Lexington, Ky. - The USEF Hunter Pony Championships came to a close on Saturday at the Kentucky Horse Park. Medium Regular Hunter Ponies went to task in the Walnut Ring in their Over Fences phase to determine the 2017 Champion. Augusta Iwasaki and News Flash emerged victorious on Saturday afternoon, collecting not only the Medium Regular Hunter Pony Championship presented by Sallee Horse Vans, but also the Grand Champion Hunter Pony title for the 2017 USEF Pony Finals presented by Collecting...

Saugerties, N.Y. - The 2017 USEF Junior Hunter National Championship - East Coast came to a close on Tuesday, August 1, following two days of competition in Saugerties, N.Y., at HITS-on-the-Hudson. More than 178 of the country’s top juniors headed to the Championship to complete three phases in front of the judging panel made up of Ralph Caristo, Todd Karn, and Keri Kampsen over the Rian Beals-designed Classic Round course and Handy Hunter course, both of which counted for 40% of the...

CH Extremely Fortunut is going for her sixth Devon three-gaited country pleasure championship with rider Molly Codeanne. (Doug Shiflet) The Devon Horse Show and Country Fair in Pennsylvania has been very good to the aptly named American Saddlebred mare CH Extremely Fortunut, who competes in the three-gaited country pleasure division at this show. Devon, a United States Equestrian Federation Heritage Competition that runs through June 4, also features top-class hunter, jumper, and driving...

To the surprise of many, two-time Olympic team bronze medalist Steffen Peters entered the arena on Thursday to begin the FEI World Cup™ Dressage Final wearing a helmet. A traditionalist at heart, Peters made it his 2017 New Year’s resolution to drop the top hat and sport a helmet in Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI) competitions. Steffen Peters sports his helmet at the FEI World Cup™ Dressage Final. (Shannon Brinkman Photo) “I hung on because of a...

Dr. John Steele (Kenneth Kraus) Acclaimed veterinarian Dr. John Steele was the linchpin behind the success of some of equestrian sports’ biggest names and their mounts. Up until his passing last month, one could find the 91-year-old Dr. Steele, or “Doc,” as many throughout the equestrian sport community knew him, hustling around show grounds, administering the utmost care to his equine clients. His tireless dedication to the horse and its rider made him one of the most...

Fair Hill, Md. - The final day of competition for The Dutta Corp./USEF Two- and Three-Star National Championships took center stage on Sunday at Fair Hill International. Winning the Three-Star title was Marilyn Little with RF Scandalous. Little held the top two spots on the leaderboard throughout the weekend with RF Scandalous and RF Demeter. RF Scandalous ultimately won the National Championship while RF Demeter took Reserve Champion honors. In the Two-Star, Jennie Brannigan and Stella Artois...

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil - Grade IV and Ib Individual tests took center stage at the Deodoro Equestrian Center Wednesday at the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games. Competing in the Grade Ib Individual test for the U.S. Team was Sydney Collier, who scored 67.655%. The Individual test is the second of two tests in Team competition. The U.S. will see its final two team representatives, Rebecca Hart and Margaret McIntosh and individual, Roxanne Trunnell, in Thursday's Grade II and Ia Individual tests. On...

Exploding wine bottle, flooding hotel, horse inspection, surprise substitutions, interesting team running orders, lost & found luggage, and a Brazilian party in the Maracanã Stadium. Quite a couple of days. So where to start; perhaps with the job in hand. All the U.S. horses looked fit, well and beautifully turned out by the grooms and the horse inspection went without a hitch for the U.S. Running order declared (Boyd, Clark, Lauren & Philip) and the dressage horses having been...

Del Mar, Calif. - The 2016 US Junior Hunter National Championship West Coast came to a close on Tuesday, following two days of competition at the Del Mar Horse Park. Nearly 70 of the country’s top junior hunters headed to the championship to complete three phases in front of the judging panel of Michael Page, Bobbie Reber, and Jim Zulia over Joe Lombardo-designed Classic Round and Handy Round courses, which both counted for 40% of the overall score. The final 20% was earned in...

(L to R) Emma Kurtz and Caldwell with USEF representatives Kelsey Shanley and Jennifer Mellencamp (Cathrin Cammett Photo) Devon, Pa. - The 2016 US Junior Hunter National Championship East Coast came to a close on Tuesday, following two days of competition in the historic Dover Arena at the Devon Horse Show grounds. More than 150 of the country’s top juniors headed to the championship to complete three phases in front of the judging panel of Linda Andrisani, Holly Orlando, and James Toon...