Cian O'Connor and Walk Tall II (Sportfot) Wellington, FL - Week seven of the 2013 FTI Winter Equestrian Festival continued on Saturday afternoon with the $25,000 Suncast® 1.50m Championship Jumper Classic featured on the grass derby field at The Stadium at PBIEC. Richard Jeffery, of Bournemouth, England, is the course designer on the derby field for the week. On Saturday afternoon, Jeffery set the track for 31 entries in the $25,000 Suncast 1.50m Championship Jumper Classic. Only three...

Since 1906, the National Western Stock Show in Denver has been the Super Bowl of livestock shows. On January 24th at this year’s show, Cliff Swanson, along with the Western Dressage Association® of Colorado , presented a two hour clinic in the basics of Western Dressage. Drawing from his skill set clinics, Cliff was able to demonstrate what he normally teaches in five or six half-day clinics. Cliff explained the history of dressage, as he began with a demonstration of aids,...

Ashlee Bond and Wistful on their way to a win in the $54,500 HITS Grand Prix CSI-W2*, presented by Zoetis, at HITS Thermal with their sights set on a 2013 World Cup appearance. They topped 24 for the win. (Flying Horse Photography) Thermal, CA - Before the start of HITS Desert Horse Park’s $54,500 HITS Grand Prix CSI-W2*, presented by Zoetis, course designer Florencio Hernandez of Mexico said that his goal was to have between one and three clear. He landed on the low side of that...

Shane Sweetnam and Cyklon 1083 (Sportfot) Wellington, FL - Irish show jumper Shane Sweetnam is on a roll during week five of the 2013 FTI Consulting Winter Equestrian Festival (FTI WEF) with a set of back to back wins in Friday's $6,000 Spy Coast Farm 1.40m speed and jump-off classes to follow up a victory in Thursday's $8,000 G&C Farm 1.45m Classic. All three wins were on Spy Coast Farm owned horses - the 1.45m aboard Everly Chin de la Pomme and Friday's 1.40m speed aboard...

A big weekend of NCEA competition had its share of upsets and near misses. At the end of it a few things seem certain: there will be a change at the top of the next NCEA Coaches Poll, and there will be plenty of competitive drama leading up to the NCEA National Championship in April. No.3 University of Georgia def. No.1 South Carolina University 11-8 The Gamecocks stole one from the Bulldogs in Bishop during the fall season. On Saturday the Bulldogs stole one back on the South Carolina home...

Francie Steinwedell-Carvin and Lapsus du Lavoir were in competitive company yesterday, but rose to the top of the $33,000 HITS Desert Classic, presented by Pfizer Animal Health. The class introduced the first of the FEI class at HITS Desert Horse Park this season, which continues this weekend with the $54,500 Strongid® C 2X Grand Prix, presented by Pfizer Animal Health (Flying Horse Photography) Thermal, CA - It was an explosive start to the HITS FEI series at Desert Circuit II, as Francie...

Nick Skelton and Heracross in their winning presentation with ringmaster Cliff Haines and G&C Farm representative Manuel Machillanda. (Sportfot) Wellington, FL - The fourth week of competition at the 2013 FTI Consulting Winter Equestrian Festival (FTI WEF) began on Wednesday, January 30, with a win for Olympic gold medalist Nick Skelton (GBR) and his mount Heracross in the $8,000 G&C Farm 1.45m speed class. Week four, sponsored by Fidelity Investments®, will run January 30-February...

The NCEA spring season began last weekend, but competition really heats up Friday and Saturday with the top seven ranked NCEA teams (NCEA Coaches Poll) back in action. With no team clearly dominant at the end of the fall season, matches this weekend will go a long way toward determining the trajectory of the spring season, and could factor into National Championship seeding as well. No.1 University of South Carolina vs. No.3* University of Georgia The marquee matchup of the weekend will be in...

Wellington, FL - The United States Equestrian Team Foundation is pleased to announce that the recipient of the 2013 Lionel Guerrand-Hermes Trophy is the talented show jumping rider Reed Kessler of Lexington, KY. Each year this award is presented to a young rider in one of the Olympic disciplines who exemplifies both sportsmanship and horsemanship. In 2012, Kessler advanced to the highest levels of the sport, competing during the Olympic Trials and winning the USEF Show Jumping National...

What is the next frontier in the equestrian world? According to Dr. Jim Warson, Equestrian Medicine Specialist and author of The Rider’s Pain Free Back , “its rider health and development. The horses are as good as they are going to be in our lifetimes, so this is where the action is. Rider health and conditioning make us worthy of the horses that we spend so much time and money on”. Dr. Jim Warson with his beautiful horse, Gallahad Golden Warrior, “Trigger” Dr....