Photo Credit: ©Robyn
2012 LONGINES FEI WORLD ENDURANCE CHAMPIONSHIP NEWMARKET, GREAT BRITAIN AUGUST 25, 2012
The following horse-and-rider combinations have been named by the United States Equestrian Federation to represent the U.S. in the 2012 Longines FEI World Endurance Championship.
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John Crandell III Born: April 21, 1962 Residence: West River, MD
Heraldic – 14-year-old Arabian gelding owned by John Crandell Jr. John Crandell III has been involved in the sport of Endurance since 1976. In 2006, Crandell trained Heraldic to earn the first “Triple Crown” in the history of American endurance riding by winning the Old Dominion 100, The Tevis, and the AERC National Championships and was honored with the “Best Conditioned Horse” award at each event. In June 2007, Crandell and Heraldic won the Fort Howes CEI3* 160 km race in Montana. Two months later, the pair won the Arabian Nights CEI3* in Idaho. With his successes in 2007, Crandell was named Chronicle of the Horse “Overall Horseman of the Year.” In July 2008, Crandell partnered with HH Saba Shams finished second in the Greenway Gallivant CEI3* 160 km race in Florida. With LR Jasuur Melika, Crandell completed the Goethe Challenge and President’s Cup that same year. In 2010 at the Goethe Challenge in Florida, Crandell had a fourth place finish with LR Bold Greyson. Crandell and Heraldic had a banner year in 2011. In March, the pair won the 160 km race at FITS. Their success continued with a win at the CEI2* 120 km race
Photo Credit: Merri Melde-Endurance.net
Crandell has been a professional farrier since 1983. This has afforded him opportunities to serve as a shoeing and training consultant worldwide. He has participated as a rider or a staff member for equestrian endurance teams for most FEI world championships, and many other major international events since 1986.
in Millbrook, Ontario, Canada. At the Endurance Pan American Games in Santo Domingo, Chile, Crandell and Heraldic partnered yet again to compete in the CEIO2* 120km race. Finishing with a time of 6:03:38, Crandell won an Individual Silver medal and helped his team earn a Silver medal.
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Becky Hart
Born: February 12, 1954 Residence: San Juan Bautista, CA No Repeat – 10-year-old Arabian gelding owned by Becky Hart Becky Hart has long been a force on the endurance scene. In her 38 years of riding, Hart has earned more titles than many could ever dream of. Hart is a two-time winner of the prestigious Tevis Cup and Race of Champions in addition to winning the AERC National Championship and North American Championship twice as well. As the only rider to have won the FEI World Endurance Championship three times in a row, she is in a class of her own. Hart is a member of the AERC Hall of Fame and was the Hertz/USET Equestrian of the Year in 1990. She is also a previous recipient of the Chronicle of the Horse Overall Horseman of the Year award. In April of 2011, Hart and her gelding No Repeat added to Hart’s 20,000+ miles ridden in competition when they won the Buck Meadows Boogie. Only a few months later, the pair took third in the CEI3* at the Patriots Day at Lake Almanor event. They finished up the year with a third place finish out of 43 riders in the North American Endurance Team Challenge CEI3* for the bronze medal and the Best Conditioned Horse award. In 2012, the pair once again impressed at the CEI3* level by taking third out of 45 of the best endurance riders in the United States at the 2012 USA Team Trial Race. In addition to riding, Becky is also an Active Official. She has served on the AERC Board of Directors, USEF Board of Trustees, and is an FEI 3-star judge. She has also been
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Photo Credit: Donna Shifflette
the trainer for many world class riders in her 20 years of teaching.
Valerie Kanavy Born: July 9, 1946 Residence: Fort Valley, VA
Reach For The Gold – 9-year-old Arabian gelding owned by Valerie Kanavy The eldest of six children, 1994 and 1998 World Endurance Champion Valerie Kanavy was the only family member with an interest in horses. Although her parents supported her desire to ride, they couldn’t afford to buy her a horse–so she did it herself. At age 11, she got her first horse for $150. Kanavy began competitive riding in 1972 after reading an article about the Tevis Cup in California. Since then, she’s ridden to the top echelon of her field. Kanavy’s 1994 World Championship horse, Pieraz (nicknamed Cash) was purchased through a classified ad for $500. At the 1994 FEI World Equestrian Games in Holland, Kanavy and Cash earned the Individual Gold and Best Conditioned Award. In 1996, Kanavy opted not to defend her World Championship title. She instead handed over the reins to her daughter, Danielle. Kanavy won the 1998 World Endurance Championship in the United Arab Emirates with a thrilling gallop to the finish. At the 2000 Bayer/United States Equestrian Team (USET) Festival of Champions, Kanavy rode to a third place finish in the Sooner Trailer/USET 50-Mile Endurance Championship, finishing behind one of her own horses, Bearcat O’Reilly, ridden by winner Kristen Snook. She came back the next year to win the USET Championship, and repeated that title at the 75-mile distance in 2002. Valerie has had success in recent years with a number of different horses. With the Arabian mare Gold Raven, Kanavy won the FEI ride at the Goethe Challenge in December of 2008. With the grey Arabian gelding King Ali Gold, Valerie had two wins in the 2008 season. They won at the New Years in New Mexico competition and the CEI3* Open at Fort Howes. At the 2009 Biltmore Challenge Kanavy and her own Spectacular Gold won the AERC Open 100. Kanavy and her mount LM Parys won the CEI2* 120 KM race at Coast Creek New Lowell CEI event in Canada in late July. Kanavy’s first event of 2010 saw her in the top six at the Florida Horse Park Gallop on the Greenway with her mount Layla Z Gold in the FEI 80 1* event. A few months later, she placed third in the 120 KM CEI2* ride at the Biltmore Challenge with Destiny Gold. Her first win of the season would finally come in July when she would finish first in the CEI1* 84 KM ride in New Lowell, Canada on John Fountain’s Tuff Enough FA.
Photo Credit: Genie Stewart-Spears
Kanavy started 2011 off on a winning note, winning the Dupuis Piney Pig CEI3* on her own Gold Raven in January. In May, she would pick up another CEI victory on Reach For the Gold at the Biltmore Challenge CEI2* event. This would start a string of top placings for the rider and her horses. In May, she would cross the border and finish second in the CEI2* 120 K CEI event in Millbrook Ontario before traveling to the Big Sky State to win the CEI3* at the Fort Howes Endurance Ride. The 2011 Endurance Pan American Games in Chile would be Kanavy’s final ride of the year and she would go out on a high note, finishing third individually and was a member of the 2nd place U.S. team. Kanavy would repeat her victory at the Dupuis Piney Pig event in January of 2012, winning the CEI3* on LM Parys. In July, Kanavy and her mount Reach For the Gold were named to the U.S. Endurance Team for the 2012 World Endurance Championships. In addition to being a top competitor, Kanavy gives back to her sport through organizing and managing competitive rides. She has attracted riders from the United Arab Emirates, Australia and Europe, as well as the best from the U.S. and Canada. Kanavy and her husband, Larry, also own and operate Trev-Dan Building Supply Co., in Chester Springs, PA. They have three children.
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Nicki Meuten Born: January 5, 1970 Residence: Zebulon, NC
Not Tonight – 10-year-old Arabian mare owned by Nicki Meuten Nicki Meuten and her husband Don live outside of Raleigh, North Carolina on Forever Young Farm. They both are veterinarians and breed, raise, and train most of their competition horses. Nicki has been competing in endurance for almost 20 years and has over 10,000 competition miles. Recently, with her own Arabian mare, Not Tonight, Meuten has been riding many miles and picking up great results along the way. At the Biltmore Challenge in May 2009 the pair was
Photo Credit: Donna Shifflette
third in the AERC Open 100 division. They topped that
2012 FITS competition, Cashin In and Meuten would fin-
result in January 2010 at the Florida Horse Park Gallop
ish second. Meuten would pick Not Tonight as her mount
on the Greenway where they won the FEI 120km CEI2*.
at the 2012 USA Team Trial Race in March. The decision
Meuten and her mare returned to the Biltmore Challenge in 2010 and this time left with the victory in the 120km CEI2* SR division. Meuten put in two rides at the 2011 Dupuis Piney Pig event, placing third on FYF Dutch in the CEI1* before getting in the saddle the next day to place third in the CEI3* on Not Tonight. A little over a month later at the FITS competition, Meuten and Not Tonight won the 120km ride and picked up the Best Conditioned Award. In December of that same year, Meuten and her own Cashin In placed fifth in the CEI2* at the Goethe Benefit Challenge. FYF Dutch would get the call for the ride at the CEI3* at the 2012 Dupuis Piney Pig event where Meuten would place sixth on the gelding. In the 120 KM race at the
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would be the right one as they finished fifth in the CEI3* 160KM race.
Heather Reynolds Born: August 4, 1977 Residence: Dunnellon, FL
Riverwatch – 8-year-old Arabian gelding owned by Heather and Jeremy Reynolds Heather Reynolds is an accomplished endurance rider based out of Dunnellon, Florida where she runs a successful training business with her husband Jeremy. Reynolds won the CEI3* class at the 2007 Git-R-Done event on Cal Flaming Emit and hasn’t looked back. Her next race, she won the CEI2* division on HCR Jotyr and finished sixth on Dreamm On in the CEI3* at the Arabian Night race. Cal Flaming Emit would give Reynolds a fifth place finish in the CEI3* 160KM race at the 2008 Greenway Gallivant
Photo Credit: Donna Shifflette
but it wouldn’t be until 2009 that Reynolds would get
At the 2012 FITS event, Stirgess and Reynolds would
another CEI win. However, this win would be huge as she
come home first in the 160KM class as a good prep for
would pilot Makazin to victory in the CEI1* 80KM race at
the USA Team Trial Race. In the Trial Race, Reynolds
the 2009 AERC National Championship.
would pilot Riverwatch to a fourth place finish in the
In 2010, Reynolds would win the 160KM division at the Git R Done event on Ssamiam before finishing fourth in the 2* race on A Kutt Above at Sun City. Her upper level placings would continue at the Shine And Shine Only
CEI3* 160 KM race. Reynolds biggest victory of 2012 would be a double dip when she would pilot both Bound For Honor and Chanses to victories in the CEI2* and 3* respectively.
show where she would finish second in the CEI2* Senior. Reynolds would travel to Europe in July and win on Opium Lord in the CEI2* 120KM class at the CEI event at Euston Park in Great Britain. Reynolds would start her 2011 off with a fourth place finish in the CEI2* at the Patriot Day at Lake Almanor. She won the CEI2* at the Goethe Benefit Challenge to cap off her year. The Dupuis Piney Pig event would be Reynold’s first race of 2012 and she would have a good fifth on Riverwatch.
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Jeremy Reynolds Born: January 16, 1980 Residence: Dunnellon, FL
A Kutt Above – 11-year-old Arabian gelding owned by Heather and Jeremy Reynolds Jeremy Reynolds is an active endurance competitor based in Dunnellon, Florida. Not only does Reynolds compete in endurance rides around the globe, but he is also a farrier. In 2010, Reynolds and his Arabian gelding Sir Smith represented the U.S. at the 2010 Abu Dhabi Al Wathba President’s Cup in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates. The pair placed a credible 37th out of 106 competitors. Upon returning from the UAE, this pair won the 160km ride at the Git R Done II competition in April 2010. Reynolds rode TA Tiran to a victory a month later in the CEI2* Senior event at the Shine and Shine Only ride in California. But his winning streak wouldn’t end there as he’d ride A Kutt Above to victory in the CEI3* Senior ride at the Patriots Day at Lake Almanor in October of that year. Reynolds’ last ride of 2010 would also see victory when he rode Sir Smith to the win in the CEI3* 160km at the Desert Gold Multi-Day CEI event. At the same event and in the same class, he would ride Dreamerchant to a fifth place ride as well.
Photo Credit: Donna Shifflette
the CEI3* ride at the North American Endurance Team Challenge aboard A Kutt Above. His last race of the year would result in a third place finish with Severiano Martinez’s Chanses. In 2012, Reynolds would start off with a second place finish in the CEI2* event at the Dupuis Piney Pig ride on A Kutt Above. He would go on to finish fourth in the 120 KM race and third in the 90KM race at the 2012 FITS event. His first victory of the year would be a big one as he beat 44 other competitors in the CEI3* 160KM race at the 2012 Team Trial Race on A Kutt Above. The victory was followed by a second place finish at the FEI CEI3* ride at the Biltmore Challenge in May on Stirgess.
Reynolds would start 2011 off with a victory, winning the
In July, Reynolds was named to the U.S. Squad for the
80 KM 14 on Stirgess in May at the Shine and Shine Only
2012 World Endurance Championships with his mount A
Event. He would pilot Stirgess to a third place finish a
Kutt Above.
month later in the CEI2* Fort Howes Endurance Ride. A Kutt Above would get the call at the next CEI event and the pair would finish second in the CEI3* at the Patriots Day at Lake Almanor. Reynolds would get his first CEI victory of the year in September when he would win
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Reynolds is married to fellow endurance competitor Heather Reynolds. Together they run Reynolds Racing, a training, coaching and consulting business out of their home.
Margaret Sleeper Born: December 16, 1967 Residence: Frenchtown, NJ Substitute Syrocco Reveille – 10-year-old Arabian mare owned by Margaret Sleeper Margaret “Meg” Sleeper began riding as a child when at age 11, she got riding lessons for Christmas. Her father bought her a horse the following year, an Appaloosa named Tecumseh. After that she never looked back, completing her first competitive trail ride, a 30-mile with “Tummy” in 1980. A few years later, Sleeper and her dad were at an auction to raise money for Blair Academy, where one of the alumni had donated a 2-year-old half Arabian. After winning the bidding, they left with the untrained young horse who they named Chaucer. Sleeper and Chaucer would learn together and began taking part in endurance rides in 1986. They did their first 100-mile ride at Old Dominion in 1989. Many of the horses Sleeper has competed she has raised herself, and are relatives of Chaucer. Sleeper was on the U.S. East Gold medal team in the
Photo Credit: ©GenieSS, inc
Sleeper was a member of the Gold medal-winning U.S. East team at the 2009 North American Endurance Challenge in Lexington, KY, and was sixth individually on Syrocco Harmony. Also in 2009, Meg was first in the FEI Vermont 100-mile ride and won Best Conditioned on Syrocco Gabriel. She was a member of the 2008 U.S. team in Malaysia on Syrocco Reveille.
2001 Pan American Endurance championship where she
In 2010, Sleeper won the Fun in the Sun FEI 100-mile
was seventh individually. She has competed twice in the
ride in a time of 7 hours and 44 minutes with Syrocco
prestigious endurance ride in Dubai in 2001 on Syrocco
Reveille, who also won the Best Conditioned Award. She
Troilus and in 2002 on Syrocco Blair.
finished up the year by being part of the U.S. team at the
In 2006, Sleeper was 22nd at the FEI World Equestrian
Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games.
Games in Aachen, Germany, and the second fastest U.S.
Outside of endurance, Sleeper is a veterinary cardiolo-
rider. She finished first individually in the 2007 Zone
gist working at the Veterinary School at the University
Team Endurance Challenge (ZTEC), and her horse Sy-
of Pennsylvania. Because of her busy schedule, Sleep-
rocco Troilus also won the Best Conditioned Award and
er’s husband, Dave Augustine, does the majority of the
helped earn the Team Gold.
conditioning and preparation of the horses for their competitions.
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Emmett Ross
Born: August 13, 1948 Residence: Cat Spring, TX Chef d’Equipe Emmett Ross has contributed to the sport of endurance as a rider, trainer, and coach. Ross has logged over 5,600 kilometers and had three top ten Tevis Cup finishes and was a Haggin Cup recipient. Ross has attended as a rider, trainer, or coach at over 150 FEI events. He was the second of three trainers in the world to have had winning endurance horses in nine or more different countries. From 1995-2006, Ross was an endurance trainer and coach in the United Arab Emirates (UAE) and Qatar, and from 2000-2001 he was the top trainer in the UAE based on points and wins, producing numerous top riders and horses. In 2005, Ross was the Managing Director of the GCC Endurance Championship in Qatar, also serving as the Chef d’Equipe for Qatar in the championship, leading the riders to Young Rider Individual Gold and Team Silver and Senior Team Silver medals. In 2011, Ross became the Chef d’Equipe for the U.S. Endurance Team. Not only has he played an integral role in endurance riding, but Ross has also played an important part in the major equestrian competitions. In 1984, Ross was the Sports Manager (COO) of the Equestrian Events at the Los Angeles Olympics, and 12 years later, he was the Chief Adviser for the Equestrian Events at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics. For the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games in Lexington, KY Ross was the Director/ Manager of the endurance event.
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Photo Credit: Geoff Bugbee
Vonita Bowers Born: February 25, 1954 Residence: Lexington, KY Team Leader Vonita Bowers began working at the United States Equestrian Federation in December of 2006 as the Director of Endurance; she now also serves as Director of Reining. For 24 years she had a career in the medical services sector in administration and business management. Prior to joining the USEF staff, Bowers had served for 16 years in leadership roles for the American Endurance Ride Conference (AERC) as a member of the Board of Directors, as a Vice President, and served as President for two years. Bowers has accumulated just under 10,000 career endurance miles and has been in the AERC National Top Ten and the AERC Central Region Champion. Addition-
Photo Credit: USEF Archives
ally, she is an FEI licensed official, a past member of the Endurance Technical Committee, and has been an organizer of endurance events.
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