Over 200 top horses in the region are expected to compete in the annual Morven Park Summer Dressage Classic on July 30-31, 2005, at the Morven Park International Equestrian Center in Leesburg, VA. The dramatic highlight of the competition is the exciting Musical Freestyle--the $10,000 Pas de Deux Challenge Cup, which will begin at 1 p.m. on Sunday, July 31. This “dancing horse” musical freestyle matches choreographed movements to the beat of specially selected music, similar to synchronized...

The multi-U.S. National Champion Andalusian stallion, Davido MC, died on May 2, 2005, of an aortic aneurism, while breeding a mare at Selwood Park Stable, in Elkhorn, WI. Davido MC was owned by Gareth A. Selwood for 12 of the horse's 15 years and was bred by Music City Andalusians of Nashville, TN. He was sired by the imported 2000 USEF Leading Andalusian Sire, Ofendido VII, and out of the imported Poseido V daughter, Huerfana. Davido MC qualified for and showed at a record 11 consecutive...

Pony Club teams from across the nation will be traveling to Virginia to compete in the United States Pony Club (USPC) Championships, held August 3-7 in Lexington, VA, at the Virginia Horse Center. Pony Club members qualified to compete by attaining top scores at rallies in 43 different regions in the disciplines of dressage, eventing, mounted games, polocrosse (a combination of polo and lacrosse), show jumping, tetrathlon (riding, running, swimming and marksmanship) and quiz, an unmounted...

Christian Rogge on board Monaco for owner Robert Skib of Tulsa, OK, won the $25,000 Juan Hernandez Memorial Grand Prix on July 16 at the Biltmore Estate Summer Classic. Rogge and the 11-year-old Selle Francais gelding had the first clear round among the starting field of 22 riders with a time of 77.453. During the jump-off, owner/rider Michael Tokaruk and Lord Byron of Cordova, TN, were edged into second place by a mere 0.07 seconds in the only other clean round of the jump-off. Course designer...

The stars, both equestrian and celebrity, were out at the 2005 Lake Placid and I Love New York Horse Shows. Among the celebrities on hand were rock stars Bruce Springsteen and Patti Scialfa, former National Football League star and current television sportscaster Ahmad Rashad, and CNN anchor Lou Dobbs to name just a few. The top stars of the equestrian competition were Kent Farrington of Southport, CT, who won the $60,000 Budweiser Grandprix of Lake Placid CSI** for the Whitney Perpetual...

Britain has been experiencing a heat wave in recent weeks, but the temperature is set to rise even further next week when the 2005 Samsung Super League series resumes at Hickstead on Friday, July 29. It's been a fascinating season so far, with the Americans dominating at the opening leg in La Baule and the British showing their class in Rome. The double Super League champions from France headed the line-up in St. Gallen, and then the Swiss swept to victory in Rotterdam before the series took a...

Lexington, KY – Sarah Taylor of Davison, Michigan claimed the Championship title at the 2005 USEF Saddle Seat Adult Amateur Medal Finals July 15, riding Undulata’s Time To Shine. This year marked the fifth anniversary of the prestigious Medal Finals and once again, competitors enjoyed the scenic backdrop of the Red Mile in Lexington, home to the Lexington Junior League Horse Show. “I was really excited,” shares Taylor. “It was a really good experience. This is the...

Patty Stovel rode Shandor 41, a 10-year-old Hanoverian gelding, to the win in Sunday's $50,000 HITS Grand Prix at HITS Culpeper Showday National. Jerry Dougherty of Geneva, IL, set a challenging first-round course that saw four horses advance to the jump-off. Stovel was the fastest of three double-clears with 40.69 seconds on the clock. Second place went to Megan Moran riding Quarnak De Longprec. Eliza Ferguson Shuford rode Larentino to third place. Beth Underhill finished in fourth place with...

Horse Shows In The Sun (HITS) is pleased to announce that the 2005 Show Circuit Magazine /USEF National Junior Hunter Championship-East Coast will be held August 1-2 at HITS-on-the-Hudson in Saugerties, NY. The championship will take place in the HITS-on-the-Hudson Grand Prix arena. Junior riders will have the unique opportunity to compete in this world-class grand prix ring, while family and friends enjoy seating in the VIP Pavilion that sits high on a berm overlooking the arena. Now entering...

For the second time, Daniel Straumann and his team organized the World Reining Trophy (WRT) at the HorseAcademy facility in Mooslargue, France. There was a total purse of more than $100,000. Shawn Flarida called the show "one of the best reining events of the world"–-and this was before his success in the Open. Judges were Bob Mayhew, of Great Britain; Sylvia Katschker, of Austria, and Jörg Bös, of Germany. Altogether 157 horses had been nominated--many of them from France. And it turned out to...