Tonight on Phelps Radio!!

Karen O'Connor, Boyd Martin, Carol Cohen, and Bernie Traurig Join Mason Phelps Radio Wellington, FL - January 10, 2012 - The first segment of Mason Phelps Radio was a huge success last week, and as listeners gear up for the second installment on Thursday, January 19, the guests are lining up to join Phelps in studio. Karen O'Connor, Boyd Martin, Carol Cohen, and Bernie Traurig will join Phelps and co-host Steve Williams this week at 5:00 p.m. EST onW4CY.com. Phelps and his guests will be discussing the most important issues regarding the equestrian community, from exciting upcoming events, to the challenges and obstacles the sport faces. Olympian Karen O'Connor will be a guest this week as she prepares for Friday night's PRO DerbyCross event at the Winter Equestrian Festival. Teams are composed of three event riders, a show jumper, and a polo player. The teams compete in a relay event over a course of cross-country and stadium jumping obstacles in the International Arena. Also participating in PRO DerbyCross and joining Phelps will be eventing rider Boyd Martin. "I'm delighted to be included on Mason Phelps Radio, and I am looking forward to talking about my year coming up in 2012, as well as the exciting DerbyCross," commented O'Connor. "I am a board member for PRO and I am also a team captain. It is a very exciting event that everyone can enjoy." The World Dressage Masters is also right around the corner, and this week chairman of the World Dressage Masters Ambassador's Committee Carol Cohen will be in studio to discuss the upcoming event. "I am thrilled to be a guest on the show," she remarked. "I am very excited to work with Mason, he is so highly respected in the community. He knows everything and everyone, and it's really fun for me to a part of it and talk about World Dressage Masters." Cohen added, "We're going to talk about the changes we've made for this year, the talent that is coming in, and how the venue has gotten better. This is the second year in a row that the International Polo Club has produced the event, and everything is improving." The final guest on the show will be EquestrianCoach.com President Bernie Traurig. EquestrianCoach.com is an online education service that provides systematic, online "lessons" presented by Traurig and a host of world-class trainers and competitors. "I am really excited to join Mason on his new radio show," expressed Traurig. "Mason and I go way back. I look forward to sharing what I've been up to and talking about my online learning tool based on the American Hunter Jumper Forward Riding System, EquestrianCoach.com." There are 17,000 Internet radio stations worldwide and W4CY is ranked 13th in the world. Listeners can tune in by visitinghttp://w4cy.com/, and they can also call into the show with comments by dialing 561-623-W4CY (9429). From International Polo to the Winter Equestrian Festival, Phelps will have the latest lowdown on all of the exciting events in Wellington, the equestrian capital of the world. And as you might expect, he'll be reporting weekly on who has been naughty and nice. For more information about the new show or to tune in please visit http://w4cy.com/, the #1 ranked Internet radio station in West Palm Beach. For more information about Mason Phelps and Phelps Media Group, please visit www.phelpsmediagroup.com.

Count Down to Derbycross!

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Media Contact: Samantha Lendl 772 633-6129 samantha@professionalriders.org

PRO DERBYCROSS OCCUPIES WELLINGTON JANUARY 20TH

Eventers. Jumpers. Polo Team Up & Take Over

(Wellington, FL) – The much anticipated PRO DerbyCross Team Competition returns to the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center, home of the FTI Winter Equestrian Festival, on Friday January, 20th at 7:00 PM. Team FarmVet/Cavalor, featuring Captain Buck Davidson, Bruce Davidson, Will Faudree, Aaron Vale and Kris Kampsen returns in full to defend their title against five other teams.

PRO DerbyCross is a team competition featuring riders from the three equestrian disciplines of eventing, show jumping and polo. Each team is composed of three event riders, a show jumper and polo player. Teams compete individually against the clock over a hybrid course that features cross country obstacles and show jumps. Olympic Gold Medalist and Canadian Eventing Team Coach, David O’Connor, will once again design the course in the International Arena.

2012 PRO DerbyCross Wellington Teams:

TEAM SMARTPAK:  Captain Phillip Dutton, Eventing Boyd Martin, Eventing Jennie Brannigan, Eventing Jeffery Welles, Show Jumping Nic Roldan, Polo

TEAM WINDSOR:  Captain Leslie Law, Eventing Sinead Halpin, Eventing Sharon White, Eventing Scott Smith, Show Jumping Luis Escobar, Polo

TEAM GUARDIAN HORSE BEDDING:  Captain Karen O’Connor, Eventing Clark Montgomery, Eventing Marilyn Little-Meredith, Eventing Benjamin Meredith – Show Jumping John Gobin, Polo

TEAM OMEGA ALPHA:  Captain Jessica Phoenix, Eventing Rebecca Howard, Eventing Selena O’Hanlon, Eventing Erynn Ballard, Show Jumping Martin Estrada, Polo

TEAM DEVOUCOUX:  Captain Hannah Burnett, Eventing Shannon Lilley, Eventing Jon Holling, Eventing SJ TBA

Doug Barnes, Polo

TEAM FARMVET/CAVALOR:  Captain Buck Davidson, Eventing Bruce Davidson, Eventing Will Faudree, Eventing Aaron Vale, Show Jumping  Kris Kampsen, Polo

The PRO DerbyCross Calcutta Welcome Reception will be held at The White Horse Tavern at The Palm Beach International Equestrian Center on January 19th at 6:30 PM. The PRO DerbyCross Team Competition takes place at the International Arena at the PBIEC on January 20th at 7:00 PM. Tickets for both the Calcutta Welcome Reception and the PRO DerbyCross Patron’s Marquee are available and general admission is free. For further information on ticket packages please visit: www.derbycross.com

Proceeds from the PRO DerbyCross Team Competition benefit Operation Homefront, which is the Official Charitable Partner of the Professional Riders Organization. Operation Homefront provides emergency financial relief for U.S. Service Members and their families in times of need as well as Wounded Warriors during their recovery and transition. Equestrian Sport Productions and the FTI Winter Equestrian Festival will be hosting hot dogs and beer for 100 of our local U.S. Service Members and their families Friday January 20th at 5:30 PM at the Suncoast Pavilion adjacent to the International Arena at PBIEC.

For information or sponsorship and advertising opportunities, please contact: Samantha Lendl, samantha@professionalriders.org

Dressage in Ocala: First Show of 2012 a Success

Silva riding the 2011 USEF International Horse of the Year Neville Bardos

This weekend Kymmy, Devon and I went to the show in Ocala, Florida. We took nine horses with us so we were busy! They traveled in my five-horse trailer and the new lorry, which was great because it was so nice and comfortable for the horses, and Kymmy took her trailer, too.

I took seven dressage horses plus two event horses, Neville and Party Boy. Party Boy is Fernanda Kellogg’s prelim horse – he’s been with me for a few months since he’s a great jumper but he has trouble in the dressage. He’s come a long way; this was his first dressage show and we have been working hard. I didn’t know what to expect because he can be a wild man. Even though we were in “sunny” Florida, it was only 20 degrees and he was first to go every morning, when it was coldest, but he was good – he won both training classes and ended up training level champion, so I’m very happy with him.



Our celebrity Neville was good, too. It was very nerve wracking for me and the girls to take him, because of the pressure to keep something from happening to him! Boyd flew down to watch after the convention so there was pressure from him watching, too. Neville hasn’t been to any events in a while so I was worried about him getting wild, not to mention worried about my marriage! I was a little bit careful with him, but he came second on the first day in Third level test 1, Boyd suggested after the first day that I put more pressure on Neville instead of kind of tiptoeing around; he was hotter since I pushed him, and Third level test 2 is a tricky test with flying changes and a canter half pass, but I think it was the best trot tour that’s he’s done and he really let me ride him (see video).

Rosa Cha is back! She had a little injury and hadn’t shown for a while – she missed Devon last year. She’s a pretty hot horse as well, so I wasn’t sure what to expect. I entered her in Third level test 2 and when I got on her she just turned it up; she never goes as well as at a show. She won with 73.9% and had great comments from the judges. On Sunday we did Test 3 which is harder but she can handle it easily. On Sunday she got a little more excited – she won her test with 68% but she put in two bucks and was full of herself! That’s okay since she’s just coming back.

Duvent had a great finish to the season at Dressage at Devon in Fourth level last year. I’ve been working on the tempi changes all winter – out in the field we’ve done literally hundreds of changes, but in the arena it’s still difficult. I rode him very steady in the trot, so his scores were a little on the low side, but I wanted to keep him rideable in the canter instead of going for his big spectacular trot. He finished fourth, and on Sunday I went back to the normal trot work and he scored 7’s and 8’s but he did get tense in the canter – but since the trot was better we won on 66.6% or so.

Jeff the Chef was back too – he’s been out for a long time with Lyme disease; I had never believed in it before but he was really down for a long time. I just threw him out in the pasture and let him come back on his own time. He was so young when I did the Grand Prix with him for the first time, he probably wasn’t strong enough, but I was so excited with him that I just went for it. Now I’m going to give him more time. He won the PSG on Sat and the Inter 1 on Sunday. I think I’ll keep him at that level until he gets really strong enough before I do the Grand Prix again.



Hidden Promise, (see video) is a horse that I own who was born in a Thoroughbred body but moves like a warmblood. He’s really a pleasure to have at the show; he doesn’t look at anything and just does his job. I rode him in 3rd level for the first time and he finished 4th on Sat and 3rd on Sun. He’s for sale and I think he’ll be a great horse for somebody like a Young Rider since he’s so easy and honest.

I also rode Devon’s horse Rembrandt. I’m sad that Devon will leave me eventually to go to college, and I hope she’ll go somewhere that she can keep riding part time. She is planning to sell her horse because she doesn’t have time to ride and go to school I showed him and finished fourth sat in 3rd 1 and on Sunday he finished well in 3rd level test 2. He’s been a great horse for Devon – they were championships at training and first level at the BLM’s, and now they’re moving up to Third level.

I took Stately along just to ride him, but didn’t show him. He’s a little between levels in his training right now and I wanted to keep him with me and going.

Kyymy rode Markie in PSG – they’re still green at this level and they’ve moved up pretty fast so she’s going to have to spend some time at this level before they move up again. We still have a lot of work to do perfecting the test but we’re happy with the way the horse is going. She was 6th on Sat and 3rd on Sun.

-Silva

Dressage Horses in Aiken

Our dressage horses have a new home in Aiken for the next two months, at Fernanda Kellogg and Kirk Henkel's beautiful new farm called Fox Frolic. Fernanda and Kirk bought the farm not too long ago, so there is a lot of construction still going on. Once it's all finished the farm is going to be breathtaking! We are so lucky to be here.

The horses are very happy; they have huge stalls and lots of wonderful turnout. We are having such a good time with everybody at Fox Frolic!
My team this winter is of course Devon and Kymmy as well as a new working student, Scout Ford. Scout is a great addition to our team: she is a always happy and has a big smile. Her young horse Maybell is a very exiting horse with a big future.
Unfortunately Ashlea has not been able to join us yet because she is having visa problems and is still in Australia at the moment .

An update with photos and video from our weekend in Florida is coming soon.....

Silva

Official USEF Press Release!!

Neville Bardos and Sjoerd Named 2011 Horses of the Year by the United States Equestrian Federation

RELEASE: January 13, 2012
AUTHOR/ADMINISTRATOR: USEF Communications Department

Cincinnati, OH – For the first time ever, the USEF crowned two horses with its highest honor, one from an International Discipline and one from a National Discipline. Neville Bardos and Sjoerd were named 2011 Horses of the Year at tonight’s USEF annual Horse of the Year celebration. Honored for their accomplishments in 2011 their roads through the last 12 months, while both exceptional, have been very different.

Videos of all of the Horses of Honor are available here:http://www.usefnetwork.com/featured/USEFAnnualMeeting2012

Neville Bardos - Eventing

Horse of the Year Neville Bardos (Photo Courtesy of USEA)

He shouldn’t have lived. But he did. He shouldn’t have returned to his life as an event horse. But he returned better than ever. Trapped in a burning barn for 45 minutes, Neville Bardos made a miraculous recovery from injuries sustained in a fire that claimed the lives of six other horses at his rider Boyd Martin’s barn in West Grove, PA. The now 13-year-old Australian Thoroughbred gelding won the USEF National CCI3* championship in 2009 and was 10th at the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games – leading the U.S. effort. But his life changed dramatically in the early hours of Memorial Day in 2011. Martin pulled him out of the burning barn to safety. Neville Bardos was left with horrific injuries due to massive amounts of smoke inhalation and the subsequent damage to his throat.

Neville, who is owned by 10 members of a syndicate bearing his name, never seemed to feel as badly as he should have and he began making a miraculous recovery. Through the help of his vet (Dr. Kevin Keane), his groom (Lindsey Taylor) and the Fair Hill Equine Therapy Center (where he visited the Hyperbaric Chamber) Neville defied the odds and made a miracle trip to the Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials in England in September. He rocketed around the cross-country course clean and fast and finished seventh at the world’s toughest CCI4*.

Braver than brave, Neville Bardos’ courage saw him through more than just a difficult cross country course it helped see Martin through the rebuilding of his own life. Shortly after the fire, Martin lost his father in a bicycling accident in Australia. Shortly after that Martin’s wife Silva lost her father to cancer. It was a nightmare summer for the Martin’s and Neville’s success helped them find their way through it.

In 2011, he was also second at the Red Hills Horse Trials in the CIC3*(in March), fourth in the Advanced at the Millbrook Horse Trials in August. If Neville Bardos had lived the rest of his life in the field this story would have had a no less incredible and happy ending. But Neville was looking to make a miracle and tonight was the next chapter in that mission.

Neville Bardos is the 2011 USEF International Horse of the Year!

It was announced at a Gala dinner tonight in Cincinnati, OH that Neville Bardos is the 2011 USEF International Horse of the Year. There were a lot of other great horses nominated, and we are all very happy that so many people agreed that Neville is deserving of the title.
Many thanks to all of Neville's adoring fans, and here's to 2012!

Continued Coverage of Neville on NPR!

We received a call today from the BBC regarding the recent front page article in the New York Times.
NPR has run a subsequent radio piece on Neville on "The World", which is part of BBC radio.

Do not fret if you miss it live on your local NPR station. Here it is online. Take a listen!