Lexington, Ky. – The first combined driving National Championship titles of the year will be decided this weekend at the Live Oak International CDE. Taking place March 19-22 at Live Oak Plantation in Ocala, Fla., the event will see United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) National Champions crowned across four divisions: Single Pony, Pair Pony, Pony Teams, and Pair Horses. With multiple National Champions returning to defend their titles, the weekend will prove to be an exciting...

Manuel Fernandez Hache and Maribel H with (from left to right) Juliet W. Reid, Chester Weber, and Joan Pletcher. (Photo courtesy of PicsofYou.com) Ocala, FL - It wasn’t just the Florida sunshine heating up the John Deere stadium at Live Oak International on Friday as the world’s best show jumping riders and horses faced off for the $5,000 Joan Pletcher Realty Speed Class and $10,000 Waldron Wealth Management Welcome Stake in Ocala. Manuel Fernandez Hache of Miami, FL and riding for...

Ramiro Quintana and Bialda win the 130m Jumpers in the rain at Silver Oak. (Tony DeCosta) Hampton Falls, NH - In a rain shortened schedule on Friday at the Silver Oak Jumper Tournament in Hampton Falls, NH, Ramiro Quintana and his talented young jumper Bialda raced to his second victory in as many days, topping a field of just sixteen to win the 1.30m Jumpers Time First Round class on the grand prix field at the Silver Oak Equestrian Center. A not heavy, but steady rain fell throughout the day...

Ocala, FL - The 2013 USEF National Pairs Championship concluded Sunday afternoon at the Live Oak International with the influential cones phase. Under blustery conditions and the threat of severe storms, the field of four went to task in the John Deere Arena. Misdee Wrigley-Miller (Lakewood Ranch, FL) travelled to Live Oak with her sights set on securing her first USEF National Pairs Championship. The 2013 USEF National Pairs Champion Misdee Wrigley-Miller (Picsofyou.com) 2011 FEI World Pair...

Arriving in Florida is always an adventure. Despite running laps between Lexington and Wellington this year, this was my first trip to Ocala, which of course means flying into Orlando. Which of course meant that I was the only person on my flight and in the airport without Disney World on the brain. Ocala and Lexington are locked in a fierce battle for bragging rights over which one really is the horse capital of the world. There are farms of every possible variety when you drive around this...

Ocala, Fla. – Four newly minted USEF National Champions exited the arena on Sunday, March 6, at the conclusion of the 2022 Live Oak International CAI. After the event was cancelled in 2021 due to COVID-19, competitors and their families were happy to be back at Live Oak International in Florida’s warm and sunny late-winter weather. Sunday’s competition brought the cones phase to the main arena, and the athletes and their horses and ponies rose to the occasion with numerous...

Lexington, Ky. – The USEF Preliminary Combined Driving National Championships are ready to begin at the Grand Oaks Combined Driving Event (CDE), running January 28-31. The lovely Grand Oaks Resort in Weirsdale, Fla., will host the first set of 2021 USEF Combined Driving National Championships. A total of 15 entries in three preliminary divisions will vie for one of the national championship titles. USEF Preliminary Single Pony Combined Driving National Championship Six driver-pony...

Rafael Jose Contreras of the Dominican Republic flies to the finish riding Valencio R.A.G. in the $33,000 CSI2* Hollow Creek Farm Winning Round at the Live Oak International on Sunday, March 24, in Ocala, FL. (Mark Astrom) Ocala, FL - A newcomer to the international show jumping ranks won the $33,000 CSI2* Hollow Creek Winning Round competition on Sunday afternoon. The format saw the top 10 riders, regardless of faults, advance to a second ‘winning round’ where everyone starts with...

The festival atmosphere started early as tailgaters prepared to welcome their expected guests. Tents were raised, tables set with colorful clothes topped with trays and baskets of food, coolers were filled with ice and beverages to keep everyone hydrated and happy during the warm day. With thousands of spectators expected, many arrived early to ensure a seat with a good view of the 80 some competitors who would fly though the obstacles. Volunteers took their places to wait patiently for the...

Ocala, Fla. - Combined driving athletes have flocked to Ocala, Florida this week for their chance at a USEF Combined Driving National Championship title. Live Oak International, March 6-10, features the USEF Advanced Four-in-Hand Combined Driving National Championship for the fourth consecutive year and welcomes the USEF Advanced Pairs Combined Driving National Championship. Chester Weber (Photo by Andrea Evans/US Equestrian) The USEF Advanced Four-in-Hand Championship serves as a reunion for...