So much has happened today I'm not sure where to start. This morning started with another run on the strip. More illicit activities witnessed and I was a little later so there was loads more activity. Made for some quick thinking at times. Back to the venue… the day got off to a very disappointing start for the dressage riders, my heart just broke for Jan Ebeling and Leslie Morse, both had huge disappointments. Jan's mare, Rafalca, simply couldn't take the atmosphere and...

Manerbio, Italy – It was a close finish but with a total of 667.5 points Team Italy took the gold medal in the very first FEI World Reining Championship on Friday, September 12. Team USA took the silver medal with 663.5 points closely followed by Team Germany which finished only a point behind the United States. Sixteen countries were represented in the World Reining Championship and in order to determine who would step on the podium for the bronze medal, reining enthusiasts had to wait...

Hong Kong, China - The US show jumpers were all business when they returned to the main arena at Sha Tin tonight for the first round of the Nations Cup, the US riders finished on 12 faults, tied with Switzerland for the lead. Sapphire was Perfect for McLain Ward (Shannon Brinkman) Bookended by two members of the 2004 Gold medal winning team, Team USA’s performance was impressive, although somewhat unpredictable. McLain Ward and Sapphire started it off for the US but they had plenty of...

Ocala, FL – The marathon got underway at 9 a.m. at the CAI-A Ocala and the first of two USEF National Driving Championships started after lunch on Saturday March 29, 2008. Known as the Live Oak Plantation Combined Driving Event presented by Budweiser, the showcase of the country’s best drivers and horses is taking place at Chester Weber’s Live Oak Plantation in Ocala, FL. The competition also serves as the second USEF Selection Trial for two of the World Driving Championships....

Wellington, FL - Severe weather on Thursday March 6 caused the postponement of the $30,000 WEF Challenge Cup which a also served as the fourth leg of the USEF Selection Kenneth Kraus/PhelpsSports.com (The Top Three Riders at the USEF Selection Trials for Show Jumping (L-R: Laura Kraut, Nicole Shahinian-Simpson, Will Simpson)) Trials for Show Jumping at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center. The Selection Trial began on Friday morning at 8 a.m. The grounds crew worked tirelessly and...

Diana DeRosa (Christopher Hickey and Regent in Rio de Janeiro) Rio de Janeiro, Brazil—When most people think of Rio, sunshine comes quickly to mind. However, that was not the case today at Deodoro Stadium and the National Equestrian Center outside of the city. Clouds, the threat of rain showers and cooler temperatures loomed, but it was a rather bright day for the hopes of the American dressage riders as all three of them competed in the first of two rounds that will determine the...

Diana DeRosa (Team USA's Christopher Hickey, Katherine Poulin-Neff and Lauren Sammis) Rio de Janeiro, Brazil—Gold is definitely a color that looks good on the necks of Americans equestrian athletes, and Team USA’s dressage squad were the first to have the honor to wear it among the three disciplines invited to the XV Pan American Games in Rio de Janeiro. The three-member team comprised of Lauren Sammis, Katherine Poulin-Neff and Christopher Hickey finished their combined work to...

Amy Tryon and Le Samurai sit atop the leaderboard going into the cross-country phase of the 2007 Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event, presented by Farnam. (Amy Dragoo) (Lexington, KY)—Day Two of dressage during the 2007 Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event, presented by Farnam, welcomed much drier skies than the previous day, and it provided a much nicer environment in which to wrap up the dressage phase and head into cross-country. At day’s end, Amy Tryon (U.S.) aboard Le Samurai, a...

SusanJStickle.com (Steffen Peters on Floriano) Gladstone, NJ – There’s nothing better than a hat-trick, but how about a hat-trick times three…all three championships held at the USET Foundation Festival of Champions were clean sweeps by Rebecca Hart, Michelle Gibson and Steffen Peters. Hart was the winner of all three classes that make up the 2006 USEF National Para-Equestrian Championship, Gibson took the honors winning all three of her classes to in the 2006 Collecting...

La Baule, France - Lady riders completely dominated the first leg of the 2005 Samsung Super League nations cup series in La Baule, France today where the all-girl American side won through ahead of the British, while America's Schuyler Riley and Britain's Ellen Whitaker produced the two double-clear performances of the day. George Morris and his team now head for the second leg of the Samsung Super League series in Rome later this month full of confidence and knowing that all the effort...