Shane Sweetnam and Solerina (Sportfot) Wellington, Fla. - - The 2014 FTI Consulting Winter Equestrian Festival (FTI WEF) kicked off its week of CSIO competition on Wednesday with a $5,000 Welcome Stake, held as two classes, with afternoon and evening sessions. The day session saw a win for Ireland's Shane Sweetnam aboard Solerina. The night session was won by Chile's Samuel Parot and Al Calypso. FTI WEF week eight, sponsored by G&C Farm, runs February 26-March 2, 2014, featuring...

Susan Hutchinson and Sig Excel (Captured Moment Photography) Del Mar, Calif. - Large turn-outs for jumper classes kept the Del Mar Arena busy, and riders had to be exceptionally fast and accurate to finish in the ribbons in these highly competitive classes. Performance Working Hunters at both 3.3 and 3.6 also saw large classes and exacting competition. As the 1.35m Jumper Classic got underway this evening, 42 riders including veteran show jumping stars Will Simpson, Rich Fellers, Hugh Mutch,...

Lexington, KY - The United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) and its High Performance Dressage Committee have awarded training grants to eight participants of the 2013 USEF Developing Dressage Program. The grants have been made possible by a generous gift from Akiko Yamazaki and Red Husky Foundation through the U.S. Equestrian Team Foundation. These grant recipients were chosen following review of their performances in 2013 observation and training sessions, and after a review of their...

Lexington, Kentucky - The United States heads into the Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup Jumping Final as the winner of the North American League and will look to again showcase its winning form. Teams from 18 nations have traveled to Barcelona, Spain, to contest the inaugural Final, which is held in conjunction with CSIO5* Barcelona, September 26-29, 2013. Chef d’Equipe Robert Ridland brings a group of steely veterans and rising stars to Spain. Beezie Madden, McLain Ward, Reed Kessler, Lucy...

Shane Sweetnam and Solerina (The Book LLC 2013) North Salem, NY - The 2013 American Gold Cup CSI4*-W returned to the picturesque Old Salem Farm Wednesday to kick-off the week-long international jumping competition featuring the world's top athletes. Thanks to phenomenal reviews from 2012, a large number of entries created a section split for the day's main event on the Grand Prix Field: the $8,000 Danbury Porsche Audi 1.40m Open Jumper class. During the first section, it was...

Lexington, KY - The United States will look to secure another top finish in Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup competition this week at the CSIO5* Gijon. The future of American jumping will be on display as talented Young Riders along with team veterans riding up-and-coming horses are set to compete in Gijon, Spain, August 28-September 2. After making her Olympic debut last summer, 19-year-old Reed Kessler (Lexington, KY) continues to impress. The 2012 USEF National Show Jumping Champion has spent the...

Shane Sweetnam and Fineman (Shawn McMillen) Lexington, KY - The Rolex Stadium was full of excited spectators as they gathered on Hats Off Day to watch the country's top horse and riders compete during the $50,000 Rood & Riddle Grand Prix. The international riders gave them exactly what they were looking for: an exciting tiebreaker between five-horse and rider combination dashing to the finish. In the end it was Ireland's Shane Sweetnam and his new mount Fineman that led the victory...

Lexington, KY - Team U.S.A after finishing second in Friday's Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup presented by Longines (Shannon Brinkman) The U.S. string of top Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup performances continued Friday in an exciting showdown at CHIO Rotterdam. Eight teams took on the 12 obstacle challenge of Dutch course designer Louis Konickx and the formidable all female team of Americans Beezie Madden, Laura Kraut, Lauren Hough, and Lucy Davis finished second. With a total score of five faults they...

Beezie Madden & Simon (Rebecca Walton/Phelps Media Group) Gothenburg, Sweden - Speed and efficiency were the order of the day in the Scandinavum Arena as the 2013 Rolex/FEI World Cup Final kicked-off with the first of four rounds of competition. Utilizing the faults converted format competitors were asked to balance forward riding and efficient turns with tidy jumping. A total of 39 combinations lined up to tackle Uliano Vezzani's 13 effort track and for the second year running an...

Lexington, KY - The third Markel/USEF Young Horse Dressage Training Session of 2013 wrapped up Sunday at Rosebrook Farm in Georgetown, Massachusetts. The two-day clinic featured 13 horses between the ages of four and six and was once again taught by USEF Young Horse Coach Scott Hassler. “It was nice to visit the New England area a second time for a Markel/USEF Young Horse Dressage Training Session. Participation from the auditors, owners, breeders and trainers who attended was...