Twelve-year-old Grady Lyman bested some of the top professional riders of the HITS Dessert Circuit when she and Flirt won the $5,000 Devoucoux Hunter Prix this weekend at HITS Thermal (Flying Horse Photography) Thermal, CA - Grady Lyman of Rancho Santa Fe, California won Sunday’s $5,000 Devoucoux Hunter Prix riding Penelope Murray’s Flirt, rising to the top of a class of 52 contenders. The youngster created something of a sensation when she placed second, behind Sonoma Valley...

It was quite a weekend of NCEA action, with two of the top three teams losing. My brief recap of each match is below. No.2 Auburn University def No.1 University of Georgia 12-8 Senior Stephanie Rucci helped lead No.2 Auburn over No.1 Georgia on Saturday (Sophomore Danielle Long) It was a little closer than last time they met, when Auburn won 13-7, but the Georgia Bulldogs couldn’t take advantage of being at home to get a win over the Tigers. Auburn jumped out to a quick lead in this one,...

McLain Ward and Zander (Sportfot) Wellington, FL - Week five of the 2013 FTI Consulting Winter Equestrian Festival (FTI WEF) continued on Thursday with a victory for McLain Ward (USA) and Zander in the $33,000 Ruby et Violette WEF Challenge Cup Round 5. The duo won over Great Britain's Ben Maher riding Quiet Easy 4 and Peter Wylde (USA) aboard Lewin 5. Week five of the FTI WEF circuit, sponsored by Adequan®, runs February 6-10. The week will feature the the $82,000 Adequan® CSI 2*...

Lexington, KY- The United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) has taken the initial steps in hiring the next Technical Advisor/Chef d’Equipe for the U.S. Dressage Team. A six member Search Committee, approved by USEF CEO John Long, has been formed to assist in the hiring process. The Search Committee is composed of: Eric Straus, Chairman Janet Foy Catherine Haddad-Staller Susan Dutta Anne Kursinski David O’Connor The first order of business for the Selection Committee will be...

Lexington, KY- The United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) is pleased to release the schedules for the 2013 Markel/USEF Young Horse Dressage Training and Observation Sessions and 2013 USEF Youth Dressage Observation Sessions. Both the Markel/USEF Young Horse Dressage Program and USEF Youth Dressage Program are vital in creating a pipeline for future U.S. combinations to compete on the international stage. The Markel/USEF Young Horse Dressage Training and Observation Sessions are open to all...

Lexington, KY - Despite frigid temperatures in eastern Germany, Gabe Aniello , the United States’ sole representative at the second round of World Cup competitions, managed a successful showing. Together with the horse Pino del Rio and longeur Elke Shelp-Lensing, Aniello took to the ring with a new routine complete with new music. In a departure from his tenderly elegant “Hallelujah” freestyle from 2012, Aniello chose the markedly more powerful, tempestuous...

Patrik Kittel and Watermill Scandic Wellington, FL - Patrik Kittel and Watermill Scandic added a brilliant victory in today's Gold Coast Opener Grand Prix Freestyle CDI-W to their win in Friday's Grand Prix CDI-W, both at Jim Brandon Equestrian Center. The pair of strong showings establishes them as top contenders in the World Dressage Masters (WDM) CDI5* Palm Beach at Jim Brandon, which will take place January 24-26. WDM will be far from a walkover, however. Kittel and Watermill...

Ohlala and Lauren Hough. (Shawn McMillen Photography) Washington D.C. - Lauren Hough (USA) and Ohlala were the winners in the $32,000 International Open Jumper 1.50m faults converted class, sponsored by Sleepy P Ranch, as part of the evening competition on Friday.Nineteen entries jumped the course, and Hough and Ohlala cleared the obstacles in a blazing fast time of 46.82 seconds for the win. ? Nicola Philippaerts (BEL) and Stal de Kalvarie’s Diebrich de Kalvarie cleared the course just a...

Onira and Brianne Goutal. (Shawn McMillen Photography) Washington, D.C . - The 2012 Washington International Horse Show (WIHS) continued on Thursday with the first day of classes for the Junior Hunters and several International Open Jumper and Junior/Amateur-Owner Jumper classes at Verizon Center in Washington, D.C. ? The course designer for the jumpers at WIHS this year is Anthony D’Ambrosio, of Red Hook, NY. The International Open Jumpers had two classes on Thursday, and Brianne Goutal,...

Nina Montross and Caprifol. (Al Cook.) Despite a two-month layoff from riding, Nina Montross of Bedford, NY, and Caprifol impressively captured the $10,000 North American League Children's Jumper Finals at the 67th Annual Pennsylvania National Horse Show on Tuesday. The talented 14-year-old high school freshman was on an equestrian hiatus in order to attend Westminster School in Simsbury, CT. "I was nervous because I had not ridden in two months," said Montross. "But I was really excited...