The inaugural $5,000 American Hunter-Jumper Foundation (AHJF) World Champion Hunter Rider (WCHR) Handy Hunter Classic was well received and was a highlight event on April 3rd at the Tampa Bay Classic held at the Florida State Fairgrounds. Samantha Schaefer and Bishonen, owned by Mariana Wade, led the field from start to finish winning out of a field of the top professional, emerging professional, amateur-owner, and junior hunter riders with her two-round total of 171. In her first round...

Photo by Anne Gittins (Jeffery Welles and Armani) It was with speed and grace that Jeffery Welles was able to capture Saturday night's victory with his top mount, Armani, during a three-horse jump-off. The pair raced through the finish line in 44.36 seconds after completing a clear short course during the 2010 $200,000 Gene Mische American Invitational, presented by G & C Farm, at Raymond James Stadium. Peter Leone tried to catch his time with Select, who also left all the rails intact, but the...

Photo by Erica Larson (Hannah Sue Burnett and St. Barths) It was a nail biter to the end at the Fork Horse Trials this weekend as the United States Eventing Association (USEA)/Adequan Gold Cup Advanced division and the CIC*** wrapped up with show jumping. Neither overnight leader was able to hold on to their lead, and even the winners were pleasantly surprised with the outcome of the competition. In the USEA/Adequan Gold Cup division, the "little horse that could" came from behind to take home...

Buck Davidson and My Boy Bobby win at The Fork (US Eventing) Dressage Competition was underway on both coasts this week with the CDI3*/Y/J Burbank, CA (Festival of the Horse) and the Dressage at Equestrian Estates in Loxahatchee, FL. Jan Ebeling dominated the Grand Prix in Burbank, coming in first on Rafalca and second on Sandrina. Guenter Seidel and U II were third. In the Grand Prix Special it was Seidel who triumphed with a score of 69.875%, narrowly beating out Ebeling and Rafalca. Ebeling...

The 114th annual Devon Horse Show and Country Fair will boast brand new, state-of-the-art footing in the Dixon Oval when it opens its 11-day run on May 27. The new footing in the Dixon Oval, a major undertaking, will be installed by Equestrian Services International, which has provided the footing for the 2008 Olympics in Hong Kong and the footing currently in use at the FTI Winter Equestrian Festival. This new, all-weather surface will meet the needs of all the various breeds and disciplines...

Oliver Townend Could Make History by Winning the Rolex Grand Slam of Eventing Once again, the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event, this year Presented by Bridgestone, will host a truly international event at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, KY, April 22-25. The Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event, part of the HSBC FEI Classics™ Series, attracts many of the world's best horses and riders as they vie for their share of $250,000 in prize money. Enhancing this year's schedule will be the official...

Expanding its already considerable support of the United States Equestrian Federation (USEF), SmartPak™ has signed on as "Official Tack and Equipment Supplier to the USEF". In addition, SmartPak will be adding sponsorship of the new Adult Amateur Hunter Ranking List to the list of other programs SmartPak supports, which include the USEF Week in Review and the North American Young Rider Reining Championship. "The USEF has done so much for equestrian sport, and we are grateful for their...

Showplace Productions is pleased to announce an additional third week of competition for its Spring Spectacular Series with an exciting and unique new format. The Spring Spectacular III will feature the $100,000 Showplace Challenge Cup, a "world Cup" format multi-phase event for High Junior/Amateur-Owner, Low Junior/Amateur-Owner, Children's/Adult, Low Children's/Adult, and Modified Jumpers. The Cup will be held the first three days of the Spectacular III—Monday, June 21, through...

Photo by Robbi Meisel (Taylor Land and Karonda V Schl’Hof) The Atlanta Spring Classics welcomed the new season with Cherry Blossoms in bloom, blue skies, and heated competition among hunters and jumpers. And the biggest competition this week centered around two sisters, Frances and Taylor Land, who dominated the jumper rings. Produced by the Classic Company and held at the Georgia International Horse Park, home of the 1996 Olympics, in Conyers, GA, the two-week event runs March 24-April 3 with...

Photo by Josh Walker/USEA (Tiana Coudray and Ringwood Magister at the Adequan USEA Gold Cup Series CIC3* division at the Galway Downs International Horse Trials.) Overnight leader Tiana Coudray of Ojai, CA, kept her nerves in check to gallop home the winner aboard her Ringwood Magister in the CIC*** at the Galway Downs International Horse Trials. “He’s really grown up,” said Coudray, 21, of her handsome gray Irish-bred. “In so many places I gave him the opportunity to [be bad], and he wasn’t....