Kansas City, Mo. – Saturday, November 11, brought a rigorous challenge for the country’s top saddle seat equitation riders in the 2017 USEF Saddle Seat Medal Finals at the United Professional Horseman’s Association (UPHA)/American Royal National Championship Horse Show. Only 12 of the 21 horse-and-rider combinations in the preliminary ride-offs were called back for the final round of competition by judges Josh Greer (Ky.), Suzy Shiflet (N.C.), and John Whalen (Mass.). The...

Lexington, Ky. - The East Coast portion of the 2017 Sallie B. Wheeler/USEF Hunter Breeding National Championship took place Saturday, August 26, at the Virginia Horse Center in Lexington, Va. Judges Christina Schlusemeyer of Wellington Fla., and Meg Schulman of Littleton, Colo., assessed the young hunter prospects and awarded the Overall Grand Champion and East Coast Best Young Horse Champion titles for the second year in a row to Prospect Hill. Prospect Hill, 2017 East Coast Best Young Horse...

Lexington, Ky. – US Equestrian has named the following athletes to the 2017 FEI World Vaulting Championships for Juniors to be held in Ebreichsdorf, Austria, August 2-6, 2017. The U.S. will be represented in the Individual Female, Individual Male, Pas de Deux, and Squad Championships. Chef d'Equipe Mary McCormick and Assistant Chef d'Equipe Jessica Garrod will guide the U.S. vaulting contingent. Individual Female Championship Tessa Belardi (Aptos, Calif.) Bodhi Hall (San Jose,...

Lexington, Ky. – US Equestrian has announced the athletes that will participate in the 2017 World Equestrian Festival CHIO Aachen, July 14-23, in Aachen, Germany. CHIO Aachen will showcase The Dutta Corp. U.S. Dressage Team and Hermès U.S. Show Jumping Team in FEI Nations Cup™ action, as well as two additional dressage athlete-and-horse combinations, two eventing athlete-and-horse combinations, four vaulters, and one four-in-hand combined driver in individual competition. The...

Lexington, Ky. - The US Equestrian Eventing High Performance Program is designed to achieve Olympic qualification and medals in the current Games cycle, in addition to building a sustainable foundation for the success of future championships. The Eventing High Performance Program consists of the Elite, Development, and Emerging Athlete Programs. For the 2017 Summer Training Lists, a two-tiered system was introduced for the Development Program, and no changes have been made to the Emerging...

Boyd Martin and Thoroughbred event horse Blackfoot Mystery (Kasey @ Rare Air Photography) Olympic three-day eventing athlete Boyd Martin will be a keynote speaker at the International Forum for the Aftercare of Racehorses on May 17 in Washington, D.C. The inaugural forum takes place May 17-18 and coincides with the Pan American Conference, an annual gathering of American and international Thoroughbred racing interests hosted by The Jockey Club and the Latin American Racing Channel. IFAR is an...

Lexington, Ky. - This weekend the hallowed grounds of the Kentucky Horse Park played host to the USEF One-Star Eventing National Championships as part of the Hagyard Midsouth Three-Day Event & Team Challenge. In a very competitive field of 50 in the CCI1*, Meghan O'Donoghue and Rehy USA claimed the Richard Collins Trophy for the win. Sharlee Lowe and Jjamaica topped the field of 20 in the Junior and Young Rider division to clinch the Harry T. Peters Trophy. The CCI1* began under cold...

Woodstock, England – A top notch international field of 76 combinations contested the 2016 Blenheim Palace International Horse Trials CCI3* from September 8-11 at the picturesque venue. Three Land Rover/USEF Eventing Competition Grant recipients, Hannah Sue Burnett, Holly Payne Caravella, and Kurt Martin, made their trips worthwhile with strong performances. Burnett and Harbour Pilot were the top U.S. combination in fifth place. Hannah Sue Burnett and Harbour Pilot (Libby Law Photography)...

Ali Wolff and Caya on their way to a $34,600 Saugerties Jumper Classic win. (ESI Photography) Saugerties, N.Y. - The most prestigious week of the season at HITS-on-the-Hudson, The HITS Championship, commenced on Wednesday with the $34,600 FEI Saugerties Jumper Classic. Riders and horses from half a dozen nations descended on the Grand Prix Ring at HITS Saugerties to contend for the first big victory of the jam-packed week. Many talented names filled the order of go, including 2016 Olympic...

Christine McCrea and Wannick WH on their way to a $25,000 SmartPak Grand Prix win. (ESI Photography) Saugerties, N.Y. - Thirty-four horses and riders turned out to compete for the top prize in Friday’s $25,000 SmartPak Grand Prix during Week VII at HITS-on-the-Hudson. The victory belonged to Christine McCrea of East Windsor, Connecticut aboard Wannick WH, owned by Candy Tribble and Windsor Show Stables, Inc. Husband and wife, Christine and Jonathan McCrea, would keep four of the top five...