Lexington, Ky. - The U.S. Saddle Seat Team arrived in Ashville, N.C., this weekend and is ready for the 2014 Saddle Seat World Cup. Beginning July 22, the riders will compete over four days of competition in hope of repeating their double Gold medal performance in 2012. Held during the Blue Ridge Classic Horse Show, teams from Canada, South Africa, and the United States will ride for top honors at the 2014 Saddle Seat World Cup. The Three- and Five-Gaited U.S. riders had their final training...

Overall Grand Champion Samantha Sommers and Small Affair at the 2013 US Junior Hunter National Championships - West (Captured Moment Photography) Lexington, KY – The top junior hunter riders on the west coast met at Showpark Facility in Del Mar, CA, July 22-23 for the 2013 US Junior Hunter National Championships – West. The riders were separated into 15 & Under and 16-17 divisions, as well as Small Junior Hunter and Large Junior Hunter, and competed in three phases: Classic...

David Oliynyk and Generous swept the first day of the Performance Working Hunters (Phelps Media Group) Halifax, MA - Beautifully set courses greeted hunter exhibitors for the first day of the Fieldstone Spring Festival. The professional hunter divisions kicked off the competition in the two main hunter rings, where David Oliynyk, Thomas Hern, and Kristen Bumpus all rode their mounts to top honors in the Performance Working Hunter and Pre-Green Hunter divisions. Competitors were thrilled to...

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...

Hampton Falls, NH - Offering more than 50 classes and more prize money than ever before, the Jumper Classic® will be show jumping's hottest destination for the Northeast this August. The prize list for The Jumper Classic, a five-day international event to be held on its new dates, August 8-12, has been mailed out and is now available online at www.jumperclassic.com. "We are pleased to have several new sponsors for classes this year and to have been able to increase the prize money we...

Funding Neede for the FHWA Recreational Trails Program The Senate transportation bill (MAP-21) severely weakens programs for trails, walking, and biking. Amendment #1661 proposed by Senator Klobuchar (D-MN) and co-sponsored by Senators Burr (R-NC), Shaheen (D-NH), Risch (R-ID), and Udall (D-CO), would restore dedicated funding for the Recreational Trails Program (RTP), consistent with language that is already in the House bill. Equine Land Conservation Resource is already signed on and is...

Annville, PA — In the competition for top positions and places in the regular season of the 2010-2011 North American League (NAL), six top riders emerged as division winners. The NAL runs season-long series in six hunter-jumper divisions — Adult Hunter, presented by Practical Horseman, Children’s Hunter, Adult Jumper, Children’s Jumper, Pony Jumper and the Low Junior/ Amateur-Owner Jumper. The NAL qualifying period started September 1, 2010 and ended August 31, 2011....

McLain Ward and Sapphire on the cover of Unbridled Passion (Cover photo: Tony deCosta; Cover design: Tazuko Sugajima). Boston, MA - While many equestrians have heard of show jumping greats Ian Millar, McLain Ward, and Beezie Madden, few have heard the story behind the relationship with their equally famous equine partners. Unbridled Passion – Show Jumping's Greatest Horses and Riders (Acanthus Publishing 2011), a new book by Jeff Papows, explores these relationships and the...

Layla Choate winning the inaugural NRHA Interscholastic Reining Championship aboard Kathleen Ray’s Dunit Pistol Pete (Photo by Waltenberry). Oklahoma City, OK - The National Reining Horse Association (NRHA) welcomed Interscholastic Equestrian Association (IEA) competitors to the National Reining Horse Association (NRHA) Derby Show on June 30, 2011. Competitors were given an opportunity to participate the first-ever NRHA Interscholastic Reining Championship, a competition...

Rich Fellers and Flexible place second at Longines Grand Prix of Switzerland. Photo by Beatrice Scudo. St. Gallen, Switzerland - Switzerland's CSIO St. Gallen ended successfully for the show jumping riders who have been representing the United States at the first three shows of the 2011 FEI Nations Cup Series. In Sunday's Longines Grand Prix of Switzerland, Rich Fellers and Flexible defied both the tiny chestnut stallion's size and the weather, jumping impressively to second place...