Longines FEI Jumping Nations Cup™ USA 2018 Program

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February 13-18, 2018 INTERNATIONAL TEAMS WILL BATTLE IT OUT FOR GLOBAL FAME PROGRAM HIGHLIGHTS

BUT ONLY ONE WILL EMERGE VICTORIOUS

Schedule & Map Meet Team USA Cheers to Four Years Great American Million Preview

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OPEN TO THE PUBLIC! HITS Post Time Farm 13710 NW US Highway 27, Ocala, FL 34482 HITSShows.com | info@HITSShows.com | 352.368.2203

HOME OF THE GREAT AMERICAN $1 MILLION GRAND PRIX

#Longines #HITSOcala #FEINationsCup

COMMUNITY SPONSOR

Conquest V.H.P.

Foreword by Longines ©ESI

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Ladies and Gentlemen, dear Equestrian Sport Enthusiasts, As the Title Partner, Official Timekeeper and Watch of the new Longines FEI Jumping Nations CupTM series, we are delighted to be here in Florida for this exciting world-class show jumping event kicking-off the 2018 season. Longines is proud to present two highlights of the competition: the Longines Grand Prix on Friday, February 16 and the Longines FEI Jumping Nations CupTM USA on Sunday, February 18.

Besides, we will have the pleasure to grant the winners with elegant Longines timepieces as a reward for their great performance.

Longines is also proud to present the Official Watch of the event, the Conquest V.H.P “Very High Precision”, which represents a new achievement in the field of quartz, combining great precision, high technicality and a sporty look, marked by the brand’s unique elegance. Equipped with an exclusive movement renowned for its high degree of precision for an analog watch (± 5 seconds a year) and its ability to reset its hands after an impact or exposure to a magnetic field, the Conquest V.H.P. has thus positioned itself as the standard-bearer of extreme precision.

Equestrian sports have always held a special place in Longines’ history as we share common values of Tradition, Elegance and Performance. The Longines FEI Jumping Nations CupTM USA perfectly reflects those values and we are honored to be part of this beautiful show jumping competition.

Ladies and Gentlemen, dear Equestrian Sports Enthusiasts, we wish you to live many memorable and emotional moments of action here in Ocala.

Juan-Carlos Capelli Vice President and Head of International Marketing

Photo courtesy of Longines

Longines FEI Jumping Nations CupTM of USA 2018 Returns to HITS Ocala

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Foreword by FEI President

Foreword by the FEI President

On behalf of the Fédération Equestre Internationale, I am delighted to welcome you to the Longines FEI Jumping Nations Cup™ qualifier here in Ocala. This tremendous series has stood the test of time with 110 years of top sport, team ©ESI spirit and innovation ensuring not only the series’ exceptional longevity Photo but also graph y safeguarding the values which make equestrian sport so unique.

Team work is inherent to the equestrian landscape at all levels and every rider you will see here that has been selected to represent their nation is effectively representing countless individuals and organisations that have not only I am delighted to welcome you to the Longines FEI Jumping Nations Cup™ qualifier here in Ocala. This supported them and their horse but paved the way to compete on the global tremendous series has stood the test of time with 110 years of top sport, team spirit and innovation stage. This is what makes the Longines FEI Jumping Nations Cup™ so ensuring not only the series’ exceptional longevity but also safeguarding the values which make special – it is a celebration of horsemanship, collaboration, expertise, equestrian sport so unique. determination and passion.

Team work is inherent to the equestrian landscape at all levels and every rider you will see here that has There aretothirteen qualifiers aroundrepresenting the worldcountless this season – and Ocala (USA), Abu been selected represent their nation is effectively individuals organisations Dhabi (UAE), Coapexpan (MEX), Samorin (SVK), La Baule (FRA), Langley (CAN), that have not only supported them and their horse but paved the way to compete on the global stage. This St Gallen (SUI), Sopot (POL), Rotterdam (NED), Falsterbo (SWE), Hickstead is what makes the Longines FEI Jumping Nations Cup™ so special – it is a celebration of horsemanship, (GBR), Dublin (IRL), Budapest (HUN) – and at each qualifier, teams are not only collaboration, expertise, determination and passion.

competing to assert their horsepower, but also to earn valuable points in order to secure their place in the theworld annual Longines FEIAbu Jumping Nations There are thirteen qualifiers around this season – Ocala (USA), Dhabi (UAE), CoapexpanCup™ Final in Barcelona this(FRA), October, the world’s best (POL), nation will be(NED), crowned.

(MEX), Samorin (SVK), La Baule Langleywhere (CAN), St Gallen (SUI), Sopot Rotterdam

Falsterbo (SWE), Hickstead (GBR), Dublin (IRL), Budapest (HUN) – and at each qualifier, teams are not One of thetobig highlights this but year new agreement ourtheir Top Partner only competing assert their horsepower, alsoisto the earn valuable points in orderwith to secure place who are theNations Title Partner ofinthe Longines FEI Jumping Nations inLongines the annual Longines FEInow Jumping Cup™ Final Barcelona this October, where the world’s Cup™ together best nationand will be crowned. we will ensure that this historic series remains at the cutting

edge of sport so that we can continue to raise the profile, visibility and reach of One of the big highlights thisthe yearworld. is the new agreement with our Top Partner Longines who are now the equestrian around Title Partner of the Longines FEI Jumping Nations Cup™ and together we will ensure that this historic series remains the cutting of sport to so that we can continue to raiseand the profile, visibility I know weat can lookedge forward another epic series Final, and and onreach behalf of ofthe equestrian around the world.

Fédération Equestre Internationale I’d like to congratulate all the competing

nations, athletes and support teams. I wish you the very best of luck and I send I know we canbest look forward another epic series and Final, and on behalf of the Fédérationelse Equestre my very to the toorganisers, officials, volunteers and everyone involved Internationale I’d like to congratulate all the competing nations, athletes and support teams.

I wish you for their dedication and expertise in order to produce a truly sporting spirit for the very best of luck and I send my very best to the organisers, officials, volunteers and everyone else which the FEI Jumping Nations Cup™ is best known. involved for their dedication and expertise in order to produce a truly sporting spirit for which the FEI Jumping Nations Cup™ is best known.

Photo courtesy of FEI

Ingmar De Vos - FEI President

Ingmar De Vos FEI President Longines FEI Jumping Nations CupTM of USA 2018 Returns to HITS Ocala

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Schedule & Map ©ESI

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International Village – Friday-Sunday, February 16-18 10 am - 3 pm

Family-friendly festival at HITS Post Time Farm featuring food selections from around the world and a meet and greet with Longines FEI Jumping Nations Cup™ riders. Activities include face painting, pony rides, music, and more!

Schedule of Events – Friday, February 16 2 pm

$265,000 Longines Grand Prix

Schedule of Events – Sunday, February 18 8 am NOON 1 pm 3 pm

Gates open. Visit our Vendor Courtyard or grab a snack from the snack bar!

Opening Ceremony Longines FEI Jumping Nations Cup™ 2018 (First Round) Longines FEI Jumping Nations Cup™ 2018 (Second Round)

Ticket Information GENERAL ADMISSION TICKETS are $10* per person. Children 12 and under are FREE. FREE parking.

GENERAL ADMISSION TICKETS can be purchased: ONLINE at HITSShows.com/visit-hits AT THE GATE on Friday & Sunday, February 16 & 18 Two for One available at Jump Downtown event DAY VIP PASSES are available for the Longines FEI Jumping Nations CupTM by pre-order for $100* per person.

This exclusive offer includes VIP reserved ringside seating, lunch, and cash bar.

Day VIP Passes can be purchased:

BY PHONE at 352.368.2203 IN PERSON at the HITS Ocala Show Office ONLINE at HITSShows.com/visit-hits *Fee includes sales tax.

JUMP DOWNTOWN

Saturday, February 17 at 4:30 pm The second annual “Jump Downtown” event will be held in Ocala’s Downtown Square on Saturday, February 17, 2018. Presented by Ocala Main Street, IHMC (The Institute for Human and Machine Cognition), and the CEP (Ocala/Marion County Chamber and Economic Partnership), Jump Downtown will feature a Parade of Nations honoring the countries and the riders participating in the Longines FEI Jumping Nations CupTM event, followed by a Celebration of the Horse presentation of the 30plus horse breeds showcasing the diversity of the “Horse Capital of the World” featuring the Budweiser Clydesdales. Additional festivities on the Square will include snacks, music, horse drawn carriage rides, s’mores, and more!

Jump Downtown is free to attend and is open to the general public. After the Parade, Longines FEI Jumping Nations CupTM riders are invited to a reception at IHMC with hors d'oeuvres and a cash bar.

DATE & TIME: LOCATION: COST: MORE INFO:

Longines FEI Jumping Nations CupTM of USA 2018 Returns to HITS Ocala

Saturday, February 17 at 4:30 pm Downtown Square in Ocala FREE! Open to the Public OcalaCEP.com or Ocala/Marion County CEP Office 352.629.8051

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Meet Team USA ©ESI

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MCLAIN WARD Brewster, NY

BEEZIE MADDEN LAUREN HOUGH Wellington, FL Lauren Hough began her career competing in the pony ring, moving up quickly and ultimately winning the USEF Show Jumping Talent Search Finals in 1994. She was named Grand Prix Rookie of the Year at just 15 years old, and in 2000, at the age of 23, made her Olympic debut in Sydney. Hough has also represented the United Sates at the 2010 World Championships, and the Pan American Games where she won Team Gold in 2003, Team Bronze in 2007, and Team and Individual Bronze in 2015.

In 2017, Hough took home the blue ribbon in the 2017 Great American $1 Million Grand Prix at HITS Ocala.

LAURA KRAUT Palm Beach, FL At the age of three, Laura Kraut’s passion for riding developed when she began riding in Atlanta, Georgia. Kraut has represented the United States at the Olympic Games, World Championships and in numerous Nations Cup competitions. Kraut was named the American Grand Prix Association Rider of the Year for the 2000-2001. She made her Olympic debut in 2000 and was a member of the Gold-medal winning Team in 2008. In 2002 she won Team Silver at the World Equestrian Games, and was awarded the United States Olympic Committee’s Jack Kelly Fair Play Award in 2003.

Cazenovia, NY Originally from Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Elizabeth ‘Beezie’ Madden has been riding since the age of three and made her Grand Prix debut in 1985 at age 22. Madden has represented the United States on numerous medal-winning occasions, including Olympic Team Gold in 2004 and 2008, Individual Bronze in 2008, and Team Silver in 2016. World Championship success has included Team and Individual Silver in 2006 and Team and Individual Bronze in 2014, and in 2013, she won the Gold Medal at the Rolex/FEI World Cup Finals. She has won the United States Equestrian Federation Equestrian of the Year Award four times, and took home top honors in the 2015 Saugerties $1 Million Grand Prix.

DEVIN RYAN

Sussex County, NJ Devin Ryan discovered his love of horses while riding at his grandfather's farm in Sussex County, New Jersey as a child. At the age of 16, he was selected by George Morris to join his training program at Hunterdon, Inc. From there, he went to work and ride overseas for several years before returning to the US to manage and run his own training facility in New Jersey. In 2017 Ryan won the $100,000 Great American Insurance Group Grand Prix in Lake Placid and the $216,000 Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping New York. He most recently won the $25,000 SmartPak Grand Prix at Week II of the HITS Ocala Winter Circuit.

Longines FEI Jumping Nations CupTM of USA 2018 Returns to HITS Ocala

McLain Ward began riding at an early age, and in 1990 at age 14, became the youngest rider ever to win both the USET Medal Finals and the USET Talent Derby. Ward made his Olympic debut in 2004, winning Team Gold, and his continued Olympic success includes Team Gold in 2008 and Team Silver in 2016. He also won Team Gold at the 2011 and Team Bronze in 2015 at the Pan American Games. In 2017 he won the Gold Medal at the World Cup Finals. Ward is also a three-time winner of HITS $1 Million Grand Prix, which included the 2010 and 2012 Saugerties Million and the 2016 AIG Million.

ROBERT RIDLAND Irvine, CA Team USA Chef d'Équipe Robert Ridland is Chef d’Équipe for Team USA. Chef d’Equipe translates as “Coach of the Team” and is the term used in horse sports for the Head Coach managing a National Team. Ridland, originally from Pasadena, California, brings experience and knowledge to the team through his competitive success as a rider and trainer/coach over the past four decades. He was a member of the 1976 Olympic team, and won the 1971 New York Grand Prix, the 1972 Switzerland Grand Prix, the 1975 Toronto Rothman Grand Prix, and the 1976 Tampa Invitational Grand Prix.

Ridland has also served as a board member of the US Equestrian Foundation and the US Equestrian Team, as well as the only official from the USA to be a Technical Delegate for four FEI World Cup Finals.

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Cheers to Four Years ©ESI

The Longines FEI Jumping Nations Cup™ USA 2018 will once again grace the grounds of HITS Post Time Farm in Ocala, Florida, for the fourth consecutive year of competition in the aptly named Horse Capital of the World. The competition takes place Sunday, February 18 at 1 pm, and the opening ceremony begins at 12 pm.

The FEI Jumping Nations Cup™ Series is equestrian sport’s oldest and most prestigious team challenge, with international teams from around the globe competing for one of the most coveted prizes in this Olympic discipline.

“Hosting the FEI Nations Cup™ for the fourth year is a privilege not only because of the event’s legacy, but because of the unique opportunities it gives competitors and the much-deserved attention it shines on the sport of show jumping,” said HITS President and CEO Tom Struzzieri. “It also speaks to the caliber of the HITS Ocala Winter Circuit and the support of equestrian sport by the Ocala / Marion County community.”

In 2017, Team Ireland again came out on top, taking home the win with team members Cian O’Connor, Shane Sweetnam, Kevin Babington and Richie Moloney, led by Chef d’Equipe Michael Blake.

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In 2016, home field Team USA took home the glory with a top-notch lineup including Beezie Madden and McLain Ward, who both competed on the 2016 US Olympic Show Jumping Team, as well as Todd Minikus and Lauren Hough. The Nations Cup™ dream team was led to victory by Chef d’Equipe Robert Ridland.

In 2015, Team Ireland had the luck (and skill) of the Irish on their side, winning the first FEI Nation’s Cup™ Qualifier hosted at HITS Post Time Farm.

Team members Kevin Babington, Connor Swail, Darragh Kenny, and Lorcan Gallagher used their impeccable skill and teamwork to take home the win.

From Olympic Medalists to World Cup titleholders, these decorated athletes will enter the Longines FEI Jumping Nations Cup™ show ring at HITS Ocala with hopes to exit as champions, and each team is a force to be reckoned with.

One thing has remained constant each year that the Longines FEI Jumping Nations Cup™ has come to HITS Ocala: the thrill of witnessing the best riders in the world compete for international fame.

Spectators from near and far travel to the Horse Capital of the World to be a part of sport horse history and cheer their country on to victory.

©ESI Photography

If you have yet to experience the excitement and prestige that is the Longines FEI Jumping Nations Cup™, the breakdown of the competition is similar to that of the Olympics.

Each country taking part in the unique two round, team competition is represented by four horse-andrider combinations who look to jump flawlessly over a championship-level course, leaving all the rails in place and finishing within a given time allowed.

Similar to the Olympics, the highest score per team (the most number of faults) will be dropped in each round, meaning only three scores will count per round for each team.

The country finishing with the lowest number of faults from the two rounds will be declared the winner. In the case of two or more teams standing tied at the end of round two, an exciting jump-off against the clock will determine the winning nation.

Don’t miss the equestrian event of the season, right in your own backyard. The Longines FEI Jumping Nations Cup™ USA 2018 will take place on Sunday, February 18 at 1pm. General Admission tickets are $10 and are available at the gate the day of the event or online at HITSShows.com. Purchasing a ticket will also get you into the Longines Grand Prix on Friday, February 16. Children 12 and under are free. Parking is free.

A VIP ticket for the day is available for $100 and includes lunch, a cash bar, and VIP seating for the entirety of the event on Sunday, February 18. Get yours now online at HITSShows.com or contact Debi Jaynes at Debi@HITSShows.com. ©ESI Photography

Longines FEI Jumping Nations CupTM of USA 2018 Returns to HITS Ocala

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Great American Million at HITS Ocala

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For the fifth year in a row, HITS is proud to announce that the Great American $1 Million Grand Prix will return to HITS Post Time Farm in Ocala, Florida on Sunday, March 25. The circuit, which is 10 weeks in total, begins mid-January leading up to the event that you don’t want to miss. The jumps are high, the course is technical and the riders are determined to score a piece of the sport’s largest prize purse.

In 2017, Lauren Hough and her partner OHLALA, owned by The OhLaLa Group, took home the top honors in the Great American Million Grand Prix and to say that she was thrilled would be an understatement. After placing fourth the previous two years and placing tenth in 2014, it was a huge accomplishment to finally capture the blue ribbon.

For Grand Prix hopefuls, the start of the 2018 Winter Show Circuit at HITS Ocala means one thing: The opportunity to qualify for the second crown jewel of the HITS Triple Crown of Show Jumping, which includes the AIG $1 Million Grand Pix in Thermal, California (March 18), and the Saugerties $1 Million Grand Prix in Saugerties, New York (September 9). Only the top riders will see their names on the order-of-go on March 25, as entry to the class is based on performance throughout the previous 10 weeks of the Circuit.

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Horse and rider have been preparing for this moment and all have the same goal in mind – to take home the second jewel in the HITS Triple Crown of Show Jumping. At 2 pm, in the iconic Ocala Horse Properties Stadium, Round One will commence with over forty International competitors. The objective is simple in Round One: To go clear within the time allowed. The horse and rider duos that complete this task move onto Round Two: The Jump-Off, where they are required to jump a shortened course.

The rider who jumps the shortened course the fastest with a clear round is named the Champion.

So, with the Great American Million just around the corner on March 25, 2018, we are looking forward to another great year with familiar and new faces at HITS Ocala, and all along the HITS Triple Crown of Show Jumping Tour. Join us and 5,000 of your closest friends to cheer on your favorite riders in this year’s Great American Million. Whether you join the crowds on the berm or in the bustling VIP Club, it’s guaranteed to be an experience that you won’t want to miss.

Don’t miss the opportunity to witness Show Jumping royalty battle it out and experience the Great American Million at HITS Ocala for yourself!

For more information on the Great American Million and all the happenings at HITS, check us out online at HITSShows.com.

BY ERIN WEBB

©ESI Photography

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HITS Ocala Through the Lens ©ESI

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Longines FEI Jumping Nations CupTM of USA 2018 Returns to HITS Ocala

1. Horse drawn carriage leading the 2017 Parade of Nations 2. City of Ocala Mayor, Kent Guinn, attending the 2017 Jump Downtown Event 3. Future FEI Nations Cup™ rider in the making.

4. Kevin Babington jumping his way to victory for Team Ireland in the 2017 FEI Nations Cup™ 5. This young rider was lucky to present Team Mexico at the 2017 FEI Nations Cup™ opening ceremony 6. Team Venezuela enters the ring ready to give it their all.

7. Beezie Madden, jumping for Team USA in the 2017 FEI Nations Cup™ 8. Team Ireland claims the title for the 2017 FEI Nations Cup™ 9. Spectators can’t take their eyes off of these talented horses and riders 10. Cian O'Connor and Seringat winning the $100,000 City of Ocala Grand Prix 11. McClain Ward awaiting his turn to jump for Team USA 12. Every pony needs a little girl to love them.

13. Team Canada posing at the 2017 Jump Downtown event 14. Lauren Hough, Team USA, is happy to sign autographs for fans 15. HITS CEO and Owner, Tom Struzzieri, stopped in for a photo-op with Team USA before the 2017 FEI Nations Cup™

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