Minikus, Farrington, Johnson, and Kessler in Winner's Circle for Jumpers The 2009 Washington International Horse Show (WIHS) CSI****-W is one of the most exciting equestrian competitions in the country, and it is one of only two shows in North America that offer a puissance, or "high jump" class. Friday night's $25,000 Puissance presented by Chevron Corporation saw a very familiar face for the awards presentation. Seven-time winner McLain Ward of Brewster, NY, was victorious in the class on...

It was another exciting day of competition at the 2009 Washington International Horse Show (WIHS), as the schedule featured four jumper classes for amateur-owner, junior, and open jumpers on Thursday. The highlight class of the day was the $30,000 Open Jumper Time First Jump-off class, and Olympic Gold medalist McLain Ward of the United States took the top prize on Couletto K James. Andres Rodriguez of Venezuala and Da Vinci were victorious in the $20,000 Open Jumper Gambler's Choice Costume...

The professional hunter divisions and the Amateur-Owner Hunter divisions wrapped-up their second day of competition on Wednesday, October 21, at the Washington International Horse Show with the presentation of Grand Championship awards. Scott Stewart and Declaration led the way, earning the Green Conformation Hunter Championship, and going on to win the Grand Green Working Hunter Award, as well as the Grand Champion Hunter Award. After his excellent performance, Stewart also received the...

Kassandra Barteau and GP Raymeister at 2009 NAJYRC (Flashpoint Photography) Lexington, KY – Three-time USEF National Champion and NAJYRC Gold Medalist Kassandra Barteau has topped the United States rankings for the FEI World Cup™ Dressage Final for Young Riders and has earned an invitation to Frankfurt, Germany for the Final, to be held December 17-20. Twenty-one year-old Barteau of Maple Park, Illinois and her mount GP Raymeister (a 10-year-old bay Holsteiner stallion owned by...

I have said good-bye to Kentucky and am making my way home to sunny California. I'm looking forward to being dry for an entire day! During the first leg of my journey, I thought about the past week and the memories I will be taking home with me. I thought about the Lexington area and the Horse Park, about not only how beautiful it is, but how there is so much to see there and I didn't see a fraction-I will have to go back when I can spend several days and see everything. I thought about...

Anne Gribbons is set to take on position of USEF Dressage Chef d’Equipe/Technical Advisor (USEF Archive/PhelpsPhoto.com) The United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) is pleased to announce that pending successful contract negotiations, Anne Gribbons will be named as USEF Dressage Chef d’Equipe/Technical Advisor through 2012. Gribbons will fill the role for dressage that Capt. Mark Phillips and George Morris fill for the Olympic disciplines of eventing and show jumping respectively. The...

Lexington, KY —Equipped with a new indoor facility, six strong teams and some of the most outstanding reining horses in North America, the SmartPak™ North American Young Rider Reining Championships came to an emotional and suspenseful close today with the prestigious Individual competition. For only the second time in history, the championships has declared an Individual Gold medalist in Darcy Wilson of Glenwood, Ontario, Canada, who stood on guard for her beloved Canada while...

Steffen Peters and Ravel (Shannon Brinkman) Lexington, KY – For the first time, a US Dressage Rider has been named by the United States Olympic Committee (USOC) as the Athlete of the Month. Steffen Peters was honored for his effort in Las Vegas, NV at the 2009 Rolex FEI World Cup Final. Riding Ravel, for longtime supporter Akiko Yamazaki, Peters made history. The pair earned the best score of their career together in the Freestyle (84.95%) and brought down the house at the Thomas &...

Lexington, KY - Endurance legend Valerie Kanavy will be honored at the USEF Annual Meeting during the Valerie Kanavy (GenieSS, Inc.) Pegasus Awards Dinner on January 17, 2009, when she will receive the Maggy Price Endurance Excellence Award. Named for international endurance rider Maggy Price, who was a Silver medalist at the 1992 World Championships and a pioneer for the sport, the award honors the athlete who earns the most points in selected Ranking Trials during the ride year. This year,...

Goal is to Have Funds In Place When Disaster Strikes Lexington, KY— In 2005 two shocking back-to-back hurricanes, Katrina and Rita, catapulted equine enthusiasts from around the country into a cooperative effort to assist horses and their owners after these extraordinary disasters. At the time, USEF personnel worked around the clock to coordinate assistance from many local and national organizations. The biggest challenge was not man-power since there were hundreds of potential volunteers...