Kent Farrington of Wellington, FL, rode Up Chiqui to win the $50,000 Vermont Summer Celebration Grand Prix, the final event of the six-week Vermont Summer Festival held July 9-August 17 in East Dorset, VT. Twenty-four riders tackled course designer Pierre Jolicoeur’s track with eight jumping clear to advance to the jump-off where it all came down to the tightest turns. “I thought the first round was very friendly, just the right amount of riders went clear and we had a nice jump-off,” said...

Monday, July 7, was an emotional day at SpiritHorse Therapeutic Riding Center in Corinth, TX. Highly respected horseman and clinician Chris Cox paid the center a visit and donated his time to conduct a clinic, working with staff and special needs riders who receive free lessons at SpiritHorse. The event was covered by five different news networks. "SpiritHorse was honored to have the support of Chris Cox. He was so generous with the time he spent conducting a free clinic with our children and...

Through the hard work of the National Reining Horse Association (NRHA), the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association, and the NCAA Varsity equestrian, the 2008 NRHA Derby was host to the Collegiate Reining Championships in Oklahoma City, OK, on June 28 at the Oklahoma State Fair Park. Taking top honors was Leah Kuehn from Oklahoma State University. She rode Double Run Farm’s Pretty Nifty Dun to an impressive score of 220. Ohio State University’s Keith Ceddia and BR China Rose finished second in...

Lexington, KY – Five American horses had their final preparation for the 2008 Olympic Games at the Barbury Castle International Horse Trials in Marlborough, England July 4-6. A star studded field of over 100 horses graced the beautiful venue despite some less than ideal weather throughout the weekend. Olympic-bound riders from numerous countries were spotted making their final preparations in the CIC*** at Barbury Castle. Californian Gina Miles was the highest placed American rider with Pan...

The FEI World Vaulting Championships are just a month off, to be held at the Brno Fairgrounds in the Czech Republic from July 29 to August 3, in conjunction with the FEI European Junior Championships. There are 400 competitors from 20 countries, with around 200 horses lined up for this important event on the calendar. The Brno Fairgrounds The Championship will take place at the Brno Fairgrounds, one of the architectural marvels of Europe. The events of the Championship will happen in several...

Dressage trainer Elizabeth Niemi won the grand prix on Sunday at the Windy Hollow Hunt Dressage Show in New Jersey. Niemi rode Stan and Vivian Picheny’s strapping dark bay gelding Wholio to a score of 65.625% for the win. Following a torrential downpour the night before, the show opened on Sunday to a crystal clear day that provided perfect footing for the competitors. After competing in torrid heat Saturday, Wholio gave Niemi a relaxed and focused ride, coasting into the Grand Prix victory on...

The Gold Coast 4 hunter/jumper show (June 13-15) marks the halfway point in Langer Equestrian Group’s (LEG) Gold Coast Series, which consists of seven United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) "B" rated shows at the Los Angeles Equestrian Center. Markel Insurance is the sponsor the 2008 series awards. The Gold Coast Shows offer a three day, six ring format. There are a wide variety of classes suitable for many levels of horses and riders from green horses and short stirrup riders, to 1.40...

Week I of the Atlanta Summer Classic was highlighted by two spectacular weekend events: the $25,000 ASG Software/USHJA International Hunter Derby and the $25,000 Central Equine Grand Prix, held Friday and Saturday evening, respectively, at the Georgia International Horse Park’s Olympic Stadium. On Friday night an astounding 39 hunter teams gathered under the lights for the International Hunter Derby. After the tight turns were negotiated, the jumps cleared, and the gates opened and closed, it...

Experts report that eastern tent caterpillars are now wandering and population levels are among the highest they’ve seen since 2001, when Mare Reproductive Loss Syndrome (MRLS) hit Central Kentucky particularly hard. “The eastern tent caterpillar populations are dramatically up this year—the highest I’ve seen since the MRLS crisis. The larvae are full size, many trees are totally defoliated and I’ve seen very large numbers of caterpillars moving along fence rails and wandering out many...

In addition to being the exclusive financial services partner to the FEI, HSBC, the world’s local bank, has made a commitment to the discipline of eventing on a global basis. This commitment will cover the prestigious four-star events, which will be known as the HSBC FEI Classics. The five four-star events currently on the FEI calendar will make up the HSBC FEI Classics; these events not only have the richest tradition but are also the pinnacle of eventing attracting the best riders and horses...