Shane Sweetnam and Cobolt (Lauren Baker/Phelps Media Group) Lexington, Ky. - After winning the $50,000 Rood & Riddle Kentucky Grand Prix last Saturday, Shane Sweetnam and the Blue Buckle Group LLC's Cobolt returned one week later to pick up another victory under the lights, this time in the $50,000 Kentucky Summer Grand Prix, sponsored by GGT Footings. Forty-seven horse-and-rider combinations attempted Marina Azevedo's first-round track, with only four eventually advancing to the...

Parker, Colo. - The Adequan®/FEI North American Junior & Young Rider Championships presented by Gotham North (NAJYRC) concluded Sunday, July 31, at The Colorado Horse Park (CHP), bringing a close to competition, which featured three disciplines throughout the week including show jumping, eventing, and dressage. Carmen Holmes-Smith (18, Chase, B.C.) and Spartacus continued their move up the leaderboard after a double-clear stadium round Sunday and were presented with the CH-J* Individual...

Well wasn’t that just an interesting 36 hours… Sorry I have not been in touch for a while but Friday, for us was about finishing up at the venue and then trying to pull together a bunch of loose ends in other areas prior to a hydrogen bomb going off under our world of semi serenity – i.e. the Team and the horses starting to arrive. For other Nations, Friday evening through to Saturday morning marked the first horse flight arrivals at times that would have made the Special...

Nick Novak and Climbus win the $25,000 Welcome Stake at the Great Lakes Equestrian Festival Week IV. (Kendall Bierer/Phelps Media Group) Traverse City, Mich. - Nick Novak finally overcame his five-year drought on Friday afternoon at the Great Lakes Equestrian Festival (GLEF). For years, he has fallen just shy of the victory, taking the backseat to the winner's circle. During Week IV of GLEF, the drought came to an end for Novak, and as the old saying goes, "when it rains, it pours." Novak...

Traverse City, Mich. - July 22, 2016 - Amanda Derbyshire and Lady Maria BH celebrated their one-year partnership with a victory in the $25,000 Devoucoux Welcome Stake at the Great Lakes Equestrian Festival (GLEF) Week Three. The grey mare rose to the occasion, out jumping 32 contenders for the lion's share of the prize, tripping the timers in 33.649 seconds. Amanda Derbyshire and Lady Maria BH win the $25,000 Devoucoux Welcome Stake at the Great Lakes Equestrian Festival. ©Kendall...

Gavin Moylan and Pernod on their way to a $30,000 HITS Grand Prix win. (ESI Photography) Culpeper, Va. - As the curtain closed on Showday National at HITS Culpeper on Sunday, riders returned to the Grand Prix ring to contend for the top prize in the $30,000 HITS Grand Prix. Hot off a win in the $5,000 Devoucoux Hunter Prix, Gavin Moylan returned to the jumper ring and topped the Grand Prix field to stake claims on the blue ribbon once again. The Middleburg, Virginia, equestrian’s victory...

Maya Nayyar and Connaro (Lauren Baker/Phelps Media Group) Devon, Pa. - As the 2016 U.S. Junior Hunter National Championship East Coast kicked off at the Devon Horse Show grounds during the Brandywine Horse Shows, 76 of the nation's best equitation riders gathered to vie for the top honors in the prestigious USHJA Hunterdon Cup, and it was Maya Nayyar who went wire to wire to bring home the blue ribbon. The large starting field was whittled down as they competed over Skip Bailey's...

Competitors like Faith Green and her Quarter Horse Dusters Legacy were awash with ribbons at the 2016 National Dressage Pony Cup. (John Borys) “I’m so happy we decided to make the trip, and I couldn’t be more thrilled with my pony. This has been so much fun!” These words were heard from juniors to elder adults ranging in experience from dressage newcomers to hardworking amateurs and international High Performance professionals who gathered at the National Dressage Pony...

Reagan Upton and Oh Night Divine (Howard Schatzberg) Lexington, Ky. - A field of 19 competitors, the largest field in the class' history, vying for the 2016 USEF Saddle Seat Adult Amateur Medal Final title kicked off the evening session at the Lexington Junior League Charity Horse Show on Wednesday, July 6. Following the competitive field's display of equitation skills, 27-year-old Reagan Upton was named the unanimous 2016 USEF Saddle Seat Adult Amateur Medal Final Champion. Upton...

Skyhawk and Alexis Taylor Silvernale (McCool) San Juan Capistrano, Calif. - The $10,000 USHJA International Hunter Derby kicked off a grand Saturday morning at the Rancho Mission Viejo Riding Park at San Juan Capistrano. After topping the first round, Alexis Taylor Silvernale and Skyhawk, owned by Aleron, LLC, continued to impress both judging panels in the Handy Round for the win in a challenging class. The honorable Bill Ellis and Christina Schlusemeyer judged as Panel One, and Scott...