Photo by CapturedMomentPhoto.com (John French and Crown Affair.) The beautiful grass grand prix field at Showpark set the stage for two main events this week at the Ranch & Coast Tournament horse show. On Friday afternoon, the hunters were the stars as they competed in the $10,000 Chronicle of the Horse/USHJA International Hunter Derby and on Saturday afternoon, the jumpers took the spotlight in the $50,000 Grand Prix of California presented by Mary’s Tack & Feed. Thirty-eight horses hunted...

Photo by Rebecca Walton/PMG (Pablo Barrios is one of the many riders that will be returning to the 2010 Kentucky Spring Horse Shows to compete for top prizes.) The Kentucky Spring Horse Shows are fast approaching and are set to start on May 12 with the Kentucky Spring Horse Show, which will run through May 16. The second week of competition will be the Kentucky Spring Classic, held May 19-23, 2010. Both weeks of the horse show will be held at the picturesque Kentucky Horse Park, which has...

Today was a good day. Even if with cold temperatures and rain in the morning. Today was a good day. Three Americans sit at the top of the Rolex Three-Day leader board. The sun came out. The freestyle for the Kentucky Cup CDI3* is set to take place soon. And oh yeah, I had a lovely chat with Jonathan “Jock” Paget this afternoon. For those of you not familiar with one of New Zealand’s top riders, Jock and Frances Stead’s Clifton Promise are making their debut at the 4 star level here at the Rolex...

Photo by Rick Osteen/Courtesy IFSHA Mark your calendars and ready your Friesian horses. The International Friesian Show Horse Association (IFSHA) proudly announces that the 2010 IFSHA World and Grand National Championship Horse Show are to move west this year to the prestigious Del Mar Arena in the San Diego area of beautiful Southern California. The Del Mar Arena is a coastal gem of a facility in a community well known for its equestrian passions and sports venues. The facility has hosted...

Dressage Dressage riders on the West Coast competed under the California sun this weekend at the Dressage Affaire CDI3* held at the Del Mar Horse Park. Steffen Peters continued to demonstrate his dominance in U.S. dressage, winning in all seven of his outings. With 2009 Horse of the Year, Ravel, Peters blew away the competition winning by nine percentage points in both the Grand Prix (77.660%) and Grand Prix Special (77.375%). Adrienne Lyle and Wizard put in two excellent performances to finish...

The annual Vermont Summer Festival will return to East Dorset, VT, for six consecutive weeks of competition running July 7 through August 15, 2010. New England’s largest “AA” rated hunter/jumper horse show, the Vermont Summer Festival offers more than $750,000 in prize money, making it the richest sporting event based on purse in the state. The competition attracts the best athletes, including Olympic medalists, from across the country and around the globe to vie for top honors. The first five...

Waiting to Jump (Shannon Brinkman/USEF) Lexington, KY – Thirty-three of the country’s best riders are going to line-up for a nod to represent the United States at the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games. The Road to Lexington will run through the Winter Equestrian Festival when the USEF Selection Trials for Show Jumping grace the International Arena at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Club. Five trials over 11 days means an action-packed time in Wellington, FL – further highlighted...

Photo by SusanJStickle.com (Steffen Peters and Ravel) Wellington, FL – Somehow it keeps getting better. After just collecting the United States Equestrian Federation's Horse and Rider of the Year accolades for 2009, US dressage superstars Steffen Peters and Ravel ran their streak to six major wins with a convincing effort at the Grand Prix at the 2010 Exquis World Dressage Masters. Ravel, a 12-year-old KWPN gelding (Contango-Hautain) owned by Akiko Yamazaki’s Four Winds Farm appeared even...

Gulch, the six-time Grade 1-winning son of Mr. Prospector, has moved to Old Friends, the Thoroughbred retirement facility in Georgetown, KY, where he will permanently retire. The 25-year-old stallion has stood at William S. Farish’s Lane’s End Farm near Versailles, KY, since leaving racing in 1988. He was pensioned from stud duty just this year. Gulch (Mr. Prospector x Jameela, by Rambunctious) was owned and bred by Peter M. Brant and trained by Hall-of-Famers LeRoy Jolley and D. Wayne Lukas....

The United States Equestrian Team (USET) Foundation Holiday Fundraiser, presented by Succeed® and Wellington Classic Dressage, was a great success as spectators had the opportunity to experience the one-of-a-kind equestrian event featuring performances, exhibitions and team competitions with Olympians and many top equestrian stars. A benefit for the USET Foundation, the fundraiser was held at the Jim Brandon Equestrian Center in Wellington, FL, on December 11-12, 2009. Through generous...