Connaught is Back to Defend his Title (Mike McNally ) Lexington, KY – The 12th Rolex/USEF National CCI**** Eventing Championship got underway Wednesday, April 22 with the first horse inspection at the 2009 Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event. Fifty-one horses were presented before the Ground Jury of David Lee, Nicoli Fife and Marilyn Payne. Dr. Catherine Kohn is serving as the Veterinary Delegate for the 2009 competition. Of those 52, two of which were held for a second look by the Ground...

The Champ (Shannon Brinkman) Las Vegas, NV – The Dressage world has changed. American rider Steffen Peters and Ravel are at the center of the universe. The suspense built throughout the night at the 2009 Rolex FEI World Cup Final in the Thomas & Mack Arena, and with only one American horse remaining in the competition, the crowd had to wait until the third to last horse in the ring. With $102,000 USD on the line and a Rolex watch, the competition was fierce. Ravel, in first World Cup...

I really like the combination of World Cup Finals and a venue like Las Vegas. I like what each does to elevate the other; the World Cup Finals bringing sophistication, world-class competition and the best equestrian has to offer, to Vegas. Vegas lending its style, flair and showmanship to the Finals. The athletes love it. The fans love it. And they're hoping the tradition will continue, despite a struggling economy. I don't have the numbers in front of me, but by the looks of it, I...

Las Vegas, NV – After defending Rolex FEI World Cup Champion Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum broke the timing beam at 32.04 seconds with Shutterfly at the 2009 Rolex FEI World Cup Final, the question remained: how do you beat this horse? US superstar McLain Ward tried with Sapphire, the pair looked phenomenal. Foot perfect, lightning fast and with some seriously bold moves, Ward went with two remaining in the 13 horse jump-off and there was reasonable consensus that Sapphire’s effort...

RAVEL and Steffen Peters (Shannon Brinkman) Las Vegas, NV – Steffen Peters always knew how good Ravel was. After the 11-year-old Dutch gelding’s performance in the Rolex FEI World Cup Final Grand Prix, he stamped himself as one of the best dressage horses on the globe. Beating nine-time (and defending) World Cup champion Anky van Grunsven (on IPS Painted Black) and Isabell Werth (on Satchmo) in the process, Peters won with a commanding score of 77.914% With the highest score of...

Steffen Peters and Ravel (Shannon Brinkman) Las Vegas, NV – With the anticipation building in the Thomas & Mack Arena for the 2009 Rolex FEI World Cup Final, both the Dressage and Jumping competitors got their final tune up in the main arena on Wednesday. 14 Dressage horses from eight nations and 45 Jumping competitors from 22 will take center stage today, the first day of competition. Two masters are back to defend their titles. Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum and Shutterfly are looking...

Michelle Spadone and Melisimo (Ken Braddick) Lexington, KY - The following five horse/rider combinations have been named by the United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) to the 2009 Show Jumping Developing Rider Tour. These horse/rider combinations were selected based on their ranking on the March 27, 2009 USEF Computer List. The following horse/rider combinations will compete at CSI2* Linz in Austria, May 8-10, CSI04* Linz in Austria, May 14-17, and CSIO4* Lisbon in Portugal, May 28-31. They...

Photo by Daniel K. Lew (Sally Swift at the 2008 American Horse Publications Seminar..) Sarah Rodman Swift, known to her worldwide following as “Sally Swift,” passed away on April 2, 2009. Swift was less than three weeks away from her 96th birthday. She was born on April 20, 1913 in Hingham, MA, to Rodman “Tod” Swift and Elizabeth Townsend Swift. She had one sister, Agnes, who died in 2004. Swift was known all over the world for her innovative horse-riding methodology...

Lexington, KY – The United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) will be represented by the following Horse/Rider combinations at the 2009 Rolex FEI World Cup Final to be held April 15-19, 2009 in Las Vegas, NV. Riders listed in the order in which they qualified. East Coast: Name/Age/Hometown/Horse/Age/Breed/Sex/Owner Kent Farrington/27/Chicago, IL/ Up Chiqui/11/Belgian Warmblood/G/Alex Boone & Craig Dobbs McLain Ward/33/Brewster, NY/Sapphire/14/Belgian Warmblood/M/McLain Ward, Tom...

2008 Individual Junior Show Jumping Medalists at NAJYRC (Ken Braddick) Lexington, KY – The countdown to the 2009 Adequan FEI North American Junior/Young Rider Championships presented by Gotham North (NAJYRC) has begun in earnest. For the first time, the NAJYRC will be held at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, KY – which in 2010 will play host to the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games. This year’s NAJYRC will be held July 21-26, 2009. Since 1979, these Championships...