Breaking News

Another Successful CAA Conference
USEF Names Drivers for '08 WSDC
U.S. Drivers Weber/Johnson Third in Nation
U.S. Team Close Second After Two Phases
U.S. Drivers Off to a Winning Start
Benge Wins Individual Gold
USEF Names Short List for 2008
U.S Drivers Sweep Top Three Dressage Places
2008 USEF Drivers Drivers with Disabilities

2008-07-21

The Carriage Association of America (CAA) welcomed members, nonmembers, horses, ponies, and carriages to its CAA Conference, which was held this year at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, Kentucky, July 10-12.

This year's Conference brought nearly 200 people to the Kentucky Horse Park. A fair number of those people brought with them 110 horses and ponies and 45 carriages, which they happily drove around the Horse Park and onto two neighboring farms. For those who wanted to join in, there was also a pleasure-driving show on Saturday and a Sporting Day of Traditional Driving. In addition, three open driving classes (phaetons, coaches, and commercial turnouts) were held on Wednesday and Thursday evenings at the Lexington Junior League Horse Show. For the many people who came to the Conference without horses, Saturday's pleasure-driving show was a nice chance to sit under a tent and see some lovely carriages being driven.

To entice the non-drivers (and some of the drivers, when they had time to spare), the Conference program was also filled with educational talks, social events, and the ever-popular Carriage Showcase, a competition to judge the quality and accuracy of recent restoration projects. The winner of the People's Choice Award in the showcase this year was a completely, and beautifully, restored Cretor's popcorn wagon from 1903. The popcorn wagon also won the Carl Casper Trophy for being the high-point winner in the restored division, and the Davis Documentation Award for having the most complete written history. (You can see a bit of the popcorn wagon in the first of the two photos below, which shows the crowd gathered around it to hear the comments from the showcase judges). The high-point winner in the vehicles-in-use division -- winner of the Sidney Latham Trophy -- was Dale and Ellen DeHaan's Kimball Shooting Break, which (in the second of the two photos below) is being driven in the cones competition in Saturday's pleasure-driving show.

The lecture topics ranged from how to identify general types and classes of horse-drawn vehicles and how to tell the difference between Bronson and express wagons, to shoeing and conditioning driving horses. The social events included the usual live and silent auctions, a banquet, a reception on Saturday evening, and the very popular ice cream social, sponsored by Spokes & Spurs (the local driving club) and The National Drive.

On Friday, three members of the World Coaching Club drove their coaches through the Horse Park and down Iron Works Pike, where they had a champagne stop at the headquarters of the organizing committee for the 2010 FEI World Equestrian Games, which will be held at the Kentucky Horse Park. The leaders and staff of the foundation welcomed Misdee Miller (president of the WCC, shown below, on the way to the WEG building), Mary Stokes Waller, and Marilyn Macfarlane and their guests.

With something for everyone -- horse enthusiasts, driving enthusiasts, history buffs, and both new and longtime CAA members -- this year's CAA Conference was a great success.

If you were at the Conference and would like to see or order photos from the official photographer, Tony Dantonio, please visit his website at www.mystar.photoreflect.com.

To read more about the Conference and about the winners of the Carriage Showcase, stay tuned for the Conference report, which will be featured in the October issue of The Carriage Journal.

About the Carriage Association of America

The CAA was founded in 1960 and is the oldest and largest international organization devoted to the preservation, restoration, study, and use of horse-drawn carriages and sleighs. The CAA has thousands of members in all 50 U.S. states and in 40 other countries. For more information, visit us on the Web at www.caaonline.com.

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USEF Names Drivers for the 2008 FEI World Singles Driving Championship

2008-07-18 Lexington, KY - The USEF has approved the following Team, Individual and Alternates for selection to represent the US at the 2008 FEI World Singles Driving Championship to be held in Jarantow, Poland August 28-31, 2008.

Name/Age/Hometown/Horse/Sex/Age/Breed/Owner

Team:

Robin Groves / 62 / Brownsville, VT / Thors Toy Truck / Gelding / 13 / Connemara-Thoroughbred / Lana Wright

Donna Crookston / 59 / Saltsburg, PA / RG Cowboys Black Cadillac / Gelding / 12 / Morgan / Donna Crookston

William Peacock / 62 / Belleville, TX / Beau / Gelding / 11 / Holsteiner Cross / Proud Meadow Farms

Alternates (in ranked order):

Leslie Berndl / 45 / Newcastle, CA / Koopman's Lightning Rod / Gelding / 12 / Hackney/ Ann McClure

Marjas Becker / 61 / Brooker, FL / Capodimonte / Gelding / 10 / 1/2 Arabian-NSH / Marjas Becker

Individual:

Leslie Berndl / 45 / Newcastle, CA / Koopman's Lightning Rod / Gelding / 12 / Hackney/ Ann McClure

Alternate:

Marjas Becker / 61 / Brooker, FL / Capodimonte / Gelding / 10 / 1/2 Arabian-NSH / Marjas Becker

For more information regarding selection, please contact Managing Director of Driving, Eric Stauffer at estauffer@usef.org. For media requests, please contact USEF High Performance Communications Manager, Joanie Morris at jmorris@usef.org.

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U.S. Drivers Weber and Johnson Third in Nations Cup; Weber Achieves Personal Best at World Equestrian Festival CHIO Aachen

2008-07-07 Lexington, KY – The U.S. duo of Chester Weber and Tucker Johnson equaled an American best on Sunday by placing third overall in the Four-in-Hand Nations Cup at the World Equestrian Festival CHIO Aachen.

Weber made a mistake at the very first cone and added some time faults in the final phase to finish the three phases in third individually, a personal best in Aachen, by less than a point on a score on 154.06.

“We had a bit of a rough day today,” said Weber after the cones. “I was third by less than a point. I had number one down, and I didn’t realize it. I knew I wasn’t going to make time, but I didn’t know I’d had the first one down. It was silly. I won’t make that mistake again.”

The third place finish behind The Netherlands and Hungary (on a score 317.33) sets the U.S. up well for the World Championships in Beedst, The Netherlands September 3-7.

“We look well prepared for the World Championships,” said Weber. “The Europeans know we’re alive. I think this matches the best we’ve been as a nation (in Aachen). As a nation we ended third less than a point behind Hungary. So that one point cost a lot.”

Johnson ended up eighth overall on a score of 163.27, and both drivers felt that the main purpose of this competition, as prestigious as Aachen is, is to prepare for the World Championships.

“We will be in good form the first week in September,” said Weber. “I feel good. The horses are all good. We’re going to try to do a little bit better than that in Beedst. The Netherlands look tough to beat but we saw last night that it was possible.”

For more information please contact Joanie Morris at jmorris@usef.org. For complete results, please see www.chioaachen.de.

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U.S. Team Close Second After Two Phases as World Equestrian Festival CHIO Aachen's Marathon Preps Drivers for 2008 World Championships

2008-07-05 Lexington, KY - U.S. Drivers Chester Weber and Tucker Johnson prepared for September's World Championships with solid performances at the prestigious CHIO Aachen today in Aachen, Germany.

Weber and Tucker sit in second and fourth individually after the marathon and lie second, on a score of 296.81, less than a point behind The Netherlands (296.23), in the team portion of the competition.

Weber, from Ocala, FL, has a two-day score of 144.64 which leaves him just behind Ijsbrand Chardon from The Netherlands who is the overnight leader with a score of 139.74. Johnson's score of 152.17 leaves him fourth individually going into tomorrow's cones competition.

“My horses went well,” said Weber after the marathon. “I went very early in the day and I had a pretty good round. There was a long break between when we finished the walk section, there was another kilometer after it was through and I think the horses thought they were done ­– they were walking like they were walking back to the stable. I think that was little challenging for them.”

The current USEF National Champion knows that there are things to improve before the World Championships in Beesdt, The Netherlands September 3-7 but was pleased with today’s effort and feels confident going into the final phase.

“Tucker and I have a couple kinks to work out,“ said Weber. “We are a little bit of nothing behind the Dutch. We are going to put a little pressure on them and see if we can get this won. My hope is to go for a clear round. I feel good about my cones driving right now. The time allowed typically is very tight in these courses. We will see what happens tomorrow, there are no guarantees but I’m going to drive to win this thing tomorrow.”

Johnson, who has competed very lightly since the 2006 World Equestrian Games, was happy with his team's performance and learned what he needs to improve before the World Championships

“I made a few little mistakes,” said Johnson who lives in Hobe Sound, FL. “I found a few things to adjust. We are very pleased with the team result. It was a good first international outing for us. All the hazards except for one were pretty technical but none wildly difficult. I had a couple of mistakes, I had to circle at one point which cost quite a bit of time.”

Johnson is confident that the competition in The Netherlands for the World Championships will be no tougher than it is at Aachen.

“This is a pretty competitive group,” said Johnson.

Team Coach, Michael Freund, was pleased with the performance of the two drivers and hopes that putting some pressure on the Dutch will mean a win for the Americans on Sunday.

“The two Florida boys were not so bad today and we hope to win the Nations Cup tomorrow,” said Freund.

The Cones portion gets underway at 11 a.m. local time in Germany.

For more information please contact Joanie Morris at jmorris@usef.org. For complete results please see www.chioaachen.de.

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U.S. Drivers Weber and Johnson Off to a Winning Start at World Equestrian Festival CHIO Aachen

2008-07-03 Lexington, KY - Two of the top U.S. drivers are taking on some of the world’s best at the World Equestrian Festival CHIO Aachen in Aachen, Germany as part of their important preparation for the 2008 World Driving Championships. After the dressage, U.S. drivers Chester Weber and Tucker Johnson are sitting comfortably in first and third.

Weber, the current USEF National Champion, bested a star studded field of 25 four-in-hands to go into the lead after the dressage on a score of 36.48. Driving Grumus, Jamaica, Rolex W and Senate he put in his customary elegant performance in the first phase.

“They are really seasoned,” said Weber. “They were perfectly round, moving big. The lead pair look like a perfect couple. They have great expression and movement, they have their ears forward and are happy doing their job. The expression and presence is really great.”

The 33-year-old Ocala, FL driver drove the same horses at the 2006 World Equestrian Games achieving a very similar result.

“I haven’t had them all together since 2006,” said Weber. “The score is about the same so I think it is a bright future for the Americans for the summer.”

Weber looks forward to Saturday’s marathon.

“The marathon course, it’s always tough here,” said Weber. “I start out really early in the morning, we’ve had quite a bit of rain so that’s good that I go early I think. I want to build the marathon up between now and the World Championships. I don’t think we’ll win the marathon but I want to stay close. It will take some luck but my intention is to try. I’m a fighter.”

Eight points behind Weber is another U.S. driving veteran: Tucker Johnson. Johnson, of Hobe Sound, FL drove Argus, Spotlight, Williams and Der Consul to a score of 44.42. Johnson’s horses have been based in Europe with Michael Freund but he has driven lightly over the past two years.

“I was very excited after such a long hiatus from international competition that I was able to come back and put in such a respectable score and finish so well in such a strong field,” said Johnson. “My last major competition was the World Equestrian Games and I only did one national show in America last year in October. I was very nervous I wouldn’t have it together enough. Michael had them very well prepared.”

The U.S. is the only country with two drivers in the top five and only Sweden has two in the top 10 (placed eighth and 10th), giving the Americans a large lead in the team competition. Weber and Johnson scores combined for 80.90, followed by the Netherlands with 96.13 and Switzerland on 99.97.

“Today puts us in a very good chance as a nation,” said Johnson. “Chester drove the best test I’ve seen him drive. As a nation we are about 16 points in the lead. It is a big deal to go out of first day that far in front.”

The marathon gets underway Saturday morning at 2.00 p.m. local time. For live scoring and complete results, please see www.chioaachen.de.

For more information, please contact Joanie Morris at jmorris@usef.org.

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Benge Wins Individual Gold; U.S. Team Brings Home Silver at 2008 FEI World Championship for Drivers with Disabilities CPEAI 4*

2008-07-02 Lexington, KY – Aiken, SC resident Meghan Benge won an Individual Gold medal today at the 2008 FEI World Championships for Drivers with Disabilities CPEAI4* in Greven, Germany.

Driving Jack, a pony borrowed from England, Benge won the dressage and never looked back. She also led the U.S. to a Team Silver at the conclusion of today’s Cones competition.

Benge’s teammates were Arroyo Grande, CA.driver Diana Kastama, who drove her own horse Jasper to the Individual Bronze medal, followed very closely by Mary Gray. Gray drove Rannock, another pony borrowed from England. The New Hampshire driver was fourth by less than a point.

The Team settled for Silver behind The Netherlands after leading the first two phases. The Germans took home the Bronze.

Keady Cadwell was the Chef d’Equipe for the effort, and was thrilled with the performances of the U.S. squad, especially considering Benge and Gray had only driven their ponies a handful of time before the competition began.

“I’m very proud of our drivers,” said Cadwell. “I hope that their doing so well means we can get more drivers out there.”

For more information, please see the FEI Web site at www.fei.org or contact Joanie Morris at jmorris@usef.org.

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USEF Names Short List for 2008 FEI World Single Driving Championships

2008-06-30 Lexington, KY ­– The United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) has approved the following short list for the 2008 FEI World Single Horse Driving Championships to be held in Jarantow, Poland, August 25-31, 2008. The definite entries will be named July 27, 2008.

The following short list has been approved for the 2008 FEI World Single Horse Driving Championships:

Leslie Berndl / 45 / Newcastle, CA / Koopman's Lightning Rod / Gelding / 12 / Hackney/ Ann McClure

Marjas Becker / 61 / Brooker, FL / Capodimonte / Gelding / 10 / 1/2 Arabian-NSH / Marjas Becker

Donna Crookston / 59 / Saltsburg, PA / RG Cowboys Black Cadillac / Gelding / 12 / Morgan / Donna Crookston

Robin Groves / 62 / Brownsville, VT / Thors Toy Truck / Gelding / 13 / Connemara-Thoroughbred / Lana Wright

William Peacock / 62 / Belleville, TX / Beau / Gelding / 11 / Holsteiner Cross / Proud Meadow Farms

David Schneider / 48 / Palm City, FL / Carlo / Gelding / 8 / Schweres Warmblood / David Schneider

There will be one final training session July 24-27 at the USEF Gladstone, NJ base. Spectators and media are welcome at this final session, please contact USEF Managing Director of Driving, Eric Stauffer at estauffer@usef.org for more information.

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U.S Drivers Sweep Top Three Dressage Places at 2008 FEI World Championship for Drivers with Disabilities CPEAI 4*

2008-06-26 Lexington, KY - The U.S. trio of drivers arrived in Greven, Germany for the 2008 FEI World Championship for Drivers with Disabilities CPEAI 4* and put the world on notice after the dressage phase.

Meghan Benge of Aiken, SC drove her borrowed pony Jack to a score of 41.2 with a brilliant performance. The pony was leased from England and his owner was on hand to help groom.

“I think Mary is still is shock,” said Boots Wright who is serving as U.S. Assistant Chef d’Equipe and Assistant Coach. “I think it was the best test we’ve ever seen her drive.”

Not to be outdone, Diane Kastama made her long trip from Temecula, CA worth the miles with her Welsh Cob Jasper. The pair finished second on a score of 43.0.

“Diane produced a very good test this morning,” said Wright.

Just behind Kastama, with another British lessee was Mary Gray. The Newton, New Hampshire driver drove Rannock to a score of 43.3.

“All the girls were over the moon,” said Wright. “Megan and Mary both have only driven their ponies three times. Both the owners came from England to help groom.”

Southern Pines sisters (and driving champions) Randy and Keady Caldwell are serving as the official Coach and Chef d’Equipe respectively. The three drivers have the day off on Friday as the Four-in-Hands take to the dressage ring. This competition serves as an observation trial for the World Championships for the German Team.

The Marathon for all divisions will be Saturday, June 28, and Benge will be the first driver on course.

For more information, please contact Joanie Morris at jmorris@usef.org.

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USEF Names Drivers for 2008 FEI World Championship for Drivers with Disabilities CPEAI 4*

2008-06-11 Lexington, KY- The United States Equestrian Federation has approved the following drivers for the 2008 FEI World Championship for Drivers with Disabilities CPEAI 4*. The World Championship takes place from June 27-29 in Greven, Germany.

Driver/Age/Hometown/Grade

Meghan E. Benge/22/Windsor, SC/Grade II

Mary L. Gray/59/Newton, NH/Grade II

Diane Kastama/40/Arroyo Grande, CA/Grade I

Diane Kastama won the Individual Gold medal at Mensport in Hellendoorn, The Netherlands, at the IPC World Carriage Driving Championships for Drivers with Disabilities in September 2006.

Sisters and international competitors, Randy and Keady Cadwell of Southern Pines, NC, have grown up together training and driving. They will both serve as coaches at the 2008 FEI World Championships for Drivers with Disabilities. Both have solid reputations as international competitors. Keady, who recently won the FEI Pair Horse division at the 2008 CAI-A Ocala at Live Oak International, will also serve as Chef d’Equipe.

For more information, please contact USEF Director of ParaEquestrian and Vaulting at plane@usef.org.

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