Thermal, Calif. – Grace Belmont (Watsonville, Calif.), closing out the final two weeks of her junior career, entered the 2021 USEF/NCEA Junior Hunt Seat Medal Final on a whim with her mount Quirin, and surprised herself with an impressive two round score of 174. The duo took the win over 27 other entries and finish out their junior equitation career with one final win. Belmont and her own Quirin, a 13-year-old Hanoverian gelding, have been partnered for several years and originally...

Lexington, Ky. – The United States Dressage Federation (USDF) will welcome some of the country’s top horses and riders to Lexington, Ky., from Nov. 11-14 for the 2021 edition of US Dressage Finals presented by Adequan® . The event is a favorite for competitors and spectators alike, with riders in the junior/young rider, adult amateur, and open divisions vying for national titles in Training Level through Grand Prix, including the popular musical freestyles. ©SusanJStickle....

Woodside, Calif. – The last of the short-format competitions in the Adequan®/USEF Eventing Youth Team Challenge series took place October 7-10 in Woodside, California. Six horse-and-rider pairs contested the event, which is the last leg before the East and West Coast long-format finals take place in November. Pip Hayes and So Cool, winners of the Adequan/USEF Eventing Youth Team Challenge CCI2*-S at Woodside. ©Tina Fitch Photography In the CCI2*-S, Pip Hayes (Plymouth, Calif.)...

Harrisburg, Pa. - The country’s top equitation riders converged at Pennsylvania National Horse Show for the Dover Saddlery/USEF Hunter Seat Medal Final. A field of 223 athlete-and-horse combinations completed the first round, with 25 combinations called back by judges Tom Brennan, Emil Spadone, and Geoff Teall for the second round. A rare two work-offs took place before Grace Debney was named the champion. Grace Debney, 2021 Dover Saddlery/USEF Hunter Seat Medal Final Champion (Andrew...

Neue Schule/USEF Junior Jumper Individual National Championship podium: gold to Hannah Hoch (center), silver to Natalie Jayne (left), and bronze to Taylor Kraft (right) (Andrew Ryback Photography) Harrisburg, Pa. – The Neue Schule/USEF Junior Jumper National Championships came to its conclusion on Saturday evening with the individual medals determined by a solid, technical track designed by Manuel Esparza (MEX). Twenty-three combinations returned for Phase III, the $10,000 Neue...

Harrisburg, Pa. – The juniors displayed excellent riding in Neue Schule/USEF Junior Jumper Prix des States Team National Championship on Friday evening. Eight teams competed in the modified Nations Cup competition, with four teams finishing the first round on zero faults. Six teams returned for the second round, and the pressure was on for the athletes to deliver for their teams. Under the guidance of Chef d’Equipe Kim Land, Zone 4 maintained their composure to clinch the team gold...

Elkton, Md. – Competition officially kicked off on Thursday at the USEF CCI3*-L Eventing National Championship and Maryland 5 Star CCI5*-L with the first half of the entries completing their dressage tests. Both events are taking place at the new facilities at Fair Hill International, a longtime home of world-class eventing. Kurt Martin and D.A. Lifetime. ©Leslie Potter/US Equestrian USEF CCI3*-L Eventing National Championship Caroline Martin (Miami Beach, Fla.) and Sherrie...

Enschede, The Netherlands – The Land Rover U.S. Eventing Team showcased strong talent in all three phases at the FEI Eventing Nations Cup™ The Netherlands CCIO4*-L at the Military Boekelo Enschede in Enschede, Netherlands to take second place in a competitive field to close out team competition for the 2021 competition season. The team of Jennie Brannigan, Sydney Elliott, Matt Flynn, and Tamie Smith finished on a total score of 102.7 to earn silver, while Great Britain took gold on...

Gladstone, New Jersey – Natalie Jayne (Elgin, Ill.) and Charisma secured a win in the prestigious Platinum Performance/USEF Show Jumping Talent Search Finals – East after three days of intense competition at the historic United States Equestrian Team headquarters in Gladstone, New Jersey. Jayne rode to a final phase four score of 365 to earn the victory ahead of Dominic Gibbs (Colorado Springs, Colo.), who finished in second place with a final score of 359. Audrey Schulze (Saddle...

Barcelona, Spain – The NetJets ® U.S. Jumping Team finished fifth in the 2021 Longines FEI Jumping Nations Cup™ CSIO5* on October 3, 2021, in Barcelona, Spain, at the Real Club de Polo de Barcelona. Led by Chef d’Equipe Robert Ridland, the team consisted of Lillie Keenan, Laura Kraut, Schuyler Riley, and Spencer Smith. Ridland noted, “When we arrived here and looked at what we were going up against, those teams were the real deal teams; it was the ‘A’...