Wellington, FL - Last week's Dressage Under the Stars was a crowd favorite, as four former dressage young riders competed to fantastic popular music in exciting dress. Riders last week were Mica Mabragana from Argentina, Kasi Barteau who did a rendition of the Lion King, winner of the evening Jocelyn Wylese, and Mary Lauthorio who made her horse into a rocket ship in honor of the final NASA spaceship launch. Neil Hirsh, owner of the Player's Club which hosts the evening remarked "It was...

Nancy Kempe and her new Isabel stallion Cupido Interagro accept a custom made saddle from Cary Walla (Photo courtesy of Darcy Scott.) Wellington, FL – Almost 300 guests were in attendance at the 2011 Lusitano CollectionTM International Horse Auction when dressage rider Nancy Kempe purchased her dream horse, a beautiful Lusitano Isabel stallion named Cupido Interagro, that she described as “the love of her life.” The four-year-old stallion with a sterling pedigree was the highest selling horse...

McLain Ward and Pjotter van de Zonnehoeve. (Sportfot©.) Wellington, FL - Saturday night at the FTI Winter Equestrian Festival featured an exciting victory for McLain Ward (USA) and Pjotter Van De Zonnehoeve in the $78,000 Fidelity Investments® CSI 2* Grand Prix. The class was held on a beautiful Florida evening under the lights at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center. Riders representing 12 different countries made up the international field this evening, showing over a course...

Shannon Dueck on Ayscha. (Photo by Susan J. Stickle.) Wellington, FL - With less than two weeks until the World Dressage Masters Palm Beach presented by International Polo Club Palm Beach gets under way on March 9-11 2011, a number of the world's top riders and their horses are preparing to travel to South Florida. The World Dressage Masters presented by Axel Johnson Group will award more than 400,000 Euros over four competitions in 2011, making it the world's richest dressage series. The first...

Micheal Freund Demonstrates How to Jog a Horse Correctly (Vicki Long) Aiken, SC - The first annual 'Salute to Driving' event hosted a beautiful Dinner & Live Auction on Saturday, February 19, 2011, to benefit the United States Equestrian Team Foundation and, ultimately, USEF High Performance Combined Driving. The successful evening was held at Wendy O'Brien's Trout Walk Farm in Aiken, SC. The goal of the event was to help raise funds for the USET Foundation that will be dedicated to helping...

Richard Spooner and Cristallo. (Sportfot©.) Wellington, FL - The FTI Winter Equestrian Festival's seventh week of competition continued on Thursday afternoon with round seven of the $31,000 WEF Challenge Cup Series. Held in the International Arena at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center, the class saw a total of 59 entries with 16 jumping clear to return for the jump-off. After arriving in Wellington just three days ago, California's Richard Spooner and his top mount Cristallo...

Tampa, FL - February 24, 2011 - The city of Tampa, FL, will once again play host to one of the world's premiere show jumping event, as the $200,000 Gene Mische American Invitational, presented by G & C Farm, returns to Raymond James Stadium on April 9, 2011 at 7:30 p.m. Once again, the stellar event bears the name of the founder of the class, Stadium Jumping's legendary Gene Mische, who first brought the event to the Tampa Bay area in 1973. Mische died recently after a long and hard fought...

Wellington, FL - Dressage rider Tina Konyot, and her World Equestrian Games partner Calecto V, turned in brilliant performances in the Grand Prix classes at the Wellington Classic Dressage Spring Challenge CDI to ride into the winner’s circle. Konyot also rode away with the “Rider Wellness Award” from The Wellington Institute, awarded to a rider on the Florida dressage circuit who is healthy looking and physically fit. Calecto, a magnificent black stallion that represented the U.S. at WEG,...

Interagro, a stallion participating in the 2011 Lusitano Collection International Horse Auction. (Photo courtesy of Tupa.) Wellington, FL – The 2011 Lusitano Collection International Horse Auction is right around the corner, and fans of the magnificent Lusitano breed are thrilled to learn that the horses taking part in this year’s highly anticipated auction have settled in Florida. Hosted by the Lusitano Collection, the auction is considered the social event of the season and will take place...

Jim Brandon Equestrian Center. (Phelps Media Group. ) Wellington, FL - Preparations are under way at the Jim Brandon Equestrian Center in West Palm Beach, FL, as the World Dressage Masters Palm Beach, the American leg of the world's premier dressage series, draws nearer. The Jim Brandon Center will welcome a group of the most successful international dressage riders and horses from North America and Europe on March 9-11, as they compete for 100,000 Euros in prize money at the WDM Palm Beach...