The stars, both equestrian and celebrity, were out at the 2005 Lake Placid and I Love New York Horse Shows. Among the celebrities on hand were rock stars Bruce Springsteen and Patti Scialfa, former National Football League star and current television sportscaster Ahmad Rashad, and CNN anchor Lou Dobbs to name just a few. The top stars of the equestrian competition were Kent Farrington of Southport, CT, who won the $60,000 Budweiser Grandprix of Lake Placid CSI** for the Whitney Perpetual...

Britain has been experiencing a heat wave in recent weeks, but the temperature is set to rise even further next week when the 2005 Samsung Super League series resumes at Hickstead on Friday, July 29. It's been a fascinating season so far, with the Americans dominating at the opening leg in La Baule and the British showing their class in Rome. The double Super League champions from France headed the line-up in St. Gallen, and then the Swiss swept to victory in Rotterdam before the series took a...

Suzy Stafford, first U.S. driver to take Individual Gold at FEI World Combined Pony Driving Championships (Jim Graham) Results from the 2005 FEI World Combined Pony Driving Championships Derbyshire, England – When Suzy Stafford set out to compete in the 2005 FEI World Combined Pony Driving Championships, she didn’t realize she was about to make history—as the first American driver ever to win an Individual Gold Medal at the World Championships. But the Bear, Delaware native...

Horse Shows In The Sun (HITS) is pleased to announce that the 2005 Show Circuit Magazine /USEF National Junior Hunter Championship-East Coast will be held August 1-2 at HITS-on-the-Hudson in Saugerties, NY. The championship will take place in the HITS-on-the-Hudson Grand Prix arena. Junior riders will have the unique opportunity to compete in this world-class grand prix ring, while family and friends enjoy seating in the VIP Pavilion that sits high on a berm overlooking the arena. Now entering...

For the second time, Daniel Straumann and his team organized the World Reining Trophy (WRT) at the HorseAcademy facility in Mooslargue, France. There was a total purse of more than $100,000. Shawn Flarida called the show "one of the best reining events of the world"–-and this was before his success in the Open. Judges were Bob Mayhew, of Great Britain; Sylvia Katschker, of Austria, and Jörg Bös, of Germany. Altogether 157 horses had been nominated--many of them from France. And it turned out to...

The 2005 National Reining Horse Association (NRHA) Breeders Derby should be remembered for a long time, and not only because of the huge numbers of horses and riders. One of the two major NRHA Germany events, the Breeders Derby counted 132 horses in the Breeders Derby classes alone. Last year, there were 84 entries. Altogether, there were more than 900 starts compared to last year's 680. Reining obviously is growing more and more attractive. And it seems as if very slowly, even TV gets...

Courtesy www.london2012.com (Historic Greenwich Park will host the equestrian events in 2012.) International Olympic Committee President Jacques Rogge has announced that London will host the 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games. The news was greeted with huge cheers as thousands of people packed into Trafalgar Square to watch the result live on giant video screens. Heather Small kick-started the party with a live performance of the bid anthem "Proud," backed by singers from London community...

The Westfalian-bred stallions Damon Hill and Florencio won the World Breeding Federation Sport Horses (WBFSH) World Championships for young dressage horses, held July 1-3 in Verden, Germany. Five-year-old Damon Hill (Donnerhall x Rubinstein), ridden by Helen Langehanenberg, scored a 9.02 in the finals, just ahead of half-brother Donnerball (Donnerhall x Alabaster) and FBW Dejavu (Dacaprio x Glueckspilz). In the six-year-old division, last year's five-year-old champion Florencio (Florestan x...

Lexington, KY – A group of U.S. eventers has returned from Germany after competing in the Luhmühlen CCI 4*, June 15-19, the first CCI four-star to take place on continental Europe. Up against stiff competition from European riders trying to qualify for the upcoming European Championships in Blenheim, England, the four USEF-sponsored Talent Tour riders joined several individual U.S. riders for a positive experience abroad—just the learning experience that was intended for the...

The United States Dressage Federation (USDF) held the official groundbreaking ceremony for the USDF National Education Center on Wednesday, June 22, 2005, at the Kentucky Horse Park. The organization's president, Dr. Samuel Barish, stated, "I believe that this is the most significant event in the history of USDF. We are looking forward to being included on a daily basis in an equestrian community environment where we can work effectively on behalf of dressage and our members.” The USDF National...