Katie Aoki comes from behind to win the Onondarka Medal Final (Flying Horse Photography) Los Angeles, Calif. - After three challenging rounds and a work off, Katie Aoki (Jan Hainze, trainer) led the victory gallop aboard her Truman in the prestigious Onondarka Medal Final at the LA National (Nov 6-10). “It was super exciting to win,” Katie shared. “I competed in the final last year and had kind of a tough time, so it was definitely something I have been working towards and...

Glory Days and Katie Dinan clear the Ace Bakery oxer (Ben Radvanyi) Toronto, On. – The phrase “We have a jump off!” is commonly heard around the horse show ring, but it’s rarely, if ever, heard following a speed class at a four-star international event. Friday night the ‘one-in-a-million’ happened. Veteran American rider Laura Kraut (Middleburg, VA) put in an incredible round in what, under normal circumstances would have been the first and only round of the...

McLain Ward and Rothchild charge over the GroupBy oxer to take the $100,000 Hickstead FEI World CupTM Grand Prix (Ben Radvanyi) Toronto, Ont. – In a masterful display of horsemanship, America’s McLain Ward (Brewster, NY) and Rothchild blazed a path to victory tonight in the Ricoh Coliseum, taking top honours in the $100,000 Hickstead FEI World CupTM Grand Prix presented by GroupBy for the fifth time in his career. "The Hickstead class” as it is now known, was renamed to honour...

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...

Kelley Farmer and Quotable (Phelps Media Group, Inc. International) Lexington, Ky. - The Kentucky Horse Park hosts numerous, top-of-the-line horse shows throughout the year, but only once a year is the Alltech Arena transformed into the beautiful home of the prestigious Alltech National Horse Show. The final destination on the indoor horse show circuit, the Alltech National Horse Show welcomes the nation's top hunter and jumper riders. Among them are Kelley Farmer and Scott Stewart. Both...

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...

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...

Well fall is under way and I am trying to clear a little writer’s block. The last shows of the year are winding down. We are headed for the last ones in our area the last two weekends of the month. Fall is time to evaluate progress and prepare for next season. Some of us set goals for training, some for clinics, some for next year’s show season. We look at our feeding programs, exercise programs, breeding programs and whatever else we are running. I always find myself thinking ahead...

Woodstock, England – The final phase of the Fidelity Blenheim Palace International Horse Trial CCI3* caused a shake-up of the leaderboard but saw top American combinations hold their top 12 placings. On a day where clear rounds were at a premium, Clark Montgomery and Loughan Glen proved their place among the sport’s elite, producing one of the few faultless efforts to finish third in the world-class field. Additionally, Meghan O’Donoghue completed her first overseas...