Lexington, KY— The third day of the United States Equestrian Federation’s (USEF) 2008 National Pony Finals was an all day affair, starting with the pony hunters throughout the day then transitioning into pony jumpers in the evening. In true form, the pony jumpers added to the excitement of the day with the evening’s championship ending with Zone 7 on top with a total of 4 faults and the fastest team time of 188.037, winning the 2008 Adequan/USEF National Pony Jumper Team...

Content provided by Horse Shows in the Sun (HITS) SAUGERTIES, NY— After three days of exciting competition, a new champion was crowned when Jennifer Waxman rode her mount Red Panda to the Grand Championship at the 2008 East Coast USEF Junior Hunter Championship on Wednesday afternoon at HITS Saugerties. The Ohio native used an overall score of 87.63 aboard Red Panda, who is owned by John Ingram, in the Small Junior Hunter 16-17 Division to win the title. “Jen rose to the...

Photo by Randi Muster (Alex Matz and his pony, Wise Guy.) A famous jumping name will again be present in the Devon Horse Show catalog. The name is Matz, but this time it isn’t Michael, who showed for many years very successfully at Devon, but his son, Alex. Alex is only 11 years old and he’s only been competing in pony jumpers for a couple of months, but it’s already beginning to look like he’s inherited his famous father’s talent. The first time he ever competed...

Oklahoma City, OK - The 2007 FEI World Reining Masters drew riders from fifteen countries to the Oklahoma State Fair Grounds on November 29, but two riders from the United States that caught the judges attention - equally. Not to be outdone by the home team an Austrian rider answered their challenge with an equally stellar performance. This meant that at the end of the competition Americans Casey Hinton and Gabe Hutchins were tied with Rudi Kronsteiner for first place on a score of 221. Under...

Elkton, MD – The weather blew through the Mid-Atlantic region on Friday night and cross country/ marathon day at the USEF National Championships at the Dansko Fair Hill International boasted perfect conditions and terrain. Phillip Dutton, the overnight leader in the CCI*** Championships had to wait until the very end of the day to maintain his lead with Ann Jones’ The Foreman and put on a cross country clinic with the 11-year-old Thoroughbred gelding. The Foreman, who won the event...

Silver medalist Lauren Sammis, Gold medalist Christopher Hickey and Bronze medalist Yvonne Losos de Muniz (Diana DeRosa) Rio de Janeiro, Brazil—It was a double-medal day for Team USA at Deodoro Stadium as Maryland’s Christopher Hickey aboard Regent won the coveted Gold medal on a two-day averaged score of 70.725% after performing his freestyle before an appreciative crowd. New Jersey’s Lauren Sammis, who had led the scores at the end of the Team competition, finished in...

Diana DeRosa (Team USA's Christopher Hickey, Katherine Poulin-Neff and Lauren Sammis) Rio de Janeiro, Brazil—Gold is definitely a color that looks good on the necks of Americans equestrian athletes, and Team USA’s dressage squad were the first to have the honor to wear it among the three disciplines invited to the XV Pan American Games in Rio de Janeiro. The three-member team comprised of Lauren Sammis, Katherine Poulin-Neff and Christopher Hickey finished their combined work to...

Gabe Hutchins and Juiced Up Doc (Waltenberry) Lexington, KY – The 2007 Adequan/USEF National Open Reining Championship boasted a small but talented field, and there was a strong showing from the youths in the USEF Youth Reining National Championship presented by Hagyard Equine Medical Institute at the Kentucky Horse Park. When the dust settled, Gabe Hutchins and Juiced Up Doc were the clear winners bringing home the loot on a score of 226. In his first year of FEI competition and his...

Lexington, KY – The USEF is thrilled to report huge success for the Developing Young Rider Tour at the CSIO4* in Hamina, Finland. The show jumping squad made up of Brianne Goutal (Onira), Sarah Segal (True Love), Eliza Shuford (Larentino) and Georgina Bloomberg (Mila) impressively won the Nation’s Cup on June 17. This was a major victory for the women on the tour who are getting valuable international team experience through the program under the watchful eye of Chef d’Equipe Melanie...

Gladstone, NJ – Debbie McDonald is one of the most decorated American riders in recent years. With her beloved mare Brentina she picked up medals on three consecutive teams (2002 WEG, 2004 Olympics and 2006 WEG) and has become a household name in the dressage world. Organized by the US Olympic Committee, McDonald spoke about the value of sportsmanship to members of the Hoofbeats 4-H Club on Wednesday June 13 in Gladstone, NJ after the veterinary inspection at the Festival of Champions. Young...