December 2011

Adelinde Cornelissen and Jerich Parzival from The Netherlands (Photo: © FEI/Dirk Caremans)

Defending series champions, Adelinde Cornelissen and Jerich Parzival from The Netherlands, scored an emphatic victory on their seasonal debut at the sixth leg of the Reem Acra FEI World Cup™ Dressage 2011/2012 series in Mechelen, Belgium today. With a performance that oozed class and confidence, they threw down a score of 85.325 that left them more than five points clear of the runner-up partnership of Patrik Kittel and Watermill Scandic. But it was the Swedish rider who took maximum points to rocket even further ahead at the top of the leaderboard with just three more legs left to go. As winner of the 2010/2011 Reem Acra FEI World Cup™ Dressage title, Cornelissen is already qualified for the 2011/2012 decider which will take place on her home soil at 's-Hertogenbosch next April, and is therefore not entitled to accumulate points in the current season.

Ashley Holzer and breaking Dawn at the Royal Winter Fair (Photo: tetleyphoto.com)

Ottawa, ON —Equine Canada and Dressage Canada are taking an industry-wide leadership role by requiring all dressage riders to wear helmets in competition. Commencing in 2012, a national rule change will require all riders to wear helmets for all levels of Equine Canada sanctioned dressage competition.
The rule for January 1, 2012 is: SAFETY HEADGEAR
All riders, regardless of age or level or competition, must wear ASTM/SEI or BSI/BS EN approved protective headgear at all times when mounted at any EC-sanctioned Dressage competition at the event location.  “I am very proud of our Dressage Committee for taking this step,” said Equine Canada president Michael Gallagher. “I believe we are the first national federation in the world to introduce this rule across all levels, and I can guarantee we will not be the last.”

Barley and wheat grass are known as super green foods that offer far greater levels of nutrient density than dark green leafy vegetables. One ounce of these super green foods provides more phytonutrients than an ounce of green vegetables. The nutrient profiles of these young cereal grasses change quickly as the plants grow: the chlorophyll, protein, and vitamin content declines sharply as the plant changes from green leafy grasses to amber waves of grain.

Robert Dover

Auditors are welcome to any of the activities. The horses are stabled in barn 9 at WEF and we are riding in ring 10.
The Emerging Dressage Athlete Mega clinic AKA The Robert Dover Horsemastership Week presented by horseshow.com has gotten off to a great start this morning at 7am with many of the top 18 kids under 21 in the country getting a work out from Bob Gutowitz, Dover's personal trainer known for his “Bob’s Boot Camp”.  "Fitness for riders cannot be over-stressed as to its importance for balance and aesthetics." Dover reported on doversworld.com.  After Dover's lecture on “The Basic Principles Of The Art Of Dressage” where eager students took copious notes in preparation for tests throughout the week. Katherine Bateson-Chandler and Lendon Gray trained the young riders in the two lovely arenas set up by Mark Bellissimo’s group at the WEF showgrounds where he generously donated the space and the stabling for the horses. This afternoon the kids will have two lectures at Tuny Page’s Stillpoint Farm, the first by Olympic Team Veterinarian, Dr. Rick Mitchell on “The Care of the Sport Horse Athlete” and the second by Arlene White on “Functional Equine Anatomy &  Core Muscle Activation”.  All are invited to come out and watch the daily clinics at ring 9 over that the WEF showgrounds from 9am to 1pm. And that is just day one! Check out the schedule sent to us from Lendon Gray.