The 2006 USEA/Spalding Labs Young Event Horse (YEH) Series kicked off March 17 at the Rocking Horse Spring Horse Trials in Altoona, FL. Due to the early date, only a five-year-old division was held. Great Britain's defending Olympic Gold medallist and recent U.S. transplant Leslie Law, with youngster Rainman, ran away with the division on a score of 88.35%. It was a tight race for second place, with Eric Dierks and Text, his Thoroughbred gelding, slipping into second on a score of 79.26%, with...

Richard Spooner couldn't catch his breath. The Indio Desert Circuit's all-time leading money winner had five mounts in the $30,000 Ariat Grand Prix, and he brought three into the jump-off. Quirino 3 delivered Spooner another victory, posting the jump-off's best time of 39.36. Ezrah also had a clean-round at 40.08 giving him second place in the competition. His third mount, Airtime, smacked into jump 12, a white and blue vertical jump near the end of the course, leaving him sixth. In the opening...

The United States Eventing Association has announced that the 2006 Maui Jim Horse Trials in Wayne, IL, will again be part of the Adequan Gold Cup Series of events, thus designating it as one of the 12 “premier” eventing competitions in the United States. Maui Jim Horse Trials, who recently entered into a five-year sponsorship agreement with Maui Jim, Inc., the Peoria-based manufacturer of high-end sunglasses, will offer riders a new look for the July 7-9 competition. A long unused parcel of...

This week a bill was filed in the Kentucky State Legislature that would benefit the horse industry in Kentucky. House Bill 263 calls for removing the sales tax that is charged on equine products, such as feed, grooming products, bedding supplies and many other items. For more information, or to voice your opinion about this bill, you can contact your legislator: By mail: Capitol Annex, Frankfort, KY 40601 By phone: (800) 373-7181 (Legislative Message Line); (877) 287-3134 (Spanish Line) This...

Tallahassee's Red Hills Horse Trials, Inc., which began nearly a decade ago and has grown into one of the nation's top eventing equestrian competitions, will have a change in leadership following the March 2006 event. Red Hills Co-Organizers, Sallie Ausley and Sylvia Ochs, announced this week they will step down from their leadership roles following the March 2006 Trials. An initial search to locate an individual or individuals to succeed the co-organizers proved unsuccessful and it appeared...

Horse Shows In The Sun (HITS) is pleased to announce that the 2005 Show Circuit Magazine /USEF National Junior Hunter Championship-East Coast will be held August 1-2 at HITS-on-the-Hudson in Saugerties, NY. The championship will take place in the HITS-on-the-Hudson Grand Prix arena. Junior riders will have the unique opportunity to compete in this world-class grand prix ring, while family and friends enjoy seating in the VIP Pavilion that sits high on a berm overlooking the arena. Now entering...

The United States Equestrian Team (USET) Foundation presented 16-year-old Brianne Goutal of New York, NY, the Lionel Guerrand-Hermes Trophy on Saturday, April 23, at the FEI Budweiser World Cup in Las Vegas, NV. The special award recognizes a Junior/Young Rider who exemplifies the USET Foundation’s ideals of sportsmanship and horsemanship. In 1983, Patrick Guerrand-Hermes, of the Paris-based saddlery and fashion company, presented a trophy to the USET in memory of his son, Lionel, a talented...

After a stellar winter circuit in Ocala, FL, Kacey McCann continued her hot streak in the first week of the Atlanta Spring Classic. McCann blew away the competition in Ocala, where she picked up circuit championships in the Equitation 12-14 on My Way; Large Junior 15 & Under and Modified Junior Hunter divisions on Pharrell for Euri Uchiyama; Small Junior 15 & Under Hunters on Jo Malone, another Uchiyama horse; and reserve circuit championships on Mick O Angelo in the Low Junior Jumpers and the...

Kraut and Farrington place third and fifth, respectively Rome, Italy – McLain Ward and HH Azur outcompeted a field of 50 combinations, and went double-clear, to win the Loro Piana Grand Prix at CSIO5* Rome on Sunday. Only 13 combinations advanced to the jump-off, which included Americans Laura Kraut and Kent Farrington. McLain Ward and HH Azur won the Loro Piana Grand Prix (Stefano Secchi) Seven combinations, including Kraut (Royal Palm Beach, Fla.) with Old Willow Farms, LLC’s...

TJ O'Mara and Kaskade (Lauren Baker/Phelps Media Group) Devon, Pa. - As the sun rose over the Dixon Oval, TJ O'Mara rode into the ring ready to make the most of his final junior season at the Devon Horse Show and Country Fair. The rising talent did just that, riding away with his first blue ribbon in the Platinum Performance/USEF Show Jumping Talent Search. O'Mara was also awarded the Honey Craven Perpetual Memorial Trophy for delivering the highest-scoring round in the Talent Search....