Laura Kraut and Winde had the fastest times (Photo by Sportfot©. ) Wellington, FL - February 5, 2011, - The women have dominated the Nespresso Battle of the Sexes for three years now with another exciting win in Saturday evening's dynamic competition. The women's team, captained by Katie Prudent, and including riders Georgina Bloomberg, Ashlee Bond, Brianne Goutal, Lauren Hough, Maggie Jayne, Reed Kessler, Candice King, Laura Kraut, Christine McCrea, Catherine Pasmore and Nicole Simpson, swept...

Daisy Farish and Elation are the Gotham North Small Pony Hunter Champions. (Photo by Sportfot©.) Wellington, FL - February 6, 2011 - Numerous championships were awarded in the pony hunter divisions. The FTI Winter Equestrian Festival, which runs through April 3, hosts some of the fanciest ponies in the country. Today, the Gotham North Small Pony Hunters were among those awarded. Loads of spectators, including many pony riders and their accompanying family members, filled the areas surrounding...

Laura Kraut and Cedric won the $78,000 Adequan Grand Prix, CSI 2* during week four at the 2011 FTI W (Photo by Sportfot©.) Wellington, FL - February 6, 2011 - The 2011 FTI Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF) concluded its fourth week of competition on Sunday afternoon with the $78,000 Adequan Grand Prix, CSI 2* held in the International Arena at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center. In a talent packed class, Laura Kraut (USA) and Happy Hill Farm's Cedric jumped to victory over 48...

Dressage Under the Stars kicked with musical freestyle winner, Chris Von Martels on Don Darveen (Photo courtesy of JRPR.) Wellington, FL – For the third year in a row, Dressage Under the Stars held patio-side at The Players Club Bar & Grille, is the place to be on Wednesday nights in Wellington. This year will bring another eight weeks of exciting rider and horse combinations competing for weekly prizes and an opportunity for riders to return the final week to perform in the grand finale. Chris...

Lexington, KY – The Executive Committee of the United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) will meet to consider Extraordinary Rule Changes to clearly define the implementation of the Federation’s new helmet rule to breed competitions that offer dressage classes. The committee will meet later this month to discuss the changes, which will clarify the rule in the Andalusian, Arabian, Friesian and Morgan divisions of USEF Licensed Competitions. To review the latest memo regarding the use of...

Endurance The first American CEI of 2011 took place at the Dupuis Equestrian Center near Indiantown, FL, January 28-29. The event featured two days of Endurance competition. In the CEIJY 1* (80km), Forest Green and PL Nino took top honors in a time of 3:55:30 beating Kelsey Russell and Tryssta by 30 seconds to the wire. In the CEI 1* (80km) Amy Atkins crossed the finish line in 5:03:40 on SA Zacks Comet, one second ahead of Daryl Downs and Blaze Star. In another desperately close race, Kathy...

Ocala, FL - If the weather was a sign of things to come, then the 2011 HITS Ocala Winter Circuit is sure to be another spectacular season. The HITS Ocala Pre-Circuit came to an end on Sunday after two special weeks of exciting show jumping, which now paves the way for the highly anticipated six-week, AA-rated circuit set to start on February 8. Where it all begins again The Road to the Pfizer Million HITS, Inc. made history in 2010 when it produced the richest Grand Prix in the world, the...

Burbank, CA - This year marks the 13th annual Fiesta of the Spanish Horse, a revered Southern California equestrian tradition that raises funds for cancer research organizations. It also plays an important role in integrating communities by honoring horses and people steeped in rich tradition. The four-day event, from May 4-8, features multi-breed horse show competitions and a Charity Spectacular, which features an evening of equine entertainment and an educational multi-cultural experience...

Donna Miller and ArdCeltic Art. (Photo courtesy Donna Miller) Lexington, KY - Each year at the United States Equestrian Federation Horse of the Year awards dinner, two Connemara Ponies are honored with special awards from the American Connemara Pony Society for excellence in USEF eventing and hunter competitions. The McKenna Trophy is awarded in memory of Joan McKenna, and is presented to the high scoring purebred or halfbred Connemara competing in USEF eventing competitions at the Preliminary...

The USEA is pleased to announce that its online express entry system, Xentry, will be available by open invitation on February 8 for current open events. Xentry will make entering all USEA recognized horse trials a simplified and speedy process through the USEA website. When Xentry is launched on February 8, it will offer a wide variety of helpful features including: • A streamlined, easy-to-use process • Option of paying by credit card for all events with only a 3.5% convenience fee • Digital...