HITS, Inc., is pleased to announce the horse show dates for its 2010 HITS Arizona Winter Circuit. Next year marks the 20th Anniversary of this HITS circuit and, once again, the circuit will run for six consecutive weeks beginning on Wednesday, February 3, and continuing until Sunday, March 14, 2010. As always, the HITS Arizona Winter Circuit will feature a wide variety of hunter/jumper divisions with classes for every level of rider from short stirrup to high performance. Some of this season's...

Jumper champions Sydney Shulman and Set Sail (USEF Archives/Randi Muster) Lexington, KY—It was a day of champions at the 2009 USEF Pony Finals as ribbons and top honors were handed out in the Regular Pony Hunters as well as the Individual Jumper Finals at the Kentucky Horse Park on a sun-drenched day where the competition was as hot as the weather. Beginning early in the day was the Medium Pony Hunters where there was no shortage of graceful rides and impressive rounds from the ponies....

Team Gold medalists—Zone 8—from the Team Jumper competition. (USEF Archive/Randi Muster) Lexington, KY —Last night the joint was, as they say, jumpin’. Day three of the five-day USEF Pony Finals National Championships kicked off this morning with Phase I for the Regular Pony Hunters (model and under saddle), moved on to the Small Pony over fences class, and segued by sunset into the rousing 2009 USEF National Pony Jumper Team Championship. This year’s Small Pony Hunter title...

Maddy Darst (USEF Archive/Randi Muster) Lexington, KY—There is a lot that goes into the makings of a champion pony. Just ask Ohio’s Meredith “Maddy” Darst. She would know. And to prove it, two of her mounts—Rock the Boat and Brownland’s Mr. Mac—jumped their way through the over fences phase of the 2009 United States Equestrian Federation Pony Finals National Championships to take the Medium Green Hunter Pony and the Small Green Hunter Pony champion...

Lexington, KY—The Mt. Eden Vaulters, of Saratoga, CA, finished the Kentucky Cup Vaulting on Sunday the way they started it on Thursday—by sweeping the first-placed awards. In the CVI2*, Megan Benjamin won the women’s division, Kenny Geisler won the men’s division and the Mt. Eden Sun Team won the team division. The Kentucky Cup is the vaulting test event for the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games, to be held September 25 to October 10, 2010. The World Championships...

Spectators were treated to a spectacular display of harmony between athlete and rider with a one day equestrian vaulting demonstration competition during the 2009 Adequan FEI North American Junior/Young Rider Championsip Presented by Gotham North. Top Equestrian Vaulters from the US and Canada competed for honors with their Freestyle and Technical routines in the Van Lennep Indoor Arena at the Kentucky Horse Park. This marks the first time that Equestrian Vaulting was included in the...

Lexington, KY —Equipped with a new indoor facility, six strong teams and some of the most outstanding reining horses in North America, the SmartPak™ North American Young Rider Reining Championships came to an emotional and suspenseful close today with the prestigious Individual competition. For only the second time in history, the championships has declared an Individual Gold medalist in Darcy Wilson of Glenwood, Ontario, Canada, who stood on guard for her beloved Canada while...

Individual show jumping medalists Joelle Froese, Jennifer Waxman and Lucy Davis (Sportfot.com) Lexington, KY—The audience was in for a treat as both Junior and Young Riders laid it all on the line and put on a show during the CN North American Junior & Young Rider Championships presented by USHJA. In the juniors, it took two separate jump-offs to decide the winners of the Individual show jumping medals and all four horses and riders jumped their hearts out in an attempt to reign...

Fans of dressage were on point and the stakes were high as the Young Riders returned to perform a battle royale in the USDF/Platinum Performance NAJYRC Dressage Individual Championships. After battling the rain in the Team competition, the riders now had to deal with the heat as they prepared their horses for the next step in their journey at the 2009 Adequan FEI North American Junior & Young Riders Championships (NAJYRC) presented by Gotham North. After receiving a 66.474% from the judges...

On Friday an impressive group of yearlings, two-year-olds, and three-year-olds gathered at Loch Moy Farm to participate in the IDHSNA/United States Eventing Association (USEA) Future Event Horse (FEH) Series. The weather was wonderful, the babies perfectly behaved, and the Maryland Horse Trials volunteers were absolutely great. The FEH competition was judged by the venerable Sally Ike, who was also the technical delegate for the horse trials. After the competion ended, Ike commented on how...