Courtney Cooper got into breeding with every intention of producing upper-level event horses. Colleen Rutledge simply wanted to dabble in breeding with no particular expectations. They each took a chance on the process, and the U.S. eventing athletes believe they are on the right track with their four-star, homebred horses. Cooper and Who’s A Star and Rutledge and Covert Rights (CR) will each compete together in the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event presented by Land Rover for the second...

Lauren Kieffer and Vermiculus (Kasey @ Rare Air Photography) Lauren Kieffer’s return to the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event presented by Land Rover is particularly nostalgic, because her mount this year—Vermiculus—is a full brother to Snooze Alarm, the horse that brought Kieffer to her first Rolex Kentucky back in 2010. Bred in Indiana by Lawson and Jeanne Williams, Snooze and Vermiculus are Anglo-Arabians, by the Arabian stallion Serazim and out of the Thoroughbred mare Wake...

Madeline Backus and P.S. Arianna (Shannon Brinkman Photo) Madeline Backus and P.S. Arianna are first-time competitors this year at the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event presented by Land Rover, but their partnership goes back years. “My mom’s farrier, Dennis Ackerman at Pendragon Stud in Colorado, actually bred her,” Backus said of the Anglo-Trakehner mare. “So I’ve known her for her whole life. It’s been quite an adventure.” Backus, whose mother Laura...

To the surprise of many, two-time Olympic team bronze medalist Steffen Peters entered the arena on Thursday to begin the FEI World Cup™ Dressage Final wearing a helmet. A traditionalist at heart, Peters made it his 2017 New Year’s resolution to drop the top hat and sport a helmet in Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI) competitions. Steffen Peters sports his helmet at the FEI World Cup™ Dressage Final. (Shannon Brinkman Photo) “I hung on because of a...

Laura Graves and Kasey Perry-Glass snap a selfie before flight. U.S. Dressage riders Laura Graves and Kasey Perry-Glass were among the “flying grooms” accompanying horses as they jetted to the FEI World Cup Final in Omaha, Nebraska. The event will take place at the CenturyLink Center Omaha March 29-April 2; Graves’s mount Verdades and Perry-Glass’s ride Goerklintgaards Dublet both arrived at Omaha’s Eppley Airfield on March 27. The two were on the same three-hour...

All eyes will be on Nebraska March 29-April 2 when the FEI World Cup™ Finals will take over the CenturyLink Center Omaha with a dazzling double-header: the Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping Finals and FEI World Cup™ Dressage Finals. The chance to witness history in the making is reason enough to go, but if you’re heading to Omaha, plan to catch all the special activities and events that are going on around the competition, too. Here are our seven “must-see”...

After your horse, your helmet is probably your closest partner when you’re riding or driving. Like your horse, it also requires care—and, eventually, a happy retirement! Whether your helmet is stylish, blingy, or classically elegant, it’s a crucial piece of safety equipment first and foremost, and it’s important to keep it in good condition. We asked the helmet experts at Charles Owen . Here’s what they advise: Keep it cool. Don’t store your helmet in direct...

Julie McCrady won the 2015 Third Level Freestyle Adult Amateur Championship with her Hanoverian mare Remanessa, and looks to return to Lexington again this year to try for a Fourth Level title. (Susan J. Stickle) Lexington, Ky. - “You bet I’ll be back. I’ve declared and I made my hotel reservations in Lexington months ago!” Every November since 2013, Julie McCrady and her husband have made the trek to Kentucky from Raymore, Mo. with their home-bred Hanoverian mare...

Columbus, Ohio -- The Interscholastic Equestrian Association (IEA) has partnered with the National Collegiate Equestrian Association (NCEA), Intercollegiate Horse Show Association (IHSA) and the American National Riding Commission (ANRC) to bring more knowledge to IEA members on how to prepare for college riding through the "Collegiate Connection" education series. A combination of live webinars and Twitter TakeOvers will offer an interactive platform with the leaders of these major college...

Lauren Chumley and Nikolas show off their winning form in the inaugural National Dressage Pony Cup Five-Year-Old Futurity. (Jennifer M. Keeler) Lexington, Ky. - Ever since the Markel/United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) National Young Horse Dressage Program was launched 14 years ago, the awareness, knowledge, and popularity of breeding and developing future generations of quality dressage horses in this country have increased dramatically. Now the National Dressage Pony Cup shined a...