Alenandra Crown & Basic (twitter.com/acrown) Lexington, Ky. – Talented young American rider Alexandra Crown finished her 2014 show season well, earning a second place finish in the Écuries d'Écaussinnes CSI1* Grand Prix at the Gucci Paris Masters on Sunday. With her own Basic and Zafira, Crown qualified for the jump off round. On Zafira, she had a rail down in 36.62s and finished in 13th place. With Basic, she nearly won it all. Jumping a clear round in only 35.74s,...

Lauren and Royalty des Isles (Photo from Lauren Hough's Facebook page) Lexington, Ky. - A strong contingent of Americans was in Paris, France over the weekend competing at one of December's marquee international show jumping events, the Gucci Paris Masters. None had more success than Lauren Hough. On Saturday night Hough (Wellington, Fla.) was only tenths of a second off the wining pace in the Longines Guerre Des Sexes. With Royalty Des Isles she jumped one of only five clear rounds and her...

Las Vegas, Nev. - In true Las Vegas style, the final highlight event of the Las Vegas National opened with glitz and glamour. As eager spectators began to fill the stands, forty-four of show jumping's best and brightest prepared to compete in the $75,000 Las Vegas CSI-W Grand Prix. After ten went clean, it was Harrie Smolders (NED) and the speedy Regina Z who outran the rest for the win. Harrie Smolders and Regina Z (Alden Corrigan Photography) The Opening Ceremonies commenced with a Parade...

Lexington, Ky. - One of the highlights of the day Saturday was the presentation of the new Calaveras County Perpetual Trophy (by artist Olva Stewart Pharo) to the very first US Dressage Finals Grand Prix Freestyle Adult Amateur Champion, Janne Rumbough of Palm Beach, Fla. (Region 3). The crowd went wild and clapped to the beat of Rumbough's Mary Poppins-themed music as her gray PRE gelding Junior (by Gaucho III x La Nina by Brioso VI) seemed to relish the electric atmosphere of Alltech...

Lexington, Ky. - Mette Rosencrantz of Topanga, Cal. was grinning from ear to ear as she accepted congratulations for becoming the first Finals champion crowned in 2014. Her long journey all the way from the West Coast ultimately proved worthwhile as she guided Anne Solbraekke's elegant black Hanoverian gelding De Noir 3 (De Niro x Maharani by Matcho) to a resounding victory in the Open Intermediate I Championship, earning the unanimous win under all three judges for a total score of 72.632%....

Aurora, Colo. - The 48th Annual Arabian & Half-Arabian U.S. National Championship Horse Show once again transformed Tulsa Expo Square into an Arabian horse stomping ground. Stall curtains, water fountains, leather couches, and lots of plants transformed concrete floors and temporary stalls into set-ups of comfort, relaxation and style. Three arenas glittered with fancy lighting and red and gold drapes, while the feeling of competition lingered in the air. After all, this show is where the...

Buddy Brown and Finally Ours (McCool Photography) Del Mar, Calif. - Fiery competition was on Friday night in the Grand Prix Hunter Derby Final, presented by Davlyn Farms. It was a beautiful, flowing course, with natural obstacles and the design required the horses and riders to jump out of the main arena, jump a few jumps in the outdoor arena, and jump back into the main ring to complete the course. Buddy Brown and his mount, Finally Ours, bested the competitive class for a first place finish....

Lauren Kieffer and Veronica at the 2014 Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event presented by Land Rover (Shannon Brinkman Photo) Pau, France - Four talented American combinations have headed to Pau, France, this week to contest the final CCI4* of 2014 hosted in the Northern Hemisphere. Leading the charge at the Les Étoiles de Pau are Land Rover Competition Grant recipients Lauren Kieffer and Veronica. Kieffer (Ocala, Fla.) and Team Rebecca, LLC’s Veronica head into the prestigious French...

Elkton, Md. –The Dutta Corp Fair Hill International came to an exciting conclusion on Sunday as three- and two-star competitors proved their mettle over Sally Ike-designed show jumping tracks. Both Jennie Brannigan and Julie Richards produced faultless rounds to claim victory in the CCI3* and CCI2*, respectively. Jennie Brannigan & Cambalda (Shannon Brinkman) With a clear effort in the show jumping, Brannigan (Kennett Square, Pa.) and Nina Gardner’s 12-year-old Irish...

Boyd Martin and Master Frisky (Shannon Brinkman Photo) Elkton, Md. – Quick, clear trips were the order of the day over Derek di Grazia’s CCI tracks on Saturday at The Dutta Corp Fair Hill International. In the CCI3* Boyd Martin lengthened his lead, while in the CCI2* Great Britain’s Victoria Jessop holds the overall lead but it is Julie Richards that heads the USEF National Two Star Championship title hunt. Martin (Cochranville, Pa.) and Stephen Blauner’s 10-year-old...