Doug Prather (New York's McLain Ward and Sapphire finish in eighth place in the Rolex FEI World Cup Show Jumping Finals in Las Vegas) Las Vegas, Nevada—On the last day of the 2007 Rolex FEI World Cup for show jumping, it came down to a battle between the Germans and Swiss. In the end, it was a win for Beat Mandli and Ideo du Thot, the 11-year-old Selle Francais gelding after putting in two rounds where they downed only one rail to finish on a score of five World Cup points. Some 15...

Randi Muster (McLain Ward and Sapphire) It came down to a four-rider jump-off speed round at the 2006 Rolex/USEF National Show Jumping Championship at the 123rd National Horse Show in Wellington, FL, on Sunday afternoon. And in a finish befitting the championships sponsor—Rolex—the crowds counted split seconds in the final speed test. When the last rider left the course and the points were tallied, McLain Ward and his Sapphire bested all challengers to win the title in a suspenseful, yet...

While the often-raised question, “How many horses are there in Kentucky?” is a simple one, the answer isn’t as straightforward. The answer depends on who you ask and how the count is done. What is known is that many horses never get counted by the Census of Agriculture, because they are not on property classified as a “farm.” Figuring out how many horses live in Kentucky isn’t just an exercise in counting. It’s important. If we don’t know how many horses are in Kentucky and where they live and...

The 2006 American Saddlebred Registry Sweepstakes (ASR) began on Thursday, September 7, at the All American Horse Classic at the Indiana State Fairgrounds in Indianapolis. Sweepstakes payouts for 2006 are expected to increase over 20%. In 2005, the total payout was $139,433. Prize money was distributed as follows: Two-Year-Old Sweepstakes, $38,629; Three-Year-Old Sweepstakes, $70,428; Four-Year-Old Sweepstakes, $30,376. The total estimated payouts in 2006 are up almost $32,000. Since its...

Team USA does it again by bringing home the Team Gold medal in reining. Pictured are: Dell Hendricks, Tim McQuay, Aaron Rahlston and Matt Mills. (By Ceci Flanagan-Snow) More than 38,000 fans of reining and driving descended on the 2006 World Equestrian Games on Friday to watch the exciting marathon phase of four-in-hand driving and the Team medal competition in the Western discipline of reining. It was a Gold-medal day for Team USA’s reiners, while three American drivers took to the...

Endurance riders from around the country will face the test of time and terrain when they compete for national titles at the 2006 American Endurance Ride Conference (AERC) National Championship in October. The championship, sponsored by Gulf Coast 4 Star Trailers, will be held October 20-22 in Fort Valley, VA, on the trails of the historic Old Dominion Endurance Ride. The Old Dominion, first held in 1973, is considered by many to be the most prestigious endurance competition in the eastern...

For the eighth time in her career, and for the third year in a row on Hidden Creek’s Wapino, Margie Engle raced to victory in the $65,000 Merrill Lynch Cleveland Grand Prix, the nation’s oldest show jumping classic. The class is still held at the beautiful Metropark Polo Field in Moreland Hills, OH, the site of the original Cleveland Grand Prix, first held in 1965. An enthusiastic crowd of over 5,000 braved a blistering hot 90-plus degree Sunday afternoon in the steamy Chagrin Valley. Twenty...

The Unwanted Horse Coalition, which started as the Unwanted Horse Summit during the American Horse Council’s annual convention in April, 2005, is being folded into the American Horse Council (AHC), announced Nick Nicholson, AHC Chairman. “The issue of ‘unwanted horses’ has faced this industry for some time,” said Nicholson, President of Keeneland Association. “It is an important and challenging national issue that faces all breeds and all activities in the horse world. Putting this initiative...

Marc Manning (Darren Chiacchia and Windfall II) Call it a day! The dressage phase of the 2006 Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event presented by Farnam ended with a second day of unprecedented beautiful weather and sun-kissed crowds who were witness to two days of the expert dressage tests. And with American riders siting in seven of the top 10 placings, it was a particular triumph for the U.S. eventing world. 2004 Modified CCI**** Rolex Kentucky Champion Darren Chiacchia and his black Trakehner...

Georgetown College President William H. Crouch, Jr., and Kentucky Horse Park Executive Director John Nicholson cut the ceremonial ribbon to officially open the Equine Scholars Center, which will serve as the central offices for Georgetown College’s Equine Scholars Program. The ceremony also honored Larry Smith, who recently retired as the volunteer executive director, for all of the time and hard work he contributed to make the program a success. The program, which pairs students’ academic...