Thermal, Calif. - Week I of the HITS Desert Circuit is jam-packed with excitement. There was no shortage of action with the $5,000 Brook Ledge Open Welcome on Wednesday, January 20, and the $25,000 SmartPak Grand Prix on Friday, January 22. Susan Hutchison and Ziedento on their way to a $5,000 Brook Ledge Open Welcome win. (ESI Photography) $5,000 Brook Ledge Open Welcome Riders and horses were put to the test during the first $5,000 Brook Ledge Open Welcome in Week I of the HITS Desert Circuit...

Tori Colvin and Zidane (Emily Riden for Phelps Media Group) Wellington, Fla. - The Under 25 Grand Prix division was designed to help bridge the gap between the junior jumper and grand prix rings. Now, for the second year in a row, Equine Couture and TuffRider are proud to be a part of helping give riders a leg up to the next level as presenting sponsors of the $25,000 Artisan Farms U25 Grand Prix, held Sunday morning at the Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF). From a 62 horse starting field,...

It was an exciting second week of auditions for the American Equestrians Got Talent. Nine acts competed in the first round of competition at the White Horse Fashion Cuisine Wednesday night. The show opened with last week’s winner, Alix WHO, a 15 year old member of the Young Singers of the Palm Beaches who sings while playing her ukulele. Following the opening act, the competition started with a beautiful performance by flautist Ansley Wright. Two of the 2015 AEGT Finale performers also...

Ocala, Fla. - The HITS Ocala Winter Circuit kicked off in the Sunshine State with the $2,500 Brook Ledge Open Welcome on Wednesday, January 20, and the $25,000 SmartPak Grand Prix on Thursday, January 21. Lisa Goldman and Morocco on their way to a $2,500 Brook Ledge Open Welcome win. (ESI Photography) $2,500 Brook Ledge Open Welcome Lisa Goldman from Hawthorn Woods, Illinois, riding her own Morocco, topped the leader board of the Brook Ledge Open Welcome in the January Classic at HITS Post Time...

Anna Ford, Program Director of New Vocations Racehorse Adoption Program in Marysville, Ohio, was honored as the 2015 recipient of the EQUUS Foundation/USEF Humanitarian Award at the United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) Pegasus Awards Dinner on Friday, January 15, 2016, during the Federation's Annual Meeting in Lexington Kentucky. Anna Ford and Lynn Coakley Presented to Anna Ford by Chrystine Tauber, USEF President (left) and Lynn Coakley, EQUUS Foundation, President (right), the...

Valle de Bravo, Mexico – January 20, 2016 – The newly minted North American League Longines FEI World Cup qualifying season continues in 2016 in Mexico. With ten events complete, four remain before the Finals this March in Gothenburg. The first of those four is also the first ever FEI World Cup Qualifying event produced in Mexico. Welcome to Valle de Bravo CSI4*. Patricio Pasquel and Carnival. Photo by Anwar Esquivel/EqSol Setting Latin American records right from the start, 81...

Lexington, Ky . - On a night dedicated to the horse, two special athletes were recognized for their excellence in 2015 during the USEF's Year-End Awards Gala. In a year that witnessed equestrian athletes excel, PVF Peace of Mind and Brunello reached the pinnacle of their sports and for their achievements were named International and National Horse of the Year, respectively. Voting was open to the public through January and both horses, already fan favorites, were rewarded for their...

Gladstone, N.J. - The United States Equestrian Team (USET) Foundation is pleased to announce that it has awarded the 2016 Amanda Pirie Warrington Grant to eventing rider Jenny Caras of Cartersville, Georgia. Jenny Caras and Fernhill Fortitude at 2015 Fair Hill. (Shannon Brinkman) The Amanda Pirie Warrington Grant is awarded through the USET Foundation Amanda Pirie Warrington Fund. In 2015, 19-year-old Caras, with her talented mount Fernhill Fortitude, took the eventing world by storm as one of...

Lexington, Ky. - The United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) is pleased to announce that Deloitte is now the presenting sponsor of the U.S. Para-Equestrian Dressage Team and the U.S. Para-Equestrian Dressage National Championships through 2018. "We are excited to introduce Deloitte as a supporter of Para-Equestrian Dressage," said Chris Welton, CEO, USEF. "With Deloitte’s dedication to performance, excellence and teamwork, we couldn’t think of a better sponsor for our...

Lexington, Ky. - The United States Equestrian Federation is pleased to announce the nine 2015 Equestrians of Honor. Laura Graves (StockImageServices.com) Laura Graves Geneva, Fla. Dressage The William C. Steinkraus Trophy is presented to an equestrian competing in the Olympic disciplines of dressage, eventing, or show jumping. Laura Graves has spent 2015 solidifying her name amongst top dressage athletes here in the U.S., as well as abroad. At only 28-years-old, Graves and her mount, Verdades,...