I have been very lax and much has happened. Another medal for the U.S. Equestrian Team, but set against the extreme disappointment of having to withdraw Cortes 'C'. There have been a high number of clears in all rounds of the jumping competitions; I am sure there will be those that argue that it is a bad thing and some that will say it is a good thing. Whatever the eventual diagnosis, it sure as hell put the pressure on for the second round of the team jumping competition! I am not sure...

Lexington, Ky. – It was another exciting day of competition at the US Pony Finals presented by Collecting Gaits Farm as two more championship titles in the US Hunter Pony Championship presented by Sallee Horse Vans were decided on Friday. Kyla Sullivan and Not So Secret collected Medium Green Hunter Pony honors, while Madeline Schaefer and Minted were named the Large Green Hunter Pony Champions. Both championship divisions completed the Over Fences phase on Friday, earning the final 50%...

Laura Chapot and Quointreau Un Prince on their way to a $25,000 SmartPak Grand Prix win. (ESI Photography) Saugerties, N.Y. - A big day of elite competition commenced with Friday’s $25,000 SmartPak Grand Prix. An accomplished field of forty-five tested the course set by Mark McGowan of Kilmarnock, Great Britain, but only one could take home the blue ribbon. There is no slowing down when the Chapot’s are in town. Rider, Laura Chapot, and her mother and trainer, Mary Chapot, have been...

Laura Chapot and Quointreau Un Prince on their way to a $75,000 AIG Grand Prix win. (ESI Photography) Saugerties, N.Y. - As the curtain closed on Week V at HITS-on-the-Hudson, riders and horses gathered to take a shot at bringing home the lion’s share of the purse in the $75,000 AIG Grand Prix. The rider to beat all week was Laura Chapot of Neshanic Station, New Jersey. Chapot garnered top honors including the win and two more spots in the top five in both Friday’s $25,000 SmartPak...

Laura Chapot and ISHD Dual Star on their way to a $25,000 SmartPak Grand Prix win. (ESI Photography) Saugerties, N.Y. - Thirty-one riders and horses descended on the Grand Prix ring at HITS-on-the-Hudson for the fifth $25,000 SmartPak Grand Prix of the season. The order-of-go was stacked with talent, including the likes of Kevin Babington and Manuel Torres ,but Neshanic Station, New Jersey equestrian Laura Chapot once again swooped in to steal away with not only the victory, but with second and...

Stormy skies did nothing to dampen the spirits of pony enthusiasts as intense championship competition got underway Friday at the popular National Dressage Pony Cup, being held July 8-10, 2016 in Lexington, Ky. Competitors representing 23 different states from Maine to Texas competed in the first of two rounds of classes in pursuit of a stunning array of NDPC awards in Open, Adult Amateur, and Junior/Young Rider divisions, and showed off their pony power at all levels of competition from...

Michael Hughes and Sans Soucis Z on their way to a $75,000 Horseware Ireland Grand Prix win. (ESI Photography) Saugerties, N.Y. - The $75,000 Horseware Ireland Grand Prix served as the grand finale of HITS-on-the-Hudson II, closing out the weekend with an exciting opportunity for riders to snag a piece of the week’s largest prize purse. Michael Hughes of Allendale, New Jersey, and Sans Soucis Z, owned by Caroline Lloyd, proved to be the team to beat. HITS has witnessed Hughes develop from...

McLain Ward and Tina La Boheme Win $40,000 Devon International Speed Stake (The Book, LLC) Devon, Pa. - Some might call it luck, some might call it hard work, most would call it both. Whatever it is, McLain Ward has it. Notching his eighth international victory in a row, Ward rose to the top of the field once again, claiming the $40,000 Devon International Speed Stake CSI4* sponsored by Green Drop. Piloting Tina La Boheme to the fastest clear round, Ward once again led the lap of honor in the...

Laura Chapot and Thornhill Kate on their way to a $25,000 SmartPak Grand Prix win. (ESI Photography) Saugerties, N.Y. - The weekend sounded off with a bang at HITS-on-the-Hudson I, and there was no shortage of excitement in the $25,000 SmartPak Grand Prix. Four horses and riders returned to test the jump-off course, designed by Marina Azevedo of Campinas, Brazil, in Friday’s class. It was once again Neshanic Station, New Jersey, equestrian Laura Chapot and her mount Thornhill Kate, who...

TJ O'Mara and Kaskade (Lauren Baker/Phelps Media Group) Devon, Pa. - As the sun rose over the Dixon Oval, TJ O'Mara rode into the ring ready to make the most of his final junior season at the Devon Horse Show and Country Fair. The rising talent did just that, riding away with his first blue ribbon in the Platinum Performance/USEF Show Jumping Talent Search. O'Mara was also awarded the Honey Craven Perpetual Memorial Trophy for delivering the highest-scoring round in the Talent Search....