The World is Coming to Wellington for World Class World Masters Dressage

Limited tables and seating available. Table tickets include entry to the competition, as well as to a complimentary competitors' reception at IPC following the Grand Prix on Thursday. Information for table reservations and tickets for the WDM Palm Beach can be obtained by contacting Maria Feola at 561-282-5334 mfeola@internationalpoloclub.com or Julie Pickets at 561-282-5343.
The World Dressage Masters presented by the Axel Johnson Group begins the 2011 global competition in the United States for the Olympic equestrian discipline Dressage March 9-11. The World Dressage Masters Palm Beach presented by International Polo Club Palm Beach will host the leading horse and rider combinations throughout the world with over $140,000 in prize money. Organized by the show management of Wellington Classic Dressage, the International Polo Club Palm Beach has joined forces supporting the opportunity for international dressage stars to compete to music at the highest level of their training for a world wide audience.

Since 2009 this innovative approach to the sport of Dressage founded by Exquis and international sports marketing agency SportBizz developed the exclusive concept of high performance Dressage competition with an emphasis on the Kur, Freestyle to Music. With no more than twenty starters selected by their National Federation to compete in the Grand Prix CDI 3* riders vie for one of the top eight standings for the Kur, giving them a chance to share the $140,000 in prize money and prestige. In the WDM Grand Prix qualifying class for the Final, the stars of tomorrow are introduced to an international audience giving dressage the media outlet it deserves. The top eight horse and rider combinations who reach the final perform an individually choreographed and musically mixed performance at the Olympic level of difficulty.

The Kur is most often the sold out event at the Olympics, World Equestrian Games, and Aachen. The forces behind the World Dressage Masters believe Dressage has been greatly undervalued as an attraction worthy of the audience and prize money show jumpers have been winning for years. “The World Dressage Masters like to stress the importance of internationalization and wishes to create a platform where the world can be on one page.” said John Van der Lar, managing director of the World Dressage Masters. “That is why World Dressage Masters thinks it is important to be in the USA.”

With the World Dressage Masters Foundation, the organization tries to support projects which are important for the future development of dressage:judging methods and score analysis, welfare and dressage, youth development and social projects involving the dressage community.

With the added support of the International Polo Club Palm Beach and the dressage management team of Wellington Classic Dressage, the World Dressage Masters Palm Beach held at the covered venue of the Jim Brandon Palm Beach Equestrian Center March 9-11 will be host to the greatest horse and rider combinations in Europe and the Americas.

All World Dressage Masters shows will be broadcast on sports channel Eurosport connecting WDM to 150 million households in Europe. Partners of the World Dressage Masters are: Exquis, Moorland investments and Moorland stables, Nürnberger Versicherungen, Jerich International and Axel Johnson Group.
For more information please visit: www.worlddressagemasters.com
The schedule for 2011
9-11 March, Palm Beach, Florida USA
2-5 June, Munich, GER (final Nürnberger WDM Rider Ranking)
7-9 July, Flasterbo, SWE
29-31 July, Hickstead, GBR

Stay tuned to DressageDaily as we bring you breaking news with entries, scheduling, personalities and more for the World Dressage Masters Palm Beach presented by International Polo Club Palm Beach.

Limited tables and seating available. Information for table reservations and tickets for the WDM Palm Beach can be obtained by contacting Maria Feola at 561-281-5334 mfeola@internationalpoloclub.com or Julie Pickets at 561-282-5343. Table tickets include entry to the competition, as well as to a complimentary competitors' reception at IPC following the Grand Prix on Thursday.