Ericka Caslin and Rioletto (Photo: Robyn Keyster/PMG) Traverse City, MI - The fourth and final week of the month-long Horse Shows by the Bay Equestrian Festival, Series IV, held July 27 - 31, 2011, was another winning week for exhibitors and spectators alike in Traverse City. Both hunters and jumpers excelled under the summer sun, and equitation riders showedoff the hard work put into refining their horsemanship. The OVATION Leading Rider Awards were also granted, going to those who had...

Peter Pletcher and Copperfield Credit (photo by Katie Anich/PMG). Traverse City, MI - Sun and a light breeze set the stage for a wonderful day for the hunters at Horse Shows by the Bay today. It was very busy in the R.L. Polk Family Main Hunter Ring, with over ninety rounds to be seen. As the professional hunter divisions came to a close this afternoon, several championship ribbons were presented, with Peter Pletcher of Magnolia, TX, Kelley Farmer of Keswick, VA, and Erynn Ballard of Hornby, OT...

Calgary, Alberta, Canada - Twenty-one riders entered in the Nexen Cup Derby on the final day of the Spruce Meadows National, providing great excitement for the 36,000 fans in attendance. Even the sun came to play just in time for the start of the competition. Eduardo Menezes (BRA) entered the ring, eighth in the order of go, on his 13-year-old gelding, Percynality. Menezes had a 4-fault round, but time caught up and he finished with a total of 5 faults. Fans flocked to the International ring to...

John and Lisa Seger of Markel Insurance present the Markel/USEF 5-Year-Old Western Selection Trial championship ribbon to Sabine Schut-Kery and Sanceo (Photo courtesy of Genia Ply Photography). Burbank, CA - Young dressage horses were the stars of the weekend in the historic and pastoral setting of the Flintridge Riding Club for Dressage at Flintridge CDI*/Y/J, May 26-29, 2011 in La Cañada-Flintridge, CA. As host of the Markel/USEF Young Horse Western Selection Trial for the FEI/WBFSH...

Jhesika Wills. (Photo by Carolynn Bunch). Lincoln, NE – Four advanced young riders have been selected for the 2011 Olympic Dream Program that annually sends young riders to Europe for an intensive 10-day dressage experience. The program is administered and funded annually by The Dressage Foundation (TDF). On May 2, an independent Selection Committee, after reviewing dozens of applications, chose Mary Bahniuk Lauritsen (MA), Jhesika Wells (WA), Kathryn Butt (SC) and Laura DeCesari (AZ) to...

Buck Davidson and Titanium at the jog. Photo by Joanie Morris/USEF Archives. Lexington, KY - The weather has been the topic of conversation at the 2011 Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event presented by Bridgestone as a rain-plagued Kentucky was battered once again on Wednesday morning. But the show goes on at the Kentucky Horse Park. The first horse inspection was delayed one hour from its rescheduled 10 a.m. start time and about halfway through the inspection the sun even began to shine. Due to...

Jonathan Wentz on NTEC Ritcher Scale with trainer/sponsor Kai Handt and USPEA President Hope Hand. (Lindsay McCall) Del Mar, CA – Closing day of the 2011 Dressage Affaire (CDI3* W/Y/J & CPEDI3*) arrived at the beautiful Del Mar Horsepark on Sunday, March 13, 2011. The para-equestrian dressage riders could breathe a sigh a relief with the two qualifying days of the Team Test and Individual Championship Test completed. Sunday was the day for each rider from the United States, Canada and Mexico to...

Photo by Randi Muster (Katherine Schmidt was victorious in the USEF Show Jumping Talent Search.) The 2010 FTI Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF) had a busy week of competition on February 24-28. The week featured the start of the USEF Selection Trials for the U.S. Show Jumping Team for the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games along with a full schedule of hunter, jumper, and equitation classes. The week seven title sponsor was Fidelity Investments. It was a full night of show jumping and...

Rio de Janiero, Brazil—The U.S dressage riders and horses have settled nicely into the newly constructed National Equestrian Center at the Deodoro Sports Complex located on a military base 26 kilometers outside Rio de Janeiro. Deodoro also includes the competition facilities for archery, field hockey, shooting and modern pentathlon. The U.S dressage team members and the USEF sports staff give their venue high marks. “It is an excellent facility by anyone’s quality standards;...

Randi Muster (McLain Ward and Sapphire) It came down to a four-rider jump-off speed round at the 2006 Rolex/USEF National Show Jumping Championship at the 123rd National Horse Show in Wellington, FL, on Sunday afternoon. And in a finish befitting the championships sponsor—Rolex—the crowds counted split seconds in the final speed test. When the last rider left the course and the points were tallied, McLain Ward and his Sapphire bested all challengers to win the title in a suspenseful, yet...