Taylor McMurtry and Just An Illusion. (ESI Photography©.) Ocala, FL - February 16, 2011 - The sun continues to shine in Ocala after a successful first AA-rated week of show jumping at HITS Post Time Farm. High-Performance and talented hunter riders once again pleased the crowd with awe-inspiring performances in the $50,000 EMO Grand Prix, presented by Pfizer Animal Health and $5,000 Devoucoux Hunter Prix. Young star Taylor McMurtry won her first Grand Prix ever aboard her own Just An Illusion...

Traverse City, MI - February 16, 2011 - Horse Sports by the Bay, Inc. and Flintfields Horse Park are pleased to announce details for the upcoming 2011 Horse Shows by the Bay Equestrian Festival, which is expanding to five contiguous weeks this year. Held each summer in beautiful Traverse City, MI, the Horse Shows by the Bay Equestrian Festival features some of the country's best horses and riders competing in the hunter, jumper, equitation, and dressage disciplines. Events will be starting on...

Dressage The Palm Beach County Jim Brandon Equestrian Center in West Palm Beach, FL, hosted The Wellington Classic Spring Challenge CDI-W. On Friday, Tina Konyot and her partner from the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games, Calecto V, topped the field in the Grand Prix for Freestyle scoring a 70.043%. Elizabeth Austin riding Olivier and Shawna Harding riding Come On III collected second and third place honors. Konyot took another commanding win in the Freestyle, scoring a 75.300%. Harding...

Last March I made my inaugural visit to Wellington, FL and the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center for CSIO week, which included the USEF Selection Trials for the US Show Jumping Team for the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games and the $75,000 FEI Nations Cup presented by CN. My partner in crime, Melissa Davis, and I set-up our Merchandise “Fort” and sold-out of nearly all the USA and patriotic coats, polos and hats we’d shipped down. Unseasonably chilly temperatures for Palm Beach...

Lexington, KY - The United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) will resume broadcasting live equestrian events to viewers across the country later this week on its premier multi-media platform USEFNetwork.com. Fifteen days of action-packed and on-demand programming will launch the 2011 broadcast season starting with the WCHR Palm Beach Hunter Classic Spectacular on Friday, February 18. The tentative schedule for USEF Network through May 1, 2011, is listed below. Please note that all times are...

Ocala, FL - February 15, 2011 - It wasn't just an illusion when Taylor McMurtry and her own Just An Illusion won Sunday's $50,000 EMO Grand Prix, presented by Pfizer Animal Health. The horse-and-rider combination celebrated their first Grand Prix win ever to conclude the Ocala Winter Classic. "I'm so happy!" exclaimed McMurtry, 18, who found her way to the top on a beautiful sunny day at HITS Post Time Farm. "I'm overwhelmed. Especially since it was my goal to win a Grand Prix this year, I am...

Wellington, FL - February 14, 2011 - The FTI Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF) is bigger and better than ever in 2011, with more prize money and more opportunities for the world's best horses and riders to excel in the specialties of their sport. The World Championship Hunter Rider (WCHR) Hunter Classic Spectacular will be held for the 15th straight year at the FTI WEF beginning on February 18. The Spectacular first debuted in 1997 as an expansion of the popular World Championship Hunter Rider...

Burbank, CA - Riders who dream of competing at the Pan American Games will begin their quest at the Mid-Winter Dressage Fair CDI 1*/Y/J in Burbank, CA, February 24-27, 2011. As the first official qualifying competition on the West Coast, horses and riders will compete in front of FEI judges Jayne Ayers ("I" USA), Natalie Lamping ("I" USA), and Lorraine MacDonald ("I" CAN). In addition, this competition will serve as an early-season qualifier for the Collecting Gaits Farm/USEF Festival of...

Wellington, FL - February 14, 2011 - The fifth week of the FTI Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF) has concluded at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center, and another week of fantastic competition was held. The FTI WEF hosts the best that the sports of show jumping, hunters and equitation have to offer in 12 rings of competition. $150,000 FEI World Cup Grand Prix presented by Spy Coast Farm An exciting jump-off topped off a fantastic class on Saturday evening in the $150,000 FEI World...

Hayley Barnhill and Casallo. (Photo by Sportfot©.) Wellington, FL - February 13, 2011 - Today's competition was the wrap-up of week 5 of the FTI Winter Equestrian Festival, which runs through April 3. Numbers were soaring today as competitors and spectators alike came to enjoy the sunshine and the horses. Among those competitors were the older section of Large Junior Hunters. Casallo was awarded the championship honor in the Large Junior 16-17 Hunters. Hayley Barnhill was aboard the John...