Nick Novak and Climbus win the $25,000 Welcome Stake at the Great Lakes Equestrian Festival Week IV. (Kendall Bierer/Phelps Media Group) Traverse City, Mich. - Nick Novak finally overcame his five-year drought on Friday afternoon at the Great Lakes Equestrian Festival (GLEF). For years, he has fallen just shy of the victory, taking the backseat to the winner's circle. During Week IV of GLEF, the drought came to an end for Novak, and as the old saying goes, "when it rains, it pours." Novak...

West Sussex, England – The Hermès U.S. Show Jumping Team put forth a great effort in the Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup™ of Great Britain presented by Longines at CSIO5* Hickstead. On Friday, Chef d’Equipe Robert Ridland guided the team of Katie Dinan, Lauren Hough, Lillie Keenan, and Paris Sellon against a top international field of eight nations. After two rounds over a solid track designed by Kelvin Bywater (GBR), the U.S. tied with Switzerland for fourth place on 12...

Lauren Hester and Warinde B (Lauren Baker/Phelps Media Group) Lexington, Ky. - With only nine career grand prix wins under her belt, the pressure was on as Lauren Hester took the stage with Warinde B in the $25,000 Hagyard Lexington Classic at the Kentucky Summer Horse Show. The only American rider to advance to the jump-off, hometown favorite Hester gave it her all to earn the win, besting veteran five-star riders Pablo Barrios and Shane Sweetnam. "I'm on cloud nine, and I'm really...

Dublin, Ireland – The United States overcame immense pressure to tie with Sweden for the Bronze medal at the Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup™ presented by Longines at CSIO5* Dublin, Ireland today. The Hermès Show Jumping Team of Georgina Bloomberg, Lauren Hough, Laura Kraut, and Jessica Springsteen battled a tough field to extend its podium success in Nations Cup competition. In an intense jump-off, Italy went clear to snatch the Gold medal on zero faults from the home team of...

Lexington, Ky. - The United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) has substituted a horse on the U.S. Olympic Eventing Team for the 2016 Rio Olympic Games. Phillip Dutton (West Grove, Pa.) has withdrawn Caroline Moran, Simon Roosevelt, and Thomas Tierney’s Fernhill Cubalawn, due to veterinary concerns. Dutton’s direct reserve , Mighty Nice, HND Group’s 2004 Irish Sport Horse gelding, will replace Fernhill Cubalawn. Fernhill Cubalawn sustained a minor injury while training and is...

Dana Wille and Mach 5 win the High Junior/Amateur-Owner Jumpers during the Great Lakes Equestrian Festival Week III. (Kendall Bierer/PhelpsSports.com) Traverse City, Mich. - The grey gelding, Mach 5, lived up to his name on Thursday afternoon as rider Dana Wille led the way during the High Junior/Amateur-Owner Jumpers at the Great Lakes Equestrian Festival (GLEF). Wille imported the Dutch Warmblood from Germany two years prior, expecting that he would max out at the 1.20m-level; however, as...

In the lead-up to the 2016 SVAG FEI World Reining Championships, the United States Equestrian Federation will feature a four-part series that highlights the athletes, horses, and their owners that make up the U.S. Team. The following is part three. Read parts one and two . Kari Klingenberg remembers the first time she saw her 2016 SVAG FEI World Reining Championships mount, Mr. Electric Spark, or “Matt”. The Quarter Horse stallion was three-years old. She was sitting in the stands...

A champion Hunter at work (Blowing Rock Charity Horse Show Foundation archives) Blowing Rock, N.C. --From July 27th to August 7th four hundred of America’s most accomplished show hunters and jumpers will converge on this historic resort town in the North Carolina mountains for the 93rd consecutive Blowing Rock Charity Horse Show. For two weeks riders and horses will compete for more than $116,000 in prizes at the fabled L. M. Tate Show Grounds. If you have never been to a horse show, this...

Aaron Vale concluded Week Two of the Great Lakes Equestrian Festival with a win in the $50,000 Grand Prix of Michigan. (Taylor Renner/Phelps Media Group) Traverse City, Mich. - A little rain did not stop the Great Lakes Equestrian Festival (GLEF) from putting on a fantastic event on Sunday to cap off Week Two of competition at Flintfields Horse Park with the week's highly anticipated feature class, the $50,000 Grand Prix of Michigan, presented by Peninsula Capital Management and Craig...

Aachen, Germany –The CAIO4*-H4 Nations Cup competition concluded on Sunday at CHIO Aachen with the cones phase. Under the guidance of Chef d’Equipe Ed Young, the U.S. Driving Team of Chester Weber and Chester Weber (Shannon Brinkman Photography) Allison Stroud finished in seventh place. Weber was the top-ranked American, earning third. The Netherlands maintained its dominate two-phase lead to take the Gold medal in team competition. Germany placed second and Belgium finished in...