Rome, Italy - The Rome CSIO5* started off well Thursday for Kent Farrington and Robin Parsky's Blue Angel. The pair finished third in the opening 1.50m Speed Class. With a clear round in 64.77s Farrington and the speedy, agile mare secured their share of the 23,500euro purse and earned a place near the top of a talented field. Winning the class were Great Britain's Scott Brash and Bon Ami, while Italian rider Juan Carlos Garcia gave the hometown crowd something to cheer about and...

Eduardo Menezes and Calavda in the Jump-off (apturedMomentPhoto.com) Del Mar, CA - On two gorgeous southern California afternoons, two fabulous rides earned the lead in the high performance victory gallops for the $60,000 Grand Prix of California, sponsored by Equ Lifestyle and presented by Ferrari & Maserati of San Diego, and the $10,000 USHJA International Hunter Derby, both on the grass Grand Prix Field. The competition was fierce with almost forty entries in both classes. Before the...

Beezie Madden Holds the Rolex/FEI World Cup Trophy High (Rebecca Walton/Phelps Media Group) Gothenburg, Sweden - The 2013 Rolex/FEI World Cup Final came to an exciting yet familiar conclusion Sunday in front of a packed house in the Scandinavum Arena. In the first of two rounds Course Designer Uliano Vezzani tested 23 horse and rider combinations over a demanding track composed of 12 obstacles that did not yield a single clear round. The number of competitors was then whittled to 17 for the 11...

Beijing, China - Laura Kraut took home the top prize at the Longines Beijing Equestrian Masters CSI2* Grand Prix in Beijing over the weekend. Kraut and U-Prova (a borrowed horse*) bested a field of 35 mostly Chinese riders for the win. Nine riders were clear after the first round of competition over an eleven fences course. Kraut, the only American in the class, was joined by three Germans, four Chinese riders, and one representing Hong Kong. Laura guided the KWPN-Stallion U-Prova quickly...

The Oklahoma State Cowgirls, 2013 Big 12 Equestrian Champions (ostatephoto.com) Stillwater, OK - It was a close match to the end, but the Oklahoma State Cowgirls earned an 8-6 win over the Kansas State Wildcats at the Animal Science Arena in Stillwater, OK Saturday and were crowned Big 12 Conference champions for the second year in a row, and third time ever. The Cowgirls jumped to a slim 2-1 lead early on after their Hunter Seat team earned a win in Equitation over Fences. The Wildcats...

Conor Swail and Martha Louise (Sportfot) Wellington, FL - Ireland's Conor Swail and Chinook Valley, Inc.'s Martha Louise were victorious in Thursday's $33,000 Ruby et Violette WEF Challenge Cup Round 10 during week ten of the 2013 FTI Consulting Winter Equestrian Festival's (FTI WEF), sponsored by Horseware Ireland. Week ten's competition runs March 13-17 at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center (PBIEC) featuring CSI 3* competition. Highlights include the $33,000...

Charlie Jacobs and Flaming Star. (Sportfot) Wellington, FL - Week four of the2013 FTI Consulting Winter Equestrian Festival (FTI WEF) continued on Thursday with a win for Charlie Jacobs and CMJ Sporthorse, LLC's Flaming Star in the $33,000 Ruby et Violette WEF Challenge Cup Round 4. In a 23-horse jump-off, Jacobs and Flaming Star topped an all-star field with second place honors going to Conor Swail (IRL) riding Lansdowne and third place awarded to Brianne Goutal (USA) aboard Nice de...

Katie Dinan, Reed Kessler, and Brianne Goutal. Photo (Kenneth Kraus) Wellington, FL - The youngest rider in Saturday night's $50,000 Wellington Equestrian Realty Grand Prix was the winner as eighteen-year-old Reed Kessler and Ligist jumped to victory during the highlight event of week two at the 2013 FTI Consulting Winter Equestrian Festival (FTI WEF). With riders representing fourteen different countries competing in the class, the USA took the top seven placings and the young women were...

Cylana and Reed Kessler. (Shawn McMillen Photography) Washington, D.C. - Eighteen-year-old U.S. Olympian Reed Kessler added yet another accolade to her impressive year with a win in the $100,000 President's Cup Grand Prix, presented by Events DC, at the 54th annual Washington International Horse Show (WIHS). A FEI World Cup Qualifier, Kessler topped an impressive list of international competitors aboard her phenomenal mare Cylana to win in her first time competing in the class....

Mary McCormick, winner of the Gold Individual Female Championships (Lynne Owens/VaultingPhotos.com) Lexington, KY - Top vaulters from throughout the U.S. flocked to the Alltech Arena at the Kentucky Horse Park to stake their claim on 2012 USEF/AVA National Vaulting Championship honors, August 2-5, 2012. A total of 10 national titles were on the line, as Gold, Silver and Bronze sections were held in Individual Female and Male Championships. Additionally, National Championship competition was...