August, September, and October have been very busy months for the Oldenburg Horse Breeders' Society, a division of the Verband der Züchter des Oldenburger Pferdes. After having a successful Elite Foal Auction at the end of August, everyone headed to see many Oldenburg Horses and Weser-Ems Ponies crowned champions at the German Bundeschampionate. Oldenburgs such as the stallion Con Air, who won the six-year-old jumper division, and ponies such as the Weser-Ems stallion, Cyrill WE, who...

Karen O'Connor and Mandiba Deliver (Shannon Brinkman) Elkton, MD – Karen O’Connor and Mandiba did not take the easy road to the 2009 Dansko Fair Hill International CCI***, but they delivered on the second day of dressage and put in a dynamite test for a score of 39.6, making them the only pair to go under 40 going into Saturday’s cross country. Also serving as the USEF National CCI*** and CCI** Eventing Championships, Fair Hill International showcased some very professional...

Kassandra Barteau and GP Raymeister at 2009 NAJYRC (Flashpoint Photography) Lexington, KY – Three-time USEF National Champion and NAJYRC Gold Medalist Kassandra Barteau has topped the United States rankings for the FEI World Cup™ Dressage Final for Young Riders and has earned an invitation to Frankfurt, Germany for the Final, to be held December 17-20. Twenty-one year-old Barteau of Maple Park, Illinois and her mount GP Raymeister (a 10-year-old bay Holsteiner stallion owned by...

The premiere event of the American Endurance Ride Conference (AERC), the annual National Championship ride, proved to be a weekend of celebration in Northern California on September 11 and 13. At the site of the annual Patriot’s Day ride in Greenville, CA, competitors arrived from all over the western U.S. and Canada to compete for AERC’s top prizes. The 100-mile championship ride, held Friday, was won handily by Lindsay Graham, a fourth-year veterinary student at the University of California...

Lexington, KY – Somehow Sapphire keeps getting better. Already the owner of two Olympic Team Gold medals from 2004 and 2008 with rider McLain Ward, the 14-year-old Belgian mare continues to add Sapphire and McLain Ward (Anthony Trollope/stockimageservices.com ) accolades to her sparkling resume across the globe. This time it was the CN International at the Spruce Meadows Masters. One of the most prestigious (and richest – worth $1m CAD) Grand Prixes on the planet, Sapphire and Ward...

Kecskemet, Hungary – Team USA is in fifth position in the Team standings after the dressage and marathon at the FEI World Pair Driving Championship in Kecskemét, Hungary. The Dutch are still in the lead, ahead of Hungary, Germany and Switzerland. Team USA is less than five points away from the bronze medal, and anything can happen in tomorrow’s deciding obstacle driving competition. Keady Cadwell, Larry Poulin and Lisa Singer dropped one place in the Team standings after a...

Imagine the scenario. Sitting under a shaded tent facing a perfectly manicured and maintained hunter ring. Free food abounds. Dozen upon dozen of pony riders are mounted upon the most gorgeous ponies you have ever seen in your life. You get to kick back, relax and take in this awesome environment, free of stress or cares. Just another day in the life of this very lucky journalist and editor. Yes…the 2009 USEF Pony Finals is under way at the Kentucky Horse Park, and for the first time in...

Kaitlyn McMorris and Clifton Peekachu (Brant Gamma) Lexington, KY—Cross-country day has come and gone at the USEA North American Junior & Young Rider Eventing Championships at the Kentucky Horse Park. It was a day full of athletic horses cruising around the course and strong riders enjoying every minute of it. The start time was delayed an hour due to strong storms that moved through the area, but the weather improved as the competition went on. The course, designed by Olympic Gold...

The 2009 Adequan FEI North American Junior & Young Riders Championships (NAJYRC) presented by Gotham North kicked off today under a deluge from the sky at the Kentucky Horse Park. Despite the fact that rain showers, and eventually a downpour, plagued the first day of competition, some stunning rides in the USDF/Platinum Performance NAJYRC Dressage Championships Team Test and the first medal ceremony of the championships brightened the day for riders and spectators alike. It was an exciting...

The ever popular Reining By The Bay celebrates its 10th Anniversary this year. In line with the celebration, show producers RBB, Inc., have announced that the Peninsula Humane Society has been deemed the official charity of the organization. The news is just in time for the 2009 Reining By The Bay event, which takes place July 21-26 at The Horse Park in Woodside, CA. "We are very excited to be working with the Peninsula Humane Society at the Reining By The Bay,” said Mandi Brumley of RBB,...