Photo by Louise Bowden (Visitors to the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games will get to visit with penguins from the Newport Aquarium.) The 100 Days to Go Celebration for the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games was a hit on June 17, and the Fifth Third Pavilion in downtown Lexington drew in hundreds of fans, residents and passerbys to help celebrate the occasion. “It was excellent,” said Diana Simpson, a resident of Lexington, about the celebration. “The speakers were great, and there...

With the Langer Equestrian Group (LEG) show season in full swing, there have been several shows at each venue for riders to rack up points and help their trainers win a fabulous trip to the beautiful Marriott’s Maui Ocean Club Resort, courtesy of LEG. The top five finishers also earn a bonus check for their accomplishments. Maui trips are awarded to the professionals whose students earn the most points at the Woodside, Colorado, Verdugo Hills and Woodside Dressage series, as well as a fifth...

Hunters had a big week at the High Prairie Farms Spring Final. More than 20 horse-and-rider combinations competed in the $2,500 United States Hunter Jumper Association National Hunter Classic on a perfect May evening in the main hunter ring. When it was all over, Libby Copeland claimed the championship riding Remember When (Jennifer Wallen, owner). Copeland, a Kansas City native, rides and trains out of Michael Dennehy’s Bridlewood Farms. She has been there for a little more than a year after...

The Washington International Horse Show (WIHS), a leading national equestrian event based in Washington, D.C. since 1958, is proud to announce Anna Rossi of Washington, D.C., as Youth Ambassador of the 2010 show. WIHS received dozens of applications from very qualified students in the D.C. metro area, Maryland, Pennsylvania and Virginia. Rossi will serve as the second WIHS Youth Ambassador following Jamal Brown. Rossi, 15, is a sophomore at the Field School in Washington, D.C. She has attended...

The wind tried to take center stage during the High Prairie Spring Classic, but nothing could unseat Bjorn Ikast, who continued to take the High Prairie jumper division by storm. A virtual fixture at the Colorado Horse Park, Ikast brought back a stunning six horses to the jump-off in the $10,000 Riders Choice High Prairie Grand Prix on Saturday. “I am very pleased to have eight grand prix horses to ride now,” Ikast said. “They are all going very well. It’s great!” Of the 16 horse-and-rider...

Before a crowd of more than 500 people, as the bright sun set over the San Francisco Bay on Saturday evening, Tamra Smith and Kelly Loria jumped to victory in the two divisions of the $30,000 Preliminary Challenge, the feature of the Spring Event at Woodside. Loria, 16, of Lafayette, CA, rode Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds to top the 15-horse field in the Preliminary Rider Challenge, earning a check for $2,500 and a CWD Custom Saddle. Smith, 34, of Hemet, CA., rode CSI to top the 11-horse field...

Dressage rider and trainer Silva Martin, 29, became a citizen of the United States of America on Friday, May 30, in Philadelphia, PA. She was sworn in with 72 immigrants from 32 different nations. She now plans to apply to the FEI for permission to represent the USA in riding competition. Silva and her husband Boyd, 30, train out of Phillip Dutton’s True Prospect Farm in West Grove, PA. “I wanted to get the American passport because Boyd and I love living here and this is home for us now,” she...

Photo Courtesy Epona and Hassler Dressage (Lauren Spreiser and Ellegria with Kyra Kyrklund.) This week several horse-and-rider combinations were privileged to participate in clinics given by Kyra Kyrklund. Kyrklund, who lives and trains out of her farm in West Sussex, Great Britain, is a world-class dressage trainer and has represented Finland in six Olympic Games. Kyrklund is a heavily sought-after coach who has trained multiple Olympic medalists; at the 2006 FEI World Equestrian Games she had...

Photo by ESI Photography (Kelsey Hart and Agostino in the $10,000 Devoucoux Hunter Derby. ) Two of the most decorated high-performance riders in the country became serious contenders to qualify for the unprecedented Pfizer $1 Million Grand Prix after a pair of impressive outings at HITS-on-the-Hudson I in Saugerties, NY. First, in Friday's $25,000 HITS Grand Prix, presented by Pfizer Animal Health, it was Olympian Margie Engle and Hidden Creek's Pamina L that took the blue ribbon in her first...

Equestrian Sport Productions had five strong weeks of their Spring Circuit through April and May, which included three "AA" rated, one "A" rated and one "C" rated shows. It featured three $25,000 grand prix classes, the $2,500 Derby Style Huntland Pony Classic, Low and High Junior/Amateur classes on the grass at The Stadium, and the $5,000 Driftwood 3' Derby Style Hunter Classic. While the spring shows have finished, exhibitors who want to compete in the summer months at the best horse show...