Thermal, Calif. - The pinto Oldenburg gelding, Symphony, has quickly gone from catch ride to dream horse for Katie Cook of Newport Beach, California. Cook had never sat on Symphony, owned by Amy Knox, before she arrived at HITS Thermal, but the two have become fast friends, jumping to three blue ribbons during Week I and winning the $1,500 Platinum Performance Hunter Prix on Friday for the second week in a row. Knox has owned the gelding, who is now 10, for three years and rode him in...

Ronan McGuigan and Capall Zidane (Sportfot) Wellington, Fla. - Ireland's Ronan McGuigan and Capall Zidane were double clear and blazing fast for the win in Saturday night's $50,000 Wellington Equestrian Realty Grand Prix CSI 2*, the highlight event of week two at the 2014 FTI Consulting Winter Equestrian Festival (FTI WEF). Riders representing nine different countries showed under the lights in the International Arena at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center (PBIEC) with top...

Christian Heineking and NKH Selena (Flying Horse Photography) Thermal Calif. - With the 2014 HITS Desert Circuit set to open its gates to seven weeks of competition on Tuesday, Christian Heineking is riding high as he makes his debut in Thermal, California as the leading rider on the AIG $1 Million Grand Prix Rider Standings. With a barn of 15 horses making their winter home at HITS Thermal, Heineking is primed to leave his mark on the Desert Circuit and is hopeful that his early leverage will...

Wilton Porter and Paloubet (Sportfot) Wellington, Fla. - January 9, 2014 - The Palm Beach International Equestrian Center (PBIEC) in Wellington, FL, hosted its second day of competition for the 2014 FTI Consulting Winter Equestrian Festival (FTI WEF) on Thursday with a win for Wilton Porter (USA) and Sleepy P Ranch LLC's Paloubet in the $25,000 Ruby et Violette WEF Challenge Cup Round 1. Week one of the 2014 FTI Consulting Winter Equestrian Festival, sponsored by The Mar-a-Lago Club, runs...

Buck Davidson on Petite Flower, leader of the CCI3* at the Galway Downs International Three-Day Event. (Amy McCool photo) Temecula, Calif., - Just as he was after dressage, Buck Davidson is still the leader of the CCI3* at the Galway Downs International Three-Day Event. But it’s on a different horse. Following yesterday’s dressage phase, Davidson stood first on The Apprentice, second on Absolute Liberty, and seventh on Petite Flower. But on today’s cross-country course, The...

Katie Dinan and Nougat Du Vallet soared to the $250,000 Alltech National Horse Show Grand Prix victory in a four-horse jump off (Shawn McMillen Photography) Lexington, Ky. - The demanding coursework required of a Harvard University student is enough to keep anyone busy. Now imagine adding competing at the international grand prix level to that schedule. Juggling the two is hectic, but for Katie Dinan it is paying off in a big way. Dinan flew in for the Alltech National Horse Show on Wednesday,...

Buck Davidson and Absolute Liberty (McCool) Temecula, Calif. – Competition for the CCI3* began Friday at the Galway Downs International Event and Horse Trials with the field of 17 performing their dressage tests. Buck Davidson holds the top two places on the leaderboard with The Apprentice and Absolute Liberty with scores of 48.9 and 50.6, respectively. Davidson (Ocala, Fla.) received a USEF Land Rover Competition Grant to bring Sharon Will’s Absolute Liberty to the West Coast for...

Tim Gredley and Unex Valente clear 2.10m. (Shawn McMillen Photography) Washington, D.C. - The 55th annual Washington International Horse Show (WIHS) continued on Friday, October 25, with a exciting day of hunter, jumper, and equitation competition at Verizon Center in Washington, D.C. The $25,000 Open Jumper Puissance, presented by The Boeing Company, was the highlight class of the evening with a win for Great Britain's Tim Gredley and Unex Competition Yard's Unex Valente, clearing the...

Kelsey Thatcher and ATHENA receive their awards (AlCookPhoto.com) Harrisburg, Pa. - October 19, 2013 - Kelsey Thatcher, of Bluffdale, UT, had an amazing day at the Pennsylvania National Horse Show, winning the $15,000 Show Jumping Hall of Fame Amateur-Owner Jumper Classic and earning the division Championship with ATHENA, and also placing second and taking the Reserve Championship with EVERYTHING. Thatcher, who is trained by Alex and Maggie Jayne, was also named the horse show's Leading...

Elinor MacPhail and Rendezvous with Charly (Xpress Foto) Lexington, Ky. – National titles were awarded to riders on Saturday at the Kentucky Horse Park upon the completion of the USEF National One-Star Eventing Championships. Held October 17-19 in conjunction with the Hagyard Midsouth Three-Day Event & Team Challenge, 42 horse-and-rider combinations tackled the CCI1* in hopes of being crowned champion. The USEF National One-Star Championship title went to Elinor MacPhail (Bluemont, Va....