Katy, Texas. - Peter Pletcher knew what he had to do in the Handy Hunter Round of the $30,000 USHJA International Hunter Derby, presented by Valobra Master Jewelers. He stood third and fourth aboard CR Beethoven and Luxe, respectively, after the Classic Round and had some ground to make up. With Jennifer Alfano and the superstar derby horse Jersey Boy comfortably leading the way and the talented Martien van der Hoeven in second with Cellino, Pletcher decided it would have to be something pretty...

Hailey Henderson and Zine Dine (Shawn McMillen Photography) Katy, Texas. - After posting the first clear round in the $10,000 Quanta Services Welcome Jumper Stake this afternoon, Hailey Henderson looked around and then quickly trotted back to the in-gate. “I didn’t really think I was going to go in the jump-off, so I had to refresh my memory for the jump-off track,” she said laughing. “So, I only had a brief idea of what it was. I had to make sure it really was it....

Andre Thieme and Contanga 3 soar to a win in the Great American $1 Million Grand Prix at HITS Ocala (ESI Photography) Ocala, Fla. - After a commanding performance under the lights of the all-new Ocala Horse Properties Stadium in front of a sold-out crowd, Andre Thieme of Plau am See, Germany planned a trip home to Europe $350,000 richer. Thieme claimed his first million-dollar victory in 2011 and returned to familiar territory Monday night to take the blue in the debut of the Great American $1...

Michael Hughes topped both rounds of the HITS Equitation Championship to win aboard Landis ©ESI Photography Ocala, Fla. - Michael Hughes is on top of his equitation game with two top finishes in two days. After finishing second to Victoria Colvin in the George H. Morris Excellence in Equitation class on Friday in Wellington, he dominated both rounds of the HITS Equitation Championship to win at HITS Ocala on Saturday. All eyes were on the 28 riders who qualified throughout the HITS Ocala Winter...

Manuel Fernandez Hache and Maribel H with (from left to right) Juliet W. Reid, Chester Weber, and Joan Pletcher. (Photo courtesy of PicsofYou.com) Ocala, FL - It wasn’t just the Florida sunshine heating up the John Deere stadium at Live Oak International on Friday as the world’s best show jumping riders and horses faced off for the $5,000 Joan Pletcher Realty Speed Class and $10,000 Waldron Wealth Management Welcome Stake in Ocala. Manuel Fernandez Hache of Miami, FL and riding for...

Katy, Texas - At age 16, when many show jumpers are slowing down, Happy Z is as speedy as ever. And, once again, she left the field in her dust while clinching the blue ribbon in the $25,000 Moet Hennessy Grand Prix, her 59th grand prix victory with owner/rider Wilhelm Genn. When announcer Brian Lookabill was on his way to Texas, Happy snuck in two more wins, so Genn made a point to correct Happy’s grand prix record, which was announced as 56 wins. “I don’t think he knew about...

Temecula,Calif. - Canadian Olympians Hawley Bennett-Awad and Gin ‘N Juice, winners of the CIC3* at the Galway Downs International Horse Trials in 2013, will be aiming to win two in a row on March 28-30 at the Temecula Downs Event Center. Bennett-Awad, 36, has based her training operations at Kingsway Farm, across the street from Temecula Downs, for a decade. It was there that she met Gin ‘N Juice, who was bred by the Kingsway Farm owners, Terry and Linda Paine. “She caught my...

Lexington, Ky . – Three entries will vie for the USEF National Four-in-Hand Championship title this week at Live Oak International in Ocala, Fla. Held March 19-23, the drivers will perform in the dressage, marathon, and cones phases and hope to come out on top by the competition’s end. Chester Weber (Ocala, Fla.) aims for his eleventh USEF National Four-in-Hand Championship title. After winning his tenth National title just five months ago at the Kentucky Classic CDE, Weber has...

Richie Moloney and Alsvid (Sportfot) Wellington, Fla. - Week ten of the 2014 FTI Consulting Winter Equestrian Festival (FTI WEF), sponsored by Horseware Ireland, concluded on Sunday with a win for Ireland's Richie Moloney and Alsvid in the $34,000 Suncast® 1.50m Championship Jumper Classic. The FTI WEF, held at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center (PBIEC) in Wellington, FL, features 12 weeks of world-class competition through March 30, awarding $8 million in prize money....

Lorenzo de Luca and Elky van het Indihof (Sportfot) Wellington, Fla. - Italy's Lorenzo de Luca and Elky van het Indihof sped their way to an exciting win in Friday's $34,000 Spy Coast Farm 1.45m on a beautiful afternoon at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center (PBIEC) in Wellington, FL. De Luca and Elky van het Indihof have had several top finishes at the FTI Consulting Winter Equestrian Festival (FTI WEF) recently and finally got their victory with a fantastic round to beat...