There were no rabbits this Easter at the Tampa Equestrian Festival during the $50,000 Grand Prix of Tampa CSI**-W. When four riders were unable to complete Sunday's jump-off round without bringing down a rail, Margie Engle and Indigo were determined to have a steady, clear ride. The pair left all the jumps standing, and despite accruing two time faults, Engle and Indigo claimed the day's top prize. Canadian Hugh Graham was the first to attempt the shortened course with Executive Privilege 3E,...

Photo by Denisha Sproul Photography/USEF Archives Lexington, KY – With more than a thousand high school equestrians already working to earn their varsity letters, and new registrations arriving daily, it’s clear the United States Equestrian Federation’s new High School Equestrian Athlete program is a huge hit across the country. Applications are still being accepted for the 2009-2010 school year, and there’s still plenty of time left for those who would like to apply by the June 1, 2010...

Photo Courtesy JRPR (Lauren Sammis, left, won the FEI Test of Choice aboard High Field’s Casimirov, owned by Paula Runnells.) Courtney King-Dye and Grandioso III, owned by Hampton Green Farms, turned in an award-winning ride in the Intermediaire II class at the Wellington Classic Dressage Spring Challenge CDI. The class was sponsored by Sho Clothes, and King-Dye and Grandioso rode away with a beautiful scrim from the upscale dressage boutique in Wellington that specializes in the latest and...

Photo by Sport Fot/Thierry Billet (Louis Jacobs on Kachina in the 1.45m.) The 2010 FTI Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF) had a successful third week of competition on January 27-31. The week featured the $75,000 Nespresso Grand Prix, CSI** and the $55,000 Nespresso Battle of the Sexes, along with a full schedule of hunter, jumper, and equitation classes. The week three title sponsor was Nespresso. In order to provide the best coffee to riders at the FTI WEF, Nespresso is the official coffee at...

Photo by Robbi Meisel (Wilhelm Genn and Happy Z) The third week of competition at the 2010 Jacksonville Winter Series got in full swing with the $5,000 Open Jumper Classic being won by Lebanon, Ohio’s Wilhelm Genn, as both owner and rider, piloting the brilliant mare Happy Z. Presented by Farm House Tack, the Jumper Classic served as a prelim to the next evening’s featured event, the $25,000 Marco Family Foundation benefitting H.O.R.S.E. Therapies, a nonprofit therapeutic equine program to air...

After 20 years of breeding and training Andalusians, Lusitanos, and more recently, Friesians, in Elkhorn, WI, Gareth A. Selwood is moving his operation to Bradenton, FL. “When I started here in 1989 there were not very many Iberian or Baroque horses in the Midwest, and now I am happy to say that this year our Regional Championship show in Elkhorn was the biggest in the nation for 2009,” said Selwood, proudly. In fact horses traveled from Texas, Indiana, Michigan, Missouri, Illinois, Georgia,...

Cavalor show jumping rider Hillary Dobbs found the perfect way to usher in the holiday season—by winning the Holiday & Horses $50,000 Grand Prix and FEI World Cup Qualifier at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center in Wellington, FL. Cavalor, the world's leading equine nutrition company for high-performance horses, announced Dobbs as the company's first "Cavalor Young Champion" earlier this year. "We are extremely proud of Hillary's recent victory in the Holiday & Horses Grand...

Lexington, KY - "Safety" is one of the most important words in the equestrian vocabulary. And to that point, the combined efforts of University of Kentucky HealthCare, the university’s College of Agriculture, Kentucky Horse Park organizations and other businesses have kicked off an education awareness campaign entitled "Saddle Up Safely." The announcement was made at the Kentucky Horse Park today, and dignitaries and equestrians were on hand to take part and promote the importance of safe...

Sunday is not end of show -- After congratulations are given, ribbons handed out and horses in the boxes, the work continues. Horses are washed, the barn broken down and the camps are disassembled. Slowly competitors start to leave and the feeling of the win gets lost in the rush to get packed. It's a strange feeling to be a member of a team that just won the most prestigious driving event leading up to the world games. It feels almost surreal. The team was turned out in flawless fashion...

I have said good-bye to Kentucky and am making my way home to sunny California. I'm looking forward to being dry for an entire day! During the first leg of my journey, I thought about the past week and the memories I will be taking home with me. I thought about the Lexington area and the Horse Park, about not only how beautiful it is, but how there is so much to see there and I didn't see a fraction-I will have to go back when I can spend several days and see everything. I thought about...