Content provided by Julie Bennett, Baylor University WACO, Texas— For the third straight season, Baylor and Waco will host the Varsity Equestrian National Championships (VENC) at the Heart of Texas Fair and Rodeo Complex. The eighth annual championships are on Thursday, April 16 and continue through Saturday, April 18. The event is open to the public and no admission will be charged. Varsity equestrian is divided into two areas: hunter seat and western. The University of Georgia claimed the...

Tickets for the Syracuse Invitational Sporthorse Tournament featuring the 125th National Horse Show in downtown Syracuse, NY, are now on sale to the public. One of the nation's premiere international equestrian competitions, the Sporthorse Tournament will feature the top-ranked U.S. riders and international competitors who will all vie for the Budweiser World Cup Qualifier of Syracuse and the Animal Planet Sporthorse Cup that will be broadcast on Animal Planet on January 10, 2009. This year...

Lexington, KY ­– Oregon rider Rich Fellers improved his overnight third place ranking in the Rolex FEI World Cup Final today in Goteborg, Sweden to finish second overall just two penalties behind Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum and Shutterfly. A former Californian – but now riding for Germany ­– Michaels-Beerbaum won the Final in 200 and Shutterfly was the 2007 FEI Horse of the Year. Riding Harry and Mollie Chapman’s Irish Sport Horse stallion Flexible, Fellers had four faults in the first round of...

Lexington, KY ­– Oregon rider Rich Fellers improved his overnight third place ranking in the Rolex FEI World Cup Final today in Goteborg, Sweden to finish second overall just two penalties behind Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum and Shutterfly. A former Californian – but now riding for Germany ­– Michaels-Beerbaum won the Final in 200 and Shutterfly was the 2007 FEI Horse of the Year. Riding Harry and Mollie Chapman’s Irish Sport Horse stallion Flexible, Fellers had four faults in the first round of...

From a Baylor University release WACO, Texas — The seventh annual Varsity Equestrian National Championships (VENC) are slated to begin on Thursday, April 17, at the Heart O’ Texas Fairgrounds. South Carolina enters the show as the defending overall national champion. For the second straight year, the varsity collegiate riding national championships are being hosted by Baylor University. Baylor is in its third year as a fully funded varsity program after the university’s athletic department...

Lexington, KY -The qualification period for the 2008 Markel/USEF Young Horse Dressage Program and for the 2008 USEF National Developing Horse Dressage Championship (sponsored by the Dutta Corporation and Performance Sales International) begins on January 1, 2008. In a new qualification format for these programs, only designated “qualifying competitions” held during the qualification period runs from January 1-August 15, 2008, may be used to obtain scores towards selection trials and national...

Victoria Colvin and Austria 2 (Mancini Photos) Wellington, Fla. - On the final day of competition at ESP Spring III, Victoria Colvin of Loxahatchee, FL, earned top honors in the $30,000 PonyUp Horse Treats Grand Prix at Palm Beach International Equestrian Center (PBIEC) aboard Austria 2, owned by Take The High Road, LLC, as the duo finished with a time of 33.174 seconds. Angel Karolyi of Aiken, SC, and Indiana 27 secured second place crossing the timers in 33.429 seconds, while Margie Engle of...

David Blake and Binkie (Mancini Photos) Wellington, Fla. - David Blake of Wellington, FL, and Binkie, owned by Pine Hollow Farm, finished atop the leaderboard in the $30,000 Noble Outfitters Grand Prix at Palm Beach International Equestrian Center (PBIEC), finishing the jump-off in 40.653 seconds. Andrew Ramsay of San Francisco, CA, and Winn Winn collected second place, crossing through the timers just four-hundredths off the winning pace with a time of 40.699 seconds. Benjamin Meredith of...

Kent Farrington takes his victory gallop (Stefano Grasso/LGCT) US star rider Kent Farrington seized a dramatic victory against a world class field at the Longines Global Champions Tour Grand Prix presented by H&M. The American champion’s defiant win at the famous grass arena in Hamburg shook up the overall championship ranking after Leg 5 and left Luciana Diniz in No1 spot. Kent described his win as “fantastic” and he has shot up to No4 in the ranking. The Longines Global...

Rowlett, Texas. - - The United States Olympic Committee recently selected Para-Dressage athlete Roxanne Trunnell, 29, of Rowlett, Texas, for the William E. Simon Olympic Endowment for the Support of Athletes. The William E. Simon Olympic Endowment for the Support of Athletes was established in 1998 by Mr. William E. Simon, Sr., former U.S. Olympic Committee President and U.S. Secretary of the Treasury. Grants for training and competition are awarded to athletes showing financial need. By...