Erica Sessa and Lightly Frosted started the holidays in festive style, winning the Training Jumper division at the Equestrian Sport Productions Holiday Festival I Show. Sessa, who raised the Quarter Horse/Arabian cross herself, rode the eight-year-old gelding to the championship in the division sponsored by The Sanctuary Equine Sports Therapy & Rehabilitation Center in Ocala. “They had a nice, smooth but very fast ride,” said Sessa’s trainer, Marianne Pack, of Competition Farm in Ft....

Mikala Munter Gundersen and Festivo Win Equilite Sponsored Class International dressage trainer and competitor Mikala Munter Gundersen was in the ribbons at the Wellington Classic Holiday Challenge, winning the USEF Third Level Test 3 with Christine DeHerrera’s Westphalian gelding Festivo. The class was sponsored by Equilite, makers of Sore No More, Herbal Blends and Botanical Animal Flower Essences, and Gundersen took home a giant tote filled with Equilite products. “Christine, who owns...

Next spring when you plan to take your horse to a big event several hundred miles away, you may travel through states you’ve never before visited. Since equine transportation regulations vary from state to state, how will you know if you are in compliance each time you cross a state line? To help its members and other equestrians keep up with these requirements, USRider is providing up-to-date information regarding equine transportation on a state-by-state basis on its website. The USRider...

The inaugural Emerging Athletes Program (EAP) National Training Session (level 3) will take place January 8-10, 2010, in Reno, NV, at Maplewood Stables, Inc., owned by Julie Winkel. The top 12 finalists will spend three days focused on displaying their riding, horsemanship and stable management skills. Finalists for Reno in Alphabetical Order 1. Alexa Anthony, Richmond, WA 2. Carly Anthony, Redmond, WA 3. Hayley Barnhill, Collierville, TN 4. Nelson Bierwirth, Roswell, NM 5. Arden Cone, Landrum,...

The highlight of the Tuesday's events at the United States Hunter Jumper Association (USHJA) Annual Meeting was the Evening of Equestrians awards ceremony, sponsored by the Rudin Family, that recognized members and their horses for their achievements throughout the year. USHJA Officers Beth Miner, Chrystine Tauber, and Alvin Topping helped President Bill Moroney present awards to deserving members. Among the awards presented Tuesday night was the USHJA Lifetime Achievement Award. Larry Langer...

The highly lauded trainer and rider Geoff Teall will be conducting an equitation clinic entitled "Back to Basics" on January 12 at 3:45 p.m. at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center. Teall's clinic will be the first of a series of clinics sponsored by the Palm Beach Riding Academy in an effort to allow both riders and spectators access to some of the industry's top professionals. Participation in the clinic will be open to both junior and adult riders currently competing in a minimum...

The Interntational Equestrian Federation (FEI) is pleased to announce that its official video website FEI TV ( www.feitv.org ) has stretched its wings to conquer new ground, becoming the first and only equestrian channel available on Perform’s e-Player platform. This exciting development allows selected and specifically packaged FEI TV content to be accessed, watched and enjoyed for free by the millions of daily users of over 350 international websites and online portals of mass media...

The United States Equestrian Team (USET) Foundation is pleased to announce that they have awarded the Amanda Warrington Grant to three-day event rider Heather Morris of Lewisville, TX. The Amanda Warrington Grant is awarded through the Amanda Pirie Warrington Fund. The Amanda Pirie Warrington Fund was established by Amanda's family in her memory with the purpose of helping provide financial assistance to a developing event rider who has been identified as a rider with great talent and ability...

Cavalor show jumping rider Hillary Dobbs found the perfect way to usher in the holiday season—by winning the Holiday & Horses $50,000 Grand Prix and FEI World Cup Qualifier at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center in Wellington, FL. Cavalor, the world's leading equine nutrition company for high-performance horses, announced Dobbs as the company's first "Cavalor Young Champion" earlier this year. "We are extremely proud of Hillary's recent victory in the Holiday & Horses Grand...

With the 2010 season just weeks away, HITS, Inc., is preparing for full horse show circuits in Thermal, CA, and Ocala, FL. The 2010 HITS Desert Circuit in Thermal will have six weeks of competition from January 26 to March 14, while the HITS Ocala Winter Circuit will run two non-rated and six rated shows from January 19 to March 21. One of the best attributes of both venues is the availability of permanent stalls that are situated on the main show grounds in close proximity to the show rings....