Jennifer Alfano and Jersey Boy at the Kentucky Spring Horse Show. (Photo by Heather Bellock/PMG). Lexington KY - This evening's feature event at the Kentucky Spring Horse Show was the $15,000 USHJA International Hunter Derby presented by Dietrich Equine Insurance and Charles Owen. The class began at 7p.m. in the Rolex Stadium at the beautiful Kentucky Horse Park. Twenty riders showcased their mounts for the chance to take home the winning title and the final check. Tonight's courses...

Shane Sweetnam and Amaretto D'Arco (Sportfot) Wellington, FL - The FTI Consulting Winter Equestrian Festival (FTI WEF) continued on Thursday with round ten of the $32,000 WEF Challenge Cup Series and a victory for Irish rider Shane Sweetnam and Spy Coast Farm's Amaretto D'Arco. In a twelve horse jump-off, the pair was fastest of just two clear rounds, topping Canada's Tiffany Foster and Victor, owned by Torrey Pines Stables and Artisan Farms LLC. Sponsored by Artisan Farms, week ten...

Harrisburg, Pa. - There was excitement in the air at the Pennsylvania National Horse Show today as the Junior Hunter riders donned their formal shadbelly coats to compete in the Championship classes. The day was made even more special as a record was broken and history was made. Mckayla Langmeier of East Granby, CT, and Linda Langmeier's MARASCHINO were the first of the day to be crowned Champions as they claimed the Small Junior Hunter 15 & Under Championship and the Gabriel/Night Owl...

Victoria Colvin (The Book LLC) Devon, PA - The final day of Devon was off to a beautiful start; the sun was shining, a nice breeze was blowing, and spectators lined the stands waiting for the first Hunter Derby rider to enter the in-gate. The ring was filled with hunter-style jumps--natural wood, shrubbery, a crisp hedge roll top, and numerous branches decorated a series of obstacles. The Derby is a unique set of classes, with fences set to different heights so riders can chose the high of low...

As the $2,500 Junior Hunter Stake took over the Dixon Oval Saturday afternoon, the crowd grew to watch what the juniors have been trying to prove since Thursday; they have what it takes to be a stand-out at Devon. At the end of the day the strenuous efforts and undeniable talent shone from the Dixon Oval, and the top riders were recognized for their consistent unsurpassable aptitude. The afternoon kicked off with the Small Junior Hunter Stake, 16 & 17 with 24 entries hoping to have the top...

Scott Stewart and Empire. (Photo by Sportfot.) Wellington, FL - It was an important day for hunters at the 2011 FTI Winter Equestrian Festival. Sixty entries took their shot at a chance to compete in the $50,000 USHJA Hunter Derby, one of the biggest purses in the world offered for hunter competitors. The class began this afternoon in the E.R. Mische Grand Hunter Ring. With a large number of spectators standing by, each horse and rider combination took their turn over a course of eleven jumps,...

Lexington, KY- December 21 - Two first-place ties in this year’s “Favorite USEF Breeds Competition” attests to the competitive nature of the equestrian sport—and the success of the second running of the United States Equestrian Federation’s one-of-a-kind contest. In 2009, USEF announced the new contest designed to let members vote for their favorite breed competition while awarding and promoting USEF licensed breed competitions that ran a show so well that exhibitors wanted to call it their...

If you like to keep up with equestrian competitions, you’ve been born into a great time. It has never been easier to stay connected to your favorite atheletes and disciplines. There are plenty of good ways to go about it, but I am going to briefly explain why twitter has become my favroite way to keep up with the equestrian action nationally, and internationally. Finding results and watching live events is part of my job, but I need to discover new sources all the time. Of all the avenues...

Fear of the unknown often darkens our dream of buying the young horse that will become the next show star. Perhaps we are drawn to this idea by the harmony that arises between human and equine when raising a horse from his first years; possibly it's the chance to be able to buy him before he costs six figures. But will this charming youngster transform into that fancy show horse we had envisioned? Here is a way to peek into a crystal ball. Start from the bottom up — your bottom line Clearly...

Saddlebred.com has a new and valuable feature titled, “Saddle Up a Saddlebred,” which allows anyone interested in seeing, riding or learning more about Saddlebreds to enter their zip code and find a number of stables within a 300-mile radius. It can be accessed by going to www.saddlebred.com and clicking on “About the Breed,” and then going to “Stable Search,” or type in www.saddlebred.com/breed/stables.php . Right now, there are approximately 400 Saddlebred farms and stables in the database...