STATEMENT FROM CHIACCHIA FAMILY March 17, 2008 5:00 p.m. EDT Darren Chiacchia remains unconscious in critical condition but is now breathing independently without the assistance of a ventilator. A minor fracture of his left hand was detected today, but the extent of his brain and neurological injuries are still the major concern. Further updates will be provided tomorrow.

Callan Solem and her mount Mianta were up to the challenge in Sunday's $50,000 Duggan Equipment Grand Prix as they secured the blue ribbon and $15,000 in prize money for Quiet Winter Farm at HITS Ocala. Solem and her mount Mianta had the fastest double-clear round on course designer Leopoldo Palacios' track. The pair got the best of 42 starters in the first round and seven combinations in the jump-off. Mianta is 14 and also won the $25,000 HITS Grand Prix on February 3. Solem's win also snaps...

Harrisburg, PA ­- Nearly 300 young riders earned the privilege to compete for the coveted Pessoa/USEF Hunter Seat Medal Finals. They represented the best equitation riders from 34 states, British Columbia, Ontario and the District of Columbia. Despite an early lead being held throughout the daylong competition, the winner, Kimberly McCormack of Clermont, NJ, emerged from the final 42 riders. "Her round was fantastic, just great," said Judge Geoff Teall of Wellington, FL. "Her round just stood...

From a Press Release by Daniel Rieffer , Communications Manager, American Saddlebred Horse Association Louisville, Kentucky - Jen Raynes’ heart of gold led her to Louisville. She ran into a parent of an ASHA junior member at a horse show in Scottsdale, Arizona, who convinced her to donate her time and talent to create a painting for the AHSA Annual Auction. She’s known as “Mad Dog” Jen, and she’s experienced absolute madness since leaving California Tuesday morning to get to the World’s...

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil – And then there were five. The gold medal eventing and dressage teams shipped out early Monday morning, leaving the five show jumpers alone in the U.S. wing of the stables at the Pan American Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. With 17 countries represented, the most of the three disciplines, the show jumping will be very competitive. Florida’s Lauren Hough and Casadora are riding the crest of a very successful wave, having just won the valuable CN Reliability Grand Prix at...

McLain Ward and Sapphire tackling a tough course at the 2007 Rolex FEI World Cup in Las Vegas. (Doug Prather) Las Vegas, NV - The show jumpers returned to the Thomas and Mack Center in Las Vegas on Friday evening for the second round of the Rolex FEI World Cup Jumping Final, and it was a blistering jump-off performance by American expatriate Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum aboard Shutterfly that left the crowd cheering. In 29.38 seconds, the pair scorched the six-obstacle round ahead of eight others...

Canterbury May Days Qualifier coming May 5-6, 2007, has been granted funding in part from the Alachua County Tourist Development Council and Visitors and Convention Bureau and administered by the Gainesville Sports Organizing Commission. Manager Wendy Low announced today she was “very pleased to have the support of the GSOC and appreciates the contribution to make the event a huge success.” The show is also governed by the United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) and the United States...

Show jumper Nona Garson and The Ridge Farm will host a sport horse auction at the Intercontinental Sport Horse Sales on January 27, 2007 at The Ridge Farm in Wellington, FL. The sport horse auction will offer a superior selection of hunter, jumper and dressage horses that are hand-picked from around the world. The fourth annual sport horse auction is in the process of selecting a limited number of quality horses to be featured. For more information contact (732) 681-4379 or (908) 500-0996 or...

Matt Mills and Easy Otie Whiz (Waltenberry) Lexington, KY – It was a night of upsets at the Kentucky Horse Park during the 2006 Adequan®/United States Equestrian Federation® Open Reining Championship, which was also the selection trial for the U.S Reining Team for this summer’s World Equestrian Games in Aachen, Germany. Twenty-seven of the finest reiners our nation has to offer competed in what many believed was one of the most competitive reining competitions ever held. The...

Patty Stovel rode Shandor 41, a 10-year-old Hanoverian gelding, to the win in Sunday's $50,000 HITS Grand Prix at HITS Culpeper Showday National. Jerry Dougherty of Geneva, IL, set a challenging first-round course that saw four horses advance to the jump-off. Stovel was the fastest of three double-clears with 40.69 seconds on the clock. Second place went to Megan Moran riding Quarnak De Longprec. Eliza Ferguson Shuford rode Larentino to third place. Beth Underhill finished in fourth place with...