Aaron Vale and Serval, owned by The Serval Group, led the victory gallop in the $25,000 HITS Ocala Grand Prix on Sunday, January 29, posting the only double-clear round out of a class of 22 horse-and-rider combinations. Course Designer Jerry Dougherty set a first-round course that saw only four riders advance to the jump-off. Derek Petersen opened the jump-off with Heaven Bound, a 10-year-old former dressage horse he brought over from Germany in 2004. Had it not been for an unlucky rail at the...

Danielle Torano, Alex Parrish, Tracy Kenly and Lauren Hester emerged as champions of the 2005 Show Jumping Hall of Fame Jumper Classic Series. The Show Jumping Hall of Fame Jumper Classic Series conducted its largest series ever in 2005, with classes at 94 horse shows across the nation. This gave competitors an abundance of opportunities to accumulate points throughout the year. The Series featured separate divisions for amateur owner and junior riders with separate standings kept for East and...

“Who is Paul Rohrbach?” asked many people after he posted his first major grand prix win at the $50,000 Los Angeles National Grand Prix. Rohrbach, a professional from Colorado who runs a successful hunter/jumper training business with partner Corky Shaha, has been steadily posting strong grand prix finishes over the years. After his stellar performance in the grand prix aboard Mary Dunahay’s Shiraz, everyone knew who he was. Rohrbach came to the Los Angeles National (November 16-20, 2005) by...

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...