Waco, Texas. - For the first time this season, South Carolina is the nation’s No. 1 collegiate equestrian team according to the latest national team rankings from the National Collegiate Equestrian Association, as determined by the NCEA Selection Committee and announced on Tuesday. Following a pair of Baylor losses and a South Carolina win against Auburn, the Gamecocks move into the No. 1 spot for the first time this year. Georgia, which defeated Texas A&M on Saturday, moves to No. 2....

Matt Mills riding Mia Little Whiz (Kirkbride Photography) Scottsdale, Ariz . – The first of two remaining qualifying opportunities in the United States, the Sun Circuit FEI Concours de Reining International (CRI3***) offered another day of action-packed Reining. Sanctioned by the International Equestrian Federation, the United States Equestrian Federation and USA Reining, and offering a valuable and vital qualifying opportunity for US Riders to advance to the Official Team Selection...

Tokyo, Japan – The U.S. Para Dressage Team saw its first two combinations head down the center line at Equestrian Park in Tokyo, Japan, opening the first day of equestrian competition at the Paralympic Games Tokyo 2020. Beatrice de Lavalette and Clarc were the first combination to contest the Grade II Individual Test in the main stadium, earning a 70.265 percent, while Kate Shoemaker and Solitaer 40 closed out the evening of competition with a 70.854 percent as the last combination in the...

Aachen, Germany – The Land Rover U.S. Eventing Team passed the horse inspection on Thursday and is poised for competition at the Aachen CICO3*. Led by Chef d'Equipe David O’Connor, the team will include Matt Brown , Hannah Sue Burnett , Phillip Dutton , and Lauren Kieffer . The U.S. will look to build on the momentum from last week’s Land Rover Great Meadow International presented by Adequan® CICO3*, where the U.S. captured the Gold medal in North America’s first...

Brianne Goutal and Nice De Prissey (Rebecca Walton) North Salem, NY - On a perfect day in front of a sold-out crowd of over 4,000, 25-year-old Brianne Goutal added her name to the historical list of riders who have won the $200,000 American Gold Cup CSI4*-W, Presented by Suncast. Thirty-six entries gathered at Old Salem Farm for the international jumping competition, but it was Goutal and her talented mount Nice De Prissey that scored the winning honors after executing a quick and accurate...

Raul de Leon was awarded the designation of Master Instructor by the American Riding Instructors Association (ARIA) in July. A former Cuban junior jumping champion, de Leon furthered his career in the U.S., working closely with former United States Equestrian Team coach Bertalan de Nemethy and eventually settling on Long Island. From 1994 to 1990, de Leon served as co-director of the Westmoreland Davis Equestrian Institute at Morven Park with his friend and former student, 1976 Olympic...

Conor Swail Aboard Simba De La Roque (Curtis Wallis) New Albany, Ohio – The luck of the Irish strikes again as an Irishman wins the $125,000 New Albany Classic for the second year in a row. This year, Conor Swail and his 9-year-old chestnut gelding Simba De La Roque emerged from an eight rider jump-off to win the Authentic Cup at the 18th annual New Albany Classic held at the Wexner home in New Albany, Ohio. Swail held on despite a thrilling challenge from Beezie Madden, who is currently...

McLain Ward and Pjotter van de Zonnehoeve. (Sportfot©.) Wellington, FL - Saturday night at the FTI Winter Equestrian Festival featured an exciting victory for McLain Ward (USA) and Pjotter Van De Zonnehoeve in the $78,000 Fidelity Investments® CSI 2* Grand Prix. The class was held on a beautiful Florida evening under the lights at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center. Riders representing 12 different countries made up the international field this evening, showing over a course...

Gladstone, NJ - The following modifications have been made to the Rolex/USEF Show Jumping Ranking List in italics and are effective January 1, 2011. Placing Points for Multiple Horses: Currently only a rider's designated Ranking List horse receives Placing Points. All horses will now receive Placing Points, but the rider will only receive the Placing Points from his designated Ranking List horse. Determining Second Classes: The Ranking List Guidelines state that, except for CSIO's, a maximum of...

www.flickr.com/photos/skodak (Rio de Janeiro) The International Olympic Committee (IOC) has elected Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, as the host city of the Games of the XXXI Olympiad in 2016 during its 121st Session in Copenhagen, Denmark. Rio de Janeiro received 66 votes compared to Madrid’s 32 in the final round of voting. IOC President Jacques Rogge congratulated Rio de Janeiro on its election and praised the high quality of the bid, “I would like to congratulate the city of Rio de...