Lexington, Ky. - To reach the highest level of excellence in equestrian sport requires talent, perseverance, a tremendous spirit and often, unwavering courage. In 2013, six horses have shown the world these qualities and more. On January 11, the United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) will bestow two of them with the prestigious title of Horse of the Year, the highest honor the USEF awards a horse. Again this year, both a national and international horse will be crowned. The six champions...

Molly Ashe and Kennzo (Photo (c) Mancini Photos) Wellington, Fla - Equestrian Sport Productions' Holiday & Horses competition concluded at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center (PBIEC) on Sunday afternoon with a win for Molly Ashe and Kennzo in the $15,000 USHJA International Hunter Derby. Laura Kraut and Bonito R ended the week with a victory in the $10,000 Open Jumper 1.40m Stake class. The $15,000 Holiday & Horses USHJA International Hunter Derby was held in the Mogavero...

Liza Boyd and Crack On (Shawn McMillen Photography) pper Marlboro, MD – Professional riders gain points all year in order to be the top six in the country and qualify for the WCHR Professional Finals, sponsored by the John R. Ingram Fund, at the Capital Challenge Horse Show. This year, the top six were Liza Boyd, Kelley Farmer, John French, Peter Pletcher, Amanda Steege, and Scott Stewart, and it was Liza Boyd who finished the competition with top honors. In the afternoon session, Haleigh...

Welcome to the fourth installment of a different kind of blog from WDAA! The purpose of this post is to allow the reader "into the heads" of both a trainer/judge/competitor, Karen Abbattista and her student, Deborah Herbert, a Florida WDAA member. We would like to share with you some moments in Deb's journey as she pursues her riding goals with her AQHA mare "GenuineArcticSpring", barn name "Belle". Please enjoy as you follow along with these posts that we consider interesting or...

Jennifer Bliss rode Extraordinary to the first place finish in the $10,000 GGT Footing 3'3" Hunter Derby on the final day of the Fieldstone Summer Showcase (Kendall Bierer/Phelps Media Group) Halifax, MA - The Fieldstone Summer Showcase I ended Sunday with the much-anticipated $10,000 GGT Footing 3'3" Hunter Derby where Jennifer Bliss guided her two top mounts to the 1-2 finish. The derby has always been both a competitor and crowd favorite at the Fieldstone Show Park in Halifax, MA, and...

Aaron Vale and H&M Cisco (PMG) Lexington, KY - Although there were grey skies in the area for the second day of the Kentucky Summer Classic, the weather did not dampen the competition in the Rolex Stadium. Both the 1.40m and 1.35m Open Jumper classes were determined by just fractions of a second. As the last in the class, Aaron Vale had the draw on his side as he bested Juan Pablo Gaspar and Shamrock with H&M Cisco in the 1.40m Open Jumpers. In the 1.35m Open Jumpers, Geoffrey Case and...

Hillary Simpson guided Arkansas to victory in the $30,000 Mount Equinox Grad Prix, on Saturday, July 27, at the Vermont Summer Festival in East Dorset, VT. (David Mullinix Photography) East Dorset, VT - Arkansas’ racing days may be far behind him, but he is still quite the speed demon. Hillary Simpson piloted the 10-year-old Thoroughbred gelding to victory in the $30,000 Mount Equinox Grand Prix Saturday afternoon at the Vermont Summer Festival. Simpson was only one of two double clear...

Molly Mcadow and Barina captured the $5,000 USHJA National Hunter Derby victory at Equifest I (Kendall Bierer/PMG) Wayne, IL - It was a day to remember for Molly Mcadow as she laid down the winning rounds during the $5,000 USHJA National Hunter Derby. The Lamplight Equestrian Center was packed with exhibitors and spectators for the third day of Equifest I, and although the skies were gray and torrents of rain poured down from above, the derby contenders were not deterred. Mcadow led the victory...

Kristen VanderVeen and Bull Run's Eternal (Mary Adelaide Brakenridge) Parker, CO - The crown jewel of the Summer in the Rockies six-week series, the $50,000 Parker Adventist Hospital Grand Prix, was held on Saturday afternoon. It was Military Day at the Colorado Horse Park, honoring and welcoming military and first responders to enjoy family activities and great show jumping. Title sponsor Parker Adventist Hospital was on hand for helmet fittings and distribution of free riding helmets to...

Calgary, Alberta – Five weeks of world-class competition wrapped up at Spruce Meadows on Sunday afternoon with a fantastic win for Ireland’s Conor Swail and Lansdowne in the $400,000 Spruce Meadows ‘Pan American’ Grand Prix. The final event of the summer featured a five-horse jump-off with a win for the Irish, Colombia’s Daniel Bluman and Sancha LS in second and fellow Irishman Cameron Hanley and Antello in third. Canada’s Peter Grant set the track on Sunday...