Jumper champions Sydney Shulman and Set Sail (USEF Archives/Randi Muster) Lexington, KY—It was a day of champions at the 2009 USEF Pony Finals as ribbons and top honors were handed out in the Regular Pony Hunters as well as the Individual Jumper Finals at the Kentucky Horse Park on a sun-drenched day where the competition was as hot as the weather. Beginning early in the day was the Medium Pony Hunters where there was no shortage of graceful rides and impressive rounds from the ponies....

Nicole DelGiorno and Lamborghini Dane (Flashpoint Photography) Lexington, KY—The 2009 Adequan FEI North American Junior Young Rider Championships presented by Gotham North went out rocking with the Junior freestyle dressage tests. The top 15 Juniors came back to perform their choreographed routines in the USDF/Platinum Performance North American Junior & Young Rider Dressage Championships, and the crowds cheered them on under sunny Kentucky skies. After the scores were tallied, Nicole...

The dressage justice in the world continued last night. In a fiercely difficult freestyle, Ravel and Steffen delivered a World Cup Championship performance. It was one of those nights where the planets aligned. How lucky are we to have been a part of it? Ravel got better, and better, and better throughout the Freestyle and they brought down the house for the US. To the music of the Rolling Stones' Sympathy for the Devil, Ravel, who had an introduction to the world in Hong Kong last summer,...

Anyone who said they didn't cry is lying. In fact, photographer Ken Braddick told me that he didn't and I told him he had no heart. From the moment she set foot in the arena, the floodgates were open. Brentina has always moved people with her performances, but today, as she walked around the Thomas & Mack with Debbie McDonald aboard, everyone was astounded with her presence. Debbie had lost her composure by the time she got on the gallant mare. Everyone else was just a few seconds...

Katharine Brunjes and Theatric (Genie Stewart-Spears ) Lexington, KY – 160 km on horseback is no easy feat. But 142 riders from 34 nations will undertake the task when the FEI World Endurance Championships get underway in Terengganu, Malaysia November 6-9, 2008. The US has six horse/rider combinations in Malaysia under the guidance of three-time World Champion Becky Hart, who is serving as Chef d’Equipe. The team includes another multiple world champion: Valarie Kanavy. She is hot...

Corinne Ashton and Dobbin (Shannon Brinkman) Elkton, MD – The standings shuffled significantly both overall and in the USEF National Eventing CCI*** Championship at the Dansko Fair Hill International. Leslie Law (Great Britain) had been sitting in the top position after the dressage with Mystere du Val but run outs at fences 10 and 12 meant that he walked off the course at the half way point. Kim Severson, who had been the top-placed American after the dressage with Tipperary Liadhnan...

Beesd, The Netherlands - The 19th edition of the World Four-in-Hand Driving Championship, one of the major highlights of the driving season, opened impressively yesterday in Beesd, the Netherlands. The wonderful opening ceremony marked the start of one of the driving highlights of the 2008 season. Many enthusiastic spectators welcomed 59 competitors from 20 different nations, who were kicked off the competition with a presentation in the large stadium in traditional horse drawn carriages. Team...

Gina Miles and McKinlaigh (Shannon Brinkman) Hong Kong, China – Gina Miles put in a personal best with McKinlaigh at her first Olympic Games to go into third place after the morning session of the first day of dressage. The Creston, CA rider and the giant Irish Sport Horse (owned by Thom Shulz and Laura Coats) had beautiful trot work, quality walk and canter and transitions. The pair received some nines, and would have scored even better but they made a couple of mistakes in their flying...

Morton, IL- In a gesture of goodwill, the American Shetland Pony Club (ASPC) is sending a gift of two American Shetland Ponies to the Hong Kong Equestrian Federation to salute their efforts for hosting the 2008 equestrian events of the Olympics. The two Shetland riding ponies are currently in quarantine in Lexington, KY, awaiting their flight to Hong Kong scheduled for June 6. The two show ponies will fly from Chicago to Hong Kong. The Hong Kong Equestrian Federation (HKEF) will host a special...

Kent Farrington and Up Chiqui (Randi Muster) Wellington, FL – The only clear round in the second leg of the Rolex/USEF National Show Jumping Championship presented by Equine Motorcoach wasn’t enough to wrestle the title away from the consistently impressive combination of Kent Farrington and Up Chiqui. They were the fastest of the four faulters on Sunday, but their stellar performance in the first round on Friday compounded into the best score over the two days. Last year’s...