The American Horse Council (AHC) has announced that the focus of this year’s National Issues Forum will be the “Welfare of the Horse.” The Forum will be held June 16, 2009, in Washington, DC, as part of the AHC’s annual meeting. Over the last year, concerns about the welfare of horses used in racing, showing, recreation, or work have been raised by our fans, the general public, the media, and Congress. Such concerns have been expressed before, but perhaps not as broadly as now. “Those involved...

Ocala, Fla. - Show jumping competition returned to HITS Post Time Farm in Ocala, Florida, this past Wednesday for the inaugural HITS Holiday Series. In preparation for the ten-week HITS Ocala Winter Circuit, which begins January 19, 2016, the Holiday Series offers riders two additional weeks of winter show opportunities in the heart of the Horse Capital of the World. Andrew Kocher and Uppie De Lis on their way to a $25,000 SmartPak Grand Prix win at HITS Holiday Classic in Ocala, Florida. (ESI...

People say things always happen for a reason. Throughout the past few months I have had loads of change come my way and have learned to deal with things the way that they have presented themselves. This spring season has not been the best for Pop and me. He turned 14 this past January and has done more than I have ever thought he would. Many people told me he would never go preliminary and, for a while, I believed them. He was tough in the beginning and after the first few trainings he did I...

Jennifer Alfano and Jersey Boy. (Sportfot.) Wellington, FL - Jennifer Alfano and SBS Farms' Jersey Boy have led the USHJA International Hunter Derby program since its inception, winning classes all over the country in the last few years and proving their expertise in the handy rounds and finesse over the jumps. Tonight was no different, as the pair jumped their way to victory in the $50,000 USHJA International Hunter Derby during the twelfth and final "Saturday Night Lights" event at the 2011...

Marta Renilla’s exhibition ride at Pin Oak. (Shawn McMillen Photography.) Katy, TX – Week two is underway at the Pin Oak Charity Horse Show, one of the oldest and most prestigious shows in the United States and the first designated as a United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) Heritage show. Andalusians, Lusitanos and crosses of these bloodlines with other breeds have been part of this multi-breed show for seven years. Pin Oak’s new international hospitality sponsor, Haras Dos Cavaleiros,...

Allison Springer and Arthur. (Photo by Leslie Threlkeld.) Tallahassee, FL - It's only fitting that the winner of the first event of the 2011 Adequan USEA Gold Cup Series would be decided on the final moments of the competition on Sunday afternoon, drawing out the nail-biting excitement to the very last jump. Overnight leader Allison Springer must have breathed a huge sigh of relief to cross the finish line with all the rails still neatly in their cups, solidifying her victory at the prestigious...

Steffen Peters and Ravel. (Photo by Shannon Brinkman for USEF.) Lexington, KY - The U.S. Dressage Team has finished fourth in the FEI World Dressage Championship. This was the Team Grand Prix competition, and today's riders - Tina Konyot on Calecto V, owned by Tina Konyot, and Steffen Peters with Ravel, owned by Four Winds Farm and Akiko Yamazaki - completed tests that helped the team finish fourth. The two other combinations rounding out the team are Katherine Bateson-Chandler on Nartan, and...

Jamie Pestana and Winzalot (SusanJStickle.com Photo) Gladstone, NJ – Tina Konyot (Palm Beach City, FL) had a lock on the National Grand Prix Dressage Championship over the first weekend, winning both the Grand Prix and the Grand Prix Special handily. She made it very clear in the Grand Prix on Friday of the second weekend that she wasn’t going to give up her top spot without a fight. Her score of 71.319% with her beloved Calecto V was a reward from another consistent performance for the pair...

Photo by SusanJStickle.com (Steffen Peters and Ravel) Wellington, FL – Somehow it keeps getting better. After just collecting the United States Equestrian Federation's Horse and Rider of the Year accolades for 2009, US dressage superstars Steffen Peters and Ravel ran their streak to six major wins with a convincing effort at the Grand Prix at the 2010 Exquis World Dressage Masters. Ravel, a 12-year-old KWPN gelding (Contango-Hautain) owned by Akiko Yamazaki’s Four Winds Farm appeared even...

During the weekend of November 5-8, 25-year-old Kerry Tracey of Watkinsville, GA, led the victory gallop at the final SmartPak Equine/United States Eventing Association (USEA) Training Three-Day Event aboard her homebred Thoroughbred/Appaloosa gelding Chasing The Music. Although the entries were low for this long-format division, which was held in conjunction with the Rocking Horse Fall Horse Trials (Altoona, FL), the competition was fierce, and Tracey moved up from fourth after dressage to...