Caitie Hope's winning momentum from last year has followed her into 2009, and last week she rode her way into the winner's circle once again. Hope of Barrington, IL, competed at the Lake St. Louis Horse Show in St. Louis, MO, and executed consistent rounds for top ribbons. She trains with Diane Carney at Telluride Farm, based in Hampshire, IL. Hope piloted Cinch, owned by Kathleen Hope, in the Large Junior 16-17 Hunter division and came away with the overall championship. The pair earned two...

Exhibitors who made their way to the desert for the start of the 2009 HITS Desert Circuit will be treated to a perfect week of Southern California weather and an exciting week of equestrian competition that started on January 20 at the HITS Desert Horse Park in Thermal, CA. All of the show rings will be action-packed for the next eight weeks as junior, amateur and professional riders start off a new year of competition. Some will be riding new mounts purchased in the fall, while others will be...

The 2009 HITS Ocala Winter Circuit started off with a bang for Kyle King. The Ocala resident posted the fastest double-clear round aboard Paola to secure the top prize in Sunday's $25,000 HITS Grand Prix to close out the Ocala Pre-Circuit 1 at HITS Post Time Farm in Ocala, FL. King and his 12-year-old mare outlasted a field of 24 horses in the first round and an additional four pairs that advanced to course designer Jerry Dougherty's jump-off track to secure the first-place check of $7,500 in...

Olympic Gold medalist Laura Kraut will give a clinic at the Riding Academy Clinic at Palm Beach International Equestrian Center (PBIEC) on Tuesday, February 10. The clinic will be held in PBIEC's centerpiece International Arena. It is open to riders at a minimum of level 3 jumpers. The clinic will be in two sections, from 1 to 3 p.m. and from 3:30 to 5:30 p.m. The fee for participants is $200. There is no charge for auditors. Reservations can be made through Rosemary Bertin at (561) 371-9598 or...

George Morris (USEF Archives) Lexington, KY – 2008 was a year of remarkable achievement for the US Show Jumping Program. Highlighted by the Team Gold and Individual Bronze medals at the 2008 Olympic Games in Hong Kong, the US show jumpers won on major contests on four continents. At the reins of the program was the legendary, George H. Morris. For his attention to detail, unwavering commitment to perfection and unyielding commitment to the horses and riders in his program, Morris has been...

Stadium Jumping, Inc., one of the nation's leading horse show production companies, is pleased to announce the official dates of the 2009 Tampa Equestrian Festival and 37th Annual $200,000 Budweiser American Invitational. This year the festival will host three weeks of equestrian competition with the world's best riders, horses and Olympians. The show will run from March 18-April 4 at the Bob Thomas Equestrian Center at the Florida State Fairgrounds in Tampa, FL. The Tampa Equestrian Festival...

Perfect sunny South Florida weather and spectacular competition kicked off the 2009 FTI Winter Equestrian Festival at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center. Margie Engle and Hidden Creek's Tosca won the top prize of $9,000 in the opener to the $30,000 Braman Motor Cars WEF Challenge Cup in Round 1 on Thursday, January 8. Only 0.109 secs separated Engle's win from Georgina Bloomberg and her ride on Curius, placing second to win $6,600. McLain Ward jumped Rothchild to the first $25,000...

The American Morgan Horse Association (AMHA) is pleased to announce those members who will receive the top awards at its Annual Convention in February. For the first time, awardees are announced prior to the convention, with hopes that friends and family will be able to join them for this special recognition before the Morgan community. The 2009 AMHA Annual Convention will take place in Sacramento, CA, February 18-21. Man of the Year and Woman of the Year Awards honor those individuals for...

The United States Hunter Jumper Association (USHJA) closed 2008 with a successful Annual Meeting in Nashville, TN, December 8-11 at the Hilton Downtown. The annual convention saw a record number of attendees with 250 members sitting in on rule change forums and open committee meetings. Many members, affiliate organizations and equestrian businesses donated either their time in the form of lessons or sponsored various clothing, artwork and equipment items to the silent auction that raised over...

Paso Fino Stallion Breeding Reports' deadline is coming. Breeding Reports must be turned in to the Paso Fino Horse Association (PFHA) office no later than January 31, 2009. You can also fill out your stallion's breeding report online electronically at www.pfha.org ; log in as a member, go to the Members menu at the top of the PFHA website and select Registrations, then Stallion Breeding Reports. You will need your membership and pin number in order to access the electronic breeding report...