Mark Jungherr and Conte Couleur won the $30,000 Manchester & The Mountains Grand Prix on August 6 at the Vermont Summer Festival in East Dorset, VT. (Andrew Ryback Photography) East Dorset, Vt. – Mark Jungherr of Amesbury, MA, riding Conte Couleur was victorious in the $30,000 Manchester & The Mountains Grand Prix on Saturday, August 6, during week five of the Vermont Summer Festival. The Vermont Summer Festival runs for six consecutive weeks from July 5 through August 14, 2016,...

Piber Köflach, Austria – Torrential rains on Friday afternoon made for slick spots and deep footing in the marathon obstacles on Saturday at the 2016 FEI World Driving Championships for Singles, proving difficult for the U.S. combinations. Sterling Graburn is the top American in the overall standings in 51st place, while Donna Crookston was the top U.S. finisher in the marathon phase in 51st place in the field of 74 combinations. The U.S. Driving Team of Crookston, Graburn, and Suzy...

Laura Chapot and Quointreau Un Prince on their way to a $25,000 SmartPak Grand Prix win. (ESI Photography) Saugerties, N.Y. - A big day of elite competition commenced with Friday’s $25,000 SmartPak Grand Prix. An accomplished field of forty-five tested the course set by Mark McGowan of Kilmarnock, Great Britain, but only one could take home the blue ribbon. There is no slowing down when the Chapot’s are in town. Rider, Laura Chapot, and her mother and trainer, Mary Chapot, have been...

Piber Köflach, Austria – Following the second day of driven dressage at the 2016 FEI World Driving Championships for Singles, the U.S. Driving Team of Donna Crookston, Suzy Stafford, and Sterling Graburn sits in third place with a score of 105.4. Stafford leads the way for the U.S. contingent, sitting in second place with PVF Peace of Mind, with two other U.S. drivers, Graburn and individual Leslie Berndl, in the top 20. Stafford (Wilmington, Del.) had a stellar test with her own PVF...

Benjamin Meredith and Anabelle 28 (Lauren Baker/Phelps Media Group) Lexington, Ky. - Following an intense jump-off race during Thursday's $25,000 Hagyard Lexington Classic, it was Benjamin Meredith who bested the field of horses and riders to celebrate the win aboard Shader Sporthorses LLC's Anabelle 28. "She did a fantastic job tonight," Meredith said. "I was very impressed. I started riding her again at the end of Florida this season so it's only been about five months. This is...

Piber Köflach, Austria – The 2016 FEI World Driving Championships for Singles got underway Thursday with the first of two days of driven dressage. The U.S. contingent is off to a solid start with Donna Crookston, Suzy Stafford, and Leslie Berndl performing polished tests. Stafford and PVF Peace of Mind currently lead the international field with a score of 49.34. Suzy Stafford and PVF Peace of Mind (Krisztina Horváth/Hoefnet.com) Stafford (Wilmington, Del.) had an excellent test with...

Beesd, The Netherlands – Stefanie Putnam is the sole U.S. representative at the 2016 FEI World Para-Driving Championships, but she is up for the challenge as she makes her World Championship debut. She will compete against competitors from six other nations in the Grade I division as she aims for a solid performance. Putnam (Lafayette, Calif.) grew up riding hunters and jumpers and was also the captain of the Cal Poly Tech polo team. She suffered a spinal cord injury that left her...

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...

Piber Köflach, Austria – The U.S. Driving Team has settled in at the picturesque Austrian venue for the 2016 FEI World Driving Championships for Singles, taking place August 3-7. Under the guidance of Chef d’Equipe Michael Freund and Team Coach Thorsten Zarembowicz, the team of Donna Crookston, Sterling Graburn, and Suzy Stafford, along with individual Leslie Berndl, aims for top performances. A total of 23 countries are represented in the championship, giving the U.S....

This is stressful. Sitting in the Team tack room watching a procession of athletes destroying our supplies of snacks, drinks, and other culinary delights: Clearly they do not get fed at home and this is an enjoyable adventure for them. Ok, I get it, they and the grooms are who matter most but all the bottles and snacks were lined up in regimental rows and now a tornado has destroyed the illusion of order. Rewind. Monday morning (Europe time) Clan Dressage deployed to Rio; horses from Liege...