ESI Photography. (McLain Ward and Sapphire in the Pfizer $1 Million Grand Prix. ) Saugerties, NY - Two-time U.S. Olympic Gold medalist McLain Ward of Brewster, NY, and his majestic, "million-dollar" mare, Sapphire, owned by Ward and Blue Chip Bloodstock, won the inaugural Pfizer $1 Million Grand Prix on Sunday, September 12 at HITS-on-the-Hudson in Saugerties. The legendary duo of Ward and Sapphire proudly added their names to the show jumping history books once more when they bested a field of...

The 2010 Collecting Gaits Farm/USEF Dressage Festival of Champions will return to Gladstone, NJ, August 6–8 and August 13–15. The Festival of Champions will once again feature the National Championships for the Grand Prix, Intermediaire I, Young Adult “Brentina Cup,” Young Rider, and Junior divisions, in addition to the Selection Trial for the U.S. Dressage Team for the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games. The initial deadline for World Equestrian Games/Grand Prix National Championship...

Daniel Kaiser, Top Ranked German Vaulter Working with US Vaulter Eric Garcia (Primo Ponies Photography) Dressage: Horses and riders with the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games and the 2011 Pan American Games on the brain got busy in Florida over the weekend training with 2009 FEI World Cup Champion Steffen Peters and US Technical Advisor Anne Gribbons. Peters helped the riders before they rode a test in front of Gribbons. Gribbons is also an ‘O’ judge with one of the keenest eyes in the...

Richard Spooner is one of 10 Named to the LIst for CSIO Wellington (Shannon Brinkman/USEF Archives) Lexington, KY - The United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) has announced the 10 riders who have been approved for selection to represent the United States at the CSIO Wellington presented by CN. The $75,000 Nations Cup team competition will take place under the lights at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center in Wellington, FL on Friday, March 5. 10 These riders were selected based on...

Several of Maplewood Warmbloods horses have had a successful 2009 show year. MWW Donnahall (Florencio x Donnerhall, by Pik Bube) is currently undefeated in qualifying breed shows. MWW Donnahall is currently ranked first in Region 8 and 11th nationally. MWW Rosie (San Amour x Rosenkavalier) recieved an 82% at a 2009 breed show and qualified for Region 8 GAIG Championships. MWW Sambuca (Sandro Hit x Rosenkavalier) received an 81% at a 2009 breed show and is currently ranked third in Region 8 and...

The 2009 Collecting Gaits Farm/USEF Dressage Festival of Champions will be held in Gladstone, NJ, June 18–21. This Festival of Champions will once again feature the national championships for the Grand Prix, Intermediaire I, Young Adult “Brentina Cup,” Young Rider, and Junior divisions. Applications of Intent for all divisions are now available on the Federation website at www.usef.org/Contentpage2.aspx?id=dressage . High-performance (Grand Prix & Intermediaire I) applications, qualifying...

Diamante Farms of Wellington, FL, is pleased to announce that Michelle Gibson will compete Don Angelo, the farm's eight-year-old Oldenburg stallion, at the 2008 USEF National Intermediaire I Championship during the Collecting Gaits Farm/USEF Festival of Champions. The event will be held in San Juan Capistrano, CA, on June 21-22 and June 27-29, with the Intermediaire I championship scheduled for the second weekend. Gibson, a 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games Team Bronze medalist, is head trainer at...

The National Reining Horse Association (NRHA) announced remarkable success for the very first NRHA Sire and Dam Program online auction. The online auction for 2007 breedings began November 15 and ran through December 2. The “eBay-style” bidding war took off during the 2006 NRHA Futurity at the Oklahoma State Fair Park in Oklahoma City, OK. It went down to the final minutes leading up to cutoff at 8:00 pm CST on Saturday, December 2. The online auction was created to give the NRHA membership an...

Once again, the nation’s best equestrians will converge on Wellington, FL, for the 123rd National Horse Show and Family Festival, beginning on November 29, 2006. The show is proud to host the best of the best, the cream of the crop, from the amateur-owner jumper and junior jumper divisions. The top-ranked riders from the year-long Show Jumping Hall of Fame Series (SJHOF) have once again been invited to compete in a head-to-head battle in Florida in their special year-end championships at the...

Sarah Hamilton from strategic communications consulting firm Kivvit gave a presentation on social media to kick off Friday’s Workshop Sessions. She reviewed the basics, different platforms, strengths and weaknesses of social media, and best practices. Hamilton concluded by fielding questions from the audience for a thoroughly informative session. Social media is a communication tool “Social media is just one tool in a larger communications and marketing external relations plan that...