Thermal, Calif. - With three mounts to jump around, not a single onlooker would know that John Pearce of Bermuda Dunes, California was battling the flu during the $50,000 Go Rentals Grand Prix, presented by Zoetis, at HITS Thermal on Sunday. He and Son of a Gun, owned by Forest View Farm, were one of only four pairs to jump clear against a very tight first round time allowed of 81 seconds. Pearce first appeared on trusted partner Chianto, owned by Forest View Farm and Allison Moore, and was...

Thermal, Calif. - The pinto Oldenburg gelding, Symphony, has quickly gone from catch ride to dream horse for Katie Cook of Newport Beach, California. Cook had never sat on Symphony, owned by Amy Knox, before she arrived at HITS Thermal, but the two have become fast friends, jumping to three blue ribbons during Week I and winning the $1,500 Platinum Performance Hunter Prix on Friday for the second week in a row. Knox has owned the gelding, who is now 10, for three years and rode him in...

Ronan McGuigan and Capall Zidane (Sportfot) Wellington, Fla. - Ireland's Ronan McGuigan and Capall Zidane were double clear and blazing fast for the win in Saturday night's $50,000 Wellington Equestrian Realty Grand Prix CSI 2*, the highlight event of week two at the 2014 FTI Consulting Winter Equestrian Festival (FTI WEF). Riders representing nine different countries showed under the lights in the International Arena at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center (PBIEC) with top...

Christian Heineking and NKH Selena (Flying Horse Photography) Thermal Calif. - With the 2014 HITS Desert Circuit set to open its gates to seven weeks of competition on Tuesday, Christian Heineking is riding high as he makes his debut in Thermal, California as the leading rider on the AIG $1 Million Grand Prix Rider Standings. With a barn of 15 horses making their winter home at HITS Thermal, Heineking is primed to leave his mark on the Desert Circuit and is hopeful that his early leverage will...

Buck Davidson and Absolute Liberty (McCool) Temecula, Calif. – Competition for the CCI3* began Friday at the Galway Downs International Event and Horse Trials with the field of 17 performing their dressage tests. Buck Davidson holds the top two places on the leaderboard with The Apprentice and Absolute Liberty with scores of 48.9 and 50.6, respectively. Davidson (Ocala, Fla.) received a USEF Land Rover Competition Grant to bring Sharon Will’s Absolute Liberty to the West Coast for...

Tim Gredley and Unex Valente clear 2.10m. (Shawn McMillen Photography) Washington, D.C. - The 55th annual Washington International Horse Show (WIHS) continued on Friday, October 25, with a exciting day of hunter, jumper, and equitation competition at Verizon Center in Washington, D.C. The $25,000 Open Jumper Puissance, presented by The Boeing Company, was the highlight class of the evening with a win for Great Britain's Tim Gredley and Unex Competition Yard's Unex Valente, clearing the...

Kelsey Thatcher and ATHENA receive their awards (AlCookPhoto.com) Harrisburg, Pa. - October 19, 2013 - Kelsey Thatcher, of Bluffdale, UT, had an amazing day at the Pennsylvania National Horse Show, winning the $15,000 Show Jumping Hall of Fame Amateur-Owner Jumper Classic and earning the division Championship with ATHENA, and also placing second and taking the Reserve Championship with EVERYTHING. Thatcher, who is trained by Alex and Maggie Jayne, was also named the horse show's Leading...

Elinor MacPhail and Rendezvous with Charly (Xpress Foto) Lexington, Ky. – National titles were awarded to riders on Saturday at the Kentucky Horse Park upon the completion of the USEF National One-Star Eventing Championships. Held October 17-19 in conjunction with the Hagyard Midsouth Three-Day Event & Team Challenge, 42 horse-and-rider combinations tackled the CCI1* in hopes of being crowned champion. The USEF National One-Star Championship title went to Elinor MacPhail (Bluemont, Va....

Emilie Rucci and I SPY A RAINBOW (AlCookPhoto.com) Harrisburg, Pa. - Emilie Rucci, of Pittstown, NJ, and I SPY A RAINBOW won the $4,000 North American League (NAL) Pony Jumper Finals today at the Pennsylvania National Horse Show. Out of eleven starters, only four made it to the jump-off. Spectators - including the top jumper riders - filled the best seats in the house and encouraged the smaller competitors with cheers and 'clicks' at moments where the ponies might have had a...

Elizabeth Halliday-Sharp and Fernhill By Night (Libby Law Photography) Lexington, Ky. - The first U.S. horse-and-rider combination performed their dressage test Thursday for the FEI Nations Cup competition at the Military Boekelo CCIO3*. Elizabeth Halliday-Sharp and Fernhill By Night took to the dressage arena in front of the judging panel of David Lee (IRL), Andrew Bennie (NZL), and Ciska Van Meggelen-Peek (NED) at the historic venue in Boekelo, The Netherlands. Halliday-Sharp (East Sussex,...