Tinne Vilhelmson-Silfven and Don Auriello (Sportfot) Wellington, Fla. - The Adequan Global Dressage Festival (AGDF) Palm Beach Dressage Derby CDI W, presented by Martha W. Jolicoeur and Maria Mendelsohn of Illustrated Properties, concluded on Sunday at The Stadium at PBIEC. First to take a victory lap was Tinne Vilhelmson-Silfven (SWE) and Don Auriello in the FEI Grand Prix Special. The day concluded with the FEI Intermediaire Freestyle, which was topped by Evi Strasser (CAN) and Rigaudon Tyme....

Katherine Schmidt and Striptease with coach Carol Gwin and Jill Townsend (Sportfot) Wellington, Fla. - Twenty one-year-old Katherine Schmidt, of Ridgefield, CT, emerged victorious from the Collegiate Equitation Championship on Friday evening at the FTI WEF. Schmidt is a junior at the University of South Carolina (USC), where she is a double major in Marketing and Management. Schmidt made it through the first round of the evening's competition after beating out Auburn University's...

Paul O'Shea and Primo de Revel. Photo (Mancini Photos) Wellington, Fla. - Equestrian Sport Productions (ESP) hosted its Holiday Festival III this weekend on December 20-22, 2013, at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center (PBIEC) in Wellington, FL. The competition featured National 'A' rated hunter and 4* jumper competition, including a $10,000 Open Jumper Stake and a $25,000 Holiday III Grand Prix. The $25,000 Holiday III Grand Prix was the highlight event of the weekend, held...

Karl Cook and Banba (McCool Photography) Las Vegas, Nev. - Brazilian course designer Guilherme Jorge is brilliant at asking just the right questions for the field. With sixty-six entries, Jorge created a course that tested the technique necessary to tackle tight turns and tidy tracks. It included an interesting option fence - a skinny 1.40m gate 'winged' by a simpler vertical on each side. Heading home as fence 4, the skinny was the quicker choice to rollback to 5a-b; and later going...

Andres Rodriguez and Caballito (McCool) Las Vegas, Nev. - Wrapping up the indoor season, the Las Vegas National offers the final FEI classes on the West Coast until February 2014. Fifty-six horse and rider pairs representing eleven different countries gave it a go in tonight's $33,000 EquiFit, inc. Jumper Classic. The course was technical and the competition fierce. Brazilian Guilherme Jorge set the track. Knowing he had a large field, he intentionally built a course with technical...

Katy Groesbeck and Oz the Tin Man at the winter training session (USEF Archives) Lexington, Ky. - The United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) and its Eventing High Performance Department introduced a redesigned Developing Riders/Eventing 25 Program for 2013, and the participants had impressive performances throughout the season. Selected by application, 17 riders from across the country benefitted from regular access, coaching, and guidance from U.S. Team Coach, David O’Connor. The...

Christian Heineking and NKH Selena are unstoppable in the $50,000 LEGIS Grand Prix of Los Angeles (Flying Horse Photography) Los Angeles, Calif. - Christian Heineking (GER) heard the German national anthem for the second weekend in a row as he clinched another win aboard NKH Selena (NKH LLC, owner) in the fast and furious $50,000 LEGIS Grand Prix of Los Angeles (a World Cup Qualifier). “I definitely rode the momentum from last week’s grand prix win,” Christian commented....

Michael Renker and Wicked ( Phelps Media Group, Inc. International) Halifax, MA - The beautiful New England weather continued as competition in the Junior and Amateur-Owner Hunters concluded during the Fieldstone Summer Showcase II. Lisa Foster and Castlewood proved that they had all the answers in the Amateur-Owner Hunters, winning both over fences classes for the championship award. McKayla Langmeier and Czar-Z were also victorious in both of their over fences classes to take home the Junior...

Ali Tritschler and Dreamland rode to the top of the $5,000 NEHJA Pony Hunter Classic Finals leader board at the Fieldstone Summer Showcase II. (Kendall Bierer/Phelps Media Group) Halifax, MA - It was a bittersweet victory for pony ring veterans Ali Tritschler and Dreamland, as they claimed their final win in the $5,000 NEHJA Pony Hunter Classic Final Tuesday at the Fieldstone Show Park. Tritschler piloted Dreamland to the first place finish with two impressive rounds over fences. They nabbed...

Penny Brennan and Japan returned to the Grand Prix Field at the Fieldstone Show Park as the defending champions (Kendall Bierer/Phelps Media Group) Halifax, MA - The Grand Prix Field was alive with action, and the anticipation was tangible as the $7,500 EquiFit Speed Derby commenced. Riders gathered on the all-grass field to not only compete for the lion's share of the prize money on the second day of the Fieldstone Summer Showcase I, but also to prepare for the quickly approaching $50,000...