The weekend of October 21-23, 2005, a week before the Washington International Horse Show (WIHS) festivities take place in downtown Washington, D.C., local riders will compete at Prince George’s Equestrian Center in Upper Marlboro, MD. This horse show allows riders to qualify for the Local Finals at the MCI Center that will take place on Sunday, October 30. Along with the qualifying classes, this competition features the USEF Zone 3 Finals and offers Regular “C” rated points for the Maryland...

Lexington, KY – The word “anticipation” doesn’t quite cover it, as the United States Show Jumping Team and its fans expectantly await the eighth and final leg of the 2005 Samsung Super League—the Nations Cup competition at CSIO Barcelona, Spain, Sunday, September 18. “We’ve got a great team and lovely horses,” emphasized USEF Chef d’Equipe George Morris, speaking from Barcelona. As for the riders designated to represent the United States for...

Lexington, KY -- An outstanding field of five- and six-year-old dressage horses, including a record 16 horses bred in the United States, came together to vie for the nation's most prestigious FEI young horse title this weekend, the Dr. Edgar Hotz Memorial Trophy--during the 2005 USEF/Markel Young Horse Dressage National Championships, hosted by MSEDA Dressage at the Park in Lexington, KY, September 9-11. Winning the Six-Year-Old National Championship with an overall score of 8.452 was Sir...

Lexington, KY – Craig Schmersal of Menifee, California, and Tim McQuay of Tioga, Texas will represent the United States in the 2005 FEI World Reining Masters Series Final in Manerbio, Italy, September 24. Each, a master, in his own right, Schmersal was a member of the Gold Medal U.S. team at the 2002 FEI World Equestrian Games in Jerez, Spain, while McQuay is the NRHA’s all-time leading money earner. Schmersal took the Gold medal and Championship title August 27, riding Tidal Wave...

Craig Schmersal and Tidal Wave Jack, Winners of the 2005 Adequan/USEF Open Reining Championship (Waltenberry Photography) Lexington, KY – With swift and calculated moves, amazing 360-degree spins and stop-on-a-dime sliding stops that left an unabashed crowd going wild, Craig Schmersal and Tidal Wave Jack claimed their landmark USEF Gold medal and trophy in one fell swoop at the 2005 Adequan/USEF Open Reining Championship on Saturday, August 27, at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington....

Aachen, Germany - Aug. 25 – The United States show jumping team claimed a victory and a fourth place finish Thursday on the eve of the Samsung Super League Nations Cup competition at the World Equestrian Festival. Jeffrey Welles, of Ridgefield, CT, piloted his nine-year-old Holsteiner gelding, Sampras, to victory in the Youngsters Cup, while Laura Kraut of Oconomowoc, WI, finished fourth on the Dutch Warmblood gelding, Anthem, in the Preis von Nordrhein-Westfalen. Welles and Sampras finished in...

Aachen, Germany - August 24- United States dressage rider Steffen Peters topped the standings today with his mount Floriano midway through the highly competitive Grand Prix at the World Equestrian Festival. Peters and his 16-year-old gelding reside in San Diego, California. Floriano is owned by Laurie and Steven Browning. “We rode the whole time with the pedal to the metal. We took chances. It worked out fantastically well,” said Peters. The judges designated Peters and his chestnut Westphalian...

Under the sweltering New Jersey sun, red hot Laura Chapot burned up the jump-off track and soared to a one-two finish in the $30,000 Stillwell-Hansen Grand Prix as the 110th Annual Monmouth County Horse Show came to a close at East Freehold Park. Forty starters went to the post in the 1:30 p.m. main event at the Stillwell-Hansen Arena. Blake Alder of Germantown, TN, designed the course. Memphis and Caitlyn Shiels led off the tiebreaker with a clear go and a jump-off time of 27.719 seconds to...

Ramiro Quintana won the testing Speed Challenge at the American Gold Cup last year, and he will return with the same mare, Carousel, to defend his title at this year’s event, September 15-18, at the Devon show grounds in Devon, PA. The Speed Challenge is a very exciting class, which pits professionals against juniors and amateurs, and Quintana, who also won this event four years ago, placed first and third in last year’s event. The five top professionals from their qualifying class on Fast...

United States Olympic Silver medalist McLain Ward was back in the saddle for the first time since breaking his collar bone three weeks ago while competing for the United States at the Samsung Super League in Hickstead, England. Ward, of Brewster, NY, rode in two classes on the opening day of Aachen’s World Equestrian Festival, the host for the seventh of eight Samsung Super League events on Friday. Aachen will be the site of the quadrennial World Equestrian Games next year. “I’m still sore,”...