Karl Cook and Farrari Del, Mar, Calif. - Kicking off the spotlight classes at Showpark Summer Festival, the $25,000 Markel Insurance Grand Prix welcomed an impressive 51 entries to compete for the top prize. With both green and seasoned horses in the class, course designer Linda Allen built a technical track that asked many questions at the 1.40m height. Featuring 17 efforts in a time allowed of 90 seconds, the intricate track required both speed and endurance from competitors to jump clean...

Owens & Messick (Shawn McMillen Photography) Lexington, Ky. - Amateur rider Kyle Owens picked a good day to break into the 90s for the first time in his riding career. And, his excellent timing and performance aboard Messick paid impressive dividends, as he tied professional John Barker with Carlotta for the blue ribbon in the Second Round of the USHJA Pre-Green Incentive Championship, August 12-14 at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington. "This was so exciting. I'd never even gotten a...

The winning U.S. Team in Hickstead (FEI/ Action Images) Hickstead, United Kingdom - The Hermès U.S. Show Jumping Team produced another impressive performance in Nations Cup competition on Friday. Two weeks after jumping to a second-place finish in the Mercedes-Benz FEI Nations Cup at CSIO5* Aachen, the United States went one better to win the Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup of Great Britain presented by Longines at CSIO5* Hickstead. Led by Chef d’Equipe Robert Ridland, the team of McLain...

This article was originally posted at www.useventing.com . Matt Brown and Super Socks BCF (StockImageServices.com) Five days of competition came to a close Sunday at The Event at Rebecca Farm with the third and final phase of the Adequan USEA Gold Cup and PRO Tour Series. Blossom Creek Foundation’s Super Socks BCF and Matthew Brown of Petaluma, California gave a top class performance, completing Richard Jeffery’s show jumping course without a single fault. James Alliston of San...

The Plains, Va. - A successful weekend at the Preparation Event for the Squad and Alternates for Squad for the Land Rover U.S. Eventing Team for the 2014 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games wrapped up Sunday morning with 11 U.S. combinations completing David O’Connor’s cross country. Crowds of 3,500 people came from throughout the United States to watch many of the best combinations in North America compete at the renovated Great Meadow on a beautiful Virginia weekend. Phillip Dutton...

Josephina Nor Lantzman and Chello Z (Captured Moments Photography) Del Mar, Calif. - The competition was fierce in Friday's $25,000 1.40m Markel Insurance Grand Prix at the Showpark Summer Festival. Thirty-nine entries competed for the top prize, with horses and riders ranging from seasoned competitors to greener mounts looking for experience. As the course required universal appeal while retaining grand prix technicality, veteran course designer Leopoldo Palacios of Venezuela built a track...

Michael Dorman and Zephyr (Tricia Booker Photography) Travers City, Mich. - As Michael Dorman stood at the in-gate before the jump-off for the $40,000 Grand Prix of Traverse City, he came to a simple realization. "I watched David Beisel, who was winning, go before me, so I knew there was no time to take chances," he said. "You had to go in and try to win or not. You weren't going to win otherwise. He was really fast, and once he left it all up, I knew I had to go all the way." So, Dorman...

Anne Kursinski (Chicago Equestrian) Antioch, Ill. - The first day of the George H. Morris Gladstone Program Training Session, organized by Diane Carney at Rush and Caroline Weeden's Annali-Brookwood Farm, was packed with learning opportunities for the ten hand selected riders and large group of auditors. The "Gladstone Program" is an intensive week of training and education for exceptionally dedicated and talented show jumping riders who are serious about their interest and desire to pursue...

Tracy Fenney rode MTM Timon to the $30,000 Nutrena Grand Prix victory on the final day of the Showplace Spring Spectacular II (Phelps Media Group) Wayne, Ill. - Silence fell on the crowd at the Showplace Spring Spectacular II as Texan Tracy Fenney raced around the jump-off track aboard MTM Centano. A rub down the double-combination of the final line had spectators on the edge of their seats, but the rail stayed in its cups as Fenney dashed across the final oxer in 31.456 seconds to win the...

Article originally posted at www.useventing.com . Davidson and Copper Beech (StockImageServices.com) When Buck Davidson found his lucky red socks stashed in the corner of his camper the other day, he knew it was a good omen. Then, when he and Copper Beech scored 43 in dressage – the horse’s owner Carl Segal’s favorite number – he figured he had this event in the bag. Who can argue with fate? Sunday, Davidson (Riegelsville, Pa.) and the eight-year-old Irish gelding won...