Theodore O'Connor is one of two Horses Named to the USEF Short List for Eventing with Karen O'Connor (Shannon Brinkman) Lexington, KY - The United States Equestrian Federation has approved the following horse/rider combinations to the Eventing Short List for the 2008 Olympic Games in Hong Kong August 8-14, 2008. The combinations are as follows (listed alphabetically): Name/Age/Hometown/Horse/Sex/Age/Breed/Owner Stephen Bradley / 46 / Leesburg, VA / Brandenburg’s Joshua / G / 13 /...

Lexington, KY ­– Becky Holder made it very clear that she was not relinquishing her grasp on the top spot at the 2008 Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event as she flew around the cross-country course with Courageous Becky Holder and Courageous Comet (Mike McNally) Comet. “He was foot perfect.” said Holder after her round. “He was just absolutely on his game for every minute of it.” The 13-year-old Thoroughbred gelding flashed the turn of foot that made him a success...

Laura Kraut and Cedric Continued to Dominate at the Finale of the USEF Selection Trials for Show Jumping (Kenneth Kraus/PhelpsSports.com) By Joanie Morris Wellington, FL ­ – As Cedric and Laura Kraut jumped the final fence of the fifth leg of the USEF Selection Trials for Show Jumping they cleared another hurdle toward the USEF Short List for Show Jumping, which is one step closer to a trip to the 2008 Olympic Games. The International Arena at the Palm Beach International Equestrian...

Wellington, FL - Severe weather on Thursday March 6 caused the postponement of the $30,000 WEF Challenge Cup which a also served as the fourth leg of the USEF Selection Kenneth Kraus/PhelpsSports.com (The Top Three Riders at the USEF Selection Trials for Show Jumping (L-R: Laura Kraut, Nicole Shahinian-Simpson, Will Simpson)) Trials for Show Jumping at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center. The Selection Trial began on Friday morning at 8 a.m. The grounds crew worked tirelessly and...

Photo by Randi Muster (Kimberly McCormack and Sundance) On November 3 at the Syracuse Invitational Sporthorse Tournament, Kimberly McCormack of Clermont, NJ, took home the prestigious title of national champion in the 2007 ASPCA Maclay National Championship. McCormack rode Sundance to the title and trains with her sister Kristy McCormack, Missy Clark and John Brennan. Elizabeth Lubrano of Glenmoore, PA, finished as the reserve champion, while Shelby Wakeman of Westlake Village, CA, was third....

Phillip Dutton and The Foreman (Photo by Shannon Brinkman ) Elkton, MD – The competition continued on Sunday as numerous USEF National Championships were up for grabs at the Fair Hill International CCI***. Phillip Dutton won for the fourth time, but this was the first time that the U.S. national anthem was played in his honor. Riding The Foreman, an 11-year-old Thoroughbred gelding owned by Ann Jones, Dutton won the USEF National Eventing Championships on a score of 46.4, adding one rail...

Nikko Ritter rode Clover Count to victory at the Platinum Performance/USEF Talent Search Finals East (Jennifer Wenzel) Gladstone, NJ - Take some flatwork, add some gymnastic jumping exercises, send all the riders over a carefully designed course, then have the top four riders switch horses and over the course of two days, a very prestigious title is handed out. Welcome to the Platinum Performance//USEF Talent Search Final. Fortunately, in sharp contrast to its West Coast counterpart, the...

Diana DeRosa (Lauren Hough and Casadora lead the American effort after Day One of show jumping.) Rio de Janeiro—Some 47 Pan American Games show jumpers entered the arena at Deodoro Stadium outside of Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, on Thursday morning to begin the first of two days of team competition. Leading the way for Team USA was rider Lauren Hough aboard Casadora. The last of the four to go was Todd Minikus and Pavarotti. Team USA ended the day in a surprising overall fourth place after the...

Diana DeRosa (Karen O'Connor aboard Theodore O'Connor (left) lead the Gold-medal U.S. team in eventing at the 2007 Pan American Games.) Rio de Janeiro, Brazil—Going into the third and final day of the eventing portion of the XV Pan American Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, the top three riders (all member of Team USA) were separated by less than two points. With all the remaining U.S. horses passing the final horse inspection, the U.S. support team had a busy afternoon on Sunday, July 22,...

Diana DeRosa (Christopher Hickey and Regent in Rio de Janeiro) Rio de Janeiro, Brazil—When most people think of Rio, sunshine comes quickly to mind. However, that was not the case today at Deodoro Stadium and the National Equestrian Center outside of the city. Clouds, the threat of rain showers and cooler temperatures loomed, but it was a rather bright day for the hopes of the American dressage riders as all three of them competed in the first of two rounds that will determine the...