Vinton Karrasch and Coral Reef Baloufino (McCool) Las Vegas, N.V. - Being fast and fault-free was key in Thursday night's $33,500 Las Vegas Welcome Jumper Classic, presented by EquiFit, inc. Fifty-eight entries competed for the top prize in the first of two FEI classes featured in this week's schedule of events. Germany's Olaf Petersen, Jr. designed a winding course with 14 efforts in a time allowed of 79 seconds. Featuring three double combinations as well as multiple bending lines...

Lexington, Ky. - Thirty-one horse and rider combinations tackled the tricky Amalaya Investments $5,000 Amateur-Owner/Junior Jumpers course Wednesday night, but it was Giavanna Rinaldi who came out on top of the speed class. The 14-year-old made a speedy National Horse Show debut with her own G.P.S. Brilliant Disguise, tripping the timers in 49.351 seconds. It was a nostalgic win for the young rider, who traversed pony jumper courses in the same Alltech Arena only a couple of years prior....

Washington, D.C. - McLain Ward (USA) and HH Carlos Z raced to victory Saturday night in the $125,000 President’s Cup Grand Prix CSI 4*-W, presented by Events DC, at the 56th annual Washington International Horse Show (WIHS). Competing at Verizon Center in downtown Washington, D.C., Ward will have his name etched in WIHS history for now winning the coveted President of the United States Perpetual Cup four times in his illustrious career. The Longines FEI World Cup qualifying grand prix was...

Boyd Martin and Master Frisky (Shannon Brinkman) Elkton, Md. - The first phase of competition came to a conclusion on Friday as the final 45 combinations in CCI3* competition completed their dressage tests, while the second half of the CCI2* field headed down centerline. Boyd Martin and Master Frisky will head out on the cross country in the pole position of the three-star, and in the two-star no one was able to catch Thursday’s leader Matt Brown. Martin (Cochranville, Pa.) and Stephen...

Matthew Brown was the recipient of the 2014 Jacqueline B. Mars Training Grant from the USET Foundation. (Shannon Brinkman) Gladstone, N.J. - The USET Foundation is pleased to announce that the Jacqueline B. Mars National Competition and Training Grant has been awarded to Matthew Brown of Petaluma, California. The grant is given to an Eventing rider who has been identified and recommended by the USEF Eventing Selectors, with an impressive record and potential to represent the United States in...

Devon, Pa. - Ashley Holzer and her bay mare, Tiva Nana, winner of Friday’s Grand Prix Qualifier, thrilled the crowd with their freestyle dressage performance that earned a score of 76.125. Their movements were challenging. For instance, they moved from canter to piaffe to passage without missing a beat of the epic, orchestral music. Apparently Ashley had made a last minute decision to enter the freestyle competition. She says that the electric atmosphere at Devon worried her mare a bit...

Becky Holder and Can't Fire Me (Shannon Brinkman Photo) Tyler, Texas – The 2014 USEF National Open Horse Trial Championship got underway Thursday afternoon at the Texas Rose Horse Park with 12 horse-and-rider combinations performing their dressage tests. Becky Holder and her veteran, Can’t Fire Me, seized the early lead with a near flawless performance in the championship being held in conjunction with the Adequan USEA Gold Cup Series Final at the Nutrena USEA American Eventing...

The U.S. Team (Mike Arnold) Izsak, Hungary - The United States heads into this week’s FEI World Driving Championships for Singles in Izsak, Hungary looking to impress on the international stage. The U.S. team of Jacob Arnold, Leslie Berndl, and Donna Crookston will be led by Chef d’Equipe Chester Weber at the championships running September 25-28, that host 19 teams vying for podium finishes, while a total of 78 competitors from 24 nations look to secure Individual honors. Arnold...

Calgary, Canada - The Hermès U.S. Show Jumping Team has enjoyed an extremely successful summer campaign with CSIO5* Nations Cup victories in Europe as well as capturing Team Bronze last week at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games in Normandy, France. On Saturday, the team of Lauren Hough, Leslie Burr Howard, McLain Ward, and Beezie Madden led by Chef d’Equipe Robert Ridland look to earn another victory for the U.S. jumping in the BMO FEI Nations Cup at the Spruce Meadows CSIO5*...

Leslie Miller and Cinderella Man - EQUUS Best Performance Competition Winner and Performance 3'3" Hunter Champion. Buffalo, N.Y. - The much-anticipated Buffalo International Horse Show is finally underway and the competition has brought an impressive field of horse and rider combinations. With comfortable temperatures and eager competitors, it was a perfect setting to kick off the week. Offering a wide array of classes for all experience levels, the Buffalo Therapeutic Riding Center was already...