Photo by Rebecca Walton/PMG (Cara Raether had her second victory in a row at the Kentucky Spring Classic, winning the $20,000 Bluegrass Classic with Lyonell. ) Saturday night's amazing finish in the $55,000 Mary Rena Murphy Grand Prix, sponsored by Audi of Lexington, will go down in history. The crowd went wild when Todd Minikus and Pavarotti crossed the finish line in an exciting 35.24 seconds to take over the lead during the jump-off, but when Cara Rather and Ublesco managed to stop the...

Photo by Ken Braddick (Steffen Peters and Ravel) Lexington, KY – Talk about busy. 2009 has been a whirlwind, new champions of all kinds, title defenders, legends and innovators made headlines this year. The line between winning and losing has become increasingly fine as all the USEF competitors in every discipline continue to up their game, hone their skills and make the US Team proud both locally and across the globe. With the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games (WEG) looming on the...

Faye Wuesthofen aboard Kiss of the Zodiac (Photo by Howard Schatzberg) In what many are describing as a historic event, the United States Equestrian Federation’s (USEF) Saddle Seat Medal Final came down to a workout of the top two riders—Faye Wuesthofen and Ellen Medley Wright—on exchanged horses. Add to that the fact the top two riders shared the same trainer, DeLovely’s Lillian Shively, and it was one for the record books. The arena erupted with excitement and...

Seventeen-year-old Jessica Springsteen was the biggest star at the Pennsylvania National Horse Show as her famous parents cheered her on. She bested 237 riders over two rounds of competition, and a four-ri Jessica Springsteen (Photo by Al Cook) der work-off to win the nation's top equitation prize, the Pessoa/USEF Hunt Seat Medal Final. Course designer Steve Stephens, in conjunction with judges Ellen Raidt and Leo Conroy, were very specific about the distances they required between related...

Winner Matthew Metell riding Pioneer, owned by Heritage Farm (James Leslie Parker ) Gladstone, NJ - It was a picture perfect ending to a picture perfect weekend for the 2009 Platinum Performance/USEF Show Jumping Talent Search Finals – East in Gladstone, NJ. Matthew Metell, riding Pioneer (owned by Heritage Farm) captured the prestigious win at the Finals – East. This year the Finals – East had a record number of entries with 97 riders completing all three Phases. The weekend...

Beezie Madden and Authentic won Team and Individual Silver at the 2006 World Equestrian Games in Aachen, Germany (Shannon Brinkman) Lexington, KY – The United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) has announced the following dates and location for USEF Show Jumping Selection Trials for the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games. The USEF Show Jumping Selection Trials for the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games will be held at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center in...

Ailish Cunniffe is crowned Equisport Insurance/USEF Pony Medal Championship Final winner. (USEF Archive/Randi Muster) Lexington, KY—By midday Sunday, the Kentucky Horse Park began to look vacant. Ponies were unbraided and cooled, loaded trailers rumbled toward home and the usually lively vendor row was filled with merchants striking their tents and packing their wares. After four days of fierce competition in the Pony Hunters and Jumpers, the whirlwind that is the 2009 USEF Pony Finals...

Team Gold medalists—Zone 8—from the Team Jumper competition. (USEF Archive/Randi Muster) Lexington, KY —Last night the joint was, as they say, jumpin’. Day three of the five-day USEF Pony Finals National Championships kicked off this morning with Phase I for the Regular Pony Hunters (model and under saddle), moved on to the Small Pony over fences class, and segued by sunset into the rousing 2009 USEF National Pony Jumper Team Championship. This year’s Small Pony Hunter title...

Maddy Darst (USEF Archive/Randi Muster) Lexington, KY—There is a lot that goes into the makings of a champion pony. Just ask Ohio’s Meredith “Maddy” Darst. She would know. And to prove it, two of her mounts—Rock the Boat and Brownland’s Mr. Mac—jumped their way through the over fences phase of the 2009 United States Equestrian Federation Pony Finals National Championships to take the Medium Green Hunter Pony and the Small Green Hunter Pony champion...

Kassandra Barteau and GP Raymeister (Flashpoint Photography) Lexington, KY —The Young Riders in the dressage competition returned to the arena for the final time to perform their musical freestyles. The stadium was rocking as the 15 qualifying riders performed their choreographed routines for an exuberant audience during the USDF/Platinum Performance North American Junior & Young Rider Dressage Championships at the Kentucky Horse Park. The highest score thus far in the competition...