FLAIR Around the World
Team FLAIR’s Fredericks & Griffiths Change Plans
Posted on Saturday, May 5th, 2012 at 4:46 am.
Olympic hopefuls for Australian Eventing team confirm plans ahead of London
After the cancellation of Badminton Horse Trials, overseas based Aussie eventers have revised their preparations ahead of team selection and the 2012 Olympic Games.
Since notification of the event cancellation came through on Monday, the seven athletes due to compete at Badminton have looked to other major events in Europe to show selectors they’re ready for the Games.
With the exception of Sam Griffiths and Wendy Schaeffer, all combinations due to start at Badminton will head to the Saumur CCI3* in France from 17-20 May 2012. Other Badminton starters have chosen different events to take on with Griffiths heading to Tattersalls CCI3* in Ireland at the end of May and Schaeffer to compete Luhmuhlen CCI3* in Germany in mid-June.
Equestrian Australia’s National Performance Director for Eventing, Prue Barrett, said she is happy with each athlete’s individual plans leading into London.
“Since we were notified of Badminton’s cancellation we have spent the last few days working with all our shadow team members to re-look at their individual plans ahead of selection,” she said.
“We have been working hard with event organisers overseas to secure our riders a start in major events, such as Saumur, and were pleased we were able to lock in places at all of our chosen events. There were many countries such as New Zealand and Great Britain that were in the same position as us, so we needed to work quickly to make sure we could get our riders into the bigger events, which I’m pleased to say we were able to do.
“The nature of our Eventing program is that we work with each athlete and horse combination on our squads to prepare the best individual program for them that will maximise performances for the Olympic Games and do what is necessary to be selected.
“While the cancellation of Badminton did disrupt our plans it has in no way impacted our preparation and we are confident the schedules each rider has chosen will produce a well-prepared and strong Australian Eventing Team come the London Games,” said Barrett.
Australian Team selectors will be on hand at the Saumur CCI3*, with 11 Aussie combinations taking part, including:
1. Bill Levett Hippolyte
One Two Many NJ
2. Chris Burton Holstein Park Leilani
Haruzac
3. Clayton Fredericks Be My Guest
Walterstown Don
4. Lucinda Fredericks Flying Finish
5. Paul Tapner Inonothing
Wickstead Didgeridoo
Kilronan
2008 Beijing Olympian Clayton Fredericks won the Saumur CCI3* in 2011 and will be out to not only defend his title but to show selectors what his made of.
This weekend Clayton Fredericks and Bill Levitt will compete in France at Jardy CIC3*. Fredericks will have his squad listed horses Bendigo, Be My Guest and Walterstown Don, as will Levitt riding One Two Many NJ and Hippolyte.
Fredericks is currently holding the top three places at Jardy CIC3* with Levett placed just behind him. For full results – click here.
As was always planned, riders will continue to compete in various CIC events throughout Europe ahead of selection – details of final start lists will be confirmed closer to each event. The Australian Eventing Team is due to be announced on 18 June 2012.
Jargon buster
CCI – Eventing International Three Day Event (same format as the Olympic Games)
CIC – Eventing International One Day Event (shorter and revised format)
3*/4* – The different levels of Eventing competition is determined by a star (*) rating and ranges from 1* to 4*. The higher the star, the harder the event. The event at the Olympic Games will be a 4* event.
Sam Griffiths Blogs Badminton & More…
Posted on Thursday, May 3rd, 2012 at 5:26 am.
(Ed note: Since this post was written, Badminton HT has been cancelled due to flooding. We will bring you news of Sam’s revised schedule as soon as possible.)
The beginning of the season has just flown past and now we’re just a week off Badminton! It always comes up quickly, but having said that we’ve been gearing up for it for months! Happy Times has started the season off well – I’ve just been giving him some quiet runs to prepare him and he’s put up some good performances. I’ve been working hard at home on his dressage with our Aussie team dressage coach, Brett Parbery and also with Charlotte Dujardin. Then I’ve also been training the show jumping phase with Ros Morgan, who has been fantastic with Happy, as he is a very quirky horse to train at home! Ros has even had me out to jumping shows with Happy and some of my other horses which has been so useful, working out warm up plans etc. Although I think I did ’scream’ event rider when I was warming up at Wales and West in my xc hat and sheepskin breastgirth alongside Billy Twomey and one (never know which one as there are so many) of the Whitaker boys!! Rather embarrassing. But Lucy has rectified this by ordering me a very expensive show jumping hat….Better jumps some clears in it and win some money to pay for it!
We had a great weekend up at Belton with Happy and Paulank Brockagh (Brocks). Happy ran well, felt like a machine cross country, but it has to be said that Brocks stole the show – she was AMAZING! She scored a definite PB for her at advanced level in the dressage and then jumped the most fantastic double clear to finish 3rd in a seriously competitive advanced class. See pic of her flying the xc below. I am so excited about her – she could actually be a serious back up for me for the Games…we’ll see! Bramham is her next big run and I’m so looking forward to it.
I’ve also got a new ‘toy’ – a lovely young horse called Favorit Z aka Frodo! He is stunning! He was bought for me recently from Constantin van Rickvorsel who has produced him beautifully so I am very lucky to have him. He is still quite green but I am really hoping I might get him to Le Lion D’Angers at the end of the year – he’s a serious horse that’s got everything going for him. Very exciting. See pic below of him just ‘popping a 1m30cm oxer with ease….
In amongst all this, I’ve been doing quite a bit of training – I had a very succesful day at Boomerang for Horsequest, who had set up a competition to win xc training with me. What a lovely group of people they were. Then, similarly, Cosequin had set up a competition to win a lesson with me here at our yard – a lovely girl called Melanie came for a lesson (see pic) and by all accounts really enjoyed her time and I hope learnt a lot…?!
All the novice horses have been going well, although I’ve had a few balloted recently which has rather stopped play. Lucy’s two horses have been excellent too and both had very successful debuts at Novice level for Angelo and Intermediate level for Beaurepaire Nemo – both finishing in the top 5 at Gatcombe. I’ll have to start giving her duff information to stop her ‘cleaning up’ !! It was a great shame not to get a run at Hambleden, especially as we’d been going on and on about the amazing Hambleden bluebells to all our newly arrive antipodeans -aka Chris Burton and Alice Montgomery – they certainly wouldn’t get that at an Aussie/Kiwi event! Although, they probably wouldn’t get events rained off either!!
So with Badminton just days away now, it’s all just been putting the polish on things…Lucy has been videoing my schooling sessions at home and we have our grass arena set up now and I’ve been running through the test and then analysing the videos. Although, having said that, Lucy is my toughest critic so she doesn’t let me mess up too many square halts that’s for sure! We’ve had Brett here for a day last week and the week before and then I’ve got Ros coming again on Friday. Just to add a cherry on top to the tension of these next few days, I am running my head groom, Mouse’s horse, Mumbo Jumbo, in his first advanced at Withington this weekend…I think she may need some serious supplies of Rescue Remedy to get through all this. Having said that, maybe Mumbo needs some to help him through the dreaded flying changes!! I’ve got Real Dancer and Brocks running too this weekend….Brocks will then head to Chatsworth World Cup and Real Dancer is being aimed at Aachen and the new Nations Cup series later in the season. In the meantime, I’ve got a couple more gallop sessions to do on Happy and then the big ‘B’ is upon us…wish me luck!!! ~ Sam
Rolex Kentucky: Springer takes home the Range Rover…
Posted on Thursday, May 3rd, 2012 at 4:20 am.
Click here to watch an exclusive interview with William! Springer takes home the Range Rover…
Allison Springer of the United States, on Arthur, held on for second (47.0) and earned $37,000, and Boyd Martin of the United States, on Otis Barbotiere, moved up to third place (51.0) to earn $30,000. Martin also finished eighth on Remington XXV (56.9). By winning the Rolex USET Four-Star Championship as the top-placed U.S. rider, Springer, 37, also won a special prize—an 18-month lease of a 2012 Range Rover HSE courtesy of Land Rover North America. Springer test-drove the car on a lap around the Rolex Stadium during the awards ceremony. “It’s a good thing they kept someone in the car with me, or I’d have been out there doing donuts!” she said with a smile. Springer, of Marshall, VA., said that she was “very, very pleased with Arthur. Four years ago, I went into show jumping in fifth place, and I stopped counting after five rails. But this time I was excited to come in the show jumping ring because I knew what I had to do, and I did it. It’s great to feel that way after all three days.” |
FLAIR® Sponsors Two RK3DE Course Walks
Posted on Tuesday, April 24th, 2012 at 5:56 am.
4-19-2012
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
FLAIR LLC ANNOUNCES SPONSORSHIP OF TWO COURSE WALKS AT THE 2012 ROLEX KENTUCKY CCI4* THREE-DAY EVENT.
Flair LLC, maker of FLAIR® Equine Nasal Strips and a 2012 Rolex Kentucky CCI4* Three-Day Event sponsor, is pleased to announce its sponsorship of two course walks to be held during the 2012 Rolex Kentucky CCI4* Three-Day Event.
The first course walk, lead by two-time Olympic Gold Medalist Phillip Dutton, will be held on Thursday, April 26, 2012 at 4:00pm. This abbreviated course walk will focus on four of the most difficult complexes and will be exclusive – with the number of participants limited to 50. Participation credentials will be available on Thursday morning outside the Bit of Britain Tent between 10:30 and 1:00 — prior to the course walk – from a FLAIR representative. Each credentialed participant will receive a FLAIR Strip and memento of the occasion at the conclusion of the course walk.
The second course walk, a full course walk, led in tandem by veteran Four-star Eventers Eric Dierks and Ralph Hill, will begin at 10:30am on Friday, April 27, 2012 – commencing at the start box. This course walk is open to the public.
About FLAIR Nasal Strips: FLAIR Strips provide drug-free support and protection to the respiratory system of the hard-working equine athlete. FLAIR Strips are proven to: reduce airway resistance, reduce lung stress and bleeding, reduce fatigue, and shorten post-exercise recovery time.
For more information about Phillip Dutton, visit http://phillipdutton.com/
For more information about Eric Dierks, http://ericdierks.com/
For more information about Ralph Hill, visit http://www.ralphhillmn.blogspot.com/
For more information about The Rolex Kentucky, please visit http://www.rk3de.org
For more information about FLAIR Strips, Flair LLC and its sponsorship activities, please visit http://flairstrips.com
Media Contact:
Nan Rawlins
pr@flairstrips.com
FLAIR LLC CO-SPONSORS DR. EPP AT EQUINE AFFAIRE
Posted on Tuesday, April 10th, 2012 at 5:54 am.
4-8-2012
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
FLAIR LLC ANNOUNCES CO-SPONSORSHIP OF DR. TAMMY EPP’S EQUINE AFFAIRE PRESENTATIONS
Flair LLC, maker of FLAIR® Equine Nasal Strips is very pleased to announce its co-sponsorship of Dr. Tammi Epp’s Equine Respiratory Health presentations at The 2012 Columbus Equine Affair, held at the Ohio State Exposition Center, Columbus, Ohio.
Tammi Epp, DVM, PHD – from Kansas State University – is a leading authority in the diseases of the Equine Respiratory System. She will speak twice on Saturday, April 14, 2012. In her first presentation — at 12noon in the Demo Ring of the Celeste Center – Dr. Epp will discuss Understanding Exercise Induced Pulmonary Hemorrhage (EIPH) & How to Manage It. In her second Equine Affair presentation, to be held at 5pm on the Seminar Stage of the Voinovitch Center, Dr. Epp’s topic will be: Breathing: The Forgotten Key to the Horse’s Performance. This is the first time either topic has been presented by The Equine Affaire.
About Equine Affaire: Based in London Ohio, Equine Affaire is generally considered one of the world’s premier equine expositions, with annual expos in Massachusetts, Ohio, and California. Equine Affaire offers equine enthusiasts and professionals unparalleled educational programs and presentations, an extensive trade show, informative breed pavilions and demonstrations, horse and farm exhibits, a youth pavilion, versatile horse and rider competitions, and the and exciting Pfizer Fantasia performances
About FLAIR Nasal Strips: FLAIR Strips provide drug-free support and protection to the respiratory system of the hard-working equine athlete. FLAIR Strips are proven to: reduce airway resistance, reduce lung stress and bleeding, reduce fatigue, and shorten post-exercise recovery time.
For more information about FLAIR Strips, Flair LLC and its sponsorship activities, please visit http://flairstrips.com
For more information about Equine Affaire please visit http://equineaffaire.com. To download a complete copy of the Equine Affaire Columbus Exposition schedule, please follow this link: http://equineaffair.com/u/pdf/12_oh_schedule_program5.pdf
Media Contact:
Nan Rawlins
pr@flairstrips.com
Team Griffiths — Back in the UK
Posted on Tuesday, March 20th, 2012 at 7:51 am.
Sam and Real Dancer
So, having done Australia, Christmas AND skiing, meant that the season was now coming at us like an express train so off to West Wilts it was for some very cold, very long days doing BSJA and then lots of trips to Rosamund Green and Boomerang XC schooling courses with various lorry loads each time. Luckily, they were all fantastic, seeming to have picked up where they left off. Boomerang was a particularly good day as I taught a lesson that a lovely lady, Penny Hayward, had won in a competition organised by my long time sponsor, Tri-Zone boots, which, judging by the smile on her face went very well.
Lucy and Angelo
Sam and Paulank Brockagh
And then I also had Happy Times on the lorry, who schooled like a real professional – just so smooth and bold – very exciting. I’ve also ust got back from a week’s Australian team training at the Unicorn Centre. I took 4 horses, Happy, Paulank Brockagh, Mumbo Jumbo and Real Dancer so it was pretty intense – one morning I had had 4 jumping lessons and 4 dressage lessons all by 2pm – exhausting!! But great training sessions though, particularly with Brett Parberry and Gareth Hughes who are both the most brilliant dressage trainers.
Sam and Paulank Brockagh
Which brings us right up to date with Moreton last weekend where we had all the young ones out doing their first run of the season. It’s great to be underway, but as we were driving there, we couldn’t believe the weather – torrential rain and very cold! Luckily, just as we were pulling in, the clouds blew away and it was beautiful blue skies all day – thank goodness! So the weather, teemed with lovely courses and excellent going made for a lovely start to the season. All the horses went very well indeed, with 4 out of 5 double clears and Lucy picking up 3rd place with the very exciting Angelo. It was great to have all our owners there to support us which made it a really fun day.
Sam and Real Dancer
This week, we’ve got quite a few going to Tweseldown and then Happy Times has his first run of the season and begins his Badminton build up at Aldon the weekend after. It’s non stop from here on in….!! <<Read previous post here
More pics on our Griffiths Eventing Team Facebook page…
A Griffiths’ Christmas!
Posted on Thursday, March 15th, 2012 at 10:00 am.
Sam hits the slopes
Christmas is always quite a big event with us as we head down to Lucy’s family home on the Isle of Wight for some serious festivities! This year was no exception…with 17 of us for lunch – ranging in age from 23 to 93, and Lucy’s uncle being a wine merchant, you can imagine how long that lunch was! Great fun…
But, after Christmas, it really was time to knuckle down and begin preparing for the 2012 season. With horses coming back from their winter holidays and pipes freezing we had a lot to be getting on with. It’s always a tricky time of year as the horses are fresh but working them can be a bit ’stop, start’ with the weather conditions.
However, a brief respite from all this was on the cards after we received an amazing invitation to join the Posfords (our long time owners) at their chalet in Meribel for a few days skiing…how could we say no!?! It was, of course, as incredible as we had hoped – the weather was beautiful, the snow excellent and of course the food and wine just superb – the whole trip was very spoiling indeed.
Lucy had only been skiing once before (when she was 12 – I’m not mentioning how many years ago that was…) so apart from a bit of a shaky start on the first day, she then ‘got the bug’ big time and much to my irritation, soon caught up with me! Despite my competitive nature getting the better off me, it really was the most fantastic few days and you can see more evidence of the fun times in our Facebook page! Read next post here>>
Sam Heads Home to Australia
Posted on Saturday, March 10th, 2012 at 9:29 am.
Sam Griffiths jumping LUCY
I can’t believe how quickly the winter has gone and, as I write this, I’ve already done the first event of the 2012 season…! I think most of the reason time has passed so quickly is because Lucy and I have jammed in so much to the last three months…
As soon as the season was over last Autumn, we headed off for Australia for a ‘Busman’s Holiday’ – we were there for 4 weeks, but three out of the four were spent working with my title sponsor, Horsequest, who are growing fast in Australia. We spent a few days at Equitana -the big equestrian trade show in Sydney – working on the HQ stand and then we headed across to Adelaide to help promote the brand at the Adelaide CCI****. This is a great event, with a wonderful atmosphere, again I was busy doing signings on the stand and we certainly managed to lure in my Aussie mates with some cold beers to offer round! I then also did course walks and a lecture demo – this was quite amusing as it turned out the horse that I had been lent to ride was called Lucy – you can imagine where I could have taken the inuendos with that! I thought better of it though and restrained myself!
From Adelaide, I then headed back to Sydney where I was teaching a 4 day clinic at the beautiful Wallaby Hills. Unfortunately, it poured with rain the entire time we were there so we didn’t see it at our best but it is still the most stunning location and Alex and Derek were the most incredible hosts. Our week at WH finished with a rather out of control evening as Chris Burton had joined us there and it coincided with his 30th birthday…I think it would probably sum up the evening’s proceedings if I mentioned that a certain undergarment of Chris’s ended up hanging from the chandelier….say no more!
After all this we needed some quiet time so Lucy and I headed down to my parent’s house in Melbourne for a few days of R&R -not to mention detox…Then it was time to head back to the British winter. Read more>>
NZ record for Twist & Twirl…
Posted on Saturday, March 3rd, 2012 at 5:12 am.
NZ record for Twist & Twirl in Northern Oaks
Don’t discount Auckland Reactor says Butt
Posted on Thursday, February 23rd, 2012 at 9:21 am.
“They don’t give these finals away and it’s not a two-horse race by any means,” Butt said after driving New Zealand superstar Auckland Reactor to a convincing victory in the sixth heat of the series at Gloucester Park on Monday night.
Auckland Reactor was the fastest of the four heat winners on the second night of the carnival and after the first eight heats the brilliant seven-year-old, Im Themightyquinn and Smoken Up are the only undefeated pacers in the series…Read more>>
