For the Laughter and Meredith Darst. Shawn McMillen Photography. Washington, D.C. - The 53rd Washington International Horse Show concluded competition at Verizon Center in downtown Washington D.C. today with the presentation of championship awards in the pony hunter divisions. For The Laughter, owned by Dr. Betsee Parker of Middleburg, VA, won the Large Pony Hunter championship for the second year in a row and earned the coveted Grand Pony Hunter Champion award with Meredith Darst in the irons....

Paragon He’s only eight years old but he’s the talk of the dressage world. Yesterday people came to watch him school because they had seen him on YouTube and they wanted to see him in person. Luckily for the U.S. he’s on our team at the 2011 Pan American Games, after claiming reserve championship honors at the 2011 Collecting Gaits Farm/USEF Dressage Festival of Champions. Owned and ridden by Heather Blitz, the lanky 18- plus-hand chestnut gelding has jaw-dropping movement in...

Wayne, IL - As many people on the East Coast braced for Hurricane Irene, those at the Lamplight Equestrian Center enjoyed another day of sunshine and beautiful temperatures. Medals were awarded in the USEF Dressage Seat Medal Finals presented by Dressage Today 13 & under division and champions crowned in the Markel/USEF National Young Horse Dressage Championships 4- and 5-year-old divisions. Bronwyn Cordiak & Sarasanna GP (Photo: Chuck Swan/Swan Studios, LLC). The USEF...

London, OH – If you love horses, you owe it to yourself to put Equine Affaire on your calendar for November 10–13 at the Eastern States Exposition in W. Springfield, MA. Imagine what you could do with four days to devote to your passion for horses . . . Immerse yourself in educational clinics, seminars, and demonstrations. Explore breeds and riding disciplines you’ve only read about or seen online. Visit hundreds of vendors at an equine marketplace filled with equestrian...

Lexington, KY - Sunny skies and warm temperatures returned to the Kentucky Horse Park for Sunday evening's $40,000 Kentucky Summer Grand Prix, sponsored by Audi of Lexington. The nation's top horse and rider combinations gathered at the Rolex Stadium during the Kentucky Summer Horse Show to compete for the winning title. At the end of the night, it was Germany's Christian Heineking and River of Dreams who led the victory gallop after an excellent double clear effort. Karen Cudmore...

Maddy Darst with Mom Mindy Darst at Horse Shows by the Bay (Photo courtesy Horse Shows by the Bay). Traverse City, MI - Opportunities are endless for hunter riders attending Traverse City, Michigan's Horse Shows by the Bay this summer. Besides being located in the ultimate vacation destination of the Midwest, the varied festival schedule will be featuring new events and awards, ensuring participants that important items like earning lots of points, capturing coveted ribbons and winning big...

McLain Ward and Miss Liberty 7 Wind Their Way to The Winners Circle McLain Ward showed the crowd that he deserves his many accolades, as he piloted Miss Liberty 7 to a perfectly planned and executed round to win the $10,000 Gem Twist Sprint Gambler's Choice at the 64th Pennsylvania National Horse Show. The Gambler's Choice competition is very different from the standard style of classes offered at horse shows. In the Gambler's Choice, the course designer places fences around the...

Diana DeRosa (2007 Pan American Games Bronze medalists Todd Minikus, Laura Chapot, Cara Raether and Lauren Hough) Rio de Janeiro, Brazil—It was a battle between the host country—Brazil—and the teams from Canada and the United States for the team show jumping medal today at Deodoro Stadium outside Rio de Janeiro. Fittingly, it was the host country’s most popular equestrian athlete—Rodrigo Pessoa—that was the last to go in the two-round series of Nations Cup...

By Bob Langrish (Beezie Madden and Authentic are leading all show jumpers at the WEG for two days in a row.) It’s double duty again at the 2006 World Equestrian Games (WEG) in Aachen, Germany, as two disciplines played out simultaneously – one of them in the Main Stadium (show jumping) and the other having its first-day opener in Stadium 2 (four-in-hand driving). Both of the disciplines have fans running back and forth to take in the action. In show jumping, it’s Day One of a...

By Bob Langrish (Beezie Madden and Authentic in the Main Stadium in Aachen, Germany.) (Aachen, Germany)— The 16 efforts put in front of the 116 show jumpers going round during the 1st qualifier and speed class for the individual and team FEI World Championships in Aachen were a bit more than a few could handle. And for Team USA, there were few bumps along the road translating into less than a handful of downed rails in a windy Main Stadium. Over the day, six horses were eliminated, and...