Mandy Porter and Con Capilot (Flying Horse Photography) Sacramento, California - October 5, 2013 - Audible gasps, cheers and applause were heard throughout the night as Murieta Equestrian Center hosted the 6th annual Sacramento International Grand Prix. Mandy Porter and Con Capilot were the only double clear out of a field of 35 horse and rider combinations. Heiko Wahler of Germany designed a challenging and highly technical course that asked some tough questions of both riders and horses. Out...

Springtown, Texas - It was a tale of two teams in Texas on Saturday as No.7 Baylor and No.8 Texas Christian met in an early season in-state clash. TCU had the better western team, and Baylor was the dominant hunt seat team. But the TCU reining team was the only squad able to secure an outright, 5-0, sweep. In doing so they made the difference in a hard fought 11-9 win. Baylor won equitation on the flat 3-2 and TCU edged out an equal 3-2 victory in horsemanship. TCU was able to pick up one point...

Leslie Berndl (Pics of You) Lexington, KY – A good crowd turned out at the Kentucky Horse Park Saturday to watch the marathon phase of the Kentucky Classic CDE. When the driving was done and the spectators had left Leslie Berndl had taken a big step into the lead in the single horse division. Berndl (Newcastle, California) started off hot Saturday morning with Dutch Warmblood gelding Umico and her consistent driving over the entire course helped her take the lead in the division. Berndl...

The FEI has received formal Expressions of Interest from Great Britain, the USA and Canada to host the FEI World Equestrian Games™ 2018, after re-opening the bidding process on 1 July 2013. The USA has identified two potential host cities - Wellington (Florida) and Lexington (Kentucky) - and Great Britain will have to confirm the proposed host city with the FEI before the 15 November 2013 deadline for receipt of Bid Applicant Questionnaires. Canada confirmed its initial bid to host the...

Barbara Ann Merryman, Ashley Foster and Haley Waters (Randi Muster) Jacksonville, FL - The highly- anticipated ASPCA Maclay Regionals were held on the final day of the 2013 Southeast Medal Finals at the Jacksonville Equestrian Center. Ashley Foster of Brookeville, MD executed Allen Rheinheimer's course flawlessly aboard Leena L, owned by KMW Ponies LLC, to take home the coveted prize out of a total of 39 riders. Her life-long friend, Haley Waters earned the second place prize with an...

Nayel Nassar and Lordan jump their way to Zoetis Million glory at HITS Saugerties during Championship Weekend (©ESI Photography) Saugerties, NY – Nayel Nassar of Stanford, California proved that a 3,000-mile trip across the U.S. was well worth the effort Sunday when he rode Lordan to a hard-fought victory in the fourth-annual Zoetis $1 Million Grand Prix at HITS Saugerties. With the post-competition tunes of Emmylou Harris and Rodney Crowell playing in the background, Nassar prepared to...

Calgary, AB – The prestigious Spruce Meadows 'Masters' Tournament opened today with two classes in the International Ring and featured exciting competition. The victory in the $85,000 Finning Cup 1.60m went to Christian Ahlmann (GER) on Taloubet Z. Kent Farrington (USA) and Blue Angel flew to the win over a field of 17 in the jump-off of the $50,000 AKITA Drilling Cup 1.50m. The 'Masters' continues through Sunday, September 8, and features the $1 Million CN International...

Chester Weber finished 2nd in the Marathon at CAI Caen on his way to a 2014 WEG test event victory (Madeleine Augustsson/CAI Caen) Caen, France - With Sunday's cones complete, Chester Weber has won the WEG test event at the Caen CAI-4A. Weber (Ocala, FL) led a team made up of his own seven-year-old KWPN gelding Boris W, 13-year-old KWPN gelding Boy W, and 16-year-old KWPN gelding Para, along with Jane Clark's 10-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding Splash, and Koos de Ronde's...

Last week I posted a virtual show entry video from an amazingly brave woman who continues to allow me to use her material for examples in this blog. Her courage and generosity inspire me and I hope that her open heart and willingness to be visible inspire you too. I hope that some of you readers are able to identify with her as a peer, a rider struggling to understand riding and training her stock horse and that you professionals at least respect her courage. Reaction to the video has been...

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...