When fellow equestrians and Paso Fino enthusiasts first suggested that Heidi Young consider riding with a drill team, Young demurred. “I had bought myself a very good-looking Paso Fino, and they said, ‘You should try this, because it’s fun, and your horse would look great,’” recalled Young, a Connecticut native and US Equestrian member who now resides in Horseshoe Bend, Idaho. “I said, ‘Oh, no, I don’t do that kind of thing. I don’t like...

Nicole Aden, Sound Prospect, and Allie Knowles at the 2017 Pau CCI4* (Courtesy of Nicole Aden) Grooms are a vital part of any competition barn. While grooms often are behind the scenes or alongside the ring, some of them also compete themselves. Nicole Aden, Meg Kepferle, and Andi Lawrence are three current or former eventing grooms who have found their own success in national and FEI eventing competitions. A few weeks ago, all three finished in the top 16 in the competitive CIC2* A division at...

North Salem, N.Y. - During the 2017 Adequan®/FEI North American Youth Championships presented by Gotham North (NAYC), Region 4’s Tillie Jones and Apachi, the 13-year-old KWPN gelding she owns with her mom Tish Jones, overcame pre-competition adversity to win the 2017 United States Dressage Federation (USDF) North American Junior Rider Dressage Freestyle Championship. In addition, they anchored the Region 4 team to a bronze medal finish. They return this year as members of the Region...

Derek di Grazia’s courses are known for being challenging but fair and safe. (Mike McNally Photo) Derek di Grazia knows what it’s like to ride—and win—the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event presented by Land Rover: he won it in 1985 on Sasquatch, a Thoroughbred/Appaloosa cross. These days, as the Rolex Kentucky event’s cross-country course designer, di Grazia is the man asking the questions of the four-star horses and riders galloping over the Kentucky Horse...

Matthias Hollberg and Czechmate (Lauren Baker/Phelps Media Group) Littlestown, Pa. - After getting the ride on Czechmate just six short weeks ago, Matthias Hollberg and the chestnut gelding showcased their winning ways in Saturday's $25,000 Quentin Fall Classic Grand Prix, marking their second grand prix victory together. Hollberg also claimed the second-place spot aboard another mount, his own Aletta. "I didn't wake up this morning thinking this would happen, but I was certainly...

Beezie Madden and Coach (Emily Riden/PhelpsSports.com) Wellington, Fla. - Beezie Madden is bringing a new winner up the ranks, and Saturday he claimed his first major Wellington win. Madden and Coach, owned by Abigail Wexner, earned the victory in the $20,000 1.40m Jumpers at the CP Wellington Masters, presented by Sovaro™. With Madden in the irons, Coach, an 8-year-old Holsteiner gelding, was one of 39 horses to compete over the Alan Wade designed track set at Deeridge Farms and one of...

Samantha Karp and Zentina B (Shawn McMillen Photography) Washington, D.C. – The 57th annual Washington International Horse Show (WIHS) kicked off six days of competition at Verizon Center in downtown Washington, DC, Tuesday. The day featured professional and amateur hunters competing in the first classes of their divisions, as well as year-end championships for the child and adult hunter competitors. This year’s WIHS continues through Sunday, October 25, featuring world-class...

Samantha Karp and Zetina B (Al Cook Photo) Harrisburg, Pa. - October 12, 2015 - Samantha Karp, 18, of Wellington, FL, is on a winning streak. With her mount, Zentina B, she won the $10,000 North American League (NAL) Children's Hunter Final at the Pennsylvania National Horse Show. The pair were also the year-end point leaders in the East Coast Children's Hunter Division of the North American League. The riders contested over a course of nine fences, including a one stride combination,...

Lisa Goldman and Morocco won the $25,000 Tapestry Farms Grand Prix, sponsored by the Struve Family, during the 2015 Showplace Jumper Spectacular. (Kendall Bierer/Phelps Media Group) Roscoe, Ill. - It was a day for the memory books for Redcoat Farm, and especially for professional rider Lisa Goldman. Not only did her students shine in the 2015 USHJA Children's and Adult Amateur Jumper Regional Team Championships, but she topped off Saturday with the win in the $25,000 Tapestry Farms Grand...

Wayne, Ill. – The top young talent from across the country participated in the 2015 USEF Dressage Seat Medal Finals on Sunday at the Lamplight Equestrian Center. Riders from the ages of 11 to 18 displayed their equitation in front of the judges by performing both rail and pattern work. Julia Lee Barton claimed top honors in the 13 & Under division, while Alexander Dawson earned the National title in the 14-18 division. 13 & Under Division Julia Lee Barton, 2015 13 & Under...