Rio de Janeiro, Brazil - Following five days of Team and Individual tests, Paralympic equestrian team competition concluded Thursday afternoon at the Deodoro Equestrian Center. Rebecca Hart was first down centerline for the U.S. Team in the Grade II Individual test, scoring 67.714%. In the Grade Ia Individual test, individual competitor Roxanne Trunnell produced a score of 69.565%, while team representative, Margaret McIntosh, scored 66.217%. The U.S. finished 12th in team standings. Great...

Jenny Karazissis and Puissance R (Shawn McMillen) Lexington, Ky. - For Jenny Karazissis, making the journey to Kentucky from Calabasas, California has already proven to be worthwhile. Karazissis and Puissance R bested a field of 132 top-caliber entries to win round one of the 2016 USHJA Pre-Green Incentive Championship at the Bluegrass Festival Horse Show on Tuesday. Going later in the order, Karazissis unseated Scott Stewart and Storm Watch from the top spot, taking over his score of 261.5...

Givrins, Switzerland – The U.S. Reining team delivered a great display of showmanship at the 2016 SVAG FEI World Reining Championships, August 11-13, at the CS Ranch in Givrins, Switzerland. Team members Shane Brown, Troy Heikes, Kari Klingenberg, and Nick Valentine all had consistent performances throughout the Team and Individual competitions. They finished fifth in the team competition with a score of 646. Heikes placed seventh in the Individual Final on Saturday to lead the U.S....

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil - The second day of dressage competition at the 2016 Rio Olympic Games had sunshine beaming down on the Deodoro Olympic Equestrian Center as the remaining 30 athlete-and-horse combinations took to the main arena to perform the Grand Prix test, the first of two tests in team competition. The U.S. team, which held fourth place after the first day of competition on Wednesday, has moved into third in the team standings on an average of 76.971% after anchor riders Steffen...

A whirlwind 48 hours during which the eventing competition unfolded in a way that could give a storyline to the next Harry Potter movie. Quite unbelievable. Bronze for Philip Dutton - fantastic and so richly deserved. Perhaps the moral of the storyline to the last 48 hours is fight, keep fighting and never stop fighting until the Finish Line is disappearing in your rear view mirrors. The French have looked dangerous since the Europeans last year (where they had to secure Olympic qualification)...

Nicolas Astier (FRA), Michael Jung (GER), and Phillip Dutton (Shannon Brinkman Photo) Rio de Janeiro, Brazil – U.S. Olympic Eventing Team member Phillip Dutton capped off three days of brilliant riding by winning the Individual Bronze medal at the Rio Olympic Games. Dutton finished on a score of 51.80. Michael Jung of Germany won the Individual Gold medal for the second consecutive time and Nicolas Astier of France took home the Silver medal. The energy and excitement for the final day of...

Todd Minikus and Quality Girl on their way to a $75,000 UlcerGuard Grand Prix win. (ESI Photography) Saugerties, N.Y. - As the curtain closed on the HITS Saugerties Summer Series, thirty-five horses and riders turned out for Sunday’s $75,000 UlcerGuard Grand Prix for a shot at the money. The field consisted of Olympians and world-cup finalists, in addition to talented juniors and amateurs, but only one could claim the top title. Twelve advanced to the shortened course set by Mark McGowan...

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 four. Read parts one , two , and three . Nick Valentine considers Dun It At Dawn or “Dan” his once-in-a-lifetime horse. The most memorable rides occurred on the Quarter Horse stallion. For Valentine, Dan was incredibly easy to work alongside; he...

Another day, another waste of time setting the alarm clock; a forlorn hope that I would make it to 5:30 a.m. There are still many loose ends to sort so the “get your lazy arse (aka butt) out of bed” side of my brain is winning the nightly joust with the “go on..be a lazy walrus” side of the aforementioned, alcohol preserved grey matter: I will not pretend that I am not extremely nervous about the arrival of the horse flights and also how we are going to make the...

Grass Lake, Mich. – The 2016 USEF Para-Equestrian Dressage National Championships sponsored by Deloitte and Selection Event for the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games wrapped up Sunday with Grade Ib athlete Sydney Collier and Western Rose being crowned National Champions in the High Performance Division. Grade III athlete Pamela Hardin and Quaterjack earned top honors in the National Division. Sunday’s Freestyle Tests accounted for the final 20% of the overall championship scores with the...