Rebecca Hart (John Stevenson) By Joanie Morris Hong Kong, China – The venue was lively today as the freestyles got underway in the main arena at Sha Tin. All kinds of music were showcased in two sessions. Two US riders went to task in the morning sessions on the penultimate day of competition at the 2008 Paralympic Games in Equestrian. In the Grade II Individual Freestyle, Rebecca Hart (Erie, PA) finally had the performance she knew she was capable with Norteassa at these Games. The...

The 42nd Annual U.S. National Arabian and Half-Arabian Championship Horse Show (U.S. Nationals) makes its debut in Tulsa, OK, at Expo Square on October 17-25, 2008. The move comes after years of the show alternating venues between Albuquerque, NM, and Louisville, KY. This year is the first of a three-year contract with the city of Tulsa that was four years in the making. Expo Square staff and leadership worked diligently with the U.S. Nationals Show Commission to provide an upgraded, functional...

The American Morgan Horse Association (AMHA) Youth Department is preparing some exciting events for this year's Grand National & World Championship Morgan Horse Show. Applications to participate in AMHA Youth Club Contests are due September 15. If you are planning to attend the Grand National, please be sure to check out the amazing displays our youth present for these contests. Also occurring during the show are both the National Youth of the Year Contest and the National Morgan Judging...

Competition was intense in the hunter rings over Labor Day weekend at the Horse Park at Woodside, as the second to last show in the 2008 Woodside Show Series concluded with a flurry of hunter and equitation finals on Monday morning. At the Woodside Labor Day Classic, August 29–September 1, the quiet, tense spectators watching during the second round and work-off of the Carousel Junior/Amateur Medal Finals finally took a collective breath when rider Jill Stevens was named champion. Stevens was...

“It was ok,” said Hart after her test. “I’m relatively happy, he was a little more settled, it was better (than Sunday). He was definitely a little happier in there.” Hart, 24, from Erie, PA was born with Familial Spastic Paraplegia and has been involved in Para Equestrian activities for over a decade. She is looking forward to her third and final shot at a medal in the Individual Freestyle on Wednesday evening. The arena proved to be quite buzzy for some of the horses, even during the day....

Todd Minkus and Pavoratti (Darren Reeves) Lexington, KY – The US Show Jumpers continued their winning ways, storming to victory in the prestigious BMO Nations Cup at the Spruce Meadows Masters CSIO5* in Calgary, Canada. The American squad of Lauren Hough, Todd Minikus, Richard Spooner and Rich Fellers finished on four faults, leaving them clear of The Netherlands, Canada and Germany who all finished on eight. George Morris, who led Team USA to Gold at the 2008 Olympic Games in Hong Kong...

Lauren Hough and her mount Unicum closed out the Constitution Classic at HITS Culpeper when the duo posted the fastest double-clear effort in the $40,000 Avalon Saddlery Grand Prix to win the blue ribbon. Course Designer Ken Krome trimmed a field of 21 starters in the first round down to just four in a jump-off that saw Hough dominate the round when she won the class by nearly six seconds. Kicking things off in the jump-off was Maryland's Tracy Magness and her grand prix horse Tarco Van Ter...

The 2008 United States Eventing Association(USEA)/EMCO Future Event Horse (FEH) Championships will be held at Morven Park in Leesburg, VA on October 1 at 11 a.m. in the same venue and ring as last year. The entry fee is $85, stabling is $40/day, and the grounds fee is $20/day (which is not applicable if stabling overnight). Send entries to Shannon Pedlar at 41793 Tutt Lane, Leesburg, VA 20176, or call Pedlar at (703) 777-8776 for more information. USEA will not be providing professional...

Tickets for the Syracuse Invitational Sporthorse Tournament featuring the 125th National Horse Show in downtown Syracuse, NY, are now on sale to the public. One of the nation's premiere international equestrian competitions, the Sporthorse Tournament will feature the top-ranked U.S. riders and international competitors who will all vie for the Budweiser World Cup Qualifier of Syracuse and the Animal Planet Sporthorse Cup that will be broadcast on Animal Planet on January 10, 2009. This year...

The American Saddlebred Horse Association (ASHA) has announced plans to add live streaming video of the Wisconsin Futurity Horse Festival to its schedule. The event will take place Wednesday, September 17, through Sunday, September 21, 2008, at the Alliant Energy Center in Madison, WI. Subscription purchases for viewing the webcast will be available on the ASHA homepage at www.saddlebred.com . Fees to view the webcast are $15 per day per computer, meaning the license to view the webcast is...