Ashlee Bond and Cadett 7 have often been among the top finishers during the first two weeks of the HITS Desert Circuit. Yesterday, however, they were the ones to beat in the $33,000 HITS Desert Classic, presented by Zoetis. It came down to speed as Bond and Cadett topped a 14-horse jump-off. (©Flying Horse Photography) Thermal, CA - The Grand Prix Ring at HITS Thermal was set with 15 jumping efforts for 42 horses Thursday, and the outcome came down to fractions of a second. In an electrifying...

Kim Vanderveen earned the top prize money in the $50,000 Parker Adventist Hospital Grand Prix during week six of the Colorado Summer Circuit (Photo: Flying Horse Photography). Parker, CO — Kristen Vanderveen made her trip from Wellington, FL, worthwhile when she capped three weeks in Colorado with a win in the $50,000 Parker Adventist Hospital Grand Prix. The six-week Colorado Summer Circuit ended with a bang, complete with Military Appreciation Day, a visit from...

John French and Crown Affair (Flying Horse Photography). Parker, CO — While the Grand Prix horses are always a big draw at any hunter/jumper show, the hunters are getting a lot of attention during the Colorado Summer Circuit. Show manager Pat Boyle not only has great prize money in every division, but he’s created a wonderful, lush platform for the course designers to develop classes that show off the athletic ability and beauty of some of the nation’s finest hunters....

Lexington, Ky. – US Equestrian regrets to announce that Endel Ots (Wellington, Fla.) and Lucky Strike will not travel to compete in the Lima 2019 Pan American Games. Lucky Strike, the nine-year-old Hanoverian gelding owned by Max Ots, sustained injuries during the team transport to Miami, from where the horses were to fly today. Following the veterinary assessment, the decision was made that Lucky Strike should not travel on to Lima. The timeline of this turn of events makes it impossible...

Hardin Towell (Stefano Grasso/LGCT) Miami Beach, Fla. - It was a home win for the USA in the feature class of the day, the Artisan Farms Trophy. Hardin Towell and Cadence, owned by Jennifer Gates, were just too fast for the rest of the combinations who took to the testing Uliano Vezzani course - the pair stopped the clock at a lightening 37.15s, 2nd place went to Steve Guerdat and Concetto Son in 38.25s and 3rd to Maikel van der Vleuten and VDL Groep Arera C in 38.71s. The American really...

John Pearce and Son of a Gun bested a jump-off field of seven competitors to win the $30,000 Colorado Circuit Opener Grand Prix Presented by Nutrena (Flying Horse Photography). Parker, CO — Seven horses and riders returned for the second round over the Peter Holmes-designed course in the $30,000 Colorado Circuit Opener Grand Prix Presented by Nutrena. Twenty-five horses and riders started in the featured event on Saturday July 9, 2011 during week four of the...

Michael Hughes and Norton. (ESI Photography©.) Ocala, FL -This past Saturday, highly-acclaimed Junior rider Michael Hughes of Morriston, Florida captured the win in the R.W. Mutch Equitation Championship aboard Norton, owned by Drumnacross Farm, LTD. Hughes sealed the victory after a two-round score of 354. “It was a good class,” said Hughes, who has built a remarkable career in the Junior and Equitation divisions at 15 years old. “I thought the courses in both rounds were difficult, and it...

Last March I made my inaugural visit to Wellington, FL and the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center for CSIO week, which included the USEF Selection Trials for the US Show Jumping Team for the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games and the $75,000 FEI Nations Cup presented by CN. My partner in crime, Melissa Davis, and I set-up our Merchandise “Fort” and sold-out of nearly all the USA and patriotic coats, polos and hats we’d shipped down. Unseasonably chilly temperatures for Palm Beach...

Meagan Davis and Bentley (Bill Davis) Lexington, KY - At the FEI World Cup Dressage Final for Young Riders, Meagan Davis and Bentley proved their mettle against 14 of the best Young Riders in the world and became the first U.S. pair to qualify for the Freestyle A-final. Competition got underway on Thursday with the Young Rider Team test (Prix St. Georges), which served as a warm-up class. After a challenging warm-up, Davis rode into the arena with confidence and Bentley settled into the test to...

Al Cook (Kristin Glover and The Boy Wonder winning the $15,000 Cavalor Show Jumping Hall of Fame (SJHF) Amateur Owner Jumper Classic.) Harrisburg, PA - Kristin Glover of Richmond, VA, and The Boy Wonder won the $15,000 Cavalor Show Jumping Hall of Fame (SJHF) Amateur Owner Jumper Classic in a two-horse jump-off. The event was the culmination of the year-long Cavalor Show Jumping Hall of Fame Junior/Amateur Owner Classic series. A total of 24 horses started on the challenging course and only two...