Pikko del Cerro HU claimed the 2009 Markel/USEF National Championship for Six-Year-Olds (phelpsphotos.com) Lexington, KY - Following a banner year in 2009 for the Markel/USEF Young Horse Dressage Program, the United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) is pleased to announce the continuation of Markel Insurance as title sponsor as the 2010 Championship season gets under way. Markel Insurance has been a steadfast supporter of the USEF Young Horse Dressage Program since 2002. A long time supporter...

Photo Courtesy AHA/Conley Driediger (Conley Driediger with gelding, Winning Afire+//.) Alexis Starer Doughty of Cape Charles, VA, and Conley Driediger of Yarrow, BC, Canada, were named the Arabian Horse Association (AHA) Adult and Youth Amateurs of 2009, respectively. Doughty earned an impressive 646 points at 22 AHA-recognized shows in 2009, while Driediger earned a whopping 485.5 points from 17 shows. The AHA Amateur Achievement Award program began in 2002 and tracks the points of individual...

Randi Muster (Leah Schwendeman and Gisele.) The 2010 FTI Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF) had a great fifth week of competition on February 10-14. The week featured the $150,000 FEI World Cup, CSI*** presented by Spy Coast Farm, along with a full schedule of hunter, jumper, and equitation classes. The week five title sponsor was Spy Coast Farm. Along with their week five title sponsorship, Spy Coast Farm was the presenting sponsor of the $150,000 FEI World Cup, CSI*** on Saturday, February 13,...

Mother Nature gave exhibitors a fine weather send off for the finale week of the Atlanta Fall Classics. And what a busy week it was with NCE Championships, a $10,000 Junior/Amateur Owner Jumper Classic, $10,000 Children’s and Adults Jumper Classic, and another $25,000 Grand Prix presented by EMO Insurance. The covered arena at the Georgia International Horse Park played host on Saturday evening to the Equestrian Travel sponsored National Classic Equitation Finals [NCE] with spectators enjoying...

HITS would like to congratulate all of the riders in this year's 2009 ASPCA Maclay National Championships, which was held on October 31 at the Syracuse Invitational Sporthorse Tournament, featuring the 126th National Horse Show. Of the top 10 ribbon winners, nine of the riders compete at HITS winter show circuits, either in Thermal, CA, or Ocala, FL. Winner Zazou Hoffman of Santa Monica, CA, is a past regular competitor in Thermal, as are Samantha Harrison (fourth place) and Lucy Davis (sixth)....

It was another exciting day of competition at the 2009 Washington International Horse Show (WIHS), as the schedule featured four jumper classes for amateur-owner, junior, and open jumpers on Thursday. The highlight class of the day was the $30,000 Open Jumper Time First Jump-off class, and Olympic Gold medalist McLain Ward of the United States took the top prize on Couletto K James. Andres Rodriguez of Venezuala and Da Vinci were victorious in the $20,000 Open Jumper Gambler's Choice Costume...

Seventeen-year-old Jessica Springsteen was the biggest star at the Pennsylvania National Horse Show as her famous parents cheered her on. She bested 237 riders over two rounds of competition, and a four-ri Jessica Springsteen (Photo by Al Cook) der work-off to win the nation's top equitation prize, the Pessoa/USEF Hunt Seat Medal Final. Course designer Steve Stephens, in conjunction with judges Ellen Raidt and Leo Conroy, were very specific about the distances they required between related...

Jeffery Welles Claims $7,500 Prudential Douglas Elliman 1.45m Open Jumper Win Jeffery Welles did it again, winning his second major class this week at the Hampton Classic Horse Show. Welles, of Wellington, FL, piloted Tango to top honors in the $7,500 Prudential Douglas Elliman 1.45m Open Jumper class. On Tuesday, he won the $7,500 1.40m Open Jumper Class aboard his veteran mount, Armani. The 34th Hampton Classic, one of the nation's premiere show jumping competitions hosted hunter/jumper...

Dance and Gymnastics on Cantering Horses a Growing Spectator Sport at Kentucky Horse Park Equestrian vaulting came to the Kentucky Horse Park for the first time last week, with the United States Equestrian Federation and the American Vaulting Association crowning their national vaulting champions from July 9-12. “We’re excited to present the USEF/AVA National Vaulting Championships in the Kentucky Horse Park for the first time, and to be part of the fabric of the Horse Capital of the World,”...

After a second-place finish on Thursday in the grand prix, Catherine Haddad and Cadillac rose to the occasion on Friday with a win in the grand prix special at the Vidauban CDI*** in France. This marked the sixth grand prix win for Haddad and her 12-year-old Dutch Warmblood this year. The annual show at Vidauban, which has traditionally been a jumping show, added international dressage to the schedule this year, and the competition did not disappoint. Taking place over three days, the...