(Paws and Rewind, LLC) Skillman, NJ - Twenty fiver horses and riders took on Alan Wade's course Sunday in the $30,000 Grand Prix of Princeton. Five clear rounds were produced. Faults came in a few places, but the majority faulted at the challenging triple combination. Laura Chapot looked unbeatable aboard the super fast Umberto. Chelsea Moss and Lorena 90 would prove it could be done and took over the lead with an amazing round that got the crowd cheering. Laura and Umberto finished in...

Los Angeles, California - After placing second in last year’s Platinum Performance/USEF Show Jumping Talent Search Finals West, 15-year-old Olivia Champ (Karen Healey and Michelle Morris, trainers) came back to win it all this year. “This is the most fun day at the horse show and the most amazing final in the entire country,” Champ remarked. “This final is really important to me because it really tests you as a rider and it’s all about how you can ride a jumper...

Meagan Nusz and Dynamo (Phelps Media Group) Lexington, KY - It took precise riding and a talented mount to be at the top of the standings during today's $75,000 Commonwealth Grand Prix at the Kentucky Spring Horse Shows. Richard Jeffery's challenging track yielded only two clear rounds, but set the stage for a speedy jump-off between Meagan Nusz and Reed Kessler. Nusz had all the answers aboard Dynamo to capture the top honors. The duo clocked in just fractions ahead of Kessler, who was...

Nick Maupin is a 19-year-old student at the University of Wisconsin majoring in Business Marketing and plans to graduate in 2015. From Sussex, Wisconsin, he is on the five-gaited section of the 2012 U.S. Saddle Seat World Cup Team. It would not surprise any member of the Saddle Seat world to hear me say that the discipline is generally, along with Saddle Seat Equitation, a female dominated sport. Quite possibly the only time one will see a male majority in a class is in the Open divisions. Not...

Meg O'Mara and Vancouver Jacksonville, FL - The highly-anticipated third and final day of the first Southeast Medal Finals featured the ASPCA Mclay Region Three Finals. A group of 37 skilled riders determined to master Alan Rheinheimer's course competed for today's top prize. Traveling away from the in gate, the course opened with a bold oxer to oxer line. The track turned to the left and over a vertical on the far short end of the arena. From here the riders were asked to rollback to...

A final assessment has been carried out on the all-weather footing at Greenwich Park, and given approval by the FEI. Debbie Jevans, LOCOG Director of Sport, who was present at the assessment, commented: “With support from the FEI, the contractors and our own team have done a great job to get the make-up of the surface right, and we now believe this will be a world class surface for the equestrian athletes in a stunning Olympic venue.” The surface was changed after last year’s...

It takes a lot of people to keep our U.S. show on the road, so the first Barn Notes will be fairly basic introductions of the Dressage staff: Barn Manager Dougie Hannum first travelled with the U.S. Team in 1966 as a show jumping groom and he hasn't missed much over the last four decades. The first team horse he looked after was called Ilan, he belonged to James Paxton but Frank Chapot rode him on the team and Dougie was part of the deal. He was around when a jumping horse named Sloopy had...

USEF CEO John Long with Craig Ferrell, M.D. (Riders4Helmets.) Lexington, KY U.S. Equestrian Team Physician and Chair of the Federation Equestre Internationale (FEI) Medical Council, Craig Ferrell M.D, will be attending the International Olympic Committee International Federations’ Medical Commission Chairpersons Meeting in Monaco April 6, 2011. The meeting is for international sport federation national chairmen, and is sponsored by the IOC. Dr. Ferrell intends to provide updates during the...

Janne Rumbough. (Photo courtesy of JRPR.) Wellington, FL – Janne Rumbough and her PRE gelding JR proved to be an unstoppable team during the Wellington Classic Dressage Challenge II CDI when the duo captured the Adult Amateur High Score of the show. The victories kept rolling in for Rumbough when her high score helped her win the Everglades Dressage Adult Amateur High Score Award, sponsored by Everglades Dressage and Bethany Peslar. Rumbough was presented with a beautiful embroidered saddle...

Ocala, FL - Four United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) Driving National Championship titles are at stake at the 2011 CAI-B Live Oak in Ocala, FL, as Ponies (four-in-hand, singles and pairs) and Horse Pairs vie for top honors. The first phase of competition for the FEI classes - dressage - is now complete. Shelly Temple of Windsor, SC, put herself well ahead of the competition, winning the FEI Single Pony dressage with a score of 41.60. Driving her Morgan LR Ami B-Line, Temple was happy...