Competition was intense in the hunter rings over Labor Day weekend at the Horse Park at Woodside, as the second to last show in the 2008 Woodside Show Series concluded with a flurry of hunter and equitation finals on Monday morning. At the Woodside Labor Day Classic, August 29–September 1, the quiet, tense spectators watching during the second round and work-off of the Carousel Junior/Amateur Medal Finals finally took a collective breath when rider Jill Stevens was named champion. Stevens was...

“It was ok,” said Hart after her test. “I’m relatively happy, he was a little more settled, it was better (than Sunday). He was definitely a little happier in there.” Hart, 24, from Erie, PA was born with Familial Spastic Paraplegia and has been involved in Para Equestrian activities for over a decade. She is looking forward to her third and final shot at a medal in the Individual Freestyle on Wednesday evening. The arena proved to be quite buzzy for some of the horses, even during the day....

Todd Minkus and Pavoratti (Darren Reeves) Lexington, KY – The US Show Jumpers continued their winning ways, storming to victory in the prestigious BMO Nations Cup at the Spruce Meadows Masters CSIO5* in Calgary, Canada. The American squad of Lauren Hough, Todd Minikus, Richard Spooner and Rich Fellers finished on four faults, leaving them clear of The Netherlands, Canada and Germany who all finished on eight. George Morris, who led Team USA to Gold at the 2008 Olympic Games in Hong Kong...

Lexington, KY— With two phases of competition on both sides of the country, it was Foxy’s Magic Gift who earned the title of Overall Grand Champion of the 2008 Sallie B. Wheeler/United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) National Hunter Breeding Championship. Even though it was his first time showing in the Hunter Breeding Championship, Foxy’s Magic Gift proved that he has a promising career ahead of him by winning Best Young Horse in the Hunter Breeding Championship – East Coast along with the...

The World Games 2010 Foundation announced that Kim Bennett has been selected as Director of Hospitality Programs for the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games. As Director of Hospitality Programs, Bennett will oversee the planning, design, sales and execution of the 2010 Games VIP hospitality program. Bennett will also have shared responsibilities in other areas of hospitality management surrounding the Games, including working with catering companies and specialty functions that may be developed...

Three Przewalski horse foals kicked up their hooves, making a grand entrance at the San Diego Zoo's Wild Animal Park on Friday, August 8, 2008. The Wild Animal Park currently houses 17 of these critically endangered horses, including the new additions, born August 3, July 22 and July 19. Two more babies are expected soon. Foals are born after an 11-month pregnancy. Approximately 30 minutes after birth the babies must be on their legs and able to move with the herd. Since 1974, 138 Przewalski's...

Lexington, KY— Though it was Morgan Moog’s first time competing at the 2008 United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) Pony Medal, she and her horse Goodnight Moon topped the efforts of 184 other competitors to win the championship title. In the USEF Pony Medal Final, the riders compete in small, medium and large divisions based on pony size and are judged on their equitation and ability to ride the course correctly. From there, the top riders are asked to come back for another course over...

Hong Kong, China – After receiving the lowest score of her career (63.00%), all of Brentina’s connections were concerned that despite training absolutely phenomenally every day leading up to the Games, there may have been something physically wrong with the gallant 17-year-old Hanoverian mare. “She’s fitter and sounder than ever,” said her rider of 13 years, Debbie McDonald. “She’s been schooling so well but she was totally different in the ring than she was in the warm up. I was totally caught...

Lexington, KY— With 618 large, medium and small ponies entered in the United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) 2008 Pony Finals National Championships, the competition is challenging with more ponies than the previous year. With a total of 414 riders ranging in age from six to seventeen, this five-day championship has young riders competing for the title of four championships— Wild Horsefeathers/USEF Pony Hunter Finals, Wild Horsefeathers/USEF Green Hunter Pony Finals, USEF Pony Medal and the...

On August 5, the equestrian events of the 2008 Olympic Games were presented to an array of distinguished guests gathered to honor the achievements to date and the sporting successes that will undoubtedly unfold with the Hong Kong skyline as the backdrop. The FEI President HRH Princess Haya and FEI Secretary General Alex McLin attended the dinner at the Hong Kong Jockey Club Beijing Clubhouse where notable guests such as International Olympic Committee (IOC) President Jacques Rogge and former...