Liza Boyd and Crack On (Shawn McMillen Photography) pper Marlboro, MD – Professional riders gain points all year in order to be the top six in the country and qualify for the WCHR Professional Finals, sponsored by the John R. Ingram Fund, at the Capital Challenge Horse Show. This year, the top six were Liza Boyd, Kelley Farmer, John French, Peter Pletcher, Amanda Steege, and Scott Stewart, and it was Liza Boyd who finished the competition with top honors. In the afternoon session, Haleigh...

Welcome to the fifth nstallment of a different kind of blog from WDAA! The purpose of this post is to allow the reader "into the heads" of both a trainer/judge/competitor, Karen Abbattista and her student, Deborah Herbert, a Florida WDAA member. We would like to share with you some moments in Deb's journey as she pursues her riding goals with her AQHA mare "GenuineArcticSpring", barn name "Belle". Please enjoy as you follow along with these posts that we consider interesting or challenging...

Kennzo and Molly Ashe in the Classic Round (Tricia Booker Photography) Traverse City, MI - Molly Ashe returned to Horse Show by the Bay this year on a mission. After a disappointing performance in last year's $20,000 USHJA International Hunter Derby, she sought redemption. And she got it. Ashe guided Kennzo to victory on July 19, in Traverse City, taking the top call in this year's edition, hosted by The Gochman Family. The two-round hunter competition was Friday evening's featured...

This article has been reprinted with permission of Erin Gilmore. The original article can be found at https://www.proequest.com/news/2013/03/28/a-for-effort-first-usef-town-hall-meeting-on-horse-welfare-is-heavy-on-promises-plan [Wellington, FL] “We have to admit that we know we have a problem.” No, this wasn’t a church basement gathering of recovering addicts, although an atmosphere of “enough is enough” hung heavy in the air. A crowd of 75 trainers, riders and...

Praise and Sheila Motley (Anne Gittins Photography) Wellington, FL - World Championship Hunter Rider (WCHR) Week came to a close Sunday afternoon with the $5,000 Peggy Cone Memorial World Championship Hunter Rider (WCHR) Adult Hunter Classic. Praise and Sheila Motley bested a field of 56 over two rounds of competition during the fiercest week of competition for hunter divisions during the FTI Consulting Winter Equestrian Festival (FTI WEF). Praise, an eleven-year-old Royal Dutch Warmblood...

Ben Maher and Cella (Sportfot) Wellington, FL - It was a star-studded equestrian event during week four of the2013 FTI Consulting Winter Equestrian Festival's (FTI WEF) "Saturday Night Lights" competition as Great Britain's Ben Maher piloted Jane F. Clark's Cella to victory in the $100,000 Fidelity Investments® CSI 2* Grand Prix. Competing in the International Arena at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center (PBIEC), Maher and Cella finished on top of 49 entries over...

Champion Megan MacPherson and reserve champion Hannah von Heidegger with Caraneen Smith of Bigeq.com (Jennifer Wood Media, Inc. ) Upper Marlboro, MD – The Capital Challenge Horse Show opened up competition today at the Show Place Arena. This is the first day of the Capital Challenge Equitation Championship Weekend, presented by Bigeq.com. The Capital Challenge Horse Show runs through Sunday, October 7. The North American Junior Flat Equitation Championship is a fun and competitive class...

Peter Leone and Tuvalu (Tammy Hardy Photography.) Hampton Falls, NH – Speed was the word of the day at The Jumper Classic®, presented by Fidelity Investments® and Audi of America. In the $3,500 DG Ventures Speed Derby, Olympian Peter Leone piloted Tuvalu, owned by Alison Finger, to the fastest clear round for victory. Located in the beautiful town of Hampton Falls, NH, The Jumper Classic is New England’s premier equestrian event. This elite level competition attracts the...

Luis Larrazabal and G&C Flash won the $10,000 Vineyard Vines Welcome Stake, presented by Manchester Designer Outlets, on Thursday, August 2, at the 2012 Vermont Summer Festival in East Dorset, VT. (David Mullinix Photography) East Dorset, VT – Venezuela’s Luis Larrazabal earned an exciting victory in the $10,000 Vineyard Vines Welcome Stake, presented by Manchester Designer Outlets, on Thursday, August 2, at the 2012 Vermont Summer Festival in East Dorset, VT. The six-week...

Aaron Vale and Spirit of Alena rode to the victory in the Seven/Eight-Year-Old Jumpers at the Kentucky Summer Classic. (Kendall Bierer/PMG) Lexington, KY - Riders of the top caliber competed this afternoon at the Kentucky Horse Park to commence the second day of the Kentucky Summer Classic. The Young Jumpers took center stage as the sun sat overhead the Rolex Stadium, competing in the Six-Year-Old and Seven/Eight-Year-Old Jumper classes. Christian Heineking and Aaron Vale captured today's...