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...

In an exciting three-horse jump-off, Todd Minikus and Alaska were the fastest clear round to win the $100,000 President's Cup Grand Prix World Cup qualifier presented by The Boeing Company. Kate Levy and Lirving du Volsin finished second, while Mario Deslauriers and Vicomte D were third. Earlier in the evening, Samantha Schaefer was victorious in the WIHS Equitation Classic Finals. Saturday night's courses were designed by Guilherme Jorge of Brazil, and out of the 29 entries in the class, only...

Minikus, Farrington, Johnson, and Kessler in Winner's Circle for Jumpers The 2009 Washington International Horse Show (WIHS) CSI****-W is one of the most exciting equestrian competitions in the country, and it is one of only two shows in North America that offer a puissance, or "high jump" class. Friday night's $25,000 Puissance presented by Chevron Corporation saw a very familiar face for the awards presentation. Seven-time winner McLain Ward of Brewster, NY, was victorious in the class on...

Lexington, KY - After a day that tested the will and stamina of some of the world’s best endurance athletes, it proved to be a clean sweep of the medals podium in both the two-star and three-star endurance competitions in the 2009 Kentucky Cup Endurance race. The event, held at the Kentucky Horse Park and neighboring farms, served as the test events for the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games. In the 100-mile ride (that was shortened to 75 miles due to inclement weather and deteriorating...

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...

Two Champions "Three-Peat" as Breed Show Wraps Up When individual breed classes took center stage on day three of Dressage at Devon 2009, two horses who had dominated the news in the prestigious show's first two days continued to grab headlines. Perfect Qredit, a yearling colt by Quaterback, added an 83.80% win in the Oldenburg (GOV) division to his Grand Championship, Young Horse Championship, Colt Championship, and Yearling Colts and Geldings title for owner Michelle Coursin, an air-traffic...

The premiere event of the American Endurance Ride Conference (AERC), the annual National Championship ride, proved to be a weekend of celebration in Northern California on September 11 and 13. At the site of the annual Patriot’s Day ride in Greenville, CA, competitors arrived from all over the western U.S. and Canada to compete for AERC’s top prizes. The 100-mile championship ride, held Friday, was won handily by Lindsay Graham, a fourth-year veterinary student at the University of California...

Lexington, KY – Somehow Sapphire keeps getting better. Already the owner of two Olympic Team Gold medals from 2004 and 2008 with rider McLain Ward, the 14-year-old Belgian mare continues to add Sapphire and McLain Ward (Anthony Trollope/stockimageservices.com ) accolades to her sparkling resume across the globe. This time it was the CN International at the Spruce Meadows Masters. One of the most prestigious (and richest – worth $1m CAD) Grand Prixes on the planet, Sapphire and Ward...

Lexington, KY – In an unprecedented sweep, Steffen Peters and Akiko Yamazaki’s 11-year-old Dutch Warmblood Ravel swept all three classes in the CDIO Aachen (GER): the Grand Prix, the Grand Prix Special and the Grand Prix Freestyle – further validating their Rolex/FEI World Cup™ Dressage Final victory in April. The sweep was a first for an American combination, and they did it in classic style. Steffen and Ravel Sweep in Aachen (Ken Braddick/dressage-news.com) Their score...

Lexington, KY – The World Equestrian Festival, CHIO Aachen, got under way with the Vaulting competition on Friday, June 26. The US finished the weekend of competition strong with a sixth place finish by Team Mt. Eden Sun. Steffen Peters and Ravel Head to CHIO Aachen (Shannon Brinkman) One of the most acclaimed competitions in the world continues into the Fourth of July weekend as both Dressage and Show Jumping take center stage. Representing the US in Dressage are Steffen Peters on Ravel...