Lucy Davis and Old Oak Farm's Barron (ESI Photography) Thermal, Calif. - Twenty-three-year-old Stanford University student Lucy Davis, riding Old Oak Farm’s Barron, took top prize in the $50,000 HITS Grand Prix CSI-W2*, presented by OSPHOS®, an FEI World Cup Jumping qualifier under the lights in the Grand Prix Ring at HITS Desert Horse Park in Thermal, California, Saturday night. Davis and Barron were the only horse-and-rider team to go double-clear, and did so in 46.52 seconds, in...

Lexington, Ky. - Belgium's Olivier Philippaerts guided Armstrong Van de Kapel to victory on Thursday night at the 131st National Horse Show, topping a starting field of 42 and then a massive jump-off roster of 21 to win the marathon Copernicus Stables $75,000 International Open Jumpers, presented by the Coulter Family. In the dash for cash, Philippaerts was the only rider to break the 40 second barrier as he raced home in 39.35 seconds for the win. Olivier Philippaerts and Armstrong Van de...

Catherine Tyree (Emily Riden/Phelps Media Group) Calgary, Alberta - Catherine Tyree is having her own bit of a win streak, but for Tyree the streak today came within just one class. The Northwestern University sophomore took both of the top two spots in the morning's $3,000 Junior/Amateur-Owner Jumper Power and Speed class. She claimed the victory aboard her own Wetter and finished in a close second with Free Style Van Polderhof. "I'm so happy. Both horses were so great. I couldn't...

Grand Prix de Penn National Kent Farrington and Uceko (Al Cook) Harrisburg, PA - Kent Farrington and Uceko, owned by RCG Farm, thrilled the crowd with a lightning fast ride in the jump-off to win the $85,000 FEI World Cup Grand Prix de Penn National at the 67th Annual Pennsylvania National Horse Show on Saturday evening. It was the third win in the prestigious event for Farrington, but the Wellington, FL resident went early in the line-up and was not convinced that his clear round time of 37.95...

The seventh in a series of guest blog posts from Michelle Binder Before we learn to read we must learn the ABC’s. William Cavendish, Duke of Newcastle (1593-1676) suggested an analogy between the education of a child and horse trainers who made unrealistic demands on young horses. Centuries ago he asked, ‘I would fain ask such stupid people, whether, by beating a boy, they could teach him to read, without first showing him his alphabet?’1 Systematic progressive training is not...

a guest blog post fom Mary Cox I sold my Childeric close contact jump saddle today. I had left if off at the local tack store only a week before so when the phone call came that they had a buyer I hung up and found myself almost in tears! The decision to sell my favorite saddle was due to the cold hard fact that I hadn’t jumped in more than 5 years, my passion has been Dressage for quite some time and I thought it was “time”. But my reaction to the phone call was...

Traverse City, MI - Overcast skies couldn’t dull the excitement at Horse Shows by the Bay this afternoon, as the $30,000 Open Jumper Grand Prix of Traverse City ignited the Grand Prix ring. Brian Shook and Courage 68 took home the top prize in a suspenseful jump-off that kept fans on the edge of their seats, as Shook, who rode last in the second round, was the only competitor to clear the course twice. This event was the first of four $30,000 Open Jumper Grands Prix that will take place...

Nina Lill and GB Jacs Bond. (NRHA.) Kreuth, Germany – The Consolation for the $187,000 added National Reining Horse Association (NRHA) European Open Futurity offered plenty of fine reining for visitors today. It was FEI European Champion Nina Lill (GER) who rode to a top score of 220 astride GB Jacs Bond (owner Jan Gerbig). The gelding by GB Jac out of Dr Bonds Bessie was bred by Daniela Schurrer and earned the Western Event Snaffle Bit Level 2 Open Futurity Champion title last year. The duo...

Elizabeth Benson and San Remo VDL. (Photo by Sportfot©.) Wellington, FL - The 4th Annual George Morris Excellence in Equitation Championships, presented by Artisan Farms, were held on Friday evening in the International Arena at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center. A feature event for the junior riders at the FTI Winter Equestrian Festival, the class saw an exciting win for 16-year-old Elizabeth Benson of Whitehouse Station, NJ, trained by Stacia Madden of Beacon Hill Show Stables....

Allison Springer and Arthur. (Photo by Leslie Threlkeld.) Tallahassee, FL - It's only fitting that the winner of the first event of the 2011 Adequan USEA Gold Cup Series would be decided on the final moments of the competition on Sunday afternoon, drawing out the nail-biting excitement to the very last jump. Overnight leader Allison Springer must have breathed a huge sigh of relief to cross the finish line with all the rails still neatly in their cups, solidifying her victory at the prestigious...