Balmullo’s Azalea (Concord River Roaringwater Bay x Courtney’s April Frolic, by Custusha’s Cashel Rock), shown as Ooh La La and ridden by young rider and new owner Sara Powell of Lexington, KY, qualified for the 2009 USEF Pony Finals at their first "A" rated show together. The pair were champions, winning all over fences classes as well as the conformation class, in the large pony division at the USEF "A" rated Lakeside Arena Winter Series show. Powell, who is 15, and Ooh La La are currently...

Las Vegas, NV – Defending champion, Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum, looked impossible to beat throughout the 2009 Rolex FEI World Cup Final. Shutterfly was faultless going into the final round of the final leg. Looks matter: She became the third person, and the first woman to win three World Cup titles. She did it all with Shutterfly. That meant heart break for McLain Ward and Sapphire who chased the German combination through all three legs, jumped two immaculate clear rounds. But it didn’t...

Chris Field, 59, of Shelbyville, KY, passed away Monday night, April 6, 2009, after an eight-month battle with cancer. Field was born on December 9, 1949, in Salt Lake City, Utah. After graduating from Olympus High School in 1968, Field attended the University of Utah. A member of the Church of Jesus Christ Of Latter Day Saints, she married the love of her life on August 9, 1974, and would have celebrated her 36-year anniversary with her husband, William (Bill) Field, this year. Field was...

Gypsy Woods Farm owners Charles (Chuck) and Joann Smith announce that the beloved, crowd-pleasing Westfalen mare Rocher (Rolls Royce) will retire from international competition. “Rocher took a dream and made it a reality,” stated Chuck. “She took us all over the world and filled us with pride. She has incredible character and inspired her fans wherever she showed.” Rocher came to the United States in 2000 to be ridden by George Williams for the Smith family and Gypsy Woods Farm. Her career was...

The United States Equestrian Team (USET) Foundation is pleased to announce that Ashlee Bond, 23, of Hidden Hills, CA, and Michelle Spadone, 25, of Califon, NJ, are this year's co-winners of the Maxine Beard Show Jumping Developing Rider Award. The USET Foundation awarded these rising young equestrians this honor because of their competitive records to date and because of their promise for the future in show jumping. Bond and Spadone were given trophies at a presentation during the 2009...

Photo by Daniel K. Lew (Sally Swift at the 2008 American Horse Publications Seminar..) Sarah Rodman Swift, known to her worldwide following as “Sally Swift,” passed away on April 2, 2009. Swift was less than three weeks away from her 96th birthday. She was born on April 20, 1913 in Hingham, MA, to Rodman “Tod” Swift and Elizabeth Townsend Swift. She had one sister, Agnes, who died in 2004. Swift was known all over the world for her innovative horse-riding methodology...

With a faultless show jumping round on the final day of competition at the Galway Downs International Horse Trials, Amy Tryon and Leyland claimed the Adequan/United States Eventing Association (USEA) Gold Cup as the winner of the CIC***. Tryon’s perfect round gave her a final a score of 51.6 penalties, enough to vault her from third to first after second-placed Kelly Prather lowered one rail on Ballinakill Glory (53.8) and third-placed Jolie Sexson lowered two rails on Killian O’Connor (55.7),...

Marilyn Little-Meredith captured her first ever grand prix at a Winter Equestrian Festival on Thursday, March 19, aboard Comtesse Du Lys in the finale round of the $30,000 Braman Motor Cars WEF Challenge Cup Series. Little-Meredith of Frederick, MD, and the mare Comtesse Du Lys, owned by Raylyn Farms, Inc., and Beverly Sheehy, were just nine points short of dislodging Great Britain's Peter Charles and Murka's Pall Mall from the top of the WEF Challenge standings. Charles' finish in 17th place...

Christie Little, age nine, of Harrington, DE, is the winner of the Morgan horse, "Cash," or CBMF Walk The Line, as part of an essay contest sponsored by the American Morgan Horse Association (AMHA) and Team Morgan. Cash was generously donated to the contest by Ann Hailey of Copper Beech Morgans in New Albany, OH, which promoted the Morgan breed and raised funds for Team Morgan to travel to and host international equitation competitions. A fourth grader, Little has worked with her family's...

Out of 50 mares, geldings, and stallions in the three-year-old and four-year-old divisions each, the two mares, H.W.'s Saskia and Quithablue stood out as the true champions that they were at the Oldenburg Free Jumping Day at the Horse Center in Vechta, Germany. Both mares were stunning in their form and explosive power over the fences, and earned top scores that were not at all easily given out by the tough judges, Ulrich Henschke and Gilbert Böckman. H.W.'s Saskia who is by Stakkato, and is...