Photo by Flashpoint Photography (Elizabeth Boyd and Brunello.) The summer season arrived early with plenty of sunshine and blue skies to kick off two weeks of heated competition at the Georgia International Horse Park. “This has been some start-up week—great weather, exciting competition, and new class debuts!” said Bob Bell, president of the Classic Company. Week one was designated a World Championship Hunter Rider (WCHR) event and as such hosted both the United States HUnter Jumper...

Equestrians showing their support for the campaign. (l-r) Leigh Ann, USEF; Samantha Clark, 2010 Radio Show; Event Rider Cathy Wieschhoff; Dressage Rider Reese Koffler-Stanfield; Glenn Hebert, 2010 Radio Show, and Lyndsey White, Freedom Health. The riders4helmets campaign, operated by helmet advocate Jeri Bryant and supported by SUCCEED®, has organized a National Helmet Awareness Day endorsed by the United States Equestrian Federation, to be held on July 10, 2010. riders4helmets has teamed up...

The US wins big in Rotterdam (Erin Cowgill) Lexington, KY – The US Show Jumpers bounced back from two disappointments on the Meydan FEI Nations Cup to storm to the win at CSIO Rotterdam. The second tour of riders for the US, jumping in their first Meydan Nations Cup of the year, they delivered with phenomenal jumping and stopped the French sweep finishing on a score of zero. Their win was convincing over the British who finished on 7 faults. Lauren Hough proved a dominant pathfinder for the US...

Photo by ESI Photography (Kelsey Hart and Agostino in the $10,000 Devoucoux Hunter Derby. ) Kelsey Hart continued to break the hearts of the other exhibitors competing in the $10,000 Devoucoux Hunter Derby when she rode her horse Agostino to the top prize in Saturday's feature class for hunters at HITS-on-the-Hudson, in Saugerties, NY. The Junior Rider from Albany, NY, rode against 30 other starters on a course set by Rian Beals. In the first round, Hart scored a 77.5, which put her in fourth...

Photo by Flying Horse Photography (Martel and Jenny Karazissis.) The hunters were stellar on a surprisingly cool Saturday in San Juan Capistrano. Forty-one competitors galloped around the $10,000 USHJA International Hunter Derby course with 14 returning for the Handy Round. Jenny Karazissis piloted Martel (Star Lane Farms, owner) with poise, winning both rounds for the top prize. The first round included 11 efforts, with four 4’ options. The course flowed smoothly, not too many trouble spots,...

Photo by Lauren Fisher/PMG (Lisa Goldman and Morocco won the $10,000 SJHOF High Junior/AO Jumper Classic.) It was a fantastic day for 21-year-old Denise Wilson of Oconomowoc, WI, and Blue Gate Farm LLC's Life is Life 15 when the pair raced to victory in Saturday afternoon's $30,000 Showplace Productions Grand Prix. Held in the beautiful Grand Prix Ring at the Lamplight Equestrian Center in Wayne, IL, the grand prix was the first of three in the 2010 Showplace Spring Spectacular Horse Show...

Lexington, KY - The United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) has named Eirin Bruheim to represent the United States at the first Youth Olympic Games in Singapore August 14-26, 2010. The Youth Olympic Games will feature 3,000 athletes from 205 nations in 26 different sports, including Equestrian, which will be represented by Jumping. Like the Olympic Games, athletes will participate in Opening and Closing Ceremonies, and live in the Youth Olympic Games Village. The Youth Olympic Games will be...

The Portola Valley Training Center in Menlo Park, CA was the site of the June 5-6 Selection Trials for teams hoping to represent the US at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games. It was a celebration of top vaulting and Woodside Vaulters' 20th anniversary as a vaulting club. Again, the team competition was fierce. All five declared teams were present and the top two repeated the last trial's placings. FACE topped the leader board with an impressive overall score of 8.272, an improvement of more...

Hunters had a big week at the High Prairie Farms Spring Final. More than 20 horse-and-rider combinations competed in the $2,500 United States Hunter Jumper Association National Hunter Classic on a perfect May evening in the main hunter ring. When it was all over, Libby Copeland claimed the championship riding Remember When (Jennifer Wallen, owner). Copeland, a Kansas City native, rides and trains out of Michael Dennehy’s Bridlewood Farms. She has been there for a little more than a year after...

Photo by James Leslie Parker (Laura Chapot.) Laura Chapot took top honors at the Devon Horse Show and Country Fair, winning the Open Jumper Championship on Bradberry with 30 points and also taking the Leading Open Jumper Rider title for the fourth time in six years, and the fifth time overall. Along with her four wins in the Open Jumper division that counted towards the leading Rider title, Chapot also won two six-year-old classes and a seven-year-old class for an unprecedented seven jumper...