John French and Sochi on their way to a blue ribbon and the Scott Wilson Perpetual Trophy in the $2,500 Pre-Green Hunter Championship 3' (ESI Photography) Thermal, Calif. - Over the past two weeks, the National Sunshine Series Hunter Rings have seen amazing competition. Friday afternoon’s Pre-Green Hunter Championships established a pleasant atmosphere that continued throughout the weekend. Familiar faces topped the leaderboards, albeit many of them aboard new horses. Alex Wilson is new...

Lexington, Ky. - Kentucky women seemed to claim home field advantage as they swept the top spots in the Satuday evening's Intermediate I Open Freestyle Championship. Angela Jackson earned her second national title of the day, this time aboard Kerrin Dunn's lovely Dutch Warmblood Allure S. Even though the mare wasn't feeling quite like her normal self on Thursday, when she entered the arena as the first combination down centerline for the class, "she rebounded and put her game face...

Lexington, Ky. - Perhaps no competitor had more fun with her performance than the Second Level Open Freestyle Champion Morgan Barrows (Monroe, Wash., Region 6) riding Janice Davis' Oldenburg gelding San Corazon. Their Billy Idol-themed freestyle was rewarded with a top score of 74.678%. "I had a blast! I want to go out there again," said Barrows, who has been partnered with her mount for less than a year. "I originally saw him at a friend's farm in Sweden when he was three. Later when...

(Arabian Horse Association) Aurora, Colo. - Sometimes all it takes is a little family time to make a huge difference in the lives of others. The Arabian horse community is family in every sense of the word. Members may not be blood-related but they share a common bond – love for one another, love for their horses and a desire to see others join their family. The U.S. National Arabian & Half-Arabian Championship is so much more than a horse show. It is more than ribbons, trophies and...

Aurora, Colo. - The 48th Annual Arabian & Half-Arabian U.S. National Championship Horse Show once again transformed Tulsa Expo Square into an Arabian horse stomping ground. Stall curtains, water fountains, leather couches, and lots of plants transformed concrete floors and temporary stalls into set-ups of comfort, relaxation and style. Three arenas glittered with fancy lighting and red and gold drapes, while the feeling of competition lingered in the air. After all, this show is where the...

Shelburne, Vt. - The best of the best in the Morgan breed was celebrated in Oklahoma City for the 2014 edition of the Grand National & World Championship Morgan Horse Show®, October 11-18. Since 1973, this show has represented the pinnacle of achievement in the Morgan horse world. More than 1,000 of the world's finest Morgan horses from across the United States, Canada, and Europe met in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma, to compete in over 300 classes for $400,000-plus in prize money. Matt...

Karl Cook and Basimodo on their way to win the $75,000 Sunshine Series Grand Prix, at National Sunshine Series Week I (ESI Photography) Thermal, Calif. - With an enthusiastic crowd in attendance at HITS Desert Horse Park, Karl Cook and Basimodo won Saturday’s $75,000 Sunshine Series Grand Prix. Suspense grew amongst spectators as four entered the jump off, but Cook was confident in his partner, knowing the best is yet to come. “I loved how Basimodo rode tonight. He has a lot of...

Temecula, Calif. - Nicci Guzetta, on Queen of Spades, and Tamra Smith, on Irish Blend, won divisions of the Training Level Three-Day Event at the Galway Downs International Three-Day Event. Smith, of Murrieta, Calif., and Irish Blend added nothing to their dressage score of 38.3 to win division A, over Kristen Schalk on Comet’s Flight (38.6) and Max Gerdes on Rhythm Royale (40.4). Guzetta, of San Jose, Calif., stood third after two days, but a faultless show jumping round vaulted her to...

Temecula, Calif. - They may have traveled the farthest to get here, but Boyd Martin and Buck Davidson are making the most of their trip west by tying for the lead after dressage in the CCI3* at the Galway Downs International Three-Day Event. Their score of 44.4, on Trading Aces and Copper Beech, gives them a slight cushion over Maya Black, who stands in third with a 47.6 on Doesn’t Play Fair. Martin, of Cochranville, Pa., joked, “I watched Buck’s test and thought, ‘Was I...

Lexington, Ky. - Stephanie Danhakl and Golden Rule have racked up quite the list of accomplishments in just the past eight months, and on Friday afternoon at the National Horse Show they added another major one to their resume. Stephanie Danhakl and Golden Rule (Emily Riden/Phelps Media Group) Danhakl, 27, and Golden Rule, won three of the four classes in the Amateur-Owner 18-35 Hunters to clinch the division championship, sponsored by Bruce Duchossois and H 'n D Stables, and, ultimately,...