Saugerties, NY (July 23, 2016): As the weekend commenced at HITS-on-the-Hudson IV, equestrians descended on the Grand Prix ring for a shot at the title in Friday’s $25,000 SmartPak Grand Prix. McLain Ward and Tina La Boheme on their way to a $25,000 SmartPak Grand Prix win. (C) ESI Photography The Order-of-Go was stacked, and the crowd gathered to watch what would be an exhilarating battle of the quickest over the course set by Bernardo Cabral of Lisbon, Portugal. The world’s top...

Aachen, Germany –The CAIO4*-H4 Nations Cup competition continued on Saturday at CHIO Aachen with the marathon phase. Under the guidance of Chef d’Equipe Ed Young, the U.S. Driving Team of Chester Weber and Allison Stroud now sits in seventh place with a total of 401.640 after the second phase of the competition. Weber is the top-ranked U.S. athlete, lying in third place on a score of 158.40. The Netherlands leads the team competition with a total of 311.760. Hungary moved into...

Kent Farrington and Gazelle (Spruce Meadows Media Services) Calgary, AB, Canada – The coveted $500,000 ATCO Queen Elizabeth II Cup was featured on Saturday afternoon during the ‘North American’ Tournament CSI5*, presented by Rolex, at Spruce Meadows. Jumping clear through three rounds of competition, USA’s Kent Farrington and Gazelle emerged victorious over Elizabeth Gingras (CAN) and Zilversprings in second, and Eric Lamaze (CAN) aboard Check Picobello Z third. Earlier...

Amanda Flint and VDL Coverboy won the $30,000 Vermont Summer Special Grand Prix, presented by Johnson Horse Transportation, on July 9 at the Vermont Summer Festival in East Dorset, VT. (Andrew Ryback Photography) East Dorset, Vt. – Amanda Flint of Long Valley, NJ, and VDL Coverboy captured the $30,000 Vermont Summer Special Grand Prix, presented by Johnson Horse Transportation, on Saturday, July 9 at the 2016 Vermont Summer Festival in East Dorset, VT. The Vermont Summer Festival runs for...

Columbus, Ohio - The Interscholastic Equestrian Association (IEA), in conjunction with the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association (IHSA), awards a student-rider the National Sportsmanship Award each year. This year's award was presented to Kate Coffey, a sixteen-year-old from Westford, Massachusetts. The national award winner is selected from a group of riders who earned a Sportsmanship Award at a local, regional or zone IEA show during the 2015-2016 season. These winners were then invited...

Will Simpson and The Dude (Sportfot) Parker, Colo. - Rising to the occasion in the largest class of the week at Summer In The Rockies (SIR) III, a well-deserved blue ribbon was awarded to Will Simpson of Westlake Village, CA, and his mount The Dude, for their dominating performance in the $50,000 Horseware Ireland Grand Prix at The Colorado Horse Park (CHP). The speedy pair conquered a tough track, crossing through the timers with a jump-off time of 38.919 seconds to secure the win. Claiming...

Skyhawk and Alexis Taylor Silvernale (McCool) San Juan Capistrano, Calif. - The $10,000 USHJA International Hunter Derby kicked off a grand Saturday morning at the Rancho Mission Viejo Riding Park at San Juan Capistrano. After topping the first round, Alexis Taylor Silvernale and Skyhawk, owned by Aleron, LLC, continued to impress both judging panels in the Handy Round for the win in a challenging class. The honorable Bill Ellis and Christina Schlusemeyer judged as Panel One, and Scott...

Hagen, Germany – The 2016 United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) Dressage Young Rider European Tour came to an end at the Future Champions event, CDIO-Y Hagen on Saturday. Led by Chef d’Equipe George Williams, the U.S. contingent of Lauren Asher, Barbara “Bebe” Davis, and Kerrigan Gluch gained valuable individual and team experience over the three days of competition. Gluch and Vaquero HGF were the highest-ranked U.S. combination, placing in the top 10 each day....

Haley Gassel and Quite Dark 2 (Rebecca Walton/Phelps Media Group) Devon, Pa. - Friday night at the Devon Horse Show and Country Fair was all about speed, and only one athlete had all the answers during the $25,000 Open Jumper Devon Speed Challenge sponsored by the World Equestrian Center. Haley Gassel and Quite Dark 2 were the only duo able to master the speed track and leave all the fences intact to capture the winning prize. "This is unbelievable," the young rider said, smiling. "People dream...

Grass Lake, Mich. – The 2016 USEF Para-Equestrian Dressage National Championships sponsored by Deloitte and the Selection Event for the Rio 2016 Paralympic Games began Friday with competitors performing the FEI Team Test, the first of three tests in the competition. In the National Division, the field of five is led by Grade Ib athlete Laurietta Oakleaf with Niekele fan Busenitz. Currently topping the High Performance Division is Grade Ia athlete Roxanne Trunnell and Royal Dancer....