Nikko Ritter rode Clover Count to victory at the Platinum Performance/USEF Talent Search Finals East (Jennifer Wenzel) Gladstone, NJ - Take some flatwork, add some gymnastic jumping exercises, send all the riders over a carefully designed course, then have the top four riders switch horses and over the course of two days, a very prestigious title is handed out. Welcome to the Platinum Performance//USEF Talent Search Final. Fortunately, in sharp contrast to its West Coast counterpart, the...

U.S. Sends Teams to Samsung Super League Final and Spruce Meadows Masters Lexington, KY - The U.S. is fielding a formidable team for one of the most prestigious show jumping challenges in the world, the Spruce Meadows Masters. More than 50,000 spectators turn out over the weekend to watch some of the world’s best show jumpers vie for over $2 million in prize money. The U.S. show jumpers will be fighting a war on two fronts with the top riders divided between the Masters in Calgary,...

(Lexington, KY) - A timely response is needed from members of the horse industry to their Congressional Delegation since the House of Representative is scheduled to vote on the 2008 Agriculture, Rural Development, Food and Drug Administration Appropriations bill (H.R. 3161), which would fund the U.S. Department of Agriculture for Fiscal Year 2008, early next week. Section 738 of that bill would be devastating because it would cut-off funding for USDA activities important to the horse industry....

Diana DeRosa (Christopher Hickey and Regent in Rio de Janeiro) Rio de Janeiro, Brazil—When most people think of Rio, sunshine comes quickly to mind. However, that was not the case today at Deodoro Stadium and the National Equestrian Center outside of the city. Clouds, the threat of rain showers and cooler temperatures loomed, but it was a rather bright day for the hopes of the American dressage riders as all three of them competed in the first of two rounds that will determine the...

Amy Dragoo (Bonnie Mosser on Merloch winning the Jersey Fresh Three-Day Event CCI***. ) The rain held off for most of the day for the finale of the Jersey Fresh Three Day Event, but everyone appreciated the break in the weather. Sally Ike’s show jumping tracks proved challenging yet fair and major changes in the standing of each division would unfold as the day went on. There were plenty of surprises in the Advanced Horse Trials division which was serving as a selection division for the...

Brian Sosby (The Thomas and Mack Center on the UNLV campus.) Riders from around the world have gathered to battle it out for the World Cup titles in dressage and show jumping at the 2007 Rolex FEI World Cup Finals in Las Vegas, Nevada, at the Thomas and Mack Center, and they are certainly ready to take to the stage. But before the curtain rises on the horses and riders, there was some unexpected news that could potentially shake up the final standings in the dressage competition. Out of the...

Randi Muster 2007 (Todd Minikus and Pavarotti were the highest-placed members of the U.S. team in the $150,000 CN U.S. Open Jumper Championship, Presented by Cosequin.) Wellington, Florida—In another action-packed day of horse sport, Canada’s Mario Deslauriers emerged victorious in the $150,000 CN U.S. Open Jumper Championship, Presented by Cosequin, held Sunday, March 11, in Wellington, FL. A total of 39 riders attempted to win the final event of the CSIO5* CN Wellington Open...

Mara Dean on Nicki Henley during the dressage phase of the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event presented by Farnam. (Marc Manning) If there was one thing that stood out the first day of the 2006 Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event presented by Farnam – other than the international-level competitors and their beautiful mounts – it was the abundance of blue skies and sunshine that surprised even veteran Rolex attendees. Legions of fans of eventing came from around the world to watch the highest...

Arnd Bronkhorst ( ) Lexington, KY - The 2006 USEF National Grand Prix Freestyle Championship/U.S. League Finals CDI-W is a dual championship being held in conjunction with the Zada Enterprises, LLC, Winter Equestrian Festival Dressage Classic CDI***/W in Wellington, Florida, March 16-19, 2006. It is one competition serving the purposes of crowning the USEF National Grand Prix Freestyle Champion and at the same time serving as the U.S League Final, determining the two horse-and-rider...

Bob Tarr (TCE Balastrana+++// with Mercy Burwell) TCE Balastrana+++// (TC Expression x Brooklynn), owned by Mercy Burwell of Brentwood, MO, ranked as the top horse among a field of more than 3,000 Arabians, Half-Arabians and Anglo-Arabians to become the 2005 Arabian Horse Association (AHA) High-Point Horse. To reach this pinnacle, the mare accumulated 388 points in Horse Achievement Awards (HAA), the Association's premier rewards program for actively competing horses. The Arabian horse...