03-03-2010
Chester Weber kicked off his 2010 show season exactly the way a national champion likes to – by winning the horse team class at the Sunshine State FEI Combined Driving Event at the Florida Horse Park. Weber, the seven-time US National Four-In-Hand Champion, competed against an international field and ended the three-phase competition 24 points ahead of second place finisher James Fairclough.
In the dressage phase of the Sunshine State competition, Weber’s four-in-hand team consisted of Grumus, Rolex W, Boy W and Para. “This is the team I hope to compete with at the World Equestrian Games and it was the team that I set a world record with in Riesenbeck in 2008,” Weber said. “I had my top group together at this competition and I am pleased with the results.”
Weber added a new horse to his team in the cross-country marathon and cones phase, a 15-year-old French trotter named Horus du Bois. Weber purchased Horus last summer from Dutch driver Hans Heus, in hopes of adding high-end speed and drivability to the marathon and cones.
“Horus was in the lead and was like a cat. He did add significant speed to the marathon,” Weber said. “I am excited about this new addition to Team Weber. Heus used him to lead his way onto the squad for the World Championships in Beesd, and Horus is certainly a clever horse. At Sunshine State he joined teammates Boy W, Rolex W and Para for marathon and cones.”
(photo: Photo courtesy of PICS OF YOU)
While Weber and his team have their sights set on the 2010 World Equestrian Games in Kentucky in the fall, Weber said he has a more pressing goal prior to WEG. “First things first and that is the national championships at the end of March,” Weber said. “I am working toward win number eight. After that we will focus on a WEG strategy and decide if we will do a European tour this summer.”
As Weber looks forward to defending his national championship title March 24-28 at Live Oak International, he said his hard work is paying off and he feels confident. “However, I realize horses keep you humble,” Weber said.
The Sunshine State competition was a WEG qualifier, and marked the second WEG qualifying win for Weber. “This was also the second leg of the Florida Triple Crown,” Weber said. “The first leg was at the CAI Dade City, which I didn’t compete in. The triple crown is made up of three events and culminates at Live Oak in Ocala.”
Click here for the full results of the Sunshine State CAI-B.
(photo: Photo courtesy of PICS OF YOU)