The Kentucky National Horse Show was held September 16-20 at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, KY. Lucille Oken Wins Grand Slam with Land's End Mad Hatter Lucille Oken and Land's End Mad Hatter were unstoppable at this year's Kentucky National Indoor Horse Show. The pair completed a clean sweep of the Large Pony Hunter division, taking home each of the blue ribbons and the championship award. Oken rides at her family's Hi Hopes Farm in Charlotte, NC, with trainers Steve Heinecke and Jeff...

I'm here at the beautiful Kentucky Horse Park (KHP) in Lexington, Kentucky, for my third Arabian Sporthorse National (affectionately known as SHN)--although it is the seventh anniversary of the event splitting off from US Nationals to give sport horses a chance to shine all on their own. This year is the first that SHN has been held at the KHP, and boy are the gums flapping about the facility! Walking around the park, you'll pass one group oohing and aahing about how beautiful it is and...

The Grand Prix of Los Angeles on September 19 was nothing short of spectacular as it opened with a live performance by Mishavonna, an American Idol Semi-Finalist, the National Anthem performed by a duet of violinists, and then there was the grand prix itself. After the exciting opening ceremonies, the crowd was primed for an exhilarating night of world-class show jumping, and the riders did not disappoint them. However, course designer Leopoldo Palacios made sure the riders worked for the...

Lexington, KY - The first of two 2009 Platinum Performance/USEF Talent Search Champions was named at the Los Angeles International Horse Show on September 2 Theo Boris Wins Platinum Performance/ USEF Talent Search Finals - West (AC Custom Photo) 0. Theodore Boris claimed the Finals -West title on the strength of his consistent performance in the Final Ride-Off Phase - where the top four competitors after the first 3 phases start even, ride their own horse, then each of the other’s mount...

Lexington, KY – Tucker Johnson staked his claim to a top spot in next year’s Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games with an impressive third place finish out of 25 teams at the CAI-A4 Donaueschingen in Germany. Driving in an international competition for the first time since the World Championships in Beesd 2008, Johnson won the dressage, finished eighth in the marathon but retained third place overall with a strong performance in the cones. In a strong field, which included two former world...

Dr. Cesar Parra and Lori Washton’s 13-year-old KWPN gelding, Olympia proved that good things come in threes at the 2009 New England Dressage Association Fall Festival CDI-W/Y/J. The pair went three for three winning the Prix St. Georges, Intermediaire I, and the Intermediaire Freestyle. Parra and Olympia finished the weekend with an exciting victory in the Intermediaire Freestyle with a score of 74.5%. The freestyle performance was fun, and the spectators showed their appreciation by clapping...

Dressage trainer Todd Flettrich and his mount, Otto, owned by Cherry Knoll Farm, made their competitive debut in the United States this weekend at the New England Dressage Association's (NEDA) Fall Festival, held September 9-13, in Saugerties, NY. After spending three months in Germany training with Olympic Gold medalist Hubertus Schmidt, Flettrich and Otto returned to Cherry Knoll Farm's Pennsylvania location just one week prior to the Saugerties competition, and went on to win the CDI Grand...

Photo by Javan Schaller/Courtesy AHA (Patrick Swayze and Tammen) Patrick Swayze, a passionate and valued member of the Arabian horse community died from pancreatic cancer complications at the age of 57. Swayze was known to most as a dancer and actor in films such as “Dirty Dancing,” “Roadhouse” and “Ghost.” To the Arabian horse community he was an accomplished and giving horseman. An active participant at Arabian shows throughout the late '80s and early...

Lexington, KY – Somehow Sapphire keeps getting better. Already the owner of two Olympic Team Gold medals from 2004 and 2008 with rider McLain Ward, the 14-year-old Belgian mare continues to add Sapphire and McLain Ward (Anthony Trollope/stockimageservices.com ) accolades to her sparkling resume across the globe. This time it was the CN International at the Spruce Meadows Masters. One of the most prestigious (and richest – worth $1m CAD) Grand Prixes on the planet, Sapphire and Ward...

This past weekend, Canterbury Farm in Hampshire, IL, hosted a clinic for the United States Hunter Jumper Association (USHJA) Emerging Athletes Program. Held on Saturday, September 5, and Sunday, September 6, the clinic was conducted by renowned equestrians Melanie Smith Taylor and Ray Texel. Diane Carney of Hampshire, IL, was the on-site coordinator for the event, which was a Level II Training Session. The clinic was part of the Emerging Athletes Program, an educational program that focuses on...