Classic Company President Bob Bell is feeling pretty special thanks to the kind folks of the Georgia International Horse Park, City Manager Tony Lucas, and Randal Mills, the Mayor of Conyers, who proclaimed Friday, November 7 as “Bob Bell Day” in the city of Conyers. The proclamation was an expression of appreciation to The Classic Company for 15 years of quality hunter/jumper events held at the former Olympic venue. Mayor Mills shared how Classic Company was the first major equestrian event to...

George Morris Imparts Wisdom at the 2009 Rolex FEI World Cup Final (Shannon Brinkman) Lexington, KY – Their names are synonymous with excellence in their respective disciplines and the United States Equestrian Federation has honored two legends for their commitment to coaching and developing Equestrian Sport. George Morris is one of the most accomplished coaches in the world. He has coached back-to-back Olympic Gold medal teams and consistently guides the US show jumping program to...

Minikus, Farrington, Johnson, and Kessler in Winner's Circle for Jumpers The 2009 Washington International Horse Show (WIHS) CSI****-W is one of the most exciting equestrian competitions in the country, and it is one of only two shows in North America that offer a puissance, or "high jump" class. Friday night's $25,000 Puissance presented by Chevron Corporation saw a very familiar face for the awards presentation. Seven-time winner McLain Ward of Brewster, NY, was victorious in the class on...

Boyd Martin Jumps to the Win with Neville Bardos (Shannon Brinkman) Elkton, MD - Wind substituted for four days of relentless rain for the finale of the 2009 Dansko Fair Hill International but Boyd Martin was not to be blown of the top of the leaderboard. In an impressive performance with Neville Bardos, Martin had one rail down, but landed his first USEF National CCI*** Championship on the strength of the only double clear cross country round on Saturday. “I just wanted the horse to jump...

Karen O'Connor and Mandiba Deliver (Shannon Brinkman) Elkton, MD – Karen O’Connor and Mandiba did not take the easy road to the 2009 Dansko Fair Hill International CCI***, but they delivered on the second day of dressage and put in a dynamite test for a score of 39.6, making them the only pair to go under 40 going into Saturday’s cross country. Also serving as the USEF National CCI*** and CCI** Eventing Championships, Fair Hill International showcased some very professional...

Photo by Diana DeRosa (Hunt Tosh and Fine Kiss) Hunt Tosh went into the first round of the 15th Annual Professional World Championship Hunter Rider (WCHR) Finals for the 2009 American Hunter Jumper Foundation (AHJF) Professional WCHR title, as if it belonged to him. He negotiated the highest mark in the first round and never looked back. Four rounds later he won the highest honor for a professional rider for his very first attempt in this prestigious class, which took place on October 2 at the...

Three regional qualifying competitions were recently held for the 2009 ASPCA Maclay National Championships. They were the last Regionals held, and the final list of qualifiers is now available (please see below). The 2009 ASPCA Maclay National Championship will be held at the Syracuse Invitational Sporthorse Tournament on October 28-November 1, 2009. Zazou Hoffman was the winner of the Region 1 qualifier at the Grand Fall Classic in Westbrook, CT. Hoffman finished second at Regionals last year...

When I'm at home, I generally have a pretty good sense of direction. Even when I don't know where I'm going, I can apply logic based on where the mountains are, what direction the freeway is, etc., and keep from getting lost. My husband gets lost often, but I probably shouldn't tell you that because he's reading this. Anyhoo...something about flying to Kentucky has thrown me completely off kilter. I can't tell which way is north or south, in what direction our hotel...

I'm here at the beautiful Kentucky Horse Park (KHP) in Lexington, Kentucky, for my third Arabian Sporthorse National (affectionately known as SHN)--although it is the seventh anniversary of the event splitting off from US Nationals to give sport horses a chance to shine all on their own. This year is the first that SHN has been held at the KHP, and boy are the gums flapping about the facility! Walking around the park, you'll pass one group oohing and aahing about how beautiful it is and...

Lexington, KY - The first of two 2009 Platinum Performance/USEF Talent Search Champions was named at the Los Angeles International Horse Show on September 2 Theo Boris Wins Platinum Performance/ USEF Talent Search Finals - West (AC Custom Photo) 0. Theodore Boris claimed the Finals -West title on the strength of his consistent performance in the Final Ride-Off Phase - where the top four competitors after the first 3 phases start even, ride their own horse, then each of the other’s mount...