Chris Keane (Laura Kraut and Panic during the $150,000 Grand Prix of Charlotte.) Laura Kraut and Panic won the $150,000 Grand Prix of Charlotte on April 9, rounding out Kraut’s second place win in the 2004 Charlotte Jumper Classic and her third place win last year. Kraut, the winner of five Nation Cups and seven World Cups, delivered two clear rounds on her mount, Panic, to take the trophy. “I think the crowd really helped today,” said Kraut. This is a great venue for...

Recently the United States Eventing Association (USEA) announced that a Beginner Novice division would be offered at the 2006 American Eventing Championships (AEC), on a trial basis. At that time qualifications were published for those hoping to compete in this division. After careful consideration, the qualifications have been modified to a degree. They are now as follows: Horses and riders, not necessarily as a combination, during the period from August 2, 2005, to August 21, 2006, will...

The United States Dressage Federation (USDF), in conjunction with the United States Equestrian Federation® (USEF), will host a weekend educational seminar for recent graduates of the USDF Young Rider Program. The seminar will be held October 20-22, 2006, at the USDF National Education Center at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, KY. Seminar participants, ranging in age from 21 to 25, will include amateurs, professionals and future high-performance riders in the sport of dressage. The purpose...

Showcase, Ltd., based in Canton, GA, ended their 2005 show season on a high note as owner-rider Terry Brown, partnered with her 11-year-old Hanoverian gelding Sequel, were awarded Farnam®/Platform™ USEF National Horse of the Year titles in Second Year Green Working Hunter, Regular Working Hunter and Horse of the Year Grand Champion in Regular Hunters. They seem to be headed right back to the top in 2006 as their winning continued with the championship in the Regular Working Hunter division for...

Robyn Fisher, 26, of Topanga, CA, was the wire-to-wire winner of the FEI World Cup Qualifier (CIC***-W) at Galway Downs, CA, on April 2, on her 11-year-old Holsteiner Thoroughbred gelding, Le Samurai, with a score of 75.6. Fisher finished each of the three days as the top rider in dressage, cross-country and jumping. She also won the CIC** on Lady Calido, a 10-year-old Holsteiner, and received prize money totaling more than $6,000 for winning both classes. "I had a great day," said Fisher, who...

Courtesy Animal Planet (Brianne Goutal was the eventual winner of the 2005 ASPCA Maclay Finals.) Lexington, KY – The United States Equestrian Federation® has welcomed a new audience of horse lovers thanks to the recent success of Animal Planet’s new six-week series, Horse Power–Road to the Maclay . More than six million unique viewers of all ages tuned in to Animal Planet to watch the series which began February 1. More than 9 million unique viewers tuned into the three...

The 2006 USEA/Spalding Labs Young Event Horse (YEH) Series kicked off March 17 at the Rocking Horse Spring Horse Trials in Altoona, FL. Due to the early date, only a five-year-old division was held. Great Britain's defending Olympic Gold medallist and recent U.S. transplant Leslie Law, with youngster Rainman, ran away with the division on a score of 88.35%. It was a tight race for second place, with Eric Dierks and Text, his Thoroughbred gelding, slipping into second on a score of 79.26%, with...

Lexington, KY – The USEF has announced that the Ad Hoc Committee on Selections has approved the two horse and rider combinations to represent the United States at the FEI Dressage World Cup, April 20th to 23rd in Amsterdam, The Netherlands. The combinations are as follows: Arlene Page and Wild One, 10 yr, Gelding, Bay Hanoverian, owned by Arlene Page Leslie Morse and Tip Top, 12 yr, Stallion, Bay Swedish Warmblood, owned by Leslie Morse On March 19th Page and Wild One won the USEF National...

Lexington, KY – Following the completion of the USEF Selection Trials on Saturday, the United States Equestrian Federation today announced the ten horse and rider combinations on the short list for the U.S show jumping team to compete at the World Equestrian Games in Aachen, Germany this August. According to the selection procedures, the top six finishers from the Selection Trials are placed on the short list along with four subjective horse and rider combinations recommended by the USEF...

Alison Hartwell/Phelps Media Group (Laura Kraut on Miss Independent) Wellington, FL – At the completion of the World Equestrian Games Selection Trials, the gutsy Margie Engle owns the top two spots based on the placings after five trials, despite only placing fourth and fifth in Trial #4 and fourth in Trial #5. Engle placed first overall after all five trials on Quervo Gold with only 11 faults and second overall on Hidden Creek’s Wapino with only 17 faults. Two of the ten total...