Aaron Vale piloted Palm Sunday to the top of the leader board, scoring the quickest of only three double-clear efforts during the $25,000 Tampa Bay Welcome Stake (Kendall Bierer/PMG) Tampa, FL - In a speedy fashion, Aaron Vale piloted Palm Sunday to victory under the spotlights during the $25,000 Tampa Bay Welcome Stake at the Bob Thomas Equestrian Center. The anticipation was tangible as eight riders moved into the heated jump-off this evening. Riders fought a battle to the top as they tried...

Kate Conover of Ocala, Florida and Trendy on their way to a victory in the $50,000 East Meets West Hunter Challenge, which was presented Saturday at both HITS Ocala and Thermal (©ESI Photography) Ocala, FL - East Coast hunter riders went to bats with their West Coast rivals Saturday in the highly-anticipated $50,000 East Meets West Hunter Challenge, where Kate Conover rode to first and second-place honors. Conover, of Ocala, Florida, piloted Caroline Kellogg’s Trendy to the win and James...

Wellington, FL ­- This marks the final week of The Ridge 1.40m Grand Prix Invitational Series. For the past nine weeks, professional, junior and amateur jumpers alike have enjoyed the classes at The Ridge at Wellington and the grass field at Mida Farm. For weeks, these riders have been competing not only for ribbons each week, but to be named as the Leading Rider in the series finale on Saturday, March 23. Going into the final week, Andres Rodriguez is in the lead for the title of Leading...

Four NCEA matchups over President’s Day weekend yielded two razor thin victories and two blow outs. Thursday’s matchup between No.2 Auburn and No.4 South Carolina was arguably the most exciting of the spring season thus far. My recap of that and the other NCEA matches from the weekend is below. No.2 Auburn University def. No.4 South Carolina University 10-9 Indy Roper, shown here riding Glenda, set an SEC season high score in reining to help lead the Tigers over the Gamecocks 10-9...

Lexington, KY - Despite frigid temperatures in eastern Germany, Gabe Aniello , the United States’ sole representative at the second round of World Cup competitions, managed a successful showing. Together with the horse Pino del Rio and longeur Elke Shelp-Lensing, Aniello took to the ring with a new routine complete with new music. In a departure from his tenderly elegant “Hallelujah” freestyle from 2012, Aniello chose the markedly more powerful, tempestuous...

It all came down to speed in the $25,000 SmartPak Grand Prix, presented by Pfizer Animal Health, at HITS Desert Horse Park in Thermal, CA. Eduardo Menezes and Cruschka who had the speed and rode to the win (Flying Horse Photography) Thermal, CA – It was by all accounts a stellar kick-off to the 2013 HITS Desert Circuit Friday, as 38 horse and rider combinations tested themselves in the $25,000 SmartPak Grand Prix, presented by Pfizer Animal Health. Crisp weather and a light drizzle did...

Nina Montross and Caprifol. (Al Cook.) Despite a two-month layoff from riding, Nina Montross of Bedford, NY, and Caprifol impressively captured the $10,000 North American League Children's Jumper Finals at the 67th Annual Pennsylvania National Horse Show on Tuesday. The talented 14-year-old high school freshman was on an equestrian hiatus in order to attend Westminster School in Simsbury, CT. "I was nervous because I had not ridden in two months," said Montross. "But I was really excited...

Abigail Mutrux is a 17-year-old junior at University City High School in St. Louis, Missouri. She is the captain of the three-gaited section of the 2012 U.S. Saddle Seat World Cup Team. In addition to riding Saddle Seat, she enjoys fox hunting and has been awarded her junior colors. Perhaps Saddle Seat is something that most children aren’t drawn toward when they first tell their parents that they want to start riding. I was born into it. My mother grew up competing at the same national...

Margaret Collins and Samy Jacksonville, FL - September 22, 2012 - In its second day, the first Southeast Medal Finals received accolades from sponsors, competitors, trainers, family and spectators. It was a day to remember for great fun and top competition. Today's highlight was the evening class of 31 juniors competing over a technical and challenging course in the Southeast Medal Finals Class. The course began on the far end of the stadium with a single oxer on the short end and continued...

Geoffrey Hesslink and Afrojack Jacksonville, FL - The long-awaited first-ever Southeast Medal Finals got underway today with much fanfare. Organizers Bob Bell, from Classic Company and James Lala from James Lala's Wellington Quarantine have attended to every aspect of the show to make it special and memorable. A field of 27 talented young riders competed to kick off the show bright and early at 8:00 a.m. in the USEF Pessoa Hunt Seat Medal. The first course of the show was a challenging mix...