Hong Kong, China – The first medals were handed out at the 2008 Paralympic Games in Hong Kong tonight, and although the US anthem wasn’t played, the Team is looking firmly to the future. They will ride their freestyle tests over the next two days and then focus on the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games where they will be riding on their home turf. Barb Grassmyer kicked it off with Mibis. She put in a steady performance in the Grade III Individual Test. From Placerville, CA the...

The 42nd Annual U.S. National Arabian and Half-Arabian Championship Horse Show (U.S. Nationals) makes its debut in Tulsa, OK, at Expo Square on October 17-25, 2008. The move comes after years of the show alternating venues between Albuquerque, NM, and Louisville, KY. This year is the first of a three-year contract with the city of Tulsa that was four years in the making. Expo Square staff and leadership worked diligently with the U.S. Nationals Show Commission to provide an upgraded, functional...

The American Morgan Horse Association (AMHA) Youth Department is preparing some exciting events for this year's Grand National & World Championship Morgan Horse Show. Applications to participate in AMHA Youth Club Contests are due September 15. If you are planning to attend the Grand National, please be sure to check out the amazing displays our youth present for these contests. Also occurring during the show are both the National Youth of the Year Contest and the National Morgan Judging...

A new round of major improvements focused on footing in the competition arenas has begun at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center (PBIEC) in preparation for 2008/2009 circuits including the showcase Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF). Footing created by Olympic provider Bart Poels that was installed in PBIEC's International and DeNemethy arenas last year will be extended to the DeNemethy warm-up ring and the Mogavero arena. Footing in Rings 7 and 8 and the arenas at the South Grounds...

Laura Chapot took advantage of the enviable last-to-go spot in the jump-off of Thursday's final $25,000 Ariat Grand Prix of the season at HITS Saugerties on September 4, as she captured the blue aboard Church Road to rev up an exciting weekend of show jumping. Chapot and Church Road got the best of 16 pairs to challenge course designer Jerry Dougherty's first-round track and the five combinations that advanced to the jump-off to win $7,500 in prize money for horse owners Sarah Becker and B&B...

International dressage trainer Susan Dutta has stayed busy over the summer accumulating many blue ribbons during the hot Florida summer. In an effort to stay in top form before Dressage at Devon, Dutta has competed at the Summer Sizzler I and the Summer Sizzler II held in Newberry, FL. Golden Choice DC, Currency DC, and Manette DC have all thrived in the competition arena this summer with Dutta, showing that they are ready for the difficult tests that lay ahead. At the Summer Sizzler I in July,...

It was an exciting weekend for Hasbrouck Donovan as she and her horse Levity bested 40 of the region's top competitors to capture the ASPCA Maclay Regional Championship for Region 3 (the Southeast), held during the final weekend of the 2008 North Florida Hunter Jumper Association's Labor Day Horse Show. This marks the second year the prestigious Region 3 Championship was held at the Agricultural Center in Green Cove Springs, FL. "He's awesome! I just love him," said Donovan of her mount Levity,...

Even tropical storm Hanna could not stop the competition at The Laurels at Landhope, September 5-7 in West Grove, PA. With hard ground from a dry summer, drivers in the advanced, intermediate, and preliminary divisions got through dressage, but some had concerns that the hard going would be too rough for them. "If there was anything that had me worried, it was that we wouldn't get the rain. I would have scratched. I was not going to sacrifice my 'A' team to the ground," said Lisa Stroud after...

Competition was intense in the hunter rings over Labor Day weekend at the Horse Park at Woodside, as the second to last show in the 2008 Woodside Show Series concluded with a flurry of hunter and equitation finals on Monday morning. At the Woodside Labor Day Classic, August 29–September 1, the quiet, tense spectators watching during the second round and work-off of the Carousel Junior/Amateur Medal Finals finally took a collective breath when rider Jill Stevens was named champion. Stevens was...

“It was ok,” said Hart after her test. “I’m relatively happy, he was a little more settled, it was better (than Sunday). He was definitely a little happier in there.” Hart, 24, from Erie, PA was born with Familial Spastic Paraplegia and has been involved in Para Equestrian activities for over a decade. She is looking forward to her third and final shot at a medal in the Individual Freestyle on Wednesday evening. The arena proved to be quite buzzy for some of the horses, even during the day....