The National Horse Show and Family Festival returns to the Palm Beach Polo Equestrian Club, November 30-December 4, 2005. One of the featured events is the $80,000 Young Jumper Championship Invitational, showcasing the finest rising show jumping stars in the United States. The $80,000 Young Jumper Championships Invitational consists of three sections, one for horses five years of age, one for horses six years of age, and one for horses seven and eight years of age. Qualifying for the event took...

Harrisburg, PA — Making a name for herself amidst a field of some of the nation’s best junior jumpers at the Pennsylvania National Horse Show, 17-year-old Brianne Goutal of New York, NY, and her mount Onira, won the individual title and the Gold medal at the 2005 Adequan/USEF National Junior Jumper Championship, October 13-15. Coming in second for Silver was 17-year-old Julie Welles, of West Simsbury, CT, atop Lapeti, followed by the Bronze medal winner, 15-year-old Kels Bonham of...

Harrisburg, PA – Brianne Goutal of New York, NY, defeated more than 200 of the nation’s top junior riders to win the 2005 Pessoa/USEF National Hunter Seat Medal Final, on Sunday, October 16, at the Pennsylvania National Horse Show. This marked the second largest field in history, with 279 riders vying for the title. Goutal received a Pessoa saddle, Gold medal and a custom USEF cooler for the win, and will have her name added to the Adrian Van Sinderen Memorial Trophy, joining famous...

Gladstone, NJ – Riding through the chill, the rain and the mud of New Jersey’s wettest weekend in months, Julie Welles of West Simsbury, Connecticut, was awarded the Championship title at the 2005 USEF Show Jumping Talent Search Finals East on October 8-9, proving she not only had the stamina required to win the multi-phase Finals, but the skill and ingenuity to make her riding skills shine, despite the elements. “I had a positive outlook coming in. I went in and rode the best...

Burbank, CA – With nary a misstep, Alex Maida, was picked as the winner of the grueling 2005 USEF West Coast Talent Search. The class was held in conjunction with the Los Angeles International Jumping Festival at the Los Angeles Equestrian Center, September 21-25. Thirty-eight junior riders qualified throughout the year for a spot in the two-day four-phase finals. On Wednesday afternoon riders were allowed into the Equidome for a practice round and the class started in earnest the next...

Craig Schmersal and Tim McQuay after their Gold- and Silver-medal wins at the $100,000 FEI World Reining Masters Finals. (Andrea Bonaga) Manerbio, Italy – September 25 – The much awaited second $100,000 FEI World Reining Masters Finals, presented by the Arcese Group and the Italian Equestrian Sports Federation, saw a full house and was truly a tribute to the sport of reining. Craig Schmersal, riding Tidal Wave Jack, received a standing ovation from the enthusiastic crowd, who had a...

Equestrian vaulting combines the strength of gymnastics with the beauty of dance on the back of a moving horse. It is one of the seven recognized disciplines in international equestrian sports. Vaulting is also used to develop basic equitation and in many therapeutic programs. Have you ever considered what vaulting might be able to add to your riding program? Would you need to train a horse for a vaulting club? Do you want to know what the judge is seeing when scoring vaulters? Whether you are...

In a brilliant display of skill and finesse, Sara Schmitt, of Glen Gardner, NJ, drove her Morgan stallion, High Country Doc, to one of only a few clean and clear rounds in the cones phase at The Laurels at Landhope and her first national championship. The last in the order of go on Sunday, September 11, Schmitt had some wiggle room. Ahead by only four points under the new rules where a ball down is now a three-point penalty instead of five. This gave her a small margin of error, one that could...

Lexington, KY – The word “anticipation” doesn’t quite cover it, as the United States Show Jumping Team and its fans expectantly await the eighth and final leg of the 2005 Samsung Super League—the Nations Cup competition at CSIO Barcelona, Spain, Sunday, September 18. “We’ve got a great team and lovely horses,” emphasized USEF Chef d’Equipe George Morris, speaking from Barcelona. As for the riders designated to represent the United States for...

Stadium Jumping, Inc., the management company for the 2006 Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF), is pleased to announce that FTI Consulting of Annapolis, MD, is sponsoring the $200,000 FTI Rider Challenge. The FTI Rider Challenge will be held during the 2006 WEF, from January 25 to March 12 at the Palm Beach Polo Equestrian Club in Wellington, FL. The FTI Rider Challenge will be a rider bonus pool for $200,000 in which the riders will receive points based on the number of riders in the seven...