Lexington, Ky. - The United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) is pleased to announce the team of Pam Roush, Barbe Smith, and Kent Swalla as coaches of the 2016 U.S. Saddle Seat World Cup Team, who will travel to South Africa in July 2016 for the International Saddle Seat World Cup. Roush (Lutz, Fla.) has developed equitation teams at her own Avalon Stables for the last 20 years. She has held offices in UPHA Chapter 16 for nearly a decade and was named its Horse Person of the Year for 2010 and...

Lexington, Ky. - Adult amateur riders showing off their Third Level freestyles were first in the Alltech Arena early Sunday morning, but it was the final competitor down centerline who impressed the judges the most on the last day of national championship action at the US Dressage Finals presented by Adequan®, held November 5-8, 2015 at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, Ky. Julie McCrady won the Third Level Freestyle Adult Amateur Championship with her home-bred Hanoverian mare...

Earlier this week, things weren’t looking good for Catalina Sherwood as she pursued her dream of riding at the US Dressage Finals presented by Adequan®, a unique national head-to-head competition for adult amateur and open riders of all levels being held November 5-8, 2015 at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, Ky. After a long van ride from Tucson, Ariz., her eight-year-old RPSI mare Razmitaz wasn’t her usual self. “She wasn’t feeling well when she came off the...

Most competitors dread having to be the first rider to enter the arena in any class, let alone the first rider down the centerline on Day One of national championship competition First in the ring, Rachael Hicks & Fabio Bellini set the standard for the rest of the class and won the Intermediate I Adult Amateur Championship. Photo by Susan J. Stickle at the US Dressage Finals presented by Adequan®, a unique national head-to-head competition being for exhibitors of all levels held...

Molly Schiltgen and Leisl TF earned their first ribbon today from the 2015 US Dressage Finals presented by Adequan®. Photo by Susan J. Stickle Under glorious skies and with unseasonably warm temperatures the third edition of the annual US Dressage Finals presented by Adequan® got underway Thursday at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington. Riders took advantage of a full day of open competition with Dressage in the Bluegrass classes to prepare for their Championship performances over the...

Pau, France – An influential show jumping day closed out Les Étoiles de Pau CCI4*. Yann Royant’s challenging track saw few clear rounds to bring the competition to an exciting conclusion. U.S. combination Katie Ruppel and Houdini concluded their European debut with a 33rd-place finish. Katie Ruppel and Houdini (Libby Law Photography) Ruppel (Anthony, Fla.) and her own Houdini began the competition with a nice dressage test to receive a score of49.3 from the Ground Jury of...

Santo Domingo, Chile – Five talented combinations will represent the United States at the 2015 FEI World Endurance Championship for Young Riders and Juniors on Friday, October 23, at Tricao Park. Young Riders and Juniors World Endurance Championship veterans Mary Kathryn Clark (Eatonton, Ga.) and Christina Kimery (Bixby, Okla.) will lead Katie Baldino (Marietta, Ga.), Mallory Capps (Cumming, Ga.), and Maria Muzzio (Clifton, Va.) on the 120 km course against riders from 15 nations. USEF...

Samantha Karp and Zetina B (Al Cook Photo) Harrisburg, Pa. - October 12, 2015 - Samantha Karp, 18, of Wellington, FL, is on a winning streak. With her mount, Zentina B, she won the $10,000 North American League (NAL) Children's Hunter Final at the Pennsylvania National Horse Show. The pair were also the year-end point leaders in the East Coast Children's Hunter Division of the North American League. The riders contested over a course of nine fences, including a one stride combination,...

Elizabeth Reynolds and Own the Moment (Al Cook Photo) Harrisburg, Pa. - October 12, 2015 - Elizabeth Reynolds of Southampton, NJ and Own the Moment owned highest honors in the $10,000 North American League (NAL) Adult Hunter Finals at the Pennsylvania National Horse Show on Monday. Reynolds could not believe her good fortune as this was her first time competing in the NAL Finals and she was riding the first horse she ever owned. "We worked hard all year to trying to get here. Never in my...

Mikala Gundersen and My Lady (Hoof Print Images) Devon, Pa. – With the sun actually peeking out from behind the clouds, the rescheduled FEI Grand Prix Freestyle took place Sunday morning. It was ladies day with female riders claiming the top three places. My Lady, a bay Danish Warmblood owned by Janne Rumbough, danced into first place under the guidance of her rider, Mikala Gundersen. My Lady, who also won last night’s Grand Prix Freestyle Qualifier, demonstrated even more of her...