Exploding wine bottle, flooding hotel, horse inspection, surprise substitutions, interesting team running orders, lost & found luggage, and a Brazilian party in the Maracanã Stadium. Quite a couple of days. So where to start; perhaps with the job in hand. All the U.S. horses looked fit, well and beautifully turned out by the grooms and the horse inspection went without a hitch for the U.S. Running order declared (Boyd, Clark, Lauren & Philip) and the dressage horses having been...

Boyd Martin and Blackfoot Mystery (Shannon Brinkman Photo) Rio de Janeiro, Brazil - The eventing horse inspection officially kicked off equestrian competition at the 2016 Olympic Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil, Friday. Over the next 14 days, 204 athlete-and-horse combinations in the three equestrian disciplines of eventing, dressage, and show jumping will compete for coveted Team and Individual medals at Rio’s Deodoro Olympic Equestrian Center. The U.S. Olympic Eventing Team of Phillip...

Aaron Vale and Carlo win the $50,000 Flintfields Farm Grand Prix, sponsored by Meijer, during the Great Lakes Equestrian Festival. (Kendall Bierer/Phelps Media Group) Traverse City, Mich. - It was déjà vu for spectators on the final day of the Great Lakes Equestrian Festival (GLEF) as Aaron Vale and Carlo blazed their way to the victory in the $50,000 Flintfields Farm Grand Prix, sponsored by Meijer, topping the ranks with a double-clear posted in 37.269 seconds. Only one-week...

Andrew Kocher and Zantos II (Tom von kap-Herr) Bromont, Quebec - Andrew Kocher added another victory to his collection on July 30, with a win in the Modified Grand Prix as he made it clear, in the last two weeks, that he was a fierce competitor at the 2016 International Bromont. Eight Pairs Make Jump-Off The demanding course, designed by Guilherme Jorge, proved to be a challenge for the 31 horse and rider combinations who competed in the class. Eight riders brought their horses to the jump-off,...

I would describe today as a Between Day; somewhere between good and bad, and for my persona, somewhere varying between “sociably acceptable and bear with sore head and irritated butt”. There is a standing guideline within the British Military called the 1/3rd - 2/3rd Rule – of the time available, use 1/3rd for your own planning leaving 2/3rds for your subordinates. I think it works in reverse when preparing for the first arrival of horses, grooms, staff and OMG..they are...

Part I We have a green light and Mission Control has pressed the big red, white and blue button. Afterburners have been ignited and phase one of the move to Rio is under way. Ok, so a bunch of Team clothing arrived after we had left, we do not know how we are going to get some 60 bags from USOC Team Processing in Houston to Rio, we are not entirely sure where our containers are in Rio, and the delivery of Coca Cola product to the Venue in Rio didn't go quite as smoothly as we had hoped....

McLain Ward and HH Azur claim the top prize in the Douglas Elliman Grand Prix Qualifier Bridgehampton, N.Y. - The 41st annual Hampton Classic Horse Show is excited to announce its inaugural Jump for Charity program. As a 501(c)3 non-profit organization, The Hampton Classic has a mission to support other charities in the community and has done so in the past for several local non-profit organizations and equestrian-related causes. This year the Classic hopes to give back even more and has...

Harold Chopping and Basje on their way to $25,000 Brook Ledge Grand Prix win. (ESI Photography) Culpeper, Va. - Riders and horses turned out for Friday’s $25,000 Brook Ledge Grand Prix as a weekend of excitement kicked off at the Cavalier Classic, the third week of HITS Culpeper. Coming home with the victory was Southern Pines, North Carolina equestrian Harold Chopping aboard Basje, owned by Kendra Bullington. This win makes Chopping and Basje’s third blue ribbon in the Grand Prix...

Amanda Flint and VDL Coverboy won the $30,000 Vermont Summer Special Grand Prix, presented by Johnson Horse Transportation, on July 9 at the Vermont Summer Festival in East Dorset, VT. (Andrew Ryback Photography) East Dorset, Vt. – Amanda Flint of Long Valley, NJ, and VDL Coverboy captured the $30,000 Vermont Summer Special Grand Prix, presented by Johnson Horse Transportation, on Saturday, July 9 at the 2016 Vermont Summer Festival in East Dorset, VT. The Vermont Summer Festival runs for...

In the lead-up to the 2016 SVAG FEI World Reining Championships, the United States Equestrian Federation will feature a four-part series that highlights the athletes, horses, and their owners that make up the U.S. Team. The following is part two. Read part one . When Shane Brown went horse scouting in Texas for three clients last June, he did not realize he was bringing his 2016 SVAG FEI World Reining Championships partner, Wind Er Up Wimp or “Denny”, back to Colorado with him. Even...