Courtesy of Karina Benish (Karina and Hawkeye) He was the ugliest male I had ever seen in my life. He had a bloody wound on his nose, hair six inches long on his chest, and he weighed about 700-800 pounds—400 shy of his best weight. His name was Hawkeye, and he was my partner for more than 14 years. Hawkeye was a mustang horse, and it was he who taught me what it is to trust. Horses, in my opinion, given good care and a little attention, are high up in Maslow’s hierarchy. Since...

Gladstone, NJ – After two days of rigorous testing, topped off with a final-four ride-off, 16-year-old Brianne Goutal surpassed even her own expectations with a well-earned, but nonetheless, surprise victory. “I was never expecting to get into the top four,” Goutal says. “I asked my trainer before the last round what score I would need and she wouldn’t give me an answer. She just said ‘ride well.’” And ride well, she did. Give her a few years, and...

San Juan Capistrano, CA - Robert Dover and FBW Kennedy were even better today than they were last weekend. Just prior to Dover’s ride, Guenter Seidel on Aragon and Steffen Peters on Floriano had exceptional rides creating a super-charged atmosphere, but Dover and Kennedy marched down the center line, saluted and never looked back. Their score of 78.917% kept them firmly in the lead. Seidel and Aragon were second with 74.167%, Peters and Floriano were third with 71.875%, Leslie Morse and...

San Juan Capistrano, CA – Veteran Olympic Judge Axel Steiner was doing color commentary at the trials today and described Robert Dover’s ride on FBW Kennedy as “one of the nicest Grand Prix rides in the United States.” The enthusiastic applause of the knowledgeable crowd indicated they agreed. Their score of 76.292% leads Gunter Seidel on Aragon, who had a score of 72.375%. Seidel was also third on Nikolaus 7 with a score of 71.458%. Steffan Peters on Floriano was fourth with 71.333%. “You...

Two of the world’s most prestigious and glamorous equine events are coming to the United States in 2005! For the first time ever in international competition, two World Cup Championship events will be held concurrently in one location, Las Vegas, Nevada, April 20-24, 2005. The 2005 World Cup Champions in both jumping and dressage will be crowned in Las Vegas. Following its previous hosting of two World Cup Jumping finals, the highly-acclaimed Budweiser World Cups in 2000 and 2003, Las Vegas...

McLain Ward, Beezie Madden, Lauren Hough, Nicole Simpson Lurking Close Behind Ward San Juan Capistrano , CA - It was a perfect day in Southern California . Perfectly blue sky, perfect temperature, perfect setting for an Olympic Trials, and perfect green turf in an impressive Show Jumping arena at Oaks Blenheim in San Juan Capistrano . For PeterWylde and Fein Cera; Todd Minikus and Gardenio; and Beezie Madden and Judgement; it got even better when they turned in prefect trips in the fourth round...

Lexington, Ky. – The 2023 USEF Pony Finals presented by Honor Hill Farms ended on Sunday with the Marshall & Sterling /USEF Pony Medal Final. A total of 187 combinations competed in round one over Jasen Shelley’s challenging track with the requirement of halting then jumping a trot fence during the course. Twenty combinations returned for round two with three from the small section, 10 from the medium section, and seven from the large section. The second-round course required...

Traverse City, Mich. – Two gold medalists emerged today at the 2023 FEI North American Youth Dressage Championships presented by USDF as the Young Rider and U25 divisions completed their individual championships. Mary Claire Piller (Oakdale, Tenn.) and Caterina, Emily Brollier’s 2011 Hanoverian mare, won the gold in the Young Rider division. Emily Hewitt (Atlanta, Ga.) was the U25 champion with Fidens, a 2010 KWPN gelding owned by Tammy Pearson. Mary Claire Piller and Caterina....

Ermelo, Netherlands – Three U.S. athletes made the trip to the FEI WBFSH Dressage World Breeding Championship for Young Horses (WBC), competing on the world stage in a field of some of the most promising young equine talent in the sport. Two combinations finished in the top 10 of their respective finals, and all three received valuable experience representing the U.S. in an internationally competitive environment. Meet the U.S. horses of the 2023 WBC here. Vianne and Hope Beerling....

San Juan Capistrano, Calif. – McLain Ward and Kasper van het Hellehof bested the challenging track set by Leopoldo Palacios (VEN) in the FEI Longines Grand Prix of The United States CSIO5* to put the U.S. at the top of the podium in the highlight Grand Prix class of the FEI Jumping Nations Cup CSIO5* week at Rancho Viejo Riding Park in San Juan Capistrano, Calif. The pair finished with a time of 37.42 seconds, edging Jose Antonio Chedraui Eguia (MEX) and H-Lucky Retto in the two-horse...