McKayla Langmeier and Czar Z won the $5,000 Hunter Derby during week two of the Vermont Summer Festival (David Mullinix Photography). East Dorset, VT — Only 11 years old, McKayla Langmeier beat out 36 other entries to win the popular $5,000 Hunter Derby held July 14 at the six-week Vermont Summer Festival in East Dorset, Vermont. Competing in her first ever hunter derby event, McKayla of East Granby, Connecticut, earned the top score of the first round, an 88, after guiding Czar...

Final Preparations My horse Verdicci and I have less than one week left to prepare for the 2011 FEI North American Junior & Young Rider Championships! I can’t wait to represent Region 5 on the Young Rider Dressage team! I have dreamed of being a Young Rider ever since I was twelve years old, so four years later it is great to finally be stepping up to the “big leagues” after competing in the Junior division for the past three years. It is especially great since I thought I...

John French and Crown Affair (Flying Horse Photography). Parker, CO — While the Grand Prix horses are always a big draw at any hunter/jumper show, the hunters are getting a lot of attention during the Colorado Summer Circuit. Show manager Pat Boyle not only has great prize money in every division, but he’s created a wonderful, lush platform for the course designers to develop classes that show off the athletic ability and beauty of some of the nation’s finest hunters....

Albuquerque, NM - The Arabian Horse Association (AHA) kicks off the 2011 national show season with the Youth National Arabian & Half-Arabian Championship Horse Show (Youth Nationals), July 23-30, 2011 at Expo New Mexico in Albuquerque, NM. The equine industry's shining young stars, ages 6-18 (although you might find some remarkable 3 year-olds in the lead-line classes) will swagger into Albuquerque with their Arabians, Half-Arabians, and Anglo-Arabians to present the work they've...

Georgina Bloomberg. Brewster, NY - Equestrian apparel company Ariat recently donated over 600 pairs of new riding breeches to The Rider's Closet at Pegasus Therapeutic Riding, Georgina Bloomberg's charitable program for riders in need. The Rider's Closet accepts new or gently used equestrian apparel and sends them to pony clubs, therapeutic riding centers, scholastic teams and individual riders who request show or lesson program clothing and boots. "I have had the pleasure of...

Lexington, KY — The popular helmet awareness campaign Riders4Helmets will be hosting the 2nd Riders4Helmets Helmet Safety Symposium on July 23, 2011, at the Kentucky Horse Park (theater room), Lexington, KY, from 8.30 a.m. to 5 p.m. The symposium is being sponsored by Tipperary, Troxel Helmets, Charles Owen, Samshield, Ovation and Equestrian Professional. The Helmet Safety Symposium has been organized to bring together representatives from various corners of the equestrian world to...

John Pearce and Son of a Gun bested a jump-off field of seven competitors to win the $30,000 Colorado Circuit Opener Grand Prix Presented by Nutrena (Flying Horse Photography). Parker, CO — Seven horses and riders returned for the second round over the Peter Holmes-designed course in the $30,000 Colorado Circuit Opener Grand Prix Presented by Nutrena. Twenty-five horses and riders started in the featured event on Saturday July 9, 2011 during week four of the...

Lexington, KY - The Equestrian Life project – Learn to Ride and Drive in Style – is a joint effort among the United Professional Horsemen’s Association (UPHA), American Saddlebred Horse Association (ASHA), and American Hackney Horse Society (AHHS). Through the partnership of these three organizations, a marketing campaign launching in August will bring the horses and ponies we all love into millions of homes, with a goal of increasing awareness of saddle seat riding and...

Emma Schauder won the WIHS Equitation Classic on Thursday, July 7, at the Vermont Summer Festival horse show in East Dorset, VT (David Mullinix Photography). East Dorset, VT — Emma Schauder of Greenwich, CT, won the WIHS Equitation Classic on Thursday, July 7, at the Vermont Summer Festival in East Dorset, VT. The six-week equestrian competition is running at Harold Beebe Farm from July 6 through August 14, 2011. Schauder, 16, won both the hunter and jumper phases of competition...

Erynn Ballard and Fun 2 Fly (Photo by Robyn Keyster/PMG). Traverse City, MI - A few lingering clouds gave way to brilliant sunshine this morning at the Horse Shows by the Bay equestrian festival in beautiful Traverse City, MI. Held each year in one of the country's premier vacation destinations, Horse Shows by the Bay will welcome thousands of equestrians over the next four weeks. Hundreds of horse and rider combinations have arrived already, with many putting on powerful performances this...