A talented American Paint Horse stallion, Gunnatrashya, captured the National Reining Horse Association (NRHA) Open Futurity title in Oklahoma City recently, outscoring over 400 horses entered in the open division of this event, according to NRHA officials. The Paint stallion won with an outstanding score of 228.5, earning $125,000 in prize money. This is only the second time in history that an American Paint Horse has won this prestigious event. Gunnatrashya now joins RR Star, who won the...

Erica Sessa and Lightly Frosted started the holidays in festive style, winning the Training Jumper division at the Equestrian Sport Productions Holiday Festival I Show. Sessa, who raised the Quarter Horse/Arabian cross herself, rode the eight-year-old gelding to the championship in the division sponsored by The Sanctuary Equine Sports Therapy & Rehabilitation Center in Ocala. “They had a nice, smooth but very fast ride,” said Sessa’s trainer, Marianne Pack, of Competition Farm in Ft....

Mikala Munter Gundersen and Festivo Win Equilite Sponsored Class International dressage trainer and competitor Mikala Munter Gundersen was in the ribbons at the Wellington Classic Holiday Challenge, winning the USEF Third Level Test 3 with Christine DeHerrera’s Westphalian gelding Festivo. The class was sponsored by Equilite, makers of Sore No More, Herbal Blends and Botanical Animal Flower Essences, and Gundersen took home a giant tote filled with Equilite products. “Christine, who owns...

Cavalor show jumping rider Hillary Dobbs found the perfect way to usher in the holiday season—by winning the Holiday & Horses $50,000 Grand Prix and FEI World Cup Qualifier at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center in Wellington, FL. Cavalor, the world's leading equine nutrition company for high-performance horses, announced Dobbs as the company's first "Cavalor Young Champion" earlier this year. "We are extremely proud of Hillary's recent victory in the Holiday & Horses Grand...

Stephen Rojek and Kathy Brunjes at the President’s Cup in Abu Dhabi (Kathy Brunjes Photo) Endurance athlete Stephen Rojek was named the recipient of the 2009 Maggy Price Endurance Excellence Award. The award, sponsored by Gold Medal Farm's Larry and Valerie Kanavy, is given out annually to the Endurance Rider who earns the most points in a competition year at designated FEI Endurance competitions. Rojek (South Woodstock, VT) won the Ocala CEI3* with Sambet and had top 10 finishes at the...

The Sport Horse Nationals (SHN) Payback Program celebrated its second year anniversary in November, having raised a grand total of over $119,000 for exhibitors in these first two years. Funds were raised through the sales of donated stallion breeding services sold to the public at half-price. All money raised goes into payouts as no revenues are utilized for administration. Included in the offered services are world-class Warmbloods, Thoroughbreds, Arabians, Anglo-Arabians, Saddlebreds, Welsh,...

The United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) is pleased to announce Maxi Gumprecht as the winner of the 2009 USEF Youth Sportsman's Award, sponsored by Breyer Animal Creations®. Gumprecht was selected from an outstanding group of youth representing their respective recognized breed/discipline affiliates from across the country. Gumprecht, of Mercer Island, WA, was nominated by the American Morgan Horse Association (AMHA) for her leadership and sportsmanship along with her commitment to the...

HITS, Inc., is pleased to announce that one of their competitions has won a national award from the United States Hunter Jumper Association (USHJA). The HITS Ocala Winter Classic, which was held on February 3-8, 2009, was selected as the USHJA "A/AA" rated Member's Choice award-winning competition for Zone 4. "We are honored that our Zone 4 exhibitors selected the HITS Ocala Winter Classic for this award," said Tom Struzzieri, HITS President and CEO. "I'm proud that their experience at HITS...

Dana Fiore and her eight-year-old Hanoverian gelding, Redford, rode away with the victory in the Prix St. Georges class at the Gold Coast Fall Fling show, the kick-off show for the Gold Coast Dressage Association’s winter dressage series. Equilite, the makers of the award-winning Sore No More products and Botanical Animal Flower Essences, sponsored the Prix St. Georges, and Fiore took home a giant tote bag filled with Equilite products. “Redford was very supple, and he was forward. He did the...

Dressage rider and trainer Tracey Winter takes great pride in her horses, and thanks to her recent win at the United States Dressage Federation (USDF) Region 3 Championships she has even more to be proud of. Winter and Windsor, her six-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding by Routinier, out of Oceana, by Charmeur, won the Region 3 First Level Open Championship. “It was a surreal feeling to win, as I was just hoping to be in the thick of things,” Winter said. “It was a good-size class with very nice...