Heather Mason and Zar (SusanJStickle.com) Wellington, Fla. - Heather Mason (USA) and Zar finished on top of the FEI Intermediaire Freestyle, presented by Everglades Dressage, with a winning score of 72.275% at the Adequan Global Dressage Festival (AFDF). Second place went to Leida Collins-Strijk (NED) and West Side for a score of 71.150% and Austria's Katharina Stumpf rounded out the top three with a score of 67.000% on Nymphenburg's Love. The FEI Intermediaire Freestyle was on the...

Kama Godek and Air Force One (Phelps Media Group, Inc. International) Wellington, Fla. - Kama Godek and Air Force One soared through the jump off in the first event of the Wellington Turf Tour on Wednesday, January 8, 2014. Their finesse through the short track allowed them to surpass 17 contenders in a solid 36 seconds. Their time proved untouchable as each consecutive rider attempted to catch their pace, but Godek's strong turns and quick pace made it an impossible feat. Godek is no...

Lexington, Ky. - Ten riders from across the country started the 2014 season off right as the first participants in the training sessions with U.S. Team Coach David O'Connor for the Eventing 18/Advancing Athletes program. Created in 2013 by the United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) and United States Eventing Association (USEA), the goal of the program is to build a foundation of future horsemen and women that will hopefully go on to represent the United States. Selection into the...

Lexington, Ky.- The United States Equestrian Federation will ring in the New Year with the USEF Horsemastership Training Session presented by the USHJA. In its eighth year, this prestigious clinic will again be held at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center in Wellington, Fla., December 31-January 4. The following 12 riders will participate in the five-day training session which is sponsored by Active Interest Media and Equestrian Sport Productions: • Olivia Champ • Victoria...

Catherine Haddad-Staller and Mane Stream Hotmail (SusanJStickle.com) Two of the six scheduled USEF Dressage Observation & Strategic Planning Sessions wrapped up last week in California. Lead by Robert Dover, USEF Chef d’Equipe/Technical Advisor, the sessions provided training and strategic guidance for athletes as they look toward international competition and the 2014 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games. The first session took place at Mary Beth Hamorski and Jeff Salatiello’s...

Sarah Nieman winner of the $10,000 Show Jumping Hall of Fame West Coast Championship (Amy McCool) Lexington, Ky. - Sarah Nieman of Coquitlam, BC, Canada and her mount Danton won the Show Jumping Hall of Fame Jumper Classic Series West Coast Championship, held at the Las Vegas National Horse Show. Prior to the Championship Final in Las Vegas, the 2013 West Conference regular season came to a close at the L.A. National Horse Show. Eduardo Sanchez Navarro and Virgo topped the Amateur-Owner...

Andrew Ramsay and Adamo van't Steenputje (McCool Photography) Las Vegas, N.V. - Saturday at the Las Vegas National was a spectacular display of show jumping at its finest, plus some sky-high entertainment. The first of two highlight events was the $10,000 SmartPak Winning Round Classic, with forty-seven entries and the top ten returning for a lightning fast second round. Later in the evening, the $50,000 Markel Insurance Grand Prix CSI-W had forty-two entries with eight pairs going clean,...

Karl Cook and Banba (McCool Photography) Las Vegas, Nev. - Brazilian course designer Guilherme Jorge is brilliant at asking just the right questions for the field. With sixty-six entries, Jorge created a course that tested the technique necessary to tackle tight turns and tidy tracks. It included an interesting option fence - a skinny 1.40m gate 'winged' by a simpler vertical on each side. Heading home as fence 4, the skinny was the quicker choice to rollback to 5a-b; and later going...

Andres Rodriguez and Caballito (McCool) Las Vegas, Nev. - Wrapping up the indoor season, the Las Vegas National offers the final FEI classes on the West Coast until February 2014. Fifty-six horse and rider pairs representing eleven different countries gave it a go in tonight's $33,000 EquiFit, inc. Jumper Classic. The course was technical and the competition fierce. Brazilian Guilherme Jorge set the track. Knowing he had a large field, he intentionally built a course with technical...

Montreux, Switzerland - HRH Princess Haya, President of the Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI) led the applause tonight as the five winners of the FEI Awards 2013 went on stage in Montreux, Switzerland to receive their honours. FEI Award Winners 2013 (© FEI/Edouard Curchod) Master of Ceremonies Jonathan Edwards, Olympic gold medallist in Triple Jump and the current world record holder, described the accomplishments of the recipients of the FEI Awards to more than three...