The tension is mounting as the Meydan FEI Nations Cup™ series arrives in Rotterdam, The Netherlands, this week. This event marks the halfway stage of the team challenge, which pits 10 great show jumping nations against each other in an eight-leg battle for survival in the premiership of the sport. The USA holds the lead after scoring a superb back-to-back double at Rome and St Gallen over the past few weeks, but the pressure continues, and there is no time to rest on their laurels as they face...

A century of sporting history will be celebrated when the much-anticipated first leg of the inaugural Meydan FEI Nations Cup™ series takes place in La Baule, France, this weekend. It was in 1909 that the indoor London Olympia and outdoor San Sebastian shows first hosted military team jumping competitions and, 100 years on, the honor and distinction of representing one's country in the battle for team supremacy has lost none of its edge. The advent of new sponsors, the Dubai-based development...

The rated series of the 2009 HITS Ocala Winter Circuit crowned its first winning grand prix pair on Thursday, when Tracy Magness rode Mr. and Mrs. John Bartko's Tarco Van Ter Moude to the blue in the $25,000 HITS Grand Prix at HITS Post Time Farm in Ocala, FL. Magness guided Tarco Van Ter Moude to the fastest double-clear round on course designer Guilherme Jorge's route as she collected $7,500 in first-place prize money. Magness outlasted 23 riders in the first round and the six who advanced to...

If horses could talk, humans would certainly hear some amazing tales. The stories told by Jamaica, the 17-year-old combined driving horse that helped his owner Chester Weber win a Silver medal at the FEI World Championships in The Netherlands, would be some of the most inspiring. At first glance, the high-spirited champion combined driving horse bears little resemblance to the carriage horse in the childhood story Black Beauty . That’s until you learn that the gelding was rescued from a...

The World Games 2010 Foundation announced that Fortune Commercial Properties, a Lexington-based company, as the Official Commercial Realty Company of the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games. As part of the partnership, Fortune will provide 10,000 square feet of warehouse space and 6,000 square feet of office space for the World Games 2010 Foundation, as well as a financial contribution in support of the 2010 Games. The space is expected to be used for storage and as a center of operations...

The World Games 2010 Foundation announced it is launching a volunteer recruitment website through the online services of The Registration System to manage the thousands of volunteers needed for the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games (WEG). Anyone interested in becoming a volunteer can log on to www.feigames2010.org and click on “Volunteer Information” in the “Quick Links” box, to register and receive more information about volunteer opportunities and benefits. Volunteers are needed before,...

On November 10, NickerTV charges out of the gate with an initial offering of 26 different equestrian channels all dedicated to a variety of horse-oriented themes and subjects. Nicker Network will be the first Internet-based, on-demand multi-channel television network targeted to the horse world. Each channel will have its own selection of programs, with new ones being added to the rosters on a regular basis. Programs will be available for viewing at no cost, with additional options for viewers...

A successful week of hunter/jumper competition at the Kentucky Summer Horse Show came to a close on Sunday, August 5. Produced by Kentucky Horse Shows LLC, the summer shows are held at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington. The Kentucky Summer Classic is scheduled for next week from August 8-12. Jumper Highlights On Wednesday, August 1, ten riders exhibited their talents in the 1.45m Open Jumper class in the famously large Sheila C. Johnson Arena. Course designer Ken Krome, of Westminster, MD,...

Diana DeRosa (Florida's Cara Raehter and Ublesco led the American effort on the final day of the Pan American Games, finishing eighth in show jumping.) Rio de Janeiro, Brazil—The last of the three equestrian disciplines contested at the XV Pan American Games – show jumping – wrapped up at Deodoro Military Complex outside of Rio de Janeiro on Sunday. The final results were cause for celebration for Canada and Brazil. Team USA’s Cara Raether and Ublesco finished in eighth place, the highest spot...

The fifth in a series of guest blog posts from Michelle Binder Last week I poked a little fun at what western dressage riders are wearing for both schooling and show. This week I want to bring you the reality of the situation from manufacturers who give us the products that will ultimately be seen in rings around the country. Last week I showed you the proposed North American Western Dressage rules for WD show attire. Since the requirements state that riders must wear a long-sleeved shirt with...