Todd Minikus and Quality Girl (Shawn McMillen) Lexington, Ky . - When $50,000 is up for grabs it brings out the best horses and riders in the world, putting their best foot forward. That is how the Open Jumper division at the 2013 Alltech National Horse Show kicked off today. Todd Minikus and Quality Girl left nothing to chance as they sped around Conrad Homfeld's challenging track, besting the field by two seconds to win the Taylor Harris $50,000 Open Jumper Welcome Speed, presented by...

Kate Mullen & "Elnieta" win the HorseShow.com/CDS Dressage Seat Equitation Challenge on the first day of the CDS Championship Show (Jennifer M. Keeler) Rancho Murieta, CA - California is well-known as home to some of the best dressage horses and riders in the country, and many of those were on display as the first championship titles of the weekend were awarded today at the California Dressage Society (CDS) Annual Championship Show at the Murieta Equestrian Center in Rancho Murieta, CA,...

Woodstock, England – Cross Country day at the Fidelity Blenheim Palace International Horse Trial saw gutsy performances from U.S. competitors over Eric Winter’s influential track. Saturday’s test was made all the more difficult as horse and rider combinations also had to contend with slick going, yet the Americans remained undeterred. Clark Montgomery maintained his third place standing on an ever-improving Loughan Glen, while 24-year-old Clark Montgomery and Loughan Glen...

Shane Sweetnam and Solerina (The Book LLC 2013) North Salem, NY - The 2013 American Gold Cup CSI4*-W returned to the picturesque Old Salem Farm Wednesday to kick-off the week-long international jumping competition featuring the world's top athletes. Thanks to phenomenal reviews from 2012, a large number of entries created a section split for the day's main event on the Grand Prix Field: the $8,000 Danbury Porsche Audi 1.40m Open Jumper class. During the first section, it was...

Boyd Martin and Trading Aces land after the final show jumping fence after putting in one of only eight double clear rounds (Hannah Bennet/USEA) Richland, MI - The weather gods were smiling on the CIC3* riders Friday afternoon at Richland Park as they took to the showjumping ring to tackle Mark Donovan’s proper three-star course. As inconvenient as the deluge was Thursday afternoon, it provided perfectly softened footing for the horses to spring off of Friday, and they needed every extra...

Major equestrian competitions attended by U.S. athletes, both domestic and overseas, are listed in this weekly preview. Please look below to find competition listings by discipline* and breed. We hope you will follow the competitions that most interest you, but check Equestrian Weekly on Monday for a report of any top finishes by U.S. Equestrians. *lists of competitions in all international disciplines will include only FEI competitions or USEF Championships within the USA and international FEI...

Penny Brennan guided Japan to the winning time of 38.170 seconds during the $7,500 South Shore Equine Welcome Stake at the Fieldstone Summer Showcase I (Kendall Bierer/Phelps Media Group) Halifax, MA - It was only three short weeks ago that Penny Brennan was released from the hospital for a severe case of pneumonia, but no one would have known as she raced Japan to the top of the leader board during the $7,500 South Shore Equine Welcome Stake. Brennan and Japan posted the blazing time of 38.170...

McKayla Langmeier and Czar-Z on their way to victory in the $15,000 NEHJA Hunter Derby on August 8 at the Vermont Summer Festival. (David Mullinix Photography) East Dorset, VT - McKayla Langmeier of East Granby, CT, left the veterans in the dust as the 13-year-old collected the top prize in the $15,000 NEHJA Hunter Derby held Thursday, August 8, at the Vermont Summer Festival in East Dorset, VT. The win marked the second in a row for Langmeier and Czar-Z having also won last week’s $5,000...

Shane Sweetnam and Solerina (Phelps Media Group, Inc. International) Lexington, KY - For the second week in a row, the Irish had all the luck, specifically Shane Sweetnam during the $50,000 Kentucky Summer Grand Prix, sponsored by Audi of Lexington, at the Kentucky Summer Classic. This time he was aboard Solerina for the win, shaving valuable seconds off his jump-off time to beat fellow countryman Richie Moloney and Carrabis Z, who placed second. Sweetnam's winning mount from last...

Molly Mcadow and Barina captured the $5,000 USHJA National Hunter Derby victory at Equifest I (Kendall Bierer/PMG) Wayne, IL - It was a day to remember for Molly Mcadow as she laid down the winning rounds during the $5,000 USHJA National Hunter Derby. The Lamplight Equestrian Center was packed with exhibitors and spectators for the third day of Equifest I, and although the skies were gray and torrents of rain poured down from above, the derby contenders were not deterred. Mcadow led the victory...