American Fans Are Ready for WEG (Shannon Brinkman/USEF) Lexington, KY - There are 101 different athletes (some nominated on more than one horse) from 22 different states nominated to represent the United States at the biggest equestrian event in US history. The Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games is the first opportunity to see all eight disciplines: Dressage, Endurance, Eventing, Driving, Jumping, Para-Equestrian Dressage, Reining and Vaulting in one place at the same time when these games come...

Meagan Davis and Bentley (SusanJStickle.com Photo) Gladstone, NJ – The second Saturday of the Collecting Gaits Farm/USEF Dressage Festival of Champions proved to be one of the busiest days of the six day championship. Three different USEF National Championships took place in the Dick and Jane Brown Dressage Arena at the USET Foundation Headquarters. The National Young Rider Dressage Championship kicked it off and three superstar Young Riders swept into the top three places after the first half...

Cesar Parra and Olympia (SusanJStickle.com Photo) Gladstone, NJ – In his first opportunity to ride for a US National Championship, Cesar Parra capitalized on the chance and took home top honors at the USEF National Intermediaire I Dressage Championship at the 2010 Collecting Gaits Farm/USEF Festival of Champions. A Colombian native, Parra began riding under the US flag in 2009, since then he has reaped the reward. “I wanted to go for it,” said Parra after his ride. “These are very good riders,...

Gladstone, NJ – The second leg of the National Intermediaire I Dressage Championship at the Collecting Gaits Farm/USEF Festival of Champions closed out the second day of competition in the Dick and Jane Brown dressage ring at the USET Foundation Headquarters in Gladstone, NJ. The hallowed grounds have been the proving grounds of champions for decades and although a facelift has led to brand new footing in the competition and warm-up areas, the historic relevance is impossible to ignore. Fresh...

SportFot (Reed Kessler and Mika.) Lexington, KY - July 29, 2010 - Show jumping competition has started for the prestigious 2010 Adequan FEI North American Junior & Young Rider Championships presented by Gotham North. The top American, Canadian and Mexican riders between the ages of 14 and 21 ventured to the Kentucky Horse Park to compete in the Individual qualifying round in the Main Outdoor Stadium. Riders vied for the top sport during today’s classes and the opportunity to compete in the...

The Interscholastic Equestrian Association (IEA) has officially announced that saddle seat is approved as an emerging discipline of the IEA, and teams are starting to form all over the United States. Hundreds of teams and thousands of members have enjoyed participating in IEA hunt seat and Western competitions for the past eight years, but this will be the first year for the saddle seat offerings. The mission of IEA is to introduce students in private and public middle and secondary schools...

Photo by Flashpoint Photography (Shakira do Jacare and owner Sarah Owen during the retirement ceremony.) Shakira do Jacare, the brilliant 14-year-old Brazilian-bred chestnut mare owned by Sarah Owen and Muny Sunk Stables officially retired from the sport of show jumping in an emotional ceremony during the 2010 Atlanta Summer Classics. Dubbed the “Queen of Speed” by her competitors, Shakira’s presence alone at many a grand prix was enough to rattle the nerves of most seasoned jumpers. However,...

Kate Levy of Katonah, NY, won the Whiteface Mountain 1.45m Jump-off to kick off the 41st Annual Lake Placid Horse Show. Levy was the third of 20 entries to try the 12-jump, first-round course at the North Elba Showgrounds. She rode her mount, Vent Du Nord, to one of what would be eight fault-free rides. She then turned in another fault-free ride in 37.350 seconds to take an early lead that would hold for the remainder of the class. Placing second was Hillary Dobbs of Sussex, NJ, who had two...

Photo by Leslie Mintz/USEA (Matt Flynn aboard his and Susan Schmidt's Caspar score the highest mark of the day to win the four-year-old class) Boys ruled at the Spalding Labs/United States Eventing Association (USEA) Young Event Horse (YEH) competition at Waredaca Horse Trials in Unity, MD, with two geldings and their male riders rising to the top of the four four-year-olds and eight five-year-olds who contested the event. Four-Year-Olds Matt Flynn of Gladstone, NJ, travelled to Germany last...

Photo by James Leslie Parker (Laura Chapot.) Laura Chapot took top honors at the Devon Horse Show and Country Fair, winning the Open Jumper Championship on Bradberry with 30 points and also taking the Leading Open Jumper Rider title for the fourth time in six years, and the fifth time overall. Along with her four wins in the Open Jumper division that counted towards the leading Rider title, Chapot also won two six-year-old classes and a seven-year-old class for an unprecedented seven jumper...