During the US Equestrian Annual Meeting on Thursday, US Equestrian Director of Sport Will Connell defined his goals for sustained high-performance success. The list includes assisting in the development of young athletes and developing world-renowned coaches. These goals go hand-in-hand, and on Friday, the Coaching, Youth, and Para Dressage panelists, Michel Assouline, USEF’s Para-Equestrian Dressage Head of Coach Development and Para-Equestrian Dressage Technical Advisor, Alison Brock,...

Mill Spring, N.C. - Mary McCormick is one of the United States’ most decorated vaulters. This is her fourth appearance at the WEG; she also represented the U.S. in 2006, 2010, and 2014. McCormick grew up in Sonoma, Calif., where her mother was a marketing director in the Northern California wine business and her father was the tour manager for the rock band the Doobie Brothers. Her parents were not involved with horses, but Mary discovered her passion for the sport at a local vaulting...

Harrisburg, Pa. - Leading through all three rounds of the Dover Saddlery/USEF Hunter Seat Medal Finals, 18-year-old Taylor St. Jacques (Glen Allen, Va.) proved herself to be just what judges Tamara Provost (Westfield, Ind.) and Jack Towell (Camden, S.C.) were looking for as they awarded her first place and the gold medal for her performance. Taylor St. Jacques, the 2017 Dover Saddlery/USEF Hunter Seat Medal Finals Champion (© Al Cook – www.alcookphoto.com) A total of 257 of the...

Lexington, Ky. - The excitement of the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event presented by Land Rover (RK3DE) is about to begin at the Kentucky Horse Park. Following the first horse inspection, 59 horse-and-rider combinations from nine nations will vie for top honors at America's only CCI4* event, which also serves as the Rolex/USEF CCI4* Eventing National Championship. For the first time in 2017, the Roger Haller Trophy, honoring the late, internationally-respected eventing official, will be...

Sophie Michaels and Balouba (Kendal Bierer/PhelpsSports.com) Traverse City, Mich. - The first portion of the 2016 Great Lakes Equestrian Festival has drawn to a close and from those that came to compete in beautiful Traverse City, Michigan, the reviews are overwhelmingly positive for Morrissey Management Group's (MMG) second-year production. From excellent reviews for the upgraded footing to the wonderful hospitality and fabulous food in the VIP Tent, those that made the trip to the Upper...

Elkton, Md. – The quest for National Championship titles got underway this week with two days of dressage at The Dutta Corp. Fair Hill International. Athletes from 24 states performed their tests as part of The Dutta Corp./USEF Three- and Two-Star Eventing National Championships. Tamra Smith and Mai Baum currently lead the CCI3* with a score of 38.5 while Will Coleman and Tight Lines sit atop the CCI2* leaderboard on a score of 42.5. Tamra Smith and Mai Baum (Shannon Brinkman Photo)...

Molly Sewell and EL Raymond (Phelps Media Group) Lexington, KY - July 26, 2015 - When it comes to winning the $5,000 USHJA National Hunter Derby at the Kentucky Summer Horse Show, Molly Sewell and EL Raymond are two-for-two. The pair won the class last year at the Kentucky Horse Park, and they returned on Sunday to do it again this year. "He never lets me down. I think we've been in the top four of every derby that we've ever done - usually winning because that's what Raymond does,"...

(Stefano Grasso/LGCT) Miami Beach, Fla. - Crowds are already forming around the competition arena boundaries, eager to see the fantastic equine athletes here to compete in the first round of the 2015 Longines Global Champions Tour season in Miami Beach, Florida, as they train in the afternoon sunshine. The first day of the Longines Global Champions Tour beckons as tomorrow, world-class horses and riders will take to the spectacular and unique ocean-side arena for the first time to battle it out...

Dorothy Douglas & S&L Elite (Tricia Booker Photography) Houston, Texas. - Dorothy Douglas knew what she had to do. She went fourth in the first round, was the first to post a clear round and was the first to return in the six-horse jump-off during the $30,000 Walter Oil & Gas Grand Prix. "It feels like for those 42 seconds I actually knew what I was doing!" said Douglas, whose winning jump-off time couldn't be caught. The class was the featured event on March 28 during Week II...

Adam Prudent and Vasco Win at The Ridge at Wellington Turf Tour at the International Polo Club Palm Beach (Shannon Bower/Phelps Media Group) Wellington, Fla. - The final Wednesday of the Ridge at Wellington Turf Tour was incredibly successful, with both rings staying busy throughout the day. Adam Prudent topped the first 1.30-1.35m class riding Vasco for Plain Bay Sales. Prudent brought the horse over in order to prepare for the Finale Grand Prix on Friday. "It was a great course as usual at...