Mark Watring and Green Sleeps Vioco. (Flying Horse Photography©.) Thermal, CA - Puerto Rico’s Mark Watring and Horseworks Etc. Inc’s Green Sleeps Vioco secured their first Grand Prix triumph of the circuit when they scored the top prize in Saturday’s $50,000 Purina Mills CSI-W Grand Prix, presented by Pfizer Animal Health, in the indoor arena at the HITS Desert Horse Park, in Thermal, CA. Last night’s triumph by Watring continued an impressive streak by the men competing at HITS Thermal as each...

Lexington, KY - The United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) has named the following vaulting athletes to the Definite Entry List for the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games to be held September 25-October 10, 2010, at the Kentucky Horse Park. The following vaulting athletes have been named to the U.S. Vaulting Team (in ranked order): Team Free Artists Creative Equestrians (F.A.C.E Team): Blake Dahlgren Mary Garrett Emily Hogye Mari Inouye Devon Maitozo Rosalind Ross Annalise VanVranken...

When 15-year-old Chelsea Dowdy entered one of Kentucky’s many county fairs in 2009 with El Diamante, she could feel their usual synergy. With all the fun she had, it was an easy decision to enter another. And another. By season’s end, they had not only claimed top honors and a collection of garlands and ribbons—they had amassed a respectable college fund totaling $10,799.31. That hefty chunk of change came courtesy of the Kentucky Breeders’ Incentive Fund (KBIF), earmarked for a...

The 64th Pennsylvania National Horse Show will host some of the biggest names in the sport of show jumping when it returns to the Pennsylvania State Farm Show Complex, October 8-17. McLain Ward, who made history at the Hampton Classic Horse Show by winning the $250,000 FTI Grand Prix and FEI World Cup Qualifier for a record fourth time on his two-time Olympic Team Gold-medal horse, Sapphire, and followed that with a win on Sapphire in the $1-million CN International Grand Prix at Spruce Meadows...

With great sadness, Mo and Jim Swanson of Rolling Stone Farm announce the passing of a World Champion dressage legend on August 11, 2009. The Hanoverian stallion Welcome S (World Cup I-Grebina/Grande) was euthanized in August 2009, due to infirmities of age. He was 22 years old. Welcome was owned by Jan van der Kamp and was managed by his daughter, Patricia Stemerdink of Dekstation de Havikerwaard in De Steeg, The Netherlands. The Swanson’s leased Welcome for breeding after a chance meeting in...

With a faultless show jumping round on the final day of competition at the Galway Downs International Horse Trials, Amy Tryon and Leyland claimed the Adequan/United States Eventing Association (USEA) Gold Cup as the winner of the CIC***. Tryon’s perfect round gave her a final a score of 51.6 penalties, enough to vault her from third to first after second-placed Kelly Prather lowered one rail on Ballinakill Glory (53.8) and third-placed Jolie Sexson lowered two rails on Killian O’Connor (55.7),...

Endurance riders from across the U.S. and Canada made their way to Louisville, KY, for the American Endurance Ride Conference’s 2008 convention, held February 20-21 at the Galt House Hotel. The convention, which included educational seminars, “hot topics” workshops, trade show, meetings for international competitors, a class for veterinarians, and a dance, concluded with a heartfelt and tearful national awards banquet. Suzy Kelley, a longtime endurance rider from Southern California, was taken...

It was a perfect day for the 2008 Olympic duo of Sharn Wordley and the brilliant Rockville, the winners of the Lucky Sevens Jumper Welcome Classic presented by ShowNet.biz on January 22. Wordley’s one mount bested 27 contenders for the top spot, including Wilhelm Genn, who dominated the circuit last year with his three mounts, Chantal, Loredo, and Happy Z. But as the sun began to set on the swift jump-off round, Wordley had survived the trials and tribulations put before them courtesy of course...

John French rode Tache Rouge to victory in front of an energetic crowd on Friday evening in the $10,000 ASG Software Solutions/USHJA International Hunter Derby, presented by Dietrich Insurance featuring Walsh Harness & Saddlery, to kick off an exciting season finale weekend at HITS Thermal. French, from Gilroy, CA, had the ride for owner Alison Baileys and collected $3,000 in first-place prize money. A field of 35 combinations in the first round were trimmed into a final round of 12 exhibitors...

Iron Spring Farm’s UB40 continues to make a name for himself in both North America and Europe. Two UB40 sons were selected for performance testing at the 2008 KWPN Stallion Keuring held in s’ Hertogenbosch last week. One three-year-old son bred by A.A. van de Koppel, Amigo out of Tolanda (Elite) by Krack C, finished in the reserve championship position in the dressage stallion category. Amigo is a beautiful, modern-type with a gorgeous head and neck and uphill build. The result is incredible...