Lexington, Ky. - A team of three U.S. drivers and two individuals are set to take on the challenge at the 2014 FEI World Para-Equestrian Driving Championships for Singles. Taking place at The Royal Estate in Sandringham, England, the championships will run from June 27-29. Virginia "Boo" Fitch, Bob Giles, and Diane Kastama will represent the U.S. in the team competition, while Mary Gray and Giles with a second horse will compete as individuals. Marie de Ronde will serve as Chef d'Equipe,...

Luhmuhlen, Germany - Land Rover Competition Grant recipients Boyd Martin and Shamwari 4 have traveled to Germany eyeing a top placing at this week’s Luhmuhlen CCI4* . They will be among 53 combinations from 12 nations set to contest the event which runs June 12-15 and is one of only seven CCI4*s held annually throughout the world. Shamwari 4 is presented at the first horse inspection by Phillip Dutton for Boyd Martin (Stockimageservices.com) Martin (Cochranville, Pa.) acquired the...

Saugerties, N.Y. - Quality Girl is no stranger to clean rounds with Todd Minikus of Loxahatchee, Florida and at the top of her game as of late. Highlighted by their Open Jumper success at Devon last weekend and Friday, winning the HITS $25,000 SmartPak Grand Prix the 11-year-old Oldenburg mare continues to shine. Todd Minikus and Quality Girl were the top pair in Friday’s $25,000 SmartPak Grand Prix presented by Zoetis at HITS Saugerties (©ESI Photography) “She’s turning into a...

Darragh Kenny and Prof de la Roque (The Book LLC) North Salem, N.Y. - It's been a good week for Darragh Kenny. He captured his third victory at the 2014 Old Salem Farm Spring Horse Shows in the $35,000 New York Welcome Stake, this time on Postage Stamp Farm's Prof de la Roque. The pair went first in a 14-horse jump-off to win over McLain Ward, who placed second and third on Zander and HH Cannavaro, respectively. The $35,000 New York Welcome Stake had 48 entries, and 14 were clear to the...

Beezie Madden and Cortes 'C' (Sportfot) Wellington, Fla. - The 2014 FTI Consulting Winter Equestrian Festival (FTI WEF) continued with its twelfth week of competition at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center (PBIEC) on Thursday with a full schedule of jumper action in the International Arena. The Ruby et Violette WEF Challenge Cup Series hosted its final leg of the twelve-week series with a win for Beezie Madden (USA) and Cortes 'C'. Darragh Kenny (IRL) and Prof de la Roque won...

Darragh Kenny and Quiz (Sportfot) Wellington, Fla. - The 2014 FTI Consulting Winter Equestrian Festival (FTI WEF) kicked off its ninth week of competition on Wednesday, March 5, with a $34,000 Spy Coast Farm 1.45m speed class and a top finish for Ireland's Darragh Kenny aboard Quiz. FTI WEF week nine, sponsored by The Bainbridge Companies, continues through Sunday, March 9. Thursday's competition will begin with the $8,000 G&C Farm 1.45m in the International Arena at 8 a.m. followed...

Abigail McArdle and Cosma 20 (Sportfot) Wellington, Fla. - Friday's competition at the FTI Consulting Winter Equestrian Festival featured a $34,000 G&C Farm 1.45m speed class with a win for 19-year-old Abigail McArdle (USA) aboard Cosma 20. In the hunter rings, Kyle Owens swept the youngest division of the Adult Amateur Hunters with his horses Voila and Messick. Sponsored by Adequan®, FTI WEF week seven runs February 19-23, 2014. The week will feature the $280,000 Adequan® Grand...

Susan Hutchinson and Sig Excel (Captured Moment Photography) Del Mar, Calif. - Large turn-outs for jumper classes kept the Del Mar Arena busy, and riders had to be exceptionally fast and accurate to finish in the ribbons in these highly competitive classes. Performance Working Hunters at both 3.3 and 3.6 also saw large classes and exacting competition. As the 1.35m Jumper Classic got underway this evening, 42 riders including veteran show jumping stars Will Simpson, Rich Fellers, Hugh Mutch,...

Grand Green Working Hunter Champion BACARDI and Havens Schatt (AlCookPhoto.com) Harrisburg, PA - The stunning 7 year old grey gelding BACARDI, owned by Caroline Moran and ridden by Havens Schatt, won the prestigious Grand Green Working Hunter Championship tuesday at the Pennsylvania National Horse Show. "He's the horse of a lifetime", said a teary-eyed Schatt when she came out of the ring. "He's done everything I've ever asked him to do. I'm just so proud of him", she beamed....

Burbank, CA - Judges Jimmy Torano and Mandy Porter wasted no time posing questions to the 33 riders who tackled the Gymnastics Phase of the Platinum Performance/ USEF Show Jumping Talent Search Finals West. The course started with a canter rail to a vertical with a landing rail, and the rail fell often. Riders then had to trot into a grid comprising a trot rail to a vertical then 23 feet to an oxer followed by 21 feet to another oxer. Hannah Von Heidegger (Will Simpson, trainer) found the best...