Articles: Press Release
Chester Weber Wins Record-Setting Seventh Win at United States National
Four-In-Hand Driving Championship
Combined Driver Chester Weber earned a record-setting seventh win at the
Four-In-Hand Driving Championship at the Kentucky Cup and Lexington Driving
Classic at the Kentucky Horse Park. Weber had stated throughout the year
that his goal was to become the first driver to win the Four-in-Hand
National Championship seven years in a row. (Photo by Pics of You)
Contact:
Chester Weber
chester@chesterweber.com
www.chesterweber.com
1-352-895-1139
Lexington, KY (October 7, 2009) Combined Driving National Champion Chester
Weber is known for setting goals and achieving them. He added a factor of
risk to it this year, by announcing his goal was to become the first driver
to win the USEF National Four-In-Hand Driving Championships seven years in a
row.
It was a risk worth taking for Weber, who captured his seventh win during
the Four-In-Hand Driving Championship at the Kentucky Cup and Lexington
Driving Classic. When you set goals and make them clear to everyone around
you it does add more pressure, Weber said. However, you also make the goal
very clear to yourself and your team and there is no question what you are
trying to achieve.
Weber won the record-setting title by 10 points, beating out fellow American
Tucker Johnson, who was also going for the lucky seventh win. Throughout the
three phases of the competition, Weber and his team won the dressage and
cones phase and came in second to Australian driver Boyd Exell in the
marathon.
Ed Young, the Chef dEquipe of the United States Driving Team, was very
pleased with Webers seventh win. I was most pleased with the improvements
Chester has made in both the marathon and cones phases of the
competition. Chester has spent a great deal of time and energy identifying
his strengths and weaknesses as a competitor and then sought out the support
necessary to strengthen the weaker areas, Young said. Webers ability to set
goals and focus on those goals, without being distracted, is an incredible
asset to a high performance athlete.
Weber said his biggest challenge during the competition was to drive clear
on Sunday. I knew that I could have three balls down in the cones and still
win the competition, however I wanted to win convincingly, he said. In order
to prepare myself for next season I forced myself to not become lax but to
concentrate more.
Webers concentration paid off, but was challenged a bit by his well-known
horse Jamaica, the 2008 USEF Horse of the Year. Instead of using Jamaica in
the marathon and cones, Weber saved the 18-year-old superstar for cones only
in hopes of keeping the horse fresh. Jamaica turned out to be too fresh and
a bit of a handful, giving Weber the added pressure of an excited horse. We
still got it done, Weber said with a smile, adding that despite everything
Jamaica is a seasoned professional.
Weber is always quick to give credit to his equine team members, and said
his proudest moments throughout the competition came from his five-year-old
horse Reno W who competed all three days in the lead. He was a star in the
dressage and he tried his hardest in the marathon. I am sure it was a little
overwhelming for him as I tried for a win and not just to maintain my
position, Weber said.
Weber, who is known in combined driving circles for his dedication and hard
work, spent the past months training with difficult cones courses to prepare
for the National Championships. Weber said Germanys Michael Freund came to
his farm in August and September to help Weber prepare for his seventh
victory as well as work on Webers goal of competing in the World Equestrian
Games in 2010.
Michael wanted me to train on some very difficult courses as he knows that
next year at WEG that is what it will come down to, Weber said. We were
unable to drive cones at the Laurels due to the weather, so we used training
elements from difficult courses at the big CAI's in Europe this past
summer. By the end I was training on courses made up of only those difficult
elements. It was nuts and there was little to no flow, but I figured what
doesn't kill me makes me stronger.
Webers determination not only paid off, but has allowed him to now shift his
focus toward the future. I guess we will work all winter preparing for
number eight at the Live Oak International next March, he said, adding that
after Live Oak he is looking forward to WEG.
Weber isnt the only one eager for the United States combined drivers to
compete at WEG. As the chef d'equipe for the US four-in-hand, Young said, I
feel very optimistic about the US Driving Team's ability to be on top at WEG
2010 and I expect Chester to play an important part in that goal.
For more information on Weber and his combined driving team, visit their
website at www.chesterweber.com.
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