After 30 of 33 events on the 2005 tour, it all comes down to one class in this year’s race for the titles of American Grand Prix Association (AGA) Rider, Horse and Rookie of the Year. Entering its 27th year, the AGA Grand Prix Series of Show Jumping is the world’s richest and longest running series of equestrian show jumping events. The AGA offers over $3 million in prize money on a tour that encompasses 30 events and 20 different equestrian market locations across the United States....

Lexington, KY – Craig Schmersal of Menifee, California, and Tim McQuay of Tioga, Texas will represent the United States in the 2005 FEI World Reining Masters Series Final in Manerbio, Italy, September 24. Each, a master, in his own right, Schmersal was a member of the Gold Medal U.S. team at the 2002 FEI World Equestrian Games in Jerez, Spain, while McQuay is the NRHA’s all-time leading money earner. Schmersal took the Gold medal and Championship title August 27, riding Tidal Wave...

The deadly outbreak of equine herpes virus at Churchill Downs this spring threatened to limit movement of horses between racetracks during the Triple Crown series of races. Frequent travel is also common for sport horses and such an outbreak could hamper participation at major shows. A Cornell University virologist says his preliminary research indicates that vaccines containing weakened live viruses, called modified live vaccines (MLV), appear to be more effective in preventing horse herpes...

Under the sweltering New Jersey sun, red hot Laura Chapot burned up the jump-off track and soared to a one-two finish in the $30,000 Stillwell-Hansen Grand Prix as the 110th Annual Monmouth County Horse Show came to a close at East Freehold Park. Forty starters went to the post in the 1:30 p.m. main event at the Stillwell-Hansen Arena. Blake Alder of Germantown, TN, designed the course. Memphis and Caitlyn Shiels led off the tiebreaker with a clear go and a jump-off time of 27.719 seconds to...

The United States Dressage Federation (USDF), in conjunction with the United States Equestrian Federation (USEF), will host a weekend educational seminar for recent graduates of the USDF Advanced Young Rider Program. The seminar will be held October 14-16, at the USET Foundation headquarters in Gladstone, NJ. Seminar participants, ranging in age from 21 to 25, will be amateurs, professionals and future high-performance riders in the sport of dressage. The purpose of the program is to provide...

Suzy Stafford, first U.S. driver to take Individual Gold at FEI World Combined Pony Driving Championships (Jim Graham) Results from the 2005 FEI World Combined Pony Driving Championships Derbyshire, England – When Suzy Stafford set out to compete in the 2005 FEI World Combined Pony Driving Championships, she didn’t realize she was about to make history—as the first American driver ever to win an Individual Gold Medal at the World Championships. But the Bear, Delaware native...

For the second time, Daniel Straumann and his team organized the World Reining Trophy (WRT) at the HorseAcademy facility in Mooslargue, France. There was a total purse of more than $100,000. Shawn Flarida called the show "one of the best reining events of the world"–-and this was before his success in the Open. Judges were Bob Mayhew, of Great Britain; Sylvia Katschker, of Austria, and Jörg Bös, of Germany. Altogether 157 horses had been nominated--many of them from France. And it turned out to...

Lightning struck Tylord Farm in Benson, VT, during the early hours of June 14 in the form of a violent summer storm. Fire raged through their stallion barn/indoor arena, destroying the structure and killing all six horses stabled inside, including world-acclaimed Trakehner stallion, Enrico Caruso. Other horses losing their lives in the fire included Laiken's last son, Emelio; Trinidad, a three-year-old gelding by Leonardo da Vinci; and Lilli Bieler's young stallion, Leonardo da Vinci, also by...

Talented young equestrians from across North America will vie for prestigious individual and team medals at the 2005 CN North American Young Riders’ Championships (NAYRC), presented by Adequan, at the Virginia Horse Center in Lexington, VA, July 26-31. The competition challenges the best young riders from the United States, Canada, Mexico, Puerto Rico and the Caribbean Islands in the three Olympic equestrian disciplines of show jumping, dressage and eventing. Approximately 300 riders, ages...

USDF is pleased to announce that the Great American Insurance Group/USDF Regional Championship program has reached a new record for the amount of prize money available for 2005. This year's prize money fund totals over $116,000. This fund, which is made up of qualifying ride fees paid by competitors, enables USDF to distribute prize money to all champions and reserve champions in as many as 279 championship classes in all of USDF's nine regions. These championship classes provide opportunities...