Ocala, Fla. – Four USEF Combined Driving National Championships came to a close at Live Oak International on Sunday with the cones phase determining the national titles. Tracey Morgan, Katie Whaley, Steve Wilson, and Chester Weber, the leaders following Saturday’s marathon phase, held on to their leads to claim top honors in respective divisions. USEF Combined Driving National Champions Tracey Morgan, Chester Weber, Steve Wilson, and Katie Whaley (Picsofyou.com) USEF Single Pony...

Lexington, Ky. – To close out a year of milestones, Phillip Dutton (West Grove, Pa.) was awarded the Robert P. Strub Trophy as the 2016 USEF Equestrian of the Year at the USEF Pegasus Awards Dinner. Phillip Dutton (Shannon Brinkman Photo) In 2016, Dutton began the year by receiving the prestigious Whitney Stone Cup from the USET Foundation. His competition season began with a win in the CIC3* with Fernhill Fugitive at the Red Hills International Horse Trials. Dutton then placed fourth and...

Jessica Springsteen and Cynar Va winning the Saugerties $1 Million Grand Prix CSI-5*. (ESI Photography) Saugerties, N.Y. - As the sun set on the 2016 HITS Championship, horse sport royalty descended on the Hudson Valley for the nation’s highest ranked class of the year, the Saugerties $1 Million Grand Prix FEI-CSI 5*. Only one would be so lucky to return home with the big check and blue ribbon, and that one was none other than Jessica Springsteen aboard Cynar Va, owned by Stone Hill Farm....

McLain Ward and HH Carlos Z Win $75,000 Douglas Elliman Grand Prix Qualifier (Shawn McMillen) Bridgehampton, N.Y. - Two-time Olympic gold medalist McLain Ward edged out 17-year-old Lucy Deslauriers to win the $75,000 Douglas Elliman Grand Prix Qualifier, presented by Longines for the second consecutive year at the 41st annual Hampton Classic Horse Show. Deslauriers went second of the eight who reached the jump-off by riding clear over the Alan Wade-designed first-round course. She set the mark...

Wayne, Ill. – An elite group of young dressage athletes competed for championship honors in the USEF Dressage Seat Medal Finals on Sunday at the Lamplight Equestrian Center. Judges examined the riders’ equitation skills by taking them through a series of flat and pattern work. Averi Allen claimed top honors in the 13 & Under division, while Allison Hopkins earned top honors in the 14-18 division. 13 & Under Division Averi Allen, the 13 & Under Champion, riding Celtic...

Wayne, Ill. – Two divisions apart of the U.S. Dressage Festival of Champions determined their champions on Saturday. Bebe Davis and Feivel Mousekewitz claimed the AGCO/USEF Young Rider Dressage National Championship title, while Jenna Upchurch and Greystoke earned top honors in the AGCO/USEF Junior Dressage National Championship. In the USEF Pony Rider Dressage National Championship division, Hannah Irons and Bohdjan took the early lead with a steady ride in the FEI Pony Team Test....

Gladstone, NJ – August 18, 2016 – Thursday was Derby Day at Monmouth at the Team with the $10,000 Monmouth at the Team Hunter Derby. The derby offered heights of 2’, 2’6” and 3’ with a Beval saddle awarded to the winner. Exhibitors and spectators enjoyed the derby as well as an evening of local New Jersey sustainable food hosted by The Nature Conservancy in the hospitality tent. Margot E. Peroni and Orlon Presentation (Sarah Harper/Phelps Media Group) Margot...

Exploding wine bottle, flooding hotel, horse inspection, surprise substitutions, interesting team running orders, lost & found luggage, and a Brazilian party in the Maracanã Stadium. Quite a couple of days. So where to start; perhaps with the job in hand. All the U.S. horses looked fit, well and beautifully turned out by the grooms and the horse inspection went without a hitch for the U.S. Running order declared (Boyd, Clark, Lauren & Philip) and the dressage horses having been...

Jonathan McCrea and Special Lux. (Tom von Kap-herr) Bromont, Quebec - American rider Jonathan McCrea, on his mount Special Lux, won the first leg of the Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping North American League in Bromont, on July 31, 2016. Guilherme Jorge Surpasses Himself With a generous time allowed, the chronometer was not a key factor in the first round. Course designer Guilherme Jorge, on his way to the Rio Olympic Games, nevertheless gave the starting athletes a challenge, with such...

Nick Novak and Climbus win the $25,000 Welcome Stake at the Great Lakes Equestrian Festival Week IV. (Kendall Bierer/Phelps Media Group) Traverse City, Mich. - Nick Novak finally overcame his five-year drought on Friday afternoon at the Great Lakes Equestrian Festival (GLEF). For years, he has fallen just shy of the victory, taking the backseat to the winner's circle. During Week IV of GLEF, the drought came to an end for Novak, and as the old saying goes, "when it rains, it pours." Novak...