Lexington, Ky. - On a night dedicated to the horse, two special athletes were recognized for their excellence in 2014 during the USEF's Year End Awards Gala. In a year that witnessed equestrian athletes excel, Cortes 'C' and Ellis GV reached the pinnacle of their sports and for their achievements were named International and National Horse of the Year, respectively. Voting was open to the public through January and both horses, already fan favorites, were rewarded for their...

Eric Lamaze and Fine Lady 5 (Sportfot) Wellington, Fla. - The 2015 Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF) continued on Friday with the $6,000 Spy Coast Farm 1.40m Speed Challenge featured in the International Arena at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center (PBIEC) in Wellington, FL. Continuing his top form throughout the first two weeks of the circuit, Canada's Eric Lamaze raced to victory aboard Artisan Farms LLC's Fine Lady 5 over teammate Tiffany Foster and Artisan Farms'...

Charlie Jayne and Playboy jump to victory in the $25,000 SmartPak Grand Prix (ESI Photography) Ocala, Fla. - The first Grand Prix of the HITS Ocala Winter Circuit took place Thursday in the Ocala Horse Properties Stadium. The $25,000 SmartPak Grand Prix is a qualifier for the Hits Triple Crown of Show Jumping, which includes three $1 million classes later this year. Riders vied for the prize money, sponsored by SmartPak, and a chance to qualify for the Triple Crown over Doug Russell’s...

USA Team (Left to right )Sydney Collier, Annie Peavy, Rebecca Hart, U.S. Chef D' Equipe Kai Handt, and Roxanne Trunnell. (Lindsay Y. McCall) Wellington, Fla. - Thirteen Para-Dressage horse and rider combinations made their way to Wellington, Florida, this January for the first CPEDI3* of the 2015 show season. Para-Equestrians from Canada and the United States in Grades Ia, Ib, II, III, and IV, competed at the spectacular Global Dressage venue in the Van Kampen Arena. FEI Ground Jury members Mr....

Todd Minikus and Cordonos (Sportfot) Wellington, Fla. - Week one of the 2015 Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF) concluded on Sunday with the $30,000 WEF 1 Grand Prix held at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center in Wellington, FL. In a 22-horse jump-off with some of the fastest riders in the world, USA's Todd Minikus came out on top aboard Carl Brem's Cordonos. Ireland's Conor Swail and Grafton finished second and USA's Mclain Ward and HH Ashley were third. Course...

Caroline Martin and Quantum Solace (Mike McNally Photography) Lexington, Ky. - The United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) hosted 12 up-and-coming riders in the inaugural Eventing 18 Program in 2014. All Participants put the lessons learned in January’s Training Sessions with U.S. Team Coach David O’Connor and respected eventing professionals to the test throughout the year to reach new heights of excellence in competition and all around horsemanship. Caroline Martin (Miami...

Lexington, Ky. - Intense head-to-head dressage competition across 30 championship divisions concluded on Sunday at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington for the US Dressage Finals presented by Adequan®. Surrounded by friends and family, emotions ran high for competitors as they rode their way into history and celebrated their success with joyous victory laps before packing for their long journeys back to homes across the country. The appropriately-named Dutch Warmblood Eye Candy (Weltmeyer x...

Erin Sylvester and No Boundaries (Libby Law Photography) Pau, France - The Les Étoiles de Pau CCI4* came to a conclusion on Sunday afternoon as 19 combinations went forward to contest Jean-Philippe Desmaret’s challenging show jumping track. The United States closed out the competition by securing two spots within the top 10. Leading the way for the Americans was Erin Sylvester (Unionville, Pa.) with her own and Jill Tallman’s No Boundaries finishing in sixth place on 72.9...

Pau, France- The Les Étoiles de Pau CCI4* came to a conclusion on Sunday afternoon as 19 combinations went forward to contest Jean-Philippe Desmaret’s challenging show jumping track. The United States closed out the competition by securing two spots within the top 10. Leading the way for the Americans was Erin Sylvester (Unionville, Pa.) with her own and Jill Tallman’s No Boundaries finishing in sixth place on 72.9 penalties. By collecting just four faults on Sunday, the pair...

Pau, France – Three U.S. horse-and-athlete combinations performed their dressage test at the Les Étoiles de Pau CCI4* on Thursday, and Land Rover Competition Grant recipients Lauren Kieffer and Veronica lead the way for the U.S. contingent. Lauren Kieffer and Veronica (Libby Law Photography) Kieffer (Ocala, Fla.) and Team Rebecca, LLC’s Veronica had a lovely test to score 44.2 from the Ground Jury of Jane Tolley, Eric Lieby, and Polly Ann Huntington, putting them in fourth...