In a tune up for Sunday's $100,000 United States Grand Prix League (USGPL) Invitational Grand Prix, Laura Bowery and her mount Indy Star II posted the fastest double-clear round to capture the $25,000 Devoucoux Wild Card Grand Prix at HITS Culpeper. Bowery outlasted a starting field of 26 riders to challenge course designer Olaf Petersen's first-round route and an additional six pairs that advanced to the jump-off to collect $7,500. However, coming into the $25,000 Devoucoux Wild Card Grand...

The aftermath of Hurricane Ike made for a rainy Saturday afternoon of show jumping at the second annual Evergreen Invitational in Wisconsin, about 60 miles north of Chicago. Top riders Margie Engle, Scott Lenkart and Maggie Jayne, rode clear in the $75,000 Grand Prix, but had no jump-off on account of the weather and footing. The constant rain from Friday, which continued through Saturday, didn’t discourage the 17 riders who competed in the grand prix at M.K. Pritzker's 230-acre farm. Scott...

One of the most exciting American Saddlebred promotions of the year will take place at 7:00 p.m. on Friday, October 24, 2008, at the Verizon Center in downtown Washington D.C. The Washington International Horse Show (WIHS) will be celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. In honor of this event, the American Saddlebreds have been invited back once again to perform in Washington, D.C., as they did 36 years ago. American Saddlebreds will perform an exciting exhibition before a spectator...

There was a short press briefing at CSIO Barcelona on September 20 during which the FEI's First Vice-President Sven Holmberg and FEI Jumping Director John Roche answered questions relating to the new-formula FEI Nations Cup series 2009. By way of background, Holmberg explained that the current contract stipulated that negotiations with a new sponsor should not begin until January 1, 2008, and that this was a short time considering what needed to be done including creating a new product, finding...

Nineteen-year-old Western Star Galaxy (Georgetown Starlight x Cedarvale Splendora) won big at last week's Eastern States Exposition Big E Horse Show in West Springfield, MA. In a class of nine, "Alex" won the New England Horseman's Council's Junior Western Reining Seat Medal Finals with Stephanie Miranda of Assonet, MA, in the saddle. Alex is the only Morgan to ever win the finals to date. Owned by Michelle Cravenho of Kingston, MA, Alex was the only Morgan in the class that included Paints,...

Lexington, KY—A full week after the torrents of Hurricane Ike battered the Gulf Coast of Texas, the scene is still one of shock and destruction. With over one million residents evacuated, these coastal towns and cities are dealing with a long road ahead of them in the attempt to clear debris, allow residents to return to their neighborhoods and get utilities and services in working order. The situation is particularly difficult for those with large animals. Evacuating and housing horses has its...

Lexington, KY - The Wellpride USEA American Eventing Championships were, like much of the country, the victim of some volatile weather over the weekend of September 13-14. Torrential rain caused for the amendment of some of the Championships and prizes were awarded after the dressage and show jumping. Advanced, Intermediate and Preliminary were all scored as combined tests, despite the organizers’ best efforts, in the interest of safety due to quagmire conditions at Lamplight Equestrian...

The Buffalo International Horse Show (BIHS) is a historical horse show that benefits a wonderful equestrian organization. BIHS is one of the oldest horse shows in the country, heading into its 62nd year. All proceeds are donated to the Buffalo Therapeutic Riding Center. This year, the show will be held September 17-21, 2008. BIHS is an USEF AA rated event. Unlike other high-ranking equestrian events that cater to the more talented riders and prominent divisions, BIHS does not. The staff does an...

A trailer full of clothing, blankets and other items to help victims of widespread flooding in Haiti has been sent from Wellington to Miami for shipment to the devastated nation. "We have had a tremendous response so far," said Katherine Bellissimo, who initiated the collection effort. She is a partner in Wellington Equestrian Partners that owns the management company, Equestrian Sport Productions, of the Wellington horse shows. "The tremendous response to the needs of the flood victims has...

California dressage rider Jan Ebeling and the 11-year-old Oldenburg mare Rafalca won the dressage World Cup qualifier at Saugerties CDI-W show in upstate New York this past weekend with a score of 71.700%. This result came after their victory in the grand prix on Saturday. Ebeling was delighted with the mare who, "didn't really have any mistakes," in the grand prix freestyle. "She was really, really super, and it was definitely a confidence builder." The test, which is ridden to music from the...