Lexington, KY - After claiming the first and second place honors in the $25,000 Hagyard Lexington Classic at the Kentucky Summer Horse Show, McLain Ward has taken over the lead in the 2011 Hagyard Challenge Series. The talented rider completed double clear rounds aboard Pjotter Van De Zonnehoeve and Vocas to earn valuable points towards the $45,000 Leading Rider Bonus. Ian Millar of Canada has moved into the second place position, having piloted Instyle and Star Power to fourth and fifth place...

Well, we finally made it to Lexington yesterday around noon. My dad and I came as the “advance crew” to make sure everything would be ready for our team’s horses when they got here. We got all the bedding and the stall signs put up and everything else we could think of. Mr. Randy had an ETA of around 1 A.M. As it sometimes happens, things did not go quite according to plan. They rolled into the park around 5 o’clock this morning, exhausted from the all-night drive. So,...

Qualifying has concluded, entries are in, and teams throughout the country are preparing for the upcoming 2011 Adequan FEI North American Junior & Young Rider Championships presented by Gotham North, to be held July 25 - 31, 2011 in Lexington, KY. A complete team of Juniors and Young Riders, for a total of eight competitors, have been named to represent Region 7 at this international championship, including: Young Rider Team: Mackenzie Pooley & Jonkara (Coto de Caza, CA) Ari Lopez &...

Lexington, KY - Qualifying has concluded, entries are in, and teams throughout the country are preparing for the upcoming 2011 Adequan FEI North American Junior & Young Rider Championships presented by Gotham North, to be held July 25 - 31, 2011 in Lexington, KY. A complete team of Juniors and Young Riders, for a total of eight competitors, have been named to represent Region 7 at this international championship, including: Young Rider Team: Mackenzie Pooley & Jonkara (Coto de Caza, CA)...

Oklahoma City, OK - A highlight of Thursday’s competition at the National Reining Horse Association (NRHA) Derby Show was the inaugural $15,000-added 7 & Up Non Pro Derby, which featured 25 entries aboard their experienced reining horses, age seven and older. Samantha Griffin of De Winton, Alberta, Canada, and Dun Playin Tag dominated the 7 & Up Non Pro Derby by scoring a 225 – 5.5 points ahead of the competition. The seven-year-old gelding, owned by her father Lance Griffin...

Eastern Selection Trial 5-year-old champion Lauren Chumley and Somer Hit (Photo by Pics of You). The Markel/USEF Young Horse Dressage Selection Trials 2011 qualifying season concluded last week at the Eastern Selection Trials in Leesburg, Va. The top five 5-year-olds and top five 6-year-olds that earned a minimum score of 7.8 from the three competitions will make up the short list of horses moving forward to the 2011 Markel/USEF Dressage National Championship at Lamplight in Wayne,...

Carson Kressley at Devon Horse Show. Devon, PA - Carson Kressley grew up near Devon outside of Allentown, PA, and has always had Saddlebred horses in his life. And quite frankly, wouldn't have it any other way. "I was really fortunate my family was in the Hackney Pony business. My Grandparents started in the 50's and my grandmother bought my dad a pony because he wanted one...but he really didn't want one, she wanted one. Then by the 70's the whole big pony boom they had about...

Reims, France - The USEF European Young Rider Tour continued its successful trip through Europe with another second-place finish in the Nations Cup at CSIOY Reims. Runners-up in Belgium the previous weekend, the Young Riders continued their successful European effort. Catherine Pasmore led off the U.S. team, rebounding from a 13-fault first round on My Boy to improve to eight faults in round two. Karen Polle rode With Wings in the second position to a six-fault effort in the first round but...

Lexington, KY - Building on the success of National Helmet Awareness Day 2010, the popular helmet awareness campaign Riders4Helmets.com has announced plans to host International Helmet Awareness Day 2011 on Saturday, June 11. Riders4Helmets has teamed up with leading helmet manufacturers to offer discounts on helmets to equestrians via participating retailers globally on this day. More than 300 retailers in the U.S. and eight retailers Internationally offered discounts on helmets from eight...

The HSBC FEI Classics™ 2011, an exciting series linking five of the world’s top level events, begins in style today (Thursday 21 April - Monday 25 April) at the Mitsubishi Motors Badminton Horse Trials (GBR). The first crucial qualifier for the 2012 London Olympic Games has attracted arguably the strongest international field for many years with representatives from 11 nations and seven former winners entered. Three Americans are vying for the 2011 title, teammates from the Land...