Twenty one nations are celebrating their Olympic qualification today, 9 January, which marks the 200-day countdown to London 2012 and 100 years of equestrian sport in the Olympic movement. Eleven countries have now secured the opportunity to join the nine nations already qualified at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games™ 2010 in Kentucky and hosts Great Britain at London 2012 through a series of nail-biting qualifiers held around the world for their Olympic Group. Australia, Belgium,...

Lexington, KY - The United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) has named the four athlete/horse combinations to represent the U.S. at CSIO-W Buenos Aires in Argentina. This CSIO will take place over Thanksgiving weekend (November 23-27). The following Team will represent the United States in Argentina: Cara Raether (Bedford, NY) will ride Trelawny Farm's Lyonell Lyonell is a 10-year-old Sachsen-Anhaltiner gelding Cara Anthony (Redmond, WA) will ride Potcreek Partners, LLC's Woodpecker...

Lexington, KY- The Platinum Performance /USEF Show Jumping Talent Search Finals celebrates its 30th anniversary in 2011 and this year’s competition is a strong as ever. The championship style competition again hosts finals for the top up-and-coming junior and young riders on both the east and west coasts. This weekend all eyes will be on the U.S. Equestrian Foundation Headquarters in Gladstone, NJ for the Platinum Performance/USEF Show Jumping Talent Search Final – East. Two weeks...

Upper Marlboro, MD – With the 18th annual Capital Challenge Horse Show underway at the Prince George’s Equestrian Center, the countdown is on for the USHJA World Championship Hunter Rider Challenges and Finals taking place October 5-9. Each year the top 10 nationally ranked riders in each WCHR category, as well as the top six riders from each region, are invited to compete in their respective WCHR Challenge competitions at the Capital Challenge. Challenge classes are run in either a...

Lexington, KY - The 2011 Platinum Performance/USEF Show Jumping Talent Search Final - West is well under way at the L.A. International Jumping Festival, September 21-25, in Burbank, CA. The flat phase, first of the four phases took place Thursday night. The judging team of noted judge Sue Ashe and her daughter, international jumper rider Molly Ashe, tested the riders on their mastery of the skills needed to properly prepare a jumper for flatwork, including a demonstration of haunches in and a...

Chester Weber. Photo: Richard Moore. The 25th annual Laurels at Landhope International Combined Driving Event, one of the most prestigious events of its kind in the U.S., is hosting the 2011 U.S. National Four-In-Hand Championship. Four entries in the division include three Americans, Chester Weber, James Fairclough and Josh Rector, who are eligible for the championship and one Canadian, Eugen Hug. Weber, of Ocala, FL, got off to an early lead with a picture-perfect dressage test with...

Ashlee Bond and Chivas Z won the 1.40m Open Jumper class at the Kentucky Summer Horse Show (Photo: Kenneth Kraus/PhelpsSports.com). Lexington, KY - It was beautiful and sunny for the opening day of the Kentucky Summer Horse Shows at the Kentucky Horse Park. Today, riders gathered at the Walnut Ring to compete for top prizes in the Open Jumper classes. Ashlee Bond and Chivas Z were the big winners, claiming the victory in the 1.40m Open Jumper class with the fastest clear effort. In the 1.35m...

My name is Devan Horn, and I am an 18-year-old Endurance competitor from Kingwood, Texas. This will be my third year competing in the Young Rider Endurance event held annually in July, but as this is the first time we’ve been welcomed into the official Championship FEI event, this year is certainly special! I’m helped along this path by my loving parents, (Mom who pays, Dad who crews!), my friends, and my mentor, boss, and friend Darolyn Butler-who’s amazing horses I ride in...

John and Lisa Seger of Markel Insurance present the Markel/USEF 5-Year-Old Western Selection Trial championship ribbon to Sabine Schut-Kery and Sanceo (Photo courtesy of Genia Ply Photography). Burbank, CA - Young dressage horses were the stars of the weekend in the historic and pastoral setting of the Flintridge Riding Club for Dressage at Flintridge CDI*/Y/J, May 26-29, 2011 in La Cañada-Flintridge, CA. As host of the Markel/USEF Young Horse Western Selection Trial for the FEI/WBFSH...

Ehrin Rittmueller and Mr. Valentine (Photo by Diana Hadsall). Grass Lake, MI - For Ehrin Rittmueller, today’s win in the inaugural Hunter-Jumper Association of Michigan’s $5,000 USHJA National Hunter Classic aboard Diane Sheet’s Mr. Valentine was especially important and significant as not too long ago the future for the 10- year-old grey Zangersheide gelding was at best, very uncertain. “At one point in time this horse came close to being euthanized for his dangerous...