Andy Kocher and Land Rebel sail over the CWD oxer on their way to the win Saturday night (A&S Photography) Pensacola, Fla. - Andrew Kocher of Lake St. Louis, Missouri has had a very successful run during Week II of the Gulf Coast Winter Classics in Pensacola. After scoring a trifecta win in Friday's $5,000 HorseFlight Open Welcome class, he went on to win the $25,000 Nutrena Grand Prix with his own Land Rebel under the lights in the covered arena on Saturday night. "The course looked...

Ian Millar and Dixson (Sportfot) Wellington, Fla. - Canada's Ian Millar was the proud winner of Saturday night's $50,000 Wellington Equestrian Realty Grand Prix CSI 2* aboard Ariel and Susan Grange's Dixson during week two of the 2015 Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF). In a five-horse jump-off, Millar and Dixson topped the class by two one-hundredths of a second over Brianne Goutal (USA) and Remarkable Farms LP's Zernike K. Course designer Luc Musette (BEL) set a challenging...

Will Simpson and The Dude take first place in the $25,000 SmartPak Grand Prix Friday, January 16 (ESI Photography) Thermal, Calif. - With no faults and a time of 42.815 seconds, Will Simpson and The Dude, owned by Monarch International, won the first Grand Prix of the season at the HITS Desert Circuit. One of only three riders to go clear, Simpson prevailed in the jump-off with a time almost three seconds faster than his nearest competitor, Susan Artes and Zamiro, owned by Alix Fargo. With the...

Lexington, Ky. - On a night dedicated to the horse, two special athletes were recognized for their excellence in 2014 during the USEF's Year End Awards Gala. In a year that witnessed equestrian athletes excel, Cortes 'C' and Ellis GV reached the pinnacle of their sports and for their achievements were named International and National Horse of the Year, respectively. Voting was open to the public through January and both horses, already fan favorites, were rewarded for their...

Lexington, Ky. - To close out a year of milestones, Beezie Madden (Cazenovia, N.Y.) was awarded the Robert P. Strub Trophy as the 2014 USEF Equestrian of the Year at the USEF Pegasus Awards Dinner. In the process the jumping superstar again made history as the first athlete to ever earn the coveted title four times. The 2005, 2006, and 2013 Equestrian of the Year extended her legacy in 2014 with a remarkable campaign that saw her collect victories throughout North America and Europe. Her season...

Say When and Danielle Baran (Sportfot) Wellington, Fla. - Traveling from Toronto, Canada, Danielle Baran and her horse Say When were the WEF 2 Triple Crown Blankets Adult Amateur Hunter 36-49 champions. Baran rode Say When to four over fences victories over the two days of competition. Reserve Champion honors went to Ashley Whitner and her own Larkspur. The combination was second in three of the four over fences classes. Baran bought Say When as he was turning four years old, after trainer...

Eric Lamaze and Fine Lady 5 (Sportfot) Wellington, Fla. - The 2015 Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF) continued on Friday with the $6,000 Spy Coast Farm 1.40m Speed Challenge featured in the International Arena at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center (PBIEC) in Wellington, FL. Continuing his top form throughout the first two weeks of the circuit, Canada's Eric Lamaze raced to victory aboard Artisan Farms LLC's Fine Lady 5 over teammate Tiffany Foster and Artisan Farms'...

Hunter Holloway and I Love Lucy jump to win the Brook Ledge Open (ESI Photography) Ocala, Fla. - The $2,500 Brook Ledge Open Welcome kicked off the 2015 HITS Ocala Winter Circuit Wednesday with 15 eager to start their season with a win in the Ocala Horse Properties Stadium. Six riders were able to shake off the winter blues by jumping fault-free in the first round over Ocala course designer Doug Russell’s inviting 1.40 meter course of 14 jumping efforts and two combinations. First to...

Charlie Jayne and Playboy jump to victory in the $25,000 SmartPak Grand Prix (ESI Photography) Ocala, Fla. - The first Grand Prix of the HITS Ocala Winter Circuit took place Thursday in the Ocala Horse Properties Stadium. The $25,000 SmartPak Grand Prix is a qualifier for the Hits Triple Crown of Show Jumping, which includes three $1 million classes later this year. Riders vied for the prize money, sponsored by SmartPak, and a chance to qualify for the Triple Crown over Doug Russell’s...

Scott Stewart and A Million Reasons (SportFot) Wellington, Fla. - For the second week in a row Dr. Betsee Parker's A Million Reasons, ridden by Scott Stewart, has taken home championship honors in the Wrenwood Farms High Performance Working Hunters. This was A Million Reasons second show in the High Performance Working Hunters, having done the Second Year Green Hunters last year. "She [A Million Reasons] is a really good jumper, a great mover, beautiful, big stride. She's like the...