John French entered last week’s $10,000 Devoucoux Hunter Derby as a heavy favorite, and during the popular two-round classic, he showed exactly why when he captured the top two places in the class to conclude a fabulous week during Desert Circuit V at the HITS Desert Horse Park, in Thermal, CA. French, from Gilroy, CA, took the top placing aboard Lisa Martinez-Bates' Brego and was also second aboard Yellow Dog, LLC's Crown Affair en route to collecting $5,000 in prize money for the afternoon....

Photo by Robbi Meisel (Catherine Rinehart and Primera) While Hollywood may be buzzing about Oscar nominees’ skills on the big screen, the fourth week of the 2010 Gulf Coast Winter was dedicated to honoring the talent and elegance of show hunters with two big events held at the Harrison County Equestrian grounds. Friday morning began with the $10,000 Chronicle of Horse /United States Hunter Jumper Association (USHJA) International Hunter Derby presented by Dietrich Insurance. It all started with...

Nicole Shahinian Simpson and Tristan (Randi Muster/Mustphoto.com) Wellington, FL – Twenty-two horses remained in the USEF Selection Trials for the US Show Jumping Team for the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games and they contested their fifth and final Trial as part of the $150,000 CN US Open at the FTI Winter Equestrian Festival. A total of 55 horses tackled Guilherme Jorge’s course in the second feature event of CSIO Wellington week and the competition proved fierce. A difficult related...

Randi Muster/Mustphoto, Inc. (Richard Spooner and Cristallo) Wellington, FL – The test of endurance which serves as the USEF Selection Trials for the US Show Jumping Team for the Alltech 2010 FEI World Equestrian Games continued with the fourth round of jumping in the International Arena at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center. Twenty-six American horses jumped in the penultimate Trial and clear rounds continued to prove very valuable. There were four clear rounds and three that added...

Richard Spooner and Cristallo (Randi Muster/Mustphoto.com ) Wellington, FL – More than halfway home in the USEF Selection Trials for the US Show Jumping Team for the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games and clear rounds are at a premium. McLain Ward and Rothchild won the Third Selection Trial presented by Fidelity Investments with the fastest time, but Richard Spooner found himself on top of the Selection Trials standings after a masterful round in blustery conditions with Cristallo....

Photo by Robbi Meisel (Wilhelm Genn and Chantal) Lebanon, OH-based Wilhelm Genn had a stellar second week at the 2010 Gulf Coast Winter Classics with victories in both Thursday’s $5,000 Welcome Open Jumper Stake aboard Happy Z and Sunday’s $25,000 Gulf Coast Grand Prix with Laura Ryan-Barnaclo’s Chantal. Deciding the path this week’s jumpers would take was one of the sport’s most revered course designers, Michel Vaillancourt, who began testing their limits on Thursday with a curvy 15-effort...

Photo by Randi Muster (Pablo Barrios and Simply The Best) Pablo Barrios of Venezuala was able to score two wins on Wednesday, February 17, at the FTI Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF) in the Young Jumper Championship (YJC) classes in two age divisions. When up on Simply The Best, owned by Joaquina Barrios, he was victorious in the $1,000 YJC Five-Year-Old Time First Round. Asta Torokvei of Toronto, ON, Canada, and Chabadue, owned by Westhaven Farm, led the way in the $1,500 YJC Six-Year-Old Time...

Randi Muster (Leah Schwendeman and Gisele.) The 2010 FTI Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF) had a great fifth week of competition on February 10-14. The week featured the $150,000 FEI World Cup, CSI*** presented by Spy Coast Farm, along with a full schedule of hunter, jumper, and equitation classes. The week five title sponsor was Spy Coast Farm. Along with their week five title sponsorship, Spy Coast Farm was the presenting sponsor of the $150,000 FEI World Cup, CSI*** on Saturday, February 13,...

Photo Courtesy JRPR (Lauren Sammis, left, won the FEI Test of Choice aboard High Field’s Casimirov, owned by Paula Runnells.) Courtney King-Dye and Grandioso III, owned by Hampton Green Farms, turned in an award-winning ride in the Intermediaire II class at the Wellington Classic Dressage Spring Challenge CDI. The class was sponsored by Sho Clothes, and King-Dye and Grandioso rode away with a beautiful scrim from the upscale dressage boutique in Wellington that specializes in the latest and...

Photo by Robbi Meisel (Taylor Adams and Kassandra) Ocala, FL-based Taylor Adams began the curtain calls for the 2010 Jacksonville Winter Series on Friday evening with a big win in the $10,000 Bruning Equitation Classic, presented by the Jerry Parks Insurance Group. Adams partnered with the Devon Walther owned Kassandra bested a field of 15 over an intricate layout of 11 obstacles co-designed by international great Pierre Jolicoeur and Joe Carnicom. The course zig-zagged the length of the...