Bridgehampton, NY - McLain Ward is hard to beat at the Hampton Classic Horse Show. On Friday afternoon Ward rode Pjotter Van De Zonnehoeve to victory in the $50,000 Spy Coast Farm/Young Horse Show Series Grand Prix Qualifier, and he grabbed third place on Antares F. As the third rider to start in the 13-horse jump-off, Ward, on Antares F, stopped the timers just 0.02 seconds short of the mark Kent Farrington had set right before him on Venus (42.26 seconds). Four more riders tried and failed to...

Breda, The Netherlands - Competition at the 2012 FEI World Para-Equestrian Driving Championships for Singles commenced Thursday at the Outdoor Brabant in Breda, The Netherlands. All three competitors on the U.S. Team successfully completed their dressage tests and the team sits in 4th place on a score of 124.0 Veteran Diane Kastama's 57.40 was the best score of the day for the Americans and it has her tied for 13th individually. Kastama (Arroyo Grande, CA), who is driving the de Ronde's...

Para-equestrian drivers and their supporters enjoyed some time off and toured the Hague on Monday. They got an up-close look at Queen Beatrix's Golden Coach Breda, The Netherlands - International para-equestrian drivers are in Breda, The Netherlands right now ready to compete at the 2012 FEI World Para-Equestrian Driving Championships for Singles. The first vet check took place Wednesday and the three horses that will be driven by Americans passed with ease. Athletes schooled in dressage today...

Reisenbeck, Germany - The United States travelled to Reisenbeck with their sights firmly set-on capturing Team and Individual honors at the 2012 FEI Four-in-Hand Driving World Championships. Team Medal Winners on the Podium at the 2012 FEI Four-in-Hand Driving World Championship (Rinaldo de Craen/FEI) And they did just that. The U.S. team of Chester Weber, Jimmy Fairclough, and Joe Yoder was a mixture of youth and experience but proved to be a formidable group as they stormed to the Team Bronze....

Lexington, KY - The best vaulters from across the U.S. are ready to begin competition at the FEI World Vaulting Championship at the Pole Europeen du Cheval in Le Mans, France from August 16-19, 2012. Vaulters will be vying for World Championship titles in the Individual Female, Individual Male, Pas de Duex, and Team competitions. The recently crowned Gold Individual Female National Vaulting Champion Mary McCormick (Woodside, CA) hopes to continue her success in France. Having also won the...

Lexington, KY- The excitement of vaulting comes to the Lexington this weekend with the USEF/AVA National Vaulting Championships being contested August 2-5, 2012 at the Kentucky Horse Park. A total of 10 USEF national titles will be up for grabs this weekend as the best vaulters from across the United States descend upon the Alltech Arena. This is the same venue that hosted the 2010 Vaulting World Championships as part of the Alltech/FEI World Equestrian Games, where the U.S. claimed the Gold...

Lexington, KY - The upcoming Olympic Games in London have made U.S. representation at CHIO Aachen this week scarce, but the riders and horses that did make it to Germany have been on top of their game. Lauren Hough has been one of those riders and Saturday morning she was impressive once again in winning the Sparkasse Youngsters Cup Finale and finishing atop the Youngsters Cup standings. See final Sparkasse Youngsters Cup standings here . The Sparkasse Youngsters Cup is a series of two...

Bob Cooper, President Cement, Western Canada Lafarge presenting the winner’s trophy to Beezie Madden (USA) aboard Mademoiselle. (Spruce Meadows Media Services) Calgary, AB - Families from all walks of life came out to Spruce Meadows on Friday to enjoy Presidents Choice Hot Dogs, Pepsi, and International-level sport on day three of the 2012 Spruce Meadows ‘North American’ Tournament. Although the Olympics aren’t on his mind, Kent Farrington (USA) continues to be a dominate...

Major equestrian competitions attended by U.S. athletes, both domestic and overseas, are listed in this weekly preview. Please look below to find competition listings by discipline* and breed. We hope you will follow the competitions that most interest you, but check Equestrian Weekly on Monday for a report of any top finishes by U.S. Equestrians. *lists of competitions in all international disciplines will include only FEI competitions or USEF Championships within the USA and international FEI...

Spruce Meadows, Calgary, AB - The sun shone on Saturday at the 2012 Spruce Meadows ‘Canada One’ Tournament. This was particularly true for American veterans McLain Ward and Mario Deslauriers. Fifty nine horse/rider combinations saddled up for the 1.45 meter Direct Energy Cup this morning, competing for top spot over the 500 meter long course designed by Anthony D’Ambrosio (USA). Over 16 jumping efforts, the field was narrowed down to the 13 combinations who moved into the jump...