Blog #8 – August 2022
U.S. Athletes Ready for 2022 ECCO FEI World Championships
Dressage, Jumping and Vaulting Finals Under Way This Week
Four FEI World Championships are about to take place in Herning, Denmark, August 6-14. Among the athletes competing will be many likely to be in Omaha next April when the FEI World Cup™ Finals return to Omaha, April 4-8, 2023. The U.S. is sending a mix of seasoned veterans and newcomers to Herning to compete in Dressage, Jumping and Vaulting, the three disciplines for which Omaha will host World Cup Finals.
The U.S. Dressage squad features three veterans of championship competition with one newcomer:
Katie Duerrhammer (Greenwood Village, Colo.) and Quartett, a 2008 Brandenburg gelding owned by Kylee Lourie
Groom: Emily Bender
Ashley Holzer (Wellington, Fla.) and Valentine, her own 2010 Hanoverian mare
Groom: Nate Tucker
Adrienne Lyle (Wellington, Fla.) and Salvino, a 2007 Hanoverian stallion owned by Betsy Juliano LLC
Groom: Morgan Klingensmith
Steffen Peters (San Diego, Calif.) and Suppenkasper, a 2008 KWPN gelding owned by Four Winds Farm and Akiko Yamazaki
Groom: Eddie Garcia
Holzer is a four-time Olympic veteran with three previous World Championship appearances. Lyle is a two-time Olympic veteran and is appearing in the World Championships for the third consecutive time. Peters is a five-time Olympian appearing in his fourth consecutive World Championships. Duerrhammer is the “new kid” on the team, making her first appearance on a World Championship or Olympic team.
The Jumping squad features the U.S.’s most experienced international competitor with one other veteran and two newcomers:
Lillie Keenan (New York, N.Y.) and Argan de Beliard, Argan de Beliard, a 2010 Selle Français gelding owned by Chansonette Farm LLC
Groom: Corentin Tual
Brian Moggre (Flower Mound, Texas) and Balou du Reventon, a 2006 Oldenburg stallion owned by Ann Thompson
Groom: Lesley Leeman
Adrienne Sternlicht (Greenwich, Conn.) and Cristalline, a 2008 Bavarian Warmblood mare owned by Starlight Farms 1 LLC
Groom: Emma Chapman
McLain Ward (Brewster, N.Y.) and Contagious, a 2009 Deutches Sportpferd gelding owned by Beechwood Stables LLC
Groom: Virginie Casterman
Ward, who won the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup™ Final in 2017 when it was held in Omaha, is a five-time Olympic veteran making his fifth World Championship appearance. Sternlicht is making her second straight World Championship appearance after being Ward’s teammate on the U.S.’s Gold medal team at the 2018 World Championships. Keenan and Moggre are both making their first Championship appearance although Keenan was on the U.S. teams in the FEI Nations Cup Finals in 2016 and 2021.
The Vaulting squad features a mix of veterans of championship competition with some newcomers:
Individual Female
Tessa Divita (Portola Valley, Calif.)
Kimberly Palmer (Half Moon Bay, Calif.)
Emily Rose (Santa Cruz, Calif.)
Individual Male
Jace Brooks (Eagle Mountain, Utah)
Daniel Janes (Mountain View, Calif.)
Pas de Deux
Calle Davis (Spanish Fork, Utah) and Todd Griffiths (Elk Ridge, Utah)
Squad – Oak Hills Squad:
Calle Davis (Spanish Fork, Utah)
Miriam Griffiths (Elk Ridge, Utah)
Todd Griffiths (Elk Ridge, Utah)
Paula Hampshire (Kaysville, Utah)
Jaynee Meyer (Salem, Utah)
Alyssa Stoddard (Eagle Mountain, Utah)
All five vaulters selected for the Individual competition – Divita, Palmer, Rose, Brooks and Janes – have international experience, as does the Pas de Deux duo of Calle Davis and Todd Griffiths, who are also competing as part of the Squad. The remaining members of the squad – Miriam Griffiths, Hampshire, Meyer and Stoddard – are all newcomers to international competition.
It is a safe bet that many of the athletes competing in Herning will be in Omaha next April when the 2023 FEI World Cup™ Finals return to the CHI Health Center Omaha, April 4-8, so be sure to order your tickets now! Omaha will host Finals in all three disciplines and it is sure to be a week you will always remember!