Ocala, FL ­- Sterling Graburn of Bonifay, Florida won the first USEF Selection Trial for the 2008 World Singles Driving Championships held at the Sunshine State CDE (CAI-B Ocala) in Ocala, FL February 28-March 2. The World Championships will be held in Jarantow, Poland August 28-31. Besting a field of 11, Graburn and Dante an 8-year-old Sport Cob owned by Graburn and Wendy Ying, narrowly beat Donna Crookston of Saltsburg, PA. Prior to Sunday's cones competition Graburn's score of 121.28 gave...

Bill Wilson, a 72-year-old from Pekin, IN, was named to the American Endurance Ride Conference’s (AERC) Hall of Fame at the association’s awards ceremony, held March 1 in Reno, NV. Wilson completed 24 of 25 50- to 55-mile competitions for a total of 1,775 miles in 2007, and has a total of 21,645 miles of endurance completions to date. He is also a trails advocate and a willing worker for preservation and building of trails. The horse named to AERC’s Hall of Fame for 2007 was CH Catch Me If You...

The FEI Task Force Chairmen met for four days, February 21-24, to agree on the final recommendations for the new FEI Endurance Rules for 2009 and onwards. Far reaching changes are recommended by the task force that has consulted widely with all those involved in the discipline over the last year following their creation immediately after the FEI World Endurance Forum held in Paris in February 2007. FEI Technical Committee members will now have an opportunity to review the task force proposals...

Laura Kraut and Cedric Remain High Atop the Leaderboard at the USEF Selection Trials in Show Jumping (Kenneth Kraus/PhelpsSports.com) Wellington, FL – The third leg of the USEF Selection Trials for Show Jumping got underway between the raindrops at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center in Wellington, FL on March 5, 2008. With 30 riders left in the mix for Short List for the 2008 Olympic Games, the third of five trials was for Selection Trial horses only. Sponsored by Equine Motor...

Lexington, KY ­– Following this weekend's final North American League qualifying competitions in Loxahatchee, Florida and Burbank, California, two horses and riders have been named to represent the United States at the 2008 FEI World Cup™ Dressage Final in 's-Hertogenbosch, The Netherlands, on March 27 - 30. Courtney King of New Milford, Connecticut partnered with Christine McCarthy's classy veteran Idocus put in a solid performance at the PhelpsSports.com Palm Beach Dressage Derby (CDI-W/Y) to...

Armani and Jeffery Welles in Action at the USEF Selection Trials for Show Jumping (Kenneth Kraus/PhelpsSports.com) by Joanie Morris Wellington, FL - The United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) Ad Hoc Committee on Selection has approved naming the horse/rider combination of Armani/Jeffrey Welles to the Show Jumping Short List for the 2008 Olympic Games in Hong Kong August 8-24, 2008. As per the USEF Selection Procedure for the Show Jumping Team, the Selectors have the discretion to recommend...

Jeffery Welles and Armani Remain Perfect in the USEF Selection Trials for Show Jumping (Kenneth Kraus/PhelpsSports.com) By Joanie Morris Wellington, FL - The Palm Beach International Equestrian Center played host to the second leg of the USEF Selection Trials for Show Jumping sponsored by Equine Motorcoach and Hong Kong Tourism as part of the $100,000 FEI World Cup Qualifier and Zada Enterprises LLC Masters Cup. 68 horses lined up on Sunday March 2, 2008, 42 of which were vying for selection....

Callan Solem and her mount Mianta were up to the challenge in Sunday's $50,000 Duggan Equipment Grand Prix as they secured the blue ribbon and $15,000 in prize money for Quiet Winter Farm at HITS Ocala. Solem and her mount Mianta had the fastest double-clear round on course designer Leopoldo Palacios' track. The pair got the best of 42 starters in the first round and seven combinations in the jump-off. Mianta is 14 and also won the $25,000 HITS Grand Prix on February 3. Solem's win also snaps...

The Saddlebred community has lost two renowned horsemen. Both Dale Pugh and Edward C. Barham left behind significant accomplishments; their presence cannot be replaced. Pugh, who was born on April 10, 1917, died February 11 at the Veteran’s Home in Mexico, MO. Pugh served in the United States Navy during World War II, but was mostly known for his long career as a professional horseman. Pugh began training horses at the Callaway Hills Stable in New Bloomfield in the 60's, and had a hand in...

He’s a National Reining Horse Association (NRHA) World Champion, sire of an NRHA Futurity Champion and NRHA Futurity & Derby Reserve Champions, and now he can add NRHA Million Dollar Sire to his list of accomplishments. Nu Chex To Cash (Nu Cash x Amarilla Chex) is the latest NRHA sire to attain this prestigious distinction. Hilldale Farm, now of Princeton, KY, has owned Nu Chex To Cash since 1995. The 18-year-old stallion had much success in the show pen from 1993 to 2002, earning over $57,500...