Waco, Texas – The National Collegiate Equestrian Association has released its first national team rankings of the 2014 spring season, the NCEA selection committee announced Tuesday. South Carolina remains the nation’s No. 1 team following a win at New Mexico State this past weekend. Baylor, which has not competed this spring, moves to No. 2. Auburn, which defeated Delaware State before losing to Oklahoma State this past weekend in Dover, Del., dropped one spot to No. 3. Kansas...

Laura Kraut & Cedric on their way to winning the Grand Prix of Wiesbaden CSI5* (Noelle Floyd/Global Champions Tour) Wiesbaden, Germany - Three flawless rounds in front of a packed crowd in Germany have made American Laura Kraut the No.1 rider in the Global Champions Tour rankings. She now has 77 points, two more than second place rider Luciana Diniz of Portugal. A majority of the GCT season still remains, but Kraut has been impressive throughout the season thus far. Saturday was no...

The coveted championship trophy in Doha Doha, Qatar - Nine out of the top 11 ranked riders on the Longines Global Champions Tour are in with a chance to be crowned 2013 Champion in what promises to be an end of season cliffhanger in Qatar. The scramble for maximum points at the 12th and final leg of this year’s series will be intense. Expect ruthless determination from riders at the top of the ranking who are still eligible for the most prestigious prize in show jumping. After 11 events...

Today’s speed competition course looked a little bit like a Hunter Derby Finals course. I don’t know that they used any of the same jumps, but it really brought me back to Derby Finals. It was a great-looking course and used the entire stadium. The course theme was “The Nature of Kentucky” according to course designer Conrad Homfeld. It included a Kentucky Folk Art fence, a Natural Arch fence, a Kentucky Fence Line (which caused quite a few problems), a Farm Entrance...

Waco, Tx. - There was just one change in the latest National Collegiate Equestrian Association national team rankings, announced on Tuesday by the NCEA Selection Committee. South Carolina remains the nation’s No. 1 team, followed by No. 2 Baylor and No. 3 Auburn. Oklahoma State and Kansas State flip spots following a 13-6 win by Oklahoma State on Saturday. The Cowgirls check in at No. 4, while the Wildcats are No. 6. New Mexico State rounds out the top-five at No. 5. For all of the latest...

Valkenswaard, The Netherlands - U.S. star Laura Kraut is the new ranking leader after a Grand Prix full of drama was won in triumphant style by Alvaro de Miranda on AD Rahmannshof’s Bogeno. The shake up sets the stage for a thrilling final stage of the championship series at next month’s leg in Lausanne. The Brazilian champion set the arena on fire shaving a full four seconds off the time of Frenchman Simon Delestre. Dutch home rider Gerco Schroder had the capacity crowd on the edge...

Richard Spooner and Cristallo (Stefano Grasso/Longines GLobal Champions Tour) Monte Carlo, Monaco - Richard Spooner and Cristallo electrified Monte-Carlo Saturday night winning the Riviera Grand Prix for the third time in a record triple. In a spectacular jump off in front of a full house the US rider left William Funnell on Billy Congo in second place and Edwina Tops-Alexander on Guccio in third and shook up the ranking for the 2013 Longines Global Champions Tour series. In a dramatic shift,...

Waco, Texas. - For the first time this season, South Carolina is the nation’s No. 1 collegiate equestrian team according to the latest national team rankings from the National Collegiate Equestrian Association, as determined by the NCEA Selection Committee and announced on Tuesday. Following a pair of Baylor losses and a South Carolina win against Auburn, the Gamecocks move into the No. 1 spot for the first time this year. Georgia, which defeated Texas A&M on Saturday, moves to No. 2....

GCT Estoril (GCT Press Office) Estoril, Protugal - There was joy and heartbreak tonight as Sweden’s Henrik von Eckermann seized his first Grand Prix win as Portuguese rider Luciana Diniz narrowly missed out on a home victory. After one of the toughest Grand Prix of the season so far, in sizzling temperatures in Estoril, von Eckermann and Gotha came out on top with Scott Brash and Hello Sanctos the only other combination to jump three clear rounds. The local crowd went wild with excitement...

Wellington, FL - The Equestrian Sport Productions (ESP) Spring Circuit continued last week with week 5 on April 13-17. ESP was very pleased to see that exhibitor numbers at the show increased 25% from 2010. The horse show offered a full schedule of hunter/jumper competition, with three classes featured: the $10,000 Pennfield Feeds Open Jumper Welcome Stake, the $7,500 Reist Industries High Junior/Amateur-Owner Jumper Stake at The Stadium, and the $30,000 ESP Spring 5 Grand Prix. The winner of...