The U.S. Dressage Team got World Championship competition at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games underway as all four horses were deemed fit and sound to compete at the Horse Inspection Sunday morning. The United States, led by Chef d’Equipe Robert Dover, will be represented by Olympic and World Equestrian Games veterans in addition to a rising star making her World Championship debut. The U.S. has drawn 13th in the order of the 25 nations competing in the Team Championship. The...

Lexington, Ky. - For the past few weeks votes have been cast at www.USEFNetwork.com for ten Saddle Seat World Cup Video Contest finalists. The votes, cast by the general public, have now been tallied and Courtney Ball of Scottsdale, Ariz., has won the Grand Prize. The contest began with more than 40 videos submitted by saddle seat equitation riders from all across the United States. The videos had to be less than one minute long and answer the question "What would it mean to you to be on a...

Alexandra Beaumont and Undergrad (The Book LLC) North Salem, N.Y . - Sometimes when things fall into place, they really click. For Alexandra Beaumont of Ridgefield, CT, Thursday was when she and her horse Undergrad put the pieces together. It led to their first-ever over fences blue ribbons, but more than that, it took them to the division tricolor and Grand Adult Hunter Championship during the second week of the Old Salem Farm Spring Horse Shows. On the Grand Prix Field, Laura Bowery of...

Shawn Flarida & Spooks Gotta Whiz (Alleyan Evans for Shannon Brinkman Photo) Lexington, Ky .- The 2014 Adequan/USEF Open Reining National Championship and Selection Trial for the 2014 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games U.S. Reining Squad kicked off Friday evening at the Kentucky Horse Park’s Alltech Arena with the first of two rounds of competition. A field of 35 international veterans went to task in the CRI3* competition which is being held in conjunction with the Kentucky Reining...

Michelle Reilly and Umeeko celebrate their first CDI win in the Grand Prix Special at the Capistrano Dressage International CDI-W with judge Lorraine Macdonald (4* CAN) as well as David Wilson, Alisa Wilson, and Glenda McElroy of California Dreaming Productions. (Terri Miller) Burbank, Calif. - It was a day of "firsts" as new faces earned CDI victories in front of an enthusiastic and sold-out VIP crowd on the second day of competition at California Dreaming Productions' Capistrano Dressage...

Katy, Texas - At age 16, when many show jumpers are slowing down, Happy Z is as speedy as ever. And, once again, she left the field in her dust while clinching the blue ribbon in the $25,000 Moet Hennessy Grand Prix, her 59th grand prix victory with owner/rider Wilhelm Genn. When announcer Brian Lookabill was on his way to Texas, Happy snuck in two more wins, so Genn made a point to correct Happy’s grand prix record, which was announced as 56 wins. “I don’t think he knew about...

Lexington, Ky. -The United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) would like to advise all members that participate in the Roadster Division to be aware of a rule change (RD101) that takes effect April 1, 2014, and eliminates the registration requirement. On April 1st, horses showing in the Roadster division will no longer have to submit a copy of their registration papers to the competition secretary. However, all horses competing in USEF licensed competitions must be properly identified....

Thermal, Calif. - With three mounts to jump around, not a single onlooker would know that John Pearce of Bermuda Dunes, California was battling the flu during the $50,000 Go Rentals Grand Prix, presented by Zoetis, at HITS Thermal on Sunday. He and Son of a Gun, owned by Forest View Farm, were one of only four pairs to jump clear against a very tight first round time allowed of 81 seconds. Pearce first appeared on trusted partner Chianto, owned by Forest View Farm and Allison Moore, and was...

Thermal, Calif. - The pinto Oldenburg gelding, Symphony, has quickly gone from catch ride to dream horse for Katie Cook of Newport Beach, California. Cook had never sat on Symphony, owned by Amy Knox, before she arrived at HITS Thermal, but the two have become fast friends, jumping to three blue ribbons during Week I and winning the $1,500 Platinum Performance Hunter Prix on Friday for the second week in a row. Knox has owned the gelding, who is now 10, for three years and rode him in...

Auburn, Ala. - It was a match that lived up to its billing. Perennial NCEA and SEC forces Georgia and Auburn met as the No.1 and No.2 ranked teams in the country respectively. Georgia brought a 3-0 record into the Auburn Horse Center to face an Auburn team that looked a little shaky in an earlier loss to South Carolina. Though Georgia riders were awarded the Most Outstanding Player Award (MOP) in all four disciplines, the scrappy and talented Tigers jumped to an early lead, let it slip, then...