The 2013-2014 NCEA begins on Friday when No.5 Kansas State takes a road trip to Blythewood. They’ll meet the No.3 Gamecocks in a marquee non-conference matchup before heading to Dover to face Delaware State. My quick look at both matches is below. No.3 South Carolina University vs. No.5 Kansas State University This trip to Blythewood will be a new experience for the Wildcats, none of whom have been to South Carolina for NCEA competition. The last time they met on the Gamecocks home turf...

Melissa Feller and Mahoney on their way to a win in the Adequan Working Hunter division as part of Marshall & Sterling League Insurance National Finals at HITS-on-the-Hudson (ESI Photography) Saugerties, NY – Melissa Feller of Lincoln Park, New Jersey made another run for the top in the Adequan Working Hunter division during the 23rd annual Marshall & Sterling League Insurance National Finals at HITS-on-the-Hudson. She and Robert Beck’s Maverick rode to Reserve Champion...

Well fall is under way and I am trying to clear a little writer’s block. The last shows of the year are winding down. We are headed for the last ones in our area the last two weekends of the month. Fall is time to evaluate progress and prepare for next season. Some of us set goals for training, some for clinics, some for next year’s show season. We look at our feeding programs, exercise programs, breeding programs and whatever else we are running. I always find myself thinking ahead...

Brianne Goutal and Nice De Prissey (Rebecca Walton) North Salem, NY - On a perfect day in front of a sold-out crowd of over 4,000, 25-year-old Brianne Goutal added her name to the historical list of riders who have won the $200,000 American Gold Cup CSI4*-W, Presented by Suncast. Thirty-six entries gathered at Old Salem Farm for the international jumping competition, but it was Goutal and her talented mount Nice De Prissey that scored the winning honors after executing a quick and accurate...

Kent Farrington and Willow (Rebecca Walton) North Salem, NY - Kent Farrington was on fire Saturday, topping the $50,000 Hermès Classic with his talented mount Willow by besting a nine-horse jump-off with a double clear effort in 37.91 seconds. Forty-one of the country's top equestrian athletes turned out for the event at the 2013 American Gold Cup CSI4*-W, held at Old Salem Farm, but it was Farrington who had all the answers to beat Ireland's Darragh Kenny with Prof De La Roque...

Lucy Davis became the youngest GCT Grand Prix winner Saturday (GCT Press Office) Lausanne, Switzerland - America's Laura Kraut keeps hold of her season rankings lead after a dramatic second round showdown in Lausanne. Keeping ahead of Christian Ahlmann and Luciana Diniz, Laura Kraut stays on top going into the 11th leg of the season in Vienna, Austria. Keeping US domination strong, California's Lucy Davis stole the show in Lausanne after an unbelievable win, marking the biggest in her...

Caitlin Boyle and Finders Keepers (Phelps Media Group, Inc. International) Wayne, IL - Caitlin Boyle has seen success throughout the country, but Friday that success came close to home at the Showplace Fall Classic Championship Horse, held September 10-15 at the Lamplight Equestrian Center. The Hampshire, IL native rode to the blue ribbon in the WIHS Equitation Hunter Phase aboard Loredo, owned by Micaela Kennedy of Chesterfield, MO, and to three top two finishes in the Small Junior Hunters...

Jazz Johnson Merton and Kingston were awarded the Amateur-Owner Grand Hunter Championship (Kendall Bierer/Phelps Media Group) Buffalo, NY - The third day of the 67th Buffalo International Horse Show (BIHS) opened to low temperatures, but nothing short of heated competition. The morning was filled with an action-packed hunter schedule, where horse and rider combinations vied for the top honors and prize money in their respective divisions. Today the Amateur-Owner Hunters named not only their...

Laura Chapot on Castelllano (Devon Walder) Devon, PA - Out of eleven riders, only five made it to the jump off. Four-- if you don't count Laura Chapot twice. After the first few rounds with both jump and time faults, it looked like the course was proving a little too tough for the riders and horses, especially in the heat. Then Laura Chapot took the ring and swept the first round clean. Chapot is notoriously a skilled equestrian, and she did not disappoint, securing a solid 33 seconds in...

Devin Ryan on Quandorette Z (Devon Fall Classic) Devon, PA - The first day of the Devon Fall Classic was sticky and humid, but the riders braved the heat and the lingering promise of rain. While the riders in the 30 Meter Jumpers walked the course, their horses paced anxiously back and forth in the warm-up ring. The course was challenging, with hard lines, a tight triple, and some sharp rollbacks. Coles chose a particularly tight rollback in her jump off round, clearing with no faults and a...