The feature classes of the week at the Kentucky Summer Horse Show were the $25,000 Hagyard Lexington Classic, the ASG Software Solutions United States Hunter Jumper Association (USHJA) International Hunter Derby, and the $40,000 Kentucky Summer Grand Prix. Top honors in both grand prix events went to Debbie Stephens. Aaron Vale won the International Hunter Derby by just one point. The Kentucky Summer Horse Show started with an exciting opening day at the Kentucky Horse Park. The Walnut Arena...

Jimmy Torano could not have been happier with his winning performance in the $10,000 Escada/Theory Open Welcome Stake, Presented by Manchester Designer Outlets, on Friday, August 1, at the Vermont Summer Festival in East Dorset, VT. Magic Cruise, an eight-year-old Belgian-bred mare owned by SCNC Investments, Inc., has been knocking on the door of the “big” classes for some time now. According to Torano, Friday’s win marked a highlight for this special mare. “She is a very straightforward horse....

With only two more FEI World Cup™ qualifiers to run in the 2008 season, Australia’s Kevin McNab has sensationally swept into a huge lead in the FEI World Cup™ rankings, after scoring a one-two at his local qualifier at Warwick, Australia. A popular member of the local Queensland Eventing Committee, McNab, 30, now has 220 points, 60 clear of his nearest rival, Clark Montgomery (USA) with 160. McNab won at Warwick on Hufflepuff, his Melbourne runner-up, and finished second on Game Play. He is now...

The week’s final spotlight shown on the children-adult jumpers as 47 horses took center stage with hopes of landing the starring role in Classic Company-sponsored $15,000 Jumper Classic. Carri Carse aboard her mount Letterman had the final call back and left the Georgia Horse Park all smiles. On Saturday, Derek Petersen of Archer, FL, captured his second Outback Steakhouse-Horses Helping Horses Grand Prix aboard Jordan Coyne’s Larazo, delivering an exciting conclusion to a weekend of giving at...

Germany's victory in the fourth leg of the 2008 FEI Samsung Super League in Rotterdam moved them up from sixth to second on the leaderboard at the halfway stage of the series. The Netherlands finished in runner-up spot; time faults proved costly for them on a day when the clock was particularly influential. Belgium slotted into third ahead of Great Britain in fourth, Switzerland in fifth, and Ireland in sixth. For Sweden, it was yet another difficult day, but they battled hard to avoid being...

At a tense horse auction in Sugarcreek, OH last weekend, Pure Thoughts Horse Rescue left angry horse "kill" buyers no choice but to haul their trailers home empty. One hundred sixty three horses stood for sale that night facing the same grim future: a grueling trip to a painful slaughter in Canada or Mexico, then on to fill overseas dinner plates. But Pure Thoughts co-founder Jennifer Swanson and sponsor Victoria McCullough gave every one of those horses a second chance. "I have bought...

The USEF Executive Committee met on Monday, May 19, 2008 and approved the following rule changes for immediate implementation. These rule changes were submitted by the USEF Eventing Technical Committee with the support of the USEA Eventing Standards Task Force. EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY the first fall of competitor, at obstacles, on the Cross-Country course will result in Elimination. 1) EV141.1 (b) Cross-Country Scoring b. Falls - (1) First fall of competitor 65 penalties Elimination (2) First...

After winning the Hunter Derby at Pin Oak, Peter Pletcher and Argentum took home the Gold for the second time in two weeks, winning the $10,000 United States Hunter Jumper Association (USHJA) International Hunter Challenge Derby Classic at the Spring Gathering Horse Show in the Houston suburb of Katy, TX. The class was held under the lights in the main arena at the Great Southwest Equestrian Center. An enthusiastic crowd cheered their favorites as 23 entries competed over the first round-track...

Paso Robles, CA - Gina Miles and McKinlaigh galloped away with the win in the CIC3* at Twin Rivers Horse Trials, this year's last USEA/Adequan Gold Cup series event. The pair incurred only a single time fault in show jumping, but left all the rails neatly in their cups to finish with a score of 72.7. The stunning 17-hand Irish Sport Horse gelding owned by Thom Shulz and Miles performed beautifully this weekend, after having just come back from the Pan American Games in Rio, Brazil with a bronze...

Kent Farrington may have had a different horse in the $75,000 Fidelity Investments AGA Grand Prix this year but he still had the same magic touch conquering world renowned course designer Richard Jeffery's challenging course. A field of 30 riders entered the grand prix with seven riders advancing to the jump-off. The Ultimate Resort skinny jump with a roll back to the Fidelity Investments triple combination proved the most challenging elements of the course coming down consistently throughout...