Craig Schmersal and Tidal Wave Jack, Winners of the 2005 Adequan/USEF Open Reining Championship (Waltenberry Photography) Lexington, KY – With swift and calculated moves, amazing 360-degree spins and stop-on-a-dime sliding stops that left an unabashed crowd going wild, Craig Schmersal and Tidal Wave Jack claimed their landmark USEF Gold medal and trophy in one fell swoop at the 2005 Adequan/USEF Open Reining Championship on Saturday, August 27, at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington....

Jan Gyllensten (Riders at the Las Vegas World Invitational will compete for $1-million in prize money.) Officials of the Las Vegas World Invitational (LVWI) announced the international field of 25 top-ranked riders who were invited to compete for $1-million in prize money, show jumping's richest purse, on October 14-15, at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas. Seven riders were invited from the United States, seven from Germany, three from Great Britain, two from Switzerland and one...

Bob Langrish (Laura Kraut and Anthem at Hickstead.) Kraut wins Queen Elizabeth Cup, Welles wins King George V Cup, U.S. Team second in Nations Cup, Madden wins Longines Prize for Elegance (Lexington, KY) – Despite what U.S. Chef d’Equipe George Morris calls a “bittersweet show,” the United States’ show jumping riders staged a spectacular performance in Hickstead this past weekend, demonstrating that they remain a solid world power with which to be reckoned. They...

Photos.com (The city of Hong Kong, China. ) The Secretary for Home Affairs, Dr. Patrick Ho, welcomed the International Olympic Committee's decision to name Hong Kong as the venue for the equestrian events at the 2008 Beijing Olympics. The announcement came on June 8. Dr. Ho also thanked the Beijing Organizing Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad (BOCOG) for its confidence in Hong Kong. "I believe that Hong Kong people are taking a favorable and positive view towards this...

Courtesy www.london2012.com (Historic Greenwich Park will host the equestrian events in 2012.) International Olympic Committee President Jacques Rogge has announced that London will host the 2012 Olympic Games and Paralympic Games. The news was greeted with huge cheers as thousands of people packed into Trafalgar Square to watch the result live on giant video screens. Heather Small kick-started the party with a live performance of the bid anthem "Proud," backed by singers from London community...

SusanJStickle.com (George Williams and Rocher) Gladstone, NJ – George Williams of Delaware, Ohio and his comeback mount Rocher (1991 Westfalen mare), have made their way to the center of the national stage, claiming the title at the 2005 Collecting Gaits Farm/USEF National Grand Prix Dressage Championship, Presented by Paul Miller Auto Group, Inc. on Friday. Clear favorites from the start, the pair earned a 70.333% in the USEF Grand Prix on Thursday, a 73.84% in the USEF Grand Prix...

Lili Weik Photography Jimmy Torano and Marcel - Winners of the $150,000 Rolex/USEF National Show Jumping Championship (Lili Weik Photography) Saugerties, NY – With only one time fault to speak of in the second round of Sunday’s competition, Jimmy Torano of Ft. Lauderdale, Florida, and his mount Marcel, out-jumped 14 competitors to take home the Championship trophy, $30,000 in prize money, and the elegant Rolex watch at the $150,000 Rolex/USEF National Show Jumping Championship in...

www.BobTarr.com (Currency DC and Susan Dutta captured the five-year-old division at the USEF/Markel Young Horse Dressage Eastern Selection Trials Championship.) The USEF/Markel Young Horse Dressage Program continued this past weekend with the third of three official Selection Trials at CDI Three-Star/Y Raleigh and Capital Dressage Classic, held June 3–5 in Raleigh, NC. This USEF/Markel Young Horse Dressage Eastern Selection Trial for the FEI World Breeding Championships showcased the...

Courtesy of Karina Benish (Karina and Hawkeye) He was the ugliest male I had ever seen in my life. He had a bloody wound on his nose, hair six inches long on his chest, and he weighed about 700-800 pounds—400 shy of his best weight. His name was Hawkeye, and he was my partner for more than 14 years. Hawkeye was a mustang horse, and it was he who taught me what it is to trust. Horses, in my opinion, given good care and a little attention, are high up in Maslow’s hierarchy. Since...

Bob Langrish (Schuyler Riley on Ilian during the Samsung Super League competition in Rome, Italy.) Samsung Super League at Rome, Italy Rome, Italy – It was another close-call head-on attack by U.S. lady riders in a near-repeat performance that ended with a strong second place finish in Rome, Friday. Together, Beezie Madden, Anne Kursinski, Schuyler Riley and Laura Kraut gave us something to cheer about again—a performance that now puts them in a face-off challenge with Great...