17 November 2003

- USA is promoted to Samsung Super League
- Thomas Velin wins FEI World Cup Jumping in Berlin
- FEI Dressage World Cup Western European League started last week-end in Berlin
- FEI Driving World Cup season starts this week-end in Stuttgart
- FEI Eventing Open letter on FEI website

USA WINS IN BUENOS AIRES AND GETS QUALIFIED FOR THE 2004 SAMSUNG SUPER LEAGUE

USA won the Nations Cup of CSIO Buenos Aires and secured their position in the 2004 Samsung Super League.

In a tie with Switzerland for the first place of the Samsung Nations Cup leaderboard, USA sent a strong team composed of Norman Dello Joio on Peace Train, Chris Kappler on Primeur 59, Laura Linback on Remember Me 9 and Beezie Madden on Innocence to the Haras El Capricho located close to Buenos Aires.

The Nations Cup started on Friday at 15:30 over a course designed by Olympic course designer Leopoldo Palacios (VEN). The US team, coached by chef d'equipe Frank Chapot, finished the two-round Nations' Cup with a score of 12 faults to easily defeat the host country Argentina which placed second with 38 pts penalties. Brazil was third with 40 pts. Chris Kappler led the
way with the only double clear round of the competition.

Six countries participated in the Nations Cup of Buenos Aires: USA (1st),Argentina (2nd), Brazil (3rd), Chili, Uruguay and Belgium.

The Samsung Super League is composed of eight events and reserved to the eight best teams of the world. Each year, the country finishing last in the Samsung Super League drops off and is replaced by the country finishing first in the Samsung Nations Cup Series. After the last event of the Samsung Super League season in Barcelona, Sweden was relegated and will be replaced by USA, which was just promoted for the 2004 season.

According to the recent press release of the United States Equestrian Team, participation at the level of competition found in the Samsung Super League events is considered a critical component of the USET's strategic plan for Olympic and international success.

The nations qualified for the 2004 Samsung Super League are: France,Germany, Ireland, Great Britain, Belgium, Netherlands, Italy and USA.

FEI WORLD CUP JUMPING
Velin Victorious in Berlin

Denmark's Thomas Velin proved too good for the rest of them when cruising to victory in the fourth leg of the 2003/2004 FEI World Cup Jumping series in Berlin today which brought a dramatic shake-up to the league leaderboard as the young guns of international show jumping made a significant impact. The 28 year old Dane set an impossible target when third to go in the
13-horse jump-off with Equest Carnute while Germany's Marco Kutscher, also 28 years of age, now heads the league table after slotting into runner-up spot today with Controe.

It was a competition full of contradictions as five likely contenders, including Germany's Ludger Beerbaum (Goldfever) and Soren Von Ronne (Cantaro), retired in the opening round and yet more than one-third of the field survived to go through to the jump-off. The tight confines of the
arena added to the degree of difficulty with Olaf Petersen's track - "the fences were more technical than expected because the ring is not big" Thomas said afterwards.

Equest Carnute was seriously impressive when winning the opening individual competition at this summer's European Championships in Donaueschingen. Bought as an eight-year old from French Young Rider Vera Benchamol the stallion has now been with Thomas Velin for five years and they have formed a truly genuine partnership. "I jumped him in only one class in Berlin this
week because he doesn't need too much work - he's 13 years old now and he knows his job very well. I have a plan for him for the next few weeks - we go to Stuttgart, Stockholm, Geneva and then Frankfurt and he only needs to do one big class each time. I like to look after him, he's a lovely horse and he has a great temperament so he's easy to ride" he said.

The young Danish rider who lives just north of Copenhagen is trained by Belgian instructor Jos Komps who also trains Rodrigo Pessoa. Thomas also works in his father, Flemming Velin's, veterinary and human medicine business VetScan. The family have 50 horses at stud in Denmark and France and stand the legendary stallion Quidam de Revel.

Today's success slots Thomas Velin into sixth position on the World Cup leaderboard after four of the 14 qualifying rounds. Frenchman Bruno Broucqsault and Germany's Helena Weinberg lie fifth and fourth respectively while Jos Lansink is third but former league leader Eric Van der Vleuten is now demoted to second spot as Marco Kutscher, carrying 42 points to date and
heading the leaderboard by a considerable margin, looks set to comfortably book his ticket to the Final in Milan next April.

The next round of the FEI 2003/2004 World Cup Jumping series takes place in Geneva, 5 - 7 December.

FEI WORLD CUP JUMPING LEADERBOARD:
Marco Kutscher - 42
Eric Van der Vleuten - 33
Jos Lansink - 32
Helena Weinberg - 27
Bruno Broucqsault - 24

World Cup Final in Milan - 21-25 April.

FEI DRESSAGE WORLD CUP
German Victor Emerges From Top Class Field in Berlin

Hubertus Schmidt and his lovely Hannoverian mare Wansuela Suerte got the FEI World Cup Western European League off to a great start with a convincing victory in the opening Berlin qualifier.

A fluent and harmonious freestyle from the German partnership gained a score of just under 80 per cent to beat compatriot Heike Kemmer and her seasoned Grand Prix mount Albano. Schmidt, a professional trainer who has ridden the ten-year-old mare for most of her career under saddle, was delighted with her performance. He said: "Wansuela Suerte looked around a little at the beginning of our test, but in this, her second season at Grand Prix level, she gives me a really good feeling and just gets better and better." Schmidt is determined to reach the final in Dusseldorf (April 1-4 2004) and is now aiming to win further points at the Maastricht, Amsterdam and Neumunster qualifiers.

Heike Kemmer, a native of Berlin who began her international career here as a young rider, felt Albano benefited from the big atmosphere. " With a lot of spectators watching, even at the warm up arena, he shows himself off better." She is also aiming to qualify Albano to the final, while her
European team gold medal horse Bonaparte will be reserved for the outdoor season.

Kemmer and British rider Emma Hindle, who placed third on her impressive stallion Wie Weltmeyer, now jointly head the European league standings on 37po ints. Both ladies had a head start having won points at Central European league shows. Hindle, the highest placed British rider and team bronze medallist at the European championships last August, secured a brilliant and
emotional victory in Saturday's Hotel Intercontinental Berlin Grand Prix class.

After the Freestyle, the 28 year-old who is based in Germany and runs Brookhouse Stud, blamed the small mistakes on herself, lavishing all her praise on her horse. "Wie Weltmeyer was so difficult when I first got him in '99, but now he gives me a superb feeling and really wants to work, " she said. Having been a spectator at several World Cup finals, Hindle promised
herself some years ago that one day she would take part herself. With that aim in mind, the next class on her calendar is the Stockholm qualifier on November 30th.

Ground jury chairman Volker Moritz had high praise for the standard - all fifteen riders scored over 69 percent - and for the improved conditions at CHI Berlin. He added: " We saw excellent sport and it was very good to see some new faces and new young horses on the World Cup scene."


FEI World Cup Dressage CHI Berlin - Grand Prix Kur to Music Results

1.Wansuela Suerte (Hubertus Schmidt GER) 79.0
2. Albano (Heike Kemmer GER) 78.03
3. Wie Weltmeyer (Emma Hindle GBR) 76.82
4. Apache (Isabell Werth GER) 75.14
5. Wahajama-Unicef (Ann Katrin Linsenhoff GER) 75.14
6. Barclay (Sveb Rothenberger NED) 74.7
7. Loesdau's Loriot (Martin Schaudt GER) 74.7
8. Esprit (Nicole Ahlefedt Laurvig-Lehn DEN) 74.47
9. Lesotho (Ellen Schulten-Baumer GER) 73.51
10. Artax-Condor (Elena Sidneva RUS) 73.03
11. Capuccino 16 (Karin Rehbein GER) 72.62
12. Guinness (Louise Nathhorst SWE) 72.11
13. Rosemount Wallstreet (Kristy Oatley-Nist AUS) 71.82
14. Fantast S (Nathalie zu Sayn Wittgenstein DEN) 69.99
15. Agrigento (Victoria Max-Theurer AUT) 69.62


Western European League

Standings after 1 of 7 competitions (following end of Central European
league and CDI-W Berlin)

1= Emma Hindle (GBR) and Heike Kemmer (GER) 37
3.Patricia Callaghan (NED) 21
4. Hubertus Schmidt (GER)
Nicole Ahlefeldt Laurvig-Lehn DEN) 20
6. Johann Zagers (BEL) 17
7= Isabella Willibald (AUT)
Jeanette Haazen (NED)
Sylvia Ilke (SUI)
Victoria Max-Theurer (AUT) 15
11. Isabell Werth (GER)
Michael Sogaard (DEN)
Peter Gmoser (AUT) 13
14. Ann Katrin Linsenhoff (GER)
Carl Hester (GBR) 12

FEI DRIVING WORLD CUP SEASON STARTS IN STUTTGART

The Stuttgart German Masters will host the first event of the FEI World Cup Driving 2003/2004 season from 19 to 23 November 2003.

Seven drivers will compete in the arena of the Hanns-Martin-Schleyer-Halle, five qualified drivers and two Wild Cards. The organisation has allocated one Wild Card to Max Dangel, the reigning champion of Baden-Württemberg, and one to USA's Chester Weber. Weber was, as winner of the North American Driving Challenge, entitled to compete in the 2003/2004 season as 11th
driver.

Weber had decided not to compete, but after he received an invitation from the organiser, he did not want to miss the opportunity and decided to drive in Stuttgart with a borrowed team of horses.

Double World Cup Champion Michael Freund will also start in Stuttgart as well as his fellow countryman Christoph Sandmann and Switzerland¹s Werner Ulrich. For the first time in the short history of the World Cup Driving, two Hungarian drivers have qualified to compete. One of the most successful Hungarian drivers Jozsef Bozsik (50), and the upcoming talent Jozsef
Dobrovitz (35) will make the long journey to Stuttgart.

The seven drivers will enter the arena on Friday 21 November at 15.15 h. for the warm-up competition. The World Cup competition is scheduled on Saturday 22 November at 14.00 h.

The World Cup Driving in Stuttgart will be broadcasted as part of the sports programme on the Stuttgart television channel SWR3 on Saturday, 22 November between 16.30 and 17.30 h.

Created in 2001, the Driving World Cup has provided an innovative new style of competition for indoor events, with courses combining marathon and cone driving obstacles. The 2003/2004 season of the World Cup includes seven events with eight competitions: Stuttgart (GER), Stockholm (SWE), Mechelen (BEL) in 2003; Leipzig (GER), two competitions in Vigo (ESP),
's-Hertogenbosch (NED) and Göteborg (SWE) in 2004.

The winner of the first two editions of the World Cup was Michael Freund(GER).

Stuttgart German Masters: http://www.stuttgart-german-masters.de/
World Cup Driving: http://www.worldcupdriving.com
FEI: http://www.horsesport.org

FEI EVENTING COMMITTEE OPEN LETTER

Following some requests of National Federations, the Eventing Committee sent an open letter on 16 October to all NFs involved in Eventing which can be consulted on the FEI website www.horsesport.org, section reference, working docs, reports.

The Eventing Committee clarified that the implementation of the recommendations defined at its recent meeting in Punchestown and published in FEI Press News 32/03 will be carried out in 2005 as no change to qualification system or introduction of a new format can be made during an Olympic year. Moreover the recommendations still have to be considered by the National Federations, the FEI Bureau and General Assembly.