Lexington, Ky. - Horses and riders danced the day away in the Alltech Arena in six freestyle championship divisions during the inaugural US Dressage Finals presented by Adequan® at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, KY. Despite facing some of the best horses and riders in their divisions from across the country, competitors rose to the challenge in their quest for national titles while also gaining the experience of a lifetime. In the Third Level Freestyle Championship, Region 1 rider...

McLain Ward and Rothchild charge over the GroupBy oxer to take the $100,000 Hickstead FEI World CupTM Grand Prix (Ben Radvanyi) Toronto, Ont. – In a masterful display of horsemanship, America’s McLain Ward (Brewster, NY) and Rothchild blazed a path to victory tonight in the Ricoh Coliseum, taking top honours in the $100,000 Hickstead FEI World CupTM Grand Prix presented by GroupBy for the fifth time in his career. "The Hickstead class” as it is now known, was renamed to honour...

Buck Davidson and Petite Flower, winners of the CCI3* at the Galway Downs International Three-Day Event. (Amy McCool photo) Temecula, Calif. - Almost nothing about the Galway Downs International Three-Day Event worked out like Buck Davidson expected. Except that he came here from Pennsylvania to win the CCI3*, and he did, on Petite Flower, scoring 59.2 penalties. Jolie Wentworth rode GoodKnight to second place (59.7) and Liz Halliday-Sharp rode HHS Cooley to third place (61.6). Davidson also...

Lillie Keenan piloted Clearway to the 2013 ASPCA Alfred B. Maclay Finals Championship at the Alltech National Horse Show (Shawn McMillan Photography) Lexington, Ky. - In many ways, it came as no surprise when the champion of the 2013 ASPCA Alfred B. Maclay National Finals was announced as Lillie Keenan of New York, NY. The young phenom has been at the top of the sport since she was a pony rider, and this has been an exceptional year for her career. It began with the 2013 North American Junior...

Buck Davidson on Petite Flower, leader of the CCI3* at the Galway Downs International Three-Day Event. (Amy McCool photo) Temecula, Calif., - Just as he was after dressage, Buck Davidson is still the leader of the CCI3* at the Galway Downs International Three-Day Event. But it’s on a different horse. Following yesterday’s dressage phase, Davidson stood first on The Apprentice, second on Absolute Liberty, and seventh on Petite Flower. But on today’s cross-country course, The...

Katie Dinan and Nougat Du Vallet soared to the $250,000 Alltech National Horse Show Grand Prix victory in a four-horse jump off (Shawn McMillen Photography) Lexington, Ky. - The demanding coursework required of a Harvard University student is enough to keep anyone busy. Now imagine adding competing at the international grand prix level to that schedule. Juggling the two is hectic, but for Katie Dinan it is paying off in a big way. Dinan flew in for the Alltech National Horse Show on Wednesday,...

Francois Mathy and Polinska Des Isles (Shawn McMillen Photography) Lexington, Ky. - Sometimes it is a rail, sometimes it is an inside turn and sometimes it is just one-tenth of a second separating the winner from the losers. That is exactly what happened during the Double H Farm $100,000 International Open Jumpers at the Alltech National Horse Show. Todd Minikus was aiming for his second win in a row with Quality Girl, completing a clear jump-off effort, when Belgium's Francois Mathy was...

Code Name and Sara Mittleider, winners of the 5-Year-Old USEA Young Event Horse West Coast Championships at the Galway Downs International Three-Day Event. (Amy McCool photo) Temecula, Calif. - The USEA Young Event Horse West Coast Championships crowned their 4- and 5-year-old winners at Galway Downs International Three-Day Event. In the 5-Year-Old class, Sara Mittleider and her own Code Name led from start to finish, while in the 4-Year-Old class, Jennifer McFall and Dragonfire Farm’s...

Todd Minikus and Quality Girl (Shawn McMillen) Lexington, Ky . - When $50,000 is up for grabs it brings out the best horses and riders in the world, putting their best foot forward. That is how the Open Jumper division at the 2013 Alltech National Horse Show kicked off today. Todd Minikus and Quality Girl left nothing to chance as they sped around Conrad Homfeld's challenging track, besting the field by two seconds to win the Taylor Harris $50,000 Open Jumper Welcome Speed, presented by...

Meredith Darst and Soldier in their winning presentation. (Shawn McMillen Photography) Washington D.C. - The 2013 Hermès WIHS Equitation Finals concluded this evening with an exciting win for 16-year-old Meredith Darst of Lebanon, OH. Darst rode Elizabeth Gabler's Soldier, a seven-year-old Holsteiner gelding by Carolus II, through the first two phases of competition finishing with a score of 88.75 in the hunter phase and a 91 point total in the jumper phase. Returning for the final...