Karl Cook and Banba (McCool Photography) Las Vegas, Nev. - Brazilian course designer Guilherme Jorge is brilliant at asking just the right questions for the field. With sixty-six entries, Jorge created a course that tested the technique necessary to tackle tight turns and tidy tracks. It included an interesting option fence - a skinny 1.40m gate 'winged' by a simpler vertical on each side. Heading home as fence 4, the skinny was the quicker choice to rollback to 5a-b; and later going...

The coveted championship trophy in Doha Doha, Qatar - Nine out of the top 11 ranked riders on the Longines Global Champions Tour are in with a chance to be crowned 2013 Champion in what promises to be an end of season cliffhanger in Qatar. The scramble for maximum points at the 12th and final leg of this year’s series will be intense. Expect ruthless determination from riders at the top of the ranking who are still eligible for the most prestigious prize in show jumping. After 11 events...

Katy Groesbeck and Oz the Tin Man at the winter training session (USEF Archives) Lexington, Ky. - The United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) and its Eventing High Performance Department introduced a redesigned Developing Riders/Eventing 25 Program for 2013, and the participants had impressive performances throughout the season. Selected by application, 17 riders from across the country benefitted from regular access, coaching, and guidance from U.S. Team Coach, David O’Connor. The...

Katie Aoki comes from behind to win the Onondarka Medal Final (Flying Horse Photography) Los Angeles, Calif. - After three challenging rounds and a work off, Katie Aoki (Jan Hainze, trainer) led the victory gallop aboard her Truman in the prestigious Onondarka Medal Final at the LA National (Nov 6-10). “It was super exciting to win,” Katie shared. “I competed in the final last year and had kind of a tough time, so it was definitely something I have been working towards and...

California's Akiko Yamazaki celebrated her success aboard "Matrix" in the Prix St. Georges Adult Amateur Championship on the final day of the US Dressage Finals presented by Adequan®. (SusanJStickle.com) Lexington, Ky. - Emotions ran high as the final six champions were crowned Sunday at the inaugural US Dressage Finals presented by Adequan® in Lexington, KY. Riders who traveled to the Kentucky Horse Park from coast to coast celebrated their championship experience with memorable rides and...

Christian Heineking and NKH Selena are unstoppable in the $50,000 LEGIS Grand Prix of Los Angeles (Flying Horse Photography) Los Angeles, Calif. - Christian Heineking (GER) heard the German national anthem for the second weekend in a row as he clinched another win aboard NKH Selena (NKH LLC, owner) in the fast and furious $50,000 LEGIS Grand Prix of Los Angeles (a World Cup Qualifier). “I definitely rode the momentum from last week’s grand prix win,” Christian commented....

Lexington, Ky. - Horses and riders danced the day away in the Alltech Arena in six freestyle championship divisions during the inaugural US Dressage Finals presented by Adequan® at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, KY. Despite facing some of the best horses and riders in their divisions from across the country, competitors rose to the challenge in their quest for national titles while also gaining the experience of a lifetime. In the Third Level Freestyle Championship, Region 1 rider...

Glory Days and Katie Dinan clear the Ace Bakery oxer (Ben Radvanyi) Toronto, On. – The phrase “We have a jump off!” is commonly heard around the horse show ring, but it’s rarely, if ever, heard following a speed class at a four-star international event. Friday night the ‘one-in-a-million’ happened. Veteran American rider Laura Kraut (Middleburg, VA) put in an incredible round in what, under normal circumstances would have been the first and only round of the...

Heather Mason of Tewksbury, NJ is off to a winning start at the US Dressage Finals presented by Adequan® (SusanJStickle.com) Lexington, Ky. - For the first time in almost 30 years, national titles for adult amateur and open dressage riders from Training Level to Grand Prix were presented Friday at the inaugural US Dressage Finals presented by Adequan® at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, KY. A full day of intense competition extended into a festive evening as special celebrations were...

Lexington, Ky. - The much-anticipated start of the US Dressage Finals presented by Adequan® became official today when the first horses trotted down arena centerlines at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, KY. As the inaugural national head-to-head competition for Adult Amateur and Open riders from Training Level to Grand Prix, hundreds of exhibitors from coast to coast have gathered to share in what for many will be a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Today 16 non-championship "USDF...