By Lindsay McCall/PMG (Dr. Armand Leone, Jr. presenting the Thirty-Year Gold Medal Club Anniversary Award to USET President and CEO, Jane Forbes Clark.) As horses and riders prepare for the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games, the United States Equestrian Team (USET) Foundation's Road to Kentucky fundraising benefit welcomed owners, riders and fans of every discipline as they joined together in support of the elite athletes on February 5, 2010, at the International Polo Club in Wellington,...

Photo by Robbi Meisel (Taylor Adams and Kassandra) Ocala, FL-based Taylor Adams began the curtain calls for the 2010 Jacksonville Winter Series on Friday evening with a big win in the $10,000 Bruning Equitation Classic, presented by the Jerry Parks Insurance Group. Adams partnered with the Devon Walther owned Kassandra bested a field of 15 over an intricate layout of 11 obstacles co-designed by international great Pierre Jolicoeur and Joe Carnicom. The course zig-zagged the length of the...

Photo by Flying Horse Photography (McLain Ward and Phillipa) Two-time Olympic Gold medal winner McLain Ward raised the roof during the $50,000 Strongid® C 2X CSI-W Grand Prix when he rode Sagamore Farm's Phillipa to the triumph before an enthusiastic crowd that filled the indoor arena at the HITS Desert Horse Park in Thermal, CA. Ward traveled from Brewster, NY, to get a jump start on qualifying for the Pfizer $1 Million Grand Prix that will take place at HITS-on-the-Hudson, in Saugerties, NY,...

Photo by Susan J. Stickle (Courtney Dye aboard Grandioso.) The Board of Directors of The Dressage Foundation announced that Courtney Dye of New Milford, CT, has won the 2010 “Carol Lavell Advanced Dressage Prize” in the amount of $25,000. The purpose of the prize, established at The Dressage Foundation, is to provide financial assistance for coaching and training to a talented, committed, qualified rider whose plan is to reach and excel at the elite, international standards of high-performance...

Endurance Rider Ellyn Rapp will Swap these Soggy KY Cup Conditions for the Desert in Abu Dhabi (Anna Studdenny) Lexington, KY – The United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) will be represented by two endurance riders at the 2010 Abu Dhabi Al Wathba President’s Cup in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates. This prestigious 160 km race is one of the premier events on the international endurance circuit and takes place on February 13, 2010. Riding for the US will be: Ellyn Rapp on Belshazzar and...

Ravel Settles for Second (SusanJStickle.com) Wellington, FL – Having convincingly won the Grand Prix at the 2010 Exquis World Dressage Masters on Thursday afternoon, the pressure was on Steffen Peters to continue his winning tear with Ravel. But unfortunately for the US fans, it was a repeat of 2009 and he still couldn’t eclipse Anky van Grunsven and her Olympic champion Salinero. The reigning Gold medalist wowed the fans with a classic fault-free performance and a score of 84.4% for the...

Photo by SusanJStickle.com (Steffen Peters and Ravel) Wellington, FL – Somehow it keeps getting better. After just collecting the United States Equestrian Federation's Horse and Rider of the Year accolades for 2009, US dressage superstars Steffen Peters and Ravel ran their streak to six major wins with a convincing effort at the Grand Prix at the 2010 Exquis World Dressage Masters. Ravel, a 12-year-old KWPN gelding (Contango-Hautain) owned by Akiko Yamazaki’s Four Winds Farm appeared even...

The U.S. Para Equestrian Association (USPEA) is hosting a benefit for U.S. para-equestrians called "Journey to the Games." Cocktails, light fare and musical entertainment with Mack Bailey and Rachel Levy will be provided. The event will take place on Friday, February 12 at 7 p.m. at the Horse Park at Equestrian Estates in Loxahatchee, FL. Hosted by Walter and Mary Ann McPhail, tickets are $35. Donations are also accepted and can be made to the USPEA, c/o Tomlinson Equine, 3940 Verde Vista Dr.,...

Photo by Sport Fot/Thierry Billet (Louis Jacobs on Kachina in the 1.45m.) The 2010 FTI Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF) had a successful third week of competition on January 27-31. The week featured the $75,000 Nespresso Grand Prix, CSI** and the $55,000 Nespresso Battle of the Sexes, along with a full schedule of hunter, jumper, and equitation classes. The week three title sponsor was Nespresso. In order to provide the best coffee to riders at the FTI WEF, Nespresso is the official coffee at...

Photo by Robbi Meisel (Aaron Vale and Platinum) The $25,000 Jacksonville A-Z Grand Prix sponsored by North Florida Hunter Jumper Association on January 30 closed out Week IV of competition with one of the most successful riders in show jumping, Aaron Vale, adding another win to his illustrious career. After a week of observation, course designer Allen Rheinheimer put all he learned about the starting field into a lengthy and technical 13 obstacle-16 effort test with a time allowance of 96 tight...