Waco, Texas – The National Collegiate Equestrian Association has released its first national team rankings of the 2014 spring season, the NCEA selection committee announced Tuesday. South Carolina remains the nation’s No. 1 team following a win at New Mexico State this past weekend. Baylor, which has not competed this spring, moves to No. 2. Auburn, which defeated Delaware State before losing to Oklahoma State this past weekend in Dover, Del., dropped one spot to No. 3. Kansas...

Las Cruces N.M. - No. 1 South Carolina opened the spring portion of its schedule on Saturday with a 12-8 win over No. 4 New Mexico State at the New Mexico State Equestrian Center. South Carolina improves to 7-2 overall, while the Aggies fall to 7-3. Both the hunt seat and western teams won, 6-4, respectively. "This was a tough win for us today, so I was really proud to see that we kept fighting, especially late in the meet," South Carolina head coach Boo Major said. "New Mexico State proved...

Lexington, Ky. - Jay Land of Alpharetta, GA has been named the Show Jumping Hall of Fame Rider of the Month for January. Land earned the award by having top finishes during the FTI Winter Equestrian Festival with his mount Napal. Land leads the series after January with 175 points narrowly ahead of Adrienne Sternlicht with 170 points and Ali Wolff with 160 points. Land's daughter, Frances, just earned the Show Jumping Hall of Fame Rider of the Month award in November after winning the...

College Station, Texas. – It wasn’t easy, but the Georgia Bulldogs improved to 7-2 (3-1 SEC) with a one-point, 10-9, road victory over the Texas A&M Aggies on Saturday. Georgia’s dominance of equitation on the flat proved to be difference maker. With the Aggies taking 3-2 wins in equitation over fences and reining, and riding to a 2-2 tie in horsemanship, the Bulldogs were saved by a dominant 4-1 win on the flat. The Bulldogs head home for the first time since fall this...

Hardin Towell and Man in Black (Sportfot) Wellington, Fla. - Week four of the 2014 FTI Consulting Winter Equestrian Festival (FTI WEF) concluded with the exciting $50,000 Ariat® Grand Prix CSI 2* on Sunday afternoon held on the grass derby field at The Stadium at Palm Beach International Equestrian Center (PBIEC). An exciting eight-horse jump-off finished with a win for Hardin Towell (USA) and Man in Black, with Andres Rodriguez (VEN) and Caballito in second and Lauren Hough (USA) aboard...

Dover, Del. – The No.7 Oklahoma State Cowgirls kept up the momentum they’d created before the winter break with a very successful weekend trip to Delaware. The cowgirls earned a decisive win over hosts Delaware State, and an impressive decision over SEC power and NCEA No.2 ranked team Auburn. OSU’s spring season got started on Friday, January 31st with the match against Delaware State. The Cowgirl hunter seat team earned a 9-1 win that included a sweep over fences. The western...

Thermal, Calif. - The pinto Oldenburg gelding, Symphony, has quickly gone from catch ride to dream horse for Katie Cook of Newport Beach, California. Cook had never sat on Symphony, owned by Amy Knox, before she arrived at HITS Thermal, but the two have become fast friends, jumping to three blue ribbons during Week I and winning the $1,500 Platinum Performance Hunter Prix on Friday for the second week in a row. Knox has owned the gelding, who is now 10, for three years and rode him in...

Darragh Kenny and Quiz (Sportfot) Wellington, Fla. - The $34,000 Suncast® 1.50m Championship Jumper Classic was held on Friday with a win for Darragh Kenny and Spruce Meadow's Quiz. The class saw 23 entries with 5 clear rounds to advance to the jump-off and three double clears. Kenny and Quiz earned top honors in 41.05 seconds. McLain Ward (USA) and Kantunaro, owned by Ellen Holtgers and David Paige, finished second, clearing the course in 41.17 seconds. Alexa Pessoa (USA) and Rodrigo...

Lauren Hough and Ohlala (Sportfot) Wellington, Fla. - The 2014 FTI Consulting Winter Equestrian Festival (FTI WEF) continued with a full schedule of competition on Friday, January 31, at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center (PBIEC) in Wellington, Fla. The $34,000 Ruby et Violette WEF Challenge Cup Round 4 began the day's competition with a win for Lauren Hough (USA) and Ohlala. The $34,000 Suncast® 1.50m Championship Jumper Classic was held in the afternoon with a win for...

Spencer Smith and Beau Van Het Keysershof (Sportfot) Wellington, Fla. - Spencer Smith and Ashland Farm's Beau Van Het Keysershof, a 12-year-old Belgian Warmblood, topped the Platinum Performance USEF Show Jumping Talent Search on Friday morning at the FTI WEF. This was the second week in a row the pair collected the top prize for the class. Second place went to Victoria Colvin with Stallone VDL and the top three was rounded out by Lilly Ulrich and Vocus. The top ten riders over fences were...