Wellington, FL – March 10, 2011 – Eleven teams made up of top young riders showed on Thursday evening in the $20,000 Artisan Farms Young Riders Team Competition at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center. Coached by Tiffany Foster, Team 4 jumped to victory with just four faults as their two round total. Riders Christina Kelly (IRL), Caitlin Ziegler (USA), David Arcand (CAN) and Quentin Judge (USA) had five clear rounds among them and Arcand was one of just three riders to jump double clear through both rounds of competition.

Ringmaster Cliff Haines, Carlene Ziegler of Artisan Farms, Chef d’Equipe Tiffany Foster, Caitlin Ziegler, Christina Kelly, David Arcand, Quentin Judge, and Michael Stone of Equestrian Sport Productions

Today’s class was the third of four qualifiers for the EY Cup Finals, which will be held at the FEI World Cup Finals in Leipzig, Germany. The top three riders at the conclusion of the series will have the opportunity to travel to Germany to compete. The final event will be the $15,000 Artisan Farms Young Rider Grand Prix held on the grass derby field at The Stadium on Sunday, March 20, 2011. Through their sponsorship, The Dutta Corporation & International Horse Transport will be shipping the winning horse to the Finals.

Leopoldo Palacios of Venezuela designed the course for the Young Riders in the International Arena tonight. The teams were close after the first round of competition, but it was Team 4 that led the way through both rounds to come out in first place. With four faults from Christina Kelly and Diamond Edge Farm’s Creata Van Ten Biesen, and clear rounds from Caitlin Ziegler and Artisan Farms’ VDL Groep Camara and David Arcand riding Santo’s Utopia, the team finished with just four faults in round one. Three clear rounds from Kelly, Arcand, and Quentin Judge riding Double H Farm’s HH Manrique Z left the team with zero faults in round two and kept the team in the lead.

In second place, Team 6 made up of Meg O’Mara, Katherine Dinan, Charlotte Jacobs, and Reed Kessler finished with eight and nine faults for a two round total of 17. Team 7 – Catherine Pasmore, Katherine Newman, Alise Oken, and Kaitlin Campbell – finished in third place with a total of 20 faults.

Three horse and rider combinations were able to jump double clear through the two rounds of team competition to make a big move up in the individual series standings. Sarah Tredennick rode Wood Run Farm’s Vigaro to two clear rounds for Team 3. Luis Larrazabal and Anabel Simon’s Sacramento jumped clear in both rounds for Team 9, and David Arcand rode his own Santo’s Utopia to two clear rounds for Team 4.

Following tonight’s class, Reed Kessler holds a steady lead at the top of the series standings. Charlotte Jacobs sits in second and Arcand moved up into third place after his fantastic showing.

Arcand, a Canadian rider, was very pleased with his horse tonight and is excited to see how the series ends. He stated, “My horse was amazing. He jumped his best class of the year. I’ve had him for five years and we know each other pretty well. It’s all going to end up next Sunday, so we’ll see. There’s one qualification left and anything can happen.”

David Arcand and Santos Utopia

Judge spoke about the competition, smiling, “It’s fantastic; it’s really good for the young riders and it is amazing that the Zeigler family supports us and put this forward. To get to go to Europe as a young rider and to have a nation’s cup experience is really vital for the future, so I think it is great.”

Ziegler agreed, “It was great to watch everyone, root for them, and be a part of a team.”

All of the riders would love the experience to compete in Germany and enjoyed tonight’s experience. Kelly smiled, “I would love to be on the team. To have the support is a great feeling; I really loved that.”

Leading the series since the first competition several weeks ago, Kessler has experienced European competition before, and is determined to hold her place at the top. She beamed, “I have competed in Europe a few times now and it is so fun. There is no better feeling than winning a class over there and hearing your country’s national anthem as they raise the flag. The EY Cup would be amazing exposure and to be showing at the same time as the World Cup Finals is fantastic experience. This series is a great step towards being on the Young Rider Team and eventually a senior team.”



Earlier in the day, a severe weather system caused cancellation of the horse show and the $31,000 WEF Challenge Cup Round 9. The prize money from that class will be added into Saturday night’s grand prix class.



The FTI Winter Equestrian Festival’s ninth week of competition continues through Sunday, March 13. Week nine, sponsored by Bainbridge Companies, will feature the $31,000 G&C Farm 1.45m Jumpers on Friday at 1 p.m., the $200,000 FEI World Cup Grand Prix presented by Bainbridge Companies on Saturday at 7 p.m., and the Suncast 1.50m Championship Jumper Series Classic on Sunday at 2 p.m.

For full results please visit www.showgroundslive.com and for more information, visit www.equestriansport.com.

Final Results: $20,000 Artisan Farms Young Riders Team Competition

Photo Credit: Caitlin Ziegler, Christina Kelly, Quentin Judge and David Arcand won the $20,000 Artisan Farms Young Riders Team Competition during week nine of the 2011 FTI Winter Equestrian Festival. David Arcand jumped double clear rounds to help his team earn first place. Photo © Sportfot, Official Sport Photographer of the FTI Winter Equestrian Festival, www.sportfot.com. This photo may be used free of charge only in relation to this press release. For high resolution images, please send a request to info@jenniferwoodmedia.com.

The 2011 FTI Winter Equestrian Festival has 12 weeks of top competition running from January 12 through April 3. WEF is run by Equestrian Sport Productions, LLC, and Wellington Equestrian Partners and held at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center. All 12 shows are “AA” rated and Jumper Rated 6, and more than $6 million in prize money will be awarded.

WEF is proud to be supported by their title sponsor, FTI Consulting, Inc. FTI Consulting, Inc. is a global business advisory firm dedicated to helping organizations protect and enhance enterprise value in an increasingly complex legal, regulatory and economic environment. With more than 3,600 employees located in most major business centers in the world, they work closely with clients every day to anticipate, illuminate, and overcome complex business challenges in areas such as investigations, mergers and acquisitions, regulatory issues, reputation management and restructuring. For more information, please visit www.fticonsulting.com .

Please visit www.equestriansport.com  or call 561-793-5867 for more information.