I would describe today as a Between Day; somewhere between good and bad, and for my persona, somewhere varying between “sociably acceptable and bear with sore head and irritated butt”. There is a standing guideline within the British Military called the 1/3rd - 2/3rd Rule – of the time available, use 1/3rd for your own planning leaving 2/3rds for your subordinates. I think it works in reverse when preparing for the first arrival of horses, grooms, staff and OMG..they are...

Another day, another waste of time setting the alarm clock; a forlorn hope that I would make it to 5:30 a.m. There are still many loose ends to sort so the “get your lazy arse (aka butt) out of bed” side of my brain is winning the nightly joust with the “go on..be a lazy walrus” side of the aforementioned, alcohol preserved grey matter: I will not pretend that I am not extremely nervous about the arrival of the horse flights and also how we are going to make the...

Part I We have a green light and Mission Control has pressed the big red, white and blue button. Afterburners have been ignited and phase one of the move to Rio is under way. Ok, so a bunch of Team clothing arrived after we had left, we do not know how we are going to get some 60 bags from USOC Team Processing in Houston to Rio, we are not entirely sure where our containers are in Rio, and the delivery of Coca Cola product to the Venue in Rio didn't go quite as smoothly as we had hoped....

Chris Pratt and Concorde (McCool) San Juan Capistrano, Calif. - On a pretty Southern California afternoon, thirty-eight entries rode the track set by FEI course designer Anderson Lima in the $25,000 Markel Insurance 1.40m Grand Prix. With nine clean, fourth to go in the jump-off, Chris Pratt aboard Epic Group LLC's Concorde, couldn't be beat. Lima (BRA) had two goals with the 1.40m track he set today - one to challenge the open riders in the class and the second to test the Young Riders...

Edwina Tops-Alexander and Lintea Tequila (LGCT) Miami - Edwina Tops-Alexander (AUS) and her feisty 13 year old bay mare Lintea Tequila rode a stunning class to claim the top spot in the 2016 Longines Global Champions Tour Grand Prix of Miami Beach. Set against the backdrop of the iconic Miami Beach, equestrian enthusiasts and beach-goers packed the grandstand and lined the arena to watch the stars of show jumping battle it out as the 2016 season got underway. International guests included Elle...

Rich Fellers and Flexible winning the $25,000 SmartPak Grand Prix. (ESI Photography) Thermal, Calif. - Friday's $25,000 SmartPak Grand Prix featured an impressive Order of Go as riders and horses competed for the blue-ribbon victory. Friday’s $25,000 Smartpak Grand Prix at HITS Thermal boasted 46 rider-horse combinations who tested their skills over the 1.50m, 13 jumping effort course set by Anderson de Moura Lima of Brazil. The line-up included well-known riders such as Rich Fellers,...

Aaron Vale and Quidam's Good Luck (ESI Photography) Ocala, Fla. - The Sunday Grand Prix at HITS Ocala get better and better. The competition between Lisa Goldman of Hawthorn Woods, Illinois, and hometown hero Aaron Vale of Williston, Florida, is heating up and the $50,000 HITS Grand Prix had the crowd screaming for their favorite pick to win. There was no shortage of excitement as Andrew Kocher of Lake St. Louis, Missouri, had the crowd on their feet to the final fence. In a thrilling jump-off,...

Anna Ford, Program Director of New Vocations Racehorse Adoption Program in Marysville, Ohio, was honored as the 2015 recipient of the EQUUS Foundation/USEF Humanitarian Award at the United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) Pegasus Awards Dinner on Friday, January 15, 2016, during the Federation's Annual Meeting in Lexington Kentucky. Anna Ford and Lynn Coakley Presented to Anna Ford by Chrystine Tauber, USEF President (left) and Lynn Coakley, EQUUS Foundation, President (right), the...

Riders selected for the 2014 U.S. Saddle Seat World Cup Team in both three-gaited and five-gaited are (left to right) front row, Brooke Boyer, Kristen Smith, Maisie Benfield, Eleanor Rainbolt-Forbes and Quinn Mercier; back row, William Nalty, Emily Gutenkunst, Aleia Brown, Sydney Shaw, Nadine Van Zomeren, McGee Bosworth and Macey Miles. Fulton, Mo. –The top saddle seat equitation riders in the country will assemble this weekend when William Woods University again hosts the United States...

Stellenbosch, South Africa – The U.S. Saddle Seat Young Riders Travel Team made the trek to Africa to compete in the 2015 South Africa Saddle Seat Invitational at the Mistico Equestrian Centre, September 16-19. The 11 U.S. athletes delivered fantastic performances against nine of South Africa’s top saddle seat equitation riders. Under the guidance of coaches Kelly Kraegel (Guthrie, Okla.) and Sarah Lawson (Rockport, Ind.) and assisted by 2012 Saddle Seat Gold Medal coach Kristen...