Shannon Brinkman (Becky Holder and her Courageous Comet.) Lexington, KY - The Land Rover U.S. Eventing Team continued to demonstrate consistency in the first phase with Karen O’Connor, Becky Holder and Phillip Dutton performing their dressage tests on Friday at the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games. Riding as an Individual, Becky Holder and her own and Tom Holder’s Courageous Comet were second to go after the lunch break. They set the stage for the remainder of the afternoon scoring a 39....

Courageous Comet and Becky Holder (Photo by Mike McNally) Lexington, KY - The Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association (TOBA) held its 25th annual National Awards Dinner in Lexington, Kentucky, September 10, 2010, honoring the achievements of Thoroughbred owners and breeders in North America. A new honor instituted this year, the Rood & Riddle Thoroughbred Sport Horse of the Year Award was awarded to top eventing horse, Courageous Comet, owned by Tom and Becky Holder. Courageous Comet, a...

Gail Morey (John French and Crown Affair. ) Carson City, NV - With only a few days left to prepare for the $25,000 Franktown Meadows Hunter Derby at the Franktown Meadows Equestrian Facility, anticipation is mounting. Equestrians are traveling from all over to take part in the first standalone hunter derby on the West Coast. Among the many hunter derby exhibitors will be top professionals John French and Jenny Karazissis. French will be accompanied by four hunter derby horses, which include two...

Lexington, KY - Ten days to go before the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games (September 25-October 10) and the American horses and riders are putting the finishing touches on their preparation. Where are they and what are they up to? The DRESSAGE horses have all made it back to Gladstone, NJ where they are training at the USET Foundation Headquarters up until the WEG. Ravel and Steffen Peters had their trip delayed a couple of days by Hurricane Earl, but they arrived safe and sound on...

Arthur and Allison Springer (Emily Daily/USEA) Fairburn, GA – There is plenty at stake for the best riders in the United States this weekend at the Land Rover/USEA American Eventing Championships. Among the nearly 700 horses contesting the competition from Beginner Novice to Advanced, there are 38 American horses vying for the Jack LeGoff trophy for the USEF National Advanced Horse Trial Championship. Of those, 17 were vying for a spot on the Land Rover/US Eventing Team for the Alltech FEI...

Del Mar, CA - Twenty-nine horse-and-rider duets danced under the lights in the Del Mar Horse Park covered arena on the evening of September 4 in the $50,000 Grand Prix of Showpark CSI-W, presented by EquiFit, Inc. With riders representing eight different countries vying for the top prize, as well as points on the World Cup leader board, course designer Anthony D'Ambrosio had the task of building a course that tested both the scope of the horse and eye of the rider. Four earned a spot in the...

Bridgehampton, NY - Mario Deslauriers, of New York, NY, found his way to the top of the class in the $50,000 Spy Cost Farm Grand Prix Qualifier CSI**** at the Hampton Classic Horse Show on Thursday riding Urico, owned by Jane Clark. "I had a great class," said Deslauriers. "My horse went great. He jumped beautifully and I was in a good spot to go last in the jump-off, so I knew exactly what I had to do to bring it home and everything worked out." Six made it to the jump-off out of the 50...

Bridgehampton, NY - Samantha Schaefer captured top honors in the $10,000 Sam Edelman Equitation Championship at the Hampton Classic Horse Show on Thursday. The 17-year-old student from Westminster, MD, received the highest score of 182 points riding Pioneer, owned by Heritage Farm. "It's a big deal to win here," said Schaefer. "I rode in the class last year on a young horse and made it into the Top 10, but this is really great." Schaefer has only shown Pioneer three times at the suggestion of...

Cara Brykett, left, showed the pony, who is owned by Gail Ray of Silver Meadows Training Center in A (Photo by Washburn Photography) Ardmore, Okla. (August 30, 2010) – Isn’t He Just Magical managed to outshine all of the other Shetland Ponies at the 2010 American Shetland Pony Congress Show in Ardmore, Oklahoma, when he won the Vetrolin® Grooming Award, sponsored by Farnam. Winning the title of “Best Groomed” pony at the show earned Isn’t He Just Magical and...

Bridgehampton, NY-August 29, 2010- Peter Leone of Greenwich, CT, crossed the wire in the nick of time to win the $20,000 Nicolock Time Challenge on Nevval De La Batia, owned by Margaret Bopp, in a time of 65.516 seconds on Opening Day at the Hampton Classic Horse Show. Sloan Coles and Annie 66 just missed with a time of 66.095. Olympic Gold Medalist Leslie Howard and Jeans Glove Varnel were third with 67.100 seconds. As the first rider of the day, Howard set the pace, but not for long. Coles...