Jeffery Welles and Laracon (Tammy Hardy Photography) Hampton Falls, NH – There were four exciting show jumping classes hosted Saturday at The Jumper Classic®, presented by Fidelity Investments® and Audi of America. In the $12,000 Speed Derby, Jeffery Welles of Brewster, NY, and Laracon, owned by Amanda Gunthel, were fastest for first place. Located in the beautiful town of Hampton Falls, NH, at the Silver Oak Equestrian Center, The Jumper Classic is New England’s premier...

Walking up the steps from the mixed zone to the athlete seating takes 20 seconds. I have done it 29 times, after each ride. 29 times without a medal. Each time - the climb becomes more painful. We are trying, we are working, we are willing - we just aren’t winning. It is immensely frustrating. Our horses look great, our riders are well-coached, you can feel and hear their frustration when they make mistakes. My heart breaks for them when they don’t make mistakes and their best still...

Shawn Casady Bolero won the $5,000 Hallway Feeds USHJA National Hunter Derby at the Kentucky Summer Classic. (Ashley N. Williams/PMG) Lexington, KY - The Stonelea Arena was bustling today as it saw six divisions stretching the length of the day. Lined with sponsor bulletins, the $5,000 Hallway Feeds USHJA National Hunter Derby turned out a crowd as well as promised top riders and steep competition. Out of 29 riders, Shawn Casady once again emerged as victor, this time upon Bolero, scoring 178....

Greenwich, UK - Clear rounds were the order of the day in the First Individual Qualifier for Jumping in the main arena at Greenwich Park. Of the 75 starters in the Olympic Show Jumping Competition, 32 jumped clear rounds. Of those, two belonged to American riders Rich Fellers and McLain Ward. Reed Kessler added just one time fault at her first Olympic Games meaning the USA heads to the Team Competition with a strong start. Team Competition begins Sunday, August 5. Chef d'Equipe George...

New Zealand’s Andrew Nicholson takes over lead in HSBC Rankings. Image: (Kit Houghton/FEI) Andrew Nicholson (NZL) has taken over as world number one in the HSBC Rankings after the London 2012 Olympic Eventing competition in Greenwich Park. Nicholson, captain of New Zealand’s bronze medal-winning team at London 2012, is now 46 points clear of William Fox-Pitt (GBR) who had led the HSBC Rankings since April. London 2012 is Andrew Nicholson’s sixth Olympic Games. New Zealand’s...

Lexington, KY- The U.S. will be represented by two horses this week at the FEI World Dressage Championships for Young Horses held August 1-5, 2012 in Verden, Germany. Sanceo, ridden by Sabine Schut-Kery, and Florentinus V, ridden by Jennifer Hoffman, will both compete in the six-year-old championship. Both horses were deemed sound and fit to compete at today’s Horse Inspection and begin competition Friday in the Prize of Mrs. Madeleine Winter—Schulze. Friday’s test will...

Day One at the 2012 Olympic Games It’s been crazy as I landed from one fire (NAJYRC) into another - trying to get my brain to switch over and into Games mode. So far it has been great. Considering it started by me flying from Lexington to Chicago to Boston to Washington, DC to London in one day. It’s a complicated story without a really logical explanation but ground stops in Chicago = desperate. The UNITED staff couldn’t have been more accommodating and they worked it out...

Cosmo and Laura Pfeiffer. Traverse City, MI - After observing Laura Pfeiffer win the featured 1.35-meter Open Jumper class on Wednesday during the Horse Shows by the Bay Equestrian Festival, you might have believed that Pfeiffer could have done it with one hand tied behind her back. Because she almost did. During the jump-off, as Pfeiffer tackled what would become the decisive and winning turn with her mount Cosmo, she had an equipment malfunction. "I think the difference was the tight, tight...

Katie Prudent showed the crowd that V can get it done. (Spruce Meadows Media Services) Calgary, AB - With a record five day crowd of 117,336 braving the heat, the 2012 Spruce Meadows ‘North American’ Tournament was wrapped up on the last day of the Spruce Meadows Summer Series. With the Olympics fast approaching, the Sunday of the ‘North American’ Tournament marks the last International competition for many riders before the opening ceremonies in London. With this in...

Steffen Peters and Legolas 92 (Susan J. Stickle) Gladstone, NJ - Four years ago, Steffen Peters and Ravel, then an inexperienced 10-year-old, won the 2008 Grand Prix National Dressage Championship at the Festival of Champions in California. That performance earned the pair a trip to the Olympic Games where they were fourth. Four years, an FEI World Cup title, a CHIO Aachen victory and two Bronze medals at the FEI World Equestrian Games later - Ravel was granted permission by the USEF selectors...