hasufel and Brego in The Lord of the Rings trilogy to early childhood memories in Argentina his passion for floating as he describes it has never wavered
What is it about the horse that makes you a horse loverWe get along generally I respect their strength and their personal space Your first riding experience ndash was it bliss or terrorLike floating like being on a warm and floating mountain I remember being happy Do you think anyone can rideYes It is a question of allowing yourself to ride of allowing yourself to cooperate and not be in total control Children are more adept at figuring this out letting things happen without getting impatient or scared just as they are braver and less self-conscious about pronouncing new words or singing Anyone at any age or in any physical condition can
Viggo Mortensen
achieve a degree of success and satisfaction with horses even if it is just a question of touching them being near them If horses could talk what would they be sayingYou will know if you listen and watch them Is there a unique trait you look for in a horse that you canrsquot find in peopleThey are more patient and less apt to complain about lifersquos setbacks and physical ailments than most people I admire a tough smart horse what-ever its breed age or size What would you miss most if you could no longer go ridingThe companionship and the floating perhaps also the abandonment of usual daily worries that relaxed riding requires Whatrsquos your usual riding outfit consist ofAnything will do Loose-fitting clothes and good comfortable boots are a plus but not vital I have even ridden barefoot ndash naturally taking care to avoid being stepped on when not on the horse - but I do not recommend this to anyone The most important thing is to have a clear and focused mind to be THERE at all times when around horses and NOWHERE ELSE Sugar lumps or carrotsIrsquove been guilty of offering an occasional apple or carrot although it is best not to give horses anything special unless treats are part of training them for special tricks or stunts a pursuit best left to experts like master horse trainer Rex Peterson whom Irsquove had the good fortune to work with and study quite a bit Treats spoil horses and do not keep the animal focused on the task at hand Whatrsquos your favourite part of a horseThe brain What do you think young people gain from ridingSelf-confidence and an understanding of the value of cooperation
30
Why the long face
When did you first develop the bond with the horseThe first time I got on one as a little boy in ArgentinaYou either develop a bond of some kind or you fall off Of course you may even fall off if you develop the bond but you have to start (and restart) somewhere
Did your friends ride My brothers also rode and I have ridden with many kinds of people over the years ndash some good and patient with horses and some not If I had not rid-den as a boy I would probably have been wandering around fishing imagining I was a cowboy or an Indian or a Viking ndash which I did anyway Where in the world would you most like to rideMost anywhere will do but I have been extremely lucky to have ridden in many wide-open wild places ndash deserts grassy plains mountains by different seas and rivers in Argentina New Zealand North Africa and North America If you could spend one afternoon riding with a famous person (past or present)who would it be and whyIrsquoll give you 3 Oglala chief Tasunke Witko (Crazy Horse) my ancestor William F Cody or any real Gaucho from the province of Chaco Argentina
Two horses go out for dinner what kindof restaurant do they chooseLate spring grass near a slow-moving clean river with a gentle firm shoreline an hour before sun-down far from any people or other animals All time favourite horse filmI have a subjective soft spot for the stories and real horses involved in the making of ldquoHidalgordquo and the 2nd and 3rd installments of ldquoThe Lord Of The Ringsrdquo trilogy but I admire other ldquohorse moviesrdquo as wellThe 1953 French movie ldquoCrin-Blancrdquo (ldquoWhite Manerdquo) directed by Albert Lamorisse is a personal favourite
After three years at the head of the successful French Jumping team with back to back FEI Nations Cuptrade titles and a silver medal at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade Laurent Elias is moving on to new spheres with the French Horse amp Riding Institute where he will be training the riders of the National Riding School in Saumur
Laurent Elias
copy C
hris
toph
e Br
icot
32
The other side of
If I had not become a professional rider I would havehellipmade a career in a humanitarian organisation Horse riding is sometimes too trivial
My priority in life ishellipto be able to look at myself in the mirror in the morning and make sure I am at peace with my conscience
My familyhellipkeeps me grounded My wife helped me a lot when I was in charge of selections for France She took charge of my personal life and was the first person I called when we got the medal in Lexington I also admire my parents for the values they passed on to me
I remember my first ridingexperiencehellipaged six we were shooting a family film and I was on horseback I finished upside down under my horse for a long time I stopped riding for one year
I used to dream abouthellipsafaris One of my uncles was passionate about safaris Through him I became very interested in African trips and the jobs that allow you to travel as a reporter were fascinating to me as well
I have been thinking a lot abouthellipwhat happened in Japan these past few months First this tsunami that devastated everything without warning then the nuclear disaster It made me think that progress should not be destructive
My horse Gueacutenourhellipchanged my life I was just a coach and he brought me to the top I won the national championship in 1981 with him
My biggest challengehas always beenhellipshyness Horse riding has really helped me over-come it Horses brought me on stage and there I had to meet people
As a Chef dEquipehellipthere is no single defining achievement itrsquos all about the solidarity and the moments spent together as a team Irsquoll never forget the first time Penelope Leprevost rode her mare Jubileacutee drsquoOuilly in the FEI Nations Cuptrade of Rotterdam McLain Ward had just completed a real fast run with Sapphire We thought the Americans would win but she did it faster and beat Sapphire
In terms of eventshellipAachen is my favourite competition - for its won-derful organisation But we have also pretty good five star competitions in France
I donrsquot sleep muchhellipprobably because I am just happy to be alive
Irsquom not scared to laugh or cryhellipI laugh at the funny situations we sometimes find ourselves in life and enjoy people with quirky personalities I cry when I see others in pain
Laurent Elias and the French team en route to the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade copy PSV-Jean Morel
33FOCUS
Nicolas TheacutevenazAged 23 studies Robotics and Autonomous Systems Micro Engineering in Lausanne (SUI) alongside regular training and competition in Dressage and Para-Equestrian Dressage events Born with spastic diplegia Nicolas was introduced to horses via hippotherapy aged seven and quickly developed a passion for riding which not only helped with his physical condition but also taught him through Dressage the art of patience and perseverance
34
One day
Nicolas TheacutevenazAged 23 studies Robotics and Autonomous Systems Micro Engineering in Lausanne (SUI) alongside regular training and competition in Dressage and Para-Equestrian Dressage events Born with spastic diplegia Nicolas was introduced to horses via hippotherapy aged seven and quickly developed a passion for riding which not only helped with his physical condition but also taught him through Dressage the art of patience and perseverance
He has been fortunate to meet the right people (and horses) at the right time and has been working for the past five years with trainer Vicky-Eileen Baumann (pictured right) and her horses Magic and Lady (pictured right) ldquoShersquos bred them and knows them inside out which is very useful when I have to communicate with them - they know my voice intonations and a whole string of specific words or sounds ndash which really helps as my body canrsquot or doesnrsquot always have the strength to do sordquo
As a Grade II Para-Equestrian rider Nicolas competes in Para-Equestrian Dressage (PED) events as well as national events for able bodied riders as there are only a handful of PED riders and no events in Switzerland
Unable to attend the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade 2010 in Kentucky last year Nicolas and Vicky have their sights firmly set on the 2012 Para-lympic Games and will be looking to qualify with Lady over the next 12 months ndash alongside exams studies and everything else life has to offerhellip Who is your role model For different reasons I have different role mod-els Edward Gal Dane Rawlins Isabel Werth and Catherine Haddad
When did you start riding and why At age 7 I was sat on a horse for hippotherapy and liked the complicity with the horse which made me want to discover more
How do you feel when you ride Concentrated and industrious
Who is your biggest fan My trainerrsquos mum
Complete this sentenceOne day I would like tohellip have gained enough knowledge to be able to take care of and train my own horse
What are your long term goals as a rider Continue to do my best to enjoy what I do and show others itrsquos possible
How do you juggle studies and competition I think itrsquos really important to have goals and to do everything you can to achieve them and that includes taking on challenges because if you donrsquot try then yoursquoll never know what you could have achieved
What is your proudest achievement to date Participation in international events together with pursuing my studies
How do you feel after winning Still working towards discovering the feeling
What is the best advice anyone has ever given youMy trainer often repeats to me the famous saying by General LrsquoHotte ldquoCalme en avant droitrdquo which says so much about riding but can also be applied to so many other aspects of life
35FOCUS
What advice would you give someone looking to get involved in Para-Equestrian Dressage Train and ride with able-bodied athletes as often as possible Being around and working with horses is so rewarding Irsquod like - when Irsquom retired - to write a book to share these feelings with others and hope this will inspire them to get involved
Complete this sentenceIn the future I would like the sport to beeven ldquocleanerrdquo and fairer and if possible not more but less demanding on the horses
ldquoLast but not least Irsquod like to take the opportunity of this article to reach out to those who give me their trust and help be it with their time their friendship and any type of support Day after day to year after year team work is essential and Irsquoll do my best to continue deserving every-onersquos encouraging smilesrdquo
European Broadcasting Union
Union Europeacuteenne de Radio-Teacuteleacutevision
+41 (0)22 717 2111 wwweurovisionnet
We bring the event to your home
Eurovision
copy K
it H
ough
ton
FE
I
FEI_08_A4indd 1 03012008 162238
European Broadcasting Union
Union Europeacuteenne de Radio-Teacuteleacutevision
+41 (0)22 717 2111 wwweurovisionnet
We bring the event to your home
Eurovision
copy K
it H
ough
ton
FE
I
FEI_08_A4indd 1 03012008 162238
Nominations for the FEI Awards opened in May enabling the global equestrian com-munity to once again reward outstanding dedication to horse sport in five categories ndash Development Best Groom Against All Odds Rising Star and Best Athlete The search for the equestrian heroes of 2011 is now on who will be flown to Rio de Janeiro Brazil to receive their awards
Where are they now The FEI asked the current title-holders for an update on their activities
Follow us on
38
FEI Awards 2011
Ebony Horse Club (GBR)Winner of the Alltech FEI DevelopmentAward 2010
The Ebony Horse Club announced in December 2010 that after an eight-year fundraising effort it had the pound14 million necessary for building an equestrian cen-tre in one of Londonrsquos most deprived boroughs Since 1996 Ebony has offered youngsters in an area reput-ed for its gang culture high level of gun crime and drug dealing the chance to ride and learn key social skills The clubrsquos 50 members travel to riding schools across London on public transport or in minibuses ndash a logistical headache that the inner-city equestrian centre will end Construction work began in February
Ebony Horse Club founder and director Ros Spear-ing told the FEI ldquoRiding lessons are continuing and the club is preparing for the transitionrdquo Building will finish on 7 July but the centre will open for riding lessons in October ldquoThe horses will be brought to Brixton in the summer and will have time to acclimatise to their new environmentrdquo Spearing said The centre will include stabling for nine horses a small paddock and a flood-lit riding arena as well as a classroom for learning about horses and equine management Spearing is adamant that club members ndash present and future ndash care for their rides and wants the centre to serve as a stepping stone to careers in the horse industry
Ebonyrsquos existence will continue to depend on the generosity of donors For more information visit wwwebonyhorsecluborguk
Michelle Tipper (GBR)Winner of the FEI Best Groom Award 2010
Michelle Tipper has continued to juggle grooming and study since receiving her FEI Award in Novem-ber She has organised the grooms for the British European Junior and Young Dressage teams and in April her contract as a travelling groom for British Dressage riders Paul and Bobby Hayler took her to Addington for the first of many international com-petitions she will work at this year The Haylers have eight horses competing and the number she works with at each venue varies Tipper has also been help-ing British Dressage riders Nicky and Richard Barrett with yard duties ldquoI feel very lucky to work for both of these familiesrdquo said the FEI Best Groom Award win-ner adding that she feels part of the two families In March Tipper graduated from university with a Masters in Sport Psychology She is now working towards British Association of Sport and Exercise Science accreditation which requires at least 500 hoursrsquo supervised work experience and is present-ing sport psychology workshops in conjunction with the company Inside Performance Consulting Limit-ed (wwwinside-performancecom) The workshops are organised internationally for people of all ages from any sport To find out more contact Tipper at michelletipper1979yahoocom
39FOCUS
Michelle Tipper ndash copyWilliam TzengAward winners ndash copyWilliam TzengCaroline Roffman ndash copySharonPackercomEbony Horse Club ndash copyEbony Horse ClubEdward Gal and Totilas ndash copyKit HoughtonFEIAngelika Trabert ndash copyJulia Rau
Angelika Trabert (GER)Winner of the FEI Against All Odds Award 2010
German Para-Dressage rider Angelika Trabert has represent-ed her country at four Paralympic Games and won some 15 medals at national European and world championships She is currently seeking a new home for Londria the mare that con-tributed to her Team Silver medal win at the Hong Kong Para-lympics Londria who had a foal last year was also Trabertrsquos ride during her medal-winning performances at the European Championships in Hungary (2005) and Norway (2009)
Trabert said her decision to let go of Londria was hard to make but was necessary for financial reasons She will keep the foal Finaud Coquin and her mares Walmorel and Ariva-Avanti Trabert won the Para-Dressage Grade 2 Freestyle Champion-ship at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade with Ariva and said the horse was ldquowell and ready to go for the Europeans again in Belgium in September if we qualifyrdquo Trabert competed in her first international competition of 2011 in May in Man-nheim Germany where she came first in the Grade II indi-vidual and second in the freestyle She is taking part in the German Championships in June
Away from the equestrian world Trabert works as an anaes-thetist and has participated in medical missions in the rural ar-eas of Guinea for the organisation Mango In January she was back in Guinea as part of team that carried out 100 operations in 13 days wwwangelika-trabertde
Visit the recently refreshed FEI Awards website to find out more about the Awards the pastwinners the judges and to make yournominationsby 31 July
wwwfeiawardsorg
40
Caroline Roffman (USA)Winner of the HSBC FEI Rising StarAward 2010
Success continues to smile on twenty-two-year-old American Dressage rider Caroline Roffman Since re-ceiving the HSBC FEI Rising Star Award she has en-joyed numerous wins at small tour and young horse levels achieving scores in the mid-eighties and quali-fying two horses for the young horse championships
Roffman is currently showing six horses and has won several classes at PSG and Grand Prix level ldquoBut nothing is as exciting as to be going to Aachenrdquo said the young woman who has been described as the American Dressage communityrsquos brightest hope ex-plaining that at the FEI Awards ceremony in Chinese Taipei Frank Kemperman FEI Dressage Committee Chair and Chairman of the Managing Board at CHIO Aachen (GER) invited her to take part in the pres-tigious event Roffman will be the first American to compete in the Under 25 Grand Prix there and is hop-ing to take her horse Lux Stensvang
An interview with Caroline Roffman at the Palm Beach Dressage Derby CDI will be broadcast on the magazine programme Equestrian World on FEI TV the FEIrsquos official online video platform wwwfeitvorg
Edward Gal and Totilas (NED)Winners of the Reem Acra FEI Best Athlete Award 2010
The world-famous partnership of Dutch Dressage rider Edward Gal and the extraordinary Totilas ended in style in 2010 with notably three gold medal wins at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade
The first foal sired by the superstar stallion was born in January followed by two more in the spring Gal who has admired the foals told the FEI ldquoYou never know ndash maybe in a few yearsrsquo time Irsquoll have another Totilas readyrdquo At the beginning of April he was busy at home training nine horses and preparing for the Reem Acra FEI World Cuptrade Dressage Final in Leipzig and the European Championships in Rotterdam He had not yet decided which horses he was going to compete with but was particularly looking forward to the Freestyle to Music Asked what it was like to compete without Totilas Gal said ldquoEverybody ex-pected Totilas to win I find it easier to ride other horses because nobody expects me to win and when I do itrsquos really nicerdquo
41FOCUS
globetrotter
Seal of approval for the Adai horseSixty years have passed since an Adai horse reportedly set a record galloping 354km in one day Today the Adai horse a breed na-tive to Kazakhstan is back in the spotlight with a gold medal at the FEI Central Asian Endurance Championship in Talgaearlier in May only months after having been award-ed official pedigree status following tests
conducted by a State Commission in the Mangistau Steppes which allowed itto compete internationally The horses are cherished for their hardiness and Oyly ridden by Altyngali Bissemaganbetov (KAZ) proved just that when crossing the finishing line first demonstrating just how tough the Adai horses are and the beginning of a new era for sturdy breed on the international stage
Equestrian Australia Sport
Achievement Awards
In May the best of the best in
Equestrian sport gathered to cel-
ebrate the achievements of Austral-
iarsquos athletes coaches officials vets
administrators owners volunteers
and the many other people that
dedicate their time and enthusiasm
to equestrian sport The ceremony
also included the introduction of
Equestrian Australiarsquos Hall of
Fame won by the legendary Bill
Roycroft Boyd Exell winner of
the FEI World CupTM Driving
Final was awarded the interna-
tional athlete of the year
award
Kevin Stautbecomes first athlete representative on FEI
executive board
Kevin Staut one of Francersquos most successful Jumping riders became the first athlete to be appointed to the FEI Executive Board for a three-year term Staut (31) who has held the number one spot in the Rolex Rankings for Jumping since July 2010 has ridden on numerous Nations Cup teams for France and claimed individual gold at the Alltech FEI European Jumping Championships in 2009
HulA CARTSWorld Horse Welfare has greatly helped the liv
es of
five Senegalese cart horse owners by presenting them
with new Hula Carts The local people who depend on
their working horses for their livelihoods were specially
selected by the charity to receive the carts which have
been sponsored by members of the public in the uK
The Hula Carts are specifically developed to help the
horses pulling heavy loads in often difficult conditions
Equestrian Australia Sport
Achievement Awards
In May the best of the best in
Equestrian sport gathered to cel-
ebrate the achievements of Austral-
iarsquos athletes coaches officials vets
administrators owners volunteers
and the many other people that
dedicate their time and enthusiasm
to equestrian sport The ceremony
also included the introduction of
Equestrian Australiarsquos Hall of
Fame won by the legendary Bill
Roycroft Boyd Exell winner of
the FEI World CupTM Driving
Final was awarded the interna-
tional athlete of the year
award
Olympic legendBill Roycroft passes away aged 96
A legend of Equestrian sport in Australia James William
George Roycroft OBE known as ldquoBillrdquo was one of Austral-
iarsquos greatest Olympians and one of only five Australians to
have competed in five consecutive Olympic Games (from
1960 - 1976) as well as being Australiarsquos oldest medallist
and oldest competitor at 61 years and 31 days In May 2011
Bill was inducted in Equestrian Australiarsquos inaugural Hall
of Fame ndash he was Australiarsquos oldest living Olympian and
shared his dedication and enthusiasm for the sport with
his sons Barry Wayne and Clarke (See a brief description
of his exploits in the 1960 Olympic Games Memory Lane
article page 9 which catapulted Australiarsquos reputation as
one of the best Eventing teams in the world)
webinfofeiFEI web wizard Nicole Sigrist has added a new hub for the Press on wwwfeiorg called FEI Press Kits located in the Media section of the website The Press Kits zone which is also open to the general public is regularly updated with infor-mation relating to FEI series and specific events with flip books and downloadable PDFs as well as direct links to the Photo Catalogue the Rankings and Standings the Annual Report and more
100thanniversary for Finnish riding club
One of the three found-ing member clubs of
the Finnish Equestrian Federation the Suomen
Kenttaumlratsastusseura-Finska Faumlltrittklubbenon celebrates
its 100th anniversary in 2011 Magnus Rydman former President of the Finnish National Federation and Presi-dent of the FEI from 1935 ndash 1946 was one of the founders of the club Another of the founders of the oldest club in Fin-land was the Eventing rider Colonel Hans Olof von Essen whose fifth place at the Antwerpen Olympic Games re-mains the best Olympic equestrian result the country has ever achieved
Follow us on
43FOCUS
Interview with the President of the Brazilian Equestrian Federation Mr Luiz Roberto Giugni
The Brazilian Equestrian Federation has been a member Federation of the FEI for 75 years how has the sport developed over that time We were facing regular growth (average of 25 in the last decade) but in the last three to four years this rate has significantly increased up to 35 a year We believe that this is due to international achievements (two Jumping Olympic team bronze medals the individual Olympic Jumping gold medal won by Rodrigo Pessoa several Pan Am Jumping team gold medals recent Olympic pre-qualification in Kentucky (4th in the world in Jumping) and the organisations of a Global Champions Tour event in Brazil
In terms of developing the sport what are the most successful projects you have undertaken in recent yearsWe decided to invest in education and have hired international trainers for all the disciplines such as Jean Maurice Bonneau for Jumping Nick Turner for Eventing Eric Lette for Dressage Jean Louis Leclerc for Endurance Mattias Lang for Vaulting with the long term in mind that is at least until the end of 2012 and planning towards 2016 when Rio will host the Olympic Games
How popular is equestrian sport with young people in Brazil and how do you compete with some of the bigger sports for their attention Popularization is growing bit by bit in a country
decidedly dominated by soccer ndash being 5 times World Champion makes it a national passion But we are continuously looking to attract TV to our events as this is a huge step towards gaining visibility and popularity Can you tell us about the programmesinitiatives in place for disabled athletes We are actively pursuing this and have achieved really positive results in little time such as the great performances and medals earned at the Para-lympic Games in Hong Kong in 2008 We do this through clinics courses international exchanges of athletes and working alongside our National Paralympic Committee to support us in our efforts
Brazil will be host the FEI General Assembly at the end of the year what do you want all the visiting delegates to remember from their visit That we are more than just a really beautiful and warm country with the ability and capacity to organise great events and that we are committed to putting on the best Olympic Games ever
What are the main objectivesplans for the Brazilian Federation in the lead up to the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games Our NOC is really committed to raising the bar of all the sports to a level never seen before and we are working towards that in terms of our athletes our judges our venues and everything that is related to our sport and the quality of our sport In line with this objective we are providing incen-tives to owners to buy good horses aiming for 2016 and this is going to plan for now We expect to perform well at the upcoming Pan Am Games and Olympics on our trail to 2016
Is there anything else you would like to share with us I would like to thank HRH Princess Haya President of the FEI as well as the Executive Board for all the support that we are getting which has been paramount to the development of equestrian sport in our country
44
President Luiz Roberto GiugniSecretary General Luiz Antonio RoccoMember since 1935
15 members of staff work at the federation
20 regional federations are affiliated tothe Brazilian Equestrian Federation with over 300 member riding clubs
6 000 affiliated riders
91 national events were held in 2010
31 international events were held in 2010
All the FEI disciplines are practiced in BrazilJumping Dressage Eventing Vaulting Reining EnduranceDriving amp Para-Equestrian
14 breeding organisations
There are 58 million horses and ponies in Brazilmaking it the fourth largest equine population in the world
FAC
TS amp
FIG
URE
S
45FOCUS
Dr Gerit Matthesen56 is a private equine practitioner an FEI Vet and a member of the FEI Veterinary Committee He graduated in Veterinary Medicine from Berlin University in 1983 and since 1989 has worked or officiated at some 180 competitions and championships including the last two Olympics and FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade He lives near Frankfurt with his wife Carola and their sons Mike (16) and Lars (14)
46
A life in a day
Dr Gerit Matthesen56 is a private equine practitioner an FEI Vet and a member of the FEI Veterinary Committee He graduated in Veterinary Medicine from Berlin University in 1983 and since 1989 has worked or officiated at some 180 competitions and championships including the last two Olympics and FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade He lives near Frankfurt with his wife Carola and their sons Mike (16) and Lars (14)
I wake up earlier than I need to ndash at around 6am ndash because breakfast time with my family is sacred to me and I can then drive my boys to the village station to take the train to school After two cups of coffee (enough for the day) and a glass of orange juice I read the newspapers then head to my prac-tice offices in our indoor arena I have a quick look at our horses then start work
While I listen to my phone messages I deal with my emails and search the internet for news about veterinary medicine and horse sport I then start planning the dayacutes schedule with Anna my assistant vet
My mobile practice is in a nice fairly rural area in the north of Frankfurt There are lots of horse farms but it is not a classic breeding area like the northern part of Germany There are sport horses as well as pleasure horses I have examination rooms and stables for horses staying or mares foaling in my practice stables Itrsquos not a big clinic which gives me time to work at competitions
After seeing a few small animals in my practice I normally start my field service at 930am In my car I have enough equipment (ultrasound X-ray systems and endoscopical devices) for the dayrsquos examinations and standing procedures We mainly have lameness examinations to do or internal diseases to treat accompanied by routine work like vaccinations or carrying out pre-purchase or health certificate examinations If time allows I go home for a quick lunch but thatrsquos not every day
While Irsquom driving I have time to think and I write down everything that come to mind regarding sport competitions committees and so on You have to write down your thoughts when yoursquore over the age of 50
It is not easy planning my day because any emer-gency can destroy or delay my schedule For all the paperwork and certificates I need a time frame so
I often do that over quiet weekends when there are no competitions During the winter season I am less busy but in summer a lot of weekends are taken over by the competition schedule
I love my work especially in Eventing which is my favourite discipline My wife and I practiced it ndash not up to top level but it was a fine time despite a bro-ken ankle from a fall in 1988 which after 23 years is making walking more and more difficult for me
I like to do my competition work on a friendly but strict basis and I really like to hear riders saying they are treated fairly Over the years I have acquired a lot of experience and met all the officials and riders
Usually when I return home in the late afternoon there are more small animals to see When Irsquove done the dayrsquos paperwork I hope there will be no more emergencies such as cases of colic which usually occur in the early evening
I look forward to getting on my horse which is a beautiful show-jumper I like to ride but Irsquove stopped competing I do dressage jumping and go out into the fields but itrsquos all just for fun now
The day finishes with the family and a nice cold glass of German beer
Itrsquos a struggle to find time to spend with my family and I often have to cancel my holidays with them I am really grateful to my wife and the boys for their understanding of my job and to my assistant vet who covers for me when Iacutem out somewhere in the world of equestrian sport
ldquoThe combination of my profession and beinginvolved in differentaspects of top equestrian sport is my visionrdquo
47FOCUS
Pull your show attire from the closet clean your boots and tack groom the horses hook up and pack the trailer check the clock double check to make sure you have everything put on the shipping boots load your horses and away you drive to the competition venue or to the airport for transport to a distant event
You know the drill well but still you arrive tired per-haps even a bit frazzled Yoursquoll sleep (or try to) the next several nights in an unfamiliar bed or camp out in the living quarters of your trailer You awaken riveted on the competition playing out the dayrsquos classes in your mind wondering how your rides will fare against oth-ers praying that the weather will be cooperate and trying to control your nerves all the while knowing that no matter how well you have prepared many factors are out of your control You may even be in a different time zone
We go through a lot to compete our horses But if you think life on the road is stressful for you think about what itrsquos like for your horses Your back may be a bit sore from driving or being strapped into an airplane seat for hours on end but for horses transportation is far more demanding It is an athletic endeavour re-quiring an expenditure of energy to maintain balance during the constant movement of transport When your horses arrive they face social isolation from stablemates lack of security in novel environments altered training regimes water that tastes strange and the confines of an unfamiliar stall This routine impacts a horsersquos health and well being with effects
continuing long after the journey is over During transport toxic gases (such as ammonia or carbon monoxide) can cause damage to the lung epithelium precipitating respiratory disease The
final destination itself can also cause problems Usually horses are transported to environments where they will be mixing with other horses The mixing of horses from different environments with different infectious organisms and under stressful conditions further precipitates susceptibility to disease
This can have a severe impact on the equine gut The stress of transportation is known to increase gut ulceration in the horse a painful condition reducing performance and causing colic-like symptoms Stress can also slow the flow of digesta and alter the normal gut flora resulting in digestive upset and possibly diarrhoea or colic
The effects of travel stress on the gut are compounded by the typical diet of the regular equine traveller To maintain athletic ability high performance horses are often fed energy-charged diets contain-ing increased levels of starchy materials such as cereal grains Unfortunately this type of diet can reduce beneficial types of gut flora and promote gut acidity further predisposing the horse to digestive upsets and ulceration It is not surprising that stressed tired horses may not fulfill their potential on arrival
Feeding to reduce stress for the equine traveller
By Darlene RickerExecutive editor of Alltechrsquos EQUINE INTERNATIONAL magazine
48
Alltech Tips
growth of opportunistic Salmonella spp which are present in the intestinal tract of many healthy horses These bacteria then attach to the gut lining via a mannan sugar and penetrate it causing damage and resulting in diarrhoea One method of prevent-ing or minimising the attachment of these organ-
isms to the gut lining is to provide an adsorbant supplement A form of sugar found in the cell walls of certain yeasts can do this This sugar compound is called man-nan oligosaccharide or MOS MOS products such as Alltechrsquos Bio-Mosreg have been shown to re-duce the colonization of Salmonella
spp in the guts of certain species and augment the immune response to Salmonella spp potentially conferring an enhanced ability to fight infection Both Yea-Saccreg 1026 and Bio-Mos are among the natural products contained in Alltechrsquos LIFEFORCETM equine supplement which many FEI competitors have successfully incorporated into their daily feeding regimen at home and on the road
lifeforcehorsecom
and may be subject to health concerns in the days following a long journey Fortunately however you can curb some of the effects of travel stress on the horsersquos gut by nutritional supplementation Organic yeast products used to supplement a horsersquos diet can support the normal gut flora modifying the intesti-nal environment and improving the horsersquos digestion One such culture is Saccharomyces cerevisae in the form of Yea-Saccreg 1026 Alltechrsquos propriety organic yeast
Experiments were conducted to evaluate the effects Yea-Sacc on gut flora and gut acidity Horses were fed either a high-starch or a high-fibre diet both with and without supplementation of Yea-Saccreg 1026 Results indicated an excessive amount of starch in the gut The use of Yea-Sacc reduced acidity and stimulat-ed the activity of fibre-digesting bacteria in the hind-gut for both types of diet The result was maximised fibre digestibility and more efficient use of nutrients thus increasing the amount of energy available to the horse for performance and counteracting digestive upset Salmonellosis is one of the more commonly di-agnosed infectious causes of diarrhoea in horses Many cases develop after the stress of transport The effects of travel stress on the normal gut flora allow an over-
Moorlands Totilas arrives for the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade after air transport copy Dirk Caremans
HRH The Infanta Dontildea Pilar de Borboacuten former President of the FEI (1994-2006) also attended the inauguration along-side HRH Princess Lalla Amina Chairperson of the Royal Moroccan Federation for Equestrian Sports and member of the international Advisory Council of Special OlympicsThey were joined by International Olympic Commit-tee members representatives from other Interna-tional Federations federal and local Swiss authorities as well as architects and designers that worked on the project Switzerlandrsquos Martin Fuchs a member of the gold medal winning team at the inaugural Youth Olympic Games in Singapore last year accompanied FEI President Princess Haya in officially opening the FEI headquarters
ldquoThe building we are inaugurating today has been designed to serve our wonderful sportrdquo explained FEI
President Princess Haya ldquoI also feel an immense
sense of pride knowing that this building carries the name
of my late father and hope that this serves as a constant reminder
to all of us who work at the FEI of a unique statesman whose entire soul was devoted to the service of his people Our new headquarters will play a key role for the FEI and our National Federa-tions over the coming years It will be the environ-ment in which important discussions take place and fundamental decisions are taken as we continue our mission to advance the orderly growth of equestrian sport worldwide while ensuring that the welfare of the horse and a level playing field remain at the centre of all that we dordquo
FEI celebratesNEW Headquarters
Over 250 guests attended the inauguration ceremony on Friday 6 May at HM King Hussein I Building which was timed to coincide with the FEI
Extraordinary General Assembly so that attending NationalFederation representatives
could be a part ofthe celebrations
1 Youth Olympic Games team champion Martin Fuchs (SUI) FEI President HRH Princess Haya and her daughter HH Sheikha Al Jalila officially open the FEIrsquos new home 2 Gilbert Felli IOC Olympic Games Executive Director and FEI Secretary General Ingmar de Vos 3 HRH The Infanta Dontildea Pilar de Borboacuten sits down to an interactive quiz in the FEI Gallery 4 Guests gathered in the atrium of the FEI HeadquartersAll images copy Hugues SiegenthalerFEI
Highlights available on50
1
2
3 4
5
6 7
8
THE GALLERy
As well as housing offices for its 62 employees and conference facilities for its 133 National Federations the new headquarters also has a state-of-the-art in-teractive gallery showcasing equestrian sport
The Gallery is the brainchild of Dr Amichai Alper-ovich historian former Secretary General of the Is-raeli Equestrian Federation and curator of the Israeli Olympic Museum (opened in 2009) He worked hand in hand with the Tel Aviv based company Disk-In Pro and interior designer Oded Alony to help bring the content to life and the result is truly unique and ground breaking Giant glass surfaces act as interac-tive interfaces for the visitors to travel through time
The FEIrsquos new headquarters which were donated to the Federation by FEI Presi-dent HRH Princess Haya in 2007 fol-lowing a personal fundraising effort are conveniently located close to the Inter-national Olympic Committee and other international sports federations It has been written into the FEI Statutes that the new FEI headquarters building will always house the Federationrsquos offices In 2008 the building was thoroughly renovated in accordance with the Swiss MINERGIEreg construction standard for environmental responsibility which re-duces energy consumption by 25 per cent Only two per cent of renovated buildings in Switzerland meet the high Minergie standards Khuan Chew founder and design princi-pal of London-based architectural firm KCA International Ltd worked in close collaboration with Swiss-based architect Herveacute de Rham and interior designer Sia-vosh Adeli (SUI) to transform the build-ing which was built in the 1960s The modern and sleek interior was further enhanced with bespoke artworks pro-duced by Swiss creative agency b+g amp partners and imagery by world-famous equestrian art photographer Tim Flach where the simplicity and beauty of his equine subjects seamlessly embrace and accentuate the buildingrsquos pure lines and natural materials (see image left)
As they feasted on the innate beauty of their sur-roundings the guests also had the privilege to ex-perience the culinary talents of organic chef and specialist Gilles Wannaz and his team based in the town of Cully which sits on the edge of Lac Leman in Switzerlandrsquos famous Lavaux wine growing region
5 HRH Princess Haya welcomes the guests to the Inauguration of the HQ and the 90 year celebration of the FEI 6 Artwork by renowned pho-tographer Tim Flach 7 An organic and colourful buffet presented on an authentic lawn by local chef Gilles Wannaz 8 A life size horse sculpture by Christophe Dumont greeted the guests upon their arrival
53FOCUS
and space with the latest in touch technology revis-iting the history of the FEI the equestrian events at Olympic amp Paralympic Games the FEI World Eques-trian Gamestrade and information on all of the member National Federations with statistics videos images and text The Gallery also includes projections on ar-chitectural surfaces designed by Oded Alony referred to as the Origami as well as interactive stations and unique video projections on glass screens
For all those wishing to visit the FEI Gallery simply contact the FEI HQ to make an appointment and we would be delighted to take you on a journey to dis-cover or rediscover the human and equine athletes whose talents have marked equestrian history and inspired young riders drivers and vaulters around the world
Interview withDrAmichaiAlperovich
When did you first dream up the FEIInteractive Gallery When I found out the FEI was planning to move into new HQ in 2009 Disk-In Pro and I approached the FEI and presented them with several concepts for the space Before long we had agreed on the concept and we got to work
Why were you compelled to make it become a reality So that the FEI a prominent sports organisation could present itself to a growing audience in a new and visionary way with the latest technology And by doing so the FEI is a pioneer becoming the first International Federation to have a Gallery of this kind
What did you learn when researching and gathering content for the gallery I have learned a lot about the history of the FEI the strong Olympic tradition the diversity of disciplines the gender equality and the unique bond between horse and man One of the more fascinating topics was the evolution of the Dressage from itsrsquo Olympic debut to the modern Freestyle
Itrsquos very innovative technology what inspired you to take such a leap into the future with such a traditional sport Just as Dressage has evolved over the years and alongside the introduction of new disciplines partic-ularly Para-Equestrian you come to realise that the FEI is not as traditional as one would think Actually this kind of innovative presentation of equestrian history is really well suited to the FEI In the same way that you can have horse-man connections there is an audience-technology connection in the Gallery The audience have to be active in order to enjoy the depth of information the Gallery contains
54
Now it is time to open the door to new places to learn about sport ndash at the heart of sporting organi-sations themselves The Gallery is more than an informative tool it brings people to the sport andto the heart of its operations
Established in 1990 Disk-In Pro specialises in the planning design production and implementation of Museums Visitor Centres and sophisticated projects around the world This includes multi screen produc-tion animation 3D amp interactive films state-of-the-art software platforms and complex video displays for an unforgettable experience
Oded Alony holds a BA in Design from the Interior Design Section of the Holon Technological Institute and has since 1998 worked with Israelrsquos leading Architecture firms The Oded Alony Studio embraces holistic design a space where interior design lighting and graphics are brought together to create a harmo-nious project vision
Now that you have seen it unveiled to the public how would you like to see it evolve I hope the audience will be amazed from the design by architect Oded Alony and the new methods to deliver information whilst discovering the long his-tory of the FEI the diversity and the global reach of the organisation I hope the Gallery will become an icon in Lausanne and one of its highlights for visitors I promise the visitors a new platform to learn about equestrianism and each visit could be different as the information and themes will be updated and modi-fied regularly
This futuristic gallery is a first for anInternational Federation do you think thisis something all sports should invest inThe FEI took this courageous decision and now has this fantastic tool to present the organisation in new ways Sport is a huge cultural phenomenaWe have learned to consume sport in the arenas and stadiums in the press media and new media
Dr Amichai Alperovich
55FOCUS
SOCIAL MEDIAthe new frontier
Follow us on
The FEI has recently embarked on and embraced a whole new way of talking with the greater equestrian community through the ever expanding social media networks and platformsWith personalised Facebook Twitter and You Tube pages the FEI is taking it step by step and reaching out to this growing audience and listening to what they have to say
This new communication platform is by no means a substitution of the traditional communication path-ways but works alongside the press releases various publications and content on wwwfeiorg and wwwfeitvorg providing a new arena where the FEI can share interact and dialogue with fans of the sport and of equestrian values in general
We talk to Richard Johnson Director of Corporate Communications about the FEIrsquos commitment to social media
What compelled the FEI to venture onto the social media scene As a governing body with a vibrant and active com-munity of National Federations as well as thousands of fans the need to reach out to the online social community has never been stronger We have been watching the communities grow online for some time and have been listening to their conversations so being a part of it was the next logical step and a really important one The conversations will hap-pen with or without us so taking that step has been crucial in order to share our values and also build re-lationships with our fan base
Tradition meets modernity ndash does equestrian sportthe FEI have a place in social media Absolutely even though equestrian sport has a long history and is perceived as a traditional sport it is
always evolving In the 90 years of the FEI which was founded to govern the three Olympic disciplines it has grown to also oversee the disciplines of Driving Endurance Vaulting Reining and Para-Equestrian sport Or if you look at the early days when competi-tors were from military backgrounds and when wom-en did not compete alongside men to the complete gender equality we have today ndash a lot has changed and is in a constant state of change
The fans of equestrian sport are like any other fan base web savvy and eager for more information behind the scenes content and to share their opin-ions and thoughts ndash so it is an ideal partnership And from what we have seen these last few months and from the feedback we got from our blog at the Youth Olympic Games there is a real appetite for this
The FEI has dedicated Facebook Twitter and You Tube pages ndash why did you select these social media platforms The figures speak for themselveshellip Facebook Twit-ter and You Tube are the biggest players in the social networking space With over 500 million Facebook users 106 million Tweeters and 2 billion views a day on You Tube there has never been so much oppor-tunity for exposure Every site has different demo-graphics with different habits and needs so by having an FEI presence on these three networks we are able to cover a lot of ground and cater to different audi-ences by providing different types of content accord-ing to the platform
What are the main benefits of having a pres-ence on various social media platforms Itrsquos all about having a two way conversation ndash the benefits of dialogue where you can share content such as videos images facts and figures thoughts and values and then allow your fan base to react to get involved and to listen and learn from them By engaging with our audience and showing them that we are a modern and caring organisation and that we want to hear what they have to say then we are able to build trust and ultimately credibility in what we do and what we say
57FOCUS
TV
The offi cial video website of the Feacutedeacuteration Equestre Internationale
wwwfeitvorg
WATCH LIVE WATCH ONLINE
FEI TV is the FEIrsquos new offi cial video website and your ticket to the worldrsquos most prestigious competitions Sign-up to FEI TV (wwwfeitvorg) and get instant access to all the live broadcasts the extensive video-on-demand library all the highlights the behind the scenes reports the interviews and so much more Be at the heart of horsesport Join us
2823_1FEI_TV_Focus_165x226indd 1 170510 1124
It also keeps us alert as to what is being discussed and debated in the public sphere so that we can manage situations more effectively and be proactive in our messaging and information so that the facts are at the heart of the debate and not interpretations of them
How do you generate content for social media It was important when we launched our social me-dia presence that it be manageable with the exist-ing communications team in place ndash and so we have concentrated on keeping it simple and effective and using content innovatively Itrsquos not about reproduc-ing our website ndash but to engage with our fans and so often all you need is a good picture an interest-ing fact or great achievement to get the ball rolling For You Tube as we already have so much content generated from FEI TV it was simply a question of using bits and pieces from that content to provide the public with teasers from events interviews with winning riders or behind the scenes content which they can then follow up on FEI TV with a subscription
What are your Social media goals Itrsquos really to build relationships and dialogue with our fan base by using our content innovatively by listening to what they have to say and by engaging with the community And for the National Federa-tions that have yet to take that step we want to be a guiding hand that can help them get started so that they too can reap the benefits of social media net-working Our sport competes against other sports for attention so itrsquos really important that we the FEI and the National Federations keep our finger on the pulse and cater to our fans
How can National Federations get involved NFs wishing to find out more about Social Media can contact me (richardjohnsonfeiorg) and I would be more than happy to discuss opportunities and ways of getting started as well as our experience at the FEI
We asked our Facebook followers why it was important to use face-book and here are a few comments they came up with
bullItrsquos a great way to find out about shows and competitions
bullBecause facebook can provide up to the minute updates as to the what is going on in the horse community
bullWe can share information and ideas over long distances We can find and connect with people we wouldnt be able to otherwise
bullIt also lets us express the true realities of our spot to keep us grounded
bullIt can bring peoples attention to excellence ndash and expose the issues
58
TV
The offi cial video website of the Feacutedeacuteration Equestre Internationale
wwwfeitvorg
WATCH LIVE WATCH ONLINE
FEI TV is the FEIrsquos new offi cial video website and your ticket to the worldrsquos most prestigious competitions Sign-up to FEI TV (wwwfeitvorg) and get instant access to all the live broadcasts the extensive video-on-demand library all the highlights the behind the scenes reports the interviews and so much more Be at the heart of horsesport Join us
2823_1FEI_TV_Focus_165x226indd 1 170510 1124
ldquo Donrsquot accept drinks from a strangerrdquo
Armchair travel journalist
Are you living a life without boundaries Some well-meant advice is best ignored but itrsquos still good to know yoursquore covered when yoursquore away With HSBC Premier your family can be protected with both Travel Insurance and dedicated assistance when yoursquore abroad Which is reassuring to know when yoursquore making the most of life
HSBC Premier is subject to financial eligibility criteria and is available in over 40 countries and territories
Premier Travel Insurance covers you and your partner up to age 70 and your children travelling with you up to age 18
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201736_6000263_Coconut_226x165indd
Master 226x165
Rob Swainson 160211
HSBC - Coconuts Proof 01Head of Art TypographerDesigner ArtCreative Director Copywriter Account DirectorDIC Project ManagerPhotographer Illustrator Usage Model(s) Name(s) Usage
Media MediaStock Image Time Period Time Period
Territory Territory
8deg N ndash Kerala South India
Contact Advertising FEI - Feacutedeacuteration Equestre Internationalerichardjohnsonfeiorg HM King Hussein I Building Chemin des Deacutelices 9 1006 Lausanne T +41 21 310 47 47 F +41 21 310 47 60 wwwfeiorg
Impressum - Focus Ndeg 7 - June 2011Circulation 2800Frequency QuarterlyEditor in Chief Olivia RobinsonDesign Art Equestrio SAPrinting Grafiche SIZ - ItalyCover copyHugues Siegenthaler
48 Alltech Tips Feeding to reduce stress for the equine traveller
50 FEI News FEI celebrates NEW Headquarters
56 FEI Insight Social Media - the new frontier
38 FEI Awards 2011
42 Globetrotter
44 Postcard from Brazil
46 A life in a day Dr Gerit Matthesen
28 HSBC FEI ClassicsTM
A world class meeting of generations
30 Why the long face Viggo Mortensen
32 The other side of Laurent Elias
34 One day Nicolas Theacutevenaz
5030
05FOCUS
1900Games of the II Olympiad Paris (FRA)Grand Prix Jumping long jump high jump hunter competition and a coaching competition were on the 1900 programme The events went officially unrecord-ed until the 1970s which is why it is often assumed that 1912 marks the first inclusion of equestrian sports on the Olympic programme Participation Twenty-four riders from 4 countries
1912Games of the V Olympiad Stockholm (SWE) Jumping Dressage and Eventing made their deacutebut in Stockholm and remain to this day the only equestrian disciplines on the Olympic programme It took two years to construct the new brick-built Olympic Sta-dium which served for the 1956 Olympic Equestrian Games and the 1990 FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade Participation Sixty-two riders and 70 horses from 10 nations ndash all European except for the USA
1920Games of the VII Olympiad Antwerp (BEL)World War I had just ended in 1918 and there were serious doubts that the 1920 Olympic Games would go ahead It was on 3 April 1919 that the IOC decided to accept the offer from Antwerp (BEL) The short term allocation of the Games did leave some in the lurch such as team USA who at first unable to find a passage to Europe at that late stage were able to secure the help of the military to transport the team Swedenrsquos solid and meticulous preparations were well rewarded as they picked up more than half of the 15 medals at stake and confirmed their stronghold on the sportParticipation Seventy-two riders from 8 nations Vaulting was for the first and only time on the Olympic programme
1924 Games of the VIII Olympiad Paris (FRA)First Olympic appearance for the FEIDid you knowThe Dressage arena of 60 x 20 m was in the centre of the huge Stade de Colombes at least 60 meters away from the public The five judges sat with their assistants on a long table together on a short side The
Olympic amp Paralympic Games
MemoryLane A journey of Olympicamp Paralympic achievements
In 2012 the disciplines of Jumping Dressage and Eventing celebrate 100 years of Olympic history For Para-EquestrianDressage itrsquos sixteen years of intense and ever increasing competition and participationTake a stroll down MemoryLane to revisit the sportingachievements of Championspast and present
1920 1921 1922
1924 1925 1926
1900 1901 1902 1903 1904
1912 1913 1914
06
individual winner in Jumping was Swiss militia officer Lt Alphonse Gemuseus on the eight-year old Irish-bred mare Lucette who had been bought for pound48 as an army remount horse in 1922The length of the Eventing Cross Country was 36kmParticipation Seventeen nations 126 horses
1928Games of the IX Olympiad Amsterdam (NED)By 1928 the IOC had clarified the definition of an amateur For equestrian sport an amateur was every professional officer actively serving or anyone riding solely for the sport and recognised by a national body as a gentlemanParticipation Twenty nations the major return was Germany ndash not invited in 1920 and 1924 ndash but now there in full force
1932Games of the X Olympiad Los Angeles (USA)Because the 1932 Olympics were held in the middle of the Great Depression and in the comparatively re-mote city of Los Angeles half as many athletes from only six nations took part compared to 1928 The Japanese team came by ship from Yokohama to Los Angeles France and Sweden took a ship to New York then travelled by railroad across the USA as did the
Mexicans The Dutch who sailed through the Panama Canal directly to Los Angeles remembered that the US equestrian team travelling by ship to Amsterdam in 1928 had kept their horses fit by hiring the tread-mill used during the filming of Ben Hur with its chariot races The Dutch constructed their own treadmill and kept their horses busy during the voyage
The first known Olympic Jumping course designer John A Barry (who rode for the USA in the 1920 and 1924 Olympics) supported by Sloan Doak (also an ex-perienced Olympic rider) built a course that was much more difficult than 1928 It had 18 obstacles and 20 jumping efforts over a length of 1060m No team fin-ished the competition and the team medals remained unclaimed
For the first time piaffe and passage were asked for in Dressage
In Eventing only two teams ndash USA and The Netherlands ndash finished the competition The team bronze remained unclaimed Participation Six nations
1932 1933 1934
1928 1929 1930
1912 Francersquos Jean Cariou - Individual gold and team silver Jumping medallist as well as individual bronze medallist in Eventing
07FOCUS
1936Games of the XI Olympiad Berlin (GER)The Games of the XI Olympiad were held in Berlin three years after the National-Socialist regime came to power in 1933 They are best remembered for Adolf Hitlerrsquos failed attempt to use sport to prove his theories of Aryan racial superiority The equestrian events held on the last five days of the 16-day programme played an important part in the overall running of these first monumental and politically misused Olympic GamesParticipation Twenty-one nations 127 riders - 7 coun-tries had full representation (3x3 riders) Germany won all the equestrian team and individual gold medals
1952Games of the XV Olympiad Helsinki (FIN) The 1952 Olympic Games brought some fundamen-tal changes to equestrian sport Most visible was the change from military riding to civilians Women were allowed in Dressage but not in Jumping or Event-ing The best known of these women is Lis Hartel of Denmark In 1944 at the age of 23 she was paralysed by polio and while she gradually regained the use of most of her muscles she remained paralysed below
the knee Despite being helped on and off her horse she went on to win the silver medal When gold med-allist Henri St-Cyr helped her up onto the victory platform for the medal presentation it was one of the most emotional moments in Olympic historyParticipation Twenty-five nations For the first time since 1912 Russian riders competed ndash now represent-ing the Soviet Union Canada Egypt amp Korea were also newcomers
1956Games of the XVI Olympiad Melbourne (AUS) Stockholm (SWE) When the IOC selected Melbourne (AUS) as host to the Games of the XVI Olympiad it had not taken into consideration the Australian six-month pre-shipment quarantine for horses In 1953 a meeting was held in Canberra attended by the federal authorities which recommended not to alter quarantine laws The IOC decided on a separate venue for the equestrian events and on 13 May 1954 chose Stockholm (SWE)The Jumping course was demanding it is considered by many as the first modern course There were no clears in the first round Hans Guumlnter Winkler (FRG) was in the
1936 1937 1938
1952 1953 1954
1956 1957 1958
1952 The Dressage medallists Andreacute Jousseaume (FRA) - bronze Henri St-Cyr (FRA) - gold Lis Hartel (DEN) - silver
08
lead with one knock-down riding the great mare Halla The horse had taken off early for the penultimate fence and Winkler was thrown into the air and went on to land heavily back in the saddle pulling a muscle in the pro-cess He knew that if he withdrew from the final round the German team would be eliminated Dizzy and in pain he rode anyway Halla completed the course without a fault They earned gold in both the individual and team events Winkler went on to win another five gold medals at various Olympics and is the only Jumper to win seven medals in total and the only rider in any discipline to earn medals in six different OlympicsParticipation Twenty-nine nations Australia Cambodia and Venezuela competed for the first time
1960Games of the XVII Olympiad Rome (ITA) The Australians were the 1960 Eventing sensation The foursome of Larry Morgan Neale Lavis Brian Crago and Bill Roycroft dominated the Cross-Country to an extent never experienced before At the end of the day Mor-gan was overwhelmingly in the lead ahead of Crago and Lavis Roycroft after a fall at the cement drain pipes was not too far back except for the fact that he was in hospital with a concussion and a broken collarbone When Cragorsquos potential silver medal horse Sabre was rejected at the second horse inspection Australia no longer had a team Forty-five-year old Bill Roycroft was taken out of hospital rode Our Solo to a clear round in the Jumping phase and secured team gold for Australia Participation Twenty-nine nations
1964Games of the XVIII Olympiad Tokyo (JPN) The 1964 Olympic Games were the first to be held in Asia These were only the second Olympics ndash after Los Angeles in 1932 ndash for which most horses had to travel across the world Most horses came by aircraft The Soviet horses still came by sea and were caught in the typhoon Wilda For the first time a former Olympic Jumping champion repeated his victory Forty-four year old Pierre Jonquegraveres drsquoOriola (FRA) the 1952 champion with Ali Baba won this time with the nine-year old Lutteur B Another first was the participation of a woman - Lana du Pont (USA) - in an Olympic Eventing competitionParticipation One hundred and sixteen riders from 20 countries competed in Tokyo
1968Games of the XIX Olympiad Mexico City (MEX) The choice of Mexico City to host the 1968 Olympics was a challenging one because of the cityrsquos high altitude 2300m which meant that the air contained 30 less oxygen than at sea level An adjustment pe-riod of three to four weeks for the horses was advised The horses from the Soviet Union Argentina and Ireland were in mid-September the first to arrive The last to stable were France and Germany on 28 September ie 20 days before the start of the com-petitions Of particular interest was the first par-ticipation of Dressage and Eventing riders from the German Democratic Republic In 1960 and 1964 their Eventers were part of a unified German team This time they were allowed to enter under their own flag The equestrian competitions were timed manually and electronically for the first time the electronic time was the official one Participation Eighteen nations
1972 Games of the XX Olympiad Munich (FRG) In 1972 everybody expected great Olympic Games and for the first ten days everything went smoothly But on 5 September 1972 peace was chattered as eight Palestinian terrorists representing the militant group ldquoBlack Septemberrdquo broke into the Olympic Village killed two members of the Israeli team and took nine more hostage In an ensuing battle all nine Israeli hostages were killed as were five of the ter-rorists and one policeman The Olympics were sus-pended for 34 hours In defiance of the terrorists the IOC ordered the competitions to resume IOC President Avery Brundage famously declaring ldquoThe Games must go onrdquo All other details about the Munich Games pale in significance The equestrian events were obviously also affected After the first day of Dressage on 5 September the second half of the competitors rode on 7 September the ride-off followed on the 9th Team Jumping at that time still preceding the closing ceremony took place on 11 September 1972Liselotte Linsenhoff on Piaff became the 13th Olym-pic Dressage champion ndash the third German to achieve this (after con Langen in 1928 and Pollay in 1936) but the first woman to do so Participation Twenty-seven nations
1964 1965 1966
1960 1961 1962
1972 1973 1974
1968 1969 1970
09FOCUS
1976Games of the XXI Olympiad Montreal (CAN) All in the Eventing geneshellip Mother Rita and daugh-ter Silva de Luna were both on the Guatemalan team Father Bill 61 and son Wayne Roycroft were on the bronze-medal winning Australian teamhellipFor the first time in the FEIrsquos Olympic history there was a disqualification due a positive medication case San Carlos the mount of the Irish Army Eventing rider Ronald McMahon The medical treatment after an injury during transport had been announced to the authorities But the rules suffered no exceptions Au-tomatic disqualification followed although there was no additional punishmentBarbara Kemp became the first woman to design an Olympic cross-country course Participation Twenty-three nations Guatemala and Puerto Rico were the newcomers
1980Games of the XXII Olympiad Moscow (URS) The 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow represented the lowest point in the history of the Olympic equestrian events as a US led boycott reduced the number of participating nations to 11 From the top equestrian nations only Austria with the reigning European Dres-sage champion Elisabeth (Sissi) Theurer and Italy with its Eventing team went to Moscow Sissirsquos decision to participate in Moscow created considerable contro-versy in her native Austria ndash resulting in the resignation of the President of the National Equestrian FederationParticipation Eleven nations
1984Games of the XXIII Olympiad Los Angeles (USA) The Los Angeles Games were the first since 1896 to be staged without government financing and became the model for future Games particularly after it was revealed that they had produced a profit of US$ 223 million The organisers depended heavily on existing facilities and corporate sponsors The celebrated Santa Anita racetrack was chosen as the competition site for the equestrian events It was the first time an Olympic equestrian event was organised by an existing man-agement of proven competence and long experienceIn response to the boycott of the 1980 Moscow Olym-pics a boycott led by the Soviet Union marked the 1984 OlympicsThe USA dominated the Jumping competition win-ning both individual and team gold with a superiority rarely experienced before or since Joe Fargis (USA) and Touch of Class were the first to achieve a dou-ble clear in the Olympic team competition Eventing legend Mark Todd from New Zealand (pictured left) won his first Olympic medalParticipation Thirty nations
1988Games of the XXIV Olympiad Seoul (KOR) The Seoul Games were highlighted by numerous exceptional performances For Dressage it was the first time that all three individual medals were award-ed to women Reiner Klimke (pictured above-right) captured his last Olympic medal as West Germany won the team Dressage competition With six gold and two bronze medals won at five Olympic Games ndash Reiner Klimke participated in six Olympic Games
1976 1977 1978 1980 1981 1982
1984 1985 1986
1988 1989 1990
altogether - he is the most decorated rider in Olympic history Only for the second time in the 76-year history of Eventing at the Olympics the defending champions repeated their victory Mark Todd (NZL) 32 with the 16-year-old Charisma For the first time qualifications were held to reduce the starting field for the individual Jumping The reigning European champions Pierre Du-rand (FRA) and the 13-year-old black gelding Jappe-loup added Olympic gold to their winningsParticipation Thirty-two nations
1992Games of the XXV Olympiad Barcelona (ESP) In Dressage the individual battle was played out be-tween Isabell Werthrsquos Gigolo and the defending Olym-pic champion from Seoul Nicole Uphoffrsquos 15-year-old Rembrandt Rembrandt and Uphoff triumphed and se-cured the gold After the repeat wins of Henry St-Cyr (SWE) in 1952 and 1956 on two different horses this was the first double triumph of a combination After the elaborate beautifully built and decorated Jump-ing obstacles of Seoul 1988 the Spanish decided on something different and the two architects in charge of designing the 25 obstacles used minimal figural and colour elements so as to more objectively define the difficulty of the obstacles This new vision did not find many partisansParticipation Thirty-four nations
1996Games of the XXVI Olympiad Atlanta (USA) The Atlanta Games saw extensive changes made to the competition formats of Dressage and Eventing Following the IOCrsquos reasoning whereby two sets of medals could not be distributed for the same effort the FEI split Eventing into two competitions team and individual An elaborate qualifying system in all three disciplines was created and for the first time quotas were establishedThe heat and humidity expected in Atlanta led to extensive research and measures aimed at protecting the welfare of the horses It was found that horses needed three weeks of acclimatisation ndash seven days to recover from the effects of transport and 14 days of passive acclimatisation to the new conditions The major measure was the installation of misting fans throughout the venueLinda Allen was the course designer the first woman to provide the Jumping courses at an Olympic GamesParticipation Thirty nations
1992 1993 1994
1996 1997 1998
1988 The German gold medal team (from left to right) - Ann-Kathrin Linsenhoff Monica Theodorescu Nicole Uphoff and Reiner Klimkecopy Kit Houghton
11FOCUS
1996The X Paralympic Games Atlanta (USA)1996 also marks for the first time equestrian sport was included at the Paralympics with Para-Equestrian Dressage on the programme The competition was run on borrowed horses Jo Jackson (GBR) won three gold medals the maximum possible For Great Britain it was a first of many team medalshellipParticipation Sixty-eight competitors from 16 nations
2000Games of the XXVII Olympiad Sydney (AUS) Forty four years after Melbourne 1956 when no horses would be allowed into Australia the Australian quarantine and inspection services proved to be much more accommodating The conditions were tough two weeks of pre-shipping quarantine in Europe and after arrival in Sydney two more weeks of quarantine on siteOf the 15 medal-winning horses 12 were thorough-breds and the other three were 78 thoroughbredsThe year 2000 was the final show-down of the two Dressage horses who had dominated the sport since the early nineties ndash Gigolo ridden by Isabell Werth (GER) and Bonfire ridden by Anky Van Grunsven (NED) with the latter taking gold medal honours Australia for the third time in a row won the team gold medal in EventingParticipation Thirty-seven nations
2000The XI Paralympic Games Sydney (AUS)The Australian spirit and warmth conveyed during the Olympics continued throughout the Paralympic Games thanks to the formidable cooperation between the Sydney Paralympic Organising Committee (SPOC) and the Sydney Organising Committee for the Olympic Games (SOCOG) Paralympic and Olympic athletes lived in the same village and enjoyed the same catering services medical care and facilities Errors in the scoring meant that medals had to be re-attributed but this did not cause too much upset Lee Pearson (GBR) took home three gold medals (including another team gold for GBR) the maximum possible while Australiarsquos Julie Higgins achieved an impressive double gold triumph Participation Seventy athletes from 23 nations
2004Games of the XXVIII Olympiad Athens (GRE) In 2004 the Games returned to Greece homeland to the Olympic GamesThe equestrian events were affected by controversies Waterford Crystal the horse ridden by Olympic cham-pion in Jumping Cian OrsquoConnor (IRL) tested positive to a prohibited substance generally administered to humans but forbidden for use in horses After lengthy legal procedures OrsquoConnor was disqualified and sanc-tioned The gold medal was awarded to second-placed
1996 1997 1998
2000 2001 2002
2000 2001 2002
2004 2005 2006
2000 The team podium in Eventing - Great Britain (silver) Australia (gold) USA (bronze) copy Kit Houghton
12
Rodrigo Pessoa (BRA) Another three horses tested positive as well As a result Germany lost its Jumping team gold which was awarded to the USA in February 2005 at a ceremony in Palm Beach FL (USA)A new competition format for Eventing involving two Jumping rounds one for the individual and one for the team standings was introduced The two roads and tracks (A + C) and the steeplechase (B) of the Endur-ance phase were abolishedParticipation Thirty-seven nations
the fact that main land China did not hold disease-free zone status from the International Organisation for Animal Health the competitions were held in Hong Kong 2000km away from the Olympic host city Beijing In order to protect animal welfare detailed studies on the effects of heat and humidity on horses were undertaken by the FEI in cooperation with top scientists The competition timetable was modified to avoid the hours of intense heat and the horses were stabled at the exceptional air-conditioned facilities provided by the Hong Kong Jockey Club Six horses five from Jumping tested positive to prohibited substances As a result Norway lost its first Jumping medal ndash bronze ndash which after more than two years of legal proceedings was awarded to Switzerland
Jumping gold went to team USA In Dressage Anky van Grunsven (NED) aboard Salinero won her seventh and eighth Olympic medals team silver and individual gold Eventing legend Mark Todd (NZL) made a much acclaimed come back but the spotlight was on Hinrich Romeike and the extraordinary Marius
The story of the 2008 Olympic Eventing gold med-allist is all the more extraordinary as Hinrich is an amateur rider By day his time is spent in his dental surgery attending to his many patients so his riding is restricted to after-hoursParticipation Forty-two nations
2008The XIII Paralympic Games Beijing (CHN)First Paralympic participation for the FEI following the inclusion of Para-Equestrian in 2006 to be governed alongside the 7 other disciplines These Games set a new benchmark for Para-Equestrian events with great facilities cheerful volunteers and large audiences totalling over 30000 - an unprecedented attend-ance for Para-Equestrian events
For the third Paralympics in a row Lee Pearson (GBR) won three gold medals keeping up his record of win-ning all the gold medals available to him Singa-porersquos Laurentia Tan picked up Asiarsquos first Paralympic Equestrian medals with two individual bronze medals Marco Alves picked up Brazilrsquos first Paralympic Equestrian medal with bronze in Grade Ib Participation Seventy-eight athletes from 28 nations
2004The XII Paralympic Games Athens (GRE)The venue was excellent and there was good support from local volunteers Both Debbie Criddle and Lee Pearson (pictured above) from Great Britain picked up the maximum three gold medals The International Paralympic Committee presented the Equestrian Technical Delegate with the award for Best Official of all the sports at the Paralympic Games Participation Seventy athletes from 29 nations
2008Games of the XXIX Olympiad Beijing (CHN) Hong Kong (CHN) For the second time in Olympic history the equestrian events were held separately from other sports Due to
2004 2005 2006
2008 2009 2010
2008 2009 20102004 Lee Pearson (GBR) in Athens where he scoopedthe maximum three gold medals available to him
13FOCUS
The climax of the indoor international Jumping sea-son brought together 43 riders from 21 nations and ended with Christian Ahlmann riding Taloubet Z to Germanys ninth victory in the 33-year history of FEI World Cuptrade Jumping Canadarsquos reigning Olympic champion Eric Lamaze took second place with Hickstead followed by Dutch combination Jeroen Dubbeldam and BMC Van Grunsven Simon who rocketed up from overnight 11th to finish third when producing one of only two double clears on the final afternoonGerman riders dominated from the first of the three qualifiers in Leipzig ndash the speed competition which Marco Kutscher with Cash won with 6355 seconds followed by his compatriots defending champion Marcus Ehning and Christian Ahlmann who took second and third place respectively In the second qualifier the withdrawal of Saudi Arabiarsquos Abdullah Al Sharbatly reduced the field to 40 starters Eric Lamaze took the lead with a fabulous clear in 4068 a win that bounced him up to fifth spot just six points behind the leading pair ndash an ascent he continued to master on the final day
J U M P I N GFINAL LEIPZIG
ROLEX FEI World Cuptrade
JUMPINGldquoIt was wonderful to be back in Leipzig again for yet another great Rolex FEI World Cuptrade Jumping Final in a city with such a rich cultural backgroundrdquo John Roche FEI Director of Jumping
FEI World Cuptrade Finals
REEm ACRA FEI World Cuptrade
DressaGe
DRESSAGEFINAL LEIPZIG
ldquoThe Reem Acra FEI World Cuptrade Dressage took place in a perfect setting with enough space for everyone to give their very best performancesrdquo Trond Asmyr FEI Director of Dressage
Adelinde Cornelissen (NED) and the magnificent Jerich Parzival danced to victory to the strains of Tchaikovskyrsquos Nutcracker Suite in the Freestyle com-petition that closed the Reem Acra FEI World Cuptrade Dressage Final Denmarkrsquos Nathalie zu Sayn-Witt-genstein and Digby finished second while Germanyrsquos Ulla Salzgeber steered Herzrufrsquos Erbe into third place The 2010 title-winner Edward Gal (GER) finished fourth with a great performance from Sisther de JeuThe top three mirrored those of the Grand Prix class two days earlier when a confident performance rewarded with a score of 80957 put Adelinde Cornelissen (NED) in first place followed by Denmarkrsquos Nathalie zu Sayn-Wittgenstein with Digby (76884 3) and Germanyrsquos Ulla Salzgeber riding Herzrufrsquos Erbe (76216 points) Defending champion Edward Gal rode a tense Sisther de Jeu with a disappointing test score of 70122 The final saw 17 horse and rider combinations from 10 nations compete ndash three from the USA The
Netherlands and Germany two from Sweden and one from Hungary Fin-
land Poland Belgium Great Britain and Denmark Fifteen riders went on to the Freestyle competition
Highlights available as video on demand on
15FOCUS
Boyd Exell (AUS) successfully defended his FEI World Cuptrade Driving title in Leipzigrsquos thrilling final speed-ing to victory in front of a wildly enthusiastic crowd and becoming the second driver to score a hat-trick of World Cup victories Hungaryrsquos Jozsef Dobrovitz drove two brilliant rounds with his team of Lipiz-zaner horses and finished second ahead of IJsbrand Chardon (NED) The FEI World Cuptrade Driving Final was run over two indoor competitions which took place on 29 April and 1 May Seven drivers competed Tomas Eriksson (SWE) Koos de Ronde (NED) Werner Ulrich (SUI) Christian Pluumlcker (GER) and the triumphant trio who after emerging from the first round on 1 May with the highest number of points qualified for the winning round immediately afterwards
FEI World Cuptrade
DrIVINGldquoOnce again the worldrsquos best indoor drivers came together for a thrilling final the com-bination of horses working together in a team driven by superbly skilled horsemento produce thrilling andspectacular driving sportrdquo Ian Williams FEI Director of Non-Olympic Sports
16
Switzerlandrsquos Patrick Looser and Germanyrsquos Simone Wiegele claimed the inau-gural FEI World Cuptrade Vaulting titles at the 20102011 FEI World Cuptrade Finals a glittering Freestyle to Music showcase held over two daysLooserrsquos fellow starters in the Menrsquos section were Nicolas Andreani (FRA) Viktor Bruumlsewitz (GER) Daniel Kaiser (GER) Lukas Klouda (CZE) Nikolaus Luschin (AUT) and Yvan Nousse (FRA) Looser 26 was under pressure having finished second to Nicolas Andreani from France in the first Freestyle competition But
the reigning World Champion who won three of the four qualifying rounds over the winter months produced a superb performance which left Andreani in second place and Germanyrsquos Viktor Brusewitz in third In addition to the victorious Wiegele contenders for the Female title were her three compatriots Pia Engelbury Ines Juumlckstock and Antje Hill Simone Jaumliser (SUI) Stefanie Kowald (AUT) and Anna Cavallaro (ITA) In the second
competition Wiegele followed team-mate Hill into the arena in Hall 1 which seemed to be much more to the liking of the
horses than the smaller ring used on the first day And although Hillrsquos routine was
dramatic and beautifully controlled it was Wiegelersquos more complex display that settled
the destination of the very first Female World Cup trophy
ldquoFor the first time an indoor final that provided the public with an opportunity to witness the gymnastic movements of
athletes atop magnificent horses all choreographed to breathtaking musical arrangementsrdquo
Ian Williams FEI Director of Non-Olympic Sports
Highlights available as video on demand on
WHEN AND WHERE
26 ndash 30 July FEI European Reining Championship for Seniors amp Juniors Wiener Neustadt (AUT)
16 ndash 21 August FEI European Vaulting Championships for Seniors amp Juniors Le Mans (FRA)
17 ndash 21 August FEI European Dressage Championships Rotterdam (NED)
25 ndash 28 August HSBC FEI European Eventing Championships Luhmuumlhlen (GER)
01 ndash 04 September Open FEI European Driving Championships for Four-in-Hand Breda (NED)
01 ndash 04 September FEI European Para-Equestrian Dressage Championships Moorsele (BEL)
10 September FEI European Endurance Championships Florac (FRA)
13 ndash 18 September FEI European Jumping Championships Madrid (ESP)
LIVE ONLive coverage and highlightsCheck out the FEI TV broadcasting schedule for all the latest information on events broadcast live on FEI TV
European Championships for seniors in all the FEI disciplines are being held in 2011 We take a quick 360deg look at the dates venues facts amp figures and triumphant moments of the past 50 years of European Championships
FeI europeanChampionships 2011
Donrsquot miss a beatComplete competition reports updates behind the scenes information facts and figures and more can be found on wwwfeiorg as well as our dedicated facebook twitter and you tube pages
18
Preview
For the 31st edition of the FEI European Jumping Championships the event returns to Spain 18 years after the Championships in Gijon only this time to be held at the Club de Campo Villa in Madrid The FEI European Jumping Championships take place every two years in the middle of the Olympic cycle and have been held since 1957 with the introduction of team medals in 1975
THE VENUEThe Club de Campo Villa de Madrid (ESP) has been host to an annual CSI for 100 years and will be tem-porarily replacing its usual grass in the main arena with all-weather sand footing to ensure perfect going for the Championship
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERSTeam ndash SwitzerlandIndividual ndash Kevin Staut (FRA)
OLyMPIC qUALIFICATIONThe 3 best ranked nations from Olympic Qualifying Groups A amp B at the 2011 FEI European Jumping Championships (excluding the teams already quali-fied at WEG) will be qualified to take part with a team consisting of 4 athletes amp 4 horses or 3 athletes amp 3 horses
GREAT HORSES OF THE EUROPEANCHAMPIONSHIPSDEISTER - An extraordinary horse with an extraordi-nary record With Germanys Paul Schockemohle on board this brilliant bay Hannoverian led won three consecutive individual gold medals - in Munich Germany in 1981 Hickstead England in 1983 and Dinard France in 1985 Bred by Hermann Hahl in Osterbruch Lower Saxony Deister was by Diskant out of Adlerklette by Adlerschild stood 171cms high and had the heart of a lion Deisters European medal
haul also included team gold at Munich in 1981 team silver in Rotterdam in 1979 and team bronze at both Hickstead in 1983 and Dinard in 1985 Despite his incredibly active career the hardy Deister who was born in February 1971 lived to the ripe old age of 29
MR SOFTEE - The closest challenger to Deister for the title of Champion of the Europeans is the Irish-bred Mr Softee - a three-time winner but with two different riders Mr Softee enjoyed a hugely success-ful career with David Broome However it was with another Briton David Barker that the chestnut horse with four white legs took the individual European ti-tle for the first time in London in 1962 This was then followed up with David Broomersquos victory in Rotter-dam in 1967 and in Hickstead in 1969 Broome once said that like many other top horses Mr Softee had a big opinion of himself - He thought he was a king - and he was right
Believe it or nothellip
bull Itwasonlyin1975thatwomenwere permittedtocompetealongsidemenin theEuropeanJumpingChampionshipsprior tothistherehadbeentheLadiesEuropean JumpingChampionshipsheldfrom1957- 1973
bull Only2womenhaveeverwonthe FEIEuropeanChampionshipsFrancersquos AlexandraLedermannin1999and MeredithMichaels-Beerbaum(GER) in2007
bull Germanyledthegoldtallywith20 medals(14individualamp6team)double theamountofrunnerupGreatBritainon 10(6individualand4team)
FeI eUroPeaN
JUMPINGChaMPIoNshIPs
13-18 September 2011
Madrid (SPAIN)
19FOCUS
LIVE coverage on
Rotterdam gets set to host the 25th edition of the FEI European Dressage Championships for the first time and only the second time for the Netherlands (Arnhem 1999) The FEI European Dressage Championships take place every two years in the middle of the Olympic cycle and have been held since 1963
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERS
Team ndash The Netherlands
Individual ndash Kuumlr to MusicEdward Gal (NED) amp Moorlands Totilas
Individual ndash Grand Prix SpecialAdelinde Cornelissen (NED) amp Jerich Parzival
OLyMPIC qUALIFICATIONThe 3 best ranked nations from Groups A B amp C at the 2011 FEI European Dressage Championships (exclud-ing the teams already qualified at WEG) will be quali-fied to take part with a team consisting of 3 athletes amp 3 horses
THE WIND OF CHANGEFor 21 consecutive Championships from 1965 to 2005 (no team title awarded in 1963) the Germans held the European title but the last two editions have seen an upset to that tradition with the Netherlands clenching gold In 2009 the Dutch domination was particularly strong with five out of six individual med-als awarded to Dutch riders and the sixth going to British rider Laura Bechtolsheimer
IN MEMORy OF HENRI CHAMMARTIN (SUI)At the time of writing a legend in the Dressage world Henri Chammartin (SUI) passed away at the age of 92 An Olympic and European Dressage champion Henri Chammartin won the first two editions of the
FEI European Championships in 1963 and 1965 riding Wolfdiedtrich and competed in five consecutive edi-tions of the Olympic Games ndash Helsinki 1952 Stock-holm 1956 Rome 1960 Tokyo 1964 and Mexico 1968 ndash winning a total of five Olympic medals includ-ing Olympic champion in 1964
RECORD BREAKINGhellip In 2009 the formidable partnership of The Nether-lands Edward Gal and Moorlands Totilas smashed the world Freestyle record before a packed house with Windsor Castle standing proudly as a backdrop when scoring 9070 (including an unbelievable 29 perfect-10 scores) to win the Freestyle gold medal
Believe it or nothellip
bull GermanyhaswontheEuropeanDressage TeamTitleon21occasions
bull Thegreatestnumberofteamstoparticipate inEuropeanDressageChampionshipsis 14-atHickstead(GBR)in2003andagainat Hagen(GER)in2005
bull GermanysDrReinerKlimkewonthreeindi vidualtitles-atAachenin1967ridingDux andagainin1973ridingMehmedandat Copenhagenin1985ridingAhlerich
bull WithGigoloGermanysIsabellWerthtook theindividualtitlein1995and1997and wontheGrandPrixSpecialatDonaueschingen Germanyin1991andatLipicaSloveniain 1993
bull AnkyvanGrunsvenhasthreewinstoher namendashin1999withBonfirefollowedbythe backtobackwinswithSalineroin2005and 2007
17-21 August 2011
Rotterdam Netherland
FeI eUroPeaN
DressaGeChaMPIoNshIPs
20
LIVE coverage on
These are the second FEI European Para-Equestrian Dressage Championships to be held since Para-Equestrian joined the FEI Family in 2006 Para-Equestrian Dressage has been a regular fixture at the Paralympic Games since 1996 The first FEI European Para-Equestrian Dressage Championships were held in southern Norwegian town of Kristiansand in 2009 with a total of 78 ath-letes from 22 countries participating
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERS
Team Great Britain
Grade Ia Individual - Sophie Christiansen (GBR) Freestyle - Emma Sheardown (GBR)
Grade Ib Individual amp Freestyle Lee Pearson (GBR)
Grade II Individual - Petra Van der Sande (NED) Freestyle - Angelika Trabert (GER)
Grade III Individual amp Freestyle
Hannelore Brenner (GER)
Grade IV Individual amp Freestyle Sophie Wells (GBR)
The mobility strength and coordination of competi-tors are assessed and athletes with similar functional ability profiles are grouped into competition grades that range from Grade Ia for the most severely im-paired to Grade IV for the least impaired This means that the competition within each Grade can be judged on the skill of the individual competitors on their horses regardless of their disabilities
CLUB qUADRILLEMoorsele has been host to a regular international Para-Equestrian Dressage events for the past few years with the Club Quadrille as organiser The Club Quadrille was founded in 1981 by Anne Van Neste-dIeteren Belgian Dressage Champion from 1977 un-til 1982 current President of the Belgian Paralympic Committee and member of the FEI Para-Equestrian committee It is a unique sports club that works with both able bodied and disabled athletes and is active in the promotion and education of the sport As member of the honorary IPC Board Her Royal Highness (HRH) Princess Astrid of Belgium has been a fervent supporter of the event and has attended on many occasions
Believe it or nothellip
bull LeePearson(GBR)haswoneverygold medalwithinreachatParalympicWorld andContinentallevelandtheEuropeans in2009werenodifferentwithanother triplegoldvictory
bull GreatBritainalsohavetheMidastouch whenitcomestoteammedalsndashandarethe currentParalympicWorldandEuropean titleholders
bull In2009Germanycamecloserthanever totakingthegoldmedalfromall-time championGreatBritain
1-4 September 2011
Moorsele Belgium
FeI eUroPeaN
Para-eqUestrIaNDressaGeChaMPIoNshIPs
21FOCUS
A record number of fans are expected to attend the HSBC FEI European Eventing Championships as they return to Luhmuumlhlen for the fifth time to mark the 30th edition of the ChampionshipsThe FEI European Eventing Championships take place every two years in the middle of the Olympic cycle and have been held since 1953
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERSTeam ndash Great BritainIndividual ndash Kristina CookMiners Frolic (GBR)
OLyMPIC qUALIFICATIONThe 2 best ranked nations from Groups A B amp C at the 2011 HSBC FEI European Eventing Champion-ships (excluding the teams already qualified at WEG) will be qualified to take part with a team consisting of 3 athletes amp 3 horses
THE VENUELuhmuumlhlen one of only six 4 events on the interna-tional Eventing calendar and part of the prestigious HSBC FEI Classicstrade series will greet Europersquos best athletes with a fresh look and feel this year following extensive renovation to the existing infrastructures The recently renovated showground includes three Dressage and two Jumping arenas a tribune able to seat 850 spectators with spectacular views as well as a newly designed entrance including six ticket box facilities and fully catered trade stands The show-ground also boasts an open air stage with space for up to 15000 spectators ldquoI am confident that the in-vestment in the infrastructure will be of great benefit to all involved whether you are a volunteer a groom an athlete ndash both the horses and the riders - as well as for the sponsors guests spectators and the fans We are re-ally looking forward to great competitions this year at both the CCI4CIC3 in June and at the Europeans in August and hope many will join us to witness this historic momentrdquo Julia Otto Event Director Luhmuumlhlen
HSBCHSBC has renewed their sponsorship for a further three-year term as global sponsor of FEI Eventing to include title sponsorships of the HSBC FEI European Eventing Championships in both 2011 and 2013 and the HSBC FEI Classicstrade until the end of 2013
OFFICIAL TIMEPIECE Rolex the leading name in luxury wrist watches will be the Official Timekeeper for the HSBC FEI European Eventing Championships 2011
Believe it or nothellip
bull GinnyElliot(bornHolgate)theonlyrider towinthreesuccessiveindividualtitlesand IanStarkholdthejointrecordforEuropean goldmedalswonndashseveneachbutLucinda Greenstillhasthemostmedals(10)
bull SupremeRockriddenbyPippaFunnell (GBR)istheonlyhorsetowinback-to-back titles(in1999and2001)hehasfour Europeangoldmedalsintotalequalingthe recordofKilbarryThePoacherandOver ToYouwhowonarecordfourconsecutive Europeanteamgolds(1999-2005)
bull PrincessAnneandZaraPhillipsaretheonly mother-daughtercombinationtowin Europeantitles(1971and2005)
bull GreatBritainhaveheldtheEuropeantitle forthepast8consecutiveChampionships (since1995)Andofthe29editionstodate (startingin1953)theteamhavewona whopping21
25-28 August 2011
Luhmuumlhlen Germany
hsBC FeI eUroPeaN
eVeNtINGChaMPIoNshIPs LIVE coverage on
22
In September Breda Hippique in The Netherlands will be host to the seventh edition of the FEI Euro-pean Driving Championships for Four-in-Hand not held since 1981 This edition is open to both Euro-pean and non-European drivers and will also count as a qualifier for the indoor FEI World Cuptrade Driv-ing which is held during the winter season Only competitors from Europe can claim the individual and team medalsThe FEI European Driving Championships for Four-in-Hand were first held in 1971 in Budapest and continued to be held every two years until 1981 at which stage they were discontinued
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERSTeam ndash HungaryIndividual ndash Gyoumlrgyi Bardos (HUN)
SOMETHING IN THE WATERhellip Hungary have won five out of six available team European titles and on the individual front two Hungarians stand out from the crowd Imre Abony ndash individual winner in 1971 and 1975 and Gyoumlrgyi Bardos triple consecutive winner in 1977 1979 1981
IN THE BEGINNINGhellipThe first European Championships took place in Budapest in 1971 and moved on to Windsor in Great Britain in 1973 Sopot in Poland in 1975 Donauesch-ingen in Germany in 1977 and in Haras du Pin in France in 1979 The sixth and last edition took place in 1981 in Zug Switzerland
THE VENUEBreda has hosted the only Nations competition (CAIO) for Four-in-Hand horses in The Netherlands for many years In 1995 Breda hosted the first FEI European Driving Championships for Four-in-Hand ponies and in 2010 was host to the FEI World Para-Equestrian Driving Championships Aside from the four-in-hand teams Breda will also host international pony teams and national horse pairs at the event this year
Believe it or nothellip
bull Hungaryhavewonfiveoutofsixteamgold titles
bull AugusteDubeyfromSwitzerlandwasthe onlynon-HungarianEuropeanChampion hewontheChampionshipsin1973
bull PrincePhilipFEIPresidentfrom1964- 1986whocelebratedhis90thbirhtday inJuneisanavidfanofDrivingandpartici- patedinsixWorldandthreeEuropean Championships
1-4 September 2011
Breda Netherland
FeI eUroPeaN
DrIVINGChaMPIoNshIPsfor FoUr-IN-haND
Note At the time of writing the FEI European DrivingChampionships for Four in Hand was pending approvalby the FEI Bureau
23FOCUS
The 14th edition of the FEI European Endurance Championships return to Florac in France twenty five years after the inaugural event was held there The FEI European Endurance Championships first took place in 1984 and were immediately followed up by a second edition in 1985 and have since been held every two years They have always been open to the world with two sets of medals presented ndash open and European
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERSTeam ndash SpainIndividual ndash Maria Alvarez Ponton amp Nobby
RECORD BREAKINGCurrent title holder Maria Alvarez Ponton amp super horse Nobby is the first rider to hold European and World titles at the same time She will be looking to confirm her stronghold on the sport following her second consecutive World title with a second con-secutive European title in Florac a feat no rider has managed to achieve at the Europeans to date
THE VET GATEModern competitions consist of a number of sec-tions known as lsquophasesrsquo At the end of each phase there is a compulsory halt for veterinary inspection Each horse which is thoroughly examined before it is allowed to start the ride must be presented for inspection within a set time of reaching each vetgate The time spent at each vetgate prior to inspection by the vets is counted as part of the overall competition time and the aim is to determine whether the horse is fit to continue the ride
THE SUPPORT CREWA vital part of Endurance riding is the support crew Riders are assisted by a team of helpers who meet them several times over the ride bringing bottles of water to pour over the horse to cool it down as well as a drink for the rider Crews also have spare equipment in case something breaks down or needs replacing
Believe it or nothellip
bull TheFrenchhavethemedaledgewith6 individualand4teamgoldmedalsfrom the14editionsheld
bull Floracistheonlyvenuetohostthe EuropeanChampionshipstwice(thefirst editionin1984andtheupcomingedition in2011)
bull EnduranceisthefastestgrowingFEI disciplinefrom2000to2010thenumber ofinternationaleventshavemultipliedby10
10 September 2011
Florac France
FeI eUroPeaN
eNDUraNCeChaMPIoNshIPs
24
Reem Acra Boutique 14 East 60th St New York New York 10022 2123088760 wwwreemacracom
356935B2_RA_brochure2_souvenir_programmeindd 1 82710 1012 AM
Vaulting became an FEI discipline in 1983 and saw its first FEI European Championship organised just one year later in the town of Ebreichsdorf in Austria This 15th edition of the Championship ndash which also includes the European Juniors competition return to France for the 4th time but for the first time in the world renowned venue of Le Mans famous for its 24 hour race
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERS
Team ndash Austria
Individual malelongeurhorseNicolas Andreani (FRA)Marina Joosten DuponIdefix de Braize
Individual femalelongeurhorseJoanna Eccles (GBR)John EcclesWH Bentley
THE WIND OF CHANGEGermany and Switzerland have traditionally bat-tled for the team title (Germany has 7 gold versus Switzerlandrsquos 5) but in 2009 Austria who had come second on four occasions since the inception of the Championships in 1984 finally climbed onto the top spot of the podium and claimed the title In terms of the individual performances Germany had the stronghold on the male category winning 11 out of 14 gold medals But again in 2009 France the only other country to have ever beaten a German male vaulter at the Europeans made it to the top spot of the podium for only the third time since the Championships began
Similarly with the female vaulters it was an all German domination until 2007 when Austriarsquos Sissi Jarz claimed gold followed by Joanna Eccles (GBR) in 2009 ndash leaving Germany off the top step of the podium entirely in 2009
GREAT BRITAIN ndash A VAULTING NATIONhellip Times have definitely changed from the Swiss German domination with current World and European titles held by Great Britainrsquos Joanna Eccles She was the first British vaulter (male or female) to claim a medal at the Europeans ndash let alone a gold medal - and then went on to secure the world title in Kentucky last year
Believe it or nothellip
bull TheonlycountryotherthanGermanyand SwitzerlandtohaveclaimedaEuropean VaultingtitleisSlovakiain2005
bull ChristophLensing(GER)holdsthemale medalrecordndashwiththreegold(19891993 amp1995)aswellassilverin1991
bull NadiaZuumllowandSilkeMichelberger (formerlyBernhard)withthreegoldmedals each
16-21 August 2011
Le Mans France
FeI eUroPeaN
VaULtINGChaMPIoNshIPs
26
This is only the fifth edition of the European Reining Championships since the discipline joined the FEI in 2000 and the first time they will be held in Austria The event also includes the FEI European Champi-onships for Juniors and Young Riders ndash a formula introduced in 2009 in Kreuth (GER) which proved to be a multigenerational success The FEI European Reining Championships take place every two years and have been held since 2003
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERSTeam ndash GermanyIndividual ndash Nina Lill (GER) riding Lena Cielo Jewel
THE JUDGINGReining horses are judged individually Each horse au-tomatically begins the required pattern with a score of 70 One or frac12 points are given or taken away for each manoeuvre Credit is given for smoothness fi-nesse attitude quickness and authority Controlled speed in the pattern raises the level of difficulty and makes the reining horse exciting to watch
Believe it or nothellip
bull ItalyandGermanyaretheonlytwonations tohavewongoldmedalsndashGermanyhas3 teamgoldand2individualgoldversus Italyrsquossingleteamgoldandtwoindividual gold
bull GermanyrsquosNinaLillwinnerin2009was thefirstwomantotaketheindividualtitle sincetheChampionshipsbeganin2003
bull OlympicWorldandEuropeanDressage ChampionAnkyVanGrunsven(NED) competedattheAlltechFEIWorldEques- trianGamestradein2010inbothDressageand hellipReining
bull 13nationswerescheduledtoattendthe Championshipatthetimeofwritingthe largestparticipationbycountryever recordedfortheEuropeans
26-30 July 2011
Wiener Neustadt Austria
FeI eUroPeaN
reININGChaMPIoNshIPs
27FOCUS
ldquoThirty-one yearsrsquo experience comes in handy some-timesrdquo joked the ever-relaxed Todd who was a leg-end by the time he ldquoretiredrdquo in 2000 with back-to-back Olympic golds five Burghley wins two world gold medals and three Badminton victories one on a horse he had never ridden before ldquoIt is incredibly special though right up there with the back-to-back Olympic golds When I came back to the sport (in 2008) it was to see if I could get back to top level It has always been my aim to win another big onerdquo
A World class meeting of Generations
The 2011 HSBC FEI Classicstrade could not have got off to a more epic start with wins at Badminton and Kentucky by two of the sportrsquos most enduring personalitiesThe 55-year-old New Zealander Mark Todd rolled back the years to score a fourth victory at the Gloucestershire venue 31 years after his first attempt in 1980
By Kate Green
28
HSBC FEI ClassicsTm
The resurgence of so much experienced talent makes it harder for younger riders to work their way up the leaderboard but 29-year-old Sinead Halpin (USA) had a spectacular CCI4 debut at Kentucky finish-ing third and best of the home side in distinguished company This achievement earned her the HSBC Training Bursary worth US$1000 towards training a prestigious and valuable award presented to the rider who achieves the best result on completing a CCI4 for the first time
The bursary winner at Badminton Fiona Hobby (GBR) 39 has had a rather longer wait to complete
her first CCI4 ndash she was 26th on Roma ML ndash but she has in the meantime produced two children had a career as a sports therapist and only switched from Jumping to Eventing relatively recently Hobby has vowed to spend the money on dressage train-ing ldquoRoma couldnrsquot believe it when she arrived in the arena and saw all those people but she was great across country really focussed Irsquom delightedrdquo
For Germanyrsquos Sandra Auffarth Luhmuumlhlen pro-vided an outstanding CCI4 debut on Opgun Louvo a young horse she has produced herself coming second and picking up the HSBC Training Bursary and the exciting prospect of a possible place in the squad for the forthcoming HSBC FEI European Event-ing Championship at Luhmuumlhlen (25-28 August) at which Germany as host nation will be entitled to field 12 riders
Last yearrsquos HSBC Training Bursary winners include Stephanie Rhodes-Bosch (CAN) who went on to win a team silver medal at the Alltech FEI World Equestri-an Gamestrade Lauren Shannon (GBR) who finished 17th at Badminton this year and Giovanni Ugolotti (ITA) who is furthering his career by basing himself in Brit-ain for the season and having lessons with Mark Todd
LIVE coverage and extensive highlights available on
Toddrsquos winning mount the 10-year-old NZB Land Vision was a green horse for this level and he fin-ished the Cross-Country phase tired but his rider kept his cool in an extraordinarily tight finish in which the price of one Jumping fence covered the top 12 riders any of whom could with a bit of luck have won the Mitsubishi Motors Trophy ldquoIn the end it came down to horse-power and Irsquove obviously got a good one hererdquo said Todd ldquoCharisma (his double Olympic gold medallist) will always be the most special horse but this one has no weak linksrdquo
As is the nature of the sport Toddrsquos lead in the HSBC FEI Classicstrade didnrsquot last long ndash he came down to earth with a bump the following weekend with a Cross-Country run-out on NZB Grass Valley his ride at the Rolex Kentucky Three Day Event (USA) and 49- year-old Mary King (GBR) stole the head-lines with a record one-two on Kings Mis-tress and Fernhill Urco It was Kingrsquos first CCI4 victory for 11 years ndash she has won Badminton twice and Burghley once ndash but she certainly smashed a few re-cords with this one She became the first rider to score a one-two at Kentucky the first in modern times to win a CCI4 on a home-bred horse and the oldest female to win a CCI4
King who has six team gold medals at World and European level plus competed at five consecutive Olympics had the luxury of knowing she had already won the event on the inexperienced 10-year-old Fernhill Urco a horse bred in Portugal by the time she entered the arena on Kings Mistress but she still produced a second clear round ldquoI never dreamed that I would be in this position and Irsquom enjoying the momentrdquo said the ever-smiling King ldquoIt was great to have the feeling of having already won on Fernhill Urco but I still wanted desperately to go clear on Kings Mistress as it is so special to win on a horse I bred myselfrdquo It was also an all clear from Germanyrsquos Andreas Dibowski and Euroriding Butts Leon in order to secure victory at the fourth leg of the HSBC FEItrade
Classicstrade in Luhmuumlhlen presented by EON Avacon
29FOCUS
The Danish-American actorpoet musician photographerand painter has been around horses most of his life from riding Hasufel and Brego in The Lord of the Rings trilogy to early childhood memories in Argentina his passion for floating as he describes it has never wavered
What is it about the horse that makes you a horse loverWe get along generally I respect their strength and their personal space Your first riding experience ndash was it bliss or terrorLike floating like being on a warm and floating mountain I remember being happy Do you think anyone can rideYes It is a question of allowing yourself to ride of allowing yourself to cooperate and not be in total control Children are more adept at figuring this out letting things happen without getting impatient or scared just as they are braver and less self-conscious about pronouncing new words or singing Anyone at any age or in any physical condition can
Viggo Mortensen
achieve a degree of success and satisfaction with horses even if it is just a question of touching them being near them If horses could talk what would they be sayingYou will know if you listen and watch them Is there a unique trait you look for in a horse that you canrsquot find in peopleThey are more patient and less apt to complain about lifersquos setbacks and physical ailments than most people I admire a tough smart horse what-ever its breed age or size What would you miss most if you could no longer go ridingThe companionship and the floating perhaps also the abandonment of usual daily worries that relaxed riding requires Whatrsquos your usual riding outfit consist ofAnything will do Loose-fitting clothes and good comfortable boots are a plus but not vital I have even ridden barefoot ndash naturally taking care to avoid being stepped on when not on the horse - but I do not recommend this to anyone The most important thing is to have a clear and focused mind to be THERE at all times when around horses and NOWHERE ELSE Sugar lumps or carrotsIrsquove been guilty of offering an occasional apple or carrot although it is best not to give horses anything special unless treats are part of training them for special tricks or stunts a pursuit best left to experts like master horse trainer Rex Peterson whom Irsquove had the good fortune to work with and study quite a bit Treats spoil horses and do not keep the animal focused on the task at hand Whatrsquos your favourite part of a horseThe brain What do you think young people gain from ridingSelf-confidence and an understanding of the value of cooperation
30
Why the long face
When did you first develop the bond with the horseThe first time I got on one as a little boy in ArgentinaYou either develop a bond of some kind or you fall off Of course you may even fall off if you develop the bond but you have to start (and restart) somewhere
Did your friends ride My brothers also rode and I have ridden with many kinds of people over the years ndash some good and patient with horses and some not If I had not rid-den as a boy I would probably have been wandering around fishing imagining I was a cowboy or an Indian or a Viking ndash which I did anyway Where in the world would you most like to rideMost anywhere will do but I have been extremely lucky to have ridden in many wide-open wild places ndash deserts grassy plains mountains by different seas and rivers in Argentina New Zealand North Africa and North America If you could spend one afternoon riding with a famous person (past or present)who would it be and whyIrsquoll give you 3 Oglala chief Tasunke Witko (Crazy Horse) my ancestor William F Cody or any real Gaucho from the province of Chaco Argentina
Two horses go out for dinner what kindof restaurant do they chooseLate spring grass near a slow-moving clean river with a gentle firm shoreline an hour before sun-down far from any people or other animals All time favourite horse filmI have a subjective soft spot for the stories and real horses involved in the making of ldquoHidalgordquo and the 2nd and 3rd installments of ldquoThe Lord Of The Ringsrdquo trilogy but I admire other ldquohorse moviesrdquo as wellThe 1953 French movie ldquoCrin-Blancrdquo (ldquoWhite Manerdquo) directed by Albert Lamorisse is a personal favourite
After three years at the head of the successful French Jumping team with back to back FEI Nations Cuptrade titles and a silver medal at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade Laurent Elias is moving on to new spheres with the French Horse amp Riding Institute where he will be training the riders of the National Riding School in Saumur
Laurent Elias
copy C
hris
toph
e Br
icot
32
The other side of
If I had not become a professional rider I would havehellipmade a career in a humanitarian organisation Horse riding is sometimes too trivial
My priority in life ishellipto be able to look at myself in the mirror in the morning and make sure I am at peace with my conscience
My familyhellipkeeps me grounded My wife helped me a lot when I was in charge of selections for France She took charge of my personal life and was the first person I called when we got the medal in Lexington I also admire my parents for the values they passed on to me
I remember my first ridingexperiencehellipaged six we were shooting a family film and I was on horseback I finished upside down under my horse for a long time I stopped riding for one year
I used to dream abouthellipsafaris One of my uncles was passionate about safaris Through him I became very interested in African trips and the jobs that allow you to travel as a reporter were fascinating to me as well
I have been thinking a lot abouthellipwhat happened in Japan these past few months First this tsunami that devastated everything without warning then the nuclear disaster It made me think that progress should not be destructive
My horse Gueacutenourhellipchanged my life I was just a coach and he brought me to the top I won the national championship in 1981 with him
My biggest challengehas always beenhellipshyness Horse riding has really helped me over-come it Horses brought me on stage and there I had to meet people
As a Chef dEquipehellipthere is no single defining achievement itrsquos all about the solidarity and the moments spent together as a team Irsquoll never forget the first time Penelope Leprevost rode her mare Jubileacutee drsquoOuilly in the FEI Nations Cuptrade of Rotterdam McLain Ward had just completed a real fast run with Sapphire We thought the Americans would win but she did it faster and beat Sapphire
In terms of eventshellipAachen is my favourite competition - for its won-derful organisation But we have also pretty good five star competitions in France
I donrsquot sleep muchhellipprobably because I am just happy to be alive
Irsquom not scared to laugh or cryhellipI laugh at the funny situations we sometimes find ourselves in life and enjoy people with quirky personalities I cry when I see others in pain
Laurent Elias and the French team en route to the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade copy PSV-Jean Morel
33FOCUS
Nicolas TheacutevenazAged 23 studies Robotics and Autonomous Systems Micro Engineering in Lausanne (SUI) alongside regular training and competition in Dressage and Para-Equestrian Dressage events Born with spastic diplegia Nicolas was introduced to horses via hippotherapy aged seven and quickly developed a passion for riding which not only helped with his physical condition but also taught him through Dressage the art of patience and perseverance
34
One day
Nicolas TheacutevenazAged 23 studies Robotics and Autonomous Systems Micro Engineering in Lausanne (SUI) alongside regular training and competition in Dressage and Para-Equestrian Dressage events Born with spastic diplegia Nicolas was introduced to horses via hippotherapy aged seven and quickly developed a passion for riding which not only helped with his physical condition but also taught him through Dressage the art of patience and perseverance
He has been fortunate to meet the right people (and horses) at the right time and has been working for the past five years with trainer Vicky-Eileen Baumann (pictured right) and her horses Magic and Lady (pictured right) ldquoShersquos bred them and knows them inside out which is very useful when I have to communicate with them - they know my voice intonations and a whole string of specific words or sounds ndash which really helps as my body canrsquot or doesnrsquot always have the strength to do sordquo
As a Grade II Para-Equestrian rider Nicolas competes in Para-Equestrian Dressage (PED) events as well as national events for able bodied riders as there are only a handful of PED riders and no events in Switzerland
Unable to attend the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade 2010 in Kentucky last year Nicolas and Vicky have their sights firmly set on the 2012 Para-lympic Games and will be looking to qualify with Lady over the next 12 months ndash alongside exams studies and everything else life has to offerhellip Who is your role model For different reasons I have different role mod-els Edward Gal Dane Rawlins Isabel Werth and Catherine Haddad
When did you start riding and why At age 7 I was sat on a horse for hippotherapy and liked the complicity with the horse which made me want to discover more
How do you feel when you ride Concentrated and industrious
Who is your biggest fan My trainerrsquos mum
Complete this sentenceOne day I would like tohellip have gained enough knowledge to be able to take care of and train my own horse
What are your long term goals as a rider Continue to do my best to enjoy what I do and show others itrsquos possible
How do you juggle studies and competition I think itrsquos really important to have goals and to do everything you can to achieve them and that includes taking on challenges because if you donrsquot try then yoursquoll never know what you could have achieved
What is your proudest achievement to date Participation in international events together with pursuing my studies
How do you feel after winning Still working towards discovering the feeling
What is the best advice anyone has ever given youMy trainer often repeats to me the famous saying by General LrsquoHotte ldquoCalme en avant droitrdquo which says so much about riding but can also be applied to so many other aspects of life
35FOCUS
What advice would you give someone looking to get involved in Para-Equestrian Dressage Train and ride with able-bodied athletes as often as possible Being around and working with horses is so rewarding Irsquod like - when Irsquom retired - to write a book to share these feelings with others and hope this will inspire them to get involved
Complete this sentenceIn the future I would like the sport to beeven ldquocleanerrdquo and fairer and if possible not more but less demanding on the horses
ldquoLast but not least Irsquod like to take the opportunity of this article to reach out to those who give me their trust and help be it with their time their friendship and any type of support Day after day to year after year team work is essential and Irsquoll do my best to continue deserving every-onersquos encouraging smilesrdquo
European Broadcasting Union
Union Europeacuteenne de Radio-Teacuteleacutevision
+41 (0)22 717 2111 wwweurovisionnet
We bring the event to your home
Eurovision
copy K
it H
ough
ton
FE
I
FEI_08_A4indd 1 03012008 162238
European Broadcasting Union
Union Europeacuteenne de Radio-Teacuteleacutevision
+41 (0)22 717 2111 wwweurovisionnet
We bring the event to your home
Eurovision
copy K
it H
ough
ton
FE
I
FEI_08_A4indd 1 03012008 162238
Nominations for the FEI Awards opened in May enabling the global equestrian com-munity to once again reward outstanding dedication to horse sport in five categories ndash Development Best Groom Against All Odds Rising Star and Best Athlete The search for the equestrian heroes of 2011 is now on who will be flown to Rio de Janeiro Brazil to receive their awards
Where are they now The FEI asked the current title-holders for an update on their activities
Follow us on
38
FEI Awards 2011
Ebony Horse Club (GBR)Winner of the Alltech FEI DevelopmentAward 2010
The Ebony Horse Club announced in December 2010 that after an eight-year fundraising effort it had the pound14 million necessary for building an equestrian cen-tre in one of Londonrsquos most deprived boroughs Since 1996 Ebony has offered youngsters in an area reput-ed for its gang culture high level of gun crime and drug dealing the chance to ride and learn key social skills The clubrsquos 50 members travel to riding schools across London on public transport or in minibuses ndash a logistical headache that the inner-city equestrian centre will end Construction work began in February
Ebony Horse Club founder and director Ros Spear-ing told the FEI ldquoRiding lessons are continuing and the club is preparing for the transitionrdquo Building will finish on 7 July but the centre will open for riding lessons in October ldquoThe horses will be brought to Brixton in the summer and will have time to acclimatise to their new environmentrdquo Spearing said The centre will include stabling for nine horses a small paddock and a flood-lit riding arena as well as a classroom for learning about horses and equine management Spearing is adamant that club members ndash present and future ndash care for their rides and wants the centre to serve as a stepping stone to careers in the horse industry
Ebonyrsquos existence will continue to depend on the generosity of donors For more information visit wwwebonyhorsecluborguk
Michelle Tipper (GBR)Winner of the FEI Best Groom Award 2010
Michelle Tipper has continued to juggle grooming and study since receiving her FEI Award in Novem-ber She has organised the grooms for the British European Junior and Young Dressage teams and in April her contract as a travelling groom for British Dressage riders Paul and Bobby Hayler took her to Addington for the first of many international com-petitions she will work at this year The Haylers have eight horses competing and the number she works with at each venue varies Tipper has also been help-ing British Dressage riders Nicky and Richard Barrett with yard duties ldquoI feel very lucky to work for both of these familiesrdquo said the FEI Best Groom Award win-ner adding that she feels part of the two families In March Tipper graduated from university with a Masters in Sport Psychology She is now working towards British Association of Sport and Exercise Science accreditation which requires at least 500 hoursrsquo supervised work experience and is present-ing sport psychology workshops in conjunction with the company Inside Performance Consulting Limit-ed (wwwinside-performancecom) The workshops are organised internationally for people of all ages from any sport To find out more contact Tipper at michelletipper1979yahoocom
39FOCUS
Michelle Tipper ndash copyWilliam TzengAward winners ndash copyWilliam TzengCaroline Roffman ndash copySharonPackercomEbony Horse Club ndash copyEbony Horse ClubEdward Gal and Totilas ndash copyKit HoughtonFEIAngelika Trabert ndash copyJulia Rau
Angelika Trabert (GER)Winner of the FEI Against All Odds Award 2010
German Para-Dressage rider Angelika Trabert has represent-ed her country at four Paralympic Games and won some 15 medals at national European and world championships She is currently seeking a new home for Londria the mare that con-tributed to her Team Silver medal win at the Hong Kong Para-lympics Londria who had a foal last year was also Trabertrsquos ride during her medal-winning performances at the European Championships in Hungary (2005) and Norway (2009)
Trabert said her decision to let go of Londria was hard to make but was necessary for financial reasons She will keep the foal Finaud Coquin and her mares Walmorel and Ariva-Avanti Trabert won the Para-Dressage Grade 2 Freestyle Champion-ship at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade with Ariva and said the horse was ldquowell and ready to go for the Europeans again in Belgium in September if we qualifyrdquo Trabert competed in her first international competition of 2011 in May in Man-nheim Germany where she came first in the Grade II indi-vidual and second in the freestyle She is taking part in the German Championships in June
Away from the equestrian world Trabert works as an anaes-thetist and has participated in medical missions in the rural ar-eas of Guinea for the organisation Mango In January she was back in Guinea as part of team that carried out 100 operations in 13 days wwwangelika-trabertde
Visit the recently refreshed FEI Awards website to find out more about the Awards the pastwinners the judges and to make yournominationsby 31 July
wwwfeiawardsorg
40
Caroline Roffman (USA)Winner of the HSBC FEI Rising StarAward 2010
Success continues to smile on twenty-two-year-old American Dressage rider Caroline Roffman Since re-ceiving the HSBC FEI Rising Star Award she has en-joyed numerous wins at small tour and young horse levels achieving scores in the mid-eighties and quali-fying two horses for the young horse championships
Roffman is currently showing six horses and has won several classes at PSG and Grand Prix level ldquoBut nothing is as exciting as to be going to Aachenrdquo said the young woman who has been described as the American Dressage communityrsquos brightest hope ex-plaining that at the FEI Awards ceremony in Chinese Taipei Frank Kemperman FEI Dressage Committee Chair and Chairman of the Managing Board at CHIO Aachen (GER) invited her to take part in the pres-tigious event Roffman will be the first American to compete in the Under 25 Grand Prix there and is hop-ing to take her horse Lux Stensvang
An interview with Caroline Roffman at the Palm Beach Dressage Derby CDI will be broadcast on the magazine programme Equestrian World on FEI TV the FEIrsquos official online video platform wwwfeitvorg
Edward Gal and Totilas (NED)Winners of the Reem Acra FEI Best Athlete Award 2010
The world-famous partnership of Dutch Dressage rider Edward Gal and the extraordinary Totilas ended in style in 2010 with notably three gold medal wins at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade
The first foal sired by the superstar stallion was born in January followed by two more in the spring Gal who has admired the foals told the FEI ldquoYou never know ndash maybe in a few yearsrsquo time Irsquoll have another Totilas readyrdquo At the beginning of April he was busy at home training nine horses and preparing for the Reem Acra FEI World Cuptrade Dressage Final in Leipzig and the European Championships in Rotterdam He had not yet decided which horses he was going to compete with but was particularly looking forward to the Freestyle to Music Asked what it was like to compete without Totilas Gal said ldquoEverybody ex-pected Totilas to win I find it easier to ride other horses because nobody expects me to win and when I do itrsquos really nicerdquo
41FOCUS
globetrotter
Seal of approval for the Adai horseSixty years have passed since an Adai horse reportedly set a record galloping 354km in one day Today the Adai horse a breed na-tive to Kazakhstan is back in the spotlight with a gold medal at the FEI Central Asian Endurance Championship in Talgaearlier in May only months after having been award-ed official pedigree status following tests
conducted by a State Commission in the Mangistau Steppes which allowed itto compete internationally The horses are cherished for their hardiness and Oyly ridden by Altyngali Bissemaganbetov (KAZ) proved just that when crossing the finishing line first demonstrating just how tough the Adai horses are and the beginning of a new era for sturdy breed on the international stage
Equestrian Australia Sport
Achievement Awards
In May the best of the best in
Equestrian sport gathered to cel-
ebrate the achievements of Austral-
iarsquos athletes coaches officials vets
administrators owners volunteers
and the many other people that
dedicate their time and enthusiasm
to equestrian sport The ceremony
also included the introduction of
Equestrian Australiarsquos Hall of
Fame won by the legendary Bill
Roycroft Boyd Exell winner of
the FEI World CupTM Driving
Final was awarded the interna-
tional athlete of the year
award
Kevin Stautbecomes first athlete representative on FEI
executive board
Kevin Staut one of Francersquos most successful Jumping riders became the first athlete to be appointed to the FEI Executive Board for a three-year term Staut (31) who has held the number one spot in the Rolex Rankings for Jumping since July 2010 has ridden on numerous Nations Cup teams for France and claimed individual gold at the Alltech FEI European Jumping Championships in 2009
HulA CARTSWorld Horse Welfare has greatly helped the liv
es of
five Senegalese cart horse owners by presenting them
with new Hula Carts The local people who depend on
their working horses for their livelihoods were specially
selected by the charity to receive the carts which have
been sponsored by members of the public in the uK
The Hula Carts are specifically developed to help the
horses pulling heavy loads in often difficult conditions
Equestrian Australia Sport
Achievement Awards
In May the best of the best in
Equestrian sport gathered to cel-
ebrate the achievements of Austral-
iarsquos athletes coaches officials vets
administrators owners volunteers
and the many other people that
dedicate their time and enthusiasm
to equestrian sport The ceremony
also included the introduction of
Equestrian Australiarsquos Hall of
Fame won by the legendary Bill
Roycroft Boyd Exell winner of
the FEI World CupTM Driving
Final was awarded the interna-
tional athlete of the year
award
Olympic legendBill Roycroft passes away aged 96
A legend of Equestrian sport in Australia James William
George Roycroft OBE known as ldquoBillrdquo was one of Austral-
iarsquos greatest Olympians and one of only five Australians to
have competed in five consecutive Olympic Games (from
1960 - 1976) as well as being Australiarsquos oldest medallist
and oldest competitor at 61 years and 31 days In May 2011
Bill was inducted in Equestrian Australiarsquos inaugural Hall
of Fame ndash he was Australiarsquos oldest living Olympian and
shared his dedication and enthusiasm for the sport with
his sons Barry Wayne and Clarke (See a brief description
of his exploits in the 1960 Olympic Games Memory Lane
article page 9 which catapulted Australiarsquos reputation as
one of the best Eventing teams in the world)
webinfofeiFEI web wizard Nicole Sigrist has added a new hub for the Press on wwwfeiorg called FEI Press Kits located in the Media section of the website The Press Kits zone which is also open to the general public is regularly updated with infor-mation relating to FEI series and specific events with flip books and downloadable PDFs as well as direct links to the Photo Catalogue the Rankings and Standings the Annual Report and more
100thanniversary for Finnish riding club
One of the three found-ing member clubs of
the Finnish Equestrian Federation the Suomen
Kenttaumlratsastusseura-Finska Faumlltrittklubbenon celebrates
its 100th anniversary in 2011 Magnus Rydman former President of the Finnish National Federation and Presi-dent of the FEI from 1935 ndash 1946 was one of the founders of the club Another of the founders of the oldest club in Fin-land was the Eventing rider Colonel Hans Olof von Essen whose fifth place at the Antwerpen Olympic Games re-mains the best Olympic equestrian result the country has ever achieved
Follow us on
43FOCUS
Interview with the President of the Brazilian Equestrian Federation Mr Luiz Roberto Giugni
The Brazilian Equestrian Federation has been a member Federation of the FEI for 75 years how has the sport developed over that time We were facing regular growth (average of 25 in the last decade) but in the last three to four years this rate has significantly increased up to 35 a year We believe that this is due to international achievements (two Jumping Olympic team bronze medals the individual Olympic Jumping gold medal won by Rodrigo Pessoa several Pan Am Jumping team gold medals recent Olympic pre-qualification in Kentucky (4th in the world in Jumping) and the organisations of a Global Champions Tour event in Brazil
In terms of developing the sport what are the most successful projects you have undertaken in recent yearsWe decided to invest in education and have hired international trainers for all the disciplines such as Jean Maurice Bonneau for Jumping Nick Turner for Eventing Eric Lette for Dressage Jean Louis Leclerc for Endurance Mattias Lang for Vaulting with the long term in mind that is at least until the end of 2012 and planning towards 2016 when Rio will host the Olympic Games
How popular is equestrian sport with young people in Brazil and how do you compete with some of the bigger sports for their attention Popularization is growing bit by bit in a country
decidedly dominated by soccer ndash being 5 times World Champion makes it a national passion But we are continuously looking to attract TV to our events as this is a huge step towards gaining visibility and popularity Can you tell us about the programmesinitiatives in place for disabled athletes We are actively pursuing this and have achieved really positive results in little time such as the great performances and medals earned at the Para-lympic Games in Hong Kong in 2008 We do this through clinics courses international exchanges of athletes and working alongside our National Paralympic Committee to support us in our efforts
Brazil will be host the FEI General Assembly at the end of the year what do you want all the visiting delegates to remember from their visit That we are more than just a really beautiful and warm country with the ability and capacity to organise great events and that we are committed to putting on the best Olympic Games ever
What are the main objectivesplans for the Brazilian Federation in the lead up to the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games Our NOC is really committed to raising the bar of all the sports to a level never seen before and we are working towards that in terms of our athletes our judges our venues and everything that is related to our sport and the quality of our sport In line with this objective we are providing incen-tives to owners to buy good horses aiming for 2016 and this is going to plan for now We expect to perform well at the upcoming Pan Am Games and Olympics on our trail to 2016
Is there anything else you would like to share with us I would like to thank HRH Princess Haya President of the FEI as well as the Executive Board for all the support that we are getting which has been paramount to the development of equestrian sport in our country
44
President Luiz Roberto GiugniSecretary General Luiz Antonio RoccoMember since 1935
15 members of staff work at the federation
20 regional federations are affiliated tothe Brazilian Equestrian Federation with over 300 member riding clubs
6 000 affiliated riders
91 national events were held in 2010
31 international events were held in 2010
All the FEI disciplines are practiced in BrazilJumping Dressage Eventing Vaulting Reining EnduranceDriving amp Para-Equestrian
14 breeding organisations
There are 58 million horses and ponies in Brazilmaking it the fourth largest equine population in the world
FAC
TS amp
FIG
URE
S
45FOCUS
Dr Gerit Matthesen56 is a private equine practitioner an FEI Vet and a member of the FEI Veterinary Committee He graduated in Veterinary Medicine from Berlin University in 1983 and since 1989 has worked or officiated at some 180 competitions and championships including the last two Olympics and FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade He lives near Frankfurt with his wife Carola and their sons Mike (16) and Lars (14)
46
A life in a day
Dr Gerit Matthesen56 is a private equine practitioner an FEI Vet and a member of the FEI Veterinary Committee He graduated in Veterinary Medicine from Berlin University in 1983 and since 1989 has worked or officiated at some 180 competitions and championships including the last two Olympics and FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade He lives near Frankfurt with his wife Carola and their sons Mike (16) and Lars (14)
I wake up earlier than I need to ndash at around 6am ndash because breakfast time with my family is sacred to me and I can then drive my boys to the village station to take the train to school After two cups of coffee (enough for the day) and a glass of orange juice I read the newspapers then head to my prac-tice offices in our indoor arena I have a quick look at our horses then start work
While I listen to my phone messages I deal with my emails and search the internet for news about veterinary medicine and horse sport I then start planning the dayacutes schedule with Anna my assistant vet
My mobile practice is in a nice fairly rural area in the north of Frankfurt There are lots of horse farms but it is not a classic breeding area like the northern part of Germany There are sport horses as well as pleasure horses I have examination rooms and stables for horses staying or mares foaling in my practice stables Itrsquos not a big clinic which gives me time to work at competitions
After seeing a few small animals in my practice I normally start my field service at 930am In my car I have enough equipment (ultrasound X-ray systems and endoscopical devices) for the dayrsquos examinations and standing procedures We mainly have lameness examinations to do or internal diseases to treat accompanied by routine work like vaccinations or carrying out pre-purchase or health certificate examinations If time allows I go home for a quick lunch but thatrsquos not every day
While Irsquom driving I have time to think and I write down everything that come to mind regarding sport competitions committees and so on You have to write down your thoughts when yoursquore over the age of 50
It is not easy planning my day because any emer-gency can destroy or delay my schedule For all the paperwork and certificates I need a time frame so
I often do that over quiet weekends when there are no competitions During the winter season I am less busy but in summer a lot of weekends are taken over by the competition schedule
I love my work especially in Eventing which is my favourite discipline My wife and I practiced it ndash not up to top level but it was a fine time despite a bro-ken ankle from a fall in 1988 which after 23 years is making walking more and more difficult for me
I like to do my competition work on a friendly but strict basis and I really like to hear riders saying they are treated fairly Over the years I have acquired a lot of experience and met all the officials and riders
Usually when I return home in the late afternoon there are more small animals to see When Irsquove done the dayrsquos paperwork I hope there will be no more emergencies such as cases of colic which usually occur in the early evening
I look forward to getting on my horse which is a beautiful show-jumper I like to ride but Irsquove stopped competing I do dressage jumping and go out into the fields but itrsquos all just for fun now
The day finishes with the family and a nice cold glass of German beer
Itrsquos a struggle to find time to spend with my family and I often have to cancel my holidays with them I am really grateful to my wife and the boys for their understanding of my job and to my assistant vet who covers for me when Iacutem out somewhere in the world of equestrian sport
ldquoThe combination of my profession and beinginvolved in differentaspects of top equestrian sport is my visionrdquo
47FOCUS
Pull your show attire from the closet clean your boots and tack groom the horses hook up and pack the trailer check the clock double check to make sure you have everything put on the shipping boots load your horses and away you drive to the competition venue or to the airport for transport to a distant event
You know the drill well but still you arrive tired per-haps even a bit frazzled Yoursquoll sleep (or try to) the next several nights in an unfamiliar bed or camp out in the living quarters of your trailer You awaken riveted on the competition playing out the dayrsquos classes in your mind wondering how your rides will fare against oth-ers praying that the weather will be cooperate and trying to control your nerves all the while knowing that no matter how well you have prepared many factors are out of your control You may even be in a different time zone
We go through a lot to compete our horses But if you think life on the road is stressful for you think about what itrsquos like for your horses Your back may be a bit sore from driving or being strapped into an airplane seat for hours on end but for horses transportation is far more demanding It is an athletic endeavour re-quiring an expenditure of energy to maintain balance during the constant movement of transport When your horses arrive they face social isolation from stablemates lack of security in novel environments altered training regimes water that tastes strange and the confines of an unfamiliar stall This routine impacts a horsersquos health and well being with effects
continuing long after the journey is over During transport toxic gases (such as ammonia or carbon monoxide) can cause damage to the lung epithelium precipitating respiratory disease The
final destination itself can also cause problems Usually horses are transported to environments where they will be mixing with other horses The mixing of horses from different environments with different infectious organisms and under stressful conditions further precipitates susceptibility to disease
This can have a severe impact on the equine gut The stress of transportation is known to increase gut ulceration in the horse a painful condition reducing performance and causing colic-like symptoms Stress can also slow the flow of digesta and alter the normal gut flora resulting in digestive upset and possibly diarrhoea or colic
The effects of travel stress on the gut are compounded by the typical diet of the regular equine traveller To maintain athletic ability high performance horses are often fed energy-charged diets contain-ing increased levels of starchy materials such as cereal grains Unfortunately this type of diet can reduce beneficial types of gut flora and promote gut acidity further predisposing the horse to digestive upsets and ulceration It is not surprising that stressed tired horses may not fulfill their potential on arrival
Feeding to reduce stress for the equine traveller
By Darlene RickerExecutive editor of Alltechrsquos EQUINE INTERNATIONAL magazine
48
Alltech Tips
growth of opportunistic Salmonella spp which are present in the intestinal tract of many healthy horses These bacteria then attach to the gut lining via a mannan sugar and penetrate it causing damage and resulting in diarrhoea One method of prevent-ing or minimising the attachment of these organ-
isms to the gut lining is to provide an adsorbant supplement A form of sugar found in the cell walls of certain yeasts can do this This sugar compound is called man-nan oligosaccharide or MOS MOS products such as Alltechrsquos Bio-Mosreg have been shown to re-duce the colonization of Salmonella
spp in the guts of certain species and augment the immune response to Salmonella spp potentially conferring an enhanced ability to fight infection Both Yea-Saccreg 1026 and Bio-Mos are among the natural products contained in Alltechrsquos LIFEFORCETM equine supplement which many FEI competitors have successfully incorporated into their daily feeding regimen at home and on the road
lifeforcehorsecom
and may be subject to health concerns in the days following a long journey Fortunately however you can curb some of the effects of travel stress on the horsersquos gut by nutritional supplementation Organic yeast products used to supplement a horsersquos diet can support the normal gut flora modifying the intesti-nal environment and improving the horsersquos digestion One such culture is Saccharomyces cerevisae in the form of Yea-Saccreg 1026 Alltechrsquos propriety organic yeast
Experiments were conducted to evaluate the effects Yea-Sacc on gut flora and gut acidity Horses were fed either a high-starch or a high-fibre diet both with and without supplementation of Yea-Saccreg 1026 Results indicated an excessive amount of starch in the gut The use of Yea-Sacc reduced acidity and stimulat-ed the activity of fibre-digesting bacteria in the hind-gut for both types of diet The result was maximised fibre digestibility and more efficient use of nutrients thus increasing the amount of energy available to the horse for performance and counteracting digestive upset Salmonellosis is one of the more commonly di-agnosed infectious causes of diarrhoea in horses Many cases develop after the stress of transport The effects of travel stress on the normal gut flora allow an over-
Moorlands Totilas arrives for the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade after air transport copy Dirk Caremans
HRH The Infanta Dontildea Pilar de Borboacuten former President of the FEI (1994-2006) also attended the inauguration along-side HRH Princess Lalla Amina Chairperson of the Royal Moroccan Federation for Equestrian Sports and member of the international Advisory Council of Special OlympicsThey were joined by International Olympic Commit-tee members representatives from other Interna-tional Federations federal and local Swiss authorities as well as architects and designers that worked on the project Switzerlandrsquos Martin Fuchs a member of the gold medal winning team at the inaugural Youth Olympic Games in Singapore last year accompanied FEI President Princess Haya in officially opening the FEI headquarters
ldquoThe building we are inaugurating today has been designed to serve our wonderful sportrdquo explained FEI
President Princess Haya ldquoI also feel an immense
sense of pride knowing that this building carries the name
of my late father and hope that this serves as a constant reminder
to all of us who work at the FEI of a unique statesman whose entire soul was devoted to the service of his people Our new headquarters will play a key role for the FEI and our National Federa-tions over the coming years It will be the environ-ment in which important discussions take place and fundamental decisions are taken as we continue our mission to advance the orderly growth of equestrian sport worldwide while ensuring that the welfare of the horse and a level playing field remain at the centre of all that we dordquo
FEI celebratesNEW Headquarters
Over 250 guests attended the inauguration ceremony on Friday 6 May at HM King Hussein I Building which was timed to coincide with the FEI
Extraordinary General Assembly so that attending NationalFederation representatives
could be a part ofthe celebrations
1 Youth Olympic Games team champion Martin Fuchs (SUI) FEI President HRH Princess Haya and her daughter HH Sheikha Al Jalila officially open the FEIrsquos new home 2 Gilbert Felli IOC Olympic Games Executive Director and FEI Secretary General Ingmar de Vos 3 HRH The Infanta Dontildea Pilar de Borboacuten sits down to an interactive quiz in the FEI Gallery 4 Guests gathered in the atrium of the FEI HeadquartersAll images copy Hugues SiegenthalerFEI
Highlights available on50
1
2
3 4
5
6 7
8
THE GALLERy
As well as housing offices for its 62 employees and conference facilities for its 133 National Federations the new headquarters also has a state-of-the-art in-teractive gallery showcasing equestrian sport
The Gallery is the brainchild of Dr Amichai Alper-ovich historian former Secretary General of the Is-raeli Equestrian Federation and curator of the Israeli Olympic Museum (opened in 2009) He worked hand in hand with the Tel Aviv based company Disk-In Pro and interior designer Oded Alony to help bring the content to life and the result is truly unique and ground breaking Giant glass surfaces act as interac-tive interfaces for the visitors to travel through time
The FEIrsquos new headquarters which were donated to the Federation by FEI Presi-dent HRH Princess Haya in 2007 fol-lowing a personal fundraising effort are conveniently located close to the Inter-national Olympic Committee and other international sports federations It has been written into the FEI Statutes that the new FEI headquarters building will always house the Federationrsquos offices In 2008 the building was thoroughly renovated in accordance with the Swiss MINERGIEreg construction standard for environmental responsibility which re-duces energy consumption by 25 per cent Only two per cent of renovated buildings in Switzerland meet the high Minergie standards Khuan Chew founder and design princi-pal of London-based architectural firm KCA International Ltd worked in close collaboration with Swiss-based architect Herveacute de Rham and interior designer Sia-vosh Adeli (SUI) to transform the build-ing which was built in the 1960s The modern and sleek interior was further enhanced with bespoke artworks pro-duced by Swiss creative agency b+g amp partners and imagery by world-famous equestrian art photographer Tim Flach where the simplicity and beauty of his equine subjects seamlessly embrace and accentuate the buildingrsquos pure lines and natural materials (see image left)
As they feasted on the innate beauty of their sur-roundings the guests also had the privilege to ex-perience the culinary talents of organic chef and specialist Gilles Wannaz and his team based in the town of Cully which sits on the edge of Lac Leman in Switzerlandrsquos famous Lavaux wine growing region
5 HRH Princess Haya welcomes the guests to the Inauguration of the HQ and the 90 year celebration of the FEI 6 Artwork by renowned pho-tographer Tim Flach 7 An organic and colourful buffet presented on an authentic lawn by local chef Gilles Wannaz 8 A life size horse sculpture by Christophe Dumont greeted the guests upon their arrival
53FOCUS
and space with the latest in touch technology revis-iting the history of the FEI the equestrian events at Olympic amp Paralympic Games the FEI World Eques-trian Gamestrade and information on all of the member National Federations with statistics videos images and text The Gallery also includes projections on ar-chitectural surfaces designed by Oded Alony referred to as the Origami as well as interactive stations and unique video projections on glass screens
For all those wishing to visit the FEI Gallery simply contact the FEI HQ to make an appointment and we would be delighted to take you on a journey to dis-cover or rediscover the human and equine athletes whose talents have marked equestrian history and inspired young riders drivers and vaulters around the world
Interview withDrAmichaiAlperovich
When did you first dream up the FEIInteractive Gallery When I found out the FEI was planning to move into new HQ in 2009 Disk-In Pro and I approached the FEI and presented them with several concepts for the space Before long we had agreed on the concept and we got to work
Why were you compelled to make it become a reality So that the FEI a prominent sports organisation could present itself to a growing audience in a new and visionary way with the latest technology And by doing so the FEI is a pioneer becoming the first International Federation to have a Gallery of this kind
What did you learn when researching and gathering content for the gallery I have learned a lot about the history of the FEI the strong Olympic tradition the diversity of disciplines the gender equality and the unique bond between horse and man One of the more fascinating topics was the evolution of the Dressage from itsrsquo Olympic debut to the modern Freestyle
Itrsquos very innovative technology what inspired you to take such a leap into the future with such a traditional sport Just as Dressage has evolved over the years and alongside the introduction of new disciplines partic-ularly Para-Equestrian you come to realise that the FEI is not as traditional as one would think Actually this kind of innovative presentation of equestrian history is really well suited to the FEI In the same way that you can have horse-man connections there is an audience-technology connection in the Gallery The audience have to be active in order to enjoy the depth of information the Gallery contains
54
Now it is time to open the door to new places to learn about sport ndash at the heart of sporting organi-sations themselves The Gallery is more than an informative tool it brings people to the sport andto the heart of its operations
Established in 1990 Disk-In Pro specialises in the planning design production and implementation of Museums Visitor Centres and sophisticated projects around the world This includes multi screen produc-tion animation 3D amp interactive films state-of-the-art software platforms and complex video displays for an unforgettable experience
Oded Alony holds a BA in Design from the Interior Design Section of the Holon Technological Institute and has since 1998 worked with Israelrsquos leading Architecture firms The Oded Alony Studio embraces holistic design a space where interior design lighting and graphics are brought together to create a harmo-nious project vision
Now that you have seen it unveiled to the public how would you like to see it evolve I hope the audience will be amazed from the design by architect Oded Alony and the new methods to deliver information whilst discovering the long his-tory of the FEI the diversity and the global reach of the organisation I hope the Gallery will become an icon in Lausanne and one of its highlights for visitors I promise the visitors a new platform to learn about equestrianism and each visit could be different as the information and themes will be updated and modi-fied regularly
This futuristic gallery is a first for anInternational Federation do you think thisis something all sports should invest inThe FEI took this courageous decision and now has this fantastic tool to present the organisation in new ways Sport is a huge cultural phenomenaWe have learned to consume sport in the arenas and stadiums in the press media and new media
Dr Amichai Alperovich
55FOCUS
SOCIAL MEDIAthe new frontier
Follow us on
The FEI has recently embarked on and embraced a whole new way of talking with the greater equestrian community through the ever expanding social media networks and platformsWith personalised Facebook Twitter and You Tube pages the FEI is taking it step by step and reaching out to this growing audience and listening to what they have to say
This new communication platform is by no means a substitution of the traditional communication path-ways but works alongside the press releases various publications and content on wwwfeiorg and wwwfeitvorg providing a new arena where the FEI can share interact and dialogue with fans of the sport and of equestrian values in general
We talk to Richard Johnson Director of Corporate Communications about the FEIrsquos commitment to social media
What compelled the FEI to venture onto the social media scene As a governing body with a vibrant and active com-munity of National Federations as well as thousands of fans the need to reach out to the online social community has never been stronger We have been watching the communities grow online for some time and have been listening to their conversations so being a part of it was the next logical step and a really important one The conversations will hap-pen with or without us so taking that step has been crucial in order to share our values and also build re-lationships with our fan base
Tradition meets modernity ndash does equestrian sportthe FEI have a place in social media Absolutely even though equestrian sport has a long history and is perceived as a traditional sport it is
always evolving In the 90 years of the FEI which was founded to govern the three Olympic disciplines it has grown to also oversee the disciplines of Driving Endurance Vaulting Reining and Para-Equestrian sport Or if you look at the early days when competi-tors were from military backgrounds and when wom-en did not compete alongside men to the complete gender equality we have today ndash a lot has changed and is in a constant state of change
The fans of equestrian sport are like any other fan base web savvy and eager for more information behind the scenes content and to share their opin-ions and thoughts ndash so it is an ideal partnership And from what we have seen these last few months and from the feedback we got from our blog at the Youth Olympic Games there is a real appetite for this
The FEI has dedicated Facebook Twitter and You Tube pages ndash why did you select these social media platforms The figures speak for themselveshellip Facebook Twit-ter and You Tube are the biggest players in the social networking space With over 500 million Facebook users 106 million Tweeters and 2 billion views a day on You Tube there has never been so much oppor-tunity for exposure Every site has different demo-graphics with different habits and needs so by having an FEI presence on these three networks we are able to cover a lot of ground and cater to different audi-ences by providing different types of content accord-ing to the platform
What are the main benefits of having a pres-ence on various social media platforms Itrsquos all about having a two way conversation ndash the benefits of dialogue where you can share content such as videos images facts and figures thoughts and values and then allow your fan base to react to get involved and to listen and learn from them By engaging with our audience and showing them that we are a modern and caring organisation and that we want to hear what they have to say then we are able to build trust and ultimately credibility in what we do and what we say
57FOCUS
TV
The offi cial video website of the Feacutedeacuteration Equestre Internationale
wwwfeitvorg
WATCH LIVE WATCH ONLINE
FEI TV is the FEIrsquos new offi cial video website and your ticket to the worldrsquos most prestigious competitions Sign-up to FEI TV (wwwfeitvorg) and get instant access to all the live broadcasts the extensive video-on-demand library all the highlights the behind the scenes reports the interviews and so much more Be at the heart of horsesport Join us
2823_1FEI_TV_Focus_165x226indd 1 170510 1124
It also keeps us alert as to what is being discussed and debated in the public sphere so that we can manage situations more effectively and be proactive in our messaging and information so that the facts are at the heart of the debate and not interpretations of them
How do you generate content for social media It was important when we launched our social me-dia presence that it be manageable with the exist-ing communications team in place ndash and so we have concentrated on keeping it simple and effective and using content innovatively Itrsquos not about reproduc-ing our website ndash but to engage with our fans and so often all you need is a good picture an interest-ing fact or great achievement to get the ball rolling For You Tube as we already have so much content generated from FEI TV it was simply a question of using bits and pieces from that content to provide the public with teasers from events interviews with winning riders or behind the scenes content which they can then follow up on FEI TV with a subscription
What are your Social media goals Itrsquos really to build relationships and dialogue with our fan base by using our content innovatively by listening to what they have to say and by engaging with the community And for the National Federa-tions that have yet to take that step we want to be a guiding hand that can help them get started so that they too can reap the benefits of social media net-working Our sport competes against other sports for attention so itrsquos really important that we the FEI and the National Federations keep our finger on the pulse and cater to our fans
How can National Federations get involved NFs wishing to find out more about Social Media can contact me (richardjohnsonfeiorg) and I would be more than happy to discuss opportunities and ways of getting started as well as our experience at the FEI
We asked our Facebook followers why it was important to use face-book and here are a few comments they came up with
bullItrsquos a great way to find out about shows and competitions
bullBecause facebook can provide up to the minute updates as to the what is going on in the horse community
bullWe can share information and ideas over long distances We can find and connect with people we wouldnt be able to otherwise
bullIt also lets us express the true realities of our spot to keep us grounded
bullIt can bring peoples attention to excellence ndash and expose the issues
58
TV
The offi cial video website of the Feacutedeacuteration Equestre Internationale
wwwfeitvorg
WATCH LIVE WATCH ONLINE
FEI TV is the FEIrsquos new offi cial video website and your ticket to the worldrsquos most prestigious competitions Sign-up to FEI TV (wwwfeitvorg) and get instant access to all the live broadcasts the extensive video-on-demand library all the highlights the behind the scenes reports the interviews and so much more Be at the heart of horsesport Join us
2823_1FEI_TV_Focus_165x226indd 1 170510 1124
ldquo Donrsquot accept drinks from a strangerrdquo
Armchair travel journalist
Are you living a life without boundaries Some well-meant advice is best ignored but itrsquos still good to know yoursquore covered when yoursquore away With HSBC Premier your family can be protected with both Travel Insurance and dedicated assistance when yoursquore abroad Which is reassuring to know when yoursquore making the most of life
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201736_6000263_Coconut_226x165indd
Master 226x165
Rob Swainson 160211
HSBC - Coconuts Proof 01Head of Art TypographerDesigner ArtCreative Director Copywriter Account DirectorDIC Project ManagerPhotographer Illustrator Usage Model(s) Name(s) Usage
Media MediaStock Image Time Period Time Period
Territory Territory
8deg N ndash Kerala South India
1900Games of the II Olympiad Paris (FRA)Grand Prix Jumping long jump high jump hunter competition and a coaching competition were on the 1900 programme The events went officially unrecord-ed until the 1970s which is why it is often assumed that 1912 marks the first inclusion of equestrian sports on the Olympic programme Participation Twenty-four riders from 4 countries
1912Games of the V Olympiad Stockholm (SWE) Jumping Dressage and Eventing made their deacutebut in Stockholm and remain to this day the only equestrian disciplines on the Olympic programme It took two years to construct the new brick-built Olympic Sta-dium which served for the 1956 Olympic Equestrian Games and the 1990 FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade Participation Sixty-two riders and 70 horses from 10 nations ndash all European except for the USA
1920Games of the VII Olympiad Antwerp (BEL)World War I had just ended in 1918 and there were serious doubts that the 1920 Olympic Games would go ahead It was on 3 April 1919 that the IOC decided to accept the offer from Antwerp (BEL) The short term allocation of the Games did leave some in the lurch such as team USA who at first unable to find a passage to Europe at that late stage were able to secure the help of the military to transport the team Swedenrsquos solid and meticulous preparations were well rewarded as they picked up more than half of the 15 medals at stake and confirmed their stronghold on the sportParticipation Seventy-two riders from 8 nations Vaulting was for the first and only time on the Olympic programme
1924 Games of the VIII Olympiad Paris (FRA)First Olympic appearance for the FEIDid you knowThe Dressage arena of 60 x 20 m was in the centre of the huge Stade de Colombes at least 60 meters away from the public The five judges sat with their assistants on a long table together on a short side The
Olympic amp Paralympic Games
MemoryLane A journey of Olympicamp Paralympic achievements
In 2012 the disciplines of Jumping Dressage and Eventing celebrate 100 years of Olympic history For Para-EquestrianDressage itrsquos sixteen years of intense and ever increasing competition and participationTake a stroll down MemoryLane to revisit the sportingachievements of Championspast and present
1920 1921 1922
1924 1925 1926
1900 1901 1902 1903 1904
1912 1913 1914
06
individual winner in Jumping was Swiss militia officer Lt Alphonse Gemuseus on the eight-year old Irish-bred mare Lucette who had been bought for pound48 as an army remount horse in 1922The length of the Eventing Cross Country was 36kmParticipation Seventeen nations 126 horses
1928Games of the IX Olympiad Amsterdam (NED)By 1928 the IOC had clarified the definition of an amateur For equestrian sport an amateur was every professional officer actively serving or anyone riding solely for the sport and recognised by a national body as a gentlemanParticipation Twenty nations the major return was Germany ndash not invited in 1920 and 1924 ndash but now there in full force
1932Games of the X Olympiad Los Angeles (USA)Because the 1932 Olympics were held in the middle of the Great Depression and in the comparatively re-mote city of Los Angeles half as many athletes from only six nations took part compared to 1928 The Japanese team came by ship from Yokohama to Los Angeles France and Sweden took a ship to New York then travelled by railroad across the USA as did the
Mexicans The Dutch who sailed through the Panama Canal directly to Los Angeles remembered that the US equestrian team travelling by ship to Amsterdam in 1928 had kept their horses fit by hiring the tread-mill used during the filming of Ben Hur with its chariot races The Dutch constructed their own treadmill and kept their horses busy during the voyage
The first known Olympic Jumping course designer John A Barry (who rode for the USA in the 1920 and 1924 Olympics) supported by Sloan Doak (also an ex-perienced Olympic rider) built a course that was much more difficult than 1928 It had 18 obstacles and 20 jumping efforts over a length of 1060m No team fin-ished the competition and the team medals remained unclaimed
For the first time piaffe and passage were asked for in Dressage
In Eventing only two teams ndash USA and The Netherlands ndash finished the competition The team bronze remained unclaimed Participation Six nations
1932 1933 1934
1928 1929 1930
1912 Francersquos Jean Cariou - Individual gold and team silver Jumping medallist as well as individual bronze medallist in Eventing
07FOCUS
1936Games of the XI Olympiad Berlin (GER)The Games of the XI Olympiad were held in Berlin three years after the National-Socialist regime came to power in 1933 They are best remembered for Adolf Hitlerrsquos failed attempt to use sport to prove his theories of Aryan racial superiority The equestrian events held on the last five days of the 16-day programme played an important part in the overall running of these first monumental and politically misused Olympic GamesParticipation Twenty-one nations 127 riders - 7 coun-tries had full representation (3x3 riders) Germany won all the equestrian team and individual gold medals
1952Games of the XV Olympiad Helsinki (FIN) The 1952 Olympic Games brought some fundamen-tal changes to equestrian sport Most visible was the change from military riding to civilians Women were allowed in Dressage but not in Jumping or Event-ing The best known of these women is Lis Hartel of Denmark In 1944 at the age of 23 she was paralysed by polio and while she gradually regained the use of most of her muscles she remained paralysed below
the knee Despite being helped on and off her horse she went on to win the silver medal When gold med-allist Henri St-Cyr helped her up onto the victory platform for the medal presentation it was one of the most emotional moments in Olympic historyParticipation Twenty-five nations For the first time since 1912 Russian riders competed ndash now represent-ing the Soviet Union Canada Egypt amp Korea were also newcomers
1956Games of the XVI Olympiad Melbourne (AUS) Stockholm (SWE) When the IOC selected Melbourne (AUS) as host to the Games of the XVI Olympiad it had not taken into consideration the Australian six-month pre-shipment quarantine for horses In 1953 a meeting was held in Canberra attended by the federal authorities which recommended not to alter quarantine laws The IOC decided on a separate venue for the equestrian events and on 13 May 1954 chose Stockholm (SWE)The Jumping course was demanding it is considered by many as the first modern course There were no clears in the first round Hans Guumlnter Winkler (FRG) was in the
1936 1937 1938
1952 1953 1954
1956 1957 1958
1952 The Dressage medallists Andreacute Jousseaume (FRA) - bronze Henri St-Cyr (FRA) - gold Lis Hartel (DEN) - silver
08
lead with one knock-down riding the great mare Halla The horse had taken off early for the penultimate fence and Winkler was thrown into the air and went on to land heavily back in the saddle pulling a muscle in the pro-cess He knew that if he withdrew from the final round the German team would be eliminated Dizzy and in pain he rode anyway Halla completed the course without a fault They earned gold in both the individual and team events Winkler went on to win another five gold medals at various Olympics and is the only Jumper to win seven medals in total and the only rider in any discipline to earn medals in six different OlympicsParticipation Twenty-nine nations Australia Cambodia and Venezuela competed for the first time
1960Games of the XVII Olympiad Rome (ITA) The Australians were the 1960 Eventing sensation The foursome of Larry Morgan Neale Lavis Brian Crago and Bill Roycroft dominated the Cross-Country to an extent never experienced before At the end of the day Mor-gan was overwhelmingly in the lead ahead of Crago and Lavis Roycroft after a fall at the cement drain pipes was not too far back except for the fact that he was in hospital with a concussion and a broken collarbone When Cragorsquos potential silver medal horse Sabre was rejected at the second horse inspection Australia no longer had a team Forty-five-year old Bill Roycroft was taken out of hospital rode Our Solo to a clear round in the Jumping phase and secured team gold for Australia Participation Twenty-nine nations
1964Games of the XVIII Olympiad Tokyo (JPN) The 1964 Olympic Games were the first to be held in Asia These were only the second Olympics ndash after Los Angeles in 1932 ndash for which most horses had to travel across the world Most horses came by aircraft The Soviet horses still came by sea and were caught in the typhoon Wilda For the first time a former Olympic Jumping champion repeated his victory Forty-four year old Pierre Jonquegraveres drsquoOriola (FRA) the 1952 champion with Ali Baba won this time with the nine-year old Lutteur B Another first was the participation of a woman - Lana du Pont (USA) - in an Olympic Eventing competitionParticipation One hundred and sixteen riders from 20 countries competed in Tokyo
1968Games of the XIX Olympiad Mexico City (MEX) The choice of Mexico City to host the 1968 Olympics was a challenging one because of the cityrsquos high altitude 2300m which meant that the air contained 30 less oxygen than at sea level An adjustment pe-riod of three to four weeks for the horses was advised The horses from the Soviet Union Argentina and Ireland were in mid-September the first to arrive The last to stable were France and Germany on 28 September ie 20 days before the start of the com-petitions Of particular interest was the first par-ticipation of Dressage and Eventing riders from the German Democratic Republic In 1960 and 1964 their Eventers were part of a unified German team This time they were allowed to enter under their own flag The equestrian competitions were timed manually and electronically for the first time the electronic time was the official one Participation Eighteen nations
1972 Games of the XX Olympiad Munich (FRG) In 1972 everybody expected great Olympic Games and for the first ten days everything went smoothly But on 5 September 1972 peace was chattered as eight Palestinian terrorists representing the militant group ldquoBlack Septemberrdquo broke into the Olympic Village killed two members of the Israeli team and took nine more hostage In an ensuing battle all nine Israeli hostages were killed as were five of the ter-rorists and one policeman The Olympics were sus-pended for 34 hours In defiance of the terrorists the IOC ordered the competitions to resume IOC President Avery Brundage famously declaring ldquoThe Games must go onrdquo All other details about the Munich Games pale in significance The equestrian events were obviously also affected After the first day of Dressage on 5 September the second half of the competitors rode on 7 September the ride-off followed on the 9th Team Jumping at that time still preceding the closing ceremony took place on 11 September 1972Liselotte Linsenhoff on Piaff became the 13th Olym-pic Dressage champion ndash the third German to achieve this (after con Langen in 1928 and Pollay in 1936) but the first woman to do so Participation Twenty-seven nations
1964 1965 1966
1960 1961 1962
1972 1973 1974
1968 1969 1970
09FOCUS
1976Games of the XXI Olympiad Montreal (CAN) All in the Eventing geneshellip Mother Rita and daugh-ter Silva de Luna were both on the Guatemalan team Father Bill 61 and son Wayne Roycroft were on the bronze-medal winning Australian teamhellipFor the first time in the FEIrsquos Olympic history there was a disqualification due a positive medication case San Carlos the mount of the Irish Army Eventing rider Ronald McMahon The medical treatment after an injury during transport had been announced to the authorities But the rules suffered no exceptions Au-tomatic disqualification followed although there was no additional punishmentBarbara Kemp became the first woman to design an Olympic cross-country course Participation Twenty-three nations Guatemala and Puerto Rico were the newcomers
1980Games of the XXII Olympiad Moscow (URS) The 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow represented the lowest point in the history of the Olympic equestrian events as a US led boycott reduced the number of participating nations to 11 From the top equestrian nations only Austria with the reigning European Dres-sage champion Elisabeth (Sissi) Theurer and Italy with its Eventing team went to Moscow Sissirsquos decision to participate in Moscow created considerable contro-versy in her native Austria ndash resulting in the resignation of the President of the National Equestrian FederationParticipation Eleven nations
1984Games of the XXIII Olympiad Los Angeles (USA) The Los Angeles Games were the first since 1896 to be staged without government financing and became the model for future Games particularly after it was revealed that they had produced a profit of US$ 223 million The organisers depended heavily on existing facilities and corporate sponsors The celebrated Santa Anita racetrack was chosen as the competition site for the equestrian events It was the first time an Olympic equestrian event was organised by an existing man-agement of proven competence and long experienceIn response to the boycott of the 1980 Moscow Olym-pics a boycott led by the Soviet Union marked the 1984 OlympicsThe USA dominated the Jumping competition win-ning both individual and team gold with a superiority rarely experienced before or since Joe Fargis (USA) and Touch of Class were the first to achieve a dou-ble clear in the Olympic team competition Eventing legend Mark Todd from New Zealand (pictured left) won his first Olympic medalParticipation Thirty nations
1988Games of the XXIV Olympiad Seoul (KOR) The Seoul Games were highlighted by numerous exceptional performances For Dressage it was the first time that all three individual medals were award-ed to women Reiner Klimke (pictured above-right) captured his last Olympic medal as West Germany won the team Dressage competition With six gold and two bronze medals won at five Olympic Games ndash Reiner Klimke participated in six Olympic Games
1976 1977 1978 1980 1981 1982
1984 1985 1986
1988 1989 1990
altogether - he is the most decorated rider in Olympic history Only for the second time in the 76-year history of Eventing at the Olympics the defending champions repeated their victory Mark Todd (NZL) 32 with the 16-year-old Charisma For the first time qualifications were held to reduce the starting field for the individual Jumping The reigning European champions Pierre Du-rand (FRA) and the 13-year-old black gelding Jappe-loup added Olympic gold to their winningsParticipation Thirty-two nations
1992Games of the XXV Olympiad Barcelona (ESP) In Dressage the individual battle was played out be-tween Isabell Werthrsquos Gigolo and the defending Olym-pic champion from Seoul Nicole Uphoffrsquos 15-year-old Rembrandt Rembrandt and Uphoff triumphed and se-cured the gold After the repeat wins of Henry St-Cyr (SWE) in 1952 and 1956 on two different horses this was the first double triumph of a combination After the elaborate beautifully built and decorated Jump-ing obstacles of Seoul 1988 the Spanish decided on something different and the two architects in charge of designing the 25 obstacles used minimal figural and colour elements so as to more objectively define the difficulty of the obstacles This new vision did not find many partisansParticipation Thirty-four nations
1996Games of the XXVI Olympiad Atlanta (USA) The Atlanta Games saw extensive changes made to the competition formats of Dressage and Eventing Following the IOCrsquos reasoning whereby two sets of medals could not be distributed for the same effort the FEI split Eventing into two competitions team and individual An elaborate qualifying system in all three disciplines was created and for the first time quotas were establishedThe heat and humidity expected in Atlanta led to extensive research and measures aimed at protecting the welfare of the horses It was found that horses needed three weeks of acclimatisation ndash seven days to recover from the effects of transport and 14 days of passive acclimatisation to the new conditions The major measure was the installation of misting fans throughout the venueLinda Allen was the course designer the first woman to provide the Jumping courses at an Olympic GamesParticipation Thirty nations
1992 1993 1994
1996 1997 1998
1988 The German gold medal team (from left to right) - Ann-Kathrin Linsenhoff Monica Theodorescu Nicole Uphoff and Reiner Klimkecopy Kit Houghton
11FOCUS
1996The X Paralympic Games Atlanta (USA)1996 also marks for the first time equestrian sport was included at the Paralympics with Para-Equestrian Dressage on the programme The competition was run on borrowed horses Jo Jackson (GBR) won three gold medals the maximum possible For Great Britain it was a first of many team medalshellipParticipation Sixty-eight competitors from 16 nations
2000Games of the XXVII Olympiad Sydney (AUS) Forty four years after Melbourne 1956 when no horses would be allowed into Australia the Australian quarantine and inspection services proved to be much more accommodating The conditions were tough two weeks of pre-shipping quarantine in Europe and after arrival in Sydney two more weeks of quarantine on siteOf the 15 medal-winning horses 12 were thorough-breds and the other three were 78 thoroughbredsThe year 2000 was the final show-down of the two Dressage horses who had dominated the sport since the early nineties ndash Gigolo ridden by Isabell Werth (GER) and Bonfire ridden by Anky Van Grunsven (NED) with the latter taking gold medal honours Australia for the third time in a row won the team gold medal in EventingParticipation Thirty-seven nations
2000The XI Paralympic Games Sydney (AUS)The Australian spirit and warmth conveyed during the Olympics continued throughout the Paralympic Games thanks to the formidable cooperation between the Sydney Paralympic Organising Committee (SPOC) and the Sydney Organising Committee for the Olympic Games (SOCOG) Paralympic and Olympic athletes lived in the same village and enjoyed the same catering services medical care and facilities Errors in the scoring meant that medals had to be re-attributed but this did not cause too much upset Lee Pearson (GBR) took home three gold medals (including another team gold for GBR) the maximum possible while Australiarsquos Julie Higgins achieved an impressive double gold triumph Participation Seventy athletes from 23 nations
2004Games of the XXVIII Olympiad Athens (GRE) In 2004 the Games returned to Greece homeland to the Olympic GamesThe equestrian events were affected by controversies Waterford Crystal the horse ridden by Olympic cham-pion in Jumping Cian OrsquoConnor (IRL) tested positive to a prohibited substance generally administered to humans but forbidden for use in horses After lengthy legal procedures OrsquoConnor was disqualified and sanc-tioned The gold medal was awarded to second-placed
1996 1997 1998
2000 2001 2002
2000 2001 2002
2004 2005 2006
2000 The team podium in Eventing - Great Britain (silver) Australia (gold) USA (bronze) copy Kit Houghton
12
Rodrigo Pessoa (BRA) Another three horses tested positive as well As a result Germany lost its Jumping team gold which was awarded to the USA in February 2005 at a ceremony in Palm Beach FL (USA)A new competition format for Eventing involving two Jumping rounds one for the individual and one for the team standings was introduced The two roads and tracks (A + C) and the steeplechase (B) of the Endur-ance phase were abolishedParticipation Thirty-seven nations
the fact that main land China did not hold disease-free zone status from the International Organisation for Animal Health the competitions were held in Hong Kong 2000km away from the Olympic host city Beijing In order to protect animal welfare detailed studies on the effects of heat and humidity on horses were undertaken by the FEI in cooperation with top scientists The competition timetable was modified to avoid the hours of intense heat and the horses were stabled at the exceptional air-conditioned facilities provided by the Hong Kong Jockey Club Six horses five from Jumping tested positive to prohibited substances As a result Norway lost its first Jumping medal ndash bronze ndash which after more than two years of legal proceedings was awarded to Switzerland
Jumping gold went to team USA In Dressage Anky van Grunsven (NED) aboard Salinero won her seventh and eighth Olympic medals team silver and individual gold Eventing legend Mark Todd (NZL) made a much acclaimed come back but the spotlight was on Hinrich Romeike and the extraordinary Marius
The story of the 2008 Olympic Eventing gold med-allist is all the more extraordinary as Hinrich is an amateur rider By day his time is spent in his dental surgery attending to his many patients so his riding is restricted to after-hoursParticipation Forty-two nations
2008The XIII Paralympic Games Beijing (CHN)First Paralympic participation for the FEI following the inclusion of Para-Equestrian in 2006 to be governed alongside the 7 other disciplines These Games set a new benchmark for Para-Equestrian events with great facilities cheerful volunteers and large audiences totalling over 30000 - an unprecedented attend-ance for Para-Equestrian events
For the third Paralympics in a row Lee Pearson (GBR) won three gold medals keeping up his record of win-ning all the gold medals available to him Singa-porersquos Laurentia Tan picked up Asiarsquos first Paralympic Equestrian medals with two individual bronze medals Marco Alves picked up Brazilrsquos first Paralympic Equestrian medal with bronze in Grade Ib Participation Seventy-eight athletes from 28 nations
2004The XII Paralympic Games Athens (GRE)The venue was excellent and there was good support from local volunteers Both Debbie Criddle and Lee Pearson (pictured above) from Great Britain picked up the maximum three gold medals The International Paralympic Committee presented the Equestrian Technical Delegate with the award for Best Official of all the sports at the Paralympic Games Participation Seventy athletes from 29 nations
2008Games of the XXIX Olympiad Beijing (CHN) Hong Kong (CHN) For the second time in Olympic history the equestrian events were held separately from other sports Due to
2004 2005 2006
2008 2009 2010
2008 2009 20102004 Lee Pearson (GBR) in Athens where he scoopedthe maximum three gold medals available to him
13FOCUS
The climax of the indoor international Jumping sea-son brought together 43 riders from 21 nations and ended with Christian Ahlmann riding Taloubet Z to Germanys ninth victory in the 33-year history of FEI World Cuptrade Jumping Canadarsquos reigning Olympic champion Eric Lamaze took second place with Hickstead followed by Dutch combination Jeroen Dubbeldam and BMC Van Grunsven Simon who rocketed up from overnight 11th to finish third when producing one of only two double clears on the final afternoonGerman riders dominated from the first of the three qualifiers in Leipzig ndash the speed competition which Marco Kutscher with Cash won with 6355 seconds followed by his compatriots defending champion Marcus Ehning and Christian Ahlmann who took second and third place respectively In the second qualifier the withdrawal of Saudi Arabiarsquos Abdullah Al Sharbatly reduced the field to 40 starters Eric Lamaze took the lead with a fabulous clear in 4068 a win that bounced him up to fifth spot just six points behind the leading pair ndash an ascent he continued to master on the final day
J U M P I N GFINAL LEIPZIG
ROLEX FEI World Cuptrade
JUMPINGldquoIt was wonderful to be back in Leipzig again for yet another great Rolex FEI World Cuptrade Jumping Final in a city with such a rich cultural backgroundrdquo John Roche FEI Director of Jumping
FEI World Cuptrade Finals
REEm ACRA FEI World Cuptrade
DressaGe
DRESSAGEFINAL LEIPZIG
ldquoThe Reem Acra FEI World Cuptrade Dressage took place in a perfect setting with enough space for everyone to give their very best performancesrdquo Trond Asmyr FEI Director of Dressage
Adelinde Cornelissen (NED) and the magnificent Jerich Parzival danced to victory to the strains of Tchaikovskyrsquos Nutcracker Suite in the Freestyle com-petition that closed the Reem Acra FEI World Cuptrade Dressage Final Denmarkrsquos Nathalie zu Sayn-Witt-genstein and Digby finished second while Germanyrsquos Ulla Salzgeber steered Herzrufrsquos Erbe into third place The 2010 title-winner Edward Gal (GER) finished fourth with a great performance from Sisther de JeuThe top three mirrored those of the Grand Prix class two days earlier when a confident performance rewarded with a score of 80957 put Adelinde Cornelissen (NED) in first place followed by Denmarkrsquos Nathalie zu Sayn-Wittgenstein with Digby (76884 3) and Germanyrsquos Ulla Salzgeber riding Herzrufrsquos Erbe (76216 points) Defending champion Edward Gal rode a tense Sisther de Jeu with a disappointing test score of 70122 The final saw 17 horse and rider combinations from 10 nations compete ndash three from the USA The
Netherlands and Germany two from Sweden and one from Hungary Fin-
land Poland Belgium Great Britain and Denmark Fifteen riders went on to the Freestyle competition
Highlights available as video on demand on
15FOCUS
Boyd Exell (AUS) successfully defended his FEI World Cuptrade Driving title in Leipzigrsquos thrilling final speed-ing to victory in front of a wildly enthusiastic crowd and becoming the second driver to score a hat-trick of World Cup victories Hungaryrsquos Jozsef Dobrovitz drove two brilliant rounds with his team of Lipiz-zaner horses and finished second ahead of IJsbrand Chardon (NED) The FEI World Cuptrade Driving Final was run over two indoor competitions which took place on 29 April and 1 May Seven drivers competed Tomas Eriksson (SWE) Koos de Ronde (NED) Werner Ulrich (SUI) Christian Pluumlcker (GER) and the triumphant trio who after emerging from the first round on 1 May with the highest number of points qualified for the winning round immediately afterwards
FEI World Cuptrade
DrIVINGldquoOnce again the worldrsquos best indoor drivers came together for a thrilling final the com-bination of horses working together in a team driven by superbly skilled horsemento produce thrilling andspectacular driving sportrdquo Ian Williams FEI Director of Non-Olympic Sports
16
Switzerlandrsquos Patrick Looser and Germanyrsquos Simone Wiegele claimed the inau-gural FEI World Cuptrade Vaulting titles at the 20102011 FEI World Cuptrade Finals a glittering Freestyle to Music showcase held over two daysLooserrsquos fellow starters in the Menrsquos section were Nicolas Andreani (FRA) Viktor Bruumlsewitz (GER) Daniel Kaiser (GER) Lukas Klouda (CZE) Nikolaus Luschin (AUT) and Yvan Nousse (FRA) Looser 26 was under pressure having finished second to Nicolas Andreani from France in the first Freestyle competition But
the reigning World Champion who won three of the four qualifying rounds over the winter months produced a superb performance which left Andreani in second place and Germanyrsquos Viktor Brusewitz in third In addition to the victorious Wiegele contenders for the Female title were her three compatriots Pia Engelbury Ines Juumlckstock and Antje Hill Simone Jaumliser (SUI) Stefanie Kowald (AUT) and Anna Cavallaro (ITA) In the second
competition Wiegele followed team-mate Hill into the arena in Hall 1 which seemed to be much more to the liking of the
horses than the smaller ring used on the first day And although Hillrsquos routine was
dramatic and beautifully controlled it was Wiegelersquos more complex display that settled
the destination of the very first Female World Cup trophy
ldquoFor the first time an indoor final that provided the public with an opportunity to witness the gymnastic movements of
athletes atop magnificent horses all choreographed to breathtaking musical arrangementsrdquo
Ian Williams FEI Director of Non-Olympic Sports
Highlights available as video on demand on
WHEN AND WHERE
26 ndash 30 July FEI European Reining Championship for Seniors amp Juniors Wiener Neustadt (AUT)
16 ndash 21 August FEI European Vaulting Championships for Seniors amp Juniors Le Mans (FRA)
17 ndash 21 August FEI European Dressage Championships Rotterdam (NED)
25 ndash 28 August HSBC FEI European Eventing Championships Luhmuumlhlen (GER)
01 ndash 04 September Open FEI European Driving Championships for Four-in-Hand Breda (NED)
01 ndash 04 September FEI European Para-Equestrian Dressage Championships Moorsele (BEL)
10 September FEI European Endurance Championships Florac (FRA)
13 ndash 18 September FEI European Jumping Championships Madrid (ESP)
LIVE ONLive coverage and highlightsCheck out the FEI TV broadcasting schedule for all the latest information on events broadcast live on FEI TV
European Championships for seniors in all the FEI disciplines are being held in 2011 We take a quick 360deg look at the dates venues facts amp figures and triumphant moments of the past 50 years of European Championships
FeI europeanChampionships 2011
Donrsquot miss a beatComplete competition reports updates behind the scenes information facts and figures and more can be found on wwwfeiorg as well as our dedicated facebook twitter and you tube pages
18
Preview
For the 31st edition of the FEI European Jumping Championships the event returns to Spain 18 years after the Championships in Gijon only this time to be held at the Club de Campo Villa in Madrid The FEI European Jumping Championships take place every two years in the middle of the Olympic cycle and have been held since 1957 with the introduction of team medals in 1975
THE VENUEThe Club de Campo Villa de Madrid (ESP) has been host to an annual CSI for 100 years and will be tem-porarily replacing its usual grass in the main arena with all-weather sand footing to ensure perfect going for the Championship
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERSTeam ndash SwitzerlandIndividual ndash Kevin Staut (FRA)
OLyMPIC qUALIFICATIONThe 3 best ranked nations from Olympic Qualifying Groups A amp B at the 2011 FEI European Jumping Championships (excluding the teams already quali-fied at WEG) will be qualified to take part with a team consisting of 4 athletes amp 4 horses or 3 athletes amp 3 horses
GREAT HORSES OF THE EUROPEANCHAMPIONSHIPSDEISTER - An extraordinary horse with an extraordi-nary record With Germanys Paul Schockemohle on board this brilliant bay Hannoverian led won three consecutive individual gold medals - in Munich Germany in 1981 Hickstead England in 1983 and Dinard France in 1985 Bred by Hermann Hahl in Osterbruch Lower Saxony Deister was by Diskant out of Adlerklette by Adlerschild stood 171cms high and had the heart of a lion Deisters European medal
haul also included team gold at Munich in 1981 team silver in Rotterdam in 1979 and team bronze at both Hickstead in 1983 and Dinard in 1985 Despite his incredibly active career the hardy Deister who was born in February 1971 lived to the ripe old age of 29
MR SOFTEE - The closest challenger to Deister for the title of Champion of the Europeans is the Irish-bred Mr Softee - a three-time winner but with two different riders Mr Softee enjoyed a hugely success-ful career with David Broome However it was with another Briton David Barker that the chestnut horse with four white legs took the individual European ti-tle for the first time in London in 1962 This was then followed up with David Broomersquos victory in Rotter-dam in 1967 and in Hickstead in 1969 Broome once said that like many other top horses Mr Softee had a big opinion of himself - He thought he was a king - and he was right
Believe it or nothellip
bull Itwasonlyin1975thatwomenwere permittedtocompetealongsidemenin theEuropeanJumpingChampionshipsprior tothistherehadbeentheLadiesEuropean JumpingChampionshipsheldfrom1957- 1973
bull Only2womenhaveeverwonthe FEIEuropeanChampionshipsFrancersquos AlexandraLedermannin1999and MeredithMichaels-Beerbaum(GER) in2007
bull Germanyledthegoldtallywith20 medals(14individualamp6team)double theamountofrunnerupGreatBritainon 10(6individualand4team)
FeI eUroPeaN
JUMPINGChaMPIoNshIPs
13-18 September 2011
Madrid (SPAIN)
19FOCUS
LIVE coverage on
Rotterdam gets set to host the 25th edition of the FEI European Dressage Championships for the first time and only the second time for the Netherlands (Arnhem 1999) The FEI European Dressage Championships take place every two years in the middle of the Olympic cycle and have been held since 1963
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERS
Team ndash The Netherlands
Individual ndash Kuumlr to MusicEdward Gal (NED) amp Moorlands Totilas
Individual ndash Grand Prix SpecialAdelinde Cornelissen (NED) amp Jerich Parzival
OLyMPIC qUALIFICATIONThe 3 best ranked nations from Groups A B amp C at the 2011 FEI European Dressage Championships (exclud-ing the teams already qualified at WEG) will be quali-fied to take part with a team consisting of 3 athletes amp 3 horses
THE WIND OF CHANGEFor 21 consecutive Championships from 1965 to 2005 (no team title awarded in 1963) the Germans held the European title but the last two editions have seen an upset to that tradition with the Netherlands clenching gold In 2009 the Dutch domination was particularly strong with five out of six individual med-als awarded to Dutch riders and the sixth going to British rider Laura Bechtolsheimer
IN MEMORy OF HENRI CHAMMARTIN (SUI)At the time of writing a legend in the Dressage world Henri Chammartin (SUI) passed away at the age of 92 An Olympic and European Dressage champion Henri Chammartin won the first two editions of the
FEI European Championships in 1963 and 1965 riding Wolfdiedtrich and competed in five consecutive edi-tions of the Olympic Games ndash Helsinki 1952 Stock-holm 1956 Rome 1960 Tokyo 1964 and Mexico 1968 ndash winning a total of five Olympic medals includ-ing Olympic champion in 1964
RECORD BREAKINGhellip In 2009 the formidable partnership of The Nether-lands Edward Gal and Moorlands Totilas smashed the world Freestyle record before a packed house with Windsor Castle standing proudly as a backdrop when scoring 9070 (including an unbelievable 29 perfect-10 scores) to win the Freestyle gold medal
Believe it or nothellip
bull GermanyhaswontheEuropeanDressage TeamTitleon21occasions
bull Thegreatestnumberofteamstoparticipate inEuropeanDressageChampionshipsis 14-atHickstead(GBR)in2003andagainat Hagen(GER)in2005
bull GermanysDrReinerKlimkewonthreeindi vidualtitles-atAachenin1967ridingDux andagainin1973ridingMehmedandat Copenhagenin1985ridingAhlerich
bull WithGigoloGermanysIsabellWerthtook theindividualtitlein1995and1997and wontheGrandPrixSpecialatDonaueschingen Germanyin1991andatLipicaSloveniain 1993
bull AnkyvanGrunsvenhasthreewinstoher namendashin1999withBonfirefollowedbythe backtobackwinswithSalineroin2005and 2007
17-21 August 2011
Rotterdam Netherland
FeI eUroPeaN
DressaGeChaMPIoNshIPs
20
LIVE coverage on
These are the second FEI European Para-Equestrian Dressage Championships to be held since Para-Equestrian joined the FEI Family in 2006 Para-Equestrian Dressage has been a regular fixture at the Paralympic Games since 1996 The first FEI European Para-Equestrian Dressage Championships were held in southern Norwegian town of Kristiansand in 2009 with a total of 78 ath-letes from 22 countries participating
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERS
Team Great Britain
Grade Ia Individual - Sophie Christiansen (GBR) Freestyle - Emma Sheardown (GBR)
Grade Ib Individual amp Freestyle Lee Pearson (GBR)
Grade II Individual - Petra Van der Sande (NED) Freestyle - Angelika Trabert (GER)
Grade III Individual amp Freestyle
Hannelore Brenner (GER)
Grade IV Individual amp Freestyle Sophie Wells (GBR)
The mobility strength and coordination of competi-tors are assessed and athletes with similar functional ability profiles are grouped into competition grades that range from Grade Ia for the most severely im-paired to Grade IV for the least impaired This means that the competition within each Grade can be judged on the skill of the individual competitors on their horses regardless of their disabilities
CLUB qUADRILLEMoorsele has been host to a regular international Para-Equestrian Dressage events for the past few years with the Club Quadrille as organiser The Club Quadrille was founded in 1981 by Anne Van Neste-dIeteren Belgian Dressage Champion from 1977 un-til 1982 current President of the Belgian Paralympic Committee and member of the FEI Para-Equestrian committee It is a unique sports club that works with both able bodied and disabled athletes and is active in the promotion and education of the sport As member of the honorary IPC Board Her Royal Highness (HRH) Princess Astrid of Belgium has been a fervent supporter of the event and has attended on many occasions
Believe it or nothellip
bull LeePearson(GBR)haswoneverygold medalwithinreachatParalympicWorld andContinentallevelandtheEuropeans in2009werenodifferentwithanother triplegoldvictory
bull GreatBritainalsohavetheMidastouch whenitcomestoteammedalsndashandarethe currentParalympicWorldandEuropean titleholders
bull In2009Germanycamecloserthanever totakingthegoldmedalfromall-time championGreatBritain
1-4 September 2011
Moorsele Belgium
FeI eUroPeaN
Para-eqUestrIaNDressaGeChaMPIoNshIPs
21FOCUS
A record number of fans are expected to attend the HSBC FEI European Eventing Championships as they return to Luhmuumlhlen for the fifth time to mark the 30th edition of the ChampionshipsThe FEI European Eventing Championships take place every two years in the middle of the Olympic cycle and have been held since 1953
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERSTeam ndash Great BritainIndividual ndash Kristina CookMiners Frolic (GBR)
OLyMPIC qUALIFICATIONThe 2 best ranked nations from Groups A B amp C at the 2011 HSBC FEI European Eventing Champion-ships (excluding the teams already qualified at WEG) will be qualified to take part with a team consisting of 3 athletes amp 3 horses
THE VENUELuhmuumlhlen one of only six 4 events on the interna-tional Eventing calendar and part of the prestigious HSBC FEI Classicstrade series will greet Europersquos best athletes with a fresh look and feel this year following extensive renovation to the existing infrastructures The recently renovated showground includes three Dressage and two Jumping arenas a tribune able to seat 850 spectators with spectacular views as well as a newly designed entrance including six ticket box facilities and fully catered trade stands The show-ground also boasts an open air stage with space for up to 15000 spectators ldquoI am confident that the in-vestment in the infrastructure will be of great benefit to all involved whether you are a volunteer a groom an athlete ndash both the horses and the riders - as well as for the sponsors guests spectators and the fans We are re-ally looking forward to great competitions this year at both the CCI4CIC3 in June and at the Europeans in August and hope many will join us to witness this historic momentrdquo Julia Otto Event Director Luhmuumlhlen
HSBCHSBC has renewed their sponsorship for a further three-year term as global sponsor of FEI Eventing to include title sponsorships of the HSBC FEI European Eventing Championships in both 2011 and 2013 and the HSBC FEI Classicstrade until the end of 2013
OFFICIAL TIMEPIECE Rolex the leading name in luxury wrist watches will be the Official Timekeeper for the HSBC FEI European Eventing Championships 2011
Believe it or nothellip
bull GinnyElliot(bornHolgate)theonlyrider towinthreesuccessiveindividualtitlesand IanStarkholdthejointrecordforEuropean goldmedalswonndashseveneachbutLucinda Greenstillhasthemostmedals(10)
bull SupremeRockriddenbyPippaFunnell (GBR)istheonlyhorsetowinback-to-back titles(in1999and2001)hehasfour Europeangoldmedalsintotalequalingthe recordofKilbarryThePoacherandOver ToYouwhowonarecordfourconsecutive Europeanteamgolds(1999-2005)
bull PrincessAnneandZaraPhillipsaretheonly mother-daughtercombinationtowin Europeantitles(1971and2005)
bull GreatBritainhaveheldtheEuropeantitle forthepast8consecutiveChampionships (since1995)Andofthe29editionstodate (startingin1953)theteamhavewona whopping21
25-28 August 2011
Luhmuumlhlen Germany
hsBC FeI eUroPeaN
eVeNtINGChaMPIoNshIPs LIVE coverage on
22
In September Breda Hippique in The Netherlands will be host to the seventh edition of the FEI Euro-pean Driving Championships for Four-in-Hand not held since 1981 This edition is open to both Euro-pean and non-European drivers and will also count as a qualifier for the indoor FEI World Cuptrade Driv-ing which is held during the winter season Only competitors from Europe can claim the individual and team medalsThe FEI European Driving Championships for Four-in-Hand were first held in 1971 in Budapest and continued to be held every two years until 1981 at which stage they were discontinued
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERSTeam ndash HungaryIndividual ndash Gyoumlrgyi Bardos (HUN)
SOMETHING IN THE WATERhellip Hungary have won five out of six available team European titles and on the individual front two Hungarians stand out from the crowd Imre Abony ndash individual winner in 1971 and 1975 and Gyoumlrgyi Bardos triple consecutive winner in 1977 1979 1981
IN THE BEGINNINGhellipThe first European Championships took place in Budapest in 1971 and moved on to Windsor in Great Britain in 1973 Sopot in Poland in 1975 Donauesch-ingen in Germany in 1977 and in Haras du Pin in France in 1979 The sixth and last edition took place in 1981 in Zug Switzerland
THE VENUEBreda has hosted the only Nations competition (CAIO) for Four-in-Hand horses in The Netherlands for many years In 1995 Breda hosted the first FEI European Driving Championships for Four-in-Hand ponies and in 2010 was host to the FEI World Para-Equestrian Driving Championships Aside from the four-in-hand teams Breda will also host international pony teams and national horse pairs at the event this year
Believe it or nothellip
bull Hungaryhavewonfiveoutofsixteamgold titles
bull AugusteDubeyfromSwitzerlandwasthe onlynon-HungarianEuropeanChampion hewontheChampionshipsin1973
bull PrincePhilipFEIPresidentfrom1964- 1986whocelebratedhis90thbirhtday inJuneisanavidfanofDrivingandpartici- patedinsixWorldandthreeEuropean Championships
1-4 September 2011
Breda Netherland
FeI eUroPeaN
DrIVINGChaMPIoNshIPsfor FoUr-IN-haND
Note At the time of writing the FEI European DrivingChampionships for Four in Hand was pending approvalby the FEI Bureau
23FOCUS
The 14th edition of the FEI European Endurance Championships return to Florac in France twenty five years after the inaugural event was held there The FEI European Endurance Championships first took place in 1984 and were immediately followed up by a second edition in 1985 and have since been held every two years They have always been open to the world with two sets of medals presented ndash open and European
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERSTeam ndash SpainIndividual ndash Maria Alvarez Ponton amp Nobby
RECORD BREAKINGCurrent title holder Maria Alvarez Ponton amp super horse Nobby is the first rider to hold European and World titles at the same time She will be looking to confirm her stronghold on the sport following her second consecutive World title with a second con-secutive European title in Florac a feat no rider has managed to achieve at the Europeans to date
THE VET GATEModern competitions consist of a number of sec-tions known as lsquophasesrsquo At the end of each phase there is a compulsory halt for veterinary inspection Each horse which is thoroughly examined before it is allowed to start the ride must be presented for inspection within a set time of reaching each vetgate The time spent at each vetgate prior to inspection by the vets is counted as part of the overall competition time and the aim is to determine whether the horse is fit to continue the ride
THE SUPPORT CREWA vital part of Endurance riding is the support crew Riders are assisted by a team of helpers who meet them several times over the ride bringing bottles of water to pour over the horse to cool it down as well as a drink for the rider Crews also have spare equipment in case something breaks down or needs replacing
Believe it or nothellip
bull TheFrenchhavethemedaledgewith6 individualand4teamgoldmedalsfrom the14editionsheld
bull Floracistheonlyvenuetohostthe EuropeanChampionshipstwice(thefirst editionin1984andtheupcomingedition in2011)
bull EnduranceisthefastestgrowingFEI disciplinefrom2000to2010thenumber ofinternationaleventshavemultipliedby10
10 September 2011
Florac France
FeI eUroPeaN
eNDUraNCeChaMPIoNshIPs
24
Reem Acra Boutique 14 East 60th St New York New York 10022 2123088760 wwwreemacracom
356935B2_RA_brochure2_souvenir_programmeindd 1 82710 1012 AM
Vaulting became an FEI discipline in 1983 and saw its first FEI European Championship organised just one year later in the town of Ebreichsdorf in Austria This 15th edition of the Championship ndash which also includes the European Juniors competition return to France for the 4th time but for the first time in the world renowned venue of Le Mans famous for its 24 hour race
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERS
Team ndash Austria
Individual malelongeurhorseNicolas Andreani (FRA)Marina Joosten DuponIdefix de Braize
Individual femalelongeurhorseJoanna Eccles (GBR)John EcclesWH Bentley
THE WIND OF CHANGEGermany and Switzerland have traditionally bat-tled for the team title (Germany has 7 gold versus Switzerlandrsquos 5) but in 2009 Austria who had come second on four occasions since the inception of the Championships in 1984 finally climbed onto the top spot of the podium and claimed the title In terms of the individual performances Germany had the stronghold on the male category winning 11 out of 14 gold medals But again in 2009 France the only other country to have ever beaten a German male vaulter at the Europeans made it to the top spot of the podium for only the third time since the Championships began
Similarly with the female vaulters it was an all German domination until 2007 when Austriarsquos Sissi Jarz claimed gold followed by Joanna Eccles (GBR) in 2009 ndash leaving Germany off the top step of the podium entirely in 2009
GREAT BRITAIN ndash A VAULTING NATIONhellip Times have definitely changed from the Swiss German domination with current World and European titles held by Great Britainrsquos Joanna Eccles She was the first British vaulter (male or female) to claim a medal at the Europeans ndash let alone a gold medal - and then went on to secure the world title in Kentucky last year
Believe it or nothellip
bull TheonlycountryotherthanGermanyand SwitzerlandtohaveclaimedaEuropean VaultingtitleisSlovakiain2005
bull ChristophLensing(GER)holdsthemale medalrecordndashwiththreegold(19891993 amp1995)aswellassilverin1991
bull NadiaZuumllowandSilkeMichelberger (formerlyBernhard)withthreegoldmedals each
16-21 August 2011
Le Mans France
FeI eUroPeaN
VaULtINGChaMPIoNshIPs
26
This is only the fifth edition of the European Reining Championships since the discipline joined the FEI in 2000 and the first time they will be held in Austria The event also includes the FEI European Champi-onships for Juniors and Young Riders ndash a formula introduced in 2009 in Kreuth (GER) which proved to be a multigenerational success The FEI European Reining Championships take place every two years and have been held since 2003
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERSTeam ndash GermanyIndividual ndash Nina Lill (GER) riding Lena Cielo Jewel
THE JUDGINGReining horses are judged individually Each horse au-tomatically begins the required pattern with a score of 70 One or frac12 points are given or taken away for each manoeuvre Credit is given for smoothness fi-nesse attitude quickness and authority Controlled speed in the pattern raises the level of difficulty and makes the reining horse exciting to watch
Believe it or nothellip
bull ItalyandGermanyaretheonlytwonations tohavewongoldmedalsndashGermanyhas3 teamgoldand2individualgoldversus Italyrsquossingleteamgoldandtwoindividual gold
bull GermanyrsquosNinaLillwinnerin2009was thefirstwomantotaketheindividualtitle sincetheChampionshipsbeganin2003
bull OlympicWorldandEuropeanDressage ChampionAnkyVanGrunsven(NED) competedattheAlltechFEIWorldEques- trianGamestradein2010inbothDressageand hellipReining
bull 13nationswerescheduledtoattendthe Championshipatthetimeofwritingthe largestparticipationbycountryever recordedfortheEuropeans
26-30 July 2011
Wiener Neustadt Austria
FeI eUroPeaN
reININGChaMPIoNshIPs
27FOCUS
ldquoThirty-one yearsrsquo experience comes in handy some-timesrdquo joked the ever-relaxed Todd who was a leg-end by the time he ldquoretiredrdquo in 2000 with back-to-back Olympic golds five Burghley wins two world gold medals and three Badminton victories one on a horse he had never ridden before ldquoIt is incredibly special though right up there with the back-to-back Olympic golds When I came back to the sport (in 2008) it was to see if I could get back to top level It has always been my aim to win another big onerdquo
A World class meeting of Generations
The 2011 HSBC FEI Classicstrade could not have got off to a more epic start with wins at Badminton and Kentucky by two of the sportrsquos most enduring personalitiesThe 55-year-old New Zealander Mark Todd rolled back the years to score a fourth victory at the Gloucestershire venue 31 years after his first attempt in 1980
By Kate Green
28
HSBC FEI ClassicsTm
The resurgence of so much experienced talent makes it harder for younger riders to work their way up the leaderboard but 29-year-old Sinead Halpin (USA) had a spectacular CCI4 debut at Kentucky finish-ing third and best of the home side in distinguished company This achievement earned her the HSBC Training Bursary worth US$1000 towards training a prestigious and valuable award presented to the rider who achieves the best result on completing a CCI4 for the first time
The bursary winner at Badminton Fiona Hobby (GBR) 39 has had a rather longer wait to complete
her first CCI4 ndash she was 26th on Roma ML ndash but she has in the meantime produced two children had a career as a sports therapist and only switched from Jumping to Eventing relatively recently Hobby has vowed to spend the money on dressage train-ing ldquoRoma couldnrsquot believe it when she arrived in the arena and saw all those people but she was great across country really focussed Irsquom delightedrdquo
For Germanyrsquos Sandra Auffarth Luhmuumlhlen pro-vided an outstanding CCI4 debut on Opgun Louvo a young horse she has produced herself coming second and picking up the HSBC Training Bursary and the exciting prospect of a possible place in the squad for the forthcoming HSBC FEI European Event-ing Championship at Luhmuumlhlen (25-28 August) at which Germany as host nation will be entitled to field 12 riders
Last yearrsquos HSBC Training Bursary winners include Stephanie Rhodes-Bosch (CAN) who went on to win a team silver medal at the Alltech FEI World Equestri-an Gamestrade Lauren Shannon (GBR) who finished 17th at Badminton this year and Giovanni Ugolotti (ITA) who is furthering his career by basing himself in Brit-ain for the season and having lessons with Mark Todd
LIVE coverage and extensive highlights available on
Toddrsquos winning mount the 10-year-old NZB Land Vision was a green horse for this level and he fin-ished the Cross-Country phase tired but his rider kept his cool in an extraordinarily tight finish in which the price of one Jumping fence covered the top 12 riders any of whom could with a bit of luck have won the Mitsubishi Motors Trophy ldquoIn the end it came down to horse-power and Irsquove obviously got a good one hererdquo said Todd ldquoCharisma (his double Olympic gold medallist) will always be the most special horse but this one has no weak linksrdquo
As is the nature of the sport Toddrsquos lead in the HSBC FEI Classicstrade didnrsquot last long ndash he came down to earth with a bump the following weekend with a Cross-Country run-out on NZB Grass Valley his ride at the Rolex Kentucky Three Day Event (USA) and 49- year-old Mary King (GBR) stole the head-lines with a record one-two on Kings Mis-tress and Fernhill Urco It was Kingrsquos first CCI4 victory for 11 years ndash she has won Badminton twice and Burghley once ndash but she certainly smashed a few re-cords with this one She became the first rider to score a one-two at Kentucky the first in modern times to win a CCI4 on a home-bred horse and the oldest female to win a CCI4
King who has six team gold medals at World and European level plus competed at five consecutive Olympics had the luxury of knowing she had already won the event on the inexperienced 10-year-old Fernhill Urco a horse bred in Portugal by the time she entered the arena on Kings Mistress but she still produced a second clear round ldquoI never dreamed that I would be in this position and Irsquom enjoying the momentrdquo said the ever-smiling King ldquoIt was great to have the feeling of having already won on Fernhill Urco but I still wanted desperately to go clear on Kings Mistress as it is so special to win on a horse I bred myselfrdquo It was also an all clear from Germanyrsquos Andreas Dibowski and Euroriding Butts Leon in order to secure victory at the fourth leg of the HSBC FEItrade
Classicstrade in Luhmuumlhlen presented by EON Avacon
29FOCUS
The Danish-American actorpoet musician photographerand painter has been around horses most of his life from riding Hasufel and Brego in The Lord of the Rings trilogy to early childhood memories in Argentina his passion for floating as he describes it has never wavered
What is it about the horse that makes you a horse loverWe get along generally I respect their strength and their personal space Your first riding experience ndash was it bliss or terrorLike floating like being on a warm and floating mountain I remember being happy Do you think anyone can rideYes It is a question of allowing yourself to ride of allowing yourself to cooperate and not be in total control Children are more adept at figuring this out letting things happen without getting impatient or scared just as they are braver and less self-conscious about pronouncing new words or singing Anyone at any age or in any physical condition can
Viggo Mortensen
achieve a degree of success and satisfaction with horses even if it is just a question of touching them being near them If horses could talk what would they be sayingYou will know if you listen and watch them Is there a unique trait you look for in a horse that you canrsquot find in peopleThey are more patient and less apt to complain about lifersquos setbacks and physical ailments than most people I admire a tough smart horse what-ever its breed age or size What would you miss most if you could no longer go ridingThe companionship and the floating perhaps also the abandonment of usual daily worries that relaxed riding requires Whatrsquos your usual riding outfit consist ofAnything will do Loose-fitting clothes and good comfortable boots are a plus but not vital I have even ridden barefoot ndash naturally taking care to avoid being stepped on when not on the horse - but I do not recommend this to anyone The most important thing is to have a clear and focused mind to be THERE at all times when around horses and NOWHERE ELSE Sugar lumps or carrotsIrsquove been guilty of offering an occasional apple or carrot although it is best not to give horses anything special unless treats are part of training them for special tricks or stunts a pursuit best left to experts like master horse trainer Rex Peterson whom Irsquove had the good fortune to work with and study quite a bit Treats spoil horses and do not keep the animal focused on the task at hand Whatrsquos your favourite part of a horseThe brain What do you think young people gain from ridingSelf-confidence and an understanding of the value of cooperation
30
Why the long face
When did you first develop the bond with the horseThe first time I got on one as a little boy in ArgentinaYou either develop a bond of some kind or you fall off Of course you may even fall off if you develop the bond but you have to start (and restart) somewhere
Did your friends ride My brothers also rode and I have ridden with many kinds of people over the years ndash some good and patient with horses and some not If I had not rid-den as a boy I would probably have been wandering around fishing imagining I was a cowboy or an Indian or a Viking ndash which I did anyway Where in the world would you most like to rideMost anywhere will do but I have been extremely lucky to have ridden in many wide-open wild places ndash deserts grassy plains mountains by different seas and rivers in Argentina New Zealand North Africa and North America If you could spend one afternoon riding with a famous person (past or present)who would it be and whyIrsquoll give you 3 Oglala chief Tasunke Witko (Crazy Horse) my ancestor William F Cody or any real Gaucho from the province of Chaco Argentina
Two horses go out for dinner what kindof restaurant do they chooseLate spring grass near a slow-moving clean river with a gentle firm shoreline an hour before sun-down far from any people or other animals All time favourite horse filmI have a subjective soft spot for the stories and real horses involved in the making of ldquoHidalgordquo and the 2nd and 3rd installments of ldquoThe Lord Of The Ringsrdquo trilogy but I admire other ldquohorse moviesrdquo as wellThe 1953 French movie ldquoCrin-Blancrdquo (ldquoWhite Manerdquo) directed by Albert Lamorisse is a personal favourite
After three years at the head of the successful French Jumping team with back to back FEI Nations Cuptrade titles and a silver medal at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade Laurent Elias is moving on to new spheres with the French Horse amp Riding Institute where he will be training the riders of the National Riding School in Saumur
Laurent Elias
copy C
hris
toph
e Br
icot
32
The other side of
If I had not become a professional rider I would havehellipmade a career in a humanitarian organisation Horse riding is sometimes too trivial
My priority in life ishellipto be able to look at myself in the mirror in the morning and make sure I am at peace with my conscience
My familyhellipkeeps me grounded My wife helped me a lot when I was in charge of selections for France She took charge of my personal life and was the first person I called when we got the medal in Lexington I also admire my parents for the values they passed on to me
I remember my first ridingexperiencehellipaged six we were shooting a family film and I was on horseback I finished upside down under my horse for a long time I stopped riding for one year
I used to dream abouthellipsafaris One of my uncles was passionate about safaris Through him I became very interested in African trips and the jobs that allow you to travel as a reporter were fascinating to me as well
I have been thinking a lot abouthellipwhat happened in Japan these past few months First this tsunami that devastated everything without warning then the nuclear disaster It made me think that progress should not be destructive
My horse Gueacutenourhellipchanged my life I was just a coach and he brought me to the top I won the national championship in 1981 with him
My biggest challengehas always beenhellipshyness Horse riding has really helped me over-come it Horses brought me on stage and there I had to meet people
As a Chef dEquipehellipthere is no single defining achievement itrsquos all about the solidarity and the moments spent together as a team Irsquoll never forget the first time Penelope Leprevost rode her mare Jubileacutee drsquoOuilly in the FEI Nations Cuptrade of Rotterdam McLain Ward had just completed a real fast run with Sapphire We thought the Americans would win but she did it faster and beat Sapphire
In terms of eventshellipAachen is my favourite competition - for its won-derful organisation But we have also pretty good five star competitions in France
I donrsquot sleep muchhellipprobably because I am just happy to be alive
Irsquom not scared to laugh or cryhellipI laugh at the funny situations we sometimes find ourselves in life and enjoy people with quirky personalities I cry when I see others in pain
Laurent Elias and the French team en route to the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade copy PSV-Jean Morel
33FOCUS
Nicolas TheacutevenazAged 23 studies Robotics and Autonomous Systems Micro Engineering in Lausanne (SUI) alongside regular training and competition in Dressage and Para-Equestrian Dressage events Born with spastic diplegia Nicolas was introduced to horses via hippotherapy aged seven and quickly developed a passion for riding which not only helped with his physical condition but also taught him through Dressage the art of patience and perseverance
34
One day
Nicolas TheacutevenazAged 23 studies Robotics and Autonomous Systems Micro Engineering in Lausanne (SUI) alongside regular training and competition in Dressage and Para-Equestrian Dressage events Born with spastic diplegia Nicolas was introduced to horses via hippotherapy aged seven and quickly developed a passion for riding which not only helped with his physical condition but also taught him through Dressage the art of patience and perseverance
He has been fortunate to meet the right people (and horses) at the right time and has been working for the past five years with trainer Vicky-Eileen Baumann (pictured right) and her horses Magic and Lady (pictured right) ldquoShersquos bred them and knows them inside out which is very useful when I have to communicate with them - they know my voice intonations and a whole string of specific words or sounds ndash which really helps as my body canrsquot or doesnrsquot always have the strength to do sordquo
As a Grade II Para-Equestrian rider Nicolas competes in Para-Equestrian Dressage (PED) events as well as national events for able bodied riders as there are only a handful of PED riders and no events in Switzerland
Unable to attend the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade 2010 in Kentucky last year Nicolas and Vicky have their sights firmly set on the 2012 Para-lympic Games and will be looking to qualify with Lady over the next 12 months ndash alongside exams studies and everything else life has to offerhellip Who is your role model For different reasons I have different role mod-els Edward Gal Dane Rawlins Isabel Werth and Catherine Haddad
When did you start riding and why At age 7 I was sat on a horse for hippotherapy and liked the complicity with the horse which made me want to discover more
How do you feel when you ride Concentrated and industrious
Who is your biggest fan My trainerrsquos mum
Complete this sentenceOne day I would like tohellip have gained enough knowledge to be able to take care of and train my own horse
What are your long term goals as a rider Continue to do my best to enjoy what I do and show others itrsquos possible
How do you juggle studies and competition I think itrsquos really important to have goals and to do everything you can to achieve them and that includes taking on challenges because if you donrsquot try then yoursquoll never know what you could have achieved
What is your proudest achievement to date Participation in international events together with pursuing my studies
How do you feel after winning Still working towards discovering the feeling
What is the best advice anyone has ever given youMy trainer often repeats to me the famous saying by General LrsquoHotte ldquoCalme en avant droitrdquo which says so much about riding but can also be applied to so many other aspects of life
35FOCUS
What advice would you give someone looking to get involved in Para-Equestrian Dressage Train and ride with able-bodied athletes as often as possible Being around and working with horses is so rewarding Irsquod like - when Irsquom retired - to write a book to share these feelings with others and hope this will inspire them to get involved
Complete this sentenceIn the future I would like the sport to beeven ldquocleanerrdquo and fairer and if possible not more but less demanding on the horses
ldquoLast but not least Irsquod like to take the opportunity of this article to reach out to those who give me their trust and help be it with their time their friendship and any type of support Day after day to year after year team work is essential and Irsquoll do my best to continue deserving every-onersquos encouraging smilesrdquo
European Broadcasting Union
Union Europeacuteenne de Radio-Teacuteleacutevision
+41 (0)22 717 2111 wwweurovisionnet
We bring the event to your home
Eurovision
copy K
it H
ough
ton
FE
I
FEI_08_A4indd 1 03012008 162238
European Broadcasting Union
Union Europeacuteenne de Radio-Teacuteleacutevision
+41 (0)22 717 2111 wwweurovisionnet
We bring the event to your home
Eurovision
copy K
it H
ough
ton
FE
I
FEI_08_A4indd 1 03012008 162238
Nominations for the FEI Awards opened in May enabling the global equestrian com-munity to once again reward outstanding dedication to horse sport in five categories ndash Development Best Groom Against All Odds Rising Star and Best Athlete The search for the equestrian heroes of 2011 is now on who will be flown to Rio de Janeiro Brazil to receive their awards
Where are they now The FEI asked the current title-holders for an update on their activities
Follow us on
38
FEI Awards 2011
Ebony Horse Club (GBR)Winner of the Alltech FEI DevelopmentAward 2010
The Ebony Horse Club announced in December 2010 that after an eight-year fundraising effort it had the pound14 million necessary for building an equestrian cen-tre in one of Londonrsquos most deprived boroughs Since 1996 Ebony has offered youngsters in an area reput-ed for its gang culture high level of gun crime and drug dealing the chance to ride and learn key social skills The clubrsquos 50 members travel to riding schools across London on public transport or in minibuses ndash a logistical headache that the inner-city equestrian centre will end Construction work began in February
Ebony Horse Club founder and director Ros Spear-ing told the FEI ldquoRiding lessons are continuing and the club is preparing for the transitionrdquo Building will finish on 7 July but the centre will open for riding lessons in October ldquoThe horses will be brought to Brixton in the summer and will have time to acclimatise to their new environmentrdquo Spearing said The centre will include stabling for nine horses a small paddock and a flood-lit riding arena as well as a classroom for learning about horses and equine management Spearing is adamant that club members ndash present and future ndash care for their rides and wants the centre to serve as a stepping stone to careers in the horse industry
Ebonyrsquos existence will continue to depend on the generosity of donors For more information visit wwwebonyhorsecluborguk
Michelle Tipper (GBR)Winner of the FEI Best Groom Award 2010
Michelle Tipper has continued to juggle grooming and study since receiving her FEI Award in Novem-ber She has organised the grooms for the British European Junior and Young Dressage teams and in April her contract as a travelling groom for British Dressage riders Paul and Bobby Hayler took her to Addington for the first of many international com-petitions she will work at this year The Haylers have eight horses competing and the number she works with at each venue varies Tipper has also been help-ing British Dressage riders Nicky and Richard Barrett with yard duties ldquoI feel very lucky to work for both of these familiesrdquo said the FEI Best Groom Award win-ner adding that she feels part of the two families In March Tipper graduated from university with a Masters in Sport Psychology She is now working towards British Association of Sport and Exercise Science accreditation which requires at least 500 hoursrsquo supervised work experience and is present-ing sport psychology workshops in conjunction with the company Inside Performance Consulting Limit-ed (wwwinside-performancecom) The workshops are organised internationally for people of all ages from any sport To find out more contact Tipper at michelletipper1979yahoocom
39FOCUS
Michelle Tipper ndash copyWilliam TzengAward winners ndash copyWilliam TzengCaroline Roffman ndash copySharonPackercomEbony Horse Club ndash copyEbony Horse ClubEdward Gal and Totilas ndash copyKit HoughtonFEIAngelika Trabert ndash copyJulia Rau
Angelika Trabert (GER)Winner of the FEI Against All Odds Award 2010
German Para-Dressage rider Angelika Trabert has represent-ed her country at four Paralympic Games and won some 15 medals at national European and world championships She is currently seeking a new home for Londria the mare that con-tributed to her Team Silver medal win at the Hong Kong Para-lympics Londria who had a foal last year was also Trabertrsquos ride during her medal-winning performances at the European Championships in Hungary (2005) and Norway (2009)
Trabert said her decision to let go of Londria was hard to make but was necessary for financial reasons She will keep the foal Finaud Coquin and her mares Walmorel and Ariva-Avanti Trabert won the Para-Dressage Grade 2 Freestyle Champion-ship at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade with Ariva and said the horse was ldquowell and ready to go for the Europeans again in Belgium in September if we qualifyrdquo Trabert competed in her first international competition of 2011 in May in Man-nheim Germany where she came first in the Grade II indi-vidual and second in the freestyle She is taking part in the German Championships in June
Away from the equestrian world Trabert works as an anaes-thetist and has participated in medical missions in the rural ar-eas of Guinea for the organisation Mango In January she was back in Guinea as part of team that carried out 100 operations in 13 days wwwangelika-trabertde
Visit the recently refreshed FEI Awards website to find out more about the Awards the pastwinners the judges and to make yournominationsby 31 July
wwwfeiawardsorg
40
Caroline Roffman (USA)Winner of the HSBC FEI Rising StarAward 2010
Success continues to smile on twenty-two-year-old American Dressage rider Caroline Roffman Since re-ceiving the HSBC FEI Rising Star Award she has en-joyed numerous wins at small tour and young horse levels achieving scores in the mid-eighties and quali-fying two horses for the young horse championships
Roffman is currently showing six horses and has won several classes at PSG and Grand Prix level ldquoBut nothing is as exciting as to be going to Aachenrdquo said the young woman who has been described as the American Dressage communityrsquos brightest hope ex-plaining that at the FEI Awards ceremony in Chinese Taipei Frank Kemperman FEI Dressage Committee Chair and Chairman of the Managing Board at CHIO Aachen (GER) invited her to take part in the pres-tigious event Roffman will be the first American to compete in the Under 25 Grand Prix there and is hop-ing to take her horse Lux Stensvang
An interview with Caroline Roffman at the Palm Beach Dressage Derby CDI will be broadcast on the magazine programme Equestrian World on FEI TV the FEIrsquos official online video platform wwwfeitvorg
Edward Gal and Totilas (NED)Winners of the Reem Acra FEI Best Athlete Award 2010
The world-famous partnership of Dutch Dressage rider Edward Gal and the extraordinary Totilas ended in style in 2010 with notably three gold medal wins at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade
The first foal sired by the superstar stallion was born in January followed by two more in the spring Gal who has admired the foals told the FEI ldquoYou never know ndash maybe in a few yearsrsquo time Irsquoll have another Totilas readyrdquo At the beginning of April he was busy at home training nine horses and preparing for the Reem Acra FEI World Cuptrade Dressage Final in Leipzig and the European Championships in Rotterdam He had not yet decided which horses he was going to compete with but was particularly looking forward to the Freestyle to Music Asked what it was like to compete without Totilas Gal said ldquoEverybody ex-pected Totilas to win I find it easier to ride other horses because nobody expects me to win and when I do itrsquos really nicerdquo
41FOCUS
globetrotter
Seal of approval for the Adai horseSixty years have passed since an Adai horse reportedly set a record galloping 354km in one day Today the Adai horse a breed na-tive to Kazakhstan is back in the spotlight with a gold medal at the FEI Central Asian Endurance Championship in Talgaearlier in May only months after having been award-ed official pedigree status following tests
conducted by a State Commission in the Mangistau Steppes which allowed itto compete internationally The horses are cherished for their hardiness and Oyly ridden by Altyngali Bissemaganbetov (KAZ) proved just that when crossing the finishing line first demonstrating just how tough the Adai horses are and the beginning of a new era for sturdy breed on the international stage
Equestrian Australia Sport
Achievement Awards
In May the best of the best in
Equestrian sport gathered to cel-
ebrate the achievements of Austral-
iarsquos athletes coaches officials vets
administrators owners volunteers
and the many other people that
dedicate their time and enthusiasm
to equestrian sport The ceremony
also included the introduction of
Equestrian Australiarsquos Hall of
Fame won by the legendary Bill
Roycroft Boyd Exell winner of
the FEI World CupTM Driving
Final was awarded the interna-
tional athlete of the year
award
Kevin Stautbecomes first athlete representative on FEI
executive board
Kevin Staut one of Francersquos most successful Jumping riders became the first athlete to be appointed to the FEI Executive Board for a three-year term Staut (31) who has held the number one spot in the Rolex Rankings for Jumping since July 2010 has ridden on numerous Nations Cup teams for France and claimed individual gold at the Alltech FEI European Jumping Championships in 2009
HulA CARTSWorld Horse Welfare has greatly helped the liv
es of
five Senegalese cart horse owners by presenting them
with new Hula Carts The local people who depend on
their working horses for their livelihoods were specially
selected by the charity to receive the carts which have
been sponsored by members of the public in the uK
The Hula Carts are specifically developed to help the
horses pulling heavy loads in often difficult conditions
Equestrian Australia Sport
Achievement Awards
In May the best of the best in
Equestrian sport gathered to cel-
ebrate the achievements of Austral-
iarsquos athletes coaches officials vets
administrators owners volunteers
and the many other people that
dedicate their time and enthusiasm
to equestrian sport The ceremony
also included the introduction of
Equestrian Australiarsquos Hall of
Fame won by the legendary Bill
Roycroft Boyd Exell winner of
the FEI World CupTM Driving
Final was awarded the interna-
tional athlete of the year
award
Olympic legendBill Roycroft passes away aged 96
A legend of Equestrian sport in Australia James William
George Roycroft OBE known as ldquoBillrdquo was one of Austral-
iarsquos greatest Olympians and one of only five Australians to
have competed in five consecutive Olympic Games (from
1960 - 1976) as well as being Australiarsquos oldest medallist
and oldest competitor at 61 years and 31 days In May 2011
Bill was inducted in Equestrian Australiarsquos inaugural Hall
of Fame ndash he was Australiarsquos oldest living Olympian and
shared his dedication and enthusiasm for the sport with
his sons Barry Wayne and Clarke (See a brief description
of his exploits in the 1960 Olympic Games Memory Lane
article page 9 which catapulted Australiarsquos reputation as
one of the best Eventing teams in the world)
webinfofeiFEI web wizard Nicole Sigrist has added a new hub for the Press on wwwfeiorg called FEI Press Kits located in the Media section of the website The Press Kits zone which is also open to the general public is regularly updated with infor-mation relating to FEI series and specific events with flip books and downloadable PDFs as well as direct links to the Photo Catalogue the Rankings and Standings the Annual Report and more
100thanniversary for Finnish riding club
One of the three found-ing member clubs of
the Finnish Equestrian Federation the Suomen
Kenttaumlratsastusseura-Finska Faumlltrittklubbenon celebrates
its 100th anniversary in 2011 Magnus Rydman former President of the Finnish National Federation and Presi-dent of the FEI from 1935 ndash 1946 was one of the founders of the club Another of the founders of the oldest club in Fin-land was the Eventing rider Colonel Hans Olof von Essen whose fifth place at the Antwerpen Olympic Games re-mains the best Olympic equestrian result the country has ever achieved
Follow us on
43FOCUS
Interview with the President of the Brazilian Equestrian Federation Mr Luiz Roberto Giugni
The Brazilian Equestrian Federation has been a member Federation of the FEI for 75 years how has the sport developed over that time We were facing regular growth (average of 25 in the last decade) but in the last three to four years this rate has significantly increased up to 35 a year We believe that this is due to international achievements (two Jumping Olympic team bronze medals the individual Olympic Jumping gold medal won by Rodrigo Pessoa several Pan Am Jumping team gold medals recent Olympic pre-qualification in Kentucky (4th in the world in Jumping) and the organisations of a Global Champions Tour event in Brazil
In terms of developing the sport what are the most successful projects you have undertaken in recent yearsWe decided to invest in education and have hired international trainers for all the disciplines such as Jean Maurice Bonneau for Jumping Nick Turner for Eventing Eric Lette for Dressage Jean Louis Leclerc for Endurance Mattias Lang for Vaulting with the long term in mind that is at least until the end of 2012 and planning towards 2016 when Rio will host the Olympic Games
How popular is equestrian sport with young people in Brazil and how do you compete with some of the bigger sports for their attention Popularization is growing bit by bit in a country
decidedly dominated by soccer ndash being 5 times World Champion makes it a national passion But we are continuously looking to attract TV to our events as this is a huge step towards gaining visibility and popularity Can you tell us about the programmesinitiatives in place for disabled athletes We are actively pursuing this and have achieved really positive results in little time such as the great performances and medals earned at the Para-lympic Games in Hong Kong in 2008 We do this through clinics courses international exchanges of athletes and working alongside our National Paralympic Committee to support us in our efforts
Brazil will be host the FEI General Assembly at the end of the year what do you want all the visiting delegates to remember from their visit That we are more than just a really beautiful and warm country with the ability and capacity to organise great events and that we are committed to putting on the best Olympic Games ever
What are the main objectivesplans for the Brazilian Federation in the lead up to the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games Our NOC is really committed to raising the bar of all the sports to a level never seen before and we are working towards that in terms of our athletes our judges our venues and everything that is related to our sport and the quality of our sport In line with this objective we are providing incen-tives to owners to buy good horses aiming for 2016 and this is going to plan for now We expect to perform well at the upcoming Pan Am Games and Olympics on our trail to 2016
Is there anything else you would like to share with us I would like to thank HRH Princess Haya President of the FEI as well as the Executive Board for all the support that we are getting which has been paramount to the development of equestrian sport in our country
44
President Luiz Roberto GiugniSecretary General Luiz Antonio RoccoMember since 1935
15 members of staff work at the federation
20 regional federations are affiliated tothe Brazilian Equestrian Federation with over 300 member riding clubs
6 000 affiliated riders
91 national events were held in 2010
31 international events were held in 2010
All the FEI disciplines are practiced in BrazilJumping Dressage Eventing Vaulting Reining EnduranceDriving amp Para-Equestrian
14 breeding organisations
There are 58 million horses and ponies in Brazilmaking it the fourth largest equine population in the world
FAC
TS amp
FIG
URE
S
45FOCUS
Dr Gerit Matthesen56 is a private equine practitioner an FEI Vet and a member of the FEI Veterinary Committee He graduated in Veterinary Medicine from Berlin University in 1983 and since 1989 has worked or officiated at some 180 competitions and championships including the last two Olympics and FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade He lives near Frankfurt with his wife Carola and their sons Mike (16) and Lars (14)
46
A life in a day
Dr Gerit Matthesen56 is a private equine practitioner an FEI Vet and a member of the FEI Veterinary Committee He graduated in Veterinary Medicine from Berlin University in 1983 and since 1989 has worked or officiated at some 180 competitions and championships including the last two Olympics and FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade He lives near Frankfurt with his wife Carola and their sons Mike (16) and Lars (14)
I wake up earlier than I need to ndash at around 6am ndash because breakfast time with my family is sacred to me and I can then drive my boys to the village station to take the train to school After two cups of coffee (enough for the day) and a glass of orange juice I read the newspapers then head to my prac-tice offices in our indoor arena I have a quick look at our horses then start work
While I listen to my phone messages I deal with my emails and search the internet for news about veterinary medicine and horse sport I then start planning the dayacutes schedule with Anna my assistant vet
My mobile practice is in a nice fairly rural area in the north of Frankfurt There are lots of horse farms but it is not a classic breeding area like the northern part of Germany There are sport horses as well as pleasure horses I have examination rooms and stables for horses staying or mares foaling in my practice stables Itrsquos not a big clinic which gives me time to work at competitions
After seeing a few small animals in my practice I normally start my field service at 930am In my car I have enough equipment (ultrasound X-ray systems and endoscopical devices) for the dayrsquos examinations and standing procedures We mainly have lameness examinations to do or internal diseases to treat accompanied by routine work like vaccinations or carrying out pre-purchase or health certificate examinations If time allows I go home for a quick lunch but thatrsquos not every day
While Irsquom driving I have time to think and I write down everything that come to mind regarding sport competitions committees and so on You have to write down your thoughts when yoursquore over the age of 50
It is not easy planning my day because any emer-gency can destroy or delay my schedule For all the paperwork and certificates I need a time frame so
I often do that over quiet weekends when there are no competitions During the winter season I am less busy but in summer a lot of weekends are taken over by the competition schedule
I love my work especially in Eventing which is my favourite discipline My wife and I practiced it ndash not up to top level but it was a fine time despite a bro-ken ankle from a fall in 1988 which after 23 years is making walking more and more difficult for me
I like to do my competition work on a friendly but strict basis and I really like to hear riders saying they are treated fairly Over the years I have acquired a lot of experience and met all the officials and riders
Usually when I return home in the late afternoon there are more small animals to see When Irsquove done the dayrsquos paperwork I hope there will be no more emergencies such as cases of colic which usually occur in the early evening
I look forward to getting on my horse which is a beautiful show-jumper I like to ride but Irsquove stopped competing I do dressage jumping and go out into the fields but itrsquos all just for fun now
The day finishes with the family and a nice cold glass of German beer
Itrsquos a struggle to find time to spend with my family and I often have to cancel my holidays with them I am really grateful to my wife and the boys for their understanding of my job and to my assistant vet who covers for me when Iacutem out somewhere in the world of equestrian sport
ldquoThe combination of my profession and beinginvolved in differentaspects of top equestrian sport is my visionrdquo
47FOCUS
Pull your show attire from the closet clean your boots and tack groom the horses hook up and pack the trailer check the clock double check to make sure you have everything put on the shipping boots load your horses and away you drive to the competition venue or to the airport for transport to a distant event
You know the drill well but still you arrive tired per-haps even a bit frazzled Yoursquoll sleep (or try to) the next several nights in an unfamiliar bed or camp out in the living quarters of your trailer You awaken riveted on the competition playing out the dayrsquos classes in your mind wondering how your rides will fare against oth-ers praying that the weather will be cooperate and trying to control your nerves all the while knowing that no matter how well you have prepared many factors are out of your control You may even be in a different time zone
We go through a lot to compete our horses But if you think life on the road is stressful for you think about what itrsquos like for your horses Your back may be a bit sore from driving or being strapped into an airplane seat for hours on end but for horses transportation is far more demanding It is an athletic endeavour re-quiring an expenditure of energy to maintain balance during the constant movement of transport When your horses arrive they face social isolation from stablemates lack of security in novel environments altered training regimes water that tastes strange and the confines of an unfamiliar stall This routine impacts a horsersquos health and well being with effects
continuing long after the journey is over During transport toxic gases (such as ammonia or carbon monoxide) can cause damage to the lung epithelium precipitating respiratory disease The
final destination itself can also cause problems Usually horses are transported to environments where they will be mixing with other horses The mixing of horses from different environments with different infectious organisms and under stressful conditions further precipitates susceptibility to disease
This can have a severe impact on the equine gut The stress of transportation is known to increase gut ulceration in the horse a painful condition reducing performance and causing colic-like symptoms Stress can also slow the flow of digesta and alter the normal gut flora resulting in digestive upset and possibly diarrhoea or colic
The effects of travel stress on the gut are compounded by the typical diet of the regular equine traveller To maintain athletic ability high performance horses are often fed energy-charged diets contain-ing increased levels of starchy materials such as cereal grains Unfortunately this type of diet can reduce beneficial types of gut flora and promote gut acidity further predisposing the horse to digestive upsets and ulceration It is not surprising that stressed tired horses may not fulfill their potential on arrival
Feeding to reduce stress for the equine traveller
By Darlene RickerExecutive editor of Alltechrsquos EQUINE INTERNATIONAL magazine
48
Alltech Tips
growth of opportunistic Salmonella spp which are present in the intestinal tract of many healthy horses These bacteria then attach to the gut lining via a mannan sugar and penetrate it causing damage and resulting in diarrhoea One method of prevent-ing or minimising the attachment of these organ-
isms to the gut lining is to provide an adsorbant supplement A form of sugar found in the cell walls of certain yeasts can do this This sugar compound is called man-nan oligosaccharide or MOS MOS products such as Alltechrsquos Bio-Mosreg have been shown to re-duce the colonization of Salmonella
spp in the guts of certain species and augment the immune response to Salmonella spp potentially conferring an enhanced ability to fight infection Both Yea-Saccreg 1026 and Bio-Mos are among the natural products contained in Alltechrsquos LIFEFORCETM equine supplement which many FEI competitors have successfully incorporated into their daily feeding regimen at home and on the road
lifeforcehorsecom
and may be subject to health concerns in the days following a long journey Fortunately however you can curb some of the effects of travel stress on the horsersquos gut by nutritional supplementation Organic yeast products used to supplement a horsersquos diet can support the normal gut flora modifying the intesti-nal environment and improving the horsersquos digestion One such culture is Saccharomyces cerevisae in the form of Yea-Saccreg 1026 Alltechrsquos propriety organic yeast
Experiments were conducted to evaluate the effects Yea-Sacc on gut flora and gut acidity Horses were fed either a high-starch or a high-fibre diet both with and without supplementation of Yea-Saccreg 1026 Results indicated an excessive amount of starch in the gut The use of Yea-Sacc reduced acidity and stimulat-ed the activity of fibre-digesting bacteria in the hind-gut for both types of diet The result was maximised fibre digestibility and more efficient use of nutrients thus increasing the amount of energy available to the horse for performance and counteracting digestive upset Salmonellosis is one of the more commonly di-agnosed infectious causes of diarrhoea in horses Many cases develop after the stress of transport The effects of travel stress on the normal gut flora allow an over-
Moorlands Totilas arrives for the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade after air transport copy Dirk Caremans
HRH The Infanta Dontildea Pilar de Borboacuten former President of the FEI (1994-2006) also attended the inauguration along-side HRH Princess Lalla Amina Chairperson of the Royal Moroccan Federation for Equestrian Sports and member of the international Advisory Council of Special OlympicsThey were joined by International Olympic Commit-tee members representatives from other Interna-tional Federations federal and local Swiss authorities as well as architects and designers that worked on the project Switzerlandrsquos Martin Fuchs a member of the gold medal winning team at the inaugural Youth Olympic Games in Singapore last year accompanied FEI President Princess Haya in officially opening the FEI headquarters
ldquoThe building we are inaugurating today has been designed to serve our wonderful sportrdquo explained FEI
President Princess Haya ldquoI also feel an immense
sense of pride knowing that this building carries the name
of my late father and hope that this serves as a constant reminder
to all of us who work at the FEI of a unique statesman whose entire soul was devoted to the service of his people Our new headquarters will play a key role for the FEI and our National Federa-tions over the coming years It will be the environ-ment in which important discussions take place and fundamental decisions are taken as we continue our mission to advance the orderly growth of equestrian sport worldwide while ensuring that the welfare of the horse and a level playing field remain at the centre of all that we dordquo
FEI celebratesNEW Headquarters
Over 250 guests attended the inauguration ceremony on Friday 6 May at HM King Hussein I Building which was timed to coincide with the FEI
Extraordinary General Assembly so that attending NationalFederation representatives
could be a part ofthe celebrations
1 Youth Olympic Games team champion Martin Fuchs (SUI) FEI President HRH Princess Haya and her daughter HH Sheikha Al Jalila officially open the FEIrsquos new home 2 Gilbert Felli IOC Olympic Games Executive Director and FEI Secretary General Ingmar de Vos 3 HRH The Infanta Dontildea Pilar de Borboacuten sits down to an interactive quiz in the FEI Gallery 4 Guests gathered in the atrium of the FEI HeadquartersAll images copy Hugues SiegenthalerFEI
Highlights available on50
1
2
3 4
5
6 7
8
THE GALLERy
As well as housing offices for its 62 employees and conference facilities for its 133 National Federations the new headquarters also has a state-of-the-art in-teractive gallery showcasing equestrian sport
The Gallery is the brainchild of Dr Amichai Alper-ovich historian former Secretary General of the Is-raeli Equestrian Federation and curator of the Israeli Olympic Museum (opened in 2009) He worked hand in hand with the Tel Aviv based company Disk-In Pro and interior designer Oded Alony to help bring the content to life and the result is truly unique and ground breaking Giant glass surfaces act as interac-tive interfaces for the visitors to travel through time
The FEIrsquos new headquarters which were donated to the Federation by FEI Presi-dent HRH Princess Haya in 2007 fol-lowing a personal fundraising effort are conveniently located close to the Inter-national Olympic Committee and other international sports federations It has been written into the FEI Statutes that the new FEI headquarters building will always house the Federationrsquos offices In 2008 the building was thoroughly renovated in accordance with the Swiss MINERGIEreg construction standard for environmental responsibility which re-duces energy consumption by 25 per cent Only two per cent of renovated buildings in Switzerland meet the high Minergie standards Khuan Chew founder and design princi-pal of London-based architectural firm KCA International Ltd worked in close collaboration with Swiss-based architect Herveacute de Rham and interior designer Sia-vosh Adeli (SUI) to transform the build-ing which was built in the 1960s The modern and sleek interior was further enhanced with bespoke artworks pro-duced by Swiss creative agency b+g amp partners and imagery by world-famous equestrian art photographer Tim Flach where the simplicity and beauty of his equine subjects seamlessly embrace and accentuate the buildingrsquos pure lines and natural materials (see image left)
As they feasted on the innate beauty of their sur-roundings the guests also had the privilege to ex-perience the culinary talents of organic chef and specialist Gilles Wannaz and his team based in the town of Cully which sits on the edge of Lac Leman in Switzerlandrsquos famous Lavaux wine growing region
5 HRH Princess Haya welcomes the guests to the Inauguration of the HQ and the 90 year celebration of the FEI 6 Artwork by renowned pho-tographer Tim Flach 7 An organic and colourful buffet presented on an authentic lawn by local chef Gilles Wannaz 8 A life size horse sculpture by Christophe Dumont greeted the guests upon their arrival
53FOCUS
and space with the latest in touch technology revis-iting the history of the FEI the equestrian events at Olympic amp Paralympic Games the FEI World Eques-trian Gamestrade and information on all of the member National Federations with statistics videos images and text The Gallery also includes projections on ar-chitectural surfaces designed by Oded Alony referred to as the Origami as well as interactive stations and unique video projections on glass screens
For all those wishing to visit the FEI Gallery simply contact the FEI HQ to make an appointment and we would be delighted to take you on a journey to dis-cover or rediscover the human and equine athletes whose talents have marked equestrian history and inspired young riders drivers and vaulters around the world
Interview withDrAmichaiAlperovich
When did you first dream up the FEIInteractive Gallery When I found out the FEI was planning to move into new HQ in 2009 Disk-In Pro and I approached the FEI and presented them with several concepts for the space Before long we had agreed on the concept and we got to work
Why were you compelled to make it become a reality So that the FEI a prominent sports organisation could present itself to a growing audience in a new and visionary way with the latest technology And by doing so the FEI is a pioneer becoming the first International Federation to have a Gallery of this kind
What did you learn when researching and gathering content for the gallery I have learned a lot about the history of the FEI the strong Olympic tradition the diversity of disciplines the gender equality and the unique bond between horse and man One of the more fascinating topics was the evolution of the Dressage from itsrsquo Olympic debut to the modern Freestyle
Itrsquos very innovative technology what inspired you to take such a leap into the future with such a traditional sport Just as Dressage has evolved over the years and alongside the introduction of new disciplines partic-ularly Para-Equestrian you come to realise that the FEI is not as traditional as one would think Actually this kind of innovative presentation of equestrian history is really well suited to the FEI In the same way that you can have horse-man connections there is an audience-technology connection in the Gallery The audience have to be active in order to enjoy the depth of information the Gallery contains
54
Now it is time to open the door to new places to learn about sport ndash at the heart of sporting organi-sations themselves The Gallery is more than an informative tool it brings people to the sport andto the heart of its operations
Established in 1990 Disk-In Pro specialises in the planning design production and implementation of Museums Visitor Centres and sophisticated projects around the world This includes multi screen produc-tion animation 3D amp interactive films state-of-the-art software platforms and complex video displays for an unforgettable experience
Oded Alony holds a BA in Design from the Interior Design Section of the Holon Technological Institute and has since 1998 worked with Israelrsquos leading Architecture firms The Oded Alony Studio embraces holistic design a space where interior design lighting and graphics are brought together to create a harmo-nious project vision
Now that you have seen it unveiled to the public how would you like to see it evolve I hope the audience will be amazed from the design by architect Oded Alony and the new methods to deliver information whilst discovering the long his-tory of the FEI the diversity and the global reach of the organisation I hope the Gallery will become an icon in Lausanne and one of its highlights for visitors I promise the visitors a new platform to learn about equestrianism and each visit could be different as the information and themes will be updated and modi-fied regularly
This futuristic gallery is a first for anInternational Federation do you think thisis something all sports should invest inThe FEI took this courageous decision and now has this fantastic tool to present the organisation in new ways Sport is a huge cultural phenomenaWe have learned to consume sport in the arenas and stadiums in the press media and new media
Dr Amichai Alperovich
55FOCUS
SOCIAL MEDIAthe new frontier
Follow us on
The FEI has recently embarked on and embraced a whole new way of talking with the greater equestrian community through the ever expanding social media networks and platformsWith personalised Facebook Twitter and You Tube pages the FEI is taking it step by step and reaching out to this growing audience and listening to what they have to say
This new communication platform is by no means a substitution of the traditional communication path-ways but works alongside the press releases various publications and content on wwwfeiorg and wwwfeitvorg providing a new arena where the FEI can share interact and dialogue with fans of the sport and of equestrian values in general
We talk to Richard Johnson Director of Corporate Communications about the FEIrsquos commitment to social media
What compelled the FEI to venture onto the social media scene As a governing body with a vibrant and active com-munity of National Federations as well as thousands of fans the need to reach out to the online social community has never been stronger We have been watching the communities grow online for some time and have been listening to their conversations so being a part of it was the next logical step and a really important one The conversations will hap-pen with or without us so taking that step has been crucial in order to share our values and also build re-lationships with our fan base
Tradition meets modernity ndash does equestrian sportthe FEI have a place in social media Absolutely even though equestrian sport has a long history and is perceived as a traditional sport it is
always evolving In the 90 years of the FEI which was founded to govern the three Olympic disciplines it has grown to also oversee the disciplines of Driving Endurance Vaulting Reining and Para-Equestrian sport Or if you look at the early days when competi-tors were from military backgrounds and when wom-en did not compete alongside men to the complete gender equality we have today ndash a lot has changed and is in a constant state of change
The fans of equestrian sport are like any other fan base web savvy and eager for more information behind the scenes content and to share their opin-ions and thoughts ndash so it is an ideal partnership And from what we have seen these last few months and from the feedback we got from our blog at the Youth Olympic Games there is a real appetite for this
The FEI has dedicated Facebook Twitter and You Tube pages ndash why did you select these social media platforms The figures speak for themselveshellip Facebook Twit-ter and You Tube are the biggest players in the social networking space With over 500 million Facebook users 106 million Tweeters and 2 billion views a day on You Tube there has never been so much oppor-tunity for exposure Every site has different demo-graphics with different habits and needs so by having an FEI presence on these three networks we are able to cover a lot of ground and cater to different audi-ences by providing different types of content accord-ing to the platform
What are the main benefits of having a pres-ence on various social media platforms Itrsquos all about having a two way conversation ndash the benefits of dialogue where you can share content such as videos images facts and figures thoughts and values and then allow your fan base to react to get involved and to listen and learn from them By engaging with our audience and showing them that we are a modern and caring organisation and that we want to hear what they have to say then we are able to build trust and ultimately credibility in what we do and what we say
57FOCUS
TV
The offi cial video website of the Feacutedeacuteration Equestre Internationale
wwwfeitvorg
WATCH LIVE WATCH ONLINE
FEI TV is the FEIrsquos new offi cial video website and your ticket to the worldrsquos most prestigious competitions Sign-up to FEI TV (wwwfeitvorg) and get instant access to all the live broadcasts the extensive video-on-demand library all the highlights the behind the scenes reports the interviews and so much more Be at the heart of horsesport Join us
2823_1FEI_TV_Focus_165x226indd 1 170510 1124
It also keeps us alert as to what is being discussed and debated in the public sphere so that we can manage situations more effectively and be proactive in our messaging and information so that the facts are at the heart of the debate and not interpretations of them
How do you generate content for social media It was important when we launched our social me-dia presence that it be manageable with the exist-ing communications team in place ndash and so we have concentrated on keeping it simple and effective and using content innovatively Itrsquos not about reproduc-ing our website ndash but to engage with our fans and so often all you need is a good picture an interest-ing fact or great achievement to get the ball rolling For You Tube as we already have so much content generated from FEI TV it was simply a question of using bits and pieces from that content to provide the public with teasers from events interviews with winning riders or behind the scenes content which they can then follow up on FEI TV with a subscription
What are your Social media goals Itrsquos really to build relationships and dialogue with our fan base by using our content innovatively by listening to what they have to say and by engaging with the community And for the National Federa-tions that have yet to take that step we want to be a guiding hand that can help them get started so that they too can reap the benefits of social media net-working Our sport competes against other sports for attention so itrsquos really important that we the FEI and the National Federations keep our finger on the pulse and cater to our fans
How can National Federations get involved NFs wishing to find out more about Social Media can contact me (richardjohnsonfeiorg) and I would be more than happy to discuss opportunities and ways of getting started as well as our experience at the FEI
We asked our Facebook followers why it was important to use face-book and here are a few comments they came up with
bullItrsquos a great way to find out about shows and competitions
bullBecause facebook can provide up to the minute updates as to the what is going on in the horse community
bullWe can share information and ideas over long distances We can find and connect with people we wouldnt be able to otherwise
bullIt also lets us express the true realities of our spot to keep us grounded
bullIt can bring peoples attention to excellence ndash and expose the issues
58
TV
The offi cial video website of the Feacutedeacuteration Equestre Internationale
wwwfeitvorg
WATCH LIVE WATCH ONLINE
FEI TV is the FEIrsquos new offi cial video website and your ticket to the worldrsquos most prestigious competitions Sign-up to FEI TV (wwwfeitvorg) and get instant access to all the live broadcasts the extensive video-on-demand library all the highlights the behind the scenes reports the interviews and so much more Be at the heart of horsesport Join us
2823_1FEI_TV_Focus_165x226indd 1 170510 1124
ldquo Donrsquot accept drinks from a strangerrdquo
Armchair travel journalist
Are you living a life without boundaries Some well-meant advice is best ignored but itrsquos still good to know yoursquore covered when yoursquore away With HSBC Premier your family can be protected with both Travel Insurance and dedicated assistance when yoursquore abroad Which is reassuring to know when yoursquore making the most of life
HSBC Premier is subject to financial eligibility criteria and is available in over 40 countries and territories
Premier Travel Insurance covers you and your partner up to age 70 and your children travelling with you up to age 18
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201736_6000263_Coconut_226x165indd
Master 226x165
Rob Swainson 160211
HSBC - Coconuts Proof 01Head of Art TypographerDesigner ArtCreative Director Copywriter Account DirectorDIC Project ManagerPhotographer Illustrator Usage Model(s) Name(s) Usage
Media MediaStock Image Time Period Time Period
Territory Territory
8deg N ndash Kerala South India
individual winner in Jumping was Swiss militia officer Lt Alphonse Gemuseus on the eight-year old Irish-bred mare Lucette who had been bought for pound48 as an army remount horse in 1922The length of the Eventing Cross Country was 36kmParticipation Seventeen nations 126 horses
1928Games of the IX Olympiad Amsterdam (NED)By 1928 the IOC had clarified the definition of an amateur For equestrian sport an amateur was every professional officer actively serving or anyone riding solely for the sport and recognised by a national body as a gentlemanParticipation Twenty nations the major return was Germany ndash not invited in 1920 and 1924 ndash but now there in full force
1932Games of the X Olympiad Los Angeles (USA)Because the 1932 Olympics were held in the middle of the Great Depression and in the comparatively re-mote city of Los Angeles half as many athletes from only six nations took part compared to 1928 The Japanese team came by ship from Yokohama to Los Angeles France and Sweden took a ship to New York then travelled by railroad across the USA as did the
Mexicans The Dutch who sailed through the Panama Canal directly to Los Angeles remembered that the US equestrian team travelling by ship to Amsterdam in 1928 had kept their horses fit by hiring the tread-mill used during the filming of Ben Hur with its chariot races The Dutch constructed their own treadmill and kept their horses busy during the voyage
The first known Olympic Jumping course designer John A Barry (who rode for the USA in the 1920 and 1924 Olympics) supported by Sloan Doak (also an ex-perienced Olympic rider) built a course that was much more difficult than 1928 It had 18 obstacles and 20 jumping efforts over a length of 1060m No team fin-ished the competition and the team medals remained unclaimed
For the first time piaffe and passage were asked for in Dressage
In Eventing only two teams ndash USA and The Netherlands ndash finished the competition The team bronze remained unclaimed Participation Six nations
1932 1933 1934
1928 1929 1930
1912 Francersquos Jean Cariou - Individual gold and team silver Jumping medallist as well as individual bronze medallist in Eventing
07FOCUS
1936Games of the XI Olympiad Berlin (GER)The Games of the XI Olympiad were held in Berlin three years after the National-Socialist regime came to power in 1933 They are best remembered for Adolf Hitlerrsquos failed attempt to use sport to prove his theories of Aryan racial superiority The equestrian events held on the last five days of the 16-day programme played an important part in the overall running of these first monumental and politically misused Olympic GamesParticipation Twenty-one nations 127 riders - 7 coun-tries had full representation (3x3 riders) Germany won all the equestrian team and individual gold medals
1952Games of the XV Olympiad Helsinki (FIN) The 1952 Olympic Games brought some fundamen-tal changes to equestrian sport Most visible was the change from military riding to civilians Women were allowed in Dressage but not in Jumping or Event-ing The best known of these women is Lis Hartel of Denmark In 1944 at the age of 23 she was paralysed by polio and while she gradually regained the use of most of her muscles she remained paralysed below
the knee Despite being helped on and off her horse she went on to win the silver medal When gold med-allist Henri St-Cyr helped her up onto the victory platform for the medal presentation it was one of the most emotional moments in Olympic historyParticipation Twenty-five nations For the first time since 1912 Russian riders competed ndash now represent-ing the Soviet Union Canada Egypt amp Korea were also newcomers
1956Games of the XVI Olympiad Melbourne (AUS) Stockholm (SWE) When the IOC selected Melbourne (AUS) as host to the Games of the XVI Olympiad it had not taken into consideration the Australian six-month pre-shipment quarantine for horses In 1953 a meeting was held in Canberra attended by the federal authorities which recommended not to alter quarantine laws The IOC decided on a separate venue for the equestrian events and on 13 May 1954 chose Stockholm (SWE)The Jumping course was demanding it is considered by many as the first modern course There were no clears in the first round Hans Guumlnter Winkler (FRG) was in the
1936 1937 1938
1952 1953 1954
1956 1957 1958
1952 The Dressage medallists Andreacute Jousseaume (FRA) - bronze Henri St-Cyr (FRA) - gold Lis Hartel (DEN) - silver
08
lead with one knock-down riding the great mare Halla The horse had taken off early for the penultimate fence and Winkler was thrown into the air and went on to land heavily back in the saddle pulling a muscle in the pro-cess He knew that if he withdrew from the final round the German team would be eliminated Dizzy and in pain he rode anyway Halla completed the course without a fault They earned gold in both the individual and team events Winkler went on to win another five gold medals at various Olympics and is the only Jumper to win seven medals in total and the only rider in any discipline to earn medals in six different OlympicsParticipation Twenty-nine nations Australia Cambodia and Venezuela competed for the first time
1960Games of the XVII Olympiad Rome (ITA) The Australians were the 1960 Eventing sensation The foursome of Larry Morgan Neale Lavis Brian Crago and Bill Roycroft dominated the Cross-Country to an extent never experienced before At the end of the day Mor-gan was overwhelmingly in the lead ahead of Crago and Lavis Roycroft after a fall at the cement drain pipes was not too far back except for the fact that he was in hospital with a concussion and a broken collarbone When Cragorsquos potential silver medal horse Sabre was rejected at the second horse inspection Australia no longer had a team Forty-five-year old Bill Roycroft was taken out of hospital rode Our Solo to a clear round in the Jumping phase and secured team gold for Australia Participation Twenty-nine nations
1964Games of the XVIII Olympiad Tokyo (JPN) The 1964 Olympic Games were the first to be held in Asia These were only the second Olympics ndash after Los Angeles in 1932 ndash for which most horses had to travel across the world Most horses came by aircraft The Soviet horses still came by sea and were caught in the typhoon Wilda For the first time a former Olympic Jumping champion repeated his victory Forty-four year old Pierre Jonquegraveres drsquoOriola (FRA) the 1952 champion with Ali Baba won this time with the nine-year old Lutteur B Another first was the participation of a woman - Lana du Pont (USA) - in an Olympic Eventing competitionParticipation One hundred and sixteen riders from 20 countries competed in Tokyo
1968Games of the XIX Olympiad Mexico City (MEX) The choice of Mexico City to host the 1968 Olympics was a challenging one because of the cityrsquos high altitude 2300m which meant that the air contained 30 less oxygen than at sea level An adjustment pe-riod of three to four weeks for the horses was advised The horses from the Soviet Union Argentina and Ireland were in mid-September the first to arrive The last to stable were France and Germany on 28 September ie 20 days before the start of the com-petitions Of particular interest was the first par-ticipation of Dressage and Eventing riders from the German Democratic Republic In 1960 and 1964 their Eventers were part of a unified German team This time they were allowed to enter under their own flag The equestrian competitions were timed manually and electronically for the first time the electronic time was the official one Participation Eighteen nations
1972 Games of the XX Olympiad Munich (FRG) In 1972 everybody expected great Olympic Games and for the first ten days everything went smoothly But on 5 September 1972 peace was chattered as eight Palestinian terrorists representing the militant group ldquoBlack Septemberrdquo broke into the Olympic Village killed two members of the Israeli team and took nine more hostage In an ensuing battle all nine Israeli hostages were killed as were five of the ter-rorists and one policeman The Olympics were sus-pended for 34 hours In defiance of the terrorists the IOC ordered the competitions to resume IOC President Avery Brundage famously declaring ldquoThe Games must go onrdquo All other details about the Munich Games pale in significance The equestrian events were obviously also affected After the first day of Dressage on 5 September the second half of the competitors rode on 7 September the ride-off followed on the 9th Team Jumping at that time still preceding the closing ceremony took place on 11 September 1972Liselotte Linsenhoff on Piaff became the 13th Olym-pic Dressage champion ndash the third German to achieve this (after con Langen in 1928 and Pollay in 1936) but the first woman to do so Participation Twenty-seven nations
1964 1965 1966
1960 1961 1962
1972 1973 1974
1968 1969 1970
09FOCUS
1976Games of the XXI Olympiad Montreal (CAN) All in the Eventing geneshellip Mother Rita and daugh-ter Silva de Luna were both on the Guatemalan team Father Bill 61 and son Wayne Roycroft were on the bronze-medal winning Australian teamhellipFor the first time in the FEIrsquos Olympic history there was a disqualification due a positive medication case San Carlos the mount of the Irish Army Eventing rider Ronald McMahon The medical treatment after an injury during transport had been announced to the authorities But the rules suffered no exceptions Au-tomatic disqualification followed although there was no additional punishmentBarbara Kemp became the first woman to design an Olympic cross-country course Participation Twenty-three nations Guatemala and Puerto Rico were the newcomers
1980Games of the XXII Olympiad Moscow (URS) The 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow represented the lowest point in the history of the Olympic equestrian events as a US led boycott reduced the number of participating nations to 11 From the top equestrian nations only Austria with the reigning European Dres-sage champion Elisabeth (Sissi) Theurer and Italy with its Eventing team went to Moscow Sissirsquos decision to participate in Moscow created considerable contro-versy in her native Austria ndash resulting in the resignation of the President of the National Equestrian FederationParticipation Eleven nations
1984Games of the XXIII Olympiad Los Angeles (USA) The Los Angeles Games were the first since 1896 to be staged without government financing and became the model for future Games particularly after it was revealed that they had produced a profit of US$ 223 million The organisers depended heavily on existing facilities and corporate sponsors The celebrated Santa Anita racetrack was chosen as the competition site for the equestrian events It was the first time an Olympic equestrian event was organised by an existing man-agement of proven competence and long experienceIn response to the boycott of the 1980 Moscow Olym-pics a boycott led by the Soviet Union marked the 1984 OlympicsThe USA dominated the Jumping competition win-ning both individual and team gold with a superiority rarely experienced before or since Joe Fargis (USA) and Touch of Class were the first to achieve a dou-ble clear in the Olympic team competition Eventing legend Mark Todd from New Zealand (pictured left) won his first Olympic medalParticipation Thirty nations
1988Games of the XXIV Olympiad Seoul (KOR) The Seoul Games were highlighted by numerous exceptional performances For Dressage it was the first time that all three individual medals were award-ed to women Reiner Klimke (pictured above-right) captured his last Olympic medal as West Germany won the team Dressage competition With six gold and two bronze medals won at five Olympic Games ndash Reiner Klimke participated in six Olympic Games
1976 1977 1978 1980 1981 1982
1984 1985 1986
1988 1989 1990
altogether - he is the most decorated rider in Olympic history Only for the second time in the 76-year history of Eventing at the Olympics the defending champions repeated their victory Mark Todd (NZL) 32 with the 16-year-old Charisma For the first time qualifications were held to reduce the starting field for the individual Jumping The reigning European champions Pierre Du-rand (FRA) and the 13-year-old black gelding Jappe-loup added Olympic gold to their winningsParticipation Thirty-two nations
1992Games of the XXV Olympiad Barcelona (ESP) In Dressage the individual battle was played out be-tween Isabell Werthrsquos Gigolo and the defending Olym-pic champion from Seoul Nicole Uphoffrsquos 15-year-old Rembrandt Rembrandt and Uphoff triumphed and se-cured the gold After the repeat wins of Henry St-Cyr (SWE) in 1952 and 1956 on two different horses this was the first double triumph of a combination After the elaborate beautifully built and decorated Jump-ing obstacles of Seoul 1988 the Spanish decided on something different and the two architects in charge of designing the 25 obstacles used minimal figural and colour elements so as to more objectively define the difficulty of the obstacles This new vision did not find many partisansParticipation Thirty-four nations
1996Games of the XXVI Olympiad Atlanta (USA) The Atlanta Games saw extensive changes made to the competition formats of Dressage and Eventing Following the IOCrsquos reasoning whereby two sets of medals could not be distributed for the same effort the FEI split Eventing into two competitions team and individual An elaborate qualifying system in all three disciplines was created and for the first time quotas were establishedThe heat and humidity expected in Atlanta led to extensive research and measures aimed at protecting the welfare of the horses It was found that horses needed three weeks of acclimatisation ndash seven days to recover from the effects of transport and 14 days of passive acclimatisation to the new conditions The major measure was the installation of misting fans throughout the venueLinda Allen was the course designer the first woman to provide the Jumping courses at an Olympic GamesParticipation Thirty nations
1992 1993 1994
1996 1997 1998
1988 The German gold medal team (from left to right) - Ann-Kathrin Linsenhoff Monica Theodorescu Nicole Uphoff and Reiner Klimkecopy Kit Houghton
11FOCUS
1996The X Paralympic Games Atlanta (USA)1996 also marks for the first time equestrian sport was included at the Paralympics with Para-Equestrian Dressage on the programme The competition was run on borrowed horses Jo Jackson (GBR) won three gold medals the maximum possible For Great Britain it was a first of many team medalshellipParticipation Sixty-eight competitors from 16 nations
2000Games of the XXVII Olympiad Sydney (AUS) Forty four years after Melbourne 1956 when no horses would be allowed into Australia the Australian quarantine and inspection services proved to be much more accommodating The conditions were tough two weeks of pre-shipping quarantine in Europe and after arrival in Sydney two more weeks of quarantine on siteOf the 15 medal-winning horses 12 were thorough-breds and the other three were 78 thoroughbredsThe year 2000 was the final show-down of the two Dressage horses who had dominated the sport since the early nineties ndash Gigolo ridden by Isabell Werth (GER) and Bonfire ridden by Anky Van Grunsven (NED) with the latter taking gold medal honours Australia for the third time in a row won the team gold medal in EventingParticipation Thirty-seven nations
2000The XI Paralympic Games Sydney (AUS)The Australian spirit and warmth conveyed during the Olympics continued throughout the Paralympic Games thanks to the formidable cooperation between the Sydney Paralympic Organising Committee (SPOC) and the Sydney Organising Committee for the Olympic Games (SOCOG) Paralympic and Olympic athletes lived in the same village and enjoyed the same catering services medical care and facilities Errors in the scoring meant that medals had to be re-attributed but this did not cause too much upset Lee Pearson (GBR) took home three gold medals (including another team gold for GBR) the maximum possible while Australiarsquos Julie Higgins achieved an impressive double gold triumph Participation Seventy athletes from 23 nations
2004Games of the XXVIII Olympiad Athens (GRE) In 2004 the Games returned to Greece homeland to the Olympic GamesThe equestrian events were affected by controversies Waterford Crystal the horse ridden by Olympic cham-pion in Jumping Cian OrsquoConnor (IRL) tested positive to a prohibited substance generally administered to humans but forbidden for use in horses After lengthy legal procedures OrsquoConnor was disqualified and sanc-tioned The gold medal was awarded to second-placed
1996 1997 1998
2000 2001 2002
2000 2001 2002
2004 2005 2006
2000 The team podium in Eventing - Great Britain (silver) Australia (gold) USA (bronze) copy Kit Houghton
12
Rodrigo Pessoa (BRA) Another three horses tested positive as well As a result Germany lost its Jumping team gold which was awarded to the USA in February 2005 at a ceremony in Palm Beach FL (USA)A new competition format for Eventing involving two Jumping rounds one for the individual and one for the team standings was introduced The two roads and tracks (A + C) and the steeplechase (B) of the Endur-ance phase were abolishedParticipation Thirty-seven nations
the fact that main land China did not hold disease-free zone status from the International Organisation for Animal Health the competitions were held in Hong Kong 2000km away from the Olympic host city Beijing In order to protect animal welfare detailed studies on the effects of heat and humidity on horses were undertaken by the FEI in cooperation with top scientists The competition timetable was modified to avoid the hours of intense heat and the horses were stabled at the exceptional air-conditioned facilities provided by the Hong Kong Jockey Club Six horses five from Jumping tested positive to prohibited substances As a result Norway lost its first Jumping medal ndash bronze ndash which after more than two years of legal proceedings was awarded to Switzerland
Jumping gold went to team USA In Dressage Anky van Grunsven (NED) aboard Salinero won her seventh and eighth Olympic medals team silver and individual gold Eventing legend Mark Todd (NZL) made a much acclaimed come back but the spotlight was on Hinrich Romeike and the extraordinary Marius
The story of the 2008 Olympic Eventing gold med-allist is all the more extraordinary as Hinrich is an amateur rider By day his time is spent in his dental surgery attending to his many patients so his riding is restricted to after-hoursParticipation Forty-two nations
2008The XIII Paralympic Games Beijing (CHN)First Paralympic participation for the FEI following the inclusion of Para-Equestrian in 2006 to be governed alongside the 7 other disciplines These Games set a new benchmark for Para-Equestrian events with great facilities cheerful volunteers and large audiences totalling over 30000 - an unprecedented attend-ance for Para-Equestrian events
For the third Paralympics in a row Lee Pearson (GBR) won three gold medals keeping up his record of win-ning all the gold medals available to him Singa-porersquos Laurentia Tan picked up Asiarsquos first Paralympic Equestrian medals with two individual bronze medals Marco Alves picked up Brazilrsquos first Paralympic Equestrian medal with bronze in Grade Ib Participation Seventy-eight athletes from 28 nations
2004The XII Paralympic Games Athens (GRE)The venue was excellent and there was good support from local volunteers Both Debbie Criddle and Lee Pearson (pictured above) from Great Britain picked up the maximum three gold medals The International Paralympic Committee presented the Equestrian Technical Delegate with the award for Best Official of all the sports at the Paralympic Games Participation Seventy athletes from 29 nations
2008Games of the XXIX Olympiad Beijing (CHN) Hong Kong (CHN) For the second time in Olympic history the equestrian events were held separately from other sports Due to
2004 2005 2006
2008 2009 2010
2008 2009 20102004 Lee Pearson (GBR) in Athens where he scoopedthe maximum three gold medals available to him
13FOCUS
The climax of the indoor international Jumping sea-son brought together 43 riders from 21 nations and ended with Christian Ahlmann riding Taloubet Z to Germanys ninth victory in the 33-year history of FEI World Cuptrade Jumping Canadarsquos reigning Olympic champion Eric Lamaze took second place with Hickstead followed by Dutch combination Jeroen Dubbeldam and BMC Van Grunsven Simon who rocketed up from overnight 11th to finish third when producing one of only two double clears on the final afternoonGerman riders dominated from the first of the three qualifiers in Leipzig ndash the speed competition which Marco Kutscher with Cash won with 6355 seconds followed by his compatriots defending champion Marcus Ehning and Christian Ahlmann who took second and third place respectively In the second qualifier the withdrawal of Saudi Arabiarsquos Abdullah Al Sharbatly reduced the field to 40 starters Eric Lamaze took the lead with a fabulous clear in 4068 a win that bounced him up to fifth spot just six points behind the leading pair ndash an ascent he continued to master on the final day
J U M P I N GFINAL LEIPZIG
ROLEX FEI World Cuptrade
JUMPINGldquoIt was wonderful to be back in Leipzig again for yet another great Rolex FEI World Cuptrade Jumping Final in a city with such a rich cultural backgroundrdquo John Roche FEI Director of Jumping
FEI World Cuptrade Finals
REEm ACRA FEI World Cuptrade
DressaGe
DRESSAGEFINAL LEIPZIG
ldquoThe Reem Acra FEI World Cuptrade Dressage took place in a perfect setting with enough space for everyone to give their very best performancesrdquo Trond Asmyr FEI Director of Dressage
Adelinde Cornelissen (NED) and the magnificent Jerich Parzival danced to victory to the strains of Tchaikovskyrsquos Nutcracker Suite in the Freestyle com-petition that closed the Reem Acra FEI World Cuptrade Dressage Final Denmarkrsquos Nathalie zu Sayn-Witt-genstein and Digby finished second while Germanyrsquos Ulla Salzgeber steered Herzrufrsquos Erbe into third place The 2010 title-winner Edward Gal (GER) finished fourth with a great performance from Sisther de JeuThe top three mirrored those of the Grand Prix class two days earlier when a confident performance rewarded with a score of 80957 put Adelinde Cornelissen (NED) in first place followed by Denmarkrsquos Nathalie zu Sayn-Wittgenstein with Digby (76884 3) and Germanyrsquos Ulla Salzgeber riding Herzrufrsquos Erbe (76216 points) Defending champion Edward Gal rode a tense Sisther de Jeu with a disappointing test score of 70122 The final saw 17 horse and rider combinations from 10 nations compete ndash three from the USA The
Netherlands and Germany two from Sweden and one from Hungary Fin-
land Poland Belgium Great Britain and Denmark Fifteen riders went on to the Freestyle competition
Highlights available as video on demand on
15FOCUS
Boyd Exell (AUS) successfully defended his FEI World Cuptrade Driving title in Leipzigrsquos thrilling final speed-ing to victory in front of a wildly enthusiastic crowd and becoming the second driver to score a hat-trick of World Cup victories Hungaryrsquos Jozsef Dobrovitz drove two brilliant rounds with his team of Lipiz-zaner horses and finished second ahead of IJsbrand Chardon (NED) The FEI World Cuptrade Driving Final was run over two indoor competitions which took place on 29 April and 1 May Seven drivers competed Tomas Eriksson (SWE) Koos de Ronde (NED) Werner Ulrich (SUI) Christian Pluumlcker (GER) and the triumphant trio who after emerging from the first round on 1 May with the highest number of points qualified for the winning round immediately afterwards
FEI World Cuptrade
DrIVINGldquoOnce again the worldrsquos best indoor drivers came together for a thrilling final the com-bination of horses working together in a team driven by superbly skilled horsemento produce thrilling andspectacular driving sportrdquo Ian Williams FEI Director of Non-Olympic Sports
16
Switzerlandrsquos Patrick Looser and Germanyrsquos Simone Wiegele claimed the inau-gural FEI World Cuptrade Vaulting titles at the 20102011 FEI World Cuptrade Finals a glittering Freestyle to Music showcase held over two daysLooserrsquos fellow starters in the Menrsquos section were Nicolas Andreani (FRA) Viktor Bruumlsewitz (GER) Daniel Kaiser (GER) Lukas Klouda (CZE) Nikolaus Luschin (AUT) and Yvan Nousse (FRA) Looser 26 was under pressure having finished second to Nicolas Andreani from France in the first Freestyle competition But
the reigning World Champion who won three of the four qualifying rounds over the winter months produced a superb performance which left Andreani in second place and Germanyrsquos Viktor Brusewitz in third In addition to the victorious Wiegele contenders for the Female title were her three compatriots Pia Engelbury Ines Juumlckstock and Antje Hill Simone Jaumliser (SUI) Stefanie Kowald (AUT) and Anna Cavallaro (ITA) In the second
competition Wiegele followed team-mate Hill into the arena in Hall 1 which seemed to be much more to the liking of the
horses than the smaller ring used on the first day And although Hillrsquos routine was
dramatic and beautifully controlled it was Wiegelersquos more complex display that settled
the destination of the very first Female World Cup trophy
ldquoFor the first time an indoor final that provided the public with an opportunity to witness the gymnastic movements of
athletes atop magnificent horses all choreographed to breathtaking musical arrangementsrdquo
Ian Williams FEI Director of Non-Olympic Sports
Highlights available as video on demand on
WHEN AND WHERE
26 ndash 30 July FEI European Reining Championship for Seniors amp Juniors Wiener Neustadt (AUT)
16 ndash 21 August FEI European Vaulting Championships for Seniors amp Juniors Le Mans (FRA)
17 ndash 21 August FEI European Dressage Championships Rotterdam (NED)
25 ndash 28 August HSBC FEI European Eventing Championships Luhmuumlhlen (GER)
01 ndash 04 September Open FEI European Driving Championships for Four-in-Hand Breda (NED)
01 ndash 04 September FEI European Para-Equestrian Dressage Championships Moorsele (BEL)
10 September FEI European Endurance Championships Florac (FRA)
13 ndash 18 September FEI European Jumping Championships Madrid (ESP)
LIVE ONLive coverage and highlightsCheck out the FEI TV broadcasting schedule for all the latest information on events broadcast live on FEI TV
European Championships for seniors in all the FEI disciplines are being held in 2011 We take a quick 360deg look at the dates venues facts amp figures and triumphant moments of the past 50 years of European Championships
FeI europeanChampionships 2011
Donrsquot miss a beatComplete competition reports updates behind the scenes information facts and figures and more can be found on wwwfeiorg as well as our dedicated facebook twitter and you tube pages
18
Preview
For the 31st edition of the FEI European Jumping Championships the event returns to Spain 18 years after the Championships in Gijon only this time to be held at the Club de Campo Villa in Madrid The FEI European Jumping Championships take place every two years in the middle of the Olympic cycle and have been held since 1957 with the introduction of team medals in 1975
THE VENUEThe Club de Campo Villa de Madrid (ESP) has been host to an annual CSI for 100 years and will be tem-porarily replacing its usual grass in the main arena with all-weather sand footing to ensure perfect going for the Championship
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERSTeam ndash SwitzerlandIndividual ndash Kevin Staut (FRA)
OLyMPIC qUALIFICATIONThe 3 best ranked nations from Olympic Qualifying Groups A amp B at the 2011 FEI European Jumping Championships (excluding the teams already quali-fied at WEG) will be qualified to take part with a team consisting of 4 athletes amp 4 horses or 3 athletes amp 3 horses
GREAT HORSES OF THE EUROPEANCHAMPIONSHIPSDEISTER - An extraordinary horse with an extraordi-nary record With Germanys Paul Schockemohle on board this brilliant bay Hannoverian led won three consecutive individual gold medals - in Munich Germany in 1981 Hickstead England in 1983 and Dinard France in 1985 Bred by Hermann Hahl in Osterbruch Lower Saxony Deister was by Diskant out of Adlerklette by Adlerschild stood 171cms high and had the heart of a lion Deisters European medal
haul also included team gold at Munich in 1981 team silver in Rotterdam in 1979 and team bronze at both Hickstead in 1983 and Dinard in 1985 Despite his incredibly active career the hardy Deister who was born in February 1971 lived to the ripe old age of 29
MR SOFTEE - The closest challenger to Deister for the title of Champion of the Europeans is the Irish-bred Mr Softee - a three-time winner but with two different riders Mr Softee enjoyed a hugely success-ful career with David Broome However it was with another Briton David Barker that the chestnut horse with four white legs took the individual European ti-tle for the first time in London in 1962 This was then followed up with David Broomersquos victory in Rotter-dam in 1967 and in Hickstead in 1969 Broome once said that like many other top horses Mr Softee had a big opinion of himself - He thought he was a king - and he was right
Believe it or nothellip
bull Itwasonlyin1975thatwomenwere permittedtocompetealongsidemenin theEuropeanJumpingChampionshipsprior tothistherehadbeentheLadiesEuropean JumpingChampionshipsheldfrom1957- 1973
bull Only2womenhaveeverwonthe FEIEuropeanChampionshipsFrancersquos AlexandraLedermannin1999and MeredithMichaels-Beerbaum(GER) in2007
bull Germanyledthegoldtallywith20 medals(14individualamp6team)double theamountofrunnerupGreatBritainon 10(6individualand4team)
FeI eUroPeaN
JUMPINGChaMPIoNshIPs
13-18 September 2011
Madrid (SPAIN)
19FOCUS
LIVE coverage on
Rotterdam gets set to host the 25th edition of the FEI European Dressage Championships for the first time and only the second time for the Netherlands (Arnhem 1999) The FEI European Dressage Championships take place every two years in the middle of the Olympic cycle and have been held since 1963
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERS
Team ndash The Netherlands
Individual ndash Kuumlr to MusicEdward Gal (NED) amp Moorlands Totilas
Individual ndash Grand Prix SpecialAdelinde Cornelissen (NED) amp Jerich Parzival
OLyMPIC qUALIFICATIONThe 3 best ranked nations from Groups A B amp C at the 2011 FEI European Dressage Championships (exclud-ing the teams already qualified at WEG) will be quali-fied to take part with a team consisting of 3 athletes amp 3 horses
THE WIND OF CHANGEFor 21 consecutive Championships from 1965 to 2005 (no team title awarded in 1963) the Germans held the European title but the last two editions have seen an upset to that tradition with the Netherlands clenching gold In 2009 the Dutch domination was particularly strong with five out of six individual med-als awarded to Dutch riders and the sixth going to British rider Laura Bechtolsheimer
IN MEMORy OF HENRI CHAMMARTIN (SUI)At the time of writing a legend in the Dressage world Henri Chammartin (SUI) passed away at the age of 92 An Olympic and European Dressage champion Henri Chammartin won the first two editions of the
FEI European Championships in 1963 and 1965 riding Wolfdiedtrich and competed in five consecutive edi-tions of the Olympic Games ndash Helsinki 1952 Stock-holm 1956 Rome 1960 Tokyo 1964 and Mexico 1968 ndash winning a total of five Olympic medals includ-ing Olympic champion in 1964
RECORD BREAKINGhellip In 2009 the formidable partnership of The Nether-lands Edward Gal and Moorlands Totilas smashed the world Freestyle record before a packed house with Windsor Castle standing proudly as a backdrop when scoring 9070 (including an unbelievable 29 perfect-10 scores) to win the Freestyle gold medal
Believe it or nothellip
bull GermanyhaswontheEuropeanDressage TeamTitleon21occasions
bull Thegreatestnumberofteamstoparticipate inEuropeanDressageChampionshipsis 14-atHickstead(GBR)in2003andagainat Hagen(GER)in2005
bull GermanysDrReinerKlimkewonthreeindi vidualtitles-atAachenin1967ridingDux andagainin1973ridingMehmedandat Copenhagenin1985ridingAhlerich
bull WithGigoloGermanysIsabellWerthtook theindividualtitlein1995and1997and wontheGrandPrixSpecialatDonaueschingen Germanyin1991andatLipicaSloveniain 1993
bull AnkyvanGrunsvenhasthreewinstoher namendashin1999withBonfirefollowedbythe backtobackwinswithSalineroin2005and 2007
17-21 August 2011
Rotterdam Netherland
FeI eUroPeaN
DressaGeChaMPIoNshIPs
20
LIVE coverage on
These are the second FEI European Para-Equestrian Dressage Championships to be held since Para-Equestrian joined the FEI Family in 2006 Para-Equestrian Dressage has been a regular fixture at the Paralympic Games since 1996 The first FEI European Para-Equestrian Dressage Championships were held in southern Norwegian town of Kristiansand in 2009 with a total of 78 ath-letes from 22 countries participating
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERS
Team Great Britain
Grade Ia Individual - Sophie Christiansen (GBR) Freestyle - Emma Sheardown (GBR)
Grade Ib Individual amp Freestyle Lee Pearson (GBR)
Grade II Individual - Petra Van der Sande (NED) Freestyle - Angelika Trabert (GER)
Grade III Individual amp Freestyle
Hannelore Brenner (GER)
Grade IV Individual amp Freestyle Sophie Wells (GBR)
The mobility strength and coordination of competi-tors are assessed and athletes with similar functional ability profiles are grouped into competition grades that range from Grade Ia for the most severely im-paired to Grade IV for the least impaired This means that the competition within each Grade can be judged on the skill of the individual competitors on their horses regardless of their disabilities
CLUB qUADRILLEMoorsele has been host to a regular international Para-Equestrian Dressage events for the past few years with the Club Quadrille as organiser The Club Quadrille was founded in 1981 by Anne Van Neste-dIeteren Belgian Dressage Champion from 1977 un-til 1982 current President of the Belgian Paralympic Committee and member of the FEI Para-Equestrian committee It is a unique sports club that works with both able bodied and disabled athletes and is active in the promotion and education of the sport As member of the honorary IPC Board Her Royal Highness (HRH) Princess Astrid of Belgium has been a fervent supporter of the event and has attended on many occasions
Believe it or nothellip
bull LeePearson(GBR)haswoneverygold medalwithinreachatParalympicWorld andContinentallevelandtheEuropeans in2009werenodifferentwithanother triplegoldvictory
bull GreatBritainalsohavetheMidastouch whenitcomestoteammedalsndashandarethe currentParalympicWorldandEuropean titleholders
bull In2009Germanycamecloserthanever totakingthegoldmedalfromall-time championGreatBritain
1-4 September 2011
Moorsele Belgium
FeI eUroPeaN
Para-eqUestrIaNDressaGeChaMPIoNshIPs
21FOCUS
A record number of fans are expected to attend the HSBC FEI European Eventing Championships as they return to Luhmuumlhlen for the fifth time to mark the 30th edition of the ChampionshipsThe FEI European Eventing Championships take place every two years in the middle of the Olympic cycle and have been held since 1953
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERSTeam ndash Great BritainIndividual ndash Kristina CookMiners Frolic (GBR)
OLyMPIC qUALIFICATIONThe 2 best ranked nations from Groups A B amp C at the 2011 HSBC FEI European Eventing Champion-ships (excluding the teams already qualified at WEG) will be qualified to take part with a team consisting of 3 athletes amp 3 horses
THE VENUELuhmuumlhlen one of only six 4 events on the interna-tional Eventing calendar and part of the prestigious HSBC FEI Classicstrade series will greet Europersquos best athletes with a fresh look and feel this year following extensive renovation to the existing infrastructures The recently renovated showground includes three Dressage and two Jumping arenas a tribune able to seat 850 spectators with spectacular views as well as a newly designed entrance including six ticket box facilities and fully catered trade stands The show-ground also boasts an open air stage with space for up to 15000 spectators ldquoI am confident that the in-vestment in the infrastructure will be of great benefit to all involved whether you are a volunteer a groom an athlete ndash both the horses and the riders - as well as for the sponsors guests spectators and the fans We are re-ally looking forward to great competitions this year at both the CCI4CIC3 in June and at the Europeans in August and hope many will join us to witness this historic momentrdquo Julia Otto Event Director Luhmuumlhlen
HSBCHSBC has renewed their sponsorship for a further three-year term as global sponsor of FEI Eventing to include title sponsorships of the HSBC FEI European Eventing Championships in both 2011 and 2013 and the HSBC FEI Classicstrade until the end of 2013
OFFICIAL TIMEPIECE Rolex the leading name in luxury wrist watches will be the Official Timekeeper for the HSBC FEI European Eventing Championships 2011
Believe it or nothellip
bull GinnyElliot(bornHolgate)theonlyrider towinthreesuccessiveindividualtitlesand IanStarkholdthejointrecordforEuropean goldmedalswonndashseveneachbutLucinda Greenstillhasthemostmedals(10)
bull SupremeRockriddenbyPippaFunnell (GBR)istheonlyhorsetowinback-to-back titles(in1999and2001)hehasfour Europeangoldmedalsintotalequalingthe recordofKilbarryThePoacherandOver ToYouwhowonarecordfourconsecutive Europeanteamgolds(1999-2005)
bull PrincessAnneandZaraPhillipsaretheonly mother-daughtercombinationtowin Europeantitles(1971and2005)
bull GreatBritainhaveheldtheEuropeantitle forthepast8consecutiveChampionships (since1995)Andofthe29editionstodate (startingin1953)theteamhavewona whopping21
25-28 August 2011
Luhmuumlhlen Germany
hsBC FeI eUroPeaN
eVeNtINGChaMPIoNshIPs LIVE coverage on
22
In September Breda Hippique in The Netherlands will be host to the seventh edition of the FEI Euro-pean Driving Championships for Four-in-Hand not held since 1981 This edition is open to both Euro-pean and non-European drivers and will also count as a qualifier for the indoor FEI World Cuptrade Driv-ing which is held during the winter season Only competitors from Europe can claim the individual and team medalsThe FEI European Driving Championships for Four-in-Hand were first held in 1971 in Budapest and continued to be held every two years until 1981 at which stage they were discontinued
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERSTeam ndash HungaryIndividual ndash Gyoumlrgyi Bardos (HUN)
SOMETHING IN THE WATERhellip Hungary have won five out of six available team European titles and on the individual front two Hungarians stand out from the crowd Imre Abony ndash individual winner in 1971 and 1975 and Gyoumlrgyi Bardos triple consecutive winner in 1977 1979 1981
IN THE BEGINNINGhellipThe first European Championships took place in Budapest in 1971 and moved on to Windsor in Great Britain in 1973 Sopot in Poland in 1975 Donauesch-ingen in Germany in 1977 and in Haras du Pin in France in 1979 The sixth and last edition took place in 1981 in Zug Switzerland
THE VENUEBreda has hosted the only Nations competition (CAIO) for Four-in-Hand horses in The Netherlands for many years In 1995 Breda hosted the first FEI European Driving Championships for Four-in-Hand ponies and in 2010 was host to the FEI World Para-Equestrian Driving Championships Aside from the four-in-hand teams Breda will also host international pony teams and national horse pairs at the event this year
Believe it or nothellip
bull Hungaryhavewonfiveoutofsixteamgold titles
bull AugusteDubeyfromSwitzerlandwasthe onlynon-HungarianEuropeanChampion hewontheChampionshipsin1973
bull PrincePhilipFEIPresidentfrom1964- 1986whocelebratedhis90thbirhtday inJuneisanavidfanofDrivingandpartici- patedinsixWorldandthreeEuropean Championships
1-4 September 2011
Breda Netherland
FeI eUroPeaN
DrIVINGChaMPIoNshIPsfor FoUr-IN-haND
Note At the time of writing the FEI European DrivingChampionships for Four in Hand was pending approvalby the FEI Bureau
23FOCUS
The 14th edition of the FEI European Endurance Championships return to Florac in France twenty five years after the inaugural event was held there The FEI European Endurance Championships first took place in 1984 and were immediately followed up by a second edition in 1985 and have since been held every two years They have always been open to the world with two sets of medals presented ndash open and European
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERSTeam ndash SpainIndividual ndash Maria Alvarez Ponton amp Nobby
RECORD BREAKINGCurrent title holder Maria Alvarez Ponton amp super horse Nobby is the first rider to hold European and World titles at the same time She will be looking to confirm her stronghold on the sport following her second consecutive World title with a second con-secutive European title in Florac a feat no rider has managed to achieve at the Europeans to date
THE VET GATEModern competitions consist of a number of sec-tions known as lsquophasesrsquo At the end of each phase there is a compulsory halt for veterinary inspection Each horse which is thoroughly examined before it is allowed to start the ride must be presented for inspection within a set time of reaching each vetgate The time spent at each vetgate prior to inspection by the vets is counted as part of the overall competition time and the aim is to determine whether the horse is fit to continue the ride
THE SUPPORT CREWA vital part of Endurance riding is the support crew Riders are assisted by a team of helpers who meet them several times over the ride bringing bottles of water to pour over the horse to cool it down as well as a drink for the rider Crews also have spare equipment in case something breaks down or needs replacing
Believe it or nothellip
bull TheFrenchhavethemedaledgewith6 individualand4teamgoldmedalsfrom the14editionsheld
bull Floracistheonlyvenuetohostthe EuropeanChampionshipstwice(thefirst editionin1984andtheupcomingedition in2011)
bull EnduranceisthefastestgrowingFEI disciplinefrom2000to2010thenumber ofinternationaleventshavemultipliedby10
10 September 2011
Florac France
FeI eUroPeaN
eNDUraNCeChaMPIoNshIPs
24
Reem Acra Boutique 14 East 60th St New York New York 10022 2123088760 wwwreemacracom
356935B2_RA_brochure2_souvenir_programmeindd 1 82710 1012 AM
Vaulting became an FEI discipline in 1983 and saw its first FEI European Championship organised just one year later in the town of Ebreichsdorf in Austria This 15th edition of the Championship ndash which also includes the European Juniors competition return to France for the 4th time but for the first time in the world renowned venue of Le Mans famous for its 24 hour race
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERS
Team ndash Austria
Individual malelongeurhorseNicolas Andreani (FRA)Marina Joosten DuponIdefix de Braize
Individual femalelongeurhorseJoanna Eccles (GBR)John EcclesWH Bentley
THE WIND OF CHANGEGermany and Switzerland have traditionally bat-tled for the team title (Germany has 7 gold versus Switzerlandrsquos 5) but in 2009 Austria who had come second on four occasions since the inception of the Championships in 1984 finally climbed onto the top spot of the podium and claimed the title In terms of the individual performances Germany had the stronghold on the male category winning 11 out of 14 gold medals But again in 2009 France the only other country to have ever beaten a German male vaulter at the Europeans made it to the top spot of the podium for only the third time since the Championships began
Similarly with the female vaulters it was an all German domination until 2007 when Austriarsquos Sissi Jarz claimed gold followed by Joanna Eccles (GBR) in 2009 ndash leaving Germany off the top step of the podium entirely in 2009
GREAT BRITAIN ndash A VAULTING NATIONhellip Times have definitely changed from the Swiss German domination with current World and European titles held by Great Britainrsquos Joanna Eccles She was the first British vaulter (male or female) to claim a medal at the Europeans ndash let alone a gold medal - and then went on to secure the world title in Kentucky last year
Believe it or nothellip
bull TheonlycountryotherthanGermanyand SwitzerlandtohaveclaimedaEuropean VaultingtitleisSlovakiain2005
bull ChristophLensing(GER)holdsthemale medalrecordndashwiththreegold(19891993 amp1995)aswellassilverin1991
bull NadiaZuumllowandSilkeMichelberger (formerlyBernhard)withthreegoldmedals each
16-21 August 2011
Le Mans France
FeI eUroPeaN
VaULtINGChaMPIoNshIPs
26
This is only the fifth edition of the European Reining Championships since the discipline joined the FEI in 2000 and the first time they will be held in Austria The event also includes the FEI European Champi-onships for Juniors and Young Riders ndash a formula introduced in 2009 in Kreuth (GER) which proved to be a multigenerational success The FEI European Reining Championships take place every two years and have been held since 2003
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERSTeam ndash GermanyIndividual ndash Nina Lill (GER) riding Lena Cielo Jewel
THE JUDGINGReining horses are judged individually Each horse au-tomatically begins the required pattern with a score of 70 One or frac12 points are given or taken away for each manoeuvre Credit is given for smoothness fi-nesse attitude quickness and authority Controlled speed in the pattern raises the level of difficulty and makes the reining horse exciting to watch
Believe it or nothellip
bull ItalyandGermanyaretheonlytwonations tohavewongoldmedalsndashGermanyhas3 teamgoldand2individualgoldversus Italyrsquossingleteamgoldandtwoindividual gold
bull GermanyrsquosNinaLillwinnerin2009was thefirstwomantotaketheindividualtitle sincetheChampionshipsbeganin2003
bull OlympicWorldandEuropeanDressage ChampionAnkyVanGrunsven(NED) competedattheAlltechFEIWorldEques- trianGamestradein2010inbothDressageand hellipReining
bull 13nationswerescheduledtoattendthe Championshipatthetimeofwritingthe largestparticipationbycountryever recordedfortheEuropeans
26-30 July 2011
Wiener Neustadt Austria
FeI eUroPeaN
reININGChaMPIoNshIPs
27FOCUS
ldquoThirty-one yearsrsquo experience comes in handy some-timesrdquo joked the ever-relaxed Todd who was a leg-end by the time he ldquoretiredrdquo in 2000 with back-to-back Olympic golds five Burghley wins two world gold medals and three Badminton victories one on a horse he had never ridden before ldquoIt is incredibly special though right up there with the back-to-back Olympic golds When I came back to the sport (in 2008) it was to see if I could get back to top level It has always been my aim to win another big onerdquo
A World class meeting of Generations
The 2011 HSBC FEI Classicstrade could not have got off to a more epic start with wins at Badminton and Kentucky by two of the sportrsquos most enduring personalitiesThe 55-year-old New Zealander Mark Todd rolled back the years to score a fourth victory at the Gloucestershire venue 31 years after his first attempt in 1980
By Kate Green
28
HSBC FEI ClassicsTm
The resurgence of so much experienced talent makes it harder for younger riders to work their way up the leaderboard but 29-year-old Sinead Halpin (USA) had a spectacular CCI4 debut at Kentucky finish-ing third and best of the home side in distinguished company This achievement earned her the HSBC Training Bursary worth US$1000 towards training a prestigious and valuable award presented to the rider who achieves the best result on completing a CCI4 for the first time
The bursary winner at Badminton Fiona Hobby (GBR) 39 has had a rather longer wait to complete
her first CCI4 ndash she was 26th on Roma ML ndash but she has in the meantime produced two children had a career as a sports therapist and only switched from Jumping to Eventing relatively recently Hobby has vowed to spend the money on dressage train-ing ldquoRoma couldnrsquot believe it when she arrived in the arena and saw all those people but she was great across country really focussed Irsquom delightedrdquo
For Germanyrsquos Sandra Auffarth Luhmuumlhlen pro-vided an outstanding CCI4 debut on Opgun Louvo a young horse she has produced herself coming second and picking up the HSBC Training Bursary and the exciting prospect of a possible place in the squad for the forthcoming HSBC FEI European Event-ing Championship at Luhmuumlhlen (25-28 August) at which Germany as host nation will be entitled to field 12 riders
Last yearrsquos HSBC Training Bursary winners include Stephanie Rhodes-Bosch (CAN) who went on to win a team silver medal at the Alltech FEI World Equestri-an Gamestrade Lauren Shannon (GBR) who finished 17th at Badminton this year and Giovanni Ugolotti (ITA) who is furthering his career by basing himself in Brit-ain for the season and having lessons with Mark Todd
LIVE coverage and extensive highlights available on
Toddrsquos winning mount the 10-year-old NZB Land Vision was a green horse for this level and he fin-ished the Cross-Country phase tired but his rider kept his cool in an extraordinarily tight finish in which the price of one Jumping fence covered the top 12 riders any of whom could with a bit of luck have won the Mitsubishi Motors Trophy ldquoIn the end it came down to horse-power and Irsquove obviously got a good one hererdquo said Todd ldquoCharisma (his double Olympic gold medallist) will always be the most special horse but this one has no weak linksrdquo
As is the nature of the sport Toddrsquos lead in the HSBC FEI Classicstrade didnrsquot last long ndash he came down to earth with a bump the following weekend with a Cross-Country run-out on NZB Grass Valley his ride at the Rolex Kentucky Three Day Event (USA) and 49- year-old Mary King (GBR) stole the head-lines with a record one-two on Kings Mis-tress and Fernhill Urco It was Kingrsquos first CCI4 victory for 11 years ndash she has won Badminton twice and Burghley once ndash but she certainly smashed a few re-cords with this one She became the first rider to score a one-two at Kentucky the first in modern times to win a CCI4 on a home-bred horse and the oldest female to win a CCI4
King who has six team gold medals at World and European level plus competed at five consecutive Olympics had the luxury of knowing she had already won the event on the inexperienced 10-year-old Fernhill Urco a horse bred in Portugal by the time she entered the arena on Kings Mistress but she still produced a second clear round ldquoI never dreamed that I would be in this position and Irsquom enjoying the momentrdquo said the ever-smiling King ldquoIt was great to have the feeling of having already won on Fernhill Urco but I still wanted desperately to go clear on Kings Mistress as it is so special to win on a horse I bred myselfrdquo It was also an all clear from Germanyrsquos Andreas Dibowski and Euroriding Butts Leon in order to secure victory at the fourth leg of the HSBC FEItrade
Classicstrade in Luhmuumlhlen presented by EON Avacon
29FOCUS
The Danish-American actorpoet musician photographerand painter has been around horses most of his life from riding Hasufel and Brego in The Lord of the Rings trilogy to early childhood memories in Argentina his passion for floating as he describes it has never wavered
What is it about the horse that makes you a horse loverWe get along generally I respect their strength and their personal space Your first riding experience ndash was it bliss or terrorLike floating like being on a warm and floating mountain I remember being happy Do you think anyone can rideYes It is a question of allowing yourself to ride of allowing yourself to cooperate and not be in total control Children are more adept at figuring this out letting things happen without getting impatient or scared just as they are braver and less self-conscious about pronouncing new words or singing Anyone at any age or in any physical condition can
Viggo Mortensen
achieve a degree of success and satisfaction with horses even if it is just a question of touching them being near them If horses could talk what would they be sayingYou will know if you listen and watch them Is there a unique trait you look for in a horse that you canrsquot find in peopleThey are more patient and less apt to complain about lifersquos setbacks and physical ailments than most people I admire a tough smart horse what-ever its breed age or size What would you miss most if you could no longer go ridingThe companionship and the floating perhaps also the abandonment of usual daily worries that relaxed riding requires Whatrsquos your usual riding outfit consist ofAnything will do Loose-fitting clothes and good comfortable boots are a plus but not vital I have even ridden barefoot ndash naturally taking care to avoid being stepped on when not on the horse - but I do not recommend this to anyone The most important thing is to have a clear and focused mind to be THERE at all times when around horses and NOWHERE ELSE Sugar lumps or carrotsIrsquove been guilty of offering an occasional apple or carrot although it is best not to give horses anything special unless treats are part of training them for special tricks or stunts a pursuit best left to experts like master horse trainer Rex Peterson whom Irsquove had the good fortune to work with and study quite a bit Treats spoil horses and do not keep the animal focused on the task at hand Whatrsquos your favourite part of a horseThe brain What do you think young people gain from ridingSelf-confidence and an understanding of the value of cooperation
30
Why the long face
When did you first develop the bond with the horseThe first time I got on one as a little boy in ArgentinaYou either develop a bond of some kind or you fall off Of course you may even fall off if you develop the bond but you have to start (and restart) somewhere
Did your friends ride My brothers also rode and I have ridden with many kinds of people over the years ndash some good and patient with horses and some not If I had not rid-den as a boy I would probably have been wandering around fishing imagining I was a cowboy or an Indian or a Viking ndash which I did anyway Where in the world would you most like to rideMost anywhere will do but I have been extremely lucky to have ridden in many wide-open wild places ndash deserts grassy plains mountains by different seas and rivers in Argentina New Zealand North Africa and North America If you could spend one afternoon riding with a famous person (past or present)who would it be and whyIrsquoll give you 3 Oglala chief Tasunke Witko (Crazy Horse) my ancestor William F Cody or any real Gaucho from the province of Chaco Argentina
Two horses go out for dinner what kindof restaurant do they chooseLate spring grass near a slow-moving clean river with a gentle firm shoreline an hour before sun-down far from any people or other animals All time favourite horse filmI have a subjective soft spot for the stories and real horses involved in the making of ldquoHidalgordquo and the 2nd and 3rd installments of ldquoThe Lord Of The Ringsrdquo trilogy but I admire other ldquohorse moviesrdquo as wellThe 1953 French movie ldquoCrin-Blancrdquo (ldquoWhite Manerdquo) directed by Albert Lamorisse is a personal favourite
After three years at the head of the successful French Jumping team with back to back FEI Nations Cuptrade titles and a silver medal at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade Laurent Elias is moving on to new spheres with the French Horse amp Riding Institute where he will be training the riders of the National Riding School in Saumur
Laurent Elias
copy C
hris
toph
e Br
icot
32
The other side of
If I had not become a professional rider I would havehellipmade a career in a humanitarian organisation Horse riding is sometimes too trivial
My priority in life ishellipto be able to look at myself in the mirror in the morning and make sure I am at peace with my conscience
My familyhellipkeeps me grounded My wife helped me a lot when I was in charge of selections for France She took charge of my personal life and was the first person I called when we got the medal in Lexington I also admire my parents for the values they passed on to me
I remember my first ridingexperiencehellipaged six we were shooting a family film and I was on horseback I finished upside down under my horse for a long time I stopped riding for one year
I used to dream abouthellipsafaris One of my uncles was passionate about safaris Through him I became very interested in African trips and the jobs that allow you to travel as a reporter were fascinating to me as well
I have been thinking a lot abouthellipwhat happened in Japan these past few months First this tsunami that devastated everything without warning then the nuclear disaster It made me think that progress should not be destructive
My horse Gueacutenourhellipchanged my life I was just a coach and he brought me to the top I won the national championship in 1981 with him
My biggest challengehas always beenhellipshyness Horse riding has really helped me over-come it Horses brought me on stage and there I had to meet people
As a Chef dEquipehellipthere is no single defining achievement itrsquos all about the solidarity and the moments spent together as a team Irsquoll never forget the first time Penelope Leprevost rode her mare Jubileacutee drsquoOuilly in the FEI Nations Cuptrade of Rotterdam McLain Ward had just completed a real fast run with Sapphire We thought the Americans would win but she did it faster and beat Sapphire
In terms of eventshellipAachen is my favourite competition - for its won-derful organisation But we have also pretty good five star competitions in France
I donrsquot sleep muchhellipprobably because I am just happy to be alive
Irsquom not scared to laugh or cryhellipI laugh at the funny situations we sometimes find ourselves in life and enjoy people with quirky personalities I cry when I see others in pain
Laurent Elias and the French team en route to the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade copy PSV-Jean Morel
33FOCUS
Nicolas TheacutevenazAged 23 studies Robotics and Autonomous Systems Micro Engineering in Lausanne (SUI) alongside regular training and competition in Dressage and Para-Equestrian Dressage events Born with spastic diplegia Nicolas was introduced to horses via hippotherapy aged seven and quickly developed a passion for riding which not only helped with his physical condition but also taught him through Dressage the art of patience and perseverance
34
One day
Nicolas TheacutevenazAged 23 studies Robotics and Autonomous Systems Micro Engineering in Lausanne (SUI) alongside regular training and competition in Dressage and Para-Equestrian Dressage events Born with spastic diplegia Nicolas was introduced to horses via hippotherapy aged seven and quickly developed a passion for riding which not only helped with his physical condition but also taught him through Dressage the art of patience and perseverance
He has been fortunate to meet the right people (and horses) at the right time and has been working for the past five years with trainer Vicky-Eileen Baumann (pictured right) and her horses Magic and Lady (pictured right) ldquoShersquos bred them and knows them inside out which is very useful when I have to communicate with them - they know my voice intonations and a whole string of specific words or sounds ndash which really helps as my body canrsquot or doesnrsquot always have the strength to do sordquo
As a Grade II Para-Equestrian rider Nicolas competes in Para-Equestrian Dressage (PED) events as well as national events for able bodied riders as there are only a handful of PED riders and no events in Switzerland
Unable to attend the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade 2010 in Kentucky last year Nicolas and Vicky have their sights firmly set on the 2012 Para-lympic Games and will be looking to qualify with Lady over the next 12 months ndash alongside exams studies and everything else life has to offerhellip Who is your role model For different reasons I have different role mod-els Edward Gal Dane Rawlins Isabel Werth and Catherine Haddad
When did you start riding and why At age 7 I was sat on a horse for hippotherapy and liked the complicity with the horse which made me want to discover more
How do you feel when you ride Concentrated and industrious
Who is your biggest fan My trainerrsquos mum
Complete this sentenceOne day I would like tohellip have gained enough knowledge to be able to take care of and train my own horse
What are your long term goals as a rider Continue to do my best to enjoy what I do and show others itrsquos possible
How do you juggle studies and competition I think itrsquos really important to have goals and to do everything you can to achieve them and that includes taking on challenges because if you donrsquot try then yoursquoll never know what you could have achieved
What is your proudest achievement to date Participation in international events together with pursuing my studies
How do you feel after winning Still working towards discovering the feeling
What is the best advice anyone has ever given youMy trainer often repeats to me the famous saying by General LrsquoHotte ldquoCalme en avant droitrdquo which says so much about riding but can also be applied to so many other aspects of life
35FOCUS
What advice would you give someone looking to get involved in Para-Equestrian Dressage Train and ride with able-bodied athletes as often as possible Being around and working with horses is so rewarding Irsquod like - when Irsquom retired - to write a book to share these feelings with others and hope this will inspire them to get involved
Complete this sentenceIn the future I would like the sport to beeven ldquocleanerrdquo and fairer and if possible not more but less demanding on the horses
ldquoLast but not least Irsquod like to take the opportunity of this article to reach out to those who give me their trust and help be it with their time their friendship and any type of support Day after day to year after year team work is essential and Irsquoll do my best to continue deserving every-onersquos encouraging smilesrdquo
European Broadcasting Union
Union Europeacuteenne de Radio-Teacuteleacutevision
+41 (0)22 717 2111 wwweurovisionnet
We bring the event to your home
Eurovision
copy K
it H
ough
ton
FE
I
FEI_08_A4indd 1 03012008 162238
European Broadcasting Union
Union Europeacuteenne de Radio-Teacuteleacutevision
+41 (0)22 717 2111 wwweurovisionnet
We bring the event to your home
Eurovision
copy K
it H
ough
ton
FE
I
FEI_08_A4indd 1 03012008 162238
Nominations for the FEI Awards opened in May enabling the global equestrian com-munity to once again reward outstanding dedication to horse sport in five categories ndash Development Best Groom Against All Odds Rising Star and Best Athlete The search for the equestrian heroes of 2011 is now on who will be flown to Rio de Janeiro Brazil to receive their awards
Where are they now The FEI asked the current title-holders for an update on their activities
Follow us on
38
FEI Awards 2011
Ebony Horse Club (GBR)Winner of the Alltech FEI DevelopmentAward 2010
The Ebony Horse Club announced in December 2010 that after an eight-year fundraising effort it had the pound14 million necessary for building an equestrian cen-tre in one of Londonrsquos most deprived boroughs Since 1996 Ebony has offered youngsters in an area reput-ed for its gang culture high level of gun crime and drug dealing the chance to ride and learn key social skills The clubrsquos 50 members travel to riding schools across London on public transport or in minibuses ndash a logistical headache that the inner-city equestrian centre will end Construction work began in February
Ebony Horse Club founder and director Ros Spear-ing told the FEI ldquoRiding lessons are continuing and the club is preparing for the transitionrdquo Building will finish on 7 July but the centre will open for riding lessons in October ldquoThe horses will be brought to Brixton in the summer and will have time to acclimatise to their new environmentrdquo Spearing said The centre will include stabling for nine horses a small paddock and a flood-lit riding arena as well as a classroom for learning about horses and equine management Spearing is adamant that club members ndash present and future ndash care for their rides and wants the centre to serve as a stepping stone to careers in the horse industry
Ebonyrsquos existence will continue to depend on the generosity of donors For more information visit wwwebonyhorsecluborguk
Michelle Tipper (GBR)Winner of the FEI Best Groom Award 2010
Michelle Tipper has continued to juggle grooming and study since receiving her FEI Award in Novem-ber She has organised the grooms for the British European Junior and Young Dressage teams and in April her contract as a travelling groom for British Dressage riders Paul and Bobby Hayler took her to Addington for the first of many international com-petitions she will work at this year The Haylers have eight horses competing and the number she works with at each venue varies Tipper has also been help-ing British Dressage riders Nicky and Richard Barrett with yard duties ldquoI feel very lucky to work for both of these familiesrdquo said the FEI Best Groom Award win-ner adding that she feels part of the two families In March Tipper graduated from university with a Masters in Sport Psychology She is now working towards British Association of Sport and Exercise Science accreditation which requires at least 500 hoursrsquo supervised work experience and is present-ing sport psychology workshops in conjunction with the company Inside Performance Consulting Limit-ed (wwwinside-performancecom) The workshops are organised internationally for people of all ages from any sport To find out more contact Tipper at michelletipper1979yahoocom
39FOCUS
Michelle Tipper ndash copyWilliam TzengAward winners ndash copyWilliam TzengCaroline Roffman ndash copySharonPackercomEbony Horse Club ndash copyEbony Horse ClubEdward Gal and Totilas ndash copyKit HoughtonFEIAngelika Trabert ndash copyJulia Rau
Angelika Trabert (GER)Winner of the FEI Against All Odds Award 2010
German Para-Dressage rider Angelika Trabert has represent-ed her country at four Paralympic Games and won some 15 medals at national European and world championships She is currently seeking a new home for Londria the mare that con-tributed to her Team Silver medal win at the Hong Kong Para-lympics Londria who had a foal last year was also Trabertrsquos ride during her medal-winning performances at the European Championships in Hungary (2005) and Norway (2009)
Trabert said her decision to let go of Londria was hard to make but was necessary for financial reasons She will keep the foal Finaud Coquin and her mares Walmorel and Ariva-Avanti Trabert won the Para-Dressage Grade 2 Freestyle Champion-ship at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade with Ariva and said the horse was ldquowell and ready to go for the Europeans again in Belgium in September if we qualifyrdquo Trabert competed in her first international competition of 2011 in May in Man-nheim Germany where she came first in the Grade II indi-vidual and second in the freestyle She is taking part in the German Championships in June
Away from the equestrian world Trabert works as an anaes-thetist and has participated in medical missions in the rural ar-eas of Guinea for the organisation Mango In January she was back in Guinea as part of team that carried out 100 operations in 13 days wwwangelika-trabertde
Visit the recently refreshed FEI Awards website to find out more about the Awards the pastwinners the judges and to make yournominationsby 31 July
wwwfeiawardsorg
40
Caroline Roffman (USA)Winner of the HSBC FEI Rising StarAward 2010
Success continues to smile on twenty-two-year-old American Dressage rider Caroline Roffman Since re-ceiving the HSBC FEI Rising Star Award she has en-joyed numerous wins at small tour and young horse levels achieving scores in the mid-eighties and quali-fying two horses for the young horse championships
Roffman is currently showing six horses and has won several classes at PSG and Grand Prix level ldquoBut nothing is as exciting as to be going to Aachenrdquo said the young woman who has been described as the American Dressage communityrsquos brightest hope ex-plaining that at the FEI Awards ceremony in Chinese Taipei Frank Kemperman FEI Dressage Committee Chair and Chairman of the Managing Board at CHIO Aachen (GER) invited her to take part in the pres-tigious event Roffman will be the first American to compete in the Under 25 Grand Prix there and is hop-ing to take her horse Lux Stensvang
An interview with Caroline Roffman at the Palm Beach Dressage Derby CDI will be broadcast on the magazine programme Equestrian World on FEI TV the FEIrsquos official online video platform wwwfeitvorg
Edward Gal and Totilas (NED)Winners of the Reem Acra FEI Best Athlete Award 2010
The world-famous partnership of Dutch Dressage rider Edward Gal and the extraordinary Totilas ended in style in 2010 with notably three gold medal wins at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade
The first foal sired by the superstar stallion was born in January followed by two more in the spring Gal who has admired the foals told the FEI ldquoYou never know ndash maybe in a few yearsrsquo time Irsquoll have another Totilas readyrdquo At the beginning of April he was busy at home training nine horses and preparing for the Reem Acra FEI World Cuptrade Dressage Final in Leipzig and the European Championships in Rotterdam He had not yet decided which horses he was going to compete with but was particularly looking forward to the Freestyle to Music Asked what it was like to compete without Totilas Gal said ldquoEverybody ex-pected Totilas to win I find it easier to ride other horses because nobody expects me to win and when I do itrsquos really nicerdquo
41FOCUS
globetrotter
Seal of approval for the Adai horseSixty years have passed since an Adai horse reportedly set a record galloping 354km in one day Today the Adai horse a breed na-tive to Kazakhstan is back in the spotlight with a gold medal at the FEI Central Asian Endurance Championship in Talgaearlier in May only months after having been award-ed official pedigree status following tests
conducted by a State Commission in the Mangistau Steppes which allowed itto compete internationally The horses are cherished for their hardiness and Oyly ridden by Altyngali Bissemaganbetov (KAZ) proved just that when crossing the finishing line first demonstrating just how tough the Adai horses are and the beginning of a new era for sturdy breed on the international stage
Equestrian Australia Sport
Achievement Awards
In May the best of the best in
Equestrian sport gathered to cel-
ebrate the achievements of Austral-
iarsquos athletes coaches officials vets
administrators owners volunteers
and the many other people that
dedicate their time and enthusiasm
to equestrian sport The ceremony
also included the introduction of
Equestrian Australiarsquos Hall of
Fame won by the legendary Bill
Roycroft Boyd Exell winner of
the FEI World CupTM Driving
Final was awarded the interna-
tional athlete of the year
award
Kevin Stautbecomes first athlete representative on FEI
executive board
Kevin Staut one of Francersquos most successful Jumping riders became the first athlete to be appointed to the FEI Executive Board for a three-year term Staut (31) who has held the number one spot in the Rolex Rankings for Jumping since July 2010 has ridden on numerous Nations Cup teams for France and claimed individual gold at the Alltech FEI European Jumping Championships in 2009
HulA CARTSWorld Horse Welfare has greatly helped the liv
es of
five Senegalese cart horse owners by presenting them
with new Hula Carts The local people who depend on
their working horses for their livelihoods were specially
selected by the charity to receive the carts which have
been sponsored by members of the public in the uK
The Hula Carts are specifically developed to help the
horses pulling heavy loads in often difficult conditions
Equestrian Australia Sport
Achievement Awards
In May the best of the best in
Equestrian sport gathered to cel-
ebrate the achievements of Austral-
iarsquos athletes coaches officials vets
administrators owners volunteers
and the many other people that
dedicate their time and enthusiasm
to equestrian sport The ceremony
also included the introduction of
Equestrian Australiarsquos Hall of
Fame won by the legendary Bill
Roycroft Boyd Exell winner of
the FEI World CupTM Driving
Final was awarded the interna-
tional athlete of the year
award
Olympic legendBill Roycroft passes away aged 96
A legend of Equestrian sport in Australia James William
George Roycroft OBE known as ldquoBillrdquo was one of Austral-
iarsquos greatest Olympians and one of only five Australians to
have competed in five consecutive Olympic Games (from
1960 - 1976) as well as being Australiarsquos oldest medallist
and oldest competitor at 61 years and 31 days In May 2011
Bill was inducted in Equestrian Australiarsquos inaugural Hall
of Fame ndash he was Australiarsquos oldest living Olympian and
shared his dedication and enthusiasm for the sport with
his sons Barry Wayne and Clarke (See a brief description
of his exploits in the 1960 Olympic Games Memory Lane
article page 9 which catapulted Australiarsquos reputation as
one of the best Eventing teams in the world)
webinfofeiFEI web wizard Nicole Sigrist has added a new hub for the Press on wwwfeiorg called FEI Press Kits located in the Media section of the website The Press Kits zone which is also open to the general public is regularly updated with infor-mation relating to FEI series and specific events with flip books and downloadable PDFs as well as direct links to the Photo Catalogue the Rankings and Standings the Annual Report and more
100thanniversary for Finnish riding club
One of the three found-ing member clubs of
the Finnish Equestrian Federation the Suomen
Kenttaumlratsastusseura-Finska Faumlltrittklubbenon celebrates
its 100th anniversary in 2011 Magnus Rydman former President of the Finnish National Federation and Presi-dent of the FEI from 1935 ndash 1946 was one of the founders of the club Another of the founders of the oldest club in Fin-land was the Eventing rider Colonel Hans Olof von Essen whose fifth place at the Antwerpen Olympic Games re-mains the best Olympic equestrian result the country has ever achieved
Follow us on
43FOCUS
Interview with the President of the Brazilian Equestrian Federation Mr Luiz Roberto Giugni
The Brazilian Equestrian Federation has been a member Federation of the FEI for 75 years how has the sport developed over that time We were facing regular growth (average of 25 in the last decade) but in the last three to four years this rate has significantly increased up to 35 a year We believe that this is due to international achievements (two Jumping Olympic team bronze medals the individual Olympic Jumping gold medal won by Rodrigo Pessoa several Pan Am Jumping team gold medals recent Olympic pre-qualification in Kentucky (4th in the world in Jumping) and the organisations of a Global Champions Tour event in Brazil
In terms of developing the sport what are the most successful projects you have undertaken in recent yearsWe decided to invest in education and have hired international trainers for all the disciplines such as Jean Maurice Bonneau for Jumping Nick Turner for Eventing Eric Lette for Dressage Jean Louis Leclerc for Endurance Mattias Lang for Vaulting with the long term in mind that is at least until the end of 2012 and planning towards 2016 when Rio will host the Olympic Games
How popular is equestrian sport with young people in Brazil and how do you compete with some of the bigger sports for their attention Popularization is growing bit by bit in a country
decidedly dominated by soccer ndash being 5 times World Champion makes it a national passion But we are continuously looking to attract TV to our events as this is a huge step towards gaining visibility and popularity Can you tell us about the programmesinitiatives in place for disabled athletes We are actively pursuing this and have achieved really positive results in little time such as the great performances and medals earned at the Para-lympic Games in Hong Kong in 2008 We do this through clinics courses international exchanges of athletes and working alongside our National Paralympic Committee to support us in our efforts
Brazil will be host the FEI General Assembly at the end of the year what do you want all the visiting delegates to remember from their visit That we are more than just a really beautiful and warm country with the ability and capacity to organise great events and that we are committed to putting on the best Olympic Games ever
What are the main objectivesplans for the Brazilian Federation in the lead up to the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games Our NOC is really committed to raising the bar of all the sports to a level never seen before and we are working towards that in terms of our athletes our judges our venues and everything that is related to our sport and the quality of our sport In line with this objective we are providing incen-tives to owners to buy good horses aiming for 2016 and this is going to plan for now We expect to perform well at the upcoming Pan Am Games and Olympics on our trail to 2016
Is there anything else you would like to share with us I would like to thank HRH Princess Haya President of the FEI as well as the Executive Board for all the support that we are getting which has been paramount to the development of equestrian sport in our country
44
President Luiz Roberto GiugniSecretary General Luiz Antonio RoccoMember since 1935
15 members of staff work at the federation
20 regional federations are affiliated tothe Brazilian Equestrian Federation with over 300 member riding clubs
6 000 affiliated riders
91 national events were held in 2010
31 international events were held in 2010
All the FEI disciplines are practiced in BrazilJumping Dressage Eventing Vaulting Reining EnduranceDriving amp Para-Equestrian
14 breeding organisations
There are 58 million horses and ponies in Brazilmaking it the fourth largest equine population in the world
FAC
TS amp
FIG
URE
S
45FOCUS
Dr Gerit Matthesen56 is a private equine practitioner an FEI Vet and a member of the FEI Veterinary Committee He graduated in Veterinary Medicine from Berlin University in 1983 and since 1989 has worked or officiated at some 180 competitions and championships including the last two Olympics and FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade He lives near Frankfurt with his wife Carola and their sons Mike (16) and Lars (14)
46
A life in a day
Dr Gerit Matthesen56 is a private equine practitioner an FEI Vet and a member of the FEI Veterinary Committee He graduated in Veterinary Medicine from Berlin University in 1983 and since 1989 has worked or officiated at some 180 competitions and championships including the last two Olympics and FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade He lives near Frankfurt with his wife Carola and their sons Mike (16) and Lars (14)
I wake up earlier than I need to ndash at around 6am ndash because breakfast time with my family is sacred to me and I can then drive my boys to the village station to take the train to school After two cups of coffee (enough for the day) and a glass of orange juice I read the newspapers then head to my prac-tice offices in our indoor arena I have a quick look at our horses then start work
While I listen to my phone messages I deal with my emails and search the internet for news about veterinary medicine and horse sport I then start planning the dayacutes schedule with Anna my assistant vet
My mobile practice is in a nice fairly rural area in the north of Frankfurt There are lots of horse farms but it is not a classic breeding area like the northern part of Germany There are sport horses as well as pleasure horses I have examination rooms and stables for horses staying or mares foaling in my practice stables Itrsquos not a big clinic which gives me time to work at competitions
After seeing a few small animals in my practice I normally start my field service at 930am In my car I have enough equipment (ultrasound X-ray systems and endoscopical devices) for the dayrsquos examinations and standing procedures We mainly have lameness examinations to do or internal diseases to treat accompanied by routine work like vaccinations or carrying out pre-purchase or health certificate examinations If time allows I go home for a quick lunch but thatrsquos not every day
While Irsquom driving I have time to think and I write down everything that come to mind regarding sport competitions committees and so on You have to write down your thoughts when yoursquore over the age of 50
It is not easy planning my day because any emer-gency can destroy or delay my schedule For all the paperwork and certificates I need a time frame so
I often do that over quiet weekends when there are no competitions During the winter season I am less busy but in summer a lot of weekends are taken over by the competition schedule
I love my work especially in Eventing which is my favourite discipline My wife and I practiced it ndash not up to top level but it was a fine time despite a bro-ken ankle from a fall in 1988 which after 23 years is making walking more and more difficult for me
I like to do my competition work on a friendly but strict basis and I really like to hear riders saying they are treated fairly Over the years I have acquired a lot of experience and met all the officials and riders
Usually when I return home in the late afternoon there are more small animals to see When Irsquove done the dayrsquos paperwork I hope there will be no more emergencies such as cases of colic which usually occur in the early evening
I look forward to getting on my horse which is a beautiful show-jumper I like to ride but Irsquove stopped competing I do dressage jumping and go out into the fields but itrsquos all just for fun now
The day finishes with the family and a nice cold glass of German beer
Itrsquos a struggle to find time to spend with my family and I often have to cancel my holidays with them I am really grateful to my wife and the boys for their understanding of my job and to my assistant vet who covers for me when Iacutem out somewhere in the world of equestrian sport
ldquoThe combination of my profession and beinginvolved in differentaspects of top equestrian sport is my visionrdquo
47FOCUS
Pull your show attire from the closet clean your boots and tack groom the horses hook up and pack the trailer check the clock double check to make sure you have everything put on the shipping boots load your horses and away you drive to the competition venue or to the airport for transport to a distant event
You know the drill well but still you arrive tired per-haps even a bit frazzled Yoursquoll sleep (or try to) the next several nights in an unfamiliar bed or camp out in the living quarters of your trailer You awaken riveted on the competition playing out the dayrsquos classes in your mind wondering how your rides will fare against oth-ers praying that the weather will be cooperate and trying to control your nerves all the while knowing that no matter how well you have prepared many factors are out of your control You may even be in a different time zone
We go through a lot to compete our horses But if you think life on the road is stressful for you think about what itrsquos like for your horses Your back may be a bit sore from driving or being strapped into an airplane seat for hours on end but for horses transportation is far more demanding It is an athletic endeavour re-quiring an expenditure of energy to maintain balance during the constant movement of transport When your horses arrive they face social isolation from stablemates lack of security in novel environments altered training regimes water that tastes strange and the confines of an unfamiliar stall This routine impacts a horsersquos health and well being with effects
continuing long after the journey is over During transport toxic gases (such as ammonia or carbon monoxide) can cause damage to the lung epithelium precipitating respiratory disease The
final destination itself can also cause problems Usually horses are transported to environments where they will be mixing with other horses The mixing of horses from different environments with different infectious organisms and under stressful conditions further precipitates susceptibility to disease
This can have a severe impact on the equine gut The stress of transportation is known to increase gut ulceration in the horse a painful condition reducing performance and causing colic-like symptoms Stress can also slow the flow of digesta and alter the normal gut flora resulting in digestive upset and possibly diarrhoea or colic
The effects of travel stress on the gut are compounded by the typical diet of the regular equine traveller To maintain athletic ability high performance horses are often fed energy-charged diets contain-ing increased levels of starchy materials such as cereal grains Unfortunately this type of diet can reduce beneficial types of gut flora and promote gut acidity further predisposing the horse to digestive upsets and ulceration It is not surprising that stressed tired horses may not fulfill their potential on arrival
Feeding to reduce stress for the equine traveller
By Darlene RickerExecutive editor of Alltechrsquos EQUINE INTERNATIONAL magazine
48
Alltech Tips
growth of opportunistic Salmonella spp which are present in the intestinal tract of many healthy horses These bacteria then attach to the gut lining via a mannan sugar and penetrate it causing damage and resulting in diarrhoea One method of prevent-ing or minimising the attachment of these organ-
isms to the gut lining is to provide an adsorbant supplement A form of sugar found in the cell walls of certain yeasts can do this This sugar compound is called man-nan oligosaccharide or MOS MOS products such as Alltechrsquos Bio-Mosreg have been shown to re-duce the colonization of Salmonella
spp in the guts of certain species and augment the immune response to Salmonella spp potentially conferring an enhanced ability to fight infection Both Yea-Saccreg 1026 and Bio-Mos are among the natural products contained in Alltechrsquos LIFEFORCETM equine supplement which many FEI competitors have successfully incorporated into their daily feeding regimen at home and on the road
lifeforcehorsecom
and may be subject to health concerns in the days following a long journey Fortunately however you can curb some of the effects of travel stress on the horsersquos gut by nutritional supplementation Organic yeast products used to supplement a horsersquos diet can support the normal gut flora modifying the intesti-nal environment and improving the horsersquos digestion One such culture is Saccharomyces cerevisae in the form of Yea-Saccreg 1026 Alltechrsquos propriety organic yeast
Experiments were conducted to evaluate the effects Yea-Sacc on gut flora and gut acidity Horses were fed either a high-starch or a high-fibre diet both with and without supplementation of Yea-Saccreg 1026 Results indicated an excessive amount of starch in the gut The use of Yea-Sacc reduced acidity and stimulat-ed the activity of fibre-digesting bacteria in the hind-gut for both types of diet The result was maximised fibre digestibility and more efficient use of nutrients thus increasing the amount of energy available to the horse for performance and counteracting digestive upset Salmonellosis is one of the more commonly di-agnosed infectious causes of diarrhoea in horses Many cases develop after the stress of transport The effects of travel stress on the normal gut flora allow an over-
Moorlands Totilas arrives for the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade after air transport copy Dirk Caremans
HRH The Infanta Dontildea Pilar de Borboacuten former President of the FEI (1994-2006) also attended the inauguration along-side HRH Princess Lalla Amina Chairperson of the Royal Moroccan Federation for Equestrian Sports and member of the international Advisory Council of Special OlympicsThey were joined by International Olympic Commit-tee members representatives from other Interna-tional Federations federal and local Swiss authorities as well as architects and designers that worked on the project Switzerlandrsquos Martin Fuchs a member of the gold medal winning team at the inaugural Youth Olympic Games in Singapore last year accompanied FEI President Princess Haya in officially opening the FEI headquarters
ldquoThe building we are inaugurating today has been designed to serve our wonderful sportrdquo explained FEI
President Princess Haya ldquoI also feel an immense
sense of pride knowing that this building carries the name
of my late father and hope that this serves as a constant reminder
to all of us who work at the FEI of a unique statesman whose entire soul was devoted to the service of his people Our new headquarters will play a key role for the FEI and our National Federa-tions over the coming years It will be the environ-ment in which important discussions take place and fundamental decisions are taken as we continue our mission to advance the orderly growth of equestrian sport worldwide while ensuring that the welfare of the horse and a level playing field remain at the centre of all that we dordquo
FEI celebratesNEW Headquarters
Over 250 guests attended the inauguration ceremony on Friday 6 May at HM King Hussein I Building which was timed to coincide with the FEI
Extraordinary General Assembly so that attending NationalFederation representatives
could be a part ofthe celebrations
1 Youth Olympic Games team champion Martin Fuchs (SUI) FEI President HRH Princess Haya and her daughter HH Sheikha Al Jalila officially open the FEIrsquos new home 2 Gilbert Felli IOC Olympic Games Executive Director and FEI Secretary General Ingmar de Vos 3 HRH The Infanta Dontildea Pilar de Borboacuten sits down to an interactive quiz in the FEI Gallery 4 Guests gathered in the atrium of the FEI HeadquartersAll images copy Hugues SiegenthalerFEI
Highlights available on50
1
2
3 4
5
6 7
8
THE GALLERy
As well as housing offices for its 62 employees and conference facilities for its 133 National Federations the new headquarters also has a state-of-the-art in-teractive gallery showcasing equestrian sport
The Gallery is the brainchild of Dr Amichai Alper-ovich historian former Secretary General of the Is-raeli Equestrian Federation and curator of the Israeli Olympic Museum (opened in 2009) He worked hand in hand with the Tel Aviv based company Disk-In Pro and interior designer Oded Alony to help bring the content to life and the result is truly unique and ground breaking Giant glass surfaces act as interac-tive interfaces for the visitors to travel through time
The FEIrsquos new headquarters which were donated to the Federation by FEI Presi-dent HRH Princess Haya in 2007 fol-lowing a personal fundraising effort are conveniently located close to the Inter-national Olympic Committee and other international sports federations It has been written into the FEI Statutes that the new FEI headquarters building will always house the Federationrsquos offices In 2008 the building was thoroughly renovated in accordance with the Swiss MINERGIEreg construction standard for environmental responsibility which re-duces energy consumption by 25 per cent Only two per cent of renovated buildings in Switzerland meet the high Minergie standards Khuan Chew founder and design princi-pal of London-based architectural firm KCA International Ltd worked in close collaboration with Swiss-based architect Herveacute de Rham and interior designer Sia-vosh Adeli (SUI) to transform the build-ing which was built in the 1960s The modern and sleek interior was further enhanced with bespoke artworks pro-duced by Swiss creative agency b+g amp partners and imagery by world-famous equestrian art photographer Tim Flach where the simplicity and beauty of his equine subjects seamlessly embrace and accentuate the buildingrsquos pure lines and natural materials (see image left)
As they feasted on the innate beauty of their sur-roundings the guests also had the privilege to ex-perience the culinary talents of organic chef and specialist Gilles Wannaz and his team based in the town of Cully which sits on the edge of Lac Leman in Switzerlandrsquos famous Lavaux wine growing region
5 HRH Princess Haya welcomes the guests to the Inauguration of the HQ and the 90 year celebration of the FEI 6 Artwork by renowned pho-tographer Tim Flach 7 An organic and colourful buffet presented on an authentic lawn by local chef Gilles Wannaz 8 A life size horse sculpture by Christophe Dumont greeted the guests upon their arrival
53FOCUS
and space with the latest in touch technology revis-iting the history of the FEI the equestrian events at Olympic amp Paralympic Games the FEI World Eques-trian Gamestrade and information on all of the member National Federations with statistics videos images and text The Gallery also includes projections on ar-chitectural surfaces designed by Oded Alony referred to as the Origami as well as interactive stations and unique video projections on glass screens
For all those wishing to visit the FEI Gallery simply contact the FEI HQ to make an appointment and we would be delighted to take you on a journey to dis-cover or rediscover the human and equine athletes whose talents have marked equestrian history and inspired young riders drivers and vaulters around the world
Interview withDrAmichaiAlperovich
When did you first dream up the FEIInteractive Gallery When I found out the FEI was planning to move into new HQ in 2009 Disk-In Pro and I approached the FEI and presented them with several concepts for the space Before long we had agreed on the concept and we got to work
Why were you compelled to make it become a reality So that the FEI a prominent sports organisation could present itself to a growing audience in a new and visionary way with the latest technology And by doing so the FEI is a pioneer becoming the first International Federation to have a Gallery of this kind
What did you learn when researching and gathering content for the gallery I have learned a lot about the history of the FEI the strong Olympic tradition the diversity of disciplines the gender equality and the unique bond between horse and man One of the more fascinating topics was the evolution of the Dressage from itsrsquo Olympic debut to the modern Freestyle
Itrsquos very innovative technology what inspired you to take such a leap into the future with such a traditional sport Just as Dressage has evolved over the years and alongside the introduction of new disciplines partic-ularly Para-Equestrian you come to realise that the FEI is not as traditional as one would think Actually this kind of innovative presentation of equestrian history is really well suited to the FEI In the same way that you can have horse-man connections there is an audience-technology connection in the Gallery The audience have to be active in order to enjoy the depth of information the Gallery contains
54
Now it is time to open the door to new places to learn about sport ndash at the heart of sporting organi-sations themselves The Gallery is more than an informative tool it brings people to the sport andto the heart of its operations
Established in 1990 Disk-In Pro specialises in the planning design production and implementation of Museums Visitor Centres and sophisticated projects around the world This includes multi screen produc-tion animation 3D amp interactive films state-of-the-art software platforms and complex video displays for an unforgettable experience
Oded Alony holds a BA in Design from the Interior Design Section of the Holon Technological Institute and has since 1998 worked with Israelrsquos leading Architecture firms The Oded Alony Studio embraces holistic design a space where interior design lighting and graphics are brought together to create a harmo-nious project vision
Now that you have seen it unveiled to the public how would you like to see it evolve I hope the audience will be amazed from the design by architect Oded Alony and the new methods to deliver information whilst discovering the long his-tory of the FEI the diversity and the global reach of the organisation I hope the Gallery will become an icon in Lausanne and one of its highlights for visitors I promise the visitors a new platform to learn about equestrianism and each visit could be different as the information and themes will be updated and modi-fied regularly
This futuristic gallery is a first for anInternational Federation do you think thisis something all sports should invest inThe FEI took this courageous decision and now has this fantastic tool to present the organisation in new ways Sport is a huge cultural phenomenaWe have learned to consume sport in the arenas and stadiums in the press media and new media
Dr Amichai Alperovich
55FOCUS
SOCIAL MEDIAthe new frontier
Follow us on
The FEI has recently embarked on and embraced a whole new way of talking with the greater equestrian community through the ever expanding social media networks and platformsWith personalised Facebook Twitter and You Tube pages the FEI is taking it step by step and reaching out to this growing audience and listening to what they have to say
This new communication platform is by no means a substitution of the traditional communication path-ways but works alongside the press releases various publications and content on wwwfeiorg and wwwfeitvorg providing a new arena where the FEI can share interact and dialogue with fans of the sport and of equestrian values in general
We talk to Richard Johnson Director of Corporate Communications about the FEIrsquos commitment to social media
What compelled the FEI to venture onto the social media scene As a governing body with a vibrant and active com-munity of National Federations as well as thousands of fans the need to reach out to the online social community has never been stronger We have been watching the communities grow online for some time and have been listening to their conversations so being a part of it was the next logical step and a really important one The conversations will hap-pen with or without us so taking that step has been crucial in order to share our values and also build re-lationships with our fan base
Tradition meets modernity ndash does equestrian sportthe FEI have a place in social media Absolutely even though equestrian sport has a long history and is perceived as a traditional sport it is
always evolving In the 90 years of the FEI which was founded to govern the three Olympic disciplines it has grown to also oversee the disciplines of Driving Endurance Vaulting Reining and Para-Equestrian sport Or if you look at the early days when competi-tors were from military backgrounds and when wom-en did not compete alongside men to the complete gender equality we have today ndash a lot has changed and is in a constant state of change
The fans of equestrian sport are like any other fan base web savvy and eager for more information behind the scenes content and to share their opin-ions and thoughts ndash so it is an ideal partnership And from what we have seen these last few months and from the feedback we got from our blog at the Youth Olympic Games there is a real appetite for this
The FEI has dedicated Facebook Twitter and You Tube pages ndash why did you select these social media platforms The figures speak for themselveshellip Facebook Twit-ter and You Tube are the biggest players in the social networking space With over 500 million Facebook users 106 million Tweeters and 2 billion views a day on You Tube there has never been so much oppor-tunity for exposure Every site has different demo-graphics with different habits and needs so by having an FEI presence on these three networks we are able to cover a lot of ground and cater to different audi-ences by providing different types of content accord-ing to the platform
What are the main benefits of having a pres-ence on various social media platforms Itrsquos all about having a two way conversation ndash the benefits of dialogue where you can share content such as videos images facts and figures thoughts and values and then allow your fan base to react to get involved and to listen and learn from them By engaging with our audience and showing them that we are a modern and caring organisation and that we want to hear what they have to say then we are able to build trust and ultimately credibility in what we do and what we say
57FOCUS
TV
The offi cial video website of the Feacutedeacuteration Equestre Internationale
wwwfeitvorg
WATCH LIVE WATCH ONLINE
FEI TV is the FEIrsquos new offi cial video website and your ticket to the worldrsquos most prestigious competitions Sign-up to FEI TV (wwwfeitvorg) and get instant access to all the live broadcasts the extensive video-on-demand library all the highlights the behind the scenes reports the interviews and so much more Be at the heart of horsesport Join us
2823_1FEI_TV_Focus_165x226indd 1 170510 1124
It also keeps us alert as to what is being discussed and debated in the public sphere so that we can manage situations more effectively and be proactive in our messaging and information so that the facts are at the heart of the debate and not interpretations of them
How do you generate content for social media It was important when we launched our social me-dia presence that it be manageable with the exist-ing communications team in place ndash and so we have concentrated on keeping it simple and effective and using content innovatively Itrsquos not about reproduc-ing our website ndash but to engage with our fans and so often all you need is a good picture an interest-ing fact or great achievement to get the ball rolling For You Tube as we already have so much content generated from FEI TV it was simply a question of using bits and pieces from that content to provide the public with teasers from events interviews with winning riders or behind the scenes content which they can then follow up on FEI TV with a subscription
What are your Social media goals Itrsquos really to build relationships and dialogue with our fan base by using our content innovatively by listening to what they have to say and by engaging with the community And for the National Federa-tions that have yet to take that step we want to be a guiding hand that can help them get started so that they too can reap the benefits of social media net-working Our sport competes against other sports for attention so itrsquos really important that we the FEI and the National Federations keep our finger on the pulse and cater to our fans
How can National Federations get involved NFs wishing to find out more about Social Media can contact me (richardjohnsonfeiorg) and I would be more than happy to discuss opportunities and ways of getting started as well as our experience at the FEI
We asked our Facebook followers why it was important to use face-book and here are a few comments they came up with
bullItrsquos a great way to find out about shows and competitions
bullBecause facebook can provide up to the minute updates as to the what is going on in the horse community
bullWe can share information and ideas over long distances We can find and connect with people we wouldnt be able to otherwise
bullIt also lets us express the true realities of our spot to keep us grounded
bullIt can bring peoples attention to excellence ndash and expose the issues
58
TV
The offi cial video website of the Feacutedeacuteration Equestre Internationale
wwwfeitvorg
WATCH LIVE WATCH ONLINE
FEI TV is the FEIrsquos new offi cial video website and your ticket to the worldrsquos most prestigious competitions Sign-up to FEI TV (wwwfeitvorg) and get instant access to all the live broadcasts the extensive video-on-demand library all the highlights the behind the scenes reports the interviews and so much more Be at the heart of horsesport Join us
2823_1FEI_TV_Focus_165x226indd 1 170510 1124
ldquo Donrsquot accept drinks from a strangerrdquo
Armchair travel journalist
Are you living a life without boundaries Some well-meant advice is best ignored but itrsquos still good to know yoursquore covered when yoursquore away With HSBC Premier your family can be protected with both Travel Insurance and dedicated assistance when yoursquore abroad Which is reassuring to know when yoursquore making the most of life
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201736_6000263_Coconut_226x165indd
Master 226x165
Rob Swainson 160211
HSBC - Coconuts Proof 01Head of Art TypographerDesigner ArtCreative Director Copywriter Account DirectorDIC Project ManagerPhotographer Illustrator Usage Model(s) Name(s) Usage
Media MediaStock Image Time Period Time Period
Territory Territory
8deg N ndash Kerala South India
1936Games of the XI Olympiad Berlin (GER)The Games of the XI Olympiad were held in Berlin three years after the National-Socialist regime came to power in 1933 They are best remembered for Adolf Hitlerrsquos failed attempt to use sport to prove his theories of Aryan racial superiority The equestrian events held on the last five days of the 16-day programme played an important part in the overall running of these first monumental and politically misused Olympic GamesParticipation Twenty-one nations 127 riders - 7 coun-tries had full representation (3x3 riders) Germany won all the equestrian team and individual gold medals
1952Games of the XV Olympiad Helsinki (FIN) The 1952 Olympic Games brought some fundamen-tal changes to equestrian sport Most visible was the change from military riding to civilians Women were allowed in Dressage but not in Jumping or Event-ing The best known of these women is Lis Hartel of Denmark In 1944 at the age of 23 she was paralysed by polio and while she gradually regained the use of most of her muscles she remained paralysed below
the knee Despite being helped on and off her horse she went on to win the silver medal When gold med-allist Henri St-Cyr helped her up onto the victory platform for the medal presentation it was one of the most emotional moments in Olympic historyParticipation Twenty-five nations For the first time since 1912 Russian riders competed ndash now represent-ing the Soviet Union Canada Egypt amp Korea were also newcomers
1956Games of the XVI Olympiad Melbourne (AUS) Stockholm (SWE) When the IOC selected Melbourne (AUS) as host to the Games of the XVI Olympiad it had not taken into consideration the Australian six-month pre-shipment quarantine for horses In 1953 a meeting was held in Canberra attended by the federal authorities which recommended not to alter quarantine laws The IOC decided on a separate venue for the equestrian events and on 13 May 1954 chose Stockholm (SWE)The Jumping course was demanding it is considered by many as the first modern course There were no clears in the first round Hans Guumlnter Winkler (FRG) was in the
1936 1937 1938
1952 1953 1954
1956 1957 1958
1952 The Dressage medallists Andreacute Jousseaume (FRA) - bronze Henri St-Cyr (FRA) - gold Lis Hartel (DEN) - silver
08
lead with one knock-down riding the great mare Halla The horse had taken off early for the penultimate fence and Winkler was thrown into the air and went on to land heavily back in the saddle pulling a muscle in the pro-cess He knew that if he withdrew from the final round the German team would be eliminated Dizzy and in pain he rode anyway Halla completed the course without a fault They earned gold in both the individual and team events Winkler went on to win another five gold medals at various Olympics and is the only Jumper to win seven medals in total and the only rider in any discipline to earn medals in six different OlympicsParticipation Twenty-nine nations Australia Cambodia and Venezuela competed for the first time
1960Games of the XVII Olympiad Rome (ITA) The Australians were the 1960 Eventing sensation The foursome of Larry Morgan Neale Lavis Brian Crago and Bill Roycroft dominated the Cross-Country to an extent never experienced before At the end of the day Mor-gan was overwhelmingly in the lead ahead of Crago and Lavis Roycroft after a fall at the cement drain pipes was not too far back except for the fact that he was in hospital with a concussion and a broken collarbone When Cragorsquos potential silver medal horse Sabre was rejected at the second horse inspection Australia no longer had a team Forty-five-year old Bill Roycroft was taken out of hospital rode Our Solo to a clear round in the Jumping phase and secured team gold for Australia Participation Twenty-nine nations
1964Games of the XVIII Olympiad Tokyo (JPN) The 1964 Olympic Games were the first to be held in Asia These were only the second Olympics ndash after Los Angeles in 1932 ndash for which most horses had to travel across the world Most horses came by aircraft The Soviet horses still came by sea and were caught in the typhoon Wilda For the first time a former Olympic Jumping champion repeated his victory Forty-four year old Pierre Jonquegraveres drsquoOriola (FRA) the 1952 champion with Ali Baba won this time with the nine-year old Lutteur B Another first was the participation of a woman - Lana du Pont (USA) - in an Olympic Eventing competitionParticipation One hundred and sixteen riders from 20 countries competed in Tokyo
1968Games of the XIX Olympiad Mexico City (MEX) The choice of Mexico City to host the 1968 Olympics was a challenging one because of the cityrsquos high altitude 2300m which meant that the air contained 30 less oxygen than at sea level An adjustment pe-riod of three to four weeks for the horses was advised The horses from the Soviet Union Argentina and Ireland were in mid-September the first to arrive The last to stable were France and Germany on 28 September ie 20 days before the start of the com-petitions Of particular interest was the first par-ticipation of Dressage and Eventing riders from the German Democratic Republic In 1960 and 1964 their Eventers were part of a unified German team This time they were allowed to enter under their own flag The equestrian competitions were timed manually and electronically for the first time the electronic time was the official one Participation Eighteen nations
1972 Games of the XX Olympiad Munich (FRG) In 1972 everybody expected great Olympic Games and for the first ten days everything went smoothly But on 5 September 1972 peace was chattered as eight Palestinian terrorists representing the militant group ldquoBlack Septemberrdquo broke into the Olympic Village killed two members of the Israeli team and took nine more hostage In an ensuing battle all nine Israeli hostages were killed as were five of the ter-rorists and one policeman The Olympics were sus-pended for 34 hours In defiance of the terrorists the IOC ordered the competitions to resume IOC President Avery Brundage famously declaring ldquoThe Games must go onrdquo All other details about the Munich Games pale in significance The equestrian events were obviously also affected After the first day of Dressage on 5 September the second half of the competitors rode on 7 September the ride-off followed on the 9th Team Jumping at that time still preceding the closing ceremony took place on 11 September 1972Liselotte Linsenhoff on Piaff became the 13th Olym-pic Dressage champion ndash the third German to achieve this (after con Langen in 1928 and Pollay in 1936) but the first woman to do so Participation Twenty-seven nations
1964 1965 1966
1960 1961 1962
1972 1973 1974
1968 1969 1970
09FOCUS
1976Games of the XXI Olympiad Montreal (CAN) All in the Eventing geneshellip Mother Rita and daugh-ter Silva de Luna were both on the Guatemalan team Father Bill 61 and son Wayne Roycroft were on the bronze-medal winning Australian teamhellipFor the first time in the FEIrsquos Olympic history there was a disqualification due a positive medication case San Carlos the mount of the Irish Army Eventing rider Ronald McMahon The medical treatment after an injury during transport had been announced to the authorities But the rules suffered no exceptions Au-tomatic disqualification followed although there was no additional punishmentBarbara Kemp became the first woman to design an Olympic cross-country course Participation Twenty-three nations Guatemala and Puerto Rico were the newcomers
1980Games of the XXII Olympiad Moscow (URS) The 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow represented the lowest point in the history of the Olympic equestrian events as a US led boycott reduced the number of participating nations to 11 From the top equestrian nations only Austria with the reigning European Dres-sage champion Elisabeth (Sissi) Theurer and Italy with its Eventing team went to Moscow Sissirsquos decision to participate in Moscow created considerable contro-versy in her native Austria ndash resulting in the resignation of the President of the National Equestrian FederationParticipation Eleven nations
1984Games of the XXIII Olympiad Los Angeles (USA) The Los Angeles Games were the first since 1896 to be staged without government financing and became the model for future Games particularly after it was revealed that they had produced a profit of US$ 223 million The organisers depended heavily on existing facilities and corporate sponsors The celebrated Santa Anita racetrack was chosen as the competition site for the equestrian events It was the first time an Olympic equestrian event was organised by an existing man-agement of proven competence and long experienceIn response to the boycott of the 1980 Moscow Olym-pics a boycott led by the Soviet Union marked the 1984 OlympicsThe USA dominated the Jumping competition win-ning both individual and team gold with a superiority rarely experienced before or since Joe Fargis (USA) and Touch of Class were the first to achieve a dou-ble clear in the Olympic team competition Eventing legend Mark Todd from New Zealand (pictured left) won his first Olympic medalParticipation Thirty nations
1988Games of the XXIV Olympiad Seoul (KOR) The Seoul Games were highlighted by numerous exceptional performances For Dressage it was the first time that all three individual medals were award-ed to women Reiner Klimke (pictured above-right) captured his last Olympic medal as West Germany won the team Dressage competition With six gold and two bronze medals won at five Olympic Games ndash Reiner Klimke participated in six Olympic Games
1976 1977 1978 1980 1981 1982
1984 1985 1986
1988 1989 1990
altogether - he is the most decorated rider in Olympic history Only for the second time in the 76-year history of Eventing at the Olympics the defending champions repeated their victory Mark Todd (NZL) 32 with the 16-year-old Charisma For the first time qualifications were held to reduce the starting field for the individual Jumping The reigning European champions Pierre Du-rand (FRA) and the 13-year-old black gelding Jappe-loup added Olympic gold to their winningsParticipation Thirty-two nations
1992Games of the XXV Olympiad Barcelona (ESP) In Dressage the individual battle was played out be-tween Isabell Werthrsquos Gigolo and the defending Olym-pic champion from Seoul Nicole Uphoffrsquos 15-year-old Rembrandt Rembrandt and Uphoff triumphed and se-cured the gold After the repeat wins of Henry St-Cyr (SWE) in 1952 and 1956 on two different horses this was the first double triumph of a combination After the elaborate beautifully built and decorated Jump-ing obstacles of Seoul 1988 the Spanish decided on something different and the two architects in charge of designing the 25 obstacles used minimal figural and colour elements so as to more objectively define the difficulty of the obstacles This new vision did not find many partisansParticipation Thirty-four nations
1996Games of the XXVI Olympiad Atlanta (USA) The Atlanta Games saw extensive changes made to the competition formats of Dressage and Eventing Following the IOCrsquos reasoning whereby two sets of medals could not be distributed for the same effort the FEI split Eventing into two competitions team and individual An elaborate qualifying system in all three disciplines was created and for the first time quotas were establishedThe heat and humidity expected in Atlanta led to extensive research and measures aimed at protecting the welfare of the horses It was found that horses needed three weeks of acclimatisation ndash seven days to recover from the effects of transport and 14 days of passive acclimatisation to the new conditions The major measure was the installation of misting fans throughout the venueLinda Allen was the course designer the first woman to provide the Jumping courses at an Olympic GamesParticipation Thirty nations
1992 1993 1994
1996 1997 1998
1988 The German gold medal team (from left to right) - Ann-Kathrin Linsenhoff Monica Theodorescu Nicole Uphoff and Reiner Klimkecopy Kit Houghton
11FOCUS
1996The X Paralympic Games Atlanta (USA)1996 also marks for the first time equestrian sport was included at the Paralympics with Para-Equestrian Dressage on the programme The competition was run on borrowed horses Jo Jackson (GBR) won three gold medals the maximum possible For Great Britain it was a first of many team medalshellipParticipation Sixty-eight competitors from 16 nations
2000Games of the XXVII Olympiad Sydney (AUS) Forty four years after Melbourne 1956 when no horses would be allowed into Australia the Australian quarantine and inspection services proved to be much more accommodating The conditions were tough two weeks of pre-shipping quarantine in Europe and after arrival in Sydney two more weeks of quarantine on siteOf the 15 medal-winning horses 12 were thorough-breds and the other three were 78 thoroughbredsThe year 2000 was the final show-down of the two Dressage horses who had dominated the sport since the early nineties ndash Gigolo ridden by Isabell Werth (GER) and Bonfire ridden by Anky Van Grunsven (NED) with the latter taking gold medal honours Australia for the third time in a row won the team gold medal in EventingParticipation Thirty-seven nations
2000The XI Paralympic Games Sydney (AUS)The Australian spirit and warmth conveyed during the Olympics continued throughout the Paralympic Games thanks to the formidable cooperation between the Sydney Paralympic Organising Committee (SPOC) and the Sydney Organising Committee for the Olympic Games (SOCOG) Paralympic and Olympic athletes lived in the same village and enjoyed the same catering services medical care and facilities Errors in the scoring meant that medals had to be re-attributed but this did not cause too much upset Lee Pearson (GBR) took home three gold medals (including another team gold for GBR) the maximum possible while Australiarsquos Julie Higgins achieved an impressive double gold triumph Participation Seventy athletes from 23 nations
2004Games of the XXVIII Olympiad Athens (GRE) In 2004 the Games returned to Greece homeland to the Olympic GamesThe equestrian events were affected by controversies Waterford Crystal the horse ridden by Olympic cham-pion in Jumping Cian OrsquoConnor (IRL) tested positive to a prohibited substance generally administered to humans but forbidden for use in horses After lengthy legal procedures OrsquoConnor was disqualified and sanc-tioned The gold medal was awarded to second-placed
1996 1997 1998
2000 2001 2002
2000 2001 2002
2004 2005 2006
2000 The team podium in Eventing - Great Britain (silver) Australia (gold) USA (bronze) copy Kit Houghton
12
Rodrigo Pessoa (BRA) Another three horses tested positive as well As a result Germany lost its Jumping team gold which was awarded to the USA in February 2005 at a ceremony in Palm Beach FL (USA)A new competition format for Eventing involving two Jumping rounds one for the individual and one for the team standings was introduced The two roads and tracks (A + C) and the steeplechase (B) of the Endur-ance phase were abolishedParticipation Thirty-seven nations
the fact that main land China did not hold disease-free zone status from the International Organisation for Animal Health the competitions were held in Hong Kong 2000km away from the Olympic host city Beijing In order to protect animal welfare detailed studies on the effects of heat and humidity on horses were undertaken by the FEI in cooperation with top scientists The competition timetable was modified to avoid the hours of intense heat and the horses were stabled at the exceptional air-conditioned facilities provided by the Hong Kong Jockey Club Six horses five from Jumping tested positive to prohibited substances As a result Norway lost its first Jumping medal ndash bronze ndash which after more than two years of legal proceedings was awarded to Switzerland
Jumping gold went to team USA In Dressage Anky van Grunsven (NED) aboard Salinero won her seventh and eighth Olympic medals team silver and individual gold Eventing legend Mark Todd (NZL) made a much acclaimed come back but the spotlight was on Hinrich Romeike and the extraordinary Marius
The story of the 2008 Olympic Eventing gold med-allist is all the more extraordinary as Hinrich is an amateur rider By day his time is spent in his dental surgery attending to his many patients so his riding is restricted to after-hoursParticipation Forty-two nations
2008The XIII Paralympic Games Beijing (CHN)First Paralympic participation for the FEI following the inclusion of Para-Equestrian in 2006 to be governed alongside the 7 other disciplines These Games set a new benchmark for Para-Equestrian events with great facilities cheerful volunteers and large audiences totalling over 30000 - an unprecedented attend-ance for Para-Equestrian events
For the third Paralympics in a row Lee Pearson (GBR) won three gold medals keeping up his record of win-ning all the gold medals available to him Singa-porersquos Laurentia Tan picked up Asiarsquos first Paralympic Equestrian medals with two individual bronze medals Marco Alves picked up Brazilrsquos first Paralympic Equestrian medal with bronze in Grade Ib Participation Seventy-eight athletes from 28 nations
2004The XII Paralympic Games Athens (GRE)The venue was excellent and there was good support from local volunteers Both Debbie Criddle and Lee Pearson (pictured above) from Great Britain picked up the maximum three gold medals The International Paralympic Committee presented the Equestrian Technical Delegate with the award for Best Official of all the sports at the Paralympic Games Participation Seventy athletes from 29 nations
2008Games of the XXIX Olympiad Beijing (CHN) Hong Kong (CHN) For the second time in Olympic history the equestrian events were held separately from other sports Due to
2004 2005 2006
2008 2009 2010
2008 2009 20102004 Lee Pearson (GBR) in Athens where he scoopedthe maximum three gold medals available to him
13FOCUS
The climax of the indoor international Jumping sea-son brought together 43 riders from 21 nations and ended with Christian Ahlmann riding Taloubet Z to Germanys ninth victory in the 33-year history of FEI World Cuptrade Jumping Canadarsquos reigning Olympic champion Eric Lamaze took second place with Hickstead followed by Dutch combination Jeroen Dubbeldam and BMC Van Grunsven Simon who rocketed up from overnight 11th to finish third when producing one of only two double clears on the final afternoonGerman riders dominated from the first of the three qualifiers in Leipzig ndash the speed competition which Marco Kutscher with Cash won with 6355 seconds followed by his compatriots defending champion Marcus Ehning and Christian Ahlmann who took second and third place respectively In the second qualifier the withdrawal of Saudi Arabiarsquos Abdullah Al Sharbatly reduced the field to 40 starters Eric Lamaze took the lead with a fabulous clear in 4068 a win that bounced him up to fifth spot just six points behind the leading pair ndash an ascent he continued to master on the final day
J U M P I N GFINAL LEIPZIG
ROLEX FEI World Cuptrade
JUMPINGldquoIt was wonderful to be back in Leipzig again for yet another great Rolex FEI World Cuptrade Jumping Final in a city with such a rich cultural backgroundrdquo John Roche FEI Director of Jumping
FEI World Cuptrade Finals
REEm ACRA FEI World Cuptrade
DressaGe
DRESSAGEFINAL LEIPZIG
ldquoThe Reem Acra FEI World Cuptrade Dressage took place in a perfect setting with enough space for everyone to give their very best performancesrdquo Trond Asmyr FEI Director of Dressage
Adelinde Cornelissen (NED) and the magnificent Jerich Parzival danced to victory to the strains of Tchaikovskyrsquos Nutcracker Suite in the Freestyle com-petition that closed the Reem Acra FEI World Cuptrade Dressage Final Denmarkrsquos Nathalie zu Sayn-Witt-genstein and Digby finished second while Germanyrsquos Ulla Salzgeber steered Herzrufrsquos Erbe into third place The 2010 title-winner Edward Gal (GER) finished fourth with a great performance from Sisther de JeuThe top three mirrored those of the Grand Prix class two days earlier when a confident performance rewarded with a score of 80957 put Adelinde Cornelissen (NED) in first place followed by Denmarkrsquos Nathalie zu Sayn-Wittgenstein with Digby (76884 3) and Germanyrsquos Ulla Salzgeber riding Herzrufrsquos Erbe (76216 points) Defending champion Edward Gal rode a tense Sisther de Jeu with a disappointing test score of 70122 The final saw 17 horse and rider combinations from 10 nations compete ndash three from the USA The
Netherlands and Germany two from Sweden and one from Hungary Fin-
land Poland Belgium Great Britain and Denmark Fifteen riders went on to the Freestyle competition
Highlights available as video on demand on
15FOCUS
Boyd Exell (AUS) successfully defended his FEI World Cuptrade Driving title in Leipzigrsquos thrilling final speed-ing to victory in front of a wildly enthusiastic crowd and becoming the second driver to score a hat-trick of World Cup victories Hungaryrsquos Jozsef Dobrovitz drove two brilliant rounds with his team of Lipiz-zaner horses and finished second ahead of IJsbrand Chardon (NED) The FEI World Cuptrade Driving Final was run over two indoor competitions which took place on 29 April and 1 May Seven drivers competed Tomas Eriksson (SWE) Koos de Ronde (NED) Werner Ulrich (SUI) Christian Pluumlcker (GER) and the triumphant trio who after emerging from the first round on 1 May with the highest number of points qualified for the winning round immediately afterwards
FEI World Cuptrade
DrIVINGldquoOnce again the worldrsquos best indoor drivers came together for a thrilling final the com-bination of horses working together in a team driven by superbly skilled horsemento produce thrilling andspectacular driving sportrdquo Ian Williams FEI Director of Non-Olympic Sports
16
Switzerlandrsquos Patrick Looser and Germanyrsquos Simone Wiegele claimed the inau-gural FEI World Cuptrade Vaulting titles at the 20102011 FEI World Cuptrade Finals a glittering Freestyle to Music showcase held over two daysLooserrsquos fellow starters in the Menrsquos section were Nicolas Andreani (FRA) Viktor Bruumlsewitz (GER) Daniel Kaiser (GER) Lukas Klouda (CZE) Nikolaus Luschin (AUT) and Yvan Nousse (FRA) Looser 26 was under pressure having finished second to Nicolas Andreani from France in the first Freestyle competition But
the reigning World Champion who won three of the four qualifying rounds over the winter months produced a superb performance which left Andreani in second place and Germanyrsquos Viktor Brusewitz in third In addition to the victorious Wiegele contenders for the Female title were her three compatriots Pia Engelbury Ines Juumlckstock and Antje Hill Simone Jaumliser (SUI) Stefanie Kowald (AUT) and Anna Cavallaro (ITA) In the second
competition Wiegele followed team-mate Hill into the arena in Hall 1 which seemed to be much more to the liking of the
horses than the smaller ring used on the first day And although Hillrsquos routine was
dramatic and beautifully controlled it was Wiegelersquos more complex display that settled
the destination of the very first Female World Cup trophy
ldquoFor the first time an indoor final that provided the public with an opportunity to witness the gymnastic movements of
athletes atop magnificent horses all choreographed to breathtaking musical arrangementsrdquo
Ian Williams FEI Director of Non-Olympic Sports
Highlights available as video on demand on
WHEN AND WHERE
26 ndash 30 July FEI European Reining Championship for Seniors amp Juniors Wiener Neustadt (AUT)
16 ndash 21 August FEI European Vaulting Championships for Seniors amp Juniors Le Mans (FRA)
17 ndash 21 August FEI European Dressage Championships Rotterdam (NED)
25 ndash 28 August HSBC FEI European Eventing Championships Luhmuumlhlen (GER)
01 ndash 04 September Open FEI European Driving Championships for Four-in-Hand Breda (NED)
01 ndash 04 September FEI European Para-Equestrian Dressage Championships Moorsele (BEL)
10 September FEI European Endurance Championships Florac (FRA)
13 ndash 18 September FEI European Jumping Championships Madrid (ESP)
LIVE ONLive coverage and highlightsCheck out the FEI TV broadcasting schedule for all the latest information on events broadcast live on FEI TV
European Championships for seniors in all the FEI disciplines are being held in 2011 We take a quick 360deg look at the dates venues facts amp figures and triumphant moments of the past 50 years of European Championships
FeI europeanChampionships 2011
Donrsquot miss a beatComplete competition reports updates behind the scenes information facts and figures and more can be found on wwwfeiorg as well as our dedicated facebook twitter and you tube pages
18
Preview
For the 31st edition of the FEI European Jumping Championships the event returns to Spain 18 years after the Championships in Gijon only this time to be held at the Club de Campo Villa in Madrid The FEI European Jumping Championships take place every two years in the middle of the Olympic cycle and have been held since 1957 with the introduction of team medals in 1975
THE VENUEThe Club de Campo Villa de Madrid (ESP) has been host to an annual CSI for 100 years and will be tem-porarily replacing its usual grass in the main arena with all-weather sand footing to ensure perfect going for the Championship
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERSTeam ndash SwitzerlandIndividual ndash Kevin Staut (FRA)
OLyMPIC qUALIFICATIONThe 3 best ranked nations from Olympic Qualifying Groups A amp B at the 2011 FEI European Jumping Championships (excluding the teams already quali-fied at WEG) will be qualified to take part with a team consisting of 4 athletes amp 4 horses or 3 athletes amp 3 horses
GREAT HORSES OF THE EUROPEANCHAMPIONSHIPSDEISTER - An extraordinary horse with an extraordi-nary record With Germanys Paul Schockemohle on board this brilliant bay Hannoverian led won three consecutive individual gold medals - in Munich Germany in 1981 Hickstead England in 1983 and Dinard France in 1985 Bred by Hermann Hahl in Osterbruch Lower Saxony Deister was by Diskant out of Adlerklette by Adlerschild stood 171cms high and had the heart of a lion Deisters European medal
haul also included team gold at Munich in 1981 team silver in Rotterdam in 1979 and team bronze at both Hickstead in 1983 and Dinard in 1985 Despite his incredibly active career the hardy Deister who was born in February 1971 lived to the ripe old age of 29
MR SOFTEE - The closest challenger to Deister for the title of Champion of the Europeans is the Irish-bred Mr Softee - a three-time winner but with two different riders Mr Softee enjoyed a hugely success-ful career with David Broome However it was with another Briton David Barker that the chestnut horse with four white legs took the individual European ti-tle for the first time in London in 1962 This was then followed up with David Broomersquos victory in Rotter-dam in 1967 and in Hickstead in 1969 Broome once said that like many other top horses Mr Softee had a big opinion of himself - He thought he was a king - and he was right
Believe it or nothellip
bull Itwasonlyin1975thatwomenwere permittedtocompetealongsidemenin theEuropeanJumpingChampionshipsprior tothistherehadbeentheLadiesEuropean JumpingChampionshipsheldfrom1957- 1973
bull Only2womenhaveeverwonthe FEIEuropeanChampionshipsFrancersquos AlexandraLedermannin1999and MeredithMichaels-Beerbaum(GER) in2007
bull Germanyledthegoldtallywith20 medals(14individualamp6team)double theamountofrunnerupGreatBritainon 10(6individualand4team)
FeI eUroPeaN
JUMPINGChaMPIoNshIPs
13-18 September 2011
Madrid (SPAIN)
19FOCUS
LIVE coverage on
Rotterdam gets set to host the 25th edition of the FEI European Dressage Championships for the first time and only the second time for the Netherlands (Arnhem 1999) The FEI European Dressage Championships take place every two years in the middle of the Olympic cycle and have been held since 1963
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERS
Team ndash The Netherlands
Individual ndash Kuumlr to MusicEdward Gal (NED) amp Moorlands Totilas
Individual ndash Grand Prix SpecialAdelinde Cornelissen (NED) amp Jerich Parzival
OLyMPIC qUALIFICATIONThe 3 best ranked nations from Groups A B amp C at the 2011 FEI European Dressage Championships (exclud-ing the teams already qualified at WEG) will be quali-fied to take part with a team consisting of 3 athletes amp 3 horses
THE WIND OF CHANGEFor 21 consecutive Championships from 1965 to 2005 (no team title awarded in 1963) the Germans held the European title but the last two editions have seen an upset to that tradition with the Netherlands clenching gold In 2009 the Dutch domination was particularly strong with five out of six individual med-als awarded to Dutch riders and the sixth going to British rider Laura Bechtolsheimer
IN MEMORy OF HENRI CHAMMARTIN (SUI)At the time of writing a legend in the Dressage world Henri Chammartin (SUI) passed away at the age of 92 An Olympic and European Dressage champion Henri Chammartin won the first two editions of the
FEI European Championships in 1963 and 1965 riding Wolfdiedtrich and competed in five consecutive edi-tions of the Olympic Games ndash Helsinki 1952 Stock-holm 1956 Rome 1960 Tokyo 1964 and Mexico 1968 ndash winning a total of five Olympic medals includ-ing Olympic champion in 1964
RECORD BREAKINGhellip In 2009 the formidable partnership of The Nether-lands Edward Gal and Moorlands Totilas smashed the world Freestyle record before a packed house with Windsor Castle standing proudly as a backdrop when scoring 9070 (including an unbelievable 29 perfect-10 scores) to win the Freestyle gold medal
Believe it or nothellip
bull GermanyhaswontheEuropeanDressage TeamTitleon21occasions
bull Thegreatestnumberofteamstoparticipate inEuropeanDressageChampionshipsis 14-atHickstead(GBR)in2003andagainat Hagen(GER)in2005
bull GermanysDrReinerKlimkewonthreeindi vidualtitles-atAachenin1967ridingDux andagainin1973ridingMehmedandat Copenhagenin1985ridingAhlerich
bull WithGigoloGermanysIsabellWerthtook theindividualtitlein1995and1997and wontheGrandPrixSpecialatDonaueschingen Germanyin1991andatLipicaSloveniain 1993
bull AnkyvanGrunsvenhasthreewinstoher namendashin1999withBonfirefollowedbythe backtobackwinswithSalineroin2005and 2007
17-21 August 2011
Rotterdam Netherland
FeI eUroPeaN
DressaGeChaMPIoNshIPs
20
LIVE coverage on
These are the second FEI European Para-Equestrian Dressage Championships to be held since Para-Equestrian joined the FEI Family in 2006 Para-Equestrian Dressage has been a regular fixture at the Paralympic Games since 1996 The first FEI European Para-Equestrian Dressage Championships were held in southern Norwegian town of Kristiansand in 2009 with a total of 78 ath-letes from 22 countries participating
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERS
Team Great Britain
Grade Ia Individual - Sophie Christiansen (GBR) Freestyle - Emma Sheardown (GBR)
Grade Ib Individual amp Freestyle Lee Pearson (GBR)
Grade II Individual - Petra Van der Sande (NED) Freestyle - Angelika Trabert (GER)
Grade III Individual amp Freestyle
Hannelore Brenner (GER)
Grade IV Individual amp Freestyle Sophie Wells (GBR)
The mobility strength and coordination of competi-tors are assessed and athletes with similar functional ability profiles are grouped into competition grades that range from Grade Ia for the most severely im-paired to Grade IV for the least impaired This means that the competition within each Grade can be judged on the skill of the individual competitors on their horses regardless of their disabilities
CLUB qUADRILLEMoorsele has been host to a regular international Para-Equestrian Dressage events for the past few years with the Club Quadrille as organiser The Club Quadrille was founded in 1981 by Anne Van Neste-dIeteren Belgian Dressage Champion from 1977 un-til 1982 current President of the Belgian Paralympic Committee and member of the FEI Para-Equestrian committee It is a unique sports club that works with both able bodied and disabled athletes and is active in the promotion and education of the sport As member of the honorary IPC Board Her Royal Highness (HRH) Princess Astrid of Belgium has been a fervent supporter of the event and has attended on many occasions
Believe it or nothellip
bull LeePearson(GBR)haswoneverygold medalwithinreachatParalympicWorld andContinentallevelandtheEuropeans in2009werenodifferentwithanother triplegoldvictory
bull GreatBritainalsohavetheMidastouch whenitcomestoteammedalsndashandarethe currentParalympicWorldandEuropean titleholders
bull In2009Germanycamecloserthanever totakingthegoldmedalfromall-time championGreatBritain
1-4 September 2011
Moorsele Belgium
FeI eUroPeaN
Para-eqUestrIaNDressaGeChaMPIoNshIPs
21FOCUS
A record number of fans are expected to attend the HSBC FEI European Eventing Championships as they return to Luhmuumlhlen for the fifth time to mark the 30th edition of the ChampionshipsThe FEI European Eventing Championships take place every two years in the middle of the Olympic cycle and have been held since 1953
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERSTeam ndash Great BritainIndividual ndash Kristina CookMiners Frolic (GBR)
OLyMPIC qUALIFICATIONThe 2 best ranked nations from Groups A B amp C at the 2011 HSBC FEI European Eventing Champion-ships (excluding the teams already qualified at WEG) will be qualified to take part with a team consisting of 3 athletes amp 3 horses
THE VENUELuhmuumlhlen one of only six 4 events on the interna-tional Eventing calendar and part of the prestigious HSBC FEI Classicstrade series will greet Europersquos best athletes with a fresh look and feel this year following extensive renovation to the existing infrastructures The recently renovated showground includes three Dressage and two Jumping arenas a tribune able to seat 850 spectators with spectacular views as well as a newly designed entrance including six ticket box facilities and fully catered trade stands The show-ground also boasts an open air stage with space for up to 15000 spectators ldquoI am confident that the in-vestment in the infrastructure will be of great benefit to all involved whether you are a volunteer a groom an athlete ndash both the horses and the riders - as well as for the sponsors guests spectators and the fans We are re-ally looking forward to great competitions this year at both the CCI4CIC3 in June and at the Europeans in August and hope many will join us to witness this historic momentrdquo Julia Otto Event Director Luhmuumlhlen
HSBCHSBC has renewed their sponsorship for a further three-year term as global sponsor of FEI Eventing to include title sponsorships of the HSBC FEI European Eventing Championships in both 2011 and 2013 and the HSBC FEI Classicstrade until the end of 2013
OFFICIAL TIMEPIECE Rolex the leading name in luxury wrist watches will be the Official Timekeeper for the HSBC FEI European Eventing Championships 2011
Believe it or nothellip
bull GinnyElliot(bornHolgate)theonlyrider towinthreesuccessiveindividualtitlesand IanStarkholdthejointrecordforEuropean goldmedalswonndashseveneachbutLucinda Greenstillhasthemostmedals(10)
bull SupremeRockriddenbyPippaFunnell (GBR)istheonlyhorsetowinback-to-back titles(in1999and2001)hehasfour Europeangoldmedalsintotalequalingthe recordofKilbarryThePoacherandOver ToYouwhowonarecordfourconsecutive Europeanteamgolds(1999-2005)
bull PrincessAnneandZaraPhillipsaretheonly mother-daughtercombinationtowin Europeantitles(1971and2005)
bull GreatBritainhaveheldtheEuropeantitle forthepast8consecutiveChampionships (since1995)Andofthe29editionstodate (startingin1953)theteamhavewona whopping21
25-28 August 2011
Luhmuumlhlen Germany
hsBC FeI eUroPeaN
eVeNtINGChaMPIoNshIPs LIVE coverage on
22
In September Breda Hippique in The Netherlands will be host to the seventh edition of the FEI Euro-pean Driving Championships for Four-in-Hand not held since 1981 This edition is open to both Euro-pean and non-European drivers and will also count as a qualifier for the indoor FEI World Cuptrade Driv-ing which is held during the winter season Only competitors from Europe can claim the individual and team medalsThe FEI European Driving Championships for Four-in-Hand were first held in 1971 in Budapest and continued to be held every two years until 1981 at which stage they were discontinued
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERSTeam ndash HungaryIndividual ndash Gyoumlrgyi Bardos (HUN)
SOMETHING IN THE WATERhellip Hungary have won five out of six available team European titles and on the individual front two Hungarians stand out from the crowd Imre Abony ndash individual winner in 1971 and 1975 and Gyoumlrgyi Bardos triple consecutive winner in 1977 1979 1981
IN THE BEGINNINGhellipThe first European Championships took place in Budapest in 1971 and moved on to Windsor in Great Britain in 1973 Sopot in Poland in 1975 Donauesch-ingen in Germany in 1977 and in Haras du Pin in France in 1979 The sixth and last edition took place in 1981 in Zug Switzerland
THE VENUEBreda has hosted the only Nations competition (CAIO) for Four-in-Hand horses in The Netherlands for many years In 1995 Breda hosted the first FEI European Driving Championships for Four-in-Hand ponies and in 2010 was host to the FEI World Para-Equestrian Driving Championships Aside from the four-in-hand teams Breda will also host international pony teams and national horse pairs at the event this year
Believe it or nothellip
bull Hungaryhavewonfiveoutofsixteamgold titles
bull AugusteDubeyfromSwitzerlandwasthe onlynon-HungarianEuropeanChampion hewontheChampionshipsin1973
bull PrincePhilipFEIPresidentfrom1964- 1986whocelebratedhis90thbirhtday inJuneisanavidfanofDrivingandpartici- patedinsixWorldandthreeEuropean Championships
1-4 September 2011
Breda Netherland
FeI eUroPeaN
DrIVINGChaMPIoNshIPsfor FoUr-IN-haND
Note At the time of writing the FEI European DrivingChampionships for Four in Hand was pending approvalby the FEI Bureau
23FOCUS
The 14th edition of the FEI European Endurance Championships return to Florac in France twenty five years after the inaugural event was held there The FEI European Endurance Championships first took place in 1984 and were immediately followed up by a second edition in 1985 and have since been held every two years They have always been open to the world with two sets of medals presented ndash open and European
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERSTeam ndash SpainIndividual ndash Maria Alvarez Ponton amp Nobby
RECORD BREAKINGCurrent title holder Maria Alvarez Ponton amp super horse Nobby is the first rider to hold European and World titles at the same time She will be looking to confirm her stronghold on the sport following her second consecutive World title with a second con-secutive European title in Florac a feat no rider has managed to achieve at the Europeans to date
THE VET GATEModern competitions consist of a number of sec-tions known as lsquophasesrsquo At the end of each phase there is a compulsory halt for veterinary inspection Each horse which is thoroughly examined before it is allowed to start the ride must be presented for inspection within a set time of reaching each vetgate The time spent at each vetgate prior to inspection by the vets is counted as part of the overall competition time and the aim is to determine whether the horse is fit to continue the ride
THE SUPPORT CREWA vital part of Endurance riding is the support crew Riders are assisted by a team of helpers who meet them several times over the ride bringing bottles of water to pour over the horse to cool it down as well as a drink for the rider Crews also have spare equipment in case something breaks down or needs replacing
Believe it or nothellip
bull TheFrenchhavethemedaledgewith6 individualand4teamgoldmedalsfrom the14editionsheld
bull Floracistheonlyvenuetohostthe EuropeanChampionshipstwice(thefirst editionin1984andtheupcomingedition in2011)
bull EnduranceisthefastestgrowingFEI disciplinefrom2000to2010thenumber ofinternationaleventshavemultipliedby10
10 September 2011
Florac France
FeI eUroPeaN
eNDUraNCeChaMPIoNshIPs
24
Reem Acra Boutique 14 East 60th St New York New York 10022 2123088760 wwwreemacracom
356935B2_RA_brochure2_souvenir_programmeindd 1 82710 1012 AM
Vaulting became an FEI discipline in 1983 and saw its first FEI European Championship organised just one year later in the town of Ebreichsdorf in Austria This 15th edition of the Championship ndash which also includes the European Juniors competition return to France for the 4th time but for the first time in the world renowned venue of Le Mans famous for its 24 hour race
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERS
Team ndash Austria
Individual malelongeurhorseNicolas Andreani (FRA)Marina Joosten DuponIdefix de Braize
Individual femalelongeurhorseJoanna Eccles (GBR)John EcclesWH Bentley
THE WIND OF CHANGEGermany and Switzerland have traditionally bat-tled for the team title (Germany has 7 gold versus Switzerlandrsquos 5) but in 2009 Austria who had come second on four occasions since the inception of the Championships in 1984 finally climbed onto the top spot of the podium and claimed the title In terms of the individual performances Germany had the stronghold on the male category winning 11 out of 14 gold medals But again in 2009 France the only other country to have ever beaten a German male vaulter at the Europeans made it to the top spot of the podium for only the third time since the Championships began
Similarly with the female vaulters it was an all German domination until 2007 when Austriarsquos Sissi Jarz claimed gold followed by Joanna Eccles (GBR) in 2009 ndash leaving Germany off the top step of the podium entirely in 2009
GREAT BRITAIN ndash A VAULTING NATIONhellip Times have definitely changed from the Swiss German domination with current World and European titles held by Great Britainrsquos Joanna Eccles She was the first British vaulter (male or female) to claim a medal at the Europeans ndash let alone a gold medal - and then went on to secure the world title in Kentucky last year
Believe it or nothellip
bull TheonlycountryotherthanGermanyand SwitzerlandtohaveclaimedaEuropean VaultingtitleisSlovakiain2005
bull ChristophLensing(GER)holdsthemale medalrecordndashwiththreegold(19891993 amp1995)aswellassilverin1991
bull NadiaZuumllowandSilkeMichelberger (formerlyBernhard)withthreegoldmedals each
16-21 August 2011
Le Mans France
FeI eUroPeaN
VaULtINGChaMPIoNshIPs
26
This is only the fifth edition of the European Reining Championships since the discipline joined the FEI in 2000 and the first time they will be held in Austria The event also includes the FEI European Champi-onships for Juniors and Young Riders ndash a formula introduced in 2009 in Kreuth (GER) which proved to be a multigenerational success The FEI European Reining Championships take place every two years and have been held since 2003
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERSTeam ndash GermanyIndividual ndash Nina Lill (GER) riding Lena Cielo Jewel
THE JUDGINGReining horses are judged individually Each horse au-tomatically begins the required pattern with a score of 70 One or frac12 points are given or taken away for each manoeuvre Credit is given for smoothness fi-nesse attitude quickness and authority Controlled speed in the pattern raises the level of difficulty and makes the reining horse exciting to watch
Believe it or nothellip
bull ItalyandGermanyaretheonlytwonations tohavewongoldmedalsndashGermanyhas3 teamgoldand2individualgoldversus Italyrsquossingleteamgoldandtwoindividual gold
bull GermanyrsquosNinaLillwinnerin2009was thefirstwomantotaketheindividualtitle sincetheChampionshipsbeganin2003
bull OlympicWorldandEuropeanDressage ChampionAnkyVanGrunsven(NED) competedattheAlltechFEIWorldEques- trianGamestradein2010inbothDressageand hellipReining
bull 13nationswerescheduledtoattendthe Championshipatthetimeofwritingthe largestparticipationbycountryever recordedfortheEuropeans
26-30 July 2011
Wiener Neustadt Austria
FeI eUroPeaN
reININGChaMPIoNshIPs
27FOCUS
ldquoThirty-one yearsrsquo experience comes in handy some-timesrdquo joked the ever-relaxed Todd who was a leg-end by the time he ldquoretiredrdquo in 2000 with back-to-back Olympic golds five Burghley wins two world gold medals and three Badminton victories one on a horse he had never ridden before ldquoIt is incredibly special though right up there with the back-to-back Olympic golds When I came back to the sport (in 2008) it was to see if I could get back to top level It has always been my aim to win another big onerdquo
A World class meeting of Generations
The 2011 HSBC FEI Classicstrade could not have got off to a more epic start with wins at Badminton and Kentucky by two of the sportrsquos most enduring personalitiesThe 55-year-old New Zealander Mark Todd rolled back the years to score a fourth victory at the Gloucestershire venue 31 years after his first attempt in 1980
By Kate Green
28
HSBC FEI ClassicsTm
The resurgence of so much experienced talent makes it harder for younger riders to work their way up the leaderboard but 29-year-old Sinead Halpin (USA) had a spectacular CCI4 debut at Kentucky finish-ing third and best of the home side in distinguished company This achievement earned her the HSBC Training Bursary worth US$1000 towards training a prestigious and valuable award presented to the rider who achieves the best result on completing a CCI4 for the first time
The bursary winner at Badminton Fiona Hobby (GBR) 39 has had a rather longer wait to complete
her first CCI4 ndash she was 26th on Roma ML ndash but she has in the meantime produced two children had a career as a sports therapist and only switched from Jumping to Eventing relatively recently Hobby has vowed to spend the money on dressage train-ing ldquoRoma couldnrsquot believe it when she arrived in the arena and saw all those people but she was great across country really focussed Irsquom delightedrdquo
For Germanyrsquos Sandra Auffarth Luhmuumlhlen pro-vided an outstanding CCI4 debut on Opgun Louvo a young horse she has produced herself coming second and picking up the HSBC Training Bursary and the exciting prospect of a possible place in the squad for the forthcoming HSBC FEI European Event-ing Championship at Luhmuumlhlen (25-28 August) at which Germany as host nation will be entitled to field 12 riders
Last yearrsquos HSBC Training Bursary winners include Stephanie Rhodes-Bosch (CAN) who went on to win a team silver medal at the Alltech FEI World Equestri-an Gamestrade Lauren Shannon (GBR) who finished 17th at Badminton this year and Giovanni Ugolotti (ITA) who is furthering his career by basing himself in Brit-ain for the season and having lessons with Mark Todd
LIVE coverage and extensive highlights available on
Toddrsquos winning mount the 10-year-old NZB Land Vision was a green horse for this level and he fin-ished the Cross-Country phase tired but his rider kept his cool in an extraordinarily tight finish in which the price of one Jumping fence covered the top 12 riders any of whom could with a bit of luck have won the Mitsubishi Motors Trophy ldquoIn the end it came down to horse-power and Irsquove obviously got a good one hererdquo said Todd ldquoCharisma (his double Olympic gold medallist) will always be the most special horse but this one has no weak linksrdquo
As is the nature of the sport Toddrsquos lead in the HSBC FEI Classicstrade didnrsquot last long ndash he came down to earth with a bump the following weekend with a Cross-Country run-out on NZB Grass Valley his ride at the Rolex Kentucky Three Day Event (USA) and 49- year-old Mary King (GBR) stole the head-lines with a record one-two on Kings Mis-tress and Fernhill Urco It was Kingrsquos first CCI4 victory for 11 years ndash she has won Badminton twice and Burghley once ndash but she certainly smashed a few re-cords with this one She became the first rider to score a one-two at Kentucky the first in modern times to win a CCI4 on a home-bred horse and the oldest female to win a CCI4
King who has six team gold medals at World and European level plus competed at five consecutive Olympics had the luxury of knowing she had already won the event on the inexperienced 10-year-old Fernhill Urco a horse bred in Portugal by the time she entered the arena on Kings Mistress but she still produced a second clear round ldquoI never dreamed that I would be in this position and Irsquom enjoying the momentrdquo said the ever-smiling King ldquoIt was great to have the feeling of having already won on Fernhill Urco but I still wanted desperately to go clear on Kings Mistress as it is so special to win on a horse I bred myselfrdquo It was also an all clear from Germanyrsquos Andreas Dibowski and Euroriding Butts Leon in order to secure victory at the fourth leg of the HSBC FEItrade
Classicstrade in Luhmuumlhlen presented by EON Avacon
29FOCUS
The Danish-American actorpoet musician photographerand painter has been around horses most of his life from riding Hasufel and Brego in The Lord of the Rings trilogy to early childhood memories in Argentina his passion for floating as he describes it has never wavered
What is it about the horse that makes you a horse loverWe get along generally I respect their strength and their personal space Your first riding experience ndash was it bliss or terrorLike floating like being on a warm and floating mountain I remember being happy Do you think anyone can rideYes It is a question of allowing yourself to ride of allowing yourself to cooperate and not be in total control Children are more adept at figuring this out letting things happen without getting impatient or scared just as they are braver and less self-conscious about pronouncing new words or singing Anyone at any age or in any physical condition can
Viggo Mortensen
achieve a degree of success and satisfaction with horses even if it is just a question of touching them being near them If horses could talk what would they be sayingYou will know if you listen and watch them Is there a unique trait you look for in a horse that you canrsquot find in peopleThey are more patient and less apt to complain about lifersquos setbacks and physical ailments than most people I admire a tough smart horse what-ever its breed age or size What would you miss most if you could no longer go ridingThe companionship and the floating perhaps also the abandonment of usual daily worries that relaxed riding requires Whatrsquos your usual riding outfit consist ofAnything will do Loose-fitting clothes and good comfortable boots are a plus but not vital I have even ridden barefoot ndash naturally taking care to avoid being stepped on when not on the horse - but I do not recommend this to anyone The most important thing is to have a clear and focused mind to be THERE at all times when around horses and NOWHERE ELSE Sugar lumps or carrotsIrsquove been guilty of offering an occasional apple or carrot although it is best not to give horses anything special unless treats are part of training them for special tricks or stunts a pursuit best left to experts like master horse trainer Rex Peterson whom Irsquove had the good fortune to work with and study quite a bit Treats spoil horses and do not keep the animal focused on the task at hand Whatrsquos your favourite part of a horseThe brain What do you think young people gain from ridingSelf-confidence and an understanding of the value of cooperation
30
Why the long face
When did you first develop the bond with the horseThe first time I got on one as a little boy in ArgentinaYou either develop a bond of some kind or you fall off Of course you may even fall off if you develop the bond but you have to start (and restart) somewhere
Did your friends ride My brothers also rode and I have ridden with many kinds of people over the years ndash some good and patient with horses and some not If I had not rid-den as a boy I would probably have been wandering around fishing imagining I was a cowboy or an Indian or a Viking ndash which I did anyway Where in the world would you most like to rideMost anywhere will do but I have been extremely lucky to have ridden in many wide-open wild places ndash deserts grassy plains mountains by different seas and rivers in Argentina New Zealand North Africa and North America If you could spend one afternoon riding with a famous person (past or present)who would it be and whyIrsquoll give you 3 Oglala chief Tasunke Witko (Crazy Horse) my ancestor William F Cody or any real Gaucho from the province of Chaco Argentina
Two horses go out for dinner what kindof restaurant do they chooseLate spring grass near a slow-moving clean river with a gentle firm shoreline an hour before sun-down far from any people or other animals All time favourite horse filmI have a subjective soft spot for the stories and real horses involved in the making of ldquoHidalgordquo and the 2nd and 3rd installments of ldquoThe Lord Of The Ringsrdquo trilogy but I admire other ldquohorse moviesrdquo as wellThe 1953 French movie ldquoCrin-Blancrdquo (ldquoWhite Manerdquo) directed by Albert Lamorisse is a personal favourite
After three years at the head of the successful French Jumping team with back to back FEI Nations Cuptrade titles and a silver medal at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade Laurent Elias is moving on to new spheres with the French Horse amp Riding Institute where he will be training the riders of the National Riding School in Saumur
Laurent Elias
copy C
hris
toph
e Br
icot
32
The other side of
If I had not become a professional rider I would havehellipmade a career in a humanitarian organisation Horse riding is sometimes too trivial
My priority in life ishellipto be able to look at myself in the mirror in the morning and make sure I am at peace with my conscience
My familyhellipkeeps me grounded My wife helped me a lot when I was in charge of selections for France She took charge of my personal life and was the first person I called when we got the medal in Lexington I also admire my parents for the values they passed on to me
I remember my first ridingexperiencehellipaged six we were shooting a family film and I was on horseback I finished upside down under my horse for a long time I stopped riding for one year
I used to dream abouthellipsafaris One of my uncles was passionate about safaris Through him I became very interested in African trips and the jobs that allow you to travel as a reporter were fascinating to me as well
I have been thinking a lot abouthellipwhat happened in Japan these past few months First this tsunami that devastated everything without warning then the nuclear disaster It made me think that progress should not be destructive
My horse Gueacutenourhellipchanged my life I was just a coach and he brought me to the top I won the national championship in 1981 with him
My biggest challengehas always beenhellipshyness Horse riding has really helped me over-come it Horses brought me on stage and there I had to meet people
As a Chef dEquipehellipthere is no single defining achievement itrsquos all about the solidarity and the moments spent together as a team Irsquoll never forget the first time Penelope Leprevost rode her mare Jubileacutee drsquoOuilly in the FEI Nations Cuptrade of Rotterdam McLain Ward had just completed a real fast run with Sapphire We thought the Americans would win but she did it faster and beat Sapphire
In terms of eventshellipAachen is my favourite competition - for its won-derful organisation But we have also pretty good five star competitions in France
I donrsquot sleep muchhellipprobably because I am just happy to be alive
Irsquom not scared to laugh or cryhellipI laugh at the funny situations we sometimes find ourselves in life and enjoy people with quirky personalities I cry when I see others in pain
Laurent Elias and the French team en route to the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade copy PSV-Jean Morel
33FOCUS
Nicolas TheacutevenazAged 23 studies Robotics and Autonomous Systems Micro Engineering in Lausanne (SUI) alongside regular training and competition in Dressage and Para-Equestrian Dressage events Born with spastic diplegia Nicolas was introduced to horses via hippotherapy aged seven and quickly developed a passion for riding which not only helped with his physical condition but also taught him through Dressage the art of patience and perseverance
34
One day
Nicolas TheacutevenazAged 23 studies Robotics and Autonomous Systems Micro Engineering in Lausanne (SUI) alongside regular training and competition in Dressage and Para-Equestrian Dressage events Born with spastic diplegia Nicolas was introduced to horses via hippotherapy aged seven and quickly developed a passion for riding which not only helped with his physical condition but also taught him through Dressage the art of patience and perseverance
He has been fortunate to meet the right people (and horses) at the right time and has been working for the past five years with trainer Vicky-Eileen Baumann (pictured right) and her horses Magic and Lady (pictured right) ldquoShersquos bred them and knows them inside out which is very useful when I have to communicate with them - they know my voice intonations and a whole string of specific words or sounds ndash which really helps as my body canrsquot or doesnrsquot always have the strength to do sordquo
As a Grade II Para-Equestrian rider Nicolas competes in Para-Equestrian Dressage (PED) events as well as national events for able bodied riders as there are only a handful of PED riders and no events in Switzerland
Unable to attend the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade 2010 in Kentucky last year Nicolas and Vicky have their sights firmly set on the 2012 Para-lympic Games and will be looking to qualify with Lady over the next 12 months ndash alongside exams studies and everything else life has to offerhellip Who is your role model For different reasons I have different role mod-els Edward Gal Dane Rawlins Isabel Werth and Catherine Haddad
When did you start riding and why At age 7 I was sat on a horse for hippotherapy and liked the complicity with the horse which made me want to discover more
How do you feel when you ride Concentrated and industrious
Who is your biggest fan My trainerrsquos mum
Complete this sentenceOne day I would like tohellip have gained enough knowledge to be able to take care of and train my own horse
What are your long term goals as a rider Continue to do my best to enjoy what I do and show others itrsquos possible
How do you juggle studies and competition I think itrsquos really important to have goals and to do everything you can to achieve them and that includes taking on challenges because if you donrsquot try then yoursquoll never know what you could have achieved
What is your proudest achievement to date Participation in international events together with pursuing my studies
How do you feel after winning Still working towards discovering the feeling
What is the best advice anyone has ever given youMy trainer often repeats to me the famous saying by General LrsquoHotte ldquoCalme en avant droitrdquo which says so much about riding but can also be applied to so many other aspects of life
35FOCUS
What advice would you give someone looking to get involved in Para-Equestrian Dressage Train and ride with able-bodied athletes as often as possible Being around and working with horses is so rewarding Irsquod like - when Irsquom retired - to write a book to share these feelings with others and hope this will inspire them to get involved
Complete this sentenceIn the future I would like the sport to beeven ldquocleanerrdquo and fairer and if possible not more but less demanding on the horses
ldquoLast but not least Irsquod like to take the opportunity of this article to reach out to those who give me their trust and help be it with their time their friendship and any type of support Day after day to year after year team work is essential and Irsquoll do my best to continue deserving every-onersquos encouraging smilesrdquo
European Broadcasting Union
Union Europeacuteenne de Radio-Teacuteleacutevision
+41 (0)22 717 2111 wwweurovisionnet
We bring the event to your home
Eurovision
copy K
it H
ough
ton
FE
I
FEI_08_A4indd 1 03012008 162238
European Broadcasting Union
Union Europeacuteenne de Radio-Teacuteleacutevision
+41 (0)22 717 2111 wwweurovisionnet
We bring the event to your home
Eurovision
copy K
it H
ough
ton
FE
I
FEI_08_A4indd 1 03012008 162238
Nominations for the FEI Awards opened in May enabling the global equestrian com-munity to once again reward outstanding dedication to horse sport in five categories ndash Development Best Groom Against All Odds Rising Star and Best Athlete The search for the equestrian heroes of 2011 is now on who will be flown to Rio de Janeiro Brazil to receive their awards
Where are they now The FEI asked the current title-holders for an update on their activities
Follow us on
38
FEI Awards 2011
Ebony Horse Club (GBR)Winner of the Alltech FEI DevelopmentAward 2010
The Ebony Horse Club announced in December 2010 that after an eight-year fundraising effort it had the pound14 million necessary for building an equestrian cen-tre in one of Londonrsquos most deprived boroughs Since 1996 Ebony has offered youngsters in an area reput-ed for its gang culture high level of gun crime and drug dealing the chance to ride and learn key social skills The clubrsquos 50 members travel to riding schools across London on public transport or in minibuses ndash a logistical headache that the inner-city equestrian centre will end Construction work began in February
Ebony Horse Club founder and director Ros Spear-ing told the FEI ldquoRiding lessons are continuing and the club is preparing for the transitionrdquo Building will finish on 7 July but the centre will open for riding lessons in October ldquoThe horses will be brought to Brixton in the summer and will have time to acclimatise to their new environmentrdquo Spearing said The centre will include stabling for nine horses a small paddock and a flood-lit riding arena as well as a classroom for learning about horses and equine management Spearing is adamant that club members ndash present and future ndash care for their rides and wants the centre to serve as a stepping stone to careers in the horse industry
Ebonyrsquos existence will continue to depend on the generosity of donors For more information visit wwwebonyhorsecluborguk
Michelle Tipper (GBR)Winner of the FEI Best Groom Award 2010
Michelle Tipper has continued to juggle grooming and study since receiving her FEI Award in Novem-ber She has organised the grooms for the British European Junior and Young Dressage teams and in April her contract as a travelling groom for British Dressage riders Paul and Bobby Hayler took her to Addington for the first of many international com-petitions she will work at this year The Haylers have eight horses competing and the number she works with at each venue varies Tipper has also been help-ing British Dressage riders Nicky and Richard Barrett with yard duties ldquoI feel very lucky to work for both of these familiesrdquo said the FEI Best Groom Award win-ner adding that she feels part of the two families In March Tipper graduated from university with a Masters in Sport Psychology She is now working towards British Association of Sport and Exercise Science accreditation which requires at least 500 hoursrsquo supervised work experience and is present-ing sport psychology workshops in conjunction with the company Inside Performance Consulting Limit-ed (wwwinside-performancecom) The workshops are organised internationally for people of all ages from any sport To find out more contact Tipper at michelletipper1979yahoocom
39FOCUS
Michelle Tipper ndash copyWilliam TzengAward winners ndash copyWilliam TzengCaroline Roffman ndash copySharonPackercomEbony Horse Club ndash copyEbony Horse ClubEdward Gal and Totilas ndash copyKit HoughtonFEIAngelika Trabert ndash copyJulia Rau
Angelika Trabert (GER)Winner of the FEI Against All Odds Award 2010
German Para-Dressage rider Angelika Trabert has represent-ed her country at four Paralympic Games and won some 15 medals at national European and world championships She is currently seeking a new home for Londria the mare that con-tributed to her Team Silver medal win at the Hong Kong Para-lympics Londria who had a foal last year was also Trabertrsquos ride during her medal-winning performances at the European Championships in Hungary (2005) and Norway (2009)
Trabert said her decision to let go of Londria was hard to make but was necessary for financial reasons She will keep the foal Finaud Coquin and her mares Walmorel and Ariva-Avanti Trabert won the Para-Dressage Grade 2 Freestyle Champion-ship at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade with Ariva and said the horse was ldquowell and ready to go for the Europeans again in Belgium in September if we qualifyrdquo Trabert competed in her first international competition of 2011 in May in Man-nheim Germany where she came first in the Grade II indi-vidual and second in the freestyle She is taking part in the German Championships in June
Away from the equestrian world Trabert works as an anaes-thetist and has participated in medical missions in the rural ar-eas of Guinea for the organisation Mango In January she was back in Guinea as part of team that carried out 100 operations in 13 days wwwangelika-trabertde
Visit the recently refreshed FEI Awards website to find out more about the Awards the pastwinners the judges and to make yournominationsby 31 July
wwwfeiawardsorg
40
Caroline Roffman (USA)Winner of the HSBC FEI Rising StarAward 2010
Success continues to smile on twenty-two-year-old American Dressage rider Caroline Roffman Since re-ceiving the HSBC FEI Rising Star Award she has en-joyed numerous wins at small tour and young horse levels achieving scores in the mid-eighties and quali-fying two horses for the young horse championships
Roffman is currently showing six horses and has won several classes at PSG and Grand Prix level ldquoBut nothing is as exciting as to be going to Aachenrdquo said the young woman who has been described as the American Dressage communityrsquos brightest hope ex-plaining that at the FEI Awards ceremony in Chinese Taipei Frank Kemperman FEI Dressage Committee Chair and Chairman of the Managing Board at CHIO Aachen (GER) invited her to take part in the pres-tigious event Roffman will be the first American to compete in the Under 25 Grand Prix there and is hop-ing to take her horse Lux Stensvang
An interview with Caroline Roffman at the Palm Beach Dressage Derby CDI will be broadcast on the magazine programme Equestrian World on FEI TV the FEIrsquos official online video platform wwwfeitvorg
Edward Gal and Totilas (NED)Winners of the Reem Acra FEI Best Athlete Award 2010
The world-famous partnership of Dutch Dressage rider Edward Gal and the extraordinary Totilas ended in style in 2010 with notably three gold medal wins at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade
The first foal sired by the superstar stallion was born in January followed by two more in the spring Gal who has admired the foals told the FEI ldquoYou never know ndash maybe in a few yearsrsquo time Irsquoll have another Totilas readyrdquo At the beginning of April he was busy at home training nine horses and preparing for the Reem Acra FEI World Cuptrade Dressage Final in Leipzig and the European Championships in Rotterdam He had not yet decided which horses he was going to compete with but was particularly looking forward to the Freestyle to Music Asked what it was like to compete without Totilas Gal said ldquoEverybody ex-pected Totilas to win I find it easier to ride other horses because nobody expects me to win and when I do itrsquos really nicerdquo
41FOCUS
globetrotter
Seal of approval for the Adai horseSixty years have passed since an Adai horse reportedly set a record galloping 354km in one day Today the Adai horse a breed na-tive to Kazakhstan is back in the spotlight with a gold medal at the FEI Central Asian Endurance Championship in Talgaearlier in May only months after having been award-ed official pedigree status following tests
conducted by a State Commission in the Mangistau Steppes which allowed itto compete internationally The horses are cherished for their hardiness and Oyly ridden by Altyngali Bissemaganbetov (KAZ) proved just that when crossing the finishing line first demonstrating just how tough the Adai horses are and the beginning of a new era for sturdy breed on the international stage
Equestrian Australia Sport
Achievement Awards
In May the best of the best in
Equestrian sport gathered to cel-
ebrate the achievements of Austral-
iarsquos athletes coaches officials vets
administrators owners volunteers
and the many other people that
dedicate their time and enthusiasm
to equestrian sport The ceremony
also included the introduction of
Equestrian Australiarsquos Hall of
Fame won by the legendary Bill
Roycroft Boyd Exell winner of
the FEI World CupTM Driving
Final was awarded the interna-
tional athlete of the year
award
Kevin Stautbecomes first athlete representative on FEI
executive board
Kevin Staut one of Francersquos most successful Jumping riders became the first athlete to be appointed to the FEI Executive Board for a three-year term Staut (31) who has held the number one spot in the Rolex Rankings for Jumping since July 2010 has ridden on numerous Nations Cup teams for France and claimed individual gold at the Alltech FEI European Jumping Championships in 2009
HulA CARTSWorld Horse Welfare has greatly helped the liv
es of
five Senegalese cart horse owners by presenting them
with new Hula Carts The local people who depend on
their working horses for their livelihoods were specially
selected by the charity to receive the carts which have
been sponsored by members of the public in the uK
The Hula Carts are specifically developed to help the
horses pulling heavy loads in often difficult conditions
Equestrian Australia Sport
Achievement Awards
In May the best of the best in
Equestrian sport gathered to cel-
ebrate the achievements of Austral-
iarsquos athletes coaches officials vets
administrators owners volunteers
and the many other people that
dedicate their time and enthusiasm
to equestrian sport The ceremony
also included the introduction of
Equestrian Australiarsquos Hall of
Fame won by the legendary Bill
Roycroft Boyd Exell winner of
the FEI World CupTM Driving
Final was awarded the interna-
tional athlete of the year
award
Olympic legendBill Roycroft passes away aged 96
A legend of Equestrian sport in Australia James William
George Roycroft OBE known as ldquoBillrdquo was one of Austral-
iarsquos greatest Olympians and one of only five Australians to
have competed in five consecutive Olympic Games (from
1960 - 1976) as well as being Australiarsquos oldest medallist
and oldest competitor at 61 years and 31 days In May 2011
Bill was inducted in Equestrian Australiarsquos inaugural Hall
of Fame ndash he was Australiarsquos oldest living Olympian and
shared his dedication and enthusiasm for the sport with
his sons Barry Wayne and Clarke (See a brief description
of his exploits in the 1960 Olympic Games Memory Lane
article page 9 which catapulted Australiarsquos reputation as
one of the best Eventing teams in the world)
webinfofeiFEI web wizard Nicole Sigrist has added a new hub for the Press on wwwfeiorg called FEI Press Kits located in the Media section of the website The Press Kits zone which is also open to the general public is regularly updated with infor-mation relating to FEI series and specific events with flip books and downloadable PDFs as well as direct links to the Photo Catalogue the Rankings and Standings the Annual Report and more
100thanniversary for Finnish riding club
One of the three found-ing member clubs of
the Finnish Equestrian Federation the Suomen
Kenttaumlratsastusseura-Finska Faumlltrittklubbenon celebrates
its 100th anniversary in 2011 Magnus Rydman former President of the Finnish National Federation and Presi-dent of the FEI from 1935 ndash 1946 was one of the founders of the club Another of the founders of the oldest club in Fin-land was the Eventing rider Colonel Hans Olof von Essen whose fifth place at the Antwerpen Olympic Games re-mains the best Olympic equestrian result the country has ever achieved
Follow us on
43FOCUS
Interview with the President of the Brazilian Equestrian Federation Mr Luiz Roberto Giugni
The Brazilian Equestrian Federation has been a member Federation of the FEI for 75 years how has the sport developed over that time We were facing regular growth (average of 25 in the last decade) but in the last three to four years this rate has significantly increased up to 35 a year We believe that this is due to international achievements (two Jumping Olympic team bronze medals the individual Olympic Jumping gold medal won by Rodrigo Pessoa several Pan Am Jumping team gold medals recent Olympic pre-qualification in Kentucky (4th in the world in Jumping) and the organisations of a Global Champions Tour event in Brazil
In terms of developing the sport what are the most successful projects you have undertaken in recent yearsWe decided to invest in education and have hired international trainers for all the disciplines such as Jean Maurice Bonneau for Jumping Nick Turner for Eventing Eric Lette for Dressage Jean Louis Leclerc for Endurance Mattias Lang for Vaulting with the long term in mind that is at least until the end of 2012 and planning towards 2016 when Rio will host the Olympic Games
How popular is equestrian sport with young people in Brazil and how do you compete with some of the bigger sports for their attention Popularization is growing bit by bit in a country
decidedly dominated by soccer ndash being 5 times World Champion makes it a national passion But we are continuously looking to attract TV to our events as this is a huge step towards gaining visibility and popularity Can you tell us about the programmesinitiatives in place for disabled athletes We are actively pursuing this and have achieved really positive results in little time such as the great performances and medals earned at the Para-lympic Games in Hong Kong in 2008 We do this through clinics courses international exchanges of athletes and working alongside our National Paralympic Committee to support us in our efforts
Brazil will be host the FEI General Assembly at the end of the year what do you want all the visiting delegates to remember from their visit That we are more than just a really beautiful and warm country with the ability and capacity to organise great events and that we are committed to putting on the best Olympic Games ever
What are the main objectivesplans for the Brazilian Federation in the lead up to the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games Our NOC is really committed to raising the bar of all the sports to a level never seen before and we are working towards that in terms of our athletes our judges our venues and everything that is related to our sport and the quality of our sport In line with this objective we are providing incen-tives to owners to buy good horses aiming for 2016 and this is going to plan for now We expect to perform well at the upcoming Pan Am Games and Olympics on our trail to 2016
Is there anything else you would like to share with us I would like to thank HRH Princess Haya President of the FEI as well as the Executive Board for all the support that we are getting which has been paramount to the development of equestrian sport in our country
44
President Luiz Roberto GiugniSecretary General Luiz Antonio RoccoMember since 1935
15 members of staff work at the federation
20 regional federations are affiliated tothe Brazilian Equestrian Federation with over 300 member riding clubs
6 000 affiliated riders
91 national events were held in 2010
31 international events were held in 2010
All the FEI disciplines are practiced in BrazilJumping Dressage Eventing Vaulting Reining EnduranceDriving amp Para-Equestrian
14 breeding organisations
There are 58 million horses and ponies in Brazilmaking it the fourth largest equine population in the world
FAC
TS amp
FIG
URE
S
45FOCUS
Dr Gerit Matthesen56 is a private equine practitioner an FEI Vet and a member of the FEI Veterinary Committee He graduated in Veterinary Medicine from Berlin University in 1983 and since 1989 has worked or officiated at some 180 competitions and championships including the last two Olympics and FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade He lives near Frankfurt with his wife Carola and their sons Mike (16) and Lars (14)
46
A life in a day
Dr Gerit Matthesen56 is a private equine practitioner an FEI Vet and a member of the FEI Veterinary Committee He graduated in Veterinary Medicine from Berlin University in 1983 and since 1989 has worked or officiated at some 180 competitions and championships including the last two Olympics and FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade He lives near Frankfurt with his wife Carola and their sons Mike (16) and Lars (14)
I wake up earlier than I need to ndash at around 6am ndash because breakfast time with my family is sacred to me and I can then drive my boys to the village station to take the train to school After two cups of coffee (enough for the day) and a glass of orange juice I read the newspapers then head to my prac-tice offices in our indoor arena I have a quick look at our horses then start work
While I listen to my phone messages I deal with my emails and search the internet for news about veterinary medicine and horse sport I then start planning the dayacutes schedule with Anna my assistant vet
My mobile practice is in a nice fairly rural area in the north of Frankfurt There are lots of horse farms but it is not a classic breeding area like the northern part of Germany There are sport horses as well as pleasure horses I have examination rooms and stables for horses staying or mares foaling in my practice stables Itrsquos not a big clinic which gives me time to work at competitions
After seeing a few small animals in my practice I normally start my field service at 930am In my car I have enough equipment (ultrasound X-ray systems and endoscopical devices) for the dayrsquos examinations and standing procedures We mainly have lameness examinations to do or internal diseases to treat accompanied by routine work like vaccinations or carrying out pre-purchase or health certificate examinations If time allows I go home for a quick lunch but thatrsquos not every day
While Irsquom driving I have time to think and I write down everything that come to mind regarding sport competitions committees and so on You have to write down your thoughts when yoursquore over the age of 50
It is not easy planning my day because any emer-gency can destroy or delay my schedule For all the paperwork and certificates I need a time frame so
I often do that over quiet weekends when there are no competitions During the winter season I am less busy but in summer a lot of weekends are taken over by the competition schedule
I love my work especially in Eventing which is my favourite discipline My wife and I practiced it ndash not up to top level but it was a fine time despite a bro-ken ankle from a fall in 1988 which after 23 years is making walking more and more difficult for me
I like to do my competition work on a friendly but strict basis and I really like to hear riders saying they are treated fairly Over the years I have acquired a lot of experience and met all the officials and riders
Usually when I return home in the late afternoon there are more small animals to see When Irsquove done the dayrsquos paperwork I hope there will be no more emergencies such as cases of colic which usually occur in the early evening
I look forward to getting on my horse which is a beautiful show-jumper I like to ride but Irsquove stopped competing I do dressage jumping and go out into the fields but itrsquos all just for fun now
The day finishes with the family and a nice cold glass of German beer
Itrsquos a struggle to find time to spend with my family and I often have to cancel my holidays with them I am really grateful to my wife and the boys for their understanding of my job and to my assistant vet who covers for me when Iacutem out somewhere in the world of equestrian sport
ldquoThe combination of my profession and beinginvolved in differentaspects of top equestrian sport is my visionrdquo
47FOCUS
Pull your show attire from the closet clean your boots and tack groom the horses hook up and pack the trailer check the clock double check to make sure you have everything put on the shipping boots load your horses and away you drive to the competition venue or to the airport for transport to a distant event
You know the drill well but still you arrive tired per-haps even a bit frazzled Yoursquoll sleep (or try to) the next several nights in an unfamiliar bed or camp out in the living quarters of your trailer You awaken riveted on the competition playing out the dayrsquos classes in your mind wondering how your rides will fare against oth-ers praying that the weather will be cooperate and trying to control your nerves all the while knowing that no matter how well you have prepared many factors are out of your control You may even be in a different time zone
We go through a lot to compete our horses But if you think life on the road is stressful for you think about what itrsquos like for your horses Your back may be a bit sore from driving or being strapped into an airplane seat for hours on end but for horses transportation is far more demanding It is an athletic endeavour re-quiring an expenditure of energy to maintain balance during the constant movement of transport When your horses arrive they face social isolation from stablemates lack of security in novel environments altered training regimes water that tastes strange and the confines of an unfamiliar stall This routine impacts a horsersquos health and well being with effects
continuing long after the journey is over During transport toxic gases (such as ammonia or carbon monoxide) can cause damage to the lung epithelium precipitating respiratory disease The
final destination itself can also cause problems Usually horses are transported to environments where they will be mixing with other horses The mixing of horses from different environments with different infectious organisms and under stressful conditions further precipitates susceptibility to disease
This can have a severe impact on the equine gut The stress of transportation is known to increase gut ulceration in the horse a painful condition reducing performance and causing colic-like symptoms Stress can also slow the flow of digesta and alter the normal gut flora resulting in digestive upset and possibly diarrhoea or colic
The effects of travel stress on the gut are compounded by the typical diet of the regular equine traveller To maintain athletic ability high performance horses are often fed energy-charged diets contain-ing increased levels of starchy materials such as cereal grains Unfortunately this type of diet can reduce beneficial types of gut flora and promote gut acidity further predisposing the horse to digestive upsets and ulceration It is not surprising that stressed tired horses may not fulfill their potential on arrival
Feeding to reduce stress for the equine traveller
By Darlene RickerExecutive editor of Alltechrsquos EQUINE INTERNATIONAL magazine
48
Alltech Tips
growth of opportunistic Salmonella spp which are present in the intestinal tract of many healthy horses These bacteria then attach to the gut lining via a mannan sugar and penetrate it causing damage and resulting in diarrhoea One method of prevent-ing or minimising the attachment of these organ-
isms to the gut lining is to provide an adsorbant supplement A form of sugar found in the cell walls of certain yeasts can do this This sugar compound is called man-nan oligosaccharide or MOS MOS products such as Alltechrsquos Bio-Mosreg have been shown to re-duce the colonization of Salmonella
spp in the guts of certain species and augment the immune response to Salmonella spp potentially conferring an enhanced ability to fight infection Both Yea-Saccreg 1026 and Bio-Mos are among the natural products contained in Alltechrsquos LIFEFORCETM equine supplement which many FEI competitors have successfully incorporated into their daily feeding regimen at home and on the road
lifeforcehorsecom
and may be subject to health concerns in the days following a long journey Fortunately however you can curb some of the effects of travel stress on the horsersquos gut by nutritional supplementation Organic yeast products used to supplement a horsersquos diet can support the normal gut flora modifying the intesti-nal environment and improving the horsersquos digestion One such culture is Saccharomyces cerevisae in the form of Yea-Saccreg 1026 Alltechrsquos propriety organic yeast
Experiments were conducted to evaluate the effects Yea-Sacc on gut flora and gut acidity Horses were fed either a high-starch or a high-fibre diet both with and without supplementation of Yea-Saccreg 1026 Results indicated an excessive amount of starch in the gut The use of Yea-Sacc reduced acidity and stimulat-ed the activity of fibre-digesting bacteria in the hind-gut for both types of diet The result was maximised fibre digestibility and more efficient use of nutrients thus increasing the amount of energy available to the horse for performance and counteracting digestive upset Salmonellosis is one of the more commonly di-agnosed infectious causes of diarrhoea in horses Many cases develop after the stress of transport The effects of travel stress on the normal gut flora allow an over-
Moorlands Totilas arrives for the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade after air transport copy Dirk Caremans
HRH The Infanta Dontildea Pilar de Borboacuten former President of the FEI (1994-2006) also attended the inauguration along-side HRH Princess Lalla Amina Chairperson of the Royal Moroccan Federation for Equestrian Sports and member of the international Advisory Council of Special OlympicsThey were joined by International Olympic Commit-tee members representatives from other Interna-tional Federations federal and local Swiss authorities as well as architects and designers that worked on the project Switzerlandrsquos Martin Fuchs a member of the gold medal winning team at the inaugural Youth Olympic Games in Singapore last year accompanied FEI President Princess Haya in officially opening the FEI headquarters
ldquoThe building we are inaugurating today has been designed to serve our wonderful sportrdquo explained FEI
President Princess Haya ldquoI also feel an immense
sense of pride knowing that this building carries the name
of my late father and hope that this serves as a constant reminder
to all of us who work at the FEI of a unique statesman whose entire soul was devoted to the service of his people Our new headquarters will play a key role for the FEI and our National Federa-tions over the coming years It will be the environ-ment in which important discussions take place and fundamental decisions are taken as we continue our mission to advance the orderly growth of equestrian sport worldwide while ensuring that the welfare of the horse and a level playing field remain at the centre of all that we dordquo
FEI celebratesNEW Headquarters
Over 250 guests attended the inauguration ceremony on Friday 6 May at HM King Hussein I Building which was timed to coincide with the FEI
Extraordinary General Assembly so that attending NationalFederation representatives
could be a part ofthe celebrations
1 Youth Olympic Games team champion Martin Fuchs (SUI) FEI President HRH Princess Haya and her daughter HH Sheikha Al Jalila officially open the FEIrsquos new home 2 Gilbert Felli IOC Olympic Games Executive Director and FEI Secretary General Ingmar de Vos 3 HRH The Infanta Dontildea Pilar de Borboacuten sits down to an interactive quiz in the FEI Gallery 4 Guests gathered in the atrium of the FEI HeadquartersAll images copy Hugues SiegenthalerFEI
Highlights available on50
1
2
3 4
5
6 7
8
THE GALLERy
As well as housing offices for its 62 employees and conference facilities for its 133 National Federations the new headquarters also has a state-of-the-art in-teractive gallery showcasing equestrian sport
The Gallery is the brainchild of Dr Amichai Alper-ovich historian former Secretary General of the Is-raeli Equestrian Federation and curator of the Israeli Olympic Museum (opened in 2009) He worked hand in hand with the Tel Aviv based company Disk-In Pro and interior designer Oded Alony to help bring the content to life and the result is truly unique and ground breaking Giant glass surfaces act as interac-tive interfaces for the visitors to travel through time
The FEIrsquos new headquarters which were donated to the Federation by FEI Presi-dent HRH Princess Haya in 2007 fol-lowing a personal fundraising effort are conveniently located close to the Inter-national Olympic Committee and other international sports federations It has been written into the FEI Statutes that the new FEI headquarters building will always house the Federationrsquos offices In 2008 the building was thoroughly renovated in accordance with the Swiss MINERGIEreg construction standard for environmental responsibility which re-duces energy consumption by 25 per cent Only two per cent of renovated buildings in Switzerland meet the high Minergie standards Khuan Chew founder and design princi-pal of London-based architectural firm KCA International Ltd worked in close collaboration with Swiss-based architect Herveacute de Rham and interior designer Sia-vosh Adeli (SUI) to transform the build-ing which was built in the 1960s The modern and sleek interior was further enhanced with bespoke artworks pro-duced by Swiss creative agency b+g amp partners and imagery by world-famous equestrian art photographer Tim Flach where the simplicity and beauty of his equine subjects seamlessly embrace and accentuate the buildingrsquos pure lines and natural materials (see image left)
As they feasted on the innate beauty of their sur-roundings the guests also had the privilege to ex-perience the culinary talents of organic chef and specialist Gilles Wannaz and his team based in the town of Cully which sits on the edge of Lac Leman in Switzerlandrsquos famous Lavaux wine growing region
5 HRH Princess Haya welcomes the guests to the Inauguration of the HQ and the 90 year celebration of the FEI 6 Artwork by renowned pho-tographer Tim Flach 7 An organic and colourful buffet presented on an authentic lawn by local chef Gilles Wannaz 8 A life size horse sculpture by Christophe Dumont greeted the guests upon their arrival
53FOCUS
and space with the latest in touch technology revis-iting the history of the FEI the equestrian events at Olympic amp Paralympic Games the FEI World Eques-trian Gamestrade and information on all of the member National Federations with statistics videos images and text The Gallery also includes projections on ar-chitectural surfaces designed by Oded Alony referred to as the Origami as well as interactive stations and unique video projections on glass screens
For all those wishing to visit the FEI Gallery simply contact the FEI HQ to make an appointment and we would be delighted to take you on a journey to dis-cover or rediscover the human and equine athletes whose talents have marked equestrian history and inspired young riders drivers and vaulters around the world
Interview withDrAmichaiAlperovich
When did you first dream up the FEIInteractive Gallery When I found out the FEI was planning to move into new HQ in 2009 Disk-In Pro and I approached the FEI and presented them with several concepts for the space Before long we had agreed on the concept and we got to work
Why were you compelled to make it become a reality So that the FEI a prominent sports organisation could present itself to a growing audience in a new and visionary way with the latest technology And by doing so the FEI is a pioneer becoming the first International Federation to have a Gallery of this kind
What did you learn when researching and gathering content for the gallery I have learned a lot about the history of the FEI the strong Olympic tradition the diversity of disciplines the gender equality and the unique bond between horse and man One of the more fascinating topics was the evolution of the Dressage from itsrsquo Olympic debut to the modern Freestyle
Itrsquos very innovative technology what inspired you to take such a leap into the future with such a traditional sport Just as Dressage has evolved over the years and alongside the introduction of new disciplines partic-ularly Para-Equestrian you come to realise that the FEI is not as traditional as one would think Actually this kind of innovative presentation of equestrian history is really well suited to the FEI In the same way that you can have horse-man connections there is an audience-technology connection in the Gallery The audience have to be active in order to enjoy the depth of information the Gallery contains
54
Now it is time to open the door to new places to learn about sport ndash at the heart of sporting organi-sations themselves The Gallery is more than an informative tool it brings people to the sport andto the heart of its operations
Established in 1990 Disk-In Pro specialises in the planning design production and implementation of Museums Visitor Centres and sophisticated projects around the world This includes multi screen produc-tion animation 3D amp interactive films state-of-the-art software platforms and complex video displays for an unforgettable experience
Oded Alony holds a BA in Design from the Interior Design Section of the Holon Technological Institute and has since 1998 worked with Israelrsquos leading Architecture firms The Oded Alony Studio embraces holistic design a space where interior design lighting and graphics are brought together to create a harmo-nious project vision
Now that you have seen it unveiled to the public how would you like to see it evolve I hope the audience will be amazed from the design by architect Oded Alony and the new methods to deliver information whilst discovering the long his-tory of the FEI the diversity and the global reach of the organisation I hope the Gallery will become an icon in Lausanne and one of its highlights for visitors I promise the visitors a new platform to learn about equestrianism and each visit could be different as the information and themes will be updated and modi-fied regularly
This futuristic gallery is a first for anInternational Federation do you think thisis something all sports should invest inThe FEI took this courageous decision and now has this fantastic tool to present the organisation in new ways Sport is a huge cultural phenomenaWe have learned to consume sport in the arenas and stadiums in the press media and new media
Dr Amichai Alperovich
55FOCUS
SOCIAL MEDIAthe new frontier
Follow us on
The FEI has recently embarked on and embraced a whole new way of talking with the greater equestrian community through the ever expanding social media networks and platformsWith personalised Facebook Twitter and You Tube pages the FEI is taking it step by step and reaching out to this growing audience and listening to what they have to say
This new communication platform is by no means a substitution of the traditional communication path-ways but works alongside the press releases various publications and content on wwwfeiorg and wwwfeitvorg providing a new arena where the FEI can share interact and dialogue with fans of the sport and of equestrian values in general
We talk to Richard Johnson Director of Corporate Communications about the FEIrsquos commitment to social media
What compelled the FEI to venture onto the social media scene As a governing body with a vibrant and active com-munity of National Federations as well as thousands of fans the need to reach out to the online social community has never been stronger We have been watching the communities grow online for some time and have been listening to their conversations so being a part of it was the next logical step and a really important one The conversations will hap-pen with or without us so taking that step has been crucial in order to share our values and also build re-lationships with our fan base
Tradition meets modernity ndash does equestrian sportthe FEI have a place in social media Absolutely even though equestrian sport has a long history and is perceived as a traditional sport it is
always evolving In the 90 years of the FEI which was founded to govern the three Olympic disciplines it has grown to also oversee the disciplines of Driving Endurance Vaulting Reining and Para-Equestrian sport Or if you look at the early days when competi-tors were from military backgrounds and when wom-en did not compete alongside men to the complete gender equality we have today ndash a lot has changed and is in a constant state of change
The fans of equestrian sport are like any other fan base web savvy and eager for more information behind the scenes content and to share their opin-ions and thoughts ndash so it is an ideal partnership And from what we have seen these last few months and from the feedback we got from our blog at the Youth Olympic Games there is a real appetite for this
The FEI has dedicated Facebook Twitter and You Tube pages ndash why did you select these social media platforms The figures speak for themselveshellip Facebook Twit-ter and You Tube are the biggest players in the social networking space With over 500 million Facebook users 106 million Tweeters and 2 billion views a day on You Tube there has never been so much oppor-tunity for exposure Every site has different demo-graphics with different habits and needs so by having an FEI presence on these three networks we are able to cover a lot of ground and cater to different audi-ences by providing different types of content accord-ing to the platform
What are the main benefits of having a pres-ence on various social media platforms Itrsquos all about having a two way conversation ndash the benefits of dialogue where you can share content such as videos images facts and figures thoughts and values and then allow your fan base to react to get involved and to listen and learn from them By engaging with our audience and showing them that we are a modern and caring organisation and that we want to hear what they have to say then we are able to build trust and ultimately credibility in what we do and what we say
57FOCUS
TV
The offi cial video website of the Feacutedeacuteration Equestre Internationale
wwwfeitvorg
WATCH LIVE WATCH ONLINE
FEI TV is the FEIrsquos new offi cial video website and your ticket to the worldrsquos most prestigious competitions Sign-up to FEI TV (wwwfeitvorg) and get instant access to all the live broadcasts the extensive video-on-demand library all the highlights the behind the scenes reports the interviews and so much more Be at the heart of horsesport Join us
2823_1FEI_TV_Focus_165x226indd 1 170510 1124
It also keeps us alert as to what is being discussed and debated in the public sphere so that we can manage situations more effectively and be proactive in our messaging and information so that the facts are at the heart of the debate and not interpretations of them
How do you generate content for social media It was important when we launched our social me-dia presence that it be manageable with the exist-ing communications team in place ndash and so we have concentrated on keeping it simple and effective and using content innovatively Itrsquos not about reproduc-ing our website ndash but to engage with our fans and so often all you need is a good picture an interest-ing fact or great achievement to get the ball rolling For You Tube as we already have so much content generated from FEI TV it was simply a question of using bits and pieces from that content to provide the public with teasers from events interviews with winning riders or behind the scenes content which they can then follow up on FEI TV with a subscription
What are your Social media goals Itrsquos really to build relationships and dialogue with our fan base by using our content innovatively by listening to what they have to say and by engaging with the community And for the National Federa-tions that have yet to take that step we want to be a guiding hand that can help them get started so that they too can reap the benefits of social media net-working Our sport competes against other sports for attention so itrsquos really important that we the FEI and the National Federations keep our finger on the pulse and cater to our fans
How can National Federations get involved NFs wishing to find out more about Social Media can contact me (richardjohnsonfeiorg) and I would be more than happy to discuss opportunities and ways of getting started as well as our experience at the FEI
We asked our Facebook followers why it was important to use face-book and here are a few comments they came up with
bullItrsquos a great way to find out about shows and competitions
bullBecause facebook can provide up to the minute updates as to the what is going on in the horse community
bullWe can share information and ideas over long distances We can find and connect with people we wouldnt be able to otherwise
bullIt also lets us express the true realities of our spot to keep us grounded
bullIt can bring peoples attention to excellence ndash and expose the issues
58
TV
The offi cial video website of the Feacutedeacuteration Equestre Internationale
wwwfeitvorg
WATCH LIVE WATCH ONLINE
FEI TV is the FEIrsquos new offi cial video website and your ticket to the worldrsquos most prestigious competitions Sign-up to FEI TV (wwwfeitvorg) and get instant access to all the live broadcasts the extensive video-on-demand library all the highlights the behind the scenes reports the interviews and so much more Be at the heart of horsesport Join us
2823_1FEI_TV_Focus_165x226indd 1 170510 1124
ldquo Donrsquot accept drinks from a strangerrdquo
Armchair travel journalist
Are you living a life without boundaries Some well-meant advice is best ignored but itrsquos still good to know yoursquore covered when yoursquore away With HSBC Premier your family can be protected with both Travel Insurance and dedicated assistance when yoursquore abroad Which is reassuring to know when yoursquore making the most of life
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201736_6000263_Coconut_226x165indd
Master 226x165
Rob Swainson 160211
HSBC - Coconuts Proof 01Head of Art TypographerDesigner ArtCreative Director Copywriter Account DirectorDIC Project ManagerPhotographer Illustrator Usage Model(s) Name(s) Usage
Media MediaStock Image Time Period Time Period
Territory Territory
8deg N ndash Kerala South India
lead with one knock-down riding the great mare Halla The horse had taken off early for the penultimate fence and Winkler was thrown into the air and went on to land heavily back in the saddle pulling a muscle in the pro-cess He knew that if he withdrew from the final round the German team would be eliminated Dizzy and in pain he rode anyway Halla completed the course without a fault They earned gold in both the individual and team events Winkler went on to win another five gold medals at various Olympics and is the only Jumper to win seven medals in total and the only rider in any discipline to earn medals in six different OlympicsParticipation Twenty-nine nations Australia Cambodia and Venezuela competed for the first time
1960Games of the XVII Olympiad Rome (ITA) The Australians were the 1960 Eventing sensation The foursome of Larry Morgan Neale Lavis Brian Crago and Bill Roycroft dominated the Cross-Country to an extent never experienced before At the end of the day Mor-gan was overwhelmingly in the lead ahead of Crago and Lavis Roycroft after a fall at the cement drain pipes was not too far back except for the fact that he was in hospital with a concussion and a broken collarbone When Cragorsquos potential silver medal horse Sabre was rejected at the second horse inspection Australia no longer had a team Forty-five-year old Bill Roycroft was taken out of hospital rode Our Solo to a clear round in the Jumping phase and secured team gold for Australia Participation Twenty-nine nations
1964Games of the XVIII Olympiad Tokyo (JPN) The 1964 Olympic Games were the first to be held in Asia These were only the second Olympics ndash after Los Angeles in 1932 ndash for which most horses had to travel across the world Most horses came by aircraft The Soviet horses still came by sea and were caught in the typhoon Wilda For the first time a former Olympic Jumping champion repeated his victory Forty-four year old Pierre Jonquegraveres drsquoOriola (FRA) the 1952 champion with Ali Baba won this time with the nine-year old Lutteur B Another first was the participation of a woman - Lana du Pont (USA) - in an Olympic Eventing competitionParticipation One hundred and sixteen riders from 20 countries competed in Tokyo
1968Games of the XIX Olympiad Mexico City (MEX) The choice of Mexico City to host the 1968 Olympics was a challenging one because of the cityrsquos high altitude 2300m which meant that the air contained 30 less oxygen than at sea level An adjustment pe-riod of three to four weeks for the horses was advised The horses from the Soviet Union Argentina and Ireland were in mid-September the first to arrive The last to stable were France and Germany on 28 September ie 20 days before the start of the com-petitions Of particular interest was the first par-ticipation of Dressage and Eventing riders from the German Democratic Republic In 1960 and 1964 their Eventers were part of a unified German team This time they were allowed to enter under their own flag The equestrian competitions were timed manually and electronically for the first time the electronic time was the official one Participation Eighteen nations
1972 Games of the XX Olympiad Munich (FRG) In 1972 everybody expected great Olympic Games and for the first ten days everything went smoothly But on 5 September 1972 peace was chattered as eight Palestinian terrorists representing the militant group ldquoBlack Septemberrdquo broke into the Olympic Village killed two members of the Israeli team and took nine more hostage In an ensuing battle all nine Israeli hostages were killed as were five of the ter-rorists and one policeman The Olympics were sus-pended for 34 hours In defiance of the terrorists the IOC ordered the competitions to resume IOC President Avery Brundage famously declaring ldquoThe Games must go onrdquo All other details about the Munich Games pale in significance The equestrian events were obviously also affected After the first day of Dressage on 5 September the second half of the competitors rode on 7 September the ride-off followed on the 9th Team Jumping at that time still preceding the closing ceremony took place on 11 September 1972Liselotte Linsenhoff on Piaff became the 13th Olym-pic Dressage champion ndash the third German to achieve this (after con Langen in 1928 and Pollay in 1936) but the first woman to do so Participation Twenty-seven nations
1964 1965 1966
1960 1961 1962
1972 1973 1974
1968 1969 1970
09FOCUS
1976Games of the XXI Olympiad Montreal (CAN) All in the Eventing geneshellip Mother Rita and daugh-ter Silva de Luna were both on the Guatemalan team Father Bill 61 and son Wayne Roycroft were on the bronze-medal winning Australian teamhellipFor the first time in the FEIrsquos Olympic history there was a disqualification due a positive medication case San Carlos the mount of the Irish Army Eventing rider Ronald McMahon The medical treatment after an injury during transport had been announced to the authorities But the rules suffered no exceptions Au-tomatic disqualification followed although there was no additional punishmentBarbara Kemp became the first woman to design an Olympic cross-country course Participation Twenty-three nations Guatemala and Puerto Rico were the newcomers
1980Games of the XXII Olympiad Moscow (URS) The 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow represented the lowest point in the history of the Olympic equestrian events as a US led boycott reduced the number of participating nations to 11 From the top equestrian nations only Austria with the reigning European Dres-sage champion Elisabeth (Sissi) Theurer and Italy with its Eventing team went to Moscow Sissirsquos decision to participate in Moscow created considerable contro-versy in her native Austria ndash resulting in the resignation of the President of the National Equestrian FederationParticipation Eleven nations
1984Games of the XXIII Olympiad Los Angeles (USA) The Los Angeles Games were the first since 1896 to be staged without government financing and became the model for future Games particularly after it was revealed that they had produced a profit of US$ 223 million The organisers depended heavily on existing facilities and corporate sponsors The celebrated Santa Anita racetrack was chosen as the competition site for the equestrian events It was the first time an Olympic equestrian event was organised by an existing man-agement of proven competence and long experienceIn response to the boycott of the 1980 Moscow Olym-pics a boycott led by the Soviet Union marked the 1984 OlympicsThe USA dominated the Jumping competition win-ning both individual and team gold with a superiority rarely experienced before or since Joe Fargis (USA) and Touch of Class were the first to achieve a dou-ble clear in the Olympic team competition Eventing legend Mark Todd from New Zealand (pictured left) won his first Olympic medalParticipation Thirty nations
1988Games of the XXIV Olympiad Seoul (KOR) The Seoul Games were highlighted by numerous exceptional performances For Dressage it was the first time that all three individual medals were award-ed to women Reiner Klimke (pictured above-right) captured his last Olympic medal as West Germany won the team Dressage competition With six gold and two bronze medals won at five Olympic Games ndash Reiner Klimke participated in six Olympic Games
1976 1977 1978 1980 1981 1982
1984 1985 1986
1988 1989 1990
altogether - he is the most decorated rider in Olympic history Only for the second time in the 76-year history of Eventing at the Olympics the defending champions repeated their victory Mark Todd (NZL) 32 with the 16-year-old Charisma For the first time qualifications were held to reduce the starting field for the individual Jumping The reigning European champions Pierre Du-rand (FRA) and the 13-year-old black gelding Jappe-loup added Olympic gold to their winningsParticipation Thirty-two nations
1992Games of the XXV Olympiad Barcelona (ESP) In Dressage the individual battle was played out be-tween Isabell Werthrsquos Gigolo and the defending Olym-pic champion from Seoul Nicole Uphoffrsquos 15-year-old Rembrandt Rembrandt and Uphoff triumphed and se-cured the gold After the repeat wins of Henry St-Cyr (SWE) in 1952 and 1956 on two different horses this was the first double triumph of a combination After the elaborate beautifully built and decorated Jump-ing obstacles of Seoul 1988 the Spanish decided on something different and the two architects in charge of designing the 25 obstacles used minimal figural and colour elements so as to more objectively define the difficulty of the obstacles This new vision did not find many partisansParticipation Thirty-four nations
1996Games of the XXVI Olympiad Atlanta (USA) The Atlanta Games saw extensive changes made to the competition formats of Dressage and Eventing Following the IOCrsquos reasoning whereby two sets of medals could not be distributed for the same effort the FEI split Eventing into two competitions team and individual An elaborate qualifying system in all three disciplines was created and for the first time quotas were establishedThe heat and humidity expected in Atlanta led to extensive research and measures aimed at protecting the welfare of the horses It was found that horses needed three weeks of acclimatisation ndash seven days to recover from the effects of transport and 14 days of passive acclimatisation to the new conditions The major measure was the installation of misting fans throughout the venueLinda Allen was the course designer the first woman to provide the Jumping courses at an Olympic GamesParticipation Thirty nations
1992 1993 1994
1996 1997 1998
1988 The German gold medal team (from left to right) - Ann-Kathrin Linsenhoff Monica Theodorescu Nicole Uphoff and Reiner Klimkecopy Kit Houghton
11FOCUS
1996The X Paralympic Games Atlanta (USA)1996 also marks for the first time equestrian sport was included at the Paralympics with Para-Equestrian Dressage on the programme The competition was run on borrowed horses Jo Jackson (GBR) won three gold medals the maximum possible For Great Britain it was a first of many team medalshellipParticipation Sixty-eight competitors from 16 nations
2000Games of the XXVII Olympiad Sydney (AUS) Forty four years after Melbourne 1956 when no horses would be allowed into Australia the Australian quarantine and inspection services proved to be much more accommodating The conditions were tough two weeks of pre-shipping quarantine in Europe and after arrival in Sydney two more weeks of quarantine on siteOf the 15 medal-winning horses 12 were thorough-breds and the other three were 78 thoroughbredsThe year 2000 was the final show-down of the two Dressage horses who had dominated the sport since the early nineties ndash Gigolo ridden by Isabell Werth (GER) and Bonfire ridden by Anky Van Grunsven (NED) with the latter taking gold medal honours Australia for the third time in a row won the team gold medal in EventingParticipation Thirty-seven nations
2000The XI Paralympic Games Sydney (AUS)The Australian spirit and warmth conveyed during the Olympics continued throughout the Paralympic Games thanks to the formidable cooperation between the Sydney Paralympic Organising Committee (SPOC) and the Sydney Organising Committee for the Olympic Games (SOCOG) Paralympic and Olympic athletes lived in the same village and enjoyed the same catering services medical care and facilities Errors in the scoring meant that medals had to be re-attributed but this did not cause too much upset Lee Pearson (GBR) took home three gold medals (including another team gold for GBR) the maximum possible while Australiarsquos Julie Higgins achieved an impressive double gold triumph Participation Seventy athletes from 23 nations
2004Games of the XXVIII Olympiad Athens (GRE) In 2004 the Games returned to Greece homeland to the Olympic GamesThe equestrian events were affected by controversies Waterford Crystal the horse ridden by Olympic cham-pion in Jumping Cian OrsquoConnor (IRL) tested positive to a prohibited substance generally administered to humans but forbidden for use in horses After lengthy legal procedures OrsquoConnor was disqualified and sanc-tioned The gold medal was awarded to second-placed
1996 1997 1998
2000 2001 2002
2000 2001 2002
2004 2005 2006
2000 The team podium in Eventing - Great Britain (silver) Australia (gold) USA (bronze) copy Kit Houghton
12
Rodrigo Pessoa (BRA) Another three horses tested positive as well As a result Germany lost its Jumping team gold which was awarded to the USA in February 2005 at a ceremony in Palm Beach FL (USA)A new competition format for Eventing involving two Jumping rounds one for the individual and one for the team standings was introduced The two roads and tracks (A + C) and the steeplechase (B) of the Endur-ance phase were abolishedParticipation Thirty-seven nations
the fact that main land China did not hold disease-free zone status from the International Organisation for Animal Health the competitions were held in Hong Kong 2000km away from the Olympic host city Beijing In order to protect animal welfare detailed studies on the effects of heat and humidity on horses were undertaken by the FEI in cooperation with top scientists The competition timetable was modified to avoid the hours of intense heat and the horses were stabled at the exceptional air-conditioned facilities provided by the Hong Kong Jockey Club Six horses five from Jumping tested positive to prohibited substances As a result Norway lost its first Jumping medal ndash bronze ndash which after more than two years of legal proceedings was awarded to Switzerland
Jumping gold went to team USA In Dressage Anky van Grunsven (NED) aboard Salinero won her seventh and eighth Olympic medals team silver and individual gold Eventing legend Mark Todd (NZL) made a much acclaimed come back but the spotlight was on Hinrich Romeike and the extraordinary Marius
The story of the 2008 Olympic Eventing gold med-allist is all the more extraordinary as Hinrich is an amateur rider By day his time is spent in his dental surgery attending to his many patients so his riding is restricted to after-hoursParticipation Forty-two nations
2008The XIII Paralympic Games Beijing (CHN)First Paralympic participation for the FEI following the inclusion of Para-Equestrian in 2006 to be governed alongside the 7 other disciplines These Games set a new benchmark for Para-Equestrian events with great facilities cheerful volunteers and large audiences totalling over 30000 - an unprecedented attend-ance for Para-Equestrian events
For the third Paralympics in a row Lee Pearson (GBR) won three gold medals keeping up his record of win-ning all the gold medals available to him Singa-porersquos Laurentia Tan picked up Asiarsquos first Paralympic Equestrian medals with two individual bronze medals Marco Alves picked up Brazilrsquos first Paralympic Equestrian medal with bronze in Grade Ib Participation Seventy-eight athletes from 28 nations
2004The XII Paralympic Games Athens (GRE)The venue was excellent and there was good support from local volunteers Both Debbie Criddle and Lee Pearson (pictured above) from Great Britain picked up the maximum three gold medals The International Paralympic Committee presented the Equestrian Technical Delegate with the award for Best Official of all the sports at the Paralympic Games Participation Seventy athletes from 29 nations
2008Games of the XXIX Olympiad Beijing (CHN) Hong Kong (CHN) For the second time in Olympic history the equestrian events were held separately from other sports Due to
2004 2005 2006
2008 2009 2010
2008 2009 20102004 Lee Pearson (GBR) in Athens where he scoopedthe maximum three gold medals available to him
13FOCUS
The climax of the indoor international Jumping sea-son brought together 43 riders from 21 nations and ended with Christian Ahlmann riding Taloubet Z to Germanys ninth victory in the 33-year history of FEI World Cuptrade Jumping Canadarsquos reigning Olympic champion Eric Lamaze took second place with Hickstead followed by Dutch combination Jeroen Dubbeldam and BMC Van Grunsven Simon who rocketed up from overnight 11th to finish third when producing one of only two double clears on the final afternoonGerman riders dominated from the first of the three qualifiers in Leipzig ndash the speed competition which Marco Kutscher with Cash won with 6355 seconds followed by his compatriots defending champion Marcus Ehning and Christian Ahlmann who took second and third place respectively In the second qualifier the withdrawal of Saudi Arabiarsquos Abdullah Al Sharbatly reduced the field to 40 starters Eric Lamaze took the lead with a fabulous clear in 4068 a win that bounced him up to fifth spot just six points behind the leading pair ndash an ascent he continued to master on the final day
J U M P I N GFINAL LEIPZIG
ROLEX FEI World Cuptrade
JUMPINGldquoIt was wonderful to be back in Leipzig again for yet another great Rolex FEI World Cuptrade Jumping Final in a city with such a rich cultural backgroundrdquo John Roche FEI Director of Jumping
FEI World Cuptrade Finals
REEm ACRA FEI World Cuptrade
DressaGe
DRESSAGEFINAL LEIPZIG
ldquoThe Reem Acra FEI World Cuptrade Dressage took place in a perfect setting with enough space for everyone to give their very best performancesrdquo Trond Asmyr FEI Director of Dressage
Adelinde Cornelissen (NED) and the magnificent Jerich Parzival danced to victory to the strains of Tchaikovskyrsquos Nutcracker Suite in the Freestyle com-petition that closed the Reem Acra FEI World Cuptrade Dressage Final Denmarkrsquos Nathalie zu Sayn-Witt-genstein and Digby finished second while Germanyrsquos Ulla Salzgeber steered Herzrufrsquos Erbe into third place The 2010 title-winner Edward Gal (GER) finished fourth with a great performance from Sisther de JeuThe top three mirrored those of the Grand Prix class two days earlier when a confident performance rewarded with a score of 80957 put Adelinde Cornelissen (NED) in first place followed by Denmarkrsquos Nathalie zu Sayn-Wittgenstein with Digby (76884 3) and Germanyrsquos Ulla Salzgeber riding Herzrufrsquos Erbe (76216 points) Defending champion Edward Gal rode a tense Sisther de Jeu with a disappointing test score of 70122 The final saw 17 horse and rider combinations from 10 nations compete ndash three from the USA The
Netherlands and Germany two from Sweden and one from Hungary Fin-
land Poland Belgium Great Britain and Denmark Fifteen riders went on to the Freestyle competition
Highlights available as video on demand on
15FOCUS
Boyd Exell (AUS) successfully defended his FEI World Cuptrade Driving title in Leipzigrsquos thrilling final speed-ing to victory in front of a wildly enthusiastic crowd and becoming the second driver to score a hat-trick of World Cup victories Hungaryrsquos Jozsef Dobrovitz drove two brilliant rounds with his team of Lipiz-zaner horses and finished second ahead of IJsbrand Chardon (NED) The FEI World Cuptrade Driving Final was run over two indoor competitions which took place on 29 April and 1 May Seven drivers competed Tomas Eriksson (SWE) Koos de Ronde (NED) Werner Ulrich (SUI) Christian Pluumlcker (GER) and the triumphant trio who after emerging from the first round on 1 May with the highest number of points qualified for the winning round immediately afterwards
FEI World Cuptrade
DrIVINGldquoOnce again the worldrsquos best indoor drivers came together for a thrilling final the com-bination of horses working together in a team driven by superbly skilled horsemento produce thrilling andspectacular driving sportrdquo Ian Williams FEI Director of Non-Olympic Sports
16
Switzerlandrsquos Patrick Looser and Germanyrsquos Simone Wiegele claimed the inau-gural FEI World Cuptrade Vaulting titles at the 20102011 FEI World Cuptrade Finals a glittering Freestyle to Music showcase held over two daysLooserrsquos fellow starters in the Menrsquos section were Nicolas Andreani (FRA) Viktor Bruumlsewitz (GER) Daniel Kaiser (GER) Lukas Klouda (CZE) Nikolaus Luschin (AUT) and Yvan Nousse (FRA) Looser 26 was under pressure having finished second to Nicolas Andreani from France in the first Freestyle competition But
the reigning World Champion who won three of the four qualifying rounds over the winter months produced a superb performance which left Andreani in second place and Germanyrsquos Viktor Brusewitz in third In addition to the victorious Wiegele contenders for the Female title were her three compatriots Pia Engelbury Ines Juumlckstock and Antje Hill Simone Jaumliser (SUI) Stefanie Kowald (AUT) and Anna Cavallaro (ITA) In the second
competition Wiegele followed team-mate Hill into the arena in Hall 1 which seemed to be much more to the liking of the
horses than the smaller ring used on the first day And although Hillrsquos routine was
dramatic and beautifully controlled it was Wiegelersquos more complex display that settled
the destination of the very first Female World Cup trophy
ldquoFor the first time an indoor final that provided the public with an opportunity to witness the gymnastic movements of
athletes atop magnificent horses all choreographed to breathtaking musical arrangementsrdquo
Ian Williams FEI Director of Non-Olympic Sports
Highlights available as video on demand on
WHEN AND WHERE
26 ndash 30 July FEI European Reining Championship for Seniors amp Juniors Wiener Neustadt (AUT)
16 ndash 21 August FEI European Vaulting Championships for Seniors amp Juniors Le Mans (FRA)
17 ndash 21 August FEI European Dressage Championships Rotterdam (NED)
25 ndash 28 August HSBC FEI European Eventing Championships Luhmuumlhlen (GER)
01 ndash 04 September Open FEI European Driving Championships for Four-in-Hand Breda (NED)
01 ndash 04 September FEI European Para-Equestrian Dressage Championships Moorsele (BEL)
10 September FEI European Endurance Championships Florac (FRA)
13 ndash 18 September FEI European Jumping Championships Madrid (ESP)
LIVE ONLive coverage and highlightsCheck out the FEI TV broadcasting schedule for all the latest information on events broadcast live on FEI TV
European Championships for seniors in all the FEI disciplines are being held in 2011 We take a quick 360deg look at the dates venues facts amp figures and triumphant moments of the past 50 years of European Championships
FeI europeanChampionships 2011
Donrsquot miss a beatComplete competition reports updates behind the scenes information facts and figures and more can be found on wwwfeiorg as well as our dedicated facebook twitter and you tube pages
18
Preview
For the 31st edition of the FEI European Jumping Championships the event returns to Spain 18 years after the Championships in Gijon only this time to be held at the Club de Campo Villa in Madrid The FEI European Jumping Championships take place every two years in the middle of the Olympic cycle and have been held since 1957 with the introduction of team medals in 1975
THE VENUEThe Club de Campo Villa de Madrid (ESP) has been host to an annual CSI for 100 years and will be tem-porarily replacing its usual grass in the main arena with all-weather sand footing to ensure perfect going for the Championship
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERSTeam ndash SwitzerlandIndividual ndash Kevin Staut (FRA)
OLyMPIC qUALIFICATIONThe 3 best ranked nations from Olympic Qualifying Groups A amp B at the 2011 FEI European Jumping Championships (excluding the teams already quali-fied at WEG) will be qualified to take part with a team consisting of 4 athletes amp 4 horses or 3 athletes amp 3 horses
GREAT HORSES OF THE EUROPEANCHAMPIONSHIPSDEISTER - An extraordinary horse with an extraordi-nary record With Germanys Paul Schockemohle on board this brilliant bay Hannoverian led won three consecutive individual gold medals - in Munich Germany in 1981 Hickstead England in 1983 and Dinard France in 1985 Bred by Hermann Hahl in Osterbruch Lower Saxony Deister was by Diskant out of Adlerklette by Adlerschild stood 171cms high and had the heart of a lion Deisters European medal
haul also included team gold at Munich in 1981 team silver in Rotterdam in 1979 and team bronze at both Hickstead in 1983 and Dinard in 1985 Despite his incredibly active career the hardy Deister who was born in February 1971 lived to the ripe old age of 29
MR SOFTEE - The closest challenger to Deister for the title of Champion of the Europeans is the Irish-bred Mr Softee - a three-time winner but with two different riders Mr Softee enjoyed a hugely success-ful career with David Broome However it was with another Briton David Barker that the chestnut horse with four white legs took the individual European ti-tle for the first time in London in 1962 This was then followed up with David Broomersquos victory in Rotter-dam in 1967 and in Hickstead in 1969 Broome once said that like many other top horses Mr Softee had a big opinion of himself - He thought he was a king - and he was right
Believe it or nothellip
bull Itwasonlyin1975thatwomenwere permittedtocompetealongsidemenin theEuropeanJumpingChampionshipsprior tothistherehadbeentheLadiesEuropean JumpingChampionshipsheldfrom1957- 1973
bull Only2womenhaveeverwonthe FEIEuropeanChampionshipsFrancersquos AlexandraLedermannin1999and MeredithMichaels-Beerbaum(GER) in2007
bull Germanyledthegoldtallywith20 medals(14individualamp6team)double theamountofrunnerupGreatBritainon 10(6individualand4team)
FeI eUroPeaN
JUMPINGChaMPIoNshIPs
13-18 September 2011
Madrid (SPAIN)
19FOCUS
LIVE coverage on
Rotterdam gets set to host the 25th edition of the FEI European Dressage Championships for the first time and only the second time for the Netherlands (Arnhem 1999) The FEI European Dressage Championships take place every two years in the middle of the Olympic cycle and have been held since 1963
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERS
Team ndash The Netherlands
Individual ndash Kuumlr to MusicEdward Gal (NED) amp Moorlands Totilas
Individual ndash Grand Prix SpecialAdelinde Cornelissen (NED) amp Jerich Parzival
OLyMPIC qUALIFICATIONThe 3 best ranked nations from Groups A B amp C at the 2011 FEI European Dressage Championships (exclud-ing the teams already qualified at WEG) will be quali-fied to take part with a team consisting of 3 athletes amp 3 horses
THE WIND OF CHANGEFor 21 consecutive Championships from 1965 to 2005 (no team title awarded in 1963) the Germans held the European title but the last two editions have seen an upset to that tradition with the Netherlands clenching gold In 2009 the Dutch domination was particularly strong with five out of six individual med-als awarded to Dutch riders and the sixth going to British rider Laura Bechtolsheimer
IN MEMORy OF HENRI CHAMMARTIN (SUI)At the time of writing a legend in the Dressage world Henri Chammartin (SUI) passed away at the age of 92 An Olympic and European Dressage champion Henri Chammartin won the first two editions of the
FEI European Championships in 1963 and 1965 riding Wolfdiedtrich and competed in five consecutive edi-tions of the Olympic Games ndash Helsinki 1952 Stock-holm 1956 Rome 1960 Tokyo 1964 and Mexico 1968 ndash winning a total of five Olympic medals includ-ing Olympic champion in 1964
RECORD BREAKINGhellip In 2009 the formidable partnership of The Nether-lands Edward Gal and Moorlands Totilas smashed the world Freestyle record before a packed house with Windsor Castle standing proudly as a backdrop when scoring 9070 (including an unbelievable 29 perfect-10 scores) to win the Freestyle gold medal
Believe it or nothellip
bull GermanyhaswontheEuropeanDressage TeamTitleon21occasions
bull Thegreatestnumberofteamstoparticipate inEuropeanDressageChampionshipsis 14-atHickstead(GBR)in2003andagainat Hagen(GER)in2005
bull GermanysDrReinerKlimkewonthreeindi vidualtitles-atAachenin1967ridingDux andagainin1973ridingMehmedandat Copenhagenin1985ridingAhlerich
bull WithGigoloGermanysIsabellWerthtook theindividualtitlein1995and1997and wontheGrandPrixSpecialatDonaueschingen Germanyin1991andatLipicaSloveniain 1993
bull AnkyvanGrunsvenhasthreewinstoher namendashin1999withBonfirefollowedbythe backtobackwinswithSalineroin2005and 2007
17-21 August 2011
Rotterdam Netherland
FeI eUroPeaN
DressaGeChaMPIoNshIPs
20
LIVE coverage on
These are the second FEI European Para-Equestrian Dressage Championships to be held since Para-Equestrian joined the FEI Family in 2006 Para-Equestrian Dressage has been a regular fixture at the Paralympic Games since 1996 The first FEI European Para-Equestrian Dressage Championships were held in southern Norwegian town of Kristiansand in 2009 with a total of 78 ath-letes from 22 countries participating
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERS
Team Great Britain
Grade Ia Individual - Sophie Christiansen (GBR) Freestyle - Emma Sheardown (GBR)
Grade Ib Individual amp Freestyle Lee Pearson (GBR)
Grade II Individual - Petra Van der Sande (NED) Freestyle - Angelika Trabert (GER)
Grade III Individual amp Freestyle
Hannelore Brenner (GER)
Grade IV Individual amp Freestyle Sophie Wells (GBR)
The mobility strength and coordination of competi-tors are assessed and athletes with similar functional ability profiles are grouped into competition grades that range from Grade Ia for the most severely im-paired to Grade IV for the least impaired This means that the competition within each Grade can be judged on the skill of the individual competitors on their horses regardless of their disabilities
CLUB qUADRILLEMoorsele has been host to a regular international Para-Equestrian Dressage events for the past few years with the Club Quadrille as organiser The Club Quadrille was founded in 1981 by Anne Van Neste-dIeteren Belgian Dressage Champion from 1977 un-til 1982 current President of the Belgian Paralympic Committee and member of the FEI Para-Equestrian committee It is a unique sports club that works with both able bodied and disabled athletes and is active in the promotion and education of the sport As member of the honorary IPC Board Her Royal Highness (HRH) Princess Astrid of Belgium has been a fervent supporter of the event and has attended on many occasions
Believe it or nothellip
bull LeePearson(GBR)haswoneverygold medalwithinreachatParalympicWorld andContinentallevelandtheEuropeans in2009werenodifferentwithanother triplegoldvictory
bull GreatBritainalsohavetheMidastouch whenitcomestoteammedalsndashandarethe currentParalympicWorldandEuropean titleholders
bull In2009Germanycamecloserthanever totakingthegoldmedalfromall-time championGreatBritain
1-4 September 2011
Moorsele Belgium
FeI eUroPeaN
Para-eqUestrIaNDressaGeChaMPIoNshIPs
21FOCUS
A record number of fans are expected to attend the HSBC FEI European Eventing Championships as they return to Luhmuumlhlen for the fifth time to mark the 30th edition of the ChampionshipsThe FEI European Eventing Championships take place every two years in the middle of the Olympic cycle and have been held since 1953
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERSTeam ndash Great BritainIndividual ndash Kristina CookMiners Frolic (GBR)
OLyMPIC qUALIFICATIONThe 2 best ranked nations from Groups A B amp C at the 2011 HSBC FEI European Eventing Champion-ships (excluding the teams already qualified at WEG) will be qualified to take part with a team consisting of 3 athletes amp 3 horses
THE VENUELuhmuumlhlen one of only six 4 events on the interna-tional Eventing calendar and part of the prestigious HSBC FEI Classicstrade series will greet Europersquos best athletes with a fresh look and feel this year following extensive renovation to the existing infrastructures The recently renovated showground includes three Dressage and two Jumping arenas a tribune able to seat 850 spectators with spectacular views as well as a newly designed entrance including six ticket box facilities and fully catered trade stands The show-ground also boasts an open air stage with space for up to 15000 spectators ldquoI am confident that the in-vestment in the infrastructure will be of great benefit to all involved whether you are a volunteer a groom an athlete ndash both the horses and the riders - as well as for the sponsors guests spectators and the fans We are re-ally looking forward to great competitions this year at both the CCI4CIC3 in June and at the Europeans in August and hope many will join us to witness this historic momentrdquo Julia Otto Event Director Luhmuumlhlen
HSBCHSBC has renewed their sponsorship for a further three-year term as global sponsor of FEI Eventing to include title sponsorships of the HSBC FEI European Eventing Championships in both 2011 and 2013 and the HSBC FEI Classicstrade until the end of 2013
OFFICIAL TIMEPIECE Rolex the leading name in luxury wrist watches will be the Official Timekeeper for the HSBC FEI European Eventing Championships 2011
Believe it or nothellip
bull GinnyElliot(bornHolgate)theonlyrider towinthreesuccessiveindividualtitlesand IanStarkholdthejointrecordforEuropean goldmedalswonndashseveneachbutLucinda Greenstillhasthemostmedals(10)
bull SupremeRockriddenbyPippaFunnell (GBR)istheonlyhorsetowinback-to-back titles(in1999and2001)hehasfour Europeangoldmedalsintotalequalingthe recordofKilbarryThePoacherandOver ToYouwhowonarecordfourconsecutive Europeanteamgolds(1999-2005)
bull PrincessAnneandZaraPhillipsaretheonly mother-daughtercombinationtowin Europeantitles(1971and2005)
bull GreatBritainhaveheldtheEuropeantitle forthepast8consecutiveChampionships (since1995)Andofthe29editionstodate (startingin1953)theteamhavewona whopping21
25-28 August 2011
Luhmuumlhlen Germany
hsBC FeI eUroPeaN
eVeNtINGChaMPIoNshIPs LIVE coverage on
22
In September Breda Hippique in The Netherlands will be host to the seventh edition of the FEI Euro-pean Driving Championships for Four-in-Hand not held since 1981 This edition is open to both Euro-pean and non-European drivers and will also count as a qualifier for the indoor FEI World Cuptrade Driv-ing which is held during the winter season Only competitors from Europe can claim the individual and team medalsThe FEI European Driving Championships for Four-in-Hand were first held in 1971 in Budapest and continued to be held every two years until 1981 at which stage they were discontinued
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERSTeam ndash HungaryIndividual ndash Gyoumlrgyi Bardos (HUN)
SOMETHING IN THE WATERhellip Hungary have won five out of six available team European titles and on the individual front two Hungarians stand out from the crowd Imre Abony ndash individual winner in 1971 and 1975 and Gyoumlrgyi Bardos triple consecutive winner in 1977 1979 1981
IN THE BEGINNINGhellipThe first European Championships took place in Budapest in 1971 and moved on to Windsor in Great Britain in 1973 Sopot in Poland in 1975 Donauesch-ingen in Germany in 1977 and in Haras du Pin in France in 1979 The sixth and last edition took place in 1981 in Zug Switzerland
THE VENUEBreda has hosted the only Nations competition (CAIO) for Four-in-Hand horses in The Netherlands for many years In 1995 Breda hosted the first FEI European Driving Championships for Four-in-Hand ponies and in 2010 was host to the FEI World Para-Equestrian Driving Championships Aside from the four-in-hand teams Breda will also host international pony teams and national horse pairs at the event this year
Believe it or nothellip
bull Hungaryhavewonfiveoutofsixteamgold titles
bull AugusteDubeyfromSwitzerlandwasthe onlynon-HungarianEuropeanChampion hewontheChampionshipsin1973
bull PrincePhilipFEIPresidentfrom1964- 1986whocelebratedhis90thbirhtday inJuneisanavidfanofDrivingandpartici- patedinsixWorldandthreeEuropean Championships
1-4 September 2011
Breda Netherland
FeI eUroPeaN
DrIVINGChaMPIoNshIPsfor FoUr-IN-haND
Note At the time of writing the FEI European DrivingChampionships for Four in Hand was pending approvalby the FEI Bureau
23FOCUS
The 14th edition of the FEI European Endurance Championships return to Florac in France twenty five years after the inaugural event was held there The FEI European Endurance Championships first took place in 1984 and were immediately followed up by a second edition in 1985 and have since been held every two years They have always been open to the world with two sets of medals presented ndash open and European
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERSTeam ndash SpainIndividual ndash Maria Alvarez Ponton amp Nobby
RECORD BREAKINGCurrent title holder Maria Alvarez Ponton amp super horse Nobby is the first rider to hold European and World titles at the same time She will be looking to confirm her stronghold on the sport following her second consecutive World title with a second con-secutive European title in Florac a feat no rider has managed to achieve at the Europeans to date
THE VET GATEModern competitions consist of a number of sec-tions known as lsquophasesrsquo At the end of each phase there is a compulsory halt for veterinary inspection Each horse which is thoroughly examined before it is allowed to start the ride must be presented for inspection within a set time of reaching each vetgate The time spent at each vetgate prior to inspection by the vets is counted as part of the overall competition time and the aim is to determine whether the horse is fit to continue the ride
THE SUPPORT CREWA vital part of Endurance riding is the support crew Riders are assisted by a team of helpers who meet them several times over the ride bringing bottles of water to pour over the horse to cool it down as well as a drink for the rider Crews also have spare equipment in case something breaks down or needs replacing
Believe it or nothellip
bull TheFrenchhavethemedaledgewith6 individualand4teamgoldmedalsfrom the14editionsheld
bull Floracistheonlyvenuetohostthe EuropeanChampionshipstwice(thefirst editionin1984andtheupcomingedition in2011)
bull EnduranceisthefastestgrowingFEI disciplinefrom2000to2010thenumber ofinternationaleventshavemultipliedby10
10 September 2011
Florac France
FeI eUroPeaN
eNDUraNCeChaMPIoNshIPs
24
Reem Acra Boutique 14 East 60th St New York New York 10022 2123088760 wwwreemacracom
356935B2_RA_brochure2_souvenir_programmeindd 1 82710 1012 AM
Vaulting became an FEI discipline in 1983 and saw its first FEI European Championship organised just one year later in the town of Ebreichsdorf in Austria This 15th edition of the Championship ndash which also includes the European Juniors competition return to France for the 4th time but for the first time in the world renowned venue of Le Mans famous for its 24 hour race
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERS
Team ndash Austria
Individual malelongeurhorseNicolas Andreani (FRA)Marina Joosten DuponIdefix de Braize
Individual femalelongeurhorseJoanna Eccles (GBR)John EcclesWH Bentley
THE WIND OF CHANGEGermany and Switzerland have traditionally bat-tled for the team title (Germany has 7 gold versus Switzerlandrsquos 5) but in 2009 Austria who had come second on four occasions since the inception of the Championships in 1984 finally climbed onto the top spot of the podium and claimed the title In terms of the individual performances Germany had the stronghold on the male category winning 11 out of 14 gold medals But again in 2009 France the only other country to have ever beaten a German male vaulter at the Europeans made it to the top spot of the podium for only the third time since the Championships began
Similarly with the female vaulters it was an all German domination until 2007 when Austriarsquos Sissi Jarz claimed gold followed by Joanna Eccles (GBR) in 2009 ndash leaving Germany off the top step of the podium entirely in 2009
GREAT BRITAIN ndash A VAULTING NATIONhellip Times have definitely changed from the Swiss German domination with current World and European titles held by Great Britainrsquos Joanna Eccles She was the first British vaulter (male or female) to claim a medal at the Europeans ndash let alone a gold medal - and then went on to secure the world title in Kentucky last year
Believe it or nothellip
bull TheonlycountryotherthanGermanyand SwitzerlandtohaveclaimedaEuropean VaultingtitleisSlovakiain2005
bull ChristophLensing(GER)holdsthemale medalrecordndashwiththreegold(19891993 amp1995)aswellassilverin1991
bull NadiaZuumllowandSilkeMichelberger (formerlyBernhard)withthreegoldmedals each
16-21 August 2011
Le Mans France
FeI eUroPeaN
VaULtINGChaMPIoNshIPs
26
This is only the fifth edition of the European Reining Championships since the discipline joined the FEI in 2000 and the first time they will be held in Austria The event also includes the FEI European Champi-onships for Juniors and Young Riders ndash a formula introduced in 2009 in Kreuth (GER) which proved to be a multigenerational success The FEI European Reining Championships take place every two years and have been held since 2003
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERSTeam ndash GermanyIndividual ndash Nina Lill (GER) riding Lena Cielo Jewel
THE JUDGINGReining horses are judged individually Each horse au-tomatically begins the required pattern with a score of 70 One or frac12 points are given or taken away for each manoeuvre Credit is given for smoothness fi-nesse attitude quickness and authority Controlled speed in the pattern raises the level of difficulty and makes the reining horse exciting to watch
Believe it or nothellip
bull ItalyandGermanyaretheonlytwonations tohavewongoldmedalsndashGermanyhas3 teamgoldand2individualgoldversus Italyrsquossingleteamgoldandtwoindividual gold
bull GermanyrsquosNinaLillwinnerin2009was thefirstwomantotaketheindividualtitle sincetheChampionshipsbeganin2003
bull OlympicWorldandEuropeanDressage ChampionAnkyVanGrunsven(NED) competedattheAlltechFEIWorldEques- trianGamestradein2010inbothDressageand hellipReining
bull 13nationswerescheduledtoattendthe Championshipatthetimeofwritingthe largestparticipationbycountryever recordedfortheEuropeans
26-30 July 2011
Wiener Neustadt Austria
FeI eUroPeaN
reININGChaMPIoNshIPs
27FOCUS
ldquoThirty-one yearsrsquo experience comes in handy some-timesrdquo joked the ever-relaxed Todd who was a leg-end by the time he ldquoretiredrdquo in 2000 with back-to-back Olympic golds five Burghley wins two world gold medals and three Badminton victories one on a horse he had never ridden before ldquoIt is incredibly special though right up there with the back-to-back Olympic golds When I came back to the sport (in 2008) it was to see if I could get back to top level It has always been my aim to win another big onerdquo
A World class meeting of Generations
The 2011 HSBC FEI Classicstrade could not have got off to a more epic start with wins at Badminton and Kentucky by two of the sportrsquos most enduring personalitiesThe 55-year-old New Zealander Mark Todd rolled back the years to score a fourth victory at the Gloucestershire venue 31 years after his first attempt in 1980
By Kate Green
28
HSBC FEI ClassicsTm
The resurgence of so much experienced talent makes it harder for younger riders to work their way up the leaderboard but 29-year-old Sinead Halpin (USA) had a spectacular CCI4 debut at Kentucky finish-ing third and best of the home side in distinguished company This achievement earned her the HSBC Training Bursary worth US$1000 towards training a prestigious and valuable award presented to the rider who achieves the best result on completing a CCI4 for the first time
The bursary winner at Badminton Fiona Hobby (GBR) 39 has had a rather longer wait to complete
her first CCI4 ndash she was 26th on Roma ML ndash but she has in the meantime produced two children had a career as a sports therapist and only switched from Jumping to Eventing relatively recently Hobby has vowed to spend the money on dressage train-ing ldquoRoma couldnrsquot believe it when she arrived in the arena and saw all those people but she was great across country really focussed Irsquom delightedrdquo
For Germanyrsquos Sandra Auffarth Luhmuumlhlen pro-vided an outstanding CCI4 debut on Opgun Louvo a young horse she has produced herself coming second and picking up the HSBC Training Bursary and the exciting prospect of a possible place in the squad for the forthcoming HSBC FEI European Event-ing Championship at Luhmuumlhlen (25-28 August) at which Germany as host nation will be entitled to field 12 riders
Last yearrsquos HSBC Training Bursary winners include Stephanie Rhodes-Bosch (CAN) who went on to win a team silver medal at the Alltech FEI World Equestri-an Gamestrade Lauren Shannon (GBR) who finished 17th at Badminton this year and Giovanni Ugolotti (ITA) who is furthering his career by basing himself in Brit-ain for the season and having lessons with Mark Todd
LIVE coverage and extensive highlights available on
Toddrsquos winning mount the 10-year-old NZB Land Vision was a green horse for this level and he fin-ished the Cross-Country phase tired but his rider kept his cool in an extraordinarily tight finish in which the price of one Jumping fence covered the top 12 riders any of whom could with a bit of luck have won the Mitsubishi Motors Trophy ldquoIn the end it came down to horse-power and Irsquove obviously got a good one hererdquo said Todd ldquoCharisma (his double Olympic gold medallist) will always be the most special horse but this one has no weak linksrdquo
As is the nature of the sport Toddrsquos lead in the HSBC FEI Classicstrade didnrsquot last long ndash he came down to earth with a bump the following weekend with a Cross-Country run-out on NZB Grass Valley his ride at the Rolex Kentucky Three Day Event (USA) and 49- year-old Mary King (GBR) stole the head-lines with a record one-two on Kings Mis-tress and Fernhill Urco It was Kingrsquos first CCI4 victory for 11 years ndash she has won Badminton twice and Burghley once ndash but she certainly smashed a few re-cords with this one She became the first rider to score a one-two at Kentucky the first in modern times to win a CCI4 on a home-bred horse and the oldest female to win a CCI4
King who has six team gold medals at World and European level plus competed at five consecutive Olympics had the luxury of knowing she had already won the event on the inexperienced 10-year-old Fernhill Urco a horse bred in Portugal by the time she entered the arena on Kings Mistress but she still produced a second clear round ldquoI never dreamed that I would be in this position and Irsquom enjoying the momentrdquo said the ever-smiling King ldquoIt was great to have the feeling of having already won on Fernhill Urco but I still wanted desperately to go clear on Kings Mistress as it is so special to win on a horse I bred myselfrdquo It was also an all clear from Germanyrsquos Andreas Dibowski and Euroriding Butts Leon in order to secure victory at the fourth leg of the HSBC FEItrade
Classicstrade in Luhmuumlhlen presented by EON Avacon
29FOCUS
The Danish-American actorpoet musician photographerand painter has been around horses most of his life from riding Hasufel and Brego in The Lord of the Rings trilogy to early childhood memories in Argentina his passion for floating as he describes it has never wavered
What is it about the horse that makes you a horse loverWe get along generally I respect their strength and their personal space Your first riding experience ndash was it bliss or terrorLike floating like being on a warm and floating mountain I remember being happy Do you think anyone can rideYes It is a question of allowing yourself to ride of allowing yourself to cooperate and not be in total control Children are more adept at figuring this out letting things happen without getting impatient or scared just as they are braver and less self-conscious about pronouncing new words or singing Anyone at any age or in any physical condition can
Viggo Mortensen
achieve a degree of success and satisfaction with horses even if it is just a question of touching them being near them If horses could talk what would they be sayingYou will know if you listen and watch them Is there a unique trait you look for in a horse that you canrsquot find in peopleThey are more patient and less apt to complain about lifersquos setbacks and physical ailments than most people I admire a tough smart horse what-ever its breed age or size What would you miss most if you could no longer go ridingThe companionship and the floating perhaps also the abandonment of usual daily worries that relaxed riding requires Whatrsquos your usual riding outfit consist ofAnything will do Loose-fitting clothes and good comfortable boots are a plus but not vital I have even ridden barefoot ndash naturally taking care to avoid being stepped on when not on the horse - but I do not recommend this to anyone The most important thing is to have a clear and focused mind to be THERE at all times when around horses and NOWHERE ELSE Sugar lumps or carrotsIrsquove been guilty of offering an occasional apple or carrot although it is best not to give horses anything special unless treats are part of training them for special tricks or stunts a pursuit best left to experts like master horse trainer Rex Peterson whom Irsquove had the good fortune to work with and study quite a bit Treats spoil horses and do not keep the animal focused on the task at hand Whatrsquos your favourite part of a horseThe brain What do you think young people gain from ridingSelf-confidence and an understanding of the value of cooperation
30
Why the long face
When did you first develop the bond with the horseThe first time I got on one as a little boy in ArgentinaYou either develop a bond of some kind or you fall off Of course you may even fall off if you develop the bond but you have to start (and restart) somewhere
Did your friends ride My brothers also rode and I have ridden with many kinds of people over the years ndash some good and patient with horses and some not If I had not rid-den as a boy I would probably have been wandering around fishing imagining I was a cowboy or an Indian or a Viking ndash which I did anyway Where in the world would you most like to rideMost anywhere will do but I have been extremely lucky to have ridden in many wide-open wild places ndash deserts grassy plains mountains by different seas and rivers in Argentina New Zealand North Africa and North America If you could spend one afternoon riding with a famous person (past or present)who would it be and whyIrsquoll give you 3 Oglala chief Tasunke Witko (Crazy Horse) my ancestor William F Cody or any real Gaucho from the province of Chaco Argentina
Two horses go out for dinner what kindof restaurant do they chooseLate spring grass near a slow-moving clean river with a gentle firm shoreline an hour before sun-down far from any people or other animals All time favourite horse filmI have a subjective soft spot for the stories and real horses involved in the making of ldquoHidalgordquo and the 2nd and 3rd installments of ldquoThe Lord Of The Ringsrdquo trilogy but I admire other ldquohorse moviesrdquo as wellThe 1953 French movie ldquoCrin-Blancrdquo (ldquoWhite Manerdquo) directed by Albert Lamorisse is a personal favourite
After three years at the head of the successful French Jumping team with back to back FEI Nations Cuptrade titles and a silver medal at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade Laurent Elias is moving on to new spheres with the French Horse amp Riding Institute where he will be training the riders of the National Riding School in Saumur
Laurent Elias
copy C
hris
toph
e Br
icot
32
The other side of
If I had not become a professional rider I would havehellipmade a career in a humanitarian organisation Horse riding is sometimes too trivial
My priority in life ishellipto be able to look at myself in the mirror in the morning and make sure I am at peace with my conscience
My familyhellipkeeps me grounded My wife helped me a lot when I was in charge of selections for France She took charge of my personal life and was the first person I called when we got the medal in Lexington I also admire my parents for the values they passed on to me
I remember my first ridingexperiencehellipaged six we were shooting a family film and I was on horseback I finished upside down under my horse for a long time I stopped riding for one year
I used to dream abouthellipsafaris One of my uncles was passionate about safaris Through him I became very interested in African trips and the jobs that allow you to travel as a reporter were fascinating to me as well
I have been thinking a lot abouthellipwhat happened in Japan these past few months First this tsunami that devastated everything without warning then the nuclear disaster It made me think that progress should not be destructive
My horse Gueacutenourhellipchanged my life I was just a coach and he brought me to the top I won the national championship in 1981 with him
My biggest challengehas always beenhellipshyness Horse riding has really helped me over-come it Horses brought me on stage and there I had to meet people
As a Chef dEquipehellipthere is no single defining achievement itrsquos all about the solidarity and the moments spent together as a team Irsquoll never forget the first time Penelope Leprevost rode her mare Jubileacutee drsquoOuilly in the FEI Nations Cuptrade of Rotterdam McLain Ward had just completed a real fast run with Sapphire We thought the Americans would win but she did it faster and beat Sapphire
In terms of eventshellipAachen is my favourite competition - for its won-derful organisation But we have also pretty good five star competitions in France
I donrsquot sleep muchhellipprobably because I am just happy to be alive
Irsquom not scared to laugh or cryhellipI laugh at the funny situations we sometimes find ourselves in life and enjoy people with quirky personalities I cry when I see others in pain
Laurent Elias and the French team en route to the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade copy PSV-Jean Morel
33FOCUS
Nicolas TheacutevenazAged 23 studies Robotics and Autonomous Systems Micro Engineering in Lausanne (SUI) alongside regular training and competition in Dressage and Para-Equestrian Dressage events Born with spastic diplegia Nicolas was introduced to horses via hippotherapy aged seven and quickly developed a passion for riding which not only helped with his physical condition but also taught him through Dressage the art of patience and perseverance
34
One day
Nicolas TheacutevenazAged 23 studies Robotics and Autonomous Systems Micro Engineering in Lausanne (SUI) alongside regular training and competition in Dressage and Para-Equestrian Dressage events Born with spastic diplegia Nicolas was introduced to horses via hippotherapy aged seven and quickly developed a passion for riding which not only helped with his physical condition but also taught him through Dressage the art of patience and perseverance
He has been fortunate to meet the right people (and horses) at the right time and has been working for the past five years with trainer Vicky-Eileen Baumann (pictured right) and her horses Magic and Lady (pictured right) ldquoShersquos bred them and knows them inside out which is very useful when I have to communicate with them - they know my voice intonations and a whole string of specific words or sounds ndash which really helps as my body canrsquot or doesnrsquot always have the strength to do sordquo
As a Grade II Para-Equestrian rider Nicolas competes in Para-Equestrian Dressage (PED) events as well as national events for able bodied riders as there are only a handful of PED riders and no events in Switzerland
Unable to attend the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade 2010 in Kentucky last year Nicolas and Vicky have their sights firmly set on the 2012 Para-lympic Games and will be looking to qualify with Lady over the next 12 months ndash alongside exams studies and everything else life has to offerhellip Who is your role model For different reasons I have different role mod-els Edward Gal Dane Rawlins Isabel Werth and Catherine Haddad
When did you start riding and why At age 7 I was sat on a horse for hippotherapy and liked the complicity with the horse which made me want to discover more
How do you feel when you ride Concentrated and industrious
Who is your biggest fan My trainerrsquos mum
Complete this sentenceOne day I would like tohellip have gained enough knowledge to be able to take care of and train my own horse
What are your long term goals as a rider Continue to do my best to enjoy what I do and show others itrsquos possible
How do you juggle studies and competition I think itrsquos really important to have goals and to do everything you can to achieve them and that includes taking on challenges because if you donrsquot try then yoursquoll never know what you could have achieved
What is your proudest achievement to date Participation in international events together with pursuing my studies
How do you feel after winning Still working towards discovering the feeling
What is the best advice anyone has ever given youMy trainer often repeats to me the famous saying by General LrsquoHotte ldquoCalme en avant droitrdquo which says so much about riding but can also be applied to so many other aspects of life
35FOCUS
What advice would you give someone looking to get involved in Para-Equestrian Dressage Train and ride with able-bodied athletes as often as possible Being around and working with horses is so rewarding Irsquod like - when Irsquom retired - to write a book to share these feelings with others and hope this will inspire them to get involved
Complete this sentenceIn the future I would like the sport to beeven ldquocleanerrdquo and fairer and if possible not more but less demanding on the horses
ldquoLast but not least Irsquod like to take the opportunity of this article to reach out to those who give me their trust and help be it with their time their friendship and any type of support Day after day to year after year team work is essential and Irsquoll do my best to continue deserving every-onersquos encouraging smilesrdquo
European Broadcasting Union
Union Europeacuteenne de Radio-Teacuteleacutevision
+41 (0)22 717 2111 wwweurovisionnet
We bring the event to your home
Eurovision
copy K
it H
ough
ton
FE
I
FEI_08_A4indd 1 03012008 162238
European Broadcasting Union
Union Europeacuteenne de Radio-Teacuteleacutevision
+41 (0)22 717 2111 wwweurovisionnet
We bring the event to your home
Eurovision
copy K
it H
ough
ton
FE
I
FEI_08_A4indd 1 03012008 162238
Nominations for the FEI Awards opened in May enabling the global equestrian com-munity to once again reward outstanding dedication to horse sport in five categories ndash Development Best Groom Against All Odds Rising Star and Best Athlete The search for the equestrian heroes of 2011 is now on who will be flown to Rio de Janeiro Brazil to receive their awards
Where are they now The FEI asked the current title-holders for an update on their activities
Follow us on
38
FEI Awards 2011
Ebony Horse Club (GBR)Winner of the Alltech FEI DevelopmentAward 2010
The Ebony Horse Club announced in December 2010 that after an eight-year fundraising effort it had the pound14 million necessary for building an equestrian cen-tre in one of Londonrsquos most deprived boroughs Since 1996 Ebony has offered youngsters in an area reput-ed for its gang culture high level of gun crime and drug dealing the chance to ride and learn key social skills The clubrsquos 50 members travel to riding schools across London on public transport or in minibuses ndash a logistical headache that the inner-city equestrian centre will end Construction work began in February
Ebony Horse Club founder and director Ros Spear-ing told the FEI ldquoRiding lessons are continuing and the club is preparing for the transitionrdquo Building will finish on 7 July but the centre will open for riding lessons in October ldquoThe horses will be brought to Brixton in the summer and will have time to acclimatise to their new environmentrdquo Spearing said The centre will include stabling for nine horses a small paddock and a flood-lit riding arena as well as a classroom for learning about horses and equine management Spearing is adamant that club members ndash present and future ndash care for their rides and wants the centre to serve as a stepping stone to careers in the horse industry
Ebonyrsquos existence will continue to depend on the generosity of donors For more information visit wwwebonyhorsecluborguk
Michelle Tipper (GBR)Winner of the FEI Best Groom Award 2010
Michelle Tipper has continued to juggle grooming and study since receiving her FEI Award in Novem-ber She has organised the grooms for the British European Junior and Young Dressage teams and in April her contract as a travelling groom for British Dressage riders Paul and Bobby Hayler took her to Addington for the first of many international com-petitions she will work at this year The Haylers have eight horses competing and the number she works with at each venue varies Tipper has also been help-ing British Dressage riders Nicky and Richard Barrett with yard duties ldquoI feel very lucky to work for both of these familiesrdquo said the FEI Best Groom Award win-ner adding that she feels part of the two families In March Tipper graduated from university with a Masters in Sport Psychology She is now working towards British Association of Sport and Exercise Science accreditation which requires at least 500 hoursrsquo supervised work experience and is present-ing sport psychology workshops in conjunction with the company Inside Performance Consulting Limit-ed (wwwinside-performancecom) The workshops are organised internationally for people of all ages from any sport To find out more contact Tipper at michelletipper1979yahoocom
39FOCUS
Michelle Tipper ndash copyWilliam TzengAward winners ndash copyWilliam TzengCaroline Roffman ndash copySharonPackercomEbony Horse Club ndash copyEbony Horse ClubEdward Gal and Totilas ndash copyKit HoughtonFEIAngelika Trabert ndash copyJulia Rau
Angelika Trabert (GER)Winner of the FEI Against All Odds Award 2010
German Para-Dressage rider Angelika Trabert has represent-ed her country at four Paralympic Games and won some 15 medals at national European and world championships She is currently seeking a new home for Londria the mare that con-tributed to her Team Silver medal win at the Hong Kong Para-lympics Londria who had a foal last year was also Trabertrsquos ride during her medal-winning performances at the European Championships in Hungary (2005) and Norway (2009)
Trabert said her decision to let go of Londria was hard to make but was necessary for financial reasons She will keep the foal Finaud Coquin and her mares Walmorel and Ariva-Avanti Trabert won the Para-Dressage Grade 2 Freestyle Champion-ship at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade with Ariva and said the horse was ldquowell and ready to go for the Europeans again in Belgium in September if we qualifyrdquo Trabert competed in her first international competition of 2011 in May in Man-nheim Germany where she came first in the Grade II indi-vidual and second in the freestyle She is taking part in the German Championships in June
Away from the equestrian world Trabert works as an anaes-thetist and has participated in medical missions in the rural ar-eas of Guinea for the organisation Mango In January she was back in Guinea as part of team that carried out 100 operations in 13 days wwwangelika-trabertde
Visit the recently refreshed FEI Awards website to find out more about the Awards the pastwinners the judges and to make yournominationsby 31 July
wwwfeiawardsorg
40
Caroline Roffman (USA)Winner of the HSBC FEI Rising StarAward 2010
Success continues to smile on twenty-two-year-old American Dressage rider Caroline Roffman Since re-ceiving the HSBC FEI Rising Star Award she has en-joyed numerous wins at small tour and young horse levels achieving scores in the mid-eighties and quali-fying two horses for the young horse championships
Roffman is currently showing six horses and has won several classes at PSG and Grand Prix level ldquoBut nothing is as exciting as to be going to Aachenrdquo said the young woman who has been described as the American Dressage communityrsquos brightest hope ex-plaining that at the FEI Awards ceremony in Chinese Taipei Frank Kemperman FEI Dressage Committee Chair and Chairman of the Managing Board at CHIO Aachen (GER) invited her to take part in the pres-tigious event Roffman will be the first American to compete in the Under 25 Grand Prix there and is hop-ing to take her horse Lux Stensvang
An interview with Caroline Roffman at the Palm Beach Dressage Derby CDI will be broadcast on the magazine programme Equestrian World on FEI TV the FEIrsquos official online video platform wwwfeitvorg
Edward Gal and Totilas (NED)Winners of the Reem Acra FEI Best Athlete Award 2010
The world-famous partnership of Dutch Dressage rider Edward Gal and the extraordinary Totilas ended in style in 2010 with notably three gold medal wins at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade
The first foal sired by the superstar stallion was born in January followed by two more in the spring Gal who has admired the foals told the FEI ldquoYou never know ndash maybe in a few yearsrsquo time Irsquoll have another Totilas readyrdquo At the beginning of April he was busy at home training nine horses and preparing for the Reem Acra FEI World Cuptrade Dressage Final in Leipzig and the European Championships in Rotterdam He had not yet decided which horses he was going to compete with but was particularly looking forward to the Freestyle to Music Asked what it was like to compete without Totilas Gal said ldquoEverybody ex-pected Totilas to win I find it easier to ride other horses because nobody expects me to win and when I do itrsquos really nicerdquo
41FOCUS
globetrotter
Seal of approval for the Adai horseSixty years have passed since an Adai horse reportedly set a record galloping 354km in one day Today the Adai horse a breed na-tive to Kazakhstan is back in the spotlight with a gold medal at the FEI Central Asian Endurance Championship in Talgaearlier in May only months after having been award-ed official pedigree status following tests
conducted by a State Commission in the Mangistau Steppes which allowed itto compete internationally The horses are cherished for their hardiness and Oyly ridden by Altyngali Bissemaganbetov (KAZ) proved just that when crossing the finishing line first demonstrating just how tough the Adai horses are and the beginning of a new era for sturdy breed on the international stage
Equestrian Australia Sport
Achievement Awards
In May the best of the best in
Equestrian sport gathered to cel-
ebrate the achievements of Austral-
iarsquos athletes coaches officials vets
administrators owners volunteers
and the many other people that
dedicate their time and enthusiasm
to equestrian sport The ceremony
also included the introduction of
Equestrian Australiarsquos Hall of
Fame won by the legendary Bill
Roycroft Boyd Exell winner of
the FEI World CupTM Driving
Final was awarded the interna-
tional athlete of the year
award
Kevin Stautbecomes first athlete representative on FEI
executive board
Kevin Staut one of Francersquos most successful Jumping riders became the first athlete to be appointed to the FEI Executive Board for a three-year term Staut (31) who has held the number one spot in the Rolex Rankings for Jumping since July 2010 has ridden on numerous Nations Cup teams for France and claimed individual gold at the Alltech FEI European Jumping Championships in 2009
HulA CARTSWorld Horse Welfare has greatly helped the liv
es of
five Senegalese cart horse owners by presenting them
with new Hula Carts The local people who depend on
their working horses for their livelihoods were specially
selected by the charity to receive the carts which have
been sponsored by members of the public in the uK
The Hula Carts are specifically developed to help the
horses pulling heavy loads in often difficult conditions
Equestrian Australia Sport
Achievement Awards
In May the best of the best in
Equestrian sport gathered to cel-
ebrate the achievements of Austral-
iarsquos athletes coaches officials vets
administrators owners volunteers
and the many other people that
dedicate their time and enthusiasm
to equestrian sport The ceremony
also included the introduction of
Equestrian Australiarsquos Hall of
Fame won by the legendary Bill
Roycroft Boyd Exell winner of
the FEI World CupTM Driving
Final was awarded the interna-
tional athlete of the year
award
Olympic legendBill Roycroft passes away aged 96
A legend of Equestrian sport in Australia James William
George Roycroft OBE known as ldquoBillrdquo was one of Austral-
iarsquos greatest Olympians and one of only five Australians to
have competed in five consecutive Olympic Games (from
1960 - 1976) as well as being Australiarsquos oldest medallist
and oldest competitor at 61 years and 31 days In May 2011
Bill was inducted in Equestrian Australiarsquos inaugural Hall
of Fame ndash he was Australiarsquos oldest living Olympian and
shared his dedication and enthusiasm for the sport with
his sons Barry Wayne and Clarke (See a brief description
of his exploits in the 1960 Olympic Games Memory Lane
article page 9 which catapulted Australiarsquos reputation as
one of the best Eventing teams in the world)
webinfofeiFEI web wizard Nicole Sigrist has added a new hub for the Press on wwwfeiorg called FEI Press Kits located in the Media section of the website The Press Kits zone which is also open to the general public is regularly updated with infor-mation relating to FEI series and specific events with flip books and downloadable PDFs as well as direct links to the Photo Catalogue the Rankings and Standings the Annual Report and more
100thanniversary for Finnish riding club
One of the three found-ing member clubs of
the Finnish Equestrian Federation the Suomen
Kenttaumlratsastusseura-Finska Faumlltrittklubbenon celebrates
its 100th anniversary in 2011 Magnus Rydman former President of the Finnish National Federation and Presi-dent of the FEI from 1935 ndash 1946 was one of the founders of the club Another of the founders of the oldest club in Fin-land was the Eventing rider Colonel Hans Olof von Essen whose fifth place at the Antwerpen Olympic Games re-mains the best Olympic equestrian result the country has ever achieved
Follow us on
43FOCUS
Interview with the President of the Brazilian Equestrian Federation Mr Luiz Roberto Giugni
The Brazilian Equestrian Federation has been a member Federation of the FEI for 75 years how has the sport developed over that time We were facing regular growth (average of 25 in the last decade) but in the last three to four years this rate has significantly increased up to 35 a year We believe that this is due to international achievements (two Jumping Olympic team bronze medals the individual Olympic Jumping gold medal won by Rodrigo Pessoa several Pan Am Jumping team gold medals recent Olympic pre-qualification in Kentucky (4th in the world in Jumping) and the organisations of a Global Champions Tour event in Brazil
In terms of developing the sport what are the most successful projects you have undertaken in recent yearsWe decided to invest in education and have hired international trainers for all the disciplines such as Jean Maurice Bonneau for Jumping Nick Turner for Eventing Eric Lette for Dressage Jean Louis Leclerc for Endurance Mattias Lang for Vaulting with the long term in mind that is at least until the end of 2012 and planning towards 2016 when Rio will host the Olympic Games
How popular is equestrian sport with young people in Brazil and how do you compete with some of the bigger sports for their attention Popularization is growing bit by bit in a country
decidedly dominated by soccer ndash being 5 times World Champion makes it a national passion But we are continuously looking to attract TV to our events as this is a huge step towards gaining visibility and popularity Can you tell us about the programmesinitiatives in place for disabled athletes We are actively pursuing this and have achieved really positive results in little time such as the great performances and medals earned at the Para-lympic Games in Hong Kong in 2008 We do this through clinics courses international exchanges of athletes and working alongside our National Paralympic Committee to support us in our efforts
Brazil will be host the FEI General Assembly at the end of the year what do you want all the visiting delegates to remember from their visit That we are more than just a really beautiful and warm country with the ability and capacity to organise great events and that we are committed to putting on the best Olympic Games ever
What are the main objectivesplans for the Brazilian Federation in the lead up to the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games Our NOC is really committed to raising the bar of all the sports to a level never seen before and we are working towards that in terms of our athletes our judges our venues and everything that is related to our sport and the quality of our sport In line with this objective we are providing incen-tives to owners to buy good horses aiming for 2016 and this is going to plan for now We expect to perform well at the upcoming Pan Am Games and Olympics on our trail to 2016
Is there anything else you would like to share with us I would like to thank HRH Princess Haya President of the FEI as well as the Executive Board for all the support that we are getting which has been paramount to the development of equestrian sport in our country
44
President Luiz Roberto GiugniSecretary General Luiz Antonio RoccoMember since 1935
15 members of staff work at the federation
20 regional federations are affiliated tothe Brazilian Equestrian Federation with over 300 member riding clubs
6 000 affiliated riders
91 national events were held in 2010
31 international events were held in 2010
All the FEI disciplines are practiced in BrazilJumping Dressage Eventing Vaulting Reining EnduranceDriving amp Para-Equestrian
14 breeding organisations
There are 58 million horses and ponies in Brazilmaking it the fourth largest equine population in the world
FAC
TS amp
FIG
URE
S
45FOCUS
Dr Gerit Matthesen56 is a private equine practitioner an FEI Vet and a member of the FEI Veterinary Committee He graduated in Veterinary Medicine from Berlin University in 1983 and since 1989 has worked or officiated at some 180 competitions and championships including the last two Olympics and FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade He lives near Frankfurt with his wife Carola and their sons Mike (16) and Lars (14)
46
A life in a day
Dr Gerit Matthesen56 is a private equine practitioner an FEI Vet and a member of the FEI Veterinary Committee He graduated in Veterinary Medicine from Berlin University in 1983 and since 1989 has worked or officiated at some 180 competitions and championships including the last two Olympics and FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade He lives near Frankfurt with his wife Carola and their sons Mike (16) and Lars (14)
I wake up earlier than I need to ndash at around 6am ndash because breakfast time with my family is sacred to me and I can then drive my boys to the village station to take the train to school After two cups of coffee (enough for the day) and a glass of orange juice I read the newspapers then head to my prac-tice offices in our indoor arena I have a quick look at our horses then start work
While I listen to my phone messages I deal with my emails and search the internet for news about veterinary medicine and horse sport I then start planning the dayacutes schedule with Anna my assistant vet
My mobile practice is in a nice fairly rural area in the north of Frankfurt There are lots of horse farms but it is not a classic breeding area like the northern part of Germany There are sport horses as well as pleasure horses I have examination rooms and stables for horses staying or mares foaling in my practice stables Itrsquos not a big clinic which gives me time to work at competitions
After seeing a few small animals in my practice I normally start my field service at 930am In my car I have enough equipment (ultrasound X-ray systems and endoscopical devices) for the dayrsquos examinations and standing procedures We mainly have lameness examinations to do or internal diseases to treat accompanied by routine work like vaccinations or carrying out pre-purchase or health certificate examinations If time allows I go home for a quick lunch but thatrsquos not every day
While Irsquom driving I have time to think and I write down everything that come to mind regarding sport competitions committees and so on You have to write down your thoughts when yoursquore over the age of 50
It is not easy planning my day because any emer-gency can destroy or delay my schedule For all the paperwork and certificates I need a time frame so
I often do that over quiet weekends when there are no competitions During the winter season I am less busy but in summer a lot of weekends are taken over by the competition schedule
I love my work especially in Eventing which is my favourite discipline My wife and I practiced it ndash not up to top level but it was a fine time despite a bro-ken ankle from a fall in 1988 which after 23 years is making walking more and more difficult for me
I like to do my competition work on a friendly but strict basis and I really like to hear riders saying they are treated fairly Over the years I have acquired a lot of experience and met all the officials and riders
Usually when I return home in the late afternoon there are more small animals to see When Irsquove done the dayrsquos paperwork I hope there will be no more emergencies such as cases of colic which usually occur in the early evening
I look forward to getting on my horse which is a beautiful show-jumper I like to ride but Irsquove stopped competing I do dressage jumping and go out into the fields but itrsquos all just for fun now
The day finishes with the family and a nice cold glass of German beer
Itrsquos a struggle to find time to spend with my family and I often have to cancel my holidays with them I am really grateful to my wife and the boys for their understanding of my job and to my assistant vet who covers for me when Iacutem out somewhere in the world of equestrian sport
ldquoThe combination of my profession and beinginvolved in differentaspects of top equestrian sport is my visionrdquo
47FOCUS
Pull your show attire from the closet clean your boots and tack groom the horses hook up and pack the trailer check the clock double check to make sure you have everything put on the shipping boots load your horses and away you drive to the competition venue or to the airport for transport to a distant event
You know the drill well but still you arrive tired per-haps even a bit frazzled Yoursquoll sleep (or try to) the next several nights in an unfamiliar bed or camp out in the living quarters of your trailer You awaken riveted on the competition playing out the dayrsquos classes in your mind wondering how your rides will fare against oth-ers praying that the weather will be cooperate and trying to control your nerves all the while knowing that no matter how well you have prepared many factors are out of your control You may even be in a different time zone
We go through a lot to compete our horses But if you think life on the road is stressful for you think about what itrsquos like for your horses Your back may be a bit sore from driving or being strapped into an airplane seat for hours on end but for horses transportation is far more demanding It is an athletic endeavour re-quiring an expenditure of energy to maintain balance during the constant movement of transport When your horses arrive they face social isolation from stablemates lack of security in novel environments altered training regimes water that tastes strange and the confines of an unfamiliar stall This routine impacts a horsersquos health and well being with effects
continuing long after the journey is over During transport toxic gases (such as ammonia or carbon monoxide) can cause damage to the lung epithelium precipitating respiratory disease The
final destination itself can also cause problems Usually horses are transported to environments where they will be mixing with other horses The mixing of horses from different environments with different infectious organisms and under stressful conditions further precipitates susceptibility to disease
This can have a severe impact on the equine gut The stress of transportation is known to increase gut ulceration in the horse a painful condition reducing performance and causing colic-like symptoms Stress can also slow the flow of digesta and alter the normal gut flora resulting in digestive upset and possibly diarrhoea or colic
The effects of travel stress on the gut are compounded by the typical diet of the regular equine traveller To maintain athletic ability high performance horses are often fed energy-charged diets contain-ing increased levels of starchy materials such as cereal grains Unfortunately this type of diet can reduce beneficial types of gut flora and promote gut acidity further predisposing the horse to digestive upsets and ulceration It is not surprising that stressed tired horses may not fulfill their potential on arrival
Feeding to reduce stress for the equine traveller
By Darlene RickerExecutive editor of Alltechrsquos EQUINE INTERNATIONAL magazine
48
Alltech Tips
growth of opportunistic Salmonella spp which are present in the intestinal tract of many healthy horses These bacteria then attach to the gut lining via a mannan sugar and penetrate it causing damage and resulting in diarrhoea One method of prevent-ing or minimising the attachment of these organ-
isms to the gut lining is to provide an adsorbant supplement A form of sugar found in the cell walls of certain yeasts can do this This sugar compound is called man-nan oligosaccharide or MOS MOS products such as Alltechrsquos Bio-Mosreg have been shown to re-duce the colonization of Salmonella
spp in the guts of certain species and augment the immune response to Salmonella spp potentially conferring an enhanced ability to fight infection Both Yea-Saccreg 1026 and Bio-Mos are among the natural products contained in Alltechrsquos LIFEFORCETM equine supplement which many FEI competitors have successfully incorporated into their daily feeding regimen at home and on the road
lifeforcehorsecom
and may be subject to health concerns in the days following a long journey Fortunately however you can curb some of the effects of travel stress on the horsersquos gut by nutritional supplementation Organic yeast products used to supplement a horsersquos diet can support the normal gut flora modifying the intesti-nal environment and improving the horsersquos digestion One such culture is Saccharomyces cerevisae in the form of Yea-Saccreg 1026 Alltechrsquos propriety organic yeast
Experiments were conducted to evaluate the effects Yea-Sacc on gut flora and gut acidity Horses were fed either a high-starch or a high-fibre diet both with and without supplementation of Yea-Saccreg 1026 Results indicated an excessive amount of starch in the gut The use of Yea-Sacc reduced acidity and stimulat-ed the activity of fibre-digesting bacteria in the hind-gut for both types of diet The result was maximised fibre digestibility and more efficient use of nutrients thus increasing the amount of energy available to the horse for performance and counteracting digestive upset Salmonellosis is one of the more commonly di-agnosed infectious causes of diarrhoea in horses Many cases develop after the stress of transport The effects of travel stress on the normal gut flora allow an over-
Moorlands Totilas arrives for the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade after air transport copy Dirk Caremans
HRH The Infanta Dontildea Pilar de Borboacuten former President of the FEI (1994-2006) also attended the inauguration along-side HRH Princess Lalla Amina Chairperson of the Royal Moroccan Federation for Equestrian Sports and member of the international Advisory Council of Special OlympicsThey were joined by International Olympic Commit-tee members representatives from other Interna-tional Federations federal and local Swiss authorities as well as architects and designers that worked on the project Switzerlandrsquos Martin Fuchs a member of the gold medal winning team at the inaugural Youth Olympic Games in Singapore last year accompanied FEI President Princess Haya in officially opening the FEI headquarters
ldquoThe building we are inaugurating today has been designed to serve our wonderful sportrdquo explained FEI
President Princess Haya ldquoI also feel an immense
sense of pride knowing that this building carries the name
of my late father and hope that this serves as a constant reminder
to all of us who work at the FEI of a unique statesman whose entire soul was devoted to the service of his people Our new headquarters will play a key role for the FEI and our National Federa-tions over the coming years It will be the environ-ment in which important discussions take place and fundamental decisions are taken as we continue our mission to advance the orderly growth of equestrian sport worldwide while ensuring that the welfare of the horse and a level playing field remain at the centre of all that we dordquo
FEI celebratesNEW Headquarters
Over 250 guests attended the inauguration ceremony on Friday 6 May at HM King Hussein I Building which was timed to coincide with the FEI
Extraordinary General Assembly so that attending NationalFederation representatives
could be a part ofthe celebrations
1 Youth Olympic Games team champion Martin Fuchs (SUI) FEI President HRH Princess Haya and her daughter HH Sheikha Al Jalila officially open the FEIrsquos new home 2 Gilbert Felli IOC Olympic Games Executive Director and FEI Secretary General Ingmar de Vos 3 HRH The Infanta Dontildea Pilar de Borboacuten sits down to an interactive quiz in the FEI Gallery 4 Guests gathered in the atrium of the FEI HeadquartersAll images copy Hugues SiegenthalerFEI
Highlights available on50
1
2
3 4
5
6 7
8
THE GALLERy
As well as housing offices for its 62 employees and conference facilities for its 133 National Federations the new headquarters also has a state-of-the-art in-teractive gallery showcasing equestrian sport
The Gallery is the brainchild of Dr Amichai Alper-ovich historian former Secretary General of the Is-raeli Equestrian Federation and curator of the Israeli Olympic Museum (opened in 2009) He worked hand in hand with the Tel Aviv based company Disk-In Pro and interior designer Oded Alony to help bring the content to life and the result is truly unique and ground breaking Giant glass surfaces act as interac-tive interfaces for the visitors to travel through time
The FEIrsquos new headquarters which were donated to the Federation by FEI Presi-dent HRH Princess Haya in 2007 fol-lowing a personal fundraising effort are conveniently located close to the Inter-national Olympic Committee and other international sports federations It has been written into the FEI Statutes that the new FEI headquarters building will always house the Federationrsquos offices In 2008 the building was thoroughly renovated in accordance with the Swiss MINERGIEreg construction standard for environmental responsibility which re-duces energy consumption by 25 per cent Only two per cent of renovated buildings in Switzerland meet the high Minergie standards Khuan Chew founder and design princi-pal of London-based architectural firm KCA International Ltd worked in close collaboration with Swiss-based architect Herveacute de Rham and interior designer Sia-vosh Adeli (SUI) to transform the build-ing which was built in the 1960s The modern and sleek interior was further enhanced with bespoke artworks pro-duced by Swiss creative agency b+g amp partners and imagery by world-famous equestrian art photographer Tim Flach where the simplicity and beauty of his equine subjects seamlessly embrace and accentuate the buildingrsquos pure lines and natural materials (see image left)
As they feasted on the innate beauty of their sur-roundings the guests also had the privilege to ex-perience the culinary talents of organic chef and specialist Gilles Wannaz and his team based in the town of Cully which sits on the edge of Lac Leman in Switzerlandrsquos famous Lavaux wine growing region
5 HRH Princess Haya welcomes the guests to the Inauguration of the HQ and the 90 year celebration of the FEI 6 Artwork by renowned pho-tographer Tim Flach 7 An organic and colourful buffet presented on an authentic lawn by local chef Gilles Wannaz 8 A life size horse sculpture by Christophe Dumont greeted the guests upon their arrival
53FOCUS
and space with the latest in touch technology revis-iting the history of the FEI the equestrian events at Olympic amp Paralympic Games the FEI World Eques-trian Gamestrade and information on all of the member National Federations with statistics videos images and text The Gallery also includes projections on ar-chitectural surfaces designed by Oded Alony referred to as the Origami as well as interactive stations and unique video projections on glass screens
For all those wishing to visit the FEI Gallery simply contact the FEI HQ to make an appointment and we would be delighted to take you on a journey to dis-cover or rediscover the human and equine athletes whose talents have marked equestrian history and inspired young riders drivers and vaulters around the world
Interview withDrAmichaiAlperovich
When did you first dream up the FEIInteractive Gallery When I found out the FEI was planning to move into new HQ in 2009 Disk-In Pro and I approached the FEI and presented them with several concepts for the space Before long we had agreed on the concept and we got to work
Why were you compelled to make it become a reality So that the FEI a prominent sports organisation could present itself to a growing audience in a new and visionary way with the latest technology And by doing so the FEI is a pioneer becoming the first International Federation to have a Gallery of this kind
What did you learn when researching and gathering content for the gallery I have learned a lot about the history of the FEI the strong Olympic tradition the diversity of disciplines the gender equality and the unique bond between horse and man One of the more fascinating topics was the evolution of the Dressage from itsrsquo Olympic debut to the modern Freestyle
Itrsquos very innovative technology what inspired you to take such a leap into the future with such a traditional sport Just as Dressage has evolved over the years and alongside the introduction of new disciplines partic-ularly Para-Equestrian you come to realise that the FEI is not as traditional as one would think Actually this kind of innovative presentation of equestrian history is really well suited to the FEI In the same way that you can have horse-man connections there is an audience-technology connection in the Gallery The audience have to be active in order to enjoy the depth of information the Gallery contains
54
Now it is time to open the door to new places to learn about sport ndash at the heart of sporting organi-sations themselves The Gallery is more than an informative tool it brings people to the sport andto the heart of its operations
Established in 1990 Disk-In Pro specialises in the planning design production and implementation of Museums Visitor Centres and sophisticated projects around the world This includes multi screen produc-tion animation 3D amp interactive films state-of-the-art software platforms and complex video displays for an unforgettable experience
Oded Alony holds a BA in Design from the Interior Design Section of the Holon Technological Institute and has since 1998 worked with Israelrsquos leading Architecture firms The Oded Alony Studio embraces holistic design a space where interior design lighting and graphics are brought together to create a harmo-nious project vision
Now that you have seen it unveiled to the public how would you like to see it evolve I hope the audience will be amazed from the design by architect Oded Alony and the new methods to deliver information whilst discovering the long his-tory of the FEI the diversity and the global reach of the organisation I hope the Gallery will become an icon in Lausanne and one of its highlights for visitors I promise the visitors a new platform to learn about equestrianism and each visit could be different as the information and themes will be updated and modi-fied regularly
This futuristic gallery is a first for anInternational Federation do you think thisis something all sports should invest inThe FEI took this courageous decision and now has this fantastic tool to present the organisation in new ways Sport is a huge cultural phenomenaWe have learned to consume sport in the arenas and stadiums in the press media and new media
Dr Amichai Alperovich
55FOCUS
SOCIAL MEDIAthe new frontier
Follow us on
The FEI has recently embarked on and embraced a whole new way of talking with the greater equestrian community through the ever expanding social media networks and platformsWith personalised Facebook Twitter and You Tube pages the FEI is taking it step by step and reaching out to this growing audience and listening to what they have to say
This new communication platform is by no means a substitution of the traditional communication path-ways but works alongside the press releases various publications and content on wwwfeiorg and wwwfeitvorg providing a new arena where the FEI can share interact and dialogue with fans of the sport and of equestrian values in general
We talk to Richard Johnson Director of Corporate Communications about the FEIrsquos commitment to social media
What compelled the FEI to venture onto the social media scene As a governing body with a vibrant and active com-munity of National Federations as well as thousands of fans the need to reach out to the online social community has never been stronger We have been watching the communities grow online for some time and have been listening to their conversations so being a part of it was the next logical step and a really important one The conversations will hap-pen with or without us so taking that step has been crucial in order to share our values and also build re-lationships with our fan base
Tradition meets modernity ndash does equestrian sportthe FEI have a place in social media Absolutely even though equestrian sport has a long history and is perceived as a traditional sport it is
always evolving In the 90 years of the FEI which was founded to govern the three Olympic disciplines it has grown to also oversee the disciplines of Driving Endurance Vaulting Reining and Para-Equestrian sport Or if you look at the early days when competi-tors were from military backgrounds and when wom-en did not compete alongside men to the complete gender equality we have today ndash a lot has changed and is in a constant state of change
The fans of equestrian sport are like any other fan base web savvy and eager for more information behind the scenes content and to share their opin-ions and thoughts ndash so it is an ideal partnership And from what we have seen these last few months and from the feedback we got from our blog at the Youth Olympic Games there is a real appetite for this
The FEI has dedicated Facebook Twitter and You Tube pages ndash why did you select these social media platforms The figures speak for themselveshellip Facebook Twit-ter and You Tube are the biggest players in the social networking space With over 500 million Facebook users 106 million Tweeters and 2 billion views a day on You Tube there has never been so much oppor-tunity for exposure Every site has different demo-graphics with different habits and needs so by having an FEI presence on these three networks we are able to cover a lot of ground and cater to different audi-ences by providing different types of content accord-ing to the platform
What are the main benefits of having a pres-ence on various social media platforms Itrsquos all about having a two way conversation ndash the benefits of dialogue where you can share content such as videos images facts and figures thoughts and values and then allow your fan base to react to get involved and to listen and learn from them By engaging with our audience and showing them that we are a modern and caring organisation and that we want to hear what they have to say then we are able to build trust and ultimately credibility in what we do and what we say
57FOCUS
TV
The offi cial video website of the Feacutedeacuteration Equestre Internationale
wwwfeitvorg
WATCH LIVE WATCH ONLINE
FEI TV is the FEIrsquos new offi cial video website and your ticket to the worldrsquos most prestigious competitions Sign-up to FEI TV (wwwfeitvorg) and get instant access to all the live broadcasts the extensive video-on-demand library all the highlights the behind the scenes reports the interviews and so much more Be at the heart of horsesport Join us
2823_1FEI_TV_Focus_165x226indd 1 170510 1124
It also keeps us alert as to what is being discussed and debated in the public sphere so that we can manage situations more effectively and be proactive in our messaging and information so that the facts are at the heart of the debate and not interpretations of them
How do you generate content for social media It was important when we launched our social me-dia presence that it be manageable with the exist-ing communications team in place ndash and so we have concentrated on keeping it simple and effective and using content innovatively Itrsquos not about reproduc-ing our website ndash but to engage with our fans and so often all you need is a good picture an interest-ing fact or great achievement to get the ball rolling For You Tube as we already have so much content generated from FEI TV it was simply a question of using bits and pieces from that content to provide the public with teasers from events interviews with winning riders or behind the scenes content which they can then follow up on FEI TV with a subscription
What are your Social media goals Itrsquos really to build relationships and dialogue with our fan base by using our content innovatively by listening to what they have to say and by engaging with the community And for the National Federa-tions that have yet to take that step we want to be a guiding hand that can help them get started so that they too can reap the benefits of social media net-working Our sport competes against other sports for attention so itrsquos really important that we the FEI and the National Federations keep our finger on the pulse and cater to our fans
How can National Federations get involved NFs wishing to find out more about Social Media can contact me (richardjohnsonfeiorg) and I would be more than happy to discuss opportunities and ways of getting started as well as our experience at the FEI
We asked our Facebook followers why it was important to use face-book and here are a few comments they came up with
bullItrsquos a great way to find out about shows and competitions
bullBecause facebook can provide up to the minute updates as to the what is going on in the horse community
bullWe can share information and ideas over long distances We can find and connect with people we wouldnt be able to otherwise
bullIt also lets us express the true realities of our spot to keep us grounded
bullIt can bring peoples attention to excellence ndash and expose the issues
58
TV
The offi cial video website of the Feacutedeacuteration Equestre Internationale
wwwfeitvorg
WATCH LIVE WATCH ONLINE
FEI TV is the FEIrsquos new offi cial video website and your ticket to the worldrsquos most prestigious competitions Sign-up to FEI TV (wwwfeitvorg) and get instant access to all the live broadcasts the extensive video-on-demand library all the highlights the behind the scenes reports the interviews and so much more Be at the heart of horsesport Join us
2823_1FEI_TV_Focus_165x226indd 1 170510 1124
ldquo Donrsquot accept drinks from a strangerrdquo
Armchair travel journalist
Are you living a life without boundaries Some well-meant advice is best ignored but itrsquos still good to know yoursquore covered when yoursquore away With HSBC Premier your family can be protected with both Travel Insurance and dedicated assistance when yoursquore abroad Which is reassuring to know when yoursquore making the most of life
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201736_6000263_Coconut_226x165indd
Master 226x165
Rob Swainson 160211
HSBC - Coconuts Proof 01Head of Art TypographerDesigner ArtCreative Director Copywriter Account DirectorDIC Project ManagerPhotographer Illustrator Usage Model(s) Name(s) Usage
Media MediaStock Image Time Period Time Period
Territory Territory
8deg N ndash Kerala South India
1976Games of the XXI Olympiad Montreal (CAN) All in the Eventing geneshellip Mother Rita and daugh-ter Silva de Luna were both on the Guatemalan team Father Bill 61 and son Wayne Roycroft were on the bronze-medal winning Australian teamhellipFor the first time in the FEIrsquos Olympic history there was a disqualification due a positive medication case San Carlos the mount of the Irish Army Eventing rider Ronald McMahon The medical treatment after an injury during transport had been announced to the authorities But the rules suffered no exceptions Au-tomatic disqualification followed although there was no additional punishmentBarbara Kemp became the first woman to design an Olympic cross-country course Participation Twenty-three nations Guatemala and Puerto Rico were the newcomers
1980Games of the XXII Olympiad Moscow (URS) The 1980 Olympic Games in Moscow represented the lowest point in the history of the Olympic equestrian events as a US led boycott reduced the number of participating nations to 11 From the top equestrian nations only Austria with the reigning European Dres-sage champion Elisabeth (Sissi) Theurer and Italy with its Eventing team went to Moscow Sissirsquos decision to participate in Moscow created considerable contro-versy in her native Austria ndash resulting in the resignation of the President of the National Equestrian FederationParticipation Eleven nations
1984Games of the XXIII Olympiad Los Angeles (USA) The Los Angeles Games were the first since 1896 to be staged without government financing and became the model for future Games particularly after it was revealed that they had produced a profit of US$ 223 million The organisers depended heavily on existing facilities and corporate sponsors The celebrated Santa Anita racetrack was chosen as the competition site for the equestrian events It was the first time an Olympic equestrian event was organised by an existing man-agement of proven competence and long experienceIn response to the boycott of the 1980 Moscow Olym-pics a boycott led by the Soviet Union marked the 1984 OlympicsThe USA dominated the Jumping competition win-ning both individual and team gold with a superiority rarely experienced before or since Joe Fargis (USA) and Touch of Class were the first to achieve a dou-ble clear in the Olympic team competition Eventing legend Mark Todd from New Zealand (pictured left) won his first Olympic medalParticipation Thirty nations
1988Games of the XXIV Olympiad Seoul (KOR) The Seoul Games were highlighted by numerous exceptional performances For Dressage it was the first time that all three individual medals were award-ed to women Reiner Klimke (pictured above-right) captured his last Olympic medal as West Germany won the team Dressage competition With six gold and two bronze medals won at five Olympic Games ndash Reiner Klimke participated in six Olympic Games
1976 1977 1978 1980 1981 1982
1984 1985 1986
1988 1989 1990
altogether - he is the most decorated rider in Olympic history Only for the second time in the 76-year history of Eventing at the Olympics the defending champions repeated their victory Mark Todd (NZL) 32 with the 16-year-old Charisma For the first time qualifications were held to reduce the starting field for the individual Jumping The reigning European champions Pierre Du-rand (FRA) and the 13-year-old black gelding Jappe-loup added Olympic gold to their winningsParticipation Thirty-two nations
1992Games of the XXV Olympiad Barcelona (ESP) In Dressage the individual battle was played out be-tween Isabell Werthrsquos Gigolo and the defending Olym-pic champion from Seoul Nicole Uphoffrsquos 15-year-old Rembrandt Rembrandt and Uphoff triumphed and se-cured the gold After the repeat wins of Henry St-Cyr (SWE) in 1952 and 1956 on two different horses this was the first double triumph of a combination After the elaborate beautifully built and decorated Jump-ing obstacles of Seoul 1988 the Spanish decided on something different and the two architects in charge of designing the 25 obstacles used minimal figural and colour elements so as to more objectively define the difficulty of the obstacles This new vision did not find many partisansParticipation Thirty-four nations
1996Games of the XXVI Olympiad Atlanta (USA) The Atlanta Games saw extensive changes made to the competition formats of Dressage and Eventing Following the IOCrsquos reasoning whereby two sets of medals could not be distributed for the same effort the FEI split Eventing into two competitions team and individual An elaborate qualifying system in all three disciplines was created and for the first time quotas were establishedThe heat and humidity expected in Atlanta led to extensive research and measures aimed at protecting the welfare of the horses It was found that horses needed three weeks of acclimatisation ndash seven days to recover from the effects of transport and 14 days of passive acclimatisation to the new conditions The major measure was the installation of misting fans throughout the venueLinda Allen was the course designer the first woman to provide the Jumping courses at an Olympic GamesParticipation Thirty nations
1992 1993 1994
1996 1997 1998
1988 The German gold medal team (from left to right) - Ann-Kathrin Linsenhoff Monica Theodorescu Nicole Uphoff and Reiner Klimkecopy Kit Houghton
11FOCUS
1996The X Paralympic Games Atlanta (USA)1996 also marks for the first time equestrian sport was included at the Paralympics with Para-Equestrian Dressage on the programme The competition was run on borrowed horses Jo Jackson (GBR) won three gold medals the maximum possible For Great Britain it was a first of many team medalshellipParticipation Sixty-eight competitors from 16 nations
2000Games of the XXVII Olympiad Sydney (AUS) Forty four years after Melbourne 1956 when no horses would be allowed into Australia the Australian quarantine and inspection services proved to be much more accommodating The conditions were tough two weeks of pre-shipping quarantine in Europe and after arrival in Sydney two more weeks of quarantine on siteOf the 15 medal-winning horses 12 were thorough-breds and the other three were 78 thoroughbredsThe year 2000 was the final show-down of the two Dressage horses who had dominated the sport since the early nineties ndash Gigolo ridden by Isabell Werth (GER) and Bonfire ridden by Anky Van Grunsven (NED) with the latter taking gold medal honours Australia for the third time in a row won the team gold medal in EventingParticipation Thirty-seven nations
2000The XI Paralympic Games Sydney (AUS)The Australian spirit and warmth conveyed during the Olympics continued throughout the Paralympic Games thanks to the formidable cooperation between the Sydney Paralympic Organising Committee (SPOC) and the Sydney Organising Committee for the Olympic Games (SOCOG) Paralympic and Olympic athletes lived in the same village and enjoyed the same catering services medical care and facilities Errors in the scoring meant that medals had to be re-attributed but this did not cause too much upset Lee Pearson (GBR) took home three gold medals (including another team gold for GBR) the maximum possible while Australiarsquos Julie Higgins achieved an impressive double gold triumph Participation Seventy athletes from 23 nations
2004Games of the XXVIII Olympiad Athens (GRE) In 2004 the Games returned to Greece homeland to the Olympic GamesThe equestrian events were affected by controversies Waterford Crystal the horse ridden by Olympic cham-pion in Jumping Cian OrsquoConnor (IRL) tested positive to a prohibited substance generally administered to humans but forbidden for use in horses After lengthy legal procedures OrsquoConnor was disqualified and sanc-tioned The gold medal was awarded to second-placed
1996 1997 1998
2000 2001 2002
2000 2001 2002
2004 2005 2006
2000 The team podium in Eventing - Great Britain (silver) Australia (gold) USA (bronze) copy Kit Houghton
12
Rodrigo Pessoa (BRA) Another three horses tested positive as well As a result Germany lost its Jumping team gold which was awarded to the USA in February 2005 at a ceremony in Palm Beach FL (USA)A new competition format for Eventing involving two Jumping rounds one for the individual and one for the team standings was introduced The two roads and tracks (A + C) and the steeplechase (B) of the Endur-ance phase were abolishedParticipation Thirty-seven nations
the fact that main land China did not hold disease-free zone status from the International Organisation for Animal Health the competitions were held in Hong Kong 2000km away from the Olympic host city Beijing In order to protect animal welfare detailed studies on the effects of heat and humidity on horses were undertaken by the FEI in cooperation with top scientists The competition timetable was modified to avoid the hours of intense heat and the horses were stabled at the exceptional air-conditioned facilities provided by the Hong Kong Jockey Club Six horses five from Jumping tested positive to prohibited substances As a result Norway lost its first Jumping medal ndash bronze ndash which after more than two years of legal proceedings was awarded to Switzerland
Jumping gold went to team USA In Dressage Anky van Grunsven (NED) aboard Salinero won her seventh and eighth Olympic medals team silver and individual gold Eventing legend Mark Todd (NZL) made a much acclaimed come back but the spotlight was on Hinrich Romeike and the extraordinary Marius
The story of the 2008 Olympic Eventing gold med-allist is all the more extraordinary as Hinrich is an amateur rider By day his time is spent in his dental surgery attending to his many patients so his riding is restricted to after-hoursParticipation Forty-two nations
2008The XIII Paralympic Games Beijing (CHN)First Paralympic participation for the FEI following the inclusion of Para-Equestrian in 2006 to be governed alongside the 7 other disciplines These Games set a new benchmark for Para-Equestrian events with great facilities cheerful volunteers and large audiences totalling over 30000 - an unprecedented attend-ance for Para-Equestrian events
For the third Paralympics in a row Lee Pearson (GBR) won three gold medals keeping up his record of win-ning all the gold medals available to him Singa-porersquos Laurentia Tan picked up Asiarsquos first Paralympic Equestrian medals with two individual bronze medals Marco Alves picked up Brazilrsquos first Paralympic Equestrian medal with bronze in Grade Ib Participation Seventy-eight athletes from 28 nations
2004The XII Paralympic Games Athens (GRE)The venue was excellent and there was good support from local volunteers Both Debbie Criddle and Lee Pearson (pictured above) from Great Britain picked up the maximum three gold medals The International Paralympic Committee presented the Equestrian Technical Delegate with the award for Best Official of all the sports at the Paralympic Games Participation Seventy athletes from 29 nations
2008Games of the XXIX Olympiad Beijing (CHN) Hong Kong (CHN) For the second time in Olympic history the equestrian events were held separately from other sports Due to
2004 2005 2006
2008 2009 2010
2008 2009 20102004 Lee Pearson (GBR) in Athens where he scoopedthe maximum three gold medals available to him
13FOCUS
The climax of the indoor international Jumping sea-son brought together 43 riders from 21 nations and ended with Christian Ahlmann riding Taloubet Z to Germanys ninth victory in the 33-year history of FEI World Cuptrade Jumping Canadarsquos reigning Olympic champion Eric Lamaze took second place with Hickstead followed by Dutch combination Jeroen Dubbeldam and BMC Van Grunsven Simon who rocketed up from overnight 11th to finish third when producing one of only two double clears on the final afternoonGerman riders dominated from the first of the three qualifiers in Leipzig ndash the speed competition which Marco Kutscher with Cash won with 6355 seconds followed by his compatriots defending champion Marcus Ehning and Christian Ahlmann who took second and third place respectively In the second qualifier the withdrawal of Saudi Arabiarsquos Abdullah Al Sharbatly reduced the field to 40 starters Eric Lamaze took the lead with a fabulous clear in 4068 a win that bounced him up to fifth spot just six points behind the leading pair ndash an ascent he continued to master on the final day
J U M P I N GFINAL LEIPZIG
ROLEX FEI World Cuptrade
JUMPINGldquoIt was wonderful to be back in Leipzig again for yet another great Rolex FEI World Cuptrade Jumping Final in a city with such a rich cultural backgroundrdquo John Roche FEI Director of Jumping
FEI World Cuptrade Finals
REEm ACRA FEI World Cuptrade
DressaGe
DRESSAGEFINAL LEIPZIG
ldquoThe Reem Acra FEI World Cuptrade Dressage took place in a perfect setting with enough space for everyone to give their very best performancesrdquo Trond Asmyr FEI Director of Dressage
Adelinde Cornelissen (NED) and the magnificent Jerich Parzival danced to victory to the strains of Tchaikovskyrsquos Nutcracker Suite in the Freestyle com-petition that closed the Reem Acra FEI World Cuptrade Dressage Final Denmarkrsquos Nathalie zu Sayn-Witt-genstein and Digby finished second while Germanyrsquos Ulla Salzgeber steered Herzrufrsquos Erbe into third place The 2010 title-winner Edward Gal (GER) finished fourth with a great performance from Sisther de JeuThe top three mirrored those of the Grand Prix class two days earlier when a confident performance rewarded with a score of 80957 put Adelinde Cornelissen (NED) in first place followed by Denmarkrsquos Nathalie zu Sayn-Wittgenstein with Digby (76884 3) and Germanyrsquos Ulla Salzgeber riding Herzrufrsquos Erbe (76216 points) Defending champion Edward Gal rode a tense Sisther de Jeu with a disappointing test score of 70122 The final saw 17 horse and rider combinations from 10 nations compete ndash three from the USA The
Netherlands and Germany two from Sweden and one from Hungary Fin-
land Poland Belgium Great Britain and Denmark Fifteen riders went on to the Freestyle competition
Highlights available as video on demand on
15FOCUS
Boyd Exell (AUS) successfully defended his FEI World Cuptrade Driving title in Leipzigrsquos thrilling final speed-ing to victory in front of a wildly enthusiastic crowd and becoming the second driver to score a hat-trick of World Cup victories Hungaryrsquos Jozsef Dobrovitz drove two brilliant rounds with his team of Lipiz-zaner horses and finished second ahead of IJsbrand Chardon (NED) The FEI World Cuptrade Driving Final was run over two indoor competitions which took place on 29 April and 1 May Seven drivers competed Tomas Eriksson (SWE) Koos de Ronde (NED) Werner Ulrich (SUI) Christian Pluumlcker (GER) and the triumphant trio who after emerging from the first round on 1 May with the highest number of points qualified for the winning round immediately afterwards
FEI World Cuptrade
DrIVINGldquoOnce again the worldrsquos best indoor drivers came together for a thrilling final the com-bination of horses working together in a team driven by superbly skilled horsemento produce thrilling andspectacular driving sportrdquo Ian Williams FEI Director of Non-Olympic Sports
16
Switzerlandrsquos Patrick Looser and Germanyrsquos Simone Wiegele claimed the inau-gural FEI World Cuptrade Vaulting titles at the 20102011 FEI World Cuptrade Finals a glittering Freestyle to Music showcase held over two daysLooserrsquos fellow starters in the Menrsquos section were Nicolas Andreani (FRA) Viktor Bruumlsewitz (GER) Daniel Kaiser (GER) Lukas Klouda (CZE) Nikolaus Luschin (AUT) and Yvan Nousse (FRA) Looser 26 was under pressure having finished second to Nicolas Andreani from France in the first Freestyle competition But
the reigning World Champion who won three of the four qualifying rounds over the winter months produced a superb performance which left Andreani in second place and Germanyrsquos Viktor Brusewitz in third In addition to the victorious Wiegele contenders for the Female title were her three compatriots Pia Engelbury Ines Juumlckstock and Antje Hill Simone Jaumliser (SUI) Stefanie Kowald (AUT) and Anna Cavallaro (ITA) In the second
competition Wiegele followed team-mate Hill into the arena in Hall 1 which seemed to be much more to the liking of the
horses than the smaller ring used on the first day And although Hillrsquos routine was
dramatic and beautifully controlled it was Wiegelersquos more complex display that settled
the destination of the very first Female World Cup trophy
ldquoFor the first time an indoor final that provided the public with an opportunity to witness the gymnastic movements of
athletes atop magnificent horses all choreographed to breathtaking musical arrangementsrdquo
Ian Williams FEI Director of Non-Olympic Sports
Highlights available as video on demand on
WHEN AND WHERE
26 ndash 30 July FEI European Reining Championship for Seniors amp Juniors Wiener Neustadt (AUT)
16 ndash 21 August FEI European Vaulting Championships for Seniors amp Juniors Le Mans (FRA)
17 ndash 21 August FEI European Dressage Championships Rotterdam (NED)
25 ndash 28 August HSBC FEI European Eventing Championships Luhmuumlhlen (GER)
01 ndash 04 September Open FEI European Driving Championships for Four-in-Hand Breda (NED)
01 ndash 04 September FEI European Para-Equestrian Dressage Championships Moorsele (BEL)
10 September FEI European Endurance Championships Florac (FRA)
13 ndash 18 September FEI European Jumping Championships Madrid (ESP)
LIVE ONLive coverage and highlightsCheck out the FEI TV broadcasting schedule for all the latest information on events broadcast live on FEI TV
European Championships for seniors in all the FEI disciplines are being held in 2011 We take a quick 360deg look at the dates venues facts amp figures and triumphant moments of the past 50 years of European Championships
FeI europeanChampionships 2011
Donrsquot miss a beatComplete competition reports updates behind the scenes information facts and figures and more can be found on wwwfeiorg as well as our dedicated facebook twitter and you tube pages
18
Preview
For the 31st edition of the FEI European Jumping Championships the event returns to Spain 18 years after the Championships in Gijon only this time to be held at the Club de Campo Villa in Madrid The FEI European Jumping Championships take place every two years in the middle of the Olympic cycle and have been held since 1957 with the introduction of team medals in 1975
THE VENUEThe Club de Campo Villa de Madrid (ESP) has been host to an annual CSI for 100 years and will be tem-porarily replacing its usual grass in the main arena with all-weather sand footing to ensure perfect going for the Championship
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERSTeam ndash SwitzerlandIndividual ndash Kevin Staut (FRA)
OLyMPIC qUALIFICATIONThe 3 best ranked nations from Olympic Qualifying Groups A amp B at the 2011 FEI European Jumping Championships (excluding the teams already quali-fied at WEG) will be qualified to take part with a team consisting of 4 athletes amp 4 horses or 3 athletes amp 3 horses
GREAT HORSES OF THE EUROPEANCHAMPIONSHIPSDEISTER - An extraordinary horse with an extraordi-nary record With Germanys Paul Schockemohle on board this brilliant bay Hannoverian led won three consecutive individual gold medals - in Munich Germany in 1981 Hickstead England in 1983 and Dinard France in 1985 Bred by Hermann Hahl in Osterbruch Lower Saxony Deister was by Diskant out of Adlerklette by Adlerschild stood 171cms high and had the heart of a lion Deisters European medal
haul also included team gold at Munich in 1981 team silver in Rotterdam in 1979 and team bronze at both Hickstead in 1983 and Dinard in 1985 Despite his incredibly active career the hardy Deister who was born in February 1971 lived to the ripe old age of 29
MR SOFTEE - The closest challenger to Deister for the title of Champion of the Europeans is the Irish-bred Mr Softee - a three-time winner but with two different riders Mr Softee enjoyed a hugely success-ful career with David Broome However it was with another Briton David Barker that the chestnut horse with four white legs took the individual European ti-tle for the first time in London in 1962 This was then followed up with David Broomersquos victory in Rotter-dam in 1967 and in Hickstead in 1969 Broome once said that like many other top horses Mr Softee had a big opinion of himself - He thought he was a king - and he was right
Believe it or nothellip
bull Itwasonlyin1975thatwomenwere permittedtocompetealongsidemenin theEuropeanJumpingChampionshipsprior tothistherehadbeentheLadiesEuropean JumpingChampionshipsheldfrom1957- 1973
bull Only2womenhaveeverwonthe FEIEuropeanChampionshipsFrancersquos AlexandraLedermannin1999and MeredithMichaels-Beerbaum(GER) in2007
bull Germanyledthegoldtallywith20 medals(14individualamp6team)double theamountofrunnerupGreatBritainon 10(6individualand4team)
FeI eUroPeaN
JUMPINGChaMPIoNshIPs
13-18 September 2011
Madrid (SPAIN)
19FOCUS
LIVE coverage on
Rotterdam gets set to host the 25th edition of the FEI European Dressage Championships for the first time and only the second time for the Netherlands (Arnhem 1999) The FEI European Dressage Championships take place every two years in the middle of the Olympic cycle and have been held since 1963
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERS
Team ndash The Netherlands
Individual ndash Kuumlr to MusicEdward Gal (NED) amp Moorlands Totilas
Individual ndash Grand Prix SpecialAdelinde Cornelissen (NED) amp Jerich Parzival
OLyMPIC qUALIFICATIONThe 3 best ranked nations from Groups A B amp C at the 2011 FEI European Dressage Championships (exclud-ing the teams already qualified at WEG) will be quali-fied to take part with a team consisting of 3 athletes amp 3 horses
THE WIND OF CHANGEFor 21 consecutive Championships from 1965 to 2005 (no team title awarded in 1963) the Germans held the European title but the last two editions have seen an upset to that tradition with the Netherlands clenching gold In 2009 the Dutch domination was particularly strong with five out of six individual med-als awarded to Dutch riders and the sixth going to British rider Laura Bechtolsheimer
IN MEMORy OF HENRI CHAMMARTIN (SUI)At the time of writing a legend in the Dressage world Henri Chammartin (SUI) passed away at the age of 92 An Olympic and European Dressage champion Henri Chammartin won the first two editions of the
FEI European Championships in 1963 and 1965 riding Wolfdiedtrich and competed in five consecutive edi-tions of the Olympic Games ndash Helsinki 1952 Stock-holm 1956 Rome 1960 Tokyo 1964 and Mexico 1968 ndash winning a total of five Olympic medals includ-ing Olympic champion in 1964
RECORD BREAKINGhellip In 2009 the formidable partnership of The Nether-lands Edward Gal and Moorlands Totilas smashed the world Freestyle record before a packed house with Windsor Castle standing proudly as a backdrop when scoring 9070 (including an unbelievable 29 perfect-10 scores) to win the Freestyle gold medal
Believe it or nothellip
bull GermanyhaswontheEuropeanDressage TeamTitleon21occasions
bull Thegreatestnumberofteamstoparticipate inEuropeanDressageChampionshipsis 14-atHickstead(GBR)in2003andagainat Hagen(GER)in2005
bull GermanysDrReinerKlimkewonthreeindi vidualtitles-atAachenin1967ridingDux andagainin1973ridingMehmedandat Copenhagenin1985ridingAhlerich
bull WithGigoloGermanysIsabellWerthtook theindividualtitlein1995and1997and wontheGrandPrixSpecialatDonaueschingen Germanyin1991andatLipicaSloveniain 1993
bull AnkyvanGrunsvenhasthreewinstoher namendashin1999withBonfirefollowedbythe backtobackwinswithSalineroin2005and 2007
17-21 August 2011
Rotterdam Netherland
FeI eUroPeaN
DressaGeChaMPIoNshIPs
20
LIVE coverage on
These are the second FEI European Para-Equestrian Dressage Championships to be held since Para-Equestrian joined the FEI Family in 2006 Para-Equestrian Dressage has been a regular fixture at the Paralympic Games since 1996 The first FEI European Para-Equestrian Dressage Championships were held in southern Norwegian town of Kristiansand in 2009 with a total of 78 ath-letes from 22 countries participating
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERS
Team Great Britain
Grade Ia Individual - Sophie Christiansen (GBR) Freestyle - Emma Sheardown (GBR)
Grade Ib Individual amp Freestyle Lee Pearson (GBR)
Grade II Individual - Petra Van der Sande (NED) Freestyle - Angelika Trabert (GER)
Grade III Individual amp Freestyle
Hannelore Brenner (GER)
Grade IV Individual amp Freestyle Sophie Wells (GBR)
The mobility strength and coordination of competi-tors are assessed and athletes with similar functional ability profiles are grouped into competition grades that range from Grade Ia for the most severely im-paired to Grade IV for the least impaired This means that the competition within each Grade can be judged on the skill of the individual competitors on their horses regardless of their disabilities
CLUB qUADRILLEMoorsele has been host to a regular international Para-Equestrian Dressage events for the past few years with the Club Quadrille as organiser The Club Quadrille was founded in 1981 by Anne Van Neste-dIeteren Belgian Dressage Champion from 1977 un-til 1982 current President of the Belgian Paralympic Committee and member of the FEI Para-Equestrian committee It is a unique sports club that works with both able bodied and disabled athletes and is active in the promotion and education of the sport As member of the honorary IPC Board Her Royal Highness (HRH) Princess Astrid of Belgium has been a fervent supporter of the event and has attended on many occasions
Believe it or nothellip
bull LeePearson(GBR)haswoneverygold medalwithinreachatParalympicWorld andContinentallevelandtheEuropeans in2009werenodifferentwithanother triplegoldvictory
bull GreatBritainalsohavetheMidastouch whenitcomestoteammedalsndashandarethe currentParalympicWorldandEuropean titleholders
bull In2009Germanycamecloserthanever totakingthegoldmedalfromall-time championGreatBritain
1-4 September 2011
Moorsele Belgium
FeI eUroPeaN
Para-eqUestrIaNDressaGeChaMPIoNshIPs
21FOCUS
A record number of fans are expected to attend the HSBC FEI European Eventing Championships as they return to Luhmuumlhlen for the fifth time to mark the 30th edition of the ChampionshipsThe FEI European Eventing Championships take place every two years in the middle of the Olympic cycle and have been held since 1953
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERSTeam ndash Great BritainIndividual ndash Kristina CookMiners Frolic (GBR)
OLyMPIC qUALIFICATIONThe 2 best ranked nations from Groups A B amp C at the 2011 HSBC FEI European Eventing Champion-ships (excluding the teams already qualified at WEG) will be qualified to take part with a team consisting of 3 athletes amp 3 horses
THE VENUELuhmuumlhlen one of only six 4 events on the interna-tional Eventing calendar and part of the prestigious HSBC FEI Classicstrade series will greet Europersquos best athletes with a fresh look and feel this year following extensive renovation to the existing infrastructures The recently renovated showground includes three Dressage and two Jumping arenas a tribune able to seat 850 spectators with spectacular views as well as a newly designed entrance including six ticket box facilities and fully catered trade stands The show-ground also boasts an open air stage with space for up to 15000 spectators ldquoI am confident that the in-vestment in the infrastructure will be of great benefit to all involved whether you are a volunteer a groom an athlete ndash both the horses and the riders - as well as for the sponsors guests spectators and the fans We are re-ally looking forward to great competitions this year at both the CCI4CIC3 in June and at the Europeans in August and hope many will join us to witness this historic momentrdquo Julia Otto Event Director Luhmuumlhlen
HSBCHSBC has renewed their sponsorship for a further three-year term as global sponsor of FEI Eventing to include title sponsorships of the HSBC FEI European Eventing Championships in both 2011 and 2013 and the HSBC FEI Classicstrade until the end of 2013
OFFICIAL TIMEPIECE Rolex the leading name in luxury wrist watches will be the Official Timekeeper for the HSBC FEI European Eventing Championships 2011
Believe it or nothellip
bull GinnyElliot(bornHolgate)theonlyrider towinthreesuccessiveindividualtitlesand IanStarkholdthejointrecordforEuropean goldmedalswonndashseveneachbutLucinda Greenstillhasthemostmedals(10)
bull SupremeRockriddenbyPippaFunnell (GBR)istheonlyhorsetowinback-to-back titles(in1999and2001)hehasfour Europeangoldmedalsintotalequalingthe recordofKilbarryThePoacherandOver ToYouwhowonarecordfourconsecutive Europeanteamgolds(1999-2005)
bull PrincessAnneandZaraPhillipsaretheonly mother-daughtercombinationtowin Europeantitles(1971and2005)
bull GreatBritainhaveheldtheEuropeantitle forthepast8consecutiveChampionships (since1995)Andofthe29editionstodate (startingin1953)theteamhavewona whopping21
25-28 August 2011
Luhmuumlhlen Germany
hsBC FeI eUroPeaN
eVeNtINGChaMPIoNshIPs LIVE coverage on
22
In September Breda Hippique in The Netherlands will be host to the seventh edition of the FEI Euro-pean Driving Championships for Four-in-Hand not held since 1981 This edition is open to both Euro-pean and non-European drivers and will also count as a qualifier for the indoor FEI World Cuptrade Driv-ing which is held during the winter season Only competitors from Europe can claim the individual and team medalsThe FEI European Driving Championships for Four-in-Hand were first held in 1971 in Budapest and continued to be held every two years until 1981 at which stage they were discontinued
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERSTeam ndash HungaryIndividual ndash Gyoumlrgyi Bardos (HUN)
SOMETHING IN THE WATERhellip Hungary have won five out of six available team European titles and on the individual front two Hungarians stand out from the crowd Imre Abony ndash individual winner in 1971 and 1975 and Gyoumlrgyi Bardos triple consecutive winner in 1977 1979 1981
IN THE BEGINNINGhellipThe first European Championships took place in Budapest in 1971 and moved on to Windsor in Great Britain in 1973 Sopot in Poland in 1975 Donauesch-ingen in Germany in 1977 and in Haras du Pin in France in 1979 The sixth and last edition took place in 1981 in Zug Switzerland
THE VENUEBreda has hosted the only Nations competition (CAIO) for Four-in-Hand horses in The Netherlands for many years In 1995 Breda hosted the first FEI European Driving Championships for Four-in-Hand ponies and in 2010 was host to the FEI World Para-Equestrian Driving Championships Aside from the four-in-hand teams Breda will also host international pony teams and national horse pairs at the event this year
Believe it or nothellip
bull Hungaryhavewonfiveoutofsixteamgold titles
bull AugusteDubeyfromSwitzerlandwasthe onlynon-HungarianEuropeanChampion hewontheChampionshipsin1973
bull PrincePhilipFEIPresidentfrom1964- 1986whocelebratedhis90thbirhtday inJuneisanavidfanofDrivingandpartici- patedinsixWorldandthreeEuropean Championships
1-4 September 2011
Breda Netherland
FeI eUroPeaN
DrIVINGChaMPIoNshIPsfor FoUr-IN-haND
Note At the time of writing the FEI European DrivingChampionships for Four in Hand was pending approvalby the FEI Bureau
23FOCUS
The 14th edition of the FEI European Endurance Championships return to Florac in France twenty five years after the inaugural event was held there The FEI European Endurance Championships first took place in 1984 and were immediately followed up by a second edition in 1985 and have since been held every two years They have always been open to the world with two sets of medals presented ndash open and European
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERSTeam ndash SpainIndividual ndash Maria Alvarez Ponton amp Nobby
RECORD BREAKINGCurrent title holder Maria Alvarez Ponton amp super horse Nobby is the first rider to hold European and World titles at the same time She will be looking to confirm her stronghold on the sport following her second consecutive World title with a second con-secutive European title in Florac a feat no rider has managed to achieve at the Europeans to date
THE VET GATEModern competitions consist of a number of sec-tions known as lsquophasesrsquo At the end of each phase there is a compulsory halt for veterinary inspection Each horse which is thoroughly examined before it is allowed to start the ride must be presented for inspection within a set time of reaching each vetgate The time spent at each vetgate prior to inspection by the vets is counted as part of the overall competition time and the aim is to determine whether the horse is fit to continue the ride
THE SUPPORT CREWA vital part of Endurance riding is the support crew Riders are assisted by a team of helpers who meet them several times over the ride bringing bottles of water to pour over the horse to cool it down as well as a drink for the rider Crews also have spare equipment in case something breaks down or needs replacing
Believe it or nothellip
bull TheFrenchhavethemedaledgewith6 individualand4teamgoldmedalsfrom the14editionsheld
bull Floracistheonlyvenuetohostthe EuropeanChampionshipstwice(thefirst editionin1984andtheupcomingedition in2011)
bull EnduranceisthefastestgrowingFEI disciplinefrom2000to2010thenumber ofinternationaleventshavemultipliedby10
10 September 2011
Florac France
FeI eUroPeaN
eNDUraNCeChaMPIoNshIPs
24
Reem Acra Boutique 14 East 60th St New York New York 10022 2123088760 wwwreemacracom
356935B2_RA_brochure2_souvenir_programmeindd 1 82710 1012 AM
Vaulting became an FEI discipline in 1983 and saw its first FEI European Championship organised just one year later in the town of Ebreichsdorf in Austria This 15th edition of the Championship ndash which also includes the European Juniors competition return to France for the 4th time but for the first time in the world renowned venue of Le Mans famous for its 24 hour race
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERS
Team ndash Austria
Individual malelongeurhorseNicolas Andreani (FRA)Marina Joosten DuponIdefix de Braize
Individual femalelongeurhorseJoanna Eccles (GBR)John EcclesWH Bentley
THE WIND OF CHANGEGermany and Switzerland have traditionally bat-tled for the team title (Germany has 7 gold versus Switzerlandrsquos 5) but in 2009 Austria who had come second on four occasions since the inception of the Championships in 1984 finally climbed onto the top spot of the podium and claimed the title In terms of the individual performances Germany had the stronghold on the male category winning 11 out of 14 gold medals But again in 2009 France the only other country to have ever beaten a German male vaulter at the Europeans made it to the top spot of the podium for only the third time since the Championships began
Similarly with the female vaulters it was an all German domination until 2007 when Austriarsquos Sissi Jarz claimed gold followed by Joanna Eccles (GBR) in 2009 ndash leaving Germany off the top step of the podium entirely in 2009
GREAT BRITAIN ndash A VAULTING NATIONhellip Times have definitely changed from the Swiss German domination with current World and European titles held by Great Britainrsquos Joanna Eccles She was the first British vaulter (male or female) to claim a medal at the Europeans ndash let alone a gold medal - and then went on to secure the world title in Kentucky last year
Believe it or nothellip
bull TheonlycountryotherthanGermanyand SwitzerlandtohaveclaimedaEuropean VaultingtitleisSlovakiain2005
bull ChristophLensing(GER)holdsthemale medalrecordndashwiththreegold(19891993 amp1995)aswellassilverin1991
bull NadiaZuumllowandSilkeMichelberger (formerlyBernhard)withthreegoldmedals each
16-21 August 2011
Le Mans France
FeI eUroPeaN
VaULtINGChaMPIoNshIPs
26
This is only the fifth edition of the European Reining Championships since the discipline joined the FEI in 2000 and the first time they will be held in Austria The event also includes the FEI European Champi-onships for Juniors and Young Riders ndash a formula introduced in 2009 in Kreuth (GER) which proved to be a multigenerational success The FEI European Reining Championships take place every two years and have been held since 2003
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERSTeam ndash GermanyIndividual ndash Nina Lill (GER) riding Lena Cielo Jewel
THE JUDGINGReining horses are judged individually Each horse au-tomatically begins the required pattern with a score of 70 One or frac12 points are given or taken away for each manoeuvre Credit is given for smoothness fi-nesse attitude quickness and authority Controlled speed in the pattern raises the level of difficulty and makes the reining horse exciting to watch
Believe it or nothellip
bull ItalyandGermanyaretheonlytwonations tohavewongoldmedalsndashGermanyhas3 teamgoldand2individualgoldversus Italyrsquossingleteamgoldandtwoindividual gold
bull GermanyrsquosNinaLillwinnerin2009was thefirstwomantotaketheindividualtitle sincetheChampionshipsbeganin2003
bull OlympicWorldandEuropeanDressage ChampionAnkyVanGrunsven(NED) competedattheAlltechFEIWorldEques- trianGamestradein2010inbothDressageand hellipReining
bull 13nationswerescheduledtoattendthe Championshipatthetimeofwritingthe largestparticipationbycountryever recordedfortheEuropeans
26-30 July 2011
Wiener Neustadt Austria
FeI eUroPeaN
reININGChaMPIoNshIPs
27FOCUS
ldquoThirty-one yearsrsquo experience comes in handy some-timesrdquo joked the ever-relaxed Todd who was a leg-end by the time he ldquoretiredrdquo in 2000 with back-to-back Olympic golds five Burghley wins two world gold medals and three Badminton victories one on a horse he had never ridden before ldquoIt is incredibly special though right up there with the back-to-back Olympic golds When I came back to the sport (in 2008) it was to see if I could get back to top level It has always been my aim to win another big onerdquo
A World class meeting of Generations
The 2011 HSBC FEI Classicstrade could not have got off to a more epic start with wins at Badminton and Kentucky by two of the sportrsquos most enduring personalitiesThe 55-year-old New Zealander Mark Todd rolled back the years to score a fourth victory at the Gloucestershire venue 31 years after his first attempt in 1980
By Kate Green
28
HSBC FEI ClassicsTm
The resurgence of so much experienced talent makes it harder for younger riders to work their way up the leaderboard but 29-year-old Sinead Halpin (USA) had a spectacular CCI4 debut at Kentucky finish-ing third and best of the home side in distinguished company This achievement earned her the HSBC Training Bursary worth US$1000 towards training a prestigious and valuable award presented to the rider who achieves the best result on completing a CCI4 for the first time
The bursary winner at Badminton Fiona Hobby (GBR) 39 has had a rather longer wait to complete
her first CCI4 ndash she was 26th on Roma ML ndash but she has in the meantime produced two children had a career as a sports therapist and only switched from Jumping to Eventing relatively recently Hobby has vowed to spend the money on dressage train-ing ldquoRoma couldnrsquot believe it when she arrived in the arena and saw all those people but she was great across country really focussed Irsquom delightedrdquo
For Germanyrsquos Sandra Auffarth Luhmuumlhlen pro-vided an outstanding CCI4 debut on Opgun Louvo a young horse she has produced herself coming second and picking up the HSBC Training Bursary and the exciting prospect of a possible place in the squad for the forthcoming HSBC FEI European Event-ing Championship at Luhmuumlhlen (25-28 August) at which Germany as host nation will be entitled to field 12 riders
Last yearrsquos HSBC Training Bursary winners include Stephanie Rhodes-Bosch (CAN) who went on to win a team silver medal at the Alltech FEI World Equestri-an Gamestrade Lauren Shannon (GBR) who finished 17th at Badminton this year and Giovanni Ugolotti (ITA) who is furthering his career by basing himself in Brit-ain for the season and having lessons with Mark Todd
LIVE coverage and extensive highlights available on
Toddrsquos winning mount the 10-year-old NZB Land Vision was a green horse for this level and he fin-ished the Cross-Country phase tired but his rider kept his cool in an extraordinarily tight finish in which the price of one Jumping fence covered the top 12 riders any of whom could with a bit of luck have won the Mitsubishi Motors Trophy ldquoIn the end it came down to horse-power and Irsquove obviously got a good one hererdquo said Todd ldquoCharisma (his double Olympic gold medallist) will always be the most special horse but this one has no weak linksrdquo
As is the nature of the sport Toddrsquos lead in the HSBC FEI Classicstrade didnrsquot last long ndash he came down to earth with a bump the following weekend with a Cross-Country run-out on NZB Grass Valley his ride at the Rolex Kentucky Three Day Event (USA) and 49- year-old Mary King (GBR) stole the head-lines with a record one-two on Kings Mis-tress and Fernhill Urco It was Kingrsquos first CCI4 victory for 11 years ndash she has won Badminton twice and Burghley once ndash but she certainly smashed a few re-cords with this one She became the first rider to score a one-two at Kentucky the first in modern times to win a CCI4 on a home-bred horse and the oldest female to win a CCI4
King who has six team gold medals at World and European level plus competed at five consecutive Olympics had the luxury of knowing she had already won the event on the inexperienced 10-year-old Fernhill Urco a horse bred in Portugal by the time she entered the arena on Kings Mistress but she still produced a second clear round ldquoI never dreamed that I would be in this position and Irsquom enjoying the momentrdquo said the ever-smiling King ldquoIt was great to have the feeling of having already won on Fernhill Urco but I still wanted desperately to go clear on Kings Mistress as it is so special to win on a horse I bred myselfrdquo It was also an all clear from Germanyrsquos Andreas Dibowski and Euroriding Butts Leon in order to secure victory at the fourth leg of the HSBC FEItrade
Classicstrade in Luhmuumlhlen presented by EON Avacon
29FOCUS
The Danish-American actorpoet musician photographerand painter has been around horses most of his life from riding Hasufel and Brego in The Lord of the Rings trilogy to early childhood memories in Argentina his passion for floating as he describes it has never wavered
What is it about the horse that makes you a horse loverWe get along generally I respect their strength and their personal space Your first riding experience ndash was it bliss or terrorLike floating like being on a warm and floating mountain I remember being happy Do you think anyone can rideYes It is a question of allowing yourself to ride of allowing yourself to cooperate and not be in total control Children are more adept at figuring this out letting things happen without getting impatient or scared just as they are braver and less self-conscious about pronouncing new words or singing Anyone at any age or in any physical condition can
Viggo Mortensen
achieve a degree of success and satisfaction with horses even if it is just a question of touching them being near them If horses could talk what would they be sayingYou will know if you listen and watch them Is there a unique trait you look for in a horse that you canrsquot find in peopleThey are more patient and less apt to complain about lifersquos setbacks and physical ailments than most people I admire a tough smart horse what-ever its breed age or size What would you miss most if you could no longer go ridingThe companionship and the floating perhaps also the abandonment of usual daily worries that relaxed riding requires Whatrsquos your usual riding outfit consist ofAnything will do Loose-fitting clothes and good comfortable boots are a plus but not vital I have even ridden barefoot ndash naturally taking care to avoid being stepped on when not on the horse - but I do not recommend this to anyone The most important thing is to have a clear and focused mind to be THERE at all times when around horses and NOWHERE ELSE Sugar lumps or carrotsIrsquove been guilty of offering an occasional apple or carrot although it is best not to give horses anything special unless treats are part of training them for special tricks or stunts a pursuit best left to experts like master horse trainer Rex Peterson whom Irsquove had the good fortune to work with and study quite a bit Treats spoil horses and do not keep the animal focused on the task at hand Whatrsquos your favourite part of a horseThe brain What do you think young people gain from ridingSelf-confidence and an understanding of the value of cooperation
30
Why the long face
When did you first develop the bond with the horseThe first time I got on one as a little boy in ArgentinaYou either develop a bond of some kind or you fall off Of course you may even fall off if you develop the bond but you have to start (and restart) somewhere
Did your friends ride My brothers also rode and I have ridden with many kinds of people over the years ndash some good and patient with horses and some not If I had not rid-den as a boy I would probably have been wandering around fishing imagining I was a cowboy or an Indian or a Viking ndash which I did anyway Where in the world would you most like to rideMost anywhere will do but I have been extremely lucky to have ridden in many wide-open wild places ndash deserts grassy plains mountains by different seas and rivers in Argentina New Zealand North Africa and North America If you could spend one afternoon riding with a famous person (past or present)who would it be and whyIrsquoll give you 3 Oglala chief Tasunke Witko (Crazy Horse) my ancestor William F Cody or any real Gaucho from the province of Chaco Argentina
Two horses go out for dinner what kindof restaurant do they chooseLate spring grass near a slow-moving clean river with a gentle firm shoreline an hour before sun-down far from any people or other animals All time favourite horse filmI have a subjective soft spot for the stories and real horses involved in the making of ldquoHidalgordquo and the 2nd and 3rd installments of ldquoThe Lord Of The Ringsrdquo trilogy but I admire other ldquohorse moviesrdquo as wellThe 1953 French movie ldquoCrin-Blancrdquo (ldquoWhite Manerdquo) directed by Albert Lamorisse is a personal favourite
After three years at the head of the successful French Jumping team with back to back FEI Nations Cuptrade titles and a silver medal at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade Laurent Elias is moving on to new spheres with the French Horse amp Riding Institute where he will be training the riders of the National Riding School in Saumur
Laurent Elias
copy C
hris
toph
e Br
icot
32
The other side of
If I had not become a professional rider I would havehellipmade a career in a humanitarian organisation Horse riding is sometimes too trivial
My priority in life ishellipto be able to look at myself in the mirror in the morning and make sure I am at peace with my conscience
My familyhellipkeeps me grounded My wife helped me a lot when I was in charge of selections for France She took charge of my personal life and was the first person I called when we got the medal in Lexington I also admire my parents for the values they passed on to me
I remember my first ridingexperiencehellipaged six we were shooting a family film and I was on horseback I finished upside down under my horse for a long time I stopped riding for one year
I used to dream abouthellipsafaris One of my uncles was passionate about safaris Through him I became very interested in African trips and the jobs that allow you to travel as a reporter were fascinating to me as well
I have been thinking a lot abouthellipwhat happened in Japan these past few months First this tsunami that devastated everything without warning then the nuclear disaster It made me think that progress should not be destructive
My horse Gueacutenourhellipchanged my life I was just a coach and he brought me to the top I won the national championship in 1981 with him
My biggest challengehas always beenhellipshyness Horse riding has really helped me over-come it Horses brought me on stage and there I had to meet people
As a Chef dEquipehellipthere is no single defining achievement itrsquos all about the solidarity and the moments spent together as a team Irsquoll never forget the first time Penelope Leprevost rode her mare Jubileacutee drsquoOuilly in the FEI Nations Cuptrade of Rotterdam McLain Ward had just completed a real fast run with Sapphire We thought the Americans would win but she did it faster and beat Sapphire
In terms of eventshellipAachen is my favourite competition - for its won-derful organisation But we have also pretty good five star competitions in France
I donrsquot sleep muchhellipprobably because I am just happy to be alive
Irsquom not scared to laugh or cryhellipI laugh at the funny situations we sometimes find ourselves in life and enjoy people with quirky personalities I cry when I see others in pain
Laurent Elias and the French team en route to the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade copy PSV-Jean Morel
33FOCUS
Nicolas TheacutevenazAged 23 studies Robotics and Autonomous Systems Micro Engineering in Lausanne (SUI) alongside regular training and competition in Dressage and Para-Equestrian Dressage events Born with spastic diplegia Nicolas was introduced to horses via hippotherapy aged seven and quickly developed a passion for riding which not only helped with his physical condition but also taught him through Dressage the art of patience and perseverance
34
One day
Nicolas TheacutevenazAged 23 studies Robotics and Autonomous Systems Micro Engineering in Lausanne (SUI) alongside regular training and competition in Dressage and Para-Equestrian Dressage events Born with spastic diplegia Nicolas was introduced to horses via hippotherapy aged seven and quickly developed a passion for riding which not only helped with his physical condition but also taught him through Dressage the art of patience and perseverance
He has been fortunate to meet the right people (and horses) at the right time and has been working for the past five years with trainer Vicky-Eileen Baumann (pictured right) and her horses Magic and Lady (pictured right) ldquoShersquos bred them and knows them inside out which is very useful when I have to communicate with them - they know my voice intonations and a whole string of specific words or sounds ndash which really helps as my body canrsquot or doesnrsquot always have the strength to do sordquo
As a Grade II Para-Equestrian rider Nicolas competes in Para-Equestrian Dressage (PED) events as well as national events for able bodied riders as there are only a handful of PED riders and no events in Switzerland
Unable to attend the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade 2010 in Kentucky last year Nicolas and Vicky have their sights firmly set on the 2012 Para-lympic Games and will be looking to qualify with Lady over the next 12 months ndash alongside exams studies and everything else life has to offerhellip Who is your role model For different reasons I have different role mod-els Edward Gal Dane Rawlins Isabel Werth and Catherine Haddad
When did you start riding and why At age 7 I was sat on a horse for hippotherapy and liked the complicity with the horse which made me want to discover more
How do you feel when you ride Concentrated and industrious
Who is your biggest fan My trainerrsquos mum
Complete this sentenceOne day I would like tohellip have gained enough knowledge to be able to take care of and train my own horse
What are your long term goals as a rider Continue to do my best to enjoy what I do and show others itrsquos possible
How do you juggle studies and competition I think itrsquos really important to have goals and to do everything you can to achieve them and that includes taking on challenges because if you donrsquot try then yoursquoll never know what you could have achieved
What is your proudest achievement to date Participation in international events together with pursuing my studies
How do you feel after winning Still working towards discovering the feeling
What is the best advice anyone has ever given youMy trainer often repeats to me the famous saying by General LrsquoHotte ldquoCalme en avant droitrdquo which says so much about riding but can also be applied to so many other aspects of life
35FOCUS
What advice would you give someone looking to get involved in Para-Equestrian Dressage Train and ride with able-bodied athletes as often as possible Being around and working with horses is so rewarding Irsquod like - when Irsquom retired - to write a book to share these feelings with others and hope this will inspire them to get involved
Complete this sentenceIn the future I would like the sport to beeven ldquocleanerrdquo and fairer and if possible not more but less demanding on the horses
ldquoLast but not least Irsquod like to take the opportunity of this article to reach out to those who give me their trust and help be it with their time their friendship and any type of support Day after day to year after year team work is essential and Irsquoll do my best to continue deserving every-onersquos encouraging smilesrdquo
European Broadcasting Union
Union Europeacuteenne de Radio-Teacuteleacutevision
+41 (0)22 717 2111 wwweurovisionnet
We bring the event to your home
Eurovision
copy K
it H
ough
ton
FE
I
FEI_08_A4indd 1 03012008 162238
European Broadcasting Union
Union Europeacuteenne de Radio-Teacuteleacutevision
+41 (0)22 717 2111 wwweurovisionnet
We bring the event to your home
Eurovision
copy K
it H
ough
ton
FE
I
FEI_08_A4indd 1 03012008 162238
Nominations for the FEI Awards opened in May enabling the global equestrian com-munity to once again reward outstanding dedication to horse sport in five categories ndash Development Best Groom Against All Odds Rising Star and Best Athlete The search for the equestrian heroes of 2011 is now on who will be flown to Rio de Janeiro Brazil to receive their awards
Where are they now The FEI asked the current title-holders for an update on their activities
Follow us on
38
FEI Awards 2011
Ebony Horse Club (GBR)Winner of the Alltech FEI DevelopmentAward 2010
The Ebony Horse Club announced in December 2010 that after an eight-year fundraising effort it had the pound14 million necessary for building an equestrian cen-tre in one of Londonrsquos most deprived boroughs Since 1996 Ebony has offered youngsters in an area reput-ed for its gang culture high level of gun crime and drug dealing the chance to ride and learn key social skills The clubrsquos 50 members travel to riding schools across London on public transport or in minibuses ndash a logistical headache that the inner-city equestrian centre will end Construction work began in February
Ebony Horse Club founder and director Ros Spear-ing told the FEI ldquoRiding lessons are continuing and the club is preparing for the transitionrdquo Building will finish on 7 July but the centre will open for riding lessons in October ldquoThe horses will be brought to Brixton in the summer and will have time to acclimatise to their new environmentrdquo Spearing said The centre will include stabling for nine horses a small paddock and a flood-lit riding arena as well as a classroom for learning about horses and equine management Spearing is adamant that club members ndash present and future ndash care for their rides and wants the centre to serve as a stepping stone to careers in the horse industry
Ebonyrsquos existence will continue to depend on the generosity of donors For more information visit wwwebonyhorsecluborguk
Michelle Tipper (GBR)Winner of the FEI Best Groom Award 2010
Michelle Tipper has continued to juggle grooming and study since receiving her FEI Award in Novem-ber She has organised the grooms for the British European Junior and Young Dressage teams and in April her contract as a travelling groom for British Dressage riders Paul and Bobby Hayler took her to Addington for the first of many international com-petitions she will work at this year The Haylers have eight horses competing and the number she works with at each venue varies Tipper has also been help-ing British Dressage riders Nicky and Richard Barrett with yard duties ldquoI feel very lucky to work for both of these familiesrdquo said the FEI Best Groom Award win-ner adding that she feels part of the two families In March Tipper graduated from university with a Masters in Sport Psychology She is now working towards British Association of Sport and Exercise Science accreditation which requires at least 500 hoursrsquo supervised work experience and is present-ing sport psychology workshops in conjunction with the company Inside Performance Consulting Limit-ed (wwwinside-performancecom) The workshops are organised internationally for people of all ages from any sport To find out more contact Tipper at michelletipper1979yahoocom
39FOCUS
Michelle Tipper ndash copyWilliam TzengAward winners ndash copyWilliam TzengCaroline Roffman ndash copySharonPackercomEbony Horse Club ndash copyEbony Horse ClubEdward Gal and Totilas ndash copyKit HoughtonFEIAngelika Trabert ndash copyJulia Rau
Angelika Trabert (GER)Winner of the FEI Against All Odds Award 2010
German Para-Dressage rider Angelika Trabert has represent-ed her country at four Paralympic Games and won some 15 medals at national European and world championships She is currently seeking a new home for Londria the mare that con-tributed to her Team Silver medal win at the Hong Kong Para-lympics Londria who had a foal last year was also Trabertrsquos ride during her medal-winning performances at the European Championships in Hungary (2005) and Norway (2009)
Trabert said her decision to let go of Londria was hard to make but was necessary for financial reasons She will keep the foal Finaud Coquin and her mares Walmorel and Ariva-Avanti Trabert won the Para-Dressage Grade 2 Freestyle Champion-ship at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade with Ariva and said the horse was ldquowell and ready to go for the Europeans again in Belgium in September if we qualifyrdquo Trabert competed in her first international competition of 2011 in May in Man-nheim Germany where she came first in the Grade II indi-vidual and second in the freestyle She is taking part in the German Championships in June
Away from the equestrian world Trabert works as an anaes-thetist and has participated in medical missions in the rural ar-eas of Guinea for the organisation Mango In January she was back in Guinea as part of team that carried out 100 operations in 13 days wwwangelika-trabertde
Visit the recently refreshed FEI Awards website to find out more about the Awards the pastwinners the judges and to make yournominationsby 31 July
wwwfeiawardsorg
40
Caroline Roffman (USA)Winner of the HSBC FEI Rising StarAward 2010
Success continues to smile on twenty-two-year-old American Dressage rider Caroline Roffman Since re-ceiving the HSBC FEI Rising Star Award she has en-joyed numerous wins at small tour and young horse levels achieving scores in the mid-eighties and quali-fying two horses for the young horse championships
Roffman is currently showing six horses and has won several classes at PSG and Grand Prix level ldquoBut nothing is as exciting as to be going to Aachenrdquo said the young woman who has been described as the American Dressage communityrsquos brightest hope ex-plaining that at the FEI Awards ceremony in Chinese Taipei Frank Kemperman FEI Dressage Committee Chair and Chairman of the Managing Board at CHIO Aachen (GER) invited her to take part in the pres-tigious event Roffman will be the first American to compete in the Under 25 Grand Prix there and is hop-ing to take her horse Lux Stensvang
An interview with Caroline Roffman at the Palm Beach Dressage Derby CDI will be broadcast on the magazine programme Equestrian World on FEI TV the FEIrsquos official online video platform wwwfeitvorg
Edward Gal and Totilas (NED)Winners of the Reem Acra FEI Best Athlete Award 2010
The world-famous partnership of Dutch Dressage rider Edward Gal and the extraordinary Totilas ended in style in 2010 with notably three gold medal wins at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade
The first foal sired by the superstar stallion was born in January followed by two more in the spring Gal who has admired the foals told the FEI ldquoYou never know ndash maybe in a few yearsrsquo time Irsquoll have another Totilas readyrdquo At the beginning of April he was busy at home training nine horses and preparing for the Reem Acra FEI World Cuptrade Dressage Final in Leipzig and the European Championships in Rotterdam He had not yet decided which horses he was going to compete with but was particularly looking forward to the Freestyle to Music Asked what it was like to compete without Totilas Gal said ldquoEverybody ex-pected Totilas to win I find it easier to ride other horses because nobody expects me to win and when I do itrsquos really nicerdquo
41FOCUS
globetrotter
Seal of approval for the Adai horseSixty years have passed since an Adai horse reportedly set a record galloping 354km in one day Today the Adai horse a breed na-tive to Kazakhstan is back in the spotlight with a gold medal at the FEI Central Asian Endurance Championship in Talgaearlier in May only months after having been award-ed official pedigree status following tests
conducted by a State Commission in the Mangistau Steppes which allowed itto compete internationally The horses are cherished for their hardiness and Oyly ridden by Altyngali Bissemaganbetov (KAZ) proved just that when crossing the finishing line first demonstrating just how tough the Adai horses are and the beginning of a new era for sturdy breed on the international stage
Equestrian Australia Sport
Achievement Awards
In May the best of the best in
Equestrian sport gathered to cel-
ebrate the achievements of Austral-
iarsquos athletes coaches officials vets
administrators owners volunteers
and the many other people that
dedicate their time and enthusiasm
to equestrian sport The ceremony
also included the introduction of
Equestrian Australiarsquos Hall of
Fame won by the legendary Bill
Roycroft Boyd Exell winner of
the FEI World CupTM Driving
Final was awarded the interna-
tional athlete of the year
award
Kevin Stautbecomes first athlete representative on FEI
executive board
Kevin Staut one of Francersquos most successful Jumping riders became the first athlete to be appointed to the FEI Executive Board for a three-year term Staut (31) who has held the number one spot in the Rolex Rankings for Jumping since July 2010 has ridden on numerous Nations Cup teams for France and claimed individual gold at the Alltech FEI European Jumping Championships in 2009
HulA CARTSWorld Horse Welfare has greatly helped the liv
es of
five Senegalese cart horse owners by presenting them
with new Hula Carts The local people who depend on
their working horses for their livelihoods were specially
selected by the charity to receive the carts which have
been sponsored by members of the public in the uK
The Hula Carts are specifically developed to help the
horses pulling heavy loads in often difficult conditions
Equestrian Australia Sport
Achievement Awards
In May the best of the best in
Equestrian sport gathered to cel-
ebrate the achievements of Austral-
iarsquos athletes coaches officials vets
administrators owners volunteers
and the many other people that
dedicate their time and enthusiasm
to equestrian sport The ceremony
also included the introduction of
Equestrian Australiarsquos Hall of
Fame won by the legendary Bill
Roycroft Boyd Exell winner of
the FEI World CupTM Driving
Final was awarded the interna-
tional athlete of the year
award
Olympic legendBill Roycroft passes away aged 96
A legend of Equestrian sport in Australia James William
George Roycroft OBE known as ldquoBillrdquo was one of Austral-
iarsquos greatest Olympians and one of only five Australians to
have competed in five consecutive Olympic Games (from
1960 - 1976) as well as being Australiarsquos oldest medallist
and oldest competitor at 61 years and 31 days In May 2011
Bill was inducted in Equestrian Australiarsquos inaugural Hall
of Fame ndash he was Australiarsquos oldest living Olympian and
shared his dedication and enthusiasm for the sport with
his sons Barry Wayne and Clarke (See a brief description
of his exploits in the 1960 Olympic Games Memory Lane
article page 9 which catapulted Australiarsquos reputation as
one of the best Eventing teams in the world)
webinfofeiFEI web wizard Nicole Sigrist has added a new hub for the Press on wwwfeiorg called FEI Press Kits located in the Media section of the website The Press Kits zone which is also open to the general public is regularly updated with infor-mation relating to FEI series and specific events with flip books and downloadable PDFs as well as direct links to the Photo Catalogue the Rankings and Standings the Annual Report and more
100thanniversary for Finnish riding club
One of the three found-ing member clubs of
the Finnish Equestrian Federation the Suomen
Kenttaumlratsastusseura-Finska Faumlltrittklubbenon celebrates
its 100th anniversary in 2011 Magnus Rydman former President of the Finnish National Federation and Presi-dent of the FEI from 1935 ndash 1946 was one of the founders of the club Another of the founders of the oldest club in Fin-land was the Eventing rider Colonel Hans Olof von Essen whose fifth place at the Antwerpen Olympic Games re-mains the best Olympic equestrian result the country has ever achieved
Follow us on
43FOCUS
Interview with the President of the Brazilian Equestrian Federation Mr Luiz Roberto Giugni
The Brazilian Equestrian Federation has been a member Federation of the FEI for 75 years how has the sport developed over that time We were facing regular growth (average of 25 in the last decade) but in the last three to four years this rate has significantly increased up to 35 a year We believe that this is due to international achievements (two Jumping Olympic team bronze medals the individual Olympic Jumping gold medal won by Rodrigo Pessoa several Pan Am Jumping team gold medals recent Olympic pre-qualification in Kentucky (4th in the world in Jumping) and the organisations of a Global Champions Tour event in Brazil
In terms of developing the sport what are the most successful projects you have undertaken in recent yearsWe decided to invest in education and have hired international trainers for all the disciplines such as Jean Maurice Bonneau for Jumping Nick Turner for Eventing Eric Lette for Dressage Jean Louis Leclerc for Endurance Mattias Lang for Vaulting with the long term in mind that is at least until the end of 2012 and planning towards 2016 when Rio will host the Olympic Games
How popular is equestrian sport with young people in Brazil and how do you compete with some of the bigger sports for their attention Popularization is growing bit by bit in a country
decidedly dominated by soccer ndash being 5 times World Champion makes it a national passion But we are continuously looking to attract TV to our events as this is a huge step towards gaining visibility and popularity Can you tell us about the programmesinitiatives in place for disabled athletes We are actively pursuing this and have achieved really positive results in little time such as the great performances and medals earned at the Para-lympic Games in Hong Kong in 2008 We do this through clinics courses international exchanges of athletes and working alongside our National Paralympic Committee to support us in our efforts
Brazil will be host the FEI General Assembly at the end of the year what do you want all the visiting delegates to remember from their visit That we are more than just a really beautiful and warm country with the ability and capacity to organise great events and that we are committed to putting on the best Olympic Games ever
What are the main objectivesplans for the Brazilian Federation in the lead up to the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games Our NOC is really committed to raising the bar of all the sports to a level never seen before and we are working towards that in terms of our athletes our judges our venues and everything that is related to our sport and the quality of our sport In line with this objective we are providing incen-tives to owners to buy good horses aiming for 2016 and this is going to plan for now We expect to perform well at the upcoming Pan Am Games and Olympics on our trail to 2016
Is there anything else you would like to share with us I would like to thank HRH Princess Haya President of the FEI as well as the Executive Board for all the support that we are getting which has been paramount to the development of equestrian sport in our country
44
President Luiz Roberto GiugniSecretary General Luiz Antonio RoccoMember since 1935
15 members of staff work at the federation
20 regional federations are affiliated tothe Brazilian Equestrian Federation with over 300 member riding clubs
6 000 affiliated riders
91 national events were held in 2010
31 international events were held in 2010
All the FEI disciplines are practiced in BrazilJumping Dressage Eventing Vaulting Reining EnduranceDriving amp Para-Equestrian
14 breeding organisations
There are 58 million horses and ponies in Brazilmaking it the fourth largest equine population in the world
FAC
TS amp
FIG
URE
S
45FOCUS
Dr Gerit Matthesen56 is a private equine practitioner an FEI Vet and a member of the FEI Veterinary Committee He graduated in Veterinary Medicine from Berlin University in 1983 and since 1989 has worked or officiated at some 180 competitions and championships including the last two Olympics and FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade He lives near Frankfurt with his wife Carola and their sons Mike (16) and Lars (14)
46
A life in a day
Dr Gerit Matthesen56 is a private equine practitioner an FEI Vet and a member of the FEI Veterinary Committee He graduated in Veterinary Medicine from Berlin University in 1983 and since 1989 has worked or officiated at some 180 competitions and championships including the last two Olympics and FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade He lives near Frankfurt with his wife Carola and their sons Mike (16) and Lars (14)
I wake up earlier than I need to ndash at around 6am ndash because breakfast time with my family is sacred to me and I can then drive my boys to the village station to take the train to school After two cups of coffee (enough for the day) and a glass of orange juice I read the newspapers then head to my prac-tice offices in our indoor arena I have a quick look at our horses then start work
While I listen to my phone messages I deal with my emails and search the internet for news about veterinary medicine and horse sport I then start planning the dayacutes schedule with Anna my assistant vet
My mobile practice is in a nice fairly rural area in the north of Frankfurt There are lots of horse farms but it is not a classic breeding area like the northern part of Germany There are sport horses as well as pleasure horses I have examination rooms and stables for horses staying or mares foaling in my practice stables Itrsquos not a big clinic which gives me time to work at competitions
After seeing a few small animals in my practice I normally start my field service at 930am In my car I have enough equipment (ultrasound X-ray systems and endoscopical devices) for the dayrsquos examinations and standing procedures We mainly have lameness examinations to do or internal diseases to treat accompanied by routine work like vaccinations or carrying out pre-purchase or health certificate examinations If time allows I go home for a quick lunch but thatrsquos not every day
While Irsquom driving I have time to think and I write down everything that come to mind regarding sport competitions committees and so on You have to write down your thoughts when yoursquore over the age of 50
It is not easy planning my day because any emer-gency can destroy or delay my schedule For all the paperwork and certificates I need a time frame so
I often do that over quiet weekends when there are no competitions During the winter season I am less busy but in summer a lot of weekends are taken over by the competition schedule
I love my work especially in Eventing which is my favourite discipline My wife and I practiced it ndash not up to top level but it was a fine time despite a bro-ken ankle from a fall in 1988 which after 23 years is making walking more and more difficult for me
I like to do my competition work on a friendly but strict basis and I really like to hear riders saying they are treated fairly Over the years I have acquired a lot of experience and met all the officials and riders
Usually when I return home in the late afternoon there are more small animals to see When Irsquove done the dayrsquos paperwork I hope there will be no more emergencies such as cases of colic which usually occur in the early evening
I look forward to getting on my horse which is a beautiful show-jumper I like to ride but Irsquove stopped competing I do dressage jumping and go out into the fields but itrsquos all just for fun now
The day finishes with the family and a nice cold glass of German beer
Itrsquos a struggle to find time to spend with my family and I often have to cancel my holidays with them I am really grateful to my wife and the boys for their understanding of my job and to my assistant vet who covers for me when Iacutem out somewhere in the world of equestrian sport
ldquoThe combination of my profession and beinginvolved in differentaspects of top equestrian sport is my visionrdquo
47FOCUS
Pull your show attire from the closet clean your boots and tack groom the horses hook up and pack the trailer check the clock double check to make sure you have everything put on the shipping boots load your horses and away you drive to the competition venue or to the airport for transport to a distant event
You know the drill well but still you arrive tired per-haps even a bit frazzled Yoursquoll sleep (or try to) the next several nights in an unfamiliar bed or camp out in the living quarters of your trailer You awaken riveted on the competition playing out the dayrsquos classes in your mind wondering how your rides will fare against oth-ers praying that the weather will be cooperate and trying to control your nerves all the while knowing that no matter how well you have prepared many factors are out of your control You may even be in a different time zone
We go through a lot to compete our horses But if you think life on the road is stressful for you think about what itrsquos like for your horses Your back may be a bit sore from driving or being strapped into an airplane seat for hours on end but for horses transportation is far more demanding It is an athletic endeavour re-quiring an expenditure of energy to maintain balance during the constant movement of transport When your horses arrive they face social isolation from stablemates lack of security in novel environments altered training regimes water that tastes strange and the confines of an unfamiliar stall This routine impacts a horsersquos health and well being with effects
continuing long after the journey is over During transport toxic gases (such as ammonia or carbon monoxide) can cause damage to the lung epithelium precipitating respiratory disease The
final destination itself can also cause problems Usually horses are transported to environments where they will be mixing with other horses The mixing of horses from different environments with different infectious organisms and under stressful conditions further precipitates susceptibility to disease
This can have a severe impact on the equine gut The stress of transportation is known to increase gut ulceration in the horse a painful condition reducing performance and causing colic-like symptoms Stress can also slow the flow of digesta and alter the normal gut flora resulting in digestive upset and possibly diarrhoea or colic
The effects of travel stress on the gut are compounded by the typical diet of the regular equine traveller To maintain athletic ability high performance horses are often fed energy-charged diets contain-ing increased levels of starchy materials such as cereal grains Unfortunately this type of diet can reduce beneficial types of gut flora and promote gut acidity further predisposing the horse to digestive upsets and ulceration It is not surprising that stressed tired horses may not fulfill their potential on arrival
Feeding to reduce stress for the equine traveller
By Darlene RickerExecutive editor of Alltechrsquos EQUINE INTERNATIONAL magazine
48
Alltech Tips
growth of opportunistic Salmonella spp which are present in the intestinal tract of many healthy horses These bacteria then attach to the gut lining via a mannan sugar and penetrate it causing damage and resulting in diarrhoea One method of prevent-ing or minimising the attachment of these organ-
isms to the gut lining is to provide an adsorbant supplement A form of sugar found in the cell walls of certain yeasts can do this This sugar compound is called man-nan oligosaccharide or MOS MOS products such as Alltechrsquos Bio-Mosreg have been shown to re-duce the colonization of Salmonella
spp in the guts of certain species and augment the immune response to Salmonella spp potentially conferring an enhanced ability to fight infection Both Yea-Saccreg 1026 and Bio-Mos are among the natural products contained in Alltechrsquos LIFEFORCETM equine supplement which many FEI competitors have successfully incorporated into their daily feeding regimen at home and on the road
lifeforcehorsecom
and may be subject to health concerns in the days following a long journey Fortunately however you can curb some of the effects of travel stress on the horsersquos gut by nutritional supplementation Organic yeast products used to supplement a horsersquos diet can support the normal gut flora modifying the intesti-nal environment and improving the horsersquos digestion One such culture is Saccharomyces cerevisae in the form of Yea-Saccreg 1026 Alltechrsquos propriety organic yeast
Experiments were conducted to evaluate the effects Yea-Sacc on gut flora and gut acidity Horses were fed either a high-starch or a high-fibre diet both with and without supplementation of Yea-Saccreg 1026 Results indicated an excessive amount of starch in the gut The use of Yea-Sacc reduced acidity and stimulat-ed the activity of fibre-digesting bacteria in the hind-gut for both types of diet The result was maximised fibre digestibility and more efficient use of nutrients thus increasing the amount of energy available to the horse for performance and counteracting digestive upset Salmonellosis is one of the more commonly di-agnosed infectious causes of diarrhoea in horses Many cases develop after the stress of transport The effects of travel stress on the normal gut flora allow an over-
Moorlands Totilas arrives for the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade after air transport copy Dirk Caremans
HRH The Infanta Dontildea Pilar de Borboacuten former President of the FEI (1994-2006) also attended the inauguration along-side HRH Princess Lalla Amina Chairperson of the Royal Moroccan Federation for Equestrian Sports and member of the international Advisory Council of Special OlympicsThey were joined by International Olympic Commit-tee members representatives from other Interna-tional Federations federal and local Swiss authorities as well as architects and designers that worked on the project Switzerlandrsquos Martin Fuchs a member of the gold medal winning team at the inaugural Youth Olympic Games in Singapore last year accompanied FEI President Princess Haya in officially opening the FEI headquarters
ldquoThe building we are inaugurating today has been designed to serve our wonderful sportrdquo explained FEI
President Princess Haya ldquoI also feel an immense
sense of pride knowing that this building carries the name
of my late father and hope that this serves as a constant reminder
to all of us who work at the FEI of a unique statesman whose entire soul was devoted to the service of his people Our new headquarters will play a key role for the FEI and our National Federa-tions over the coming years It will be the environ-ment in which important discussions take place and fundamental decisions are taken as we continue our mission to advance the orderly growth of equestrian sport worldwide while ensuring that the welfare of the horse and a level playing field remain at the centre of all that we dordquo
FEI celebratesNEW Headquarters
Over 250 guests attended the inauguration ceremony on Friday 6 May at HM King Hussein I Building which was timed to coincide with the FEI
Extraordinary General Assembly so that attending NationalFederation representatives
could be a part ofthe celebrations
1 Youth Olympic Games team champion Martin Fuchs (SUI) FEI President HRH Princess Haya and her daughter HH Sheikha Al Jalila officially open the FEIrsquos new home 2 Gilbert Felli IOC Olympic Games Executive Director and FEI Secretary General Ingmar de Vos 3 HRH The Infanta Dontildea Pilar de Borboacuten sits down to an interactive quiz in the FEI Gallery 4 Guests gathered in the atrium of the FEI HeadquartersAll images copy Hugues SiegenthalerFEI
Highlights available on50
1
2
3 4
5
6 7
8
THE GALLERy
As well as housing offices for its 62 employees and conference facilities for its 133 National Federations the new headquarters also has a state-of-the-art in-teractive gallery showcasing equestrian sport
The Gallery is the brainchild of Dr Amichai Alper-ovich historian former Secretary General of the Is-raeli Equestrian Federation and curator of the Israeli Olympic Museum (opened in 2009) He worked hand in hand with the Tel Aviv based company Disk-In Pro and interior designer Oded Alony to help bring the content to life and the result is truly unique and ground breaking Giant glass surfaces act as interac-tive interfaces for the visitors to travel through time
The FEIrsquos new headquarters which were donated to the Federation by FEI Presi-dent HRH Princess Haya in 2007 fol-lowing a personal fundraising effort are conveniently located close to the Inter-national Olympic Committee and other international sports federations It has been written into the FEI Statutes that the new FEI headquarters building will always house the Federationrsquos offices In 2008 the building was thoroughly renovated in accordance with the Swiss MINERGIEreg construction standard for environmental responsibility which re-duces energy consumption by 25 per cent Only two per cent of renovated buildings in Switzerland meet the high Minergie standards Khuan Chew founder and design princi-pal of London-based architectural firm KCA International Ltd worked in close collaboration with Swiss-based architect Herveacute de Rham and interior designer Sia-vosh Adeli (SUI) to transform the build-ing which was built in the 1960s The modern and sleek interior was further enhanced with bespoke artworks pro-duced by Swiss creative agency b+g amp partners and imagery by world-famous equestrian art photographer Tim Flach where the simplicity and beauty of his equine subjects seamlessly embrace and accentuate the buildingrsquos pure lines and natural materials (see image left)
As they feasted on the innate beauty of their sur-roundings the guests also had the privilege to ex-perience the culinary talents of organic chef and specialist Gilles Wannaz and his team based in the town of Cully which sits on the edge of Lac Leman in Switzerlandrsquos famous Lavaux wine growing region
5 HRH Princess Haya welcomes the guests to the Inauguration of the HQ and the 90 year celebration of the FEI 6 Artwork by renowned pho-tographer Tim Flach 7 An organic and colourful buffet presented on an authentic lawn by local chef Gilles Wannaz 8 A life size horse sculpture by Christophe Dumont greeted the guests upon their arrival
53FOCUS
and space with the latest in touch technology revis-iting the history of the FEI the equestrian events at Olympic amp Paralympic Games the FEI World Eques-trian Gamestrade and information on all of the member National Federations with statistics videos images and text The Gallery also includes projections on ar-chitectural surfaces designed by Oded Alony referred to as the Origami as well as interactive stations and unique video projections on glass screens
For all those wishing to visit the FEI Gallery simply contact the FEI HQ to make an appointment and we would be delighted to take you on a journey to dis-cover or rediscover the human and equine athletes whose talents have marked equestrian history and inspired young riders drivers and vaulters around the world
Interview withDrAmichaiAlperovich
When did you first dream up the FEIInteractive Gallery When I found out the FEI was planning to move into new HQ in 2009 Disk-In Pro and I approached the FEI and presented them with several concepts for the space Before long we had agreed on the concept and we got to work
Why were you compelled to make it become a reality So that the FEI a prominent sports organisation could present itself to a growing audience in a new and visionary way with the latest technology And by doing so the FEI is a pioneer becoming the first International Federation to have a Gallery of this kind
What did you learn when researching and gathering content for the gallery I have learned a lot about the history of the FEI the strong Olympic tradition the diversity of disciplines the gender equality and the unique bond between horse and man One of the more fascinating topics was the evolution of the Dressage from itsrsquo Olympic debut to the modern Freestyle
Itrsquos very innovative technology what inspired you to take such a leap into the future with such a traditional sport Just as Dressage has evolved over the years and alongside the introduction of new disciplines partic-ularly Para-Equestrian you come to realise that the FEI is not as traditional as one would think Actually this kind of innovative presentation of equestrian history is really well suited to the FEI In the same way that you can have horse-man connections there is an audience-technology connection in the Gallery The audience have to be active in order to enjoy the depth of information the Gallery contains
54
Now it is time to open the door to new places to learn about sport ndash at the heart of sporting organi-sations themselves The Gallery is more than an informative tool it brings people to the sport andto the heart of its operations
Established in 1990 Disk-In Pro specialises in the planning design production and implementation of Museums Visitor Centres and sophisticated projects around the world This includes multi screen produc-tion animation 3D amp interactive films state-of-the-art software platforms and complex video displays for an unforgettable experience
Oded Alony holds a BA in Design from the Interior Design Section of the Holon Technological Institute and has since 1998 worked with Israelrsquos leading Architecture firms The Oded Alony Studio embraces holistic design a space where interior design lighting and graphics are brought together to create a harmo-nious project vision
Now that you have seen it unveiled to the public how would you like to see it evolve I hope the audience will be amazed from the design by architect Oded Alony and the new methods to deliver information whilst discovering the long his-tory of the FEI the diversity and the global reach of the organisation I hope the Gallery will become an icon in Lausanne and one of its highlights for visitors I promise the visitors a new platform to learn about equestrianism and each visit could be different as the information and themes will be updated and modi-fied regularly
This futuristic gallery is a first for anInternational Federation do you think thisis something all sports should invest inThe FEI took this courageous decision and now has this fantastic tool to present the organisation in new ways Sport is a huge cultural phenomenaWe have learned to consume sport in the arenas and stadiums in the press media and new media
Dr Amichai Alperovich
55FOCUS
SOCIAL MEDIAthe new frontier
Follow us on
The FEI has recently embarked on and embraced a whole new way of talking with the greater equestrian community through the ever expanding social media networks and platformsWith personalised Facebook Twitter and You Tube pages the FEI is taking it step by step and reaching out to this growing audience and listening to what they have to say
This new communication platform is by no means a substitution of the traditional communication path-ways but works alongside the press releases various publications and content on wwwfeiorg and wwwfeitvorg providing a new arena where the FEI can share interact and dialogue with fans of the sport and of equestrian values in general
We talk to Richard Johnson Director of Corporate Communications about the FEIrsquos commitment to social media
What compelled the FEI to venture onto the social media scene As a governing body with a vibrant and active com-munity of National Federations as well as thousands of fans the need to reach out to the online social community has never been stronger We have been watching the communities grow online for some time and have been listening to their conversations so being a part of it was the next logical step and a really important one The conversations will hap-pen with or without us so taking that step has been crucial in order to share our values and also build re-lationships with our fan base
Tradition meets modernity ndash does equestrian sportthe FEI have a place in social media Absolutely even though equestrian sport has a long history and is perceived as a traditional sport it is
always evolving In the 90 years of the FEI which was founded to govern the three Olympic disciplines it has grown to also oversee the disciplines of Driving Endurance Vaulting Reining and Para-Equestrian sport Or if you look at the early days when competi-tors were from military backgrounds and when wom-en did not compete alongside men to the complete gender equality we have today ndash a lot has changed and is in a constant state of change
The fans of equestrian sport are like any other fan base web savvy and eager for more information behind the scenes content and to share their opin-ions and thoughts ndash so it is an ideal partnership And from what we have seen these last few months and from the feedback we got from our blog at the Youth Olympic Games there is a real appetite for this
The FEI has dedicated Facebook Twitter and You Tube pages ndash why did you select these social media platforms The figures speak for themselveshellip Facebook Twit-ter and You Tube are the biggest players in the social networking space With over 500 million Facebook users 106 million Tweeters and 2 billion views a day on You Tube there has never been so much oppor-tunity for exposure Every site has different demo-graphics with different habits and needs so by having an FEI presence on these three networks we are able to cover a lot of ground and cater to different audi-ences by providing different types of content accord-ing to the platform
What are the main benefits of having a pres-ence on various social media platforms Itrsquos all about having a two way conversation ndash the benefits of dialogue where you can share content such as videos images facts and figures thoughts and values and then allow your fan base to react to get involved and to listen and learn from them By engaging with our audience and showing them that we are a modern and caring organisation and that we want to hear what they have to say then we are able to build trust and ultimately credibility in what we do and what we say
57FOCUS
TV
The offi cial video website of the Feacutedeacuteration Equestre Internationale
wwwfeitvorg
WATCH LIVE WATCH ONLINE
FEI TV is the FEIrsquos new offi cial video website and your ticket to the worldrsquos most prestigious competitions Sign-up to FEI TV (wwwfeitvorg) and get instant access to all the live broadcasts the extensive video-on-demand library all the highlights the behind the scenes reports the interviews and so much more Be at the heart of horsesport Join us
2823_1FEI_TV_Focus_165x226indd 1 170510 1124
It also keeps us alert as to what is being discussed and debated in the public sphere so that we can manage situations more effectively and be proactive in our messaging and information so that the facts are at the heart of the debate and not interpretations of them
How do you generate content for social media It was important when we launched our social me-dia presence that it be manageable with the exist-ing communications team in place ndash and so we have concentrated on keeping it simple and effective and using content innovatively Itrsquos not about reproduc-ing our website ndash but to engage with our fans and so often all you need is a good picture an interest-ing fact or great achievement to get the ball rolling For You Tube as we already have so much content generated from FEI TV it was simply a question of using bits and pieces from that content to provide the public with teasers from events interviews with winning riders or behind the scenes content which they can then follow up on FEI TV with a subscription
What are your Social media goals Itrsquos really to build relationships and dialogue with our fan base by using our content innovatively by listening to what they have to say and by engaging with the community And for the National Federa-tions that have yet to take that step we want to be a guiding hand that can help them get started so that they too can reap the benefits of social media net-working Our sport competes against other sports for attention so itrsquos really important that we the FEI and the National Federations keep our finger on the pulse and cater to our fans
How can National Federations get involved NFs wishing to find out more about Social Media can contact me (richardjohnsonfeiorg) and I would be more than happy to discuss opportunities and ways of getting started as well as our experience at the FEI
We asked our Facebook followers why it was important to use face-book and here are a few comments they came up with
bullItrsquos a great way to find out about shows and competitions
bullBecause facebook can provide up to the minute updates as to the what is going on in the horse community
bullWe can share information and ideas over long distances We can find and connect with people we wouldnt be able to otherwise
bullIt also lets us express the true realities of our spot to keep us grounded
bullIt can bring peoples attention to excellence ndash and expose the issues
58
TV
The offi cial video website of the Feacutedeacuteration Equestre Internationale
wwwfeitvorg
WATCH LIVE WATCH ONLINE
FEI TV is the FEIrsquos new offi cial video website and your ticket to the worldrsquos most prestigious competitions Sign-up to FEI TV (wwwfeitvorg) and get instant access to all the live broadcasts the extensive video-on-demand library all the highlights the behind the scenes reports the interviews and so much more Be at the heart of horsesport Join us
2823_1FEI_TV_Focus_165x226indd 1 170510 1124
ldquo Donrsquot accept drinks from a strangerrdquo
Armchair travel journalist
Are you living a life without boundaries Some well-meant advice is best ignored but itrsquos still good to know yoursquore covered when yoursquore away With HSBC Premier your family can be protected with both Travel Insurance and dedicated assistance when yoursquore abroad Which is reassuring to know when yoursquore making the most of life
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201736_6000263_Coconut_226x165indd
Master 226x165
Rob Swainson 160211
HSBC - Coconuts Proof 01Head of Art TypographerDesigner ArtCreative Director Copywriter Account DirectorDIC Project ManagerPhotographer Illustrator Usage Model(s) Name(s) Usage
Media MediaStock Image Time Period Time Period
Territory Territory
8deg N ndash Kerala South India
altogether - he is the most decorated rider in Olympic history Only for the second time in the 76-year history of Eventing at the Olympics the defending champions repeated their victory Mark Todd (NZL) 32 with the 16-year-old Charisma For the first time qualifications were held to reduce the starting field for the individual Jumping The reigning European champions Pierre Du-rand (FRA) and the 13-year-old black gelding Jappe-loup added Olympic gold to their winningsParticipation Thirty-two nations
1992Games of the XXV Olympiad Barcelona (ESP) In Dressage the individual battle was played out be-tween Isabell Werthrsquos Gigolo and the defending Olym-pic champion from Seoul Nicole Uphoffrsquos 15-year-old Rembrandt Rembrandt and Uphoff triumphed and se-cured the gold After the repeat wins of Henry St-Cyr (SWE) in 1952 and 1956 on two different horses this was the first double triumph of a combination After the elaborate beautifully built and decorated Jump-ing obstacles of Seoul 1988 the Spanish decided on something different and the two architects in charge of designing the 25 obstacles used minimal figural and colour elements so as to more objectively define the difficulty of the obstacles This new vision did not find many partisansParticipation Thirty-four nations
1996Games of the XXVI Olympiad Atlanta (USA) The Atlanta Games saw extensive changes made to the competition formats of Dressage and Eventing Following the IOCrsquos reasoning whereby two sets of medals could not be distributed for the same effort the FEI split Eventing into two competitions team and individual An elaborate qualifying system in all three disciplines was created and for the first time quotas were establishedThe heat and humidity expected in Atlanta led to extensive research and measures aimed at protecting the welfare of the horses It was found that horses needed three weeks of acclimatisation ndash seven days to recover from the effects of transport and 14 days of passive acclimatisation to the new conditions The major measure was the installation of misting fans throughout the venueLinda Allen was the course designer the first woman to provide the Jumping courses at an Olympic GamesParticipation Thirty nations
1992 1993 1994
1996 1997 1998
1988 The German gold medal team (from left to right) - Ann-Kathrin Linsenhoff Monica Theodorescu Nicole Uphoff and Reiner Klimkecopy Kit Houghton
11FOCUS
1996The X Paralympic Games Atlanta (USA)1996 also marks for the first time equestrian sport was included at the Paralympics with Para-Equestrian Dressage on the programme The competition was run on borrowed horses Jo Jackson (GBR) won three gold medals the maximum possible For Great Britain it was a first of many team medalshellipParticipation Sixty-eight competitors from 16 nations
2000Games of the XXVII Olympiad Sydney (AUS) Forty four years after Melbourne 1956 when no horses would be allowed into Australia the Australian quarantine and inspection services proved to be much more accommodating The conditions were tough two weeks of pre-shipping quarantine in Europe and after arrival in Sydney two more weeks of quarantine on siteOf the 15 medal-winning horses 12 were thorough-breds and the other three were 78 thoroughbredsThe year 2000 was the final show-down of the two Dressage horses who had dominated the sport since the early nineties ndash Gigolo ridden by Isabell Werth (GER) and Bonfire ridden by Anky Van Grunsven (NED) with the latter taking gold medal honours Australia for the third time in a row won the team gold medal in EventingParticipation Thirty-seven nations
2000The XI Paralympic Games Sydney (AUS)The Australian spirit and warmth conveyed during the Olympics continued throughout the Paralympic Games thanks to the formidable cooperation between the Sydney Paralympic Organising Committee (SPOC) and the Sydney Organising Committee for the Olympic Games (SOCOG) Paralympic and Olympic athletes lived in the same village and enjoyed the same catering services medical care and facilities Errors in the scoring meant that medals had to be re-attributed but this did not cause too much upset Lee Pearson (GBR) took home three gold medals (including another team gold for GBR) the maximum possible while Australiarsquos Julie Higgins achieved an impressive double gold triumph Participation Seventy athletes from 23 nations
2004Games of the XXVIII Olympiad Athens (GRE) In 2004 the Games returned to Greece homeland to the Olympic GamesThe equestrian events were affected by controversies Waterford Crystal the horse ridden by Olympic cham-pion in Jumping Cian OrsquoConnor (IRL) tested positive to a prohibited substance generally administered to humans but forbidden for use in horses After lengthy legal procedures OrsquoConnor was disqualified and sanc-tioned The gold medal was awarded to second-placed
1996 1997 1998
2000 2001 2002
2000 2001 2002
2004 2005 2006
2000 The team podium in Eventing - Great Britain (silver) Australia (gold) USA (bronze) copy Kit Houghton
12
Rodrigo Pessoa (BRA) Another three horses tested positive as well As a result Germany lost its Jumping team gold which was awarded to the USA in February 2005 at a ceremony in Palm Beach FL (USA)A new competition format for Eventing involving two Jumping rounds one for the individual and one for the team standings was introduced The two roads and tracks (A + C) and the steeplechase (B) of the Endur-ance phase were abolishedParticipation Thirty-seven nations
the fact that main land China did not hold disease-free zone status from the International Organisation for Animal Health the competitions were held in Hong Kong 2000km away from the Olympic host city Beijing In order to protect animal welfare detailed studies on the effects of heat and humidity on horses were undertaken by the FEI in cooperation with top scientists The competition timetable was modified to avoid the hours of intense heat and the horses were stabled at the exceptional air-conditioned facilities provided by the Hong Kong Jockey Club Six horses five from Jumping tested positive to prohibited substances As a result Norway lost its first Jumping medal ndash bronze ndash which after more than two years of legal proceedings was awarded to Switzerland
Jumping gold went to team USA In Dressage Anky van Grunsven (NED) aboard Salinero won her seventh and eighth Olympic medals team silver and individual gold Eventing legend Mark Todd (NZL) made a much acclaimed come back but the spotlight was on Hinrich Romeike and the extraordinary Marius
The story of the 2008 Olympic Eventing gold med-allist is all the more extraordinary as Hinrich is an amateur rider By day his time is spent in his dental surgery attending to his many patients so his riding is restricted to after-hoursParticipation Forty-two nations
2008The XIII Paralympic Games Beijing (CHN)First Paralympic participation for the FEI following the inclusion of Para-Equestrian in 2006 to be governed alongside the 7 other disciplines These Games set a new benchmark for Para-Equestrian events with great facilities cheerful volunteers and large audiences totalling over 30000 - an unprecedented attend-ance for Para-Equestrian events
For the third Paralympics in a row Lee Pearson (GBR) won three gold medals keeping up his record of win-ning all the gold medals available to him Singa-porersquos Laurentia Tan picked up Asiarsquos first Paralympic Equestrian medals with two individual bronze medals Marco Alves picked up Brazilrsquos first Paralympic Equestrian medal with bronze in Grade Ib Participation Seventy-eight athletes from 28 nations
2004The XII Paralympic Games Athens (GRE)The venue was excellent and there was good support from local volunteers Both Debbie Criddle and Lee Pearson (pictured above) from Great Britain picked up the maximum three gold medals The International Paralympic Committee presented the Equestrian Technical Delegate with the award for Best Official of all the sports at the Paralympic Games Participation Seventy athletes from 29 nations
2008Games of the XXIX Olympiad Beijing (CHN) Hong Kong (CHN) For the second time in Olympic history the equestrian events were held separately from other sports Due to
2004 2005 2006
2008 2009 2010
2008 2009 20102004 Lee Pearson (GBR) in Athens where he scoopedthe maximum three gold medals available to him
13FOCUS
The climax of the indoor international Jumping sea-son brought together 43 riders from 21 nations and ended with Christian Ahlmann riding Taloubet Z to Germanys ninth victory in the 33-year history of FEI World Cuptrade Jumping Canadarsquos reigning Olympic champion Eric Lamaze took second place with Hickstead followed by Dutch combination Jeroen Dubbeldam and BMC Van Grunsven Simon who rocketed up from overnight 11th to finish third when producing one of only two double clears on the final afternoonGerman riders dominated from the first of the three qualifiers in Leipzig ndash the speed competition which Marco Kutscher with Cash won with 6355 seconds followed by his compatriots defending champion Marcus Ehning and Christian Ahlmann who took second and third place respectively In the second qualifier the withdrawal of Saudi Arabiarsquos Abdullah Al Sharbatly reduced the field to 40 starters Eric Lamaze took the lead with a fabulous clear in 4068 a win that bounced him up to fifth spot just six points behind the leading pair ndash an ascent he continued to master on the final day
J U M P I N GFINAL LEIPZIG
ROLEX FEI World Cuptrade
JUMPINGldquoIt was wonderful to be back in Leipzig again for yet another great Rolex FEI World Cuptrade Jumping Final in a city with such a rich cultural backgroundrdquo John Roche FEI Director of Jumping
FEI World Cuptrade Finals
REEm ACRA FEI World Cuptrade
DressaGe
DRESSAGEFINAL LEIPZIG
ldquoThe Reem Acra FEI World Cuptrade Dressage took place in a perfect setting with enough space for everyone to give their very best performancesrdquo Trond Asmyr FEI Director of Dressage
Adelinde Cornelissen (NED) and the magnificent Jerich Parzival danced to victory to the strains of Tchaikovskyrsquos Nutcracker Suite in the Freestyle com-petition that closed the Reem Acra FEI World Cuptrade Dressage Final Denmarkrsquos Nathalie zu Sayn-Witt-genstein and Digby finished second while Germanyrsquos Ulla Salzgeber steered Herzrufrsquos Erbe into third place The 2010 title-winner Edward Gal (GER) finished fourth with a great performance from Sisther de JeuThe top three mirrored those of the Grand Prix class two days earlier when a confident performance rewarded with a score of 80957 put Adelinde Cornelissen (NED) in first place followed by Denmarkrsquos Nathalie zu Sayn-Wittgenstein with Digby (76884 3) and Germanyrsquos Ulla Salzgeber riding Herzrufrsquos Erbe (76216 points) Defending champion Edward Gal rode a tense Sisther de Jeu with a disappointing test score of 70122 The final saw 17 horse and rider combinations from 10 nations compete ndash three from the USA The
Netherlands and Germany two from Sweden and one from Hungary Fin-
land Poland Belgium Great Britain and Denmark Fifteen riders went on to the Freestyle competition
Highlights available as video on demand on
15FOCUS
Boyd Exell (AUS) successfully defended his FEI World Cuptrade Driving title in Leipzigrsquos thrilling final speed-ing to victory in front of a wildly enthusiastic crowd and becoming the second driver to score a hat-trick of World Cup victories Hungaryrsquos Jozsef Dobrovitz drove two brilliant rounds with his team of Lipiz-zaner horses and finished second ahead of IJsbrand Chardon (NED) The FEI World Cuptrade Driving Final was run over two indoor competitions which took place on 29 April and 1 May Seven drivers competed Tomas Eriksson (SWE) Koos de Ronde (NED) Werner Ulrich (SUI) Christian Pluumlcker (GER) and the triumphant trio who after emerging from the first round on 1 May with the highest number of points qualified for the winning round immediately afterwards
FEI World Cuptrade
DrIVINGldquoOnce again the worldrsquos best indoor drivers came together for a thrilling final the com-bination of horses working together in a team driven by superbly skilled horsemento produce thrilling andspectacular driving sportrdquo Ian Williams FEI Director of Non-Olympic Sports
16
Switzerlandrsquos Patrick Looser and Germanyrsquos Simone Wiegele claimed the inau-gural FEI World Cuptrade Vaulting titles at the 20102011 FEI World Cuptrade Finals a glittering Freestyle to Music showcase held over two daysLooserrsquos fellow starters in the Menrsquos section were Nicolas Andreani (FRA) Viktor Bruumlsewitz (GER) Daniel Kaiser (GER) Lukas Klouda (CZE) Nikolaus Luschin (AUT) and Yvan Nousse (FRA) Looser 26 was under pressure having finished second to Nicolas Andreani from France in the first Freestyle competition But
the reigning World Champion who won three of the four qualifying rounds over the winter months produced a superb performance which left Andreani in second place and Germanyrsquos Viktor Brusewitz in third In addition to the victorious Wiegele contenders for the Female title were her three compatriots Pia Engelbury Ines Juumlckstock and Antje Hill Simone Jaumliser (SUI) Stefanie Kowald (AUT) and Anna Cavallaro (ITA) In the second
competition Wiegele followed team-mate Hill into the arena in Hall 1 which seemed to be much more to the liking of the
horses than the smaller ring used on the first day And although Hillrsquos routine was
dramatic and beautifully controlled it was Wiegelersquos more complex display that settled
the destination of the very first Female World Cup trophy
ldquoFor the first time an indoor final that provided the public with an opportunity to witness the gymnastic movements of
athletes atop magnificent horses all choreographed to breathtaking musical arrangementsrdquo
Ian Williams FEI Director of Non-Olympic Sports
Highlights available as video on demand on
WHEN AND WHERE
26 ndash 30 July FEI European Reining Championship for Seniors amp Juniors Wiener Neustadt (AUT)
16 ndash 21 August FEI European Vaulting Championships for Seniors amp Juniors Le Mans (FRA)
17 ndash 21 August FEI European Dressage Championships Rotterdam (NED)
25 ndash 28 August HSBC FEI European Eventing Championships Luhmuumlhlen (GER)
01 ndash 04 September Open FEI European Driving Championships for Four-in-Hand Breda (NED)
01 ndash 04 September FEI European Para-Equestrian Dressage Championships Moorsele (BEL)
10 September FEI European Endurance Championships Florac (FRA)
13 ndash 18 September FEI European Jumping Championships Madrid (ESP)
LIVE ONLive coverage and highlightsCheck out the FEI TV broadcasting schedule for all the latest information on events broadcast live on FEI TV
European Championships for seniors in all the FEI disciplines are being held in 2011 We take a quick 360deg look at the dates venues facts amp figures and triumphant moments of the past 50 years of European Championships
FeI europeanChampionships 2011
Donrsquot miss a beatComplete competition reports updates behind the scenes information facts and figures and more can be found on wwwfeiorg as well as our dedicated facebook twitter and you tube pages
18
Preview
For the 31st edition of the FEI European Jumping Championships the event returns to Spain 18 years after the Championships in Gijon only this time to be held at the Club de Campo Villa in Madrid The FEI European Jumping Championships take place every two years in the middle of the Olympic cycle and have been held since 1957 with the introduction of team medals in 1975
THE VENUEThe Club de Campo Villa de Madrid (ESP) has been host to an annual CSI for 100 years and will be tem-porarily replacing its usual grass in the main arena with all-weather sand footing to ensure perfect going for the Championship
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERSTeam ndash SwitzerlandIndividual ndash Kevin Staut (FRA)
OLyMPIC qUALIFICATIONThe 3 best ranked nations from Olympic Qualifying Groups A amp B at the 2011 FEI European Jumping Championships (excluding the teams already quali-fied at WEG) will be qualified to take part with a team consisting of 4 athletes amp 4 horses or 3 athletes amp 3 horses
GREAT HORSES OF THE EUROPEANCHAMPIONSHIPSDEISTER - An extraordinary horse with an extraordi-nary record With Germanys Paul Schockemohle on board this brilliant bay Hannoverian led won three consecutive individual gold medals - in Munich Germany in 1981 Hickstead England in 1983 and Dinard France in 1985 Bred by Hermann Hahl in Osterbruch Lower Saxony Deister was by Diskant out of Adlerklette by Adlerschild stood 171cms high and had the heart of a lion Deisters European medal
haul also included team gold at Munich in 1981 team silver in Rotterdam in 1979 and team bronze at both Hickstead in 1983 and Dinard in 1985 Despite his incredibly active career the hardy Deister who was born in February 1971 lived to the ripe old age of 29
MR SOFTEE - The closest challenger to Deister for the title of Champion of the Europeans is the Irish-bred Mr Softee - a three-time winner but with two different riders Mr Softee enjoyed a hugely success-ful career with David Broome However it was with another Briton David Barker that the chestnut horse with four white legs took the individual European ti-tle for the first time in London in 1962 This was then followed up with David Broomersquos victory in Rotter-dam in 1967 and in Hickstead in 1969 Broome once said that like many other top horses Mr Softee had a big opinion of himself - He thought he was a king - and he was right
Believe it or nothellip
bull Itwasonlyin1975thatwomenwere permittedtocompetealongsidemenin theEuropeanJumpingChampionshipsprior tothistherehadbeentheLadiesEuropean JumpingChampionshipsheldfrom1957- 1973
bull Only2womenhaveeverwonthe FEIEuropeanChampionshipsFrancersquos AlexandraLedermannin1999and MeredithMichaels-Beerbaum(GER) in2007
bull Germanyledthegoldtallywith20 medals(14individualamp6team)double theamountofrunnerupGreatBritainon 10(6individualand4team)
FeI eUroPeaN
JUMPINGChaMPIoNshIPs
13-18 September 2011
Madrid (SPAIN)
19FOCUS
LIVE coverage on
Rotterdam gets set to host the 25th edition of the FEI European Dressage Championships for the first time and only the second time for the Netherlands (Arnhem 1999) The FEI European Dressage Championships take place every two years in the middle of the Olympic cycle and have been held since 1963
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERS
Team ndash The Netherlands
Individual ndash Kuumlr to MusicEdward Gal (NED) amp Moorlands Totilas
Individual ndash Grand Prix SpecialAdelinde Cornelissen (NED) amp Jerich Parzival
OLyMPIC qUALIFICATIONThe 3 best ranked nations from Groups A B amp C at the 2011 FEI European Dressage Championships (exclud-ing the teams already qualified at WEG) will be quali-fied to take part with a team consisting of 3 athletes amp 3 horses
THE WIND OF CHANGEFor 21 consecutive Championships from 1965 to 2005 (no team title awarded in 1963) the Germans held the European title but the last two editions have seen an upset to that tradition with the Netherlands clenching gold In 2009 the Dutch domination was particularly strong with five out of six individual med-als awarded to Dutch riders and the sixth going to British rider Laura Bechtolsheimer
IN MEMORy OF HENRI CHAMMARTIN (SUI)At the time of writing a legend in the Dressage world Henri Chammartin (SUI) passed away at the age of 92 An Olympic and European Dressage champion Henri Chammartin won the first two editions of the
FEI European Championships in 1963 and 1965 riding Wolfdiedtrich and competed in five consecutive edi-tions of the Olympic Games ndash Helsinki 1952 Stock-holm 1956 Rome 1960 Tokyo 1964 and Mexico 1968 ndash winning a total of five Olympic medals includ-ing Olympic champion in 1964
RECORD BREAKINGhellip In 2009 the formidable partnership of The Nether-lands Edward Gal and Moorlands Totilas smashed the world Freestyle record before a packed house with Windsor Castle standing proudly as a backdrop when scoring 9070 (including an unbelievable 29 perfect-10 scores) to win the Freestyle gold medal
Believe it or nothellip
bull GermanyhaswontheEuropeanDressage TeamTitleon21occasions
bull Thegreatestnumberofteamstoparticipate inEuropeanDressageChampionshipsis 14-atHickstead(GBR)in2003andagainat Hagen(GER)in2005
bull GermanysDrReinerKlimkewonthreeindi vidualtitles-atAachenin1967ridingDux andagainin1973ridingMehmedandat Copenhagenin1985ridingAhlerich
bull WithGigoloGermanysIsabellWerthtook theindividualtitlein1995and1997and wontheGrandPrixSpecialatDonaueschingen Germanyin1991andatLipicaSloveniain 1993
bull AnkyvanGrunsvenhasthreewinstoher namendashin1999withBonfirefollowedbythe backtobackwinswithSalineroin2005and 2007
17-21 August 2011
Rotterdam Netherland
FeI eUroPeaN
DressaGeChaMPIoNshIPs
20
LIVE coverage on
These are the second FEI European Para-Equestrian Dressage Championships to be held since Para-Equestrian joined the FEI Family in 2006 Para-Equestrian Dressage has been a regular fixture at the Paralympic Games since 1996 The first FEI European Para-Equestrian Dressage Championships were held in southern Norwegian town of Kristiansand in 2009 with a total of 78 ath-letes from 22 countries participating
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERS
Team Great Britain
Grade Ia Individual - Sophie Christiansen (GBR) Freestyle - Emma Sheardown (GBR)
Grade Ib Individual amp Freestyle Lee Pearson (GBR)
Grade II Individual - Petra Van der Sande (NED) Freestyle - Angelika Trabert (GER)
Grade III Individual amp Freestyle
Hannelore Brenner (GER)
Grade IV Individual amp Freestyle Sophie Wells (GBR)
The mobility strength and coordination of competi-tors are assessed and athletes with similar functional ability profiles are grouped into competition grades that range from Grade Ia for the most severely im-paired to Grade IV for the least impaired This means that the competition within each Grade can be judged on the skill of the individual competitors on their horses regardless of their disabilities
CLUB qUADRILLEMoorsele has been host to a regular international Para-Equestrian Dressage events for the past few years with the Club Quadrille as organiser The Club Quadrille was founded in 1981 by Anne Van Neste-dIeteren Belgian Dressage Champion from 1977 un-til 1982 current President of the Belgian Paralympic Committee and member of the FEI Para-Equestrian committee It is a unique sports club that works with both able bodied and disabled athletes and is active in the promotion and education of the sport As member of the honorary IPC Board Her Royal Highness (HRH) Princess Astrid of Belgium has been a fervent supporter of the event and has attended on many occasions
Believe it or nothellip
bull LeePearson(GBR)haswoneverygold medalwithinreachatParalympicWorld andContinentallevelandtheEuropeans in2009werenodifferentwithanother triplegoldvictory
bull GreatBritainalsohavetheMidastouch whenitcomestoteammedalsndashandarethe currentParalympicWorldandEuropean titleholders
bull In2009Germanycamecloserthanever totakingthegoldmedalfromall-time championGreatBritain
1-4 September 2011
Moorsele Belgium
FeI eUroPeaN
Para-eqUestrIaNDressaGeChaMPIoNshIPs
21FOCUS
A record number of fans are expected to attend the HSBC FEI European Eventing Championships as they return to Luhmuumlhlen for the fifth time to mark the 30th edition of the ChampionshipsThe FEI European Eventing Championships take place every two years in the middle of the Olympic cycle and have been held since 1953
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERSTeam ndash Great BritainIndividual ndash Kristina CookMiners Frolic (GBR)
OLyMPIC qUALIFICATIONThe 2 best ranked nations from Groups A B amp C at the 2011 HSBC FEI European Eventing Champion-ships (excluding the teams already qualified at WEG) will be qualified to take part with a team consisting of 3 athletes amp 3 horses
THE VENUELuhmuumlhlen one of only six 4 events on the interna-tional Eventing calendar and part of the prestigious HSBC FEI Classicstrade series will greet Europersquos best athletes with a fresh look and feel this year following extensive renovation to the existing infrastructures The recently renovated showground includes three Dressage and two Jumping arenas a tribune able to seat 850 spectators with spectacular views as well as a newly designed entrance including six ticket box facilities and fully catered trade stands The show-ground also boasts an open air stage with space for up to 15000 spectators ldquoI am confident that the in-vestment in the infrastructure will be of great benefit to all involved whether you are a volunteer a groom an athlete ndash both the horses and the riders - as well as for the sponsors guests spectators and the fans We are re-ally looking forward to great competitions this year at both the CCI4CIC3 in June and at the Europeans in August and hope many will join us to witness this historic momentrdquo Julia Otto Event Director Luhmuumlhlen
HSBCHSBC has renewed their sponsorship for a further three-year term as global sponsor of FEI Eventing to include title sponsorships of the HSBC FEI European Eventing Championships in both 2011 and 2013 and the HSBC FEI Classicstrade until the end of 2013
OFFICIAL TIMEPIECE Rolex the leading name in luxury wrist watches will be the Official Timekeeper for the HSBC FEI European Eventing Championships 2011
Believe it or nothellip
bull GinnyElliot(bornHolgate)theonlyrider towinthreesuccessiveindividualtitlesand IanStarkholdthejointrecordforEuropean goldmedalswonndashseveneachbutLucinda Greenstillhasthemostmedals(10)
bull SupremeRockriddenbyPippaFunnell (GBR)istheonlyhorsetowinback-to-back titles(in1999and2001)hehasfour Europeangoldmedalsintotalequalingthe recordofKilbarryThePoacherandOver ToYouwhowonarecordfourconsecutive Europeanteamgolds(1999-2005)
bull PrincessAnneandZaraPhillipsaretheonly mother-daughtercombinationtowin Europeantitles(1971and2005)
bull GreatBritainhaveheldtheEuropeantitle forthepast8consecutiveChampionships (since1995)Andofthe29editionstodate (startingin1953)theteamhavewona whopping21
25-28 August 2011
Luhmuumlhlen Germany
hsBC FeI eUroPeaN
eVeNtINGChaMPIoNshIPs LIVE coverage on
22
In September Breda Hippique in The Netherlands will be host to the seventh edition of the FEI Euro-pean Driving Championships for Four-in-Hand not held since 1981 This edition is open to both Euro-pean and non-European drivers and will also count as a qualifier for the indoor FEI World Cuptrade Driv-ing which is held during the winter season Only competitors from Europe can claim the individual and team medalsThe FEI European Driving Championships for Four-in-Hand were first held in 1971 in Budapest and continued to be held every two years until 1981 at which stage they were discontinued
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERSTeam ndash HungaryIndividual ndash Gyoumlrgyi Bardos (HUN)
SOMETHING IN THE WATERhellip Hungary have won five out of six available team European titles and on the individual front two Hungarians stand out from the crowd Imre Abony ndash individual winner in 1971 and 1975 and Gyoumlrgyi Bardos triple consecutive winner in 1977 1979 1981
IN THE BEGINNINGhellipThe first European Championships took place in Budapest in 1971 and moved on to Windsor in Great Britain in 1973 Sopot in Poland in 1975 Donauesch-ingen in Germany in 1977 and in Haras du Pin in France in 1979 The sixth and last edition took place in 1981 in Zug Switzerland
THE VENUEBreda has hosted the only Nations competition (CAIO) for Four-in-Hand horses in The Netherlands for many years In 1995 Breda hosted the first FEI European Driving Championships for Four-in-Hand ponies and in 2010 was host to the FEI World Para-Equestrian Driving Championships Aside from the four-in-hand teams Breda will also host international pony teams and national horse pairs at the event this year
Believe it or nothellip
bull Hungaryhavewonfiveoutofsixteamgold titles
bull AugusteDubeyfromSwitzerlandwasthe onlynon-HungarianEuropeanChampion hewontheChampionshipsin1973
bull PrincePhilipFEIPresidentfrom1964- 1986whocelebratedhis90thbirhtday inJuneisanavidfanofDrivingandpartici- patedinsixWorldandthreeEuropean Championships
1-4 September 2011
Breda Netherland
FeI eUroPeaN
DrIVINGChaMPIoNshIPsfor FoUr-IN-haND
Note At the time of writing the FEI European DrivingChampionships for Four in Hand was pending approvalby the FEI Bureau
23FOCUS
The 14th edition of the FEI European Endurance Championships return to Florac in France twenty five years after the inaugural event was held there The FEI European Endurance Championships first took place in 1984 and were immediately followed up by a second edition in 1985 and have since been held every two years They have always been open to the world with two sets of medals presented ndash open and European
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERSTeam ndash SpainIndividual ndash Maria Alvarez Ponton amp Nobby
RECORD BREAKINGCurrent title holder Maria Alvarez Ponton amp super horse Nobby is the first rider to hold European and World titles at the same time She will be looking to confirm her stronghold on the sport following her second consecutive World title with a second con-secutive European title in Florac a feat no rider has managed to achieve at the Europeans to date
THE VET GATEModern competitions consist of a number of sec-tions known as lsquophasesrsquo At the end of each phase there is a compulsory halt for veterinary inspection Each horse which is thoroughly examined before it is allowed to start the ride must be presented for inspection within a set time of reaching each vetgate The time spent at each vetgate prior to inspection by the vets is counted as part of the overall competition time and the aim is to determine whether the horse is fit to continue the ride
THE SUPPORT CREWA vital part of Endurance riding is the support crew Riders are assisted by a team of helpers who meet them several times over the ride bringing bottles of water to pour over the horse to cool it down as well as a drink for the rider Crews also have spare equipment in case something breaks down or needs replacing
Believe it or nothellip
bull TheFrenchhavethemedaledgewith6 individualand4teamgoldmedalsfrom the14editionsheld
bull Floracistheonlyvenuetohostthe EuropeanChampionshipstwice(thefirst editionin1984andtheupcomingedition in2011)
bull EnduranceisthefastestgrowingFEI disciplinefrom2000to2010thenumber ofinternationaleventshavemultipliedby10
10 September 2011
Florac France
FeI eUroPeaN
eNDUraNCeChaMPIoNshIPs
24
Reem Acra Boutique 14 East 60th St New York New York 10022 2123088760 wwwreemacracom
356935B2_RA_brochure2_souvenir_programmeindd 1 82710 1012 AM
Vaulting became an FEI discipline in 1983 and saw its first FEI European Championship organised just one year later in the town of Ebreichsdorf in Austria This 15th edition of the Championship ndash which also includes the European Juniors competition return to France for the 4th time but for the first time in the world renowned venue of Le Mans famous for its 24 hour race
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERS
Team ndash Austria
Individual malelongeurhorseNicolas Andreani (FRA)Marina Joosten DuponIdefix de Braize
Individual femalelongeurhorseJoanna Eccles (GBR)John EcclesWH Bentley
THE WIND OF CHANGEGermany and Switzerland have traditionally bat-tled for the team title (Germany has 7 gold versus Switzerlandrsquos 5) but in 2009 Austria who had come second on four occasions since the inception of the Championships in 1984 finally climbed onto the top spot of the podium and claimed the title In terms of the individual performances Germany had the stronghold on the male category winning 11 out of 14 gold medals But again in 2009 France the only other country to have ever beaten a German male vaulter at the Europeans made it to the top spot of the podium for only the third time since the Championships began
Similarly with the female vaulters it was an all German domination until 2007 when Austriarsquos Sissi Jarz claimed gold followed by Joanna Eccles (GBR) in 2009 ndash leaving Germany off the top step of the podium entirely in 2009
GREAT BRITAIN ndash A VAULTING NATIONhellip Times have definitely changed from the Swiss German domination with current World and European titles held by Great Britainrsquos Joanna Eccles She was the first British vaulter (male or female) to claim a medal at the Europeans ndash let alone a gold medal - and then went on to secure the world title in Kentucky last year
Believe it or nothellip
bull TheonlycountryotherthanGermanyand SwitzerlandtohaveclaimedaEuropean VaultingtitleisSlovakiain2005
bull ChristophLensing(GER)holdsthemale medalrecordndashwiththreegold(19891993 amp1995)aswellassilverin1991
bull NadiaZuumllowandSilkeMichelberger (formerlyBernhard)withthreegoldmedals each
16-21 August 2011
Le Mans France
FeI eUroPeaN
VaULtINGChaMPIoNshIPs
26
This is only the fifth edition of the European Reining Championships since the discipline joined the FEI in 2000 and the first time they will be held in Austria The event also includes the FEI European Champi-onships for Juniors and Young Riders ndash a formula introduced in 2009 in Kreuth (GER) which proved to be a multigenerational success The FEI European Reining Championships take place every two years and have been held since 2003
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERSTeam ndash GermanyIndividual ndash Nina Lill (GER) riding Lena Cielo Jewel
THE JUDGINGReining horses are judged individually Each horse au-tomatically begins the required pattern with a score of 70 One or frac12 points are given or taken away for each manoeuvre Credit is given for smoothness fi-nesse attitude quickness and authority Controlled speed in the pattern raises the level of difficulty and makes the reining horse exciting to watch
Believe it or nothellip
bull ItalyandGermanyaretheonlytwonations tohavewongoldmedalsndashGermanyhas3 teamgoldand2individualgoldversus Italyrsquossingleteamgoldandtwoindividual gold
bull GermanyrsquosNinaLillwinnerin2009was thefirstwomantotaketheindividualtitle sincetheChampionshipsbeganin2003
bull OlympicWorldandEuropeanDressage ChampionAnkyVanGrunsven(NED) competedattheAlltechFEIWorldEques- trianGamestradein2010inbothDressageand hellipReining
bull 13nationswerescheduledtoattendthe Championshipatthetimeofwritingthe largestparticipationbycountryever recordedfortheEuropeans
26-30 July 2011
Wiener Neustadt Austria
FeI eUroPeaN
reININGChaMPIoNshIPs
27FOCUS
ldquoThirty-one yearsrsquo experience comes in handy some-timesrdquo joked the ever-relaxed Todd who was a leg-end by the time he ldquoretiredrdquo in 2000 with back-to-back Olympic golds five Burghley wins two world gold medals and three Badminton victories one on a horse he had never ridden before ldquoIt is incredibly special though right up there with the back-to-back Olympic golds When I came back to the sport (in 2008) it was to see if I could get back to top level It has always been my aim to win another big onerdquo
A World class meeting of Generations
The 2011 HSBC FEI Classicstrade could not have got off to a more epic start with wins at Badminton and Kentucky by two of the sportrsquos most enduring personalitiesThe 55-year-old New Zealander Mark Todd rolled back the years to score a fourth victory at the Gloucestershire venue 31 years after his first attempt in 1980
By Kate Green
28
HSBC FEI ClassicsTm
The resurgence of so much experienced talent makes it harder for younger riders to work their way up the leaderboard but 29-year-old Sinead Halpin (USA) had a spectacular CCI4 debut at Kentucky finish-ing third and best of the home side in distinguished company This achievement earned her the HSBC Training Bursary worth US$1000 towards training a prestigious and valuable award presented to the rider who achieves the best result on completing a CCI4 for the first time
The bursary winner at Badminton Fiona Hobby (GBR) 39 has had a rather longer wait to complete
her first CCI4 ndash she was 26th on Roma ML ndash but she has in the meantime produced two children had a career as a sports therapist and only switched from Jumping to Eventing relatively recently Hobby has vowed to spend the money on dressage train-ing ldquoRoma couldnrsquot believe it when she arrived in the arena and saw all those people but she was great across country really focussed Irsquom delightedrdquo
For Germanyrsquos Sandra Auffarth Luhmuumlhlen pro-vided an outstanding CCI4 debut on Opgun Louvo a young horse she has produced herself coming second and picking up the HSBC Training Bursary and the exciting prospect of a possible place in the squad for the forthcoming HSBC FEI European Event-ing Championship at Luhmuumlhlen (25-28 August) at which Germany as host nation will be entitled to field 12 riders
Last yearrsquos HSBC Training Bursary winners include Stephanie Rhodes-Bosch (CAN) who went on to win a team silver medal at the Alltech FEI World Equestri-an Gamestrade Lauren Shannon (GBR) who finished 17th at Badminton this year and Giovanni Ugolotti (ITA) who is furthering his career by basing himself in Brit-ain for the season and having lessons with Mark Todd
LIVE coverage and extensive highlights available on
Toddrsquos winning mount the 10-year-old NZB Land Vision was a green horse for this level and he fin-ished the Cross-Country phase tired but his rider kept his cool in an extraordinarily tight finish in which the price of one Jumping fence covered the top 12 riders any of whom could with a bit of luck have won the Mitsubishi Motors Trophy ldquoIn the end it came down to horse-power and Irsquove obviously got a good one hererdquo said Todd ldquoCharisma (his double Olympic gold medallist) will always be the most special horse but this one has no weak linksrdquo
As is the nature of the sport Toddrsquos lead in the HSBC FEI Classicstrade didnrsquot last long ndash he came down to earth with a bump the following weekend with a Cross-Country run-out on NZB Grass Valley his ride at the Rolex Kentucky Three Day Event (USA) and 49- year-old Mary King (GBR) stole the head-lines with a record one-two on Kings Mis-tress and Fernhill Urco It was Kingrsquos first CCI4 victory for 11 years ndash she has won Badminton twice and Burghley once ndash but she certainly smashed a few re-cords with this one She became the first rider to score a one-two at Kentucky the first in modern times to win a CCI4 on a home-bred horse and the oldest female to win a CCI4
King who has six team gold medals at World and European level plus competed at five consecutive Olympics had the luxury of knowing she had already won the event on the inexperienced 10-year-old Fernhill Urco a horse bred in Portugal by the time she entered the arena on Kings Mistress but she still produced a second clear round ldquoI never dreamed that I would be in this position and Irsquom enjoying the momentrdquo said the ever-smiling King ldquoIt was great to have the feeling of having already won on Fernhill Urco but I still wanted desperately to go clear on Kings Mistress as it is so special to win on a horse I bred myselfrdquo It was also an all clear from Germanyrsquos Andreas Dibowski and Euroriding Butts Leon in order to secure victory at the fourth leg of the HSBC FEItrade
Classicstrade in Luhmuumlhlen presented by EON Avacon
29FOCUS
The Danish-American actorpoet musician photographerand painter has been around horses most of his life from riding Hasufel and Brego in The Lord of the Rings trilogy to early childhood memories in Argentina his passion for floating as he describes it has never wavered
What is it about the horse that makes you a horse loverWe get along generally I respect their strength and their personal space Your first riding experience ndash was it bliss or terrorLike floating like being on a warm and floating mountain I remember being happy Do you think anyone can rideYes It is a question of allowing yourself to ride of allowing yourself to cooperate and not be in total control Children are more adept at figuring this out letting things happen without getting impatient or scared just as they are braver and less self-conscious about pronouncing new words or singing Anyone at any age or in any physical condition can
Viggo Mortensen
achieve a degree of success and satisfaction with horses even if it is just a question of touching them being near them If horses could talk what would they be sayingYou will know if you listen and watch them Is there a unique trait you look for in a horse that you canrsquot find in peopleThey are more patient and less apt to complain about lifersquos setbacks and physical ailments than most people I admire a tough smart horse what-ever its breed age or size What would you miss most if you could no longer go ridingThe companionship and the floating perhaps also the abandonment of usual daily worries that relaxed riding requires Whatrsquos your usual riding outfit consist ofAnything will do Loose-fitting clothes and good comfortable boots are a plus but not vital I have even ridden barefoot ndash naturally taking care to avoid being stepped on when not on the horse - but I do not recommend this to anyone The most important thing is to have a clear and focused mind to be THERE at all times when around horses and NOWHERE ELSE Sugar lumps or carrotsIrsquove been guilty of offering an occasional apple or carrot although it is best not to give horses anything special unless treats are part of training them for special tricks or stunts a pursuit best left to experts like master horse trainer Rex Peterson whom Irsquove had the good fortune to work with and study quite a bit Treats spoil horses and do not keep the animal focused on the task at hand Whatrsquos your favourite part of a horseThe brain What do you think young people gain from ridingSelf-confidence and an understanding of the value of cooperation
30
Why the long face
When did you first develop the bond with the horseThe first time I got on one as a little boy in ArgentinaYou either develop a bond of some kind or you fall off Of course you may even fall off if you develop the bond but you have to start (and restart) somewhere
Did your friends ride My brothers also rode and I have ridden with many kinds of people over the years ndash some good and patient with horses and some not If I had not rid-den as a boy I would probably have been wandering around fishing imagining I was a cowboy or an Indian or a Viking ndash which I did anyway Where in the world would you most like to rideMost anywhere will do but I have been extremely lucky to have ridden in many wide-open wild places ndash deserts grassy plains mountains by different seas and rivers in Argentina New Zealand North Africa and North America If you could spend one afternoon riding with a famous person (past or present)who would it be and whyIrsquoll give you 3 Oglala chief Tasunke Witko (Crazy Horse) my ancestor William F Cody or any real Gaucho from the province of Chaco Argentina
Two horses go out for dinner what kindof restaurant do they chooseLate spring grass near a slow-moving clean river with a gentle firm shoreline an hour before sun-down far from any people or other animals All time favourite horse filmI have a subjective soft spot for the stories and real horses involved in the making of ldquoHidalgordquo and the 2nd and 3rd installments of ldquoThe Lord Of The Ringsrdquo trilogy but I admire other ldquohorse moviesrdquo as wellThe 1953 French movie ldquoCrin-Blancrdquo (ldquoWhite Manerdquo) directed by Albert Lamorisse is a personal favourite
After three years at the head of the successful French Jumping team with back to back FEI Nations Cuptrade titles and a silver medal at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade Laurent Elias is moving on to new spheres with the French Horse amp Riding Institute where he will be training the riders of the National Riding School in Saumur
Laurent Elias
copy C
hris
toph
e Br
icot
32
The other side of
If I had not become a professional rider I would havehellipmade a career in a humanitarian organisation Horse riding is sometimes too trivial
My priority in life ishellipto be able to look at myself in the mirror in the morning and make sure I am at peace with my conscience
My familyhellipkeeps me grounded My wife helped me a lot when I was in charge of selections for France She took charge of my personal life and was the first person I called when we got the medal in Lexington I also admire my parents for the values they passed on to me
I remember my first ridingexperiencehellipaged six we were shooting a family film and I was on horseback I finished upside down under my horse for a long time I stopped riding for one year
I used to dream abouthellipsafaris One of my uncles was passionate about safaris Through him I became very interested in African trips and the jobs that allow you to travel as a reporter were fascinating to me as well
I have been thinking a lot abouthellipwhat happened in Japan these past few months First this tsunami that devastated everything without warning then the nuclear disaster It made me think that progress should not be destructive
My horse Gueacutenourhellipchanged my life I was just a coach and he brought me to the top I won the national championship in 1981 with him
My biggest challengehas always beenhellipshyness Horse riding has really helped me over-come it Horses brought me on stage and there I had to meet people
As a Chef dEquipehellipthere is no single defining achievement itrsquos all about the solidarity and the moments spent together as a team Irsquoll never forget the first time Penelope Leprevost rode her mare Jubileacutee drsquoOuilly in the FEI Nations Cuptrade of Rotterdam McLain Ward had just completed a real fast run with Sapphire We thought the Americans would win but she did it faster and beat Sapphire
In terms of eventshellipAachen is my favourite competition - for its won-derful organisation But we have also pretty good five star competitions in France
I donrsquot sleep muchhellipprobably because I am just happy to be alive
Irsquom not scared to laugh or cryhellipI laugh at the funny situations we sometimes find ourselves in life and enjoy people with quirky personalities I cry when I see others in pain
Laurent Elias and the French team en route to the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade copy PSV-Jean Morel
33FOCUS
Nicolas TheacutevenazAged 23 studies Robotics and Autonomous Systems Micro Engineering in Lausanne (SUI) alongside regular training and competition in Dressage and Para-Equestrian Dressage events Born with spastic diplegia Nicolas was introduced to horses via hippotherapy aged seven and quickly developed a passion for riding which not only helped with his physical condition but also taught him through Dressage the art of patience and perseverance
34
One day
Nicolas TheacutevenazAged 23 studies Robotics and Autonomous Systems Micro Engineering in Lausanne (SUI) alongside regular training and competition in Dressage and Para-Equestrian Dressage events Born with spastic diplegia Nicolas was introduced to horses via hippotherapy aged seven and quickly developed a passion for riding which not only helped with his physical condition but also taught him through Dressage the art of patience and perseverance
He has been fortunate to meet the right people (and horses) at the right time and has been working for the past five years with trainer Vicky-Eileen Baumann (pictured right) and her horses Magic and Lady (pictured right) ldquoShersquos bred them and knows them inside out which is very useful when I have to communicate with them - they know my voice intonations and a whole string of specific words or sounds ndash which really helps as my body canrsquot or doesnrsquot always have the strength to do sordquo
As a Grade II Para-Equestrian rider Nicolas competes in Para-Equestrian Dressage (PED) events as well as national events for able bodied riders as there are only a handful of PED riders and no events in Switzerland
Unable to attend the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade 2010 in Kentucky last year Nicolas and Vicky have their sights firmly set on the 2012 Para-lympic Games and will be looking to qualify with Lady over the next 12 months ndash alongside exams studies and everything else life has to offerhellip Who is your role model For different reasons I have different role mod-els Edward Gal Dane Rawlins Isabel Werth and Catherine Haddad
When did you start riding and why At age 7 I was sat on a horse for hippotherapy and liked the complicity with the horse which made me want to discover more
How do you feel when you ride Concentrated and industrious
Who is your biggest fan My trainerrsquos mum
Complete this sentenceOne day I would like tohellip have gained enough knowledge to be able to take care of and train my own horse
What are your long term goals as a rider Continue to do my best to enjoy what I do and show others itrsquos possible
How do you juggle studies and competition I think itrsquos really important to have goals and to do everything you can to achieve them and that includes taking on challenges because if you donrsquot try then yoursquoll never know what you could have achieved
What is your proudest achievement to date Participation in international events together with pursuing my studies
How do you feel after winning Still working towards discovering the feeling
What is the best advice anyone has ever given youMy trainer often repeats to me the famous saying by General LrsquoHotte ldquoCalme en avant droitrdquo which says so much about riding but can also be applied to so many other aspects of life
35FOCUS
What advice would you give someone looking to get involved in Para-Equestrian Dressage Train and ride with able-bodied athletes as often as possible Being around and working with horses is so rewarding Irsquod like - when Irsquom retired - to write a book to share these feelings with others and hope this will inspire them to get involved
Complete this sentenceIn the future I would like the sport to beeven ldquocleanerrdquo and fairer and if possible not more but less demanding on the horses
ldquoLast but not least Irsquod like to take the opportunity of this article to reach out to those who give me their trust and help be it with their time their friendship and any type of support Day after day to year after year team work is essential and Irsquoll do my best to continue deserving every-onersquos encouraging smilesrdquo
European Broadcasting Union
Union Europeacuteenne de Radio-Teacuteleacutevision
+41 (0)22 717 2111 wwweurovisionnet
We bring the event to your home
Eurovision
copy K
it H
ough
ton
FE
I
FEI_08_A4indd 1 03012008 162238
European Broadcasting Union
Union Europeacuteenne de Radio-Teacuteleacutevision
+41 (0)22 717 2111 wwweurovisionnet
We bring the event to your home
Eurovision
copy K
it H
ough
ton
FE
I
FEI_08_A4indd 1 03012008 162238
Nominations for the FEI Awards opened in May enabling the global equestrian com-munity to once again reward outstanding dedication to horse sport in five categories ndash Development Best Groom Against All Odds Rising Star and Best Athlete The search for the equestrian heroes of 2011 is now on who will be flown to Rio de Janeiro Brazil to receive their awards
Where are they now The FEI asked the current title-holders for an update on their activities
Follow us on
38
FEI Awards 2011
Ebony Horse Club (GBR)Winner of the Alltech FEI DevelopmentAward 2010
The Ebony Horse Club announced in December 2010 that after an eight-year fundraising effort it had the pound14 million necessary for building an equestrian cen-tre in one of Londonrsquos most deprived boroughs Since 1996 Ebony has offered youngsters in an area reput-ed for its gang culture high level of gun crime and drug dealing the chance to ride and learn key social skills The clubrsquos 50 members travel to riding schools across London on public transport or in minibuses ndash a logistical headache that the inner-city equestrian centre will end Construction work began in February
Ebony Horse Club founder and director Ros Spear-ing told the FEI ldquoRiding lessons are continuing and the club is preparing for the transitionrdquo Building will finish on 7 July but the centre will open for riding lessons in October ldquoThe horses will be brought to Brixton in the summer and will have time to acclimatise to their new environmentrdquo Spearing said The centre will include stabling for nine horses a small paddock and a flood-lit riding arena as well as a classroom for learning about horses and equine management Spearing is adamant that club members ndash present and future ndash care for their rides and wants the centre to serve as a stepping stone to careers in the horse industry
Ebonyrsquos existence will continue to depend on the generosity of donors For more information visit wwwebonyhorsecluborguk
Michelle Tipper (GBR)Winner of the FEI Best Groom Award 2010
Michelle Tipper has continued to juggle grooming and study since receiving her FEI Award in Novem-ber She has organised the grooms for the British European Junior and Young Dressage teams and in April her contract as a travelling groom for British Dressage riders Paul and Bobby Hayler took her to Addington for the first of many international com-petitions she will work at this year The Haylers have eight horses competing and the number she works with at each venue varies Tipper has also been help-ing British Dressage riders Nicky and Richard Barrett with yard duties ldquoI feel very lucky to work for both of these familiesrdquo said the FEI Best Groom Award win-ner adding that she feels part of the two families In March Tipper graduated from university with a Masters in Sport Psychology She is now working towards British Association of Sport and Exercise Science accreditation which requires at least 500 hoursrsquo supervised work experience and is present-ing sport psychology workshops in conjunction with the company Inside Performance Consulting Limit-ed (wwwinside-performancecom) The workshops are organised internationally for people of all ages from any sport To find out more contact Tipper at michelletipper1979yahoocom
39FOCUS
Michelle Tipper ndash copyWilliam TzengAward winners ndash copyWilliam TzengCaroline Roffman ndash copySharonPackercomEbony Horse Club ndash copyEbony Horse ClubEdward Gal and Totilas ndash copyKit HoughtonFEIAngelika Trabert ndash copyJulia Rau
Angelika Trabert (GER)Winner of the FEI Against All Odds Award 2010
German Para-Dressage rider Angelika Trabert has represent-ed her country at four Paralympic Games and won some 15 medals at national European and world championships She is currently seeking a new home for Londria the mare that con-tributed to her Team Silver medal win at the Hong Kong Para-lympics Londria who had a foal last year was also Trabertrsquos ride during her medal-winning performances at the European Championships in Hungary (2005) and Norway (2009)
Trabert said her decision to let go of Londria was hard to make but was necessary for financial reasons She will keep the foal Finaud Coquin and her mares Walmorel and Ariva-Avanti Trabert won the Para-Dressage Grade 2 Freestyle Champion-ship at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade with Ariva and said the horse was ldquowell and ready to go for the Europeans again in Belgium in September if we qualifyrdquo Trabert competed in her first international competition of 2011 in May in Man-nheim Germany where she came first in the Grade II indi-vidual and second in the freestyle She is taking part in the German Championships in June
Away from the equestrian world Trabert works as an anaes-thetist and has participated in medical missions in the rural ar-eas of Guinea for the organisation Mango In January she was back in Guinea as part of team that carried out 100 operations in 13 days wwwangelika-trabertde
Visit the recently refreshed FEI Awards website to find out more about the Awards the pastwinners the judges and to make yournominationsby 31 July
wwwfeiawardsorg
40
Caroline Roffman (USA)Winner of the HSBC FEI Rising StarAward 2010
Success continues to smile on twenty-two-year-old American Dressage rider Caroline Roffman Since re-ceiving the HSBC FEI Rising Star Award she has en-joyed numerous wins at small tour and young horse levels achieving scores in the mid-eighties and quali-fying two horses for the young horse championships
Roffman is currently showing six horses and has won several classes at PSG and Grand Prix level ldquoBut nothing is as exciting as to be going to Aachenrdquo said the young woman who has been described as the American Dressage communityrsquos brightest hope ex-plaining that at the FEI Awards ceremony in Chinese Taipei Frank Kemperman FEI Dressage Committee Chair and Chairman of the Managing Board at CHIO Aachen (GER) invited her to take part in the pres-tigious event Roffman will be the first American to compete in the Under 25 Grand Prix there and is hop-ing to take her horse Lux Stensvang
An interview with Caroline Roffman at the Palm Beach Dressage Derby CDI will be broadcast on the magazine programme Equestrian World on FEI TV the FEIrsquos official online video platform wwwfeitvorg
Edward Gal and Totilas (NED)Winners of the Reem Acra FEI Best Athlete Award 2010
The world-famous partnership of Dutch Dressage rider Edward Gal and the extraordinary Totilas ended in style in 2010 with notably three gold medal wins at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade
The first foal sired by the superstar stallion was born in January followed by two more in the spring Gal who has admired the foals told the FEI ldquoYou never know ndash maybe in a few yearsrsquo time Irsquoll have another Totilas readyrdquo At the beginning of April he was busy at home training nine horses and preparing for the Reem Acra FEI World Cuptrade Dressage Final in Leipzig and the European Championships in Rotterdam He had not yet decided which horses he was going to compete with but was particularly looking forward to the Freestyle to Music Asked what it was like to compete without Totilas Gal said ldquoEverybody ex-pected Totilas to win I find it easier to ride other horses because nobody expects me to win and when I do itrsquos really nicerdquo
41FOCUS
globetrotter
Seal of approval for the Adai horseSixty years have passed since an Adai horse reportedly set a record galloping 354km in one day Today the Adai horse a breed na-tive to Kazakhstan is back in the spotlight with a gold medal at the FEI Central Asian Endurance Championship in Talgaearlier in May only months after having been award-ed official pedigree status following tests
conducted by a State Commission in the Mangistau Steppes which allowed itto compete internationally The horses are cherished for their hardiness and Oyly ridden by Altyngali Bissemaganbetov (KAZ) proved just that when crossing the finishing line first demonstrating just how tough the Adai horses are and the beginning of a new era for sturdy breed on the international stage
Equestrian Australia Sport
Achievement Awards
In May the best of the best in
Equestrian sport gathered to cel-
ebrate the achievements of Austral-
iarsquos athletes coaches officials vets
administrators owners volunteers
and the many other people that
dedicate their time and enthusiasm
to equestrian sport The ceremony
also included the introduction of
Equestrian Australiarsquos Hall of
Fame won by the legendary Bill
Roycroft Boyd Exell winner of
the FEI World CupTM Driving
Final was awarded the interna-
tional athlete of the year
award
Kevin Stautbecomes first athlete representative on FEI
executive board
Kevin Staut one of Francersquos most successful Jumping riders became the first athlete to be appointed to the FEI Executive Board for a three-year term Staut (31) who has held the number one spot in the Rolex Rankings for Jumping since July 2010 has ridden on numerous Nations Cup teams for France and claimed individual gold at the Alltech FEI European Jumping Championships in 2009
HulA CARTSWorld Horse Welfare has greatly helped the liv
es of
five Senegalese cart horse owners by presenting them
with new Hula Carts The local people who depend on
their working horses for their livelihoods were specially
selected by the charity to receive the carts which have
been sponsored by members of the public in the uK
The Hula Carts are specifically developed to help the
horses pulling heavy loads in often difficult conditions
Equestrian Australia Sport
Achievement Awards
In May the best of the best in
Equestrian sport gathered to cel-
ebrate the achievements of Austral-
iarsquos athletes coaches officials vets
administrators owners volunteers
and the many other people that
dedicate their time and enthusiasm
to equestrian sport The ceremony
also included the introduction of
Equestrian Australiarsquos Hall of
Fame won by the legendary Bill
Roycroft Boyd Exell winner of
the FEI World CupTM Driving
Final was awarded the interna-
tional athlete of the year
award
Olympic legendBill Roycroft passes away aged 96
A legend of Equestrian sport in Australia James William
George Roycroft OBE known as ldquoBillrdquo was one of Austral-
iarsquos greatest Olympians and one of only five Australians to
have competed in five consecutive Olympic Games (from
1960 - 1976) as well as being Australiarsquos oldest medallist
and oldest competitor at 61 years and 31 days In May 2011
Bill was inducted in Equestrian Australiarsquos inaugural Hall
of Fame ndash he was Australiarsquos oldest living Olympian and
shared his dedication and enthusiasm for the sport with
his sons Barry Wayne and Clarke (See a brief description
of his exploits in the 1960 Olympic Games Memory Lane
article page 9 which catapulted Australiarsquos reputation as
one of the best Eventing teams in the world)
webinfofeiFEI web wizard Nicole Sigrist has added a new hub for the Press on wwwfeiorg called FEI Press Kits located in the Media section of the website The Press Kits zone which is also open to the general public is regularly updated with infor-mation relating to FEI series and specific events with flip books and downloadable PDFs as well as direct links to the Photo Catalogue the Rankings and Standings the Annual Report and more
100thanniversary for Finnish riding club
One of the three found-ing member clubs of
the Finnish Equestrian Federation the Suomen
Kenttaumlratsastusseura-Finska Faumlltrittklubbenon celebrates
its 100th anniversary in 2011 Magnus Rydman former President of the Finnish National Federation and Presi-dent of the FEI from 1935 ndash 1946 was one of the founders of the club Another of the founders of the oldest club in Fin-land was the Eventing rider Colonel Hans Olof von Essen whose fifth place at the Antwerpen Olympic Games re-mains the best Olympic equestrian result the country has ever achieved
Follow us on
43FOCUS
Interview with the President of the Brazilian Equestrian Federation Mr Luiz Roberto Giugni
The Brazilian Equestrian Federation has been a member Federation of the FEI for 75 years how has the sport developed over that time We were facing regular growth (average of 25 in the last decade) but in the last three to four years this rate has significantly increased up to 35 a year We believe that this is due to international achievements (two Jumping Olympic team bronze medals the individual Olympic Jumping gold medal won by Rodrigo Pessoa several Pan Am Jumping team gold medals recent Olympic pre-qualification in Kentucky (4th in the world in Jumping) and the organisations of a Global Champions Tour event in Brazil
In terms of developing the sport what are the most successful projects you have undertaken in recent yearsWe decided to invest in education and have hired international trainers for all the disciplines such as Jean Maurice Bonneau for Jumping Nick Turner for Eventing Eric Lette for Dressage Jean Louis Leclerc for Endurance Mattias Lang for Vaulting with the long term in mind that is at least until the end of 2012 and planning towards 2016 when Rio will host the Olympic Games
How popular is equestrian sport with young people in Brazil and how do you compete with some of the bigger sports for their attention Popularization is growing bit by bit in a country
decidedly dominated by soccer ndash being 5 times World Champion makes it a national passion But we are continuously looking to attract TV to our events as this is a huge step towards gaining visibility and popularity Can you tell us about the programmesinitiatives in place for disabled athletes We are actively pursuing this and have achieved really positive results in little time such as the great performances and medals earned at the Para-lympic Games in Hong Kong in 2008 We do this through clinics courses international exchanges of athletes and working alongside our National Paralympic Committee to support us in our efforts
Brazil will be host the FEI General Assembly at the end of the year what do you want all the visiting delegates to remember from their visit That we are more than just a really beautiful and warm country with the ability and capacity to organise great events and that we are committed to putting on the best Olympic Games ever
What are the main objectivesplans for the Brazilian Federation in the lead up to the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games Our NOC is really committed to raising the bar of all the sports to a level never seen before and we are working towards that in terms of our athletes our judges our venues and everything that is related to our sport and the quality of our sport In line with this objective we are providing incen-tives to owners to buy good horses aiming for 2016 and this is going to plan for now We expect to perform well at the upcoming Pan Am Games and Olympics on our trail to 2016
Is there anything else you would like to share with us I would like to thank HRH Princess Haya President of the FEI as well as the Executive Board for all the support that we are getting which has been paramount to the development of equestrian sport in our country
44
President Luiz Roberto GiugniSecretary General Luiz Antonio RoccoMember since 1935
15 members of staff work at the federation
20 regional federations are affiliated tothe Brazilian Equestrian Federation with over 300 member riding clubs
6 000 affiliated riders
91 national events were held in 2010
31 international events were held in 2010
All the FEI disciplines are practiced in BrazilJumping Dressage Eventing Vaulting Reining EnduranceDriving amp Para-Equestrian
14 breeding organisations
There are 58 million horses and ponies in Brazilmaking it the fourth largest equine population in the world
FAC
TS amp
FIG
URE
S
45FOCUS
Dr Gerit Matthesen56 is a private equine practitioner an FEI Vet and a member of the FEI Veterinary Committee He graduated in Veterinary Medicine from Berlin University in 1983 and since 1989 has worked or officiated at some 180 competitions and championships including the last two Olympics and FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade He lives near Frankfurt with his wife Carola and their sons Mike (16) and Lars (14)
46
A life in a day
Dr Gerit Matthesen56 is a private equine practitioner an FEI Vet and a member of the FEI Veterinary Committee He graduated in Veterinary Medicine from Berlin University in 1983 and since 1989 has worked or officiated at some 180 competitions and championships including the last two Olympics and FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade He lives near Frankfurt with his wife Carola and their sons Mike (16) and Lars (14)
I wake up earlier than I need to ndash at around 6am ndash because breakfast time with my family is sacred to me and I can then drive my boys to the village station to take the train to school After two cups of coffee (enough for the day) and a glass of orange juice I read the newspapers then head to my prac-tice offices in our indoor arena I have a quick look at our horses then start work
While I listen to my phone messages I deal with my emails and search the internet for news about veterinary medicine and horse sport I then start planning the dayacutes schedule with Anna my assistant vet
My mobile practice is in a nice fairly rural area in the north of Frankfurt There are lots of horse farms but it is not a classic breeding area like the northern part of Germany There are sport horses as well as pleasure horses I have examination rooms and stables for horses staying or mares foaling in my practice stables Itrsquos not a big clinic which gives me time to work at competitions
After seeing a few small animals in my practice I normally start my field service at 930am In my car I have enough equipment (ultrasound X-ray systems and endoscopical devices) for the dayrsquos examinations and standing procedures We mainly have lameness examinations to do or internal diseases to treat accompanied by routine work like vaccinations or carrying out pre-purchase or health certificate examinations If time allows I go home for a quick lunch but thatrsquos not every day
While Irsquom driving I have time to think and I write down everything that come to mind regarding sport competitions committees and so on You have to write down your thoughts when yoursquore over the age of 50
It is not easy planning my day because any emer-gency can destroy or delay my schedule For all the paperwork and certificates I need a time frame so
I often do that over quiet weekends when there are no competitions During the winter season I am less busy but in summer a lot of weekends are taken over by the competition schedule
I love my work especially in Eventing which is my favourite discipline My wife and I practiced it ndash not up to top level but it was a fine time despite a bro-ken ankle from a fall in 1988 which after 23 years is making walking more and more difficult for me
I like to do my competition work on a friendly but strict basis and I really like to hear riders saying they are treated fairly Over the years I have acquired a lot of experience and met all the officials and riders
Usually when I return home in the late afternoon there are more small animals to see When Irsquove done the dayrsquos paperwork I hope there will be no more emergencies such as cases of colic which usually occur in the early evening
I look forward to getting on my horse which is a beautiful show-jumper I like to ride but Irsquove stopped competing I do dressage jumping and go out into the fields but itrsquos all just for fun now
The day finishes with the family and a nice cold glass of German beer
Itrsquos a struggle to find time to spend with my family and I often have to cancel my holidays with them I am really grateful to my wife and the boys for their understanding of my job and to my assistant vet who covers for me when Iacutem out somewhere in the world of equestrian sport
ldquoThe combination of my profession and beinginvolved in differentaspects of top equestrian sport is my visionrdquo
47FOCUS
Pull your show attire from the closet clean your boots and tack groom the horses hook up and pack the trailer check the clock double check to make sure you have everything put on the shipping boots load your horses and away you drive to the competition venue or to the airport for transport to a distant event
You know the drill well but still you arrive tired per-haps even a bit frazzled Yoursquoll sleep (or try to) the next several nights in an unfamiliar bed or camp out in the living quarters of your trailer You awaken riveted on the competition playing out the dayrsquos classes in your mind wondering how your rides will fare against oth-ers praying that the weather will be cooperate and trying to control your nerves all the while knowing that no matter how well you have prepared many factors are out of your control You may even be in a different time zone
We go through a lot to compete our horses But if you think life on the road is stressful for you think about what itrsquos like for your horses Your back may be a bit sore from driving or being strapped into an airplane seat for hours on end but for horses transportation is far more demanding It is an athletic endeavour re-quiring an expenditure of energy to maintain balance during the constant movement of transport When your horses arrive they face social isolation from stablemates lack of security in novel environments altered training regimes water that tastes strange and the confines of an unfamiliar stall This routine impacts a horsersquos health and well being with effects
continuing long after the journey is over During transport toxic gases (such as ammonia or carbon monoxide) can cause damage to the lung epithelium precipitating respiratory disease The
final destination itself can also cause problems Usually horses are transported to environments where they will be mixing with other horses The mixing of horses from different environments with different infectious organisms and under stressful conditions further precipitates susceptibility to disease
This can have a severe impact on the equine gut The stress of transportation is known to increase gut ulceration in the horse a painful condition reducing performance and causing colic-like symptoms Stress can also slow the flow of digesta and alter the normal gut flora resulting in digestive upset and possibly diarrhoea or colic
The effects of travel stress on the gut are compounded by the typical diet of the regular equine traveller To maintain athletic ability high performance horses are often fed energy-charged diets contain-ing increased levels of starchy materials such as cereal grains Unfortunately this type of diet can reduce beneficial types of gut flora and promote gut acidity further predisposing the horse to digestive upsets and ulceration It is not surprising that stressed tired horses may not fulfill their potential on arrival
Feeding to reduce stress for the equine traveller
By Darlene RickerExecutive editor of Alltechrsquos EQUINE INTERNATIONAL magazine
48
Alltech Tips
growth of opportunistic Salmonella spp which are present in the intestinal tract of many healthy horses These bacteria then attach to the gut lining via a mannan sugar and penetrate it causing damage and resulting in diarrhoea One method of prevent-ing or minimising the attachment of these organ-
isms to the gut lining is to provide an adsorbant supplement A form of sugar found in the cell walls of certain yeasts can do this This sugar compound is called man-nan oligosaccharide or MOS MOS products such as Alltechrsquos Bio-Mosreg have been shown to re-duce the colonization of Salmonella
spp in the guts of certain species and augment the immune response to Salmonella spp potentially conferring an enhanced ability to fight infection Both Yea-Saccreg 1026 and Bio-Mos are among the natural products contained in Alltechrsquos LIFEFORCETM equine supplement which many FEI competitors have successfully incorporated into their daily feeding regimen at home and on the road
lifeforcehorsecom
and may be subject to health concerns in the days following a long journey Fortunately however you can curb some of the effects of travel stress on the horsersquos gut by nutritional supplementation Organic yeast products used to supplement a horsersquos diet can support the normal gut flora modifying the intesti-nal environment and improving the horsersquos digestion One such culture is Saccharomyces cerevisae in the form of Yea-Saccreg 1026 Alltechrsquos propriety organic yeast
Experiments were conducted to evaluate the effects Yea-Sacc on gut flora and gut acidity Horses were fed either a high-starch or a high-fibre diet both with and without supplementation of Yea-Saccreg 1026 Results indicated an excessive amount of starch in the gut The use of Yea-Sacc reduced acidity and stimulat-ed the activity of fibre-digesting bacteria in the hind-gut for both types of diet The result was maximised fibre digestibility and more efficient use of nutrients thus increasing the amount of energy available to the horse for performance and counteracting digestive upset Salmonellosis is one of the more commonly di-agnosed infectious causes of diarrhoea in horses Many cases develop after the stress of transport The effects of travel stress on the normal gut flora allow an over-
Moorlands Totilas arrives for the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade after air transport copy Dirk Caremans
HRH The Infanta Dontildea Pilar de Borboacuten former President of the FEI (1994-2006) also attended the inauguration along-side HRH Princess Lalla Amina Chairperson of the Royal Moroccan Federation for Equestrian Sports and member of the international Advisory Council of Special OlympicsThey were joined by International Olympic Commit-tee members representatives from other Interna-tional Federations federal and local Swiss authorities as well as architects and designers that worked on the project Switzerlandrsquos Martin Fuchs a member of the gold medal winning team at the inaugural Youth Olympic Games in Singapore last year accompanied FEI President Princess Haya in officially opening the FEI headquarters
ldquoThe building we are inaugurating today has been designed to serve our wonderful sportrdquo explained FEI
President Princess Haya ldquoI also feel an immense
sense of pride knowing that this building carries the name
of my late father and hope that this serves as a constant reminder
to all of us who work at the FEI of a unique statesman whose entire soul was devoted to the service of his people Our new headquarters will play a key role for the FEI and our National Federa-tions over the coming years It will be the environ-ment in which important discussions take place and fundamental decisions are taken as we continue our mission to advance the orderly growth of equestrian sport worldwide while ensuring that the welfare of the horse and a level playing field remain at the centre of all that we dordquo
FEI celebratesNEW Headquarters
Over 250 guests attended the inauguration ceremony on Friday 6 May at HM King Hussein I Building which was timed to coincide with the FEI
Extraordinary General Assembly so that attending NationalFederation representatives
could be a part ofthe celebrations
1 Youth Olympic Games team champion Martin Fuchs (SUI) FEI President HRH Princess Haya and her daughter HH Sheikha Al Jalila officially open the FEIrsquos new home 2 Gilbert Felli IOC Olympic Games Executive Director and FEI Secretary General Ingmar de Vos 3 HRH The Infanta Dontildea Pilar de Borboacuten sits down to an interactive quiz in the FEI Gallery 4 Guests gathered in the atrium of the FEI HeadquartersAll images copy Hugues SiegenthalerFEI
Highlights available on50
1
2
3 4
5
6 7
8
THE GALLERy
As well as housing offices for its 62 employees and conference facilities for its 133 National Federations the new headquarters also has a state-of-the-art in-teractive gallery showcasing equestrian sport
The Gallery is the brainchild of Dr Amichai Alper-ovich historian former Secretary General of the Is-raeli Equestrian Federation and curator of the Israeli Olympic Museum (opened in 2009) He worked hand in hand with the Tel Aviv based company Disk-In Pro and interior designer Oded Alony to help bring the content to life and the result is truly unique and ground breaking Giant glass surfaces act as interac-tive interfaces for the visitors to travel through time
The FEIrsquos new headquarters which were donated to the Federation by FEI Presi-dent HRH Princess Haya in 2007 fol-lowing a personal fundraising effort are conveniently located close to the Inter-national Olympic Committee and other international sports federations It has been written into the FEI Statutes that the new FEI headquarters building will always house the Federationrsquos offices In 2008 the building was thoroughly renovated in accordance with the Swiss MINERGIEreg construction standard for environmental responsibility which re-duces energy consumption by 25 per cent Only two per cent of renovated buildings in Switzerland meet the high Minergie standards Khuan Chew founder and design princi-pal of London-based architectural firm KCA International Ltd worked in close collaboration with Swiss-based architect Herveacute de Rham and interior designer Sia-vosh Adeli (SUI) to transform the build-ing which was built in the 1960s The modern and sleek interior was further enhanced with bespoke artworks pro-duced by Swiss creative agency b+g amp partners and imagery by world-famous equestrian art photographer Tim Flach where the simplicity and beauty of his equine subjects seamlessly embrace and accentuate the buildingrsquos pure lines and natural materials (see image left)
As they feasted on the innate beauty of their sur-roundings the guests also had the privilege to ex-perience the culinary talents of organic chef and specialist Gilles Wannaz and his team based in the town of Cully which sits on the edge of Lac Leman in Switzerlandrsquos famous Lavaux wine growing region
5 HRH Princess Haya welcomes the guests to the Inauguration of the HQ and the 90 year celebration of the FEI 6 Artwork by renowned pho-tographer Tim Flach 7 An organic and colourful buffet presented on an authentic lawn by local chef Gilles Wannaz 8 A life size horse sculpture by Christophe Dumont greeted the guests upon their arrival
53FOCUS
and space with the latest in touch technology revis-iting the history of the FEI the equestrian events at Olympic amp Paralympic Games the FEI World Eques-trian Gamestrade and information on all of the member National Federations with statistics videos images and text The Gallery also includes projections on ar-chitectural surfaces designed by Oded Alony referred to as the Origami as well as interactive stations and unique video projections on glass screens
For all those wishing to visit the FEI Gallery simply contact the FEI HQ to make an appointment and we would be delighted to take you on a journey to dis-cover or rediscover the human and equine athletes whose talents have marked equestrian history and inspired young riders drivers and vaulters around the world
Interview withDrAmichaiAlperovich
When did you first dream up the FEIInteractive Gallery When I found out the FEI was planning to move into new HQ in 2009 Disk-In Pro and I approached the FEI and presented them with several concepts for the space Before long we had agreed on the concept and we got to work
Why were you compelled to make it become a reality So that the FEI a prominent sports organisation could present itself to a growing audience in a new and visionary way with the latest technology And by doing so the FEI is a pioneer becoming the first International Federation to have a Gallery of this kind
What did you learn when researching and gathering content for the gallery I have learned a lot about the history of the FEI the strong Olympic tradition the diversity of disciplines the gender equality and the unique bond between horse and man One of the more fascinating topics was the evolution of the Dressage from itsrsquo Olympic debut to the modern Freestyle
Itrsquos very innovative technology what inspired you to take such a leap into the future with such a traditional sport Just as Dressage has evolved over the years and alongside the introduction of new disciplines partic-ularly Para-Equestrian you come to realise that the FEI is not as traditional as one would think Actually this kind of innovative presentation of equestrian history is really well suited to the FEI In the same way that you can have horse-man connections there is an audience-technology connection in the Gallery The audience have to be active in order to enjoy the depth of information the Gallery contains
54
Now it is time to open the door to new places to learn about sport ndash at the heart of sporting organi-sations themselves The Gallery is more than an informative tool it brings people to the sport andto the heart of its operations
Established in 1990 Disk-In Pro specialises in the planning design production and implementation of Museums Visitor Centres and sophisticated projects around the world This includes multi screen produc-tion animation 3D amp interactive films state-of-the-art software platforms and complex video displays for an unforgettable experience
Oded Alony holds a BA in Design from the Interior Design Section of the Holon Technological Institute and has since 1998 worked with Israelrsquos leading Architecture firms The Oded Alony Studio embraces holistic design a space where interior design lighting and graphics are brought together to create a harmo-nious project vision
Now that you have seen it unveiled to the public how would you like to see it evolve I hope the audience will be amazed from the design by architect Oded Alony and the new methods to deliver information whilst discovering the long his-tory of the FEI the diversity and the global reach of the organisation I hope the Gallery will become an icon in Lausanne and one of its highlights for visitors I promise the visitors a new platform to learn about equestrianism and each visit could be different as the information and themes will be updated and modi-fied regularly
This futuristic gallery is a first for anInternational Federation do you think thisis something all sports should invest inThe FEI took this courageous decision and now has this fantastic tool to present the organisation in new ways Sport is a huge cultural phenomenaWe have learned to consume sport in the arenas and stadiums in the press media and new media
Dr Amichai Alperovich
55FOCUS
SOCIAL MEDIAthe new frontier
Follow us on
The FEI has recently embarked on and embraced a whole new way of talking with the greater equestrian community through the ever expanding social media networks and platformsWith personalised Facebook Twitter and You Tube pages the FEI is taking it step by step and reaching out to this growing audience and listening to what they have to say
This new communication platform is by no means a substitution of the traditional communication path-ways but works alongside the press releases various publications and content on wwwfeiorg and wwwfeitvorg providing a new arena where the FEI can share interact and dialogue with fans of the sport and of equestrian values in general
We talk to Richard Johnson Director of Corporate Communications about the FEIrsquos commitment to social media
What compelled the FEI to venture onto the social media scene As a governing body with a vibrant and active com-munity of National Federations as well as thousands of fans the need to reach out to the online social community has never been stronger We have been watching the communities grow online for some time and have been listening to their conversations so being a part of it was the next logical step and a really important one The conversations will hap-pen with or without us so taking that step has been crucial in order to share our values and also build re-lationships with our fan base
Tradition meets modernity ndash does equestrian sportthe FEI have a place in social media Absolutely even though equestrian sport has a long history and is perceived as a traditional sport it is
always evolving In the 90 years of the FEI which was founded to govern the three Olympic disciplines it has grown to also oversee the disciplines of Driving Endurance Vaulting Reining and Para-Equestrian sport Or if you look at the early days when competi-tors were from military backgrounds and when wom-en did not compete alongside men to the complete gender equality we have today ndash a lot has changed and is in a constant state of change
The fans of equestrian sport are like any other fan base web savvy and eager for more information behind the scenes content and to share their opin-ions and thoughts ndash so it is an ideal partnership And from what we have seen these last few months and from the feedback we got from our blog at the Youth Olympic Games there is a real appetite for this
The FEI has dedicated Facebook Twitter and You Tube pages ndash why did you select these social media platforms The figures speak for themselveshellip Facebook Twit-ter and You Tube are the biggest players in the social networking space With over 500 million Facebook users 106 million Tweeters and 2 billion views a day on You Tube there has never been so much oppor-tunity for exposure Every site has different demo-graphics with different habits and needs so by having an FEI presence on these three networks we are able to cover a lot of ground and cater to different audi-ences by providing different types of content accord-ing to the platform
What are the main benefits of having a pres-ence on various social media platforms Itrsquos all about having a two way conversation ndash the benefits of dialogue where you can share content such as videos images facts and figures thoughts and values and then allow your fan base to react to get involved and to listen and learn from them By engaging with our audience and showing them that we are a modern and caring organisation and that we want to hear what they have to say then we are able to build trust and ultimately credibility in what we do and what we say
57FOCUS
TV
The offi cial video website of the Feacutedeacuteration Equestre Internationale
wwwfeitvorg
WATCH LIVE WATCH ONLINE
FEI TV is the FEIrsquos new offi cial video website and your ticket to the worldrsquos most prestigious competitions Sign-up to FEI TV (wwwfeitvorg) and get instant access to all the live broadcasts the extensive video-on-demand library all the highlights the behind the scenes reports the interviews and so much more Be at the heart of horsesport Join us
2823_1FEI_TV_Focus_165x226indd 1 170510 1124
It also keeps us alert as to what is being discussed and debated in the public sphere so that we can manage situations more effectively and be proactive in our messaging and information so that the facts are at the heart of the debate and not interpretations of them
How do you generate content for social media It was important when we launched our social me-dia presence that it be manageable with the exist-ing communications team in place ndash and so we have concentrated on keeping it simple and effective and using content innovatively Itrsquos not about reproduc-ing our website ndash but to engage with our fans and so often all you need is a good picture an interest-ing fact or great achievement to get the ball rolling For You Tube as we already have so much content generated from FEI TV it was simply a question of using bits and pieces from that content to provide the public with teasers from events interviews with winning riders or behind the scenes content which they can then follow up on FEI TV with a subscription
What are your Social media goals Itrsquos really to build relationships and dialogue with our fan base by using our content innovatively by listening to what they have to say and by engaging with the community And for the National Federa-tions that have yet to take that step we want to be a guiding hand that can help them get started so that they too can reap the benefits of social media net-working Our sport competes against other sports for attention so itrsquos really important that we the FEI and the National Federations keep our finger on the pulse and cater to our fans
How can National Federations get involved NFs wishing to find out more about Social Media can contact me (richardjohnsonfeiorg) and I would be more than happy to discuss opportunities and ways of getting started as well as our experience at the FEI
We asked our Facebook followers why it was important to use face-book and here are a few comments they came up with
bullItrsquos a great way to find out about shows and competitions
bullBecause facebook can provide up to the minute updates as to the what is going on in the horse community
bullWe can share information and ideas over long distances We can find and connect with people we wouldnt be able to otherwise
bullIt also lets us express the true realities of our spot to keep us grounded
bullIt can bring peoples attention to excellence ndash and expose the issues
58
TV
The offi cial video website of the Feacutedeacuteration Equestre Internationale
wwwfeitvorg
WATCH LIVE WATCH ONLINE
FEI TV is the FEIrsquos new offi cial video website and your ticket to the worldrsquos most prestigious competitions Sign-up to FEI TV (wwwfeitvorg) and get instant access to all the live broadcasts the extensive video-on-demand library all the highlights the behind the scenes reports the interviews and so much more Be at the heart of horsesport Join us
2823_1FEI_TV_Focus_165x226indd 1 170510 1124
ldquo Donrsquot accept drinks from a strangerrdquo
Armchair travel journalist
Are you living a life without boundaries Some well-meant advice is best ignored but itrsquos still good to know yoursquore covered when yoursquore away With HSBC Premier your family can be protected with both Travel Insurance and dedicated assistance when yoursquore abroad Which is reassuring to know when yoursquore making the most of life
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Premier Travel Insurance covers you and your partner up to age 70 and your children travelling with you up to age 18
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201736_6000263_Coconut_226x165indd
Master 226x165
Rob Swainson 160211
HSBC - Coconuts Proof 01Head of Art TypographerDesigner ArtCreative Director Copywriter Account DirectorDIC Project ManagerPhotographer Illustrator Usage Model(s) Name(s) Usage
Media MediaStock Image Time Period Time Period
Territory Territory
8deg N ndash Kerala South India
1996The X Paralympic Games Atlanta (USA)1996 also marks for the first time equestrian sport was included at the Paralympics with Para-Equestrian Dressage on the programme The competition was run on borrowed horses Jo Jackson (GBR) won three gold medals the maximum possible For Great Britain it was a first of many team medalshellipParticipation Sixty-eight competitors from 16 nations
2000Games of the XXVII Olympiad Sydney (AUS) Forty four years after Melbourne 1956 when no horses would be allowed into Australia the Australian quarantine and inspection services proved to be much more accommodating The conditions were tough two weeks of pre-shipping quarantine in Europe and after arrival in Sydney two more weeks of quarantine on siteOf the 15 medal-winning horses 12 were thorough-breds and the other three were 78 thoroughbredsThe year 2000 was the final show-down of the two Dressage horses who had dominated the sport since the early nineties ndash Gigolo ridden by Isabell Werth (GER) and Bonfire ridden by Anky Van Grunsven (NED) with the latter taking gold medal honours Australia for the third time in a row won the team gold medal in EventingParticipation Thirty-seven nations
2000The XI Paralympic Games Sydney (AUS)The Australian spirit and warmth conveyed during the Olympics continued throughout the Paralympic Games thanks to the formidable cooperation between the Sydney Paralympic Organising Committee (SPOC) and the Sydney Organising Committee for the Olympic Games (SOCOG) Paralympic and Olympic athletes lived in the same village and enjoyed the same catering services medical care and facilities Errors in the scoring meant that medals had to be re-attributed but this did not cause too much upset Lee Pearson (GBR) took home three gold medals (including another team gold for GBR) the maximum possible while Australiarsquos Julie Higgins achieved an impressive double gold triumph Participation Seventy athletes from 23 nations
2004Games of the XXVIII Olympiad Athens (GRE) In 2004 the Games returned to Greece homeland to the Olympic GamesThe equestrian events were affected by controversies Waterford Crystal the horse ridden by Olympic cham-pion in Jumping Cian OrsquoConnor (IRL) tested positive to a prohibited substance generally administered to humans but forbidden for use in horses After lengthy legal procedures OrsquoConnor was disqualified and sanc-tioned The gold medal was awarded to second-placed
1996 1997 1998
2000 2001 2002
2000 2001 2002
2004 2005 2006
2000 The team podium in Eventing - Great Britain (silver) Australia (gold) USA (bronze) copy Kit Houghton
12
Rodrigo Pessoa (BRA) Another three horses tested positive as well As a result Germany lost its Jumping team gold which was awarded to the USA in February 2005 at a ceremony in Palm Beach FL (USA)A new competition format for Eventing involving two Jumping rounds one for the individual and one for the team standings was introduced The two roads and tracks (A + C) and the steeplechase (B) of the Endur-ance phase were abolishedParticipation Thirty-seven nations
the fact that main land China did not hold disease-free zone status from the International Organisation for Animal Health the competitions were held in Hong Kong 2000km away from the Olympic host city Beijing In order to protect animal welfare detailed studies on the effects of heat and humidity on horses were undertaken by the FEI in cooperation with top scientists The competition timetable was modified to avoid the hours of intense heat and the horses were stabled at the exceptional air-conditioned facilities provided by the Hong Kong Jockey Club Six horses five from Jumping tested positive to prohibited substances As a result Norway lost its first Jumping medal ndash bronze ndash which after more than two years of legal proceedings was awarded to Switzerland
Jumping gold went to team USA In Dressage Anky van Grunsven (NED) aboard Salinero won her seventh and eighth Olympic medals team silver and individual gold Eventing legend Mark Todd (NZL) made a much acclaimed come back but the spotlight was on Hinrich Romeike and the extraordinary Marius
The story of the 2008 Olympic Eventing gold med-allist is all the more extraordinary as Hinrich is an amateur rider By day his time is spent in his dental surgery attending to his many patients so his riding is restricted to after-hoursParticipation Forty-two nations
2008The XIII Paralympic Games Beijing (CHN)First Paralympic participation for the FEI following the inclusion of Para-Equestrian in 2006 to be governed alongside the 7 other disciplines These Games set a new benchmark for Para-Equestrian events with great facilities cheerful volunteers and large audiences totalling over 30000 - an unprecedented attend-ance for Para-Equestrian events
For the third Paralympics in a row Lee Pearson (GBR) won three gold medals keeping up his record of win-ning all the gold medals available to him Singa-porersquos Laurentia Tan picked up Asiarsquos first Paralympic Equestrian medals with two individual bronze medals Marco Alves picked up Brazilrsquos first Paralympic Equestrian medal with bronze in Grade Ib Participation Seventy-eight athletes from 28 nations
2004The XII Paralympic Games Athens (GRE)The venue was excellent and there was good support from local volunteers Both Debbie Criddle and Lee Pearson (pictured above) from Great Britain picked up the maximum three gold medals The International Paralympic Committee presented the Equestrian Technical Delegate with the award for Best Official of all the sports at the Paralympic Games Participation Seventy athletes from 29 nations
2008Games of the XXIX Olympiad Beijing (CHN) Hong Kong (CHN) For the second time in Olympic history the equestrian events were held separately from other sports Due to
2004 2005 2006
2008 2009 2010
2008 2009 20102004 Lee Pearson (GBR) in Athens where he scoopedthe maximum three gold medals available to him
13FOCUS
The climax of the indoor international Jumping sea-son brought together 43 riders from 21 nations and ended with Christian Ahlmann riding Taloubet Z to Germanys ninth victory in the 33-year history of FEI World Cuptrade Jumping Canadarsquos reigning Olympic champion Eric Lamaze took second place with Hickstead followed by Dutch combination Jeroen Dubbeldam and BMC Van Grunsven Simon who rocketed up from overnight 11th to finish third when producing one of only two double clears on the final afternoonGerman riders dominated from the first of the three qualifiers in Leipzig ndash the speed competition which Marco Kutscher with Cash won with 6355 seconds followed by his compatriots defending champion Marcus Ehning and Christian Ahlmann who took second and third place respectively In the second qualifier the withdrawal of Saudi Arabiarsquos Abdullah Al Sharbatly reduced the field to 40 starters Eric Lamaze took the lead with a fabulous clear in 4068 a win that bounced him up to fifth spot just six points behind the leading pair ndash an ascent he continued to master on the final day
J U M P I N GFINAL LEIPZIG
ROLEX FEI World Cuptrade
JUMPINGldquoIt was wonderful to be back in Leipzig again for yet another great Rolex FEI World Cuptrade Jumping Final in a city with such a rich cultural backgroundrdquo John Roche FEI Director of Jumping
FEI World Cuptrade Finals
REEm ACRA FEI World Cuptrade
DressaGe
DRESSAGEFINAL LEIPZIG
ldquoThe Reem Acra FEI World Cuptrade Dressage took place in a perfect setting with enough space for everyone to give their very best performancesrdquo Trond Asmyr FEI Director of Dressage
Adelinde Cornelissen (NED) and the magnificent Jerich Parzival danced to victory to the strains of Tchaikovskyrsquos Nutcracker Suite in the Freestyle com-petition that closed the Reem Acra FEI World Cuptrade Dressage Final Denmarkrsquos Nathalie zu Sayn-Witt-genstein and Digby finished second while Germanyrsquos Ulla Salzgeber steered Herzrufrsquos Erbe into third place The 2010 title-winner Edward Gal (GER) finished fourth with a great performance from Sisther de JeuThe top three mirrored those of the Grand Prix class two days earlier when a confident performance rewarded with a score of 80957 put Adelinde Cornelissen (NED) in first place followed by Denmarkrsquos Nathalie zu Sayn-Wittgenstein with Digby (76884 3) and Germanyrsquos Ulla Salzgeber riding Herzrufrsquos Erbe (76216 points) Defending champion Edward Gal rode a tense Sisther de Jeu with a disappointing test score of 70122 The final saw 17 horse and rider combinations from 10 nations compete ndash three from the USA The
Netherlands and Germany two from Sweden and one from Hungary Fin-
land Poland Belgium Great Britain and Denmark Fifteen riders went on to the Freestyle competition
Highlights available as video on demand on
15FOCUS
Boyd Exell (AUS) successfully defended his FEI World Cuptrade Driving title in Leipzigrsquos thrilling final speed-ing to victory in front of a wildly enthusiastic crowd and becoming the second driver to score a hat-trick of World Cup victories Hungaryrsquos Jozsef Dobrovitz drove two brilliant rounds with his team of Lipiz-zaner horses and finished second ahead of IJsbrand Chardon (NED) The FEI World Cuptrade Driving Final was run over two indoor competitions which took place on 29 April and 1 May Seven drivers competed Tomas Eriksson (SWE) Koos de Ronde (NED) Werner Ulrich (SUI) Christian Pluumlcker (GER) and the triumphant trio who after emerging from the first round on 1 May with the highest number of points qualified for the winning round immediately afterwards
FEI World Cuptrade
DrIVINGldquoOnce again the worldrsquos best indoor drivers came together for a thrilling final the com-bination of horses working together in a team driven by superbly skilled horsemento produce thrilling andspectacular driving sportrdquo Ian Williams FEI Director of Non-Olympic Sports
16
Switzerlandrsquos Patrick Looser and Germanyrsquos Simone Wiegele claimed the inau-gural FEI World Cuptrade Vaulting titles at the 20102011 FEI World Cuptrade Finals a glittering Freestyle to Music showcase held over two daysLooserrsquos fellow starters in the Menrsquos section were Nicolas Andreani (FRA) Viktor Bruumlsewitz (GER) Daniel Kaiser (GER) Lukas Klouda (CZE) Nikolaus Luschin (AUT) and Yvan Nousse (FRA) Looser 26 was under pressure having finished second to Nicolas Andreani from France in the first Freestyle competition But
the reigning World Champion who won three of the four qualifying rounds over the winter months produced a superb performance which left Andreani in second place and Germanyrsquos Viktor Brusewitz in third In addition to the victorious Wiegele contenders for the Female title were her three compatriots Pia Engelbury Ines Juumlckstock and Antje Hill Simone Jaumliser (SUI) Stefanie Kowald (AUT) and Anna Cavallaro (ITA) In the second
competition Wiegele followed team-mate Hill into the arena in Hall 1 which seemed to be much more to the liking of the
horses than the smaller ring used on the first day And although Hillrsquos routine was
dramatic and beautifully controlled it was Wiegelersquos more complex display that settled
the destination of the very first Female World Cup trophy
ldquoFor the first time an indoor final that provided the public with an opportunity to witness the gymnastic movements of
athletes atop magnificent horses all choreographed to breathtaking musical arrangementsrdquo
Ian Williams FEI Director of Non-Olympic Sports
Highlights available as video on demand on
WHEN AND WHERE
26 ndash 30 July FEI European Reining Championship for Seniors amp Juniors Wiener Neustadt (AUT)
16 ndash 21 August FEI European Vaulting Championships for Seniors amp Juniors Le Mans (FRA)
17 ndash 21 August FEI European Dressage Championships Rotterdam (NED)
25 ndash 28 August HSBC FEI European Eventing Championships Luhmuumlhlen (GER)
01 ndash 04 September Open FEI European Driving Championships for Four-in-Hand Breda (NED)
01 ndash 04 September FEI European Para-Equestrian Dressage Championships Moorsele (BEL)
10 September FEI European Endurance Championships Florac (FRA)
13 ndash 18 September FEI European Jumping Championships Madrid (ESP)
LIVE ONLive coverage and highlightsCheck out the FEI TV broadcasting schedule for all the latest information on events broadcast live on FEI TV
European Championships for seniors in all the FEI disciplines are being held in 2011 We take a quick 360deg look at the dates venues facts amp figures and triumphant moments of the past 50 years of European Championships
FeI europeanChampionships 2011
Donrsquot miss a beatComplete competition reports updates behind the scenes information facts and figures and more can be found on wwwfeiorg as well as our dedicated facebook twitter and you tube pages
18
Preview
For the 31st edition of the FEI European Jumping Championships the event returns to Spain 18 years after the Championships in Gijon only this time to be held at the Club de Campo Villa in Madrid The FEI European Jumping Championships take place every two years in the middle of the Olympic cycle and have been held since 1957 with the introduction of team medals in 1975
THE VENUEThe Club de Campo Villa de Madrid (ESP) has been host to an annual CSI for 100 years and will be tem-porarily replacing its usual grass in the main arena with all-weather sand footing to ensure perfect going for the Championship
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERSTeam ndash SwitzerlandIndividual ndash Kevin Staut (FRA)
OLyMPIC qUALIFICATIONThe 3 best ranked nations from Olympic Qualifying Groups A amp B at the 2011 FEI European Jumping Championships (excluding the teams already quali-fied at WEG) will be qualified to take part with a team consisting of 4 athletes amp 4 horses or 3 athletes amp 3 horses
GREAT HORSES OF THE EUROPEANCHAMPIONSHIPSDEISTER - An extraordinary horse with an extraordi-nary record With Germanys Paul Schockemohle on board this brilliant bay Hannoverian led won three consecutive individual gold medals - in Munich Germany in 1981 Hickstead England in 1983 and Dinard France in 1985 Bred by Hermann Hahl in Osterbruch Lower Saxony Deister was by Diskant out of Adlerklette by Adlerschild stood 171cms high and had the heart of a lion Deisters European medal
haul also included team gold at Munich in 1981 team silver in Rotterdam in 1979 and team bronze at both Hickstead in 1983 and Dinard in 1985 Despite his incredibly active career the hardy Deister who was born in February 1971 lived to the ripe old age of 29
MR SOFTEE - The closest challenger to Deister for the title of Champion of the Europeans is the Irish-bred Mr Softee - a three-time winner but with two different riders Mr Softee enjoyed a hugely success-ful career with David Broome However it was with another Briton David Barker that the chestnut horse with four white legs took the individual European ti-tle for the first time in London in 1962 This was then followed up with David Broomersquos victory in Rotter-dam in 1967 and in Hickstead in 1969 Broome once said that like many other top horses Mr Softee had a big opinion of himself - He thought he was a king - and he was right
Believe it or nothellip
bull Itwasonlyin1975thatwomenwere permittedtocompetealongsidemenin theEuropeanJumpingChampionshipsprior tothistherehadbeentheLadiesEuropean JumpingChampionshipsheldfrom1957- 1973
bull Only2womenhaveeverwonthe FEIEuropeanChampionshipsFrancersquos AlexandraLedermannin1999and MeredithMichaels-Beerbaum(GER) in2007
bull Germanyledthegoldtallywith20 medals(14individualamp6team)double theamountofrunnerupGreatBritainon 10(6individualand4team)
FeI eUroPeaN
JUMPINGChaMPIoNshIPs
13-18 September 2011
Madrid (SPAIN)
19FOCUS
LIVE coverage on
Rotterdam gets set to host the 25th edition of the FEI European Dressage Championships for the first time and only the second time for the Netherlands (Arnhem 1999) The FEI European Dressage Championships take place every two years in the middle of the Olympic cycle and have been held since 1963
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERS
Team ndash The Netherlands
Individual ndash Kuumlr to MusicEdward Gal (NED) amp Moorlands Totilas
Individual ndash Grand Prix SpecialAdelinde Cornelissen (NED) amp Jerich Parzival
OLyMPIC qUALIFICATIONThe 3 best ranked nations from Groups A B amp C at the 2011 FEI European Dressage Championships (exclud-ing the teams already qualified at WEG) will be quali-fied to take part with a team consisting of 3 athletes amp 3 horses
THE WIND OF CHANGEFor 21 consecutive Championships from 1965 to 2005 (no team title awarded in 1963) the Germans held the European title but the last two editions have seen an upset to that tradition with the Netherlands clenching gold In 2009 the Dutch domination was particularly strong with five out of six individual med-als awarded to Dutch riders and the sixth going to British rider Laura Bechtolsheimer
IN MEMORy OF HENRI CHAMMARTIN (SUI)At the time of writing a legend in the Dressage world Henri Chammartin (SUI) passed away at the age of 92 An Olympic and European Dressage champion Henri Chammartin won the first two editions of the
FEI European Championships in 1963 and 1965 riding Wolfdiedtrich and competed in five consecutive edi-tions of the Olympic Games ndash Helsinki 1952 Stock-holm 1956 Rome 1960 Tokyo 1964 and Mexico 1968 ndash winning a total of five Olympic medals includ-ing Olympic champion in 1964
RECORD BREAKINGhellip In 2009 the formidable partnership of The Nether-lands Edward Gal and Moorlands Totilas smashed the world Freestyle record before a packed house with Windsor Castle standing proudly as a backdrop when scoring 9070 (including an unbelievable 29 perfect-10 scores) to win the Freestyle gold medal
Believe it or nothellip
bull GermanyhaswontheEuropeanDressage TeamTitleon21occasions
bull Thegreatestnumberofteamstoparticipate inEuropeanDressageChampionshipsis 14-atHickstead(GBR)in2003andagainat Hagen(GER)in2005
bull GermanysDrReinerKlimkewonthreeindi vidualtitles-atAachenin1967ridingDux andagainin1973ridingMehmedandat Copenhagenin1985ridingAhlerich
bull WithGigoloGermanysIsabellWerthtook theindividualtitlein1995and1997and wontheGrandPrixSpecialatDonaueschingen Germanyin1991andatLipicaSloveniain 1993
bull AnkyvanGrunsvenhasthreewinstoher namendashin1999withBonfirefollowedbythe backtobackwinswithSalineroin2005and 2007
17-21 August 2011
Rotterdam Netherland
FeI eUroPeaN
DressaGeChaMPIoNshIPs
20
LIVE coverage on
These are the second FEI European Para-Equestrian Dressage Championships to be held since Para-Equestrian joined the FEI Family in 2006 Para-Equestrian Dressage has been a regular fixture at the Paralympic Games since 1996 The first FEI European Para-Equestrian Dressage Championships were held in southern Norwegian town of Kristiansand in 2009 with a total of 78 ath-letes from 22 countries participating
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERS
Team Great Britain
Grade Ia Individual - Sophie Christiansen (GBR) Freestyle - Emma Sheardown (GBR)
Grade Ib Individual amp Freestyle Lee Pearson (GBR)
Grade II Individual - Petra Van der Sande (NED) Freestyle - Angelika Trabert (GER)
Grade III Individual amp Freestyle
Hannelore Brenner (GER)
Grade IV Individual amp Freestyle Sophie Wells (GBR)
The mobility strength and coordination of competi-tors are assessed and athletes with similar functional ability profiles are grouped into competition grades that range from Grade Ia for the most severely im-paired to Grade IV for the least impaired This means that the competition within each Grade can be judged on the skill of the individual competitors on their horses regardless of their disabilities
CLUB qUADRILLEMoorsele has been host to a regular international Para-Equestrian Dressage events for the past few years with the Club Quadrille as organiser The Club Quadrille was founded in 1981 by Anne Van Neste-dIeteren Belgian Dressage Champion from 1977 un-til 1982 current President of the Belgian Paralympic Committee and member of the FEI Para-Equestrian committee It is a unique sports club that works with both able bodied and disabled athletes and is active in the promotion and education of the sport As member of the honorary IPC Board Her Royal Highness (HRH) Princess Astrid of Belgium has been a fervent supporter of the event and has attended on many occasions
Believe it or nothellip
bull LeePearson(GBR)haswoneverygold medalwithinreachatParalympicWorld andContinentallevelandtheEuropeans in2009werenodifferentwithanother triplegoldvictory
bull GreatBritainalsohavetheMidastouch whenitcomestoteammedalsndashandarethe currentParalympicWorldandEuropean titleholders
bull In2009Germanycamecloserthanever totakingthegoldmedalfromall-time championGreatBritain
1-4 September 2011
Moorsele Belgium
FeI eUroPeaN
Para-eqUestrIaNDressaGeChaMPIoNshIPs
21FOCUS
A record number of fans are expected to attend the HSBC FEI European Eventing Championships as they return to Luhmuumlhlen for the fifth time to mark the 30th edition of the ChampionshipsThe FEI European Eventing Championships take place every two years in the middle of the Olympic cycle and have been held since 1953
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERSTeam ndash Great BritainIndividual ndash Kristina CookMiners Frolic (GBR)
OLyMPIC qUALIFICATIONThe 2 best ranked nations from Groups A B amp C at the 2011 HSBC FEI European Eventing Champion-ships (excluding the teams already qualified at WEG) will be qualified to take part with a team consisting of 3 athletes amp 3 horses
THE VENUELuhmuumlhlen one of only six 4 events on the interna-tional Eventing calendar and part of the prestigious HSBC FEI Classicstrade series will greet Europersquos best athletes with a fresh look and feel this year following extensive renovation to the existing infrastructures The recently renovated showground includes three Dressage and two Jumping arenas a tribune able to seat 850 spectators with spectacular views as well as a newly designed entrance including six ticket box facilities and fully catered trade stands The show-ground also boasts an open air stage with space for up to 15000 spectators ldquoI am confident that the in-vestment in the infrastructure will be of great benefit to all involved whether you are a volunteer a groom an athlete ndash both the horses and the riders - as well as for the sponsors guests spectators and the fans We are re-ally looking forward to great competitions this year at both the CCI4CIC3 in June and at the Europeans in August and hope many will join us to witness this historic momentrdquo Julia Otto Event Director Luhmuumlhlen
HSBCHSBC has renewed their sponsorship for a further three-year term as global sponsor of FEI Eventing to include title sponsorships of the HSBC FEI European Eventing Championships in both 2011 and 2013 and the HSBC FEI Classicstrade until the end of 2013
OFFICIAL TIMEPIECE Rolex the leading name in luxury wrist watches will be the Official Timekeeper for the HSBC FEI European Eventing Championships 2011
Believe it or nothellip
bull GinnyElliot(bornHolgate)theonlyrider towinthreesuccessiveindividualtitlesand IanStarkholdthejointrecordforEuropean goldmedalswonndashseveneachbutLucinda Greenstillhasthemostmedals(10)
bull SupremeRockriddenbyPippaFunnell (GBR)istheonlyhorsetowinback-to-back titles(in1999and2001)hehasfour Europeangoldmedalsintotalequalingthe recordofKilbarryThePoacherandOver ToYouwhowonarecordfourconsecutive Europeanteamgolds(1999-2005)
bull PrincessAnneandZaraPhillipsaretheonly mother-daughtercombinationtowin Europeantitles(1971and2005)
bull GreatBritainhaveheldtheEuropeantitle forthepast8consecutiveChampionships (since1995)Andofthe29editionstodate (startingin1953)theteamhavewona whopping21
25-28 August 2011
Luhmuumlhlen Germany
hsBC FeI eUroPeaN
eVeNtINGChaMPIoNshIPs LIVE coverage on
22
In September Breda Hippique in The Netherlands will be host to the seventh edition of the FEI Euro-pean Driving Championships for Four-in-Hand not held since 1981 This edition is open to both Euro-pean and non-European drivers and will also count as a qualifier for the indoor FEI World Cuptrade Driv-ing which is held during the winter season Only competitors from Europe can claim the individual and team medalsThe FEI European Driving Championships for Four-in-Hand were first held in 1971 in Budapest and continued to be held every two years until 1981 at which stage they were discontinued
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERSTeam ndash HungaryIndividual ndash Gyoumlrgyi Bardos (HUN)
SOMETHING IN THE WATERhellip Hungary have won five out of six available team European titles and on the individual front two Hungarians stand out from the crowd Imre Abony ndash individual winner in 1971 and 1975 and Gyoumlrgyi Bardos triple consecutive winner in 1977 1979 1981
IN THE BEGINNINGhellipThe first European Championships took place in Budapest in 1971 and moved on to Windsor in Great Britain in 1973 Sopot in Poland in 1975 Donauesch-ingen in Germany in 1977 and in Haras du Pin in France in 1979 The sixth and last edition took place in 1981 in Zug Switzerland
THE VENUEBreda has hosted the only Nations competition (CAIO) for Four-in-Hand horses in The Netherlands for many years In 1995 Breda hosted the first FEI European Driving Championships for Four-in-Hand ponies and in 2010 was host to the FEI World Para-Equestrian Driving Championships Aside from the four-in-hand teams Breda will also host international pony teams and national horse pairs at the event this year
Believe it or nothellip
bull Hungaryhavewonfiveoutofsixteamgold titles
bull AugusteDubeyfromSwitzerlandwasthe onlynon-HungarianEuropeanChampion hewontheChampionshipsin1973
bull PrincePhilipFEIPresidentfrom1964- 1986whocelebratedhis90thbirhtday inJuneisanavidfanofDrivingandpartici- patedinsixWorldandthreeEuropean Championships
1-4 September 2011
Breda Netherland
FeI eUroPeaN
DrIVINGChaMPIoNshIPsfor FoUr-IN-haND
Note At the time of writing the FEI European DrivingChampionships for Four in Hand was pending approvalby the FEI Bureau
23FOCUS
The 14th edition of the FEI European Endurance Championships return to Florac in France twenty five years after the inaugural event was held there The FEI European Endurance Championships first took place in 1984 and were immediately followed up by a second edition in 1985 and have since been held every two years They have always been open to the world with two sets of medals presented ndash open and European
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERSTeam ndash SpainIndividual ndash Maria Alvarez Ponton amp Nobby
RECORD BREAKINGCurrent title holder Maria Alvarez Ponton amp super horse Nobby is the first rider to hold European and World titles at the same time She will be looking to confirm her stronghold on the sport following her second consecutive World title with a second con-secutive European title in Florac a feat no rider has managed to achieve at the Europeans to date
THE VET GATEModern competitions consist of a number of sec-tions known as lsquophasesrsquo At the end of each phase there is a compulsory halt for veterinary inspection Each horse which is thoroughly examined before it is allowed to start the ride must be presented for inspection within a set time of reaching each vetgate The time spent at each vetgate prior to inspection by the vets is counted as part of the overall competition time and the aim is to determine whether the horse is fit to continue the ride
THE SUPPORT CREWA vital part of Endurance riding is the support crew Riders are assisted by a team of helpers who meet them several times over the ride bringing bottles of water to pour over the horse to cool it down as well as a drink for the rider Crews also have spare equipment in case something breaks down or needs replacing
Believe it or nothellip
bull TheFrenchhavethemedaledgewith6 individualand4teamgoldmedalsfrom the14editionsheld
bull Floracistheonlyvenuetohostthe EuropeanChampionshipstwice(thefirst editionin1984andtheupcomingedition in2011)
bull EnduranceisthefastestgrowingFEI disciplinefrom2000to2010thenumber ofinternationaleventshavemultipliedby10
10 September 2011
Florac France
FeI eUroPeaN
eNDUraNCeChaMPIoNshIPs
24
Reem Acra Boutique 14 East 60th St New York New York 10022 2123088760 wwwreemacracom
356935B2_RA_brochure2_souvenir_programmeindd 1 82710 1012 AM
Vaulting became an FEI discipline in 1983 and saw its first FEI European Championship organised just one year later in the town of Ebreichsdorf in Austria This 15th edition of the Championship ndash which also includes the European Juniors competition return to France for the 4th time but for the first time in the world renowned venue of Le Mans famous for its 24 hour race
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERS
Team ndash Austria
Individual malelongeurhorseNicolas Andreani (FRA)Marina Joosten DuponIdefix de Braize
Individual femalelongeurhorseJoanna Eccles (GBR)John EcclesWH Bentley
THE WIND OF CHANGEGermany and Switzerland have traditionally bat-tled for the team title (Germany has 7 gold versus Switzerlandrsquos 5) but in 2009 Austria who had come second on four occasions since the inception of the Championships in 1984 finally climbed onto the top spot of the podium and claimed the title In terms of the individual performances Germany had the stronghold on the male category winning 11 out of 14 gold medals But again in 2009 France the only other country to have ever beaten a German male vaulter at the Europeans made it to the top spot of the podium for only the third time since the Championships began
Similarly with the female vaulters it was an all German domination until 2007 when Austriarsquos Sissi Jarz claimed gold followed by Joanna Eccles (GBR) in 2009 ndash leaving Germany off the top step of the podium entirely in 2009
GREAT BRITAIN ndash A VAULTING NATIONhellip Times have definitely changed from the Swiss German domination with current World and European titles held by Great Britainrsquos Joanna Eccles She was the first British vaulter (male or female) to claim a medal at the Europeans ndash let alone a gold medal - and then went on to secure the world title in Kentucky last year
Believe it or nothellip
bull TheonlycountryotherthanGermanyand SwitzerlandtohaveclaimedaEuropean VaultingtitleisSlovakiain2005
bull ChristophLensing(GER)holdsthemale medalrecordndashwiththreegold(19891993 amp1995)aswellassilverin1991
bull NadiaZuumllowandSilkeMichelberger (formerlyBernhard)withthreegoldmedals each
16-21 August 2011
Le Mans France
FeI eUroPeaN
VaULtINGChaMPIoNshIPs
26
This is only the fifth edition of the European Reining Championships since the discipline joined the FEI in 2000 and the first time they will be held in Austria The event also includes the FEI European Champi-onships for Juniors and Young Riders ndash a formula introduced in 2009 in Kreuth (GER) which proved to be a multigenerational success The FEI European Reining Championships take place every two years and have been held since 2003
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERSTeam ndash GermanyIndividual ndash Nina Lill (GER) riding Lena Cielo Jewel
THE JUDGINGReining horses are judged individually Each horse au-tomatically begins the required pattern with a score of 70 One or frac12 points are given or taken away for each manoeuvre Credit is given for smoothness fi-nesse attitude quickness and authority Controlled speed in the pattern raises the level of difficulty and makes the reining horse exciting to watch
Believe it or nothellip
bull ItalyandGermanyaretheonlytwonations tohavewongoldmedalsndashGermanyhas3 teamgoldand2individualgoldversus Italyrsquossingleteamgoldandtwoindividual gold
bull GermanyrsquosNinaLillwinnerin2009was thefirstwomantotaketheindividualtitle sincetheChampionshipsbeganin2003
bull OlympicWorldandEuropeanDressage ChampionAnkyVanGrunsven(NED) competedattheAlltechFEIWorldEques- trianGamestradein2010inbothDressageand hellipReining
bull 13nationswerescheduledtoattendthe Championshipatthetimeofwritingthe largestparticipationbycountryever recordedfortheEuropeans
26-30 July 2011
Wiener Neustadt Austria
FeI eUroPeaN
reININGChaMPIoNshIPs
27FOCUS
ldquoThirty-one yearsrsquo experience comes in handy some-timesrdquo joked the ever-relaxed Todd who was a leg-end by the time he ldquoretiredrdquo in 2000 with back-to-back Olympic golds five Burghley wins two world gold medals and three Badminton victories one on a horse he had never ridden before ldquoIt is incredibly special though right up there with the back-to-back Olympic golds When I came back to the sport (in 2008) it was to see if I could get back to top level It has always been my aim to win another big onerdquo
A World class meeting of Generations
The 2011 HSBC FEI Classicstrade could not have got off to a more epic start with wins at Badminton and Kentucky by two of the sportrsquos most enduring personalitiesThe 55-year-old New Zealander Mark Todd rolled back the years to score a fourth victory at the Gloucestershire venue 31 years after his first attempt in 1980
By Kate Green
28
HSBC FEI ClassicsTm
The resurgence of so much experienced talent makes it harder for younger riders to work their way up the leaderboard but 29-year-old Sinead Halpin (USA) had a spectacular CCI4 debut at Kentucky finish-ing third and best of the home side in distinguished company This achievement earned her the HSBC Training Bursary worth US$1000 towards training a prestigious and valuable award presented to the rider who achieves the best result on completing a CCI4 for the first time
The bursary winner at Badminton Fiona Hobby (GBR) 39 has had a rather longer wait to complete
her first CCI4 ndash she was 26th on Roma ML ndash but she has in the meantime produced two children had a career as a sports therapist and only switched from Jumping to Eventing relatively recently Hobby has vowed to spend the money on dressage train-ing ldquoRoma couldnrsquot believe it when she arrived in the arena and saw all those people but she was great across country really focussed Irsquom delightedrdquo
For Germanyrsquos Sandra Auffarth Luhmuumlhlen pro-vided an outstanding CCI4 debut on Opgun Louvo a young horse she has produced herself coming second and picking up the HSBC Training Bursary and the exciting prospect of a possible place in the squad for the forthcoming HSBC FEI European Event-ing Championship at Luhmuumlhlen (25-28 August) at which Germany as host nation will be entitled to field 12 riders
Last yearrsquos HSBC Training Bursary winners include Stephanie Rhodes-Bosch (CAN) who went on to win a team silver medal at the Alltech FEI World Equestri-an Gamestrade Lauren Shannon (GBR) who finished 17th at Badminton this year and Giovanni Ugolotti (ITA) who is furthering his career by basing himself in Brit-ain for the season and having lessons with Mark Todd
LIVE coverage and extensive highlights available on
Toddrsquos winning mount the 10-year-old NZB Land Vision was a green horse for this level and he fin-ished the Cross-Country phase tired but his rider kept his cool in an extraordinarily tight finish in which the price of one Jumping fence covered the top 12 riders any of whom could with a bit of luck have won the Mitsubishi Motors Trophy ldquoIn the end it came down to horse-power and Irsquove obviously got a good one hererdquo said Todd ldquoCharisma (his double Olympic gold medallist) will always be the most special horse but this one has no weak linksrdquo
As is the nature of the sport Toddrsquos lead in the HSBC FEI Classicstrade didnrsquot last long ndash he came down to earth with a bump the following weekend with a Cross-Country run-out on NZB Grass Valley his ride at the Rolex Kentucky Three Day Event (USA) and 49- year-old Mary King (GBR) stole the head-lines with a record one-two on Kings Mis-tress and Fernhill Urco It was Kingrsquos first CCI4 victory for 11 years ndash she has won Badminton twice and Burghley once ndash but she certainly smashed a few re-cords with this one She became the first rider to score a one-two at Kentucky the first in modern times to win a CCI4 on a home-bred horse and the oldest female to win a CCI4
King who has six team gold medals at World and European level plus competed at five consecutive Olympics had the luxury of knowing she had already won the event on the inexperienced 10-year-old Fernhill Urco a horse bred in Portugal by the time she entered the arena on Kings Mistress but she still produced a second clear round ldquoI never dreamed that I would be in this position and Irsquom enjoying the momentrdquo said the ever-smiling King ldquoIt was great to have the feeling of having already won on Fernhill Urco but I still wanted desperately to go clear on Kings Mistress as it is so special to win on a horse I bred myselfrdquo It was also an all clear from Germanyrsquos Andreas Dibowski and Euroriding Butts Leon in order to secure victory at the fourth leg of the HSBC FEItrade
Classicstrade in Luhmuumlhlen presented by EON Avacon
29FOCUS
The Danish-American actorpoet musician photographerand painter has been around horses most of his life from riding Hasufel and Brego in The Lord of the Rings trilogy to early childhood memories in Argentina his passion for floating as he describes it has never wavered
What is it about the horse that makes you a horse loverWe get along generally I respect their strength and their personal space Your first riding experience ndash was it bliss or terrorLike floating like being on a warm and floating mountain I remember being happy Do you think anyone can rideYes It is a question of allowing yourself to ride of allowing yourself to cooperate and not be in total control Children are more adept at figuring this out letting things happen without getting impatient or scared just as they are braver and less self-conscious about pronouncing new words or singing Anyone at any age or in any physical condition can
Viggo Mortensen
achieve a degree of success and satisfaction with horses even if it is just a question of touching them being near them If horses could talk what would they be sayingYou will know if you listen and watch them Is there a unique trait you look for in a horse that you canrsquot find in peopleThey are more patient and less apt to complain about lifersquos setbacks and physical ailments than most people I admire a tough smart horse what-ever its breed age or size What would you miss most if you could no longer go ridingThe companionship and the floating perhaps also the abandonment of usual daily worries that relaxed riding requires Whatrsquos your usual riding outfit consist ofAnything will do Loose-fitting clothes and good comfortable boots are a plus but not vital I have even ridden barefoot ndash naturally taking care to avoid being stepped on when not on the horse - but I do not recommend this to anyone The most important thing is to have a clear and focused mind to be THERE at all times when around horses and NOWHERE ELSE Sugar lumps or carrotsIrsquove been guilty of offering an occasional apple or carrot although it is best not to give horses anything special unless treats are part of training them for special tricks or stunts a pursuit best left to experts like master horse trainer Rex Peterson whom Irsquove had the good fortune to work with and study quite a bit Treats spoil horses and do not keep the animal focused on the task at hand Whatrsquos your favourite part of a horseThe brain What do you think young people gain from ridingSelf-confidence and an understanding of the value of cooperation
30
Why the long face
When did you first develop the bond with the horseThe first time I got on one as a little boy in ArgentinaYou either develop a bond of some kind or you fall off Of course you may even fall off if you develop the bond but you have to start (and restart) somewhere
Did your friends ride My brothers also rode and I have ridden with many kinds of people over the years ndash some good and patient with horses and some not If I had not rid-den as a boy I would probably have been wandering around fishing imagining I was a cowboy or an Indian or a Viking ndash which I did anyway Where in the world would you most like to rideMost anywhere will do but I have been extremely lucky to have ridden in many wide-open wild places ndash deserts grassy plains mountains by different seas and rivers in Argentina New Zealand North Africa and North America If you could spend one afternoon riding with a famous person (past or present)who would it be and whyIrsquoll give you 3 Oglala chief Tasunke Witko (Crazy Horse) my ancestor William F Cody or any real Gaucho from the province of Chaco Argentina
Two horses go out for dinner what kindof restaurant do they chooseLate spring grass near a slow-moving clean river with a gentle firm shoreline an hour before sun-down far from any people or other animals All time favourite horse filmI have a subjective soft spot for the stories and real horses involved in the making of ldquoHidalgordquo and the 2nd and 3rd installments of ldquoThe Lord Of The Ringsrdquo trilogy but I admire other ldquohorse moviesrdquo as wellThe 1953 French movie ldquoCrin-Blancrdquo (ldquoWhite Manerdquo) directed by Albert Lamorisse is a personal favourite
After three years at the head of the successful French Jumping team with back to back FEI Nations Cuptrade titles and a silver medal at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade Laurent Elias is moving on to new spheres with the French Horse amp Riding Institute where he will be training the riders of the National Riding School in Saumur
Laurent Elias
copy C
hris
toph
e Br
icot
32
The other side of
If I had not become a professional rider I would havehellipmade a career in a humanitarian organisation Horse riding is sometimes too trivial
My priority in life ishellipto be able to look at myself in the mirror in the morning and make sure I am at peace with my conscience
My familyhellipkeeps me grounded My wife helped me a lot when I was in charge of selections for France She took charge of my personal life and was the first person I called when we got the medal in Lexington I also admire my parents for the values they passed on to me
I remember my first ridingexperiencehellipaged six we were shooting a family film and I was on horseback I finished upside down under my horse for a long time I stopped riding for one year
I used to dream abouthellipsafaris One of my uncles was passionate about safaris Through him I became very interested in African trips and the jobs that allow you to travel as a reporter were fascinating to me as well
I have been thinking a lot abouthellipwhat happened in Japan these past few months First this tsunami that devastated everything without warning then the nuclear disaster It made me think that progress should not be destructive
My horse Gueacutenourhellipchanged my life I was just a coach and he brought me to the top I won the national championship in 1981 with him
My biggest challengehas always beenhellipshyness Horse riding has really helped me over-come it Horses brought me on stage and there I had to meet people
As a Chef dEquipehellipthere is no single defining achievement itrsquos all about the solidarity and the moments spent together as a team Irsquoll never forget the first time Penelope Leprevost rode her mare Jubileacutee drsquoOuilly in the FEI Nations Cuptrade of Rotterdam McLain Ward had just completed a real fast run with Sapphire We thought the Americans would win but she did it faster and beat Sapphire
In terms of eventshellipAachen is my favourite competition - for its won-derful organisation But we have also pretty good five star competitions in France
I donrsquot sleep muchhellipprobably because I am just happy to be alive
Irsquom not scared to laugh or cryhellipI laugh at the funny situations we sometimes find ourselves in life and enjoy people with quirky personalities I cry when I see others in pain
Laurent Elias and the French team en route to the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade copy PSV-Jean Morel
33FOCUS
Nicolas TheacutevenazAged 23 studies Robotics and Autonomous Systems Micro Engineering in Lausanne (SUI) alongside regular training and competition in Dressage and Para-Equestrian Dressage events Born with spastic diplegia Nicolas was introduced to horses via hippotherapy aged seven and quickly developed a passion for riding which not only helped with his physical condition but also taught him through Dressage the art of patience and perseverance
34
One day
Nicolas TheacutevenazAged 23 studies Robotics and Autonomous Systems Micro Engineering in Lausanne (SUI) alongside regular training and competition in Dressage and Para-Equestrian Dressage events Born with spastic diplegia Nicolas was introduced to horses via hippotherapy aged seven and quickly developed a passion for riding which not only helped with his physical condition but also taught him through Dressage the art of patience and perseverance
He has been fortunate to meet the right people (and horses) at the right time and has been working for the past five years with trainer Vicky-Eileen Baumann (pictured right) and her horses Magic and Lady (pictured right) ldquoShersquos bred them and knows them inside out which is very useful when I have to communicate with them - they know my voice intonations and a whole string of specific words or sounds ndash which really helps as my body canrsquot or doesnrsquot always have the strength to do sordquo
As a Grade II Para-Equestrian rider Nicolas competes in Para-Equestrian Dressage (PED) events as well as national events for able bodied riders as there are only a handful of PED riders and no events in Switzerland
Unable to attend the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade 2010 in Kentucky last year Nicolas and Vicky have their sights firmly set on the 2012 Para-lympic Games and will be looking to qualify with Lady over the next 12 months ndash alongside exams studies and everything else life has to offerhellip Who is your role model For different reasons I have different role mod-els Edward Gal Dane Rawlins Isabel Werth and Catherine Haddad
When did you start riding and why At age 7 I was sat on a horse for hippotherapy and liked the complicity with the horse which made me want to discover more
How do you feel when you ride Concentrated and industrious
Who is your biggest fan My trainerrsquos mum
Complete this sentenceOne day I would like tohellip have gained enough knowledge to be able to take care of and train my own horse
What are your long term goals as a rider Continue to do my best to enjoy what I do and show others itrsquos possible
How do you juggle studies and competition I think itrsquos really important to have goals and to do everything you can to achieve them and that includes taking on challenges because if you donrsquot try then yoursquoll never know what you could have achieved
What is your proudest achievement to date Participation in international events together with pursuing my studies
How do you feel after winning Still working towards discovering the feeling
What is the best advice anyone has ever given youMy trainer often repeats to me the famous saying by General LrsquoHotte ldquoCalme en avant droitrdquo which says so much about riding but can also be applied to so many other aspects of life
35FOCUS
What advice would you give someone looking to get involved in Para-Equestrian Dressage Train and ride with able-bodied athletes as often as possible Being around and working with horses is so rewarding Irsquod like - when Irsquom retired - to write a book to share these feelings with others and hope this will inspire them to get involved
Complete this sentenceIn the future I would like the sport to beeven ldquocleanerrdquo and fairer and if possible not more but less demanding on the horses
ldquoLast but not least Irsquod like to take the opportunity of this article to reach out to those who give me their trust and help be it with their time their friendship and any type of support Day after day to year after year team work is essential and Irsquoll do my best to continue deserving every-onersquos encouraging smilesrdquo
European Broadcasting Union
Union Europeacuteenne de Radio-Teacuteleacutevision
+41 (0)22 717 2111 wwweurovisionnet
We bring the event to your home
Eurovision
copy K
it H
ough
ton
FE
I
FEI_08_A4indd 1 03012008 162238
European Broadcasting Union
Union Europeacuteenne de Radio-Teacuteleacutevision
+41 (0)22 717 2111 wwweurovisionnet
We bring the event to your home
Eurovision
copy K
it H
ough
ton
FE
I
FEI_08_A4indd 1 03012008 162238
Nominations for the FEI Awards opened in May enabling the global equestrian com-munity to once again reward outstanding dedication to horse sport in five categories ndash Development Best Groom Against All Odds Rising Star and Best Athlete The search for the equestrian heroes of 2011 is now on who will be flown to Rio de Janeiro Brazil to receive their awards
Where are they now The FEI asked the current title-holders for an update on their activities
Follow us on
38
FEI Awards 2011
Ebony Horse Club (GBR)Winner of the Alltech FEI DevelopmentAward 2010
The Ebony Horse Club announced in December 2010 that after an eight-year fundraising effort it had the pound14 million necessary for building an equestrian cen-tre in one of Londonrsquos most deprived boroughs Since 1996 Ebony has offered youngsters in an area reput-ed for its gang culture high level of gun crime and drug dealing the chance to ride and learn key social skills The clubrsquos 50 members travel to riding schools across London on public transport or in minibuses ndash a logistical headache that the inner-city equestrian centre will end Construction work began in February
Ebony Horse Club founder and director Ros Spear-ing told the FEI ldquoRiding lessons are continuing and the club is preparing for the transitionrdquo Building will finish on 7 July but the centre will open for riding lessons in October ldquoThe horses will be brought to Brixton in the summer and will have time to acclimatise to their new environmentrdquo Spearing said The centre will include stabling for nine horses a small paddock and a flood-lit riding arena as well as a classroom for learning about horses and equine management Spearing is adamant that club members ndash present and future ndash care for their rides and wants the centre to serve as a stepping stone to careers in the horse industry
Ebonyrsquos existence will continue to depend on the generosity of donors For more information visit wwwebonyhorsecluborguk
Michelle Tipper (GBR)Winner of the FEI Best Groom Award 2010
Michelle Tipper has continued to juggle grooming and study since receiving her FEI Award in Novem-ber She has organised the grooms for the British European Junior and Young Dressage teams and in April her contract as a travelling groom for British Dressage riders Paul and Bobby Hayler took her to Addington for the first of many international com-petitions she will work at this year The Haylers have eight horses competing and the number she works with at each venue varies Tipper has also been help-ing British Dressage riders Nicky and Richard Barrett with yard duties ldquoI feel very lucky to work for both of these familiesrdquo said the FEI Best Groom Award win-ner adding that she feels part of the two families In March Tipper graduated from university with a Masters in Sport Psychology She is now working towards British Association of Sport and Exercise Science accreditation which requires at least 500 hoursrsquo supervised work experience and is present-ing sport psychology workshops in conjunction with the company Inside Performance Consulting Limit-ed (wwwinside-performancecom) The workshops are organised internationally for people of all ages from any sport To find out more contact Tipper at michelletipper1979yahoocom
39FOCUS
Michelle Tipper ndash copyWilliam TzengAward winners ndash copyWilliam TzengCaroline Roffman ndash copySharonPackercomEbony Horse Club ndash copyEbony Horse ClubEdward Gal and Totilas ndash copyKit HoughtonFEIAngelika Trabert ndash copyJulia Rau
Angelika Trabert (GER)Winner of the FEI Against All Odds Award 2010
German Para-Dressage rider Angelika Trabert has represent-ed her country at four Paralympic Games and won some 15 medals at national European and world championships She is currently seeking a new home for Londria the mare that con-tributed to her Team Silver medal win at the Hong Kong Para-lympics Londria who had a foal last year was also Trabertrsquos ride during her medal-winning performances at the European Championships in Hungary (2005) and Norway (2009)
Trabert said her decision to let go of Londria was hard to make but was necessary for financial reasons She will keep the foal Finaud Coquin and her mares Walmorel and Ariva-Avanti Trabert won the Para-Dressage Grade 2 Freestyle Champion-ship at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade with Ariva and said the horse was ldquowell and ready to go for the Europeans again in Belgium in September if we qualifyrdquo Trabert competed in her first international competition of 2011 in May in Man-nheim Germany where she came first in the Grade II indi-vidual and second in the freestyle She is taking part in the German Championships in June
Away from the equestrian world Trabert works as an anaes-thetist and has participated in medical missions in the rural ar-eas of Guinea for the organisation Mango In January she was back in Guinea as part of team that carried out 100 operations in 13 days wwwangelika-trabertde
Visit the recently refreshed FEI Awards website to find out more about the Awards the pastwinners the judges and to make yournominationsby 31 July
wwwfeiawardsorg
40
Caroline Roffman (USA)Winner of the HSBC FEI Rising StarAward 2010
Success continues to smile on twenty-two-year-old American Dressage rider Caroline Roffman Since re-ceiving the HSBC FEI Rising Star Award she has en-joyed numerous wins at small tour and young horse levels achieving scores in the mid-eighties and quali-fying two horses for the young horse championships
Roffman is currently showing six horses and has won several classes at PSG and Grand Prix level ldquoBut nothing is as exciting as to be going to Aachenrdquo said the young woman who has been described as the American Dressage communityrsquos brightest hope ex-plaining that at the FEI Awards ceremony in Chinese Taipei Frank Kemperman FEI Dressage Committee Chair and Chairman of the Managing Board at CHIO Aachen (GER) invited her to take part in the pres-tigious event Roffman will be the first American to compete in the Under 25 Grand Prix there and is hop-ing to take her horse Lux Stensvang
An interview with Caroline Roffman at the Palm Beach Dressage Derby CDI will be broadcast on the magazine programme Equestrian World on FEI TV the FEIrsquos official online video platform wwwfeitvorg
Edward Gal and Totilas (NED)Winners of the Reem Acra FEI Best Athlete Award 2010
The world-famous partnership of Dutch Dressage rider Edward Gal and the extraordinary Totilas ended in style in 2010 with notably three gold medal wins at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade
The first foal sired by the superstar stallion was born in January followed by two more in the spring Gal who has admired the foals told the FEI ldquoYou never know ndash maybe in a few yearsrsquo time Irsquoll have another Totilas readyrdquo At the beginning of April he was busy at home training nine horses and preparing for the Reem Acra FEI World Cuptrade Dressage Final in Leipzig and the European Championships in Rotterdam He had not yet decided which horses he was going to compete with but was particularly looking forward to the Freestyle to Music Asked what it was like to compete without Totilas Gal said ldquoEverybody ex-pected Totilas to win I find it easier to ride other horses because nobody expects me to win and when I do itrsquos really nicerdquo
41FOCUS
globetrotter
Seal of approval for the Adai horseSixty years have passed since an Adai horse reportedly set a record galloping 354km in one day Today the Adai horse a breed na-tive to Kazakhstan is back in the spotlight with a gold medal at the FEI Central Asian Endurance Championship in Talgaearlier in May only months after having been award-ed official pedigree status following tests
conducted by a State Commission in the Mangistau Steppes which allowed itto compete internationally The horses are cherished for their hardiness and Oyly ridden by Altyngali Bissemaganbetov (KAZ) proved just that when crossing the finishing line first demonstrating just how tough the Adai horses are and the beginning of a new era for sturdy breed on the international stage
Equestrian Australia Sport
Achievement Awards
In May the best of the best in
Equestrian sport gathered to cel-
ebrate the achievements of Austral-
iarsquos athletes coaches officials vets
administrators owners volunteers
and the many other people that
dedicate their time and enthusiasm
to equestrian sport The ceremony
also included the introduction of
Equestrian Australiarsquos Hall of
Fame won by the legendary Bill
Roycroft Boyd Exell winner of
the FEI World CupTM Driving
Final was awarded the interna-
tional athlete of the year
award
Kevin Stautbecomes first athlete representative on FEI
executive board
Kevin Staut one of Francersquos most successful Jumping riders became the first athlete to be appointed to the FEI Executive Board for a three-year term Staut (31) who has held the number one spot in the Rolex Rankings for Jumping since July 2010 has ridden on numerous Nations Cup teams for France and claimed individual gold at the Alltech FEI European Jumping Championships in 2009
HulA CARTSWorld Horse Welfare has greatly helped the liv
es of
five Senegalese cart horse owners by presenting them
with new Hula Carts The local people who depend on
their working horses for their livelihoods were specially
selected by the charity to receive the carts which have
been sponsored by members of the public in the uK
The Hula Carts are specifically developed to help the
horses pulling heavy loads in often difficult conditions
Equestrian Australia Sport
Achievement Awards
In May the best of the best in
Equestrian sport gathered to cel-
ebrate the achievements of Austral-
iarsquos athletes coaches officials vets
administrators owners volunteers
and the many other people that
dedicate their time and enthusiasm
to equestrian sport The ceremony
also included the introduction of
Equestrian Australiarsquos Hall of
Fame won by the legendary Bill
Roycroft Boyd Exell winner of
the FEI World CupTM Driving
Final was awarded the interna-
tional athlete of the year
award
Olympic legendBill Roycroft passes away aged 96
A legend of Equestrian sport in Australia James William
George Roycroft OBE known as ldquoBillrdquo was one of Austral-
iarsquos greatest Olympians and one of only five Australians to
have competed in five consecutive Olympic Games (from
1960 - 1976) as well as being Australiarsquos oldest medallist
and oldest competitor at 61 years and 31 days In May 2011
Bill was inducted in Equestrian Australiarsquos inaugural Hall
of Fame ndash he was Australiarsquos oldest living Olympian and
shared his dedication and enthusiasm for the sport with
his sons Barry Wayne and Clarke (See a brief description
of his exploits in the 1960 Olympic Games Memory Lane
article page 9 which catapulted Australiarsquos reputation as
one of the best Eventing teams in the world)
webinfofeiFEI web wizard Nicole Sigrist has added a new hub for the Press on wwwfeiorg called FEI Press Kits located in the Media section of the website The Press Kits zone which is also open to the general public is regularly updated with infor-mation relating to FEI series and specific events with flip books and downloadable PDFs as well as direct links to the Photo Catalogue the Rankings and Standings the Annual Report and more
100thanniversary for Finnish riding club
One of the three found-ing member clubs of
the Finnish Equestrian Federation the Suomen
Kenttaumlratsastusseura-Finska Faumlltrittklubbenon celebrates
its 100th anniversary in 2011 Magnus Rydman former President of the Finnish National Federation and Presi-dent of the FEI from 1935 ndash 1946 was one of the founders of the club Another of the founders of the oldest club in Fin-land was the Eventing rider Colonel Hans Olof von Essen whose fifth place at the Antwerpen Olympic Games re-mains the best Olympic equestrian result the country has ever achieved
Follow us on
43FOCUS
Interview with the President of the Brazilian Equestrian Federation Mr Luiz Roberto Giugni
The Brazilian Equestrian Federation has been a member Federation of the FEI for 75 years how has the sport developed over that time We were facing regular growth (average of 25 in the last decade) but in the last three to four years this rate has significantly increased up to 35 a year We believe that this is due to international achievements (two Jumping Olympic team bronze medals the individual Olympic Jumping gold medal won by Rodrigo Pessoa several Pan Am Jumping team gold medals recent Olympic pre-qualification in Kentucky (4th in the world in Jumping) and the organisations of a Global Champions Tour event in Brazil
In terms of developing the sport what are the most successful projects you have undertaken in recent yearsWe decided to invest in education and have hired international trainers for all the disciplines such as Jean Maurice Bonneau for Jumping Nick Turner for Eventing Eric Lette for Dressage Jean Louis Leclerc for Endurance Mattias Lang for Vaulting with the long term in mind that is at least until the end of 2012 and planning towards 2016 when Rio will host the Olympic Games
How popular is equestrian sport with young people in Brazil and how do you compete with some of the bigger sports for their attention Popularization is growing bit by bit in a country
decidedly dominated by soccer ndash being 5 times World Champion makes it a national passion But we are continuously looking to attract TV to our events as this is a huge step towards gaining visibility and popularity Can you tell us about the programmesinitiatives in place for disabled athletes We are actively pursuing this and have achieved really positive results in little time such as the great performances and medals earned at the Para-lympic Games in Hong Kong in 2008 We do this through clinics courses international exchanges of athletes and working alongside our National Paralympic Committee to support us in our efforts
Brazil will be host the FEI General Assembly at the end of the year what do you want all the visiting delegates to remember from their visit That we are more than just a really beautiful and warm country with the ability and capacity to organise great events and that we are committed to putting on the best Olympic Games ever
What are the main objectivesplans for the Brazilian Federation in the lead up to the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games Our NOC is really committed to raising the bar of all the sports to a level never seen before and we are working towards that in terms of our athletes our judges our venues and everything that is related to our sport and the quality of our sport In line with this objective we are providing incen-tives to owners to buy good horses aiming for 2016 and this is going to plan for now We expect to perform well at the upcoming Pan Am Games and Olympics on our trail to 2016
Is there anything else you would like to share with us I would like to thank HRH Princess Haya President of the FEI as well as the Executive Board for all the support that we are getting which has been paramount to the development of equestrian sport in our country
44
President Luiz Roberto GiugniSecretary General Luiz Antonio RoccoMember since 1935
15 members of staff work at the federation
20 regional federations are affiliated tothe Brazilian Equestrian Federation with over 300 member riding clubs
6 000 affiliated riders
91 national events were held in 2010
31 international events were held in 2010
All the FEI disciplines are practiced in BrazilJumping Dressage Eventing Vaulting Reining EnduranceDriving amp Para-Equestrian
14 breeding organisations
There are 58 million horses and ponies in Brazilmaking it the fourth largest equine population in the world
FAC
TS amp
FIG
URE
S
45FOCUS
Dr Gerit Matthesen56 is a private equine practitioner an FEI Vet and a member of the FEI Veterinary Committee He graduated in Veterinary Medicine from Berlin University in 1983 and since 1989 has worked or officiated at some 180 competitions and championships including the last two Olympics and FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade He lives near Frankfurt with his wife Carola and their sons Mike (16) and Lars (14)
46
A life in a day
Dr Gerit Matthesen56 is a private equine practitioner an FEI Vet and a member of the FEI Veterinary Committee He graduated in Veterinary Medicine from Berlin University in 1983 and since 1989 has worked or officiated at some 180 competitions and championships including the last two Olympics and FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade He lives near Frankfurt with his wife Carola and their sons Mike (16) and Lars (14)
I wake up earlier than I need to ndash at around 6am ndash because breakfast time with my family is sacred to me and I can then drive my boys to the village station to take the train to school After two cups of coffee (enough for the day) and a glass of orange juice I read the newspapers then head to my prac-tice offices in our indoor arena I have a quick look at our horses then start work
While I listen to my phone messages I deal with my emails and search the internet for news about veterinary medicine and horse sport I then start planning the dayacutes schedule with Anna my assistant vet
My mobile practice is in a nice fairly rural area in the north of Frankfurt There are lots of horse farms but it is not a classic breeding area like the northern part of Germany There are sport horses as well as pleasure horses I have examination rooms and stables for horses staying or mares foaling in my practice stables Itrsquos not a big clinic which gives me time to work at competitions
After seeing a few small animals in my practice I normally start my field service at 930am In my car I have enough equipment (ultrasound X-ray systems and endoscopical devices) for the dayrsquos examinations and standing procedures We mainly have lameness examinations to do or internal diseases to treat accompanied by routine work like vaccinations or carrying out pre-purchase or health certificate examinations If time allows I go home for a quick lunch but thatrsquos not every day
While Irsquom driving I have time to think and I write down everything that come to mind regarding sport competitions committees and so on You have to write down your thoughts when yoursquore over the age of 50
It is not easy planning my day because any emer-gency can destroy or delay my schedule For all the paperwork and certificates I need a time frame so
I often do that over quiet weekends when there are no competitions During the winter season I am less busy but in summer a lot of weekends are taken over by the competition schedule
I love my work especially in Eventing which is my favourite discipline My wife and I practiced it ndash not up to top level but it was a fine time despite a bro-ken ankle from a fall in 1988 which after 23 years is making walking more and more difficult for me
I like to do my competition work on a friendly but strict basis and I really like to hear riders saying they are treated fairly Over the years I have acquired a lot of experience and met all the officials and riders
Usually when I return home in the late afternoon there are more small animals to see When Irsquove done the dayrsquos paperwork I hope there will be no more emergencies such as cases of colic which usually occur in the early evening
I look forward to getting on my horse which is a beautiful show-jumper I like to ride but Irsquove stopped competing I do dressage jumping and go out into the fields but itrsquos all just for fun now
The day finishes with the family and a nice cold glass of German beer
Itrsquos a struggle to find time to spend with my family and I often have to cancel my holidays with them I am really grateful to my wife and the boys for their understanding of my job and to my assistant vet who covers for me when Iacutem out somewhere in the world of equestrian sport
ldquoThe combination of my profession and beinginvolved in differentaspects of top equestrian sport is my visionrdquo
47FOCUS
Pull your show attire from the closet clean your boots and tack groom the horses hook up and pack the trailer check the clock double check to make sure you have everything put on the shipping boots load your horses and away you drive to the competition venue or to the airport for transport to a distant event
You know the drill well but still you arrive tired per-haps even a bit frazzled Yoursquoll sleep (or try to) the next several nights in an unfamiliar bed or camp out in the living quarters of your trailer You awaken riveted on the competition playing out the dayrsquos classes in your mind wondering how your rides will fare against oth-ers praying that the weather will be cooperate and trying to control your nerves all the while knowing that no matter how well you have prepared many factors are out of your control You may even be in a different time zone
We go through a lot to compete our horses But if you think life on the road is stressful for you think about what itrsquos like for your horses Your back may be a bit sore from driving or being strapped into an airplane seat for hours on end but for horses transportation is far more demanding It is an athletic endeavour re-quiring an expenditure of energy to maintain balance during the constant movement of transport When your horses arrive they face social isolation from stablemates lack of security in novel environments altered training regimes water that tastes strange and the confines of an unfamiliar stall This routine impacts a horsersquos health and well being with effects
continuing long after the journey is over During transport toxic gases (such as ammonia or carbon monoxide) can cause damage to the lung epithelium precipitating respiratory disease The
final destination itself can also cause problems Usually horses are transported to environments where they will be mixing with other horses The mixing of horses from different environments with different infectious organisms and under stressful conditions further precipitates susceptibility to disease
This can have a severe impact on the equine gut The stress of transportation is known to increase gut ulceration in the horse a painful condition reducing performance and causing colic-like symptoms Stress can also slow the flow of digesta and alter the normal gut flora resulting in digestive upset and possibly diarrhoea or colic
The effects of travel stress on the gut are compounded by the typical diet of the regular equine traveller To maintain athletic ability high performance horses are often fed energy-charged diets contain-ing increased levels of starchy materials such as cereal grains Unfortunately this type of diet can reduce beneficial types of gut flora and promote gut acidity further predisposing the horse to digestive upsets and ulceration It is not surprising that stressed tired horses may not fulfill their potential on arrival
Feeding to reduce stress for the equine traveller
By Darlene RickerExecutive editor of Alltechrsquos EQUINE INTERNATIONAL magazine
48
Alltech Tips
growth of opportunistic Salmonella spp which are present in the intestinal tract of many healthy horses These bacteria then attach to the gut lining via a mannan sugar and penetrate it causing damage and resulting in diarrhoea One method of prevent-ing or minimising the attachment of these organ-
isms to the gut lining is to provide an adsorbant supplement A form of sugar found in the cell walls of certain yeasts can do this This sugar compound is called man-nan oligosaccharide or MOS MOS products such as Alltechrsquos Bio-Mosreg have been shown to re-duce the colonization of Salmonella
spp in the guts of certain species and augment the immune response to Salmonella spp potentially conferring an enhanced ability to fight infection Both Yea-Saccreg 1026 and Bio-Mos are among the natural products contained in Alltechrsquos LIFEFORCETM equine supplement which many FEI competitors have successfully incorporated into their daily feeding regimen at home and on the road
lifeforcehorsecom
and may be subject to health concerns in the days following a long journey Fortunately however you can curb some of the effects of travel stress on the horsersquos gut by nutritional supplementation Organic yeast products used to supplement a horsersquos diet can support the normal gut flora modifying the intesti-nal environment and improving the horsersquos digestion One such culture is Saccharomyces cerevisae in the form of Yea-Saccreg 1026 Alltechrsquos propriety organic yeast
Experiments were conducted to evaluate the effects Yea-Sacc on gut flora and gut acidity Horses were fed either a high-starch or a high-fibre diet both with and without supplementation of Yea-Saccreg 1026 Results indicated an excessive amount of starch in the gut The use of Yea-Sacc reduced acidity and stimulat-ed the activity of fibre-digesting bacteria in the hind-gut for both types of diet The result was maximised fibre digestibility and more efficient use of nutrients thus increasing the amount of energy available to the horse for performance and counteracting digestive upset Salmonellosis is one of the more commonly di-agnosed infectious causes of diarrhoea in horses Many cases develop after the stress of transport The effects of travel stress on the normal gut flora allow an over-
Moorlands Totilas arrives for the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade after air transport copy Dirk Caremans
HRH The Infanta Dontildea Pilar de Borboacuten former President of the FEI (1994-2006) also attended the inauguration along-side HRH Princess Lalla Amina Chairperson of the Royal Moroccan Federation for Equestrian Sports and member of the international Advisory Council of Special OlympicsThey were joined by International Olympic Commit-tee members representatives from other Interna-tional Federations federal and local Swiss authorities as well as architects and designers that worked on the project Switzerlandrsquos Martin Fuchs a member of the gold medal winning team at the inaugural Youth Olympic Games in Singapore last year accompanied FEI President Princess Haya in officially opening the FEI headquarters
ldquoThe building we are inaugurating today has been designed to serve our wonderful sportrdquo explained FEI
President Princess Haya ldquoI also feel an immense
sense of pride knowing that this building carries the name
of my late father and hope that this serves as a constant reminder
to all of us who work at the FEI of a unique statesman whose entire soul was devoted to the service of his people Our new headquarters will play a key role for the FEI and our National Federa-tions over the coming years It will be the environ-ment in which important discussions take place and fundamental decisions are taken as we continue our mission to advance the orderly growth of equestrian sport worldwide while ensuring that the welfare of the horse and a level playing field remain at the centre of all that we dordquo
FEI celebratesNEW Headquarters
Over 250 guests attended the inauguration ceremony on Friday 6 May at HM King Hussein I Building which was timed to coincide with the FEI
Extraordinary General Assembly so that attending NationalFederation representatives
could be a part ofthe celebrations
1 Youth Olympic Games team champion Martin Fuchs (SUI) FEI President HRH Princess Haya and her daughter HH Sheikha Al Jalila officially open the FEIrsquos new home 2 Gilbert Felli IOC Olympic Games Executive Director and FEI Secretary General Ingmar de Vos 3 HRH The Infanta Dontildea Pilar de Borboacuten sits down to an interactive quiz in the FEI Gallery 4 Guests gathered in the atrium of the FEI HeadquartersAll images copy Hugues SiegenthalerFEI
Highlights available on50
1
2
3 4
5
6 7
8
THE GALLERy
As well as housing offices for its 62 employees and conference facilities for its 133 National Federations the new headquarters also has a state-of-the-art in-teractive gallery showcasing equestrian sport
The Gallery is the brainchild of Dr Amichai Alper-ovich historian former Secretary General of the Is-raeli Equestrian Federation and curator of the Israeli Olympic Museum (opened in 2009) He worked hand in hand with the Tel Aviv based company Disk-In Pro and interior designer Oded Alony to help bring the content to life and the result is truly unique and ground breaking Giant glass surfaces act as interac-tive interfaces for the visitors to travel through time
The FEIrsquos new headquarters which were donated to the Federation by FEI Presi-dent HRH Princess Haya in 2007 fol-lowing a personal fundraising effort are conveniently located close to the Inter-national Olympic Committee and other international sports federations It has been written into the FEI Statutes that the new FEI headquarters building will always house the Federationrsquos offices In 2008 the building was thoroughly renovated in accordance with the Swiss MINERGIEreg construction standard for environmental responsibility which re-duces energy consumption by 25 per cent Only two per cent of renovated buildings in Switzerland meet the high Minergie standards Khuan Chew founder and design princi-pal of London-based architectural firm KCA International Ltd worked in close collaboration with Swiss-based architect Herveacute de Rham and interior designer Sia-vosh Adeli (SUI) to transform the build-ing which was built in the 1960s The modern and sleek interior was further enhanced with bespoke artworks pro-duced by Swiss creative agency b+g amp partners and imagery by world-famous equestrian art photographer Tim Flach where the simplicity and beauty of his equine subjects seamlessly embrace and accentuate the buildingrsquos pure lines and natural materials (see image left)
As they feasted on the innate beauty of their sur-roundings the guests also had the privilege to ex-perience the culinary talents of organic chef and specialist Gilles Wannaz and his team based in the town of Cully which sits on the edge of Lac Leman in Switzerlandrsquos famous Lavaux wine growing region
5 HRH Princess Haya welcomes the guests to the Inauguration of the HQ and the 90 year celebration of the FEI 6 Artwork by renowned pho-tographer Tim Flach 7 An organic and colourful buffet presented on an authentic lawn by local chef Gilles Wannaz 8 A life size horse sculpture by Christophe Dumont greeted the guests upon their arrival
53FOCUS
and space with the latest in touch technology revis-iting the history of the FEI the equestrian events at Olympic amp Paralympic Games the FEI World Eques-trian Gamestrade and information on all of the member National Federations with statistics videos images and text The Gallery also includes projections on ar-chitectural surfaces designed by Oded Alony referred to as the Origami as well as interactive stations and unique video projections on glass screens
For all those wishing to visit the FEI Gallery simply contact the FEI HQ to make an appointment and we would be delighted to take you on a journey to dis-cover or rediscover the human and equine athletes whose talents have marked equestrian history and inspired young riders drivers and vaulters around the world
Interview withDrAmichaiAlperovich
When did you first dream up the FEIInteractive Gallery When I found out the FEI was planning to move into new HQ in 2009 Disk-In Pro and I approached the FEI and presented them with several concepts for the space Before long we had agreed on the concept and we got to work
Why were you compelled to make it become a reality So that the FEI a prominent sports organisation could present itself to a growing audience in a new and visionary way with the latest technology And by doing so the FEI is a pioneer becoming the first International Federation to have a Gallery of this kind
What did you learn when researching and gathering content for the gallery I have learned a lot about the history of the FEI the strong Olympic tradition the diversity of disciplines the gender equality and the unique bond between horse and man One of the more fascinating topics was the evolution of the Dressage from itsrsquo Olympic debut to the modern Freestyle
Itrsquos very innovative technology what inspired you to take such a leap into the future with such a traditional sport Just as Dressage has evolved over the years and alongside the introduction of new disciplines partic-ularly Para-Equestrian you come to realise that the FEI is not as traditional as one would think Actually this kind of innovative presentation of equestrian history is really well suited to the FEI In the same way that you can have horse-man connections there is an audience-technology connection in the Gallery The audience have to be active in order to enjoy the depth of information the Gallery contains
54
Now it is time to open the door to new places to learn about sport ndash at the heart of sporting organi-sations themselves The Gallery is more than an informative tool it brings people to the sport andto the heart of its operations
Established in 1990 Disk-In Pro specialises in the planning design production and implementation of Museums Visitor Centres and sophisticated projects around the world This includes multi screen produc-tion animation 3D amp interactive films state-of-the-art software platforms and complex video displays for an unforgettable experience
Oded Alony holds a BA in Design from the Interior Design Section of the Holon Technological Institute and has since 1998 worked with Israelrsquos leading Architecture firms The Oded Alony Studio embraces holistic design a space where interior design lighting and graphics are brought together to create a harmo-nious project vision
Now that you have seen it unveiled to the public how would you like to see it evolve I hope the audience will be amazed from the design by architect Oded Alony and the new methods to deliver information whilst discovering the long his-tory of the FEI the diversity and the global reach of the organisation I hope the Gallery will become an icon in Lausanne and one of its highlights for visitors I promise the visitors a new platform to learn about equestrianism and each visit could be different as the information and themes will be updated and modi-fied regularly
This futuristic gallery is a first for anInternational Federation do you think thisis something all sports should invest inThe FEI took this courageous decision and now has this fantastic tool to present the organisation in new ways Sport is a huge cultural phenomenaWe have learned to consume sport in the arenas and stadiums in the press media and new media
Dr Amichai Alperovich
55FOCUS
SOCIAL MEDIAthe new frontier
Follow us on
The FEI has recently embarked on and embraced a whole new way of talking with the greater equestrian community through the ever expanding social media networks and platformsWith personalised Facebook Twitter and You Tube pages the FEI is taking it step by step and reaching out to this growing audience and listening to what they have to say
This new communication platform is by no means a substitution of the traditional communication path-ways but works alongside the press releases various publications and content on wwwfeiorg and wwwfeitvorg providing a new arena where the FEI can share interact and dialogue with fans of the sport and of equestrian values in general
We talk to Richard Johnson Director of Corporate Communications about the FEIrsquos commitment to social media
What compelled the FEI to venture onto the social media scene As a governing body with a vibrant and active com-munity of National Federations as well as thousands of fans the need to reach out to the online social community has never been stronger We have been watching the communities grow online for some time and have been listening to their conversations so being a part of it was the next logical step and a really important one The conversations will hap-pen with or without us so taking that step has been crucial in order to share our values and also build re-lationships with our fan base
Tradition meets modernity ndash does equestrian sportthe FEI have a place in social media Absolutely even though equestrian sport has a long history and is perceived as a traditional sport it is
always evolving In the 90 years of the FEI which was founded to govern the three Olympic disciplines it has grown to also oversee the disciplines of Driving Endurance Vaulting Reining and Para-Equestrian sport Or if you look at the early days when competi-tors were from military backgrounds and when wom-en did not compete alongside men to the complete gender equality we have today ndash a lot has changed and is in a constant state of change
The fans of equestrian sport are like any other fan base web savvy and eager for more information behind the scenes content and to share their opin-ions and thoughts ndash so it is an ideal partnership And from what we have seen these last few months and from the feedback we got from our blog at the Youth Olympic Games there is a real appetite for this
The FEI has dedicated Facebook Twitter and You Tube pages ndash why did you select these social media platforms The figures speak for themselveshellip Facebook Twit-ter and You Tube are the biggest players in the social networking space With over 500 million Facebook users 106 million Tweeters and 2 billion views a day on You Tube there has never been so much oppor-tunity for exposure Every site has different demo-graphics with different habits and needs so by having an FEI presence on these three networks we are able to cover a lot of ground and cater to different audi-ences by providing different types of content accord-ing to the platform
What are the main benefits of having a pres-ence on various social media platforms Itrsquos all about having a two way conversation ndash the benefits of dialogue where you can share content such as videos images facts and figures thoughts and values and then allow your fan base to react to get involved and to listen and learn from them By engaging with our audience and showing them that we are a modern and caring organisation and that we want to hear what they have to say then we are able to build trust and ultimately credibility in what we do and what we say
57FOCUS
TV
The offi cial video website of the Feacutedeacuteration Equestre Internationale
wwwfeitvorg
WATCH LIVE WATCH ONLINE
FEI TV is the FEIrsquos new offi cial video website and your ticket to the worldrsquos most prestigious competitions Sign-up to FEI TV (wwwfeitvorg) and get instant access to all the live broadcasts the extensive video-on-demand library all the highlights the behind the scenes reports the interviews and so much more Be at the heart of horsesport Join us
2823_1FEI_TV_Focus_165x226indd 1 170510 1124
It also keeps us alert as to what is being discussed and debated in the public sphere so that we can manage situations more effectively and be proactive in our messaging and information so that the facts are at the heart of the debate and not interpretations of them
How do you generate content for social media It was important when we launched our social me-dia presence that it be manageable with the exist-ing communications team in place ndash and so we have concentrated on keeping it simple and effective and using content innovatively Itrsquos not about reproduc-ing our website ndash but to engage with our fans and so often all you need is a good picture an interest-ing fact or great achievement to get the ball rolling For You Tube as we already have so much content generated from FEI TV it was simply a question of using bits and pieces from that content to provide the public with teasers from events interviews with winning riders or behind the scenes content which they can then follow up on FEI TV with a subscription
What are your Social media goals Itrsquos really to build relationships and dialogue with our fan base by using our content innovatively by listening to what they have to say and by engaging with the community And for the National Federa-tions that have yet to take that step we want to be a guiding hand that can help them get started so that they too can reap the benefits of social media net-working Our sport competes against other sports for attention so itrsquos really important that we the FEI and the National Federations keep our finger on the pulse and cater to our fans
How can National Federations get involved NFs wishing to find out more about Social Media can contact me (richardjohnsonfeiorg) and I would be more than happy to discuss opportunities and ways of getting started as well as our experience at the FEI
We asked our Facebook followers why it was important to use face-book and here are a few comments they came up with
bullItrsquos a great way to find out about shows and competitions
bullBecause facebook can provide up to the minute updates as to the what is going on in the horse community
bullWe can share information and ideas over long distances We can find and connect with people we wouldnt be able to otherwise
bullIt also lets us express the true realities of our spot to keep us grounded
bullIt can bring peoples attention to excellence ndash and expose the issues
58
TV
The offi cial video website of the Feacutedeacuteration Equestre Internationale
wwwfeitvorg
WATCH LIVE WATCH ONLINE
FEI TV is the FEIrsquos new offi cial video website and your ticket to the worldrsquos most prestigious competitions Sign-up to FEI TV (wwwfeitvorg) and get instant access to all the live broadcasts the extensive video-on-demand library all the highlights the behind the scenes reports the interviews and so much more Be at the heart of horsesport Join us
2823_1FEI_TV_Focus_165x226indd 1 170510 1124
ldquo Donrsquot accept drinks from a strangerrdquo
Armchair travel journalist
Are you living a life without boundaries Some well-meant advice is best ignored but itrsquos still good to know yoursquore covered when yoursquore away With HSBC Premier your family can be protected with both Travel Insurance and dedicated assistance when yoursquore abroad Which is reassuring to know when yoursquore making the most of life
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201736_6000263_Coconut_226x165indd
Master 226x165
Rob Swainson 160211
HSBC - Coconuts Proof 01Head of Art TypographerDesigner ArtCreative Director Copywriter Account DirectorDIC Project ManagerPhotographer Illustrator Usage Model(s) Name(s) Usage
Media MediaStock Image Time Period Time Period
Territory Territory
8deg N ndash Kerala South India
Rodrigo Pessoa (BRA) Another three horses tested positive as well As a result Germany lost its Jumping team gold which was awarded to the USA in February 2005 at a ceremony in Palm Beach FL (USA)A new competition format for Eventing involving two Jumping rounds one for the individual and one for the team standings was introduced The two roads and tracks (A + C) and the steeplechase (B) of the Endur-ance phase were abolishedParticipation Thirty-seven nations
the fact that main land China did not hold disease-free zone status from the International Organisation for Animal Health the competitions were held in Hong Kong 2000km away from the Olympic host city Beijing In order to protect animal welfare detailed studies on the effects of heat and humidity on horses were undertaken by the FEI in cooperation with top scientists The competition timetable was modified to avoid the hours of intense heat and the horses were stabled at the exceptional air-conditioned facilities provided by the Hong Kong Jockey Club Six horses five from Jumping tested positive to prohibited substances As a result Norway lost its first Jumping medal ndash bronze ndash which after more than two years of legal proceedings was awarded to Switzerland
Jumping gold went to team USA In Dressage Anky van Grunsven (NED) aboard Salinero won her seventh and eighth Olympic medals team silver and individual gold Eventing legend Mark Todd (NZL) made a much acclaimed come back but the spotlight was on Hinrich Romeike and the extraordinary Marius
The story of the 2008 Olympic Eventing gold med-allist is all the more extraordinary as Hinrich is an amateur rider By day his time is spent in his dental surgery attending to his many patients so his riding is restricted to after-hoursParticipation Forty-two nations
2008The XIII Paralympic Games Beijing (CHN)First Paralympic participation for the FEI following the inclusion of Para-Equestrian in 2006 to be governed alongside the 7 other disciplines These Games set a new benchmark for Para-Equestrian events with great facilities cheerful volunteers and large audiences totalling over 30000 - an unprecedented attend-ance for Para-Equestrian events
For the third Paralympics in a row Lee Pearson (GBR) won three gold medals keeping up his record of win-ning all the gold medals available to him Singa-porersquos Laurentia Tan picked up Asiarsquos first Paralympic Equestrian medals with two individual bronze medals Marco Alves picked up Brazilrsquos first Paralympic Equestrian medal with bronze in Grade Ib Participation Seventy-eight athletes from 28 nations
2004The XII Paralympic Games Athens (GRE)The venue was excellent and there was good support from local volunteers Both Debbie Criddle and Lee Pearson (pictured above) from Great Britain picked up the maximum three gold medals The International Paralympic Committee presented the Equestrian Technical Delegate with the award for Best Official of all the sports at the Paralympic Games Participation Seventy athletes from 29 nations
2008Games of the XXIX Olympiad Beijing (CHN) Hong Kong (CHN) For the second time in Olympic history the equestrian events were held separately from other sports Due to
2004 2005 2006
2008 2009 2010
2008 2009 20102004 Lee Pearson (GBR) in Athens where he scoopedthe maximum three gold medals available to him
13FOCUS
The climax of the indoor international Jumping sea-son brought together 43 riders from 21 nations and ended with Christian Ahlmann riding Taloubet Z to Germanys ninth victory in the 33-year history of FEI World Cuptrade Jumping Canadarsquos reigning Olympic champion Eric Lamaze took second place with Hickstead followed by Dutch combination Jeroen Dubbeldam and BMC Van Grunsven Simon who rocketed up from overnight 11th to finish third when producing one of only two double clears on the final afternoonGerman riders dominated from the first of the three qualifiers in Leipzig ndash the speed competition which Marco Kutscher with Cash won with 6355 seconds followed by his compatriots defending champion Marcus Ehning and Christian Ahlmann who took second and third place respectively In the second qualifier the withdrawal of Saudi Arabiarsquos Abdullah Al Sharbatly reduced the field to 40 starters Eric Lamaze took the lead with a fabulous clear in 4068 a win that bounced him up to fifth spot just six points behind the leading pair ndash an ascent he continued to master on the final day
J U M P I N GFINAL LEIPZIG
ROLEX FEI World Cuptrade
JUMPINGldquoIt was wonderful to be back in Leipzig again for yet another great Rolex FEI World Cuptrade Jumping Final in a city with such a rich cultural backgroundrdquo John Roche FEI Director of Jumping
FEI World Cuptrade Finals
REEm ACRA FEI World Cuptrade
DressaGe
DRESSAGEFINAL LEIPZIG
ldquoThe Reem Acra FEI World Cuptrade Dressage took place in a perfect setting with enough space for everyone to give their very best performancesrdquo Trond Asmyr FEI Director of Dressage
Adelinde Cornelissen (NED) and the magnificent Jerich Parzival danced to victory to the strains of Tchaikovskyrsquos Nutcracker Suite in the Freestyle com-petition that closed the Reem Acra FEI World Cuptrade Dressage Final Denmarkrsquos Nathalie zu Sayn-Witt-genstein and Digby finished second while Germanyrsquos Ulla Salzgeber steered Herzrufrsquos Erbe into third place The 2010 title-winner Edward Gal (GER) finished fourth with a great performance from Sisther de JeuThe top three mirrored those of the Grand Prix class two days earlier when a confident performance rewarded with a score of 80957 put Adelinde Cornelissen (NED) in first place followed by Denmarkrsquos Nathalie zu Sayn-Wittgenstein with Digby (76884 3) and Germanyrsquos Ulla Salzgeber riding Herzrufrsquos Erbe (76216 points) Defending champion Edward Gal rode a tense Sisther de Jeu with a disappointing test score of 70122 The final saw 17 horse and rider combinations from 10 nations compete ndash three from the USA The
Netherlands and Germany two from Sweden and one from Hungary Fin-
land Poland Belgium Great Britain and Denmark Fifteen riders went on to the Freestyle competition
Highlights available as video on demand on
15FOCUS
Boyd Exell (AUS) successfully defended his FEI World Cuptrade Driving title in Leipzigrsquos thrilling final speed-ing to victory in front of a wildly enthusiastic crowd and becoming the second driver to score a hat-trick of World Cup victories Hungaryrsquos Jozsef Dobrovitz drove two brilliant rounds with his team of Lipiz-zaner horses and finished second ahead of IJsbrand Chardon (NED) The FEI World Cuptrade Driving Final was run over two indoor competitions which took place on 29 April and 1 May Seven drivers competed Tomas Eriksson (SWE) Koos de Ronde (NED) Werner Ulrich (SUI) Christian Pluumlcker (GER) and the triumphant trio who after emerging from the first round on 1 May with the highest number of points qualified for the winning round immediately afterwards
FEI World Cuptrade
DrIVINGldquoOnce again the worldrsquos best indoor drivers came together for a thrilling final the com-bination of horses working together in a team driven by superbly skilled horsemento produce thrilling andspectacular driving sportrdquo Ian Williams FEI Director of Non-Olympic Sports
16
Switzerlandrsquos Patrick Looser and Germanyrsquos Simone Wiegele claimed the inau-gural FEI World Cuptrade Vaulting titles at the 20102011 FEI World Cuptrade Finals a glittering Freestyle to Music showcase held over two daysLooserrsquos fellow starters in the Menrsquos section were Nicolas Andreani (FRA) Viktor Bruumlsewitz (GER) Daniel Kaiser (GER) Lukas Klouda (CZE) Nikolaus Luschin (AUT) and Yvan Nousse (FRA) Looser 26 was under pressure having finished second to Nicolas Andreani from France in the first Freestyle competition But
the reigning World Champion who won three of the four qualifying rounds over the winter months produced a superb performance which left Andreani in second place and Germanyrsquos Viktor Brusewitz in third In addition to the victorious Wiegele contenders for the Female title were her three compatriots Pia Engelbury Ines Juumlckstock and Antje Hill Simone Jaumliser (SUI) Stefanie Kowald (AUT) and Anna Cavallaro (ITA) In the second
competition Wiegele followed team-mate Hill into the arena in Hall 1 which seemed to be much more to the liking of the
horses than the smaller ring used on the first day And although Hillrsquos routine was
dramatic and beautifully controlled it was Wiegelersquos more complex display that settled
the destination of the very first Female World Cup trophy
ldquoFor the first time an indoor final that provided the public with an opportunity to witness the gymnastic movements of
athletes atop magnificent horses all choreographed to breathtaking musical arrangementsrdquo
Ian Williams FEI Director of Non-Olympic Sports
Highlights available as video on demand on
WHEN AND WHERE
26 ndash 30 July FEI European Reining Championship for Seniors amp Juniors Wiener Neustadt (AUT)
16 ndash 21 August FEI European Vaulting Championships for Seniors amp Juniors Le Mans (FRA)
17 ndash 21 August FEI European Dressage Championships Rotterdam (NED)
25 ndash 28 August HSBC FEI European Eventing Championships Luhmuumlhlen (GER)
01 ndash 04 September Open FEI European Driving Championships for Four-in-Hand Breda (NED)
01 ndash 04 September FEI European Para-Equestrian Dressage Championships Moorsele (BEL)
10 September FEI European Endurance Championships Florac (FRA)
13 ndash 18 September FEI European Jumping Championships Madrid (ESP)
LIVE ONLive coverage and highlightsCheck out the FEI TV broadcasting schedule for all the latest information on events broadcast live on FEI TV
European Championships for seniors in all the FEI disciplines are being held in 2011 We take a quick 360deg look at the dates venues facts amp figures and triumphant moments of the past 50 years of European Championships
FeI europeanChampionships 2011
Donrsquot miss a beatComplete competition reports updates behind the scenes information facts and figures and more can be found on wwwfeiorg as well as our dedicated facebook twitter and you tube pages
18
Preview
For the 31st edition of the FEI European Jumping Championships the event returns to Spain 18 years after the Championships in Gijon only this time to be held at the Club de Campo Villa in Madrid The FEI European Jumping Championships take place every two years in the middle of the Olympic cycle and have been held since 1957 with the introduction of team medals in 1975
THE VENUEThe Club de Campo Villa de Madrid (ESP) has been host to an annual CSI for 100 years and will be tem-porarily replacing its usual grass in the main arena with all-weather sand footing to ensure perfect going for the Championship
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERSTeam ndash SwitzerlandIndividual ndash Kevin Staut (FRA)
OLyMPIC qUALIFICATIONThe 3 best ranked nations from Olympic Qualifying Groups A amp B at the 2011 FEI European Jumping Championships (excluding the teams already quali-fied at WEG) will be qualified to take part with a team consisting of 4 athletes amp 4 horses or 3 athletes amp 3 horses
GREAT HORSES OF THE EUROPEANCHAMPIONSHIPSDEISTER - An extraordinary horse with an extraordi-nary record With Germanys Paul Schockemohle on board this brilliant bay Hannoverian led won three consecutive individual gold medals - in Munich Germany in 1981 Hickstead England in 1983 and Dinard France in 1985 Bred by Hermann Hahl in Osterbruch Lower Saxony Deister was by Diskant out of Adlerklette by Adlerschild stood 171cms high and had the heart of a lion Deisters European medal
haul also included team gold at Munich in 1981 team silver in Rotterdam in 1979 and team bronze at both Hickstead in 1983 and Dinard in 1985 Despite his incredibly active career the hardy Deister who was born in February 1971 lived to the ripe old age of 29
MR SOFTEE - The closest challenger to Deister for the title of Champion of the Europeans is the Irish-bred Mr Softee - a three-time winner but with two different riders Mr Softee enjoyed a hugely success-ful career with David Broome However it was with another Briton David Barker that the chestnut horse with four white legs took the individual European ti-tle for the first time in London in 1962 This was then followed up with David Broomersquos victory in Rotter-dam in 1967 and in Hickstead in 1969 Broome once said that like many other top horses Mr Softee had a big opinion of himself - He thought he was a king - and he was right
Believe it or nothellip
bull Itwasonlyin1975thatwomenwere permittedtocompetealongsidemenin theEuropeanJumpingChampionshipsprior tothistherehadbeentheLadiesEuropean JumpingChampionshipsheldfrom1957- 1973
bull Only2womenhaveeverwonthe FEIEuropeanChampionshipsFrancersquos AlexandraLedermannin1999and MeredithMichaels-Beerbaum(GER) in2007
bull Germanyledthegoldtallywith20 medals(14individualamp6team)double theamountofrunnerupGreatBritainon 10(6individualand4team)
FeI eUroPeaN
JUMPINGChaMPIoNshIPs
13-18 September 2011
Madrid (SPAIN)
19FOCUS
LIVE coverage on
Rotterdam gets set to host the 25th edition of the FEI European Dressage Championships for the first time and only the second time for the Netherlands (Arnhem 1999) The FEI European Dressage Championships take place every two years in the middle of the Olympic cycle and have been held since 1963
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERS
Team ndash The Netherlands
Individual ndash Kuumlr to MusicEdward Gal (NED) amp Moorlands Totilas
Individual ndash Grand Prix SpecialAdelinde Cornelissen (NED) amp Jerich Parzival
OLyMPIC qUALIFICATIONThe 3 best ranked nations from Groups A B amp C at the 2011 FEI European Dressage Championships (exclud-ing the teams already qualified at WEG) will be quali-fied to take part with a team consisting of 3 athletes amp 3 horses
THE WIND OF CHANGEFor 21 consecutive Championships from 1965 to 2005 (no team title awarded in 1963) the Germans held the European title but the last two editions have seen an upset to that tradition with the Netherlands clenching gold In 2009 the Dutch domination was particularly strong with five out of six individual med-als awarded to Dutch riders and the sixth going to British rider Laura Bechtolsheimer
IN MEMORy OF HENRI CHAMMARTIN (SUI)At the time of writing a legend in the Dressage world Henri Chammartin (SUI) passed away at the age of 92 An Olympic and European Dressage champion Henri Chammartin won the first two editions of the
FEI European Championships in 1963 and 1965 riding Wolfdiedtrich and competed in five consecutive edi-tions of the Olympic Games ndash Helsinki 1952 Stock-holm 1956 Rome 1960 Tokyo 1964 and Mexico 1968 ndash winning a total of five Olympic medals includ-ing Olympic champion in 1964
RECORD BREAKINGhellip In 2009 the formidable partnership of The Nether-lands Edward Gal and Moorlands Totilas smashed the world Freestyle record before a packed house with Windsor Castle standing proudly as a backdrop when scoring 9070 (including an unbelievable 29 perfect-10 scores) to win the Freestyle gold medal
Believe it or nothellip
bull GermanyhaswontheEuropeanDressage TeamTitleon21occasions
bull Thegreatestnumberofteamstoparticipate inEuropeanDressageChampionshipsis 14-atHickstead(GBR)in2003andagainat Hagen(GER)in2005
bull GermanysDrReinerKlimkewonthreeindi vidualtitles-atAachenin1967ridingDux andagainin1973ridingMehmedandat Copenhagenin1985ridingAhlerich
bull WithGigoloGermanysIsabellWerthtook theindividualtitlein1995and1997and wontheGrandPrixSpecialatDonaueschingen Germanyin1991andatLipicaSloveniain 1993
bull AnkyvanGrunsvenhasthreewinstoher namendashin1999withBonfirefollowedbythe backtobackwinswithSalineroin2005and 2007
17-21 August 2011
Rotterdam Netherland
FeI eUroPeaN
DressaGeChaMPIoNshIPs
20
LIVE coverage on
These are the second FEI European Para-Equestrian Dressage Championships to be held since Para-Equestrian joined the FEI Family in 2006 Para-Equestrian Dressage has been a regular fixture at the Paralympic Games since 1996 The first FEI European Para-Equestrian Dressage Championships were held in southern Norwegian town of Kristiansand in 2009 with a total of 78 ath-letes from 22 countries participating
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERS
Team Great Britain
Grade Ia Individual - Sophie Christiansen (GBR) Freestyle - Emma Sheardown (GBR)
Grade Ib Individual amp Freestyle Lee Pearson (GBR)
Grade II Individual - Petra Van der Sande (NED) Freestyle - Angelika Trabert (GER)
Grade III Individual amp Freestyle
Hannelore Brenner (GER)
Grade IV Individual amp Freestyle Sophie Wells (GBR)
The mobility strength and coordination of competi-tors are assessed and athletes with similar functional ability profiles are grouped into competition grades that range from Grade Ia for the most severely im-paired to Grade IV for the least impaired This means that the competition within each Grade can be judged on the skill of the individual competitors on their horses regardless of their disabilities
CLUB qUADRILLEMoorsele has been host to a regular international Para-Equestrian Dressage events for the past few years with the Club Quadrille as organiser The Club Quadrille was founded in 1981 by Anne Van Neste-dIeteren Belgian Dressage Champion from 1977 un-til 1982 current President of the Belgian Paralympic Committee and member of the FEI Para-Equestrian committee It is a unique sports club that works with both able bodied and disabled athletes and is active in the promotion and education of the sport As member of the honorary IPC Board Her Royal Highness (HRH) Princess Astrid of Belgium has been a fervent supporter of the event and has attended on many occasions
Believe it or nothellip
bull LeePearson(GBR)haswoneverygold medalwithinreachatParalympicWorld andContinentallevelandtheEuropeans in2009werenodifferentwithanother triplegoldvictory
bull GreatBritainalsohavetheMidastouch whenitcomestoteammedalsndashandarethe currentParalympicWorldandEuropean titleholders
bull In2009Germanycamecloserthanever totakingthegoldmedalfromall-time championGreatBritain
1-4 September 2011
Moorsele Belgium
FeI eUroPeaN
Para-eqUestrIaNDressaGeChaMPIoNshIPs
21FOCUS
A record number of fans are expected to attend the HSBC FEI European Eventing Championships as they return to Luhmuumlhlen for the fifth time to mark the 30th edition of the ChampionshipsThe FEI European Eventing Championships take place every two years in the middle of the Olympic cycle and have been held since 1953
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERSTeam ndash Great BritainIndividual ndash Kristina CookMiners Frolic (GBR)
OLyMPIC qUALIFICATIONThe 2 best ranked nations from Groups A B amp C at the 2011 HSBC FEI European Eventing Champion-ships (excluding the teams already qualified at WEG) will be qualified to take part with a team consisting of 3 athletes amp 3 horses
THE VENUELuhmuumlhlen one of only six 4 events on the interna-tional Eventing calendar and part of the prestigious HSBC FEI Classicstrade series will greet Europersquos best athletes with a fresh look and feel this year following extensive renovation to the existing infrastructures The recently renovated showground includes three Dressage and two Jumping arenas a tribune able to seat 850 spectators with spectacular views as well as a newly designed entrance including six ticket box facilities and fully catered trade stands The show-ground also boasts an open air stage with space for up to 15000 spectators ldquoI am confident that the in-vestment in the infrastructure will be of great benefit to all involved whether you are a volunteer a groom an athlete ndash both the horses and the riders - as well as for the sponsors guests spectators and the fans We are re-ally looking forward to great competitions this year at both the CCI4CIC3 in June and at the Europeans in August and hope many will join us to witness this historic momentrdquo Julia Otto Event Director Luhmuumlhlen
HSBCHSBC has renewed their sponsorship for a further three-year term as global sponsor of FEI Eventing to include title sponsorships of the HSBC FEI European Eventing Championships in both 2011 and 2013 and the HSBC FEI Classicstrade until the end of 2013
OFFICIAL TIMEPIECE Rolex the leading name in luxury wrist watches will be the Official Timekeeper for the HSBC FEI European Eventing Championships 2011
Believe it or nothellip
bull GinnyElliot(bornHolgate)theonlyrider towinthreesuccessiveindividualtitlesand IanStarkholdthejointrecordforEuropean goldmedalswonndashseveneachbutLucinda Greenstillhasthemostmedals(10)
bull SupremeRockriddenbyPippaFunnell (GBR)istheonlyhorsetowinback-to-back titles(in1999and2001)hehasfour Europeangoldmedalsintotalequalingthe recordofKilbarryThePoacherandOver ToYouwhowonarecordfourconsecutive Europeanteamgolds(1999-2005)
bull PrincessAnneandZaraPhillipsaretheonly mother-daughtercombinationtowin Europeantitles(1971and2005)
bull GreatBritainhaveheldtheEuropeantitle forthepast8consecutiveChampionships (since1995)Andofthe29editionstodate (startingin1953)theteamhavewona whopping21
25-28 August 2011
Luhmuumlhlen Germany
hsBC FeI eUroPeaN
eVeNtINGChaMPIoNshIPs LIVE coverage on
22
In September Breda Hippique in The Netherlands will be host to the seventh edition of the FEI Euro-pean Driving Championships for Four-in-Hand not held since 1981 This edition is open to both Euro-pean and non-European drivers and will also count as a qualifier for the indoor FEI World Cuptrade Driv-ing which is held during the winter season Only competitors from Europe can claim the individual and team medalsThe FEI European Driving Championships for Four-in-Hand were first held in 1971 in Budapest and continued to be held every two years until 1981 at which stage they were discontinued
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERSTeam ndash HungaryIndividual ndash Gyoumlrgyi Bardos (HUN)
SOMETHING IN THE WATERhellip Hungary have won five out of six available team European titles and on the individual front two Hungarians stand out from the crowd Imre Abony ndash individual winner in 1971 and 1975 and Gyoumlrgyi Bardos triple consecutive winner in 1977 1979 1981
IN THE BEGINNINGhellipThe first European Championships took place in Budapest in 1971 and moved on to Windsor in Great Britain in 1973 Sopot in Poland in 1975 Donauesch-ingen in Germany in 1977 and in Haras du Pin in France in 1979 The sixth and last edition took place in 1981 in Zug Switzerland
THE VENUEBreda has hosted the only Nations competition (CAIO) for Four-in-Hand horses in The Netherlands for many years In 1995 Breda hosted the first FEI European Driving Championships for Four-in-Hand ponies and in 2010 was host to the FEI World Para-Equestrian Driving Championships Aside from the four-in-hand teams Breda will also host international pony teams and national horse pairs at the event this year
Believe it or nothellip
bull Hungaryhavewonfiveoutofsixteamgold titles
bull AugusteDubeyfromSwitzerlandwasthe onlynon-HungarianEuropeanChampion hewontheChampionshipsin1973
bull PrincePhilipFEIPresidentfrom1964- 1986whocelebratedhis90thbirhtday inJuneisanavidfanofDrivingandpartici- patedinsixWorldandthreeEuropean Championships
1-4 September 2011
Breda Netherland
FeI eUroPeaN
DrIVINGChaMPIoNshIPsfor FoUr-IN-haND
Note At the time of writing the FEI European DrivingChampionships for Four in Hand was pending approvalby the FEI Bureau
23FOCUS
The 14th edition of the FEI European Endurance Championships return to Florac in France twenty five years after the inaugural event was held there The FEI European Endurance Championships first took place in 1984 and were immediately followed up by a second edition in 1985 and have since been held every two years They have always been open to the world with two sets of medals presented ndash open and European
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERSTeam ndash SpainIndividual ndash Maria Alvarez Ponton amp Nobby
RECORD BREAKINGCurrent title holder Maria Alvarez Ponton amp super horse Nobby is the first rider to hold European and World titles at the same time She will be looking to confirm her stronghold on the sport following her second consecutive World title with a second con-secutive European title in Florac a feat no rider has managed to achieve at the Europeans to date
THE VET GATEModern competitions consist of a number of sec-tions known as lsquophasesrsquo At the end of each phase there is a compulsory halt for veterinary inspection Each horse which is thoroughly examined before it is allowed to start the ride must be presented for inspection within a set time of reaching each vetgate The time spent at each vetgate prior to inspection by the vets is counted as part of the overall competition time and the aim is to determine whether the horse is fit to continue the ride
THE SUPPORT CREWA vital part of Endurance riding is the support crew Riders are assisted by a team of helpers who meet them several times over the ride bringing bottles of water to pour over the horse to cool it down as well as a drink for the rider Crews also have spare equipment in case something breaks down or needs replacing
Believe it or nothellip
bull TheFrenchhavethemedaledgewith6 individualand4teamgoldmedalsfrom the14editionsheld
bull Floracistheonlyvenuetohostthe EuropeanChampionshipstwice(thefirst editionin1984andtheupcomingedition in2011)
bull EnduranceisthefastestgrowingFEI disciplinefrom2000to2010thenumber ofinternationaleventshavemultipliedby10
10 September 2011
Florac France
FeI eUroPeaN
eNDUraNCeChaMPIoNshIPs
24
Reem Acra Boutique 14 East 60th St New York New York 10022 2123088760 wwwreemacracom
356935B2_RA_brochure2_souvenir_programmeindd 1 82710 1012 AM
Vaulting became an FEI discipline in 1983 and saw its first FEI European Championship organised just one year later in the town of Ebreichsdorf in Austria This 15th edition of the Championship ndash which also includes the European Juniors competition return to France for the 4th time but for the first time in the world renowned venue of Le Mans famous for its 24 hour race
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERS
Team ndash Austria
Individual malelongeurhorseNicolas Andreani (FRA)Marina Joosten DuponIdefix de Braize
Individual femalelongeurhorseJoanna Eccles (GBR)John EcclesWH Bentley
THE WIND OF CHANGEGermany and Switzerland have traditionally bat-tled for the team title (Germany has 7 gold versus Switzerlandrsquos 5) but in 2009 Austria who had come second on four occasions since the inception of the Championships in 1984 finally climbed onto the top spot of the podium and claimed the title In terms of the individual performances Germany had the stronghold on the male category winning 11 out of 14 gold medals But again in 2009 France the only other country to have ever beaten a German male vaulter at the Europeans made it to the top spot of the podium for only the third time since the Championships began
Similarly with the female vaulters it was an all German domination until 2007 when Austriarsquos Sissi Jarz claimed gold followed by Joanna Eccles (GBR) in 2009 ndash leaving Germany off the top step of the podium entirely in 2009
GREAT BRITAIN ndash A VAULTING NATIONhellip Times have definitely changed from the Swiss German domination with current World and European titles held by Great Britainrsquos Joanna Eccles She was the first British vaulter (male or female) to claim a medal at the Europeans ndash let alone a gold medal - and then went on to secure the world title in Kentucky last year
Believe it or nothellip
bull TheonlycountryotherthanGermanyand SwitzerlandtohaveclaimedaEuropean VaultingtitleisSlovakiain2005
bull ChristophLensing(GER)holdsthemale medalrecordndashwiththreegold(19891993 amp1995)aswellassilverin1991
bull NadiaZuumllowandSilkeMichelberger (formerlyBernhard)withthreegoldmedals each
16-21 August 2011
Le Mans France
FeI eUroPeaN
VaULtINGChaMPIoNshIPs
26
This is only the fifth edition of the European Reining Championships since the discipline joined the FEI in 2000 and the first time they will be held in Austria The event also includes the FEI European Champi-onships for Juniors and Young Riders ndash a formula introduced in 2009 in Kreuth (GER) which proved to be a multigenerational success The FEI European Reining Championships take place every two years and have been held since 2003
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERSTeam ndash GermanyIndividual ndash Nina Lill (GER) riding Lena Cielo Jewel
THE JUDGINGReining horses are judged individually Each horse au-tomatically begins the required pattern with a score of 70 One or frac12 points are given or taken away for each manoeuvre Credit is given for smoothness fi-nesse attitude quickness and authority Controlled speed in the pattern raises the level of difficulty and makes the reining horse exciting to watch
Believe it or nothellip
bull ItalyandGermanyaretheonlytwonations tohavewongoldmedalsndashGermanyhas3 teamgoldand2individualgoldversus Italyrsquossingleteamgoldandtwoindividual gold
bull GermanyrsquosNinaLillwinnerin2009was thefirstwomantotaketheindividualtitle sincetheChampionshipsbeganin2003
bull OlympicWorldandEuropeanDressage ChampionAnkyVanGrunsven(NED) competedattheAlltechFEIWorldEques- trianGamestradein2010inbothDressageand hellipReining
bull 13nationswerescheduledtoattendthe Championshipatthetimeofwritingthe largestparticipationbycountryever recordedfortheEuropeans
26-30 July 2011
Wiener Neustadt Austria
FeI eUroPeaN
reININGChaMPIoNshIPs
27FOCUS
ldquoThirty-one yearsrsquo experience comes in handy some-timesrdquo joked the ever-relaxed Todd who was a leg-end by the time he ldquoretiredrdquo in 2000 with back-to-back Olympic golds five Burghley wins two world gold medals and three Badminton victories one on a horse he had never ridden before ldquoIt is incredibly special though right up there with the back-to-back Olympic golds When I came back to the sport (in 2008) it was to see if I could get back to top level It has always been my aim to win another big onerdquo
A World class meeting of Generations
The 2011 HSBC FEI Classicstrade could not have got off to a more epic start with wins at Badminton and Kentucky by two of the sportrsquos most enduring personalitiesThe 55-year-old New Zealander Mark Todd rolled back the years to score a fourth victory at the Gloucestershire venue 31 years after his first attempt in 1980
By Kate Green
28
HSBC FEI ClassicsTm
The resurgence of so much experienced talent makes it harder for younger riders to work their way up the leaderboard but 29-year-old Sinead Halpin (USA) had a spectacular CCI4 debut at Kentucky finish-ing third and best of the home side in distinguished company This achievement earned her the HSBC Training Bursary worth US$1000 towards training a prestigious and valuable award presented to the rider who achieves the best result on completing a CCI4 for the first time
The bursary winner at Badminton Fiona Hobby (GBR) 39 has had a rather longer wait to complete
her first CCI4 ndash she was 26th on Roma ML ndash but she has in the meantime produced two children had a career as a sports therapist and only switched from Jumping to Eventing relatively recently Hobby has vowed to spend the money on dressage train-ing ldquoRoma couldnrsquot believe it when she arrived in the arena and saw all those people but she was great across country really focussed Irsquom delightedrdquo
For Germanyrsquos Sandra Auffarth Luhmuumlhlen pro-vided an outstanding CCI4 debut on Opgun Louvo a young horse she has produced herself coming second and picking up the HSBC Training Bursary and the exciting prospect of a possible place in the squad for the forthcoming HSBC FEI European Event-ing Championship at Luhmuumlhlen (25-28 August) at which Germany as host nation will be entitled to field 12 riders
Last yearrsquos HSBC Training Bursary winners include Stephanie Rhodes-Bosch (CAN) who went on to win a team silver medal at the Alltech FEI World Equestri-an Gamestrade Lauren Shannon (GBR) who finished 17th at Badminton this year and Giovanni Ugolotti (ITA) who is furthering his career by basing himself in Brit-ain for the season and having lessons with Mark Todd
LIVE coverage and extensive highlights available on
Toddrsquos winning mount the 10-year-old NZB Land Vision was a green horse for this level and he fin-ished the Cross-Country phase tired but his rider kept his cool in an extraordinarily tight finish in which the price of one Jumping fence covered the top 12 riders any of whom could with a bit of luck have won the Mitsubishi Motors Trophy ldquoIn the end it came down to horse-power and Irsquove obviously got a good one hererdquo said Todd ldquoCharisma (his double Olympic gold medallist) will always be the most special horse but this one has no weak linksrdquo
As is the nature of the sport Toddrsquos lead in the HSBC FEI Classicstrade didnrsquot last long ndash he came down to earth with a bump the following weekend with a Cross-Country run-out on NZB Grass Valley his ride at the Rolex Kentucky Three Day Event (USA) and 49- year-old Mary King (GBR) stole the head-lines with a record one-two on Kings Mis-tress and Fernhill Urco It was Kingrsquos first CCI4 victory for 11 years ndash she has won Badminton twice and Burghley once ndash but she certainly smashed a few re-cords with this one She became the first rider to score a one-two at Kentucky the first in modern times to win a CCI4 on a home-bred horse and the oldest female to win a CCI4
King who has six team gold medals at World and European level plus competed at five consecutive Olympics had the luxury of knowing she had already won the event on the inexperienced 10-year-old Fernhill Urco a horse bred in Portugal by the time she entered the arena on Kings Mistress but she still produced a second clear round ldquoI never dreamed that I would be in this position and Irsquom enjoying the momentrdquo said the ever-smiling King ldquoIt was great to have the feeling of having already won on Fernhill Urco but I still wanted desperately to go clear on Kings Mistress as it is so special to win on a horse I bred myselfrdquo It was also an all clear from Germanyrsquos Andreas Dibowski and Euroriding Butts Leon in order to secure victory at the fourth leg of the HSBC FEItrade
Classicstrade in Luhmuumlhlen presented by EON Avacon
29FOCUS
The Danish-American actorpoet musician photographerand painter has been around horses most of his life from riding Hasufel and Brego in The Lord of the Rings trilogy to early childhood memories in Argentina his passion for floating as he describes it has never wavered
What is it about the horse that makes you a horse loverWe get along generally I respect their strength and their personal space Your first riding experience ndash was it bliss or terrorLike floating like being on a warm and floating mountain I remember being happy Do you think anyone can rideYes It is a question of allowing yourself to ride of allowing yourself to cooperate and not be in total control Children are more adept at figuring this out letting things happen without getting impatient or scared just as they are braver and less self-conscious about pronouncing new words or singing Anyone at any age or in any physical condition can
Viggo Mortensen
achieve a degree of success and satisfaction with horses even if it is just a question of touching them being near them If horses could talk what would they be sayingYou will know if you listen and watch them Is there a unique trait you look for in a horse that you canrsquot find in peopleThey are more patient and less apt to complain about lifersquos setbacks and physical ailments than most people I admire a tough smart horse what-ever its breed age or size What would you miss most if you could no longer go ridingThe companionship and the floating perhaps also the abandonment of usual daily worries that relaxed riding requires Whatrsquos your usual riding outfit consist ofAnything will do Loose-fitting clothes and good comfortable boots are a plus but not vital I have even ridden barefoot ndash naturally taking care to avoid being stepped on when not on the horse - but I do not recommend this to anyone The most important thing is to have a clear and focused mind to be THERE at all times when around horses and NOWHERE ELSE Sugar lumps or carrotsIrsquove been guilty of offering an occasional apple or carrot although it is best not to give horses anything special unless treats are part of training them for special tricks or stunts a pursuit best left to experts like master horse trainer Rex Peterson whom Irsquove had the good fortune to work with and study quite a bit Treats spoil horses and do not keep the animal focused on the task at hand Whatrsquos your favourite part of a horseThe brain What do you think young people gain from ridingSelf-confidence and an understanding of the value of cooperation
30
Why the long face
When did you first develop the bond with the horseThe first time I got on one as a little boy in ArgentinaYou either develop a bond of some kind or you fall off Of course you may even fall off if you develop the bond but you have to start (and restart) somewhere
Did your friends ride My brothers also rode and I have ridden with many kinds of people over the years ndash some good and patient with horses and some not If I had not rid-den as a boy I would probably have been wandering around fishing imagining I was a cowboy or an Indian or a Viking ndash which I did anyway Where in the world would you most like to rideMost anywhere will do but I have been extremely lucky to have ridden in many wide-open wild places ndash deserts grassy plains mountains by different seas and rivers in Argentina New Zealand North Africa and North America If you could spend one afternoon riding with a famous person (past or present)who would it be and whyIrsquoll give you 3 Oglala chief Tasunke Witko (Crazy Horse) my ancestor William F Cody or any real Gaucho from the province of Chaco Argentina
Two horses go out for dinner what kindof restaurant do they chooseLate spring grass near a slow-moving clean river with a gentle firm shoreline an hour before sun-down far from any people or other animals All time favourite horse filmI have a subjective soft spot for the stories and real horses involved in the making of ldquoHidalgordquo and the 2nd and 3rd installments of ldquoThe Lord Of The Ringsrdquo trilogy but I admire other ldquohorse moviesrdquo as wellThe 1953 French movie ldquoCrin-Blancrdquo (ldquoWhite Manerdquo) directed by Albert Lamorisse is a personal favourite
After three years at the head of the successful French Jumping team with back to back FEI Nations Cuptrade titles and a silver medal at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade Laurent Elias is moving on to new spheres with the French Horse amp Riding Institute where he will be training the riders of the National Riding School in Saumur
Laurent Elias
copy C
hris
toph
e Br
icot
32
The other side of
If I had not become a professional rider I would havehellipmade a career in a humanitarian organisation Horse riding is sometimes too trivial
My priority in life ishellipto be able to look at myself in the mirror in the morning and make sure I am at peace with my conscience
My familyhellipkeeps me grounded My wife helped me a lot when I was in charge of selections for France She took charge of my personal life and was the first person I called when we got the medal in Lexington I also admire my parents for the values they passed on to me
I remember my first ridingexperiencehellipaged six we were shooting a family film and I was on horseback I finished upside down under my horse for a long time I stopped riding for one year
I used to dream abouthellipsafaris One of my uncles was passionate about safaris Through him I became very interested in African trips and the jobs that allow you to travel as a reporter were fascinating to me as well
I have been thinking a lot abouthellipwhat happened in Japan these past few months First this tsunami that devastated everything without warning then the nuclear disaster It made me think that progress should not be destructive
My horse Gueacutenourhellipchanged my life I was just a coach and he brought me to the top I won the national championship in 1981 with him
My biggest challengehas always beenhellipshyness Horse riding has really helped me over-come it Horses brought me on stage and there I had to meet people
As a Chef dEquipehellipthere is no single defining achievement itrsquos all about the solidarity and the moments spent together as a team Irsquoll never forget the first time Penelope Leprevost rode her mare Jubileacutee drsquoOuilly in the FEI Nations Cuptrade of Rotterdam McLain Ward had just completed a real fast run with Sapphire We thought the Americans would win but she did it faster and beat Sapphire
In terms of eventshellipAachen is my favourite competition - for its won-derful organisation But we have also pretty good five star competitions in France
I donrsquot sleep muchhellipprobably because I am just happy to be alive
Irsquom not scared to laugh or cryhellipI laugh at the funny situations we sometimes find ourselves in life and enjoy people with quirky personalities I cry when I see others in pain
Laurent Elias and the French team en route to the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade copy PSV-Jean Morel
33FOCUS
Nicolas TheacutevenazAged 23 studies Robotics and Autonomous Systems Micro Engineering in Lausanne (SUI) alongside regular training and competition in Dressage and Para-Equestrian Dressage events Born with spastic diplegia Nicolas was introduced to horses via hippotherapy aged seven and quickly developed a passion for riding which not only helped with his physical condition but also taught him through Dressage the art of patience and perseverance
34
One day
Nicolas TheacutevenazAged 23 studies Robotics and Autonomous Systems Micro Engineering in Lausanne (SUI) alongside regular training and competition in Dressage and Para-Equestrian Dressage events Born with spastic diplegia Nicolas was introduced to horses via hippotherapy aged seven and quickly developed a passion for riding which not only helped with his physical condition but also taught him through Dressage the art of patience and perseverance
He has been fortunate to meet the right people (and horses) at the right time and has been working for the past five years with trainer Vicky-Eileen Baumann (pictured right) and her horses Magic and Lady (pictured right) ldquoShersquos bred them and knows them inside out which is very useful when I have to communicate with them - they know my voice intonations and a whole string of specific words or sounds ndash which really helps as my body canrsquot or doesnrsquot always have the strength to do sordquo
As a Grade II Para-Equestrian rider Nicolas competes in Para-Equestrian Dressage (PED) events as well as national events for able bodied riders as there are only a handful of PED riders and no events in Switzerland
Unable to attend the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade 2010 in Kentucky last year Nicolas and Vicky have their sights firmly set on the 2012 Para-lympic Games and will be looking to qualify with Lady over the next 12 months ndash alongside exams studies and everything else life has to offerhellip Who is your role model For different reasons I have different role mod-els Edward Gal Dane Rawlins Isabel Werth and Catherine Haddad
When did you start riding and why At age 7 I was sat on a horse for hippotherapy and liked the complicity with the horse which made me want to discover more
How do you feel when you ride Concentrated and industrious
Who is your biggest fan My trainerrsquos mum
Complete this sentenceOne day I would like tohellip have gained enough knowledge to be able to take care of and train my own horse
What are your long term goals as a rider Continue to do my best to enjoy what I do and show others itrsquos possible
How do you juggle studies and competition I think itrsquos really important to have goals and to do everything you can to achieve them and that includes taking on challenges because if you donrsquot try then yoursquoll never know what you could have achieved
What is your proudest achievement to date Participation in international events together with pursuing my studies
How do you feel after winning Still working towards discovering the feeling
What is the best advice anyone has ever given youMy trainer often repeats to me the famous saying by General LrsquoHotte ldquoCalme en avant droitrdquo which says so much about riding but can also be applied to so many other aspects of life
35FOCUS
What advice would you give someone looking to get involved in Para-Equestrian Dressage Train and ride with able-bodied athletes as often as possible Being around and working with horses is so rewarding Irsquod like - when Irsquom retired - to write a book to share these feelings with others and hope this will inspire them to get involved
Complete this sentenceIn the future I would like the sport to beeven ldquocleanerrdquo and fairer and if possible not more but less demanding on the horses
ldquoLast but not least Irsquod like to take the opportunity of this article to reach out to those who give me their trust and help be it with their time their friendship and any type of support Day after day to year after year team work is essential and Irsquoll do my best to continue deserving every-onersquos encouraging smilesrdquo
European Broadcasting Union
Union Europeacuteenne de Radio-Teacuteleacutevision
+41 (0)22 717 2111 wwweurovisionnet
We bring the event to your home
Eurovision
copy K
it H
ough
ton
FE
I
FEI_08_A4indd 1 03012008 162238
European Broadcasting Union
Union Europeacuteenne de Radio-Teacuteleacutevision
+41 (0)22 717 2111 wwweurovisionnet
We bring the event to your home
Eurovision
copy K
it H
ough
ton
FE
I
FEI_08_A4indd 1 03012008 162238
Nominations for the FEI Awards opened in May enabling the global equestrian com-munity to once again reward outstanding dedication to horse sport in five categories ndash Development Best Groom Against All Odds Rising Star and Best Athlete The search for the equestrian heroes of 2011 is now on who will be flown to Rio de Janeiro Brazil to receive their awards
Where are they now The FEI asked the current title-holders for an update on their activities
Follow us on
38
FEI Awards 2011
Ebony Horse Club (GBR)Winner of the Alltech FEI DevelopmentAward 2010
The Ebony Horse Club announced in December 2010 that after an eight-year fundraising effort it had the pound14 million necessary for building an equestrian cen-tre in one of Londonrsquos most deprived boroughs Since 1996 Ebony has offered youngsters in an area reput-ed for its gang culture high level of gun crime and drug dealing the chance to ride and learn key social skills The clubrsquos 50 members travel to riding schools across London on public transport or in minibuses ndash a logistical headache that the inner-city equestrian centre will end Construction work began in February
Ebony Horse Club founder and director Ros Spear-ing told the FEI ldquoRiding lessons are continuing and the club is preparing for the transitionrdquo Building will finish on 7 July but the centre will open for riding lessons in October ldquoThe horses will be brought to Brixton in the summer and will have time to acclimatise to their new environmentrdquo Spearing said The centre will include stabling for nine horses a small paddock and a flood-lit riding arena as well as a classroom for learning about horses and equine management Spearing is adamant that club members ndash present and future ndash care for their rides and wants the centre to serve as a stepping stone to careers in the horse industry
Ebonyrsquos existence will continue to depend on the generosity of donors For more information visit wwwebonyhorsecluborguk
Michelle Tipper (GBR)Winner of the FEI Best Groom Award 2010
Michelle Tipper has continued to juggle grooming and study since receiving her FEI Award in Novem-ber She has organised the grooms for the British European Junior and Young Dressage teams and in April her contract as a travelling groom for British Dressage riders Paul and Bobby Hayler took her to Addington for the first of many international com-petitions she will work at this year The Haylers have eight horses competing and the number she works with at each venue varies Tipper has also been help-ing British Dressage riders Nicky and Richard Barrett with yard duties ldquoI feel very lucky to work for both of these familiesrdquo said the FEI Best Groom Award win-ner adding that she feels part of the two families In March Tipper graduated from university with a Masters in Sport Psychology She is now working towards British Association of Sport and Exercise Science accreditation which requires at least 500 hoursrsquo supervised work experience and is present-ing sport psychology workshops in conjunction with the company Inside Performance Consulting Limit-ed (wwwinside-performancecom) The workshops are organised internationally for people of all ages from any sport To find out more contact Tipper at michelletipper1979yahoocom
39FOCUS
Michelle Tipper ndash copyWilliam TzengAward winners ndash copyWilliam TzengCaroline Roffman ndash copySharonPackercomEbony Horse Club ndash copyEbony Horse ClubEdward Gal and Totilas ndash copyKit HoughtonFEIAngelika Trabert ndash copyJulia Rau
Angelika Trabert (GER)Winner of the FEI Against All Odds Award 2010
German Para-Dressage rider Angelika Trabert has represent-ed her country at four Paralympic Games and won some 15 medals at national European and world championships She is currently seeking a new home for Londria the mare that con-tributed to her Team Silver medal win at the Hong Kong Para-lympics Londria who had a foal last year was also Trabertrsquos ride during her medal-winning performances at the European Championships in Hungary (2005) and Norway (2009)
Trabert said her decision to let go of Londria was hard to make but was necessary for financial reasons She will keep the foal Finaud Coquin and her mares Walmorel and Ariva-Avanti Trabert won the Para-Dressage Grade 2 Freestyle Champion-ship at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade with Ariva and said the horse was ldquowell and ready to go for the Europeans again in Belgium in September if we qualifyrdquo Trabert competed in her first international competition of 2011 in May in Man-nheim Germany where she came first in the Grade II indi-vidual and second in the freestyle She is taking part in the German Championships in June
Away from the equestrian world Trabert works as an anaes-thetist and has participated in medical missions in the rural ar-eas of Guinea for the organisation Mango In January she was back in Guinea as part of team that carried out 100 operations in 13 days wwwangelika-trabertde
Visit the recently refreshed FEI Awards website to find out more about the Awards the pastwinners the judges and to make yournominationsby 31 July
wwwfeiawardsorg
40
Caroline Roffman (USA)Winner of the HSBC FEI Rising StarAward 2010
Success continues to smile on twenty-two-year-old American Dressage rider Caroline Roffman Since re-ceiving the HSBC FEI Rising Star Award she has en-joyed numerous wins at small tour and young horse levels achieving scores in the mid-eighties and quali-fying two horses for the young horse championships
Roffman is currently showing six horses and has won several classes at PSG and Grand Prix level ldquoBut nothing is as exciting as to be going to Aachenrdquo said the young woman who has been described as the American Dressage communityrsquos brightest hope ex-plaining that at the FEI Awards ceremony in Chinese Taipei Frank Kemperman FEI Dressage Committee Chair and Chairman of the Managing Board at CHIO Aachen (GER) invited her to take part in the pres-tigious event Roffman will be the first American to compete in the Under 25 Grand Prix there and is hop-ing to take her horse Lux Stensvang
An interview with Caroline Roffman at the Palm Beach Dressage Derby CDI will be broadcast on the magazine programme Equestrian World on FEI TV the FEIrsquos official online video platform wwwfeitvorg
Edward Gal and Totilas (NED)Winners of the Reem Acra FEI Best Athlete Award 2010
The world-famous partnership of Dutch Dressage rider Edward Gal and the extraordinary Totilas ended in style in 2010 with notably three gold medal wins at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade
The first foal sired by the superstar stallion was born in January followed by two more in the spring Gal who has admired the foals told the FEI ldquoYou never know ndash maybe in a few yearsrsquo time Irsquoll have another Totilas readyrdquo At the beginning of April he was busy at home training nine horses and preparing for the Reem Acra FEI World Cuptrade Dressage Final in Leipzig and the European Championships in Rotterdam He had not yet decided which horses he was going to compete with but was particularly looking forward to the Freestyle to Music Asked what it was like to compete without Totilas Gal said ldquoEverybody ex-pected Totilas to win I find it easier to ride other horses because nobody expects me to win and when I do itrsquos really nicerdquo
41FOCUS
globetrotter
Seal of approval for the Adai horseSixty years have passed since an Adai horse reportedly set a record galloping 354km in one day Today the Adai horse a breed na-tive to Kazakhstan is back in the spotlight with a gold medal at the FEI Central Asian Endurance Championship in Talgaearlier in May only months after having been award-ed official pedigree status following tests
conducted by a State Commission in the Mangistau Steppes which allowed itto compete internationally The horses are cherished for their hardiness and Oyly ridden by Altyngali Bissemaganbetov (KAZ) proved just that when crossing the finishing line first demonstrating just how tough the Adai horses are and the beginning of a new era for sturdy breed on the international stage
Equestrian Australia Sport
Achievement Awards
In May the best of the best in
Equestrian sport gathered to cel-
ebrate the achievements of Austral-
iarsquos athletes coaches officials vets
administrators owners volunteers
and the many other people that
dedicate their time and enthusiasm
to equestrian sport The ceremony
also included the introduction of
Equestrian Australiarsquos Hall of
Fame won by the legendary Bill
Roycroft Boyd Exell winner of
the FEI World CupTM Driving
Final was awarded the interna-
tional athlete of the year
award
Kevin Stautbecomes first athlete representative on FEI
executive board
Kevin Staut one of Francersquos most successful Jumping riders became the first athlete to be appointed to the FEI Executive Board for a three-year term Staut (31) who has held the number one spot in the Rolex Rankings for Jumping since July 2010 has ridden on numerous Nations Cup teams for France and claimed individual gold at the Alltech FEI European Jumping Championships in 2009
HulA CARTSWorld Horse Welfare has greatly helped the liv
es of
five Senegalese cart horse owners by presenting them
with new Hula Carts The local people who depend on
their working horses for their livelihoods were specially
selected by the charity to receive the carts which have
been sponsored by members of the public in the uK
The Hula Carts are specifically developed to help the
horses pulling heavy loads in often difficult conditions
Equestrian Australia Sport
Achievement Awards
In May the best of the best in
Equestrian sport gathered to cel-
ebrate the achievements of Austral-
iarsquos athletes coaches officials vets
administrators owners volunteers
and the many other people that
dedicate their time and enthusiasm
to equestrian sport The ceremony
also included the introduction of
Equestrian Australiarsquos Hall of
Fame won by the legendary Bill
Roycroft Boyd Exell winner of
the FEI World CupTM Driving
Final was awarded the interna-
tional athlete of the year
award
Olympic legendBill Roycroft passes away aged 96
A legend of Equestrian sport in Australia James William
George Roycroft OBE known as ldquoBillrdquo was one of Austral-
iarsquos greatest Olympians and one of only five Australians to
have competed in five consecutive Olympic Games (from
1960 - 1976) as well as being Australiarsquos oldest medallist
and oldest competitor at 61 years and 31 days In May 2011
Bill was inducted in Equestrian Australiarsquos inaugural Hall
of Fame ndash he was Australiarsquos oldest living Olympian and
shared his dedication and enthusiasm for the sport with
his sons Barry Wayne and Clarke (See a brief description
of his exploits in the 1960 Olympic Games Memory Lane
article page 9 which catapulted Australiarsquos reputation as
one of the best Eventing teams in the world)
webinfofeiFEI web wizard Nicole Sigrist has added a new hub for the Press on wwwfeiorg called FEI Press Kits located in the Media section of the website The Press Kits zone which is also open to the general public is regularly updated with infor-mation relating to FEI series and specific events with flip books and downloadable PDFs as well as direct links to the Photo Catalogue the Rankings and Standings the Annual Report and more
100thanniversary for Finnish riding club
One of the three found-ing member clubs of
the Finnish Equestrian Federation the Suomen
Kenttaumlratsastusseura-Finska Faumlltrittklubbenon celebrates
its 100th anniversary in 2011 Magnus Rydman former President of the Finnish National Federation and Presi-dent of the FEI from 1935 ndash 1946 was one of the founders of the club Another of the founders of the oldest club in Fin-land was the Eventing rider Colonel Hans Olof von Essen whose fifth place at the Antwerpen Olympic Games re-mains the best Olympic equestrian result the country has ever achieved
Follow us on
43FOCUS
Interview with the President of the Brazilian Equestrian Federation Mr Luiz Roberto Giugni
The Brazilian Equestrian Federation has been a member Federation of the FEI for 75 years how has the sport developed over that time We were facing regular growth (average of 25 in the last decade) but in the last three to four years this rate has significantly increased up to 35 a year We believe that this is due to international achievements (two Jumping Olympic team bronze medals the individual Olympic Jumping gold medal won by Rodrigo Pessoa several Pan Am Jumping team gold medals recent Olympic pre-qualification in Kentucky (4th in the world in Jumping) and the organisations of a Global Champions Tour event in Brazil
In terms of developing the sport what are the most successful projects you have undertaken in recent yearsWe decided to invest in education and have hired international trainers for all the disciplines such as Jean Maurice Bonneau for Jumping Nick Turner for Eventing Eric Lette for Dressage Jean Louis Leclerc for Endurance Mattias Lang for Vaulting with the long term in mind that is at least until the end of 2012 and planning towards 2016 when Rio will host the Olympic Games
How popular is equestrian sport with young people in Brazil and how do you compete with some of the bigger sports for their attention Popularization is growing bit by bit in a country
decidedly dominated by soccer ndash being 5 times World Champion makes it a national passion But we are continuously looking to attract TV to our events as this is a huge step towards gaining visibility and popularity Can you tell us about the programmesinitiatives in place for disabled athletes We are actively pursuing this and have achieved really positive results in little time such as the great performances and medals earned at the Para-lympic Games in Hong Kong in 2008 We do this through clinics courses international exchanges of athletes and working alongside our National Paralympic Committee to support us in our efforts
Brazil will be host the FEI General Assembly at the end of the year what do you want all the visiting delegates to remember from their visit That we are more than just a really beautiful and warm country with the ability and capacity to organise great events and that we are committed to putting on the best Olympic Games ever
What are the main objectivesplans for the Brazilian Federation in the lead up to the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games Our NOC is really committed to raising the bar of all the sports to a level never seen before and we are working towards that in terms of our athletes our judges our venues and everything that is related to our sport and the quality of our sport In line with this objective we are providing incen-tives to owners to buy good horses aiming for 2016 and this is going to plan for now We expect to perform well at the upcoming Pan Am Games and Olympics on our trail to 2016
Is there anything else you would like to share with us I would like to thank HRH Princess Haya President of the FEI as well as the Executive Board for all the support that we are getting which has been paramount to the development of equestrian sport in our country
44
President Luiz Roberto GiugniSecretary General Luiz Antonio RoccoMember since 1935
15 members of staff work at the federation
20 regional federations are affiliated tothe Brazilian Equestrian Federation with over 300 member riding clubs
6 000 affiliated riders
91 national events were held in 2010
31 international events were held in 2010
All the FEI disciplines are practiced in BrazilJumping Dressage Eventing Vaulting Reining EnduranceDriving amp Para-Equestrian
14 breeding organisations
There are 58 million horses and ponies in Brazilmaking it the fourth largest equine population in the world
FAC
TS amp
FIG
URE
S
45FOCUS
Dr Gerit Matthesen56 is a private equine practitioner an FEI Vet and a member of the FEI Veterinary Committee He graduated in Veterinary Medicine from Berlin University in 1983 and since 1989 has worked or officiated at some 180 competitions and championships including the last two Olympics and FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade He lives near Frankfurt with his wife Carola and their sons Mike (16) and Lars (14)
46
A life in a day
Dr Gerit Matthesen56 is a private equine practitioner an FEI Vet and a member of the FEI Veterinary Committee He graduated in Veterinary Medicine from Berlin University in 1983 and since 1989 has worked or officiated at some 180 competitions and championships including the last two Olympics and FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade He lives near Frankfurt with his wife Carola and their sons Mike (16) and Lars (14)
I wake up earlier than I need to ndash at around 6am ndash because breakfast time with my family is sacred to me and I can then drive my boys to the village station to take the train to school After two cups of coffee (enough for the day) and a glass of orange juice I read the newspapers then head to my prac-tice offices in our indoor arena I have a quick look at our horses then start work
While I listen to my phone messages I deal with my emails and search the internet for news about veterinary medicine and horse sport I then start planning the dayacutes schedule with Anna my assistant vet
My mobile practice is in a nice fairly rural area in the north of Frankfurt There are lots of horse farms but it is not a classic breeding area like the northern part of Germany There are sport horses as well as pleasure horses I have examination rooms and stables for horses staying or mares foaling in my practice stables Itrsquos not a big clinic which gives me time to work at competitions
After seeing a few small animals in my practice I normally start my field service at 930am In my car I have enough equipment (ultrasound X-ray systems and endoscopical devices) for the dayrsquos examinations and standing procedures We mainly have lameness examinations to do or internal diseases to treat accompanied by routine work like vaccinations or carrying out pre-purchase or health certificate examinations If time allows I go home for a quick lunch but thatrsquos not every day
While Irsquom driving I have time to think and I write down everything that come to mind regarding sport competitions committees and so on You have to write down your thoughts when yoursquore over the age of 50
It is not easy planning my day because any emer-gency can destroy or delay my schedule For all the paperwork and certificates I need a time frame so
I often do that over quiet weekends when there are no competitions During the winter season I am less busy but in summer a lot of weekends are taken over by the competition schedule
I love my work especially in Eventing which is my favourite discipline My wife and I practiced it ndash not up to top level but it was a fine time despite a bro-ken ankle from a fall in 1988 which after 23 years is making walking more and more difficult for me
I like to do my competition work on a friendly but strict basis and I really like to hear riders saying they are treated fairly Over the years I have acquired a lot of experience and met all the officials and riders
Usually when I return home in the late afternoon there are more small animals to see When Irsquove done the dayrsquos paperwork I hope there will be no more emergencies such as cases of colic which usually occur in the early evening
I look forward to getting on my horse which is a beautiful show-jumper I like to ride but Irsquove stopped competing I do dressage jumping and go out into the fields but itrsquos all just for fun now
The day finishes with the family and a nice cold glass of German beer
Itrsquos a struggle to find time to spend with my family and I often have to cancel my holidays with them I am really grateful to my wife and the boys for their understanding of my job and to my assistant vet who covers for me when Iacutem out somewhere in the world of equestrian sport
ldquoThe combination of my profession and beinginvolved in differentaspects of top equestrian sport is my visionrdquo
47FOCUS
Pull your show attire from the closet clean your boots and tack groom the horses hook up and pack the trailer check the clock double check to make sure you have everything put on the shipping boots load your horses and away you drive to the competition venue or to the airport for transport to a distant event
You know the drill well but still you arrive tired per-haps even a bit frazzled Yoursquoll sleep (or try to) the next several nights in an unfamiliar bed or camp out in the living quarters of your trailer You awaken riveted on the competition playing out the dayrsquos classes in your mind wondering how your rides will fare against oth-ers praying that the weather will be cooperate and trying to control your nerves all the while knowing that no matter how well you have prepared many factors are out of your control You may even be in a different time zone
We go through a lot to compete our horses But if you think life on the road is stressful for you think about what itrsquos like for your horses Your back may be a bit sore from driving or being strapped into an airplane seat for hours on end but for horses transportation is far more demanding It is an athletic endeavour re-quiring an expenditure of energy to maintain balance during the constant movement of transport When your horses arrive they face social isolation from stablemates lack of security in novel environments altered training regimes water that tastes strange and the confines of an unfamiliar stall This routine impacts a horsersquos health and well being with effects
continuing long after the journey is over During transport toxic gases (such as ammonia or carbon monoxide) can cause damage to the lung epithelium precipitating respiratory disease The
final destination itself can also cause problems Usually horses are transported to environments where they will be mixing with other horses The mixing of horses from different environments with different infectious organisms and under stressful conditions further precipitates susceptibility to disease
This can have a severe impact on the equine gut The stress of transportation is known to increase gut ulceration in the horse a painful condition reducing performance and causing colic-like symptoms Stress can also slow the flow of digesta and alter the normal gut flora resulting in digestive upset and possibly diarrhoea or colic
The effects of travel stress on the gut are compounded by the typical diet of the regular equine traveller To maintain athletic ability high performance horses are often fed energy-charged diets contain-ing increased levels of starchy materials such as cereal grains Unfortunately this type of diet can reduce beneficial types of gut flora and promote gut acidity further predisposing the horse to digestive upsets and ulceration It is not surprising that stressed tired horses may not fulfill their potential on arrival
Feeding to reduce stress for the equine traveller
By Darlene RickerExecutive editor of Alltechrsquos EQUINE INTERNATIONAL magazine
48
Alltech Tips
growth of opportunistic Salmonella spp which are present in the intestinal tract of many healthy horses These bacteria then attach to the gut lining via a mannan sugar and penetrate it causing damage and resulting in diarrhoea One method of prevent-ing or minimising the attachment of these organ-
isms to the gut lining is to provide an adsorbant supplement A form of sugar found in the cell walls of certain yeasts can do this This sugar compound is called man-nan oligosaccharide or MOS MOS products such as Alltechrsquos Bio-Mosreg have been shown to re-duce the colonization of Salmonella
spp in the guts of certain species and augment the immune response to Salmonella spp potentially conferring an enhanced ability to fight infection Both Yea-Saccreg 1026 and Bio-Mos are among the natural products contained in Alltechrsquos LIFEFORCETM equine supplement which many FEI competitors have successfully incorporated into their daily feeding regimen at home and on the road
lifeforcehorsecom
and may be subject to health concerns in the days following a long journey Fortunately however you can curb some of the effects of travel stress on the horsersquos gut by nutritional supplementation Organic yeast products used to supplement a horsersquos diet can support the normal gut flora modifying the intesti-nal environment and improving the horsersquos digestion One such culture is Saccharomyces cerevisae in the form of Yea-Saccreg 1026 Alltechrsquos propriety organic yeast
Experiments were conducted to evaluate the effects Yea-Sacc on gut flora and gut acidity Horses were fed either a high-starch or a high-fibre diet both with and without supplementation of Yea-Saccreg 1026 Results indicated an excessive amount of starch in the gut The use of Yea-Sacc reduced acidity and stimulat-ed the activity of fibre-digesting bacteria in the hind-gut for both types of diet The result was maximised fibre digestibility and more efficient use of nutrients thus increasing the amount of energy available to the horse for performance and counteracting digestive upset Salmonellosis is one of the more commonly di-agnosed infectious causes of diarrhoea in horses Many cases develop after the stress of transport The effects of travel stress on the normal gut flora allow an over-
Moorlands Totilas arrives for the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade after air transport copy Dirk Caremans
HRH The Infanta Dontildea Pilar de Borboacuten former President of the FEI (1994-2006) also attended the inauguration along-side HRH Princess Lalla Amina Chairperson of the Royal Moroccan Federation for Equestrian Sports and member of the international Advisory Council of Special OlympicsThey were joined by International Olympic Commit-tee members representatives from other Interna-tional Federations federal and local Swiss authorities as well as architects and designers that worked on the project Switzerlandrsquos Martin Fuchs a member of the gold medal winning team at the inaugural Youth Olympic Games in Singapore last year accompanied FEI President Princess Haya in officially opening the FEI headquarters
ldquoThe building we are inaugurating today has been designed to serve our wonderful sportrdquo explained FEI
President Princess Haya ldquoI also feel an immense
sense of pride knowing that this building carries the name
of my late father and hope that this serves as a constant reminder
to all of us who work at the FEI of a unique statesman whose entire soul was devoted to the service of his people Our new headquarters will play a key role for the FEI and our National Federa-tions over the coming years It will be the environ-ment in which important discussions take place and fundamental decisions are taken as we continue our mission to advance the orderly growth of equestrian sport worldwide while ensuring that the welfare of the horse and a level playing field remain at the centre of all that we dordquo
FEI celebratesNEW Headquarters
Over 250 guests attended the inauguration ceremony on Friday 6 May at HM King Hussein I Building which was timed to coincide with the FEI
Extraordinary General Assembly so that attending NationalFederation representatives
could be a part ofthe celebrations
1 Youth Olympic Games team champion Martin Fuchs (SUI) FEI President HRH Princess Haya and her daughter HH Sheikha Al Jalila officially open the FEIrsquos new home 2 Gilbert Felli IOC Olympic Games Executive Director and FEI Secretary General Ingmar de Vos 3 HRH The Infanta Dontildea Pilar de Borboacuten sits down to an interactive quiz in the FEI Gallery 4 Guests gathered in the atrium of the FEI HeadquartersAll images copy Hugues SiegenthalerFEI
Highlights available on50
1
2
3 4
5
6 7
8
THE GALLERy
As well as housing offices for its 62 employees and conference facilities for its 133 National Federations the new headquarters also has a state-of-the-art in-teractive gallery showcasing equestrian sport
The Gallery is the brainchild of Dr Amichai Alper-ovich historian former Secretary General of the Is-raeli Equestrian Federation and curator of the Israeli Olympic Museum (opened in 2009) He worked hand in hand with the Tel Aviv based company Disk-In Pro and interior designer Oded Alony to help bring the content to life and the result is truly unique and ground breaking Giant glass surfaces act as interac-tive interfaces for the visitors to travel through time
The FEIrsquos new headquarters which were donated to the Federation by FEI Presi-dent HRH Princess Haya in 2007 fol-lowing a personal fundraising effort are conveniently located close to the Inter-national Olympic Committee and other international sports federations It has been written into the FEI Statutes that the new FEI headquarters building will always house the Federationrsquos offices In 2008 the building was thoroughly renovated in accordance with the Swiss MINERGIEreg construction standard for environmental responsibility which re-duces energy consumption by 25 per cent Only two per cent of renovated buildings in Switzerland meet the high Minergie standards Khuan Chew founder and design princi-pal of London-based architectural firm KCA International Ltd worked in close collaboration with Swiss-based architect Herveacute de Rham and interior designer Sia-vosh Adeli (SUI) to transform the build-ing which was built in the 1960s The modern and sleek interior was further enhanced with bespoke artworks pro-duced by Swiss creative agency b+g amp partners and imagery by world-famous equestrian art photographer Tim Flach where the simplicity and beauty of his equine subjects seamlessly embrace and accentuate the buildingrsquos pure lines and natural materials (see image left)
As they feasted on the innate beauty of their sur-roundings the guests also had the privilege to ex-perience the culinary talents of organic chef and specialist Gilles Wannaz and his team based in the town of Cully which sits on the edge of Lac Leman in Switzerlandrsquos famous Lavaux wine growing region
5 HRH Princess Haya welcomes the guests to the Inauguration of the HQ and the 90 year celebration of the FEI 6 Artwork by renowned pho-tographer Tim Flach 7 An organic and colourful buffet presented on an authentic lawn by local chef Gilles Wannaz 8 A life size horse sculpture by Christophe Dumont greeted the guests upon their arrival
53FOCUS
and space with the latest in touch technology revis-iting the history of the FEI the equestrian events at Olympic amp Paralympic Games the FEI World Eques-trian Gamestrade and information on all of the member National Federations with statistics videos images and text The Gallery also includes projections on ar-chitectural surfaces designed by Oded Alony referred to as the Origami as well as interactive stations and unique video projections on glass screens
For all those wishing to visit the FEI Gallery simply contact the FEI HQ to make an appointment and we would be delighted to take you on a journey to dis-cover or rediscover the human and equine athletes whose talents have marked equestrian history and inspired young riders drivers and vaulters around the world
Interview withDrAmichaiAlperovich
When did you first dream up the FEIInteractive Gallery When I found out the FEI was planning to move into new HQ in 2009 Disk-In Pro and I approached the FEI and presented them with several concepts for the space Before long we had agreed on the concept and we got to work
Why were you compelled to make it become a reality So that the FEI a prominent sports organisation could present itself to a growing audience in a new and visionary way with the latest technology And by doing so the FEI is a pioneer becoming the first International Federation to have a Gallery of this kind
What did you learn when researching and gathering content for the gallery I have learned a lot about the history of the FEI the strong Olympic tradition the diversity of disciplines the gender equality and the unique bond between horse and man One of the more fascinating topics was the evolution of the Dressage from itsrsquo Olympic debut to the modern Freestyle
Itrsquos very innovative technology what inspired you to take such a leap into the future with such a traditional sport Just as Dressage has evolved over the years and alongside the introduction of new disciplines partic-ularly Para-Equestrian you come to realise that the FEI is not as traditional as one would think Actually this kind of innovative presentation of equestrian history is really well suited to the FEI In the same way that you can have horse-man connections there is an audience-technology connection in the Gallery The audience have to be active in order to enjoy the depth of information the Gallery contains
54
Now it is time to open the door to new places to learn about sport ndash at the heart of sporting organi-sations themselves The Gallery is more than an informative tool it brings people to the sport andto the heart of its operations
Established in 1990 Disk-In Pro specialises in the planning design production and implementation of Museums Visitor Centres and sophisticated projects around the world This includes multi screen produc-tion animation 3D amp interactive films state-of-the-art software platforms and complex video displays for an unforgettable experience
Oded Alony holds a BA in Design from the Interior Design Section of the Holon Technological Institute and has since 1998 worked with Israelrsquos leading Architecture firms The Oded Alony Studio embraces holistic design a space where interior design lighting and graphics are brought together to create a harmo-nious project vision
Now that you have seen it unveiled to the public how would you like to see it evolve I hope the audience will be amazed from the design by architect Oded Alony and the new methods to deliver information whilst discovering the long his-tory of the FEI the diversity and the global reach of the organisation I hope the Gallery will become an icon in Lausanne and one of its highlights for visitors I promise the visitors a new platform to learn about equestrianism and each visit could be different as the information and themes will be updated and modi-fied regularly
This futuristic gallery is a first for anInternational Federation do you think thisis something all sports should invest inThe FEI took this courageous decision and now has this fantastic tool to present the organisation in new ways Sport is a huge cultural phenomenaWe have learned to consume sport in the arenas and stadiums in the press media and new media
Dr Amichai Alperovich
55FOCUS
SOCIAL MEDIAthe new frontier
Follow us on
The FEI has recently embarked on and embraced a whole new way of talking with the greater equestrian community through the ever expanding social media networks and platformsWith personalised Facebook Twitter and You Tube pages the FEI is taking it step by step and reaching out to this growing audience and listening to what they have to say
This new communication platform is by no means a substitution of the traditional communication path-ways but works alongside the press releases various publications and content on wwwfeiorg and wwwfeitvorg providing a new arena where the FEI can share interact and dialogue with fans of the sport and of equestrian values in general
We talk to Richard Johnson Director of Corporate Communications about the FEIrsquos commitment to social media
What compelled the FEI to venture onto the social media scene As a governing body with a vibrant and active com-munity of National Federations as well as thousands of fans the need to reach out to the online social community has never been stronger We have been watching the communities grow online for some time and have been listening to their conversations so being a part of it was the next logical step and a really important one The conversations will hap-pen with or without us so taking that step has been crucial in order to share our values and also build re-lationships with our fan base
Tradition meets modernity ndash does equestrian sportthe FEI have a place in social media Absolutely even though equestrian sport has a long history and is perceived as a traditional sport it is
always evolving In the 90 years of the FEI which was founded to govern the three Olympic disciplines it has grown to also oversee the disciplines of Driving Endurance Vaulting Reining and Para-Equestrian sport Or if you look at the early days when competi-tors were from military backgrounds and when wom-en did not compete alongside men to the complete gender equality we have today ndash a lot has changed and is in a constant state of change
The fans of equestrian sport are like any other fan base web savvy and eager for more information behind the scenes content and to share their opin-ions and thoughts ndash so it is an ideal partnership And from what we have seen these last few months and from the feedback we got from our blog at the Youth Olympic Games there is a real appetite for this
The FEI has dedicated Facebook Twitter and You Tube pages ndash why did you select these social media platforms The figures speak for themselveshellip Facebook Twit-ter and You Tube are the biggest players in the social networking space With over 500 million Facebook users 106 million Tweeters and 2 billion views a day on You Tube there has never been so much oppor-tunity for exposure Every site has different demo-graphics with different habits and needs so by having an FEI presence on these three networks we are able to cover a lot of ground and cater to different audi-ences by providing different types of content accord-ing to the platform
What are the main benefits of having a pres-ence on various social media platforms Itrsquos all about having a two way conversation ndash the benefits of dialogue where you can share content such as videos images facts and figures thoughts and values and then allow your fan base to react to get involved and to listen and learn from them By engaging with our audience and showing them that we are a modern and caring organisation and that we want to hear what they have to say then we are able to build trust and ultimately credibility in what we do and what we say
57FOCUS
TV
The offi cial video website of the Feacutedeacuteration Equestre Internationale
wwwfeitvorg
WATCH LIVE WATCH ONLINE
FEI TV is the FEIrsquos new offi cial video website and your ticket to the worldrsquos most prestigious competitions Sign-up to FEI TV (wwwfeitvorg) and get instant access to all the live broadcasts the extensive video-on-demand library all the highlights the behind the scenes reports the interviews and so much more Be at the heart of horsesport Join us
2823_1FEI_TV_Focus_165x226indd 1 170510 1124
It also keeps us alert as to what is being discussed and debated in the public sphere so that we can manage situations more effectively and be proactive in our messaging and information so that the facts are at the heart of the debate and not interpretations of them
How do you generate content for social media It was important when we launched our social me-dia presence that it be manageable with the exist-ing communications team in place ndash and so we have concentrated on keeping it simple and effective and using content innovatively Itrsquos not about reproduc-ing our website ndash but to engage with our fans and so often all you need is a good picture an interest-ing fact or great achievement to get the ball rolling For You Tube as we already have so much content generated from FEI TV it was simply a question of using bits and pieces from that content to provide the public with teasers from events interviews with winning riders or behind the scenes content which they can then follow up on FEI TV with a subscription
What are your Social media goals Itrsquos really to build relationships and dialogue with our fan base by using our content innovatively by listening to what they have to say and by engaging with the community And for the National Federa-tions that have yet to take that step we want to be a guiding hand that can help them get started so that they too can reap the benefits of social media net-working Our sport competes against other sports for attention so itrsquos really important that we the FEI and the National Federations keep our finger on the pulse and cater to our fans
How can National Federations get involved NFs wishing to find out more about Social Media can contact me (richardjohnsonfeiorg) and I would be more than happy to discuss opportunities and ways of getting started as well as our experience at the FEI
We asked our Facebook followers why it was important to use face-book and here are a few comments they came up with
bullItrsquos a great way to find out about shows and competitions
bullBecause facebook can provide up to the minute updates as to the what is going on in the horse community
bullWe can share information and ideas over long distances We can find and connect with people we wouldnt be able to otherwise
bullIt also lets us express the true realities of our spot to keep us grounded
bullIt can bring peoples attention to excellence ndash and expose the issues
58
TV
The offi cial video website of the Feacutedeacuteration Equestre Internationale
wwwfeitvorg
WATCH LIVE WATCH ONLINE
FEI TV is the FEIrsquos new offi cial video website and your ticket to the worldrsquos most prestigious competitions Sign-up to FEI TV (wwwfeitvorg) and get instant access to all the live broadcasts the extensive video-on-demand library all the highlights the behind the scenes reports the interviews and so much more Be at the heart of horsesport Join us
2823_1FEI_TV_Focus_165x226indd 1 170510 1124
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Armchair travel journalist
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201736_6000263_Coconut_226x165indd
Master 226x165
Rob Swainson 160211
HSBC - Coconuts Proof 01Head of Art TypographerDesigner ArtCreative Director Copywriter Account DirectorDIC Project ManagerPhotographer Illustrator Usage Model(s) Name(s) Usage
Media MediaStock Image Time Period Time Period
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8deg N ndash Kerala South India
The climax of the indoor international Jumping sea-son brought together 43 riders from 21 nations and ended with Christian Ahlmann riding Taloubet Z to Germanys ninth victory in the 33-year history of FEI World Cuptrade Jumping Canadarsquos reigning Olympic champion Eric Lamaze took second place with Hickstead followed by Dutch combination Jeroen Dubbeldam and BMC Van Grunsven Simon who rocketed up from overnight 11th to finish third when producing one of only two double clears on the final afternoonGerman riders dominated from the first of the three qualifiers in Leipzig ndash the speed competition which Marco Kutscher with Cash won with 6355 seconds followed by his compatriots defending champion Marcus Ehning and Christian Ahlmann who took second and third place respectively In the second qualifier the withdrawal of Saudi Arabiarsquos Abdullah Al Sharbatly reduced the field to 40 starters Eric Lamaze took the lead with a fabulous clear in 4068 a win that bounced him up to fifth spot just six points behind the leading pair ndash an ascent he continued to master on the final day
J U M P I N GFINAL LEIPZIG
ROLEX FEI World Cuptrade
JUMPINGldquoIt was wonderful to be back in Leipzig again for yet another great Rolex FEI World Cuptrade Jumping Final in a city with such a rich cultural backgroundrdquo John Roche FEI Director of Jumping
FEI World Cuptrade Finals
REEm ACRA FEI World Cuptrade
DressaGe
DRESSAGEFINAL LEIPZIG
ldquoThe Reem Acra FEI World Cuptrade Dressage took place in a perfect setting with enough space for everyone to give their very best performancesrdquo Trond Asmyr FEI Director of Dressage
Adelinde Cornelissen (NED) and the magnificent Jerich Parzival danced to victory to the strains of Tchaikovskyrsquos Nutcracker Suite in the Freestyle com-petition that closed the Reem Acra FEI World Cuptrade Dressage Final Denmarkrsquos Nathalie zu Sayn-Witt-genstein and Digby finished second while Germanyrsquos Ulla Salzgeber steered Herzrufrsquos Erbe into third place The 2010 title-winner Edward Gal (GER) finished fourth with a great performance from Sisther de JeuThe top three mirrored those of the Grand Prix class two days earlier when a confident performance rewarded with a score of 80957 put Adelinde Cornelissen (NED) in first place followed by Denmarkrsquos Nathalie zu Sayn-Wittgenstein with Digby (76884 3) and Germanyrsquos Ulla Salzgeber riding Herzrufrsquos Erbe (76216 points) Defending champion Edward Gal rode a tense Sisther de Jeu with a disappointing test score of 70122 The final saw 17 horse and rider combinations from 10 nations compete ndash three from the USA The
Netherlands and Germany two from Sweden and one from Hungary Fin-
land Poland Belgium Great Britain and Denmark Fifteen riders went on to the Freestyle competition
Highlights available as video on demand on
15FOCUS
Boyd Exell (AUS) successfully defended his FEI World Cuptrade Driving title in Leipzigrsquos thrilling final speed-ing to victory in front of a wildly enthusiastic crowd and becoming the second driver to score a hat-trick of World Cup victories Hungaryrsquos Jozsef Dobrovitz drove two brilliant rounds with his team of Lipiz-zaner horses and finished second ahead of IJsbrand Chardon (NED) The FEI World Cuptrade Driving Final was run over two indoor competitions which took place on 29 April and 1 May Seven drivers competed Tomas Eriksson (SWE) Koos de Ronde (NED) Werner Ulrich (SUI) Christian Pluumlcker (GER) and the triumphant trio who after emerging from the first round on 1 May with the highest number of points qualified for the winning round immediately afterwards
FEI World Cuptrade
DrIVINGldquoOnce again the worldrsquos best indoor drivers came together for a thrilling final the com-bination of horses working together in a team driven by superbly skilled horsemento produce thrilling andspectacular driving sportrdquo Ian Williams FEI Director of Non-Olympic Sports
16
Switzerlandrsquos Patrick Looser and Germanyrsquos Simone Wiegele claimed the inau-gural FEI World Cuptrade Vaulting titles at the 20102011 FEI World Cuptrade Finals a glittering Freestyle to Music showcase held over two daysLooserrsquos fellow starters in the Menrsquos section were Nicolas Andreani (FRA) Viktor Bruumlsewitz (GER) Daniel Kaiser (GER) Lukas Klouda (CZE) Nikolaus Luschin (AUT) and Yvan Nousse (FRA) Looser 26 was under pressure having finished second to Nicolas Andreani from France in the first Freestyle competition But
the reigning World Champion who won three of the four qualifying rounds over the winter months produced a superb performance which left Andreani in second place and Germanyrsquos Viktor Brusewitz in third In addition to the victorious Wiegele contenders for the Female title were her three compatriots Pia Engelbury Ines Juumlckstock and Antje Hill Simone Jaumliser (SUI) Stefanie Kowald (AUT) and Anna Cavallaro (ITA) In the second
competition Wiegele followed team-mate Hill into the arena in Hall 1 which seemed to be much more to the liking of the
horses than the smaller ring used on the first day And although Hillrsquos routine was
dramatic and beautifully controlled it was Wiegelersquos more complex display that settled
the destination of the very first Female World Cup trophy
ldquoFor the first time an indoor final that provided the public with an opportunity to witness the gymnastic movements of
athletes atop magnificent horses all choreographed to breathtaking musical arrangementsrdquo
Ian Williams FEI Director of Non-Olympic Sports
Highlights available as video on demand on
WHEN AND WHERE
26 ndash 30 July FEI European Reining Championship for Seniors amp Juniors Wiener Neustadt (AUT)
16 ndash 21 August FEI European Vaulting Championships for Seniors amp Juniors Le Mans (FRA)
17 ndash 21 August FEI European Dressage Championships Rotterdam (NED)
25 ndash 28 August HSBC FEI European Eventing Championships Luhmuumlhlen (GER)
01 ndash 04 September Open FEI European Driving Championships for Four-in-Hand Breda (NED)
01 ndash 04 September FEI European Para-Equestrian Dressage Championships Moorsele (BEL)
10 September FEI European Endurance Championships Florac (FRA)
13 ndash 18 September FEI European Jumping Championships Madrid (ESP)
LIVE ONLive coverage and highlightsCheck out the FEI TV broadcasting schedule for all the latest information on events broadcast live on FEI TV
European Championships for seniors in all the FEI disciplines are being held in 2011 We take a quick 360deg look at the dates venues facts amp figures and triumphant moments of the past 50 years of European Championships
FeI europeanChampionships 2011
Donrsquot miss a beatComplete competition reports updates behind the scenes information facts and figures and more can be found on wwwfeiorg as well as our dedicated facebook twitter and you tube pages
18
Preview
For the 31st edition of the FEI European Jumping Championships the event returns to Spain 18 years after the Championships in Gijon only this time to be held at the Club de Campo Villa in Madrid The FEI European Jumping Championships take place every two years in the middle of the Olympic cycle and have been held since 1957 with the introduction of team medals in 1975
THE VENUEThe Club de Campo Villa de Madrid (ESP) has been host to an annual CSI for 100 years and will be tem-porarily replacing its usual grass in the main arena with all-weather sand footing to ensure perfect going for the Championship
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERSTeam ndash SwitzerlandIndividual ndash Kevin Staut (FRA)
OLyMPIC qUALIFICATIONThe 3 best ranked nations from Olympic Qualifying Groups A amp B at the 2011 FEI European Jumping Championships (excluding the teams already quali-fied at WEG) will be qualified to take part with a team consisting of 4 athletes amp 4 horses or 3 athletes amp 3 horses
GREAT HORSES OF THE EUROPEANCHAMPIONSHIPSDEISTER - An extraordinary horse with an extraordi-nary record With Germanys Paul Schockemohle on board this brilliant bay Hannoverian led won three consecutive individual gold medals - in Munich Germany in 1981 Hickstead England in 1983 and Dinard France in 1985 Bred by Hermann Hahl in Osterbruch Lower Saxony Deister was by Diskant out of Adlerklette by Adlerschild stood 171cms high and had the heart of a lion Deisters European medal
haul also included team gold at Munich in 1981 team silver in Rotterdam in 1979 and team bronze at both Hickstead in 1983 and Dinard in 1985 Despite his incredibly active career the hardy Deister who was born in February 1971 lived to the ripe old age of 29
MR SOFTEE - The closest challenger to Deister for the title of Champion of the Europeans is the Irish-bred Mr Softee - a three-time winner but with two different riders Mr Softee enjoyed a hugely success-ful career with David Broome However it was with another Briton David Barker that the chestnut horse with four white legs took the individual European ti-tle for the first time in London in 1962 This was then followed up with David Broomersquos victory in Rotter-dam in 1967 and in Hickstead in 1969 Broome once said that like many other top horses Mr Softee had a big opinion of himself - He thought he was a king - and he was right
Believe it or nothellip
bull Itwasonlyin1975thatwomenwere permittedtocompetealongsidemenin theEuropeanJumpingChampionshipsprior tothistherehadbeentheLadiesEuropean JumpingChampionshipsheldfrom1957- 1973
bull Only2womenhaveeverwonthe FEIEuropeanChampionshipsFrancersquos AlexandraLedermannin1999and MeredithMichaels-Beerbaum(GER) in2007
bull Germanyledthegoldtallywith20 medals(14individualamp6team)double theamountofrunnerupGreatBritainon 10(6individualand4team)
FeI eUroPeaN
JUMPINGChaMPIoNshIPs
13-18 September 2011
Madrid (SPAIN)
19FOCUS
LIVE coverage on
Rotterdam gets set to host the 25th edition of the FEI European Dressage Championships for the first time and only the second time for the Netherlands (Arnhem 1999) The FEI European Dressage Championships take place every two years in the middle of the Olympic cycle and have been held since 1963
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERS
Team ndash The Netherlands
Individual ndash Kuumlr to MusicEdward Gal (NED) amp Moorlands Totilas
Individual ndash Grand Prix SpecialAdelinde Cornelissen (NED) amp Jerich Parzival
OLyMPIC qUALIFICATIONThe 3 best ranked nations from Groups A B amp C at the 2011 FEI European Dressage Championships (exclud-ing the teams already qualified at WEG) will be quali-fied to take part with a team consisting of 3 athletes amp 3 horses
THE WIND OF CHANGEFor 21 consecutive Championships from 1965 to 2005 (no team title awarded in 1963) the Germans held the European title but the last two editions have seen an upset to that tradition with the Netherlands clenching gold In 2009 the Dutch domination was particularly strong with five out of six individual med-als awarded to Dutch riders and the sixth going to British rider Laura Bechtolsheimer
IN MEMORy OF HENRI CHAMMARTIN (SUI)At the time of writing a legend in the Dressage world Henri Chammartin (SUI) passed away at the age of 92 An Olympic and European Dressage champion Henri Chammartin won the first two editions of the
FEI European Championships in 1963 and 1965 riding Wolfdiedtrich and competed in five consecutive edi-tions of the Olympic Games ndash Helsinki 1952 Stock-holm 1956 Rome 1960 Tokyo 1964 and Mexico 1968 ndash winning a total of five Olympic medals includ-ing Olympic champion in 1964
RECORD BREAKINGhellip In 2009 the formidable partnership of The Nether-lands Edward Gal and Moorlands Totilas smashed the world Freestyle record before a packed house with Windsor Castle standing proudly as a backdrop when scoring 9070 (including an unbelievable 29 perfect-10 scores) to win the Freestyle gold medal
Believe it or nothellip
bull GermanyhaswontheEuropeanDressage TeamTitleon21occasions
bull Thegreatestnumberofteamstoparticipate inEuropeanDressageChampionshipsis 14-atHickstead(GBR)in2003andagainat Hagen(GER)in2005
bull GermanysDrReinerKlimkewonthreeindi vidualtitles-atAachenin1967ridingDux andagainin1973ridingMehmedandat Copenhagenin1985ridingAhlerich
bull WithGigoloGermanysIsabellWerthtook theindividualtitlein1995and1997and wontheGrandPrixSpecialatDonaueschingen Germanyin1991andatLipicaSloveniain 1993
bull AnkyvanGrunsvenhasthreewinstoher namendashin1999withBonfirefollowedbythe backtobackwinswithSalineroin2005and 2007
17-21 August 2011
Rotterdam Netherland
FeI eUroPeaN
DressaGeChaMPIoNshIPs
20
LIVE coverage on
These are the second FEI European Para-Equestrian Dressage Championships to be held since Para-Equestrian joined the FEI Family in 2006 Para-Equestrian Dressage has been a regular fixture at the Paralympic Games since 1996 The first FEI European Para-Equestrian Dressage Championships were held in southern Norwegian town of Kristiansand in 2009 with a total of 78 ath-letes from 22 countries participating
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERS
Team Great Britain
Grade Ia Individual - Sophie Christiansen (GBR) Freestyle - Emma Sheardown (GBR)
Grade Ib Individual amp Freestyle Lee Pearson (GBR)
Grade II Individual - Petra Van der Sande (NED) Freestyle - Angelika Trabert (GER)
Grade III Individual amp Freestyle
Hannelore Brenner (GER)
Grade IV Individual amp Freestyle Sophie Wells (GBR)
The mobility strength and coordination of competi-tors are assessed and athletes with similar functional ability profiles are grouped into competition grades that range from Grade Ia for the most severely im-paired to Grade IV for the least impaired This means that the competition within each Grade can be judged on the skill of the individual competitors on their horses regardless of their disabilities
CLUB qUADRILLEMoorsele has been host to a regular international Para-Equestrian Dressage events for the past few years with the Club Quadrille as organiser The Club Quadrille was founded in 1981 by Anne Van Neste-dIeteren Belgian Dressage Champion from 1977 un-til 1982 current President of the Belgian Paralympic Committee and member of the FEI Para-Equestrian committee It is a unique sports club that works with both able bodied and disabled athletes and is active in the promotion and education of the sport As member of the honorary IPC Board Her Royal Highness (HRH) Princess Astrid of Belgium has been a fervent supporter of the event and has attended on many occasions
Believe it or nothellip
bull LeePearson(GBR)haswoneverygold medalwithinreachatParalympicWorld andContinentallevelandtheEuropeans in2009werenodifferentwithanother triplegoldvictory
bull GreatBritainalsohavetheMidastouch whenitcomestoteammedalsndashandarethe currentParalympicWorldandEuropean titleholders
bull In2009Germanycamecloserthanever totakingthegoldmedalfromall-time championGreatBritain
1-4 September 2011
Moorsele Belgium
FeI eUroPeaN
Para-eqUestrIaNDressaGeChaMPIoNshIPs
21FOCUS
A record number of fans are expected to attend the HSBC FEI European Eventing Championships as they return to Luhmuumlhlen for the fifth time to mark the 30th edition of the ChampionshipsThe FEI European Eventing Championships take place every two years in the middle of the Olympic cycle and have been held since 1953
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERSTeam ndash Great BritainIndividual ndash Kristina CookMiners Frolic (GBR)
OLyMPIC qUALIFICATIONThe 2 best ranked nations from Groups A B amp C at the 2011 HSBC FEI European Eventing Champion-ships (excluding the teams already qualified at WEG) will be qualified to take part with a team consisting of 3 athletes amp 3 horses
THE VENUELuhmuumlhlen one of only six 4 events on the interna-tional Eventing calendar and part of the prestigious HSBC FEI Classicstrade series will greet Europersquos best athletes with a fresh look and feel this year following extensive renovation to the existing infrastructures The recently renovated showground includes three Dressage and two Jumping arenas a tribune able to seat 850 spectators with spectacular views as well as a newly designed entrance including six ticket box facilities and fully catered trade stands The show-ground also boasts an open air stage with space for up to 15000 spectators ldquoI am confident that the in-vestment in the infrastructure will be of great benefit to all involved whether you are a volunteer a groom an athlete ndash both the horses and the riders - as well as for the sponsors guests spectators and the fans We are re-ally looking forward to great competitions this year at both the CCI4CIC3 in June and at the Europeans in August and hope many will join us to witness this historic momentrdquo Julia Otto Event Director Luhmuumlhlen
HSBCHSBC has renewed their sponsorship for a further three-year term as global sponsor of FEI Eventing to include title sponsorships of the HSBC FEI European Eventing Championships in both 2011 and 2013 and the HSBC FEI Classicstrade until the end of 2013
OFFICIAL TIMEPIECE Rolex the leading name in luxury wrist watches will be the Official Timekeeper for the HSBC FEI European Eventing Championships 2011
Believe it or nothellip
bull GinnyElliot(bornHolgate)theonlyrider towinthreesuccessiveindividualtitlesand IanStarkholdthejointrecordforEuropean goldmedalswonndashseveneachbutLucinda Greenstillhasthemostmedals(10)
bull SupremeRockriddenbyPippaFunnell (GBR)istheonlyhorsetowinback-to-back titles(in1999and2001)hehasfour Europeangoldmedalsintotalequalingthe recordofKilbarryThePoacherandOver ToYouwhowonarecordfourconsecutive Europeanteamgolds(1999-2005)
bull PrincessAnneandZaraPhillipsaretheonly mother-daughtercombinationtowin Europeantitles(1971and2005)
bull GreatBritainhaveheldtheEuropeantitle forthepast8consecutiveChampionships (since1995)Andofthe29editionstodate (startingin1953)theteamhavewona whopping21
25-28 August 2011
Luhmuumlhlen Germany
hsBC FeI eUroPeaN
eVeNtINGChaMPIoNshIPs LIVE coverage on
22
In September Breda Hippique in The Netherlands will be host to the seventh edition of the FEI Euro-pean Driving Championships for Four-in-Hand not held since 1981 This edition is open to both Euro-pean and non-European drivers and will also count as a qualifier for the indoor FEI World Cuptrade Driv-ing which is held during the winter season Only competitors from Europe can claim the individual and team medalsThe FEI European Driving Championships for Four-in-Hand were first held in 1971 in Budapest and continued to be held every two years until 1981 at which stage they were discontinued
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERSTeam ndash HungaryIndividual ndash Gyoumlrgyi Bardos (HUN)
SOMETHING IN THE WATERhellip Hungary have won five out of six available team European titles and on the individual front two Hungarians stand out from the crowd Imre Abony ndash individual winner in 1971 and 1975 and Gyoumlrgyi Bardos triple consecutive winner in 1977 1979 1981
IN THE BEGINNINGhellipThe first European Championships took place in Budapest in 1971 and moved on to Windsor in Great Britain in 1973 Sopot in Poland in 1975 Donauesch-ingen in Germany in 1977 and in Haras du Pin in France in 1979 The sixth and last edition took place in 1981 in Zug Switzerland
THE VENUEBreda has hosted the only Nations competition (CAIO) for Four-in-Hand horses in The Netherlands for many years In 1995 Breda hosted the first FEI European Driving Championships for Four-in-Hand ponies and in 2010 was host to the FEI World Para-Equestrian Driving Championships Aside from the four-in-hand teams Breda will also host international pony teams and national horse pairs at the event this year
Believe it or nothellip
bull Hungaryhavewonfiveoutofsixteamgold titles
bull AugusteDubeyfromSwitzerlandwasthe onlynon-HungarianEuropeanChampion hewontheChampionshipsin1973
bull PrincePhilipFEIPresidentfrom1964- 1986whocelebratedhis90thbirhtday inJuneisanavidfanofDrivingandpartici- patedinsixWorldandthreeEuropean Championships
1-4 September 2011
Breda Netherland
FeI eUroPeaN
DrIVINGChaMPIoNshIPsfor FoUr-IN-haND
Note At the time of writing the FEI European DrivingChampionships for Four in Hand was pending approvalby the FEI Bureau
23FOCUS
The 14th edition of the FEI European Endurance Championships return to Florac in France twenty five years after the inaugural event was held there The FEI European Endurance Championships first took place in 1984 and were immediately followed up by a second edition in 1985 and have since been held every two years They have always been open to the world with two sets of medals presented ndash open and European
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERSTeam ndash SpainIndividual ndash Maria Alvarez Ponton amp Nobby
RECORD BREAKINGCurrent title holder Maria Alvarez Ponton amp super horse Nobby is the first rider to hold European and World titles at the same time She will be looking to confirm her stronghold on the sport following her second consecutive World title with a second con-secutive European title in Florac a feat no rider has managed to achieve at the Europeans to date
THE VET GATEModern competitions consist of a number of sec-tions known as lsquophasesrsquo At the end of each phase there is a compulsory halt for veterinary inspection Each horse which is thoroughly examined before it is allowed to start the ride must be presented for inspection within a set time of reaching each vetgate The time spent at each vetgate prior to inspection by the vets is counted as part of the overall competition time and the aim is to determine whether the horse is fit to continue the ride
THE SUPPORT CREWA vital part of Endurance riding is the support crew Riders are assisted by a team of helpers who meet them several times over the ride bringing bottles of water to pour over the horse to cool it down as well as a drink for the rider Crews also have spare equipment in case something breaks down or needs replacing
Believe it or nothellip
bull TheFrenchhavethemedaledgewith6 individualand4teamgoldmedalsfrom the14editionsheld
bull Floracistheonlyvenuetohostthe EuropeanChampionshipstwice(thefirst editionin1984andtheupcomingedition in2011)
bull EnduranceisthefastestgrowingFEI disciplinefrom2000to2010thenumber ofinternationaleventshavemultipliedby10
10 September 2011
Florac France
FeI eUroPeaN
eNDUraNCeChaMPIoNshIPs
24
Reem Acra Boutique 14 East 60th St New York New York 10022 2123088760 wwwreemacracom
356935B2_RA_brochure2_souvenir_programmeindd 1 82710 1012 AM
Vaulting became an FEI discipline in 1983 and saw its first FEI European Championship organised just one year later in the town of Ebreichsdorf in Austria This 15th edition of the Championship ndash which also includes the European Juniors competition return to France for the 4th time but for the first time in the world renowned venue of Le Mans famous for its 24 hour race
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERS
Team ndash Austria
Individual malelongeurhorseNicolas Andreani (FRA)Marina Joosten DuponIdefix de Braize
Individual femalelongeurhorseJoanna Eccles (GBR)John EcclesWH Bentley
THE WIND OF CHANGEGermany and Switzerland have traditionally bat-tled for the team title (Germany has 7 gold versus Switzerlandrsquos 5) but in 2009 Austria who had come second on four occasions since the inception of the Championships in 1984 finally climbed onto the top spot of the podium and claimed the title In terms of the individual performances Germany had the stronghold on the male category winning 11 out of 14 gold medals But again in 2009 France the only other country to have ever beaten a German male vaulter at the Europeans made it to the top spot of the podium for only the third time since the Championships began
Similarly with the female vaulters it was an all German domination until 2007 when Austriarsquos Sissi Jarz claimed gold followed by Joanna Eccles (GBR) in 2009 ndash leaving Germany off the top step of the podium entirely in 2009
GREAT BRITAIN ndash A VAULTING NATIONhellip Times have definitely changed from the Swiss German domination with current World and European titles held by Great Britainrsquos Joanna Eccles She was the first British vaulter (male or female) to claim a medal at the Europeans ndash let alone a gold medal - and then went on to secure the world title in Kentucky last year
Believe it or nothellip
bull TheonlycountryotherthanGermanyand SwitzerlandtohaveclaimedaEuropean VaultingtitleisSlovakiain2005
bull ChristophLensing(GER)holdsthemale medalrecordndashwiththreegold(19891993 amp1995)aswellassilverin1991
bull NadiaZuumllowandSilkeMichelberger (formerlyBernhard)withthreegoldmedals each
16-21 August 2011
Le Mans France
FeI eUroPeaN
VaULtINGChaMPIoNshIPs
26
This is only the fifth edition of the European Reining Championships since the discipline joined the FEI in 2000 and the first time they will be held in Austria The event also includes the FEI European Champi-onships for Juniors and Young Riders ndash a formula introduced in 2009 in Kreuth (GER) which proved to be a multigenerational success The FEI European Reining Championships take place every two years and have been held since 2003
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERSTeam ndash GermanyIndividual ndash Nina Lill (GER) riding Lena Cielo Jewel
THE JUDGINGReining horses are judged individually Each horse au-tomatically begins the required pattern with a score of 70 One or frac12 points are given or taken away for each manoeuvre Credit is given for smoothness fi-nesse attitude quickness and authority Controlled speed in the pattern raises the level of difficulty and makes the reining horse exciting to watch
Believe it or nothellip
bull ItalyandGermanyaretheonlytwonations tohavewongoldmedalsndashGermanyhas3 teamgoldand2individualgoldversus Italyrsquossingleteamgoldandtwoindividual gold
bull GermanyrsquosNinaLillwinnerin2009was thefirstwomantotaketheindividualtitle sincetheChampionshipsbeganin2003
bull OlympicWorldandEuropeanDressage ChampionAnkyVanGrunsven(NED) competedattheAlltechFEIWorldEques- trianGamestradein2010inbothDressageand hellipReining
bull 13nationswerescheduledtoattendthe Championshipatthetimeofwritingthe largestparticipationbycountryever recordedfortheEuropeans
26-30 July 2011
Wiener Neustadt Austria
FeI eUroPeaN
reININGChaMPIoNshIPs
27FOCUS
ldquoThirty-one yearsrsquo experience comes in handy some-timesrdquo joked the ever-relaxed Todd who was a leg-end by the time he ldquoretiredrdquo in 2000 with back-to-back Olympic golds five Burghley wins two world gold medals and three Badminton victories one on a horse he had never ridden before ldquoIt is incredibly special though right up there with the back-to-back Olympic golds When I came back to the sport (in 2008) it was to see if I could get back to top level It has always been my aim to win another big onerdquo
A World class meeting of Generations
The 2011 HSBC FEI Classicstrade could not have got off to a more epic start with wins at Badminton and Kentucky by two of the sportrsquos most enduring personalitiesThe 55-year-old New Zealander Mark Todd rolled back the years to score a fourth victory at the Gloucestershire venue 31 years after his first attempt in 1980
By Kate Green
28
HSBC FEI ClassicsTm
The resurgence of so much experienced talent makes it harder for younger riders to work their way up the leaderboard but 29-year-old Sinead Halpin (USA) had a spectacular CCI4 debut at Kentucky finish-ing third and best of the home side in distinguished company This achievement earned her the HSBC Training Bursary worth US$1000 towards training a prestigious and valuable award presented to the rider who achieves the best result on completing a CCI4 for the first time
The bursary winner at Badminton Fiona Hobby (GBR) 39 has had a rather longer wait to complete
her first CCI4 ndash she was 26th on Roma ML ndash but she has in the meantime produced two children had a career as a sports therapist and only switched from Jumping to Eventing relatively recently Hobby has vowed to spend the money on dressage train-ing ldquoRoma couldnrsquot believe it when she arrived in the arena and saw all those people but she was great across country really focussed Irsquom delightedrdquo
For Germanyrsquos Sandra Auffarth Luhmuumlhlen pro-vided an outstanding CCI4 debut on Opgun Louvo a young horse she has produced herself coming second and picking up the HSBC Training Bursary and the exciting prospect of a possible place in the squad for the forthcoming HSBC FEI European Event-ing Championship at Luhmuumlhlen (25-28 August) at which Germany as host nation will be entitled to field 12 riders
Last yearrsquos HSBC Training Bursary winners include Stephanie Rhodes-Bosch (CAN) who went on to win a team silver medal at the Alltech FEI World Equestri-an Gamestrade Lauren Shannon (GBR) who finished 17th at Badminton this year and Giovanni Ugolotti (ITA) who is furthering his career by basing himself in Brit-ain for the season and having lessons with Mark Todd
LIVE coverage and extensive highlights available on
Toddrsquos winning mount the 10-year-old NZB Land Vision was a green horse for this level and he fin-ished the Cross-Country phase tired but his rider kept his cool in an extraordinarily tight finish in which the price of one Jumping fence covered the top 12 riders any of whom could with a bit of luck have won the Mitsubishi Motors Trophy ldquoIn the end it came down to horse-power and Irsquove obviously got a good one hererdquo said Todd ldquoCharisma (his double Olympic gold medallist) will always be the most special horse but this one has no weak linksrdquo
As is the nature of the sport Toddrsquos lead in the HSBC FEI Classicstrade didnrsquot last long ndash he came down to earth with a bump the following weekend with a Cross-Country run-out on NZB Grass Valley his ride at the Rolex Kentucky Three Day Event (USA) and 49- year-old Mary King (GBR) stole the head-lines with a record one-two on Kings Mis-tress and Fernhill Urco It was Kingrsquos first CCI4 victory for 11 years ndash she has won Badminton twice and Burghley once ndash but she certainly smashed a few re-cords with this one She became the first rider to score a one-two at Kentucky the first in modern times to win a CCI4 on a home-bred horse and the oldest female to win a CCI4
King who has six team gold medals at World and European level plus competed at five consecutive Olympics had the luxury of knowing she had already won the event on the inexperienced 10-year-old Fernhill Urco a horse bred in Portugal by the time she entered the arena on Kings Mistress but she still produced a second clear round ldquoI never dreamed that I would be in this position and Irsquom enjoying the momentrdquo said the ever-smiling King ldquoIt was great to have the feeling of having already won on Fernhill Urco but I still wanted desperately to go clear on Kings Mistress as it is so special to win on a horse I bred myselfrdquo It was also an all clear from Germanyrsquos Andreas Dibowski and Euroriding Butts Leon in order to secure victory at the fourth leg of the HSBC FEItrade
Classicstrade in Luhmuumlhlen presented by EON Avacon
29FOCUS
The Danish-American actorpoet musician photographerand painter has been around horses most of his life from riding Hasufel and Brego in The Lord of the Rings trilogy to early childhood memories in Argentina his passion for floating as he describes it has never wavered
What is it about the horse that makes you a horse loverWe get along generally I respect their strength and their personal space Your first riding experience ndash was it bliss or terrorLike floating like being on a warm and floating mountain I remember being happy Do you think anyone can rideYes It is a question of allowing yourself to ride of allowing yourself to cooperate and not be in total control Children are more adept at figuring this out letting things happen without getting impatient or scared just as they are braver and less self-conscious about pronouncing new words or singing Anyone at any age or in any physical condition can
Viggo Mortensen
achieve a degree of success and satisfaction with horses even if it is just a question of touching them being near them If horses could talk what would they be sayingYou will know if you listen and watch them Is there a unique trait you look for in a horse that you canrsquot find in peopleThey are more patient and less apt to complain about lifersquos setbacks and physical ailments than most people I admire a tough smart horse what-ever its breed age or size What would you miss most if you could no longer go ridingThe companionship and the floating perhaps also the abandonment of usual daily worries that relaxed riding requires Whatrsquos your usual riding outfit consist ofAnything will do Loose-fitting clothes and good comfortable boots are a plus but not vital I have even ridden barefoot ndash naturally taking care to avoid being stepped on when not on the horse - but I do not recommend this to anyone The most important thing is to have a clear and focused mind to be THERE at all times when around horses and NOWHERE ELSE Sugar lumps or carrotsIrsquove been guilty of offering an occasional apple or carrot although it is best not to give horses anything special unless treats are part of training them for special tricks or stunts a pursuit best left to experts like master horse trainer Rex Peterson whom Irsquove had the good fortune to work with and study quite a bit Treats spoil horses and do not keep the animal focused on the task at hand Whatrsquos your favourite part of a horseThe brain What do you think young people gain from ridingSelf-confidence and an understanding of the value of cooperation
30
Why the long face
When did you first develop the bond with the horseThe first time I got on one as a little boy in ArgentinaYou either develop a bond of some kind or you fall off Of course you may even fall off if you develop the bond but you have to start (and restart) somewhere
Did your friends ride My brothers also rode and I have ridden with many kinds of people over the years ndash some good and patient with horses and some not If I had not rid-den as a boy I would probably have been wandering around fishing imagining I was a cowboy or an Indian or a Viking ndash which I did anyway Where in the world would you most like to rideMost anywhere will do but I have been extremely lucky to have ridden in many wide-open wild places ndash deserts grassy plains mountains by different seas and rivers in Argentina New Zealand North Africa and North America If you could spend one afternoon riding with a famous person (past or present)who would it be and whyIrsquoll give you 3 Oglala chief Tasunke Witko (Crazy Horse) my ancestor William F Cody or any real Gaucho from the province of Chaco Argentina
Two horses go out for dinner what kindof restaurant do they chooseLate spring grass near a slow-moving clean river with a gentle firm shoreline an hour before sun-down far from any people or other animals All time favourite horse filmI have a subjective soft spot for the stories and real horses involved in the making of ldquoHidalgordquo and the 2nd and 3rd installments of ldquoThe Lord Of The Ringsrdquo trilogy but I admire other ldquohorse moviesrdquo as wellThe 1953 French movie ldquoCrin-Blancrdquo (ldquoWhite Manerdquo) directed by Albert Lamorisse is a personal favourite
After three years at the head of the successful French Jumping team with back to back FEI Nations Cuptrade titles and a silver medal at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade Laurent Elias is moving on to new spheres with the French Horse amp Riding Institute where he will be training the riders of the National Riding School in Saumur
Laurent Elias
copy C
hris
toph
e Br
icot
32
The other side of
If I had not become a professional rider I would havehellipmade a career in a humanitarian organisation Horse riding is sometimes too trivial
My priority in life ishellipto be able to look at myself in the mirror in the morning and make sure I am at peace with my conscience
My familyhellipkeeps me grounded My wife helped me a lot when I was in charge of selections for France She took charge of my personal life and was the first person I called when we got the medal in Lexington I also admire my parents for the values they passed on to me
I remember my first ridingexperiencehellipaged six we were shooting a family film and I was on horseback I finished upside down under my horse for a long time I stopped riding for one year
I used to dream abouthellipsafaris One of my uncles was passionate about safaris Through him I became very interested in African trips and the jobs that allow you to travel as a reporter were fascinating to me as well
I have been thinking a lot abouthellipwhat happened in Japan these past few months First this tsunami that devastated everything without warning then the nuclear disaster It made me think that progress should not be destructive
My horse Gueacutenourhellipchanged my life I was just a coach and he brought me to the top I won the national championship in 1981 with him
My biggest challengehas always beenhellipshyness Horse riding has really helped me over-come it Horses brought me on stage and there I had to meet people
As a Chef dEquipehellipthere is no single defining achievement itrsquos all about the solidarity and the moments spent together as a team Irsquoll never forget the first time Penelope Leprevost rode her mare Jubileacutee drsquoOuilly in the FEI Nations Cuptrade of Rotterdam McLain Ward had just completed a real fast run with Sapphire We thought the Americans would win but she did it faster and beat Sapphire
In terms of eventshellipAachen is my favourite competition - for its won-derful organisation But we have also pretty good five star competitions in France
I donrsquot sleep muchhellipprobably because I am just happy to be alive
Irsquom not scared to laugh or cryhellipI laugh at the funny situations we sometimes find ourselves in life and enjoy people with quirky personalities I cry when I see others in pain
Laurent Elias and the French team en route to the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade copy PSV-Jean Morel
33FOCUS
Nicolas TheacutevenazAged 23 studies Robotics and Autonomous Systems Micro Engineering in Lausanne (SUI) alongside regular training and competition in Dressage and Para-Equestrian Dressage events Born with spastic diplegia Nicolas was introduced to horses via hippotherapy aged seven and quickly developed a passion for riding which not only helped with his physical condition but also taught him through Dressage the art of patience and perseverance
34
One day
Nicolas TheacutevenazAged 23 studies Robotics and Autonomous Systems Micro Engineering in Lausanne (SUI) alongside regular training and competition in Dressage and Para-Equestrian Dressage events Born with spastic diplegia Nicolas was introduced to horses via hippotherapy aged seven and quickly developed a passion for riding which not only helped with his physical condition but also taught him through Dressage the art of patience and perseverance
He has been fortunate to meet the right people (and horses) at the right time and has been working for the past five years with trainer Vicky-Eileen Baumann (pictured right) and her horses Magic and Lady (pictured right) ldquoShersquos bred them and knows them inside out which is very useful when I have to communicate with them - they know my voice intonations and a whole string of specific words or sounds ndash which really helps as my body canrsquot or doesnrsquot always have the strength to do sordquo
As a Grade II Para-Equestrian rider Nicolas competes in Para-Equestrian Dressage (PED) events as well as national events for able bodied riders as there are only a handful of PED riders and no events in Switzerland
Unable to attend the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade 2010 in Kentucky last year Nicolas and Vicky have their sights firmly set on the 2012 Para-lympic Games and will be looking to qualify with Lady over the next 12 months ndash alongside exams studies and everything else life has to offerhellip Who is your role model For different reasons I have different role mod-els Edward Gal Dane Rawlins Isabel Werth and Catherine Haddad
When did you start riding and why At age 7 I was sat on a horse for hippotherapy and liked the complicity with the horse which made me want to discover more
How do you feel when you ride Concentrated and industrious
Who is your biggest fan My trainerrsquos mum
Complete this sentenceOne day I would like tohellip have gained enough knowledge to be able to take care of and train my own horse
What are your long term goals as a rider Continue to do my best to enjoy what I do and show others itrsquos possible
How do you juggle studies and competition I think itrsquos really important to have goals and to do everything you can to achieve them and that includes taking on challenges because if you donrsquot try then yoursquoll never know what you could have achieved
What is your proudest achievement to date Participation in international events together with pursuing my studies
How do you feel after winning Still working towards discovering the feeling
What is the best advice anyone has ever given youMy trainer often repeats to me the famous saying by General LrsquoHotte ldquoCalme en avant droitrdquo which says so much about riding but can also be applied to so many other aspects of life
35FOCUS
What advice would you give someone looking to get involved in Para-Equestrian Dressage Train and ride with able-bodied athletes as often as possible Being around and working with horses is so rewarding Irsquod like - when Irsquom retired - to write a book to share these feelings with others and hope this will inspire them to get involved
Complete this sentenceIn the future I would like the sport to beeven ldquocleanerrdquo and fairer and if possible not more but less demanding on the horses
ldquoLast but not least Irsquod like to take the opportunity of this article to reach out to those who give me their trust and help be it with their time their friendship and any type of support Day after day to year after year team work is essential and Irsquoll do my best to continue deserving every-onersquos encouraging smilesrdquo
European Broadcasting Union
Union Europeacuteenne de Radio-Teacuteleacutevision
+41 (0)22 717 2111 wwweurovisionnet
We bring the event to your home
Eurovision
copy K
it H
ough
ton
FE
I
FEI_08_A4indd 1 03012008 162238
European Broadcasting Union
Union Europeacuteenne de Radio-Teacuteleacutevision
+41 (0)22 717 2111 wwweurovisionnet
We bring the event to your home
Eurovision
copy K
it H
ough
ton
FE
I
FEI_08_A4indd 1 03012008 162238
Nominations for the FEI Awards opened in May enabling the global equestrian com-munity to once again reward outstanding dedication to horse sport in five categories ndash Development Best Groom Against All Odds Rising Star and Best Athlete The search for the equestrian heroes of 2011 is now on who will be flown to Rio de Janeiro Brazil to receive their awards
Where are they now The FEI asked the current title-holders for an update on their activities
Follow us on
38
FEI Awards 2011
Ebony Horse Club (GBR)Winner of the Alltech FEI DevelopmentAward 2010
The Ebony Horse Club announced in December 2010 that after an eight-year fundraising effort it had the pound14 million necessary for building an equestrian cen-tre in one of Londonrsquos most deprived boroughs Since 1996 Ebony has offered youngsters in an area reput-ed for its gang culture high level of gun crime and drug dealing the chance to ride and learn key social skills The clubrsquos 50 members travel to riding schools across London on public transport or in minibuses ndash a logistical headache that the inner-city equestrian centre will end Construction work began in February
Ebony Horse Club founder and director Ros Spear-ing told the FEI ldquoRiding lessons are continuing and the club is preparing for the transitionrdquo Building will finish on 7 July but the centre will open for riding lessons in October ldquoThe horses will be brought to Brixton in the summer and will have time to acclimatise to their new environmentrdquo Spearing said The centre will include stabling for nine horses a small paddock and a flood-lit riding arena as well as a classroom for learning about horses and equine management Spearing is adamant that club members ndash present and future ndash care for their rides and wants the centre to serve as a stepping stone to careers in the horse industry
Ebonyrsquos existence will continue to depend on the generosity of donors For more information visit wwwebonyhorsecluborguk
Michelle Tipper (GBR)Winner of the FEI Best Groom Award 2010
Michelle Tipper has continued to juggle grooming and study since receiving her FEI Award in Novem-ber She has organised the grooms for the British European Junior and Young Dressage teams and in April her contract as a travelling groom for British Dressage riders Paul and Bobby Hayler took her to Addington for the first of many international com-petitions she will work at this year The Haylers have eight horses competing and the number she works with at each venue varies Tipper has also been help-ing British Dressage riders Nicky and Richard Barrett with yard duties ldquoI feel very lucky to work for both of these familiesrdquo said the FEI Best Groom Award win-ner adding that she feels part of the two families In March Tipper graduated from university with a Masters in Sport Psychology She is now working towards British Association of Sport and Exercise Science accreditation which requires at least 500 hoursrsquo supervised work experience and is present-ing sport psychology workshops in conjunction with the company Inside Performance Consulting Limit-ed (wwwinside-performancecom) The workshops are organised internationally for people of all ages from any sport To find out more contact Tipper at michelletipper1979yahoocom
39FOCUS
Michelle Tipper ndash copyWilliam TzengAward winners ndash copyWilliam TzengCaroline Roffman ndash copySharonPackercomEbony Horse Club ndash copyEbony Horse ClubEdward Gal and Totilas ndash copyKit HoughtonFEIAngelika Trabert ndash copyJulia Rau
Angelika Trabert (GER)Winner of the FEI Against All Odds Award 2010
German Para-Dressage rider Angelika Trabert has represent-ed her country at four Paralympic Games and won some 15 medals at national European and world championships She is currently seeking a new home for Londria the mare that con-tributed to her Team Silver medal win at the Hong Kong Para-lympics Londria who had a foal last year was also Trabertrsquos ride during her medal-winning performances at the European Championships in Hungary (2005) and Norway (2009)
Trabert said her decision to let go of Londria was hard to make but was necessary for financial reasons She will keep the foal Finaud Coquin and her mares Walmorel and Ariva-Avanti Trabert won the Para-Dressage Grade 2 Freestyle Champion-ship at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade with Ariva and said the horse was ldquowell and ready to go for the Europeans again in Belgium in September if we qualifyrdquo Trabert competed in her first international competition of 2011 in May in Man-nheim Germany where she came first in the Grade II indi-vidual and second in the freestyle She is taking part in the German Championships in June
Away from the equestrian world Trabert works as an anaes-thetist and has participated in medical missions in the rural ar-eas of Guinea for the organisation Mango In January she was back in Guinea as part of team that carried out 100 operations in 13 days wwwangelika-trabertde
Visit the recently refreshed FEI Awards website to find out more about the Awards the pastwinners the judges and to make yournominationsby 31 July
wwwfeiawardsorg
40
Caroline Roffman (USA)Winner of the HSBC FEI Rising StarAward 2010
Success continues to smile on twenty-two-year-old American Dressage rider Caroline Roffman Since re-ceiving the HSBC FEI Rising Star Award she has en-joyed numerous wins at small tour and young horse levels achieving scores in the mid-eighties and quali-fying two horses for the young horse championships
Roffman is currently showing six horses and has won several classes at PSG and Grand Prix level ldquoBut nothing is as exciting as to be going to Aachenrdquo said the young woman who has been described as the American Dressage communityrsquos brightest hope ex-plaining that at the FEI Awards ceremony in Chinese Taipei Frank Kemperman FEI Dressage Committee Chair and Chairman of the Managing Board at CHIO Aachen (GER) invited her to take part in the pres-tigious event Roffman will be the first American to compete in the Under 25 Grand Prix there and is hop-ing to take her horse Lux Stensvang
An interview with Caroline Roffman at the Palm Beach Dressage Derby CDI will be broadcast on the magazine programme Equestrian World on FEI TV the FEIrsquos official online video platform wwwfeitvorg
Edward Gal and Totilas (NED)Winners of the Reem Acra FEI Best Athlete Award 2010
The world-famous partnership of Dutch Dressage rider Edward Gal and the extraordinary Totilas ended in style in 2010 with notably three gold medal wins at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade
The first foal sired by the superstar stallion was born in January followed by two more in the spring Gal who has admired the foals told the FEI ldquoYou never know ndash maybe in a few yearsrsquo time Irsquoll have another Totilas readyrdquo At the beginning of April he was busy at home training nine horses and preparing for the Reem Acra FEI World Cuptrade Dressage Final in Leipzig and the European Championships in Rotterdam He had not yet decided which horses he was going to compete with but was particularly looking forward to the Freestyle to Music Asked what it was like to compete without Totilas Gal said ldquoEverybody ex-pected Totilas to win I find it easier to ride other horses because nobody expects me to win and when I do itrsquos really nicerdquo
41FOCUS
globetrotter
Seal of approval for the Adai horseSixty years have passed since an Adai horse reportedly set a record galloping 354km in one day Today the Adai horse a breed na-tive to Kazakhstan is back in the spotlight with a gold medal at the FEI Central Asian Endurance Championship in Talgaearlier in May only months after having been award-ed official pedigree status following tests
conducted by a State Commission in the Mangistau Steppes which allowed itto compete internationally The horses are cherished for their hardiness and Oyly ridden by Altyngali Bissemaganbetov (KAZ) proved just that when crossing the finishing line first demonstrating just how tough the Adai horses are and the beginning of a new era for sturdy breed on the international stage
Equestrian Australia Sport
Achievement Awards
In May the best of the best in
Equestrian sport gathered to cel-
ebrate the achievements of Austral-
iarsquos athletes coaches officials vets
administrators owners volunteers
and the many other people that
dedicate their time and enthusiasm
to equestrian sport The ceremony
also included the introduction of
Equestrian Australiarsquos Hall of
Fame won by the legendary Bill
Roycroft Boyd Exell winner of
the FEI World CupTM Driving
Final was awarded the interna-
tional athlete of the year
award
Kevin Stautbecomes first athlete representative on FEI
executive board
Kevin Staut one of Francersquos most successful Jumping riders became the first athlete to be appointed to the FEI Executive Board for a three-year term Staut (31) who has held the number one spot in the Rolex Rankings for Jumping since July 2010 has ridden on numerous Nations Cup teams for France and claimed individual gold at the Alltech FEI European Jumping Championships in 2009
HulA CARTSWorld Horse Welfare has greatly helped the liv
es of
five Senegalese cart horse owners by presenting them
with new Hula Carts The local people who depend on
their working horses for their livelihoods were specially
selected by the charity to receive the carts which have
been sponsored by members of the public in the uK
The Hula Carts are specifically developed to help the
horses pulling heavy loads in often difficult conditions
Equestrian Australia Sport
Achievement Awards
In May the best of the best in
Equestrian sport gathered to cel-
ebrate the achievements of Austral-
iarsquos athletes coaches officials vets
administrators owners volunteers
and the many other people that
dedicate their time and enthusiasm
to equestrian sport The ceremony
also included the introduction of
Equestrian Australiarsquos Hall of
Fame won by the legendary Bill
Roycroft Boyd Exell winner of
the FEI World CupTM Driving
Final was awarded the interna-
tional athlete of the year
award
Olympic legendBill Roycroft passes away aged 96
A legend of Equestrian sport in Australia James William
George Roycroft OBE known as ldquoBillrdquo was one of Austral-
iarsquos greatest Olympians and one of only five Australians to
have competed in five consecutive Olympic Games (from
1960 - 1976) as well as being Australiarsquos oldest medallist
and oldest competitor at 61 years and 31 days In May 2011
Bill was inducted in Equestrian Australiarsquos inaugural Hall
of Fame ndash he was Australiarsquos oldest living Olympian and
shared his dedication and enthusiasm for the sport with
his sons Barry Wayne and Clarke (See a brief description
of his exploits in the 1960 Olympic Games Memory Lane
article page 9 which catapulted Australiarsquos reputation as
one of the best Eventing teams in the world)
webinfofeiFEI web wizard Nicole Sigrist has added a new hub for the Press on wwwfeiorg called FEI Press Kits located in the Media section of the website The Press Kits zone which is also open to the general public is regularly updated with infor-mation relating to FEI series and specific events with flip books and downloadable PDFs as well as direct links to the Photo Catalogue the Rankings and Standings the Annual Report and more
100thanniversary for Finnish riding club
One of the three found-ing member clubs of
the Finnish Equestrian Federation the Suomen
Kenttaumlratsastusseura-Finska Faumlltrittklubbenon celebrates
its 100th anniversary in 2011 Magnus Rydman former President of the Finnish National Federation and Presi-dent of the FEI from 1935 ndash 1946 was one of the founders of the club Another of the founders of the oldest club in Fin-land was the Eventing rider Colonel Hans Olof von Essen whose fifth place at the Antwerpen Olympic Games re-mains the best Olympic equestrian result the country has ever achieved
Follow us on
43FOCUS
Interview with the President of the Brazilian Equestrian Federation Mr Luiz Roberto Giugni
The Brazilian Equestrian Federation has been a member Federation of the FEI for 75 years how has the sport developed over that time We were facing regular growth (average of 25 in the last decade) but in the last three to four years this rate has significantly increased up to 35 a year We believe that this is due to international achievements (two Jumping Olympic team bronze medals the individual Olympic Jumping gold medal won by Rodrigo Pessoa several Pan Am Jumping team gold medals recent Olympic pre-qualification in Kentucky (4th in the world in Jumping) and the organisations of a Global Champions Tour event in Brazil
In terms of developing the sport what are the most successful projects you have undertaken in recent yearsWe decided to invest in education and have hired international trainers for all the disciplines such as Jean Maurice Bonneau for Jumping Nick Turner for Eventing Eric Lette for Dressage Jean Louis Leclerc for Endurance Mattias Lang for Vaulting with the long term in mind that is at least until the end of 2012 and planning towards 2016 when Rio will host the Olympic Games
How popular is equestrian sport with young people in Brazil and how do you compete with some of the bigger sports for their attention Popularization is growing bit by bit in a country
decidedly dominated by soccer ndash being 5 times World Champion makes it a national passion But we are continuously looking to attract TV to our events as this is a huge step towards gaining visibility and popularity Can you tell us about the programmesinitiatives in place for disabled athletes We are actively pursuing this and have achieved really positive results in little time such as the great performances and medals earned at the Para-lympic Games in Hong Kong in 2008 We do this through clinics courses international exchanges of athletes and working alongside our National Paralympic Committee to support us in our efforts
Brazil will be host the FEI General Assembly at the end of the year what do you want all the visiting delegates to remember from their visit That we are more than just a really beautiful and warm country with the ability and capacity to organise great events and that we are committed to putting on the best Olympic Games ever
What are the main objectivesplans for the Brazilian Federation in the lead up to the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games Our NOC is really committed to raising the bar of all the sports to a level never seen before and we are working towards that in terms of our athletes our judges our venues and everything that is related to our sport and the quality of our sport In line with this objective we are providing incen-tives to owners to buy good horses aiming for 2016 and this is going to plan for now We expect to perform well at the upcoming Pan Am Games and Olympics on our trail to 2016
Is there anything else you would like to share with us I would like to thank HRH Princess Haya President of the FEI as well as the Executive Board for all the support that we are getting which has been paramount to the development of equestrian sport in our country
44
President Luiz Roberto GiugniSecretary General Luiz Antonio RoccoMember since 1935
15 members of staff work at the federation
20 regional federations are affiliated tothe Brazilian Equestrian Federation with over 300 member riding clubs
6 000 affiliated riders
91 national events were held in 2010
31 international events were held in 2010
All the FEI disciplines are practiced in BrazilJumping Dressage Eventing Vaulting Reining EnduranceDriving amp Para-Equestrian
14 breeding organisations
There are 58 million horses and ponies in Brazilmaking it the fourth largest equine population in the world
FAC
TS amp
FIG
URE
S
45FOCUS
Dr Gerit Matthesen56 is a private equine practitioner an FEI Vet and a member of the FEI Veterinary Committee He graduated in Veterinary Medicine from Berlin University in 1983 and since 1989 has worked or officiated at some 180 competitions and championships including the last two Olympics and FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade He lives near Frankfurt with his wife Carola and their sons Mike (16) and Lars (14)
46
A life in a day
Dr Gerit Matthesen56 is a private equine practitioner an FEI Vet and a member of the FEI Veterinary Committee He graduated in Veterinary Medicine from Berlin University in 1983 and since 1989 has worked or officiated at some 180 competitions and championships including the last two Olympics and FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade He lives near Frankfurt with his wife Carola and their sons Mike (16) and Lars (14)
I wake up earlier than I need to ndash at around 6am ndash because breakfast time with my family is sacred to me and I can then drive my boys to the village station to take the train to school After two cups of coffee (enough for the day) and a glass of orange juice I read the newspapers then head to my prac-tice offices in our indoor arena I have a quick look at our horses then start work
While I listen to my phone messages I deal with my emails and search the internet for news about veterinary medicine and horse sport I then start planning the dayacutes schedule with Anna my assistant vet
My mobile practice is in a nice fairly rural area in the north of Frankfurt There are lots of horse farms but it is not a classic breeding area like the northern part of Germany There are sport horses as well as pleasure horses I have examination rooms and stables for horses staying or mares foaling in my practice stables Itrsquos not a big clinic which gives me time to work at competitions
After seeing a few small animals in my practice I normally start my field service at 930am In my car I have enough equipment (ultrasound X-ray systems and endoscopical devices) for the dayrsquos examinations and standing procedures We mainly have lameness examinations to do or internal diseases to treat accompanied by routine work like vaccinations or carrying out pre-purchase or health certificate examinations If time allows I go home for a quick lunch but thatrsquos not every day
While Irsquom driving I have time to think and I write down everything that come to mind regarding sport competitions committees and so on You have to write down your thoughts when yoursquore over the age of 50
It is not easy planning my day because any emer-gency can destroy or delay my schedule For all the paperwork and certificates I need a time frame so
I often do that over quiet weekends when there are no competitions During the winter season I am less busy but in summer a lot of weekends are taken over by the competition schedule
I love my work especially in Eventing which is my favourite discipline My wife and I practiced it ndash not up to top level but it was a fine time despite a bro-ken ankle from a fall in 1988 which after 23 years is making walking more and more difficult for me
I like to do my competition work on a friendly but strict basis and I really like to hear riders saying they are treated fairly Over the years I have acquired a lot of experience and met all the officials and riders
Usually when I return home in the late afternoon there are more small animals to see When Irsquove done the dayrsquos paperwork I hope there will be no more emergencies such as cases of colic which usually occur in the early evening
I look forward to getting on my horse which is a beautiful show-jumper I like to ride but Irsquove stopped competing I do dressage jumping and go out into the fields but itrsquos all just for fun now
The day finishes with the family and a nice cold glass of German beer
Itrsquos a struggle to find time to spend with my family and I often have to cancel my holidays with them I am really grateful to my wife and the boys for their understanding of my job and to my assistant vet who covers for me when Iacutem out somewhere in the world of equestrian sport
ldquoThe combination of my profession and beinginvolved in differentaspects of top equestrian sport is my visionrdquo
47FOCUS
Pull your show attire from the closet clean your boots and tack groom the horses hook up and pack the trailer check the clock double check to make sure you have everything put on the shipping boots load your horses and away you drive to the competition venue or to the airport for transport to a distant event
You know the drill well but still you arrive tired per-haps even a bit frazzled Yoursquoll sleep (or try to) the next several nights in an unfamiliar bed or camp out in the living quarters of your trailer You awaken riveted on the competition playing out the dayrsquos classes in your mind wondering how your rides will fare against oth-ers praying that the weather will be cooperate and trying to control your nerves all the while knowing that no matter how well you have prepared many factors are out of your control You may even be in a different time zone
We go through a lot to compete our horses But if you think life on the road is stressful for you think about what itrsquos like for your horses Your back may be a bit sore from driving or being strapped into an airplane seat for hours on end but for horses transportation is far more demanding It is an athletic endeavour re-quiring an expenditure of energy to maintain balance during the constant movement of transport When your horses arrive they face social isolation from stablemates lack of security in novel environments altered training regimes water that tastes strange and the confines of an unfamiliar stall This routine impacts a horsersquos health and well being with effects
continuing long after the journey is over During transport toxic gases (such as ammonia or carbon monoxide) can cause damage to the lung epithelium precipitating respiratory disease The
final destination itself can also cause problems Usually horses are transported to environments where they will be mixing with other horses The mixing of horses from different environments with different infectious organisms and under stressful conditions further precipitates susceptibility to disease
This can have a severe impact on the equine gut The stress of transportation is known to increase gut ulceration in the horse a painful condition reducing performance and causing colic-like symptoms Stress can also slow the flow of digesta and alter the normal gut flora resulting in digestive upset and possibly diarrhoea or colic
The effects of travel stress on the gut are compounded by the typical diet of the regular equine traveller To maintain athletic ability high performance horses are often fed energy-charged diets contain-ing increased levels of starchy materials such as cereal grains Unfortunately this type of diet can reduce beneficial types of gut flora and promote gut acidity further predisposing the horse to digestive upsets and ulceration It is not surprising that stressed tired horses may not fulfill their potential on arrival
Feeding to reduce stress for the equine traveller
By Darlene RickerExecutive editor of Alltechrsquos EQUINE INTERNATIONAL magazine
48
Alltech Tips
growth of opportunistic Salmonella spp which are present in the intestinal tract of many healthy horses These bacteria then attach to the gut lining via a mannan sugar and penetrate it causing damage and resulting in diarrhoea One method of prevent-ing or minimising the attachment of these organ-
isms to the gut lining is to provide an adsorbant supplement A form of sugar found in the cell walls of certain yeasts can do this This sugar compound is called man-nan oligosaccharide or MOS MOS products such as Alltechrsquos Bio-Mosreg have been shown to re-duce the colonization of Salmonella
spp in the guts of certain species and augment the immune response to Salmonella spp potentially conferring an enhanced ability to fight infection Both Yea-Saccreg 1026 and Bio-Mos are among the natural products contained in Alltechrsquos LIFEFORCETM equine supplement which many FEI competitors have successfully incorporated into their daily feeding regimen at home and on the road
lifeforcehorsecom
and may be subject to health concerns in the days following a long journey Fortunately however you can curb some of the effects of travel stress on the horsersquos gut by nutritional supplementation Organic yeast products used to supplement a horsersquos diet can support the normal gut flora modifying the intesti-nal environment and improving the horsersquos digestion One such culture is Saccharomyces cerevisae in the form of Yea-Saccreg 1026 Alltechrsquos propriety organic yeast
Experiments were conducted to evaluate the effects Yea-Sacc on gut flora and gut acidity Horses were fed either a high-starch or a high-fibre diet both with and without supplementation of Yea-Saccreg 1026 Results indicated an excessive amount of starch in the gut The use of Yea-Sacc reduced acidity and stimulat-ed the activity of fibre-digesting bacteria in the hind-gut for both types of diet The result was maximised fibre digestibility and more efficient use of nutrients thus increasing the amount of energy available to the horse for performance and counteracting digestive upset Salmonellosis is one of the more commonly di-agnosed infectious causes of diarrhoea in horses Many cases develop after the stress of transport The effects of travel stress on the normal gut flora allow an over-
Moorlands Totilas arrives for the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade after air transport copy Dirk Caremans
HRH The Infanta Dontildea Pilar de Borboacuten former President of the FEI (1994-2006) also attended the inauguration along-side HRH Princess Lalla Amina Chairperson of the Royal Moroccan Federation for Equestrian Sports and member of the international Advisory Council of Special OlympicsThey were joined by International Olympic Commit-tee members representatives from other Interna-tional Federations federal and local Swiss authorities as well as architects and designers that worked on the project Switzerlandrsquos Martin Fuchs a member of the gold medal winning team at the inaugural Youth Olympic Games in Singapore last year accompanied FEI President Princess Haya in officially opening the FEI headquarters
ldquoThe building we are inaugurating today has been designed to serve our wonderful sportrdquo explained FEI
President Princess Haya ldquoI also feel an immense
sense of pride knowing that this building carries the name
of my late father and hope that this serves as a constant reminder
to all of us who work at the FEI of a unique statesman whose entire soul was devoted to the service of his people Our new headquarters will play a key role for the FEI and our National Federa-tions over the coming years It will be the environ-ment in which important discussions take place and fundamental decisions are taken as we continue our mission to advance the orderly growth of equestrian sport worldwide while ensuring that the welfare of the horse and a level playing field remain at the centre of all that we dordquo
FEI celebratesNEW Headquarters
Over 250 guests attended the inauguration ceremony on Friday 6 May at HM King Hussein I Building which was timed to coincide with the FEI
Extraordinary General Assembly so that attending NationalFederation representatives
could be a part ofthe celebrations
1 Youth Olympic Games team champion Martin Fuchs (SUI) FEI President HRH Princess Haya and her daughter HH Sheikha Al Jalila officially open the FEIrsquos new home 2 Gilbert Felli IOC Olympic Games Executive Director and FEI Secretary General Ingmar de Vos 3 HRH The Infanta Dontildea Pilar de Borboacuten sits down to an interactive quiz in the FEI Gallery 4 Guests gathered in the atrium of the FEI HeadquartersAll images copy Hugues SiegenthalerFEI
Highlights available on50
1
2
3 4
5
6 7
8
THE GALLERy
As well as housing offices for its 62 employees and conference facilities for its 133 National Federations the new headquarters also has a state-of-the-art in-teractive gallery showcasing equestrian sport
The Gallery is the brainchild of Dr Amichai Alper-ovich historian former Secretary General of the Is-raeli Equestrian Federation and curator of the Israeli Olympic Museum (opened in 2009) He worked hand in hand with the Tel Aviv based company Disk-In Pro and interior designer Oded Alony to help bring the content to life and the result is truly unique and ground breaking Giant glass surfaces act as interac-tive interfaces for the visitors to travel through time
The FEIrsquos new headquarters which were donated to the Federation by FEI Presi-dent HRH Princess Haya in 2007 fol-lowing a personal fundraising effort are conveniently located close to the Inter-national Olympic Committee and other international sports federations It has been written into the FEI Statutes that the new FEI headquarters building will always house the Federationrsquos offices In 2008 the building was thoroughly renovated in accordance with the Swiss MINERGIEreg construction standard for environmental responsibility which re-duces energy consumption by 25 per cent Only two per cent of renovated buildings in Switzerland meet the high Minergie standards Khuan Chew founder and design princi-pal of London-based architectural firm KCA International Ltd worked in close collaboration with Swiss-based architect Herveacute de Rham and interior designer Sia-vosh Adeli (SUI) to transform the build-ing which was built in the 1960s The modern and sleek interior was further enhanced with bespoke artworks pro-duced by Swiss creative agency b+g amp partners and imagery by world-famous equestrian art photographer Tim Flach where the simplicity and beauty of his equine subjects seamlessly embrace and accentuate the buildingrsquos pure lines and natural materials (see image left)
As they feasted on the innate beauty of their sur-roundings the guests also had the privilege to ex-perience the culinary talents of organic chef and specialist Gilles Wannaz and his team based in the town of Cully which sits on the edge of Lac Leman in Switzerlandrsquos famous Lavaux wine growing region
5 HRH Princess Haya welcomes the guests to the Inauguration of the HQ and the 90 year celebration of the FEI 6 Artwork by renowned pho-tographer Tim Flach 7 An organic and colourful buffet presented on an authentic lawn by local chef Gilles Wannaz 8 A life size horse sculpture by Christophe Dumont greeted the guests upon their arrival
53FOCUS
and space with the latest in touch technology revis-iting the history of the FEI the equestrian events at Olympic amp Paralympic Games the FEI World Eques-trian Gamestrade and information on all of the member National Federations with statistics videos images and text The Gallery also includes projections on ar-chitectural surfaces designed by Oded Alony referred to as the Origami as well as interactive stations and unique video projections on glass screens
For all those wishing to visit the FEI Gallery simply contact the FEI HQ to make an appointment and we would be delighted to take you on a journey to dis-cover or rediscover the human and equine athletes whose talents have marked equestrian history and inspired young riders drivers and vaulters around the world
Interview withDrAmichaiAlperovich
When did you first dream up the FEIInteractive Gallery When I found out the FEI was planning to move into new HQ in 2009 Disk-In Pro and I approached the FEI and presented them with several concepts for the space Before long we had agreed on the concept and we got to work
Why were you compelled to make it become a reality So that the FEI a prominent sports organisation could present itself to a growing audience in a new and visionary way with the latest technology And by doing so the FEI is a pioneer becoming the first International Federation to have a Gallery of this kind
What did you learn when researching and gathering content for the gallery I have learned a lot about the history of the FEI the strong Olympic tradition the diversity of disciplines the gender equality and the unique bond between horse and man One of the more fascinating topics was the evolution of the Dressage from itsrsquo Olympic debut to the modern Freestyle
Itrsquos very innovative technology what inspired you to take such a leap into the future with such a traditional sport Just as Dressage has evolved over the years and alongside the introduction of new disciplines partic-ularly Para-Equestrian you come to realise that the FEI is not as traditional as one would think Actually this kind of innovative presentation of equestrian history is really well suited to the FEI In the same way that you can have horse-man connections there is an audience-technology connection in the Gallery The audience have to be active in order to enjoy the depth of information the Gallery contains
54
Now it is time to open the door to new places to learn about sport ndash at the heart of sporting organi-sations themselves The Gallery is more than an informative tool it brings people to the sport andto the heart of its operations
Established in 1990 Disk-In Pro specialises in the planning design production and implementation of Museums Visitor Centres and sophisticated projects around the world This includes multi screen produc-tion animation 3D amp interactive films state-of-the-art software platforms and complex video displays for an unforgettable experience
Oded Alony holds a BA in Design from the Interior Design Section of the Holon Technological Institute and has since 1998 worked with Israelrsquos leading Architecture firms The Oded Alony Studio embraces holistic design a space where interior design lighting and graphics are brought together to create a harmo-nious project vision
Now that you have seen it unveiled to the public how would you like to see it evolve I hope the audience will be amazed from the design by architect Oded Alony and the new methods to deliver information whilst discovering the long his-tory of the FEI the diversity and the global reach of the organisation I hope the Gallery will become an icon in Lausanne and one of its highlights for visitors I promise the visitors a new platform to learn about equestrianism and each visit could be different as the information and themes will be updated and modi-fied regularly
This futuristic gallery is a first for anInternational Federation do you think thisis something all sports should invest inThe FEI took this courageous decision and now has this fantastic tool to present the organisation in new ways Sport is a huge cultural phenomenaWe have learned to consume sport in the arenas and stadiums in the press media and new media
Dr Amichai Alperovich
55FOCUS
SOCIAL MEDIAthe new frontier
Follow us on
The FEI has recently embarked on and embraced a whole new way of talking with the greater equestrian community through the ever expanding social media networks and platformsWith personalised Facebook Twitter and You Tube pages the FEI is taking it step by step and reaching out to this growing audience and listening to what they have to say
This new communication platform is by no means a substitution of the traditional communication path-ways but works alongside the press releases various publications and content on wwwfeiorg and wwwfeitvorg providing a new arena where the FEI can share interact and dialogue with fans of the sport and of equestrian values in general
We talk to Richard Johnson Director of Corporate Communications about the FEIrsquos commitment to social media
What compelled the FEI to venture onto the social media scene As a governing body with a vibrant and active com-munity of National Federations as well as thousands of fans the need to reach out to the online social community has never been stronger We have been watching the communities grow online for some time and have been listening to their conversations so being a part of it was the next logical step and a really important one The conversations will hap-pen with or without us so taking that step has been crucial in order to share our values and also build re-lationships with our fan base
Tradition meets modernity ndash does equestrian sportthe FEI have a place in social media Absolutely even though equestrian sport has a long history and is perceived as a traditional sport it is
always evolving In the 90 years of the FEI which was founded to govern the three Olympic disciplines it has grown to also oversee the disciplines of Driving Endurance Vaulting Reining and Para-Equestrian sport Or if you look at the early days when competi-tors were from military backgrounds and when wom-en did not compete alongside men to the complete gender equality we have today ndash a lot has changed and is in a constant state of change
The fans of equestrian sport are like any other fan base web savvy and eager for more information behind the scenes content and to share their opin-ions and thoughts ndash so it is an ideal partnership And from what we have seen these last few months and from the feedback we got from our blog at the Youth Olympic Games there is a real appetite for this
The FEI has dedicated Facebook Twitter and You Tube pages ndash why did you select these social media platforms The figures speak for themselveshellip Facebook Twit-ter and You Tube are the biggest players in the social networking space With over 500 million Facebook users 106 million Tweeters and 2 billion views a day on You Tube there has never been so much oppor-tunity for exposure Every site has different demo-graphics with different habits and needs so by having an FEI presence on these three networks we are able to cover a lot of ground and cater to different audi-ences by providing different types of content accord-ing to the platform
What are the main benefits of having a pres-ence on various social media platforms Itrsquos all about having a two way conversation ndash the benefits of dialogue where you can share content such as videos images facts and figures thoughts and values and then allow your fan base to react to get involved and to listen and learn from them By engaging with our audience and showing them that we are a modern and caring organisation and that we want to hear what they have to say then we are able to build trust and ultimately credibility in what we do and what we say
57FOCUS
TV
The offi cial video website of the Feacutedeacuteration Equestre Internationale
wwwfeitvorg
WATCH LIVE WATCH ONLINE
FEI TV is the FEIrsquos new offi cial video website and your ticket to the worldrsquos most prestigious competitions Sign-up to FEI TV (wwwfeitvorg) and get instant access to all the live broadcasts the extensive video-on-demand library all the highlights the behind the scenes reports the interviews and so much more Be at the heart of horsesport Join us
2823_1FEI_TV_Focus_165x226indd 1 170510 1124
It also keeps us alert as to what is being discussed and debated in the public sphere so that we can manage situations more effectively and be proactive in our messaging and information so that the facts are at the heart of the debate and not interpretations of them
How do you generate content for social media It was important when we launched our social me-dia presence that it be manageable with the exist-ing communications team in place ndash and so we have concentrated on keeping it simple and effective and using content innovatively Itrsquos not about reproduc-ing our website ndash but to engage with our fans and so often all you need is a good picture an interest-ing fact or great achievement to get the ball rolling For You Tube as we already have so much content generated from FEI TV it was simply a question of using bits and pieces from that content to provide the public with teasers from events interviews with winning riders or behind the scenes content which they can then follow up on FEI TV with a subscription
What are your Social media goals Itrsquos really to build relationships and dialogue with our fan base by using our content innovatively by listening to what they have to say and by engaging with the community And for the National Federa-tions that have yet to take that step we want to be a guiding hand that can help them get started so that they too can reap the benefits of social media net-working Our sport competes against other sports for attention so itrsquos really important that we the FEI and the National Federations keep our finger on the pulse and cater to our fans
How can National Federations get involved NFs wishing to find out more about Social Media can contact me (richardjohnsonfeiorg) and I would be more than happy to discuss opportunities and ways of getting started as well as our experience at the FEI
We asked our Facebook followers why it was important to use face-book and here are a few comments they came up with
bullItrsquos a great way to find out about shows and competitions
bullBecause facebook can provide up to the minute updates as to the what is going on in the horse community
bullWe can share information and ideas over long distances We can find and connect with people we wouldnt be able to otherwise
bullIt also lets us express the true realities of our spot to keep us grounded
bullIt can bring peoples attention to excellence ndash and expose the issues
58
TV
The offi cial video website of the Feacutedeacuteration Equestre Internationale
wwwfeitvorg
WATCH LIVE WATCH ONLINE
FEI TV is the FEIrsquos new offi cial video website and your ticket to the worldrsquos most prestigious competitions Sign-up to FEI TV (wwwfeitvorg) and get instant access to all the live broadcasts the extensive video-on-demand library all the highlights the behind the scenes reports the interviews and so much more Be at the heart of horsesport Join us
2823_1FEI_TV_Focus_165x226indd 1 170510 1124
ldquo Donrsquot accept drinks from a strangerrdquo
Armchair travel journalist
Are you living a life without boundaries Some well-meant advice is best ignored but itrsquos still good to know yoursquore covered when yoursquore away With HSBC Premier your family can be protected with both Travel Insurance and dedicated assistance when yoursquore abroad Which is reassuring to know when yoursquore making the most of life
HSBC Premier is subject to financial eligibility criteria and is available in over 40 countries and territories
Premier Travel Insurance covers you and your partner up to age 70 and your children travelling with you up to age 18
wwwhsbcpremiercom
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Issued by HSBC Holdings plc Approved for use in UK by HSBC Bank plc Premier Travel Insurance is provided by Aviva Insurance UK Limited Customer Information Service PO Box 757 Hemel Hempstead Hertfordshire HP2 4SS Registered in England number 14259 Registered Office 8 Canada Square London E14 5HQ AC18770
201736_6000263_Coconut_226x165indd
Master 226x165
Rob Swainson 160211
HSBC - Coconuts Proof 01Head of Art TypographerDesigner ArtCreative Director Copywriter Account DirectorDIC Project ManagerPhotographer Illustrator Usage Model(s) Name(s) Usage
Media MediaStock Image Time Period Time Period
Territory Territory
8deg N ndash Kerala South India
REEm ACRA FEI World Cuptrade
DressaGe
DRESSAGEFINAL LEIPZIG
ldquoThe Reem Acra FEI World Cuptrade Dressage took place in a perfect setting with enough space for everyone to give their very best performancesrdquo Trond Asmyr FEI Director of Dressage
Adelinde Cornelissen (NED) and the magnificent Jerich Parzival danced to victory to the strains of Tchaikovskyrsquos Nutcracker Suite in the Freestyle com-petition that closed the Reem Acra FEI World Cuptrade Dressage Final Denmarkrsquos Nathalie zu Sayn-Witt-genstein and Digby finished second while Germanyrsquos Ulla Salzgeber steered Herzrufrsquos Erbe into third place The 2010 title-winner Edward Gal (GER) finished fourth with a great performance from Sisther de JeuThe top three mirrored those of the Grand Prix class two days earlier when a confident performance rewarded with a score of 80957 put Adelinde Cornelissen (NED) in first place followed by Denmarkrsquos Nathalie zu Sayn-Wittgenstein with Digby (76884 3) and Germanyrsquos Ulla Salzgeber riding Herzrufrsquos Erbe (76216 points) Defending champion Edward Gal rode a tense Sisther de Jeu with a disappointing test score of 70122 The final saw 17 horse and rider combinations from 10 nations compete ndash three from the USA The
Netherlands and Germany two from Sweden and one from Hungary Fin-
land Poland Belgium Great Britain and Denmark Fifteen riders went on to the Freestyle competition
Highlights available as video on demand on
15FOCUS
Boyd Exell (AUS) successfully defended his FEI World Cuptrade Driving title in Leipzigrsquos thrilling final speed-ing to victory in front of a wildly enthusiastic crowd and becoming the second driver to score a hat-trick of World Cup victories Hungaryrsquos Jozsef Dobrovitz drove two brilliant rounds with his team of Lipiz-zaner horses and finished second ahead of IJsbrand Chardon (NED) The FEI World Cuptrade Driving Final was run over two indoor competitions which took place on 29 April and 1 May Seven drivers competed Tomas Eriksson (SWE) Koos de Ronde (NED) Werner Ulrich (SUI) Christian Pluumlcker (GER) and the triumphant trio who after emerging from the first round on 1 May with the highest number of points qualified for the winning round immediately afterwards
FEI World Cuptrade
DrIVINGldquoOnce again the worldrsquos best indoor drivers came together for a thrilling final the com-bination of horses working together in a team driven by superbly skilled horsemento produce thrilling andspectacular driving sportrdquo Ian Williams FEI Director of Non-Olympic Sports
16
Switzerlandrsquos Patrick Looser and Germanyrsquos Simone Wiegele claimed the inau-gural FEI World Cuptrade Vaulting titles at the 20102011 FEI World Cuptrade Finals a glittering Freestyle to Music showcase held over two daysLooserrsquos fellow starters in the Menrsquos section were Nicolas Andreani (FRA) Viktor Bruumlsewitz (GER) Daniel Kaiser (GER) Lukas Klouda (CZE) Nikolaus Luschin (AUT) and Yvan Nousse (FRA) Looser 26 was under pressure having finished second to Nicolas Andreani from France in the first Freestyle competition But
the reigning World Champion who won three of the four qualifying rounds over the winter months produced a superb performance which left Andreani in second place and Germanyrsquos Viktor Brusewitz in third In addition to the victorious Wiegele contenders for the Female title were her three compatriots Pia Engelbury Ines Juumlckstock and Antje Hill Simone Jaumliser (SUI) Stefanie Kowald (AUT) and Anna Cavallaro (ITA) In the second
competition Wiegele followed team-mate Hill into the arena in Hall 1 which seemed to be much more to the liking of the
horses than the smaller ring used on the first day And although Hillrsquos routine was
dramatic and beautifully controlled it was Wiegelersquos more complex display that settled
the destination of the very first Female World Cup trophy
ldquoFor the first time an indoor final that provided the public with an opportunity to witness the gymnastic movements of
athletes atop magnificent horses all choreographed to breathtaking musical arrangementsrdquo
Ian Williams FEI Director of Non-Olympic Sports
Highlights available as video on demand on
WHEN AND WHERE
26 ndash 30 July FEI European Reining Championship for Seniors amp Juniors Wiener Neustadt (AUT)
16 ndash 21 August FEI European Vaulting Championships for Seniors amp Juniors Le Mans (FRA)
17 ndash 21 August FEI European Dressage Championships Rotterdam (NED)
25 ndash 28 August HSBC FEI European Eventing Championships Luhmuumlhlen (GER)
01 ndash 04 September Open FEI European Driving Championships for Four-in-Hand Breda (NED)
01 ndash 04 September FEI European Para-Equestrian Dressage Championships Moorsele (BEL)
10 September FEI European Endurance Championships Florac (FRA)
13 ndash 18 September FEI European Jumping Championships Madrid (ESP)
LIVE ONLive coverage and highlightsCheck out the FEI TV broadcasting schedule for all the latest information on events broadcast live on FEI TV
European Championships for seniors in all the FEI disciplines are being held in 2011 We take a quick 360deg look at the dates venues facts amp figures and triumphant moments of the past 50 years of European Championships
FeI europeanChampionships 2011
Donrsquot miss a beatComplete competition reports updates behind the scenes information facts and figures and more can be found on wwwfeiorg as well as our dedicated facebook twitter and you tube pages
18
Preview
For the 31st edition of the FEI European Jumping Championships the event returns to Spain 18 years after the Championships in Gijon only this time to be held at the Club de Campo Villa in Madrid The FEI European Jumping Championships take place every two years in the middle of the Olympic cycle and have been held since 1957 with the introduction of team medals in 1975
THE VENUEThe Club de Campo Villa de Madrid (ESP) has been host to an annual CSI for 100 years and will be tem-porarily replacing its usual grass in the main arena with all-weather sand footing to ensure perfect going for the Championship
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERSTeam ndash SwitzerlandIndividual ndash Kevin Staut (FRA)
OLyMPIC qUALIFICATIONThe 3 best ranked nations from Olympic Qualifying Groups A amp B at the 2011 FEI European Jumping Championships (excluding the teams already quali-fied at WEG) will be qualified to take part with a team consisting of 4 athletes amp 4 horses or 3 athletes amp 3 horses
GREAT HORSES OF THE EUROPEANCHAMPIONSHIPSDEISTER - An extraordinary horse with an extraordi-nary record With Germanys Paul Schockemohle on board this brilliant bay Hannoverian led won three consecutive individual gold medals - in Munich Germany in 1981 Hickstead England in 1983 and Dinard France in 1985 Bred by Hermann Hahl in Osterbruch Lower Saxony Deister was by Diskant out of Adlerklette by Adlerschild stood 171cms high and had the heart of a lion Deisters European medal
haul also included team gold at Munich in 1981 team silver in Rotterdam in 1979 and team bronze at both Hickstead in 1983 and Dinard in 1985 Despite his incredibly active career the hardy Deister who was born in February 1971 lived to the ripe old age of 29
MR SOFTEE - The closest challenger to Deister for the title of Champion of the Europeans is the Irish-bred Mr Softee - a three-time winner but with two different riders Mr Softee enjoyed a hugely success-ful career with David Broome However it was with another Briton David Barker that the chestnut horse with four white legs took the individual European ti-tle for the first time in London in 1962 This was then followed up with David Broomersquos victory in Rotter-dam in 1967 and in Hickstead in 1969 Broome once said that like many other top horses Mr Softee had a big opinion of himself - He thought he was a king - and he was right
Believe it or nothellip
bull Itwasonlyin1975thatwomenwere permittedtocompetealongsidemenin theEuropeanJumpingChampionshipsprior tothistherehadbeentheLadiesEuropean JumpingChampionshipsheldfrom1957- 1973
bull Only2womenhaveeverwonthe FEIEuropeanChampionshipsFrancersquos AlexandraLedermannin1999and MeredithMichaels-Beerbaum(GER) in2007
bull Germanyledthegoldtallywith20 medals(14individualamp6team)double theamountofrunnerupGreatBritainon 10(6individualand4team)
FeI eUroPeaN
JUMPINGChaMPIoNshIPs
13-18 September 2011
Madrid (SPAIN)
19FOCUS
LIVE coverage on
Rotterdam gets set to host the 25th edition of the FEI European Dressage Championships for the first time and only the second time for the Netherlands (Arnhem 1999) The FEI European Dressage Championships take place every two years in the middle of the Olympic cycle and have been held since 1963
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERS
Team ndash The Netherlands
Individual ndash Kuumlr to MusicEdward Gal (NED) amp Moorlands Totilas
Individual ndash Grand Prix SpecialAdelinde Cornelissen (NED) amp Jerich Parzival
OLyMPIC qUALIFICATIONThe 3 best ranked nations from Groups A B amp C at the 2011 FEI European Dressage Championships (exclud-ing the teams already qualified at WEG) will be quali-fied to take part with a team consisting of 3 athletes amp 3 horses
THE WIND OF CHANGEFor 21 consecutive Championships from 1965 to 2005 (no team title awarded in 1963) the Germans held the European title but the last two editions have seen an upset to that tradition with the Netherlands clenching gold In 2009 the Dutch domination was particularly strong with five out of six individual med-als awarded to Dutch riders and the sixth going to British rider Laura Bechtolsheimer
IN MEMORy OF HENRI CHAMMARTIN (SUI)At the time of writing a legend in the Dressage world Henri Chammartin (SUI) passed away at the age of 92 An Olympic and European Dressage champion Henri Chammartin won the first two editions of the
FEI European Championships in 1963 and 1965 riding Wolfdiedtrich and competed in five consecutive edi-tions of the Olympic Games ndash Helsinki 1952 Stock-holm 1956 Rome 1960 Tokyo 1964 and Mexico 1968 ndash winning a total of five Olympic medals includ-ing Olympic champion in 1964
RECORD BREAKINGhellip In 2009 the formidable partnership of The Nether-lands Edward Gal and Moorlands Totilas smashed the world Freestyle record before a packed house with Windsor Castle standing proudly as a backdrop when scoring 9070 (including an unbelievable 29 perfect-10 scores) to win the Freestyle gold medal
Believe it or nothellip
bull GermanyhaswontheEuropeanDressage TeamTitleon21occasions
bull Thegreatestnumberofteamstoparticipate inEuropeanDressageChampionshipsis 14-atHickstead(GBR)in2003andagainat Hagen(GER)in2005
bull GermanysDrReinerKlimkewonthreeindi vidualtitles-atAachenin1967ridingDux andagainin1973ridingMehmedandat Copenhagenin1985ridingAhlerich
bull WithGigoloGermanysIsabellWerthtook theindividualtitlein1995and1997and wontheGrandPrixSpecialatDonaueschingen Germanyin1991andatLipicaSloveniain 1993
bull AnkyvanGrunsvenhasthreewinstoher namendashin1999withBonfirefollowedbythe backtobackwinswithSalineroin2005and 2007
17-21 August 2011
Rotterdam Netherland
FeI eUroPeaN
DressaGeChaMPIoNshIPs
20
LIVE coverage on
These are the second FEI European Para-Equestrian Dressage Championships to be held since Para-Equestrian joined the FEI Family in 2006 Para-Equestrian Dressage has been a regular fixture at the Paralympic Games since 1996 The first FEI European Para-Equestrian Dressage Championships were held in southern Norwegian town of Kristiansand in 2009 with a total of 78 ath-letes from 22 countries participating
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERS
Team Great Britain
Grade Ia Individual - Sophie Christiansen (GBR) Freestyle - Emma Sheardown (GBR)
Grade Ib Individual amp Freestyle Lee Pearson (GBR)
Grade II Individual - Petra Van der Sande (NED) Freestyle - Angelika Trabert (GER)
Grade III Individual amp Freestyle
Hannelore Brenner (GER)
Grade IV Individual amp Freestyle Sophie Wells (GBR)
The mobility strength and coordination of competi-tors are assessed and athletes with similar functional ability profiles are grouped into competition grades that range from Grade Ia for the most severely im-paired to Grade IV for the least impaired This means that the competition within each Grade can be judged on the skill of the individual competitors on their horses regardless of their disabilities
CLUB qUADRILLEMoorsele has been host to a regular international Para-Equestrian Dressage events for the past few years with the Club Quadrille as organiser The Club Quadrille was founded in 1981 by Anne Van Neste-dIeteren Belgian Dressage Champion from 1977 un-til 1982 current President of the Belgian Paralympic Committee and member of the FEI Para-Equestrian committee It is a unique sports club that works with both able bodied and disabled athletes and is active in the promotion and education of the sport As member of the honorary IPC Board Her Royal Highness (HRH) Princess Astrid of Belgium has been a fervent supporter of the event and has attended on many occasions
Believe it or nothellip
bull LeePearson(GBR)haswoneverygold medalwithinreachatParalympicWorld andContinentallevelandtheEuropeans in2009werenodifferentwithanother triplegoldvictory
bull GreatBritainalsohavetheMidastouch whenitcomestoteammedalsndashandarethe currentParalympicWorldandEuropean titleholders
bull In2009Germanycamecloserthanever totakingthegoldmedalfromall-time championGreatBritain
1-4 September 2011
Moorsele Belgium
FeI eUroPeaN
Para-eqUestrIaNDressaGeChaMPIoNshIPs
21FOCUS
A record number of fans are expected to attend the HSBC FEI European Eventing Championships as they return to Luhmuumlhlen for the fifth time to mark the 30th edition of the ChampionshipsThe FEI European Eventing Championships take place every two years in the middle of the Olympic cycle and have been held since 1953
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERSTeam ndash Great BritainIndividual ndash Kristina CookMiners Frolic (GBR)
OLyMPIC qUALIFICATIONThe 2 best ranked nations from Groups A B amp C at the 2011 HSBC FEI European Eventing Champion-ships (excluding the teams already qualified at WEG) will be qualified to take part with a team consisting of 3 athletes amp 3 horses
THE VENUELuhmuumlhlen one of only six 4 events on the interna-tional Eventing calendar and part of the prestigious HSBC FEI Classicstrade series will greet Europersquos best athletes with a fresh look and feel this year following extensive renovation to the existing infrastructures The recently renovated showground includes three Dressage and two Jumping arenas a tribune able to seat 850 spectators with spectacular views as well as a newly designed entrance including six ticket box facilities and fully catered trade stands The show-ground also boasts an open air stage with space for up to 15000 spectators ldquoI am confident that the in-vestment in the infrastructure will be of great benefit to all involved whether you are a volunteer a groom an athlete ndash both the horses and the riders - as well as for the sponsors guests spectators and the fans We are re-ally looking forward to great competitions this year at both the CCI4CIC3 in June and at the Europeans in August and hope many will join us to witness this historic momentrdquo Julia Otto Event Director Luhmuumlhlen
HSBCHSBC has renewed their sponsorship for a further three-year term as global sponsor of FEI Eventing to include title sponsorships of the HSBC FEI European Eventing Championships in both 2011 and 2013 and the HSBC FEI Classicstrade until the end of 2013
OFFICIAL TIMEPIECE Rolex the leading name in luxury wrist watches will be the Official Timekeeper for the HSBC FEI European Eventing Championships 2011
Believe it or nothellip
bull GinnyElliot(bornHolgate)theonlyrider towinthreesuccessiveindividualtitlesand IanStarkholdthejointrecordforEuropean goldmedalswonndashseveneachbutLucinda Greenstillhasthemostmedals(10)
bull SupremeRockriddenbyPippaFunnell (GBR)istheonlyhorsetowinback-to-back titles(in1999and2001)hehasfour Europeangoldmedalsintotalequalingthe recordofKilbarryThePoacherandOver ToYouwhowonarecordfourconsecutive Europeanteamgolds(1999-2005)
bull PrincessAnneandZaraPhillipsaretheonly mother-daughtercombinationtowin Europeantitles(1971and2005)
bull GreatBritainhaveheldtheEuropeantitle forthepast8consecutiveChampionships (since1995)Andofthe29editionstodate (startingin1953)theteamhavewona whopping21
25-28 August 2011
Luhmuumlhlen Germany
hsBC FeI eUroPeaN
eVeNtINGChaMPIoNshIPs LIVE coverage on
22
In September Breda Hippique in The Netherlands will be host to the seventh edition of the FEI Euro-pean Driving Championships for Four-in-Hand not held since 1981 This edition is open to both Euro-pean and non-European drivers and will also count as a qualifier for the indoor FEI World Cuptrade Driv-ing which is held during the winter season Only competitors from Europe can claim the individual and team medalsThe FEI European Driving Championships for Four-in-Hand were first held in 1971 in Budapest and continued to be held every two years until 1981 at which stage they were discontinued
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERSTeam ndash HungaryIndividual ndash Gyoumlrgyi Bardos (HUN)
SOMETHING IN THE WATERhellip Hungary have won five out of six available team European titles and on the individual front two Hungarians stand out from the crowd Imre Abony ndash individual winner in 1971 and 1975 and Gyoumlrgyi Bardos triple consecutive winner in 1977 1979 1981
IN THE BEGINNINGhellipThe first European Championships took place in Budapest in 1971 and moved on to Windsor in Great Britain in 1973 Sopot in Poland in 1975 Donauesch-ingen in Germany in 1977 and in Haras du Pin in France in 1979 The sixth and last edition took place in 1981 in Zug Switzerland
THE VENUEBreda has hosted the only Nations competition (CAIO) for Four-in-Hand horses in The Netherlands for many years In 1995 Breda hosted the first FEI European Driving Championships for Four-in-Hand ponies and in 2010 was host to the FEI World Para-Equestrian Driving Championships Aside from the four-in-hand teams Breda will also host international pony teams and national horse pairs at the event this year
Believe it or nothellip
bull Hungaryhavewonfiveoutofsixteamgold titles
bull AugusteDubeyfromSwitzerlandwasthe onlynon-HungarianEuropeanChampion hewontheChampionshipsin1973
bull PrincePhilipFEIPresidentfrom1964- 1986whocelebratedhis90thbirhtday inJuneisanavidfanofDrivingandpartici- patedinsixWorldandthreeEuropean Championships
1-4 September 2011
Breda Netherland
FeI eUroPeaN
DrIVINGChaMPIoNshIPsfor FoUr-IN-haND
Note At the time of writing the FEI European DrivingChampionships for Four in Hand was pending approvalby the FEI Bureau
23FOCUS
The 14th edition of the FEI European Endurance Championships return to Florac in France twenty five years after the inaugural event was held there The FEI European Endurance Championships first took place in 1984 and were immediately followed up by a second edition in 1985 and have since been held every two years They have always been open to the world with two sets of medals presented ndash open and European
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERSTeam ndash SpainIndividual ndash Maria Alvarez Ponton amp Nobby
RECORD BREAKINGCurrent title holder Maria Alvarez Ponton amp super horse Nobby is the first rider to hold European and World titles at the same time She will be looking to confirm her stronghold on the sport following her second consecutive World title with a second con-secutive European title in Florac a feat no rider has managed to achieve at the Europeans to date
THE VET GATEModern competitions consist of a number of sec-tions known as lsquophasesrsquo At the end of each phase there is a compulsory halt for veterinary inspection Each horse which is thoroughly examined before it is allowed to start the ride must be presented for inspection within a set time of reaching each vetgate The time spent at each vetgate prior to inspection by the vets is counted as part of the overall competition time and the aim is to determine whether the horse is fit to continue the ride
THE SUPPORT CREWA vital part of Endurance riding is the support crew Riders are assisted by a team of helpers who meet them several times over the ride bringing bottles of water to pour over the horse to cool it down as well as a drink for the rider Crews also have spare equipment in case something breaks down or needs replacing
Believe it or nothellip
bull TheFrenchhavethemedaledgewith6 individualand4teamgoldmedalsfrom the14editionsheld
bull Floracistheonlyvenuetohostthe EuropeanChampionshipstwice(thefirst editionin1984andtheupcomingedition in2011)
bull EnduranceisthefastestgrowingFEI disciplinefrom2000to2010thenumber ofinternationaleventshavemultipliedby10
10 September 2011
Florac France
FeI eUroPeaN
eNDUraNCeChaMPIoNshIPs
24
Reem Acra Boutique 14 East 60th St New York New York 10022 2123088760 wwwreemacracom
356935B2_RA_brochure2_souvenir_programmeindd 1 82710 1012 AM
Vaulting became an FEI discipline in 1983 and saw its first FEI European Championship organised just one year later in the town of Ebreichsdorf in Austria This 15th edition of the Championship ndash which also includes the European Juniors competition return to France for the 4th time but for the first time in the world renowned venue of Le Mans famous for its 24 hour race
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERS
Team ndash Austria
Individual malelongeurhorseNicolas Andreani (FRA)Marina Joosten DuponIdefix de Braize
Individual femalelongeurhorseJoanna Eccles (GBR)John EcclesWH Bentley
THE WIND OF CHANGEGermany and Switzerland have traditionally bat-tled for the team title (Germany has 7 gold versus Switzerlandrsquos 5) but in 2009 Austria who had come second on four occasions since the inception of the Championships in 1984 finally climbed onto the top spot of the podium and claimed the title In terms of the individual performances Germany had the stronghold on the male category winning 11 out of 14 gold medals But again in 2009 France the only other country to have ever beaten a German male vaulter at the Europeans made it to the top spot of the podium for only the third time since the Championships began
Similarly with the female vaulters it was an all German domination until 2007 when Austriarsquos Sissi Jarz claimed gold followed by Joanna Eccles (GBR) in 2009 ndash leaving Germany off the top step of the podium entirely in 2009
GREAT BRITAIN ndash A VAULTING NATIONhellip Times have definitely changed from the Swiss German domination with current World and European titles held by Great Britainrsquos Joanna Eccles She was the first British vaulter (male or female) to claim a medal at the Europeans ndash let alone a gold medal - and then went on to secure the world title in Kentucky last year
Believe it or nothellip
bull TheonlycountryotherthanGermanyand SwitzerlandtohaveclaimedaEuropean VaultingtitleisSlovakiain2005
bull ChristophLensing(GER)holdsthemale medalrecordndashwiththreegold(19891993 amp1995)aswellassilverin1991
bull NadiaZuumllowandSilkeMichelberger (formerlyBernhard)withthreegoldmedals each
16-21 August 2011
Le Mans France
FeI eUroPeaN
VaULtINGChaMPIoNshIPs
26
This is only the fifth edition of the European Reining Championships since the discipline joined the FEI in 2000 and the first time they will be held in Austria The event also includes the FEI European Champi-onships for Juniors and Young Riders ndash a formula introduced in 2009 in Kreuth (GER) which proved to be a multigenerational success The FEI European Reining Championships take place every two years and have been held since 2003
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERSTeam ndash GermanyIndividual ndash Nina Lill (GER) riding Lena Cielo Jewel
THE JUDGINGReining horses are judged individually Each horse au-tomatically begins the required pattern with a score of 70 One or frac12 points are given or taken away for each manoeuvre Credit is given for smoothness fi-nesse attitude quickness and authority Controlled speed in the pattern raises the level of difficulty and makes the reining horse exciting to watch
Believe it or nothellip
bull ItalyandGermanyaretheonlytwonations tohavewongoldmedalsndashGermanyhas3 teamgoldand2individualgoldversus Italyrsquossingleteamgoldandtwoindividual gold
bull GermanyrsquosNinaLillwinnerin2009was thefirstwomantotaketheindividualtitle sincetheChampionshipsbeganin2003
bull OlympicWorldandEuropeanDressage ChampionAnkyVanGrunsven(NED) competedattheAlltechFEIWorldEques- trianGamestradein2010inbothDressageand hellipReining
bull 13nationswerescheduledtoattendthe Championshipatthetimeofwritingthe largestparticipationbycountryever recordedfortheEuropeans
26-30 July 2011
Wiener Neustadt Austria
FeI eUroPeaN
reININGChaMPIoNshIPs
27FOCUS
ldquoThirty-one yearsrsquo experience comes in handy some-timesrdquo joked the ever-relaxed Todd who was a leg-end by the time he ldquoretiredrdquo in 2000 with back-to-back Olympic golds five Burghley wins two world gold medals and three Badminton victories one on a horse he had never ridden before ldquoIt is incredibly special though right up there with the back-to-back Olympic golds When I came back to the sport (in 2008) it was to see if I could get back to top level It has always been my aim to win another big onerdquo
A World class meeting of Generations
The 2011 HSBC FEI Classicstrade could not have got off to a more epic start with wins at Badminton and Kentucky by two of the sportrsquos most enduring personalitiesThe 55-year-old New Zealander Mark Todd rolled back the years to score a fourth victory at the Gloucestershire venue 31 years after his first attempt in 1980
By Kate Green
28
HSBC FEI ClassicsTm
The resurgence of so much experienced talent makes it harder for younger riders to work their way up the leaderboard but 29-year-old Sinead Halpin (USA) had a spectacular CCI4 debut at Kentucky finish-ing third and best of the home side in distinguished company This achievement earned her the HSBC Training Bursary worth US$1000 towards training a prestigious and valuable award presented to the rider who achieves the best result on completing a CCI4 for the first time
The bursary winner at Badminton Fiona Hobby (GBR) 39 has had a rather longer wait to complete
her first CCI4 ndash she was 26th on Roma ML ndash but she has in the meantime produced two children had a career as a sports therapist and only switched from Jumping to Eventing relatively recently Hobby has vowed to spend the money on dressage train-ing ldquoRoma couldnrsquot believe it when she arrived in the arena and saw all those people but she was great across country really focussed Irsquom delightedrdquo
For Germanyrsquos Sandra Auffarth Luhmuumlhlen pro-vided an outstanding CCI4 debut on Opgun Louvo a young horse she has produced herself coming second and picking up the HSBC Training Bursary and the exciting prospect of a possible place in the squad for the forthcoming HSBC FEI European Event-ing Championship at Luhmuumlhlen (25-28 August) at which Germany as host nation will be entitled to field 12 riders
Last yearrsquos HSBC Training Bursary winners include Stephanie Rhodes-Bosch (CAN) who went on to win a team silver medal at the Alltech FEI World Equestri-an Gamestrade Lauren Shannon (GBR) who finished 17th at Badminton this year and Giovanni Ugolotti (ITA) who is furthering his career by basing himself in Brit-ain for the season and having lessons with Mark Todd
LIVE coverage and extensive highlights available on
Toddrsquos winning mount the 10-year-old NZB Land Vision was a green horse for this level and he fin-ished the Cross-Country phase tired but his rider kept his cool in an extraordinarily tight finish in which the price of one Jumping fence covered the top 12 riders any of whom could with a bit of luck have won the Mitsubishi Motors Trophy ldquoIn the end it came down to horse-power and Irsquove obviously got a good one hererdquo said Todd ldquoCharisma (his double Olympic gold medallist) will always be the most special horse but this one has no weak linksrdquo
As is the nature of the sport Toddrsquos lead in the HSBC FEI Classicstrade didnrsquot last long ndash he came down to earth with a bump the following weekend with a Cross-Country run-out on NZB Grass Valley his ride at the Rolex Kentucky Three Day Event (USA) and 49- year-old Mary King (GBR) stole the head-lines with a record one-two on Kings Mis-tress and Fernhill Urco It was Kingrsquos first CCI4 victory for 11 years ndash she has won Badminton twice and Burghley once ndash but she certainly smashed a few re-cords with this one She became the first rider to score a one-two at Kentucky the first in modern times to win a CCI4 on a home-bred horse and the oldest female to win a CCI4
King who has six team gold medals at World and European level plus competed at five consecutive Olympics had the luxury of knowing she had already won the event on the inexperienced 10-year-old Fernhill Urco a horse bred in Portugal by the time she entered the arena on Kings Mistress but she still produced a second clear round ldquoI never dreamed that I would be in this position and Irsquom enjoying the momentrdquo said the ever-smiling King ldquoIt was great to have the feeling of having already won on Fernhill Urco but I still wanted desperately to go clear on Kings Mistress as it is so special to win on a horse I bred myselfrdquo It was also an all clear from Germanyrsquos Andreas Dibowski and Euroriding Butts Leon in order to secure victory at the fourth leg of the HSBC FEItrade
Classicstrade in Luhmuumlhlen presented by EON Avacon
29FOCUS
The Danish-American actorpoet musician photographerand painter has been around horses most of his life from riding Hasufel and Brego in The Lord of the Rings trilogy to early childhood memories in Argentina his passion for floating as he describes it has never wavered
What is it about the horse that makes you a horse loverWe get along generally I respect their strength and their personal space Your first riding experience ndash was it bliss or terrorLike floating like being on a warm and floating mountain I remember being happy Do you think anyone can rideYes It is a question of allowing yourself to ride of allowing yourself to cooperate and not be in total control Children are more adept at figuring this out letting things happen without getting impatient or scared just as they are braver and less self-conscious about pronouncing new words or singing Anyone at any age or in any physical condition can
Viggo Mortensen
achieve a degree of success and satisfaction with horses even if it is just a question of touching them being near them If horses could talk what would they be sayingYou will know if you listen and watch them Is there a unique trait you look for in a horse that you canrsquot find in peopleThey are more patient and less apt to complain about lifersquos setbacks and physical ailments than most people I admire a tough smart horse what-ever its breed age or size What would you miss most if you could no longer go ridingThe companionship and the floating perhaps also the abandonment of usual daily worries that relaxed riding requires Whatrsquos your usual riding outfit consist ofAnything will do Loose-fitting clothes and good comfortable boots are a plus but not vital I have even ridden barefoot ndash naturally taking care to avoid being stepped on when not on the horse - but I do not recommend this to anyone The most important thing is to have a clear and focused mind to be THERE at all times when around horses and NOWHERE ELSE Sugar lumps or carrotsIrsquove been guilty of offering an occasional apple or carrot although it is best not to give horses anything special unless treats are part of training them for special tricks or stunts a pursuit best left to experts like master horse trainer Rex Peterson whom Irsquove had the good fortune to work with and study quite a bit Treats spoil horses and do not keep the animal focused on the task at hand Whatrsquos your favourite part of a horseThe brain What do you think young people gain from ridingSelf-confidence and an understanding of the value of cooperation
30
Why the long face
When did you first develop the bond with the horseThe first time I got on one as a little boy in ArgentinaYou either develop a bond of some kind or you fall off Of course you may even fall off if you develop the bond but you have to start (and restart) somewhere
Did your friends ride My brothers also rode and I have ridden with many kinds of people over the years ndash some good and patient with horses and some not If I had not rid-den as a boy I would probably have been wandering around fishing imagining I was a cowboy or an Indian or a Viking ndash which I did anyway Where in the world would you most like to rideMost anywhere will do but I have been extremely lucky to have ridden in many wide-open wild places ndash deserts grassy plains mountains by different seas and rivers in Argentina New Zealand North Africa and North America If you could spend one afternoon riding with a famous person (past or present)who would it be and whyIrsquoll give you 3 Oglala chief Tasunke Witko (Crazy Horse) my ancestor William F Cody or any real Gaucho from the province of Chaco Argentina
Two horses go out for dinner what kindof restaurant do they chooseLate spring grass near a slow-moving clean river with a gentle firm shoreline an hour before sun-down far from any people or other animals All time favourite horse filmI have a subjective soft spot for the stories and real horses involved in the making of ldquoHidalgordquo and the 2nd and 3rd installments of ldquoThe Lord Of The Ringsrdquo trilogy but I admire other ldquohorse moviesrdquo as wellThe 1953 French movie ldquoCrin-Blancrdquo (ldquoWhite Manerdquo) directed by Albert Lamorisse is a personal favourite
After three years at the head of the successful French Jumping team with back to back FEI Nations Cuptrade titles and a silver medal at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade Laurent Elias is moving on to new spheres with the French Horse amp Riding Institute where he will be training the riders of the National Riding School in Saumur
Laurent Elias
copy C
hris
toph
e Br
icot
32
The other side of
If I had not become a professional rider I would havehellipmade a career in a humanitarian organisation Horse riding is sometimes too trivial
My priority in life ishellipto be able to look at myself in the mirror in the morning and make sure I am at peace with my conscience
My familyhellipkeeps me grounded My wife helped me a lot when I was in charge of selections for France She took charge of my personal life and was the first person I called when we got the medal in Lexington I also admire my parents for the values they passed on to me
I remember my first ridingexperiencehellipaged six we were shooting a family film and I was on horseback I finished upside down under my horse for a long time I stopped riding for one year
I used to dream abouthellipsafaris One of my uncles was passionate about safaris Through him I became very interested in African trips and the jobs that allow you to travel as a reporter were fascinating to me as well
I have been thinking a lot abouthellipwhat happened in Japan these past few months First this tsunami that devastated everything without warning then the nuclear disaster It made me think that progress should not be destructive
My horse Gueacutenourhellipchanged my life I was just a coach and he brought me to the top I won the national championship in 1981 with him
My biggest challengehas always beenhellipshyness Horse riding has really helped me over-come it Horses brought me on stage and there I had to meet people
As a Chef dEquipehellipthere is no single defining achievement itrsquos all about the solidarity and the moments spent together as a team Irsquoll never forget the first time Penelope Leprevost rode her mare Jubileacutee drsquoOuilly in the FEI Nations Cuptrade of Rotterdam McLain Ward had just completed a real fast run with Sapphire We thought the Americans would win but she did it faster and beat Sapphire
In terms of eventshellipAachen is my favourite competition - for its won-derful organisation But we have also pretty good five star competitions in France
I donrsquot sleep muchhellipprobably because I am just happy to be alive
Irsquom not scared to laugh or cryhellipI laugh at the funny situations we sometimes find ourselves in life and enjoy people with quirky personalities I cry when I see others in pain
Laurent Elias and the French team en route to the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade copy PSV-Jean Morel
33FOCUS
Nicolas TheacutevenazAged 23 studies Robotics and Autonomous Systems Micro Engineering in Lausanne (SUI) alongside regular training and competition in Dressage and Para-Equestrian Dressage events Born with spastic diplegia Nicolas was introduced to horses via hippotherapy aged seven and quickly developed a passion for riding which not only helped with his physical condition but also taught him through Dressage the art of patience and perseverance
34
One day
Nicolas TheacutevenazAged 23 studies Robotics and Autonomous Systems Micro Engineering in Lausanne (SUI) alongside regular training and competition in Dressage and Para-Equestrian Dressage events Born with spastic diplegia Nicolas was introduced to horses via hippotherapy aged seven and quickly developed a passion for riding which not only helped with his physical condition but also taught him through Dressage the art of patience and perseverance
He has been fortunate to meet the right people (and horses) at the right time and has been working for the past five years with trainer Vicky-Eileen Baumann (pictured right) and her horses Magic and Lady (pictured right) ldquoShersquos bred them and knows them inside out which is very useful when I have to communicate with them - they know my voice intonations and a whole string of specific words or sounds ndash which really helps as my body canrsquot or doesnrsquot always have the strength to do sordquo
As a Grade II Para-Equestrian rider Nicolas competes in Para-Equestrian Dressage (PED) events as well as national events for able bodied riders as there are only a handful of PED riders and no events in Switzerland
Unable to attend the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade 2010 in Kentucky last year Nicolas and Vicky have their sights firmly set on the 2012 Para-lympic Games and will be looking to qualify with Lady over the next 12 months ndash alongside exams studies and everything else life has to offerhellip Who is your role model For different reasons I have different role mod-els Edward Gal Dane Rawlins Isabel Werth and Catherine Haddad
When did you start riding and why At age 7 I was sat on a horse for hippotherapy and liked the complicity with the horse which made me want to discover more
How do you feel when you ride Concentrated and industrious
Who is your biggest fan My trainerrsquos mum
Complete this sentenceOne day I would like tohellip have gained enough knowledge to be able to take care of and train my own horse
What are your long term goals as a rider Continue to do my best to enjoy what I do and show others itrsquos possible
How do you juggle studies and competition I think itrsquos really important to have goals and to do everything you can to achieve them and that includes taking on challenges because if you donrsquot try then yoursquoll never know what you could have achieved
What is your proudest achievement to date Participation in international events together with pursuing my studies
How do you feel after winning Still working towards discovering the feeling
What is the best advice anyone has ever given youMy trainer often repeats to me the famous saying by General LrsquoHotte ldquoCalme en avant droitrdquo which says so much about riding but can also be applied to so many other aspects of life
35FOCUS
What advice would you give someone looking to get involved in Para-Equestrian Dressage Train and ride with able-bodied athletes as often as possible Being around and working with horses is so rewarding Irsquod like - when Irsquom retired - to write a book to share these feelings with others and hope this will inspire them to get involved
Complete this sentenceIn the future I would like the sport to beeven ldquocleanerrdquo and fairer and if possible not more but less demanding on the horses
ldquoLast but not least Irsquod like to take the opportunity of this article to reach out to those who give me their trust and help be it with their time their friendship and any type of support Day after day to year after year team work is essential and Irsquoll do my best to continue deserving every-onersquos encouraging smilesrdquo
European Broadcasting Union
Union Europeacuteenne de Radio-Teacuteleacutevision
+41 (0)22 717 2111 wwweurovisionnet
We bring the event to your home
Eurovision
copy K
it H
ough
ton
FE
I
FEI_08_A4indd 1 03012008 162238
European Broadcasting Union
Union Europeacuteenne de Radio-Teacuteleacutevision
+41 (0)22 717 2111 wwweurovisionnet
We bring the event to your home
Eurovision
copy K
it H
ough
ton
FE
I
FEI_08_A4indd 1 03012008 162238
Nominations for the FEI Awards opened in May enabling the global equestrian com-munity to once again reward outstanding dedication to horse sport in five categories ndash Development Best Groom Against All Odds Rising Star and Best Athlete The search for the equestrian heroes of 2011 is now on who will be flown to Rio de Janeiro Brazil to receive their awards
Where are they now The FEI asked the current title-holders for an update on their activities
Follow us on
38
FEI Awards 2011
Ebony Horse Club (GBR)Winner of the Alltech FEI DevelopmentAward 2010
The Ebony Horse Club announced in December 2010 that after an eight-year fundraising effort it had the pound14 million necessary for building an equestrian cen-tre in one of Londonrsquos most deprived boroughs Since 1996 Ebony has offered youngsters in an area reput-ed for its gang culture high level of gun crime and drug dealing the chance to ride and learn key social skills The clubrsquos 50 members travel to riding schools across London on public transport or in minibuses ndash a logistical headache that the inner-city equestrian centre will end Construction work began in February
Ebony Horse Club founder and director Ros Spear-ing told the FEI ldquoRiding lessons are continuing and the club is preparing for the transitionrdquo Building will finish on 7 July but the centre will open for riding lessons in October ldquoThe horses will be brought to Brixton in the summer and will have time to acclimatise to their new environmentrdquo Spearing said The centre will include stabling for nine horses a small paddock and a flood-lit riding arena as well as a classroom for learning about horses and equine management Spearing is adamant that club members ndash present and future ndash care for their rides and wants the centre to serve as a stepping stone to careers in the horse industry
Ebonyrsquos existence will continue to depend on the generosity of donors For more information visit wwwebonyhorsecluborguk
Michelle Tipper (GBR)Winner of the FEI Best Groom Award 2010
Michelle Tipper has continued to juggle grooming and study since receiving her FEI Award in Novem-ber She has organised the grooms for the British European Junior and Young Dressage teams and in April her contract as a travelling groom for British Dressage riders Paul and Bobby Hayler took her to Addington for the first of many international com-petitions she will work at this year The Haylers have eight horses competing and the number she works with at each venue varies Tipper has also been help-ing British Dressage riders Nicky and Richard Barrett with yard duties ldquoI feel very lucky to work for both of these familiesrdquo said the FEI Best Groom Award win-ner adding that she feels part of the two families In March Tipper graduated from university with a Masters in Sport Psychology She is now working towards British Association of Sport and Exercise Science accreditation which requires at least 500 hoursrsquo supervised work experience and is present-ing sport psychology workshops in conjunction with the company Inside Performance Consulting Limit-ed (wwwinside-performancecom) The workshops are organised internationally for people of all ages from any sport To find out more contact Tipper at michelletipper1979yahoocom
39FOCUS
Michelle Tipper ndash copyWilliam TzengAward winners ndash copyWilliam TzengCaroline Roffman ndash copySharonPackercomEbony Horse Club ndash copyEbony Horse ClubEdward Gal and Totilas ndash copyKit HoughtonFEIAngelika Trabert ndash copyJulia Rau
Angelika Trabert (GER)Winner of the FEI Against All Odds Award 2010
German Para-Dressage rider Angelika Trabert has represent-ed her country at four Paralympic Games and won some 15 medals at national European and world championships She is currently seeking a new home for Londria the mare that con-tributed to her Team Silver medal win at the Hong Kong Para-lympics Londria who had a foal last year was also Trabertrsquos ride during her medal-winning performances at the European Championships in Hungary (2005) and Norway (2009)
Trabert said her decision to let go of Londria was hard to make but was necessary for financial reasons She will keep the foal Finaud Coquin and her mares Walmorel and Ariva-Avanti Trabert won the Para-Dressage Grade 2 Freestyle Champion-ship at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade with Ariva and said the horse was ldquowell and ready to go for the Europeans again in Belgium in September if we qualifyrdquo Trabert competed in her first international competition of 2011 in May in Man-nheim Germany where she came first in the Grade II indi-vidual and second in the freestyle She is taking part in the German Championships in June
Away from the equestrian world Trabert works as an anaes-thetist and has participated in medical missions in the rural ar-eas of Guinea for the organisation Mango In January she was back in Guinea as part of team that carried out 100 operations in 13 days wwwangelika-trabertde
Visit the recently refreshed FEI Awards website to find out more about the Awards the pastwinners the judges and to make yournominationsby 31 July
wwwfeiawardsorg
40
Caroline Roffman (USA)Winner of the HSBC FEI Rising StarAward 2010
Success continues to smile on twenty-two-year-old American Dressage rider Caroline Roffman Since re-ceiving the HSBC FEI Rising Star Award she has en-joyed numerous wins at small tour and young horse levels achieving scores in the mid-eighties and quali-fying two horses for the young horse championships
Roffman is currently showing six horses and has won several classes at PSG and Grand Prix level ldquoBut nothing is as exciting as to be going to Aachenrdquo said the young woman who has been described as the American Dressage communityrsquos brightest hope ex-plaining that at the FEI Awards ceremony in Chinese Taipei Frank Kemperman FEI Dressage Committee Chair and Chairman of the Managing Board at CHIO Aachen (GER) invited her to take part in the pres-tigious event Roffman will be the first American to compete in the Under 25 Grand Prix there and is hop-ing to take her horse Lux Stensvang
An interview with Caroline Roffman at the Palm Beach Dressage Derby CDI will be broadcast on the magazine programme Equestrian World on FEI TV the FEIrsquos official online video platform wwwfeitvorg
Edward Gal and Totilas (NED)Winners of the Reem Acra FEI Best Athlete Award 2010
The world-famous partnership of Dutch Dressage rider Edward Gal and the extraordinary Totilas ended in style in 2010 with notably three gold medal wins at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade
The first foal sired by the superstar stallion was born in January followed by two more in the spring Gal who has admired the foals told the FEI ldquoYou never know ndash maybe in a few yearsrsquo time Irsquoll have another Totilas readyrdquo At the beginning of April he was busy at home training nine horses and preparing for the Reem Acra FEI World Cuptrade Dressage Final in Leipzig and the European Championships in Rotterdam He had not yet decided which horses he was going to compete with but was particularly looking forward to the Freestyle to Music Asked what it was like to compete without Totilas Gal said ldquoEverybody ex-pected Totilas to win I find it easier to ride other horses because nobody expects me to win and when I do itrsquos really nicerdquo
41FOCUS
globetrotter
Seal of approval for the Adai horseSixty years have passed since an Adai horse reportedly set a record galloping 354km in one day Today the Adai horse a breed na-tive to Kazakhstan is back in the spotlight with a gold medal at the FEI Central Asian Endurance Championship in Talgaearlier in May only months after having been award-ed official pedigree status following tests
conducted by a State Commission in the Mangistau Steppes which allowed itto compete internationally The horses are cherished for their hardiness and Oyly ridden by Altyngali Bissemaganbetov (KAZ) proved just that when crossing the finishing line first demonstrating just how tough the Adai horses are and the beginning of a new era for sturdy breed on the international stage
Equestrian Australia Sport
Achievement Awards
In May the best of the best in
Equestrian sport gathered to cel-
ebrate the achievements of Austral-
iarsquos athletes coaches officials vets
administrators owners volunteers
and the many other people that
dedicate their time and enthusiasm
to equestrian sport The ceremony
also included the introduction of
Equestrian Australiarsquos Hall of
Fame won by the legendary Bill
Roycroft Boyd Exell winner of
the FEI World CupTM Driving
Final was awarded the interna-
tional athlete of the year
award
Kevin Stautbecomes first athlete representative on FEI
executive board
Kevin Staut one of Francersquos most successful Jumping riders became the first athlete to be appointed to the FEI Executive Board for a three-year term Staut (31) who has held the number one spot in the Rolex Rankings for Jumping since July 2010 has ridden on numerous Nations Cup teams for France and claimed individual gold at the Alltech FEI European Jumping Championships in 2009
HulA CARTSWorld Horse Welfare has greatly helped the liv
es of
five Senegalese cart horse owners by presenting them
with new Hula Carts The local people who depend on
their working horses for their livelihoods were specially
selected by the charity to receive the carts which have
been sponsored by members of the public in the uK
The Hula Carts are specifically developed to help the
horses pulling heavy loads in often difficult conditions
Equestrian Australia Sport
Achievement Awards
In May the best of the best in
Equestrian sport gathered to cel-
ebrate the achievements of Austral-
iarsquos athletes coaches officials vets
administrators owners volunteers
and the many other people that
dedicate their time and enthusiasm
to equestrian sport The ceremony
also included the introduction of
Equestrian Australiarsquos Hall of
Fame won by the legendary Bill
Roycroft Boyd Exell winner of
the FEI World CupTM Driving
Final was awarded the interna-
tional athlete of the year
award
Olympic legendBill Roycroft passes away aged 96
A legend of Equestrian sport in Australia James William
George Roycroft OBE known as ldquoBillrdquo was one of Austral-
iarsquos greatest Olympians and one of only five Australians to
have competed in five consecutive Olympic Games (from
1960 - 1976) as well as being Australiarsquos oldest medallist
and oldest competitor at 61 years and 31 days In May 2011
Bill was inducted in Equestrian Australiarsquos inaugural Hall
of Fame ndash he was Australiarsquos oldest living Olympian and
shared his dedication and enthusiasm for the sport with
his sons Barry Wayne and Clarke (See a brief description
of his exploits in the 1960 Olympic Games Memory Lane
article page 9 which catapulted Australiarsquos reputation as
one of the best Eventing teams in the world)
webinfofeiFEI web wizard Nicole Sigrist has added a new hub for the Press on wwwfeiorg called FEI Press Kits located in the Media section of the website The Press Kits zone which is also open to the general public is regularly updated with infor-mation relating to FEI series and specific events with flip books and downloadable PDFs as well as direct links to the Photo Catalogue the Rankings and Standings the Annual Report and more
100thanniversary for Finnish riding club
One of the three found-ing member clubs of
the Finnish Equestrian Federation the Suomen
Kenttaumlratsastusseura-Finska Faumlltrittklubbenon celebrates
its 100th anniversary in 2011 Magnus Rydman former President of the Finnish National Federation and Presi-dent of the FEI from 1935 ndash 1946 was one of the founders of the club Another of the founders of the oldest club in Fin-land was the Eventing rider Colonel Hans Olof von Essen whose fifth place at the Antwerpen Olympic Games re-mains the best Olympic equestrian result the country has ever achieved
Follow us on
43FOCUS
Interview with the President of the Brazilian Equestrian Federation Mr Luiz Roberto Giugni
The Brazilian Equestrian Federation has been a member Federation of the FEI for 75 years how has the sport developed over that time We were facing regular growth (average of 25 in the last decade) but in the last three to four years this rate has significantly increased up to 35 a year We believe that this is due to international achievements (two Jumping Olympic team bronze medals the individual Olympic Jumping gold medal won by Rodrigo Pessoa several Pan Am Jumping team gold medals recent Olympic pre-qualification in Kentucky (4th in the world in Jumping) and the organisations of a Global Champions Tour event in Brazil
In terms of developing the sport what are the most successful projects you have undertaken in recent yearsWe decided to invest in education and have hired international trainers for all the disciplines such as Jean Maurice Bonneau for Jumping Nick Turner for Eventing Eric Lette for Dressage Jean Louis Leclerc for Endurance Mattias Lang for Vaulting with the long term in mind that is at least until the end of 2012 and planning towards 2016 when Rio will host the Olympic Games
How popular is equestrian sport with young people in Brazil and how do you compete with some of the bigger sports for their attention Popularization is growing bit by bit in a country
decidedly dominated by soccer ndash being 5 times World Champion makes it a national passion But we are continuously looking to attract TV to our events as this is a huge step towards gaining visibility and popularity Can you tell us about the programmesinitiatives in place for disabled athletes We are actively pursuing this and have achieved really positive results in little time such as the great performances and medals earned at the Para-lympic Games in Hong Kong in 2008 We do this through clinics courses international exchanges of athletes and working alongside our National Paralympic Committee to support us in our efforts
Brazil will be host the FEI General Assembly at the end of the year what do you want all the visiting delegates to remember from their visit That we are more than just a really beautiful and warm country with the ability and capacity to organise great events and that we are committed to putting on the best Olympic Games ever
What are the main objectivesplans for the Brazilian Federation in the lead up to the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games Our NOC is really committed to raising the bar of all the sports to a level never seen before and we are working towards that in terms of our athletes our judges our venues and everything that is related to our sport and the quality of our sport In line with this objective we are providing incen-tives to owners to buy good horses aiming for 2016 and this is going to plan for now We expect to perform well at the upcoming Pan Am Games and Olympics on our trail to 2016
Is there anything else you would like to share with us I would like to thank HRH Princess Haya President of the FEI as well as the Executive Board for all the support that we are getting which has been paramount to the development of equestrian sport in our country
44
President Luiz Roberto GiugniSecretary General Luiz Antonio RoccoMember since 1935
15 members of staff work at the federation
20 regional federations are affiliated tothe Brazilian Equestrian Federation with over 300 member riding clubs
6 000 affiliated riders
91 national events were held in 2010
31 international events were held in 2010
All the FEI disciplines are practiced in BrazilJumping Dressage Eventing Vaulting Reining EnduranceDriving amp Para-Equestrian
14 breeding organisations
There are 58 million horses and ponies in Brazilmaking it the fourth largest equine population in the world
FAC
TS amp
FIG
URE
S
45FOCUS
Dr Gerit Matthesen56 is a private equine practitioner an FEI Vet and a member of the FEI Veterinary Committee He graduated in Veterinary Medicine from Berlin University in 1983 and since 1989 has worked or officiated at some 180 competitions and championships including the last two Olympics and FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade He lives near Frankfurt with his wife Carola and their sons Mike (16) and Lars (14)
46
A life in a day
Dr Gerit Matthesen56 is a private equine practitioner an FEI Vet and a member of the FEI Veterinary Committee He graduated in Veterinary Medicine from Berlin University in 1983 and since 1989 has worked or officiated at some 180 competitions and championships including the last two Olympics and FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade He lives near Frankfurt with his wife Carola and their sons Mike (16) and Lars (14)
I wake up earlier than I need to ndash at around 6am ndash because breakfast time with my family is sacred to me and I can then drive my boys to the village station to take the train to school After two cups of coffee (enough for the day) and a glass of orange juice I read the newspapers then head to my prac-tice offices in our indoor arena I have a quick look at our horses then start work
While I listen to my phone messages I deal with my emails and search the internet for news about veterinary medicine and horse sport I then start planning the dayacutes schedule with Anna my assistant vet
My mobile practice is in a nice fairly rural area in the north of Frankfurt There are lots of horse farms but it is not a classic breeding area like the northern part of Germany There are sport horses as well as pleasure horses I have examination rooms and stables for horses staying or mares foaling in my practice stables Itrsquos not a big clinic which gives me time to work at competitions
After seeing a few small animals in my practice I normally start my field service at 930am In my car I have enough equipment (ultrasound X-ray systems and endoscopical devices) for the dayrsquos examinations and standing procedures We mainly have lameness examinations to do or internal diseases to treat accompanied by routine work like vaccinations or carrying out pre-purchase or health certificate examinations If time allows I go home for a quick lunch but thatrsquos not every day
While Irsquom driving I have time to think and I write down everything that come to mind regarding sport competitions committees and so on You have to write down your thoughts when yoursquore over the age of 50
It is not easy planning my day because any emer-gency can destroy or delay my schedule For all the paperwork and certificates I need a time frame so
I often do that over quiet weekends when there are no competitions During the winter season I am less busy but in summer a lot of weekends are taken over by the competition schedule
I love my work especially in Eventing which is my favourite discipline My wife and I practiced it ndash not up to top level but it was a fine time despite a bro-ken ankle from a fall in 1988 which after 23 years is making walking more and more difficult for me
I like to do my competition work on a friendly but strict basis and I really like to hear riders saying they are treated fairly Over the years I have acquired a lot of experience and met all the officials and riders
Usually when I return home in the late afternoon there are more small animals to see When Irsquove done the dayrsquos paperwork I hope there will be no more emergencies such as cases of colic which usually occur in the early evening
I look forward to getting on my horse which is a beautiful show-jumper I like to ride but Irsquove stopped competing I do dressage jumping and go out into the fields but itrsquos all just for fun now
The day finishes with the family and a nice cold glass of German beer
Itrsquos a struggle to find time to spend with my family and I often have to cancel my holidays with them I am really grateful to my wife and the boys for their understanding of my job and to my assistant vet who covers for me when Iacutem out somewhere in the world of equestrian sport
ldquoThe combination of my profession and beinginvolved in differentaspects of top equestrian sport is my visionrdquo
47FOCUS
Pull your show attire from the closet clean your boots and tack groom the horses hook up and pack the trailer check the clock double check to make sure you have everything put on the shipping boots load your horses and away you drive to the competition venue or to the airport for transport to a distant event
You know the drill well but still you arrive tired per-haps even a bit frazzled Yoursquoll sleep (or try to) the next several nights in an unfamiliar bed or camp out in the living quarters of your trailer You awaken riveted on the competition playing out the dayrsquos classes in your mind wondering how your rides will fare against oth-ers praying that the weather will be cooperate and trying to control your nerves all the while knowing that no matter how well you have prepared many factors are out of your control You may even be in a different time zone
We go through a lot to compete our horses But if you think life on the road is stressful for you think about what itrsquos like for your horses Your back may be a bit sore from driving or being strapped into an airplane seat for hours on end but for horses transportation is far more demanding It is an athletic endeavour re-quiring an expenditure of energy to maintain balance during the constant movement of transport When your horses arrive they face social isolation from stablemates lack of security in novel environments altered training regimes water that tastes strange and the confines of an unfamiliar stall This routine impacts a horsersquos health and well being with effects
continuing long after the journey is over During transport toxic gases (such as ammonia or carbon monoxide) can cause damage to the lung epithelium precipitating respiratory disease The
final destination itself can also cause problems Usually horses are transported to environments where they will be mixing with other horses The mixing of horses from different environments with different infectious organisms and under stressful conditions further precipitates susceptibility to disease
This can have a severe impact on the equine gut The stress of transportation is known to increase gut ulceration in the horse a painful condition reducing performance and causing colic-like symptoms Stress can also slow the flow of digesta and alter the normal gut flora resulting in digestive upset and possibly diarrhoea or colic
The effects of travel stress on the gut are compounded by the typical diet of the regular equine traveller To maintain athletic ability high performance horses are often fed energy-charged diets contain-ing increased levels of starchy materials such as cereal grains Unfortunately this type of diet can reduce beneficial types of gut flora and promote gut acidity further predisposing the horse to digestive upsets and ulceration It is not surprising that stressed tired horses may not fulfill their potential on arrival
Feeding to reduce stress for the equine traveller
By Darlene RickerExecutive editor of Alltechrsquos EQUINE INTERNATIONAL magazine
48
Alltech Tips
growth of opportunistic Salmonella spp which are present in the intestinal tract of many healthy horses These bacteria then attach to the gut lining via a mannan sugar and penetrate it causing damage and resulting in diarrhoea One method of prevent-ing or minimising the attachment of these organ-
isms to the gut lining is to provide an adsorbant supplement A form of sugar found in the cell walls of certain yeasts can do this This sugar compound is called man-nan oligosaccharide or MOS MOS products such as Alltechrsquos Bio-Mosreg have been shown to re-duce the colonization of Salmonella
spp in the guts of certain species and augment the immune response to Salmonella spp potentially conferring an enhanced ability to fight infection Both Yea-Saccreg 1026 and Bio-Mos are among the natural products contained in Alltechrsquos LIFEFORCETM equine supplement which many FEI competitors have successfully incorporated into their daily feeding regimen at home and on the road
lifeforcehorsecom
and may be subject to health concerns in the days following a long journey Fortunately however you can curb some of the effects of travel stress on the horsersquos gut by nutritional supplementation Organic yeast products used to supplement a horsersquos diet can support the normal gut flora modifying the intesti-nal environment and improving the horsersquos digestion One such culture is Saccharomyces cerevisae in the form of Yea-Saccreg 1026 Alltechrsquos propriety organic yeast
Experiments were conducted to evaluate the effects Yea-Sacc on gut flora and gut acidity Horses were fed either a high-starch or a high-fibre diet both with and without supplementation of Yea-Saccreg 1026 Results indicated an excessive amount of starch in the gut The use of Yea-Sacc reduced acidity and stimulat-ed the activity of fibre-digesting bacteria in the hind-gut for both types of diet The result was maximised fibre digestibility and more efficient use of nutrients thus increasing the amount of energy available to the horse for performance and counteracting digestive upset Salmonellosis is one of the more commonly di-agnosed infectious causes of diarrhoea in horses Many cases develop after the stress of transport The effects of travel stress on the normal gut flora allow an over-
Moorlands Totilas arrives for the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade after air transport copy Dirk Caremans
HRH The Infanta Dontildea Pilar de Borboacuten former President of the FEI (1994-2006) also attended the inauguration along-side HRH Princess Lalla Amina Chairperson of the Royal Moroccan Federation for Equestrian Sports and member of the international Advisory Council of Special OlympicsThey were joined by International Olympic Commit-tee members representatives from other Interna-tional Federations federal and local Swiss authorities as well as architects and designers that worked on the project Switzerlandrsquos Martin Fuchs a member of the gold medal winning team at the inaugural Youth Olympic Games in Singapore last year accompanied FEI President Princess Haya in officially opening the FEI headquarters
ldquoThe building we are inaugurating today has been designed to serve our wonderful sportrdquo explained FEI
President Princess Haya ldquoI also feel an immense
sense of pride knowing that this building carries the name
of my late father and hope that this serves as a constant reminder
to all of us who work at the FEI of a unique statesman whose entire soul was devoted to the service of his people Our new headquarters will play a key role for the FEI and our National Federa-tions over the coming years It will be the environ-ment in which important discussions take place and fundamental decisions are taken as we continue our mission to advance the orderly growth of equestrian sport worldwide while ensuring that the welfare of the horse and a level playing field remain at the centre of all that we dordquo
FEI celebratesNEW Headquarters
Over 250 guests attended the inauguration ceremony on Friday 6 May at HM King Hussein I Building which was timed to coincide with the FEI
Extraordinary General Assembly so that attending NationalFederation representatives
could be a part ofthe celebrations
1 Youth Olympic Games team champion Martin Fuchs (SUI) FEI President HRH Princess Haya and her daughter HH Sheikha Al Jalila officially open the FEIrsquos new home 2 Gilbert Felli IOC Olympic Games Executive Director and FEI Secretary General Ingmar de Vos 3 HRH The Infanta Dontildea Pilar de Borboacuten sits down to an interactive quiz in the FEI Gallery 4 Guests gathered in the atrium of the FEI HeadquartersAll images copy Hugues SiegenthalerFEI
Highlights available on50
1
2
3 4
5
6 7
8
THE GALLERy
As well as housing offices for its 62 employees and conference facilities for its 133 National Federations the new headquarters also has a state-of-the-art in-teractive gallery showcasing equestrian sport
The Gallery is the brainchild of Dr Amichai Alper-ovich historian former Secretary General of the Is-raeli Equestrian Federation and curator of the Israeli Olympic Museum (opened in 2009) He worked hand in hand with the Tel Aviv based company Disk-In Pro and interior designer Oded Alony to help bring the content to life and the result is truly unique and ground breaking Giant glass surfaces act as interac-tive interfaces for the visitors to travel through time
The FEIrsquos new headquarters which were donated to the Federation by FEI Presi-dent HRH Princess Haya in 2007 fol-lowing a personal fundraising effort are conveniently located close to the Inter-national Olympic Committee and other international sports federations It has been written into the FEI Statutes that the new FEI headquarters building will always house the Federationrsquos offices In 2008 the building was thoroughly renovated in accordance with the Swiss MINERGIEreg construction standard for environmental responsibility which re-duces energy consumption by 25 per cent Only two per cent of renovated buildings in Switzerland meet the high Minergie standards Khuan Chew founder and design princi-pal of London-based architectural firm KCA International Ltd worked in close collaboration with Swiss-based architect Herveacute de Rham and interior designer Sia-vosh Adeli (SUI) to transform the build-ing which was built in the 1960s The modern and sleek interior was further enhanced with bespoke artworks pro-duced by Swiss creative agency b+g amp partners and imagery by world-famous equestrian art photographer Tim Flach where the simplicity and beauty of his equine subjects seamlessly embrace and accentuate the buildingrsquos pure lines and natural materials (see image left)
As they feasted on the innate beauty of their sur-roundings the guests also had the privilege to ex-perience the culinary talents of organic chef and specialist Gilles Wannaz and his team based in the town of Cully which sits on the edge of Lac Leman in Switzerlandrsquos famous Lavaux wine growing region
5 HRH Princess Haya welcomes the guests to the Inauguration of the HQ and the 90 year celebration of the FEI 6 Artwork by renowned pho-tographer Tim Flach 7 An organic and colourful buffet presented on an authentic lawn by local chef Gilles Wannaz 8 A life size horse sculpture by Christophe Dumont greeted the guests upon their arrival
53FOCUS
and space with the latest in touch technology revis-iting the history of the FEI the equestrian events at Olympic amp Paralympic Games the FEI World Eques-trian Gamestrade and information on all of the member National Federations with statistics videos images and text The Gallery also includes projections on ar-chitectural surfaces designed by Oded Alony referred to as the Origami as well as interactive stations and unique video projections on glass screens
For all those wishing to visit the FEI Gallery simply contact the FEI HQ to make an appointment and we would be delighted to take you on a journey to dis-cover or rediscover the human and equine athletes whose talents have marked equestrian history and inspired young riders drivers and vaulters around the world
Interview withDrAmichaiAlperovich
When did you first dream up the FEIInteractive Gallery When I found out the FEI was planning to move into new HQ in 2009 Disk-In Pro and I approached the FEI and presented them with several concepts for the space Before long we had agreed on the concept and we got to work
Why were you compelled to make it become a reality So that the FEI a prominent sports organisation could present itself to a growing audience in a new and visionary way with the latest technology And by doing so the FEI is a pioneer becoming the first International Federation to have a Gallery of this kind
What did you learn when researching and gathering content for the gallery I have learned a lot about the history of the FEI the strong Olympic tradition the diversity of disciplines the gender equality and the unique bond between horse and man One of the more fascinating topics was the evolution of the Dressage from itsrsquo Olympic debut to the modern Freestyle
Itrsquos very innovative technology what inspired you to take such a leap into the future with such a traditional sport Just as Dressage has evolved over the years and alongside the introduction of new disciplines partic-ularly Para-Equestrian you come to realise that the FEI is not as traditional as one would think Actually this kind of innovative presentation of equestrian history is really well suited to the FEI In the same way that you can have horse-man connections there is an audience-technology connection in the Gallery The audience have to be active in order to enjoy the depth of information the Gallery contains
54
Now it is time to open the door to new places to learn about sport ndash at the heart of sporting organi-sations themselves The Gallery is more than an informative tool it brings people to the sport andto the heart of its operations
Established in 1990 Disk-In Pro specialises in the planning design production and implementation of Museums Visitor Centres and sophisticated projects around the world This includes multi screen produc-tion animation 3D amp interactive films state-of-the-art software platforms and complex video displays for an unforgettable experience
Oded Alony holds a BA in Design from the Interior Design Section of the Holon Technological Institute and has since 1998 worked with Israelrsquos leading Architecture firms The Oded Alony Studio embraces holistic design a space where interior design lighting and graphics are brought together to create a harmo-nious project vision
Now that you have seen it unveiled to the public how would you like to see it evolve I hope the audience will be amazed from the design by architect Oded Alony and the new methods to deliver information whilst discovering the long his-tory of the FEI the diversity and the global reach of the organisation I hope the Gallery will become an icon in Lausanne and one of its highlights for visitors I promise the visitors a new platform to learn about equestrianism and each visit could be different as the information and themes will be updated and modi-fied regularly
This futuristic gallery is a first for anInternational Federation do you think thisis something all sports should invest inThe FEI took this courageous decision and now has this fantastic tool to present the organisation in new ways Sport is a huge cultural phenomenaWe have learned to consume sport in the arenas and stadiums in the press media and new media
Dr Amichai Alperovich
55FOCUS
SOCIAL MEDIAthe new frontier
Follow us on
The FEI has recently embarked on and embraced a whole new way of talking with the greater equestrian community through the ever expanding social media networks and platformsWith personalised Facebook Twitter and You Tube pages the FEI is taking it step by step and reaching out to this growing audience and listening to what they have to say
This new communication platform is by no means a substitution of the traditional communication path-ways but works alongside the press releases various publications and content on wwwfeiorg and wwwfeitvorg providing a new arena where the FEI can share interact and dialogue with fans of the sport and of equestrian values in general
We talk to Richard Johnson Director of Corporate Communications about the FEIrsquos commitment to social media
What compelled the FEI to venture onto the social media scene As a governing body with a vibrant and active com-munity of National Federations as well as thousands of fans the need to reach out to the online social community has never been stronger We have been watching the communities grow online for some time and have been listening to their conversations so being a part of it was the next logical step and a really important one The conversations will hap-pen with or without us so taking that step has been crucial in order to share our values and also build re-lationships with our fan base
Tradition meets modernity ndash does equestrian sportthe FEI have a place in social media Absolutely even though equestrian sport has a long history and is perceived as a traditional sport it is
always evolving In the 90 years of the FEI which was founded to govern the three Olympic disciplines it has grown to also oversee the disciplines of Driving Endurance Vaulting Reining and Para-Equestrian sport Or if you look at the early days when competi-tors were from military backgrounds and when wom-en did not compete alongside men to the complete gender equality we have today ndash a lot has changed and is in a constant state of change
The fans of equestrian sport are like any other fan base web savvy and eager for more information behind the scenes content and to share their opin-ions and thoughts ndash so it is an ideal partnership And from what we have seen these last few months and from the feedback we got from our blog at the Youth Olympic Games there is a real appetite for this
The FEI has dedicated Facebook Twitter and You Tube pages ndash why did you select these social media platforms The figures speak for themselveshellip Facebook Twit-ter and You Tube are the biggest players in the social networking space With over 500 million Facebook users 106 million Tweeters and 2 billion views a day on You Tube there has never been so much oppor-tunity for exposure Every site has different demo-graphics with different habits and needs so by having an FEI presence on these three networks we are able to cover a lot of ground and cater to different audi-ences by providing different types of content accord-ing to the platform
What are the main benefits of having a pres-ence on various social media platforms Itrsquos all about having a two way conversation ndash the benefits of dialogue where you can share content such as videos images facts and figures thoughts and values and then allow your fan base to react to get involved and to listen and learn from them By engaging with our audience and showing them that we are a modern and caring organisation and that we want to hear what they have to say then we are able to build trust and ultimately credibility in what we do and what we say
57FOCUS
TV
The offi cial video website of the Feacutedeacuteration Equestre Internationale
wwwfeitvorg
WATCH LIVE WATCH ONLINE
FEI TV is the FEIrsquos new offi cial video website and your ticket to the worldrsquos most prestigious competitions Sign-up to FEI TV (wwwfeitvorg) and get instant access to all the live broadcasts the extensive video-on-demand library all the highlights the behind the scenes reports the interviews and so much more Be at the heart of horsesport Join us
2823_1FEI_TV_Focus_165x226indd 1 170510 1124
It also keeps us alert as to what is being discussed and debated in the public sphere so that we can manage situations more effectively and be proactive in our messaging and information so that the facts are at the heart of the debate and not interpretations of them
How do you generate content for social media It was important when we launched our social me-dia presence that it be manageable with the exist-ing communications team in place ndash and so we have concentrated on keeping it simple and effective and using content innovatively Itrsquos not about reproduc-ing our website ndash but to engage with our fans and so often all you need is a good picture an interest-ing fact or great achievement to get the ball rolling For You Tube as we already have so much content generated from FEI TV it was simply a question of using bits and pieces from that content to provide the public with teasers from events interviews with winning riders or behind the scenes content which they can then follow up on FEI TV with a subscription
What are your Social media goals Itrsquos really to build relationships and dialogue with our fan base by using our content innovatively by listening to what they have to say and by engaging with the community And for the National Federa-tions that have yet to take that step we want to be a guiding hand that can help them get started so that they too can reap the benefits of social media net-working Our sport competes against other sports for attention so itrsquos really important that we the FEI and the National Federations keep our finger on the pulse and cater to our fans
How can National Federations get involved NFs wishing to find out more about Social Media can contact me (richardjohnsonfeiorg) and I would be more than happy to discuss opportunities and ways of getting started as well as our experience at the FEI
We asked our Facebook followers why it was important to use face-book and here are a few comments they came up with
bullItrsquos a great way to find out about shows and competitions
bullBecause facebook can provide up to the minute updates as to the what is going on in the horse community
bullWe can share information and ideas over long distances We can find and connect with people we wouldnt be able to otherwise
bullIt also lets us express the true realities of our spot to keep us grounded
bullIt can bring peoples attention to excellence ndash and expose the issues
58
TV
The offi cial video website of the Feacutedeacuteration Equestre Internationale
wwwfeitvorg
WATCH LIVE WATCH ONLINE
FEI TV is the FEIrsquos new offi cial video website and your ticket to the worldrsquos most prestigious competitions Sign-up to FEI TV (wwwfeitvorg) and get instant access to all the live broadcasts the extensive video-on-demand library all the highlights the behind the scenes reports the interviews and so much more Be at the heart of horsesport Join us
2823_1FEI_TV_Focus_165x226indd 1 170510 1124
ldquo Donrsquot accept drinks from a strangerrdquo
Armchair travel journalist
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201736_6000263_Coconut_226x165indd
Master 226x165
Rob Swainson 160211
HSBC - Coconuts Proof 01Head of Art TypographerDesigner ArtCreative Director Copywriter Account DirectorDIC Project ManagerPhotographer Illustrator Usage Model(s) Name(s) Usage
Media MediaStock Image Time Period Time Period
Territory Territory
8deg N ndash Kerala South India
Boyd Exell (AUS) successfully defended his FEI World Cuptrade Driving title in Leipzigrsquos thrilling final speed-ing to victory in front of a wildly enthusiastic crowd and becoming the second driver to score a hat-trick of World Cup victories Hungaryrsquos Jozsef Dobrovitz drove two brilliant rounds with his team of Lipiz-zaner horses and finished second ahead of IJsbrand Chardon (NED) The FEI World Cuptrade Driving Final was run over two indoor competitions which took place on 29 April and 1 May Seven drivers competed Tomas Eriksson (SWE) Koos de Ronde (NED) Werner Ulrich (SUI) Christian Pluumlcker (GER) and the triumphant trio who after emerging from the first round on 1 May with the highest number of points qualified for the winning round immediately afterwards
FEI World Cuptrade
DrIVINGldquoOnce again the worldrsquos best indoor drivers came together for a thrilling final the com-bination of horses working together in a team driven by superbly skilled horsemento produce thrilling andspectacular driving sportrdquo Ian Williams FEI Director of Non-Olympic Sports
16
Switzerlandrsquos Patrick Looser and Germanyrsquos Simone Wiegele claimed the inau-gural FEI World Cuptrade Vaulting titles at the 20102011 FEI World Cuptrade Finals a glittering Freestyle to Music showcase held over two daysLooserrsquos fellow starters in the Menrsquos section were Nicolas Andreani (FRA) Viktor Bruumlsewitz (GER) Daniel Kaiser (GER) Lukas Klouda (CZE) Nikolaus Luschin (AUT) and Yvan Nousse (FRA) Looser 26 was under pressure having finished second to Nicolas Andreani from France in the first Freestyle competition But
the reigning World Champion who won three of the four qualifying rounds over the winter months produced a superb performance which left Andreani in second place and Germanyrsquos Viktor Brusewitz in third In addition to the victorious Wiegele contenders for the Female title were her three compatriots Pia Engelbury Ines Juumlckstock and Antje Hill Simone Jaumliser (SUI) Stefanie Kowald (AUT) and Anna Cavallaro (ITA) In the second
competition Wiegele followed team-mate Hill into the arena in Hall 1 which seemed to be much more to the liking of the
horses than the smaller ring used on the first day And although Hillrsquos routine was
dramatic and beautifully controlled it was Wiegelersquos more complex display that settled
the destination of the very first Female World Cup trophy
ldquoFor the first time an indoor final that provided the public with an opportunity to witness the gymnastic movements of
athletes atop magnificent horses all choreographed to breathtaking musical arrangementsrdquo
Ian Williams FEI Director of Non-Olympic Sports
Highlights available as video on demand on
WHEN AND WHERE
26 ndash 30 July FEI European Reining Championship for Seniors amp Juniors Wiener Neustadt (AUT)
16 ndash 21 August FEI European Vaulting Championships for Seniors amp Juniors Le Mans (FRA)
17 ndash 21 August FEI European Dressage Championships Rotterdam (NED)
25 ndash 28 August HSBC FEI European Eventing Championships Luhmuumlhlen (GER)
01 ndash 04 September Open FEI European Driving Championships for Four-in-Hand Breda (NED)
01 ndash 04 September FEI European Para-Equestrian Dressage Championships Moorsele (BEL)
10 September FEI European Endurance Championships Florac (FRA)
13 ndash 18 September FEI European Jumping Championships Madrid (ESP)
LIVE ONLive coverage and highlightsCheck out the FEI TV broadcasting schedule for all the latest information on events broadcast live on FEI TV
European Championships for seniors in all the FEI disciplines are being held in 2011 We take a quick 360deg look at the dates venues facts amp figures and triumphant moments of the past 50 years of European Championships
FeI europeanChampionships 2011
Donrsquot miss a beatComplete competition reports updates behind the scenes information facts and figures and more can be found on wwwfeiorg as well as our dedicated facebook twitter and you tube pages
18
Preview
For the 31st edition of the FEI European Jumping Championships the event returns to Spain 18 years after the Championships in Gijon only this time to be held at the Club de Campo Villa in Madrid The FEI European Jumping Championships take place every two years in the middle of the Olympic cycle and have been held since 1957 with the introduction of team medals in 1975
THE VENUEThe Club de Campo Villa de Madrid (ESP) has been host to an annual CSI for 100 years and will be tem-porarily replacing its usual grass in the main arena with all-weather sand footing to ensure perfect going for the Championship
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERSTeam ndash SwitzerlandIndividual ndash Kevin Staut (FRA)
OLyMPIC qUALIFICATIONThe 3 best ranked nations from Olympic Qualifying Groups A amp B at the 2011 FEI European Jumping Championships (excluding the teams already quali-fied at WEG) will be qualified to take part with a team consisting of 4 athletes amp 4 horses or 3 athletes amp 3 horses
GREAT HORSES OF THE EUROPEANCHAMPIONSHIPSDEISTER - An extraordinary horse with an extraordi-nary record With Germanys Paul Schockemohle on board this brilliant bay Hannoverian led won three consecutive individual gold medals - in Munich Germany in 1981 Hickstead England in 1983 and Dinard France in 1985 Bred by Hermann Hahl in Osterbruch Lower Saxony Deister was by Diskant out of Adlerklette by Adlerschild stood 171cms high and had the heart of a lion Deisters European medal
haul also included team gold at Munich in 1981 team silver in Rotterdam in 1979 and team bronze at both Hickstead in 1983 and Dinard in 1985 Despite his incredibly active career the hardy Deister who was born in February 1971 lived to the ripe old age of 29
MR SOFTEE - The closest challenger to Deister for the title of Champion of the Europeans is the Irish-bred Mr Softee - a three-time winner but with two different riders Mr Softee enjoyed a hugely success-ful career with David Broome However it was with another Briton David Barker that the chestnut horse with four white legs took the individual European ti-tle for the first time in London in 1962 This was then followed up with David Broomersquos victory in Rotter-dam in 1967 and in Hickstead in 1969 Broome once said that like many other top horses Mr Softee had a big opinion of himself - He thought he was a king - and he was right
Believe it or nothellip
bull Itwasonlyin1975thatwomenwere permittedtocompetealongsidemenin theEuropeanJumpingChampionshipsprior tothistherehadbeentheLadiesEuropean JumpingChampionshipsheldfrom1957- 1973
bull Only2womenhaveeverwonthe FEIEuropeanChampionshipsFrancersquos AlexandraLedermannin1999and MeredithMichaels-Beerbaum(GER) in2007
bull Germanyledthegoldtallywith20 medals(14individualamp6team)double theamountofrunnerupGreatBritainon 10(6individualand4team)
FeI eUroPeaN
JUMPINGChaMPIoNshIPs
13-18 September 2011
Madrid (SPAIN)
19FOCUS
LIVE coverage on
Rotterdam gets set to host the 25th edition of the FEI European Dressage Championships for the first time and only the second time for the Netherlands (Arnhem 1999) The FEI European Dressage Championships take place every two years in the middle of the Olympic cycle and have been held since 1963
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERS
Team ndash The Netherlands
Individual ndash Kuumlr to MusicEdward Gal (NED) amp Moorlands Totilas
Individual ndash Grand Prix SpecialAdelinde Cornelissen (NED) amp Jerich Parzival
OLyMPIC qUALIFICATIONThe 3 best ranked nations from Groups A B amp C at the 2011 FEI European Dressage Championships (exclud-ing the teams already qualified at WEG) will be quali-fied to take part with a team consisting of 3 athletes amp 3 horses
THE WIND OF CHANGEFor 21 consecutive Championships from 1965 to 2005 (no team title awarded in 1963) the Germans held the European title but the last two editions have seen an upset to that tradition with the Netherlands clenching gold In 2009 the Dutch domination was particularly strong with five out of six individual med-als awarded to Dutch riders and the sixth going to British rider Laura Bechtolsheimer
IN MEMORy OF HENRI CHAMMARTIN (SUI)At the time of writing a legend in the Dressage world Henri Chammartin (SUI) passed away at the age of 92 An Olympic and European Dressage champion Henri Chammartin won the first two editions of the
FEI European Championships in 1963 and 1965 riding Wolfdiedtrich and competed in five consecutive edi-tions of the Olympic Games ndash Helsinki 1952 Stock-holm 1956 Rome 1960 Tokyo 1964 and Mexico 1968 ndash winning a total of five Olympic medals includ-ing Olympic champion in 1964
RECORD BREAKINGhellip In 2009 the formidable partnership of The Nether-lands Edward Gal and Moorlands Totilas smashed the world Freestyle record before a packed house with Windsor Castle standing proudly as a backdrop when scoring 9070 (including an unbelievable 29 perfect-10 scores) to win the Freestyle gold medal
Believe it or nothellip
bull GermanyhaswontheEuropeanDressage TeamTitleon21occasions
bull Thegreatestnumberofteamstoparticipate inEuropeanDressageChampionshipsis 14-atHickstead(GBR)in2003andagainat Hagen(GER)in2005
bull GermanysDrReinerKlimkewonthreeindi vidualtitles-atAachenin1967ridingDux andagainin1973ridingMehmedandat Copenhagenin1985ridingAhlerich
bull WithGigoloGermanysIsabellWerthtook theindividualtitlein1995and1997and wontheGrandPrixSpecialatDonaueschingen Germanyin1991andatLipicaSloveniain 1993
bull AnkyvanGrunsvenhasthreewinstoher namendashin1999withBonfirefollowedbythe backtobackwinswithSalineroin2005and 2007
17-21 August 2011
Rotterdam Netherland
FeI eUroPeaN
DressaGeChaMPIoNshIPs
20
LIVE coverage on
These are the second FEI European Para-Equestrian Dressage Championships to be held since Para-Equestrian joined the FEI Family in 2006 Para-Equestrian Dressage has been a regular fixture at the Paralympic Games since 1996 The first FEI European Para-Equestrian Dressage Championships were held in southern Norwegian town of Kristiansand in 2009 with a total of 78 ath-letes from 22 countries participating
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERS
Team Great Britain
Grade Ia Individual - Sophie Christiansen (GBR) Freestyle - Emma Sheardown (GBR)
Grade Ib Individual amp Freestyle Lee Pearson (GBR)
Grade II Individual - Petra Van der Sande (NED) Freestyle - Angelika Trabert (GER)
Grade III Individual amp Freestyle
Hannelore Brenner (GER)
Grade IV Individual amp Freestyle Sophie Wells (GBR)
The mobility strength and coordination of competi-tors are assessed and athletes with similar functional ability profiles are grouped into competition grades that range from Grade Ia for the most severely im-paired to Grade IV for the least impaired This means that the competition within each Grade can be judged on the skill of the individual competitors on their horses regardless of their disabilities
CLUB qUADRILLEMoorsele has been host to a regular international Para-Equestrian Dressage events for the past few years with the Club Quadrille as organiser The Club Quadrille was founded in 1981 by Anne Van Neste-dIeteren Belgian Dressage Champion from 1977 un-til 1982 current President of the Belgian Paralympic Committee and member of the FEI Para-Equestrian committee It is a unique sports club that works with both able bodied and disabled athletes and is active in the promotion and education of the sport As member of the honorary IPC Board Her Royal Highness (HRH) Princess Astrid of Belgium has been a fervent supporter of the event and has attended on many occasions
Believe it or nothellip
bull LeePearson(GBR)haswoneverygold medalwithinreachatParalympicWorld andContinentallevelandtheEuropeans in2009werenodifferentwithanother triplegoldvictory
bull GreatBritainalsohavetheMidastouch whenitcomestoteammedalsndashandarethe currentParalympicWorldandEuropean titleholders
bull In2009Germanycamecloserthanever totakingthegoldmedalfromall-time championGreatBritain
1-4 September 2011
Moorsele Belgium
FeI eUroPeaN
Para-eqUestrIaNDressaGeChaMPIoNshIPs
21FOCUS
A record number of fans are expected to attend the HSBC FEI European Eventing Championships as they return to Luhmuumlhlen for the fifth time to mark the 30th edition of the ChampionshipsThe FEI European Eventing Championships take place every two years in the middle of the Olympic cycle and have been held since 1953
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERSTeam ndash Great BritainIndividual ndash Kristina CookMiners Frolic (GBR)
OLyMPIC qUALIFICATIONThe 2 best ranked nations from Groups A B amp C at the 2011 HSBC FEI European Eventing Champion-ships (excluding the teams already qualified at WEG) will be qualified to take part with a team consisting of 3 athletes amp 3 horses
THE VENUELuhmuumlhlen one of only six 4 events on the interna-tional Eventing calendar and part of the prestigious HSBC FEI Classicstrade series will greet Europersquos best athletes with a fresh look and feel this year following extensive renovation to the existing infrastructures The recently renovated showground includes three Dressage and two Jumping arenas a tribune able to seat 850 spectators with spectacular views as well as a newly designed entrance including six ticket box facilities and fully catered trade stands The show-ground also boasts an open air stage with space for up to 15000 spectators ldquoI am confident that the in-vestment in the infrastructure will be of great benefit to all involved whether you are a volunteer a groom an athlete ndash both the horses and the riders - as well as for the sponsors guests spectators and the fans We are re-ally looking forward to great competitions this year at both the CCI4CIC3 in June and at the Europeans in August and hope many will join us to witness this historic momentrdquo Julia Otto Event Director Luhmuumlhlen
HSBCHSBC has renewed their sponsorship for a further three-year term as global sponsor of FEI Eventing to include title sponsorships of the HSBC FEI European Eventing Championships in both 2011 and 2013 and the HSBC FEI Classicstrade until the end of 2013
OFFICIAL TIMEPIECE Rolex the leading name in luxury wrist watches will be the Official Timekeeper for the HSBC FEI European Eventing Championships 2011
Believe it or nothellip
bull GinnyElliot(bornHolgate)theonlyrider towinthreesuccessiveindividualtitlesand IanStarkholdthejointrecordforEuropean goldmedalswonndashseveneachbutLucinda Greenstillhasthemostmedals(10)
bull SupremeRockriddenbyPippaFunnell (GBR)istheonlyhorsetowinback-to-back titles(in1999and2001)hehasfour Europeangoldmedalsintotalequalingthe recordofKilbarryThePoacherandOver ToYouwhowonarecordfourconsecutive Europeanteamgolds(1999-2005)
bull PrincessAnneandZaraPhillipsaretheonly mother-daughtercombinationtowin Europeantitles(1971and2005)
bull GreatBritainhaveheldtheEuropeantitle forthepast8consecutiveChampionships (since1995)Andofthe29editionstodate (startingin1953)theteamhavewona whopping21
25-28 August 2011
Luhmuumlhlen Germany
hsBC FeI eUroPeaN
eVeNtINGChaMPIoNshIPs LIVE coverage on
22
In September Breda Hippique in The Netherlands will be host to the seventh edition of the FEI Euro-pean Driving Championships for Four-in-Hand not held since 1981 This edition is open to both Euro-pean and non-European drivers and will also count as a qualifier for the indoor FEI World Cuptrade Driv-ing which is held during the winter season Only competitors from Europe can claim the individual and team medalsThe FEI European Driving Championships for Four-in-Hand were first held in 1971 in Budapest and continued to be held every two years until 1981 at which stage they were discontinued
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERSTeam ndash HungaryIndividual ndash Gyoumlrgyi Bardos (HUN)
SOMETHING IN THE WATERhellip Hungary have won five out of six available team European titles and on the individual front two Hungarians stand out from the crowd Imre Abony ndash individual winner in 1971 and 1975 and Gyoumlrgyi Bardos triple consecutive winner in 1977 1979 1981
IN THE BEGINNINGhellipThe first European Championships took place in Budapest in 1971 and moved on to Windsor in Great Britain in 1973 Sopot in Poland in 1975 Donauesch-ingen in Germany in 1977 and in Haras du Pin in France in 1979 The sixth and last edition took place in 1981 in Zug Switzerland
THE VENUEBreda has hosted the only Nations competition (CAIO) for Four-in-Hand horses in The Netherlands for many years In 1995 Breda hosted the first FEI European Driving Championships for Four-in-Hand ponies and in 2010 was host to the FEI World Para-Equestrian Driving Championships Aside from the four-in-hand teams Breda will also host international pony teams and national horse pairs at the event this year
Believe it or nothellip
bull Hungaryhavewonfiveoutofsixteamgold titles
bull AugusteDubeyfromSwitzerlandwasthe onlynon-HungarianEuropeanChampion hewontheChampionshipsin1973
bull PrincePhilipFEIPresidentfrom1964- 1986whocelebratedhis90thbirhtday inJuneisanavidfanofDrivingandpartici- patedinsixWorldandthreeEuropean Championships
1-4 September 2011
Breda Netherland
FeI eUroPeaN
DrIVINGChaMPIoNshIPsfor FoUr-IN-haND
Note At the time of writing the FEI European DrivingChampionships for Four in Hand was pending approvalby the FEI Bureau
23FOCUS
The 14th edition of the FEI European Endurance Championships return to Florac in France twenty five years after the inaugural event was held there The FEI European Endurance Championships first took place in 1984 and were immediately followed up by a second edition in 1985 and have since been held every two years They have always been open to the world with two sets of medals presented ndash open and European
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERSTeam ndash SpainIndividual ndash Maria Alvarez Ponton amp Nobby
RECORD BREAKINGCurrent title holder Maria Alvarez Ponton amp super horse Nobby is the first rider to hold European and World titles at the same time She will be looking to confirm her stronghold on the sport following her second consecutive World title with a second con-secutive European title in Florac a feat no rider has managed to achieve at the Europeans to date
THE VET GATEModern competitions consist of a number of sec-tions known as lsquophasesrsquo At the end of each phase there is a compulsory halt for veterinary inspection Each horse which is thoroughly examined before it is allowed to start the ride must be presented for inspection within a set time of reaching each vetgate The time spent at each vetgate prior to inspection by the vets is counted as part of the overall competition time and the aim is to determine whether the horse is fit to continue the ride
THE SUPPORT CREWA vital part of Endurance riding is the support crew Riders are assisted by a team of helpers who meet them several times over the ride bringing bottles of water to pour over the horse to cool it down as well as a drink for the rider Crews also have spare equipment in case something breaks down or needs replacing
Believe it or nothellip
bull TheFrenchhavethemedaledgewith6 individualand4teamgoldmedalsfrom the14editionsheld
bull Floracistheonlyvenuetohostthe EuropeanChampionshipstwice(thefirst editionin1984andtheupcomingedition in2011)
bull EnduranceisthefastestgrowingFEI disciplinefrom2000to2010thenumber ofinternationaleventshavemultipliedby10
10 September 2011
Florac France
FeI eUroPeaN
eNDUraNCeChaMPIoNshIPs
24
Reem Acra Boutique 14 East 60th St New York New York 10022 2123088760 wwwreemacracom
356935B2_RA_brochure2_souvenir_programmeindd 1 82710 1012 AM
Vaulting became an FEI discipline in 1983 and saw its first FEI European Championship organised just one year later in the town of Ebreichsdorf in Austria This 15th edition of the Championship ndash which also includes the European Juniors competition return to France for the 4th time but for the first time in the world renowned venue of Le Mans famous for its 24 hour race
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERS
Team ndash Austria
Individual malelongeurhorseNicolas Andreani (FRA)Marina Joosten DuponIdefix de Braize
Individual femalelongeurhorseJoanna Eccles (GBR)John EcclesWH Bentley
THE WIND OF CHANGEGermany and Switzerland have traditionally bat-tled for the team title (Germany has 7 gold versus Switzerlandrsquos 5) but in 2009 Austria who had come second on four occasions since the inception of the Championships in 1984 finally climbed onto the top spot of the podium and claimed the title In terms of the individual performances Germany had the stronghold on the male category winning 11 out of 14 gold medals But again in 2009 France the only other country to have ever beaten a German male vaulter at the Europeans made it to the top spot of the podium for only the third time since the Championships began
Similarly with the female vaulters it was an all German domination until 2007 when Austriarsquos Sissi Jarz claimed gold followed by Joanna Eccles (GBR) in 2009 ndash leaving Germany off the top step of the podium entirely in 2009
GREAT BRITAIN ndash A VAULTING NATIONhellip Times have definitely changed from the Swiss German domination with current World and European titles held by Great Britainrsquos Joanna Eccles She was the first British vaulter (male or female) to claim a medal at the Europeans ndash let alone a gold medal - and then went on to secure the world title in Kentucky last year
Believe it or nothellip
bull TheonlycountryotherthanGermanyand SwitzerlandtohaveclaimedaEuropean VaultingtitleisSlovakiain2005
bull ChristophLensing(GER)holdsthemale medalrecordndashwiththreegold(19891993 amp1995)aswellassilverin1991
bull NadiaZuumllowandSilkeMichelberger (formerlyBernhard)withthreegoldmedals each
16-21 August 2011
Le Mans France
FeI eUroPeaN
VaULtINGChaMPIoNshIPs
26
This is only the fifth edition of the European Reining Championships since the discipline joined the FEI in 2000 and the first time they will be held in Austria The event also includes the FEI European Champi-onships for Juniors and Young Riders ndash a formula introduced in 2009 in Kreuth (GER) which proved to be a multigenerational success The FEI European Reining Championships take place every two years and have been held since 2003
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERSTeam ndash GermanyIndividual ndash Nina Lill (GER) riding Lena Cielo Jewel
THE JUDGINGReining horses are judged individually Each horse au-tomatically begins the required pattern with a score of 70 One or frac12 points are given or taken away for each manoeuvre Credit is given for smoothness fi-nesse attitude quickness and authority Controlled speed in the pattern raises the level of difficulty and makes the reining horse exciting to watch
Believe it or nothellip
bull ItalyandGermanyaretheonlytwonations tohavewongoldmedalsndashGermanyhas3 teamgoldand2individualgoldversus Italyrsquossingleteamgoldandtwoindividual gold
bull GermanyrsquosNinaLillwinnerin2009was thefirstwomantotaketheindividualtitle sincetheChampionshipsbeganin2003
bull OlympicWorldandEuropeanDressage ChampionAnkyVanGrunsven(NED) competedattheAlltechFEIWorldEques- trianGamestradein2010inbothDressageand hellipReining
bull 13nationswerescheduledtoattendthe Championshipatthetimeofwritingthe largestparticipationbycountryever recordedfortheEuropeans
26-30 July 2011
Wiener Neustadt Austria
FeI eUroPeaN
reININGChaMPIoNshIPs
27FOCUS
ldquoThirty-one yearsrsquo experience comes in handy some-timesrdquo joked the ever-relaxed Todd who was a leg-end by the time he ldquoretiredrdquo in 2000 with back-to-back Olympic golds five Burghley wins two world gold medals and three Badminton victories one on a horse he had never ridden before ldquoIt is incredibly special though right up there with the back-to-back Olympic golds When I came back to the sport (in 2008) it was to see if I could get back to top level It has always been my aim to win another big onerdquo
A World class meeting of Generations
The 2011 HSBC FEI Classicstrade could not have got off to a more epic start with wins at Badminton and Kentucky by two of the sportrsquos most enduring personalitiesThe 55-year-old New Zealander Mark Todd rolled back the years to score a fourth victory at the Gloucestershire venue 31 years after his first attempt in 1980
By Kate Green
28
HSBC FEI ClassicsTm
The resurgence of so much experienced talent makes it harder for younger riders to work their way up the leaderboard but 29-year-old Sinead Halpin (USA) had a spectacular CCI4 debut at Kentucky finish-ing third and best of the home side in distinguished company This achievement earned her the HSBC Training Bursary worth US$1000 towards training a prestigious and valuable award presented to the rider who achieves the best result on completing a CCI4 for the first time
The bursary winner at Badminton Fiona Hobby (GBR) 39 has had a rather longer wait to complete
her first CCI4 ndash she was 26th on Roma ML ndash but she has in the meantime produced two children had a career as a sports therapist and only switched from Jumping to Eventing relatively recently Hobby has vowed to spend the money on dressage train-ing ldquoRoma couldnrsquot believe it when she arrived in the arena and saw all those people but she was great across country really focussed Irsquom delightedrdquo
For Germanyrsquos Sandra Auffarth Luhmuumlhlen pro-vided an outstanding CCI4 debut on Opgun Louvo a young horse she has produced herself coming second and picking up the HSBC Training Bursary and the exciting prospect of a possible place in the squad for the forthcoming HSBC FEI European Event-ing Championship at Luhmuumlhlen (25-28 August) at which Germany as host nation will be entitled to field 12 riders
Last yearrsquos HSBC Training Bursary winners include Stephanie Rhodes-Bosch (CAN) who went on to win a team silver medal at the Alltech FEI World Equestri-an Gamestrade Lauren Shannon (GBR) who finished 17th at Badminton this year and Giovanni Ugolotti (ITA) who is furthering his career by basing himself in Brit-ain for the season and having lessons with Mark Todd
LIVE coverage and extensive highlights available on
Toddrsquos winning mount the 10-year-old NZB Land Vision was a green horse for this level and he fin-ished the Cross-Country phase tired but his rider kept his cool in an extraordinarily tight finish in which the price of one Jumping fence covered the top 12 riders any of whom could with a bit of luck have won the Mitsubishi Motors Trophy ldquoIn the end it came down to horse-power and Irsquove obviously got a good one hererdquo said Todd ldquoCharisma (his double Olympic gold medallist) will always be the most special horse but this one has no weak linksrdquo
As is the nature of the sport Toddrsquos lead in the HSBC FEI Classicstrade didnrsquot last long ndash he came down to earth with a bump the following weekend with a Cross-Country run-out on NZB Grass Valley his ride at the Rolex Kentucky Three Day Event (USA) and 49- year-old Mary King (GBR) stole the head-lines with a record one-two on Kings Mis-tress and Fernhill Urco It was Kingrsquos first CCI4 victory for 11 years ndash she has won Badminton twice and Burghley once ndash but she certainly smashed a few re-cords with this one She became the first rider to score a one-two at Kentucky the first in modern times to win a CCI4 on a home-bred horse and the oldest female to win a CCI4
King who has six team gold medals at World and European level plus competed at five consecutive Olympics had the luxury of knowing she had already won the event on the inexperienced 10-year-old Fernhill Urco a horse bred in Portugal by the time she entered the arena on Kings Mistress but she still produced a second clear round ldquoI never dreamed that I would be in this position and Irsquom enjoying the momentrdquo said the ever-smiling King ldquoIt was great to have the feeling of having already won on Fernhill Urco but I still wanted desperately to go clear on Kings Mistress as it is so special to win on a horse I bred myselfrdquo It was also an all clear from Germanyrsquos Andreas Dibowski and Euroriding Butts Leon in order to secure victory at the fourth leg of the HSBC FEItrade
Classicstrade in Luhmuumlhlen presented by EON Avacon
29FOCUS
The Danish-American actorpoet musician photographerand painter has been around horses most of his life from riding Hasufel and Brego in The Lord of the Rings trilogy to early childhood memories in Argentina his passion for floating as he describes it has never wavered
What is it about the horse that makes you a horse loverWe get along generally I respect their strength and their personal space Your first riding experience ndash was it bliss or terrorLike floating like being on a warm and floating mountain I remember being happy Do you think anyone can rideYes It is a question of allowing yourself to ride of allowing yourself to cooperate and not be in total control Children are more adept at figuring this out letting things happen without getting impatient or scared just as they are braver and less self-conscious about pronouncing new words or singing Anyone at any age or in any physical condition can
Viggo Mortensen
achieve a degree of success and satisfaction with horses even if it is just a question of touching them being near them If horses could talk what would they be sayingYou will know if you listen and watch them Is there a unique trait you look for in a horse that you canrsquot find in peopleThey are more patient and less apt to complain about lifersquos setbacks and physical ailments than most people I admire a tough smart horse what-ever its breed age or size What would you miss most if you could no longer go ridingThe companionship and the floating perhaps also the abandonment of usual daily worries that relaxed riding requires Whatrsquos your usual riding outfit consist ofAnything will do Loose-fitting clothes and good comfortable boots are a plus but not vital I have even ridden barefoot ndash naturally taking care to avoid being stepped on when not on the horse - but I do not recommend this to anyone The most important thing is to have a clear and focused mind to be THERE at all times when around horses and NOWHERE ELSE Sugar lumps or carrotsIrsquove been guilty of offering an occasional apple or carrot although it is best not to give horses anything special unless treats are part of training them for special tricks or stunts a pursuit best left to experts like master horse trainer Rex Peterson whom Irsquove had the good fortune to work with and study quite a bit Treats spoil horses and do not keep the animal focused on the task at hand Whatrsquos your favourite part of a horseThe brain What do you think young people gain from ridingSelf-confidence and an understanding of the value of cooperation
30
Why the long face
When did you first develop the bond with the horseThe first time I got on one as a little boy in ArgentinaYou either develop a bond of some kind or you fall off Of course you may even fall off if you develop the bond but you have to start (and restart) somewhere
Did your friends ride My brothers also rode and I have ridden with many kinds of people over the years ndash some good and patient with horses and some not If I had not rid-den as a boy I would probably have been wandering around fishing imagining I was a cowboy or an Indian or a Viking ndash which I did anyway Where in the world would you most like to rideMost anywhere will do but I have been extremely lucky to have ridden in many wide-open wild places ndash deserts grassy plains mountains by different seas and rivers in Argentina New Zealand North Africa and North America If you could spend one afternoon riding with a famous person (past or present)who would it be and whyIrsquoll give you 3 Oglala chief Tasunke Witko (Crazy Horse) my ancestor William F Cody or any real Gaucho from the province of Chaco Argentina
Two horses go out for dinner what kindof restaurant do they chooseLate spring grass near a slow-moving clean river with a gentle firm shoreline an hour before sun-down far from any people or other animals All time favourite horse filmI have a subjective soft spot for the stories and real horses involved in the making of ldquoHidalgordquo and the 2nd and 3rd installments of ldquoThe Lord Of The Ringsrdquo trilogy but I admire other ldquohorse moviesrdquo as wellThe 1953 French movie ldquoCrin-Blancrdquo (ldquoWhite Manerdquo) directed by Albert Lamorisse is a personal favourite
After three years at the head of the successful French Jumping team with back to back FEI Nations Cuptrade titles and a silver medal at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade Laurent Elias is moving on to new spheres with the French Horse amp Riding Institute where he will be training the riders of the National Riding School in Saumur
Laurent Elias
copy C
hris
toph
e Br
icot
32
The other side of
If I had not become a professional rider I would havehellipmade a career in a humanitarian organisation Horse riding is sometimes too trivial
My priority in life ishellipto be able to look at myself in the mirror in the morning and make sure I am at peace with my conscience
My familyhellipkeeps me grounded My wife helped me a lot when I was in charge of selections for France She took charge of my personal life and was the first person I called when we got the medal in Lexington I also admire my parents for the values they passed on to me
I remember my first ridingexperiencehellipaged six we were shooting a family film and I was on horseback I finished upside down under my horse for a long time I stopped riding for one year
I used to dream abouthellipsafaris One of my uncles was passionate about safaris Through him I became very interested in African trips and the jobs that allow you to travel as a reporter were fascinating to me as well
I have been thinking a lot abouthellipwhat happened in Japan these past few months First this tsunami that devastated everything without warning then the nuclear disaster It made me think that progress should not be destructive
My horse Gueacutenourhellipchanged my life I was just a coach and he brought me to the top I won the national championship in 1981 with him
My biggest challengehas always beenhellipshyness Horse riding has really helped me over-come it Horses brought me on stage and there I had to meet people
As a Chef dEquipehellipthere is no single defining achievement itrsquos all about the solidarity and the moments spent together as a team Irsquoll never forget the first time Penelope Leprevost rode her mare Jubileacutee drsquoOuilly in the FEI Nations Cuptrade of Rotterdam McLain Ward had just completed a real fast run with Sapphire We thought the Americans would win but she did it faster and beat Sapphire
In terms of eventshellipAachen is my favourite competition - for its won-derful organisation But we have also pretty good five star competitions in France
I donrsquot sleep muchhellipprobably because I am just happy to be alive
Irsquom not scared to laugh or cryhellipI laugh at the funny situations we sometimes find ourselves in life and enjoy people with quirky personalities I cry when I see others in pain
Laurent Elias and the French team en route to the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade copy PSV-Jean Morel
33FOCUS
Nicolas TheacutevenazAged 23 studies Robotics and Autonomous Systems Micro Engineering in Lausanne (SUI) alongside regular training and competition in Dressage and Para-Equestrian Dressage events Born with spastic diplegia Nicolas was introduced to horses via hippotherapy aged seven and quickly developed a passion for riding which not only helped with his physical condition but also taught him through Dressage the art of patience and perseverance
34
One day
Nicolas TheacutevenazAged 23 studies Robotics and Autonomous Systems Micro Engineering in Lausanne (SUI) alongside regular training and competition in Dressage and Para-Equestrian Dressage events Born with spastic diplegia Nicolas was introduced to horses via hippotherapy aged seven and quickly developed a passion for riding which not only helped with his physical condition but also taught him through Dressage the art of patience and perseverance
He has been fortunate to meet the right people (and horses) at the right time and has been working for the past five years with trainer Vicky-Eileen Baumann (pictured right) and her horses Magic and Lady (pictured right) ldquoShersquos bred them and knows them inside out which is very useful when I have to communicate with them - they know my voice intonations and a whole string of specific words or sounds ndash which really helps as my body canrsquot or doesnrsquot always have the strength to do sordquo
As a Grade II Para-Equestrian rider Nicolas competes in Para-Equestrian Dressage (PED) events as well as national events for able bodied riders as there are only a handful of PED riders and no events in Switzerland
Unable to attend the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade 2010 in Kentucky last year Nicolas and Vicky have their sights firmly set on the 2012 Para-lympic Games and will be looking to qualify with Lady over the next 12 months ndash alongside exams studies and everything else life has to offerhellip Who is your role model For different reasons I have different role mod-els Edward Gal Dane Rawlins Isabel Werth and Catherine Haddad
When did you start riding and why At age 7 I was sat on a horse for hippotherapy and liked the complicity with the horse which made me want to discover more
How do you feel when you ride Concentrated and industrious
Who is your biggest fan My trainerrsquos mum
Complete this sentenceOne day I would like tohellip have gained enough knowledge to be able to take care of and train my own horse
What are your long term goals as a rider Continue to do my best to enjoy what I do and show others itrsquos possible
How do you juggle studies and competition I think itrsquos really important to have goals and to do everything you can to achieve them and that includes taking on challenges because if you donrsquot try then yoursquoll never know what you could have achieved
What is your proudest achievement to date Participation in international events together with pursuing my studies
How do you feel after winning Still working towards discovering the feeling
What is the best advice anyone has ever given youMy trainer often repeats to me the famous saying by General LrsquoHotte ldquoCalme en avant droitrdquo which says so much about riding but can also be applied to so many other aspects of life
35FOCUS
What advice would you give someone looking to get involved in Para-Equestrian Dressage Train and ride with able-bodied athletes as often as possible Being around and working with horses is so rewarding Irsquod like - when Irsquom retired - to write a book to share these feelings with others and hope this will inspire them to get involved
Complete this sentenceIn the future I would like the sport to beeven ldquocleanerrdquo and fairer and if possible not more but less demanding on the horses
ldquoLast but not least Irsquod like to take the opportunity of this article to reach out to those who give me their trust and help be it with their time their friendship and any type of support Day after day to year after year team work is essential and Irsquoll do my best to continue deserving every-onersquos encouraging smilesrdquo
European Broadcasting Union
Union Europeacuteenne de Radio-Teacuteleacutevision
+41 (0)22 717 2111 wwweurovisionnet
We bring the event to your home
Eurovision
copy K
it H
ough
ton
FE
I
FEI_08_A4indd 1 03012008 162238
European Broadcasting Union
Union Europeacuteenne de Radio-Teacuteleacutevision
+41 (0)22 717 2111 wwweurovisionnet
We bring the event to your home
Eurovision
copy K
it H
ough
ton
FE
I
FEI_08_A4indd 1 03012008 162238
Nominations for the FEI Awards opened in May enabling the global equestrian com-munity to once again reward outstanding dedication to horse sport in five categories ndash Development Best Groom Against All Odds Rising Star and Best Athlete The search for the equestrian heroes of 2011 is now on who will be flown to Rio de Janeiro Brazil to receive their awards
Where are they now The FEI asked the current title-holders for an update on their activities
Follow us on
38
FEI Awards 2011
Ebony Horse Club (GBR)Winner of the Alltech FEI DevelopmentAward 2010
The Ebony Horse Club announced in December 2010 that after an eight-year fundraising effort it had the pound14 million necessary for building an equestrian cen-tre in one of Londonrsquos most deprived boroughs Since 1996 Ebony has offered youngsters in an area reput-ed for its gang culture high level of gun crime and drug dealing the chance to ride and learn key social skills The clubrsquos 50 members travel to riding schools across London on public transport or in minibuses ndash a logistical headache that the inner-city equestrian centre will end Construction work began in February
Ebony Horse Club founder and director Ros Spear-ing told the FEI ldquoRiding lessons are continuing and the club is preparing for the transitionrdquo Building will finish on 7 July but the centre will open for riding lessons in October ldquoThe horses will be brought to Brixton in the summer and will have time to acclimatise to their new environmentrdquo Spearing said The centre will include stabling for nine horses a small paddock and a flood-lit riding arena as well as a classroom for learning about horses and equine management Spearing is adamant that club members ndash present and future ndash care for their rides and wants the centre to serve as a stepping stone to careers in the horse industry
Ebonyrsquos existence will continue to depend on the generosity of donors For more information visit wwwebonyhorsecluborguk
Michelle Tipper (GBR)Winner of the FEI Best Groom Award 2010
Michelle Tipper has continued to juggle grooming and study since receiving her FEI Award in Novem-ber She has organised the grooms for the British European Junior and Young Dressage teams and in April her contract as a travelling groom for British Dressage riders Paul and Bobby Hayler took her to Addington for the first of many international com-petitions she will work at this year The Haylers have eight horses competing and the number she works with at each venue varies Tipper has also been help-ing British Dressage riders Nicky and Richard Barrett with yard duties ldquoI feel very lucky to work for both of these familiesrdquo said the FEI Best Groom Award win-ner adding that she feels part of the two families In March Tipper graduated from university with a Masters in Sport Psychology She is now working towards British Association of Sport and Exercise Science accreditation which requires at least 500 hoursrsquo supervised work experience and is present-ing sport psychology workshops in conjunction with the company Inside Performance Consulting Limit-ed (wwwinside-performancecom) The workshops are organised internationally for people of all ages from any sport To find out more contact Tipper at michelletipper1979yahoocom
39FOCUS
Michelle Tipper ndash copyWilliam TzengAward winners ndash copyWilliam TzengCaroline Roffman ndash copySharonPackercomEbony Horse Club ndash copyEbony Horse ClubEdward Gal and Totilas ndash copyKit HoughtonFEIAngelika Trabert ndash copyJulia Rau
Angelika Trabert (GER)Winner of the FEI Against All Odds Award 2010
German Para-Dressage rider Angelika Trabert has represent-ed her country at four Paralympic Games and won some 15 medals at national European and world championships She is currently seeking a new home for Londria the mare that con-tributed to her Team Silver medal win at the Hong Kong Para-lympics Londria who had a foal last year was also Trabertrsquos ride during her medal-winning performances at the European Championships in Hungary (2005) and Norway (2009)
Trabert said her decision to let go of Londria was hard to make but was necessary for financial reasons She will keep the foal Finaud Coquin and her mares Walmorel and Ariva-Avanti Trabert won the Para-Dressage Grade 2 Freestyle Champion-ship at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade with Ariva and said the horse was ldquowell and ready to go for the Europeans again in Belgium in September if we qualifyrdquo Trabert competed in her first international competition of 2011 in May in Man-nheim Germany where she came first in the Grade II indi-vidual and second in the freestyle She is taking part in the German Championships in June
Away from the equestrian world Trabert works as an anaes-thetist and has participated in medical missions in the rural ar-eas of Guinea for the organisation Mango In January she was back in Guinea as part of team that carried out 100 operations in 13 days wwwangelika-trabertde
Visit the recently refreshed FEI Awards website to find out more about the Awards the pastwinners the judges and to make yournominationsby 31 July
wwwfeiawardsorg
40
Caroline Roffman (USA)Winner of the HSBC FEI Rising StarAward 2010
Success continues to smile on twenty-two-year-old American Dressage rider Caroline Roffman Since re-ceiving the HSBC FEI Rising Star Award she has en-joyed numerous wins at small tour and young horse levels achieving scores in the mid-eighties and quali-fying two horses for the young horse championships
Roffman is currently showing six horses and has won several classes at PSG and Grand Prix level ldquoBut nothing is as exciting as to be going to Aachenrdquo said the young woman who has been described as the American Dressage communityrsquos brightest hope ex-plaining that at the FEI Awards ceremony in Chinese Taipei Frank Kemperman FEI Dressage Committee Chair and Chairman of the Managing Board at CHIO Aachen (GER) invited her to take part in the pres-tigious event Roffman will be the first American to compete in the Under 25 Grand Prix there and is hop-ing to take her horse Lux Stensvang
An interview with Caroline Roffman at the Palm Beach Dressage Derby CDI will be broadcast on the magazine programme Equestrian World on FEI TV the FEIrsquos official online video platform wwwfeitvorg
Edward Gal and Totilas (NED)Winners of the Reem Acra FEI Best Athlete Award 2010
The world-famous partnership of Dutch Dressage rider Edward Gal and the extraordinary Totilas ended in style in 2010 with notably three gold medal wins at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade
The first foal sired by the superstar stallion was born in January followed by two more in the spring Gal who has admired the foals told the FEI ldquoYou never know ndash maybe in a few yearsrsquo time Irsquoll have another Totilas readyrdquo At the beginning of April he was busy at home training nine horses and preparing for the Reem Acra FEI World Cuptrade Dressage Final in Leipzig and the European Championships in Rotterdam He had not yet decided which horses he was going to compete with but was particularly looking forward to the Freestyle to Music Asked what it was like to compete without Totilas Gal said ldquoEverybody ex-pected Totilas to win I find it easier to ride other horses because nobody expects me to win and when I do itrsquos really nicerdquo
41FOCUS
globetrotter
Seal of approval for the Adai horseSixty years have passed since an Adai horse reportedly set a record galloping 354km in one day Today the Adai horse a breed na-tive to Kazakhstan is back in the spotlight with a gold medal at the FEI Central Asian Endurance Championship in Talgaearlier in May only months after having been award-ed official pedigree status following tests
conducted by a State Commission in the Mangistau Steppes which allowed itto compete internationally The horses are cherished for their hardiness and Oyly ridden by Altyngali Bissemaganbetov (KAZ) proved just that when crossing the finishing line first demonstrating just how tough the Adai horses are and the beginning of a new era for sturdy breed on the international stage
Equestrian Australia Sport
Achievement Awards
In May the best of the best in
Equestrian sport gathered to cel-
ebrate the achievements of Austral-
iarsquos athletes coaches officials vets
administrators owners volunteers
and the many other people that
dedicate their time and enthusiasm
to equestrian sport The ceremony
also included the introduction of
Equestrian Australiarsquos Hall of
Fame won by the legendary Bill
Roycroft Boyd Exell winner of
the FEI World CupTM Driving
Final was awarded the interna-
tional athlete of the year
award
Kevin Stautbecomes first athlete representative on FEI
executive board
Kevin Staut one of Francersquos most successful Jumping riders became the first athlete to be appointed to the FEI Executive Board for a three-year term Staut (31) who has held the number one spot in the Rolex Rankings for Jumping since July 2010 has ridden on numerous Nations Cup teams for France and claimed individual gold at the Alltech FEI European Jumping Championships in 2009
HulA CARTSWorld Horse Welfare has greatly helped the liv
es of
five Senegalese cart horse owners by presenting them
with new Hula Carts The local people who depend on
their working horses for their livelihoods were specially
selected by the charity to receive the carts which have
been sponsored by members of the public in the uK
The Hula Carts are specifically developed to help the
horses pulling heavy loads in often difficult conditions
Equestrian Australia Sport
Achievement Awards
In May the best of the best in
Equestrian sport gathered to cel-
ebrate the achievements of Austral-
iarsquos athletes coaches officials vets
administrators owners volunteers
and the many other people that
dedicate their time and enthusiasm
to equestrian sport The ceremony
also included the introduction of
Equestrian Australiarsquos Hall of
Fame won by the legendary Bill
Roycroft Boyd Exell winner of
the FEI World CupTM Driving
Final was awarded the interna-
tional athlete of the year
award
Olympic legendBill Roycroft passes away aged 96
A legend of Equestrian sport in Australia James William
George Roycroft OBE known as ldquoBillrdquo was one of Austral-
iarsquos greatest Olympians and one of only five Australians to
have competed in five consecutive Olympic Games (from
1960 - 1976) as well as being Australiarsquos oldest medallist
and oldest competitor at 61 years and 31 days In May 2011
Bill was inducted in Equestrian Australiarsquos inaugural Hall
of Fame ndash he was Australiarsquos oldest living Olympian and
shared his dedication and enthusiasm for the sport with
his sons Barry Wayne and Clarke (See a brief description
of his exploits in the 1960 Olympic Games Memory Lane
article page 9 which catapulted Australiarsquos reputation as
one of the best Eventing teams in the world)
webinfofeiFEI web wizard Nicole Sigrist has added a new hub for the Press on wwwfeiorg called FEI Press Kits located in the Media section of the website The Press Kits zone which is also open to the general public is regularly updated with infor-mation relating to FEI series and specific events with flip books and downloadable PDFs as well as direct links to the Photo Catalogue the Rankings and Standings the Annual Report and more
100thanniversary for Finnish riding club
One of the three found-ing member clubs of
the Finnish Equestrian Federation the Suomen
Kenttaumlratsastusseura-Finska Faumlltrittklubbenon celebrates
its 100th anniversary in 2011 Magnus Rydman former President of the Finnish National Federation and Presi-dent of the FEI from 1935 ndash 1946 was one of the founders of the club Another of the founders of the oldest club in Fin-land was the Eventing rider Colonel Hans Olof von Essen whose fifth place at the Antwerpen Olympic Games re-mains the best Olympic equestrian result the country has ever achieved
Follow us on
43FOCUS
Interview with the President of the Brazilian Equestrian Federation Mr Luiz Roberto Giugni
The Brazilian Equestrian Federation has been a member Federation of the FEI for 75 years how has the sport developed over that time We were facing regular growth (average of 25 in the last decade) but in the last three to four years this rate has significantly increased up to 35 a year We believe that this is due to international achievements (two Jumping Olympic team bronze medals the individual Olympic Jumping gold medal won by Rodrigo Pessoa several Pan Am Jumping team gold medals recent Olympic pre-qualification in Kentucky (4th in the world in Jumping) and the organisations of a Global Champions Tour event in Brazil
In terms of developing the sport what are the most successful projects you have undertaken in recent yearsWe decided to invest in education and have hired international trainers for all the disciplines such as Jean Maurice Bonneau for Jumping Nick Turner for Eventing Eric Lette for Dressage Jean Louis Leclerc for Endurance Mattias Lang for Vaulting with the long term in mind that is at least until the end of 2012 and planning towards 2016 when Rio will host the Olympic Games
How popular is equestrian sport with young people in Brazil and how do you compete with some of the bigger sports for their attention Popularization is growing bit by bit in a country
decidedly dominated by soccer ndash being 5 times World Champion makes it a national passion But we are continuously looking to attract TV to our events as this is a huge step towards gaining visibility and popularity Can you tell us about the programmesinitiatives in place for disabled athletes We are actively pursuing this and have achieved really positive results in little time such as the great performances and medals earned at the Para-lympic Games in Hong Kong in 2008 We do this through clinics courses international exchanges of athletes and working alongside our National Paralympic Committee to support us in our efforts
Brazil will be host the FEI General Assembly at the end of the year what do you want all the visiting delegates to remember from their visit That we are more than just a really beautiful and warm country with the ability and capacity to organise great events and that we are committed to putting on the best Olympic Games ever
What are the main objectivesplans for the Brazilian Federation in the lead up to the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games Our NOC is really committed to raising the bar of all the sports to a level never seen before and we are working towards that in terms of our athletes our judges our venues and everything that is related to our sport and the quality of our sport In line with this objective we are providing incen-tives to owners to buy good horses aiming for 2016 and this is going to plan for now We expect to perform well at the upcoming Pan Am Games and Olympics on our trail to 2016
Is there anything else you would like to share with us I would like to thank HRH Princess Haya President of the FEI as well as the Executive Board for all the support that we are getting which has been paramount to the development of equestrian sport in our country
44
President Luiz Roberto GiugniSecretary General Luiz Antonio RoccoMember since 1935
15 members of staff work at the federation
20 regional federations are affiliated tothe Brazilian Equestrian Federation with over 300 member riding clubs
6 000 affiliated riders
91 national events were held in 2010
31 international events were held in 2010
All the FEI disciplines are practiced in BrazilJumping Dressage Eventing Vaulting Reining EnduranceDriving amp Para-Equestrian
14 breeding organisations
There are 58 million horses and ponies in Brazilmaking it the fourth largest equine population in the world
FAC
TS amp
FIG
URE
S
45FOCUS
Dr Gerit Matthesen56 is a private equine practitioner an FEI Vet and a member of the FEI Veterinary Committee He graduated in Veterinary Medicine from Berlin University in 1983 and since 1989 has worked or officiated at some 180 competitions and championships including the last two Olympics and FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade He lives near Frankfurt with his wife Carola and their sons Mike (16) and Lars (14)
46
A life in a day
Dr Gerit Matthesen56 is a private equine practitioner an FEI Vet and a member of the FEI Veterinary Committee He graduated in Veterinary Medicine from Berlin University in 1983 and since 1989 has worked or officiated at some 180 competitions and championships including the last two Olympics and FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade He lives near Frankfurt with his wife Carola and their sons Mike (16) and Lars (14)
I wake up earlier than I need to ndash at around 6am ndash because breakfast time with my family is sacred to me and I can then drive my boys to the village station to take the train to school After two cups of coffee (enough for the day) and a glass of orange juice I read the newspapers then head to my prac-tice offices in our indoor arena I have a quick look at our horses then start work
While I listen to my phone messages I deal with my emails and search the internet for news about veterinary medicine and horse sport I then start planning the dayacutes schedule with Anna my assistant vet
My mobile practice is in a nice fairly rural area in the north of Frankfurt There are lots of horse farms but it is not a classic breeding area like the northern part of Germany There are sport horses as well as pleasure horses I have examination rooms and stables for horses staying or mares foaling in my practice stables Itrsquos not a big clinic which gives me time to work at competitions
After seeing a few small animals in my practice I normally start my field service at 930am In my car I have enough equipment (ultrasound X-ray systems and endoscopical devices) for the dayrsquos examinations and standing procedures We mainly have lameness examinations to do or internal diseases to treat accompanied by routine work like vaccinations or carrying out pre-purchase or health certificate examinations If time allows I go home for a quick lunch but thatrsquos not every day
While Irsquom driving I have time to think and I write down everything that come to mind regarding sport competitions committees and so on You have to write down your thoughts when yoursquore over the age of 50
It is not easy planning my day because any emer-gency can destroy or delay my schedule For all the paperwork and certificates I need a time frame so
I often do that over quiet weekends when there are no competitions During the winter season I am less busy but in summer a lot of weekends are taken over by the competition schedule
I love my work especially in Eventing which is my favourite discipline My wife and I practiced it ndash not up to top level but it was a fine time despite a bro-ken ankle from a fall in 1988 which after 23 years is making walking more and more difficult for me
I like to do my competition work on a friendly but strict basis and I really like to hear riders saying they are treated fairly Over the years I have acquired a lot of experience and met all the officials and riders
Usually when I return home in the late afternoon there are more small animals to see When Irsquove done the dayrsquos paperwork I hope there will be no more emergencies such as cases of colic which usually occur in the early evening
I look forward to getting on my horse which is a beautiful show-jumper I like to ride but Irsquove stopped competing I do dressage jumping and go out into the fields but itrsquos all just for fun now
The day finishes with the family and a nice cold glass of German beer
Itrsquos a struggle to find time to spend with my family and I often have to cancel my holidays with them I am really grateful to my wife and the boys for their understanding of my job and to my assistant vet who covers for me when Iacutem out somewhere in the world of equestrian sport
ldquoThe combination of my profession and beinginvolved in differentaspects of top equestrian sport is my visionrdquo
47FOCUS
Pull your show attire from the closet clean your boots and tack groom the horses hook up and pack the trailer check the clock double check to make sure you have everything put on the shipping boots load your horses and away you drive to the competition venue or to the airport for transport to a distant event
You know the drill well but still you arrive tired per-haps even a bit frazzled Yoursquoll sleep (or try to) the next several nights in an unfamiliar bed or camp out in the living quarters of your trailer You awaken riveted on the competition playing out the dayrsquos classes in your mind wondering how your rides will fare against oth-ers praying that the weather will be cooperate and trying to control your nerves all the while knowing that no matter how well you have prepared many factors are out of your control You may even be in a different time zone
We go through a lot to compete our horses But if you think life on the road is stressful for you think about what itrsquos like for your horses Your back may be a bit sore from driving or being strapped into an airplane seat for hours on end but for horses transportation is far more demanding It is an athletic endeavour re-quiring an expenditure of energy to maintain balance during the constant movement of transport When your horses arrive they face social isolation from stablemates lack of security in novel environments altered training regimes water that tastes strange and the confines of an unfamiliar stall This routine impacts a horsersquos health and well being with effects
continuing long after the journey is over During transport toxic gases (such as ammonia or carbon monoxide) can cause damage to the lung epithelium precipitating respiratory disease The
final destination itself can also cause problems Usually horses are transported to environments where they will be mixing with other horses The mixing of horses from different environments with different infectious organisms and under stressful conditions further precipitates susceptibility to disease
This can have a severe impact on the equine gut The stress of transportation is known to increase gut ulceration in the horse a painful condition reducing performance and causing colic-like symptoms Stress can also slow the flow of digesta and alter the normal gut flora resulting in digestive upset and possibly diarrhoea or colic
The effects of travel stress on the gut are compounded by the typical diet of the regular equine traveller To maintain athletic ability high performance horses are often fed energy-charged diets contain-ing increased levels of starchy materials such as cereal grains Unfortunately this type of diet can reduce beneficial types of gut flora and promote gut acidity further predisposing the horse to digestive upsets and ulceration It is not surprising that stressed tired horses may not fulfill their potential on arrival
Feeding to reduce stress for the equine traveller
By Darlene RickerExecutive editor of Alltechrsquos EQUINE INTERNATIONAL magazine
48
Alltech Tips
growth of opportunistic Salmonella spp which are present in the intestinal tract of many healthy horses These bacteria then attach to the gut lining via a mannan sugar and penetrate it causing damage and resulting in diarrhoea One method of prevent-ing or minimising the attachment of these organ-
isms to the gut lining is to provide an adsorbant supplement A form of sugar found in the cell walls of certain yeasts can do this This sugar compound is called man-nan oligosaccharide or MOS MOS products such as Alltechrsquos Bio-Mosreg have been shown to re-duce the colonization of Salmonella
spp in the guts of certain species and augment the immune response to Salmonella spp potentially conferring an enhanced ability to fight infection Both Yea-Saccreg 1026 and Bio-Mos are among the natural products contained in Alltechrsquos LIFEFORCETM equine supplement which many FEI competitors have successfully incorporated into their daily feeding regimen at home and on the road
lifeforcehorsecom
and may be subject to health concerns in the days following a long journey Fortunately however you can curb some of the effects of travel stress on the horsersquos gut by nutritional supplementation Organic yeast products used to supplement a horsersquos diet can support the normal gut flora modifying the intesti-nal environment and improving the horsersquos digestion One such culture is Saccharomyces cerevisae in the form of Yea-Saccreg 1026 Alltechrsquos propriety organic yeast
Experiments were conducted to evaluate the effects Yea-Sacc on gut flora and gut acidity Horses were fed either a high-starch or a high-fibre diet both with and without supplementation of Yea-Saccreg 1026 Results indicated an excessive amount of starch in the gut The use of Yea-Sacc reduced acidity and stimulat-ed the activity of fibre-digesting bacteria in the hind-gut for both types of diet The result was maximised fibre digestibility and more efficient use of nutrients thus increasing the amount of energy available to the horse for performance and counteracting digestive upset Salmonellosis is one of the more commonly di-agnosed infectious causes of diarrhoea in horses Many cases develop after the stress of transport The effects of travel stress on the normal gut flora allow an over-
Moorlands Totilas arrives for the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade after air transport copy Dirk Caremans
HRH The Infanta Dontildea Pilar de Borboacuten former President of the FEI (1994-2006) also attended the inauguration along-side HRH Princess Lalla Amina Chairperson of the Royal Moroccan Federation for Equestrian Sports and member of the international Advisory Council of Special OlympicsThey were joined by International Olympic Commit-tee members representatives from other Interna-tional Federations federal and local Swiss authorities as well as architects and designers that worked on the project Switzerlandrsquos Martin Fuchs a member of the gold medal winning team at the inaugural Youth Olympic Games in Singapore last year accompanied FEI President Princess Haya in officially opening the FEI headquarters
ldquoThe building we are inaugurating today has been designed to serve our wonderful sportrdquo explained FEI
President Princess Haya ldquoI also feel an immense
sense of pride knowing that this building carries the name
of my late father and hope that this serves as a constant reminder
to all of us who work at the FEI of a unique statesman whose entire soul was devoted to the service of his people Our new headquarters will play a key role for the FEI and our National Federa-tions over the coming years It will be the environ-ment in which important discussions take place and fundamental decisions are taken as we continue our mission to advance the orderly growth of equestrian sport worldwide while ensuring that the welfare of the horse and a level playing field remain at the centre of all that we dordquo
FEI celebratesNEW Headquarters
Over 250 guests attended the inauguration ceremony on Friday 6 May at HM King Hussein I Building which was timed to coincide with the FEI
Extraordinary General Assembly so that attending NationalFederation representatives
could be a part ofthe celebrations
1 Youth Olympic Games team champion Martin Fuchs (SUI) FEI President HRH Princess Haya and her daughter HH Sheikha Al Jalila officially open the FEIrsquos new home 2 Gilbert Felli IOC Olympic Games Executive Director and FEI Secretary General Ingmar de Vos 3 HRH The Infanta Dontildea Pilar de Borboacuten sits down to an interactive quiz in the FEI Gallery 4 Guests gathered in the atrium of the FEI HeadquartersAll images copy Hugues SiegenthalerFEI
Highlights available on50
1
2
3 4
5
6 7
8
THE GALLERy
As well as housing offices for its 62 employees and conference facilities for its 133 National Federations the new headquarters also has a state-of-the-art in-teractive gallery showcasing equestrian sport
The Gallery is the brainchild of Dr Amichai Alper-ovich historian former Secretary General of the Is-raeli Equestrian Federation and curator of the Israeli Olympic Museum (opened in 2009) He worked hand in hand with the Tel Aviv based company Disk-In Pro and interior designer Oded Alony to help bring the content to life and the result is truly unique and ground breaking Giant glass surfaces act as interac-tive interfaces for the visitors to travel through time
The FEIrsquos new headquarters which were donated to the Federation by FEI Presi-dent HRH Princess Haya in 2007 fol-lowing a personal fundraising effort are conveniently located close to the Inter-national Olympic Committee and other international sports federations It has been written into the FEI Statutes that the new FEI headquarters building will always house the Federationrsquos offices In 2008 the building was thoroughly renovated in accordance with the Swiss MINERGIEreg construction standard for environmental responsibility which re-duces energy consumption by 25 per cent Only two per cent of renovated buildings in Switzerland meet the high Minergie standards Khuan Chew founder and design princi-pal of London-based architectural firm KCA International Ltd worked in close collaboration with Swiss-based architect Herveacute de Rham and interior designer Sia-vosh Adeli (SUI) to transform the build-ing which was built in the 1960s The modern and sleek interior was further enhanced with bespoke artworks pro-duced by Swiss creative agency b+g amp partners and imagery by world-famous equestrian art photographer Tim Flach where the simplicity and beauty of his equine subjects seamlessly embrace and accentuate the buildingrsquos pure lines and natural materials (see image left)
As they feasted on the innate beauty of their sur-roundings the guests also had the privilege to ex-perience the culinary talents of organic chef and specialist Gilles Wannaz and his team based in the town of Cully which sits on the edge of Lac Leman in Switzerlandrsquos famous Lavaux wine growing region
5 HRH Princess Haya welcomes the guests to the Inauguration of the HQ and the 90 year celebration of the FEI 6 Artwork by renowned pho-tographer Tim Flach 7 An organic and colourful buffet presented on an authentic lawn by local chef Gilles Wannaz 8 A life size horse sculpture by Christophe Dumont greeted the guests upon their arrival
53FOCUS
and space with the latest in touch technology revis-iting the history of the FEI the equestrian events at Olympic amp Paralympic Games the FEI World Eques-trian Gamestrade and information on all of the member National Federations with statistics videos images and text The Gallery also includes projections on ar-chitectural surfaces designed by Oded Alony referred to as the Origami as well as interactive stations and unique video projections on glass screens
For all those wishing to visit the FEI Gallery simply contact the FEI HQ to make an appointment and we would be delighted to take you on a journey to dis-cover or rediscover the human and equine athletes whose talents have marked equestrian history and inspired young riders drivers and vaulters around the world
Interview withDrAmichaiAlperovich
When did you first dream up the FEIInteractive Gallery When I found out the FEI was planning to move into new HQ in 2009 Disk-In Pro and I approached the FEI and presented them with several concepts for the space Before long we had agreed on the concept and we got to work
Why were you compelled to make it become a reality So that the FEI a prominent sports organisation could present itself to a growing audience in a new and visionary way with the latest technology And by doing so the FEI is a pioneer becoming the first International Federation to have a Gallery of this kind
What did you learn when researching and gathering content for the gallery I have learned a lot about the history of the FEI the strong Olympic tradition the diversity of disciplines the gender equality and the unique bond between horse and man One of the more fascinating topics was the evolution of the Dressage from itsrsquo Olympic debut to the modern Freestyle
Itrsquos very innovative technology what inspired you to take such a leap into the future with such a traditional sport Just as Dressage has evolved over the years and alongside the introduction of new disciplines partic-ularly Para-Equestrian you come to realise that the FEI is not as traditional as one would think Actually this kind of innovative presentation of equestrian history is really well suited to the FEI In the same way that you can have horse-man connections there is an audience-technology connection in the Gallery The audience have to be active in order to enjoy the depth of information the Gallery contains
54
Now it is time to open the door to new places to learn about sport ndash at the heart of sporting organi-sations themselves The Gallery is more than an informative tool it brings people to the sport andto the heart of its operations
Established in 1990 Disk-In Pro specialises in the planning design production and implementation of Museums Visitor Centres and sophisticated projects around the world This includes multi screen produc-tion animation 3D amp interactive films state-of-the-art software platforms and complex video displays for an unforgettable experience
Oded Alony holds a BA in Design from the Interior Design Section of the Holon Technological Institute and has since 1998 worked with Israelrsquos leading Architecture firms The Oded Alony Studio embraces holistic design a space where interior design lighting and graphics are brought together to create a harmo-nious project vision
Now that you have seen it unveiled to the public how would you like to see it evolve I hope the audience will be amazed from the design by architect Oded Alony and the new methods to deliver information whilst discovering the long his-tory of the FEI the diversity and the global reach of the organisation I hope the Gallery will become an icon in Lausanne and one of its highlights for visitors I promise the visitors a new platform to learn about equestrianism and each visit could be different as the information and themes will be updated and modi-fied regularly
This futuristic gallery is a first for anInternational Federation do you think thisis something all sports should invest inThe FEI took this courageous decision and now has this fantastic tool to present the organisation in new ways Sport is a huge cultural phenomenaWe have learned to consume sport in the arenas and stadiums in the press media and new media
Dr Amichai Alperovich
55FOCUS
SOCIAL MEDIAthe new frontier
Follow us on
The FEI has recently embarked on and embraced a whole new way of talking with the greater equestrian community through the ever expanding social media networks and platformsWith personalised Facebook Twitter and You Tube pages the FEI is taking it step by step and reaching out to this growing audience and listening to what they have to say
This new communication platform is by no means a substitution of the traditional communication path-ways but works alongside the press releases various publications and content on wwwfeiorg and wwwfeitvorg providing a new arena where the FEI can share interact and dialogue with fans of the sport and of equestrian values in general
We talk to Richard Johnson Director of Corporate Communications about the FEIrsquos commitment to social media
What compelled the FEI to venture onto the social media scene As a governing body with a vibrant and active com-munity of National Federations as well as thousands of fans the need to reach out to the online social community has never been stronger We have been watching the communities grow online for some time and have been listening to their conversations so being a part of it was the next logical step and a really important one The conversations will hap-pen with or without us so taking that step has been crucial in order to share our values and also build re-lationships with our fan base
Tradition meets modernity ndash does equestrian sportthe FEI have a place in social media Absolutely even though equestrian sport has a long history and is perceived as a traditional sport it is
always evolving In the 90 years of the FEI which was founded to govern the three Olympic disciplines it has grown to also oversee the disciplines of Driving Endurance Vaulting Reining and Para-Equestrian sport Or if you look at the early days when competi-tors were from military backgrounds and when wom-en did not compete alongside men to the complete gender equality we have today ndash a lot has changed and is in a constant state of change
The fans of equestrian sport are like any other fan base web savvy and eager for more information behind the scenes content and to share their opin-ions and thoughts ndash so it is an ideal partnership And from what we have seen these last few months and from the feedback we got from our blog at the Youth Olympic Games there is a real appetite for this
The FEI has dedicated Facebook Twitter and You Tube pages ndash why did you select these social media platforms The figures speak for themselveshellip Facebook Twit-ter and You Tube are the biggest players in the social networking space With over 500 million Facebook users 106 million Tweeters and 2 billion views a day on You Tube there has never been so much oppor-tunity for exposure Every site has different demo-graphics with different habits and needs so by having an FEI presence on these three networks we are able to cover a lot of ground and cater to different audi-ences by providing different types of content accord-ing to the platform
What are the main benefits of having a pres-ence on various social media platforms Itrsquos all about having a two way conversation ndash the benefits of dialogue where you can share content such as videos images facts and figures thoughts and values and then allow your fan base to react to get involved and to listen and learn from them By engaging with our audience and showing them that we are a modern and caring organisation and that we want to hear what they have to say then we are able to build trust and ultimately credibility in what we do and what we say
57FOCUS
TV
The offi cial video website of the Feacutedeacuteration Equestre Internationale
wwwfeitvorg
WATCH LIVE WATCH ONLINE
FEI TV is the FEIrsquos new offi cial video website and your ticket to the worldrsquos most prestigious competitions Sign-up to FEI TV (wwwfeitvorg) and get instant access to all the live broadcasts the extensive video-on-demand library all the highlights the behind the scenes reports the interviews and so much more Be at the heart of horsesport Join us
2823_1FEI_TV_Focus_165x226indd 1 170510 1124
It also keeps us alert as to what is being discussed and debated in the public sphere so that we can manage situations more effectively and be proactive in our messaging and information so that the facts are at the heart of the debate and not interpretations of them
How do you generate content for social media It was important when we launched our social me-dia presence that it be manageable with the exist-ing communications team in place ndash and so we have concentrated on keeping it simple and effective and using content innovatively Itrsquos not about reproduc-ing our website ndash but to engage with our fans and so often all you need is a good picture an interest-ing fact or great achievement to get the ball rolling For You Tube as we already have so much content generated from FEI TV it was simply a question of using bits and pieces from that content to provide the public with teasers from events interviews with winning riders or behind the scenes content which they can then follow up on FEI TV with a subscription
What are your Social media goals Itrsquos really to build relationships and dialogue with our fan base by using our content innovatively by listening to what they have to say and by engaging with the community And for the National Federa-tions that have yet to take that step we want to be a guiding hand that can help them get started so that they too can reap the benefits of social media net-working Our sport competes against other sports for attention so itrsquos really important that we the FEI and the National Federations keep our finger on the pulse and cater to our fans
How can National Federations get involved NFs wishing to find out more about Social Media can contact me (richardjohnsonfeiorg) and I would be more than happy to discuss opportunities and ways of getting started as well as our experience at the FEI
We asked our Facebook followers why it was important to use face-book and here are a few comments they came up with
bullItrsquos a great way to find out about shows and competitions
bullBecause facebook can provide up to the minute updates as to the what is going on in the horse community
bullWe can share information and ideas over long distances We can find and connect with people we wouldnt be able to otherwise
bullIt also lets us express the true realities of our spot to keep us grounded
bullIt can bring peoples attention to excellence ndash and expose the issues
58
TV
The offi cial video website of the Feacutedeacuteration Equestre Internationale
wwwfeitvorg
WATCH LIVE WATCH ONLINE
FEI TV is the FEIrsquos new offi cial video website and your ticket to the worldrsquos most prestigious competitions Sign-up to FEI TV (wwwfeitvorg) and get instant access to all the live broadcasts the extensive video-on-demand library all the highlights the behind the scenes reports the interviews and so much more Be at the heart of horsesport Join us
2823_1FEI_TV_Focus_165x226indd 1 170510 1124
ldquo Donrsquot accept drinks from a strangerrdquo
Armchair travel journalist
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Rob Swainson 160211
HSBC - Coconuts Proof 01Head of Art TypographerDesigner ArtCreative Director Copywriter Account DirectorDIC Project ManagerPhotographer Illustrator Usage Model(s) Name(s) Usage
Media MediaStock Image Time Period Time Period
Territory Territory
8deg N ndash Kerala South India
Switzerlandrsquos Patrick Looser and Germanyrsquos Simone Wiegele claimed the inau-gural FEI World Cuptrade Vaulting titles at the 20102011 FEI World Cuptrade Finals a glittering Freestyle to Music showcase held over two daysLooserrsquos fellow starters in the Menrsquos section were Nicolas Andreani (FRA) Viktor Bruumlsewitz (GER) Daniel Kaiser (GER) Lukas Klouda (CZE) Nikolaus Luschin (AUT) and Yvan Nousse (FRA) Looser 26 was under pressure having finished second to Nicolas Andreani from France in the first Freestyle competition But
the reigning World Champion who won three of the four qualifying rounds over the winter months produced a superb performance which left Andreani in second place and Germanyrsquos Viktor Brusewitz in third In addition to the victorious Wiegele contenders for the Female title were her three compatriots Pia Engelbury Ines Juumlckstock and Antje Hill Simone Jaumliser (SUI) Stefanie Kowald (AUT) and Anna Cavallaro (ITA) In the second
competition Wiegele followed team-mate Hill into the arena in Hall 1 which seemed to be much more to the liking of the
horses than the smaller ring used on the first day And although Hillrsquos routine was
dramatic and beautifully controlled it was Wiegelersquos more complex display that settled
the destination of the very first Female World Cup trophy
ldquoFor the first time an indoor final that provided the public with an opportunity to witness the gymnastic movements of
athletes atop magnificent horses all choreographed to breathtaking musical arrangementsrdquo
Ian Williams FEI Director of Non-Olympic Sports
Highlights available as video on demand on
WHEN AND WHERE
26 ndash 30 July FEI European Reining Championship for Seniors amp Juniors Wiener Neustadt (AUT)
16 ndash 21 August FEI European Vaulting Championships for Seniors amp Juniors Le Mans (FRA)
17 ndash 21 August FEI European Dressage Championships Rotterdam (NED)
25 ndash 28 August HSBC FEI European Eventing Championships Luhmuumlhlen (GER)
01 ndash 04 September Open FEI European Driving Championships for Four-in-Hand Breda (NED)
01 ndash 04 September FEI European Para-Equestrian Dressage Championships Moorsele (BEL)
10 September FEI European Endurance Championships Florac (FRA)
13 ndash 18 September FEI European Jumping Championships Madrid (ESP)
LIVE ONLive coverage and highlightsCheck out the FEI TV broadcasting schedule for all the latest information on events broadcast live on FEI TV
European Championships for seniors in all the FEI disciplines are being held in 2011 We take a quick 360deg look at the dates venues facts amp figures and triumphant moments of the past 50 years of European Championships
FeI europeanChampionships 2011
Donrsquot miss a beatComplete competition reports updates behind the scenes information facts and figures and more can be found on wwwfeiorg as well as our dedicated facebook twitter and you tube pages
18
Preview
For the 31st edition of the FEI European Jumping Championships the event returns to Spain 18 years after the Championships in Gijon only this time to be held at the Club de Campo Villa in Madrid The FEI European Jumping Championships take place every two years in the middle of the Olympic cycle and have been held since 1957 with the introduction of team medals in 1975
THE VENUEThe Club de Campo Villa de Madrid (ESP) has been host to an annual CSI for 100 years and will be tem-porarily replacing its usual grass in the main arena with all-weather sand footing to ensure perfect going for the Championship
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERSTeam ndash SwitzerlandIndividual ndash Kevin Staut (FRA)
OLyMPIC qUALIFICATIONThe 3 best ranked nations from Olympic Qualifying Groups A amp B at the 2011 FEI European Jumping Championships (excluding the teams already quali-fied at WEG) will be qualified to take part with a team consisting of 4 athletes amp 4 horses or 3 athletes amp 3 horses
GREAT HORSES OF THE EUROPEANCHAMPIONSHIPSDEISTER - An extraordinary horse with an extraordi-nary record With Germanys Paul Schockemohle on board this brilliant bay Hannoverian led won three consecutive individual gold medals - in Munich Germany in 1981 Hickstead England in 1983 and Dinard France in 1985 Bred by Hermann Hahl in Osterbruch Lower Saxony Deister was by Diskant out of Adlerklette by Adlerschild stood 171cms high and had the heart of a lion Deisters European medal
haul also included team gold at Munich in 1981 team silver in Rotterdam in 1979 and team bronze at both Hickstead in 1983 and Dinard in 1985 Despite his incredibly active career the hardy Deister who was born in February 1971 lived to the ripe old age of 29
MR SOFTEE - The closest challenger to Deister for the title of Champion of the Europeans is the Irish-bred Mr Softee - a three-time winner but with two different riders Mr Softee enjoyed a hugely success-ful career with David Broome However it was with another Briton David Barker that the chestnut horse with four white legs took the individual European ti-tle for the first time in London in 1962 This was then followed up with David Broomersquos victory in Rotter-dam in 1967 and in Hickstead in 1969 Broome once said that like many other top horses Mr Softee had a big opinion of himself - He thought he was a king - and he was right
Believe it or nothellip
bull Itwasonlyin1975thatwomenwere permittedtocompetealongsidemenin theEuropeanJumpingChampionshipsprior tothistherehadbeentheLadiesEuropean JumpingChampionshipsheldfrom1957- 1973
bull Only2womenhaveeverwonthe FEIEuropeanChampionshipsFrancersquos AlexandraLedermannin1999and MeredithMichaels-Beerbaum(GER) in2007
bull Germanyledthegoldtallywith20 medals(14individualamp6team)double theamountofrunnerupGreatBritainon 10(6individualand4team)
FeI eUroPeaN
JUMPINGChaMPIoNshIPs
13-18 September 2011
Madrid (SPAIN)
19FOCUS
LIVE coverage on
Rotterdam gets set to host the 25th edition of the FEI European Dressage Championships for the first time and only the second time for the Netherlands (Arnhem 1999) The FEI European Dressage Championships take place every two years in the middle of the Olympic cycle and have been held since 1963
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERS
Team ndash The Netherlands
Individual ndash Kuumlr to MusicEdward Gal (NED) amp Moorlands Totilas
Individual ndash Grand Prix SpecialAdelinde Cornelissen (NED) amp Jerich Parzival
OLyMPIC qUALIFICATIONThe 3 best ranked nations from Groups A B amp C at the 2011 FEI European Dressage Championships (exclud-ing the teams already qualified at WEG) will be quali-fied to take part with a team consisting of 3 athletes amp 3 horses
THE WIND OF CHANGEFor 21 consecutive Championships from 1965 to 2005 (no team title awarded in 1963) the Germans held the European title but the last two editions have seen an upset to that tradition with the Netherlands clenching gold In 2009 the Dutch domination was particularly strong with five out of six individual med-als awarded to Dutch riders and the sixth going to British rider Laura Bechtolsheimer
IN MEMORy OF HENRI CHAMMARTIN (SUI)At the time of writing a legend in the Dressage world Henri Chammartin (SUI) passed away at the age of 92 An Olympic and European Dressage champion Henri Chammartin won the first two editions of the
FEI European Championships in 1963 and 1965 riding Wolfdiedtrich and competed in five consecutive edi-tions of the Olympic Games ndash Helsinki 1952 Stock-holm 1956 Rome 1960 Tokyo 1964 and Mexico 1968 ndash winning a total of five Olympic medals includ-ing Olympic champion in 1964
RECORD BREAKINGhellip In 2009 the formidable partnership of The Nether-lands Edward Gal and Moorlands Totilas smashed the world Freestyle record before a packed house with Windsor Castle standing proudly as a backdrop when scoring 9070 (including an unbelievable 29 perfect-10 scores) to win the Freestyle gold medal
Believe it or nothellip
bull GermanyhaswontheEuropeanDressage TeamTitleon21occasions
bull Thegreatestnumberofteamstoparticipate inEuropeanDressageChampionshipsis 14-atHickstead(GBR)in2003andagainat Hagen(GER)in2005
bull GermanysDrReinerKlimkewonthreeindi vidualtitles-atAachenin1967ridingDux andagainin1973ridingMehmedandat Copenhagenin1985ridingAhlerich
bull WithGigoloGermanysIsabellWerthtook theindividualtitlein1995and1997and wontheGrandPrixSpecialatDonaueschingen Germanyin1991andatLipicaSloveniain 1993
bull AnkyvanGrunsvenhasthreewinstoher namendashin1999withBonfirefollowedbythe backtobackwinswithSalineroin2005and 2007
17-21 August 2011
Rotterdam Netherland
FeI eUroPeaN
DressaGeChaMPIoNshIPs
20
LIVE coverage on
These are the second FEI European Para-Equestrian Dressage Championships to be held since Para-Equestrian joined the FEI Family in 2006 Para-Equestrian Dressage has been a regular fixture at the Paralympic Games since 1996 The first FEI European Para-Equestrian Dressage Championships were held in southern Norwegian town of Kristiansand in 2009 with a total of 78 ath-letes from 22 countries participating
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERS
Team Great Britain
Grade Ia Individual - Sophie Christiansen (GBR) Freestyle - Emma Sheardown (GBR)
Grade Ib Individual amp Freestyle Lee Pearson (GBR)
Grade II Individual - Petra Van der Sande (NED) Freestyle - Angelika Trabert (GER)
Grade III Individual amp Freestyle
Hannelore Brenner (GER)
Grade IV Individual amp Freestyle Sophie Wells (GBR)
The mobility strength and coordination of competi-tors are assessed and athletes with similar functional ability profiles are grouped into competition grades that range from Grade Ia for the most severely im-paired to Grade IV for the least impaired This means that the competition within each Grade can be judged on the skill of the individual competitors on their horses regardless of their disabilities
CLUB qUADRILLEMoorsele has been host to a regular international Para-Equestrian Dressage events for the past few years with the Club Quadrille as organiser The Club Quadrille was founded in 1981 by Anne Van Neste-dIeteren Belgian Dressage Champion from 1977 un-til 1982 current President of the Belgian Paralympic Committee and member of the FEI Para-Equestrian committee It is a unique sports club that works with both able bodied and disabled athletes and is active in the promotion and education of the sport As member of the honorary IPC Board Her Royal Highness (HRH) Princess Astrid of Belgium has been a fervent supporter of the event and has attended on many occasions
Believe it or nothellip
bull LeePearson(GBR)haswoneverygold medalwithinreachatParalympicWorld andContinentallevelandtheEuropeans in2009werenodifferentwithanother triplegoldvictory
bull GreatBritainalsohavetheMidastouch whenitcomestoteammedalsndashandarethe currentParalympicWorldandEuropean titleholders
bull In2009Germanycamecloserthanever totakingthegoldmedalfromall-time championGreatBritain
1-4 September 2011
Moorsele Belgium
FeI eUroPeaN
Para-eqUestrIaNDressaGeChaMPIoNshIPs
21FOCUS
A record number of fans are expected to attend the HSBC FEI European Eventing Championships as they return to Luhmuumlhlen for the fifth time to mark the 30th edition of the ChampionshipsThe FEI European Eventing Championships take place every two years in the middle of the Olympic cycle and have been held since 1953
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERSTeam ndash Great BritainIndividual ndash Kristina CookMiners Frolic (GBR)
OLyMPIC qUALIFICATIONThe 2 best ranked nations from Groups A B amp C at the 2011 HSBC FEI European Eventing Champion-ships (excluding the teams already qualified at WEG) will be qualified to take part with a team consisting of 3 athletes amp 3 horses
THE VENUELuhmuumlhlen one of only six 4 events on the interna-tional Eventing calendar and part of the prestigious HSBC FEI Classicstrade series will greet Europersquos best athletes with a fresh look and feel this year following extensive renovation to the existing infrastructures The recently renovated showground includes three Dressage and two Jumping arenas a tribune able to seat 850 spectators with spectacular views as well as a newly designed entrance including six ticket box facilities and fully catered trade stands The show-ground also boasts an open air stage with space for up to 15000 spectators ldquoI am confident that the in-vestment in the infrastructure will be of great benefit to all involved whether you are a volunteer a groom an athlete ndash both the horses and the riders - as well as for the sponsors guests spectators and the fans We are re-ally looking forward to great competitions this year at both the CCI4CIC3 in June and at the Europeans in August and hope many will join us to witness this historic momentrdquo Julia Otto Event Director Luhmuumlhlen
HSBCHSBC has renewed their sponsorship for a further three-year term as global sponsor of FEI Eventing to include title sponsorships of the HSBC FEI European Eventing Championships in both 2011 and 2013 and the HSBC FEI Classicstrade until the end of 2013
OFFICIAL TIMEPIECE Rolex the leading name in luxury wrist watches will be the Official Timekeeper for the HSBC FEI European Eventing Championships 2011
Believe it or nothellip
bull GinnyElliot(bornHolgate)theonlyrider towinthreesuccessiveindividualtitlesand IanStarkholdthejointrecordforEuropean goldmedalswonndashseveneachbutLucinda Greenstillhasthemostmedals(10)
bull SupremeRockriddenbyPippaFunnell (GBR)istheonlyhorsetowinback-to-back titles(in1999and2001)hehasfour Europeangoldmedalsintotalequalingthe recordofKilbarryThePoacherandOver ToYouwhowonarecordfourconsecutive Europeanteamgolds(1999-2005)
bull PrincessAnneandZaraPhillipsaretheonly mother-daughtercombinationtowin Europeantitles(1971and2005)
bull GreatBritainhaveheldtheEuropeantitle forthepast8consecutiveChampionships (since1995)Andofthe29editionstodate (startingin1953)theteamhavewona whopping21
25-28 August 2011
Luhmuumlhlen Germany
hsBC FeI eUroPeaN
eVeNtINGChaMPIoNshIPs LIVE coverage on
22
In September Breda Hippique in The Netherlands will be host to the seventh edition of the FEI Euro-pean Driving Championships for Four-in-Hand not held since 1981 This edition is open to both Euro-pean and non-European drivers and will also count as a qualifier for the indoor FEI World Cuptrade Driv-ing which is held during the winter season Only competitors from Europe can claim the individual and team medalsThe FEI European Driving Championships for Four-in-Hand were first held in 1971 in Budapest and continued to be held every two years until 1981 at which stage they were discontinued
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERSTeam ndash HungaryIndividual ndash Gyoumlrgyi Bardos (HUN)
SOMETHING IN THE WATERhellip Hungary have won five out of six available team European titles and on the individual front two Hungarians stand out from the crowd Imre Abony ndash individual winner in 1971 and 1975 and Gyoumlrgyi Bardos triple consecutive winner in 1977 1979 1981
IN THE BEGINNINGhellipThe first European Championships took place in Budapest in 1971 and moved on to Windsor in Great Britain in 1973 Sopot in Poland in 1975 Donauesch-ingen in Germany in 1977 and in Haras du Pin in France in 1979 The sixth and last edition took place in 1981 in Zug Switzerland
THE VENUEBreda has hosted the only Nations competition (CAIO) for Four-in-Hand horses in The Netherlands for many years In 1995 Breda hosted the first FEI European Driving Championships for Four-in-Hand ponies and in 2010 was host to the FEI World Para-Equestrian Driving Championships Aside from the four-in-hand teams Breda will also host international pony teams and national horse pairs at the event this year
Believe it or nothellip
bull Hungaryhavewonfiveoutofsixteamgold titles
bull AugusteDubeyfromSwitzerlandwasthe onlynon-HungarianEuropeanChampion hewontheChampionshipsin1973
bull PrincePhilipFEIPresidentfrom1964- 1986whocelebratedhis90thbirhtday inJuneisanavidfanofDrivingandpartici- patedinsixWorldandthreeEuropean Championships
1-4 September 2011
Breda Netherland
FeI eUroPeaN
DrIVINGChaMPIoNshIPsfor FoUr-IN-haND
Note At the time of writing the FEI European DrivingChampionships for Four in Hand was pending approvalby the FEI Bureau
23FOCUS
The 14th edition of the FEI European Endurance Championships return to Florac in France twenty five years after the inaugural event was held there The FEI European Endurance Championships first took place in 1984 and were immediately followed up by a second edition in 1985 and have since been held every two years They have always been open to the world with two sets of medals presented ndash open and European
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERSTeam ndash SpainIndividual ndash Maria Alvarez Ponton amp Nobby
RECORD BREAKINGCurrent title holder Maria Alvarez Ponton amp super horse Nobby is the first rider to hold European and World titles at the same time She will be looking to confirm her stronghold on the sport following her second consecutive World title with a second con-secutive European title in Florac a feat no rider has managed to achieve at the Europeans to date
THE VET GATEModern competitions consist of a number of sec-tions known as lsquophasesrsquo At the end of each phase there is a compulsory halt for veterinary inspection Each horse which is thoroughly examined before it is allowed to start the ride must be presented for inspection within a set time of reaching each vetgate The time spent at each vetgate prior to inspection by the vets is counted as part of the overall competition time and the aim is to determine whether the horse is fit to continue the ride
THE SUPPORT CREWA vital part of Endurance riding is the support crew Riders are assisted by a team of helpers who meet them several times over the ride bringing bottles of water to pour over the horse to cool it down as well as a drink for the rider Crews also have spare equipment in case something breaks down or needs replacing
Believe it or nothellip
bull TheFrenchhavethemedaledgewith6 individualand4teamgoldmedalsfrom the14editionsheld
bull Floracistheonlyvenuetohostthe EuropeanChampionshipstwice(thefirst editionin1984andtheupcomingedition in2011)
bull EnduranceisthefastestgrowingFEI disciplinefrom2000to2010thenumber ofinternationaleventshavemultipliedby10
10 September 2011
Florac France
FeI eUroPeaN
eNDUraNCeChaMPIoNshIPs
24
Reem Acra Boutique 14 East 60th St New York New York 10022 2123088760 wwwreemacracom
356935B2_RA_brochure2_souvenir_programmeindd 1 82710 1012 AM
Vaulting became an FEI discipline in 1983 and saw its first FEI European Championship organised just one year later in the town of Ebreichsdorf in Austria This 15th edition of the Championship ndash which also includes the European Juniors competition return to France for the 4th time but for the first time in the world renowned venue of Le Mans famous for its 24 hour race
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERS
Team ndash Austria
Individual malelongeurhorseNicolas Andreani (FRA)Marina Joosten DuponIdefix de Braize
Individual femalelongeurhorseJoanna Eccles (GBR)John EcclesWH Bentley
THE WIND OF CHANGEGermany and Switzerland have traditionally bat-tled for the team title (Germany has 7 gold versus Switzerlandrsquos 5) but in 2009 Austria who had come second on four occasions since the inception of the Championships in 1984 finally climbed onto the top spot of the podium and claimed the title In terms of the individual performances Germany had the stronghold on the male category winning 11 out of 14 gold medals But again in 2009 France the only other country to have ever beaten a German male vaulter at the Europeans made it to the top spot of the podium for only the third time since the Championships began
Similarly with the female vaulters it was an all German domination until 2007 when Austriarsquos Sissi Jarz claimed gold followed by Joanna Eccles (GBR) in 2009 ndash leaving Germany off the top step of the podium entirely in 2009
GREAT BRITAIN ndash A VAULTING NATIONhellip Times have definitely changed from the Swiss German domination with current World and European titles held by Great Britainrsquos Joanna Eccles She was the first British vaulter (male or female) to claim a medal at the Europeans ndash let alone a gold medal - and then went on to secure the world title in Kentucky last year
Believe it or nothellip
bull TheonlycountryotherthanGermanyand SwitzerlandtohaveclaimedaEuropean VaultingtitleisSlovakiain2005
bull ChristophLensing(GER)holdsthemale medalrecordndashwiththreegold(19891993 amp1995)aswellassilverin1991
bull NadiaZuumllowandSilkeMichelberger (formerlyBernhard)withthreegoldmedals each
16-21 August 2011
Le Mans France
FeI eUroPeaN
VaULtINGChaMPIoNshIPs
26
This is only the fifth edition of the European Reining Championships since the discipline joined the FEI in 2000 and the first time they will be held in Austria The event also includes the FEI European Champi-onships for Juniors and Young Riders ndash a formula introduced in 2009 in Kreuth (GER) which proved to be a multigenerational success The FEI European Reining Championships take place every two years and have been held since 2003
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERSTeam ndash GermanyIndividual ndash Nina Lill (GER) riding Lena Cielo Jewel
THE JUDGINGReining horses are judged individually Each horse au-tomatically begins the required pattern with a score of 70 One or frac12 points are given or taken away for each manoeuvre Credit is given for smoothness fi-nesse attitude quickness and authority Controlled speed in the pattern raises the level of difficulty and makes the reining horse exciting to watch
Believe it or nothellip
bull ItalyandGermanyaretheonlytwonations tohavewongoldmedalsndashGermanyhas3 teamgoldand2individualgoldversus Italyrsquossingleteamgoldandtwoindividual gold
bull GermanyrsquosNinaLillwinnerin2009was thefirstwomantotaketheindividualtitle sincetheChampionshipsbeganin2003
bull OlympicWorldandEuropeanDressage ChampionAnkyVanGrunsven(NED) competedattheAlltechFEIWorldEques- trianGamestradein2010inbothDressageand hellipReining
bull 13nationswerescheduledtoattendthe Championshipatthetimeofwritingthe largestparticipationbycountryever recordedfortheEuropeans
26-30 July 2011
Wiener Neustadt Austria
FeI eUroPeaN
reININGChaMPIoNshIPs
27FOCUS
ldquoThirty-one yearsrsquo experience comes in handy some-timesrdquo joked the ever-relaxed Todd who was a leg-end by the time he ldquoretiredrdquo in 2000 with back-to-back Olympic golds five Burghley wins two world gold medals and three Badminton victories one on a horse he had never ridden before ldquoIt is incredibly special though right up there with the back-to-back Olympic golds When I came back to the sport (in 2008) it was to see if I could get back to top level It has always been my aim to win another big onerdquo
A World class meeting of Generations
The 2011 HSBC FEI Classicstrade could not have got off to a more epic start with wins at Badminton and Kentucky by two of the sportrsquos most enduring personalitiesThe 55-year-old New Zealander Mark Todd rolled back the years to score a fourth victory at the Gloucestershire venue 31 years after his first attempt in 1980
By Kate Green
28
HSBC FEI ClassicsTm
The resurgence of so much experienced talent makes it harder for younger riders to work their way up the leaderboard but 29-year-old Sinead Halpin (USA) had a spectacular CCI4 debut at Kentucky finish-ing third and best of the home side in distinguished company This achievement earned her the HSBC Training Bursary worth US$1000 towards training a prestigious and valuable award presented to the rider who achieves the best result on completing a CCI4 for the first time
The bursary winner at Badminton Fiona Hobby (GBR) 39 has had a rather longer wait to complete
her first CCI4 ndash she was 26th on Roma ML ndash but she has in the meantime produced two children had a career as a sports therapist and only switched from Jumping to Eventing relatively recently Hobby has vowed to spend the money on dressage train-ing ldquoRoma couldnrsquot believe it when she arrived in the arena and saw all those people but she was great across country really focussed Irsquom delightedrdquo
For Germanyrsquos Sandra Auffarth Luhmuumlhlen pro-vided an outstanding CCI4 debut on Opgun Louvo a young horse she has produced herself coming second and picking up the HSBC Training Bursary and the exciting prospect of a possible place in the squad for the forthcoming HSBC FEI European Event-ing Championship at Luhmuumlhlen (25-28 August) at which Germany as host nation will be entitled to field 12 riders
Last yearrsquos HSBC Training Bursary winners include Stephanie Rhodes-Bosch (CAN) who went on to win a team silver medal at the Alltech FEI World Equestri-an Gamestrade Lauren Shannon (GBR) who finished 17th at Badminton this year and Giovanni Ugolotti (ITA) who is furthering his career by basing himself in Brit-ain for the season and having lessons with Mark Todd
LIVE coverage and extensive highlights available on
Toddrsquos winning mount the 10-year-old NZB Land Vision was a green horse for this level and he fin-ished the Cross-Country phase tired but his rider kept his cool in an extraordinarily tight finish in which the price of one Jumping fence covered the top 12 riders any of whom could with a bit of luck have won the Mitsubishi Motors Trophy ldquoIn the end it came down to horse-power and Irsquove obviously got a good one hererdquo said Todd ldquoCharisma (his double Olympic gold medallist) will always be the most special horse but this one has no weak linksrdquo
As is the nature of the sport Toddrsquos lead in the HSBC FEI Classicstrade didnrsquot last long ndash he came down to earth with a bump the following weekend with a Cross-Country run-out on NZB Grass Valley his ride at the Rolex Kentucky Three Day Event (USA) and 49- year-old Mary King (GBR) stole the head-lines with a record one-two on Kings Mis-tress and Fernhill Urco It was Kingrsquos first CCI4 victory for 11 years ndash she has won Badminton twice and Burghley once ndash but she certainly smashed a few re-cords with this one She became the first rider to score a one-two at Kentucky the first in modern times to win a CCI4 on a home-bred horse and the oldest female to win a CCI4
King who has six team gold medals at World and European level plus competed at five consecutive Olympics had the luxury of knowing she had already won the event on the inexperienced 10-year-old Fernhill Urco a horse bred in Portugal by the time she entered the arena on Kings Mistress but she still produced a second clear round ldquoI never dreamed that I would be in this position and Irsquom enjoying the momentrdquo said the ever-smiling King ldquoIt was great to have the feeling of having already won on Fernhill Urco but I still wanted desperately to go clear on Kings Mistress as it is so special to win on a horse I bred myselfrdquo It was also an all clear from Germanyrsquos Andreas Dibowski and Euroriding Butts Leon in order to secure victory at the fourth leg of the HSBC FEItrade
Classicstrade in Luhmuumlhlen presented by EON Avacon
29FOCUS
The Danish-American actorpoet musician photographerand painter has been around horses most of his life from riding Hasufel and Brego in The Lord of the Rings trilogy to early childhood memories in Argentina his passion for floating as he describes it has never wavered
What is it about the horse that makes you a horse loverWe get along generally I respect their strength and their personal space Your first riding experience ndash was it bliss or terrorLike floating like being on a warm and floating mountain I remember being happy Do you think anyone can rideYes It is a question of allowing yourself to ride of allowing yourself to cooperate and not be in total control Children are more adept at figuring this out letting things happen without getting impatient or scared just as they are braver and less self-conscious about pronouncing new words or singing Anyone at any age or in any physical condition can
Viggo Mortensen
achieve a degree of success and satisfaction with horses even if it is just a question of touching them being near them If horses could talk what would they be sayingYou will know if you listen and watch them Is there a unique trait you look for in a horse that you canrsquot find in peopleThey are more patient and less apt to complain about lifersquos setbacks and physical ailments than most people I admire a tough smart horse what-ever its breed age or size What would you miss most if you could no longer go ridingThe companionship and the floating perhaps also the abandonment of usual daily worries that relaxed riding requires Whatrsquos your usual riding outfit consist ofAnything will do Loose-fitting clothes and good comfortable boots are a plus but not vital I have even ridden barefoot ndash naturally taking care to avoid being stepped on when not on the horse - but I do not recommend this to anyone The most important thing is to have a clear and focused mind to be THERE at all times when around horses and NOWHERE ELSE Sugar lumps or carrotsIrsquove been guilty of offering an occasional apple or carrot although it is best not to give horses anything special unless treats are part of training them for special tricks or stunts a pursuit best left to experts like master horse trainer Rex Peterson whom Irsquove had the good fortune to work with and study quite a bit Treats spoil horses and do not keep the animal focused on the task at hand Whatrsquos your favourite part of a horseThe brain What do you think young people gain from ridingSelf-confidence and an understanding of the value of cooperation
30
Why the long face
When did you first develop the bond with the horseThe first time I got on one as a little boy in ArgentinaYou either develop a bond of some kind or you fall off Of course you may even fall off if you develop the bond but you have to start (and restart) somewhere
Did your friends ride My brothers also rode and I have ridden with many kinds of people over the years ndash some good and patient with horses and some not If I had not rid-den as a boy I would probably have been wandering around fishing imagining I was a cowboy or an Indian or a Viking ndash which I did anyway Where in the world would you most like to rideMost anywhere will do but I have been extremely lucky to have ridden in many wide-open wild places ndash deserts grassy plains mountains by different seas and rivers in Argentina New Zealand North Africa and North America If you could spend one afternoon riding with a famous person (past or present)who would it be and whyIrsquoll give you 3 Oglala chief Tasunke Witko (Crazy Horse) my ancestor William F Cody or any real Gaucho from the province of Chaco Argentina
Two horses go out for dinner what kindof restaurant do they chooseLate spring grass near a slow-moving clean river with a gentle firm shoreline an hour before sun-down far from any people or other animals All time favourite horse filmI have a subjective soft spot for the stories and real horses involved in the making of ldquoHidalgordquo and the 2nd and 3rd installments of ldquoThe Lord Of The Ringsrdquo trilogy but I admire other ldquohorse moviesrdquo as wellThe 1953 French movie ldquoCrin-Blancrdquo (ldquoWhite Manerdquo) directed by Albert Lamorisse is a personal favourite
After three years at the head of the successful French Jumping team with back to back FEI Nations Cuptrade titles and a silver medal at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade Laurent Elias is moving on to new spheres with the French Horse amp Riding Institute where he will be training the riders of the National Riding School in Saumur
Laurent Elias
copy C
hris
toph
e Br
icot
32
The other side of
If I had not become a professional rider I would havehellipmade a career in a humanitarian organisation Horse riding is sometimes too trivial
My priority in life ishellipto be able to look at myself in the mirror in the morning and make sure I am at peace with my conscience
My familyhellipkeeps me grounded My wife helped me a lot when I was in charge of selections for France She took charge of my personal life and was the first person I called when we got the medal in Lexington I also admire my parents for the values they passed on to me
I remember my first ridingexperiencehellipaged six we were shooting a family film and I was on horseback I finished upside down under my horse for a long time I stopped riding for one year
I used to dream abouthellipsafaris One of my uncles was passionate about safaris Through him I became very interested in African trips and the jobs that allow you to travel as a reporter were fascinating to me as well
I have been thinking a lot abouthellipwhat happened in Japan these past few months First this tsunami that devastated everything without warning then the nuclear disaster It made me think that progress should not be destructive
My horse Gueacutenourhellipchanged my life I was just a coach and he brought me to the top I won the national championship in 1981 with him
My biggest challengehas always beenhellipshyness Horse riding has really helped me over-come it Horses brought me on stage and there I had to meet people
As a Chef dEquipehellipthere is no single defining achievement itrsquos all about the solidarity and the moments spent together as a team Irsquoll never forget the first time Penelope Leprevost rode her mare Jubileacutee drsquoOuilly in the FEI Nations Cuptrade of Rotterdam McLain Ward had just completed a real fast run with Sapphire We thought the Americans would win but she did it faster and beat Sapphire
In terms of eventshellipAachen is my favourite competition - for its won-derful organisation But we have also pretty good five star competitions in France
I donrsquot sleep muchhellipprobably because I am just happy to be alive
Irsquom not scared to laugh or cryhellipI laugh at the funny situations we sometimes find ourselves in life and enjoy people with quirky personalities I cry when I see others in pain
Laurent Elias and the French team en route to the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade copy PSV-Jean Morel
33FOCUS
Nicolas TheacutevenazAged 23 studies Robotics and Autonomous Systems Micro Engineering in Lausanne (SUI) alongside regular training and competition in Dressage and Para-Equestrian Dressage events Born with spastic diplegia Nicolas was introduced to horses via hippotherapy aged seven and quickly developed a passion for riding which not only helped with his physical condition but also taught him through Dressage the art of patience and perseverance
34
One day
Nicolas TheacutevenazAged 23 studies Robotics and Autonomous Systems Micro Engineering in Lausanne (SUI) alongside regular training and competition in Dressage and Para-Equestrian Dressage events Born with spastic diplegia Nicolas was introduced to horses via hippotherapy aged seven and quickly developed a passion for riding which not only helped with his physical condition but also taught him through Dressage the art of patience and perseverance
He has been fortunate to meet the right people (and horses) at the right time and has been working for the past five years with trainer Vicky-Eileen Baumann (pictured right) and her horses Magic and Lady (pictured right) ldquoShersquos bred them and knows them inside out which is very useful when I have to communicate with them - they know my voice intonations and a whole string of specific words or sounds ndash which really helps as my body canrsquot or doesnrsquot always have the strength to do sordquo
As a Grade II Para-Equestrian rider Nicolas competes in Para-Equestrian Dressage (PED) events as well as national events for able bodied riders as there are only a handful of PED riders and no events in Switzerland
Unable to attend the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade 2010 in Kentucky last year Nicolas and Vicky have their sights firmly set on the 2012 Para-lympic Games and will be looking to qualify with Lady over the next 12 months ndash alongside exams studies and everything else life has to offerhellip Who is your role model For different reasons I have different role mod-els Edward Gal Dane Rawlins Isabel Werth and Catherine Haddad
When did you start riding and why At age 7 I was sat on a horse for hippotherapy and liked the complicity with the horse which made me want to discover more
How do you feel when you ride Concentrated and industrious
Who is your biggest fan My trainerrsquos mum
Complete this sentenceOne day I would like tohellip have gained enough knowledge to be able to take care of and train my own horse
What are your long term goals as a rider Continue to do my best to enjoy what I do and show others itrsquos possible
How do you juggle studies and competition I think itrsquos really important to have goals and to do everything you can to achieve them and that includes taking on challenges because if you donrsquot try then yoursquoll never know what you could have achieved
What is your proudest achievement to date Participation in international events together with pursuing my studies
How do you feel after winning Still working towards discovering the feeling
What is the best advice anyone has ever given youMy trainer often repeats to me the famous saying by General LrsquoHotte ldquoCalme en avant droitrdquo which says so much about riding but can also be applied to so many other aspects of life
35FOCUS
What advice would you give someone looking to get involved in Para-Equestrian Dressage Train and ride with able-bodied athletes as often as possible Being around and working with horses is so rewarding Irsquod like - when Irsquom retired - to write a book to share these feelings with others and hope this will inspire them to get involved
Complete this sentenceIn the future I would like the sport to beeven ldquocleanerrdquo and fairer and if possible not more but less demanding on the horses
ldquoLast but not least Irsquod like to take the opportunity of this article to reach out to those who give me their trust and help be it with their time their friendship and any type of support Day after day to year after year team work is essential and Irsquoll do my best to continue deserving every-onersquos encouraging smilesrdquo
European Broadcasting Union
Union Europeacuteenne de Radio-Teacuteleacutevision
+41 (0)22 717 2111 wwweurovisionnet
We bring the event to your home
Eurovision
copy K
it H
ough
ton
FE
I
FEI_08_A4indd 1 03012008 162238
European Broadcasting Union
Union Europeacuteenne de Radio-Teacuteleacutevision
+41 (0)22 717 2111 wwweurovisionnet
We bring the event to your home
Eurovision
copy K
it H
ough
ton
FE
I
FEI_08_A4indd 1 03012008 162238
Nominations for the FEI Awards opened in May enabling the global equestrian com-munity to once again reward outstanding dedication to horse sport in five categories ndash Development Best Groom Against All Odds Rising Star and Best Athlete The search for the equestrian heroes of 2011 is now on who will be flown to Rio de Janeiro Brazil to receive their awards
Where are they now The FEI asked the current title-holders for an update on their activities
Follow us on
38
FEI Awards 2011
Ebony Horse Club (GBR)Winner of the Alltech FEI DevelopmentAward 2010
The Ebony Horse Club announced in December 2010 that after an eight-year fundraising effort it had the pound14 million necessary for building an equestrian cen-tre in one of Londonrsquos most deprived boroughs Since 1996 Ebony has offered youngsters in an area reput-ed for its gang culture high level of gun crime and drug dealing the chance to ride and learn key social skills The clubrsquos 50 members travel to riding schools across London on public transport or in minibuses ndash a logistical headache that the inner-city equestrian centre will end Construction work began in February
Ebony Horse Club founder and director Ros Spear-ing told the FEI ldquoRiding lessons are continuing and the club is preparing for the transitionrdquo Building will finish on 7 July but the centre will open for riding lessons in October ldquoThe horses will be brought to Brixton in the summer and will have time to acclimatise to their new environmentrdquo Spearing said The centre will include stabling for nine horses a small paddock and a flood-lit riding arena as well as a classroom for learning about horses and equine management Spearing is adamant that club members ndash present and future ndash care for their rides and wants the centre to serve as a stepping stone to careers in the horse industry
Ebonyrsquos existence will continue to depend on the generosity of donors For more information visit wwwebonyhorsecluborguk
Michelle Tipper (GBR)Winner of the FEI Best Groom Award 2010
Michelle Tipper has continued to juggle grooming and study since receiving her FEI Award in Novem-ber She has organised the grooms for the British European Junior and Young Dressage teams and in April her contract as a travelling groom for British Dressage riders Paul and Bobby Hayler took her to Addington for the first of many international com-petitions she will work at this year The Haylers have eight horses competing and the number she works with at each venue varies Tipper has also been help-ing British Dressage riders Nicky and Richard Barrett with yard duties ldquoI feel very lucky to work for both of these familiesrdquo said the FEI Best Groom Award win-ner adding that she feels part of the two families In March Tipper graduated from university with a Masters in Sport Psychology She is now working towards British Association of Sport and Exercise Science accreditation which requires at least 500 hoursrsquo supervised work experience and is present-ing sport psychology workshops in conjunction with the company Inside Performance Consulting Limit-ed (wwwinside-performancecom) The workshops are organised internationally for people of all ages from any sport To find out more contact Tipper at michelletipper1979yahoocom
39FOCUS
Michelle Tipper ndash copyWilliam TzengAward winners ndash copyWilliam TzengCaroline Roffman ndash copySharonPackercomEbony Horse Club ndash copyEbony Horse ClubEdward Gal and Totilas ndash copyKit HoughtonFEIAngelika Trabert ndash copyJulia Rau
Angelika Trabert (GER)Winner of the FEI Against All Odds Award 2010
German Para-Dressage rider Angelika Trabert has represent-ed her country at four Paralympic Games and won some 15 medals at national European and world championships She is currently seeking a new home for Londria the mare that con-tributed to her Team Silver medal win at the Hong Kong Para-lympics Londria who had a foal last year was also Trabertrsquos ride during her medal-winning performances at the European Championships in Hungary (2005) and Norway (2009)
Trabert said her decision to let go of Londria was hard to make but was necessary for financial reasons She will keep the foal Finaud Coquin and her mares Walmorel and Ariva-Avanti Trabert won the Para-Dressage Grade 2 Freestyle Champion-ship at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade with Ariva and said the horse was ldquowell and ready to go for the Europeans again in Belgium in September if we qualifyrdquo Trabert competed in her first international competition of 2011 in May in Man-nheim Germany where she came first in the Grade II indi-vidual and second in the freestyle She is taking part in the German Championships in June
Away from the equestrian world Trabert works as an anaes-thetist and has participated in medical missions in the rural ar-eas of Guinea for the organisation Mango In January she was back in Guinea as part of team that carried out 100 operations in 13 days wwwangelika-trabertde
Visit the recently refreshed FEI Awards website to find out more about the Awards the pastwinners the judges and to make yournominationsby 31 July
wwwfeiawardsorg
40
Caroline Roffman (USA)Winner of the HSBC FEI Rising StarAward 2010
Success continues to smile on twenty-two-year-old American Dressage rider Caroline Roffman Since re-ceiving the HSBC FEI Rising Star Award she has en-joyed numerous wins at small tour and young horse levels achieving scores in the mid-eighties and quali-fying two horses for the young horse championships
Roffman is currently showing six horses and has won several classes at PSG and Grand Prix level ldquoBut nothing is as exciting as to be going to Aachenrdquo said the young woman who has been described as the American Dressage communityrsquos brightest hope ex-plaining that at the FEI Awards ceremony in Chinese Taipei Frank Kemperman FEI Dressage Committee Chair and Chairman of the Managing Board at CHIO Aachen (GER) invited her to take part in the pres-tigious event Roffman will be the first American to compete in the Under 25 Grand Prix there and is hop-ing to take her horse Lux Stensvang
An interview with Caroline Roffman at the Palm Beach Dressage Derby CDI will be broadcast on the magazine programme Equestrian World on FEI TV the FEIrsquos official online video platform wwwfeitvorg
Edward Gal and Totilas (NED)Winners of the Reem Acra FEI Best Athlete Award 2010
The world-famous partnership of Dutch Dressage rider Edward Gal and the extraordinary Totilas ended in style in 2010 with notably three gold medal wins at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade
The first foal sired by the superstar stallion was born in January followed by two more in the spring Gal who has admired the foals told the FEI ldquoYou never know ndash maybe in a few yearsrsquo time Irsquoll have another Totilas readyrdquo At the beginning of April he was busy at home training nine horses and preparing for the Reem Acra FEI World Cuptrade Dressage Final in Leipzig and the European Championships in Rotterdam He had not yet decided which horses he was going to compete with but was particularly looking forward to the Freestyle to Music Asked what it was like to compete without Totilas Gal said ldquoEverybody ex-pected Totilas to win I find it easier to ride other horses because nobody expects me to win and when I do itrsquos really nicerdquo
41FOCUS
globetrotter
Seal of approval for the Adai horseSixty years have passed since an Adai horse reportedly set a record galloping 354km in one day Today the Adai horse a breed na-tive to Kazakhstan is back in the spotlight with a gold medal at the FEI Central Asian Endurance Championship in Talgaearlier in May only months after having been award-ed official pedigree status following tests
conducted by a State Commission in the Mangistau Steppes which allowed itto compete internationally The horses are cherished for their hardiness and Oyly ridden by Altyngali Bissemaganbetov (KAZ) proved just that when crossing the finishing line first demonstrating just how tough the Adai horses are and the beginning of a new era for sturdy breed on the international stage
Equestrian Australia Sport
Achievement Awards
In May the best of the best in
Equestrian sport gathered to cel-
ebrate the achievements of Austral-
iarsquos athletes coaches officials vets
administrators owners volunteers
and the many other people that
dedicate their time and enthusiasm
to equestrian sport The ceremony
also included the introduction of
Equestrian Australiarsquos Hall of
Fame won by the legendary Bill
Roycroft Boyd Exell winner of
the FEI World CupTM Driving
Final was awarded the interna-
tional athlete of the year
award
Kevin Stautbecomes first athlete representative on FEI
executive board
Kevin Staut one of Francersquos most successful Jumping riders became the first athlete to be appointed to the FEI Executive Board for a three-year term Staut (31) who has held the number one spot in the Rolex Rankings for Jumping since July 2010 has ridden on numerous Nations Cup teams for France and claimed individual gold at the Alltech FEI European Jumping Championships in 2009
HulA CARTSWorld Horse Welfare has greatly helped the liv
es of
five Senegalese cart horse owners by presenting them
with new Hula Carts The local people who depend on
their working horses for their livelihoods were specially
selected by the charity to receive the carts which have
been sponsored by members of the public in the uK
The Hula Carts are specifically developed to help the
horses pulling heavy loads in often difficult conditions
Equestrian Australia Sport
Achievement Awards
In May the best of the best in
Equestrian sport gathered to cel-
ebrate the achievements of Austral-
iarsquos athletes coaches officials vets
administrators owners volunteers
and the many other people that
dedicate their time and enthusiasm
to equestrian sport The ceremony
also included the introduction of
Equestrian Australiarsquos Hall of
Fame won by the legendary Bill
Roycroft Boyd Exell winner of
the FEI World CupTM Driving
Final was awarded the interna-
tional athlete of the year
award
Olympic legendBill Roycroft passes away aged 96
A legend of Equestrian sport in Australia James William
George Roycroft OBE known as ldquoBillrdquo was one of Austral-
iarsquos greatest Olympians and one of only five Australians to
have competed in five consecutive Olympic Games (from
1960 - 1976) as well as being Australiarsquos oldest medallist
and oldest competitor at 61 years and 31 days In May 2011
Bill was inducted in Equestrian Australiarsquos inaugural Hall
of Fame ndash he was Australiarsquos oldest living Olympian and
shared his dedication and enthusiasm for the sport with
his sons Barry Wayne and Clarke (See a brief description
of his exploits in the 1960 Olympic Games Memory Lane
article page 9 which catapulted Australiarsquos reputation as
one of the best Eventing teams in the world)
webinfofeiFEI web wizard Nicole Sigrist has added a new hub for the Press on wwwfeiorg called FEI Press Kits located in the Media section of the website The Press Kits zone which is also open to the general public is regularly updated with infor-mation relating to FEI series and specific events with flip books and downloadable PDFs as well as direct links to the Photo Catalogue the Rankings and Standings the Annual Report and more
100thanniversary for Finnish riding club
One of the three found-ing member clubs of
the Finnish Equestrian Federation the Suomen
Kenttaumlratsastusseura-Finska Faumlltrittklubbenon celebrates
its 100th anniversary in 2011 Magnus Rydman former President of the Finnish National Federation and Presi-dent of the FEI from 1935 ndash 1946 was one of the founders of the club Another of the founders of the oldest club in Fin-land was the Eventing rider Colonel Hans Olof von Essen whose fifth place at the Antwerpen Olympic Games re-mains the best Olympic equestrian result the country has ever achieved
Follow us on
43FOCUS
Interview with the President of the Brazilian Equestrian Federation Mr Luiz Roberto Giugni
The Brazilian Equestrian Federation has been a member Federation of the FEI for 75 years how has the sport developed over that time We were facing regular growth (average of 25 in the last decade) but in the last three to four years this rate has significantly increased up to 35 a year We believe that this is due to international achievements (two Jumping Olympic team bronze medals the individual Olympic Jumping gold medal won by Rodrigo Pessoa several Pan Am Jumping team gold medals recent Olympic pre-qualification in Kentucky (4th in the world in Jumping) and the organisations of a Global Champions Tour event in Brazil
In terms of developing the sport what are the most successful projects you have undertaken in recent yearsWe decided to invest in education and have hired international trainers for all the disciplines such as Jean Maurice Bonneau for Jumping Nick Turner for Eventing Eric Lette for Dressage Jean Louis Leclerc for Endurance Mattias Lang for Vaulting with the long term in mind that is at least until the end of 2012 and planning towards 2016 when Rio will host the Olympic Games
How popular is equestrian sport with young people in Brazil and how do you compete with some of the bigger sports for their attention Popularization is growing bit by bit in a country
decidedly dominated by soccer ndash being 5 times World Champion makes it a national passion But we are continuously looking to attract TV to our events as this is a huge step towards gaining visibility and popularity Can you tell us about the programmesinitiatives in place for disabled athletes We are actively pursuing this and have achieved really positive results in little time such as the great performances and medals earned at the Para-lympic Games in Hong Kong in 2008 We do this through clinics courses international exchanges of athletes and working alongside our National Paralympic Committee to support us in our efforts
Brazil will be host the FEI General Assembly at the end of the year what do you want all the visiting delegates to remember from their visit That we are more than just a really beautiful and warm country with the ability and capacity to organise great events and that we are committed to putting on the best Olympic Games ever
What are the main objectivesplans for the Brazilian Federation in the lead up to the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games Our NOC is really committed to raising the bar of all the sports to a level never seen before and we are working towards that in terms of our athletes our judges our venues and everything that is related to our sport and the quality of our sport In line with this objective we are providing incen-tives to owners to buy good horses aiming for 2016 and this is going to plan for now We expect to perform well at the upcoming Pan Am Games and Olympics on our trail to 2016
Is there anything else you would like to share with us I would like to thank HRH Princess Haya President of the FEI as well as the Executive Board for all the support that we are getting which has been paramount to the development of equestrian sport in our country
44
President Luiz Roberto GiugniSecretary General Luiz Antonio RoccoMember since 1935
15 members of staff work at the federation
20 regional federations are affiliated tothe Brazilian Equestrian Federation with over 300 member riding clubs
6 000 affiliated riders
91 national events were held in 2010
31 international events were held in 2010
All the FEI disciplines are practiced in BrazilJumping Dressage Eventing Vaulting Reining EnduranceDriving amp Para-Equestrian
14 breeding organisations
There are 58 million horses and ponies in Brazilmaking it the fourth largest equine population in the world
FAC
TS amp
FIG
URE
S
45FOCUS
Dr Gerit Matthesen56 is a private equine practitioner an FEI Vet and a member of the FEI Veterinary Committee He graduated in Veterinary Medicine from Berlin University in 1983 and since 1989 has worked or officiated at some 180 competitions and championships including the last two Olympics and FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade He lives near Frankfurt with his wife Carola and their sons Mike (16) and Lars (14)
46
A life in a day
Dr Gerit Matthesen56 is a private equine practitioner an FEI Vet and a member of the FEI Veterinary Committee He graduated in Veterinary Medicine from Berlin University in 1983 and since 1989 has worked or officiated at some 180 competitions and championships including the last two Olympics and FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade He lives near Frankfurt with his wife Carola and their sons Mike (16) and Lars (14)
I wake up earlier than I need to ndash at around 6am ndash because breakfast time with my family is sacred to me and I can then drive my boys to the village station to take the train to school After two cups of coffee (enough for the day) and a glass of orange juice I read the newspapers then head to my prac-tice offices in our indoor arena I have a quick look at our horses then start work
While I listen to my phone messages I deal with my emails and search the internet for news about veterinary medicine and horse sport I then start planning the dayacutes schedule with Anna my assistant vet
My mobile practice is in a nice fairly rural area in the north of Frankfurt There are lots of horse farms but it is not a classic breeding area like the northern part of Germany There are sport horses as well as pleasure horses I have examination rooms and stables for horses staying or mares foaling in my practice stables Itrsquos not a big clinic which gives me time to work at competitions
After seeing a few small animals in my practice I normally start my field service at 930am In my car I have enough equipment (ultrasound X-ray systems and endoscopical devices) for the dayrsquos examinations and standing procedures We mainly have lameness examinations to do or internal diseases to treat accompanied by routine work like vaccinations or carrying out pre-purchase or health certificate examinations If time allows I go home for a quick lunch but thatrsquos not every day
While Irsquom driving I have time to think and I write down everything that come to mind regarding sport competitions committees and so on You have to write down your thoughts when yoursquore over the age of 50
It is not easy planning my day because any emer-gency can destroy or delay my schedule For all the paperwork and certificates I need a time frame so
I often do that over quiet weekends when there are no competitions During the winter season I am less busy but in summer a lot of weekends are taken over by the competition schedule
I love my work especially in Eventing which is my favourite discipline My wife and I practiced it ndash not up to top level but it was a fine time despite a bro-ken ankle from a fall in 1988 which after 23 years is making walking more and more difficult for me
I like to do my competition work on a friendly but strict basis and I really like to hear riders saying they are treated fairly Over the years I have acquired a lot of experience and met all the officials and riders
Usually when I return home in the late afternoon there are more small animals to see When Irsquove done the dayrsquos paperwork I hope there will be no more emergencies such as cases of colic which usually occur in the early evening
I look forward to getting on my horse which is a beautiful show-jumper I like to ride but Irsquove stopped competing I do dressage jumping and go out into the fields but itrsquos all just for fun now
The day finishes with the family and a nice cold glass of German beer
Itrsquos a struggle to find time to spend with my family and I often have to cancel my holidays with them I am really grateful to my wife and the boys for their understanding of my job and to my assistant vet who covers for me when Iacutem out somewhere in the world of equestrian sport
ldquoThe combination of my profession and beinginvolved in differentaspects of top equestrian sport is my visionrdquo
47FOCUS
Pull your show attire from the closet clean your boots and tack groom the horses hook up and pack the trailer check the clock double check to make sure you have everything put on the shipping boots load your horses and away you drive to the competition venue or to the airport for transport to a distant event
You know the drill well but still you arrive tired per-haps even a bit frazzled Yoursquoll sleep (or try to) the next several nights in an unfamiliar bed or camp out in the living quarters of your trailer You awaken riveted on the competition playing out the dayrsquos classes in your mind wondering how your rides will fare against oth-ers praying that the weather will be cooperate and trying to control your nerves all the while knowing that no matter how well you have prepared many factors are out of your control You may even be in a different time zone
We go through a lot to compete our horses But if you think life on the road is stressful for you think about what itrsquos like for your horses Your back may be a bit sore from driving or being strapped into an airplane seat for hours on end but for horses transportation is far more demanding It is an athletic endeavour re-quiring an expenditure of energy to maintain balance during the constant movement of transport When your horses arrive they face social isolation from stablemates lack of security in novel environments altered training regimes water that tastes strange and the confines of an unfamiliar stall This routine impacts a horsersquos health and well being with effects
continuing long after the journey is over During transport toxic gases (such as ammonia or carbon monoxide) can cause damage to the lung epithelium precipitating respiratory disease The
final destination itself can also cause problems Usually horses are transported to environments where they will be mixing with other horses The mixing of horses from different environments with different infectious organisms and under stressful conditions further precipitates susceptibility to disease
This can have a severe impact on the equine gut The stress of transportation is known to increase gut ulceration in the horse a painful condition reducing performance and causing colic-like symptoms Stress can also slow the flow of digesta and alter the normal gut flora resulting in digestive upset and possibly diarrhoea or colic
The effects of travel stress on the gut are compounded by the typical diet of the regular equine traveller To maintain athletic ability high performance horses are often fed energy-charged diets contain-ing increased levels of starchy materials such as cereal grains Unfortunately this type of diet can reduce beneficial types of gut flora and promote gut acidity further predisposing the horse to digestive upsets and ulceration It is not surprising that stressed tired horses may not fulfill their potential on arrival
Feeding to reduce stress for the equine traveller
By Darlene RickerExecutive editor of Alltechrsquos EQUINE INTERNATIONAL magazine
48
Alltech Tips
growth of opportunistic Salmonella spp which are present in the intestinal tract of many healthy horses These bacteria then attach to the gut lining via a mannan sugar and penetrate it causing damage and resulting in diarrhoea One method of prevent-ing or minimising the attachment of these organ-
isms to the gut lining is to provide an adsorbant supplement A form of sugar found in the cell walls of certain yeasts can do this This sugar compound is called man-nan oligosaccharide or MOS MOS products such as Alltechrsquos Bio-Mosreg have been shown to re-duce the colonization of Salmonella
spp in the guts of certain species and augment the immune response to Salmonella spp potentially conferring an enhanced ability to fight infection Both Yea-Saccreg 1026 and Bio-Mos are among the natural products contained in Alltechrsquos LIFEFORCETM equine supplement which many FEI competitors have successfully incorporated into their daily feeding regimen at home and on the road
lifeforcehorsecom
and may be subject to health concerns in the days following a long journey Fortunately however you can curb some of the effects of travel stress on the horsersquos gut by nutritional supplementation Organic yeast products used to supplement a horsersquos diet can support the normal gut flora modifying the intesti-nal environment and improving the horsersquos digestion One such culture is Saccharomyces cerevisae in the form of Yea-Saccreg 1026 Alltechrsquos propriety organic yeast
Experiments were conducted to evaluate the effects Yea-Sacc on gut flora and gut acidity Horses were fed either a high-starch or a high-fibre diet both with and without supplementation of Yea-Saccreg 1026 Results indicated an excessive amount of starch in the gut The use of Yea-Sacc reduced acidity and stimulat-ed the activity of fibre-digesting bacteria in the hind-gut for both types of diet The result was maximised fibre digestibility and more efficient use of nutrients thus increasing the amount of energy available to the horse for performance and counteracting digestive upset Salmonellosis is one of the more commonly di-agnosed infectious causes of diarrhoea in horses Many cases develop after the stress of transport The effects of travel stress on the normal gut flora allow an over-
Moorlands Totilas arrives for the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade after air transport copy Dirk Caremans
HRH The Infanta Dontildea Pilar de Borboacuten former President of the FEI (1994-2006) also attended the inauguration along-side HRH Princess Lalla Amina Chairperson of the Royal Moroccan Federation for Equestrian Sports and member of the international Advisory Council of Special OlympicsThey were joined by International Olympic Commit-tee members representatives from other Interna-tional Federations federal and local Swiss authorities as well as architects and designers that worked on the project Switzerlandrsquos Martin Fuchs a member of the gold medal winning team at the inaugural Youth Olympic Games in Singapore last year accompanied FEI President Princess Haya in officially opening the FEI headquarters
ldquoThe building we are inaugurating today has been designed to serve our wonderful sportrdquo explained FEI
President Princess Haya ldquoI also feel an immense
sense of pride knowing that this building carries the name
of my late father and hope that this serves as a constant reminder
to all of us who work at the FEI of a unique statesman whose entire soul was devoted to the service of his people Our new headquarters will play a key role for the FEI and our National Federa-tions over the coming years It will be the environ-ment in which important discussions take place and fundamental decisions are taken as we continue our mission to advance the orderly growth of equestrian sport worldwide while ensuring that the welfare of the horse and a level playing field remain at the centre of all that we dordquo
FEI celebratesNEW Headquarters
Over 250 guests attended the inauguration ceremony on Friday 6 May at HM King Hussein I Building which was timed to coincide with the FEI
Extraordinary General Assembly so that attending NationalFederation representatives
could be a part ofthe celebrations
1 Youth Olympic Games team champion Martin Fuchs (SUI) FEI President HRH Princess Haya and her daughter HH Sheikha Al Jalila officially open the FEIrsquos new home 2 Gilbert Felli IOC Olympic Games Executive Director and FEI Secretary General Ingmar de Vos 3 HRH The Infanta Dontildea Pilar de Borboacuten sits down to an interactive quiz in the FEI Gallery 4 Guests gathered in the atrium of the FEI HeadquartersAll images copy Hugues SiegenthalerFEI
Highlights available on50
1
2
3 4
5
6 7
8
THE GALLERy
As well as housing offices for its 62 employees and conference facilities for its 133 National Federations the new headquarters also has a state-of-the-art in-teractive gallery showcasing equestrian sport
The Gallery is the brainchild of Dr Amichai Alper-ovich historian former Secretary General of the Is-raeli Equestrian Federation and curator of the Israeli Olympic Museum (opened in 2009) He worked hand in hand with the Tel Aviv based company Disk-In Pro and interior designer Oded Alony to help bring the content to life and the result is truly unique and ground breaking Giant glass surfaces act as interac-tive interfaces for the visitors to travel through time
The FEIrsquos new headquarters which were donated to the Federation by FEI Presi-dent HRH Princess Haya in 2007 fol-lowing a personal fundraising effort are conveniently located close to the Inter-national Olympic Committee and other international sports federations It has been written into the FEI Statutes that the new FEI headquarters building will always house the Federationrsquos offices In 2008 the building was thoroughly renovated in accordance with the Swiss MINERGIEreg construction standard for environmental responsibility which re-duces energy consumption by 25 per cent Only two per cent of renovated buildings in Switzerland meet the high Minergie standards Khuan Chew founder and design princi-pal of London-based architectural firm KCA International Ltd worked in close collaboration with Swiss-based architect Herveacute de Rham and interior designer Sia-vosh Adeli (SUI) to transform the build-ing which was built in the 1960s The modern and sleek interior was further enhanced with bespoke artworks pro-duced by Swiss creative agency b+g amp partners and imagery by world-famous equestrian art photographer Tim Flach where the simplicity and beauty of his equine subjects seamlessly embrace and accentuate the buildingrsquos pure lines and natural materials (see image left)
As they feasted on the innate beauty of their sur-roundings the guests also had the privilege to ex-perience the culinary talents of organic chef and specialist Gilles Wannaz and his team based in the town of Cully which sits on the edge of Lac Leman in Switzerlandrsquos famous Lavaux wine growing region
5 HRH Princess Haya welcomes the guests to the Inauguration of the HQ and the 90 year celebration of the FEI 6 Artwork by renowned pho-tographer Tim Flach 7 An organic and colourful buffet presented on an authentic lawn by local chef Gilles Wannaz 8 A life size horse sculpture by Christophe Dumont greeted the guests upon their arrival
53FOCUS
and space with the latest in touch technology revis-iting the history of the FEI the equestrian events at Olympic amp Paralympic Games the FEI World Eques-trian Gamestrade and information on all of the member National Federations with statistics videos images and text The Gallery also includes projections on ar-chitectural surfaces designed by Oded Alony referred to as the Origami as well as interactive stations and unique video projections on glass screens
For all those wishing to visit the FEI Gallery simply contact the FEI HQ to make an appointment and we would be delighted to take you on a journey to dis-cover or rediscover the human and equine athletes whose talents have marked equestrian history and inspired young riders drivers and vaulters around the world
Interview withDrAmichaiAlperovich
When did you first dream up the FEIInteractive Gallery When I found out the FEI was planning to move into new HQ in 2009 Disk-In Pro and I approached the FEI and presented them with several concepts for the space Before long we had agreed on the concept and we got to work
Why were you compelled to make it become a reality So that the FEI a prominent sports organisation could present itself to a growing audience in a new and visionary way with the latest technology And by doing so the FEI is a pioneer becoming the first International Federation to have a Gallery of this kind
What did you learn when researching and gathering content for the gallery I have learned a lot about the history of the FEI the strong Olympic tradition the diversity of disciplines the gender equality and the unique bond between horse and man One of the more fascinating topics was the evolution of the Dressage from itsrsquo Olympic debut to the modern Freestyle
Itrsquos very innovative technology what inspired you to take such a leap into the future with such a traditional sport Just as Dressage has evolved over the years and alongside the introduction of new disciplines partic-ularly Para-Equestrian you come to realise that the FEI is not as traditional as one would think Actually this kind of innovative presentation of equestrian history is really well suited to the FEI In the same way that you can have horse-man connections there is an audience-technology connection in the Gallery The audience have to be active in order to enjoy the depth of information the Gallery contains
54
Now it is time to open the door to new places to learn about sport ndash at the heart of sporting organi-sations themselves The Gallery is more than an informative tool it brings people to the sport andto the heart of its operations
Established in 1990 Disk-In Pro specialises in the planning design production and implementation of Museums Visitor Centres and sophisticated projects around the world This includes multi screen produc-tion animation 3D amp interactive films state-of-the-art software platforms and complex video displays for an unforgettable experience
Oded Alony holds a BA in Design from the Interior Design Section of the Holon Technological Institute and has since 1998 worked with Israelrsquos leading Architecture firms The Oded Alony Studio embraces holistic design a space where interior design lighting and graphics are brought together to create a harmo-nious project vision
Now that you have seen it unveiled to the public how would you like to see it evolve I hope the audience will be amazed from the design by architect Oded Alony and the new methods to deliver information whilst discovering the long his-tory of the FEI the diversity and the global reach of the organisation I hope the Gallery will become an icon in Lausanne and one of its highlights for visitors I promise the visitors a new platform to learn about equestrianism and each visit could be different as the information and themes will be updated and modi-fied regularly
This futuristic gallery is a first for anInternational Federation do you think thisis something all sports should invest inThe FEI took this courageous decision and now has this fantastic tool to present the organisation in new ways Sport is a huge cultural phenomenaWe have learned to consume sport in the arenas and stadiums in the press media and new media
Dr Amichai Alperovich
55FOCUS
SOCIAL MEDIAthe new frontier
Follow us on
The FEI has recently embarked on and embraced a whole new way of talking with the greater equestrian community through the ever expanding social media networks and platformsWith personalised Facebook Twitter and You Tube pages the FEI is taking it step by step and reaching out to this growing audience and listening to what they have to say
This new communication platform is by no means a substitution of the traditional communication path-ways but works alongside the press releases various publications and content on wwwfeiorg and wwwfeitvorg providing a new arena where the FEI can share interact and dialogue with fans of the sport and of equestrian values in general
We talk to Richard Johnson Director of Corporate Communications about the FEIrsquos commitment to social media
What compelled the FEI to venture onto the social media scene As a governing body with a vibrant and active com-munity of National Federations as well as thousands of fans the need to reach out to the online social community has never been stronger We have been watching the communities grow online for some time and have been listening to their conversations so being a part of it was the next logical step and a really important one The conversations will hap-pen with or without us so taking that step has been crucial in order to share our values and also build re-lationships with our fan base
Tradition meets modernity ndash does equestrian sportthe FEI have a place in social media Absolutely even though equestrian sport has a long history and is perceived as a traditional sport it is
always evolving In the 90 years of the FEI which was founded to govern the three Olympic disciplines it has grown to also oversee the disciplines of Driving Endurance Vaulting Reining and Para-Equestrian sport Or if you look at the early days when competi-tors were from military backgrounds and when wom-en did not compete alongside men to the complete gender equality we have today ndash a lot has changed and is in a constant state of change
The fans of equestrian sport are like any other fan base web savvy and eager for more information behind the scenes content and to share their opin-ions and thoughts ndash so it is an ideal partnership And from what we have seen these last few months and from the feedback we got from our blog at the Youth Olympic Games there is a real appetite for this
The FEI has dedicated Facebook Twitter and You Tube pages ndash why did you select these social media platforms The figures speak for themselveshellip Facebook Twit-ter and You Tube are the biggest players in the social networking space With over 500 million Facebook users 106 million Tweeters and 2 billion views a day on You Tube there has never been so much oppor-tunity for exposure Every site has different demo-graphics with different habits and needs so by having an FEI presence on these three networks we are able to cover a lot of ground and cater to different audi-ences by providing different types of content accord-ing to the platform
What are the main benefits of having a pres-ence on various social media platforms Itrsquos all about having a two way conversation ndash the benefits of dialogue where you can share content such as videos images facts and figures thoughts and values and then allow your fan base to react to get involved and to listen and learn from them By engaging with our audience and showing them that we are a modern and caring organisation and that we want to hear what they have to say then we are able to build trust and ultimately credibility in what we do and what we say
57FOCUS
TV
The offi cial video website of the Feacutedeacuteration Equestre Internationale
wwwfeitvorg
WATCH LIVE WATCH ONLINE
FEI TV is the FEIrsquos new offi cial video website and your ticket to the worldrsquos most prestigious competitions Sign-up to FEI TV (wwwfeitvorg) and get instant access to all the live broadcasts the extensive video-on-demand library all the highlights the behind the scenes reports the interviews and so much more Be at the heart of horsesport Join us
2823_1FEI_TV_Focus_165x226indd 1 170510 1124
It also keeps us alert as to what is being discussed and debated in the public sphere so that we can manage situations more effectively and be proactive in our messaging and information so that the facts are at the heart of the debate and not interpretations of them
How do you generate content for social media It was important when we launched our social me-dia presence that it be manageable with the exist-ing communications team in place ndash and so we have concentrated on keeping it simple and effective and using content innovatively Itrsquos not about reproduc-ing our website ndash but to engage with our fans and so often all you need is a good picture an interest-ing fact or great achievement to get the ball rolling For You Tube as we already have so much content generated from FEI TV it was simply a question of using bits and pieces from that content to provide the public with teasers from events interviews with winning riders or behind the scenes content which they can then follow up on FEI TV with a subscription
What are your Social media goals Itrsquos really to build relationships and dialogue with our fan base by using our content innovatively by listening to what they have to say and by engaging with the community And for the National Federa-tions that have yet to take that step we want to be a guiding hand that can help them get started so that they too can reap the benefits of social media net-working Our sport competes against other sports for attention so itrsquos really important that we the FEI and the National Federations keep our finger on the pulse and cater to our fans
How can National Federations get involved NFs wishing to find out more about Social Media can contact me (richardjohnsonfeiorg) and I would be more than happy to discuss opportunities and ways of getting started as well as our experience at the FEI
We asked our Facebook followers why it was important to use face-book and here are a few comments they came up with
bullItrsquos a great way to find out about shows and competitions
bullBecause facebook can provide up to the minute updates as to the what is going on in the horse community
bullWe can share information and ideas over long distances We can find and connect with people we wouldnt be able to otherwise
bullIt also lets us express the true realities of our spot to keep us grounded
bullIt can bring peoples attention to excellence ndash and expose the issues
58
TV
The offi cial video website of the Feacutedeacuteration Equestre Internationale
wwwfeitvorg
WATCH LIVE WATCH ONLINE
FEI TV is the FEIrsquos new offi cial video website and your ticket to the worldrsquos most prestigious competitions Sign-up to FEI TV (wwwfeitvorg) and get instant access to all the live broadcasts the extensive video-on-demand library all the highlights the behind the scenes reports the interviews and so much more Be at the heart of horsesport Join us
2823_1FEI_TV_Focus_165x226indd 1 170510 1124
ldquo Donrsquot accept drinks from a strangerrdquo
Armchair travel journalist
Are you living a life without boundaries Some well-meant advice is best ignored but itrsquos still good to know yoursquore covered when yoursquore away With HSBC Premier your family can be protected with both Travel Insurance and dedicated assistance when yoursquore abroad Which is reassuring to know when yoursquore making the most of life
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Premier Travel Insurance covers you and your partner up to age 70 and your children travelling with you up to age 18
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201736_6000263_Coconut_226x165indd
Master 226x165
Rob Swainson 160211
HSBC - Coconuts Proof 01Head of Art TypographerDesigner ArtCreative Director Copywriter Account DirectorDIC Project ManagerPhotographer Illustrator Usage Model(s) Name(s) Usage
Media MediaStock Image Time Period Time Period
Territory Territory
8deg N ndash Kerala South India
WHEN AND WHERE
26 ndash 30 July FEI European Reining Championship for Seniors amp Juniors Wiener Neustadt (AUT)
16 ndash 21 August FEI European Vaulting Championships for Seniors amp Juniors Le Mans (FRA)
17 ndash 21 August FEI European Dressage Championships Rotterdam (NED)
25 ndash 28 August HSBC FEI European Eventing Championships Luhmuumlhlen (GER)
01 ndash 04 September Open FEI European Driving Championships for Four-in-Hand Breda (NED)
01 ndash 04 September FEI European Para-Equestrian Dressage Championships Moorsele (BEL)
10 September FEI European Endurance Championships Florac (FRA)
13 ndash 18 September FEI European Jumping Championships Madrid (ESP)
LIVE ONLive coverage and highlightsCheck out the FEI TV broadcasting schedule for all the latest information on events broadcast live on FEI TV
European Championships for seniors in all the FEI disciplines are being held in 2011 We take a quick 360deg look at the dates venues facts amp figures and triumphant moments of the past 50 years of European Championships
FeI europeanChampionships 2011
Donrsquot miss a beatComplete competition reports updates behind the scenes information facts and figures and more can be found on wwwfeiorg as well as our dedicated facebook twitter and you tube pages
18
Preview
For the 31st edition of the FEI European Jumping Championships the event returns to Spain 18 years after the Championships in Gijon only this time to be held at the Club de Campo Villa in Madrid The FEI European Jumping Championships take place every two years in the middle of the Olympic cycle and have been held since 1957 with the introduction of team medals in 1975
THE VENUEThe Club de Campo Villa de Madrid (ESP) has been host to an annual CSI for 100 years and will be tem-porarily replacing its usual grass in the main arena with all-weather sand footing to ensure perfect going for the Championship
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERSTeam ndash SwitzerlandIndividual ndash Kevin Staut (FRA)
OLyMPIC qUALIFICATIONThe 3 best ranked nations from Olympic Qualifying Groups A amp B at the 2011 FEI European Jumping Championships (excluding the teams already quali-fied at WEG) will be qualified to take part with a team consisting of 4 athletes amp 4 horses or 3 athletes amp 3 horses
GREAT HORSES OF THE EUROPEANCHAMPIONSHIPSDEISTER - An extraordinary horse with an extraordi-nary record With Germanys Paul Schockemohle on board this brilliant bay Hannoverian led won three consecutive individual gold medals - in Munich Germany in 1981 Hickstead England in 1983 and Dinard France in 1985 Bred by Hermann Hahl in Osterbruch Lower Saxony Deister was by Diskant out of Adlerklette by Adlerschild stood 171cms high and had the heart of a lion Deisters European medal
haul also included team gold at Munich in 1981 team silver in Rotterdam in 1979 and team bronze at both Hickstead in 1983 and Dinard in 1985 Despite his incredibly active career the hardy Deister who was born in February 1971 lived to the ripe old age of 29
MR SOFTEE - The closest challenger to Deister for the title of Champion of the Europeans is the Irish-bred Mr Softee - a three-time winner but with two different riders Mr Softee enjoyed a hugely success-ful career with David Broome However it was with another Briton David Barker that the chestnut horse with four white legs took the individual European ti-tle for the first time in London in 1962 This was then followed up with David Broomersquos victory in Rotter-dam in 1967 and in Hickstead in 1969 Broome once said that like many other top horses Mr Softee had a big opinion of himself - He thought he was a king - and he was right
Believe it or nothellip
bull Itwasonlyin1975thatwomenwere permittedtocompetealongsidemenin theEuropeanJumpingChampionshipsprior tothistherehadbeentheLadiesEuropean JumpingChampionshipsheldfrom1957- 1973
bull Only2womenhaveeverwonthe FEIEuropeanChampionshipsFrancersquos AlexandraLedermannin1999and MeredithMichaels-Beerbaum(GER) in2007
bull Germanyledthegoldtallywith20 medals(14individualamp6team)double theamountofrunnerupGreatBritainon 10(6individualand4team)
FeI eUroPeaN
JUMPINGChaMPIoNshIPs
13-18 September 2011
Madrid (SPAIN)
19FOCUS
LIVE coverage on
Rotterdam gets set to host the 25th edition of the FEI European Dressage Championships for the first time and only the second time for the Netherlands (Arnhem 1999) The FEI European Dressage Championships take place every two years in the middle of the Olympic cycle and have been held since 1963
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERS
Team ndash The Netherlands
Individual ndash Kuumlr to MusicEdward Gal (NED) amp Moorlands Totilas
Individual ndash Grand Prix SpecialAdelinde Cornelissen (NED) amp Jerich Parzival
OLyMPIC qUALIFICATIONThe 3 best ranked nations from Groups A B amp C at the 2011 FEI European Dressage Championships (exclud-ing the teams already qualified at WEG) will be quali-fied to take part with a team consisting of 3 athletes amp 3 horses
THE WIND OF CHANGEFor 21 consecutive Championships from 1965 to 2005 (no team title awarded in 1963) the Germans held the European title but the last two editions have seen an upset to that tradition with the Netherlands clenching gold In 2009 the Dutch domination was particularly strong with five out of six individual med-als awarded to Dutch riders and the sixth going to British rider Laura Bechtolsheimer
IN MEMORy OF HENRI CHAMMARTIN (SUI)At the time of writing a legend in the Dressage world Henri Chammartin (SUI) passed away at the age of 92 An Olympic and European Dressage champion Henri Chammartin won the first two editions of the
FEI European Championships in 1963 and 1965 riding Wolfdiedtrich and competed in five consecutive edi-tions of the Olympic Games ndash Helsinki 1952 Stock-holm 1956 Rome 1960 Tokyo 1964 and Mexico 1968 ndash winning a total of five Olympic medals includ-ing Olympic champion in 1964
RECORD BREAKINGhellip In 2009 the formidable partnership of The Nether-lands Edward Gal and Moorlands Totilas smashed the world Freestyle record before a packed house with Windsor Castle standing proudly as a backdrop when scoring 9070 (including an unbelievable 29 perfect-10 scores) to win the Freestyle gold medal
Believe it or nothellip
bull GermanyhaswontheEuropeanDressage TeamTitleon21occasions
bull Thegreatestnumberofteamstoparticipate inEuropeanDressageChampionshipsis 14-atHickstead(GBR)in2003andagainat Hagen(GER)in2005
bull GermanysDrReinerKlimkewonthreeindi vidualtitles-atAachenin1967ridingDux andagainin1973ridingMehmedandat Copenhagenin1985ridingAhlerich
bull WithGigoloGermanysIsabellWerthtook theindividualtitlein1995and1997and wontheGrandPrixSpecialatDonaueschingen Germanyin1991andatLipicaSloveniain 1993
bull AnkyvanGrunsvenhasthreewinstoher namendashin1999withBonfirefollowedbythe backtobackwinswithSalineroin2005and 2007
17-21 August 2011
Rotterdam Netherland
FeI eUroPeaN
DressaGeChaMPIoNshIPs
20
LIVE coverage on
These are the second FEI European Para-Equestrian Dressage Championships to be held since Para-Equestrian joined the FEI Family in 2006 Para-Equestrian Dressage has been a regular fixture at the Paralympic Games since 1996 The first FEI European Para-Equestrian Dressage Championships were held in southern Norwegian town of Kristiansand in 2009 with a total of 78 ath-letes from 22 countries participating
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERS
Team Great Britain
Grade Ia Individual - Sophie Christiansen (GBR) Freestyle - Emma Sheardown (GBR)
Grade Ib Individual amp Freestyle Lee Pearson (GBR)
Grade II Individual - Petra Van der Sande (NED) Freestyle - Angelika Trabert (GER)
Grade III Individual amp Freestyle
Hannelore Brenner (GER)
Grade IV Individual amp Freestyle Sophie Wells (GBR)
The mobility strength and coordination of competi-tors are assessed and athletes with similar functional ability profiles are grouped into competition grades that range from Grade Ia for the most severely im-paired to Grade IV for the least impaired This means that the competition within each Grade can be judged on the skill of the individual competitors on their horses regardless of their disabilities
CLUB qUADRILLEMoorsele has been host to a regular international Para-Equestrian Dressage events for the past few years with the Club Quadrille as organiser The Club Quadrille was founded in 1981 by Anne Van Neste-dIeteren Belgian Dressage Champion from 1977 un-til 1982 current President of the Belgian Paralympic Committee and member of the FEI Para-Equestrian committee It is a unique sports club that works with both able bodied and disabled athletes and is active in the promotion and education of the sport As member of the honorary IPC Board Her Royal Highness (HRH) Princess Astrid of Belgium has been a fervent supporter of the event and has attended on many occasions
Believe it or nothellip
bull LeePearson(GBR)haswoneverygold medalwithinreachatParalympicWorld andContinentallevelandtheEuropeans in2009werenodifferentwithanother triplegoldvictory
bull GreatBritainalsohavetheMidastouch whenitcomestoteammedalsndashandarethe currentParalympicWorldandEuropean titleholders
bull In2009Germanycamecloserthanever totakingthegoldmedalfromall-time championGreatBritain
1-4 September 2011
Moorsele Belgium
FeI eUroPeaN
Para-eqUestrIaNDressaGeChaMPIoNshIPs
21FOCUS
A record number of fans are expected to attend the HSBC FEI European Eventing Championships as they return to Luhmuumlhlen for the fifth time to mark the 30th edition of the ChampionshipsThe FEI European Eventing Championships take place every two years in the middle of the Olympic cycle and have been held since 1953
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERSTeam ndash Great BritainIndividual ndash Kristina CookMiners Frolic (GBR)
OLyMPIC qUALIFICATIONThe 2 best ranked nations from Groups A B amp C at the 2011 HSBC FEI European Eventing Champion-ships (excluding the teams already qualified at WEG) will be qualified to take part with a team consisting of 3 athletes amp 3 horses
THE VENUELuhmuumlhlen one of only six 4 events on the interna-tional Eventing calendar and part of the prestigious HSBC FEI Classicstrade series will greet Europersquos best athletes with a fresh look and feel this year following extensive renovation to the existing infrastructures The recently renovated showground includes three Dressage and two Jumping arenas a tribune able to seat 850 spectators with spectacular views as well as a newly designed entrance including six ticket box facilities and fully catered trade stands The show-ground also boasts an open air stage with space for up to 15000 spectators ldquoI am confident that the in-vestment in the infrastructure will be of great benefit to all involved whether you are a volunteer a groom an athlete ndash both the horses and the riders - as well as for the sponsors guests spectators and the fans We are re-ally looking forward to great competitions this year at both the CCI4CIC3 in June and at the Europeans in August and hope many will join us to witness this historic momentrdquo Julia Otto Event Director Luhmuumlhlen
HSBCHSBC has renewed their sponsorship for a further three-year term as global sponsor of FEI Eventing to include title sponsorships of the HSBC FEI European Eventing Championships in both 2011 and 2013 and the HSBC FEI Classicstrade until the end of 2013
OFFICIAL TIMEPIECE Rolex the leading name in luxury wrist watches will be the Official Timekeeper for the HSBC FEI European Eventing Championships 2011
Believe it or nothellip
bull GinnyElliot(bornHolgate)theonlyrider towinthreesuccessiveindividualtitlesand IanStarkholdthejointrecordforEuropean goldmedalswonndashseveneachbutLucinda Greenstillhasthemostmedals(10)
bull SupremeRockriddenbyPippaFunnell (GBR)istheonlyhorsetowinback-to-back titles(in1999and2001)hehasfour Europeangoldmedalsintotalequalingthe recordofKilbarryThePoacherandOver ToYouwhowonarecordfourconsecutive Europeanteamgolds(1999-2005)
bull PrincessAnneandZaraPhillipsaretheonly mother-daughtercombinationtowin Europeantitles(1971and2005)
bull GreatBritainhaveheldtheEuropeantitle forthepast8consecutiveChampionships (since1995)Andofthe29editionstodate (startingin1953)theteamhavewona whopping21
25-28 August 2011
Luhmuumlhlen Germany
hsBC FeI eUroPeaN
eVeNtINGChaMPIoNshIPs LIVE coverage on
22
In September Breda Hippique in The Netherlands will be host to the seventh edition of the FEI Euro-pean Driving Championships for Four-in-Hand not held since 1981 This edition is open to both Euro-pean and non-European drivers and will also count as a qualifier for the indoor FEI World Cuptrade Driv-ing which is held during the winter season Only competitors from Europe can claim the individual and team medalsThe FEI European Driving Championships for Four-in-Hand were first held in 1971 in Budapest and continued to be held every two years until 1981 at which stage they were discontinued
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERSTeam ndash HungaryIndividual ndash Gyoumlrgyi Bardos (HUN)
SOMETHING IN THE WATERhellip Hungary have won five out of six available team European titles and on the individual front two Hungarians stand out from the crowd Imre Abony ndash individual winner in 1971 and 1975 and Gyoumlrgyi Bardos triple consecutive winner in 1977 1979 1981
IN THE BEGINNINGhellipThe first European Championships took place in Budapest in 1971 and moved on to Windsor in Great Britain in 1973 Sopot in Poland in 1975 Donauesch-ingen in Germany in 1977 and in Haras du Pin in France in 1979 The sixth and last edition took place in 1981 in Zug Switzerland
THE VENUEBreda has hosted the only Nations competition (CAIO) for Four-in-Hand horses in The Netherlands for many years In 1995 Breda hosted the first FEI European Driving Championships for Four-in-Hand ponies and in 2010 was host to the FEI World Para-Equestrian Driving Championships Aside from the four-in-hand teams Breda will also host international pony teams and national horse pairs at the event this year
Believe it or nothellip
bull Hungaryhavewonfiveoutofsixteamgold titles
bull AugusteDubeyfromSwitzerlandwasthe onlynon-HungarianEuropeanChampion hewontheChampionshipsin1973
bull PrincePhilipFEIPresidentfrom1964- 1986whocelebratedhis90thbirhtday inJuneisanavidfanofDrivingandpartici- patedinsixWorldandthreeEuropean Championships
1-4 September 2011
Breda Netherland
FeI eUroPeaN
DrIVINGChaMPIoNshIPsfor FoUr-IN-haND
Note At the time of writing the FEI European DrivingChampionships for Four in Hand was pending approvalby the FEI Bureau
23FOCUS
The 14th edition of the FEI European Endurance Championships return to Florac in France twenty five years after the inaugural event was held there The FEI European Endurance Championships first took place in 1984 and were immediately followed up by a second edition in 1985 and have since been held every two years They have always been open to the world with two sets of medals presented ndash open and European
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERSTeam ndash SpainIndividual ndash Maria Alvarez Ponton amp Nobby
RECORD BREAKINGCurrent title holder Maria Alvarez Ponton amp super horse Nobby is the first rider to hold European and World titles at the same time She will be looking to confirm her stronghold on the sport following her second consecutive World title with a second con-secutive European title in Florac a feat no rider has managed to achieve at the Europeans to date
THE VET GATEModern competitions consist of a number of sec-tions known as lsquophasesrsquo At the end of each phase there is a compulsory halt for veterinary inspection Each horse which is thoroughly examined before it is allowed to start the ride must be presented for inspection within a set time of reaching each vetgate The time spent at each vetgate prior to inspection by the vets is counted as part of the overall competition time and the aim is to determine whether the horse is fit to continue the ride
THE SUPPORT CREWA vital part of Endurance riding is the support crew Riders are assisted by a team of helpers who meet them several times over the ride bringing bottles of water to pour over the horse to cool it down as well as a drink for the rider Crews also have spare equipment in case something breaks down or needs replacing
Believe it or nothellip
bull TheFrenchhavethemedaledgewith6 individualand4teamgoldmedalsfrom the14editionsheld
bull Floracistheonlyvenuetohostthe EuropeanChampionshipstwice(thefirst editionin1984andtheupcomingedition in2011)
bull EnduranceisthefastestgrowingFEI disciplinefrom2000to2010thenumber ofinternationaleventshavemultipliedby10
10 September 2011
Florac France
FeI eUroPeaN
eNDUraNCeChaMPIoNshIPs
24
Reem Acra Boutique 14 East 60th St New York New York 10022 2123088760 wwwreemacracom
356935B2_RA_brochure2_souvenir_programmeindd 1 82710 1012 AM
Vaulting became an FEI discipline in 1983 and saw its first FEI European Championship organised just one year later in the town of Ebreichsdorf in Austria This 15th edition of the Championship ndash which also includes the European Juniors competition return to France for the 4th time but for the first time in the world renowned venue of Le Mans famous for its 24 hour race
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERS
Team ndash Austria
Individual malelongeurhorseNicolas Andreani (FRA)Marina Joosten DuponIdefix de Braize
Individual femalelongeurhorseJoanna Eccles (GBR)John EcclesWH Bentley
THE WIND OF CHANGEGermany and Switzerland have traditionally bat-tled for the team title (Germany has 7 gold versus Switzerlandrsquos 5) but in 2009 Austria who had come second on four occasions since the inception of the Championships in 1984 finally climbed onto the top spot of the podium and claimed the title In terms of the individual performances Germany had the stronghold on the male category winning 11 out of 14 gold medals But again in 2009 France the only other country to have ever beaten a German male vaulter at the Europeans made it to the top spot of the podium for only the third time since the Championships began
Similarly with the female vaulters it was an all German domination until 2007 when Austriarsquos Sissi Jarz claimed gold followed by Joanna Eccles (GBR) in 2009 ndash leaving Germany off the top step of the podium entirely in 2009
GREAT BRITAIN ndash A VAULTING NATIONhellip Times have definitely changed from the Swiss German domination with current World and European titles held by Great Britainrsquos Joanna Eccles She was the first British vaulter (male or female) to claim a medal at the Europeans ndash let alone a gold medal - and then went on to secure the world title in Kentucky last year
Believe it or nothellip
bull TheonlycountryotherthanGermanyand SwitzerlandtohaveclaimedaEuropean VaultingtitleisSlovakiain2005
bull ChristophLensing(GER)holdsthemale medalrecordndashwiththreegold(19891993 amp1995)aswellassilverin1991
bull NadiaZuumllowandSilkeMichelberger (formerlyBernhard)withthreegoldmedals each
16-21 August 2011
Le Mans France
FeI eUroPeaN
VaULtINGChaMPIoNshIPs
26
This is only the fifth edition of the European Reining Championships since the discipline joined the FEI in 2000 and the first time they will be held in Austria The event also includes the FEI European Champi-onships for Juniors and Young Riders ndash a formula introduced in 2009 in Kreuth (GER) which proved to be a multigenerational success The FEI European Reining Championships take place every two years and have been held since 2003
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERSTeam ndash GermanyIndividual ndash Nina Lill (GER) riding Lena Cielo Jewel
THE JUDGINGReining horses are judged individually Each horse au-tomatically begins the required pattern with a score of 70 One or frac12 points are given or taken away for each manoeuvre Credit is given for smoothness fi-nesse attitude quickness and authority Controlled speed in the pattern raises the level of difficulty and makes the reining horse exciting to watch
Believe it or nothellip
bull ItalyandGermanyaretheonlytwonations tohavewongoldmedalsndashGermanyhas3 teamgoldand2individualgoldversus Italyrsquossingleteamgoldandtwoindividual gold
bull GermanyrsquosNinaLillwinnerin2009was thefirstwomantotaketheindividualtitle sincetheChampionshipsbeganin2003
bull OlympicWorldandEuropeanDressage ChampionAnkyVanGrunsven(NED) competedattheAlltechFEIWorldEques- trianGamestradein2010inbothDressageand hellipReining
bull 13nationswerescheduledtoattendthe Championshipatthetimeofwritingthe largestparticipationbycountryever recordedfortheEuropeans
26-30 July 2011
Wiener Neustadt Austria
FeI eUroPeaN
reININGChaMPIoNshIPs
27FOCUS
ldquoThirty-one yearsrsquo experience comes in handy some-timesrdquo joked the ever-relaxed Todd who was a leg-end by the time he ldquoretiredrdquo in 2000 with back-to-back Olympic golds five Burghley wins two world gold medals and three Badminton victories one on a horse he had never ridden before ldquoIt is incredibly special though right up there with the back-to-back Olympic golds When I came back to the sport (in 2008) it was to see if I could get back to top level It has always been my aim to win another big onerdquo
A World class meeting of Generations
The 2011 HSBC FEI Classicstrade could not have got off to a more epic start with wins at Badminton and Kentucky by two of the sportrsquos most enduring personalitiesThe 55-year-old New Zealander Mark Todd rolled back the years to score a fourth victory at the Gloucestershire venue 31 years after his first attempt in 1980
By Kate Green
28
HSBC FEI ClassicsTm
The resurgence of so much experienced talent makes it harder for younger riders to work their way up the leaderboard but 29-year-old Sinead Halpin (USA) had a spectacular CCI4 debut at Kentucky finish-ing third and best of the home side in distinguished company This achievement earned her the HSBC Training Bursary worth US$1000 towards training a prestigious and valuable award presented to the rider who achieves the best result on completing a CCI4 for the first time
The bursary winner at Badminton Fiona Hobby (GBR) 39 has had a rather longer wait to complete
her first CCI4 ndash she was 26th on Roma ML ndash but she has in the meantime produced two children had a career as a sports therapist and only switched from Jumping to Eventing relatively recently Hobby has vowed to spend the money on dressage train-ing ldquoRoma couldnrsquot believe it when she arrived in the arena and saw all those people but she was great across country really focussed Irsquom delightedrdquo
For Germanyrsquos Sandra Auffarth Luhmuumlhlen pro-vided an outstanding CCI4 debut on Opgun Louvo a young horse she has produced herself coming second and picking up the HSBC Training Bursary and the exciting prospect of a possible place in the squad for the forthcoming HSBC FEI European Event-ing Championship at Luhmuumlhlen (25-28 August) at which Germany as host nation will be entitled to field 12 riders
Last yearrsquos HSBC Training Bursary winners include Stephanie Rhodes-Bosch (CAN) who went on to win a team silver medal at the Alltech FEI World Equestri-an Gamestrade Lauren Shannon (GBR) who finished 17th at Badminton this year and Giovanni Ugolotti (ITA) who is furthering his career by basing himself in Brit-ain for the season and having lessons with Mark Todd
LIVE coverage and extensive highlights available on
Toddrsquos winning mount the 10-year-old NZB Land Vision was a green horse for this level and he fin-ished the Cross-Country phase tired but his rider kept his cool in an extraordinarily tight finish in which the price of one Jumping fence covered the top 12 riders any of whom could with a bit of luck have won the Mitsubishi Motors Trophy ldquoIn the end it came down to horse-power and Irsquove obviously got a good one hererdquo said Todd ldquoCharisma (his double Olympic gold medallist) will always be the most special horse but this one has no weak linksrdquo
As is the nature of the sport Toddrsquos lead in the HSBC FEI Classicstrade didnrsquot last long ndash he came down to earth with a bump the following weekend with a Cross-Country run-out on NZB Grass Valley his ride at the Rolex Kentucky Three Day Event (USA) and 49- year-old Mary King (GBR) stole the head-lines with a record one-two on Kings Mis-tress and Fernhill Urco It was Kingrsquos first CCI4 victory for 11 years ndash she has won Badminton twice and Burghley once ndash but she certainly smashed a few re-cords with this one She became the first rider to score a one-two at Kentucky the first in modern times to win a CCI4 on a home-bred horse and the oldest female to win a CCI4
King who has six team gold medals at World and European level plus competed at five consecutive Olympics had the luxury of knowing she had already won the event on the inexperienced 10-year-old Fernhill Urco a horse bred in Portugal by the time she entered the arena on Kings Mistress but she still produced a second clear round ldquoI never dreamed that I would be in this position and Irsquom enjoying the momentrdquo said the ever-smiling King ldquoIt was great to have the feeling of having already won on Fernhill Urco but I still wanted desperately to go clear on Kings Mistress as it is so special to win on a horse I bred myselfrdquo It was also an all clear from Germanyrsquos Andreas Dibowski and Euroriding Butts Leon in order to secure victory at the fourth leg of the HSBC FEItrade
Classicstrade in Luhmuumlhlen presented by EON Avacon
29FOCUS
The Danish-American actorpoet musician photographerand painter has been around horses most of his life from riding Hasufel and Brego in The Lord of the Rings trilogy to early childhood memories in Argentina his passion for floating as he describes it has never wavered
What is it about the horse that makes you a horse loverWe get along generally I respect their strength and their personal space Your first riding experience ndash was it bliss or terrorLike floating like being on a warm and floating mountain I remember being happy Do you think anyone can rideYes It is a question of allowing yourself to ride of allowing yourself to cooperate and not be in total control Children are more adept at figuring this out letting things happen without getting impatient or scared just as they are braver and less self-conscious about pronouncing new words or singing Anyone at any age or in any physical condition can
Viggo Mortensen
achieve a degree of success and satisfaction with horses even if it is just a question of touching them being near them If horses could talk what would they be sayingYou will know if you listen and watch them Is there a unique trait you look for in a horse that you canrsquot find in peopleThey are more patient and less apt to complain about lifersquos setbacks and physical ailments than most people I admire a tough smart horse what-ever its breed age or size What would you miss most if you could no longer go ridingThe companionship and the floating perhaps also the abandonment of usual daily worries that relaxed riding requires Whatrsquos your usual riding outfit consist ofAnything will do Loose-fitting clothes and good comfortable boots are a plus but not vital I have even ridden barefoot ndash naturally taking care to avoid being stepped on when not on the horse - but I do not recommend this to anyone The most important thing is to have a clear and focused mind to be THERE at all times when around horses and NOWHERE ELSE Sugar lumps or carrotsIrsquove been guilty of offering an occasional apple or carrot although it is best not to give horses anything special unless treats are part of training them for special tricks or stunts a pursuit best left to experts like master horse trainer Rex Peterson whom Irsquove had the good fortune to work with and study quite a bit Treats spoil horses and do not keep the animal focused on the task at hand Whatrsquos your favourite part of a horseThe brain What do you think young people gain from ridingSelf-confidence and an understanding of the value of cooperation
30
Why the long face
When did you first develop the bond with the horseThe first time I got on one as a little boy in ArgentinaYou either develop a bond of some kind or you fall off Of course you may even fall off if you develop the bond but you have to start (and restart) somewhere
Did your friends ride My brothers also rode and I have ridden with many kinds of people over the years ndash some good and patient with horses and some not If I had not rid-den as a boy I would probably have been wandering around fishing imagining I was a cowboy or an Indian or a Viking ndash which I did anyway Where in the world would you most like to rideMost anywhere will do but I have been extremely lucky to have ridden in many wide-open wild places ndash deserts grassy plains mountains by different seas and rivers in Argentina New Zealand North Africa and North America If you could spend one afternoon riding with a famous person (past or present)who would it be and whyIrsquoll give you 3 Oglala chief Tasunke Witko (Crazy Horse) my ancestor William F Cody or any real Gaucho from the province of Chaco Argentina
Two horses go out for dinner what kindof restaurant do they chooseLate spring grass near a slow-moving clean river with a gentle firm shoreline an hour before sun-down far from any people or other animals All time favourite horse filmI have a subjective soft spot for the stories and real horses involved in the making of ldquoHidalgordquo and the 2nd and 3rd installments of ldquoThe Lord Of The Ringsrdquo trilogy but I admire other ldquohorse moviesrdquo as wellThe 1953 French movie ldquoCrin-Blancrdquo (ldquoWhite Manerdquo) directed by Albert Lamorisse is a personal favourite
After three years at the head of the successful French Jumping team with back to back FEI Nations Cuptrade titles and a silver medal at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade Laurent Elias is moving on to new spheres with the French Horse amp Riding Institute where he will be training the riders of the National Riding School in Saumur
Laurent Elias
copy C
hris
toph
e Br
icot
32
The other side of
If I had not become a professional rider I would havehellipmade a career in a humanitarian organisation Horse riding is sometimes too trivial
My priority in life ishellipto be able to look at myself in the mirror in the morning and make sure I am at peace with my conscience
My familyhellipkeeps me grounded My wife helped me a lot when I was in charge of selections for France She took charge of my personal life and was the first person I called when we got the medal in Lexington I also admire my parents for the values they passed on to me
I remember my first ridingexperiencehellipaged six we were shooting a family film and I was on horseback I finished upside down under my horse for a long time I stopped riding for one year
I used to dream abouthellipsafaris One of my uncles was passionate about safaris Through him I became very interested in African trips and the jobs that allow you to travel as a reporter were fascinating to me as well
I have been thinking a lot abouthellipwhat happened in Japan these past few months First this tsunami that devastated everything without warning then the nuclear disaster It made me think that progress should not be destructive
My horse Gueacutenourhellipchanged my life I was just a coach and he brought me to the top I won the national championship in 1981 with him
My biggest challengehas always beenhellipshyness Horse riding has really helped me over-come it Horses brought me on stage and there I had to meet people
As a Chef dEquipehellipthere is no single defining achievement itrsquos all about the solidarity and the moments spent together as a team Irsquoll never forget the first time Penelope Leprevost rode her mare Jubileacutee drsquoOuilly in the FEI Nations Cuptrade of Rotterdam McLain Ward had just completed a real fast run with Sapphire We thought the Americans would win but she did it faster and beat Sapphire
In terms of eventshellipAachen is my favourite competition - for its won-derful organisation But we have also pretty good five star competitions in France
I donrsquot sleep muchhellipprobably because I am just happy to be alive
Irsquom not scared to laugh or cryhellipI laugh at the funny situations we sometimes find ourselves in life and enjoy people with quirky personalities I cry when I see others in pain
Laurent Elias and the French team en route to the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade copy PSV-Jean Morel
33FOCUS
Nicolas TheacutevenazAged 23 studies Robotics and Autonomous Systems Micro Engineering in Lausanne (SUI) alongside regular training and competition in Dressage and Para-Equestrian Dressage events Born with spastic diplegia Nicolas was introduced to horses via hippotherapy aged seven and quickly developed a passion for riding which not only helped with his physical condition but also taught him through Dressage the art of patience and perseverance
34
One day
Nicolas TheacutevenazAged 23 studies Robotics and Autonomous Systems Micro Engineering in Lausanne (SUI) alongside regular training and competition in Dressage and Para-Equestrian Dressage events Born with spastic diplegia Nicolas was introduced to horses via hippotherapy aged seven and quickly developed a passion for riding which not only helped with his physical condition but also taught him through Dressage the art of patience and perseverance
He has been fortunate to meet the right people (and horses) at the right time and has been working for the past five years with trainer Vicky-Eileen Baumann (pictured right) and her horses Magic and Lady (pictured right) ldquoShersquos bred them and knows them inside out which is very useful when I have to communicate with them - they know my voice intonations and a whole string of specific words or sounds ndash which really helps as my body canrsquot or doesnrsquot always have the strength to do sordquo
As a Grade II Para-Equestrian rider Nicolas competes in Para-Equestrian Dressage (PED) events as well as national events for able bodied riders as there are only a handful of PED riders and no events in Switzerland
Unable to attend the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade 2010 in Kentucky last year Nicolas and Vicky have their sights firmly set on the 2012 Para-lympic Games and will be looking to qualify with Lady over the next 12 months ndash alongside exams studies and everything else life has to offerhellip Who is your role model For different reasons I have different role mod-els Edward Gal Dane Rawlins Isabel Werth and Catherine Haddad
When did you start riding and why At age 7 I was sat on a horse for hippotherapy and liked the complicity with the horse which made me want to discover more
How do you feel when you ride Concentrated and industrious
Who is your biggest fan My trainerrsquos mum
Complete this sentenceOne day I would like tohellip have gained enough knowledge to be able to take care of and train my own horse
What are your long term goals as a rider Continue to do my best to enjoy what I do and show others itrsquos possible
How do you juggle studies and competition I think itrsquos really important to have goals and to do everything you can to achieve them and that includes taking on challenges because if you donrsquot try then yoursquoll never know what you could have achieved
What is your proudest achievement to date Participation in international events together with pursuing my studies
How do you feel after winning Still working towards discovering the feeling
What is the best advice anyone has ever given youMy trainer often repeats to me the famous saying by General LrsquoHotte ldquoCalme en avant droitrdquo which says so much about riding but can also be applied to so many other aspects of life
35FOCUS
What advice would you give someone looking to get involved in Para-Equestrian Dressage Train and ride with able-bodied athletes as often as possible Being around and working with horses is so rewarding Irsquod like - when Irsquom retired - to write a book to share these feelings with others and hope this will inspire them to get involved
Complete this sentenceIn the future I would like the sport to beeven ldquocleanerrdquo and fairer and if possible not more but less demanding on the horses
ldquoLast but not least Irsquod like to take the opportunity of this article to reach out to those who give me their trust and help be it with their time their friendship and any type of support Day after day to year after year team work is essential and Irsquoll do my best to continue deserving every-onersquos encouraging smilesrdquo
European Broadcasting Union
Union Europeacuteenne de Radio-Teacuteleacutevision
+41 (0)22 717 2111 wwweurovisionnet
We bring the event to your home
Eurovision
copy K
it H
ough
ton
FE
I
FEI_08_A4indd 1 03012008 162238
European Broadcasting Union
Union Europeacuteenne de Radio-Teacuteleacutevision
+41 (0)22 717 2111 wwweurovisionnet
We bring the event to your home
Eurovision
copy K
it H
ough
ton
FE
I
FEI_08_A4indd 1 03012008 162238
Nominations for the FEI Awards opened in May enabling the global equestrian com-munity to once again reward outstanding dedication to horse sport in five categories ndash Development Best Groom Against All Odds Rising Star and Best Athlete The search for the equestrian heroes of 2011 is now on who will be flown to Rio de Janeiro Brazil to receive their awards
Where are they now The FEI asked the current title-holders for an update on their activities
Follow us on
38
FEI Awards 2011
Ebony Horse Club (GBR)Winner of the Alltech FEI DevelopmentAward 2010
The Ebony Horse Club announced in December 2010 that after an eight-year fundraising effort it had the pound14 million necessary for building an equestrian cen-tre in one of Londonrsquos most deprived boroughs Since 1996 Ebony has offered youngsters in an area reput-ed for its gang culture high level of gun crime and drug dealing the chance to ride and learn key social skills The clubrsquos 50 members travel to riding schools across London on public transport or in minibuses ndash a logistical headache that the inner-city equestrian centre will end Construction work began in February
Ebony Horse Club founder and director Ros Spear-ing told the FEI ldquoRiding lessons are continuing and the club is preparing for the transitionrdquo Building will finish on 7 July but the centre will open for riding lessons in October ldquoThe horses will be brought to Brixton in the summer and will have time to acclimatise to their new environmentrdquo Spearing said The centre will include stabling for nine horses a small paddock and a flood-lit riding arena as well as a classroom for learning about horses and equine management Spearing is adamant that club members ndash present and future ndash care for their rides and wants the centre to serve as a stepping stone to careers in the horse industry
Ebonyrsquos existence will continue to depend on the generosity of donors For more information visit wwwebonyhorsecluborguk
Michelle Tipper (GBR)Winner of the FEI Best Groom Award 2010
Michelle Tipper has continued to juggle grooming and study since receiving her FEI Award in Novem-ber She has organised the grooms for the British European Junior and Young Dressage teams and in April her contract as a travelling groom for British Dressage riders Paul and Bobby Hayler took her to Addington for the first of many international com-petitions she will work at this year The Haylers have eight horses competing and the number she works with at each venue varies Tipper has also been help-ing British Dressage riders Nicky and Richard Barrett with yard duties ldquoI feel very lucky to work for both of these familiesrdquo said the FEI Best Groom Award win-ner adding that she feels part of the two families In March Tipper graduated from university with a Masters in Sport Psychology She is now working towards British Association of Sport and Exercise Science accreditation which requires at least 500 hoursrsquo supervised work experience and is present-ing sport psychology workshops in conjunction with the company Inside Performance Consulting Limit-ed (wwwinside-performancecom) The workshops are organised internationally for people of all ages from any sport To find out more contact Tipper at michelletipper1979yahoocom
39FOCUS
Michelle Tipper ndash copyWilliam TzengAward winners ndash copyWilliam TzengCaroline Roffman ndash copySharonPackercomEbony Horse Club ndash copyEbony Horse ClubEdward Gal and Totilas ndash copyKit HoughtonFEIAngelika Trabert ndash copyJulia Rau
Angelika Trabert (GER)Winner of the FEI Against All Odds Award 2010
German Para-Dressage rider Angelika Trabert has represent-ed her country at four Paralympic Games and won some 15 medals at national European and world championships She is currently seeking a new home for Londria the mare that con-tributed to her Team Silver medal win at the Hong Kong Para-lympics Londria who had a foal last year was also Trabertrsquos ride during her medal-winning performances at the European Championships in Hungary (2005) and Norway (2009)
Trabert said her decision to let go of Londria was hard to make but was necessary for financial reasons She will keep the foal Finaud Coquin and her mares Walmorel and Ariva-Avanti Trabert won the Para-Dressage Grade 2 Freestyle Champion-ship at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade with Ariva and said the horse was ldquowell and ready to go for the Europeans again in Belgium in September if we qualifyrdquo Trabert competed in her first international competition of 2011 in May in Man-nheim Germany where she came first in the Grade II indi-vidual and second in the freestyle She is taking part in the German Championships in June
Away from the equestrian world Trabert works as an anaes-thetist and has participated in medical missions in the rural ar-eas of Guinea for the organisation Mango In January she was back in Guinea as part of team that carried out 100 operations in 13 days wwwangelika-trabertde
Visit the recently refreshed FEI Awards website to find out more about the Awards the pastwinners the judges and to make yournominationsby 31 July
wwwfeiawardsorg
40
Caroline Roffman (USA)Winner of the HSBC FEI Rising StarAward 2010
Success continues to smile on twenty-two-year-old American Dressage rider Caroline Roffman Since re-ceiving the HSBC FEI Rising Star Award she has en-joyed numerous wins at small tour and young horse levels achieving scores in the mid-eighties and quali-fying two horses for the young horse championships
Roffman is currently showing six horses and has won several classes at PSG and Grand Prix level ldquoBut nothing is as exciting as to be going to Aachenrdquo said the young woman who has been described as the American Dressage communityrsquos brightest hope ex-plaining that at the FEI Awards ceremony in Chinese Taipei Frank Kemperman FEI Dressage Committee Chair and Chairman of the Managing Board at CHIO Aachen (GER) invited her to take part in the pres-tigious event Roffman will be the first American to compete in the Under 25 Grand Prix there and is hop-ing to take her horse Lux Stensvang
An interview with Caroline Roffman at the Palm Beach Dressage Derby CDI will be broadcast on the magazine programme Equestrian World on FEI TV the FEIrsquos official online video platform wwwfeitvorg
Edward Gal and Totilas (NED)Winners of the Reem Acra FEI Best Athlete Award 2010
The world-famous partnership of Dutch Dressage rider Edward Gal and the extraordinary Totilas ended in style in 2010 with notably three gold medal wins at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade
The first foal sired by the superstar stallion was born in January followed by two more in the spring Gal who has admired the foals told the FEI ldquoYou never know ndash maybe in a few yearsrsquo time Irsquoll have another Totilas readyrdquo At the beginning of April he was busy at home training nine horses and preparing for the Reem Acra FEI World Cuptrade Dressage Final in Leipzig and the European Championships in Rotterdam He had not yet decided which horses he was going to compete with but was particularly looking forward to the Freestyle to Music Asked what it was like to compete without Totilas Gal said ldquoEverybody ex-pected Totilas to win I find it easier to ride other horses because nobody expects me to win and when I do itrsquos really nicerdquo
41FOCUS
globetrotter
Seal of approval for the Adai horseSixty years have passed since an Adai horse reportedly set a record galloping 354km in one day Today the Adai horse a breed na-tive to Kazakhstan is back in the spotlight with a gold medal at the FEI Central Asian Endurance Championship in Talgaearlier in May only months after having been award-ed official pedigree status following tests
conducted by a State Commission in the Mangistau Steppes which allowed itto compete internationally The horses are cherished for their hardiness and Oyly ridden by Altyngali Bissemaganbetov (KAZ) proved just that when crossing the finishing line first demonstrating just how tough the Adai horses are and the beginning of a new era for sturdy breed on the international stage
Equestrian Australia Sport
Achievement Awards
In May the best of the best in
Equestrian sport gathered to cel-
ebrate the achievements of Austral-
iarsquos athletes coaches officials vets
administrators owners volunteers
and the many other people that
dedicate their time and enthusiasm
to equestrian sport The ceremony
also included the introduction of
Equestrian Australiarsquos Hall of
Fame won by the legendary Bill
Roycroft Boyd Exell winner of
the FEI World CupTM Driving
Final was awarded the interna-
tional athlete of the year
award
Kevin Stautbecomes first athlete representative on FEI
executive board
Kevin Staut one of Francersquos most successful Jumping riders became the first athlete to be appointed to the FEI Executive Board for a three-year term Staut (31) who has held the number one spot in the Rolex Rankings for Jumping since July 2010 has ridden on numerous Nations Cup teams for France and claimed individual gold at the Alltech FEI European Jumping Championships in 2009
HulA CARTSWorld Horse Welfare has greatly helped the liv
es of
five Senegalese cart horse owners by presenting them
with new Hula Carts The local people who depend on
their working horses for their livelihoods were specially
selected by the charity to receive the carts which have
been sponsored by members of the public in the uK
The Hula Carts are specifically developed to help the
horses pulling heavy loads in often difficult conditions
Equestrian Australia Sport
Achievement Awards
In May the best of the best in
Equestrian sport gathered to cel-
ebrate the achievements of Austral-
iarsquos athletes coaches officials vets
administrators owners volunteers
and the many other people that
dedicate their time and enthusiasm
to equestrian sport The ceremony
also included the introduction of
Equestrian Australiarsquos Hall of
Fame won by the legendary Bill
Roycroft Boyd Exell winner of
the FEI World CupTM Driving
Final was awarded the interna-
tional athlete of the year
award
Olympic legendBill Roycroft passes away aged 96
A legend of Equestrian sport in Australia James William
George Roycroft OBE known as ldquoBillrdquo was one of Austral-
iarsquos greatest Olympians and one of only five Australians to
have competed in five consecutive Olympic Games (from
1960 - 1976) as well as being Australiarsquos oldest medallist
and oldest competitor at 61 years and 31 days In May 2011
Bill was inducted in Equestrian Australiarsquos inaugural Hall
of Fame ndash he was Australiarsquos oldest living Olympian and
shared his dedication and enthusiasm for the sport with
his sons Barry Wayne and Clarke (See a brief description
of his exploits in the 1960 Olympic Games Memory Lane
article page 9 which catapulted Australiarsquos reputation as
one of the best Eventing teams in the world)
webinfofeiFEI web wizard Nicole Sigrist has added a new hub for the Press on wwwfeiorg called FEI Press Kits located in the Media section of the website The Press Kits zone which is also open to the general public is regularly updated with infor-mation relating to FEI series and specific events with flip books and downloadable PDFs as well as direct links to the Photo Catalogue the Rankings and Standings the Annual Report and more
100thanniversary for Finnish riding club
One of the three found-ing member clubs of
the Finnish Equestrian Federation the Suomen
Kenttaumlratsastusseura-Finska Faumlltrittklubbenon celebrates
its 100th anniversary in 2011 Magnus Rydman former President of the Finnish National Federation and Presi-dent of the FEI from 1935 ndash 1946 was one of the founders of the club Another of the founders of the oldest club in Fin-land was the Eventing rider Colonel Hans Olof von Essen whose fifth place at the Antwerpen Olympic Games re-mains the best Olympic equestrian result the country has ever achieved
Follow us on
43FOCUS
Interview with the President of the Brazilian Equestrian Federation Mr Luiz Roberto Giugni
The Brazilian Equestrian Federation has been a member Federation of the FEI for 75 years how has the sport developed over that time We were facing regular growth (average of 25 in the last decade) but in the last three to four years this rate has significantly increased up to 35 a year We believe that this is due to international achievements (two Jumping Olympic team bronze medals the individual Olympic Jumping gold medal won by Rodrigo Pessoa several Pan Am Jumping team gold medals recent Olympic pre-qualification in Kentucky (4th in the world in Jumping) and the organisations of a Global Champions Tour event in Brazil
In terms of developing the sport what are the most successful projects you have undertaken in recent yearsWe decided to invest in education and have hired international trainers for all the disciplines such as Jean Maurice Bonneau for Jumping Nick Turner for Eventing Eric Lette for Dressage Jean Louis Leclerc for Endurance Mattias Lang for Vaulting with the long term in mind that is at least until the end of 2012 and planning towards 2016 when Rio will host the Olympic Games
How popular is equestrian sport with young people in Brazil and how do you compete with some of the bigger sports for their attention Popularization is growing bit by bit in a country
decidedly dominated by soccer ndash being 5 times World Champion makes it a national passion But we are continuously looking to attract TV to our events as this is a huge step towards gaining visibility and popularity Can you tell us about the programmesinitiatives in place for disabled athletes We are actively pursuing this and have achieved really positive results in little time such as the great performances and medals earned at the Para-lympic Games in Hong Kong in 2008 We do this through clinics courses international exchanges of athletes and working alongside our National Paralympic Committee to support us in our efforts
Brazil will be host the FEI General Assembly at the end of the year what do you want all the visiting delegates to remember from their visit That we are more than just a really beautiful and warm country with the ability and capacity to organise great events and that we are committed to putting on the best Olympic Games ever
What are the main objectivesplans for the Brazilian Federation in the lead up to the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games Our NOC is really committed to raising the bar of all the sports to a level never seen before and we are working towards that in terms of our athletes our judges our venues and everything that is related to our sport and the quality of our sport In line with this objective we are providing incen-tives to owners to buy good horses aiming for 2016 and this is going to plan for now We expect to perform well at the upcoming Pan Am Games and Olympics on our trail to 2016
Is there anything else you would like to share with us I would like to thank HRH Princess Haya President of the FEI as well as the Executive Board for all the support that we are getting which has been paramount to the development of equestrian sport in our country
44
President Luiz Roberto GiugniSecretary General Luiz Antonio RoccoMember since 1935
15 members of staff work at the federation
20 regional federations are affiliated tothe Brazilian Equestrian Federation with over 300 member riding clubs
6 000 affiliated riders
91 national events were held in 2010
31 international events were held in 2010
All the FEI disciplines are practiced in BrazilJumping Dressage Eventing Vaulting Reining EnduranceDriving amp Para-Equestrian
14 breeding organisations
There are 58 million horses and ponies in Brazilmaking it the fourth largest equine population in the world
FAC
TS amp
FIG
URE
S
45FOCUS
Dr Gerit Matthesen56 is a private equine practitioner an FEI Vet and a member of the FEI Veterinary Committee He graduated in Veterinary Medicine from Berlin University in 1983 and since 1989 has worked or officiated at some 180 competitions and championships including the last two Olympics and FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade He lives near Frankfurt with his wife Carola and their sons Mike (16) and Lars (14)
46
A life in a day
Dr Gerit Matthesen56 is a private equine practitioner an FEI Vet and a member of the FEI Veterinary Committee He graduated in Veterinary Medicine from Berlin University in 1983 and since 1989 has worked or officiated at some 180 competitions and championships including the last two Olympics and FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade He lives near Frankfurt with his wife Carola and their sons Mike (16) and Lars (14)
I wake up earlier than I need to ndash at around 6am ndash because breakfast time with my family is sacred to me and I can then drive my boys to the village station to take the train to school After two cups of coffee (enough for the day) and a glass of orange juice I read the newspapers then head to my prac-tice offices in our indoor arena I have a quick look at our horses then start work
While I listen to my phone messages I deal with my emails and search the internet for news about veterinary medicine and horse sport I then start planning the dayacutes schedule with Anna my assistant vet
My mobile practice is in a nice fairly rural area in the north of Frankfurt There are lots of horse farms but it is not a classic breeding area like the northern part of Germany There are sport horses as well as pleasure horses I have examination rooms and stables for horses staying or mares foaling in my practice stables Itrsquos not a big clinic which gives me time to work at competitions
After seeing a few small animals in my practice I normally start my field service at 930am In my car I have enough equipment (ultrasound X-ray systems and endoscopical devices) for the dayrsquos examinations and standing procedures We mainly have lameness examinations to do or internal diseases to treat accompanied by routine work like vaccinations or carrying out pre-purchase or health certificate examinations If time allows I go home for a quick lunch but thatrsquos not every day
While Irsquom driving I have time to think and I write down everything that come to mind regarding sport competitions committees and so on You have to write down your thoughts when yoursquore over the age of 50
It is not easy planning my day because any emer-gency can destroy or delay my schedule For all the paperwork and certificates I need a time frame so
I often do that over quiet weekends when there are no competitions During the winter season I am less busy but in summer a lot of weekends are taken over by the competition schedule
I love my work especially in Eventing which is my favourite discipline My wife and I practiced it ndash not up to top level but it was a fine time despite a bro-ken ankle from a fall in 1988 which after 23 years is making walking more and more difficult for me
I like to do my competition work on a friendly but strict basis and I really like to hear riders saying they are treated fairly Over the years I have acquired a lot of experience and met all the officials and riders
Usually when I return home in the late afternoon there are more small animals to see When Irsquove done the dayrsquos paperwork I hope there will be no more emergencies such as cases of colic which usually occur in the early evening
I look forward to getting on my horse which is a beautiful show-jumper I like to ride but Irsquove stopped competing I do dressage jumping and go out into the fields but itrsquos all just for fun now
The day finishes with the family and a nice cold glass of German beer
Itrsquos a struggle to find time to spend with my family and I often have to cancel my holidays with them I am really grateful to my wife and the boys for their understanding of my job and to my assistant vet who covers for me when Iacutem out somewhere in the world of equestrian sport
ldquoThe combination of my profession and beinginvolved in differentaspects of top equestrian sport is my visionrdquo
47FOCUS
Pull your show attire from the closet clean your boots and tack groom the horses hook up and pack the trailer check the clock double check to make sure you have everything put on the shipping boots load your horses and away you drive to the competition venue or to the airport for transport to a distant event
You know the drill well but still you arrive tired per-haps even a bit frazzled Yoursquoll sleep (or try to) the next several nights in an unfamiliar bed or camp out in the living quarters of your trailer You awaken riveted on the competition playing out the dayrsquos classes in your mind wondering how your rides will fare against oth-ers praying that the weather will be cooperate and trying to control your nerves all the while knowing that no matter how well you have prepared many factors are out of your control You may even be in a different time zone
We go through a lot to compete our horses But if you think life on the road is stressful for you think about what itrsquos like for your horses Your back may be a bit sore from driving or being strapped into an airplane seat for hours on end but for horses transportation is far more demanding It is an athletic endeavour re-quiring an expenditure of energy to maintain balance during the constant movement of transport When your horses arrive they face social isolation from stablemates lack of security in novel environments altered training regimes water that tastes strange and the confines of an unfamiliar stall This routine impacts a horsersquos health and well being with effects
continuing long after the journey is over During transport toxic gases (such as ammonia or carbon monoxide) can cause damage to the lung epithelium precipitating respiratory disease The
final destination itself can also cause problems Usually horses are transported to environments where they will be mixing with other horses The mixing of horses from different environments with different infectious organisms and under stressful conditions further precipitates susceptibility to disease
This can have a severe impact on the equine gut The stress of transportation is known to increase gut ulceration in the horse a painful condition reducing performance and causing colic-like symptoms Stress can also slow the flow of digesta and alter the normal gut flora resulting in digestive upset and possibly diarrhoea or colic
The effects of travel stress on the gut are compounded by the typical diet of the regular equine traveller To maintain athletic ability high performance horses are often fed energy-charged diets contain-ing increased levels of starchy materials such as cereal grains Unfortunately this type of diet can reduce beneficial types of gut flora and promote gut acidity further predisposing the horse to digestive upsets and ulceration It is not surprising that stressed tired horses may not fulfill their potential on arrival
Feeding to reduce stress for the equine traveller
By Darlene RickerExecutive editor of Alltechrsquos EQUINE INTERNATIONAL magazine
48
Alltech Tips
growth of opportunistic Salmonella spp which are present in the intestinal tract of many healthy horses These bacteria then attach to the gut lining via a mannan sugar and penetrate it causing damage and resulting in diarrhoea One method of prevent-ing or minimising the attachment of these organ-
isms to the gut lining is to provide an adsorbant supplement A form of sugar found in the cell walls of certain yeasts can do this This sugar compound is called man-nan oligosaccharide or MOS MOS products such as Alltechrsquos Bio-Mosreg have been shown to re-duce the colonization of Salmonella
spp in the guts of certain species and augment the immune response to Salmonella spp potentially conferring an enhanced ability to fight infection Both Yea-Saccreg 1026 and Bio-Mos are among the natural products contained in Alltechrsquos LIFEFORCETM equine supplement which many FEI competitors have successfully incorporated into their daily feeding regimen at home and on the road
lifeforcehorsecom
and may be subject to health concerns in the days following a long journey Fortunately however you can curb some of the effects of travel stress on the horsersquos gut by nutritional supplementation Organic yeast products used to supplement a horsersquos diet can support the normal gut flora modifying the intesti-nal environment and improving the horsersquos digestion One such culture is Saccharomyces cerevisae in the form of Yea-Saccreg 1026 Alltechrsquos propriety organic yeast
Experiments were conducted to evaluate the effects Yea-Sacc on gut flora and gut acidity Horses were fed either a high-starch or a high-fibre diet both with and without supplementation of Yea-Saccreg 1026 Results indicated an excessive amount of starch in the gut The use of Yea-Sacc reduced acidity and stimulat-ed the activity of fibre-digesting bacteria in the hind-gut for both types of diet The result was maximised fibre digestibility and more efficient use of nutrients thus increasing the amount of energy available to the horse for performance and counteracting digestive upset Salmonellosis is one of the more commonly di-agnosed infectious causes of diarrhoea in horses Many cases develop after the stress of transport The effects of travel stress on the normal gut flora allow an over-
Moorlands Totilas arrives for the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade after air transport copy Dirk Caremans
HRH The Infanta Dontildea Pilar de Borboacuten former President of the FEI (1994-2006) also attended the inauguration along-side HRH Princess Lalla Amina Chairperson of the Royal Moroccan Federation for Equestrian Sports and member of the international Advisory Council of Special OlympicsThey were joined by International Olympic Commit-tee members representatives from other Interna-tional Federations federal and local Swiss authorities as well as architects and designers that worked on the project Switzerlandrsquos Martin Fuchs a member of the gold medal winning team at the inaugural Youth Olympic Games in Singapore last year accompanied FEI President Princess Haya in officially opening the FEI headquarters
ldquoThe building we are inaugurating today has been designed to serve our wonderful sportrdquo explained FEI
President Princess Haya ldquoI also feel an immense
sense of pride knowing that this building carries the name
of my late father and hope that this serves as a constant reminder
to all of us who work at the FEI of a unique statesman whose entire soul was devoted to the service of his people Our new headquarters will play a key role for the FEI and our National Federa-tions over the coming years It will be the environ-ment in which important discussions take place and fundamental decisions are taken as we continue our mission to advance the orderly growth of equestrian sport worldwide while ensuring that the welfare of the horse and a level playing field remain at the centre of all that we dordquo
FEI celebratesNEW Headquarters
Over 250 guests attended the inauguration ceremony on Friday 6 May at HM King Hussein I Building which was timed to coincide with the FEI
Extraordinary General Assembly so that attending NationalFederation representatives
could be a part ofthe celebrations
1 Youth Olympic Games team champion Martin Fuchs (SUI) FEI President HRH Princess Haya and her daughter HH Sheikha Al Jalila officially open the FEIrsquos new home 2 Gilbert Felli IOC Olympic Games Executive Director and FEI Secretary General Ingmar de Vos 3 HRH The Infanta Dontildea Pilar de Borboacuten sits down to an interactive quiz in the FEI Gallery 4 Guests gathered in the atrium of the FEI HeadquartersAll images copy Hugues SiegenthalerFEI
Highlights available on50
1
2
3 4
5
6 7
8
THE GALLERy
As well as housing offices for its 62 employees and conference facilities for its 133 National Federations the new headquarters also has a state-of-the-art in-teractive gallery showcasing equestrian sport
The Gallery is the brainchild of Dr Amichai Alper-ovich historian former Secretary General of the Is-raeli Equestrian Federation and curator of the Israeli Olympic Museum (opened in 2009) He worked hand in hand with the Tel Aviv based company Disk-In Pro and interior designer Oded Alony to help bring the content to life and the result is truly unique and ground breaking Giant glass surfaces act as interac-tive interfaces for the visitors to travel through time
The FEIrsquos new headquarters which were donated to the Federation by FEI Presi-dent HRH Princess Haya in 2007 fol-lowing a personal fundraising effort are conveniently located close to the Inter-national Olympic Committee and other international sports federations It has been written into the FEI Statutes that the new FEI headquarters building will always house the Federationrsquos offices In 2008 the building was thoroughly renovated in accordance with the Swiss MINERGIEreg construction standard for environmental responsibility which re-duces energy consumption by 25 per cent Only two per cent of renovated buildings in Switzerland meet the high Minergie standards Khuan Chew founder and design princi-pal of London-based architectural firm KCA International Ltd worked in close collaboration with Swiss-based architect Herveacute de Rham and interior designer Sia-vosh Adeli (SUI) to transform the build-ing which was built in the 1960s The modern and sleek interior was further enhanced with bespoke artworks pro-duced by Swiss creative agency b+g amp partners and imagery by world-famous equestrian art photographer Tim Flach where the simplicity and beauty of his equine subjects seamlessly embrace and accentuate the buildingrsquos pure lines and natural materials (see image left)
As they feasted on the innate beauty of their sur-roundings the guests also had the privilege to ex-perience the culinary talents of organic chef and specialist Gilles Wannaz and his team based in the town of Cully which sits on the edge of Lac Leman in Switzerlandrsquos famous Lavaux wine growing region
5 HRH Princess Haya welcomes the guests to the Inauguration of the HQ and the 90 year celebration of the FEI 6 Artwork by renowned pho-tographer Tim Flach 7 An organic and colourful buffet presented on an authentic lawn by local chef Gilles Wannaz 8 A life size horse sculpture by Christophe Dumont greeted the guests upon their arrival
53FOCUS
and space with the latest in touch technology revis-iting the history of the FEI the equestrian events at Olympic amp Paralympic Games the FEI World Eques-trian Gamestrade and information on all of the member National Federations with statistics videos images and text The Gallery also includes projections on ar-chitectural surfaces designed by Oded Alony referred to as the Origami as well as interactive stations and unique video projections on glass screens
For all those wishing to visit the FEI Gallery simply contact the FEI HQ to make an appointment and we would be delighted to take you on a journey to dis-cover or rediscover the human and equine athletes whose talents have marked equestrian history and inspired young riders drivers and vaulters around the world
Interview withDrAmichaiAlperovich
When did you first dream up the FEIInteractive Gallery When I found out the FEI was planning to move into new HQ in 2009 Disk-In Pro and I approached the FEI and presented them with several concepts for the space Before long we had agreed on the concept and we got to work
Why were you compelled to make it become a reality So that the FEI a prominent sports organisation could present itself to a growing audience in a new and visionary way with the latest technology And by doing so the FEI is a pioneer becoming the first International Federation to have a Gallery of this kind
What did you learn when researching and gathering content for the gallery I have learned a lot about the history of the FEI the strong Olympic tradition the diversity of disciplines the gender equality and the unique bond between horse and man One of the more fascinating topics was the evolution of the Dressage from itsrsquo Olympic debut to the modern Freestyle
Itrsquos very innovative technology what inspired you to take such a leap into the future with such a traditional sport Just as Dressage has evolved over the years and alongside the introduction of new disciplines partic-ularly Para-Equestrian you come to realise that the FEI is not as traditional as one would think Actually this kind of innovative presentation of equestrian history is really well suited to the FEI In the same way that you can have horse-man connections there is an audience-technology connection in the Gallery The audience have to be active in order to enjoy the depth of information the Gallery contains
54
Now it is time to open the door to new places to learn about sport ndash at the heart of sporting organi-sations themselves The Gallery is more than an informative tool it brings people to the sport andto the heart of its operations
Established in 1990 Disk-In Pro specialises in the planning design production and implementation of Museums Visitor Centres and sophisticated projects around the world This includes multi screen produc-tion animation 3D amp interactive films state-of-the-art software platforms and complex video displays for an unforgettable experience
Oded Alony holds a BA in Design from the Interior Design Section of the Holon Technological Institute and has since 1998 worked with Israelrsquos leading Architecture firms The Oded Alony Studio embraces holistic design a space where interior design lighting and graphics are brought together to create a harmo-nious project vision
Now that you have seen it unveiled to the public how would you like to see it evolve I hope the audience will be amazed from the design by architect Oded Alony and the new methods to deliver information whilst discovering the long his-tory of the FEI the diversity and the global reach of the organisation I hope the Gallery will become an icon in Lausanne and one of its highlights for visitors I promise the visitors a new platform to learn about equestrianism and each visit could be different as the information and themes will be updated and modi-fied regularly
This futuristic gallery is a first for anInternational Federation do you think thisis something all sports should invest inThe FEI took this courageous decision and now has this fantastic tool to present the organisation in new ways Sport is a huge cultural phenomenaWe have learned to consume sport in the arenas and stadiums in the press media and new media
Dr Amichai Alperovich
55FOCUS
SOCIAL MEDIAthe new frontier
Follow us on
The FEI has recently embarked on and embraced a whole new way of talking with the greater equestrian community through the ever expanding social media networks and platformsWith personalised Facebook Twitter and You Tube pages the FEI is taking it step by step and reaching out to this growing audience and listening to what they have to say
This new communication platform is by no means a substitution of the traditional communication path-ways but works alongside the press releases various publications and content on wwwfeiorg and wwwfeitvorg providing a new arena where the FEI can share interact and dialogue with fans of the sport and of equestrian values in general
We talk to Richard Johnson Director of Corporate Communications about the FEIrsquos commitment to social media
What compelled the FEI to venture onto the social media scene As a governing body with a vibrant and active com-munity of National Federations as well as thousands of fans the need to reach out to the online social community has never been stronger We have been watching the communities grow online for some time and have been listening to their conversations so being a part of it was the next logical step and a really important one The conversations will hap-pen with or without us so taking that step has been crucial in order to share our values and also build re-lationships with our fan base
Tradition meets modernity ndash does equestrian sportthe FEI have a place in social media Absolutely even though equestrian sport has a long history and is perceived as a traditional sport it is
always evolving In the 90 years of the FEI which was founded to govern the three Olympic disciplines it has grown to also oversee the disciplines of Driving Endurance Vaulting Reining and Para-Equestrian sport Or if you look at the early days when competi-tors were from military backgrounds and when wom-en did not compete alongside men to the complete gender equality we have today ndash a lot has changed and is in a constant state of change
The fans of equestrian sport are like any other fan base web savvy and eager for more information behind the scenes content and to share their opin-ions and thoughts ndash so it is an ideal partnership And from what we have seen these last few months and from the feedback we got from our blog at the Youth Olympic Games there is a real appetite for this
The FEI has dedicated Facebook Twitter and You Tube pages ndash why did you select these social media platforms The figures speak for themselveshellip Facebook Twit-ter and You Tube are the biggest players in the social networking space With over 500 million Facebook users 106 million Tweeters and 2 billion views a day on You Tube there has never been so much oppor-tunity for exposure Every site has different demo-graphics with different habits and needs so by having an FEI presence on these three networks we are able to cover a lot of ground and cater to different audi-ences by providing different types of content accord-ing to the platform
What are the main benefits of having a pres-ence on various social media platforms Itrsquos all about having a two way conversation ndash the benefits of dialogue where you can share content such as videos images facts and figures thoughts and values and then allow your fan base to react to get involved and to listen and learn from them By engaging with our audience and showing them that we are a modern and caring organisation and that we want to hear what they have to say then we are able to build trust and ultimately credibility in what we do and what we say
57FOCUS
TV
The offi cial video website of the Feacutedeacuteration Equestre Internationale
wwwfeitvorg
WATCH LIVE WATCH ONLINE
FEI TV is the FEIrsquos new offi cial video website and your ticket to the worldrsquos most prestigious competitions Sign-up to FEI TV (wwwfeitvorg) and get instant access to all the live broadcasts the extensive video-on-demand library all the highlights the behind the scenes reports the interviews and so much more Be at the heart of horsesport Join us
2823_1FEI_TV_Focus_165x226indd 1 170510 1124
It also keeps us alert as to what is being discussed and debated in the public sphere so that we can manage situations more effectively and be proactive in our messaging and information so that the facts are at the heart of the debate and not interpretations of them
How do you generate content for social media It was important when we launched our social me-dia presence that it be manageable with the exist-ing communications team in place ndash and so we have concentrated on keeping it simple and effective and using content innovatively Itrsquos not about reproduc-ing our website ndash but to engage with our fans and so often all you need is a good picture an interest-ing fact or great achievement to get the ball rolling For You Tube as we already have so much content generated from FEI TV it was simply a question of using bits and pieces from that content to provide the public with teasers from events interviews with winning riders or behind the scenes content which they can then follow up on FEI TV with a subscription
What are your Social media goals Itrsquos really to build relationships and dialogue with our fan base by using our content innovatively by listening to what they have to say and by engaging with the community And for the National Federa-tions that have yet to take that step we want to be a guiding hand that can help them get started so that they too can reap the benefits of social media net-working Our sport competes against other sports for attention so itrsquos really important that we the FEI and the National Federations keep our finger on the pulse and cater to our fans
How can National Federations get involved NFs wishing to find out more about Social Media can contact me (richardjohnsonfeiorg) and I would be more than happy to discuss opportunities and ways of getting started as well as our experience at the FEI
We asked our Facebook followers why it was important to use face-book and here are a few comments they came up with
bullItrsquos a great way to find out about shows and competitions
bullBecause facebook can provide up to the minute updates as to the what is going on in the horse community
bullWe can share information and ideas over long distances We can find and connect with people we wouldnt be able to otherwise
bullIt also lets us express the true realities of our spot to keep us grounded
bullIt can bring peoples attention to excellence ndash and expose the issues
58
TV
The offi cial video website of the Feacutedeacuteration Equestre Internationale
wwwfeitvorg
WATCH LIVE WATCH ONLINE
FEI TV is the FEIrsquos new offi cial video website and your ticket to the worldrsquos most prestigious competitions Sign-up to FEI TV (wwwfeitvorg) and get instant access to all the live broadcasts the extensive video-on-demand library all the highlights the behind the scenes reports the interviews and so much more Be at the heart of horsesport Join us
2823_1FEI_TV_Focus_165x226indd 1 170510 1124
ldquo Donrsquot accept drinks from a strangerrdquo
Armchair travel journalist
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201736_6000263_Coconut_226x165indd
Master 226x165
Rob Swainson 160211
HSBC - Coconuts Proof 01Head of Art TypographerDesigner ArtCreative Director Copywriter Account DirectorDIC Project ManagerPhotographer Illustrator Usage Model(s) Name(s) Usage
Media MediaStock Image Time Period Time Period
Territory Territory
8deg N ndash Kerala South India
For the 31st edition of the FEI European Jumping Championships the event returns to Spain 18 years after the Championships in Gijon only this time to be held at the Club de Campo Villa in Madrid The FEI European Jumping Championships take place every two years in the middle of the Olympic cycle and have been held since 1957 with the introduction of team medals in 1975
THE VENUEThe Club de Campo Villa de Madrid (ESP) has been host to an annual CSI for 100 years and will be tem-porarily replacing its usual grass in the main arena with all-weather sand footing to ensure perfect going for the Championship
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERSTeam ndash SwitzerlandIndividual ndash Kevin Staut (FRA)
OLyMPIC qUALIFICATIONThe 3 best ranked nations from Olympic Qualifying Groups A amp B at the 2011 FEI European Jumping Championships (excluding the teams already quali-fied at WEG) will be qualified to take part with a team consisting of 4 athletes amp 4 horses or 3 athletes amp 3 horses
GREAT HORSES OF THE EUROPEANCHAMPIONSHIPSDEISTER - An extraordinary horse with an extraordi-nary record With Germanys Paul Schockemohle on board this brilliant bay Hannoverian led won three consecutive individual gold medals - in Munich Germany in 1981 Hickstead England in 1983 and Dinard France in 1985 Bred by Hermann Hahl in Osterbruch Lower Saxony Deister was by Diskant out of Adlerklette by Adlerschild stood 171cms high and had the heart of a lion Deisters European medal
haul also included team gold at Munich in 1981 team silver in Rotterdam in 1979 and team bronze at both Hickstead in 1983 and Dinard in 1985 Despite his incredibly active career the hardy Deister who was born in February 1971 lived to the ripe old age of 29
MR SOFTEE - The closest challenger to Deister for the title of Champion of the Europeans is the Irish-bred Mr Softee - a three-time winner but with two different riders Mr Softee enjoyed a hugely success-ful career with David Broome However it was with another Briton David Barker that the chestnut horse with four white legs took the individual European ti-tle for the first time in London in 1962 This was then followed up with David Broomersquos victory in Rotter-dam in 1967 and in Hickstead in 1969 Broome once said that like many other top horses Mr Softee had a big opinion of himself - He thought he was a king - and he was right
Believe it or nothellip
bull Itwasonlyin1975thatwomenwere permittedtocompetealongsidemenin theEuropeanJumpingChampionshipsprior tothistherehadbeentheLadiesEuropean JumpingChampionshipsheldfrom1957- 1973
bull Only2womenhaveeverwonthe FEIEuropeanChampionshipsFrancersquos AlexandraLedermannin1999and MeredithMichaels-Beerbaum(GER) in2007
bull Germanyledthegoldtallywith20 medals(14individualamp6team)double theamountofrunnerupGreatBritainon 10(6individualand4team)
FeI eUroPeaN
JUMPINGChaMPIoNshIPs
13-18 September 2011
Madrid (SPAIN)
19FOCUS
LIVE coverage on
Rotterdam gets set to host the 25th edition of the FEI European Dressage Championships for the first time and only the second time for the Netherlands (Arnhem 1999) The FEI European Dressage Championships take place every two years in the middle of the Olympic cycle and have been held since 1963
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERS
Team ndash The Netherlands
Individual ndash Kuumlr to MusicEdward Gal (NED) amp Moorlands Totilas
Individual ndash Grand Prix SpecialAdelinde Cornelissen (NED) amp Jerich Parzival
OLyMPIC qUALIFICATIONThe 3 best ranked nations from Groups A B amp C at the 2011 FEI European Dressage Championships (exclud-ing the teams already qualified at WEG) will be quali-fied to take part with a team consisting of 3 athletes amp 3 horses
THE WIND OF CHANGEFor 21 consecutive Championships from 1965 to 2005 (no team title awarded in 1963) the Germans held the European title but the last two editions have seen an upset to that tradition with the Netherlands clenching gold In 2009 the Dutch domination was particularly strong with five out of six individual med-als awarded to Dutch riders and the sixth going to British rider Laura Bechtolsheimer
IN MEMORy OF HENRI CHAMMARTIN (SUI)At the time of writing a legend in the Dressage world Henri Chammartin (SUI) passed away at the age of 92 An Olympic and European Dressage champion Henri Chammartin won the first two editions of the
FEI European Championships in 1963 and 1965 riding Wolfdiedtrich and competed in five consecutive edi-tions of the Olympic Games ndash Helsinki 1952 Stock-holm 1956 Rome 1960 Tokyo 1964 and Mexico 1968 ndash winning a total of five Olympic medals includ-ing Olympic champion in 1964
RECORD BREAKINGhellip In 2009 the formidable partnership of The Nether-lands Edward Gal and Moorlands Totilas smashed the world Freestyle record before a packed house with Windsor Castle standing proudly as a backdrop when scoring 9070 (including an unbelievable 29 perfect-10 scores) to win the Freestyle gold medal
Believe it or nothellip
bull GermanyhaswontheEuropeanDressage TeamTitleon21occasions
bull Thegreatestnumberofteamstoparticipate inEuropeanDressageChampionshipsis 14-atHickstead(GBR)in2003andagainat Hagen(GER)in2005
bull GermanysDrReinerKlimkewonthreeindi vidualtitles-atAachenin1967ridingDux andagainin1973ridingMehmedandat Copenhagenin1985ridingAhlerich
bull WithGigoloGermanysIsabellWerthtook theindividualtitlein1995and1997and wontheGrandPrixSpecialatDonaueschingen Germanyin1991andatLipicaSloveniain 1993
bull AnkyvanGrunsvenhasthreewinstoher namendashin1999withBonfirefollowedbythe backtobackwinswithSalineroin2005and 2007
17-21 August 2011
Rotterdam Netherland
FeI eUroPeaN
DressaGeChaMPIoNshIPs
20
LIVE coverage on
These are the second FEI European Para-Equestrian Dressage Championships to be held since Para-Equestrian joined the FEI Family in 2006 Para-Equestrian Dressage has been a regular fixture at the Paralympic Games since 1996 The first FEI European Para-Equestrian Dressage Championships were held in southern Norwegian town of Kristiansand in 2009 with a total of 78 ath-letes from 22 countries participating
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERS
Team Great Britain
Grade Ia Individual - Sophie Christiansen (GBR) Freestyle - Emma Sheardown (GBR)
Grade Ib Individual amp Freestyle Lee Pearson (GBR)
Grade II Individual - Petra Van der Sande (NED) Freestyle - Angelika Trabert (GER)
Grade III Individual amp Freestyle
Hannelore Brenner (GER)
Grade IV Individual amp Freestyle Sophie Wells (GBR)
The mobility strength and coordination of competi-tors are assessed and athletes with similar functional ability profiles are grouped into competition grades that range from Grade Ia for the most severely im-paired to Grade IV for the least impaired This means that the competition within each Grade can be judged on the skill of the individual competitors on their horses regardless of their disabilities
CLUB qUADRILLEMoorsele has been host to a regular international Para-Equestrian Dressage events for the past few years with the Club Quadrille as organiser The Club Quadrille was founded in 1981 by Anne Van Neste-dIeteren Belgian Dressage Champion from 1977 un-til 1982 current President of the Belgian Paralympic Committee and member of the FEI Para-Equestrian committee It is a unique sports club that works with both able bodied and disabled athletes and is active in the promotion and education of the sport As member of the honorary IPC Board Her Royal Highness (HRH) Princess Astrid of Belgium has been a fervent supporter of the event and has attended on many occasions
Believe it or nothellip
bull LeePearson(GBR)haswoneverygold medalwithinreachatParalympicWorld andContinentallevelandtheEuropeans in2009werenodifferentwithanother triplegoldvictory
bull GreatBritainalsohavetheMidastouch whenitcomestoteammedalsndashandarethe currentParalympicWorldandEuropean titleholders
bull In2009Germanycamecloserthanever totakingthegoldmedalfromall-time championGreatBritain
1-4 September 2011
Moorsele Belgium
FeI eUroPeaN
Para-eqUestrIaNDressaGeChaMPIoNshIPs
21FOCUS
A record number of fans are expected to attend the HSBC FEI European Eventing Championships as they return to Luhmuumlhlen for the fifth time to mark the 30th edition of the ChampionshipsThe FEI European Eventing Championships take place every two years in the middle of the Olympic cycle and have been held since 1953
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERSTeam ndash Great BritainIndividual ndash Kristina CookMiners Frolic (GBR)
OLyMPIC qUALIFICATIONThe 2 best ranked nations from Groups A B amp C at the 2011 HSBC FEI European Eventing Champion-ships (excluding the teams already qualified at WEG) will be qualified to take part with a team consisting of 3 athletes amp 3 horses
THE VENUELuhmuumlhlen one of only six 4 events on the interna-tional Eventing calendar and part of the prestigious HSBC FEI Classicstrade series will greet Europersquos best athletes with a fresh look and feel this year following extensive renovation to the existing infrastructures The recently renovated showground includes three Dressage and two Jumping arenas a tribune able to seat 850 spectators with spectacular views as well as a newly designed entrance including six ticket box facilities and fully catered trade stands The show-ground also boasts an open air stage with space for up to 15000 spectators ldquoI am confident that the in-vestment in the infrastructure will be of great benefit to all involved whether you are a volunteer a groom an athlete ndash both the horses and the riders - as well as for the sponsors guests spectators and the fans We are re-ally looking forward to great competitions this year at both the CCI4CIC3 in June and at the Europeans in August and hope many will join us to witness this historic momentrdquo Julia Otto Event Director Luhmuumlhlen
HSBCHSBC has renewed their sponsorship for a further three-year term as global sponsor of FEI Eventing to include title sponsorships of the HSBC FEI European Eventing Championships in both 2011 and 2013 and the HSBC FEI Classicstrade until the end of 2013
OFFICIAL TIMEPIECE Rolex the leading name in luxury wrist watches will be the Official Timekeeper for the HSBC FEI European Eventing Championships 2011
Believe it or nothellip
bull GinnyElliot(bornHolgate)theonlyrider towinthreesuccessiveindividualtitlesand IanStarkholdthejointrecordforEuropean goldmedalswonndashseveneachbutLucinda Greenstillhasthemostmedals(10)
bull SupremeRockriddenbyPippaFunnell (GBR)istheonlyhorsetowinback-to-back titles(in1999and2001)hehasfour Europeangoldmedalsintotalequalingthe recordofKilbarryThePoacherandOver ToYouwhowonarecordfourconsecutive Europeanteamgolds(1999-2005)
bull PrincessAnneandZaraPhillipsaretheonly mother-daughtercombinationtowin Europeantitles(1971and2005)
bull GreatBritainhaveheldtheEuropeantitle forthepast8consecutiveChampionships (since1995)Andofthe29editionstodate (startingin1953)theteamhavewona whopping21
25-28 August 2011
Luhmuumlhlen Germany
hsBC FeI eUroPeaN
eVeNtINGChaMPIoNshIPs LIVE coverage on
22
In September Breda Hippique in The Netherlands will be host to the seventh edition of the FEI Euro-pean Driving Championships for Four-in-Hand not held since 1981 This edition is open to both Euro-pean and non-European drivers and will also count as a qualifier for the indoor FEI World Cuptrade Driv-ing which is held during the winter season Only competitors from Europe can claim the individual and team medalsThe FEI European Driving Championships for Four-in-Hand were first held in 1971 in Budapest and continued to be held every two years until 1981 at which stage they were discontinued
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERSTeam ndash HungaryIndividual ndash Gyoumlrgyi Bardos (HUN)
SOMETHING IN THE WATERhellip Hungary have won five out of six available team European titles and on the individual front two Hungarians stand out from the crowd Imre Abony ndash individual winner in 1971 and 1975 and Gyoumlrgyi Bardos triple consecutive winner in 1977 1979 1981
IN THE BEGINNINGhellipThe first European Championships took place in Budapest in 1971 and moved on to Windsor in Great Britain in 1973 Sopot in Poland in 1975 Donauesch-ingen in Germany in 1977 and in Haras du Pin in France in 1979 The sixth and last edition took place in 1981 in Zug Switzerland
THE VENUEBreda has hosted the only Nations competition (CAIO) for Four-in-Hand horses in The Netherlands for many years In 1995 Breda hosted the first FEI European Driving Championships for Four-in-Hand ponies and in 2010 was host to the FEI World Para-Equestrian Driving Championships Aside from the four-in-hand teams Breda will also host international pony teams and national horse pairs at the event this year
Believe it or nothellip
bull Hungaryhavewonfiveoutofsixteamgold titles
bull AugusteDubeyfromSwitzerlandwasthe onlynon-HungarianEuropeanChampion hewontheChampionshipsin1973
bull PrincePhilipFEIPresidentfrom1964- 1986whocelebratedhis90thbirhtday inJuneisanavidfanofDrivingandpartici- patedinsixWorldandthreeEuropean Championships
1-4 September 2011
Breda Netherland
FeI eUroPeaN
DrIVINGChaMPIoNshIPsfor FoUr-IN-haND
Note At the time of writing the FEI European DrivingChampionships for Four in Hand was pending approvalby the FEI Bureau
23FOCUS
The 14th edition of the FEI European Endurance Championships return to Florac in France twenty five years after the inaugural event was held there The FEI European Endurance Championships first took place in 1984 and were immediately followed up by a second edition in 1985 and have since been held every two years They have always been open to the world with two sets of medals presented ndash open and European
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERSTeam ndash SpainIndividual ndash Maria Alvarez Ponton amp Nobby
RECORD BREAKINGCurrent title holder Maria Alvarez Ponton amp super horse Nobby is the first rider to hold European and World titles at the same time She will be looking to confirm her stronghold on the sport following her second consecutive World title with a second con-secutive European title in Florac a feat no rider has managed to achieve at the Europeans to date
THE VET GATEModern competitions consist of a number of sec-tions known as lsquophasesrsquo At the end of each phase there is a compulsory halt for veterinary inspection Each horse which is thoroughly examined before it is allowed to start the ride must be presented for inspection within a set time of reaching each vetgate The time spent at each vetgate prior to inspection by the vets is counted as part of the overall competition time and the aim is to determine whether the horse is fit to continue the ride
THE SUPPORT CREWA vital part of Endurance riding is the support crew Riders are assisted by a team of helpers who meet them several times over the ride bringing bottles of water to pour over the horse to cool it down as well as a drink for the rider Crews also have spare equipment in case something breaks down or needs replacing
Believe it or nothellip
bull TheFrenchhavethemedaledgewith6 individualand4teamgoldmedalsfrom the14editionsheld
bull Floracistheonlyvenuetohostthe EuropeanChampionshipstwice(thefirst editionin1984andtheupcomingedition in2011)
bull EnduranceisthefastestgrowingFEI disciplinefrom2000to2010thenumber ofinternationaleventshavemultipliedby10
10 September 2011
Florac France
FeI eUroPeaN
eNDUraNCeChaMPIoNshIPs
24
Reem Acra Boutique 14 East 60th St New York New York 10022 2123088760 wwwreemacracom
356935B2_RA_brochure2_souvenir_programmeindd 1 82710 1012 AM
Vaulting became an FEI discipline in 1983 and saw its first FEI European Championship organised just one year later in the town of Ebreichsdorf in Austria This 15th edition of the Championship ndash which also includes the European Juniors competition return to France for the 4th time but for the first time in the world renowned venue of Le Mans famous for its 24 hour race
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERS
Team ndash Austria
Individual malelongeurhorseNicolas Andreani (FRA)Marina Joosten DuponIdefix de Braize
Individual femalelongeurhorseJoanna Eccles (GBR)John EcclesWH Bentley
THE WIND OF CHANGEGermany and Switzerland have traditionally bat-tled for the team title (Germany has 7 gold versus Switzerlandrsquos 5) but in 2009 Austria who had come second on four occasions since the inception of the Championships in 1984 finally climbed onto the top spot of the podium and claimed the title In terms of the individual performances Germany had the stronghold on the male category winning 11 out of 14 gold medals But again in 2009 France the only other country to have ever beaten a German male vaulter at the Europeans made it to the top spot of the podium for only the third time since the Championships began
Similarly with the female vaulters it was an all German domination until 2007 when Austriarsquos Sissi Jarz claimed gold followed by Joanna Eccles (GBR) in 2009 ndash leaving Germany off the top step of the podium entirely in 2009
GREAT BRITAIN ndash A VAULTING NATIONhellip Times have definitely changed from the Swiss German domination with current World and European titles held by Great Britainrsquos Joanna Eccles She was the first British vaulter (male or female) to claim a medal at the Europeans ndash let alone a gold medal - and then went on to secure the world title in Kentucky last year
Believe it or nothellip
bull TheonlycountryotherthanGermanyand SwitzerlandtohaveclaimedaEuropean VaultingtitleisSlovakiain2005
bull ChristophLensing(GER)holdsthemale medalrecordndashwiththreegold(19891993 amp1995)aswellassilverin1991
bull NadiaZuumllowandSilkeMichelberger (formerlyBernhard)withthreegoldmedals each
16-21 August 2011
Le Mans France
FeI eUroPeaN
VaULtINGChaMPIoNshIPs
26
This is only the fifth edition of the European Reining Championships since the discipline joined the FEI in 2000 and the first time they will be held in Austria The event also includes the FEI European Champi-onships for Juniors and Young Riders ndash a formula introduced in 2009 in Kreuth (GER) which proved to be a multigenerational success The FEI European Reining Championships take place every two years and have been held since 2003
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERSTeam ndash GermanyIndividual ndash Nina Lill (GER) riding Lena Cielo Jewel
THE JUDGINGReining horses are judged individually Each horse au-tomatically begins the required pattern with a score of 70 One or frac12 points are given or taken away for each manoeuvre Credit is given for smoothness fi-nesse attitude quickness and authority Controlled speed in the pattern raises the level of difficulty and makes the reining horse exciting to watch
Believe it or nothellip
bull ItalyandGermanyaretheonlytwonations tohavewongoldmedalsndashGermanyhas3 teamgoldand2individualgoldversus Italyrsquossingleteamgoldandtwoindividual gold
bull GermanyrsquosNinaLillwinnerin2009was thefirstwomantotaketheindividualtitle sincetheChampionshipsbeganin2003
bull OlympicWorldandEuropeanDressage ChampionAnkyVanGrunsven(NED) competedattheAlltechFEIWorldEques- trianGamestradein2010inbothDressageand hellipReining
bull 13nationswerescheduledtoattendthe Championshipatthetimeofwritingthe largestparticipationbycountryever recordedfortheEuropeans
26-30 July 2011
Wiener Neustadt Austria
FeI eUroPeaN
reININGChaMPIoNshIPs
27FOCUS
ldquoThirty-one yearsrsquo experience comes in handy some-timesrdquo joked the ever-relaxed Todd who was a leg-end by the time he ldquoretiredrdquo in 2000 with back-to-back Olympic golds five Burghley wins two world gold medals and three Badminton victories one on a horse he had never ridden before ldquoIt is incredibly special though right up there with the back-to-back Olympic golds When I came back to the sport (in 2008) it was to see if I could get back to top level It has always been my aim to win another big onerdquo
A World class meeting of Generations
The 2011 HSBC FEI Classicstrade could not have got off to a more epic start with wins at Badminton and Kentucky by two of the sportrsquos most enduring personalitiesThe 55-year-old New Zealander Mark Todd rolled back the years to score a fourth victory at the Gloucestershire venue 31 years after his first attempt in 1980
By Kate Green
28
HSBC FEI ClassicsTm
The resurgence of so much experienced talent makes it harder for younger riders to work their way up the leaderboard but 29-year-old Sinead Halpin (USA) had a spectacular CCI4 debut at Kentucky finish-ing third and best of the home side in distinguished company This achievement earned her the HSBC Training Bursary worth US$1000 towards training a prestigious and valuable award presented to the rider who achieves the best result on completing a CCI4 for the first time
The bursary winner at Badminton Fiona Hobby (GBR) 39 has had a rather longer wait to complete
her first CCI4 ndash she was 26th on Roma ML ndash but she has in the meantime produced two children had a career as a sports therapist and only switched from Jumping to Eventing relatively recently Hobby has vowed to spend the money on dressage train-ing ldquoRoma couldnrsquot believe it when she arrived in the arena and saw all those people but she was great across country really focussed Irsquom delightedrdquo
For Germanyrsquos Sandra Auffarth Luhmuumlhlen pro-vided an outstanding CCI4 debut on Opgun Louvo a young horse she has produced herself coming second and picking up the HSBC Training Bursary and the exciting prospect of a possible place in the squad for the forthcoming HSBC FEI European Event-ing Championship at Luhmuumlhlen (25-28 August) at which Germany as host nation will be entitled to field 12 riders
Last yearrsquos HSBC Training Bursary winners include Stephanie Rhodes-Bosch (CAN) who went on to win a team silver medal at the Alltech FEI World Equestri-an Gamestrade Lauren Shannon (GBR) who finished 17th at Badminton this year and Giovanni Ugolotti (ITA) who is furthering his career by basing himself in Brit-ain for the season and having lessons with Mark Todd
LIVE coverage and extensive highlights available on
Toddrsquos winning mount the 10-year-old NZB Land Vision was a green horse for this level and he fin-ished the Cross-Country phase tired but his rider kept his cool in an extraordinarily tight finish in which the price of one Jumping fence covered the top 12 riders any of whom could with a bit of luck have won the Mitsubishi Motors Trophy ldquoIn the end it came down to horse-power and Irsquove obviously got a good one hererdquo said Todd ldquoCharisma (his double Olympic gold medallist) will always be the most special horse but this one has no weak linksrdquo
As is the nature of the sport Toddrsquos lead in the HSBC FEI Classicstrade didnrsquot last long ndash he came down to earth with a bump the following weekend with a Cross-Country run-out on NZB Grass Valley his ride at the Rolex Kentucky Three Day Event (USA) and 49- year-old Mary King (GBR) stole the head-lines with a record one-two on Kings Mis-tress and Fernhill Urco It was Kingrsquos first CCI4 victory for 11 years ndash she has won Badminton twice and Burghley once ndash but she certainly smashed a few re-cords with this one She became the first rider to score a one-two at Kentucky the first in modern times to win a CCI4 on a home-bred horse and the oldest female to win a CCI4
King who has six team gold medals at World and European level plus competed at five consecutive Olympics had the luxury of knowing she had already won the event on the inexperienced 10-year-old Fernhill Urco a horse bred in Portugal by the time she entered the arena on Kings Mistress but she still produced a second clear round ldquoI never dreamed that I would be in this position and Irsquom enjoying the momentrdquo said the ever-smiling King ldquoIt was great to have the feeling of having already won on Fernhill Urco but I still wanted desperately to go clear on Kings Mistress as it is so special to win on a horse I bred myselfrdquo It was also an all clear from Germanyrsquos Andreas Dibowski and Euroriding Butts Leon in order to secure victory at the fourth leg of the HSBC FEItrade
Classicstrade in Luhmuumlhlen presented by EON Avacon
29FOCUS
The Danish-American actorpoet musician photographerand painter has been around horses most of his life from riding Hasufel and Brego in The Lord of the Rings trilogy to early childhood memories in Argentina his passion for floating as he describes it has never wavered
What is it about the horse that makes you a horse loverWe get along generally I respect their strength and their personal space Your first riding experience ndash was it bliss or terrorLike floating like being on a warm and floating mountain I remember being happy Do you think anyone can rideYes It is a question of allowing yourself to ride of allowing yourself to cooperate and not be in total control Children are more adept at figuring this out letting things happen without getting impatient or scared just as they are braver and less self-conscious about pronouncing new words or singing Anyone at any age or in any physical condition can
Viggo Mortensen
achieve a degree of success and satisfaction with horses even if it is just a question of touching them being near them If horses could talk what would they be sayingYou will know if you listen and watch them Is there a unique trait you look for in a horse that you canrsquot find in peopleThey are more patient and less apt to complain about lifersquos setbacks and physical ailments than most people I admire a tough smart horse what-ever its breed age or size What would you miss most if you could no longer go ridingThe companionship and the floating perhaps also the abandonment of usual daily worries that relaxed riding requires Whatrsquos your usual riding outfit consist ofAnything will do Loose-fitting clothes and good comfortable boots are a plus but not vital I have even ridden barefoot ndash naturally taking care to avoid being stepped on when not on the horse - but I do not recommend this to anyone The most important thing is to have a clear and focused mind to be THERE at all times when around horses and NOWHERE ELSE Sugar lumps or carrotsIrsquove been guilty of offering an occasional apple or carrot although it is best not to give horses anything special unless treats are part of training them for special tricks or stunts a pursuit best left to experts like master horse trainer Rex Peterson whom Irsquove had the good fortune to work with and study quite a bit Treats spoil horses and do not keep the animal focused on the task at hand Whatrsquos your favourite part of a horseThe brain What do you think young people gain from ridingSelf-confidence and an understanding of the value of cooperation
30
Why the long face
When did you first develop the bond with the horseThe first time I got on one as a little boy in ArgentinaYou either develop a bond of some kind or you fall off Of course you may even fall off if you develop the bond but you have to start (and restart) somewhere
Did your friends ride My brothers also rode and I have ridden with many kinds of people over the years ndash some good and patient with horses and some not If I had not rid-den as a boy I would probably have been wandering around fishing imagining I was a cowboy or an Indian or a Viking ndash which I did anyway Where in the world would you most like to rideMost anywhere will do but I have been extremely lucky to have ridden in many wide-open wild places ndash deserts grassy plains mountains by different seas and rivers in Argentina New Zealand North Africa and North America If you could spend one afternoon riding with a famous person (past or present)who would it be and whyIrsquoll give you 3 Oglala chief Tasunke Witko (Crazy Horse) my ancestor William F Cody or any real Gaucho from the province of Chaco Argentina
Two horses go out for dinner what kindof restaurant do they chooseLate spring grass near a slow-moving clean river with a gentle firm shoreline an hour before sun-down far from any people or other animals All time favourite horse filmI have a subjective soft spot for the stories and real horses involved in the making of ldquoHidalgordquo and the 2nd and 3rd installments of ldquoThe Lord Of The Ringsrdquo trilogy but I admire other ldquohorse moviesrdquo as wellThe 1953 French movie ldquoCrin-Blancrdquo (ldquoWhite Manerdquo) directed by Albert Lamorisse is a personal favourite
After three years at the head of the successful French Jumping team with back to back FEI Nations Cuptrade titles and a silver medal at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade Laurent Elias is moving on to new spheres with the French Horse amp Riding Institute where he will be training the riders of the National Riding School in Saumur
Laurent Elias
copy C
hris
toph
e Br
icot
32
The other side of
If I had not become a professional rider I would havehellipmade a career in a humanitarian organisation Horse riding is sometimes too trivial
My priority in life ishellipto be able to look at myself in the mirror in the morning and make sure I am at peace with my conscience
My familyhellipkeeps me grounded My wife helped me a lot when I was in charge of selections for France She took charge of my personal life and was the first person I called when we got the medal in Lexington I also admire my parents for the values they passed on to me
I remember my first ridingexperiencehellipaged six we were shooting a family film and I was on horseback I finished upside down under my horse for a long time I stopped riding for one year
I used to dream abouthellipsafaris One of my uncles was passionate about safaris Through him I became very interested in African trips and the jobs that allow you to travel as a reporter were fascinating to me as well
I have been thinking a lot abouthellipwhat happened in Japan these past few months First this tsunami that devastated everything without warning then the nuclear disaster It made me think that progress should not be destructive
My horse Gueacutenourhellipchanged my life I was just a coach and he brought me to the top I won the national championship in 1981 with him
My biggest challengehas always beenhellipshyness Horse riding has really helped me over-come it Horses brought me on stage and there I had to meet people
As a Chef dEquipehellipthere is no single defining achievement itrsquos all about the solidarity and the moments spent together as a team Irsquoll never forget the first time Penelope Leprevost rode her mare Jubileacutee drsquoOuilly in the FEI Nations Cuptrade of Rotterdam McLain Ward had just completed a real fast run with Sapphire We thought the Americans would win but she did it faster and beat Sapphire
In terms of eventshellipAachen is my favourite competition - for its won-derful organisation But we have also pretty good five star competitions in France
I donrsquot sleep muchhellipprobably because I am just happy to be alive
Irsquom not scared to laugh or cryhellipI laugh at the funny situations we sometimes find ourselves in life and enjoy people with quirky personalities I cry when I see others in pain
Laurent Elias and the French team en route to the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade copy PSV-Jean Morel
33FOCUS
Nicolas TheacutevenazAged 23 studies Robotics and Autonomous Systems Micro Engineering in Lausanne (SUI) alongside regular training and competition in Dressage and Para-Equestrian Dressage events Born with spastic diplegia Nicolas was introduced to horses via hippotherapy aged seven and quickly developed a passion for riding which not only helped with his physical condition but also taught him through Dressage the art of patience and perseverance
34
One day
Nicolas TheacutevenazAged 23 studies Robotics and Autonomous Systems Micro Engineering in Lausanne (SUI) alongside regular training and competition in Dressage and Para-Equestrian Dressage events Born with spastic diplegia Nicolas was introduced to horses via hippotherapy aged seven and quickly developed a passion for riding which not only helped with his physical condition but also taught him through Dressage the art of patience and perseverance
He has been fortunate to meet the right people (and horses) at the right time and has been working for the past five years with trainer Vicky-Eileen Baumann (pictured right) and her horses Magic and Lady (pictured right) ldquoShersquos bred them and knows them inside out which is very useful when I have to communicate with them - they know my voice intonations and a whole string of specific words or sounds ndash which really helps as my body canrsquot or doesnrsquot always have the strength to do sordquo
As a Grade II Para-Equestrian rider Nicolas competes in Para-Equestrian Dressage (PED) events as well as national events for able bodied riders as there are only a handful of PED riders and no events in Switzerland
Unable to attend the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade 2010 in Kentucky last year Nicolas and Vicky have their sights firmly set on the 2012 Para-lympic Games and will be looking to qualify with Lady over the next 12 months ndash alongside exams studies and everything else life has to offerhellip Who is your role model For different reasons I have different role mod-els Edward Gal Dane Rawlins Isabel Werth and Catherine Haddad
When did you start riding and why At age 7 I was sat on a horse for hippotherapy and liked the complicity with the horse which made me want to discover more
How do you feel when you ride Concentrated and industrious
Who is your biggest fan My trainerrsquos mum
Complete this sentenceOne day I would like tohellip have gained enough knowledge to be able to take care of and train my own horse
What are your long term goals as a rider Continue to do my best to enjoy what I do and show others itrsquos possible
How do you juggle studies and competition I think itrsquos really important to have goals and to do everything you can to achieve them and that includes taking on challenges because if you donrsquot try then yoursquoll never know what you could have achieved
What is your proudest achievement to date Participation in international events together with pursuing my studies
How do you feel after winning Still working towards discovering the feeling
What is the best advice anyone has ever given youMy trainer often repeats to me the famous saying by General LrsquoHotte ldquoCalme en avant droitrdquo which says so much about riding but can also be applied to so many other aspects of life
35FOCUS
What advice would you give someone looking to get involved in Para-Equestrian Dressage Train and ride with able-bodied athletes as often as possible Being around and working with horses is so rewarding Irsquod like - when Irsquom retired - to write a book to share these feelings with others and hope this will inspire them to get involved
Complete this sentenceIn the future I would like the sport to beeven ldquocleanerrdquo and fairer and if possible not more but less demanding on the horses
ldquoLast but not least Irsquod like to take the opportunity of this article to reach out to those who give me their trust and help be it with their time their friendship and any type of support Day after day to year after year team work is essential and Irsquoll do my best to continue deserving every-onersquos encouraging smilesrdquo
European Broadcasting Union
Union Europeacuteenne de Radio-Teacuteleacutevision
+41 (0)22 717 2111 wwweurovisionnet
We bring the event to your home
Eurovision
copy K
it H
ough
ton
FE
I
FEI_08_A4indd 1 03012008 162238
European Broadcasting Union
Union Europeacuteenne de Radio-Teacuteleacutevision
+41 (0)22 717 2111 wwweurovisionnet
We bring the event to your home
Eurovision
copy K
it H
ough
ton
FE
I
FEI_08_A4indd 1 03012008 162238
Nominations for the FEI Awards opened in May enabling the global equestrian com-munity to once again reward outstanding dedication to horse sport in five categories ndash Development Best Groom Against All Odds Rising Star and Best Athlete The search for the equestrian heroes of 2011 is now on who will be flown to Rio de Janeiro Brazil to receive their awards
Where are they now The FEI asked the current title-holders for an update on their activities
Follow us on
38
FEI Awards 2011
Ebony Horse Club (GBR)Winner of the Alltech FEI DevelopmentAward 2010
The Ebony Horse Club announced in December 2010 that after an eight-year fundraising effort it had the pound14 million necessary for building an equestrian cen-tre in one of Londonrsquos most deprived boroughs Since 1996 Ebony has offered youngsters in an area reput-ed for its gang culture high level of gun crime and drug dealing the chance to ride and learn key social skills The clubrsquos 50 members travel to riding schools across London on public transport or in minibuses ndash a logistical headache that the inner-city equestrian centre will end Construction work began in February
Ebony Horse Club founder and director Ros Spear-ing told the FEI ldquoRiding lessons are continuing and the club is preparing for the transitionrdquo Building will finish on 7 July but the centre will open for riding lessons in October ldquoThe horses will be brought to Brixton in the summer and will have time to acclimatise to their new environmentrdquo Spearing said The centre will include stabling for nine horses a small paddock and a flood-lit riding arena as well as a classroom for learning about horses and equine management Spearing is adamant that club members ndash present and future ndash care for their rides and wants the centre to serve as a stepping stone to careers in the horse industry
Ebonyrsquos existence will continue to depend on the generosity of donors For more information visit wwwebonyhorsecluborguk
Michelle Tipper (GBR)Winner of the FEI Best Groom Award 2010
Michelle Tipper has continued to juggle grooming and study since receiving her FEI Award in Novem-ber She has organised the grooms for the British European Junior and Young Dressage teams and in April her contract as a travelling groom for British Dressage riders Paul and Bobby Hayler took her to Addington for the first of many international com-petitions she will work at this year The Haylers have eight horses competing and the number she works with at each venue varies Tipper has also been help-ing British Dressage riders Nicky and Richard Barrett with yard duties ldquoI feel very lucky to work for both of these familiesrdquo said the FEI Best Groom Award win-ner adding that she feels part of the two families In March Tipper graduated from university with a Masters in Sport Psychology She is now working towards British Association of Sport and Exercise Science accreditation which requires at least 500 hoursrsquo supervised work experience and is present-ing sport psychology workshops in conjunction with the company Inside Performance Consulting Limit-ed (wwwinside-performancecom) The workshops are organised internationally for people of all ages from any sport To find out more contact Tipper at michelletipper1979yahoocom
39FOCUS
Michelle Tipper ndash copyWilliam TzengAward winners ndash copyWilliam TzengCaroline Roffman ndash copySharonPackercomEbony Horse Club ndash copyEbony Horse ClubEdward Gal and Totilas ndash copyKit HoughtonFEIAngelika Trabert ndash copyJulia Rau
Angelika Trabert (GER)Winner of the FEI Against All Odds Award 2010
German Para-Dressage rider Angelika Trabert has represent-ed her country at four Paralympic Games and won some 15 medals at national European and world championships She is currently seeking a new home for Londria the mare that con-tributed to her Team Silver medal win at the Hong Kong Para-lympics Londria who had a foal last year was also Trabertrsquos ride during her medal-winning performances at the European Championships in Hungary (2005) and Norway (2009)
Trabert said her decision to let go of Londria was hard to make but was necessary for financial reasons She will keep the foal Finaud Coquin and her mares Walmorel and Ariva-Avanti Trabert won the Para-Dressage Grade 2 Freestyle Champion-ship at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade with Ariva and said the horse was ldquowell and ready to go for the Europeans again in Belgium in September if we qualifyrdquo Trabert competed in her first international competition of 2011 in May in Man-nheim Germany where she came first in the Grade II indi-vidual and second in the freestyle She is taking part in the German Championships in June
Away from the equestrian world Trabert works as an anaes-thetist and has participated in medical missions in the rural ar-eas of Guinea for the organisation Mango In January she was back in Guinea as part of team that carried out 100 operations in 13 days wwwangelika-trabertde
Visit the recently refreshed FEI Awards website to find out more about the Awards the pastwinners the judges and to make yournominationsby 31 July
wwwfeiawardsorg
40
Caroline Roffman (USA)Winner of the HSBC FEI Rising StarAward 2010
Success continues to smile on twenty-two-year-old American Dressage rider Caroline Roffman Since re-ceiving the HSBC FEI Rising Star Award she has en-joyed numerous wins at small tour and young horse levels achieving scores in the mid-eighties and quali-fying two horses for the young horse championships
Roffman is currently showing six horses and has won several classes at PSG and Grand Prix level ldquoBut nothing is as exciting as to be going to Aachenrdquo said the young woman who has been described as the American Dressage communityrsquos brightest hope ex-plaining that at the FEI Awards ceremony in Chinese Taipei Frank Kemperman FEI Dressage Committee Chair and Chairman of the Managing Board at CHIO Aachen (GER) invited her to take part in the pres-tigious event Roffman will be the first American to compete in the Under 25 Grand Prix there and is hop-ing to take her horse Lux Stensvang
An interview with Caroline Roffman at the Palm Beach Dressage Derby CDI will be broadcast on the magazine programme Equestrian World on FEI TV the FEIrsquos official online video platform wwwfeitvorg
Edward Gal and Totilas (NED)Winners of the Reem Acra FEI Best Athlete Award 2010
The world-famous partnership of Dutch Dressage rider Edward Gal and the extraordinary Totilas ended in style in 2010 with notably three gold medal wins at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade
The first foal sired by the superstar stallion was born in January followed by two more in the spring Gal who has admired the foals told the FEI ldquoYou never know ndash maybe in a few yearsrsquo time Irsquoll have another Totilas readyrdquo At the beginning of April he was busy at home training nine horses and preparing for the Reem Acra FEI World Cuptrade Dressage Final in Leipzig and the European Championships in Rotterdam He had not yet decided which horses he was going to compete with but was particularly looking forward to the Freestyle to Music Asked what it was like to compete without Totilas Gal said ldquoEverybody ex-pected Totilas to win I find it easier to ride other horses because nobody expects me to win and when I do itrsquos really nicerdquo
41FOCUS
globetrotter
Seal of approval for the Adai horseSixty years have passed since an Adai horse reportedly set a record galloping 354km in one day Today the Adai horse a breed na-tive to Kazakhstan is back in the spotlight with a gold medal at the FEI Central Asian Endurance Championship in Talgaearlier in May only months after having been award-ed official pedigree status following tests
conducted by a State Commission in the Mangistau Steppes which allowed itto compete internationally The horses are cherished for their hardiness and Oyly ridden by Altyngali Bissemaganbetov (KAZ) proved just that when crossing the finishing line first demonstrating just how tough the Adai horses are and the beginning of a new era for sturdy breed on the international stage
Equestrian Australia Sport
Achievement Awards
In May the best of the best in
Equestrian sport gathered to cel-
ebrate the achievements of Austral-
iarsquos athletes coaches officials vets
administrators owners volunteers
and the many other people that
dedicate their time and enthusiasm
to equestrian sport The ceremony
also included the introduction of
Equestrian Australiarsquos Hall of
Fame won by the legendary Bill
Roycroft Boyd Exell winner of
the FEI World CupTM Driving
Final was awarded the interna-
tional athlete of the year
award
Kevin Stautbecomes first athlete representative on FEI
executive board
Kevin Staut one of Francersquos most successful Jumping riders became the first athlete to be appointed to the FEI Executive Board for a three-year term Staut (31) who has held the number one spot in the Rolex Rankings for Jumping since July 2010 has ridden on numerous Nations Cup teams for France and claimed individual gold at the Alltech FEI European Jumping Championships in 2009
HulA CARTSWorld Horse Welfare has greatly helped the liv
es of
five Senegalese cart horse owners by presenting them
with new Hula Carts The local people who depend on
their working horses for their livelihoods were specially
selected by the charity to receive the carts which have
been sponsored by members of the public in the uK
The Hula Carts are specifically developed to help the
horses pulling heavy loads in often difficult conditions
Equestrian Australia Sport
Achievement Awards
In May the best of the best in
Equestrian sport gathered to cel-
ebrate the achievements of Austral-
iarsquos athletes coaches officials vets
administrators owners volunteers
and the many other people that
dedicate their time and enthusiasm
to equestrian sport The ceremony
also included the introduction of
Equestrian Australiarsquos Hall of
Fame won by the legendary Bill
Roycroft Boyd Exell winner of
the FEI World CupTM Driving
Final was awarded the interna-
tional athlete of the year
award
Olympic legendBill Roycroft passes away aged 96
A legend of Equestrian sport in Australia James William
George Roycroft OBE known as ldquoBillrdquo was one of Austral-
iarsquos greatest Olympians and one of only five Australians to
have competed in five consecutive Olympic Games (from
1960 - 1976) as well as being Australiarsquos oldest medallist
and oldest competitor at 61 years and 31 days In May 2011
Bill was inducted in Equestrian Australiarsquos inaugural Hall
of Fame ndash he was Australiarsquos oldest living Olympian and
shared his dedication and enthusiasm for the sport with
his sons Barry Wayne and Clarke (See a brief description
of his exploits in the 1960 Olympic Games Memory Lane
article page 9 which catapulted Australiarsquos reputation as
one of the best Eventing teams in the world)
webinfofeiFEI web wizard Nicole Sigrist has added a new hub for the Press on wwwfeiorg called FEI Press Kits located in the Media section of the website The Press Kits zone which is also open to the general public is regularly updated with infor-mation relating to FEI series and specific events with flip books and downloadable PDFs as well as direct links to the Photo Catalogue the Rankings and Standings the Annual Report and more
100thanniversary for Finnish riding club
One of the three found-ing member clubs of
the Finnish Equestrian Federation the Suomen
Kenttaumlratsastusseura-Finska Faumlltrittklubbenon celebrates
its 100th anniversary in 2011 Magnus Rydman former President of the Finnish National Federation and Presi-dent of the FEI from 1935 ndash 1946 was one of the founders of the club Another of the founders of the oldest club in Fin-land was the Eventing rider Colonel Hans Olof von Essen whose fifth place at the Antwerpen Olympic Games re-mains the best Olympic equestrian result the country has ever achieved
Follow us on
43FOCUS
Interview with the President of the Brazilian Equestrian Federation Mr Luiz Roberto Giugni
The Brazilian Equestrian Federation has been a member Federation of the FEI for 75 years how has the sport developed over that time We were facing regular growth (average of 25 in the last decade) but in the last three to four years this rate has significantly increased up to 35 a year We believe that this is due to international achievements (two Jumping Olympic team bronze medals the individual Olympic Jumping gold medal won by Rodrigo Pessoa several Pan Am Jumping team gold medals recent Olympic pre-qualification in Kentucky (4th in the world in Jumping) and the organisations of a Global Champions Tour event in Brazil
In terms of developing the sport what are the most successful projects you have undertaken in recent yearsWe decided to invest in education and have hired international trainers for all the disciplines such as Jean Maurice Bonneau for Jumping Nick Turner for Eventing Eric Lette for Dressage Jean Louis Leclerc for Endurance Mattias Lang for Vaulting with the long term in mind that is at least until the end of 2012 and planning towards 2016 when Rio will host the Olympic Games
How popular is equestrian sport with young people in Brazil and how do you compete with some of the bigger sports for their attention Popularization is growing bit by bit in a country
decidedly dominated by soccer ndash being 5 times World Champion makes it a national passion But we are continuously looking to attract TV to our events as this is a huge step towards gaining visibility and popularity Can you tell us about the programmesinitiatives in place for disabled athletes We are actively pursuing this and have achieved really positive results in little time such as the great performances and medals earned at the Para-lympic Games in Hong Kong in 2008 We do this through clinics courses international exchanges of athletes and working alongside our National Paralympic Committee to support us in our efforts
Brazil will be host the FEI General Assembly at the end of the year what do you want all the visiting delegates to remember from their visit That we are more than just a really beautiful and warm country with the ability and capacity to organise great events and that we are committed to putting on the best Olympic Games ever
What are the main objectivesplans for the Brazilian Federation in the lead up to the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games Our NOC is really committed to raising the bar of all the sports to a level never seen before and we are working towards that in terms of our athletes our judges our venues and everything that is related to our sport and the quality of our sport In line with this objective we are providing incen-tives to owners to buy good horses aiming for 2016 and this is going to plan for now We expect to perform well at the upcoming Pan Am Games and Olympics on our trail to 2016
Is there anything else you would like to share with us I would like to thank HRH Princess Haya President of the FEI as well as the Executive Board for all the support that we are getting which has been paramount to the development of equestrian sport in our country
44
President Luiz Roberto GiugniSecretary General Luiz Antonio RoccoMember since 1935
15 members of staff work at the federation
20 regional federations are affiliated tothe Brazilian Equestrian Federation with over 300 member riding clubs
6 000 affiliated riders
91 national events were held in 2010
31 international events were held in 2010
All the FEI disciplines are practiced in BrazilJumping Dressage Eventing Vaulting Reining EnduranceDriving amp Para-Equestrian
14 breeding organisations
There are 58 million horses and ponies in Brazilmaking it the fourth largest equine population in the world
FAC
TS amp
FIG
URE
S
45FOCUS
Dr Gerit Matthesen56 is a private equine practitioner an FEI Vet and a member of the FEI Veterinary Committee He graduated in Veterinary Medicine from Berlin University in 1983 and since 1989 has worked or officiated at some 180 competitions and championships including the last two Olympics and FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade He lives near Frankfurt with his wife Carola and their sons Mike (16) and Lars (14)
46
A life in a day
Dr Gerit Matthesen56 is a private equine practitioner an FEI Vet and a member of the FEI Veterinary Committee He graduated in Veterinary Medicine from Berlin University in 1983 and since 1989 has worked or officiated at some 180 competitions and championships including the last two Olympics and FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade He lives near Frankfurt with his wife Carola and their sons Mike (16) and Lars (14)
I wake up earlier than I need to ndash at around 6am ndash because breakfast time with my family is sacred to me and I can then drive my boys to the village station to take the train to school After two cups of coffee (enough for the day) and a glass of orange juice I read the newspapers then head to my prac-tice offices in our indoor arena I have a quick look at our horses then start work
While I listen to my phone messages I deal with my emails and search the internet for news about veterinary medicine and horse sport I then start planning the dayacutes schedule with Anna my assistant vet
My mobile practice is in a nice fairly rural area in the north of Frankfurt There are lots of horse farms but it is not a classic breeding area like the northern part of Germany There are sport horses as well as pleasure horses I have examination rooms and stables for horses staying or mares foaling in my practice stables Itrsquos not a big clinic which gives me time to work at competitions
After seeing a few small animals in my practice I normally start my field service at 930am In my car I have enough equipment (ultrasound X-ray systems and endoscopical devices) for the dayrsquos examinations and standing procedures We mainly have lameness examinations to do or internal diseases to treat accompanied by routine work like vaccinations or carrying out pre-purchase or health certificate examinations If time allows I go home for a quick lunch but thatrsquos not every day
While Irsquom driving I have time to think and I write down everything that come to mind regarding sport competitions committees and so on You have to write down your thoughts when yoursquore over the age of 50
It is not easy planning my day because any emer-gency can destroy or delay my schedule For all the paperwork and certificates I need a time frame so
I often do that over quiet weekends when there are no competitions During the winter season I am less busy but in summer a lot of weekends are taken over by the competition schedule
I love my work especially in Eventing which is my favourite discipline My wife and I practiced it ndash not up to top level but it was a fine time despite a bro-ken ankle from a fall in 1988 which after 23 years is making walking more and more difficult for me
I like to do my competition work on a friendly but strict basis and I really like to hear riders saying they are treated fairly Over the years I have acquired a lot of experience and met all the officials and riders
Usually when I return home in the late afternoon there are more small animals to see When Irsquove done the dayrsquos paperwork I hope there will be no more emergencies such as cases of colic which usually occur in the early evening
I look forward to getting on my horse which is a beautiful show-jumper I like to ride but Irsquove stopped competing I do dressage jumping and go out into the fields but itrsquos all just for fun now
The day finishes with the family and a nice cold glass of German beer
Itrsquos a struggle to find time to spend with my family and I often have to cancel my holidays with them I am really grateful to my wife and the boys for their understanding of my job and to my assistant vet who covers for me when Iacutem out somewhere in the world of equestrian sport
ldquoThe combination of my profession and beinginvolved in differentaspects of top equestrian sport is my visionrdquo
47FOCUS
Pull your show attire from the closet clean your boots and tack groom the horses hook up and pack the trailer check the clock double check to make sure you have everything put on the shipping boots load your horses and away you drive to the competition venue or to the airport for transport to a distant event
You know the drill well but still you arrive tired per-haps even a bit frazzled Yoursquoll sleep (or try to) the next several nights in an unfamiliar bed or camp out in the living quarters of your trailer You awaken riveted on the competition playing out the dayrsquos classes in your mind wondering how your rides will fare against oth-ers praying that the weather will be cooperate and trying to control your nerves all the while knowing that no matter how well you have prepared many factors are out of your control You may even be in a different time zone
We go through a lot to compete our horses But if you think life on the road is stressful for you think about what itrsquos like for your horses Your back may be a bit sore from driving or being strapped into an airplane seat for hours on end but for horses transportation is far more demanding It is an athletic endeavour re-quiring an expenditure of energy to maintain balance during the constant movement of transport When your horses arrive they face social isolation from stablemates lack of security in novel environments altered training regimes water that tastes strange and the confines of an unfamiliar stall This routine impacts a horsersquos health and well being with effects
continuing long after the journey is over During transport toxic gases (such as ammonia or carbon monoxide) can cause damage to the lung epithelium precipitating respiratory disease The
final destination itself can also cause problems Usually horses are transported to environments where they will be mixing with other horses The mixing of horses from different environments with different infectious organisms and under stressful conditions further precipitates susceptibility to disease
This can have a severe impact on the equine gut The stress of transportation is known to increase gut ulceration in the horse a painful condition reducing performance and causing colic-like symptoms Stress can also slow the flow of digesta and alter the normal gut flora resulting in digestive upset and possibly diarrhoea or colic
The effects of travel stress on the gut are compounded by the typical diet of the regular equine traveller To maintain athletic ability high performance horses are often fed energy-charged diets contain-ing increased levels of starchy materials such as cereal grains Unfortunately this type of diet can reduce beneficial types of gut flora and promote gut acidity further predisposing the horse to digestive upsets and ulceration It is not surprising that stressed tired horses may not fulfill their potential on arrival
Feeding to reduce stress for the equine traveller
By Darlene RickerExecutive editor of Alltechrsquos EQUINE INTERNATIONAL magazine
48
Alltech Tips
growth of opportunistic Salmonella spp which are present in the intestinal tract of many healthy horses These bacteria then attach to the gut lining via a mannan sugar and penetrate it causing damage and resulting in diarrhoea One method of prevent-ing or minimising the attachment of these organ-
isms to the gut lining is to provide an adsorbant supplement A form of sugar found in the cell walls of certain yeasts can do this This sugar compound is called man-nan oligosaccharide or MOS MOS products such as Alltechrsquos Bio-Mosreg have been shown to re-duce the colonization of Salmonella
spp in the guts of certain species and augment the immune response to Salmonella spp potentially conferring an enhanced ability to fight infection Both Yea-Saccreg 1026 and Bio-Mos are among the natural products contained in Alltechrsquos LIFEFORCETM equine supplement which many FEI competitors have successfully incorporated into their daily feeding regimen at home and on the road
lifeforcehorsecom
and may be subject to health concerns in the days following a long journey Fortunately however you can curb some of the effects of travel stress on the horsersquos gut by nutritional supplementation Organic yeast products used to supplement a horsersquos diet can support the normal gut flora modifying the intesti-nal environment and improving the horsersquos digestion One such culture is Saccharomyces cerevisae in the form of Yea-Saccreg 1026 Alltechrsquos propriety organic yeast
Experiments were conducted to evaluate the effects Yea-Sacc on gut flora and gut acidity Horses were fed either a high-starch or a high-fibre diet both with and without supplementation of Yea-Saccreg 1026 Results indicated an excessive amount of starch in the gut The use of Yea-Sacc reduced acidity and stimulat-ed the activity of fibre-digesting bacteria in the hind-gut for both types of diet The result was maximised fibre digestibility and more efficient use of nutrients thus increasing the amount of energy available to the horse for performance and counteracting digestive upset Salmonellosis is one of the more commonly di-agnosed infectious causes of diarrhoea in horses Many cases develop after the stress of transport The effects of travel stress on the normal gut flora allow an over-
Moorlands Totilas arrives for the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade after air transport copy Dirk Caremans
HRH The Infanta Dontildea Pilar de Borboacuten former President of the FEI (1994-2006) also attended the inauguration along-side HRH Princess Lalla Amina Chairperson of the Royal Moroccan Federation for Equestrian Sports and member of the international Advisory Council of Special OlympicsThey were joined by International Olympic Commit-tee members representatives from other Interna-tional Federations federal and local Swiss authorities as well as architects and designers that worked on the project Switzerlandrsquos Martin Fuchs a member of the gold medal winning team at the inaugural Youth Olympic Games in Singapore last year accompanied FEI President Princess Haya in officially opening the FEI headquarters
ldquoThe building we are inaugurating today has been designed to serve our wonderful sportrdquo explained FEI
President Princess Haya ldquoI also feel an immense
sense of pride knowing that this building carries the name
of my late father and hope that this serves as a constant reminder
to all of us who work at the FEI of a unique statesman whose entire soul was devoted to the service of his people Our new headquarters will play a key role for the FEI and our National Federa-tions over the coming years It will be the environ-ment in which important discussions take place and fundamental decisions are taken as we continue our mission to advance the orderly growth of equestrian sport worldwide while ensuring that the welfare of the horse and a level playing field remain at the centre of all that we dordquo
FEI celebratesNEW Headquarters
Over 250 guests attended the inauguration ceremony on Friday 6 May at HM King Hussein I Building which was timed to coincide with the FEI
Extraordinary General Assembly so that attending NationalFederation representatives
could be a part ofthe celebrations
1 Youth Olympic Games team champion Martin Fuchs (SUI) FEI President HRH Princess Haya and her daughter HH Sheikha Al Jalila officially open the FEIrsquos new home 2 Gilbert Felli IOC Olympic Games Executive Director and FEI Secretary General Ingmar de Vos 3 HRH The Infanta Dontildea Pilar de Borboacuten sits down to an interactive quiz in the FEI Gallery 4 Guests gathered in the atrium of the FEI HeadquartersAll images copy Hugues SiegenthalerFEI
Highlights available on50
1
2
3 4
5
6 7
8
THE GALLERy
As well as housing offices for its 62 employees and conference facilities for its 133 National Federations the new headquarters also has a state-of-the-art in-teractive gallery showcasing equestrian sport
The Gallery is the brainchild of Dr Amichai Alper-ovich historian former Secretary General of the Is-raeli Equestrian Federation and curator of the Israeli Olympic Museum (opened in 2009) He worked hand in hand with the Tel Aviv based company Disk-In Pro and interior designer Oded Alony to help bring the content to life and the result is truly unique and ground breaking Giant glass surfaces act as interac-tive interfaces for the visitors to travel through time
The FEIrsquos new headquarters which were donated to the Federation by FEI Presi-dent HRH Princess Haya in 2007 fol-lowing a personal fundraising effort are conveniently located close to the Inter-national Olympic Committee and other international sports federations It has been written into the FEI Statutes that the new FEI headquarters building will always house the Federationrsquos offices In 2008 the building was thoroughly renovated in accordance with the Swiss MINERGIEreg construction standard for environmental responsibility which re-duces energy consumption by 25 per cent Only two per cent of renovated buildings in Switzerland meet the high Minergie standards Khuan Chew founder and design princi-pal of London-based architectural firm KCA International Ltd worked in close collaboration with Swiss-based architect Herveacute de Rham and interior designer Sia-vosh Adeli (SUI) to transform the build-ing which was built in the 1960s The modern and sleek interior was further enhanced with bespoke artworks pro-duced by Swiss creative agency b+g amp partners and imagery by world-famous equestrian art photographer Tim Flach where the simplicity and beauty of his equine subjects seamlessly embrace and accentuate the buildingrsquos pure lines and natural materials (see image left)
As they feasted on the innate beauty of their sur-roundings the guests also had the privilege to ex-perience the culinary talents of organic chef and specialist Gilles Wannaz and his team based in the town of Cully which sits on the edge of Lac Leman in Switzerlandrsquos famous Lavaux wine growing region
5 HRH Princess Haya welcomes the guests to the Inauguration of the HQ and the 90 year celebration of the FEI 6 Artwork by renowned pho-tographer Tim Flach 7 An organic and colourful buffet presented on an authentic lawn by local chef Gilles Wannaz 8 A life size horse sculpture by Christophe Dumont greeted the guests upon their arrival
53FOCUS
and space with the latest in touch technology revis-iting the history of the FEI the equestrian events at Olympic amp Paralympic Games the FEI World Eques-trian Gamestrade and information on all of the member National Federations with statistics videos images and text The Gallery also includes projections on ar-chitectural surfaces designed by Oded Alony referred to as the Origami as well as interactive stations and unique video projections on glass screens
For all those wishing to visit the FEI Gallery simply contact the FEI HQ to make an appointment and we would be delighted to take you on a journey to dis-cover or rediscover the human and equine athletes whose talents have marked equestrian history and inspired young riders drivers and vaulters around the world
Interview withDrAmichaiAlperovich
When did you first dream up the FEIInteractive Gallery When I found out the FEI was planning to move into new HQ in 2009 Disk-In Pro and I approached the FEI and presented them with several concepts for the space Before long we had agreed on the concept and we got to work
Why were you compelled to make it become a reality So that the FEI a prominent sports organisation could present itself to a growing audience in a new and visionary way with the latest technology And by doing so the FEI is a pioneer becoming the first International Federation to have a Gallery of this kind
What did you learn when researching and gathering content for the gallery I have learned a lot about the history of the FEI the strong Olympic tradition the diversity of disciplines the gender equality and the unique bond between horse and man One of the more fascinating topics was the evolution of the Dressage from itsrsquo Olympic debut to the modern Freestyle
Itrsquos very innovative technology what inspired you to take such a leap into the future with such a traditional sport Just as Dressage has evolved over the years and alongside the introduction of new disciplines partic-ularly Para-Equestrian you come to realise that the FEI is not as traditional as one would think Actually this kind of innovative presentation of equestrian history is really well suited to the FEI In the same way that you can have horse-man connections there is an audience-technology connection in the Gallery The audience have to be active in order to enjoy the depth of information the Gallery contains
54
Now it is time to open the door to new places to learn about sport ndash at the heart of sporting organi-sations themselves The Gallery is more than an informative tool it brings people to the sport andto the heart of its operations
Established in 1990 Disk-In Pro specialises in the planning design production and implementation of Museums Visitor Centres and sophisticated projects around the world This includes multi screen produc-tion animation 3D amp interactive films state-of-the-art software platforms and complex video displays for an unforgettable experience
Oded Alony holds a BA in Design from the Interior Design Section of the Holon Technological Institute and has since 1998 worked with Israelrsquos leading Architecture firms The Oded Alony Studio embraces holistic design a space where interior design lighting and graphics are brought together to create a harmo-nious project vision
Now that you have seen it unveiled to the public how would you like to see it evolve I hope the audience will be amazed from the design by architect Oded Alony and the new methods to deliver information whilst discovering the long his-tory of the FEI the diversity and the global reach of the organisation I hope the Gallery will become an icon in Lausanne and one of its highlights for visitors I promise the visitors a new platform to learn about equestrianism and each visit could be different as the information and themes will be updated and modi-fied regularly
This futuristic gallery is a first for anInternational Federation do you think thisis something all sports should invest inThe FEI took this courageous decision and now has this fantastic tool to present the organisation in new ways Sport is a huge cultural phenomenaWe have learned to consume sport in the arenas and stadiums in the press media and new media
Dr Amichai Alperovich
55FOCUS
SOCIAL MEDIAthe new frontier
Follow us on
The FEI has recently embarked on and embraced a whole new way of talking with the greater equestrian community through the ever expanding social media networks and platformsWith personalised Facebook Twitter and You Tube pages the FEI is taking it step by step and reaching out to this growing audience and listening to what they have to say
This new communication platform is by no means a substitution of the traditional communication path-ways but works alongside the press releases various publications and content on wwwfeiorg and wwwfeitvorg providing a new arena where the FEI can share interact and dialogue with fans of the sport and of equestrian values in general
We talk to Richard Johnson Director of Corporate Communications about the FEIrsquos commitment to social media
What compelled the FEI to venture onto the social media scene As a governing body with a vibrant and active com-munity of National Federations as well as thousands of fans the need to reach out to the online social community has never been stronger We have been watching the communities grow online for some time and have been listening to their conversations so being a part of it was the next logical step and a really important one The conversations will hap-pen with or without us so taking that step has been crucial in order to share our values and also build re-lationships with our fan base
Tradition meets modernity ndash does equestrian sportthe FEI have a place in social media Absolutely even though equestrian sport has a long history and is perceived as a traditional sport it is
always evolving In the 90 years of the FEI which was founded to govern the three Olympic disciplines it has grown to also oversee the disciplines of Driving Endurance Vaulting Reining and Para-Equestrian sport Or if you look at the early days when competi-tors were from military backgrounds and when wom-en did not compete alongside men to the complete gender equality we have today ndash a lot has changed and is in a constant state of change
The fans of equestrian sport are like any other fan base web savvy and eager for more information behind the scenes content and to share their opin-ions and thoughts ndash so it is an ideal partnership And from what we have seen these last few months and from the feedback we got from our blog at the Youth Olympic Games there is a real appetite for this
The FEI has dedicated Facebook Twitter and You Tube pages ndash why did you select these social media platforms The figures speak for themselveshellip Facebook Twit-ter and You Tube are the biggest players in the social networking space With over 500 million Facebook users 106 million Tweeters and 2 billion views a day on You Tube there has never been so much oppor-tunity for exposure Every site has different demo-graphics with different habits and needs so by having an FEI presence on these three networks we are able to cover a lot of ground and cater to different audi-ences by providing different types of content accord-ing to the platform
What are the main benefits of having a pres-ence on various social media platforms Itrsquos all about having a two way conversation ndash the benefits of dialogue where you can share content such as videos images facts and figures thoughts and values and then allow your fan base to react to get involved and to listen and learn from them By engaging with our audience and showing them that we are a modern and caring organisation and that we want to hear what they have to say then we are able to build trust and ultimately credibility in what we do and what we say
57FOCUS
TV
The offi cial video website of the Feacutedeacuteration Equestre Internationale
wwwfeitvorg
WATCH LIVE WATCH ONLINE
FEI TV is the FEIrsquos new offi cial video website and your ticket to the worldrsquos most prestigious competitions Sign-up to FEI TV (wwwfeitvorg) and get instant access to all the live broadcasts the extensive video-on-demand library all the highlights the behind the scenes reports the interviews and so much more Be at the heart of horsesport Join us
2823_1FEI_TV_Focus_165x226indd 1 170510 1124
It also keeps us alert as to what is being discussed and debated in the public sphere so that we can manage situations more effectively and be proactive in our messaging and information so that the facts are at the heart of the debate and not interpretations of them
How do you generate content for social media It was important when we launched our social me-dia presence that it be manageable with the exist-ing communications team in place ndash and so we have concentrated on keeping it simple and effective and using content innovatively Itrsquos not about reproduc-ing our website ndash but to engage with our fans and so often all you need is a good picture an interest-ing fact or great achievement to get the ball rolling For You Tube as we already have so much content generated from FEI TV it was simply a question of using bits and pieces from that content to provide the public with teasers from events interviews with winning riders or behind the scenes content which they can then follow up on FEI TV with a subscription
What are your Social media goals Itrsquos really to build relationships and dialogue with our fan base by using our content innovatively by listening to what they have to say and by engaging with the community And for the National Federa-tions that have yet to take that step we want to be a guiding hand that can help them get started so that they too can reap the benefits of social media net-working Our sport competes against other sports for attention so itrsquos really important that we the FEI and the National Federations keep our finger on the pulse and cater to our fans
How can National Federations get involved NFs wishing to find out more about Social Media can contact me (richardjohnsonfeiorg) and I would be more than happy to discuss opportunities and ways of getting started as well as our experience at the FEI
We asked our Facebook followers why it was important to use face-book and here are a few comments they came up with
bullItrsquos a great way to find out about shows and competitions
bullBecause facebook can provide up to the minute updates as to the what is going on in the horse community
bullWe can share information and ideas over long distances We can find and connect with people we wouldnt be able to otherwise
bullIt also lets us express the true realities of our spot to keep us grounded
bullIt can bring peoples attention to excellence ndash and expose the issues
58
TV
The offi cial video website of the Feacutedeacuteration Equestre Internationale
wwwfeitvorg
WATCH LIVE WATCH ONLINE
FEI TV is the FEIrsquos new offi cial video website and your ticket to the worldrsquos most prestigious competitions Sign-up to FEI TV (wwwfeitvorg) and get instant access to all the live broadcasts the extensive video-on-demand library all the highlights the behind the scenes reports the interviews and so much more Be at the heart of horsesport Join us
2823_1FEI_TV_Focus_165x226indd 1 170510 1124
ldquo Donrsquot accept drinks from a strangerrdquo
Armchair travel journalist
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Rob Swainson 160211
HSBC - Coconuts Proof 01Head of Art TypographerDesigner ArtCreative Director Copywriter Account DirectorDIC Project ManagerPhotographer Illustrator Usage Model(s) Name(s) Usage
Media MediaStock Image Time Period Time Period
Territory Territory
8deg N ndash Kerala South India
Rotterdam gets set to host the 25th edition of the FEI European Dressage Championships for the first time and only the second time for the Netherlands (Arnhem 1999) The FEI European Dressage Championships take place every two years in the middle of the Olympic cycle and have been held since 1963
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERS
Team ndash The Netherlands
Individual ndash Kuumlr to MusicEdward Gal (NED) amp Moorlands Totilas
Individual ndash Grand Prix SpecialAdelinde Cornelissen (NED) amp Jerich Parzival
OLyMPIC qUALIFICATIONThe 3 best ranked nations from Groups A B amp C at the 2011 FEI European Dressage Championships (exclud-ing the teams already qualified at WEG) will be quali-fied to take part with a team consisting of 3 athletes amp 3 horses
THE WIND OF CHANGEFor 21 consecutive Championships from 1965 to 2005 (no team title awarded in 1963) the Germans held the European title but the last two editions have seen an upset to that tradition with the Netherlands clenching gold In 2009 the Dutch domination was particularly strong with five out of six individual med-als awarded to Dutch riders and the sixth going to British rider Laura Bechtolsheimer
IN MEMORy OF HENRI CHAMMARTIN (SUI)At the time of writing a legend in the Dressage world Henri Chammartin (SUI) passed away at the age of 92 An Olympic and European Dressage champion Henri Chammartin won the first two editions of the
FEI European Championships in 1963 and 1965 riding Wolfdiedtrich and competed in five consecutive edi-tions of the Olympic Games ndash Helsinki 1952 Stock-holm 1956 Rome 1960 Tokyo 1964 and Mexico 1968 ndash winning a total of five Olympic medals includ-ing Olympic champion in 1964
RECORD BREAKINGhellip In 2009 the formidable partnership of The Nether-lands Edward Gal and Moorlands Totilas smashed the world Freestyle record before a packed house with Windsor Castle standing proudly as a backdrop when scoring 9070 (including an unbelievable 29 perfect-10 scores) to win the Freestyle gold medal
Believe it or nothellip
bull GermanyhaswontheEuropeanDressage TeamTitleon21occasions
bull Thegreatestnumberofteamstoparticipate inEuropeanDressageChampionshipsis 14-atHickstead(GBR)in2003andagainat Hagen(GER)in2005
bull GermanysDrReinerKlimkewonthreeindi vidualtitles-atAachenin1967ridingDux andagainin1973ridingMehmedandat Copenhagenin1985ridingAhlerich
bull WithGigoloGermanysIsabellWerthtook theindividualtitlein1995and1997and wontheGrandPrixSpecialatDonaueschingen Germanyin1991andatLipicaSloveniain 1993
bull AnkyvanGrunsvenhasthreewinstoher namendashin1999withBonfirefollowedbythe backtobackwinswithSalineroin2005and 2007
17-21 August 2011
Rotterdam Netherland
FeI eUroPeaN
DressaGeChaMPIoNshIPs
20
LIVE coverage on
These are the second FEI European Para-Equestrian Dressage Championships to be held since Para-Equestrian joined the FEI Family in 2006 Para-Equestrian Dressage has been a regular fixture at the Paralympic Games since 1996 The first FEI European Para-Equestrian Dressage Championships were held in southern Norwegian town of Kristiansand in 2009 with a total of 78 ath-letes from 22 countries participating
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERS
Team Great Britain
Grade Ia Individual - Sophie Christiansen (GBR) Freestyle - Emma Sheardown (GBR)
Grade Ib Individual amp Freestyle Lee Pearson (GBR)
Grade II Individual - Petra Van der Sande (NED) Freestyle - Angelika Trabert (GER)
Grade III Individual amp Freestyle
Hannelore Brenner (GER)
Grade IV Individual amp Freestyle Sophie Wells (GBR)
The mobility strength and coordination of competi-tors are assessed and athletes with similar functional ability profiles are grouped into competition grades that range from Grade Ia for the most severely im-paired to Grade IV for the least impaired This means that the competition within each Grade can be judged on the skill of the individual competitors on their horses regardless of their disabilities
CLUB qUADRILLEMoorsele has been host to a regular international Para-Equestrian Dressage events for the past few years with the Club Quadrille as organiser The Club Quadrille was founded in 1981 by Anne Van Neste-dIeteren Belgian Dressage Champion from 1977 un-til 1982 current President of the Belgian Paralympic Committee and member of the FEI Para-Equestrian committee It is a unique sports club that works with both able bodied and disabled athletes and is active in the promotion and education of the sport As member of the honorary IPC Board Her Royal Highness (HRH) Princess Astrid of Belgium has been a fervent supporter of the event and has attended on many occasions
Believe it or nothellip
bull LeePearson(GBR)haswoneverygold medalwithinreachatParalympicWorld andContinentallevelandtheEuropeans in2009werenodifferentwithanother triplegoldvictory
bull GreatBritainalsohavetheMidastouch whenitcomestoteammedalsndashandarethe currentParalympicWorldandEuropean titleholders
bull In2009Germanycamecloserthanever totakingthegoldmedalfromall-time championGreatBritain
1-4 September 2011
Moorsele Belgium
FeI eUroPeaN
Para-eqUestrIaNDressaGeChaMPIoNshIPs
21FOCUS
A record number of fans are expected to attend the HSBC FEI European Eventing Championships as they return to Luhmuumlhlen for the fifth time to mark the 30th edition of the ChampionshipsThe FEI European Eventing Championships take place every two years in the middle of the Olympic cycle and have been held since 1953
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERSTeam ndash Great BritainIndividual ndash Kristina CookMiners Frolic (GBR)
OLyMPIC qUALIFICATIONThe 2 best ranked nations from Groups A B amp C at the 2011 HSBC FEI European Eventing Champion-ships (excluding the teams already qualified at WEG) will be qualified to take part with a team consisting of 3 athletes amp 3 horses
THE VENUELuhmuumlhlen one of only six 4 events on the interna-tional Eventing calendar and part of the prestigious HSBC FEI Classicstrade series will greet Europersquos best athletes with a fresh look and feel this year following extensive renovation to the existing infrastructures The recently renovated showground includes three Dressage and two Jumping arenas a tribune able to seat 850 spectators with spectacular views as well as a newly designed entrance including six ticket box facilities and fully catered trade stands The show-ground also boasts an open air stage with space for up to 15000 spectators ldquoI am confident that the in-vestment in the infrastructure will be of great benefit to all involved whether you are a volunteer a groom an athlete ndash both the horses and the riders - as well as for the sponsors guests spectators and the fans We are re-ally looking forward to great competitions this year at both the CCI4CIC3 in June and at the Europeans in August and hope many will join us to witness this historic momentrdquo Julia Otto Event Director Luhmuumlhlen
HSBCHSBC has renewed their sponsorship for a further three-year term as global sponsor of FEI Eventing to include title sponsorships of the HSBC FEI European Eventing Championships in both 2011 and 2013 and the HSBC FEI Classicstrade until the end of 2013
OFFICIAL TIMEPIECE Rolex the leading name in luxury wrist watches will be the Official Timekeeper for the HSBC FEI European Eventing Championships 2011
Believe it or nothellip
bull GinnyElliot(bornHolgate)theonlyrider towinthreesuccessiveindividualtitlesand IanStarkholdthejointrecordforEuropean goldmedalswonndashseveneachbutLucinda Greenstillhasthemostmedals(10)
bull SupremeRockriddenbyPippaFunnell (GBR)istheonlyhorsetowinback-to-back titles(in1999and2001)hehasfour Europeangoldmedalsintotalequalingthe recordofKilbarryThePoacherandOver ToYouwhowonarecordfourconsecutive Europeanteamgolds(1999-2005)
bull PrincessAnneandZaraPhillipsaretheonly mother-daughtercombinationtowin Europeantitles(1971and2005)
bull GreatBritainhaveheldtheEuropeantitle forthepast8consecutiveChampionships (since1995)Andofthe29editionstodate (startingin1953)theteamhavewona whopping21
25-28 August 2011
Luhmuumlhlen Germany
hsBC FeI eUroPeaN
eVeNtINGChaMPIoNshIPs LIVE coverage on
22
In September Breda Hippique in The Netherlands will be host to the seventh edition of the FEI Euro-pean Driving Championships for Four-in-Hand not held since 1981 This edition is open to both Euro-pean and non-European drivers and will also count as a qualifier for the indoor FEI World Cuptrade Driv-ing which is held during the winter season Only competitors from Europe can claim the individual and team medalsThe FEI European Driving Championships for Four-in-Hand were first held in 1971 in Budapest and continued to be held every two years until 1981 at which stage they were discontinued
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERSTeam ndash HungaryIndividual ndash Gyoumlrgyi Bardos (HUN)
SOMETHING IN THE WATERhellip Hungary have won five out of six available team European titles and on the individual front two Hungarians stand out from the crowd Imre Abony ndash individual winner in 1971 and 1975 and Gyoumlrgyi Bardos triple consecutive winner in 1977 1979 1981
IN THE BEGINNINGhellipThe first European Championships took place in Budapest in 1971 and moved on to Windsor in Great Britain in 1973 Sopot in Poland in 1975 Donauesch-ingen in Germany in 1977 and in Haras du Pin in France in 1979 The sixth and last edition took place in 1981 in Zug Switzerland
THE VENUEBreda has hosted the only Nations competition (CAIO) for Four-in-Hand horses in The Netherlands for many years In 1995 Breda hosted the first FEI European Driving Championships for Four-in-Hand ponies and in 2010 was host to the FEI World Para-Equestrian Driving Championships Aside from the four-in-hand teams Breda will also host international pony teams and national horse pairs at the event this year
Believe it or nothellip
bull Hungaryhavewonfiveoutofsixteamgold titles
bull AugusteDubeyfromSwitzerlandwasthe onlynon-HungarianEuropeanChampion hewontheChampionshipsin1973
bull PrincePhilipFEIPresidentfrom1964- 1986whocelebratedhis90thbirhtday inJuneisanavidfanofDrivingandpartici- patedinsixWorldandthreeEuropean Championships
1-4 September 2011
Breda Netherland
FeI eUroPeaN
DrIVINGChaMPIoNshIPsfor FoUr-IN-haND
Note At the time of writing the FEI European DrivingChampionships for Four in Hand was pending approvalby the FEI Bureau
23FOCUS
The 14th edition of the FEI European Endurance Championships return to Florac in France twenty five years after the inaugural event was held there The FEI European Endurance Championships first took place in 1984 and were immediately followed up by a second edition in 1985 and have since been held every two years They have always been open to the world with two sets of medals presented ndash open and European
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERSTeam ndash SpainIndividual ndash Maria Alvarez Ponton amp Nobby
RECORD BREAKINGCurrent title holder Maria Alvarez Ponton amp super horse Nobby is the first rider to hold European and World titles at the same time She will be looking to confirm her stronghold on the sport following her second consecutive World title with a second con-secutive European title in Florac a feat no rider has managed to achieve at the Europeans to date
THE VET GATEModern competitions consist of a number of sec-tions known as lsquophasesrsquo At the end of each phase there is a compulsory halt for veterinary inspection Each horse which is thoroughly examined before it is allowed to start the ride must be presented for inspection within a set time of reaching each vetgate The time spent at each vetgate prior to inspection by the vets is counted as part of the overall competition time and the aim is to determine whether the horse is fit to continue the ride
THE SUPPORT CREWA vital part of Endurance riding is the support crew Riders are assisted by a team of helpers who meet them several times over the ride bringing bottles of water to pour over the horse to cool it down as well as a drink for the rider Crews also have spare equipment in case something breaks down or needs replacing
Believe it or nothellip
bull TheFrenchhavethemedaledgewith6 individualand4teamgoldmedalsfrom the14editionsheld
bull Floracistheonlyvenuetohostthe EuropeanChampionshipstwice(thefirst editionin1984andtheupcomingedition in2011)
bull EnduranceisthefastestgrowingFEI disciplinefrom2000to2010thenumber ofinternationaleventshavemultipliedby10
10 September 2011
Florac France
FeI eUroPeaN
eNDUraNCeChaMPIoNshIPs
24
Reem Acra Boutique 14 East 60th St New York New York 10022 2123088760 wwwreemacracom
356935B2_RA_brochure2_souvenir_programmeindd 1 82710 1012 AM
Vaulting became an FEI discipline in 1983 and saw its first FEI European Championship organised just one year later in the town of Ebreichsdorf in Austria This 15th edition of the Championship ndash which also includes the European Juniors competition return to France for the 4th time but for the first time in the world renowned venue of Le Mans famous for its 24 hour race
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERS
Team ndash Austria
Individual malelongeurhorseNicolas Andreani (FRA)Marina Joosten DuponIdefix de Braize
Individual femalelongeurhorseJoanna Eccles (GBR)John EcclesWH Bentley
THE WIND OF CHANGEGermany and Switzerland have traditionally bat-tled for the team title (Germany has 7 gold versus Switzerlandrsquos 5) but in 2009 Austria who had come second on four occasions since the inception of the Championships in 1984 finally climbed onto the top spot of the podium and claimed the title In terms of the individual performances Germany had the stronghold on the male category winning 11 out of 14 gold medals But again in 2009 France the only other country to have ever beaten a German male vaulter at the Europeans made it to the top spot of the podium for only the third time since the Championships began
Similarly with the female vaulters it was an all German domination until 2007 when Austriarsquos Sissi Jarz claimed gold followed by Joanna Eccles (GBR) in 2009 ndash leaving Germany off the top step of the podium entirely in 2009
GREAT BRITAIN ndash A VAULTING NATIONhellip Times have definitely changed from the Swiss German domination with current World and European titles held by Great Britainrsquos Joanna Eccles She was the first British vaulter (male or female) to claim a medal at the Europeans ndash let alone a gold medal - and then went on to secure the world title in Kentucky last year
Believe it or nothellip
bull TheonlycountryotherthanGermanyand SwitzerlandtohaveclaimedaEuropean VaultingtitleisSlovakiain2005
bull ChristophLensing(GER)holdsthemale medalrecordndashwiththreegold(19891993 amp1995)aswellassilverin1991
bull NadiaZuumllowandSilkeMichelberger (formerlyBernhard)withthreegoldmedals each
16-21 August 2011
Le Mans France
FeI eUroPeaN
VaULtINGChaMPIoNshIPs
26
This is only the fifth edition of the European Reining Championships since the discipline joined the FEI in 2000 and the first time they will be held in Austria The event also includes the FEI European Champi-onships for Juniors and Young Riders ndash a formula introduced in 2009 in Kreuth (GER) which proved to be a multigenerational success The FEI European Reining Championships take place every two years and have been held since 2003
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERSTeam ndash GermanyIndividual ndash Nina Lill (GER) riding Lena Cielo Jewel
THE JUDGINGReining horses are judged individually Each horse au-tomatically begins the required pattern with a score of 70 One or frac12 points are given or taken away for each manoeuvre Credit is given for smoothness fi-nesse attitude quickness and authority Controlled speed in the pattern raises the level of difficulty and makes the reining horse exciting to watch
Believe it or nothellip
bull ItalyandGermanyaretheonlytwonations tohavewongoldmedalsndashGermanyhas3 teamgoldand2individualgoldversus Italyrsquossingleteamgoldandtwoindividual gold
bull GermanyrsquosNinaLillwinnerin2009was thefirstwomantotaketheindividualtitle sincetheChampionshipsbeganin2003
bull OlympicWorldandEuropeanDressage ChampionAnkyVanGrunsven(NED) competedattheAlltechFEIWorldEques- trianGamestradein2010inbothDressageand hellipReining
bull 13nationswerescheduledtoattendthe Championshipatthetimeofwritingthe largestparticipationbycountryever recordedfortheEuropeans
26-30 July 2011
Wiener Neustadt Austria
FeI eUroPeaN
reININGChaMPIoNshIPs
27FOCUS
ldquoThirty-one yearsrsquo experience comes in handy some-timesrdquo joked the ever-relaxed Todd who was a leg-end by the time he ldquoretiredrdquo in 2000 with back-to-back Olympic golds five Burghley wins two world gold medals and three Badminton victories one on a horse he had never ridden before ldquoIt is incredibly special though right up there with the back-to-back Olympic golds When I came back to the sport (in 2008) it was to see if I could get back to top level It has always been my aim to win another big onerdquo
A World class meeting of Generations
The 2011 HSBC FEI Classicstrade could not have got off to a more epic start with wins at Badminton and Kentucky by two of the sportrsquos most enduring personalitiesThe 55-year-old New Zealander Mark Todd rolled back the years to score a fourth victory at the Gloucestershire venue 31 years after his first attempt in 1980
By Kate Green
28
HSBC FEI ClassicsTm
The resurgence of so much experienced talent makes it harder for younger riders to work their way up the leaderboard but 29-year-old Sinead Halpin (USA) had a spectacular CCI4 debut at Kentucky finish-ing third and best of the home side in distinguished company This achievement earned her the HSBC Training Bursary worth US$1000 towards training a prestigious and valuable award presented to the rider who achieves the best result on completing a CCI4 for the first time
The bursary winner at Badminton Fiona Hobby (GBR) 39 has had a rather longer wait to complete
her first CCI4 ndash she was 26th on Roma ML ndash but she has in the meantime produced two children had a career as a sports therapist and only switched from Jumping to Eventing relatively recently Hobby has vowed to spend the money on dressage train-ing ldquoRoma couldnrsquot believe it when she arrived in the arena and saw all those people but she was great across country really focussed Irsquom delightedrdquo
For Germanyrsquos Sandra Auffarth Luhmuumlhlen pro-vided an outstanding CCI4 debut on Opgun Louvo a young horse she has produced herself coming second and picking up the HSBC Training Bursary and the exciting prospect of a possible place in the squad for the forthcoming HSBC FEI European Event-ing Championship at Luhmuumlhlen (25-28 August) at which Germany as host nation will be entitled to field 12 riders
Last yearrsquos HSBC Training Bursary winners include Stephanie Rhodes-Bosch (CAN) who went on to win a team silver medal at the Alltech FEI World Equestri-an Gamestrade Lauren Shannon (GBR) who finished 17th at Badminton this year and Giovanni Ugolotti (ITA) who is furthering his career by basing himself in Brit-ain for the season and having lessons with Mark Todd
LIVE coverage and extensive highlights available on
Toddrsquos winning mount the 10-year-old NZB Land Vision was a green horse for this level and he fin-ished the Cross-Country phase tired but his rider kept his cool in an extraordinarily tight finish in which the price of one Jumping fence covered the top 12 riders any of whom could with a bit of luck have won the Mitsubishi Motors Trophy ldquoIn the end it came down to horse-power and Irsquove obviously got a good one hererdquo said Todd ldquoCharisma (his double Olympic gold medallist) will always be the most special horse but this one has no weak linksrdquo
As is the nature of the sport Toddrsquos lead in the HSBC FEI Classicstrade didnrsquot last long ndash he came down to earth with a bump the following weekend with a Cross-Country run-out on NZB Grass Valley his ride at the Rolex Kentucky Three Day Event (USA) and 49- year-old Mary King (GBR) stole the head-lines with a record one-two on Kings Mis-tress and Fernhill Urco It was Kingrsquos first CCI4 victory for 11 years ndash she has won Badminton twice and Burghley once ndash but she certainly smashed a few re-cords with this one She became the first rider to score a one-two at Kentucky the first in modern times to win a CCI4 on a home-bred horse and the oldest female to win a CCI4
King who has six team gold medals at World and European level plus competed at five consecutive Olympics had the luxury of knowing she had already won the event on the inexperienced 10-year-old Fernhill Urco a horse bred in Portugal by the time she entered the arena on Kings Mistress but she still produced a second clear round ldquoI never dreamed that I would be in this position and Irsquom enjoying the momentrdquo said the ever-smiling King ldquoIt was great to have the feeling of having already won on Fernhill Urco but I still wanted desperately to go clear on Kings Mistress as it is so special to win on a horse I bred myselfrdquo It was also an all clear from Germanyrsquos Andreas Dibowski and Euroriding Butts Leon in order to secure victory at the fourth leg of the HSBC FEItrade
Classicstrade in Luhmuumlhlen presented by EON Avacon
29FOCUS
The Danish-American actorpoet musician photographerand painter has been around horses most of his life from riding Hasufel and Brego in The Lord of the Rings trilogy to early childhood memories in Argentina his passion for floating as he describes it has never wavered
What is it about the horse that makes you a horse loverWe get along generally I respect their strength and their personal space Your first riding experience ndash was it bliss or terrorLike floating like being on a warm and floating mountain I remember being happy Do you think anyone can rideYes It is a question of allowing yourself to ride of allowing yourself to cooperate and not be in total control Children are more adept at figuring this out letting things happen without getting impatient or scared just as they are braver and less self-conscious about pronouncing new words or singing Anyone at any age or in any physical condition can
Viggo Mortensen
achieve a degree of success and satisfaction with horses even if it is just a question of touching them being near them If horses could talk what would they be sayingYou will know if you listen and watch them Is there a unique trait you look for in a horse that you canrsquot find in peopleThey are more patient and less apt to complain about lifersquos setbacks and physical ailments than most people I admire a tough smart horse what-ever its breed age or size What would you miss most if you could no longer go ridingThe companionship and the floating perhaps also the abandonment of usual daily worries that relaxed riding requires Whatrsquos your usual riding outfit consist ofAnything will do Loose-fitting clothes and good comfortable boots are a plus but not vital I have even ridden barefoot ndash naturally taking care to avoid being stepped on when not on the horse - but I do not recommend this to anyone The most important thing is to have a clear and focused mind to be THERE at all times when around horses and NOWHERE ELSE Sugar lumps or carrotsIrsquove been guilty of offering an occasional apple or carrot although it is best not to give horses anything special unless treats are part of training them for special tricks or stunts a pursuit best left to experts like master horse trainer Rex Peterson whom Irsquove had the good fortune to work with and study quite a bit Treats spoil horses and do not keep the animal focused on the task at hand Whatrsquos your favourite part of a horseThe brain What do you think young people gain from ridingSelf-confidence and an understanding of the value of cooperation
30
Why the long face
When did you first develop the bond with the horseThe first time I got on one as a little boy in ArgentinaYou either develop a bond of some kind or you fall off Of course you may even fall off if you develop the bond but you have to start (and restart) somewhere
Did your friends ride My brothers also rode and I have ridden with many kinds of people over the years ndash some good and patient with horses and some not If I had not rid-den as a boy I would probably have been wandering around fishing imagining I was a cowboy or an Indian or a Viking ndash which I did anyway Where in the world would you most like to rideMost anywhere will do but I have been extremely lucky to have ridden in many wide-open wild places ndash deserts grassy plains mountains by different seas and rivers in Argentina New Zealand North Africa and North America If you could spend one afternoon riding with a famous person (past or present)who would it be and whyIrsquoll give you 3 Oglala chief Tasunke Witko (Crazy Horse) my ancestor William F Cody or any real Gaucho from the province of Chaco Argentina
Two horses go out for dinner what kindof restaurant do they chooseLate spring grass near a slow-moving clean river with a gentle firm shoreline an hour before sun-down far from any people or other animals All time favourite horse filmI have a subjective soft spot for the stories and real horses involved in the making of ldquoHidalgordquo and the 2nd and 3rd installments of ldquoThe Lord Of The Ringsrdquo trilogy but I admire other ldquohorse moviesrdquo as wellThe 1953 French movie ldquoCrin-Blancrdquo (ldquoWhite Manerdquo) directed by Albert Lamorisse is a personal favourite
After three years at the head of the successful French Jumping team with back to back FEI Nations Cuptrade titles and a silver medal at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade Laurent Elias is moving on to new spheres with the French Horse amp Riding Institute where he will be training the riders of the National Riding School in Saumur
Laurent Elias
copy C
hris
toph
e Br
icot
32
The other side of
If I had not become a professional rider I would havehellipmade a career in a humanitarian organisation Horse riding is sometimes too trivial
My priority in life ishellipto be able to look at myself in the mirror in the morning and make sure I am at peace with my conscience
My familyhellipkeeps me grounded My wife helped me a lot when I was in charge of selections for France She took charge of my personal life and was the first person I called when we got the medal in Lexington I also admire my parents for the values they passed on to me
I remember my first ridingexperiencehellipaged six we were shooting a family film and I was on horseback I finished upside down under my horse for a long time I stopped riding for one year
I used to dream abouthellipsafaris One of my uncles was passionate about safaris Through him I became very interested in African trips and the jobs that allow you to travel as a reporter were fascinating to me as well
I have been thinking a lot abouthellipwhat happened in Japan these past few months First this tsunami that devastated everything without warning then the nuclear disaster It made me think that progress should not be destructive
My horse Gueacutenourhellipchanged my life I was just a coach and he brought me to the top I won the national championship in 1981 with him
My biggest challengehas always beenhellipshyness Horse riding has really helped me over-come it Horses brought me on stage and there I had to meet people
As a Chef dEquipehellipthere is no single defining achievement itrsquos all about the solidarity and the moments spent together as a team Irsquoll never forget the first time Penelope Leprevost rode her mare Jubileacutee drsquoOuilly in the FEI Nations Cuptrade of Rotterdam McLain Ward had just completed a real fast run with Sapphire We thought the Americans would win but she did it faster and beat Sapphire
In terms of eventshellipAachen is my favourite competition - for its won-derful organisation But we have also pretty good five star competitions in France
I donrsquot sleep muchhellipprobably because I am just happy to be alive
Irsquom not scared to laugh or cryhellipI laugh at the funny situations we sometimes find ourselves in life and enjoy people with quirky personalities I cry when I see others in pain
Laurent Elias and the French team en route to the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade copy PSV-Jean Morel
33FOCUS
Nicolas TheacutevenazAged 23 studies Robotics and Autonomous Systems Micro Engineering in Lausanne (SUI) alongside regular training and competition in Dressage and Para-Equestrian Dressage events Born with spastic diplegia Nicolas was introduced to horses via hippotherapy aged seven and quickly developed a passion for riding which not only helped with his physical condition but also taught him through Dressage the art of patience and perseverance
34
One day
Nicolas TheacutevenazAged 23 studies Robotics and Autonomous Systems Micro Engineering in Lausanne (SUI) alongside regular training and competition in Dressage and Para-Equestrian Dressage events Born with spastic diplegia Nicolas was introduced to horses via hippotherapy aged seven and quickly developed a passion for riding which not only helped with his physical condition but also taught him through Dressage the art of patience and perseverance
He has been fortunate to meet the right people (and horses) at the right time and has been working for the past five years with trainer Vicky-Eileen Baumann (pictured right) and her horses Magic and Lady (pictured right) ldquoShersquos bred them and knows them inside out which is very useful when I have to communicate with them - they know my voice intonations and a whole string of specific words or sounds ndash which really helps as my body canrsquot or doesnrsquot always have the strength to do sordquo
As a Grade II Para-Equestrian rider Nicolas competes in Para-Equestrian Dressage (PED) events as well as national events for able bodied riders as there are only a handful of PED riders and no events in Switzerland
Unable to attend the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade 2010 in Kentucky last year Nicolas and Vicky have their sights firmly set on the 2012 Para-lympic Games and will be looking to qualify with Lady over the next 12 months ndash alongside exams studies and everything else life has to offerhellip Who is your role model For different reasons I have different role mod-els Edward Gal Dane Rawlins Isabel Werth and Catherine Haddad
When did you start riding and why At age 7 I was sat on a horse for hippotherapy and liked the complicity with the horse which made me want to discover more
How do you feel when you ride Concentrated and industrious
Who is your biggest fan My trainerrsquos mum
Complete this sentenceOne day I would like tohellip have gained enough knowledge to be able to take care of and train my own horse
What are your long term goals as a rider Continue to do my best to enjoy what I do and show others itrsquos possible
How do you juggle studies and competition I think itrsquos really important to have goals and to do everything you can to achieve them and that includes taking on challenges because if you donrsquot try then yoursquoll never know what you could have achieved
What is your proudest achievement to date Participation in international events together with pursuing my studies
How do you feel after winning Still working towards discovering the feeling
What is the best advice anyone has ever given youMy trainer often repeats to me the famous saying by General LrsquoHotte ldquoCalme en avant droitrdquo which says so much about riding but can also be applied to so many other aspects of life
35FOCUS
What advice would you give someone looking to get involved in Para-Equestrian Dressage Train and ride with able-bodied athletes as often as possible Being around and working with horses is so rewarding Irsquod like - when Irsquom retired - to write a book to share these feelings with others and hope this will inspire them to get involved
Complete this sentenceIn the future I would like the sport to beeven ldquocleanerrdquo and fairer and if possible not more but less demanding on the horses
ldquoLast but not least Irsquod like to take the opportunity of this article to reach out to those who give me their trust and help be it with their time their friendship and any type of support Day after day to year after year team work is essential and Irsquoll do my best to continue deserving every-onersquos encouraging smilesrdquo
European Broadcasting Union
Union Europeacuteenne de Radio-Teacuteleacutevision
+41 (0)22 717 2111 wwweurovisionnet
We bring the event to your home
Eurovision
copy K
it H
ough
ton
FE
I
FEI_08_A4indd 1 03012008 162238
European Broadcasting Union
Union Europeacuteenne de Radio-Teacuteleacutevision
+41 (0)22 717 2111 wwweurovisionnet
We bring the event to your home
Eurovision
copy K
it H
ough
ton
FE
I
FEI_08_A4indd 1 03012008 162238
Nominations for the FEI Awards opened in May enabling the global equestrian com-munity to once again reward outstanding dedication to horse sport in five categories ndash Development Best Groom Against All Odds Rising Star and Best Athlete The search for the equestrian heroes of 2011 is now on who will be flown to Rio de Janeiro Brazil to receive their awards
Where are they now The FEI asked the current title-holders for an update on their activities
Follow us on
38
FEI Awards 2011
Ebony Horse Club (GBR)Winner of the Alltech FEI DevelopmentAward 2010
The Ebony Horse Club announced in December 2010 that after an eight-year fundraising effort it had the pound14 million necessary for building an equestrian cen-tre in one of Londonrsquos most deprived boroughs Since 1996 Ebony has offered youngsters in an area reput-ed for its gang culture high level of gun crime and drug dealing the chance to ride and learn key social skills The clubrsquos 50 members travel to riding schools across London on public transport or in minibuses ndash a logistical headache that the inner-city equestrian centre will end Construction work began in February
Ebony Horse Club founder and director Ros Spear-ing told the FEI ldquoRiding lessons are continuing and the club is preparing for the transitionrdquo Building will finish on 7 July but the centre will open for riding lessons in October ldquoThe horses will be brought to Brixton in the summer and will have time to acclimatise to their new environmentrdquo Spearing said The centre will include stabling for nine horses a small paddock and a flood-lit riding arena as well as a classroom for learning about horses and equine management Spearing is adamant that club members ndash present and future ndash care for their rides and wants the centre to serve as a stepping stone to careers in the horse industry
Ebonyrsquos existence will continue to depend on the generosity of donors For more information visit wwwebonyhorsecluborguk
Michelle Tipper (GBR)Winner of the FEI Best Groom Award 2010
Michelle Tipper has continued to juggle grooming and study since receiving her FEI Award in Novem-ber She has organised the grooms for the British European Junior and Young Dressage teams and in April her contract as a travelling groom for British Dressage riders Paul and Bobby Hayler took her to Addington for the first of many international com-petitions she will work at this year The Haylers have eight horses competing and the number she works with at each venue varies Tipper has also been help-ing British Dressage riders Nicky and Richard Barrett with yard duties ldquoI feel very lucky to work for both of these familiesrdquo said the FEI Best Groom Award win-ner adding that she feels part of the two families In March Tipper graduated from university with a Masters in Sport Psychology She is now working towards British Association of Sport and Exercise Science accreditation which requires at least 500 hoursrsquo supervised work experience and is present-ing sport psychology workshops in conjunction with the company Inside Performance Consulting Limit-ed (wwwinside-performancecom) The workshops are organised internationally for people of all ages from any sport To find out more contact Tipper at michelletipper1979yahoocom
39FOCUS
Michelle Tipper ndash copyWilliam TzengAward winners ndash copyWilliam TzengCaroline Roffman ndash copySharonPackercomEbony Horse Club ndash copyEbony Horse ClubEdward Gal and Totilas ndash copyKit HoughtonFEIAngelika Trabert ndash copyJulia Rau
Angelika Trabert (GER)Winner of the FEI Against All Odds Award 2010
German Para-Dressage rider Angelika Trabert has represent-ed her country at four Paralympic Games and won some 15 medals at national European and world championships She is currently seeking a new home for Londria the mare that con-tributed to her Team Silver medal win at the Hong Kong Para-lympics Londria who had a foal last year was also Trabertrsquos ride during her medal-winning performances at the European Championships in Hungary (2005) and Norway (2009)
Trabert said her decision to let go of Londria was hard to make but was necessary for financial reasons She will keep the foal Finaud Coquin and her mares Walmorel and Ariva-Avanti Trabert won the Para-Dressage Grade 2 Freestyle Champion-ship at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade with Ariva and said the horse was ldquowell and ready to go for the Europeans again in Belgium in September if we qualifyrdquo Trabert competed in her first international competition of 2011 in May in Man-nheim Germany where she came first in the Grade II indi-vidual and second in the freestyle She is taking part in the German Championships in June
Away from the equestrian world Trabert works as an anaes-thetist and has participated in medical missions in the rural ar-eas of Guinea for the organisation Mango In January she was back in Guinea as part of team that carried out 100 operations in 13 days wwwangelika-trabertde
Visit the recently refreshed FEI Awards website to find out more about the Awards the pastwinners the judges and to make yournominationsby 31 July
wwwfeiawardsorg
40
Caroline Roffman (USA)Winner of the HSBC FEI Rising StarAward 2010
Success continues to smile on twenty-two-year-old American Dressage rider Caroline Roffman Since re-ceiving the HSBC FEI Rising Star Award she has en-joyed numerous wins at small tour and young horse levels achieving scores in the mid-eighties and quali-fying two horses for the young horse championships
Roffman is currently showing six horses and has won several classes at PSG and Grand Prix level ldquoBut nothing is as exciting as to be going to Aachenrdquo said the young woman who has been described as the American Dressage communityrsquos brightest hope ex-plaining that at the FEI Awards ceremony in Chinese Taipei Frank Kemperman FEI Dressage Committee Chair and Chairman of the Managing Board at CHIO Aachen (GER) invited her to take part in the pres-tigious event Roffman will be the first American to compete in the Under 25 Grand Prix there and is hop-ing to take her horse Lux Stensvang
An interview with Caroline Roffman at the Palm Beach Dressage Derby CDI will be broadcast on the magazine programme Equestrian World on FEI TV the FEIrsquos official online video platform wwwfeitvorg
Edward Gal and Totilas (NED)Winners of the Reem Acra FEI Best Athlete Award 2010
The world-famous partnership of Dutch Dressage rider Edward Gal and the extraordinary Totilas ended in style in 2010 with notably three gold medal wins at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade
The first foal sired by the superstar stallion was born in January followed by two more in the spring Gal who has admired the foals told the FEI ldquoYou never know ndash maybe in a few yearsrsquo time Irsquoll have another Totilas readyrdquo At the beginning of April he was busy at home training nine horses and preparing for the Reem Acra FEI World Cuptrade Dressage Final in Leipzig and the European Championships in Rotterdam He had not yet decided which horses he was going to compete with but was particularly looking forward to the Freestyle to Music Asked what it was like to compete without Totilas Gal said ldquoEverybody ex-pected Totilas to win I find it easier to ride other horses because nobody expects me to win and when I do itrsquos really nicerdquo
41FOCUS
globetrotter
Seal of approval for the Adai horseSixty years have passed since an Adai horse reportedly set a record galloping 354km in one day Today the Adai horse a breed na-tive to Kazakhstan is back in the spotlight with a gold medal at the FEI Central Asian Endurance Championship in Talgaearlier in May only months after having been award-ed official pedigree status following tests
conducted by a State Commission in the Mangistau Steppes which allowed itto compete internationally The horses are cherished for their hardiness and Oyly ridden by Altyngali Bissemaganbetov (KAZ) proved just that when crossing the finishing line first demonstrating just how tough the Adai horses are and the beginning of a new era for sturdy breed on the international stage
Equestrian Australia Sport
Achievement Awards
In May the best of the best in
Equestrian sport gathered to cel-
ebrate the achievements of Austral-
iarsquos athletes coaches officials vets
administrators owners volunteers
and the many other people that
dedicate their time and enthusiasm
to equestrian sport The ceremony
also included the introduction of
Equestrian Australiarsquos Hall of
Fame won by the legendary Bill
Roycroft Boyd Exell winner of
the FEI World CupTM Driving
Final was awarded the interna-
tional athlete of the year
award
Kevin Stautbecomes first athlete representative on FEI
executive board
Kevin Staut one of Francersquos most successful Jumping riders became the first athlete to be appointed to the FEI Executive Board for a three-year term Staut (31) who has held the number one spot in the Rolex Rankings for Jumping since July 2010 has ridden on numerous Nations Cup teams for France and claimed individual gold at the Alltech FEI European Jumping Championships in 2009
HulA CARTSWorld Horse Welfare has greatly helped the liv
es of
five Senegalese cart horse owners by presenting them
with new Hula Carts The local people who depend on
their working horses for their livelihoods were specially
selected by the charity to receive the carts which have
been sponsored by members of the public in the uK
The Hula Carts are specifically developed to help the
horses pulling heavy loads in often difficult conditions
Equestrian Australia Sport
Achievement Awards
In May the best of the best in
Equestrian sport gathered to cel-
ebrate the achievements of Austral-
iarsquos athletes coaches officials vets
administrators owners volunteers
and the many other people that
dedicate their time and enthusiasm
to equestrian sport The ceremony
also included the introduction of
Equestrian Australiarsquos Hall of
Fame won by the legendary Bill
Roycroft Boyd Exell winner of
the FEI World CupTM Driving
Final was awarded the interna-
tional athlete of the year
award
Olympic legendBill Roycroft passes away aged 96
A legend of Equestrian sport in Australia James William
George Roycroft OBE known as ldquoBillrdquo was one of Austral-
iarsquos greatest Olympians and one of only five Australians to
have competed in five consecutive Olympic Games (from
1960 - 1976) as well as being Australiarsquos oldest medallist
and oldest competitor at 61 years and 31 days In May 2011
Bill was inducted in Equestrian Australiarsquos inaugural Hall
of Fame ndash he was Australiarsquos oldest living Olympian and
shared his dedication and enthusiasm for the sport with
his sons Barry Wayne and Clarke (See a brief description
of his exploits in the 1960 Olympic Games Memory Lane
article page 9 which catapulted Australiarsquos reputation as
one of the best Eventing teams in the world)
webinfofeiFEI web wizard Nicole Sigrist has added a new hub for the Press on wwwfeiorg called FEI Press Kits located in the Media section of the website The Press Kits zone which is also open to the general public is regularly updated with infor-mation relating to FEI series and specific events with flip books and downloadable PDFs as well as direct links to the Photo Catalogue the Rankings and Standings the Annual Report and more
100thanniversary for Finnish riding club
One of the three found-ing member clubs of
the Finnish Equestrian Federation the Suomen
Kenttaumlratsastusseura-Finska Faumlltrittklubbenon celebrates
its 100th anniversary in 2011 Magnus Rydman former President of the Finnish National Federation and Presi-dent of the FEI from 1935 ndash 1946 was one of the founders of the club Another of the founders of the oldest club in Fin-land was the Eventing rider Colonel Hans Olof von Essen whose fifth place at the Antwerpen Olympic Games re-mains the best Olympic equestrian result the country has ever achieved
Follow us on
43FOCUS
Interview with the President of the Brazilian Equestrian Federation Mr Luiz Roberto Giugni
The Brazilian Equestrian Federation has been a member Federation of the FEI for 75 years how has the sport developed over that time We were facing regular growth (average of 25 in the last decade) but in the last three to four years this rate has significantly increased up to 35 a year We believe that this is due to international achievements (two Jumping Olympic team bronze medals the individual Olympic Jumping gold medal won by Rodrigo Pessoa several Pan Am Jumping team gold medals recent Olympic pre-qualification in Kentucky (4th in the world in Jumping) and the organisations of a Global Champions Tour event in Brazil
In terms of developing the sport what are the most successful projects you have undertaken in recent yearsWe decided to invest in education and have hired international trainers for all the disciplines such as Jean Maurice Bonneau for Jumping Nick Turner for Eventing Eric Lette for Dressage Jean Louis Leclerc for Endurance Mattias Lang for Vaulting with the long term in mind that is at least until the end of 2012 and planning towards 2016 when Rio will host the Olympic Games
How popular is equestrian sport with young people in Brazil and how do you compete with some of the bigger sports for their attention Popularization is growing bit by bit in a country
decidedly dominated by soccer ndash being 5 times World Champion makes it a national passion But we are continuously looking to attract TV to our events as this is a huge step towards gaining visibility and popularity Can you tell us about the programmesinitiatives in place for disabled athletes We are actively pursuing this and have achieved really positive results in little time such as the great performances and medals earned at the Para-lympic Games in Hong Kong in 2008 We do this through clinics courses international exchanges of athletes and working alongside our National Paralympic Committee to support us in our efforts
Brazil will be host the FEI General Assembly at the end of the year what do you want all the visiting delegates to remember from their visit That we are more than just a really beautiful and warm country with the ability and capacity to organise great events and that we are committed to putting on the best Olympic Games ever
What are the main objectivesplans for the Brazilian Federation in the lead up to the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games Our NOC is really committed to raising the bar of all the sports to a level never seen before and we are working towards that in terms of our athletes our judges our venues and everything that is related to our sport and the quality of our sport In line with this objective we are providing incen-tives to owners to buy good horses aiming for 2016 and this is going to plan for now We expect to perform well at the upcoming Pan Am Games and Olympics on our trail to 2016
Is there anything else you would like to share with us I would like to thank HRH Princess Haya President of the FEI as well as the Executive Board for all the support that we are getting which has been paramount to the development of equestrian sport in our country
44
President Luiz Roberto GiugniSecretary General Luiz Antonio RoccoMember since 1935
15 members of staff work at the federation
20 regional federations are affiliated tothe Brazilian Equestrian Federation with over 300 member riding clubs
6 000 affiliated riders
91 national events were held in 2010
31 international events were held in 2010
All the FEI disciplines are practiced in BrazilJumping Dressage Eventing Vaulting Reining EnduranceDriving amp Para-Equestrian
14 breeding organisations
There are 58 million horses and ponies in Brazilmaking it the fourth largest equine population in the world
FAC
TS amp
FIG
URE
S
45FOCUS
Dr Gerit Matthesen56 is a private equine practitioner an FEI Vet and a member of the FEI Veterinary Committee He graduated in Veterinary Medicine from Berlin University in 1983 and since 1989 has worked or officiated at some 180 competitions and championships including the last two Olympics and FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade He lives near Frankfurt with his wife Carola and their sons Mike (16) and Lars (14)
46
A life in a day
Dr Gerit Matthesen56 is a private equine practitioner an FEI Vet and a member of the FEI Veterinary Committee He graduated in Veterinary Medicine from Berlin University in 1983 and since 1989 has worked or officiated at some 180 competitions and championships including the last two Olympics and FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade He lives near Frankfurt with his wife Carola and their sons Mike (16) and Lars (14)
I wake up earlier than I need to ndash at around 6am ndash because breakfast time with my family is sacred to me and I can then drive my boys to the village station to take the train to school After two cups of coffee (enough for the day) and a glass of orange juice I read the newspapers then head to my prac-tice offices in our indoor arena I have a quick look at our horses then start work
While I listen to my phone messages I deal with my emails and search the internet for news about veterinary medicine and horse sport I then start planning the dayacutes schedule with Anna my assistant vet
My mobile practice is in a nice fairly rural area in the north of Frankfurt There are lots of horse farms but it is not a classic breeding area like the northern part of Germany There are sport horses as well as pleasure horses I have examination rooms and stables for horses staying or mares foaling in my practice stables Itrsquos not a big clinic which gives me time to work at competitions
After seeing a few small animals in my practice I normally start my field service at 930am In my car I have enough equipment (ultrasound X-ray systems and endoscopical devices) for the dayrsquos examinations and standing procedures We mainly have lameness examinations to do or internal diseases to treat accompanied by routine work like vaccinations or carrying out pre-purchase or health certificate examinations If time allows I go home for a quick lunch but thatrsquos not every day
While Irsquom driving I have time to think and I write down everything that come to mind regarding sport competitions committees and so on You have to write down your thoughts when yoursquore over the age of 50
It is not easy planning my day because any emer-gency can destroy or delay my schedule For all the paperwork and certificates I need a time frame so
I often do that over quiet weekends when there are no competitions During the winter season I am less busy but in summer a lot of weekends are taken over by the competition schedule
I love my work especially in Eventing which is my favourite discipline My wife and I practiced it ndash not up to top level but it was a fine time despite a bro-ken ankle from a fall in 1988 which after 23 years is making walking more and more difficult for me
I like to do my competition work on a friendly but strict basis and I really like to hear riders saying they are treated fairly Over the years I have acquired a lot of experience and met all the officials and riders
Usually when I return home in the late afternoon there are more small animals to see When Irsquove done the dayrsquos paperwork I hope there will be no more emergencies such as cases of colic which usually occur in the early evening
I look forward to getting on my horse which is a beautiful show-jumper I like to ride but Irsquove stopped competing I do dressage jumping and go out into the fields but itrsquos all just for fun now
The day finishes with the family and a nice cold glass of German beer
Itrsquos a struggle to find time to spend with my family and I often have to cancel my holidays with them I am really grateful to my wife and the boys for their understanding of my job and to my assistant vet who covers for me when Iacutem out somewhere in the world of equestrian sport
ldquoThe combination of my profession and beinginvolved in differentaspects of top equestrian sport is my visionrdquo
47FOCUS
Pull your show attire from the closet clean your boots and tack groom the horses hook up and pack the trailer check the clock double check to make sure you have everything put on the shipping boots load your horses and away you drive to the competition venue or to the airport for transport to a distant event
You know the drill well but still you arrive tired per-haps even a bit frazzled Yoursquoll sleep (or try to) the next several nights in an unfamiliar bed or camp out in the living quarters of your trailer You awaken riveted on the competition playing out the dayrsquos classes in your mind wondering how your rides will fare against oth-ers praying that the weather will be cooperate and trying to control your nerves all the while knowing that no matter how well you have prepared many factors are out of your control You may even be in a different time zone
We go through a lot to compete our horses But if you think life on the road is stressful for you think about what itrsquos like for your horses Your back may be a bit sore from driving or being strapped into an airplane seat for hours on end but for horses transportation is far more demanding It is an athletic endeavour re-quiring an expenditure of energy to maintain balance during the constant movement of transport When your horses arrive they face social isolation from stablemates lack of security in novel environments altered training regimes water that tastes strange and the confines of an unfamiliar stall This routine impacts a horsersquos health and well being with effects
continuing long after the journey is over During transport toxic gases (such as ammonia or carbon monoxide) can cause damage to the lung epithelium precipitating respiratory disease The
final destination itself can also cause problems Usually horses are transported to environments where they will be mixing with other horses The mixing of horses from different environments with different infectious organisms and under stressful conditions further precipitates susceptibility to disease
This can have a severe impact on the equine gut The stress of transportation is known to increase gut ulceration in the horse a painful condition reducing performance and causing colic-like symptoms Stress can also slow the flow of digesta and alter the normal gut flora resulting in digestive upset and possibly diarrhoea or colic
The effects of travel stress on the gut are compounded by the typical diet of the regular equine traveller To maintain athletic ability high performance horses are often fed energy-charged diets contain-ing increased levels of starchy materials such as cereal grains Unfortunately this type of diet can reduce beneficial types of gut flora and promote gut acidity further predisposing the horse to digestive upsets and ulceration It is not surprising that stressed tired horses may not fulfill their potential on arrival
Feeding to reduce stress for the equine traveller
By Darlene RickerExecutive editor of Alltechrsquos EQUINE INTERNATIONAL magazine
48
Alltech Tips
growth of opportunistic Salmonella spp which are present in the intestinal tract of many healthy horses These bacteria then attach to the gut lining via a mannan sugar and penetrate it causing damage and resulting in diarrhoea One method of prevent-ing or minimising the attachment of these organ-
isms to the gut lining is to provide an adsorbant supplement A form of sugar found in the cell walls of certain yeasts can do this This sugar compound is called man-nan oligosaccharide or MOS MOS products such as Alltechrsquos Bio-Mosreg have been shown to re-duce the colonization of Salmonella
spp in the guts of certain species and augment the immune response to Salmonella spp potentially conferring an enhanced ability to fight infection Both Yea-Saccreg 1026 and Bio-Mos are among the natural products contained in Alltechrsquos LIFEFORCETM equine supplement which many FEI competitors have successfully incorporated into their daily feeding regimen at home and on the road
lifeforcehorsecom
and may be subject to health concerns in the days following a long journey Fortunately however you can curb some of the effects of travel stress on the horsersquos gut by nutritional supplementation Organic yeast products used to supplement a horsersquos diet can support the normal gut flora modifying the intesti-nal environment and improving the horsersquos digestion One such culture is Saccharomyces cerevisae in the form of Yea-Saccreg 1026 Alltechrsquos propriety organic yeast
Experiments were conducted to evaluate the effects Yea-Sacc on gut flora and gut acidity Horses were fed either a high-starch or a high-fibre diet both with and without supplementation of Yea-Saccreg 1026 Results indicated an excessive amount of starch in the gut The use of Yea-Sacc reduced acidity and stimulat-ed the activity of fibre-digesting bacteria in the hind-gut for both types of diet The result was maximised fibre digestibility and more efficient use of nutrients thus increasing the amount of energy available to the horse for performance and counteracting digestive upset Salmonellosis is one of the more commonly di-agnosed infectious causes of diarrhoea in horses Many cases develop after the stress of transport The effects of travel stress on the normal gut flora allow an over-
Moorlands Totilas arrives for the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade after air transport copy Dirk Caremans
HRH The Infanta Dontildea Pilar de Borboacuten former President of the FEI (1994-2006) also attended the inauguration along-side HRH Princess Lalla Amina Chairperson of the Royal Moroccan Federation for Equestrian Sports and member of the international Advisory Council of Special OlympicsThey were joined by International Olympic Commit-tee members representatives from other Interna-tional Federations federal and local Swiss authorities as well as architects and designers that worked on the project Switzerlandrsquos Martin Fuchs a member of the gold medal winning team at the inaugural Youth Olympic Games in Singapore last year accompanied FEI President Princess Haya in officially opening the FEI headquarters
ldquoThe building we are inaugurating today has been designed to serve our wonderful sportrdquo explained FEI
President Princess Haya ldquoI also feel an immense
sense of pride knowing that this building carries the name
of my late father and hope that this serves as a constant reminder
to all of us who work at the FEI of a unique statesman whose entire soul was devoted to the service of his people Our new headquarters will play a key role for the FEI and our National Federa-tions over the coming years It will be the environ-ment in which important discussions take place and fundamental decisions are taken as we continue our mission to advance the orderly growth of equestrian sport worldwide while ensuring that the welfare of the horse and a level playing field remain at the centre of all that we dordquo
FEI celebratesNEW Headquarters
Over 250 guests attended the inauguration ceremony on Friday 6 May at HM King Hussein I Building which was timed to coincide with the FEI
Extraordinary General Assembly so that attending NationalFederation representatives
could be a part ofthe celebrations
1 Youth Olympic Games team champion Martin Fuchs (SUI) FEI President HRH Princess Haya and her daughter HH Sheikha Al Jalila officially open the FEIrsquos new home 2 Gilbert Felli IOC Olympic Games Executive Director and FEI Secretary General Ingmar de Vos 3 HRH The Infanta Dontildea Pilar de Borboacuten sits down to an interactive quiz in the FEI Gallery 4 Guests gathered in the atrium of the FEI HeadquartersAll images copy Hugues SiegenthalerFEI
Highlights available on50
1
2
3 4
5
6 7
8
THE GALLERy
As well as housing offices for its 62 employees and conference facilities for its 133 National Federations the new headquarters also has a state-of-the-art in-teractive gallery showcasing equestrian sport
The Gallery is the brainchild of Dr Amichai Alper-ovich historian former Secretary General of the Is-raeli Equestrian Federation and curator of the Israeli Olympic Museum (opened in 2009) He worked hand in hand with the Tel Aviv based company Disk-In Pro and interior designer Oded Alony to help bring the content to life and the result is truly unique and ground breaking Giant glass surfaces act as interac-tive interfaces for the visitors to travel through time
The FEIrsquos new headquarters which were donated to the Federation by FEI Presi-dent HRH Princess Haya in 2007 fol-lowing a personal fundraising effort are conveniently located close to the Inter-national Olympic Committee and other international sports federations It has been written into the FEI Statutes that the new FEI headquarters building will always house the Federationrsquos offices In 2008 the building was thoroughly renovated in accordance with the Swiss MINERGIEreg construction standard for environmental responsibility which re-duces energy consumption by 25 per cent Only two per cent of renovated buildings in Switzerland meet the high Minergie standards Khuan Chew founder and design princi-pal of London-based architectural firm KCA International Ltd worked in close collaboration with Swiss-based architect Herveacute de Rham and interior designer Sia-vosh Adeli (SUI) to transform the build-ing which was built in the 1960s The modern and sleek interior was further enhanced with bespoke artworks pro-duced by Swiss creative agency b+g amp partners and imagery by world-famous equestrian art photographer Tim Flach where the simplicity and beauty of his equine subjects seamlessly embrace and accentuate the buildingrsquos pure lines and natural materials (see image left)
As they feasted on the innate beauty of their sur-roundings the guests also had the privilege to ex-perience the culinary talents of organic chef and specialist Gilles Wannaz and his team based in the town of Cully which sits on the edge of Lac Leman in Switzerlandrsquos famous Lavaux wine growing region
5 HRH Princess Haya welcomes the guests to the Inauguration of the HQ and the 90 year celebration of the FEI 6 Artwork by renowned pho-tographer Tim Flach 7 An organic and colourful buffet presented on an authentic lawn by local chef Gilles Wannaz 8 A life size horse sculpture by Christophe Dumont greeted the guests upon their arrival
53FOCUS
and space with the latest in touch technology revis-iting the history of the FEI the equestrian events at Olympic amp Paralympic Games the FEI World Eques-trian Gamestrade and information on all of the member National Federations with statistics videos images and text The Gallery also includes projections on ar-chitectural surfaces designed by Oded Alony referred to as the Origami as well as interactive stations and unique video projections on glass screens
For all those wishing to visit the FEI Gallery simply contact the FEI HQ to make an appointment and we would be delighted to take you on a journey to dis-cover or rediscover the human and equine athletes whose talents have marked equestrian history and inspired young riders drivers and vaulters around the world
Interview withDrAmichaiAlperovich
When did you first dream up the FEIInteractive Gallery When I found out the FEI was planning to move into new HQ in 2009 Disk-In Pro and I approached the FEI and presented them with several concepts for the space Before long we had agreed on the concept and we got to work
Why were you compelled to make it become a reality So that the FEI a prominent sports organisation could present itself to a growing audience in a new and visionary way with the latest technology And by doing so the FEI is a pioneer becoming the first International Federation to have a Gallery of this kind
What did you learn when researching and gathering content for the gallery I have learned a lot about the history of the FEI the strong Olympic tradition the diversity of disciplines the gender equality and the unique bond between horse and man One of the more fascinating topics was the evolution of the Dressage from itsrsquo Olympic debut to the modern Freestyle
Itrsquos very innovative technology what inspired you to take such a leap into the future with such a traditional sport Just as Dressage has evolved over the years and alongside the introduction of new disciplines partic-ularly Para-Equestrian you come to realise that the FEI is not as traditional as one would think Actually this kind of innovative presentation of equestrian history is really well suited to the FEI In the same way that you can have horse-man connections there is an audience-technology connection in the Gallery The audience have to be active in order to enjoy the depth of information the Gallery contains
54
Now it is time to open the door to new places to learn about sport ndash at the heart of sporting organi-sations themselves The Gallery is more than an informative tool it brings people to the sport andto the heart of its operations
Established in 1990 Disk-In Pro specialises in the planning design production and implementation of Museums Visitor Centres and sophisticated projects around the world This includes multi screen produc-tion animation 3D amp interactive films state-of-the-art software platforms and complex video displays for an unforgettable experience
Oded Alony holds a BA in Design from the Interior Design Section of the Holon Technological Institute and has since 1998 worked with Israelrsquos leading Architecture firms The Oded Alony Studio embraces holistic design a space where interior design lighting and graphics are brought together to create a harmo-nious project vision
Now that you have seen it unveiled to the public how would you like to see it evolve I hope the audience will be amazed from the design by architect Oded Alony and the new methods to deliver information whilst discovering the long his-tory of the FEI the diversity and the global reach of the organisation I hope the Gallery will become an icon in Lausanne and one of its highlights for visitors I promise the visitors a new platform to learn about equestrianism and each visit could be different as the information and themes will be updated and modi-fied regularly
This futuristic gallery is a first for anInternational Federation do you think thisis something all sports should invest inThe FEI took this courageous decision and now has this fantastic tool to present the organisation in new ways Sport is a huge cultural phenomenaWe have learned to consume sport in the arenas and stadiums in the press media and new media
Dr Amichai Alperovich
55FOCUS
SOCIAL MEDIAthe new frontier
Follow us on
The FEI has recently embarked on and embraced a whole new way of talking with the greater equestrian community through the ever expanding social media networks and platformsWith personalised Facebook Twitter and You Tube pages the FEI is taking it step by step and reaching out to this growing audience and listening to what they have to say
This new communication platform is by no means a substitution of the traditional communication path-ways but works alongside the press releases various publications and content on wwwfeiorg and wwwfeitvorg providing a new arena where the FEI can share interact and dialogue with fans of the sport and of equestrian values in general
We talk to Richard Johnson Director of Corporate Communications about the FEIrsquos commitment to social media
What compelled the FEI to venture onto the social media scene As a governing body with a vibrant and active com-munity of National Federations as well as thousands of fans the need to reach out to the online social community has never been stronger We have been watching the communities grow online for some time and have been listening to their conversations so being a part of it was the next logical step and a really important one The conversations will hap-pen with or without us so taking that step has been crucial in order to share our values and also build re-lationships with our fan base
Tradition meets modernity ndash does equestrian sportthe FEI have a place in social media Absolutely even though equestrian sport has a long history and is perceived as a traditional sport it is
always evolving In the 90 years of the FEI which was founded to govern the three Olympic disciplines it has grown to also oversee the disciplines of Driving Endurance Vaulting Reining and Para-Equestrian sport Or if you look at the early days when competi-tors were from military backgrounds and when wom-en did not compete alongside men to the complete gender equality we have today ndash a lot has changed and is in a constant state of change
The fans of equestrian sport are like any other fan base web savvy and eager for more information behind the scenes content and to share their opin-ions and thoughts ndash so it is an ideal partnership And from what we have seen these last few months and from the feedback we got from our blog at the Youth Olympic Games there is a real appetite for this
The FEI has dedicated Facebook Twitter and You Tube pages ndash why did you select these social media platforms The figures speak for themselveshellip Facebook Twit-ter and You Tube are the biggest players in the social networking space With over 500 million Facebook users 106 million Tweeters and 2 billion views a day on You Tube there has never been so much oppor-tunity for exposure Every site has different demo-graphics with different habits and needs so by having an FEI presence on these three networks we are able to cover a lot of ground and cater to different audi-ences by providing different types of content accord-ing to the platform
What are the main benefits of having a pres-ence on various social media platforms Itrsquos all about having a two way conversation ndash the benefits of dialogue where you can share content such as videos images facts and figures thoughts and values and then allow your fan base to react to get involved and to listen and learn from them By engaging with our audience and showing them that we are a modern and caring organisation and that we want to hear what they have to say then we are able to build trust and ultimately credibility in what we do and what we say
57FOCUS
TV
The offi cial video website of the Feacutedeacuteration Equestre Internationale
wwwfeitvorg
WATCH LIVE WATCH ONLINE
FEI TV is the FEIrsquos new offi cial video website and your ticket to the worldrsquos most prestigious competitions Sign-up to FEI TV (wwwfeitvorg) and get instant access to all the live broadcasts the extensive video-on-demand library all the highlights the behind the scenes reports the interviews and so much more Be at the heart of horsesport Join us
2823_1FEI_TV_Focus_165x226indd 1 170510 1124
It also keeps us alert as to what is being discussed and debated in the public sphere so that we can manage situations more effectively and be proactive in our messaging and information so that the facts are at the heart of the debate and not interpretations of them
How do you generate content for social media It was important when we launched our social me-dia presence that it be manageable with the exist-ing communications team in place ndash and so we have concentrated on keeping it simple and effective and using content innovatively Itrsquos not about reproduc-ing our website ndash but to engage with our fans and so often all you need is a good picture an interest-ing fact or great achievement to get the ball rolling For You Tube as we already have so much content generated from FEI TV it was simply a question of using bits and pieces from that content to provide the public with teasers from events interviews with winning riders or behind the scenes content which they can then follow up on FEI TV with a subscription
What are your Social media goals Itrsquos really to build relationships and dialogue with our fan base by using our content innovatively by listening to what they have to say and by engaging with the community And for the National Federa-tions that have yet to take that step we want to be a guiding hand that can help them get started so that they too can reap the benefits of social media net-working Our sport competes against other sports for attention so itrsquos really important that we the FEI and the National Federations keep our finger on the pulse and cater to our fans
How can National Federations get involved NFs wishing to find out more about Social Media can contact me (richardjohnsonfeiorg) and I would be more than happy to discuss opportunities and ways of getting started as well as our experience at the FEI
We asked our Facebook followers why it was important to use face-book and here are a few comments they came up with
bullItrsquos a great way to find out about shows and competitions
bullBecause facebook can provide up to the minute updates as to the what is going on in the horse community
bullWe can share information and ideas over long distances We can find and connect with people we wouldnt be able to otherwise
bullIt also lets us express the true realities of our spot to keep us grounded
bullIt can bring peoples attention to excellence ndash and expose the issues
58
TV
The offi cial video website of the Feacutedeacuteration Equestre Internationale
wwwfeitvorg
WATCH LIVE WATCH ONLINE
FEI TV is the FEIrsquos new offi cial video website and your ticket to the worldrsquos most prestigious competitions Sign-up to FEI TV (wwwfeitvorg) and get instant access to all the live broadcasts the extensive video-on-demand library all the highlights the behind the scenes reports the interviews and so much more Be at the heart of horsesport Join us
2823_1FEI_TV_Focus_165x226indd 1 170510 1124
ldquo Donrsquot accept drinks from a strangerrdquo
Armchair travel journalist
Are you living a life without boundaries Some well-meant advice is best ignored but itrsquos still good to know yoursquore covered when yoursquore away With HSBC Premier your family can be protected with both Travel Insurance and dedicated assistance when yoursquore abroad Which is reassuring to know when yoursquore making the most of life
HSBC Premier is subject to financial eligibility criteria and is available in over 40 countries and territories
Premier Travel Insurance covers you and your partner up to age 70 and your children travelling with you up to age 18
wwwhsbcpremiercom
A4 A4
Issued by HSBC Holdings plc Approved for use in UK by HSBC Bank plc Premier Travel Insurance is provided by Aviva Insurance UK Limited Customer Information Service PO Box 757 Hemel Hempstead Hertfordshire HP2 4SS Registered in England number 14259 Registered Office 8 Canada Square London E14 5HQ AC18770
201736_6000263_Coconut_226x165indd
Master 226x165
Rob Swainson 160211
HSBC - Coconuts Proof 01Head of Art TypographerDesigner ArtCreative Director Copywriter Account DirectorDIC Project ManagerPhotographer Illustrator Usage Model(s) Name(s) Usage
Media MediaStock Image Time Period Time Period
Territory Territory
8deg N ndash Kerala South India
These are the second FEI European Para-Equestrian Dressage Championships to be held since Para-Equestrian joined the FEI Family in 2006 Para-Equestrian Dressage has been a regular fixture at the Paralympic Games since 1996 The first FEI European Para-Equestrian Dressage Championships were held in southern Norwegian town of Kristiansand in 2009 with a total of 78 ath-letes from 22 countries participating
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERS
Team Great Britain
Grade Ia Individual - Sophie Christiansen (GBR) Freestyle - Emma Sheardown (GBR)
Grade Ib Individual amp Freestyle Lee Pearson (GBR)
Grade II Individual - Petra Van der Sande (NED) Freestyle - Angelika Trabert (GER)
Grade III Individual amp Freestyle
Hannelore Brenner (GER)
Grade IV Individual amp Freestyle Sophie Wells (GBR)
The mobility strength and coordination of competi-tors are assessed and athletes with similar functional ability profiles are grouped into competition grades that range from Grade Ia for the most severely im-paired to Grade IV for the least impaired This means that the competition within each Grade can be judged on the skill of the individual competitors on their horses regardless of their disabilities
CLUB qUADRILLEMoorsele has been host to a regular international Para-Equestrian Dressage events for the past few years with the Club Quadrille as organiser The Club Quadrille was founded in 1981 by Anne Van Neste-dIeteren Belgian Dressage Champion from 1977 un-til 1982 current President of the Belgian Paralympic Committee and member of the FEI Para-Equestrian committee It is a unique sports club that works with both able bodied and disabled athletes and is active in the promotion and education of the sport As member of the honorary IPC Board Her Royal Highness (HRH) Princess Astrid of Belgium has been a fervent supporter of the event and has attended on many occasions
Believe it or nothellip
bull LeePearson(GBR)haswoneverygold medalwithinreachatParalympicWorld andContinentallevelandtheEuropeans in2009werenodifferentwithanother triplegoldvictory
bull GreatBritainalsohavetheMidastouch whenitcomestoteammedalsndashandarethe currentParalympicWorldandEuropean titleholders
bull In2009Germanycamecloserthanever totakingthegoldmedalfromall-time championGreatBritain
1-4 September 2011
Moorsele Belgium
FeI eUroPeaN
Para-eqUestrIaNDressaGeChaMPIoNshIPs
21FOCUS
A record number of fans are expected to attend the HSBC FEI European Eventing Championships as they return to Luhmuumlhlen for the fifth time to mark the 30th edition of the ChampionshipsThe FEI European Eventing Championships take place every two years in the middle of the Olympic cycle and have been held since 1953
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERSTeam ndash Great BritainIndividual ndash Kristina CookMiners Frolic (GBR)
OLyMPIC qUALIFICATIONThe 2 best ranked nations from Groups A B amp C at the 2011 HSBC FEI European Eventing Champion-ships (excluding the teams already qualified at WEG) will be qualified to take part with a team consisting of 3 athletes amp 3 horses
THE VENUELuhmuumlhlen one of only six 4 events on the interna-tional Eventing calendar and part of the prestigious HSBC FEI Classicstrade series will greet Europersquos best athletes with a fresh look and feel this year following extensive renovation to the existing infrastructures The recently renovated showground includes three Dressage and two Jumping arenas a tribune able to seat 850 spectators with spectacular views as well as a newly designed entrance including six ticket box facilities and fully catered trade stands The show-ground also boasts an open air stage with space for up to 15000 spectators ldquoI am confident that the in-vestment in the infrastructure will be of great benefit to all involved whether you are a volunteer a groom an athlete ndash both the horses and the riders - as well as for the sponsors guests spectators and the fans We are re-ally looking forward to great competitions this year at both the CCI4CIC3 in June and at the Europeans in August and hope many will join us to witness this historic momentrdquo Julia Otto Event Director Luhmuumlhlen
HSBCHSBC has renewed their sponsorship for a further three-year term as global sponsor of FEI Eventing to include title sponsorships of the HSBC FEI European Eventing Championships in both 2011 and 2013 and the HSBC FEI Classicstrade until the end of 2013
OFFICIAL TIMEPIECE Rolex the leading name in luxury wrist watches will be the Official Timekeeper for the HSBC FEI European Eventing Championships 2011
Believe it or nothellip
bull GinnyElliot(bornHolgate)theonlyrider towinthreesuccessiveindividualtitlesand IanStarkholdthejointrecordforEuropean goldmedalswonndashseveneachbutLucinda Greenstillhasthemostmedals(10)
bull SupremeRockriddenbyPippaFunnell (GBR)istheonlyhorsetowinback-to-back titles(in1999and2001)hehasfour Europeangoldmedalsintotalequalingthe recordofKilbarryThePoacherandOver ToYouwhowonarecordfourconsecutive Europeanteamgolds(1999-2005)
bull PrincessAnneandZaraPhillipsaretheonly mother-daughtercombinationtowin Europeantitles(1971and2005)
bull GreatBritainhaveheldtheEuropeantitle forthepast8consecutiveChampionships (since1995)Andofthe29editionstodate (startingin1953)theteamhavewona whopping21
25-28 August 2011
Luhmuumlhlen Germany
hsBC FeI eUroPeaN
eVeNtINGChaMPIoNshIPs LIVE coverage on
22
In September Breda Hippique in The Netherlands will be host to the seventh edition of the FEI Euro-pean Driving Championships for Four-in-Hand not held since 1981 This edition is open to both Euro-pean and non-European drivers and will also count as a qualifier for the indoor FEI World Cuptrade Driv-ing which is held during the winter season Only competitors from Europe can claim the individual and team medalsThe FEI European Driving Championships for Four-in-Hand were first held in 1971 in Budapest and continued to be held every two years until 1981 at which stage they were discontinued
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERSTeam ndash HungaryIndividual ndash Gyoumlrgyi Bardos (HUN)
SOMETHING IN THE WATERhellip Hungary have won five out of six available team European titles and on the individual front two Hungarians stand out from the crowd Imre Abony ndash individual winner in 1971 and 1975 and Gyoumlrgyi Bardos triple consecutive winner in 1977 1979 1981
IN THE BEGINNINGhellipThe first European Championships took place in Budapest in 1971 and moved on to Windsor in Great Britain in 1973 Sopot in Poland in 1975 Donauesch-ingen in Germany in 1977 and in Haras du Pin in France in 1979 The sixth and last edition took place in 1981 in Zug Switzerland
THE VENUEBreda has hosted the only Nations competition (CAIO) for Four-in-Hand horses in The Netherlands for many years In 1995 Breda hosted the first FEI European Driving Championships for Four-in-Hand ponies and in 2010 was host to the FEI World Para-Equestrian Driving Championships Aside from the four-in-hand teams Breda will also host international pony teams and national horse pairs at the event this year
Believe it or nothellip
bull Hungaryhavewonfiveoutofsixteamgold titles
bull AugusteDubeyfromSwitzerlandwasthe onlynon-HungarianEuropeanChampion hewontheChampionshipsin1973
bull PrincePhilipFEIPresidentfrom1964- 1986whocelebratedhis90thbirhtday inJuneisanavidfanofDrivingandpartici- patedinsixWorldandthreeEuropean Championships
1-4 September 2011
Breda Netherland
FeI eUroPeaN
DrIVINGChaMPIoNshIPsfor FoUr-IN-haND
Note At the time of writing the FEI European DrivingChampionships for Four in Hand was pending approvalby the FEI Bureau
23FOCUS
The 14th edition of the FEI European Endurance Championships return to Florac in France twenty five years after the inaugural event was held there The FEI European Endurance Championships first took place in 1984 and were immediately followed up by a second edition in 1985 and have since been held every two years They have always been open to the world with two sets of medals presented ndash open and European
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERSTeam ndash SpainIndividual ndash Maria Alvarez Ponton amp Nobby
RECORD BREAKINGCurrent title holder Maria Alvarez Ponton amp super horse Nobby is the first rider to hold European and World titles at the same time She will be looking to confirm her stronghold on the sport following her second consecutive World title with a second con-secutive European title in Florac a feat no rider has managed to achieve at the Europeans to date
THE VET GATEModern competitions consist of a number of sec-tions known as lsquophasesrsquo At the end of each phase there is a compulsory halt for veterinary inspection Each horse which is thoroughly examined before it is allowed to start the ride must be presented for inspection within a set time of reaching each vetgate The time spent at each vetgate prior to inspection by the vets is counted as part of the overall competition time and the aim is to determine whether the horse is fit to continue the ride
THE SUPPORT CREWA vital part of Endurance riding is the support crew Riders are assisted by a team of helpers who meet them several times over the ride bringing bottles of water to pour over the horse to cool it down as well as a drink for the rider Crews also have spare equipment in case something breaks down or needs replacing
Believe it or nothellip
bull TheFrenchhavethemedaledgewith6 individualand4teamgoldmedalsfrom the14editionsheld
bull Floracistheonlyvenuetohostthe EuropeanChampionshipstwice(thefirst editionin1984andtheupcomingedition in2011)
bull EnduranceisthefastestgrowingFEI disciplinefrom2000to2010thenumber ofinternationaleventshavemultipliedby10
10 September 2011
Florac France
FeI eUroPeaN
eNDUraNCeChaMPIoNshIPs
24
Reem Acra Boutique 14 East 60th St New York New York 10022 2123088760 wwwreemacracom
356935B2_RA_brochure2_souvenir_programmeindd 1 82710 1012 AM
Vaulting became an FEI discipline in 1983 and saw its first FEI European Championship organised just one year later in the town of Ebreichsdorf in Austria This 15th edition of the Championship ndash which also includes the European Juniors competition return to France for the 4th time but for the first time in the world renowned venue of Le Mans famous for its 24 hour race
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERS
Team ndash Austria
Individual malelongeurhorseNicolas Andreani (FRA)Marina Joosten DuponIdefix de Braize
Individual femalelongeurhorseJoanna Eccles (GBR)John EcclesWH Bentley
THE WIND OF CHANGEGermany and Switzerland have traditionally bat-tled for the team title (Germany has 7 gold versus Switzerlandrsquos 5) but in 2009 Austria who had come second on four occasions since the inception of the Championships in 1984 finally climbed onto the top spot of the podium and claimed the title In terms of the individual performances Germany had the stronghold on the male category winning 11 out of 14 gold medals But again in 2009 France the only other country to have ever beaten a German male vaulter at the Europeans made it to the top spot of the podium for only the third time since the Championships began
Similarly with the female vaulters it was an all German domination until 2007 when Austriarsquos Sissi Jarz claimed gold followed by Joanna Eccles (GBR) in 2009 ndash leaving Germany off the top step of the podium entirely in 2009
GREAT BRITAIN ndash A VAULTING NATIONhellip Times have definitely changed from the Swiss German domination with current World and European titles held by Great Britainrsquos Joanna Eccles She was the first British vaulter (male or female) to claim a medal at the Europeans ndash let alone a gold medal - and then went on to secure the world title in Kentucky last year
Believe it or nothellip
bull TheonlycountryotherthanGermanyand SwitzerlandtohaveclaimedaEuropean VaultingtitleisSlovakiain2005
bull ChristophLensing(GER)holdsthemale medalrecordndashwiththreegold(19891993 amp1995)aswellassilverin1991
bull NadiaZuumllowandSilkeMichelberger (formerlyBernhard)withthreegoldmedals each
16-21 August 2011
Le Mans France
FeI eUroPeaN
VaULtINGChaMPIoNshIPs
26
This is only the fifth edition of the European Reining Championships since the discipline joined the FEI in 2000 and the first time they will be held in Austria The event also includes the FEI European Champi-onships for Juniors and Young Riders ndash a formula introduced in 2009 in Kreuth (GER) which proved to be a multigenerational success The FEI European Reining Championships take place every two years and have been held since 2003
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERSTeam ndash GermanyIndividual ndash Nina Lill (GER) riding Lena Cielo Jewel
THE JUDGINGReining horses are judged individually Each horse au-tomatically begins the required pattern with a score of 70 One or frac12 points are given or taken away for each manoeuvre Credit is given for smoothness fi-nesse attitude quickness and authority Controlled speed in the pattern raises the level of difficulty and makes the reining horse exciting to watch
Believe it or nothellip
bull ItalyandGermanyaretheonlytwonations tohavewongoldmedalsndashGermanyhas3 teamgoldand2individualgoldversus Italyrsquossingleteamgoldandtwoindividual gold
bull GermanyrsquosNinaLillwinnerin2009was thefirstwomantotaketheindividualtitle sincetheChampionshipsbeganin2003
bull OlympicWorldandEuropeanDressage ChampionAnkyVanGrunsven(NED) competedattheAlltechFEIWorldEques- trianGamestradein2010inbothDressageand hellipReining
bull 13nationswerescheduledtoattendthe Championshipatthetimeofwritingthe largestparticipationbycountryever recordedfortheEuropeans
26-30 July 2011
Wiener Neustadt Austria
FeI eUroPeaN
reININGChaMPIoNshIPs
27FOCUS
ldquoThirty-one yearsrsquo experience comes in handy some-timesrdquo joked the ever-relaxed Todd who was a leg-end by the time he ldquoretiredrdquo in 2000 with back-to-back Olympic golds five Burghley wins two world gold medals and three Badminton victories one on a horse he had never ridden before ldquoIt is incredibly special though right up there with the back-to-back Olympic golds When I came back to the sport (in 2008) it was to see if I could get back to top level It has always been my aim to win another big onerdquo
A World class meeting of Generations
The 2011 HSBC FEI Classicstrade could not have got off to a more epic start with wins at Badminton and Kentucky by two of the sportrsquos most enduring personalitiesThe 55-year-old New Zealander Mark Todd rolled back the years to score a fourth victory at the Gloucestershire venue 31 years after his first attempt in 1980
By Kate Green
28
HSBC FEI ClassicsTm
The resurgence of so much experienced talent makes it harder for younger riders to work their way up the leaderboard but 29-year-old Sinead Halpin (USA) had a spectacular CCI4 debut at Kentucky finish-ing third and best of the home side in distinguished company This achievement earned her the HSBC Training Bursary worth US$1000 towards training a prestigious and valuable award presented to the rider who achieves the best result on completing a CCI4 for the first time
The bursary winner at Badminton Fiona Hobby (GBR) 39 has had a rather longer wait to complete
her first CCI4 ndash she was 26th on Roma ML ndash but she has in the meantime produced two children had a career as a sports therapist and only switched from Jumping to Eventing relatively recently Hobby has vowed to spend the money on dressage train-ing ldquoRoma couldnrsquot believe it when she arrived in the arena and saw all those people but she was great across country really focussed Irsquom delightedrdquo
For Germanyrsquos Sandra Auffarth Luhmuumlhlen pro-vided an outstanding CCI4 debut on Opgun Louvo a young horse she has produced herself coming second and picking up the HSBC Training Bursary and the exciting prospect of a possible place in the squad for the forthcoming HSBC FEI European Event-ing Championship at Luhmuumlhlen (25-28 August) at which Germany as host nation will be entitled to field 12 riders
Last yearrsquos HSBC Training Bursary winners include Stephanie Rhodes-Bosch (CAN) who went on to win a team silver medal at the Alltech FEI World Equestri-an Gamestrade Lauren Shannon (GBR) who finished 17th at Badminton this year and Giovanni Ugolotti (ITA) who is furthering his career by basing himself in Brit-ain for the season and having lessons with Mark Todd
LIVE coverage and extensive highlights available on
Toddrsquos winning mount the 10-year-old NZB Land Vision was a green horse for this level and he fin-ished the Cross-Country phase tired but his rider kept his cool in an extraordinarily tight finish in which the price of one Jumping fence covered the top 12 riders any of whom could with a bit of luck have won the Mitsubishi Motors Trophy ldquoIn the end it came down to horse-power and Irsquove obviously got a good one hererdquo said Todd ldquoCharisma (his double Olympic gold medallist) will always be the most special horse but this one has no weak linksrdquo
As is the nature of the sport Toddrsquos lead in the HSBC FEI Classicstrade didnrsquot last long ndash he came down to earth with a bump the following weekend with a Cross-Country run-out on NZB Grass Valley his ride at the Rolex Kentucky Three Day Event (USA) and 49- year-old Mary King (GBR) stole the head-lines with a record one-two on Kings Mis-tress and Fernhill Urco It was Kingrsquos first CCI4 victory for 11 years ndash she has won Badminton twice and Burghley once ndash but she certainly smashed a few re-cords with this one She became the first rider to score a one-two at Kentucky the first in modern times to win a CCI4 on a home-bred horse and the oldest female to win a CCI4
King who has six team gold medals at World and European level plus competed at five consecutive Olympics had the luxury of knowing she had already won the event on the inexperienced 10-year-old Fernhill Urco a horse bred in Portugal by the time she entered the arena on Kings Mistress but she still produced a second clear round ldquoI never dreamed that I would be in this position and Irsquom enjoying the momentrdquo said the ever-smiling King ldquoIt was great to have the feeling of having already won on Fernhill Urco but I still wanted desperately to go clear on Kings Mistress as it is so special to win on a horse I bred myselfrdquo It was also an all clear from Germanyrsquos Andreas Dibowski and Euroriding Butts Leon in order to secure victory at the fourth leg of the HSBC FEItrade
Classicstrade in Luhmuumlhlen presented by EON Avacon
29FOCUS
The Danish-American actorpoet musician photographerand painter has been around horses most of his life from riding Hasufel and Brego in The Lord of the Rings trilogy to early childhood memories in Argentina his passion for floating as he describes it has never wavered
What is it about the horse that makes you a horse loverWe get along generally I respect their strength and their personal space Your first riding experience ndash was it bliss or terrorLike floating like being on a warm and floating mountain I remember being happy Do you think anyone can rideYes It is a question of allowing yourself to ride of allowing yourself to cooperate and not be in total control Children are more adept at figuring this out letting things happen without getting impatient or scared just as they are braver and less self-conscious about pronouncing new words or singing Anyone at any age or in any physical condition can
Viggo Mortensen
achieve a degree of success and satisfaction with horses even if it is just a question of touching them being near them If horses could talk what would they be sayingYou will know if you listen and watch them Is there a unique trait you look for in a horse that you canrsquot find in peopleThey are more patient and less apt to complain about lifersquos setbacks and physical ailments than most people I admire a tough smart horse what-ever its breed age or size What would you miss most if you could no longer go ridingThe companionship and the floating perhaps also the abandonment of usual daily worries that relaxed riding requires Whatrsquos your usual riding outfit consist ofAnything will do Loose-fitting clothes and good comfortable boots are a plus but not vital I have even ridden barefoot ndash naturally taking care to avoid being stepped on when not on the horse - but I do not recommend this to anyone The most important thing is to have a clear and focused mind to be THERE at all times when around horses and NOWHERE ELSE Sugar lumps or carrotsIrsquove been guilty of offering an occasional apple or carrot although it is best not to give horses anything special unless treats are part of training them for special tricks or stunts a pursuit best left to experts like master horse trainer Rex Peterson whom Irsquove had the good fortune to work with and study quite a bit Treats spoil horses and do not keep the animal focused on the task at hand Whatrsquos your favourite part of a horseThe brain What do you think young people gain from ridingSelf-confidence and an understanding of the value of cooperation
30
Why the long face
When did you first develop the bond with the horseThe first time I got on one as a little boy in ArgentinaYou either develop a bond of some kind or you fall off Of course you may even fall off if you develop the bond but you have to start (and restart) somewhere
Did your friends ride My brothers also rode and I have ridden with many kinds of people over the years ndash some good and patient with horses and some not If I had not rid-den as a boy I would probably have been wandering around fishing imagining I was a cowboy or an Indian or a Viking ndash which I did anyway Where in the world would you most like to rideMost anywhere will do but I have been extremely lucky to have ridden in many wide-open wild places ndash deserts grassy plains mountains by different seas and rivers in Argentina New Zealand North Africa and North America If you could spend one afternoon riding with a famous person (past or present)who would it be and whyIrsquoll give you 3 Oglala chief Tasunke Witko (Crazy Horse) my ancestor William F Cody or any real Gaucho from the province of Chaco Argentina
Two horses go out for dinner what kindof restaurant do they chooseLate spring grass near a slow-moving clean river with a gentle firm shoreline an hour before sun-down far from any people or other animals All time favourite horse filmI have a subjective soft spot for the stories and real horses involved in the making of ldquoHidalgordquo and the 2nd and 3rd installments of ldquoThe Lord Of The Ringsrdquo trilogy but I admire other ldquohorse moviesrdquo as wellThe 1953 French movie ldquoCrin-Blancrdquo (ldquoWhite Manerdquo) directed by Albert Lamorisse is a personal favourite
After three years at the head of the successful French Jumping team with back to back FEI Nations Cuptrade titles and a silver medal at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade Laurent Elias is moving on to new spheres with the French Horse amp Riding Institute where he will be training the riders of the National Riding School in Saumur
Laurent Elias
copy C
hris
toph
e Br
icot
32
The other side of
If I had not become a professional rider I would havehellipmade a career in a humanitarian organisation Horse riding is sometimes too trivial
My priority in life ishellipto be able to look at myself in the mirror in the morning and make sure I am at peace with my conscience
My familyhellipkeeps me grounded My wife helped me a lot when I was in charge of selections for France She took charge of my personal life and was the first person I called when we got the medal in Lexington I also admire my parents for the values they passed on to me
I remember my first ridingexperiencehellipaged six we were shooting a family film and I was on horseback I finished upside down under my horse for a long time I stopped riding for one year
I used to dream abouthellipsafaris One of my uncles was passionate about safaris Through him I became very interested in African trips and the jobs that allow you to travel as a reporter were fascinating to me as well
I have been thinking a lot abouthellipwhat happened in Japan these past few months First this tsunami that devastated everything without warning then the nuclear disaster It made me think that progress should not be destructive
My horse Gueacutenourhellipchanged my life I was just a coach and he brought me to the top I won the national championship in 1981 with him
My biggest challengehas always beenhellipshyness Horse riding has really helped me over-come it Horses brought me on stage and there I had to meet people
As a Chef dEquipehellipthere is no single defining achievement itrsquos all about the solidarity and the moments spent together as a team Irsquoll never forget the first time Penelope Leprevost rode her mare Jubileacutee drsquoOuilly in the FEI Nations Cuptrade of Rotterdam McLain Ward had just completed a real fast run with Sapphire We thought the Americans would win but she did it faster and beat Sapphire
In terms of eventshellipAachen is my favourite competition - for its won-derful organisation But we have also pretty good five star competitions in France
I donrsquot sleep muchhellipprobably because I am just happy to be alive
Irsquom not scared to laugh or cryhellipI laugh at the funny situations we sometimes find ourselves in life and enjoy people with quirky personalities I cry when I see others in pain
Laurent Elias and the French team en route to the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade copy PSV-Jean Morel
33FOCUS
Nicolas TheacutevenazAged 23 studies Robotics and Autonomous Systems Micro Engineering in Lausanne (SUI) alongside regular training and competition in Dressage and Para-Equestrian Dressage events Born with spastic diplegia Nicolas was introduced to horses via hippotherapy aged seven and quickly developed a passion for riding which not only helped with his physical condition but also taught him through Dressage the art of patience and perseverance
34
One day
Nicolas TheacutevenazAged 23 studies Robotics and Autonomous Systems Micro Engineering in Lausanne (SUI) alongside regular training and competition in Dressage and Para-Equestrian Dressage events Born with spastic diplegia Nicolas was introduced to horses via hippotherapy aged seven and quickly developed a passion for riding which not only helped with his physical condition but also taught him through Dressage the art of patience and perseverance
He has been fortunate to meet the right people (and horses) at the right time and has been working for the past five years with trainer Vicky-Eileen Baumann (pictured right) and her horses Magic and Lady (pictured right) ldquoShersquos bred them and knows them inside out which is very useful when I have to communicate with them - they know my voice intonations and a whole string of specific words or sounds ndash which really helps as my body canrsquot or doesnrsquot always have the strength to do sordquo
As a Grade II Para-Equestrian rider Nicolas competes in Para-Equestrian Dressage (PED) events as well as national events for able bodied riders as there are only a handful of PED riders and no events in Switzerland
Unable to attend the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade 2010 in Kentucky last year Nicolas and Vicky have their sights firmly set on the 2012 Para-lympic Games and will be looking to qualify with Lady over the next 12 months ndash alongside exams studies and everything else life has to offerhellip Who is your role model For different reasons I have different role mod-els Edward Gal Dane Rawlins Isabel Werth and Catherine Haddad
When did you start riding and why At age 7 I was sat on a horse for hippotherapy and liked the complicity with the horse which made me want to discover more
How do you feel when you ride Concentrated and industrious
Who is your biggest fan My trainerrsquos mum
Complete this sentenceOne day I would like tohellip have gained enough knowledge to be able to take care of and train my own horse
What are your long term goals as a rider Continue to do my best to enjoy what I do and show others itrsquos possible
How do you juggle studies and competition I think itrsquos really important to have goals and to do everything you can to achieve them and that includes taking on challenges because if you donrsquot try then yoursquoll never know what you could have achieved
What is your proudest achievement to date Participation in international events together with pursuing my studies
How do you feel after winning Still working towards discovering the feeling
What is the best advice anyone has ever given youMy trainer often repeats to me the famous saying by General LrsquoHotte ldquoCalme en avant droitrdquo which says so much about riding but can also be applied to so many other aspects of life
35FOCUS
What advice would you give someone looking to get involved in Para-Equestrian Dressage Train and ride with able-bodied athletes as often as possible Being around and working with horses is so rewarding Irsquod like - when Irsquom retired - to write a book to share these feelings with others and hope this will inspire them to get involved
Complete this sentenceIn the future I would like the sport to beeven ldquocleanerrdquo and fairer and if possible not more but less demanding on the horses
ldquoLast but not least Irsquod like to take the opportunity of this article to reach out to those who give me their trust and help be it with their time their friendship and any type of support Day after day to year after year team work is essential and Irsquoll do my best to continue deserving every-onersquos encouraging smilesrdquo
European Broadcasting Union
Union Europeacuteenne de Radio-Teacuteleacutevision
+41 (0)22 717 2111 wwweurovisionnet
We bring the event to your home
Eurovision
copy K
it H
ough
ton
FE
I
FEI_08_A4indd 1 03012008 162238
European Broadcasting Union
Union Europeacuteenne de Radio-Teacuteleacutevision
+41 (0)22 717 2111 wwweurovisionnet
We bring the event to your home
Eurovision
copy K
it H
ough
ton
FE
I
FEI_08_A4indd 1 03012008 162238
Nominations for the FEI Awards opened in May enabling the global equestrian com-munity to once again reward outstanding dedication to horse sport in five categories ndash Development Best Groom Against All Odds Rising Star and Best Athlete The search for the equestrian heroes of 2011 is now on who will be flown to Rio de Janeiro Brazil to receive their awards
Where are they now The FEI asked the current title-holders for an update on their activities
Follow us on
38
FEI Awards 2011
Ebony Horse Club (GBR)Winner of the Alltech FEI DevelopmentAward 2010
The Ebony Horse Club announced in December 2010 that after an eight-year fundraising effort it had the pound14 million necessary for building an equestrian cen-tre in one of Londonrsquos most deprived boroughs Since 1996 Ebony has offered youngsters in an area reput-ed for its gang culture high level of gun crime and drug dealing the chance to ride and learn key social skills The clubrsquos 50 members travel to riding schools across London on public transport or in minibuses ndash a logistical headache that the inner-city equestrian centre will end Construction work began in February
Ebony Horse Club founder and director Ros Spear-ing told the FEI ldquoRiding lessons are continuing and the club is preparing for the transitionrdquo Building will finish on 7 July but the centre will open for riding lessons in October ldquoThe horses will be brought to Brixton in the summer and will have time to acclimatise to their new environmentrdquo Spearing said The centre will include stabling for nine horses a small paddock and a flood-lit riding arena as well as a classroom for learning about horses and equine management Spearing is adamant that club members ndash present and future ndash care for their rides and wants the centre to serve as a stepping stone to careers in the horse industry
Ebonyrsquos existence will continue to depend on the generosity of donors For more information visit wwwebonyhorsecluborguk
Michelle Tipper (GBR)Winner of the FEI Best Groom Award 2010
Michelle Tipper has continued to juggle grooming and study since receiving her FEI Award in Novem-ber She has organised the grooms for the British European Junior and Young Dressage teams and in April her contract as a travelling groom for British Dressage riders Paul and Bobby Hayler took her to Addington for the first of many international com-petitions she will work at this year The Haylers have eight horses competing and the number she works with at each venue varies Tipper has also been help-ing British Dressage riders Nicky and Richard Barrett with yard duties ldquoI feel very lucky to work for both of these familiesrdquo said the FEI Best Groom Award win-ner adding that she feels part of the two families In March Tipper graduated from university with a Masters in Sport Psychology She is now working towards British Association of Sport and Exercise Science accreditation which requires at least 500 hoursrsquo supervised work experience and is present-ing sport psychology workshops in conjunction with the company Inside Performance Consulting Limit-ed (wwwinside-performancecom) The workshops are organised internationally for people of all ages from any sport To find out more contact Tipper at michelletipper1979yahoocom
39FOCUS
Michelle Tipper ndash copyWilliam TzengAward winners ndash copyWilliam TzengCaroline Roffman ndash copySharonPackercomEbony Horse Club ndash copyEbony Horse ClubEdward Gal and Totilas ndash copyKit HoughtonFEIAngelika Trabert ndash copyJulia Rau
Angelika Trabert (GER)Winner of the FEI Against All Odds Award 2010
German Para-Dressage rider Angelika Trabert has represent-ed her country at four Paralympic Games and won some 15 medals at national European and world championships She is currently seeking a new home for Londria the mare that con-tributed to her Team Silver medal win at the Hong Kong Para-lympics Londria who had a foal last year was also Trabertrsquos ride during her medal-winning performances at the European Championships in Hungary (2005) and Norway (2009)
Trabert said her decision to let go of Londria was hard to make but was necessary for financial reasons She will keep the foal Finaud Coquin and her mares Walmorel and Ariva-Avanti Trabert won the Para-Dressage Grade 2 Freestyle Champion-ship at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade with Ariva and said the horse was ldquowell and ready to go for the Europeans again in Belgium in September if we qualifyrdquo Trabert competed in her first international competition of 2011 in May in Man-nheim Germany where she came first in the Grade II indi-vidual and second in the freestyle She is taking part in the German Championships in June
Away from the equestrian world Trabert works as an anaes-thetist and has participated in medical missions in the rural ar-eas of Guinea for the organisation Mango In January she was back in Guinea as part of team that carried out 100 operations in 13 days wwwangelika-trabertde
Visit the recently refreshed FEI Awards website to find out more about the Awards the pastwinners the judges and to make yournominationsby 31 July
wwwfeiawardsorg
40
Caroline Roffman (USA)Winner of the HSBC FEI Rising StarAward 2010
Success continues to smile on twenty-two-year-old American Dressage rider Caroline Roffman Since re-ceiving the HSBC FEI Rising Star Award she has en-joyed numerous wins at small tour and young horse levels achieving scores in the mid-eighties and quali-fying two horses for the young horse championships
Roffman is currently showing six horses and has won several classes at PSG and Grand Prix level ldquoBut nothing is as exciting as to be going to Aachenrdquo said the young woman who has been described as the American Dressage communityrsquos brightest hope ex-plaining that at the FEI Awards ceremony in Chinese Taipei Frank Kemperman FEI Dressage Committee Chair and Chairman of the Managing Board at CHIO Aachen (GER) invited her to take part in the pres-tigious event Roffman will be the first American to compete in the Under 25 Grand Prix there and is hop-ing to take her horse Lux Stensvang
An interview with Caroline Roffman at the Palm Beach Dressage Derby CDI will be broadcast on the magazine programme Equestrian World on FEI TV the FEIrsquos official online video platform wwwfeitvorg
Edward Gal and Totilas (NED)Winners of the Reem Acra FEI Best Athlete Award 2010
The world-famous partnership of Dutch Dressage rider Edward Gal and the extraordinary Totilas ended in style in 2010 with notably three gold medal wins at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade
The first foal sired by the superstar stallion was born in January followed by two more in the spring Gal who has admired the foals told the FEI ldquoYou never know ndash maybe in a few yearsrsquo time Irsquoll have another Totilas readyrdquo At the beginning of April he was busy at home training nine horses and preparing for the Reem Acra FEI World Cuptrade Dressage Final in Leipzig and the European Championships in Rotterdam He had not yet decided which horses he was going to compete with but was particularly looking forward to the Freestyle to Music Asked what it was like to compete without Totilas Gal said ldquoEverybody ex-pected Totilas to win I find it easier to ride other horses because nobody expects me to win and when I do itrsquos really nicerdquo
41FOCUS
globetrotter
Seal of approval for the Adai horseSixty years have passed since an Adai horse reportedly set a record galloping 354km in one day Today the Adai horse a breed na-tive to Kazakhstan is back in the spotlight with a gold medal at the FEI Central Asian Endurance Championship in Talgaearlier in May only months after having been award-ed official pedigree status following tests
conducted by a State Commission in the Mangistau Steppes which allowed itto compete internationally The horses are cherished for their hardiness and Oyly ridden by Altyngali Bissemaganbetov (KAZ) proved just that when crossing the finishing line first demonstrating just how tough the Adai horses are and the beginning of a new era for sturdy breed on the international stage
Equestrian Australia Sport
Achievement Awards
In May the best of the best in
Equestrian sport gathered to cel-
ebrate the achievements of Austral-
iarsquos athletes coaches officials vets
administrators owners volunteers
and the many other people that
dedicate their time and enthusiasm
to equestrian sport The ceremony
also included the introduction of
Equestrian Australiarsquos Hall of
Fame won by the legendary Bill
Roycroft Boyd Exell winner of
the FEI World CupTM Driving
Final was awarded the interna-
tional athlete of the year
award
Kevin Stautbecomes first athlete representative on FEI
executive board
Kevin Staut one of Francersquos most successful Jumping riders became the first athlete to be appointed to the FEI Executive Board for a three-year term Staut (31) who has held the number one spot in the Rolex Rankings for Jumping since July 2010 has ridden on numerous Nations Cup teams for France and claimed individual gold at the Alltech FEI European Jumping Championships in 2009
HulA CARTSWorld Horse Welfare has greatly helped the liv
es of
five Senegalese cart horse owners by presenting them
with new Hula Carts The local people who depend on
their working horses for their livelihoods were specially
selected by the charity to receive the carts which have
been sponsored by members of the public in the uK
The Hula Carts are specifically developed to help the
horses pulling heavy loads in often difficult conditions
Equestrian Australia Sport
Achievement Awards
In May the best of the best in
Equestrian sport gathered to cel-
ebrate the achievements of Austral-
iarsquos athletes coaches officials vets
administrators owners volunteers
and the many other people that
dedicate their time and enthusiasm
to equestrian sport The ceremony
also included the introduction of
Equestrian Australiarsquos Hall of
Fame won by the legendary Bill
Roycroft Boyd Exell winner of
the FEI World CupTM Driving
Final was awarded the interna-
tional athlete of the year
award
Olympic legendBill Roycroft passes away aged 96
A legend of Equestrian sport in Australia James William
George Roycroft OBE known as ldquoBillrdquo was one of Austral-
iarsquos greatest Olympians and one of only five Australians to
have competed in five consecutive Olympic Games (from
1960 - 1976) as well as being Australiarsquos oldest medallist
and oldest competitor at 61 years and 31 days In May 2011
Bill was inducted in Equestrian Australiarsquos inaugural Hall
of Fame ndash he was Australiarsquos oldest living Olympian and
shared his dedication and enthusiasm for the sport with
his sons Barry Wayne and Clarke (See a brief description
of his exploits in the 1960 Olympic Games Memory Lane
article page 9 which catapulted Australiarsquos reputation as
one of the best Eventing teams in the world)
webinfofeiFEI web wizard Nicole Sigrist has added a new hub for the Press on wwwfeiorg called FEI Press Kits located in the Media section of the website The Press Kits zone which is also open to the general public is regularly updated with infor-mation relating to FEI series and specific events with flip books and downloadable PDFs as well as direct links to the Photo Catalogue the Rankings and Standings the Annual Report and more
100thanniversary for Finnish riding club
One of the three found-ing member clubs of
the Finnish Equestrian Federation the Suomen
Kenttaumlratsastusseura-Finska Faumlltrittklubbenon celebrates
its 100th anniversary in 2011 Magnus Rydman former President of the Finnish National Federation and Presi-dent of the FEI from 1935 ndash 1946 was one of the founders of the club Another of the founders of the oldest club in Fin-land was the Eventing rider Colonel Hans Olof von Essen whose fifth place at the Antwerpen Olympic Games re-mains the best Olympic equestrian result the country has ever achieved
Follow us on
43FOCUS
Interview with the President of the Brazilian Equestrian Federation Mr Luiz Roberto Giugni
The Brazilian Equestrian Federation has been a member Federation of the FEI for 75 years how has the sport developed over that time We were facing regular growth (average of 25 in the last decade) but in the last three to four years this rate has significantly increased up to 35 a year We believe that this is due to international achievements (two Jumping Olympic team bronze medals the individual Olympic Jumping gold medal won by Rodrigo Pessoa several Pan Am Jumping team gold medals recent Olympic pre-qualification in Kentucky (4th in the world in Jumping) and the organisations of a Global Champions Tour event in Brazil
In terms of developing the sport what are the most successful projects you have undertaken in recent yearsWe decided to invest in education and have hired international trainers for all the disciplines such as Jean Maurice Bonneau for Jumping Nick Turner for Eventing Eric Lette for Dressage Jean Louis Leclerc for Endurance Mattias Lang for Vaulting with the long term in mind that is at least until the end of 2012 and planning towards 2016 when Rio will host the Olympic Games
How popular is equestrian sport with young people in Brazil and how do you compete with some of the bigger sports for their attention Popularization is growing bit by bit in a country
decidedly dominated by soccer ndash being 5 times World Champion makes it a national passion But we are continuously looking to attract TV to our events as this is a huge step towards gaining visibility and popularity Can you tell us about the programmesinitiatives in place for disabled athletes We are actively pursuing this and have achieved really positive results in little time such as the great performances and medals earned at the Para-lympic Games in Hong Kong in 2008 We do this through clinics courses international exchanges of athletes and working alongside our National Paralympic Committee to support us in our efforts
Brazil will be host the FEI General Assembly at the end of the year what do you want all the visiting delegates to remember from their visit That we are more than just a really beautiful and warm country with the ability and capacity to organise great events and that we are committed to putting on the best Olympic Games ever
What are the main objectivesplans for the Brazilian Federation in the lead up to the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games Our NOC is really committed to raising the bar of all the sports to a level never seen before and we are working towards that in terms of our athletes our judges our venues and everything that is related to our sport and the quality of our sport In line with this objective we are providing incen-tives to owners to buy good horses aiming for 2016 and this is going to plan for now We expect to perform well at the upcoming Pan Am Games and Olympics on our trail to 2016
Is there anything else you would like to share with us I would like to thank HRH Princess Haya President of the FEI as well as the Executive Board for all the support that we are getting which has been paramount to the development of equestrian sport in our country
44
President Luiz Roberto GiugniSecretary General Luiz Antonio RoccoMember since 1935
15 members of staff work at the federation
20 regional federations are affiliated tothe Brazilian Equestrian Federation with over 300 member riding clubs
6 000 affiliated riders
91 national events were held in 2010
31 international events were held in 2010
All the FEI disciplines are practiced in BrazilJumping Dressage Eventing Vaulting Reining EnduranceDriving amp Para-Equestrian
14 breeding organisations
There are 58 million horses and ponies in Brazilmaking it the fourth largest equine population in the world
FAC
TS amp
FIG
URE
S
45FOCUS
Dr Gerit Matthesen56 is a private equine practitioner an FEI Vet and a member of the FEI Veterinary Committee He graduated in Veterinary Medicine from Berlin University in 1983 and since 1989 has worked or officiated at some 180 competitions and championships including the last two Olympics and FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade He lives near Frankfurt with his wife Carola and their sons Mike (16) and Lars (14)
46
A life in a day
Dr Gerit Matthesen56 is a private equine practitioner an FEI Vet and a member of the FEI Veterinary Committee He graduated in Veterinary Medicine from Berlin University in 1983 and since 1989 has worked or officiated at some 180 competitions and championships including the last two Olympics and FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade He lives near Frankfurt with his wife Carola and their sons Mike (16) and Lars (14)
I wake up earlier than I need to ndash at around 6am ndash because breakfast time with my family is sacred to me and I can then drive my boys to the village station to take the train to school After two cups of coffee (enough for the day) and a glass of orange juice I read the newspapers then head to my prac-tice offices in our indoor arena I have a quick look at our horses then start work
While I listen to my phone messages I deal with my emails and search the internet for news about veterinary medicine and horse sport I then start planning the dayacutes schedule with Anna my assistant vet
My mobile practice is in a nice fairly rural area in the north of Frankfurt There are lots of horse farms but it is not a classic breeding area like the northern part of Germany There are sport horses as well as pleasure horses I have examination rooms and stables for horses staying or mares foaling in my practice stables Itrsquos not a big clinic which gives me time to work at competitions
After seeing a few small animals in my practice I normally start my field service at 930am In my car I have enough equipment (ultrasound X-ray systems and endoscopical devices) for the dayrsquos examinations and standing procedures We mainly have lameness examinations to do or internal diseases to treat accompanied by routine work like vaccinations or carrying out pre-purchase or health certificate examinations If time allows I go home for a quick lunch but thatrsquos not every day
While Irsquom driving I have time to think and I write down everything that come to mind regarding sport competitions committees and so on You have to write down your thoughts when yoursquore over the age of 50
It is not easy planning my day because any emer-gency can destroy or delay my schedule For all the paperwork and certificates I need a time frame so
I often do that over quiet weekends when there are no competitions During the winter season I am less busy but in summer a lot of weekends are taken over by the competition schedule
I love my work especially in Eventing which is my favourite discipline My wife and I practiced it ndash not up to top level but it was a fine time despite a bro-ken ankle from a fall in 1988 which after 23 years is making walking more and more difficult for me
I like to do my competition work on a friendly but strict basis and I really like to hear riders saying they are treated fairly Over the years I have acquired a lot of experience and met all the officials and riders
Usually when I return home in the late afternoon there are more small animals to see When Irsquove done the dayrsquos paperwork I hope there will be no more emergencies such as cases of colic which usually occur in the early evening
I look forward to getting on my horse which is a beautiful show-jumper I like to ride but Irsquove stopped competing I do dressage jumping and go out into the fields but itrsquos all just for fun now
The day finishes with the family and a nice cold glass of German beer
Itrsquos a struggle to find time to spend with my family and I often have to cancel my holidays with them I am really grateful to my wife and the boys for their understanding of my job and to my assistant vet who covers for me when Iacutem out somewhere in the world of equestrian sport
ldquoThe combination of my profession and beinginvolved in differentaspects of top equestrian sport is my visionrdquo
47FOCUS
Pull your show attire from the closet clean your boots and tack groom the horses hook up and pack the trailer check the clock double check to make sure you have everything put on the shipping boots load your horses and away you drive to the competition venue or to the airport for transport to a distant event
You know the drill well but still you arrive tired per-haps even a bit frazzled Yoursquoll sleep (or try to) the next several nights in an unfamiliar bed or camp out in the living quarters of your trailer You awaken riveted on the competition playing out the dayrsquos classes in your mind wondering how your rides will fare against oth-ers praying that the weather will be cooperate and trying to control your nerves all the while knowing that no matter how well you have prepared many factors are out of your control You may even be in a different time zone
We go through a lot to compete our horses But if you think life on the road is stressful for you think about what itrsquos like for your horses Your back may be a bit sore from driving or being strapped into an airplane seat for hours on end but for horses transportation is far more demanding It is an athletic endeavour re-quiring an expenditure of energy to maintain balance during the constant movement of transport When your horses arrive they face social isolation from stablemates lack of security in novel environments altered training regimes water that tastes strange and the confines of an unfamiliar stall This routine impacts a horsersquos health and well being with effects
continuing long after the journey is over During transport toxic gases (such as ammonia or carbon monoxide) can cause damage to the lung epithelium precipitating respiratory disease The
final destination itself can also cause problems Usually horses are transported to environments where they will be mixing with other horses The mixing of horses from different environments with different infectious organisms and under stressful conditions further precipitates susceptibility to disease
This can have a severe impact on the equine gut The stress of transportation is known to increase gut ulceration in the horse a painful condition reducing performance and causing colic-like symptoms Stress can also slow the flow of digesta and alter the normal gut flora resulting in digestive upset and possibly diarrhoea or colic
The effects of travel stress on the gut are compounded by the typical diet of the regular equine traveller To maintain athletic ability high performance horses are often fed energy-charged diets contain-ing increased levels of starchy materials such as cereal grains Unfortunately this type of diet can reduce beneficial types of gut flora and promote gut acidity further predisposing the horse to digestive upsets and ulceration It is not surprising that stressed tired horses may not fulfill their potential on arrival
Feeding to reduce stress for the equine traveller
By Darlene RickerExecutive editor of Alltechrsquos EQUINE INTERNATIONAL magazine
48
Alltech Tips
growth of opportunistic Salmonella spp which are present in the intestinal tract of many healthy horses These bacteria then attach to the gut lining via a mannan sugar and penetrate it causing damage and resulting in diarrhoea One method of prevent-ing or minimising the attachment of these organ-
isms to the gut lining is to provide an adsorbant supplement A form of sugar found in the cell walls of certain yeasts can do this This sugar compound is called man-nan oligosaccharide or MOS MOS products such as Alltechrsquos Bio-Mosreg have been shown to re-duce the colonization of Salmonella
spp in the guts of certain species and augment the immune response to Salmonella spp potentially conferring an enhanced ability to fight infection Both Yea-Saccreg 1026 and Bio-Mos are among the natural products contained in Alltechrsquos LIFEFORCETM equine supplement which many FEI competitors have successfully incorporated into their daily feeding regimen at home and on the road
lifeforcehorsecom
and may be subject to health concerns in the days following a long journey Fortunately however you can curb some of the effects of travel stress on the horsersquos gut by nutritional supplementation Organic yeast products used to supplement a horsersquos diet can support the normal gut flora modifying the intesti-nal environment and improving the horsersquos digestion One such culture is Saccharomyces cerevisae in the form of Yea-Saccreg 1026 Alltechrsquos propriety organic yeast
Experiments were conducted to evaluate the effects Yea-Sacc on gut flora and gut acidity Horses were fed either a high-starch or a high-fibre diet both with and without supplementation of Yea-Saccreg 1026 Results indicated an excessive amount of starch in the gut The use of Yea-Sacc reduced acidity and stimulat-ed the activity of fibre-digesting bacteria in the hind-gut for both types of diet The result was maximised fibre digestibility and more efficient use of nutrients thus increasing the amount of energy available to the horse for performance and counteracting digestive upset Salmonellosis is one of the more commonly di-agnosed infectious causes of diarrhoea in horses Many cases develop after the stress of transport The effects of travel stress on the normal gut flora allow an over-
Moorlands Totilas arrives for the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade after air transport copy Dirk Caremans
HRH The Infanta Dontildea Pilar de Borboacuten former President of the FEI (1994-2006) also attended the inauguration along-side HRH Princess Lalla Amina Chairperson of the Royal Moroccan Federation for Equestrian Sports and member of the international Advisory Council of Special OlympicsThey were joined by International Olympic Commit-tee members representatives from other Interna-tional Federations federal and local Swiss authorities as well as architects and designers that worked on the project Switzerlandrsquos Martin Fuchs a member of the gold medal winning team at the inaugural Youth Olympic Games in Singapore last year accompanied FEI President Princess Haya in officially opening the FEI headquarters
ldquoThe building we are inaugurating today has been designed to serve our wonderful sportrdquo explained FEI
President Princess Haya ldquoI also feel an immense
sense of pride knowing that this building carries the name
of my late father and hope that this serves as a constant reminder
to all of us who work at the FEI of a unique statesman whose entire soul was devoted to the service of his people Our new headquarters will play a key role for the FEI and our National Federa-tions over the coming years It will be the environ-ment in which important discussions take place and fundamental decisions are taken as we continue our mission to advance the orderly growth of equestrian sport worldwide while ensuring that the welfare of the horse and a level playing field remain at the centre of all that we dordquo
FEI celebratesNEW Headquarters
Over 250 guests attended the inauguration ceremony on Friday 6 May at HM King Hussein I Building which was timed to coincide with the FEI
Extraordinary General Assembly so that attending NationalFederation representatives
could be a part ofthe celebrations
1 Youth Olympic Games team champion Martin Fuchs (SUI) FEI President HRH Princess Haya and her daughter HH Sheikha Al Jalila officially open the FEIrsquos new home 2 Gilbert Felli IOC Olympic Games Executive Director and FEI Secretary General Ingmar de Vos 3 HRH The Infanta Dontildea Pilar de Borboacuten sits down to an interactive quiz in the FEI Gallery 4 Guests gathered in the atrium of the FEI HeadquartersAll images copy Hugues SiegenthalerFEI
Highlights available on50
1
2
3 4
5
6 7
8
THE GALLERy
As well as housing offices for its 62 employees and conference facilities for its 133 National Federations the new headquarters also has a state-of-the-art in-teractive gallery showcasing equestrian sport
The Gallery is the brainchild of Dr Amichai Alper-ovich historian former Secretary General of the Is-raeli Equestrian Federation and curator of the Israeli Olympic Museum (opened in 2009) He worked hand in hand with the Tel Aviv based company Disk-In Pro and interior designer Oded Alony to help bring the content to life and the result is truly unique and ground breaking Giant glass surfaces act as interac-tive interfaces for the visitors to travel through time
The FEIrsquos new headquarters which were donated to the Federation by FEI Presi-dent HRH Princess Haya in 2007 fol-lowing a personal fundraising effort are conveniently located close to the Inter-national Olympic Committee and other international sports federations It has been written into the FEI Statutes that the new FEI headquarters building will always house the Federationrsquos offices In 2008 the building was thoroughly renovated in accordance with the Swiss MINERGIEreg construction standard for environmental responsibility which re-duces energy consumption by 25 per cent Only two per cent of renovated buildings in Switzerland meet the high Minergie standards Khuan Chew founder and design princi-pal of London-based architectural firm KCA International Ltd worked in close collaboration with Swiss-based architect Herveacute de Rham and interior designer Sia-vosh Adeli (SUI) to transform the build-ing which was built in the 1960s The modern and sleek interior was further enhanced with bespoke artworks pro-duced by Swiss creative agency b+g amp partners and imagery by world-famous equestrian art photographer Tim Flach where the simplicity and beauty of his equine subjects seamlessly embrace and accentuate the buildingrsquos pure lines and natural materials (see image left)
As they feasted on the innate beauty of their sur-roundings the guests also had the privilege to ex-perience the culinary talents of organic chef and specialist Gilles Wannaz and his team based in the town of Cully which sits on the edge of Lac Leman in Switzerlandrsquos famous Lavaux wine growing region
5 HRH Princess Haya welcomes the guests to the Inauguration of the HQ and the 90 year celebration of the FEI 6 Artwork by renowned pho-tographer Tim Flach 7 An organic and colourful buffet presented on an authentic lawn by local chef Gilles Wannaz 8 A life size horse sculpture by Christophe Dumont greeted the guests upon their arrival
53FOCUS
and space with the latest in touch technology revis-iting the history of the FEI the equestrian events at Olympic amp Paralympic Games the FEI World Eques-trian Gamestrade and information on all of the member National Federations with statistics videos images and text The Gallery also includes projections on ar-chitectural surfaces designed by Oded Alony referred to as the Origami as well as interactive stations and unique video projections on glass screens
For all those wishing to visit the FEI Gallery simply contact the FEI HQ to make an appointment and we would be delighted to take you on a journey to dis-cover or rediscover the human and equine athletes whose talents have marked equestrian history and inspired young riders drivers and vaulters around the world
Interview withDrAmichaiAlperovich
When did you first dream up the FEIInteractive Gallery When I found out the FEI was planning to move into new HQ in 2009 Disk-In Pro and I approached the FEI and presented them with several concepts for the space Before long we had agreed on the concept and we got to work
Why were you compelled to make it become a reality So that the FEI a prominent sports organisation could present itself to a growing audience in a new and visionary way with the latest technology And by doing so the FEI is a pioneer becoming the first International Federation to have a Gallery of this kind
What did you learn when researching and gathering content for the gallery I have learned a lot about the history of the FEI the strong Olympic tradition the diversity of disciplines the gender equality and the unique bond between horse and man One of the more fascinating topics was the evolution of the Dressage from itsrsquo Olympic debut to the modern Freestyle
Itrsquos very innovative technology what inspired you to take such a leap into the future with such a traditional sport Just as Dressage has evolved over the years and alongside the introduction of new disciplines partic-ularly Para-Equestrian you come to realise that the FEI is not as traditional as one would think Actually this kind of innovative presentation of equestrian history is really well suited to the FEI In the same way that you can have horse-man connections there is an audience-technology connection in the Gallery The audience have to be active in order to enjoy the depth of information the Gallery contains
54
Now it is time to open the door to new places to learn about sport ndash at the heart of sporting organi-sations themselves The Gallery is more than an informative tool it brings people to the sport andto the heart of its operations
Established in 1990 Disk-In Pro specialises in the planning design production and implementation of Museums Visitor Centres and sophisticated projects around the world This includes multi screen produc-tion animation 3D amp interactive films state-of-the-art software platforms and complex video displays for an unforgettable experience
Oded Alony holds a BA in Design from the Interior Design Section of the Holon Technological Institute and has since 1998 worked with Israelrsquos leading Architecture firms The Oded Alony Studio embraces holistic design a space where interior design lighting and graphics are brought together to create a harmo-nious project vision
Now that you have seen it unveiled to the public how would you like to see it evolve I hope the audience will be amazed from the design by architect Oded Alony and the new methods to deliver information whilst discovering the long his-tory of the FEI the diversity and the global reach of the organisation I hope the Gallery will become an icon in Lausanne and one of its highlights for visitors I promise the visitors a new platform to learn about equestrianism and each visit could be different as the information and themes will be updated and modi-fied regularly
This futuristic gallery is a first for anInternational Federation do you think thisis something all sports should invest inThe FEI took this courageous decision and now has this fantastic tool to present the organisation in new ways Sport is a huge cultural phenomenaWe have learned to consume sport in the arenas and stadiums in the press media and new media
Dr Amichai Alperovich
55FOCUS
SOCIAL MEDIAthe new frontier
Follow us on
The FEI has recently embarked on and embraced a whole new way of talking with the greater equestrian community through the ever expanding social media networks and platformsWith personalised Facebook Twitter and You Tube pages the FEI is taking it step by step and reaching out to this growing audience and listening to what they have to say
This new communication platform is by no means a substitution of the traditional communication path-ways but works alongside the press releases various publications and content on wwwfeiorg and wwwfeitvorg providing a new arena where the FEI can share interact and dialogue with fans of the sport and of equestrian values in general
We talk to Richard Johnson Director of Corporate Communications about the FEIrsquos commitment to social media
What compelled the FEI to venture onto the social media scene As a governing body with a vibrant and active com-munity of National Federations as well as thousands of fans the need to reach out to the online social community has never been stronger We have been watching the communities grow online for some time and have been listening to their conversations so being a part of it was the next logical step and a really important one The conversations will hap-pen with or without us so taking that step has been crucial in order to share our values and also build re-lationships with our fan base
Tradition meets modernity ndash does equestrian sportthe FEI have a place in social media Absolutely even though equestrian sport has a long history and is perceived as a traditional sport it is
always evolving In the 90 years of the FEI which was founded to govern the three Olympic disciplines it has grown to also oversee the disciplines of Driving Endurance Vaulting Reining and Para-Equestrian sport Or if you look at the early days when competi-tors were from military backgrounds and when wom-en did not compete alongside men to the complete gender equality we have today ndash a lot has changed and is in a constant state of change
The fans of equestrian sport are like any other fan base web savvy and eager for more information behind the scenes content and to share their opin-ions and thoughts ndash so it is an ideal partnership And from what we have seen these last few months and from the feedback we got from our blog at the Youth Olympic Games there is a real appetite for this
The FEI has dedicated Facebook Twitter and You Tube pages ndash why did you select these social media platforms The figures speak for themselveshellip Facebook Twit-ter and You Tube are the biggest players in the social networking space With over 500 million Facebook users 106 million Tweeters and 2 billion views a day on You Tube there has never been so much oppor-tunity for exposure Every site has different demo-graphics with different habits and needs so by having an FEI presence on these three networks we are able to cover a lot of ground and cater to different audi-ences by providing different types of content accord-ing to the platform
What are the main benefits of having a pres-ence on various social media platforms Itrsquos all about having a two way conversation ndash the benefits of dialogue where you can share content such as videos images facts and figures thoughts and values and then allow your fan base to react to get involved and to listen and learn from them By engaging with our audience and showing them that we are a modern and caring organisation and that we want to hear what they have to say then we are able to build trust and ultimately credibility in what we do and what we say
57FOCUS
TV
The offi cial video website of the Feacutedeacuteration Equestre Internationale
wwwfeitvorg
WATCH LIVE WATCH ONLINE
FEI TV is the FEIrsquos new offi cial video website and your ticket to the worldrsquos most prestigious competitions Sign-up to FEI TV (wwwfeitvorg) and get instant access to all the live broadcasts the extensive video-on-demand library all the highlights the behind the scenes reports the interviews and so much more Be at the heart of horsesport Join us
2823_1FEI_TV_Focus_165x226indd 1 170510 1124
It also keeps us alert as to what is being discussed and debated in the public sphere so that we can manage situations more effectively and be proactive in our messaging and information so that the facts are at the heart of the debate and not interpretations of them
How do you generate content for social media It was important when we launched our social me-dia presence that it be manageable with the exist-ing communications team in place ndash and so we have concentrated on keeping it simple and effective and using content innovatively Itrsquos not about reproduc-ing our website ndash but to engage with our fans and so often all you need is a good picture an interest-ing fact or great achievement to get the ball rolling For You Tube as we already have so much content generated from FEI TV it was simply a question of using bits and pieces from that content to provide the public with teasers from events interviews with winning riders or behind the scenes content which they can then follow up on FEI TV with a subscription
What are your Social media goals Itrsquos really to build relationships and dialogue with our fan base by using our content innovatively by listening to what they have to say and by engaging with the community And for the National Federa-tions that have yet to take that step we want to be a guiding hand that can help them get started so that they too can reap the benefits of social media net-working Our sport competes against other sports for attention so itrsquos really important that we the FEI and the National Federations keep our finger on the pulse and cater to our fans
How can National Federations get involved NFs wishing to find out more about Social Media can contact me (richardjohnsonfeiorg) and I would be more than happy to discuss opportunities and ways of getting started as well as our experience at the FEI
We asked our Facebook followers why it was important to use face-book and here are a few comments they came up with
bullItrsquos a great way to find out about shows and competitions
bullBecause facebook can provide up to the minute updates as to the what is going on in the horse community
bullWe can share information and ideas over long distances We can find and connect with people we wouldnt be able to otherwise
bullIt also lets us express the true realities of our spot to keep us grounded
bullIt can bring peoples attention to excellence ndash and expose the issues
58
TV
The offi cial video website of the Feacutedeacuteration Equestre Internationale
wwwfeitvorg
WATCH LIVE WATCH ONLINE
FEI TV is the FEIrsquos new offi cial video website and your ticket to the worldrsquos most prestigious competitions Sign-up to FEI TV (wwwfeitvorg) and get instant access to all the live broadcasts the extensive video-on-demand library all the highlights the behind the scenes reports the interviews and so much more Be at the heart of horsesport Join us
2823_1FEI_TV_Focus_165x226indd 1 170510 1124
ldquo Donrsquot accept drinks from a strangerrdquo
Armchair travel journalist
Are you living a life without boundaries Some well-meant advice is best ignored but itrsquos still good to know yoursquore covered when yoursquore away With HSBC Premier your family can be protected with both Travel Insurance and dedicated assistance when yoursquore abroad Which is reassuring to know when yoursquore making the most of life
HSBC Premier is subject to financial eligibility criteria and is available in over 40 countries and territories
Premier Travel Insurance covers you and your partner up to age 70 and your children travelling with you up to age 18
wwwhsbcpremiercom
A4 A4
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201736_6000263_Coconut_226x165indd
Master 226x165
Rob Swainson 160211
HSBC - Coconuts Proof 01Head of Art TypographerDesigner ArtCreative Director Copywriter Account DirectorDIC Project ManagerPhotographer Illustrator Usage Model(s) Name(s) Usage
Media MediaStock Image Time Period Time Period
Territory Territory
8deg N ndash Kerala South India
A record number of fans are expected to attend the HSBC FEI European Eventing Championships as they return to Luhmuumlhlen for the fifth time to mark the 30th edition of the ChampionshipsThe FEI European Eventing Championships take place every two years in the middle of the Olympic cycle and have been held since 1953
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERSTeam ndash Great BritainIndividual ndash Kristina CookMiners Frolic (GBR)
OLyMPIC qUALIFICATIONThe 2 best ranked nations from Groups A B amp C at the 2011 HSBC FEI European Eventing Champion-ships (excluding the teams already qualified at WEG) will be qualified to take part with a team consisting of 3 athletes amp 3 horses
THE VENUELuhmuumlhlen one of only six 4 events on the interna-tional Eventing calendar and part of the prestigious HSBC FEI Classicstrade series will greet Europersquos best athletes with a fresh look and feel this year following extensive renovation to the existing infrastructures The recently renovated showground includes three Dressage and two Jumping arenas a tribune able to seat 850 spectators with spectacular views as well as a newly designed entrance including six ticket box facilities and fully catered trade stands The show-ground also boasts an open air stage with space for up to 15000 spectators ldquoI am confident that the in-vestment in the infrastructure will be of great benefit to all involved whether you are a volunteer a groom an athlete ndash both the horses and the riders - as well as for the sponsors guests spectators and the fans We are re-ally looking forward to great competitions this year at both the CCI4CIC3 in June and at the Europeans in August and hope many will join us to witness this historic momentrdquo Julia Otto Event Director Luhmuumlhlen
HSBCHSBC has renewed their sponsorship for a further three-year term as global sponsor of FEI Eventing to include title sponsorships of the HSBC FEI European Eventing Championships in both 2011 and 2013 and the HSBC FEI Classicstrade until the end of 2013
OFFICIAL TIMEPIECE Rolex the leading name in luxury wrist watches will be the Official Timekeeper for the HSBC FEI European Eventing Championships 2011
Believe it or nothellip
bull GinnyElliot(bornHolgate)theonlyrider towinthreesuccessiveindividualtitlesand IanStarkholdthejointrecordforEuropean goldmedalswonndashseveneachbutLucinda Greenstillhasthemostmedals(10)
bull SupremeRockriddenbyPippaFunnell (GBR)istheonlyhorsetowinback-to-back titles(in1999and2001)hehasfour Europeangoldmedalsintotalequalingthe recordofKilbarryThePoacherandOver ToYouwhowonarecordfourconsecutive Europeanteamgolds(1999-2005)
bull PrincessAnneandZaraPhillipsaretheonly mother-daughtercombinationtowin Europeantitles(1971and2005)
bull GreatBritainhaveheldtheEuropeantitle forthepast8consecutiveChampionships (since1995)Andofthe29editionstodate (startingin1953)theteamhavewona whopping21
25-28 August 2011
Luhmuumlhlen Germany
hsBC FeI eUroPeaN
eVeNtINGChaMPIoNshIPs LIVE coverage on
22
In September Breda Hippique in The Netherlands will be host to the seventh edition of the FEI Euro-pean Driving Championships for Four-in-Hand not held since 1981 This edition is open to both Euro-pean and non-European drivers and will also count as a qualifier for the indoor FEI World Cuptrade Driv-ing which is held during the winter season Only competitors from Europe can claim the individual and team medalsThe FEI European Driving Championships for Four-in-Hand were first held in 1971 in Budapest and continued to be held every two years until 1981 at which stage they were discontinued
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERSTeam ndash HungaryIndividual ndash Gyoumlrgyi Bardos (HUN)
SOMETHING IN THE WATERhellip Hungary have won five out of six available team European titles and on the individual front two Hungarians stand out from the crowd Imre Abony ndash individual winner in 1971 and 1975 and Gyoumlrgyi Bardos triple consecutive winner in 1977 1979 1981
IN THE BEGINNINGhellipThe first European Championships took place in Budapest in 1971 and moved on to Windsor in Great Britain in 1973 Sopot in Poland in 1975 Donauesch-ingen in Germany in 1977 and in Haras du Pin in France in 1979 The sixth and last edition took place in 1981 in Zug Switzerland
THE VENUEBreda has hosted the only Nations competition (CAIO) for Four-in-Hand horses in The Netherlands for many years In 1995 Breda hosted the first FEI European Driving Championships for Four-in-Hand ponies and in 2010 was host to the FEI World Para-Equestrian Driving Championships Aside from the four-in-hand teams Breda will also host international pony teams and national horse pairs at the event this year
Believe it or nothellip
bull Hungaryhavewonfiveoutofsixteamgold titles
bull AugusteDubeyfromSwitzerlandwasthe onlynon-HungarianEuropeanChampion hewontheChampionshipsin1973
bull PrincePhilipFEIPresidentfrom1964- 1986whocelebratedhis90thbirhtday inJuneisanavidfanofDrivingandpartici- patedinsixWorldandthreeEuropean Championships
1-4 September 2011
Breda Netherland
FeI eUroPeaN
DrIVINGChaMPIoNshIPsfor FoUr-IN-haND
Note At the time of writing the FEI European DrivingChampionships for Four in Hand was pending approvalby the FEI Bureau
23FOCUS
The 14th edition of the FEI European Endurance Championships return to Florac in France twenty five years after the inaugural event was held there The FEI European Endurance Championships first took place in 1984 and were immediately followed up by a second edition in 1985 and have since been held every two years They have always been open to the world with two sets of medals presented ndash open and European
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERSTeam ndash SpainIndividual ndash Maria Alvarez Ponton amp Nobby
RECORD BREAKINGCurrent title holder Maria Alvarez Ponton amp super horse Nobby is the first rider to hold European and World titles at the same time She will be looking to confirm her stronghold on the sport following her second consecutive World title with a second con-secutive European title in Florac a feat no rider has managed to achieve at the Europeans to date
THE VET GATEModern competitions consist of a number of sec-tions known as lsquophasesrsquo At the end of each phase there is a compulsory halt for veterinary inspection Each horse which is thoroughly examined before it is allowed to start the ride must be presented for inspection within a set time of reaching each vetgate The time spent at each vetgate prior to inspection by the vets is counted as part of the overall competition time and the aim is to determine whether the horse is fit to continue the ride
THE SUPPORT CREWA vital part of Endurance riding is the support crew Riders are assisted by a team of helpers who meet them several times over the ride bringing bottles of water to pour over the horse to cool it down as well as a drink for the rider Crews also have spare equipment in case something breaks down or needs replacing
Believe it or nothellip
bull TheFrenchhavethemedaledgewith6 individualand4teamgoldmedalsfrom the14editionsheld
bull Floracistheonlyvenuetohostthe EuropeanChampionshipstwice(thefirst editionin1984andtheupcomingedition in2011)
bull EnduranceisthefastestgrowingFEI disciplinefrom2000to2010thenumber ofinternationaleventshavemultipliedby10
10 September 2011
Florac France
FeI eUroPeaN
eNDUraNCeChaMPIoNshIPs
24
Reem Acra Boutique 14 East 60th St New York New York 10022 2123088760 wwwreemacracom
356935B2_RA_brochure2_souvenir_programmeindd 1 82710 1012 AM
Vaulting became an FEI discipline in 1983 and saw its first FEI European Championship organised just one year later in the town of Ebreichsdorf in Austria This 15th edition of the Championship ndash which also includes the European Juniors competition return to France for the 4th time but for the first time in the world renowned venue of Le Mans famous for its 24 hour race
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERS
Team ndash Austria
Individual malelongeurhorseNicolas Andreani (FRA)Marina Joosten DuponIdefix de Braize
Individual femalelongeurhorseJoanna Eccles (GBR)John EcclesWH Bentley
THE WIND OF CHANGEGermany and Switzerland have traditionally bat-tled for the team title (Germany has 7 gold versus Switzerlandrsquos 5) but in 2009 Austria who had come second on four occasions since the inception of the Championships in 1984 finally climbed onto the top spot of the podium and claimed the title In terms of the individual performances Germany had the stronghold on the male category winning 11 out of 14 gold medals But again in 2009 France the only other country to have ever beaten a German male vaulter at the Europeans made it to the top spot of the podium for only the third time since the Championships began
Similarly with the female vaulters it was an all German domination until 2007 when Austriarsquos Sissi Jarz claimed gold followed by Joanna Eccles (GBR) in 2009 ndash leaving Germany off the top step of the podium entirely in 2009
GREAT BRITAIN ndash A VAULTING NATIONhellip Times have definitely changed from the Swiss German domination with current World and European titles held by Great Britainrsquos Joanna Eccles She was the first British vaulter (male or female) to claim a medal at the Europeans ndash let alone a gold medal - and then went on to secure the world title in Kentucky last year
Believe it or nothellip
bull TheonlycountryotherthanGermanyand SwitzerlandtohaveclaimedaEuropean VaultingtitleisSlovakiain2005
bull ChristophLensing(GER)holdsthemale medalrecordndashwiththreegold(19891993 amp1995)aswellassilverin1991
bull NadiaZuumllowandSilkeMichelberger (formerlyBernhard)withthreegoldmedals each
16-21 August 2011
Le Mans France
FeI eUroPeaN
VaULtINGChaMPIoNshIPs
26
This is only the fifth edition of the European Reining Championships since the discipline joined the FEI in 2000 and the first time they will be held in Austria The event also includes the FEI European Champi-onships for Juniors and Young Riders ndash a formula introduced in 2009 in Kreuth (GER) which proved to be a multigenerational success The FEI European Reining Championships take place every two years and have been held since 2003
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERSTeam ndash GermanyIndividual ndash Nina Lill (GER) riding Lena Cielo Jewel
THE JUDGINGReining horses are judged individually Each horse au-tomatically begins the required pattern with a score of 70 One or frac12 points are given or taken away for each manoeuvre Credit is given for smoothness fi-nesse attitude quickness and authority Controlled speed in the pattern raises the level of difficulty and makes the reining horse exciting to watch
Believe it or nothellip
bull ItalyandGermanyaretheonlytwonations tohavewongoldmedalsndashGermanyhas3 teamgoldand2individualgoldversus Italyrsquossingleteamgoldandtwoindividual gold
bull GermanyrsquosNinaLillwinnerin2009was thefirstwomantotaketheindividualtitle sincetheChampionshipsbeganin2003
bull OlympicWorldandEuropeanDressage ChampionAnkyVanGrunsven(NED) competedattheAlltechFEIWorldEques- trianGamestradein2010inbothDressageand hellipReining
bull 13nationswerescheduledtoattendthe Championshipatthetimeofwritingthe largestparticipationbycountryever recordedfortheEuropeans
26-30 July 2011
Wiener Neustadt Austria
FeI eUroPeaN
reININGChaMPIoNshIPs
27FOCUS
ldquoThirty-one yearsrsquo experience comes in handy some-timesrdquo joked the ever-relaxed Todd who was a leg-end by the time he ldquoretiredrdquo in 2000 with back-to-back Olympic golds five Burghley wins two world gold medals and three Badminton victories one on a horse he had never ridden before ldquoIt is incredibly special though right up there with the back-to-back Olympic golds When I came back to the sport (in 2008) it was to see if I could get back to top level It has always been my aim to win another big onerdquo
A World class meeting of Generations
The 2011 HSBC FEI Classicstrade could not have got off to a more epic start with wins at Badminton and Kentucky by two of the sportrsquos most enduring personalitiesThe 55-year-old New Zealander Mark Todd rolled back the years to score a fourth victory at the Gloucestershire venue 31 years after his first attempt in 1980
By Kate Green
28
HSBC FEI ClassicsTm
The resurgence of so much experienced talent makes it harder for younger riders to work their way up the leaderboard but 29-year-old Sinead Halpin (USA) had a spectacular CCI4 debut at Kentucky finish-ing third and best of the home side in distinguished company This achievement earned her the HSBC Training Bursary worth US$1000 towards training a prestigious and valuable award presented to the rider who achieves the best result on completing a CCI4 for the first time
The bursary winner at Badminton Fiona Hobby (GBR) 39 has had a rather longer wait to complete
her first CCI4 ndash she was 26th on Roma ML ndash but she has in the meantime produced two children had a career as a sports therapist and only switched from Jumping to Eventing relatively recently Hobby has vowed to spend the money on dressage train-ing ldquoRoma couldnrsquot believe it when she arrived in the arena and saw all those people but she was great across country really focussed Irsquom delightedrdquo
For Germanyrsquos Sandra Auffarth Luhmuumlhlen pro-vided an outstanding CCI4 debut on Opgun Louvo a young horse she has produced herself coming second and picking up the HSBC Training Bursary and the exciting prospect of a possible place in the squad for the forthcoming HSBC FEI European Event-ing Championship at Luhmuumlhlen (25-28 August) at which Germany as host nation will be entitled to field 12 riders
Last yearrsquos HSBC Training Bursary winners include Stephanie Rhodes-Bosch (CAN) who went on to win a team silver medal at the Alltech FEI World Equestri-an Gamestrade Lauren Shannon (GBR) who finished 17th at Badminton this year and Giovanni Ugolotti (ITA) who is furthering his career by basing himself in Brit-ain for the season and having lessons with Mark Todd
LIVE coverage and extensive highlights available on
Toddrsquos winning mount the 10-year-old NZB Land Vision was a green horse for this level and he fin-ished the Cross-Country phase tired but his rider kept his cool in an extraordinarily tight finish in which the price of one Jumping fence covered the top 12 riders any of whom could with a bit of luck have won the Mitsubishi Motors Trophy ldquoIn the end it came down to horse-power and Irsquove obviously got a good one hererdquo said Todd ldquoCharisma (his double Olympic gold medallist) will always be the most special horse but this one has no weak linksrdquo
As is the nature of the sport Toddrsquos lead in the HSBC FEI Classicstrade didnrsquot last long ndash he came down to earth with a bump the following weekend with a Cross-Country run-out on NZB Grass Valley his ride at the Rolex Kentucky Three Day Event (USA) and 49- year-old Mary King (GBR) stole the head-lines with a record one-two on Kings Mis-tress and Fernhill Urco It was Kingrsquos first CCI4 victory for 11 years ndash she has won Badminton twice and Burghley once ndash but she certainly smashed a few re-cords with this one She became the first rider to score a one-two at Kentucky the first in modern times to win a CCI4 on a home-bred horse and the oldest female to win a CCI4
King who has six team gold medals at World and European level plus competed at five consecutive Olympics had the luxury of knowing she had already won the event on the inexperienced 10-year-old Fernhill Urco a horse bred in Portugal by the time she entered the arena on Kings Mistress but she still produced a second clear round ldquoI never dreamed that I would be in this position and Irsquom enjoying the momentrdquo said the ever-smiling King ldquoIt was great to have the feeling of having already won on Fernhill Urco but I still wanted desperately to go clear on Kings Mistress as it is so special to win on a horse I bred myselfrdquo It was also an all clear from Germanyrsquos Andreas Dibowski and Euroriding Butts Leon in order to secure victory at the fourth leg of the HSBC FEItrade
Classicstrade in Luhmuumlhlen presented by EON Avacon
29FOCUS
The Danish-American actorpoet musician photographerand painter has been around horses most of his life from riding Hasufel and Brego in The Lord of the Rings trilogy to early childhood memories in Argentina his passion for floating as he describes it has never wavered
What is it about the horse that makes you a horse loverWe get along generally I respect their strength and their personal space Your first riding experience ndash was it bliss or terrorLike floating like being on a warm and floating mountain I remember being happy Do you think anyone can rideYes It is a question of allowing yourself to ride of allowing yourself to cooperate and not be in total control Children are more adept at figuring this out letting things happen without getting impatient or scared just as they are braver and less self-conscious about pronouncing new words or singing Anyone at any age or in any physical condition can
Viggo Mortensen
achieve a degree of success and satisfaction with horses even if it is just a question of touching them being near them If horses could talk what would they be sayingYou will know if you listen and watch them Is there a unique trait you look for in a horse that you canrsquot find in peopleThey are more patient and less apt to complain about lifersquos setbacks and physical ailments than most people I admire a tough smart horse what-ever its breed age or size What would you miss most if you could no longer go ridingThe companionship and the floating perhaps also the abandonment of usual daily worries that relaxed riding requires Whatrsquos your usual riding outfit consist ofAnything will do Loose-fitting clothes and good comfortable boots are a plus but not vital I have even ridden barefoot ndash naturally taking care to avoid being stepped on when not on the horse - but I do not recommend this to anyone The most important thing is to have a clear and focused mind to be THERE at all times when around horses and NOWHERE ELSE Sugar lumps or carrotsIrsquove been guilty of offering an occasional apple or carrot although it is best not to give horses anything special unless treats are part of training them for special tricks or stunts a pursuit best left to experts like master horse trainer Rex Peterson whom Irsquove had the good fortune to work with and study quite a bit Treats spoil horses and do not keep the animal focused on the task at hand Whatrsquos your favourite part of a horseThe brain What do you think young people gain from ridingSelf-confidence and an understanding of the value of cooperation
30
Why the long face
When did you first develop the bond with the horseThe first time I got on one as a little boy in ArgentinaYou either develop a bond of some kind or you fall off Of course you may even fall off if you develop the bond but you have to start (and restart) somewhere
Did your friends ride My brothers also rode and I have ridden with many kinds of people over the years ndash some good and patient with horses and some not If I had not rid-den as a boy I would probably have been wandering around fishing imagining I was a cowboy or an Indian or a Viking ndash which I did anyway Where in the world would you most like to rideMost anywhere will do but I have been extremely lucky to have ridden in many wide-open wild places ndash deserts grassy plains mountains by different seas and rivers in Argentina New Zealand North Africa and North America If you could spend one afternoon riding with a famous person (past or present)who would it be and whyIrsquoll give you 3 Oglala chief Tasunke Witko (Crazy Horse) my ancestor William F Cody or any real Gaucho from the province of Chaco Argentina
Two horses go out for dinner what kindof restaurant do they chooseLate spring grass near a slow-moving clean river with a gentle firm shoreline an hour before sun-down far from any people or other animals All time favourite horse filmI have a subjective soft spot for the stories and real horses involved in the making of ldquoHidalgordquo and the 2nd and 3rd installments of ldquoThe Lord Of The Ringsrdquo trilogy but I admire other ldquohorse moviesrdquo as wellThe 1953 French movie ldquoCrin-Blancrdquo (ldquoWhite Manerdquo) directed by Albert Lamorisse is a personal favourite
After three years at the head of the successful French Jumping team with back to back FEI Nations Cuptrade titles and a silver medal at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade Laurent Elias is moving on to new spheres with the French Horse amp Riding Institute where he will be training the riders of the National Riding School in Saumur
Laurent Elias
copy C
hris
toph
e Br
icot
32
The other side of
If I had not become a professional rider I would havehellipmade a career in a humanitarian organisation Horse riding is sometimes too trivial
My priority in life ishellipto be able to look at myself in the mirror in the morning and make sure I am at peace with my conscience
My familyhellipkeeps me grounded My wife helped me a lot when I was in charge of selections for France She took charge of my personal life and was the first person I called when we got the medal in Lexington I also admire my parents for the values they passed on to me
I remember my first ridingexperiencehellipaged six we were shooting a family film and I was on horseback I finished upside down under my horse for a long time I stopped riding for one year
I used to dream abouthellipsafaris One of my uncles was passionate about safaris Through him I became very interested in African trips and the jobs that allow you to travel as a reporter were fascinating to me as well
I have been thinking a lot abouthellipwhat happened in Japan these past few months First this tsunami that devastated everything without warning then the nuclear disaster It made me think that progress should not be destructive
My horse Gueacutenourhellipchanged my life I was just a coach and he brought me to the top I won the national championship in 1981 with him
My biggest challengehas always beenhellipshyness Horse riding has really helped me over-come it Horses brought me on stage and there I had to meet people
As a Chef dEquipehellipthere is no single defining achievement itrsquos all about the solidarity and the moments spent together as a team Irsquoll never forget the first time Penelope Leprevost rode her mare Jubileacutee drsquoOuilly in the FEI Nations Cuptrade of Rotterdam McLain Ward had just completed a real fast run with Sapphire We thought the Americans would win but she did it faster and beat Sapphire
In terms of eventshellipAachen is my favourite competition - for its won-derful organisation But we have also pretty good five star competitions in France
I donrsquot sleep muchhellipprobably because I am just happy to be alive
Irsquom not scared to laugh or cryhellipI laugh at the funny situations we sometimes find ourselves in life and enjoy people with quirky personalities I cry when I see others in pain
Laurent Elias and the French team en route to the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade copy PSV-Jean Morel
33FOCUS
Nicolas TheacutevenazAged 23 studies Robotics and Autonomous Systems Micro Engineering in Lausanne (SUI) alongside regular training and competition in Dressage and Para-Equestrian Dressage events Born with spastic diplegia Nicolas was introduced to horses via hippotherapy aged seven and quickly developed a passion for riding which not only helped with his physical condition but also taught him through Dressage the art of patience and perseverance
34
One day
Nicolas TheacutevenazAged 23 studies Robotics and Autonomous Systems Micro Engineering in Lausanne (SUI) alongside regular training and competition in Dressage and Para-Equestrian Dressage events Born with spastic diplegia Nicolas was introduced to horses via hippotherapy aged seven and quickly developed a passion for riding which not only helped with his physical condition but also taught him through Dressage the art of patience and perseverance
He has been fortunate to meet the right people (and horses) at the right time and has been working for the past five years with trainer Vicky-Eileen Baumann (pictured right) and her horses Magic and Lady (pictured right) ldquoShersquos bred them and knows them inside out which is very useful when I have to communicate with them - they know my voice intonations and a whole string of specific words or sounds ndash which really helps as my body canrsquot or doesnrsquot always have the strength to do sordquo
As a Grade II Para-Equestrian rider Nicolas competes in Para-Equestrian Dressage (PED) events as well as national events for able bodied riders as there are only a handful of PED riders and no events in Switzerland
Unable to attend the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade 2010 in Kentucky last year Nicolas and Vicky have their sights firmly set on the 2012 Para-lympic Games and will be looking to qualify with Lady over the next 12 months ndash alongside exams studies and everything else life has to offerhellip Who is your role model For different reasons I have different role mod-els Edward Gal Dane Rawlins Isabel Werth and Catherine Haddad
When did you start riding and why At age 7 I was sat on a horse for hippotherapy and liked the complicity with the horse which made me want to discover more
How do you feel when you ride Concentrated and industrious
Who is your biggest fan My trainerrsquos mum
Complete this sentenceOne day I would like tohellip have gained enough knowledge to be able to take care of and train my own horse
What are your long term goals as a rider Continue to do my best to enjoy what I do and show others itrsquos possible
How do you juggle studies and competition I think itrsquos really important to have goals and to do everything you can to achieve them and that includes taking on challenges because if you donrsquot try then yoursquoll never know what you could have achieved
What is your proudest achievement to date Participation in international events together with pursuing my studies
How do you feel after winning Still working towards discovering the feeling
What is the best advice anyone has ever given youMy trainer often repeats to me the famous saying by General LrsquoHotte ldquoCalme en avant droitrdquo which says so much about riding but can also be applied to so many other aspects of life
35FOCUS
What advice would you give someone looking to get involved in Para-Equestrian Dressage Train and ride with able-bodied athletes as often as possible Being around and working with horses is so rewarding Irsquod like - when Irsquom retired - to write a book to share these feelings with others and hope this will inspire them to get involved
Complete this sentenceIn the future I would like the sport to beeven ldquocleanerrdquo and fairer and if possible not more but less demanding on the horses
ldquoLast but not least Irsquod like to take the opportunity of this article to reach out to those who give me their trust and help be it with their time their friendship and any type of support Day after day to year after year team work is essential and Irsquoll do my best to continue deserving every-onersquos encouraging smilesrdquo
European Broadcasting Union
Union Europeacuteenne de Radio-Teacuteleacutevision
+41 (0)22 717 2111 wwweurovisionnet
We bring the event to your home
Eurovision
copy K
it H
ough
ton
FE
I
FEI_08_A4indd 1 03012008 162238
European Broadcasting Union
Union Europeacuteenne de Radio-Teacuteleacutevision
+41 (0)22 717 2111 wwweurovisionnet
We bring the event to your home
Eurovision
copy K
it H
ough
ton
FE
I
FEI_08_A4indd 1 03012008 162238
Nominations for the FEI Awards opened in May enabling the global equestrian com-munity to once again reward outstanding dedication to horse sport in five categories ndash Development Best Groom Against All Odds Rising Star and Best Athlete The search for the equestrian heroes of 2011 is now on who will be flown to Rio de Janeiro Brazil to receive their awards
Where are they now The FEI asked the current title-holders for an update on their activities
Follow us on
38
FEI Awards 2011
Ebony Horse Club (GBR)Winner of the Alltech FEI DevelopmentAward 2010
The Ebony Horse Club announced in December 2010 that after an eight-year fundraising effort it had the pound14 million necessary for building an equestrian cen-tre in one of Londonrsquos most deprived boroughs Since 1996 Ebony has offered youngsters in an area reput-ed for its gang culture high level of gun crime and drug dealing the chance to ride and learn key social skills The clubrsquos 50 members travel to riding schools across London on public transport or in minibuses ndash a logistical headache that the inner-city equestrian centre will end Construction work began in February
Ebony Horse Club founder and director Ros Spear-ing told the FEI ldquoRiding lessons are continuing and the club is preparing for the transitionrdquo Building will finish on 7 July but the centre will open for riding lessons in October ldquoThe horses will be brought to Brixton in the summer and will have time to acclimatise to their new environmentrdquo Spearing said The centre will include stabling for nine horses a small paddock and a flood-lit riding arena as well as a classroom for learning about horses and equine management Spearing is adamant that club members ndash present and future ndash care for their rides and wants the centre to serve as a stepping stone to careers in the horse industry
Ebonyrsquos existence will continue to depend on the generosity of donors For more information visit wwwebonyhorsecluborguk
Michelle Tipper (GBR)Winner of the FEI Best Groom Award 2010
Michelle Tipper has continued to juggle grooming and study since receiving her FEI Award in Novem-ber She has organised the grooms for the British European Junior and Young Dressage teams and in April her contract as a travelling groom for British Dressage riders Paul and Bobby Hayler took her to Addington for the first of many international com-petitions she will work at this year The Haylers have eight horses competing and the number she works with at each venue varies Tipper has also been help-ing British Dressage riders Nicky and Richard Barrett with yard duties ldquoI feel very lucky to work for both of these familiesrdquo said the FEI Best Groom Award win-ner adding that she feels part of the two families In March Tipper graduated from university with a Masters in Sport Psychology She is now working towards British Association of Sport and Exercise Science accreditation which requires at least 500 hoursrsquo supervised work experience and is present-ing sport psychology workshops in conjunction with the company Inside Performance Consulting Limit-ed (wwwinside-performancecom) The workshops are organised internationally for people of all ages from any sport To find out more contact Tipper at michelletipper1979yahoocom
39FOCUS
Michelle Tipper ndash copyWilliam TzengAward winners ndash copyWilliam TzengCaroline Roffman ndash copySharonPackercomEbony Horse Club ndash copyEbony Horse ClubEdward Gal and Totilas ndash copyKit HoughtonFEIAngelika Trabert ndash copyJulia Rau
Angelika Trabert (GER)Winner of the FEI Against All Odds Award 2010
German Para-Dressage rider Angelika Trabert has represent-ed her country at four Paralympic Games and won some 15 medals at national European and world championships She is currently seeking a new home for Londria the mare that con-tributed to her Team Silver medal win at the Hong Kong Para-lympics Londria who had a foal last year was also Trabertrsquos ride during her medal-winning performances at the European Championships in Hungary (2005) and Norway (2009)
Trabert said her decision to let go of Londria was hard to make but was necessary for financial reasons She will keep the foal Finaud Coquin and her mares Walmorel and Ariva-Avanti Trabert won the Para-Dressage Grade 2 Freestyle Champion-ship at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade with Ariva and said the horse was ldquowell and ready to go for the Europeans again in Belgium in September if we qualifyrdquo Trabert competed in her first international competition of 2011 in May in Man-nheim Germany where she came first in the Grade II indi-vidual and second in the freestyle She is taking part in the German Championships in June
Away from the equestrian world Trabert works as an anaes-thetist and has participated in medical missions in the rural ar-eas of Guinea for the organisation Mango In January she was back in Guinea as part of team that carried out 100 operations in 13 days wwwangelika-trabertde
Visit the recently refreshed FEI Awards website to find out more about the Awards the pastwinners the judges and to make yournominationsby 31 July
wwwfeiawardsorg
40
Caroline Roffman (USA)Winner of the HSBC FEI Rising StarAward 2010
Success continues to smile on twenty-two-year-old American Dressage rider Caroline Roffman Since re-ceiving the HSBC FEI Rising Star Award she has en-joyed numerous wins at small tour and young horse levels achieving scores in the mid-eighties and quali-fying two horses for the young horse championships
Roffman is currently showing six horses and has won several classes at PSG and Grand Prix level ldquoBut nothing is as exciting as to be going to Aachenrdquo said the young woman who has been described as the American Dressage communityrsquos brightest hope ex-plaining that at the FEI Awards ceremony in Chinese Taipei Frank Kemperman FEI Dressage Committee Chair and Chairman of the Managing Board at CHIO Aachen (GER) invited her to take part in the pres-tigious event Roffman will be the first American to compete in the Under 25 Grand Prix there and is hop-ing to take her horse Lux Stensvang
An interview with Caroline Roffman at the Palm Beach Dressage Derby CDI will be broadcast on the magazine programme Equestrian World on FEI TV the FEIrsquos official online video platform wwwfeitvorg
Edward Gal and Totilas (NED)Winners of the Reem Acra FEI Best Athlete Award 2010
The world-famous partnership of Dutch Dressage rider Edward Gal and the extraordinary Totilas ended in style in 2010 with notably three gold medal wins at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade
The first foal sired by the superstar stallion was born in January followed by two more in the spring Gal who has admired the foals told the FEI ldquoYou never know ndash maybe in a few yearsrsquo time Irsquoll have another Totilas readyrdquo At the beginning of April he was busy at home training nine horses and preparing for the Reem Acra FEI World Cuptrade Dressage Final in Leipzig and the European Championships in Rotterdam He had not yet decided which horses he was going to compete with but was particularly looking forward to the Freestyle to Music Asked what it was like to compete without Totilas Gal said ldquoEverybody ex-pected Totilas to win I find it easier to ride other horses because nobody expects me to win and when I do itrsquos really nicerdquo
41FOCUS
globetrotter
Seal of approval for the Adai horseSixty years have passed since an Adai horse reportedly set a record galloping 354km in one day Today the Adai horse a breed na-tive to Kazakhstan is back in the spotlight with a gold medal at the FEI Central Asian Endurance Championship in Talgaearlier in May only months after having been award-ed official pedigree status following tests
conducted by a State Commission in the Mangistau Steppes which allowed itto compete internationally The horses are cherished for their hardiness and Oyly ridden by Altyngali Bissemaganbetov (KAZ) proved just that when crossing the finishing line first demonstrating just how tough the Adai horses are and the beginning of a new era for sturdy breed on the international stage
Equestrian Australia Sport
Achievement Awards
In May the best of the best in
Equestrian sport gathered to cel-
ebrate the achievements of Austral-
iarsquos athletes coaches officials vets
administrators owners volunteers
and the many other people that
dedicate their time and enthusiasm
to equestrian sport The ceremony
also included the introduction of
Equestrian Australiarsquos Hall of
Fame won by the legendary Bill
Roycroft Boyd Exell winner of
the FEI World CupTM Driving
Final was awarded the interna-
tional athlete of the year
award
Kevin Stautbecomes first athlete representative on FEI
executive board
Kevin Staut one of Francersquos most successful Jumping riders became the first athlete to be appointed to the FEI Executive Board for a three-year term Staut (31) who has held the number one spot in the Rolex Rankings for Jumping since July 2010 has ridden on numerous Nations Cup teams for France and claimed individual gold at the Alltech FEI European Jumping Championships in 2009
HulA CARTSWorld Horse Welfare has greatly helped the liv
es of
five Senegalese cart horse owners by presenting them
with new Hula Carts The local people who depend on
their working horses for their livelihoods were specially
selected by the charity to receive the carts which have
been sponsored by members of the public in the uK
The Hula Carts are specifically developed to help the
horses pulling heavy loads in often difficult conditions
Equestrian Australia Sport
Achievement Awards
In May the best of the best in
Equestrian sport gathered to cel-
ebrate the achievements of Austral-
iarsquos athletes coaches officials vets
administrators owners volunteers
and the many other people that
dedicate their time and enthusiasm
to equestrian sport The ceremony
also included the introduction of
Equestrian Australiarsquos Hall of
Fame won by the legendary Bill
Roycroft Boyd Exell winner of
the FEI World CupTM Driving
Final was awarded the interna-
tional athlete of the year
award
Olympic legendBill Roycroft passes away aged 96
A legend of Equestrian sport in Australia James William
George Roycroft OBE known as ldquoBillrdquo was one of Austral-
iarsquos greatest Olympians and one of only five Australians to
have competed in five consecutive Olympic Games (from
1960 - 1976) as well as being Australiarsquos oldest medallist
and oldest competitor at 61 years and 31 days In May 2011
Bill was inducted in Equestrian Australiarsquos inaugural Hall
of Fame ndash he was Australiarsquos oldest living Olympian and
shared his dedication and enthusiasm for the sport with
his sons Barry Wayne and Clarke (See a brief description
of his exploits in the 1960 Olympic Games Memory Lane
article page 9 which catapulted Australiarsquos reputation as
one of the best Eventing teams in the world)
webinfofeiFEI web wizard Nicole Sigrist has added a new hub for the Press on wwwfeiorg called FEI Press Kits located in the Media section of the website The Press Kits zone which is also open to the general public is regularly updated with infor-mation relating to FEI series and specific events with flip books and downloadable PDFs as well as direct links to the Photo Catalogue the Rankings and Standings the Annual Report and more
100thanniversary for Finnish riding club
One of the three found-ing member clubs of
the Finnish Equestrian Federation the Suomen
Kenttaumlratsastusseura-Finska Faumlltrittklubbenon celebrates
its 100th anniversary in 2011 Magnus Rydman former President of the Finnish National Federation and Presi-dent of the FEI from 1935 ndash 1946 was one of the founders of the club Another of the founders of the oldest club in Fin-land was the Eventing rider Colonel Hans Olof von Essen whose fifth place at the Antwerpen Olympic Games re-mains the best Olympic equestrian result the country has ever achieved
Follow us on
43FOCUS
Interview with the President of the Brazilian Equestrian Federation Mr Luiz Roberto Giugni
The Brazilian Equestrian Federation has been a member Federation of the FEI for 75 years how has the sport developed over that time We were facing regular growth (average of 25 in the last decade) but in the last three to four years this rate has significantly increased up to 35 a year We believe that this is due to international achievements (two Jumping Olympic team bronze medals the individual Olympic Jumping gold medal won by Rodrigo Pessoa several Pan Am Jumping team gold medals recent Olympic pre-qualification in Kentucky (4th in the world in Jumping) and the organisations of a Global Champions Tour event in Brazil
In terms of developing the sport what are the most successful projects you have undertaken in recent yearsWe decided to invest in education and have hired international trainers for all the disciplines such as Jean Maurice Bonneau for Jumping Nick Turner for Eventing Eric Lette for Dressage Jean Louis Leclerc for Endurance Mattias Lang for Vaulting with the long term in mind that is at least until the end of 2012 and planning towards 2016 when Rio will host the Olympic Games
How popular is equestrian sport with young people in Brazil and how do you compete with some of the bigger sports for their attention Popularization is growing bit by bit in a country
decidedly dominated by soccer ndash being 5 times World Champion makes it a national passion But we are continuously looking to attract TV to our events as this is a huge step towards gaining visibility and popularity Can you tell us about the programmesinitiatives in place for disabled athletes We are actively pursuing this and have achieved really positive results in little time such as the great performances and medals earned at the Para-lympic Games in Hong Kong in 2008 We do this through clinics courses international exchanges of athletes and working alongside our National Paralympic Committee to support us in our efforts
Brazil will be host the FEI General Assembly at the end of the year what do you want all the visiting delegates to remember from their visit That we are more than just a really beautiful and warm country with the ability and capacity to organise great events and that we are committed to putting on the best Olympic Games ever
What are the main objectivesplans for the Brazilian Federation in the lead up to the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games Our NOC is really committed to raising the bar of all the sports to a level never seen before and we are working towards that in terms of our athletes our judges our venues and everything that is related to our sport and the quality of our sport In line with this objective we are providing incen-tives to owners to buy good horses aiming for 2016 and this is going to plan for now We expect to perform well at the upcoming Pan Am Games and Olympics on our trail to 2016
Is there anything else you would like to share with us I would like to thank HRH Princess Haya President of the FEI as well as the Executive Board for all the support that we are getting which has been paramount to the development of equestrian sport in our country
44
President Luiz Roberto GiugniSecretary General Luiz Antonio RoccoMember since 1935
15 members of staff work at the federation
20 regional federations are affiliated tothe Brazilian Equestrian Federation with over 300 member riding clubs
6 000 affiliated riders
91 national events were held in 2010
31 international events were held in 2010
All the FEI disciplines are practiced in BrazilJumping Dressage Eventing Vaulting Reining EnduranceDriving amp Para-Equestrian
14 breeding organisations
There are 58 million horses and ponies in Brazilmaking it the fourth largest equine population in the world
FAC
TS amp
FIG
URE
S
45FOCUS
Dr Gerit Matthesen56 is a private equine practitioner an FEI Vet and a member of the FEI Veterinary Committee He graduated in Veterinary Medicine from Berlin University in 1983 and since 1989 has worked or officiated at some 180 competitions and championships including the last two Olympics and FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade He lives near Frankfurt with his wife Carola and their sons Mike (16) and Lars (14)
46
A life in a day
Dr Gerit Matthesen56 is a private equine practitioner an FEI Vet and a member of the FEI Veterinary Committee He graduated in Veterinary Medicine from Berlin University in 1983 and since 1989 has worked or officiated at some 180 competitions and championships including the last two Olympics and FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade He lives near Frankfurt with his wife Carola and their sons Mike (16) and Lars (14)
I wake up earlier than I need to ndash at around 6am ndash because breakfast time with my family is sacred to me and I can then drive my boys to the village station to take the train to school After two cups of coffee (enough for the day) and a glass of orange juice I read the newspapers then head to my prac-tice offices in our indoor arena I have a quick look at our horses then start work
While I listen to my phone messages I deal with my emails and search the internet for news about veterinary medicine and horse sport I then start planning the dayacutes schedule with Anna my assistant vet
My mobile practice is in a nice fairly rural area in the north of Frankfurt There are lots of horse farms but it is not a classic breeding area like the northern part of Germany There are sport horses as well as pleasure horses I have examination rooms and stables for horses staying or mares foaling in my practice stables Itrsquos not a big clinic which gives me time to work at competitions
After seeing a few small animals in my practice I normally start my field service at 930am In my car I have enough equipment (ultrasound X-ray systems and endoscopical devices) for the dayrsquos examinations and standing procedures We mainly have lameness examinations to do or internal diseases to treat accompanied by routine work like vaccinations or carrying out pre-purchase or health certificate examinations If time allows I go home for a quick lunch but thatrsquos not every day
While Irsquom driving I have time to think and I write down everything that come to mind regarding sport competitions committees and so on You have to write down your thoughts when yoursquore over the age of 50
It is not easy planning my day because any emer-gency can destroy or delay my schedule For all the paperwork and certificates I need a time frame so
I often do that over quiet weekends when there are no competitions During the winter season I am less busy but in summer a lot of weekends are taken over by the competition schedule
I love my work especially in Eventing which is my favourite discipline My wife and I practiced it ndash not up to top level but it was a fine time despite a bro-ken ankle from a fall in 1988 which after 23 years is making walking more and more difficult for me
I like to do my competition work on a friendly but strict basis and I really like to hear riders saying they are treated fairly Over the years I have acquired a lot of experience and met all the officials and riders
Usually when I return home in the late afternoon there are more small animals to see When Irsquove done the dayrsquos paperwork I hope there will be no more emergencies such as cases of colic which usually occur in the early evening
I look forward to getting on my horse which is a beautiful show-jumper I like to ride but Irsquove stopped competing I do dressage jumping and go out into the fields but itrsquos all just for fun now
The day finishes with the family and a nice cold glass of German beer
Itrsquos a struggle to find time to spend with my family and I often have to cancel my holidays with them I am really grateful to my wife and the boys for their understanding of my job and to my assistant vet who covers for me when Iacutem out somewhere in the world of equestrian sport
ldquoThe combination of my profession and beinginvolved in differentaspects of top equestrian sport is my visionrdquo
47FOCUS
Pull your show attire from the closet clean your boots and tack groom the horses hook up and pack the trailer check the clock double check to make sure you have everything put on the shipping boots load your horses and away you drive to the competition venue or to the airport for transport to a distant event
You know the drill well but still you arrive tired per-haps even a bit frazzled Yoursquoll sleep (or try to) the next several nights in an unfamiliar bed or camp out in the living quarters of your trailer You awaken riveted on the competition playing out the dayrsquos classes in your mind wondering how your rides will fare against oth-ers praying that the weather will be cooperate and trying to control your nerves all the while knowing that no matter how well you have prepared many factors are out of your control You may even be in a different time zone
We go through a lot to compete our horses But if you think life on the road is stressful for you think about what itrsquos like for your horses Your back may be a bit sore from driving or being strapped into an airplane seat for hours on end but for horses transportation is far more demanding It is an athletic endeavour re-quiring an expenditure of energy to maintain balance during the constant movement of transport When your horses arrive they face social isolation from stablemates lack of security in novel environments altered training regimes water that tastes strange and the confines of an unfamiliar stall This routine impacts a horsersquos health and well being with effects
continuing long after the journey is over During transport toxic gases (such as ammonia or carbon monoxide) can cause damage to the lung epithelium precipitating respiratory disease The
final destination itself can also cause problems Usually horses are transported to environments where they will be mixing with other horses The mixing of horses from different environments with different infectious organisms and under stressful conditions further precipitates susceptibility to disease
This can have a severe impact on the equine gut The stress of transportation is known to increase gut ulceration in the horse a painful condition reducing performance and causing colic-like symptoms Stress can also slow the flow of digesta and alter the normal gut flora resulting in digestive upset and possibly diarrhoea or colic
The effects of travel stress on the gut are compounded by the typical diet of the regular equine traveller To maintain athletic ability high performance horses are often fed energy-charged diets contain-ing increased levels of starchy materials such as cereal grains Unfortunately this type of diet can reduce beneficial types of gut flora and promote gut acidity further predisposing the horse to digestive upsets and ulceration It is not surprising that stressed tired horses may not fulfill their potential on arrival
Feeding to reduce stress for the equine traveller
By Darlene RickerExecutive editor of Alltechrsquos EQUINE INTERNATIONAL magazine
48
Alltech Tips
growth of opportunistic Salmonella spp which are present in the intestinal tract of many healthy horses These bacteria then attach to the gut lining via a mannan sugar and penetrate it causing damage and resulting in diarrhoea One method of prevent-ing or minimising the attachment of these organ-
isms to the gut lining is to provide an adsorbant supplement A form of sugar found in the cell walls of certain yeasts can do this This sugar compound is called man-nan oligosaccharide or MOS MOS products such as Alltechrsquos Bio-Mosreg have been shown to re-duce the colonization of Salmonella
spp in the guts of certain species and augment the immune response to Salmonella spp potentially conferring an enhanced ability to fight infection Both Yea-Saccreg 1026 and Bio-Mos are among the natural products contained in Alltechrsquos LIFEFORCETM equine supplement which many FEI competitors have successfully incorporated into their daily feeding regimen at home and on the road
lifeforcehorsecom
and may be subject to health concerns in the days following a long journey Fortunately however you can curb some of the effects of travel stress on the horsersquos gut by nutritional supplementation Organic yeast products used to supplement a horsersquos diet can support the normal gut flora modifying the intesti-nal environment and improving the horsersquos digestion One such culture is Saccharomyces cerevisae in the form of Yea-Saccreg 1026 Alltechrsquos propriety organic yeast
Experiments were conducted to evaluate the effects Yea-Sacc on gut flora and gut acidity Horses were fed either a high-starch or a high-fibre diet both with and without supplementation of Yea-Saccreg 1026 Results indicated an excessive amount of starch in the gut The use of Yea-Sacc reduced acidity and stimulat-ed the activity of fibre-digesting bacteria in the hind-gut for both types of diet The result was maximised fibre digestibility and more efficient use of nutrients thus increasing the amount of energy available to the horse for performance and counteracting digestive upset Salmonellosis is one of the more commonly di-agnosed infectious causes of diarrhoea in horses Many cases develop after the stress of transport The effects of travel stress on the normal gut flora allow an over-
Moorlands Totilas arrives for the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade after air transport copy Dirk Caremans
HRH The Infanta Dontildea Pilar de Borboacuten former President of the FEI (1994-2006) also attended the inauguration along-side HRH Princess Lalla Amina Chairperson of the Royal Moroccan Federation for Equestrian Sports and member of the international Advisory Council of Special OlympicsThey were joined by International Olympic Commit-tee members representatives from other Interna-tional Federations federal and local Swiss authorities as well as architects and designers that worked on the project Switzerlandrsquos Martin Fuchs a member of the gold medal winning team at the inaugural Youth Olympic Games in Singapore last year accompanied FEI President Princess Haya in officially opening the FEI headquarters
ldquoThe building we are inaugurating today has been designed to serve our wonderful sportrdquo explained FEI
President Princess Haya ldquoI also feel an immense
sense of pride knowing that this building carries the name
of my late father and hope that this serves as a constant reminder
to all of us who work at the FEI of a unique statesman whose entire soul was devoted to the service of his people Our new headquarters will play a key role for the FEI and our National Federa-tions over the coming years It will be the environ-ment in which important discussions take place and fundamental decisions are taken as we continue our mission to advance the orderly growth of equestrian sport worldwide while ensuring that the welfare of the horse and a level playing field remain at the centre of all that we dordquo
FEI celebratesNEW Headquarters
Over 250 guests attended the inauguration ceremony on Friday 6 May at HM King Hussein I Building which was timed to coincide with the FEI
Extraordinary General Assembly so that attending NationalFederation representatives
could be a part ofthe celebrations
1 Youth Olympic Games team champion Martin Fuchs (SUI) FEI President HRH Princess Haya and her daughter HH Sheikha Al Jalila officially open the FEIrsquos new home 2 Gilbert Felli IOC Olympic Games Executive Director and FEI Secretary General Ingmar de Vos 3 HRH The Infanta Dontildea Pilar de Borboacuten sits down to an interactive quiz in the FEI Gallery 4 Guests gathered in the atrium of the FEI HeadquartersAll images copy Hugues SiegenthalerFEI
Highlights available on50
1
2
3 4
5
6 7
8
THE GALLERy
As well as housing offices for its 62 employees and conference facilities for its 133 National Federations the new headquarters also has a state-of-the-art in-teractive gallery showcasing equestrian sport
The Gallery is the brainchild of Dr Amichai Alper-ovich historian former Secretary General of the Is-raeli Equestrian Federation and curator of the Israeli Olympic Museum (opened in 2009) He worked hand in hand with the Tel Aviv based company Disk-In Pro and interior designer Oded Alony to help bring the content to life and the result is truly unique and ground breaking Giant glass surfaces act as interac-tive interfaces for the visitors to travel through time
The FEIrsquos new headquarters which were donated to the Federation by FEI Presi-dent HRH Princess Haya in 2007 fol-lowing a personal fundraising effort are conveniently located close to the Inter-national Olympic Committee and other international sports federations It has been written into the FEI Statutes that the new FEI headquarters building will always house the Federationrsquos offices In 2008 the building was thoroughly renovated in accordance with the Swiss MINERGIEreg construction standard for environmental responsibility which re-duces energy consumption by 25 per cent Only two per cent of renovated buildings in Switzerland meet the high Minergie standards Khuan Chew founder and design princi-pal of London-based architectural firm KCA International Ltd worked in close collaboration with Swiss-based architect Herveacute de Rham and interior designer Sia-vosh Adeli (SUI) to transform the build-ing which was built in the 1960s The modern and sleek interior was further enhanced with bespoke artworks pro-duced by Swiss creative agency b+g amp partners and imagery by world-famous equestrian art photographer Tim Flach where the simplicity and beauty of his equine subjects seamlessly embrace and accentuate the buildingrsquos pure lines and natural materials (see image left)
As they feasted on the innate beauty of their sur-roundings the guests also had the privilege to ex-perience the culinary talents of organic chef and specialist Gilles Wannaz and his team based in the town of Cully which sits on the edge of Lac Leman in Switzerlandrsquos famous Lavaux wine growing region
5 HRH Princess Haya welcomes the guests to the Inauguration of the HQ and the 90 year celebration of the FEI 6 Artwork by renowned pho-tographer Tim Flach 7 An organic and colourful buffet presented on an authentic lawn by local chef Gilles Wannaz 8 A life size horse sculpture by Christophe Dumont greeted the guests upon their arrival
53FOCUS
and space with the latest in touch technology revis-iting the history of the FEI the equestrian events at Olympic amp Paralympic Games the FEI World Eques-trian Gamestrade and information on all of the member National Federations with statistics videos images and text The Gallery also includes projections on ar-chitectural surfaces designed by Oded Alony referred to as the Origami as well as interactive stations and unique video projections on glass screens
For all those wishing to visit the FEI Gallery simply contact the FEI HQ to make an appointment and we would be delighted to take you on a journey to dis-cover or rediscover the human and equine athletes whose talents have marked equestrian history and inspired young riders drivers and vaulters around the world
Interview withDrAmichaiAlperovich
When did you first dream up the FEIInteractive Gallery When I found out the FEI was planning to move into new HQ in 2009 Disk-In Pro and I approached the FEI and presented them with several concepts for the space Before long we had agreed on the concept and we got to work
Why were you compelled to make it become a reality So that the FEI a prominent sports organisation could present itself to a growing audience in a new and visionary way with the latest technology And by doing so the FEI is a pioneer becoming the first International Federation to have a Gallery of this kind
What did you learn when researching and gathering content for the gallery I have learned a lot about the history of the FEI the strong Olympic tradition the diversity of disciplines the gender equality and the unique bond between horse and man One of the more fascinating topics was the evolution of the Dressage from itsrsquo Olympic debut to the modern Freestyle
Itrsquos very innovative technology what inspired you to take such a leap into the future with such a traditional sport Just as Dressage has evolved over the years and alongside the introduction of new disciplines partic-ularly Para-Equestrian you come to realise that the FEI is not as traditional as one would think Actually this kind of innovative presentation of equestrian history is really well suited to the FEI In the same way that you can have horse-man connections there is an audience-technology connection in the Gallery The audience have to be active in order to enjoy the depth of information the Gallery contains
54
Now it is time to open the door to new places to learn about sport ndash at the heart of sporting organi-sations themselves The Gallery is more than an informative tool it brings people to the sport andto the heart of its operations
Established in 1990 Disk-In Pro specialises in the planning design production and implementation of Museums Visitor Centres and sophisticated projects around the world This includes multi screen produc-tion animation 3D amp interactive films state-of-the-art software platforms and complex video displays for an unforgettable experience
Oded Alony holds a BA in Design from the Interior Design Section of the Holon Technological Institute and has since 1998 worked with Israelrsquos leading Architecture firms The Oded Alony Studio embraces holistic design a space where interior design lighting and graphics are brought together to create a harmo-nious project vision
Now that you have seen it unveiled to the public how would you like to see it evolve I hope the audience will be amazed from the design by architect Oded Alony and the new methods to deliver information whilst discovering the long his-tory of the FEI the diversity and the global reach of the organisation I hope the Gallery will become an icon in Lausanne and one of its highlights for visitors I promise the visitors a new platform to learn about equestrianism and each visit could be different as the information and themes will be updated and modi-fied regularly
This futuristic gallery is a first for anInternational Federation do you think thisis something all sports should invest inThe FEI took this courageous decision and now has this fantastic tool to present the organisation in new ways Sport is a huge cultural phenomenaWe have learned to consume sport in the arenas and stadiums in the press media and new media
Dr Amichai Alperovich
55FOCUS
SOCIAL MEDIAthe new frontier
Follow us on
The FEI has recently embarked on and embraced a whole new way of talking with the greater equestrian community through the ever expanding social media networks and platformsWith personalised Facebook Twitter and You Tube pages the FEI is taking it step by step and reaching out to this growing audience and listening to what they have to say
This new communication platform is by no means a substitution of the traditional communication path-ways but works alongside the press releases various publications and content on wwwfeiorg and wwwfeitvorg providing a new arena where the FEI can share interact and dialogue with fans of the sport and of equestrian values in general
We talk to Richard Johnson Director of Corporate Communications about the FEIrsquos commitment to social media
What compelled the FEI to venture onto the social media scene As a governing body with a vibrant and active com-munity of National Federations as well as thousands of fans the need to reach out to the online social community has never been stronger We have been watching the communities grow online for some time and have been listening to their conversations so being a part of it was the next logical step and a really important one The conversations will hap-pen with or without us so taking that step has been crucial in order to share our values and also build re-lationships with our fan base
Tradition meets modernity ndash does equestrian sportthe FEI have a place in social media Absolutely even though equestrian sport has a long history and is perceived as a traditional sport it is
always evolving In the 90 years of the FEI which was founded to govern the three Olympic disciplines it has grown to also oversee the disciplines of Driving Endurance Vaulting Reining and Para-Equestrian sport Or if you look at the early days when competi-tors were from military backgrounds and when wom-en did not compete alongside men to the complete gender equality we have today ndash a lot has changed and is in a constant state of change
The fans of equestrian sport are like any other fan base web savvy and eager for more information behind the scenes content and to share their opin-ions and thoughts ndash so it is an ideal partnership And from what we have seen these last few months and from the feedback we got from our blog at the Youth Olympic Games there is a real appetite for this
The FEI has dedicated Facebook Twitter and You Tube pages ndash why did you select these social media platforms The figures speak for themselveshellip Facebook Twit-ter and You Tube are the biggest players in the social networking space With over 500 million Facebook users 106 million Tweeters and 2 billion views a day on You Tube there has never been so much oppor-tunity for exposure Every site has different demo-graphics with different habits and needs so by having an FEI presence on these three networks we are able to cover a lot of ground and cater to different audi-ences by providing different types of content accord-ing to the platform
What are the main benefits of having a pres-ence on various social media platforms Itrsquos all about having a two way conversation ndash the benefits of dialogue where you can share content such as videos images facts and figures thoughts and values and then allow your fan base to react to get involved and to listen and learn from them By engaging with our audience and showing them that we are a modern and caring organisation and that we want to hear what they have to say then we are able to build trust and ultimately credibility in what we do and what we say
57FOCUS
TV
The offi cial video website of the Feacutedeacuteration Equestre Internationale
wwwfeitvorg
WATCH LIVE WATCH ONLINE
FEI TV is the FEIrsquos new offi cial video website and your ticket to the worldrsquos most prestigious competitions Sign-up to FEI TV (wwwfeitvorg) and get instant access to all the live broadcasts the extensive video-on-demand library all the highlights the behind the scenes reports the interviews and so much more Be at the heart of horsesport Join us
2823_1FEI_TV_Focus_165x226indd 1 170510 1124
It also keeps us alert as to what is being discussed and debated in the public sphere so that we can manage situations more effectively and be proactive in our messaging and information so that the facts are at the heart of the debate and not interpretations of them
How do you generate content for social media It was important when we launched our social me-dia presence that it be manageable with the exist-ing communications team in place ndash and so we have concentrated on keeping it simple and effective and using content innovatively Itrsquos not about reproduc-ing our website ndash but to engage with our fans and so often all you need is a good picture an interest-ing fact or great achievement to get the ball rolling For You Tube as we already have so much content generated from FEI TV it was simply a question of using bits and pieces from that content to provide the public with teasers from events interviews with winning riders or behind the scenes content which they can then follow up on FEI TV with a subscription
What are your Social media goals Itrsquos really to build relationships and dialogue with our fan base by using our content innovatively by listening to what they have to say and by engaging with the community And for the National Federa-tions that have yet to take that step we want to be a guiding hand that can help them get started so that they too can reap the benefits of social media net-working Our sport competes against other sports for attention so itrsquos really important that we the FEI and the National Federations keep our finger on the pulse and cater to our fans
How can National Federations get involved NFs wishing to find out more about Social Media can contact me (richardjohnsonfeiorg) and I would be more than happy to discuss opportunities and ways of getting started as well as our experience at the FEI
We asked our Facebook followers why it was important to use face-book and here are a few comments they came up with
bullItrsquos a great way to find out about shows and competitions
bullBecause facebook can provide up to the minute updates as to the what is going on in the horse community
bullWe can share information and ideas over long distances We can find and connect with people we wouldnt be able to otherwise
bullIt also lets us express the true realities of our spot to keep us grounded
bullIt can bring peoples attention to excellence ndash and expose the issues
58
TV
The offi cial video website of the Feacutedeacuteration Equestre Internationale
wwwfeitvorg
WATCH LIVE WATCH ONLINE
FEI TV is the FEIrsquos new offi cial video website and your ticket to the worldrsquos most prestigious competitions Sign-up to FEI TV (wwwfeitvorg) and get instant access to all the live broadcasts the extensive video-on-demand library all the highlights the behind the scenes reports the interviews and so much more Be at the heart of horsesport Join us
2823_1FEI_TV_Focus_165x226indd 1 170510 1124
ldquo Donrsquot accept drinks from a strangerrdquo
Armchair travel journalist
Are you living a life without boundaries Some well-meant advice is best ignored but itrsquos still good to know yoursquore covered when yoursquore away With HSBC Premier your family can be protected with both Travel Insurance and dedicated assistance when yoursquore abroad Which is reassuring to know when yoursquore making the most of life
HSBC Premier is subject to financial eligibility criteria and is available in over 40 countries and territories
Premier Travel Insurance covers you and your partner up to age 70 and your children travelling with you up to age 18
wwwhsbcpremiercom
A4 A4
Issued by HSBC Holdings plc Approved for use in UK by HSBC Bank plc Premier Travel Insurance is provided by Aviva Insurance UK Limited Customer Information Service PO Box 757 Hemel Hempstead Hertfordshire HP2 4SS Registered in England number 14259 Registered Office 8 Canada Square London E14 5HQ AC18770
201736_6000263_Coconut_226x165indd
Master 226x165
Rob Swainson 160211
HSBC - Coconuts Proof 01Head of Art TypographerDesigner ArtCreative Director Copywriter Account DirectorDIC Project ManagerPhotographer Illustrator Usage Model(s) Name(s) Usage
Media MediaStock Image Time Period Time Period
Territory Territory
8deg N ndash Kerala South India
In September Breda Hippique in The Netherlands will be host to the seventh edition of the FEI Euro-pean Driving Championships for Four-in-Hand not held since 1981 This edition is open to both Euro-pean and non-European drivers and will also count as a qualifier for the indoor FEI World Cuptrade Driv-ing which is held during the winter season Only competitors from Europe can claim the individual and team medalsThe FEI European Driving Championships for Four-in-Hand were first held in 1971 in Budapest and continued to be held every two years until 1981 at which stage they were discontinued
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERSTeam ndash HungaryIndividual ndash Gyoumlrgyi Bardos (HUN)
SOMETHING IN THE WATERhellip Hungary have won five out of six available team European titles and on the individual front two Hungarians stand out from the crowd Imre Abony ndash individual winner in 1971 and 1975 and Gyoumlrgyi Bardos triple consecutive winner in 1977 1979 1981
IN THE BEGINNINGhellipThe first European Championships took place in Budapest in 1971 and moved on to Windsor in Great Britain in 1973 Sopot in Poland in 1975 Donauesch-ingen in Germany in 1977 and in Haras du Pin in France in 1979 The sixth and last edition took place in 1981 in Zug Switzerland
THE VENUEBreda has hosted the only Nations competition (CAIO) for Four-in-Hand horses in The Netherlands for many years In 1995 Breda hosted the first FEI European Driving Championships for Four-in-Hand ponies and in 2010 was host to the FEI World Para-Equestrian Driving Championships Aside from the four-in-hand teams Breda will also host international pony teams and national horse pairs at the event this year
Believe it or nothellip
bull Hungaryhavewonfiveoutofsixteamgold titles
bull AugusteDubeyfromSwitzerlandwasthe onlynon-HungarianEuropeanChampion hewontheChampionshipsin1973
bull PrincePhilipFEIPresidentfrom1964- 1986whocelebratedhis90thbirhtday inJuneisanavidfanofDrivingandpartici- patedinsixWorldandthreeEuropean Championships
1-4 September 2011
Breda Netherland
FeI eUroPeaN
DrIVINGChaMPIoNshIPsfor FoUr-IN-haND
Note At the time of writing the FEI European DrivingChampionships for Four in Hand was pending approvalby the FEI Bureau
23FOCUS
The 14th edition of the FEI European Endurance Championships return to Florac in France twenty five years after the inaugural event was held there The FEI European Endurance Championships first took place in 1984 and were immediately followed up by a second edition in 1985 and have since been held every two years They have always been open to the world with two sets of medals presented ndash open and European
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERSTeam ndash SpainIndividual ndash Maria Alvarez Ponton amp Nobby
RECORD BREAKINGCurrent title holder Maria Alvarez Ponton amp super horse Nobby is the first rider to hold European and World titles at the same time She will be looking to confirm her stronghold on the sport following her second consecutive World title with a second con-secutive European title in Florac a feat no rider has managed to achieve at the Europeans to date
THE VET GATEModern competitions consist of a number of sec-tions known as lsquophasesrsquo At the end of each phase there is a compulsory halt for veterinary inspection Each horse which is thoroughly examined before it is allowed to start the ride must be presented for inspection within a set time of reaching each vetgate The time spent at each vetgate prior to inspection by the vets is counted as part of the overall competition time and the aim is to determine whether the horse is fit to continue the ride
THE SUPPORT CREWA vital part of Endurance riding is the support crew Riders are assisted by a team of helpers who meet them several times over the ride bringing bottles of water to pour over the horse to cool it down as well as a drink for the rider Crews also have spare equipment in case something breaks down or needs replacing
Believe it or nothellip
bull TheFrenchhavethemedaledgewith6 individualand4teamgoldmedalsfrom the14editionsheld
bull Floracistheonlyvenuetohostthe EuropeanChampionshipstwice(thefirst editionin1984andtheupcomingedition in2011)
bull EnduranceisthefastestgrowingFEI disciplinefrom2000to2010thenumber ofinternationaleventshavemultipliedby10
10 September 2011
Florac France
FeI eUroPeaN
eNDUraNCeChaMPIoNshIPs
24
Reem Acra Boutique 14 East 60th St New York New York 10022 2123088760 wwwreemacracom
356935B2_RA_brochure2_souvenir_programmeindd 1 82710 1012 AM
Vaulting became an FEI discipline in 1983 and saw its first FEI European Championship organised just one year later in the town of Ebreichsdorf in Austria This 15th edition of the Championship ndash which also includes the European Juniors competition return to France for the 4th time but for the first time in the world renowned venue of Le Mans famous for its 24 hour race
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERS
Team ndash Austria
Individual malelongeurhorseNicolas Andreani (FRA)Marina Joosten DuponIdefix de Braize
Individual femalelongeurhorseJoanna Eccles (GBR)John EcclesWH Bentley
THE WIND OF CHANGEGermany and Switzerland have traditionally bat-tled for the team title (Germany has 7 gold versus Switzerlandrsquos 5) but in 2009 Austria who had come second on four occasions since the inception of the Championships in 1984 finally climbed onto the top spot of the podium and claimed the title In terms of the individual performances Germany had the stronghold on the male category winning 11 out of 14 gold medals But again in 2009 France the only other country to have ever beaten a German male vaulter at the Europeans made it to the top spot of the podium for only the third time since the Championships began
Similarly with the female vaulters it was an all German domination until 2007 when Austriarsquos Sissi Jarz claimed gold followed by Joanna Eccles (GBR) in 2009 ndash leaving Germany off the top step of the podium entirely in 2009
GREAT BRITAIN ndash A VAULTING NATIONhellip Times have definitely changed from the Swiss German domination with current World and European titles held by Great Britainrsquos Joanna Eccles She was the first British vaulter (male or female) to claim a medal at the Europeans ndash let alone a gold medal - and then went on to secure the world title in Kentucky last year
Believe it or nothellip
bull TheonlycountryotherthanGermanyand SwitzerlandtohaveclaimedaEuropean VaultingtitleisSlovakiain2005
bull ChristophLensing(GER)holdsthemale medalrecordndashwiththreegold(19891993 amp1995)aswellassilverin1991
bull NadiaZuumllowandSilkeMichelberger (formerlyBernhard)withthreegoldmedals each
16-21 August 2011
Le Mans France
FeI eUroPeaN
VaULtINGChaMPIoNshIPs
26
This is only the fifth edition of the European Reining Championships since the discipline joined the FEI in 2000 and the first time they will be held in Austria The event also includes the FEI European Champi-onships for Juniors and Young Riders ndash a formula introduced in 2009 in Kreuth (GER) which proved to be a multigenerational success The FEI European Reining Championships take place every two years and have been held since 2003
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERSTeam ndash GermanyIndividual ndash Nina Lill (GER) riding Lena Cielo Jewel
THE JUDGINGReining horses are judged individually Each horse au-tomatically begins the required pattern with a score of 70 One or frac12 points are given or taken away for each manoeuvre Credit is given for smoothness fi-nesse attitude quickness and authority Controlled speed in the pattern raises the level of difficulty and makes the reining horse exciting to watch
Believe it or nothellip
bull ItalyandGermanyaretheonlytwonations tohavewongoldmedalsndashGermanyhas3 teamgoldand2individualgoldversus Italyrsquossingleteamgoldandtwoindividual gold
bull GermanyrsquosNinaLillwinnerin2009was thefirstwomantotaketheindividualtitle sincetheChampionshipsbeganin2003
bull OlympicWorldandEuropeanDressage ChampionAnkyVanGrunsven(NED) competedattheAlltechFEIWorldEques- trianGamestradein2010inbothDressageand hellipReining
bull 13nationswerescheduledtoattendthe Championshipatthetimeofwritingthe largestparticipationbycountryever recordedfortheEuropeans
26-30 July 2011
Wiener Neustadt Austria
FeI eUroPeaN
reININGChaMPIoNshIPs
27FOCUS
ldquoThirty-one yearsrsquo experience comes in handy some-timesrdquo joked the ever-relaxed Todd who was a leg-end by the time he ldquoretiredrdquo in 2000 with back-to-back Olympic golds five Burghley wins two world gold medals and three Badminton victories one on a horse he had never ridden before ldquoIt is incredibly special though right up there with the back-to-back Olympic golds When I came back to the sport (in 2008) it was to see if I could get back to top level It has always been my aim to win another big onerdquo
A World class meeting of Generations
The 2011 HSBC FEI Classicstrade could not have got off to a more epic start with wins at Badminton and Kentucky by two of the sportrsquos most enduring personalitiesThe 55-year-old New Zealander Mark Todd rolled back the years to score a fourth victory at the Gloucestershire venue 31 years after his first attempt in 1980
By Kate Green
28
HSBC FEI ClassicsTm
The resurgence of so much experienced talent makes it harder for younger riders to work their way up the leaderboard but 29-year-old Sinead Halpin (USA) had a spectacular CCI4 debut at Kentucky finish-ing third and best of the home side in distinguished company This achievement earned her the HSBC Training Bursary worth US$1000 towards training a prestigious and valuable award presented to the rider who achieves the best result on completing a CCI4 for the first time
The bursary winner at Badminton Fiona Hobby (GBR) 39 has had a rather longer wait to complete
her first CCI4 ndash she was 26th on Roma ML ndash but she has in the meantime produced two children had a career as a sports therapist and only switched from Jumping to Eventing relatively recently Hobby has vowed to spend the money on dressage train-ing ldquoRoma couldnrsquot believe it when she arrived in the arena and saw all those people but she was great across country really focussed Irsquom delightedrdquo
For Germanyrsquos Sandra Auffarth Luhmuumlhlen pro-vided an outstanding CCI4 debut on Opgun Louvo a young horse she has produced herself coming second and picking up the HSBC Training Bursary and the exciting prospect of a possible place in the squad for the forthcoming HSBC FEI European Event-ing Championship at Luhmuumlhlen (25-28 August) at which Germany as host nation will be entitled to field 12 riders
Last yearrsquos HSBC Training Bursary winners include Stephanie Rhodes-Bosch (CAN) who went on to win a team silver medal at the Alltech FEI World Equestri-an Gamestrade Lauren Shannon (GBR) who finished 17th at Badminton this year and Giovanni Ugolotti (ITA) who is furthering his career by basing himself in Brit-ain for the season and having lessons with Mark Todd
LIVE coverage and extensive highlights available on
Toddrsquos winning mount the 10-year-old NZB Land Vision was a green horse for this level and he fin-ished the Cross-Country phase tired but his rider kept his cool in an extraordinarily tight finish in which the price of one Jumping fence covered the top 12 riders any of whom could with a bit of luck have won the Mitsubishi Motors Trophy ldquoIn the end it came down to horse-power and Irsquove obviously got a good one hererdquo said Todd ldquoCharisma (his double Olympic gold medallist) will always be the most special horse but this one has no weak linksrdquo
As is the nature of the sport Toddrsquos lead in the HSBC FEI Classicstrade didnrsquot last long ndash he came down to earth with a bump the following weekend with a Cross-Country run-out on NZB Grass Valley his ride at the Rolex Kentucky Three Day Event (USA) and 49- year-old Mary King (GBR) stole the head-lines with a record one-two on Kings Mis-tress and Fernhill Urco It was Kingrsquos first CCI4 victory for 11 years ndash she has won Badminton twice and Burghley once ndash but she certainly smashed a few re-cords with this one She became the first rider to score a one-two at Kentucky the first in modern times to win a CCI4 on a home-bred horse and the oldest female to win a CCI4
King who has six team gold medals at World and European level plus competed at five consecutive Olympics had the luxury of knowing she had already won the event on the inexperienced 10-year-old Fernhill Urco a horse bred in Portugal by the time she entered the arena on Kings Mistress but she still produced a second clear round ldquoI never dreamed that I would be in this position and Irsquom enjoying the momentrdquo said the ever-smiling King ldquoIt was great to have the feeling of having already won on Fernhill Urco but I still wanted desperately to go clear on Kings Mistress as it is so special to win on a horse I bred myselfrdquo It was also an all clear from Germanyrsquos Andreas Dibowski and Euroriding Butts Leon in order to secure victory at the fourth leg of the HSBC FEItrade
Classicstrade in Luhmuumlhlen presented by EON Avacon
29FOCUS
The Danish-American actorpoet musician photographerand painter has been around horses most of his life from riding Hasufel and Brego in The Lord of the Rings trilogy to early childhood memories in Argentina his passion for floating as he describes it has never wavered
What is it about the horse that makes you a horse loverWe get along generally I respect their strength and their personal space Your first riding experience ndash was it bliss or terrorLike floating like being on a warm and floating mountain I remember being happy Do you think anyone can rideYes It is a question of allowing yourself to ride of allowing yourself to cooperate and not be in total control Children are more adept at figuring this out letting things happen without getting impatient or scared just as they are braver and less self-conscious about pronouncing new words or singing Anyone at any age or in any physical condition can
Viggo Mortensen
achieve a degree of success and satisfaction with horses even if it is just a question of touching them being near them If horses could talk what would they be sayingYou will know if you listen and watch them Is there a unique trait you look for in a horse that you canrsquot find in peopleThey are more patient and less apt to complain about lifersquos setbacks and physical ailments than most people I admire a tough smart horse what-ever its breed age or size What would you miss most if you could no longer go ridingThe companionship and the floating perhaps also the abandonment of usual daily worries that relaxed riding requires Whatrsquos your usual riding outfit consist ofAnything will do Loose-fitting clothes and good comfortable boots are a plus but not vital I have even ridden barefoot ndash naturally taking care to avoid being stepped on when not on the horse - but I do not recommend this to anyone The most important thing is to have a clear and focused mind to be THERE at all times when around horses and NOWHERE ELSE Sugar lumps or carrotsIrsquove been guilty of offering an occasional apple or carrot although it is best not to give horses anything special unless treats are part of training them for special tricks or stunts a pursuit best left to experts like master horse trainer Rex Peterson whom Irsquove had the good fortune to work with and study quite a bit Treats spoil horses and do not keep the animal focused on the task at hand Whatrsquos your favourite part of a horseThe brain What do you think young people gain from ridingSelf-confidence and an understanding of the value of cooperation
30
Why the long face
When did you first develop the bond with the horseThe first time I got on one as a little boy in ArgentinaYou either develop a bond of some kind or you fall off Of course you may even fall off if you develop the bond but you have to start (and restart) somewhere
Did your friends ride My brothers also rode and I have ridden with many kinds of people over the years ndash some good and patient with horses and some not If I had not rid-den as a boy I would probably have been wandering around fishing imagining I was a cowboy or an Indian or a Viking ndash which I did anyway Where in the world would you most like to rideMost anywhere will do but I have been extremely lucky to have ridden in many wide-open wild places ndash deserts grassy plains mountains by different seas and rivers in Argentina New Zealand North Africa and North America If you could spend one afternoon riding with a famous person (past or present)who would it be and whyIrsquoll give you 3 Oglala chief Tasunke Witko (Crazy Horse) my ancestor William F Cody or any real Gaucho from the province of Chaco Argentina
Two horses go out for dinner what kindof restaurant do they chooseLate spring grass near a slow-moving clean river with a gentle firm shoreline an hour before sun-down far from any people or other animals All time favourite horse filmI have a subjective soft spot for the stories and real horses involved in the making of ldquoHidalgordquo and the 2nd and 3rd installments of ldquoThe Lord Of The Ringsrdquo trilogy but I admire other ldquohorse moviesrdquo as wellThe 1953 French movie ldquoCrin-Blancrdquo (ldquoWhite Manerdquo) directed by Albert Lamorisse is a personal favourite
After three years at the head of the successful French Jumping team with back to back FEI Nations Cuptrade titles and a silver medal at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade Laurent Elias is moving on to new spheres with the French Horse amp Riding Institute where he will be training the riders of the National Riding School in Saumur
Laurent Elias
copy C
hris
toph
e Br
icot
32
The other side of
If I had not become a professional rider I would havehellipmade a career in a humanitarian organisation Horse riding is sometimes too trivial
My priority in life ishellipto be able to look at myself in the mirror in the morning and make sure I am at peace with my conscience
My familyhellipkeeps me grounded My wife helped me a lot when I was in charge of selections for France She took charge of my personal life and was the first person I called when we got the medal in Lexington I also admire my parents for the values they passed on to me
I remember my first ridingexperiencehellipaged six we were shooting a family film and I was on horseback I finished upside down under my horse for a long time I stopped riding for one year
I used to dream abouthellipsafaris One of my uncles was passionate about safaris Through him I became very interested in African trips and the jobs that allow you to travel as a reporter were fascinating to me as well
I have been thinking a lot abouthellipwhat happened in Japan these past few months First this tsunami that devastated everything without warning then the nuclear disaster It made me think that progress should not be destructive
My horse Gueacutenourhellipchanged my life I was just a coach and he brought me to the top I won the national championship in 1981 with him
My biggest challengehas always beenhellipshyness Horse riding has really helped me over-come it Horses brought me on stage and there I had to meet people
As a Chef dEquipehellipthere is no single defining achievement itrsquos all about the solidarity and the moments spent together as a team Irsquoll never forget the first time Penelope Leprevost rode her mare Jubileacutee drsquoOuilly in the FEI Nations Cuptrade of Rotterdam McLain Ward had just completed a real fast run with Sapphire We thought the Americans would win but she did it faster and beat Sapphire
In terms of eventshellipAachen is my favourite competition - for its won-derful organisation But we have also pretty good five star competitions in France
I donrsquot sleep muchhellipprobably because I am just happy to be alive
Irsquom not scared to laugh or cryhellipI laugh at the funny situations we sometimes find ourselves in life and enjoy people with quirky personalities I cry when I see others in pain
Laurent Elias and the French team en route to the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade copy PSV-Jean Morel
33FOCUS
Nicolas TheacutevenazAged 23 studies Robotics and Autonomous Systems Micro Engineering in Lausanne (SUI) alongside regular training and competition in Dressage and Para-Equestrian Dressage events Born with spastic diplegia Nicolas was introduced to horses via hippotherapy aged seven and quickly developed a passion for riding which not only helped with his physical condition but also taught him through Dressage the art of patience and perseverance
34
One day
Nicolas TheacutevenazAged 23 studies Robotics and Autonomous Systems Micro Engineering in Lausanne (SUI) alongside regular training and competition in Dressage and Para-Equestrian Dressage events Born with spastic diplegia Nicolas was introduced to horses via hippotherapy aged seven and quickly developed a passion for riding which not only helped with his physical condition but also taught him through Dressage the art of patience and perseverance
He has been fortunate to meet the right people (and horses) at the right time and has been working for the past five years with trainer Vicky-Eileen Baumann (pictured right) and her horses Magic and Lady (pictured right) ldquoShersquos bred them and knows them inside out which is very useful when I have to communicate with them - they know my voice intonations and a whole string of specific words or sounds ndash which really helps as my body canrsquot or doesnrsquot always have the strength to do sordquo
As a Grade II Para-Equestrian rider Nicolas competes in Para-Equestrian Dressage (PED) events as well as national events for able bodied riders as there are only a handful of PED riders and no events in Switzerland
Unable to attend the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade 2010 in Kentucky last year Nicolas and Vicky have their sights firmly set on the 2012 Para-lympic Games and will be looking to qualify with Lady over the next 12 months ndash alongside exams studies and everything else life has to offerhellip Who is your role model For different reasons I have different role mod-els Edward Gal Dane Rawlins Isabel Werth and Catherine Haddad
When did you start riding and why At age 7 I was sat on a horse for hippotherapy and liked the complicity with the horse which made me want to discover more
How do you feel when you ride Concentrated and industrious
Who is your biggest fan My trainerrsquos mum
Complete this sentenceOne day I would like tohellip have gained enough knowledge to be able to take care of and train my own horse
What are your long term goals as a rider Continue to do my best to enjoy what I do and show others itrsquos possible
How do you juggle studies and competition I think itrsquos really important to have goals and to do everything you can to achieve them and that includes taking on challenges because if you donrsquot try then yoursquoll never know what you could have achieved
What is your proudest achievement to date Participation in international events together with pursuing my studies
How do you feel after winning Still working towards discovering the feeling
What is the best advice anyone has ever given youMy trainer often repeats to me the famous saying by General LrsquoHotte ldquoCalme en avant droitrdquo which says so much about riding but can also be applied to so many other aspects of life
35FOCUS
What advice would you give someone looking to get involved in Para-Equestrian Dressage Train and ride with able-bodied athletes as often as possible Being around and working with horses is so rewarding Irsquod like - when Irsquom retired - to write a book to share these feelings with others and hope this will inspire them to get involved
Complete this sentenceIn the future I would like the sport to beeven ldquocleanerrdquo and fairer and if possible not more but less demanding on the horses
ldquoLast but not least Irsquod like to take the opportunity of this article to reach out to those who give me their trust and help be it with their time their friendship and any type of support Day after day to year after year team work is essential and Irsquoll do my best to continue deserving every-onersquos encouraging smilesrdquo
European Broadcasting Union
Union Europeacuteenne de Radio-Teacuteleacutevision
+41 (0)22 717 2111 wwweurovisionnet
We bring the event to your home
Eurovision
copy K
it H
ough
ton
FE
I
FEI_08_A4indd 1 03012008 162238
European Broadcasting Union
Union Europeacuteenne de Radio-Teacuteleacutevision
+41 (0)22 717 2111 wwweurovisionnet
We bring the event to your home
Eurovision
copy K
it H
ough
ton
FE
I
FEI_08_A4indd 1 03012008 162238
Nominations for the FEI Awards opened in May enabling the global equestrian com-munity to once again reward outstanding dedication to horse sport in five categories ndash Development Best Groom Against All Odds Rising Star and Best Athlete The search for the equestrian heroes of 2011 is now on who will be flown to Rio de Janeiro Brazil to receive their awards
Where are they now The FEI asked the current title-holders for an update on their activities
Follow us on
38
FEI Awards 2011
Ebony Horse Club (GBR)Winner of the Alltech FEI DevelopmentAward 2010
The Ebony Horse Club announced in December 2010 that after an eight-year fundraising effort it had the pound14 million necessary for building an equestrian cen-tre in one of Londonrsquos most deprived boroughs Since 1996 Ebony has offered youngsters in an area reput-ed for its gang culture high level of gun crime and drug dealing the chance to ride and learn key social skills The clubrsquos 50 members travel to riding schools across London on public transport or in minibuses ndash a logistical headache that the inner-city equestrian centre will end Construction work began in February
Ebony Horse Club founder and director Ros Spear-ing told the FEI ldquoRiding lessons are continuing and the club is preparing for the transitionrdquo Building will finish on 7 July but the centre will open for riding lessons in October ldquoThe horses will be brought to Brixton in the summer and will have time to acclimatise to their new environmentrdquo Spearing said The centre will include stabling for nine horses a small paddock and a flood-lit riding arena as well as a classroom for learning about horses and equine management Spearing is adamant that club members ndash present and future ndash care for their rides and wants the centre to serve as a stepping stone to careers in the horse industry
Ebonyrsquos existence will continue to depend on the generosity of donors For more information visit wwwebonyhorsecluborguk
Michelle Tipper (GBR)Winner of the FEI Best Groom Award 2010
Michelle Tipper has continued to juggle grooming and study since receiving her FEI Award in Novem-ber She has organised the grooms for the British European Junior and Young Dressage teams and in April her contract as a travelling groom for British Dressage riders Paul and Bobby Hayler took her to Addington for the first of many international com-petitions she will work at this year The Haylers have eight horses competing and the number she works with at each venue varies Tipper has also been help-ing British Dressage riders Nicky and Richard Barrett with yard duties ldquoI feel very lucky to work for both of these familiesrdquo said the FEI Best Groom Award win-ner adding that she feels part of the two families In March Tipper graduated from university with a Masters in Sport Psychology She is now working towards British Association of Sport and Exercise Science accreditation which requires at least 500 hoursrsquo supervised work experience and is present-ing sport psychology workshops in conjunction with the company Inside Performance Consulting Limit-ed (wwwinside-performancecom) The workshops are organised internationally for people of all ages from any sport To find out more contact Tipper at michelletipper1979yahoocom
39FOCUS
Michelle Tipper ndash copyWilliam TzengAward winners ndash copyWilliam TzengCaroline Roffman ndash copySharonPackercomEbony Horse Club ndash copyEbony Horse ClubEdward Gal and Totilas ndash copyKit HoughtonFEIAngelika Trabert ndash copyJulia Rau
Angelika Trabert (GER)Winner of the FEI Against All Odds Award 2010
German Para-Dressage rider Angelika Trabert has represent-ed her country at four Paralympic Games and won some 15 medals at national European and world championships She is currently seeking a new home for Londria the mare that con-tributed to her Team Silver medal win at the Hong Kong Para-lympics Londria who had a foal last year was also Trabertrsquos ride during her medal-winning performances at the European Championships in Hungary (2005) and Norway (2009)
Trabert said her decision to let go of Londria was hard to make but was necessary for financial reasons She will keep the foal Finaud Coquin and her mares Walmorel and Ariva-Avanti Trabert won the Para-Dressage Grade 2 Freestyle Champion-ship at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade with Ariva and said the horse was ldquowell and ready to go for the Europeans again in Belgium in September if we qualifyrdquo Trabert competed in her first international competition of 2011 in May in Man-nheim Germany where she came first in the Grade II indi-vidual and second in the freestyle She is taking part in the German Championships in June
Away from the equestrian world Trabert works as an anaes-thetist and has participated in medical missions in the rural ar-eas of Guinea for the organisation Mango In January she was back in Guinea as part of team that carried out 100 operations in 13 days wwwangelika-trabertde
Visit the recently refreshed FEI Awards website to find out more about the Awards the pastwinners the judges and to make yournominationsby 31 July
wwwfeiawardsorg
40
Caroline Roffman (USA)Winner of the HSBC FEI Rising StarAward 2010
Success continues to smile on twenty-two-year-old American Dressage rider Caroline Roffman Since re-ceiving the HSBC FEI Rising Star Award she has en-joyed numerous wins at small tour and young horse levels achieving scores in the mid-eighties and quali-fying two horses for the young horse championships
Roffman is currently showing six horses and has won several classes at PSG and Grand Prix level ldquoBut nothing is as exciting as to be going to Aachenrdquo said the young woman who has been described as the American Dressage communityrsquos brightest hope ex-plaining that at the FEI Awards ceremony in Chinese Taipei Frank Kemperman FEI Dressage Committee Chair and Chairman of the Managing Board at CHIO Aachen (GER) invited her to take part in the pres-tigious event Roffman will be the first American to compete in the Under 25 Grand Prix there and is hop-ing to take her horse Lux Stensvang
An interview with Caroline Roffman at the Palm Beach Dressage Derby CDI will be broadcast on the magazine programme Equestrian World on FEI TV the FEIrsquos official online video platform wwwfeitvorg
Edward Gal and Totilas (NED)Winners of the Reem Acra FEI Best Athlete Award 2010
The world-famous partnership of Dutch Dressage rider Edward Gal and the extraordinary Totilas ended in style in 2010 with notably three gold medal wins at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade
The first foal sired by the superstar stallion was born in January followed by two more in the spring Gal who has admired the foals told the FEI ldquoYou never know ndash maybe in a few yearsrsquo time Irsquoll have another Totilas readyrdquo At the beginning of April he was busy at home training nine horses and preparing for the Reem Acra FEI World Cuptrade Dressage Final in Leipzig and the European Championships in Rotterdam He had not yet decided which horses he was going to compete with but was particularly looking forward to the Freestyle to Music Asked what it was like to compete without Totilas Gal said ldquoEverybody ex-pected Totilas to win I find it easier to ride other horses because nobody expects me to win and when I do itrsquos really nicerdquo
41FOCUS
globetrotter
Seal of approval for the Adai horseSixty years have passed since an Adai horse reportedly set a record galloping 354km in one day Today the Adai horse a breed na-tive to Kazakhstan is back in the spotlight with a gold medal at the FEI Central Asian Endurance Championship in Talgaearlier in May only months after having been award-ed official pedigree status following tests
conducted by a State Commission in the Mangistau Steppes which allowed itto compete internationally The horses are cherished for their hardiness and Oyly ridden by Altyngali Bissemaganbetov (KAZ) proved just that when crossing the finishing line first demonstrating just how tough the Adai horses are and the beginning of a new era for sturdy breed on the international stage
Equestrian Australia Sport
Achievement Awards
In May the best of the best in
Equestrian sport gathered to cel-
ebrate the achievements of Austral-
iarsquos athletes coaches officials vets
administrators owners volunteers
and the many other people that
dedicate their time and enthusiasm
to equestrian sport The ceremony
also included the introduction of
Equestrian Australiarsquos Hall of
Fame won by the legendary Bill
Roycroft Boyd Exell winner of
the FEI World CupTM Driving
Final was awarded the interna-
tional athlete of the year
award
Kevin Stautbecomes first athlete representative on FEI
executive board
Kevin Staut one of Francersquos most successful Jumping riders became the first athlete to be appointed to the FEI Executive Board for a three-year term Staut (31) who has held the number one spot in the Rolex Rankings for Jumping since July 2010 has ridden on numerous Nations Cup teams for France and claimed individual gold at the Alltech FEI European Jumping Championships in 2009
HulA CARTSWorld Horse Welfare has greatly helped the liv
es of
five Senegalese cart horse owners by presenting them
with new Hula Carts The local people who depend on
their working horses for their livelihoods were specially
selected by the charity to receive the carts which have
been sponsored by members of the public in the uK
The Hula Carts are specifically developed to help the
horses pulling heavy loads in often difficult conditions
Equestrian Australia Sport
Achievement Awards
In May the best of the best in
Equestrian sport gathered to cel-
ebrate the achievements of Austral-
iarsquos athletes coaches officials vets
administrators owners volunteers
and the many other people that
dedicate their time and enthusiasm
to equestrian sport The ceremony
also included the introduction of
Equestrian Australiarsquos Hall of
Fame won by the legendary Bill
Roycroft Boyd Exell winner of
the FEI World CupTM Driving
Final was awarded the interna-
tional athlete of the year
award
Olympic legendBill Roycroft passes away aged 96
A legend of Equestrian sport in Australia James William
George Roycroft OBE known as ldquoBillrdquo was one of Austral-
iarsquos greatest Olympians and one of only five Australians to
have competed in five consecutive Olympic Games (from
1960 - 1976) as well as being Australiarsquos oldest medallist
and oldest competitor at 61 years and 31 days In May 2011
Bill was inducted in Equestrian Australiarsquos inaugural Hall
of Fame ndash he was Australiarsquos oldest living Olympian and
shared his dedication and enthusiasm for the sport with
his sons Barry Wayne and Clarke (See a brief description
of his exploits in the 1960 Olympic Games Memory Lane
article page 9 which catapulted Australiarsquos reputation as
one of the best Eventing teams in the world)
webinfofeiFEI web wizard Nicole Sigrist has added a new hub for the Press on wwwfeiorg called FEI Press Kits located in the Media section of the website The Press Kits zone which is also open to the general public is regularly updated with infor-mation relating to FEI series and specific events with flip books and downloadable PDFs as well as direct links to the Photo Catalogue the Rankings and Standings the Annual Report and more
100thanniversary for Finnish riding club
One of the three found-ing member clubs of
the Finnish Equestrian Federation the Suomen
Kenttaumlratsastusseura-Finska Faumlltrittklubbenon celebrates
its 100th anniversary in 2011 Magnus Rydman former President of the Finnish National Federation and Presi-dent of the FEI from 1935 ndash 1946 was one of the founders of the club Another of the founders of the oldest club in Fin-land was the Eventing rider Colonel Hans Olof von Essen whose fifth place at the Antwerpen Olympic Games re-mains the best Olympic equestrian result the country has ever achieved
Follow us on
43FOCUS
Interview with the President of the Brazilian Equestrian Federation Mr Luiz Roberto Giugni
The Brazilian Equestrian Federation has been a member Federation of the FEI for 75 years how has the sport developed over that time We were facing regular growth (average of 25 in the last decade) but in the last three to four years this rate has significantly increased up to 35 a year We believe that this is due to international achievements (two Jumping Olympic team bronze medals the individual Olympic Jumping gold medal won by Rodrigo Pessoa several Pan Am Jumping team gold medals recent Olympic pre-qualification in Kentucky (4th in the world in Jumping) and the organisations of a Global Champions Tour event in Brazil
In terms of developing the sport what are the most successful projects you have undertaken in recent yearsWe decided to invest in education and have hired international trainers for all the disciplines such as Jean Maurice Bonneau for Jumping Nick Turner for Eventing Eric Lette for Dressage Jean Louis Leclerc for Endurance Mattias Lang for Vaulting with the long term in mind that is at least until the end of 2012 and planning towards 2016 when Rio will host the Olympic Games
How popular is equestrian sport with young people in Brazil and how do you compete with some of the bigger sports for their attention Popularization is growing bit by bit in a country
decidedly dominated by soccer ndash being 5 times World Champion makes it a national passion But we are continuously looking to attract TV to our events as this is a huge step towards gaining visibility and popularity Can you tell us about the programmesinitiatives in place for disabled athletes We are actively pursuing this and have achieved really positive results in little time such as the great performances and medals earned at the Para-lympic Games in Hong Kong in 2008 We do this through clinics courses international exchanges of athletes and working alongside our National Paralympic Committee to support us in our efforts
Brazil will be host the FEI General Assembly at the end of the year what do you want all the visiting delegates to remember from their visit That we are more than just a really beautiful and warm country with the ability and capacity to organise great events and that we are committed to putting on the best Olympic Games ever
What are the main objectivesplans for the Brazilian Federation in the lead up to the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games Our NOC is really committed to raising the bar of all the sports to a level never seen before and we are working towards that in terms of our athletes our judges our venues and everything that is related to our sport and the quality of our sport In line with this objective we are providing incen-tives to owners to buy good horses aiming for 2016 and this is going to plan for now We expect to perform well at the upcoming Pan Am Games and Olympics on our trail to 2016
Is there anything else you would like to share with us I would like to thank HRH Princess Haya President of the FEI as well as the Executive Board for all the support that we are getting which has been paramount to the development of equestrian sport in our country
44
President Luiz Roberto GiugniSecretary General Luiz Antonio RoccoMember since 1935
15 members of staff work at the federation
20 regional federations are affiliated tothe Brazilian Equestrian Federation with over 300 member riding clubs
6 000 affiliated riders
91 national events were held in 2010
31 international events were held in 2010
All the FEI disciplines are practiced in BrazilJumping Dressage Eventing Vaulting Reining EnduranceDriving amp Para-Equestrian
14 breeding organisations
There are 58 million horses and ponies in Brazilmaking it the fourth largest equine population in the world
FAC
TS amp
FIG
URE
S
45FOCUS
Dr Gerit Matthesen56 is a private equine practitioner an FEI Vet and a member of the FEI Veterinary Committee He graduated in Veterinary Medicine from Berlin University in 1983 and since 1989 has worked or officiated at some 180 competitions and championships including the last two Olympics and FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade He lives near Frankfurt with his wife Carola and their sons Mike (16) and Lars (14)
46
A life in a day
Dr Gerit Matthesen56 is a private equine practitioner an FEI Vet and a member of the FEI Veterinary Committee He graduated in Veterinary Medicine from Berlin University in 1983 and since 1989 has worked or officiated at some 180 competitions and championships including the last two Olympics and FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade He lives near Frankfurt with his wife Carola and their sons Mike (16) and Lars (14)
I wake up earlier than I need to ndash at around 6am ndash because breakfast time with my family is sacred to me and I can then drive my boys to the village station to take the train to school After two cups of coffee (enough for the day) and a glass of orange juice I read the newspapers then head to my prac-tice offices in our indoor arena I have a quick look at our horses then start work
While I listen to my phone messages I deal with my emails and search the internet for news about veterinary medicine and horse sport I then start planning the dayacutes schedule with Anna my assistant vet
My mobile practice is in a nice fairly rural area in the north of Frankfurt There are lots of horse farms but it is not a classic breeding area like the northern part of Germany There are sport horses as well as pleasure horses I have examination rooms and stables for horses staying or mares foaling in my practice stables Itrsquos not a big clinic which gives me time to work at competitions
After seeing a few small animals in my practice I normally start my field service at 930am In my car I have enough equipment (ultrasound X-ray systems and endoscopical devices) for the dayrsquos examinations and standing procedures We mainly have lameness examinations to do or internal diseases to treat accompanied by routine work like vaccinations or carrying out pre-purchase or health certificate examinations If time allows I go home for a quick lunch but thatrsquos not every day
While Irsquom driving I have time to think and I write down everything that come to mind regarding sport competitions committees and so on You have to write down your thoughts when yoursquore over the age of 50
It is not easy planning my day because any emer-gency can destroy or delay my schedule For all the paperwork and certificates I need a time frame so
I often do that over quiet weekends when there are no competitions During the winter season I am less busy but in summer a lot of weekends are taken over by the competition schedule
I love my work especially in Eventing which is my favourite discipline My wife and I practiced it ndash not up to top level but it was a fine time despite a bro-ken ankle from a fall in 1988 which after 23 years is making walking more and more difficult for me
I like to do my competition work on a friendly but strict basis and I really like to hear riders saying they are treated fairly Over the years I have acquired a lot of experience and met all the officials and riders
Usually when I return home in the late afternoon there are more small animals to see When Irsquove done the dayrsquos paperwork I hope there will be no more emergencies such as cases of colic which usually occur in the early evening
I look forward to getting on my horse which is a beautiful show-jumper I like to ride but Irsquove stopped competing I do dressage jumping and go out into the fields but itrsquos all just for fun now
The day finishes with the family and a nice cold glass of German beer
Itrsquos a struggle to find time to spend with my family and I often have to cancel my holidays with them I am really grateful to my wife and the boys for their understanding of my job and to my assistant vet who covers for me when Iacutem out somewhere in the world of equestrian sport
ldquoThe combination of my profession and beinginvolved in differentaspects of top equestrian sport is my visionrdquo
47FOCUS
Pull your show attire from the closet clean your boots and tack groom the horses hook up and pack the trailer check the clock double check to make sure you have everything put on the shipping boots load your horses and away you drive to the competition venue or to the airport for transport to a distant event
You know the drill well but still you arrive tired per-haps even a bit frazzled Yoursquoll sleep (or try to) the next several nights in an unfamiliar bed or camp out in the living quarters of your trailer You awaken riveted on the competition playing out the dayrsquos classes in your mind wondering how your rides will fare against oth-ers praying that the weather will be cooperate and trying to control your nerves all the while knowing that no matter how well you have prepared many factors are out of your control You may even be in a different time zone
We go through a lot to compete our horses But if you think life on the road is stressful for you think about what itrsquos like for your horses Your back may be a bit sore from driving or being strapped into an airplane seat for hours on end but for horses transportation is far more demanding It is an athletic endeavour re-quiring an expenditure of energy to maintain balance during the constant movement of transport When your horses arrive they face social isolation from stablemates lack of security in novel environments altered training regimes water that tastes strange and the confines of an unfamiliar stall This routine impacts a horsersquos health and well being with effects
continuing long after the journey is over During transport toxic gases (such as ammonia or carbon monoxide) can cause damage to the lung epithelium precipitating respiratory disease The
final destination itself can also cause problems Usually horses are transported to environments where they will be mixing with other horses The mixing of horses from different environments with different infectious organisms and under stressful conditions further precipitates susceptibility to disease
This can have a severe impact on the equine gut The stress of transportation is known to increase gut ulceration in the horse a painful condition reducing performance and causing colic-like symptoms Stress can also slow the flow of digesta and alter the normal gut flora resulting in digestive upset and possibly diarrhoea or colic
The effects of travel stress on the gut are compounded by the typical diet of the regular equine traveller To maintain athletic ability high performance horses are often fed energy-charged diets contain-ing increased levels of starchy materials such as cereal grains Unfortunately this type of diet can reduce beneficial types of gut flora and promote gut acidity further predisposing the horse to digestive upsets and ulceration It is not surprising that stressed tired horses may not fulfill their potential on arrival
Feeding to reduce stress for the equine traveller
By Darlene RickerExecutive editor of Alltechrsquos EQUINE INTERNATIONAL magazine
48
Alltech Tips
growth of opportunistic Salmonella spp which are present in the intestinal tract of many healthy horses These bacteria then attach to the gut lining via a mannan sugar and penetrate it causing damage and resulting in diarrhoea One method of prevent-ing or minimising the attachment of these organ-
isms to the gut lining is to provide an adsorbant supplement A form of sugar found in the cell walls of certain yeasts can do this This sugar compound is called man-nan oligosaccharide or MOS MOS products such as Alltechrsquos Bio-Mosreg have been shown to re-duce the colonization of Salmonella
spp in the guts of certain species and augment the immune response to Salmonella spp potentially conferring an enhanced ability to fight infection Both Yea-Saccreg 1026 and Bio-Mos are among the natural products contained in Alltechrsquos LIFEFORCETM equine supplement which many FEI competitors have successfully incorporated into their daily feeding regimen at home and on the road
lifeforcehorsecom
and may be subject to health concerns in the days following a long journey Fortunately however you can curb some of the effects of travel stress on the horsersquos gut by nutritional supplementation Organic yeast products used to supplement a horsersquos diet can support the normal gut flora modifying the intesti-nal environment and improving the horsersquos digestion One such culture is Saccharomyces cerevisae in the form of Yea-Saccreg 1026 Alltechrsquos propriety organic yeast
Experiments were conducted to evaluate the effects Yea-Sacc on gut flora and gut acidity Horses were fed either a high-starch or a high-fibre diet both with and without supplementation of Yea-Saccreg 1026 Results indicated an excessive amount of starch in the gut The use of Yea-Sacc reduced acidity and stimulat-ed the activity of fibre-digesting bacteria in the hind-gut for both types of diet The result was maximised fibre digestibility and more efficient use of nutrients thus increasing the amount of energy available to the horse for performance and counteracting digestive upset Salmonellosis is one of the more commonly di-agnosed infectious causes of diarrhoea in horses Many cases develop after the stress of transport The effects of travel stress on the normal gut flora allow an over-
Moorlands Totilas arrives for the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade after air transport copy Dirk Caremans
HRH The Infanta Dontildea Pilar de Borboacuten former President of the FEI (1994-2006) also attended the inauguration along-side HRH Princess Lalla Amina Chairperson of the Royal Moroccan Federation for Equestrian Sports and member of the international Advisory Council of Special OlympicsThey were joined by International Olympic Commit-tee members representatives from other Interna-tional Federations federal and local Swiss authorities as well as architects and designers that worked on the project Switzerlandrsquos Martin Fuchs a member of the gold medal winning team at the inaugural Youth Olympic Games in Singapore last year accompanied FEI President Princess Haya in officially opening the FEI headquarters
ldquoThe building we are inaugurating today has been designed to serve our wonderful sportrdquo explained FEI
President Princess Haya ldquoI also feel an immense
sense of pride knowing that this building carries the name
of my late father and hope that this serves as a constant reminder
to all of us who work at the FEI of a unique statesman whose entire soul was devoted to the service of his people Our new headquarters will play a key role for the FEI and our National Federa-tions over the coming years It will be the environ-ment in which important discussions take place and fundamental decisions are taken as we continue our mission to advance the orderly growth of equestrian sport worldwide while ensuring that the welfare of the horse and a level playing field remain at the centre of all that we dordquo
FEI celebratesNEW Headquarters
Over 250 guests attended the inauguration ceremony on Friday 6 May at HM King Hussein I Building which was timed to coincide with the FEI
Extraordinary General Assembly so that attending NationalFederation representatives
could be a part ofthe celebrations
1 Youth Olympic Games team champion Martin Fuchs (SUI) FEI President HRH Princess Haya and her daughter HH Sheikha Al Jalila officially open the FEIrsquos new home 2 Gilbert Felli IOC Olympic Games Executive Director and FEI Secretary General Ingmar de Vos 3 HRH The Infanta Dontildea Pilar de Borboacuten sits down to an interactive quiz in the FEI Gallery 4 Guests gathered in the atrium of the FEI HeadquartersAll images copy Hugues SiegenthalerFEI
Highlights available on50
1
2
3 4
5
6 7
8
THE GALLERy
As well as housing offices for its 62 employees and conference facilities for its 133 National Federations the new headquarters also has a state-of-the-art in-teractive gallery showcasing equestrian sport
The Gallery is the brainchild of Dr Amichai Alper-ovich historian former Secretary General of the Is-raeli Equestrian Federation and curator of the Israeli Olympic Museum (opened in 2009) He worked hand in hand with the Tel Aviv based company Disk-In Pro and interior designer Oded Alony to help bring the content to life and the result is truly unique and ground breaking Giant glass surfaces act as interac-tive interfaces for the visitors to travel through time
The FEIrsquos new headquarters which were donated to the Federation by FEI Presi-dent HRH Princess Haya in 2007 fol-lowing a personal fundraising effort are conveniently located close to the Inter-national Olympic Committee and other international sports federations It has been written into the FEI Statutes that the new FEI headquarters building will always house the Federationrsquos offices In 2008 the building was thoroughly renovated in accordance with the Swiss MINERGIEreg construction standard for environmental responsibility which re-duces energy consumption by 25 per cent Only two per cent of renovated buildings in Switzerland meet the high Minergie standards Khuan Chew founder and design princi-pal of London-based architectural firm KCA International Ltd worked in close collaboration with Swiss-based architect Herveacute de Rham and interior designer Sia-vosh Adeli (SUI) to transform the build-ing which was built in the 1960s The modern and sleek interior was further enhanced with bespoke artworks pro-duced by Swiss creative agency b+g amp partners and imagery by world-famous equestrian art photographer Tim Flach where the simplicity and beauty of his equine subjects seamlessly embrace and accentuate the buildingrsquos pure lines and natural materials (see image left)
As they feasted on the innate beauty of their sur-roundings the guests also had the privilege to ex-perience the culinary talents of organic chef and specialist Gilles Wannaz and his team based in the town of Cully which sits on the edge of Lac Leman in Switzerlandrsquos famous Lavaux wine growing region
5 HRH Princess Haya welcomes the guests to the Inauguration of the HQ and the 90 year celebration of the FEI 6 Artwork by renowned pho-tographer Tim Flach 7 An organic and colourful buffet presented on an authentic lawn by local chef Gilles Wannaz 8 A life size horse sculpture by Christophe Dumont greeted the guests upon their arrival
53FOCUS
and space with the latest in touch technology revis-iting the history of the FEI the equestrian events at Olympic amp Paralympic Games the FEI World Eques-trian Gamestrade and information on all of the member National Federations with statistics videos images and text The Gallery also includes projections on ar-chitectural surfaces designed by Oded Alony referred to as the Origami as well as interactive stations and unique video projections on glass screens
For all those wishing to visit the FEI Gallery simply contact the FEI HQ to make an appointment and we would be delighted to take you on a journey to dis-cover or rediscover the human and equine athletes whose talents have marked equestrian history and inspired young riders drivers and vaulters around the world
Interview withDrAmichaiAlperovich
When did you first dream up the FEIInteractive Gallery When I found out the FEI was planning to move into new HQ in 2009 Disk-In Pro and I approached the FEI and presented them with several concepts for the space Before long we had agreed on the concept and we got to work
Why were you compelled to make it become a reality So that the FEI a prominent sports organisation could present itself to a growing audience in a new and visionary way with the latest technology And by doing so the FEI is a pioneer becoming the first International Federation to have a Gallery of this kind
What did you learn when researching and gathering content for the gallery I have learned a lot about the history of the FEI the strong Olympic tradition the diversity of disciplines the gender equality and the unique bond between horse and man One of the more fascinating topics was the evolution of the Dressage from itsrsquo Olympic debut to the modern Freestyle
Itrsquos very innovative technology what inspired you to take such a leap into the future with such a traditional sport Just as Dressage has evolved over the years and alongside the introduction of new disciplines partic-ularly Para-Equestrian you come to realise that the FEI is not as traditional as one would think Actually this kind of innovative presentation of equestrian history is really well suited to the FEI In the same way that you can have horse-man connections there is an audience-technology connection in the Gallery The audience have to be active in order to enjoy the depth of information the Gallery contains
54
Now it is time to open the door to new places to learn about sport ndash at the heart of sporting organi-sations themselves The Gallery is more than an informative tool it brings people to the sport andto the heart of its operations
Established in 1990 Disk-In Pro specialises in the planning design production and implementation of Museums Visitor Centres and sophisticated projects around the world This includes multi screen produc-tion animation 3D amp interactive films state-of-the-art software platforms and complex video displays for an unforgettable experience
Oded Alony holds a BA in Design from the Interior Design Section of the Holon Technological Institute and has since 1998 worked with Israelrsquos leading Architecture firms The Oded Alony Studio embraces holistic design a space where interior design lighting and graphics are brought together to create a harmo-nious project vision
Now that you have seen it unveiled to the public how would you like to see it evolve I hope the audience will be amazed from the design by architect Oded Alony and the new methods to deliver information whilst discovering the long his-tory of the FEI the diversity and the global reach of the organisation I hope the Gallery will become an icon in Lausanne and one of its highlights for visitors I promise the visitors a new platform to learn about equestrianism and each visit could be different as the information and themes will be updated and modi-fied regularly
This futuristic gallery is a first for anInternational Federation do you think thisis something all sports should invest inThe FEI took this courageous decision and now has this fantastic tool to present the organisation in new ways Sport is a huge cultural phenomenaWe have learned to consume sport in the arenas and stadiums in the press media and new media
Dr Amichai Alperovich
55FOCUS
SOCIAL MEDIAthe new frontier
Follow us on
The FEI has recently embarked on and embraced a whole new way of talking with the greater equestrian community through the ever expanding social media networks and platformsWith personalised Facebook Twitter and You Tube pages the FEI is taking it step by step and reaching out to this growing audience and listening to what they have to say
This new communication platform is by no means a substitution of the traditional communication path-ways but works alongside the press releases various publications and content on wwwfeiorg and wwwfeitvorg providing a new arena where the FEI can share interact and dialogue with fans of the sport and of equestrian values in general
We talk to Richard Johnson Director of Corporate Communications about the FEIrsquos commitment to social media
What compelled the FEI to venture onto the social media scene As a governing body with a vibrant and active com-munity of National Federations as well as thousands of fans the need to reach out to the online social community has never been stronger We have been watching the communities grow online for some time and have been listening to their conversations so being a part of it was the next logical step and a really important one The conversations will hap-pen with or without us so taking that step has been crucial in order to share our values and also build re-lationships with our fan base
Tradition meets modernity ndash does equestrian sportthe FEI have a place in social media Absolutely even though equestrian sport has a long history and is perceived as a traditional sport it is
always evolving In the 90 years of the FEI which was founded to govern the three Olympic disciplines it has grown to also oversee the disciplines of Driving Endurance Vaulting Reining and Para-Equestrian sport Or if you look at the early days when competi-tors were from military backgrounds and when wom-en did not compete alongside men to the complete gender equality we have today ndash a lot has changed and is in a constant state of change
The fans of equestrian sport are like any other fan base web savvy and eager for more information behind the scenes content and to share their opin-ions and thoughts ndash so it is an ideal partnership And from what we have seen these last few months and from the feedback we got from our blog at the Youth Olympic Games there is a real appetite for this
The FEI has dedicated Facebook Twitter and You Tube pages ndash why did you select these social media platforms The figures speak for themselveshellip Facebook Twit-ter and You Tube are the biggest players in the social networking space With over 500 million Facebook users 106 million Tweeters and 2 billion views a day on You Tube there has never been so much oppor-tunity for exposure Every site has different demo-graphics with different habits and needs so by having an FEI presence on these three networks we are able to cover a lot of ground and cater to different audi-ences by providing different types of content accord-ing to the platform
What are the main benefits of having a pres-ence on various social media platforms Itrsquos all about having a two way conversation ndash the benefits of dialogue where you can share content such as videos images facts and figures thoughts and values and then allow your fan base to react to get involved and to listen and learn from them By engaging with our audience and showing them that we are a modern and caring organisation and that we want to hear what they have to say then we are able to build trust and ultimately credibility in what we do and what we say
57FOCUS
TV
The offi cial video website of the Feacutedeacuteration Equestre Internationale
wwwfeitvorg
WATCH LIVE WATCH ONLINE
FEI TV is the FEIrsquos new offi cial video website and your ticket to the worldrsquos most prestigious competitions Sign-up to FEI TV (wwwfeitvorg) and get instant access to all the live broadcasts the extensive video-on-demand library all the highlights the behind the scenes reports the interviews and so much more Be at the heart of horsesport Join us
2823_1FEI_TV_Focus_165x226indd 1 170510 1124
It also keeps us alert as to what is being discussed and debated in the public sphere so that we can manage situations more effectively and be proactive in our messaging and information so that the facts are at the heart of the debate and not interpretations of them
How do you generate content for social media It was important when we launched our social me-dia presence that it be manageable with the exist-ing communications team in place ndash and so we have concentrated on keeping it simple and effective and using content innovatively Itrsquos not about reproduc-ing our website ndash but to engage with our fans and so often all you need is a good picture an interest-ing fact or great achievement to get the ball rolling For You Tube as we already have so much content generated from FEI TV it was simply a question of using bits and pieces from that content to provide the public with teasers from events interviews with winning riders or behind the scenes content which they can then follow up on FEI TV with a subscription
What are your Social media goals Itrsquos really to build relationships and dialogue with our fan base by using our content innovatively by listening to what they have to say and by engaging with the community And for the National Federa-tions that have yet to take that step we want to be a guiding hand that can help them get started so that they too can reap the benefits of social media net-working Our sport competes against other sports for attention so itrsquos really important that we the FEI and the National Federations keep our finger on the pulse and cater to our fans
How can National Federations get involved NFs wishing to find out more about Social Media can contact me (richardjohnsonfeiorg) and I would be more than happy to discuss opportunities and ways of getting started as well as our experience at the FEI
We asked our Facebook followers why it was important to use face-book and here are a few comments they came up with
bullItrsquos a great way to find out about shows and competitions
bullBecause facebook can provide up to the minute updates as to the what is going on in the horse community
bullWe can share information and ideas over long distances We can find and connect with people we wouldnt be able to otherwise
bullIt also lets us express the true realities of our spot to keep us grounded
bullIt can bring peoples attention to excellence ndash and expose the issues
58
TV
The offi cial video website of the Feacutedeacuteration Equestre Internationale
wwwfeitvorg
WATCH LIVE WATCH ONLINE
FEI TV is the FEIrsquos new offi cial video website and your ticket to the worldrsquos most prestigious competitions Sign-up to FEI TV (wwwfeitvorg) and get instant access to all the live broadcasts the extensive video-on-demand library all the highlights the behind the scenes reports the interviews and so much more Be at the heart of horsesport Join us
2823_1FEI_TV_Focus_165x226indd 1 170510 1124
ldquo Donrsquot accept drinks from a strangerrdquo
Armchair travel journalist
Are you living a life without boundaries Some well-meant advice is best ignored but itrsquos still good to know yoursquore covered when yoursquore away With HSBC Premier your family can be protected with both Travel Insurance and dedicated assistance when yoursquore abroad Which is reassuring to know when yoursquore making the most of life
HSBC Premier is subject to financial eligibility criteria and is available in over 40 countries and territories
Premier Travel Insurance covers you and your partner up to age 70 and your children travelling with you up to age 18
wwwhsbcpremiercom
A4 A4
Issued by HSBC Holdings plc Approved for use in UK by HSBC Bank plc Premier Travel Insurance is provided by Aviva Insurance UK Limited Customer Information Service PO Box 757 Hemel Hempstead Hertfordshire HP2 4SS Registered in England number 14259 Registered Office 8 Canada Square London E14 5HQ AC18770
201736_6000263_Coconut_226x165indd
Master 226x165
Rob Swainson 160211
HSBC - Coconuts Proof 01Head of Art TypographerDesigner ArtCreative Director Copywriter Account DirectorDIC Project ManagerPhotographer Illustrator Usage Model(s) Name(s) Usage
Media MediaStock Image Time Period Time Period
Territory Territory
8deg N ndash Kerala South India
The 14th edition of the FEI European Endurance Championships return to Florac in France twenty five years after the inaugural event was held there The FEI European Endurance Championships first took place in 1984 and were immediately followed up by a second edition in 1985 and have since been held every two years They have always been open to the world with two sets of medals presented ndash open and European
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERSTeam ndash SpainIndividual ndash Maria Alvarez Ponton amp Nobby
RECORD BREAKINGCurrent title holder Maria Alvarez Ponton amp super horse Nobby is the first rider to hold European and World titles at the same time She will be looking to confirm her stronghold on the sport following her second consecutive World title with a second con-secutive European title in Florac a feat no rider has managed to achieve at the Europeans to date
THE VET GATEModern competitions consist of a number of sec-tions known as lsquophasesrsquo At the end of each phase there is a compulsory halt for veterinary inspection Each horse which is thoroughly examined before it is allowed to start the ride must be presented for inspection within a set time of reaching each vetgate The time spent at each vetgate prior to inspection by the vets is counted as part of the overall competition time and the aim is to determine whether the horse is fit to continue the ride
THE SUPPORT CREWA vital part of Endurance riding is the support crew Riders are assisted by a team of helpers who meet them several times over the ride bringing bottles of water to pour over the horse to cool it down as well as a drink for the rider Crews also have spare equipment in case something breaks down or needs replacing
Believe it or nothellip
bull TheFrenchhavethemedaledgewith6 individualand4teamgoldmedalsfrom the14editionsheld
bull Floracistheonlyvenuetohostthe EuropeanChampionshipstwice(thefirst editionin1984andtheupcomingedition in2011)
bull EnduranceisthefastestgrowingFEI disciplinefrom2000to2010thenumber ofinternationaleventshavemultipliedby10
10 September 2011
Florac France
FeI eUroPeaN
eNDUraNCeChaMPIoNshIPs
24
Reem Acra Boutique 14 East 60th St New York New York 10022 2123088760 wwwreemacracom
356935B2_RA_brochure2_souvenir_programmeindd 1 82710 1012 AM
Vaulting became an FEI discipline in 1983 and saw its first FEI European Championship organised just one year later in the town of Ebreichsdorf in Austria This 15th edition of the Championship ndash which also includes the European Juniors competition return to France for the 4th time but for the first time in the world renowned venue of Le Mans famous for its 24 hour race
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERS
Team ndash Austria
Individual malelongeurhorseNicolas Andreani (FRA)Marina Joosten DuponIdefix de Braize
Individual femalelongeurhorseJoanna Eccles (GBR)John EcclesWH Bentley
THE WIND OF CHANGEGermany and Switzerland have traditionally bat-tled for the team title (Germany has 7 gold versus Switzerlandrsquos 5) but in 2009 Austria who had come second on four occasions since the inception of the Championships in 1984 finally climbed onto the top spot of the podium and claimed the title In terms of the individual performances Germany had the stronghold on the male category winning 11 out of 14 gold medals But again in 2009 France the only other country to have ever beaten a German male vaulter at the Europeans made it to the top spot of the podium for only the third time since the Championships began
Similarly with the female vaulters it was an all German domination until 2007 when Austriarsquos Sissi Jarz claimed gold followed by Joanna Eccles (GBR) in 2009 ndash leaving Germany off the top step of the podium entirely in 2009
GREAT BRITAIN ndash A VAULTING NATIONhellip Times have definitely changed from the Swiss German domination with current World and European titles held by Great Britainrsquos Joanna Eccles She was the first British vaulter (male or female) to claim a medal at the Europeans ndash let alone a gold medal - and then went on to secure the world title in Kentucky last year
Believe it or nothellip
bull TheonlycountryotherthanGermanyand SwitzerlandtohaveclaimedaEuropean VaultingtitleisSlovakiain2005
bull ChristophLensing(GER)holdsthemale medalrecordndashwiththreegold(19891993 amp1995)aswellassilverin1991
bull NadiaZuumllowandSilkeMichelberger (formerlyBernhard)withthreegoldmedals each
16-21 August 2011
Le Mans France
FeI eUroPeaN
VaULtINGChaMPIoNshIPs
26
This is only the fifth edition of the European Reining Championships since the discipline joined the FEI in 2000 and the first time they will be held in Austria The event also includes the FEI European Champi-onships for Juniors and Young Riders ndash a formula introduced in 2009 in Kreuth (GER) which proved to be a multigenerational success The FEI European Reining Championships take place every two years and have been held since 2003
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERSTeam ndash GermanyIndividual ndash Nina Lill (GER) riding Lena Cielo Jewel
THE JUDGINGReining horses are judged individually Each horse au-tomatically begins the required pattern with a score of 70 One or frac12 points are given or taken away for each manoeuvre Credit is given for smoothness fi-nesse attitude quickness and authority Controlled speed in the pattern raises the level of difficulty and makes the reining horse exciting to watch
Believe it or nothellip
bull ItalyandGermanyaretheonlytwonations tohavewongoldmedalsndashGermanyhas3 teamgoldand2individualgoldversus Italyrsquossingleteamgoldandtwoindividual gold
bull GermanyrsquosNinaLillwinnerin2009was thefirstwomantotaketheindividualtitle sincetheChampionshipsbeganin2003
bull OlympicWorldandEuropeanDressage ChampionAnkyVanGrunsven(NED) competedattheAlltechFEIWorldEques- trianGamestradein2010inbothDressageand hellipReining
bull 13nationswerescheduledtoattendthe Championshipatthetimeofwritingthe largestparticipationbycountryever recordedfortheEuropeans
26-30 July 2011
Wiener Neustadt Austria
FeI eUroPeaN
reININGChaMPIoNshIPs
27FOCUS
ldquoThirty-one yearsrsquo experience comes in handy some-timesrdquo joked the ever-relaxed Todd who was a leg-end by the time he ldquoretiredrdquo in 2000 with back-to-back Olympic golds five Burghley wins two world gold medals and three Badminton victories one on a horse he had never ridden before ldquoIt is incredibly special though right up there with the back-to-back Olympic golds When I came back to the sport (in 2008) it was to see if I could get back to top level It has always been my aim to win another big onerdquo
A World class meeting of Generations
The 2011 HSBC FEI Classicstrade could not have got off to a more epic start with wins at Badminton and Kentucky by two of the sportrsquos most enduring personalitiesThe 55-year-old New Zealander Mark Todd rolled back the years to score a fourth victory at the Gloucestershire venue 31 years after his first attempt in 1980
By Kate Green
28
HSBC FEI ClassicsTm
The resurgence of so much experienced talent makes it harder for younger riders to work their way up the leaderboard but 29-year-old Sinead Halpin (USA) had a spectacular CCI4 debut at Kentucky finish-ing third and best of the home side in distinguished company This achievement earned her the HSBC Training Bursary worth US$1000 towards training a prestigious and valuable award presented to the rider who achieves the best result on completing a CCI4 for the first time
The bursary winner at Badminton Fiona Hobby (GBR) 39 has had a rather longer wait to complete
her first CCI4 ndash she was 26th on Roma ML ndash but she has in the meantime produced two children had a career as a sports therapist and only switched from Jumping to Eventing relatively recently Hobby has vowed to spend the money on dressage train-ing ldquoRoma couldnrsquot believe it when she arrived in the arena and saw all those people but she was great across country really focussed Irsquom delightedrdquo
For Germanyrsquos Sandra Auffarth Luhmuumlhlen pro-vided an outstanding CCI4 debut on Opgun Louvo a young horse she has produced herself coming second and picking up the HSBC Training Bursary and the exciting prospect of a possible place in the squad for the forthcoming HSBC FEI European Event-ing Championship at Luhmuumlhlen (25-28 August) at which Germany as host nation will be entitled to field 12 riders
Last yearrsquos HSBC Training Bursary winners include Stephanie Rhodes-Bosch (CAN) who went on to win a team silver medal at the Alltech FEI World Equestri-an Gamestrade Lauren Shannon (GBR) who finished 17th at Badminton this year and Giovanni Ugolotti (ITA) who is furthering his career by basing himself in Brit-ain for the season and having lessons with Mark Todd
LIVE coverage and extensive highlights available on
Toddrsquos winning mount the 10-year-old NZB Land Vision was a green horse for this level and he fin-ished the Cross-Country phase tired but his rider kept his cool in an extraordinarily tight finish in which the price of one Jumping fence covered the top 12 riders any of whom could with a bit of luck have won the Mitsubishi Motors Trophy ldquoIn the end it came down to horse-power and Irsquove obviously got a good one hererdquo said Todd ldquoCharisma (his double Olympic gold medallist) will always be the most special horse but this one has no weak linksrdquo
As is the nature of the sport Toddrsquos lead in the HSBC FEI Classicstrade didnrsquot last long ndash he came down to earth with a bump the following weekend with a Cross-Country run-out on NZB Grass Valley his ride at the Rolex Kentucky Three Day Event (USA) and 49- year-old Mary King (GBR) stole the head-lines with a record one-two on Kings Mis-tress and Fernhill Urco It was Kingrsquos first CCI4 victory for 11 years ndash she has won Badminton twice and Burghley once ndash but she certainly smashed a few re-cords with this one She became the first rider to score a one-two at Kentucky the first in modern times to win a CCI4 on a home-bred horse and the oldest female to win a CCI4
King who has six team gold medals at World and European level plus competed at five consecutive Olympics had the luxury of knowing she had already won the event on the inexperienced 10-year-old Fernhill Urco a horse bred in Portugal by the time she entered the arena on Kings Mistress but she still produced a second clear round ldquoI never dreamed that I would be in this position and Irsquom enjoying the momentrdquo said the ever-smiling King ldquoIt was great to have the feeling of having already won on Fernhill Urco but I still wanted desperately to go clear on Kings Mistress as it is so special to win on a horse I bred myselfrdquo It was also an all clear from Germanyrsquos Andreas Dibowski and Euroriding Butts Leon in order to secure victory at the fourth leg of the HSBC FEItrade
Classicstrade in Luhmuumlhlen presented by EON Avacon
29FOCUS
The Danish-American actorpoet musician photographerand painter has been around horses most of his life from riding Hasufel and Brego in The Lord of the Rings trilogy to early childhood memories in Argentina his passion for floating as he describes it has never wavered
What is it about the horse that makes you a horse loverWe get along generally I respect their strength and their personal space Your first riding experience ndash was it bliss or terrorLike floating like being on a warm and floating mountain I remember being happy Do you think anyone can rideYes It is a question of allowing yourself to ride of allowing yourself to cooperate and not be in total control Children are more adept at figuring this out letting things happen without getting impatient or scared just as they are braver and less self-conscious about pronouncing new words or singing Anyone at any age or in any physical condition can
Viggo Mortensen
achieve a degree of success and satisfaction with horses even if it is just a question of touching them being near them If horses could talk what would they be sayingYou will know if you listen and watch them Is there a unique trait you look for in a horse that you canrsquot find in peopleThey are more patient and less apt to complain about lifersquos setbacks and physical ailments than most people I admire a tough smart horse what-ever its breed age or size What would you miss most if you could no longer go ridingThe companionship and the floating perhaps also the abandonment of usual daily worries that relaxed riding requires Whatrsquos your usual riding outfit consist ofAnything will do Loose-fitting clothes and good comfortable boots are a plus but not vital I have even ridden barefoot ndash naturally taking care to avoid being stepped on when not on the horse - but I do not recommend this to anyone The most important thing is to have a clear and focused mind to be THERE at all times when around horses and NOWHERE ELSE Sugar lumps or carrotsIrsquove been guilty of offering an occasional apple or carrot although it is best not to give horses anything special unless treats are part of training them for special tricks or stunts a pursuit best left to experts like master horse trainer Rex Peterson whom Irsquove had the good fortune to work with and study quite a bit Treats spoil horses and do not keep the animal focused on the task at hand Whatrsquos your favourite part of a horseThe brain What do you think young people gain from ridingSelf-confidence and an understanding of the value of cooperation
30
Why the long face
When did you first develop the bond with the horseThe first time I got on one as a little boy in ArgentinaYou either develop a bond of some kind or you fall off Of course you may even fall off if you develop the bond but you have to start (and restart) somewhere
Did your friends ride My brothers also rode and I have ridden with many kinds of people over the years ndash some good and patient with horses and some not If I had not rid-den as a boy I would probably have been wandering around fishing imagining I was a cowboy or an Indian or a Viking ndash which I did anyway Where in the world would you most like to rideMost anywhere will do but I have been extremely lucky to have ridden in many wide-open wild places ndash deserts grassy plains mountains by different seas and rivers in Argentina New Zealand North Africa and North America If you could spend one afternoon riding with a famous person (past or present)who would it be and whyIrsquoll give you 3 Oglala chief Tasunke Witko (Crazy Horse) my ancestor William F Cody or any real Gaucho from the province of Chaco Argentina
Two horses go out for dinner what kindof restaurant do they chooseLate spring grass near a slow-moving clean river with a gentle firm shoreline an hour before sun-down far from any people or other animals All time favourite horse filmI have a subjective soft spot for the stories and real horses involved in the making of ldquoHidalgordquo and the 2nd and 3rd installments of ldquoThe Lord Of The Ringsrdquo trilogy but I admire other ldquohorse moviesrdquo as wellThe 1953 French movie ldquoCrin-Blancrdquo (ldquoWhite Manerdquo) directed by Albert Lamorisse is a personal favourite
After three years at the head of the successful French Jumping team with back to back FEI Nations Cuptrade titles and a silver medal at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade Laurent Elias is moving on to new spheres with the French Horse amp Riding Institute where he will be training the riders of the National Riding School in Saumur
Laurent Elias
copy C
hris
toph
e Br
icot
32
The other side of
If I had not become a professional rider I would havehellipmade a career in a humanitarian organisation Horse riding is sometimes too trivial
My priority in life ishellipto be able to look at myself in the mirror in the morning and make sure I am at peace with my conscience
My familyhellipkeeps me grounded My wife helped me a lot when I was in charge of selections for France She took charge of my personal life and was the first person I called when we got the medal in Lexington I also admire my parents for the values they passed on to me
I remember my first ridingexperiencehellipaged six we were shooting a family film and I was on horseback I finished upside down under my horse for a long time I stopped riding for one year
I used to dream abouthellipsafaris One of my uncles was passionate about safaris Through him I became very interested in African trips and the jobs that allow you to travel as a reporter were fascinating to me as well
I have been thinking a lot abouthellipwhat happened in Japan these past few months First this tsunami that devastated everything without warning then the nuclear disaster It made me think that progress should not be destructive
My horse Gueacutenourhellipchanged my life I was just a coach and he brought me to the top I won the national championship in 1981 with him
My biggest challengehas always beenhellipshyness Horse riding has really helped me over-come it Horses brought me on stage and there I had to meet people
As a Chef dEquipehellipthere is no single defining achievement itrsquos all about the solidarity and the moments spent together as a team Irsquoll never forget the first time Penelope Leprevost rode her mare Jubileacutee drsquoOuilly in the FEI Nations Cuptrade of Rotterdam McLain Ward had just completed a real fast run with Sapphire We thought the Americans would win but she did it faster and beat Sapphire
In terms of eventshellipAachen is my favourite competition - for its won-derful organisation But we have also pretty good five star competitions in France
I donrsquot sleep muchhellipprobably because I am just happy to be alive
Irsquom not scared to laugh or cryhellipI laugh at the funny situations we sometimes find ourselves in life and enjoy people with quirky personalities I cry when I see others in pain
Laurent Elias and the French team en route to the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade copy PSV-Jean Morel
33FOCUS
Nicolas TheacutevenazAged 23 studies Robotics and Autonomous Systems Micro Engineering in Lausanne (SUI) alongside regular training and competition in Dressage and Para-Equestrian Dressage events Born with spastic diplegia Nicolas was introduced to horses via hippotherapy aged seven and quickly developed a passion for riding which not only helped with his physical condition but also taught him through Dressage the art of patience and perseverance
34
One day
Nicolas TheacutevenazAged 23 studies Robotics and Autonomous Systems Micro Engineering in Lausanne (SUI) alongside regular training and competition in Dressage and Para-Equestrian Dressage events Born with spastic diplegia Nicolas was introduced to horses via hippotherapy aged seven and quickly developed a passion for riding which not only helped with his physical condition but also taught him through Dressage the art of patience and perseverance
He has been fortunate to meet the right people (and horses) at the right time and has been working for the past five years with trainer Vicky-Eileen Baumann (pictured right) and her horses Magic and Lady (pictured right) ldquoShersquos bred them and knows them inside out which is very useful when I have to communicate with them - they know my voice intonations and a whole string of specific words or sounds ndash which really helps as my body canrsquot or doesnrsquot always have the strength to do sordquo
As a Grade II Para-Equestrian rider Nicolas competes in Para-Equestrian Dressage (PED) events as well as national events for able bodied riders as there are only a handful of PED riders and no events in Switzerland
Unable to attend the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade 2010 in Kentucky last year Nicolas and Vicky have their sights firmly set on the 2012 Para-lympic Games and will be looking to qualify with Lady over the next 12 months ndash alongside exams studies and everything else life has to offerhellip Who is your role model For different reasons I have different role mod-els Edward Gal Dane Rawlins Isabel Werth and Catherine Haddad
When did you start riding and why At age 7 I was sat on a horse for hippotherapy and liked the complicity with the horse which made me want to discover more
How do you feel when you ride Concentrated and industrious
Who is your biggest fan My trainerrsquos mum
Complete this sentenceOne day I would like tohellip have gained enough knowledge to be able to take care of and train my own horse
What are your long term goals as a rider Continue to do my best to enjoy what I do and show others itrsquos possible
How do you juggle studies and competition I think itrsquos really important to have goals and to do everything you can to achieve them and that includes taking on challenges because if you donrsquot try then yoursquoll never know what you could have achieved
What is your proudest achievement to date Participation in international events together with pursuing my studies
How do you feel after winning Still working towards discovering the feeling
What is the best advice anyone has ever given youMy trainer often repeats to me the famous saying by General LrsquoHotte ldquoCalme en avant droitrdquo which says so much about riding but can also be applied to so many other aspects of life
35FOCUS
What advice would you give someone looking to get involved in Para-Equestrian Dressage Train and ride with able-bodied athletes as often as possible Being around and working with horses is so rewarding Irsquod like - when Irsquom retired - to write a book to share these feelings with others and hope this will inspire them to get involved
Complete this sentenceIn the future I would like the sport to beeven ldquocleanerrdquo and fairer and if possible not more but less demanding on the horses
ldquoLast but not least Irsquod like to take the opportunity of this article to reach out to those who give me their trust and help be it with their time their friendship and any type of support Day after day to year after year team work is essential and Irsquoll do my best to continue deserving every-onersquos encouraging smilesrdquo
European Broadcasting Union
Union Europeacuteenne de Radio-Teacuteleacutevision
+41 (0)22 717 2111 wwweurovisionnet
We bring the event to your home
Eurovision
copy K
it H
ough
ton
FE
I
FEI_08_A4indd 1 03012008 162238
European Broadcasting Union
Union Europeacuteenne de Radio-Teacuteleacutevision
+41 (0)22 717 2111 wwweurovisionnet
We bring the event to your home
Eurovision
copy K
it H
ough
ton
FE
I
FEI_08_A4indd 1 03012008 162238
Nominations for the FEI Awards opened in May enabling the global equestrian com-munity to once again reward outstanding dedication to horse sport in five categories ndash Development Best Groom Against All Odds Rising Star and Best Athlete The search for the equestrian heroes of 2011 is now on who will be flown to Rio de Janeiro Brazil to receive their awards
Where are they now The FEI asked the current title-holders for an update on their activities
Follow us on
38
FEI Awards 2011
Ebony Horse Club (GBR)Winner of the Alltech FEI DevelopmentAward 2010
The Ebony Horse Club announced in December 2010 that after an eight-year fundraising effort it had the pound14 million necessary for building an equestrian cen-tre in one of Londonrsquos most deprived boroughs Since 1996 Ebony has offered youngsters in an area reput-ed for its gang culture high level of gun crime and drug dealing the chance to ride and learn key social skills The clubrsquos 50 members travel to riding schools across London on public transport or in minibuses ndash a logistical headache that the inner-city equestrian centre will end Construction work began in February
Ebony Horse Club founder and director Ros Spear-ing told the FEI ldquoRiding lessons are continuing and the club is preparing for the transitionrdquo Building will finish on 7 July but the centre will open for riding lessons in October ldquoThe horses will be brought to Brixton in the summer and will have time to acclimatise to their new environmentrdquo Spearing said The centre will include stabling for nine horses a small paddock and a flood-lit riding arena as well as a classroom for learning about horses and equine management Spearing is adamant that club members ndash present and future ndash care for their rides and wants the centre to serve as a stepping stone to careers in the horse industry
Ebonyrsquos existence will continue to depend on the generosity of donors For more information visit wwwebonyhorsecluborguk
Michelle Tipper (GBR)Winner of the FEI Best Groom Award 2010
Michelle Tipper has continued to juggle grooming and study since receiving her FEI Award in Novem-ber She has organised the grooms for the British European Junior and Young Dressage teams and in April her contract as a travelling groom for British Dressage riders Paul and Bobby Hayler took her to Addington for the first of many international com-petitions she will work at this year The Haylers have eight horses competing and the number she works with at each venue varies Tipper has also been help-ing British Dressage riders Nicky and Richard Barrett with yard duties ldquoI feel very lucky to work for both of these familiesrdquo said the FEI Best Groom Award win-ner adding that she feels part of the two families In March Tipper graduated from university with a Masters in Sport Psychology She is now working towards British Association of Sport and Exercise Science accreditation which requires at least 500 hoursrsquo supervised work experience and is present-ing sport psychology workshops in conjunction with the company Inside Performance Consulting Limit-ed (wwwinside-performancecom) The workshops are organised internationally for people of all ages from any sport To find out more contact Tipper at michelletipper1979yahoocom
39FOCUS
Michelle Tipper ndash copyWilliam TzengAward winners ndash copyWilliam TzengCaroline Roffman ndash copySharonPackercomEbony Horse Club ndash copyEbony Horse ClubEdward Gal and Totilas ndash copyKit HoughtonFEIAngelika Trabert ndash copyJulia Rau
Angelika Trabert (GER)Winner of the FEI Against All Odds Award 2010
German Para-Dressage rider Angelika Trabert has represent-ed her country at four Paralympic Games and won some 15 medals at national European and world championships She is currently seeking a new home for Londria the mare that con-tributed to her Team Silver medal win at the Hong Kong Para-lympics Londria who had a foal last year was also Trabertrsquos ride during her medal-winning performances at the European Championships in Hungary (2005) and Norway (2009)
Trabert said her decision to let go of Londria was hard to make but was necessary for financial reasons She will keep the foal Finaud Coquin and her mares Walmorel and Ariva-Avanti Trabert won the Para-Dressage Grade 2 Freestyle Champion-ship at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade with Ariva and said the horse was ldquowell and ready to go for the Europeans again in Belgium in September if we qualifyrdquo Trabert competed in her first international competition of 2011 in May in Man-nheim Germany where she came first in the Grade II indi-vidual and second in the freestyle She is taking part in the German Championships in June
Away from the equestrian world Trabert works as an anaes-thetist and has participated in medical missions in the rural ar-eas of Guinea for the organisation Mango In January she was back in Guinea as part of team that carried out 100 operations in 13 days wwwangelika-trabertde
Visit the recently refreshed FEI Awards website to find out more about the Awards the pastwinners the judges and to make yournominationsby 31 July
wwwfeiawardsorg
40
Caroline Roffman (USA)Winner of the HSBC FEI Rising StarAward 2010
Success continues to smile on twenty-two-year-old American Dressage rider Caroline Roffman Since re-ceiving the HSBC FEI Rising Star Award she has en-joyed numerous wins at small tour and young horse levels achieving scores in the mid-eighties and quali-fying two horses for the young horse championships
Roffman is currently showing six horses and has won several classes at PSG and Grand Prix level ldquoBut nothing is as exciting as to be going to Aachenrdquo said the young woman who has been described as the American Dressage communityrsquos brightest hope ex-plaining that at the FEI Awards ceremony in Chinese Taipei Frank Kemperman FEI Dressage Committee Chair and Chairman of the Managing Board at CHIO Aachen (GER) invited her to take part in the pres-tigious event Roffman will be the first American to compete in the Under 25 Grand Prix there and is hop-ing to take her horse Lux Stensvang
An interview with Caroline Roffman at the Palm Beach Dressage Derby CDI will be broadcast on the magazine programme Equestrian World on FEI TV the FEIrsquos official online video platform wwwfeitvorg
Edward Gal and Totilas (NED)Winners of the Reem Acra FEI Best Athlete Award 2010
The world-famous partnership of Dutch Dressage rider Edward Gal and the extraordinary Totilas ended in style in 2010 with notably three gold medal wins at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade
The first foal sired by the superstar stallion was born in January followed by two more in the spring Gal who has admired the foals told the FEI ldquoYou never know ndash maybe in a few yearsrsquo time Irsquoll have another Totilas readyrdquo At the beginning of April he was busy at home training nine horses and preparing for the Reem Acra FEI World Cuptrade Dressage Final in Leipzig and the European Championships in Rotterdam He had not yet decided which horses he was going to compete with but was particularly looking forward to the Freestyle to Music Asked what it was like to compete without Totilas Gal said ldquoEverybody ex-pected Totilas to win I find it easier to ride other horses because nobody expects me to win and when I do itrsquos really nicerdquo
41FOCUS
globetrotter
Seal of approval for the Adai horseSixty years have passed since an Adai horse reportedly set a record galloping 354km in one day Today the Adai horse a breed na-tive to Kazakhstan is back in the spotlight with a gold medal at the FEI Central Asian Endurance Championship in Talgaearlier in May only months after having been award-ed official pedigree status following tests
conducted by a State Commission in the Mangistau Steppes which allowed itto compete internationally The horses are cherished for their hardiness and Oyly ridden by Altyngali Bissemaganbetov (KAZ) proved just that when crossing the finishing line first demonstrating just how tough the Adai horses are and the beginning of a new era for sturdy breed on the international stage
Equestrian Australia Sport
Achievement Awards
In May the best of the best in
Equestrian sport gathered to cel-
ebrate the achievements of Austral-
iarsquos athletes coaches officials vets
administrators owners volunteers
and the many other people that
dedicate their time and enthusiasm
to equestrian sport The ceremony
also included the introduction of
Equestrian Australiarsquos Hall of
Fame won by the legendary Bill
Roycroft Boyd Exell winner of
the FEI World CupTM Driving
Final was awarded the interna-
tional athlete of the year
award
Kevin Stautbecomes first athlete representative on FEI
executive board
Kevin Staut one of Francersquos most successful Jumping riders became the first athlete to be appointed to the FEI Executive Board for a three-year term Staut (31) who has held the number one spot in the Rolex Rankings for Jumping since July 2010 has ridden on numerous Nations Cup teams for France and claimed individual gold at the Alltech FEI European Jumping Championships in 2009
HulA CARTSWorld Horse Welfare has greatly helped the liv
es of
five Senegalese cart horse owners by presenting them
with new Hula Carts The local people who depend on
their working horses for their livelihoods were specially
selected by the charity to receive the carts which have
been sponsored by members of the public in the uK
The Hula Carts are specifically developed to help the
horses pulling heavy loads in often difficult conditions
Equestrian Australia Sport
Achievement Awards
In May the best of the best in
Equestrian sport gathered to cel-
ebrate the achievements of Austral-
iarsquos athletes coaches officials vets
administrators owners volunteers
and the many other people that
dedicate their time and enthusiasm
to equestrian sport The ceremony
also included the introduction of
Equestrian Australiarsquos Hall of
Fame won by the legendary Bill
Roycroft Boyd Exell winner of
the FEI World CupTM Driving
Final was awarded the interna-
tional athlete of the year
award
Olympic legendBill Roycroft passes away aged 96
A legend of Equestrian sport in Australia James William
George Roycroft OBE known as ldquoBillrdquo was one of Austral-
iarsquos greatest Olympians and one of only five Australians to
have competed in five consecutive Olympic Games (from
1960 - 1976) as well as being Australiarsquos oldest medallist
and oldest competitor at 61 years and 31 days In May 2011
Bill was inducted in Equestrian Australiarsquos inaugural Hall
of Fame ndash he was Australiarsquos oldest living Olympian and
shared his dedication and enthusiasm for the sport with
his sons Barry Wayne and Clarke (See a brief description
of his exploits in the 1960 Olympic Games Memory Lane
article page 9 which catapulted Australiarsquos reputation as
one of the best Eventing teams in the world)
webinfofeiFEI web wizard Nicole Sigrist has added a new hub for the Press on wwwfeiorg called FEI Press Kits located in the Media section of the website The Press Kits zone which is also open to the general public is regularly updated with infor-mation relating to FEI series and specific events with flip books and downloadable PDFs as well as direct links to the Photo Catalogue the Rankings and Standings the Annual Report and more
100thanniversary for Finnish riding club
One of the three found-ing member clubs of
the Finnish Equestrian Federation the Suomen
Kenttaumlratsastusseura-Finska Faumlltrittklubbenon celebrates
its 100th anniversary in 2011 Magnus Rydman former President of the Finnish National Federation and Presi-dent of the FEI from 1935 ndash 1946 was one of the founders of the club Another of the founders of the oldest club in Fin-land was the Eventing rider Colonel Hans Olof von Essen whose fifth place at the Antwerpen Olympic Games re-mains the best Olympic equestrian result the country has ever achieved
Follow us on
43FOCUS
Interview with the President of the Brazilian Equestrian Federation Mr Luiz Roberto Giugni
The Brazilian Equestrian Federation has been a member Federation of the FEI for 75 years how has the sport developed over that time We were facing regular growth (average of 25 in the last decade) but in the last three to four years this rate has significantly increased up to 35 a year We believe that this is due to international achievements (two Jumping Olympic team bronze medals the individual Olympic Jumping gold medal won by Rodrigo Pessoa several Pan Am Jumping team gold medals recent Olympic pre-qualification in Kentucky (4th in the world in Jumping) and the organisations of a Global Champions Tour event in Brazil
In terms of developing the sport what are the most successful projects you have undertaken in recent yearsWe decided to invest in education and have hired international trainers for all the disciplines such as Jean Maurice Bonneau for Jumping Nick Turner for Eventing Eric Lette for Dressage Jean Louis Leclerc for Endurance Mattias Lang for Vaulting with the long term in mind that is at least until the end of 2012 and planning towards 2016 when Rio will host the Olympic Games
How popular is equestrian sport with young people in Brazil and how do you compete with some of the bigger sports for their attention Popularization is growing bit by bit in a country
decidedly dominated by soccer ndash being 5 times World Champion makes it a national passion But we are continuously looking to attract TV to our events as this is a huge step towards gaining visibility and popularity Can you tell us about the programmesinitiatives in place for disabled athletes We are actively pursuing this and have achieved really positive results in little time such as the great performances and medals earned at the Para-lympic Games in Hong Kong in 2008 We do this through clinics courses international exchanges of athletes and working alongside our National Paralympic Committee to support us in our efforts
Brazil will be host the FEI General Assembly at the end of the year what do you want all the visiting delegates to remember from their visit That we are more than just a really beautiful and warm country with the ability and capacity to organise great events and that we are committed to putting on the best Olympic Games ever
What are the main objectivesplans for the Brazilian Federation in the lead up to the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games Our NOC is really committed to raising the bar of all the sports to a level never seen before and we are working towards that in terms of our athletes our judges our venues and everything that is related to our sport and the quality of our sport In line with this objective we are providing incen-tives to owners to buy good horses aiming for 2016 and this is going to plan for now We expect to perform well at the upcoming Pan Am Games and Olympics on our trail to 2016
Is there anything else you would like to share with us I would like to thank HRH Princess Haya President of the FEI as well as the Executive Board for all the support that we are getting which has been paramount to the development of equestrian sport in our country
44
President Luiz Roberto GiugniSecretary General Luiz Antonio RoccoMember since 1935
15 members of staff work at the federation
20 regional federations are affiliated tothe Brazilian Equestrian Federation with over 300 member riding clubs
6 000 affiliated riders
91 national events were held in 2010
31 international events were held in 2010
All the FEI disciplines are practiced in BrazilJumping Dressage Eventing Vaulting Reining EnduranceDriving amp Para-Equestrian
14 breeding organisations
There are 58 million horses and ponies in Brazilmaking it the fourth largest equine population in the world
FAC
TS amp
FIG
URE
S
45FOCUS
Dr Gerit Matthesen56 is a private equine practitioner an FEI Vet and a member of the FEI Veterinary Committee He graduated in Veterinary Medicine from Berlin University in 1983 and since 1989 has worked or officiated at some 180 competitions and championships including the last two Olympics and FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade He lives near Frankfurt with his wife Carola and their sons Mike (16) and Lars (14)
46
A life in a day
Dr Gerit Matthesen56 is a private equine practitioner an FEI Vet and a member of the FEI Veterinary Committee He graduated in Veterinary Medicine from Berlin University in 1983 and since 1989 has worked or officiated at some 180 competitions and championships including the last two Olympics and FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade He lives near Frankfurt with his wife Carola and their sons Mike (16) and Lars (14)
I wake up earlier than I need to ndash at around 6am ndash because breakfast time with my family is sacred to me and I can then drive my boys to the village station to take the train to school After two cups of coffee (enough for the day) and a glass of orange juice I read the newspapers then head to my prac-tice offices in our indoor arena I have a quick look at our horses then start work
While I listen to my phone messages I deal with my emails and search the internet for news about veterinary medicine and horse sport I then start planning the dayacutes schedule with Anna my assistant vet
My mobile practice is in a nice fairly rural area in the north of Frankfurt There are lots of horse farms but it is not a classic breeding area like the northern part of Germany There are sport horses as well as pleasure horses I have examination rooms and stables for horses staying or mares foaling in my practice stables Itrsquos not a big clinic which gives me time to work at competitions
After seeing a few small animals in my practice I normally start my field service at 930am In my car I have enough equipment (ultrasound X-ray systems and endoscopical devices) for the dayrsquos examinations and standing procedures We mainly have lameness examinations to do or internal diseases to treat accompanied by routine work like vaccinations or carrying out pre-purchase or health certificate examinations If time allows I go home for a quick lunch but thatrsquos not every day
While Irsquom driving I have time to think and I write down everything that come to mind regarding sport competitions committees and so on You have to write down your thoughts when yoursquore over the age of 50
It is not easy planning my day because any emer-gency can destroy or delay my schedule For all the paperwork and certificates I need a time frame so
I often do that over quiet weekends when there are no competitions During the winter season I am less busy but in summer a lot of weekends are taken over by the competition schedule
I love my work especially in Eventing which is my favourite discipline My wife and I practiced it ndash not up to top level but it was a fine time despite a bro-ken ankle from a fall in 1988 which after 23 years is making walking more and more difficult for me
I like to do my competition work on a friendly but strict basis and I really like to hear riders saying they are treated fairly Over the years I have acquired a lot of experience and met all the officials and riders
Usually when I return home in the late afternoon there are more small animals to see When Irsquove done the dayrsquos paperwork I hope there will be no more emergencies such as cases of colic which usually occur in the early evening
I look forward to getting on my horse which is a beautiful show-jumper I like to ride but Irsquove stopped competing I do dressage jumping and go out into the fields but itrsquos all just for fun now
The day finishes with the family and a nice cold glass of German beer
Itrsquos a struggle to find time to spend with my family and I often have to cancel my holidays with them I am really grateful to my wife and the boys for their understanding of my job and to my assistant vet who covers for me when Iacutem out somewhere in the world of equestrian sport
ldquoThe combination of my profession and beinginvolved in differentaspects of top equestrian sport is my visionrdquo
47FOCUS
Pull your show attire from the closet clean your boots and tack groom the horses hook up and pack the trailer check the clock double check to make sure you have everything put on the shipping boots load your horses and away you drive to the competition venue or to the airport for transport to a distant event
You know the drill well but still you arrive tired per-haps even a bit frazzled Yoursquoll sleep (or try to) the next several nights in an unfamiliar bed or camp out in the living quarters of your trailer You awaken riveted on the competition playing out the dayrsquos classes in your mind wondering how your rides will fare against oth-ers praying that the weather will be cooperate and trying to control your nerves all the while knowing that no matter how well you have prepared many factors are out of your control You may even be in a different time zone
We go through a lot to compete our horses But if you think life on the road is stressful for you think about what itrsquos like for your horses Your back may be a bit sore from driving or being strapped into an airplane seat for hours on end but for horses transportation is far more demanding It is an athletic endeavour re-quiring an expenditure of energy to maintain balance during the constant movement of transport When your horses arrive they face social isolation from stablemates lack of security in novel environments altered training regimes water that tastes strange and the confines of an unfamiliar stall This routine impacts a horsersquos health and well being with effects
continuing long after the journey is over During transport toxic gases (such as ammonia or carbon monoxide) can cause damage to the lung epithelium precipitating respiratory disease The
final destination itself can also cause problems Usually horses are transported to environments where they will be mixing with other horses The mixing of horses from different environments with different infectious organisms and under stressful conditions further precipitates susceptibility to disease
This can have a severe impact on the equine gut The stress of transportation is known to increase gut ulceration in the horse a painful condition reducing performance and causing colic-like symptoms Stress can also slow the flow of digesta and alter the normal gut flora resulting in digestive upset and possibly diarrhoea or colic
The effects of travel stress on the gut are compounded by the typical diet of the regular equine traveller To maintain athletic ability high performance horses are often fed energy-charged diets contain-ing increased levels of starchy materials such as cereal grains Unfortunately this type of diet can reduce beneficial types of gut flora and promote gut acidity further predisposing the horse to digestive upsets and ulceration It is not surprising that stressed tired horses may not fulfill their potential on arrival
Feeding to reduce stress for the equine traveller
By Darlene RickerExecutive editor of Alltechrsquos EQUINE INTERNATIONAL magazine
48
Alltech Tips
growth of opportunistic Salmonella spp which are present in the intestinal tract of many healthy horses These bacteria then attach to the gut lining via a mannan sugar and penetrate it causing damage and resulting in diarrhoea One method of prevent-ing or minimising the attachment of these organ-
isms to the gut lining is to provide an adsorbant supplement A form of sugar found in the cell walls of certain yeasts can do this This sugar compound is called man-nan oligosaccharide or MOS MOS products such as Alltechrsquos Bio-Mosreg have been shown to re-duce the colonization of Salmonella
spp in the guts of certain species and augment the immune response to Salmonella spp potentially conferring an enhanced ability to fight infection Both Yea-Saccreg 1026 and Bio-Mos are among the natural products contained in Alltechrsquos LIFEFORCETM equine supplement which many FEI competitors have successfully incorporated into their daily feeding regimen at home and on the road
lifeforcehorsecom
and may be subject to health concerns in the days following a long journey Fortunately however you can curb some of the effects of travel stress on the horsersquos gut by nutritional supplementation Organic yeast products used to supplement a horsersquos diet can support the normal gut flora modifying the intesti-nal environment and improving the horsersquos digestion One such culture is Saccharomyces cerevisae in the form of Yea-Saccreg 1026 Alltechrsquos propriety organic yeast
Experiments were conducted to evaluate the effects Yea-Sacc on gut flora and gut acidity Horses were fed either a high-starch or a high-fibre diet both with and without supplementation of Yea-Saccreg 1026 Results indicated an excessive amount of starch in the gut The use of Yea-Sacc reduced acidity and stimulat-ed the activity of fibre-digesting bacteria in the hind-gut for both types of diet The result was maximised fibre digestibility and more efficient use of nutrients thus increasing the amount of energy available to the horse for performance and counteracting digestive upset Salmonellosis is one of the more commonly di-agnosed infectious causes of diarrhoea in horses Many cases develop after the stress of transport The effects of travel stress on the normal gut flora allow an over-
Moorlands Totilas arrives for the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade after air transport copy Dirk Caremans
HRH The Infanta Dontildea Pilar de Borboacuten former President of the FEI (1994-2006) also attended the inauguration along-side HRH Princess Lalla Amina Chairperson of the Royal Moroccan Federation for Equestrian Sports and member of the international Advisory Council of Special OlympicsThey were joined by International Olympic Commit-tee members representatives from other Interna-tional Federations federal and local Swiss authorities as well as architects and designers that worked on the project Switzerlandrsquos Martin Fuchs a member of the gold medal winning team at the inaugural Youth Olympic Games in Singapore last year accompanied FEI President Princess Haya in officially opening the FEI headquarters
ldquoThe building we are inaugurating today has been designed to serve our wonderful sportrdquo explained FEI
President Princess Haya ldquoI also feel an immense
sense of pride knowing that this building carries the name
of my late father and hope that this serves as a constant reminder
to all of us who work at the FEI of a unique statesman whose entire soul was devoted to the service of his people Our new headquarters will play a key role for the FEI and our National Federa-tions over the coming years It will be the environ-ment in which important discussions take place and fundamental decisions are taken as we continue our mission to advance the orderly growth of equestrian sport worldwide while ensuring that the welfare of the horse and a level playing field remain at the centre of all that we dordquo
FEI celebratesNEW Headquarters
Over 250 guests attended the inauguration ceremony on Friday 6 May at HM King Hussein I Building which was timed to coincide with the FEI
Extraordinary General Assembly so that attending NationalFederation representatives
could be a part ofthe celebrations
1 Youth Olympic Games team champion Martin Fuchs (SUI) FEI President HRH Princess Haya and her daughter HH Sheikha Al Jalila officially open the FEIrsquos new home 2 Gilbert Felli IOC Olympic Games Executive Director and FEI Secretary General Ingmar de Vos 3 HRH The Infanta Dontildea Pilar de Borboacuten sits down to an interactive quiz in the FEI Gallery 4 Guests gathered in the atrium of the FEI HeadquartersAll images copy Hugues SiegenthalerFEI
Highlights available on50
1
2
3 4
5
6 7
8
THE GALLERy
As well as housing offices for its 62 employees and conference facilities for its 133 National Federations the new headquarters also has a state-of-the-art in-teractive gallery showcasing equestrian sport
The Gallery is the brainchild of Dr Amichai Alper-ovich historian former Secretary General of the Is-raeli Equestrian Federation and curator of the Israeli Olympic Museum (opened in 2009) He worked hand in hand with the Tel Aviv based company Disk-In Pro and interior designer Oded Alony to help bring the content to life and the result is truly unique and ground breaking Giant glass surfaces act as interac-tive interfaces for the visitors to travel through time
The FEIrsquos new headquarters which were donated to the Federation by FEI Presi-dent HRH Princess Haya in 2007 fol-lowing a personal fundraising effort are conveniently located close to the Inter-national Olympic Committee and other international sports federations It has been written into the FEI Statutes that the new FEI headquarters building will always house the Federationrsquos offices In 2008 the building was thoroughly renovated in accordance with the Swiss MINERGIEreg construction standard for environmental responsibility which re-duces energy consumption by 25 per cent Only two per cent of renovated buildings in Switzerland meet the high Minergie standards Khuan Chew founder and design princi-pal of London-based architectural firm KCA International Ltd worked in close collaboration with Swiss-based architect Herveacute de Rham and interior designer Sia-vosh Adeli (SUI) to transform the build-ing which was built in the 1960s The modern and sleek interior was further enhanced with bespoke artworks pro-duced by Swiss creative agency b+g amp partners and imagery by world-famous equestrian art photographer Tim Flach where the simplicity and beauty of his equine subjects seamlessly embrace and accentuate the buildingrsquos pure lines and natural materials (see image left)
As they feasted on the innate beauty of their sur-roundings the guests also had the privilege to ex-perience the culinary talents of organic chef and specialist Gilles Wannaz and his team based in the town of Cully which sits on the edge of Lac Leman in Switzerlandrsquos famous Lavaux wine growing region
5 HRH Princess Haya welcomes the guests to the Inauguration of the HQ and the 90 year celebration of the FEI 6 Artwork by renowned pho-tographer Tim Flach 7 An organic and colourful buffet presented on an authentic lawn by local chef Gilles Wannaz 8 A life size horse sculpture by Christophe Dumont greeted the guests upon their arrival
53FOCUS
and space with the latest in touch technology revis-iting the history of the FEI the equestrian events at Olympic amp Paralympic Games the FEI World Eques-trian Gamestrade and information on all of the member National Federations with statistics videos images and text The Gallery also includes projections on ar-chitectural surfaces designed by Oded Alony referred to as the Origami as well as interactive stations and unique video projections on glass screens
For all those wishing to visit the FEI Gallery simply contact the FEI HQ to make an appointment and we would be delighted to take you on a journey to dis-cover or rediscover the human and equine athletes whose talents have marked equestrian history and inspired young riders drivers and vaulters around the world
Interview withDrAmichaiAlperovich
When did you first dream up the FEIInteractive Gallery When I found out the FEI was planning to move into new HQ in 2009 Disk-In Pro and I approached the FEI and presented them with several concepts for the space Before long we had agreed on the concept and we got to work
Why were you compelled to make it become a reality So that the FEI a prominent sports organisation could present itself to a growing audience in a new and visionary way with the latest technology And by doing so the FEI is a pioneer becoming the first International Federation to have a Gallery of this kind
What did you learn when researching and gathering content for the gallery I have learned a lot about the history of the FEI the strong Olympic tradition the diversity of disciplines the gender equality and the unique bond between horse and man One of the more fascinating topics was the evolution of the Dressage from itsrsquo Olympic debut to the modern Freestyle
Itrsquos very innovative technology what inspired you to take such a leap into the future with such a traditional sport Just as Dressage has evolved over the years and alongside the introduction of new disciplines partic-ularly Para-Equestrian you come to realise that the FEI is not as traditional as one would think Actually this kind of innovative presentation of equestrian history is really well suited to the FEI In the same way that you can have horse-man connections there is an audience-technology connection in the Gallery The audience have to be active in order to enjoy the depth of information the Gallery contains
54
Now it is time to open the door to new places to learn about sport ndash at the heart of sporting organi-sations themselves The Gallery is more than an informative tool it brings people to the sport andto the heart of its operations
Established in 1990 Disk-In Pro specialises in the planning design production and implementation of Museums Visitor Centres and sophisticated projects around the world This includes multi screen produc-tion animation 3D amp interactive films state-of-the-art software platforms and complex video displays for an unforgettable experience
Oded Alony holds a BA in Design from the Interior Design Section of the Holon Technological Institute and has since 1998 worked with Israelrsquos leading Architecture firms The Oded Alony Studio embraces holistic design a space where interior design lighting and graphics are brought together to create a harmo-nious project vision
Now that you have seen it unveiled to the public how would you like to see it evolve I hope the audience will be amazed from the design by architect Oded Alony and the new methods to deliver information whilst discovering the long his-tory of the FEI the diversity and the global reach of the organisation I hope the Gallery will become an icon in Lausanne and one of its highlights for visitors I promise the visitors a new platform to learn about equestrianism and each visit could be different as the information and themes will be updated and modi-fied regularly
This futuristic gallery is a first for anInternational Federation do you think thisis something all sports should invest inThe FEI took this courageous decision and now has this fantastic tool to present the organisation in new ways Sport is a huge cultural phenomenaWe have learned to consume sport in the arenas and stadiums in the press media and new media
Dr Amichai Alperovich
55FOCUS
SOCIAL MEDIAthe new frontier
Follow us on
The FEI has recently embarked on and embraced a whole new way of talking with the greater equestrian community through the ever expanding social media networks and platformsWith personalised Facebook Twitter and You Tube pages the FEI is taking it step by step and reaching out to this growing audience and listening to what they have to say
This new communication platform is by no means a substitution of the traditional communication path-ways but works alongside the press releases various publications and content on wwwfeiorg and wwwfeitvorg providing a new arena where the FEI can share interact and dialogue with fans of the sport and of equestrian values in general
We talk to Richard Johnson Director of Corporate Communications about the FEIrsquos commitment to social media
What compelled the FEI to venture onto the social media scene As a governing body with a vibrant and active com-munity of National Federations as well as thousands of fans the need to reach out to the online social community has never been stronger We have been watching the communities grow online for some time and have been listening to their conversations so being a part of it was the next logical step and a really important one The conversations will hap-pen with or without us so taking that step has been crucial in order to share our values and also build re-lationships with our fan base
Tradition meets modernity ndash does equestrian sportthe FEI have a place in social media Absolutely even though equestrian sport has a long history and is perceived as a traditional sport it is
always evolving In the 90 years of the FEI which was founded to govern the three Olympic disciplines it has grown to also oversee the disciplines of Driving Endurance Vaulting Reining and Para-Equestrian sport Or if you look at the early days when competi-tors were from military backgrounds and when wom-en did not compete alongside men to the complete gender equality we have today ndash a lot has changed and is in a constant state of change
The fans of equestrian sport are like any other fan base web savvy and eager for more information behind the scenes content and to share their opin-ions and thoughts ndash so it is an ideal partnership And from what we have seen these last few months and from the feedback we got from our blog at the Youth Olympic Games there is a real appetite for this
The FEI has dedicated Facebook Twitter and You Tube pages ndash why did you select these social media platforms The figures speak for themselveshellip Facebook Twit-ter and You Tube are the biggest players in the social networking space With over 500 million Facebook users 106 million Tweeters and 2 billion views a day on You Tube there has never been so much oppor-tunity for exposure Every site has different demo-graphics with different habits and needs so by having an FEI presence on these three networks we are able to cover a lot of ground and cater to different audi-ences by providing different types of content accord-ing to the platform
What are the main benefits of having a pres-ence on various social media platforms Itrsquos all about having a two way conversation ndash the benefits of dialogue where you can share content such as videos images facts and figures thoughts and values and then allow your fan base to react to get involved and to listen and learn from them By engaging with our audience and showing them that we are a modern and caring organisation and that we want to hear what they have to say then we are able to build trust and ultimately credibility in what we do and what we say
57FOCUS
TV
The offi cial video website of the Feacutedeacuteration Equestre Internationale
wwwfeitvorg
WATCH LIVE WATCH ONLINE
FEI TV is the FEIrsquos new offi cial video website and your ticket to the worldrsquos most prestigious competitions Sign-up to FEI TV (wwwfeitvorg) and get instant access to all the live broadcasts the extensive video-on-demand library all the highlights the behind the scenes reports the interviews and so much more Be at the heart of horsesport Join us
2823_1FEI_TV_Focus_165x226indd 1 170510 1124
It also keeps us alert as to what is being discussed and debated in the public sphere so that we can manage situations more effectively and be proactive in our messaging and information so that the facts are at the heart of the debate and not interpretations of them
How do you generate content for social media It was important when we launched our social me-dia presence that it be manageable with the exist-ing communications team in place ndash and so we have concentrated on keeping it simple and effective and using content innovatively Itrsquos not about reproduc-ing our website ndash but to engage with our fans and so often all you need is a good picture an interest-ing fact or great achievement to get the ball rolling For You Tube as we already have so much content generated from FEI TV it was simply a question of using bits and pieces from that content to provide the public with teasers from events interviews with winning riders or behind the scenes content which they can then follow up on FEI TV with a subscription
What are your Social media goals Itrsquos really to build relationships and dialogue with our fan base by using our content innovatively by listening to what they have to say and by engaging with the community And for the National Federa-tions that have yet to take that step we want to be a guiding hand that can help them get started so that they too can reap the benefits of social media net-working Our sport competes against other sports for attention so itrsquos really important that we the FEI and the National Federations keep our finger on the pulse and cater to our fans
How can National Federations get involved NFs wishing to find out more about Social Media can contact me (richardjohnsonfeiorg) and I would be more than happy to discuss opportunities and ways of getting started as well as our experience at the FEI
We asked our Facebook followers why it was important to use face-book and here are a few comments they came up with
bullItrsquos a great way to find out about shows and competitions
bullBecause facebook can provide up to the minute updates as to the what is going on in the horse community
bullWe can share information and ideas over long distances We can find and connect with people we wouldnt be able to otherwise
bullIt also lets us express the true realities of our spot to keep us grounded
bullIt can bring peoples attention to excellence ndash and expose the issues
58
TV
The offi cial video website of the Feacutedeacuteration Equestre Internationale
wwwfeitvorg
WATCH LIVE WATCH ONLINE
FEI TV is the FEIrsquos new offi cial video website and your ticket to the worldrsquos most prestigious competitions Sign-up to FEI TV (wwwfeitvorg) and get instant access to all the live broadcasts the extensive video-on-demand library all the highlights the behind the scenes reports the interviews and so much more Be at the heart of horsesport Join us
2823_1FEI_TV_Focus_165x226indd 1 170510 1124
ldquo Donrsquot accept drinks from a strangerrdquo
Armchair travel journalist
Are you living a life without boundaries Some well-meant advice is best ignored but itrsquos still good to know yoursquore covered when yoursquore away With HSBC Premier your family can be protected with both Travel Insurance and dedicated assistance when yoursquore abroad Which is reassuring to know when yoursquore making the most of life
HSBC Premier is subject to financial eligibility criteria and is available in over 40 countries and territories
Premier Travel Insurance covers you and your partner up to age 70 and your children travelling with you up to age 18
wwwhsbcpremiercom
A4 A4
Issued by HSBC Holdings plc Approved for use in UK by HSBC Bank plc Premier Travel Insurance is provided by Aviva Insurance UK Limited Customer Information Service PO Box 757 Hemel Hempstead Hertfordshire HP2 4SS Registered in England number 14259 Registered Office 8 Canada Square London E14 5HQ AC18770
201736_6000263_Coconut_226x165indd
Master 226x165
Rob Swainson 160211
HSBC - Coconuts Proof 01Head of Art TypographerDesigner ArtCreative Director Copywriter Account DirectorDIC Project ManagerPhotographer Illustrator Usage Model(s) Name(s) Usage
Media MediaStock Image Time Period Time Period
Territory Territory
8deg N ndash Kerala South India
Reem Acra Boutique 14 East 60th St New York New York 10022 2123088760 wwwreemacracom
356935B2_RA_brochure2_souvenir_programmeindd 1 82710 1012 AM
Vaulting became an FEI discipline in 1983 and saw its first FEI European Championship organised just one year later in the town of Ebreichsdorf in Austria This 15th edition of the Championship ndash which also includes the European Juniors competition return to France for the 4th time but for the first time in the world renowned venue of Le Mans famous for its 24 hour race
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERS
Team ndash Austria
Individual malelongeurhorseNicolas Andreani (FRA)Marina Joosten DuponIdefix de Braize
Individual femalelongeurhorseJoanna Eccles (GBR)John EcclesWH Bentley
THE WIND OF CHANGEGermany and Switzerland have traditionally bat-tled for the team title (Germany has 7 gold versus Switzerlandrsquos 5) but in 2009 Austria who had come second on four occasions since the inception of the Championships in 1984 finally climbed onto the top spot of the podium and claimed the title In terms of the individual performances Germany had the stronghold on the male category winning 11 out of 14 gold medals But again in 2009 France the only other country to have ever beaten a German male vaulter at the Europeans made it to the top spot of the podium for only the third time since the Championships began
Similarly with the female vaulters it was an all German domination until 2007 when Austriarsquos Sissi Jarz claimed gold followed by Joanna Eccles (GBR) in 2009 ndash leaving Germany off the top step of the podium entirely in 2009
GREAT BRITAIN ndash A VAULTING NATIONhellip Times have definitely changed from the Swiss German domination with current World and European titles held by Great Britainrsquos Joanna Eccles She was the first British vaulter (male or female) to claim a medal at the Europeans ndash let alone a gold medal - and then went on to secure the world title in Kentucky last year
Believe it or nothellip
bull TheonlycountryotherthanGermanyand SwitzerlandtohaveclaimedaEuropean VaultingtitleisSlovakiain2005
bull ChristophLensing(GER)holdsthemale medalrecordndashwiththreegold(19891993 amp1995)aswellassilverin1991
bull NadiaZuumllowandSilkeMichelberger (formerlyBernhard)withthreegoldmedals each
16-21 August 2011
Le Mans France
FeI eUroPeaN
VaULtINGChaMPIoNshIPs
26
This is only the fifth edition of the European Reining Championships since the discipline joined the FEI in 2000 and the first time they will be held in Austria The event also includes the FEI European Champi-onships for Juniors and Young Riders ndash a formula introduced in 2009 in Kreuth (GER) which proved to be a multigenerational success The FEI European Reining Championships take place every two years and have been held since 2003
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERSTeam ndash GermanyIndividual ndash Nina Lill (GER) riding Lena Cielo Jewel
THE JUDGINGReining horses are judged individually Each horse au-tomatically begins the required pattern with a score of 70 One or frac12 points are given or taken away for each manoeuvre Credit is given for smoothness fi-nesse attitude quickness and authority Controlled speed in the pattern raises the level of difficulty and makes the reining horse exciting to watch
Believe it or nothellip
bull ItalyandGermanyaretheonlytwonations tohavewongoldmedalsndashGermanyhas3 teamgoldand2individualgoldversus Italyrsquossingleteamgoldandtwoindividual gold
bull GermanyrsquosNinaLillwinnerin2009was thefirstwomantotaketheindividualtitle sincetheChampionshipsbeganin2003
bull OlympicWorldandEuropeanDressage ChampionAnkyVanGrunsven(NED) competedattheAlltechFEIWorldEques- trianGamestradein2010inbothDressageand hellipReining
bull 13nationswerescheduledtoattendthe Championshipatthetimeofwritingthe largestparticipationbycountryever recordedfortheEuropeans
26-30 July 2011
Wiener Neustadt Austria
FeI eUroPeaN
reININGChaMPIoNshIPs
27FOCUS
ldquoThirty-one yearsrsquo experience comes in handy some-timesrdquo joked the ever-relaxed Todd who was a leg-end by the time he ldquoretiredrdquo in 2000 with back-to-back Olympic golds five Burghley wins two world gold medals and three Badminton victories one on a horse he had never ridden before ldquoIt is incredibly special though right up there with the back-to-back Olympic golds When I came back to the sport (in 2008) it was to see if I could get back to top level It has always been my aim to win another big onerdquo
A World class meeting of Generations
The 2011 HSBC FEI Classicstrade could not have got off to a more epic start with wins at Badminton and Kentucky by two of the sportrsquos most enduring personalitiesThe 55-year-old New Zealander Mark Todd rolled back the years to score a fourth victory at the Gloucestershire venue 31 years after his first attempt in 1980
By Kate Green
28
HSBC FEI ClassicsTm
The resurgence of so much experienced talent makes it harder for younger riders to work their way up the leaderboard but 29-year-old Sinead Halpin (USA) had a spectacular CCI4 debut at Kentucky finish-ing third and best of the home side in distinguished company This achievement earned her the HSBC Training Bursary worth US$1000 towards training a prestigious and valuable award presented to the rider who achieves the best result on completing a CCI4 for the first time
The bursary winner at Badminton Fiona Hobby (GBR) 39 has had a rather longer wait to complete
her first CCI4 ndash she was 26th on Roma ML ndash but she has in the meantime produced two children had a career as a sports therapist and only switched from Jumping to Eventing relatively recently Hobby has vowed to spend the money on dressage train-ing ldquoRoma couldnrsquot believe it when she arrived in the arena and saw all those people but she was great across country really focussed Irsquom delightedrdquo
For Germanyrsquos Sandra Auffarth Luhmuumlhlen pro-vided an outstanding CCI4 debut on Opgun Louvo a young horse she has produced herself coming second and picking up the HSBC Training Bursary and the exciting prospect of a possible place in the squad for the forthcoming HSBC FEI European Event-ing Championship at Luhmuumlhlen (25-28 August) at which Germany as host nation will be entitled to field 12 riders
Last yearrsquos HSBC Training Bursary winners include Stephanie Rhodes-Bosch (CAN) who went on to win a team silver medal at the Alltech FEI World Equestri-an Gamestrade Lauren Shannon (GBR) who finished 17th at Badminton this year and Giovanni Ugolotti (ITA) who is furthering his career by basing himself in Brit-ain for the season and having lessons with Mark Todd
LIVE coverage and extensive highlights available on
Toddrsquos winning mount the 10-year-old NZB Land Vision was a green horse for this level and he fin-ished the Cross-Country phase tired but his rider kept his cool in an extraordinarily tight finish in which the price of one Jumping fence covered the top 12 riders any of whom could with a bit of luck have won the Mitsubishi Motors Trophy ldquoIn the end it came down to horse-power and Irsquove obviously got a good one hererdquo said Todd ldquoCharisma (his double Olympic gold medallist) will always be the most special horse but this one has no weak linksrdquo
As is the nature of the sport Toddrsquos lead in the HSBC FEI Classicstrade didnrsquot last long ndash he came down to earth with a bump the following weekend with a Cross-Country run-out on NZB Grass Valley his ride at the Rolex Kentucky Three Day Event (USA) and 49- year-old Mary King (GBR) stole the head-lines with a record one-two on Kings Mis-tress and Fernhill Urco It was Kingrsquos first CCI4 victory for 11 years ndash she has won Badminton twice and Burghley once ndash but she certainly smashed a few re-cords with this one She became the first rider to score a one-two at Kentucky the first in modern times to win a CCI4 on a home-bred horse and the oldest female to win a CCI4
King who has six team gold medals at World and European level plus competed at five consecutive Olympics had the luxury of knowing she had already won the event on the inexperienced 10-year-old Fernhill Urco a horse bred in Portugal by the time she entered the arena on Kings Mistress but she still produced a second clear round ldquoI never dreamed that I would be in this position and Irsquom enjoying the momentrdquo said the ever-smiling King ldquoIt was great to have the feeling of having already won on Fernhill Urco but I still wanted desperately to go clear on Kings Mistress as it is so special to win on a horse I bred myselfrdquo It was also an all clear from Germanyrsquos Andreas Dibowski and Euroriding Butts Leon in order to secure victory at the fourth leg of the HSBC FEItrade
Classicstrade in Luhmuumlhlen presented by EON Avacon
29FOCUS
The Danish-American actorpoet musician photographerand painter has been around horses most of his life from riding Hasufel and Brego in The Lord of the Rings trilogy to early childhood memories in Argentina his passion for floating as he describes it has never wavered
What is it about the horse that makes you a horse loverWe get along generally I respect their strength and their personal space Your first riding experience ndash was it bliss or terrorLike floating like being on a warm and floating mountain I remember being happy Do you think anyone can rideYes It is a question of allowing yourself to ride of allowing yourself to cooperate and not be in total control Children are more adept at figuring this out letting things happen without getting impatient or scared just as they are braver and less self-conscious about pronouncing new words or singing Anyone at any age or in any physical condition can
Viggo Mortensen
achieve a degree of success and satisfaction with horses even if it is just a question of touching them being near them If horses could talk what would they be sayingYou will know if you listen and watch them Is there a unique trait you look for in a horse that you canrsquot find in peopleThey are more patient and less apt to complain about lifersquos setbacks and physical ailments than most people I admire a tough smart horse what-ever its breed age or size What would you miss most if you could no longer go ridingThe companionship and the floating perhaps also the abandonment of usual daily worries that relaxed riding requires Whatrsquos your usual riding outfit consist ofAnything will do Loose-fitting clothes and good comfortable boots are a plus but not vital I have even ridden barefoot ndash naturally taking care to avoid being stepped on when not on the horse - but I do not recommend this to anyone The most important thing is to have a clear and focused mind to be THERE at all times when around horses and NOWHERE ELSE Sugar lumps or carrotsIrsquove been guilty of offering an occasional apple or carrot although it is best not to give horses anything special unless treats are part of training them for special tricks or stunts a pursuit best left to experts like master horse trainer Rex Peterson whom Irsquove had the good fortune to work with and study quite a bit Treats spoil horses and do not keep the animal focused on the task at hand Whatrsquos your favourite part of a horseThe brain What do you think young people gain from ridingSelf-confidence and an understanding of the value of cooperation
30
Why the long face
When did you first develop the bond with the horseThe first time I got on one as a little boy in ArgentinaYou either develop a bond of some kind or you fall off Of course you may even fall off if you develop the bond but you have to start (and restart) somewhere
Did your friends ride My brothers also rode and I have ridden with many kinds of people over the years ndash some good and patient with horses and some not If I had not rid-den as a boy I would probably have been wandering around fishing imagining I was a cowboy or an Indian or a Viking ndash which I did anyway Where in the world would you most like to rideMost anywhere will do but I have been extremely lucky to have ridden in many wide-open wild places ndash deserts grassy plains mountains by different seas and rivers in Argentina New Zealand North Africa and North America If you could spend one afternoon riding with a famous person (past or present)who would it be and whyIrsquoll give you 3 Oglala chief Tasunke Witko (Crazy Horse) my ancestor William F Cody or any real Gaucho from the province of Chaco Argentina
Two horses go out for dinner what kindof restaurant do they chooseLate spring grass near a slow-moving clean river with a gentle firm shoreline an hour before sun-down far from any people or other animals All time favourite horse filmI have a subjective soft spot for the stories and real horses involved in the making of ldquoHidalgordquo and the 2nd and 3rd installments of ldquoThe Lord Of The Ringsrdquo trilogy but I admire other ldquohorse moviesrdquo as wellThe 1953 French movie ldquoCrin-Blancrdquo (ldquoWhite Manerdquo) directed by Albert Lamorisse is a personal favourite
After three years at the head of the successful French Jumping team with back to back FEI Nations Cuptrade titles and a silver medal at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade Laurent Elias is moving on to new spheres with the French Horse amp Riding Institute where he will be training the riders of the National Riding School in Saumur
Laurent Elias
copy C
hris
toph
e Br
icot
32
The other side of
If I had not become a professional rider I would havehellipmade a career in a humanitarian organisation Horse riding is sometimes too trivial
My priority in life ishellipto be able to look at myself in the mirror in the morning and make sure I am at peace with my conscience
My familyhellipkeeps me grounded My wife helped me a lot when I was in charge of selections for France She took charge of my personal life and was the first person I called when we got the medal in Lexington I also admire my parents for the values they passed on to me
I remember my first ridingexperiencehellipaged six we were shooting a family film and I was on horseback I finished upside down under my horse for a long time I stopped riding for one year
I used to dream abouthellipsafaris One of my uncles was passionate about safaris Through him I became very interested in African trips and the jobs that allow you to travel as a reporter were fascinating to me as well
I have been thinking a lot abouthellipwhat happened in Japan these past few months First this tsunami that devastated everything without warning then the nuclear disaster It made me think that progress should not be destructive
My horse Gueacutenourhellipchanged my life I was just a coach and he brought me to the top I won the national championship in 1981 with him
My biggest challengehas always beenhellipshyness Horse riding has really helped me over-come it Horses brought me on stage and there I had to meet people
As a Chef dEquipehellipthere is no single defining achievement itrsquos all about the solidarity and the moments spent together as a team Irsquoll never forget the first time Penelope Leprevost rode her mare Jubileacutee drsquoOuilly in the FEI Nations Cuptrade of Rotterdam McLain Ward had just completed a real fast run with Sapphire We thought the Americans would win but she did it faster and beat Sapphire
In terms of eventshellipAachen is my favourite competition - for its won-derful organisation But we have also pretty good five star competitions in France
I donrsquot sleep muchhellipprobably because I am just happy to be alive
Irsquom not scared to laugh or cryhellipI laugh at the funny situations we sometimes find ourselves in life and enjoy people with quirky personalities I cry when I see others in pain
Laurent Elias and the French team en route to the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade copy PSV-Jean Morel
33FOCUS
Nicolas TheacutevenazAged 23 studies Robotics and Autonomous Systems Micro Engineering in Lausanne (SUI) alongside regular training and competition in Dressage and Para-Equestrian Dressage events Born with spastic diplegia Nicolas was introduced to horses via hippotherapy aged seven and quickly developed a passion for riding which not only helped with his physical condition but also taught him through Dressage the art of patience and perseverance
34
One day
Nicolas TheacutevenazAged 23 studies Robotics and Autonomous Systems Micro Engineering in Lausanne (SUI) alongside regular training and competition in Dressage and Para-Equestrian Dressage events Born with spastic diplegia Nicolas was introduced to horses via hippotherapy aged seven and quickly developed a passion for riding which not only helped with his physical condition but also taught him through Dressage the art of patience and perseverance
He has been fortunate to meet the right people (and horses) at the right time and has been working for the past five years with trainer Vicky-Eileen Baumann (pictured right) and her horses Magic and Lady (pictured right) ldquoShersquos bred them and knows them inside out which is very useful when I have to communicate with them - they know my voice intonations and a whole string of specific words or sounds ndash which really helps as my body canrsquot or doesnrsquot always have the strength to do sordquo
As a Grade II Para-Equestrian rider Nicolas competes in Para-Equestrian Dressage (PED) events as well as national events for able bodied riders as there are only a handful of PED riders and no events in Switzerland
Unable to attend the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade 2010 in Kentucky last year Nicolas and Vicky have their sights firmly set on the 2012 Para-lympic Games and will be looking to qualify with Lady over the next 12 months ndash alongside exams studies and everything else life has to offerhellip Who is your role model For different reasons I have different role mod-els Edward Gal Dane Rawlins Isabel Werth and Catherine Haddad
When did you start riding and why At age 7 I was sat on a horse for hippotherapy and liked the complicity with the horse which made me want to discover more
How do you feel when you ride Concentrated and industrious
Who is your biggest fan My trainerrsquos mum
Complete this sentenceOne day I would like tohellip have gained enough knowledge to be able to take care of and train my own horse
What are your long term goals as a rider Continue to do my best to enjoy what I do and show others itrsquos possible
How do you juggle studies and competition I think itrsquos really important to have goals and to do everything you can to achieve them and that includes taking on challenges because if you donrsquot try then yoursquoll never know what you could have achieved
What is your proudest achievement to date Participation in international events together with pursuing my studies
How do you feel after winning Still working towards discovering the feeling
What is the best advice anyone has ever given youMy trainer often repeats to me the famous saying by General LrsquoHotte ldquoCalme en avant droitrdquo which says so much about riding but can also be applied to so many other aspects of life
35FOCUS
What advice would you give someone looking to get involved in Para-Equestrian Dressage Train and ride with able-bodied athletes as often as possible Being around and working with horses is so rewarding Irsquod like - when Irsquom retired - to write a book to share these feelings with others and hope this will inspire them to get involved
Complete this sentenceIn the future I would like the sport to beeven ldquocleanerrdquo and fairer and if possible not more but less demanding on the horses
ldquoLast but not least Irsquod like to take the opportunity of this article to reach out to those who give me their trust and help be it with their time their friendship and any type of support Day after day to year after year team work is essential and Irsquoll do my best to continue deserving every-onersquos encouraging smilesrdquo
European Broadcasting Union
Union Europeacuteenne de Radio-Teacuteleacutevision
+41 (0)22 717 2111 wwweurovisionnet
We bring the event to your home
Eurovision
copy K
it H
ough
ton
FE
I
FEI_08_A4indd 1 03012008 162238
European Broadcasting Union
Union Europeacuteenne de Radio-Teacuteleacutevision
+41 (0)22 717 2111 wwweurovisionnet
We bring the event to your home
Eurovision
copy K
it H
ough
ton
FE
I
FEI_08_A4indd 1 03012008 162238
Nominations for the FEI Awards opened in May enabling the global equestrian com-munity to once again reward outstanding dedication to horse sport in five categories ndash Development Best Groom Against All Odds Rising Star and Best Athlete The search for the equestrian heroes of 2011 is now on who will be flown to Rio de Janeiro Brazil to receive their awards
Where are they now The FEI asked the current title-holders for an update on their activities
Follow us on
38
FEI Awards 2011
Ebony Horse Club (GBR)Winner of the Alltech FEI DevelopmentAward 2010
The Ebony Horse Club announced in December 2010 that after an eight-year fundraising effort it had the pound14 million necessary for building an equestrian cen-tre in one of Londonrsquos most deprived boroughs Since 1996 Ebony has offered youngsters in an area reput-ed for its gang culture high level of gun crime and drug dealing the chance to ride and learn key social skills The clubrsquos 50 members travel to riding schools across London on public transport or in minibuses ndash a logistical headache that the inner-city equestrian centre will end Construction work began in February
Ebony Horse Club founder and director Ros Spear-ing told the FEI ldquoRiding lessons are continuing and the club is preparing for the transitionrdquo Building will finish on 7 July but the centre will open for riding lessons in October ldquoThe horses will be brought to Brixton in the summer and will have time to acclimatise to their new environmentrdquo Spearing said The centre will include stabling for nine horses a small paddock and a flood-lit riding arena as well as a classroom for learning about horses and equine management Spearing is adamant that club members ndash present and future ndash care for their rides and wants the centre to serve as a stepping stone to careers in the horse industry
Ebonyrsquos existence will continue to depend on the generosity of donors For more information visit wwwebonyhorsecluborguk
Michelle Tipper (GBR)Winner of the FEI Best Groom Award 2010
Michelle Tipper has continued to juggle grooming and study since receiving her FEI Award in Novem-ber She has organised the grooms for the British European Junior and Young Dressage teams and in April her contract as a travelling groom for British Dressage riders Paul and Bobby Hayler took her to Addington for the first of many international com-petitions she will work at this year The Haylers have eight horses competing and the number she works with at each venue varies Tipper has also been help-ing British Dressage riders Nicky and Richard Barrett with yard duties ldquoI feel very lucky to work for both of these familiesrdquo said the FEI Best Groom Award win-ner adding that she feels part of the two families In March Tipper graduated from university with a Masters in Sport Psychology She is now working towards British Association of Sport and Exercise Science accreditation which requires at least 500 hoursrsquo supervised work experience and is present-ing sport psychology workshops in conjunction with the company Inside Performance Consulting Limit-ed (wwwinside-performancecom) The workshops are organised internationally for people of all ages from any sport To find out more contact Tipper at michelletipper1979yahoocom
39FOCUS
Michelle Tipper ndash copyWilliam TzengAward winners ndash copyWilliam TzengCaroline Roffman ndash copySharonPackercomEbony Horse Club ndash copyEbony Horse ClubEdward Gal and Totilas ndash copyKit HoughtonFEIAngelika Trabert ndash copyJulia Rau
Angelika Trabert (GER)Winner of the FEI Against All Odds Award 2010
German Para-Dressage rider Angelika Trabert has represent-ed her country at four Paralympic Games and won some 15 medals at national European and world championships She is currently seeking a new home for Londria the mare that con-tributed to her Team Silver medal win at the Hong Kong Para-lympics Londria who had a foal last year was also Trabertrsquos ride during her medal-winning performances at the European Championships in Hungary (2005) and Norway (2009)
Trabert said her decision to let go of Londria was hard to make but was necessary for financial reasons She will keep the foal Finaud Coquin and her mares Walmorel and Ariva-Avanti Trabert won the Para-Dressage Grade 2 Freestyle Champion-ship at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade with Ariva and said the horse was ldquowell and ready to go for the Europeans again in Belgium in September if we qualifyrdquo Trabert competed in her first international competition of 2011 in May in Man-nheim Germany where she came first in the Grade II indi-vidual and second in the freestyle She is taking part in the German Championships in June
Away from the equestrian world Trabert works as an anaes-thetist and has participated in medical missions in the rural ar-eas of Guinea for the organisation Mango In January she was back in Guinea as part of team that carried out 100 operations in 13 days wwwangelika-trabertde
Visit the recently refreshed FEI Awards website to find out more about the Awards the pastwinners the judges and to make yournominationsby 31 July
wwwfeiawardsorg
40
Caroline Roffman (USA)Winner of the HSBC FEI Rising StarAward 2010
Success continues to smile on twenty-two-year-old American Dressage rider Caroline Roffman Since re-ceiving the HSBC FEI Rising Star Award she has en-joyed numerous wins at small tour and young horse levels achieving scores in the mid-eighties and quali-fying two horses for the young horse championships
Roffman is currently showing six horses and has won several classes at PSG and Grand Prix level ldquoBut nothing is as exciting as to be going to Aachenrdquo said the young woman who has been described as the American Dressage communityrsquos brightest hope ex-plaining that at the FEI Awards ceremony in Chinese Taipei Frank Kemperman FEI Dressage Committee Chair and Chairman of the Managing Board at CHIO Aachen (GER) invited her to take part in the pres-tigious event Roffman will be the first American to compete in the Under 25 Grand Prix there and is hop-ing to take her horse Lux Stensvang
An interview with Caroline Roffman at the Palm Beach Dressage Derby CDI will be broadcast on the magazine programme Equestrian World on FEI TV the FEIrsquos official online video platform wwwfeitvorg
Edward Gal and Totilas (NED)Winners of the Reem Acra FEI Best Athlete Award 2010
The world-famous partnership of Dutch Dressage rider Edward Gal and the extraordinary Totilas ended in style in 2010 with notably three gold medal wins at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade
The first foal sired by the superstar stallion was born in January followed by two more in the spring Gal who has admired the foals told the FEI ldquoYou never know ndash maybe in a few yearsrsquo time Irsquoll have another Totilas readyrdquo At the beginning of April he was busy at home training nine horses and preparing for the Reem Acra FEI World Cuptrade Dressage Final in Leipzig and the European Championships in Rotterdam He had not yet decided which horses he was going to compete with but was particularly looking forward to the Freestyle to Music Asked what it was like to compete without Totilas Gal said ldquoEverybody ex-pected Totilas to win I find it easier to ride other horses because nobody expects me to win and when I do itrsquos really nicerdquo
41FOCUS
globetrotter
Seal of approval for the Adai horseSixty years have passed since an Adai horse reportedly set a record galloping 354km in one day Today the Adai horse a breed na-tive to Kazakhstan is back in the spotlight with a gold medal at the FEI Central Asian Endurance Championship in Talgaearlier in May only months after having been award-ed official pedigree status following tests
conducted by a State Commission in the Mangistau Steppes which allowed itto compete internationally The horses are cherished for their hardiness and Oyly ridden by Altyngali Bissemaganbetov (KAZ) proved just that when crossing the finishing line first demonstrating just how tough the Adai horses are and the beginning of a new era for sturdy breed on the international stage
Equestrian Australia Sport
Achievement Awards
In May the best of the best in
Equestrian sport gathered to cel-
ebrate the achievements of Austral-
iarsquos athletes coaches officials vets
administrators owners volunteers
and the many other people that
dedicate their time and enthusiasm
to equestrian sport The ceremony
also included the introduction of
Equestrian Australiarsquos Hall of
Fame won by the legendary Bill
Roycroft Boyd Exell winner of
the FEI World CupTM Driving
Final was awarded the interna-
tional athlete of the year
award
Kevin Stautbecomes first athlete representative on FEI
executive board
Kevin Staut one of Francersquos most successful Jumping riders became the first athlete to be appointed to the FEI Executive Board for a three-year term Staut (31) who has held the number one spot in the Rolex Rankings for Jumping since July 2010 has ridden on numerous Nations Cup teams for France and claimed individual gold at the Alltech FEI European Jumping Championships in 2009
HulA CARTSWorld Horse Welfare has greatly helped the liv
es of
five Senegalese cart horse owners by presenting them
with new Hula Carts The local people who depend on
their working horses for their livelihoods were specially
selected by the charity to receive the carts which have
been sponsored by members of the public in the uK
The Hula Carts are specifically developed to help the
horses pulling heavy loads in often difficult conditions
Equestrian Australia Sport
Achievement Awards
In May the best of the best in
Equestrian sport gathered to cel-
ebrate the achievements of Austral-
iarsquos athletes coaches officials vets
administrators owners volunteers
and the many other people that
dedicate their time and enthusiasm
to equestrian sport The ceremony
also included the introduction of
Equestrian Australiarsquos Hall of
Fame won by the legendary Bill
Roycroft Boyd Exell winner of
the FEI World CupTM Driving
Final was awarded the interna-
tional athlete of the year
award
Olympic legendBill Roycroft passes away aged 96
A legend of Equestrian sport in Australia James William
George Roycroft OBE known as ldquoBillrdquo was one of Austral-
iarsquos greatest Olympians and one of only five Australians to
have competed in five consecutive Olympic Games (from
1960 - 1976) as well as being Australiarsquos oldest medallist
and oldest competitor at 61 years and 31 days In May 2011
Bill was inducted in Equestrian Australiarsquos inaugural Hall
of Fame ndash he was Australiarsquos oldest living Olympian and
shared his dedication and enthusiasm for the sport with
his sons Barry Wayne and Clarke (See a brief description
of his exploits in the 1960 Olympic Games Memory Lane
article page 9 which catapulted Australiarsquos reputation as
one of the best Eventing teams in the world)
webinfofeiFEI web wizard Nicole Sigrist has added a new hub for the Press on wwwfeiorg called FEI Press Kits located in the Media section of the website The Press Kits zone which is also open to the general public is regularly updated with infor-mation relating to FEI series and specific events with flip books and downloadable PDFs as well as direct links to the Photo Catalogue the Rankings and Standings the Annual Report and more
100thanniversary for Finnish riding club
One of the three found-ing member clubs of
the Finnish Equestrian Federation the Suomen
Kenttaumlratsastusseura-Finska Faumlltrittklubbenon celebrates
its 100th anniversary in 2011 Magnus Rydman former President of the Finnish National Federation and Presi-dent of the FEI from 1935 ndash 1946 was one of the founders of the club Another of the founders of the oldest club in Fin-land was the Eventing rider Colonel Hans Olof von Essen whose fifth place at the Antwerpen Olympic Games re-mains the best Olympic equestrian result the country has ever achieved
Follow us on
43FOCUS
Interview with the President of the Brazilian Equestrian Federation Mr Luiz Roberto Giugni
The Brazilian Equestrian Federation has been a member Federation of the FEI for 75 years how has the sport developed over that time We were facing regular growth (average of 25 in the last decade) but in the last three to four years this rate has significantly increased up to 35 a year We believe that this is due to international achievements (two Jumping Olympic team bronze medals the individual Olympic Jumping gold medal won by Rodrigo Pessoa several Pan Am Jumping team gold medals recent Olympic pre-qualification in Kentucky (4th in the world in Jumping) and the organisations of a Global Champions Tour event in Brazil
In terms of developing the sport what are the most successful projects you have undertaken in recent yearsWe decided to invest in education and have hired international trainers for all the disciplines such as Jean Maurice Bonneau for Jumping Nick Turner for Eventing Eric Lette for Dressage Jean Louis Leclerc for Endurance Mattias Lang for Vaulting with the long term in mind that is at least until the end of 2012 and planning towards 2016 when Rio will host the Olympic Games
How popular is equestrian sport with young people in Brazil and how do you compete with some of the bigger sports for their attention Popularization is growing bit by bit in a country
decidedly dominated by soccer ndash being 5 times World Champion makes it a national passion But we are continuously looking to attract TV to our events as this is a huge step towards gaining visibility and popularity Can you tell us about the programmesinitiatives in place for disabled athletes We are actively pursuing this and have achieved really positive results in little time such as the great performances and medals earned at the Para-lympic Games in Hong Kong in 2008 We do this through clinics courses international exchanges of athletes and working alongside our National Paralympic Committee to support us in our efforts
Brazil will be host the FEI General Assembly at the end of the year what do you want all the visiting delegates to remember from their visit That we are more than just a really beautiful and warm country with the ability and capacity to organise great events and that we are committed to putting on the best Olympic Games ever
What are the main objectivesplans for the Brazilian Federation in the lead up to the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games Our NOC is really committed to raising the bar of all the sports to a level never seen before and we are working towards that in terms of our athletes our judges our venues and everything that is related to our sport and the quality of our sport In line with this objective we are providing incen-tives to owners to buy good horses aiming for 2016 and this is going to plan for now We expect to perform well at the upcoming Pan Am Games and Olympics on our trail to 2016
Is there anything else you would like to share with us I would like to thank HRH Princess Haya President of the FEI as well as the Executive Board for all the support that we are getting which has been paramount to the development of equestrian sport in our country
44
President Luiz Roberto GiugniSecretary General Luiz Antonio RoccoMember since 1935
15 members of staff work at the federation
20 regional federations are affiliated tothe Brazilian Equestrian Federation with over 300 member riding clubs
6 000 affiliated riders
91 national events were held in 2010
31 international events were held in 2010
All the FEI disciplines are practiced in BrazilJumping Dressage Eventing Vaulting Reining EnduranceDriving amp Para-Equestrian
14 breeding organisations
There are 58 million horses and ponies in Brazilmaking it the fourth largest equine population in the world
FAC
TS amp
FIG
URE
S
45FOCUS
Dr Gerit Matthesen56 is a private equine practitioner an FEI Vet and a member of the FEI Veterinary Committee He graduated in Veterinary Medicine from Berlin University in 1983 and since 1989 has worked or officiated at some 180 competitions and championships including the last two Olympics and FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade He lives near Frankfurt with his wife Carola and their sons Mike (16) and Lars (14)
46
A life in a day
Dr Gerit Matthesen56 is a private equine practitioner an FEI Vet and a member of the FEI Veterinary Committee He graduated in Veterinary Medicine from Berlin University in 1983 and since 1989 has worked or officiated at some 180 competitions and championships including the last two Olympics and FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade He lives near Frankfurt with his wife Carola and their sons Mike (16) and Lars (14)
I wake up earlier than I need to ndash at around 6am ndash because breakfast time with my family is sacred to me and I can then drive my boys to the village station to take the train to school After two cups of coffee (enough for the day) and a glass of orange juice I read the newspapers then head to my prac-tice offices in our indoor arena I have a quick look at our horses then start work
While I listen to my phone messages I deal with my emails and search the internet for news about veterinary medicine and horse sport I then start planning the dayacutes schedule with Anna my assistant vet
My mobile practice is in a nice fairly rural area in the north of Frankfurt There are lots of horse farms but it is not a classic breeding area like the northern part of Germany There are sport horses as well as pleasure horses I have examination rooms and stables for horses staying or mares foaling in my practice stables Itrsquos not a big clinic which gives me time to work at competitions
After seeing a few small animals in my practice I normally start my field service at 930am In my car I have enough equipment (ultrasound X-ray systems and endoscopical devices) for the dayrsquos examinations and standing procedures We mainly have lameness examinations to do or internal diseases to treat accompanied by routine work like vaccinations or carrying out pre-purchase or health certificate examinations If time allows I go home for a quick lunch but thatrsquos not every day
While Irsquom driving I have time to think and I write down everything that come to mind regarding sport competitions committees and so on You have to write down your thoughts when yoursquore over the age of 50
It is not easy planning my day because any emer-gency can destroy or delay my schedule For all the paperwork and certificates I need a time frame so
I often do that over quiet weekends when there are no competitions During the winter season I am less busy but in summer a lot of weekends are taken over by the competition schedule
I love my work especially in Eventing which is my favourite discipline My wife and I practiced it ndash not up to top level but it was a fine time despite a bro-ken ankle from a fall in 1988 which after 23 years is making walking more and more difficult for me
I like to do my competition work on a friendly but strict basis and I really like to hear riders saying they are treated fairly Over the years I have acquired a lot of experience and met all the officials and riders
Usually when I return home in the late afternoon there are more small animals to see When Irsquove done the dayrsquos paperwork I hope there will be no more emergencies such as cases of colic which usually occur in the early evening
I look forward to getting on my horse which is a beautiful show-jumper I like to ride but Irsquove stopped competing I do dressage jumping and go out into the fields but itrsquos all just for fun now
The day finishes with the family and a nice cold glass of German beer
Itrsquos a struggle to find time to spend with my family and I often have to cancel my holidays with them I am really grateful to my wife and the boys for their understanding of my job and to my assistant vet who covers for me when Iacutem out somewhere in the world of equestrian sport
ldquoThe combination of my profession and beinginvolved in differentaspects of top equestrian sport is my visionrdquo
47FOCUS
Pull your show attire from the closet clean your boots and tack groom the horses hook up and pack the trailer check the clock double check to make sure you have everything put on the shipping boots load your horses and away you drive to the competition venue or to the airport for transport to a distant event
You know the drill well but still you arrive tired per-haps even a bit frazzled Yoursquoll sleep (or try to) the next several nights in an unfamiliar bed or camp out in the living quarters of your trailer You awaken riveted on the competition playing out the dayrsquos classes in your mind wondering how your rides will fare against oth-ers praying that the weather will be cooperate and trying to control your nerves all the while knowing that no matter how well you have prepared many factors are out of your control You may even be in a different time zone
We go through a lot to compete our horses But if you think life on the road is stressful for you think about what itrsquos like for your horses Your back may be a bit sore from driving or being strapped into an airplane seat for hours on end but for horses transportation is far more demanding It is an athletic endeavour re-quiring an expenditure of energy to maintain balance during the constant movement of transport When your horses arrive they face social isolation from stablemates lack of security in novel environments altered training regimes water that tastes strange and the confines of an unfamiliar stall This routine impacts a horsersquos health and well being with effects
continuing long after the journey is over During transport toxic gases (such as ammonia or carbon monoxide) can cause damage to the lung epithelium precipitating respiratory disease The
final destination itself can also cause problems Usually horses are transported to environments where they will be mixing with other horses The mixing of horses from different environments with different infectious organisms and under stressful conditions further precipitates susceptibility to disease
This can have a severe impact on the equine gut The stress of transportation is known to increase gut ulceration in the horse a painful condition reducing performance and causing colic-like symptoms Stress can also slow the flow of digesta and alter the normal gut flora resulting in digestive upset and possibly diarrhoea or colic
The effects of travel stress on the gut are compounded by the typical diet of the regular equine traveller To maintain athletic ability high performance horses are often fed energy-charged diets contain-ing increased levels of starchy materials such as cereal grains Unfortunately this type of diet can reduce beneficial types of gut flora and promote gut acidity further predisposing the horse to digestive upsets and ulceration It is not surprising that stressed tired horses may not fulfill their potential on arrival
Feeding to reduce stress for the equine traveller
By Darlene RickerExecutive editor of Alltechrsquos EQUINE INTERNATIONAL magazine
48
Alltech Tips
growth of opportunistic Salmonella spp which are present in the intestinal tract of many healthy horses These bacteria then attach to the gut lining via a mannan sugar and penetrate it causing damage and resulting in diarrhoea One method of prevent-ing or minimising the attachment of these organ-
isms to the gut lining is to provide an adsorbant supplement A form of sugar found in the cell walls of certain yeasts can do this This sugar compound is called man-nan oligosaccharide or MOS MOS products such as Alltechrsquos Bio-Mosreg have been shown to re-duce the colonization of Salmonella
spp in the guts of certain species and augment the immune response to Salmonella spp potentially conferring an enhanced ability to fight infection Both Yea-Saccreg 1026 and Bio-Mos are among the natural products contained in Alltechrsquos LIFEFORCETM equine supplement which many FEI competitors have successfully incorporated into their daily feeding regimen at home and on the road
lifeforcehorsecom
and may be subject to health concerns in the days following a long journey Fortunately however you can curb some of the effects of travel stress on the horsersquos gut by nutritional supplementation Organic yeast products used to supplement a horsersquos diet can support the normal gut flora modifying the intesti-nal environment and improving the horsersquos digestion One such culture is Saccharomyces cerevisae in the form of Yea-Saccreg 1026 Alltechrsquos propriety organic yeast
Experiments were conducted to evaluate the effects Yea-Sacc on gut flora and gut acidity Horses were fed either a high-starch or a high-fibre diet both with and without supplementation of Yea-Saccreg 1026 Results indicated an excessive amount of starch in the gut The use of Yea-Sacc reduced acidity and stimulat-ed the activity of fibre-digesting bacteria in the hind-gut for both types of diet The result was maximised fibre digestibility and more efficient use of nutrients thus increasing the amount of energy available to the horse for performance and counteracting digestive upset Salmonellosis is one of the more commonly di-agnosed infectious causes of diarrhoea in horses Many cases develop after the stress of transport The effects of travel stress on the normal gut flora allow an over-
Moorlands Totilas arrives for the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade after air transport copy Dirk Caremans
HRH The Infanta Dontildea Pilar de Borboacuten former President of the FEI (1994-2006) also attended the inauguration along-side HRH Princess Lalla Amina Chairperson of the Royal Moroccan Federation for Equestrian Sports and member of the international Advisory Council of Special OlympicsThey were joined by International Olympic Commit-tee members representatives from other Interna-tional Federations federal and local Swiss authorities as well as architects and designers that worked on the project Switzerlandrsquos Martin Fuchs a member of the gold medal winning team at the inaugural Youth Olympic Games in Singapore last year accompanied FEI President Princess Haya in officially opening the FEI headquarters
ldquoThe building we are inaugurating today has been designed to serve our wonderful sportrdquo explained FEI
President Princess Haya ldquoI also feel an immense
sense of pride knowing that this building carries the name
of my late father and hope that this serves as a constant reminder
to all of us who work at the FEI of a unique statesman whose entire soul was devoted to the service of his people Our new headquarters will play a key role for the FEI and our National Federa-tions over the coming years It will be the environ-ment in which important discussions take place and fundamental decisions are taken as we continue our mission to advance the orderly growth of equestrian sport worldwide while ensuring that the welfare of the horse and a level playing field remain at the centre of all that we dordquo
FEI celebratesNEW Headquarters
Over 250 guests attended the inauguration ceremony on Friday 6 May at HM King Hussein I Building which was timed to coincide with the FEI
Extraordinary General Assembly so that attending NationalFederation representatives
could be a part ofthe celebrations
1 Youth Olympic Games team champion Martin Fuchs (SUI) FEI President HRH Princess Haya and her daughter HH Sheikha Al Jalila officially open the FEIrsquos new home 2 Gilbert Felli IOC Olympic Games Executive Director and FEI Secretary General Ingmar de Vos 3 HRH The Infanta Dontildea Pilar de Borboacuten sits down to an interactive quiz in the FEI Gallery 4 Guests gathered in the atrium of the FEI HeadquartersAll images copy Hugues SiegenthalerFEI
Highlights available on50
1
2
3 4
5
6 7
8
THE GALLERy
As well as housing offices for its 62 employees and conference facilities for its 133 National Federations the new headquarters also has a state-of-the-art in-teractive gallery showcasing equestrian sport
The Gallery is the brainchild of Dr Amichai Alper-ovich historian former Secretary General of the Is-raeli Equestrian Federation and curator of the Israeli Olympic Museum (opened in 2009) He worked hand in hand with the Tel Aviv based company Disk-In Pro and interior designer Oded Alony to help bring the content to life and the result is truly unique and ground breaking Giant glass surfaces act as interac-tive interfaces for the visitors to travel through time
The FEIrsquos new headquarters which were donated to the Federation by FEI Presi-dent HRH Princess Haya in 2007 fol-lowing a personal fundraising effort are conveniently located close to the Inter-national Olympic Committee and other international sports federations It has been written into the FEI Statutes that the new FEI headquarters building will always house the Federationrsquos offices In 2008 the building was thoroughly renovated in accordance with the Swiss MINERGIEreg construction standard for environmental responsibility which re-duces energy consumption by 25 per cent Only two per cent of renovated buildings in Switzerland meet the high Minergie standards Khuan Chew founder and design princi-pal of London-based architectural firm KCA International Ltd worked in close collaboration with Swiss-based architect Herveacute de Rham and interior designer Sia-vosh Adeli (SUI) to transform the build-ing which was built in the 1960s The modern and sleek interior was further enhanced with bespoke artworks pro-duced by Swiss creative agency b+g amp partners and imagery by world-famous equestrian art photographer Tim Flach where the simplicity and beauty of his equine subjects seamlessly embrace and accentuate the buildingrsquos pure lines and natural materials (see image left)
As they feasted on the innate beauty of their sur-roundings the guests also had the privilege to ex-perience the culinary talents of organic chef and specialist Gilles Wannaz and his team based in the town of Cully which sits on the edge of Lac Leman in Switzerlandrsquos famous Lavaux wine growing region
5 HRH Princess Haya welcomes the guests to the Inauguration of the HQ and the 90 year celebration of the FEI 6 Artwork by renowned pho-tographer Tim Flach 7 An organic and colourful buffet presented on an authentic lawn by local chef Gilles Wannaz 8 A life size horse sculpture by Christophe Dumont greeted the guests upon their arrival
53FOCUS
and space with the latest in touch technology revis-iting the history of the FEI the equestrian events at Olympic amp Paralympic Games the FEI World Eques-trian Gamestrade and information on all of the member National Federations with statistics videos images and text The Gallery also includes projections on ar-chitectural surfaces designed by Oded Alony referred to as the Origami as well as interactive stations and unique video projections on glass screens
For all those wishing to visit the FEI Gallery simply contact the FEI HQ to make an appointment and we would be delighted to take you on a journey to dis-cover or rediscover the human and equine athletes whose talents have marked equestrian history and inspired young riders drivers and vaulters around the world
Interview withDrAmichaiAlperovich
When did you first dream up the FEIInteractive Gallery When I found out the FEI was planning to move into new HQ in 2009 Disk-In Pro and I approached the FEI and presented them with several concepts for the space Before long we had agreed on the concept and we got to work
Why were you compelled to make it become a reality So that the FEI a prominent sports organisation could present itself to a growing audience in a new and visionary way with the latest technology And by doing so the FEI is a pioneer becoming the first International Federation to have a Gallery of this kind
What did you learn when researching and gathering content for the gallery I have learned a lot about the history of the FEI the strong Olympic tradition the diversity of disciplines the gender equality and the unique bond between horse and man One of the more fascinating topics was the evolution of the Dressage from itsrsquo Olympic debut to the modern Freestyle
Itrsquos very innovative technology what inspired you to take such a leap into the future with such a traditional sport Just as Dressage has evolved over the years and alongside the introduction of new disciplines partic-ularly Para-Equestrian you come to realise that the FEI is not as traditional as one would think Actually this kind of innovative presentation of equestrian history is really well suited to the FEI In the same way that you can have horse-man connections there is an audience-technology connection in the Gallery The audience have to be active in order to enjoy the depth of information the Gallery contains
54
Now it is time to open the door to new places to learn about sport ndash at the heart of sporting organi-sations themselves The Gallery is more than an informative tool it brings people to the sport andto the heart of its operations
Established in 1990 Disk-In Pro specialises in the planning design production and implementation of Museums Visitor Centres and sophisticated projects around the world This includes multi screen produc-tion animation 3D amp interactive films state-of-the-art software platforms and complex video displays for an unforgettable experience
Oded Alony holds a BA in Design from the Interior Design Section of the Holon Technological Institute and has since 1998 worked with Israelrsquos leading Architecture firms The Oded Alony Studio embraces holistic design a space where interior design lighting and graphics are brought together to create a harmo-nious project vision
Now that you have seen it unveiled to the public how would you like to see it evolve I hope the audience will be amazed from the design by architect Oded Alony and the new methods to deliver information whilst discovering the long his-tory of the FEI the diversity and the global reach of the organisation I hope the Gallery will become an icon in Lausanne and one of its highlights for visitors I promise the visitors a new platform to learn about equestrianism and each visit could be different as the information and themes will be updated and modi-fied regularly
This futuristic gallery is a first for anInternational Federation do you think thisis something all sports should invest inThe FEI took this courageous decision and now has this fantastic tool to present the organisation in new ways Sport is a huge cultural phenomenaWe have learned to consume sport in the arenas and stadiums in the press media and new media
Dr Amichai Alperovich
55FOCUS
SOCIAL MEDIAthe new frontier
Follow us on
The FEI has recently embarked on and embraced a whole new way of talking with the greater equestrian community through the ever expanding social media networks and platformsWith personalised Facebook Twitter and You Tube pages the FEI is taking it step by step and reaching out to this growing audience and listening to what they have to say
This new communication platform is by no means a substitution of the traditional communication path-ways but works alongside the press releases various publications and content on wwwfeiorg and wwwfeitvorg providing a new arena where the FEI can share interact and dialogue with fans of the sport and of equestrian values in general
We talk to Richard Johnson Director of Corporate Communications about the FEIrsquos commitment to social media
What compelled the FEI to venture onto the social media scene As a governing body with a vibrant and active com-munity of National Federations as well as thousands of fans the need to reach out to the online social community has never been stronger We have been watching the communities grow online for some time and have been listening to their conversations so being a part of it was the next logical step and a really important one The conversations will hap-pen with or without us so taking that step has been crucial in order to share our values and also build re-lationships with our fan base
Tradition meets modernity ndash does equestrian sportthe FEI have a place in social media Absolutely even though equestrian sport has a long history and is perceived as a traditional sport it is
always evolving In the 90 years of the FEI which was founded to govern the three Olympic disciplines it has grown to also oversee the disciplines of Driving Endurance Vaulting Reining and Para-Equestrian sport Or if you look at the early days when competi-tors were from military backgrounds and when wom-en did not compete alongside men to the complete gender equality we have today ndash a lot has changed and is in a constant state of change
The fans of equestrian sport are like any other fan base web savvy and eager for more information behind the scenes content and to share their opin-ions and thoughts ndash so it is an ideal partnership And from what we have seen these last few months and from the feedback we got from our blog at the Youth Olympic Games there is a real appetite for this
The FEI has dedicated Facebook Twitter and You Tube pages ndash why did you select these social media platforms The figures speak for themselveshellip Facebook Twit-ter and You Tube are the biggest players in the social networking space With over 500 million Facebook users 106 million Tweeters and 2 billion views a day on You Tube there has never been so much oppor-tunity for exposure Every site has different demo-graphics with different habits and needs so by having an FEI presence on these three networks we are able to cover a lot of ground and cater to different audi-ences by providing different types of content accord-ing to the platform
What are the main benefits of having a pres-ence on various social media platforms Itrsquos all about having a two way conversation ndash the benefits of dialogue where you can share content such as videos images facts and figures thoughts and values and then allow your fan base to react to get involved and to listen and learn from them By engaging with our audience and showing them that we are a modern and caring organisation and that we want to hear what they have to say then we are able to build trust and ultimately credibility in what we do and what we say
57FOCUS
TV
The offi cial video website of the Feacutedeacuteration Equestre Internationale
wwwfeitvorg
WATCH LIVE WATCH ONLINE
FEI TV is the FEIrsquos new offi cial video website and your ticket to the worldrsquos most prestigious competitions Sign-up to FEI TV (wwwfeitvorg) and get instant access to all the live broadcasts the extensive video-on-demand library all the highlights the behind the scenes reports the interviews and so much more Be at the heart of horsesport Join us
2823_1FEI_TV_Focus_165x226indd 1 170510 1124
It also keeps us alert as to what is being discussed and debated in the public sphere so that we can manage situations more effectively and be proactive in our messaging and information so that the facts are at the heart of the debate and not interpretations of them
How do you generate content for social media It was important when we launched our social me-dia presence that it be manageable with the exist-ing communications team in place ndash and so we have concentrated on keeping it simple and effective and using content innovatively Itrsquos not about reproduc-ing our website ndash but to engage with our fans and so often all you need is a good picture an interest-ing fact or great achievement to get the ball rolling For You Tube as we already have so much content generated from FEI TV it was simply a question of using bits and pieces from that content to provide the public with teasers from events interviews with winning riders or behind the scenes content which they can then follow up on FEI TV with a subscription
What are your Social media goals Itrsquos really to build relationships and dialogue with our fan base by using our content innovatively by listening to what they have to say and by engaging with the community And for the National Federa-tions that have yet to take that step we want to be a guiding hand that can help them get started so that they too can reap the benefits of social media net-working Our sport competes against other sports for attention so itrsquos really important that we the FEI and the National Federations keep our finger on the pulse and cater to our fans
How can National Federations get involved NFs wishing to find out more about Social Media can contact me (richardjohnsonfeiorg) and I would be more than happy to discuss opportunities and ways of getting started as well as our experience at the FEI
We asked our Facebook followers why it was important to use face-book and here are a few comments they came up with
bullItrsquos a great way to find out about shows and competitions
bullBecause facebook can provide up to the minute updates as to the what is going on in the horse community
bullWe can share information and ideas over long distances We can find and connect with people we wouldnt be able to otherwise
bullIt also lets us express the true realities of our spot to keep us grounded
bullIt can bring peoples attention to excellence ndash and expose the issues
58
TV
The offi cial video website of the Feacutedeacuteration Equestre Internationale
wwwfeitvorg
WATCH LIVE WATCH ONLINE
FEI TV is the FEIrsquos new offi cial video website and your ticket to the worldrsquos most prestigious competitions Sign-up to FEI TV (wwwfeitvorg) and get instant access to all the live broadcasts the extensive video-on-demand library all the highlights the behind the scenes reports the interviews and so much more Be at the heart of horsesport Join us
2823_1FEI_TV_Focus_165x226indd 1 170510 1124
ldquo Donrsquot accept drinks from a strangerrdquo
Armchair travel journalist
Are you living a life without boundaries Some well-meant advice is best ignored but itrsquos still good to know yoursquore covered when yoursquore away With HSBC Premier your family can be protected with both Travel Insurance and dedicated assistance when yoursquore abroad Which is reassuring to know when yoursquore making the most of life
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201736_6000263_Coconut_226x165indd
Master 226x165
Rob Swainson 160211
HSBC - Coconuts Proof 01Head of Art TypographerDesigner ArtCreative Director Copywriter Account DirectorDIC Project ManagerPhotographer Illustrator Usage Model(s) Name(s) Usage
Media MediaStock Image Time Period Time Period
Territory Territory
8deg N ndash Kerala South India
Vaulting became an FEI discipline in 1983 and saw its first FEI European Championship organised just one year later in the town of Ebreichsdorf in Austria This 15th edition of the Championship ndash which also includes the European Juniors competition return to France for the 4th time but for the first time in the world renowned venue of Le Mans famous for its 24 hour race
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERS
Team ndash Austria
Individual malelongeurhorseNicolas Andreani (FRA)Marina Joosten DuponIdefix de Braize
Individual femalelongeurhorseJoanna Eccles (GBR)John EcclesWH Bentley
THE WIND OF CHANGEGermany and Switzerland have traditionally bat-tled for the team title (Germany has 7 gold versus Switzerlandrsquos 5) but in 2009 Austria who had come second on four occasions since the inception of the Championships in 1984 finally climbed onto the top spot of the podium and claimed the title In terms of the individual performances Germany had the stronghold on the male category winning 11 out of 14 gold medals But again in 2009 France the only other country to have ever beaten a German male vaulter at the Europeans made it to the top spot of the podium for only the third time since the Championships began
Similarly with the female vaulters it was an all German domination until 2007 when Austriarsquos Sissi Jarz claimed gold followed by Joanna Eccles (GBR) in 2009 ndash leaving Germany off the top step of the podium entirely in 2009
GREAT BRITAIN ndash A VAULTING NATIONhellip Times have definitely changed from the Swiss German domination with current World and European titles held by Great Britainrsquos Joanna Eccles She was the first British vaulter (male or female) to claim a medal at the Europeans ndash let alone a gold medal - and then went on to secure the world title in Kentucky last year
Believe it or nothellip
bull TheonlycountryotherthanGermanyand SwitzerlandtohaveclaimedaEuropean VaultingtitleisSlovakiain2005
bull ChristophLensing(GER)holdsthemale medalrecordndashwiththreegold(19891993 amp1995)aswellassilverin1991
bull NadiaZuumllowandSilkeMichelberger (formerlyBernhard)withthreegoldmedals each
16-21 August 2011
Le Mans France
FeI eUroPeaN
VaULtINGChaMPIoNshIPs
26
This is only the fifth edition of the European Reining Championships since the discipline joined the FEI in 2000 and the first time they will be held in Austria The event also includes the FEI European Champi-onships for Juniors and Young Riders ndash a formula introduced in 2009 in Kreuth (GER) which proved to be a multigenerational success The FEI European Reining Championships take place every two years and have been held since 2003
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERSTeam ndash GermanyIndividual ndash Nina Lill (GER) riding Lena Cielo Jewel
THE JUDGINGReining horses are judged individually Each horse au-tomatically begins the required pattern with a score of 70 One or frac12 points are given or taken away for each manoeuvre Credit is given for smoothness fi-nesse attitude quickness and authority Controlled speed in the pattern raises the level of difficulty and makes the reining horse exciting to watch
Believe it or nothellip
bull ItalyandGermanyaretheonlytwonations tohavewongoldmedalsndashGermanyhas3 teamgoldand2individualgoldversus Italyrsquossingleteamgoldandtwoindividual gold
bull GermanyrsquosNinaLillwinnerin2009was thefirstwomantotaketheindividualtitle sincetheChampionshipsbeganin2003
bull OlympicWorldandEuropeanDressage ChampionAnkyVanGrunsven(NED) competedattheAlltechFEIWorldEques- trianGamestradein2010inbothDressageand hellipReining
bull 13nationswerescheduledtoattendthe Championshipatthetimeofwritingthe largestparticipationbycountryever recordedfortheEuropeans
26-30 July 2011
Wiener Neustadt Austria
FeI eUroPeaN
reININGChaMPIoNshIPs
27FOCUS
ldquoThirty-one yearsrsquo experience comes in handy some-timesrdquo joked the ever-relaxed Todd who was a leg-end by the time he ldquoretiredrdquo in 2000 with back-to-back Olympic golds five Burghley wins two world gold medals and three Badminton victories one on a horse he had never ridden before ldquoIt is incredibly special though right up there with the back-to-back Olympic golds When I came back to the sport (in 2008) it was to see if I could get back to top level It has always been my aim to win another big onerdquo
A World class meeting of Generations
The 2011 HSBC FEI Classicstrade could not have got off to a more epic start with wins at Badminton and Kentucky by two of the sportrsquos most enduring personalitiesThe 55-year-old New Zealander Mark Todd rolled back the years to score a fourth victory at the Gloucestershire venue 31 years after his first attempt in 1980
By Kate Green
28
HSBC FEI ClassicsTm
The resurgence of so much experienced talent makes it harder for younger riders to work their way up the leaderboard but 29-year-old Sinead Halpin (USA) had a spectacular CCI4 debut at Kentucky finish-ing third and best of the home side in distinguished company This achievement earned her the HSBC Training Bursary worth US$1000 towards training a prestigious and valuable award presented to the rider who achieves the best result on completing a CCI4 for the first time
The bursary winner at Badminton Fiona Hobby (GBR) 39 has had a rather longer wait to complete
her first CCI4 ndash she was 26th on Roma ML ndash but she has in the meantime produced two children had a career as a sports therapist and only switched from Jumping to Eventing relatively recently Hobby has vowed to spend the money on dressage train-ing ldquoRoma couldnrsquot believe it when she arrived in the arena and saw all those people but she was great across country really focussed Irsquom delightedrdquo
For Germanyrsquos Sandra Auffarth Luhmuumlhlen pro-vided an outstanding CCI4 debut on Opgun Louvo a young horse she has produced herself coming second and picking up the HSBC Training Bursary and the exciting prospect of a possible place in the squad for the forthcoming HSBC FEI European Event-ing Championship at Luhmuumlhlen (25-28 August) at which Germany as host nation will be entitled to field 12 riders
Last yearrsquos HSBC Training Bursary winners include Stephanie Rhodes-Bosch (CAN) who went on to win a team silver medal at the Alltech FEI World Equestri-an Gamestrade Lauren Shannon (GBR) who finished 17th at Badminton this year and Giovanni Ugolotti (ITA) who is furthering his career by basing himself in Brit-ain for the season and having lessons with Mark Todd
LIVE coverage and extensive highlights available on
Toddrsquos winning mount the 10-year-old NZB Land Vision was a green horse for this level and he fin-ished the Cross-Country phase tired but his rider kept his cool in an extraordinarily tight finish in which the price of one Jumping fence covered the top 12 riders any of whom could with a bit of luck have won the Mitsubishi Motors Trophy ldquoIn the end it came down to horse-power and Irsquove obviously got a good one hererdquo said Todd ldquoCharisma (his double Olympic gold medallist) will always be the most special horse but this one has no weak linksrdquo
As is the nature of the sport Toddrsquos lead in the HSBC FEI Classicstrade didnrsquot last long ndash he came down to earth with a bump the following weekend with a Cross-Country run-out on NZB Grass Valley his ride at the Rolex Kentucky Three Day Event (USA) and 49- year-old Mary King (GBR) stole the head-lines with a record one-two on Kings Mis-tress and Fernhill Urco It was Kingrsquos first CCI4 victory for 11 years ndash she has won Badminton twice and Burghley once ndash but she certainly smashed a few re-cords with this one She became the first rider to score a one-two at Kentucky the first in modern times to win a CCI4 on a home-bred horse and the oldest female to win a CCI4
King who has six team gold medals at World and European level plus competed at five consecutive Olympics had the luxury of knowing she had already won the event on the inexperienced 10-year-old Fernhill Urco a horse bred in Portugal by the time she entered the arena on Kings Mistress but she still produced a second clear round ldquoI never dreamed that I would be in this position and Irsquom enjoying the momentrdquo said the ever-smiling King ldquoIt was great to have the feeling of having already won on Fernhill Urco but I still wanted desperately to go clear on Kings Mistress as it is so special to win on a horse I bred myselfrdquo It was also an all clear from Germanyrsquos Andreas Dibowski and Euroriding Butts Leon in order to secure victory at the fourth leg of the HSBC FEItrade
Classicstrade in Luhmuumlhlen presented by EON Avacon
29FOCUS
The Danish-American actorpoet musician photographerand painter has been around horses most of his life from riding Hasufel and Brego in The Lord of the Rings trilogy to early childhood memories in Argentina his passion for floating as he describes it has never wavered
What is it about the horse that makes you a horse loverWe get along generally I respect their strength and their personal space Your first riding experience ndash was it bliss or terrorLike floating like being on a warm and floating mountain I remember being happy Do you think anyone can rideYes It is a question of allowing yourself to ride of allowing yourself to cooperate and not be in total control Children are more adept at figuring this out letting things happen without getting impatient or scared just as they are braver and less self-conscious about pronouncing new words or singing Anyone at any age or in any physical condition can
Viggo Mortensen
achieve a degree of success and satisfaction with horses even if it is just a question of touching them being near them If horses could talk what would they be sayingYou will know if you listen and watch them Is there a unique trait you look for in a horse that you canrsquot find in peopleThey are more patient and less apt to complain about lifersquos setbacks and physical ailments than most people I admire a tough smart horse what-ever its breed age or size What would you miss most if you could no longer go ridingThe companionship and the floating perhaps also the abandonment of usual daily worries that relaxed riding requires Whatrsquos your usual riding outfit consist ofAnything will do Loose-fitting clothes and good comfortable boots are a plus but not vital I have even ridden barefoot ndash naturally taking care to avoid being stepped on when not on the horse - but I do not recommend this to anyone The most important thing is to have a clear and focused mind to be THERE at all times when around horses and NOWHERE ELSE Sugar lumps or carrotsIrsquove been guilty of offering an occasional apple or carrot although it is best not to give horses anything special unless treats are part of training them for special tricks or stunts a pursuit best left to experts like master horse trainer Rex Peterson whom Irsquove had the good fortune to work with and study quite a bit Treats spoil horses and do not keep the animal focused on the task at hand Whatrsquos your favourite part of a horseThe brain What do you think young people gain from ridingSelf-confidence and an understanding of the value of cooperation
30
Why the long face
When did you first develop the bond with the horseThe first time I got on one as a little boy in ArgentinaYou either develop a bond of some kind or you fall off Of course you may even fall off if you develop the bond but you have to start (and restart) somewhere
Did your friends ride My brothers also rode and I have ridden with many kinds of people over the years ndash some good and patient with horses and some not If I had not rid-den as a boy I would probably have been wandering around fishing imagining I was a cowboy or an Indian or a Viking ndash which I did anyway Where in the world would you most like to rideMost anywhere will do but I have been extremely lucky to have ridden in many wide-open wild places ndash deserts grassy plains mountains by different seas and rivers in Argentina New Zealand North Africa and North America If you could spend one afternoon riding with a famous person (past or present)who would it be and whyIrsquoll give you 3 Oglala chief Tasunke Witko (Crazy Horse) my ancestor William F Cody or any real Gaucho from the province of Chaco Argentina
Two horses go out for dinner what kindof restaurant do they chooseLate spring grass near a slow-moving clean river with a gentle firm shoreline an hour before sun-down far from any people or other animals All time favourite horse filmI have a subjective soft spot for the stories and real horses involved in the making of ldquoHidalgordquo and the 2nd and 3rd installments of ldquoThe Lord Of The Ringsrdquo trilogy but I admire other ldquohorse moviesrdquo as wellThe 1953 French movie ldquoCrin-Blancrdquo (ldquoWhite Manerdquo) directed by Albert Lamorisse is a personal favourite
After three years at the head of the successful French Jumping team with back to back FEI Nations Cuptrade titles and a silver medal at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade Laurent Elias is moving on to new spheres with the French Horse amp Riding Institute where he will be training the riders of the National Riding School in Saumur
Laurent Elias
copy C
hris
toph
e Br
icot
32
The other side of
If I had not become a professional rider I would havehellipmade a career in a humanitarian organisation Horse riding is sometimes too trivial
My priority in life ishellipto be able to look at myself in the mirror in the morning and make sure I am at peace with my conscience
My familyhellipkeeps me grounded My wife helped me a lot when I was in charge of selections for France She took charge of my personal life and was the first person I called when we got the medal in Lexington I also admire my parents for the values they passed on to me
I remember my first ridingexperiencehellipaged six we were shooting a family film and I was on horseback I finished upside down under my horse for a long time I stopped riding for one year
I used to dream abouthellipsafaris One of my uncles was passionate about safaris Through him I became very interested in African trips and the jobs that allow you to travel as a reporter were fascinating to me as well
I have been thinking a lot abouthellipwhat happened in Japan these past few months First this tsunami that devastated everything without warning then the nuclear disaster It made me think that progress should not be destructive
My horse Gueacutenourhellipchanged my life I was just a coach and he brought me to the top I won the national championship in 1981 with him
My biggest challengehas always beenhellipshyness Horse riding has really helped me over-come it Horses brought me on stage and there I had to meet people
As a Chef dEquipehellipthere is no single defining achievement itrsquos all about the solidarity and the moments spent together as a team Irsquoll never forget the first time Penelope Leprevost rode her mare Jubileacutee drsquoOuilly in the FEI Nations Cuptrade of Rotterdam McLain Ward had just completed a real fast run with Sapphire We thought the Americans would win but she did it faster and beat Sapphire
In terms of eventshellipAachen is my favourite competition - for its won-derful organisation But we have also pretty good five star competitions in France
I donrsquot sleep muchhellipprobably because I am just happy to be alive
Irsquom not scared to laugh or cryhellipI laugh at the funny situations we sometimes find ourselves in life and enjoy people with quirky personalities I cry when I see others in pain
Laurent Elias and the French team en route to the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade copy PSV-Jean Morel
33FOCUS
Nicolas TheacutevenazAged 23 studies Robotics and Autonomous Systems Micro Engineering in Lausanne (SUI) alongside regular training and competition in Dressage and Para-Equestrian Dressage events Born with spastic diplegia Nicolas was introduced to horses via hippotherapy aged seven and quickly developed a passion for riding which not only helped with his physical condition but also taught him through Dressage the art of patience and perseverance
34
One day
Nicolas TheacutevenazAged 23 studies Robotics and Autonomous Systems Micro Engineering in Lausanne (SUI) alongside regular training and competition in Dressage and Para-Equestrian Dressage events Born with spastic diplegia Nicolas was introduced to horses via hippotherapy aged seven and quickly developed a passion for riding which not only helped with his physical condition but also taught him through Dressage the art of patience and perseverance
He has been fortunate to meet the right people (and horses) at the right time and has been working for the past five years with trainer Vicky-Eileen Baumann (pictured right) and her horses Magic and Lady (pictured right) ldquoShersquos bred them and knows them inside out which is very useful when I have to communicate with them - they know my voice intonations and a whole string of specific words or sounds ndash which really helps as my body canrsquot or doesnrsquot always have the strength to do sordquo
As a Grade II Para-Equestrian rider Nicolas competes in Para-Equestrian Dressage (PED) events as well as national events for able bodied riders as there are only a handful of PED riders and no events in Switzerland
Unable to attend the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade 2010 in Kentucky last year Nicolas and Vicky have their sights firmly set on the 2012 Para-lympic Games and will be looking to qualify with Lady over the next 12 months ndash alongside exams studies and everything else life has to offerhellip Who is your role model For different reasons I have different role mod-els Edward Gal Dane Rawlins Isabel Werth and Catherine Haddad
When did you start riding and why At age 7 I was sat on a horse for hippotherapy and liked the complicity with the horse which made me want to discover more
How do you feel when you ride Concentrated and industrious
Who is your biggest fan My trainerrsquos mum
Complete this sentenceOne day I would like tohellip have gained enough knowledge to be able to take care of and train my own horse
What are your long term goals as a rider Continue to do my best to enjoy what I do and show others itrsquos possible
How do you juggle studies and competition I think itrsquos really important to have goals and to do everything you can to achieve them and that includes taking on challenges because if you donrsquot try then yoursquoll never know what you could have achieved
What is your proudest achievement to date Participation in international events together with pursuing my studies
How do you feel after winning Still working towards discovering the feeling
What is the best advice anyone has ever given youMy trainer often repeats to me the famous saying by General LrsquoHotte ldquoCalme en avant droitrdquo which says so much about riding but can also be applied to so many other aspects of life
35FOCUS
What advice would you give someone looking to get involved in Para-Equestrian Dressage Train and ride with able-bodied athletes as often as possible Being around and working with horses is so rewarding Irsquod like - when Irsquom retired - to write a book to share these feelings with others and hope this will inspire them to get involved
Complete this sentenceIn the future I would like the sport to beeven ldquocleanerrdquo and fairer and if possible not more but less demanding on the horses
ldquoLast but not least Irsquod like to take the opportunity of this article to reach out to those who give me their trust and help be it with their time their friendship and any type of support Day after day to year after year team work is essential and Irsquoll do my best to continue deserving every-onersquos encouraging smilesrdquo
European Broadcasting Union
Union Europeacuteenne de Radio-Teacuteleacutevision
+41 (0)22 717 2111 wwweurovisionnet
We bring the event to your home
Eurovision
copy K
it H
ough
ton
FE
I
FEI_08_A4indd 1 03012008 162238
European Broadcasting Union
Union Europeacuteenne de Radio-Teacuteleacutevision
+41 (0)22 717 2111 wwweurovisionnet
We bring the event to your home
Eurovision
copy K
it H
ough
ton
FE
I
FEI_08_A4indd 1 03012008 162238
Nominations for the FEI Awards opened in May enabling the global equestrian com-munity to once again reward outstanding dedication to horse sport in five categories ndash Development Best Groom Against All Odds Rising Star and Best Athlete The search for the equestrian heroes of 2011 is now on who will be flown to Rio de Janeiro Brazil to receive their awards
Where are they now The FEI asked the current title-holders for an update on their activities
Follow us on
38
FEI Awards 2011
Ebony Horse Club (GBR)Winner of the Alltech FEI DevelopmentAward 2010
The Ebony Horse Club announced in December 2010 that after an eight-year fundraising effort it had the pound14 million necessary for building an equestrian cen-tre in one of Londonrsquos most deprived boroughs Since 1996 Ebony has offered youngsters in an area reput-ed for its gang culture high level of gun crime and drug dealing the chance to ride and learn key social skills The clubrsquos 50 members travel to riding schools across London on public transport or in minibuses ndash a logistical headache that the inner-city equestrian centre will end Construction work began in February
Ebony Horse Club founder and director Ros Spear-ing told the FEI ldquoRiding lessons are continuing and the club is preparing for the transitionrdquo Building will finish on 7 July but the centre will open for riding lessons in October ldquoThe horses will be brought to Brixton in the summer and will have time to acclimatise to their new environmentrdquo Spearing said The centre will include stabling for nine horses a small paddock and a flood-lit riding arena as well as a classroom for learning about horses and equine management Spearing is adamant that club members ndash present and future ndash care for their rides and wants the centre to serve as a stepping stone to careers in the horse industry
Ebonyrsquos existence will continue to depend on the generosity of donors For more information visit wwwebonyhorsecluborguk
Michelle Tipper (GBR)Winner of the FEI Best Groom Award 2010
Michelle Tipper has continued to juggle grooming and study since receiving her FEI Award in Novem-ber She has organised the grooms for the British European Junior and Young Dressage teams and in April her contract as a travelling groom for British Dressage riders Paul and Bobby Hayler took her to Addington for the first of many international com-petitions she will work at this year The Haylers have eight horses competing and the number she works with at each venue varies Tipper has also been help-ing British Dressage riders Nicky and Richard Barrett with yard duties ldquoI feel very lucky to work for both of these familiesrdquo said the FEI Best Groom Award win-ner adding that she feels part of the two families In March Tipper graduated from university with a Masters in Sport Psychology She is now working towards British Association of Sport and Exercise Science accreditation which requires at least 500 hoursrsquo supervised work experience and is present-ing sport psychology workshops in conjunction with the company Inside Performance Consulting Limit-ed (wwwinside-performancecom) The workshops are organised internationally for people of all ages from any sport To find out more contact Tipper at michelletipper1979yahoocom
39FOCUS
Michelle Tipper ndash copyWilliam TzengAward winners ndash copyWilliam TzengCaroline Roffman ndash copySharonPackercomEbony Horse Club ndash copyEbony Horse ClubEdward Gal and Totilas ndash copyKit HoughtonFEIAngelika Trabert ndash copyJulia Rau
Angelika Trabert (GER)Winner of the FEI Against All Odds Award 2010
German Para-Dressage rider Angelika Trabert has represent-ed her country at four Paralympic Games and won some 15 medals at national European and world championships She is currently seeking a new home for Londria the mare that con-tributed to her Team Silver medal win at the Hong Kong Para-lympics Londria who had a foal last year was also Trabertrsquos ride during her medal-winning performances at the European Championships in Hungary (2005) and Norway (2009)
Trabert said her decision to let go of Londria was hard to make but was necessary for financial reasons She will keep the foal Finaud Coquin and her mares Walmorel and Ariva-Avanti Trabert won the Para-Dressage Grade 2 Freestyle Champion-ship at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade with Ariva and said the horse was ldquowell and ready to go for the Europeans again in Belgium in September if we qualifyrdquo Trabert competed in her first international competition of 2011 in May in Man-nheim Germany where she came first in the Grade II indi-vidual and second in the freestyle She is taking part in the German Championships in June
Away from the equestrian world Trabert works as an anaes-thetist and has participated in medical missions in the rural ar-eas of Guinea for the organisation Mango In January she was back in Guinea as part of team that carried out 100 operations in 13 days wwwangelika-trabertde
Visit the recently refreshed FEI Awards website to find out more about the Awards the pastwinners the judges and to make yournominationsby 31 July
wwwfeiawardsorg
40
Caroline Roffman (USA)Winner of the HSBC FEI Rising StarAward 2010
Success continues to smile on twenty-two-year-old American Dressage rider Caroline Roffman Since re-ceiving the HSBC FEI Rising Star Award she has en-joyed numerous wins at small tour and young horse levels achieving scores in the mid-eighties and quali-fying two horses for the young horse championships
Roffman is currently showing six horses and has won several classes at PSG and Grand Prix level ldquoBut nothing is as exciting as to be going to Aachenrdquo said the young woman who has been described as the American Dressage communityrsquos brightest hope ex-plaining that at the FEI Awards ceremony in Chinese Taipei Frank Kemperman FEI Dressage Committee Chair and Chairman of the Managing Board at CHIO Aachen (GER) invited her to take part in the pres-tigious event Roffman will be the first American to compete in the Under 25 Grand Prix there and is hop-ing to take her horse Lux Stensvang
An interview with Caroline Roffman at the Palm Beach Dressage Derby CDI will be broadcast on the magazine programme Equestrian World on FEI TV the FEIrsquos official online video platform wwwfeitvorg
Edward Gal and Totilas (NED)Winners of the Reem Acra FEI Best Athlete Award 2010
The world-famous partnership of Dutch Dressage rider Edward Gal and the extraordinary Totilas ended in style in 2010 with notably three gold medal wins at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade
The first foal sired by the superstar stallion was born in January followed by two more in the spring Gal who has admired the foals told the FEI ldquoYou never know ndash maybe in a few yearsrsquo time Irsquoll have another Totilas readyrdquo At the beginning of April he was busy at home training nine horses and preparing for the Reem Acra FEI World Cuptrade Dressage Final in Leipzig and the European Championships in Rotterdam He had not yet decided which horses he was going to compete with but was particularly looking forward to the Freestyle to Music Asked what it was like to compete without Totilas Gal said ldquoEverybody ex-pected Totilas to win I find it easier to ride other horses because nobody expects me to win and when I do itrsquos really nicerdquo
41FOCUS
globetrotter
Seal of approval for the Adai horseSixty years have passed since an Adai horse reportedly set a record galloping 354km in one day Today the Adai horse a breed na-tive to Kazakhstan is back in the spotlight with a gold medal at the FEI Central Asian Endurance Championship in Talgaearlier in May only months after having been award-ed official pedigree status following tests
conducted by a State Commission in the Mangistau Steppes which allowed itto compete internationally The horses are cherished for their hardiness and Oyly ridden by Altyngali Bissemaganbetov (KAZ) proved just that when crossing the finishing line first demonstrating just how tough the Adai horses are and the beginning of a new era for sturdy breed on the international stage
Equestrian Australia Sport
Achievement Awards
In May the best of the best in
Equestrian sport gathered to cel-
ebrate the achievements of Austral-
iarsquos athletes coaches officials vets
administrators owners volunteers
and the many other people that
dedicate their time and enthusiasm
to equestrian sport The ceremony
also included the introduction of
Equestrian Australiarsquos Hall of
Fame won by the legendary Bill
Roycroft Boyd Exell winner of
the FEI World CupTM Driving
Final was awarded the interna-
tional athlete of the year
award
Kevin Stautbecomes first athlete representative on FEI
executive board
Kevin Staut one of Francersquos most successful Jumping riders became the first athlete to be appointed to the FEI Executive Board for a three-year term Staut (31) who has held the number one spot in the Rolex Rankings for Jumping since July 2010 has ridden on numerous Nations Cup teams for France and claimed individual gold at the Alltech FEI European Jumping Championships in 2009
HulA CARTSWorld Horse Welfare has greatly helped the liv
es of
five Senegalese cart horse owners by presenting them
with new Hula Carts The local people who depend on
their working horses for their livelihoods were specially
selected by the charity to receive the carts which have
been sponsored by members of the public in the uK
The Hula Carts are specifically developed to help the
horses pulling heavy loads in often difficult conditions
Equestrian Australia Sport
Achievement Awards
In May the best of the best in
Equestrian sport gathered to cel-
ebrate the achievements of Austral-
iarsquos athletes coaches officials vets
administrators owners volunteers
and the many other people that
dedicate their time and enthusiasm
to equestrian sport The ceremony
also included the introduction of
Equestrian Australiarsquos Hall of
Fame won by the legendary Bill
Roycroft Boyd Exell winner of
the FEI World CupTM Driving
Final was awarded the interna-
tional athlete of the year
award
Olympic legendBill Roycroft passes away aged 96
A legend of Equestrian sport in Australia James William
George Roycroft OBE known as ldquoBillrdquo was one of Austral-
iarsquos greatest Olympians and one of only five Australians to
have competed in five consecutive Olympic Games (from
1960 - 1976) as well as being Australiarsquos oldest medallist
and oldest competitor at 61 years and 31 days In May 2011
Bill was inducted in Equestrian Australiarsquos inaugural Hall
of Fame ndash he was Australiarsquos oldest living Olympian and
shared his dedication and enthusiasm for the sport with
his sons Barry Wayne and Clarke (See a brief description
of his exploits in the 1960 Olympic Games Memory Lane
article page 9 which catapulted Australiarsquos reputation as
one of the best Eventing teams in the world)
webinfofeiFEI web wizard Nicole Sigrist has added a new hub for the Press on wwwfeiorg called FEI Press Kits located in the Media section of the website The Press Kits zone which is also open to the general public is regularly updated with infor-mation relating to FEI series and specific events with flip books and downloadable PDFs as well as direct links to the Photo Catalogue the Rankings and Standings the Annual Report and more
100thanniversary for Finnish riding club
One of the three found-ing member clubs of
the Finnish Equestrian Federation the Suomen
Kenttaumlratsastusseura-Finska Faumlltrittklubbenon celebrates
its 100th anniversary in 2011 Magnus Rydman former President of the Finnish National Federation and Presi-dent of the FEI from 1935 ndash 1946 was one of the founders of the club Another of the founders of the oldest club in Fin-land was the Eventing rider Colonel Hans Olof von Essen whose fifth place at the Antwerpen Olympic Games re-mains the best Olympic equestrian result the country has ever achieved
Follow us on
43FOCUS
Interview with the President of the Brazilian Equestrian Federation Mr Luiz Roberto Giugni
The Brazilian Equestrian Federation has been a member Federation of the FEI for 75 years how has the sport developed over that time We were facing regular growth (average of 25 in the last decade) but in the last three to four years this rate has significantly increased up to 35 a year We believe that this is due to international achievements (two Jumping Olympic team bronze medals the individual Olympic Jumping gold medal won by Rodrigo Pessoa several Pan Am Jumping team gold medals recent Olympic pre-qualification in Kentucky (4th in the world in Jumping) and the organisations of a Global Champions Tour event in Brazil
In terms of developing the sport what are the most successful projects you have undertaken in recent yearsWe decided to invest in education and have hired international trainers for all the disciplines such as Jean Maurice Bonneau for Jumping Nick Turner for Eventing Eric Lette for Dressage Jean Louis Leclerc for Endurance Mattias Lang for Vaulting with the long term in mind that is at least until the end of 2012 and planning towards 2016 when Rio will host the Olympic Games
How popular is equestrian sport with young people in Brazil and how do you compete with some of the bigger sports for their attention Popularization is growing bit by bit in a country
decidedly dominated by soccer ndash being 5 times World Champion makes it a national passion But we are continuously looking to attract TV to our events as this is a huge step towards gaining visibility and popularity Can you tell us about the programmesinitiatives in place for disabled athletes We are actively pursuing this and have achieved really positive results in little time such as the great performances and medals earned at the Para-lympic Games in Hong Kong in 2008 We do this through clinics courses international exchanges of athletes and working alongside our National Paralympic Committee to support us in our efforts
Brazil will be host the FEI General Assembly at the end of the year what do you want all the visiting delegates to remember from their visit That we are more than just a really beautiful and warm country with the ability and capacity to organise great events and that we are committed to putting on the best Olympic Games ever
What are the main objectivesplans for the Brazilian Federation in the lead up to the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games Our NOC is really committed to raising the bar of all the sports to a level never seen before and we are working towards that in terms of our athletes our judges our venues and everything that is related to our sport and the quality of our sport In line with this objective we are providing incen-tives to owners to buy good horses aiming for 2016 and this is going to plan for now We expect to perform well at the upcoming Pan Am Games and Olympics on our trail to 2016
Is there anything else you would like to share with us I would like to thank HRH Princess Haya President of the FEI as well as the Executive Board for all the support that we are getting which has been paramount to the development of equestrian sport in our country
44
President Luiz Roberto GiugniSecretary General Luiz Antonio RoccoMember since 1935
15 members of staff work at the federation
20 regional federations are affiliated tothe Brazilian Equestrian Federation with over 300 member riding clubs
6 000 affiliated riders
91 national events were held in 2010
31 international events were held in 2010
All the FEI disciplines are practiced in BrazilJumping Dressage Eventing Vaulting Reining EnduranceDriving amp Para-Equestrian
14 breeding organisations
There are 58 million horses and ponies in Brazilmaking it the fourth largest equine population in the world
FAC
TS amp
FIG
URE
S
45FOCUS
Dr Gerit Matthesen56 is a private equine practitioner an FEI Vet and a member of the FEI Veterinary Committee He graduated in Veterinary Medicine from Berlin University in 1983 and since 1989 has worked or officiated at some 180 competitions and championships including the last two Olympics and FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade He lives near Frankfurt with his wife Carola and their sons Mike (16) and Lars (14)
46
A life in a day
Dr Gerit Matthesen56 is a private equine practitioner an FEI Vet and a member of the FEI Veterinary Committee He graduated in Veterinary Medicine from Berlin University in 1983 and since 1989 has worked or officiated at some 180 competitions and championships including the last two Olympics and FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade He lives near Frankfurt with his wife Carola and their sons Mike (16) and Lars (14)
I wake up earlier than I need to ndash at around 6am ndash because breakfast time with my family is sacred to me and I can then drive my boys to the village station to take the train to school After two cups of coffee (enough for the day) and a glass of orange juice I read the newspapers then head to my prac-tice offices in our indoor arena I have a quick look at our horses then start work
While I listen to my phone messages I deal with my emails and search the internet for news about veterinary medicine and horse sport I then start planning the dayacutes schedule with Anna my assistant vet
My mobile practice is in a nice fairly rural area in the north of Frankfurt There are lots of horse farms but it is not a classic breeding area like the northern part of Germany There are sport horses as well as pleasure horses I have examination rooms and stables for horses staying or mares foaling in my practice stables Itrsquos not a big clinic which gives me time to work at competitions
After seeing a few small animals in my practice I normally start my field service at 930am In my car I have enough equipment (ultrasound X-ray systems and endoscopical devices) for the dayrsquos examinations and standing procedures We mainly have lameness examinations to do or internal diseases to treat accompanied by routine work like vaccinations or carrying out pre-purchase or health certificate examinations If time allows I go home for a quick lunch but thatrsquos not every day
While Irsquom driving I have time to think and I write down everything that come to mind regarding sport competitions committees and so on You have to write down your thoughts when yoursquore over the age of 50
It is not easy planning my day because any emer-gency can destroy or delay my schedule For all the paperwork and certificates I need a time frame so
I often do that over quiet weekends when there are no competitions During the winter season I am less busy but in summer a lot of weekends are taken over by the competition schedule
I love my work especially in Eventing which is my favourite discipline My wife and I practiced it ndash not up to top level but it was a fine time despite a bro-ken ankle from a fall in 1988 which after 23 years is making walking more and more difficult for me
I like to do my competition work on a friendly but strict basis and I really like to hear riders saying they are treated fairly Over the years I have acquired a lot of experience and met all the officials and riders
Usually when I return home in the late afternoon there are more small animals to see When Irsquove done the dayrsquos paperwork I hope there will be no more emergencies such as cases of colic which usually occur in the early evening
I look forward to getting on my horse which is a beautiful show-jumper I like to ride but Irsquove stopped competing I do dressage jumping and go out into the fields but itrsquos all just for fun now
The day finishes with the family and a nice cold glass of German beer
Itrsquos a struggle to find time to spend with my family and I often have to cancel my holidays with them I am really grateful to my wife and the boys for their understanding of my job and to my assistant vet who covers for me when Iacutem out somewhere in the world of equestrian sport
ldquoThe combination of my profession and beinginvolved in differentaspects of top equestrian sport is my visionrdquo
47FOCUS
Pull your show attire from the closet clean your boots and tack groom the horses hook up and pack the trailer check the clock double check to make sure you have everything put on the shipping boots load your horses and away you drive to the competition venue or to the airport for transport to a distant event
You know the drill well but still you arrive tired per-haps even a bit frazzled Yoursquoll sleep (or try to) the next several nights in an unfamiliar bed or camp out in the living quarters of your trailer You awaken riveted on the competition playing out the dayrsquos classes in your mind wondering how your rides will fare against oth-ers praying that the weather will be cooperate and trying to control your nerves all the while knowing that no matter how well you have prepared many factors are out of your control You may even be in a different time zone
We go through a lot to compete our horses But if you think life on the road is stressful for you think about what itrsquos like for your horses Your back may be a bit sore from driving or being strapped into an airplane seat for hours on end but for horses transportation is far more demanding It is an athletic endeavour re-quiring an expenditure of energy to maintain balance during the constant movement of transport When your horses arrive they face social isolation from stablemates lack of security in novel environments altered training regimes water that tastes strange and the confines of an unfamiliar stall This routine impacts a horsersquos health and well being with effects
continuing long after the journey is over During transport toxic gases (such as ammonia or carbon monoxide) can cause damage to the lung epithelium precipitating respiratory disease The
final destination itself can also cause problems Usually horses are transported to environments where they will be mixing with other horses The mixing of horses from different environments with different infectious organisms and under stressful conditions further precipitates susceptibility to disease
This can have a severe impact on the equine gut The stress of transportation is known to increase gut ulceration in the horse a painful condition reducing performance and causing colic-like symptoms Stress can also slow the flow of digesta and alter the normal gut flora resulting in digestive upset and possibly diarrhoea or colic
The effects of travel stress on the gut are compounded by the typical diet of the regular equine traveller To maintain athletic ability high performance horses are often fed energy-charged diets contain-ing increased levels of starchy materials such as cereal grains Unfortunately this type of diet can reduce beneficial types of gut flora and promote gut acidity further predisposing the horse to digestive upsets and ulceration It is not surprising that stressed tired horses may not fulfill their potential on arrival
Feeding to reduce stress for the equine traveller
By Darlene RickerExecutive editor of Alltechrsquos EQUINE INTERNATIONAL magazine
48
Alltech Tips
growth of opportunistic Salmonella spp which are present in the intestinal tract of many healthy horses These bacteria then attach to the gut lining via a mannan sugar and penetrate it causing damage and resulting in diarrhoea One method of prevent-ing or minimising the attachment of these organ-
isms to the gut lining is to provide an adsorbant supplement A form of sugar found in the cell walls of certain yeasts can do this This sugar compound is called man-nan oligosaccharide or MOS MOS products such as Alltechrsquos Bio-Mosreg have been shown to re-duce the colonization of Salmonella
spp in the guts of certain species and augment the immune response to Salmonella spp potentially conferring an enhanced ability to fight infection Both Yea-Saccreg 1026 and Bio-Mos are among the natural products contained in Alltechrsquos LIFEFORCETM equine supplement which many FEI competitors have successfully incorporated into their daily feeding regimen at home and on the road
lifeforcehorsecom
and may be subject to health concerns in the days following a long journey Fortunately however you can curb some of the effects of travel stress on the horsersquos gut by nutritional supplementation Organic yeast products used to supplement a horsersquos diet can support the normal gut flora modifying the intesti-nal environment and improving the horsersquos digestion One such culture is Saccharomyces cerevisae in the form of Yea-Saccreg 1026 Alltechrsquos propriety organic yeast
Experiments were conducted to evaluate the effects Yea-Sacc on gut flora and gut acidity Horses were fed either a high-starch or a high-fibre diet both with and without supplementation of Yea-Saccreg 1026 Results indicated an excessive amount of starch in the gut The use of Yea-Sacc reduced acidity and stimulat-ed the activity of fibre-digesting bacteria in the hind-gut for both types of diet The result was maximised fibre digestibility and more efficient use of nutrients thus increasing the amount of energy available to the horse for performance and counteracting digestive upset Salmonellosis is one of the more commonly di-agnosed infectious causes of diarrhoea in horses Many cases develop after the stress of transport The effects of travel stress on the normal gut flora allow an over-
Moorlands Totilas arrives for the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade after air transport copy Dirk Caremans
HRH The Infanta Dontildea Pilar de Borboacuten former President of the FEI (1994-2006) also attended the inauguration along-side HRH Princess Lalla Amina Chairperson of the Royal Moroccan Federation for Equestrian Sports and member of the international Advisory Council of Special OlympicsThey were joined by International Olympic Commit-tee members representatives from other Interna-tional Federations federal and local Swiss authorities as well as architects and designers that worked on the project Switzerlandrsquos Martin Fuchs a member of the gold medal winning team at the inaugural Youth Olympic Games in Singapore last year accompanied FEI President Princess Haya in officially opening the FEI headquarters
ldquoThe building we are inaugurating today has been designed to serve our wonderful sportrdquo explained FEI
President Princess Haya ldquoI also feel an immense
sense of pride knowing that this building carries the name
of my late father and hope that this serves as a constant reminder
to all of us who work at the FEI of a unique statesman whose entire soul was devoted to the service of his people Our new headquarters will play a key role for the FEI and our National Federa-tions over the coming years It will be the environ-ment in which important discussions take place and fundamental decisions are taken as we continue our mission to advance the orderly growth of equestrian sport worldwide while ensuring that the welfare of the horse and a level playing field remain at the centre of all that we dordquo
FEI celebratesNEW Headquarters
Over 250 guests attended the inauguration ceremony on Friday 6 May at HM King Hussein I Building which was timed to coincide with the FEI
Extraordinary General Assembly so that attending NationalFederation representatives
could be a part ofthe celebrations
1 Youth Olympic Games team champion Martin Fuchs (SUI) FEI President HRH Princess Haya and her daughter HH Sheikha Al Jalila officially open the FEIrsquos new home 2 Gilbert Felli IOC Olympic Games Executive Director and FEI Secretary General Ingmar de Vos 3 HRH The Infanta Dontildea Pilar de Borboacuten sits down to an interactive quiz in the FEI Gallery 4 Guests gathered in the atrium of the FEI HeadquartersAll images copy Hugues SiegenthalerFEI
Highlights available on50
1
2
3 4
5
6 7
8
THE GALLERy
As well as housing offices for its 62 employees and conference facilities for its 133 National Federations the new headquarters also has a state-of-the-art in-teractive gallery showcasing equestrian sport
The Gallery is the brainchild of Dr Amichai Alper-ovich historian former Secretary General of the Is-raeli Equestrian Federation and curator of the Israeli Olympic Museum (opened in 2009) He worked hand in hand with the Tel Aviv based company Disk-In Pro and interior designer Oded Alony to help bring the content to life and the result is truly unique and ground breaking Giant glass surfaces act as interac-tive interfaces for the visitors to travel through time
The FEIrsquos new headquarters which were donated to the Federation by FEI Presi-dent HRH Princess Haya in 2007 fol-lowing a personal fundraising effort are conveniently located close to the Inter-national Olympic Committee and other international sports federations It has been written into the FEI Statutes that the new FEI headquarters building will always house the Federationrsquos offices In 2008 the building was thoroughly renovated in accordance with the Swiss MINERGIEreg construction standard for environmental responsibility which re-duces energy consumption by 25 per cent Only two per cent of renovated buildings in Switzerland meet the high Minergie standards Khuan Chew founder and design princi-pal of London-based architectural firm KCA International Ltd worked in close collaboration with Swiss-based architect Herveacute de Rham and interior designer Sia-vosh Adeli (SUI) to transform the build-ing which was built in the 1960s The modern and sleek interior was further enhanced with bespoke artworks pro-duced by Swiss creative agency b+g amp partners and imagery by world-famous equestrian art photographer Tim Flach where the simplicity and beauty of his equine subjects seamlessly embrace and accentuate the buildingrsquos pure lines and natural materials (see image left)
As they feasted on the innate beauty of their sur-roundings the guests also had the privilege to ex-perience the culinary talents of organic chef and specialist Gilles Wannaz and his team based in the town of Cully which sits on the edge of Lac Leman in Switzerlandrsquos famous Lavaux wine growing region
5 HRH Princess Haya welcomes the guests to the Inauguration of the HQ and the 90 year celebration of the FEI 6 Artwork by renowned pho-tographer Tim Flach 7 An organic and colourful buffet presented on an authentic lawn by local chef Gilles Wannaz 8 A life size horse sculpture by Christophe Dumont greeted the guests upon their arrival
53FOCUS
and space with the latest in touch technology revis-iting the history of the FEI the equestrian events at Olympic amp Paralympic Games the FEI World Eques-trian Gamestrade and information on all of the member National Federations with statistics videos images and text The Gallery also includes projections on ar-chitectural surfaces designed by Oded Alony referred to as the Origami as well as interactive stations and unique video projections on glass screens
For all those wishing to visit the FEI Gallery simply contact the FEI HQ to make an appointment and we would be delighted to take you on a journey to dis-cover or rediscover the human and equine athletes whose talents have marked equestrian history and inspired young riders drivers and vaulters around the world
Interview withDrAmichaiAlperovich
When did you first dream up the FEIInteractive Gallery When I found out the FEI was planning to move into new HQ in 2009 Disk-In Pro and I approached the FEI and presented them with several concepts for the space Before long we had agreed on the concept and we got to work
Why were you compelled to make it become a reality So that the FEI a prominent sports organisation could present itself to a growing audience in a new and visionary way with the latest technology And by doing so the FEI is a pioneer becoming the first International Federation to have a Gallery of this kind
What did you learn when researching and gathering content for the gallery I have learned a lot about the history of the FEI the strong Olympic tradition the diversity of disciplines the gender equality and the unique bond between horse and man One of the more fascinating topics was the evolution of the Dressage from itsrsquo Olympic debut to the modern Freestyle
Itrsquos very innovative technology what inspired you to take such a leap into the future with such a traditional sport Just as Dressage has evolved over the years and alongside the introduction of new disciplines partic-ularly Para-Equestrian you come to realise that the FEI is not as traditional as one would think Actually this kind of innovative presentation of equestrian history is really well suited to the FEI In the same way that you can have horse-man connections there is an audience-technology connection in the Gallery The audience have to be active in order to enjoy the depth of information the Gallery contains
54
Now it is time to open the door to new places to learn about sport ndash at the heart of sporting organi-sations themselves The Gallery is more than an informative tool it brings people to the sport andto the heart of its operations
Established in 1990 Disk-In Pro specialises in the planning design production and implementation of Museums Visitor Centres and sophisticated projects around the world This includes multi screen produc-tion animation 3D amp interactive films state-of-the-art software platforms and complex video displays for an unforgettable experience
Oded Alony holds a BA in Design from the Interior Design Section of the Holon Technological Institute and has since 1998 worked with Israelrsquos leading Architecture firms The Oded Alony Studio embraces holistic design a space where interior design lighting and graphics are brought together to create a harmo-nious project vision
Now that you have seen it unveiled to the public how would you like to see it evolve I hope the audience will be amazed from the design by architect Oded Alony and the new methods to deliver information whilst discovering the long his-tory of the FEI the diversity and the global reach of the organisation I hope the Gallery will become an icon in Lausanne and one of its highlights for visitors I promise the visitors a new platform to learn about equestrianism and each visit could be different as the information and themes will be updated and modi-fied regularly
This futuristic gallery is a first for anInternational Federation do you think thisis something all sports should invest inThe FEI took this courageous decision and now has this fantastic tool to present the organisation in new ways Sport is a huge cultural phenomenaWe have learned to consume sport in the arenas and stadiums in the press media and new media
Dr Amichai Alperovich
55FOCUS
SOCIAL MEDIAthe new frontier
Follow us on
The FEI has recently embarked on and embraced a whole new way of talking with the greater equestrian community through the ever expanding social media networks and platformsWith personalised Facebook Twitter and You Tube pages the FEI is taking it step by step and reaching out to this growing audience and listening to what they have to say
This new communication platform is by no means a substitution of the traditional communication path-ways but works alongside the press releases various publications and content on wwwfeiorg and wwwfeitvorg providing a new arena where the FEI can share interact and dialogue with fans of the sport and of equestrian values in general
We talk to Richard Johnson Director of Corporate Communications about the FEIrsquos commitment to social media
What compelled the FEI to venture onto the social media scene As a governing body with a vibrant and active com-munity of National Federations as well as thousands of fans the need to reach out to the online social community has never been stronger We have been watching the communities grow online for some time and have been listening to their conversations so being a part of it was the next logical step and a really important one The conversations will hap-pen with or without us so taking that step has been crucial in order to share our values and also build re-lationships with our fan base
Tradition meets modernity ndash does equestrian sportthe FEI have a place in social media Absolutely even though equestrian sport has a long history and is perceived as a traditional sport it is
always evolving In the 90 years of the FEI which was founded to govern the three Olympic disciplines it has grown to also oversee the disciplines of Driving Endurance Vaulting Reining and Para-Equestrian sport Or if you look at the early days when competi-tors were from military backgrounds and when wom-en did not compete alongside men to the complete gender equality we have today ndash a lot has changed and is in a constant state of change
The fans of equestrian sport are like any other fan base web savvy and eager for more information behind the scenes content and to share their opin-ions and thoughts ndash so it is an ideal partnership And from what we have seen these last few months and from the feedback we got from our blog at the Youth Olympic Games there is a real appetite for this
The FEI has dedicated Facebook Twitter and You Tube pages ndash why did you select these social media platforms The figures speak for themselveshellip Facebook Twit-ter and You Tube are the biggest players in the social networking space With over 500 million Facebook users 106 million Tweeters and 2 billion views a day on You Tube there has never been so much oppor-tunity for exposure Every site has different demo-graphics with different habits and needs so by having an FEI presence on these three networks we are able to cover a lot of ground and cater to different audi-ences by providing different types of content accord-ing to the platform
What are the main benefits of having a pres-ence on various social media platforms Itrsquos all about having a two way conversation ndash the benefits of dialogue where you can share content such as videos images facts and figures thoughts and values and then allow your fan base to react to get involved and to listen and learn from them By engaging with our audience and showing them that we are a modern and caring organisation and that we want to hear what they have to say then we are able to build trust and ultimately credibility in what we do and what we say
57FOCUS
TV
The offi cial video website of the Feacutedeacuteration Equestre Internationale
wwwfeitvorg
WATCH LIVE WATCH ONLINE
FEI TV is the FEIrsquos new offi cial video website and your ticket to the worldrsquos most prestigious competitions Sign-up to FEI TV (wwwfeitvorg) and get instant access to all the live broadcasts the extensive video-on-demand library all the highlights the behind the scenes reports the interviews and so much more Be at the heart of horsesport Join us
2823_1FEI_TV_Focus_165x226indd 1 170510 1124
It also keeps us alert as to what is being discussed and debated in the public sphere so that we can manage situations more effectively and be proactive in our messaging and information so that the facts are at the heart of the debate and not interpretations of them
How do you generate content for social media It was important when we launched our social me-dia presence that it be manageable with the exist-ing communications team in place ndash and so we have concentrated on keeping it simple and effective and using content innovatively Itrsquos not about reproduc-ing our website ndash but to engage with our fans and so often all you need is a good picture an interest-ing fact or great achievement to get the ball rolling For You Tube as we already have so much content generated from FEI TV it was simply a question of using bits and pieces from that content to provide the public with teasers from events interviews with winning riders or behind the scenes content which they can then follow up on FEI TV with a subscription
What are your Social media goals Itrsquos really to build relationships and dialogue with our fan base by using our content innovatively by listening to what they have to say and by engaging with the community And for the National Federa-tions that have yet to take that step we want to be a guiding hand that can help them get started so that they too can reap the benefits of social media net-working Our sport competes against other sports for attention so itrsquos really important that we the FEI and the National Federations keep our finger on the pulse and cater to our fans
How can National Federations get involved NFs wishing to find out more about Social Media can contact me (richardjohnsonfeiorg) and I would be more than happy to discuss opportunities and ways of getting started as well as our experience at the FEI
We asked our Facebook followers why it was important to use face-book and here are a few comments they came up with
bullItrsquos a great way to find out about shows and competitions
bullBecause facebook can provide up to the minute updates as to the what is going on in the horse community
bullWe can share information and ideas over long distances We can find and connect with people we wouldnt be able to otherwise
bullIt also lets us express the true realities of our spot to keep us grounded
bullIt can bring peoples attention to excellence ndash and expose the issues
58
TV
The offi cial video website of the Feacutedeacuteration Equestre Internationale
wwwfeitvorg
WATCH LIVE WATCH ONLINE
FEI TV is the FEIrsquos new offi cial video website and your ticket to the worldrsquos most prestigious competitions Sign-up to FEI TV (wwwfeitvorg) and get instant access to all the live broadcasts the extensive video-on-demand library all the highlights the behind the scenes reports the interviews and so much more Be at the heart of horsesport Join us
2823_1FEI_TV_Focus_165x226indd 1 170510 1124
ldquo Donrsquot accept drinks from a strangerrdquo
Armchair travel journalist
Are you living a life without boundaries Some well-meant advice is best ignored but itrsquos still good to know yoursquore covered when yoursquore away With HSBC Premier your family can be protected with both Travel Insurance and dedicated assistance when yoursquore abroad Which is reassuring to know when yoursquore making the most of life
HSBC Premier is subject to financial eligibility criteria and is available in over 40 countries and territories
Premier Travel Insurance covers you and your partner up to age 70 and your children travelling with you up to age 18
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A4 A4
Issued by HSBC Holdings plc Approved for use in UK by HSBC Bank plc Premier Travel Insurance is provided by Aviva Insurance UK Limited Customer Information Service PO Box 757 Hemel Hempstead Hertfordshire HP2 4SS Registered in England number 14259 Registered Office 8 Canada Square London E14 5HQ AC18770
201736_6000263_Coconut_226x165indd
Master 226x165
Rob Swainson 160211
HSBC - Coconuts Proof 01Head of Art TypographerDesigner ArtCreative Director Copywriter Account DirectorDIC Project ManagerPhotographer Illustrator Usage Model(s) Name(s) Usage
Media MediaStock Image Time Period Time Period
Territory Territory
8deg N ndash Kerala South India
This is only the fifth edition of the European Reining Championships since the discipline joined the FEI in 2000 and the first time they will be held in Austria The event also includes the FEI European Champi-onships for Juniors and Young Riders ndash a formula introduced in 2009 in Kreuth (GER) which proved to be a multigenerational success The FEI European Reining Championships take place every two years and have been held since 2003
THE CURRENT TITLE HOLDERSTeam ndash GermanyIndividual ndash Nina Lill (GER) riding Lena Cielo Jewel
THE JUDGINGReining horses are judged individually Each horse au-tomatically begins the required pattern with a score of 70 One or frac12 points are given or taken away for each manoeuvre Credit is given for smoothness fi-nesse attitude quickness and authority Controlled speed in the pattern raises the level of difficulty and makes the reining horse exciting to watch
Believe it or nothellip
bull ItalyandGermanyaretheonlytwonations tohavewongoldmedalsndashGermanyhas3 teamgoldand2individualgoldversus Italyrsquossingleteamgoldandtwoindividual gold
bull GermanyrsquosNinaLillwinnerin2009was thefirstwomantotaketheindividualtitle sincetheChampionshipsbeganin2003
bull OlympicWorldandEuropeanDressage ChampionAnkyVanGrunsven(NED) competedattheAlltechFEIWorldEques- trianGamestradein2010inbothDressageand hellipReining
bull 13nationswerescheduledtoattendthe Championshipatthetimeofwritingthe largestparticipationbycountryever recordedfortheEuropeans
26-30 July 2011
Wiener Neustadt Austria
FeI eUroPeaN
reININGChaMPIoNshIPs
27FOCUS
ldquoThirty-one yearsrsquo experience comes in handy some-timesrdquo joked the ever-relaxed Todd who was a leg-end by the time he ldquoretiredrdquo in 2000 with back-to-back Olympic golds five Burghley wins two world gold medals and three Badminton victories one on a horse he had never ridden before ldquoIt is incredibly special though right up there with the back-to-back Olympic golds When I came back to the sport (in 2008) it was to see if I could get back to top level It has always been my aim to win another big onerdquo
A World class meeting of Generations
The 2011 HSBC FEI Classicstrade could not have got off to a more epic start with wins at Badminton and Kentucky by two of the sportrsquos most enduring personalitiesThe 55-year-old New Zealander Mark Todd rolled back the years to score a fourth victory at the Gloucestershire venue 31 years after his first attempt in 1980
By Kate Green
28
HSBC FEI ClassicsTm
The resurgence of so much experienced talent makes it harder for younger riders to work their way up the leaderboard but 29-year-old Sinead Halpin (USA) had a spectacular CCI4 debut at Kentucky finish-ing third and best of the home side in distinguished company This achievement earned her the HSBC Training Bursary worth US$1000 towards training a prestigious and valuable award presented to the rider who achieves the best result on completing a CCI4 for the first time
The bursary winner at Badminton Fiona Hobby (GBR) 39 has had a rather longer wait to complete
her first CCI4 ndash she was 26th on Roma ML ndash but she has in the meantime produced two children had a career as a sports therapist and only switched from Jumping to Eventing relatively recently Hobby has vowed to spend the money on dressage train-ing ldquoRoma couldnrsquot believe it when she arrived in the arena and saw all those people but she was great across country really focussed Irsquom delightedrdquo
For Germanyrsquos Sandra Auffarth Luhmuumlhlen pro-vided an outstanding CCI4 debut on Opgun Louvo a young horse she has produced herself coming second and picking up the HSBC Training Bursary and the exciting prospect of a possible place in the squad for the forthcoming HSBC FEI European Event-ing Championship at Luhmuumlhlen (25-28 August) at which Germany as host nation will be entitled to field 12 riders
Last yearrsquos HSBC Training Bursary winners include Stephanie Rhodes-Bosch (CAN) who went on to win a team silver medal at the Alltech FEI World Equestri-an Gamestrade Lauren Shannon (GBR) who finished 17th at Badminton this year and Giovanni Ugolotti (ITA) who is furthering his career by basing himself in Brit-ain for the season and having lessons with Mark Todd
LIVE coverage and extensive highlights available on
Toddrsquos winning mount the 10-year-old NZB Land Vision was a green horse for this level and he fin-ished the Cross-Country phase tired but his rider kept his cool in an extraordinarily tight finish in which the price of one Jumping fence covered the top 12 riders any of whom could with a bit of luck have won the Mitsubishi Motors Trophy ldquoIn the end it came down to horse-power and Irsquove obviously got a good one hererdquo said Todd ldquoCharisma (his double Olympic gold medallist) will always be the most special horse but this one has no weak linksrdquo
As is the nature of the sport Toddrsquos lead in the HSBC FEI Classicstrade didnrsquot last long ndash he came down to earth with a bump the following weekend with a Cross-Country run-out on NZB Grass Valley his ride at the Rolex Kentucky Three Day Event (USA) and 49- year-old Mary King (GBR) stole the head-lines with a record one-two on Kings Mis-tress and Fernhill Urco It was Kingrsquos first CCI4 victory for 11 years ndash she has won Badminton twice and Burghley once ndash but she certainly smashed a few re-cords with this one She became the first rider to score a one-two at Kentucky the first in modern times to win a CCI4 on a home-bred horse and the oldest female to win a CCI4
King who has six team gold medals at World and European level plus competed at five consecutive Olympics had the luxury of knowing she had already won the event on the inexperienced 10-year-old Fernhill Urco a horse bred in Portugal by the time she entered the arena on Kings Mistress but she still produced a second clear round ldquoI never dreamed that I would be in this position and Irsquom enjoying the momentrdquo said the ever-smiling King ldquoIt was great to have the feeling of having already won on Fernhill Urco but I still wanted desperately to go clear on Kings Mistress as it is so special to win on a horse I bred myselfrdquo It was also an all clear from Germanyrsquos Andreas Dibowski and Euroriding Butts Leon in order to secure victory at the fourth leg of the HSBC FEItrade
Classicstrade in Luhmuumlhlen presented by EON Avacon
29FOCUS
The Danish-American actorpoet musician photographerand painter has been around horses most of his life from riding Hasufel and Brego in The Lord of the Rings trilogy to early childhood memories in Argentina his passion for floating as he describes it has never wavered
What is it about the horse that makes you a horse loverWe get along generally I respect their strength and their personal space Your first riding experience ndash was it bliss or terrorLike floating like being on a warm and floating mountain I remember being happy Do you think anyone can rideYes It is a question of allowing yourself to ride of allowing yourself to cooperate and not be in total control Children are more adept at figuring this out letting things happen without getting impatient or scared just as they are braver and less self-conscious about pronouncing new words or singing Anyone at any age or in any physical condition can
Viggo Mortensen
achieve a degree of success and satisfaction with horses even if it is just a question of touching them being near them If horses could talk what would they be sayingYou will know if you listen and watch them Is there a unique trait you look for in a horse that you canrsquot find in peopleThey are more patient and less apt to complain about lifersquos setbacks and physical ailments than most people I admire a tough smart horse what-ever its breed age or size What would you miss most if you could no longer go ridingThe companionship and the floating perhaps also the abandonment of usual daily worries that relaxed riding requires Whatrsquos your usual riding outfit consist ofAnything will do Loose-fitting clothes and good comfortable boots are a plus but not vital I have even ridden barefoot ndash naturally taking care to avoid being stepped on when not on the horse - but I do not recommend this to anyone The most important thing is to have a clear and focused mind to be THERE at all times when around horses and NOWHERE ELSE Sugar lumps or carrotsIrsquove been guilty of offering an occasional apple or carrot although it is best not to give horses anything special unless treats are part of training them for special tricks or stunts a pursuit best left to experts like master horse trainer Rex Peterson whom Irsquove had the good fortune to work with and study quite a bit Treats spoil horses and do not keep the animal focused on the task at hand Whatrsquos your favourite part of a horseThe brain What do you think young people gain from ridingSelf-confidence and an understanding of the value of cooperation
30
Why the long face
When did you first develop the bond with the horseThe first time I got on one as a little boy in ArgentinaYou either develop a bond of some kind or you fall off Of course you may even fall off if you develop the bond but you have to start (and restart) somewhere
Did your friends ride My brothers also rode and I have ridden with many kinds of people over the years ndash some good and patient with horses and some not If I had not rid-den as a boy I would probably have been wandering around fishing imagining I was a cowboy or an Indian or a Viking ndash which I did anyway Where in the world would you most like to rideMost anywhere will do but I have been extremely lucky to have ridden in many wide-open wild places ndash deserts grassy plains mountains by different seas and rivers in Argentina New Zealand North Africa and North America If you could spend one afternoon riding with a famous person (past or present)who would it be and whyIrsquoll give you 3 Oglala chief Tasunke Witko (Crazy Horse) my ancestor William F Cody or any real Gaucho from the province of Chaco Argentina
Two horses go out for dinner what kindof restaurant do they chooseLate spring grass near a slow-moving clean river with a gentle firm shoreline an hour before sun-down far from any people or other animals All time favourite horse filmI have a subjective soft spot for the stories and real horses involved in the making of ldquoHidalgordquo and the 2nd and 3rd installments of ldquoThe Lord Of The Ringsrdquo trilogy but I admire other ldquohorse moviesrdquo as wellThe 1953 French movie ldquoCrin-Blancrdquo (ldquoWhite Manerdquo) directed by Albert Lamorisse is a personal favourite
After three years at the head of the successful French Jumping team with back to back FEI Nations Cuptrade titles and a silver medal at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade Laurent Elias is moving on to new spheres with the French Horse amp Riding Institute where he will be training the riders of the National Riding School in Saumur
Laurent Elias
copy C
hris
toph
e Br
icot
32
The other side of
If I had not become a professional rider I would havehellipmade a career in a humanitarian organisation Horse riding is sometimes too trivial
My priority in life ishellipto be able to look at myself in the mirror in the morning and make sure I am at peace with my conscience
My familyhellipkeeps me grounded My wife helped me a lot when I was in charge of selections for France She took charge of my personal life and was the first person I called when we got the medal in Lexington I also admire my parents for the values they passed on to me
I remember my first ridingexperiencehellipaged six we were shooting a family film and I was on horseback I finished upside down under my horse for a long time I stopped riding for one year
I used to dream abouthellipsafaris One of my uncles was passionate about safaris Through him I became very interested in African trips and the jobs that allow you to travel as a reporter were fascinating to me as well
I have been thinking a lot abouthellipwhat happened in Japan these past few months First this tsunami that devastated everything without warning then the nuclear disaster It made me think that progress should not be destructive
My horse Gueacutenourhellipchanged my life I was just a coach and he brought me to the top I won the national championship in 1981 with him
My biggest challengehas always beenhellipshyness Horse riding has really helped me over-come it Horses brought me on stage and there I had to meet people
As a Chef dEquipehellipthere is no single defining achievement itrsquos all about the solidarity and the moments spent together as a team Irsquoll never forget the first time Penelope Leprevost rode her mare Jubileacutee drsquoOuilly in the FEI Nations Cuptrade of Rotterdam McLain Ward had just completed a real fast run with Sapphire We thought the Americans would win but she did it faster and beat Sapphire
In terms of eventshellipAachen is my favourite competition - for its won-derful organisation But we have also pretty good five star competitions in France
I donrsquot sleep muchhellipprobably because I am just happy to be alive
Irsquom not scared to laugh or cryhellipI laugh at the funny situations we sometimes find ourselves in life and enjoy people with quirky personalities I cry when I see others in pain
Laurent Elias and the French team en route to the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade copy PSV-Jean Morel
33FOCUS
Nicolas TheacutevenazAged 23 studies Robotics and Autonomous Systems Micro Engineering in Lausanne (SUI) alongside regular training and competition in Dressage and Para-Equestrian Dressage events Born with spastic diplegia Nicolas was introduced to horses via hippotherapy aged seven and quickly developed a passion for riding which not only helped with his physical condition but also taught him through Dressage the art of patience and perseverance
34
One day
Nicolas TheacutevenazAged 23 studies Robotics and Autonomous Systems Micro Engineering in Lausanne (SUI) alongside regular training and competition in Dressage and Para-Equestrian Dressage events Born with spastic diplegia Nicolas was introduced to horses via hippotherapy aged seven and quickly developed a passion for riding which not only helped with his physical condition but also taught him through Dressage the art of patience and perseverance
He has been fortunate to meet the right people (and horses) at the right time and has been working for the past five years with trainer Vicky-Eileen Baumann (pictured right) and her horses Magic and Lady (pictured right) ldquoShersquos bred them and knows them inside out which is very useful when I have to communicate with them - they know my voice intonations and a whole string of specific words or sounds ndash which really helps as my body canrsquot or doesnrsquot always have the strength to do sordquo
As a Grade II Para-Equestrian rider Nicolas competes in Para-Equestrian Dressage (PED) events as well as national events for able bodied riders as there are only a handful of PED riders and no events in Switzerland
Unable to attend the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade 2010 in Kentucky last year Nicolas and Vicky have their sights firmly set on the 2012 Para-lympic Games and will be looking to qualify with Lady over the next 12 months ndash alongside exams studies and everything else life has to offerhellip Who is your role model For different reasons I have different role mod-els Edward Gal Dane Rawlins Isabel Werth and Catherine Haddad
When did you start riding and why At age 7 I was sat on a horse for hippotherapy and liked the complicity with the horse which made me want to discover more
How do you feel when you ride Concentrated and industrious
Who is your biggest fan My trainerrsquos mum
Complete this sentenceOne day I would like tohellip have gained enough knowledge to be able to take care of and train my own horse
What are your long term goals as a rider Continue to do my best to enjoy what I do and show others itrsquos possible
How do you juggle studies and competition I think itrsquos really important to have goals and to do everything you can to achieve them and that includes taking on challenges because if you donrsquot try then yoursquoll never know what you could have achieved
What is your proudest achievement to date Participation in international events together with pursuing my studies
How do you feel after winning Still working towards discovering the feeling
What is the best advice anyone has ever given youMy trainer often repeats to me the famous saying by General LrsquoHotte ldquoCalme en avant droitrdquo which says so much about riding but can also be applied to so many other aspects of life
35FOCUS
What advice would you give someone looking to get involved in Para-Equestrian Dressage Train and ride with able-bodied athletes as often as possible Being around and working with horses is so rewarding Irsquod like - when Irsquom retired - to write a book to share these feelings with others and hope this will inspire them to get involved
Complete this sentenceIn the future I would like the sport to beeven ldquocleanerrdquo and fairer and if possible not more but less demanding on the horses
ldquoLast but not least Irsquod like to take the opportunity of this article to reach out to those who give me their trust and help be it with their time their friendship and any type of support Day after day to year after year team work is essential and Irsquoll do my best to continue deserving every-onersquos encouraging smilesrdquo
European Broadcasting Union
Union Europeacuteenne de Radio-Teacuteleacutevision
+41 (0)22 717 2111 wwweurovisionnet
We bring the event to your home
Eurovision
copy K
it H
ough
ton
FE
I
FEI_08_A4indd 1 03012008 162238
European Broadcasting Union
Union Europeacuteenne de Radio-Teacuteleacutevision
+41 (0)22 717 2111 wwweurovisionnet
We bring the event to your home
Eurovision
copy K
it H
ough
ton
FE
I
FEI_08_A4indd 1 03012008 162238
Nominations for the FEI Awards opened in May enabling the global equestrian com-munity to once again reward outstanding dedication to horse sport in five categories ndash Development Best Groom Against All Odds Rising Star and Best Athlete The search for the equestrian heroes of 2011 is now on who will be flown to Rio de Janeiro Brazil to receive their awards
Where are they now The FEI asked the current title-holders for an update on their activities
Follow us on
38
FEI Awards 2011
Ebony Horse Club (GBR)Winner of the Alltech FEI DevelopmentAward 2010
The Ebony Horse Club announced in December 2010 that after an eight-year fundraising effort it had the pound14 million necessary for building an equestrian cen-tre in one of Londonrsquos most deprived boroughs Since 1996 Ebony has offered youngsters in an area reput-ed for its gang culture high level of gun crime and drug dealing the chance to ride and learn key social skills The clubrsquos 50 members travel to riding schools across London on public transport or in minibuses ndash a logistical headache that the inner-city equestrian centre will end Construction work began in February
Ebony Horse Club founder and director Ros Spear-ing told the FEI ldquoRiding lessons are continuing and the club is preparing for the transitionrdquo Building will finish on 7 July but the centre will open for riding lessons in October ldquoThe horses will be brought to Brixton in the summer and will have time to acclimatise to their new environmentrdquo Spearing said The centre will include stabling for nine horses a small paddock and a flood-lit riding arena as well as a classroom for learning about horses and equine management Spearing is adamant that club members ndash present and future ndash care for their rides and wants the centre to serve as a stepping stone to careers in the horse industry
Ebonyrsquos existence will continue to depend on the generosity of donors For more information visit wwwebonyhorsecluborguk
Michelle Tipper (GBR)Winner of the FEI Best Groom Award 2010
Michelle Tipper has continued to juggle grooming and study since receiving her FEI Award in Novem-ber She has organised the grooms for the British European Junior and Young Dressage teams and in April her contract as a travelling groom for British Dressage riders Paul and Bobby Hayler took her to Addington for the first of many international com-petitions she will work at this year The Haylers have eight horses competing and the number she works with at each venue varies Tipper has also been help-ing British Dressage riders Nicky and Richard Barrett with yard duties ldquoI feel very lucky to work for both of these familiesrdquo said the FEI Best Groom Award win-ner adding that she feels part of the two families In March Tipper graduated from university with a Masters in Sport Psychology She is now working towards British Association of Sport and Exercise Science accreditation which requires at least 500 hoursrsquo supervised work experience and is present-ing sport psychology workshops in conjunction with the company Inside Performance Consulting Limit-ed (wwwinside-performancecom) The workshops are organised internationally for people of all ages from any sport To find out more contact Tipper at michelletipper1979yahoocom
39FOCUS
Michelle Tipper ndash copyWilliam TzengAward winners ndash copyWilliam TzengCaroline Roffman ndash copySharonPackercomEbony Horse Club ndash copyEbony Horse ClubEdward Gal and Totilas ndash copyKit HoughtonFEIAngelika Trabert ndash copyJulia Rau
Angelika Trabert (GER)Winner of the FEI Against All Odds Award 2010
German Para-Dressage rider Angelika Trabert has represent-ed her country at four Paralympic Games and won some 15 medals at national European and world championships She is currently seeking a new home for Londria the mare that con-tributed to her Team Silver medal win at the Hong Kong Para-lympics Londria who had a foal last year was also Trabertrsquos ride during her medal-winning performances at the European Championships in Hungary (2005) and Norway (2009)
Trabert said her decision to let go of Londria was hard to make but was necessary for financial reasons She will keep the foal Finaud Coquin and her mares Walmorel and Ariva-Avanti Trabert won the Para-Dressage Grade 2 Freestyle Champion-ship at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade with Ariva and said the horse was ldquowell and ready to go for the Europeans again in Belgium in September if we qualifyrdquo Trabert competed in her first international competition of 2011 in May in Man-nheim Germany where she came first in the Grade II indi-vidual and second in the freestyle She is taking part in the German Championships in June
Away from the equestrian world Trabert works as an anaes-thetist and has participated in medical missions in the rural ar-eas of Guinea for the organisation Mango In January she was back in Guinea as part of team that carried out 100 operations in 13 days wwwangelika-trabertde
Visit the recently refreshed FEI Awards website to find out more about the Awards the pastwinners the judges and to make yournominationsby 31 July
wwwfeiawardsorg
40
Caroline Roffman (USA)Winner of the HSBC FEI Rising StarAward 2010
Success continues to smile on twenty-two-year-old American Dressage rider Caroline Roffman Since re-ceiving the HSBC FEI Rising Star Award she has en-joyed numerous wins at small tour and young horse levels achieving scores in the mid-eighties and quali-fying two horses for the young horse championships
Roffman is currently showing six horses and has won several classes at PSG and Grand Prix level ldquoBut nothing is as exciting as to be going to Aachenrdquo said the young woman who has been described as the American Dressage communityrsquos brightest hope ex-plaining that at the FEI Awards ceremony in Chinese Taipei Frank Kemperman FEI Dressage Committee Chair and Chairman of the Managing Board at CHIO Aachen (GER) invited her to take part in the pres-tigious event Roffman will be the first American to compete in the Under 25 Grand Prix there and is hop-ing to take her horse Lux Stensvang
An interview with Caroline Roffman at the Palm Beach Dressage Derby CDI will be broadcast on the magazine programme Equestrian World on FEI TV the FEIrsquos official online video platform wwwfeitvorg
Edward Gal and Totilas (NED)Winners of the Reem Acra FEI Best Athlete Award 2010
The world-famous partnership of Dutch Dressage rider Edward Gal and the extraordinary Totilas ended in style in 2010 with notably three gold medal wins at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade
The first foal sired by the superstar stallion was born in January followed by two more in the spring Gal who has admired the foals told the FEI ldquoYou never know ndash maybe in a few yearsrsquo time Irsquoll have another Totilas readyrdquo At the beginning of April he was busy at home training nine horses and preparing for the Reem Acra FEI World Cuptrade Dressage Final in Leipzig and the European Championships in Rotterdam He had not yet decided which horses he was going to compete with but was particularly looking forward to the Freestyle to Music Asked what it was like to compete without Totilas Gal said ldquoEverybody ex-pected Totilas to win I find it easier to ride other horses because nobody expects me to win and when I do itrsquos really nicerdquo
41FOCUS
globetrotter
Seal of approval for the Adai horseSixty years have passed since an Adai horse reportedly set a record galloping 354km in one day Today the Adai horse a breed na-tive to Kazakhstan is back in the spotlight with a gold medal at the FEI Central Asian Endurance Championship in Talgaearlier in May only months after having been award-ed official pedigree status following tests
conducted by a State Commission in the Mangistau Steppes which allowed itto compete internationally The horses are cherished for their hardiness and Oyly ridden by Altyngali Bissemaganbetov (KAZ) proved just that when crossing the finishing line first demonstrating just how tough the Adai horses are and the beginning of a new era for sturdy breed on the international stage
Equestrian Australia Sport
Achievement Awards
In May the best of the best in
Equestrian sport gathered to cel-
ebrate the achievements of Austral-
iarsquos athletes coaches officials vets
administrators owners volunteers
and the many other people that
dedicate their time and enthusiasm
to equestrian sport The ceremony
also included the introduction of
Equestrian Australiarsquos Hall of
Fame won by the legendary Bill
Roycroft Boyd Exell winner of
the FEI World CupTM Driving
Final was awarded the interna-
tional athlete of the year
award
Kevin Stautbecomes first athlete representative on FEI
executive board
Kevin Staut one of Francersquos most successful Jumping riders became the first athlete to be appointed to the FEI Executive Board for a three-year term Staut (31) who has held the number one spot in the Rolex Rankings for Jumping since July 2010 has ridden on numerous Nations Cup teams for France and claimed individual gold at the Alltech FEI European Jumping Championships in 2009
HulA CARTSWorld Horse Welfare has greatly helped the liv
es of
five Senegalese cart horse owners by presenting them
with new Hula Carts The local people who depend on
their working horses for their livelihoods were specially
selected by the charity to receive the carts which have
been sponsored by members of the public in the uK
The Hula Carts are specifically developed to help the
horses pulling heavy loads in often difficult conditions
Equestrian Australia Sport
Achievement Awards
In May the best of the best in
Equestrian sport gathered to cel-
ebrate the achievements of Austral-
iarsquos athletes coaches officials vets
administrators owners volunteers
and the many other people that
dedicate their time and enthusiasm
to equestrian sport The ceremony
also included the introduction of
Equestrian Australiarsquos Hall of
Fame won by the legendary Bill
Roycroft Boyd Exell winner of
the FEI World CupTM Driving
Final was awarded the interna-
tional athlete of the year
award
Olympic legendBill Roycroft passes away aged 96
A legend of Equestrian sport in Australia James William
George Roycroft OBE known as ldquoBillrdquo was one of Austral-
iarsquos greatest Olympians and one of only five Australians to
have competed in five consecutive Olympic Games (from
1960 - 1976) as well as being Australiarsquos oldest medallist
and oldest competitor at 61 years and 31 days In May 2011
Bill was inducted in Equestrian Australiarsquos inaugural Hall
of Fame ndash he was Australiarsquos oldest living Olympian and
shared his dedication and enthusiasm for the sport with
his sons Barry Wayne and Clarke (See a brief description
of his exploits in the 1960 Olympic Games Memory Lane
article page 9 which catapulted Australiarsquos reputation as
one of the best Eventing teams in the world)
webinfofeiFEI web wizard Nicole Sigrist has added a new hub for the Press on wwwfeiorg called FEI Press Kits located in the Media section of the website The Press Kits zone which is also open to the general public is regularly updated with infor-mation relating to FEI series and specific events with flip books and downloadable PDFs as well as direct links to the Photo Catalogue the Rankings and Standings the Annual Report and more
100thanniversary for Finnish riding club
One of the three found-ing member clubs of
the Finnish Equestrian Federation the Suomen
Kenttaumlratsastusseura-Finska Faumlltrittklubbenon celebrates
its 100th anniversary in 2011 Magnus Rydman former President of the Finnish National Federation and Presi-dent of the FEI from 1935 ndash 1946 was one of the founders of the club Another of the founders of the oldest club in Fin-land was the Eventing rider Colonel Hans Olof von Essen whose fifth place at the Antwerpen Olympic Games re-mains the best Olympic equestrian result the country has ever achieved
Follow us on
43FOCUS
Interview with the President of the Brazilian Equestrian Federation Mr Luiz Roberto Giugni
The Brazilian Equestrian Federation has been a member Federation of the FEI for 75 years how has the sport developed over that time We were facing regular growth (average of 25 in the last decade) but in the last three to four years this rate has significantly increased up to 35 a year We believe that this is due to international achievements (two Jumping Olympic team bronze medals the individual Olympic Jumping gold medal won by Rodrigo Pessoa several Pan Am Jumping team gold medals recent Olympic pre-qualification in Kentucky (4th in the world in Jumping) and the organisations of a Global Champions Tour event in Brazil
In terms of developing the sport what are the most successful projects you have undertaken in recent yearsWe decided to invest in education and have hired international trainers for all the disciplines such as Jean Maurice Bonneau for Jumping Nick Turner for Eventing Eric Lette for Dressage Jean Louis Leclerc for Endurance Mattias Lang for Vaulting with the long term in mind that is at least until the end of 2012 and planning towards 2016 when Rio will host the Olympic Games
How popular is equestrian sport with young people in Brazil and how do you compete with some of the bigger sports for their attention Popularization is growing bit by bit in a country
decidedly dominated by soccer ndash being 5 times World Champion makes it a national passion But we are continuously looking to attract TV to our events as this is a huge step towards gaining visibility and popularity Can you tell us about the programmesinitiatives in place for disabled athletes We are actively pursuing this and have achieved really positive results in little time such as the great performances and medals earned at the Para-lympic Games in Hong Kong in 2008 We do this through clinics courses international exchanges of athletes and working alongside our National Paralympic Committee to support us in our efforts
Brazil will be host the FEI General Assembly at the end of the year what do you want all the visiting delegates to remember from their visit That we are more than just a really beautiful and warm country with the ability and capacity to organise great events and that we are committed to putting on the best Olympic Games ever
What are the main objectivesplans for the Brazilian Federation in the lead up to the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games Our NOC is really committed to raising the bar of all the sports to a level never seen before and we are working towards that in terms of our athletes our judges our venues and everything that is related to our sport and the quality of our sport In line with this objective we are providing incen-tives to owners to buy good horses aiming for 2016 and this is going to plan for now We expect to perform well at the upcoming Pan Am Games and Olympics on our trail to 2016
Is there anything else you would like to share with us I would like to thank HRH Princess Haya President of the FEI as well as the Executive Board for all the support that we are getting which has been paramount to the development of equestrian sport in our country
44
President Luiz Roberto GiugniSecretary General Luiz Antonio RoccoMember since 1935
15 members of staff work at the federation
20 regional federations are affiliated tothe Brazilian Equestrian Federation with over 300 member riding clubs
6 000 affiliated riders
91 national events were held in 2010
31 international events were held in 2010
All the FEI disciplines are practiced in BrazilJumping Dressage Eventing Vaulting Reining EnduranceDriving amp Para-Equestrian
14 breeding organisations
There are 58 million horses and ponies in Brazilmaking it the fourth largest equine population in the world
FAC
TS amp
FIG
URE
S
45FOCUS
Dr Gerit Matthesen56 is a private equine practitioner an FEI Vet and a member of the FEI Veterinary Committee He graduated in Veterinary Medicine from Berlin University in 1983 and since 1989 has worked or officiated at some 180 competitions and championships including the last two Olympics and FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade He lives near Frankfurt with his wife Carola and their sons Mike (16) and Lars (14)
46
A life in a day
Dr Gerit Matthesen56 is a private equine practitioner an FEI Vet and a member of the FEI Veterinary Committee He graduated in Veterinary Medicine from Berlin University in 1983 and since 1989 has worked or officiated at some 180 competitions and championships including the last two Olympics and FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade He lives near Frankfurt with his wife Carola and their sons Mike (16) and Lars (14)
I wake up earlier than I need to ndash at around 6am ndash because breakfast time with my family is sacred to me and I can then drive my boys to the village station to take the train to school After two cups of coffee (enough for the day) and a glass of orange juice I read the newspapers then head to my prac-tice offices in our indoor arena I have a quick look at our horses then start work
While I listen to my phone messages I deal with my emails and search the internet for news about veterinary medicine and horse sport I then start planning the dayacutes schedule with Anna my assistant vet
My mobile practice is in a nice fairly rural area in the north of Frankfurt There are lots of horse farms but it is not a classic breeding area like the northern part of Germany There are sport horses as well as pleasure horses I have examination rooms and stables for horses staying or mares foaling in my practice stables Itrsquos not a big clinic which gives me time to work at competitions
After seeing a few small animals in my practice I normally start my field service at 930am In my car I have enough equipment (ultrasound X-ray systems and endoscopical devices) for the dayrsquos examinations and standing procedures We mainly have lameness examinations to do or internal diseases to treat accompanied by routine work like vaccinations or carrying out pre-purchase or health certificate examinations If time allows I go home for a quick lunch but thatrsquos not every day
While Irsquom driving I have time to think and I write down everything that come to mind regarding sport competitions committees and so on You have to write down your thoughts when yoursquore over the age of 50
It is not easy planning my day because any emer-gency can destroy or delay my schedule For all the paperwork and certificates I need a time frame so
I often do that over quiet weekends when there are no competitions During the winter season I am less busy but in summer a lot of weekends are taken over by the competition schedule
I love my work especially in Eventing which is my favourite discipline My wife and I practiced it ndash not up to top level but it was a fine time despite a bro-ken ankle from a fall in 1988 which after 23 years is making walking more and more difficult for me
I like to do my competition work on a friendly but strict basis and I really like to hear riders saying they are treated fairly Over the years I have acquired a lot of experience and met all the officials and riders
Usually when I return home in the late afternoon there are more small animals to see When Irsquove done the dayrsquos paperwork I hope there will be no more emergencies such as cases of colic which usually occur in the early evening
I look forward to getting on my horse which is a beautiful show-jumper I like to ride but Irsquove stopped competing I do dressage jumping and go out into the fields but itrsquos all just for fun now
The day finishes with the family and a nice cold glass of German beer
Itrsquos a struggle to find time to spend with my family and I often have to cancel my holidays with them I am really grateful to my wife and the boys for their understanding of my job and to my assistant vet who covers for me when Iacutem out somewhere in the world of equestrian sport
ldquoThe combination of my profession and beinginvolved in differentaspects of top equestrian sport is my visionrdquo
47FOCUS
Pull your show attire from the closet clean your boots and tack groom the horses hook up and pack the trailer check the clock double check to make sure you have everything put on the shipping boots load your horses and away you drive to the competition venue or to the airport for transport to a distant event
You know the drill well but still you arrive tired per-haps even a bit frazzled Yoursquoll sleep (or try to) the next several nights in an unfamiliar bed or camp out in the living quarters of your trailer You awaken riveted on the competition playing out the dayrsquos classes in your mind wondering how your rides will fare against oth-ers praying that the weather will be cooperate and trying to control your nerves all the while knowing that no matter how well you have prepared many factors are out of your control You may even be in a different time zone
We go through a lot to compete our horses But if you think life on the road is stressful for you think about what itrsquos like for your horses Your back may be a bit sore from driving or being strapped into an airplane seat for hours on end but for horses transportation is far more demanding It is an athletic endeavour re-quiring an expenditure of energy to maintain balance during the constant movement of transport When your horses arrive they face social isolation from stablemates lack of security in novel environments altered training regimes water that tastes strange and the confines of an unfamiliar stall This routine impacts a horsersquos health and well being with effects
continuing long after the journey is over During transport toxic gases (such as ammonia or carbon monoxide) can cause damage to the lung epithelium precipitating respiratory disease The
final destination itself can also cause problems Usually horses are transported to environments where they will be mixing with other horses The mixing of horses from different environments with different infectious organisms and under stressful conditions further precipitates susceptibility to disease
This can have a severe impact on the equine gut The stress of transportation is known to increase gut ulceration in the horse a painful condition reducing performance and causing colic-like symptoms Stress can also slow the flow of digesta and alter the normal gut flora resulting in digestive upset and possibly diarrhoea or colic
The effects of travel stress on the gut are compounded by the typical diet of the regular equine traveller To maintain athletic ability high performance horses are often fed energy-charged diets contain-ing increased levels of starchy materials such as cereal grains Unfortunately this type of diet can reduce beneficial types of gut flora and promote gut acidity further predisposing the horse to digestive upsets and ulceration It is not surprising that stressed tired horses may not fulfill their potential on arrival
Feeding to reduce stress for the equine traveller
By Darlene RickerExecutive editor of Alltechrsquos EQUINE INTERNATIONAL magazine
48
Alltech Tips
growth of opportunistic Salmonella spp which are present in the intestinal tract of many healthy horses These bacteria then attach to the gut lining via a mannan sugar and penetrate it causing damage and resulting in diarrhoea One method of prevent-ing or minimising the attachment of these organ-
isms to the gut lining is to provide an adsorbant supplement A form of sugar found in the cell walls of certain yeasts can do this This sugar compound is called man-nan oligosaccharide or MOS MOS products such as Alltechrsquos Bio-Mosreg have been shown to re-duce the colonization of Salmonella
spp in the guts of certain species and augment the immune response to Salmonella spp potentially conferring an enhanced ability to fight infection Both Yea-Saccreg 1026 and Bio-Mos are among the natural products contained in Alltechrsquos LIFEFORCETM equine supplement which many FEI competitors have successfully incorporated into their daily feeding regimen at home and on the road
lifeforcehorsecom
and may be subject to health concerns in the days following a long journey Fortunately however you can curb some of the effects of travel stress on the horsersquos gut by nutritional supplementation Organic yeast products used to supplement a horsersquos diet can support the normal gut flora modifying the intesti-nal environment and improving the horsersquos digestion One such culture is Saccharomyces cerevisae in the form of Yea-Saccreg 1026 Alltechrsquos propriety organic yeast
Experiments were conducted to evaluate the effects Yea-Sacc on gut flora and gut acidity Horses were fed either a high-starch or a high-fibre diet both with and without supplementation of Yea-Saccreg 1026 Results indicated an excessive amount of starch in the gut The use of Yea-Sacc reduced acidity and stimulat-ed the activity of fibre-digesting bacteria in the hind-gut for both types of diet The result was maximised fibre digestibility and more efficient use of nutrients thus increasing the amount of energy available to the horse for performance and counteracting digestive upset Salmonellosis is one of the more commonly di-agnosed infectious causes of diarrhoea in horses Many cases develop after the stress of transport The effects of travel stress on the normal gut flora allow an over-
Moorlands Totilas arrives for the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade after air transport copy Dirk Caremans
HRH The Infanta Dontildea Pilar de Borboacuten former President of the FEI (1994-2006) also attended the inauguration along-side HRH Princess Lalla Amina Chairperson of the Royal Moroccan Federation for Equestrian Sports and member of the international Advisory Council of Special OlympicsThey were joined by International Olympic Commit-tee members representatives from other Interna-tional Federations federal and local Swiss authorities as well as architects and designers that worked on the project Switzerlandrsquos Martin Fuchs a member of the gold medal winning team at the inaugural Youth Olympic Games in Singapore last year accompanied FEI President Princess Haya in officially opening the FEI headquarters
ldquoThe building we are inaugurating today has been designed to serve our wonderful sportrdquo explained FEI
President Princess Haya ldquoI also feel an immense
sense of pride knowing that this building carries the name
of my late father and hope that this serves as a constant reminder
to all of us who work at the FEI of a unique statesman whose entire soul was devoted to the service of his people Our new headquarters will play a key role for the FEI and our National Federa-tions over the coming years It will be the environ-ment in which important discussions take place and fundamental decisions are taken as we continue our mission to advance the orderly growth of equestrian sport worldwide while ensuring that the welfare of the horse and a level playing field remain at the centre of all that we dordquo
FEI celebratesNEW Headquarters
Over 250 guests attended the inauguration ceremony on Friday 6 May at HM King Hussein I Building which was timed to coincide with the FEI
Extraordinary General Assembly so that attending NationalFederation representatives
could be a part ofthe celebrations
1 Youth Olympic Games team champion Martin Fuchs (SUI) FEI President HRH Princess Haya and her daughter HH Sheikha Al Jalila officially open the FEIrsquos new home 2 Gilbert Felli IOC Olympic Games Executive Director and FEI Secretary General Ingmar de Vos 3 HRH The Infanta Dontildea Pilar de Borboacuten sits down to an interactive quiz in the FEI Gallery 4 Guests gathered in the atrium of the FEI HeadquartersAll images copy Hugues SiegenthalerFEI
Highlights available on50
1
2
3 4
5
6 7
8
THE GALLERy
As well as housing offices for its 62 employees and conference facilities for its 133 National Federations the new headquarters also has a state-of-the-art in-teractive gallery showcasing equestrian sport
The Gallery is the brainchild of Dr Amichai Alper-ovich historian former Secretary General of the Is-raeli Equestrian Federation and curator of the Israeli Olympic Museum (opened in 2009) He worked hand in hand with the Tel Aviv based company Disk-In Pro and interior designer Oded Alony to help bring the content to life and the result is truly unique and ground breaking Giant glass surfaces act as interac-tive interfaces for the visitors to travel through time
The FEIrsquos new headquarters which were donated to the Federation by FEI Presi-dent HRH Princess Haya in 2007 fol-lowing a personal fundraising effort are conveniently located close to the Inter-national Olympic Committee and other international sports federations It has been written into the FEI Statutes that the new FEI headquarters building will always house the Federationrsquos offices In 2008 the building was thoroughly renovated in accordance with the Swiss MINERGIEreg construction standard for environmental responsibility which re-duces energy consumption by 25 per cent Only two per cent of renovated buildings in Switzerland meet the high Minergie standards Khuan Chew founder and design princi-pal of London-based architectural firm KCA International Ltd worked in close collaboration with Swiss-based architect Herveacute de Rham and interior designer Sia-vosh Adeli (SUI) to transform the build-ing which was built in the 1960s The modern and sleek interior was further enhanced with bespoke artworks pro-duced by Swiss creative agency b+g amp partners and imagery by world-famous equestrian art photographer Tim Flach where the simplicity and beauty of his equine subjects seamlessly embrace and accentuate the buildingrsquos pure lines and natural materials (see image left)
As they feasted on the innate beauty of their sur-roundings the guests also had the privilege to ex-perience the culinary talents of organic chef and specialist Gilles Wannaz and his team based in the town of Cully which sits on the edge of Lac Leman in Switzerlandrsquos famous Lavaux wine growing region
5 HRH Princess Haya welcomes the guests to the Inauguration of the HQ and the 90 year celebration of the FEI 6 Artwork by renowned pho-tographer Tim Flach 7 An organic and colourful buffet presented on an authentic lawn by local chef Gilles Wannaz 8 A life size horse sculpture by Christophe Dumont greeted the guests upon their arrival
53FOCUS
and space with the latest in touch technology revis-iting the history of the FEI the equestrian events at Olympic amp Paralympic Games the FEI World Eques-trian Gamestrade and information on all of the member National Federations with statistics videos images and text The Gallery also includes projections on ar-chitectural surfaces designed by Oded Alony referred to as the Origami as well as interactive stations and unique video projections on glass screens
For all those wishing to visit the FEI Gallery simply contact the FEI HQ to make an appointment and we would be delighted to take you on a journey to dis-cover or rediscover the human and equine athletes whose talents have marked equestrian history and inspired young riders drivers and vaulters around the world
Interview withDrAmichaiAlperovich
When did you first dream up the FEIInteractive Gallery When I found out the FEI was planning to move into new HQ in 2009 Disk-In Pro and I approached the FEI and presented them with several concepts for the space Before long we had agreed on the concept and we got to work
Why were you compelled to make it become a reality So that the FEI a prominent sports organisation could present itself to a growing audience in a new and visionary way with the latest technology And by doing so the FEI is a pioneer becoming the first International Federation to have a Gallery of this kind
What did you learn when researching and gathering content for the gallery I have learned a lot about the history of the FEI the strong Olympic tradition the diversity of disciplines the gender equality and the unique bond between horse and man One of the more fascinating topics was the evolution of the Dressage from itsrsquo Olympic debut to the modern Freestyle
Itrsquos very innovative technology what inspired you to take such a leap into the future with such a traditional sport Just as Dressage has evolved over the years and alongside the introduction of new disciplines partic-ularly Para-Equestrian you come to realise that the FEI is not as traditional as one would think Actually this kind of innovative presentation of equestrian history is really well suited to the FEI In the same way that you can have horse-man connections there is an audience-technology connection in the Gallery The audience have to be active in order to enjoy the depth of information the Gallery contains
54
Now it is time to open the door to new places to learn about sport ndash at the heart of sporting organi-sations themselves The Gallery is more than an informative tool it brings people to the sport andto the heart of its operations
Established in 1990 Disk-In Pro specialises in the planning design production and implementation of Museums Visitor Centres and sophisticated projects around the world This includes multi screen produc-tion animation 3D amp interactive films state-of-the-art software platforms and complex video displays for an unforgettable experience
Oded Alony holds a BA in Design from the Interior Design Section of the Holon Technological Institute and has since 1998 worked with Israelrsquos leading Architecture firms The Oded Alony Studio embraces holistic design a space where interior design lighting and graphics are brought together to create a harmo-nious project vision
Now that you have seen it unveiled to the public how would you like to see it evolve I hope the audience will be amazed from the design by architect Oded Alony and the new methods to deliver information whilst discovering the long his-tory of the FEI the diversity and the global reach of the organisation I hope the Gallery will become an icon in Lausanne and one of its highlights for visitors I promise the visitors a new platform to learn about equestrianism and each visit could be different as the information and themes will be updated and modi-fied regularly
This futuristic gallery is a first for anInternational Federation do you think thisis something all sports should invest inThe FEI took this courageous decision and now has this fantastic tool to present the organisation in new ways Sport is a huge cultural phenomenaWe have learned to consume sport in the arenas and stadiums in the press media and new media
Dr Amichai Alperovich
55FOCUS
SOCIAL MEDIAthe new frontier
Follow us on
The FEI has recently embarked on and embraced a whole new way of talking with the greater equestrian community through the ever expanding social media networks and platformsWith personalised Facebook Twitter and You Tube pages the FEI is taking it step by step and reaching out to this growing audience and listening to what they have to say
This new communication platform is by no means a substitution of the traditional communication path-ways but works alongside the press releases various publications and content on wwwfeiorg and wwwfeitvorg providing a new arena where the FEI can share interact and dialogue with fans of the sport and of equestrian values in general
We talk to Richard Johnson Director of Corporate Communications about the FEIrsquos commitment to social media
What compelled the FEI to venture onto the social media scene As a governing body with a vibrant and active com-munity of National Federations as well as thousands of fans the need to reach out to the online social community has never been stronger We have been watching the communities grow online for some time and have been listening to their conversations so being a part of it was the next logical step and a really important one The conversations will hap-pen with or without us so taking that step has been crucial in order to share our values and also build re-lationships with our fan base
Tradition meets modernity ndash does equestrian sportthe FEI have a place in social media Absolutely even though equestrian sport has a long history and is perceived as a traditional sport it is
always evolving In the 90 years of the FEI which was founded to govern the three Olympic disciplines it has grown to also oversee the disciplines of Driving Endurance Vaulting Reining and Para-Equestrian sport Or if you look at the early days when competi-tors were from military backgrounds and when wom-en did not compete alongside men to the complete gender equality we have today ndash a lot has changed and is in a constant state of change
The fans of equestrian sport are like any other fan base web savvy and eager for more information behind the scenes content and to share their opin-ions and thoughts ndash so it is an ideal partnership And from what we have seen these last few months and from the feedback we got from our blog at the Youth Olympic Games there is a real appetite for this
The FEI has dedicated Facebook Twitter and You Tube pages ndash why did you select these social media platforms The figures speak for themselveshellip Facebook Twit-ter and You Tube are the biggest players in the social networking space With over 500 million Facebook users 106 million Tweeters and 2 billion views a day on You Tube there has never been so much oppor-tunity for exposure Every site has different demo-graphics with different habits and needs so by having an FEI presence on these three networks we are able to cover a lot of ground and cater to different audi-ences by providing different types of content accord-ing to the platform
What are the main benefits of having a pres-ence on various social media platforms Itrsquos all about having a two way conversation ndash the benefits of dialogue where you can share content such as videos images facts and figures thoughts and values and then allow your fan base to react to get involved and to listen and learn from them By engaging with our audience and showing them that we are a modern and caring organisation and that we want to hear what they have to say then we are able to build trust and ultimately credibility in what we do and what we say
57FOCUS
TV
The offi cial video website of the Feacutedeacuteration Equestre Internationale
wwwfeitvorg
WATCH LIVE WATCH ONLINE
FEI TV is the FEIrsquos new offi cial video website and your ticket to the worldrsquos most prestigious competitions Sign-up to FEI TV (wwwfeitvorg) and get instant access to all the live broadcasts the extensive video-on-demand library all the highlights the behind the scenes reports the interviews and so much more Be at the heart of horsesport Join us
2823_1FEI_TV_Focus_165x226indd 1 170510 1124
It also keeps us alert as to what is being discussed and debated in the public sphere so that we can manage situations more effectively and be proactive in our messaging and information so that the facts are at the heart of the debate and not interpretations of them
How do you generate content for social media It was important when we launched our social me-dia presence that it be manageable with the exist-ing communications team in place ndash and so we have concentrated on keeping it simple and effective and using content innovatively Itrsquos not about reproduc-ing our website ndash but to engage with our fans and so often all you need is a good picture an interest-ing fact or great achievement to get the ball rolling For You Tube as we already have so much content generated from FEI TV it was simply a question of using bits and pieces from that content to provide the public with teasers from events interviews with winning riders or behind the scenes content which they can then follow up on FEI TV with a subscription
What are your Social media goals Itrsquos really to build relationships and dialogue with our fan base by using our content innovatively by listening to what they have to say and by engaging with the community And for the National Federa-tions that have yet to take that step we want to be a guiding hand that can help them get started so that they too can reap the benefits of social media net-working Our sport competes against other sports for attention so itrsquos really important that we the FEI and the National Federations keep our finger on the pulse and cater to our fans
How can National Federations get involved NFs wishing to find out more about Social Media can contact me (richardjohnsonfeiorg) and I would be more than happy to discuss opportunities and ways of getting started as well as our experience at the FEI
We asked our Facebook followers why it was important to use face-book and here are a few comments they came up with
bullItrsquos a great way to find out about shows and competitions
bullBecause facebook can provide up to the minute updates as to the what is going on in the horse community
bullWe can share information and ideas over long distances We can find and connect with people we wouldnt be able to otherwise
bullIt also lets us express the true realities of our spot to keep us grounded
bullIt can bring peoples attention to excellence ndash and expose the issues
58
TV
The offi cial video website of the Feacutedeacuteration Equestre Internationale
wwwfeitvorg
WATCH LIVE WATCH ONLINE
FEI TV is the FEIrsquos new offi cial video website and your ticket to the worldrsquos most prestigious competitions Sign-up to FEI TV (wwwfeitvorg) and get instant access to all the live broadcasts the extensive video-on-demand library all the highlights the behind the scenes reports the interviews and so much more Be at the heart of horsesport Join us
2823_1FEI_TV_Focus_165x226indd 1 170510 1124
ldquo Donrsquot accept drinks from a strangerrdquo
Armchair travel journalist
Are you living a life without boundaries Some well-meant advice is best ignored but itrsquos still good to know yoursquore covered when yoursquore away With HSBC Premier your family can be protected with both Travel Insurance and dedicated assistance when yoursquore abroad Which is reassuring to know when yoursquore making the most of life
HSBC Premier is subject to financial eligibility criteria and is available in over 40 countries and territories
Premier Travel Insurance covers you and your partner up to age 70 and your children travelling with you up to age 18
wwwhsbcpremiercom
A4 A4
Issued by HSBC Holdings plc Approved for use in UK by HSBC Bank plc Premier Travel Insurance is provided by Aviva Insurance UK Limited Customer Information Service PO Box 757 Hemel Hempstead Hertfordshire HP2 4SS Registered in England number 14259 Registered Office 8 Canada Square London E14 5HQ AC18770
201736_6000263_Coconut_226x165indd
Master 226x165
Rob Swainson 160211
HSBC - Coconuts Proof 01Head of Art TypographerDesigner ArtCreative Director Copywriter Account DirectorDIC Project ManagerPhotographer Illustrator Usage Model(s) Name(s) Usage
Media MediaStock Image Time Period Time Period
Territory Territory
8deg N ndash Kerala South India
ldquoThirty-one yearsrsquo experience comes in handy some-timesrdquo joked the ever-relaxed Todd who was a leg-end by the time he ldquoretiredrdquo in 2000 with back-to-back Olympic golds five Burghley wins two world gold medals and three Badminton victories one on a horse he had never ridden before ldquoIt is incredibly special though right up there with the back-to-back Olympic golds When I came back to the sport (in 2008) it was to see if I could get back to top level It has always been my aim to win another big onerdquo
A World class meeting of Generations
The 2011 HSBC FEI Classicstrade could not have got off to a more epic start with wins at Badminton and Kentucky by two of the sportrsquos most enduring personalitiesThe 55-year-old New Zealander Mark Todd rolled back the years to score a fourth victory at the Gloucestershire venue 31 years after his first attempt in 1980
By Kate Green
28
HSBC FEI ClassicsTm
The resurgence of so much experienced talent makes it harder for younger riders to work their way up the leaderboard but 29-year-old Sinead Halpin (USA) had a spectacular CCI4 debut at Kentucky finish-ing third and best of the home side in distinguished company This achievement earned her the HSBC Training Bursary worth US$1000 towards training a prestigious and valuable award presented to the rider who achieves the best result on completing a CCI4 for the first time
The bursary winner at Badminton Fiona Hobby (GBR) 39 has had a rather longer wait to complete
her first CCI4 ndash she was 26th on Roma ML ndash but she has in the meantime produced two children had a career as a sports therapist and only switched from Jumping to Eventing relatively recently Hobby has vowed to spend the money on dressage train-ing ldquoRoma couldnrsquot believe it when she arrived in the arena and saw all those people but she was great across country really focussed Irsquom delightedrdquo
For Germanyrsquos Sandra Auffarth Luhmuumlhlen pro-vided an outstanding CCI4 debut on Opgun Louvo a young horse she has produced herself coming second and picking up the HSBC Training Bursary and the exciting prospect of a possible place in the squad for the forthcoming HSBC FEI European Event-ing Championship at Luhmuumlhlen (25-28 August) at which Germany as host nation will be entitled to field 12 riders
Last yearrsquos HSBC Training Bursary winners include Stephanie Rhodes-Bosch (CAN) who went on to win a team silver medal at the Alltech FEI World Equestri-an Gamestrade Lauren Shannon (GBR) who finished 17th at Badminton this year and Giovanni Ugolotti (ITA) who is furthering his career by basing himself in Brit-ain for the season and having lessons with Mark Todd
LIVE coverage and extensive highlights available on
Toddrsquos winning mount the 10-year-old NZB Land Vision was a green horse for this level and he fin-ished the Cross-Country phase tired but his rider kept his cool in an extraordinarily tight finish in which the price of one Jumping fence covered the top 12 riders any of whom could with a bit of luck have won the Mitsubishi Motors Trophy ldquoIn the end it came down to horse-power and Irsquove obviously got a good one hererdquo said Todd ldquoCharisma (his double Olympic gold medallist) will always be the most special horse but this one has no weak linksrdquo
As is the nature of the sport Toddrsquos lead in the HSBC FEI Classicstrade didnrsquot last long ndash he came down to earth with a bump the following weekend with a Cross-Country run-out on NZB Grass Valley his ride at the Rolex Kentucky Three Day Event (USA) and 49- year-old Mary King (GBR) stole the head-lines with a record one-two on Kings Mis-tress and Fernhill Urco It was Kingrsquos first CCI4 victory for 11 years ndash she has won Badminton twice and Burghley once ndash but she certainly smashed a few re-cords with this one She became the first rider to score a one-two at Kentucky the first in modern times to win a CCI4 on a home-bred horse and the oldest female to win a CCI4
King who has six team gold medals at World and European level plus competed at five consecutive Olympics had the luxury of knowing she had already won the event on the inexperienced 10-year-old Fernhill Urco a horse bred in Portugal by the time she entered the arena on Kings Mistress but she still produced a second clear round ldquoI never dreamed that I would be in this position and Irsquom enjoying the momentrdquo said the ever-smiling King ldquoIt was great to have the feeling of having already won on Fernhill Urco but I still wanted desperately to go clear on Kings Mistress as it is so special to win on a horse I bred myselfrdquo It was also an all clear from Germanyrsquos Andreas Dibowski and Euroriding Butts Leon in order to secure victory at the fourth leg of the HSBC FEItrade
Classicstrade in Luhmuumlhlen presented by EON Avacon
29FOCUS
The Danish-American actorpoet musician photographerand painter has been around horses most of his life from riding Hasufel and Brego in The Lord of the Rings trilogy to early childhood memories in Argentina his passion for floating as he describes it has never wavered
What is it about the horse that makes you a horse loverWe get along generally I respect their strength and their personal space Your first riding experience ndash was it bliss or terrorLike floating like being on a warm and floating mountain I remember being happy Do you think anyone can rideYes It is a question of allowing yourself to ride of allowing yourself to cooperate and not be in total control Children are more adept at figuring this out letting things happen without getting impatient or scared just as they are braver and less self-conscious about pronouncing new words or singing Anyone at any age or in any physical condition can
Viggo Mortensen
achieve a degree of success and satisfaction with horses even if it is just a question of touching them being near them If horses could talk what would they be sayingYou will know if you listen and watch them Is there a unique trait you look for in a horse that you canrsquot find in peopleThey are more patient and less apt to complain about lifersquos setbacks and physical ailments than most people I admire a tough smart horse what-ever its breed age or size What would you miss most if you could no longer go ridingThe companionship and the floating perhaps also the abandonment of usual daily worries that relaxed riding requires Whatrsquos your usual riding outfit consist ofAnything will do Loose-fitting clothes and good comfortable boots are a plus but not vital I have even ridden barefoot ndash naturally taking care to avoid being stepped on when not on the horse - but I do not recommend this to anyone The most important thing is to have a clear and focused mind to be THERE at all times when around horses and NOWHERE ELSE Sugar lumps or carrotsIrsquove been guilty of offering an occasional apple or carrot although it is best not to give horses anything special unless treats are part of training them for special tricks or stunts a pursuit best left to experts like master horse trainer Rex Peterson whom Irsquove had the good fortune to work with and study quite a bit Treats spoil horses and do not keep the animal focused on the task at hand Whatrsquos your favourite part of a horseThe brain What do you think young people gain from ridingSelf-confidence and an understanding of the value of cooperation
30
Why the long face
When did you first develop the bond with the horseThe first time I got on one as a little boy in ArgentinaYou either develop a bond of some kind or you fall off Of course you may even fall off if you develop the bond but you have to start (and restart) somewhere
Did your friends ride My brothers also rode and I have ridden with many kinds of people over the years ndash some good and patient with horses and some not If I had not rid-den as a boy I would probably have been wandering around fishing imagining I was a cowboy or an Indian or a Viking ndash which I did anyway Where in the world would you most like to rideMost anywhere will do but I have been extremely lucky to have ridden in many wide-open wild places ndash deserts grassy plains mountains by different seas and rivers in Argentina New Zealand North Africa and North America If you could spend one afternoon riding with a famous person (past or present)who would it be and whyIrsquoll give you 3 Oglala chief Tasunke Witko (Crazy Horse) my ancestor William F Cody or any real Gaucho from the province of Chaco Argentina
Two horses go out for dinner what kindof restaurant do they chooseLate spring grass near a slow-moving clean river with a gentle firm shoreline an hour before sun-down far from any people or other animals All time favourite horse filmI have a subjective soft spot for the stories and real horses involved in the making of ldquoHidalgordquo and the 2nd and 3rd installments of ldquoThe Lord Of The Ringsrdquo trilogy but I admire other ldquohorse moviesrdquo as wellThe 1953 French movie ldquoCrin-Blancrdquo (ldquoWhite Manerdquo) directed by Albert Lamorisse is a personal favourite
After three years at the head of the successful French Jumping team with back to back FEI Nations Cuptrade titles and a silver medal at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade Laurent Elias is moving on to new spheres with the French Horse amp Riding Institute where he will be training the riders of the National Riding School in Saumur
Laurent Elias
copy C
hris
toph
e Br
icot
32
The other side of
If I had not become a professional rider I would havehellipmade a career in a humanitarian organisation Horse riding is sometimes too trivial
My priority in life ishellipto be able to look at myself in the mirror in the morning and make sure I am at peace with my conscience
My familyhellipkeeps me grounded My wife helped me a lot when I was in charge of selections for France She took charge of my personal life and was the first person I called when we got the medal in Lexington I also admire my parents for the values they passed on to me
I remember my first ridingexperiencehellipaged six we were shooting a family film and I was on horseback I finished upside down under my horse for a long time I stopped riding for one year
I used to dream abouthellipsafaris One of my uncles was passionate about safaris Through him I became very interested in African trips and the jobs that allow you to travel as a reporter were fascinating to me as well
I have been thinking a lot abouthellipwhat happened in Japan these past few months First this tsunami that devastated everything without warning then the nuclear disaster It made me think that progress should not be destructive
My horse Gueacutenourhellipchanged my life I was just a coach and he brought me to the top I won the national championship in 1981 with him
My biggest challengehas always beenhellipshyness Horse riding has really helped me over-come it Horses brought me on stage and there I had to meet people
As a Chef dEquipehellipthere is no single defining achievement itrsquos all about the solidarity and the moments spent together as a team Irsquoll never forget the first time Penelope Leprevost rode her mare Jubileacutee drsquoOuilly in the FEI Nations Cuptrade of Rotterdam McLain Ward had just completed a real fast run with Sapphire We thought the Americans would win but she did it faster and beat Sapphire
In terms of eventshellipAachen is my favourite competition - for its won-derful organisation But we have also pretty good five star competitions in France
I donrsquot sleep muchhellipprobably because I am just happy to be alive
Irsquom not scared to laugh or cryhellipI laugh at the funny situations we sometimes find ourselves in life and enjoy people with quirky personalities I cry when I see others in pain
Laurent Elias and the French team en route to the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade copy PSV-Jean Morel
33FOCUS
Nicolas TheacutevenazAged 23 studies Robotics and Autonomous Systems Micro Engineering in Lausanne (SUI) alongside regular training and competition in Dressage and Para-Equestrian Dressage events Born with spastic diplegia Nicolas was introduced to horses via hippotherapy aged seven and quickly developed a passion for riding which not only helped with his physical condition but also taught him through Dressage the art of patience and perseverance
34
One day
Nicolas TheacutevenazAged 23 studies Robotics and Autonomous Systems Micro Engineering in Lausanne (SUI) alongside regular training and competition in Dressage and Para-Equestrian Dressage events Born with spastic diplegia Nicolas was introduced to horses via hippotherapy aged seven and quickly developed a passion for riding which not only helped with his physical condition but also taught him through Dressage the art of patience and perseverance
He has been fortunate to meet the right people (and horses) at the right time and has been working for the past five years with trainer Vicky-Eileen Baumann (pictured right) and her horses Magic and Lady (pictured right) ldquoShersquos bred them and knows them inside out which is very useful when I have to communicate with them - they know my voice intonations and a whole string of specific words or sounds ndash which really helps as my body canrsquot or doesnrsquot always have the strength to do sordquo
As a Grade II Para-Equestrian rider Nicolas competes in Para-Equestrian Dressage (PED) events as well as national events for able bodied riders as there are only a handful of PED riders and no events in Switzerland
Unable to attend the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade 2010 in Kentucky last year Nicolas and Vicky have their sights firmly set on the 2012 Para-lympic Games and will be looking to qualify with Lady over the next 12 months ndash alongside exams studies and everything else life has to offerhellip Who is your role model For different reasons I have different role mod-els Edward Gal Dane Rawlins Isabel Werth and Catherine Haddad
When did you start riding and why At age 7 I was sat on a horse for hippotherapy and liked the complicity with the horse which made me want to discover more
How do you feel when you ride Concentrated and industrious
Who is your biggest fan My trainerrsquos mum
Complete this sentenceOne day I would like tohellip have gained enough knowledge to be able to take care of and train my own horse
What are your long term goals as a rider Continue to do my best to enjoy what I do and show others itrsquos possible
How do you juggle studies and competition I think itrsquos really important to have goals and to do everything you can to achieve them and that includes taking on challenges because if you donrsquot try then yoursquoll never know what you could have achieved
What is your proudest achievement to date Participation in international events together with pursuing my studies
How do you feel after winning Still working towards discovering the feeling
What is the best advice anyone has ever given youMy trainer often repeats to me the famous saying by General LrsquoHotte ldquoCalme en avant droitrdquo which says so much about riding but can also be applied to so many other aspects of life
35FOCUS
What advice would you give someone looking to get involved in Para-Equestrian Dressage Train and ride with able-bodied athletes as often as possible Being around and working with horses is so rewarding Irsquod like - when Irsquom retired - to write a book to share these feelings with others and hope this will inspire them to get involved
Complete this sentenceIn the future I would like the sport to beeven ldquocleanerrdquo and fairer and if possible not more but less demanding on the horses
ldquoLast but not least Irsquod like to take the opportunity of this article to reach out to those who give me their trust and help be it with their time their friendship and any type of support Day after day to year after year team work is essential and Irsquoll do my best to continue deserving every-onersquos encouraging smilesrdquo
European Broadcasting Union
Union Europeacuteenne de Radio-Teacuteleacutevision
+41 (0)22 717 2111 wwweurovisionnet
We bring the event to your home
Eurovision
copy K
it H
ough
ton
FE
I
FEI_08_A4indd 1 03012008 162238
European Broadcasting Union
Union Europeacuteenne de Radio-Teacuteleacutevision
+41 (0)22 717 2111 wwweurovisionnet
We bring the event to your home
Eurovision
copy K
it H
ough
ton
FE
I
FEI_08_A4indd 1 03012008 162238
Nominations for the FEI Awards opened in May enabling the global equestrian com-munity to once again reward outstanding dedication to horse sport in five categories ndash Development Best Groom Against All Odds Rising Star and Best Athlete The search for the equestrian heroes of 2011 is now on who will be flown to Rio de Janeiro Brazil to receive their awards
Where are they now The FEI asked the current title-holders for an update on their activities
Follow us on
38
FEI Awards 2011
Ebony Horse Club (GBR)Winner of the Alltech FEI DevelopmentAward 2010
The Ebony Horse Club announced in December 2010 that after an eight-year fundraising effort it had the pound14 million necessary for building an equestrian cen-tre in one of Londonrsquos most deprived boroughs Since 1996 Ebony has offered youngsters in an area reput-ed for its gang culture high level of gun crime and drug dealing the chance to ride and learn key social skills The clubrsquos 50 members travel to riding schools across London on public transport or in minibuses ndash a logistical headache that the inner-city equestrian centre will end Construction work began in February
Ebony Horse Club founder and director Ros Spear-ing told the FEI ldquoRiding lessons are continuing and the club is preparing for the transitionrdquo Building will finish on 7 July but the centre will open for riding lessons in October ldquoThe horses will be brought to Brixton in the summer and will have time to acclimatise to their new environmentrdquo Spearing said The centre will include stabling for nine horses a small paddock and a flood-lit riding arena as well as a classroom for learning about horses and equine management Spearing is adamant that club members ndash present and future ndash care for their rides and wants the centre to serve as a stepping stone to careers in the horse industry
Ebonyrsquos existence will continue to depend on the generosity of donors For more information visit wwwebonyhorsecluborguk
Michelle Tipper (GBR)Winner of the FEI Best Groom Award 2010
Michelle Tipper has continued to juggle grooming and study since receiving her FEI Award in Novem-ber She has organised the grooms for the British European Junior and Young Dressage teams and in April her contract as a travelling groom for British Dressage riders Paul and Bobby Hayler took her to Addington for the first of many international com-petitions she will work at this year The Haylers have eight horses competing and the number she works with at each venue varies Tipper has also been help-ing British Dressage riders Nicky and Richard Barrett with yard duties ldquoI feel very lucky to work for both of these familiesrdquo said the FEI Best Groom Award win-ner adding that she feels part of the two families In March Tipper graduated from university with a Masters in Sport Psychology She is now working towards British Association of Sport and Exercise Science accreditation which requires at least 500 hoursrsquo supervised work experience and is present-ing sport psychology workshops in conjunction with the company Inside Performance Consulting Limit-ed (wwwinside-performancecom) The workshops are organised internationally for people of all ages from any sport To find out more contact Tipper at michelletipper1979yahoocom
39FOCUS
Michelle Tipper ndash copyWilliam TzengAward winners ndash copyWilliam TzengCaroline Roffman ndash copySharonPackercomEbony Horse Club ndash copyEbony Horse ClubEdward Gal and Totilas ndash copyKit HoughtonFEIAngelika Trabert ndash copyJulia Rau
Angelika Trabert (GER)Winner of the FEI Against All Odds Award 2010
German Para-Dressage rider Angelika Trabert has represent-ed her country at four Paralympic Games and won some 15 medals at national European and world championships She is currently seeking a new home for Londria the mare that con-tributed to her Team Silver medal win at the Hong Kong Para-lympics Londria who had a foal last year was also Trabertrsquos ride during her medal-winning performances at the European Championships in Hungary (2005) and Norway (2009)
Trabert said her decision to let go of Londria was hard to make but was necessary for financial reasons She will keep the foal Finaud Coquin and her mares Walmorel and Ariva-Avanti Trabert won the Para-Dressage Grade 2 Freestyle Champion-ship at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade with Ariva and said the horse was ldquowell and ready to go for the Europeans again in Belgium in September if we qualifyrdquo Trabert competed in her first international competition of 2011 in May in Man-nheim Germany where she came first in the Grade II indi-vidual and second in the freestyle She is taking part in the German Championships in June
Away from the equestrian world Trabert works as an anaes-thetist and has participated in medical missions in the rural ar-eas of Guinea for the organisation Mango In January she was back in Guinea as part of team that carried out 100 operations in 13 days wwwangelika-trabertde
Visit the recently refreshed FEI Awards website to find out more about the Awards the pastwinners the judges and to make yournominationsby 31 July
wwwfeiawardsorg
40
Caroline Roffman (USA)Winner of the HSBC FEI Rising StarAward 2010
Success continues to smile on twenty-two-year-old American Dressage rider Caroline Roffman Since re-ceiving the HSBC FEI Rising Star Award she has en-joyed numerous wins at small tour and young horse levels achieving scores in the mid-eighties and quali-fying two horses for the young horse championships
Roffman is currently showing six horses and has won several classes at PSG and Grand Prix level ldquoBut nothing is as exciting as to be going to Aachenrdquo said the young woman who has been described as the American Dressage communityrsquos brightest hope ex-plaining that at the FEI Awards ceremony in Chinese Taipei Frank Kemperman FEI Dressage Committee Chair and Chairman of the Managing Board at CHIO Aachen (GER) invited her to take part in the pres-tigious event Roffman will be the first American to compete in the Under 25 Grand Prix there and is hop-ing to take her horse Lux Stensvang
An interview with Caroline Roffman at the Palm Beach Dressage Derby CDI will be broadcast on the magazine programme Equestrian World on FEI TV the FEIrsquos official online video platform wwwfeitvorg
Edward Gal and Totilas (NED)Winners of the Reem Acra FEI Best Athlete Award 2010
The world-famous partnership of Dutch Dressage rider Edward Gal and the extraordinary Totilas ended in style in 2010 with notably three gold medal wins at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade
The first foal sired by the superstar stallion was born in January followed by two more in the spring Gal who has admired the foals told the FEI ldquoYou never know ndash maybe in a few yearsrsquo time Irsquoll have another Totilas readyrdquo At the beginning of April he was busy at home training nine horses and preparing for the Reem Acra FEI World Cuptrade Dressage Final in Leipzig and the European Championships in Rotterdam He had not yet decided which horses he was going to compete with but was particularly looking forward to the Freestyle to Music Asked what it was like to compete without Totilas Gal said ldquoEverybody ex-pected Totilas to win I find it easier to ride other horses because nobody expects me to win and when I do itrsquos really nicerdquo
41FOCUS
globetrotter
Seal of approval for the Adai horseSixty years have passed since an Adai horse reportedly set a record galloping 354km in one day Today the Adai horse a breed na-tive to Kazakhstan is back in the spotlight with a gold medal at the FEI Central Asian Endurance Championship in Talgaearlier in May only months after having been award-ed official pedigree status following tests
conducted by a State Commission in the Mangistau Steppes which allowed itto compete internationally The horses are cherished for their hardiness and Oyly ridden by Altyngali Bissemaganbetov (KAZ) proved just that when crossing the finishing line first demonstrating just how tough the Adai horses are and the beginning of a new era for sturdy breed on the international stage
Equestrian Australia Sport
Achievement Awards
In May the best of the best in
Equestrian sport gathered to cel-
ebrate the achievements of Austral-
iarsquos athletes coaches officials vets
administrators owners volunteers
and the many other people that
dedicate their time and enthusiasm
to equestrian sport The ceremony
also included the introduction of
Equestrian Australiarsquos Hall of
Fame won by the legendary Bill
Roycroft Boyd Exell winner of
the FEI World CupTM Driving
Final was awarded the interna-
tional athlete of the year
award
Kevin Stautbecomes first athlete representative on FEI
executive board
Kevin Staut one of Francersquos most successful Jumping riders became the first athlete to be appointed to the FEI Executive Board for a three-year term Staut (31) who has held the number one spot in the Rolex Rankings for Jumping since July 2010 has ridden on numerous Nations Cup teams for France and claimed individual gold at the Alltech FEI European Jumping Championships in 2009
HulA CARTSWorld Horse Welfare has greatly helped the liv
es of
five Senegalese cart horse owners by presenting them
with new Hula Carts The local people who depend on
their working horses for their livelihoods were specially
selected by the charity to receive the carts which have
been sponsored by members of the public in the uK
The Hula Carts are specifically developed to help the
horses pulling heavy loads in often difficult conditions
Equestrian Australia Sport
Achievement Awards
In May the best of the best in
Equestrian sport gathered to cel-
ebrate the achievements of Austral-
iarsquos athletes coaches officials vets
administrators owners volunteers
and the many other people that
dedicate their time and enthusiasm
to equestrian sport The ceremony
also included the introduction of
Equestrian Australiarsquos Hall of
Fame won by the legendary Bill
Roycroft Boyd Exell winner of
the FEI World CupTM Driving
Final was awarded the interna-
tional athlete of the year
award
Olympic legendBill Roycroft passes away aged 96
A legend of Equestrian sport in Australia James William
George Roycroft OBE known as ldquoBillrdquo was one of Austral-
iarsquos greatest Olympians and one of only five Australians to
have competed in five consecutive Olympic Games (from
1960 - 1976) as well as being Australiarsquos oldest medallist
and oldest competitor at 61 years and 31 days In May 2011
Bill was inducted in Equestrian Australiarsquos inaugural Hall
of Fame ndash he was Australiarsquos oldest living Olympian and
shared his dedication and enthusiasm for the sport with
his sons Barry Wayne and Clarke (See a brief description
of his exploits in the 1960 Olympic Games Memory Lane
article page 9 which catapulted Australiarsquos reputation as
one of the best Eventing teams in the world)
webinfofeiFEI web wizard Nicole Sigrist has added a new hub for the Press on wwwfeiorg called FEI Press Kits located in the Media section of the website The Press Kits zone which is also open to the general public is regularly updated with infor-mation relating to FEI series and specific events with flip books and downloadable PDFs as well as direct links to the Photo Catalogue the Rankings and Standings the Annual Report and more
100thanniversary for Finnish riding club
One of the three found-ing member clubs of
the Finnish Equestrian Federation the Suomen
Kenttaumlratsastusseura-Finska Faumlltrittklubbenon celebrates
its 100th anniversary in 2011 Magnus Rydman former President of the Finnish National Federation and Presi-dent of the FEI from 1935 ndash 1946 was one of the founders of the club Another of the founders of the oldest club in Fin-land was the Eventing rider Colonel Hans Olof von Essen whose fifth place at the Antwerpen Olympic Games re-mains the best Olympic equestrian result the country has ever achieved
Follow us on
43FOCUS
Interview with the President of the Brazilian Equestrian Federation Mr Luiz Roberto Giugni
The Brazilian Equestrian Federation has been a member Federation of the FEI for 75 years how has the sport developed over that time We were facing regular growth (average of 25 in the last decade) but in the last three to four years this rate has significantly increased up to 35 a year We believe that this is due to international achievements (two Jumping Olympic team bronze medals the individual Olympic Jumping gold medal won by Rodrigo Pessoa several Pan Am Jumping team gold medals recent Olympic pre-qualification in Kentucky (4th in the world in Jumping) and the organisations of a Global Champions Tour event in Brazil
In terms of developing the sport what are the most successful projects you have undertaken in recent yearsWe decided to invest in education and have hired international trainers for all the disciplines such as Jean Maurice Bonneau for Jumping Nick Turner for Eventing Eric Lette for Dressage Jean Louis Leclerc for Endurance Mattias Lang for Vaulting with the long term in mind that is at least until the end of 2012 and planning towards 2016 when Rio will host the Olympic Games
How popular is equestrian sport with young people in Brazil and how do you compete with some of the bigger sports for their attention Popularization is growing bit by bit in a country
decidedly dominated by soccer ndash being 5 times World Champion makes it a national passion But we are continuously looking to attract TV to our events as this is a huge step towards gaining visibility and popularity Can you tell us about the programmesinitiatives in place for disabled athletes We are actively pursuing this and have achieved really positive results in little time such as the great performances and medals earned at the Para-lympic Games in Hong Kong in 2008 We do this through clinics courses international exchanges of athletes and working alongside our National Paralympic Committee to support us in our efforts
Brazil will be host the FEI General Assembly at the end of the year what do you want all the visiting delegates to remember from their visit That we are more than just a really beautiful and warm country with the ability and capacity to organise great events and that we are committed to putting on the best Olympic Games ever
What are the main objectivesplans for the Brazilian Federation in the lead up to the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games Our NOC is really committed to raising the bar of all the sports to a level never seen before and we are working towards that in terms of our athletes our judges our venues and everything that is related to our sport and the quality of our sport In line with this objective we are providing incen-tives to owners to buy good horses aiming for 2016 and this is going to plan for now We expect to perform well at the upcoming Pan Am Games and Olympics on our trail to 2016
Is there anything else you would like to share with us I would like to thank HRH Princess Haya President of the FEI as well as the Executive Board for all the support that we are getting which has been paramount to the development of equestrian sport in our country
44
President Luiz Roberto GiugniSecretary General Luiz Antonio RoccoMember since 1935
15 members of staff work at the federation
20 regional federations are affiliated tothe Brazilian Equestrian Federation with over 300 member riding clubs
6 000 affiliated riders
91 national events were held in 2010
31 international events were held in 2010
All the FEI disciplines are practiced in BrazilJumping Dressage Eventing Vaulting Reining EnduranceDriving amp Para-Equestrian
14 breeding organisations
There are 58 million horses and ponies in Brazilmaking it the fourth largest equine population in the world
FAC
TS amp
FIG
URE
S
45FOCUS
Dr Gerit Matthesen56 is a private equine practitioner an FEI Vet and a member of the FEI Veterinary Committee He graduated in Veterinary Medicine from Berlin University in 1983 and since 1989 has worked or officiated at some 180 competitions and championships including the last two Olympics and FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade He lives near Frankfurt with his wife Carola and their sons Mike (16) and Lars (14)
46
A life in a day
Dr Gerit Matthesen56 is a private equine practitioner an FEI Vet and a member of the FEI Veterinary Committee He graduated in Veterinary Medicine from Berlin University in 1983 and since 1989 has worked or officiated at some 180 competitions and championships including the last two Olympics and FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade He lives near Frankfurt with his wife Carola and their sons Mike (16) and Lars (14)
I wake up earlier than I need to ndash at around 6am ndash because breakfast time with my family is sacred to me and I can then drive my boys to the village station to take the train to school After two cups of coffee (enough for the day) and a glass of orange juice I read the newspapers then head to my prac-tice offices in our indoor arena I have a quick look at our horses then start work
While I listen to my phone messages I deal with my emails and search the internet for news about veterinary medicine and horse sport I then start planning the dayacutes schedule with Anna my assistant vet
My mobile practice is in a nice fairly rural area in the north of Frankfurt There are lots of horse farms but it is not a classic breeding area like the northern part of Germany There are sport horses as well as pleasure horses I have examination rooms and stables for horses staying or mares foaling in my practice stables Itrsquos not a big clinic which gives me time to work at competitions
After seeing a few small animals in my practice I normally start my field service at 930am In my car I have enough equipment (ultrasound X-ray systems and endoscopical devices) for the dayrsquos examinations and standing procedures We mainly have lameness examinations to do or internal diseases to treat accompanied by routine work like vaccinations or carrying out pre-purchase or health certificate examinations If time allows I go home for a quick lunch but thatrsquos not every day
While Irsquom driving I have time to think and I write down everything that come to mind regarding sport competitions committees and so on You have to write down your thoughts when yoursquore over the age of 50
It is not easy planning my day because any emer-gency can destroy or delay my schedule For all the paperwork and certificates I need a time frame so
I often do that over quiet weekends when there are no competitions During the winter season I am less busy but in summer a lot of weekends are taken over by the competition schedule
I love my work especially in Eventing which is my favourite discipline My wife and I practiced it ndash not up to top level but it was a fine time despite a bro-ken ankle from a fall in 1988 which after 23 years is making walking more and more difficult for me
I like to do my competition work on a friendly but strict basis and I really like to hear riders saying they are treated fairly Over the years I have acquired a lot of experience and met all the officials and riders
Usually when I return home in the late afternoon there are more small animals to see When Irsquove done the dayrsquos paperwork I hope there will be no more emergencies such as cases of colic which usually occur in the early evening
I look forward to getting on my horse which is a beautiful show-jumper I like to ride but Irsquove stopped competing I do dressage jumping and go out into the fields but itrsquos all just for fun now
The day finishes with the family and a nice cold glass of German beer
Itrsquos a struggle to find time to spend with my family and I often have to cancel my holidays with them I am really grateful to my wife and the boys for their understanding of my job and to my assistant vet who covers for me when Iacutem out somewhere in the world of equestrian sport
ldquoThe combination of my profession and beinginvolved in differentaspects of top equestrian sport is my visionrdquo
47FOCUS
Pull your show attire from the closet clean your boots and tack groom the horses hook up and pack the trailer check the clock double check to make sure you have everything put on the shipping boots load your horses and away you drive to the competition venue or to the airport for transport to a distant event
You know the drill well but still you arrive tired per-haps even a bit frazzled Yoursquoll sleep (or try to) the next several nights in an unfamiliar bed or camp out in the living quarters of your trailer You awaken riveted on the competition playing out the dayrsquos classes in your mind wondering how your rides will fare against oth-ers praying that the weather will be cooperate and trying to control your nerves all the while knowing that no matter how well you have prepared many factors are out of your control You may even be in a different time zone
We go through a lot to compete our horses But if you think life on the road is stressful for you think about what itrsquos like for your horses Your back may be a bit sore from driving or being strapped into an airplane seat for hours on end but for horses transportation is far more demanding It is an athletic endeavour re-quiring an expenditure of energy to maintain balance during the constant movement of transport When your horses arrive they face social isolation from stablemates lack of security in novel environments altered training regimes water that tastes strange and the confines of an unfamiliar stall This routine impacts a horsersquos health and well being with effects
continuing long after the journey is over During transport toxic gases (such as ammonia or carbon monoxide) can cause damage to the lung epithelium precipitating respiratory disease The
final destination itself can also cause problems Usually horses are transported to environments where they will be mixing with other horses The mixing of horses from different environments with different infectious organisms and under stressful conditions further precipitates susceptibility to disease
This can have a severe impact on the equine gut The stress of transportation is known to increase gut ulceration in the horse a painful condition reducing performance and causing colic-like symptoms Stress can also slow the flow of digesta and alter the normal gut flora resulting in digestive upset and possibly diarrhoea or colic
The effects of travel stress on the gut are compounded by the typical diet of the regular equine traveller To maintain athletic ability high performance horses are often fed energy-charged diets contain-ing increased levels of starchy materials such as cereal grains Unfortunately this type of diet can reduce beneficial types of gut flora and promote gut acidity further predisposing the horse to digestive upsets and ulceration It is not surprising that stressed tired horses may not fulfill their potential on arrival
Feeding to reduce stress for the equine traveller
By Darlene RickerExecutive editor of Alltechrsquos EQUINE INTERNATIONAL magazine
48
Alltech Tips
growth of opportunistic Salmonella spp which are present in the intestinal tract of many healthy horses These bacteria then attach to the gut lining via a mannan sugar and penetrate it causing damage and resulting in diarrhoea One method of prevent-ing or minimising the attachment of these organ-
isms to the gut lining is to provide an adsorbant supplement A form of sugar found in the cell walls of certain yeasts can do this This sugar compound is called man-nan oligosaccharide or MOS MOS products such as Alltechrsquos Bio-Mosreg have been shown to re-duce the colonization of Salmonella
spp in the guts of certain species and augment the immune response to Salmonella spp potentially conferring an enhanced ability to fight infection Both Yea-Saccreg 1026 and Bio-Mos are among the natural products contained in Alltechrsquos LIFEFORCETM equine supplement which many FEI competitors have successfully incorporated into their daily feeding regimen at home and on the road
lifeforcehorsecom
and may be subject to health concerns in the days following a long journey Fortunately however you can curb some of the effects of travel stress on the horsersquos gut by nutritional supplementation Organic yeast products used to supplement a horsersquos diet can support the normal gut flora modifying the intesti-nal environment and improving the horsersquos digestion One such culture is Saccharomyces cerevisae in the form of Yea-Saccreg 1026 Alltechrsquos propriety organic yeast
Experiments were conducted to evaluate the effects Yea-Sacc on gut flora and gut acidity Horses were fed either a high-starch or a high-fibre diet both with and without supplementation of Yea-Saccreg 1026 Results indicated an excessive amount of starch in the gut The use of Yea-Sacc reduced acidity and stimulat-ed the activity of fibre-digesting bacteria in the hind-gut for both types of diet The result was maximised fibre digestibility and more efficient use of nutrients thus increasing the amount of energy available to the horse for performance and counteracting digestive upset Salmonellosis is one of the more commonly di-agnosed infectious causes of diarrhoea in horses Many cases develop after the stress of transport The effects of travel stress on the normal gut flora allow an over-
Moorlands Totilas arrives for the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade after air transport copy Dirk Caremans
HRH The Infanta Dontildea Pilar de Borboacuten former President of the FEI (1994-2006) also attended the inauguration along-side HRH Princess Lalla Amina Chairperson of the Royal Moroccan Federation for Equestrian Sports and member of the international Advisory Council of Special OlympicsThey were joined by International Olympic Commit-tee members representatives from other Interna-tional Federations federal and local Swiss authorities as well as architects and designers that worked on the project Switzerlandrsquos Martin Fuchs a member of the gold medal winning team at the inaugural Youth Olympic Games in Singapore last year accompanied FEI President Princess Haya in officially opening the FEI headquarters
ldquoThe building we are inaugurating today has been designed to serve our wonderful sportrdquo explained FEI
President Princess Haya ldquoI also feel an immense
sense of pride knowing that this building carries the name
of my late father and hope that this serves as a constant reminder
to all of us who work at the FEI of a unique statesman whose entire soul was devoted to the service of his people Our new headquarters will play a key role for the FEI and our National Federa-tions over the coming years It will be the environ-ment in which important discussions take place and fundamental decisions are taken as we continue our mission to advance the orderly growth of equestrian sport worldwide while ensuring that the welfare of the horse and a level playing field remain at the centre of all that we dordquo
FEI celebratesNEW Headquarters
Over 250 guests attended the inauguration ceremony on Friday 6 May at HM King Hussein I Building which was timed to coincide with the FEI
Extraordinary General Assembly so that attending NationalFederation representatives
could be a part ofthe celebrations
1 Youth Olympic Games team champion Martin Fuchs (SUI) FEI President HRH Princess Haya and her daughter HH Sheikha Al Jalila officially open the FEIrsquos new home 2 Gilbert Felli IOC Olympic Games Executive Director and FEI Secretary General Ingmar de Vos 3 HRH The Infanta Dontildea Pilar de Borboacuten sits down to an interactive quiz in the FEI Gallery 4 Guests gathered in the atrium of the FEI HeadquartersAll images copy Hugues SiegenthalerFEI
Highlights available on50
1
2
3 4
5
6 7
8
THE GALLERy
As well as housing offices for its 62 employees and conference facilities for its 133 National Federations the new headquarters also has a state-of-the-art in-teractive gallery showcasing equestrian sport
The Gallery is the brainchild of Dr Amichai Alper-ovich historian former Secretary General of the Is-raeli Equestrian Federation and curator of the Israeli Olympic Museum (opened in 2009) He worked hand in hand with the Tel Aviv based company Disk-In Pro and interior designer Oded Alony to help bring the content to life and the result is truly unique and ground breaking Giant glass surfaces act as interac-tive interfaces for the visitors to travel through time
The FEIrsquos new headquarters which were donated to the Federation by FEI Presi-dent HRH Princess Haya in 2007 fol-lowing a personal fundraising effort are conveniently located close to the Inter-national Olympic Committee and other international sports federations It has been written into the FEI Statutes that the new FEI headquarters building will always house the Federationrsquos offices In 2008 the building was thoroughly renovated in accordance with the Swiss MINERGIEreg construction standard for environmental responsibility which re-duces energy consumption by 25 per cent Only two per cent of renovated buildings in Switzerland meet the high Minergie standards Khuan Chew founder and design princi-pal of London-based architectural firm KCA International Ltd worked in close collaboration with Swiss-based architect Herveacute de Rham and interior designer Sia-vosh Adeli (SUI) to transform the build-ing which was built in the 1960s The modern and sleek interior was further enhanced with bespoke artworks pro-duced by Swiss creative agency b+g amp partners and imagery by world-famous equestrian art photographer Tim Flach where the simplicity and beauty of his equine subjects seamlessly embrace and accentuate the buildingrsquos pure lines and natural materials (see image left)
As they feasted on the innate beauty of their sur-roundings the guests also had the privilege to ex-perience the culinary talents of organic chef and specialist Gilles Wannaz and his team based in the town of Cully which sits on the edge of Lac Leman in Switzerlandrsquos famous Lavaux wine growing region
5 HRH Princess Haya welcomes the guests to the Inauguration of the HQ and the 90 year celebration of the FEI 6 Artwork by renowned pho-tographer Tim Flach 7 An organic and colourful buffet presented on an authentic lawn by local chef Gilles Wannaz 8 A life size horse sculpture by Christophe Dumont greeted the guests upon their arrival
53FOCUS
and space with the latest in touch technology revis-iting the history of the FEI the equestrian events at Olympic amp Paralympic Games the FEI World Eques-trian Gamestrade and information on all of the member National Federations with statistics videos images and text The Gallery also includes projections on ar-chitectural surfaces designed by Oded Alony referred to as the Origami as well as interactive stations and unique video projections on glass screens
For all those wishing to visit the FEI Gallery simply contact the FEI HQ to make an appointment and we would be delighted to take you on a journey to dis-cover or rediscover the human and equine athletes whose talents have marked equestrian history and inspired young riders drivers and vaulters around the world
Interview withDrAmichaiAlperovich
When did you first dream up the FEIInteractive Gallery When I found out the FEI was planning to move into new HQ in 2009 Disk-In Pro and I approached the FEI and presented them with several concepts for the space Before long we had agreed on the concept and we got to work
Why were you compelled to make it become a reality So that the FEI a prominent sports organisation could present itself to a growing audience in a new and visionary way with the latest technology And by doing so the FEI is a pioneer becoming the first International Federation to have a Gallery of this kind
What did you learn when researching and gathering content for the gallery I have learned a lot about the history of the FEI the strong Olympic tradition the diversity of disciplines the gender equality and the unique bond between horse and man One of the more fascinating topics was the evolution of the Dressage from itsrsquo Olympic debut to the modern Freestyle
Itrsquos very innovative technology what inspired you to take such a leap into the future with such a traditional sport Just as Dressage has evolved over the years and alongside the introduction of new disciplines partic-ularly Para-Equestrian you come to realise that the FEI is not as traditional as one would think Actually this kind of innovative presentation of equestrian history is really well suited to the FEI In the same way that you can have horse-man connections there is an audience-technology connection in the Gallery The audience have to be active in order to enjoy the depth of information the Gallery contains
54
Now it is time to open the door to new places to learn about sport ndash at the heart of sporting organi-sations themselves The Gallery is more than an informative tool it brings people to the sport andto the heart of its operations
Established in 1990 Disk-In Pro specialises in the planning design production and implementation of Museums Visitor Centres and sophisticated projects around the world This includes multi screen produc-tion animation 3D amp interactive films state-of-the-art software platforms and complex video displays for an unforgettable experience
Oded Alony holds a BA in Design from the Interior Design Section of the Holon Technological Institute and has since 1998 worked with Israelrsquos leading Architecture firms The Oded Alony Studio embraces holistic design a space where interior design lighting and graphics are brought together to create a harmo-nious project vision
Now that you have seen it unveiled to the public how would you like to see it evolve I hope the audience will be amazed from the design by architect Oded Alony and the new methods to deliver information whilst discovering the long his-tory of the FEI the diversity and the global reach of the organisation I hope the Gallery will become an icon in Lausanne and one of its highlights for visitors I promise the visitors a new platform to learn about equestrianism and each visit could be different as the information and themes will be updated and modi-fied regularly
This futuristic gallery is a first for anInternational Federation do you think thisis something all sports should invest inThe FEI took this courageous decision and now has this fantastic tool to present the organisation in new ways Sport is a huge cultural phenomenaWe have learned to consume sport in the arenas and stadiums in the press media and new media
Dr Amichai Alperovich
55FOCUS
SOCIAL MEDIAthe new frontier
Follow us on
The FEI has recently embarked on and embraced a whole new way of talking with the greater equestrian community through the ever expanding social media networks and platformsWith personalised Facebook Twitter and You Tube pages the FEI is taking it step by step and reaching out to this growing audience and listening to what they have to say
This new communication platform is by no means a substitution of the traditional communication path-ways but works alongside the press releases various publications and content on wwwfeiorg and wwwfeitvorg providing a new arena where the FEI can share interact and dialogue with fans of the sport and of equestrian values in general
We talk to Richard Johnson Director of Corporate Communications about the FEIrsquos commitment to social media
What compelled the FEI to venture onto the social media scene As a governing body with a vibrant and active com-munity of National Federations as well as thousands of fans the need to reach out to the online social community has never been stronger We have been watching the communities grow online for some time and have been listening to their conversations so being a part of it was the next logical step and a really important one The conversations will hap-pen with or without us so taking that step has been crucial in order to share our values and also build re-lationships with our fan base
Tradition meets modernity ndash does equestrian sportthe FEI have a place in social media Absolutely even though equestrian sport has a long history and is perceived as a traditional sport it is
always evolving In the 90 years of the FEI which was founded to govern the three Olympic disciplines it has grown to also oversee the disciplines of Driving Endurance Vaulting Reining and Para-Equestrian sport Or if you look at the early days when competi-tors were from military backgrounds and when wom-en did not compete alongside men to the complete gender equality we have today ndash a lot has changed and is in a constant state of change
The fans of equestrian sport are like any other fan base web savvy and eager for more information behind the scenes content and to share their opin-ions and thoughts ndash so it is an ideal partnership And from what we have seen these last few months and from the feedback we got from our blog at the Youth Olympic Games there is a real appetite for this
The FEI has dedicated Facebook Twitter and You Tube pages ndash why did you select these social media platforms The figures speak for themselveshellip Facebook Twit-ter and You Tube are the biggest players in the social networking space With over 500 million Facebook users 106 million Tweeters and 2 billion views a day on You Tube there has never been so much oppor-tunity for exposure Every site has different demo-graphics with different habits and needs so by having an FEI presence on these three networks we are able to cover a lot of ground and cater to different audi-ences by providing different types of content accord-ing to the platform
What are the main benefits of having a pres-ence on various social media platforms Itrsquos all about having a two way conversation ndash the benefits of dialogue where you can share content such as videos images facts and figures thoughts and values and then allow your fan base to react to get involved and to listen and learn from them By engaging with our audience and showing them that we are a modern and caring organisation and that we want to hear what they have to say then we are able to build trust and ultimately credibility in what we do and what we say
57FOCUS
TV
The offi cial video website of the Feacutedeacuteration Equestre Internationale
wwwfeitvorg
WATCH LIVE WATCH ONLINE
FEI TV is the FEIrsquos new offi cial video website and your ticket to the worldrsquos most prestigious competitions Sign-up to FEI TV (wwwfeitvorg) and get instant access to all the live broadcasts the extensive video-on-demand library all the highlights the behind the scenes reports the interviews and so much more Be at the heart of horsesport Join us
2823_1FEI_TV_Focus_165x226indd 1 170510 1124
It also keeps us alert as to what is being discussed and debated in the public sphere so that we can manage situations more effectively and be proactive in our messaging and information so that the facts are at the heart of the debate and not interpretations of them
How do you generate content for social media It was important when we launched our social me-dia presence that it be manageable with the exist-ing communications team in place ndash and so we have concentrated on keeping it simple and effective and using content innovatively Itrsquos not about reproduc-ing our website ndash but to engage with our fans and so often all you need is a good picture an interest-ing fact or great achievement to get the ball rolling For You Tube as we already have so much content generated from FEI TV it was simply a question of using bits and pieces from that content to provide the public with teasers from events interviews with winning riders or behind the scenes content which they can then follow up on FEI TV with a subscription
What are your Social media goals Itrsquos really to build relationships and dialogue with our fan base by using our content innovatively by listening to what they have to say and by engaging with the community And for the National Federa-tions that have yet to take that step we want to be a guiding hand that can help them get started so that they too can reap the benefits of social media net-working Our sport competes against other sports for attention so itrsquos really important that we the FEI and the National Federations keep our finger on the pulse and cater to our fans
How can National Federations get involved NFs wishing to find out more about Social Media can contact me (richardjohnsonfeiorg) and I would be more than happy to discuss opportunities and ways of getting started as well as our experience at the FEI
We asked our Facebook followers why it was important to use face-book and here are a few comments they came up with
bullItrsquos a great way to find out about shows and competitions
bullBecause facebook can provide up to the minute updates as to the what is going on in the horse community
bullWe can share information and ideas over long distances We can find and connect with people we wouldnt be able to otherwise
bullIt also lets us express the true realities of our spot to keep us grounded
bullIt can bring peoples attention to excellence ndash and expose the issues
58
TV
The offi cial video website of the Feacutedeacuteration Equestre Internationale
wwwfeitvorg
WATCH LIVE WATCH ONLINE
FEI TV is the FEIrsquos new offi cial video website and your ticket to the worldrsquos most prestigious competitions Sign-up to FEI TV (wwwfeitvorg) and get instant access to all the live broadcasts the extensive video-on-demand library all the highlights the behind the scenes reports the interviews and so much more Be at the heart of horsesport Join us
2823_1FEI_TV_Focus_165x226indd 1 170510 1124
ldquo Donrsquot accept drinks from a strangerrdquo
Armchair travel journalist
Are you living a life without boundaries Some well-meant advice is best ignored but itrsquos still good to know yoursquore covered when yoursquore away With HSBC Premier your family can be protected with both Travel Insurance and dedicated assistance when yoursquore abroad Which is reassuring to know when yoursquore making the most of life
HSBC Premier is subject to financial eligibility criteria and is available in over 40 countries and territories
Premier Travel Insurance covers you and your partner up to age 70 and your children travelling with you up to age 18
wwwhsbcpremiercom
A4 A4
Issued by HSBC Holdings plc Approved for use in UK by HSBC Bank plc Premier Travel Insurance is provided by Aviva Insurance UK Limited Customer Information Service PO Box 757 Hemel Hempstead Hertfordshire HP2 4SS Registered in England number 14259 Registered Office 8 Canada Square London E14 5HQ AC18770
201736_6000263_Coconut_226x165indd
Master 226x165
Rob Swainson 160211
HSBC - Coconuts Proof 01Head of Art TypographerDesigner ArtCreative Director Copywriter Account DirectorDIC Project ManagerPhotographer Illustrator Usage Model(s) Name(s) Usage
Media MediaStock Image Time Period Time Period
Territory Territory
8deg N ndash Kerala South India
The resurgence of so much experienced talent makes it harder for younger riders to work their way up the leaderboard but 29-year-old Sinead Halpin (USA) had a spectacular CCI4 debut at Kentucky finish-ing third and best of the home side in distinguished company This achievement earned her the HSBC Training Bursary worth US$1000 towards training a prestigious and valuable award presented to the rider who achieves the best result on completing a CCI4 for the first time
The bursary winner at Badminton Fiona Hobby (GBR) 39 has had a rather longer wait to complete
her first CCI4 ndash she was 26th on Roma ML ndash but she has in the meantime produced two children had a career as a sports therapist and only switched from Jumping to Eventing relatively recently Hobby has vowed to spend the money on dressage train-ing ldquoRoma couldnrsquot believe it when she arrived in the arena and saw all those people but she was great across country really focussed Irsquom delightedrdquo
For Germanyrsquos Sandra Auffarth Luhmuumlhlen pro-vided an outstanding CCI4 debut on Opgun Louvo a young horse she has produced herself coming second and picking up the HSBC Training Bursary and the exciting prospect of a possible place in the squad for the forthcoming HSBC FEI European Event-ing Championship at Luhmuumlhlen (25-28 August) at which Germany as host nation will be entitled to field 12 riders
Last yearrsquos HSBC Training Bursary winners include Stephanie Rhodes-Bosch (CAN) who went on to win a team silver medal at the Alltech FEI World Equestri-an Gamestrade Lauren Shannon (GBR) who finished 17th at Badminton this year and Giovanni Ugolotti (ITA) who is furthering his career by basing himself in Brit-ain for the season and having lessons with Mark Todd
LIVE coverage and extensive highlights available on
Toddrsquos winning mount the 10-year-old NZB Land Vision was a green horse for this level and he fin-ished the Cross-Country phase tired but his rider kept his cool in an extraordinarily tight finish in which the price of one Jumping fence covered the top 12 riders any of whom could with a bit of luck have won the Mitsubishi Motors Trophy ldquoIn the end it came down to horse-power and Irsquove obviously got a good one hererdquo said Todd ldquoCharisma (his double Olympic gold medallist) will always be the most special horse but this one has no weak linksrdquo
As is the nature of the sport Toddrsquos lead in the HSBC FEI Classicstrade didnrsquot last long ndash he came down to earth with a bump the following weekend with a Cross-Country run-out on NZB Grass Valley his ride at the Rolex Kentucky Three Day Event (USA) and 49- year-old Mary King (GBR) stole the head-lines with a record one-two on Kings Mis-tress and Fernhill Urco It was Kingrsquos first CCI4 victory for 11 years ndash she has won Badminton twice and Burghley once ndash but she certainly smashed a few re-cords with this one She became the first rider to score a one-two at Kentucky the first in modern times to win a CCI4 on a home-bred horse and the oldest female to win a CCI4
King who has six team gold medals at World and European level plus competed at five consecutive Olympics had the luxury of knowing she had already won the event on the inexperienced 10-year-old Fernhill Urco a horse bred in Portugal by the time she entered the arena on Kings Mistress but she still produced a second clear round ldquoI never dreamed that I would be in this position and Irsquom enjoying the momentrdquo said the ever-smiling King ldquoIt was great to have the feeling of having already won on Fernhill Urco but I still wanted desperately to go clear on Kings Mistress as it is so special to win on a horse I bred myselfrdquo It was also an all clear from Germanyrsquos Andreas Dibowski and Euroriding Butts Leon in order to secure victory at the fourth leg of the HSBC FEItrade
Classicstrade in Luhmuumlhlen presented by EON Avacon
29FOCUS
The Danish-American actorpoet musician photographerand painter has been around horses most of his life from riding Hasufel and Brego in The Lord of the Rings trilogy to early childhood memories in Argentina his passion for floating as he describes it has never wavered
What is it about the horse that makes you a horse loverWe get along generally I respect their strength and their personal space Your first riding experience ndash was it bliss or terrorLike floating like being on a warm and floating mountain I remember being happy Do you think anyone can rideYes It is a question of allowing yourself to ride of allowing yourself to cooperate and not be in total control Children are more adept at figuring this out letting things happen without getting impatient or scared just as they are braver and less self-conscious about pronouncing new words or singing Anyone at any age or in any physical condition can
Viggo Mortensen
achieve a degree of success and satisfaction with horses even if it is just a question of touching them being near them If horses could talk what would they be sayingYou will know if you listen and watch them Is there a unique trait you look for in a horse that you canrsquot find in peopleThey are more patient and less apt to complain about lifersquos setbacks and physical ailments than most people I admire a tough smart horse what-ever its breed age or size What would you miss most if you could no longer go ridingThe companionship and the floating perhaps also the abandonment of usual daily worries that relaxed riding requires Whatrsquos your usual riding outfit consist ofAnything will do Loose-fitting clothes and good comfortable boots are a plus but not vital I have even ridden barefoot ndash naturally taking care to avoid being stepped on when not on the horse - but I do not recommend this to anyone The most important thing is to have a clear and focused mind to be THERE at all times when around horses and NOWHERE ELSE Sugar lumps or carrotsIrsquove been guilty of offering an occasional apple or carrot although it is best not to give horses anything special unless treats are part of training them for special tricks or stunts a pursuit best left to experts like master horse trainer Rex Peterson whom Irsquove had the good fortune to work with and study quite a bit Treats spoil horses and do not keep the animal focused on the task at hand Whatrsquos your favourite part of a horseThe brain What do you think young people gain from ridingSelf-confidence and an understanding of the value of cooperation
30
Why the long face
When did you first develop the bond with the horseThe first time I got on one as a little boy in ArgentinaYou either develop a bond of some kind or you fall off Of course you may even fall off if you develop the bond but you have to start (and restart) somewhere
Did your friends ride My brothers also rode and I have ridden with many kinds of people over the years ndash some good and patient with horses and some not If I had not rid-den as a boy I would probably have been wandering around fishing imagining I was a cowboy or an Indian or a Viking ndash which I did anyway Where in the world would you most like to rideMost anywhere will do but I have been extremely lucky to have ridden in many wide-open wild places ndash deserts grassy plains mountains by different seas and rivers in Argentina New Zealand North Africa and North America If you could spend one afternoon riding with a famous person (past or present)who would it be and whyIrsquoll give you 3 Oglala chief Tasunke Witko (Crazy Horse) my ancestor William F Cody or any real Gaucho from the province of Chaco Argentina
Two horses go out for dinner what kindof restaurant do they chooseLate spring grass near a slow-moving clean river with a gentle firm shoreline an hour before sun-down far from any people or other animals All time favourite horse filmI have a subjective soft spot for the stories and real horses involved in the making of ldquoHidalgordquo and the 2nd and 3rd installments of ldquoThe Lord Of The Ringsrdquo trilogy but I admire other ldquohorse moviesrdquo as wellThe 1953 French movie ldquoCrin-Blancrdquo (ldquoWhite Manerdquo) directed by Albert Lamorisse is a personal favourite
After three years at the head of the successful French Jumping team with back to back FEI Nations Cuptrade titles and a silver medal at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade Laurent Elias is moving on to new spheres with the French Horse amp Riding Institute where he will be training the riders of the National Riding School in Saumur
Laurent Elias
copy C
hris
toph
e Br
icot
32
The other side of
If I had not become a professional rider I would havehellipmade a career in a humanitarian organisation Horse riding is sometimes too trivial
My priority in life ishellipto be able to look at myself in the mirror in the morning and make sure I am at peace with my conscience
My familyhellipkeeps me grounded My wife helped me a lot when I was in charge of selections for France She took charge of my personal life and was the first person I called when we got the medal in Lexington I also admire my parents for the values they passed on to me
I remember my first ridingexperiencehellipaged six we were shooting a family film and I was on horseback I finished upside down under my horse for a long time I stopped riding for one year
I used to dream abouthellipsafaris One of my uncles was passionate about safaris Through him I became very interested in African trips and the jobs that allow you to travel as a reporter were fascinating to me as well
I have been thinking a lot abouthellipwhat happened in Japan these past few months First this tsunami that devastated everything without warning then the nuclear disaster It made me think that progress should not be destructive
My horse Gueacutenourhellipchanged my life I was just a coach and he brought me to the top I won the national championship in 1981 with him
My biggest challengehas always beenhellipshyness Horse riding has really helped me over-come it Horses brought me on stage and there I had to meet people
As a Chef dEquipehellipthere is no single defining achievement itrsquos all about the solidarity and the moments spent together as a team Irsquoll never forget the first time Penelope Leprevost rode her mare Jubileacutee drsquoOuilly in the FEI Nations Cuptrade of Rotterdam McLain Ward had just completed a real fast run with Sapphire We thought the Americans would win but she did it faster and beat Sapphire
In terms of eventshellipAachen is my favourite competition - for its won-derful organisation But we have also pretty good five star competitions in France
I donrsquot sleep muchhellipprobably because I am just happy to be alive
Irsquom not scared to laugh or cryhellipI laugh at the funny situations we sometimes find ourselves in life and enjoy people with quirky personalities I cry when I see others in pain
Laurent Elias and the French team en route to the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade copy PSV-Jean Morel
33FOCUS
Nicolas TheacutevenazAged 23 studies Robotics and Autonomous Systems Micro Engineering in Lausanne (SUI) alongside regular training and competition in Dressage and Para-Equestrian Dressage events Born with spastic diplegia Nicolas was introduced to horses via hippotherapy aged seven and quickly developed a passion for riding which not only helped with his physical condition but also taught him through Dressage the art of patience and perseverance
34
One day
Nicolas TheacutevenazAged 23 studies Robotics and Autonomous Systems Micro Engineering in Lausanne (SUI) alongside regular training and competition in Dressage and Para-Equestrian Dressage events Born with spastic diplegia Nicolas was introduced to horses via hippotherapy aged seven and quickly developed a passion for riding which not only helped with his physical condition but also taught him through Dressage the art of patience and perseverance
He has been fortunate to meet the right people (and horses) at the right time and has been working for the past five years with trainer Vicky-Eileen Baumann (pictured right) and her horses Magic and Lady (pictured right) ldquoShersquos bred them and knows them inside out which is very useful when I have to communicate with them - they know my voice intonations and a whole string of specific words or sounds ndash which really helps as my body canrsquot or doesnrsquot always have the strength to do sordquo
As a Grade II Para-Equestrian rider Nicolas competes in Para-Equestrian Dressage (PED) events as well as national events for able bodied riders as there are only a handful of PED riders and no events in Switzerland
Unable to attend the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade 2010 in Kentucky last year Nicolas and Vicky have their sights firmly set on the 2012 Para-lympic Games and will be looking to qualify with Lady over the next 12 months ndash alongside exams studies and everything else life has to offerhellip Who is your role model For different reasons I have different role mod-els Edward Gal Dane Rawlins Isabel Werth and Catherine Haddad
When did you start riding and why At age 7 I was sat on a horse for hippotherapy and liked the complicity with the horse which made me want to discover more
How do you feel when you ride Concentrated and industrious
Who is your biggest fan My trainerrsquos mum
Complete this sentenceOne day I would like tohellip have gained enough knowledge to be able to take care of and train my own horse
What are your long term goals as a rider Continue to do my best to enjoy what I do and show others itrsquos possible
How do you juggle studies and competition I think itrsquos really important to have goals and to do everything you can to achieve them and that includes taking on challenges because if you donrsquot try then yoursquoll never know what you could have achieved
What is your proudest achievement to date Participation in international events together with pursuing my studies
How do you feel after winning Still working towards discovering the feeling
What is the best advice anyone has ever given youMy trainer often repeats to me the famous saying by General LrsquoHotte ldquoCalme en avant droitrdquo which says so much about riding but can also be applied to so many other aspects of life
35FOCUS
What advice would you give someone looking to get involved in Para-Equestrian Dressage Train and ride with able-bodied athletes as often as possible Being around and working with horses is so rewarding Irsquod like - when Irsquom retired - to write a book to share these feelings with others and hope this will inspire them to get involved
Complete this sentenceIn the future I would like the sport to beeven ldquocleanerrdquo and fairer and if possible not more but less demanding on the horses
ldquoLast but not least Irsquod like to take the opportunity of this article to reach out to those who give me their trust and help be it with their time their friendship and any type of support Day after day to year after year team work is essential and Irsquoll do my best to continue deserving every-onersquos encouraging smilesrdquo
European Broadcasting Union
Union Europeacuteenne de Radio-Teacuteleacutevision
+41 (0)22 717 2111 wwweurovisionnet
We bring the event to your home
Eurovision
copy K
it H
ough
ton
FE
I
FEI_08_A4indd 1 03012008 162238
European Broadcasting Union
Union Europeacuteenne de Radio-Teacuteleacutevision
+41 (0)22 717 2111 wwweurovisionnet
We bring the event to your home
Eurovision
copy K
it H
ough
ton
FE
I
FEI_08_A4indd 1 03012008 162238
Nominations for the FEI Awards opened in May enabling the global equestrian com-munity to once again reward outstanding dedication to horse sport in five categories ndash Development Best Groom Against All Odds Rising Star and Best Athlete The search for the equestrian heroes of 2011 is now on who will be flown to Rio de Janeiro Brazil to receive their awards
Where are they now The FEI asked the current title-holders for an update on their activities
Follow us on
38
FEI Awards 2011
Ebony Horse Club (GBR)Winner of the Alltech FEI DevelopmentAward 2010
The Ebony Horse Club announced in December 2010 that after an eight-year fundraising effort it had the pound14 million necessary for building an equestrian cen-tre in one of Londonrsquos most deprived boroughs Since 1996 Ebony has offered youngsters in an area reput-ed for its gang culture high level of gun crime and drug dealing the chance to ride and learn key social skills The clubrsquos 50 members travel to riding schools across London on public transport or in minibuses ndash a logistical headache that the inner-city equestrian centre will end Construction work began in February
Ebony Horse Club founder and director Ros Spear-ing told the FEI ldquoRiding lessons are continuing and the club is preparing for the transitionrdquo Building will finish on 7 July but the centre will open for riding lessons in October ldquoThe horses will be brought to Brixton in the summer and will have time to acclimatise to their new environmentrdquo Spearing said The centre will include stabling for nine horses a small paddock and a flood-lit riding arena as well as a classroom for learning about horses and equine management Spearing is adamant that club members ndash present and future ndash care for their rides and wants the centre to serve as a stepping stone to careers in the horse industry
Ebonyrsquos existence will continue to depend on the generosity of donors For more information visit wwwebonyhorsecluborguk
Michelle Tipper (GBR)Winner of the FEI Best Groom Award 2010
Michelle Tipper has continued to juggle grooming and study since receiving her FEI Award in Novem-ber She has organised the grooms for the British European Junior and Young Dressage teams and in April her contract as a travelling groom for British Dressage riders Paul and Bobby Hayler took her to Addington for the first of many international com-petitions she will work at this year The Haylers have eight horses competing and the number she works with at each venue varies Tipper has also been help-ing British Dressage riders Nicky and Richard Barrett with yard duties ldquoI feel very lucky to work for both of these familiesrdquo said the FEI Best Groom Award win-ner adding that she feels part of the two families In March Tipper graduated from university with a Masters in Sport Psychology She is now working towards British Association of Sport and Exercise Science accreditation which requires at least 500 hoursrsquo supervised work experience and is present-ing sport psychology workshops in conjunction with the company Inside Performance Consulting Limit-ed (wwwinside-performancecom) The workshops are organised internationally for people of all ages from any sport To find out more contact Tipper at michelletipper1979yahoocom
39FOCUS
Michelle Tipper ndash copyWilliam TzengAward winners ndash copyWilliam TzengCaroline Roffman ndash copySharonPackercomEbony Horse Club ndash copyEbony Horse ClubEdward Gal and Totilas ndash copyKit HoughtonFEIAngelika Trabert ndash copyJulia Rau
Angelika Trabert (GER)Winner of the FEI Against All Odds Award 2010
German Para-Dressage rider Angelika Trabert has represent-ed her country at four Paralympic Games and won some 15 medals at national European and world championships She is currently seeking a new home for Londria the mare that con-tributed to her Team Silver medal win at the Hong Kong Para-lympics Londria who had a foal last year was also Trabertrsquos ride during her medal-winning performances at the European Championships in Hungary (2005) and Norway (2009)
Trabert said her decision to let go of Londria was hard to make but was necessary for financial reasons She will keep the foal Finaud Coquin and her mares Walmorel and Ariva-Avanti Trabert won the Para-Dressage Grade 2 Freestyle Champion-ship at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade with Ariva and said the horse was ldquowell and ready to go for the Europeans again in Belgium in September if we qualifyrdquo Trabert competed in her first international competition of 2011 in May in Man-nheim Germany where she came first in the Grade II indi-vidual and second in the freestyle She is taking part in the German Championships in June
Away from the equestrian world Trabert works as an anaes-thetist and has participated in medical missions in the rural ar-eas of Guinea for the organisation Mango In January she was back in Guinea as part of team that carried out 100 operations in 13 days wwwangelika-trabertde
Visit the recently refreshed FEI Awards website to find out more about the Awards the pastwinners the judges and to make yournominationsby 31 July
wwwfeiawardsorg
40
Caroline Roffman (USA)Winner of the HSBC FEI Rising StarAward 2010
Success continues to smile on twenty-two-year-old American Dressage rider Caroline Roffman Since re-ceiving the HSBC FEI Rising Star Award she has en-joyed numerous wins at small tour and young horse levels achieving scores in the mid-eighties and quali-fying two horses for the young horse championships
Roffman is currently showing six horses and has won several classes at PSG and Grand Prix level ldquoBut nothing is as exciting as to be going to Aachenrdquo said the young woman who has been described as the American Dressage communityrsquos brightest hope ex-plaining that at the FEI Awards ceremony in Chinese Taipei Frank Kemperman FEI Dressage Committee Chair and Chairman of the Managing Board at CHIO Aachen (GER) invited her to take part in the pres-tigious event Roffman will be the first American to compete in the Under 25 Grand Prix there and is hop-ing to take her horse Lux Stensvang
An interview with Caroline Roffman at the Palm Beach Dressage Derby CDI will be broadcast on the magazine programme Equestrian World on FEI TV the FEIrsquos official online video platform wwwfeitvorg
Edward Gal and Totilas (NED)Winners of the Reem Acra FEI Best Athlete Award 2010
The world-famous partnership of Dutch Dressage rider Edward Gal and the extraordinary Totilas ended in style in 2010 with notably three gold medal wins at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade
The first foal sired by the superstar stallion was born in January followed by two more in the spring Gal who has admired the foals told the FEI ldquoYou never know ndash maybe in a few yearsrsquo time Irsquoll have another Totilas readyrdquo At the beginning of April he was busy at home training nine horses and preparing for the Reem Acra FEI World Cuptrade Dressage Final in Leipzig and the European Championships in Rotterdam He had not yet decided which horses he was going to compete with but was particularly looking forward to the Freestyle to Music Asked what it was like to compete without Totilas Gal said ldquoEverybody ex-pected Totilas to win I find it easier to ride other horses because nobody expects me to win and when I do itrsquos really nicerdquo
41FOCUS
globetrotter
Seal of approval for the Adai horseSixty years have passed since an Adai horse reportedly set a record galloping 354km in one day Today the Adai horse a breed na-tive to Kazakhstan is back in the spotlight with a gold medal at the FEI Central Asian Endurance Championship in Talgaearlier in May only months after having been award-ed official pedigree status following tests
conducted by a State Commission in the Mangistau Steppes which allowed itto compete internationally The horses are cherished for their hardiness and Oyly ridden by Altyngali Bissemaganbetov (KAZ) proved just that when crossing the finishing line first demonstrating just how tough the Adai horses are and the beginning of a new era for sturdy breed on the international stage
Equestrian Australia Sport
Achievement Awards
In May the best of the best in
Equestrian sport gathered to cel-
ebrate the achievements of Austral-
iarsquos athletes coaches officials vets
administrators owners volunteers
and the many other people that
dedicate their time and enthusiasm
to equestrian sport The ceremony
also included the introduction of
Equestrian Australiarsquos Hall of
Fame won by the legendary Bill
Roycroft Boyd Exell winner of
the FEI World CupTM Driving
Final was awarded the interna-
tional athlete of the year
award
Kevin Stautbecomes first athlete representative on FEI
executive board
Kevin Staut one of Francersquos most successful Jumping riders became the first athlete to be appointed to the FEI Executive Board for a three-year term Staut (31) who has held the number one spot in the Rolex Rankings for Jumping since July 2010 has ridden on numerous Nations Cup teams for France and claimed individual gold at the Alltech FEI European Jumping Championships in 2009
HulA CARTSWorld Horse Welfare has greatly helped the liv
es of
five Senegalese cart horse owners by presenting them
with new Hula Carts The local people who depend on
their working horses for their livelihoods were specially
selected by the charity to receive the carts which have
been sponsored by members of the public in the uK
The Hula Carts are specifically developed to help the
horses pulling heavy loads in often difficult conditions
Equestrian Australia Sport
Achievement Awards
In May the best of the best in
Equestrian sport gathered to cel-
ebrate the achievements of Austral-
iarsquos athletes coaches officials vets
administrators owners volunteers
and the many other people that
dedicate their time and enthusiasm
to equestrian sport The ceremony
also included the introduction of
Equestrian Australiarsquos Hall of
Fame won by the legendary Bill
Roycroft Boyd Exell winner of
the FEI World CupTM Driving
Final was awarded the interna-
tional athlete of the year
award
Olympic legendBill Roycroft passes away aged 96
A legend of Equestrian sport in Australia James William
George Roycroft OBE known as ldquoBillrdquo was one of Austral-
iarsquos greatest Olympians and one of only five Australians to
have competed in five consecutive Olympic Games (from
1960 - 1976) as well as being Australiarsquos oldest medallist
and oldest competitor at 61 years and 31 days In May 2011
Bill was inducted in Equestrian Australiarsquos inaugural Hall
of Fame ndash he was Australiarsquos oldest living Olympian and
shared his dedication and enthusiasm for the sport with
his sons Barry Wayne and Clarke (See a brief description
of his exploits in the 1960 Olympic Games Memory Lane
article page 9 which catapulted Australiarsquos reputation as
one of the best Eventing teams in the world)
webinfofeiFEI web wizard Nicole Sigrist has added a new hub for the Press on wwwfeiorg called FEI Press Kits located in the Media section of the website The Press Kits zone which is also open to the general public is regularly updated with infor-mation relating to FEI series and specific events with flip books and downloadable PDFs as well as direct links to the Photo Catalogue the Rankings and Standings the Annual Report and more
100thanniversary for Finnish riding club
One of the three found-ing member clubs of
the Finnish Equestrian Federation the Suomen
Kenttaumlratsastusseura-Finska Faumlltrittklubbenon celebrates
its 100th anniversary in 2011 Magnus Rydman former President of the Finnish National Federation and Presi-dent of the FEI from 1935 ndash 1946 was one of the founders of the club Another of the founders of the oldest club in Fin-land was the Eventing rider Colonel Hans Olof von Essen whose fifth place at the Antwerpen Olympic Games re-mains the best Olympic equestrian result the country has ever achieved
Follow us on
43FOCUS
Interview with the President of the Brazilian Equestrian Federation Mr Luiz Roberto Giugni
The Brazilian Equestrian Federation has been a member Federation of the FEI for 75 years how has the sport developed over that time We were facing regular growth (average of 25 in the last decade) but in the last three to four years this rate has significantly increased up to 35 a year We believe that this is due to international achievements (two Jumping Olympic team bronze medals the individual Olympic Jumping gold medal won by Rodrigo Pessoa several Pan Am Jumping team gold medals recent Olympic pre-qualification in Kentucky (4th in the world in Jumping) and the organisations of a Global Champions Tour event in Brazil
In terms of developing the sport what are the most successful projects you have undertaken in recent yearsWe decided to invest in education and have hired international trainers for all the disciplines such as Jean Maurice Bonneau for Jumping Nick Turner for Eventing Eric Lette for Dressage Jean Louis Leclerc for Endurance Mattias Lang for Vaulting with the long term in mind that is at least until the end of 2012 and planning towards 2016 when Rio will host the Olympic Games
How popular is equestrian sport with young people in Brazil and how do you compete with some of the bigger sports for their attention Popularization is growing bit by bit in a country
decidedly dominated by soccer ndash being 5 times World Champion makes it a national passion But we are continuously looking to attract TV to our events as this is a huge step towards gaining visibility and popularity Can you tell us about the programmesinitiatives in place for disabled athletes We are actively pursuing this and have achieved really positive results in little time such as the great performances and medals earned at the Para-lympic Games in Hong Kong in 2008 We do this through clinics courses international exchanges of athletes and working alongside our National Paralympic Committee to support us in our efforts
Brazil will be host the FEI General Assembly at the end of the year what do you want all the visiting delegates to remember from their visit That we are more than just a really beautiful and warm country with the ability and capacity to organise great events and that we are committed to putting on the best Olympic Games ever
What are the main objectivesplans for the Brazilian Federation in the lead up to the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games Our NOC is really committed to raising the bar of all the sports to a level never seen before and we are working towards that in terms of our athletes our judges our venues and everything that is related to our sport and the quality of our sport In line with this objective we are providing incen-tives to owners to buy good horses aiming for 2016 and this is going to plan for now We expect to perform well at the upcoming Pan Am Games and Olympics on our trail to 2016
Is there anything else you would like to share with us I would like to thank HRH Princess Haya President of the FEI as well as the Executive Board for all the support that we are getting which has been paramount to the development of equestrian sport in our country
44
President Luiz Roberto GiugniSecretary General Luiz Antonio RoccoMember since 1935
15 members of staff work at the federation
20 regional federations are affiliated tothe Brazilian Equestrian Federation with over 300 member riding clubs
6 000 affiliated riders
91 national events were held in 2010
31 international events were held in 2010
All the FEI disciplines are practiced in BrazilJumping Dressage Eventing Vaulting Reining EnduranceDriving amp Para-Equestrian
14 breeding organisations
There are 58 million horses and ponies in Brazilmaking it the fourth largest equine population in the world
FAC
TS amp
FIG
URE
S
45FOCUS
Dr Gerit Matthesen56 is a private equine practitioner an FEI Vet and a member of the FEI Veterinary Committee He graduated in Veterinary Medicine from Berlin University in 1983 and since 1989 has worked or officiated at some 180 competitions and championships including the last two Olympics and FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade He lives near Frankfurt with his wife Carola and their sons Mike (16) and Lars (14)
46
A life in a day
Dr Gerit Matthesen56 is a private equine practitioner an FEI Vet and a member of the FEI Veterinary Committee He graduated in Veterinary Medicine from Berlin University in 1983 and since 1989 has worked or officiated at some 180 competitions and championships including the last two Olympics and FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade He lives near Frankfurt with his wife Carola and their sons Mike (16) and Lars (14)
I wake up earlier than I need to ndash at around 6am ndash because breakfast time with my family is sacred to me and I can then drive my boys to the village station to take the train to school After two cups of coffee (enough for the day) and a glass of orange juice I read the newspapers then head to my prac-tice offices in our indoor arena I have a quick look at our horses then start work
While I listen to my phone messages I deal with my emails and search the internet for news about veterinary medicine and horse sport I then start planning the dayacutes schedule with Anna my assistant vet
My mobile practice is in a nice fairly rural area in the north of Frankfurt There are lots of horse farms but it is not a classic breeding area like the northern part of Germany There are sport horses as well as pleasure horses I have examination rooms and stables for horses staying or mares foaling in my practice stables Itrsquos not a big clinic which gives me time to work at competitions
After seeing a few small animals in my practice I normally start my field service at 930am In my car I have enough equipment (ultrasound X-ray systems and endoscopical devices) for the dayrsquos examinations and standing procedures We mainly have lameness examinations to do or internal diseases to treat accompanied by routine work like vaccinations or carrying out pre-purchase or health certificate examinations If time allows I go home for a quick lunch but thatrsquos not every day
While Irsquom driving I have time to think and I write down everything that come to mind regarding sport competitions committees and so on You have to write down your thoughts when yoursquore over the age of 50
It is not easy planning my day because any emer-gency can destroy or delay my schedule For all the paperwork and certificates I need a time frame so
I often do that over quiet weekends when there are no competitions During the winter season I am less busy but in summer a lot of weekends are taken over by the competition schedule
I love my work especially in Eventing which is my favourite discipline My wife and I practiced it ndash not up to top level but it was a fine time despite a bro-ken ankle from a fall in 1988 which after 23 years is making walking more and more difficult for me
I like to do my competition work on a friendly but strict basis and I really like to hear riders saying they are treated fairly Over the years I have acquired a lot of experience and met all the officials and riders
Usually when I return home in the late afternoon there are more small animals to see When Irsquove done the dayrsquos paperwork I hope there will be no more emergencies such as cases of colic which usually occur in the early evening
I look forward to getting on my horse which is a beautiful show-jumper I like to ride but Irsquove stopped competing I do dressage jumping and go out into the fields but itrsquos all just for fun now
The day finishes with the family and a nice cold glass of German beer
Itrsquos a struggle to find time to spend with my family and I often have to cancel my holidays with them I am really grateful to my wife and the boys for their understanding of my job and to my assistant vet who covers for me when Iacutem out somewhere in the world of equestrian sport
ldquoThe combination of my profession and beinginvolved in differentaspects of top equestrian sport is my visionrdquo
47FOCUS
Pull your show attire from the closet clean your boots and tack groom the horses hook up and pack the trailer check the clock double check to make sure you have everything put on the shipping boots load your horses and away you drive to the competition venue or to the airport for transport to a distant event
You know the drill well but still you arrive tired per-haps even a bit frazzled Yoursquoll sleep (or try to) the next several nights in an unfamiliar bed or camp out in the living quarters of your trailer You awaken riveted on the competition playing out the dayrsquos classes in your mind wondering how your rides will fare against oth-ers praying that the weather will be cooperate and trying to control your nerves all the while knowing that no matter how well you have prepared many factors are out of your control You may even be in a different time zone
We go through a lot to compete our horses But if you think life on the road is stressful for you think about what itrsquos like for your horses Your back may be a bit sore from driving or being strapped into an airplane seat for hours on end but for horses transportation is far more demanding It is an athletic endeavour re-quiring an expenditure of energy to maintain balance during the constant movement of transport When your horses arrive they face social isolation from stablemates lack of security in novel environments altered training regimes water that tastes strange and the confines of an unfamiliar stall This routine impacts a horsersquos health and well being with effects
continuing long after the journey is over During transport toxic gases (such as ammonia or carbon monoxide) can cause damage to the lung epithelium precipitating respiratory disease The
final destination itself can also cause problems Usually horses are transported to environments where they will be mixing with other horses The mixing of horses from different environments with different infectious organisms and under stressful conditions further precipitates susceptibility to disease
This can have a severe impact on the equine gut The stress of transportation is known to increase gut ulceration in the horse a painful condition reducing performance and causing colic-like symptoms Stress can also slow the flow of digesta and alter the normal gut flora resulting in digestive upset and possibly diarrhoea or colic
The effects of travel stress on the gut are compounded by the typical diet of the regular equine traveller To maintain athletic ability high performance horses are often fed energy-charged diets contain-ing increased levels of starchy materials such as cereal grains Unfortunately this type of diet can reduce beneficial types of gut flora and promote gut acidity further predisposing the horse to digestive upsets and ulceration It is not surprising that stressed tired horses may not fulfill their potential on arrival
Feeding to reduce stress for the equine traveller
By Darlene RickerExecutive editor of Alltechrsquos EQUINE INTERNATIONAL magazine
48
Alltech Tips
growth of opportunistic Salmonella spp which are present in the intestinal tract of many healthy horses These bacteria then attach to the gut lining via a mannan sugar and penetrate it causing damage and resulting in diarrhoea One method of prevent-ing or minimising the attachment of these organ-
isms to the gut lining is to provide an adsorbant supplement A form of sugar found in the cell walls of certain yeasts can do this This sugar compound is called man-nan oligosaccharide or MOS MOS products such as Alltechrsquos Bio-Mosreg have been shown to re-duce the colonization of Salmonella
spp in the guts of certain species and augment the immune response to Salmonella spp potentially conferring an enhanced ability to fight infection Both Yea-Saccreg 1026 and Bio-Mos are among the natural products contained in Alltechrsquos LIFEFORCETM equine supplement which many FEI competitors have successfully incorporated into their daily feeding regimen at home and on the road
lifeforcehorsecom
and may be subject to health concerns in the days following a long journey Fortunately however you can curb some of the effects of travel stress on the horsersquos gut by nutritional supplementation Organic yeast products used to supplement a horsersquos diet can support the normal gut flora modifying the intesti-nal environment and improving the horsersquos digestion One such culture is Saccharomyces cerevisae in the form of Yea-Saccreg 1026 Alltechrsquos propriety organic yeast
Experiments were conducted to evaluate the effects Yea-Sacc on gut flora and gut acidity Horses were fed either a high-starch or a high-fibre diet both with and without supplementation of Yea-Saccreg 1026 Results indicated an excessive amount of starch in the gut The use of Yea-Sacc reduced acidity and stimulat-ed the activity of fibre-digesting bacteria in the hind-gut for both types of diet The result was maximised fibre digestibility and more efficient use of nutrients thus increasing the amount of energy available to the horse for performance and counteracting digestive upset Salmonellosis is one of the more commonly di-agnosed infectious causes of diarrhoea in horses Many cases develop after the stress of transport The effects of travel stress on the normal gut flora allow an over-
Moorlands Totilas arrives for the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade after air transport copy Dirk Caremans
HRH The Infanta Dontildea Pilar de Borboacuten former President of the FEI (1994-2006) also attended the inauguration along-side HRH Princess Lalla Amina Chairperson of the Royal Moroccan Federation for Equestrian Sports and member of the international Advisory Council of Special OlympicsThey were joined by International Olympic Commit-tee members representatives from other Interna-tional Federations federal and local Swiss authorities as well as architects and designers that worked on the project Switzerlandrsquos Martin Fuchs a member of the gold medal winning team at the inaugural Youth Olympic Games in Singapore last year accompanied FEI President Princess Haya in officially opening the FEI headquarters
ldquoThe building we are inaugurating today has been designed to serve our wonderful sportrdquo explained FEI
President Princess Haya ldquoI also feel an immense
sense of pride knowing that this building carries the name
of my late father and hope that this serves as a constant reminder
to all of us who work at the FEI of a unique statesman whose entire soul was devoted to the service of his people Our new headquarters will play a key role for the FEI and our National Federa-tions over the coming years It will be the environ-ment in which important discussions take place and fundamental decisions are taken as we continue our mission to advance the orderly growth of equestrian sport worldwide while ensuring that the welfare of the horse and a level playing field remain at the centre of all that we dordquo
FEI celebratesNEW Headquarters
Over 250 guests attended the inauguration ceremony on Friday 6 May at HM King Hussein I Building which was timed to coincide with the FEI
Extraordinary General Assembly so that attending NationalFederation representatives
could be a part ofthe celebrations
1 Youth Olympic Games team champion Martin Fuchs (SUI) FEI President HRH Princess Haya and her daughter HH Sheikha Al Jalila officially open the FEIrsquos new home 2 Gilbert Felli IOC Olympic Games Executive Director and FEI Secretary General Ingmar de Vos 3 HRH The Infanta Dontildea Pilar de Borboacuten sits down to an interactive quiz in the FEI Gallery 4 Guests gathered in the atrium of the FEI HeadquartersAll images copy Hugues SiegenthalerFEI
Highlights available on50
1
2
3 4
5
6 7
8
THE GALLERy
As well as housing offices for its 62 employees and conference facilities for its 133 National Federations the new headquarters also has a state-of-the-art in-teractive gallery showcasing equestrian sport
The Gallery is the brainchild of Dr Amichai Alper-ovich historian former Secretary General of the Is-raeli Equestrian Federation and curator of the Israeli Olympic Museum (opened in 2009) He worked hand in hand with the Tel Aviv based company Disk-In Pro and interior designer Oded Alony to help bring the content to life and the result is truly unique and ground breaking Giant glass surfaces act as interac-tive interfaces for the visitors to travel through time
The FEIrsquos new headquarters which were donated to the Federation by FEI Presi-dent HRH Princess Haya in 2007 fol-lowing a personal fundraising effort are conveniently located close to the Inter-national Olympic Committee and other international sports federations It has been written into the FEI Statutes that the new FEI headquarters building will always house the Federationrsquos offices In 2008 the building was thoroughly renovated in accordance with the Swiss MINERGIEreg construction standard for environmental responsibility which re-duces energy consumption by 25 per cent Only two per cent of renovated buildings in Switzerland meet the high Minergie standards Khuan Chew founder and design princi-pal of London-based architectural firm KCA International Ltd worked in close collaboration with Swiss-based architect Herveacute de Rham and interior designer Sia-vosh Adeli (SUI) to transform the build-ing which was built in the 1960s The modern and sleek interior was further enhanced with bespoke artworks pro-duced by Swiss creative agency b+g amp partners and imagery by world-famous equestrian art photographer Tim Flach where the simplicity and beauty of his equine subjects seamlessly embrace and accentuate the buildingrsquos pure lines and natural materials (see image left)
As they feasted on the innate beauty of their sur-roundings the guests also had the privilege to ex-perience the culinary talents of organic chef and specialist Gilles Wannaz and his team based in the town of Cully which sits on the edge of Lac Leman in Switzerlandrsquos famous Lavaux wine growing region
5 HRH Princess Haya welcomes the guests to the Inauguration of the HQ and the 90 year celebration of the FEI 6 Artwork by renowned pho-tographer Tim Flach 7 An organic and colourful buffet presented on an authentic lawn by local chef Gilles Wannaz 8 A life size horse sculpture by Christophe Dumont greeted the guests upon their arrival
53FOCUS
and space with the latest in touch technology revis-iting the history of the FEI the equestrian events at Olympic amp Paralympic Games the FEI World Eques-trian Gamestrade and information on all of the member National Federations with statistics videos images and text The Gallery also includes projections on ar-chitectural surfaces designed by Oded Alony referred to as the Origami as well as interactive stations and unique video projections on glass screens
For all those wishing to visit the FEI Gallery simply contact the FEI HQ to make an appointment and we would be delighted to take you on a journey to dis-cover or rediscover the human and equine athletes whose talents have marked equestrian history and inspired young riders drivers and vaulters around the world
Interview withDrAmichaiAlperovich
When did you first dream up the FEIInteractive Gallery When I found out the FEI was planning to move into new HQ in 2009 Disk-In Pro and I approached the FEI and presented them with several concepts for the space Before long we had agreed on the concept and we got to work
Why were you compelled to make it become a reality So that the FEI a prominent sports organisation could present itself to a growing audience in a new and visionary way with the latest technology And by doing so the FEI is a pioneer becoming the first International Federation to have a Gallery of this kind
What did you learn when researching and gathering content for the gallery I have learned a lot about the history of the FEI the strong Olympic tradition the diversity of disciplines the gender equality and the unique bond between horse and man One of the more fascinating topics was the evolution of the Dressage from itsrsquo Olympic debut to the modern Freestyle
Itrsquos very innovative technology what inspired you to take such a leap into the future with such a traditional sport Just as Dressage has evolved over the years and alongside the introduction of new disciplines partic-ularly Para-Equestrian you come to realise that the FEI is not as traditional as one would think Actually this kind of innovative presentation of equestrian history is really well suited to the FEI In the same way that you can have horse-man connections there is an audience-technology connection in the Gallery The audience have to be active in order to enjoy the depth of information the Gallery contains
54
Now it is time to open the door to new places to learn about sport ndash at the heart of sporting organi-sations themselves The Gallery is more than an informative tool it brings people to the sport andto the heart of its operations
Established in 1990 Disk-In Pro specialises in the planning design production and implementation of Museums Visitor Centres and sophisticated projects around the world This includes multi screen produc-tion animation 3D amp interactive films state-of-the-art software platforms and complex video displays for an unforgettable experience
Oded Alony holds a BA in Design from the Interior Design Section of the Holon Technological Institute and has since 1998 worked with Israelrsquos leading Architecture firms The Oded Alony Studio embraces holistic design a space where interior design lighting and graphics are brought together to create a harmo-nious project vision
Now that you have seen it unveiled to the public how would you like to see it evolve I hope the audience will be amazed from the design by architect Oded Alony and the new methods to deliver information whilst discovering the long his-tory of the FEI the diversity and the global reach of the organisation I hope the Gallery will become an icon in Lausanne and one of its highlights for visitors I promise the visitors a new platform to learn about equestrianism and each visit could be different as the information and themes will be updated and modi-fied regularly
This futuristic gallery is a first for anInternational Federation do you think thisis something all sports should invest inThe FEI took this courageous decision and now has this fantastic tool to present the organisation in new ways Sport is a huge cultural phenomenaWe have learned to consume sport in the arenas and stadiums in the press media and new media
Dr Amichai Alperovich
55FOCUS
SOCIAL MEDIAthe new frontier
Follow us on
The FEI has recently embarked on and embraced a whole new way of talking with the greater equestrian community through the ever expanding social media networks and platformsWith personalised Facebook Twitter and You Tube pages the FEI is taking it step by step and reaching out to this growing audience and listening to what they have to say
This new communication platform is by no means a substitution of the traditional communication path-ways but works alongside the press releases various publications and content on wwwfeiorg and wwwfeitvorg providing a new arena where the FEI can share interact and dialogue with fans of the sport and of equestrian values in general
We talk to Richard Johnson Director of Corporate Communications about the FEIrsquos commitment to social media
What compelled the FEI to venture onto the social media scene As a governing body with a vibrant and active com-munity of National Federations as well as thousands of fans the need to reach out to the online social community has never been stronger We have been watching the communities grow online for some time and have been listening to their conversations so being a part of it was the next logical step and a really important one The conversations will hap-pen with or without us so taking that step has been crucial in order to share our values and also build re-lationships with our fan base
Tradition meets modernity ndash does equestrian sportthe FEI have a place in social media Absolutely even though equestrian sport has a long history and is perceived as a traditional sport it is
always evolving In the 90 years of the FEI which was founded to govern the three Olympic disciplines it has grown to also oversee the disciplines of Driving Endurance Vaulting Reining and Para-Equestrian sport Or if you look at the early days when competi-tors were from military backgrounds and when wom-en did not compete alongside men to the complete gender equality we have today ndash a lot has changed and is in a constant state of change
The fans of equestrian sport are like any other fan base web savvy and eager for more information behind the scenes content and to share their opin-ions and thoughts ndash so it is an ideal partnership And from what we have seen these last few months and from the feedback we got from our blog at the Youth Olympic Games there is a real appetite for this
The FEI has dedicated Facebook Twitter and You Tube pages ndash why did you select these social media platforms The figures speak for themselveshellip Facebook Twit-ter and You Tube are the biggest players in the social networking space With over 500 million Facebook users 106 million Tweeters and 2 billion views a day on You Tube there has never been so much oppor-tunity for exposure Every site has different demo-graphics with different habits and needs so by having an FEI presence on these three networks we are able to cover a lot of ground and cater to different audi-ences by providing different types of content accord-ing to the platform
What are the main benefits of having a pres-ence on various social media platforms Itrsquos all about having a two way conversation ndash the benefits of dialogue where you can share content such as videos images facts and figures thoughts and values and then allow your fan base to react to get involved and to listen and learn from them By engaging with our audience and showing them that we are a modern and caring organisation and that we want to hear what they have to say then we are able to build trust and ultimately credibility in what we do and what we say
57FOCUS
TV
The offi cial video website of the Feacutedeacuteration Equestre Internationale
wwwfeitvorg
WATCH LIVE WATCH ONLINE
FEI TV is the FEIrsquos new offi cial video website and your ticket to the worldrsquos most prestigious competitions Sign-up to FEI TV (wwwfeitvorg) and get instant access to all the live broadcasts the extensive video-on-demand library all the highlights the behind the scenes reports the interviews and so much more Be at the heart of horsesport Join us
2823_1FEI_TV_Focus_165x226indd 1 170510 1124
It also keeps us alert as to what is being discussed and debated in the public sphere so that we can manage situations more effectively and be proactive in our messaging and information so that the facts are at the heart of the debate and not interpretations of them
How do you generate content for social media It was important when we launched our social me-dia presence that it be manageable with the exist-ing communications team in place ndash and so we have concentrated on keeping it simple and effective and using content innovatively Itrsquos not about reproduc-ing our website ndash but to engage with our fans and so often all you need is a good picture an interest-ing fact or great achievement to get the ball rolling For You Tube as we already have so much content generated from FEI TV it was simply a question of using bits and pieces from that content to provide the public with teasers from events interviews with winning riders or behind the scenes content which they can then follow up on FEI TV with a subscription
What are your Social media goals Itrsquos really to build relationships and dialogue with our fan base by using our content innovatively by listening to what they have to say and by engaging with the community And for the National Federa-tions that have yet to take that step we want to be a guiding hand that can help them get started so that they too can reap the benefits of social media net-working Our sport competes against other sports for attention so itrsquos really important that we the FEI and the National Federations keep our finger on the pulse and cater to our fans
How can National Federations get involved NFs wishing to find out more about Social Media can contact me (richardjohnsonfeiorg) and I would be more than happy to discuss opportunities and ways of getting started as well as our experience at the FEI
We asked our Facebook followers why it was important to use face-book and here are a few comments they came up with
bullItrsquos a great way to find out about shows and competitions
bullBecause facebook can provide up to the minute updates as to the what is going on in the horse community
bullWe can share information and ideas over long distances We can find and connect with people we wouldnt be able to otherwise
bullIt also lets us express the true realities of our spot to keep us grounded
bullIt can bring peoples attention to excellence ndash and expose the issues
58
TV
The offi cial video website of the Feacutedeacuteration Equestre Internationale
wwwfeitvorg
WATCH LIVE WATCH ONLINE
FEI TV is the FEIrsquos new offi cial video website and your ticket to the worldrsquos most prestigious competitions Sign-up to FEI TV (wwwfeitvorg) and get instant access to all the live broadcasts the extensive video-on-demand library all the highlights the behind the scenes reports the interviews and so much more Be at the heart of horsesport Join us
2823_1FEI_TV_Focus_165x226indd 1 170510 1124
ldquo Donrsquot accept drinks from a strangerrdquo
Armchair travel journalist
Are you living a life without boundaries Some well-meant advice is best ignored but itrsquos still good to know yoursquore covered when yoursquore away With HSBC Premier your family can be protected with both Travel Insurance and dedicated assistance when yoursquore abroad Which is reassuring to know when yoursquore making the most of life
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201736_6000263_Coconut_226x165indd
Master 226x165
Rob Swainson 160211
HSBC - Coconuts Proof 01Head of Art TypographerDesigner ArtCreative Director Copywriter Account DirectorDIC Project ManagerPhotographer Illustrator Usage Model(s) Name(s) Usage
Media MediaStock Image Time Period Time Period
Territory Territory
8deg N ndash Kerala South India
The Danish-American actorpoet musician photographerand painter has been around horses most of his life from riding Hasufel and Brego in The Lord of the Rings trilogy to early childhood memories in Argentina his passion for floating as he describes it has never wavered
What is it about the horse that makes you a horse loverWe get along generally I respect their strength and their personal space Your first riding experience ndash was it bliss or terrorLike floating like being on a warm and floating mountain I remember being happy Do you think anyone can rideYes It is a question of allowing yourself to ride of allowing yourself to cooperate and not be in total control Children are more adept at figuring this out letting things happen without getting impatient or scared just as they are braver and less self-conscious about pronouncing new words or singing Anyone at any age or in any physical condition can
Viggo Mortensen
achieve a degree of success and satisfaction with horses even if it is just a question of touching them being near them If horses could talk what would they be sayingYou will know if you listen and watch them Is there a unique trait you look for in a horse that you canrsquot find in peopleThey are more patient and less apt to complain about lifersquos setbacks and physical ailments than most people I admire a tough smart horse what-ever its breed age or size What would you miss most if you could no longer go ridingThe companionship and the floating perhaps also the abandonment of usual daily worries that relaxed riding requires Whatrsquos your usual riding outfit consist ofAnything will do Loose-fitting clothes and good comfortable boots are a plus but not vital I have even ridden barefoot ndash naturally taking care to avoid being stepped on when not on the horse - but I do not recommend this to anyone The most important thing is to have a clear and focused mind to be THERE at all times when around horses and NOWHERE ELSE Sugar lumps or carrotsIrsquove been guilty of offering an occasional apple or carrot although it is best not to give horses anything special unless treats are part of training them for special tricks or stunts a pursuit best left to experts like master horse trainer Rex Peterson whom Irsquove had the good fortune to work with and study quite a bit Treats spoil horses and do not keep the animal focused on the task at hand Whatrsquos your favourite part of a horseThe brain What do you think young people gain from ridingSelf-confidence and an understanding of the value of cooperation
30
Why the long face
When did you first develop the bond with the horseThe first time I got on one as a little boy in ArgentinaYou either develop a bond of some kind or you fall off Of course you may even fall off if you develop the bond but you have to start (and restart) somewhere
Did your friends ride My brothers also rode and I have ridden with many kinds of people over the years ndash some good and patient with horses and some not If I had not rid-den as a boy I would probably have been wandering around fishing imagining I was a cowboy or an Indian or a Viking ndash which I did anyway Where in the world would you most like to rideMost anywhere will do but I have been extremely lucky to have ridden in many wide-open wild places ndash deserts grassy plains mountains by different seas and rivers in Argentina New Zealand North Africa and North America If you could spend one afternoon riding with a famous person (past or present)who would it be and whyIrsquoll give you 3 Oglala chief Tasunke Witko (Crazy Horse) my ancestor William F Cody or any real Gaucho from the province of Chaco Argentina
Two horses go out for dinner what kindof restaurant do they chooseLate spring grass near a slow-moving clean river with a gentle firm shoreline an hour before sun-down far from any people or other animals All time favourite horse filmI have a subjective soft spot for the stories and real horses involved in the making of ldquoHidalgordquo and the 2nd and 3rd installments of ldquoThe Lord Of The Ringsrdquo trilogy but I admire other ldquohorse moviesrdquo as wellThe 1953 French movie ldquoCrin-Blancrdquo (ldquoWhite Manerdquo) directed by Albert Lamorisse is a personal favourite
After three years at the head of the successful French Jumping team with back to back FEI Nations Cuptrade titles and a silver medal at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade Laurent Elias is moving on to new spheres with the French Horse amp Riding Institute where he will be training the riders of the National Riding School in Saumur
Laurent Elias
copy C
hris
toph
e Br
icot
32
The other side of
If I had not become a professional rider I would havehellipmade a career in a humanitarian organisation Horse riding is sometimes too trivial
My priority in life ishellipto be able to look at myself in the mirror in the morning and make sure I am at peace with my conscience
My familyhellipkeeps me grounded My wife helped me a lot when I was in charge of selections for France She took charge of my personal life and was the first person I called when we got the medal in Lexington I also admire my parents for the values they passed on to me
I remember my first ridingexperiencehellipaged six we were shooting a family film and I was on horseback I finished upside down under my horse for a long time I stopped riding for one year
I used to dream abouthellipsafaris One of my uncles was passionate about safaris Through him I became very interested in African trips and the jobs that allow you to travel as a reporter were fascinating to me as well
I have been thinking a lot abouthellipwhat happened in Japan these past few months First this tsunami that devastated everything without warning then the nuclear disaster It made me think that progress should not be destructive
My horse Gueacutenourhellipchanged my life I was just a coach and he brought me to the top I won the national championship in 1981 with him
My biggest challengehas always beenhellipshyness Horse riding has really helped me over-come it Horses brought me on stage and there I had to meet people
As a Chef dEquipehellipthere is no single defining achievement itrsquos all about the solidarity and the moments spent together as a team Irsquoll never forget the first time Penelope Leprevost rode her mare Jubileacutee drsquoOuilly in the FEI Nations Cuptrade of Rotterdam McLain Ward had just completed a real fast run with Sapphire We thought the Americans would win but she did it faster and beat Sapphire
In terms of eventshellipAachen is my favourite competition - for its won-derful organisation But we have also pretty good five star competitions in France
I donrsquot sleep muchhellipprobably because I am just happy to be alive
Irsquom not scared to laugh or cryhellipI laugh at the funny situations we sometimes find ourselves in life and enjoy people with quirky personalities I cry when I see others in pain
Laurent Elias and the French team en route to the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade copy PSV-Jean Morel
33FOCUS
Nicolas TheacutevenazAged 23 studies Robotics and Autonomous Systems Micro Engineering in Lausanne (SUI) alongside regular training and competition in Dressage and Para-Equestrian Dressage events Born with spastic diplegia Nicolas was introduced to horses via hippotherapy aged seven and quickly developed a passion for riding which not only helped with his physical condition but also taught him through Dressage the art of patience and perseverance
34
One day
Nicolas TheacutevenazAged 23 studies Robotics and Autonomous Systems Micro Engineering in Lausanne (SUI) alongside regular training and competition in Dressage and Para-Equestrian Dressage events Born with spastic diplegia Nicolas was introduced to horses via hippotherapy aged seven and quickly developed a passion for riding which not only helped with his physical condition but also taught him through Dressage the art of patience and perseverance
He has been fortunate to meet the right people (and horses) at the right time and has been working for the past five years with trainer Vicky-Eileen Baumann (pictured right) and her horses Magic and Lady (pictured right) ldquoShersquos bred them and knows them inside out which is very useful when I have to communicate with them - they know my voice intonations and a whole string of specific words or sounds ndash which really helps as my body canrsquot or doesnrsquot always have the strength to do sordquo
As a Grade II Para-Equestrian rider Nicolas competes in Para-Equestrian Dressage (PED) events as well as national events for able bodied riders as there are only a handful of PED riders and no events in Switzerland
Unable to attend the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade 2010 in Kentucky last year Nicolas and Vicky have their sights firmly set on the 2012 Para-lympic Games and will be looking to qualify with Lady over the next 12 months ndash alongside exams studies and everything else life has to offerhellip Who is your role model For different reasons I have different role mod-els Edward Gal Dane Rawlins Isabel Werth and Catherine Haddad
When did you start riding and why At age 7 I was sat on a horse for hippotherapy and liked the complicity with the horse which made me want to discover more
How do you feel when you ride Concentrated and industrious
Who is your biggest fan My trainerrsquos mum
Complete this sentenceOne day I would like tohellip have gained enough knowledge to be able to take care of and train my own horse
What are your long term goals as a rider Continue to do my best to enjoy what I do and show others itrsquos possible
How do you juggle studies and competition I think itrsquos really important to have goals and to do everything you can to achieve them and that includes taking on challenges because if you donrsquot try then yoursquoll never know what you could have achieved
What is your proudest achievement to date Participation in international events together with pursuing my studies
How do you feel after winning Still working towards discovering the feeling
What is the best advice anyone has ever given youMy trainer often repeats to me the famous saying by General LrsquoHotte ldquoCalme en avant droitrdquo which says so much about riding but can also be applied to so many other aspects of life
35FOCUS
What advice would you give someone looking to get involved in Para-Equestrian Dressage Train and ride with able-bodied athletes as often as possible Being around and working with horses is so rewarding Irsquod like - when Irsquom retired - to write a book to share these feelings with others and hope this will inspire them to get involved
Complete this sentenceIn the future I would like the sport to beeven ldquocleanerrdquo and fairer and if possible not more but less demanding on the horses
ldquoLast but not least Irsquod like to take the opportunity of this article to reach out to those who give me their trust and help be it with their time their friendship and any type of support Day after day to year after year team work is essential and Irsquoll do my best to continue deserving every-onersquos encouraging smilesrdquo
European Broadcasting Union
Union Europeacuteenne de Radio-Teacuteleacutevision
+41 (0)22 717 2111 wwweurovisionnet
We bring the event to your home
Eurovision
copy K
it H
ough
ton
FE
I
FEI_08_A4indd 1 03012008 162238
European Broadcasting Union
Union Europeacuteenne de Radio-Teacuteleacutevision
+41 (0)22 717 2111 wwweurovisionnet
We bring the event to your home
Eurovision
copy K
it H
ough
ton
FE
I
FEI_08_A4indd 1 03012008 162238
Nominations for the FEI Awards opened in May enabling the global equestrian com-munity to once again reward outstanding dedication to horse sport in five categories ndash Development Best Groom Against All Odds Rising Star and Best Athlete The search for the equestrian heroes of 2011 is now on who will be flown to Rio de Janeiro Brazil to receive their awards
Where are they now The FEI asked the current title-holders for an update on their activities
Follow us on
38
FEI Awards 2011
Ebony Horse Club (GBR)Winner of the Alltech FEI DevelopmentAward 2010
The Ebony Horse Club announced in December 2010 that after an eight-year fundraising effort it had the pound14 million necessary for building an equestrian cen-tre in one of Londonrsquos most deprived boroughs Since 1996 Ebony has offered youngsters in an area reput-ed for its gang culture high level of gun crime and drug dealing the chance to ride and learn key social skills The clubrsquos 50 members travel to riding schools across London on public transport or in minibuses ndash a logistical headache that the inner-city equestrian centre will end Construction work began in February
Ebony Horse Club founder and director Ros Spear-ing told the FEI ldquoRiding lessons are continuing and the club is preparing for the transitionrdquo Building will finish on 7 July but the centre will open for riding lessons in October ldquoThe horses will be brought to Brixton in the summer and will have time to acclimatise to their new environmentrdquo Spearing said The centre will include stabling for nine horses a small paddock and a flood-lit riding arena as well as a classroom for learning about horses and equine management Spearing is adamant that club members ndash present and future ndash care for their rides and wants the centre to serve as a stepping stone to careers in the horse industry
Ebonyrsquos existence will continue to depend on the generosity of donors For more information visit wwwebonyhorsecluborguk
Michelle Tipper (GBR)Winner of the FEI Best Groom Award 2010
Michelle Tipper has continued to juggle grooming and study since receiving her FEI Award in Novem-ber She has organised the grooms for the British European Junior and Young Dressage teams and in April her contract as a travelling groom for British Dressage riders Paul and Bobby Hayler took her to Addington for the first of many international com-petitions she will work at this year The Haylers have eight horses competing and the number she works with at each venue varies Tipper has also been help-ing British Dressage riders Nicky and Richard Barrett with yard duties ldquoI feel very lucky to work for both of these familiesrdquo said the FEI Best Groom Award win-ner adding that she feels part of the two families In March Tipper graduated from university with a Masters in Sport Psychology She is now working towards British Association of Sport and Exercise Science accreditation which requires at least 500 hoursrsquo supervised work experience and is present-ing sport psychology workshops in conjunction with the company Inside Performance Consulting Limit-ed (wwwinside-performancecom) The workshops are organised internationally for people of all ages from any sport To find out more contact Tipper at michelletipper1979yahoocom
39FOCUS
Michelle Tipper ndash copyWilliam TzengAward winners ndash copyWilliam TzengCaroline Roffman ndash copySharonPackercomEbony Horse Club ndash copyEbony Horse ClubEdward Gal and Totilas ndash copyKit HoughtonFEIAngelika Trabert ndash copyJulia Rau
Angelika Trabert (GER)Winner of the FEI Against All Odds Award 2010
German Para-Dressage rider Angelika Trabert has represent-ed her country at four Paralympic Games and won some 15 medals at national European and world championships She is currently seeking a new home for Londria the mare that con-tributed to her Team Silver medal win at the Hong Kong Para-lympics Londria who had a foal last year was also Trabertrsquos ride during her medal-winning performances at the European Championships in Hungary (2005) and Norway (2009)
Trabert said her decision to let go of Londria was hard to make but was necessary for financial reasons She will keep the foal Finaud Coquin and her mares Walmorel and Ariva-Avanti Trabert won the Para-Dressage Grade 2 Freestyle Champion-ship at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade with Ariva and said the horse was ldquowell and ready to go for the Europeans again in Belgium in September if we qualifyrdquo Trabert competed in her first international competition of 2011 in May in Man-nheim Germany where she came first in the Grade II indi-vidual and second in the freestyle She is taking part in the German Championships in June
Away from the equestrian world Trabert works as an anaes-thetist and has participated in medical missions in the rural ar-eas of Guinea for the organisation Mango In January she was back in Guinea as part of team that carried out 100 operations in 13 days wwwangelika-trabertde
Visit the recently refreshed FEI Awards website to find out more about the Awards the pastwinners the judges and to make yournominationsby 31 July
wwwfeiawardsorg
40
Caroline Roffman (USA)Winner of the HSBC FEI Rising StarAward 2010
Success continues to smile on twenty-two-year-old American Dressage rider Caroline Roffman Since re-ceiving the HSBC FEI Rising Star Award she has en-joyed numerous wins at small tour and young horse levels achieving scores in the mid-eighties and quali-fying two horses for the young horse championships
Roffman is currently showing six horses and has won several classes at PSG and Grand Prix level ldquoBut nothing is as exciting as to be going to Aachenrdquo said the young woman who has been described as the American Dressage communityrsquos brightest hope ex-plaining that at the FEI Awards ceremony in Chinese Taipei Frank Kemperman FEI Dressage Committee Chair and Chairman of the Managing Board at CHIO Aachen (GER) invited her to take part in the pres-tigious event Roffman will be the first American to compete in the Under 25 Grand Prix there and is hop-ing to take her horse Lux Stensvang
An interview with Caroline Roffman at the Palm Beach Dressage Derby CDI will be broadcast on the magazine programme Equestrian World on FEI TV the FEIrsquos official online video platform wwwfeitvorg
Edward Gal and Totilas (NED)Winners of the Reem Acra FEI Best Athlete Award 2010
The world-famous partnership of Dutch Dressage rider Edward Gal and the extraordinary Totilas ended in style in 2010 with notably three gold medal wins at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade
The first foal sired by the superstar stallion was born in January followed by two more in the spring Gal who has admired the foals told the FEI ldquoYou never know ndash maybe in a few yearsrsquo time Irsquoll have another Totilas readyrdquo At the beginning of April he was busy at home training nine horses and preparing for the Reem Acra FEI World Cuptrade Dressage Final in Leipzig and the European Championships in Rotterdam He had not yet decided which horses he was going to compete with but was particularly looking forward to the Freestyle to Music Asked what it was like to compete without Totilas Gal said ldquoEverybody ex-pected Totilas to win I find it easier to ride other horses because nobody expects me to win and when I do itrsquos really nicerdquo
41FOCUS
globetrotter
Seal of approval for the Adai horseSixty years have passed since an Adai horse reportedly set a record galloping 354km in one day Today the Adai horse a breed na-tive to Kazakhstan is back in the spotlight with a gold medal at the FEI Central Asian Endurance Championship in Talgaearlier in May only months after having been award-ed official pedigree status following tests
conducted by a State Commission in the Mangistau Steppes which allowed itto compete internationally The horses are cherished for their hardiness and Oyly ridden by Altyngali Bissemaganbetov (KAZ) proved just that when crossing the finishing line first demonstrating just how tough the Adai horses are and the beginning of a new era for sturdy breed on the international stage
Equestrian Australia Sport
Achievement Awards
In May the best of the best in
Equestrian sport gathered to cel-
ebrate the achievements of Austral-
iarsquos athletes coaches officials vets
administrators owners volunteers
and the many other people that
dedicate their time and enthusiasm
to equestrian sport The ceremony
also included the introduction of
Equestrian Australiarsquos Hall of
Fame won by the legendary Bill
Roycroft Boyd Exell winner of
the FEI World CupTM Driving
Final was awarded the interna-
tional athlete of the year
award
Kevin Stautbecomes first athlete representative on FEI
executive board
Kevin Staut one of Francersquos most successful Jumping riders became the first athlete to be appointed to the FEI Executive Board for a three-year term Staut (31) who has held the number one spot in the Rolex Rankings for Jumping since July 2010 has ridden on numerous Nations Cup teams for France and claimed individual gold at the Alltech FEI European Jumping Championships in 2009
HulA CARTSWorld Horse Welfare has greatly helped the liv
es of
five Senegalese cart horse owners by presenting them
with new Hula Carts The local people who depend on
their working horses for their livelihoods were specially
selected by the charity to receive the carts which have
been sponsored by members of the public in the uK
The Hula Carts are specifically developed to help the
horses pulling heavy loads in often difficult conditions
Equestrian Australia Sport
Achievement Awards
In May the best of the best in
Equestrian sport gathered to cel-
ebrate the achievements of Austral-
iarsquos athletes coaches officials vets
administrators owners volunteers
and the many other people that
dedicate their time and enthusiasm
to equestrian sport The ceremony
also included the introduction of
Equestrian Australiarsquos Hall of
Fame won by the legendary Bill
Roycroft Boyd Exell winner of
the FEI World CupTM Driving
Final was awarded the interna-
tional athlete of the year
award
Olympic legendBill Roycroft passes away aged 96
A legend of Equestrian sport in Australia James William
George Roycroft OBE known as ldquoBillrdquo was one of Austral-
iarsquos greatest Olympians and one of only five Australians to
have competed in five consecutive Olympic Games (from
1960 - 1976) as well as being Australiarsquos oldest medallist
and oldest competitor at 61 years and 31 days In May 2011
Bill was inducted in Equestrian Australiarsquos inaugural Hall
of Fame ndash he was Australiarsquos oldest living Olympian and
shared his dedication and enthusiasm for the sport with
his sons Barry Wayne and Clarke (See a brief description
of his exploits in the 1960 Olympic Games Memory Lane
article page 9 which catapulted Australiarsquos reputation as
one of the best Eventing teams in the world)
webinfofeiFEI web wizard Nicole Sigrist has added a new hub for the Press on wwwfeiorg called FEI Press Kits located in the Media section of the website The Press Kits zone which is also open to the general public is regularly updated with infor-mation relating to FEI series and specific events with flip books and downloadable PDFs as well as direct links to the Photo Catalogue the Rankings and Standings the Annual Report and more
100thanniversary for Finnish riding club
One of the three found-ing member clubs of
the Finnish Equestrian Federation the Suomen
Kenttaumlratsastusseura-Finska Faumlltrittklubbenon celebrates
its 100th anniversary in 2011 Magnus Rydman former President of the Finnish National Federation and Presi-dent of the FEI from 1935 ndash 1946 was one of the founders of the club Another of the founders of the oldest club in Fin-land was the Eventing rider Colonel Hans Olof von Essen whose fifth place at the Antwerpen Olympic Games re-mains the best Olympic equestrian result the country has ever achieved
Follow us on
43FOCUS
Interview with the President of the Brazilian Equestrian Federation Mr Luiz Roberto Giugni
The Brazilian Equestrian Federation has been a member Federation of the FEI for 75 years how has the sport developed over that time We were facing regular growth (average of 25 in the last decade) but in the last three to four years this rate has significantly increased up to 35 a year We believe that this is due to international achievements (two Jumping Olympic team bronze medals the individual Olympic Jumping gold medal won by Rodrigo Pessoa several Pan Am Jumping team gold medals recent Olympic pre-qualification in Kentucky (4th in the world in Jumping) and the organisations of a Global Champions Tour event in Brazil
In terms of developing the sport what are the most successful projects you have undertaken in recent yearsWe decided to invest in education and have hired international trainers for all the disciplines such as Jean Maurice Bonneau for Jumping Nick Turner for Eventing Eric Lette for Dressage Jean Louis Leclerc for Endurance Mattias Lang for Vaulting with the long term in mind that is at least until the end of 2012 and planning towards 2016 when Rio will host the Olympic Games
How popular is equestrian sport with young people in Brazil and how do you compete with some of the bigger sports for their attention Popularization is growing bit by bit in a country
decidedly dominated by soccer ndash being 5 times World Champion makes it a national passion But we are continuously looking to attract TV to our events as this is a huge step towards gaining visibility and popularity Can you tell us about the programmesinitiatives in place for disabled athletes We are actively pursuing this and have achieved really positive results in little time such as the great performances and medals earned at the Para-lympic Games in Hong Kong in 2008 We do this through clinics courses international exchanges of athletes and working alongside our National Paralympic Committee to support us in our efforts
Brazil will be host the FEI General Assembly at the end of the year what do you want all the visiting delegates to remember from their visit That we are more than just a really beautiful and warm country with the ability and capacity to organise great events and that we are committed to putting on the best Olympic Games ever
What are the main objectivesplans for the Brazilian Federation in the lead up to the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games Our NOC is really committed to raising the bar of all the sports to a level never seen before and we are working towards that in terms of our athletes our judges our venues and everything that is related to our sport and the quality of our sport In line with this objective we are providing incen-tives to owners to buy good horses aiming for 2016 and this is going to plan for now We expect to perform well at the upcoming Pan Am Games and Olympics on our trail to 2016
Is there anything else you would like to share with us I would like to thank HRH Princess Haya President of the FEI as well as the Executive Board for all the support that we are getting which has been paramount to the development of equestrian sport in our country
44
President Luiz Roberto GiugniSecretary General Luiz Antonio RoccoMember since 1935
15 members of staff work at the federation
20 regional federations are affiliated tothe Brazilian Equestrian Federation with over 300 member riding clubs
6 000 affiliated riders
91 national events were held in 2010
31 international events were held in 2010
All the FEI disciplines are practiced in BrazilJumping Dressage Eventing Vaulting Reining EnduranceDriving amp Para-Equestrian
14 breeding organisations
There are 58 million horses and ponies in Brazilmaking it the fourth largest equine population in the world
FAC
TS amp
FIG
URE
S
45FOCUS
Dr Gerit Matthesen56 is a private equine practitioner an FEI Vet and a member of the FEI Veterinary Committee He graduated in Veterinary Medicine from Berlin University in 1983 and since 1989 has worked or officiated at some 180 competitions and championships including the last two Olympics and FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade He lives near Frankfurt with his wife Carola and their sons Mike (16) and Lars (14)
46
A life in a day
Dr Gerit Matthesen56 is a private equine practitioner an FEI Vet and a member of the FEI Veterinary Committee He graduated in Veterinary Medicine from Berlin University in 1983 and since 1989 has worked or officiated at some 180 competitions and championships including the last two Olympics and FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade He lives near Frankfurt with his wife Carola and their sons Mike (16) and Lars (14)
I wake up earlier than I need to ndash at around 6am ndash because breakfast time with my family is sacred to me and I can then drive my boys to the village station to take the train to school After two cups of coffee (enough for the day) and a glass of orange juice I read the newspapers then head to my prac-tice offices in our indoor arena I have a quick look at our horses then start work
While I listen to my phone messages I deal with my emails and search the internet for news about veterinary medicine and horse sport I then start planning the dayacutes schedule with Anna my assistant vet
My mobile practice is in a nice fairly rural area in the north of Frankfurt There are lots of horse farms but it is not a classic breeding area like the northern part of Germany There are sport horses as well as pleasure horses I have examination rooms and stables for horses staying or mares foaling in my practice stables Itrsquos not a big clinic which gives me time to work at competitions
After seeing a few small animals in my practice I normally start my field service at 930am In my car I have enough equipment (ultrasound X-ray systems and endoscopical devices) for the dayrsquos examinations and standing procedures We mainly have lameness examinations to do or internal diseases to treat accompanied by routine work like vaccinations or carrying out pre-purchase or health certificate examinations If time allows I go home for a quick lunch but thatrsquos not every day
While Irsquom driving I have time to think and I write down everything that come to mind regarding sport competitions committees and so on You have to write down your thoughts when yoursquore over the age of 50
It is not easy planning my day because any emer-gency can destroy or delay my schedule For all the paperwork and certificates I need a time frame so
I often do that over quiet weekends when there are no competitions During the winter season I am less busy but in summer a lot of weekends are taken over by the competition schedule
I love my work especially in Eventing which is my favourite discipline My wife and I practiced it ndash not up to top level but it was a fine time despite a bro-ken ankle from a fall in 1988 which after 23 years is making walking more and more difficult for me
I like to do my competition work on a friendly but strict basis and I really like to hear riders saying they are treated fairly Over the years I have acquired a lot of experience and met all the officials and riders
Usually when I return home in the late afternoon there are more small animals to see When Irsquove done the dayrsquos paperwork I hope there will be no more emergencies such as cases of colic which usually occur in the early evening
I look forward to getting on my horse which is a beautiful show-jumper I like to ride but Irsquove stopped competing I do dressage jumping and go out into the fields but itrsquos all just for fun now
The day finishes with the family and a nice cold glass of German beer
Itrsquos a struggle to find time to spend with my family and I often have to cancel my holidays with them I am really grateful to my wife and the boys for their understanding of my job and to my assistant vet who covers for me when Iacutem out somewhere in the world of equestrian sport
ldquoThe combination of my profession and beinginvolved in differentaspects of top equestrian sport is my visionrdquo
47FOCUS
Pull your show attire from the closet clean your boots and tack groom the horses hook up and pack the trailer check the clock double check to make sure you have everything put on the shipping boots load your horses and away you drive to the competition venue or to the airport for transport to a distant event
You know the drill well but still you arrive tired per-haps even a bit frazzled Yoursquoll sleep (or try to) the next several nights in an unfamiliar bed or camp out in the living quarters of your trailer You awaken riveted on the competition playing out the dayrsquos classes in your mind wondering how your rides will fare against oth-ers praying that the weather will be cooperate and trying to control your nerves all the while knowing that no matter how well you have prepared many factors are out of your control You may even be in a different time zone
We go through a lot to compete our horses But if you think life on the road is stressful for you think about what itrsquos like for your horses Your back may be a bit sore from driving or being strapped into an airplane seat for hours on end but for horses transportation is far more demanding It is an athletic endeavour re-quiring an expenditure of energy to maintain balance during the constant movement of transport When your horses arrive they face social isolation from stablemates lack of security in novel environments altered training regimes water that tastes strange and the confines of an unfamiliar stall This routine impacts a horsersquos health and well being with effects
continuing long after the journey is over During transport toxic gases (such as ammonia or carbon monoxide) can cause damage to the lung epithelium precipitating respiratory disease The
final destination itself can also cause problems Usually horses are transported to environments where they will be mixing with other horses The mixing of horses from different environments with different infectious organisms and under stressful conditions further precipitates susceptibility to disease
This can have a severe impact on the equine gut The stress of transportation is known to increase gut ulceration in the horse a painful condition reducing performance and causing colic-like symptoms Stress can also slow the flow of digesta and alter the normal gut flora resulting in digestive upset and possibly diarrhoea or colic
The effects of travel stress on the gut are compounded by the typical diet of the regular equine traveller To maintain athletic ability high performance horses are often fed energy-charged diets contain-ing increased levels of starchy materials such as cereal grains Unfortunately this type of diet can reduce beneficial types of gut flora and promote gut acidity further predisposing the horse to digestive upsets and ulceration It is not surprising that stressed tired horses may not fulfill their potential on arrival
Feeding to reduce stress for the equine traveller
By Darlene RickerExecutive editor of Alltechrsquos EQUINE INTERNATIONAL magazine
48
Alltech Tips
growth of opportunistic Salmonella spp which are present in the intestinal tract of many healthy horses These bacteria then attach to the gut lining via a mannan sugar and penetrate it causing damage and resulting in diarrhoea One method of prevent-ing or minimising the attachment of these organ-
isms to the gut lining is to provide an adsorbant supplement A form of sugar found in the cell walls of certain yeasts can do this This sugar compound is called man-nan oligosaccharide or MOS MOS products such as Alltechrsquos Bio-Mosreg have been shown to re-duce the colonization of Salmonella
spp in the guts of certain species and augment the immune response to Salmonella spp potentially conferring an enhanced ability to fight infection Both Yea-Saccreg 1026 and Bio-Mos are among the natural products contained in Alltechrsquos LIFEFORCETM equine supplement which many FEI competitors have successfully incorporated into their daily feeding regimen at home and on the road
lifeforcehorsecom
and may be subject to health concerns in the days following a long journey Fortunately however you can curb some of the effects of travel stress on the horsersquos gut by nutritional supplementation Organic yeast products used to supplement a horsersquos diet can support the normal gut flora modifying the intesti-nal environment and improving the horsersquos digestion One such culture is Saccharomyces cerevisae in the form of Yea-Saccreg 1026 Alltechrsquos propriety organic yeast
Experiments were conducted to evaluate the effects Yea-Sacc on gut flora and gut acidity Horses were fed either a high-starch or a high-fibre diet both with and without supplementation of Yea-Saccreg 1026 Results indicated an excessive amount of starch in the gut The use of Yea-Sacc reduced acidity and stimulat-ed the activity of fibre-digesting bacteria in the hind-gut for both types of diet The result was maximised fibre digestibility and more efficient use of nutrients thus increasing the amount of energy available to the horse for performance and counteracting digestive upset Salmonellosis is one of the more commonly di-agnosed infectious causes of diarrhoea in horses Many cases develop after the stress of transport The effects of travel stress on the normal gut flora allow an over-
Moorlands Totilas arrives for the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade after air transport copy Dirk Caremans
HRH The Infanta Dontildea Pilar de Borboacuten former President of the FEI (1994-2006) also attended the inauguration along-side HRH Princess Lalla Amina Chairperson of the Royal Moroccan Federation for Equestrian Sports and member of the international Advisory Council of Special OlympicsThey were joined by International Olympic Commit-tee members representatives from other Interna-tional Federations federal and local Swiss authorities as well as architects and designers that worked on the project Switzerlandrsquos Martin Fuchs a member of the gold medal winning team at the inaugural Youth Olympic Games in Singapore last year accompanied FEI President Princess Haya in officially opening the FEI headquarters
ldquoThe building we are inaugurating today has been designed to serve our wonderful sportrdquo explained FEI
President Princess Haya ldquoI also feel an immense
sense of pride knowing that this building carries the name
of my late father and hope that this serves as a constant reminder
to all of us who work at the FEI of a unique statesman whose entire soul was devoted to the service of his people Our new headquarters will play a key role for the FEI and our National Federa-tions over the coming years It will be the environ-ment in which important discussions take place and fundamental decisions are taken as we continue our mission to advance the orderly growth of equestrian sport worldwide while ensuring that the welfare of the horse and a level playing field remain at the centre of all that we dordquo
FEI celebratesNEW Headquarters
Over 250 guests attended the inauguration ceremony on Friday 6 May at HM King Hussein I Building which was timed to coincide with the FEI
Extraordinary General Assembly so that attending NationalFederation representatives
could be a part ofthe celebrations
1 Youth Olympic Games team champion Martin Fuchs (SUI) FEI President HRH Princess Haya and her daughter HH Sheikha Al Jalila officially open the FEIrsquos new home 2 Gilbert Felli IOC Olympic Games Executive Director and FEI Secretary General Ingmar de Vos 3 HRH The Infanta Dontildea Pilar de Borboacuten sits down to an interactive quiz in the FEI Gallery 4 Guests gathered in the atrium of the FEI HeadquartersAll images copy Hugues SiegenthalerFEI
Highlights available on50
1
2
3 4
5
6 7
8
THE GALLERy
As well as housing offices for its 62 employees and conference facilities for its 133 National Federations the new headquarters also has a state-of-the-art in-teractive gallery showcasing equestrian sport
The Gallery is the brainchild of Dr Amichai Alper-ovich historian former Secretary General of the Is-raeli Equestrian Federation and curator of the Israeli Olympic Museum (opened in 2009) He worked hand in hand with the Tel Aviv based company Disk-In Pro and interior designer Oded Alony to help bring the content to life and the result is truly unique and ground breaking Giant glass surfaces act as interac-tive interfaces for the visitors to travel through time
The FEIrsquos new headquarters which were donated to the Federation by FEI Presi-dent HRH Princess Haya in 2007 fol-lowing a personal fundraising effort are conveniently located close to the Inter-national Olympic Committee and other international sports federations It has been written into the FEI Statutes that the new FEI headquarters building will always house the Federationrsquos offices In 2008 the building was thoroughly renovated in accordance with the Swiss MINERGIEreg construction standard for environmental responsibility which re-duces energy consumption by 25 per cent Only two per cent of renovated buildings in Switzerland meet the high Minergie standards Khuan Chew founder and design princi-pal of London-based architectural firm KCA International Ltd worked in close collaboration with Swiss-based architect Herveacute de Rham and interior designer Sia-vosh Adeli (SUI) to transform the build-ing which was built in the 1960s The modern and sleek interior was further enhanced with bespoke artworks pro-duced by Swiss creative agency b+g amp partners and imagery by world-famous equestrian art photographer Tim Flach where the simplicity and beauty of his equine subjects seamlessly embrace and accentuate the buildingrsquos pure lines and natural materials (see image left)
As they feasted on the innate beauty of their sur-roundings the guests also had the privilege to ex-perience the culinary talents of organic chef and specialist Gilles Wannaz and his team based in the town of Cully which sits on the edge of Lac Leman in Switzerlandrsquos famous Lavaux wine growing region
5 HRH Princess Haya welcomes the guests to the Inauguration of the HQ and the 90 year celebration of the FEI 6 Artwork by renowned pho-tographer Tim Flach 7 An organic and colourful buffet presented on an authentic lawn by local chef Gilles Wannaz 8 A life size horse sculpture by Christophe Dumont greeted the guests upon their arrival
53FOCUS
and space with the latest in touch technology revis-iting the history of the FEI the equestrian events at Olympic amp Paralympic Games the FEI World Eques-trian Gamestrade and information on all of the member National Federations with statistics videos images and text The Gallery also includes projections on ar-chitectural surfaces designed by Oded Alony referred to as the Origami as well as interactive stations and unique video projections on glass screens
For all those wishing to visit the FEI Gallery simply contact the FEI HQ to make an appointment and we would be delighted to take you on a journey to dis-cover or rediscover the human and equine athletes whose talents have marked equestrian history and inspired young riders drivers and vaulters around the world
Interview withDrAmichaiAlperovich
When did you first dream up the FEIInteractive Gallery When I found out the FEI was planning to move into new HQ in 2009 Disk-In Pro and I approached the FEI and presented them with several concepts for the space Before long we had agreed on the concept and we got to work
Why were you compelled to make it become a reality So that the FEI a prominent sports organisation could present itself to a growing audience in a new and visionary way with the latest technology And by doing so the FEI is a pioneer becoming the first International Federation to have a Gallery of this kind
What did you learn when researching and gathering content for the gallery I have learned a lot about the history of the FEI the strong Olympic tradition the diversity of disciplines the gender equality and the unique bond between horse and man One of the more fascinating topics was the evolution of the Dressage from itsrsquo Olympic debut to the modern Freestyle
Itrsquos very innovative technology what inspired you to take such a leap into the future with such a traditional sport Just as Dressage has evolved over the years and alongside the introduction of new disciplines partic-ularly Para-Equestrian you come to realise that the FEI is not as traditional as one would think Actually this kind of innovative presentation of equestrian history is really well suited to the FEI In the same way that you can have horse-man connections there is an audience-technology connection in the Gallery The audience have to be active in order to enjoy the depth of information the Gallery contains
54
Now it is time to open the door to new places to learn about sport ndash at the heart of sporting organi-sations themselves The Gallery is more than an informative tool it brings people to the sport andto the heart of its operations
Established in 1990 Disk-In Pro specialises in the planning design production and implementation of Museums Visitor Centres and sophisticated projects around the world This includes multi screen produc-tion animation 3D amp interactive films state-of-the-art software platforms and complex video displays for an unforgettable experience
Oded Alony holds a BA in Design from the Interior Design Section of the Holon Technological Institute and has since 1998 worked with Israelrsquos leading Architecture firms The Oded Alony Studio embraces holistic design a space where interior design lighting and graphics are brought together to create a harmo-nious project vision
Now that you have seen it unveiled to the public how would you like to see it evolve I hope the audience will be amazed from the design by architect Oded Alony and the new methods to deliver information whilst discovering the long his-tory of the FEI the diversity and the global reach of the organisation I hope the Gallery will become an icon in Lausanne and one of its highlights for visitors I promise the visitors a new platform to learn about equestrianism and each visit could be different as the information and themes will be updated and modi-fied regularly
This futuristic gallery is a first for anInternational Federation do you think thisis something all sports should invest inThe FEI took this courageous decision and now has this fantastic tool to present the organisation in new ways Sport is a huge cultural phenomenaWe have learned to consume sport in the arenas and stadiums in the press media and new media
Dr Amichai Alperovich
55FOCUS
SOCIAL MEDIAthe new frontier
Follow us on
The FEI has recently embarked on and embraced a whole new way of talking with the greater equestrian community through the ever expanding social media networks and platformsWith personalised Facebook Twitter and You Tube pages the FEI is taking it step by step and reaching out to this growing audience and listening to what they have to say
This new communication platform is by no means a substitution of the traditional communication path-ways but works alongside the press releases various publications and content on wwwfeiorg and wwwfeitvorg providing a new arena where the FEI can share interact and dialogue with fans of the sport and of equestrian values in general
We talk to Richard Johnson Director of Corporate Communications about the FEIrsquos commitment to social media
What compelled the FEI to venture onto the social media scene As a governing body with a vibrant and active com-munity of National Federations as well as thousands of fans the need to reach out to the online social community has never been stronger We have been watching the communities grow online for some time and have been listening to their conversations so being a part of it was the next logical step and a really important one The conversations will hap-pen with or without us so taking that step has been crucial in order to share our values and also build re-lationships with our fan base
Tradition meets modernity ndash does equestrian sportthe FEI have a place in social media Absolutely even though equestrian sport has a long history and is perceived as a traditional sport it is
always evolving In the 90 years of the FEI which was founded to govern the three Olympic disciplines it has grown to also oversee the disciplines of Driving Endurance Vaulting Reining and Para-Equestrian sport Or if you look at the early days when competi-tors were from military backgrounds and when wom-en did not compete alongside men to the complete gender equality we have today ndash a lot has changed and is in a constant state of change
The fans of equestrian sport are like any other fan base web savvy and eager for more information behind the scenes content and to share their opin-ions and thoughts ndash so it is an ideal partnership And from what we have seen these last few months and from the feedback we got from our blog at the Youth Olympic Games there is a real appetite for this
The FEI has dedicated Facebook Twitter and You Tube pages ndash why did you select these social media platforms The figures speak for themselveshellip Facebook Twit-ter and You Tube are the biggest players in the social networking space With over 500 million Facebook users 106 million Tweeters and 2 billion views a day on You Tube there has never been so much oppor-tunity for exposure Every site has different demo-graphics with different habits and needs so by having an FEI presence on these three networks we are able to cover a lot of ground and cater to different audi-ences by providing different types of content accord-ing to the platform
What are the main benefits of having a pres-ence on various social media platforms Itrsquos all about having a two way conversation ndash the benefits of dialogue where you can share content such as videos images facts and figures thoughts and values and then allow your fan base to react to get involved and to listen and learn from them By engaging with our audience and showing them that we are a modern and caring organisation and that we want to hear what they have to say then we are able to build trust and ultimately credibility in what we do and what we say
57FOCUS
TV
The offi cial video website of the Feacutedeacuteration Equestre Internationale
wwwfeitvorg
WATCH LIVE WATCH ONLINE
FEI TV is the FEIrsquos new offi cial video website and your ticket to the worldrsquos most prestigious competitions Sign-up to FEI TV (wwwfeitvorg) and get instant access to all the live broadcasts the extensive video-on-demand library all the highlights the behind the scenes reports the interviews and so much more Be at the heart of horsesport Join us
2823_1FEI_TV_Focus_165x226indd 1 170510 1124
It also keeps us alert as to what is being discussed and debated in the public sphere so that we can manage situations more effectively and be proactive in our messaging and information so that the facts are at the heart of the debate and not interpretations of them
How do you generate content for social media It was important when we launched our social me-dia presence that it be manageable with the exist-ing communications team in place ndash and so we have concentrated on keeping it simple and effective and using content innovatively Itrsquos not about reproduc-ing our website ndash but to engage with our fans and so often all you need is a good picture an interest-ing fact or great achievement to get the ball rolling For You Tube as we already have so much content generated from FEI TV it was simply a question of using bits and pieces from that content to provide the public with teasers from events interviews with winning riders or behind the scenes content which they can then follow up on FEI TV with a subscription
What are your Social media goals Itrsquos really to build relationships and dialogue with our fan base by using our content innovatively by listening to what they have to say and by engaging with the community And for the National Federa-tions that have yet to take that step we want to be a guiding hand that can help them get started so that they too can reap the benefits of social media net-working Our sport competes against other sports for attention so itrsquos really important that we the FEI and the National Federations keep our finger on the pulse and cater to our fans
How can National Federations get involved NFs wishing to find out more about Social Media can contact me (richardjohnsonfeiorg) and I would be more than happy to discuss opportunities and ways of getting started as well as our experience at the FEI
We asked our Facebook followers why it was important to use face-book and here are a few comments they came up with
bullItrsquos a great way to find out about shows and competitions
bullBecause facebook can provide up to the minute updates as to the what is going on in the horse community
bullWe can share information and ideas over long distances We can find and connect with people we wouldnt be able to otherwise
bullIt also lets us express the true realities of our spot to keep us grounded
bullIt can bring peoples attention to excellence ndash and expose the issues
58
TV
The offi cial video website of the Feacutedeacuteration Equestre Internationale
wwwfeitvorg
WATCH LIVE WATCH ONLINE
FEI TV is the FEIrsquos new offi cial video website and your ticket to the worldrsquos most prestigious competitions Sign-up to FEI TV (wwwfeitvorg) and get instant access to all the live broadcasts the extensive video-on-demand library all the highlights the behind the scenes reports the interviews and so much more Be at the heart of horsesport Join us
2823_1FEI_TV_Focus_165x226indd 1 170510 1124
ldquo Donrsquot accept drinks from a strangerrdquo
Armchair travel journalist
Are you living a life without boundaries Some well-meant advice is best ignored but itrsquos still good to know yoursquore covered when yoursquore away With HSBC Premier your family can be protected with both Travel Insurance and dedicated assistance when yoursquore abroad Which is reassuring to know when yoursquore making the most of life
HSBC Premier is subject to financial eligibility criteria and is available in over 40 countries and territories
Premier Travel Insurance covers you and your partner up to age 70 and your children travelling with you up to age 18
wwwhsbcpremiercom
A4 A4
Issued by HSBC Holdings plc Approved for use in UK by HSBC Bank plc Premier Travel Insurance is provided by Aviva Insurance UK Limited Customer Information Service PO Box 757 Hemel Hempstead Hertfordshire HP2 4SS Registered in England number 14259 Registered Office 8 Canada Square London E14 5HQ AC18770
201736_6000263_Coconut_226x165indd
Master 226x165
Rob Swainson 160211
HSBC - Coconuts Proof 01Head of Art TypographerDesigner ArtCreative Director Copywriter Account DirectorDIC Project ManagerPhotographer Illustrator Usage Model(s) Name(s) Usage
Media MediaStock Image Time Period Time Period
Territory Territory
8deg N ndash Kerala South India
When did you first develop the bond with the horseThe first time I got on one as a little boy in ArgentinaYou either develop a bond of some kind or you fall off Of course you may even fall off if you develop the bond but you have to start (and restart) somewhere
Did your friends ride My brothers also rode and I have ridden with many kinds of people over the years ndash some good and patient with horses and some not If I had not rid-den as a boy I would probably have been wandering around fishing imagining I was a cowboy or an Indian or a Viking ndash which I did anyway Where in the world would you most like to rideMost anywhere will do but I have been extremely lucky to have ridden in many wide-open wild places ndash deserts grassy plains mountains by different seas and rivers in Argentina New Zealand North Africa and North America If you could spend one afternoon riding with a famous person (past or present)who would it be and whyIrsquoll give you 3 Oglala chief Tasunke Witko (Crazy Horse) my ancestor William F Cody or any real Gaucho from the province of Chaco Argentina
Two horses go out for dinner what kindof restaurant do they chooseLate spring grass near a slow-moving clean river with a gentle firm shoreline an hour before sun-down far from any people or other animals All time favourite horse filmI have a subjective soft spot for the stories and real horses involved in the making of ldquoHidalgordquo and the 2nd and 3rd installments of ldquoThe Lord Of The Ringsrdquo trilogy but I admire other ldquohorse moviesrdquo as wellThe 1953 French movie ldquoCrin-Blancrdquo (ldquoWhite Manerdquo) directed by Albert Lamorisse is a personal favourite
After three years at the head of the successful French Jumping team with back to back FEI Nations Cuptrade titles and a silver medal at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade Laurent Elias is moving on to new spheres with the French Horse amp Riding Institute where he will be training the riders of the National Riding School in Saumur
Laurent Elias
copy C
hris
toph
e Br
icot
32
The other side of
If I had not become a professional rider I would havehellipmade a career in a humanitarian organisation Horse riding is sometimes too trivial
My priority in life ishellipto be able to look at myself in the mirror in the morning and make sure I am at peace with my conscience
My familyhellipkeeps me grounded My wife helped me a lot when I was in charge of selections for France She took charge of my personal life and was the first person I called when we got the medal in Lexington I also admire my parents for the values they passed on to me
I remember my first ridingexperiencehellipaged six we were shooting a family film and I was on horseback I finished upside down under my horse for a long time I stopped riding for one year
I used to dream abouthellipsafaris One of my uncles was passionate about safaris Through him I became very interested in African trips and the jobs that allow you to travel as a reporter were fascinating to me as well
I have been thinking a lot abouthellipwhat happened in Japan these past few months First this tsunami that devastated everything without warning then the nuclear disaster It made me think that progress should not be destructive
My horse Gueacutenourhellipchanged my life I was just a coach and he brought me to the top I won the national championship in 1981 with him
My biggest challengehas always beenhellipshyness Horse riding has really helped me over-come it Horses brought me on stage and there I had to meet people
As a Chef dEquipehellipthere is no single defining achievement itrsquos all about the solidarity and the moments spent together as a team Irsquoll never forget the first time Penelope Leprevost rode her mare Jubileacutee drsquoOuilly in the FEI Nations Cuptrade of Rotterdam McLain Ward had just completed a real fast run with Sapphire We thought the Americans would win but she did it faster and beat Sapphire
In terms of eventshellipAachen is my favourite competition - for its won-derful organisation But we have also pretty good five star competitions in France
I donrsquot sleep muchhellipprobably because I am just happy to be alive
Irsquom not scared to laugh or cryhellipI laugh at the funny situations we sometimes find ourselves in life and enjoy people with quirky personalities I cry when I see others in pain
Laurent Elias and the French team en route to the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade copy PSV-Jean Morel
33FOCUS
Nicolas TheacutevenazAged 23 studies Robotics and Autonomous Systems Micro Engineering in Lausanne (SUI) alongside regular training and competition in Dressage and Para-Equestrian Dressage events Born with spastic diplegia Nicolas was introduced to horses via hippotherapy aged seven and quickly developed a passion for riding which not only helped with his physical condition but also taught him through Dressage the art of patience and perseverance
34
One day
Nicolas TheacutevenazAged 23 studies Robotics and Autonomous Systems Micro Engineering in Lausanne (SUI) alongside regular training and competition in Dressage and Para-Equestrian Dressage events Born with spastic diplegia Nicolas was introduced to horses via hippotherapy aged seven and quickly developed a passion for riding which not only helped with his physical condition but also taught him through Dressage the art of patience and perseverance
He has been fortunate to meet the right people (and horses) at the right time and has been working for the past five years with trainer Vicky-Eileen Baumann (pictured right) and her horses Magic and Lady (pictured right) ldquoShersquos bred them and knows them inside out which is very useful when I have to communicate with them - they know my voice intonations and a whole string of specific words or sounds ndash which really helps as my body canrsquot or doesnrsquot always have the strength to do sordquo
As a Grade II Para-Equestrian rider Nicolas competes in Para-Equestrian Dressage (PED) events as well as national events for able bodied riders as there are only a handful of PED riders and no events in Switzerland
Unable to attend the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade 2010 in Kentucky last year Nicolas and Vicky have their sights firmly set on the 2012 Para-lympic Games and will be looking to qualify with Lady over the next 12 months ndash alongside exams studies and everything else life has to offerhellip Who is your role model For different reasons I have different role mod-els Edward Gal Dane Rawlins Isabel Werth and Catherine Haddad
When did you start riding and why At age 7 I was sat on a horse for hippotherapy and liked the complicity with the horse which made me want to discover more
How do you feel when you ride Concentrated and industrious
Who is your biggest fan My trainerrsquos mum
Complete this sentenceOne day I would like tohellip have gained enough knowledge to be able to take care of and train my own horse
What are your long term goals as a rider Continue to do my best to enjoy what I do and show others itrsquos possible
How do you juggle studies and competition I think itrsquos really important to have goals and to do everything you can to achieve them and that includes taking on challenges because if you donrsquot try then yoursquoll never know what you could have achieved
What is your proudest achievement to date Participation in international events together with pursuing my studies
How do you feel after winning Still working towards discovering the feeling
What is the best advice anyone has ever given youMy trainer often repeats to me the famous saying by General LrsquoHotte ldquoCalme en avant droitrdquo which says so much about riding but can also be applied to so many other aspects of life
35FOCUS
What advice would you give someone looking to get involved in Para-Equestrian Dressage Train and ride with able-bodied athletes as often as possible Being around and working with horses is so rewarding Irsquod like - when Irsquom retired - to write a book to share these feelings with others and hope this will inspire them to get involved
Complete this sentenceIn the future I would like the sport to beeven ldquocleanerrdquo and fairer and if possible not more but less demanding on the horses
ldquoLast but not least Irsquod like to take the opportunity of this article to reach out to those who give me their trust and help be it with their time their friendship and any type of support Day after day to year after year team work is essential and Irsquoll do my best to continue deserving every-onersquos encouraging smilesrdquo
European Broadcasting Union
Union Europeacuteenne de Radio-Teacuteleacutevision
+41 (0)22 717 2111 wwweurovisionnet
We bring the event to your home
Eurovision
copy K
it H
ough
ton
FE
I
FEI_08_A4indd 1 03012008 162238
European Broadcasting Union
Union Europeacuteenne de Radio-Teacuteleacutevision
+41 (0)22 717 2111 wwweurovisionnet
We bring the event to your home
Eurovision
copy K
it H
ough
ton
FE
I
FEI_08_A4indd 1 03012008 162238
Nominations for the FEI Awards opened in May enabling the global equestrian com-munity to once again reward outstanding dedication to horse sport in five categories ndash Development Best Groom Against All Odds Rising Star and Best Athlete The search for the equestrian heroes of 2011 is now on who will be flown to Rio de Janeiro Brazil to receive their awards
Where are they now The FEI asked the current title-holders for an update on their activities
Follow us on
38
FEI Awards 2011
Ebony Horse Club (GBR)Winner of the Alltech FEI DevelopmentAward 2010
The Ebony Horse Club announced in December 2010 that after an eight-year fundraising effort it had the pound14 million necessary for building an equestrian cen-tre in one of Londonrsquos most deprived boroughs Since 1996 Ebony has offered youngsters in an area reput-ed for its gang culture high level of gun crime and drug dealing the chance to ride and learn key social skills The clubrsquos 50 members travel to riding schools across London on public transport or in minibuses ndash a logistical headache that the inner-city equestrian centre will end Construction work began in February
Ebony Horse Club founder and director Ros Spear-ing told the FEI ldquoRiding lessons are continuing and the club is preparing for the transitionrdquo Building will finish on 7 July but the centre will open for riding lessons in October ldquoThe horses will be brought to Brixton in the summer and will have time to acclimatise to their new environmentrdquo Spearing said The centre will include stabling for nine horses a small paddock and a flood-lit riding arena as well as a classroom for learning about horses and equine management Spearing is adamant that club members ndash present and future ndash care for their rides and wants the centre to serve as a stepping stone to careers in the horse industry
Ebonyrsquos existence will continue to depend on the generosity of donors For more information visit wwwebonyhorsecluborguk
Michelle Tipper (GBR)Winner of the FEI Best Groom Award 2010
Michelle Tipper has continued to juggle grooming and study since receiving her FEI Award in Novem-ber She has organised the grooms for the British European Junior and Young Dressage teams and in April her contract as a travelling groom for British Dressage riders Paul and Bobby Hayler took her to Addington for the first of many international com-petitions she will work at this year The Haylers have eight horses competing and the number she works with at each venue varies Tipper has also been help-ing British Dressage riders Nicky and Richard Barrett with yard duties ldquoI feel very lucky to work for both of these familiesrdquo said the FEI Best Groom Award win-ner adding that she feels part of the two families In March Tipper graduated from university with a Masters in Sport Psychology She is now working towards British Association of Sport and Exercise Science accreditation which requires at least 500 hoursrsquo supervised work experience and is present-ing sport psychology workshops in conjunction with the company Inside Performance Consulting Limit-ed (wwwinside-performancecom) The workshops are organised internationally for people of all ages from any sport To find out more contact Tipper at michelletipper1979yahoocom
39FOCUS
Michelle Tipper ndash copyWilliam TzengAward winners ndash copyWilliam TzengCaroline Roffman ndash copySharonPackercomEbony Horse Club ndash copyEbony Horse ClubEdward Gal and Totilas ndash copyKit HoughtonFEIAngelika Trabert ndash copyJulia Rau
Angelika Trabert (GER)Winner of the FEI Against All Odds Award 2010
German Para-Dressage rider Angelika Trabert has represent-ed her country at four Paralympic Games and won some 15 medals at national European and world championships She is currently seeking a new home for Londria the mare that con-tributed to her Team Silver medal win at the Hong Kong Para-lympics Londria who had a foal last year was also Trabertrsquos ride during her medal-winning performances at the European Championships in Hungary (2005) and Norway (2009)
Trabert said her decision to let go of Londria was hard to make but was necessary for financial reasons She will keep the foal Finaud Coquin and her mares Walmorel and Ariva-Avanti Trabert won the Para-Dressage Grade 2 Freestyle Champion-ship at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade with Ariva and said the horse was ldquowell and ready to go for the Europeans again in Belgium in September if we qualifyrdquo Trabert competed in her first international competition of 2011 in May in Man-nheim Germany where she came first in the Grade II indi-vidual and second in the freestyle She is taking part in the German Championships in June
Away from the equestrian world Trabert works as an anaes-thetist and has participated in medical missions in the rural ar-eas of Guinea for the organisation Mango In January she was back in Guinea as part of team that carried out 100 operations in 13 days wwwangelika-trabertde
Visit the recently refreshed FEI Awards website to find out more about the Awards the pastwinners the judges and to make yournominationsby 31 July
wwwfeiawardsorg
40
Caroline Roffman (USA)Winner of the HSBC FEI Rising StarAward 2010
Success continues to smile on twenty-two-year-old American Dressage rider Caroline Roffman Since re-ceiving the HSBC FEI Rising Star Award she has en-joyed numerous wins at small tour and young horse levels achieving scores in the mid-eighties and quali-fying two horses for the young horse championships
Roffman is currently showing six horses and has won several classes at PSG and Grand Prix level ldquoBut nothing is as exciting as to be going to Aachenrdquo said the young woman who has been described as the American Dressage communityrsquos brightest hope ex-plaining that at the FEI Awards ceremony in Chinese Taipei Frank Kemperman FEI Dressage Committee Chair and Chairman of the Managing Board at CHIO Aachen (GER) invited her to take part in the pres-tigious event Roffman will be the first American to compete in the Under 25 Grand Prix there and is hop-ing to take her horse Lux Stensvang
An interview with Caroline Roffman at the Palm Beach Dressage Derby CDI will be broadcast on the magazine programme Equestrian World on FEI TV the FEIrsquos official online video platform wwwfeitvorg
Edward Gal and Totilas (NED)Winners of the Reem Acra FEI Best Athlete Award 2010
The world-famous partnership of Dutch Dressage rider Edward Gal and the extraordinary Totilas ended in style in 2010 with notably three gold medal wins at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade
The first foal sired by the superstar stallion was born in January followed by two more in the spring Gal who has admired the foals told the FEI ldquoYou never know ndash maybe in a few yearsrsquo time Irsquoll have another Totilas readyrdquo At the beginning of April he was busy at home training nine horses and preparing for the Reem Acra FEI World Cuptrade Dressage Final in Leipzig and the European Championships in Rotterdam He had not yet decided which horses he was going to compete with but was particularly looking forward to the Freestyle to Music Asked what it was like to compete without Totilas Gal said ldquoEverybody ex-pected Totilas to win I find it easier to ride other horses because nobody expects me to win and when I do itrsquos really nicerdquo
41FOCUS
globetrotter
Seal of approval for the Adai horseSixty years have passed since an Adai horse reportedly set a record galloping 354km in one day Today the Adai horse a breed na-tive to Kazakhstan is back in the spotlight with a gold medal at the FEI Central Asian Endurance Championship in Talgaearlier in May only months after having been award-ed official pedigree status following tests
conducted by a State Commission in the Mangistau Steppes which allowed itto compete internationally The horses are cherished for their hardiness and Oyly ridden by Altyngali Bissemaganbetov (KAZ) proved just that when crossing the finishing line first demonstrating just how tough the Adai horses are and the beginning of a new era for sturdy breed on the international stage
Equestrian Australia Sport
Achievement Awards
In May the best of the best in
Equestrian sport gathered to cel-
ebrate the achievements of Austral-
iarsquos athletes coaches officials vets
administrators owners volunteers
and the many other people that
dedicate their time and enthusiasm
to equestrian sport The ceremony
also included the introduction of
Equestrian Australiarsquos Hall of
Fame won by the legendary Bill
Roycroft Boyd Exell winner of
the FEI World CupTM Driving
Final was awarded the interna-
tional athlete of the year
award
Kevin Stautbecomes first athlete representative on FEI
executive board
Kevin Staut one of Francersquos most successful Jumping riders became the first athlete to be appointed to the FEI Executive Board for a three-year term Staut (31) who has held the number one spot in the Rolex Rankings for Jumping since July 2010 has ridden on numerous Nations Cup teams for France and claimed individual gold at the Alltech FEI European Jumping Championships in 2009
HulA CARTSWorld Horse Welfare has greatly helped the liv
es of
five Senegalese cart horse owners by presenting them
with new Hula Carts The local people who depend on
their working horses for their livelihoods were specially
selected by the charity to receive the carts which have
been sponsored by members of the public in the uK
The Hula Carts are specifically developed to help the
horses pulling heavy loads in often difficult conditions
Equestrian Australia Sport
Achievement Awards
In May the best of the best in
Equestrian sport gathered to cel-
ebrate the achievements of Austral-
iarsquos athletes coaches officials vets
administrators owners volunteers
and the many other people that
dedicate their time and enthusiasm
to equestrian sport The ceremony
also included the introduction of
Equestrian Australiarsquos Hall of
Fame won by the legendary Bill
Roycroft Boyd Exell winner of
the FEI World CupTM Driving
Final was awarded the interna-
tional athlete of the year
award
Olympic legendBill Roycroft passes away aged 96
A legend of Equestrian sport in Australia James William
George Roycroft OBE known as ldquoBillrdquo was one of Austral-
iarsquos greatest Olympians and one of only five Australians to
have competed in five consecutive Olympic Games (from
1960 - 1976) as well as being Australiarsquos oldest medallist
and oldest competitor at 61 years and 31 days In May 2011
Bill was inducted in Equestrian Australiarsquos inaugural Hall
of Fame ndash he was Australiarsquos oldest living Olympian and
shared his dedication and enthusiasm for the sport with
his sons Barry Wayne and Clarke (See a brief description
of his exploits in the 1960 Olympic Games Memory Lane
article page 9 which catapulted Australiarsquos reputation as
one of the best Eventing teams in the world)
webinfofeiFEI web wizard Nicole Sigrist has added a new hub for the Press on wwwfeiorg called FEI Press Kits located in the Media section of the website The Press Kits zone which is also open to the general public is regularly updated with infor-mation relating to FEI series and specific events with flip books and downloadable PDFs as well as direct links to the Photo Catalogue the Rankings and Standings the Annual Report and more
100thanniversary for Finnish riding club
One of the three found-ing member clubs of
the Finnish Equestrian Federation the Suomen
Kenttaumlratsastusseura-Finska Faumlltrittklubbenon celebrates
its 100th anniversary in 2011 Magnus Rydman former President of the Finnish National Federation and Presi-dent of the FEI from 1935 ndash 1946 was one of the founders of the club Another of the founders of the oldest club in Fin-land was the Eventing rider Colonel Hans Olof von Essen whose fifth place at the Antwerpen Olympic Games re-mains the best Olympic equestrian result the country has ever achieved
Follow us on
43FOCUS
Interview with the President of the Brazilian Equestrian Federation Mr Luiz Roberto Giugni
The Brazilian Equestrian Federation has been a member Federation of the FEI for 75 years how has the sport developed over that time We were facing regular growth (average of 25 in the last decade) but in the last three to four years this rate has significantly increased up to 35 a year We believe that this is due to international achievements (two Jumping Olympic team bronze medals the individual Olympic Jumping gold medal won by Rodrigo Pessoa several Pan Am Jumping team gold medals recent Olympic pre-qualification in Kentucky (4th in the world in Jumping) and the organisations of a Global Champions Tour event in Brazil
In terms of developing the sport what are the most successful projects you have undertaken in recent yearsWe decided to invest in education and have hired international trainers for all the disciplines such as Jean Maurice Bonneau for Jumping Nick Turner for Eventing Eric Lette for Dressage Jean Louis Leclerc for Endurance Mattias Lang for Vaulting with the long term in mind that is at least until the end of 2012 and planning towards 2016 when Rio will host the Olympic Games
How popular is equestrian sport with young people in Brazil and how do you compete with some of the bigger sports for their attention Popularization is growing bit by bit in a country
decidedly dominated by soccer ndash being 5 times World Champion makes it a national passion But we are continuously looking to attract TV to our events as this is a huge step towards gaining visibility and popularity Can you tell us about the programmesinitiatives in place for disabled athletes We are actively pursuing this and have achieved really positive results in little time such as the great performances and medals earned at the Para-lympic Games in Hong Kong in 2008 We do this through clinics courses international exchanges of athletes and working alongside our National Paralympic Committee to support us in our efforts
Brazil will be host the FEI General Assembly at the end of the year what do you want all the visiting delegates to remember from their visit That we are more than just a really beautiful and warm country with the ability and capacity to organise great events and that we are committed to putting on the best Olympic Games ever
What are the main objectivesplans for the Brazilian Federation in the lead up to the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games Our NOC is really committed to raising the bar of all the sports to a level never seen before and we are working towards that in terms of our athletes our judges our venues and everything that is related to our sport and the quality of our sport In line with this objective we are providing incen-tives to owners to buy good horses aiming for 2016 and this is going to plan for now We expect to perform well at the upcoming Pan Am Games and Olympics on our trail to 2016
Is there anything else you would like to share with us I would like to thank HRH Princess Haya President of the FEI as well as the Executive Board for all the support that we are getting which has been paramount to the development of equestrian sport in our country
44
President Luiz Roberto GiugniSecretary General Luiz Antonio RoccoMember since 1935
15 members of staff work at the federation
20 regional federations are affiliated tothe Brazilian Equestrian Federation with over 300 member riding clubs
6 000 affiliated riders
91 national events were held in 2010
31 international events were held in 2010
All the FEI disciplines are practiced in BrazilJumping Dressage Eventing Vaulting Reining EnduranceDriving amp Para-Equestrian
14 breeding organisations
There are 58 million horses and ponies in Brazilmaking it the fourth largest equine population in the world
FAC
TS amp
FIG
URE
S
45FOCUS
Dr Gerit Matthesen56 is a private equine practitioner an FEI Vet and a member of the FEI Veterinary Committee He graduated in Veterinary Medicine from Berlin University in 1983 and since 1989 has worked or officiated at some 180 competitions and championships including the last two Olympics and FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade He lives near Frankfurt with his wife Carola and their sons Mike (16) and Lars (14)
46
A life in a day
Dr Gerit Matthesen56 is a private equine practitioner an FEI Vet and a member of the FEI Veterinary Committee He graduated in Veterinary Medicine from Berlin University in 1983 and since 1989 has worked or officiated at some 180 competitions and championships including the last two Olympics and FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade He lives near Frankfurt with his wife Carola and their sons Mike (16) and Lars (14)
I wake up earlier than I need to ndash at around 6am ndash because breakfast time with my family is sacred to me and I can then drive my boys to the village station to take the train to school After two cups of coffee (enough for the day) and a glass of orange juice I read the newspapers then head to my prac-tice offices in our indoor arena I have a quick look at our horses then start work
While I listen to my phone messages I deal with my emails and search the internet for news about veterinary medicine and horse sport I then start planning the dayacutes schedule with Anna my assistant vet
My mobile practice is in a nice fairly rural area in the north of Frankfurt There are lots of horse farms but it is not a classic breeding area like the northern part of Germany There are sport horses as well as pleasure horses I have examination rooms and stables for horses staying or mares foaling in my practice stables Itrsquos not a big clinic which gives me time to work at competitions
After seeing a few small animals in my practice I normally start my field service at 930am In my car I have enough equipment (ultrasound X-ray systems and endoscopical devices) for the dayrsquos examinations and standing procedures We mainly have lameness examinations to do or internal diseases to treat accompanied by routine work like vaccinations or carrying out pre-purchase or health certificate examinations If time allows I go home for a quick lunch but thatrsquos not every day
While Irsquom driving I have time to think and I write down everything that come to mind regarding sport competitions committees and so on You have to write down your thoughts when yoursquore over the age of 50
It is not easy planning my day because any emer-gency can destroy or delay my schedule For all the paperwork and certificates I need a time frame so
I often do that over quiet weekends when there are no competitions During the winter season I am less busy but in summer a lot of weekends are taken over by the competition schedule
I love my work especially in Eventing which is my favourite discipline My wife and I practiced it ndash not up to top level but it was a fine time despite a bro-ken ankle from a fall in 1988 which after 23 years is making walking more and more difficult for me
I like to do my competition work on a friendly but strict basis and I really like to hear riders saying they are treated fairly Over the years I have acquired a lot of experience and met all the officials and riders
Usually when I return home in the late afternoon there are more small animals to see When Irsquove done the dayrsquos paperwork I hope there will be no more emergencies such as cases of colic which usually occur in the early evening
I look forward to getting on my horse which is a beautiful show-jumper I like to ride but Irsquove stopped competing I do dressage jumping and go out into the fields but itrsquos all just for fun now
The day finishes with the family and a nice cold glass of German beer
Itrsquos a struggle to find time to spend with my family and I often have to cancel my holidays with them I am really grateful to my wife and the boys for their understanding of my job and to my assistant vet who covers for me when Iacutem out somewhere in the world of equestrian sport
ldquoThe combination of my profession and beinginvolved in differentaspects of top equestrian sport is my visionrdquo
47FOCUS
Pull your show attire from the closet clean your boots and tack groom the horses hook up and pack the trailer check the clock double check to make sure you have everything put on the shipping boots load your horses and away you drive to the competition venue or to the airport for transport to a distant event
You know the drill well but still you arrive tired per-haps even a bit frazzled Yoursquoll sleep (or try to) the next several nights in an unfamiliar bed or camp out in the living quarters of your trailer You awaken riveted on the competition playing out the dayrsquos classes in your mind wondering how your rides will fare against oth-ers praying that the weather will be cooperate and trying to control your nerves all the while knowing that no matter how well you have prepared many factors are out of your control You may even be in a different time zone
We go through a lot to compete our horses But if you think life on the road is stressful for you think about what itrsquos like for your horses Your back may be a bit sore from driving or being strapped into an airplane seat for hours on end but for horses transportation is far more demanding It is an athletic endeavour re-quiring an expenditure of energy to maintain balance during the constant movement of transport When your horses arrive they face social isolation from stablemates lack of security in novel environments altered training regimes water that tastes strange and the confines of an unfamiliar stall This routine impacts a horsersquos health and well being with effects
continuing long after the journey is over During transport toxic gases (such as ammonia or carbon monoxide) can cause damage to the lung epithelium precipitating respiratory disease The
final destination itself can also cause problems Usually horses are transported to environments where they will be mixing with other horses The mixing of horses from different environments with different infectious organisms and under stressful conditions further precipitates susceptibility to disease
This can have a severe impact on the equine gut The stress of transportation is known to increase gut ulceration in the horse a painful condition reducing performance and causing colic-like symptoms Stress can also slow the flow of digesta and alter the normal gut flora resulting in digestive upset and possibly diarrhoea or colic
The effects of travel stress on the gut are compounded by the typical diet of the regular equine traveller To maintain athletic ability high performance horses are often fed energy-charged diets contain-ing increased levels of starchy materials such as cereal grains Unfortunately this type of diet can reduce beneficial types of gut flora and promote gut acidity further predisposing the horse to digestive upsets and ulceration It is not surprising that stressed tired horses may not fulfill their potential on arrival
Feeding to reduce stress for the equine traveller
By Darlene RickerExecutive editor of Alltechrsquos EQUINE INTERNATIONAL magazine
48
Alltech Tips
growth of opportunistic Salmonella spp which are present in the intestinal tract of many healthy horses These bacteria then attach to the gut lining via a mannan sugar and penetrate it causing damage and resulting in diarrhoea One method of prevent-ing or minimising the attachment of these organ-
isms to the gut lining is to provide an adsorbant supplement A form of sugar found in the cell walls of certain yeasts can do this This sugar compound is called man-nan oligosaccharide or MOS MOS products such as Alltechrsquos Bio-Mosreg have been shown to re-duce the colonization of Salmonella
spp in the guts of certain species and augment the immune response to Salmonella spp potentially conferring an enhanced ability to fight infection Both Yea-Saccreg 1026 and Bio-Mos are among the natural products contained in Alltechrsquos LIFEFORCETM equine supplement which many FEI competitors have successfully incorporated into their daily feeding regimen at home and on the road
lifeforcehorsecom
and may be subject to health concerns in the days following a long journey Fortunately however you can curb some of the effects of travel stress on the horsersquos gut by nutritional supplementation Organic yeast products used to supplement a horsersquos diet can support the normal gut flora modifying the intesti-nal environment and improving the horsersquos digestion One such culture is Saccharomyces cerevisae in the form of Yea-Saccreg 1026 Alltechrsquos propriety organic yeast
Experiments were conducted to evaluate the effects Yea-Sacc on gut flora and gut acidity Horses were fed either a high-starch or a high-fibre diet both with and without supplementation of Yea-Saccreg 1026 Results indicated an excessive amount of starch in the gut The use of Yea-Sacc reduced acidity and stimulat-ed the activity of fibre-digesting bacteria in the hind-gut for both types of diet The result was maximised fibre digestibility and more efficient use of nutrients thus increasing the amount of energy available to the horse for performance and counteracting digestive upset Salmonellosis is one of the more commonly di-agnosed infectious causes of diarrhoea in horses Many cases develop after the stress of transport The effects of travel stress on the normal gut flora allow an over-
Moorlands Totilas arrives for the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade after air transport copy Dirk Caremans
HRH The Infanta Dontildea Pilar de Borboacuten former President of the FEI (1994-2006) also attended the inauguration along-side HRH Princess Lalla Amina Chairperson of the Royal Moroccan Federation for Equestrian Sports and member of the international Advisory Council of Special OlympicsThey were joined by International Olympic Commit-tee members representatives from other Interna-tional Federations federal and local Swiss authorities as well as architects and designers that worked on the project Switzerlandrsquos Martin Fuchs a member of the gold medal winning team at the inaugural Youth Olympic Games in Singapore last year accompanied FEI President Princess Haya in officially opening the FEI headquarters
ldquoThe building we are inaugurating today has been designed to serve our wonderful sportrdquo explained FEI
President Princess Haya ldquoI also feel an immense
sense of pride knowing that this building carries the name
of my late father and hope that this serves as a constant reminder
to all of us who work at the FEI of a unique statesman whose entire soul was devoted to the service of his people Our new headquarters will play a key role for the FEI and our National Federa-tions over the coming years It will be the environ-ment in which important discussions take place and fundamental decisions are taken as we continue our mission to advance the orderly growth of equestrian sport worldwide while ensuring that the welfare of the horse and a level playing field remain at the centre of all that we dordquo
FEI celebratesNEW Headquarters
Over 250 guests attended the inauguration ceremony on Friday 6 May at HM King Hussein I Building which was timed to coincide with the FEI
Extraordinary General Assembly so that attending NationalFederation representatives
could be a part ofthe celebrations
1 Youth Olympic Games team champion Martin Fuchs (SUI) FEI President HRH Princess Haya and her daughter HH Sheikha Al Jalila officially open the FEIrsquos new home 2 Gilbert Felli IOC Olympic Games Executive Director and FEI Secretary General Ingmar de Vos 3 HRH The Infanta Dontildea Pilar de Borboacuten sits down to an interactive quiz in the FEI Gallery 4 Guests gathered in the atrium of the FEI HeadquartersAll images copy Hugues SiegenthalerFEI
Highlights available on50
1
2
3 4
5
6 7
8
THE GALLERy
As well as housing offices for its 62 employees and conference facilities for its 133 National Federations the new headquarters also has a state-of-the-art in-teractive gallery showcasing equestrian sport
The Gallery is the brainchild of Dr Amichai Alper-ovich historian former Secretary General of the Is-raeli Equestrian Federation and curator of the Israeli Olympic Museum (opened in 2009) He worked hand in hand with the Tel Aviv based company Disk-In Pro and interior designer Oded Alony to help bring the content to life and the result is truly unique and ground breaking Giant glass surfaces act as interac-tive interfaces for the visitors to travel through time
The FEIrsquos new headquarters which were donated to the Federation by FEI Presi-dent HRH Princess Haya in 2007 fol-lowing a personal fundraising effort are conveniently located close to the Inter-national Olympic Committee and other international sports federations It has been written into the FEI Statutes that the new FEI headquarters building will always house the Federationrsquos offices In 2008 the building was thoroughly renovated in accordance with the Swiss MINERGIEreg construction standard for environmental responsibility which re-duces energy consumption by 25 per cent Only two per cent of renovated buildings in Switzerland meet the high Minergie standards Khuan Chew founder and design princi-pal of London-based architectural firm KCA International Ltd worked in close collaboration with Swiss-based architect Herveacute de Rham and interior designer Sia-vosh Adeli (SUI) to transform the build-ing which was built in the 1960s The modern and sleek interior was further enhanced with bespoke artworks pro-duced by Swiss creative agency b+g amp partners and imagery by world-famous equestrian art photographer Tim Flach where the simplicity and beauty of his equine subjects seamlessly embrace and accentuate the buildingrsquos pure lines and natural materials (see image left)
As they feasted on the innate beauty of their sur-roundings the guests also had the privilege to ex-perience the culinary talents of organic chef and specialist Gilles Wannaz and his team based in the town of Cully which sits on the edge of Lac Leman in Switzerlandrsquos famous Lavaux wine growing region
5 HRH Princess Haya welcomes the guests to the Inauguration of the HQ and the 90 year celebration of the FEI 6 Artwork by renowned pho-tographer Tim Flach 7 An organic and colourful buffet presented on an authentic lawn by local chef Gilles Wannaz 8 A life size horse sculpture by Christophe Dumont greeted the guests upon their arrival
53FOCUS
and space with the latest in touch technology revis-iting the history of the FEI the equestrian events at Olympic amp Paralympic Games the FEI World Eques-trian Gamestrade and information on all of the member National Federations with statistics videos images and text The Gallery also includes projections on ar-chitectural surfaces designed by Oded Alony referred to as the Origami as well as interactive stations and unique video projections on glass screens
For all those wishing to visit the FEI Gallery simply contact the FEI HQ to make an appointment and we would be delighted to take you on a journey to dis-cover or rediscover the human and equine athletes whose talents have marked equestrian history and inspired young riders drivers and vaulters around the world
Interview withDrAmichaiAlperovich
When did you first dream up the FEIInteractive Gallery When I found out the FEI was planning to move into new HQ in 2009 Disk-In Pro and I approached the FEI and presented them with several concepts for the space Before long we had agreed on the concept and we got to work
Why were you compelled to make it become a reality So that the FEI a prominent sports organisation could present itself to a growing audience in a new and visionary way with the latest technology And by doing so the FEI is a pioneer becoming the first International Federation to have a Gallery of this kind
What did you learn when researching and gathering content for the gallery I have learned a lot about the history of the FEI the strong Olympic tradition the diversity of disciplines the gender equality and the unique bond between horse and man One of the more fascinating topics was the evolution of the Dressage from itsrsquo Olympic debut to the modern Freestyle
Itrsquos very innovative technology what inspired you to take such a leap into the future with such a traditional sport Just as Dressage has evolved over the years and alongside the introduction of new disciplines partic-ularly Para-Equestrian you come to realise that the FEI is not as traditional as one would think Actually this kind of innovative presentation of equestrian history is really well suited to the FEI In the same way that you can have horse-man connections there is an audience-technology connection in the Gallery The audience have to be active in order to enjoy the depth of information the Gallery contains
54
Now it is time to open the door to new places to learn about sport ndash at the heart of sporting organi-sations themselves The Gallery is more than an informative tool it brings people to the sport andto the heart of its operations
Established in 1990 Disk-In Pro specialises in the planning design production and implementation of Museums Visitor Centres and sophisticated projects around the world This includes multi screen produc-tion animation 3D amp interactive films state-of-the-art software platforms and complex video displays for an unforgettable experience
Oded Alony holds a BA in Design from the Interior Design Section of the Holon Technological Institute and has since 1998 worked with Israelrsquos leading Architecture firms The Oded Alony Studio embraces holistic design a space where interior design lighting and graphics are brought together to create a harmo-nious project vision
Now that you have seen it unveiled to the public how would you like to see it evolve I hope the audience will be amazed from the design by architect Oded Alony and the new methods to deliver information whilst discovering the long his-tory of the FEI the diversity and the global reach of the organisation I hope the Gallery will become an icon in Lausanne and one of its highlights for visitors I promise the visitors a new platform to learn about equestrianism and each visit could be different as the information and themes will be updated and modi-fied regularly
This futuristic gallery is a first for anInternational Federation do you think thisis something all sports should invest inThe FEI took this courageous decision and now has this fantastic tool to present the organisation in new ways Sport is a huge cultural phenomenaWe have learned to consume sport in the arenas and stadiums in the press media and new media
Dr Amichai Alperovich
55FOCUS
SOCIAL MEDIAthe new frontier
Follow us on
The FEI has recently embarked on and embraced a whole new way of talking with the greater equestrian community through the ever expanding social media networks and platformsWith personalised Facebook Twitter and You Tube pages the FEI is taking it step by step and reaching out to this growing audience and listening to what they have to say
This new communication platform is by no means a substitution of the traditional communication path-ways but works alongside the press releases various publications and content on wwwfeiorg and wwwfeitvorg providing a new arena where the FEI can share interact and dialogue with fans of the sport and of equestrian values in general
We talk to Richard Johnson Director of Corporate Communications about the FEIrsquos commitment to social media
What compelled the FEI to venture onto the social media scene As a governing body with a vibrant and active com-munity of National Federations as well as thousands of fans the need to reach out to the online social community has never been stronger We have been watching the communities grow online for some time and have been listening to their conversations so being a part of it was the next logical step and a really important one The conversations will hap-pen with or without us so taking that step has been crucial in order to share our values and also build re-lationships with our fan base
Tradition meets modernity ndash does equestrian sportthe FEI have a place in social media Absolutely even though equestrian sport has a long history and is perceived as a traditional sport it is
always evolving In the 90 years of the FEI which was founded to govern the three Olympic disciplines it has grown to also oversee the disciplines of Driving Endurance Vaulting Reining and Para-Equestrian sport Or if you look at the early days when competi-tors were from military backgrounds and when wom-en did not compete alongside men to the complete gender equality we have today ndash a lot has changed and is in a constant state of change
The fans of equestrian sport are like any other fan base web savvy and eager for more information behind the scenes content and to share their opin-ions and thoughts ndash so it is an ideal partnership And from what we have seen these last few months and from the feedback we got from our blog at the Youth Olympic Games there is a real appetite for this
The FEI has dedicated Facebook Twitter and You Tube pages ndash why did you select these social media platforms The figures speak for themselveshellip Facebook Twit-ter and You Tube are the biggest players in the social networking space With over 500 million Facebook users 106 million Tweeters and 2 billion views a day on You Tube there has never been so much oppor-tunity for exposure Every site has different demo-graphics with different habits and needs so by having an FEI presence on these three networks we are able to cover a lot of ground and cater to different audi-ences by providing different types of content accord-ing to the platform
What are the main benefits of having a pres-ence on various social media platforms Itrsquos all about having a two way conversation ndash the benefits of dialogue where you can share content such as videos images facts and figures thoughts and values and then allow your fan base to react to get involved and to listen and learn from them By engaging with our audience and showing them that we are a modern and caring organisation and that we want to hear what they have to say then we are able to build trust and ultimately credibility in what we do and what we say
57FOCUS
TV
The offi cial video website of the Feacutedeacuteration Equestre Internationale
wwwfeitvorg
WATCH LIVE WATCH ONLINE
FEI TV is the FEIrsquos new offi cial video website and your ticket to the worldrsquos most prestigious competitions Sign-up to FEI TV (wwwfeitvorg) and get instant access to all the live broadcasts the extensive video-on-demand library all the highlights the behind the scenes reports the interviews and so much more Be at the heart of horsesport Join us
2823_1FEI_TV_Focus_165x226indd 1 170510 1124
It also keeps us alert as to what is being discussed and debated in the public sphere so that we can manage situations more effectively and be proactive in our messaging and information so that the facts are at the heart of the debate and not interpretations of them
How do you generate content for social media It was important when we launched our social me-dia presence that it be manageable with the exist-ing communications team in place ndash and so we have concentrated on keeping it simple and effective and using content innovatively Itrsquos not about reproduc-ing our website ndash but to engage with our fans and so often all you need is a good picture an interest-ing fact or great achievement to get the ball rolling For You Tube as we already have so much content generated from FEI TV it was simply a question of using bits and pieces from that content to provide the public with teasers from events interviews with winning riders or behind the scenes content which they can then follow up on FEI TV with a subscription
What are your Social media goals Itrsquos really to build relationships and dialogue with our fan base by using our content innovatively by listening to what they have to say and by engaging with the community And for the National Federa-tions that have yet to take that step we want to be a guiding hand that can help them get started so that they too can reap the benefits of social media net-working Our sport competes against other sports for attention so itrsquos really important that we the FEI and the National Federations keep our finger on the pulse and cater to our fans
How can National Federations get involved NFs wishing to find out more about Social Media can contact me (richardjohnsonfeiorg) and I would be more than happy to discuss opportunities and ways of getting started as well as our experience at the FEI
We asked our Facebook followers why it was important to use face-book and here are a few comments they came up with
bullItrsquos a great way to find out about shows and competitions
bullBecause facebook can provide up to the minute updates as to the what is going on in the horse community
bullWe can share information and ideas over long distances We can find and connect with people we wouldnt be able to otherwise
bullIt also lets us express the true realities of our spot to keep us grounded
bullIt can bring peoples attention to excellence ndash and expose the issues
58
TV
The offi cial video website of the Feacutedeacuteration Equestre Internationale
wwwfeitvorg
WATCH LIVE WATCH ONLINE
FEI TV is the FEIrsquos new offi cial video website and your ticket to the worldrsquos most prestigious competitions Sign-up to FEI TV (wwwfeitvorg) and get instant access to all the live broadcasts the extensive video-on-demand library all the highlights the behind the scenes reports the interviews and so much more Be at the heart of horsesport Join us
2823_1FEI_TV_Focus_165x226indd 1 170510 1124
ldquo Donrsquot accept drinks from a strangerrdquo
Armchair travel journalist
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HSBC Premier is subject to financial eligibility criteria and is available in over 40 countries and territories
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201736_6000263_Coconut_226x165indd
Master 226x165
Rob Swainson 160211
HSBC - Coconuts Proof 01Head of Art TypographerDesigner ArtCreative Director Copywriter Account DirectorDIC Project ManagerPhotographer Illustrator Usage Model(s) Name(s) Usage
Media MediaStock Image Time Period Time Period
Territory Territory
8deg N ndash Kerala South India
After three years at the head of the successful French Jumping team with back to back FEI Nations Cuptrade titles and a silver medal at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade Laurent Elias is moving on to new spheres with the French Horse amp Riding Institute where he will be training the riders of the National Riding School in Saumur
Laurent Elias
copy C
hris
toph
e Br
icot
32
The other side of
If I had not become a professional rider I would havehellipmade a career in a humanitarian organisation Horse riding is sometimes too trivial
My priority in life ishellipto be able to look at myself in the mirror in the morning and make sure I am at peace with my conscience
My familyhellipkeeps me grounded My wife helped me a lot when I was in charge of selections for France She took charge of my personal life and was the first person I called when we got the medal in Lexington I also admire my parents for the values they passed on to me
I remember my first ridingexperiencehellipaged six we were shooting a family film and I was on horseback I finished upside down under my horse for a long time I stopped riding for one year
I used to dream abouthellipsafaris One of my uncles was passionate about safaris Through him I became very interested in African trips and the jobs that allow you to travel as a reporter were fascinating to me as well
I have been thinking a lot abouthellipwhat happened in Japan these past few months First this tsunami that devastated everything without warning then the nuclear disaster It made me think that progress should not be destructive
My horse Gueacutenourhellipchanged my life I was just a coach and he brought me to the top I won the national championship in 1981 with him
My biggest challengehas always beenhellipshyness Horse riding has really helped me over-come it Horses brought me on stage and there I had to meet people
As a Chef dEquipehellipthere is no single defining achievement itrsquos all about the solidarity and the moments spent together as a team Irsquoll never forget the first time Penelope Leprevost rode her mare Jubileacutee drsquoOuilly in the FEI Nations Cuptrade of Rotterdam McLain Ward had just completed a real fast run with Sapphire We thought the Americans would win but she did it faster and beat Sapphire
In terms of eventshellipAachen is my favourite competition - for its won-derful organisation But we have also pretty good five star competitions in France
I donrsquot sleep muchhellipprobably because I am just happy to be alive
Irsquom not scared to laugh or cryhellipI laugh at the funny situations we sometimes find ourselves in life and enjoy people with quirky personalities I cry when I see others in pain
Laurent Elias and the French team en route to the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade copy PSV-Jean Morel
33FOCUS
Nicolas TheacutevenazAged 23 studies Robotics and Autonomous Systems Micro Engineering in Lausanne (SUI) alongside regular training and competition in Dressage and Para-Equestrian Dressage events Born with spastic diplegia Nicolas was introduced to horses via hippotherapy aged seven and quickly developed a passion for riding which not only helped with his physical condition but also taught him through Dressage the art of patience and perseverance
34
One day
Nicolas TheacutevenazAged 23 studies Robotics and Autonomous Systems Micro Engineering in Lausanne (SUI) alongside regular training and competition in Dressage and Para-Equestrian Dressage events Born with spastic diplegia Nicolas was introduced to horses via hippotherapy aged seven and quickly developed a passion for riding which not only helped with his physical condition but also taught him through Dressage the art of patience and perseverance
He has been fortunate to meet the right people (and horses) at the right time and has been working for the past five years with trainer Vicky-Eileen Baumann (pictured right) and her horses Magic and Lady (pictured right) ldquoShersquos bred them and knows them inside out which is very useful when I have to communicate with them - they know my voice intonations and a whole string of specific words or sounds ndash which really helps as my body canrsquot or doesnrsquot always have the strength to do sordquo
As a Grade II Para-Equestrian rider Nicolas competes in Para-Equestrian Dressage (PED) events as well as national events for able bodied riders as there are only a handful of PED riders and no events in Switzerland
Unable to attend the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade 2010 in Kentucky last year Nicolas and Vicky have their sights firmly set on the 2012 Para-lympic Games and will be looking to qualify with Lady over the next 12 months ndash alongside exams studies and everything else life has to offerhellip Who is your role model For different reasons I have different role mod-els Edward Gal Dane Rawlins Isabel Werth and Catherine Haddad
When did you start riding and why At age 7 I was sat on a horse for hippotherapy and liked the complicity with the horse which made me want to discover more
How do you feel when you ride Concentrated and industrious
Who is your biggest fan My trainerrsquos mum
Complete this sentenceOne day I would like tohellip have gained enough knowledge to be able to take care of and train my own horse
What are your long term goals as a rider Continue to do my best to enjoy what I do and show others itrsquos possible
How do you juggle studies and competition I think itrsquos really important to have goals and to do everything you can to achieve them and that includes taking on challenges because if you donrsquot try then yoursquoll never know what you could have achieved
What is your proudest achievement to date Participation in international events together with pursuing my studies
How do you feel after winning Still working towards discovering the feeling
What is the best advice anyone has ever given youMy trainer often repeats to me the famous saying by General LrsquoHotte ldquoCalme en avant droitrdquo which says so much about riding but can also be applied to so many other aspects of life
35FOCUS
What advice would you give someone looking to get involved in Para-Equestrian Dressage Train and ride with able-bodied athletes as often as possible Being around and working with horses is so rewarding Irsquod like - when Irsquom retired - to write a book to share these feelings with others and hope this will inspire them to get involved
Complete this sentenceIn the future I would like the sport to beeven ldquocleanerrdquo and fairer and if possible not more but less demanding on the horses
ldquoLast but not least Irsquod like to take the opportunity of this article to reach out to those who give me their trust and help be it with their time their friendship and any type of support Day after day to year after year team work is essential and Irsquoll do my best to continue deserving every-onersquos encouraging smilesrdquo
European Broadcasting Union
Union Europeacuteenne de Radio-Teacuteleacutevision
+41 (0)22 717 2111 wwweurovisionnet
We bring the event to your home
Eurovision
copy K
it H
ough
ton
FE
I
FEI_08_A4indd 1 03012008 162238
European Broadcasting Union
Union Europeacuteenne de Radio-Teacuteleacutevision
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We bring the event to your home
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it H
ough
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FE
I
FEI_08_A4indd 1 03012008 162238
Nominations for the FEI Awards opened in May enabling the global equestrian com-munity to once again reward outstanding dedication to horse sport in five categories ndash Development Best Groom Against All Odds Rising Star and Best Athlete The search for the equestrian heroes of 2011 is now on who will be flown to Rio de Janeiro Brazil to receive their awards
Where are they now The FEI asked the current title-holders for an update on their activities
Follow us on
38
FEI Awards 2011
Ebony Horse Club (GBR)Winner of the Alltech FEI DevelopmentAward 2010
The Ebony Horse Club announced in December 2010 that after an eight-year fundraising effort it had the pound14 million necessary for building an equestrian cen-tre in one of Londonrsquos most deprived boroughs Since 1996 Ebony has offered youngsters in an area reput-ed for its gang culture high level of gun crime and drug dealing the chance to ride and learn key social skills The clubrsquos 50 members travel to riding schools across London on public transport or in minibuses ndash a logistical headache that the inner-city equestrian centre will end Construction work began in February
Ebony Horse Club founder and director Ros Spear-ing told the FEI ldquoRiding lessons are continuing and the club is preparing for the transitionrdquo Building will finish on 7 July but the centre will open for riding lessons in October ldquoThe horses will be brought to Brixton in the summer and will have time to acclimatise to their new environmentrdquo Spearing said The centre will include stabling for nine horses a small paddock and a flood-lit riding arena as well as a classroom for learning about horses and equine management Spearing is adamant that club members ndash present and future ndash care for their rides and wants the centre to serve as a stepping stone to careers in the horse industry
Ebonyrsquos existence will continue to depend on the generosity of donors For more information visit wwwebonyhorsecluborguk
Michelle Tipper (GBR)Winner of the FEI Best Groom Award 2010
Michelle Tipper has continued to juggle grooming and study since receiving her FEI Award in Novem-ber She has organised the grooms for the British European Junior and Young Dressage teams and in April her contract as a travelling groom for British Dressage riders Paul and Bobby Hayler took her to Addington for the first of many international com-petitions she will work at this year The Haylers have eight horses competing and the number she works with at each venue varies Tipper has also been help-ing British Dressage riders Nicky and Richard Barrett with yard duties ldquoI feel very lucky to work for both of these familiesrdquo said the FEI Best Groom Award win-ner adding that she feels part of the two families In March Tipper graduated from university with a Masters in Sport Psychology She is now working towards British Association of Sport and Exercise Science accreditation which requires at least 500 hoursrsquo supervised work experience and is present-ing sport psychology workshops in conjunction with the company Inside Performance Consulting Limit-ed (wwwinside-performancecom) The workshops are organised internationally for people of all ages from any sport To find out more contact Tipper at michelletipper1979yahoocom
39FOCUS
Michelle Tipper ndash copyWilliam TzengAward winners ndash copyWilliam TzengCaroline Roffman ndash copySharonPackercomEbony Horse Club ndash copyEbony Horse ClubEdward Gal and Totilas ndash copyKit HoughtonFEIAngelika Trabert ndash copyJulia Rau
Angelika Trabert (GER)Winner of the FEI Against All Odds Award 2010
German Para-Dressage rider Angelika Trabert has represent-ed her country at four Paralympic Games and won some 15 medals at national European and world championships She is currently seeking a new home for Londria the mare that con-tributed to her Team Silver medal win at the Hong Kong Para-lympics Londria who had a foal last year was also Trabertrsquos ride during her medal-winning performances at the European Championships in Hungary (2005) and Norway (2009)
Trabert said her decision to let go of Londria was hard to make but was necessary for financial reasons She will keep the foal Finaud Coquin and her mares Walmorel and Ariva-Avanti Trabert won the Para-Dressage Grade 2 Freestyle Champion-ship at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade with Ariva and said the horse was ldquowell and ready to go for the Europeans again in Belgium in September if we qualifyrdquo Trabert competed in her first international competition of 2011 in May in Man-nheim Germany where she came first in the Grade II indi-vidual and second in the freestyle She is taking part in the German Championships in June
Away from the equestrian world Trabert works as an anaes-thetist and has participated in medical missions in the rural ar-eas of Guinea for the organisation Mango In January she was back in Guinea as part of team that carried out 100 operations in 13 days wwwangelika-trabertde
Visit the recently refreshed FEI Awards website to find out more about the Awards the pastwinners the judges and to make yournominationsby 31 July
wwwfeiawardsorg
40
Caroline Roffman (USA)Winner of the HSBC FEI Rising StarAward 2010
Success continues to smile on twenty-two-year-old American Dressage rider Caroline Roffman Since re-ceiving the HSBC FEI Rising Star Award she has en-joyed numerous wins at small tour and young horse levels achieving scores in the mid-eighties and quali-fying two horses for the young horse championships
Roffman is currently showing six horses and has won several classes at PSG and Grand Prix level ldquoBut nothing is as exciting as to be going to Aachenrdquo said the young woman who has been described as the American Dressage communityrsquos brightest hope ex-plaining that at the FEI Awards ceremony in Chinese Taipei Frank Kemperman FEI Dressage Committee Chair and Chairman of the Managing Board at CHIO Aachen (GER) invited her to take part in the pres-tigious event Roffman will be the first American to compete in the Under 25 Grand Prix there and is hop-ing to take her horse Lux Stensvang
An interview with Caroline Roffman at the Palm Beach Dressage Derby CDI will be broadcast on the magazine programme Equestrian World on FEI TV the FEIrsquos official online video platform wwwfeitvorg
Edward Gal and Totilas (NED)Winners of the Reem Acra FEI Best Athlete Award 2010
The world-famous partnership of Dutch Dressage rider Edward Gal and the extraordinary Totilas ended in style in 2010 with notably three gold medal wins at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade
The first foal sired by the superstar stallion was born in January followed by two more in the spring Gal who has admired the foals told the FEI ldquoYou never know ndash maybe in a few yearsrsquo time Irsquoll have another Totilas readyrdquo At the beginning of April he was busy at home training nine horses and preparing for the Reem Acra FEI World Cuptrade Dressage Final in Leipzig and the European Championships in Rotterdam He had not yet decided which horses he was going to compete with but was particularly looking forward to the Freestyle to Music Asked what it was like to compete without Totilas Gal said ldquoEverybody ex-pected Totilas to win I find it easier to ride other horses because nobody expects me to win and when I do itrsquos really nicerdquo
41FOCUS
globetrotter
Seal of approval for the Adai horseSixty years have passed since an Adai horse reportedly set a record galloping 354km in one day Today the Adai horse a breed na-tive to Kazakhstan is back in the spotlight with a gold medal at the FEI Central Asian Endurance Championship in Talgaearlier in May only months after having been award-ed official pedigree status following tests
conducted by a State Commission in the Mangistau Steppes which allowed itto compete internationally The horses are cherished for their hardiness and Oyly ridden by Altyngali Bissemaganbetov (KAZ) proved just that when crossing the finishing line first demonstrating just how tough the Adai horses are and the beginning of a new era for sturdy breed on the international stage
Equestrian Australia Sport
Achievement Awards
In May the best of the best in
Equestrian sport gathered to cel-
ebrate the achievements of Austral-
iarsquos athletes coaches officials vets
administrators owners volunteers
and the many other people that
dedicate their time and enthusiasm
to equestrian sport The ceremony
also included the introduction of
Equestrian Australiarsquos Hall of
Fame won by the legendary Bill
Roycroft Boyd Exell winner of
the FEI World CupTM Driving
Final was awarded the interna-
tional athlete of the year
award
Kevin Stautbecomes first athlete representative on FEI
executive board
Kevin Staut one of Francersquos most successful Jumping riders became the first athlete to be appointed to the FEI Executive Board for a three-year term Staut (31) who has held the number one spot in the Rolex Rankings for Jumping since July 2010 has ridden on numerous Nations Cup teams for France and claimed individual gold at the Alltech FEI European Jumping Championships in 2009
HulA CARTSWorld Horse Welfare has greatly helped the liv
es of
five Senegalese cart horse owners by presenting them
with new Hula Carts The local people who depend on
their working horses for their livelihoods were specially
selected by the charity to receive the carts which have
been sponsored by members of the public in the uK
The Hula Carts are specifically developed to help the
horses pulling heavy loads in often difficult conditions
Equestrian Australia Sport
Achievement Awards
In May the best of the best in
Equestrian sport gathered to cel-
ebrate the achievements of Austral-
iarsquos athletes coaches officials vets
administrators owners volunteers
and the many other people that
dedicate their time and enthusiasm
to equestrian sport The ceremony
also included the introduction of
Equestrian Australiarsquos Hall of
Fame won by the legendary Bill
Roycroft Boyd Exell winner of
the FEI World CupTM Driving
Final was awarded the interna-
tional athlete of the year
award
Olympic legendBill Roycroft passes away aged 96
A legend of Equestrian sport in Australia James William
George Roycroft OBE known as ldquoBillrdquo was one of Austral-
iarsquos greatest Olympians and one of only five Australians to
have competed in five consecutive Olympic Games (from
1960 - 1976) as well as being Australiarsquos oldest medallist
and oldest competitor at 61 years and 31 days In May 2011
Bill was inducted in Equestrian Australiarsquos inaugural Hall
of Fame ndash he was Australiarsquos oldest living Olympian and
shared his dedication and enthusiasm for the sport with
his sons Barry Wayne and Clarke (See a brief description
of his exploits in the 1960 Olympic Games Memory Lane
article page 9 which catapulted Australiarsquos reputation as
one of the best Eventing teams in the world)
webinfofeiFEI web wizard Nicole Sigrist has added a new hub for the Press on wwwfeiorg called FEI Press Kits located in the Media section of the website The Press Kits zone which is also open to the general public is regularly updated with infor-mation relating to FEI series and specific events with flip books and downloadable PDFs as well as direct links to the Photo Catalogue the Rankings and Standings the Annual Report and more
100thanniversary for Finnish riding club
One of the three found-ing member clubs of
the Finnish Equestrian Federation the Suomen
Kenttaumlratsastusseura-Finska Faumlltrittklubbenon celebrates
its 100th anniversary in 2011 Magnus Rydman former President of the Finnish National Federation and Presi-dent of the FEI from 1935 ndash 1946 was one of the founders of the club Another of the founders of the oldest club in Fin-land was the Eventing rider Colonel Hans Olof von Essen whose fifth place at the Antwerpen Olympic Games re-mains the best Olympic equestrian result the country has ever achieved
Follow us on
43FOCUS
Interview with the President of the Brazilian Equestrian Federation Mr Luiz Roberto Giugni
The Brazilian Equestrian Federation has been a member Federation of the FEI for 75 years how has the sport developed over that time We were facing regular growth (average of 25 in the last decade) but in the last three to four years this rate has significantly increased up to 35 a year We believe that this is due to international achievements (two Jumping Olympic team bronze medals the individual Olympic Jumping gold medal won by Rodrigo Pessoa several Pan Am Jumping team gold medals recent Olympic pre-qualification in Kentucky (4th in the world in Jumping) and the organisations of a Global Champions Tour event in Brazil
In terms of developing the sport what are the most successful projects you have undertaken in recent yearsWe decided to invest in education and have hired international trainers for all the disciplines such as Jean Maurice Bonneau for Jumping Nick Turner for Eventing Eric Lette for Dressage Jean Louis Leclerc for Endurance Mattias Lang for Vaulting with the long term in mind that is at least until the end of 2012 and planning towards 2016 when Rio will host the Olympic Games
How popular is equestrian sport with young people in Brazil and how do you compete with some of the bigger sports for their attention Popularization is growing bit by bit in a country
decidedly dominated by soccer ndash being 5 times World Champion makes it a national passion But we are continuously looking to attract TV to our events as this is a huge step towards gaining visibility and popularity Can you tell us about the programmesinitiatives in place for disabled athletes We are actively pursuing this and have achieved really positive results in little time such as the great performances and medals earned at the Para-lympic Games in Hong Kong in 2008 We do this through clinics courses international exchanges of athletes and working alongside our National Paralympic Committee to support us in our efforts
Brazil will be host the FEI General Assembly at the end of the year what do you want all the visiting delegates to remember from their visit That we are more than just a really beautiful and warm country with the ability and capacity to organise great events and that we are committed to putting on the best Olympic Games ever
What are the main objectivesplans for the Brazilian Federation in the lead up to the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games Our NOC is really committed to raising the bar of all the sports to a level never seen before and we are working towards that in terms of our athletes our judges our venues and everything that is related to our sport and the quality of our sport In line with this objective we are providing incen-tives to owners to buy good horses aiming for 2016 and this is going to plan for now We expect to perform well at the upcoming Pan Am Games and Olympics on our trail to 2016
Is there anything else you would like to share with us I would like to thank HRH Princess Haya President of the FEI as well as the Executive Board for all the support that we are getting which has been paramount to the development of equestrian sport in our country
44
President Luiz Roberto GiugniSecretary General Luiz Antonio RoccoMember since 1935
15 members of staff work at the federation
20 regional federations are affiliated tothe Brazilian Equestrian Federation with over 300 member riding clubs
6 000 affiliated riders
91 national events were held in 2010
31 international events were held in 2010
All the FEI disciplines are practiced in BrazilJumping Dressage Eventing Vaulting Reining EnduranceDriving amp Para-Equestrian
14 breeding organisations
There are 58 million horses and ponies in Brazilmaking it the fourth largest equine population in the world
FAC
TS amp
FIG
URE
S
45FOCUS
Dr Gerit Matthesen56 is a private equine practitioner an FEI Vet and a member of the FEI Veterinary Committee He graduated in Veterinary Medicine from Berlin University in 1983 and since 1989 has worked or officiated at some 180 competitions and championships including the last two Olympics and FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade He lives near Frankfurt with his wife Carola and their sons Mike (16) and Lars (14)
46
A life in a day
Dr Gerit Matthesen56 is a private equine practitioner an FEI Vet and a member of the FEI Veterinary Committee He graduated in Veterinary Medicine from Berlin University in 1983 and since 1989 has worked or officiated at some 180 competitions and championships including the last two Olympics and FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade He lives near Frankfurt with his wife Carola and their sons Mike (16) and Lars (14)
I wake up earlier than I need to ndash at around 6am ndash because breakfast time with my family is sacred to me and I can then drive my boys to the village station to take the train to school After two cups of coffee (enough for the day) and a glass of orange juice I read the newspapers then head to my prac-tice offices in our indoor arena I have a quick look at our horses then start work
While I listen to my phone messages I deal with my emails and search the internet for news about veterinary medicine and horse sport I then start planning the dayacutes schedule with Anna my assistant vet
My mobile practice is in a nice fairly rural area in the north of Frankfurt There are lots of horse farms but it is not a classic breeding area like the northern part of Germany There are sport horses as well as pleasure horses I have examination rooms and stables for horses staying or mares foaling in my practice stables Itrsquos not a big clinic which gives me time to work at competitions
After seeing a few small animals in my practice I normally start my field service at 930am In my car I have enough equipment (ultrasound X-ray systems and endoscopical devices) for the dayrsquos examinations and standing procedures We mainly have lameness examinations to do or internal diseases to treat accompanied by routine work like vaccinations or carrying out pre-purchase or health certificate examinations If time allows I go home for a quick lunch but thatrsquos not every day
While Irsquom driving I have time to think and I write down everything that come to mind regarding sport competitions committees and so on You have to write down your thoughts when yoursquore over the age of 50
It is not easy planning my day because any emer-gency can destroy or delay my schedule For all the paperwork and certificates I need a time frame so
I often do that over quiet weekends when there are no competitions During the winter season I am less busy but in summer a lot of weekends are taken over by the competition schedule
I love my work especially in Eventing which is my favourite discipline My wife and I practiced it ndash not up to top level but it was a fine time despite a bro-ken ankle from a fall in 1988 which after 23 years is making walking more and more difficult for me
I like to do my competition work on a friendly but strict basis and I really like to hear riders saying they are treated fairly Over the years I have acquired a lot of experience and met all the officials and riders
Usually when I return home in the late afternoon there are more small animals to see When Irsquove done the dayrsquos paperwork I hope there will be no more emergencies such as cases of colic which usually occur in the early evening
I look forward to getting on my horse which is a beautiful show-jumper I like to ride but Irsquove stopped competing I do dressage jumping and go out into the fields but itrsquos all just for fun now
The day finishes with the family and a nice cold glass of German beer
Itrsquos a struggle to find time to spend with my family and I often have to cancel my holidays with them I am really grateful to my wife and the boys for their understanding of my job and to my assistant vet who covers for me when Iacutem out somewhere in the world of equestrian sport
ldquoThe combination of my profession and beinginvolved in differentaspects of top equestrian sport is my visionrdquo
47FOCUS
Pull your show attire from the closet clean your boots and tack groom the horses hook up and pack the trailer check the clock double check to make sure you have everything put on the shipping boots load your horses and away you drive to the competition venue or to the airport for transport to a distant event
You know the drill well but still you arrive tired per-haps even a bit frazzled Yoursquoll sleep (or try to) the next several nights in an unfamiliar bed or camp out in the living quarters of your trailer You awaken riveted on the competition playing out the dayrsquos classes in your mind wondering how your rides will fare against oth-ers praying that the weather will be cooperate and trying to control your nerves all the while knowing that no matter how well you have prepared many factors are out of your control You may even be in a different time zone
We go through a lot to compete our horses But if you think life on the road is stressful for you think about what itrsquos like for your horses Your back may be a bit sore from driving or being strapped into an airplane seat for hours on end but for horses transportation is far more demanding It is an athletic endeavour re-quiring an expenditure of energy to maintain balance during the constant movement of transport When your horses arrive they face social isolation from stablemates lack of security in novel environments altered training regimes water that tastes strange and the confines of an unfamiliar stall This routine impacts a horsersquos health and well being with effects
continuing long after the journey is over During transport toxic gases (such as ammonia or carbon monoxide) can cause damage to the lung epithelium precipitating respiratory disease The
final destination itself can also cause problems Usually horses are transported to environments where they will be mixing with other horses The mixing of horses from different environments with different infectious organisms and under stressful conditions further precipitates susceptibility to disease
This can have a severe impact on the equine gut The stress of transportation is known to increase gut ulceration in the horse a painful condition reducing performance and causing colic-like symptoms Stress can also slow the flow of digesta and alter the normal gut flora resulting in digestive upset and possibly diarrhoea or colic
The effects of travel stress on the gut are compounded by the typical diet of the regular equine traveller To maintain athletic ability high performance horses are often fed energy-charged diets contain-ing increased levels of starchy materials such as cereal grains Unfortunately this type of diet can reduce beneficial types of gut flora and promote gut acidity further predisposing the horse to digestive upsets and ulceration It is not surprising that stressed tired horses may not fulfill their potential on arrival
Feeding to reduce stress for the equine traveller
By Darlene RickerExecutive editor of Alltechrsquos EQUINE INTERNATIONAL magazine
48
Alltech Tips
growth of opportunistic Salmonella spp which are present in the intestinal tract of many healthy horses These bacteria then attach to the gut lining via a mannan sugar and penetrate it causing damage and resulting in diarrhoea One method of prevent-ing or minimising the attachment of these organ-
isms to the gut lining is to provide an adsorbant supplement A form of sugar found in the cell walls of certain yeasts can do this This sugar compound is called man-nan oligosaccharide or MOS MOS products such as Alltechrsquos Bio-Mosreg have been shown to re-duce the colonization of Salmonella
spp in the guts of certain species and augment the immune response to Salmonella spp potentially conferring an enhanced ability to fight infection Both Yea-Saccreg 1026 and Bio-Mos are among the natural products contained in Alltechrsquos LIFEFORCETM equine supplement which many FEI competitors have successfully incorporated into their daily feeding regimen at home and on the road
lifeforcehorsecom
and may be subject to health concerns in the days following a long journey Fortunately however you can curb some of the effects of travel stress on the horsersquos gut by nutritional supplementation Organic yeast products used to supplement a horsersquos diet can support the normal gut flora modifying the intesti-nal environment and improving the horsersquos digestion One such culture is Saccharomyces cerevisae in the form of Yea-Saccreg 1026 Alltechrsquos propriety organic yeast
Experiments were conducted to evaluate the effects Yea-Sacc on gut flora and gut acidity Horses were fed either a high-starch or a high-fibre diet both with and without supplementation of Yea-Saccreg 1026 Results indicated an excessive amount of starch in the gut The use of Yea-Sacc reduced acidity and stimulat-ed the activity of fibre-digesting bacteria in the hind-gut for both types of diet The result was maximised fibre digestibility and more efficient use of nutrients thus increasing the amount of energy available to the horse for performance and counteracting digestive upset Salmonellosis is one of the more commonly di-agnosed infectious causes of diarrhoea in horses Many cases develop after the stress of transport The effects of travel stress on the normal gut flora allow an over-
Moorlands Totilas arrives for the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade after air transport copy Dirk Caremans
HRH The Infanta Dontildea Pilar de Borboacuten former President of the FEI (1994-2006) also attended the inauguration along-side HRH Princess Lalla Amina Chairperson of the Royal Moroccan Federation for Equestrian Sports and member of the international Advisory Council of Special OlympicsThey were joined by International Olympic Commit-tee members representatives from other Interna-tional Federations federal and local Swiss authorities as well as architects and designers that worked on the project Switzerlandrsquos Martin Fuchs a member of the gold medal winning team at the inaugural Youth Olympic Games in Singapore last year accompanied FEI President Princess Haya in officially opening the FEI headquarters
ldquoThe building we are inaugurating today has been designed to serve our wonderful sportrdquo explained FEI
President Princess Haya ldquoI also feel an immense
sense of pride knowing that this building carries the name
of my late father and hope that this serves as a constant reminder
to all of us who work at the FEI of a unique statesman whose entire soul was devoted to the service of his people Our new headquarters will play a key role for the FEI and our National Federa-tions over the coming years It will be the environ-ment in which important discussions take place and fundamental decisions are taken as we continue our mission to advance the orderly growth of equestrian sport worldwide while ensuring that the welfare of the horse and a level playing field remain at the centre of all that we dordquo
FEI celebratesNEW Headquarters
Over 250 guests attended the inauguration ceremony on Friday 6 May at HM King Hussein I Building which was timed to coincide with the FEI
Extraordinary General Assembly so that attending NationalFederation representatives
could be a part ofthe celebrations
1 Youth Olympic Games team champion Martin Fuchs (SUI) FEI President HRH Princess Haya and her daughter HH Sheikha Al Jalila officially open the FEIrsquos new home 2 Gilbert Felli IOC Olympic Games Executive Director and FEI Secretary General Ingmar de Vos 3 HRH The Infanta Dontildea Pilar de Borboacuten sits down to an interactive quiz in the FEI Gallery 4 Guests gathered in the atrium of the FEI HeadquartersAll images copy Hugues SiegenthalerFEI
Highlights available on50
1
2
3 4
5
6 7
8
THE GALLERy
As well as housing offices for its 62 employees and conference facilities for its 133 National Federations the new headquarters also has a state-of-the-art in-teractive gallery showcasing equestrian sport
The Gallery is the brainchild of Dr Amichai Alper-ovich historian former Secretary General of the Is-raeli Equestrian Federation and curator of the Israeli Olympic Museum (opened in 2009) He worked hand in hand with the Tel Aviv based company Disk-In Pro and interior designer Oded Alony to help bring the content to life and the result is truly unique and ground breaking Giant glass surfaces act as interac-tive interfaces for the visitors to travel through time
The FEIrsquos new headquarters which were donated to the Federation by FEI Presi-dent HRH Princess Haya in 2007 fol-lowing a personal fundraising effort are conveniently located close to the Inter-national Olympic Committee and other international sports federations It has been written into the FEI Statutes that the new FEI headquarters building will always house the Federationrsquos offices In 2008 the building was thoroughly renovated in accordance with the Swiss MINERGIEreg construction standard for environmental responsibility which re-duces energy consumption by 25 per cent Only two per cent of renovated buildings in Switzerland meet the high Minergie standards Khuan Chew founder and design princi-pal of London-based architectural firm KCA International Ltd worked in close collaboration with Swiss-based architect Herveacute de Rham and interior designer Sia-vosh Adeli (SUI) to transform the build-ing which was built in the 1960s The modern and sleek interior was further enhanced with bespoke artworks pro-duced by Swiss creative agency b+g amp partners and imagery by world-famous equestrian art photographer Tim Flach where the simplicity and beauty of his equine subjects seamlessly embrace and accentuate the buildingrsquos pure lines and natural materials (see image left)
As they feasted on the innate beauty of their sur-roundings the guests also had the privilege to ex-perience the culinary talents of organic chef and specialist Gilles Wannaz and his team based in the town of Cully which sits on the edge of Lac Leman in Switzerlandrsquos famous Lavaux wine growing region
5 HRH Princess Haya welcomes the guests to the Inauguration of the HQ and the 90 year celebration of the FEI 6 Artwork by renowned pho-tographer Tim Flach 7 An organic and colourful buffet presented on an authentic lawn by local chef Gilles Wannaz 8 A life size horse sculpture by Christophe Dumont greeted the guests upon their arrival
53FOCUS
and space with the latest in touch technology revis-iting the history of the FEI the equestrian events at Olympic amp Paralympic Games the FEI World Eques-trian Gamestrade and information on all of the member National Federations with statistics videos images and text The Gallery also includes projections on ar-chitectural surfaces designed by Oded Alony referred to as the Origami as well as interactive stations and unique video projections on glass screens
For all those wishing to visit the FEI Gallery simply contact the FEI HQ to make an appointment and we would be delighted to take you on a journey to dis-cover or rediscover the human and equine athletes whose talents have marked equestrian history and inspired young riders drivers and vaulters around the world
Interview withDrAmichaiAlperovich
When did you first dream up the FEIInteractive Gallery When I found out the FEI was planning to move into new HQ in 2009 Disk-In Pro and I approached the FEI and presented them with several concepts for the space Before long we had agreed on the concept and we got to work
Why were you compelled to make it become a reality So that the FEI a prominent sports organisation could present itself to a growing audience in a new and visionary way with the latest technology And by doing so the FEI is a pioneer becoming the first International Federation to have a Gallery of this kind
What did you learn when researching and gathering content for the gallery I have learned a lot about the history of the FEI the strong Olympic tradition the diversity of disciplines the gender equality and the unique bond between horse and man One of the more fascinating topics was the evolution of the Dressage from itsrsquo Olympic debut to the modern Freestyle
Itrsquos very innovative technology what inspired you to take such a leap into the future with such a traditional sport Just as Dressage has evolved over the years and alongside the introduction of new disciplines partic-ularly Para-Equestrian you come to realise that the FEI is not as traditional as one would think Actually this kind of innovative presentation of equestrian history is really well suited to the FEI In the same way that you can have horse-man connections there is an audience-technology connection in the Gallery The audience have to be active in order to enjoy the depth of information the Gallery contains
54
Now it is time to open the door to new places to learn about sport ndash at the heart of sporting organi-sations themselves The Gallery is more than an informative tool it brings people to the sport andto the heart of its operations
Established in 1990 Disk-In Pro specialises in the planning design production and implementation of Museums Visitor Centres and sophisticated projects around the world This includes multi screen produc-tion animation 3D amp interactive films state-of-the-art software platforms and complex video displays for an unforgettable experience
Oded Alony holds a BA in Design from the Interior Design Section of the Holon Technological Institute and has since 1998 worked with Israelrsquos leading Architecture firms The Oded Alony Studio embraces holistic design a space where interior design lighting and graphics are brought together to create a harmo-nious project vision
Now that you have seen it unveiled to the public how would you like to see it evolve I hope the audience will be amazed from the design by architect Oded Alony and the new methods to deliver information whilst discovering the long his-tory of the FEI the diversity and the global reach of the organisation I hope the Gallery will become an icon in Lausanne and one of its highlights for visitors I promise the visitors a new platform to learn about equestrianism and each visit could be different as the information and themes will be updated and modi-fied regularly
This futuristic gallery is a first for anInternational Federation do you think thisis something all sports should invest inThe FEI took this courageous decision and now has this fantastic tool to present the organisation in new ways Sport is a huge cultural phenomenaWe have learned to consume sport in the arenas and stadiums in the press media and new media
Dr Amichai Alperovich
55FOCUS
SOCIAL MEDIAthe new frontier
Follow us on
The FEI has recently embarked on and embraced a whole new way of talking with the greater equestrian community through the ever expanding social media networks and platformsWith personalised Facebook Twitter and You Tube pages the FEI is taking it step by step and reaching out to this growing audience and listening to what they have to say
This new communication platform is by no means a substitution of the traditional communication path-ways but works alongside the press releases various publications and content on wwwfeiorg and wwwfeitvorg providing a new arena where the FEI can share interact and dialogue with fans of the sport and of equestrian values in general
We talk to Richard Johnson Director of Corporate Communications about the FEIrsquos commitment to social media
What compelled the FEI to venture onto the social media scene As a governing body with a vibrant and active com-munity of National Federations as well as thousands of fans the need to reach out to the online social community has never been stronger We have been watching the communities grow online for some time and have been listening to their conversations so being a part of it was the next logical step and a really important one The conversations will hap-pen with or without us so taking that step has been crucial in order to share our values and also build re-lationships with our fan base
Tradition meets modernity ndash does equestrian sportthe FEI have a place in social media Absolutely even though equestrian sport has a long history and is perceived as a traditional sport it is
always evolving In the 90 years of the FEI which was founded to govern the three Olympic disciplines it has grown to also oversee the disciplines of Driving Endurance Vaulting Reining and Para-Equestrian sport Or if you look at the early days when competi-tors were from military backgrounds and when wom-en did not compete alongside men to the complete gender equality we have today ndash a lot has changed and is in a constant state of change
The fans of equestrian sport are like any other fan base web savvy and eager for more information behind the scenes content and to share their opin-ions and thoughts ndash so it is an ideal partnership And from what we have seen these last few months and from the feedback we got from our blog at the Youth Olympic Games there is a real appetite for this
The FEI has dedicated Facebook Twitter and You Tube pages ndash why did you select these social media platforms The figures speak for themselveshellip Facebook Twit-ter and You Tube are the biggest players in the social networking space With over 500 million Facebook users 106 million Tweeters and 2 billion views a day on You Tube there has never been so much oppor-tunity for exposure Every site has different demo-graphics with different habits and needs so by having an FEI presence on these three networks we are able to cover a lot of ground and cater to different audi-ences by providing different types of content accord-ing to the platform
What are the main benefits of having a pres-ence on various social media platforms Itrsquos all about having a two way conversation ndash the benefits of dialogue where you can share content such as videos images facts and figures thoughts and values and then allow your fan base to react to get involved and to listen and learn from them By engaging with our audience and showing them that we are a modern and caring organisation and that we want to hear what they have to say then we are able to build trust and ultimately credibility in what we do and what we say
57FOCUS
TV
The offi cial video website of the Feacutedeacuteration Equestre Internationale
wwwfeitvorg
WATCH LIVE WATCH ONLINE
FEI TV is the FEIrsquos new offi cial video website and your ticket to the worldrsquos most prestigious competitions Sign-up to FEI TV (wwwfeitvorg) and get instant access to all the live broadcasts the extensive video-on-demand library all the highlights the behind the scenes reports the interviews and so much more Be at the heart of horsesport Join us
2823_1FEI_TV_Focus_165x226indd 1 170510 1124
It also keeps us alert as to what is being discussed and debated in the public sphere so that we can manage situations more effectively and be proactive in our messaging and information so that the facts are at the heart of the debate and not interpretations of them
How do you generate content for social media It was important when we launched our social me-dia presence that it be manageable with the exist-ing communications team in place ndash and so we have concentrated on keeping it simple and effective and using content innovatively Itrsquos not about reproduc-ing our website ndash but to engage with our fans and so often all you need is a good picture an interest-ing fact or great achievement to get the ball rolling For You Tube as we already have so much content generated from FEI TV it was simply a question of using bits and pieces from that content to provide the public with teasers from events interviews with winning riders or behind the scenes content which they can then follow up on FEI TV with a subscription
What are your Social media goals Itrsquos really to build relationships and dialogue with our fan base by using our content innovatively by listening to what they have to say and by engaging with the community And for the National Federa-tions that have yet to take that step we want to be a guiding hand that can help them get started so that they too can reap the benefits of social media net-working Our sport competes against other sports for attention so itrsquos really important that we the FEI and the National Federations keep our finger on the pulse and cater to our fans
How can National Federations get involved NFs wishing to find out more about Social Media can contact me (richardjohnsonfeiorg) and I would be more than happy to discuss opportunities and ways of getting started as well as our experience at the FEI
We asked our Facebook followers why it was important to use face-book and here are a few comments they came up with
bullItrsquos a great way to find out about shows and competitions
bullBecause facebook can provide up to the minute updates as to the what is going on in the horse community
bullWe can share information and ideas over long distances We can find and connect with people we wouldnt be able to otherwise
bullIt also lets us express the true realities of our spot to keep us grounded
bullIt can bring peoples attention to excellence ndash and expose the issues
58
TV
The offi cial video website of the Feacutedeacuteration Equestre Internationale
wwwfeitvorg
WATCH LIVE WATCH ONLINE
FEI TV is the FEIrsquos new offi cial video website and your ticket to the worldrsquos most prestigious competitions Sign-up to FEI TV (wwwfeitvorg) and get instant access to all the live broadcasts the extensive video-on-demand library all the highlights the behind the scenes reports the interviews and so much more Be at the heart of horsesport Join us
2823_1FEI_TV_Focus_165x226indd 1 170510 1124
ldquo Donrsquot accept drinks from a strangerrdquo
Armchair travel journalist
Are you living a life without boundaries Some well-meant advice is best ignored but itrsquos still good to know yoursquore covered when yoursquore away With HSBC Premier your family can be protected with both Travel Insurance and dedicated assistance when yoursquore abroad Which is reassuring to know when yoursquore making the most of life
HSBC Premier is subject to financial eligibility criteria and is available in over 40 countries and territories
Premier Travel Insurance covers you and your partner up to age 70 and your children travelling with you up to age 18
wwwhsbcpremiercom
A4 A4
Issued by HSBC Holdings plc Approved for use in UK by HSBC Bank plc Premier Travel Insurance is provided by Aviva Insurance UK Limited Customer Information Service PO Box 757 Hemel Hempstead Hertfordshire HP2 4SS Registered in England number 14259 Registered Office 8 Canada Square London E14 5HQ AC18770
201736_6000263_Coconut_226x165indd
Master 226x165
Rob Swainson 160211
HSBC - Coconuts Proof 01Head of Art TypographerDesigner ArtCreative Director Copywriter Account DirectorDIC Project ManagerPhotographer Illustrator Usage Model(s) Name(s) Usage
Media MediaStock Image Time Period Time Period
Territory Territory
8deg N ndash Kerala South India
If I had not become a professional rider I would havehellipmade a career in a humanitarian organisation Horse riding is sometimes too trivial
My priority in life ishellipto be able to look at myself in the mirror in the morning and make sure I am at peace with my conscience
My familyhellipkeeps me grounded My wife helped me a lot when I was in charge of selections for France She took charge of my personal life and was the first person I called when we got the medal in Lexington I also admire my parents for the values they passed on to me
I remember my first ridingexperiencehellipaged six we were shooting a family film and I was on horseback I finished upside down under my horse for a long time I stopped riding for one year
I used to dream abouthellipsafaris One of my uncles was passionate about safaris Through him I became very interested in African trips and the jobs that allow you to travel as a reporter were fascinating to me as well
I have been thinking a lot abouthellipwhat happened in Japan these past few months First this tsunami that devastated everything without warning then the nuclear disaster It made me think that progress should not be destructive
My horse Gueacutenourhellipchanged my life I was just a coach and he brought me to the top I won the national championship in 1981 with him
My biggest challengehas always beenhellipshyness Horse riding has really helped me over-come it Horses brought me on stage and there I had to meet people
As a Chef dEquipehellipthere is no single defining achievement itrsquos all about the solidarity and the moments spent together as a team Irsquoll never forget the first time Penelope Leprevost rode her mare Jubileacutee drsquoOuilly in the FEI Nations Cuptrade of Rotterdam McLain Ward had just completed a real fast run with Sapphire We thought the Americans would win but she did it faster and beat Sapphire
In terms of eventshellipAachen is my favourite competition - for its won-derful organisation But we have also pretty good five star competitions in France
I donrsquot sleep muchhellipprobably because I am just happy to be alive
Irsquom not scared to laugh or cryhellipI laugh at the funny situations we sometimes find ourselves in life and enjoy people with quirky personalities I cry when I see others in pain
Laurent Elias and the French team en route to the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade copy PSV-Jean Morel
33FOCUS
Nicolas TheacutevenazAged 23 studies Robotics and Autonomous Systems Micro Engineering in Lausanne (SUI) alongside regular training and competition in Dressage and Para-Equestrian Dressage events Born with spastic diplegia Nicolas was introduced to horses via hippotherapy aged seven and quickly developed a passion for riding which not only helped with his physical condition but also taught him through Dressage the art of patience and perseverance
34
One day
Nicolas TheacutevenazAged 23 studies Robotics and Autonomous Systems Micro Engineering in Lausanne (SUI) alongside regular training and competition in Dressage and Para-Equestrian Dressage events Born with spastic diplegia Nicolas was introduced to horses via hippotherapy aged seven and quickly developed a passion for riding which not only helped with his physical condition but also taught him through Dressage the art of patience and perseverance
He has been fortunate to meet the right people (and horses) at the right time and has been working for the past five years with trainer Vicky-Eileen Baumann (pictured right) and her horses Magic and Lady (pictured right) ldquoShersquos bred them and knows them inside out which is very useful when I have to communicate with them - they know my voice intonations and a whole string of specific words or sounds ndash which really helps as my body canrsquot or doesnrsquot always have the strength to do sordquo
As a Grade II Para-Equestrian rider Nicolas competes in Para-Equestrian Dressage (PED) events as well as national events for able bodied riders as there are only a handful of PED riders and no events in Switzerland
Unable to attend the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade 2010 in Kentucky last year Nicolas and Vicky have their sights firmly set on the 2012 Para-lympic Games and will be looking to qualify with Lady over the next 12 months ndash alongside exams studies and everything else life has to offerhellip Who is your role model For different reasons I have different role mod-els Edward Gal Dane Rawlins Isabel Werth and Catherine Haddad
When did you start riding and why At age 7 I was sat on a horse for hippotherapy and liked the complicity with the horse which made me want to discover more
How do you feel when you ride Concentrated and industrious
Who is your biggest fan My trainerrsquos mum
Complete this sentenceOne day I would like tohellip have gained enough knowledge to be able to take care of and train my own horse
What are your long term goals as a rider Continue to do my best to enjoy what I do and show others itrsquos possible
How do you juggle studies and competition I think itrsquos really important to have goals and to do everything you can to achieve them and that includes taking on challenges because if you donrsquot try then yoursquoll never know what you could have achieved
What is your proudest achievement to date Participation in international events together with pursuing my studies
How do you feel after winning Still working towards discovering the feeling
What is the best advice anyone has ever given youMy trainer often repeats to me the famous saying by General LrsquoHotte ldquoCalme en avant droitrdquo which says so much about riding but can also be applied to so many other aspects of life
35FOCUS
What advice would you give someone looking to get involved in Para-Equestrian Dressage Train and ride with able-bodied athletes as often as possible Being around and working with horses is so rewarding Irsquod like - when Irsquom retired - to write a book to share these feelings with others and hope this will inspire them to get involved
Complete this sentenceIn the future I would like the sport to beeven ldquocleanerrdquo and fairer and if possible not more but less demanding on the horses
ldquoLast but not least Irsquod like to take the opportunity of this article to reach out to those who give me their trust and help be it with their time their friendship and any type of support Day after day to year after year team work is essential and Irsquoll do my best to continue deserving every-onersquos encouraging smilesrdquo
European Broadcasting Union
Union Europeacuteenne de Radio-Teacuteleacutevision
+41 (0)22 717 2111 wwweurovisionnet
We bring the event to your home
Eurovision
copy K
it H
ough
ton
FE
I
FEI_08_A4indd 1 03012008 162238
European Broadcasting Union
Union Europeacuteenne de Radio-Teacuteleacutevision
+41 (0)22 717 2111 wwweurovisionnet
We bring the event to your home
Eurovision
copy K
it H
ough
ton
FE
I
FEI_08_A4indd 1 03012008 162238
Nominations for the FEI Awards opened in May enabling the global equestrian com-munity to once again reward outstanding dedication to horse sport in five categories ndash Development Best Groom Against All Odds Rising Star and Best Athlete The search for the equestrian heroes of 2011 is now on who will be flown to Rio de Janeiro Brazil to receive their awards
Where are they now The FEI asked the current title-holders for an update on their activities
Follow us on
38
FEI Awards 2011
Ebony Horse Club (GBR)Winner of the Alltech FEI DevelopmentAward 2010
The Ebony Horse Club announced in December 2010 that after an eight-year fundraising effort it had the pound14 million necessary for building an equestrian cen-tre in one of Londonrsquos most deprived boroughs Since 1996 Ebony has offered youngsters in an area reput-ed for its gang culture high level of gun crime and drug dealing the chance to ride and learn key social skills The clubrsquos 50 members travel to riding schools across London on public transport or in minibuses ndash a logistical headache that the inner-city equestrian centre will end Construction work began in February
Ebony Horse Club founder and director Ros Spear-ing told the FEI ldquoRiding lessons are continuing and the club is preparing for the transitionrdquo Building will finish on 7 July but the centre will open for riding lessons in October ldquoThe horses will be brought to Brixton in the summer and will have time to acclimatise to their new environmentrdquo Spearing said The centre will include stabling for nine horses a small paddock and a flood-lit riding arena as well as a classroom for learning about horses and equine management Spearing is adamant that club members ndash present and future ndash care for their rides and wants the centre to serve as a stepping stone to careers in the horse industry
Ebonyrsquos existence will continue to depend on the generosity of donors For more information visit wwwebonyhorsecluborguk
Michelle Tipper (GBR)Winner of the FEI Best Groom Award 2010
Michelle Tipper has continued to juggle grooming and study since receiving her FEI Award in Novem-ber She has organised the grooms for the British European Junior and Young Dressage teams and in April her contract as a travelling groom for British Dressage riders Paul and Bobby Hayler took her to Addington for the first of many international com-petitions she will work at this year The Haylers have eight horses competing and the number she works with at each venue varies Tipper has also been help-ing British Dressage riders Nicky and Richard Barrett with yard duties ldquoI feel very lucky to work for both of these familiesrdquo said the FEI Best Groom Award win-ner adding that she feels part of the two families In March Tipper graduated from university with a Masters in Sport Psychology She is now working towards British Association of Sport and Exercise Science accreditation which requires at least 500 hoursrsquo supervised work experience and is present-ing sport psychology workshops in conjunction with the company Inside Performance Consulting Limit-ed (wwwinside-performancecom) The workshops are organised internationally for people of all ages from any sport To find out more contact Tipper at michelletipper1979yahoocom
39FOCUS
Michelle Tipper ndash copyWilliam TzengAward winners ndash copyWilliam TzengCaroline Roffman ndash copySharonPackercomEbony Horse Club ndash copyEbony Horse ClubEdward Gal and Totilas ndash copyKit HoughtonFEIAngelika Trabert ndash copyJulia Rau
Angelika Trabert (GER)Winner of the FEI Against All Odds Award 2010
German Para-Dressage rider Angelika Trabert has represent-ed her country at four Paralympic Games and won some 15 medals at national European and world championships She is currently seeking a new home for Londria the mare that con-tributed to her Team Silver medal win at the Hong Kong Para-lympics Londria who had a foal last year was also Trabertrsquos ride during her medal-winning performances at the European Championships in Hungary (2005) and Norway (2009)
Trabert said her decision to let go of Londria was hard to make but was necessary for financial reasons She will keep the foal Finaud Coquin and her mares Walmorel and Ariva-Avanti Trabert won the Para-Dressage Grade 2 Freestyle Champion-ship at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade with Ariva and said the horse was ldquowell and ready to go for the Europeans again in Belgium in September if we qualifyrdquo Trabert competed in her first international competition of 2011 in May in Man-nheim Germany where she came first in the Grade II indi-vidual and second in the freestyle She is taking part in the German Championships in June
Away from the equestrian world Trabert works as an anaes-thetist and has participated in medical missions in the rural ar-eas of Guinea for the organisation Mango In January she was back in Guinea as part of team that carried out 100 operations in 13 days wwwangelika-trabertde
Visit the recently refreshed FEI Awards website to find out more about the Awards the pastwinners the judges and to make yournominationsby 31 July
wwwfeiawardsorg
40
Caroline Roffman (USA)Winner of the HSBC FEI Rising StarAward 2010
Success continues to smile on twenty-two-year-old American Dressage rider Caroline Roffman Since re-ceiving the HSBC FEI Rising Star Award she has en-joyed numerous wins at small tour and young horse levels achieving scores in the mid-eighties and quali-fying two horses for the young horse championships
Roffman is currently showing six horses and has won several classes at PSG and Grand Prix level ldquoBut nothing is as exciting as to be going to Aachenrdquo said the young woman who has been described as the American Dressage communityrsquos brightest hope ex-plaining that at the FEI Awards ceremony in Chinese Taipei Frank Kemperman FEI Dressage Committee Chair and Chairman of the Managing Board at CHIO Aachen (GER) invited her to take part in the pres-tigious event Roffman will be the first American to compete in the Under 25 Grand Prix there and is hop-ing to take her horse Lux Stensvang
An interview with Caroline Roffman at the Palm Beach Dressage Derby CDI will be broadcast on the magazine programme Equestrian World on FEI TV the FEIrsquos official online video platform wwwfeitvorg
Edward Gal and Totilas (NED)Winners of the Reem Acra FEI Best Athlete Award 2010
The world-famous partnership of Dutch Dressage rider Edward Gal and the extraordinary Totilas ended in style in 2010 with notably three gold medal wins at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade
The first foal sired by the superstar stallion was born in January followed by two more in the spring Gal who has admired the foals told the FEI ldquoYou never know ndash maybe in a few yearsrsquo time Irsquoll have another Totilas readyrdquo At the beginning of April he was busy at home training nine horses and preparing for the Reem Acra FEI World Cuptrade Dressage Final in Leipzig and the European Championships in Rotterdam He had not yet decided which horses he was going to compete with but was particularly looking forward to the Freestyle to Music Asked what it was like to compete without Totilas Gal said ldquoEverybody ex-pected Totilas to win I find it easier to ride other horses because nobody expects me to win and when I do itrsquos really nicerdquo
41FOCUS
globetrotter
Seal of approval for the Adai horseSixty years have passed since an Adai horse reportedly set a record galloping 354km in one day Today the Adai horse a breed na-tive to Kazakhstan is back in the spotlight with a gold medal at the FEI Central Asian Endurance Championship in Talgaearlier in May only months after having been award-ed official pedigree status following tests
conducted by a State Commission in the Mangistau Steppes which allowed itto compete internationally The horses are cherished for their hardiness and Oyly ridden by Altyngali Bissemaganbetov (KAZ) proved just that when crossing the finishing line first demonstrating just how tough the Adai horses are and the beginning of a new era for sturdy breed on the international stage
Equestrian Australia Sport
Achievement Awards
In May the best of the best in
Equestrian sport gathered to cel-
ebrate the achievements of Austral-
iarsquos athletes coaches officials vets
administrators owners volunteers
and the many other people that
dedicate their time and enthusiasm
to equestrian sport The ceremony
also included the introduction of
Equestrian Australiarsquos Hall of
Fame won by the legendary Bill
Roycroft Boyd Exell winner of
the FEI World CupTM Driving
Final was awarded the interna-
tional athlete of the year
award
Kevin Stautbecomes first athlete representative on FEI
executive board
Kevin Staut one of Francersquos most successful Jumping riders became the first athlete to be appointed to the FEI Executive Board for a three-year term Staut (31) who has held the number one spot in the Rolex Rankings for Jumping since July 2010 has ridden on numerous Nations Cup teams for France and claimed individual gold at the Alltech FEI European Jumping Championships in 2009
HulA CARTSWorld Horse Welfare has greatly helped the liv
es of
five Senegalese cart horse owners by presenting them
with new Hula Carts The local people who depend on
their working horses for their livelihoods were specially
selected by the charity to receive the carts which have
been sponsored by members of the public in the uK
The Hula Carts are specifically developed to help the
horses pulling heavy loads in often difficult conditions
Equestrian Australia Sport
Achievement Awards
In May the best of the best in
Equestrian sport gathered to cel-
ebrate the achievements of Austral-
iarsquos athletes coaches officials vets
administrators owners volunteers
and the many other people that
dedicate their time and enthusiasm
to equestrian sport The ceremony
also included the introduction of
Equestrian Australiarsquos Hall of
Fame won by the legendary Bill
Roycroft Boyd Exell winner of
the FEI World CupTM Driving
Final was awarded the interna-
tional athlete of the year
award
Olympic legendBill Roycroft passes away aged 96
A legend of Equestrian sport in Australia James William
George Roycroft OBE known as ldquoBillrdquo was one of Austral-
iarsquos greatest Olympians and one of only five Australians to
have competed in five consecutive Olympic Games (from
1960 - 1976) as well as being Australiarsquos oldest medallist
and oldest competitor at 61 years and 31 days In May 2011
Bill was inducted in Equestrian Australiarsquos inaugural Hall
of Fame ndash he was Australiarsquos oldest living Olympian and
shared his dedication and enthusiasm for the sport with
his sons Barry Wayne and Clarke (See a brief description
of his exploits in the 1960 Olympic Games Memory Lane
article page 9 which catapulted Australiarsquos reputation as
one of the best Eventing teams in the world)
webinfofeiFEI web wizard Nicole Sigrist has added a new hub for the Press on wwwfeiorg called FEI Press Kits located in the Media section of the website The Press Kits zone which is also open to the general public is regularly updated with infor-mation relating to FEI series and specific events with flip books and downloadable PDFs as well as direct links to the Photo Catalogue the Rankings and Standings the Annual Report and more
100thanniversary for Finnish riding club
One of the three found-ing member clubs of
the Finnish Equestrian Federation the Suomen
Kenttaumlratsastusseura-Finska Faumlltrittklubbenon celebrates
its 100th anniversary in 2011 Magnus Rydman former President of the Finnish National Federation and Presi-dent of the FEI from 1935 ndash 1946 was one of the founders of the club Another of the founders of the oldest club in Fin-land was the Eventing rider Colonel Hans Olof von Essen whose fifth place at the Antwerpen Olympic Games re-mains the best Olympic equestrian result the country has ever achieved
Follow us on
43FOCUS
Interview with the President of the Brazilian Equestrian Federation Mr Luiz Roberto Giugni
The Brazilian Equestrian Federation has been a member Federation of the FEI for 75 years how has the sport developed over that time We were facing regular growth (average of 25 in the last decade) but in the last three to four years this rate has significantly increased up to 35 a year We believe that this is due to international achievements (two Jumping Olympic team bronze medals the individual Olympic Jumping gold medal won by Rodrigo Pessoa several Pan Am Jumping team gold medals recent Olympic pre-qualification in Kentucky (4th in the world in Jumping) and the organisations of a Global Champions Tour event in Brazil
In terms of developing the sport what are the most successful projects you have undertaken in recent yearsWe decided to invest in education and have hired international trainers for all the disciplines such as Jean Maurice Bonneau for Jumping Nick Turner for Eventing Eric Lette for Dressage Jean Louis Leclerc for Endurance Mattias Lang for Vaulting with the long term in mind that is at least until the end of 2012 and planning towards 2016 when Rio will host the Olympic Games
How popular is equestrian sport with young people in Brazil and how do you compete with some of the bigger sports for their attention Popularization is growing bit by bit in a country
decidedly dominated by soccer ndash being 5 times World Champion makes it a national passion But we are continuously looking to attract TV to our events as this is a huge step towards gaining visibility and popularity Can you tell us about the programmesinitiatives in place for disabled athletes We are actively pursuing this and have achieved really positive results in little time such as the great performances and medals earned at the Para-lympic Games in Hong Kong in 2008 We do this through clinics courses international exchanges of athletes and working alongside our National Paralympic Committee to support us in our efforts
Brazil will be host the FEI General Assembly at the end of the year what do you want all the visiting delegates to remember from their visit That we are more than just a really beautiful and warm country with the ability and capacity to organise great events and that we are committed to putting on the best Olympic Games ever
What are the main objectivesplans for the Brazilian Federation in the lead up to the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games Our NOC is really committed to raising the bar of all the sports to a level never seen before and we are working towards that in terms of our athletes our judges our venues and everything that is related to our sport and the quality of our sport In line with this objective we are providing incen-tives to owners to buy good horses aiming for 2016 and this is going to plan for now We expect to perform well at the upcoming Pan Am Games and Olympics on our trail to 2016
Is there anything else you would like to share with us I would like to thank HRH Princess Haya President of the FEI as well as the Executive Board for all the support that we are getting which has been paramount to the development of equestrian sport in our country
44
President Luiz Roberto GiugniSecretary General Luiz Antonio RoccoMember since 1935
15 members of staff work at the federation
20 regional federations are affiliated tothe Brazilian Equestrian Federation with over 300 member riding clubs
6 000 affiliated riders
91 national events were held in 2010
31 international events were held in 2010
All the FEI disciplines are practiced in BrazilJumping Dressage Eventing Vaulting Reining EnduranceDriving amp Para-Equestrian
14 breeding organisations
There are 58 million horses and ponies in Brazilmaking it the fourth largest equine population in the world
FAC
TS amp
FIG
URE
S
45FOCUS
Dr Gerit Matthesen56 is a private equine practitioner an FEI Vet and a member of the FEI Veterinary Committee He graduated in Veterinary Medicine from Berlin University in 1983 and since 1989 has worked or officiated at some 180 competitions and championships including the last two Olympics and FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade He lives near Frankfurt with his wife Carola and their sons Mike (16) and Lars (14)
46
A life in a day
Dr Gerit Matthesen56 is a private equine practitioner an FEI Vet and a member of the FEI Veterinary Committee He graduated in Veterinary Medicine from Berlin University in 1983 and since 1989 has worked or officiated at some 180 competitions and championships including the last two Olympics and FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade He lives near Frankfurt with his wife Carola and their sons Mike (16) and Lars (14)
I wake up earlier than I need to ndash at around 6am ndash because breakfast time with my family is sacred to me and I can then drive my boys to the village station to take the train to school After two cups of coffee (enough for the day) and a glass of orange juice I read the newspapers then head to my prac-tice offices in our indoor arena I have a quick look at our horses then start work
While I listen to my phone messages I deal with my emails and search the internet for news about veterinary medicine and horse sport I then start planning the dayacutes schedule with Anna my assistant vet
My mobile practice is in a nice fairly rural area in the north of Frankfurt There are lots of horse farms but it is not a classic breeding area like the northern part of Germany There are sport horses as well as pleasure horses I have examination rooms and stables for horses staying or mares foaling in my practice stables Itrsquos not a big clinic which gives me time to work at competitions
After seeing a few small animals in my practice I normally start my field service at 930am In my car I have enough equipment (ultrasound X-ray systems and endoscopical devices) for the dayrsquos examinations and standing procedures We mainly have lameness examinations to do or internal diseases to treat accompanied by routine work like vaccinations or carrying out pre-purchase or health certificate examinations If time allows I go home for a quick lunch but thatrsquos not every day
While Irsquom driving I have time to think and I write down everything that come to mind regarding sport competitions committees and so on You have to write down your thoughts when yoursquore over the age of 50
It is not easy planning my day because any emer-gency can destroy or delay my schedule For all the paperwork and certificates I need a time frame so
I often do that over quiet weekends when there are no competitions During the winter season I am less busy but in summer a lot of weekends are taken over by the competition schedule
I love my work especially in Eventing which is my favourite discipline My wife and I practiced it ndash not up to top level but it was a fine time despite a bro-ken ankle from a fall in 1988 which after 23 years is making walking more and more difficult for me
I like to do my competition work on a friendly but strict basis and I really like to hear riders saying they are treated fairly Over the years I have acquired a lot of experience and met all the officials and riders
Usually when I return home in the late afternoon there are more small animals to see When Irsquove done the dayrsquos paperwork I hope there will be no more emergencies such as cases of colic which usually occur in the early evening
I look forward to getting on my horse which is a beautiful show-jumper I like to ride but Irsquove stopped competing I do dressage jumping and go out into the fields but itrsquos all just for fun now
The day finishes with the family and a nice cold glass of German beer
Itrsquos a struggle to find time to spend with my family and I often have to cancel my holidays with them I am really grateful to my wife and the boys for their understanding of my job and to my assistant vet who covers for me when Iacutem out somewhere in the world of equestrian sport
ldquoThe combination of my profession and beinginvolved in differentaspects of top equestrian sport is my visionrdquo
47FOCUS
Pull your show attire from the closet clean your boots and tack groom the horses hook up and pack the trailer check the clock double check to make sure you have everything put on the shipping boots load your horses and away you drive to the competition venue or to the airport for transport to a distant event
You know the drill well but still you arrive tired per-haps even a bit frazzled Yoursquoll sleep (or try to) the next several nights in an unfamiliar bed or camp out in the living quarters of your trailer You awaken riveted on the competition playing out the dayrsquos classes in your mind wondering how your rides will fare against oth-ers praying that the weather will be cooperate and trying to control your nerves all the while knowing that no matter how well you have prepared many factors are out of your control You may even be in a different time zone
We go through a lot to compete our horses But if you think life on the road is stressful for you think about what itrsquos like for your horses Your back may be a bit sore from driving or being strapped into an airplane seat for hours on end but for horses transportation is far more demanding It is an athletic endeavour re-quiring an expenditure of energy to maintain balance during the constant movement of transport When your horses arrive they face social isolation from stablemates lack of security in novel environments altered training regimes water that tastes strange and the confines of an unfamiliar stall This routine impacts a horsersquos health and well being with effects
continuing long after the journey is over During transport toxic gases (such as ammonia or carbon monoxide) can cause damage to the lung epithelium precipitating respiratory disease The
final destination itself can also cause problems Usually horses are transported to environments where they will be mixing with other horses The mixing of horses from different environments with different infectious organisms and under stressful conditions further precipitates susceptibility to disease
This can have a severe impact on the equine gut The stress of transportation is known to increase gut ulceration in the horse a painful condition reducing performance and causing colic-like symptoms Stress can also slow the flow of digesta and alter the normal gut flora resulting in digestive upset and possibly diarrhoea or colic
The effects of travel stress on the gut are compounded by the typical diet of the regular equine traveller To maintain athletic ability high performance horses are often fed energy-charged diets contain-ing increased levels of starchy materials such as cereal grains Unfortunately this type of diet can reduce beneficial types of gut flora and promote gut acidity further predisposing the horse to digestive upsets and ulceration It is not surprising that stressed tired horses may not fulfill their potential on arrival
Feeding to reduce stress for the equine traveller
By Darlene RickerExecutive editor of Alltechrsquos EQUINE INTERNATIONAL magazine
48
Alltech Tips
growth of opportunistic Salmonella spp which are present in the intestinal tract of many healthy horses These bacteria then attach to the gut lining via a mannan sugar and penetrate it causing damage and resulting in diarrhoea One method of prevent-ing or minimising the attachment of these organ-
isms to the gut lining is to provide an adsorbant supplement A form of sugar found in the cell walls of certain yeasts can do this This sugar compound is called man-nan oligosaccharide or MOS MOS products such as Alltechrsquos Bio-Mosreg have been shown to re-duce the colonization of Salmonella
spp in the guts of certain species and augment the immune response to Salmonella spp potentially conferring an enhanced ability to fight infection Both Yea-Saccreg 1026 and Bio-Mos are among the natural products contained in Alltechrsquos LIFEFORCETM equine supplement which many FEI competitors have successfully incorporated into their daily feeding regimen at home and on the road
lifeforcehorsecom
and may be subject to health concerns in the days following a long journey Fortunately however you can curb some of the effects of travel stress on the horsersquos gut by nutritional supplementation Organic yeast products used to supplement a horsersquos diet can support the normal gut flora modifying the intesti-nal environment and improving the horsersquos digestion One such culture is Saccharomyces cerevisae in the form of Yea-Saccreg 1026 Alltechrsquos propriety organic yeast
Experiments were conducted to evaluate the effects Yea-Sacc on gut flora and gut acidity Horses were fed either a high-starch or a high-fibre diet both with and without supplementation of Yea-Saccreg 1026 Results indicated an excessive amount of starch in the gut The use of Yea-Sacc reduced acidity and stimulat-ed the activity of fibre-digesting bacteria in the hind-gut for both types of diet The result was maximised fibre digestibility and more efficient use of nutrients thus increasing the amount of energy available to the horse for performance and counteracting digestive upset Salmonellosis is one of the more commonly di-agnosed infectious causes of diarrhoea in horses Many cases develop after the stress of transport The effects of travel stress on the normal gut flora allow an over-
Moorlands Totilas arrives for the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade after air transport copy Dirk Caremans
HRH The Infanta Dontildea Pilar de Borboacuten former President of the FEI (1994-2006) also attended the inauguration along-side HRH Princess Lalla Amina Chairperson of the Royal Moroccan Federation for Equestrian Sports and member of the international Advisory Council of Special OlympicsThey were joined by International Olympic Commit-tee members representatives from other Interna-tional Federations federal and local Swiss authorities as well as architects and designers that worked on the project Switzerlandrsquos Martin Fuchs a member of the gold medal winning team at the inaugural Youth Olympic Games in Singapore last year accompanied FEI President Princess Haya in officially opening the FEI headquarters
ldquoThe building we are inaugurating today has been designed to serve our wonderful sportrdquo explained FEI
President Princess Haya ldquoI also feel an immense
sense of pride knowing that this building carries the name
of my late father and hope that this serves as a constant reminder
to all of us who work at the FEI of a unique statesman whose entire soul was devoted to the service of his people Our new headquarters will play a key role for the FEI and our National Federa-tions over the coming years It will be the environ-ment in which important discussions take place and fundamental decisions are taken as we continue our mission to advance the orderly growth of equestrian sport worldwide while ensuring that the welfare of the horse and a level playing field remain at the centre of all that we dordquo
FEI celebratesNEW Headquarters
Over 250 guests attended the inauguration ceremony on Friday 6 May at HM King Hussein I Building which was timed to coincide with the FEI
Extraordinary General Assembly so that attending NationalFederation representatives
could be a part ofthe celebrations
1 Youth Olympic Games team champion Martin Fuchs (SUI) FEI President HRH Princess Haya and her daughter HH Sheikha Al Jalila officially open the FEIrsquos new home 2 Gilbert Felli IOC Olympic Games Executive Director and FEI Secretary General Ingmar de Vos 3 HRH The Infanta Dontildea Pilar de Borboacuten sits down to an interactive quiz in the FEI Gallery 4 Guests gathered in the atrium of the FEI HeadquartersAll images copy Hugues SiegenthalerFEI
Highlights available on50
1
2
3 4
5
6 7
8
THE GALLERy
As well as housing offices for its 62 employees and conference facilities for its 133 National Federations the new headquarters also has a state-of-the-art in-teractive gallery showcasing equestrian sport
The Gallery is the brainchild of Dr Amichai Alper-ovich historian former Secretary General of the Is-raeli Equestrian Federation and curator of the Israeli Olympic Museum (opened in 2009) He worked hand in hand with the Tel Aviv based company Disk-In Pro and interior designer Oded Alony to help bring the content to life and the result is truly unique and ground breaking Giant glass surfaces act as interac-tive interfaces for the visitors to travel through time
The FEIrsquos new headquarters which were donated to the Federation by FEI Presi-dent HRH Princess Haya in 2007 fol-lowing a personal fundraising effort are conveniently located close to the Inter-national Olympic Committee and other international sports federations It has been written into the FEI Statutes that the new FEI headquarters building will always house the Federationrsquos offices In 2008 the building was thoroughly renovated in accordance with the Swiss MINERGIEreg construction standard for environmental responsibility which re-duces energy consumption by 25 per cent Only two per cent of renovated buildings in Switzerland meet the high Minergie standards Khuan Chew founder and design princi-pal of London-based architectural firm KCA International Ltd worked in close collaboration with Swiss-based architect Herveacute de Rham and interior designer Sia-vosh Adeli (SUI) to transform the build-ing which was built in the 1960s The modern and sleek interior was further enhanced with bespoke artworks pro-duced by Swiss creative agency b+g amp partners and imagery by world-famous equestrian art photographer Tim Flach where the simplicity and beauty of his equine subjects seamlessly embrace and accentuate the buildingrsquos pure lines and natural materials (see image left)
As they feasted on the innate beauty of their sur-roundings the guests also had the privilege to ex-perience the culinary talents of organic chef and specialist Gilles Wannaz and his team based in the town of Cully which sits on the edge of Lac Leman in Switzerlandrsquos famous Lavaux wine growing region
5 HRH Princess Haya welcomes the guests to the Inauguration of the HQ and the 90 year celebration of the FEI 6 Artwork by renowned pho-tographer Tim Flach 7 An organic and colourful buffet presented on an authentic lawn by local chef Gilles Wannaz 8 A life size horse sculpture by Christophe Dumont greeted the guests upon their arrival
53FOCUS
and space with the latest in touch technology revis-iting the history of the FEI the equestrian events at Olympic amp Paralympic Games the FEI World Eques-trian Gamestrade and information on all of the member National Federations with statistics videos images and text The Gallery also includes projections on ar-chitectural surfaces designed by Oded Alony referred to as the Origami as well as interactive stations and unique video projections on glass screens
For all those wishing to visit the FEI Gallery simply contact the FEI HQ to make an appointment and we would be delighted to take you on a journey to dis-cover or rediscover the human and equine athletes whose talents have marked equestrian history and inspired young riders drivers and vaulters around the world
Interview withDrAmichaiAlperovich
When did you first dream up the FEIInteractive Gallery When I found out the FEI was planning to move into new HQ in 2009 Disk-In Pro and I approached the FEI and presented them with several concepts for the space Before long we had agreed on the concept and we got to work
Why were you compelled to make it become a reality So that the FEI a prominent sports organisation could present itself to a growing audience in a new and visionary way with the latest technology And by doing so the FEI is a pioneer becoming the first International Federation to have a Gallery of this kind
What did you learn when researching and gathering content for the gallery I have learned a lot about the history of the FEI the strong Olympic tradition the diversity of disciplines the gender equality and the unique bond between horse and man One of the more fascinating topics was the evolution of the Dressage from itsrsquo Olympic debut to the modern Freestyle
Itrsquos very innovative technology what inspired you to take such a leap into the future with such a traditional sport Just as Dressage has evolved over the years and alongside the introduction of new disciplines partic-ularly Para-Equestrian you come to realise that the FEI is not as traditional as one would think Actually this kind of innovative presentation of equestrian history is really well suited to the FEI In the same way that you can have horse-man connections there is an audience-technology connection in the Gallery The audience have to be active in order to enjoy the depth of information the Gallery contains
54
Now it is time to open the door to new places to learn about sport ndash at the heart of sporting organi-sations themselves The Gallery is more than an informative tool it brings people to the sport andto the heart of its operations
Established in 1990 Disk-In Pro specialises in the planning design production and implementation of Museums Visitor Centres and sophisticated projects around the world This includes multi screen produc-tion animation 3D amp interactive films state-of-the-art software platforms and complex video displays for an unforgettable experience
Oded Alony holds a BA in Design from the Interior Design Section of the Holon Technological Institute and has since 1998 worked with Israelrsquos leading Architecture firms The Oded Alony Studio embraces holistic design a space where interior design lighting and graphics are brought together to create a harmo-nious project vision
Now that you have seen it unveiled to the public how would you like to see it evolve I hope the audience will be amazed from the design by architect Oded Alony and the new methods to deliver information whilst discovering the long his-tory of the FEI the diversity and the global reach of the organisation I hope the Gallery will become an icon in Lausanne and one of its highlights for visitors I promise the visitors a new platform to learn about equestrianism and each visit could be different as the information and themes will be updated and modi-fied regularly
This futuristic gallery is a first for anInternational Federation do you think thisis something all sports should invest inThe FEI took this courageous decision and now has this fantastic tool to present the organisation in new ways Sport is a huge cultural phenomenaWe have learned to consume sport in the arenas and stadiums in the press media and new media
Dr Amichai Alperovich
55FOCUS
SOCIAL MEDIAthe new frontier
Follow us on
The FEI has recently embarked on and embraced a whole new way of talking with the greater equestrian community through the ever expanding social media networks and platformsWith personalised Facebook Twitter and You Tube pages the FEI is taking it step by step and reaching out to this growing audience and listening to what they have to say
This new communication platform is by no means a substitution of the traditional communication path-ways but works alongside the press releases various publications and content on wwwfeiorg and wwwfeitvorg providing a new arena where the FEI can share interact and dialogue with fans of the sport and of equestrian values in general
We talk to Richard Johnson Director of Corporate Communications about the FEIrsquos commitment to social media
What compelled the FEI to venture onto the social media scene As a governing body with a vibrant and active com-munity of National Federations as well as thousands of fans the need to reach out to the online social community has never been stronger We have been watching the communities grow online for some time and have been listening to their conversations so being a part of it was the next logical step and a really important one The conversations will hap-pen with or without us so taking that step has been crucial in order to share our values and also build re-lationships with our fan base
Tradition meets modernity ndash does equestrian sportthe FEI have a place in social media Absolutely even though equestrian sport has a long history and is perceived as a traditional sport it is
always evolving In the 90 years of the FEI which was founded to govern the three Olympic disciplines it has grown to also oversee the disciplines of Driving Endurance Vaulting Reining and Para-Equestrian sport Or if you look at the early days when competi-tors were from military backgrounds and when wom-en did not compete alongside men to the complete gender equality we have today ndash a lot has changed and is in a constant state of change
The fans of equestrian sport are like any other fan base web savvy and eager for more information behind the scenes content and to share their opin-ions and thoughts ndash so it is an ideal partnership And from what we have seen these last few months and from the feedback we got from our blog at the Youth Olympic Games there is a real appetite for this
The FEI has dedicated Facebook Twitter and You Tube pages ndash why did you select these social media platforms The figures speak for themselveshellip Facebook Twit-ter and You Tube are the biggest players in the social networking space With over 500 million Facebook users 106 million Tweeters and 2 billion views a day on You Tube there has never been so much oppor-tunity for exposure Every site has different demo-graphics with different habits and needs so by having an FEI presence on these three networks we are able to cover a lot of ground and cater to different audi-ences by providing different types of content accord-ing to the platform
What are the main benefits of having a pres-ence on various social media platforms Itrsquos all about having a two way conversation ndash the benefits of dialogue where you can share content such as videos images facts and figures thoughts and values and then allow your fan base to react to get involved and to listen and learn from them By engaging with our audience and showing them that we are a modern and caring organisation and that we want to hear what they have to say then we are able to build trust and ultimately credibility in what we do and what we say
57FOCUS
TV
The offi cial video website of the Feacutedeacuteration Equestre Internationale
wwwfeitvorg
WATCH LIVE WATCH ONLINE
FEI TV is the FEIrsquos new offi cial video website and your ticket to the worldrsquos most prestigious competitions Sign-up to FEI TV (wwwfeitvorg) and get instant access to all the live broadcasts the extensive video-on-demand library all the highlights the behind the scenes reports the interviews and so much more Be at the heart of horsesport Join us
2823_1FEI_TV_Focus_165x226indd 1 170510 1124
It also keeps us alert as to what is being discussed and debated in the public sphere so that we can manage situations more effectively and be proactive in our messaging and information so that the facts are at the heart of the debate and not interpretations of them
How do you generate content for social media It was important when we launched our social me-dia presence that it be manageable with the exist-ing communications team in place ndash and so we have concentrated on keeping it simple and effective and using content innovatively Itrsquos not about reproduc-ing our website ndash but to engage with our fans and so often all you need is a good picture an interest-ing fact or great achievement to get the ball rolling For You Tube as we already have so much content generated from FEI TV it was simply a question of using bits and pieces from that content to provide the public with teasers from events interviews with winning riders or behind the scenes content which they can then follow up on FEI TV with a subscription
What are your Social media goals Itrsquos really to build relationships and dialogue with our fan base by using our content innovatively by listening to what they have to say and by engaging with the community And for the National Federa-tions that have yet to take that step we want to be a guiding hand that can help them get started so that they too can reap the benefits of social media net-working Our sport competes against other sports for attention so itrsquos really important that we the FEI and the National Federations keep our finger on the pulse and cater to our fans
How can National Federations get involved NFs wishing to find out more about Social Media can contact me (richardjohnsonfeiorg) and I would be more than happy to discuss opportunities and ways of getting started as well as our experience at the FEI
We asked our Facebook followers why it was important to use face-book and here are a few comments they came up with
bullItrsquos a great way to find out about shows and competitions
bullBecause facebook can provide up to the minute updates as to the what is going on in the horse community
bullWe can share information and ideas over long distances We can find and connect with people we wouldnt be able to otherwise
bullIt also lets us express the true realities of our spot to keep us grounded
bullIt can bring peoples attention to excellence ndash and expose the issues
58
TV
The offi cial video website of the Feacutedeacuteration Equestre Internationale
wwwfeitvorg
WATCH LIVE WATCH ONLINE
FEI TV is the FEIrsquos new offi cial video website and your ticket to the worldrsquos most prestigious competitions Sign-up to FEI TV (wwwfeitvorg) and get instant access to all the live broadcasts the extensive video-on-demand library all the highlights the behind the scenes reports the interviews and so much more Be at the heart of horsesport Join us
2823_1FEI_TV_Focus_165x226indd 1 170510 1124
ldquo Donrsquot accept drinks from a strangerrdquo
Armchair travel journalist
Are you living a life without boundaries Some well-meant advice is best ignored but itrsquos still good to know yoursquore covered when yoursquore away With HSBC Premier your family can be protected with both Travel Insurance and dedicated assistance when yoursquore abroad Which is reassuring to know when yoursquore making the most of life
HSBC Premier is subject to financial eligibility criteria and is available in over 40 countries and territories
Premier Travel Insurance covers you and your partner up to age 70 and your children travelling with you up to age 18
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A4 A4
Issued by HSBC Holdings plc Approved for use in UK by HSBC Bank plc Premier Travel Insurance is provided by Aviva Insurance UK Limited Customer Information Service PO Box 757 Hemel Hempstead Hertfordshire HP2 4SS Registered in England number 14259 Registered Office 8 Canada Square London E14 5HQ AC18770
201736_6000263_Coconut_226x165indd
Master 226x165
Rob Swainson 160211
HSBC - Coconuts Proof 01Head of Art TypographerDesigner ArtCreative Director Copywriter Account DirectorDIC Project ManagerPhotographer Illustrator Usage Model(s) Name(s) Usage
Media MediaStock Image Time Period Time Period
Territory Territory
8deg N ndash Kerala South India
Nicolas TheacutevenazAged 23 studies Robotics and Autonomous Systems Micro Engineering in Lausanne (SUI) alongside regular training and competition in Dressage and Para-Equestrian Dressage events Born with spastic diplegia Nicolas was introduced to horses via hippotherapy aged seven and quickly developed a passion for riding which not only helped with his physical condition but also taught him through Dressage the art of patience and perseverance
34
One day
Nicolas TheacutevenazAged 23 studies Robotics and Autonomous Systems Micro Engineering in Lausanne (SUI) alongside regular training and competition in Dressage and Para-Equestrian Dressage events Born with spastic diplegia Nicolas was introduced to horses via hippotherapy aged seven and quickly developed a passion for riding which not only helped with his physical condition but also taught him through Dressage the art of patience and perseverance
He has been fortunate to meet the right people (and horses) at the right time and has been working for the past five years with trainer Vicky-Eileen Baumann (pictured right) and her horses Magic and Lady (pictured right) ldquoShersquos bred them and knows them inside out which is very useful when I have to communicate with them - they know my voice intonations and a whole string of specific words or sounds ndash which really helps as my body canrsquot or doesnrsquot always have the strength to do sordquo
As a Grade II Para-Equestrian rider Nicolas competes in Para-Equestrian Dressage (PED) events as well as national events for able bodied riders as there are only a handful of PED riders and no events in Switzerland
Unable to attend the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade 2010 in Kentucky last year Nicolas and Vicky have their sights firmly set on the 2012 Para-lympic Games and will be looking to qualify with Lady over the next 12 months ndash alongside exams studies and everything else life has to offerhellip Who is your role model For different reasons I have different role mod-els Edward Gal Dane Rawlins Isabel Werth and Catherine Haddad
When did you start riding and why At age 7 I was sat on a horse for hippotherapy and liked the complicity with the horse which made me want to discover more
How do you feel when you ride Concentrated and industrious
Who is your biggest fan My trainerrsquos mum
Complete this sentenceOne day I would like tohellip have gained enough knowledge to be able to take care of and train my own horse
What are your long term goals as a rider Continue to do my best to enjoy what I do and show others itrsquos possible
How do you juggle studies and competition I think itrsquos really important to have goals and to do everything you can to achieve them and that includes taking on challenges because if you donrsquot try then yoursquoll never know what you could have achieved
What is your proudest achievement to date Participation in international events together with pursuing my studies
How do you feel after winning Still working towards discovering the feeling
What is the best advice anyone has ever given youMy trainer often repeats to me the famous saying by General LrsquoHotte ldquoCalme en avant droitrdquo which says so much about riding but can also be applied to so many other aspects of life
35FOCUS
What advice would you give someone looking to get involved in Para-Equestrian Dressage Train and ride with able-bodied athletes as often as possible Being around and working with horses is so rewarding Irsquod like - when Irsquom retired - to write a book to share these feelings with others and hope this will inspire them to get involved
Complete this sentenceIn the future I would like the sport to beeven ldquocleanerrdquo and fairer and if possible not more but less demanding on the horses
ldquoLast but not least Irsquod like to take the opportunity of this article to reach out to those who give me their trust and help be it with their time their friendship and any type of support Day after day to year after year team work is essential and Irsquoll do my best to continue deserving every-onersquos encouraging smilesrdquo
European Broadcasting Union
Union Europeacuteenne de Radio-Teacuteleacutevision
+41 (0)22 717 2111 wwweurovisionnet
We bring the event to your home
Eurovision
copy K
it H
ough
ton
FE
I
FEI_08_A4indd 1 03012008 162238
European Broadcasting Union
Union Europeacuteenne de Radio-Teacuteleacutevision
+41 (0)22 717 2111 wwweurovisionnet
We bring the event to your home
Eurovision
copy K
it H
ough
ton
FE
I
FEI_08_A4indd 1 03012008 162238
Nominations for the FEI Awards opened in May enabling the global equestrian com-munity to once again reward outstanding dedication to horse sport in five categories ndash Development Best Groom Against All Odds Rising Star and Best Athlete The search for the equestrian heroes of 2011 is now on who will be flown to Rio de Janeiro Brazil to receive their awards
Where are they now The FEI asked the current title-holders for an update on their activities
Follow us on
38
FEI Awards 2011
Ebony Horse Club (GBR)Winner of the Alltech FEI DevelopmentAward 2010
The Ebony Horse Club announced in December 2010 that after an eight-year fundraising effort it had the pound14 million necessary for building an equestrian cen-tre in one of Londonrsquos most deprived boroughs Since 1996 Ebony has offered youngsters in an area reput-ed for its gang culture high level of gun crime and drug dealing the chance to ride and learn key social skills The clubrsquos 50 members travel to riding schools across London on public transport or in minibuses ndash a logistical headache that the inner-city equestrian centre will end Construction work began in February
Ebony Horse Club founder and director Ros Spear-ing told the FEI ldquoRiding lessons are continuing and the club is preparing for the transitionrdquo Building will finish on 7 July but the centre will open for riding lessons in October ldquoThe horses will be brought to Brixton in the summer and will have time to acclimatise to their new environmentrdquo Spearing said The centre will include stabling for nine horses a small paddock and a flood-lit riding arena as well as a classroom for learning about horses and equine management Spearing is adamant that club members ndash present and future ndash care for their rides and wants the centre to serve as a stepping stone to careers in the horse industry
Ebonyrsquos existence will continue to depend on the generosity of donors For more information visit wwwebonyhorsecluborguk
Michelle Tipper (GBR)Winner of the FEI Best Groom Award 2010
Michelle Tipper has continued to juggle grooming and study since receiving her FEI Award in Novem-ber She has organised the grooms for the British European Junior and Young Dressage teams and in April her contract as a travelling groom for British Dressage riders Paul and Bobby Hayler took her to Addington for the first of many international com-petitions she will work at this year The Haylers have eight horses competing and the number she works with at each venue varies Tipper has also been help-ing British Dressage riders Nicky and Richard Barrett with yard duties ldquoI feel very lucky to work for both of these familiesrdquo said the FEI Best Groom Award win-ner adding that she feels part of the two families In March Tipper graduated from university with a Masters in Sport Psychology She is now working towards British Association of Sport and Exercise Science accreditation which requires at least 500 hoursrsquo supervised work experience and is present-ing sport psychology workshops in conjunction with the company Inside Performance Consulting Limit-ed (wwwinside-performancecom) The workshops are organised internationally for people of all ages from any sport To find out more contact Tipper at michelletipper1979yahoocom
39FOCUS
Michelle Tipper ndash copyWilliam TzengAward winners ndash copyWilliam TzengCaroline Roffman ndash copySharonPackercomEbony Horse Club ndash copyEbony Horse ClubEdward Gal and Totilas ndash copyKit HoughtonFEIAngelika Trabert ndash copyJulia Rau
Angelika Trabert (GER)Winner of the FEI Against All Odds Award 2010
German Para-Dressage rider Angelika Trabert has represent-ed her country at four Paralympic Games and won some 15 medals at national European and world championships She is currently seeking a new home for Londria the mare that con-tributed to her Team Silver medal win at the Hong Kong Para-lympics Londria who had a foal last year was also Trabertrsquos ride during her medal-winning performances at the European Championships in Hungary (2005) and Norway (2009)
Trabert said her decision to let go of Londria was hard to make but was necessary for financial reasons She will keep the foal Finaud Coquin and her mares Walmorel and Ariva-Avanti Trabert won the Para-Dressage Grade 2 Freestyle Champion-ship at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade with Ariva and said the horse was ldquowell and ready to go for the Europeans again in Belgium in September if we qualifyrdquo Trabert competed in her first international competition of 2011 in May in Man-nheim Germany where she came first in the Grade II indi-vidual and second in the freestyle She is taking part in the German Championships in June
Away from the equestrian world Trabert works as an anaes-thetist and has participated in medical missions in the rural ar-eas of Guinea for the organisation Mango In January she was back in Guinea as part of team that carried out 100 operations in 13 days wwwangelika-trabertde
Visit the recently refreshed FEI Awards website to find out more about the Awards the pastwinners the judges and to make yournominationsby 31 July
wwwfeiawardsorg
40
Caroline Roffman (USA)Winner of the HSBC FEI Rising StarAward 2010
Success continues to smile on twenty-two-year-old American Dressage rider Caroline Roffman Since re-ceiving the HSBC FEI Rising Star Award she has en-joyed numerous wins at small tour and young horse levels achieving scores in the mid-eighties and quali-fying two horses for the young horse championships
Roffman is currently showing six horses and has won several classes at PSG and Grand Prix level ldquoBut nothing is as exciting as to be going to Aachenrdquo said the young woman who has been described as the American Dressage communityrsquos brightest hope ex-plaining that at the FEI Awards ceremony in Chinese Taipei Frank Kemperman FEI Dressage Committee Chair and Chairman of the Managing Board at CHIO Aachen (GER) invited her to take part in the pres-tigious event Roffman will be the first American to compete in the Under 25 Grand Prix there and is hop-ing to take her horse Lux Stensvang
An interview with Caroline Roffman at the Palm Beach Dressage Derby CDI will be broadcast on the magazine programme Equestrian World on FEI TV the FEIrsquos official online video platform wwwfeitvorg
Edward Gal and Totilas (NED)Winners of the Reem Acra FEI Best Athlete Award 2010
The world-famous partnership of Dutch Dressage rider Edward Gal and the extraordinary Totilas ended in style in 2010 with notably three gold medal wins at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade
The first foal sired by the superstar stallion was born in January followed by two more in the spring Gal who has admired the foals told the FEI ldquoYou never know ndash maybe in a few yearsrsquo time Irsquoll have another Totilas readyrdquo At the beginning of April he was busy at home training nine horses and preparing for the Reem Acra FEI World Cuptrade Dressage Final in Leipzig and the European Championships in Rotterdam He had not yet decided which horses he was going to compete with but was particularly looking forward to the Freestyle to Music Asked what it was like to compete without Totilas Gal said ldquoEverybody ex-pected Totilas to win I find it easier to ride other horses because nobody expects me to win and when I do itrsquos really nicerdquo
41FOCUS
globetrotter
Seal of approval for the Adai horseSixty years have passed since an Adai horse reportedly set a record galloping 354km in one day Today the Adai horse a breed na-tive to Kazakhstan is back in the spotlight with a gold medal at the FEI Central Asian Endurance Championship in Talgaearlier in May only months after having been award-ed official pedigree status following tests
conducted by a State Commission in the Mangistau Steppes which allowed itto compete internationally The horses are cherished for their hardiness and Oyly ridden by Altyngali Bissemaganbetov (KAZ) proved just that when crossing the finishing line first demonstrating just how tough the Adai horses are and the beginning of a new era for sturdy breed on the international stage
Equestrian Australia Sport
Achievement Awards
In May the best of the best in
Equestrian sport gathered to cel-
ebrate the achievements of Austral-
iarsquos athletes coaches officials vets
administrators owners volunteers
and the many other people that
dedicate their time and enthusiasm
to equestrian sport The ceremony
also included the introduction of
Equestrian Australiarsquos Hall of
Fame won by the legendary Bill
Roycroft Boyd Exell winner of
the FEI World CupTM Driving
Final was awarded the interna-
tional athlete of the year
award
Kevin Stautbecomes first athlete representative on FEI
executive board
Kevin Staut one of Francersquos most successful Jumping riders became the first athlete to be appointed to the FEI Executive Board for a three-year term Staut (31) who has held the number one spot in the Rolex Rankings for Jumping since July 2010 has ridden on numerous Nations Cup teams for France and claimed individual gold at the Alltech FEI European Jumping Championships in 2009
HulA CARTSWorld Horse Welfare has greatly helped the liv
es of
five Senegalese cart horse owners by presenting them
with new Hula Carts The local people who depend on
their working horses for their livelihoods were specially
selected by the charity to receive the carts which have
been sponsored by members of the public in the uK
The Hula Carts are specifically developed to help the
horses pulling heavy loads in often difficult conditions
Equestrian Australia Sport
Achievement Awards
In May the best of the best in
Equestrian sport gathered to cel-
ebrate the achievements of Austral-
iarsquos athletes coaches officials vets
administrators owners volunteers
and the many other people that
dedicate their time and enthusiasm
to equestrian sport The ceremony
also included the introduction of
Equestrian Australiarsquos Hall of
Fame won by the legendary Bill
Roycroft Boyd Exell winner of
the FEI World CupTM Driving
Final was awarded the interna-
tional athlete of the year
award
Olympic legendBill Roycroft passes away aged 96
A legend of Equestrian sport in Australia James William
George Roycroft OBE known as ldquoBillrdquo was one of Austral-
iarsquos greatest Olympians and one of only five Australians to
have competed in five consecutive Olympic Games (from
1960 - 1976) as well as being Australiarsquos oldest medallist
and oldest competitor at 61 years and 31 days In May 2011
Bill was inducted in Equestrian Australiarsquos inaugural Hall
of Fame ndash he was Australiarsquos oldest living Olympian and
shared his dedication and enthusiasm for the sport with
his sons Barry Wayne and Clarke (See a brief description
of his exploits in the 1960 Olympic Games Memory Lane
article page 9 which catapulted Australiarsquos reputation as
one of the best Eventing teams in the world)
webinfofeiFEI web wizard Nicole Sigrist has added a new hub for the Press on wwwfeiorg called FEI Press Kits located in the Media section of the website The Press Kits zone which is also open to the general public is regularly updated with infor-mation relating to FEI series and specific events with flip books and downloadable PDFs as well as direct links to the Photo Catalogue the Rankings and Standings the Annual Report and more
100thanniversary for Finnish riding club
One of the three found-ing member clubs of
the Finnish Equestrian Federation the Suomen
Kenttaumlratsastusseura-Finska Faumlltrittklubbenon celebrates
its 100th anniversary in 2011 Magnus Rydman former President of the Finnish National Federation and Presi-dent of the FEI from 1935 ndash 1946 was one of the founders of the club Another of the founders of the oldest club in Fin-land was the Eventing rider Colonel Hans Olof von Essen whose fifth place at the Antwerpen Olympic Games re-mains the best Olympic equestrian result the country has ever achieved
Follow us on
43FOCUS
Interview with the President of the Brazilian Equestrian Federation Mr Luiz Roberto Giugni
The Brazilian Equestrian Federation has been a member Federation of the FEI for 75 years how has the sport developed over that time We were facing regular growth (average of 25 in the last decade) but in the last three to four years this rate has significantly increased up to 35 a year We believe that this is due to international achievements (two Jumping Olympic team bronze medals the individual Olympic Jumping gold medal won by Rodrigo Pessoa several Pan Am Jumping team gold medals recent Olympic pre-qualification in Kentucky (4th in the world in Jumping) and the organisations of a Global Champions Tour event in Brazil
In terms of developing the sport what are the most successful projects you have undertaken in recent yearsWe decided to invest in education and have hired international trainers for all the disciplines such as Jean Maurice Bonneau for Jumping Nick Turner for Eventing Eric Lette for Dressage Jean Louis Leclerc for Endurance Mattias Lang for Vaulting with the long term in mind that is at least until the end of 2012 and planning towards 2016 when Rio will host the Olympic Games
How popular is equestrian sport with young people in Brazil and how do you compete with some of the bigger sports for their attention Popularization is growing bit by bit in a country
decidedly dominated by soccer ndash being 5 times World Champion makes it a national passion But we are continuously looking to attract TV to our events as this is a huge step towards gaining visibility and popularity Can you tell us about the programmesinitiatives in place for disabled athletes We are actively pursuing this and have achieved really positive results in little time such as the great performances and medals earned at the Para-lympic Games in Hong Kong in 2008 We do this through clinics courses international exchanges of athletes and working alongside our National Paralympic Committee to support us in our efforts
Brazil will be host the FEI General Assembly at the end of the year what do you want all the visiting delegates to remember from their visit That we are more than just a really beautiful and warm country with the ability and capacity to organise great events and that we are committed to putting on the best Olympic Games ever
What are the main objectivesplans for the Brazilian Federation in the lead up to the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games Our NOC is really committed to raising the bar of all the sports to a level never seen before and we are working towards that in terms of our athletes our judges our venues and everything that is related to our sport and the quality of our sport In line with this objective we are providing incen-tives to owners to buy good horses aiming for 2016 and this is going to plan for now We expect to perform well at the upcoming Pan Am Games and Olympics on our trail to 2016
Is there anything else you would like to share with us I would like to thank HRH Princess Haya President of the FEI as well as the Executive Board for all the support that we are getting which has been paramount to the development of equestrian sport in our country
44
President Luiz Roberto GiugniSecretary General Luiz Antonio RoccoMember since 1935
15 members of staff work at the federation
20 regional federations are affiliated tothe Brazilian Equestrian Federation with over 300 member riding clubs
6 000 affiliated riders
91 national events were held in 2010
31 international events were held in 2010
All the FEI disciplines are practiced in BrazilJumping Dressage Eventing Vaulting Reining EnduranceDriving amp Para-Equestrian
14 breeding organisations
There are 58 million horses and ponies in Brazilmaking it the fourth largest equine population in the world
FAC
TS amp
FIG
URE
S
45FOCUS
Dr Gerit Matthesen56 is a private equine practitioner an FEI Vet and a member of the FEI Veterinary Committee He graduated in Veterinary Medicine from Berlin University in 1983 and since 1989 has worked or officiated at some 180 competitions and championships including the last two Olympics and FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade He lives near Frankfurt with his wife Carola and their sons Mike (16) and Lars (14)
46
A life in a day
Dr Gerit Matthesen56 is a private equine practitioner an FEI Vet and a member of the FEI Veterinary Committee He graduated in Veterinary Medicine from Berlin University in 1983 and since 1989 has worked or officiated at some 180 competitions and championships including the last two Olympics and FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade He lives near Frankfurt with his wife Carola and their sons Mike (16) and Lars (14)
I wake up earlier than I need to ndash at around 6am ndash because breakfast time with my family is sacred to me and I can then drive my boys to the village station to take the train to school After two cups of coffee (enough for the day) and a glass of orange juice I read the newspapers then head to my prac-tice offices in our indoor arena I have a quick look at our horses then start work
While I listen to my phone messages I deal with my emails and search the internet for news about veterinary medicine and horse sport I then start planning the dayacutes schedule with Anna my assistant vet
My mobile practice is in a nice fairly rural area in the north of Frankfurt There are lots of horse farms but it is not a classic breeding area like the northern part of Germany There are sport horses as well as pleasure horses I have examination rooms and stables for horses staying or mares foaling in my practice stables Itrsquos not a big clinic which gives me time to work at competitions
After seeing a few small animals in my practice I normally start my field service at 930am In my car I have enough equipment (ultrasound X-ray systems and endoscopical devices) for the dayrsquos examinations and standing procedures We mainly have lameness examinations to do or internal diseases to treat accompanied by routine work like vaccinations or carrying out pre-purchase or health certificate examinations If time allows I go home for a quick lunch but thatrsquos not every day
While Irsquom driving I have time to think and I write down everything that come to mind regarding sport competitions committees and so on You have to write down your thoughts when yoursquore over the age of 50
It is not easy planning my day because any emer-gency can destroy or delay my schedule For all the paperwork and certificates I need a time frame so
I often do that over quiet weekends when there are no competitions During the winter season I am less busy but in summer a lot of weekends are taken over by the competition schedule
I love my work especially in Eventing which is my favourite discipline My wife and I practiced it ndash not up to top level but it was a fine time despite a bro-ken ankle from a fall in 1988 which after 23 years is making walking more and more difficult for me
I like to do my competition work on a friendly but strict basis and I really like to hear riders saying they are treated fairly Over the years I have acquired a lot of experience and met all the officials and riders
Usually when I return home in the late afternoon there are more small animals to see When Irsquove done the dayrsquos paperwork I hope there will be no more emergencies such as cases of colic which usually occur in the early evening
I look forward to getting on my horse which is a beautiful show-jumper I like to ride but Irsquove stopped competing I do dressage jumping and go out into the fields but itrsquos all just for fun now
The day finishes with the family and a nice cold glass of German beer
Itrsquos a struggle to find time to spend with my family and I often have to cancel my holidays with them I am really grateful to my wife and the boys for their understanding of my job and to my assistant vet who covers for me when Iacutem out somewhere in the world of equestrian sport
ldquoThe combination of my profession and beinginvolved in differentaspects of top equestrian sport is my visionrdquo
47FOCUS
Pull your show attire from the closet clean your boots and tack groom the horses hook up and pack the trailer check the clock double check to make sure you have everything put on the shipping boots load your horses and away you drive to the competition venue or to the airport for transport to a distant event
You know the drill well but still you arrive tired per-haps even a bit frazzled Yoursquoll sleep (or try to) the next several nights in an unfamiliar bed or camp out in the living quarters of your trailer You awaken riveted on the competition playing out the dayrsquos classes in your mind wondering how your rides will fare against oth-ers praying that the weather will be cooperate and trying to control your nerves all the while knowing that no matter how well you have prepared many factors are out of your control You may even be in a different time zone
We go through a lot to compete our horses But if you think life on the road is stressful for you think about what itrsquos like for your horses Your back may be a bit sore from driving or being strapped into an airplane seat for hours on end but for horses transportation is far more demanding It is an athletic endeavour re-quiring an expenditure of energy to maintain balance during the constant movement of transport When your horses arrive they face social isolation from stablemates lack of security in novel environments altered training regimes water that tastes strange and the confines of an unfamiliar stall This routine impacts a horsersquos health and well being with effects
continuing long after the journey is over During transport toxic gases (such as ammonia or carbon monoxide) can cause damage to the lung epithelium precipitating respiratory disease The
final destination itself can also cause problems Usually horses are transported to environments where they will be mixing with other horses The mixing of horses from different environments with different infectious organisms and under stressful conditions further precipitates susceptibility to disease
This can have a severe impact on the equine gut The stress of transportation is known to increase gut ulceration in the horse a painful condition reducing performance and causing colic-like symptoms Stress can also slow the flow of digesta and alter the normal gut flora resulting in digestive upset and possibly diarrhoea or colic
The effects of travel stress on the gut are compounded by the typical diet of the regular equine traveller To maintain athletic ability high performance horses are often fed energy-charged diets contain-ing increased levels of starchy materials such as cereal grains Unfortunately this type of diet can reduce beneficial types of gut flora and promote gut acidity further predisposing the horse to digestive upsets and ulceration It is not surprising that stressed tired horses may not fulfill their potential on arrival
Feeding to reduce stress for the equine traveller
By Darlene RickerExecutive editor of Alltechrsquos EQUINE INTERNATIONAL magazine
48
Alltech Tips
growth of opportunistic Salmonella spp which are present in the intestinal tract of many healthy horses These bacteria then attach to the gut lining via a mannan sugar and penetrate it causing damage and resulting in diarrhoea One method of prevent-ing or minimising the attachment of these organ-
isms to the gut lining is to provide an adsorbant supplement A form of sugar found in the cell walls of certain yeasts can do this This sugar compound is called man-nan oligosaccharide or MOS MOS products such as Alltechrsquos Bio-Mosreg have been shown to re-duce the colonization of Salmonella
spp in the guts of certain species and augment the immune response to Salmonella spp potentially conferring an enhanced ability to fight infection Both Yea-Saccreg 1026 and Bio-Mos are among the natural products contained in Alltechrsquos LIFEFORCETM equine supplement which many FEI competitors have successfully incorporated into their daily feeding regimen at home and on the road
lifeforcehorsecom
and may be subject to health concerns in the days following a long journey Fortunately however you can curb some of the effects of travel stress on the horsersquos gut by nutritional supplementation Organic yeast products used to supplement a horsersquos diet can support the normal gut flora modifying the intesti-nal environment and improving the horsersquos digestion One such culture is Saccharomyces cerevisae in the form of Yea-Saccreg 1026 Alltechrsquos propriety organic yeast
Experiments were conducted to evaluate the effects Yea-Sacc on gut flora and gut acidity Horses were fed either a high-starch or a high-fibre diet both with and without supplementation of Yea-Saccreg 1026 Results indicated an excessive amount of starch in the gut The use of Yea-Sacc reduced acidity and stimulat-ed the activity of fibre-digesting bacteria in the hind-gut for both types of diet The result was maximised fibre digestibility and more efficient use of nutrients thus increasing the amount of energy available to the horse for performance and counteracting digestive upset Salmonellosis is one of the more commonly di-agnosed infectious causes of diarrhoea in horses Many cases develop after the stress of transport The effects of travel stress on the normal gut flora allow an over-
Moorlands Totilas arrives for the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade after air transport copy Dirk Caremans
HRH The Infanta Dontildea Pilar de Borboacuten former President of the FEI (1994-2006) also attended the inauguration along-side HRH Princess Lalla Amina Chairperson of the Royal Moroccan Federation for Equestrian Sports and member of the international Advisory Council of Special OlympicsThey were joined by International Olympic Commit-tee members representatives from other Interna-tional Federations federal and local Swiss authorities as well as architects and designers that worked on the project Switzerlandrsquos Martin Fuchs a member of the gold medal winning team at the inaugural Youth Olympic Games in Singapore last year accompanied FEI President Princess Haya in officially opening the FEI headquarters
ldquoThe building we are inaugurating today has been designed to serve our wonderful sportrdquo explained FEI
President Princess Haya ldquoI also feel an immense
sense of pride knowing that this building carries the name
of my late father and hope that this serves as a constant reminder
to all of us who work at the FEI of a unique statesman whose entire soul was devoted to the service of his people Our new headquarters will play a key role for the FEI and our National Federa-tions over the coming years It will be the environ-ment in which important discussions take place and fundamental decisions are taken as we continue our mission to advance the orderly growth of equestrian sport worldwide while ensuring that the welfare of the horse and a level playing field remain at the centre of all that we dordquo
FEI celebratesNEW Headquarters
Over 250 guests attended the inauguration ceremony on Friday 6 May at HM King Hussein I Building which was timed to coincide with the FEI
Extraordinary General Assembly so that attending NationalFederation representatives
could be a part ofthe celebrations
1 Youth Olympic Games team champion Martin Fuchs (SUI) FEI President HRH Princess Haya and her daughter HH Sheikha Al Jalila officially open the FEIrsquos new home 2 Gilbert Felli IOC Olympic Games Executive Director and FEI Secretary General Ingmar de Vos 3 HRH The Infanta Dontildea Pilar de Borboacuten sits down to an interactive quiz in the FEI Gallery 4 Guests gathered in the atrium of the FEI HeadquartersAll images copy Hugues SiegenthalerFEI
Highlights available on50
1
2
3 4
5
6 7
8
THE GALLERy
As well as housing offices for its 62 employees and conference facilities for its 133 National Federations the new headquarters also has a state-of-the-art in-teractive gallery showcasing equestrian sport
The Gallery is the brainchild of Dr Amichai Alper-ovich historian former Secretary General of the Is-raeli Equestrian Federation and curator of the Israeli Olympic Museum (opened in 2009) He worked hand in hand with the Tel Aviv based company Disk-In Pro and interior designer Oded Alony to help bring the content to life and the result is truly unique and ground breaking Giant glass surfaces act as interac-tive interfaces for the visitors to travel through time
The FEIrsquos new headquarters which were donated to the Federation by FEI Presi-dent HRH Princess Haya in 2007 fol-lowing a personal fundraising effort are conveniently located close to the Inter-national Olympic Committee and other international sports federations It has been written into the FEI Statutes that the new FEI headquarters building will always house the Federationrsquos offices In 2008 the building was thoroughly renovated in accordance with the Swiss MINERGIEreg construction standard for environmental responsibility which re-duces energy consumption by 25 per cent Only two per cent of renovated buildings in Switzerland meet the high Minergie standards Khuan Chew founder and design princi-pal of London-based architectural firm KCA International Ltd worked in close collaboration with Swiss-based architect Herveacute de Rham and interior designer Sia-vosh Adeli (SUI) to transform the build-ing which was built in the 1960s The modern and sleek interior was further enhanced with bespoke artworks pro-duced by Swiss creative agency b+g amp partners and imagery by world-famous equestrian art photographer Tim Flach where the simplicity and beauty of his equine subjects seamlessly embrace and accentuate the buildingrsquos pure lines and natural materials (see image left)
As they feasted on the innate beauty of their sur-roundings the guests also had the privilege to ex-perience the culinary talents of organic chef and specialist Gilles Wannaz and his team based in the town of Cully which sits on the edge of Lac Leman in Switzerlandrsquos famous Lavaux wine growing region
5 HRH Princess Haya welcomes the guests to the Inauguration of the HQ and the 90 year celebration of the FEI 6 Artwork by renowned pho-tographer Tim Flach 7 An organic and colourful buffet presented on an authentic lawn by local chef Gilles Wannaz 8 A life size horse sculpture by Christophe Dumont greeted the guests upon their arrival
53FOCUS
and space with the latest in touch technology revis-iting the history of the FEI the equestrian events at Olympic amp Paralympic Games the FEI World Eques-trian Gamestrade and information on all of the member National Federations with statistics videos images and text The Gallery also includes projections on ar-chitectural surfaces designed by Oded Alony referred to as the Origami as well as interactive stations and unique video projections on glass screens
For all those wishing to visit the FEI Gallery simply contact the FEI HQ to make an appointment and we would be delighted to take you on a journey to dis-cover or rediscover the human and equine athletes whose talents have marked equestrian history and inspired young riders drivers and vaulters around the world
Interview withDrAmichaiAlperovich
When did you first dream up the FEIInteractive Gallery When I found out the FEI was planning to move into new HQ in 2009 Disk-In Pro and I approached the FEI and presented them with several concepts for the space Before long we had agreed on the concept and we got to work
Why were you compelled to make it become a reality So that the FEI a prominent sports organisation could present itself to a growing audience in a new and visionary way with the latest technology And by doing so the FEI is a pioneer becoming the first International Federation to have a Gallery of this kind
What did you learn when researching and gathering content for the gallery I have learned a lot about the history of the FEI the strong Olympic tradition the diversity of disciplines the gender equality and the unique bond between horse and man One of the more fascinating topics was the evolution of the Dressage from itsrsquo Olympic debut to the modern Freestyle
Itrsquos very innovative technology what inspired you to take such a leap into the future with such a traditional sport Just as Dressage has evolved over the years and alongside the introduction of new disciplines partic-ularly Para-Equestrian you come to realise that the FEI is not as traditional as one would think Actually this kind of innovative presentation of equestrian history is really well suited to the FEI In the same way that you can have horse-man connections there is an audience-technology connection in the Gallery The audience have to be active in order to enjoy the depth of information the Gallery contains
54
Now it is time to open the door to new places to learn about sport ndash at the heart of sporting organi-sations themselves The Gallery is more than an informative tool it brings people to the sport andto the heart of its operations
Established in 1990 Disk-In Pro specialises in the planning design production and implementation of Museums Visitor Centres and sophisticated projects around the world This includes multi screen produc-tion animation 3D amp interactive films state-of-the-art software platforms and complex video displays for an unforgettable experience
Oded Alony holds a BA in Design from the Interior Design Section of the Holon Technological Institute and has since 1998 worked with Israelrsquos leading Architecture firms The Oded Alony Studio embraces holistic design a space where interior design lighting and graphics are brought together to create a harmo-nious project vision
Now that you have seen it unveiled to the public how would you like to see it evolve I hope the audience will be amazed from the design by architect Oded Alony and the new methods to deliver information whilst discovering the long his-tory of the FEI the diversity and the global reach of the organisation I hope the Gallery will become an icon in Lausanne and one of its highlights for visitors I promise the visitors a new platform to learn about equestrianism and each visit could be different as the information and themes will be updated and modi-fied regularly
This futuristic gallery is a first for anInternational Federation do you think thisis something all sports should invest inThe FEI took this courageous decision and now has this fantastic tool to present the organisation in new ways Sport is a huge cultural phenomenaWe have learned to consume sport in the arenas and stadiums in the press media and new media
Dr Amichai Alperovich
55FOCUS
SOCIAL MEDIAthe new frontier
Follow us on
The FEI has recently embarked on and embraced a whole new way of talking with the greater equestrian community through the ever expanding social media networks and platformsWith personalised Facebook Twitter and You Tube pages the FEI is taking it step by step and reaching out to this growing audience and listening to what they have to say
This new communication platform is by no means a substitution of the traditional communication path-ways but works alongside the press releases various publications and content on wwwfeiorg and wwwfeitvorg providing a new arena where the FEI can share interact and dialogue with fans of the sport and of equestrian values in general
We talk to Richard Johnson Director of Corporate Communications about the FEIrsquos commitment to social media
What compelled the FEI to venture onto the social media scene As a governing body with a vibrant and active com-munity of National Federations as well as thousands of fans the need to reach out to the online social community has never been stronger We have been watching the communities grow online for some time and have been listening to their conversations so being a part of it was the next logical step and a really important one The conversations will hap-pen with or without us so taking that step has been crucial in order to share our values and also build re-lationships with our fan base
Tradition meets modernity ndash does equestrian sportthe FEI have a place in social media Absolutely even though equestrian sport has a long history and is perceived as a traditional sport it is
always evolving In the 90 years of the FEI which was founded to govern the three Olympic disciplines it has grown to also oversee the disciplines of Driving Endurance Vaulting Reining and Para-Equestrian sport Or if you look at the early days when competi-tors were from military backgrounds and when wom-en did not compete alongside men to the complete gender equality we have today ndash a lot has changed and is in a constant state of change
The fans of equestrian sport are like any other fan base web savvy and eager for more information behind the scenes content and to share their opin-ions and thoughts ndash so it is an ideal partnership And from what we have seen these last few months and from the feedback we got from our blog at the Youth Olympic Games there is a real appetite for this
The FEI has dedicated Facebook Twitter and You Tube pages ndash why did you select these social media platforms The figures speak for themselveshellip Facebook Twit-ter and You Tube are the biggest players in the social networking space With over 500 million Facebook users 106 million Tweeters and 2 billion views a day on You Tube there has never been so much oppor-tunity for exposure Every site has different demo-graphics with different habits and needs so by having an FEI presence on these three networks we are able to cover a lot of ground and cater to different audi-ences by providing different types of content accord-ing to the platform
What are the main benefits of having a pres-ence on various social media platforms Itrsquos all about having a two way conversation ndash the benefits of dialogue where you can share content such as videos images facts and figures thoughts and values and then allow your fan base to react to get involved and to listen and learn from them By engaging with our audience and showing them that we are a modern and caring organisation and that we want to hear what they have to say then we are able to build trust and ultimately credibility in what we do and what we say
57FOCUS
TV
The offi cial video website of the Feacutedeacuteration Equestre Internationale
wwwfeitvorg
WATCH LIVE WATCH ONLINE
FEI TV is the FEIrsquos new offi cial video website and your ticket to the worldrsquos most prestigious competitions Sign-up to FEI TV (wwwfeitvorg) and get instant access to all the live broadcasts the extensive video-on-demand library all the highlights the behind the scenes reports the interviews and so much more Be at the heart of horsesport Join us
2823_1FEI_TV_Focus_165x226indd 1 170510 1124
It also keeps us alert as to what is being discussed and debated in the public sphere so that we can manage situations more effectively and be proactive in our messaging and information so that the facts are at the heart of the debate and not interpretations of them
How do you generate content for social media It was important when we launched our social me-dia presence that it be manageable with the exist-ing communications team in place ndash and so we have concentrated on keeping it simple and effective and using content innovatively Itrsquos not about reproduc-ing our website ndash but to engage with our fans and so often all you need is a good picture an interest-ing fact or great achievement to get the ball rolling For You Tube as we already have so much content generated from FEI TV it was simply a question of using bits and pieces from that content to provide the public with teasers from events interviews with winning riders or behind the scenes content which they can then follow up on FEI TV with a subscription
What are your Social media goals Itrsquos really to build relationships and dialogue with our fan base by using our content innovatively by listening to what they have to say and by engaging with the community And for the National Federa-tions that have yet to take that step we want to be a guiding hand that can help them get started so that they too can reap the benefits of social media net-working Our sport competes against other sports for attention so itrsquos really important that we the FEI and the National Federations keep our finger on the pulse and cater to our fans
How can National Federations get involved NFs wishing to find out more about Social Media can contact me (richardjohnsonfeiorg) and I would be more than happy to discuss opportunities and ways of getting started as well as our experience at the FEI
We asked our Facebook followers why it was important to use face-book and here are a few comments they came up with
bullItrsquos a great way to find out about shows and competitions
bullBecause facebook can provide up to the minute updates as to the what is going on in the horse community
bullWe can share information and ideas over long distances We can find and connect with people we wouldnt be able to otherwise
bullIt also lets us express the true realities of our spot to keep us grounded
bullIt can bring peoples attention to excellence ndash and expose the issues
58
TV
The offi cial video website of the Feacutedeacuteration Equestre Internationale
wwwfeitvorg
WATCH LIVE WATCH ONLINE
FEI TV is the FEIrsquos new offi cial video website and your ticket to the worldrsquos most prestigious competitions Sign-up to FEI TV (wwwfeitvorg) and get instant access to all the live broadcasts the extensive video-on-demand library all the highlights the behind the scenes reports the interviews and so much more Be at the heart of horsesport Join us
2823_1FEI_TV_Focus_165x226indd 1 170510 1124
ldquo Donrsquot accept drinks from a strangerrdquo
Armchair travel journalist
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HSBC - Coconuts Proof 01Head of Art TypographerDesigner ArtCreative Director Copywriter Account DirectorDIC Project ManagerPhotographer Illustrator Usage Model(s) Name(s) Usage
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8deg N ndash Kerala South India
Nicolas TheacutevenazAged 23 studies Robotics and Autonomous Systems Micro Engineering in Lausanne (SUI) alongside regular training and competition in Dressage and Para-Equestrian Dressage events Born with spastic diplegia Nicolas was introduced to horses via hippotherapy aged seven and quickly developed a passion for riding which not only helped with his physical condition but also taught him through Dressage the art of patience and perseverance
He has been fortunate to meet the right people (and horses) at the right time and has been working for the past five years with trainer Vicky-Eileen Baumann (pictured right) and her horses Magic and Lady (pictured right) ldquoShersquos bred them and knows them inside out which is very useful when I have to communicate with them - they know my voice intonations and a whole string of specific words or sounds ndash which really helps as my body canrsquot or doesnrsquot always have the strength to do sordquo
As a Grade II Para-Equestrian rider Nicolas competes in Para-Equestrian Dressage (PED) events as well as national events for able bodied riders as there are only a handful of PED riders and no events in Switzerland
Unable to attend the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade 2010 in Kentucky last year Nicolas and Vicky have their sights firmly set on the 2012 Para-lympic Games and will be looking to qualify with Lady over the next 12 months ndash alongside exams studies and everything else life has to offerhellip Who is your role model For different reasons I have different role mod-els Edward Gal Dane Rawlins Isabel Werth and Catherine Haddad
When did you start riding and why At age 7 I was sat on a horse for hippotherapy and liked the complicity with the horse which made me want to discover more
How do you feel when you ride Concentrated and industrious
Who is your biggest fan My trainerrsquos mum
Complete this sentenceOne day I would like tohellip have gained enough knowledge to be able to take care of and train my own horse
What are your long term goals as a rider Continue to do my best to enjoy what I do and show others itrsquos possible
How do you juggle studies and competition I think itrsquos really important to have goals and to do everything you can to achieve them and that includes taking on challenges because if you donrsquot try then yoursquoll never know what you could have achieved
What is your proudest achievement to date Participation in international events together with pursuing my studies
How do you feel after winning Still working towards discovering the feeling
What is the best advice anyone has ever given youMy trainer often repeats to me the famous saying by General LrsquoHotte ldquoCalme en avant droitrdquo which says so much about riding but can also be applied to so many other aspects of life
35FOCUS
What advice would you give someone looking to get involved in Para-Equestrian Dressage Train and ride with able-bodied athletes as often as possible Being around and working with horses is so rewarding Irsquod like - when Irsquom retired - to write a book to share these feelings with others and hope this will inspire them to get involved
Complete this sentenceIn the future I would like the sport to beeven ldquocleanerrdquo and fairer and if possible not more but less demanding on the horses
ldquoLast but not least Irsquod like to take the opportunity of this article to reach out to those who give me their trust and help be it with their time their friendship and any type of support Day after day to year after year team work is essential and Irsquoll do my best to continue deserving every-onersquos encouraging smilesrdquo
European Broadcasting Union
Union Europeacuteenne de Radio-Teacuteleacutevision
+41 (0)22 717 2111 wwweurovisionnet
We bring the event to your home
Eurovision
copy K
it H
ough
ton
FE
I
FEI_08_A4indd 1 03012008 162238
European Broadcasting Union
Union Europeacuteenne de Radio-Teacuteleacutevision
+41 (0)22 717 2111 wwweurovisionnet
We bring the event to your home
Eurovision
copy K
it H
ough
ton
FE
I
FEI_08_A4indd 1 03012008 162238
Nominations for the FEI Awards opened in May enabling the global equestrian com-munity to once again reward outstanding dedication to horse sport in five categories ndash Development Best Groom Against All Odds Rising Star and Best Athlete The search for the equestrian heroes of 2011 is now on who will be flown to Rio de Janeiro Brazil to receive their awards
Where are they now The FEI asked the current title-holders for an update on their activities
Follow us on
38
FEI Awards 2011
Ebony Horse Club (GBR)Winner of the Alltech FEI DevelopmentAward 2010
The Ebony Horse Club announced in December 2010 that after an eight-year fundraising effort it had the pound14 million necessary for building an equestrian cen-tre in one of Londonrsquos most deprived boroughs Since 1996 Ebony has offered youngsters in an area reput-ed for its gang culture high level of gun crime and drug dealing the chance to ride and learn key social skills The clubrsquos 50 members travel to riding schools across London on public transport or in minibuses ndash a logistical headache that the inner-city equestrian centre will end Construction work began in February
Ebony Horse Club founder and director Ros Spear-ing told the FEI ldquoRiding lessons are continuing and the club is preparing for the transitionrdquo Building will finish on 7 July but the centre will open for riding lessons in October ldquoThe horses will be brought to Brixton in the summer and will have time to acclimatise to their new environmentrdquo Spearing said The centre will include stabling for nine horses a small paddock and a flood-lit riding arena as well as a classroom for learning about horses and equine management Spearing is adamant that club members ndash present and future ndash care for their rides and wants the centre to serve as a stepping stone to careers in the horse industry
Ebonyrsquos existence will continue to depend on the generosity of donors For more information visit wwwebonyhorsecluborguk
Michelle Tipper (GBR)Winner of the FEI Best Groom Award 2010
Michelle Tipper has continued to juggle grooming and study since receiving her FEI Award in Novem-ber She has organised the grooms for the British European Junior and Young Dressage teams and in April her contract as a travelling groom for British Dressage riders Paul and Bobby Hayler took her to Addington for the first of many international com-petitions she will work at this year The Haylers have eight horses competing and the number she works with at each venue varies Tipper has also been help-ing British Dressage riders Nicky and Richard Barrett with yard duties ldquoI feel very lucky to work for both of these familiesrdquo said the FEI Best Groom Award win-ner adding that she feels part of the two families In March Tipper graduated from university with a Masters in Sport Psychology She is now working towards British Association of Sport and Exercise Science accreditation which requires at least 500 hoursrsquo supervised work experience and is present-ing sport psychology workshops in conjunction with the company Inside Performance Consulting Limit-ed (wwwinside-performancecom) The workshops are organised internationally for people of all ages from any sport To find out more contact Tipper at michelletipper1979yahoocom
39FOCUS
Michelle Tipper ndash copyWilliam TzengAward winners ndash copyWilliam TzengCaroline Roffman ndash copySharonPackercomEbony Horse Club ndash copyEbony Horse ClubEdward Gal and Totilas ndash copyKit HoughtonFEIAngelika Trabert ndash copyJulia Rau
Angelika Trabert (GER)Winner of the FEI Against All Odds Award 2010
German Para-Dressage rider Angelika Trabert has represent-ed her country at four Paralympic Games and won some 15 medals at national European and world championships She is currently seeking a new home for Londria the mare that con-tributed to her Team Silver medal win at the Hong Kong Para-lympics Londria who had a foal last year was also Trabertrsquos ride during her medal-winning performances at the European Championships in Hungary (2005) and Norway (2009)
Trabert said her decision to let go of Londria was hard to make but was necessary for financial reasons She will keep the foal Finaud Coquin and her mares Walmorel and Ariva-Avanti Trabert won the Para-Dressage Grade 2 Freestyle Champion-ship at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade with Ariva and said the horse was ldquowell and ready to go for the Europeans again in Belgium in September if we qualifyrdquo Trabert competed in her first international competition of 2011 in May in Man-nheim Germany where she came first in the Grade II indi-vidual and second in the freestyle She is taking part in the German Championships in June
Away from the equestrian world Trabert works as an anaes-thetist and has participated in medical missions in the rural ar-eas of Guinea for the organisation Mango In January she was back in Guinea as part of team that carried out 100 operations in 13 days wwwangelika-trabertde
Visit the recently refreshed FEI Awards website to find out more about the Awards the pastwinners the judges and to make yournominationsby 31 July
wwwfeiawardsorg
40
Caroline Roffman (USA)Winner of the HSBC FEI Rising StarAward 2010
Success continues to smile on twenty-two-year-old American Dressage rider Caroline Roffman Since re-ceiving the HSBC FEI Rising Star Award she has en-joyed numerous wins at small tour and young horse levels achieving scores in the mid-eighties and quali-fying two horses for the young horse championships
Roffman is currently showing six horses and has won several classes at PSG and Grand Prix level ldquoBut nothing is as exciting as to be going to Aachenrdquo said the young woman who has been described as the American Dressage communityrsquos brightest hope ex-plaining that at the FEI Awards ceremony in Chinese Taipei Frank Kemperman FEI Dressage Committee Chair and Chairman of the Managing Board at CHIO Aachen (GER) invited her to take part in the pres-tigious event Roffman will be the first American to compete in the Under 25 Grand Prix there and is hop-ing to take her horse Lux Stensvang
An interview with Caroline Roffman at the Palm Beach Dressage Derby CDI will be broadcast on the magazine programme Equestrian World on FEI TV the FEIrsquos official online video platform wwwfeitvorg
Edward Gal and Totilas (NED)Winners of the Reem Acra FEI Best Athlete Award 2010
The world-famous partnership of Dutch Dressage rider Edward Gal and the extraordinary Totilas ended in style in 2010 with notably three gold medal wins at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade
The first foal sired by the superstar stallion was born in January followed by two more in the spring Gal who has admired the foals told the FEI ldquoYou never know ndash maybe in a few yearsrsquo time Irsquoll have another Totilas readyrdquo At the beginning of April he was busy at home training nine horses and preparing for the Reem Acra FEI World Cuptrade Dressage Final in Leipzig and the European Championships in Rotterdam He had not yet decided which horses he was going to compete with but was particularly looking forward to the Freestyle to Music Asked what it was like to compete without Totilas Gal said ldquoEverybody ex-pected Totilas to win I find it easier to ride other horses because nobody expects me to win and when I do itrsquos really nicerdquo
41FOCUS
globetrotter
Seal of approval for the Adai horseSixty years have passed since an Adai horse reportedly set a record galloping 354km in one day Today the Adai horse a breed na-tive to Kazakhstan is back in the spotlight with a gold medal at the FEI Central Asian Endurance Championship in Talgaearlier in May only months after having been award-ed official pedigree status following tests
conducted by a State Commission in the Mangistau Steppes which allowed itto compete internationally The horses are cherished for their hardiness and Oyly ridden by Altyngali Bissemaganbetov (KAZ) proved just that when crossing the finishing line first demonstrating just how tough the Adai horses are and the beginning of a new era for sturdy breed on the international stage
Equestrian Australia Sport
Achievement Awards
In May the best of the best in
Equestrian sport gathered to cel-
ebrate the achievements of Austral-
iarsquos athletes coaches officials vets
administrators owners volunteers
and the many other people that
dedicate their time and enthusiasm
to equestrian sport The ceremony
also included the introduction of
Equestrian Australiarsquos Hall of
Fame won by the legendary Bill
Roycroft Boyd Exell winner of
the FEI World CupTM Driving
Final was awarded the interna-
tional athlete of the year
award
Kevin Stautbecomes first athlete representative on FEI
executive board
Kevin Staut one of Francersquos most successful Jumping riders became the first athlete to be appointed to the FEI Executive Board for a three-year term Staut (31) who has held the number one spot in the Rolex Rankings for Jumping since July 2010 has ridden on numerous Nations Cup teams for France and claimed individual gold at the Alltech FEI European Jumping Championships in 2009
HulA CARTSWorld Horse Welfare has greatly helped the liv
es of
five Senegalese cart horse owners by presenting them
with new Hula Carts The local people who depend on
their working horses for their livelihoods were specially
selected by the charity to receive the carts which have
been sponsored by members of the public in the uK
The Hula Carts are specifically developed to help the
horses pulling heavy loads in often difficult conditions
Equestrian Australia Sport
Achievement Awards
In May the best of the best in
Equestrian sport gathered to cel-
ebrate the achievements of Austral-
iarsquos athletes coaches officials vets
administrators owners volunteers
and the many other people that
dedicate their time and enthusiasm
to equestrian sport The ceremony
also included the introduction of
Equestrian Australiarsquos Hall of
Fame won by the legendary Bill
Roycroft Boyd Exell winner of
the FEI World CupTM Driving
Final was awarded the interna-
tional athlete of the year
award
Olympic legendBill Roycroft passes away aged 96
A legend of Equestrian sport in Australia James William
George Roycroft OBE known as ldquoBillrdquo was one of Austral-
iarsquos greatest Olympians and one of only five Australians to
have competed in five consecutive Olympic Games (from
1960 - 1976) as well as being Australiarsquos oldest medallist
and oldest competitor at 61 years and 31 days In May 2011
Bill was inducted in Equestrian Australiarsquos inaugural Hall
of Fame ndash he was Australiarsquos oldest living Olympian and
shared his dedication and enthusiasm for the sport with
his sons Barry Wayne and Clarke (See a brief description
of his exploits in the 1960 Olympic Games Memory Lane
article page 9 which catapulted Australiarsquos reputation as
one of the best Eventing teams in the world)
webinfofeiFEI web wizard Nicole Sigrist has added a new hub for the Press on wwwfeiorg called FEI Press Kits located in the Media section of the website The Press Kits zone which is also open to the general public is regularly updated with infor-mation relating to FEI series and specific events with flip books and downloadable PDFs as well as direct links to the Photo Catalogue the Rankings and Standings the Annual Report and more
100thanniversary for Finnish riding club
One of the three found-ing member clubs of
the Finnish Equestrian Federation the Suomen
Kenttaumlratsastusseura-Finska Faumlltrittklubbenon celebrates
its 100th anniversary in 2011 Magnus Rydman former President of the Finnish National Federation and Presi-dent of the FEI from 1935 ndash 1946 was one of the founders of the club Another of the founders of the oldest club in Fin-land was the Eventing rider Colonel Hans Olof von Essen whose fifth place at the Antwerpen Olympic Games re-mains the best Olympic equestrian result the country has ever achieved
Follow us on
43FOCUS
Interview with the President of the Brazilian Equestrian Federation Mr Luiz Roberto Giugni
The Brazilian Equestrian Federation has been a member Federation of the FEI for 75 years how has the sport developed over that time We were facing regular growth (average of 25 in the last decade) but in the last three to four years this rate has significantly increased up to 35 a year We believe that this is due to international achievements (two Jumping Olympic team bronze medals the individual Olympic Jumping gold medal won by Rodrigo Pessoa several Pan Am Jumping team gold medals recent Olympic pre-qualification in Kentucky (4th in the world in Jumping) and the organisations of a Global Champions Tour event in Brazil
In terms of developing the sport what are the most successful projects you have undertaken in recent yearsWe decided to invest in education and have hired international trainers for all the disciplines such as Jean Maurice Bonneau for Jumping Nick Turner for Eventing Eric Lette for Dressage Jean Louis Leclerc for Endurance Mattias Lang for Vaulting with the long term in mind that is at least until the end of 2012 and planning towards 2016 when Rio will host the Olympic Games
How popular is equestrian sport with young people in Brazil and how do you compete with some of the bigger sports for their attention Popularization is growing bit by bit in a country
decidedly dominated by soccer ndash being 5 times World Champion makes it a national passion But we are continuously looking to attract TV to our events as this is a huge step towards gaining visibility and popularity Can you tell us about the programmesinitiatives in place for disabled athletes We are actively pursuing this and have achieved really positive results in little time such as the great performances and medals earned at the Para-lympic Games in Hong Kong in 2008 We do this through clinics courses international exchanges of athletes and working alongside our National Paralympic Committee to support us in our efforts
Brazil will be host the FEI General Assembly at the end of the year what do you want all the visiting delegates to remember from their visit That we are more than just a really beautiful and warm country with the ability and capacity to organise great events and that we are committed to putting on the best Olympic Games ever
What are the main objectivesplans for the Brazilian Federation in the lead up to the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games Our NOC is really committed to raising the bar of all the sports to a level never seen before and we are working towards that in terms of our athletes our judges our venues and everything that is related to our sport and the quality of our sport In line with this objective we are providing incen-tives to owners to buy good horses aiming for 2016 and this is going to plan for now We expect to perform well at the upcoming Pan Am Games and Olympics on our trail to 2016
Is there anything else you would like to share with us I would like to thank HRH Princess Haya President of the FEI as well as the Executive Board for all the support that we are getting which has been paramount to the development of equestrian sport in our country
44
President Luiz Roberto GiugniSecretary General Luiz Antonio RoccoMember since 1935
15 members of staff work at the federation
20 regional federations are affiliated tothe Brazilian Equestrian Federation with over 300 member riding clubs
6 000 affiliated riders
91 national events were held in 2010
31 international events were held in 2010
All the FEI disciplines are practiced in BrazilJumping Dressage Eventing Vaulting Reining EnduranceDriving amp Para-Equestrian
14 breeding organisations
There are 58 million horses and ponies in Brazilmaking it the fourth largest equine population in the world
FAC
TS amp
FIG
URE
S
45FOCUS
Dr Gerit Matthesen56 is a private equine practitioner an FEI Vet and a member of the FEI Veterinary Committee He graduated in Veterinary Medicine from Berlin University in 1983 and since 1989 has worked or officiated at some 180 competitions and championships including the last two Olympics and FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade He lives near Frankfurt with his wife Carola and their sons Mike (16) and Lars (14)
46
A life in a day
Dr Gerit Matthesen56 is a private equine practitioner an FEI Vet and a member of the FEI Veterinary Committee He graduated in Veterinary Medicine from Berlin University in 1983 and since 1989 has worked or officiated at some 180 competitions and championships including the last two Olympics and FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade He lives near Frankfurt with his wife Carola and their sons Mike (16) and Lars (14)
I wake up earlier than I need to ndash at around 6am ndash because breakfast time with my family is sacred to me and I can then drive my boys to the village station to take the train to school After two cups of coffee (enough for the day) and a glass of orange juice I read the newspapers then head to my prac-tice offices in our indoor arena I have a quick look at our horses then start work
While I listen to my phone messages I deal with my emails and search the internet for news about veterinary medicine and horse sport I then start planning the dayacutes schedule with Anna my assistant vet
My mobile practice is in a nice fairly rural area in the north of Frankfurt There are lots of horse farms but it is not a classic breeding area like the northern part of Germany There are sport horses as well as pleasure horses I have examination rooms and stables for horses staying or mares foaling in my practice stables Itrsquos not a big clinic which gives me time to work at competitions
After seeing a few small animals in my practice I normally start my field service at 930am In my car I have enough equipment (ultrasound X-ray systems and endoscopical devices) for the dayrsquos examinations and standing procedures We mainly have lameness examinations to do or internal diseases to treat accompanied by routine work like vaccinations or carrying out pre-purchase or health certificate examinations If time allows I go home for a quick lunch but thatrsquos not every day
While Irsquom driving I have time to think and I write down everything that come to mind regarding sport competitions committees and so on You have to write down your thoughts when yoursquore over the age of 50
It is not easy planning my day because any emer-gency can destroy or delay my schedule For all the paperwork and certificates I need a time frame so
I often do that over quiet weekends when there are no competitions During the winter season I am less busy but in summer a lot of weekends are taken over by the competition schedule
I love my work especially in Eventing which is my favourite discipline My wife and I practiced it ndash not up to top level but it was a fine time despite a bro-ken ankle from a fall in 1988 which after 23 years is making walking more and more difficult for me
I like to do my competition work on a friendly but strict basis and I really like to hear riders saying they are treated fairly Over the years I have acquired a lot of experience and met all the officials and riders
Usually when I return home in the late afternoon there are more small animals to see When Irsquove done the dayrsquos paperwork I hope there will be no more emergencies such as cases of colic which usually occur in the early evening
I look forward to getting on my horse which is a beautiful show-jumper I like to ride but Irsquove stopped competing I do dressage jumping and go out into the fields but itrsquos all just for fun now
The day finishes with the family and a nice cold glass of German beer
Itrsquos a struggle to find time to spend with my family and I often have to cancel my holidays with them I am really grateful to my wife and the boys for their understanding of my job and to my assistant vet who covers for me when Iacutem out somewhere in the world of equestrian sport
ldquoThe combination of my profession and beinginvolved in differentaspects of top equestrian sport is my visionrdquo
47FOCUS
Pull your show attire from the closet clean your boots and tack groom the horses hook up and pack the trailer check the clock double check to make sure you have everything put on the shipping boots load your horses and away you drive to the competition venue or to the airport for transport to a distant event
You know the drill well but still you arrive tired per-haps even a bit frazzled Yoursquoll sleep (or try to) the next several nights in an unfamiliar bed or camp out in the living quarters of your trailer You awaken riveted on the competition playing out the dayrsquos classes in your mind wondering how your rides will fare against oth-ers praying that the weather will be cooperate and trying to control your nerves all the while knowing that no matter how well you have prepared many factors are out of your control You may even be in a different time zone
We go through a lot to compete our horses But if you think life on the road is stressful for you think about what itrsquos like for your horses Your back may be a bit sore from driving or being strapped into an airplane seat for hours on end but for horses transportation is far more demanding It is an athletic endeavour re-quiring an expenditure of energy to maintain balance during the constant movement of transport When your horses arrive they face social isolation from stablemates lack of security in novel environments altered training regimes water that tastes strange and the confines of an unfamiliar stall This routine impacts a horsersquos health and well being with effects
continuing long after the journey is over During transport toxic gases (such as ammonia or carbon monoxide) can cause damage to the lung epithelium precipitating respiratory disease The
final destination itself can also cause problems Usually horses are transported to environments where they will be mixing with other horses The mixing of horses from different environments with different infectious organisms and under stressful conditions further precipitates susceptibility to disease
This can have a severe impact on the equine gut The stress of transportation is known to increase gut ulceration in the horse a painful condition reducing performance and causing colic-like symptoms Stress can also slow the flow of digesta and alter the normal gut flora resulting in digestive upset and possibly diarrhoea or colic
The effects of travel stress on the gut are compounded by the typical diet of the regular equine traveller To maintain athletic ability high performance horses are often fed energy-charged diets contain-ing increased levels of starchy materials such as cereal grains Unfortunately this type of diet can reduce beneficial types of gut flora and promote gut acidity further predisposing the horse to digestive upsets and ulceration It is not surprising that stressed tired horses may not fulfill their potential on arrival
Feeding to reduce stress for the equine traveller
By Darlene RickerExecutive editor of Alltechrsquos EQUINE INTERNATIONAL magazine
48
Alltech Tips
growth of opportunistic Salmonella spp which are present in the intestinal tract of many healthy horses These bacteria then attach to the gut lining via a mannan sugar and penetrate it causing damage and resulting in diarrhoea One method of prevent-ing or minimising the attachment of these organ-
isms to the gut lining is to provide an adsorbant supplement A form of sugar found in the cell walls of certain yeasts can do this This sugar compound is called man-nan oligosaccharide or MOS MOS products such as Alltechrsquos Bio-Mosreg have been shown to re-duce the colonization of Salmonella
spp in the guts of certain species and augment the immune response to Salmonella spp potentially conferring an enhanced ability to fight infection Both Yea-Saccreg 1026 and Bio-Mos are among the natural products contained in Alltechrsquos LIFEFORCETM equine supplement which many FEI competitors have successfully incorporated into their daily feeding regimen at home and on the road
lifeforcehorsecom
and may be subject to health concerns in the days following a long journey Fortunately however you can curb some of the effects of travel stress on the horsersquos gut by nutritional supplementation Organic yeast products used to supplement a horsersquos diet can support the normal gut flora modifying the intesti-nal environment and improving the horsersquos digestion One such culture is Saccharomyces cerevisae in the form of Yea-Saccreg 1026 Alltechrsquos propriety organic yeast
Experiments were conducted to evaluate the effects Yea-Sacc on gut flora and gut acidity Horses were fed either a high-starch or a high-fibre diet both with and without supplementation of Yea-Saccreg 1026 Results indicated an excessive amount of starch in the gut The use of Yea-Sacc reduced acidity and stimulat-ed the activity of fibre-digesting bacteria in the hind-gut for both types of diet The result was maximised fibre digestibility and more efficient use of nutrients thus increasing the amount of energy available to the horse for performance and counteracting digestive upset Salmonellosis is one of the more commonly di-agnosed infectious causes of diarrhoea in horses Many cases develop after the stress of transport The effects of travel stress on the normal gut flora allow an over-
Moorlands Totilas arrives for the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade after air transport copy Dirk Caremans
HRH The Infanta Dontildea Pilar de Borboacuten former President of the FEI (1994-2006) also attended the inauguration along-side HRH Princess Lalla Amina Chairperson of the Royal Moroccan Federation for Equestrian Sports and member of the international Advisory Council of Special OlympicsThey were joined by International Olympic Commit-tee members representatives from other Interna-tional Federations federal and local Swiss authorities as well as architects and designers that worked on the project Switzerlandrsquos Martin Fuchs a member of the gold medal winning team at the inaugural Youth Olympic Games in Singapore last year accompanied FEI President Princess Haya in officially opening the FEI headquarters
ldquoThe building we are inaugurating today has been designed to serve our wonderful sportrdquo explained FEI
President Princess Haya ldquoI also feel an immense
sense of pride knowing that this building carries the name
of my late father and hope that this serves as a constant reminder
to all of us who work at the FEI of a unique statesman whose entire soul was devoted to the service of his people Our new headquarters will play a key role for the FEI and our National Federa-tions over the coming years It will be the environ-ment in which important discussions take place and fundamental decisions are taken as we continue our mission to advance the orderly growth of equestrian sport worldwide while ensuring that the welfare of the horse and a level playing field remain at the centre of all that we dordquo
FEI celebratesNEW Headquarters
Over 250 guests attended the inauguration ceremony on Friday 6 May at HM King Hussein I Building which was timed to coincide with the FEI
Extraordinary General Assembly so that attending NationalFederation representatives
could be a part ofthe celebrations
1 Youth Olympic Games team champion Martin Fuchs (SUI) FEI President HRH Princess Haya and her daughter HH Sheikha Al Jalila officially open the FEIrsquos new home 2 Gilbert Felli IOC Olympic Games Executive Director and FEI Secretary General Ingmar de Vos 3 HRH The Infanta Dontildea Pilar de Borboacuten sits down to an interactive quiz in the FEI Gallery 4 Guests gathered in the atrium of the FEI HeadquartersAll images copy Hugues SiegenthalerFEI
Highlights available on50
1
2
3 4
5
6 7
8
THE GALLERy
As well as housing offices for its 62 employees and conference facilities for its 133 National Federations the new headquarters also has a state-of-the-art in-teractive gallery showcasing equestrian sport
The Gallery is the brainchild of Dr Amichai Alper-ovich historian former Secretary General of the Is-raeli Equestrian Federation and curator of the Israeli Olympic Museum (opened in 2009) He worked hand in hand with the Tel Aviv based company Disk-In Pro and interior designer Oded Alony to help bring the content to life and the result is truly unique and ground breaking Giant glass surfaces act as interac-tive interfaces for the visitors to travel through time
The FEIrsquos new headquarters which were donated to the Federation by FEI Presi-dent HRH Princess Haya in 2007 fol-lowing a personal fundraising effort are conveniently located close to the Inter-national Olympic Committee and other international sports federations It has been written into the FEI Statutes that the new FEI headquarters building will always house the Federationrsquos offices In 2008 the building was thoroughly renovated in accordance with the Swiss MINERGIEreg construction standard for environmental responsibility which re-duces energy consumption by 25 per cent Only two per cent of renovated buildings in Switzerland meet the high Minergie standards Khuan Chew founder and design princi-pal of London-based architectural firm KCA International Ltd worked in close collaboration with Swiss-based architect Herveacute de Rham and interior designer Sia-vosh Adeli (SUI) to transform the build-ing which was built in the 1960s The modern and sleek interior was further enhanced with bespoke artworks pro-duced by Swiss creative agency b+g amp partners and imagery by world-famous equestrian art photographer Tim Flach where the simplicity and beauty of his equine subjects seamlessly embrace and accentuate the buildingrsquos pure lines and natural materials (see image left)
As they feasted on the innate beauty of their sur-roundings the guests also had the privilege to ex-perience the culinary talents of organic chef and specialist Gilles Wannaz and his team based in the town of Cully which sits on the edge of Lac Leman in Switzerlandrsquos famous Lavaux wine growing region
5 HRH Princess Haya welcomes the guests to the Inauguration of the HQ and the 90 year celebration of the FEI 6 Artwork by renowned pho-tographer Tim Flach 7 An organic and colourful buffet presented on an authentic lawn by local chef Gilles Wannaz 8 A life size horse sculpture by Christophe Dumont greeted the guests upon their arrival
53FOCUS
and space with the latest in touch technology revis-iting the history of the FEI the equestrian events at Olympic amp Paralympic Games the FEI World Eques-trian Gamestrade and information on all of the member National Federations with statistics videos images and text The Gallery also includes projections on ar-chitectural surfaces designed by Oded Alony referred to as the Origami as well as interactive stations and unique video projections on glass screens
For all those wishing to visit the FEI Gallery simply contact the FEI HQ to make an appointment and we would be delighted to take you on a journey to dis-cover or rediscover the human and equine athletes whose talents have marked equestrian history and inspired young riders drivers and vaulters around the world
Interview withDrAmichaiAlperovich
When did you first dream up the FEIInteractive Gallery When I found out the FEI was planning to move into new HQ in 2009 Disk-In Pro and I approached the FEI and presented them with several concepts for the space Before long we had agreed on the concept and we got to work
Why were you compelled to make it become a reality So that the FEI a prominent sports organisation could present itself to a growing audience in a new and visionary way with the latest technology And by doing so the FEI is a pioneer becoming the first International Federation to have a Gallery of this kind
What did you learn when researching and gathering content for the gallery I have learned a lot about the history of the FEI the strong Olympic tradition the diversity of disciplines the gender equality and the unique bond between horse and man One of the more fascinating topics was the evolution of the Dressage from itsrsquo Olympic debut to the modern Freestyle
Itrsquos very innovative technology what inspired you to take such a leap into the future with such a traditional sport Just as Dressage has evolved over the years and alongside the introduction of new disciplines partic-ularly Para-Equestrian you come to realise that the FEI is not as traditional as one would think Actually this kind of innovative presentation of equestrian history is really well suited to the FEI In the same way that you can have horse-man connections there is an audience-technology connection in the Gallery The audience have to be active in order to enjoy the depth of information the Gallery contains
54
Now it is time to open the door to new places to learn about sport ndash at the heart of sporting organi-sations themselves The Gallery is more than an informative tool it brings people to the sport andto the heart of its operations
Established in 1990 Disk-In Pro specialises in the planning design production and implementation of Museums Visitor Centres and sophisticated projects around the world This includes multi screen produc-tion animation 3D amp interactive films state-of-the-art software platforms and complex video displays for an unforgettable experience
Oded Alony holds a BA in Design from the Interior Design Section of the Holon Technological Institute and has since 1998 worked with Israelrsquos leading Architecture firms The Oded Alony Studio embraces holistic design a space where interior design lighting and graphics are brought together to create a harmo-nious project vision
Now that you have seen it unveiled to the public how would you like to see it evolve I hope the audience will be amazed from the design by architect Oded Alony and the new methods to deliver information whilst discovering the long his-tory of the FEI the diversity and the global reach of the organisation I hope the Gallery will become an icon in Lausanne and one of its highlights for visitors I promise the visitors a new platform to learn about equestrianism and each visit could be different as the information and themes will be updated and modi-fied regularly
This futuristic gallery is a first for anInternational Federation do you think thisis something all sports should invest inThe FEI took this courageous decision and now has this fantastic tool to present the organisation in new ways Sport is a huge cultural phenomenaWe have learned to consume sport in the arenas and stadiums in the press media and new media
Dr Amichai Alperovich
55FOCUS
SOCIAL MEDIAthe new frontier
Follow us on
The FEI has recently embarked on and embraced a whole new way of talking with the greater equestrian community through the ever expanding social media networks and platformsWith personalised Facebook Twitter and You Tube pages the FEI is taking it step by step and reaching out to this growing audience and listening to what they have to say
This new communication platform is by no means a substitution of the traditional communication path-ways but works alongside the press releases various publications and content on wwwfeiorg and wwwfeitvorg providing a new arena where the FEI can share interact and dialogue with fans of the sport and of equestrian values in general
We talk to Richard Johnson Director of Corporate Communications about the FEIrsquos commitment to social media
What compelled the FEI to venture onto the social media scene As a governing body with a vibrant and active com-munity of National Federations as well as thousands of fans the need to reach out to the online social community has never been stronger We have been watching the communities grow online for some time and have been listening to their conversations so being a part of it was the next logical step and a really important one The conversations will hap-pen with or without us so taking that step has been crucial in order to share our values and also build re-lationships with our fan base
Tradition meets modernity ndash does equestrian sportthe FEI have a place in social media Absolutely even though equestrian sport has a long history and is perceived as a traditional sport it is
always evolving In the 90 years of the FEI which was founded to govern the three Olympic disciplines it has grown to also oversee the disciplines of Driving Endurance Vaulting Reining and Para-Equestrian sport Or if you look at the early days when competi-tors were from military backgrounds and when wom-en did not compete alongside men to the complete gender equality we have today ndash a lot has changed and is in a constant state of change
The fans of equestrian sport are like any other fan base web savvy and eager for more information behind the scenes content and to share their opin-ions and thoughts ndash so it is an ideal partnership And from what we have seen these last few months and from the feedback we got from our blog at the Youth Olympic Games there is a real appetite for this
The FEI has dedicated Facebook Twitter and You Tube pages ndash why did you select these social media platforms The figures speak for themselveshellip Facebook Twit-ter and You Tube are the biggest players in the social networking space With over 500 million Facebook users 106 million Tweeters and 2 billion views a day on You Tube there has never been so much oppor-tunity for exposure Every site has different demo-graphics with different habits and needs so by having an FEI presence on these three networks we are able to cover a lot of ground and cater to different audi-ences by providing different types of content accord-ing to the platform
What are the main benefits of having a pres-ence on various social media platforms Itrsquos all about having a two way conversation ndash the benefits of dialogue where you can share content such as videos images facts and figures thoughts and values and then allow your fan base to react to get involved and to listen and learn from them By engaging with our audience and showing them that we are a modern and caring organisation and that we want to hear what they have to say then we are able to build trust and ultimately credibility in what we do and what we say
57FOCUS
TV
The offi cial video website of the Feacutedeacuteration Equestre Internationale
wwwfeitvorg
WATCH LIVE WATCH ONLINE
FEI TV is the FEIrsquos new offi cial video website and your ticket to the worldrsquos most prestigious competitions Sign-up to FEI TV (wwwfeitvorg) and get instant access to all the live broadcasts the extensive video-on-demand library all the highlights the behind the scenes reports the interviews and so much more Be at the heart of horsesport Join us
2823_1FEI_TV_Focus_165x226indd 1 170510 1124
It also keeps us alert as to what is being discussed and debated in the public sphere so that we can manage situations more effectively and be proactive in our messaging and information so that the facts are at the heart of the debate and not interpretations of them
How do you generate content for social media It was important when we launched our social me-dia presence that it be manageable with the exist-ing communications team in place ndash and so we have concentrated on keeping it simple and effective and using content innovatively Itrsquos not about reproduc-ing our website ndash but to engage with our fans and so often all you need is a good picture an interest-ing fact or great achievement to get the ball rolling For You Tube as we already have so much content generated from FEI TV it was simply a question of using bits and pieces from that content to provide the public with teasers from events interviews with winning riders or behind the scenes content which they can then follow up on FEI TV with a subscription
What are your Social media goals Itrsquos really to build relationships and dialogue with our fan base by using our content innovatively by listening to what they have to say and by engaging with the community And for the National Federa-tions that have yet to take that step we want to be a guiding hand that can help them get started so that they too can reap the benefits of social media net-working Our sport competes against other sports for attention so itrsquos really important that we the FEI and the National Federations keep our finger on the pulse and cater to our fans
How can National Federations get involved NFs wishing to find out more about Social Media can contact me (richardjohnsonfeiorg) and I would be more than happy to discuss opportunities and ways of getting started as well as our experience at the FEI
We asked our Facebook followers why it was important to use face-book and here are a few comments they came up with
bullItrsquos a great way to find out about shows and competitions
bullBecause facebook can provide up to the minute updates as to the what is going on in the horse community
bullWe can share information and ideas over long distances We can find and connect with people we wouldnt be able to otherwise
bullIt also lets us express the true realities of our spot to keep us grounded
bullIt can bring peoples attention to excellence ndash and expose the issues
58
TV
The offi cial video website of the Feacutedeacuteration Equestre Internationale
wwwfeitvorg
WATCH LIVE WATCH ONLINE
FEI TV is the FEIrsquos new offi cial video website and your ticket to the worldrsquos most prestigious competitions Sign-up to FEI TV (wwwfeitvorg) and get instant access to all the live broadcasts the extensive video-on-demand library all the highlights the behind the scenes reports the interviews and so much more Be at the heart of horsesport Join us
2823_1FEI_TV_Focus_165x226indd 1 170510 1124
ldquo Donrsquot accept drinks from a strangerrdquo
Armchair travel journalist
Are you living a life without boundaries Some well-meant advice is best ignored but itrsquos still good to know yoursquore covered when yoursquore away With HSBC Premier your family can be protected with both Travel Insurance and dedicated assistance when yoursquore abroad Which is reassuring to know when yoursquore making the most of life
HSBC Premier is subject to financial eligibility criteria and is available in over 40 countries and territories
Premier Travel Insurance covers you and your partner up to age 70 and your children travelling with you up to age 18
wwwhsbcpremiercom
A4 A4
Issued by HSBC Holdings plc Approved for use in UK by HSBC Bank plc Premier Travel Insurance is provided by Aviva Insurance UK Limited Customer Information Service PO Box 757 Hemel Hempstead Hertfordshire HP2 4SS Registered in England number 14259 Registered Office 8 Canada Square London E14 5HQ AC18770
201736_6000263_Coconut_226x165indd
Master 226x165
Rob Swainson 160211
HSBC - Coconuts Proof 01Head of Art TypographerDesigner ArtCreative Director Copywriter Account DirectorDIC Project ManagerPhotographer Illustrator Usage Model(s) Name(s) Usage
Media MediaStock Image Time Period Time Period
Territory Territory
8deg N ndash Kerala South India
What advice would you give someone looking to get involved in Para-Equestrian Dressage Train and ride with able-bodied athletes as often as possible Being around and working with horses is so rewarding Irsquod like - when Irsquom retired - to write a book to share these feelings with others and hope this will inspire them to get involved
Complete this sentenceIn the future I would like the sport to beeven ldquocleanerrdquo and fairer and if possible not more but less demanding on the horses
ldquoLast but not least Irsquod like to take the opportunity of this article to reach out to those who give me their trust and help be it with their time their friendship and any type of support Day after day to year after year team work is essential and Irsquoll do my best to continue deserving every-onersquos encouraging smilesrdquo
European Broadcasting Union
Union Europeacuteenne de Radio-Teacuteleacutevision
+41 (0)22 717 2111 wwweurovisionnet
We bring the event to your home
Eurovision
copy K
it H
ough
ton
FE
I
FEI_08_A4indd 1 03012008 162238
European Broadcasting Union
Union Europeacuteenne de Radio-Teacuteleacutevision
+41 (0)22 717 2111 wwweurovisionnet
We bring the event to your home
Eurovision
copy K
it H
ough
ton
FE
I
FEI_08_A4indd 1 03012008 162238
Nominations for the FEI Awards opened in May enabling the global equestrian com-munity to once again reward outstanding dedication to horse sport in five categories ndash Development Best Groom Against All Odds Rising Star and Best Athlete The search for the equestrian heroes of 2011 is now on who will be flown to Rio de Janeiro Brazil to receive their awards
Where are they now The FEI asked the current title-holders for an update on their activities
Follow us on
38
FEI Awards 2011
Ebony Horse Club (GBR)Winner of the Alltech FEI DevelopmentAward 2010
The Ebony Horse Club announced in December 2010 that after an eight-year fundraising effort it had the pound14 million necessary for building an equestrian cen-tre in one of Londonrsquos most deprived boroughs Since 1996 Ebony has offered youngsters in an area reput-ed for its gang culture high level of gun crime and drug dealing the chance to ride and learn key social skills The clubrsquos 50 members travel to riding schools across London on public transport or in minibuses ndash a logistical headache that the inner-city equestrian centre will end Construction work began in February
Ebony Horse Club founder and director Ros Spear-ing told the FEI ldquoRiding lessons are continuing and the club is preparing for the transitionrdquo Building will finish on 7 July but the centre will open for riding lessons in October ldquoThe horses will be brought to Brixton in the summer and will have time to acclimatise to their new environmentrdquo Spearing said The centre will include stabling for nine horses a small paddock and a flood-lit riding arena as well as a classroom for learning about horses and equine management Spearing is adamant that club members ndash present and future ndash care for their rides and wants the centre to serve as a stepping stone to careers in the horse industry
Ebonyrsquos existence will continue to depend on the generosity of donors For more information visit wwwebonyhorsecluborguk
Michelle Tipper (GBR)Winner of the FEI Best Groom Award 2010
Michelle Tipper has continued to juggle grooming and study since receiving her FEI Award in Novem-ber She has organised the grooms for the British European Junior and Young Dressage teams and in April her contract as a travelling groom for British Dressage riders Paul and Bobby Hayler took her to Addington for the first of many international com-petitions she will work at this year The Haylers have eight horses competing and the number she works with at each venue varies Tipper has also been help-ing British Dressage riders Nicky and Richard Barrett with yard duties ldquoI feel very lucky to work for both of these familiesrdquo said the FEI Best Groom Award win-ner adding that she feels part of the two families In March Tipper graduated from university with a Masters in Sport Psychology She is now working towards British Association of Sport and Exercise Science accreditation which requires at least 500 hoursrsquo supervised work experience and is present-ing sport psychology workshops in conjunction with the company Inside Performance Consulting Limit-ed (wwwinside-performancecom) The workshops are organised internationally for people of all ages from any sport To find out more contact Tipper at michelletipper1979yahoocom
39FOCUS
Michelle Tipper ndash copyWilliam TzengAward winners ndash copyWilliam TzengCaroline Roffman ndash copySharonPackercomEbony Horse Club ndash copyEbony Horse ClubEdward Gal and Totilas ndash copyKit HoughtonFEIAngelika Trabert ndash copyJulia Rau
Angelika Trabert (GER)Winner of the FEI Against All Odds Award 2010
German Para-Dressage rider Angelika Trabert has represent-ed her country at four Paralympic Games and won some 15 medals at national European and world championships She is currently seeking a new home for Londria the mare that con-tributed to her Team Silver medal win at the Hong Kong Para-lympics Londria who had a foal last year was also Trabertrsquos ride during her medal-winning performances at the European Championships in Hungary (2005) and Norway (2009)
Trabert said her decision to let go of Londria was hard to make but was necessary for financial reasons She will keep the foal Finaud Coquin and her mares Walmorel and Ariva-Avanti Trabert won the Para-Dressage Grade 2 Freestyle Champion-ship at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade with Ariva and said the horse was ldquowell and ready to go for the Europeans again in Belgium in September if we qualifyrdquo Trabert competed in her first international competition of 2011 in May in Man-nheim Germany where she came first in the Grade II indi-vidual and second in the freestyle She is taking part in the German Championships in June
Away from the equestrian world Trabert works as an anaes-thetist and has participated in medical missions in the rural ar-eas of Guinea for the organisation Mango In January she was back in Guinea as part of team that carried out 100 operations in 13 days wwwangelika-trabertde
Visit the recently refreshed FEI Awards website to find out more about the Awards the pastwinners the judges and to make yournominationsby 31 July
wwwfeiawardsorg
40
Caroline Roffman (USA)Winner of the HSBC FEI Rising StarAward 2010
Success continues to smile on twenty-two-year-old American Dressage rider Caroline Roffman Since re-ceiving the HSBC FEI Rising Star Award she has en-joyed numerous wins at small tour and young horse levels achieving scores in the mid-eighties and quali-fying two horses for the young horse championships
Roffman is currently showing six horses and has won several classes at PSG and Grand Prix level ldquoBut nothing is as exciting as to be going to Aachenrdquo said the young woman who has been described as the American Dressage communityrsquos brightest hope ex-plaining that at the FEI Awards ceremony in Chinese Taipei Frank Kemperman FEI Dressage Committee Chair and Chairman of the Managing Board at CHIO Aachen (GER) invited her to take part in the pres-tigious event Roffman will be the first American to compete in the Under 25 Grand Prix there and is hop-ing to take her horse Lux Stensvang
An interview with Caroline Roffman at the Palm Beach Dressage Derby CDI will be broadcast on the magazine programme Equestrian World on FEI TV the FEIrsquos official online video platform wwwfeitvorg
Edward Gal and Totilas (NED)Winners of the Reem Acra FEI Best Athlete Award 2010
The world-famous partnership of Dutch Dressage rider Edward Gal and the extraordinary Totilas ended in style in 2010 with notably three gold medal wins at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade
The first foal sired by the superstar stallion was born in January followed by two more in the spring Gal who has admired the foals told the FEI ldquoYou never know ndash maybe in a few yearsrsquo time Irsquoll have another Totilas readyrdquo At the beginning of April he was busy at home training nine horses and preparing for the Reem Acra FEI World Cuptrade Dressage Final in Leipzig and the European Championships in Rotterdam He had not yet decided which horses he was going to compete with but was particularly looking forward to the Freestyle to Music Asked what it was like to compete without Totilas Gal said ldquoEverybody ex-pected Totilas to win I find it easier to ride other horses because nobody expects me to win and when I do itrsquos really nicerdquo
41FOCUS
globetrotter
Seal of approval for the Adai horseSixty years have passed since an Adai horse reportedly set a record galloping 354km in one day Today the Adai horse a breed na-tive to Kazakhstan is back in the spotlight with a gold medal at the FEI Central Asian Endurance Championship in Talgaearlier in May only months after having been award-ed official pedigree status following tests
conducted by a State Commission in the Mangistau Steppes which allowed itto compete internationally The horses are cherished for their hardiness and Oyly ridden by Altyngali Bissemaganbetov (KAZ) proved just that when crossing the finishing line first demonstrating just how tough the Adai horses are and the beginning of a new era for sturdy breed on the international stage
Equestrian Australia Sport
Achievement Awards
In May the best of the best in
Equestrian sport gathered to cel-
ebrate the achievements of Austral-
iarsquos athletes coaches officials vets
administrators owners volunteers
and the many other people that
dedicate their time and enthusiasm
to equestrian sport The ceremony
also included the introduction of
Equestrian Australiarsquos Hall of
Fame won by the legendary Bill
Roycroft Boyd Exell winner of
the FEI World CupTM Driving
Final was awarded the interna-
tional athlete of the year
award
Kevin Stautbecomes first athlete representative on FEI
executive board
Kevin Staut one of Francersquos most successful Jumping riders became the first athlete to be appointed to the FEI Executive Board for a three-year term Staut (31) who has held the number one spot in the Rolex Rankings for Jumping since July 2010 has ridden on numerous Nations Cup teams for France and claimed individual gold at the Alltech FEI European Jumping Championships in 2009
HulA CARTSWorld Horse Welfare has greatly helped the liv
es of
five Senegalese cart horse owners by presenting them
with new Hula Carts The local people who depend on
their working horses for their livelihoods were specially
selected by the charity to receive the carts which have
been sponsored by members of the public in the uK
The Hula Carts are specifically developed to help the
horses pulling heavy loads in often difficult conditions
Equestrian Australia Sport
Achievement Awards
In May the best of the best in
Equestrian sport gathered to cel-
ebrate the achievements of Austral-
iarsquos athletes coaches officials vets
administrators owners volunteers
and the many other people that
dedicate their time and enthusiasm
to equestrian sport The ceremony
also included the introduction of
Equestrian Australiarsquos Hall of
Fame won by the legendary Bill
Roycroft Boyd Exell winner of
the FEI World CupTM Driving
Final was awarded the interna-
tional athlete of the year
award
Olympic legendBill Roycroft passes away aged 96
A legend of Equestrian sport in Australia James William
George Roycroft OBE known as ldquoBillrdquo was one of Austral-
iarsquos greatest Olympians and one of only five Australians to
have competed in five consecutive Olympic Games (from
1960 - 1976) as well as being Australiarsquos oldest medallist
and oldest competitor at 61 years and 31 days In May 2011
Bill was inducted in Equestrian Australiarsquos inaugural Hall
of Fame ndash he was Australiarsquos oldest living Olympian and
shared his dedication and enthusiasm for the sport with
his sons Barry Wayne and Clarke (See a brief description
of his exploits in the 1960 Olympic Games Memory Lane
article page 9 which catapulted Australiarsquos reputation as
one of the best Eventing teams in the world)
webinfofeiFEI web wizard Nicole Sigrist has added a new hub for the Press on wwwfeiorg called FEI Press Kits located in the Media section of the website The Press Kits zone which is also open to the general public is regularly updated with infor-mation relating to FEI series and specific events with flip books and downloadable PDFs as well as direct links to the Photo Catalogue the Rankings and Standings the Annual Report and more
100thanniversary for Finnish riding club
One of the three found-ing member clubs of
the Finnish Equestrian Federation the Suomen
Kenttaumlratsastusseura-Finska Faumlltrittklubbenon celebrates
its 100th anniversary in 2011 Magnus Rydman former President of the Finnish National Federation and Presi-dent of the FEI from 1935 ndash 1946 was one of the founders of the club Another of the founders of the oldest club in Fin-land was the Eventing rider Colonel Hans Olof von Essen whose fifth place at the Antwerpen Olympic Games re-mains the best Olympic equestrian result the country has ever achieved
Follow us on
43FOCUS
Interview with the President of the Brazilian Equestrian Federation Mr Luiz Roberto Giugni
The Brazilian Equestrian Federation has been a member Federation of the FEI for 75 years how has the sport developed over that time We were facing regular growth (average of 25 in the last decade) but in the last three to four years this rate has significantly increased up to 35 a year We believe that this is due to international achievements (two Jumping Olympic team bronze medals the individual Olympic Jumping gold medal won by Rodrigo Pessoa several Pan Am Jumping team gold medals recent Olympic pre-qualification in Kentucky (4th in the world in Jumping) and the organisations of a Global Champions Tour event in Brazil
In terms of developing the sport what are the most successful projects you have undertaken in recent yearsWe decided to invest in education and have hired international trainers for all the disciplines such as Jean Maurice Bonneau for Jumping Nick Turner for Eventing Eric Lette for Dressage Jean Louis Leclerc for Endurance Mattias Lang for Vaulting with the long term in mind that is at least until the end of 2012 and planning towards 2016 when Rio will host the Olympic Games
How popular is equestrian sport with young people in Brazil and how do you compete with some of the bigger sports for their attention Popularization is growing bit by bit in a country
decidedly dominated by soccer ndash being 5 times World Champion makes it a national passion But we are continuously looking to attract TV to our events as this is a huge step towards gaining visibility and popularity Can you tell us about the programmesinitiatives in place for disabled athletes We are actively pursuing this and have achieved really positive results in little time such as the great performances and medals earned at the Para-lympic Games in Hong Kong in 2008 We do this through clinics courses international exchanges of athletes and working alongside our National Paralympic Committee to support us in our efforts
Brazil will be host the FEI General Assembly at the end of the year what do you want all the visiting delegates to remember from their visit That we are more than just a really beautiful and warm country with the ability and capacity to organise great events and that we are committed to putting on the best Olympic Games ever
What are the main objectivesplans for the Brazilian Federation in the lead up to the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games Our NOC is really committed to raising the bar of all the sports to a level never seen before and we are working towards that in terms of our athletes our judges our venues and everything that is related to our sport and the quality of our sport In line with this objective we are providing incen-tives to owners to buy good horses aiming for 2016 and this is going to plan for now We expect to perform well at the upcoming Pan Am Games and Olympics on our trail to 2016
Is there anything else you would like to share with us I would like to thank HRH Princess Haya President of the FEI as well as the Executive Board for all the support that we are getting which has been paramount to the development of equestrian sport in our country
44
President Luiz Roberto GiugniSecretary General Luiz Antonio RoccoMember since 1935
15 members of staff work at the federation
20 regional federations are affiliated tothe Brazilian Equestrian Federation with over 300 member riding clubs
6 000 affiliated riders
91 national events were held in 2010
31 international events were held in 2010
All the FEI disciplines are practiced in BrazilJumping Dressage Eventing Vaulting Reining EnduranceDriving amp Para-Equestrian
14 breeding organisations
There are 58 million horses and ponies in Brazilmaking it the fourth largest equine population in the world
FAC
TS amp
FIG
URE
S
45FOCUS
Dr Gerit Matthesen56 is a private equine practitioner an FEI Vet and a member of the FEI Veterinary Committee He graduated in Veterinary Medicine from Berlin University in 1983 and since 1989 has worked or officiated at some 180 competitions and championships including the last two Olympics and FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade He lives near Frankfurt with his wife Carola and their sons Mike (16) and Lars (14)
46
A life in a day
Dr Gerit Matthesen56 is a private equine practitioner an FEI Vet and a member of the FEI Veterinary Committee He graduated in Veterinary Medicine from Berlin University in 1983 and since 1989 has worked or officiated at some 180 competitions and championships including the last two Olympics and FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade He lives near Frankfurt with his wife Carola and their sons Mike (16) and Lars (14)
I wake up earlier than I need to ndash at around 6am ndash because breakfast time with my family is sacred to me and I can then drive my boys to the village station to take the train to school After two cups of coffee (enough for the day) and a glass of orange juice I read the newspapers then head to my prac-tice offices in our indoor arena I have a quick look at our horses then start work
While I listen to my phone messages I deal with my emails and search the internet for news about veterinary medicine and horse sport I then start planning the dayacutes schedule with Anna my assistant vet
My mobile practice is in a nice fairly rural area in the north of Frankfurt There are lots of horse farms but it is not a classic breeding area like the northern part of Germany There are sport horses as well as pleasure horses I have examination rooms and stables for horses staying or mares foaling in my practice stables Itrsquos not a big clinic which gives me time to work at competitions
After seeing a few small animals in my practice I normally start my field service at 930am In my car I have enough equipment (ultrasound X-ray systems and endoscopical devices) for the dayrsquos examinations and standing procedures We mainly have lameness examinations to do or internal diseases to treat accompanied by routine work like vaccinations or carrying out pre-purchase or health certificate examinations If time allows I go home for a quick lunch but thatrsquos not every day
While Irsquom driving I have time to think and I write down everything that come to mind regarding sport competitions committees and so on You have to write down your thoughts when yoursquore over the age of 50
It is not easy planning my day because any emer-gency can destroy or delay my schedule For all the paperwork and certificates I need a time frame so
I often do that over quiet weekends when there are no competitions During the winter season I am less busy but in summer a lot of weekends are taken over by the competition schedule
I love my work especially in Eventing which is my favourite discipline My wife and I practiced it ndash not up to top level but it was a fine time despite a bro-ken ankle from a fall in 1988 which after 23 years is making walking more and more difficult for me
I like to do my competition work on a friendly but strict basis and I really like to hear riders saying they are treated fairly Over the years I have acquired a lot of experience and met all the officials and riders
Usually when I return home in the late afternoon there are more small animals to see When Irsquove done the dayrsquos paperwork I hope there will be no more emergencies such as cases of colic which usually occur in the early evening
I look forward to getting on my horse which is a beautiful show-jumper I like to ride but Irsquove stopped competing I do dressage jumping and go out into the fields but itrsquos all just for fun now
The day finishes with the family and a nice cold glass of German beer
Itrsquos a struggle to find time to spend with my family and I often have to cancel my holidays with them I am really grateful to my wife and the boys for their understanding of my job and to my assistant vet who covers for me when Iacutem out somewhere in the world of equestrian sport
ldquoThe combination of my profession and beinginvolved in differentaspects of top equestrian sport is my visionrdquo
47FOCUS
Pull your show attire from the closet clean your boots and tack groom the horses hook up and pack the trailer check the clock double check to make sure you have everything put on the shipping boots load your horses and away you drive to the competition venue or to the airport for transport to a distant event
You know the drill well but still you arrive tired per-haps even a bit frazzled Yoursquoll sleep (or try to) the next several nights in an unfamiliar bed or camp out in the living quarters of your trailer You awaken riveted on the competition playing out the dayrsquos classes in your mind wondering how your rides will fare against oth-ers praying that the weather will be cooperate and trying to control your nerves all the while knowing that no matter how well you have prepared many factors are out of your control You may even be in a different time zone
We go through a lot to compete our horses But if you think life on the road is stressful for you think about what itrsquos like for your horses Your back may be a bit sore from driving or being strapped into an airplane seat for hours on end but for horses transportation is far more demanding It is an athletic endeavour re-quiring an expenditure of energy to maintain balance during the constant movement of transport When your horses arrive they face social isolation from stablemates lack of security in novel environments altered training regimes water that tastes strange and the confines of an unfamiliar stall This routine impacts a horsersquos health and well being with effects
continuing long after the journey is over During transport toxic gases (such as ammonia or carbon monoxide) can cause damage to the lung epithelium precipitating respiratory disease The
final destination itself can also cause problems Usually horses are transported to environments where they will be mixing with other horses The mixing of horses from different environments with different infectious organisms and under stressful conditions further precipitates susceptibility to disease
This can have a severe impact on the equine gut The stress of transportation is known to increase gut ulceration in the horse a painful condition reducing performance and causing colic-like symptoms Stress can also slow the flow of digesta and alter the normal gut flora resulting in digestive upset and possibly diarrhoea or colic
The effects of travel stress on the gut are compounded by the typical diet of the regular equine traveller To maintain athletic ability high performance horses are often fed energy-charged diets contain-ing increased levels of starchy materials such as cereal grains Unfortunately this type of diet can reduce beneficial types of gut flora and promote gut acidity further predisposing the horse to digestive upsets and ulceration It is not surprising that stressed tired horses may not fulfill their potential on arrival
Feeding to reduce stress for the equine traveller
By Darlene RickerExecutive editor of Alltechrsquos EQUINE INTERNATIONAL magazine
48
Alltech Tips
growth of opportunistic Salmonella spp which are present in the intestinal tract of many healthy horses These bacteria then attach to the gut lining via a mannan sugar and penetrate it causing damage and resulting in diarrhoea One method of prevent-ing or minimising the attachment of these organ-
isms to the gut lining is to provide an adsorbant supplement A form of sugar found in the cell walls of certain yeasts can do this This sugar compound is called man-nan oligosaccharide or MOS MOS products such as Alltechrsquos Bio-Mosreg have been shown to re-duce the colonization of Salmonella
spp in the guts of certain species and augment the immune response to Salmonella spp potentially conferring an enhanced ability to fight infection Both Yea-Saccreg 1026 and Bio-Mos are among the natural products contained in Alltechrsquos LIFEFORCETM equine supplement which many FEI competitors have successfully incorporated into their daily feeding regimen at home and on the road
lifeforcehorsecom
and may be subject to health concerns in the days following a long journey Fortunately however you can curb some of the effects of travel stress on the horsersquos gut by nutritional supplementation Organic yeast products used to supplement a horsersquos diet can support the normal gut flora modifying the intesti-nal environment and improving the horsersquos digestion One such culture is Saccharomyces cerevisae in the form of Yea-Saccreg 1026 Alltechrsquos propriety organic yeast
Experiments were conducted to evaluate the effects Yea-Sacc on gut flora and gut acidity Horses were fed either a high-starch or a high-fibre diet both with and without supplementation of Yea-Saccreg 1026 Results indicated an excessive amount of starch in the gut The use of Yea-Sacc reduced acidity and stimulat-ed the activity of fibre-digesting bacteria in the hind-gut for both types of diet The result was maximised fibre digestibility and more efficient use of nutrients thus increasing the amount of energy available to the horse for performance and counteracting digestive upset Salmonellosis is one of the more commonly di-agnosed infectious causes of diarrhoea in horses Many cases develop after the stress of transport The effects of travel stress on the normal gut flora allow an over-
Moorlands Totilas arrives for the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade after air transport copy Dirk Caremans
HRH The Infanta Dontildea Pilar de Borboacuten former President of the FEI (1994-2006) also attended the inauguration along-side HRH Princess Lalla Amina Chairperson of the Royal Moroccan Federation for Equestrian Sports and member of the international Advisory Council of Special OlympicsThey were joined by International Olympic Commit-tee members representatives from other Interna-tional Federations federal and local Swiss authorities as well as architects and designers that worked on the project Switzerlandrsquos Martin Fuchs a member of the gold medal winning team at the inaugural Youth Olympic Games in Singapore last year accompanied FEI President Princess Haya in officially opening the FEI headquarters
ldquoThe building we are inaugurating today has been designed to serve our wonderful sportrdquo explained FEI
President Princess Haya ldquoI also feel an immense
sense of pride knowing that this building carries the name
of my late father and hope that this serves as a constant reminder
to all of us who work at the FEI of a unique statesman whose entire soul was devoted to the service of his people Our new headquarters will play a key role for the FEI and our National Federa-tions over the coming years It will be the environ-ment in which important discussions take place and fundamental decisions are taken as we continue our mission to advance the orderly growth of equestrian sport worldwide while ensuring that the welfare of the horse and a level playing field remain at the centre of all that we dordquo
FEI celebratesNEW Headquarters
Over 250 guests attended the inauguration ceremony on Friday 6 May at HM King Hussein I Building which was timed to coincide with the FEI
Extraordinary General Assembly so that attending NationalFederation representatives
could be a part ofthe celebrations
1 Youth Olympic Games team champion Martin Fuchs (SUI) FEI President HRH Princess Haya and her daughter HH Sheikha Al Jalila officially open the FEIrsquos new home 2 Gilbert Felli IOC Olympic Games Executive Director and FEI Secretary General Ingmar de Vos 3 HRH The Infanta Dontildea Pilar de Borboacuten sits down to an interactive quiz in the FEI Gallery 4 Guests gathered in the atrium of the FEI HeadquartersAll images copy Hugues SiegenthalerFEI
Highlights available on50
1
2
3 4
5
6 7
8
THE GALLERy
As well as housing offices for its 62 employees and conference facilities for its 133 National Federations the new headquarters also has a state-of-the-art in-teractive gallery showcasing equestrian sport
The Gallery is the brainchild of Dr Amichai Alper-ovich historian former Secretary General of the Is-raeli Equestrian Federation and curator of the Israeli Olympic Museum (opened in 2009) He worked hand in hand with the Tel Aviv based company Disk-In Pro and interior designer Oded Alony to help bring the content to life and the result is truly unique and ground breaking Giant glass surfaces act as interac-tive interfaces for the visitors to travel through time
The FEIrsquos new headquarters which were donated to the Federation by FEI Presi-dent HRH Princess Haya in 2007 fol-lowing a personal fundraising effort are conveniently located close to the Inter-national Olympic Committee and other international sports federations It has been written into the FEI Statutes that the new FEI headquarters building will always house the Federationrsquos offices In 2008 the building was thoroughly renovated in accordance with the Swiss MINERGIEreg construction standard for environmental responsibility which re-duces energy consumption by 25 per cent Only two per cent of renovated buildings in Switzerland meet the high Minergie standards Khuan Chew founder and design princi-pal of London-based architectural firm KCA International Ltd worked in close collaboration with Swiss-based architect Herveacute de Rham and interior designer Sia-vosh Adeli (SUI) to transform the build-ing which was built in the 1960s The modern and sleek interior was further enhanced with bespoke artworks pro-duced by Swiss creative agency b+g amp partners and imagery by world-famous equestrian art photographer Tim Flach where the simplicity and beauty of his equine subjects seamlessly embrace and accentuate the buildingrsquos pure lines and natural materials (see image left)
As they feasted on the innate beauty of their sur-roundings the guests also had the privilege to ex-perience the culinary talents of organic chef and specialist Gilles Wannaz and his team based in the town of Cully which sits on the edge of Lac Leman in Switzerlandrsquos famous Lavaux wine growing region
5 HRH Princess Haya welcomes the guests to the Inauguration of the HQ and the 90 year celebration of the FEI 6 Artwork by renowned pho-tographer Tim Flach 7 An organic and colourful buffet presented on an authentic lawn by local chef Gilles Wannaz 8 A life size horse sculpture by Christophe Dumont greeted the guests upon their arrival
53FOCUS
and space with the latest in touch technology revis-iting the history of the FEI the equestrian events at Olympic amp Paralympic Games the FEI World Eques-trian Gamestrade and information on all of the member National Federations with statistics videos images and text The Gallery also includes projections on ar-chitectural surfaces designed by Oded Alony referred to as the Origami as well as interactive stations and unique video projections on glass screens
For all those wishing to visit the FEI Gallery simply contact the FEI HQ to make an appointment and we would be delighted to take you on a journey to dis-cover or rediscover the human and equine athletes whose talents have marked equestrian history and inspired young riders drivers and vaulters around the world
Interview withDrAmichaiAlperovich
When did you first dream up the FEIInteractive Gallery When I found out the FEI was planning to move into new HQ in 2009 Disk-In Pro and I approached the FEI and presented them with several concepts for the space Before long we had agreed on the concept and we got to work
Why were you compelled to make it become a reality So that the FEI a prominent sports organisation could present itself to a growing audience in a new and visionary way with the latest technology And by doing so the FEI is a pioneer becoming the first International Federation to have a Gallery of this kind
What did you learn when researching and gathering content for the gallery I have learned a lot about the history of the FEI the strong Olympic tradition the diversity of disciplines the gender equality and the unique bond between horse and man One of the more fascinating topics was the evolution of the Dressage from itsrsquo Olympic debut to the modern Freestyle
Itrsquos very innovative technology what inspired you to take such a leap into the future with such a traditional sport Just as Dressage has evolved over the years and alongside the introduction of new disciplines partic-ularly Para-Equestrian you come to realise that the FEI is not as traditional as one would think Actually this kind of innovative presentation of equestrian history is really well suited to the FEI In the same way that you can have horse-man connections there is an audience-technology connection in the Gallery The audience have to be active in order to enjoy the depth of information the Gallery contains
54
Now it is time to open the door to new places to learn about sport ndash at the heart of sporting organi-sations themselves The Gallery is more than an informative tool it brings people to the sport andto the heart of its operations
Established in 1990 Disk-In Pro specialises in the planning design production and implementation of Museums Visitor Centres and sophisticated projects around the world This includes multi screen produc-tion animation 3D amp interactive films state-of-the-art software platforms and complex video displays for an unforgettable experience
Oded Alony holds a BA in Design from the Interior Design Section of the Holon Technological Institute and has since 1998 worked with Israelrsquos leading Architecture firms The Oded Alony Studio embraces holistic design a space where interior design lighting and graphics are brought together to create a harmo-nious project vision
Now that you have seen it unveiled to the public how would you like to see it evolve I hope the audience will be amazed from the design by architect Oded Alony and the new methods to deliver information whilst discovering the long his-tory of the FEI the diversity and the global reach of the organisation I hope the Gallery will become an icon in Lausanne and one of its highlights for visitors I promise the visitors a new platform to learn about equestrianism and each visit could be different as the information and themes will be updated and modi-fied regularly
This futuristic gallery is a first for anInternational Federation do you think thisis something all sports should invest inThe FEI took this courageous decision and now has this fantastic tool to present the organisation in new ways Sport is a huge cultural phenomenaWe have learned to consume sport in the arenas and stadiums in the press media and new media
Dr Amichai Alperovich
55FOCUS
SOCIAL MEDIAthe new frontier
Follow us on
The FEI has recently embarked on and embraced a whole new way of talking with the greater equestrian community through the ever expanding social media networks and platformsWith personalised Facebook Twitter and You Tube pages the FEI is taking it step by step and reaching out to this growing audience and listening to what they have to say
This new communication platform is by no means a substitution of the traditional communication path-ways but works alongside the press releases various publications and content on wwwfeiorg and wwwfeitvorg providing a new arena where the FEI can share interact and dialogue with fans of the sport and of equestrian values in general
We talk to Richard Johnson Director of Corporate Communications about the FEIrsquos commitment to social media
What compelled the FEI to venture onto the social media scene As a governing body with a vibrant and active com-munity of National Federations as well as thousands of fans the need to reach out to the online social community has never been stronger We have been watching the communities grow online for some time and have been listening to their conversations so being a part of it was the next logical step and a really important one The conversations will hap-pen with or without us so taking that step has been crucial in order to share our values and also build re-lationships with our fan base
Tradition meets modernity ndash does equestrian sportthe FEI have a place in social media Absolutely even though equestrian sport has a long history and is perceived as a traditional sport it is
always evolving In the 90 years of the FEI which was founded to govern the three Olympic disciplines it has grown to also oversee the disciplines of Driving Endurance Vaulting Reining and Para-Equestrian sport Or if you look at the early days when competi-tors were from military backgrounds and when wom-en did not compete alongside men to the complete gender equality we have today ndash a lot has changed and is in a constant state of change
The fans of equestrian sport are like any other fan base web savvy and eager for more information behind the scenes content and to share their opin-ions and thoughts ndash so it is an ideal partnership And from what we have seen these last few months and from the feedback we got from our blog at the Youth Olympic Games there is a real appetite for this
The FEI has dedicated Facebook Twitter and You Tube pages ndash why did you select these social media platforms The figures speak for themselveshellip Facebook Twit-ter and You Tube are the biggest players in the social networking space With over 500 million Facebook users 106 million Tweeters and 2 billion views a day on You Tube there has never been so much oppor-tunity for exposure Every site has different demo-graphics with different habits and needs so by having an FEI presence on these three networks we are able to cover a lot of ground and cater to different audi-ences by providing different types of content accord-ing to the platform
What are the main benefits of having a pres-ence on various social media platforms Itrsquos all about having a two way conversation ndash the benefits of dialogue where you can share content such as videos images facts and figures thoughts and values and then allow your fan base to react to get involved and to listen and learn from them By engaging with our audience and showing them that we are a modern and caring organisation and that we want to hear what they have to say then we are able to build trust and ultimately credibility in what we do and what we say
57FOCUS
TV
The offi cial video website of the Feacutedeacuteration Equestre Internationale
wwwfeitvorg
WATCH LIVE WATCH ONLINE
FEI TV is the FEIrsquos new offi cial video website and your ticket to the worldrsquos most prestigious competitions Sign-up to FEI TV (wwwfeitvorg) and get instant access to all the live broadcasts the extensive video-on-demand library all the highlights the behind the scenes reports the interviews and so much more Be at the heart of horsesport Join us
2823_1FEI_TV_Focus_165x226indd 1 170510 1124
It also keeps us alert as to what is being discussed and debated in the public sphere so that we can manage situations more effectively and be proactive in our messaging and information so that the facts are at the heart of the debate and not interpretations of them
How do you generate content for social media It was important when we launched our social me-dia presence that it be manageable with the exist-ing communications team in place ndash and so we have concentrated on keeping it simple and effective and using content innovatively Itrsquos not about reproduc-ing our website ndash but to engage with our fans and so often all you need is a good picture an interest-ing fact or great achievement to get the ball rolling For You Tube as we already have so much content generated from FEI TV it was simply a question of using bits and pieces from that content to provide the public with teasers from events interviews with winning riders or behind the scenes content which they can then follow up on FEI TV with a subscription
What are your Social media goals Itrsquos really to build relationships and dialogue with our fan base by using our content innovatively by listening to what they have to say and by engaging with the community And for the National Federa-tions that have yet to take that step we want to be a guiding hand that can help them get started so that they too can reap the benefits of social media net-working Our sport competes against other sports for attention so itrsquos really important that we the FEI and the National Federations keep our finger on the pulse and cater to our fans
How can National Federations get involved NFs wishing to find out more about Social Media can contact me (richardjohnsonfeiorg) and I would be more than happy to discuss opportunities and ways of getting started as well as our experience at the FEI
We asked our Facebook followers why it was important to use face-book and here are a few comments they came up with
bullItrsquos a great way to find out about shows and competitions
bullBecause facebook can provide up to the minute updates as to the what is going on in the horse community
bullWe can share information and ideas over long distances We can find and connect with people we wouldnt be able to otherwise
bullIt also lets us express the true realities of our spot to keep us grounded
bullIt can bring peoples attention to excellence ndash and expose the issues
58
TV
The offi cial video website of the Feacutedeacuteration Equestre Internationale
wwwfeitvorg
WATCH LIVE WATCH ONLINE
FEI TV is the FEIrsquos new offi cial video website and your ticket to the worldrsquos most prestigious competitions Sign-up to FEI TV (wwwfeitvorg) and get instant access to all the live broadcasts the extensive video-on-demand library all the highlights the behind the scenes reports the interviews and so much more Be at the heart of horsesport Join us
2823_1FEI_TV_Focus_165x226indd 1 170510 1124
ldquo Donrsquot accept drinks from a strangerrdquo
Armchair travel journalist
Are you living a life without boundaries Some well-meant advice is best ignored but itrsquos still good to know yoursquore covered when yoursquore away With HSBC Premier your family can be protected with both Travel Insurance and dedicated assistance when yoursquore abroad Which is reassuring to know when yoursquore making the most of life
HSBC Premier is subject to financial eligibility criteria and is available in over 40 countries and territories
Premier Travel Insurance covers you and your partner up to age 70 and your children travelling with you up to age 18
wwwhsbcpremiercom
A4 A4
Issued by HSBC Holdings plc Approved for use in UK by HSBC Bank plc Premier Travel Insurance is provided by Aviva Insurance UK Limited Customer Information Service PO Box 757 Hemel Hempstead Hertfordshire HP2 4SS Registered in England number 14259 Registered Office 8 Canada Square London E14 5HQ AC18770
201736_6000263_Coconut_226x165indd
Master 226x165
Rob Swainson 160211
HSBC - Coconuts Proof 01Head of Art TypographerDesigner ArtCreative Director Copywriter Account DirectorDIC Project ManagerPhotographer Illustrator Usage Model(s) Name(s) Usage
Media MediaStock Image Time Period Time Period
Territory Territory
8deg N ndash Kerala South India
European Broadcasting Union
Union Europeacuteenne de Radio-Teacuteleacutevision
+41 (0)22 717 2111 wwweurovisionnet
We bring the event to your home
Eurovision
copy K
it H
ough
ton
FE
I
FEI_08_A4indd 1 03012008 162238
European Broadcasting Union
Union Europeacuteenne de Radio-Teacuteleacutevision
+41 (0)22 717 2111 wwweurovisionnet
We bring the event to your home
Eurovision
copy K
it H
ough
ton
FE
I
FEI_08_A4indd 1 03012008 162238
Nominations for the FEI Awards opened in May enabling the global equestrian com-munity to once again reward outstanding dedication to horse sport in five categories ndash Development Best Groom Against All Odds Rising Star and Best Athlete The search for the equestrian heroes of 2011 is now on who will be flown to Rio de Janeiro Brazil to receive their awards
Where are they now The FEI asked the current title-holders for an update on their activities
Follow us on
38
FEI Awards 2011
Ebony Horse Club (GBR)Winner of the Alltech FEI DevelopmentAward 2010
The Ebony Horse Club announced in December 2010 that after an eight-year fundraising effort it had the pound14 million necessary for building an equestrian cen-tre in one of Londonrsquos most deprived boroughs Since 1996 Ebony has offered youngsters in an area reput-ed for its gang culture high level of gun crime and drug dealing the chance to ride and learn key social skills The clubrsquos 50 members travel to riding schools across London on public transport or in minibuses ndash a logistical headache that the inner-city equestrian centre will end Construction work began in February
Ebony Horse Club founder and director Ros Spear-ing told the FEI ldquoRiding lessons are continuing and the club is preparing for the transitionrdquo Building will finish on 7 July but the centre will open for riding lessons in October ldquoThe horses will be brought to Brixton in the summer and will have time to acclimatise to their new environmentrdquo Spearing said The centre will include stabling for nine horses a small paddock and a flood-lit riding arena as well as a classroom for learning about horses and equine management Spearing is adamant that club members ndash present and future ndash care for their rides and wants the centre to serve as a stepping stone to careers in the horse industry
Ebonyrsquos existence will continue to depend on the generosity of donors For more information visit wwwebonyhorsecluborguk
Michelle Tipper (GBR)Winner of the FEI Best Groom Award 2010
Michelle Tipper has continued to juggle grooming and study since receiving her FEI Award in Novem-ber She has organised the grooms for the British European Junior and Young Dressage teams and in April her contract as a travelling groom for British Dressage riders Paul and Bobby Hayler took her to Addington for the first of many international com-petitions she will work at this year The Haylers have eight horses competing and the number she works with at each venue varies Tipper has also been help-ing British Dressage riders Nicky and Richard Barrett with yard duties ldquoI feel very lucky to work for both of these familiesrdquo said the FEI Best Groom Award win-ner adding that she feels part of the two families In March Tipper graduated from university with a Masters in Sport Psychology She is now working towards British Association of Sport and Exercise Science accreditation which requires at least 500 hoursrsquo supervised work experience and is present-ing sport psychology workshops in conjunction with the company Inside Performance Consulting Limit-ed (wwwinside-performancecom) The workshops are organised internationally for people of all ages from any sport To find out more contact Tipper at michelletipper1979yahoocom
39FOCUS
Michelle Tipper ndash copyWilliam TzengAward winners ndash copyWilliam TzengCaroline Roffman ndash copySharonPackercomEbony Horse Club ndash copyEbony Horse ClubEdward Gal and Totilas ndash copyKit HoughtonFEIAngelika Trabert ndash copyJulia Rau
Angelika Trabert (GER)Winner of the FEI Against All Odds Award 2010
German Para-Dressage rider Angelika Trabert has represent-ed her country at four Paralympic Games and won some 15 medals at national European and world championships She is currently seeking a new home for Londria the mare that con-tributed to her Team Silver medal win at the Hong Kong Para-lympics Londria who had a foal last year was also Trabertrsquos ride during her medal-winning performances at the European Championships in Hungary (2005) and Norway (2009)
Trabert said her decision to let go of Londria was hard to make but was necessary for financial reasons She will keep the foal Finaud Coquin and her mares Walmorel and Ariva-Avanti Trabert won the Para-Dressage Grade 2 Freestyle Champion-ship at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade with Ariva and said the horse was ldquowell and ready to go for the Europeans again in Belgium in September if we qualifyrdquo Trabert competed in her first international competition of 2011 in May in Man-nheim Germany where she came first in the Grade II indi-vidual and second in the freestyle She is taking part in the German Championships in June
Away from the equestrian world Trabert works as an anaes-thetist and has participated in medical missions in the rural ar-eas of Guinea for the organisation Mango In January she was back in Guinea as part of team that carried out 100 operations in 13 days wwwangelika-trabertde
Visit the recently refreshed FEI Awards website to find out more about the Awards the pastwinners the judges and to make yournominationsby 31 July
wwwfeiawardsorg
40
Caroline Roffman (USA)Winner of the HSBC FEI Rising StarAward 2010
Success continues to smile on twenty-two-year-old American Dressage rider Caroline Roffman Since re-ceiving the HSBC FEI Rising Star Award she has en-joyed numerous wins at small tour and young horse levels achieving scores in the mid-eighties and quali-fying two horses for the young horse championships
Roffman is currently showing six horses and has won several classes at PSG and Grand Prix level ldquoBut nothing is as exciting as to be going to Aachenrdquo said the young woman who has been described as the American Dressage communityrsquos brightest hope ex-plaining that at the FEI Awards ceremony in Chinese Taipei Frank Kemperman FEI Dressage Committee Chair and Chairman of the Managing Board at CHIO Aachen (GER) invited her to take part in the pres-tigious event Roffman will be the first American to compete in the Under 25 Grand Prix there and is hop-ing to take her horse Lux Stensvang
An interview with Caroline Roffman at the Palm Beach Dressage Derby CDI will be broadcast on the magazine programme Equestrian World on FEI TV the FEIrsquos official online video platform wwwfeitvorg
Edward Gal and Totilas (NED)Winners of the Reem Acra FEI Best Athlete Award 2010
The world-famous partnership of Dutch Dressage rider Edward Gal and the extraordinary Totilas ended in style in 2010 with notably three gold medal wins at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade
The first foal sired by the superstar stallion was born in January followed by two more in the spring Gal who has admired the foals told the FEI ldquoYou never know ndash maybe in a few yearsrsquo time Irsquoll have another Totilas readyrdquo At the beginning of April he was busy at home training nine horses and preparing for the Reem Acra FEI World Cuptrade Dressage Final in Leipzig and the European Championships in Rotterdam He had not yet decided which horses he was going to compete with but was particularly looking forward to the Freestyle to Music Asked what it was like to compete without Totilas Gal said ldquoEverybody ex-pected Totilas to win I find it easier to ride other horses because nobody expects me to win and when I do itrsquos really nicerdquo
41FOCUS
globetrotter
Seal of approval for the Adai horseSixty years have passed since an Adai horse reportedly set a record galloping 354km in one day Today the Adai horse a breed na-tive to Kazakhstan is back in the spotlight with a gold medal at the FEI Central Asian Endurance Championship in Talgaearlier in May only months after having been award-ed official pedigree status following tests
conducted by a State Commission in the Mangistau Steppes which allowed itto compete internationally The horses are cherished for their hardiness and Oyly ridden by Altyngali Bissemaganbetov (KAZ) proved just that when crossing the finishing line first demonstrating just how tough the Adai horses are and the beginning of a new era for sturdy breed on the international stage
Equestrian Australia Sport
Achievement Awards
In May the best of the best in
Equestrian sport gathered to cel-
ebrate the achievements of Austral-
iarsquos athletes coaches officials vets
administrators owners volunteers
and the many other people that
dedicate their time and enthusiasm
to equestrian sport The ceremony
also included the introduction of
Equestrian Australiarsquos Hall of
Fame won by the legendary Bill
Roycroft Boyd Exell winner of
the FEI World CupTM Driving
Final was awarded the interna-
tional athlete of the year
award
Kevin Stautbecomes first athlete representative on FEI
executive board
Kevin Staut one of Francersquos most successful Jumping riders became the first athlete to be appointed to the FEI Executive Board for a three-year term Staut (31) who has held the number one spot in the Rolex Rankings for Jumping since July 2010 has ridden on numerous Nations Cup teams for France and claimed individual gold at the Alltech FEI European Jumping Championships in 2009
HulA CARTSWorld Horse Welfare has greatly helped the liv
es of
five Senegalese cart horse owners by presenting them
with new Hula Carts The local people who depend on
their working horses for their livelihoods were specially
selected by the charity to receive the carts which have
been sponsored by members of the public in the uK
The Hula Carts are specifically developed to help the
horses pulling heavy loads in often difficult conditions
Equestrian Australia Sport
Achievement Awards
In May the best of the best in
Equestrian sport gathered to cel-
ebrate the achievements of Austral-
iarsquos athletes coaches officials vets
administrators owners volunteers
and the many other people that
dedicate their time and enthusiasm
to equestrian sport The ceremony
also included the introduction of
Equestrian Australiarsquos Hall of
Fame won by the legendary Bill
Roycroft Boyd Exell winner of
the FEI World CupTM Driving
Final was awarded the interna-
tional athlete of the year
award
Olympic legendBill Roycroft passes away aged 96
A legend of Equestrian sport in Australia James William
George Roycroft OBE known as ldquoBillrdquo was one of Austral-
iarsquos greatest Olympians and one of only five Australians to
have competed in five consecutive Olympic Games (from
1960 - 1976) as well as being Australiarsquos oldest medallist
and oldest competitor at 61 years and 31 days In May 2011
Bill was inducted in Equestrian Australiarsquos inaugural Hall
of Fame ndash he was Australiarsquos oldest living Olympian and
shared his dedication and enthusiasm for the sport with
his sons Barry Wayne and Clarke (See a brief description
of his exploits in the 1960 Olympic Games Memory Lane
article page 9 which catapulted Australiarsquos reputation as
one of the best Eventing teams in the world)
webinfofeiFEI web wizard Nicole Sigrist has added a new hub for the Press on wwwfeiorg called FEI Press Kits located in the Media section of the website The Press Kits zone which is also open to the general public is regularly updated with infor-mation relating to FEI series and specific events with flip books and downloadable PDFs as well as direct links to the Photo Catalogue the Rankings and Standings the Annual Report and more
100thanniversary for Finnish riding club
One of the three found-ing member clubs of
the Finnish Equestrian Federation the Suomen
Kenttaumlratsastusseura-Finska Faumlltrittklubbenon celebrates
its 100th anniversary in 2011 Magnus Rydman former President of the Finnish National Federation and Presi-dent of the FEI from 1935 ndash 1946 was one of the founders of the club Another of the founders of the oldest club in Fin-land was the Eventing rider Colonel Hans Olof von Essen whose fifth place at the Antwerpen Olympic Games re-mains the best Olympic equestrian result the country has ever achieved
Follow us on
43FOCUS
Interview with the President of the Brazilian Equestrian Federation Mr Luiz Roberto Giugni
The Brazilian Equestrian Federation has been a member Federation of the FEI for 75 years how has the sport developed over that time We were facing regular growth (average of 25 in the last decade) but in the last three to four years this rate has significantly increased up to 35 a year We believe that this is due to international achievements (two Jumping Olympic team bronze medals the individual Olympic Jumping gold medal won by Rodrigo Pessoa several Pan Am Jumping team gold medals recent Olympic pre-qualification in Kentucky (4th in the world in Jumping) and the organisations of a Global Champions Tour event in Brazil
In terms of developing the sport what are the most successful projects you have undertaken in recent yearsWe decided to invest in education and have hired international trainers for all the disciplines such as Jean Maurice Bonneau for Jumping Nick Turner for Eventing Eric Lette for Dressage Jean Louis Leclerc for Endurance Mattias Lang for Vaulting with the long term in mind that is at least until the end of 2012 and planning towards 2016 when Rio will host the Olympic Games
How popular is equestrian sport with young people in Brazil and how do you compete with some of the bigger sports for their attention Popularization is growing bit by bit in a country
decidedly dominated by soccer ndash being 5 times World Champion makes it a national passion But we are continuously looking to attract TV to our events as this is a huge step towards gaining visibility and popularity Can you tell us about the programmesinitiatives in place for disabled athletes We are actively pursuing this and have achieved really positive results in little time such as the great performances and medals earned at the Para-lympic Games in Hong Kong in 2008 We do this through clinics courses international exchanges of athletes and working alongside our National Paralympic Committee to support us in our efforts
Brazil will be host the FEI General Assembly at the end of the year what do you want all the visiting delegates to remember from their visit That we are more than just a really beautiful and warm country with the ability and capacity to organise great events and that we are committed to putting on the best Olympic Games ever
What are the main objectivesplans for the Brazilian Federation in the lead up to the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games Our NOC is really committed to raising the bar of all the sports to a level never seen before and we are working towards that in terms of our athletes our judges our venues and everything that is related to our sport and the quality of our sport In line with this objective we are providing incen-tives to owners to buy good horses aiming for 2016 and this is going to plan for now We expect to perform well at the upcoming Pan Am Games and Olympics on our trail to 2016
Is there anything else you would like to share with us I would like to thank HRH Princess Haya President of the FEI as well as the Executive Board for all the support that we are getting which has been paramount to the development of equestrian sport in our country
44
President Luiz Roberto GiugniSecretary General Luiz Antonio RoccoMember since 1935
15 members of staff work at the federation
20 regional federations are affiliated tothe Brazilian Equestrian Federation with over 300 member riding clubs
6 000 affiliated riders
91 national events were held in 2010
31 international events were held in 2010
All the FEI disciplines are practiced in BrazilJumping Dressage Eventing Vaulting Reining EnduranceDriving amp Para-Equestrian
14 breeding organisations
There are 58 million horses and ponies in Brazilmaking it the fourth largest equine population in the world
FAC
TS amp
FIG
URE
S
45FOCUS
Dr Gerit Matthesen56 is a private equine practitioner an FEI Vet and a member of the FEI Veterinary Committee He graduated in Veterinary Medicine from Berlin University in 1983 and since 1989 has worked or officiated at some 180 competitions and championships including the last two Olympics and FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade He lives near Frankfurt with his wife Carola and their sons Mike (16) and Lars (14)
46
A life in a day
Dr Gerit Matthesen56 is a private equine practitioner an FEI Vet and a member of the FEI Veterinary Committee He graduated in Veterinary Medicine from Berlin University in 1983 and since 1989 has worked or officiated at some 180 competitions and championships including the last two Olympics and FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade He lives near Frankfurt with his wife Carola and their sons Mike (16) and Lars (14)
I wake up earlier than I need to ndash at around 6am ndash because breakfast time with my family is sacred to me and I can then drive my boys to the village station to take the train to school After two cups of coffee (enough for the day) and a glass of orange juice I read the newspapers then head to my prac-tice offices in our indoor arena I have a quick look at our horses then start work
While I listen to my phone messages I deal with my emails and search the internet for news about veterinary medicine and horse sport I then start planning the dayacutes schedule with Anna my assistant vet
My mobile practice is in a nice fairly rural area in the north of Frankfurt There are lots of horse farms but it is not a classic breeding area like the northern part of Germany There are sport horses as well as pleasure horses I have examination rooms and stables for horses staying or mares foaling in my practice stables Itrsquos not a big clinic which gives me time to work at competitions
After seeing a few small animals in my practice I normally start my field service at 930am In my car I have enough equipment (ultrasound X-ray systems and endoscopical devices) for the dayrsquos examinations and standing procedures We mainly have lameness examinations to do or internal diseases to treat accompanied by routine work like vaccinations or carrying out pre-purchase or health certificate examinations If time allows I go home for a quick lunch but thatrsquos not every day
While Irsquom driving I have time to think and I write down everything that come to mind regarding sport competitions committees and so on You have to write down your thoughts when yoursquore over the age of 50
It is not easy planning my day because any emer-gency can destroy or delay my schedule For all the paperwork and certificates I need a time frame so
I often do that over quiet weekends when there are no competitions During the winter season I am less busy but in summer a lot of weekends are taken over by the competition schedule
I love my work especially in Eventing which is my favourite discipline My wife and I practiced it ndash not up to top level but it was a fine time despite a bro-ken ankle from a fall in 1988 which after 23 years is making walking more and more difficult for me
I like to do my competition work on a friendly but strict basis and I really like to hear riders saying they are treated fairly Over the years I have acquired a lot of experience and met all the officials and riders
Usually when I return home in the late afternoon there are more small animals to see When Irsquove done the dayrsquos paperwork I hope there will be no more emergencies such as cases of colic which usually occur in the early evening
I look forward to getting on my horse which is a beautiful show-jumper I like to ride but Irsquove stopped competing I do dressage jumping and go out into the fields but itrsquos all just for fun now
The day finishes with the family and a nice cold glass of German beer
Itrsquos a struggle to find time to spend with my family and I often have to cancel my holidays with them I am really grateful to my wife and the boys for their understanding of my job and to my assistant vet who covers for me when Iacutem out somewhere in the world of equestrian sport
ldquoThe combination of my profession and beinginvolved in differentaspects of top equestrian sport is my visionrdquo
47FOCUS
Pull your show attire from the closet clean your boots and tack groom the horses hook up and pack the trailer check the clock double check to make sure you have everything put on the shipping boots load your horses and away you drive to the competition venue or to the airport for transport to a distant event
You know the drill well but still you arrive tired per-haps even a bit frazzled Yoursquoll sleep (or try to) the next several nights in an unfamiliar bed or camp out in the living quarters of your trailer You awaken riveted on the competition playing out the dayrsquos classes in your mind wondering how your rides will fare against oth-ers praying that the weather will be cooperate and trying to control your nerves all the while knowing that no matter how well you have prepared many factors are out of your control You may even be in a different time zone
We go through a lot to compete our horses But if you think life on the road is stressful for you think about what itrsquos like for your horses Your back may be a bit sore from driving or being strapped into an airplane seat for hours on end but for horses transportation is far more demanding It is an athletic endeavour re-quiring an expenditure of energy to maintain balance during the constant movement of transport When your horses arrive they face social isolation from stablemates lack of security in novel environments altered training regimes water that tastes strange and the confines of an unfamiliar stall This routine impacts a horsersquos health and well being with effects
continuing long after the journey is over During transport toxic gases (such as ammonia or carbon monoxide) can cause damage to the lung epithelium precipitating respiratory disease The
final destination itself can also cause problems Usually horses are transported to environments where they will be mixing with other horses The mixing of horses from different environments with different infectious organisms and under stressful conditions further precipitates susceptibility to disease
This can have a severe impact on the equine gut The stress of transportation is known to increase gut ulceration in the horse a painful condition reducing performance and causing colic-like symptoms Stress can also slow the flow of digesta and alter the normal gut flora resulting in digestive upset and possibly diarrhoea or colic
The effects of travel stress on the gut are compounded by the typical diet of the regular equine traveller To maintain athletic ability high performance horses are often fed energy-charged diets contain-ing increased levels of starchy materials such as cereal grains Unfortunately this type of diet can reduce beneficial types of gut flora and promote gut acidity further predisposing the horse to digestive upsets and ulceration It is not surprising that stressed tired horses may not fulfill their potential on arrival
Feeding to reduce stress for the equine traveller
By Darlene RickerExecutive editor of Alltechrsquos EQUINE INTERNATIONAL magazine
48
Alltech Tips
growth of opportunistic Salmonella spp which are present in the intestinal tract of many healthy horses These bacteria then attach to the gut lining via a mannan sugar and penetrate it causing damage and resulting in diarrhoea One method of prevent-ing or minimising the attachment of these organ-
isms to the gut lining is to provide an adsorbant supplement A form of sugar found in the cell walls of certain yeasts can do this This sugar compound is called man-nan oligosaccharide or MOS MOS products such as Alltechrsquos Bio-Mosreg have been shown to re-duce the colonization of Salmonella
spp in the guts of certain species and augment the immune response to Salmonella spp potentially conferring an enhanced ability to fight infection Both Yea-Saccreg 1026 and Bio-Mos are among the natural products contained in Alltechrsquos LIFEFORCETM equine supplement which many FEI competitors have successfully incorporated into their daily feeding regimen at home and on the road
lifeforcehorsecom
and may be subject to health concerns in the days following a long journey Fortunately however you can curb some of the effects of travel stress on the horsersquos gut by nutritional supplementation Organic yeast products used to supplement a horsersquos diet can support the normal gut flora modifying the intesti-nal environment and improving the horsersquos digestion One such culture is Saccharomyces cerevisae in the form of Yea-Saccreg 1026 Alltechrsquos propriety organic yeast
Experiments were conducted to evaluate the effects Yea-Sacc on gut flora and gut acidity Horses were fed either a high-starch or a high-fibre diet both with and without supplementation of Yea-Saccreg 1026 Results indicated an excessive amount of starch in the gut The use of Yea-Sacc reduced acidity and stimulat-ed the activity of fibre-digesting bacteria in the hind-gut for both types of diet The result was maximised fibre digestibility and more efficient use of nutrients thus increasing the amount of energy available to the horse for performance and counteracting digestive upset Salmonellosis is one of the more commonly di-agnosed infectious causes of diarrhoea in horses Many cases develop after the stress of transport The effects of travel stress on the normal gut flora allow an over-
Moorlands Totilas arrives for the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade after air transport copy Dirk Caremans
HRH The Infanta Dontildea Pilar de Borboacuten former President of the FEI (1994-2006) also attended the inauguration along-side HRH Princess Lalla Amina Chairperson of the Royal Moroccan Federation for Equestrian Sports and member of the international Advisory Council of Special OlympicsThey were joined by International Olympic Commit-tee members representatives from other Interna-tional Federations federal and local Swiss authorities as well as architects and designers that worked on the project Switzerlandrsquos Martin Fuchs a member of the gold medal winning team at the inaugural Youth Olympic Games in Singapore last year accompanied FEI President Princess Haya in officially opening the FEI headquarters
ldquoThe building we are inaugurating today has been designed to serve our wonderful sportrdquo explained FEI
President Princess Haya ldquoI also feel an immense
sense of pride knowing that this building carries the name
of my late father and hope that this serves as a constant reminder
to all of us who work at the FEI of a unique statesman whose entire soul was devoted to the service of his people Our new headquarters will play a key role for the FEI and our National Federa-tions over the coming years It will be the environ-ment in which important discussions take place and fundamental decisions are taken as we continue our mission to advance the orderly growth of equestrian sport worldwide while ensuring that the welfare of the horse and a level playing field remain at the centre of all that we dordquo
FEI celebratesNEW Headquarters
Over 250 guests attended the inauguration ceremony on Friday 6 May at HM King Hussein I Building which was timed to coincide with the FEI
Extraordinary General Assembly so that attending NationalFederation representatives
could be a part ofthe celebrations
1 Youth Olympic Games team champion Martin Fuchs (SUI) FEI President HRH Princess Haya and her daughter HH Sheikha Al Jalila officially open the FEIrsquos new home 2 Gilbert Felli IOC Olympic Games Executive Director and FEI Secretary General Ingmar de Vos 3 HRH The Infanta Dontildea Pilar de Borboacuten sits down to an interactive quiz in the FEI Gallery 4 Guests gathered in the atrium of the FEI HeadquartersAll images copy Hugues SiegenthalerFEI
Highlights available on50
1
2
3 4
5
6 7
8
THE GALLERy
As well as housing offices for its 62 employees and conference facilities for its 133 National Federations the new headquarters also has a state-of-the-art in-teractive gallery showcasing equestrian sport
The Gallery is the brainchild of Dr Amichai Alper-ovich historian former Secretary General of the Is-raeli Equestrian Federation and curator of the Israeli Olympic Museum (opened in 2009) He worked hand in hand with the Tel Aviv based company Disk-In Pro and interior designer Oded Alony to help bring the content to life and the result is truly unique and ground breaking Giant glass surfaces act as interac-tive interfaces for the visitors to travel through time
The FEIrsquos new headquarters which were donated to the Federation by FEI Presi-dent HRH Princess Haya in 2007 fol-lowing a personal fundraising effort are conveniently located close to the Inter-national Olympic Committee and other international sports federations It has been written into the FEI Statutes that the new FEI headquarters building will always house the Federationrsquos offices In 2008 the building was thoroughly renovated in accordance with the Swiss MINERGIEreg construction standard for environmental responsibility which re-duces energy consumption by 25 per cent Only two per cent of renovated buildings in Switzerland meet the high Minergie standards Khuan Chew founder and design princi-pal of London-based architectural firm KCA International Ltd worked in close collaboration with Swiss-based architect Herveacute de Rham and interior designer Sia-vosh Adeli (SUI) to transform the build-ing which was built in the 1960s The modern and sleek interior was further enhanced with bespoke artworks pro-duced by Swiss creative agency b+g amp partners and imagery by world-famous equestrian art photographer Tim Flach where the simplicity and beauty of his equine subjects seamlessly embrace and accentuate the buildingrsquos pure lines and natural materials (see image left)
As they feasted on the innate beauty of their sur-roundings the guests also had the privilege to ex-perience the culinary talents of organic chef and specialist Gilles Wannaz and his team based in the town of Cully which sits on the edge of Lac Leman in Switzerlandrsquos famous Lavaux wine growing region
5 HRH Princess Haya welcomes the guests to the Inauguration of the HQ and the 90 year celebration of the FEI 6 Artwork by renowned pho-tographer Tim Flach 7 An organic and colourful buffet presented on an authentic lawn by local chef Gilles Wannaz 8 A life size horse sculpture by Christophe Dumont greeted the guests upon their arrival
53FOCUS
and space with the latest in touch technology revis-iting the history of the FEI the equestrian events at Olympic amp Paralympic Games the FEI World Eques-trian Gamestrade and information on all of the member National Federations with statistics videos images and text The Gallery also includes projections on ar-chitectural surfaces designed by Oded Alony referred to as the Origami as well as interactive stations and unique video projections on glass screens
For all those wishing to visit the FEI Gallery simply contact the FEI HQ to make an appointment and we would be delighted to take you on a journey to dis-cover or rediscover the human and equine athletes whose talents have marked equestrian history and inspired young riders drivers and vaulters around the world
Interview withDrAmichaiAlperovich
When did you first dream up the FEIInteractive Gallery When I found out the FEI was planning to move into new HQ in 2009 Disk-In Pro and I approached the FEI and presented them with several concepts for the space Before long we had agreed on the concept and we got to work
Why were you compelled to make it become a reality So that the FEI a prominent sports organisation could present itself to a growing audience in a new and visionary way with the latest technology And by doing so the FEI is a pioneer becoming the first International Federation to have a Gallery of this kind
What did you learn when researching and gathering content for the gallery I have learned a lot about the history of the FEI the strong Olympic tradition the diversity of disciplines the gender equality and the unique bond between horse and man One of the more fascinating topics was the evolution of the Dressage from itsrsquo Olympic debut to the modern Freestyle
Itrsquos very innovative technology what inspired you to take such a leap into the future with such a traditional sport Just as Dressage has evolved over the years and alongside the introduction of new disciplines partic-ularly Para-Equestrian you come to realise that the FEI is not as traditional as one would think Actually this kind of innovative presentation of equestrian history is really well suited to the FEI In the same way that you can have horse-man connections there is an audience-technology connection in the Gallery The audience have to be active in order to enjoy the depth of information the Gallery contains
54
Now it is time to open the door to new places to learn about sport ndash at the heart of sporting organi-sations themselves The Gallery is more than an informative tool it brings people to the sport andto the heart of its operations
Established in 1990 Disk-In Pro specialises in the planning design production and implementation of Museums Visitor Centres and sophisticated projects around the world This includes multi screen produc-tion animation 3D amp interactive films state-of-the-art software platforms and complex video displays for an unforgettable experience
Oded Alony holds a BA in Design from the Interior Design Section of the Holon Technological Institute and has since 1998 worked with Israelrsquos leading Architecture firms The Oded Alony Studio embraces holistic design a space where interior design lighting and graphics are brought together to create a harmo-nious project vision
Now that you have seen it unveiled to the public how would you like to see it evolve I hope the audience will be amazed from the design by architect Oded Alony and the new methods to deliver information whilst discovering the long his-tory of the FEI the diversity and the global reach of the organisation I hope the Gallery will become an icon in Lausanne and one of its highlights for visitors I promise the visitors a new platform to learn about equestrianism and each visit could be different as the information and themes will be updated and modi-fied regularly
This futuristic gallery is a first for anInternational Federation do you think thisis something all sports should invest inThe FEI took this courageous decision and now has this fantastic tool to present the organisation in new ways Sport is a huge cultural phenomenaWe have learned to consume sport in the arenas and stadiums in the press media and new media
Dr Amichai Alperovich
55FOCUS
SOCIAL MEDIAthe new frontier
Follow us on
The FEI has recently embarked on and embraced a whole new way of talking with the greater equestrian community through the ever expanding social media networks and platformsWith personalised Facebook Twitter and You Tube pages the FEI is taking it step by step and reaching out to this growing audience and listening to what they have to say
This new communication platform is by no means a substitution of the traditional communication path-ways but works alongside the press releases various publications and content on wwwfeiorg and wwwfeitvorg providing a new arena where the FEI can share interact and dialogue with fans of the sport and of equestrian values in general
We talk to Richard Johnson Director of Corporate Communications about the FEIrsquos commitment to social media
What compelled the FEI to venture onto the social media scene As a governing body with a vibrant and active com-munity of National Federations as well as thousands of fans the need to reach out to the online social community has never been stronger We have been watching the communities grow online for some time and have been listening to their conversations so being a part of it was the next logical step and a really important one The conversations will hap-pen with or without us so taking that step has been crucial in order to share our values and also build re-lationships with our fan base
Tradition meets modernity ndash does equestrian sportthe FEI have a place in social media Absolutely even though equestrian sport has a long history and is perceived as a traditional sport it is
always evolving In the 90 years of the FEI which was founded to govern the three Olympic disciplines it has grown to also oversee the disciplines of Driving Endurance Vaulting Reining and Para-Equestrian sport Or if you look at the early days when competi-tors were from military backgrounds and when wom-en did not compete alongside men to the complete gender equality we have today ndash a lot has changed and is in a constant state of change
The fans of equestrian sport are like any other fan base web savvy and eager for more information behind the scenes content and to share their opin-ions and thoughts ndash so it is an ideal partnership And from what we have seen these last few months and from the feedback we got from our blog at the Youth Olympic Games there is a real appetite for this
The FEI has dedicated Facebook Twitter and You Tube pages ndash why did you select these social media platforms The figures speak for themselveshellip Facebook Twit-ter and You Tube are the biggest players in the social networking space With over 500 million Facebook users 106 million Tweeters and 2 billion views a day on You Tube there has never been so much oppor-tunity for exposure Every site has different demo-graphics with different habits and needs so by having an FEI presence on these three networks we are able to cover a lot of ground and cater to different audi-ences by providing different types of content accord-ing to the platform
What are the main benefits of having a pres-ence on various social media platforms Itrsquos all about having a two way conversation ndash the benefits of dialogue where you can share content such as videos images facts and figures thoughts and values and then allow your fan base to react to get involved and to listen and learn from them By engaging with our audience and showing them that we are a modern and caring organisation and that we want to hear what they have to say then we are able to build trust and ultimately credibility in what we do and what we say
57FOCUS
TV
The offi cial video website of the Feacutedeacuteration Equestre Internationale
wwwfeitvorg
WATCH LIVE WATCH ONLINE
FEI TV is the FEIrsquos new offi cial video website and your ticket to the worldrsquos most prestigious competitions Sign-up to FEI TV (wwwfeitvorg) and get instant access to all the live broadcasts the extensive video-on-demand library all the highlights the behind the scenes reports the interviews and so much more Be at the heart of horsesport Join us
2823_1FEI_TV_Focus_165x226indd 1 170510 1124
It also keeps us alert as to what is being discussed and debated in the public sphere so that we can manage situations more effectively and be proactive in our messaging and information so that the facts are at the heart of the debate and not interpretations of them
How do you generate content for social media It was important when we launched our social me-dia presence that it be manageable with the exist-ing communications team in place ndash and so we have concentrated on keeping it simple and effective and using content innovatively Itrsquos not about reproduc-ing our website ndash but to engage with our fans and so often all you need is a good picture an interest-ing fact or great achievement to get the ball rolling For You Tube as we already have so much content generated from FEI TV it was simply a question of using bits and pieces from that content to provide the public with teasers from events interviews with winning riders or behind the scenes content which they can then follow up on FEI TV with a subscription
What are your Social media goals Itrsquos really to build relationships and dialogue with our fan base by using our content innovatively by listening to what they have to say and by engaging with the community And for the National Federa-tions that have yet to take that step we want to be a guiding hand that can help them get started so that they too can reap the benefits of social media net-working Our sport competes against other sports for attention so itrsquos really important that we the FEI and the National Federations keep our finger on the pulse and cater to our fans
How can National Federations get involved NFs wishing to find out more about Social Media can contact me (richardjohnsonfeiorg) and I would be more than happy to discuss opportunities and ways of getting started as well as our experience at the FEI
We asked our Facebook followers why it was important to use face-book and here are a few comments they came up with
bullItrsquos a great way to find out about shows and competitions
bullBecause facebook can provide up to the minute updates as to the what is going on in the horse community
bullWe can share information and ideas over long distances We can find and connect with people we wouldnt be able to otherwise
bullIt also lets us express the true realities of our spot to keep us grounded
bullIt can bring peoples attention to excellence ndash and expose the issues
58
TV
The offi cial video website of the Feacutedeacuteration Equestre Internationale
wwwfeitvorg
WATCH LIVE WATCH ONLINE
FEI TV is the FEIrsquos new offi cial video website and your ticket to the worldrsquos most prestigious competitions Sign-up to FEI TV (wwwfeitvorg) and get instant access to all the live broadcasts the extensive video-on-demand library all the highlights the behind the scenes reports the interviews and so much more Be at the heart of horsesport Join us
2823_1FEI_TV_Focus_165x226indd 1 170510 1124
ldquo Donrsquot accept drinks from a strangerrdquo
Armchair travel journalist
Are you living a life without boundaries Some well-meant advice is best ignored but itrsquos still good to know yoursquore covered when yoursquore away With HSBC Premier your family can be protected with both Travel Insurance and dedicated assistance when yoursquore abroad Which is reassuring to know when yoursquore making the most of life
HSBC Premier is subject to financial eligibility criteria and is available in over 40 countries and territories
Premier Travel Insurance covers you and your partner up to age 70 and your children travelling with you up to age 18
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201736_6000263_Coconut_226x165indd
Master 226x165
Rob Swainson 160211
HSBC - Coconuts Proof 01Head of Art TypographerDesigner ArtCreative Director Copywriter Account DirectorDIC Project ManagerPhotographer Illustrator Usage Model(s) Name(s) Usage
Media MediaStock Image Time Period Time Period
Territory Territory
8deg N ndash Kerala South India
Nominations for the FEI Awards opened in May enabling the global equestrian com-munity to once again reward outstanding dedication to horse sport in five categories ndash Development Best Groom Against All Odds Rising Star and Best Athlete The search for the equestrian heroes of 2011 is now on who will be flown to Rio de Janeiro Brazil to receive their awards
Where are they now The FEI asked the current title-holders for an update on their activities
Follow us on
38
FEI Awards 2011
Ebony Horse Club (GBR)Winner of the Alltech FEI DevelopmentAward 2010
The Ebony Horse Club announced in December 2010 that after an eight-year fundraising effort it had the pound14 million necessary for building an equestrian cen-tre in one of Londonrsquos most deprived boroughs Since 1996 Ebony has offered youngsters in an area reput-ed for its gang culture high level of gun crime and drug dealing the chance to ride and learn key social skills The clubrsquos 50 members travel to riding schools across London on public transport or in minibuses ndash a logistical headache that the inner-city equestrian centre will end Construction work began in February
Ebony Horse Club founder and director Ros Spear-ing told the FEI ldquoRiding lessons are continuing and the club is preparing for the transitionrdquo Building will finish on 7 July but the centre will open for riding lessons in October ldquoThe horses will be brought to Brixton in the summer and will have time to acclimatise to their new environmentrdquo Spearing said The centre will include stabling for nine horses a small paddock and a flood-lit riding arena as well as a classroom for learning about horses and equine management Spearing is adamant that club members ndash present and future ndash care for their rides and wants the centre to serve as a stepping stone to careers in the horse industry
Ebonyrsquos existence will continue to depend on the generosity of donors For more information visit wwwebonyhorsecluborguk
Michelle Tipper (GBR)Winner of the FEI Best Groom Award 2010
Michelle Tipper has continued to juggle grooming and study since receiving her FEI Award in Novem-ber She has organised the grooms for the British European Junior and Young Dressage teams and in April her contract as a travelling groom for British Dressage riders Paul and Bobby Hayler took her to Addington for the first of many international com-petitions she will work at this year The Haylers have eight horses competing and the number she works with at each venue varies Tipper has also been help-ing British Dressage riders Nicky and Richard Barrett with yard duties ldquoI feel very lucky to work for both of these familiesrdquo said the FEI Best Groom Award win-ner adding that she feels part of the two families In March Tipper graduated from university with a Masters in Sport Psychology She is now working towards British Association of Sport and Exercise Science accreditation which requires at least 500 hoursrsquo supervised work experience and is present-ing sport psychology workshops in conjunction with the company Inside Performance Consulting Limit-ed (wwwinside-performancecom) The workshops are organised internationally for people of all ages from any sport To find out more contact Tipper at michelletipper1979yahoocom
39FOCUS
Michelle Tipper ndash copyWilliam TzengAward winners ndash copyWilliam TzengCaroline Roffman ndash copySharonPackercomEbony Horse Club ndash copyEbony Horse ClubEdward Gal and Totilas ndash copyKit HoughtonFEIAngelika Trabert ndash copyJulia Rau
Angelika Trabert (GER)Winner of the FEI Against All Odds Award 2010
German Para-Dressage rider Angelika Trabert has represent-ed her country at four Paralympic Games and won some 15 medals at national European and world championships She is currently seeking a new home for Londria the mare that con-tributed to her Team Silver medal win at the Hong Kong Para-lympics Londria who had a foal last year was also Trabertrsquos ride during her medal-winning performances at the European Championships in Hungary (2005) and Norway (2009)
Trabert said her decision to let go of Londria was hard to make but was necessary for financial reasons She will keep the foal Finaud Coquin and her mares Walmorel and Ariva-Avanti Trabert won the Para-Dressage Grade 2 Freestyle Champion-ship at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade with Ariva and said the horse was ldquowell and ready to go for the Europeans again in Belgium in September if we qualifyrdquo Trabert competed in her first international competition of 2011 in May in Man-nheim Germany where she came first in the Grade II indi-vidual and second in the freestyle She is taking part in the German Championships in June
Away from the equestrian world Trabert works as an anaes-thetist and has participated in medical missions in the rural ar-eas of Guinea for the organisation Mango In January she was back in Guinea as part of team that carried out 100 operations in 13 days wwwangelika-trabertde
Visit the recently refreshed FEI Awards website to find out more about the Awards the pastwinners the judges and to make yournominationsby 31 July
wwwfeiawardsorg
40
Caroline Roffman (USA)Winner of the HSBC FEI Rising StarAward 2010
Success continues to smile on twenty-two-year-old American Dressage rider Caroline Roffman Since re-ceiving the HSBC FEI Rising Star Award she has en-joyed numerous wins at small tour and young horse levels achieving scores in the mid-eighties and quali-fying two horses for the young horse championships
Roffman is currently showing six horses and has won several classes at PSG and Grand Prix level ldquoBut nothing is as exciting as to be going to Aachenrdquo said the young woman who has been described as the American Dressage communityrsquos brightest hope ex-plaining that at the FEI Awards ceremony in Chinese Taipei Frank Kemperman FEI Dressage Committee Chair and Chairman of the Managing Board at CHIO Aachen (GER) invited her to take part in the pres-tigious event Roffman will be the first American to compete in the Under 25 Grand Prix there and is hop-ing to take her horse Lux Stensvang
An interview with Caroline Roffman at the Palm Beach Dressage Derby CDI will be broadcast on the magazine programme Equestrian World on FEI TV the FEIrsquos official online video platform wwwfeitvorg
Edward Gal and Totilas (NED)Winners of the Reem Acra FEI Best Athlete Award 2010
The world-famous partnership of Dutch Dressage rider Edward Gal and the extraordinary Totilas ended in style in 2010 with notably three gold medal wins at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade
The first foal sired by the superstar stallion was born in January followed by two more in the spring Gal who has admired the foals told the FEI ldquoYou never know ndash maybe in a few yearsrsquo time Irsquoll have another Totilas readyrdquo At the beginning of April he was busy at home training nine horses and preparing for the Reem Acra FEI World Cuptrade Dressage Final in Leipzig and the European Championships in Rotterdam He had not yet decided which horses he was going to compete with but was particularly looking forward to the Freestyle to Music Asked what it was like to compete without Totilas Gal said ldquoEverybody ex-pected Totilas to win I find it easier to ride other horses because nobody expects me to win and when I do itrsquos really nicerdquo
41FOCUS
globetrotter
Seal of approval for the Adai horseSixty years have passed since an Adai horse reportedly set a record galloping 354km in one day Today the Adai horse a breed na-tive to Kazakhstan is back in the spotlight with a gold medal at the FEI Central Asian Endurance Championship in Talgaearlier in May only months after having been award-ed official pedigree status following tests
conducted by a State Commission in the Mangistau Steppes which allowed itto compete internationally The horses are cherished for their hardiness and Oyly ridden by Altyngali Bissemaganbetov (KAZ) proved just that when crossing the finishing line first demonstrating just how tough the Adai horses are and the beginning of a new era for sturdy breed on the international stage
Equestrian Australia Sport
Achievement Awards
In May the best of the best in
Equestrian sport gathered to cel-
ebrate the achievements of Austral-
iarsquos athletes coaches officials vets
administrators owners volunteers
and the many other people that
dedicate their time and enthusiasm
to equestrian sport The ceremony
also included the introduction of
Equestrian Australiarsquos Hall of
Fame won by the legendary Bill
Roycroft Boyd Exell winner of
the FEI World CupTM Driving
Final was awarded the interna-
tional athlete of the year
award
Kevin Stautbecomes first athlete representative on FEI
executive board
Kevin Staut one of Francersquos most successful Jumping riders became the first athlete to be appointed to the FEI Executive Board for a three-year term Staut (31) who has held the number one spot in the Rolex Rankings for Jumping since July 2010 has ridden on numerous Nations Cup teams for France and claimed individual gold at the Alltech FEI European Jumping Championships in 2009
HulA CARTSWorld Horse Welfare has greatly helped the liv
es of
five Senegalese cart horse owners by presenting them
with new Hula Carts The local people who depend on
their working horses for their livelihoods were specially
selected by the charity to receive the carts which have
been sponsored by members of the public in the uK
The Hula Carts are specifically developed to help the
horses pulling heavy loads in often difficult conditions
Equestrian Australia Sport
Achievement Awards
In May the best of the best in
Equestrian sport gathered to cel-
ebrate the achievements of Austral-
iarsquos athletes coaches officials vets
administrators owners volunteers
and the many other people that
dedicate their time and enthusiasm
to equestrian sport The ceremony
also included the introduction of
Equestrian Australiarsquos Hall of
Fame won by the legendary Bill
Roycroft Boyd Exell winner of
the FEI World CupTM Driving
Final was awarded the interna-
tional athlete of the year
award
Olympic legendBill Roycroft passes away aged 96
A legend of Equestrian sport in Australia James William
George Roycroft OBE known as ldquoBillrdquo was one of Austral-
iarsquos greatest Olympians and one of only five Australians to
have competed in five consecutive Olympic Games (from
1960 - 1976) as well as being Australiarsquos oldest medallist
and oldest competitor at 61 years and 31 days In May 2011
Bill was inducted in Equestrian Australiarsquos inaugural Hall
of Fame ndash he was Australiarsquos oldest living Olympian and
shared his dedication and enthusiasm for the sport with
his sons Barry Wayne and Clarke (See a brief description
of his exploits in the 1960 Olympic Games Memory Lane
article page 9 which catapulted Australiarsquos reputation as
one of the best Eventing teams in the world)
webinfofeiFEI web wizard Nicole Sigrist has added a new hub for the Press on wwwfeiorg called FEI Press Kits located in the Media section of the website The Press Kits zone which is also open to the general public is regularly updated with infor-mation relating to FEI series and specific events with flip books and downloadable PDFs as well as direct links to the Photo Catalogue the Rankings and Standings the Annual Report and more
100thanniversary for Finnish riding club
One of the three found-ing member clubs of
the Finnish Equestrian Federation the Suomen
Kenttaumlratsastusseura-Finska Faumlltrittklubbenon celebrates
its 100th anniversary in 2011 Magnus Rydman former President of the Finnish National Federation and Presi-dent of the FEI from 1935 ndash 1946 was one of the founders of the club Another of the founders of the oldest club in Fin-land was the Eventing rider Colonel Hans Olof von Essen whose fifth place at the Antwerpen Olympic Games re-mains the best Olympic equestrian result the country has ever achieved
Follow us on
43FOCUS
Interview with the President of the Brazilian Equestrian Federation Mr Luiz Roberto Giugni
The Brazilian Equestrian Federation has been a member Federation of the FEI for 75 years how has the sport developed over that time We were facing regular growth (average of 25 in the last decade) but in the last three to four years this rate has significantly increased up to 35 a year We believe that this is due to international achievements (two Jumping Olympic team bronze medals the individual Olympic Jumping gold medal won by Rodrigo Pessoa several Pan Am Jumping team gold medals recent Olympic pre-qualification in Kentucky (4th in the world in Jumping) and the organisations of a Global Champions Tour event in Brazil
In terms of developing the sport what are the most successful projects you have undertaken in recent yearsWe decided to invest in education and have hired international trainers for all the disciplines such as Jean Maurice Bonneau for Jumping Nick Turner for Eventing Eric Lette for Dressage Jean Louis Leclerc for Endurance Mattias Lang for Vaulting with the long term in mind that is at least until the end of 2012 and planning towards 2016 when Rio will host the Olympic Games
How popular is equestrian sport with young people in Brazil and how do you compete with some of the bigger sports for their attention Popularization is growing bit by bit in a country
decidedly dominated by soccer ndash being 5 times World Champion makes it a national passion But we are continuously looking to attract TV to our events as this is a huge step towards gaining visibility and popularity Can you tell us about the programmesinitiatives in place for disabled athletes We are actively pursuing this and have achieved really positive results in little time such as the great performances and medals earned at the Para-lympic Games in Hong Kong in 2008 We do this through clinics courses international exchanges of athletes and working alongside our National Paralympic Committee to support us in our efforts
Brazil will be host the FEI General Assembly at the end of the year what do you want all the visiting delegates to remember from their visit That we are more than just a really beautiful and warm country with the ability and capacity to organise great events and that we are committed to putting on the best Olympic Games ever
What are the main objectivesplans for the Brazilian Federation in the lead up to the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games Our NOC is really committed to raising the bar of all the sports to a level never seen before and we are working towards that in terms of our athletes our judges our venues and everything that is related to our sport and the quality of our sport In line with this objective we are providing incen-tives to owners to buy good horses aiming for 2016 and this is going to plan for now We expect to perform well at the upcoming Pan Am Games and Olympics on our trail to 2016
Is there anything else you would like to share with us I would like to thank HRH Princess Haya President of the FEI as well as the Executive Board for all the support that we are getting which has been paramount to the development of equestrian sport in our country
44
President Luiz Roberto GiugniSecretary General Luiz Antonio RoccoMember since 1935
15 members of staff work at the federation
20 regional federations are affiliated tothe Brazilian Equestrian Federation with over 300 member riding clubs
6 000 affiliated riders
91 national events were held in 2010
31 international events were held in 2010
All the FEI disciplines are practiced in BrazilJumping Dressage Eventing Vaulting Reining EnduranceDriving amp Para-Equestrian
14 breeding organisations
There are 58 million horses and ponies in Brazilmaking it the fourth largest equine population in the world
FAC
TS amp
FIG
URE
S
45FOCUS
Dr Gerit Matthesen56 is a private equine practitioner an FEI Vet and a member of the FEI Veterinary Committee He graduated in Veterinary Medicine from Berlin University in 1983 and since 1989 has worked or officiated at some 180 competitions and championships including the last two Olympics and FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade He lives near Frankfurt with his wife Carola and their sons Mike (16) and Lars (14)
46
A life in a day
Dr Gerit Matthesen56 is a private equine practitioner an FEI Vet and a member of the FEI Veterinary Committee He graduated in Veterinary Medicine from Berlin University in 1983 and since 1989 has worked or officiated at some 180 competitions and championships including the last two Olympics and FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade He lives near Frankfurt with his wife Carola and their sons Mike (16) and Lars (14)
I wake up earlier than I need to ndash at around 6am ndash because breakfast time with my family is sacred to me and I can then drive my boys to the village station to take the train to school After two cups of coffee (enough for the day) and a glass of orange juice I read the newspapers then head to my prac-tice offices in our indoor arena I have a quick look at our horses then start work
While I listen to my phone messages I deal with my emails and search the internet for news about veterinary medicine and horse sport I then start planning the dayacutes schedule with Anna my assistant vet
My mobile practice is in a nice fairly rural area in the north of Frankfurt There are lots of horse farms but it is not a classic breeding area like the northern part of Germany There are sport horses as well as pleasure horses I have examination rooms and stables for horses staying or mares foaling in my practice stables Itrsquos not a big clinic which gives me time to work at competitions
After seeing a few small animals in my practice I normally start my field service at 930am In my car I have enough equipment (ultrasound X-ray systems and endoscopical devices) for the dayrsquos examinations and standing procedures We mainly have lameness examinations to do or internal diseases to treat accompanied by routine work like vaccinations or carrying out pre-purchase or health certificate examinations If time allows I go home for a quick lunch but thatrsquos not every day
While Irsquom driving I have time to think and I write down everything that come to mind regarding sport competitions committees and so on You have to write down your thoughts when yoursquore over the age of 50
It is not easy planning my day because any emer-gency can destroy or delay my schedule For all the paperwork and certificates I need a time frame so
I often do that over quiet weekends when there are no competitions During the winter season I am less busy but in summer a lot of weekends are taken over by the competition schedule
I love my work especially in Eventing which is my favourite discipline My wife and I practiced it ndash not up to top level but it was a fine time despite a bro-ken ankle from a fall in 1988 which after 23 years is making walking more and more difficult for me
I like to do my competition work on a friendly but strict basis and I really like to hear riders saying they are treated fairly Over the years I have acquired a lot of experience and met all the officials and riders
Usually when I return home in the late afternoon there are more small animals to see When Irsquove done the dayrsquos paperwork I hope there will be no more emergencies such as cases of colic which usually occur in the early evening
I look forward to getting on my horse which is a beautiful show-jumper I like to ride but Irsquove stopped competing I do dressage jumping and go out into the fields but itrsquos all just for fun now
The day finishes with the family and a nice cold glass of German beer
Itrsquos a struggle to find time to spend with my family and I often have to cancel my holidays with them I am really grateful to my wife and the boys for their understanding of my job and to my assistant vet who covers for me when Iacutem out somewhere in the world of equestrian sport
ldquoThe combination of my profession and beinginvolved in differentaspects of top equestrian sport is my visionrdquo
47FOCUS
Pull your show attire from the closet clean your boots and tack groom the horses hook up and pack the trailer check the clock double check to make sure you have everything put on the shipping boots load your horses and away you drive to the competition venue or to the airport for transport to a distant event
You know the drill well but still you arrive tired per-haps even a bit frazzled Yoursquoll sleep (or try to) the next several nights in an unfamiliar bed or camp out in the living quarters of your trailer You awaken riveted on the competition playing out the dayrsquos classes in your mind wondering how your rides will fare against oth-ers praying that the weather will be cooperate and trying to control your nerves all the while knowing that no matter how well you have prepared many factors are out of your control You may even be in a different time zone
We go through a lot to compete our horses But if you think life on the road is stressful for you think about what itrsquos like for your horses Your back may be a bit sore from driving or being strapped into an airplane seat for hours on end but for horses transportation is far more demanding It is an athletic endeavour re-quiring an expenditure of energy to maintain balance during the constant movement of transport When your horses arrive they face social isolation from stablemates lack of security in novel environments altered training regimes water that tastes strange and the confines of an unfamiliar stall This routine impacts a horsersquos health and well being with effects
continuing long after the journey is over During transport toxic gases (such as ammonia or carbon monoxide) can cause damage to the lung epithelium precipitating respiratory disease The
final destination itself can also cause problems Usually horses are transported to environments where they will be mixing with other horses The mixing of horses from different environments with different infectious organisms and under stressful conditions further precipitates susceptibility to disease
This can have a severe impact on the equine gut The stress of transportation is known to increase gut ulceration in the horse a painful condition reducing performance and causing colic-like symptoms Stress can also slow the flow of digesta and alter the normal gut flora resulting in digestive upset and possibly diarrhoea or colic
The effects of travel stress on the gut are compounded by the typical diet of the regular equine traveller To maintain athletic ability high performance horses are often fed energy-charged diets contain-ing increased levels of starchy materials such as cereal grains Unfortunately this type of diet can reduce beneficial types of gut flora and promote gut acidity further predisposing the horse to digestive upsets and ulceration It is not surprising that stressed tired horses may not fulfill their potential on arrival
Feeding to reduce stress for the equine traveller
By Darlene RickerExecutive editor of Alltechrsquos EQUINE INTERNATIONAL magazine
48
Alltech Tips
growth of opportunistic Salmonella spp which are present in the intestinal tract of many healthy horses These bacteria then attach to the gut lining via a mannan sugar and penetrate it causing damage and resulting in diarrhoea One method of prevent-ing or minimising the attachment of these organ-
isms to the gut lining is to provide an adsorbant supplement A form of sugar found in the cell walls of certain yeasts can do this This sugar compound is called man-nan oligosaccharide or MOS MOS products such as Alltechrsquos Bio-Mosreg have been shown to re-duce the colonization of Salmonella
spp in the guts of certain species and augment the immune response to Salmonella spp potentially conferring an enhanced ability to fight infection Both Yea-Saccreg 1026 and Bio-Mos are among the natural products contained in Alltechrsquos LIFEFORCETM equine supplement which many FEI competitors have successfully incorporated into their daily feeding regimen at home and on the road
lifeforcehorsecom
and may be subject to health concerns in the days following a long journey Fortunately however you can curb some of the effects of travel stress on the horsersquos gut by nutritional supplementation Organic yeast products used to supplement a horsersquos diet can support the normal gut flora modifying the intesti-nal environment and improving the horsersquos digestion One such culture is Saccharomyces cerevisae in the form of Yea-Saccreg 1026 Alltechrsquos propriety organic yeast
Experiments were conducted to evaluate the effects Yea-Sacc on gut flora and gut acidity Horses were fed either a high-starch or a high-fibre diet both with and without supplementation of Yea-Saccreg 1026 Results indicated an excessive amount of starch in the gut The use of Yea-Sacc reduced acidity and stimulat-ed the activity of fibre-digesting bacteria in the hind-gut for both types of diet The result was maximised fibre digestibility and more efficient use of nutrients thus increasing the amount of energy available to the horse for performance and counteracting digestive upset Salmonellosis is one of the more commonly di-agnosed infectious causes of diarrhoea in horses Many cases develop after the stress of transport The effects of travel stress on the normal gut flora allow an over-
Moorlands Totilas arrives for the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade after air transport copy Dirk Caremans
HRH The Infanta Dontildea Pilar de Borboacuten former President of the FEI (1994-2006) also attended the inauguration along-side HRH Princess Lalla Amina Chairperson of the Royal Moroccan Federation for Equestrian Sports and member of the international Advisory Council of Special OlympicsThey were joined by International Olympic Commit-tee members representatives from other Interna-tional Federations federal and local Swiss authorities as well as architects and designers that worked on the project Switzerlandrsquos Martin Fuchs a member of the gold medal winning team at the inaugural Youth Olympic Games in Singapore last year accompanied FEI President Princess Haya in officially opening the FEI headquarters
ldquoThe building we are inaugurating today has been designed to serve our wonderful sportrdquo explained FEI
President Princess Haya ldquoI also feel an immense
sense of pride knowing that this building carries the name
of my late father and hope that this serves as a constant reminder
to all of us who work at the FEI of a unique statesman whose entire soul was devoted to the service of his people Our new headquarters will play a key role for the FEI and our National Federa-tions over the coming years It will be the environ-ment in which important discussions take place and fundamental decisions are taken as we continue our mission to advance the orderly growth of equestrian sport worldwide while ensuring that the welfare of the horse and a level playing field remain at the centre of all that we dordquo
FEI celebratesNEW Headquarters
Over 250 guests attended the inauguration ceremony on Friday 6 May at HM King Hussein I Building which was timed to coincide with the FEI
Extraordinary General Assembly so that attending NationalFederation representatives
could be a part ofthe celebrations
1 Youth Olympic Games team champion Martin Fuchs (SUI) FEI President HRH Princess Haya and her daughter HH Sheikha Al Jalila officially open the FEIrsquos new home 2 Gilbert Felli IOC Olympic Games Executive Director and FEI Secretary General Ingmar de Vos 3 HRH The Infanta Dontildea Pilar de Borboacuten sits down to an interactive quiz in the FEI Gallery 4 Guests gathered in the atrium of the FEI HeadquartersAll images copy Hugues SiegenthalerFEI
Highlights available on50
1
2
3 4
5
6 7
8
THE GALLERy
As well as housing offices for its 62 employees and conference facilities for its 133 National Federations the new headquarters also has a state-of-the-art in-teractive gallery showcasing equestrian sport
The Gallery is the brainchild of Dr Amichai Alper-ovich historian former Secretary General of the Is-raeli Equestrian Federation and curator of the Israeli Olympic Museum (opened in 2009) He worked hand in hand with the Tel Aviv based company Disk-In Pro and interior designer Oded Alony to help bring the content to life and the result is truly unique and ground breaking Giant glass surfaces act as interac-tive interfaces for the visitors to travel through time
The FEIrsquos new headquarters which were donated to the Federation by FEI Presi-dent HRH Princess Haya in 2007 fol-lowing a personal fundraising effort are conveniently located close to the Inter-national Olympic Committee and other international sports federations It has been written into the FEI Statutes that the new FEI headquarters building will always house the Federationrsquos offices In 2008 the building was thoroughly renovated in accordance with the Swiss MINERGIEreg construction standard for environmental responsibility which re-duces energy consumption by 25 per cent Only two per cent of renovated buildings in Switzerland meet the high Minergie standards Khuan Chew founder and design princi-pal of London-based architectural firm KCA International Ltd worked in close collaboration with Swiss-based architect Herveacute de Rham and interior designer Sia-vosh Adeli (SUI) to transform the build-ing which was built in the 1960s The modern and sleek interior was further enhanced with bespoke artworks pro-duced by Swiss creative agency b+g amp partners and imagery by world-famous equestrian art photographer Tim Flach where the simplicity and beauty of his equine subjects seamlessly embrace and accentuate the buildingrsquos pure lines and natural materials (see image left)
As they feasted on the innate beauty of their sur-roundings the guests also had the privilege to ex-perience the culinary talents of organic chef and specialist Gilles Wannaz and his team based in the town of Cully which sits on the edge of Lac Leman in Switzerlandrsquos famous Lavaux wine growing region
5 HRH Princess Haya welcomes the guests to the Inauguration of the HQ and the 90 year celebration of the FEI 6 Artwork by renowned pho-tographer Tim Flach 7 An organic and colourful buffet presented on an authentic lawn by local chef Gilles Wannaz 8 A life size horse sculpture by Christophe Dumont greeted the guests upon their arrival
53FOCUS
and space with the latest in touch technology revis-iting the history of the FEI the equestrian events at Olympic amp Paralympic Games the FEI World Eques-trian Gamestrade and information on all of the member National Federations with statistics videos images and text The Gallery also includes projections on ar-chitectural surfaces designed by Oded Alony referred to as the Origami as well as interactive stations and unique video projections on glass screens
For all those wishing to visit the FEI Gallery simply contact the FEI HQ to make an appointment and we would be delighted to take you on a journey to dis-cover or rediscover the human and equine athletes whose talents have marked equestrian history and inspired young riders drivers and vaulters around the world
Interview withDrAmichaiAlperovich
When did you first dream up the FEIInteractive Gallery When I found out the FEI was planning to move into new HQ in 2009 Disk-In Pro and I approached the FEI and presented them with several concepts for the space Before long we had agreed on the concept and we got to work
Why were you compelled to make it become a reality So that the FEI a prominent sports organisation could present itself to a growing audience in a new and visionary way with the latest technology And by doing so the FEI is a pioneer becoming the first International Federation to have a Gallery of this kind
What did you learn when researching and gathering content for the gallery I have learned a lot about the history of the FEI the strong Olympic tradition the diversity of disciplines the gender equality and the unique bond between horse and man One of the more fascinating topics was the evolution of the Dressage from itsrsquo Olympic debut to the modern Freestyle
Itrsquos very innovative technology what inspired you to take such a leap into the future with such a traditional sport Just as Dressage has evolved over the years and alongside the introduction of new disciplines partic-ularly Para-Equestrian you come to realise that the FEI is not as traditional as one would think Actually this kind of innovative presentation of equestrian history is really well suited to the FEI In the same way that you can have horse-man connections there is an audience-technology connection in the Gallery The audience have to be active in order to enjoy the depth of information the Gallery contains
54
Now it is time to open the door to new places to learn about sport ndash at the heart of sporting organi-sations themselves The Gallery is more than an informative tool it brings people to the sport andto the heart of its operations
Established in 1990 Disk-In Pro specialises in the planning design production and implementation of Museums Visitor Centres and sophisticated projects around the world This includes multi screen produc-tion animation 3D amp interactive films state-of-the-art software platforms and complex video displays for an unforgettable experience
Oded Alony holds a BA in Design from the Interior Design Section of the Holon Technological Institute and has since 1998 worked with Israelrsquos leading Architecture firms The Oded Alony Studio embraces holistic design a space where interior design lighting and graphics are brought together to create a harmo-nious project vision
Now that you have seen it unveiled to the public how would you like to see it evolve I hope the audience will be amazed from the design by architect Oded Alony and the new methods to deliver information whilst discovering the long his-tory of the FEI the diversity and the global reach of the organisation I hope the Gallery will become an icon in Lausanne and one of its highlights for visitors I promise the visitors a new platform to learn about equestrianism and each visit could be different as the information and themes will be updated and modi-fied regularly
This futuristic gallery is a first for anInternational Federation do you think thisis something all sports should invest inThe FEI took this courageous decision and now has this fantastic tool to present the organisation in new ways Sport is a huge cultural phenomenaWe have learned to consume sport in the arenas and stadiums in the press media and new media
Dr Amichai Alperovich
55FOCUS
SOCIAL MEDIAthe new frontier
Follow us on
The FEI has recently embarked on and embraced a whole new way of talking with the greater equestrian community through the ever expanding social media networks and platformsWith personalised Facebook Twitter and You Tube pages the FEI is taking it step by step and reaching out to this growing audience and listening to what they have to say
This new communication platform is by no means a substitution of the traditional communication path-ways but works alongside the press releases various publications and content on wwwfeiorg and wwwfeitvorg providing a new arena where the FEI can share interact and dialogue with fans of the sport and of equestrian values in general
We talk to Richard Johnson Director of Corporate Communications about the FEIrsquos commitment to social media
What compelled the FEI to venture onto the social media scene As a governing body with a vibrant and active com-munity of National Federations as well as thousands of fans the need to reach out to the online social community has never been stronger We have been watching the communities grow online for some time and have been listening to their conversations so being a part of it was the next logical step and a really important one The conversations will hap-pen with or without us so taking that step has been crucial in order to share our values and also build re-lationships with our fan base
Tradition meets modernity ndash does equestrian sportthe FEI have a place in social media Absolutely even though equestrian sport has a long history and is perceived as a traditional sport it is
always evolving In the 90 years of the FEI which was founded to govern the three Olympic disciplines it has grown to also oversee the disciplines of Driving Endurance Vaulting Reining and Para-Equestrian sport Or if you look at the early days when competi-tors were from military backgrounds and when wom-en did not compete alongside men to the complete gender equality we have today ndash a lot has changed and is in a constant state of change
The fans of equestrian sport are like any other fan base web savvy and eager for more information behind the scenes content and to share their opin-ions and thoughts ndash so it is an ideal partnership And from what we have seen these last few months and from the feedback we got from our blog at the Youth Olympic Games there is a real appetite for this
The FEI has dedicated Facebook Twitter and You Tube pages ndash why did you select these social media platforms The figures speak for themselveshellip Facebook Twit-ter and You Tube are the biggest players in the social networking space With over 500 million Facebook users 106 million Tweeters and 2 billion views a day on You Tube there has never been so much oppor-tunity for exposure Every site has different demo-graphics with different habits and needs so by having an FEI presence on these three networks we are able to cover a lot of ground and cater to different audi-ences by providing different types of content accord-ing to the platform
What are the main benefits of having a pres-ence on various social media platforms Itrsquos all about having a two way conversation ndash the benefits of dialogue where you can share content such as videos images facts and figures thoughts and values and then allow your fan base to react to get involved and to listen and learn from them By engaging with our audience and showing them that we are a modern and caring organisation and that we want to hear what they have to say then we are able to build trust and ultimately credibility in what we do and what we say
57FOCUS
TV
The offi cial video website of the Feacutedeacuteration Equestre Internationale
wwwfeitvorg
WATCH LIVE WATCH ONLINE
FEI TV is the FEIrsquos new offi cial video website and your ticket to the worldrsquos most prestigious competitions Sign-up to FEI TV (wwwfeitvorg) and get instant access to all the live broadcasts the extensive video-on-demand library all the highlights the behind the scenes reports the interviews and so much more Be at the heart of horsesport Join us
2823_1FEI_TV_Focus_165x226indd 1 170510 1124
It also keeps us alert as to what is being discussed and debated in the public sphere so that we can manage situations more effectively and be proactive in our messaging and information so that the facts are at the heart of the debate and not interpretations of them
How do you generate content for social media It was important when we launched our social me-dia presence that it be manageable with the exist-ing communications team in place ndash and so we have concentrated on keeping it simple and effective and using content innovatively Itrsquos not about reproduc-ing our website ndash but to engage with our fans and so often all you need is a good picture an interest-ing fact or great achievement to get the ball rolling For You Tube as we already have so much content generated from FEI TV it was simply a question of using bits and pieces from that content to provide the public with teasers from events interviews with winning riders or behind the scenes content which they can then follow up on FEI TV with a subscription
What are your Social media goals Itrsquos really to build relationships and dialogue with our fan base by using our content innovatively by listening to what they have to say and by engaging with the community And for the National Federa-tions that have yet to take that step we want to be a guiding hand that can help them get started so that they too can reap the benefits of social media net-working Our sport competes against other sports for attention so itrsquos really important that we the FEI and the National Federations keep our finger on the pulse and cater to our fans
How can National Federations get involved NFs wishing to find out more about Social Media can contact me (richardjohnsonfeiorg) and I would be more than happy to discuss opportunities and ways of getting started as well as our experience at the FEI
We asked our Facebook followers why it was important to use face-book and here are a few comments they came up with
bullItrsquos a great way to find out about shows and competitions
bullBecause facebook can provide up to the minute updates as to the what is going on in the horse community
bullWe can share information and ideas over long distances We can find and connect with people we wouldnt be able to otherwise
bullIt also lets us express the true realities of our spot to keep us grounded
bullIt can bring peoples attention to excellence ndash and expose the issues
58
TV
The offi cial video website of the Feacutedeacuteration Equestre Internationale
wwwfeitvorg
WATCH LIVE WATCH ONLINE
FEI TV is the FEIrsquos new offi cial video website and your ticket to the worldrsquos most prestigious competitions Sign-up to FEI TV (wwwfeitvorg) and get instant access to all the live broadcasts the extensive video-on-demand library all the highlights the behind the scenes reports the interviews and so much more Be at the heart of horsesport Join us
2823_1FEI_TV_Focus_165x226indd 1 170510 1124
ldquo Donrsquot accept drinks from a strangerrdquo
Armchair travel journalist
Are you living a life without boundaries Some well-meant advice is best ignored but itrsquos still good to know yoursquore covered when yoursquore away With HSBC Premier your family can be protected with both Travel Insurance and dedicated assistance when yoursquore abroad Which is reassuring to know when yoursquore making the most of life
HSBC Premier is subject to financial eligibility criteria and is available in over 40 countries and territories
Premier Travel Insurance covers you and your partner up to age 70 and your children travelling with you up to age 18
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201736_6000263_Coconut_226x165indd
Master 226x165
Rob Swainson 160211
HSBC - Coconuts Proof 01Head of Art TypographerDesigner ArtCreative Director Copywriter Account DirectorDIC Project ManagerPhotographer Illustrator Usage Model(s) Name(s) Usage
Media MediaStock Image Time Period Time Period
Territory Territory
8deg N ndash Kerala South India
Ebony Horse Club (GBR)Winner of the Alltech FEI DevelopmentAward 2010
The Ebony Horse Club announced in December 2010 that after an eight-year fundraising effort it had the pound14 million necessary for building an equestrian cen-tre in one of Londonrsquos most deprived boroughs Since 1996 Ebony has offered youngsters in an area reput-ed for its gang culture high level of gun crime and drug dealing the chance to ride and learn key social skills The clubrsquos 50 members travel to riding schools across London on public transport or in minibuses ndash a logistical headache that the inner-city equestrian centre will end Construction work began in February
Ebony Horse Club founder and director Ros Spear-ing told the FEI ldquoRiding lessons are continuing and the club is preparing for the transitionrdquo Building will finish on 7 July but the centre will open for riding lessons in October ldquoThe horses will be brought to Brixton in the summer and will have time to acclimatise to their new environmentrdquo Spearing said The centre will include stabling for nine horses a small paddock and a flood-lit riding arena as well as a classroom for learning about horses and equine management Spearing is adamant that club members ndash present and future ndash care for their rides and wants the centre to serve as a stepping stone to careers in the horse industry
Ebonyrsquos existence will continue to depend on the generosity of donors For more information visit wwwebonyhorsecluborguk
Michelle Tipper (GBR)Winner of the FEI Best Groom Award 2010
Michelle Tipper has continued to juggle grooming and study since receiving her FEI Award in Novem-ber She has organised the grooms for the British European Junior and Young Dressage teams and in April her contract as a travelling groom for British Dressage riders Paul and Bobby Hayler took her to Addington for the first of many international com-petitions she will work at this year The Haylers have eight horses competing and the number she works with at each venue varies Tipper has also been help-ing British Dressage riders Nicky and Richard Barrett with yard duties ldquoI feel very lucky to work for both of these familiesrdquo said the FEI Best Groom Award win-ner adding that she feels part of the two families In March Tipper graduated from university with a Masters in Sport Psychology She is now working towards British Association of Sport and Exercise Science accreditation which requires at least 500 hoursrsquo supervised work experience and is present-ing sport psychology workshops in conjunction with the company Inside Performance Consulting Limit-ed (wwwinside-performancecom) The workshops are organised internationally for people of all ages from any sport To find out more contact Tipper at michelletipper1979yahoocom
39FOCUS
Michelle Tipper ndash copyWilliam TzengAward winners ndash copyWilliam TzengCaroline Roffman ndash copySharonPackercomEbony Horse Club ndash copyEbony Horse ClubEdward Gal and Totilas ndash copyKit HoughtonFEIAngelika Trabert ndash copyJulia Rau
Angelika Trabert (GER)Winner of the FEI Against All Odds Award 2010
German Para-Dressage rider Angelika Trabert has represent-ed her country at four Paralympic Games and won some 15 medals at national European and world championships She is currently seeking a new home for Londria the mare that con-tributed to her Team Silver medal win at the Hong Kong Para-lympics Londria who had a foal last year was also Trabertrsquos ride during her medal-winning performances at the European Championships in Hungary (2005) and Norway (2009)
Trabert said her decision to let go of Londria was hard to make but was necessary for financial reasons She will keep the foal Finaud Coquin and her mares Walmorel and Ariva-Avanti Trabert won the Para-Dressage Grade 2 Freestyle Champion-ship at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade with Ariva and said the horse was ldquowell and ready to go for the Europeans again in Belgium in September if we qualifyrdquo Trabert competed in her first international competition of 2011 in May in Man-nheim Germany where she came first in the Grade II indi-vidual and second in the freestyle She is taking part in the German Championships in June
Away from the equestrian world Trabert works as an anaes-thetist and has participated in medical missions in the rural ar-eas of Guinea for the organisation Mango In January she was back in Guinea as part of team that carried out 100 operations in 13 days wwwangelika-trabertde
Visit the recently refreshed FEI Awards website to find out more about the Awards the pastwinners the judges and to make yournominationsby 31 July
wwwfeiawardsorg
40
Caroline Roffman (USA)Winner of the HSBC FEI Rising StarAward 2010
Success continues to smile on twenty-two-year-old American Dressage rider Caroline Roffman Since re-ceiving the HSBC FEI Rising Star Award she has en-joyed numerous wins at small tour and young horse levels achieving scores in the mid-eighties and quali-fying two horses for the young horse championships
Roffman is currently showing six horses and has won several classes at PSG and Grand Prix level ldquoBut nothing is as exciting as to be going to Aachenrdquo said the young woman who has been described as the American Dressage communityrsquos brightest hope ex-plaining that at the FEI Awards ceremony in Chinese Taipei Frank Kemperman FEI Dressage Committee Chair and Chairman of the Managing Board at CHIO Aachen (GER) invited her to take part in the pres-tigious event Roffman will be the first American to compete in the Under 25 Grand Prix there and is hop-ing to take her horse Lux Stensvang
An interview with Caroline Roffman at the Palm Beach Dressage Derby CDI will be broadcast on the magazine programme Equestrian World on FEI TV the FEIrsquos official online video platform wwwfeitvorg
Edward Gal and Totilas (NED)Winners of the Reem Acra FEI Best Athlete Award 2010
The world-famous partnership of Dutch Dressage rider Edward Gal and the extraordinary Totilas ended in style in 2010 with notably three gold medal wins at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade
The first foal sired by the superstar stallion was born in January followed by two more in the spring Gal who has admired the foals told the FEI ldquoYou never know ndash maybe in a few yearsrsquo time Irsquoll have another Totilas readyrdquo At the beginning of April he was busy at home training nine horses and preparing for the Reem Acra FEI World Cuptrade Dressage Final in Leipzig and the European Championships in Rotterdam He had not yet decided which horses he was going to compete with but was particularly looking forward to the Freestyle to Music Asked what it was like to compete without Totilas Gal said ldquoEverybody ex-pected Totilas to win I find it easier to ride other horses because nobody expects me to win and when I do itrsquos really nicerdquo
41FOCUS
globetrotter
Seal of approval for the Adai horseSixty years have passed since an Adai horse reportedly set a record galloping 354km in one day Today the Adai horse a breed na-tive to Kazakhstan is back in the spotlight with a gold medal at the FEI Central Asian Endurance Championship in Talgaearlier in May only months after having been award-ed official pedigree status following tests
conducted by a State Commission in the Mangistau Steppes which allowed itto compete internationally The horses are cherished for their hardiness and Oyly ridden by Altyngali Bissemaganbetov (KAZ) proved just that when crossing the finishing line first demonstrating just how tough the Adai horses are and the beginning of a new era for sturdy breed on the international stage
Equestrian Australia Sport
Achievement Awards
In May the best of the best in
Equestrian sport gathered to cel-
ebrate the achievements of Austral-
iarsquos athletes coaches officials vets
administrators owners volunteers
and the many other people that
dedicate their time and enthusiasm
to equestrian sport The ceremony
also included the introduction of
Equestrian Australiarsquos Hall of
Fame won by the legendary Bill
Roycroft Boyd Exell winner of
the FEI World CupTM Driving
Final was awarded the interna-
tional athlete of the year
award
Kevin Stautbecomes first athlete representative on FEI
executive board
Kevin Staut one of Francersquos most successful Jumping riders became the first athlete to be appointed to the FEI Executive Board for a three-year term Staut (31) who has held the number one spot in the Rolex Rankings for Jumping since July 2010 has ridden on numerous Nations Cup teams for France and claimed individual gold at the Alltech FEI European Jumping Championships in 2009
HulA CARTSWorld Horse Welfare has greatly helped the liv
es of
five Senegalese cart horse owners by presenting them
with new Hula Carts The local people who depend on
their working horses for their livelihoods were specially
selected by the charity to receive the carts which have
been sponsored by members of the public in the uK
The Hula Carts are specifically developed to help the
horses pulling heavy loads in often difficult conditions
Equestrian Australia Sport
Achievement Awards
In May the best of the best in
Equestrian sport gathered to cel-
ebrate the achievements of Austral-
iarsquos athletes coaches officials vets
administrators owners volunteers
and the many other people that
dedicate their time and enthusiasm
to equestrian sport The ceremony
also included the introduction of
Equestrian Australiarsquos Hall of
Fame won by the legendary Bill
Roycroft Boyd Exell winner of
the FEI World CupTM Driving
Final was awarded the interna-
tional athlete of the year
award
Olympic legendBill Roycroft passes away aged 96
A legend of Equestrian sport in Australia James William
George Roycroft OBE known as ldquoBillrdquo was one of Austral-
iarsquos greatest Olympians and one of only five Australians to
have competed in five consecutive Olympic Games (from
1960 - 1976) as well as being Australiarsquos oldest medallist
and oldest competitor at 61 years and 31 days In May 2011
Bill was inducted in Equestrian Australiarsquos inaugural Hall
of Fame ndash he was Australiarsquos oldest living Olympian and
shared his dedication and enthusiasm for the sport with
his sons Barry Wayne and Clarke (See a brief description
of his exploits in the 1960 Olympic Games Memory Lane
article page 9 which catapulted Australiarsquos reputation as
one of the best Eventing teams in the world)
webinfofeiFEI web wizard Nicole Sigrist has added a new hub for the Press on wwwfeiorg called FEI Press Kits located in the Media section of the website The Press Kits zone which is also open to the general public is regularly updated with infor-mation relating to FEI series and specific events with flip books and downloadable PDFs as well as direct links to the Photo Catalogue the Rankings and Standings the Annual Report and more
100thanniversary for Finnish riding club
One of the three found-ing member clubs of
the Finnish Equestrian Federation the Suomen
Kenttaumlratsastusseura-Finska Faumlltrittklubbenon celebrates
its 100th anniversary in 2011 Magnus Rydman former President of the Finnish National Federation and Presi-dent of the FEI from 1935 ndash 1946 was one of the founders of the club Another of the founders of the oldest club in Fin-land was the Eventing rider Colonel Hans Olof von Essen whose fifth place at the Antwerpen Olympic Games re-mains the best Olympic equestrian result the country has ever achieved
Follow us on
43FOCUS
Interview with the President of the Brazilian Equestrian Federation Mr Luiz Roberto Giugni
The Brazilian Equestrian Federation has been a member Federation of the FEI for 75 years how has the sport developed over that time We were facing regular growth (average of 25 in the last decade) but in the last three to four years this rate has significantly increased up to 35 a year We believe that this is due to international achievements (two Jumping Olympic team bronze medals the individual Olympic Jumping gold medal won by Rodrigo Pessoa several Pan Am Jumping team gold medals recent Olympic pre-qualification in Kentucky (4th in the world in Jumping) and the organisations of a Global Champions Tour event in Brazil
In terms of developing the sport what are the most successful projects you have undertaken in recent yearsWe decided to invest in education and have hired international trainers for all the disciplines such as Jean Maurice Bonneau for Jumping Nick Turner for Eventing Eric Lette for Dressage Jean Louis Leclerc for Endurance Mattias Lang for Vaulting with the long term in mind that is at least until the end of 2012 and planning towards 2016 when Rio will host the Olympic Games
How popular is equestrian sport with young people in Brazil and how do you compete with some of the bigger sports for their attention Popularization is growing bit by bit in a country
decidedly dominated by soccer ndash being 5 times World Champion makes it a national passion But we are continuously looking to attract TV to our events as this is a huge step towards gaining visibility and popularity Can you tell us about the programmesinitiatives in place for disabled athletes We are actively pursuing this and have achieved really positive results in little time such as the great performances and medals earned at the Para-lympic Games in Hong Kong in 2008 We do this through clinics courses international exchanges of athletes and working alongside our National Paralympic Committee to support us in our efforts
Brazil will be host the FEI General Assembly at the end of the year what do you want all the visiting delegates to remember from their visit That we are more than just a really beautiful and warm country with the ability and capacity to organise great events and that we are committed to putting on the best Olympic Games ever
What are the main objectivesplans for the Brazilian Federation in the lead up to the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games Our NOC is really committed to raising the bar of all the sports to a level never seen before and we are working towards that in terms of our athletes our judges our venues and everything that is related to our sport and the quality of our sport In line with this objective we are providing incen-tives to owners to buy good horses aiming for 2016 and this is going to plan for now We expect to perform well at the upcoming Pan Am Games and Olympics on our trail to 2016
Is there anything else you would like to share with us I would like to thank HRH Princess Haya President of the FEI as well as the Executive Board for all the support that we are getting which has been paramount to the development of equestrian sport in our country
44
President Luiz Roberto GiugniSecretary General Luiz Antonio RoccoMember since 1935
15 members of staff work at the federation
20 regional federations are affiliated tothe Brazilian Equestrian Federation with over 300 member riding clubs
6 000 affiliated riders
91 national events were held in 2010
31 international events were held in 2010
All the FEI disciplines are practiced in BrazilJumping Dressage Eventing Vaulting Reining EnduranceDriving amp Para-Equestrian
14 breeding organisations
There are 58 million horses and ponies in Brazilmaking it the fourth largest equine population in the world
FAC
TS amp
FIG
URE
S
45FOCUS
Dr Gerit Matthesen56 is a private equine practitioner an FEI Vet and a member of the FEI Veterinary Committee He graduated in Veterinary Medicine from Berlin University in 1983 and since 1989 has worked or officiated at some 180 competitions and championships including the last two Olympics and FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade He lives near Frankfurt with his wife Carola and their sons Mike (16) and Lars (14)
46
A life in a day
Dr Gerit Matthesen56 is a private equine practitioner an FEI Vet and a member of the FEI Veterinary Committee He graduated in Veterinary Medicine from Berlin University in 1983 and since 1989 has worked or officiated at some 180 competitions and championships including the last two Olympics and FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade He lives near Frankfurt with his wife Carola and their sons Mike (16) and Lars (14)
I wake up earlier than I need to ndash at around 6am ndash because breakfast time with my family is sacred to me and I can then drive my boys to the village station to take the train to school After two cups of coffee (enough for the day) and a glass of orange juice I read the newspapers then head to my prac-tice offices in our indoor arena I have a quick look at our horses then start work
While I listen to my phone messages I deal with my emails and search the internet for news about veterinary medicine and horse sport I then start planning the dayacutes schedule with Anna my assistant vet
My mobile practice is in a nice fairly rural area in the north of Frankfurt There are lots of horse farms but it is not a classic breeding area like the northern part of Germany There are sport horses as well as pleasure horses I have examination rooms and stables for horses staying or mares foaling in my practice stables Itrsquos not a big clinic which gives me time to work at competitions
After seeing a few small animals in my practice I normally start my field service at 930am In my car I have enough equipment (ultrasound X-ray systems and endoscopical devices) for the dayrsquos examinations and standing procedures We mainly have lameness examinations to do or internal diseases to treat accompanied by routine work like vaccinations or carrying out pre-purchase or health certificate examinations If time allows I go home for a quick lunch but thatrsquos not every day
While Irsquom driving I have time to think and I write down everything that come to mind regarding sport competitions committees and so on You have to write down your thoughts when yoursquore over the age of 50
It is not easy planning my day because any emer-gency can destroy or delay my schedule For all the paperwork and certificates I need a time frame so
I often do that over quiet weekends when there are no competitions During the winter season I am less busy but in summer a lot of weekends are taken over by the competition schedule
I love my work especially in Eventing which is my favourite discipline My wife and I practiced it ndash not up to top level but it was a fine time despite a bro-ken ankle from a fall in 1988 which after 23 years is making walking more and more difficult for me
I like to do my competition work on a friendly but strict basis and I really like to hear riders saying they are treated fairly Over the years I have acquired a lot of experience and met all the officials and riders
Usually when I return home in the late afternoon there are more small animals to see When Irsquove done the dayrsquos paperwork I hope there will be no more emergencies such as cases of colic which usually occur in the early evening
I look forward to getting on my horse which is a beautiful show-jumper I like to ride but Irsquove stopped competing I do dressage jumping and go out into the fields but itrsquos all just for fun now
The day finishes with the family and a nice cold glass of German beer
Itrsquos a struggle to find time to spend with my family and I often have to cancel my holidays with them I am really grateful to my wife and the boys for their understanding of my job and to my assistant vet who covers for me when Iacutem out somewhere in the world of equestrian sport
ldquoThe combination of my profession and beinginvolved in differentaspects of top equestrian sport is my visionrdquo
47FOCUS
Pull your show attire from the closet clean your boots and tack groom the horses hook up and pack the trailer check the clock double check to make sure you have everything put on the shipping boots load your horses and away you drive to the competition venue or to the airport for transport to a distant event
You know the drill well but still you arrive tired per-haps even a bit frazzled Yoursquoll sleep (or try to) the next several nights in an unfamiliar bed or camp out in the living quarters of your trailer You awaken riveted on the competition playing out the dayrsquos classes in your mind wondering how your rides will fare against oth-ers praying that the weather will be cooperate and trying to control your nerves all the while knowing that no matter how well you have prepared many factors are out of your control You may even be in a different time zone
We go through a lot to compete our horses But if you think life on the road is stressful for you think about what itrsquos like for your horses Your back may be a bit sore from driving or being strapped into an airplane seat for hours on end but for horses transportation is far more demanding It is an athletic endeavour re-quiring an expenditure of energy to maintain balance during the constant movement of transport When your horses arrive they face social isolation from stablemates lack of security in novel environments altered training regimes water that tastes strange and the confines of an unfamiliar stall This routine impacts a horsersquos health and well being with effects
continuing long after the journey is over During transport toxic gases (such as ammonia or carbon monoxide) can cause damage to the lung epithelium precipitating respiratory disease The
final destination itself can also cause problems Usually horses are transported to environments where they will be mixing with other horses The mixing of horses from different environments with different infectious organisms and under stressful conditions further precipitates susceptibility to disease
This can have a severe impact on the equine gut The stress of transportation is known to increase gut ulceration in the horse a painful condition reducing performance and causing colic-like symptoms Stress can also slow the flow of digesta and alter the normal gut flora resulting in digestive upset and possibly diarrhoea or colic
The effects of travel stress on the gut are compounded by the typical diet of the regular equine traveller To maintain athletic ability high performance horses are often fed energy-charged diets contain-ing increased levels of starchy materials such as cereal grains Unfortunately this type of diet can reduce beneficial types of gut flora and promote gut acidity further predisposing the horse to digestive upsets and ulceration It is not surprising that stressed tired horses may not fulfill their potential on arrival
Feeding to reduce stress for the equine traveller
By Darlene RickerExecutive editor of Alltechrsquos EQUINE INTERNATIONAL magazine
48
Alltech Tips
growth of opportunistic Salmonella spp which are present in the intestinal tract of many healthy horses These bacteria then attach to the gut lining via a mannan sugar and penetrate it causing damage and resulting in diarrhoea One method of prevent-ing or minimising the attachment of these organ-
isms to the gut lining is to provide an adsorbant supplement A form of sugar found in the cell walls of certain yeasts can do this This sugar compound is called man-nan oligosaccharide or MOS MOS products such as Alltechrsquos Bio-Mosreg have been shown to re-duce the colonization of Salmonella
spp in the guts of certain species and augment the immune response to Salmonella spp potentially conferring an enhanced ability to fight infection Both Yea-Saccreg 1026 and Bio-Mos are among the natural products contained in Alltechrsquos LIFEFORCETM equine supplement which many FEI competitors have successfully incorporated into their daily feeding regimen at home and on the road
lifeforcehorsecom
and may be subject to health concerns in the days following a long journey Fortunately however you can curb some of the effects of travel stress on the horsersquos gut by nutritional supplementation Organic yeast products used to supplement a horsersquos diet can support the normal gut flora modifying the intesti-nal environment and improving the horsersquos digestion One such culture is Saccharomyces cerevisae in the form of Yea-Saccreg 1026 Alltechrsquos propriety organic yeast
Experiments were conducted to evaluate the effects Yea-Sacc on gut flora and gut acidity Horses were fed either a high-starch or a high-fibre diet both with and without supplementation of Yea-Saccreg 1026 Results indicated an excessive amount of starch in the gut The use of Yea-Sacc reduced acidity and stimulat-ed the activity of fibre-digesting bacteria in the hind-gut for both types of diet The result was maximised fibre digestibility and more efficient use of nutrients thus increasing the amount of energy available to the horse for performance and counteracting digestive upset Salmonellosis is one of the more commonly di-agnosed infectious causes of diarrhoea in horses Many cases develop after the stress of transport The effects of travel stress on the normal gut flora allow an over-
Moorlands Totilas arrives for the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade after air transport copy Dirk Caremans
HRH The Infanta Dontildea Pilar de Borboacuten former President of the FEI (1994-2006) also attended the inauguration along-side HRH Princess Lalla Amina Chairperson of the Royal Moroccan Federation for Equestrian Sports and member of the international Advisory Council of Special OlympicsThey were joined by International Olympic Commit-tee members representatives from other Interna-tional Federations federal and local Swiss authorities as well as architects and designers that worked on the project Switzerlandrsquos Martin Fuchs a member of the gold medal winning team at the inaugural Youth Olympic Games in Singapore last year accompanied FEI President Princess Haya in officially opening the FEI headquarters
ldquoThe building we are inaugurating today has been designed to serve our wonderful sportrdquo explained FEI
President Princess Haya ldquoI also feel an immense
sense of pride knowing that this building carries the name
of my late father and hope that this serves as a constant reminder
to all of us who work at the FEI of a unique statesman whose entire soul was devoted to the service of his people Our new headquarters will play a key role for the FEI and our National Federa-tions over the coming years It will be the environ-ment in which important discussions take place and fundamental decisions are taken as we continue our mission to advance the orderly growth of equestrian sport worldwide while ensuring that the welfare of the horse and a level playing field remain at the centre of all that we dordquo
FEI celebratesNEW Headquarters
Over 250 guests attended the inauguration ceremony on Friday 6 May at HM King Hussein I Building which was timed to coincide with the FEI
Extraordinary General Assembly so that attending NationalFederation representatives
could be a part ofthe celebrations
1 Youth Olympic Games team champion Martin Fuchs (SUI) FEI President HRH Princess Haya and her daughter HH Sheikha Al Jalila officially open the FEIrsquos new home 2 Gilbert Felli IOC Olympic Games Executive Director and FEI Secretary General Ingmar de Vos 3 HRH The Infanta Dontildea Pilar de Borboacuten sits down to an interactive quiz in the FEI Gallery 4 Guests gathered in the atrium of the FEI HeadquartersAll images copy Hugues SiegenthalerFEI
Highlights available on50
1
2
3 4
5
6 7
8
THE GALLERy
As well as housing offices for its 62 employees and conference facilities for its 133 National Federations the new headquarters also has a state-of-the-art in-teractive gallery showcasing equestrian sport
The Gallery is the brainchild of Dr Amichai Alper-ovich historian former Secretary General of the Is-raeli Equestrian Federation and curator of the Israeli Olympic Museum (opened in 2009) He worked hand in hand with the Tel Aviv based company Disk-In Pro and interior designer Oded Alony to help bring the content to life and the result is truly unique and ground breaking Giant glass surfaces act as interac-tive interfaces for the visitors to travel through time
The FEIrsquos new headquarters which were donated to the Federation by FEI Presi-dent HRH Princess Haya in 2007 fol-lowing a personal fundraising effort are conveniently located close to the Inter-national Olympic Committee and other international sports federations It has been written into the FEI Statutes that the new FEI headquarters building will always house the Federationrsquos offices In 2008 the building was thoroughly renovated in accordance with the Swiss MINERGIEreg construction standard for environmental responsibility which re-duces energy consumption by 25 per cent Only two per cent of renovated buildings in Switzerland meet the high Minergie standards Khuan Chew founder and design princi-pal of London-based architectural firm KCA International Ltd worked in close collaboration with Swiss-based architect Herveacute de Rham and interior designer Sia-vosh Adeli (SUI) to transform the build-ing which was built in the 1960s The modern and sleek interior was further enhanced with bespoke artworks pro-duced by Swiss creative agency b+g amp partners and imagery by world-famous equestrian art photographer Tim Flach where the simplicity and beauty of his equine subjects seamlessly embrace and accentuate the buildingrsquos pure lines and natural materials (see image left)
As they feasted on the innate beauty of their sur-roundings the guests also had the privilege to ex-perience the culinary talents of organic chef and specialist Gilles Wannaz and his team based in the town of Cully which sits on the edge of Lac Leman in Switzerlandrsquos famous Lavaux wine growing region
5 HRH Princess Haya welcomes the guests to the Inauguration of the HQ and the 90 year celebration of the FEI 6 Artwork by renowned pho-tographer Tim Flach 7 An organic and colourful buffet presented on an authentic lawn by local chef Gilles Wannaz 8 A life size horse sculpture by Christophe Dumont greeted the guests upon their arrival
53FOCUS
and space with the latest in touch technology revis-iting the history of the FEI the equestrian events at Olympic amp Paralympic Games the FEI World Eques-trian Gamestrade and information on all of the member National Federations with statistics videos images and text The Gallery also includes projections on ar-chitectural surfaces designed by Oded Alony referred to as the Origami as well as interactive stations and unique video projections on glass screens
For all those wishing to visit the FEI Gallery simply contact the FEI HQ to make an appointment and we would be delighted to take you on a journey to dis-cover or rediscover the human and equine athletes whose talents have marked equestrian history and inspired young riders drivers and vaulters around the world
Interview withDrAmichaiAlperovich
When did you first dream up the FEIInteractive Gallery When I found out the FEI was planning to move into new HQ in 2009 Disk-In Pro and I approached the FEI and presented them with several concepts for the space Before long we had agreed on the concept and we got to work
Why were you compelled to make it become a reality So that the FEI a prominent sports organisation could present itself to a growing audience in a new and visionary way with the latest technology And by doing so the FEI is a pioneer becoming the first International Federation to have a Gallery of this kind
What did you learn when researching and gathering content for the gallery I have learned a lot about the history of the FEI the strong Olympic tradition the diversity of disciplines the gender equality and the unique bond between horse and man One of the more fascinating topics was the evolution of the Dressage from itsrsquo Olympic debut to the modern Freestyle
Itrsquos very innovative technology what inspired you to take such a leap into the future with such a traditional sport Just as Dressage has evolved over the years and alongside the introduction of new disciplines partic-ularly Para-Equestrian you come to realise that the FEI is not as traditional as one would think Actually this kind of innovative presentation of equestrian history is really well suited to the FEI In the same way that you can have horse-man connections there is an audience-technology connection in the Gallery The audience have to be active in order to enjoy the depth of information the Gallery contains
54
Now it is time to open the door to new places to learn about sport ndash at the heart of sporting organi-sations themselves The Gallery is more than an informative tool it brings people to the sport andto the heart of its operations
Established in 1990 Disk-In Pro specialises in the planning design production and implementation of Museums Visitor Centres and sophisticated projects around the world This includes multi screen produc-tion animation 3D amp interactive films state-of-the-art software platforms and complex video displays for an unforgettable experience
Oded Alony holds a BA in Design from the Interior Design Section of the Holon Technological Institute and has since 1998 worked with Israelrsquos leading Architecture firms The Oded Alony Studio embraces holistic design a space where interior design lighting and graphics are brought together to create a harmo-nious project vision
Now that you have seen it unveiled to the public how would you like to see it evolve I hope the audience will be amazed from the design by architect Oded Alony and the new methods to deliver information whilst discovering the long his-tory of the FEI the diversity and the global reach of the organisation I hope the Gallery will become an icon in Lausanne and one of its highlights for visitors I promise the visitors a new platform to learn about equestrianism and each visit could be different as the information and themes will be updated and modi-fied regularly
This futuristic gallery is a first for anInternational Federation do you think thisis something all sports should invest inThe FEI took this courageous decision and now has this fantastic tool to present the organisation in new ways Sport is a huge cultural phenomenaWe have learned to consume sport in the arenas and stadiums in the press media and new media
Dr Amichai Alperovich
55FOCUS
SOCIAL MEDIAthe new frontier
Follow us on
The FEI has recently embarked on and embraced a whole new way of talking with the greater equestrian community through the ever expanding social media networks and platformsWith personalised Facebook Twitter and You Tube pages the FEI is taking it step by step and reaching out to this growing audience and listening to what they have to say
This new communication platform is by no means a substitution of the traditional communication path-ways but works alongside the press releases various publications and content on wwwfeiorg and wwwfeitvorg providing a new arena where the FEI can share interact and dialogue with fans of the sport and of equestrian values in general
We talk to Richard Johnson Director of Corporate Communications about the FEIrsquos commitment to social media
What compelled the FEI to venture onto the social media scene As a governing body with a vibrant and active com-munity of National Federations as well as thousands of fans the need to reach out to the online social community has never been stronger We have been watching the communities grow online for some time and have been listening to their conversations so being a part of it was the next logical step and a really important one The conversations will hap-pen with or without us so taking that step has been crucial in order to share our values and also build re-lationships with our fan base
Tradition meets modernity ndash does equestrian sportthe FEI have a place in social media Absolutely even though equestrian sport has a long history and is perceived as a traditional sport it is
always evolving In the 90 years of the FEI which was founded to govern the three Olympic disciplines it has grown to also oversee the disciplines of Driving Endurance Vaulting Reining and Para-Equestrian sport Or if you look at the early days when competi-tors were from military backgrounds and when wom-en did not compete alongside men to the complete gender equality we have today ndash a lot has changed and is in a constant state of change
The fans of equestrian sport are like any other fan base web savvy and eager for more information behind the scenes content and to share their opin-ions and thoughts ndash so it is an ideal partnership And from what we have seen these last few months and from the feedback we got from our blog at the Youth Olympic Games there is a real appetite for this
The FEI has dedicated Facebook Twitter and You Tube pages ndash why did you select these social media platforms The figures speak for themselveshellip Facebook Twit-ter and You Tube are the biggest players in the social networking space With over 500 million Facebook users 106 million Tweeters and 2 billion views a day on You Tube there has never been so much oppor-tunity for exposure Every site has different demo-graphics with different habits and needs so by having an FEI presence on these three networks we are able to cover a lot of ground and cater to different audi-ences by providing different types of content accord-ing to the platform
What are the main benefits of having a pres-ence on various social media platforms Itrsquos all about having a two way conversation ndash the benefits of dialogue where you can share content such as videos images facts and figures thoughts and values and then allow your fan base to react to get involved and to listen and learn from them By engaging with our audience and showing them that we are a modern and caring organisation and that we want to hear what they have to say then we are able to build trust and ultimately credibility in what we do and what we say
57FOCUS
TV
The offi cial video website of the Feacutedeacuteration Equestre Internationale
wwwfeitvorg
WATCH LIVE WATCH ONLINE
FEI TV is the FEIrsquos new offi cial video website and your ticket to the worldrsquos most prestigious competitions Sign-up to FEI TV (wwwfeitvorg) and get instant access to all the live broadcasts the extensive video-on-demand library all the highlights the behind the scenes reports the interviews and so much more Be at the heart of horsesport Join us
2823_1FEI_TV_Focus_165x226indd 1 170510 1124
It also keeps us alert as to what is being discussed and debated in the public sphere so that we can manage situations more effectively and be proactive in our messaging and information so that the facts are at the heart of the debate and not interpretations of them
How do you generate content for social media It was important when we launched our social me-dia presence that it be manageable with the exist-ing communications team in place ndash and so we have concentrated on keeping it simple and effective and using content innovatively Itrsquos not about reproduc-ing our website ndash but to engage with our fans and so often all you need is a good picture an interest-ing fact or great achievement to get the ball rolling For You Tube as we already have so much content generated from FEI TV it was simply a question of using bits and pieces from that content to provide the public with teasers from events interviews with winning riders or behind the scenes content which they can then follow up on FEI TV with a subscription
What are your Social media goals Itrsquos really to build relationships and dialogue with our fan base by using our content innovatively by listening to what they have to say and by engaging with the community And for the National Federa-tions that have yet to take that step we want to be a guiding hand that can help them get started so that they too can reap the benefits of social media net-working Our sport competes against other sports for attention so itrsquos really important that we the FEI and the National Federations keep our finger on the pulse and cater to our fans
How can National Federations get involved NFs wishing to find out more about Social Media can contact me (richardjohnsonfeiorg) and I would be more than happy to discuss opportunities and ways of getting started as well as our experience at the FEI
We asked our Facebook followers why it was important to use face-book and here are a few comments they came up with
bullItrsquos a great way to find out about shows and competitions
bullBecause facebook can provide up to the minute updates as to the what is going on in the horse community
bullWe can share information and ideas over long distances We can find and connect with people we wouldnt be able to otherwise
bullIt also lets us express the true realities of our spot to keep us grounded
bullIt can bring peoples attention to excellence ndash and expose the issues
58
TV
The offi cial video website of the Feacutedeacuteration Equestre Internationale
wwwfeitvorg
WATCH LIVE WATCH ONLINE
FEI TV is the FEIrsquos new offi cial video website and your ticket to the worldrsquos most prestigious competitions Sign-up to FEI TV (wwwfeitvorg) and get instant access to all the live broadcasts the extensive video-on-demand library all the highlights the behind the scenes reports the interviews and so much more Be at the heart of horsesport Join us
2823_1FEI_TV_Focus_165x226indd 1 170510 1124
ldquo Donrsquot accept drinks from a strangerrdquo
Armchair travel journalist
Are you living a life without boundaries Some well-meant advice is best ignored but itrsquos still good to know yoursquore covered when yoursquore away With HSBC Premier your family can be protected with both Travel Insurance and dedicated assistance when yoursquore abroad Which is reassuring to know when yoursquore making the most of life
HSBC Premier is subject to financial eligibility criteria and is available in over 40 countries and territories
Premier Travel Insurance covers you and your partner up to age 70 and your children travelling with you up to age 18
wwwhsbcpremiercom
A4 A4
Issued by HSBC Holdings plc Approved for use in UK by HSBC Bank plc Premier Travel Insurance is provided by Aviva Insurance UK Limited Customer Information Service PO Box 757 Hemel Hempstead Hertfordshire HP2 4SS Registered in England number 14259 Registered Office 8 Canada Square London E14 5HQ AC18770
201736_6000263_Coconut_226x165indd
Master 226x165
Rob Swainson 160211
HSBC - Coconuts Proof 01Head of Art TypographerDesigner ArtCreative Director Copywriter Account DirectorDIC Project ManagerPhotographer Illustrator Usage Model(s) Name(s) Usage
Media MediaStock Image Time Period Time Period
Territory Territory
8deg N ndash Kerala South India
Michelle Tipper ndash copyWilliam TzengAward winners ndash copyWilliam TzengCaroline Roffman ndash copySharonPackercomEbony Horse Club ndash copyEbony Horse ClubEdward Gal and Totilas ndash copyKit HoughtonFEIAngelika Trabert ndash copyJulia Rau
Angelika Trabert (GER)Winner of the FEI Against All Odds Award 2010
German Para-Dressage rider Angelika Trabert has represent-ed her country at four Paralympic Games and won some 15 medals at national European and world championships She is currently seeking a new home for Londria the mare that con-tributed to her Team Silver medal win at the Hong Kong Para-lympics Londria who had a foal last year was also Trabertrsquos ride during her medal-winning performances at the European Championships in Hungary (2005) and Norway (2009)
Trabert said her decision to let go of Londria was hard to make but was necessary for financial reasons She will keep the foal Finaud Coquin and her mares Walmorel and Ariva-Avanti Trabert won the Para-Dressage Grade 2 Freestyle Champion-ship at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade with Ariva and said the horse was ldquowell and ready to go for the Europeans again in Belgium in September if we qualifyrdquo Trabert competed in her first international competition of 2011 in May in Man-nheim Germany where she came first in the Grade II indi-vidual and second in the freestyle She is taking part in the German Championships in June
Away from the equestrian world Trabert works as an anaes-thetist and has participated in medical missions in the rural ar-eas of Guinea for the organisation Mango In January she was back in Guinea as part of team that carried out 100 operations in 13 days wwwangelika-trabertde
Visit the recently refreshed FEI Awards website to find out more about the Awards the pastwinners the judges and to make yournominationsby 31 July
wwwfeiawardsorg
40
Caroline Roffman (USA)Winner of the HSBC FEI Rising StarAward 2010
Success continues to smile on twenty-two-year-old American Dressage rider Caroline Roffman Since re-ceiving the HSBC FEI Rising Star Award she has en-joyed numerous wins at small tour and young horse levels achieving scores in the mid-eighties and quali-fying two horses for the young horse championships
Roffman is currently showing six horses and has won several classes at PSG and Grand Prix level ldquoBut nothing is as exciting as to be going to Aachenrdquo said the young woman who has been described as the American Dressage communityrsquos brightest hope ex-plaining that at the FEI Awards ceremony in Chinese Taipei Frank Kemperman FEI Dressage Committee Chair and Chairman of the Managing Board at CHIO Aachen (GER) invited her to take part in the pres-tigious event Roffman will be the first American to compete in the Under 25 Grand Prix there and is hop-ing to take her horse Lux Stensvang
An interview with Caroline Roffman at the Palm Beach Dressage Derby CDI will be broadcast on the magazine programme Equestrian World on FEI TV the FEIrsquos official online video platform wwwfeitvorg
Edward Gal and Totilas (NED)Winners of the Reem Acra FEI Best Athlete Award 2010
The world-famous partnership of Dutch Dressage rider Edward Gal and the extraordinary Totilas ended in style in 2010 with notably three gold medal wins at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade
The first foal sired by the superstar stallion was born in January followed by two more in the spring Gal who has admired the foals told the FEI ldquoYou never know ndash maybe in a few yearsrsquo time Irsquoll have another Totilas readyrdquo At the beginning of April he was busy at home training nine horses and preparing for the Reem Acra FEI World Cuptrade Dressage Final in Leipzig and the European Championships in Rotterdam He had not yet decided which horses he was going to compete with but was particularly looking forward to the Freestyle to Music Asked what it was like to compete without Totilas Gal said ldquoEverybody ex-pected Totilas to win I find it easier to ride other horses because nobody expects me to win and when I do itrsquos really nicerdquo
41FOCUS
globetrotter
Seal of approval for the Adai horseSixty years have passed since an Adai horse reportedly set a record galloping 354km in one day Today the Adai horse a breed na-tive to Kazakhstan is back in the spotlight with a gold medal at the FEI Central Asian Endurance Championship in Talgaearlier in May only months after having been award-ed official pedigree status following tests
conducted by a State Commission in the Mangistau Steppes which allowed itto compete internationally The horses are cherished for their hardiness and Oyly ridden by Altyngali Bissemaganbetov (KAZ) proved just that when crossing the finishing line first demonstrating just how tough the Adai horses are and the beginning of a new era for sturdy breed on the international stage
Equestrian Australia Sport
Achievement Awards
In May the best of the best in
Equestrian sport gathered to cel-
ebrate the achievements of Austral-
iarsquos athletes coaches officials vets
administrators owners volunteers
and the many other people that
dedicate their time and enthusiasm
to equestrian sport The ceremony
also included the introduction of
Equestrian Australiarsquos Hall of
Fame won by the legendary Bill
Roycroft Boyd Exell winner of
the FEI World CupTM Driving
Final was awarded the interna-
tional athlete of the year
award
Kevin Stautbecomes first athlete representative on FEI
executive board
Kevin Staut one of Francersquos most successful Jumping riders became the first athlete to be appointed to the FEI Executive Board for a three-year term Staut (31) who has held the number one spot in the Rolex Rankings for Jumping since July 2010 has ridden on numerous Nations Cup teams for France and claimed individual gold at the Alltech FEI European Jumping Championships in 2009
HulA CARTSWorld Horse Welfare has greatly helped the liv
es of
five Senegalese cart horse owners by presenting them
with new Hula Carts The local people who depend on
their working horses for their livelihoods were specially
selected by the charity to receive the carts which have
been sponsored by members of the public in the uK
The Hula Carts are specifically developed to help the
horses pulling heavy loads in often difficult conditions
Equestrian Australia Sport
Achievement Awards
In May the best of the best in
Equestrian sport gathered to cel-
ebrate the achievements of Austral-
iarsquos athletes coaches officials vets
administrators owners volunteers
and the many other people that
dedicate their time and enthusiasm
to equestrian sport The ceremony
also included the introduction of
Equestrian Australiarsquos Hall of
Fame won by the legendary Bill
Roycroft Boyd Exell winner of
the FEI World CupTM Driving
Final was awarded the interna-
tional athlete of the year
award
Olympic legendBill Roycroft passes away aged 96
A legend of Equestrian sport in Australia James William
George Roycroft OBE known as ldquoBillrdquo was one of Austral-
iarsquos greatest Olympians and one of only five Australians to
have competed in five consecutive Olympic Games (from
1960 - 1976) as well as being Australiarsquos oldest medallist
and oldest competitor at 61 years and 31 days In May 2011
Bill was inducted in Equestrian Australiarsquos inaugural Hall
of Fame ndash he was Australiarsquos oldest living Olympian and
shared his dedication and enthusiasm for the sport with
his sons Barry Wayne and Clarke (See a brief description
of his exploits in the 1960 Olympic Games Memory Lane
article page 9 which catapulted Australiarsquos reputation as
one of the best Eventing teams in the world)
webinfofeiFEI web wizard Nicole Sigrist has added a new hub for the Press on wwwfeiorg called FEI Press Kits located in the Media section of the website The Press Kits zone which is also open to the general public is regularly updated with infor-mation relating to FEI series and specific events with flip books and downloadable PDFs as well as direct links to the Photo Catalogue the Rankings and Standings the Annual Report and more
100thanniversary for Finnish riding club
One of the three found-ing member clubs of
the Finnish Equestrian Federation the Suomen
Kenttaumlratsastusseura-Finska Faumlltrittklubbenon celebrates
its 100th anniversary in 2011 Magnus Rydman former President of the Finnish National Federation and Presi-dent of the FEI from 1935 ndash 1946 was one of the founders of the club Another of the founders of the oldest club in Fin-land was the Eventing rider Colonel Hans Olof von Essen whose fifth place at the Antwerpen Olympic Games re-mains the best Olympic equestrian result the country has ever achieved
Follow us on
43FOCUS
Interview with the President of the Brazilian Equestrian Federation Mr Luiz Roberto Giugni
The Brazilian Equestrian Federation has been a member Federation of the FEI for 75 years how has the sport developed over that time We were facing regular growth (average of 25 in the last decade) but in the last three to four years this rate has significantly increased up to 35 a year We believe that this is due to international achievements (two Jumping Olympic team bronze medals the individual Olympic Jumping gold medal won by Rodrigo Pessoa several Pan Am Jumping team gold medals recent Olympic pre-qualification in Kentucky (4th in the world in Jumping) and the organisations of a Global Champions Tour event in Brazil
In terms of developing the sport what are the most successful projects you have undertaken in recent yearsWe decided to invest in education and have hired international trainers for all the disciplines such as Jean Maurice Bonneau for Jumping Nick Turner for Eventing Eric Lette for Dressage Jean Louis Leclerc for Endurance Mattias Lang for Vaulting with the long term in mind that is at least until the end of 2012 and planning towards 2016 when Rio will host the Olympic Games
How popular is equestrian sport with young people in Brazil and how do you compete with some of the bigger sports for their attention Popularization is growing bit by bit in a country
decidedly dominated by soccer ndash being 5 times World Champion makes it a national passion But we are continuously looking to attract TV to our events as this is a huge step towards gaining visibility and popularity Can you tell us about the programmesinitiatives in place for disabled athletes We are actively pursuing this and have achieved really positive results in little time such as the great performances and medals earned at the Para-lympic Games in Hong Kong in 2008 We do this through clinics courses international exchanges of athletes and working alongside our National Paralympic Committee to support us in our efforts
Brazil will be host the FEI General Assembly at the end of the year what do you want all the visiting delegates to remember from their visit That we are more than just a really beautiful and warm country with the ability and capacity to organise great events and that we are committed to putting on the best Olympic Games ever
What are the main objectivesplans for the Brazilian Federation in the lead up to the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games Our NOC is really committed to raising the bar of all the sports to a level never seen before and we are working towards that in terms of our athletes our judges our venues and everything that is related to our sport and the quality of our sport In line with this objective we are providing incen-tives to owners to buy good horses aiming for 2016 and this is going to plan for now We expect to perform well at the upcoming Pan Am Games and Olympics on our trail to 2016
Is there anything else you would like to share with us I would like to thank HRH Princess Haya President of the FEI as well as the Executive Board for all the support that we are getting which has been paramount to the development of equestrian sport in our country
44
President Luiz Roberto GiugniSecretary General Luiz Antonio RoccoMember since 1935
15 members of staff work at the federation
20 regional federations are affiliated tothe Brazilian Equestrian Federation with over 300 member riding clubs
6 000 affiliated riders
91 national events were held in 2010
31 international events were held in 2010
All the FEI disciplines are practiced in BrazilJumping Dressage Eventing Vaulting Reining EnduranceDriving amp Para-Equestrian
14 breeding organisations
There are 58 million horses and ponies in Brazilmaking it the fourth largest equine population in the world
FAC
TS amp
FIG
URE
S
45FOCUS
Dr Gerit Matthesen56 is a private equine practitioner an FEI Vet and a member of the FEI Veterinary Committee He graduated in Veterinary Medicine from Berlin University in 1983 and since 1989 has worked or officiated at some 180 competitions and championships including the last two Olympics and FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade He lives near Frankfurt with his wife Carola and their sons Mike (16) and Lars (14)
46
A life in a day
Dr Gerit Matthesen56 is a private equine practitioner an FEI Vet and a member of the FEI Veterinary Committee He graduated in Veterinary Medicine from Berlin University in 1983 and since 1989 has worked or officiated at some 180 competitions and championships including the last two Olympics and FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade He lives near Frankfurt with his wife Carola and their sons Mike (16) and Lars (14)
I wake up earlier than I need to ndash at around 6am ndash because breakfast time with my family is sacred to me and I can then drive my boys to the village station to take the train to school After two cups of coffee (enough for the day) and a glass of orange juice I read the newspapers then head to my prac-tice offices in our indoor arena I have a quick look at our horses then start work
While I listen to my phone messages I deal with my emails and search the internet for news about veterinary medicine and horse sport I then start planning the dayacutes schedule with Anna my assistant vet
My mobile practice is in a nice fairly rural area in the north of Frankfurt There are lots of horse farms but it is not a classic breeding area like the northern part of Germany There are sport horses as well as pleasure horses I have examination rooms and stables for horses staying or mares foaling in my practice stables Itrsquos not a big clinic which gives me time to work at competitions
After seeing a few small animals in my practice I normally start my field service at 930am In my car I have enough equipment (ultrasound X-ray systems and endoscopical devices) for the dayrsquos examinations and standing procedures We mainly have lameness examinations to do or internal diseases to treat accompanied by routine work like vaccinations or carrying out pre-purchase or health certificate examinations If time allows I go home for a quick lunch but thatrsquos not every day
While Irsquom driving I have time to think and I write down everything that come to mind regarding sport competitions committees and so on You have to write down your thoughts when yoursquore over the age of 50
It is not easy planning my day because any emer-gency can destroy or delay my schedule For all the paperwork and certificates I need a time frame so
I often do that over quiet weekends when there are no competitions During the winter season I am less busy but in summer a lot of weekends are taken over by the competition schedule
I love my work especially in Eventing which is my favourite discipline My wife and I practiced it ndash not up to top level but it was a fine time despite a bro-ken ankle from a fall in 1988 which after 23 years is making walking more and more difficult for me
I like to do my competition work on a friendly but strict basis and I really like to hear riders saying they are treated fairly Over the years I have acquired a lot of experience and met all the officials and riders
Usually when I return home in the late afternoon there are more small animals to see When Irsquove done the dayrsquos paperwork I hope there will be no more emergencies such as cases of colic which usually occur in the early evening
I look forward to getting on my horse which is a beautiful show-jumper I like to ride but Irsquove stopped competing I do dressage jumping and go out into the fields but itrsquos all just for fun now
The day finishes with the family and a nice cold glass of German beer
Itrsquos a struggle to find time to spend with my family and I often have to cancel my holidays with them I am really grateful to my wife and the boys for their understanding of my job and to my assistant vet who covers for me when Iacutem out somewhere in the world of equestrian sport
ldquoThe combination of my profession and beinginvolved in differentaspects of top equestrian sport is my visionrdquo
47FOCUS
Pull your show attire from the closet clean your boots and tack groom the horses hook up and pack the trailer check the clock double check to make sure you have everything put on the shipping boots load your horses and away you drive to the competition venue or to the airport for transport to a distant event
You know the drill well but still you arrive tired per-haps even a bit frazzled Yoursquoll sleep (or try to) the next several nights in an unfamiliar bed or camp out in the living quarters of your trailer You awaken riveted on the competition playing out the dayrsquos classes in your mind wondering how your rides will fare against oth-ers praying that the weather will be cooperate and trying to control your nerves all the while knowing that no matter how well you have prepared many factors are out of your control You may even be in a different time zone
We go through a lot to compete our horses But if you think life on the road is stressful for you think about what itrsquos like for your horses Your back may be a bit sore from driving or being strapped into an airplane seat for hours on end but for horses transportation is far more demanding It is an athletic endeavour re-quiring an expenditure of energy to maintain balance during the constant movement of transport When your horses arrive they face social isolation from stablemates lack of security in novel environments altered training regimes water that tastes strange and the confines of an unfamiliar stall This routine impacts a horsersquos health and well being with effects
continuing long after the journey is over During transport toxic gases (such as ammonia or carbon monoxide) can cause damage to the lung epithelium precipitating respiratory disease The
final destination itself can also cause problems Usually horses are transported to environments where they will be mixing with other horses The mixing of horses from different environments with different infectious organisms and under stressful conditions further precipitates susceptibility to disease
This can have a severe impact on the equine gut The stress of transportation is known to increase gut ulceration in the horse a painful condition reducing performance and causing colic-like symptoms Stress can also slow the flow of digesta and alter the normal gut flora resulting in digestive upset and possibly diarrhoea or colic
The effects of travel stress on the gut are compounded by the typical diet of the regular equine traveller To maintain athletic ability high performance horses are often fed energy-charged diets contain-ing increased levels of starchy materials such as cereal grains Unfortunately this type of diet can reduce beneficial types of gut flora and promote gut acidity further predisposing the horse to digestive upsets and ulceration It is not surprising that stressed tired horses may not fulfill their potential on arrival
Feeding to reduce stress for the equine traveller
By Darlene RickerExecutive editor of Alltechrsquos EQUINE INTERNATIONAL magazine
48
Alltech Tips
growth of opportunistic Salmonella spp which are present in the intestinal tract of many healthy horses These bacteria then attach to the gut lining via a mannan sugar and penetrate it causing damage and resulting in diarrhoea One method of prevent-ing or minimising the attachment of these organ-
isms to the gut lining is to provide an adsorbant supplement A form of sugar found in the cell walls of certain yeasts can do this This sugar compound is called man-nan oligosaccharide or MOS MOS products such as Alltechrsquos Bio-Mosreg have been shown to re-duce the colonization of Salmonella
spp in the guts of certain species and augment the immune response to Salmonella spp potentially conferring an enhanced ability to fight infection Both Yea-Saccreg 1026 and Bio-Mos are among the natural products contained in Alltechrsquos LIFEFORCETM equine supplement which many FEI competitors have successfully incorporated into their daily feeding regimen at home and on the road
lifeforcehorsecom
and may be subject to health concerns in the days following a long journey Fortunately however you can curb some of the effects of travel stress on the horsersquos gut by nutritional supplementation Organic yeast products used to supplement a horsersquos diet can support the normal gut flora modifying the intesti-nal environment and improving the horsersquos digestion One such culture is Saccharomyces cerevisae in the form of Yea-Saccreg 1026 Alltechrsquos propriety organic yeast
Experiments were conducted to evaluate the effects Yea-Sacc on gut flora and gut acidity Horses were fed either a high-starch or a high-fibre diet both with and without supplementation of Yea-Saccreg 1026 Results indicated an excessive amount of starch in the gut The use of Yea-Sacc reduced acidity and stimulat-ed the activity of fibre-digesting bacteria in the hind-gut for both types of diet The result was maximised fibre digestibility and more efficient use of nutrients thus increasing the amount of energy available to the horse for performance and counteracting digestive upset Salmonellosis is one of the more commonly di-agnosed infectious causes of diarrhoea in horses Many cases develop after the stress of transport The effects of travel stress on the normal gut flora allow an over-
Moorlands Totilas arrives for the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade after air transport copy Dirk Caremans
HRH The Infanta Dontildea Pilar de Borboacuten former President of the FEI (1994-2006) also attended the inauguration along-side HRH Princess Lalla Amina Chairperson of the Royal Moroccan Federation for Equestrian Sports and member of the international Advisory Council of Special OlympicsThey were joined by International Olympic Commit-tee members representatives from other Interna-tional Federations federal and local Swiss authorities as well as architects and designers that worked on the project Switzerlandrsquos Martin Fuchs a member of the gold medal winning team at the inaugural Youth Olympic Games in Singapore last year accompanied FEI President Princess Haya in officially opening the FEI headquarters
ldquoThe building we are inaugurating today has been designed to serve our wonderful sportrdquo explained FEI
President Princess Haya ldquoI also feel an immense
sense of pride knowing that this building carries the name
of my late father and hope that this serves as a constant reminder
to all of us who work at the FEI of a unique statesman whose entire soul was devoted to the service of his people Our new headquarters will play a key role for the FEI and our National Federa-tions over the coming years It will be the environ-ment in which important discussions take place and fundamental decisions are taken as we continue our mission to advance the orderly growth of equestrian sport worldwide while ensuring that the welfare of the horse and a level playing field remain at the centre of all that we dordquo
FEI celebratesNEW Headquarters
Over 250 guests attended the inauguration ceremony on Friday 6 May at HM King Hussein I Building which was timed to coincide with the FEI
Extraordinary General Assembly so that attending NationalFederation representatives
could be a part ofthe celebrations
1 Youth Olympic Games team champion Martin Fuchs (SUI) FEI President HRH Princess Haya and her daughter HH Sheikha Al Jalila officially open the FEIrsquos new home 2 Gilbert Felli IOC Olympic Games Executive Director and FEI Secretary General Ingmar de Vos 3 HRH The Infanta Dontildea Pilar de Borboacuten sits down to an interactive quiz in the FEI Gallery 4 Guests gathered in the atrium of the FEI HeadquartersAll images copy Hugues SiegenthalerFEI
Highlights available on50
1
2
3 4
5
6 7
8
THE GALLERy
As well as housing offices for its 62 employees and conference facilities for its 133 National Federations the new headquarters also has a state-of-the-art in-teractive gallery showcasing equestrian sport
The Gallery is the brainchild of Dr Amichai Alper-ovich historian former Secretary General of the Is-raeli Equestrian Federation and curator of the Israeli Olympic Museum (opened in 2009) He worked hand in hand with the Tel Aviv based company Disk-In Pro and interior designer Oded Alony to help bring the content to life and the result is truly unique and ground breaking Giant glass surfaces act as interac-tive interfaces for the visitors to travel through time
The FEIrsquos new headquarters which were donated to the Federation by FEI Presi-dent HRH Princess Haya in 2007 fol-lowing a personal fundraising effort are conveniently located close to the Inter-national Olympic Committee and other international sports federations It has been written into the FEI Statutes that the new FEI headquarters building will always house the Federationrsquos offices In 2008 the building was thoroughly renovated in accordance with the Swiss MINERGIEreg construction standard for environmental responsibility which re-duces energy consumption by 25 per cent Only two per cent of renovated buildings in Switzerland meet the high Minergie standards Khuan Chew founder and design princi-pal of London-based architectural firm KCA International Ltd worked in close collaboration with Swiss-based architect Herveacute de Rham and interior designer Sia-vosh Adeli (SUI) to transform the build-ing which was built in the 1960s The modern and sleek interior was further enhanced with bespoke artworks pro-duced by Swiss creative agency b+g amp partners and imagery by world-famous equestrian art photographer Tim Flach where the simplicity and beauty of his equine subjects seamlessly embrace and accentuate the buildingrsquos pure lines and natural materials (see image left)
As they feasted on the innate beauty of their sur-roundings the guests also had the privilege to ex-perience the culinary talents of organic chef and specialist Gilles Wannaz and his team based in the town of Cully which sits on the edge of Lac Leman in Switzerlandrsquos famous Lavaux wine growing region
5 HRH Princess Haya welcomes the guests to the Inauguration of the HQ and the 90 year celebration of the FEI 6 Artwork by renowned pho-tographer Tim Flach 7 An organic and colourful buffet presented on an authentic lawn by local chef Gilles Wannaz 8 A life size horse sculpture by Christophe Dumont greeted the guests upon their arrival
53FOCUS
and space with the latest in touch technology revis-iting the history of the FEI the equestrian events at Olympic amp Paralympic Games the FEI World Eques-trian Gamestrade and information on all of the member National Federations with statistics videos images and text The Gallery also includes projections on ar-chitectural surfaces designed by Oded Alony referred to as the Origami as well as interactive stations and unique video projections on glass screens
For all those wishing to visit the FEI Gallery simply contact the FEI HQ to make an appointment and we would be delighted to take you on a journey to dis-cover or rediscover the human and equine athletes whose talents have marked equestrian history and inspired young riders drivers and vaulters around the world
Interview withDrAmichaiAlperovich
When did you first dream up the FEIInteractive Gallery When I found out the FEI was planning to move into new HQ in 2009 Disk-In Pro and I approached the FEI and presented them with several concepts for the space Before long we had agreed on the concept and we got to work
Why were you compelled to make it become a reality So that the FEI a prominent sports organisation could present itself to a growing audience in a new and visionary way with the latest technology And by doing so the FEI is a pioneer becoming the first International Federation to have a Gallery of this kind
What did you learn when researching and gathering content for the gallery I have learned a lot about the history of the FEI the strong Olympic tradition the diversity of disciplines the gender equality and the unique bond between horse and man One of the more fascinating topics was the evolution of the Dressage from itsrsquo Olympic debut to the modern Freestyle
Itrsquos very innovative technology what inspired you to take such a leap into the future with such a traditional sport Just as Dressage has evolved over the years and alongside the introduction of new disciplines partic-ularly Para-Equestrian you come to realise that the FEI is not as traditional as one would think Actually this kind of innovative presentation of equestrian history is really well suited to the FEI In the same way that you can have horse-man connections there is an audience-technology connection in the Gallery The audience have to be active in order to enjoy the depth of information the Gallery contains
54
Now it is time to open the door to new places to learn about sport ndash at the heart of sporting organi-sations themselves The Gallery is more than an informative tool it brings people to the sport andto the heart of its operations
Established in 1990 Disk-In Pro specialises in the planning design production and implementation of Museums Visitor Centres and sophisticated projects around the world This includes multi screen produc-tion animation 3D amp interactive films state-of-the-art software platforms and complex video displays for an unforgettable experience
Oded Alony holds a BA in Design from the Interior Design Section of the Holon Technological Institute and has since 1998 worked with Israelrsquos leading Architecture firms The Oded Alony Studio embraces holistic design a space where interior design lighting and graphics are brought together to create a harmo-nious project vision
Now that you have seen it unveiled to the public how would you like to see it evolve I hope the audience will be amazed from the design by architect Oded Alony and the new methods to deliver information whilst discovering the long his-tory of the FEI the diversity and the global reach of the organisation I hope the Gallery will become an icon in Lausanne and one of its highlights for visitors I promise the visitors a new platform to learn about equestrianism and each visit could be different as the information and themes will be updated and modi-fied regularly
This futuristic gallery is a first for anInternational Federation do you think thisis something all sports should invest inThe FEI took this courageous decision and now has this fantastic tool to present the organisation in new ways Sport is a huge cultural phenomenaWe have learned to consume sport in the arenas and stadiums in the press media and new media
Dr Amichai Alperovich
55FOCUS
SOCIAL MEDIAthe new frontier
Follow us on
The FEI has recently embarked on and embraced a whole new way of talking with the greater equestrian community through the ever expanding social media networks and platformsWith personalised Facebook Twitter and You Tube pages the FEI is taking it step by step and reaching out to this growing audience and listening to what they have to say
This new communication platform is by no means a substitution of the traditional communication path-ways but works alongside the press releases various publications and content on wwwfeiorg and wwwfeitvorg providing a new arena where the FEI can share interact and dialogue with fans of the sport and of equestrian values in general
We talk to Richard Johnson Director of Corporate Communications about the FEIrsquos commitment to social media
What compelled the FEI to venture onto the social media scene As a governing body with a vibrant and active com-munity of National Federations as well as thousands of fans the need to reach out to the online social community has never been stronger We have been watching the communities grow online for some time and have been listening to their conversations so being a part of it was the next logical step and a really important one The conversations will hap-pen with or without us so taking that step has been crucial in order to share our values and also build re-lationships with our fan base
Tradition meets modernity ndash does equestrian sportthe FEI have a place in social media Absolutely even though equestrian sport has a long history and is perceived as a traditional sport it is
always evolving In the 90 years of the FEI which was founded to govern the three Olympic disciplines it has grown to also oversee the disciplines of Driving Endurance Vaulting Reining and Para-Equestrian sport Or if you look at the early days when competi-tors were from military backgrounds and when wom-en did not compete alongside men to the complete gender equality we have today ndash a lot has changed and is in a constant state of change
The fans of equestrian sport are like any other fan base web savvy and eager for more information behind the scenes content and to share their opin-ions and thoughts ndash so it is an ideal partnership And from what we have seen these last few months and from the feedback we got from our blog at the Youth Olympic Games there is a real appetite for this
The FEI has dedicated Facebook Twitter and You Tube pages ndash why did you select these social media platforms The figures speak for themselveshellip Facebook Twit-ter and You Tube are the biggest players in the social networking space With over 500 million Facebook users 106 million Tweeters and 2 billion views a day on You Tube there has never been so much oppor-tunity for exposure Every site has different demo-graphics with different habits and needs so by having an FEI presence on these three networks we are able to cover a lot of ground and cater to different audi-ences by providing different types of content accord-ing to the platform
What are the main benefits of having a pres-ence on various social media platforms Itrsquos all about having a two way conversation ndash the benefits of dialogue where you can share content such as videos images facts and figures thoughts and values and then allow your fan base to react to get involved and to listen and learn from them By engaging with our audience and showing them that we are a modern and caring organisation and that we want to hear what they have to say then we are able to build trust and ultimately credibility in what we do and what we say
57FOCUS
TV
The offi cial video website of the Feacutedeacuteration Equestre Internationale
wwwfeitvorg
WATCH LIVE WATCH ONLINE
FEI TV is the FEIrsquos new offi cial video website and your ticket to the worldrsquos most prestigious competitions Sign-up to FEI TV (wwwfeitvorg) and get instant access to all the live broadcasts the extensive video-on-demand library all the highlights the behind the scenes reports the interviews and so much more Be at the heart of horsesport Join us
2823_1FEI_TV_Focus_165x226indd 1 170510 1124
It also keeps us alert as to what is being discussed and debated in the public sphere so that we can manage situations more effectively and be proactive in our messaging and information so that the facts are at the heart of the debate and not interpretations of them
How do you generate content for social media It was important when we launched our social me-dia presence that it be manageable with the exist-ing communications team in place ndash and so we have concentrated on keeping it simple and effective and using content innovatively Itrsquos not about reproduc-ing our website ndash but to engage with our fans and so often all you need is a good picture an interest-ing fact or great achievement to get the ball rolling For You Tube as we already have so much content generated from FEI TV it was simply a question of using bits and pieces from that content to provide the public with teasers from events interviews with winning riders or behind the scenes content which they can then follow up on FEI TV with a subscription
What are your Social media goals Itrsquos really to build relationships and dialogue with our fan base by using our content innovatively by listening to what they have to say and by engaging with the community And for the National Federa-tions that have yet to take that step we want to be a guiding hand that can help them get started so that they too can reap the benefits of social media net-working Our sport competes against other sports for attention so itrsquos really important that we the FEI and the National Federations keep our finger on the pulse and cater to our fans
How can National Federations get involved NFs wishing to find out more about Social Media can contact me (richardjohnsonfeiorg) and I would be more than happy to discuss opportunities and ways of getting started as well as our experience at the FEI
We asked our Facebook followers why it was important to use face-book and here are a few comments they came up with
bullItrsquos a great way to find out about shows and competitions
bullBecause facebook can provide up to the minute updates as to the what is going on in the horse community
bullWe can share information and ideas over long distances We can find and connect with people we wouldnt be able to otherwise
bullIt also lets us express the true realities of our spot to keep us grounded
bullIt can bring peoples attention to excellence ndash and expose the issues
58
TV
The offi cial video website of the Feacutedeacuteration Equestre Internationale
wwwfeitvorg
WATCH LIVE WATCH ONLINE
FEI TV is the FEIrsquos new offi cial video website and your ticket to the worldrsquos most prestigious competitions Sign-up to FEI TV (wwwfeitvorg) and get instant access to all the live broadcasts the extensive video-on-demand library all the highlights the behind the scenes reports the interviews and so much more Be at the heart of horsesport Join us
2823_1FEI_TV_Focus_165x226indd 1 170510 1124
ldquo Donrsquot accept drinks from a strangerrdquo
Armchair travel journalist
Are you living a life without boundaries Some well-meant advice is best ignored but itrsquos still good to know yoursquore covered when yoursquore away With HSBC Premier your family can be protected with both Travel Insurance and dedicated assistance when yoursquore abroad Which is reassuring to know when yoursquore making the most of life
HSBC Premier is subject to financial eligibility criteria and is available in over 40 countries and territories
Premier Travel Insurance covers you and your partner up to age 70 and your children travelling with you up to age 18
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A4 A4
Issued by HSBC Holdings plc Approved for use in UK by HSBC Bank plc Premier Travel Insurance is provided by Aviva Insurance UK Limited Customer Information Service PO Box 757 Hemel Hempstead Hertfordshire HP2 4SS Registered in England number 14259 Registered Office 8 Canada Square London E14 5HQ AC18770
201736_6000263_Coconut_226x165indd
Master 226x165
Rob Swainson 160211
HSBC - Coconuts Proof 01Head of Art TypographerDesigner ArtCreative Director Copywriter Account DirectorDIC Project ManagerPhotographer Illustrator Usage Model(s) Name(s) Usage
Media MediaStock Image Time Period Time Period
Territory Territory
8deg N ndash Kerala South India
Caroline Roffman (USA)Winner of the HSBC FEI Rising StarAward 2010
Success continues to smile on twenty-two-year-old American Dressage rider Caroline Roffman Since re-ceiving the HSBC FEI Rising Star Award she has en-joyed numerous wins at small tour and young horse levels achieving scores in the mid-eighties and quali-fying two horses for the young horse championships
Roffman is currently showing six horses and has won several classes at PSG and Grand Prix level ldquoBut nothing is as exciting as to be going to Aachenrdquo said the young woman who has been described as the American Dressage communityrsquos brightest hope ex-plaining that at the FEI Awards ceremony in Chinese Taipei Frank Kemperman FEI Dressage Committee Chair and Chairman of the Managing Board at CHIO Aachen (GER) invited her to take part in the pres-tigious event Roffman will be the first American to compete in the Under 25 Grand Prix there and is hop-ing to take her horse Lux Stensvang
An interview with Caroline Roffman at the Palm Beach Dressage Derby CDI will be broadcast on the magazine programme Equestrian World on FEI TV the FEIrsquos official online video platform wwwfeitvorg
Edward Gal and Totilas (NED)Winners of the Reem Acra FEI Best Athlete Award 2010
The world-famous partnership of Dutch Dressage rider Edward Gal and the extraordinary Totilas ended in style in 2010 with notably three gold medal wins at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade
The first foal sired by the superstar stallion was born in January followed by two more in the spring Gal who has admired the foals told the FEI ldquoYou never know ndash maybe in a few yearsrsquo time Irsquoll have another Totilas readyrdquo At the beginning of April he was busy at home training nine horses and preparing for the Reem Acra FEI World Cuptrade Dressage Final in Leipzig and the European Championships in Rotterdam He had not yet decided which horses he was going to compete with but was particularly looking forward to the Freestyle to Music Asked what it was like to compete without Totilas Gal said ldquoEverybody ex-pected Totilas to win I find it easier to ride other horses because nobody expects me to win and when I do itrsquos really nicerdquo
41FOCUS
globetrotter
Seal of approval for the Adai horseSixty years have passed since an Adai horse reportedly set a record galloping 354km in one day Today the Adai horse a breed na-tive to Kazakhstan is back in the spotlight with a gold medal at the FEI Central Asian Endurance Championship in Talgaearlier in May only months after having been award-ed official pedigree status following tests
conducted by a State Commission in the Mangistau Steppes which allowed itto compete internationally The horses are cherished for their hardiness and Oyly ridden by Altyngali Bissemaganbetov (KAZ) proved just that when crossing the finishing line first demonstrating just how tough the Adai horses are and the beginning of a new era for sturdy breed on the international stage
Equestrian Australia Sport
Achievement Awards
In May the best of the best in
Equestrian sport gathered to cel-
ebrate the achievements of Austral-
iarsquos athletes coaches officials vets
administrators owners volunteers
and the many other people that
dedicate their time and enthusiasm
to equestrian sport The ceremony
also included the introduction of
Equestrian Australiarsquos Hall of
Fame won by the legendary Bill
Roycroft Boyd Exell winner of
the FEI World CupTM Driving
Final was awarded the interna-
tional athlete of the year
award
Kevin Stautbecomes first athlete representative on FEI
executive board
Kevin Staut one of Francersquos most successful Jumping riders became the first athlete to be appointed to the FEI Executive Board for a three-year term Staut (31) who has held the number one spot in the Rolex Rankings for Jumping since July 2010 has ridden on numerous Nations Cup teams for France and claimed individual gold at the Alltech FEI European Jumping Championships in 2009
HulA CARTSWorld Horse Welfare has greatly helped the liv
es of
five Senegalese cart horse owners by presenting them
with new Hula Carts The local people who depend on
their working horses for their livelihoods were specially
selected by the charity to receive the carts which have
been sponsored by members of the public in the uK
The Hula Carts are specifically developed to help the
horses pulling heavy loads in often difficult conditions
Equestrian Australia Sport
Achievement Awards
In May the best of the best in
Equestrian sport gathered to cel-
ebrate the achievements of Austral-
iarsquos athletes coaches officials vets
administrators owners volunteers
and the many other people that
dedicate their time and enthusiasm
to equestrian sport The ceremony
also included the introduction of
Equestrian Australiarsquos Hall of
Fame won by the legendary Bill
Roycroft Boyd Exell winner of
the FEI World CupTM Driving
Final was awarded the interna-
tional athlete of the year
award
Olympic legendBill Roycroft passes away aged 96
A legend of Equestrian sport in Australia James William
George Roycroft OBE known as ldquoBillrdquo was one of Austral-
iarsquos greatest Olympians and one of only five Australians to
have competed in five consecutive Olympic Games (from
1960 - 1976) as well as being Australiarsquos oldest medallist
and oldest competitor at 61 years and 31 days In May 2011
Bill was inducted in Equestrian Australiarsquos inaugural Hall
of Fame ndash he was Australiarsquos oldest living Olympian and
shared his dedication and enthusiasm for the sport with
his sons Barry Wayne and Clarke (See a brief description
of his exploits in the 1960 Olympic Games Memory Lane
article page 9 which catapulted Australiarsquos reputation as
one of the best Eventing teams in the world)
webinfofeiFEI web wizard Nicole Sigrist has added a new hub for the Press on wwwfeiorg called FEI Press Kits located in the Media section of the website The Press Kits zone which is also open to the general public is regularly updated with infor-mation relating to FEI series and specific events with flip books and downloadable PDFs as well as direct links to the Photo Catalogue the Rankings and Standings the Annual Report and more
100thanniversary for Finnish riding club
One of the three found-ing member clubs of
the Finnish Equestrian Federation the Suomen
Kenttaumlratsastusseura-Finska Faumlltrittklubbenon celebrates
its 100th anniversary in 2011 Magnus Rydman former President of the Finnish National Federation and Presi-dent of the FEI from 1935 ndash 1946 was one of the founders of the club Another of the founders of the oldest club in Fin-land was the Eventing rider Colonel Hans Olof von Essen whose fifth place at the Antwerpen Olympic Games re-mains the best Olympic equestrian result the country has ever achieved
Follow us on
43FOCUS
Interview with the President of the Brazilian Equestrian Federation Mr Luiz Roberto Giugni
The Brazilian Equestrian Federation has been a member Federation of the FEI for 75 years how has the sport developed over that time We were facing regular growth (average of 25 in the last decade) but in the last three to four years this rate has significantly increased up to 35 a year We believe that this is due to international achievements (two Jumping Olympic team bronze medals the individual Olympic Jumping gold medal won by Rodrigo Pessoa several Pan Am Jumping team gold medals recent Olympic pre-qualification in Kentucky (4th in the world in Jumping) and the organisations of a Global Champions Tour event in Brazil
In terms of developing the sport what are the most successful projects you have undertaken in recent yearsWe decided to invest in education and have hired international trainers for all the disciplines such as Jean Maurice Bonneau for Jumping Nick Turner for Eventing Eric Lette for Dressage Jean Louis Leclerc for Endurance Mattias Lang for Vaulting with the long term in mind that is at least until the end of 2012 and planning towards 2016 when Rio will host the Olympic Games
How popular is equestrian sport with young people in Brazil and how do you compete with some of the bigger sports for their attention Popularization is growing bit by bit in a country
decidedly dominated by soccer ndash being 5 times World Champion makes it a national passion But we are continuously looking to attract TV to our events as this is a huge step towards gaining visibility and popularity Can you tell us about the programmesinitiatives in place for disabled athletes We are actively pursuing this and have achieved really positive results in little time such as the great performances and medals earned at the Para-lympic Games in Hong Kong in 2008 We do this through clinics courses international exchanges of athletes and working alongside our National Paralympic Committee to support us in our efforts
Brazil will be host the FEI General Assembly at the end of the year what do you want all the visiting delegates to remember from their visit That we are more than just a really beautiful and warm country with the ability and capacity to organise great events and that we are committed to putting on the best Olympic Games ever
What are the main objectivesplans for the Brazilian Federation in the lead up to the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games Our NOC is really committed to raising the bar of all the sports to a level never seen before and we are working towards that in terms of our athletes our judges our venues and everything that is related to our sport and the quality of our sport In line with this objective we are providing incen-tives to owners to buy good horses aiming for 2016 and this is going to plan for now We expect to perform well at the upcoming Pan Am Games and Olympics on our trail to 2016
Is there anything else you would like to share with us I would like to thank HRH Princess Haya President of the FEI as well as the Executive Board for all the support that we are getting which has been paramount to the development of equestrian sport in our country
44
President Luiz Roberto GiugniSecretary General Luiz Antonio RoccoMember since 1935
15 members of staff work at the federation
20 regional federations are affiliated tothe Brazilian Equestrian Federation with over 300 member riding clubs
6 000 affiliated riders
91 national events were held in 2010
31 international events were held in 2010
All the FEI disciplines are practiced in BrazilJumping Dressage Eventing Vaulting Reining EnduranceDriving amp Para-Equestrian
14 breeding organisations
There are 58 million horses and ponies in Brazilmaking it the fourth largest equine population in the world
FAC
TS amp
FIG
URE
S
45FOCUS
Dr Gerit Matthesen56 is a private equine practitioner an FEI Vet and a member of the FEI Veterinary Committee He graduated in Veterinary Medicine from Berlin University in 1983 and since 1989 has worked or officiated at some 180 competitions and championships including the last two Olympics and FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade He lives near Frankfurt with his wife Carola and their sons Mike (16) and Lars (14)
46
A life in a day
Dr Gerit Matthesen56 is a private equine practitioner an FEI Vet and a member of the FEI Veterinary Committee He graduated in Veterinary Medicine from Berlin University in 1983 and since 1989 has worked or officiated at some 180 competitions and championships including the last two Olympics and FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade He lives near Frankfurt with his wife Carola and their sons Mike (16) and Lars (14)
I wake up earlier than I need to ndash at around 6am ndash because breakfast time with my family is sacred to me and I can then drive my boys to the village station to take the train to school After two cups of coffee (enough for the day) and a glass of orange juice I read the newspapers then head to my prac-tice offices in our indoor arena I have a quick look at our horses then start work
While I listen to my phone messages I deal with my emails and search the internet for news about veterinary medicine and horse sport I then start planning the dayacutes schedule with Anna my assistant vet
My mobile practice is in a nice fairly rural area in the north of Frankfurt There are lots of horse farms but it is not a classic breeding area like the northern part of Germany There are sport horses as well as pleasure horses I have examination rooms and stables for horses staying or mares foaling in my practice stables Itrsquos not a big clinic which gives me time to work at competitions
After seeing a few small animals in my practice I normally start my field service at 930am In my car I have enough equipment (ultrasound X-ray systems and endoscopical devices) for the dayrsquos examinations and standing procedures We mainly have lameness examinations to do or internal diseases to treat accompanied by routine work like vaccinations or carrying out pre-purchase or health certificate examinations If time allows I go home for a quick lunch but thatrsquos not every day
While Irsquom driving I have time to think and I write down everything that come to mind regarding sport competitions committees and so on You have to write down your thoughts when yoursquore over the age of 50
It is not easy planning my day because any emer-gency can destroy or delay my schedule For all the paperwork and certificates I need a time frame so
I often do that over quiet weekends when there are no competitions During the winter season I am less busy but in summer a lot of weekends are taken over by the competition schedule
I love my work especially in Eventing which is my favourite discipline My wife and I practiced it ndash not up to top level but it was a fine time despite a bro-ken ankle from a fall in 1988 which after 23 years is making walking more and more difficult for me
I like to do my competition work on a friendly but strict basis and I really like to hear riders saying they are treated fairly Over the years I have acquired a lot of experience and met all the officials and riders
Usually when I return home in the late afternoon there are more small animals to see When Irsquove done the dayrsquos paperwork I hope there will be no more emergencies such as cases of colic which usually occur in the early evening
I look forward to getting on my horse which is a beautiful show-jumper I like to ride but Irsquove stopped competing I do dressage jumping and go out into the fields but itrsquos all just for fun now
The day finishes with the family and a nice cold glass of German beer
Itrsquos a struggle to find time to spend with my family and I often have to cancel my holidays with them I am really grateful to my wife and the boys for their understanding of my job and to my assistant vet who covers for me when Iacutem out somewhere in the world of equestrian sport
ldquoThe combination of my profession and beinginvolved in differentaspects of top equestrian sport is my visionrdquo
47FOCUS
Pull your show attire from the closet clean your boots and tack groom the horses hook up and pack the trailer check the clock double check to make sure you have everything put on the shipping boots load your horses and away you drive to the competition venue or to the airport for transport to a distant event
You know the drill well but still you arrive tired per-haps even a bit frazzled Yoursquoll sleep (or try to) the next several nights in an unfamiliar bed or camp out in the living quarters of your trailer You awaken riveted on the competition playing out the dayrsquos classes in your mind wondering how your rides will fare against oth-ers praying that the weather will be cooperate and trying to control your nerves all the while knowing that no matter how well you have prepared many factors are out of your control You may even be in a different time zone
We go through a lot to compete our horses But if you think life on the road is stressful for you think about what itrsquos like for your horses Your back may be a bit sore from driving or being strapped into an airplane seat for hours on end but for horses transportation is far more demanding It is an athletic endeavour re-quiring an expenditure of energy to maintain balance during the constant movement of transport When your horses arrive they face social isolation from stablemates lack of security in novel environments altered training regimes water that tastes strange and the confines of an unfamiliar stall This routine impacts a horsersquos health and well being with effects
continuing long after the journey is over During transport toxic gases (such as ammonia or carbon monoxide) can cause damage to the lung epithelium precipitating respiratory disease The
final destination itself can also cause problems Usually horses are transported to environments where they will be mixing with other horses The mixing of horses from different environments with different infectious organisms and under stressful conditions further precipitates susceptibility to disease
This can have a severe impact on the equine gut The stress of transportation is known to increase gut ulceration in the horse a painful condition reducing performance and causing colic-like symptoms Stress can also slow the flow of digesta and alter the normal gut flora resulting in digestive upset and possibly diarrhoea or colic
The effects of travel stress on the gut are compounded by the typical diet of the regular equine traveller To maintain athletic ability high performance horses are often fed energy-charged diets contain-ing increased levels of starchy materials such as cereal grains Unfortunately this type of diet can reduce beneficial types of gut flora and promote gut acidity further predisposing the horse to digestive upsets and ulceration It is not surprising that stressed tired horses may not fulfill their potential on arrival
Feeding to reduce stress for the equine traveller
By Darlene RickerExecutive editor of Alltechrsquos EQUINE INTERNATIONAL magazine
48
Alltech Tips
growth of opportunistic Salmonella spp which are present in the intestinal tract of many healthy horses These bacteria then attach to the gut lining via a mannan sugar and penetrate it causing damage and resulting in diarrhoea One method of prevent-ing or minimising the attachment of these organ-
isms to the gut lining is to provide an adsorbant supplement A form of sugar found in the cell walls of certain yeasts can do this This sugar compound is called man-nan oligosaccharide or MOS MOS products such as Alltechrsquos Bio-Mosreg have been shown to re-duce the colonization of Salmonella
spp in the guts of certain species and augment the immune response to Salmonella spp potentially conferring an enhanced ability to fight infection Both Yea-Saccreg 1026 and Bio-Mos are among the natural products contained in Alltechrsquos LIFEFORCETM equine supplement which many FEI competitors have successfully incorporated into their daily feeding regimen at home and on the road
lifeforcehorsecom
and may be subject to health concerns in the days following a long journey Fortunately however you can curb some of the effects of travel stress on the horsersquos gut by nutritional supplementation Organic yeast products used to supplement a horsersquos diet can support the normal gut flora modifying the intesti-nal environment and improving the horsersquos digestion One such culture is Saccharomyces cerevisae in the form of Yea-Saccreg 1026 Alltechrsquos propriety organic yeast
Experiments were conducted to evaluate the effects Yea-Sacc on gut flora and gut acidity Horses were fed either a high-starch or a high-fibre diet both with and without supplementation of Yea-Saccreg 1026 Results indicated an excessive amount of starch in the gut The use of Yea-Sacc reduced acidity and stimulat-ed the activity of fibre-digesting bacteria in the hind-gut for both types of diet The result was maximised fibre digestibility and more efficient use of nutrients thus increasing the amount of energy available to the horse for performance and counteracting digestive upset Salmonellosis is one of the more commonly di-agnosed infectious causes of diarrhoea in horses Many cases develop after the stress of transport The effects of travel stress on the normal gut flora allow an over-
Moorlands Totilas arrives for the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade after air transport copy Dirk Caremans
HRH The Infanta Dontildea Pilar de Borboacuten former President of the FEI (1994-2006) also attended the inauguration along-side HRH Princess Lalla Amina Chairperson of the Royal Moroccan Federation for Equestrian Sports and member of the international Advisory Council of Special OlympicsThey were joined by International Olympic Commit-tee members representatives from other Interna-tional Federations federal and local Swiss authorities as well as architects and designers that worked on the project Switzerlandrsquos Martin Fuchs a member of the gold medal winning team at the inaugural Youth Olympic Games in Singapore last year accompanied FEI President Princess Haya in officially opening the FEI headquarters
ldquoThe building we are inaugurating today has been designed to serve our wonderful sportrdquo explained FEI
President Princess Haya ldquoI also feel an immense
sense of pride knowing that this building carries the name
of my late father and hope that this serves as a constant reminder
to all of us who work at the FEI of a unique statesman whose entire soul was devoted to the service of his people Our new headquarters will play a key role for the FEI and our National Federa-tions over the coming years It will be the environ-ment in which important discussions take place and fundamental decisions are taken as we continue our mission to advance the orderly growth of equestrian sport worldwide while ensuring that the welfare of the horse and a level playing field remain at the centre of all that we dordquo
FEI celebratesNEW Headquarters
Over 250 guests attended the inauguration ceremony on Friday 6 May at HM King Hussein I Building which was timed to coincide with the FEI
Extraordinary General Assembly so that attending NationalFederation representatives
could be a part ofthe celebrations
1 Youth Olympic Games team champion Martin Fuchs (SUI) FEI President HRH Princess Haya and her daughter HH Sheikha Al Jalila officially open the FEIrsquos new home 2 Gilbert Felli IOC Olympic Games Executive Director and FEI Secretary General Ingmar de Vos 3 HRH The Infanta Dontildea Pilar de Borboacuten sits down to an interactive quiz in the FEI Gallery 4 Guests gathered in the atrium of the FEI HeadquartersAll images copy Hugues SiegenthalerFEI
Highlights available on50
1
2
3 4
5
6 7
8
THE GALLERy
As well as housing offices for its 62 employees and conference facilities for its 133 National Federations the new headquarters also has a state-of-the-art in-teractive gallery showcasing equestrian sport
The Gallery is the brainchild of Dr Amichai Alper-ovich historian former Secretary General of the Is-raeli Equestrian Federation and curator of the Israeli Olympic Museum (opened in 2009) He worked hand in hand with the Tel Aviv based company Disk-In Pro and interior designer Oded Alony to help bring the content to life and the result is truly unique and ground breaking Giant glass surfaces act as interac-tive interfaces for the visitors to travel through time
The FEIrsquos new headquarters which were donated to the Federation by FEI Presi-dent HRH Princess Haya in 2007 fol-lowing a personal fundraising effort are conveniently located close to the Inter-national Olympic Committee and other international sports federations It has been written into the FEI Statutes that the new FEI headquarters building will always house the Federationrsquos offices In 2008 the building was thoroughly renovated in accordance with the Swiss MINERGIEreg construction standard for environmental responsibility which re-duces energy consumption by 25 per cent Only two per cent of renovated buildings in Switzerland meet the high Minergie standards Khuan Chew founder and design princi-pal of London-based architectural firm KCA International Ltd worked in close collaboration with Swiss-based architect Herveacute de Rham and interior designer Sia-vosh Adeli (SUI) to transform the build-ing which was built in the 1960s The modern and sleek interior was further enhanced with bespoke artworks pro-duced by Swiss creative agency b+g amp partners and imagery by world-famous equestrian art photographer Tim Flach where the simplicity and beauty of his equine subjects seamlessly embrace and accentuate the buildingrsquos pure lines and natural materials (see image left)
As they feasted on the innate beauty of their sur-roundings the guests also had the privilege to ex-perience the culinary talents of organic chef and specialist Gilles Wannaz and his team based in the town of Cully which sits on the edge of Lac Leman in Switzerlandrsquos famous Lavaux wine growing region
5 HRH Princess Haya welcomes the guests to the Inauguration of the HQ and the 90 year celebration of the FEI 6 Artwork by renowned pho-tographer Tim Flach 7 An organic and colourful buffet presented on an authentic lawn by local chef Gilles Wannaz 8 A life size horse sculpture by Christophe Dumont greeted the guests upon their arrival
53FOCUS
and space with the latest in touch technology revis-iting the history of the FEI the equestrian events at Olympic amp Paralympic Games the FEI World Eques-trian Gamestrade and information on all of the member National Federations with statistics videos images and text The Gallery also includes projections on ar-chitectural surfaces designed by Oded Alony referred to as the Origami as well as interactive stations and unique video projections on glass screens
For all those wishing to visit the FEI Gallery simply contact the FEI HQ to make an appointment and we would be delighted to take you on a journey to dis-cover or rediscover the human and equine athletes whose talents have marked equestrian history and inspired young riders drivers and vaulters around the world
Interview withDrAmichaiAlperovich
When did you first dream up the FEIInteractive Gallery When I found out the FEI was planning to move into new HQ in 2009 Disk-In Pro and I approached the FEI and presented them with several concepts for the space Before long we had agreed on the concept and we got to work
Why were you compelled to make it become a reality So that the FEI a prominent sports organisation could present itself to a growing audience in a new and visionary way with the latest technology And by doing so the FEI is a pioneer becoming the first International Federation to have a Gallery of this kind
What did you learn when researching and gathering content for the gallery I have learned a lot about the history of the FEI the strong Olympic tradition the diversity of disciplines the gender equality and the unique bond between horse and man One of the more fascinating topics was the evolution of the Dressage from itsrsquo Olympic debut to the modern Freestyle
Itrsquos very innovative technology what inspired you to take such a leap into the future with such a traditional sport Just as Dressage has evolved over the years and alongside the introduction of new disciplines partic-ularly Para-Equestrian you come to realise that the FEI is not as traditional as one would think Actually this kind of innovative presentation of equestrian history is really well suited to the FEI In the same way that you can have horse-man connections there is an audience-technology connection in the Gallery The audience have to be active in order to enjoy the depth of information the Gallery contains
54
Now it is time to open the door to new places to learn about sport ndash at the heart of sporting organi-sations themselves The Gallery is more than an informative tool it brings people to the sport andto the heart of its operations
Established in 1990 Disk-In Pro specialises in the planning design production and implementation of Museums Visitor Centres and sophisticated projects around the world This includes multi screen produc-tion animation 3D amp interactive films state-of-the-art software platforms and complex video displays for an unforgettable experience
Oded Alony holds a BA in Design from the Interior Design Section of the Holon Technological Institute and has since 1998 worked with Israelrsquos leading Architecture firms The Oded Alony Studio embraces holistic design a space where interior design lighting and graphics are brought together to create a harmo-nious project vision
Now that you have seen it unveiled to the public how would you like to see it evolve I hope the audience will be amazed from the design by architect Oded Alony and the new methods to deliver information whilst discovering the long his-tory of the FEI the diversity and the global reach of the organisation I hope the Gallery will become an icon in Lausanne and one of its highlights for visitors I promise the visitors a new platform to learn about equestrianism and each visit could be different as the information and themes will be updated and modi-fied regularly
This futuristic gallery is a first for anInternational Federation do you think thisis something all sports should invest inThe FEI took this courageous decision and now has this fantastic tool to present the organisation in new ways Sport is a huge cultural phenomenaWe have learned to consume sport in the arenas and stadiums in the press media and new media
Dr Amichai Alperovich
55FOCUS
SOCIAL MEDIAthe new frontier
Follow us on
The FEI has recently embarked on and embraced a whole new way of talking with the greater equestrian community through the ever expanding social media networks and platformsWith personalised Facebook Twitter and You Tube pages the FEI is taking it step by step and reaching out to this growing audience and listening to what they have to say
This new communication platform is by no means a substitution of the traditional communication path-ways but works alongside the press releases various publications and content on wwwfeiorg and wwwfeitvorg providing a new arena where the FEI can share interact and dialogue with fans of the sport and of equestrian values in general
We talk to Richard Johnson Director of Corporate Communications about the FEIrsquos commitment to social media
What compelled the FEI to venture onto the social media scene As a governing body with a vibrant and active com-munity of National Federations as well as thousands of fans the need to reach out to the online social community has never been stronger We have been watching the communities grow online for some time and have been listening to their conversations so being a part of it was the next logical step and a really important one The conversations will hap-pen with or without us so taking that step has been crucial in order to share our values and also build re-lationships with our fan base
Tradition meets modernity ndash does equestrian sportthe FEI have a place in social media Absolutely even though equestrian sport has a long history and is perceived as a traditional sport it is
always evolving In the 90 years of the FEI which was founded to govern the three Olympic disciplines it has grown to also oversee the disciplines of Driving Endurance Vaulting Reining and Para-Equestrian sport Or if you look at the early days when competi-tors were from military backgrounds and when wom-en did not compete alongside men to the complete gender equality we have today ndash a lot has changed and is in a constant state of change
The fans of equestrian sport are like any other fan base web savvy and eager for more information behind the scenes content and to share their opin-ions and thoughts ndash so it is an ideal partnership And from what we have seen these last few months and from the feedback we got from our blog at the Youth Olympic Games there is a real appetite for this
The FEI has dedicated Facebook Twitter and You Tube pages ndash why did you select these social media platforms The figures speak for themselveshellip Facebook Twit-ter and You Tube are the biggest players in the social networking space With over 500 million Facebook users 106 million Tweeters and 2 billion views a day on You Tube there has never been so much oppor-tunity for exposure Every site has different demo-graphics with different habits and needs so by having an FEI presence on these three networks we are able to cover a lot of ground and cater to different audi-ences by providing different types of content accord-ing to the platform
What are the main benefits of having a pres-ence on various social media platforms Itrsquos all about having a two way conversation ndash the benefits of dialogue where you can share content such as videos images facts and figures thoughts and values and then allow your fan base to react to get involved and to listen and learn from them By engaging with our audience and showing them that we are a modern and caring organisation and that we want to hear what they have to say then we are able to build trust and ultimately credibility in what we do and what we say
57FOCUS
TV
The offi cial video website of the Feacutedeacuteration Equestre Internationale
wwwfeitvorg
WATCH LIVE WATCH ONLINE
FEI TV is the FEIrsquos new offi cial video website and your ticket to the worldrsquos most prestigious competitions Sign-up to FEI TV (wwwfeitvorg) and get instant access to all the live broadcasts the extensive video-on-demand library all the highlights the behind the scenes reports the interviews and so much more Be at the heart of horsesport Join us
2823_1FEI_TV_Focus_165x226indd 1 170510 1124
It also keeps us alert as to what is being discussed and debated in the public sphere so that we can manage situations more effectively and be proactive in our messaging and information so that the facts are at the heart of the debate and not interpretations of them
How do you generate content for social media It was important when we launched our social me-dia presence that it be manageable with the exist-ing communications team in place ndash and so we have concentrated on keeping it simple and effective and using content innovatively Itrsquos not about reproduc-ing our website ndash but to engage with our fans and so often all you need is a good picture an interest-ing fact or great achievement to get the ball rolling For You Tube as we already have so much content generated from FEI TV it was simply a question of using bits and pieces from that content to provide the public with teasers from events interviews with winning riders or behind the scenes content which they can then follow up on FEI TV with a subscription
What are your Social media goals Itrsquos really to build relationships and dialogue with our fan base by using our content innovatively by listening to what they have to say and by engaging with the community And for the National Federa-tions that have yet to take that step we want to be a guiding hand that can help them get started so that they too can reap the benefits of social media net-working Our sport competes against other sports for attention so itrsquos really important that we the FEI and the National Federations keep our finger on the pulse and cater to our fans
How can National Federations get involved NFs wishing to find out more about Social Media can contact me (richardjohnsonfeiorg) and I would be more than happy to discuss opportunities and ways of getting started as well as our experience at the FEI
We asked our Facebook followers why it was important to use face-book and here are a few comments they came up with
bullItrsquos a great way to find out about shows and competitions
bullBecause facebook can provide up to the minute updates as to the what is going on in the horse community
bullWe can share information and ideas over long distances We can find and connect with people we wouldnt be able to otherwise
bullIt also lets us express the true realities of our spot to keep us grounded
bullIt can bring peoples attention to excellence ndash and expose the issues
58
TV
The offi cial video website of the Feacutedeacuteration Equestre Internationale
wwwfeitvorg
WATCH LIVE WATCH ONLINE
FEI TV is the FEIrsquos new offi cial video website and your ticket to the worldrsquos most prestigious competitions Sign-up to FEI TV (wwwfeitvorg) and get instant access to all the live broadcasts the extensive video-on-demand library all the highlights the behind the scenes reports the interviews and so much more Be at the heart of horsesport Join us
2823_1FEI_TV_Focus_165x226indd 1 170510 1124
ldquo Donrsquot accept drinks from a strangerrdquo
Armchair travel journalist
Are you living a life without boundaries Some well-meant advice is best ignored but itrsquos still good to know yoursquore covered when yoursquore away With HSBC Premier your family can be protected with both Travel Insurance and dedicated assistance when yoursquore abroad Which is reassuring to know when yoursquore making the most of life
HSBC Premier is subject to financial eligibility criteria and is available in over 40 countries and territories
Premier Travel Insurance covers you and your partner up to age 70 and your children travelling with you up to age 18
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A4 A4
Issued by HSBC Holdings plc Approved for use in UK by HSBC Bank plc Premier Travel Insurance is provided by Aviva Insurance UK Limited Customer Information Service PO Box 757 Hemel Hempstead Hertfordshire HP2 4SS Registered in England number 14259 Registered Office 8 Canada Square London E14 5HQ AC18770
201736_6000263_Coconut_226x165indd
Master 226x165
Rob Swainson 160211
HSBC - Coconuts Proof 01Head of Art TypographerDesigner ArtCreative Director Copywriter Account DirectorDIC Project ManagerPhotographer Illustrator Usage Model(s) Name(s) Usage
Media MediaStock Image Time Period Time Period
Territory Territory
8deg N ndash Kerala South India
globetrotter
Seal of approval for the Adai horseSixty years have passed since an Adai horse reportedly set a record galloping 354km in one day Today the Adai horse a breed na-tive to Kazakhstan is back in the spotlight with a gold medal at the FEI Central Asian Endurance Championship in Talgaearlier in May only months after having been award-ed official pedigree status following tests
conducted by a State Commission in the Mangistau Steppes which allowed itto compete internationally The horses are cherished for their hardiness and Oyly ridden by Altyngali Bissemaganbetov (KAZ) proved just that when crossing the finishing line first demonstrating just how tough the Adai horses are and the beginning of a new era for sturdy breed on the international stage
Equestrian Australia Sport
Achievement Awards
In May the best of the best in
Equestrian sport gathered to cel-
ebrate the achievements of Austral-
iarsquos athletes coaches officials vets
administrators owners volunteers
and the many other people that
dedicate their time and enthusiasm
to equestrian sport The ceremony
also included the introduction of
Equestrian Australiarsquos Hall of
Fame won by the legendary Bill
Roycroft Boyd Exell winner of
the FEI World CupTM Driving
Final was awarded the interna-
tional athlete of the year
award
Kevin Stautbecomes first athlete representative on FEI
executive board
Kevin Staut one of Francersquos most successful Jumping riders became the first athlete to be appointed to the FEI Executive Board for a three-year term Staut (31) who has held the number one spot in the Rolex Rankings for Jumping since July 2010 has ridden on numerous Nations Cup teams for France and claimed individual gold at the Alltech FEI European Jumping Championships in 2009
HulA CARTSWorld Horse Welfare has greatly helped the liv
es of
five Senegalese cart horse owners by presenting them
with new Hula Carts The local people who depend on
their working horses for their livelihoods were specially
selected by the charity to receive the carts which have
been sponsored by members of the public in the uK
The Hula Carts are specifically developed to help the
horses pulling heavy loads in often difficult conditions
Equestrian Australia Sport
Achievement Awards
In May the best of the best in
Equestrian sport gathered to cel-
ebrate the achievements of Austral-
iarsquos athletes coaches officials vets
administrators owners volunteers
and the many other people that
dedicate their time and enthusiasm
to equestrian sport The ceremony
also included the introduction of
Equestrian Australiarsquos Hall of
Fame won by the legendary Bill
Roycroft Boyd Exell winner of
the FEI World CupTM Driving
Final was awarded the interna-
tional athlete of the year
award
Olympic legendBill Roycroft passes away aged 96
A legend of Equestrian sport in Australia James William
George Roycroft OBE known as ldquoBillrdquo was one of Austral-
iarsquos greatest Olympians and one of only five Australians to
have competed in five consecutive Olympic Games (from
1960 - 1976) as well as being Australiarsquos oldest medallist
and oldest competitor at 61 years and 31 days In May 2011
Bill was inducted in Equestrian Australiarsquos inaugural Hall
of Fame ndash he was Australiarsquos oldest living Olympian and
shared his dedication and enthusiasm for the sport with
his sons Barry Wayne and Clarke (See a brief description
of his exploits in the 1960 Olympic Games Memory Lane
article page 9 which catapulted Australiarsquos reputation as
one of the best Eventing teams in the world)
webinfofeiFEI web wizard Nicole Sigrist has added a new hub for the Press on wwwfeiorg called FEI Press Kits located in the Media section of the website The Press Kits zone which is also open to the general public is regularly updated with infor-mation relating to FEI series and specific events with flip books and downloadable PDFs as well as direct links to the Photo Catalogue the Rankings and Standings the Annual Report and more
100thanniversary for Finnish riding club
One of the three found-ing member clubs of
the Finnish Equestrian Federation the Suomen
Kenttaumlratsastusseura-Finska Faumlltrittklubbenon celebrates
its 100th anniversary in 2011 Magnus Rydman former President of the Finnish National Federation and Presi-dent of the FEI from 1935 ndash 1946 was one of the founders of the club Another of the founders of the oldest club in Fin-land was the Eventing rider Colonel Hans Olof von Essen whose fifth place at the Antwerpen Olympic Games re-mains the best Olympic equestrian result the country has ever achieved
Follow us on
43FOCUS
Interview with the President of the Brazilian Equestrian Federation Mr Luiz Roberto Giugni
The Brazilian Equestrian Federation has been a member Federation of the FEI for 75 years how has the sport developed over that time We were facing regular growth (average of 25 in the last decade) but in the last three to four years this rate has significantly increased up to 35 a year We believe that this is due to international achievements (two Jumping Olympic team bronze medals the individual Olympic Jumping gold medal won by Rodrigo Pessoa several Pan Am Jumping team gold medals recent Olympic pre-qualification in Kentucky (4th in the world in Jumping) and the organisations of a Global Champions Tour event in Brazil
In terms of developing the sport what are the most successful projects you have undertaken in recent yearsWe decided to invest in education and have hired international trainers for all the disciplines such as Jean Maurice Bonneau for Jumping Nick Turner for Eventing Eric Lette for Dressage Jean Louis Leclerc for Endurance Mattias Lang for Vaulting with the long term in mind that is at least until the end of 2012 and planning towards 2016 when Rio will host the Olympic Games
How popular is equestrian sport with young people in Brazil and how do you compete with some of the bigger sports for their attention Popularization is growing bit by bit in a country
decidedly dominated by soccer ndash being 5 times World Champion makes it a national passion But we are continuously looking to attract TV to our events as this is a huge step towards gaining visibility and popularity Can you tell us about the programmesinitiatives in place for disabled athletes We are actively pursuing this and have achieved really positive results in little time such as the great performances and medals earned at the Para-lympic Games in Hong Kong in 2008 We do this through clinics courses international exchanges of athletes and working alongside our National Paralympic Committee to support us in our efforts
Brazil will be host the FEI General Assembly at the end of the year what do you want all the visiting delegates to remember from their visit That we are more than just a really beautiful and warm country with the ability and capacity to organise great events and that we are committed to putting on the best Olympic Games ever
What are the main objectivesplans for the Brazilian Federation in the lead up to the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games Our NOC is really committed to raising the bar of all the sports to a level never seen before and we are working towards that in terms of our athletes our judges our venues and everything that is related to our sport and the quality of our sport In line with this objective we are providing incen-tives to owners to buy good horses aiming for 2016 and this is going to plan for now We expect to perform well at the upcoming Pan Am Games and Olympics on our trail to 2016
Is there anything else you would like to share with us I would like to thank HRH Princess Haya President of the FEI as well as the Executive Board for all the support that we are getting which has been paramount to the development of equestrian sport in our country
44
President Luiz Roberto GiugniSecretary General Luiz Antonio RoccoMember since 1935
15 members of staff work at the federation
20 regional federations are affiliated tothe Brazilian Equestrian Federation with over 300 member riding clubs
6 000 affiliated riders
91 national events were held in 2010
31 international events were held in 2010
All the FEI disciplines are practiced in BrazilJumping Dressage Eventing Vaulting Reining EnduranceDriving amp Para-Equestrian
14 breeding organisations
There are 58 million horses and ponies in Brazilmaking it the fourth largest equine population in the world
FAC
TS amp
FIG
URE
S
45FOCUS
Dr Gerit Matthesen56 is a private equine practitioner an FEI Vet and a member of the FEI Veterinary Committee He graduated in Veterinary Medicine from Berlin University in 1983 and since 1989 has worked or officiated at some 180 competitions and championships including the last two Olympics and FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade He lives near Frankfurt with his wife Carola and their sons Mike (16) and Lars (14)
46
A life in a day
Dr Gerit Matthesen56 is a private equine practitioner an FEI Vet and a member of the FEI Veterinary Committee He graduated in Veterinary Medicine from Berlin University in 1983 and since 1989 has worked or officiated at some 180 competitions and championships including the last two Olympics and FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade He lives near Frankfurt with his wife Carola and their sons Mike (16) and Lars (14)
I wake up earlier than I need to ndash at around 6am ndash because breakfast time with my family is sacred to me and I can then drive my boys to the village station to take the train to school After two cups of coffee (enough for the day) and a glass of orange juice I read the newspapers then head to my prac-tice offices in our indoor arena I have a quick look at our horses then start work
While I listen to my phone messages I deal with my emails and search the internet for news about veterinary medicine and horse sport I then start planning the dayacutes schedule with Anna my assistant vet
My mobile practice is in a nice fairly rural area in the north of Frankfurt There are lots of horse farms but it is not a classic breeding area like the northern part of Germany There are sport horses as well as pleasure horses I have examination rooms and stables for horses staying or mares foaling in my practice stables Itrsquos not a big clinic which gives me time to work at competitions
After seeing a few small animals in my practice I normally start my field service at 930am In my car I have enough equipment (ultrasound X-ray systems and endoscopical devices) for the dayrsquos examinations and standing procedures We mainly have lameness examinations to do or internal diseases to treat accompanied by routine work like vaccinations or carrying out pre-purchase or health certificate examinations If time allows I go home for a quick lunch but thatrsquos not every day
While Irsquom driving I have time to think and I write down everything that come to mind regarding sport competitions committees and so on You have to write down your thoughts when yoursquore over the age of 50
It is not easy planning my day because any emer-gency can destroy or delay my schedule For all the paperwork and certificates I need a time frame so
I often do that over quiet weekends when there are no competitions During the winter season I am less busy but in summer a lot of weekends are taken over by the competition schedule
I love my work especially in Eventing which is my favourite discipline My wife and I practiced it ndash not up to top level but it was a fine time despite a bro-ken ankle from a fall in 1988 which after 23 years is making walking more and more difficult for me
I like to do my competition work on a friendly but strict basis and I really like to hear riders saying they are treated fairly Over the years I have acquired a lot of experience and met all the officials and riders
Usually when I return home in the late afternoon there are more small animals to see When Irsquove done the dayrsquos paperwork I hope there will be no more emergencies such as cases of colic which usually occur in the early evening
I look forward to getting on my horse which is a beautiful show-jumper I like to ride but Irsquove stopped competing I do dressage jumping and go out into the fields but itrsquos all just for fun now
The day finishes with the family and a nice cold glass of German beer
Itrsquos a struggle to find time to spend with my family and I often have to cancel my holidays with them I am really grateful to my wife and the boys for their understanding of my job and to my assistant vet who covers for me when Iacutem out somewhere in the world of equestrian sport
ldquoThe combination of my profession and beinginvolved in differentaspects of top equestrian sport is my visionrdquo
47FOCUS
Pull your show attire from the closet clean your boots and tack groom the horses hook up and pack the trailer check the clock double check to make sure you have everything put on the shipping boots load your horses and away you drive to the competition venue or to the airport for transport to a distant event
You know the drill well but still you arrive tired per-haps even a bit frazzled Yoursquoll sleep (or try to) the next several nights in an unfamiliar bed or camp out in the living quarters of your trailer You awaken riveted on the competition playing out the dayrsquos classes in your mind wondering how your rides will fare against oth-ers praying that the weather will be cooperate and trying to control your nerves all the while knowing that no matter how well you have prepared many factors are out of your control You may even be in a different time zone
We go through a lot to compete our horses But if you think life on the road is stressful for you think about what itrsquos like for your horses Your back may be a bit sore from driving or being strapped into an airplane seat for hours on end but for horses transportation is far more demanding It is an athletic endeavour re-quiring an expenditure of energy to maintain balance during the constant movement of transport When your horses arrive they face social isolation from stablemates lack of security in novel environments altered training regimes water that tastes strange and the confines of an unfamiliar stall This routine impacts a horsersquos health and well being with effects
continuing long after the journey is over During transport toxic gases (such as ammonia or carbon monoxide) can cause damage to the lung epithelium precipitating respiratory disease The
final destination itself can also cause problems Usually horses are transported to environments where they will be mixing with other horses The mixing of horses from different environments with different infectious organisms and under stressful conditions further precipitates susceptibility to disease
This can have a severe impact on the equine gut The stress of transportation is known to increase gut ulceration in the horse a painful condition reducing performance and causing colic-like symptoms Stress can also slow the flow of digesta and alter the normal gut flora resulting in digestive upset and possibly diarrhoea or colic
The effects of travel stress on the gut are compounded by the typical diet of the regular equine traveller To maintain athletic ability high performance horses are often fed energy-charged diets contain-ing increased levels of starchy materials such as cereal grains Unfortunately this type of diet can reduce beneficial types of gut flora and promote gut acidity further predisposing the horse to digestive upsets and ulceration It is not surprising that stressed tired horses may not fulfill their potential on arrival
Feeding to reduce stress for the equine traveller
By Darlene RickerExecutive editor of Alltechrsquos EQUINE INTERNATIONAL magazine
48
Alltech Tips
growth of opportunistic Salmonella spp which are present in the intestinal tract of many healthy horses These bacteria then attach to the gut lining via a mannan sugar and penetrate it causing damage and resulting in diarrhoea One method of prevent-ing or minimising the attachment of these organ-
isms to the gut lining is to provide an adsorbant supplement A form of sugar found in the cell walls of certain yeasts can do this This sugar compound is called man-nan oligosaccharide or MOS MOS products such as Alltechrsquos Bio-Mosreg have been shown to re-duce the colonization of Salmonella
spp in the guts of certain species and augment the immune response to Salmonella spp potentially conferring an enhanced ability to fight infection Both Yea-Saccreg 1026 and Bio-Mos are among the natural products contained in Alltechrsquos LIFEFORCETM equine supplement which many FEI competitors have successfully incorporated into their daily feeding regimen at home and on the road
lifeforcehorsecom
and may be subject to health concerns in the days following a long journey Fortunately however you can curb some of the effects of travel stress on the horsersquos gut by nutritional supplementation Organic yeast products used to supplement a horsersquos diet can support the normal gut flora modifying the intesti-nal environment and improving the horsersquos digestion One such culture is Saccharomyces cerevisae in the form of Yea-Saccreg 1026 Alltechrsquos propriety organic yeast
Experiments were conducted to evaluate the effects Yea-Sacc on gut flora and gut acidity Horses were fed either a high-starch or a high-fibre diet both with and without supplementation of Yea-Saccreg 1026 Results indicated an excessive amount of starch in the gut The use of Yea-Sacc reduced acidity and stimulat-ed the activity of fibre-digesting bacteria in the hind-gut for both types of diet The result was maximised fibre digestibility and more efficient use of nutrients thus increasing the amount of energy available to the horse for performance and counteracting digestive upset Salmonellosis is one of the more commonly di-agnosed infectious causes of diarrhoea in horses Many cases develop after the stress of transport The effects of travel stress on the normal gut flora allow an over-
Moorlands Totilas arrives for the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade after air transport copy Dirk Caremans
HRH The Infanta Dontildea Pilar de Borboacuten former President of the FEI (1994-2006) also attended the inauguration along-side HRH Princess Lalla Amina Chairperson of the Royal Moroccan Federation for Equestrian Sports and member of the international Advisory Council of Special OlympicsThey were joined by International Olympic Commit-tee members representatives from other Interna-tional Federations federal and local Swiss authorities as well as architects and designers that worked on the project Switzerlandrsquos Martin Fuchs a member of the gold medal winning team at the inaugural Youth Olympic Games in Singapore last year accompanied FEI President Princess Haya in officially opening the FEI headquarters
ldquoThe building we are inaugurating today has been designed to serve our wonderful sportrdquo explained FEI
President Princess Haya ldquoI also feel an immense
sense of pride knowing that this building carries the name
of my late father and hope that this serves as a constant reminder
to all of us who work at the FEI of a unique statesman whose entire soul was devoted to the service of his people Our new headquarters will play a key role for the FEI and our National Federa-tions over the coming years It will be the environ-ment in which important discussions take place and fundamental decisions are taken as we continue our mission to advance the orderly growth of equestrian sport worldwide while ensuring that the welfare of the horse and a level playing field remain at the centre of all that we dordquo
FEI celebratesNEW Headquarters
Over 250 guests attended the inauguration ceremony on Friday 6 May at HM King Hussein I Building which was timed to coincide with the FEI
Extraordinary General Assembly so that attending NationalFederation representatives
could be a part ofthe celebrations
1 Youth Olympic Games team champion Martin Fuchs (SUI) FEI President HRH Princess Haya and her daughter HH Sheikha Al Jalila officially open the FEIrsquos new home 2 Gilbert Felli IOC Olympic Games Executive Director and FEI Secretary General Ingmar de Vos 3 HRH The Infanta Dontildea Pilar de Borboacuten sits down to an interactive quiz in the FEI Gallery 4 Guests gathered in the atrium of the FEI HeadquartersAll images copy Hugues SiegenthalerFEI
Highlights available on50
1
2
3 4
5
6 7
8
THE GALLERy
As well as housing offices for its 62 employees and conference facilities for its 133 National Federations the new headquarters also has a state-of-the-art in-teractive gallery showcasing equestrian sport
The Gallery is the brainchild of Dr Amichai Alper-ovich historian former Secretary General of the Is-raeli Equestrian Federation and curator of the Israeli Olympic Museum (opened in 2009) He worked hand in hand with the Tel Aviv based company Disk-In Pro and interior designer Oded Alony to help bring the content to life and the result is truly unique and ground breaking Giant glass surfaces act as interac-tive interfaces for the visitors to travel through time
The FEIrsquos new headquarters which were donated to the Federation by FEI Presi-dent HRH Princess Haya in 2007 fol-lowing a personal fundraising effort are conveniently located close to the Inter-national Olympic Committee and other international sports federations It has been written into the FEI Statutes that the new FEI headquarters building will always house the Federationrsquos offices In 2008 the building was thoroughly renovated in accordance with the Swiss MINERGIEreg construction standard for environmental responsibility which re-duces energy consumption by 25 per cent Only two per cent of renovated buildings in Switzerland meet the high Minergie standards Khuan Chew founder and design princi-pal of London-based architectural firm KCA International Ltd worked in close collaboration with Swiss-based architect Herveacute de Rham and interior designer Sia-vosh Adeli (SUI) to transform the build-ing which was built in the 1960s The modern and sleek interior was further enhanced with bespoke artworks pro-duced by Swiss creative agency b+g amp partners and imagery by world-famous equestrian art photographer Tim Flach where the simplicity and beauty of his equine subjects seamlessly embrace and accentuate the buildingrsquos pure lines and natural materials (see image left)
As they feasted on the innate beauty of their sur-roundings the guests also had the privilege to ex-perience the culinary talents of organic chef and specialist Gilles Wannaz and his team based in the town of Cully which sits on the edge of Lac Leman in Switzerlandrsquos famous Lavaux wine growing region
5 HRH Princess Haya welcomes the guests to the Inauguration of the HQ and the 90 year celebration of the FEI 6 Artwork by renowned pho-tographer Tim Flach 7 An organic and colourful buffet presented on an authentic lawn by local chef Gilles Wannaz 8 A life size horse sculpture by Christophe Dumont greeted the guests upon their arrival
53FOCUS
and space with the latest in touch technology revis-iting the history of the FEI the equestrian events at Olympic amp Paralympic Games the FEI World Eques-trian Gamestrade and information on all of the member National Federations with statistics videos images and text The Gallery also includes projections on ar-chitectural surfaces designed by Oded Alony referred to as the Origami as well as interactive stations and unique video projections on glass screens
For all those wishing to visit the FEI Gallery simply contact the FEI HQ to make an appointment and we would be delighted to take you on a journey to dis-cover or rediscover the human and equine athletes whose talents have marked equestrian history and inspired young riders drivers and vaulters around the world
Interview withDrAmichaiAlperovich
When did you first dream up the FEIInteractive Gallery When I found out the FEI was planning to move into new HQ in 2009 Disk-In Pro and I approached the FEI and presented them with several concepts for the space Before long we had agreed on the concept and we got to work
Why were you compelled to make it become a reality So that the FEI a prominent sports organisation could present itself to a growing audience in a new and visionary way with the latest technology And by doing so the FEI is a pioneer becoming the first International Federation to have a Gallery of this kind
What did you learn when researching and gathering content for the gallery I have learned a lot about the history of the FEI the strong Olympic tradition the diversity of disciplines the gender equality and the unique bond between horse and man One of the more fascinating topics was the evolution of the Dressage from itsrsquo Olympic debut to the modern Freestyle
Itrsquos very innovative technology what inspired you to take such a leap into the future with such a traditional sport Just as Dressage has evolved over the years and alongside the introduction of new disciplines partic-ularly Para-Equestrian you come to realise that the FEI is not as traditional as one would think Actually this kind of innovative presentation of equestrian history is really well suited to the FEI In the same way that you can have horse-man connections there is an audience-technology connection in the Gallery The audience have to be active in order to enjoy the depth of information the Gallery contains
54
Now it is time to open the door to new places to learn about sport ndash at the heart of sporting organi-sations themselves The Gallery is more than an informative tool it brings people to the sport andto the heart of its operations
Established in 1990 Disk-In Pro specialises in the planning design production and implementation of Museums Visitor Centres and sophisticated projects around the world This includes multi screen produc-tion animation 3D amp interactive films state-of-the-art software platforms and complex video displays for an unforgettable experience
Oded Alony holds a BA in Design from the Interior Design Section of the Holon Technological Institute and has since 1998 worked with Israelrsquos leading Architecture firms The Oded Alony Studio embraces holistic design a space where interior design lighting and graphics are brought together to create a harmo-nious project vision
Now that you have seen it unveiled to the public how would you like to see it evolve I hope the audience will be amazed from the design by architect Oded Alony and the new methods to deliver information whilst discovering the long his-tory of the FEI the diversity and the global reach of the organisation I hope the Gallery will become an icon in Lausanne and one of its highlights for visitors I promise the visitors a new platform to learn about equestrianism and each visit could be different as the information and themes will be updated and modi-fied regularly
This futuristic gallery is a first for anInternational Federation do you think thisis something all sports should invest inThe FEI took this courageous decision and now has this fantastic tool to present the organisation in new ways Sport is a huge cultural phenomenaWe have learned to consume sport in the arenas and stadiums in the press media and new media
Dr Amichai Alperovich
55FOCUS
SOCIAL MEDIAthe new frontier
Follow us on
The FEI has recently embarked on and embraced a whole new way of talking with the greater equestrian community through the ever expanding social media networks and platformsWith personalised Facebook Twitter and You Tube pages the FEI is taking it step by step and reaching out to this growing audience and listening to what they have to say
This new communication platform is by no means a substitution of the traditional communication path-ways but works alongside the press releases various publications and content on wwwfeiorg and wwwfeitvorg providing a new arena where the FEI can share interact and dialogue with fans of the sport and of equestrian values in general
We talk to Richard Johnson Director of Corporate Communications about the FEIrsquos commitment to social media
What compelled the FEI to venture onto the social media scene As a governing body with a vibrant and active com-munity of National Federations as well as thousands of fans the need to reach out to the online social community has never been stronger We have been watching the communities grow online for some time and have been listening to their conversations so being a part of it was the next logical step and a really important one The conversations will hap-pen with or without us so taking that step has been crucial in order to share our values and also build re-lationships with our fan base
Tradition meets modernity ndash does equestrian sportthe FEI have a place in social media Absolutely even though equestrian sport has a long history and is perceived as a traditional sport it is
always evolving In the 90 years of the FEI which was founded to govern the three Olympic disciplines it has grown to also oversee the disciplines of Driving Endurance Vaulting Reining and Para-Equestrian sport Or if you look at the early days when competi-tors were from military backgrounds and when wom-en did not compete alongside men to the complete gender equality we have today ndash a lot has changed and is in a constant state of change
The fans of equestrian sport are like any other fan base web savvy and eager for more information behind the scenes content and to share their opin-ions and thoughts ndash so it is an ideal partnership And from what we have seen these last few months and from the feedback we got from our blog at the Youth Olympic Games there is a real appetite for this
The FEI has dedicated Facebook Twitter and You Tube pages ndash why did you select these social media platforms The figures speak for themselveshellip Facebook Twit-ter and You Tube are the biggest players in the social networking space With over 500 million Facebook users 106 million Tweeters and 2 billion views a day on You Tube there has never been so much oppor-tunity for exposure Every site has different demo-graphics with different habits and needs so by having an FEI presence on these three networks we are able to cover a lot of ground and cater to different audi-ences by providing different types of content accord-ing to the platform
What are the main benefits of having a pres-ence on various social media platforms Itrsquos all about having a two way conversation ndash the benefits of dialogue where you can share content such as videos images facts and figures thoughts and values and then allow your fan base to react to get involved and to listen and learn from them By engaging with our audience and showing them that we are a modern and caring organisation and that we want to hear what they have to say then we are able to build trust and ultimately credibility in what we do and what we say
57FOCUS
TV
The offi cial video website of the Feacutedeacuteration Equestre Internationale
wwwfeitvorg
WATCH LIVE WATCH ONLINE
FEI TV is the FEIrsquos new offi cial video website and your ticket to the worldrsquos most prestigious competitions Sign-up to FEI TV (wwwfeitvorg) and get instant access to all the live broadcasts the extensive video-on-demand library all the highlights the behind the scenes reports the interviews and so much more Be at the heart of horsesport Join us
2823_1FEI_TV_Focus_165x226indd 1 170510 1124
It also keeps us alert as to what is being discussed and debated in the public sphere so that we can manage situations more effectively and be proactive in our messaging and information so that the facts are at the heart of the debate and not interpretations of them
How do you generate content for social media It was important when we launched our social me-dia presence that it be manageable with the exist-ing communications team in place ndash and so we have concentrated on keeping it simple and effective and using content innovatively Itrsquos not about reproduc-ing our website ndash but to engage with our fans and so often all you need is a good picture an interest-ing fact or great achievement to get the ball rolling For You Tube as we already have so much content generated from FEI TV it was simply a question of using bits and pieces from that content to provide the public with teasers from events interviews with winning riders or behind the scenes content which they can then follow up on FEI TV with a subscription
What are your Social media goals Itrsquos really to build relationships and dialogue with our fan base by using our content innovatively by listening to what they have to say and by engaging with the community And for the National Federa-tions that have yet to take that step we want to be a guiding hand that can help them get started so that they too can reap the benefits of social media net-working Our sport competes against other sports for attention so itrsquos really important that we the FEI and the National Federations keep our finger on the pulse and cater to our fans
How can National Federations get involved NFs wishing to find out more about Social Media can contact me (richardjohnsonfeiorg) and I would be more than happy to discuss opportunities and ways of getting started as well as our experience at the FEI
We asked our Facebook followers why it was important to use face-book and here are a few comments they came up with
bullItrsquos a great way to find out about shows and competitions
bullBecause facebook can provide up to the minute updates as to the what is going on in the horse community
bullWe can share information and ideas over long distances We can find and connect with people we wouldnt be able to otherwise
bullIt also lets us express the true realities of our spot to keep us grounded
bullIt can bring peoples attention to excellence ndash and expose the issues
58
TV
The offi cial video website of the Feacutedeacuteration Equestre Internationale
wwwfeitvorg
WATCH LIVE WATCH ONLINE
FEI TV is the FEIrsquos new offi cial video website and your ticket to the worldrsquos most prestigious competitions Sign-up to FEI TV (wwwfeitvorg) and get instant access to all the live broadcasts the extensive video-on-demand library all the highlights the behind the scenes reports the interviews and so much more Be at the heart of horsesport Join us
2823_1FEI_TV_Focus_165x226indd 1 170510 1124
ldquo Donrsquot accept drinks from a strangerrdquo
Armchair travel journalist
Are you living a life without boundaries Some well-meant advice is best ignored but itrsquos still good to know yoursquore covered when yoursquore away With HSBC Premier your family can be protected with both Travel Insurance and dedicated assistance when yoursquore abroad Which is reassuring to know when yoursquore making the most of life
HSBC Premier is subject to financial eligibility criteria and is available in over 40 countries and territories
Premier Travel Insurance covers you and your partner up to age 70 and your children travelling with you up to age 18
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A4 A4
Issued by HSBC Holdings plc Approved for use in UK by HSBC Bank plc Premier Travel Insurance is provided by Aviva Insurance UK Limited Customer Information Service PO Box 757 Hemel Hempstead Hertfordshire HP2 4SS Registered in England number 14259 Registered Office 8 Canada Square London E14 5HQ AC18770
201736_6000263_Coconut_226x165indd
Master 226x165
Rob Swainson 160211
HSBC - Coconuts Proof 01Head of Art TypographerDesigner ArtCreative Director Copywriter Account DirectorDIC Project ManagerPhotographer Illustrator Usage Model(s) Name(s) Usage
Media MediaStock Image Time Period Time Period
Territory Territory
8deg N ndash Kerala South India
HulA CARTSWorld Horse Welfare has greatly helped the liv
es of
five Senegalese cart horse owners by presenting them
with new Hula Carts The local people who depend on
their working horses for their livelihoods were specially
selected by the charity to receive the carts which have
been sponsored by members of the public in the uK
The Hula Carts are specifically developed to help the
horses pulling heavy loads in often difficult conditions
Equestrian Australia Sport
Achievement Awards
In May the best of the best in
Equestrian sport gathered to cel-
ebrate the achievements of Austral-
iarsquos athletes coaches officials vets
administrators owners volunteers
and the many other people that
dedicate their time and enthusiasm
to equestrian sport The ceremony
also included the introduction of
Equestrian Australiarsquos Hall of
Fame won by the legendary Bill
Roycroft Boyd Exell winner of
the FEI World CupTM Driving
Final was awarded the interna-
tional athlete of the year
award
Olympic legendBill Roycroft passes away aged 96
A legend of Equestrian sport in Australia James William
George Roycroft OBE known as ldquoBillrdquo was one of Austral-
iarsquos greatest Olympians and one of only five Australians to
have competed in five consecutive Olympic Games (from
1960 - 1976) as well as being Australiarsquos oldest medallist
and oldest competitor at 61 years and 31 days In May 2011
Bill was inducted in Equestrian Australiarsquos inaugural Hall
of Fame ndash he was Australiarsquos oldest living Olympian and
shared his dedication and enthusiasm for the sport with
his sons Barry Wayne and Clarke (See a brief description
of his exploits in the 1960 Olympic Games Memory Lane
article page 9 which catapulted Australiarsquos reputation as
one of the best Eventing teams in the world)
webinfofeiFEI web wizard Nicole Sigrist has added a new hub for the Press on wwwfeiorg called FEI Press Kits located in the Media section of the website The Press Kits zone which is also open to the general public is regularly updated with infor-mation relating to FEI series and specific events with flip books and downloadable PDFs as well as direct links to the Photo Catalogue the Rankings and Standings the Annual Report and more
100thanniversary for Finnish riding club
One of the three found-ing member clubs of
the Finnish Equestrian Federation the Suomen
Kenttaumlratsastusseura-Finska Faumlltrittklubbenon celebrates
its 100th anniversary in 2011 Magnus Rydman former President of the Finnish National Federation and Presi-dent of the FEI from 1935 ndash 1946 was one of the founders of the club Another of the founders of the oldest club in Fin-land was the Eventing rider Colonel Hans Olof von Essen whose fifth place at the Antwerpen Olympic Games re-mains the best Olympic equestrian result the country has ever achieved
Follow us on
43FOCUS
Interview with the President of the Brazilian Equestrian Federation Mr Luiz Roberto Giugni
The Brazilian Equestrian Federation has been a member Federation of the FEI for 75 years how has the sport developed over that time We were facing regular growth (average of 25 in the last decade) but in the last three to four years this rate has significantly increased up to 35 a year We believe that this is due to international achievements (two Jumping Olympic team bronze medals the individual Olympic Jumping gold medal won by Rodrigo Pessoa several Pan Am Jumping team gold medals recent Olympic pre-qualification in Kentucky (4th in the world in Jumping) and the organisations of a Global Champions Tour event in Brazil
In terms of developing the sport what are the most successful projects you have undertaken in recent yearsWe decided to invest in education and have hired international trainers for all the disciplines such as Jean Maurice Bonneau for Jumping Nick Turner for Eventing Eric Lette for Dressage Jean Louis Leclerc for Endurance Mattias Lang for Vaulting with the long term in mind that is at least until the end of 2012 and planning towards 2016 when Rio will host the Olympic Games
How popular is equestrian sport with young people in Brazil and how do you compete with some of the bigger sports for their attention Popularization is growing bit by bit in a country
decidedly dominated by soccer ndash being 5 times World Champion makes it a national passion But we are continuously looking to attract TV to our events as this is a huge step towards gaining visibility and popularity Can you tell us about the programmesinitiatives in place for disabled athletes We are actively pursuing this and have achieved really positive results in little time such as the great performances and medals earned at the Para-lympic Games in Hong Kong in 2008 We do this through clinics courses international exchanges of athletes and working alongside our National Paralympic Committee to support us in our efforts
Brazil will be host the FEI General Assembly at the end of the year what do you want all the visiting delegates to remember from their visit That we are more than just a really beautiful and warm country with the ability and capacity to organise great events and that we are committed to putting on the best Olympic Games ever
What are the main objectivesplans for the Brazilian Federation in the lead up to the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games Our NOC is really committed to raising the bar of all the sports to a level never seen before and we are working towards that in terms of our athletes our judges our venues and everything that is related to our sport and the quality of our sport In line with this objective we are providing incen-tives to owners to buy good horses aiming for 2016 and this is going to plan for now We expect to perform well at the upcoming Pan Am Games and Olympics on our trail to 2016
Is there anything else you would like to share with us I would like to thank HRH Princess Haya President of the FEI as well as the Executive Board for all the support that we are getting which has been paramount to the development of equestrian sport in our country
44
President Luiz Roberto GiugniSecretary General Luiz Antonio RoccoMember since 1935
15 members of staff work at the federation
20 regional federations are affiliated tothe Brazilian Equestrian Federation with over 300 member riding clubs
6 000 affiliated riders
91 national events were held in 2010
31 international events were held in 2010
All the FEI disciplines are practiced in BrazilJumping Dressage Eventing Vaulting Reining EnduranceDriving amp Para-Equestrian
14 breeding organisations
There are 58 million horses and ponies in Brazilmaking it the fourth largest equine population in the world
FAC
TS amp
FIG
URE
S
45FOCUS
Dr Gerit Matthesen56 is a private equine practitioner an FEI Vet and a member of the FEI Veterinary Committee He graduated in Veterinary Medicine from Berlin University in 1983 and since 1989 has worked or officiated at some 180 competitions and championships including the last two Olympics and FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade He lives near Frankfurt with his wife Carola and their sons Mike (16) and Lars (14)
46
A life in a day
Dr Gerit Matthesen56 is a private equine practitioner an FEI Vet and a member of the FEI Veterinary Committee He graduated in Veterinary Medicine from Berlin University in 1983 and since 1989 has worked or officiated at some 180 competitions and championships including the last two Olympics and FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade He lives near Frankfurt with his wife Carola and their sons Mike (16) and Lars (14)
I wake up earlier than I need to ndash at around 6am ndash because breakfast time with my family is sacred to me and I can then drive my boys to the village station to take the train to school After two cups of coffee (enough for the day) and a glass of orange juice I read the newspapers then head to my prac-tice offices in our indoor arena I have a quick look at our horses then start work
While I listen to my phone messages I deal with my emails and search the internet for news about veterinary medicine and horse sport I then start planning the dayacutes schedule with Anna my assistant vet
My mobile practice is in a nice fairly rural area in the north of Frankfurt There are lots of horse farms but it is not a classic breeding area like the northern part of Germany There are sport horses as well as pleasure horses I have examination rooms and stables for horses staying or mares foaling in my practice stables Itrsquos not a big clinic which gives me time to work at competitions
After seeing a few small animals in my practice I normally start my field service at 930am In my car I have enough equipment (ultrasound X-ray systems and endoscopical devices) for the dayrsquos examinations and standing procedures We mainly have lameness examinations to do or internal diseases to treat accompanied by routine work like vaccinations or carrying out pre-purchase or health certificate examinations If time allows I go home for a quick lunch but thatrsquos not every day
While Irsquom driving I have time to think and I write down everything that come to mind regarding sport competitions committees and so on You have to write down your thoughts when yoursquore over the age of 50
It is not easy planning my day because any emer-gency can destroy or delay my schedule For all the paperwork and certificates I need a time frame so
I often do that over quiet weekends when there are no competitions During the winter season I am less busy but in summer a lot of weekends are taken over by the competition schedule
I love my work especially in Eventing which is my favourite discipline My wife and I practiced it ndash not up to top level but it was a fine time despite a bro-ken ankle from a fall in 1988 which after 23 years is making walking more and more difficult for me
I like to do my competition work on a friendly but strict basis and I really like to hear riders saying they are treated fairly Over the years I have acquired a lot of experience and met all the officials and riders
Usually when I return home in the late afternoon there are more small animals to see When Irsquove done the dayrsquos paperwork I hope there will be no more emergencies such as cases of colic which usually occur in the early evening
I look forward to getting on my horse which is a beautiful show-jumper I like to ride but Irsquove stopped competing I do dressage jumping and go out into the fields but itrsquos all just for fun now
The day finishes with the family and a nice cold glass of German beer
Itrsquos a struggle to find time to spend with my family and I often have to cancel my holidays with them I am really grateful to my wife and the boys for their understanding of my job and to my assistant vet who covers for me when Iacutem out somewhere in the world of equestrian sport
ldquoThe combination of my profession and beinginvolved in differentaspects of top equestrian sport is my visionrdquo
47FOCUS
Pull your show attire from the closet clean your boots and tack groom the horses hook up and pack the trailer check the clock double check to make sure you have everything put on the shipping boots load your horses and away you drive to the competition venue or to the airport for transport to a distant event
You know the drill well but still you arrive tired per-haps even a bit frazzled Yoursquoll sleep (or try to) the next several nights in an unfamiliar bed or camp out in the living quarters of your trailer You awaken riveted on the competition playing out the dayrsquos classes in your mind wondering how your rides will fare against oth-ers praying that the weather will be cooperate and trying to control your nerves all the while knowing that no matter how well you have prepared many factors are out of your control You may even be in a different time zone
We go through a lot to compete our horses But if you think life on the road is stressful for you think about what itrsquos like for your horses Your back may be a bit sore from driving or being strapped into an airplane seat for hours on end but for horses transportation is far more demanding It is an athletic endeavour re-quiring an expenditure of energy to maintain balance during the constant movement of transport When your horses arrive they face social isolation from stablemates lack of security in novel environments altered training regimes water that tastes strange and the confines of an unfamiliar stall This routine impacts a horsersquos health and well being with effects
continuing long after the journey is over During transport toxic gases (such as ammonia or carbon monoxide) can cause damage to the lung epithelium precipitating respiratory disease The
final destination itself can also cause problems Usually horses are transported to environments where they will be mixing with other horses The mixing of horses from different environments with different infectious organisms and under stressful conditions further precipitates susceptibility to disease
This can have a severe impact on the equine gut The stress of transportation is known to increase gut ulceration in the horse a painful condition reducing performance and causing colic-like symptoms Stress can also slow the flow of digesta and alter the normal gut flora resulting in digestive upset and possibly diarrhoea or colic
The effects of travel stress on the gut are compounded by the typical diet of the regular equine traveller To maintain athletic ability high performance horses are often fed energy-charged diets contain-ing increased levels of starchy materials such as cereal grains Unfortunately this type of diet can reduce beneficial types of gut flora and promote gut acidity further predisposing the horse to digestive upsets and ulceration It is not surprising that stressed tired horses may not fulfill their potential on arrival
Feeding to reduce stress for the equine traveller
By Darlene RickerExecutive editor of Alltechrsquos EQUINE INTERNATIONAL magazine
48
Alltech Tips
growth of opportunistic Salmonella spp which are present in the intestinal tract of many healthy horses These bacteria then attach to the gut lining via a mannan sugar and penetrate it causing damage and resulting in diarrhoea One method of prevent-ing or minimising the attachment of these organ-
isms to the gut lining is to provide an adsorbant supplement A form of sugar found in the cell walls of certain yeasts can do this This sugar compound is called man-nan oligosaccharide or MOS MOS products such as Alltechrsquos Bio-Mosreg have been shown to re-duce the colonization of Salmonella
spp in the guts of certain species and augment the immune response to Salmonella spp potentially conferring an enhanced ability to fight infection Both Yea-Saccreg 1026 and Bio-Mos are among the natural products contained in Alltechrsquos LIFEFORCETM equine supplement which many FEI competitors have successfully incorporated into their daily feeding regimen at home and on the road
lifeforcehorsecom
and may be subject to health concerns in the days following a long journey Fortunately however you can curb some of the effects of travel stress on the horsersquos gut by nutritional supplementation Organic yeast products used to supplement a horsersquos diet can support the normal gut flora modifying the intesti-nal environment and improving the horsersquos digestion One such culture is Saccharomyces cerevisae in the form of Yea-Saccreg 1026 Alltechrsquos propriety organic yeast
Experiments were conducted to evaluate the effects Yea-Sacc on gut flora and gut acidity Horses were fed either a high-starch or a high-fibre diet both with and without supplementation of Yea-Saccreg 1026 Results indicated an excessive amount of starch in the gut The use of Yea-Sacc reduced acidity and stimulat-ed the activity of fibre-digesting bacteria in the hind-gut for both types of diet The result was maximised fibre digestibility and more efficient use of nutrients thus increasing the amount of energy available to the horse for performance and counteracting digestive upset Salmonellosis is one of the more commonly di-agnosed infectious causes of diarrhoea in horses Many cases develop after the stress of transport The effects of travel stress on the normal gut flora allow an over-
Moorlands Totilas arrives for the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade after air transport copy Dirk Caremans
HRH The Infanta Dontildea Pilar de Borboacuten former President of the FEI (1994-2006) also attended the inauguration along-side HRH Princess Lalla Amina Chairperson of the Royal Moroccan Federation for Equestrian Sports and member of the international Advisory Council of Special OlympicsThey were joined by International Olympic Commit-tee members representatives from other Interna-tional Federations federal and local Swiss authorities as well as architects and designers that worked on the project Switzerlandrsquos Martin Fuchs a member of the gold medal winning team at the inaugural Youth Olympic Games in Singapore last year accompanied FEI President Princess Haya in officially opening the FEI headquarters
ldquoThe building we are inaugurating today has been designed to serve our wonderful sportrdquo explained FEI
President Princess Haya ldquoI also feel an immense
sense of pride knowing that this building carries the name
of my late father and hope that this serves as a constant reminder
to all of us who work at the FEI of a unique statesman whose entire soul was devoted to the service of his people Our new headquarters will play a key role for the FEI and our National Federa-tions over the coming years It will be the environ-ment in which important discussions take place and fundamental decisions are taken as we continue our mission to advance the orderly growth of equestrian sport worldwide while ensuring that the welfare of the horse and a level playing field remain at the centre of all that we dordquo
FEI celebratesNEW Headquarters
Over 250 guests attended the inauguration ceremony on Friday 6 May at HM King Hussein I Building which was timed to coincide with the FEI
Extraordinary General Assembly so that attending NationalFederation representatives
could be a part ofthe celebrations
1 Youth Olympic Games team champion Martin Fuchs (SUI) FEI President HRH Princess Haya and her daughter HH Sheikha Al Jalila officially open the FEIrsquos new home 2 Gilbert Felli IOC Olympic Games Executive Director and FEI Secretary General Ingmar de Vos 3 HRH The Infanta Dontildea Pilar de Borboacuten sits down to an interactive quiz in the FEI Gallery 4 Guests gathered in the atrium of the FEI HeadquartersAll images copy Hugues SiegenthalerFEI
Highlights available on50
1
2
3 4
5
6 7
8
THE GALLERy
As well as housing offices for its 62 employees and conference facilities for its 133 National Federations the new headquarters also has a state-of-the-art in-teractive gallery showcasing equestrian sport
The Gallery is the brainchild of Dr Amichai Alper-ovich historian former Secretary General of the Is-raeli Equestrian Federation and curator of the Israeli Olympic Museum (opened in 2009) He worked hand in hand with the Tel Aviv based company Disk-In Pro and interior designer Oded Alony to help bring the content to life and the result is truly unique and ground breaking Giant glass surfaces act as interac-tive interfaces for the visitors to travel through time
The FEIrsquos new headquarters which were donated to the Federation by FEI Presi-dent HRH Princess Haya in 2007 fol-lowing a personal fundraising effort are conveniently located close to the Inter-national Olympic Committee and other international sports federations It has been written into the FEI Statutes that the new FEI headquarters building will always house the Federationrsquos offices In 2008 the building was thoroughly renovated in accordance with the Swiss MINERGIEreg construction standard for environmental responsibility which re-duces energy consumption by 25 per cent Only two per cent of renovated buildings in Switzerland meet the high Minergie standards Khuan Chew founder and design princi-pal of London-based architectural firm KCA International Ltd worked in close collaboration with Swiss-based architect Herveacute de Rham and interior designer Sia-vosh Adeli (SUI) to transform the build-ing which was built in the 1960s The modern and sleek interior was further enhanced with bespoke artworks pro-duced by Swiss creative agency b+g amp partners and imagery by world-famous equestrian art photographer Tim Flach where the simplicity and beauty of his equine subjects seamlessly embrace and accentuate the buildingrsquos pure lines and natural materials (see image left)
As they feasted on the innate beauty of their sur-roundings the guests also had the privilege to ex-perience the culinary talents of organic chef and specialist Gilles Wannaz and his team based in the town of Cully which sits on the edge of Lac Leman in Switzerlandrsquos famous Lavaux wine growing region
5 HRH Princess Haya welcomes the guests to the Inauguration of the HQ and the 90 year celebration of the FEI 6 Artwork by renowned pho-tographer Tim Flach 7 An organic and colourful buffet presented on an authentic lawn by local chef Gilles Wannaz 8 A life size horse sculpture by Christophe Dumont greeted the guests upon their arrival
53FOCUS
and space with the latest in touch technology revis-iting the history of the FEI the equestrian events at Olympic amp Paralympic Games the FEI World Eques-trian Gamestrade and information on all of the member National Federations with statistics videos images and text The Gallery also includes projections on ar-chitectural surfaces designed by Oded Alony referred to as the Origami as well as interactive stations and unique video projections on glass screens
For all those wishing to visit the FEI Gallery simply contact the FEI HQ to make an appointment and we would be delighted to take you on a journey to dis-cover or rediscover the human and equine athletes whose talents have marked equestrian history and inspired young riders drivers and vaulters around the world
Interview withDrAmichaiAlperovich
When did you first dream up the FEIInteractive Gallery When I found out the FEI was planning to move into new HQ in 2009 Disk-In Pro and I approached the FEI and presented them with several concepts for the space Before long we had agreed on the concept and we got to work
Why were you compelled to make it become a reality So that the FEI a prominent sports organisation could present itself to a growing audience in a new and visionary way with the latest technology And by doing so the FEI is a pioneer becoming the first International Federation to have a Gallery of this kind
What did you learn when researching and gathering content for the gallery I have learned a lot about the history of the FEI the strong Olympic tradition the diversity of disciplines the gender equality and the unique bond between horse and man One of the more fascinating topics was the evolution of the Dressage from itsrsquo Olympic debut to the modern Freestyle
Itrsquos very innovative technology what inspired you to take such a leap into the future with such a traditional sport Just as Dressage has evolved over the years and alongside the introduction of new disciplines partic-ularly Para-Equestrian you come to realise that the FEI is not as traditional as one would think Actually this kind of innovative presentation of equestrian history is really well suited to the FEI In the same way that you can have horse-man connections there is an audience-technology connection in the Gallery The audience have to be active in order to enjoy the depth of information the Gallery contains
54
Now it is time to open the door to new places to learn about sport ndash at the heart of sporting organi-sations themselves The Gallery is more than an informative tool it brings people to the sport andto the heart of its operations
Established in 1990 Disk-In Pro specialises in the planning design production and implementation of Museums Visitor Centres and sophisticated projects around the world This includes multi screen produc-tion animation 3D amp interactive films state-of-the-art software platforms and complex video displays for an unforgettable experience
Oded Alony holds a BA in Design from the Interior Design Section of the Holon Technological Institute and has since 1998 worked with Israelrsquos leading Architecture firms The Oded Alony Studio embraces holistic design a space where interior design lighting and graphics are brought together to create a harmo-nious project vision
Now that you have seen it unveiled to the public how would you like to see it evolve I hope the audience will be amazed from the design by architect Oded Alony and the new methods to deliver information whilst discovering the long his-tory of the FEI the diversity and the global reach of the organisation I hope the Gallery will become an icon in Lausanne and one of its highlights for visitors I promise the visitors a new platform to learn about equestrianism and each visit could be different as the information and themes will be updated and modi-fied regularly
This futuristic gallery is a first for anInternational Federation do you think thisis something all sports should invest inThe FEI took this courageous decision and now has this fantastic tool to present the organisation in new ways Sport is a huge cultural phenomenaWe have learned to consume sport in the arenas and stadiums in the press media and new media
Dr Amichai Alperovich
55FOCUS
SOCIAL MEDIAthe new frontier
Follow us on
The FEI has recently embarked on and embraced a whole new way of talking with the greater equestrian community through the ever expanding social media networks and platformsWith personalised Facebook Twitter and You Tube pages the FEI is taking it step by step and reaching out to this growing audience and listening to what they have to say
This new communication platform is by no means a substitution of the traditional communication path-ways but works alongside the press releases various publications and content on wwwfeiorg and wwwfeitvorg providing a new arena where the FEI can share interact and dialogue with fans of the sport and of equestrian values in general
We talk to Richard Johnson Director of Corporate Communications about the FEIrsquos commitment to social media
What compelled the FEI to venture onto the social media scene As a governing body with a vibrant and active com-munity of National Federations as well as thousands of fans the need to reach out to the online social community has never been stronger We have been watching the communities grow online for some time and have been listening to their conversations so being a part of it was the next logical step and a really important one The conversations will hap-pen with or without us so taking that step has been crucial in order to share our values and also build re-lationships with our fan base
Tradition meets modernity ndash does equestrian sportthe FEI have a place in social media Absolutely even though equestrian sport has a long history and is perceived as a traditional sport it is
always evolving In the 90 years of the FEI which was founded to govern the three Olympic disciplines it has grown to also oversee the disciplines of Driving Endurance Vaulting Reining and Para-Equestrian sport Or if you look at the early days when competi-tors were from military backgrounds and when wom-en did not compete alongside men to the complete gender equality we have today ndash a lot has changed and is in a constant state of change
The fans of equestrian sport are like any other fan base web savvy and eager for more information behind the scenes content and to share their opin-ions and thoughts ndash so it is an ideal partnership And from what we have seen these last few months and from the feedback we got from our blog at the Youth Olympic Games there is a real appetite for this
The FEI has dedicated Facebook Twitter and You Tube pages ndash why did you select these social media platforms The figures speak for themselveshellip Facebook Twit-ter and You Tube are the biggest players in the social networking space With over 500 million Facebook users 106 million Tweeters and 2 billion views a day on You Tube there has never been so much oppor-tunity for exposure Every site has different demo-graphics with different habits and needs so by having an FEI presence on these three networks we are able to cover a lot of ground and cater to different audi-ences by providing different types of content accord-ing to the platform
What are the main benefits of having a pres-ence on various social media platforms Itrsquos all about having a two way conversation ndash the benefits of dialogue where you can share content such as videos images facts and figures thoughts and values and then allow your fan base to react to get involved and to listen and learn from them By engaging with our audience and showing them that we are a modern and caring organisation and that we want to hear what they have to say then we are able to build trust and ultimately credibility in what we do and what we say
57FOCUS
TV
The offi cial video website of the Feacutedeacuteration Equestre Internationale
wwwfeitvorg
WATCH LIVE WATCH ONLINE
FEI TV is the FEIrsquos new offi cial video website and your ticket to the worldrsquos most prestigious competitions Sign-up to FEI TV (wwwfeitvorg) and get instant access to all the live broadcasts the extensive video-on-demand library all the highlights the behind the scenes reports the interviews and so much more Be at the heart of horsesport Join us
2823_1FEI_TV_Focus_165x226indd 1 170510 1124
It also keeps us alert as to what is being discussed and debated in the public sphere so that we can manage situations more effectively and be proactive in our messaging and information so that the facts are at the heart of the debate and not interpretations of them
How do you generate content for social media It was important when we launched our social me-dia presence that it be manageable with the exist-ing communications team in place ndash and so we have concentrated on keeping it simple and effective and using content innovatively Itrsquos not about reproduc-ing our website ndash but to engage with our fans and so often all you need is a good picture an interest-ing fact or great achievement to get the ball rolling For You Tube as we already have so much content generated from FEI TV it was simply a question of using bits and pieces from that content to provide the public with teasers from events interviews with winning riders or behind the scenes content which they can then follow up on FEI TV with a subscription
What are your Social media goals Itrsquos really to build relationships and dialogue with our fan base by using our content innovatively by listening to what they have to say and by engaging with the community And for the National Federa-tions that have yet to take that step we want to be a guiding hand that can help them get started so that they too can reap the benefits of social media net-working Our sport competes against other sports for attention so itrsquos really important that we the FEI and the National Federations keep our finger on the pulse and cater to our fans
How can National Federations get involved NFs wishing to find out more about Social Media can contact me (richardjohnsonfeiorg) and I would be more than happy to discuss opportunities and ways of getting started as well as our experience at the FEI
We asked our Facebook followers why it was important to use face-book and here are a few comments they came up with
bullItrsquos a great way to find out about shows and competitions
bullBecause facebook can provide up to the minute updates as to the what is going on in the horse community
bullWe can share information and ideas over long distances We can find and connect with people we wouldnt be able to otherwise
bullIt also lets us express the true realities of our spot to keep us grounded
bullIt can bring peoples attention to excellence ndash and expose the issues
58
TV
The offi cial video website of the Feacutedeacuteration Equestre Internationale
wwwfeitvorg
WATCH LIVE WATCH ONLINE
FEI TV is the FEIrsquos new offi cial video website and your ticket to the worldrsquos most prestigious competitions Sign-up to FEI TV (wwwfeitvorg) and get instant access to all the live broadcasts the extensive video-on-demand library all the highlights the behind the scenes reports the interviews and so much more Be at the heart of horsesport Join us
2823_1FEI_TV_Focus_165x226indd 1 170510 1124
ldquo Donrsquot accept drinks from a strangerrdquo
Armchair travel journalist
Are you living a life without boundaries Some well-meant advice is best ignored but itrsquos still good to know yoursquore covered when yoursquore away With HSBC Premier your family can be protected with both Travel Insurance and dedicated assistance when yoursquore abroad Which is reassuring to know when yoursquore making the most of life
HSBC Premier is subject to financial eligibility criteria and is available in over 40 countries and territories
Premier Travel Insurance covers you and your partner up to age 70 and your children travelling with you up to age 18
wwwhsbcpremiercom
A4 A4
Issued by HSBC Holdings plc Approved for use in UK by HSBC Bank plc Premier Travel Insurance is provided by Aviva Insurance UK Limited Customer Information Service PO Box 757 Hemel Hempstead Hertfordshire HP2 4SS Registered in England number 14259 Registered Office 8 Canada Square London E14 5HQ AC18770
201736_6000263_Coconut_226x165indd
Master 226x165
Rob Swainson 160211
HSBC - Coconuts Proof 01Head of Art TypographerDesigner ArtCreative Director Copywriter Account DirectorDIC Project ManagerPhotographer Illustrator Usage Model(s) Name(s) Usage
Media MediaStock Image Time Period Time Period
Territory Territory
8deg N ndash Kerala South India
Interview with the President of the Brazilian Equestrian Federation Mr Luiz Roberto Giugni
The Brazilian Equestrian Federation has been a member Federation of the FEI for 75 years how has the sport developed over that time We were facing regular growth (average of 25 in the last decade) but in the last three to four years this rate has significantly increased up to 35 a year We believe that this is due to international achievements (two Jumping Olympic team bronze medals the individual Olympic Jumping gold medal won by Rodrigo Pessoa several Pan Am Jumping team gold medals recent Olympic pre-qualification in Kentucky (4th in the world in Jumping) and the organisations of a Global Champions Tour event in Brazil
In terms of developing the sport what are the most successful projects you have undertaken in recent yearsWe decided to invest in education and have hired international trainers for all the disciplines such as Jean Maurice Bonneau for Jumping Nick Turner for Eventing Eric Lette for Dressage Jean Louis Leclerc for Endurance Mattias Lang for Vaulting with the long term in mind that is at least until the end of 2012 and planning towards 2016 when Rio will host the Olympic Games
How popular is equestrian sport with young people in Brazil and how do you compete with some of the bigger sports for their attention Popularization is growing bit by bit in a country
decidedly dominated by soccer ndash being 5 times World Champion makes it a national passion But we are continuously looking to attract TV to our events as this is a huge step towards gaining visibility and popularity Can you tell us about the programmesinitiatives in place for disabled athletes We are actively pursuing this and have achieved really positive results in little time such as the great performances and medals earned at the Para-lympic Games in Hong Kong in 2008 We do this through clinics courses international exchanges of athletes and working alongside our National Paralympic Committee to support us in our efforts
Brazil will be host the FEI General Assembly at the end of the year what do you want all the visiting delegates to remember from their visit That we are more than just a really beautiful and warm country with the ability and capacity to organise great events and that we are committed to putting on the best Olympic Games ever
What are the main objectivesplans for the Brazilian Federation in the lead up to the 2016 Olympic and Paralympic Games Our NOC is really committed to raising the bar of all the sports to a level never seen before and we are working towards that in terms of our athletes our judges our venues and everything that is related to our sport and the quality of our sport In line with this objective we are providing incen-tives to owners to buy good horses aiming for 2016 and this is going to plan for now We expect to perform well at the upcoming Pan Am Games and Olympics on our trail to 2016
Is there anything else you would like to share with us I would like to thank HRH Princess Haya President of the FEI as well as the Executive Board for all the support that we are getting which has been paramount to the development of equestrian sport in our country
44
President Luiz Roberto GiugniSecretary General Luiz Antonio RoccoMember since 1935
15 members of staff work at the federation
20 regional federations are affiliated tothe Brazilian Equestrian Federation with over 300 member riding clubs
6 000 affiliated riders
91 national events were held in 2010
31 international events were held in 2010
All the FEI disciplines are practiced in BrazilJumping Dressage Eventing Vaulting Reining EnduranceDriving amp Para-Equestrian
14 breeding organisations
There are 58 million horses and ponies in Brazilmaking it the fourth largest equine population in the world
FAC
TS amp
FIG
URE
S
45FOCUS
Dr Gerit Matthesen56 is a private equine practitioner an FEI Vet and a member of the FEI Veterinary Committee He graduated in Veterinary Medicine from Berlin University in 1983 and since 1989 has worked or officiated at some 180 competitions and championships including the last two Olympics and FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade He lives near Frankfurt with his wife Carola and their sons Mike (16) and Lars (14)
46
A life in a day
Dr Gerit Matthesen56 is a private equine practitioner an FEI Vet and a member of the FEI Veterinary Committee He graduated in Veterinary Medicine from Berlin University in 1983 and since 1989 has worked or officiated at some 180 competitions and championships including the last two Olympics and FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade He lives near Frankfurt with his wife Carola and their sons Mike (16) and Lars (14)
I wake up earlier than I need to ndash at around 6am ndash because breakfast time with my family is sacred to me and I can then drive my boys to the village station to take the train to school After two cups of coffee (enough for the day) and a glass of orange juice I read the newspapers then head to my prac-tice offices in our indoor arena I have a quick look at our horses then start work
While I listen to my phone messages I deal with my emails and search the internet for news about veterinary medicine and horse sport I then start planning the dayacutes schedule with Anna my assistant vet
My mobile practice is in a nice fairly rural area in the north of Frankfurt There are lots of horse farms but it is not a classic breeding area like the northern part of Germany There are sport horses as well as pleasure horses I have examination rooms and stables for horses staying or mares foaling in my practice stables Itrsquos not a big clinic which gives me time to work at competitions
After seeing a few small animals in my practice I normally start my field service at 930am In my car I have enough equipment (ultrasound X-ray systems and endoscopical devices) for the dayrsquos examinations and standing procedures We mainly have lameness examinations to do or internal diseases to treat accompanied by routine work like vaccinations or carrying out pre-purchase or health certificate examinations If time allows I go home for a quick lunch but thatrsquos not every day
While Irsquom driving I have time to think and I write down everything that come to mind regarding sport competitions committees and so on You have to write down your thoughts when yoursquore over the age of 50
It is not easy planning my day because any emer-gency can destroy or delay my schedule For all the paperwork and certificates I need a time frame so
I often do that over quiet weekends when there are no competitions During the winter season I am less busy but in summer a lot of weekends are taken over by the competition schedule
I love my work especially in Eventing which is my favourite discipline My wife and I practiced it ndash not up to top level but it was a fine time despite a bro-ken ankle from a fall in 1988 which after 23 years is making walking more and more difficult for me
I like to do my competition work on a friendly but strict basis and I really like to hear riders saying they are treated fairly Over the years I have acquired a lot of experience and met all the officials and riders
Usually when I return home in the late afternoon there are more small animals to see When Irsquove done the dayrsquos paperwork I hope there will be no more emergencies such as cases of colic which usually occur in the early evening
I look forward to getting on my horse which is a beautiful show-jumper I like to ride but Irsquove stopped competing I do dressage jumping and go out into the fields but itrsquos all just for fun now
The day finishes with the family and a nice cold glass of German beer
Itrsquos a struggle to find time to spend with my family and I often have to cancel my holidays with them I am really grateful to my wife and the boys for their understanding of my job and to my assistant vet who covers for me when Iacutem out somewhere in the world of equestrian sport
ldquoThe combination of my profession and beinginvolved in differentaspects of top equestrian sport is my visionrdquo
47FOCUS
Pull your show attire from the closet clean your boots and tack groom the horses hook up and pack the trailer check the clock double check to make sure you have everything put on the shipping boots load your horses and away you drive to the competition venue or to the airport for transport to a distant event
You know the drill well but still you arrive tired per-haps even a bit frazzled Yoursquoll sleep (or try to) the next several nights in an unfamiliar bed or camp out in the living quarters of your trailer You awaken riveted on the competition playing out the dayrsquos classes in your mind wondering how your rides will fare against oth-ers praying that the weather will be cooperate and trying to control your nerves all the while knowing that no matter how well you have prepared many factors are out of your control You may even be in a different time zone
We go through a lot to compete our horses But if you think life on the road is stressful for you think about what itrsquos like for your horses Your back may be a bit sore from driving or being strapped into an airplane seat for hours on end but for horses transportation is far more demanding It is an athletic endeavour re-quiring an expenditure of energy to maintain balance during the constant movement of transport When your horses arrive they face social isolation from stablemates lack of security in novel environments altered training regimes water that tastes strange and the confines of an unfamiliar stall This routine impacts a horsersquos health and well being with effects
continuing long after the journey is over During transport toxic gases (such as ammonia or carbon monoxide) can cause damage to the lung epithelium precipitating respiratory disease The
final destination itself can also cause problems Usually horses are transported to environments where they will be mixing with other horses The mixing of horses from different environments with different infectious organisms and under stressful conditions further precipitates susceptibility to disease
This can have a severe impact on the equine gut The stress of transportation is known to increase gut ulceration in the horse a painful condition reducing performance and causing colic-like symptoms Stress can also slow the flow of digesta and alter the normal gut flora resulting in digestive upset and possibly diarrhoea or colic
The effects of travel stress on the gut are compounded by the typical diet of the regular equine traveller To maintain athletic ability high performance horses are often fed energy-charged diets contain-ing increased levels of starchy materials such as cereal grains Unfortunately this type of diet can reduce beneficial types of gut flora and promote gut acidity further predisposing the horse to digestive upsets and ulceration It is not surprising that stressed tired horses may not fulfill their potential on arrival
Feeding to reduce stress for the equine traveller
By Darlene RickerExecutive editor of Alltechrsquos EQUINE INTERNATIONAL magazine
48
Alltech Tips
growth of opportunistic Salmonella spp which are present in the intestinal tract of many healthy horses These bacteria then attach to the gut lining via a mannan sugar and penetrate it causing damage and resulting in diarrhoea One method of prevent-ing or minimising the attachment of these organ-
isms to the gut lining is to provide an adsorbant supplement A form of sugar found in the cell walls of certain yeasts can do this This sugar compound is called man-nan oligosaccharide or MOS MOS products such as Alltechrsquos Bio-Mosreg have been shown to re-duce the colonization of Salmonella
spp in the guts of certain species and augment the immune response to Salmonella spp potentially conferring an enhanced ability to fight infection Both Yea-Saccreg 1026 and Bio-Mos are among the natural products contained in Alltechrsquos LIFEFORCETM equine supplement which many FEI competitors have successfully incorporated into their daily feeding regimen at home and on the road
lifeforcehorsecom
and may be subject to health concerns in the days following a long journey Fortunately however you can curb some of the effects of travel stress on the horsersquos gut by nutritional supplementation Organic yeast products used to supplement a horsersquos diet can support the normal gut flora modifying the intesti-nal environment and improving the horsersquos digestion One such culture is Saccharomyces cerevisae in the form of Yea-Saccreg 1026 Alltechrsquos propriety organic yeast
Experiments were conducted to evaluate the effects Yea-Sacc on gut flora and gut acidity Horses were fed either a high-starch or a high-fibre diet both with and without supplementation of Yea-Saccreg 1026 Results indicated an excessive amount of starch in the gut The use of Yea-Sacc reduced acidity and stimulat-ed the activity of fibre-digesting bacteria in the hind-gut for both types of diet The result was maximised fibre digestibility and more efficient use of nutrients thus increasing the amount of energy available to the horse for performance and counteracting digestive upset Salmonellosis is one of the more commonly di-agnosed infectious causes of diarrhoea in horses Many cases develop after the stress of transport The effects of travel stress on the normal gut flora allow an over-
Moorlands Totilas arrives for the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade after air transport copy Dirk Caremans
HRH The Infanta Dontildea Pilar de Borboacuten former President of the FEI (1994-2006) also attended the inauguration along-side HRH Princess Lalla Amina Chairperson of the Royal Moroccan Federation for Equestrian Sports and member of the international Advisory Council of Special OlympicsThey were joined by International Olympic Commit-tee members representatives from other Interna-tional Federations federal and local Swiss authorities as well as architects and designers that worked on the project Switzerlandrsquos Martin Fuchs a member of the gold medal winning team at the inaugural Youth Olympic Games in Singapore last year accompanied FEI President Princess Haya in officially opening the FEI headquarters
ldquoThe building we are inaugurating today has been designed to serve our wonderful sportrdquo explained FEI
President Princess Haya ldquoI also feel an immense
sense of pride knowing that this building carries the name
of my late father and hope that this serves as a constant reminder
to all of us who work at the FEI of a unique statesman whose entire soul was devoted to the service of his people Our new headquarters will play a key role for the FEI and our National Federa-tions over the coming years It will be the environ-ment in which important discussions take place and fundamental decisions are taken as we continue our mission to advance the orderly growth of equestrian sport worldwide while ensuring that the welfare of the horse and a level playing field remain at the centre of all that we dordquo
FEI celebratesNEW Headquarters
Over 250 guests attended the inauguration ceremony on Friday 6 May at HM King Hussein I Building which was timed to coincide with the FEI
Extraordinary General Assembly so that attending NationalFederation representatives
could be a part ofthe celebrations
1 Youth Olympic Games team champion Martin Fuchs (SUI) FEI President HRH Princess Haya and her daughter HH Sheikha Al Jalila officially open the FEIrsquos new home 2 Gilbert Felli IOC Olympic Games Executive Director and FEI Secretary General Ingmar de Vos 3 HRH The Infanta Dontildea Pilar de Borboacuten sits down to an interactive quiz in the FEI Gallery 4 Guests gathered in the atrium of the FEI HeadquartersAll images copy Hugues SiegenthalerFEI
Highlights available on50
1
2
3 4
5
6 7
8
THE GALLERy
As well as housing offices for its 62 employees and conference facilities for its 133 National Federations the new headquarters also has a state-of-the-art in-teractive gallery showcasing equestrian sport
The Gallery is the brainchild of Dr Amichai Alper-ovich historian former Secretary General of the Is-raeli Equestrian Federation and curator of the Israeli Olympic Museum (opened in 2009) He worked hand in hand with the Tel Aviv based company Disk-In Pro and interior designer Oded Alony to help bring the content to life and the result is truly unique and ground breaking Giant glass surfaces act as interac-tive interfaces for the visitors to travel through time
The FEIrsquos new headquarters which were donated to the Federation by FEI Presi-dent HRH Princess Haya in 2007 fol-lowing a personal fundraising effort are conveniently located close to the Inter-national Olympic Committee and other international sports federations It has been written into the FEI Statutes that the new FEI headquarters building will always house the Federationrsquos offices In 2008 the building was thoroughly renovated in accordance with the Swiss MINERGIEreg construction standard for environmental responsibility which re-duces energy consumption by 25 per cent Only two per cent of renovated buildings in Switzerland meet the high Minergie standards Khuan Chew founder and design princi-pal of London-based architectural firm KCA International Ltd worked in close collaboration with Swiss-based architect Herveacute de Rham and interior designer Sia-vosh Adeli (SUI) to transform the build-ing which was built in the 1960s The modern and sleek interior was further enhanced with bespoke artworks pro-duced by Swiss creative agency b+g amp partners and imagery by world-famous equestrian art photographer Tim Flach where the simplicity and beauty of his equine subjects seamlessly embrace and accentuate the buildingrsquos pure lines and natural materials (see image left)
As they feasted on the innate beauty of their sur-roundings the guests also had the privilege to ex-perience the culinary talents of organic chef and specialist Gilles Wannaz and his team based in the town of Cully which sits on the edge of Lac Leman in Switzerlandrsquos famous Lavaux wine growing region
5 HRH Princess Haya welcomes the guests to the Inauguration of the HQ and the 90 year celebration of the FEI 6 Artwork by renowned pho-tographer Tim Flach 7 An organic and colourful buffet presented on an authentic lawn by local chef Gilles Wannaz 8 A life size horse sculpture by Christophe Dumont greeted the guests upon their arrival
53FOCUS
and space with the latest in touch technology revis-iting the history of the FEI the equestrian events at Olympic amp Paralympic Games the FEI World Eques-trian Gamestrade and information on all of the member National Federations with statistics videos images and text The Gallery also includes projections on ar-chitectural surfaces designed by Oded Alony referred to as the Origami as well as interactive stations and unique video projections on glass screens
For all those wishing to visit the FEI Gallery simply contact the FEI HQ to make an appointment and we would be delighted to take you on a journey to dis-cover or rediscover the human and equine athletes whose talents have marked equestrian history and inspired young riders drivers and vaulters around the world
Interview withDrAmichaiAlperovich
When did you first dream up the FEIInteractive Gallery When I found out the FEI was planning to move into new HQ in 2009 Disk-In Pro and I approached the FEI and presented them with several concepts for the space Before long we had agreed on the concept and we got to work
Why were you compelled to make it become a reality So that the FEI a prominent sports organisation could present itself to a growing audience in a new and visionary way with the latest technology And by doing so the FEI is a pioneer becoming the first International Federation to have a Gallery of this kind
What did you learn when researching and gathering content for the gallery I have learned a lot about the history of the FEI the strong Olympic tradition the diversity of disciplines the gender equality and the unique bond between horse and man One of the more fascinating topics was the evolution of the Dressage from itsrsquo Olympic debut to the modern Freestyle
Itrsquos very innovative technology what inspired you to take such a leap into the future with such a traditional sport Just as Dressage has evolved over the years and alongside the introduction of new disciplines partic-ularly Para-Equestrian you come to realise that the FEI is not as traditional as one would think Actually this kind of innovative presentation of equestrian history is really well suited to the FEI In the same way that you can have horse-man connections there is an audience-technology connection in the Gallery The audience have to be active in order to enjoy the depth of information the Gallery contains
54
Now it is time to open the door to new places to learn about sport ndash at the heart of sporting organi-sations themselves The Gallery is more than an informative tool it brings people to the sport andto the heart of its operations
Established in 1990 Disk-In Pro specialises in the planning design production and implementation of Museums Visitor Centres and sophisticated projects around the world This includes multi screen produc-tion animation 3D amp interactive films state-of-the-art software platforms and complex video displays for an unforgettable experience
Oded Alony holds a BA in Design from the Interior Design Section of the Holon Technological Institute and has since 1998 worked with Israelrsquos leading Architecture firms The Oded Alony Studio embraces holistic design a space where interior design lighting and graphics are brought together to create a harmo-nious project vision
Now that you have seen it unveiled to the public how would you like to see it evolve I hope the audience will be amazed from the design by architect Oded Alony and the new methods to deliver information whilst discovering the long his-tory of the FEI the diversity and the global reach of the organisation I hope the Gallery will become an icon in Lausanne and one of its highlights for visitors I promise the visitors a new platform to learn about equestrianism and each visit could be different as the information and themes will be updated and modi-fied regularly
This futuristic gallery is a first for anInternational Federation do you think thisis something all sports should invest inThe FEI took this courageous decision and now has this fantastic tool to present the organisation in new ways Sport is a huge cultural phenomenaWe have learned to consume sport in the arenas and stadiums in the press media and new media
Dr Amichai Alperovich
55FOCUS
SOCIAL MEDIAthe new frontier
Follow us on
The FEI has recently embarked on and embraced a whole new way of talking with the greater equestrian community through the ever expanding social media networks and platformsWith personalised Facebook Twitter and You Tube pages the FEI is taking it step by step and reaching out to this growing audience and listening to what they have to say
This new communication platform is by no means a substitution of the traditional communication path-ways but works alongside the press releases various publications and content on wwwfeiorg and wwwfeitvorg providing a new arena where the FEI can share interact and dialogue with fans of the sport and of equestrian values in general
We talk to Richard Johnson Director of Corporate Communications about the FEIrsquos commitment to social media
What compelled the FEI to venture onto the social media scene As a governing body with a vibrant and active com-munity of National Federations as well as thousands of fans the need to reach out to the online social community has never been stronger We have been watching the communities grow online for some time and have been listening to their conversations so being a part of it was the next logical step and a really important one The conversations will hap-pen with or without us so taking that step has been crucial in order to share our values and also build re-lationships with our fan base
Tradition meets modernity ndash does equestrian sportthe FEI have a place in social media Absolutely even though equestrian sport has a long history and is perceived as a traditional sport it is
always evolving In the 90 years of the FEI which was founded to govern the three Olympic disciplines it has grown to also oversee the disciplines of Driving Endurance Vaulting Reining and Para-Equestrian sport Or if you look at the early days when competi-tors were from military backgrounds and when wom-en did not compete alongside men to the complete gender equality we have today ndash a lot has changed and is in a constant state of change
The fans of equestrian sport are like any other fan base web savvy and eager for more information behind the scenes content and to share their opin-ions and thoughts ndash so it is an ideal partnership And from what we have seen these last few months and from the feedback we got from our blog at the Youth Olympic Games there is a real appetite for this
The FEI has dedicated Facebook Twitter and You Tube pages ndash why did you select these social media platforms The figures speak for themselveshellip Facebook Twit-ter and You Tube are the biggest players in the social networking space With over 500 million Facebook users 106 million Tweeters and 2 billion views a day on You Tube there has never been so much oppor-tunity for exposure Every site has different demo-graphics with different habits and needs so by having an FEI presence on these three networks we are able to cover a lot of ground and cater to different audi-ences by providing different types of content accord-ing to the platform
What are the main benefits of having a pres-ence on various social media platforms Itrsquos all about having a two way conversation ndash the benefits of dialogue where you can share content such as videos images facts and figures thoughts and values and then allow your fan base to react to get involved and to listen and learn from them By engaging with our audience and showing them that we are a modern and caring organisation and that we want to hear what they have to say then we are able to build trust and ultimately credibility in what we do and what we say
57FOCUS
TV
The offi cial video website of the Feacutedeacuteration Equestre Internationale
wwwfeitvorg
WATCH LIVE WATCH ONLINE
FEI TV is the FEIrsquos new offi cial video website and your ticket to the worldrsquos most prestigious competitions Sign-up to FEI TV (wwwfeitvorg) and get instant access to all the live broadcasts the extensive video-on-demand library all the highlights the behind the scenes reports the interviews and so much more Be at the heart of horsesport Join us
2823_1FEI_TV_Focus_165x226indd 1 170510 1124
It also keeps us alert as to what is being discussed and debated in the public sphere so that we can manage situations more effectively and be proactive in our messaging and information so that the facts are at the heart of the debate and not interpretations of them
How do you generate content for social media It was important when we launched our social me-dia presence that it be manageable with the exist-ing communications team in place ndash and so we have concentrated on keeping it simple and effective and using content innovatively Itrsquos not about reproduc-ing our website ndash but to engage with our fans and so often all you need is a good picture an interest-ing fact or great achievement to get the ball rolling For You Tube as we already have so much content generated from FEI TV it was simply a question of using bits and pieces from that content to provide the public with teasers from events interviews with winning riders or behind the scenes content which they can then follow up on FEI TV with a subscription
What are your Social media goals Itrsquos really to build relationships and dialogue with our fan base by using our content innovatively by listening to what they have to say and by engaging with the community And for the National Federa-tions that have yet to take that step we want to be a guiding hand that can help them get started so that they too can reap the benefits of social media net-working Our sport competes against other sports for attention so itrsquos really important that we the FEI and the National Federations keep our finger on the pulse and cater to our fans
How can National Federations get involved NFs wishing to find out more about Social Media can contact me (richardjohnsonfeiorg) and I would be more than happy to discuss opportunities and ways of getting started as well as our experience at the FEI
We asked our Facebook followers why it was important to use face-book and here are a few comments they came up with
bullItrsquos a great way to find out about shows and competitions
bullBecause facebook can provide up to the minute updates as to the what is going on in the horse community
bullWe can share information and ideas over long distances We can find and connect with people we wouldnt be able to otherwise
bullIt also lets us express the true realities of our spot to keep us grounded
bullIt can bring peoples attention to excellence ndash and expose the issues
58
TV
The offi cial video website of the Feacutedeacuteration Equestre Internationale
wwwfeitvorg
WATCH LIVE WATCH ONLINE
FEI TV is the FEIrsquos new offi cial video website and your ticket to the worldrsquos most prestigious competitions Sign-up to FEI TV (wwwfeitvorg) and get instant access to all the live broadcasts the extensive video-on-demand library all the highlights the behind the scenes reports the interviews and so much more Be at the heart of horsesport Join us
2823_1FEI_TV_Focus_165x226indd 1 170510 1124
ldquo Donrsquot accept drinks from a strangerrdquo
Armchair travel journalist
Are you living a life without boundaries Some well-meant advice is best ignored but itrsquos still good to know yoursquore covered when yoursquore away With HSBC Premier your family can be protected with both Travel Insurance and dedicated assistance when yoursquore abroad Which is reassuring to know when yoursquore making the most of life
HSBC Premier is subject to financial eligibility criteria and is available in over 40 countries and territories
Premier Travel Insurance covers you and your partner up to age 70 and your children travelling with you up to age 18
wwwhsbcpremiercom
A4 A4
Issued by HSBC Holdings plc Approved for use in UK by HSBC Bank plc Premier Travel Insurance is provided by Aviva Insurance UK Limited Customer Information Service PO Box 757 Hemel Hempstead Hertfordshire HP2 4SS Registered in England number 14259 Registered Office 8 Canada Square London E14 5HQ AC18770
201736_6000263_Coconut_226x165indd
Master 226x165
Rob Swainson 160211
HSBC - Coconuts Proof 01Head of Art TypographerDesigner ArtCreative Director Copywriter Account DirectorDIC Project ManagerPhotographer Illustrator Usage Model(s) Name(s) Usage
Media MediaStock Image Time Period Time Period
Territory Territory
8deg N ndash Kerala South India
President Luiz Roberto GiugniSecretary General Luiz Antonio RoccoMember since 1935
15 members of staff work at the federation
20 regional federations are affiliated tothe Brazilian Equestrian Federation with over 300 member riding clubs
6 000 affiliated riders
91 national events were held in 2010
31 international events were held in 2010
All the FEI disciplines are practiced in BrazilJumping Dressage Eventing Vaulting Reining EnduranceDriving amp Para-Equestrian
14 breeding organisations
There are 58 million horses and ponies in Brazilmaking it the fourth largest equine population in the world
FAC
TS amp
FIG
URE
S
45FOCUS
Dr Gerit Matthesen56 is a private equine practitioner an FEI Vet and a member of the FEI Veterinary Committee He graduated in Veterinary Medicine from Berlin University in 1983 and since 1989 has worked or officiated at some 180 competitions and championships including the last two Olympics and FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade He lives near Frankfurt with his wife Carola and their sons Mike (16) and Lars (14)
46
A life in a day
Dr Gerit Matthesen56 is a private equine practitioner an FEI Vet and a member of the FEI Veterinary Committee He graduated in Veterinary Medicine from Berlin University in 1983 and since 1989 has worked or officiated at some 180 competitions and championships including the last two Olympics and FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade He lives near Frankfurt with his wife Carola and their sons Mike (16) and Lars (14)
I wake up earlier than I need to ndash at around 6am ndash because breakfast time with my family is sacred to me and I can then drive my boys to the village station to take the train to school After two cups of coffee (enough for the day) and a glass of orange juice I read the newspapers then head to my prac-tice offices in our indoor arena I have a quick look at our horses then start work
While I listen to my phone messages I deal with my emails and search the internet for news about veterinary medicine and horse sport I then start planning the dayacutes schedule with Anna my assistant vet
My mobile practice is in a nice fairly rural area in the north of Frankfurt There are lots of horse farms but it is not a classic breeding area like the northern part of Germany There are sport horses as well as pleasure horses I have examination rooms and stables for horses staying or mares foaling in my practice stables Itrsquos not a big clinic which gives me time to work at competitions
After seeing a few small animals in my practice I normally start my field service at 930am In my car I have enough equipment (ultrasound X-ray systems and endoscopical devices) for the dayrsquos examinations and standing procedures We mainly have lameness examinations to do or internal diseases to treat accompanied by routine work like vaccinations or carrying out pre-purchase or health certificate examinations If time allows I go home for a quick lunch but thatrsquos not every day
While Irsquom driving I have time to think and I write down everything that come to mind regarding sport competitions committees and so on You have to write down your thoughts when yoursquore over the age of 50
It is not easy planning my day because any emer-gency can destroy or delay my schedule For all the paperwork and certificates I need a time frame so
I often do that over quiet weekends when there are no competitions During the winter season I am less busy but in summer a lot of weekends are taken over by the competition schedule
I love my work especially in Eventing which is my favourite discipline My wife and I practiced it ndash not up to top level but it was a fine time despite a bro-ken ankle from a fall in 1988 which after 23 years is making walking more and more difficult for me
I like to do my competition work on a friendly but strict basis and I really like to hear riders saying they are treated fairly Over the years I have acquired a lot of experience and met all the officials and riders
Usually when I return home in the late afternoon there are more small animals to see When Irsquove done the dayrsquos paperwork I hope there will be no more emergencies such as cases of colic which usually occur in the early evening
I look forward to getting on my horse which is a beautiful show-jumper I like to ride but Irsquove stopped competing I do dressage jumping and go out into the fields but itrsquos all just for fun now
The day finishes with the family and a nice cold glass of German beer
Itrsquos a struggle to find time to spend with my family and I often have to cancel my holidays with them I am really grateful to my wife and the boys for their understanding of my job and to my assistant vet who covers for me when Iacutem out somewhere in the world of equestrian sport
ldquoThe combination of my profession and beinginvolved in differentaspects of top equestrian sport is my visionrdquo
47FOCUS
Pull your show attire from the closet clean your boots and tack groom the horses hook up and pack the trailer check the clock double check to make sure you have everything put on the shipping boots load your horses and away you drive to the competition venue or to the airport for transport to a distant event
You know the drill well but still you arrive tired per-haps even a bit frazzled Yoursquoll sleep (or try to) the next several nights in an unfamiliar bed or camp out in the living quarters of your trailer You awaken riveted on the competition playing out the dayrsquos classes in your mind wondering how your rides will fare against oth-ers praying that the weather will be cooperate and trying to control your nerves all the while knowing that no matter how well you have prepared many factors are out of your control You may even be in a different time zone
We go through a lot to compete our horses But if you think life on the road is stressful for you think about what itrsquos like for your horses Your back may be a bit sore from driving or being strapped into an airplane seat for hours on end but for horses transportation is far more demanding It is an athletic endeavour re-quiring an expenditure of energy to maintain balance during the constant movement of transport When your horses arrive they face social isolation from stablemates lack of security in novel environments altered training regimes water that tastes strange and the confines of an unfamiliar stall This routine impacts a horsersquos health and well being with effects
continuing long after the journey is over During transport toxic gases (such as ammonia or carbon monoxide) can cause damage to the lung epithelium precipitating respiratory disease The
final destination itself can also cause problems Usually horses are transported to environments where they will be mixing with other horses The mixing of horses from different environments with different infectious organisms and under stressful conditions further precipitates susceptibility to disease
This can have a severe impact on the equine gut The stress of transportation is known to increase gut ulceration in the horse a painful condition reducing performance and causing colic-like symptoms Stress can also slow the flow of digesta and alter the normal gut flora resulting in digestive upset and possibly diarrhoea or colic
The effects of travel stress on the gut are compounded by the typical diet of the regular equine traveller To maintain athletic ability high performance horses are often fed energy-charged diets contain-ing increased levels of starchy materials such as cereal grains Unfortunately this type of diet can reduce beneficial types of gut flora and promote gut acidity further predisposing the horse to digestive upsets and ulceration It is not surprising that stressed tired horses may not fulfill their potential on arrival
Feeding to reduce stress for the equine traveller
By Darlene RickerExecutive editor of Alltechrsquos EQUINE INTERNATIONAL magazine
48
Alltech Tips
growth of opportunistic Salmonella spp which are present in the intestinal tract of many healthy horses These bacteria then attach to the gut lining via a mannan sugar and penetrate it causing damage and resulting in diarrhoea One method of prevent-ing or minimising the attachment of these organ-
isms to the gut lining is to provide an adsorbant supplement A form of sugar found in the cell walls of certain yeasts can do this This sugar compound is called man-nan oligosaccharide or MOS MOS products such as Alltechrsquos Bio-Mosreg have been shown to re-duce the colonization of Salmonella
spp in the guts of certain species and augment the immune response to Salmonella spp potentially conferring an enhanced ability to fight infection Both Yea-Saccreg 1026 and Bio-Mos are among the natural products contained in Alltechrsquos LIFEFORCETM equine supplement which many FEI competitors have successfully incorporated into their daily feeding regimen at home and on the road
lifeforcehorsecom
and may be subject to health concerns in the days following a long journey Fortunately however you can curb some of the effects of travel stress on the horsersquos gut by nutritional supplementation Organic yeast products used to supplement a horsersquos diet can support the normal gut flora modifying the intesti-nal environment and improving the horsersquos digestion One such culture is Saccharomyces cerevisae in the form of Yea-Saccreg 1026 Alltechrsquos propriety organic yeast
Experiments were conducted to evaluate the effects Yea-Sacc on gut flora and gut acidity Horses were fed either a high-starch or a high-fibre diet both with and without supplementation of Yea-Saccreg 1026 Results indicated an excessive amount of starch in the gut The use of Yea-Sacc reduced acidity and stimulat-ed the activity of fibre-digesting bacteria in the hind-gut for both types of diet The result was maximised fibre digestibility and more efficient use of nutrients thus increasing the amount of energy available to the horse for performance and counteracting digestive upset Salmonellosis is one of the more commonly di-agnosed infectious causes of diarrhoea in horses Many cases develop after the stress of transport The effects of travel stress on the normal gut flora allow an over-
Moorlands Totilas arrives for the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade after air transport copy Dirk Caremans
HRH The Infanta Dontildea Pilar de Borboacuten former President of the FEI (1994-2006) also attended the inauguration along-side HRH Princess Lalla Amina Chairperson of the Royal Moroccan Federation for Equestrian Sports and member of the international Advisory Council of Special OlympicsThey were joined by International Olympic Commit-tee members representatives from other Interna-tional Federations federal and local Swiss authorities as well as architects and designers that worked on the project Switzerlandrsquos Martin Fuchs a member of the gold medal winning team at the inaugural Youth Olympic Games in Singapore last year accompanied FEI President Princess Haya in officially opening the FEI headquarters
ldquoThe building we are inaugurating today has been designed to serve our wonderful sportrdquo explained FEI
President Princess Haya ldquoI also feel an immense
sense of pride knowing that this building carries the name
of my late father and hope that this serves as a constant reminder
to all of us who work at the FEI of a unique statesman whose entire soul was devoted to the service of his people Our new headquarters will play a key role for the FEI and our National Federa-tions over the coming years It will be the environ-ment in which important discussions take place and fundamental decisions are taken as we continue our mission to advance the orderly growth of equestrian sport worldwide while ensuring that the welfare of the horse and a level playing field remain at the centre of all that we dordquo
FEI celebratesNEW Headquarters
Over 250 guests attended the inauguration ceremony on Friday 6 May at HM King Hussein I Building which was timed to coincide with the FEI
Extraordinary General Assembly so that attending NationalFederation representatives
could be a part ofthe celebrations
1 Youth Olympic Games team champion Martin Fuchs (SUI) FEI President HRH Princess Haya and her daughter HH Sheikha Al Jalila officially open the FEIrsquos new home 2 Gilbert Felli IOC Olympic Games Executive Director and FEI Secretary General Ingmar de Vos 3 HRH The Infanta Dontildea Pilar de Borboacuten sits down to an interactive quiz in the FEI Gallery 4 Guests gathered in the atrium of the FEI HeadquartersAll images copy Hugues SiegenthalerFEI
Highlights available on50
1
2
3 4
5
6 7
8
THE GALLERy
As well as housing offices for its 62 employees and conference facilities for its 133 National Federations the new headquarters also has a state-of-the-art in-teractive gallery showcasing equestrian sport
The Gallery is the brainchild of Dr Amichai Alper-ovich historian former Secretary General of the Is-raeli Equestrian Federation and curator of the Israeli Olympic Museum (opened in 2009) He worked hand in hand with the Tel Aviv based company Disk-In Pro and interior designer Oded Alony to help bring the content to life and the result is truly unique and ground breaking Giant glass surfaces act as interac-tive interfaces for the visitors to travel through time
The FEIrsquos new headquarters which were donated to the Federation by FEI Presi-dent HRH Princess Haya in 2007 fol-lowing a personal fundraising effort are conveniently located close to the Inter-national Olympic Committee and other international sports federations It has been written into the FEI Statutes that the new FEI headquarters building will always house the Federationrsquos offices In 2008 the building was thoroughly renovated in accordance with the Swiss MINERGIEreg construction standard for environmental responsibility which re-duces energy consumption by 25 per cent Only two per cent of renovated buildings in Switzerland meet the high Minergie standards Khuan Chew founder and design princi-pal of London-based architectural firm KCA International Ltd worked in close collaboration with Swiss-based architect Herveacute de Rham and interior designer Sia-vosh Adeli (SUI) to transform the build-ing which was built in the 1960s The modern and sleek interior was further enhanced with bespoke artworks pro-duced by Swiss creative agency b+g amp partners and imagery by world-famous equestrian art photographer Tim Flach where the simplicity and beauty of his equine subjects seamlessly embrace and accentuate the buildingrsquos pure lines and natural materials (see image left)
As they feasted on the innate beauty of their sur-roundings the guests also had the privilege to ex-perience the culinary talents of organic chef and specialist Gilles Wannaz and his team based in the town of Cully which sits on the edge of Lac Leman in Switzerlandrsquos famous Lavaux wine growing region
5 HRH Princess Haya welcomes the guests to the Inauguration of the HQ and the 90 year celebration of the FEI 6 Artwork by renowned pho-tographer Tim Flach 7 An organic and colourful buffet presented on an authentic lawn by local chef Gilles Wannaz 8 A life size horse sculpture by Christophe Dumont greeted the guests upon their arrival
53FOCUS
and space with the latest in touch technology revis-iting the history of the FEI the equestrian events at Olympic amp Paralympic Games the FEI World Eques-trian Gamestrade and information on all of the member National Federations with statistics videos images and text The Gallery also includes projections on ar-chitectural surfaces designed by Oded Alony referred to as the Origami as well as interactive stations and unique video projections on glass screens
For all those wishing to visit the FEI Gallery simply contact the FEI HQ to make an appointment and we would be delighted to take you on a journey to dis-cover or rediscover the human and equine athletes whose talents have marked equestrian history and inspired young riders drivers and vaulters around the world
Interview withDrAmichaiAlperovich
When did you first dream up the FEIInteractive Gallery When I found out the FEI was planning to move into new HQ in 2009 Disk-In Pro and I approached the FEI and presented them with several concepts for the space Before long we had agreed on the concept and we got to work
Why were you compelled to make it become a reality So that the FEI a prominent sports organisation could present itself to a growing audience in a new and visionary way with the latest technology And by doing so the FEI is a pioneer becoming the first International Federation to have a Gallery of this kind
What did you learn when researching and gathering content for the gallery I have learned a lot about the history of the FEI the strong Olympic tradition the diversity of disciplines the gender equality and the unique bond between horse and man One of the more fascinating topics was the evolution of the Dressage from itsrsquo Olympic debut to the modern Freestyle
Itrsquos very innovative technology what inspired you to take such a leap into the future with such a traditional sport Just as Dressage has evolved over the years and alongside the introduction of new disciplines partic-ularly Para-Equestrian you come to realise that the FEI is not as traditional as one would think Actually this kind of innovative presentation of equestrian history is really well suited to the FEI In the same way that you can have horse-man connections there is an audience-technology connection in the Gallery The audience have to be active in order to enjoy the depth of information the Gallery contains
54
Now it is time to open the door to new places to learn about sport ndash at the heart of sporting organi-sations themselves The Gallery is more than an informative tool it brings people to the sport andto the heart of its operations
Established in 1990 Disk-In Pro specialises in the planning design production and implementation of Museums Visitor Centres and sophisticated projects around the world This includes multi screen produc-tion animation 3D amp interactive films state-of-the-art software platforms and complex video displays for an unforgettable experience
Oded Alony holds a BA in Design from the Interior Design Section of the Holon Technological Institute and has since 1998 worked with Israelrsquos leading Architecture firms The Oded Alony Studio embraces holistic design a space where interior design lighting and graphics are brought together to create a harmo-nious project vision
Now that you have seen it unveiled to the public how would you like to see it evolve I hope the audience will be amazed from the design by architect Oded Alony and the new methods to deliver information whilst discovering the long his-tory of the FEI the diversity and the global reach of the organisation I hope the Gallery will become an icon in Lausanne and one of its highlights for visitors I promise the visitors a new platform to learn about equestrianism and each visit could be different as the information and themes will be updated and modi-fied regularly
This futuristic gallery is a first for anInternational Federation do you think thisis something all sports should invest inThe FEI took this courageous decision and now has this fantastic tool to present the organisation in new ways Sport is a huge cultural phenomenaWe have learned to consume sport in the arenas and stadiums in the press media and new media
Dr Amichai Alperovich
55FOCUS
SOCIAL MEDIAthe new frontier
Follow us on
The FEI has recently embarked on and embraced a whole new way of talking with the greater equestrian community through the ever expanding social media networks and platformsWith personalised Facebook Twitter and You Tube pages the FEI is taking it step by step and reaching out to this growing audience and listening to what they have to say
This new communication platform is by no means a substitution of the traditional communication path-ways but works alongside the press releases various publications and content on wwwfeiorg and wwwfeitvorg providing a new arena where the FEI can share interact and dialogue with fans of the sport and of equestrian values in general
We talk to Richard Johnson Director of Corporate Communications about the FEIrsquos commitment to social media
What compelled the FEI to venture onto the social media scene As a governing body with a vibrant and active com-munity of National Federations as well as thousands of fans the need to reach out to the online social community has never been stronger We have been watching the communities grow online for some time and have been listening to their conversations so being a part of it was the next logical step and a really important one The conversations will hap-pen with or without us so taking that step has been crucial in order to share our values and also build re-lationships with our fan base
Tradition meets modernity ndash does equestrian sportthe FEI have a place in social media Absolutely even though equestrian sport has a long history and is perceived as a traditional sport it is
always evolving In the 90 years of the FEI which was founded to govern the three Olympic disciplines it has grown to also oversee the disciplines of Driving Endurance Vaulting Reining and Para-Equestrian sport Or if you look at the early days when competi-tors were from military backgrounds and when wom-en did not compete alongside men to the complete gender equality we have today ndash a lot has changed and is in a constant state of change
The fans of equestrian sport are like any other fan base web savvy and eager for more information behind the scenes content and to share their opin-ions and thoughts ndash so it is an ideal partnership And from what we have seen these last few months and from the feedback we got from our blog at the Youth Olympic Games there is a real appetite for this
The FEI has dedicated Facebook Twitter and You Tube pages ndash why did you select these social media platforms The figures speak for themselveshellip Facebook Twit-ter and You Tube are the biggest players in the social networking space With over 500 million Facebook users 106 million Tweeters and 2 billion views a day on You Tube there has never been so much oppor-tunity for exposure Every site has different demo-graphics with different habits and needs so by having an FEI presence on these three networks we are able to cover a lot of ground and cater to different audi-ences by providing different types of content accord-ing to the platform
What are the main benefits of having a pres-ence on various social media platforms Itrsquos all about having a two way conversation ndash the benefits of dialogue where you can share content such as videos images facts and figures thoughts and values and then allow your fan base to react to get involved and to listen and learn from them By engaging with our audience and showing them that we are a modern and caring organisation and that we want to hear what they have to say then we are able to build trust and ultimately credibility in what we do and what we say
57FOCUS
TV
The offi cial video website of the Feacutedeacuteration Equestre Internationale
wwwfeitvorg
WATCH LIVE WATCH ONLINE
FEI TV is the FEIrsquos new offi cial video website and your ticket to the worldrsquos most prestigious competitions Sign-up to FEI TV (wwwfeitvorg) and get instant access to all the live broadcasts the extensive video-on-demand library all the highlights the behind the scenes reports the interviews and so much more Be at the heart of horsesport Join us
2823_1FEI_TV_Focus_165x226indd 1 170510 1124
It also keeps us alert as to what is being discussed and debated in the public sphere so that we can manage situations more effectively and be proactive in our messaging and information so that the facts are at the heart of the debate and not interpretations of them
How do you generate content for social media It was important when we launched our social me-dia presence that it be manageable with the exist-ing communications team in place ndash and so we have concentrated on keeping it simple and effective and using content innovatively Itrsquos not about reproduc-ing our website ndash but to engage with our fans and so often all you need is a good picture an interest-ing fact or great achievement to get the ball rolling For You Tube as we already have so much content generated from FEI TV it was simply a question of using bits and pieces from that content to provide the public with teasers from events interviews with winning riders or behind the scenes content which they can then follow up on FEI TV with a subscription
What are your Social media goals Itrsquos really to build relationships and dialogue with our fan base by using our content innovatively by listening to what they have to say and by engaging with the community And for the National Federa-tions that have yet to take that step we want to be a guiding hand that can help them get started so that they too can reap the benefits of social media net-working Our sport competes against other sports for attention so itrsquos really important that we the FEI and the National Federations keep our finger on the pulse and cater to our fans
How can National Federations get involved NFs wishing to find out more about Social Media can contact me (richardjohnsonfeiorg) and I would be more than happy to discuss opportunities and ways of getting started as well as our experience at the FEI
We asked our Facebook followers why it was important to use face-book and here are a few comments they came up with
bullItrsquos a great way to find out about shows and competitions
bullBecause facebook can provide up to the minute updates as to the what is going on in the horse community
bullWe can share information and ideas over long distances We can find and connect with people we wouldnt be able to otherwise
bullIt also lets us express the true realities of our spot to keep us grounded
bullIt can bring peoples attention to excellence ndash and expose the issues
58
TV
The offi cial video website of the Feacutedeacuteration Equestre Internationale
wwwfeitvorg
WATCH LIVE WATCH ONLINE
FEI TV is the FEIrsquos new offi cial video website and your ticket to the worldrsquos most prestigious competitions Sign-up to FEI TV (wwwfeitvorg) and get instant access to all the live broadcasts the extensive video-on-demand library all the highlights the behind the scenes reports the interviews and so much more Be at the heart of horsesport Join us
2823_1FEI_TV_Focus_165x226indd 1 170510 1124
ldquo Donrsquot accept drinks from a strangerrdquo
Armchair travel journalist
Are you living a life without boundaries Some well-meant advice is best ignored but itrsquos still good to know yoursquore covered when yoursquore away With HSBC Premier your family can be protected with both Travel Insurance and dedicated assistance when yoursquore abroad Which is reassuring to know when yoursquore making the most of life
HSBC Premier is subject to financial eligibility criteria and is available in over 40 countries and territories
Premier Travel Insurance covers you and your partner up to age 70 and your children travelling with you up to age 18
wwwhsbcpremiercom
A4 A4
Issued by HSBC Holdings plc Approved for use in UK by HSBC Bank plc Premier Travel Insurance is provided by Aviva Insurance UK Limited Customer Information Service PO Box 757 Hemel Hempstead Hertfordshire HP2 4SS Registered in England number 14259 Registered Office 8 Canada Square London E14 5HQ AC18770
201736_6000263_Coconut_226x165indd
Master 226x165
Rob Swainson 160211
HSBC - Coconuts Proof 01Head of Art TypographerDesigner ArtCreative Director Copywriter Account DirectorDIC Project ManagerPhotographer Illustrator Usage Model(s) Name(s) Usage
Media MediaStock Image Time Period Time Period
Territory Territory
8deg N ndash Kerala South India
Dr Gerit Matthesen56 is a private equine practitioner an FEI Vet and a member of the FEI Veterinary Committee He graduated in Veterinary Medicine from Berlin University in 1983 and since 1989 has worked or officiated at some 180 competitions and championships including the last two Olympics and FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade He lives near Frankfurt with his wife Carola and their sons Mike (16) and Lars (14)
46
A life in a day
Dr Gerit Matthesen56 is a private equine practitioner an FEI Vet and a member of the FEI Veterinary Committee He graduated in Veterinary Medicine from Berlin University in 1983 and since 1989 has worked or officiated at some 180 competitions and championships including the last two Olympics and FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade He lives near Frankfurt with his wife Carola and their sons Mike (16) and Lars (14)
I wake up earlier than I need to ndash at around 6am ndash because breakfast time with my family is sacred to me and I can then drive my boys to the village station to take the train to school After two cups of coffee (enough for the day) and a glass of orange juice I read the newspapers then head to my prac-tice offices in our indoor arena I have a quick look at our horses then start work
While I listen to my phone messages I deal with my emails and search the internet for news about veterinary medicine and horse sport I then start planning the dayacutes schedule with Anna my assistant vet
My mobile practice is in a nice fairly rural area in the north of Frankfurt There are lots of horse farms but it is not a classic breeding area like the northern part of Germany There are sport horses as well as pleasure horses I have examination rooms and stables for horses staying or mares foaling in my practice stables Itrsquos not a big clinic which gives me time to work at competitions
After seeing a few small animals in my practice I normally start my field service at 930am In my car I have enough equipment (ultrasound X-ray systems and endoscopical devices) for the dayrsquos examinations and standing procedures We mainly have lameness examinations to do or internal diseases to treat accompanied by routine work like vaccinations or carrying out pre-purchase or health certificate examinations If time allows I go home for a quick lunch but thatrsquos not every day
While Irsquom driving I have time to think and I write down everything that come to mind regarding sport competitions committees and so on You have to write down your thoughts when yoursquore over the age of 50
It is not easy planning my day because any emer-gency can destroy or delay my schedule For all the paperwork and certificates I need a time frame so
I often do that over quiet weekends when there are no competitions During the winter season I am less busy but in summer a lot of weekends are taken over by the competition schedule
I love my work especially in Eventing which is my favourite discipline My wife and I practiced it ndash not up to top level but it was a fine time despite a bro-ken ankle from a fall in 1988 which after 23 years is making walking more and more difficult for me
I like to do my competition work on a friendly but strict basis and I really like to hear riders saying they are treated fairly Over the years I have acquired a lot of experience and met all the officials and riders
Usually when I return home in the late afternoon there are more small animals to see When Irsquove done the dayrsquos paperwork I hope there will be no more emergencies such as cases of colic which usually occur in the early evening
I look forward to getting on my horse which is a beautiful show-jumper I like to ride but Irsquove stopped competing I do dressage jumping and go out into the fields but itrsquos all just for fun now
The day finishes with the family and a nice cold glass of German beer
Itrsquos a struggle to find time to spend with my family and I often have to cancel my holidays with them I am really grateful to my wife and the boys for their understanding of my job and to my assistant vet who covers for me when Iacutem out somewhere in the world of equestrian sport
ldquoThe combination of my profession and beinginvolved in differentaspects of top equestrian sport is my visionrdquo
47FOCUS
Pull your show attire from the closet clean your boots and tack groom the horses hook up and pack the trailer check the clock double check to make sure you have everything put on the shipping boots load your horses and away you drive to the competition venue or to the airport for transport to a distant event
You know the drill well but still you arrive tired per-haps even a bit frazzled Yoursquoll sleep (or try to) the next several nights in an unfamiliar bed or camp out in the living quarters of your trailer You awaken riveted on the competition playing out the dayrsquos classes in your mind wondering how your rides will fare against oth-ers praying that the weather will be cooperate and trying to control your nerves all the while knowing that no matter how well you have prepared many factors are out of your control You may even be in a different time zone
We go through a lot to compete our horses But if you think life on the road is stressful for you think about what itrsquos like for your horses Your back may be a bit sore from driving or being strapped into an airplane seat for hours on end but for horses transportation is far more demanding It is an athletic endeavour re-quiring an expenditure of energy to maintain balance during the constant movement of transport When your horses arrive they face social isolation from stablemates lack of security in novel environments altered training regimes water that tastes strange and the confines of an unfamiliar stall This routine impacts a horsersquos health and well being with effects
continuing long after the journey is over During transport toxic gases (such as ammonia or carbon monoxide) can cause damage to the lung epithelium precipitating respiratory disease The
final destination itself can also cause problems Usually horses are transported to environments where they will be mixing with other horses The mixing of horses from different environments with different infectious organisms and under stressful conditions further precipitates susceptibility to disease
This can have a severe impact on the equine gut The stress of transportation is known to increase gut ulceration in the horse a painful condition reducing performance and causing colic-like symptoms Stress can also slow the flow of digesta and alter the normal gut flora resulting in digestive upset and possibly diarrhoea or colic
The effects of travel stress on the gut are compounded by the typical diet of the regular equine traveller To maintain athletic ability high performance horses are often fed energy-charged diets contain-ing increased levels of starchy materials such as cereal grains Unfortunately this type of diet can reduce beneficial types of gut flora and promote gut acidity further predisposing the horse to digestive upsets and ulceration It is not surprising that stressed tired horses may not fulfill their potential on arrival
Feeding to reduce stress for the equine traveller
By Darlene RickerExecutive editor of Alltechrsquos EQUINE INTERNATIONAL magazine
48
Alltech Tips
growth of opportunistic Salmonella spp which are present in the intestinal tract of many healthy horses These bacteria then attach to the gut lining via a mannan sugar and penetrate it causing damage and resulting in diarrhoea One method of prevent-ing or minimising the attachment of these organ-
isms to the gut lining is to provide an adsorbant supplement A form of sugar found in the cell walls of certain yeasts can do this This sugar compound is called man-nan oligosaccharide or MOS MOS products such as Alltechrsquos Bio-Mosreg have been shown to re-duce the colonization of Salmonella
spp in the guts of certain species and augment the immune response to Salmonella spp potentially conferring an enhanced ability to fight infection Both Yea-Saccreg 1026 and Bio-Mos are among the natural products contained in Alltechrsquos LIFEFORCETM equine supplement which many FEI competitors have successfully incorporated into their daily feeding regimen at home and on the road
lifeforcehorsecom
and may be subject to health concerns in the days following a long journey Fortunately however you can curb some of the effects of travel stress on the horsersquos gut by nutritional supplementation Organic yeast products used to supplement a horsersquos diet can support the normal gut flora modifying the intesti-nal environment and improving the horsersquos digestion One such culture is Saccharomyces cerevisae in the form of Yea-Saccreg 1026 Alltechrsquos propriety organic yeast
Experiments were conducted to evaluate the effects Yea-Sacc on gut flora and gut acidity Horses were fed either a high-starch or a high-fibre diet both with and without supplementation of Yea-Saccreg 1026 Results indicated an excessive amount of starch in the gut The use of Yea-Sacc reduced acidity and stimulat-ed the activity of fibre-digesting bacteria in the hind-gut for both types of diet The result was maximised fibre digestibility and more efficient use of nutrients thus increasing the amount of energy available to the horse for performance and counteracting digestive upset Salmonellosis is one of the more commonly di-agnosed infectious causes of diarrhoea in horses Many cases develop after the stress of transport The effects of travel stress on the normal gut flora allow an over-
Moorlands Totilas arrives for the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade after air transport copy Dirk Caremans
HRH The Infanta Dontildea Pilar de Borboacuten former President of the FEI (1994-2006) also attended the inauguration along-side HRH Princess Lalla Amina Chairperson of the Royal Moroccan Federation for Equestrian Sports and member of the international Advisory Council of Special OlympicsThey were joined by International Olympic Commit-tee members representatives from other Interna-tional Federations federal and local Swiss authorities as well as architects and designers that worked on the project Switzerlandrsquos Martin Fuchs a member of the gold medal winning team at the inaugural Youth Olympic Games in Singapore last year accompanied FEI President Princess Haya in officially opening the FEI headquarters
ldquoThe building we are inaugurating today has been designed to serve our wonderful sportrdquo explained FEI
President Princess Haya ldquoI also feel an immense
sense of pride knowing that this building carries the name
of my late father and hope that this serves as a constant reminder
to all of us who work at the FEI of a unique statesman whose entire soul was devoted to the service of his people Our new headquarters will play a key role for the FEI and our National Federa-tions over the coming years It will be the environ-ment in which important discussions take place and fundamental decisions are taken as we continue our mission to advance the orderly growth of equestrian sport worldwide while ensuring that the welfare of the horse and a level playing field remain at the centre of all that we dordquo
FEI celebratesNEW Headquarters
Over 250 guests attended the inauguration ceremony on Friday 6 May at HM King Hussein I Building which was timed to coincide with the FEI
Extraordinary General Assembly so that attending NationalFederation representatives
could be a part ofthe celebrations
1 Youth Olympic Games team champion Martin Fuchs (SUI) FEI President HRH Princess Haya and her daughter HH Sheikha Al Jalila officially open the FEIrsquos new home 2 Gilbert Felli IOC Olympic Games Executive Director and FEI Secretary General Ingmar de Vos 3 HRH The Infanta Dontildea Pilar de Borboacuten sits down to an interactive quiz in the FEI Gallery 4 Guests gathered in the atrium of the FEI HeadquartersAll images copy Hugues SiegenthalerFEI
Highlights available on50
1
2
3 4
5
6 7
8
THE GALLERy
As well as housing offices for its 62 employees and conference facilities for its 133 National Federations the new headquarters also has a state-of-the-art in-teractive gallery showcasing equestrian sport
The Gallery is the brainchild of Dr Amichai Alper-ovich historian former Secretary General of the Is-raeli Equestrian Federation and curator of the Israeli Olympic Museum (opened in 2009) He worked hand in hand with the Tel Aviv based company Disk-In Pro and interior designer Oded Alony to help bring the content to life and the result is truly unique and ground breaking Giant glass surfaces act as interac-tive interfaces for the visitors to travel through time
The FEIrsquos new headquarters which were donated to the Federation by FEI Presi-dent HRH Princess Haya in 2007 fol-lowing a personal fundraising effort are conveniently located close to the Inter-national Olympic Committee and other international sports federations It has been written into the FEI Statutes that the new FEI headquarters building will always house the Federationrsquos offices In 2008 the building was thoroughly renovated in accordance with the Swiss MINERGIEreg construction standard for environmental responsibility which re-duces energy consumption by 25 per cent Only two per cent of renovated buildings in Switzerland meet the high Minergie standards Khuan Chew founder and design princi-pal of London-based architectural firm KCA International Ltd worked in close collaboration with Swiss-based architect Herveacute de Rham and interior designer Sia-vosh Adeli (SUI) to transform the build-ing which was built in the 1960s The modern and sleek interior was further enhanced with bespoke artworks pro-duced by Swiss creative agency b+g amp partners and imagery by world-famous equestrian art photographer Tim Flach where the simplicity and beauty of his equine subjects seamlessly embrace and accentuate the buildingrsquos pure lines and natural materials (see image left)
As they feasted on the innate beauty of their sur-roundings the guests also had the privilege to ex-perience the culinary talents of organic chef and specialist Gilles Wannaz and his team based in the town of Cully which sits on the edge of Lac Leman in Switzerlandrsquos famous Lavaux wine growing region
5 HRH Princess Haya welcomes the guests to the Inauguration of the HQ and the 90 year celebration of the FEI 6 Artwork by renowned pho-tographer Tim Flach 7 An organic and colourful buffet presented on an authentic lawn by local chef Gilles Wannaz 8 A life size horse sculpture by Christophe Dumont greeted the guests upon their arrival
53FOCUS
and space with the latest in touch technology revis-iting the history of the FEI the equestrian events at Olympic amp Paralympic Games the FEI World Eques-trian Gamestrade and information on all of the member National Federations with statistics videos images and text The Gallery also includes projections on ar-chitectural surfaces designed by Oded Alony referred to as the Origami as well as interactive stations and unique video projections on glass screens
For all those wishing to visit the FEI Gallery simply contact the FEI HQ to make an appointment and we would be delighted to take you on a journey to dis-cover or rediscover the human and equine athletes whose talents have marked equestrian history and inspired young riders drivers and vaulters around the world
Interview withDrAmichaiAlperovich
When did you first dream up the FEIInteractive Gallery When I found out the FEI was planning to move into new HQ in 2009 Disk-In Pro and I approached the FEI and presented them with several concepts for the space Before long we had agreed on the concept and we got to work
Why were you compelled to make it become a reality So that the FEI a prominent sports organisation could present itself to a growing audience in a new and visionary way with the latest technology And by doing so the FEI is a pioneer becoming the first International Federation to have a Gallery of this kind
What did you learn when researching and gathering content for the gallery I have learned a lot about the history of the FEI the strong Olympic tradition the diversity of disciplines the gender equality and the unique bond between horse and man One of the more fascinating topics was the evolution of the Dressage from itsrsquo Olympic debut to the modern Freestyle
Itrsquos very innovative technology what inspired you to take such a leap into the future with such a traditional sport Just as Dressage has evolved over the years and alongside the introduction of new disciplines partic-ularly Para-Equestrian you come to realise that the FEI is not as traditional as one would think Actually this kind of innovative presentation of equestrian history is really well suited to the FEI In the same way that you can have horse-man connections there is an audience-technology connection in the Gallery The audience have to be active in order to enjoy the depth of information the Gallery contains
54
Now it is time to open the door to new places to learn about sport ndash at the heart of sporting organi-sations themselves The Gallery is more than an informative tool it brings people to the sport andto the heart of its operations
Established in 1990 Disk-In Pro specialises in the planning design production and implementation of Museums Visitor Centres and sophisticated projects around the world This includes multi screen produc-tion animation 3D amp interactive films state-of-the-art software platforms and complex video displays for an unforgettable experience
Oded Alony holds a BA in Design from the Interior Design Section of the Holon Technological Institute and has since 1998 worked with Israelrsquos leading Architecture firms The Oded Alony Studio embraces holistic design a space where interior design lighting and graphics are brought together to create a harmo-nious project vision
Now that you have seen it unveiled to the public how would you like to see it evolve I hope the audience will be amazed from the design by architect Oded Alony and the new methods to deliver information whilst discovering the long his-tory of the FEI the diversity and the global reach of the organisation I hope the Gallery will become an icon in Lausanne and one of its highlights for visitors I promise the visitors a new platform to learn about equestrianism and each visit could be different as the information and themes will be updated and modi-fied regularly
This futuristic gallery is a first for anInternational Federation do you think thisis something all sports should invest inThe FEI took this courageous decision and now has this fantastic tool to present the organisation in new ways Sport is a huge cultural phenomenaWe have learned to consume sport in the arenas and stadiums in the press media and new media
Dr Amichai Alperovich
55FOCUS
SOCIAL MEDIAthe new frontier
Follow us on
The FEI has recently embarked on and embraced a whole new way of talking with the greater equestrian community through the ever expanding social media networks and platformsWith personalised Facebook Twitter and You Tube pages the FEI is taking it step by step and reaching out to this growing audience and listening to what they have to say
This new communication platform is by no means a substitution of the traditional communication path-ways but works alongside the press releases various publications and content on wwwfeiorg and wwwfeitvorg providing a new arena where the FEI can share interact and dialogue with fans of the sport and of equestrian values in general
We talk to Richard Johnson Director of Corporate Communications about the FEIrsquos commitment to social media
What compelled the FEI to venture onto the social media scene As a governing body with a vibrant and active com-munity of National Federations as well as thousands of fans the need to reach out to the online social community has never been stronger We have been watching the communities grow online for some time and have been listening to their conversations so being a part of it was the next logical step and a really important one The conversations will hap-pen with or without us so taking that step has been crucial in order to share our values and also build re-lationships with our fan base
Tradition meets modernity ndash does equestrian sportthe FEI have a place in social media Absolutely even though equestrian sport has a long history and is perceived as a traditional sport it is
always evolving In the 90 years of the FEI which was founded to govern the three Olympic disciplines it has grown to also oversee the disciplines of Driving Endurance Vaulting Reining and Para-Equestrian sport Or if you look at the early days when competi-tors were from military backgrounds and when wom-en did not compete alongside men to the complete gender equality we have today ndash a lot has changed and is in a constant state of change
The fans of equestrian sport are like any other fan base web savvy and eager for more information behind the scenes content and to share their opin-ions and thoughts ndash so it is an ideal partnership And from what we have seen these last few months and from the feedback we got from our blog at the Youth Olympic Games there is a real appetite for this
The FEI has dedicated Facebook Twitter and You Tube pages ndash why did you select these social media platforms The figures speak for themselveshellip Facebook Twit-ter and You Tube are the biggest players in the social networking space With over 500 million Facebook users 106 million Tweeters and 2 billion views a day on You Tube there has never been so much oppor-tunity for exposure Every site has different demo-graphics with different habits and needs so by having an FEI presence on these three networks we are able to cover a lot of ground and cater to different audi-ences by providing different types of content accord-ing to the platform
What are the main benefits of having a pres-ence on various social media platforms Itrsquos all about having a two way conversation ndash the benefits of dialogue where you can share content such as videos images facts and figures thoughts and values and then allow your fan base to react to get involved and to listen and learn from them By engaging with our audience and showing them that we are a modern and caring organisation and that we want to hear what they have to say then we are able to build trust and ultimately credibility in what we do and what we say
57FOCUS
TV
The offi cial video website of the Feacutedeacuteration Equestre Internationale
wwwfeitvorg
WATCH LIVE WATCH ONLINE
FEI TV is the FEIrsquos new offi cial video website and your ticket to the worldrsquos most prestigious competitions Sign-up to FEI TV (wwwfeitvorg) and get instant access to all the live broadcasts the extensive video-on-demand library all the highlights the behind the scenes reports the interviews and so much more Be at the heart of horsesport Join us
2823_1FEI_TV_Focus_165x226indd 1 170510 1124
It also keeps us alert as to what is being discussed and debated in the public sphere so that we can manage situations more effectively and be proactive in our messaging and information so that the facts are at the heart of the debate and not interpretations of them
How do you generate content for social media It was important when we launched our social me-dia presence that it be manageable with the exist-ing communications team in place ndash and so we have concentrated on keeping it simple and effective and using content innovatively Itrsquos not about reproduc-ing our website ndash but to engage with our fans and so often all you need is a good picture an interest-ing fact or great achievement to get the ball rolling For You Tube as we already have so much content generated from FEI TV it was simply a question of using bits and pieces from that content to provide the public with teasers from events interviews with winning riders or behind the scenes content which they can then follow up on FEI TV with a subscription
What are your Social media goals Itrsquos really to build relationships and dialogue with our fan base by using our content innovatively by listening to what they have to say and by engaging with the community And for the National Federa-tions that have yet to take that step we want to be a guiding hand that can help them get started so that they too can reap the benefits of social media net-working Our sport competes against other sports for attention so itrsquos really important that we the FEI and the National Federations keep our finger on the pulse and cater to our fans
How can National Federations get involved NFs wishing to find out more about Social Media can contact me (richardjohnsonfeiorg) and I would be more than happy to discuss opportunities and ways of getting started as well as our experience at the FEI
We asked our Facebook followers why it was important to use face-book and here are a few comments they came up with
bullItrsquos a great way to find out about shows and competitions
bullBecause facebook can provide up to the minute updates as to the what is going on in the horse community
bullWe can share information and ideas over long distances We can find and connect with people we wouldnt be able to otherwise
bullIt also lets us express the true realities of our spot to keep us grounded
bullIt can bring peoples attention to excellence ndash and expose the issues
58
TV
The offi cial video website of the Feacutedeacuteration Equestre Internationale
wwwfeitvorg
WATCH LIVE WATCH ONLINE
FEI TV is the FEIrsquos new offi cial video website and your ticket to the worldrsquos most prestigious competitions Sign-up to FEI TV (wwwfeitvorg) and get instant access to all the live broadcasts the extensive video-on-demand library all the highlights the behind the scenes reports the interviews and so much more Be at the heart of horsesport Join us
2823_1FEI_TV_Focus_165x226indd 1 170510 1124
ldquo Donrsquot accept drinks from a strangerrdquo
Armchair travel journalist
Are you living a life without boundaries Some well-meant advice is best ignored but itrsquos still good to know yoursquore covered when yoursquore away With HSBC Premier your family can be protected with both Travel Insurance and dedicated assistance when yoursquore abroad Which is reassuring to know when yoursquore making the most of life
HSBC Premier is subject to financial eligibility criteria and is available in over 40 countries and territories
Premier Travel Insurance covers you and your partner up to age 70 and your children travelling with you up to age 18
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A4 A4
Issued by HSBC Holdings plc Approved for use in UK by HSBC Bank plc Premier Travel Insurance is provided by Aviva Insurance UK Limited Customer Information Service PO Box 757 Hemel Hempstead Hertfordshire HP2 4SS Registered in England number 14259 Registered Office 8 Canada Square London E14 5HQ AC18770
201736_6000263_Coconut_226x165indd
Master 226x165
Rob Swainson 160211
HSBC - Coconuts Proof 01Head of Art TypographerDesigner ArtCreative Director Copywriter Account DirectorDIC Project ManagerPhotographer Illustrator Usage Model(s) Name(s) Usage
Media MediaStock Image Time Period Time Period
Territory Territory
8deg N ndash Kerala South India
Dr Gerit Matthesen56 is a private equine practitioner an FEI Vet and a member of the FEI Veterinary Committee He graduated in Veterinary Medicine from Berlin University in 1983 and since 1989 has worked or officiated at some 180 competitions and championships including the last two Olympics and FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade He lives near Frankfurt with his wife Carola and their sons Mike (16) and Lars (14)
I wake up earlier than I need to ndash at around 6am ndash because breakfast time with my family is sacred to me and I can then drive my boys to the village station to take the train to school After two cups of coffee (enough for the day) and a glass of orange juice I read the newspapers then head to my prac-tice offices in our indoor arena I have a quick look at our horses then start work
While I listen to my phone messages I deal with my emails and search the internet for news about veterinary medicine and horse sport I then start planning the dayacutes schedule with Anna my assistant vet
My mobile practice is in a nice fairly rural area in the north of Frankfurt There are lots of horse farms but it is not a classic breeding area like the northern part of Germany There are sport horses as well as pleasure horses I have examination rooms and stables for horses staying or mares foaling in my practice stables Itrsquos not a big clinic which gives me time to work at competitions
After seeing a few small animals in my practice I normally start my field service at 930am In my car I have enough equipment (ultrasound X-ray systems and endoscopical devices) for the dayrsquos examinations and standing procedures We mainly have lameness examinations to do or internal diseases to treat accompanied by routine work like vaccinations or carrying out pre-purchase or health certificate examinations If time allows I go home for a quick lunch but thatrsquos not every day
While Irsquom driving I have time to think and I write down everything that come to mind regarding sport competitions committees and so on You have to write down your thoughts when yoursquore over the age of 50
It is not easy planning my day because any emer-gency can destroy or delay my schedule For all the paperwork and certificates I need a time frame so
I often do that over quiet weekends when there are no competitions During the winter season I am less busy but in summer a lot of weekends are taken over by the competition schedule
I love my work especially in Eventing which is my favourite discipline My wife and I practiced it ndash not up to top level but it was a fine time despite a bro-ken ankle from a fall in 1988 which after 23 years is making walking more and more difficult for me
I like to do my competition work on a friendly but strict basis and I really like to hear riders saying they are treated fairly Over the years I have acquired a lot of experience and met all the officials and riders
Usually when I return home in the late afternoon there are more small animals to see When Irsquove done the dayrsquos paperwork I hope there will be no more emergencies such as cases of colic which usually occur in the early evening
I look forward to getting on my horse which is a beautiful show-jumper I like to ride but Irsquove stopped competing I do dressage jumping and go out into the fields but itrsquos all just for fun now
The day finishes with the family and a nice cold glass of German beer
Itrsquos a struggle to find time to spend with my family and I often have to cancel my holidays with them I am really grateful to my wife and the boys for their understanding of my job and to my assistant vet who covers for me when Iacutem out somewhere in the world of equestrian sport
ldquoThe combination of my profession and beinginvolved in differentaspects of top equestrian sport is my visionrdquo
47FOCUS
Pull your show attire from the closet clean your boots and tack groom the horses hook up and pack the trailer check the clock double check to make sure you have everything put on the shipping boots load your horses and away you drive to the competition venue or to the airport for transport to a distant event
You know the drill well but still you arrive tired per-haps even a bit frazzled Yoursquoll sleep (or try to) the next several nights in an unfamiliar bed or camp out in the living quarters of your trailer You awaken riveted on the competition playing out the dayrsquos classes in your mind wondering how your rides will fare against oth-ers praying that the weather will be cooperate and trying to control your nerves all the while knowing that no matter how well you have prepared many factors are out of your control You may even be in a different time zone
We go through a lot to compete our horses But if you think life on the road is stressful for you think about what itrsquos like for your horses Your back may be a bit sore from driving or being strapped into an airplane seat for hours on end but for horses transportation is far more demanding It is an athletic endeavour re-quiring an expenditure of energy to maintain balance during the constant movement of transport When your horses arrive they face social isolation from stablemates lack of security in novel environments altered training regimes water that tastes strange and the confines of an unfamiliar stall This routine impacts a horsersquos health and well being with effects
continuing long after the journey is over During transport toxic gases (such as ammonia or carbon monoxide) can cause damage to the lung epithelium precipitating respiratory disease The
final destination itself can also cause problems Usually horses are transported to environments where they will be mixing with other horses The mixing of horses from different environments with different infectious organisms and under stressful conditions further precipitates susceptibility to disease
This can have a severe impact on the equine gut The stress of transportation is known to increase gut ulceration in the horse a painful condition reducing performance and causing colic-like symptoms Stress can also slow the flow of digesta and alter the normal gut flora resulting in digestive upset and possibly diarrhoea or colic
The effects of travel stress on the gut are compounded by the typical diet of the regular equine traveller To maintain athletic ability high performance horses are often fed energy-charged diets contain-ing increased levels of starchy materials such as cereal grains Unfortunately this type of diet can reduce beneficial types of gut flora and promote gut acidity further predisposing the horse to digestive upsets and ulceration It is not surprising that stressed tired horses may not fulfill their potential on arrival
Feeding to reduce stress for the equine traveller
By Darlene RickerExecutive editor of Alltechrsquos EQUINE INTERNATIONAL magazine
48
Alltech Tips
growth of opportunistic Salmonella spp which are present in the intestinal tract of many healthy horses These bacteria then attach to the gut lining via a mannan sugar and penetrate it causing damage and resulting in diarrhoea One method of prevent-ing or minimising the attachment of these organ-
isms to the gut lining is to provide an adsorbant supplement A form of sugar found in the cell walls of certain yeasts can do this This sugar compound is called man-nan oligosaccharide or MOS MOS products such as Alltechrsquos Bio-Mosreg have been shown to re-duce the colonization of Salmonella
spp in the guts of certain species and augment the immune response to Salmonella spp potentially conferring an enhanced ability to fight infection Both Yea-Saccreg 1026 and Bio-Mos are among the natural products contained in Alltechrsquos LIFEFORCETM equine supplement which many FEI competitors have successfully incorporated into their daily feeding regimen at home and on the road
lifeforcehorsecom
and may be subject to health concerns in the days following a long journey Fortunately however you can curb some of the effects of travel stress on the horsersquos gut by nutritional supplementation Organic yeast products used to supplement a horsersquos diet can support the normal gut flora modifying the intesti-nal environment and improving the horsersquos digestion One such culture is Saccharomyces cerevisae in the form of Yea-Saccreg 1026 Alltechrsquos propriety organic yeast
Experiments were conducted to evaluate the effects Yea-Sacc on gut flora and gut acidity Horses were fed either a high-starch or a high-fibre diet both with and without supplementation of Yea-Saccreg 1026 Results indicated an excessive amount of starch in the gut The use of Yea-Sacc reduced acidity and stimulat-ed the activity of fibre-digesting bacteria in the hind-gut for both types of diet The result was maximised fibre digestibility and more efficient use of nutrients thus increasing the amount of energy available to the horse for performance and counteracting digestive upset Salmonellosis is one of the more commonly di-agnosed infectious causes of diarrhoea in horses Many cases develop after the stress of transport The effects of travel stress on the normal gut flora allow an over-
Moorlands Totilas arrives for the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade after air transport copy Dirk Caremans
HRH The Infanta Dontildea Pilar de Borboacuten former President of the FEI (1994-2006) also attended the inauguration along-side HRH Princess Lalla Amina Chairperson of the Royal Moroccan Federation for Equestrian Sports and member of the international Advisory Council of Special OlympicsThey were joined by International Olympic Commit-tee members representatives from other Interna-tional Federations federal and local Swiss authorities as well as architects and designers that worked on the project Switzerlandrsquos Martin Fuchs a member of the gold medal winning team at the inaugural Youth Olympic Games in Singapore last year accompanied FEI President Princess Haya in officially opening the FEI headquarters
ldquoThe building we are inaugurating today has been designed to serve our wonderful sportrdquo explained FEI
President Princess Haya ldquoI also feel an immense
sense of pride knowing that this building carries the name
of my late father and hope that this serves as a constant reminder
to all of us who work at the FEI of a unique statesman whose entire soul was devoted to the service of his people Our new headquarters will play a key role for the FEI and our National Federa-tions over the coming years It will be the environ-ment in which important discussions take place and fundamental decisions are taken as we continue our mission to advance the orderly growth of equestrian sport worldwide while ensuring that the welfare of the horse and a level playing field remain at the centre of all that we dordquo
FEI celebratesNEW Headquarters
Over 250 guests attended the inauguration ceremony on Friday 6 May at HM King Hussein I Building which was timed to coincide with the FEI
Extraordinary General Assembly so that attending NationalFederation representatives
could be a part ofthe celebrations
1 Youth Olympic Games team champion Martin Fuchs (SUI) FEI President HRH Princess Haya and her daughter HH Sheikha Al Jalila officially open the FEIrsquos new home 2 Gilbert Felli IOC Olympic Games Executive Director and FEI Secretary General Ingmar de Vos 3 HRH The Infanta Dontildea Pilar de Borboacuten sits down to an interactive quiz in the FEI Gallery 4 Guests gathered in the atrium of the FEI HeadquartersAll images copy Hugues SiegenthalerFEI
Highlights available on50
1
2
3 4
5
6 7
8
THE GALLERy
As well as housing offices for its 62 employees and conference facilities for its 133 National Federations the new headquarters also has a state-of-the-art in-teractive gallery showcasing equestrian sport
The Gallery is the brainchild of Dr Amichai Alper-ovich historian former Secretary General of the Is-raeli Equestrian Federation and curator of the Israeli Olympic Museum (opened in 2009) He worked hand in hand with the Tel Aviv based company Disk-In Pro and interior designer Oded Alony to help bring the content to life and the result is truly unique and ground breaking Giant glass surfaces act as interac-tive interfaces for the visitors to travel through time
The FEIrsquos new headquarters which were donated to the Federation by FEI Presi-dent HRH Princess Haya in 2007 fol-lowing a personal fundraising effort are conveniently located close to the Inter-national Olympic Committee and other international sports federations It has been written into the FEI Statutes that the new FEI headquarters building will always house the Federationrsquos offices In 2008 the building was thoroughly renovated in accordance with the Swiss MINERGIEreg construction standard for environmental responsibility which re-duces energy consumption by 25 per cent Only two per cent of renovated buildings in Switzerland meet the high Minergie standards Khuan Chew founder and design princi-pal of London-based architectural firm KCA International Ltd worked in close collaboration with Swiss-based architect Herveacute de Rham and interior designer Sia-vosh Adeli (SUI) to transform the build-ing which was built in the 1960s The modern and sleek interior was further enhanced with bespoke artworks pro-duced by Swiss creative agency b+g amp partners and imagery by world-famous equestrian art photographer Tim Flach where the simplicity and beauty of his equine subjects seamlessly embrace and accentuate the buildingrsquos pure lines and natural materials (see image left)
As they feasted on the innate beauty of their sur-roundings the guests also had the privilege to ex-perience the culinary talents of organic chef and specialist Gilles Wannaz and his team based in the town of Cully which sits on the edge of Lac Leman in Switzerlandrsquos famous Lavaux wine growing region
5 HRH Princess Haya welcomes the guests to the Inauguration of the HQ and the 90 year celebration of the FEI 6 Artwork by renowned pho-tographer Tim Flach 7 An organic and colourful buffet presented on an authentic lawn by local chef Gilles Wannaz 8 A life size horse sculpture by Christophe Dumont greeted the guests upon their arrival
53FOCUS
and space with the latest in touch technology revis-iting the history of the FEI the equestrian events at Olympic amp Paralympic Games the FEI World Eques-trian Gamestrade and information on all of the member National Federations with statistics videos images and text The Gallery also includes projections on ar-chitectural surfaces designed by Oded Alony referred to as the Origami as well as interactive stations and unique video projections on glass screens
For all those wishing to visit the FEI Gallery simply contact the FEI HQ to make an appointment and we would be delighted to take you on a journey to dis-cover or rediscover the human and equine athletes whose talents have marked equestrian history and inspired young riders drivers and vaulters around the world
Interview withDrAmichaiAlperovich
When did you first dream up the FEIInteractive Gallery When I found out the FEI was planning to move into new HQ in 2009 Disk-In Pro and I approached the FEI and presented them with several concepts for the space Before long we had agreed on the concept and we got to work
Why were you compelled to make it become a reality So that the FEI a prominent sports organisation could present itself to a growing audience in a new and visionary way with the latest technology And by doing so the FEI is a pioneer becoming the first International Federation to have a Gallery of this kind
What did you learn when researching and gathering content for the gallery I have learned a lot about the history of the FEI the strong Olympic tradition the diversity of disciplines the gender equality and the unique bond between horse and man One of the more fascinating topics was the evolution of the Dressage from itsrsquo Olympic debut to the modern Freestyle
Itrsquos very innovative technology what inspired you to take such a leap into the future with such a traditional sport Just as Dressage has evolved over the years and alongside the introduction of new disciplines partic-ularly Para-Equestrian you come to realise that the FEI is not as traditional as one would think Actually this kind of innovative presentation of equestrian history is really well suited to the FEI In the same way that you can have horse-man connections there is an audience-technology connection in the Gallery The audience have to be active in order to enjoy the depth of information the Gallery contains
54
Now it is time to open the door to new places to learn about sport ndash at the heart of sporting organi-sations themselves The Gallery is more than an informative tool it brings people to the sport andto the heart of its operations
Established in 1990 Disk-In Pro specialises in the planning design production and implementation of Museums Visitor Centres and sophisticated projects around the world This includes multi screen produc-tion animation 3D amp interactive films state-of-the-art software platforms and complex video displays for an unforgettable experience
Oded Alony holds a BA in Design from the Interior Design Section of the Holon Technological Institute and has since 1998 worked with Israelrsquos leading Architecture firms The Oded Alony Studio embraces holistic design a space where interior design lighting and graphics are brought together to create a harmo-nious project vision
Now that you have seen it unveiled to the public how would you like to see it evolve I hope the audience will be amazed from the design by architect Oded Alony and the new methods to deliver information whilst discovering the long his-tory of the FEI the diversity and the global reach of the organisation I hope the Gallery will become an icon in Lausanne and one of its highlights for visitors I promise the visitors a new platform to learn about equestrianism and each visit could be different as the information and themes will be updated and modi-fied regularly
This futuristic gallery is a first for anInternational Federation do you think thisis something all sports should invest inThe FEI took this courageous decision and now has this fantastic tool to present the organisation in new ways Sport is a huge cultural phenomenaWe have learned to consume sport in the arenas and stadiums in the press media and new media
Dr Amichai Alperovich
55FOCUS
SOCIAL MEDIAthe new frontier
Follow us on
The FEI has recently embarked on and embraced a whole new way of talking with the greater equestrian community through the ever expanding social media networks and platformsWith personalised Facebook Twitter and You Tube pages the FEI is taking it step by step and reaching out to this growing audience and listening to what they have to say
This new communication platform is by no means a substitution of the traditional communication path-ways but works alongside the press releases various publications and content on wwwfeiorg and wwwfeitvorg providing a new arena where the FEI can share interact and dialogue with fans of the sport and of equestrian values in general
We talk to Richard Johnson Director of Corporate Communications about the FEIrsquos commitment to social media
What compelled the FEI to venture onto the social media scene As a governing body with a vibrant and active com-munity of National Federations as well as thousands of fans the need to reach out to the online social community has never been stronger We have been watching the communities grow online for some time and have been listening to their conversations so being a part of it was the next logical step and a really important one The conversations will hap-pen with or without us so taking that step has been crucial in order to share our values and also build re-lationships with our fan base
Tradition meets modernity ndash does equestrian sportthe FEI have a place in social media Absolutely even though equestrian sport has a long history and is perceived as a traditional sport it is
always evolving In the 90 years of the FEI which was founded to govern the three Olympic disciplines it has grown to also oversee the disciplines of Driving Endurance Vaulting Reining and Para-Equestrian sport Or if you look at the early days when competi-tors were from military backgrounds and when wom-en did not compete alongside men to the complete gender equality we have today ndash a lot has changed and is in a constant state of change
The fans of equestrian sport are like any other fan base web savvy and eager for more information behind the scenes content and to share their opin-ions and thoughts ndash so it is an ideal partnership And from what we have seen these last few months and from the feedback we got from our blog at the Youth Olympic Games there is a real appetite for this
The FEI has dedicated Facebook Twitter and You Tube pages ndash why did you select these social media platforms The figures speak for themselveshellip Facebook Twit-ter and You Tube are the biggest players in the social networking space With over 500 million Facebook users 106 million Tweeters and 2 billion views a day on You Tube there has never been so much oppor-tunity for exposure Every site has different demo-graphics with different habits and needs so by having an FEI presence on these three networks we are able to cover a lot of ground and cater to different audi-ences by providing different types of content accord-ing to the platform
What are the main benefits of having a pres-ence on various social media platforms Itrsquos all about having a two way conversation ndash the benefits of dialogue where you can share content such as videos images facts and figures thoughts and values and then allow your fan base to react to get involved and to listen and learn from them By engaging with our audience and showing them that we are a modern and caring organisation and that we want to hear what they have to say then we are able to build trust and ultimately credibility in what we do and what we say
57FOCUS
TV
The offi cial video website of the Feacutedeacuteration Equestre Internationale
wwwfeitvorg
WATCH LIVE WATCH ONLINE
FEI TV is the FEIrsquos new offi cial video website and your ticket to the worldrsquos most prestigious competitions Sign-up to FEI TV (wwwfeitvorg) and get instant access to all the live broadcasts the extensive video-on-demand library all the highlights the behind the scenes reports the interviews and so much more Be at the heart of horsesport Join us
2823_1FEI_TV_Focus_165x226indd 1 170510 1124
It also keeps us alert as to what is being discussed and debated in the public sphere so that we can manage situations more effectively and be proactive in our messaging and information so that the facts are at the heart of the debate and not interpretations of them
How do you generate content for social media It was important when we launched our social me-dia presence that it be manageable with the exist-ing communications team in place ndash and so we have concentrated on keeping it simple and effective and using content innovatively Itrsquos not about reproduc-ing our website ndash but to engage with our fans and so often all you need is a good picture an interest-ing fact or great achievement to get the ball rolling For You Tube as we already have so much content generated from FEI TV it was simply a question of using bits and pieces from that content to provide the public with teasers from events interviews with winning riders or behind the scenes content which they can then follow up on FEI TV with a subscription
What are your Social media goals Itrsquos really to build relationships and dialogue with our fan base by using our content innovatively by listening to what they have to say and by engaging with the community And for the National Federa-tions that have yet to take that step we want to be a guiding hand that can help them get started so that they too can reap the benefits of social media net-working Our sport competes against other sports for attention so itrsquos really important that we the FEI and the National Federations keep our finger on the pulse and cater to our fans
How can National Federations get involved NFs wishing to find out more about Social Media can contact me (richardjohnsonfeiorg) and I would be more than happy to discuss opportunities and ways of getting started as well as our experience at the FEI
We asked our Facebook followers why it was important to use face-book and here are a few comments they came up with
bullItrsquos a great way to find out about shows and competitions
bullBecause facebook can provide up to the minute updates as to the what is going on in the horse community
bullWe can share information and ideas over long distances We can find and connect with people we wouldnt be able to otherwise
bullIt also lets us express the true realities of our spot to keep us grounded
bullIt can bring peoples attention to excellence ndash and expose the issues
58
TV
The offi cial video website of the Feacutedeacuteration Equestre Internationale
wwwfeitvorg
WATCH LIVE WATCH ONLINE
FEI TV is the FEIrsquos new offi cial video website and your ticket to the worldrsquos most prestigious competitions Sign-up to FEI TV (wwwfeitvorg) and get instant access to all the live broadcasts the extensive video-on-demand library all the highlights the behind the scenes reports the interviews and so much more Be at the heart of horsesport Join us
2823_1FEI_TV_Focus_165x226indd 1 170510 1124
ldquo Donrsquot accept drinks from a strangerrdquo
Armchair travel journalist
Are you living a life without boundaries Some well-meant advice is best ignored but itrsquos still good to know yoursquore covered when yoursquore away With HSBC Premier your family can be protected with both Travel Insurance and dedicated assistance when yoursquore abroad Which is reassuring to know when yoursquore making the most of life
HSBC Premier is subject to financial eligibility criteria and is available in over 40 countries and territories
Premier Travel Insurance covers you and your partner up to age 70 and your children travelling with you up to age 18
wwwhsbcpremiercom
A4 A4
Issued by HSBC Holdings plc Approved for use in UK by HSBC Bank plc Premier Travel Insurance is provided by Aviva Insurance UK Limited Customer Information Service PO Box 757 Hemel Hempstead Hertfordshire HP2 4SS Registered in England number 14259 Registered Office 8 Canada Square London E14 5HQ AC18770
201736_6000263_Coconut_226x165indd
Master 226x165
Rob Swainson 160211
HSBC - Coconuts Proof 01Head of Art TypographerDesigner ArtCreative Director Copywriter Account DirectorDIC Project ManagerPhotographer Illustrator Usage Model(s) Name(s) Usage
Media MediaStock Image Time Period Time Period
Territory Territory
8deg N ndash Kerala South India
Pull your show attire from the closet clean your boots and tack groom the horses hook up and pack the trailer check the clock double check to make sure you have everything put on the shipping boots load your horses and away you drive to the competition venue or to the airport for transport to a distant event
You know the drill well but still you arrive tired per-haps even a bit frazzled Yoursquoll sleep (or try to) the next several nights in an unfamiliar bed or camp out in the living quarters of your trailer You awaken riveted on the competition playing out the dayrsquos classes in your mind wondering how your rides will fare against oth-ers praying that the weather will be cooperate and trying to control your nerves all the while knowing that no matter how well you have prepared many factors are out of your control You may even be in a different time zone
We go through a lot to compete our horses But if you think life on the road is stressful for you think about what itrsquos like for your horses Your back may be a bit sore from driving or being strapped into an airplane seat for hours on end but for horses transportation is far more demanding It is an athletic endeavour re-quiring an expenditure of energy to maintain balance during the constant movement of transport When your horses arrive they face social isolation from stablemates lack of security in novel environments altered training regimes water that tastes strange and the confines of an unfamiliar stall This routine impacts a horsersquos health and well being with effects
continuing long after the journey is over During transport toxic gases (such as ammonia or carbon monoxide) can cause damage to the lung epithelium precipitating respiratory disease The
final destination itself can also cause problems Usually horses are transported to environments where they will be mixing with other horses The mixing of horses from different environments with different infectious organisms and under stressful conditions further precipitates susceptibility to disease
This can have a severe impact on the equine gut The stress of transportation is known to increase gut ulceration in the horse a painful condition reducing performance and causing colic-like symptoms Stress can also slow the flow of digesta and alter the normal gut flora resulting in digestive upset and possibly diarrhoea or colic
The effects of travel stress on the gut are compounded by the typical diet of the regular equine traveller To maintain athletic ability high performance horses are often fed energy-charged diets contain-ing increased levels of starchy materials such as cereal grains Unfortunately this type of diet can reduce beneficial types of gut flora and promote gut acidity further predisposing the horse to digestive upsets and ulceration It is not surprising that stressed tired horses may not fulfill their potential on arrival
Feeding to reduce stress for the equine traveller
By Darlene RickerExecutive editor of Alltechrsquos EQUINE INTERNATIONAL magazine
48
Alltech Tips
growth of opportunistic Salmonella spp which are present in the intestinal tract of many healthy horses These bacteria then attach to the gut lining via a mannan sugar and penetrate it causing damage and resulting in diarrhoea One method of prevent-ing or minimising the attachment of these organ-
isms to the gut lining is to provide an adsorbant supplement A form of sugar found in the cell walls of certain yeasts can do this This sugar compound is called man-nan oligosaccharide or MOS MOS products such as Alltechrsquos Bio-Mosreg have been shown to re-duce the colonization of Salmonella
spp in the guts of certain species and augment the immune response to Salmonella spp potentially conferring an enhanced ability to fight infection Both Yea-Saccreg 1026 and Bio-Mos are among the natural products contained in Alltechrsquos LIFEFORCETM equine supplement which many FEI competitors have successfully incorporated into their daily feeding regimen at home and on the road
lifeforcehorsecom
and may be subject to health concerns in the days following a long journey Fortunately however you can curb some of the effects of travel stress on the horsersquos gut by nutritional supplementation Organic yeast products used to supplement a horsersquos diet can support the normal gut flora modifying the intesti-nal environment and improving the horsersquos digestion One such culture is Saccharomyces cerevisae in the form of Yea-Saccreg 1026 Alltechrsquos propriety organic yeast
Experiments were conducted to evaluate the effects Yea-Sacc on gut flora and gut acidity Horses were fed either a high-starch or a high-fibre diet both with and without supplementation of Yea-Saccreg 1026 Results indicated an excessive amount of starch in the gut The use of Yea-Sacc reduced acidity and stimulat-ed the activity of fibre-digesting bacteria in the hind-gut for both types of diet The result was maximised fibre digestibility and more efficient use of nutrients thus increasing the amount of energy available to the horse for performance and counteracting digestive upset Salmonellosis is one of the more commonly di-agnosed infectious causes of diarrhoea in horses Many cases develop after the stress of transport The effects of travel stress on the normal gut flora allow an over-
Moorlands Totilas arrives for the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade after air transport copy Dirk Caremans
HRH The Infanta Dontildea Pilar de Borboacuten former President of the FEI (1994-2006) also attended the inauguration along-side HRH Princess Lalla Amina Chairperson of the Royal Moroccan Federation for Equestrian Sports and member of the international Advisory Council of Special OlympicsThey were joined by International Olympic Commit-tee members representatives from other Interna-tional Federations federal and local Swiss authorities as well as architects and designers that worked on the project Switzerlandrsquos Martin Fuchs a member of the gold medal winning team at the inaugural Youth Olympic Games in Singapore last year accompanied FEI President Princess Haya in officially opening the FEI headquarters
ldquoThe building we are inaugurating today has been designed to serve our wonderful sportrdquo explained FEI
President Princess Haya ldquoI also feel an immense
sense of pride knowing that this building carries the name
of my late father and hope that this serves as a constant reminder
to all of us who work at the FEI of a unique statesman whose entire soul was devoted to the service of his people Our new headquarters will play a key role for the FEI and our National Federa-tions over the coming years It will be the environ-ment in which important discussions take place and fundamental decisions are taken as we continue our mission to advance the orderly growth of equestrian sport worldwide while ensuring that the welfare of the horse and a level playing field remain at the centre of all that we dordquo
FEI celebratesNEW Headquarters
Over 250 guests attended the inauguration ceremony on Friday 6 May at HM King Hussein I Building which was timed to coincide with the FEI
Extraordinary General Assembly so that attending NationalFederation representatives
could be a part ofthe celebrations
1 Youth Olympic Games team champion Martin Fuchs (SUI) FEI President HRH Princess Haya and her daughter HH Sheikha Al Jalila officially open the FEIrsquos new home 2 Gilbert Felli IOC Olympic Games Executive Director and FEI Secretary General Ingmar de Vos 3 HRH The Infanta Dontildea Pilar de Borboacuten sits down to an interactive quiz in the FEI Gallery 4 Guests gathered in the atrium of the FEI HeadquartersAll images copy Hugues SiegenthalerFEI
Highlights available on50
1
2
3 4
5
6 7
8
THE GALLERy
As well as housing offices for its 62 employees and conference facilities for its 133 National Federations the new headquarters also has a state-of-the-art in-teractive gallery showcasing equestrian sport
The Gallery is the brainchild of Dr Amichai Alper-ovich historian former Secretary General of the Is-raeli Equestrian Federation and curator of the Israeli Olympic Museum (opened in 2009) He worked hand in hand with the Tel Aviv based company Disk-In Pro and interior designer Oded Alony to help bring the content to life and the result is truly unique and ground breaking Giant glass surfaces act as interac-tive interfaces for the visitors to travel through time
The FEIrsquos new headquarters which were donated to the Federation by FEI Presi-dent HRH Princess Haya in 2007 fol-lowing a personal fundraising effort are conveniently located close to the Inter-national Olympic Committee and other international sports federations It has been written into the FEI Statutes that the new FEI headquarters building will always house the Federationrsquos offices In 2008 the building was thoroughly renovated in accordance with the Swiss MINERGIEreg construction standard for environmental responsibility which re-duces energy consumption by 25 per cent Only two per cent of renovated buildings in Switzerland meet the high Minergie standards Khuan Chew founder and design princi-pal of London-based architectural firm KCA International Ltd worked in close collaboration with Swiss-based architect Herveacute de Rham and interior designer Sia-vosh Adeli (SUI) to transform the build-ing which was built in the 1960s The modern and sleek interior was further enhanced with bespoke artworks pro-duced by Swiss creative agency b+g amp partners and imagery by world-famous equestrian art photographer Tim Flach where the simplicity and beauty of his equine subjects seamlessly embrace and accentuate the buildingrsquos pure lines and natural materials (see image left)
As they feasted on the innate beauty of their sur-roundings the guests also had the privilege to ex-perience the culinary talents of organic chef and specialist Gilles Wannaz and his team based in the town of Cully which sits on the edge of Lac Leman in Switzerlandrsquos famous Lavaux wine growing region
5 HRH Princess Haya welcomes the guests to the Inauguration of the HQ and the 90 year celebration of the FEI 6 Artwork by renowned pho-tographer Tim Flach 7 An organic and colourful buffet presented on an authentic lawn by local chef Gilles Wannaz 8 A life size horse sculpture by Christophe Dumont greeted the guests upon their arrival
53FOCUS
and space with the latest in touch technology revis-iting the history of the FEI the equestrian events at Olympic amp Paralympic Games the FEI World Eques-trian Gamestrade and information on all of the member National Federations with statistics videos images and text The Gallery also includes projections on ar-chitectural surfaces designed by Oded Alony referred to as the Origami as well as interactive stations and unique video projections on glass screens
For all those wishing to visit the FEI Gallery simply contact the FEI HQ to make an appointment and we would be delighted to take you on a journey to dis-cover or rediscover the human and equine athletes whose talents have marked equestrian history and inspired young riders drivers and vaulters around the world
Interview withDrAmichaiAlperovich
When did you first dream up the FEIInteractive Gallery When I found out the FEI was planning to move into new HQ in 2009 Disk-In Pro and I approached the FEI and presented them with several concepts for the space Before long we had agreed on the concept and we got to work
Why were you compelled to make it become a reality So that the FEI a prominent sports organisation could present itself to a growing audience in a new and visionary way with the latest technology And by doing so the FEI is a pioneer becoming the first International Federation to have a Gallery of this kind
What did you learn when researching and gathering content for the gallery I have learned a lot about the history of the FEI the strong Olympic tradition the diversity of disciplines the gender equality and the unique bond between horse and man One of the more fascinating topics was the evolution of the Dressage from itsrsquo Olympic debut to the modern Freestyle
Itrsquos very innovative technology what inspired you to take such a leap into the future with such a traditional sport Just as Dressage has evolved over the years and alongside the introduction of new disciplines partic-ularly Para-Equestrian you come to realise that the FEI is not as traditional as one would think Actually this kind of innovative presentation of equestrian history is really well suited to the FEI In the same way that you can have horse-man connections there is an audience-technology connection in the Gallery The audience have to be active in order to enjoy the depth of information the Gallery contains
54
Now it is time to open the door to new places to learn about sport ndash at the heart of sporting organi-sations themselves The Gallery is more than an informative tool it brings people to the sport andto the heart of its operations
Established in 1990 Disk-In Pro specialises in the planning design production and implementation of Museums Visitor Centres and sophisticated projects around the world This includes multi screen produc-tion animation 3D amp interactive films state-of-the-art software platforms and complex video displays for an unforgettable experience
Oded Alony holds a BA in Design from the Interior Design Section of the Holon Technological Institute and has since 1998 worked with Israelrsquos leading Architecture firms The Oded Alony Studio embraces holistic design a space where interior design lighting and graphics are brought together to create a harmo-nious project vision
Now that you have seen it unveiled to the public how would you like to see it evolve I hope the audience will be amazed from the design by architect Oded Alony and the new methods to deliver information whilst discovering the long his-tory of the FEI the diversity and the global reach of the organisation I hope the Gallery will become an icon in Lausanne and one of its highlights for visitors I promise the visitors a new platform to learn about equestrianism and each visit could be different as the information and themes will be updated and modi-fied regularly
This futuristic gallery is a first for anInternational Federation do you think thisis something all sports should invest inThe FEI took this courageous decision and now has this fantastic tool to present the organisation in new ways Sport is a huge cultural phenomenaWe have learned to consume sport in the arenas and stadiums in the press media and new media
Dr Amichai Alperovich
55FOCUS
SOCIAL MEDIAthe new frontier
Follow us on
The FEI has recently embarked on and embraced a whole new way of talking with the greater equestrian community through the ever expanding social media networks and platformsWith personalised Facebook Twitter and You Tube pages the FEI is taking it step by step and reaching out to this growing audience and listening to what they have to say
This new communication platform is by no means a substitution of the traditional communication path-ways but works alongside the press releases various publications and content on wwwfeiorg and wwwfeitvorg providing a new arena where the FEI can share interact and dialogue with fans of the sport and of equestrian values in general
We talk to Richard Johnson Director of Corporate Communications about the FEIrsquos commitment to social media
What compelled the FEI to venture onto the social media scene As a governing body with a vibrant and active com-munity of National Federations as well as thousands of fans the need to reach out to the online social community has never been stronger We have been watching the communities grow online for some time and have been listening to their conversations so being a part of it was the next logical step and a really important one The conversations will hap-pen with or without us so taking that step has been crucial in order to share our values and also build re-lationships with our fan base
Tradition meets modernity ndash does equestrian sportthe FEI have a place in social media Absolutely even though equestrian sport has a long history and is perceived as a traditional sport it is
always evolving In the 90 years of the FEI which was founded to govern the three Olympic disciplines it has grown to also oversee the disciplines of Driving Endurance Vaulting Reining and Para-Equestrian sport Or if you look at the early days when competi-tors were from military backgrounds and when wom-en did not compete alongside men to the complete gender equality we have today ndash a lot has changed and is in a constant state of change
The fans of equestrian sport are like any other fan base web savvy and eager for more information behind the scenes content and to share their opin-ions and thoughts ndash so it is an ideal partnership And from what we have seen these last few months and from the feedback we got from our blog at the Youth Olympic Games there is a real appetite for this
The FEI has dedicated Facebook Twitter and You Tube pages ndash why did you select these social media platforms The figures speak for themselveshellip Facebook Twit-ter and You Tube are the biggest players in the social networking space With over 500 million Facebook users 106 million Tweeters and 2 billion views a day on You Tube there has never been so much oppor-tunity for exposure Every site has different demo-graphics with different habits and needs so by having an FEI presence on these three networks we are able to cover a lot of ground and cater to different audi-ences by providing different types of content accord-ing to the platform
What are the main benefits of having a pres-ence on various social media platforms Itrsquos all about having a two way conversation ndash the benefits of dialogue where you can share content such as videos images facts and figures thoughts and values and then allow your fan base to react to get involved and to listen and learn from them By engaging with our audience and showing them that we are a modern and caring organisation and that we want to hear what they have to say then we are able to build trust and ultimately credibility in what we do and what we say
57FOCUS
TV
The offi cial video website of the Feacutedeacuteration Equestre Internationale
wwwfeitvorg
WATCH LIVE WATCH ONLINE
FEI TV is the FEIrsquos new offi cial video website and your ticket to the worldrsquos most prestigious competitions Sign-up to FEI TV (wwwfeitvorg) and get instant access to all the live broadcasts the extensive video-on-demand library all the highlights the behind the scenes reports the interviews and so much more Be at the heart of horsesport Join us
2823_1FEI_TV_Focus_165x226indd 1 170510 1124
It also keeps us alert as to what is being discussed and debated in the public sphere so that we can manage situations more effectively and be proactive in our messaging and information so that the facts are at the heart of the debate and not interpretations of them
How do you generate content for social media It was important when we launched our social me-dia presence that it be manageable with the exist-ing communications team in place ndash and so we have concentrated on keeping it simple and effective and using content innovatively Itrsquos not about reproduc-ing our website ndash but to engage with our fans and so often all you need is a good picture an interest-ing fact or great achievement to get the ball rolling For You Tube as we already have so much content generated from FEI TV it was simply a question of using bits and pieces from that content to provide the public with teasers from events interviews with winning riders or behind the scenes content which they can then follow up on FEI TV with a subscription
What are your Social media goals Itrsquos really to build relationships and dialogue with our fan base by using our content innovatively by listening to what they have to say and by engaging with the community And for the National Federa-tions that have yet to take that step we want to be a guiding hand that can help them get started so that they too can reap the benefits of social media net-working Our sport competes against other sports for attention so itrsquos really important that we the FEI and the National Federations keep our finger on the pulse and cater to our fans
How can National Federations get involved NFs wishing to find out more about Social Media can contact me (richardjohnsonfeiorg) and I would be more than happy to discuss opportunities and ways of getting started as well as our experience at the FEI
We asked our Facebook followers why it was important to use face-book and here are a few comments they came up with
bullItrsquos a great way to find out about shows and competitions
bullBecause facebook can provide up to the minute updates as to the what is going on in the horse community
bullWe can share information and ideas over long distances We can find and connect with people we wouldnt be able to otherwise
bullIt also lets us express the true realities of our spot to keep us grounded
bullIt can bring peoples attention to excellence ndash and expose the issues
58
TV
The offi cial video website of the Feacutedeacuteration Equestre Internationale
wwwfeitvorg
WATCH LIVE WATCH ONLINE
FEI TV is the FEIrsquos new offi cial video website and your ticket to the worldrsquos most prestigious competitions Sign-up to FEI TV (wwwfeitvorg) and get instant access to all the live broadcasts the extensive video-on-demand library all the highlights the behind the scenes reports the interviews and so much more Be at the heart of horsesport Join us
2823_1FEI_TV_Focus_165x226indd 1 170510 1124
ldquo Donrsquot accept drinks from a strangerrdquo
Armchair travel journalist
Are you living a life without boundaries Some well-meant advice is best ignored but itrsquos still good to know yoursquore covered when yoursquore away With HSBC Premier your family can be protected with both Travel Insurance and dedicated assistance when yoursquore abroad Which is reassuring to know when yoursquore making the most of life
HSBC Premier is subject to financial eligibility criteria and is available in over 40 countries and territories
Premier Travel Insurance covers you and your partner up to age 70 and your children travelling with you up to age 18
wwwhsbcpremiercom
A4 A4
Issued by HSBC Holdings plc Approved for use in UK by HSBC Bank plc Premier Travel Insurance is provided by Aviva Insurance UK Limited Customer Information Service PO Box 757 Hemel Hempstead Hertfordshire HP2 4SS Registered in England number 14259 Registered Office 8 Canada Square London E14 5HQ AC18770
201736_6000263_Coconut_226x165indd
Master 226x165
Rob Swainson 160211
HSBC - Coconuts Proof 01Head of Art TypographerDesigner ArtCreative Director Copywriter Account DirectorDIC Project ManagerPhotographer Illustrator Usage Model(s) Name(s) Usage
Media MediaStock Image Time Period Time Period
Territory Territory
8deg N ndash Kerala South India
growth of opportunistic Salmonella spp which are present in the intestinal tract of many healthy horses These bacteria then attach to the gut lining via a mannan sugar and penetrate it causing damage and resulting in diarrhoea One method of prevent-ing or minimising the attachment of these organ-
isms to the gut lining is to provide an adsorbant supplement A form of sugar found in the cell walls of certain yeasts can do this This sugar compound is called man-nan oligosaccharide or MOS MOS products such as Alltechrsquos Bio-Mosreg have been shown to re-duce the colonization of Salmonella
spp in the guts of certain species and augment the immune response to Salmonella spp potentially conferring an enhanced ability to fight infection Both Yea-Saccreg 1026 and Bio-Mos are among the natural products contained in Alltechrsquos LIFEFORCETM equine supplement which many FEI competitors have successfully incorporated into their daily feeding regimen at home and on the road
lifeforcehorsecom
and may be subject to health concerns in the days following a long journey Fortunately however you can curb some of the effects of travel stress on the horsersquos gut by nutritional supplementation Organic yeast products used to supplement a horsersquos diet can support the normal gut flora modifying the intesti-nal environment and improving the horsersquos digestion One such culture is Saccharomyces cerevisae in the form of Yea-Saccreg 1026 Alltechrsquos propriety organic yeast
Experiments were conducted to evaluate the effects Yea-Sacc on gut flora and gut acidity Horses were fed either a high-starch or a high-fibre diet both with and without supplementation of Yea-Saccreg 1026 Results indicated an excessive amount of starch in the gut The use of Yea-Sacc reduced acidity and stimulat-ed the activity of fibre-digesting bacteria in the hind-gut for both types of diet The result was maximised fibre digestibility and more efficient use of nutrients thus increasing the amount of energy available to the horse for performance and counteracting digestive upset Salmonellosis is one of the more commonly di-agnosed infectious causes of diarrhoea in horses Many cases develop after the stress of transport The effects of travel stress on the normal gut flora allow an over-
Moorlands Totilas arrives for the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Gamestrade after air transport copy Dirk Caremans
HRH The Infanta Dontildea Pilar de Borboacuten former President of the FEI (1994-2006) also attended the inauguration along-side HRH Princess Lalla Amina Chairperson of the Royal Moroccan Federation for Equestrian Sports and member of the international Advisory Council of Special OlympicsThey were joined by International Olympic Commit-tee members representatives from other Interna-tional Federations federal and local Swiss authorities as well as architects and designers that worked on the project Switzerlandrsquos Martin Fuchs a member of the gold medal winning team at the inaugural Youth Olympic Games in Singapore last year accompanied FEI President Princess Haya in officially opening the FEI headquarters
ldquoThe building we are inaugurating today has been designed to serve our wonderful sportrdquo explained FEI
President Princess Haya ldquoI also feel an immense
sense of pride knowing that this building carries the name
of my late father and hope that this serves as a constant reminder
to all of us who work at the FEI of a unique statesman whose entire soul was devoted to the service of his people Our new headquarters will play a key role for the FEI and our National Federa-tions over the coming years It will be the environ-ment in which important discussions take place and fundamental decisions are taken as we continue our mission to advance the orderly growth of equestrian sport worldwide while ensuring that the welfare of the horse and a level playing field remain at the centre of all that we dordquo
FEI celebratesNEW Headquarters
Over 250 guests attended the inauguration ceremony on Friday 6 May at HM King Hussein I Building which was timed to coincide with the FEI
Extraordinary General Assembly so that attending NationalFederation representatives
could be a part ofthe celebrations
1 Youth Olympic Games team champion Martin Fuchs (SUI) FEI President HRH Princess Haya and her daughter HH Sheikha Al Jalila officially open the FEIrsquos new home 2 Gilbert Felli IOC Olympic Games Executive Director and FEI Secretary General Ingmar de Vos 3 HRH The Infanta Dontildea Pilar de Borboacuten sits down to an interactive quiz in the FEI Gallery 4 Guests gathered in the atrium of the FEI HeadquartersAll images copy Hugues SiegenthalerFEI
Highlights available on50
1
2
3 4
5
6 7
8
THE GALLERy
As well as housing offices for its 62 employees and conference facilities for its 133 National Federations the new headquarters also has a state-of-the-art in-teractive gallery showcasing equestrian sport
The Gallery is the brainchild of Dr Amichai Alper-ovich historian former Secretary General of the Is-raeli Equestrian Federation and curator of the Israeli Olympic Museum (opened in 2009) He worked hand in hand with the Tel Aviv based company Disk-In Pro and interior designer Oded Alony to help bring the content to life and the result is truly unique and ground breaking Giant glass surfaces act as interac-tive interfaces for the visitors to travel through time
The FEIrsquos new headquarters which were donated to the Federation by FEI Presi-dent HRH Princess Haya in 2007 fol-lowing a personal fundraising effort are conveniently located close to the Inter-national Olympic Committee and other international sports federations It has been written into the FEI Statutes that the new FEI headquarters building will always house the Federationrsquos offices In 2008 the building was thoroughly renovated in accordance with the Swiss MINERGIEreg construction standard for environmental responsibility which re-duces energy consumption by 25 per cent Only two per cent of renovated buildings in Switzerland meet the high Minergie standards Khuan Chew founder and design princi-pal of London-based architectural firm KCA International Ltd worked in close collaboration with Swiss-based architect Herveacute de Rham and interior designer Sia-vosh Adeli (SUI) to transform the build-ing which was built in the 1960s The modern and sleek interior was further enhanced with bespoke artworks pro-duced by Swiss creative agency b+g amp partners and imagery by world-famous equestrian art photographer Tim Flach where the simplicity and beauty of his equine subjects seamlessly embrace and accentuate the buildingrsquos pure lines and natural materials (see image left)
As they feasted on the innate beauty of their sur-roundings the guests also had the privilege to ex-perience the culinary talents of organic chef and specialist Gilles Wannaz and his team based in the town of Cully which sits on the edge of Lac Leman in Switzerlandrsquos famous Lavaux wine growing region
5 HRH Princess Haya welcomes the guests to the Inauguration of the HQ and the 90 year celebration of the FEI 6 Artwork by renowned pho-tographer Tim Flach 7 An organic and colourful buffet presented on an authentic lawn by local chef Gilles Wannaz 8 A life size horse sculpture by Christophe Dumont greeted the guests upon their arrival
53FOCUS
and space with the latest in touch technology revis-iting the history of the FEI the equestrian events at Olympic amp Paralympic Games the FEI World Eques-trian Gamestrade and information on all of the member National Federations with statistics videos images and text The Gallery also includes projections on ar-chitectural surfaces designed by Oded Alony referred to as the Origami as well as interactive stations and unique video projections on glass screens
For all those wishing to visit the FEI Gallery simply contact the FEI HQ to make an appointment and we would be delighted to take you on a journey to dis-cover or rediscover the human and equine athletes whose talents have marked equestrian history and inspired young riders drivers and vaulters around the world
Interview withDrAmichaiAlperovich
When did you first dream up the FEIInteractive Gallery When I found out the FEI was planning to move into new HQ in 2009 Disk-In Pro and I approached the FEI and presented them with several concepts for the space Before long we had agreed on the concept and we got to work
Why were you compelled to make it become a reality So that the FEI a prominent sports organisation could present itself to a growing audience in a new and visionary way with the latest technology And by doing so the FEI is a pioneer becoming the first International Federation to have a Gallery of this kind
What did you learn when researching and gathering content for the gallery I have learned a lot about the history of the FEI the strong Olympic tradition the diversity of disciplines the gender equality and the unique bond between horse and man One of the more fascinating topics was the evolution of the Dressage from itsrsquo Olympic debut to the modern Freestyle
Itrsquos very innovative technology what inspired you to take such a leap into the future with such a traditional sport Just as Dressage has evolved over the years and alongside the introduction of new disciplines partic-ularly Para-Equestrian you come to realise that the FEI is not as traditional as one would think Actually this kind of innovative presentation of equestrian history is really well suited to the FEI In the same way that you can have horse-man connections there is an audience-technology connection in the Gallery The audience have to be active in order to enjoy the depth of information the Gallery contains
54
Now it is time to open the door to new places to learn about sport ndash at the heart of sporting organi-sations themselves The Gallery is more than an informative tool it brings people to the sport andto the heart of its operations
Established in 1990 Disk-In Pro specialises in the planning design production and implementation of Museums Visitor Centres and sophisticated projects around the world This includes multi screen produc-tion animation 3D amp interactive films state-of-the-art software platforms and complex video displays for an unforgettable experience
Oded Alony holds a BA in Design from the Interior Design Section of the Holon Technological Institute and has since 1998 worked with Israelrsquos leading Architecture firms The Oded Alony Studio embraces holistic design a space where interior design lighting and graphics are brought together to create a harmo-nious project vision
Now that you have seen it unveiled to the public how would you like to see it evolve I hope the audience will be amazed from the design by architect Oded Alony and the new methods to deliver information whilst discovering the long his-tory of the FEI the diversity and the global reach of the organisation I hope the Gallery will become an icon in Lausanne and one of its highlights for visitors I promise the visitors a new platform to learn about equestrianism and each visit could be different as the information and themes will be updated and modi-fied regularly
This futuristic gallery is a first for anInternational Federation do you think thisis something all sports should invest inThe FEI took this courageous decision and now has this fantastic tool to present the organisation in new ways Sport is a huge cultural phenomenaWe have learned to consume sport in the arenas and stadiums in the press media and new media
Dr Amichai Alperovich
55FOCUS
SOCIAL MEDIAthe new frontier
Follow us on
The FEI has recently embarked on and embraced a whole new way of talking with the greater equestrian community through the ever expanding social media networks and platformsWith personalised Facebook Twitter and You Tube pages the FEI is taking it step by step and reaching out to this growing audience and listening to what they have to say
This new communication platform is by no means a substitution of the traditional communication path-ways but works alongside the press releases various publications and content on wwwfeiorg and wwwfeitvorg providing a new arena where the FEI can share interact and dialogue with fans of the sport and of equestrian values in general
We talk to Richard Johnson Director of Corporate Communications about the FEIrsquos commitment to social media
What compelled the FEI to venture onto the social media scene As a governing body with a vibrant and active com-munity of National Federations as well as thousands of fans the need to reach out to the online social community has never been stronger We have been watching the communities grow online for some time and have been listening to their conversations so being a part of it was the next logical step and a really important one The conversations will hap-pen with or without us so taking that step has been crucial in order to share our values and also build re-lationships with our fan base
Tradition meets modernity ndash does equestrian sportthe FEI have a place in social media Absolutely even though equestrian sport has a long history and is perceived as a traditional sport it is
always evolving In the 90 years of the FEI which was founded to govern the three Olympic disciplines it has grown to also oversee the disciplines of Driving Endurance Vaulting Reining and Para-Equestrian sport Or if you look at the early days when competi-tors were from military backgrounds and when wom-en did not compete alongside men to the complete gender equality we have today ndash a lot has changed and is in a constant state of change
The fans of equestrian sport are like any other fan base web savvy and eager for more information behind the scenes content and to share their opin-ions and thoughts ndash so it is an ideal partnership And from what we have seen these last few months and from the feedback we got from our blog at the Youth Olympic Games there is a real appetite for this
The FEI has dedicated Facebook Twitter and You Tube pages ndash why did you select these social media platforms The figures speak for themselveshellip Facebook Twit-ter and You Tube are the biggest players in the social networking space With over 500 million Facebook users 106 million Tweeters and 2 billion views a day on You Tube there has never been so much oppor-tunity for exposure Every site has different demo-graphics with different habits and needs so by having an FEI presence on these three networks we are able to cover a lot of ground and cater to different audi-ences by providing different types of content accord-ing to the platform
What are the main benefits of having a pres-ence on various social media platforms Itrsquos all about having a two way conversation ndash the benefits of dialogue where you can share content such as videos images facts and figures thoughts and values and then allow your fan base to react to get involved and to listen and learn from them By engaging with our audience and showing them that we are a modern and caring organisation and that we want to hear what they have to say then we are able to build trust and ultimately credibility in what we do and what we say
57FOCUS
TV
The offi cial video website of the Feacutedeacuteration Equestre Internationale
wwwfeitvorg
WATCH LIVE WATCH ONLINE
FEI TV is the FEIrsquos new offi cial video website and your ticket to the worldrsquos most prestigious competitions Sign-up to FEI TV (wwwfeitvorg) and get instant access to all the live broadcasts the extensive video-on-demand library all the highlights the behind the scenes reports the interviews and so much more Be at the heart of horsesport Join us
2823_1FEI_TV_Focus_165x226indd 1 170510 1124
It also keeps us alert as to what is being discussed and debated in the public sphere so that we can manage situations more effectively and be proactive in our messaging and information so that the facts are at the heart of the debate and not interpretations of them
How do you generate content for social media It was important when we launched our social me-dia presence that it be manageable with the exist-ing communications team in place ndash and so we have concentrated on keeping it simple and effective and using content innovatively Itrsquos not about reproduc-ing our website ndash but to engage with our fans and so often all you need is a good picture an interest-ing fact or great achievement to get the ball rolling For You Tube as we already have so much content generated from FEI TV it was simply a question of using bits and pieces from that content to provide the public with teasers from events interviews with winning riders or behind the scenes content which they can then follow up on FEI TV with a subscription
What are your Social media goals Itrsquos really to build relationships and dialogue with our fan base by using our content innovatively by listening to what they have to say and by engaging with the community And for the National Federa-tions that have yet to take that step we want to be a guiding hand that can help them get started so that they too can reap the benefits of social media net-working Our sport competes against other sports for attention so itrsquos really important that we the FEI and the National Federations keep our finger on the pulse and cater to our fans
How can National Federations get involved NFs wishing to find out more about Social Media can contact me (richardjohnsonfeiorg) and I would be more than happy to discuss opportunities and ways of getting started as well as our experience at the FEI
We asked our Facebook followers why it was important to use face-book and here are a few comments they came up with
bullItrsquos a great way to find out about shows and competitions
bullBecause facebook can provide up to the minute updates as to the what is going on in the horse community
bullWe can share information and ideas over long distances We can find and connect with people we wouldnt be able to otherwise
bullIt also lets us express the true realities of our spot to keep us grounded
bullIt can bring peoples attention to excellence ndash and expose the issues
58
TV
The offi cial video website of the Feacutedeacuteration Equestre Internationale
wwwfeitvorg
WATCH LIVE WATCH ONLINE
FEI TV is the FEIrsquos new offi cial video website and your ticket to the worldrsquos most prestigious competitions Sign-up to FEI TV (wwwfeitvorg) and get instant access to all the live broadcasts the extensive video-on-demand library all the highlights the behind the scenes reports the interviews and so much more Be at the heart of horsesport Join us
2823_1FEI_TV_Focus_165x226indd 1 170510 1124
ldquo Donrsquot accept drinks from a strangerrdquo
Armchair travel journalist
Are you living a life without boundaries Some well-meant advice is best ignored but itrsquos still good to know yoursquore covered when yoursquore away With HSBC Premier your family can be protected with both Travel Insurance and dedicated assistance when yoursquore abroad Which is reassuring to know when yoursquore making the most of life
HSBC Premier is subject to financial eligibility criteria and is available in over 40 countries and territories
Premier Travel Insurance covers you and your partner up to age 70 and your children travelling with you up to age 18
wwwhsbcpremiercom
A4 A4
Issued by HSBC Holdings plc Approved for use in UK by HSBC Bank plc Premier Travel Insurance is provided by Aviva Insurance UK Limited Customer Information Service PO Box 757 Hemel Hempstead Hertfordshire HP2 4SS Registered in England number 14259 Registered Office 8 Canada Square London E14 5HQ AC18770
201736_6000263_Coconut_226x165indd
Master 226x165
Rob Swainson 160211
HSBC - Coconuts Proof 01Head of Art TypographerDesigner ArtCreative Director Copywriter Account DirectorDIC Project ManagerPhotographer Illustrator Usage Model(s) Name(s) Usage
Media MediaStock Image Time Period Time Period
Territory Territory
8deg N ndash Kerala South India
HRH The Infanta Dontildea Pilar de Borboacuten former President of the FEI (1994-2006) also attended the inauguration along-side HRH Princess Lalla Amina Chairperson of the Royal Moroccan Federation for Equestrian Sports and member of the international Advisory Council of Special OlympicsThey were joined by International Olympic Commit-tee members representatives from other Interna-tional Federations federal and local Swiss authorities as well as architects and designers that worked on the project Switzerlandrsquos Martin Fuchs a member of the gold medal winning team at the inaugural Youth Olympic Games in Singapore last year accompanied FEI President Princess Haya in officially opening the FEI headquarters
ldquoThe building we are inaugurating today has been designed to serve our wonderful sportrdquo explained FEI
President Princess Haya ldquoI also feel an immense
sense of pride knowing that this building carries the name
of my late father and hope that this serves as a constant reminder
to all of us who work at the FEI of a unique statesman whose entire soul was devoted to the service of his people Our new headquarters will play a key role for the FEI and our National Federa-tions over the coming years It will be the environ-ment in which important discussions take place and fundamental decisions are taken as we continue our mission to advance the orderly growth of equestrian sport worldwide while ensuring that the welfare of the horse and a level playing field remain at the centre of all that we dordquo
FEI celebratesNEW Headquarters
Over 250 guests attended the inauguration ceremony on Friday 6 May at HM King Hussein I Building which was timed to coincide with the FEI
Extraordinary General Assembly so that attending NationalFederation representatives
could be a part ofthe celebrations
1 Youth Olympic Games team champion Martin Fuchs (SUI) FEI President HRH Princess Haya and her daughter HH Sheikha Al Jalila officially open the FEIrsquos new home 2 Gilbert Felli IOC Olympic Games Executive Director and FEI Secretary General Ingmar de Vos 3 HRH The Infanta Dontildea Pilar de Borboacuten sits down to an interactive quiz in the FEI Gallery 4 Guests gathered in the atrium of the FEI HeadquartersAll images copy Hugues SiegenthalerFEI
Highlights available on50
1
2
3 4
5
6 7
8
THE GALLERy
As well as housing offices for its 62 employees and conference facilities for its 133 National Federations the new headquarters also has a state-of-the-art in-teractive gallery showcasing equestrian sport
The Gallery is the brainchild of Dr Amichai Alper-ovich historian former Secretary General of the Is-raeli Equestrian Federation and curator of the Israeli Olympic Museum (opened in 2009) He worked hand in hand with the Tel Aviv based company Disk-In Pro and interior designer Oded Alony to help bring the content to life and the result is truly unique and ground breaking Giant glass surfaces act as interac-tive interfaces for the visitors to travel through time
The FEIrsquos new headquarters which were donated to the Federation by FEI Presi-dent HRH Princess Haya in 2007 fol-lowing a personal fundraising effort are conveniently located close to the Inter-national Olympic Committee and other international sports federations It has been written into the FEI Statutes that the new FEI headquarters building will always house the Federationrsquos offices In 2008 the building was thoroughly renovated in accordance with the Swiss MINERGIEreg construction standard for environmental responsibility which re-duces energy consumption by 25 per cent Only two per cent of renovated buildings in Switzerland meet the high Minergie standards Khuan Chew founder and design princi-pal of London-based architectural firm KCA International Ltd worked in close collaboration with Swiss-based architect Herveacute de Rham and interior designer Sia-vosh Adeli (SUI) to transform the build-ing which was built in the 1960s The modern and sleek interior was further enhanced with bespoke artworks pro-duced by Swiss creative agency b+g amp partners and imagery by world-famous equestrian art photographer Tim Flach where the simplicity and beauty of his equine subjects seamlessly embrace and accentuate the buildingrsquos pure lines and natural materials (see image left)
As they feasted on the innate beauty of their sur-roundings the guests also had the privilege to ex-perience the culinary talents of organic chef and specialist Gilles Wannaz and his team based in the town of Cully which sits on the edge of Lac Leman in Switzerlandrsquos famous Lavaux wine growing region
5 HRH Princess Haya welcomes the guests to the Inauguration of the HQ and the 90 year celebration of the FEI 6 Artwork by renowned pho-tographer Tim Flach 7 An organic and colourful buffet presented on an authentic lawn by local chef Gilles Wannaz 8 A life size horse sculpture by Christophe Dumont greeted the guests upon their arrival
53FOCUS
and space with the latest in touch technology revis-iting the history of the FEI the equestrian events at Olympic amp Paralympic Games the FEI World Eques-trian Gamestrade and information on all of the member National Federations with statistics videos images and text The Gallery also includes projections on ar-chitectural surfaces designed by Oded Alony referred to as the Origami as well as interactive stations and unique video projections on glass screens
For all those wishing to visit the FEI Gallery simply contact the FEI HQ to make an appointment and we would be delighted to take you on a journey to dis-cover or rediscover the human and equine athletes whose talents have marked equestrian history and inspired young riders drivers and vaulters around the world
Interview withDrAmichaiAlperovich
When did you first dream up the FEIInteractive Gallery When I found out the FEI was planning to move into new HQ in 2009 Disk-In Pro and I approached the FEI and presented them with several concepts for the space Before long we had agreed on the concept and we got to work
Why were you compelled to make it become a reality So that the FEI a prominent sports organisation could present itself to a growing audience in a new and visionary way with the latest technology And by doing so the FEI is a pioneer becoming the first International Federation to have a Gallery of this kind
What did you learn when researching and gathering content for the gallery I have learned a lot about the history of the FEI the strong Olympic tradition the diversity of disciplines the gender equality and the unique bond between horse and man One of the more fascinating topics was the evolution of the Dressage from itsrsquo Olympic debut to the modern Freestyle
Itrsquos very innovative technology what inspired you to take such a leap into the future with such a traditional sport Just as Dressage has evolved over the years and alongside the introduction of new disciplines partic-ularly Para-Equestrian you come to realise that the FEI is not as traditional as one would think Actually this kind of innovative presentation of equestrian history is really well suited to the FEI In the same way that you can have horse-man connections there is an audience-technology connection in the Gallery The audience have to be active in order to enjoy the depth of information the Gallery contains
54
Now it is time to open the door to new places to learn about sport ndash at the heart of sporting organi-sations themselves The Gallery is more than an informative tool it brings people to the sport andto the heart of its operations
Established in 1990 Disk-In Pro specialises in the planning design production and implementation of Museums Visitor Centres and sophisticated projects around the world This includes multi screen produc-tion animation 3D amp interactive films state-of-the-art software platforms and complex video displays for an unforgettable experience
Oded Alony holds a BA in Design from the Interior Design Section of the Holon Technological Institute and has since 1998 worked with Israelrsquos leading Architecture firms The Oded Alony Studio embraces holistic design a space where interior design lighting and graphics are brought together to create a harmo-nious project vision
Now that you have seen it unveiled to the public how would you like to see it evolve I hope the audience will be amazed from the design by architect Oded Alony and the new methods to deliver information whilst discovering the long his-tory of the FEI the diversity and the global reach of the organisation I hope the Gallery will become an icon in Lausanne and one of its highlights for visitors I promise the visitors a new platform to learn about equestrianism and each visit could be different as the information and themes will be updated and modi-fied regularly
This futuristic gallery is a first for anInternational Federation do you think thisis something all sports should invest inThe FEI took this courageous decision and now has this fantastic tool to present the organisation in new ways Sport is a huge cultural phenomenaWe have learned to consume sport in the arenas and stadiums in the press media and new media
Dr Amichai Alperovich
55FOCUS
SOCIAL MEDIAthe new frontier
Follow us on
The FEI has recently embarked on and embraced a whole new way of talking with the greater equestrian community through the ever expanding social media networks and platformsWith personalised Facebook Twitter and You Tube pages the FEI is taking it step by step and reaching out to this growing audience and listening to what they have to say
This new communication platform is by no means a substitution of the traditional communication path-ways but works alongside the press releases various publications and content on wwwfeiorg and wwwfeitvorg providing a new arena where the FEI can share interact and dialogue with fans of the sport and of equestrian values in general
We talk to Richard Johnson Director of Corporate Communications about the FEIrsquos commitment to social media
What compelled the FEI to venture onto the social media scene As a governing body with a vibrant and active com-munity of National Federations as well as thousands of fans the need to reach out to the online social community has never been stronger We have been watching the communities grow online for some time and have been listening to their conversations so being a part of it was the next logical step and a really important one The conversations will hap-pen with or without us so taking that step has been crucial in order to share our values and also build re-lationships with our fan base
Tradition meets modernity ndash does equestrian sportthe FEI have a place in social media Absolutely even though equestrian sport has a long history and is perceived as a traditional sport it is
always evolving In the 90 years of the FEI which was founded to govern the three Olympic disciplines it has grown to also oversee the disciplines of Driving Endurance Vaulting Reining and Para-Equestrian sport Or if you look at the early days when competi-tors were from military backgrounds and when wom-en did not compete alongside men to the complete gender equality we have today ndash a lot has changed and is in a constant state of change
The fans of equestrian sport are like any other fan base web savvy and eager for more information behind the scenes content and to share their opin-ions and thoughts ndash so it is an ideal partnership And from what we have seen these last few months and from the feedback we got from our blog at the Youth Olympic Games there is a real appetite for this
The FEI has dedicated Facebook Twitter and You Tube pages ndash why did you select these social media platforms The figures speak for themselveshellip Facebook Twit-ter and You Tube are the biggest players in the social networking space With over 500 million Facebook users 106 million Tweeters and 2 billion views a day on You Tube there has never been so much oppor-tunity for exposure Every site has different demo-graphics with different habits and needs so by having an FEI presence on these three networks we are able to cover a lot of ground and cater to different audi-ences by providing different types of content accord-ing to the platform
What are the main benefits of having a pres-ence on various social media platforms Itrsquos all about having a two way conversation ndash the benefits of dialogue where you can share content such as videos images facts and figures thoughts and values and then allow your fan base to react to get involved and to listen and learn from them By engaging with our audience and showing them that we are a modern and caring organisation and that we want to hear what they have to say then we are able to build trust and ultimately credibility in what we do and what we say
57FOCUS
TV
The offi cial video website of the Feacutedeacuteration Equestre Internationale
wwwfeitvorg
WATCH LIVE WATCH ONLINE
FEI TV is the FEIrsquos new offi cial video website and your ticket to the worldrsquos most prestigious competitions Sign-up to FEI TV (wwwfeitvorg) and get instant access to all the live broadcasts the extensive video-on-demand library all the highlights the behind the scenes reports the interviews and so much more Be at the heart of horsesport Join us
2823_1FEI_TV_Focus_165x226indd 1 170510 1124
It also keeps us alert as to what is being discussed and debated in the public sphere so that we can manage situations more effectively and be proactive in our messaging and information so that the facts are at the heart of the debate and not interpretations of them
How do you generate content for social media It was important when we launched our social me-dia presence that it be manageable with the exist-ing communications team in place ndash and so we have concentrated on keeping it simple and effective and using content innovatively Itrsquos not about reproduc-ing our website ndash but to engage with our fans and so often all you need is a good picture an interest-ing fact or great achievement to get the ball rolling For You Tube as we already have so much content generated from FEI TV it was simply a question of using bits and pieces from that content to provide the public with teasers from events interviews with winning riders or behind the scenes content which they can then follow up on FEI TV with a subscription
What are your Social media goals Itrsquos really to build relationships and dialogue with our fan base by using our content innovatively by listening to what they have to say and by engaging with the community And for the National Federa-tions that have yet to take that step we want to be a guiding hand that can help them get started so that they too can reap the benefits of social media net-working Our sport competes against other sports for attention so itrsquos really important that we the FEI and the National Federations keep our finger on the pulse and cater to our fans
How can National Federations get involved NFs wishing to find out more about Social Media can contact me (richardjohnsonfeiorg) and I would be more than happy to discuss opportunities and ways of getting started as well as our experience at the FEI
We asked our Facebook followers why it was important to use face-book and here are a few comments they came up with
bullItrsquos a great way to find out about shows and competitions
bullBecause facebook can provide up to the minute updates as to the what is going on in the horse community
bullWe can share information and ideas over long distances We can find and connect with people we wouldnt be able to otherwise
bullIt also lets us express the true realities of our spot to keep us grounded
bullIt can bring peoples attention to excellence ndash and expose the issues
58
TV
The offi cial video website of the Feacutedeacuteration Equestre Internationale
wwwfeitvorg
WATCH LIVE WATCH ONLINE
FEI TV is the FEIrsquos new offi cial video website and your ticket to the worldrsquos most prestigious competitions Sign-up to FEI TV (wwwfeitvorg) and get instant access to all the live broadcasts the extensive video-on-demand library all the highlights the behind the scenes reports the interviews and so much more Be at the heart of horsesport Join us
2823_1FEI_TV_Focus_165x226indd 1 170510 1124
ldquo Donrsquot accept drinks from a strangerrdquo
Armchair travel journalist
Are you living a life without boundaries Some well-meant advice is best ignored but itrsquos still good to know yoursquore covered when yoursquore away With HSBC Premier your family can be protected with both Travel Insurance and dedicated assistance when yoursquore abroad Which is reassuring to know when yoursquore making the most of life
HSBC Premier is subject to financial eligibility criteria and is available in over 40 countries and territories
Premier Travel Insurance covers you and your partner up to age 70 and your children travelling with you up to age 18
wwwhsbcpremiercom
A4 A4
Issued by HSBC Holdings plc Approved for use in UK by HSBC Bank plc Premier Travel Insurance is provided by Aviva Insurance UK Limited Customer Information Service PO Box 757 Hemel Hempstead Hertfordshire HP2 4SS Registered in England number 14259 Registered Office 8 Canada Square London E14 5HQ AC18770
201736_6000263_Coconut_226x165indd
Master 226x165
Rob Swainson 160211
HSBC - Coconuts Proof 01Head of Art TypographerDesigner ArtCreative Director Copywriter Account DirectorDIC Project ManagerPhotographer Illustrator Usage Model(s) Name(s) Usage
Media MediaStock Image Time Period Time Period
Territory Territory
8deg N ndash Kerala South India
1
2
3 4
5
6 7
8
THE GALLERy
As well as housing offices for its 62 employees and conference facilities for its 133 National Federations the new headquarters also has a state-of-the-art in-teractive gallery showcasing equestrian sport
The Gallery is the brainchild of Dr Amichai Alper-ovich historian former Secretary General of the Is-raeli Equestrian Federation and curator of the Israeli Olympic Museum (opened in 2009) He worked hand in hand with the Tel Aviv based company Disk-In Pro and interior designer Oded Alony to help bring the content to life and the result is truly unique and ground breaking Giant glass surfaces act as interac-tive interfaces for the visitors to travel through time
The FEIrsquos new headquarters which were donated to the Federation by FEI Presi-dent HRH Princess Haya in 2007 fol-lowing a personal fundraising effort are conveniently located close to the Inter-national Olympic Committee and other international sports federations It has been written into the FEI Statutes that the new FEI headquarters building will always house the Federationrsquos offices In 2008 the building was thoroughly renovated in accordance with the Swiss MINERGIEreg construction standard for environmental responsibility which re-duces energy consumption by 25 per cent Only two per cent of renovated buildings in Switzerland meet the high Minergie standards Khuan Chew founder and design princi-pal of London-based architectural firm KCA International Ltd worked in close collaboration with Swiss-based architect Herveacute de Rham and interior designer Sia-vosh Adeli (SUI) to transform the build-ing which was built in the 1960s The modern and sleek interior was further enhanced with bespoke artworks pro-duced by Swiss creative agency b+g amp partners and imagery by world-famous equestrian art photographer Tim Flach where the simplicity and beauty of his equine subjects seamlessly embrace and accentuate the buildingrsquos pure lines and natural materials (see image left)
As they feasted on the innate beauty of their sur-roundings the guests also had the privilege to ex-perience the culinary talents of organic chef and specialist Gilles Wannaz and his team based in the town of Cully which sits on the edge of Lac Leman in Switzerlandrsquos famous Lavaux wine growing region
5 HRH Princess Haya welcomes the guests to the Inauguration of the HQ and the 90 year celebration of the FEI 6 Artwork by renowned pho-tographer Tim Flach 7 An organic and colourful buffet presented on an authentic lawn by local chef Gilles Wannaz 8 A life size horse sculpture by Christophe Dumont greeted the guests upon their arrival
53FOCUS
and space with the latest in touch technology revis-iting the history of the FEI the equestrian events at Olympic amp Paralympic Games the FEI World Eques-trian Gamestrade and information on all of the member National Federations with statistics videos images and text The Gallery also includes projections on ar-chitectural surfaces designed by Oded Alony referred to as the Origami as well as interactive stations and unique video projections on glass screens
For all those wishing to visit the FEI Gallery simply contact the FEI HQ to make an appointment and we would be delighted to take you on a journey to dis-cover or rediscover the human and equine athletes whose talents have marked equestrian history and inspired young riders drivers and vaulters around the world
Interview withDrAmichaiAlperovich
When did you first dream up the FEIInteractive Gallery When I found out the FEI was planning to move into new HQ in 2009 Disk-In Pro and I approached the FEI and presented them with several concepts for the space Before long we had agreed on the concept and we got to work
Why were you compelled to make it become a reality So that the FEI a prominent sports organisation could present itself to a growing audience in a new and visionary way with the latest technology And by doing so the FEI is a pioneer becoming the first International Federation to have a Gallery of this kind
What did you learn when researching and gathering content for the gallery I have learned a lot about the history of the FEI the strong Olympic tradition the diversity of disciplines the gender equality and the unique bond between horse and man One of the more fascinating topics was the evolution of the Dressage from itsrsquo Olympic debut to the modern Freestyle
Itrsquos very innovative technology what inspired you to take such a leap into the future with such a traditional sport Just as Dressage has evolved over the years and alongside the introduction of new disciplines partic-ularly Para-Equestrian you come to realise that the FEI is not as traditional as one would think Actually this kind of innovative presentation of equestrian history is really well suited to the FEI In the same way that you can have horse-man connections there is an audience-technology connection in the Gallery The audience have to be active in order to enjoy the depth of information the Gallery contains
54
Now it is time to open the door to new places to learn about sport ndash at the heart of sporting organi-sations themselves The Gallery is more than an informative tool it brings people to the sport andto the heart of its operations
Established in 1990 Disk-In Pro specialises in the planning design production and implementation of Museums Visitor Centres and sophisticated projects around the world This includes multi screen produc-tion animation 3D amp interactive films state-of-the-art software platforms and complex video displays for an unforgettable experience
Oded Alony holds a BA in Design from the Interior Design Section of the Holon Technological Institute and has since 1998 worked with Israelrsquos leading Architecture firms The Oded Alony Studio embraces holistic design a space where interior design lighting and graphics are brought together to create a harmo-nious project vision
Now that you have seen it unveiled to the public how would you like to see it evolve I hope the audience will be amazed from the design by architect Oded Alony and the new methods to deliver information whilst discovering the long his-tory of the FEI the diversity and the global reach of the organisation I hope the Gallery will become an icon in Lausanne and one of its highlights for visitors I promise the visitors a new platform to learn about equestrianism and each visit could be different as the information and themes will be updated and modi-fied regularly
This futuristic gallery is a first for anInternational Federation do you think thisis something all sports should invest inThe FEI took this courageous decision and now has this fantastic tool to present the organisation in new ways Sport is a huge cultural phenomenaWe have learned to consume sport in the arenas and stadiums in the press media and new media
Dr Amichai Alperovich
55FOCUS
SOCIAL MEDIAthe new frontier
Follow us on
The FEI has recently embarked on and embraced a whole new way of talking with the greater equestrian community through the ever expanding social media networks and platformsWith personalised Facebook Twitter and You Tube pages the FEI is taking it step by step and reaching out to this growing audience and listening to what they have to say
This new communication platform is by no means a substitution of the traditional communication path-ways but works alongside the press releases various publications and content on wwwfeiorg and wwwfeitvorg providing a new arena where the FEI can share interact and dialogue with fans of the sport and of equestrian values in general
We talk to Richard Johnson Director of Corporate Communications about the FEIrsquos commitment to social media
What compelled the FEI to venture onto the social media scene As a governing body with a vibrant and active com-munity of National Federations as well as thousands of fans the need to reach out to the online social community has never been stronger We have been watching the communities grow online for some time and have been listening to their conversations so being a part of it was the next logical step and a really important one The conversations will hap-pen with or without us so taking that step has been crucial in order to share our values and also build re-lationships with our fan base
Tradition meets modernity ndash does equestrian sportthe FEI have a place in social media Absolutely even though equestrian sport has a long history and is perceived as a traditional sport it is
always evolving In the 90 years of the FEI which was founded to govern the three Olympic disciplines it has grown to also oversee the disciplines of Driving Endurance Vaulting Reining and Para-Equestrian sport Or if you look at the early days when competi-tors were from military backgrounds and when wom-en did not compete alongside men to the complete gender equality we have today ndash a lot has changed and is in a constant state of change
The fans of equestrian sport are like any other fan base web savvy and eager for more information behind the scenes content and to share their opin-ions and thoughts ndash so it is an ideal partnership And from what we have seen these last few months and from the feedback we got from our blog at the Youth Olympic Games there is a real appetite for this
The FEI has dedicated Facebook Twitter and You Tube pages ndash why did you select these social media platforms The figures speak for themselveshellip Facebook Twit-ter and You Tube are the biggest players in the social networking space With over 500 million Facebook users 106 million Tweeters and 2 billion views a day on You Tube there has never been so much oppor-tunity for exposure Every site has different demo-graphics with different habits and needs so by having an FEI presence on these three networks we are able to cover a lot of ground and cater to different audi-ences by providing different types of content accord-ing to the platform
What are the main benefits of having a pres-ence on various social media platforms Itrsquos all about having a two way conversation ndash the benefits of dialogue where you can share content such as videos images facts and figures thoughts and values and then allow your fan base to react to get involved and to listen and learn from them By engaging with our audience and showing them that we are a modern and caring organisation and that we want to hear what they have to say then we are able to build trust and ultimately credibility in what we do and what we say
57FOCUS
TV
The offi cial video website of the Feacutedeacuteration Equestre Internationale
wwwfeitvorg
WATCH LIVE WATCH ONLINE
FEI TV is the FEIrsquos new offi cial video website and your ticket to the worldrsquos most prestigious competitions Sign-up to FEI TV (wwwfeitvorg) and get instant access to all the live broadcasts the extensive video-on-demand library all the highlights the behind the scenes reports the interviews and so much more Be at the heart of horsesport Join us
2823_1FEI_TV_Focus_165x226indd 1 170510 1124
It also keeps us alert as to what is being discussed and debated in the public sphere so that we can manage situations more effectively and be proactive in our messaging and information so that the facts are at the heart of the debate and not interpretations of them
How do you generate content for social media It was important when we launched our social me-dia presence that it be manageable with the exist-ing communications team in place ndash and so we have concentrated on keeping it simple and effective and using content innovatively Itrsquos not about reproduc-ing our website ndash but to engage with our fans and so often all you need is a good picture an interest-ing fact or great achievement to get the ball rolling For You Tube as we already have so much content generated from FEI TV it was simply a question of using bits and pieces from that content to provide the public with teasers from events interviews with winning riders or behind the scenes content which they can then follow up on FEI TV with a subscription
What are your Social media goals Itrsquos really to build relationships and dialogue with our fan base by using our content innovatively by listening to what they have to say and by engaging with the community And for the National Federa-tions that have yet to take that step we want to be a guiding hand that can help them get started so that they too can reap the benefits of social media net-working Our sport competes against other sports for attention so itrsquos really important that we the FEI and the National Federations keep our finger on the pulse and cater to our fans
How can National Federations get involved NFs wishing to find out more about Social Media can contact me (richardjohnsonfeiorg) and I would be more than happy to discuss opportunities and ways of getting started as well as our experience at the FEI
We asked our Facebook followers why it was important to use face-book and here are a few comments they came up with
bullItrsquos a great way to find out about shows and competitions
bullBecause facebook can provide up to the minute updates as to the what is going on in the horse community
bullWe can share information and ideas over long distances We can find and connect with people we wouldnt be able to otherwise
bullIt also lets us express the true realities of our spot to keep us grounded
bullIt can bring peoples attention to excellence ndash and expose the issues
58
TV
The offi cial video website of the Feacutedeacuteration Equestre Internationale
wwwfeitvorg
WATCH LIVE WATCH ONLINE
FEI TV is the FEIrsquos new offi cial video website and your ticket to the worldrsquos most prestigious competitions Sign-up to FEI TV (wwwfeitvorg) and get instant access to all the live broadcasts the extensive video-on-demand library all the highlights the behind the scenes reports the interviews and so much more Be at the heart of horsesport Join us
2823_1FEI_TV_Focus_165x226indd 1 170510 1124
ldquo Donrsquot accept drinks from a strangerrdquo
Armchair travel journalist
Are you living a life without boundaries Some well-meant advice is best ignored but itrsquos still good to know yoursquore covered when yoursquore away With HSBC Premier your family can be protected with both Travel Insurance and dedicated assistance when yoursquore abroad Which is reassuring to know when yoursquore making the most of life
HSBC Premier is subject to financial eligibility criteria and is available in over 40 countries and territories
Premier Travel Insurance covers you and your partner up to age 70 and your children travelling with you up to age 18
wwwhsbcpremiercom
A4 A4
Issued by HSBC Holdings plc Approved for use in UK by HSBC Bank plc Premier Travel Insurance is provided by Aviva Insurance UK Limited Customer Information Service PO Box 757 Hemel Hempstead Hertfordshire HP2 4SS Registered in England number 14259 Registered Office 8 Canada Square London E14 5HQ AC18770
201736_6000263_Coconut_226x165indd
Master 226x165
Rob Swainson 160211
HSBC - Coconuts Proof 01Head of Art TypographerDesigner ArtCreative Director Copywriter Account DirectorDIC Project ManagerPhotographer Illustrator Usage Model(s) Name(s) Usage
Media MediaStock Image Time Period Time Period
Territory Territory
8deg N ndash Kerala South India
5
6 7
8
THE GALLERy
As well as housing offices for its 62 employees and conference facilities for its 133 National Federations the new headquarters also has a state-of-the-art in-teractive gallery showcasing equestrian sport
The Gallery is the brainchild of Dr Amichai Alper-ovich historian former Secretary General of the Is-raeli Equestrian Federation and curator of the Israeli Olympic Museum (opened in 2009) He worked hand in hand with the Tel Aviv based company Disk-In Pro and interior designer Oded Alony to help bring the content to life and the result is truly unique and ground breaking Giant glass surfaces act as interac-tive interfaces for the visitors to travel through time
The FEIrsquos new headquarters which were donated to the Federation by FEI Presi-dent HRH Princess Haya in 2007 fol-lowing a personal fundraising effort are conveniently located close to the Inter-national Olympic Committee and other international sports federations It has been written into the FEI Statutes that the new FEI headquarters building will always house the Federationrsquos offices In 2008 the building was thoroughly renovated in accordance with the Swiss MINERGIEreg construction standard for environmental responsibility which re-duces energy consumption by 25 per cent Only two per cent of renovated buildings in Switzerland meet the high Minergie standards Khuan Chew founder and design princi-pal of London-based architectural firm KCA International Ltd worked in close collaboration with Swiss-based architect Herveacute de Rham and interior designer Sia-vosh Adeli (SUI) to transform the build-ing which was built in the 1960s The modern and sleek interior was further enhanced with bespoke artworks pro-duced by Swiss creative agency b+g amp partners and imagery by world-famous equestrian art photographer Tim Flach where the simplicity and beauty of his equine subjects seamlessly embrace and accentuate the buildingrsquos pure lines and natural materials (see image left)
As they feasted on the innate beauty of their sur-roundings the guests also had the privilege to ex-perience the culinary talents of organic chef and specialist Gilles Wannaz and his team based in the town of Cully which sits on the edge of Lac Leman in Switzerlandrsquos famous Lavaux wine growing region
5 HRH Princess Haya welcomes the guests to the Inauguration of the HQ and the 90 year celebration of the FEI 6 Artwork by renowned pho-tographer Tim Flach 7 An organic and colourful buffet presented on an authentic lawn by local chef Gilles Wannaz 8 A life size horse sculpture by Christophe Dumont greeted the guests upon their arrival
53FOCUS
and space with the latest in touch technology revis-iting the history of the FEI the equestrian events at Olympic amp Paralympic Games the FEI World Eques-trian Gamestrade and information on all of the member National Federations with statistics videos images and text The Gallery also includes projections on ar-chitectural surfaces designed by Oded Alony referred to as the Origami as well as interactive stations and unique video projections on glass screens
For all those wishing to visit the FEI Gallery simply contact the FEI HQ to make an appointment and we would be delighted to take you on a journey to dis-cover or rediscover the human and equine athletes whose talents have marked equestrian history and inspired young riders drivers and vaulters around the world
Interview withDrAmichaiAlperovich
When did you first dream up the FEIInteractive Gallery When I found out the FEI was planning to move into new HQ in 2009 Disk-In Pro and I approached the FEI and presented them with several concepts for the space Before long we had agreed on the concept and we got to work
Why were you compelled to make it become a reality So that the FEI a prominent sports organisation could present itself to a growing audience in a new and visionary way with the latest technology And by doing so the FEI is a pioneer becoming the first International Federation to have a Gallery of this kind
What did you learn when researching and gathering content for the gallery I have learned a lot about the history of the FEI the strong Olympic tradition the diversity of disciplines the gender equality and the unique bond between horse and man One of the more fascinating topics was the evolution of the Dressage from itsrsquo Olympic debut to the modern Freestyle
Itrsquos very innovative technology what inspired you to take such a leap into the future with such a traditional sport Just as Dressage has evolved over the years and alongside the introduction of new disciplines partic-ularly Para-Equestrian you come to realise that the FEI is not as traditional as one would think Actually this kind of innovative presentation of equestrian history is really well suited to the FEI In the same way that you can have horse-man connections there is an audience-technology connection in the Gallery The audience have to be active in order to enjoy the depth of information the Gallery contains
54
Now it is time to open the door to new places to learn about sport ndash at the heart of sporting organi-sations themselves The Gallery is more than an informative tool it brings people to the sport andto the heart of its operations
Established in 1990 Disk-In Pro specialises in the planning design production and implementation of Museums Visitor Centres and sophisticated projects around the world This includes multi screen produc-tion animation 3D amp interactive films state-of-the-art software platforms and complex video displays for an unforgettable experience
Oded Alony holds a BA in Design from the Interior Design Section of the Holon Technological Institute and has since 1998 worked with Israelrsquos leading Architecture firms The Oded Alony Studio embraces holistic design a space where interior design lighting and graphics are brought together to create a harmo-nious project vision
Now that you have seen it unveiled to the public how would you like to see it evolve I hope the audience will be amazed from the design by architect Oded Alony and the new methods to deliver information whilst discovering the long his-tory of the FEI the diversity and the global reach of the organisation I hope the Gallery will become an icon in Lausanne and one of its highlights for visitors I promise the visitors a new platform to learn about equestrianism and each visit could be different as the information and themes will be updated and modi-fied regularly
This futuristic gallery is a first for anInternational Federation do you think thisis something all sports should invest inThe FEI took this courageous decision and now has this fantastic tool to present the organisation in new ways Sport is a huge cultural phenomenaWe have learned to consume sport in the arenas and stadiums in the press media and new media
Dr Amichai Alperovich
55FOCUS
SOCIAL MEDIAthe new frontier
Follow us on
The FEI has recently embarked on and embraced a whole new way of talking with the greater equestrian community through the ever expanding social media networks and platformsWith personalised Facebook Twitter and You Tube pages the FEI is taking it step by step and reaching out to this growing audience and listening to what they have to say
This new communication platform is by no means a substitution of the traditional communication path-ways but works alongside the press releases various publications and content on wwwfeiorg and wwwfeitvorg providing a new arena where the FEI can share interact and dialogue with fans of the sport and of equestrian values in general
We talk to Richard Johnson Director of Corporate Communications about the FEIrsquos commitment to social media
What compelled the FEI to venture onto the social media scene As a governing body with a vibrant and active com-munity of National Federations as well as thousands of fans the need to reach out to the online social community has never been stronger We have been watching the communities grow online for some time and have been listening to their conversations so being a part of it was the next logical step and a really important one The conversations will hap-pen with or without us so taking that step has been crucial in order to share our values and also build re-lationships with our fan base
Tradition meets modernity ndash does equestrian sportthe FEI have a place in social media Absolutely even though equestrian sport has a long history and is perceived as a traditional sport it is
always evolving In the 90 years of the FEI which was founded to govern the three Olympic disciplines it has grown to also oversee the disciplines of Driving Endurance Vaulting Reining and Para-Equestrian sport Or if you look at the early days when competi-tors were from military backgrounds and when wom-en did not compete alongside men to the complete gender equality we have today ndash a lot has changed and is in a constant state of change
The fans of equestrian sport are like any other fan base web savvy and eager for more information behind the scenes content and to share their opin-ions and thoughts ndash so it is an ideal partnership And from what we have seen these last few months and from the feedback we got from our blog at the Youth Olympic Games there is a real appetite for this
The FEI has dedicated Facebook Twitter and You Tube pages ndash why did you select these social media platforms The figures speak for themselveshellip Facebook Twit-ter and You Tube are the biggest players in the social networking space With over 500 million Facebook users 106 million Tweeters and 2 billion views a day on You Tube there has never been so much oppor-tunity for exposure Every site has different demo-graphics with different habits and needs so by having an FEI presence on these three networks we are able to cover a lot of ground and cater to different audi-ences by providing different types of content accord-ing to the platform
What are the main benefits of having a pres-ence on various social media platforms Itrsquos all about having a two way conversation ndash the benefits of dialogue where you can share content such as videos images facts and figures thoughts and values and then allow your fan base to react to get involved and to listen and learn from them By engaging with our audience and showing them that we are a modern and caring organisation and that we want to hear what they have to say then we are able to build trust and ultimately credibility in what we do and what we say
57FOCUS
TV
The offi cial video website of the Feacutedeacuteration Equestre Internationale
wwwfeitvorg
WATCH LIVE WATCH ONLINE
FEI TV is the FEIrsquos new offi cial video website and your ticket to the worldrsquos most prestigious competitions Sign-up to FEI TV (wwwfeitvorg) and get instant access to all the live broadcasts the extensive video-on-demand library all the highlights the behind the scenes reports the interviews and so much more Be at the heart of horsesport Join us
2823_1FEI_TV_Focus_165x226indd 1 170510 1124
It also keeps us alert as to what is being discussed and debated in the public sphere so that we can manage situations more effectively and be proactive in our messaging and information so that the facts are at the heart of the debate and not interpretations of them
How do you generate content for social media It was important when we launched our social me-dia presence that it be manageable with the exist-ing communications team in place ndash and so we have concentrated on keeping it simple and effective and using content innovatively Itrsquos not about reproduc-ing our website ndash but to engage with our fans and so often all you need is a good picture an interest-ing fact or great achievement to get the ball rolling For You Tube as we already have so much content generated from FEI TV it was simply a question of using bits and pieces from that content to provide the public with teasers from events interviews with winning riders or behind the scenes content which they can then follow up on FEI TV with a subscription
What are your Social media goals Itrsquos really to build relationships and dialogue with our fan base by using our content innovatively by listening to what they have to say and by engaging with the community And for the National Federa-tions that have yet to take that step we want to be a guiding hand that can help them get started so that they too can reap the benefits of social media net-working Our sport competes against other sports for attention so itrsquos really important that we the FEI and the National Federations keep our finger on the pulse and cater to our fans
How can National Federations get involved NFs wishing to find out more about Social Media can contact me (richardjohnsonfeiorg) and I would be more than happy to discuss opportunities and ways of getting started as well as our experience at the FEI
We asked our Facebook followers why it was important to use face-book and here are a few comments they came up with
bullItrsquos a great way to find out about shows and competitions
bullBecause facebook can provide up to the minute updates as to the what is going on in the horse community
bullWe can share information and ideas over long distances We can find and connect with people we wouldnt be able to otherwise
bullIt also lets us express the true realities of our spot to keep us grounded
bullIt can bring peoples attention to excellence ndash and expose the issues
58
TV
The offi cial video website of the Feacutedeacuteration Equestre Internationale
wwwfeitvorg
WATCH LIVE WATCH ONLINE
FEI TV is the FEIrsquos new offi cial video website and your ticket to the worldrsquos most prestigious competitions Sign-up to FEI TV (wwwfeitvorg) and get instant access to all the live broadcasts the extensive video-on-demand library all the highlights the behind the scenes reports the interviews and so much more Be at the heart of horsesport Join us
2823_1FEI_TV_Focus_165x226indd 1 170510 1124
ldquo Donrsquot accept drinks from a strangerrdquo
Armchair travel journalist
Are you living a life without boundaries Some well-meant advice is best ignored but itrsquos still good to know yoursquore covered when yoursquore away With HSBC Premier your family can be protected with both Travel Insurance and dedicated assistance when yoursquore abroad Which is reassuring to know when yoursquore making the most of life
HSBC Premier is subject to financial eligibility criteria and is available in over 40 countries and territories
Premier Travel Insurance covers you and your partner up to age 70 and your children travelling with you up to age 18
wwwhsbcpremiercom
A4 A4
Issued by HSBC Holdings plc Approved for use in UK by HSBC Bank plc Premier Travel Insurance is provided by Aviva Insurance UK Limited Customer Information Service PO Box 757 Hemel Hempstead Hertfordshire HP2 4SS Registered in England number 14259 Registered Office 8 Canada Square London E14 5HQ AC18770
201736_6000263_Coconut_226x165indd
Master 226x165
Rob Swainson 160211
HSBC - Coconuts Proof 01Head of Art TypographerDesigner ArtCreative Director Copywriter Account DirectorDIC Project ManagerPhotographer Illustrator Usage Model(s) Name(s) Usage
Media MediaStock Image Time Period Time Period
Territory Territory
8deg N ndash Kerala South India
THE GALLERy
As well as housing offices for its 62 employees and conference facilities for its 133 National Federations the new headquarters also has a state-of-the-art in-teractive gallery showcasing equestrian sport
The Gallery is the brainchild of Dr Amichai Alper-ovich historian former Secretary General of the Is-raeli Equestrian Federation and curator of the Israeli Olympic Museum (opened in 2009) He worked hand in hand with the Tel Aviv based company Disk-In Pro and interior designer Oded Alony to help bring the content to life and the result is truly unique and ground breaking Giant glass surfaces act as interac-tive interfaces for the visitors to travel through time
The FEIrsquos new headquarters which were donated to the Federation by FEI Presi-dent HRH Princess Haya in 2007 fol-lowing a personal fundraising effort are conveniently located close to the Inter-national Olympic Committee and other international sports federations It has been written into the FEI Statutes that the new FEI headquarters building will always house the Federationrsquos offices In 2008 the building was thoroughly renovated in accordance with the Swiss MINERGIEreg construction standard for environmental responsibility which re-duces energy consumption by 25 per cent Only two per cent of renovated buildings in Switzerland meet the high Minergie standards Khuan Chew founder and design princi-pal of London-based architectural firm KCA International Ltd worked in close collaboration with Swiss-based architect Herveacute de Rham and interior designer Sia-vosh Adeli (SUI) to transform the build-ing which was built in the 1960s The modern and sleek interior was further enhanced with bespoke artworks pro-duced by Swiss creative agency b+g amp partners and imagery by world-famous equestrian art photographer Tim Flach where the simplicity and beauty of his equine subjects seamlessly embrace and accentuate the buildingrsquos pure lines and natural materials (see image left)
As they feasted on the innate beauty of their sur-roundings the guests also had the privilege to ex-perience the culinary talents of organic chef and specialist Gilles Wannaz and his team based in the town of Cully which sits on the edge of Lac Leman in Switzerlandrsquos famous Lavaux wine growing region
5 HRH Princess Haya welcomes the guests to the Inauguration of the HQ and the 90 year celebration of the FEI 6 Artwork by renowned pho-tographer Tim Flach 7 An organic and colourful buffet presented on an authentic lawn by local chef Gilles Wannaz 8 A life size horse sculpture by Christophe Dumont greeted the guests upon their arrival
53FOCUS
and space with the latest in touch technology revis-iting the history of the FEI the equestrian events at Olympic amp Paralympic Games the FEI World Eques-trian Gamestrade and information on all of the member National Federations with statistics videos images and text The Gallery also includes projections on ar-chitectural surfaces designed by Oded Alony referred to as the Origami as well as interactive stations and unique video projections on glass screens
For all those wishing to visit the FEI Gallery simply contact the FEI HQ to make an appointment and we would be delighted to take you on a journey to dis-cover or rediscover the human and equine athletes whose talents have marked equestrian history and inspired young riders drivers and vaulters around the world
Interview withDrAmichaiAlperovich
When did you first dream up the FEIInteractive Gallery When I found out the FEI was planning to move into new HQ in 2009 Disk-In Pro and I approached the FEI and presented them with several concepts for the space Before long we had agreed on the concept and we got to work
Why were you compelled to make it become a reality So that the FEI a prominent sports organisation could present itself to a growing audience in a new and visionary way with the latest technology And by doing so the FEI is a pioneer becoming the first International Federation to have a Gallery of this kind
What did you learn when researching and gathering content for the gallery I have learned a lot about the history of the FEI the strong Olympic tradition the diversity of disciplines the gender equality and the unique bond between horse and man One of the more fascinating topics was the evolution of the Dressage from itsrsquo Olympic debut to the modern Freestyle
Itrsquos very innovative technology what inspired you to take such a leap into the future with such a traditional sport Just as Dressage has evolved over the years and alongside the introduction of new disciplines partic-ularly Para-Equestrian you come to realise that the FEI is not as traditional as one would think Actually this kind of innovative presentation of equestrian history is really well suited to the FEI In the same way that you can have horse-man connections there is an audience-technology connection in the Gallery The audience have to be active in order to enjoy the depth of information the Gallery contains
54
Now it is time to open the door to new places to learn about sport ndash at the heart of sporting organi-sations themselves The Gallery is more than an informative tool it brings people to the sport andto the heart of its operations
Established in 1990 Disk-In Pro specialises in the planning design production and implementation of Museums Visitor Centres and sophisticated projects around the world This includes multi screen produc-tion animation 3D amp interactive films state-of-the-art software platforms and complex video displays for an unforgettable experience
Oded Alony holds a BA in Design from the Interior Design Section of the Holon Technological Institute and has since 1998 worked with Israelrsquos leading Architecture firms The Oded Alony Studio embraces holistic design a space where interior design lighting and graphics are brought together to create a harmo-nious project vision
Now that you have seen it unveiled to the public how would you like to see it evolve I hope the audience will be amazed from the design by architect Oded Alony and the new methods to deliver information whilst discovering the long his-tory of the FEI the diversity and the global reach of the organisation I hope the Gallery will become an icon in Lausanne and one of its highlights for visitors I promise the visitors a new platform to learn about equestrianism and each visit could be different as the information and themes will be updated and modi-fied regularly
This futuristic gallery is a first for anInternational Federation do you think thisis something all sports should invest inThe FEI took this courageous decision and now has this fantastic tool to present the organisation in new ways Sport is a huge cultural phenomenaWe have learned to consume sport in the arenas and stadiums in the press media and new media
Dr Amichai Alperovich
55FOCUS
SOCIAL MEDIAthe new frontier
Follow us on
The FEI has recently embarked on and embraced a whole new way of talking with the greater equestrian community through the ever expanding social media networks and platformsWith personalised Facebook Twitter and You Tube pages the FEI is taking it step by step and reaching out to this growing audience and listening to what they have to say
This new communication platform is by no means a substitution of the traditional communication path-ways but works alongside the press releases various publications and content on wwwfeiorg and wwwfeitvorg providing a new arena where the FEI can share interact and dialogue with fans of the sport and of equestrian values in general
We talk to Richard Johnson Director of Corporate Communications about the FEIrsquos commitment to social media
What compelled the FEI to venture onto the social media scene As a governing body with a vibrant and active com-munity of National Federations as well as thousands of fans the need to reach out to the online social community has never been stronger We have been watching the communities grow online for some time and have been listening to their conversations so being a part of it was the next logical step and a really important one The conversations will hap-pen with or without us so taking that step has been crucial in order to share our values and also build re-lationships with our fan base
Tradition meets modernity ndash does equestrian sportthe FEI have a place in social media Absolutely even though equestrian sport has a long history and is perceived as a traditional sport it is
always evolving In the 90 years of the FEI which was founded to govern the three Olympic disciplines it has grown to also oversee the disciplines of Driving Endurance Vaulting Reining and Para-Equestrian sport Or if you look at the early days when competi-tors were from military backgrounds and when wom-en did not compete alongside men to the complete gender equality we have today ndash a lot has changed and is in a constant state of change
The fans of equestrian sport are like any other fan base web savvy and eager for more information behind the scenes content and to share their opin-ions and thoughts ndash so it is an ideal partnership And from what we have seen these last few months and from the feedback we got from our blog at the Youth Olympic Games there is a real appetite for this
The FEI has dedicated Facebook Twitter and You Tube pages ndash why did you select these social media platforms The figures speak for themselveshellip Facebook Twit-ter and You Tube are the biggest players in the social networking space With over 500 million Facebook users 106 million Tweeters and 2 billion views a day on You Tube there has never been so much oppor-tunity for exposure Every site has different demo-graphics with different habits and needs so by having an FEI presence on these three networks we are able to cover a lot of ground and cater to different audi-ences by providing different types of content accord-ing to the platform
What are the main benefits of having a pres-ence on various social media platforms Itrsquos all about having a two way conversation ndash the benefits of dialogue where you can share content such as videos images facts and figures thoughts and values and then allow your fan base to react to get involved and to listen and learn from them By engaging with our audience and showing them that we are a modern and caring organisation and that we want to hear what they have to say then we are able to build trust and ultimately credibility in what we do and what we say
57FOCUS
TV
The offi cial video website of the Feacutedeacuteration Equestre Internationale
wwwfeitvorg
WATCH LIVE WATCH ONLINE
FEI TV is the FEIrsquos new offi cial video website and your ticket to the worldrsquos most prestigious competitions Sign-up to FEI TV (wwwfeitvorg) and get instant access to all the live broadcasts the extensive video-on-demand library all the highlights the behind the scenes reports the interviews and so much more Be at the heart of horsesport Join us
2823_1FEI_TV_Focus_165x226indd 1 170510 1124
It also keeps us alert as to what is being discussed and debated in the public sphere so that we can manage situations more effectively and be proactive in our messaging and information so that the facts are at the heart of the debate and not interpretations of them
How do you generate content for social media It was important when we launched our social me-dia presence that it be manageable with the exist-ing communications team in place ndash and so we have concentrated on keeping it simple and effective and using content innovatively Itrsquos not about reproduc-ing our website ndash but to engage with our fans and so often all you need is a good picture an interest-ing fact or great achievement to get the ball rolling For You Tube as we already have so much content generated from FEI TV it was simply a question of using bits and pieces from that content to provide the public with teasers from events interviews with winning riders or behind the scenes content which they can then follow up on FEI TV with a subscription
What are your Social media goals Itrsquos really to build relationships and dialogue with our fan base by using our content innovatively by listening to what they have to say and by engaging with the community And for the National Federa-tions that have yet to take that step we want to be a guiding hand that can help them get started so that they too can reap the benefits of social media net-working Our sport competes against other sports for attention so itrsquos really important that we the FEI and the National Federations keep our finger on the pulse and cater to our fans
How can National Federations get involved NFs wishing to find out more about Social Media can contact me (richardjohnsonfeiorg) and I would be more than happy to discuss opportunities and ways of getting started as well as our experience at the FEI
We asked our Facebook followers why it was important to use face-book and here are a few comments they came up with
bullItrsquos a great way to find out about shows and competitions
bullBecause facebook can provide up to the minute updates as to the what is going on in the horse community
bullWe can share information and ideas over long distances We can find and connect with people we wouldnt be able to otherwise
bullIt also lets us express the true realities of our spot to keep us grounded
bullIt can bring peoples attention to excellence ndash and expose the issues
58
TV
The offi cial video website of the Feacutedeacuteration Equestre Internationale
wwwfeitvorg
WATCH LIVE WATCH ONLINE
FEI TV is the FEIrsquos new offi cial video website and your ticket to the worldrsquos most prestigious competitions Sign-up to FEI TV (wwwfeitvorg) and get instant access to all the live broadcasts the extensive video-on-demand library all the highlights the behind the scenes reports the interviews and so much more Be at the heart of horsesport Join us
2823_1FEI_TV_Focus_165x226indd 1 170510 1124
ldquo Donrsquot accept drinks from a strangerrdquo
Armchair travel journalist
Are you living a life without boundaries Some well-meant advice is best ignored but itrsquos still good to know yoursquore covered when yoursquore away With HSBC Premier your family can be protected with both Travel Insurance and dedicated assistance when yoursquore abroad Which is reassuring to know when yoursquore making the most of life
HSBC Premier is subject to financial eligibility criteria and is available in over 40 countries and territories
Premier Travel Insurance covers you and your partner up to age 70 and your children travelling with you up to age 18
wwwhsbcpremiercom
A4 A4
Issued by HSBC Holdings plc Approved for use in UK by HSBC Bank plc Premier Travel Insurance is provided by Aviva Insurance UK Limited Customer Information Service PO Box 757 Hemel Hempstead Hertfordshire HP2 4SS Registered in England number 14259 Registered Office 8 Canada Square London E14 5HQ AC18770
201736_6000263_Coconut_226x165indd
Master 226x165
Rob Swainson 160211
HSBC - Coconuts Proof 01Head of Art TypographerDesigner ArtCreative Director Copywriter Account DirectorDIC Project ManagerPhotographer Illustrator Usage Model(s) Name(s) Usage
Media MediaStock Image Time Period Time Period
Territory Territory
8deg N ndash Kerala South India
and space with the latest in touch technology revis-iting the history of the FEI the equestrian events at Olympic amp Paralympic Games the FEI World Eques-trian Gamestrade and information on all of the member National Federations with statistics videos images and text The Gallery also includes projections on ar-chitectural surfaces designed by Oded Alony referred to as the Origami as well as interactive stations and unique video projections on glass screens
For all those wishing to visit the FEI Gallery simply contact the FEI HQ to make an appointment and we would be delighted to take you on a journey to dis-cover or rediscover the human and equine athletes whose talents have marked equestrian history and inspired young riders drivers and vaulters around the world
Interview withDrAmichaiAlperovich
When did you first dream up the FEIInteractive Gallery When I found out the FEI was planning to move into new HQ in 2009 Disk-In Pro and I approached the FEI and presented them with several concepts for the space Before long we had agreed on the concept and we got to work
Why were you compelled to make it become a reality So that the FEI a prominent sports organisation could present itself to a growing audience in a new and visionary way with the latest technology And by doing so the FEI is a pioneer becoming the first International Federation to have a Gallery of this kind
What did you learn when researching and gathering content for the gallery I have learned a lot about the history of the FEI the strong Olympic tradition the diversity of disciplines the gender equality and the unique bond between horse and man One of the more fascinating topics was the evolution of the Dressage from itsrsquo Olympic debut to the modern Freestyle
Itrsquos very innovative technology what inspired you to take such a leap into the future with such a traditional sport Just as Dressage has evolved over the years and alongside the introduction of new disciplines partic-ularly Para-Equestrian you come to realise that the FEI is not as traditional as one would think Actually this kind of innovative presentation of equestrian history is really well suited to the FEI In the same way that you can have horse-man connections there is an audience-technology connection in the Gallery The audience have to be active in order to enjoy the depth of information the Gallery contains
54
Now it is time to open the door to new places to learn about sport ndash at the heart of sporting organi-sations themselves The Gallery is more than an informative tool it brings people to the sport andto the heart of its operations
Established in 1990 Disk-In Pro specialises in the planning design production and implementation of Museums Visitor Centres and sophisticated projects around the world This includes multi screen produc-tion animation 3D amp interactive films state-of-the-art software platforms and complex video displays for an unforgettable experience
Oded Alony holds a BA in Design from the Interior Design Section of the Holon Technological Institute and has since 1998 worked with Israelrsquos leading Architecture firms The Oded Alony Studio embraces holistic design a space where interior design lighting and graphics are brought together to create a harmo-nious project vision
Now that you have seen it unveiled to the public how would you like to see it evolve I hope the audience will be amazed from the design by architect Oded Alony and the new methods to deliver information whilst discovering the long his-tory of the FEI the diversity and the global reach of the organisation I hope the Gallery will become an icon in Lausanne and one of its highlights for visitors I promise the visitors a new platform to learn about equestrianism and each visit could be different as the information and themes will be updated and modi-fied regularly
This futuristic gallery is a first for anInternational Federation do you think thisis something all sports should invest inThe FEI took this courageous decision and now has this fantastic tool to present the organisation in new ways Sport is a huge cultural phenomenaWe have learned to consume sport in the arenas and stadiums in the press media and new media
Dr Amichai Alperovich
55FOCUS
SOCIAL MEDIAthe new frontier
Follow us on
The FEI has recently embarked on and embraced a whole new way of talking with the greater equestrian community through the ever expanding social media networks and platformsWith personalised Facebook Twitter and You Tube pages the FEI is taking it step by step and reaching out to this growing audience and listening to what they have to say
This new communication platform is by no means a substitution of the traditional communication path-ways but works alongside the press releases various publications and content on wwwfeiorg and wwwfeitvorg providing a new arena where the FEI can share interact and dialogue with fans of the sport and of equestrian values in general
We talk to Richard Johnson Director of Corporate Communications about the FEIrsquos commitment to social media
What compelled the FEI to venture onto the social media scene As a governing body with a vibrant and active com-munity of National Federations as well as thousands of fans the need to reach out to the online social community has never been stronger We have been watching the communities grow online for some time and have been listening to their conversations so being a part of it was the next logical step and a really important one The conversations will hap-pen with or without us so taking that step has been crucial in order to share our values and also build re-lationships with our fan base
Tradition meets modernity ndash does equestrian sportthe FEI have a place in social media Absolutely even though equestrian sport has a long history and is perceived as a traditional sport it is
always evolving In the 90 years of the FEI which was founded to govern the three Olympic disciplines it has grown to also oversee the disciplines of Driving Endurance Vaulting Reining and Para-Equestrian sport Or if you look at the early days when competi-tors were from military backgrounds and when wom-en did not compete alongside men to the complete gender equality we have today ndash a lot has changed and is in a constant state of change
The fans of equestrian sport are like any other fan base web savvy and eager for more information behind the scenes content and to share their opin-ions and thoughts ndash so it is an ideal partnership And from what we have seen these last few months and from the feedback we got from our blog at the Youth Olympic Games there is a real appetite for this
The FEI has dedicated Facebook Twitter and You Tube pages ndash why did you select these social media platforms The figures speak for themselveshellip Facebook Twit-ter and You Tube are the biggest players in the social networking space With over 500 million Facebook users 106 million Tweeters and 2 billion views a day on You Tube there has never been so much oppor-tunity for exposure Every site has different demo-graphics with different habits and needs so by having an FEI presence on these three networks we are able to cover a lot of ground and cater to different audi-ences by providing different types of content accord-ing to the platform
What are the main benefits of having a pres-ence on various social media platforms Itrsquos all about having a two way conversation ndash the benefits of dialogue where you can share content such as videos images facts and figures thoughts and values and then allow your fan base to react to get involved and to listen and learn from them By engaging with our audience and showing them that we are a modern and caring organisation and that we want to hear what they have to say then we are able to build trust and ultimately credibility in what we do and what we say
57FOCUS
TV
The offi cial video website of the Feacutedeacuteration Equestre Internationale
wwwfeitvorg
WATCH LIVE WATCH ONLINE
FEI TV is the FEIrsquos new offi cial video website and your ticket to the worldrsquos most prestigious competitions Sign-up to FEI TV (wwwfeitvorg) and get instant access to all the live broadcasts the extensive video-on-demand library all the highlights the behind the scenes reports the interviews and so much more Be at the heart of horsesport Join us
2823_1FEI_TV_Focus_165x226indd 1 170510 1124
It also keeps us alert as to what is being discussed and debated in the public sphere so that we can manage situations more effectively and be proactive in our messaging and information so that the facts are at the heart of the debate and not interpretations of them
How do you generate content for social media It was important when we launched our social me-dia presence that it be manageable with the exist-ing communications team in place ndash and so we have concentrated on keeping it simple and effective and using content innovatively Itrsquos not about reproduc-ing our website ndash but to engage with our fans and so often all you need is a good picture an interest-ing fact or great achievement to get the ball rolling For You Tube as we already have so much content generated from FEI TV it was simply a question of using bits and pieces from that content to provide the public with teasers from events interviews with winning riders or behind the scenes content which they can then follow up on FEI TV with a subscription
What are your Social media goals Itrsquos really to build relationships and dialogue with our fan base by using our content innovatively by listening to what they have to say and by engaging with the community And for the National Federa-tions that have yet to take that step we want to be a guiding hand that can help them get started so that they too can reap the benefits of social media net-working Our sport competes against other sports for attention so itrsquos really important that we the FEI and the National Federations keep our finger on the pulse and cater to our fans
How can National Federations get involved NFs wishing to find out more about Social Media can contact me (richardjohnsonfeiorg) and I would be more than happy to discuss opportunities and ways of getting started as well as our experience at the FEI
We asked our Facebook followers why it was important to use face-book and here are a few comments they came up with
bullItrsquos a great way to find out about shows and competitions
bullBecause facebook can provide up to the minute updates as to the what is going on in the horse community
bullWe can share information and ideas over long distances We can find and connect with people we wouldnt be able to otherwise
bullIt also lets us express the true realities of our spot to keep us grounded
bullIt can bring peoples attention to excellence ndash and expose the issues
58
TV
The offi cial video website of the Feacutedeacuteration Equestre Internationale
wwwfeitvorg
WATCH LIVE WATCH ONLINE
FEI TV is the FEIrsquos new offi cial video website and your ticket to the worldrsquos most prestigious competitions Sign-up to FEI TV (wwwfeitvorg) and get instant access to all the live broadcasts the extensive video-on-demand library all the highlights the behind the scenes reports the interviews and so much more Be at the heart of horsesport Join us
2823_1FEI_TV_Focus_165x226indd 1 170510 1124
ldquo Donrsquot accept drinks from a strangerrdquo
Armchair travel journalist
Are you living a life without boundaries Some well-meant advice is best ignored but itrsquos still good to know yoursquore covered when yoursquore away With HSBC Premier your family can be protected with both Travel Insurance and dedicated assistance when yoursquore abroad Which is reassuring to know when yoursquore making the most of life
HSBC Premier is subject to financial eligibility criteria and is available in over 40 countries and territories
Premier Travel Insurance covers you and your partner up to age 70 and your children travelling with you up to age 18
wwwhsbcpremiercom
A4 A4
Issued by HSBC Holdings plc Approved for use in UK by HSBC Bank plc Premier Travel Insurance is provided by Aviva Insurance UK Limited Customer Information Service PO Box 757 Hemel Hempstead Hertfordshire HP2 4SS Registered in England number 14259 Registered Office 8 Canada Square London E14 5HQ AC18770
201736_6000263_Coconut_226x165indd
Master 226x165
Rob Swainson 160211
HSBC - Coconuts Proof 01Head of Art TypographerDesigner ArtCreative Director Copywriter Account DirectorDIC Project ManagerPhotographer Illustrator Usage Model(s) Name(s) Usage
Media MediaStock Image Time Period Time Period
Territory Territory
8deg N ndash Kerala South India
Now it is time to open the door to new places to learn about sport ndash at the heart of sporting organi-sations themselves The Gallery is more than an informative tool it brings people to the sport andto the heart of its operations
Established in 1990 Disk-In Pro specialises in the planning design production and implementation of Museums Visitor Centres and sophisticated projects around the world This includes multi screen produc-tion animation 3D amp interactive films state-of-the-art software platforms and complex video displays for an unforgettable experience
Oded Alony holds a BA in Design from the Interior Design Section of the Holon Technological Institute and has since 1998 worked with Israelrsquos leading Architecture firms The Oded Alony Studio embraces holistic design a space where interior design lighting and graphics are brought together to create a harmo-nious project vision
Now that you have seen it unveiled to the public how would you like to see it evolve I hope the audience will be amazed from the design by architect Oded Alony and the new methods to deliver information whilst discovering the long his-tory of the FEI the diversity and the global reach of the organisation I hope the Gallery will become an icon in Lausanne and one of its highlights for visitors I promise the visitors a new platform to learn about equestrianism and each visit could be different as the information and themes will be updated and modi-fied regularly
This futuristic gallery is a first for anInternational Federation do you think thisis something all sports should invest inThe FEI took this courageous decision and now has this fantastic tool to present the organisation in new ways Sport is a huge cultural phenomenaWe have learned to consume sport in the arenas and stadiums in the press media and new media
Dr Amichai Alperovich
55FOCUS
SOCIAL MEDIAthe new frontier
Follow us on
The FEI has recently embarked on and embraced a whole new way of talking with the greater equestrian community through the ever expanding social media networks and platformsWith personalised Facebook Twitter and You Tube pages the FEI is taking it step by step and reaching out to this growing audience and listening to what they have to say
This new communication platform is by no means a substitution of the traditional communication path-ways but works alongside the press releases various publications and content on wwwfeiorg and wwwfeitvorg providing a new arena where the FEI can share interact and dialogue with fans of the sport and of equestrian values in general
We talk to Richard Johnson Director of Corporate Communications about the FEIrsquos commitment to social media
What compelled the FEI to venture onto the social media scene As a governing body with a vibrant and active com-munity of National Federations as well as thousands of fans the need to reach out to the online social community has never been stronger We have been watching the communities grow online for some time and have been listening to their conversations so being a part of it was the next logical step and a really important one The conversations will hap-pen with or without us so taking that step has been crucial in order to share our values and also build re-lationships with our fan base
Tradition meets modernity ndash does equestrian sportthe FEI have a place in social media Absolutely even though equestrian sport has a long history and is perceived as a traditional sport it is
always evolving In the 90 years of the FEI which was founded to govern the three Olympic disciplines it has grown to also oversee the disciplines of Driving Endurance Vaulting Reining and Para-Equestrian sport Or if you look at the early days when competi-tors were from military backgrounds and when wom-en did not compete alongside men to the complete gender equality we have today ndash a lot has changed and is in a constant state of change
The fans of equestrian sport are like any other fan base web savvy and eager for more information behind the scenes content and to share their opin-ions and thoughts ndash so it is an ideal partnership And from what we have seen these last few months and from the feedback we got from our blog at the Youth Olympic Games there is a real appetite for this
The FEI has dedicated Facebook Twitter and You Tube pages ndash why did you select these social media platforms The figures speak for themselveshellip Facebook Twit-ter and You Tube are the biggest players in the social networking space With over 500 million Facebook users 106 million Tweeters and 2 billion views a day on You Tube there has never been so much oppor-tunity for exposure Every site has different demo-graphics with different habits and needs so by having an FEI presence on these three networks we are able to cover a lot of ground and cater to different audi-ences by providing different types of content accord-ing to the platform
What are the main benefits of having a pres-ence on various social media platforms Itrsquos all about having a two way conversation ndash the benefits of dialogue where you can share content such as videos images facts and figures thoughts and values and then allow your fan base to react to get involved and to listen and learn from them By engaging with our audience and showing them that we are a modern and caring organisation and that we want to hear what they have to say then we are able to build trust and ultimately credibility in what we do and what we say
57FOCUS
TV
The offi cial video website of the Feacutedeacuteration Equestre Internationale
wwwfeitvorg
WATCH LIVE WATCH ONLINE
FEI TV is the FEIrsquos new offi cial video website and your ticket to the worldrsquos most prestigious competitions Sign-up to FEI TV (wwwfeitvorg) and get instant access to all the live broadcasts the extensive video-on-demand library all the highlights the behind the scenes reports the interviews and so much more Be at the heart of horsesport Join us
2823_1FEI_TV_Focus_165x226indd 1 170510 1124
It also keeps us alert as to what is being discussed and debated in the public sphere so that we can manage situations more effectively and be proactive in our messaging and information so that the facts are at the heart of the debate and not interpretations of them
How do you generate content for social media It was important when we launched our social me-dia presence that it be manageable with the exist-ing communications team in place ndash and so we have concentrated on keeping it simple and effective and using content innovatively Itrsquos not about reproduc-ing our website ndash but to engage with our fans and so often all you need is a good picture an interest-ing fact or great achievement to get the ball rolling For You Tube as we already have so much content generated from FEI TV it was simply a question of using bits and pieces from that content to provide the public with teasers from events interviews with winning riders or behind the scenes content which they can then follow up on FEI TV with a subscription
What are your Social media goals Itrsquos really to build relationships and dialogue with our fan base by using our content innovatively by listening to what they have to say and by engaging with the community And for the National Federa-tions that have yet to take that step we want to be a guiding hand that can help them get started so that they too can reap the benefits of social media net-working Our sport competes against other sports for attention so itrsquos really important that we the FEI and the National Federations keep our finger on the pulse and cater to our fans
How can National Federations get involved NFs wishing to find out more about Social Media can contact me (richardjohnsonfeiorg) and I would be more than happy to discuss opportunities and ways of getting started as well as our experience at the FEI
We asked our Facebook followers why it was important to use face-book and here are a few comments they came up with
bullItrsquos a great way to find out about shows and competitions
bullBecause facebook can provide up to the minute updates as to the what is going on in the horse community
bullWe can share information and ideas over long distances We can find and connect with people we wouldnt be able to otherwise
bullIt also lets us express the true realities of our spot to keep us grounded
bullIt can bring peoples attention to excellence ndash and expose the issues
58
TV
The offi cial video website of the Feacutedeacuteration Equestre Internationale
wwwfeitvorg
WATCH LIVE WATCH ONLINE
FEI TV is the FEIrsquos new offi cial video website and your ticket to the worldrsquos most prestigious competitions Sign-up to FEI TV (wwwfeitvorg) and get instant access to all the live broadcasts the extensive video-on-demand library all the highlights the behind the scenes reports the interviews and so much more Be at the heart of horsesport Join us
2823_1FEI_TV_Focus_165x226indd 1 170510 1124
ldquo Donrsquot accept drinks from a strangerrdquo
Armchair travel journalist
Are you living a life without boundaries Some well-meant advice is best ignored but itrsquos still good to know yoursquore covered when yoursquore away With HSBC Premier your family can be protected with both Travel Insurance and dedicated assistance when yoursquore abroad Which is reassuring to know when yoursquore making the most of life
HSBC Premier is subject to financial eligibility criteria and is available in over 40 countries and territories
Premier Travel Insurance covers you and your partner up to age 70 and your children travelling with you up to age 18
wwwhsbcpremiercom
A4 A4
Issued by HSBC Holdings plc Approved for use in UK by HSBC Bank plc Premier Travel Insurance is provided by Aviva Insurance UK Limited Customer Information Service PO Box 757 Hemel Hempstead Hertfordshire HP2 4SS Registered in England number 14259 Registered Office 8 Canada Square London E14 5HQ AC18770
201736_6000263_Coconut_226x165indd
Master 226x165
Rob Swainson 160211
HSBC - Coconuts Proof 01Head of Art TypographerDesigner ArtCreative Director Copywriter Account DirectorDIC Project ManagerPhotographer Illustrator Usage Model(s) Name(s) Usage
Media MediaStock Image Time Period Time Period
Territory Territory
8deg N ndash Kerala South India
SOCIAL MEDIAthe new frontier
Follow us on
The FEI has recently embarked on and embraced a whole new way of talking with the greater equestrian community through the ever expanding social media networks and platformsWith personalised Facebook Twitter and You Tube pages the FEI is taking it step by step and reaching out to this growing audience and listening to what they have to say
This new communication platform is by no means a substitution of the traditional communication path-ways but works alongside the press releases various publications and content on wwwfeiorg and wwwfeitvorg providing a new arena where the FEI can share interact and dialogue with fans of the sport and of equestrian values in general
We talk to Richard Johnson Director of Corporate Communications about the FEIrsquos commitment to social media
What compelled the FEI to venture onto the social media scene As a governing body with a vibrant and active com-munity of National Federations as well as thousands of fans the need to reach out to the online social community has never been stronger We have been watching the communities grow online for some time and have been listening to their conversations so being a part of it was the next logical step and a really important one The conversations will hap-pen with or without us so taking that step has been crucial in order to share our values and also build re-lationships with our fan base
Tradition meets modernity ndash does equestrian sportthe FEI have a place in social media Absolutely even though equestrian sport has a long history and is perceived as a traditional sport it is
always evolving In the 90 years of the FEI which was founded to govern the three Olympic disciplines it has grown to also oversee the disciplines of Driving Endurance Vaulting Reining and Para-Equestrian sport Or if you look at the early days when competi-tors were from military backgrounds and when wom-en did not compete alongside men to the complete gender equality we have today ndash a lot has changed and is in a constant state of change
The fans of equestrian sport are like any other fan base web savvy and eager for more information behind the scenes content and to share their opin-ions and thoughts ndash so it is an ideal partnership And from what we have seen these last few months and from the feedback we got from our blog at the Youth Olympic Games there is a real appetite for this
The FEI has dedicated Facebook Twitter and You Tube pages ndash why did you select these social media platforms The figures speak for themselveshellip Facebook Twit-ter and You Tube are the biggest players in the social networking space With over 500 million Facebook users 106 million Tweeters and 2 billion views a day on You Tube there has never been so much oppor-tunity for exposure Every site has different demo-graphics with different habits and needs so by having an FEI presence on these three networks we are able to cover a lot of ground and cater to different audi-ences by providing different types of content accord-ing to the platform
What are the main benefits of having a pres-ence on various social media platforms Itrsquos all about having a two way conversation ndash the benefits of dialogue where you can share content such as videos images facts and figures thoughts and values and then allow your fan base to react to get involved and to listen and learn from them By engaging with our audience and showing them that we are a modern and caring organisation and that we want to hear what they have to say then we are able to build trust and ultimately credibility in what we do and what we say
57FOCUS
TV
The offi cial video website of the Feacutedeacuteration Equestre Internationale
wwwfeitvorg
WATCH LIVE WATCH ONLINE
FEI TV is the FEIrsquos new offi cial video website and your ticket to the worldrsquos most prestigious competitions Sign-up to FEI TV (wwwfeitvorg) and get instant access to all the live broadcasts the extensive video-on-demand library all the highlights the behind the scenes reports the interviews and so much more Be at the heart of horsesport Join us
2823_1FEI_TV_Focus_165x226indd 1 170510 1124
It also keeps us alert as to what is being discussed and debated in the public sphere so that we can manage situations more effectively and be proactive in our messaging and information so that the facts are at the heart of the debate and not interpretations of them
How do you generate content for social media It was important when we launched our social me-dia presence that it be manageable with the exist-ing communications team in place ndash and so we have concentrated on keeping it simple and effective and using content innovatively Itrsquos not about reproduc-ing our website ndash but to engage with our fans and so often all you need is a good picture an interest-ing fact or great achievement to get the ball rolling For You Tube as we already have so much content generated from FEI TV it was simply a question of using bits and pieces from that content to provide the public with teasers from events interviews with winning riders or behind the scenes content which they can then follow up on FEI TV with a subscription
What are your Social media goals Itrsquos really to build relationships and dialogue with our fan base by using our content innovatively by listening to what they have to say and by engaging with the community And for the National Federa-tions that have yet to take that step we want to be a guiding hand that can help them get started so that they too can reap the benefits of social media net-working Our sport competes against other sports for attention so itrsquos really important that we the FEI and the National Federations keep our finger on the pulse and cater to our fans
How can National Federations get involved NFs wishing to find out more about Social Media can contact me (richardjohnsonfeiorg) and I would be more than happy to discuss opportunities and ways of getting started as well as our experience at the FEI
We asked our Facebook followers why it was important to use face-book and here are a few comments they came up with
bullItrsquos a great way to find out about shows and competitions
bullBecause facebook can provide up to the minute updates as to the what is going on in the horse community
bullWe can share information and ideas over long distances We can find and connect with people we wouldnt be able to otherwise
bullIt also lets us express the true realities of our spot to keep us grounded
bullIt can bring peoples attention to excellence ndash and expose the issues
58
TV
The offi cial video website of the Feacutedeacuteration Equestre Internationale
wwwfeitvorg
WATCH LIVE WATCH ONLINE
FEI TV is the FEIrsquos new offi cial video website and your ticket to the worldrsquos most prestigious competitions Sign-up to FEI TV (wwwfeitvorg) and get instant access to all the live broadcasts the extensive video-on-demand library all the highlights the behind the scenes reports the interviews and so much more Be at the heart of horsesport Join us
2823_1FEI_TV_Focus_165x226indd 1 170510 1124
ldquo Donrsquot accept drinks from a strangerrdquo
Armchair travel journalist
Are you living a life without boundaries Some well-meant advice is best ignored but itrsquos still good to know yoursquore covered when yoursquore away With HSBC Premier your family can be protected with both Travel Insurance and dedicated assistance when yoursquore abroad Which is reassuring to know when yoursquore making the most of life
HSBC Premier is subject to financial eligibility criteria and is available in over 40 countries and territories
Premier Travel Insurance covers you and your partner up to age 70 and your children travelling with you up to age 18
wwwhsbcpremiercom
A4 A4
Issued by HSBC Holdings plc Approved for use in UK by HSBC Bank plc Premier Travel Insurance is provided by Aviva Insurance UK Limited Customer Information Service PO Box 757 Hemel Hempstead Hertfordshire HP2 4SS Registered in England number 14259 Registered Office 8 Canada Square London E14 5HQ AC18770
201736_6000263_Coconut_226x165indd
Master 226x165
Rob Swainson 160211
HSBC - Coconuts Proof 01Head of Art TypographerDesigner ArtCreative Director Copywriter Account DirectorDIC Project ManagerPhotographer Illustrator Usage Model(s) Name(s) Usage
Media MediaStock Image Time Period Time Period
Territory Territory
8deg N ndash Kerala South India
The FEI has recently embarked on and embraced a whole new way of talking with the greater equestrian community through the ever expanding social media networks and platformsWith personalised Facebook Twitter and You Tube pages the FEI is taking it step by step and reaching out to this growing audience and listening to what they have to say
This new communication platform is by no means a substitution of the traditional communication path-ways but works alongside the press releases various publications and content on wwwfeiorg and wwwfeitvorg providing a new arena where the FEI can share interact and dialogue with fans of the sport and of equestrian values in general
We talk to Richard Johnson Director of Corporate Communications about the FEIrsquos commitment to social media
What compelled the FEI to venture onto the social media scene As a governing body with a vibrant and active com-munity of National Federations as well as thousands of fans the need to reach out to the online social community has never been stronger We have been watching the communities grow online for some time and have been listening to their conversations so being a part of it was the next logical step and a really important one The conversations will hap-pen with or without us so taking that step has been crucial in order to share our values and also build re-lationships with our fan base
Tradition meets modernity ndash does equestrian sportthe FEI have a place in social media Absolutely even though equestrian sport has a long history and is perceived as a traditional sport it is
always evolving In the 90 years of the FEI which was founded to govern the three Olympic disciplines it has grown to also oversee the disciplines of Driving Endurance Vaulting Reining and Para-Equestrian sport Or if you look at the early days when competi-tors were from military backgrounds and when wom-en did not compete alongside men to the complete gender equality we have today ndash a lot has changed and is in a constant state of change
The fans of equestrian sport are like any other fan base web savvy and eager for more information behind the scenes content and to share their opin-ions and thoughts ndash so it is an ideal partnership And from what we have seen these last few months and from the feedback we got from our blog at the Youth Olympic Games there is a real appetite for this
The FEI has dedicated Facebook Twitter and You Tube pages ndash why did you select these social media platforms The figures speak for themselveshellip Facebook Twit-ter and You Tube are the biggest players in the social networking space With over 500 million Facebook users 106 million Tweeters and 2 billion views a day on You Tube there has never been so much oppor-tunity for exposure Every site has different demo-graphics with different habits and needs so by having an FEI presence on these three networks we are able to cover a lot of ground and cater to different audi-ences by providing different types of content accord-ing to the platform
What are the main benefits of having a pres-ence on various social media platforms Itrsquos all about having a two way conversation ndash the benefits of dialogue where you can share content such as videos images facts and figures thoughts and values and then allow your fan base to react to get involved and to listen and learn from them By engaging with our audience and showing them that we are a modern and caring organisation and that we want to hear what they have to say then we are able to build trust and ultimately credibility in what we do and what we say
57FOCUS
TV
The offi cial video website of the Feacutedeacuteration Equestre Internationale
wwwfeitvorg
WATCH LIVE WATCH ONLINE
FEI TV is the FEIrsquos new offi cial video website and your ticket to the worldrsquos most prestigious competitions Sign-up to FEI TV (wwwfeitvorg) and get instant access to all the live broadcasts the extensive video-on-demand library all the highlights the behind the scenes reports the interviews and so much more Be at the heart of horsesport Join us
2823_1FEI_TV_Focus_165x226indd 1 170510 1124
It also keeps us alert as to what is being discussed and debated in the public sphere so that we can manage situations more effectively and be proactive in our messaging and information so that the facts are at the heart of the debate and not interpretations of them
How do you generate content for social media It was important when we launched our social me-dia presence that it be manageable with the exist-ing communications team in place ndash and so we have concentrated on keeping it simple and effective and using content innovatively Itrsquos not about reproduc-ing our website ndash but to engage with our fans and so often all you need is a good picture an interest-ing fact or great achievement to get the ball rolling For You Tube as we already have so much content generated from FEI TV it was simply a question of using bits and pieces from that content to provide the public with teasers from events interviews with winning riders or behind the scenes content which they can then follow up on FEI TV with a subscription
What are your Social media goals Itrsquos really to build relationships and dialogue with our fan base by using our content innovatively by listening to what they have to say and by engaging with the community And for the National Federa-tions that have yet to take that step we want to be a guiding hand that can help them get started so that they too can reap the benefits of social media net-working Our sport competes against other sports for attention so itrsquos really important that we the FEI and the National Federations keep our finger on the pulse and cater to our fans
How can National Federations get involved NFs wishing to find out more about Social Media can contact me (richardjohnsonfeiorg) and I would be more than happy to discuss opportunities and ways of getting started as well as our experience at the FEI
We asked our Facebook followers why it was important to use face-book and here are a few comments they came up with
bullItrsquos a great way to find out about shows and competitions
bullBecause facebook can provide up to the minute updates as to the what is going on in the horse community
bullWe can share information and ideas over long distances We can find and connect with people we wouldnt be able to otherwise
bullIt also lets us express the true realities of our spot to keep us grounded
bullIt can bring peoples attention to excellence ndash and expose the issues
58
TV
The offi cial video website of the Feacutedeacuteration Equestre Internationale
wwwfeitvorg
WATCH LIVE WATCH ONLINE
FEI TV is the FEIrsquos new offi cial video website and your ticket to the worldrsquos most prestigious competitions Sign-up to FEI TV (wwwfeitvorg) and get instant access to all the live broadcasts the extensive video-on-demand library all the highlights the behind the scenes reports the interviews and so much more Be at the heart of horsesport Join us
2823_1FEI_TV_Focus_165x226indd 1 170510 1124
ldquo Donrsquot accept drinks from a strangerrdquo
Armchair travel journalist
Are you living a life without boundaries Some well-meant advice is best ignored but itrsquos still good to know yoursquore covered when yoursquore away With HSBC Premier your family can be protected with both Travel Insurance and dedicated assistance when yoursquore abroad Which is reassuring to know when yoursquore making the most of life
HSBC Premier is subject to financial eligibility criteria and is available in over 40 countries and territories
Premier Travel Insurance covers you and your partner up to age 70 and your children travelling with you up to age 18
wwwhsbcpremiercom
A4 A4
Issued by HSBC Holdings plc Approved for use in UK by HSBC Bank plc Premier Travel Insurance is provided by Aviva Insurance UK Limited Customer Information Service PO Box 757 Hemel Hempstead Hertfordshire HP2 4SS Registered in England number 14259 Registered Office 8 Canada Square London E14 5HQ AC18770
201736_6000263_Coconut_226x165indd
Master 226x165
Rob Swainson 160211
HSBC - Coconuts Proof 01Head of Art TypographerDesigner ArtCreative Director Copywriter Account DirectorDIC Project ManagerPhotographer Illustrator Usage Model(s) Name(s) Usage
Media MediaStock Image Time Period Time Period
Territory Territory
8deg N ndash Kerala South India
TV
The offi cial video website of the Feacutedeacuteration Equestre Internationale
wwwfeitvorg
WATCH LIVE WATCH ONLINE
FEI TV is the FEIrsquos new offi cial video website and your ticket to the worldrsquos most prestigious competitions Sign-up to FEI TV (wwwfeitvorg) and get instant access to all the live broadcasts the extensive video-on-demand library all the highlights the behind the scenes reports the interviews and so much more Be at the heart of horsesport Join us
2823_1FEI_TV_Focus_165x226indd 1 170510 1124
It also keeps us alert as to what is being discussed and debated in the public sphere so that we can manage situations more effectively and be proactive in our messaging and information so that the facts are at the heart of the debate and not interpretations of them
How do you generate content for social media It was important when we launched our social me-dia presence that it be manageable with the exist-ing communications team in place ndash and so we have concentrated on keeping it simple and effective and using content innovatively Itrsquos not about reproduc-ing our website ndash but to engage with our fans and so often all you need is a good picture an interest-ing fact or great achievement to get the ball rolling For You Tube as we already have so much content generated from FEI TV it was simply a question of using bits and pieces from that content to provide the public with teasers from events interviews with winning riders or behind the scenes content which they can then follow up on FEI TV with a subscription
What are your Social media goals Itrsquos really to build relationships and dialogue with our fan base by using our content innovatively by listening to what they have to say and by engaging with the community And for the National Federa-tions that have yet to take that step we want to be a guiding hand that can help them get started so that they too can reap the benefits of social media net-working Our sport competes against other sports for attention so itrsquos really important that we the FEI and the National Federations keep our finger on the pulse and cater to our fans
How can National Federations get involved NFs wishing to find out more about Social Media can contact me (richardjohnsonfeiorg) and I would be more than happy to discuss opportunities and ways of getting started as well as our experience at the FEI
We asked our Facebook followers why it was important to use face-book and here are a few comments they came up with
bullItrsquos a great way to find out about shows and competitions
bullBecause facebook can provide up to the minute updates as to the what is going on in the horse community
bullWe can share information and ideas over long distances We can find and connect with people we wouldnt be able to otherwise
bullIt also lets us express the true realities of our spot to keep us grounded
bullIt can bring peoples attention to excellence ndash and expose the issues
58
TV
The offi cial video website of the Feacutedeacuteration Equestre Internationale
wwwfeitvorg
WATCH LIVE WATCH ONLINE
FEI TV is the FEIrsquos new offi cial video website and your ticket to the worldrsquos most prestigious competitions Sign-up to FEI TV (wwwfeitvorg) and get instant access to all the live broadcasts the extensive video-on-demand library all the highlights the behind the scenes reports the interviews and so much more Be at the heart of horsesport Join us
2823_1FEI_TV_Focus_165x226indd 1 170510 1124
ldquo Donrsquot accept drinks from a strangerrdquo
Armchair travel journalist
Are you living a life without boundaries Some well-meant advice is best ignored but itrsquos still good to know yoursquore covered when yoursquore away With HSBC Premier your family can be protected with both Travel Insurance and dedicated assistance when yoursquore abroad Which is reassuring to know when yoursquore making the most of life
HSBC Premier is subject to financial eligibility criteria and is available in over 40 countries and territories
Premier Travel Insurance covers you and your partner up to age 70 and your children travelling with you up to age 18
wwwhsbcpremiercom
A4 A4
Issued by HSBC Holdings plc Approved for use in UK by HSBC Bank plc Premier Travel Insurance is provided by Aviva Insurance UK Limited Customer Information Service PO Box 757 Hemel Hempstead Hertfordshire HP2 4SS Registered in England number 14259 Registered Office 8 Canada Square London E14 5HQ AC18770
201736_6000263_Coconut_226x165indd
Master 226x165
Rob Swainson 160211
HSBC - Coconuts Proof 01Head of Art TypographerDesigner ArtCreative Director Copywriter Account DirectorDIC Project ManagerPhotographer Illustrator Usage Model(s) Name(s) Usage
Media MediaStock Image Time Period Time Period
Territory Territory
8deg N ndash Kerala South India
TV
The offi cial video website of the Feacutedeacuteration Equestre Internationale
wwwfeitvorg
WATCH LIVE WATCH ONLINE
FEI TV is the FEIrsquos new offi cial video website and your ticket to the worldrsquos most prestigious competitions Sign-up to FEI TV (wwwfeitvorg) and get instant access to all the live broadcasts the extensive video-on-demand library all the highlights the behind the scenes reports the interviews and so much more Be at the heart of horsesport Join us
2823_1FEI_TV_Focus_165x226indd 1 170510 1124
ldquo Donrsquot accept drinks from a strangerrdquo
Armchair travel journalist
Are you living a life without boundaries Some well-meant advice is best ignored but itrsquos still good to know yoursquore covered when yoursquore away With HSBC Premier your family can be protected with both Travel Insurance and dedicated assistance when yoursquore abroad Which is reassuring to know when yoursquore making the most of life
HSBC Premier is subject to financial eligibility criteria and is available in over 40 countries and territories
Premier Travel Insurance covers you and your partner up to age 70 and your children travelling with you up to age 18
wwwhsbcpremiercom
A4 A4
Issued by HSBC Holdings plc Approved for use in UK by HSBC Bank plc Premier Travel Insurance is provided by Aviva Insurance UK Limited Customer Information Service PO Box 757 Hemel Hempstead Hertfordshire HP2 4SS Registered in England number 14259 Registered Office 8 Canada Square London E14 5HQ AC18770
201736_6000263_Coconut_226x165indd
Master 226x165
Rob Swainson 160211
HSBC - Coconuts Proof 01Head of Art TypographerDesigner ArtCreative Director Copywriter Account DirectorDIC Project ManagerPhotographer Illustrator Usage Model(s) Name(s) Usage
Media MediaStock Image Time Period Time Period
Territory Territory
8deg N ndash Kerala South India
ldquo Donrsquot accept drinks from a strangerrdquo
Armchair travel journalist
Are you living a life without boundaries Some well-meant advice is best ignored but itrsquos still good to know yoursquore covered when yoursquore away With HSBC Premier your family can be protected with both Travel Insurance and dedicated assistance when yoursquore abroad Which is reassuring to know when yoursquore making the most of life
HSBC Premier is subject to financial eligibility criteria and is available in over 40 countries and territories
Premier Travel Insurance covers you and your partner up to age 70 and your children travelling with you up to age 18
wwwhsbcpremiercom
A4 A4
Issued by HSBC Holdings plc Approved for use in UK by HSBC Bank plc Premier Travel Insurance is provided by Aviva Insurance UK Limited Customer Information Service PO Box 757 Hemel Hempstead Hertfordshire HP2 4SS Registered in England number 14259 Registered Office 8 Canada Square London E14 5HQ AC18770
201736_6000263_Coconut_226x165indd
Master 226x165
Rob Swainson 160211
HSBC - Coconuts Proof 01Head of Art TypographerDesigner ArtCreative Director Copywriter Account DirectorDIC Project ManagerPhotographer Illustrator Usage Model(s) Name(s) Usage
Media MediaStock Image Time Period Time Period
Territory Territory
8deg N ndash Kerala South India