Ben Maher and Urico (Sportfot) Wellington, Fla. - Week eight of the 2014 FTI Consulting Winter Equestrian Festival (FTI WEF), sponsored by G&C Farm, concluded on Sunday with another big win for Great Britain's Ben Maher in the $150,000 CSIO 4* Grand Prix, presented by Wellington Equestrian Realty. Maher guided Jane Clark's Urico to victory over USA's Laura Kraut and Nouvelle in second and Ireland's Cian O'Connor aboard Quidam's Cherie in third. Also showing at the...

Thermal, Calif. - With three mounts to jump around, not a single onlooker would know that John Pearce of Bermuda Dunes, California was battling the flu during the $50,000 Go Rentals Grand Prix, presented by Zoetis, at HITS Thermal on Sunday. He and Son of a Gun, owned by Forest View Farm, were one of only four pairs to jump clear against a very tight first round time allowed of 81 seconds. Pearce first appeared on trusted partner Chianto, owned by Forest View Farm and Allison Moore, and was...

Thermal, Calif. - The pinto Oldenburg gelding, Symphony, has quickly gone from catch ride to dream horse for Katie Cook of Newport Beach, California. Cook had never sat on Symphony, owned by Amy Knox, before she arrived at HITS Thermal, but the two have become fast friends, jumping to three blue ribbons during Week I and winning the $1,500 Platinum Performance Hunter Prix on Friday for the second week in a row. Knox has owned the gelding, who is now 10, for three years and rode him in...

Lisa Goldman and Centurion B (ESI Photography) Ocala, Fla. - Lisa Goldman won three grand prix during her first appearance at the Ocala Winter Circuit last year, and hasn’t skipped a beat since. She returned with a bang this week, winning the $25,000 SmartPak Grand Prix, presented by Zoetis, to kick off grand prix competition at this year’s circuit. Riding for her family-owned Red Coat Farm in Hawthorn Woods, Illinois, Goldman piloted Centurion B to the win. Last year, Goldman and...

Prize List The preliminary Prize list for the US Dressage Finals presented by Adequan and USDF Dressage in the Bluegrass competition is now posted . Declarations Declarations are now being accepted for the US Dressage Finals presented by Adequan. The horse/rider combination must declare their intention to participate by the closing date for their Great American Insurance Group/USDF Regional Championshipsp. There is no fee to declare, but horse/rider combinations must declare at the level(s) and...

Lillie Keenan and Clearway jump their way to the top of the USHJA/Essex Classics Hunterdon Cup (ESI Photography) Saugerties, NY – Lillie Keenan of New York, New York and Clearway, owned by Heritage Farm, Inc. were the ones to shine during day two of the U.S. Junior Hunter National Championship – East Coast at HITS-on-the-Hudson in Saugerties, New York. The pair topped a field of 65 to win the prestigious USHJA / Essex Classics Hunterdon Equitation Cup. Keenan led the first round...

As you know I occasionally receive a story from a Western Dressage rider and this week I would like to share with you the story behind a beautiful magazine cover photo that appeared recently in Paint Horse Journal and which featured coverage of Western Dressage. The photo was of Katrina Sanders and her Paint horse Pirate. Here is what Katrina shares with western dressage enthusiasts this week: “Thank you so much for offering to feature my photo in your blog! I am honored and so grateful...

To everyone that likes, tweets, posts, and shares with USEF, USEF Network, and Equestrian Magazine, I have a lot of fun doing what I do, and if it weren't for you, well, it wouldn't be as much fun. I'd love to reward each and every one of you just for interacting with us, but I'm just one social media guy. So instead let's have some fun (and give one of you a prize while we're at it). The first ever Andrew Minnick Social Media Gratitude Contest (name pending personal...

Western horses jog. English horses trot. Dressage horses trot. Everyone knows that. What does that mean for the western dressage horse? The western jog was a gait that could be ridden for long distances over the range or on the trail that horses could sustain without exhaustion and which could be sat comfortably. The trot is a gait that covers more ground at a reasonable tempo. To deal with the dynamics of the gait and to unload the horses back, some riders learned to post. Western riders bred...

Ocala, FL – With two $1 million grand prix scheduled for 2013, HITS, Inc. upped the ante for 2014 by announcing the addition of a third ground-breaking class. The Ocala $1 Million Grand Prix, to be held next March and will join the Zoetis $1 Million Grand Prix in Saugerties, New York and the AIG Thermal $1 Million Grand Prix in Thermal, California next year to form the Triple Crown Challenge of Show Jumping. The Ocala $1 Million Grand Prix will take place at the conclusion of the now...