Richard Spooner couldn't catch his breath. The Indio Desert Circuit's all-time leading money winner had five mounts in the $30,000 Ariat Grand Prix, and he brought three into the jump-off. Quirino 3 delivered Spooner another victory, posting the jump-off's best time of 39.36. Ezrah also had a clean-round at 40.08 giving him second place in the competition. His third mount, Airtime, smacked into jump 12, a white and blue vertical jump near the end of the course, leaving him sixth. In the opening...

Renowned Victory (Rory), by Rotspon out of Victory at Concord, ends the 2005 year as the Performance Horse Registry's Dressage Sport Horse Breeding (DSHB) National Champion and Zone Three Champion. In addition, the two-year-old filly bred by Sarah Needham ended the year in first place for two-year-old fillies Oldenburg GOV All Breeds Awards and in sixth place in the USDF Two-Year-Old Fillies DSHB. Rory also qualified for the Cosequin Breeders Championship at Devon. Last year, she was second in...

America's future equine dressage stars are coming to the Kentucky Horse Park. The 2005 USEF/Markel Young Horse Dressage National Championships (sponsored by Markel Insurance) will be held at MSEDA Dressage at the Park, September 9-11 in Lexington, KY. This event will feature the best five- and six-year-old dressage horses in the country competing for national titles and the honor of the perpetual Dr. Edgar Hotz Memorial Trophy. Included in the fields will be the three horses which represented...

Aachen, Germany - Aug. 25 – The United States show jumping team claimed a victory and a fourth place finish Thursday on the eve of the Samsung Super League Nations Cup competition at the World Equestrian Festival. Jeffrey Welles, of Ridgefield, CT, piloted his nine-year-old Holsteiner gelding, Sampras, to victory in the Youngsters Cup, while Laura Kraut of Oconomowoc, WI, finished fourth on the Dutch Warmblood gelding, Anthem, in the Preis von Nordrhein-Westfalen. Welles and Sampras finished in...

The 2005 USEF/Markel Young Horse Dressage National Championships will be held September 9-11 at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, KY, to showcase the brightest new equine dressage stars. The application process for all young horses closed July 1, with a record number of nominations in both the five-year-old division (36) and the six-year-old division (24). Scores must be earned and submitted to USEF by August 8. The complete nomination list is now posted on the USEF/Markel Young Horse...

Members of the show jumping team that won the Silver medal at last summer’s Olympic Games in Athens will compete in the jumper divisions and in two thrilling grand prix classes at the Devon Horse Show and Country Fair, which runs May 26-June 4. In a thrilling duel for this year’s top honors, Laura Chapot of Neshanic Station, NJ, Open Jumper Champion for four of the last six years, will take on Olympians Chris Kappler of Hunterdon in Pittstown, NJ, Open Jumping Leading Rider at Devon two years...

A life-sized bronze sculpture of Bruce Davidson and Eagle Lion jumping into the Head of the Lake will likely be unveiled at the Kentucky Horse Park this Fall or at the 2006 Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event. Artist Jean Clagett is hard at work creating the sculpture, which will feature a highlighted patina, and be mounted in the lake at the Kentucky Horse Park in front of a water obstacle, with the horse’s front feet in the water and jets splashing. The presence of this beautiful piece of art will...

Horse owners who frequently travel out of the state of North Carolina with their animals for horse shows and festivals can take advantage of a new agreement between Southern states that will eliminate the need to obtain monthly animal health certificates. The agreement between Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia will allow horse owners to apply for an Equine Event Permit that will be good...

Los Angeles, CA —As the 2004 season comes to a close, West Coast League riders step out of their saddles for a moment to reflect on five rounds of World Cup qualifiers that have determined their standings at the halfway mark. Separated by only a few points, Richard Spooner, Joie Gatlin and Gabriella Salick maintain an incredibly close race for the three World Cup slots afforded to the League. A tenth place finish atop Hilton Flight (Bay Irish Sport Horse gelding; Errigal...

Despite a sixth place finish in the Super League competition in Hickstead, Great Britain, on July 23, US riders rallied to grab the first three places in the presitigious Refco Queen Elizabeth II Cup on Sunday, July 25. Molly Ashe was the winner on Lutopia, followed by Sheila Burke on Caya and Judy Garofalo on Oliver III. Lauren Hough was eighth on Casadora. In the Grand Prix John French finished fourth, and the next highest placed US rider was Molly Ashe on Lutopia. The class was won by Nick...