Another eventful day in Smartie’s world. It all started off pretty well, with me and Smartie both in a great mood. Smartie was especially happy because we got to graze her for a really long time. Since her middle name tends to be “Piggy,” she was very happy with her clover-filled breakfast. As the day went on, I began to get very excited. This made for a very long time of excitement since our class did not even start until 10 o’clock at night, but that didn’t stop...

Albuquerque, NM - It was devilishly hot when the trainers and horses arrived and unloaded their vans for the 19th Annual Arabian Youth National Championships Tuesday and Wednesday, just a few short days before the beginning of the show. As the horses and tack trunks were walked or lifted off of the vans the temperature poked its nose over the 100-degree mark, leaving man and mount sweating and equally eager for a drink of water and a cool spot in the shade. After nearly 20 years in the...

Terry Brown and Nice Take Home Performance Hunter Championship at Kentucky Summer Horse Show (Phot: Holly Whiteman/PMG). Lexington, KY - There was plenty of sunshine for the second day of the Kentucky Summer Horse Show at the Kentucky Horse Park during their World Champion Hunter Rider event. The professional divisions concluded today in the Stonelea Ring with the Green Working Hunters, Conformation Hunters, and Performance 3'6"-3'9" Hunters all awarding championship and reserve...

Lexington, KY - Temperatures soared, but dressage competitors managed to keep their cool as the 2011 Adequan/FEI North American Junior & Young Rider Championships presented by Gotham North kicked off today at the Kentucky Horse Park. This is the third year the championships have been held at the Kentucky venue, which was the site of the 2010 Alltech/FEI World Equestrian Games last fall. Region 5 Took the Gold medal in the Young Rider competition. Photo by SusanJStickle.com. The day began...

We arrived at the venue today! Our horses had already arrived, so we dove into our first day at the Kentucky Horse Park! We arranged team shirts, walked out our horses, and began organizing for the race this Friday. It was hard work, since we had just come back into the humidity, and I’d done a 120 kilometer race two days before, not to mention the jet lag! But the trip with the United States Endurance Team for the Trial Run of the Endurance World Championship was worth it! I ended up in...

Well, we finally made it to Lexington yesterday around noon. My dad and I came as the “advance crew” to make sure everything would be ready for our team’s horses when they got here. We got all the bedding and the stall signs put up and everything else we could think of. Mr. Randy had an ETA of around 1 A.M. As it sometimes happens, things did not go quite according to plan. They rolled into the park around 5 o’clock this morning, exhausted from the all-night drive. So,...

Lexington, KY - The Alltech National Horse Show, 128th edition, announced today that Dr. and Mrs. Pearse Lyons have been named the Honorary Chairpersons for the inaugural event to be staged at the Alltech Arena at the world-renowned Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, Ky Dr. and Mrs. Pearse Lyons have been named Honorary Chairpersons of this year's Alltech National Horse Show, 128th Edition (Photo: Alltech). , site of last year's Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games, from November 2-6, 2011. Dr....

Olympic fever is ramping up as today marks the one-year countdown to the London 2012 Olympic Games and 100 years of equestrian sport in the Olympic movement. The London 2012 Olympic Games Opening Ceremony on 27 July will be followed by 12 days of equestrian competition in Greenwich Park, where the world’s best horses and riders will compete for six gold medals in the Olympic disciplines of Eventing, Dressage and Jumping. To celebrate one year to go, the FEI will be running London 2012...

Olympic fever is ramping up as today marks the one-year countdown to the London 2012 Olympic Games and 100 years of equestrian sport in the Olympic movement. The London 2012 Olympic Games Opening Ceremony on July 27, 2012, will be followed by 12 days of equestrian competition in Greenwich Park, where the world’s best horses and riders will compete for six gold medals in the Olympic disciplines of Eventing, Dressage and Jumping. To celebrate one year to go, the FEI will be running London...

For the past week, I have been working hard to stay ready for this big show. Because Smartie lives in Arkansas and I live in Mississippi, I obviously cannot ride her every single day—although, I wish I could. So, while I am at home, I ride other horses to stay in riding shape. Lately, I have also been teaching some riding lessons to a kid from our church. He went to camp and fell in love with horses. When he got home, he asked if he could come hang out with me at the barn and learn more....