With a clean sweep of the Regular Conformation Hunters over fences, Elizabeth Boyd piloted Casallo to the prestigious Professional Hunter Grand Championship. Lexington, KY - The Grand Champion Professional Hunter title at the Alltech National Horse Show, 129th Edition, is one of the country's most coveted awards, and this year it went to Elizabeth Boyd aboard Casallo. The pair swept the over fences classes in the Regular Conformation Hunters for the division's championship award, and...

Elizabeth Benson and San Remo VDL. (Shawn McMillen Photography) Washington D.C. - The 2012 WIHS Equitation Finals concluded Saturday evening with an exciting win for 18-year-old Elizabeth Benson of Whitehouse Station, NJ. Benson rode San Remo VDL, a twelve-year-old Latvian Warmblood gelding by Sudanas, through the first two phases of competition, finishing with a score of 89.33 in the hunter phase and a 91.17 point total in the jumper phase. Returning for the final work-off sitting in first...

Ilan Bluman and Quatro won the 1.40m Open Jumper class at the Bluegrass Festival Horse Show. (Kendall Bierer/PMG) Lexington, KY - It was the start of the Bluegrass Festival Horse Show at the Kentucky Horse Park, and talented horse and rider combinations gathered at the Rolex Stadium to showcase their speed and agility in the 1.35m and 1.40m Open Jumpers. Wednesday was all about accuracy and tripping the timers with a blazing fast time. It was Shane Sweetnam and Kalle who delivered the 1.35m...

Yasmin Rizvi and Roxbury Crowned Overall Medium Pony Hunter Grand Champions Lili Hymowitz and Trillville claimed the Overall Medium Pony Hunter Grand Reserve Championship Yasmin Rizvi and Roxbury won the Overall Medium Pony Hunter Championship at the 2012 US National Pony Hunter Championship. (Shawn McMillen Photography) Lexington, KY - The young riders and their miniature mounts lined the ramp leading to the Walnut Ring Thursday morning at the Kentucky Horse Park. The third day of the 2012 US...

Blythe Marano and Urban won the $50,000 Rood & Riddle Grand Prix at the Kentucky Summer Classic. (Kendall Bierer/PMG) Lexington, KY - The applause and excitement could be heard resounding throughout the Kentucky Horse Park [yesterday night] as the $50,000 Rood & Riddle Grand Prix got underway in the Rolex Stadium. It was the fifth day of the Kentucky Summer Classic, and the nation's top riders gathered to show under the bright lights of the stadium for a share in the prize money,...

Karen O'Connor and Mr. Medicott (Shannon Brinkman) Greenwich, UK - The German Olympic Eventing Team was in a class of its own as history was made at Greenwich Park. Michael Jung led a charge that finished with him winning Team and Individual Gold in a flawless effort on Sam. They were the only combination to finish the entire competition without adding anything to their dressage score. That score of 40.6 meant that Jung is the first person ever to be the reigning European, Olympic, and World...

The fifth in a series of guest blog posts from Michelle Binder Last week I poked a little fun at what western dressage riders are wearing for both schooling and show. This week I want to bring you the reality of the situation from manufacturers who give us the products that will ultimately be seen in rings around the country. Last week I showed you the proposed North American Western Dressage rules for WD show attire. Since the requirements state that riders must wear a long-sleeved shirt with...

Kaitlin Campbell and Rocky W claimed victory in the $10,000 Overland Sheepskin Co. Open Welcome Stake on Thursday, July 5, at the Vermont Summer Festival in East Dorset, VT. (David Mullinix Photography) East Dorset, VT – Kaitlin Campbell of Brookeville, Maryland, captured victory in the $10,000 Overland Sheepskin Co. Open Welcome Stake, Presented by Manchester Designer Outlets, on Thursday, July 5, at the Vermont Summer Festival in East Dorset, VT. The six-week equestrian competition is...

The second in a series of guest blog posts from Michelle Binder I started formal riding lessons when I was four years old. English riding lessons. The doctors told my mom it would be good for me. It was 1969. The Academy where I learned is now a national historic landmark. By the time I was 6, I was riding with double reins. My introduction to western riding came when my parents purchased a POA stallion for me the summer of my sixth year. That pony could buck my dad off! ‘Nuff said. When...

Steffen Peters and Legolas 92 (Susan J. Stickle) Gladstone, NJ - Four years ago, Steffen Peters and Ravel, then an inexperienced 10-year-old, won the 2008 Grand Prix National Dressage Championship at the Festival of Champions in California. That performance earned the pair a trip to the Olympic Games where they were fourth. Four years, an FEI World Cup title, a CHIO Aachen victory and two Bronze medals at the FEI World Equestrian Games later - Ravel was granted permission by the USEF selectors...