Richard Spooner and Lady Like. (Photo by Sportfot©.) Wellington, FL - It was a fun night of competition with a highlight event, the $50,000 Vita Flex Match Races, at the 2011 FTI Winter Equestrian Festival. Advancing through five rounds of races, it was Richard Spooner (USA) and Lady Like, owned by the C&S Partnership LLC who finished as the winners. In the final round, they topped Daniela Cordero of the Dominican Republic and T Cavalier. The FTI WEF's tenth week of competition, sponsored by...

Elizabeth Benson and San Remo VDL. (Photo by Sportfot©.) Wellington, FL - The 4th Annual George Morris Excellence in Equitation Championships, presented by Artisan Farms, were held on Friday evening in the International Arena at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center. A feature event for the junior riders at the FTI Winter Equestrian Festival, the class saw an exciting win for 16-year-old Elizabeth Benson of Whitehouse Station, NJ, trained by Stacia Madden of Beacon Hill Show Stables....

Dressage Steffen Peters swept the 2011 World Dressage Masters Palm Beach presented by the International Polo Club, dominating both the Grand Prix and the Grand Prix Freestyle at Jim Brandon Equestrian Center in Wellington, FL. The California combination scored a personal best CDI Grand Prix score of 80.872% and a Freestyle score of 84.525% at the only CDI5* in the United States. Tina Konyot and Calecto V were second in the Grand Prix and third in the Freestyle to complete a strong showing for...

Lucy Davis and Nemo 119. (Flying Horse Photography©.) Thermal, CA — Lucy Davis and Old Oak Farm’s Nemo 119 scored the crown jewel of the 2011 HITS Desert Circuit when they captured the top placing in the $200,000 Lamborghini Grand Prix of the Desert, presented by Lamborghini of Newport Beach, to conclude six weeks of world-class show jumping at the HITS Desert Horse Park in Thermal, CA. Davis, 18, is making herself a household name in the sport. Sunday’s victory marked her fourth Grand Prix...

Catherine Chamberlain on Verdicci. (Photo by Genia Ply Photography.) Lincoln, NE - The Dressage Foundation announced today that the Renee Isler Dressage Support Fund has recently provided grants to three individuals to further their dressage training and education. Liz Austin (VT), Jasmin Becker (CO, and Catherine Chamberlain (AZ) were chosen by a Selection Committee to receive financial support from Renee's Fund. Renee established the Renee Isler Dressage Support Fund at The Dressage...

Jonathan Wentz on NTEC Ritcher Scale with trainer/sponsor Kai Handt and USPEA President Hope Hand. (Lindsay McCall) Del Mar, CA – Closing day of the 2011 Dressage Affaire (CDI3* W/Y/J & CPEDI3*) arrived at the beautiful Del Mar Horsepark on Sunday, March 13, 2011. The para-equestrian dressage riders could breathe a sigh a relief with the two qualifying days of the Team Test and Individual Championship Test completed. Sunday was the day for each rider from the United States, Canada and Mexico to...

Pierre St. Jacques and Lucky Tiger (SusanJStickle.com Photo) Wellington, FL - The second day of the World Dressage Masters Palm Beach presented by the International Polo Club got underway with the Grand Prix Special on a glorious day in South Florida. Nine horse-and-rider combinations went forward to the Special after Thursday’s Grand Prix and the remaining eight will contest the Freestyle this evening. Polish rider Michal Rapcewicz proved unbeatable, winning the Special on 69.771% on Randon....

Thalia with Gin-N-Tonic. (Photo by Mary Ellen Payne.) Albuquerque, NM - Dr. Ruth Wilburn, President of the Welsh Pony & Cob Society of America (WPCSA) announced a special lifetime achievement award to Thalia Gentzel for her significant contributions to the WPCSA, the pony hunter world, and the lives of many young riders throughout the course of her life. From the time she was 12, Thalia rode at the old Cornell University Stables, where she was later a member of the intercollegiate team. When...

Last night was awesome. The standard of riding demonstrated by the US riders was unbelievable. McLain, Mario, Margie and Beezie gave a riding lesson in how to ride effectively and efficiently to everyone that was watching. Beezie also showed some great stickability when Coral Reef Via Volo channeled her inner-pony and decided to be a little uncooperative as she took her tour of the ring prior to the buzzer sounding. However, when she went back in for her second round all antics were left...

Paul O'Shea and Daydream St. Ghyvan Z. (Photo by Sportfot©.) Wellington, FL - The eighth week of the 2011 FTI Winter Equestrian Festival has begun, and this week is the CSIO "international" week of competition. The opening international class was the $5,000 CSIO Welcome Stake. Paul O'Shea of Ireland had the fastest speed round for victory with Daydream St. Ghyvan Z, owned by Harry Gill. The FTI Winter Equestrian Festival's eighth week of competition continues through Sunday, March 6. Week...