Tracey Morgan and Fuego 88. Theresa Alexander photo.

The final phase of the Pony World Driving Championships from Minden, Germany took place today. Course designer Jeroen Houterman (Netherlands) produced a challenging course and double clears were hard to come by.

The single pony division produced only seven clear around from 40 competitors. Over half the division had completed the course before anyone achieved that result and the first driver to do so was the USA’s own Tracey Morgan and Fuego 88. Stylish and fast Tracey and “Rooster” finished the competition with a final score of 169.79. Her double clear around moved her up five places to 16th. The championship was won by Marlena Brenner of Germany with Leonardo 460.

Double clears in pair ponies were even scarcer, with only two drivers achieving that result. US driver Katie Whaley came into the phase in the hunt for a medal. The balls stayed up, but 7.52 time penalties dropped Katie from 6th to 9th place. Tara Wilkinson of Great Britain took home the gold. Tara works for and is coached by the current number one four in hand driver Boyd Excell of Australia.

The top four in hand medal was awarded to Michael Bügener of Germany. Only Marijke Hammink of the Netherlands scored a double clear on the cones course.

For complete results go to www.hoefnet.nl

EN’s coverage of the FEI Pony World Driving Championships is proudly presented by Nupafeed!

It was a day of highs and lows for Pony Team USA Today on the marathon at the Pony World Driving Championships in Minden, Germany.  A significant change in weather made for a brisk morning.

First to start was Miranda “Randy” Cadwell. Randy was somewhat disappointed with her dressage score, but had hoped to gain ground in the tightly placed division with a fast marathon. Indeed, she posted the fastest times of the day in each successive obstacle until Obstacle 7, The Rodeberg Saloon. Storming up a steep incline through gate C she had to make a last minute change in her driving plan. Her carriage hit a post and she was ejected, hitting a cross post. Randy was seen in hospital, and we are relieved to report she, her navigator Matt Harmon and pony Leyla are all fine.

Tracey Morgan drove a consistent but somewhat slower marathon to add 116.18 penalty points to her dressage score, dropping her from 6th to 21st. She is currently 17.29 points behind the leader. Tracey is a very strong cones driver and will look to move up with a double clear cones round tomorrow.

Katie Whaley ended the day on a high note for the US. Driving steadily and consistently she finished up the marathon with the fourth fastest time in the last obstacle. A solid performance leaves her in 6th place, but she has gained ground on the top three and is most certainly within striking distance of a medal.

Cones begin tomorrow at 8:30 local time (2:30 EST) with the top ten in each division showcased in the afternoon. For complete living scoring go to www.hoefnet.nl.

EN’s coverage of the FEI Pony World Driving Championships is proudly presented by Nupafeed!

Obstacle 6. Photo by Dana Diemer.

Today is the final day of dressage here in Minden, Germany. The weather has decided to be somewhat uncooperative, a steady drizzle to dampen the four in hands competing today. US drivers are taking advantage of the time off to finalize plans for marathon tomorrow.

The marathon course consists of a 5200 meter Section A, 900 meter transfer section and an 8800 meter Section B.  Total distance is 14.9 kilometers or 9.26 miles.

The eight hazards are tight, technical with the minimum clearance allowed. Routes are long. There are numerous knockdowns in each obstacle, and several with double lettered gates. The tracks, due to the compact nature of the venue, double back on one another. Proper preparation on the part of drivers and navigators will be essential for a successful run. Check out the course below:

First US driver on course tomorrow will be Miranda “Randy” Cadwell at approximately 9:30 am local.

For live results check out www.hoefnet.nl

EN’s coverage of the FEI Pony World Driving Championships is proudly presented by Nupafeed!

Photo by Miranda Cadwell

Competition in dressage at the Pony World Driving Championships continued today for pair ponies. Thirty-three pairs are entered in this division demonstrating their skill with test 3*BHP2. This test requires collection and extension at the trot, and also has five movements in which the reins must be held in one hand.

Temperatures were a bit warmer and breezy this morning. The judging panel remained the same, but the five judges switched positions. The leaderboard saw scores drop into the 40s, with the division leader Jan-Felix Pfeffer of Germany at the head of the class with a score of 44.01. Germany holds the top four positions at the close of pairs dressage.

Sunny this morning, the clouds rolled in around noon and the drizzle began just before lone U.S. pairs driver Katie Whaley with Tommy and Night Flyer rolled down the centerline. A consistent and accurate test earned the final USA competitor a 51.06 placing her 6th for the day. This score was a 12-point improvement from the CAI3* at Beekbergen two weeks ago.

U.S. drivers have the day off tomorrow as we are not fielding a four-in-hand team this year. Tonight is Nations Night, a traditional gathering in which each of the participating countries offer food selections to try specific to that country. USE Director of Driving Danielle Aamodt rounded up some American fare to sample and the large American contingent is looking forward to a good time.

For further information and live scores go to www.hoefnet.net.

EN’s coverage of the FEI Pony World Driving Championships is proudly presented by Nupafeed!

Miranda Cadwell and Canon’s Majestic Leyla. Photo by Meghan Benge.

Reporting from the beautiful northern German town of Minden, site of the 2017 FEI Pony World Driving Championships. The weather here today was pleasant and cool with highs in the low 70s.

Today was single pony day, and competitors drove the 3*BHP1 test. That’s three-star test B for single horses and ponies. This test was new to the international scene in 2015. The test contains 33 transitions, four halts, a rein back, five movements requiring performance with the reins in one hand, two diagonal yields and canter work with the left lead canter coming off of a twenty meter half circle to the right. The bulk of the trot work is in collection or extension and asks transitions directly from one to the other.

Tracey Morgan and her own Fuego 88. Photo by Danielle Aamodt.

Tracey Morgan and her own Fuego 88 led off for the Americans scoring a 53.61. They produced a steady, fairly error-free test. Rooster is a seasoned campaigner; he and Tracy were the sole U.S. representatives at the 2015 Pony Worlds and are the current U.S. Single pony champions. They end the day sitting in sixth place.

Miranda Cadwell and Canon’s Majestic Leyla drew the last slot of the day. Leyla and Randy are Marathon specialists and Randy did a terrific job keeping the lid on her super fit mare. They earned a score of 64.97 placing her 36th.

The judging panel gave nothing away, and scores were very tight with less than 18 points over the entire division. Team coach Thorsten Zarembowicz mentioned that despite the overall higher scores one must look at the spread. He feels the marathon will be very influential and both drivers have all to play for come Saturday.

For live scoring go to www.hoefnet.nl.

EN’s coverage of the FEI Pony World Driving Championships is proudly presented by Nupafeed!

Miranda Cadwell and Canon’s Majestic Leyla ready to jog. Photo by Keady Cadwell.

Lots and lots of ponies as far as the eye can see! The site of the 2017 Pony World Driving Championships in Minden, Germany is a spectator’s dream. The eight marathon obstacles and dressage/cones arena are within easy walking distance and allow up close and personal viewing. The entire venue is groomed to a T and includes the requisite beer stands selling locally brewed Herforder brews.

The first pony inspection took place Tuesday morning, with 262 ponies presented to ground jury members: Dr. Klaus Christ (GER), Barna Fej’er (HUN), Henk Van Amerongen (NED), Hanspeter Rüschlin (GER), Danuta Nowicka (POL) and Anne-Marie Turbe (FRA). The record entry required two jog lanes. Six ponies were sent to the hold; all were accepted upon re-inspection.

Single pony dressage begins tomorrow morning at 8 a.m. local time (2 a.m. EST). The weather is forecast to be sunny with temps in the mid-60s.

Tracey Morgan and Fuego 88 lead off the American contingent at 11:38 a.m. local (5:38 am EST).
Miranda Cadwell and Cannon’s Majestic Leyla have the last test of the day at 5:40 p.m. local (11:40 am EST).

For live scoring go to www.hoefnet.nl.

Go Ponyteamusa!

EN’s coverage of the FEI Pony World Driving Championships is proudly presented by Nupafeed!

Katie Whaley with her Tommy and Tanner leaving the seventh obstacle at Beekbergen CAI3*. Photo by Madison Saylor.

While the American eventing community was focused on Millbrook this past weekend, combined drivers were looking across the pond to the Netherlands. The Beekbergen CAI3* hosted a strong contingent of U.S. drivers. This is a gorgeous venue located a little over 60 miles from Amsterdam, free to the public with top notch viewing.

Hungarian wunderkind Martin Hölle, 20, crushed the competition in Pair Horses leading wire-to-wire. American pair drivers Katherine and Scott Dancer, along with Steve Wilson, had respectable showings. U.S. coach Thorsten Zarembowicz expressed pleasure at the improvement in dressage for all three pairs.

In the Four-in-hand division, powerhouse Boyd Excell (AUS) drove the American team owned by Misdee Wrigley Miller to victory, with Chester Weber (USA) taking second. Boyd has the box seat while Misdee recovers from an injury, and one really has to ask what is it about Aussies named Boyd?!

Pony Team USA members Tracy Morgan and Katie Whaley took advantage of the opportunity to compete in a special VIP division as a final outing before the Pony World Championships in Minden, Germany in two weeks. Both competitors posted double clear rounds in cones to end on a high note.

The third US driver, Miranda “Randy” Cadwell, arrived on the continent earlier this week … followed several days later by her luggage! Pony Team USA will spend the next week prepping at the Riant Equestrian Center in Beekbergen before moving to Minden next Monday, Aug. 14.

For complete driving coverage, go to www.hoefnet.nl. The English version available by clicking on the British flag in the upper right hand corner.

Red on the right, white on the left and a different kind of insanity in the middle! Go combined driving!