Rinaldo de Craen/decraen.com (Larry Poulin is competing in his final World Championships in Hungary.) Lexington, KY - Team USA is currently in fourth position after two days of dressage at the FEI World Pair Driving Championship in Kecskemet, Hungary. Larry Poulin, Keady Cadwell and Lisa Singer are just 0.1 point behind German drivers who are defending their Gold Team medal. Mieke van Tergouw, the 1995 World Champion lady driver from The Netherlands, won the dressage, ahead of Switzerland’s...

With great sadness, Mo and Jim Swanson of Rolling Stone Farm announce the passing of a World Champion dressage legend on August 11, 2009. The Hanoverian stallion Welcome S (World Cup I-Grebina/Grande) was euthanized in August 2009, due to infirmities of age. He was 22 years old. Welcome was owned by Jan van der Kamp and was managed by his daughter, Patricia Stemerdink of Dekstation de Havikerwaard in De Steeg, The Netherlands. The Swanson’s leased Welcome for breeding after a chance meeting in...

Taylor Ann Adams bested the top junior talent in the nation by winning the 2009 Essex Classics/United States Hunter Jumper Association (USHJA) Hunterdon Cup Equitation Class in Saugerties, NY. Adams of Memphis, TN, secured her victory in the third and final round of the prestigious equitation class after switching mounts with reserve champion Quincy Hayes. “Quincy helped me out in the schooling area before the final round,” Adams said. “Her horse was a lot of horse for me to ride and completely...

Spectators were treated to a spectacular display of harmony between athlete and rider with a one day equestrian vaulting demonstration competition during the 2009 Adequan FEI North American Junior/Young Rider Championsip Presented by Gotham North. Top Equestrian Vaulters from the US and Canada competed for honors with their Freestyle and Technical routines in the Van Lennep Indoor Arena at the Kentucky Horse Park. This marks the first time that Equestrian Vaulting was included in the...

HITS, Inc., is pleased to announce the dates for the 2010 HITS Desert Circuit, held at the HITS Desert Horse Park in Thermal, CA. The horse show circuit will run for six weeks and will also include an off week. There will be four World Cup qualifiers during the circuit, and it will feature special classes for riders of all levels in equitation, hunters, and jumpers. An added bonus for exhibitors this year is special circuit pricing packages, which will help exhibitors make their showing plans....

The Arabian Horse Foundation (AHF) recently awarded $11,500 in grants and youth scholarships. AHF, which is the philanthropic arm of the Arabian Horse Association (AHA), awarded $8,000 to equine rescue and rehoming efforts and equine research, and $3,500 to youth scholarships. Over the past two years, AHF has given out over $60,000 in grants and scholarships. “The Foundation is pleased to once again step forward and provide funds for projects, which will have a positive impact on the equine...

A new trend in horse showing? Last fall Bob Bell, President of Classic Company, looked at his budget for the 2009 show season and decided there had to be some changes made. From May 22 to May 24, Bell will produce his first “Boutique” horse show in Tryon, NC, at the Harmon Field location, virtually in the downtown area, which only added to the new “definition” the show manager has created for these new events. Boutique (boo teek)—A horse show that is fashionable and unique. Always held at...

As a result of construction projects at the Kentucky Horse Park, Equestrian Events, Inc. (EEI), is announcing some major changes for the 2009 Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event, the only annual four-star three-day event in the Americas. Scheduled for April 23-26, the event draws over 100,000 spectators and is seen by millions more on worldwide telecasts, including a one-hour special on NBC in the United States. Honored with the 2008 Best of Lexington Award in the Special Events category by the U.S....

The Syracuse Sporthorse Invitational featuring The National Horse Show held an informal meeting on January 28 at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Club. The meeting, led by a panel made up of Leo Conroy, John Madden and Mason Phelps, was held as a forum to help the organizing committee gain information and feedback from the professionals concerning all aspects of the Syracuse/National Horse Show. The group, made up of mostly hunter riders and trainers, had an overall feeling that last...

The 2009 FTI Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF) opened Wednesday to rave reviews for the $10-million makeover of the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center. Opening day in almost perfect weather with temperatures reaching a high of about 80 degrees F (27 degrees Celsius) saw 854 hunter and jumper trips in 10 competition arenas. The annual George H. Morris Horsemanship Clinic filled another arena. Although the premiere jumper rings, International, DeNemethy and Mogavero arenas drew 231 entries...