Rodrigo Pessoa and Let's Fly. (Photo by Sportfot©.) Wellington, FL - Saturday Night Lights at the FTI Winter Equestrian Festival brought a crowd of more than 4,200 spectators out to the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center this weekend to watch Brazil's Rodrigo Pessoa and Let's Fly jump to victory in the $231,000 FEI World Cup™ Grand Prix CSI 4*-W Presented by Bainbridge Companies. Pessoa earned the winning cut of prize money after an exciting jump-off of many of the top horses and riders...

Steffen Peters and Ravel (SusanJStickle.com) Wellington, FL – Before a sold-out crowd, the Jim Brandon Equestrian Center continued to play host to World Dressage Masters Palm Beach CDI5* presented by the International Polo Club. After Thursday’s Grand Prix and Friday afternoon’s Grand Prix Special, eight of the top riders from across the United States and Europe rode their freestyles on a cool Florida evening. And, by the luck of the draw – the best was saved for last. Steffen Peters and Ravel...

Lexington, KY - The American Saddlebred Horse Association (ASHA) has established the standards and criteria for the Saddlebred Record Equitation Champion program. In 2010, the Directors of ASHA and the American Saddlebred Registry (ASR) approved the addition of an equitation section to the Saddlebred Record program. For equitation achievements, a horse can be honored by affixing a "CH-EQ" designation in permanent ASR records. In some cases, equitation results may not have been received or the...

Lucy Davis and Nemo 119. (Flying Horse Photography©.) Theramal, CA - Week V of the HITS Desert Circuit in Thermal, CA, was a blockbuster. The show grounds were a buzz for a sold-out week where record number of entries filled popular classes starting as early in the week as Tuesday with the Level 2, 3, and 6 jumpers and the Low Hunters, each drawing huge numbers as everyone seems to be loving life in desert. It was also the final week of World Cup Qualifiers which means riders enjoyed their last...

Tiana Courdray Wins Jersey Fresh CCI*** in 2010. (Courtesy of Jersey Fresh.) Allentown, NJ – The inaugural Jersey Fresh “High Performance Challenge” will include a $25,000 prize for the horse and rider combination that wins the Jersey Fresh CCI** in 2011 and goes on to win the Jersey Fresh CCI*** in 2012. The ”High Performance Challenge” is part of the Jersey Fresh Three-Day Event CIC3*, CCI2*, CCI3*, to be held May 11-15, 2011, at the Horse Park of New Jersey. B.W. Furlong and Associates are...

Dressage Following their second and third place finishes in the CDIW at the Palm Beach Dressage Derby, Elisabeth Austin and Olivier and Shawna Harding and Come On III have earned their qualification to represent the U.S. at the Reem Acra FEI World Cup Final. The 2011 Final will be held in Leipzig, Germany. April 27- May 1. Austin and Olivier score of 70.150% placed them second behind Swedish rider Tinne Vilhelmson-Silfven on Favourit in the Grand Prix Freestyle. Harding and Come On III finished...

Thermal, CA — With the HITS Winter Circuits in Thermal, CA, and Ocala, FL, heading into their final weeks, Grand Prix action is heating up with two of the biggest classes of the season on the horizon. The $200,000 Lamborghini Grand Prix of the Desert, presented by Lamborghini of Newport Beach, will conclude competition in Thermal on March 13, while the $100,000 DeLuca Toyota Tundra Grand Prix, presented by Great American Insurance Group, will cap off the season in Ocala on March 20. But that’s...

Oklahoma City, OK – The 2011 National Reining Horse Association (NRHA) Regional Clinic Series is coming to Santa Fe, NM, May 14-15. NRHA Professionals Stefano Massigan and Marco Ricotta will hold a clinic for reiners of all ages and experience levels at the Santa Fe Equestrian Center. Massignan, an NRHA European Futurity finalist and multiple Italian Reining Horse Association (IRHA) Futurity, Derby and Maturity finalist, recently relocated to the Southwest with his wife Ky. Their new operation...

Thalia with Gin-N-Tonic. (Photo by Mary Ellen Payne.) Albuquerque, NM - Dr. Ruth Wilburn, President of the Welsh Pony & Cob Society of America (WPCSA) announced a special lifetime achievement award to Thalia Gentzel for her significant contributions to the WPCSA, the pony hunter world, and the lives of many young riders throughout the course of her life. From the time she was 12, Thalia rode at the old Cornell University Stables, where she was later a member of the intercollegiate team. When...

Lexington, KY — The Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event, presented by Bridgestone, has been named one of the Top 10 Festivals and Events for Spring 2011 by the Kentucky Tourism Council. The Rolex Kentucky, part of the HSBC FEI ClassicsTM and a perennial winner of this prestigious award, is set to be held at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, KY, April 28-May 1. It was named as one of the Top 10 Events for Spring because this premier event is the only Four Star, Three-Day Event in the Western...