I guess the beginning is a great place to start. I grew up in Maine, the oldest of five, to a father who was in the military and a mother who was a housewife until the youngest of my siblings was in Junior-High school. We grew up on the other side of middle-class, OK, we were poor. I grew up watching spaghetti westerns in black and white on Saturday afternoons. I always loved the intrigue of being a Cowboy, pushing cattle up the Chisholm Trail, fighting bad guys and Indians. Next to the pony...

(Lindsay McCall) Lyman, ME - One term often used in reference to future medal winning U.S. high-performance equestrians, is the word 'development'. By further educating and integrating the athletes, judges, trainers, and supporters from all levels will help develop and evolve each discipline. The 2013 U.S. Para-Equestrian Dressage Symposium created the platform to accomplish this task. At the Carlisle Academy Integrative Equine Therapy & Sports in Lyman, Maine, internationally...

Meagan Nusz and Vesuvius (Rebecca Walton for Phelps Media Group, Inc. International) Lexington, KY - The Kentucky Spring Horse Shows came to a close Sunday with amateur rider Meagan Nusz claiming her second major victory. During the 16-horse jump-off in the $20,000 Bluegrass Classic, Nusz piloted Vesuvius to the winning clear time to lead the victory gallop during the Kentucky Spring Classic. Ramiro Quintana of Argentina was hot on her heels, qualifying three mounts for the tiebreaker and...

Penny Brennan and Sun Tzu (Kendall Bierer/Phelps Media Group) Halifax, MA - The long-awaited $25,000 Fieldstone Grand Prix was hot with competition this afternoon for the fourth day of the Fieldstone Spring Festival. It came down to eight horses in the jump-off, vying for the coveted first place finish. Penny Brennan and Sun Tzu proved victorious, blazing the way from the start of the jump-off with one of only four double-clear efforts. She was the pathfinder with a time of only 46.036 seconds....

Kristen Bumpus and Cupid (Phelps Media Group) Halifax, MA - The first day of the Fieldstone Spring Festival welcomed the top riders in the nation to the new and improved Fieldstone Show Park. After an overhaul, the Fieldstone Show Park kicked off the first day of the weeklong show with thrilling hunter and jumper competition. David Oliynyk rode to the top of the 1.15m Jumpers, while Kristen Bumpus piloted Cupid to the top of the ranks during the 1.25m Schooling Jumpers as she tackled the course...

Lillie Keenan and Parkland (The Book LLC) North Salem, NY - The Grand Junior Hunter Champion was Parkland, owned by Jennifer Gates and ridden by Lillie Keenan. The pair was champion in the Small Junior Hunters and placed fifth, second, and second over fences and won the under saddle. The reserve champion in the Small Junior Hunter division was Wonderland, ridden by Morgan Ward for John Skinner. Keenan was also named Best Junior Rider on a Horse. Keenan has been paired with Parkland since the...

Alvaro de Miranda and AD Rahmannshof's Bogeno (Sportfot) Wellington, FL - Brazil's Alvaro de Miranda and AD Rahmannshof's Bogeno jumped to an exciting victory on Saturday night in the $500,000 FTI Consulting Finale Grand Prix CSI 5* at the 2013 FTI Consulting Winter Equestrian Festival (FTI WEF). The International Arena at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center saw its biggest crowd ever with a packed house of 8,600 fans in attendance to watch the best of the best from the...

Hawley Bennett-Awad and Gin 'N Juice were first in the CIC3* (Sherry Stewart photographer) Temecula, CA - Hawley Bennett-Awad is no stranger to victory at Galway Downs, and this spring she and Linda Paine’s superstar mare Gin ‘N Juice have gone perfectly, winning their first two outings of the year. They made it three-for-three by flying to victory (50.1 penalties) in the CIC3* at the Galway Downs International Horse Trials. Tivoli and James Alliston (55.3) moved in to second behind...

R-Star and Kristi Nunnink lead the CIC3* (Sherry Stewart) Temecula, CA - Kristi Nunnink and R-Star captured the overnight lead in the CIC3* at the Galway Downs International Horse Trials with a strong dressage performance and a double-clear show jumping round to score 47.3 penalties. Double-clean show jumping rounds were rare in all three international divisions Friday. “I actually kind of thought [the show jumping] was a little small when I walked it,” said Nunnink, from Auburn,...

Lillie Keenan and Clearway (Sportfot) Wellington, FL - Fifteen-year-old Lillie Keenan rode to victory in the 6th Annual George Morris Excellence in Equitation Championship, presented by Alessandro Albanese, during week eleven of the FTI Consulting Winter Equestrian Festival (FTI WEF). Keenan, of New York City, piloted Heritage Farms' Clearway to a score of 89 during round one before upping the ante in round two with an astounding 98.5. Keenan was in second with a total score of 187.5 going...