Leington, Ky. - It took a rocket scientist to win the Amateur-Owner 3'3" Hunter Grand Championship at the National Horse Show - literally. Kathryn Haefner and Columbus (Emily Riden for Phelps Media Group) Kathryn Haefner is a graduate student at Stanford University, where she is completing a degree in Aeronautics and Astronautics. Thursday at the Kentucky Horse Park, she and her mount Columbus rocketed to the top of the leader board to clinch the Amateur-Owner 3'3" 18-35 Hunter...

Lexington, Ky. - Young riders shined Wednesday night at the National Horse Show as 29 horse and rider combinations put their best foot forward over the first of three $10,000 Under 25 Championship classes. Sponsored by Sleepy P Ranch and Deeridge Farm, the class allows the rare opportunity for riders ages 16 to 25 to compete in the high pressure World Cup format. Riders from across the nation have worked to qualify for the championship, which culminates at the prestigious National Horse Show....

Lexington, Ky. - Kent Farrington, one of the most successful riders on tour throughout the 2014 show season, continued his winning ways on Thursday afternoon as the Open and International Jumpers got underway at the 131st National Horse Show in Lexington, Kentucky. Riding the Amalaya Investments' Waomi, Farrington topped a large starting field of 51 in a one round speed class, racing home in 53 seconds flat to nail down the victory over a pair of Belgian riders, Nicola Philppaerts and...

Lexington, Ky. - As the National Horse Show awarded its professional hunter championships Wednesday, there was one name repeated with almost every presentation: Dr. Betsee Parker. Parker, of Middleburg, Virginia, is the owner of Casanova, Cold Harbor, Lucador and the lessee of A Million Reasons. The four horses constituted four of the five championship winning mounts Wednesday at the Kentucky Horse Park. Scott Stewart and Lucador earned the 2014 Grand Hunter Championship with a clean sweep of...

Lexington, Ky. - Thirty-one horse and rider combinations tackled the tricky Amalaya Investments $5,000 Amateur-Owner/Junior Jumpers course Wednesday night, but it was Giavanna Rinaldi who came out on top of the speed class. The 14-year-old made a speedy National Horse Show debut with her own G.P.S. Brilliant Disguise, tripping the timers in 49.351 seconds. It was a nostalgic win for the young rider, who traversed pony jumper courses in the same Alltech Arena only a couple of years prior....

Lexington, Ky. - At the end of the year-long horse show circuit, there is one final destination where the nation's top hunter and jumper riders all flock: the National Horse Show at the Kentucky Horse Park. The prestigious six-day culminating final kicked off today with five full professional hunter divisions. Scott Stewart and A Million Reasons (Phelps Media Group, Inc.) In the Second Year Green Hunter division, sponsored by Ernie and Betty Oare and Patricia Adikes-Hill, it was Scott...

Lexington, Ky - The USEF Horsemastership Training Session presented by the USHJA, now in its ninth year, returns to the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center in Wellington, Fla., December 29-January 3. The following 12 riders will be invited to participate: The USHJA North American Junior and Young Rider Individual Show Jumping Champions at the 2014 Adequan/FEI North American Junior & Young Rider Championships presented by Gotham North Individual Champion at the 2014 Randolph...

Caroline Passarelli and Little Black Pearl (Shawn McMillen Photography) Washington, D.C. - On Sunday, the young riders competed in the WIHS Pony Equitation Finals with a win for 13-year-old Caroline Passarelli of High Falls, NY. Trained by Robin Greenwood, Passarelli rode Little Black Pearl to the high score of 87 over fences and came out on top after the ride-off under saddle. She was presented the winning Jane Marshall Dillon Memorial Perpetual Trophy, donated by the friends and students of...

Washington, D.C. - The 56th Annual Washington International Horse Show (WIHS) wrapped up another historic week of show jumping in the nation’s capital by adorning ponies with ribbons galore at downtown D.C.’s Verizon Center. Armani, owned by Pretty Penny Farm and ridden by Claire Campbell, took Grand Champion Pony Hunter honors and was presented with The Miles River Moonglow Trophy donated by Scott Novick and Rustic Woods on Sunday. Armani and Claire Campbell (Shawn McMillen...

Davidas (Horalas *Pg*E* - Abdullah *Pg*E*) during the free-jumping phase of the 2014 Trakehner Verband stallion inspection in Neumünster, Germany, last week. He was named “Best Jumper” by the inspection team and approved as a premium stallion (Holders Hill Photography) The American bred and foaled Trakehner stallion Davidas jumped his way into the history books last weekend when he was approved as a premium stallion by the German Trakehner Verband at their annual stallion inspection and auction...