Taylor Ann Adams bested the top junior talent in the nation by winning the 2009 Essex Classics/United States Hunter Jumper Association (USHJA) Hunterdon Cup Equitation Class in Saugerties, NY. Adams of Memphis, TN, secured her victory in the third and final round of the prestigious equitation class after switching mounts with reserve champion Quincy Hayes. “Quincy helped me out in the schooling area before the final round,” Adams said. “Her horse was a lot of horse for me to ride and completely...

Karen Healey Stables spent the holiday weekend at the Los Angeles Equestrian Center competing at the Memorial Day Classic Horse Show, held May 21-25, 2009. Healey's students showed in the hunter, jumper, and equitation divisions throughout the weekend and earned top placings in all three disciplines. The Memorial Day Classic had an exciting equitation team challenge over the weekend that provided a fun opportunity for each team, which was made up of one professional, one amateur, and one junior...

Wilhelm Genn became the first rider to reach the World Equestrian Brands/United States Hunter Jumper Association’s (USHJA) Rider Recognition Program’s elite $1 Million Club after a successful campaign at the Lake St. Louis Hunter Jumper Show, April 1-5, 2009. Genn rode Happy Z, Chantal and Loredo, to third-, fourth- and sixth-place finishes in the $25,000 Grand Prix, to push him over the $1-million mark. “It’s a great program that World Equestrian Brands sponsors,” Genn said of the USHJA Rider...

Double Olympic Gold medalist Beezie Madden won her first grand prix of the 2009 FTI Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF) on Thursday, March 12, aboard Onlight in Round X of the $30,000 Braman Motorcars WEF Challenge Cup Series. Madden of Cazenovia, NY, and Onlight, owned by Team Onlight, were the only double-clear round from the initial 49 entries for the class in the DeNemethy arena. Only four combinations made it to the jump-off on the the course designed by Guilherme Jorge of Brazil. The time by...

When vaccination time rolls around, do you know what to expect after your horse’s immunizations? Every horse owner expects their vaccinated horse to be protected from disease, but some horse owners don’t expect to see a reaction that may occur after a vaccination. “Vaccines can save time, money and may even save your horse’s life,” says April Knudson, DVM, manager, Veterinary Services, Merial. “Understanding the risk from vaccination can probably save you a few hours of worrying, but it’s...

The Arabian Horse Association (AHA) of Aurora, CO, is proud to name its top point-earning amateurs for 2008. Natacha Lesburgueres of Louisville, KY, earned 532 points, becoming the adult amateur winner, while Collier McLeod of Augusta, GA, earned 522.5 points for the youth amateur top spot. The AHA Amateur Achievement Award program began in 2002 and has since tracked the points that individual riders, handlers and drivers earn each year. In 2008 the program was adjusted to recognize adults and...

It was a perfect day for the 2008 Olympic duo of Sharn Wordley and the brilliant Rockville, the winners of the Lucky Sevens Jumper Welcome Classic presented by ShowNet.biz on January 22. Wordley’s one mount bested 27 contenders for the top spot, including Wilhelm Genn, who dominated the circuit last year with his three mounts, Chantal, Loredo, and Happy Z. But as the sun began to set on the swift jump-off round, Wordley had survived the trials and tribulations put before them courtesy of course...

The 2009 HITS Ocala Winter Circuit started off with a bang for Kyle King. The Ocala resident posted the fastest double-clear round aboard Paola to secure the top prize in Sunday's $25,000 HITS Grand Prix to close out the Ocala Pre-Circuit 1 at HITS Post Time Farm in Ocala, FL. King and his 12-year-old mare outlasted a field of 24 horses in the first round and an additional four pairs that advanced to course designer Jerry Dougherty's jump-off track to secure the first-place check of $7,500 in...

Platinum Performance/USEF Talent Search Winner Hannah Selleck (AC Custom Photo) From a Press Release by Marnye Langer Burbank, California – The Platinum Performance/USEF Show Jumping Talent Search Finals West concluded with the stadium jumping phase and the ride-off among the top four riders. The track proved challenging and a number of riders were eliminated for refusals and falls. “The five-stride to the four-stride to the bank caused problems for lots of horses,” said eventual winner Hannah...

Even tropical storm Hanna could not stop the competition at The Laurels at Landhope, September 5-7 in West Grove, PA. With hard ground from a dry summer, drivers in the advanced, intermediate, and preliminary divisions got through dressage, but some had concerns that the hard going would be too rough for them. "If there was anything that had me worried, it was that we wouldn't get the rain. I would have scratched. I was not going to sacrifice my 'A' team to the ground," said Lisa Stroud after...