It was a difficult evening for the United States Team as an unusual equipment failure in the middle of his final round, a broken bit, caused McLain Ward of Brewster, NY to retire from the competition for the individual medals. Then, in a jump-off for the silver and bronze medals Chris Kappler of Pittstown, NJ was pitted against Brazilian rider Rodrigo Pessoa and his Baloubet du Rouet when he felt his horse, Royal Kaliber, take a bad step. He immediately stopped and dismounted, ending his bid...

Equestrian fans can follow the 2004 U.S. Olympic Team like never before. The networks of NBC: NBC, MSNBC, CNBC, USA, Bravo, Telemundo and NBC HDTV will broadcast an unprecedented 1,210 hours – more than the past five Summer Olympics combined. The 24-hour coverage will include action from all 28 Summer Olympic sports for the first time, with equestrian events featured on NBC, USA, Bravo and CNBC. Over the 17 days of the Athens Games, the networks of NBC will average more than 70 hours of...

Traverse City, Mich. – Two gold medalists emerged today at the 2023 FEI North American Youth Dressage Championships presented by USDF as the Young Rider and U25 divisions completed their individual championships. Mary Claire Piller (Oakdale, Tenn.) and Caterina, Emily Brollier’s 2011 Hanoverian mare, won the gold in the Young Rider division. Emily Hewitt (Atlanta, Ga.) was the U25 champion with Fidens, a 2010 KWPN gelding owned by Tammy Pearson. Mary Claire Piller and Caterina....

Strzegom, Poland – The Land Rover U.S. Eventing Team had a successful outing over the weekend at the FEI Eventing Nations Cup™ Poland, holding a wire-to-wire second-place standing in the competition at LOTTO Strzegom Horse Trials. The team finished on a 142.8, with The Netherlands taking first on a 133.8. “The point [of the tour] was to give a younger group team experience,” said USEF Eventing Emerging and Development Coach Leslie Law, who led the team in Strzegom....

San Juan Capistrano, Calif. – The NetJets U.S. Jumping Team finished their week in California on top of the podium, taking a well-earned victory on the Oaks International Grand Prix Field in front of a packed house at Rancho Mission Viejo Riding Park. The team is now one step closer to their collective goal of qualification for the 2023 FEI Jumping Nations Cup Final in Barcelona this September. The team completed the two-round competition on a total of 12 faults ahead of Ireland, who...

Alex Waldrop, the former Chief Executive Officer of the National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA), shared U.S. horse racing’s history and recapped some of the challenges that horse racing has faced in the past 15 years. The challenges affected horse racing’s social license to operate and required earnest changes to improve horse welfare. “An old adage comes to mind: ‘If you can’t be a good example, you’ll just have to be a horrible warning.’...

The Plains, Va. – The Land Rover U.S. Eventing Squad along with alternate and reserve combinations completed their mandatory outing this weekend at MARS Great Meadow International as their final prep event before September’s 2022 FEI Eventing World Championships in Pratoni del Vivaro, Italy. Tamie Smith and Mai Baum. ©Leslie Potter/US Equestrian All five members of the squad, along with the eight reserve and alternate combinations completed the CCI4*-S at MARS GMI. Team...

Jumping athletes were put to the ultimate test Saturday as they competed for individual honors in the Gotham North FEI North American Youth Championships for Jumping, presented by USHJA. Over two rounds, the Children’s and Pre-Juniors attempted to record clear efforts to their overall scores and emerge on the podium. In the Children’s, Rylynn Conway (Zone 2 – Fair Haven, N.J.) took the gold medal after a tiebreaking jump-off, while in the Pre-Junior category, Lawson Whitaker...

Traverse City, Mich. – At the midway point of the 2022 FEI North American Youth Championships (NAYC), Ella Fruchterman has already racked up a pair of gold medals in the Junior Dressage division. Ella Fruchterman and Holts Le'Mans. ©KTB Creative Group Fruchterman (West Lakeland, Minn.) and Holts Le’Mans, her own 2011 Danish Warmblood gelding, were part of the Region 4 team that won gold on Wednesday’s Junior Team Competition. On Friday, the pair clinched the...

Traverse City, Mich. – Team dressage competition concluded Wednesday at the 2022 FEI North American Youth Championships with the Young Riders completing their team tests under perfect weather conditions at Flintfields Horse Park. Sophia Schults and Conocido HGF. ©KTB Creative Group The team gold medal went to the combined USA Region 3/Region 9 team of Sophia Schults (Wellington, Fla.) and Conocido HGF; Mary Claire Piller (Oakdale, Tenn.) and Oreo; Sydney Schultz (Mandeville, La.) and...