Photo Credits: SusanJStickle.com, Kenneth Kraus/PhelpsSports
CDIO5* & CSIO5* FALSTERBO
Falsterbo, Sweden
July 9-12, 2015
The following combinations will represent the U.S. at CDIO5* Falsterbo (in alphabetical order):
Dressage - Team
Photo Credit: SusanJStickle.com
Susan Dutta
Born: January 9, 1969 Residence: Wellington, Fla. Currency DC – 2000 Oldenburg gelding owned by Tim Dutta Inc. Susan Dutta’s competitive highlights include numerous top placings at some of the nation’s most prestigious events. In the first-ever Coupe des Ameriques in 2002 in Blainville, Canada, Dutta captured Individual Gold, Team Gold, and Team Bronze. That same year, she was the Intermediaire National Champion. In 2003, Dutta was the reserve rider for the Pan American Games. In 2007, she was able to represent her country as part of the Team Gold medal winning effort at the Pan American Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. In late 2009, Dutta began making a name for herself in Europe with Currency DC, Manette DC, and Golden Choice DC. All three horses racked up solid results, competing on the Sunshine Tour in Spain and in a handful of German
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shows in the spring. In May, Currency DC was second in the Grand Prix Special at the CDI3* Hamburg Dressage Derby. She competed successfully throughout Europe in 2010 and returned to the states in the fall, riding Manette DC to second-place finishes in the Grand Prix and Grand Prix Freestyle at the NEDA Fall Dressage Festival CDI-W. At the Dressage at Devon CDI-W, the pair had a fifth-place finish in the Grand Prix Freestyle. The International Horse Sport Champions Cup CDI3* proved to be a strong start to 2011 for Dutta as she piloted Currency DC to a win in the Grand Prix Special and Manette DC to a second-place finish in the Grand Prix Freestyle. She then won both the CDI3* Grand Prix and Grand Prix Freestyle on Currency DC at the CDI3* Raleigh and Capital Dressage Classic. Dutta took her string of horses to Canada for CDI-W Milton, finishing third and fourth in the Grand Prix on Currency DC and Manette DC, respectively. She and Manette DC finished third in the CDI-W Grand Prix Special at Centerline Events at HITS-on-the-Hudson. Dutta closed out her year with two fourth-place finishes in the Grand Prix and Grand Prix Freestyle with Golden Choice DC at the NEDA Fall Dressage Festival CDI-W.
Dresssage - Team Dutta scored numerous top 10 finishes throughout 2012, including third at CDI3* Leudelange in the Grand Prix and fifth at the Palm Beach Dressage Derby CDI-W in the Grand Prix Special riding Currency DC. She began her 2013 season competing at the Adequan Global Dressage Festival (AGDF) and earning top placings, including wins at the WEF Dressage Classic CDI3* Grand Prix Special with Currency DC and Wellington Nations Cup CDI1* Intermediaire I Freestyle with Lumberjack 12. Dutta then had solid results with her string of horses during the summer and fall in Europe. Starting off 2014 at the AGDF, Dutta was third in the CDI3* Grand Prix Freestyle with Currency DC during week five. The pair improved to first place in the CDI3* Grand Prix Freestyle two weeks later. They closed out the AGDF with a fourth-place finish in the CDI5* Grand Prix Special. Heading to Europe, Dutta and Currency DC were fourth once again at CDI3* Compiègne in the Grand Prix Freestyle. Dutta began 2015 with a fourth-place finish in the CDI5* Grand Prix Special with Currency DC during week five of the AGDF. The pair were then third in the CDI5* Grand Prix Freestyle during week 12. Dutta and husband Tim own The Dutta Corporation, an international horse transportation business. She currently trains with Jurgen Koschel in Germany.
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Dressage - Team
Photo Credit: SusanJStickle.com
Catherine Haddad Staller
Born: March 26, 1964 Residence: Wellington, Fla. Mane Stream Hotmail – 2002 Oldenburg gelding owned by Rowan O’Riley Catherine Haddad Staller returned to the U.S. in October of 2012 after 20 years in Germany. After training for two years with Willi Schultheis, she established a successful training and showing stable in Vechta. With Maximus JSS, Cadillac, and Winyamaro, she earned over 100 top ten placings in international competitions between 2006 and 2011. In 2006, Haddad Staller was named as a reserve to the U.S. Dressage Team for the FEI World Equestrian Games in Aachen, Germany with Maximus JSS. In 2007, she became the first American dressage rider to qualify for the World Cup Final by competing in the Western European League. With Maximus JSS, she finished seventh at the 2007 FEI
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World Cup Finals in Las Vegas. In 2009, Haddad Staller won eight Grand Prix with her top horse, Cadillac. Winyamaro, also established himself in the Grand Prix arena the same year, winning one national Grand Prix and placing third in the Freestyle at the heavily visited Berlin Tempelhof CDI3*. In 2010, Haddad Staller and Winyamaro had a banner year. After winning one national Grand Prix Special in April, Winyamaro began his international career at CDI3* Hamburg where he and Haddad Staller placed second in the Freestyle. At CDI-W Lipica the pair was seventh in the Grand Prix and fourth in the Freestyle. Other highlights include a fifth-place finish in the Grand Prix at CDI4* Fritzens-Schindlhof CDI4* and a fourth-place finish in the Grand Prix Special at CDI5* Falsterbo. In August, Haddad Staller and Winyamaro traveled to Gladstone, N.J. to contest the Collecting Gaits Farm/USEF Festival of Champions and their strong placings allowed them to finish fourth in the National Grand Prix Championship. Haddad Staller was again the reserve rider for the U.S. Dressage Team for the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games in Kentucky with Winyamaro.
Dresssage - Team In 2011, Haddad Staller competed at the Reem Acra FEI World Cup Finals with Winyamaro. Once again she qualified for the Finals in the Western European League, which is widely known as the toughest World Cup Qualifying League. Back in the U.S., Haddad Staller and Winyamaro were second in the Grand Prix and Freestyle at Dressage at Devon CDI-W. In October of 2011, Haddad Staller was nominated to the Executive Board of the International Dressage Riders Club as Communications Chair. Haddad Staller kicked off 2013 with a Grand Prix win aboard Mane Stream Hotmail at the Wellington Classic Dressage Challenge I. The pair then earned a second-place finish in the Grand Prix Special at the Dressage at Devon CDI-W. Haddad Staller began 2014 by winning the Grand Prix during weeks one and five of the Adequan Global Dressage Festival (AGDF). The pair then traveled to Europe for the spring and summer, highlighted by second-place finishes in the Grand Prix Special at CDI5* Falsterbo and the Grand Prix and Grand Prix Special at CDI4* Cappeln. Returning to the states in the fall, Haddad Staller and Mane Stream Hotmail were third in the Grand Prix and Freestyle at the Dressage at Devon CDI-W. Her 2015 season began with a fourth-place finish in the CDI-W Freestyle with Mane Stream Hotmail during week one of the AGDF. The pair then was part of the USA II Team at the Stillpoint Farm FEI Nations Cup CDIO3*, which placed fourth. Haddad Staller received a B.A. from James Madison College at Michigan State University in 1987 and graduated with Honors. She is a recipient of the BHSAI certificate of teaching from the British Horse Society and has been awarded with the German Gold Medal for Competitive Success in Dressage. In January of 2010, she married American veterinarian Dr. Greg Staller.
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Dressage - Team
Photo Credit: SusanJStickle.com
Brian Hafner
Born: August 3, 1988 Residence: Penngrove, Calif. Lombardo LHF – 1999 Hanoverian gelding owned by Brian Hafner and Rebecca Hafner Brian Hafner has been a competitive dressage rider from a very young age. Originally from Minnesota, he relocated to San Diego in 2006 with his horse Lombardo and dreams to compete at the Adequan/FEI North American Junior & Young Rider Championships presented by Gotham North (NAJYRC). In 2009 that dream became a reality when he represented Region 7 at the NAJYRC with Lombardo LHF and won the Young Rider Team Gold medal. The pair went on to win the Young Rider Freestyle Silver and Individual Bronze medals. In 2010, Hafner had several top placings in Small Tour classes. He ended his season with Reserve Champion titles in the GAIG/USDF Open Intermediaire I & II Region 7 Championships.
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In 2012, the pair earned the National Champion title in the USEF Brentina Cup “Young Adult” National Championship. Hafner has trained Lombardo LHF up to Grand Prix from a four-year-old and has earned his USDF Bronze, Silver, and Gold medals. 2013 saw continued success with a second-place finish in the Grand Prix and a win in the Grand Prix Special at the Golden State Dressage Festival CDI3*. At the Paragon Dressage Show CDI3*, they were third and first in the Grand Prix and Grand Prix Freestyle, respectively. The pair had great performances at the GAIG/USDF Region 7 Championships and placed second in the Open Grand Prix Region 7 Championship. In 2014, Hafner began a successful year at the Mid-Winter Dressage Fair CDI-W with a third-place finish in the Grand Prix and a win in the Grand Prix Freestyle, and a pair of wins two months later at the Golden State Dressage Festival CDI3*. That summer, the pair traveled to Europe and gave great performances at the CDIO5* Rotterdam and CDIO3* Hickstead. 2015 has been successful for Hafner and Lombardo LHF as they scored wins at the Golden State Dressage Festival CDI3* in the Grand Prix and Grand Prix Freestyle.
Dresssage - Team
Photo Credit: SusanJStickle.com
Devon Kane
Born: February 19, 1986 Residence: Wellington, Fla. Destiny – 2003 Danish Warmblood gelding owned by Diamante Farms When Devon Kane took her first dressage lesson as a young child, she immediately knew that dressage would be a big part of the rest of her life. She was a junior rider when her parents bought Diamante Farms in Wellington, Fla., in 2002. In 2007, Kane attended the FEI North American
Dressage Classic CDI3*. The following year they moved up to the Grand Prix level. Kane’s 2014 season began with a fifth-place finish with Destiny in the CDI3* Grand Prix Special during the final week of the Adequan Global Dressage Festival (AGDF). The pair then scored Grand Prix Open Championship titles at the GAIG/Region 3 Championship and the US Dressage Finals presented by Adequan. Starting 2015 at the AGDF, Kane and Destiny were fourth in CDI3* the Grand Prix Special during week 12. Kane is the Head Trainer of Diamante Farms in Wellington, Fla.
Junior & Young Rider Championships presented by Gotham North and won Individual Gold and Team Bronze medals. She has found continued success as she had moved up the levels. Kane started her horse Destiny as a four-year-old and has brought him up the levels. In 2012, Kane and Destiny were third in the Prix St. Georges and second in the Intermediaire I at the Wellington Classic Sunshine CDI1*. The pair was then second in both the Prix St. Georges and Intermediaire I during the Florida 2015 CDIO5* Falsterbo
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Chef d’Equipe in 1990 aboard her own wonderful Dutch Warmblood, Unanimous. A USDF Bronze, Silver and Gold medalist, Steiner continues to enjoy a successful career. Steiner coaches several students and trains young horses. In addition to her coaching and training endeavors, she has served in governance and provided commentary at major national and international competitions.
Photo Credit: SusanJStickle.com
Betsy Steiner Chef d’Equipe
Born: February 2, 1951 Residence: Wellington, Fla. Betsy Steiner began riding at the age of 13. While eventing first drew Steiner into the competitive arena, it was a year at Christilot Boylen’s barn that cemented her devotion to dressage. An unquenchable desire to immerse herself in dressage led her to spend more than two years in Germany with Egon von Neindorff. In the years since her first Grand Prix at the age of 20, Steiner has enjoyed working with such luminaries as Uwe Steiner, Herbert Rehbein, Guenter Seidel, Klaus Balkenhol, and Steffen Peters. During her career, Steiner has successfully trained many horses to Grand Prix and enjoyed success at the highest levels for more than three decades. One of the highlights of Betsy’s illustrious career was when she represented the United States at the World Equestrian Games in Stockholm, Sweden
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The following combinations will represent the U.S. at CSIO5* Falsterbo (in alphabetical order):
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Jumping - Team
Photo Credit: Kenneth Kraus/PhelpsSports
Heather CaristoWilliams Born: December 12, 1978 Residence: Saugerties, N.Y.
Evening Star - 2002 Holsteiner gelding owned by Holly and Ralph Caristo Heather Caristo-Williams had a hugely successful career as a junior rider, dominating the equitation and junior jumper ranks. After a taking a hiatus to attend New York University, she became the professional rider at her father Ralph Caristo’s Glenview Stables, where she teaches and develops young horses. Caristo-Williams has found much success in the hunter and jumper rings. In 2013, Caristo-Williams started the season at the FTI Consulting Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF), finishing fourth in the $33,000 CSI3* Ruby et Violette WEF Challenge with Evening Star during week 10. Next, the pair came in fifth and seventh in the $25,000 SmartPak
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Grand Prix and $50,000 EMO Grand Prix, respectively, at HITS-on-the-Hudson I. They had similar performances at HITS-on-the-Hudson II, finishing fifth and sixth in the $25,000 SmartPak Grand Prix and $75,000 HITS Grand Prix. Caristo-Williams and Evening Star improved to third in the $75,000 Grand Prix of Lake Placid. The pair finished third once again at the HITS-on-the-Hudson IV $50,000 Horze Grand Prix. They scored their first win of the year in the $35,000 Sussex County Grand Prix. Caristo-Williams and Evening Star then were fifth in the 25,000 Equestrian Fall Productions Fall III Grand Prix. Caristo-Willams had a solid year in 2014, finishing 11th in the $34,000 Don Little Memorial Welcome Stake at the American Gold Cup and 10th in the $25,000 Holiday Festival II Grand Prix with Evening Star. She has galloped to success in 2015. During week five of WEF she and Evening Star earned a second-place finish in the $127,000 Ariat CSI3* Grand Prix. Caristo-Williams came in ninth and 12th in the $50,000 Ring Power Grand Prix with Cosmopolitan 30 and Evening Star, respectively, at the HITS Ocala Tournament. She was then 10th in the $34,000 Ruby et Violette WEF Challenge with Cosmopolitan 30 dur-
Jumping - Team ing week 11 of WEF. In Europe, Caristo-Willams won a CSI2* class with Cosmopolitan 30 and was second in the Grand Prix at CSI2* Madrid. At CSIO3* Madrid she and Evening Star were part of the U.S. team which placed fourth in the Nations Cup competition.
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Jumping - Team
Photo Credit: : Picsofyou.com
Kirsten Coe
Fairfield Grand Prix in Connecticut. In August of 2010, Coe and Kilkenny Randall Z were fifth in the $30,000 Manches-
Born: January 14, 1981 Residence: Royal Palm Beach, Fla.
ter and the Mountains Grand Prix.
Czardas 30 - 2003 Hanoverian stallion owned by Lovsta Stuteri
presented by Pfizer Animal Health at Thermal. The follow-
Growing up on the west coast, Kirsten Coe spent much of her childhood in the saddle. For the majority of her junior career, she perfected her skills at the Desert Circuit in California. Throughout her career, Coe has often done double-duty in both the hunter and jumper rings. In the hunter classes, she has picked up numerous tri-colors on many different horses. With Heartfelt, Coe won the World Champion Hunter Rider Professional Challenge at the Capital Challenge in 2007. Coe jumped to many strong placings in the Grand Prix ring, partnering with a number of Ilan Ferder’s talented horses. In June of 2008, she and Starlight won the $25,000
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In 2011, Coe clocked up many miles traveling back and forth between Florida and California to compete a number of horses. During the first week in March, Coe and Tristan teamed up to win the $31,000 HITS Welcome Classic ing week, with Kilkenny Randall Z, she was second in the $200,000 Lamborghini Grand Prix. Coe completed the winter season of 2011 by finishing eighth with Tristan in a star-studded field at the $500,000 FTI Consulting Finale Grand Prix at the FTI Consulting Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF). 2012 started well for Coe. She and her horses had several strong placings at the FTI Consulting WEF. With Baronez, Coe finished third in the $32,000 Suncast 1.50M Championship Jumper Classic. Coe and Combina finished sixth in the $32,000 WEF Challenge Cup Round IX. For her performances, Coe qualified to represent the U.S. at the 2012 Rolex/FEI World Cup Finals. Coe traveled to Europe where she finished ninth in the
Jumping - Team CSI4* Gold Tour class in Antwerpen, Belgium on Sundance.
Oak International CSI2*-W Grand Prix with Czardas 30. In
She bettered that performance in Wiesbaden, Germany on
the Great American $1 Million Grand Prix at HITS Ocala she
the Global Champions Tour (GCT) when she finished fourth
and Baronez finished fifth. Coe then represented the U.S.
in a CSI5* 1.45M class on Baronez.
at the Longines FEI World Cup Jumping Final. At the Old
Back in the states, Coe finished fifth in the $50,000 Spy
Salem Farm Spring II Horse Show she and Baronez were
Coast/YHS Grand Prix Qualifier with Baronez at the Hamp-
fifth in the $100,000 Empire State Grand Prix. At Spruce
ton Classic. She added a third-place finish to her results for
Meadows’ CSI5* ‘National’ presented by Rolex Tournament
the year, riding Catando Lyngriis in the Grand Prix of Prince-
Coe and Czardas 30 were fourth in the $34,000 Roadtrek
ton. Coe ended 2012 with a third-place finish in the $25,000
Motorhomes Cup.
Citibank New Years Grand Prix with Chicago Lyngriis. In 2013, Coe won the $30,000 Ruby et Violette WEF Round VII with Baronez during week seven of the FTI Consulting WEF. The following week she and Calypso were third in the $25,000 Ariat Jumper Classic. During week 11, Coe had a great week with Baronez, finishing third in the $101,000 Pennfield Feeds CSI4* Grand Prix and fifth in the $50,000 Ruby et Violette WEF Round XI. The pair’s success continued, placing fourth at the American Invitational. Traveling to Spruce Meadows, Coe and Baronez were fifth in the $400,000 CN Reliability Grand Prix World Cup Qualifier during the CSI5* ‘National’ Tournament. With Calypso, Coe scored a second-place finish in the $50,000 RBC Financial Group Cup during the CSI4* ‘Canada One’ Tournament. Going overseas to compete, Coe helped the U.S. team win the CSIO3* Bratislava in Slovokia aboard Calypso. The pair also was third in a CSIO3* 1.60M class. In Beervelde, Belgium, Coe rode Baronez to a fifth-place finish in a CSI3* class. Returning to North America, Coe again was a Nations Cup team member, representing the U.S. in the $350,000 BMO Nations Cup during the Spruce Meadows CSIO5* ‘Masters’ Tournament. She closed out her year with a fourth-place finish in the $100,000 Open Jumper 1.50M class with Baronez at the Alltech National Horse Show. Coe began 2014 on a high note at Desert Circuit VII on the West Coast, finishing third in the AIG $1 Million Grand Prix with Baronez. The pair scored another third-place finish at the Great American $1 Million Grand Prix. At Spruce Meadows in June, she helped the U.S. team to a third-place finish in Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup presented by Scotiabank. At the National Horse Show, Coe earned valuable World Cup points with a sixth-place finish on Baronez in the CP Grand Prix. In 2015, Coe secured her ticket to the 2015 Longines FEI World Cup Jumping Final with a third-place finish in the Live 2015 CSIO5* Falsterbo
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Jumping - Team
Photo Credit: Rebecca Walton/Phelps Media Group
Charlie Jacobs Born: September 16, 1971 Residence: Boston, Mass.
Summer Showcase. He placed second and third with Flaming Star and Leap of Joy, respectively, in the $50,000 Boston Equestrian Classic. With Leap of Joy, Jacobs claimed second place in the $75,000 Grand Prix at The Jumper Classic. He kicked off 2012 with a third-place finish in the $32,000
Flaming Star - 1999 Irish gelding owned by CMJ Sporthorse, LLC
WEF Challenge Round X with Flaming Star during the
Charlie Jacobs has become a contender in the jumping
Grand Prix of North Salem during the Old Salem Farm
arena in recent years. During the 2010 FTI Consulting Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF), Jacobs won the $50,000 CN Palm Beach Jumping Derby with Quidditch II. At the Fieldstone Spring Festival, he claimed the top two spots in the $25,000 Fieldstone Grand Prix with Leap of Joy and Quidditch II, respectively. Jacobs also won numerous High Amateur Owner Jumper Championships throughout the year. In 2011, Jacobs was the High Amateur Owner Jumper Champion five different weeks of the FTI Consulting WEF. At the Horse Show by the Bay Series III, he and Leap of Joy finished second in the $30,000 Grand Prix of the Great Lakes. Jacobs then scored the win in the $25,000 Herb Chambers Grand Prix with Flaming Star at the Fieldstone
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FTI Consulting WEF. The pair came in fifth in the $25,000 May II show. With Secret Love, Jacobs finished third in the $30,000 Grand Prix of the Great Lakes during the Horse Shows by the Bay Series III. The following week, he scored second and third place finishes in the $30,000 D-Braider Grand Prix with Flaming Star and Secret Love, respectively. During the Fieldstone Summer Showcase I, Jacobs and Flaming Star won the $25,000 Fieldstone Grand Prix. The pair had another strong performance at the American Gold Cup, finishing second in the $35,000 Double H Farm Jumper Classic. Jacobs finished out the year by helping the U.S. team to the win the Nations Cup competition at the CSIO2* Buenos Aires aboard Flaming Star. In his first competition of 2013, Jacobs took home the
Jumping - Team win in the $30,000 Mar-O-Lago Grand Prix with Flaming Star during week one of the FTI Consulting WEF. The pair scored another win in the $33,000 Ruby et Violette WEF Round IV during week four. Jacobs and Flaming Star then finished second in the $33,000 Ruby et Violette WEF Round X and the $50,000 Ruby et Violette WEF Round XII. Jacobs traveled to Spruce Meadows for the CSI5* ‘National’ Tournament and had strong performances. With Flaming Star, he earned third-place finishes in the $400,000 CN Reliability Grand Prix World Cup Qualifier and the $33,000 ATB Financial Cup. Back in the states, Jacobs ended up second in the $30,000 Grand Prix of the Great Lakes with Flaming Star. The pair earned second-place honors again in the $50,000 Fieldstone Grand Prix. Jacobs and Flaming Star ended the year on a high note winning the $50,000 Holiday & Horses FEI World Cup CSI2*-W Grand Prix. Jacobs began his 2014 season at the FTI Consulting WEF, finishing in first place in the $34,000 Ruby et Violette WEF Challenge Round II with Flaming Star during week two. With Leap of Joy, he placed second in the $15,000 1.40M Grand Prix at The Ridge at Wellington. He then represented the U.S. at the Longines FEI World Cup Jumping Final in Lyon, France. At the Spruce Meadows CSIO5*-W ‘Continental’ Tournament Jacobs and Cassinja were fourth in the $40,000 AltaGas Cup. Next, the pair scored a win in the $50,000 Grand Prix at the Fieldstone Summer Showcase. Jacobs closed out 2014 with a fifth-place finish in the $50,000 Holiday & Horses FEI World Cup CSI2*-W Grand Prix with Leap of Joy. His 2015 season started with a sixth-place finish in the $85,000 Salamander Hotels & Resorts CSI2* Grand Prix with Cassinja S during week six of the WEF. The pair had a repeat performance in the $40,000 Friends of the Meadows Cup during Spruce Meadows’ CSI5* ‘Continental’ Tournament.
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Jumping - Team
Photo Credit: Photo by Anwar Esquivel
Callan Solem
Born: November 22, 1978 Residence: Glenmoore, Pa. VDL Wizard - 2003 Dutch Warmblood gelding owned by Horseshoe Trail Farm LLC Callan Solem is a leading grand prix jumping rider. She has represented the U.S. internationally on numerous occasions, including competing on Nations Cup teams in Brazil, The Netherlands, Belgium, and Sweden. In 2005, she was part of the winning Super League Team. During her time abroad, Solem has won the Derby qualifier in Falsterbo, Sweden and took home top ribbons in Rotterdam, Holland, and Lummen, Belgium. From 1997 to 2010, Solem was the professional rider at Quiet Winter Farm, in Colt’s Neck, N.J., for former Olympian Carol Thompson. Solem originally joined Thompson as a junior student competing in equitation, but was eventually offered a full-time position as a professional rider in 1997. In April of 2010, Solem opened Callan Solem Show Stables
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with equestrians Virginia and Collin McNeil of Chester Springs, Pa. The hunter/jumper/equitation operation is based at the McNeils’ 92-acre Upland Farm. Solem kicked off the 2010 season with a third-place finish in the $50,000 EMO Grand Prix with Allison at the Ocala Winter Classic. At the Ocala Tournament, the pair won the $50,000 Ring Power Grand Prix and was second in the $25,000 HITS Grand Prix. With VDL Torlando, Solem came in third in the $25,000 HITS Grand Prix during the Ocala Winter Finals. The pair was third again in the $50,000 Idle Dice Open Jumper Stake at the Devon Horse Show. Next up, Solem and VDL Torlando improved to second in the Grand Prix of Lake Placid CSI2* at the Lake Placid Horse Show. In 2011, Solem began the year by placing third in the $25,000 SmartPak Grand Prix with Magic Cruise at both the Ocala Winter Finals and Ocala Winter Celebration. At the Commonwealth National she claimed the top two places in the $40,000 Grand Prix with Magic Cruise and VDL Torlando, respectively. Solem scored a third-place finish in the $45,000 Junior Essex Troop/GS Grand Prix with Magic Cruise at the Garden State Horse Show. Partnering with VDL Torlando in the $100,000 Wells Fargo Grand Prix
Jumping - Team of Devon at the Devon Horse Show, she claimed second-
VDL Wizard at the Upperville Colt & Horse Show.
place honors, also earning the Richard E. McDevitt Style Award. Solem had a solid showing at the Upperville Colt & Horse Show, highlighted by a third-place finish aboard Magic Cruise in the $75,000 Upperville Jumper Classic. She garnered yet another third-place ribbon in the $40,000 HITS Grand Prix with VDL Torlando at the Culpeper Finals. Solem started off 2012 in fine form, finishing second and third in the $25,000 SmartPak Grand Prix with VDL Torlando and Magic Cruise, respectively, at the Ocala Premiere. She and Magic Cruise were third again in the $50,000 Chartis Grand Prix at the Ocala Winter Classic. At the Lake Placid Horse Show, Solem and VDL Torlando earned second-place honors in the $75,000 Grand Prix of Lake Placid. The pair was second once again in the $25,000 SmartPak Grand Prix at the New York Horse & Pony Show. Launching into 2013, Solem won the $25,000 SmartPak Grand Prix with VDL Torlando and came in third in the $50,000 EMO Grand Prix with VDL Wizard at the Ocala Winter Classic. She claimed second and third place with Magic Cruise and VDL Torlando, respectively, in the $40,000 Grand Prix at the Commonwealth National. At the Garden State Horse Show Solem rode VDL Wittinger to a thirdplace finish in the $25,000 Ted Grant Welcome Stake Grand Prix. She was second in the $40,000 Strongid C 2X Grand Prix with VDL Wizard at the Culpeper Finals. In 2014, Solem was third in the Jumper Classic at the Lake Placid Horse Show with VDL Torlando. She was third again in the I Love New York Grand Prix with VDL Wizard at the I Love New York Horse Show. The pair improved to second in the $100,000 Strongid C 2X Grand Prix at the New York Horse & Pony Show. Solem began 2015 with a win aboard VDL Wizard in the $50,000 HITS Grand Prix at the Ocala Premiere. The pair then had an impressive performance in the Great American $1 Million Grand Prix, coming in third in a star-studded field. Solem and VDL Wizard then helped the U.S. team to victory in the Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup at CSIO4* Coapexpan, also finishing fifth in the Grand Prix. Back in the states, she and B Amelusina were third in the $50,000 Idle Dice Open Jumper Stake at the Devon Horse Show. Solem had a repeat third place performance in the Upperville Jumper Classic with
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Chef d’Equipe
Photo Credit: © 2008 Dr. C. Mike Tomlinson www.Tomlinson.com
Robert Ridland Chef d’Equipe Born: November 7, 1950 Residence: Irvine, Calif.
Robert Ridland brings several decades of international experience to the Team, including two appearances in the Olympic Games during his career as a member of the United States Equestrian Team. Over the years, he was victorious on four continents, including the American Invitational, the Grand Prix of New York in Madison Square Garden, and the Grand Prix of Switzerland. In addition to his riding career, Ridland has been extensively involved in the governance of the sport, including several terms as a board member of the USEF and the USET. His analytical approach to the sport is aided by virtue of his vast experience as an international course designer. Ridland twice won the Course Designer of the Year Award while building the courses for the U.S. Olympic Trials and numerous international competitions. As an interna-
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tional official, he is the only American to have served as the FEI Technical Delegate for four FEI World Cup Finals. As a television commentator, he worked for many years as the color analyst for ESPN and CBS, as well as two stints for NBC at the Barcelona and Athens Olympic Games.