Equestrians never forget their first ponies. Woolly or sleek, magnificent or mischievous, they are the teachers who reveal the most fundamental and enduring wisdom about life with horses: that it is joyous, that it is hard work, that it is a partnership which demands compromise but also makes us stronger. These special animals arrive from a remarkable variety of sources—sometimes handed down from siblings, sometimes expensively acquired, often bought cheaply from an auction or an ad or...

Wins don’t get much more convincing than Zone 2’s gold medal in the USHJA North American Young Rider Show Jumping Team Championship at the Adequan®/FEI North American Youth Championships, presented by Gotham North, at Old Salem Farm in North Salem, NY on August 3. Earlier in the day, Zone 5 handily won the USHJA North American Junior Rider Show Jumping Team Championship, while Canada were the gold medalists in the USHJA North American Child Rider Show Jumping Team Championship....

Fair Hill, Md. – Spectators and competitors enjoyed a thrilling day of cross-country at The Dutta Corp. Fair Hill International Three-Day Event, where international pairs proved their mettle over Derek di Grazia's challenging track. Colleen Rutledge held on to her lead in The Dutta Corp./USEF CCI3* Eventing National Championship with Covert Rights, and Tamra Smith and Sunsprite Syrius kept their lead in the The Dutta Corp./USEF CCI2* Eventing National Championship. A fast...

Perry, Ga. - The 2017 U.S. Saddle Seat Invitational/Test Event concluded on Thursday, April 6, at the Georgia National Fairgrounds and Agricenter in Perry, Ga. The U.S. Saddle Seat Young Rider Stripes and Stars Teams delivered strong performances against teams from Canada and South Africa. Under the guidance of coaches Devon Garone (Richmond, N.H.), Kristin Logan (Hampton Falls, N.H.), and Christy Parker (Brunswick, Ga.), the Stripes Three-Gaited section won gold and the Five-Gaited section won...

Lexington, Ky. - The U.S. Saddle Seat Young Riders Teams attended their second training sessions at Cascade Stables in New Orleans, La., and Avalon Riding Academy in Lutz, Fla., in preparation for the 2017 U.S. Saddle Seat Invitational/Test Event. It afforded riders the opportunity to continue preparing for competition by riding multiple horses unfamiliar to them, just as they will at the Invitational/Test Event, April 3-6, 2017 in Perry, Ga. The Stripes Team training session was held January...

Lobby at Pet Oasis/ The ARK at JFK (AnthonyCollins.nyc) New York, NY – February 13, 2016 – Today, The ARK at JFK announces the official opening of its Phase 1 services, which include The ARK Pet Oasis, Equine & Livestock Export Center and Aviary In-Transit Quarantine. The opening of Phase 2 is expected to take place in Q2 2017, which will include a full-service ARK Import-Export Center (“IEC”) featuring Equine Quarantine/Import, Grooms’ Lounge and The ARK...

San Juan Capistrano, Calif. - Always a test of mindfulness and skill, the four phases of the 2016 Platinum Performance/USEF Show Jumping Talent Search Finals - West illustrate the demands on a show jumper. Nineteen qualified riders began the finals on Friday, which after three phases were narrowed down to a final four who then demonstrated their abilities to ride a course on four different horses. Sitting on top going into the final phase, Peyton Warren (Rancho Murieta, Calif.) emerged as the...

Shane Sweetnam and Cobolt (Lauren Baker/Phelps Media Group) Lexington, Ky. - After winning the $50,000 Rood & Riddle Kentucky Grand Prix last Saturday, Shane Sweetnam and the Blue Buckle Group LLC's Cobolt returned one week later to pick up another victory under the lights, this time in the $50,000 Kentucky Summer Grand Prix, sponsored by GGT Footings. Forty-seven horse-and-rider combinations attempted Marina Azevedo's first-round track, with only four eventually advancing to the...

Parker, Colo. - The 2016 Adequan®/FEI North American Junior & Young Rider Championships presented by Gotham North saw the USDF North American Junior & Young Rider Dressage Championships Young Rider Team medals awarded Wednesday at The Colorado Horse Park (CHP), as three teams received the first round of medals presented during the weeklong competition. The Region 1 Young Riders took to the top podium, earning the Gold medal, while the combined team from Canada, composed of riders...

Hannah Heidegger and Ohlala Z (Sportfot) Parker, Colo. - The $60,000 Ariat® Grand Prix was dominated by Ohlala Z piloted by Hannah Heidegger of Malibu, CA, as the duo topped the class with a jump off time of 36.691 seconds at Summer in the Rockies (SIR) IV at The Colorado Horse Park (CHP). Second place honors were awarded to Lochinvar, owned and ridden by Matt Cyphert of Northlake, TX, with a time of 37.227 seconds, while last week's winners The Dude, ridden by Will Simpson of Westlake...