Ben Maher and Urico (Sportfot) Wellington, FL - Week five of the 2013 FTI Consulting Winter Equestrian Festival (FTI WEF) featured another exciting "Saturday Night Lights" event with over 4,000 spectators looking on as Great Britain's Ben Maher won his second grand prix in a row for the winter circuit. Maher jumped to victory in the $82,000 Adequan® CSI2* Grand Prix aboard Jane Clark's Urico after also taking top honors in last week's $100,000 Fidelity Investments® CSI 2*...

Lexington, KY - USA Equestrian Trust has awarded $95,000 in grants to help fund four more equine projects as part of a historic year of grant-giving for the foundation. The awards come on top of nearly $240,000 awarded in May to 11 equine non-profits. The Trust's volunteer leadership approved an expansion of the program earlier this year, offering a second grant application period for the first time in the foundation's history. The organization saw even greater need from interested...

Rachel Kolb and Stanford's Ronny (Stanford Univ/IHSA) Fairfield, CT - Stride for stride, solid horse sense leads to scholarly achievement. For the second time in two years, the Rhodes Trust has awarded a prestigious Rhodes Scholarship to an Intercollegiate Horse Show Association college equestrian athlete to pursue post-graduate study at Oxford University. This year’s recipient is IHSA hunter seat rider, Rachel Kolb, of Los Ranchos, NM, who is in her second year as president of the...

Lauren Hough and Quick Study (Rebecca Walton) Lexington, KY - fter spending the summer in Europe, Lauren Hough and Quick Study made a triumphant return to the United States during the Alltech National Horse Show, 129th Edition. The pair bested a 14-horse jump-off with a speedy double clear effort during the $75,000 Double H Farm International Open Jumper class. Ireland's Richie Moloney galloped into second place position aboard Slieveanorra, while Kent Farrington and his young mount Venus...

Lucy Deslauriers and Center Field. (Shawn McMillen Photography) Washington D.C. - Later in the afternoon, young riders competed in the WIHS Pony Equitation Finals with a win for 13-year-old Lucy Deslauriers, of New York, NY, aboard GC Ponies’ Center Field. Deslauriers was presented The Jane Marshall Dillon Memorial Perpetual Trophy, donated by the friend and students of Mrs. Jane Marshall Dillon. She scored an 87 over fences and came out on top after the work-off under saddle. Charlise...

Upper Marlboro, MD - The 2012 Capital Challenge Horse Show has concluded, with this year's show honoring the best horses and riders in the country. Show managers Oliver Kennedy and Billy Glass were proud to host one of the best competitions in the nation and thank their sponsors, exhibitors, and staff. In its 19th year, the Capital Challenge Horse Show sets itself apart with a distinct and unique focus on preeminent hunter competition. WCHR Professional Challenge In the $25,000 WCHR...

Fairfield, CT - Just in time for the start of a new semester, the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association (IHSA) has announced the launch of its revamped website at: www.ihsainc.com . “We are updating the design and navigation to make things simpler and fresher. This new site will also be much more mobile-friendly,” says 2012 IHSA Oregon State national champion team assistant western coach, Carrie Hertel. The all-volunteer IHSA Website Committee consists of Hertel, Lori Cramer, Jen...

Paul O’Shea and Instant Karma won the $30,000 Manchester & the Mountains Grand Prix on Saturday, August 4, at the 2012 Vermont Summer Festival in East Dorset, VT. (David Mullinix Photography) East Dorset, VT – Ireland’s Paul O’Shea and Instant Karma were the winners in the $30,000 Manchester & the Mountains Grand Prix, sponsored by Purina Horse Feed, on Saturday, August 4, at the 2012 Vermont Summer Festival. In a three-horse jump-off, O’Shea and Instant Karma...

Lexington, KY - In its largest round of grant funding to date, USA Equestrian Trust has awarded nearly $240,000 to 11 equine non-profits that applied by the first of the foundation's two 2012 application deadlines. The $239,780 in grants is an increase of 21 percent compared to 2011. That mirrored the continued dramatic jump in interest in the Trust's grants program, which saw applications rise 38 percent. The Trust's leadership approved an expansion of the program earlier this...

Fairfield, CT - Never before in its 39-year history had an Intercollegiate Horse Show Association hunter seat team coach won two IHSA National Championships for two different colleges or universities. But that was before Mary Drueding. Drueding, already selected by the IHSA nominating committee to receive its Lifetime Achievement Award, demonstrated an irrefutable argument in defense of her coaching excellence and expertise as her St. Lawrence University Saints hunter seat team clinched the...