Laura Chapot took advantage of the enviable last-to-go spot in the jump-off of Thursday's final $25,000 Ariat Grand Prix of the season at HITS Saugerties on September 4, as she captured the blue aboard Church Road to rev up an exciting weekend of show jumping. Chapot and Church Road got the best of 16 pairs to challenge course designer Jerry Dougherty's first-round track and the five combinations that advanced to the jump-off to win $7,500 in prize money for horse owners Sarah Becker and B&B...

International dressage trainer Susan Dutta has stayed busy over the summer accumulating many blue ribbons during the hot Florida summer. In an effort to stay in top form before Dressage at Devon, Dutta has competed at the Summer Sizzler I and the Summer Sizzler II held in Newberry, FL. Golden Choice DC, Currency DC, and Manette DC have all thrived in the competition arena this summer with Dutta, showing that they are ready for the difficult tests that lay ahead. At the Summer Sizzler I in July,...

It was an exciting weekend for Hasbrouck Donovan as she and her horse Levity bested 40 of the region's top competitors to capture the ASPCA Maclay Regional Championship for Region 3 (the Southeast), held during the final weekend of the 2008 North Florida Hunter Jumper Association's Labor Day Horse Show. This marks the second year the prestigious Region 3 Championship was held at the Agricultural Center in Green Cove Springs, FL. "He's awesome! I just love him," said Donovan of her mount Levity,...

Even tropical storm Hanna could not stop the competition at The Laurels at Landhope, September 5-7 in West Grove, PA. With hard ground from a dry summer, drivers in the advanced, intermediate, and preliminary divisions got through dressage, but some had concerns that the hard going would be too rough for them. "If there was anything that had me worried, it was that we wouldn't get the rain. I would have scratched. I was not going to sacrifice my 'A' team to the ground," said Lisa Stroud after...

Competition was intense in the hunter rings over Labor Day weekend at the Horse Park at Woodside, as the second to last show in the 2008 Woodside Show Series concluded with a flurry of hunter and equitation finals on Monday morning. At the Woodside Labor Day Classic, August 29–September 1, the quiet, tense spectators watching during the second round and work-off of the Carousel Junior/Amateur Medal Finals finally took a collective breath when rider Jill Stevens was named champion. Stevens was...

“It was ok,” said Hart after her test. “I’m relatively happy, he was a little more settled, it was better (than Sunday). He was definitely a little happier in there.” Hart, 24, from Erie, PA was born with Familial Spastic Paraplegia and has been involved in Para Equestrian activities for over a decade. She is looking forward to her third and final shot at a medal in the Individual Freestyle on Wednesday evening. The arena proved to be quite buzzy for some of the horses, even during the day....

Beesd, The Netherlands – The marathon phase of the World Four-in-Hand Driving Championship 2008 turned out to be a very exciting spectacle. Nearly 40,000 driving fans turned out to watch the action and the beautiful course included all types of obstacles, including water fountains. The marathon in Beesd is one of the most impressive in the world. US driver Chester Weber, the dressage winner of this Championship, was very focused and motivated on the marathon and was determined not to lose...

Hong Kong, China – The American Paralympians take to the center stage tomorrow at the 2008 Paralympic Games in Sha Tin at the Hong Kong Jockey Club. 28 countries will be represented, 11 of which are fielding teams. Leading off for the US in the first team spot will be Barbara Grassmyer riding her own wonderful mare, Mibis. Grassmyer, who is Grade III, will go down the centerline in Sha Tin’s main arena at 7.54 a.m. Grassmyer, who was born with Aperts Syndrome, has been forging a...

Beesd, The Netherlands - The 19th edition of the World Four-in-Hand Driving Championship, one of the major highlights of the driving season, opened impressively yesterday in Beesd, the Netherlands. The wonderful opening ceremony marked the start of one of the driving highlights of the 2008 season. Many enthusiastic spectators welcomed 59 competitors from 20 different nations, who were kicked off the competition with a presentation in the large stadium in traditional horse drawn carriages. Team...

Lexington, KY— With two phases of competition on both sides of the country, it was Foxy’s Magic Gift who earned the title of Overall Grand Champion of the 2008 Sallie B. Wheeler/United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) National Hunter Breeding Championship. Even though it was his first time showing in the Hunter Breeding Championship, Foxy’s Magic Gift proved that he has a promising career ahead of him by winning Best Young Horse in the Hunter Breeding Championship – East Coast along with the...