Carson Kressley at Devon Horse Show. Devon, PA - Carson Kressley grew up near Devon outside of Allentown, PA, and has always had Saddlebred horses in his life. And quite frankly, wouldn't have it any other way. "I was really fortunate my family was in the Hackney Pony business. My Grandparents started in the 50's and my grandmother bought my dad a pony because he wanted one...but he really didn't want one, she wanted one. Then by the 70's the whole big pony boom they had about...

Reims, France - The USEF European Young Rider Tour continued its successful trip through Europe with another second-place finish in the Nations Cup at CSIOY Reims. Runners-up in Belgium the previous weekend, the Young Riders continued their successful European effort. Catherine Pasmore led off the U.S. team, rebounding from a 13-fault first round on My Boy to improve to eight faults in round two. Karen Polle rode With Wings in the second position to a six-fault effort in the first round but...

Lexington, KY - Building on the success of National Helmet Awareness Day 2010, the popular helmet awareness campaign Riders4Helmets.com has announced plans to host International Helmet Awareness Day 2011 on Saturday, June 11. Riders4Helmets has teamed up with leading helmet manufacturers to offer discounts on helmets to equestrians via participating retailers globally on this day. More than 300 retailers in the U.S. and eight retailers Internationally offered discounts on helmets from eight...

Louise Serio and Phillipa at the Kentucky Spring Classic (Photo by Holly Whiteman). Lexington KY - Hunter riders at the Kentucky Spring Classic enjoyed a day without rain at the beautiful Kentucky Horse Park. Today was the second day of the Kentucky Spring Classic, which is the second week of the Kentucky Spring Horse Shows. This week features the World Champion Hunter Rider Week, which gives riders the opportunity to earn fabulous prize money along with quality points toward year end awards...

Cyndi Jackson and Strauss (USEF Archives) Lexington, KY - Dressage riders on the West coast had their opportunity to work with USEF Technical Advisor, Anne Gribbons in the first USEF Observation Session held in California in 2011 on April 5 and 6. Steffen and Shannon Peters kindly hosted the session at their Arroyo Del Mar training facility in San Diego, CA. Over two days, Gribbons worked with each combination individually, fine tuning movements with the veteran pairs and introducing new...

Award-winning course designer Anthony D'Ambrosio. (Photo by Kenneth Kraus.) Hampton Falls, NH - A new course designer at the 2011 Fidelity Investments Jumper Classic, featuring the $75,000 Grand Prix, will challenge competitors this year on the grass Grand Prix and Derby field. Award-winning course designer Anthony D'Ambrosio will be testing the top riders in the high performance classes to be held at Silver Oak Equestrian Center, Hampton Falls, NH, September 14-18. A sanctioned FEI course...

Karen Jenkins in Spain with Jenson, Ofendido VII's sire. (Photo courtesy Karen Jenkins.) Ocala, FL - When Karen Jenkins demanded her own pony at age five, her unsure parents insisted on riding lessons. Years of instruction and various horses later, they knew horses were in her blood – and not going anywhere. “My parents insisted that if I had a horse, I had to take care of it myself,” said Jenkins, who now is 73. “I think they became resigned to the fact that I was dedicated to making horses a...

Lizzie Snow graduated from High School in 2010 and has represented Area VII at the Adequan FEI North American Junior/Young Rider Championships presented by Gotham North in 2009 and 2010. In 2010 she won Team Gold and Individual Bronze at the 2010 event and made a successful move up to the CCI2* level. The Portland, OR native is now based in Southern Pines, NC. I can’t believe it’s already the end of March. I feel like the year just began but now the spring season is halfway done! My...

Ocala, FL - If the weather was a sign of things to come, then the 2011 HITS Ocala Winter Circuit is sure to be another spectacular season. The HITS Ocala Pre-Circuit came to an end on Sunday after two special weeks of exciting show jumping, which now paves the way for the highly anticipated six-week, AA-rated circuit set to start on February 8. Where it all begins again The Road to the Pfizer Million HITS, Inc. made history in 2010 when it produced the richest Grand Prix in the world, the...

Wellington, FL - January 17, 2011 - The first week of the 2011 FTI Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF) was a great success with horses and riders from around the world competing at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center. It was a record opening week for the FTI Winter Equestrian Festival, with the number of horses showed increased by 11% from last year. The competition, held in 12 different rings all now on the North Grounds, was fantastic, and spectators and exhibitors enjoyed the venue...