Ocala, Fla. - Beautiful horses and beautifully appointed drivers opened the first day of competition at the Live Oak International with the Yellowframe Farm FEI Driven Dressage classes for Single, Pair, and Four-in-Hand horses and ponies. Chester Weber starts the 2015 Live Oak International competition off with a win in the FEI Four-in-Hand dressage phase, scoring 33.44 (Photo courtesy of www.PicsofYou.com) Appearing for the first time as a new father at his family’s annual driving and...

Nick Dello Joio and Contiki (Sportfot) Wellington, Fla. - Nick Dello Joio (USA) and Coker Farm, Inc.'s Contiki were the winners over Kent Farrington (USA) and Robin Parsky's Blue Angel in a thrilling jump-off for Thursday's $34,000 Ruby et Violette WEF Challenge Cup Round 10 at the 2015 Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF). Twenty-five-year-old Dello Joio edged out Farrington by less than one-tenth of a second for his first ever WEF Challenge Cup win. Michel Vaillancourt (USA) set the...

Andy Kocher and his own Heliante clear the Budweiser oxer on their way to the win in Sunday's $35,000 Budweiser Grand Prix (Alison Hartwell) Gulfport, Miss. - Twenty seven horse and rider teams tackled Sunday's $35,000 Budweiser Grand Prix course, designed by Manuel Esparza of Mexico City, Mexico in front of delighted crowds. Esparza is a top international course designer whose resume includes his position as an Assistant Designer for the Olympic Games in Atlanta in 1996, Sydney 2000,...

Will Simpson and the Dude with the $34,000 HITS Desert Classic at HITS Thermal on Thursday, February 19 (ESI Photography) Thermal, Calif. - Olympian Will Simpson continued to set high standards with his Grand Prix winning spree at HITS Thermal, claiming his impressive seventh first-place win this season in the $34,000 FEI HITS Desert Classic on Thursday. Eleven horses made the jump-off and seven went double-clear. Simpson and The Dude, owned by Monarch International, went last to finish...

Brianne Goutal and Ballade van het Indihof (Sportfot) Wellington, Fla. - Week five of the 2015 Winter Equestrian Festival, sponsored by Ariat® International, concluded on Sunday with a win for Brianne Goutal (USA) and Ballade van het Indihof in the $127,000 Ariat® Grand Prix CSI 3*. After topping Friday's $34,000 Ruby et Violette WEF Challenge Cup Round 5, Goutal and the 14-year-old Belgian Warmblood mare (Thunder van de Zuuthoeve x Heartbreaker) continued their winning form into...

Ronan McGuigan and Capall Zidane (Sportfot) Wellington, Fla. - The 2015 Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF) kicked off its fifth week of competition at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center (PBIEC) on Wednesday with a win for Ireland's Ronan McGuigan and Capall Zidane in the $34,000 1.45m FEI speed class. McGuigan topped his trainer and fellow Irishman, Conor Swail, who finished second aboard Ariana. Meagan Nusz (USA) and Vesuvius finished third. The course designer in the...

Lexington, Ky. - On a night dedicated to the horse, two special athletes were recognized for their excellence in 2014 during the USEF's Year End Awards Gala. In a year that witnessed equestrian athletes excel, Cortes 'C' and Ellis GV reached the pinnacle of their sports and for their achievements were named International and National Horse of the Year, respectively. Voting was open to the public through January and both horses, already fan favorites, were rewarded for their...

Tinne Vilhelmson-Silfven and Divertimento (SusanJStickle.com) Wellington, Fla. - Tinne Vilhelmson-Silfven (SWE) and Divertimento, a 13-year-old Westphalian gelding owned by Lövsta Stuteri, received a 72.980% to take home the top prize in the Adequan® Global Dressage Festival's (AGDF) FEI Grand Prix Special, presented by MTICA Farms. Allison Brock (USA) and Rosevelt followed in second with a 71.706% and Lisa Wilcox (USA) riding Pikko del Cerro HU finished third scoring a 71.275%....

Lexington, Ky. - Halloween Night at the 2014 National Horse Show featured creative costumes throughout the building; some on the many kids that came to trick or treat as well as those created by the riders in tonight's popular Chansonette Farm $45,000 Gamblers Choice Costume Class. Although it wasn't realized at the time, the class was over right after the first rider finished his imaginative course. Francois Mathy of Belgium, dressed as a soccer referee, raced Ornellaia through some...

Washington, D.C. - McLain Ward (USA) and HH Carlos Z raced to victory Saturday night in the $125,000 President’s Cup Grand Prix CSI 4*-W, presented by Events DC, at the 56th annual Washington International Horse Show (WIHS). Competing at Verizon Center in downtown Washington, D.C., Ward will have his name etched in WIHS history for now winning the coveted President of the United States Perpetual Cup four times in his illustrious career. The Longines FEI World Cup qualifying grand prix was...