News & Horses:
Found 12 results
News Articles
Thank you, Encanto XI
Encanto XI , bred by Hampton Green Farm by Evento out of Cantora XVI (Golondrino XIV). It’s never easy to report when a “Unicorn” leaves this world, but in their place we live with the memories, experiences and photos of having known such a magical creature…. Encanto XI, the gorgeous grey stallion owned by Dr. Jane E. Bistline, is now galloping in the skies , having been humanely euthanized last week due to metastatic cancer. Born in Spain in 2002 and bred by the prestigious American breeder Hampton Green Farms, this son of Evento was first known in the dressage arena under the guidance of Jose Daniel Martin Dockx. Always designated for a sport horse, Encanto took part in Young Horse classes in ANCCE events and ultimately competed successfully in the Small and Big Tours from 2009 to 2013. His international career included the Sunshine Tour and Saumur (FRA), under the training of then team trainer Jan Bemelmans. In 2013, Encanto made the jump again to the American continent where his new owner, Dr. Bistline, gave him the best home possible. Since then, his majestic beauty and noble character not only delighted all who surrounded him, but also many thousands of Wellington spectators in the hands of the unmatched horse handler Tom Reed, who oversaw all equine training for many years for Medieval Times. Encanto’s beauty was the subject of many paintings, and the grace of his movement amazed his public. His beautiful head, sweet eyes, expressive and serene, and his extravagant movement made him a model of the modern Spanish sport horse. Although unforgettable, we are grateful to have in our memories countless moments stamped in pictures and videos of a purely enchanting animal (worth the redundancy), ENCANTO XI.
Can Alzina Inaugural Show a Resounding Success
Last weekend in Barcelona, Grandioso III and Daniel Martin Dockx participated in the first Can Alzina CDN3* at the brand new, world-class facility called Can Alzina, owned by the Elias/Collins/Vila family. Immaculate stables with Rower [&] Rub stalls, 4 Martin Collins arenas, a spectacular covered arena and a beautiful stone clubhouse now compliment the cobble-stone pathways and ancientbuildings that were originally on the site, which also houses a renowned restaurant featuring the local Catalan cuisine. The owners of the stables have made it a future goal to host an international series of shows, similar to Sunshine Tour, but later in the Spring, to bring together riders from Spain, France and beyond for two weeks of Spanish hospitality and top competition. In order to convince the Federation that they are ready to hold such a series, this first year was a national show like none other--featuring international judges and international-style management. Over 200 horses were on site, with a full schedule of Young Horse classes, Youth Classes, and all FEI levels. The spirit of the weekend was unforgettable, with virtually the entire Spanish dressage community coming together to support Annabelle and Augusti Elias, and Lucas and Nuria Elias and all of their family who hosted the event. Following Friday night's award ceremony, the celebrating went on until 5 am, in classic Spanish style! Grandioso finished second both days of the Grand Prix and Grand Prix Kur with scores above 70%, outscored only by Spain's national treasure Fuego de Cardenas. Our thanks to the Elias family for their warm and generous hospitality-- and to the Collins family for giving to Spain and their new Spanish family the gift of a world-class dressage facility in which to develop and promote this sport for everyone.
HGF January 2012 News
The Winter Season kicks off with a super-busy month of January. Some of our activities include: January 16 Grand Opening and Dedication of New Arena at Vinceremos Therapeutic Riding Center January 18--USDF Trainers Seminar, to be held at HGF January 19-21 Gold Coast Opener, with new levels for HGF horses--Mica and Cuatrero at PSG/I-1, and Rachel and Embrujado at Young Riders January 26-28 World Dressage Masters January 27-28--USET Board Meeting and Olympic Gala January 31--Sunshine Tour Opens (Vejer, Spain) for 3 HGF Horses--Grandioso, Encanto and Vaquero Additionally, this month HGF is happy to be hosting the Canadian Para-Olympic Team for the interim week between the Gold Coast Opener and the Wellington Sunshine Challenge. In USPRE News, we are working on setting up the new office in Wellington and putting together the annual USPRE Wellington Event. This year's event will be held on Wednesday night, February 15 at the new Global Dressage Festival showgrounds, and features riders and clinicians Tina Konyot, Lendon Gray, Endel Ots, Mica Mabragana, Emily Copeland and others. A Spanish dinner and a night of dancing horses will be a highlight of the USPRE sponsored Florida Dressage Classic CDI-W. The USPRE Board of Directors will meet that week as well, the new office will have its "Grand Opening", and the new Regional Directors will be flying in for a training seminar. Stayed tuned for more information. This week, USPRE will announce the names of the three recipients of the Dressage Scholarships for 2012, and our own Suzanne O'Brien of Battle Creek, Michigan, and Innato HGF (Idilio x Relimpia) are the 2012 Scholarship recipients for Amateur category. Seewww.usprea.com for comments by Scholarship advisor Robert Dover and for the names of the other winners. Congratulations, Suzanne!
HGF at Sunshine Tour, Week One
HGF horses did well during the first week of the CDI Tour in Vejer, Spain. Grandioso and rider Daniel Martin Dockx finished 7th of 40 in the Grand Prix on Friday with 68.5%. Going on to the GP Special with the top 15 horses, they improved to 3rd place with 70.9%. Ten year old Encanto scored 64.8 in the Grand Prix and 65.6 in the Consolation GP. Vaquero HGF competed in his first international show and scored 80.2 in the Preliminary 5 Year Olds, and 75.0 in the Final. He was also the recipient of the ANCCE award for the Young Horses levels in the show.
HGF at Sunshine Tour, Week One
HGF horses did well during the first week of the CDI Tour in Vejer, Spain. Grandioso and rider Daniel Martin Dockx finished 7th of 40 in the Grand Prix on Friday with 68.5%. Going on to the GP Special with the top 15 horses, they improved to 3rd place with 70.9%. Ten year old Encanto scored 64.8 in the Grand Prix and 65.6 in the Consolation GP. Vaquero HGF competed in his first international show and scored 80.2 in the Preliminary 5 Year Olds, and 75.0 in the Final. He was also the recipient of the ANCCE award for the Young Horses levels in the show.
HGF at Sunshine Tour, Week Two
HGF at Sunshine Tour 2012, Week 2 Vaquero HGF (Cuatrero x Encina x Idilio) finished the second week of Sunshine Tour with a Second Place in the FEI 5 Year Old Finals with 75%. They were the highest scoring young horse of any breed for Spain in the circuit, and also took the ANCCE Young Horse award for PREs for both weeks. In the Big Tour, Grandioso and Dani were 3rd all weekend behind Portugal's Rubi and France's Riwera de Hus, but topping a class of close to 40 again in this final week of Sunshine Tour. In the Grand Prix, they scored 70.2, finishing with a 73.9 in the Kur. Additionally, 10 year old Encanto HGF (Evento x Cantora) received 66.1 in the Grand Prix.
Grandioso Sweeps the Grand Prix at Sunshine Tour CDI, Week 1--Vaquero wins the Copa ANCCE
Grandioso returned to theshow ring for the first time since the Olympic Games to top a field of 16 in the first Grand Prix at Sunshine Tour in Vejer, Spain. The class held strong representation from Spain and Portugal, featuring many seasoned horses along with a good number of young combinations showing promise for the future. Daniel Martin Dockx's ride on Friday evening was conservative and cautious as Grandioso came into the ring rather strong and impatient. They were awarded 69.6 from the ground jury, which consisted of mostly French and Latin American judges. On Saturday, they performed a relaxed and confident Kur together and this was not lost on the judges, who gave Daniel and Grandioso their highest marks to date--74.825 with technical scores ranging from 71 to 74.7%. The pair's new Kur was designed late last year by Marlene Whitaker, an American freestyle designer whose workhas been represented at the Olympics, Para Olympics, World Cup, Young Rider World Cup, Pan Am Games, World Equestrian Games, North American Young Rider Championships, European Young Rider Championships,and many national championships. In 2009, Marlene designedGrandioso's Intermediate I freestyle for Courtney King-Dye for which they received scores in a similar range. Marlene's selections for the new arrangement derive from themes from the score of the 2012 film Hemingway and Gellhorn, interspersed with portions of modern Flamenco "fusion", creating an impression of grandeur and rhythm in the Spanish tradition. Vaquero HGF (Cuatrero x Idilio) continues to lead the competition in the Young Horse classes. For the second year in a row, Michigan-born Vaquero has won the Copa ANCCE at Sunshine Tour. This award, sponsored by the national breeders association in Spain, is given to the PRE Horse that has the highest composite marks for the week, all levels considered together. This past week, Vaquero finished 2nd place overall in both the Preliminary and Finals of the FEI 6 Year Old classes, both days placing behind a warmblood horse. In 2012, at the National Young Horse Championships in Zaragoza, Vaquero ranked first of all 5 year old PRE bred horses in the competition, and our hopes are to continue to hold this place in 2013. This was his first time doing the more complicated 6 year old test, and their combined scores topped all the other young horse PRE competitors in all age categories. They will show again in week 2. We will update next week on Encanto and the rest of Sunshine Tour.
Hampton Green Farm Shines at Sunshine Tour
Sunshine Tour Week 2 Report: Grandioso does it again--sweeping the Grand Prix and Grand Prix Kur with personal best scores--71.36 and 75.2 respectively, demonstrating that he and rider Daniel Martin Dockx are ready to set their sites on competing in Northern Europe later this year. Vaquero HGF took 2nd again in the Six Year Old Preliminary Test to Oldenburg Sir Barnaby, but tables were turned in the Final test when Vaquero won the class with 76.8. And for a second week, Vaquero won the Copa ANCCE for the Young Horse Division--an award provided by the National Breeders' Association to the top scoring PRE horse of the 4, 5 and 6 Year Olds. (Grandioso was the winner of the Copa ANCCE both weeks for top scoring PRE horse in the FEI Divisions.) Encanto XI returned to the Grand Prix ring after having gone a year without competing, due to the busy schedule last year with Grandioso. Over two weeks, Encanto made progressively stronger showings with each test. He has confirmed himself now in the mid-60s, very respectable for a young Grand Prix horse who turns 11 in August. The high point of his tour was a 67.02 and Second Place finish in the Grand Prix Special for Week 2. A super wrap-up for HGF and Daniel Martin Dockx as they finished the Tour in the winners circle with all three HGF horses. Daniel and fellow Olympian Juan Manuel Munoz next travel to Florida this week to be the VIP guests and clinicians at USPRE week in Wellington.
Encanto XI and Daniel Martin are Intermediare I Champions of Andalucia
Last weekend in Almeria, Spain, HGF's Encanto and Daniel Martin Dockx were awarded Champions of Andalucia for Intermediare I. Encanto has not competed since the Sunshine Tour earlier in the year, but improved his scores at the I-I in this latest showing, finishing with a composite score of 67.55%. Daniel and Encanto are preparing for the National Championships of Spain in November. Encanto is an 8 year old PRE Stallion, branded HGF, by Evento out of the late Cantora XVI. The colt has been in Spain since 2007 in training with Daniel, and last year the pair achieved the Reserve National Championship for Developing Horses in Spain, and placed in the ribbons in the international classes at Sunshine Tour this past March. Daniel makes regular visits to HGF to train with Lendon Gray and Courtney King-Dye and to assist HGF riders. Daniel is taking over the training of Adelante and Idolo Americano later this year.
HGF's Encanto XI Debuts in the Grand Prix at Sunshine Tour
HGF's Encanto XI Debuts in the Grand Prix at Sunshine Tour Last weekend, HGF-bred Encanto XI did his first Grand Prix test in the Sunshine Tour CDI*** in Vejer, Spain. Rider Daniel Martin Dockx brought Encanto to Vejer for the purpose of schooling with Spanish Team Coach Jan Bemelmens, and the decision was made to enter the horse in the Inter II and Grand Prix the first weekend of the three week series. Due to the horse's young age, Dani Martin was given permission by the Ground Jury to only do the two tests. In the Inter II, Dani got his feet wet at International Big Tour competition, and the pair scored 64.45 with errors in a few of the movements. On Saturday, horse and rider appeared more comfortable in the Grand Prix. Opening the class as the first ride, they received 67.02% and finished 7th in a class of 27 horses. Encanto XI is a 2002 PRE stallion, son of Evento out of Cantora XVI. At four years old, Encanto was sent to Spain to begin his dressage training with Dani Martin, and the pair went on to 2009 Reserve National Developing Horse Champion, and 2010 Inter I Champion of Andalucia. Astrid Appels of www.eurodressage.com was there and said of the ride: Jose Daniel Martin Dockx brought five horses to the Sunshine Tour, four of them to compete. Aboard Kim Boyer's 9-year old PRE stallion Encanto XI (by Evento out of the late Cantora XVI) the charming pair placed seventh with 67.021%. The duo is one of the rising stars in Spain having became regional small tour champion and national reserve champion in the developing horse class in 2010. Encanto's youth and inexperience at Grand Prix level were still obvious in the test as he needed to have more strength to stay balanced in the piaffe. Nevertheless the lovely sit and expression were there. http://www.eurodressage.com/equestrian/2011/03/08/garcia-mena-and-norte-bring-dash-arena-2011-sunshine-tour See alsohttp://www.topiberian.com/index.php?option=com_content[&]view=article[&]id=2852%3Ajose-antonio-garcia-mena-y-norte-abren-el-gran-premio-con-un-exito[&]catid=74%3Aactualidad-internacional-[&]Itemid=819[&]lang=en
Carina HGF
Congratulations to Cindy and Eric Smith of Templeton, California in their recent purchase of Carina HGF, a 2008 bright bay filly by Camaron IX out of Sevillana LXXX. Cindy joined the HGF family last October when she purchased Decoroso HGF, a 2006 Chestnut Stallion, an exciting young prospect with whom she has won every class she's entered with scores to 70%. Cindy and Eric returned to Hampton Green in search of a perfect mount for Eric and breeding mare for Deco. Carina shows her father's beautiful expression and suspension in front, with her mother's powerful hind end and quick hind leg. Originally intended to be a breeding prospect for HGF, we were happy to see this special filly go to professional riders who are serious about developing and campaigning their PRE horses. In other news, Encanto XI and Dani Martin wrapped up the Sunshine Tour with another successful go at the Grand Prix last weekend. In only their second time at the test, and both done in the international arena, Dani finished 5th in a class of 19, with a score of 64.4. For full results seehttp://sunshinetour.net/documentos/fotos/1263_5.pdf . Dani and Encanto next look forward to accompanying the Spanish Team to CDI Saumur, France, at the end of April.
HGF's Encanto in Saumur
Last weekend, HGF's Encanto XI competed for Spain at CDIO Saumur. The 2002 PRE Stallion by Evento, bred by HGF, began his first year at the Grand Prix level at the Sunshine Tour in March and is getting scores in the mid-sixties. For both horse and rider Jose Daniel Martin Dockx, the Saumur show was the first time to compete outside of Spain. In the Grand Prix, the pair scored 62.8 and were 19th of 30 horses. They improved their marks in the Grand Prix Consolation test with 65.78 and Fourth Place of 16 horses. Their performance was noted by Eurodressage who reported: "The American owned 9-year-old Incanto is another talent from Spain He moves in a similar style to Norte and showed trot half passes with the most amazing athleticism and crossing over, reminiscent of Satchmo. However, the other movements still need more maturing, though he appears to be promising." http://www.eurodressage.com/equestrian/2011/05/03/raising-union-jack-british-festival-grand-prix-2011-cdio-saumur