Glory Days and Katie Dinan clear the Ace Bakery oxer (Ben Radvanyi) Toronto, On. – The phrase “We have a jump off!” is commonly heard around the horse show ring, but it’s rarely, if ever, heard following a speed class at a four-star international event. Friday night the ‘one-in-a-million’ happened. Veteran American rider Laura Kraut (Middleburg, VA) put in an incredible round in what, under normal circumstances would have been the first and only round of the...

Stephanie Sedlacko and Jennifer Alfano rode to the first place finish in the American Saddlebred Hunter Challenge (Brooke Jacobs) Lexington, Ky. - It's not every day that you see riders compete over their first hunter course during a national championship, but when four world champion American Saddlebred trainers take the reins of a hunter and grand prix and professional hunter riders take the reins of an American Saddlebred, it makes for a night of fun and excitement. It was a...

Liz Halliday-Sharp with HHS Cooley (Galway Downs Press) Temecula, Calif. - Fifteen years have passed since Liz Halliday-Sharp rode in the inaugural Galway Downs International Three-Day Event, and now she plans to ride HHS Cooley in the CCI3* on Oct. 31-Nov. 3. The Presenting Sponsors of the Galway Downs International Three-Day Event are: Equine Insurance of California, Land Rover, Professional’s Choice, the California Horse Trader and the PRO Tour. Halliday-Sharp, now 34, grew up in...

Welcome to the fourth installment of a different kind of blog from WDAA! The purpose of this post is to allow the reader "into the heads" of both a trainer/judge/competitor, Karen Abbattista and her student, Deborah Herbert, a Florida WDAA member. We would like to share with you some moments in Deb's journey as she pursues her riding goals with her AQHA mare "GenuineArcticSpring", barn name "Belle". Please enjoy as you follow along with these posts that we consider interesting or...

Nayel Nassar and Lordan jump their way to Zoetis Million glory at HITS Saugerties during Championship Weekend (©ESI Photography) Saugerties, NY – Nayel Nassar of Stanford, California proved that a 3,000-mile trip across the U.S. was well worth the effort Sunday when he rode Lordan to a hard-fought victory in the fourth-annual Zoetis $1 Million Grand Prix at HITS Saugerties. With the post-competition tunes of Emmylou Harris and Rodney Crowell playing in the background, Nassar prepared to...

Penny Brennan and Japan returned to the Grand Prix Field at the Fieldstone Show Park as the defending champions (Kendall Bierer/Phelps Media Group) Halifax, MA - The Grand Prix Field was alive with action, and the anticipation was tangible as the $7,500 EquiFit Speed Derby commenced. Riders gathered on the all-grass field to not only compete for the lion's share of the prize money on the second day of the Fieldstone Summer Showcase I, but also to prepare for the quickly approaching $50,000...

Mark Bluman celebrates winning the $10,000 Sir Ruly, Inc., Open Jumper Awards with the Torano Family. From left to right: Danielle Torano, Natalia Torano, Maria Teresa Torano, Mark Bluman and Jimmy Torano. (David Mullinix Photography) East Dorset, VT - Colombia’s Mark Bluman, 22, closed out the Vermont Summer Festival in East Dorset, VT, on a high note after winning the $10,000 Sir Ruly, Inc., Open Jumper Awards with 137 points. As the leading rider at this year’s event, Bluman was...

Paul O'Shea and Primo de Revel Win$75,000 Equestrian Estates Planning Group Grand Prix at Silver Oak (Tammy Hardy) Hampton Falls, NH - The inaugural edition of the Silver Oak Jumper Tournament drew to a close on Sunday, under gorgeous sunny skies, low humidity and perfect temperatures in mid 70's. The fantastic weather put an exclamation point on what can only be described as an extraordinary debut for what certainly will become one of the nation's premier show jumping extravaganzas. A...

Welcome to the third installment of a different kind of blog from WDAA! The purpose of this post is to allow the reader "into the heads" of both a trainer/judge/competitor, Karen Abbattista and her student, Deborah Herbert, a Florida WDAA member. We would like to share with you some moments in Deb's journey as she pursues her riding goals with her AQHA mare "GenuineArcticSpring", barn name "Belle". Please enjoy as you follow along with these posts that we consider interesting or challenging...

David Dorner and Clyde 9 rode to the $5,000 1.40m Jumper victory on the first day of Equifest I Wayne, IL - It could not have been a more perfect day at the Lamplight Equestrian Center as riders were welcomed to the first day of Equifest I. There was not a cloud in the sky as the courses were set for the opening day of jumper competition, as top contenders gathered at the Grand Prix Ring for a day of enticing show jumping. It was David Dorner who stole the spotlight in the arena Wednesday,...