Katie Dinan, Reed Kessler, and Brianne Goutal. Photo (Kenneth Kraus) Wellington, FL - The youngest rider in Saturday night's $50,000 Wellington Equestrian Realty Grand Prix was the winner as eighteen-year-old Reed Kessler and Ligist jumped to victory during the highlight event of week two at the 2013 FTI Consulting Winter Equestrian Festival (FTI WEF). With riders representing fourteen different countries competing in the class, the USA took the top seven placings and the young women were...

Laura Kraut and Jubilee d'Ouilly (Sportfot) Wellington, FL - Laura Kraut and Jubilee d'Ouilly jumped to victory in the $33,000 Ruby et Violette WEF Challenge Cup Round 2 on Thursday afternoon at the FTI Consulting Winter Equestrian Festival (FTI WEF) in an exciting jump-off of top competitors. Last to go in a 24-horse tie breaker with McLain Ward holding the first and second positions, Kraut and Jubilee shaved fractions off of the leading time to win in a dramatic finish. The second week of...

Shane Sweetnam and Solerina. (Sportfot) Wellington, FL - The 2013 FTI Consulting Winter Equestrian Festival (FTI WEF) hosted its opening day of competition on Wednesday, January 9, at the beautiful Palm Beach International Equestrian Center in Wellington, FL, with big wins for Ireland's Shane Sweetnam. Sweetnam kicked things off with a bang in back to back victories in the first two classes of the circuit in the International Arena. Sweetnam won the $8,000 G&C Farm 1.45m speed class...

Lexington, KY - The United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) and its Eventing High Performance Department is proud to announce a redesigned Developing Riders/Eventing 25 Program beginning in 2013. In 2013, a Developing Rider will be defined as a rider (maximum age of 25) who has achieved a qualifying result at the CCI2* level. Chef d’Equipe David O’Connor will lead the Developing Riders/Eventing 25 program and coach the accepted athletes. In addition to lessons under saddle, there...

Mark Bluman and G&C Blue (© ManciniPhotos) Wellington, FL - Mark Bluman (COL) and Gustavo Mirabal's G&C Blue earned an exciting victory in Friday's $33,000 G&C Farm 1.45m Classic at Equestrian Sport Production's Holiday and Horses competition. With their first win in a ROLEX FEI World Ranking Class, the pair beat out Lauren Hough (USA) and Ohlala with a lightning fast round. G&C Sacramento, owned by Anabel Simon and ridden by Luis Larrazabal (VEN), finished third....

Lauren Hough and Ohlala (©ManciniPhotos) Wellington, FL - The Holiday and Horses CSI 2*-W show continued Thursday with another big class for show jumpers, the $33,000 Holiday and Horses Opener Grand Prix presented by Horse Gym USA. The grand prix is a FEI ROLEX ranking class, and the winning amount of points Thursdya went to Lauren Hough and Ohlala. They were the only double clear round to capture victory. The Holiday and Horses show continues through December 2 and is rated CSI 2*-W, Jumper...

Alexandra Lawson is a 19-year-old freshman at Purdue University from North Salem, Indiana. She is a member of the three-gaited section of the 2012 U.S. Saddle Seat World Cup Team. I've spent most of my life in the small farm communities of Danville and North Salem, Indiana. My parents and maternal grandparents are grain farmers - farming about 5,000 acres in the surrounding area. When you grow up in farm country, you just naturally get involved with FFA and 4-H, and it was through 4-H that...

Tim Gredley and Unex Valente (Rebecca Walton) Lexington, KY - Great Britain's Tim Gredley proved to be one of the world's bravest riders Firday evening when he galloped up to a 7'6" wall aboard his talented mount Unex Valente. The pair was already champions of the $50,000 Puissance at Alltech National Horse Show, 129th edition after being the only horse and rider combination to clear the 7" wall. Although they were unsuccessful during their final attempt, the crowd was on their feet...

Temecula, CA - Michael Pollard, of Dalton, Ga., rode Schoensgreen Hanni to a narrow lead in the dressage phase of the CCI3* at the Galway Downs International Three-Day Event. Scoring 46.4 penalties, Pollard just eclipsed Phillip Dutton on Atlas (47.0). Hawley Bennett-Awad stands a close third on Five O’Clock Somewhere (48.2) and McKenna Shea is fourth on Landioso (48.4). “I was happy. It was probably the best dressage test we’ve done at a CCI. [We] just had a little bobble in...

Nicola Philippaerts and Cortez won the $50,000 Triumph Project Welcome Stake at Alltech National Horse Show. (Rebecca Walton/PMG) Lexington, KY - The 2012 Alltech National Horse Show, 129th Edition, greeted the Open Jumper riders with an inviting $50,000 Triumph Project Welcome Stake, sponsored by The Davis McCullough Foundation, for their first day of competition. Speed was the name of the game and Belgium's Nicola Philippaerts was right on point with his new mount Cortez. The pair blazed...