Author: andy

It is with great pride and pleasure that Equestrian Bahamas announces that we have been ratified by the FEI General Assembly in Moscow, Russia, as the official National Federation for Equestrian Sport in all International and Olympic competition. This ratification comes as the culmination of six years of dedicated work by many. The Board of Directors wishes to thank all officials, riders, parents and other supporters who helped to make this possible. In particular we wish to extend thanks to the Bahamas Olympic Committee for their unflagging support in our efforts to promote equestrian sport in The Bahamas.

The second horse show of the Equestrian Bahamas 2019-2020 season took place last weekend at Camperdown Equestrian Centre. The show was judged by USEF ‘R’-rated judge Mr. Scott Hofstetter of Ocala, FL. Saturday’s events included equitation classes at all levels (which continued into Sunday due to rain stoppage!) and featured great rides by Mila Sands and Sara Gottberg who were Champions in the Children’s and 15-17 Equitation Divisions respectively, as well as Alexis Neymour who won the Marshall and Sterling Children’s Medal and Elle O’Brien who placed first in the Bahamas Junior Classic Qualifier.

Sunday’s competition featured the first show of this year’s Bahamas Interschool Equestrian League (BIEL) series. BIEL continues to grow and and Sunday’s event was the largest in the three-year history of the series, with seven teams competing for the first time.

First place went to the Lyford Cay International School team, with Windsor School beating Queen’s College for second place by just one point. St. Augustine’s riders posted an impressive fourth place despite a team of just two riders, while Tambearly School and St. Andrew’s School placed 5^th and 6^th.

The next BIEL competition will be at the Annual Mariposa Holiday Jumper Show, on December 7-8, 2019.

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Equestrian Bahamas launched the first show of the 2019-2020 season with a successful two-day event last weekend at Mariposa Stables. The show was judged by USEF ‘R’-rated judge Mr. Doug Bruce of Delray Beach, FL.

Classes were held at all levels of ability. Some young riders were entering their very first competition. Many of the riders moved up at least one level since last season, and enjoyed testing their more advanced skills for the first time in the show ring. The show featured the return of amateur adult riders to horse showing. Local veterinarian Dr. Amanda Pinder rode Relax Jack (owned by Shiloh Cox) to Champion Honours in the Child/Adult Amateur Hunter Division.

The highlight of the show was the Bahamas Junior Qualifier class and Sara Gottberg’s sparkling ride aboard Linda D’Aguilar’s Laureanna CF, scoring an 87 to win.

The next horse show on the calendar is the Annual Camperdown Horse Show on November 9, 2019. See you there!

This past weekend Equestrian Bahamas was honoured to host representatives from the Fédération Équestre Internationale (FEI). Mr. Mark Samuel, Vice-President of the FEI Board and Chairman of Group IV (North America and the Caribbean), and Mr. Francisco Porras Lima (Director of Governance and Institutional Affairs) visited us from September 15-17 to conduct a site visit. This site visit was the final step to our recognition by the FEI and the IOC as an official member National Federation of the international Olympic body.

During the site visit Mr. Samuel and Mr. Lima met with EB Directors and Officials, representatives of the local barns, and members of the Bahamas Olympic Committee to undertake a comprehensive analysis of our competitions, facilities, development programs and more. As a result of the visit, upon the recommendation of the FEI Board our application will be presented for ratification at the upcoming FEI General Assembly in Moscow. EB Board Member Mr. Peter Vlasov will be in attendance at the GA to represent Equestrian Bahamas.

Equestrian Bahamas wishes to thank Mr. Samuel and Mr. Lima, as well as the Bahamas Olympic Committee, for their support and encouragement. We also thank those who worked to organize the logistics of the visit and helped to make it a success!

Membership in the FEI presents tremendous opportunities to expand our grassroots programs, provide comprehensive training programs for our coaches and riders, and afford access to international competitive opportunities for our riders at every level. This is an exciting step forward for equestrian sport in The Bahamas. We look forward to hearing positive news from the General Assembly in Moscow!

EB’s very own Elle O’Brien shone brightly last Friday at the Marshall & Sterling League 2019 National Finals in Saugerties, New York, placing 12th out of 76 riders in the 2’6” Children’s Medal class.

O’Brien was invited to compete as a League Finalist by virtue of having accumulated qualifying points in competitions throughout the year. She was accompanied to the competition by her trainer, Mrs. Erika Adderley-Coello of Mariposa Stables.

Riding Stacey Vertullo’s bay mare “My Way”, O’Brien was the 28th rider to enter the ring, facing a jump course designed by Rian Beals. Under the watchful eye of the judges Mrs. Paddy Downing-Nyegard and Mrs. Amy Nunnally, O’Brien and My Way jumped a crisp and stylish clear round, eventually called back 8th for the final testing phase. A costly mistake in the test phase caused her to drop in the rankings, but in the end, the pair rode proudly into the ring to claim 12th place overall.

Equestrian Bahamas President, Cathy Ramsingh-Pierre, praised O’Brien’s accomplishment in placing so highly at such a prestigious competition, and noted the important role played by her trainer. “The Marshall & Sterling Insurance League is one of several international organizations with which Equestrian Bahamas currently partners to provide competitive opportunities for our riders,” said Ramsingh-Pierre. “Elle’s success at the League Finals is a testament to the abilities of our Bahamian riders, and to the competency of our training programs here at home in the Bahamas.”

Trainer Erika Adderley-Coello also praised O’Brien’s performance, noting that although there is always room for improvement, to gain a ribbon in such a large, competitive field was a notable accomplishment. “12th out of 76?” she said with a broad smile on her face – “I’ll take that!”

The president of a Nassau-based equestrian organization raised the alert that the islands were sorely in need of a working ambulance. Now thanks to a US firm, four fully equipped ambulances are on the ground on the Abaco Islands.

Read more at Horse Welfare Notes

EB President Cathy Ramsingh-Pierre and Treasure Sabrina Sands-Wong were among the officers of various national Sporting Federations who attended a “meet and greet” event hosted by the Bahamas Olympic Committee. The goal of the event was to allow the various Federations to interact with members of the press as well as potential corporate sponsors.

(L-R): Cathy, Derron Donaldson, Secretary-General of the Bahamas Olympic Committee, Sabrina, and Romell Knowles, President of the Bahamas Olympic Committee.

Equestrian Bahamas sponsored local trainer Erika Adderley of Mariposa Stables to participate in a recent Mental Coaching Certification Seminar. The seminar was hosted by the Bahamas Olympic Association in partnership with Carroll Consultancy Group, and is the first module in a series of coaching endeavours designed to highlight the importance of mental preparation in training and successful competition. The BOC is looking forward to hosting more certification classes, providing opportunities for trainers to expand their skill sets. Equestrian Bahamas is proud to be a part of this program!

Above: Participants of Mental Coaching Certification Seminar – EB trainer Erika Adderley is seated front row, second from left.