Leslie Burr Howard and Up and Blue Chapelle on their way to a $75,000 HITS Grand Prix win. (ESI Photography) Saugerties, N.Y. - The grand finale of an exciting first week at HITS-on-the-Hudson commenced with the $75,000 HITS Grand Prix. A talented field of exhibitors tested the course designed by Marina Azevedo of Campinas, Brazil, but only two would advance to the jump-off to compete for the blue. The victor would prove to be Leslie Burr Howard of Darien, Connecticut, and Up and Blue...

McLain Ward and HH Carlos Z (Sportfot) Wellington, Fla. - McLain Ward (USA) and Double H Farm's HH Carlos Z won the $500,000 Rolex Grand Prix CSI 5* in front of a packed house at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center (PBIEC) Saturday night to conclude International show jumping at the 2015 Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF). Forty of the circuit's best horses and riders representing 13 different countries jumped for the winter's top prize. Daniel Bluman (COL) and Conconcreto...

Richard Spooner riding Tuxedo (Spruce Meadows Media Service) Clagary, Alberta - Competition kicked off in the Chinook Ring Friday morning with the $8,000 Francis Family Cup 1.45m where Richard Spooner (USA) got his third win in a row this week. Held in a faults converted format, the competition saw 30 entries jumping a course set by Manuel Esparza of Mexico. About halfway through the order, Spooner and Tuxedo cleared the course in a time of 66.44 seconds that would hold on for the win. The...

Long hours in the saddle…….trailering to lessons……..scrimping and saving to pay for show fees………cleaning tack………body clipping……….polishing hooves. The preparation work for the first show of the season is time-consuming and sometimes tedious. But equine enthusiasts around the country could not imagine spending their time doing anything else right now – that show is right around the corner. Besides...

Lauren Crooks and Navare D'Oriolles (Spruce Meadows Media Services) Calgary, Alberta - The finish of the $33,000 Westjet Cup 1.45m could not have been any closer, with only one-thousandth of a second separating first and second place. With the slimmest margin of victory, Lauren Crooks (USA) and Navare D'Oriolles, a 12-year-old Selle Francais gelding by Derby Rouge x Le Gregol owned by Beatrice Mack, scored their first international victory at Spruce Meadows. Crooks was one of eight...

The Kentucky Horse Park Welcomes Pint-sized Mounts to a Fierce Competition Tomorrow begins the Green Pony Hunters Over Fences, Medium Ponies Compete in the Under Saddle Phase Lexington, KY – August 7, 2012 – The Walnut Ring was alive with families and friends supporting young competitors and their pony mounts, as the 2012 US Pony Finals and the US Hunter Pony Championships presented by Sallee Horse Vans got underway with its first day at the Kentucky Horse Park. Today, the top...

Dressage At the Saugerties CDI-W, Catherine Haddad-Staller proved dominating in the grand prix taking the top two spots with Winyamaro and Cadillac 35 respectively. Winyamaro proved just a hair better than his stablemate in the grand prix, scoring 68.660% to Cadillac's 68.553%. Based in Germany, Haddad-Staller has spent most of the summer in the U.S. Winyamaro settled for second in the freestyle behind Idaho-based rider Adrienne Lyle and Wizard. The cross-country journey proved worth the...

Sarah Hamilton from strategic communications consulting firm Kivvit gave a presentation on social media to kick off Friday’s Workshop Sessions. She reviewed the basics, different platforms, strengths and weaknesses of social media, and best practices. Hamilton concluded by fielding questions from the audience for a thoroughly informative session. Social media is a communication tool “Social media is just one tool in a larger communications and marketing external relations plan that...

$2,500 USHJA Children's Jumper Individual Qualifier during the North Regional Championships. (Phelps Media Group) Roscoe, Ill. - Stark white breeches, beautifully turned out horses and tack that shined kicked off the opening day of competition for the three-day 2015 USHJA Children's & Adult Amateur Jumper Regional Championships. Over 20 horse and rider combinations lined up in the Grand Prix Ring at the Ledges Sporting Horses and Show Grounds, commanding the attention of spectators and...

Caelinn Leahy and Kaner 88 win the $2,500 Low Junior Jumper Accumulator Class at the Spring Spectacular II. Wayne, IL - June 12, 2015 - The Chicago Blackhawks continue their campaign to the Stanley Cup Saturday night, and if Caelinn Leahy and Kaner 88 are any precursor to Game 5, then their win in the $2,500 Low Junior Jumper Accumulator Class, sponsored by Believe It Farm, speaks volumes. Kaner 88 is named fondly after the Blackhawks' right wing Patrick Kane, sporting the same red hair,...