Lexington, KY - To reach the highest level of excellence in equestrian sport requires talent, perseverance, a tremendous spirit and often, unwavering courage. In 2012, six horses have shown the world those qualities and more. On January 18, the United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) will bestow two of them with the prestigious title of Horse of the Year, the highest honor the USEF awards a horse. Again this year both a national and international horse will win. The six champions have earned...

Small but mighty: pony "Donar's Diablo" won the CDS Training Level Open Horse of the Year title, with rider Kelly Phillips and owner Kim Crandall. (Jennifer M. Keeler) Burbank,CA - Final championship ribbons were presented Sunday in Burbank, CA for the 45th Anniversary California Dressage Society Championship Show Presented By HorseShow.com, held in conjunction with the CDS Young Horse Futurity (including the Cal-Bred Futurity), the Great American Insurance Group/USDF Region 7 Dressage...

Dr. Sam Shaw, Vice President, Natural Gas Policy Development, Encana Natural Gas presenting the winners’ cheque to Kent Farrington. (Spruce Meadows Media Services) Calgary, AB - 61,410 fans visited Spruce Meadows Friday to enjoy championship sport. The $100,000 Encana Cup saw 34 horse/rider combinations move through the course designed by Leopoldo Palacios (VEN). Over the 575 meter course with 16 jumping efforts, 4 combinations moved through to the jump off. Kent Farrington (USA) saw his 7th...

Stamford, UK - The Land Rover U.S. Eventing Team showed that the future is bright claiming two spots within the top ten at The Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials. Sunday proved to be an influential day of Show Jumping as the leaderboard saw a huge shake-up from top to bottom. Sinead Halpin and Allison Springer put a summer’s worth of training in England, thanks to Land Rover Competition and Training Grants, to the test producing classy efforts throughout the week to claim second and sixth...

Bridgehampton, NY - McLain Ward is hard to beat at the Hampton Classic Horse Show. On Friday afternoon Ward rode Pjotter Van De Zonnehoeve to victory in the $50,000 Spy Coast Farm/Young Horse Show Series Grand Prix Qualifier, and he grabbed third place on Antares F. As the third rider to start in the 13-horse jump-off, Ward, on Antares F, stopped the timers just 0.02 seconds short of the mark Kent Farrington had set right before him on Venus (42.26 seconds). Four more riders tried and failed to...

Breda, The Netherlands - Competition at the 2012 FEI World Para-Equestrian Driving Championships for Singles commenced Thursday at the Outdoor Brabant in Breda, The Netherlands. All three competitors on the U.S. Team successfully completed their dressage tests and the team sits in 4th place on a score of 124.0 Veteran Diane Kastama's 57.40 was the best score of the day for the Americans and it has her tied for 13th individually. Kastama (Arroyo Grande, CA), who is driving the de Ronde's...

Para-equestrian drivers and their supporters enjoyed some time off and toured the Hague on Monday. They got an up-close look at Queen Beatrix's Golden Coach Breda, The Netherlands - International para-equestrian drivers are in Breda, The Netherlands right now ready to compete at the 2012 FEI World Para-Equestrian Driving Championships for Singles. The first vet check took place Wednesday and the three horses that will be driven by Americans passed with ease. Athletes schooled in dressage today...

Lexington, KY - The best vaulters from across the U.S. are ready to begin competition at the FEI World Vaulting Championship at the Pole Europeen du Cheval in Le Mans, France from August 16-19, 2012. Vaulters will be vying for World Championship titles in the Individual Female, Individual Male, Pas de Duex, and Team competitions. The recently crowned Gold Individual Female National Vaulting Champion Mary McCormick (Woodside, CA) hopes to continue her success in France. Having also won the...

Mary McCormick, winner of the Gold Individual Female Championships (Lynne Owens/VaultingPhotos.com) Lexington, KY - Top vaulters from throughout the U.S. flocked to the Alltech Arena at the Kentucky Horse Park to stake their claim on 2012 USEF/AVA National Vaulting Championship honors, August 2-5, 2012. A total of 10 national titles were on the line, as Gold, Silver and Bronze sections were held in Individual Female and Male Championships. Additionally, National Championship competition was...

Lexington, KY- The excitement of vaulting comes to the Lexington this weekend with the USEF/AVA National Vaulting Championships being contested August 2-5, 2012 at the Kentucky Horse Park. A total of 10 USEF national titles will be up for grabs this weekend as the best vaulters from across the United States descend upon the Alltech Arena. This is the same venue that hosted the 2010 Vaulting World Championships as part of the Alltech/FEI World Equestrian Games, where the U.S. claimed the Gold...