Wilhelm Genn and Happy Z win the $50,000 Budweiser Grand Prix! (Flashpoint Photography) Gulfport, Miss. - Only three first rounds emerged clean. As a matter fact, it took five rounds to get a clean round, and it was Wilhelm Genn in the irons of his own Happy Z who showed the crowd it could be done, setting the time to beat at 89.328 seconds. "Allen built a really good course and introduced a couple of new elements; big, bold oxers with bushes in the middle, some wider jumps that really stood...

Nicole Lyvere and Wink (Sportfot) Wellington, Fla . - Nicole Lyvere of Denver, CO, topped the Bainbridge Companies Amateur-Owner Hunter 18-35 on Sunday morning at the FTI WEF. Lyvere and her nine-year-old Warmblood gelding Wink were third in the under saddle, won two over fences classes, and were second in another over fences round to clinch the division title. The reserve champion of the division was Humor Me, owned and ridden by Stephanie Danhakl. Danhakl rode Humor me to second place under...

Mandy Porter and Lexito jump to a win in the $25,000 SmartPak Grand Prix, presented by Zoetis (©Flying Horse Photography) Thermal, Calif - When Mandy Porter walked into the Strongid® C 2X™ Grand Prix Stadium on Friday, the crowd expected to see her in the tack of her usual stallion, Con Capilot. This time, however, she piloted a 16.3 hand grey gelding named Lexito for Marguerite McAfee of P2 Capital, LLC. Porter, who hails from Encinitas, California, catch rode for Lexito’s...

Saer Coulter and Springtime have their sights firmly set on the 2014 World Cup Finals and got one step closer to their goal Saturday night in the $50,000 Strongid® C 2X™ CSI-W2* Grand Prix, presented by Zoetis, at HITS Thermal (Flying Horse Photography) Thermal, Calif. - In their first grand prix of the 2014 season, Saer Coulter and Springtime kicked off their year on the highest of notes. They topped a field of 31 in the $50,000 Strongid© C 2X™ CSI-W2*, presented by Zoetis, to...

Michael Leon continues his winning ways in the $2,500 USHJA National Hunter Derby (Flying Horse Photography) Burbank, Calif. - Michael Leon, who earned a big check in the 2013 LEGIS Hunter Rider Bonus, is no stranger to winning. He started off the 2014 show year by dominating the $2,500 LAEC Opener USHJA National Hunter Derby at The LAEC Opener Horse Show (Jan 17-19), and if he and Freedom (Anna Sophia Lotman, owner) win a second derby together at LAEC this season, he’ll earn another...

The Palmer Sisters will be one of four pas-de-deux at the FEI World Cup Final in Bordeaux (Kate Revell/VaultingPhotos.com) Lexington, Ky. - The FEI World Cup Vaulting qualifying season ended on Sunday and U.S. pas de deux vaulters Kimberly and Cassidy Palmer (Half Moon Bay, Calif.) have qualified for the FEI World Cup Vaulting Final in Bordeaux, France. Only the four best pas de deux pairs from qualifying go to the FEI World Cup Vaulting Final (six qualify in the male and female individual...

Celebrating the accomplishments of 2013 and planning for even more in 2014 – those were the items on the agenda when the Western Dressage Association® of America held its fourth annual meeting Oct. 31-Nov. 1 in Tulsa, Okla. WDAA President Guy E. Brown welcomed 40+ attendees from 14 States and Canada. Listening to the list of accomplishments in 2013 was a perfect lead in to two days of planning and prioritizing projects for the coming year. • Adopted and published WDAA Rules and...

Sister Act - American sisters Cassidy and Kimberly Palmer secured a pas-de-deux victory at the FEI World Cup™ Vaulting 2013/2014 leg at the Stuttgart German Masters. (Karl-Heinz Frieler/FEI) Stuttgart, Germany - The 2013 USEF Open Pas de Deux National Champions made a statement on the world stage this weekend by winning the FEI World Cup™ Vaulting qualifier at the Stuttgart German Masters on Sunday. The Pas de Deux qualifier series is new this year, and the Stuttgart leg was only the...

Becky Gochman and Sambalino (Shawn McMillen Photography, www.shawnmcmillen.com) Washington D.C. - The Amateur-Owner Hunter divisions concluded their second day of competition on Wednesday and awarded championship honors as well. The Grand Amateur-Owner Hunter 3’6” championship was awarded to Becky Gochman of New York, NY, riding David Gochman's Sambalino. The pair earned the Frank Counselman Memorial Perpetual Trophy donated by Friends of Frank Counselman. Gochman was also...

With the 2013 Pennsylvania National Horse Show behind us we (well, just me in this case) have taken a look at the video analytics, and I’ve learned two things. 1. Lillie Keenan is a star. 2. So is Victoria Colvin. Now that’s not a whole lot of insight, nor is it surprising. What is surprising is how much USEF Network Pennsylvania National Horse viewers love those two. As evidence, let's first take a look at the You Tube top five most watched Penn National videos. 1. 144 Lillie...