Calgary, Alberta, Canada - Two-time Olympic Gold medalist McLain Ward (USA) bested an international entry of 52 to score his first victory of the Spruce Meadows “Canada One” Tournament in the WESTJET Cup. Riding his 10-year-old Dutch gelding, Pjotter, Ward piloted two clear rounds, with a blazing trip around the jump-off course of 42.52 seconds to defeat American teammate Mario Deslauriers. Fourteen horse/rider combinations had advanced to the jump-off over the technically demanding...

Lexington, KY – The All American Horse Classic (AAHC) will welcome the nation’s top horses and riders to the Indiana State Fairgrounds in September. Offering over $650,000 in awards, the All American is renowned for its “Breeders Showcase” events, one of the highlights of which is the American Saddlebred Registry (ASR) Sweepstakes for two, three and four-year-olds, as well as the All American Cup, the American Hackney Horse Society (AHHS) Hackney Limited Breeders Stakes,...

Dressage American dressage star Guenter Seidel returned to top form at CDI Hamburg, winning the Grand Prix Freestyle on UII. Seidel, who has represented the United States on numerous occasions, broke his pelvis a year ago and has made an amazing recovery to the top of the sport. After a third place finish in the Grand Prix in Hamburg, Seidel topped the field in the Freestyle with a score of 73.400%. Lillann Jebsen of Norway was second on Pro-Set and Alexandra Bimschas was third for Germany on...

Kirsten Coe has recently arrived in Europe to prepare for the 2011 Rolex/FEI World Cup Final. Coe will be riding fiance Ilan Ferder's Tristan in Leipzig, Germany. Kirsten will be blogging for The Chronicle of the Horse about her experiences preparing for and at her first FEI World Cup Final. We Finally Made It to Europe! All The Math Paid Off

Burbank, CA - California's Jan Ebeling and Rafalca displayed not only their difficult grand prix freestyle routine during the final day of the Festival of the Horse CDI-W/Y/J in but also their readiness for the Reem Acra/FEI World Cup Dressage Final in Leipzig later this month. Earning a solid 73.025% and a ticket to the World Cup as one of two North American League representatives, Ebeling and the 14-year-old Oldenburg mare (Argentinius x Ratine by Rubinstein I, owned by Amy Ebeling) seemed...

Lexington, KY - The American Saddlebred Horse Association (ASHA) has established the standards and criteria for the Saddlebred Record Equitation Champion program. In 2010, the Directors of ASHA and the American Saddlebred Registry (ASR) approved the addition of an equitation section to the Saddlebred Record program. For equitation achievements, a horse can be honored by affixing a "CH-EQ" designation in permanent ASR records. In some cases, equitation results may not have been received or the...

The timing was finally right for the U.S. Team to put their strongest team forward for the Nations Cup at CSIO Wellington. The team scored a huge win, with professional performances from all four riders. Sapphire returned with foot-perfect form for McLain Ward, jumping two clear rounds to lead the U.S. effort. The packed house couldn’t get enough and the Team USA cheering section went wild when she touched down over the last fence both times. Sapphire wasn’t the only one to notch...

Mario Deslauriers kicked off CSIO Wellington with a win on Jane Clark’s Vicomte D in the WEF Challenge 8. He will ride Urico on the Nations Cup Team tomorrow but today he topped a big competitive International field, many looking to make sure all the buttons were working for tomorrow night’s $75,000 FEI Nations Cup presented by G&C Farm. I made it just in time to catch most of the class, it feels so nice to get a little sunshine and not constantly looking for my gloves. It was a...

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...

Michael Tokaruk and Roger Rabbit. (Photo by Sportfot©.) Wellington, FL - February 16, 2011 - In an unusual class on the opening morning of week 6 at the FTI Winter Equestrian Festival, there was a tie for the win in the $8,000 G&C Farm 1.45m Jumpers. Laura Kraut, on The Freedom Group's Dona Evita, and Michael Tokaruk with Roger Rabbit, owned by Castle Point Farm LLC, both finished the speed class with no faults and in the same time of 63.121 seconds. The FTI Winter Equestrian Festival's sixth...