Even tropical storm Hanna could not stop the competition at The Laurels at Landhope, September 5-7 in West Grove, PA. With hard ground from a dry summer, drivers in the advanced, intermediate, and preliminary divisions got through dressage, but some had concerns that the hard going would be too rough for them. "If there was anything that had me worried, it was that we wouldn't get the rain. I would have scratched. I was not going to sacrifice my 'A' team to the ground," said Lisa Stroud after...

The feature classes of the week at the Kentucky Summer Horse Show were the $25,000 Hagyard Lexington Classic, the ASG Software Solutions United States Hunter Jumper Association (USHJA) International Hunter Derby, and the $40,000 Kentucky Summer Grand Prix. Top honors in both grand prix events went to Debbie Stephens. Aaron Vale won the International Hunter Derby by just one point. The Kentucky Summer Horse Show started with an exciting opening day at the Kentucky Horse Park. The Walnut Arena...

What is Post-Arrival Elective Testing (PAET)? For the first time in the history of anti-doping and medication control at the Olympic Games, Post-Arrival Elective Testing (PAET) will be made available to the participants in the Olympic and Paralympic equestrian events held in Hong Kong. The objective of this procedure is to minimize inadvertent medication violations at the Olympic and Paralympic equestrian events by assisting the competitors to determine whether or not residues of legitimate...

At a tense horse auction in Sugarcreek, OH last weekend, Pure Thoughts Horse Rescue left angry horse "kill" buyers no choice but to haul their trailers home empty. One hundred sixty three horses stood for sale that night facing the same grim future: a grueling trip to a painful slaughter in Canada or Mexico, then on to fill overseas dinner plates. But Pure Thoughts co-founder Jennifer Swanson and sponsor Victoria McCullough gave every one of those horses a second chance. "I have bought...

At the Queen City Classic, which concluded Sunday at North Carolina’s “Why Not an American Ark” Equestrian Facility outside Charlotte, Hunters Lane, led by trainer Robert Hunt, had a veritable clean sweep. In one of the week’s premiere event, the $5,000 Welcome Open Hunter Challenge, the Hunters Lane team captured the top six spots. Steve Heinecke, pro rider and co-trainer, won the class aboard the Alise Oken-owned Quintin. He also took second with Oken’s Alisette, fourth with the Robert...

Top FEI competitor Susan Dutta retired her famous grand prix partner of many years, Gumshoes DC, a 17-year-old Dutch gelding in a touching ceremony held in the International ring at the Zada Enterprises CDI show in Wellington. Her husband, Tim Dutta, son Timmy, and groom Robbie Sanderson accompanied Gumshoes into the ring where a well-deserved shawl of red flowers draped his shoulders. After a decade of being a consistent finisher in both the large and small tour FEI competition, Dutta...

Statement by David O’Connor: Recent injuries and the media coverage of those injuries and our sport give us all reason to pause and reflect on the evolution and safety of equestrian sport and in particular Eventing. Many of us have devoted our professional lives to the joy of partnering with the horse and skillfully riding a course. Underlying the fun and excitement of the sport, for that matter any sport, is reasonable risk with the assumption of reasonable safety. In fact, our sport is...

The Show Jumping Hall of Fame Jumper Classic Series has been enjoying great success at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center in Wellington, FL. The series finished its third month of competition, and is already shaping up to be one of the most competitive years ever. The series will see classes at more than 100 horse shows across the country before culminating in year-end championships at the National Horse Show. The series hosts separate divisions for junior and amateur-owner riders...

Wellington, FL—The home side emerged victorious in the $50,000 U.S.A. vs. The World, presented by CN, held Saturday night under the lights during week nine, the CSI****W CN WorldWide, of the CN Winter Equestrian Festival, presented by Zimmerman Advertising, at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center. Ten riders representing the United States and 10 riders representing other nations went head-to-head in three exciting phases of competition—an accumulator, a match race and a six bar....

Lexington, KY— The United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) has selected the six competitions which will be required to take heel measurements from the first and fourth place ponies in Roadster and Hackney Roadster Pony Championships. The 2008 competitions include: J. D. Massey Classic - Pendleton, SC (April 16-19) Des Moines Springfest - Des Moines, IA (April 24-27) Syracuse International - Syracuse, NY (June 25-28) Lexington Junior League - Lexington, KY (July 7-12) Kentucky State Fair -...