Twenty one nations are celebrating their Olympic qualification today, 9 January, which marks the 200-day countdown to London 2012 and 100 years of equestrian sport in the Olympic movement. Eleven countries have now secured the opportunity to join the nine nations already qualified at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games™ 2010 in Kentucky and hosts Great Britain at London 2012 through a series of nail-biting qualifiers held around the world for their Olympic Group. Australia, Belgium,...

Lexington, KY – The United States Equestrian Federation has named the following horse/rider combinations for the 2011 Pan American Endurance Championship being held in Santo Domingo, Chile, October 22, 2011. The following horse/rider combinations will represent the U.S. at the Pan American Championship (listed in ranked order): Name/Age/Hometown/Horse/Breed/Age/Sex/Owner John Crandell III/49/West River, MD/Heraldic/Arabian/13/Gelding/John Crandell JR Meg Sleeper/43/Frenchtown, NJ/Syrocco...

Lexington, KY- The Platinum Performance /USEF Show Jumping Talent Search Finals celebrates its 30th anniversary in 2011 and this year’s competition is a strong as ever. The championship style competition again hosts finals for the top up-and-coming junior and young riders on both the east and west coasts. This weekend all eyes will be on the U.S. Equestrian Foundation Headquarters in Gladstone, NJ for the Platinum Performance/USEF Show Jumping Talent Search Final – East. Two weeks...

Upper Marlboro, MD – With the 18th annual Capital Challenge Horse Show underway at the Prince George’s Equestrian Center, the countdown is on for the USHJA World Championship Hunter Rider Challenges and Finals taking place October 5-9. Each year the top 10 nationally ranked riders in each WCHR category, as well as the top six riders from each region, are invited to compete in their respective WCHR Challenge competitions at the Capital Challenge. Challenge classes are run in either a...

Lexington, KY - The 2011 Platinum Performance/USEF Show Jumping Talent Search Final - West is well under way at the L.A. International Jumping Festival, September 21-25, in Burbank, CA. The flat phase, first of the four phases took place Thursday night. The judging team of noted judge Sue Ashe and her daughter, international jumper rider Molly Ashe, tested the riders on their mastery of the skills needed to properly prepare a jumper for flatwork, including a demonstration of haunches in and a...

Chester Weber. Photo: Richard Moore. The 25th annual Laurels at Landhope International Combined Driving Event, one of the most prestigious events of its kind in the U.S., is hosting the 2011 U.S. National Four-In-Hand Championship. Four entries in the division include three Americans, Chester Weber, James Fairclough and Josh Rector, who are eligible for the championship and one Canadian, Eugen Hug. Weber, of Ocala, FL, got off to an early lead with a picture-perfect dressage test with...

Lexington, KY - The U.S. Jumping riders have a big task before them in tomorrow's FEI Nations Cup at CSIO5* Rotterdam. They take to the final leg of the 2011 FEI Nations Cup Series in the Netherlands and jump to maintain their position in the Series for 2012. Currently ranked seventh out of the eight teams in the Series, the U.S. needs finish at least three places ahead of Belgium tomorrow in the Nations Cup to earn a spot to return in 2012. Belgium is currently two points ahead of the...

McLain Ward and Sapphire on the cover of Unbridled Passion (Cover photo: Tony deCosta; Cover design: Tazuko Sugajima). Boston, MA - While many equestrians have heard of show jumping greats Ian Millar, McLain Ward, and Beezie Madden, few have heard the story behind the relationship with their equally famous equine partners. Unbridled Passion – Show Jumping's Greatest Horses and Riders (Acanthus Publishing 2011), a new book by Jeff Papows, explores these relationships and the...

Ashlee Bond and Chivas Z won the 1.40m Open Jumper class at the Kentucky Summer Horse Show (Photo: Kenneth Kraus/PhelpsSports.com). Lexington, KY - It was beautiful and sunny for the opening day of the Kentucky Summer Horse Shows at the Kentucky Horse Park. Today, riders gathered at the Walnut Ring to compete for top prizes in the Open Jumper classes. Ashlee Bond and Chivas Z were the big winners, claiming the victory in the 1.40m Open Jumper class with the fastest clear effort. In the 1.35m...

My name is Devan Horn, and I am an 18-year-old Endurance competitor from Kingwood, Texas. This will be my third year competing in the Young Rider Endurance event held annually in July, but as this is the first time we’ve been welcomed into the official Championship FEI event, this year is certainly special! I’m helped along this path by my loving parents, (Mom who pays, Dad who crews!), my friends, and my mentor, boss, and friend Darolyn Butler-who’s amazing horses I ride in...