Jessica Springsteen and Cynar Va winning the Saugerties $1 Million Grand Prix CSI-5*. (ESI Photography) Saugerties, N.Y. - As the sun set on the 2016 HITS Championship, horse sport royalty descended on the Hudson Valley for the nation’s highest ranked class of the year, the Saugerties $1 Million Grand Prix FEI-CSI 5*. Only one would be so lucky to return home with the big check and blue ribbon, and that one was none other than Jessica Springsteen aboard Cynar Va, owned by Stone Hill Farm....

Patricia Griffith and Skorekeeper on their way to a $500,000 Diamond Mills Hunter Prix Final win. (ESI Photography) Saugerties, N.Y. - Championship Sunday at HITS Saugerties began with the high-energy concluding round of the richest Hunter class in the country, the Diamond Mills $500,000 Hunter Prix Final. The stage was set for the field of top-caliber contenders with a lovely course designed by Rian Beals of Saugerties, New York. Patricia Griffith of New York, New York, did it again after a...

Woodstock, England – A top notch international field of 76 combinations contested the 2016 Blenheim Palace International Horse Trials CCI3* from September 8-11 at the picturesque venue. Three Land Rover/USEF Eventing Competition Grant recipients, Hannah Sue Burnett, Holly Payne Caravella, and Kurt Martin, made their trips worthwhile with strong performances. Burnett and Harbour Pilot were the top U.S. combination in fifth place. Hannah Sue Burnett and Harbour Pilot (Libby Law Photography)...

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil – Para-equestrian dressage competition got underway Sunday at the 2016 Rio Paralympic Games. Twenty-seven Grade III and Ib competitors representing 24 countries took to the main arena at the Deodoro Equestrian Center to perform the Team test, the first of two tests in team competition. Angela Peavy (Grade III) and Sydney Collier (Grade Ib) got the U.S. team off to a solid start, putting the U.S. provisionally into third place among the 14 nations, following day one...

Calgary, Alta. – The United States’ McLain Ward and HH Azur went head-to-head against Great Britain’s Scott Brash and Ursula XII in a nail-biting jump-off at the CP International Grand Prix presented by Rolex on Sunday. Because the defending champions went triple-clear, Ward and HH Azur needed to complete the jump-off under 41.19 seconds. Unfortunately, they had a rail at fence two, a Rolex vertical, to end on four faults for second place. Italy’s Lorenzo De Luca and...

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil – Equestrian competition at the Rio Paralympic Games got underway at the Deodoro Equestrian Center Saturday with the horse inspection. A total of 76 athlete-and-horse combinations representing 29 countries, including 14 in the team competition, are set to compete over the course of the week for Paralympic medals and national pride. The U.S. will be represented by the team of Sydney Collier, Rebecca Hart, Margaret McIntosh, and Angela Peavy. Roxanne Trunnell will...

Laura Chapot and Thornhill Kate on their way to a $34,600 HITS Jumper Classic win. (ESI Photography) Saugerties, N.Y. - The HITS Championship feature CSI-5* classes continued with Friday’s $34,600 HITS Jumper Classic. The prestigious class served as a qualifying opportunity for the weekend’s premiere event, the Saugerties $1 Million Grand Prix on Sunday, September 11. Forty-four horses and riders showed up to the Grand Prix Ring to stake claims on the CSI-5* victory and to prepare...

Julie McCrady won the 2015 Third Level Freestyle Adult Amateur Championship with her Hanoverian mare Remanessa, and looks to return to Lexington again this year to try for a Fourth Level title. (Susan J. Stickle) Lexington, Ky. - “You bet I’ll be back. I’ve declared and I made my hotel reservations in Lexington months ago!” Every November since 2013, Julie McCrady and her husband have made the trek to Kentucky from Raymore, Mo. with their home-bred Hanoverian mare...

Lexington, Ky. - The United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) is pleased to announce the athletes representing the Hermès U.S. Show Jumping Team in the Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup™ Jumping Final at CSIO5* Barcelona in Barcelona, Spain, September 22-25. Robert Ridland will serve as the Chef d'Equipe. The following athletes will represent the U.S. (in alphabetical order): Audrey Coulter (San Francisco, Calif.) Lucy Davis (Los Angeles, Calif.) Lauren Hough (Wellington, Fla.)...

Columbus, Ohio -- The Interscholastic Equestrian Association (IEA) has partnered with the National Collegiate Equestrian Association (NCEA), Intercollegiate Horse Show Association (IHSA) and the American National Riding Commission (ANRC) to bring more knowledge to IEA members on how to prepare for college riding through the "Collegiate Connection" education series. A combination of live webinars and Twitter TakeOvers will offer an interactive platform with the leaders of these major college...