Photo by Rebecca Walton/PMG (Cara Raether had her second victory in a row at the Kentucky Spring Classic, winning the $20,000 Bluegrass Classic with Lyonell. ) Saturday night's amazing finish in the $55,000 Mary Rena Murphy Grand Prix, sponsored by Audi of Lexington, will go down in history. The crowd went wild when Todd Minikus and Pavarotti crossed the finish line in an exciting 35.24 seconds to take over the lead during the jump-off, but when Cara Rather and Ublesco managed to stop the...

Faye Wuesthofen aboard Kiss of the Zodiac (Photo by Howard Schatzberg) In what many are describing as a historic event, the United States Equestrian Federation’s (USEF) Saddle Seat Medal Final came down to a workout of the top two riders—Faye Wuesthofen and Ellen Medley Wright—on exchanged horses. Add to that the fact the top two riders shared the same trainer, DeLovely’s Lillian Shively, and it was one for the record books. The arena erupted with excitement and...

Team Gold medalists—Zone 8—from the Team Jumper competition. (USEF Archive/Randi Muster) Lexington, KY —Last night the joint was, as they say, jumpin’. Day three of the five-day USEF Pony Finals National Championships kicked off this morning with Phase I for the Regular Pony Hunters (model and under saddle), moved on to the Small Pony over fences class, and segued by sunset into the rousing 2009 USEF National Pony Jumper Team Championship. This year’s Small Pony Hunter title...

After a 4.20 wake-up alarm this morning, I had a cold cup of coffee (accidentally), found my way to Lexington airport in the midst of MORE rain and was in Chicago before i knew it. The SVP of Marketing (aka my boss) Kathy Meyer was on the same flight so we chatted and had breakfast in the windy city Las Vegas could give Chicago a run for its money with the wind. I got to the MGM where I'm staying (it was totally sensory overload), I'm a first-time starter in Vegas (to borrow a term from...

Wellington, FL – The Exquis World Dressage Masters finale showcased the world’s best dressage riders under the lights in the International Arena at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Club on Saturday night. The temperature was unseasonably low but the quality of dressage was seriously high. The reigning Olympic Champion, Anky van Grunsven, lived dangerously in the Grand Prix on Friday, she only qualified for the Freestyle when Michael Barisone opted for the Grand Prix Special...

Farnam®/Platform™ USEF Horse of the Year, Jamaica (My Elisabeth Weber) Cincinnati, OH – Every year the United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) honors the best horses across all breeds and disciplines at the Farnam®/Platform™ USEF Horse of the Year Awards dinner at the USEF Annual Meeting. In 2008, there were some fantastic horses to honor. Five were singled out and recognized for their achievement as Horses of Honor. Jamaica took the night’s biggest accolade. Jamaica,...

Lexington, KY – After five second place finishes with five different horses at the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Phillip Dutton and Connaught (Mike McNally) Event Presented by Farnam, Phillip Dutton brought last year’s runner-up, Connaught, back to the Kentucky Horse Park and won convincingly with a masterful clear round in the show jumping. The 15-year-old Irish Thoroughbred gelding, who is owned by Dutton’s longtime supporter Bruce Duchossios, put together three impressive phases...

Germany will be first into the ring once again when the second leg of the 2007 Samsung Super League with FEI series kicks off at the new-look Piazza di Siena in Rome tomorrow afternoon. Being first to go is not usually the preference for any chef d'equipe, but his team recorded a superb victory in the opening leg at La Baule in France two weeks ago when they were also pathfinders around the course, and Germany's Sonke Sonkssen was looking quietly confident this afternoon despite his side...

The American Saddlebred Registry (ASR) Sweepstakes, held during the All American Horse Classic in Indianapolis September 5-9, had a 24% increase in its total payout from 2005 to 2006. The 2006 total payout was $172,822 compared to $139,434 one year before. The biggest increase came in the four-year-old division, which paid winners $45,959 for a 51% increase from the previous year’s total of $30,376. The 2006 four-year-old payout is the highest since 1992. Another increase came in the...

Brentina Cup Winner Elisabeth Austin and Olivier (SusanJStickle.com) Gladstone, NJ – The inaugural Brentina Cup was awarded to the winner of the USEF National Young Adult Dressage Championship today as part of the USET Foundation Dressage Festival of Champions. Elisabeth Austin of Williston, VT and her 10-year-old Dutch Warmblood stallion, Olivier scored a 70.39% on their FEI Intermediaire II test despite it being only his ninth show ever and only his third recognized FEI competition....