Day two of the Paso Fino Horse Association Grand National Championship show was another fun-filled day of extremely full classes, plus lots of fun and entertainment. Near record entries had many classes running two or even three sections before bringing back the best in each section to choose the best of the group. In the Performance Geldings for Gold class, Artillero Arroyo Maraca owned by Dick Miller of Des Moines, IA, was victorious. In the huge Pleasure Mares class, La Gavlota De...

Elkton, Md. – Eventing athletes at the MARS Maryland 5 Star CCI5*-L and USEF CCI3*-L Eventing National Championship had their chance to tackle Ian Stark’s cross-country courses on Saturday. Windy and cool conditions helped keep the equine athletes energized to get around the undulating terrain at Fair Hill. Caroline Pamukcu and HSH Connor. ©Devyn Trethewey/US Equestrian USEF CCI3*-L Eventing National Championship Caroline Pamukcu (Springtown, Pa.) finished cross-country day...

San Juan Capistrano, Calif. - Always a test of mindfulness and skill, the four phases of the 2016 Platinum Performance/USEF Show Jumping Talent Search Finals - West illustrate the demands on a show jumper. Nineteen qualified riders began the finals on Friday, which after three phases were narrowed down to a final four who then demonstrated their abilities to ride a course on four different horses. Sitting on top going into the final phase, Peyton Warren (Rancho Murieta, Calif.) emerged as the...

Richard Spooner and Chivas Z (Sportfot) Wellington, Fla. - Week seven of the 2016 Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF), sponsored by Suncast®, concluded on Sunday featuring the $86,000 Suncast® 1.50m Championship Jumper Classic at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center (PBIEC) in Wellington, FL. The win went to Richard Spooner (USA) aboard Little Valley Farms' Chivas Z, with Eduardo Menezes (BRA) and Caruschka 2 in second, and Eric Lamaze (CAN) aboard Artisan Farms and Torrey...

Katie Dinan and Dougie Douglas (Sportfot) Wellington, Fla. - Week six of the 2016 Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF) concluded on Sunday at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center (PBIEC) in Wellington, FL, with hunter and jumper action across the show grounds. The $25,000 Artisan Farms U25 Grand Prix, sponsored by EnTrust Capital, as well as the $50,000 WEF 6 National Grand Prix, were both held on the derby field at The Stadium at PBIEC. The win in the U25 class went to Madison Goetzmann...

Chenoa McElvain and Coco Colette (c) Flying Horse Photography July 2, 2015 - Parker, CO - The Colorado Horse Park (CHP) saw another sunny day of competition in its manicured rings overlooking the iconic Rocky Mountains on Thursday. Continuing competition for Summer in the Rockies IV, the $20,000 Colorado Horse Park Open Welcome Stake saw 29 entries contest a complex course designed by Marina Azevedo. Competition for the week continues through Sunday, July 5. The time allowed for the Welcome...

Aaron Vale and Quidam's Good Luck (Kendall Bierer/Phleps Media Group) Lexington, KY – Capturing the first place finish was no easy feat during Saturday night’s $85,000 Mary Rena Murphy Grand Prix, sponsored by Audi of Lexington. Forty-four starters contended for the lion’s share of the earnings in the FEI CSI2* event, but when nine qualified for the jump-off, it came down to the wire. Besting the clock and the short course was Aaron Vale aboard Quidam’s Good Luck,...

San Juan Capistrano, Calif. - Amid a weekend packed full of equitation and young jumper finals, the $30,000 Markel Insurance Grand Prix saw twenty-five entries vying for the top prize on Saturday afternoon in the popular 1.40m highlight class. Course designer Anthony D'Ambrosio set a technical track with 16 efforts in a time allowed of 80 seconds. In designing the course for the last qualifying class before the $50,000+ Markel Insurance 1.40m Series Finals at the Las Vegas National in...

Boyd Martin and Shamwari 4 (Shannon Brinkman Photo) Le Pin-au-Haras, France – The second day of dressage wrapped up Friday for the FEI World Team and Individual Eventing Championship, with 43 combinations performing their tests before the Ground Jury of Gillian Rolton (AUS), James Alain (FRA), and Ernst Topp (GER). The Land Rover U.S. Eventing Team had a respectable day of dressage with Boyd Martin and Shamwari 4 leading the way. Kim Severson and Fernhill Fearless and Lynn Symansky and...

Shane Sweetnam and Bijzonder (Rebecca Walton/Phelps Media Group) Lexington, Ky. - Ireland's Shane Sweetnam is well known for helping produce top young mounts, and Thursday he showed how it is done with the 8-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding Bijzonder. When seven horses go double clear in the $25,000 Hagyard Lexington Classic, the only way to win is with speed, and although Bijzonder is just learning to go fast, he clearly has a knack for it. Sweetnam sped across the finish line two seconds...