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...

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...

Julie Curtin and Vince (Flashpoint Photography). Johns Island, SC — The final week of the Charleston Summer Classics held at Mullet Hall Equestrian Center was much like an adventure packed vacation itinerary, one moment you’re enjoying the sport with friendly competitive rivals- then shopping together for the social gatherings. This was also the week where the Wee Warriors of the Pony divisions battled for the coveted titles of Grand Pony Kahuna and the glory of being named Most...

Final Preparations My horse Verdicci and I have less than one week left to prepare for the 2011 FEI North American Junior & Young Rider Championships! I can’t wait to represent Region 5 on the Young Rider Dressage team! I have dreamed of being a Young Rider ever since I was twelve years old, so four years later it is great to finally be stepping up to the “big leagues” after competing in the Junior division for the past three years. It is especially great since I thought I...

Cathy Vecsey rode Mandaley Bay to roses in the Park ATR Championship. Ferrara Photography Inc. Columbus, Ohio - The first Ohio Buckeye Show was held in 1964. It lasted two days, featured 49 classes and was rife with horses bred by Al-Marah, Lewisfield and Cedardell Arabians. Al-Marah Laurie was the 1964 Buckeye Champion Halter Gelding, won the English Pleasure Championship with Bob Hart Sr. in the irons and the Western Pleasure JTR with Bob Hart Jr. Bob Jr. was 13 at the time. Arabian horses...

Kevin Babington and Mark Q (Photo courtesy of Parker/Russell - The Book LLC). Devon, PA - The 20-horse field in tonight's $100,000 Wells Fargo Grand Prix of Devon read like a Who's Who of the show-jumping world. Two-time Olympic gold medalist McLain Ward, 2010 winner Peter Leone, Kate Levy, Todd Minikus and Kevin Babington just to name a few. The jumps were high; 150-160 m, the crowd was huge, and the competition was fierce over Olympic Course Designer Olaf Petersen's...

Reims, France - The USEF European Young Rider Tour continued its successful trip through Europe with another second-place finish in the Nations Cup at CSIOY Reims. Runners-up in Belgium the previous weekend, the Young Riders continued their successful European effort. Catherine Pasmore led off the U.S. team, rebounding from a 13-fault first round on My Boy to improve to eight faults in round two. Karen Polle rode With Wings in the second position to a six-fault effort in the first round but...

Leipzig, Germany - The Leipzig Exhibition Center hosted the first round of the Rolex/FEI World Cup Final - the speed leg - this afternoon and all 10 American combinations looked to get a head start on the competition. Frank Rothenberger set a scopey yet technical course that tested all 43 competitors in the 2011 Final and allowed for a number of different lines and options to be ridden. With the faults converted format, finding the correct balance between forward and efficient riding and...

Callan Solem was victorious in the $40,000 Grand Prix with Magic Cruise at HITS Culpeper. (Photo by Rebecca Walton/PMG). Culpeper, VA - Callan Solem took both first and second place in the $40,000 HITS Grand Prix on Sunday, April 24. Solem was the only rider to complete double-clear efforts in the Commonwealth National Park finale. The Chester Springs, PA-based rider advanced to the jump-off in the show's highlight event after riding fault-free first-rounds over Danny Foster's course...