Lexington, Ky . - The first championship titles of the USEF Pony Hunter National Championship were claimed Wednesday as the Large Regular Hunter Ponies presented by Triple Crown Feed and the Small Green Hunter Ponies completed their final phases of competition in the 2017 USEF Pony Finals presented by Collecting Gaits Farm at the Kentucky Horse Park. Libbie Gordon and Childs Play Hot Topic bested the field of 134, earning top overall honors in the Large Regular Hunter Pony Championship...

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...

Mary Babick, president-elect of the USHJA Dallas, Texas - Today, the United States Hunter Jumper Association Board of Directors elected Mary Babick as the next president of the organization, during the Board of Directors meeting held in Dallas, Texas. Babick will take office on December 15, following the final Board of Directors meeting of the USHJA Annual Meeting, which will be held in Palm Springs, California. The election consisted of brief presentations from both candidates, Mary Babick and...

Patricia Griffith and Skorekeeper on their way to a $500,000 Diamond Mills Hunter Prix Final win. (ESI Photography) Saugerties, N.Y. - Championship Sunday at HITS Saugerties began with the high-energy concluding round of the richest Hunter class in the country, the Diamond Mills $500,000 Hunter Prix Final. The stage was set for the field of top-caliber contenders with a lovely course designed by Rian Beals of Saugerties, New York. Patricia Griffith of New York, New York, did it again after a...

McLain Ward and Tina La Boheme (The Book LLC) Bridgehampton, N.Y. - McLain Ward sped to the top in the $30,000 Boar's Head Open Jumper Challenge, presented by Dan's Papers, on opening day at the Hampton Classic Horse Show. The win marked the four-time Olympic veteran's first competition since leading the US team to a silver medal at the Rio Olympic Games. Ward's 2004 gold medal Olympic teammate Peter Wylde was second and Shane Sweetnam of Ireland was third. Ward of Brewster, NY,...

Margie Engle and Abunola galloped to victory in Friday's $40,000 Great Lakes Stake Classic CSI3* at the Great Lakes Equestrian Festival. (Taylor Renner/Phelps Media Group) Traverse City, Mich. - The 2016 Rio Olympic Games may have come to a close last week, but the Great Lakes Equestrian Festival (GLEF) saw its own version of Olympic athleticism on Friday as 2000 Sydney Olympic U.S. Show Jumping Team member, Margie Engle (USA), bested the field of 24 international horses and riders to win the...

West Sussex, England – The Hermès U.S. Show Jumping Team put forth a great effort in the Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup™ of Great Britain presented by Longines at CSIO5* Hickstead. On Friday, Chef d’Equipe Robert Ridland guided the team of Katie Dinan, Lauren Hough, Lillie Keenan, and Paris Sellon against a top international field of eight nations. After two rounds over a solid track designed by Kelvin Bywater (GBR), the U.S. tied with Switzerland for fourth place on 12...

Michael Morrissey and La Lopez 3 were the only horse and rider to jump double clear to take the win in the 1.40m Jumpers at the Great Lakes Equestrian Festival. (Taylor Renner/Phelps Media Group) Traverse City, Mich. - Jumper competition continued in the Grand Prix Ring at Flintfields Horse Park on day two of the Great Lakes Equestrian Festival (GLEF) with the 1.40m Jumpers highlighting the day's events. Michael Morrissey pulled off the win on La Lopez 3 as the last of 20 to challenge the...

Gladstone, N.J . - The United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) Board of Directors (BOD) elected Murray S. Kessler as its next President at the Mid-Year BOD Meeting in Gladstone, N.J. on Tuesday. The President ultimately presides over the volunteer leadership structure of the USEF. Kessler will officially take office at the USEF Annual Meeting in January 2017. In the interim, he will work with current President, Chrystine Tauber, and the USEF staff on the implementation of a new strategic...

Axel Steiner will be “on the air” for this year’s National Dressage Pony Cup on the USEF Network. (Terri Miller) As evidenced by ever increasing participation numbers, the popularity of ponies for dressage in the U.S. is skyrocketing. Now pony fans from across the country will have the opportunity to see what all the excitement is about as the National Dressage Pony Cup (NDPC) announces that its showcase event to be held July 8-10, 2016 in Lexington, Ky. will be available via free live video...