The Polish team, complete newcomers to the top-level of nations cup jumping, are drawn first to go in the 2010 Meydan FEI Nations Cup™ series which kicks off at La Baule in France tomorrow afternoon. And with four of the 10 competing countries due to be relegated at the end of this season all the Chefs d'Equipe were in complete agreement about one thing during this afternoon's draw press conference - this is going to be a very tough season indeed. The order of go for tomorrow's first leg is as...

The second Gold Coast show of the season ran April 9-11 at the Los Angeles Equestrian Center, giving the chance for everyone from beginners to seasoned competitors a chance to compete and have some great fun and keen competition. Carolyn Biava of First Field Farm and her crew had a great show, garnering numerous ribbons and several championships to boot. However, perhaps her biggest success story for this show had nothing to do with ribbons. Biava’s student, Dale Winters, suffered a brain...

Photo by Anne Gittins (Jeffery Welles and Armani) It was with speed and grace that Jeffery Welles was able to capture Saturday night's victory with his top mount, Armani, during a three-horse jump-off. The pair raced through the finish line in 44.36 seconds after completing a clear short course during the 2010 $200,000 Gene Mische American Invitational, presented by G & C Farm, at Raymond James Stadium. Peter Leone tried to catch his time with Select, who also left all the rails intact, but the...

The award-winning Midwest Charity Horse Show has taken advantage of the long snowy winter in adding several new classes to this year’s edition. Midwest’s board of directors tightened up the schedule and added a Hackney Horse division—classes include a Single Horse Open, an Amateur Single Horse, Champion Single Horse and Open Pairs Driving. Pink will be the color of the evening on Friday in honor of Midwest’s new Pink Ribbon Class, number 154, Five Gaited Ladies Amateur...

Photo by Robbi Meisel (Wilhelm Genn and Chantal) Lebanon, OH-based Wilhelm Genn had a stellar second week at the 2010 Gulf Coast Winter Classics with victories in both Thursday’s $5,000 Welcome Open Jumper Stake aboard Happy Z and Sunday’s $25,000 Gulf Coast Grand Prix with Laura Ryan-Barnaclo’s Chantal. Deciding the path this week’s jumpers would take was one of the sport’s most revered course designers, Michel Vaillancourt, who began testing their limits on Thursday with a curvy 15-effort...

Photo by Ken Braddick (Steffen Peters and Ravel) Lexington, KY – Talk about busy. 2009 has been a whirlwind, new champions of all kinds, title defenders, legends and innovators made headlines this year. The line between winning and losing has become increasingly fine as all the USEF competitors in every discipline continue to up their game, hone their skills and make the US Team proud both locally and across the globe. With the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games (WEG) looming on the...

While their senior counterparts strutted their stuff down the centerlines in the CCI** and CCI*** divisions at the Fair Hill International Horse Trials, four- and five-year-old stars-to-be were flashing their talents in the Spalding Labs/United States Eventing Association (USEA) Young Event Horse (YEH) East Coast Championships. Youngsters from around the eastern United States gathered to show their potential in conformation, dressage, and jumping in their own championship division, which ran in...

Lexington, KY – There were a handful of changes on the leaderboards today as the marathon proved a fair but demanding challenge at the 2009 USEF National Driving Championships at the Kentucky Cup and Lexington Driving Classic which is also serving as a test event for the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games. The USEF National Four-in-Hand Championship remains in Chester Weber’s grasp, after a second place marathon performance – less than a point behind Australia’s Boyd Excell – was good...

Will Simpson and Carlsson vom Dach (Shannon Brinkman) Hong Kong, China – The US show jumpers looked happy to stretch their legs tonight in the first Individual Qualifier. The main arena was turned over from a dressage ring to Grand Prix course tonight at Sha Tin as the jumping horses finally got a chance to play. 73 horses went to task over a beautiful course designed by Leopoldo Palacios and Steve Stephens. The US was the only nation with three double clear rounds. McLain Ward was the...

Jane Hannigan and Maksymillian Head to Europe to Represent the U.S. for the First Time at the FEI World Cup Final (phelpsphoto.com) Lexington, KY ­– Following the final North American League qualifying competitions in Loxahatchee, Florida and Burbank, California, two horses and riders have been named to represent the United States at the 2008 FEI World Cup™ Dressage Final in 's-Hertogenbosch, The Netherlands, on March 27 - 30. Courtney King of New Milford, Connecticut...