Longines FEI World™ Jumping & FEI World Cup™ Dressage Finals Omaha 2017

Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping & FEI World Cup™ Dressage Finals Omaha 2017

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FEI WORLD CUPTM FINALS OMAHA 2017

OMAHA MAGAZINE

FIND IT IN THE APP

PUBLISHER Todd Lemke EDITORIAL Executive Editor Doug Meigs Special Projects Editor Daisy Hutzell-Rodman Editor-at-Large Eric Stoakes Editorial Assistants Hannah Gill · Alec McMullen · Lindsay Wilson Interns Will Patterson · Shannon Smith Contributing Writers Ryan Borchers, Marissa Miakonda Cummings, Charlie Litton, Josefina Loza, Lisa Lukecart, Carol Crissey Nigrelli, Garrett Sass, Kara Schweiss, Max Sparber, Anne Walsh, Pat Waters, Ashley Wegner, Sarah Wengert CREATIVE Creative Director Bill Sitzmann Art Director Matt Wieczorek Senior Graphic Designer Derek Joy Graphic Designer Mady Besch ACCOUNTS Publisher’s Assistant Sandy Matson Vice President Greg Bruns Executive Vice President Sales & Marketing Gil Cohen Senior Sales Executive Gwen Lemke Executive Sales Manager Vicki Voet Branding Specialists Kyle Fisher · George Idelman Mary Hiatt · Joshua Peterson Senior Sales Assistant Alicia Smith Hollins Sales Assistant Dawn Dennis OPERATIONS Vice President of Operations Tyler Lemke Accountant Holley Garcia-Cruz Distribution Manager Mike Brewer Events/Public Relations Alesha Olson For Omaha Publications Advertising & Subscription Information: 402.884.2000 OmahaMagazine.com

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FEI World Cup Finals Omaha ​​​17 Download the Omaha 2017 app! ​Get all the information ​you need conveniently​,​on your phone. In the app, you can find the following: •

A map of the CenturyLink Center and surrounding points of interest

•

Schedule of events, including Jumping, Dressage, Demo Arena, and Entertainment

•

A current list of all riders and horses

•

All Century Link Center concessions and Passport Program restaurants

•

A full list of vendors

•

Live Dressage Commentary

•

And so much more!

Turn on the notifications to get updates on upcoming events!

To download the app, search FEI World Cup Finals Omaha 17 in the Apple or Google Store.

JUMPING & DRESSAGE

Table of Contents Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping & FEI World Cup™ Dressage Finals Omaha 2017 5

Foreword by FEI

7

Letter from the Governor of Nebraska

9

Letter from Omaha Equestrian Foundation Chair

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Foreword by Longines

13

Editorial: Longines and the FEI World CupTM

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Infographic: FEI World CupTM Jumping History

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Legends of Show Jumping

20

Legends of Show Jumping: Contestants

24

Local Jumping Scene

27

Infographic: FEI World CupTM Dressage History

28

Legends of Dressage

32

Local Dressage Scene

34

Frequent Fliers

36

A Grassroots Effort

38

Omaha 2017 Ambassadors

40

While You're Here!

44

The Equestrian Community in Omaha

46

A Horse Connection

48

Nebraska 150: Nebraska Horse History

51

Nebraska 150: Horses and Native Tribes

52

Nebraska 150: Into the Wild

54

Nebraska 150: Horses Pave the Way in Nebraska Territory

56

Nebraska 150: Horses Run Early Years of Statehood

58

Nebraska 150: Horses in the State Today

60

A Festival With Horses

64

International Omahan to Headline Music

66

More Music!

68

Schedule of Events

70

Who's Galloping to Glory?

72

Jumping Finalists

74

Seeking Victory: Dressage Bios & Finalists

78

Expo: Visitors Can Watch Warm-Ups, Shop, and More

86

Donors, Staff & Volunteers

87

Thank You to Our Sponsors 3

Exclusive access to watch every top event live

Only on FEI TV ! www.fei.tv FEI TV is the FEI’s official video website and your ticket to the world’s most prestigious competitions. Sign up to FEI TV for instant access to all the live broadcasts, an extensive video-on-demand library, all the highlights, behind the scenes reports, interviews and much more. Join us now !

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JUMPING & DRESSAGE

Foreword

by FEI

O

n behalf of the Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI), it is my great pleasure to welcome you to Omaha for the much anticipated Longines FEI World CupTM Jumping and FEI World CupTM Dressage Finals!

This is a true celebration of sporting achievement for the talented athletes who will be competing and have battled their way through the demanding qualifying rounds from the 143 qualifiers in 49 countries providing points to this final. Only the world’s very best dressage and jumping partnerships are here in Omaha­— and they have the ultimate indoor trophies firmly set in their sights!

Since the inception of the FEI World CupTM Jumping series 39 years ago, the world’s best jumping partnerships have pursued the series title, with many of the greatest athletes of our time laying claim to it including a large number of U.S. riders: Conrad Homfeld in 1980 and 1985, Michael Matz in 1981, Melanie Smith in 1982, Norman Dello Joio in 1983, Leslie Burr Lenehan in 1986, and Katharine Burdsall in 1987. Then it all went rather quiet for U.S. riders until they achieved back-to-back wins with Rich Fellers in 2012 and Beezie Madden in 2013.

For the dressage, this is the 32nd season of the

FEI World CupTM. Following in the footsteps of the FEI World CupTM Jumping, dressage has also become the largest and most global series in the discipline. It has truly changed the dressage landscape and, alongside rising stars, has opened the sport to new audiences.

It’s tremendous to have the epic FEI World CupTM Finals back in USEF territory following memorable editions in Las Vegas in recent times and many years ago in Del Mar, Tampa, and Baltimore. There are five days of phenomenal sport and entertainment lined up for this momentous occasion, and a lot of suspense as back-to-back winner Steve Guerdat chases the hat trick and an open field with a number of serious contenders, including Germany’s Isabel Werth, looking to claim the coveted FEI World CupTM Dressage title.

The athletes you will have the pleasure of witnessing are the ambassadors of our sport and have fought hard to earn their place at this final. I want to take this opportunity to wish them all the best and may all their years of hard work be rewarded in the arena.

We are delighted to have our top partner Longines working so closely with us on one of our top properties, the FEI World CupTM Jumping.

Once again, they are the official title partner and watch for the final, as well as the Western European League which operates in the most prestigious venues around Europe, the recently reformatted North American League, and the China League, which, since being launched, has grown tremendously.

I would also like to take this opportunity to thank the organizing committee and their partners for their enthusiasm and innovation. And lastly, to the volunteer body and sponsors, the enthusiastic public and the media representatives, this would not be possible without you, so thank you for your dedication and loyalty.

In whatever capacity you are attending this event, I wish you an enjoyable event, conducted in the best spirit of great horsemanship.

FEI 2017 Ingmar De Vos FEI President

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FEI WORLD CUPTM FINALS OMAHA 2017

WELCOME TO OMAHA As one of North America’s largest and most respected construction and engineering organizations, our commitment is not only to building quality and lasting work, but also supporting the very communities in which we operate. We’re proud to call Omaha home. Welcome to the FEI World Cup™ Finals, welcome to Omaha.

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KIEWIT.COM

JUMPING & DRESSAGE

Pete

Ricketts

Governor of Nebraska

D

ear Friends: Nebraskans from Omaha to Scottsbluff welcome the world’s best horse riders, and visitors, from around the world to the 2017 Longines FEI World CupTM Jumping and FEI World CupTM Dressage Finals in Omaha. We are excited to be hosting this world championship competition for the first time, and I hope you will find time to visit many of our one-of-a-kind historical and world-class entertainment attractions while you’re here.

Located in America’s heartland, Nebraska is home to a diversified economy, including thriving agricultural and food industries. We are also home to several Fortune 500 companies and other large companies involved in transportation, manufacturing, energy, investment, financial services, and software development. Additionally, Nebraska has world-renowned universities known for both research and major health care centers providing state-of-the-art care for patients who come from around the world.

Not only are Nebraskans industrious and enterprising, we also love and support sports at the highest level. That’s why we are so excited to host the FEI World CupTM Finals here in the Midlands, just a few hours drive for equine enthusiasts who live in surrounding states. Whether the sport is football, basketball, baseball, hockey, swimming, or horses, Nebraskans love them all.

We wish the best of luck to all the competitors, both equine and human, at the FEI World CupTM Finals Omaha 2017. Ride for the glory—Nebraskans are with you all the way. FEI 2017

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FEI WORLD CUPTM FINALS OMAHA 2017

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JUMPING & DRESSAGE

Lisa Roskens

Chair — Omaha Equestrian Foundation

W

elcome to Omaha! We are proud to host the world’s best horses and riders in the 2017 Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping & FEI World CupTM Dressage Finals. Some of you may have been surprised when Omaha was announced as this year’s host site. I hope you are finding out why we at the Omaha Equestrian Foundation believe that Omaha has a place in international equestrian competition.

Here in the center of the country, we have a rich history that has revolved around the horse— from the once great horse nation of the Native American tribes to the distinctly American breeds that were developed as the country grew, including the American Quarter Horse, the Appaloosa, Morgan, and American Saddlebreds.

One of the most popular Thoroughbred race tracks in the country once thrived in what is now the heart of the city. Olympic jumpers trained at Nebraska’s Fort Robinson, and the United States Dressage Federation was founded just down the road in Lincoln. Today, area horsemen are making their mark in national hunter-jumper competitions and participating in the growing international equine industry.

Nebraska and the states surrounding it have a wealth of horsemen in different disciplines who join with our many business professionals and scores of devoted volunteers working to bring the best in equestrian competition to the area. We are committed to being a viable part of international competition events. We have a city that is both quaint and sophisticated, diverse and accessible. The CenturyLink Center is convenient for both competitors and visitors.

Our people are warm and welcoming and there are many sports enthusiasts eager to learn more about these exciting horse sports.

We appreciate your joining us for this worldclass competition, and hope you enjoy the nonstop party and entertainment we have planned.

Congratulations to all the competitors whose long journeys have brought them here. And to the many visitors who are watching them compete, let me say how glad we are that you’ve come. We hope you’ll return for more international competitions in the future. FEI 2017

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FEI WORLD CUPTM FINALS OMAHA 2017

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The Longines Master Collection

JUMPING & DRESSAGE

Foreword

by Longines

L

adies and gentlemen, dear friends of equestrian sports,

Longines has the great honor of being the title partner, the official timekeeper and the official watch of the Longines FEI World CupTM Jumping Final. It will be a real pleasure to share with you this weekend of show jumping competition in Omaha and see top-level riders and horses from all around the world compete for the coveted FEI World CupTM Champion title.

As the official watch of the final in Omaha, we are delighted to present to you a lady model of the Longines Equestrian Collection, inspired by the rectangular buckle on the show bridle of the only Swiss horse breed, the Franches-Montagnes.

On the occasion of this event, Longines Ambassador of Elegance Stefanie Graf will be attending the third and last day of competition in order to present the FEI World Cup™ Champion an elegant Longines watch. The iconic women’s tennis star will join the brand at the Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping final for the second time in the U.S. as she was already present in 2015 in Las Vegas.

Longines’ long term partnership with the FEI consolidates our commitment to show jumping. We lend our name to the FEI world ranking for riders: the Longines Rankings. We are the official partner, timekeeper, and watch of three series of the Longines FEI World CupTM Jumping: the western European, Chinese, and North American League. Our century-old involvement in equestrian sports includes the disciplines of racing, show jumping, eventing, endurance, driving, and dressage. Elegance, performance, and tradition are values we share with these sports, for which we have a long lasting passion.

Ladies and gentlemen, dear friends of equestrian sports, I hope you will enjoy the festive atmosphere and the many emotional moments at the Longines FEI World CupTM Jumping Final.

FEI 2017 Juan-Carlos Capelli Vice-President of Longines and Head of International Marketing

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FEI WORLD CUPTM FINALS OMAHA 2017

PARTNERS IN EXCELLENCE Burlington Capital is committed to its partnership with International Omaha and is proud to be a part of the Omaha Community.

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JUMPING & DRESSAGE

L

ongines is proud to be associated with the Longines FEI World CupTM Jumping Final as its title partner, official timekeeper and official watch. During the 2016/2017 season, the Swiss watchmaker had the honor to serve as the official timekeeper of the three major regional leagues­—Western European, Chinese and North American—at which the competitors of the final have been gathering the qualifying points. On Sunday, April 2, the three best of them will be granted an elegant Longines watch and the world champion will lift the coveted trophy in front of an enthusiastic audience at Omaha’s CenturyLink Center.

The final will be the perfect occasion for the spectators to discover the official watch of the event presented by the Swiss watch brand: a lady model of the Longines Equestrian Collection, inspired by the rectangular buckle on the show bridle of the only Swiss horse breed, the Franches-Montagnes. The piece in stainless steel showcases a silver-colored checkerboard pattern dial decorated with diamond indexes. It belongs to a collection made up of watches with shapes and materials reminding symbolic elements of

the world of horse lovers, a true celebration of riders and their mounts.

On the occasion of this event, the Longines Ambassador of Elegance Stefanie Graf will be attending the third and last day of competition in order to present the World Cup Champion an elegant Longines watch. The iconic women’s tennis star will also be signing autographs on the Longines booth situated in the venue before the competition starts. During the weekend, the spectators will be offered the chance to be photographed next to Longines’ big blue horse statue as a souvenir of their visit to the finals and take part in a contest to win a very special prize.

Longines’ passion for equestrian sports as well as its commitment to show jumping dates back to more than a century. Since then, along with show jumping and flat racing, the brand is involved in the disciplines of eventing, endurance, driving, and dressage. In all these disciplines, Longines is the official partner, the official timekeeper and the official watch of international institutions, events, races and competitions. Elegance, performance, and tradition are values that both equestrian sports and Longines share, which strengthen the profound bounds that the brand has been developing with the equestrian world. FEI 2017

As part of Longines’ partnership with FEI, the watch brand is lending its name to the FEI world ranking for riders: the Longines Rankings. The brand is the official partner of the three indoor series (the Western European, Chinese and North American League) and the final of the Longines FEI World CupTM Jumping, as well as the outdoor series and the final of the FEI Nations CupTM Jumping.

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FEI WORLD CUPTM FINALS OMAHA 2017

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JUMPING & DRESSAGE

THE WORLD’S BEST PARTNERSHIPS BAT TLING FOR ONE OF THE MOST COVETED TROPHIES IN THE SPORT OF JUMPING

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THIS IS THE 39TH SEASON OF THE FEI WORLD CUP TM JUMPING SERIES WHICH HAS SINCE INSPIRED FEI WORLD CUP TM SERIES IN DRESSAGE, DRIVING & VAULTING.

Join the conversation… #FEIWORLDCUPFINALS

Follow us on

www.fei.org 15

FEI WORLD CUPTM FINALS OMAHA 2017

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JUMPING & DRESSAGE

L

egends of Show Jumping

by Pat Waters

T

he FEI World CupTM has seen many show jumping legends claim its title, some more than once. Any discussion of show jumping legends must include the four riders who each have claimed the FEI World CupTM title three times. ◊

The first, Austria’s Hugo Simon, also won the inaugural trophy in 1979. He went on to win in 1997 and 1998, riding his Hanoverian gelding, E.T. FRH, both times. Simon was born on Aug. 3, 1942, and participated in six Olympic Games between 1972 and 1996. He won a silver medal at age 49 in the team event at the 1992 Olympics on the horse Apricot D. Four years later, at age 53, he came in fourth in the individual event at the 1996 Olympics after a jump-off involving seven riders competing for two medals. He is considered the oldest winner of a show jumping Grand Prix, having won the Grand Prix of Ebreichsdorf in May 2011. Although Simon rode many horses to the winner’s circle, it is with the show jumping great E.T. that he is best known.

◊

Rodrigo Pessoa of Brazil holds a special place in the series, having been the only rider to win three consecutive titles (1998, 1999, and 2000) on the same horse, Baloubet du Rouet. That feat alone entitles the stallion to his own biographical review. Born in 1989, Baloubet du Rouet, a Selle Francais, won many of the greatest international show jumping competitions, including two Olympic events. His success began early, when he won the 7-year-old stallion test at Fontainebleau while being ridden on the French circuit by Nelson Pessoa, Rodrigo’s father. He became most competitive, however, in his partnership with Rodrigo. Baloubet du Rouet retired from competition in 2006 and from breeding in 2010, and currently lives in Portugal. He continues to exert extraordinary influence in the sport through numerous offspring who compete on the international stage. Rodrigo Pessoa was born on Nov. 29, 1972. He won an Olympic gold medal in individual jumping and has won 70 Grand Prix events. He has represented Brazil at six Olympic Games and carried Brazil’s flag at the 2012 Summer Olympics in London. Pessoa was one of the youngest riders to compete in the Olympics, at the age of 19 in the 1992 Barcelona Olympics. » 17

FEI WORLD CUPTM FINALS OMAHA 2017

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JUMPING & DRESSAGE

◊

«

Two riders representing Germany— Marcus Ehning and Meredith MichaelsBeerbaum­— complete this distinguished group. Ehning won in 2003, 2006, and 2010. Michaels-Beerbaum won in 2005, 2008, and 2009. Ehning was born on April 19, 1974, and earned a Gold medal in the 2000 Olympics in team jumping.

Michaels-Beerbaum is a U.S. native, born in Los Angeles on Dec. 26, 1969. She attended Princeton University and then went to Germany to train in 1991. She planned to remain for only a summer but ended up buying a training center there.

She changed her citizenship to German after marrying well-known German show jumper Markus Beerbaum in 1998.

Riders such as Ian Miller, John Whitaker, and the United States’ own Joe Fargis certainly deserve a place in the firmament of top show jumpers. Miller of Canada and Whitaker of Great Britain are two-time World Cup winners. Miller, a member of the Canadian Equestrian Team, rode the same horse, the Belgian Warmblood Big Ben, to his World Cup titles. Miller also has an Olympic silver medal. Fans and colleagues have dubbed him “Captain Canada,” because of his longevity and accomplishments in the sport. He holds the record for most Olympic appearances—breaking the record when he took part in his 10th Olympic Games in London in 2012. On July 23, 2015, at the

age of 68, Miller won a gold medal in the Pan American Games. Whitaker won two consecutive World Cup finals, in 1990 and 1991, on British Sport Horse gelding Milton.

A member of the Show Jumping Hall of Fame in Lexington, Kentucky, Fargis won an individual and team gold at the 1984 Los Angeles Olympics, becoming only the second American to do so. He rode Touch of Class, a Thoroughbred mare, over 90 of 91 obstacles, an Olympic record. Four years later, Fargis added a third Olympic medal while achieving the best score in the team competition to lead the United States to the team silver medal in Seoul, South Korea. FEI 2017

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FEI WORLD CUPTM FINALS OMAHA 2017

Legends of Show Jumping

Contestants

by Pat Waters

Q

ualifying rounds for the finals began in October 2016. Switzerland’s Steve Guerdat will be looking to win the event for the third consecutive year. As of Jan. 8, Daniel Deusser of Germany was leading the FEI world jumping rankings with 3,076 points. He won the FEI World CupTM in 2014. Behind him at No. 2, after a long period atop the list, was Christian Ahlmann, also of Germany. Two Americans were in the third and fourth spots: Kent Farrington and McLain Ward.

FEI 2017

Steve Guerdat, 34, was the FEI World CupTM winner in 2015 and 2016. He won the Gold medal in individual jumping at the 2012 Olympics and the bronze medal at the 2008 Olympics in team jumping. At the 2012 games, Guerdat was the only rider who jumped cleanly in the final two rounds of competition. He was the first Swiss rider to win a gold medal in the jumping event since 1924. He began riding at the age of 7 and was trained by his father, Philippe Guerdat, who also was an Olympic show jumper. According to his profile on the FEI website, his philosophy is: “Talent alone is not enough. Riding is all about patience and hard work.”

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JUMPING & DRESSAGE

Daniel Deusser, 35, won a Bronze medal in team jumping in the 2016 Olympics in Rio de Janeiro.

He also was the 2014 FEI World CupTM winner.

According to his profile on the FEI website, he first tried riding at age 2 and entered his first competition at age 9. His motto is to “never give up.” “You work with an animal and this sport brings more disappointments than success. You have to stay patient and be willing to try again and again.”

Christian Ahlmann, 42, comes from a show-jumping family—his father and brothers have competed at an elite level—although Ahlmann preferred playing soccer as a child. He didn’t start riding until age 11, but he won his first show-jumping competition a year later. His wife, Judy-Ann Melchior, was part of the Belgian show-jumping team at the 2006 and 2010 World Equestrian Games. They own and operate training stables in Germany and Belgium.

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FEI WORLD CUPTM FINALS OMAHA 2017

Simon Delestre, 35, began riding at age 5 at his family’s stables, which his parents started with just a few horses when he was young. His father, Marcel, also competed at an elite level. The business still is operating, and Simon now largely runs it. He missed the 2016 Olympics because his horse suffered an injury in his stall just days before the Olympics were to begin.

Laura Kraut, 51, of West Palm Beach, Florida, is a two-time Olympian representing the United States She began riding at age 3 because her mother wanted Laura and her sisters to get involved with horses. She was awarded the U.S. Olympic Committee’s Jack Kelly Fair Play Award and was named the American Grand Prix Association Rider of the Year for the 20002001 season.

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JUMPING & DRESSAGE

McLain Ward, 41, of Brewster, New York, won the 1982 Grand Prix of Devon (Pennsylvania) 20 years after his father, Barney, won the same event. In tribute to his late father, McLain carries a picture of Barney in his pocket during competitions. McLain and his wife, an amateur rider, own and operate a horse-dealing operation. He received the Longines Elegance Award in 2010 after winning the International Grand Prix of Ireland. He was named the American Grand Prix Association Rider of the Year for the second consecutive year and the third time overall in 2003.

Elizabeth “Beezie� Madden, 53, of Cazenovia, New York, started riding at age 4 and received her first pony for Christmas at age 6. Her parents owned horses and she liked them. She hoped to make her fourth Olympic appearance as part of the U.S. team in 2016 but was forced to withdraw because her horse suffered a tendon injury. In 2014, she became the first rider to win the U.S. Equestrian Federation Equestrian of the Year Award four times. That same year, she became the first woman to win the King George V Gold Cup in Hickstead, England.

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FEI WORLD CUPTM FINALS OMAHA 2017

Quail Run Discusses Regional Jumping Climate

by Tim Kaldahl

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JUMPING & DRESSAGE

Omaha’s equestrian community has made gains over the past several years to better explain and show the beauty of horse jumping and English riding to the area’s general public while also making strides, regionally and nationally, with riders, owners, and exhibitors. In short, it’s an exciting time to be a horseman or horsewoman in Nebraska’s largest city.

Patrice Urban has a healthy, long-view perspective. She and her husband have owned and operated the Quail Run Horse Centre jumping/ training facility near 220th Street and West Maple Road for three decades. And while, she says, the FEI World CupTM Finals is exciting— in her words “huge”—the work leading up to earning that event has been important, as well.

Thanks to the work of the Omaha Equestrian Foundation, Omaha hosted its first U.S. fivestar jumping competition in the region, the International, in 2012. The International has been held annually since then. The application for the 2017 FEI World CupTM Finals, characterized as a “longshot” bid on the OEF website, was submitted four years ago. Event organizers in Omaha during the past few years have learned how to make a great show for everyone—participants, horse community members, and the public, she says, and people who come to the FEI World CupTM from beyond the area are going to be pleased.

“When you’re watching a grand prix like that it’s suspenseful. It’s exciting. You kind of sit on the edge of your seat when they’re in the speed phase and they’re trying to beat the clock and the rider before them,” Dan says.

“Our lessons didn’t take a hit at all. We are very consistent with what we teach and we are always busy,” Patrice says. “Sometimes we have four instructors teaching at the same time out there.”

Over the past five years, he and his two brothers have been organizing horse competitions, as well, to add onto the horse centre’s teaching and boarding business.

“People (after the start of the recession) didn’t want to travel anymore,” Dan says. “They didn’t want to pay to put their horses on a trailer when the nearest venue was four, five, six hours away.”

“I want people to know that they’re going to see the top of the top (at the World Cup), but anyone can do this,” he says. Separate from the International, Quail Run now runs five weeks of competitions. Prior to offering an Omaha-based riding event, the nearest competitions were in Kansas City, Des Moines, or Colorado. The recession of 2008 highlighted a need. Shipping a horse to a horse show in St. Louis costs more than $700, Patrice says.

During the past few years, Quail Run added three outdoor riding arenas and a stabling barn with the competitions in mind. The facility has 45 stalls and conducts 300 to 450 riding lessons a month. The horse shows typically bring in 95 to 125 horses and are now attracting riders and owners from around the region in their own right.

“When the gas prices went crazy, shipping went crazy,” she says. In 2008, the buying and selling of horses in the area took a hit, as well, but teaching riding was a constant.

Patrice says the OEF’s focus on bringing in spectators to its large events has been important.

Family friendly educational displays, demonstrations, and more have made kids love the International, she says. Dan says he would like to see a lasting economic impact for the metropolitan horse community because of the FEI World CupTM Finals Omaha 2017.

“It’s here. It’s not some, like, event to put up on a showcase that’s unattainable for people,” he says. “We do this right here in Omaha, and anyone’s invited.” FEI 2017

“They’re going to come because it’s the World Cup, but what’s more important to Omaha is they’re coming to see Omaha,” Urban adds. She says that she has been educating people about Omaha whenever questions come up about this year’s FEI World CupTM Finals. Omaha is the first new city selected for the event in a decade.

“We’re in the niche in the United States in the equestrian world that we really don’t exist very much,” Urban says. “So for them to be able to come to the Midwest and experience our hospitality and what we have to offer is a new adventure for them.”

Dan Urban, Patrice’s 32-year-old son, has grown up in the area’s horse community and says he would enjoy seeing more people get excited about his sport. He serves as a trainer, instructor, and co-owner at Quail Run.

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FEI WORLD CUPTM FINALS OMAHA 2017

The

DRESSAGE FOUNDATION Thanks to our generous donors, we are able to offer many grants and programs for all dressage enthusiasts: • Youth and Young Adults • Professionals • Adult Amateurs • Breeders • Judges

• High Performance Riders • Technical Delegates • Competition Managers • USDF GMOs • Non-Profit Groups

Visit our booth (#42) located near the warm-up arena to learn more, make a donation, or enter to win an Erreplus saddle from Sagmae or a one-of-a-kind piece of jewelry made with Valegro’s tail hair.

THE DRESSAGE FOUNDATION 1314 ‘O’ Street, Suite 305 Lincoln, NE 68508

402-434-8585 info@dressagefoundation.org www.dressagefoundation.org

Photo: Sabine Schut-Kery and Sanceo, 2017 Carol Lavell Advanced Dressage Prize Recipient.

Photo by Terri Miller.

Shan Lawton Dressage LLC Helping horses and riders achieve their potential from training level to Grand Prix!

Omaha - Lincoln shan.lawton@gmail.com shanlawtondressage.com

617.877.0785 26

THE WORLD’S BEST PARTNERSHIPS BAT TLING FOR ONE OF THE MOST COVETED TROPHIES IN THE SPORT OF DRESSAGE

8 WINS GREAT BRITAIN, SWITZERLAND AND USA HAVE

2 WINS DENMARK, FINLAND, FRANCE AND SWEDEN HAVE

1 WIN

27 vs 4

FEMALE RIDERS HAVE WON THE TROPHY 27 TIMES AS OPPOSED TO 4 FOR THE MEN

What a man...

DEFENDING CHAMPION THE NETHERLANDS' HANS PETER MINDERHOUD FULFILLED A LIFE-TIME AMBITION WHEN CLAIMING THE TITLE IN 2016.

HE ALSO ENDED A 6 YEAR DROUGHT SINCE THE LAST MAN, EDWARD GAL - ALSO DUTCH - CLAIMED THE TITLE IN 2010.

On Cloud 9 ANKY VAN GRUNSVEN (NED) HOLDS THE ALL-TIME RECORD OF MOST WINS WITH 9 FEI WORLD CUP™ TITLES TO HER NAME. RANGING FROM 1995 TO 2008, 5 OF THESE WERE WON ON BONFIRE AND 4 WITH SALINERO. IT’S UNLIKELY ANYONE WILL EVER MATCH HER RECORD.

BOSCH. 2003 GOTHENBURG. 2004 DÜSSELDORF. 2005 LAS VEGAS. 2006 AMSTERDAM. 2007 LAS VEGAS. 2008 ‘S-HERTOGENBOSCH. 2009 LAS VEGAS. 2010 ‘S-HERTOGENBOSCH. 2011 LEIPZIG. 2012 ‘S-HERTOGENBOSCH. 2013 GOTHENBURG. 2014 LYON. EN

GERMANY HAS

19 85

FEI WORLD CUP™ DRESSAGE SERIES IS CREATED

22 MARCH - 2 APRIL 2017 O M A H A , N E USA

2 017

THIS IS THE 32ND EDITION OF THE FEI WORLD CUP TM DRESSAGE SERIES.

V EN U E S FO R FI N A L S S I N C E 19 85

13 WINS

ORTMUND. 2000 ‘S-HERTOGENBOSCH. 2001 AARHUS. 2002 ‘S-HERTOG 9D

THE NETHERLANDS HAS

1988 ‘S-HERTOGENBOSCH. 1989 GOTHENBURG. 1990 ‘S-HERTOGENBOSCH. 1991 PARIS. 1992 GOTHENBURG. 1993 ‘S-HERTOGENBOSCH. 1994 GOTHENBURG. 1995 LOS ANGELES. 1996 GOTHENBURG. 1997 ‘S-HERTOGENBOSCH. 1998 GOTHENBURG. 199 N.

15 LAS VEGAS.2016 GOTHENBURG. 1986 ‘S-HERTOGENBOSCH. 1987 ESSE 20

19 8 6

ANNE-GRETHE JENSEN OF DENMARKAND MARZOG ARE CROWNED THE FIRST FEI WORLD CUP™ DRESSAGE WINNERS

4

LEAGUES

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QUALIFYING EVENTS

1

FINAL

#RidetoOmaha #TwoHearts at its very best FIRST THERE'S THE QUALIFYING STAGES WHERE TOGETHER, YOU'VE GOT TO IMPRESS TO SECURE THE POINTS TO GET TO THE FINAL AND THEN, IN A WORLD CLASS FIELD OF ATHLETES, TOGETHER, YOU HAVE TO SHINE AS ONE TO SECURE THE ULTIMATE INDOOR DRESSAGE TROPHY!

#FEIWorldCupFinals

Follow us on

www.fei.org

FEI WORLD CUPTM FINALS OMAHA 2017

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JUMPING & DRESSAGE

Legends of Dressage Dressage’s Golden Girl

by Ashley Wagner

I

n 1996, she won the individual gold medal at the Atlantic Winter Games. That same year, she also won her second team gold Olympic medal. Since then, Isabell Werth of Germany won team gold in Sydney in 2000, in Hong Kong in 2008, and in Rio in 2016.

With a total of 10 Olympic medals under her belt and ranked No. 1 in the world, Werth is unquestionably the most decorated dressage rider in history.

And she has chosen the 2017 FEI World CupTM Finals for her first exhibition in the United States.

“We are so excited that the legendary Isabell Werth is coming to Omaha,” says Lisa Roskens, chair of the Omaha Equestrian Foundation, which produces the 2017 FEI World CupTM. “The Dressage Showcase segment with Isabell Werth will give fans a rare opportunity to learn from an international star who has won more Olympic medals than any dressage rider in history.”

Werth will headline a special showcase presented by the Dressage Foundation on Friday, titled “Young Horses to Grand Prix with Olympic Champion Isabell Werth.” However, she will also compete in the dressage finals along with several other legends of the sport, who plan to travel to Omaha from around the world to compete for this year’s dressage title. »

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FEI WORLD CUPTM FINALS OMAHA 2017

«2016 FEI World CupTM Dressage Champion

Hans-Peter Minderhoud of the Netherlands will be here to defend his title. Top American rider Steffen Peters, who won the FEI World CupTM in 2009, will be here to try to reclaim it. And two-time FEI World CupTM champion Charlotte Dujardin of Great Britain will also seek to have her name engraved on that coveted trophy.

Other names to watch for this year, according to Thomas Baur, director of dressage for the Omaha Equestrian Foundation, include Edward Gal of the Netherlands with his famous stallion Totilas (nicknamed “Toto”); Laura Graves, the American who won a bronze medal in the team competition and fourth individually in the 2016 Olympics in Rio; and Carl Hester of Great Britain, who Baur says is currently ranked sixth in the world.

“We haven’t seen a lineup like this at the World Cup Finals for several years,” says Baur. “It’s a bit of a small Olympics—a good opportunity for the dressage people in North America to see these top horses.”

Dressage, a French word meaning “training,” dates as far back as ancient Greece and the society's training of their cavalry horses for war.

During the Renaissance period, however, this training became a true art form. Dressage has evolved over time to modern dressage, which is what we see today at international competitions such as the Olympics and the FEI World CupTM Finals.

Horses and riders perform a series of movements that test a variety of skills as well as the ability of the horse and rider to work together.

The purpose of the sport is to not only develop a horse’s athletic ability but also his willingness or ability to respond to cues from his rider. Roskens says a good way to describe dressage to those who are unfamiliar with it is as the “figure skating of the equestrian sport.”

“It’s a beautiful, dramatic, precise partnership of the horse and rider,” Roskens says.

Two separate competitions are planned for the FEI World CupTM Finals—the FEI World CupTM Dressage Grand Prix on Thursday, and the FEI World CupTM Dressage Final, which will feature dressage freestyle to music, on Saturday. The grand prix is more of a fixed test, where all of the competitors will be asked to complete specific patterns of gaits and movements at several levels, Baur said. During the second event, the dressage final, the riders are more free to choose what they want to show, the order in which they want to show it, and the music to which they want to perform. The focus here is more on beauty and artistry.

“All the while, the rider looks like they are going for a walk in the woods,” Roskens says. “Let me tell you—they’re not.”

The judges will give scores between 0 and 10 for each movement, with 10 being the highest score.

Movements range from a “half-pass,” where a horse travels diagonally, moving both forward and sideways, to a pirouette, a 360-degree or 180-degree turn in place. Other required movements in the test are a collected gait, a passage, a piaffe, and an extended gait.

The horses and riders that rise to the top will be those who work together calmly, professionally, and in complete partnership with each other.

And that will come down to the horse, Baur said.

“The rider is a big part of it, but the horses are the ones making the difference at the end of the day,” Baur said. “If you have an average horse, you will probably not win, but the horses in this year’s finals are all top horses. That’s why I think it will be one of the best FEI World CupTM Finals we’ve had.” FEI 2017

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JUMPING & DRESSAGE

Isabell Werth

Hans-Peter Minderhoud

FEI World CupTM Gold Dressage Winners

Charlotte Dujardin

Laura Graves

Edward Gal

The FEI World CupTM Dressage Finals have drawn horses and riders from all over the world to compete at top levels against top competitors since the event was founded in 1985. However, the horses and riders that have stood out as legends of the sport have had their names engraved on the coveted trophy not once but in some cases two or even more times. Here is a list of some of those legendary riders and the years they won gold.

•

Andy van Grunsven (1995 in Los Angeles; 1996 in Gothenburg; 1997 in ‘s-Hertogenbosch; 1999 in Dortmund; 2000 in ‘s-Hertogenbosch; 2004 in Dusseldorf; 2005 in Las Vegas; 2006 in Amsterdam; 2008 in ‘s-Hertogenbosch)

◊

Christine Stuckelberger (1987 in Essen; 1988 in ‘s-Hertogenbosch)

◊

Isabell Werth (1992 in Gothenburg; 2007 in Las Vegas)

◊

Ulla Salzgeber (2001 in Aarhus; 2002 in ‘s-Hertogenbosch)

◊

Monica Theodorescu (1993 in ‘s-Hertogenbosch; 1994 in Gothenburg)

◊

Adeline Cornelissen (2011 in Leipzig; 2012 in ‘s-Hertogenbosch)

◊

Charlotte Dujardin (2014 in Lyon; 2015 in Las Vegas)

Carl Hester

Steffen Peters 31

FEI WORLD CUPTM FINALS OMAHA 2017

by Ryan Borchers

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JUMPING & DRESSAGE

the FEI World CupTM Finals here. But the more she saw of it, the more impressed she became.

“I’ve gotten to know the dressage community quite a bit more than I had in the past, and there’s really a great, very strong grass roots … community in this part of the country,” she says.

It has a mix of high-end competitors and enthusiastic people who compete at lower levels. “I was genuinely very surprised and pleased with how strong it is.”

Gracia Huenefeld, 24, a teacher and trainer out of Hickman, Nebraska, has competed in dressage for almost eight years, since taking lessons in 4-H Club. Top-level clinicians and trainers are essential to growing the sport, she says, and the Nebraska dressage community is growing and will continue to grow.

“Obviously, with the World Cup coming to Omaha that will raise awareness of the sport [here] in the Midwest,” she says. “As a trainer [here] in the Midwest, that’s very exciting for us.”

C

onventional wisdom says that the East Coast, particularly Florida, is where the premier dressage communities and competitions are in the United States, making this a more obvious choice for the FEI World CupTM Finals.

an important dressage area. It still has great trainers and interest, but shifting economics and Florida’s rise as a dressage community have resulted in New England becoming less important.

But a closer look reveals that the dressage community here in Nebraska is energetic and growing. That is not surprising, since the United States Dressage Federation was founded by legendary horseman Lowell Boomer in Lincoln, Nebraska more than 40 years ago.

After a good client relocated to Omaha, Lawton decided to check the city out for himself.

“It’s a small but growing group of dedicated people who value education and are dedicated to the sport,” says Missy Fladland, 45.

Fladland is a regional and national dressage champion who has lived in Omaha since 1981.

She owns and operates La Riata Ranch in Griswold, Iowa, with her husband, Kip, and she says she’s excited about the FEI World CupTM being held in Omaha.

“The question is ‘Why not Omaha?’” she says.

“It’s a great community, a great place to live.

We’d love to share that with the world.”

Shan Lawton, 64, is someone who looked at Omaha and saw an opportunity. A trainer and competitor who has been involved in the sport for over 30 years, Lawton is originally from Boston. New England, he says, was once

“When she moved, I came out here to assess, really, what the dressage community was like here,” he says. “And it seemed to me that there was a desire for more training here. I met a number of people who were interested in dressage and in becoming better dressage riders.”

What Lawton has found has given him cause for optimism.

“My experience has been that there are a fair number of really quite nice horses here,” he says. “There are a number of people who are pretty serious about riding. It’s not the biggest discipline in the area by far, but there’s a definite interest, and I’d say earnest interest, in dressage.

The FEI World CupTM Finals Omaha 2017, Roskens hopes, will inspire more people to participate, both in general and at a higher level. In addition, the board will discuss a five-point strategic plan to grow both jumping and dressage. Nebraska’s large amount of land, particularly grassland, and agricultural infrastructure gives it an opportunity to be a major equestrian hub one day.

“Our goal is to continue to grow and develop the sport through education, through access to the higher levels of the sport and to continue to build that community,” she says.

Lawton is also optimistic that theFEI World CupTM Finals Omaha 2017 will have a positive effect on the sport locally.

“I’m hoping that it will stimulate interest, maybe in some people who have done other types of riding,” he says. “I think it will also be good for the people who are already doing dressage in the area to see ... what the [world-class] standard looks like.

“It’s a coup for Omaha.” FEI 2017

“I think people really, really do care about the sport here [and] just have not had really good access to good training.”

Lisa Roskens primarily rides jumping horses and was not as familiar with Omaha’s dressage community before efforts got underway to bring

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FEI WORLD CUPTM FINALS OMAHA 2017

Frequent Flyers For Elite Equines, World Cup Travel Not a Problem

by Charlie Litton

W

hen the world’s elite horses arrived in Omaha, an entourage of police and first responders—including mounted patrol— escorted them to the CenturyLink Center.

smooth, and there’s always challenges. But for a guy like me who’s been at it for 28 years, and has done quite a few of them, it’s just another day at the office.”

European equine competitors departed from Amsterdam, Netherlands, aboard a chartered Boeing 777 cargo plane that takes more than nine hours to reach Omaha.

Once the horses arrive in Omaha, they will be quarantined at the CenturyLink Center for up to three days while the USDA checks for diseases and other potential health concerns.

The flight requires horses to be loaded into specialized containers called “jet stalls,” which resemble an enclosed stable stall. Jet stalls can hold up to three horses. The charter flight includes a “pro groom,” nine shipper grooms, and a veterinarian—all provided by the company overseeing the transportation, the Dutta Corp.

The FEI World CupTM Finals' official veterinarian, Mike Black—based out of his Nebraska Equine Veterinary Clinic just outside of Blair—says any adverse effects of a long journey would be the same for horses whether they traveled by trailer or airplane. It’s not unusual for humans and animals to struggle through temporarily weakened immune systems due to stress and spending long periods of confinement with other travelers.

These horses are well-seasoned air travelers, making the journey seem almost routine, says J. Tim Dutta, the founder and owner of the international horse logistics company.

“Horses are just like human beings,” Dutta says.

“Some get jittery, some read the rosary, some like some gin and tonic, some go to sleep before the plane leaves the gate, and the rest are worried about life two days afterward. Everybody’s an individual, and we are ready for each and every situation.”

Any concerns or worries, he says, are the things that can’t be entirely controlled or predicted— such as poor weather conditions or a horse getting sick during transportation.

“You’ve got a couple hundred million dollars worth of horses on the plane, so that’s serious business,” he says. “You want everything to go 34

“Whenever the animal is put under stress, it will compromise some of their ability to respond to infections,” Black says. “And a lot of horses are carriers of viruses and things. So, as they’re around other horses that they’re not normally around, then things can be spread.”

The FEI World Cup Finals is the first international championship of its kind to be hosted in Omaha, he says. There have been championship boxing bouts in the city. And the NCAA crowns the champions of college baseball in Omaha. But never before have so many world champions been able to prove themselves in Omaha.

TM

Back in 1950, when the College World Series first came to Omaha, nobody could have expected how the “Gateway to the West” would become a Midwestern sports mecca.

“They didn’t know about swim trials; they didn’t know about NCAA basketball or wrestling or volleyball and all the great events that we have now,” says Mike West, CEO of Omaha Equestrian Foundation and a veteran Omaha sports marketing professional. He previously held management positions with the Lancers, Cox Classic Golf Tournament, and Creighton’s athletics department.

The Omaha Equestrian Foundation is not only dedicated to putting on a good show. West and his colleagues are committed to continuing the city’s relationship with the FEI, the Fédération Equestre Internationale (aka, the International Federation for Equestrian Sports), the governing body for the sports of show jumping and dressage.

“We have an opportunity, but we also have an obligation as an organizer to do a good job. Because if we do a good job, we don’t know what it will lead to, but we know it will lead to something [positive],” he says.

A successful 2017 World CupTM Finals in Omaha could improve chances of the FEI World CupTM Finals returning, along with its estimated economic impact of $50 million.

“We have to be better than anybody—by far—at listening and delivering on our promise to the fans of this sport,” West says. “And if we do, I think we’ll develop a reputation that if you want to be treated like a fan [of sports], go to Omaha, Nebraska.” FEI 2017

JUMPING & DRESSAGE

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FEI WORLD CUPTM FINALS OMAHA 2017

A Grass Roots Effort

by Anne Walsh

T

he FEI World Cup’sTM international, star-studded cast of horses and riders match the talents of Olympic competitors. In fact, they are often Olympic winners. As these globe-trotters gather for the first time in America’s heartland, Omaha aims to honor the sport while spotlighting the city on the world’s stage.

“This is a great opportunity. Omaha has a reputation for hosting high-quality sports events, including national championships, but this is the first time we’ve held an international final,” says Mike West, chief executive officer, Omaha Equestrian Foundation (OEF). “Up to 70 percent of the attendees are from outside the city, representing 20 different countries and all 50 states.”

Omaha prevailed over bids from London, Hong Kong, and the Netherlands with a winning combination of vision and facilities, he says.

Since 2012, the OEF annually has hosted the “International Omaha” show jumping event—a regional competition with some international involvement—at the CenturyLink Center.

Organizers are building on this foundation of expertise to make the 2017 FEI World CupTM a truly unique event, combining elements of the European equestrian fan experience with mainstream American sports.

“It’s striking how beautiful this event is, and it’s a blast to watch. It has three sports components: precision, athleticism, and teamwork. In basketball, for example, you have precise, 3-point shooters; passing and rebounding athleticism, and skilled players united to win,” West says.

“In equestrian events, the horse is the athlete and the rider brings the teamwork in a very precise sport, and they don’t even speak the same language.”

The CenturyLink Center’s layout is a perfect venue. “If you could make a building for the World Cup, the one in this town is that building,” he says. With the dressage and show jumping competitions unfolding in the arena, the adjoining convention center boasts a unique tailgating experience, with dining, shopping, exhibits and—of course—horses, all rolled into one.

36

The Baird Holm Tailgate Lounge and Restaurant borders the warm-up ring, so as attendees drink and dine, they get a birds-eye view of the equine athletes preparing for competition. The Boutique Shopping Village offers something for everyone, from tack and equestrian products to jewelry, clothes, and luxury gift items from companies such as Longines, a Swiss watch manufacturer and FEI World CupTM sponsor.

The family-friendly Triple Crown Horse Discovery Zone also includes numerous free exhibits, a staple of the educational outreach of previous International Omaha events, says Jackie Vinci, OEF education coordinator.

“Horses are foreign to city dwellers; you can’t easily interact with them unless it’s a mounted patrolman or carriage ride downtown. Some people are even afraid because they’re such large animals,” she says. “We want to provide hands-on education and greater opportunities to meet horses on a personal level.”

The displays include: ◊

Runza Gallery of Breeds—features a variety of horses, from a pony to a Percheron (draft horse).

◊

Blacksmith Shop of Omaha—Elmo Diaz uses an anvil and bellows to show how horseshoes were made.

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“Wheel Wright”—Art Push demonstrates equipment that makes carriage wheels.

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Durham Museum—offers a variety of exhibits, including Omaha’s founders and Plains Indians history. The World Cup’s international visitors, many from Europe, are very interested in the Wild West’s heritage.

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Henry Doorly Zoo—traces the ancestry of zebras as predecessors of horses.

◊

U.S. Pony Club—provides hands-on exhibits, including braiding a tail or sitting on a saddle, as well as a display showing the sizes of horse shoes,

and games. In the demo area, horses and riders offer live presentations of the pas de deux and quadrille, long-lining and show grooming. ◊

Equimania! sponsored by Kiewit— from Guelph, Ontario, is a large, comprehensive exhibit covering all aspects of horse physiology, including the digestive system and dental, as well as the evolution, nutrition, and behaviors of the horse.

◊

Western, English, and Dressage exhibits and Tack Room—includes riding styles, clothing, and stable gear.

◊

160-Seat Mutual of Omaha Theater— shows a variety of videos, including the evolution of horses, their use in the cavalry, military, farming, and fire-fighting, and their use today. The theater also features short and award-winning films from the Equus Film Festival in NYC.

OEF is offering schools in Nebraska and Iowa free field trips and transportation to CenturyLink, complete with exhibit tour guides and activity books.

“Watching the growth and seeing the popularity and interest is exciting. We’ve gone from four schools with 200 students attending the first International Omaha event, to nearly 40 schools this year with thousands of students,” Vinci says. “We hope to continue the World Cup’s momentum and bring some of these educational elements to schools, clubs or other events throughout the year.”

West also hopes to build on the success of the FEI World CupTM. “We want to educate the nation and the world about our city. Big events are always relevant here—they don’t get lost like they can in larger cities. We want the Omaha community to wrap around this, celebrate, be part of the success and have fun,” he says. “The World Cup will show that Omaha knows how to throw a party!”

FEI 2017

JUMPING & DRESSAGE

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FEI WORLD CUPTM FINALS OMAHA 2017

Omaha 2017 Ambassadors How a Nationwide Network of Volunteers Spread the Word

by Carol Crissey Nigrelli

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JUMPING & DRESSAGE

recruits then received a packet of information from Omaha about the 2017 FEI World CupTM Finals. “I told them to put the flyers in their barns, tack stores, feed stores, their places of work, grocery stores, coffee shops, everywhere.

And then, of course, I invited them to come.”

In addition to the invitation, Ambassadors received a navy blue ball cap emblazoned with the event’s colorful horse logo and “Omaha 2017 Ambassador” stitched in white underneath, an FEI World CupTM Finals pin, vouchers for a non-sold-out event, and discounted tickets.

E

veryone involved in the equestrian world shares a passion—for the sport, for the horses, and for the beauty and nobility of the presentation. Lisa Roskens, founder of the Omaha Equestrian Foundation, counted on that enthusiasm to make the very first Omaha International a success. The number of local and regional volunteers who worked the event exceeded expectations back in 2012. But once the Federation Equestre Internationale awarded Omaha the 2017 FEI World CupTM Finals, Roskens knew organizers would have to overcome an obvious hurdle; one created by geography.

“This is the World Series of our sport, truly a global and national event,” says Roskens.

“While most people involved in equestrian sports understand and follow the World CupTM, they don’t really understand Omaha.”

True to form, whenever confronted with a challenge, Roskens gathered her friends and colleagues in the OEF to brainstorm. How could they reach out to those who only know Omaha as a city locked in the middle of “flyover country?”

“We realized we needed a much more personalized outreach approach for those people to truly understand what they can expect (from Omaha) and to give them reasons to get excited about coming here,” she says. “So it wasn’t just mass mailers going out to generate excitement.”

And so the Omaha 2017 Ambassadors program began. It quickly evolved into more than a platform to tout the positives of the Midlands. The scope of the effort, extending beyond neighboring states, also generated a groundswell of support for the FEI World CupTM Finals Omaha 2017 and for equestrian sports in general.

OEF board member Karen Ensminger and riding instructor Sybil Greene head the Ambassadors program. With the help of an office assistant and a few interns, they created an impressive information pipeline—one person at a time.

“Our goal was to get at least one person in all 50 states who would take information from us and then spread the word,” explains Greene.

“We figured they would become a contact point for others in their area who wanted to know more about the World CupTM and Omaha in particular.”

The women started gathering Ambassadors by calling personal friends in the horse community.

Having grown up in Maryland, Greene knows riders from the Chesapeake Bay area up through New Jersey.

Ensminger, a native New Yorker who has worked in Los Angeles and Boston, had no trouble making up her friends’ minds for them. “I called them up and said, ‘Look, this is what’s happening here in Omaha and I’m sure you want to get involved. So I’m going to sign you up as an Ambassador,’” she says as she laughs. The new

To reach the massive number of riders they don’t know, Greene harnessed the power of social media. She created an Ambassadors Facebook page, where people could sign up electronically.

She joined Facebook groups that had anything to do with horses—farms, stables, barns, riding clubs, horse dealers—and asked for people to volunteer as Ambassadors. She re-posted articles about the FEI World CupTM Finals Omaha 2017 and sent out media blasts, paying special attention to the ones listing things to do in Omaha.

“It’s been an extremely low financial output on our part,” says Ensminger.

Though striving for a modest goal of one contact per state, the committee managed to sign up multiple Ambassadors in several states, including 25 to 30 in horse-heavy states like Texas, California, and Montana. Many Ambassadors have taken up the invitation to attend the FEI World CupTM Finals. Some are even volunteering their services in whatever capacity needed during the events.

“The baseball people know about Omaha because of the College World Series, the swimming people because of the Olympic Swim Trials,” says Greene. “And now the horse world knows about us. We’re building on our reputation as a place for elite sports.”

Will the Ambassadors program, created especially for the Midwest’s first-ever international equestrian showdown, continue? “If participants see it as a valuable and fun experience, then we will consider expanding upon it,” says Roskens.

Judging from the number of selfies taken with Omaha ’17 merchandise and posted on social media, keeping the program might just be a plan. FEI 2017

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FEI WORLD CUPTM FINALS OMAHA 2017

While You're Here!

Meet Omaha ... and Bob

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H

i, I’m Bob … I’m a bridge and I’m going to tell you all you need to know about Omaha. But first, a little about me. At 3,000 feet long, I’m a one-of-a-kind suspension bridge with a largerthan-life personality. I’m the only pedestrian bridge to connect Nebraska and Iowa. Walk to my middle and you’ll be able to stand in two states at once. Strike a pose and take a pic, then you’ll be “Bobbing” (trust us, it’s a thing). How about a li'l dressaging while Bobbing?

Above all things, I’m the guy to talk to about Omaha. To help during your visit for the FEI World Cup™ Finals, I’ve included some tips and fun facts about visiting Omaha. Take a look below, and if you have any questions, just give me a shout. Seriously—whatever you want to know, just ask me on Twitter or Instagram (@BobTBridge).

JUMPING & DRESSAGE

Residents of Omaha like to go against the wind. (There’s a talking bridge. Can you get more innovative than that?) In the ‘20s, the Reuben sandwich and Butter Brickle ice cream were invented at Omaha’s Blackstone Hotel.

Yep, despite what you may have heard from other cities (ahem … NYC), the Reuben sandwich was created here and the original recipe, along with other delicious variations, is served throughout Omaha. Of course Omaha makes an amazing Reuben—the main ingredient is beef.

This is where you come for a truly legendary cut of steak. Classic steakhouses are sprinkled throughout the city and call many to make the pilgrimage. An Omaha steak is, or should be, on every foodie’s bucket list.

Also on bucket lists is a visit to Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo & Aquarium. Consistently ranked one of the world’s best zoos, it can only be described as an awe-inducing-excitement-building-fully-immersive-interactive zoo experience.

Folks need a few days to explore the 130-acre zoo, home to the world’s largest indoor desert, under the world’s largest geodesic dome, above the world’s largest nocturnal exhibit, next to North America’s largest rainforest. So … you get why it’s a world-renowned zoo.

Art lovers will find their oasis at the Joslyn Art Museum, filled with more than 11,000 works of art inside and out. The building itself is a work of art, made of 38 types of marble from around the world. Works by Monet, Degas, Pollock, Renoir, Chihuly, and more are permanent exhibits. (Fun fact: An authentic Rembrandt portrait was found in the museum’s basement in 2014.)

History lovers will get their fix at The Durham Museum, a former Art Deco train station transformed into a living history hotspot. Train cars, rare coin collections, an old-fashioned soda fountain, and more fill the halls. Plus, interactive statues mean some fun selfie opportunities.

Okay, there’s a quick view of Omaha. Don’t forget to come visit me, behind CenturyLink Center Omaha and a short walk from the Old Market Entertainment District. (Did I mention the Old Market? Cobblestone streets lined with restaurants, pubs, and boutiques.) Go to visitomaha.com for more! FEI 2017

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Please sign our World Cup guest book at the Dehner booth!

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A Thriving Community Equestrian Enthusiasts Find Plenty in Omaha

by Kara Schweiss

O

maha’s connection to horses has a long local history that stretches back even before the city was founded in the mid-1800s; the city’s namesake Native American tribe was reportedly the first documented equestrian culture in the Northern Plains.

So it seems fitting that in and around Omaha today, a thriving equestrian culture provides plentiful resources for casual or serious horse enthusiasts and riders. A broad spectrum of lessons, trails, leasing, boarding, shows, and competitions are readily available. A handful of state parks within an hour’s driving distance provide extensive equestrian trails and some even offer camping facilities for horse owners or guided trail riding. The equestrian community is also supported by a host of goods and services providers, from tack and apparel shops, to farriers and large-animal veterinarians.

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Lessons, Activities and Services

Horse Shows

Equestrian Service Organizations

The Omaha area offers a wide array of lessons for beginners and advanced students alike, in English and Western riding, jumping, dressage, and more. Many of these facilities also offer boarding, grooming, and other related services, offer open access trails, or provide corrals and practice rings where riders can independently develop their horsemanship skills. Some even offer party space for special events. A sampling of these local equestrian facilities, which present various services through membership or per visit, includes:

Dozens of horse shows in multiple classes are held in the area year-round, a tradition that goes back decades. For example, a resource for the Nebraska hunter/jumper schooling show circuit— NebraskaHorseShows.com—had already posted 10 unrated events for 2017 at the beginning of the year. By February, Urban Equine Events (UrbanEquineEvents.com), a local equestrian production company, had already listed four major events taking place in 2017 alone. National sources HorseShowCentral.com and USEF.org already list more than 20 shows scheduled for the area throughout 2017, with more to come.

In addition to offering a multitude of activities for recreational and competitive riders, the equestrian community also includes groups with working horses that serve the community, like:

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American Legacy Complex (Omaha)

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Elkhorn Equestrian Center (Elkhorn)

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The Farm at Butterflat Creek (Bennington)

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Hampton Ridge Equestrian Center (Elkhorn)

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Infinity Farm (Springfield)

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Ponca Hills Farm (Omaha)

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Phoenix Equestrian Center (Bellevue)

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Prairie Gem Stables (Omaha)

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Quail Run Horse Centre (Elkhorn)

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The Riding Center (Omaha)

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Seefus Riding Stable (Council Bluffs, Iowa)

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Winnail Stable (Waterloo)

“Every single weekend there’s a show if you want one,” Omaha Equestrian Foundation board member and volunteer Karen Ensminger says.

Her two daughters have ridden competitively, and although she jokes about competing in the “rusty stirrup” circuit for middle-aged riders, Ensminger emphasizes that local riders have abundant options for A- and B-rated shows along with non-rated shows “for everyone.” In fact, local shows “attract riders from the entire region,” she says.

Horse-themed Activities Along with a significant presence at the FEI World CupTM Finals, local organizations are also embracing the festivities by offering external horse-themed community events such as: ◊

Equus Film Festival (March 30 - April 1)

Two matinees each day will be featured at Marcus Midtown Cinema in conjunction with the FEI World CupTM Finals. The festival empowers storytellers to show the rich history and diverse tapestry of horses in human culture through a selection of feature films, documentaries, shorts, music videos, commercials, training educational materials, art and literature. ◊

Ak-Sar-Ben: A Good Place to Race (now through May 28)

◊

The Omaha Police Mounted Patrol Unit

The horse patrol started in 1989 as a part-time unit on a trial basis and was so successful in law enforcement, special events, and public relations that it was quickly elevated to a full-time unit.

Today, a dedicated team of officers and horses comprise the unit, which is housed in a stateof-the-art equine facility in downtown Omaha. ◊

Heartland Equine Therapeutic Riding Academy (HETRA)

HETRA is a nonprofit organization offering therapeutic riding programs for adults and children with disabilities. The organization has 19 specially trained therapy horses and is currently the only PATH Premier Accredited Therapeutic Riding Center in the state. ◊

Take Flight Farms

Take Flight is a nonprofit organization which incorporates horses into therapeutic and learning programs. Take Flight is a member of Equine Assisted Growth and Learning Association (EAGALA), an association that is dedicated to improving the mental health of individuals, families, and groups by setting the standard of excellence in equine-assisted psychotherapy.

With the wealth of equine industries, groups, events and shows in the area, it may take some research along with a little trial-and-error for budding equestrians to find their particular fit, Ensminger says. She adds that her contemporaries are generally happy to answer questions and provide information, and that the diverse local “horse people” community is, above all, welcoming.

“There’s a wide gamut,” she says. “But they love to talk about their sport, their passion and their obsession.” FEI 2017

This exhibit, hosted by the Durham Museum, presents a glimpse of one of the nation’s premiere racing tracks of yesteryear through both photographs and objects from the museum’s collection.

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A Horse Connection

by Lisa Lukecart

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Finding a horse is just like dating. The rider needs to be matched with the right horse­­— like Tinder without all the swiping. And when someone finds a perfect connection, it just clicks.

In fact, the National Trauma Data Bank reported contact sports were the leading cause of traumatic brain injuries while equestrian sports were third.

“It’s kind of like a husband. This horse,” Karen Ensminger says, watching her daughter’s friend Alyssa Politi ride. “He and I wouldn’t get along.

He’s too excitable.”

“It is safe and rewarding if you match the rider and the horse,” Greene says.

Ensminger’s true love was evident earlier when her own horse, Picasso, nudged her with his large white and brown nose, hoping for yet another cookie. She gave in and scratched him behind his soft ears.

“That wasn’t a monster out there, no it wasn’t,” Ensminger cooed. She tried to take him out riding, but a blanket on the bleachers was distracting.

Ensminger owns five horses and is planning on adding two more Argentinians to the stables.

Picasso, a paint horse, was “a bribe” from her husband. She then bought a large pony, Lola, to share her love with her two daughters.

P

icasso is a player. He flirts, shakes his head up and down to get the ladies’ attention. He isn’t above begging for a few cookies by looking cute and innocent with his long lashes and deep brown eyes. Although confident in his manliness, Picasso is an orderly sort of fellow and even a misplaced blanket may upset his night.

Lola believes she is all that. Small and slightly on the plump side, Lola proudly shakes her behind in front of crowds. In fact, this princess adores attention. It doesn’t matter if everyone else is bigger, faster, or stronger because this little gal is all about working hard.

Cerdi is a hot foreigner from the Netherlands. He is strong and athletic. Cerdi is like a linebacker, but a running back he is not. His personality reminds people of a Labrador Retriever, loyal and happy. And oh, does this boy love to have fun.

A blind date with any of these larger-than-life personalities could make someone all nervous and sweaty in either a good or a bad way. One date could equal a total disaster. Or it could be easy and comfortable.

Ensminger soon after purchased Cerdi, whose father was a Dutch Warmblood, for her youngest daughter, Jenni Lanoha, a junior at Marian High School. She has been riding horses since day one, literally. Ensminger was in the saddle while pregnant with Lanoha.

Lanoha, like the other trainees at Elkhorn Hampton Ridge Equestrian Center, started out in equitation. After that, Lanoha moved on to hunters, then graduated to jumping. Tall and thin, she sports tan riding pants, a light gray vest, and a black helmet as she rides Cerdi, schooling him over white picket fences in the dirt-filled practice arena.

“Go out, right heel, half halt,” her trainer yells out as Cerdi takes a tight turn at Lanoha’s command, long black tail flowing behind him.

Her mother doesn’t worry about her daughter falling. Anything could happen, but Ensminger has been watching her daughter since she was trotting over poles on the ground.

Sybil Greene, a trainer and rider at Wynmore Farm in Lincoln, says people do have misconceptions that horse riding is dangerous. However, she adds, other sports such as basketball or football are just as risky with concussions or injuries.

Politi’s turn is next and her horse likes to dive, causing her to slip forward.

“He’s just a little fresh. Happy to be out,” Politi, a senior at Omaha Central, explains.

Politi and Lanoha compete against each other, but there is unity in barns just like there would be on a school track team. The girls laugh, recalling a rotating pairs relay when they dressed up as Superman and Wonder Woman.

“Our plan was bad, really bad,” Lanoha jokes.

She loves to compete in the jumper division, but her mother persuaded her to compete in the hunter division.

“I live vicariously through her (Lanoha) and her skinny thighs,” Ensminger says, laughing.

The gamble paid off. Lanoha competed at regionals and qualified for nationals at the ASPCA Maclay Final, earning her a 19th place finish.

Lanoha has grown to appreciate hunters, but still needs to balance her time as a student and a competitor. It means late nights and hard work, but Lanoha still makes it to her hour-long practices twice a week. Plus, she gets to see her “good friend” Cerdi.

Training is different depending on which barn someone attends. At Elkhorn, a novice can show up in jeans and cowboy boots. A horse can be leased or he/she can use a school one. Helmet, jacket, and equipment can all be borrowed. From there, it is a matter of how dedicated a person wants to be.

Ensminger, though, feels it is all worth it. As she explained to her husband when her girls first wanted to get involved, sometimes it comes down to choices.

“Do you want them kissing the boys or the horses?” she asked him.

Luckily, the horses won out. FEI 2017

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Nebraska Horse History N

ebraska was granted statehood on March 1, 1867. The state will commemorate its sesquicentennial beginning Jan. 1, 2017, with a yearlong celebration involving a wide variety of programs and projects across the state.

Planning for the Nebraska 150 Celebration began in 2012 when a group of active citizens from across the state formed the Friends of the Nebraska 150 Foundation. In 2014, the Nebraska Sesquicentennial Commission was established by the state Legislature and 17 members from across the state were appointed by the Governor to lead the initiative. In 2015, the Celebrating Nebraska Statehood Foundation was established to help coordinate efforts and direct everyone toward collective success. FEI 2017

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The Omaha Tribe and Horses

by Marissa Miakonda Cummings

T

he city of Omaha is named after the Umonhon people. The state of Nebraska is also an Umonhon word, NiBlaSka, or “Land of the Flat Waters.”

source and provided primary provisions for blankets, robes, moccasins, fuel, shelter, and utensils.

The Umonhon had a complex kinship system based on the clanship, known as the Hu’thuga.

pulled by dogs. The horse travois were often used by women in times of long distance travel.

Parflesche, or rawhide bags are utilized to store materials, were used as saddlebags on horses.

Neither this city nor this state would be named as it is without horses. The Umonhon people originally lived in Ohio, migrating to Nebraska in the 1750s after horses were introduced to the tribe from trade networks. The Umonhon controlled extensive trade networks through their oversight of the Missouri River, or NiShude. The network extended as far north as Lake Winnipeg in Canada and as far south as St. Louis. The shonge or “horse” was acquired at this time from trade relationships, and by 1775, the main Umonhon village was located at TonwonTonga or “Big Village,” near current day Dakota County, Nebraska.

The Umonhon had a historical impact on the state of Nebraska that is evident in present day.

The Umonhon were the first equestrian culture of the northern plains as the evolving economy of the horse and fur trade was occurring. The adoption of the horse into Umonhon society forever changed Umonhon culture.

Horse culture became an integral part of Umonhon life. They changed the trade economy and horses and Umonhon people maintained a strong spiritual and social connection that continues to exist today. In January 2015, the Omaha Tribe hosted “Spiritual Ride: Prayers for Generations to Come.” This ceremony consisted of a 21-mile horse ride in freezing conditions.

The purpose was to pray and bring attention to the state of Nebraska suing the Omaha Tribe over reservation boundaries. In the end, the Supreme Court sided unanimously with the Omaha Tribe in preservation of their boundary.

FEI 2017

The Umonhon, or Omaha, are part of the Dhegiha linguistic group. Dhegiha means “people of this land.” Umonhon translates to “people who went upstream,” relating to the separation of the Umonhon and the other cognate tribes at the headwaters of the Mississippi River hundreds of years ago. Umonhon women were agriculturalists, breeding strains of maize, beans, squash, quinoa, and melons. They also gathered other foods and medicines that grew naturally in their environment and were herbalists. Men hunted large game, such as elk and buffalo. Buffalo was especially important as it was a staple food

Umonhon quickly developed a strong relationship with horses. Horses were highly prized and used as a form of currency. Men, women, and children could possess horses equally. Horses were seen as the highest form of a gift one could offer.

Some marriage ceremonies consisted of women being led around the village on horseback followed by her husband’s gifts to her family.

Umonhon people loved their horses. Men frequently painted their horses for spiritual reasons or to illustrate rank. Horses would also be decorated with ribbons, and their tails would be painted or braided. Women embroidered the cruppers of their horses for decoration and spiritual significance.

Horses were used to assist with labor, often in the form of a travois, a historical A frame structure that was used to drag loads over land. Prior to the introduction of the horse, travois were

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Wild West Shows Spread Tales of Mythical Frontier Culture

by Sarah Wengert

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W

illiam F. “Buffalo Bill” Cody officially started Buffalo Bill’s Wild West show in May 1883 in Omaha. It was a natural place to start what would become an entertainment business generating hundreds of thousands of dollars. Cody spent much time in Nebraska, eventually purchasing a 4,000-acre ranch near North Platte in 1886. The ranch, named Scouts Rest, included an 18-room mansion and a large barn for winter storage of the show’s livestock.

Cody initiated a genre of wildly popular outdoor entertainment that endured for decades and introduced the fabled wild west culture to scores of Americans and Europeans.

Cody and his first-season partner, sharpshooter Dr. William Frank “Doc” Carver—who later introduced horse diving shows—pioneered the genre, but by the early 1900s, Buffalo Bill’s Wild West show had more than a dozen competitors.

“Buffalo Bill performed in the Midwest, of course, but he had lots of performances along the East coast and in Europe—places where western culture was seen as exotic and otherworldly,” says Carrie Wieners Meyer, director of Curatorial and Education Services at The Durham Museum.

In 2016, The Durham hosted its “From Nebraska to the World: Buffalo Bill’s Wild West” exhibit, which chronicled the show’s “highly dramatic, highly romanticized glimpse into the fading frontier of the American Old West” and its “depiction of cowboys, Indians, sharpshooters, and rough riders.”

“The idea of wild west culture is really based on mythic representations that Wild West shows exhibited through displays of sham battles, rodeos, and other arena tricks,” says Elaine Marie Nelson, assistant professor of history at the University of Nebraska-Omaha and incoming executive director for the Western History Association. “While Buffalo Bill claimed his show was educational, it was not. It was today’s equivalent of a wild west circus performance.” “[Cody’s] Wild West show in effect created the modern image of the ‘cowboy’ that exists today—guys in white hats who can handle a horse and gun, and always save the day,” says Wieners Meyer. “Unfortunately, the cowboy had to have a villain against whom he won and that part was portrayed by Native Americans … this is one of its more unfortunate legacies.”

Nelson says the shows provided a distorted view of cowboy culture. While Americans who knew real cowboys viewed them as distrustful, immoral, and violent, Cody’s performers flipped such stereotypes.

“The creative imaginations of Cody and his audiences saw cowboys as romantic heroes who ushered civilization into the supposed wild frontier lands. They quickly became essential to Cody’s dramatization of the frontier and pioneer history,” she says. “Men, women, boys, and girls cheered as characters like Buck Taylor, Billy Bullock, and Bronco Bill Irving performed acts of bravery by riding at full speed across the arena stage. These cowboys stole people’s hearts. Buck Taylor set a standard for later cowboys who joined the show. Real working cowboys, plucked off ranches like those in western Nebraska, turned into performing showmen.”

“The Wild West shows were sensationalized,” says Wieners Meyer. “These were not the activities of everyday life in the West. Still, the shows served to educate [audiences] about the animals of the plains, they could see some aspects of Native American culture, and they could appreciate the talent and skill of the performers.”

Nelson says horses were incredibly significant to the lives of everyone in the American West, from the Spanish who introduced them, to Native American tribes who immediately saw horses’ utilitarian value and greatly revered the animals, to the farmers, ranchers, and even urban population who used horses for labor, travel, and entertainment.

She adds that horses were a major player in Wild West shows, and were used by all characters regardless of their “hero” or “villain” status.

“The cavalry used horses to attack Native Americans on horses, and vice versa. Settlers in wagons used horses to travel to their new destinations. Mexican vaqueros and cowboys used horses to show skills that the arena audiences had never before witnessed,” says Nelson.

“One rarely ever saw Cody in the arena unless he was atop a horse. Horses elevated the show and made each performance more realistic. In retrospect, one could argue that horses were the actual ‘heroes’ of Cody’s Wild West.” FEI 2017

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Horses Pave the Way in Nebraska Territory

by Max Sparber

T

here are not as many horses around the city of Omaha as there used to be. You still see a few now and then, mostly downtown, generally being ridden by police officers as bars close, shooing people out of the streets.

Nebraska was declared a territory of the United States on May 30, 1854, by the Kansas–Nebraska Act of 1854. This act, drafted by Democratic Sen. Stephen A. Douglas of Illinois and President Franklin Pierce, was partially created to open up thousands of new farms and make feasible a Midwestern Transcontinental Railroad.

It was the height of the Old West. Four years earlier, Horace Greely, editor of the New York Tribune, popularized the saying “Go West, young man,” and many did. Essential to this movement was the horse.

While horses were ridden as transportation, they could very literally be the difference between life and death for territorial settlers. A team of horses was used to break the prairie land into workable crop land. Horses were also used to haul goods to and from towns.

As a result, horse thievery was treated very seriously. In fact, the same year Nebraska was declared a territory, the Anti Horse Thief Association was organized in Clark County, Missouri.

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One story regarding this subject in Nebraska involves a pair of unnamed vagabonds, who, in the summer of 1856, stole two horses from settlers and sold them to Pawnee Indians near Elkhorn. The horses freed themselves and wandered back to their homes in Omaha.

The Indians followed the horses' trail and claimed them as theirs, but the original owners queried them about who they had bought the animals from. The settlers were promised that the next time the vagabonds showed up with horses, the Pawnee would alert them. Not long after the first incident, the same pair showed up with mules for sale, and the Pawnee held them while the authorities were notified.

There was no jail in Omaha at the time, so the citizens came up with a suitable punishment: First they shaved half of each of their heads.

The locals then tied the men to a pole in the center of town (at that time 12th and 13th Streets between Harney and Farnam streets) where they were whipped by the Indians and the settlers from whom they stole the horses. The men were then free to leave, with the condition they never return to Nebraska.

They got off easy: In March 1858, two horse thieves from Iowa, Harvey Braden and John Daley, were caught near Florence (now northeast Omaha) with stolen horses in their possession. Following a few days in a jail at 16th and Farnam Streets, a group of Omahans took justice into their own hands. They took Braden and Daley out of their jail cell and moved north toward Florence, specifically to a stout oak tree, where they hanged the thieves. FEI 2017

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Horses Run Early Statehood

by Max Sparber

A

fter Omaha’s territorial years, its favorite animal became both a local resource and a local problem. The early years of Omaha were a golden age for the horse, but Omaha was a rough and tumble frontier town, and the horses followed suit.

More horses equalled more horse-and-buggy and riding accidents. Runaway horses were a chronic problem, so much so that one local, James Findley, developed an unusual sobriquet: “The Horse Catcher,” celebrated in an Omaha Herald article from 1879.

His technique was to run alongside a rampaging horse, throw his arms around the animal's neck, and pull it to a stop, which he did with surprising frequency and effectiveness.

Horses were also beloved by gamblers. A gang of them, called The Big Four—Charles Bibbins, H.B. Kennedy, Charles White, and Jack Morrison— ran a two-story building on Douglas Street called The Diamond. This included a horsebetting parlor.

Horse races at that time were not especially honest. Newspapers tell of a gang of bunco men led by a man named Canada Bill who, alongside their usual tricks of cheating at cards, stealing from drunks, and scheming to rob places, also fixed horse races. They seem to have run out of steam around 1876.

This may have been in part because horse racing started to become professional. The Omaha Driving Park had opened a year earlier, in 1875, between Laird and Boyd streets, and between 16th and 20th streets.

The Driving Park was also the origin of one of Omaha’s most enduring horse legacies. In 1880 the grounds were sold to a group of businessmen that included John Creighton, James E. Boyd, and William A. Paxton. The new owners spent $15,000 to improve the grounds. It was the occasional site of the Nebraska State Fair. As befits a frontier town, the Omaha state fairs were notoriously raucous, and in 1895 the State Board gave the city an ultimatum: Provide something “other than saloons, gambling houses, and honky tonks” or lose the fair.

A group of local businessmen headed down to New Orleans for inspiration, and, borrowing from the Mardi Gras tradition of parading secret societies (called “krewes”), created their own organization, the Knights of the Ak-Sar-Ben. This group produced parades and live shows for decades. In 1920, they built their own racetrack, also called Ak-Sar-Ben, and, in 1927, started their own stock show and rodeo. This group would dominate Omaha horse racing for most of the 20th century, closing the track in 1995. FEI 2017

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Horses in Nebraska Today

by Garrett Sass

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A

s technology has advanced and the role of horses has changed, the animals still remain an important component in the U.S. economy.

Horses are a multi-million dollar enterprise.

Aside from the horses themselves, the industry encompasses feed, equipment, publications, veterinary care, advertising, entertainment, education, and many other fields that are either directly or indirectly affected by the equine industry.

One of the most comprehensive horse studies ever conducted by the American Horse Council revealed that horses contribute almost $40 billion in direct economic impact. The study also revealed that there are more than 9.2 million horses in the United States. And of those 9.2 million, 180,000 call Nebraska their home. From the ranches of western Nebraska, to the streets of downtown Omaha, horses are still writing their own history.

One of Omaha's noted horseman was Donovan "Van" Ketzler, who was one of the last cavalry instructors in the U.S. Army and his family is involved in Dehner Boots. Ketzler's 1989 brainchild, the Omaha Police Mounted Patrol unit started out as a test. Ketzler offered to loan two horses (Fox and Rusty), saddles, and trailers for a period of 30 days. After a successful trial period, the Omaha Police Mounted Patrol became a full-time unit within the Omaha Police department in April of 1990. Today, the Mounted Patrol consists of six officers, one sergeant, one full-time barn manager, and eight horses. These officers and their trusted steeds have the same responsibilities as a normal patrol car.

Located at 615 Leavenworth Street, the Omaha Police Mounted Patrol Unit’s state-of-the-art facility officially opened in May 2005. The facility includes offices and work areas, locker rooms, classrooms, a tack room, 15 horse stalls, a heated indoor arena, an outdoor arena, and

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a large heated garage area for parking trucks, trailers, and storage spaces for feed and bedding.

The Mounted Patrol unit services the southeast precinct and downtown Omaha.

But it isn’t all work and no play for Nebraska’s horses.

A short 15-minute drive north, Horsemen’s Park is one of the finest simulcast facilities in the country. Opened on Jan. 3, 1998, Horsemen’s Park helps preserve live horse racing in Nebraska.

With a seating capacity of 3,000 and over 700 televisions, horseracing enthusiasts can enjoy live racing broadcasts 363 days a year. Each summer, Horsemen’s Park plays host to live races on its 65-foot wide, 5/8 mile dirt race track. FEI 2017

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A Festival With Horses

by Josie Loza

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L

ate March is beautiful in Omaha—horses, horse owners, professional equestrians, and horse enthusiasts will come from all over the world to be part of the timeless 2017 Longines FEI World CupTM Jumping & FEI World CupTM Dressage Finals at the CenturyLink.

This is the first time this venue welcomes the FEI World CupTM Finals, but it has hosted other equestrian events, such as the International Omaha. Nonetheless, people from all walks of life will enjoy horsemanship and impressive equine competition at its absolute best.

The competitions, clinics, and demonstrations create an intense atmosphere and the most rigorous and enlightening experience, says one equestrian who is particularly thrilled to partake in the festivities with her friends.

Marsha Niebuhr of Minnesota’s Twin Cities looks forward to the FEI World CupTM Finals Omaha 2017 as she explains, “It’s great to have the World CupTM back in the United States. One of the great things about it is everyone gets to see international riders in your sport.”

Dressage is hers. Niebuhr grew up in northwestern Iowa where her love of horses and riding was sparked as a child on her family farm. “My dad loved horses,” she says. “We had horses on the farm, but you rode them in the summer.”

The 1984 Olympics piqued her interest in horse riding when she was first introduced to dressage.

“The sport looked awesome,” she explains. Now in Minnesota, she has a nine-year-old Canadian Warmblood and rides dressage. “It’s a great sport.”

Niebuhr attended the 2015 FEI World CupTM Finals in Las Vegas—and has attended many European and international championships including the FEI World Equestrian Games since the early 2000s.

Although the United States has hosted the FEI World CupTM finals several times, most recently in Las Vegas in 2015, this year will be the first time that a Midwestern city has been home to the finals. »

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«

“It’s great to have the World CupTM in the Midwest,” she says. It’s a chance to see 70 of the world’s best horses and riders compete for one of the sport's top prizes in America’s heartland.

Riders are expected to represent at least 25 different countries.

The FEI World CupTM Finals Omaha 2017 is expected to draw 40,000 to 60,000 spectators from nearly 20 countries, and all across the United States.

Niebuhr said the Longines FEI World CupTM Jumping & FEI World CupTM Dressage Finals are two of the most exciting competitions, specifically because of the wonderful crowd of spectators who relish what they are watching.

The camaraderie is really good, she says.

“Everyone talks to everyone. The whole atmosphere will be very festive.”

Attend as many events as you can, she encouraged. The spectators make the competitions fun because the crowd really gets behind each competitor.

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Niebuhr highly recommends the Wednesday warm-ups for newcomers. At 9:30 a.m., spectators can attend a dressage familiarization and they can also attend a 2 p.m. jumping training session.

“You’ll learn a lot,” she explains. “You’ll see coaches with riders. Warm-ups are some of the best part of the whole thing.”

Germany’s Isabell Werth, the most decorated dressage rider in Olympic history, will host a demonstration at 3 p.m. March 31. There will be four horses used in the presentation, including two young horses (5-7 years old), a Small Tour horse and a young Grand Prix horse. Werth will explain her training methods and the stepping-stones she takes in bringing a young horse up the levels to the highest level of dressage— the Grand Prix.

Niebuhr is among nine friends from Minnesota traveling to Omaha for the competitions.

Another group of six friends from California and two from Canada who bred her horse will be meeting Niebuhr’s group.

“It’s a big get-together,” she said. “We’ll make a nice big group. But we’ll also meet new people and make more friends.”

That’s usually how it goes in equestrian circles. You meet new people and make lifelong friends. “Anyone who loves horses … You’re going to talk to other people who love horses.”

When Niebuhr attended the 2015 FEI World CupTM in Las Vegas, she met fellow equestrians in the airport also headed to the competitions and ended up spending the entire trip with her new friends.

In addition to the world-class competition, spectators can get up close to watch the horses. And then there’s the music. The event includes a full 24-hours worth of music.

Don’t forget about the lot. In true Nebraska fashion, the parking lot is the place to be. Grab a group of friends and a cooler and spend time meeting new people while enjoying a beverage at a tailgate.

The FEI World CupTM Finals Omaha 2017 is a party, and everyone is invited to join in. FEI 2017

JUMPING & DRESSAGE

OSPHOS® (clodronate injection) Bisphosphonate For use in horses only.

Brief Summary (For Full Prescribing Information, see package insert) CAUTION: Federal (USA) law restricts this drug to use by or on the order of a licensed veterinarian.

DESCRIPTION: Clodronate disodium is a non-amino, chlorocontaining bisphosphonate. Chemically, clodronate disodium is (dichloromethylene) diphosphonic acid disodium salt and is manufactured from the tetrahydrate form.

INDICATION: For the control of clinical signs associated with navicular syndrome in horses.

CONTRAINDICATIONS: Horses with hypersensitivity to clodronate disodium should not receive OSPHOS. WARNINGS: Do not use in horses intended for human consumption.

HUMAN WARNINGS: Not for human use. Keep this and all drugs out of the reach of children. Consult a physician in case of accidental human exposure.

PRECAUTIONS: As a class, bisphosphonates may be associated with gastrointestinal and renal toxicity. Sensitivity to drug associated adverse reactions varies with the individual patient.

Renal and gastrointestinal adverse reactions may be associated with plasma concentrations of the drug. Bisphosphonates are excreted by the kidney; therefore, conditions causing renal impairment may increase plasma bisphosphonate concentrations resulting in an increased risk for adverse reactions. Concurrent administration of other potentially nephrotoxic drugs should be approached with caution and renal function should be monitored. Use of bisphosphonates in patients with conditions or diseases affecting renal function is not recommended.

Administration of bisphosphonates has been associated with abdominal pain (colic), discomfort, and agitation in horses.

Clinical signs usually occur shortly after drug administration and may be associated with alterations in intestinal motility. In horses treated with OSPHOS these clinical signs usually began within 2 hours of treatment. Horses should be monitored for at least 2 hours following administration of OSPHOS.

Easily Administered

OSPHOS®

controls the clinical signs associated with Navicular Syndrome

via intramuscular injection

Well Tolerated* in clinical trials

Proven Efficacy*

at 6 months post treatment

No Reconstitution Required Learn more online

www.dechra-us.com www.osphos.com

As with all drugs, side effects may occur. In field studies, the most common side effects reported were signs of discomfort or nervousness, colic, and/or pawing. OSPHOS should not be used in pregnant or lactating mares, or mares intended for breeding. Use of OSPHOS in patients with conditions affecting renal function or mineral or electrolyte homeostasis is not recommended. Refer to the prescribing information for complete details or visit www.dechra-us.com or call 866.933.2472.

CAUTION: Federal law restricts this drug to use by or on the order of licensed veterinarian. * Freedom of Information Summary, Original New Animal Drug Application, NADA 141-427, for OSPHOS. April 28, 2014.

Dechra Veterinary Products US and the Dechra D logo are registered trademarks of Dechra Pharmaceuticals PLC. © 2016 Dechra Ltd.

Bisphosphonates affect plasma concentrations of some minerals and electrolytes such as calcium, magnesium and potassium, immediately post-treatment, with effects lasting up to several hours. Caution should be used when administering bisphosphonates to horses with conditions affecting mineral or electrolyte homeostasis (e.g. hyperkalemic periodic paralysis, hypocalcemia, etc.).

The safe use of OSPHOS has not been evaluated in horses less than 4 years of age. The effect of bisphosphonates on the skeleton of growing horses has not been studied; however, bisphosphonates inhibit osteoclast activity which impacts bone turnover and may affect bone growth.

Bisphosphonates should not be used in pregnant or lactating mares, or mares intended for breeding. The safe use of OSPHOS has not been evaluated in breeding horses or pregnant or lactating mares. Bisphosphonates are incorporated into the bone matrix, from where they are gradually released over periods of months to years. The extent of bisphosphonate incorporation into adult bone, and hence, the amount available for release back into the systemic circulation, is directly related to the total dose and duration of bisphosphonate use. Bisphosphonates have been shown to cause fetal developmental abnormalities in laboratory animals. The uptake of bisphosphonates into fetal bone may be greater than into maternal bone creating a possible risk for skeletal or other abnormalities in the fetus. Many drugs, including bisphosphonates, may be excreted in milk and may be absorbed by nursing animals.

Increased bone fragility has been observed in animals treated with bisphosphonates at high doses or for long periods of time.

Bisphosphonates inhibit bone resorption and decrease bone turnover which may lead to an inability to repair micro damage within the bone. In humans, atypical femur fractures have been reported in patients on long term bisphosphonate therapy; however, a causal relationship has not been established.

ADVERSE REACTIONS: The most common adverse reactions reported in the field study were clinical signs of discomfort or nervousness, colic and/or pawing. Other signs reported were lip licking, yawning, head shaking, injection site swelling, and hives/pruritus.

Distributed by: Dechra Veterinary Products 7015 College Boulevard, Suite 525 Overland Park, KS 66211 866-933-2472 © 2016 Dechra Ltd. OSPHOS is a registered trademark of Dechra Ltd. All rights reserved.

NADA 141-427, Approved by FDA

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A

visionary musician and businessman, Chip Davis is behind a remarkable body of work now spanning five decades. Since founding Mannheim Steamroller and American Gramaphone Records in 1974, Davis has written, arranged, and recorded over 35 albums, highlighted by the RIAA multi-platinum certified Mannheim Steamroller catalog. The best-selling Christmas music artist in history, Davis has achieved worldwide sales in excess of 40 million, with four multi-platinum, eight platinum, and 19 gold certifications in the United States alone.

Furthermore, Davis is the entrepreneur behind the hugely successful Mannheim Steamroller product line, author of five acclaimed children’s books, amateur astronomer, and dedicated philanthropist.

American Gramaphone recently commemorated its impact on popular culture with

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Mannheim Steamroller 30/40, a multi-media celebration of Davis’ milestone works: 1974’s Fresh Aire and 1984’s Mannheim Steamroller Christmas. In addition, Mannheim Steamroller 30/40 Live had its public broadcasting debut in May 2015 and fast joined the ranks of PBS’ most popular new special programming.

The man behind Mannheim was born Louis F. Davis Jr. in the archetypal small town of Hamler, Ohio (Pop. 500), the son of a family to whom music and “a sensitivity to nature” were integral.

He graduated the University of Michigan in 1969 with mastery in bassoon and percussion before taking on a job at the Omaha ad agency Bozell & Jacobs. In 1974, Davis and fellow ad exec Bill Fries teamed up to create a fictional truck driver named “C.W. McCall” for a series of Clio Awardwinning commercials. A string of hit albums and top 40 singles followed, including the RIAA gold certified No. 1 classic, “Convoy.”

The success of C.W. McCall allowed Davis to focus on his own original music. He dubbed his new band Mannheim Steamroller—a play on the 18th-century musical technique known as the “Mannheim crescendo”—and in 1975 recorded Fresh Aire, a landmark work melding elements of classical, rock, and pop into something altogether unique. Foiled by the industry’s inability to put a label on the album, Davis decided to distribute and sell Fresh Aire on his own—American Gramaphone Records was born.

Davis employed innovative marketing techniques to spread his “18th Century Classical Rock” and Fresh Aire eventually found its way onto record store shelves everywhere, fitted with the newly created classification “New Age.” Each consecutive installment in the Fresh Aire series saw Mannheim Steamroller pushing their inimitable synthesis forward, earning

JUMPING & DRESSAGE

International Omahan to HeadlineMusic at FEI World CupTM Finals Omaha 2017

Now distributed by Sony Music Entertainmentowned RED Distribution, the steadfastly autonomous American Gramaphone label has released works by an array of like-minded artists. For their part, Mannheim Steamroller has observed additional holidays while also exploring inspirations spanning the music of Walt Disney films to the majesty of Yellowstone National Park.

A committed naturalist, Davis and his American Gramaphone crew of top sound technicians have amassed a notable catalog of natural sounds, from the Tucson desert to the full sonic span of all four seasons in the Midwest. The recordings are highlighted on Davis’ popular Ambience series, used in such esteemed medical facilities as the Walter Reed National Military Hospital.

In addition, neck surgery in 2004 inspired Davis’ creation of Ambient Therapy, a patented system that allows for faster healing by reducing stress, anxiety, and other barriers to recovery via musical content and 4-channel surround sound algorithms. Davis has donated Ambient Therapy to both Minnesota’s Mayo Clinic and The National Intrepid Center for Excellence and is now actively involved in integrating the system into the NASA medical program.

Davis’ lifelong interest in astronomy has led to an extended relationship with NASA, including several trips to Kennedy Space Center in Cocoa Beach, Florida, and Johnson Space Center in Houston where his team recorded Space Shuttle launches and landings that have been characterized as “the most accurate ever made.”

multi-million album sales, countless fans, and, with Fresh Aire 7, the 1991 Grammy® Award for “Best New Age Album.”

In 1984, Davis had the idea to reinvigorate traditional carols and Yuletide staples via Mannheim Steamroller’s always-eclectic sonic approach.

Mannheim Steamroller Christmas proved a phenomenon, the band’s first to reach the Billboard 200 album chart on its way to six times RIAA platinum certification. A Fresh Aire Christmas followed in 1988, achieving six times platinum certification and ultimately surpassing its monumentally successful predecessor to be declared the sixth best-selling holiday album of the SoundScan era.

Further Christmas collections—including 1995’s four time platinum certified Christmas in the Aire and 2001’s three time platinum certified Christmas Extraordinaire—followed, resulting in

cumulative Christmas album sales in excess of 28 million. The Mannheim Steamroller Christmas Tour quickly became as much a Yuletide tradition as the albums themselves, selling out arenas nationwide each holiday season. Now in its 31st year, the tour is among the longest lasting and most successful musical caravans in industry history, with two separate troupes performing in nearly 90 cities each year. What’s more, still another incarnation headlines the holiday festivities at Universal Orlando® Resort on select Saturday and Sunday nights during the month of December.

The indefatigable Davis still travels the country on behalf of American Gramophone, but prefers to spend his time on his 150-acre farm outside Omaha, joined by his children Kelly, 24, Elyse, 16, and Evan, 19, as well as his “farm family”—a full menagerie of critters including four horses and two timber wolves. Four decades on, Chip Davis determinedly carries on each day with the original spirit of creative drive and invention that first inspired him.

“There wasn’t any business plan when I started American Gramaphone,” he says. “There wasn’t any target I was looking at. It’s always been about just moving forward and doing things I like to do.” FEI 2017

Never one to rest on his laurels, Davis has also introduced a hugely popular Mannheim Steamroller product line while somehow finding time to host Mannheim Steamroller's An American Christmas, a 12-hour nationally broadcast radio special heard annually on over 250 stations across the United States.

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More Music!

L

ooking for more music? The FEI World CupTM Finals Omaha 2017 gives music lovers lots of opportunity to hear tunes. Along with headliner Chip Davis, several performances by local artists will be given throughout the event.

Belles & Whistles Belles & Whistles is made up of 18-year-old energetic, ethereal mezzo-soprano Kelli Jones and guitar-strumming, folky Jaymie Jones. This mother-daughter team is a little bit country and a little bit … wait. They’re a LOT country, but, in truth, they are a little rock ‘n’ roll. Jaymie was formerly part of the quartet Mulberry Lane.

Heartland of America Band Offutt Brass, the brass ensemble of the U.S. Air Force Heartland of America Band, is stationed at Offutt Air Force Base, Nebraska (near Bellevue). Comprised of two trumpets, French horn, trombone, tuba, and percussion, Offutt Brass showcases the service's excellence and precision in every performance. From classical to jazz and popular music, this ensemble is dedicated to presenting the total spectrum of today’s musical literature.

Clark & Co.

Lemon Fresh Day

Clark & Co. was created by triplet siblings from Omaha, with Sophie Clark on keyboard and vocals, Cooper Clark on acoustic and electric bass, and Simon Clark on drums and percussion.

The “Company," member is Cameron Thelander on tenor saxophone. Clark & Co. is an indie R&B band with mature melodies, fresh arrangements and a stirring signature style.

Formed in 1998 as a part-time ‘college-alt’ band, Lemon Fresh Day has transformed over the years to a full-time dance/rock show, performing a mix of all musical styles and genres. The group covers everything from Top 40, to country, rap, classics, and more.

Adams & Cooley RAT PACK JAZZ

Creighton Prep Chamber Choir

Vocalist Johnny Adams and guitarist Ron Cooley have worked together for many years, though they have known each other much longer, having grown up in the same neighborhood in Omaha. the group also includes Andy Hall on upright bass; Dennis Strawn on sax, flute, and clarinet; Carlos Figueroa on drums and other percussion; and Dan Cerveny on piano and organ.

The Creighton Prep Chamber Choir is the premier vocal ensemble in the Prep community.

The young men selected for this group demonstrate a true passion for the art of making music.

Chamber Choir members are also challenged to become "Men for Others" by using their gift of music to lift of the spirits of those within the Prep community and the Omaha community.

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Omaha Conservatory Omaha Conservatory of Music provides private lessons to more than 600 students in violin, viola, cello, bass, piano, guitar, voice, winds, brass, and percussion. Other classes include conducting, music composition, and theory.

Some of the conservatory’s best students and faculty will be on hand to perform throughout this weekend.

JUMPING & DRESSAGE

Frontier Strings

Opera Omaha

UNO Jazz Band

Frontier Strings is composed of select students who truly encompass Omaha Conservatory of Music’s core values of musical community: passion, dedication, and excellence. The group performs a varied repertoire—from sacred music to movie themes—all from memory. The group has performed throughout the United States and Europe.

Opera Omaha produces a season of original mainstage productions and is internationally known for its productions of eight world premieres and four American premieres of classical masterpieces.

The award-winning UNO Jazz Ensembles continue to receive acclaim for their outstanding musical performances from internationally recognized jazz artists, clinicians, and adjudicators.In addition to hosting the annual UNO Great Plains Jazz Festival, the ensemble makes regular appearances at nationally recognized jazz festivals and at state and regional conferences. FEI 2017

Omaha Symphony The Omaha Symphony has been an essential resource for orchestral performances, musical entertainment, and education for more than 90 years. Omaha Symphony's virtuosity and versatility are showcased in six distinct concert series: MasterWorks, Symphony Pops, Symphony Rocks, Family, Symphony Joslyn, and the Movie Music series.

Rose Theater The Rose Theater is home to the Omaha Theater Co.—the only resident, touring, professional theater company in Omaha and one of the largest in the country. The Rose has produced a number of world-premiere shows including Pete The Cat: The Musical, Sherlock Holmes & The First Baker Street Irregular, Where the Red Fern Grows, and more.

The Nebraska Arts Council, a state agency, has supported this program through its matching grants program, funded by the Nebraska Legislature, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Nebraska Cultural Endowment. Visit nebraskaartscouncil.org for information on how the Nebraska Arts Council can assist your organization, or how you can support the Nebraska Cultural Endowment.

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EVENTS SCHEDULE Competition Schedule

Ticket required · All competition events in main arena Wednesday, March 29 9am-6pm All vendor, dining, and entertainment areas open, including the Triple Crown Horse Discovery Zone and Baird Holm Tailgate Lounge, serving Stella Artois beer 9:30am Dressage familiarization 2pm Jumping training session Thursday, March 30 9am-6:30pm Triple Crown Horse Discovery Zone 10am-11pm All vendor, dining, and entertainment areas open, including the Baird Holm Tailgate Lounge, serving Stella Artois beer 2pm Opening ceremony for FEI World Cup™ Dressage Grand Prix, featuring the Heartland of America Band and presentation of the colors by the U.S. Strategic Command Joint Service Color Guard 2:15-5:30pm FEI World Cup™ Dressage Grand Prix 7pm Omaha Steaks opening ceremony for Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping Final I, featuring a welcome video, University of Nebraska at Omaha Jazz Ensemble, and Elijah Brown singing the national anthem 7:15-9:15pm Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping Final I Jumping speed class Post-performance party in the Baird Holm Tailgate Lounge with Belles & Whistles Friday, March 31 9am-6:30pm Triple Crown Horse Discovery Zone 10am-11pm All vendor, dining, and entertainment areas open, including Baird Holm Tailgate Lounge, serving Stella Artois beer 3pm Opening ceremony featuring the Omaha Conservatory of Music and Omaha Steaks National Anthem contest winner Frontier Strings 3:10-5pm Dressage Showcase Dressage Funstyle, featuring Young Horse to Grand Prix with Olympic champion Isabell Werth, sponsored by The Dressage Foundation, the ParaOlympic Team, Tristan Tucker’s “Fun Dressage,” Western clinician Lynn Palm, Sabine Schut-Kery, Missy Fladland, and Barbara “Bebe” Davis 7pm Omaha Steaks opening ceremony for Longines FEI World Cup™Jumping Final II, featuring Opera Omaha 7:15-9:15pm Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping Final II Post-performance party in the Baird Holm Tailgate Lounge with Adams & Cooley Rat Pack Jazz Saturday, April 1 9am-6:30pm Triple Crown Horse Discovery Zone 9am Dressage Natural Horsemanship Clinic 10am-11pm All vendor, dining, and entertainment areas open, including the Baird Holm Tailgate Lounge, serving Stella Artois beer 2pm Opening ceremony for FEI World Cup™ Dressage Final (freestyle to music), featuring Omaha Steaks national anthem contest winner Creighton Preparatory School Chamber Choir and a performance by children from the Rose Theater 2:15-5:35pm FEI World Cup™ Dressage Freestyle Final, which determines the FEI World Cup™ Final winner 7pm Omaha Steaks opening ceremony for International Omaha Jumping Grand Prix, featuring Kelly Davis singing the national anthem and a performance by Mannheim Steamroller.

7:15-9pm International Omaha Jumping Grand Prix Following the competition, enjoy Pony Games in the warm-up arena and a post-performance party in the Baird Holm Tailgate Lounge with Lemon Fresh Day Sunday, April 2 9am-4pm Triple Crown Horse Discovery Zone 10am-6pm All vendor, dining, and entertainment areas open, including the Baird Holm Tailgate Lounge, serving Stella Artois beer 2pm Omaha Steaks opening ceremony for Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping Final III to determine the Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping Final 2017, featuring the Omaha Symphony 2:15pm Longines FEI World Cup™Jumping Final III competition 4-5pm Closing ceremonies, featuring the Omaha Symphony, awards, closing ceremony, and the passing of the flag to Paris, host of the 2018 Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping and FEI World Cup™ Dressage Finals

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JUMPING & DRESSAGE

Free Live Demonstrations

All events in the Colorado State University Demo Arena unless otherwise noted Wednesday, March 29 9-10am Parade of Breeds 9am Mutual of Omaha Bank Theater classroom opens with short films from the Equus Film Festival 2016 and the educational video “Horses: Power, Purpose, and Performance” in Theater Hall C 10-10:30am Vaulting demonstration 10:45-11:45am U.S. Pony Club Games Noon-12:30pm Runza Gallery of Breeds, highlighting: Arabian 12:45-1:45pm Beginner rider lesson 1:45-2:45pm Introduction to ground work with Kip and Missy Fladland 3:15-4pm Para-Dressage 4-5pm Open ring time with bounce horses and barrel vaulting Thursday, March 30 9-10am Parade of Breeds 9am Mutual of Omaha Theater classroom opens with short films from the Equus Film Festival 2016 and the educational video “Horses: Power, Purpose, and Performance” in Theater Hall C 10-10:15am Devoucoux Saddle fitting 10:15-11am Vaulting demonstration 11:15am-Noon U.S. Pony Club Games Noon Equus Film Festival shuttle bus departures from CenturyLink to Marcus Midtown with a stop at Joslyn Museum 12:15-1pm Flat Schooling for Grand Prix Jumpers 4:30-5:30pm Lynn Palm mini lesson/clinic trail obstacles 5:30-6pm Para-Dressage Friday, March 31 9-10am Parade of Breeds 9am Mutual of Omaha Theater classroom opens with short films from the Equus Film Festival 2016 and the educational video “Horses: Power, Purpose, and Performance” in Theater Hall C 9:45-10:45am U.S. Pony Club Games 11-11:30am Comparative Confirmation Clinic 11:30am-Noon Vaulting demo Noon Equus Film Festival shuttle bus departures from CenturyLink to Marcus Midtown with a stop at Joslyn Museum Noon-12:45pm Runza Gallery of Breeds highlighting the American Saddlebred 12:45-1:45pm Omaha Police Mounted Patrol equine sensory training 1:45-2:15pm Para-Dressage 2:15-3pm Progression of Groundwork for Developing Horse & Rider with Kip and Missy Fladland 4:30-5pm Runza Gallery of Breeds, highlighting: Percheron "Luke" 5-5:30pm Runza Gallery of Breeds, highlighting: Fjord "Anvil's Rethel C" 5:30-6pm Open ring time with bounce horses and barrel vaulting Saturday, April 1 9-9:30am Parade of Breeds 9am Mutual of Omaha Theater classroom opens with short films from the Equus Film Festival 2016 and the educational video “Horses: Power, Purpose, and Performance” in Theater Hall C 9:30-9:45am Grooming and saddle fitting by Devoucoux Saddles 9:45-10:15am Runza Gallery of Breeds, highlighting: Arabian 10:15-11:15am Omaha Police Mounted Patrol sensory demo 11:15-11:30am Para demo 11:45am-12:45pm Lynn Palm—Western dressage, overview of different dressage movements, and training through the levels 12:45-1:45pm U.S. Pony Club Games Demo 5:30-6:30pm Course Design/Jump Comparison Sunday, April 2 9-9:30am Parade of Breeds 9am Mutual of Omaha Theater classroom opens with short films from the Equus Film Festival 2016 and the educational video “Horses: Power, Purpose, and Performance” in Theater Hall C 9:20-10am Training a rider through the levels 10-10:30am U.S. Pony Club Games demo 11:15-11:45am Runza Gallery of Breeds, highlighting: Minis "Goldie & Beasley"

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Who’s Galloping to Glory at the Longines FEI World CupTM Jumping Final Omaha 2017?

These riders are among those who earned the right to compete in Omaha

Steve Guerdat Date of birth: June 10, 1982 Hometown: Zurich, Switzerland

The defending FEI World Cup™ Jumping Champion, Guerdat is a five-time Olympian, winning the individual gold medal at the 2012 London Olympics and a team bronze medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. He is chasing his third consecutive FEI World CupTM title, having won the 2015 Final in Las Vegas and the 2016 Final in Gothenburg (Sweden). Guerdat also took second place consecutively at the 2012 Final in ‘s-Hertogenbosch (Netherlands) and 2013 Final in Gothenburg (Sweden).

Guerdat has competed in 10 FEI European Jumping Championships, winning a team gold medal at the 2009 Championships in Windsor, England. He has also won three team bronze medals at the 1997 Championships in Moorsele (Belgium), 2002 Championships in Copenhagen (Denmark), and 2003 Championships in Donaueschingen (Germany). Guerdat also competed at the 2010 FEI World Equestrian Games™ (WEG) in Lexington, Kentucky, and the 2014 WEG in Caen, Normandy, France.

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JUMPING & DRESSAGE

Karl Cook

Marcus Ehning

Laura Kraut

Date of birth: Dec. 25, 1990 Hometown: San Francisco, California

Date of birth: April 19, 1974 Hometown: Borken, Germany

Date of birth: Nov. 14, 1965 Hometown: West Palm Beach, Florida

Cook is world-class competitor and one of America’s rising show jumping stars. With many wins and top-ten placings at some of the top horse shows across North America, including Las Vegas, Tryon International Equestrian Center, Rancho Murieta, and Spruce Meadows in Canada, he is a formidable contender on the Grand Prix show jumping circuit.

Ehning, a two-time Olympian, was part of the bronze medal-winning German team at the 2000 Sydney Olympic Games. Ehning has competed at four FEI World Equestrian Games™ (WEG), winning a team gold medal at the 2010 WEG in Lexington, Kentucky, and a team bronze medal at the 2006 WEG in Aachen (Germany). He has competed at five European Championships, winning team gold medals at Hickstead (Great Britain) in 1999, and Donaueschingen (Germany) in 2003, also winning the individual bronze medal. In addition, he won a team silver medal at Mannheim (Germany) in 2007, and a team bronze medal at Windsor (Great Britain) in 2009.

Kraut has represented the U.S. at the 2000 Sydney Olympics and the 2008 Beijing Games, where she helped the U.S. Show Jumping Team win a team gold medal. Kraut was a member of the silver medal-winning U.S. team at the 2006 FEI World Equestrian Games™ (WEG) in Aachen, Germany, and she also competed on the team at the 2010 WEG in Lexington, Kentucky.

Kraut has competed in seven FEI World Cup™ Jumping Finals (1992, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, and 2015).

Cook competed at the 2013 FEI World Cup™ Final in Gothenburg (Sweden) and the 2015 Final in Las Vegas. He earned the right to compete at the 2017 Finals in Omaha by winning the qualifier at Thunderbird Show Park in British Columbia, Canada, followed by top placings in the qualifiers held at Del Mar and HITS Thermal, both in California.

Ehning has competed at 16 FEI World Cup™ Jumping Finals, winning the title three times, in 2003, 2006 and 2010. He is one of only three riders to accomplish this. If he wins the FEI World Cup™ Jumping Final in Omaha, he will be the first-ever rider to be FEI World Cup™ Jumping Champion four times.

With over 100 Grand Prix wins to her credit, Kraut has also represented the United States at numerous Nations Cup competitions around the world. She was named the American Grand Prix Association (AGA) Rider of the Year for the 2000/2001 season. In 2003 Kraut was awarded the US Olympic Committee's (USOC) Jack Kelly Fair Play Award.

Todd Minikus

Nayel Nassar

McLain Ward

Date of birth: June 11, 1961 Hometown: Wellington, Florida

Date of birth: Jan. 21, 1991 Hometown: San Diego, California

Date of birth: Oct. 17, 1975 Hometown: Brewster, New York

Todd Minikus is returning to his roots. Born and raised in Des Moines, Iowa, Minikus always wanted to ride. As a youth, he trained with noted Des Moines horsewoman Audrey Holt, riding hunters and jumpers as well as Saddlebreds.

Today, he is one of the top ten United States riders in all-time wins, clean rounds and double clear rounds, with almost $5 million in career earnings, according to Ryegate Show Services.

Born in Chicago, raised in Kuwait, and based in San Diego, Nassar rides for Egypt, the homeland of his parents. Nayel competed at the 2014 FEI World Equestrian Games™ (WEG) in Normandy, France and the 2011 Pan-Arab Games in Doha, Qatar, where he won a team bronze medal.

One of the most accomplished American riders, McLain Ward has competed in four Olympic Games, winning team gold medals at the 2004 Athens Olympics and 2008 Beijing Olympics, plus a team silver medal at the 2016 Games in Rio.

Nassar competed at the 2013 FEI World Cup™ Final in Gothenburg (Sweden), and the 2014 Final in Lyon (France). He qualified for this year's final in Omaha by winning the FEI World Cup™ qualifier at the 2017 Palm Beach Masters along with earning top-ten placings in qualifiers at Las Vegas, Del Mar, and the American Gold Cup.

Ward won the individual gold and team bronze medal at the 2015 Pan American Games in Canada, a team silver medal at the 2006 FEI World Equestrian GamesTM (WEG) in Aachen, Germany, and a team bronze medal at the 2014 WEG in Normandy, France.

Minikus, now based out of Wellington, Florida, has over 130 Grand Prix wins to his credit, including his first Grand Prix win in Mason City, Iowa, and capped by his 2014 victory in the $1 million HITS Saugerties Grand Prix. He has represented the United States on Nations Cup teams in both Ireland and the United Kingdom and has two bronze medals earned in the Pan American Games.

Ward has competed at 16 FEI World Cup™ Jumping Finals, finishing second at the 2009 Finals in Las Vegas. He has been honored as the American Grandprix Association (AGA) Rider of the Year four times. FEI 2017

He won the American Gold Cup on his horse Pavarotti, and his current World Cup qualifier is Babalou 41. Minikus once had the opportunity to ride bulls under the tutelage of World Champion bull rider Donnie Gay, but he decided his place was still jumping five-foot fences on horses.

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Jumping Finalists As of March 14, 2017­— Additional riders may qualify

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Sheikh Ali Al Thani Qatar

Artemus de Almeida Brazil

Ibrahim Hani Bisharat Jordan

Sergio Alvarez Moya Spain

Lorenzo de Luca Italy

Christian Heineking Germany

Jamie Barge USA

Simon Delestre France

Charlie Jacobs USA

Ludger Beerbaum Germany

Romain Duguet Switzerland

Guido Jun. Klatte Germany

Markus Brinkmann Germany

Marcus Ehning Germany

Laura Kraut USA

Karl Cook USA

Kent Farrington USA

Dawid Kubiak Poland

Audrey Coulter USA

Steve Guerdat Switzerland

Max Kühner Austria

JUMPING & DRESSAGE

Rein Pill Estonia

Leopold van Asten Netherlands

Denis Lynch Ireland

Olivier Robert France

Maikel van der Vleuten Netherlands

Jenni McAllister USA

Martin Rodriguez Vanni Uruguay

Henrik von Eckermann Sweden

Todd Minikus USA

Kevin Staut France

McLain Ward USA

Nayel Nassar Egypt

Christopher Surbey Canada

Gregory Wathelet Belgium

Eric Navet France

Gรกbor Szabรณ Jr. Hungary

Keean White Canada

Nicola Philippaerts Belgium

Lauren Tisbo USA

Holger Wulschner Germany

Carlos Enrique Lopez Lizarazo

Colombia

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Seeking Victory at the FEI TM World Cup Dressage Final Omaha 2017 Here are some of the world’s top dressage riders Hans-Peter Minderhoud

Laura Graves

Carl Hester, MBE

Date of birth: Oct. 7, 1973 Hometown: Oosterbeek, Netherlands

Date of birth: July 22, 1987 Hometown: Orlando, Florida

Date of birth: June 29, 1967 Hometown: Newent, Gloucestershire, England

The reigning FEI World Cup™ Dressage Champion, Minderhoud is also a two-time Olympian. He was part of the silver medal-winning Dutch Dressage Team at the 2008 Hong Kong Games and he competed at the 2016 Rio Olympics.

Olympic Bronze medalist Graves and her own Verdades have shined since their impressive debut at the Grand Prix level in 2014. Their first big outing on the world stage was at the 2014 FEI World Equestrian Games™ in Normandy, France, where they placed fifth individually. The pair went on to take fourth place at the 2015 FEI World Cup™ Finals in Las Vegas prior to winning team gold and individual silver medals for the United States at the 2015 Pan American Games.

Hester has competed at five Olympic Games (1992, 2000, 2004, 2012, and 2016). He was the youngest-ever British Olympic rider when he competed at his first Olympics in Barcelona, Spain, in 1992. He helped the British team win the nation’s first Olympic team gold medal at the 2012 Olympics in London. Hester was also part of the silver-medal winning British team at the 2016 Rio Olympics.

Minderhoud has competed at three FEI World Equestrian Games™ (WEG), winning a team gold medal at the 2010 WEG in Lexington, Kentucky, and a team bronze medal at the 2014 WEG in Normandy, France. He has competed at four FEI European Championships, winning team gold medals in 2007 in Torino (Italy), and 2015 in Aachen (Germany) where he also claimed the individual bronze medal. In addition, he won a team silver medal in 2013 in Herning (Denmark) and a team bronze medal in 2011 in Rotterdam (The Netherlands).

Prior to winning the 2016 FEI World Cup™ Dressage title in Gothenburg (Sweden), Minderhoud competed in five prior FEI World Cup™ Finals: Las Vegas 2009, Leipzig 2011,‘s-Hertogenbosch 2012, Lyon 2014, and Las Vegas 2015.

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Graves’ spectacular performances with Verdades in both tests at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio helped secure the team bronze medal for the United States. Graves was the highest-placed United States rider, earning a personal best score, and finishing just outside the medals in fourth place individually.

This season she has won two FEI World Cup™ North American League World Cup qualifiers, both at the 2017 Adequan Global Dressage Festival in Wellington, Florida.

Hester has competed in four FEI World Equestrian Games™ (WEG), winning team silver medals at the 2010 WEG in Lexington, Kentucky, and 2014 WEG in Normandy, France. He won a team gold and two individual silver medals at the 2011 FEI European Championships in Rotterdam (The Netherlands); team silver medals at the 2009 and 2015 European Championships in Windsor (Great Britain) and Aachen (Germany) respectively; and also a team bronze medal in 2013 in Herning (Denmark).

Hester also competed at the 2005 FEI World Cup™ Finals in Las Vegas.

JUMPING & DRESSAGE

Dressage Finalists As of March 14, 2017 Additional riders may qualify

Edward Gal Netherlands Laura Graves U.S. Carl Hester Great Britain Hanna Karasiova Belarus Marcela Krinke Susmelj Switzerland Maria Florencia Manfredi Argentina João Victor Marcari Oliva

Hans-Peter Minderhoud Netherlands Kasey Perry-Glass U.S. Steffen Peters U.S. Judy Reynolds Ireland Jessica von Bredow-Werndl Germany Isabell Werth Germany Wendi Williamson

Brazil

New Zealand

Inessa Merkulova

Madeleine Witte-Vrees

Russia

Netherlands

Kasey Perry-Glass

Steffen Peters

Isabell Werth

Date of birth: Oct. 12, 1987 Hometown: Orangevale, California

Date of birth: Sept. 18, 1964 Hometown: San Diego, California

Date of birth: July 21, 1969 Hometown: Rheinberg, Germany

Kasey Perry-Glass and her top horse Goerklintgaards Dublet were a valuable part of the U.S. dressage team that won the bronze medal at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio.

Born in Wesel, Germany, Peters was a member of the bronze medal-winning U.S. teams at the 1996 Atlanta Olympics and the 2016 Rio Olympics. He also competed at the 2012 London Olympic Games and placed fourth among the individual riders at the 2008 Beijing Games.

Werth is a five-time Olympic veteran with a total of 10 Olympic medals, including the individual gold medal at the 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games. Werth has also won five team gold medals from Olympic Games in Rio (2016), Hong Kong (2008), Sydney (2000), Atlanta (1996), and Barcelona (1992), plus four individual silver medals (2016, 2008, 2000, and 1992).

At the 2016 Winter Equestrian Festival in Wellington, Florida, Perry-Glass and Dublet were part of the U.S. team that won the gold medal at the Nations Cup CDIO3* competition.

The pair were chosen to compete as part of the U.S. team at European observation events, and helped the U.S. team win the gold medal in the FEI Nations Cup competition in Compiegne, France, and the silver medal at the FEI Nations Cup in Rotterdam, Netherlands.

At the 2017 Adequan Global Dressage Festival in Wellington, Florida, the pair took second place in the FEI Dressage World CupTM qualifier, and won the March qualifier at the Palm Beach Dressage Derby, breaking the elusive 80 percent mark with a score of 80.805 in the Grand Prix Freestyle.

Peters won the FEI World Cup™ Final 2009 in Las Vegas. It was the second time an American rider claimed the FEI World Cup™ Dressage Championship, and the first time an American won the title at home. Peters won two individual bronze medals at the 2010 FEI World Equestrian Games™ (WEG) in Kentucky, and a team bronze at the 2006 WEG in Aachen (Germany). He also won the individual and team gold medals at the 2015 Pan American Games in Canada.

This season, Peters won the FEI World Cup™ qualifier in Las Vegas and placed third at the Adequan Global Dressage Festival (AGDF) in Wellington, Florida. Peters has been honored as USEF Horseman of the Year three times.

She is a four-time FEI World Equestrian Games™ (WEG) competitor (1998, 2006, 2010, and 2014), and she won four team and three individual gold medals, plus an individual bronze and a team bronze. She has also been crowned European Dressage Championship three times (1991, 1993, and 2007). Werth has competed in 15 FEI World Cup™ Dressage Finals, with victories at the 2007 Final in Las Vegas, and the 1992 Final in Gothenburg (Sweden). She enters this year's Final as the number-one ranked dressage rider in the world. FEI 2017

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LONGINES FEI WORLD CUP ™ FINALS Jum ping

FEI WORLD CUP ™ FINALS Dressage

April 11 - 1 5 2018 Made by

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PARIS

JUMPING & DRESSAGE

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OMAHA MAGAZINE HAS JOINED AN INNOVATIVE PROGRAM TO COMBAT DEFORESTATION. AND WE NEED YOUR HELP. The initiative, called Print Relief, plants the number of trees equal to our printing needs by calculating the trees consumed by the printing of our magazine. They plant the number of trees equal to our tree usage in endangered forests around the world.

IN THE NEXT YEAR ALONE, THIS INTERNATIONAL PROGRAM WILL ALLOW US TO BE RESPONSIBLE FOR THE PLANTING OF ALMOST 1,500 SAPLINGS IN BIOMES AROUND THE GLOBE THAT HAVE BEEN RAVAGED BY DEFORESTATION. HERE’S WHERE YOU COME IN: We’d like readers to help us choose where our trees should go. We will create a survey on our Omaha Magazine Facebook page.

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FEI WORLD CUPTM FINALS OMAHA 2017

Expo Map Restrooms

Restrooms

Tailgate Restaurant and Lounge Private Stable Area

Theater

Demo Arena

Bleacher Seating

Gallery of Breeds

Boutique Shopping Village

Public Warm Up Arena

Boutique Shopping Village

Horse Discovery Zone Restrooms

Grand Hallway – Boutique Shopping Village

Baird Holm Tailgate Lounge Colorado State University Demo Arena S&W Fence Warm Up Arena Demo Arena Grandstand Boutique Shopping Village Mutual of Omaha Bank Theater Runza Gallery of Breeds Restrooms Private Stabling Area Information Desk Offices Triple Crown Horse Discovery Zone Kiewit Equimania!

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Info

A First Class, Fan Friendly Experience at the FEI World Cup™ Finals Omaha 2017!

It’s a tailgate celebration worthy of the pinnacle of equestrian sports, and there is entertainment galore for horse lovers of all ages at the FEI World Cup™ Finals Omaha 2017.

In addition to seeing the best dressage and jumping horses in the world compete, there is an international fan gathering in a non-stop party atmosphere throughout the CenturyLink Center.

Over 140 equestrian vendors offer a shopping experience horse lovers dream about. And when they’ve shopped til they’re tired, they can sit back and relax in the Baird Holm Tailgate Lounge. It doesn’t get any better than sipping a glass of wine or beer while watching Olympic champions warm up in the adjacent S&W Fence Arena.

Music lovers will enjoy a diverse array of bands playing til 11 p.m. each night.

The Triple Crown Horse Discovery Zone is free and open to the public. Watch demonstrations in the Colorado State University Arena ranging from vaulting to Pony Club games, natural horsemanship to mounted police horse training. Youngsters love getting to pet and learn about horses in the Runza Gallery of Breeds, and have hands-on educational experience in Kiewit Equimania! displays. The Mutual of Omaha Bank Theater features the Equus Film Festival, and multiple exhibits offer an array of artwork, historical, educational and skilled craftsmanship displays.

Beautiful horses, fantastic shopping and constant entertainment.

This is how Omaha rocks the FEI World Cup™ Finals Omaha 2017.

With open arms, we welcome the world!

JUMPING & DRESSAGE

FEI World CupTM Finals Omaha 2017 Exhibitors Adequan AIM Media Animo Ariat Arista and FOAL Equestrian Artifact Bag Company Art Push & Sons Inc. Bacher Products Back on Track USA Inc. Blacksmith Shop Omaha Bows by Lisa Luann Breyer Horses Brody Robertson Show Jumps Browbands with Bling Caracol Cargill Cavalor North America Chained Leather Citizens Foundation for the Omaha Mounted Patrol Clare Christie Fine Art CleanCore Colorado State University Custom Saddlery CWD Dechra Veterinary Products The Dehner Company Der-Dau Custom Boots and Shoes Devoucoux Diaz Candles & Horseshoe Art District 4 USDF & Nebraska Dressage Association The Dressage Connection Dressage Museum by La Riata Ranch DressageTrainingOnline.com Dubarry of Ireland The Durham Museum EBH Portraits English Museum by Quail Run Horse Centre Eqclusive Equestrian Fashion Equi Cool Down, Inc. EquiFit Equiline Equine Fine Arts Equine Guelph Equine Office Equine Outfitters

While enjoying the grounds, the shows, and the overall experience at the Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping & FEI World Cup™ Dressage Finals, don’t forget to check out the expo. Kids and adults will enjoy learning about various horses at the Gallery of Breeds, watch the contestants in the practice ring, and more.

Along with entertainment and education, visitors will find a variety of equestrian and equestrian-related items to purchase for themselves, or as gifts to the riders in their lives.

EquinElite, Inc. Equisense Equi-Trek-Portland Equo ErgoIrons ESI/GGT Exceptional Equestrian Expo Services The Farm House Footing Solutions USA Freelance Design USA Game Ready Veterinary Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium Hidez Horse and Rider Boutique Horse Hydrator The Horse of Course HorseTech Inc. Hulsebos Saddles In The Stirrup InkStables LLC Jewelry To Go JOTT Just Cavallor Kaeco Equine Performance Supplements Kashmir Moon New York Kathy Kamei Designs La Mundial Boots Le Fash Longines Watch Co. Francillon Ltd LubriSyn HA Family of Products and Re-Borne Markel M&R Moda In Pelle Firenze, Inc. Morton Buildings, Inc. N2 Saddlery Nebraska Tourism Nelson Manufacturing Co. NIGHTWATCH™ Nutrena/Progressive Nutrition Noble Horse Gallery, LLC Ogilvy Equestrian Omaha Children’s Museum Omaha Police Mounted Patrol Ornaments Fine Jewelry Outback Survival Gear and Saratoga Saddlery the paddock Paul Lucht Feed

The Plaid Horse Platinum Performance Prestige Saddles USA Pulse Centers R. Craig Leatherworks Regg & Wally’s Tack RevitaVet Therapy Systems Ribnick Luxury Outerwear Riders Boutique RIDE TV Ronald Ravan Designs Runza Saratoga Stalls, LLC Sarm Hippique Seeside Designs Selleria Equipe She.la The Shop at Wit’s End Soft-Ride Boots Sport Innovations SJ Snyder Art The Tack Room Tandy Leather TheraPlate Revolution Therapy Platforms TraceWear Triple Crown Nutrition Tuyet, LLC – Distinctive Jewelry Union Pacific United States Pony Clubs USDF USEF USET Foundation USHJA USSHBA Vibramed Vita Flex Vitalize Voltaire Design Wasco Equestrian Art WC Equestrian Western Museum by Seefus Riding Stables Wilkins Livestock Insurers Woodside DP Saddlery World Equestrian Brands/Amerigo Saddles Wynk Zero Gravity Zest

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FEI WORLD CUPTM FINALS OMAHA 2017

Expo Photos

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QUIT HORSING AROUND. SUBSCRIBE NOW!

JUMPING & DRESSAGE

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FEI WORLD CUPTM FINALS OMAHA 2017

Triple Crown

HORSE DISCOVERY ZONE Free and Open to the Public

Blacksmith and Cooper Blacksmithing creates objects from wrought iron or steel by forging the metal using tools to hammer, bend and cut. Making horse shoes and everyday objects was an important craft in medieval times! Hands-on opportunities to learn proper techniques of this ancient craft on antique tools of the trade. In Roman times coopers were highly skilled craftsmen who made barrels, containers and other accessories out of wood, including horse buckets. Watch the skill and precision it takes to create a wooden bucket.

Colorado State University Demonstration Arena Presented by the United States Pony Clubs, watch daily education presentations in jumping and dressage, meet the horses showcased in the Runza Gallery of Breeds, watch pony game demonstrations where you get to try it on foot, vaulting, trail obstacles, training a horse, sensory training with a police horse and much more.

Dressage Museum Presented by La Riata Ranch, with photos by Susan J Stickle Photography, the museum shows the history of dressage in the USA, with a focus on USDF (United States Dressage Federation) which was founded in Lincoln, Nebraska, by legendary horseman Lowell Boomer. Watch video and see photos of horses and riders leading the sport from all over the world. Several of these top riders will be competing in the FEI World Cup™ Finals Omaha 2017. If you want to be a dressage rider, this shows what it takes to compete at the top FEI Levels.

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Durham Museum Join The Durham Museum and explore the life of the Native American tribes and pioneers of Nebraska. Learn how both the pioneers and Native Americans used the resources around them to survive life on the plains. See artifacts like a buffalo bladder and a corn husk doll. How do you pass time on the plains? Buffalo Chip toss, of course! Try your hand at some early pioneer games and see how much fun history can be!

Mutual of Omaha Bank Theater Continuous presentations of the movie Horses: Power, Purpose and Performance will be shown in addition to a collection of short films from around the world that premiered at the EQUUS Film Festival in New York. Among the features are Unbridled, Slow and Steady Wins the Race: The Story of Laura Graves and Diddy; Horse Shelter Diaries; The Four Horsemen; Dancing with Mustangs; Christmas Ranch; Albion the Enchanted Stallion; American Cowgirl; Hordur and others.

English Museum Step into the world of English riding presented

by Quail Run Horse Centre with clothing, tack, and video presentations of training and competition. Members of the English discipline will be dressed in traditional clothes by Regg & Wally's to answer all your questions about the techniques used for show jumping, riding and competing.

Omaha Children’s Museum Get ready to enter a world of imagination and delight as you step into the "Curiosity Corner" where you will discover all kinds of creatures found in Nebraska. Compare bones of a dinosaur and a horse and see if you can determine "Horse or Dino?". Explore geology finds through a magnifying camera and so much more.

Equimania! Sponsored by Kiewit Corporation This exhibit from The University of Guelph in Ontario, Canada, features youth education stations and interactive displays, including anatomy, dental, evolution, skeleton in motion, Tree of Life, digestive tract, nutrition and water, parasite, horse behavior, horse colors, grooming, safety and activity centre.

Omaha’s Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium A global leader in conservation dedicated to the education of the public and the preservation of earth’s priceless biodiversity. The Henry Doorly Zoo and Aquarium is ranked among the world’s best. Visit the Zoo’s exploration station and investigate the world of the zebra, an ancestor of the horse, through hands-on learning and fun!

Runza Gallery of Breeds A face-to-muzzle experience with a variety of breeds. Meet the stars of the educational arena and learn what makes each of them unique, including a Percheron, Shire, Fjord, Mustang, Arabian, miniatures, Omaha Police horse, Saddlebred mare, and Paint.

Omaha Mounted Patrol Mounted Patrol Officers perform all aspects of police work from horseback, including traffic and crowd control; they conduct traffic stops, write citations, and make arrests. Horse Patrol Officers are often utilized during searches for missing persons, evidence, and suspects in open fields, wooded areas, and rough terrain.

Mounted Patrol Officers have proven to be a valuable crime deterrent because they sit over eight feet tall with a high vantage point, they are equal to seven or more foot Officers, and they never lose a foot pursuit! Meet the officers who keep our city safe. »

Horseless Mini-Jumps Presented by Brody Robertson Show Jumps.

Test your jumping skills over the horseless mini jumps.

JUMPING & DRESSAGE

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FEI WORLD CUPTM FINALS OMAHA 2017 HORSE DISCOVERY ZONE PART II

« Rope 'em and Ride 'em

Family friendly activity station where you can play dress up in authentic cowboy gear, try riding on a saddle, and discover the tricks of the trade for branding and cattle herding, courtesy of the Aksarben Foundation.

The Tack Room Touch and feel the equipment that a horse wears. Examine the weight of horseshoes, see the grains and hay a horse eats, and compare a horse brush and comb to your own.

Kip is an expert La Riata Ranch in starting the Kip & Missy Fladland young horse missyandkip@lariataranch.com Bus 712.778.5295 | Kip 406.223.2691 | Missy 402.598.7475 66737 560th Street Griswold, Iowa 51535 lariataranch.com

Missy is a top FEI Competitor & Trainer

United States Pony Club An introduction to the world of horses. This exciting exhibit will include hands on learning stations where attendees can measure a horse and learn about horse care, nutrition, grooming, riding safety and tack, anatomy, games, technology, and telescoping display.

Union Pacific Train Safety “See Tracks? Think Train” is the theme of Union Pacific’s mobile education center. Learn about awareness and safety around railroad tracks.

Western Museum Seefus Riding Stables will present an interactive display area of the western style of riding from boots and bits to saddles and spurs. This traditional style of riding started with the ranching and warfare traditions brought to America by the Spanish Conquistadors and evolved to meet the needs of the cowboy in the American West.

Wheelwright A Wheelwright will demonstrate how a wheel is crafted by hand specifically designed for use on the buggies and carriages pulled by horses. See the parts of a wooden wheel and the tools and equipment used by the masters of this trade.

FEI 2017

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FEI WORLD CUPTM FINALS OMAHA 2017

Donors, Staff & Volunteers

H

osting the FEI World Cup™ Finals Omaha 2017 truly took a village. The staff of the Omaha Equestrian Foundation would like to thank its board of directors for helping the rest of the world learn something we already knew—nobody hosts an event like Omaha does.

Omaha Equestrian Foundation Board of Directors Chris Adderton Adrian Bento Karen Cudmore Rob Daugherty Karen Ensminger Gary Gates Mike Homa Audie Keaton Loretta Patterson Lisa Roskens Carol Timke

Omaha Equestrian Foundation Staff Chairman: Lisa Roskens CEO: Mike West Director of Sport Operations: John McQueen Director of Dressage: Thomas Baur Chief Press Officer and Director of Equestrian Marketing: Marty Bauman Director of Sales and Marketing: Anne Maguire Director of Admin and Operations: Sara Weiss Manager of Dressage: Monica Fitzgerald Local Public and Media Relations Chair: Robyn Eden Education Coordinator: Jackie Vinci Director of Hospitality and VIPs: Mike Klug Hospitality Manager: Jane Rips Footing Manager: Brett Raflowitz Photographer: Lili Weik Social Media: Sara Weiss TV Production: Alan Blakeney Vendor Coordinators: Sandra Reiber and Marty Bauman Volunteer Coordinator: Cheryl Johnson

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Donors Baird Holm LLP Burlington Capital Foundation Robert B. Daugherty Foundation Douglas County Visitor Improvement Fund Sunny Durham Family Foundation The Heider Foundation Holland Foundation Carter and Vernie Jones Kiewit Companies Foundation Mammel Family Foundation Harley and Beth Schrager Suzanne and Walter Scott Foundation Singer Foundation University of Nebraska Medical Center McGowan Family Foundation Quail Run Horse Centre Dorothy B. Davis Foundation The Dressage Foundation Gail and Mike Yanney Daugherty Family Foundation WoodmenLife The David Scott Foundation Carmen and John Gottschalk Foundation CQuence Health Group Nebraska Arts Council Ellen and Stavely Wright Heafey Hoffmann Dworak Cutler Mortuaries & Crematory

The Omaha Equestrian Foundation staff also would like to recognize two gentlemen who had a major influence on the preparations for this event. Bob Cleeland and Lloyd Landkamer may no longer be with us, but their guidance and leadership has not been forgotten.

Additionally, the staff would like to thank the countless volunteers and businesses that provided time, money, skills, support and, sometimes even miracles, to ensure the thousands gathered in Omaha for the Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping & FEI World Cup™ Dressage Finals Omaha 2017 have the time of their lives. Nebraska celebrates 150 years of statehood in 2017, and we are thrilled to be part of an event that has brought guests from across the country and around the world to our great state.

JUMPING & DRESSAGE

Thank you Thank you Longines LonginesFEI FEIWorld WorldCup™ Cup™Jumping Jumping& Sponsors & FEI FEIWorld WorldCup™ Cup™Dressage DressageFinals FinalsOmaha Omaha2017 2017 Sponsors

CELEBRATING 100 YEARS

Adequan AIG AIM Media All Makes Office Equipment Animo Brody Robertson Show Jumps California Dressage Society Clark Creative Classic Communications Clean Core Cox Communications DerDau Custom Made Boots and Shoes Devoucoux Dodd Technologies

Dutta Corporation The Dressage Foundation ESI The Farmhouse Tack GGT HDR Hilton Omaha Downtown iHeartRadio J Skinner Baking Company Kindred Bio Kubota of Omaha Las Vegas Events Palm Partnership Training FEI World Cup™ Finals Paris 2018 Greater Omaha Chamber

Noelle Floyd Omaha Bobcat Paul Lucht Feeds Quail Run Horse Centre Quality Brands-Stella Artois Runza™ SAC Federal Credit Union USDF US Equestrian USET USHJA Van Deeb Voltaire Designs WC Equestrian Woodmen Life 87

FEI WORLD CUPTM FINALS OMAHA 2017

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