Tallahassee, FL On March 11 in Tallahassee, FL, the Red Hills CIC3* will kick off the 2011 Adequan USEA Gold Cup Season. This year is a big one for the Gold Cup as the year-end prize money is being doubled from last year’s $10,000 to $20,000 for the horse and rider pair with the most points on the Gold Cup leaderboard. Seven events at the CIC3* and Advanced Levels are on the schedule for this year’s Gold Cup Series starting with Red Hills and culminating with the USEA American Eventing...

Grand Prix Ring at Horse Shows by the Bay. (Photo courtesy Horse Shows by the Bay.) Traverse City, MI - Flintfields Horse Park, home of the Horse Shows by the Bay Equestrian Festival, is pleased to report that plans are well underway for the new footing that is being installed this spring in the main competition arenas and warm ups. Footing that stays safe and consistent throughout the course of the competition, no matter the weather, is very important to management and Flintfields Horse Park...

Wellington, FL - Last week's Dressage Under the Stars was a crowd favorite, as four former dressage young riders competed to fantastic popular music in exciting dress. Riders last week were Mica Mabragana from Argentina, Kasi Barteau who did a rendition of the Lion King, winner of the evening Jocelyn Wylese, and Mary Lauthorio who made her horse into a rocket ship in honor of the final NASA spaceship launch. Neil Hirsh, owner of the Player's Club which hosts the evening remarked "It was...

Nancy Kempe and her new Isabel stallion Cupido Interagro accept a custom made saddle from Cary Walla (Photo courtesy of Darcy Scott.) Wellington, FL – Almost 300 guests were in attendance at the 2011 Lusitano CollectionTM International Horse Auction when dressage rider Nancy Kempe purchased her dream horse, a beautiful Lusitano Isabel stallion named Cupido Interagro, that she described as “the love of her life.” The four-year-old stallion with a sterling pedigree was the highest selling horse...

California's Steffen Peters with his new star "Weltino's Magic". (Photo by Jennifer M. Keeler.) Burbank, CA - Riders who dream of competing at the Pan American Games began their quest at the Mid-Winter Dressage Fair CDI*/Y/J in Burbank, CA, February 24-27, 2011. As the first official qualifying competition on the West Coast, horses and riders vied for scores in front of FEI judges Jayne Ayers ("I" USA), Natalie Lamping ("I" USA), and Lorraine MacDonald ("I" CAN). In addition, this competition...

Fans of the U.S. Show Jumping Team (Shannon Brinkman/USEF) Lexington, KY – The following horse/rider combinations have been named by the United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) to represent the U.S. in America’s only Nations Cup which will be held in Wellington, FL on March 4, as part of CSIO Wellington. The Palm Beach International Equestrian Club’s International Arena will host some of the best horse/rider combinations from across the globe as they vie for top honors in the $75,000 FEI...

Peter Doubleday. (Kenneth Kraus/PhelpsSports.com.) Lexington, KY — Peter Doubleday has been elected Chairman of the Board of the Show Jumping Hall of Fame and Museum, Inc. Doubleday, a founding Director of the Hall of Fame, succeeds Gene Mische, who served as Chairman since the inception of the Hall of Fame in 1987 until his death this past December. Doubleday has been a prominent figure on the nation’s horse show circuit since 1975. As the show announcer for about 30 horse shows a year, his...

Intermediaire I class sponsor LA Saddlery present the blue ribbon to owner Jen Hlavacek and rider St (Photo by Jennifer M. Keeler.) Burbank, CA - For the second day in a row, Steffen Peters and "Weltino's Magic" wowed the judges at the Mid-Winter Dressage Fair CDI*/Y/J in Burbank, CA, the first Pan American Games qualifying competition of the year on the West Coast. Even as rain forced the Intermediaire I Test to be moved into the indoor Equidome, Peters and Jen Hlavacek's Westfalen gelding...

Steffen Peters & Welton's magic. (Photo by Jennifer M. Keeler.) Burbank, CA - West Coast riders began their journeys towards qualification for the Pan American Games today in Burbank, CA as part of the Mid-Winter Dressage Fair CDI*/Y/J. Contesting the FEI Prix St. Georges Test, a very competitive field of fifteen U.S., Canadian, and German riders and horses thoroughly impressed FEI judges Jayne Ayers ("I" USA), Natalie Lamping ("I" USA), and Lorraine MacDonald ("I" CAN). "Today's class was fun...

Shannon Dueck on Ayscha. (Photo by Susan J. Stickle.) Wellington, FL - With less than two weeks until the World Dressage Masters Palm Beach presented by International Polo Club Palm Beach gets under way on March 9-11 2011, a number of the world's top riders and their horses are preparing to travel to South Florida. The World Dressage Masters presented by Axel Johnson Group will award more than 400,000 Euros over four competitions in 2011, making it the world's richest dressage series. The first...