Will Letner wins Gold. Photo: Waltenberry Lexington, KY - Will Letner knew the bar was set high when fellow U.S. rider Laura Sumrall went out first into the Alltech Arena on Saturday - and came out with an impressive score of 217.5. Sumrall pumped her fists in the air, shouting, "Yes, yes!" at her first SmartPak Individual Reining Championships at the Adequan/FEI North American Junior & Young Rider Championships presented by Gotham North. Letner's thought: "Well, where do I go from...

Endurance photo finish on a hot Kentucky summer day. Photo: SusanJStickle.com. Lexington, KY - For first time in the event's history, the Adequan/FEI North American Junior & Young Rider Championships presented by Gotham North played host to the North American Young Rider Endurance Championship. The competition included both CEI2* and CEI4* divisions which were completed yesterday, and team medals were presented today in both divisions. CEI4* In the CEI4* divisions, Team USA...

Wellington, FL - Mark Bellissimo, CEO of Equestrian Sport Productions, LLC (ESP) announced today that ESP will be building a covered arena and at least one permanent barn (approximately 100 stalls) in advance of the 2012 Global Dressage Festival. The covered arena will be the centerpiece of the new show grounds to host the Global Dressage Festival in 2012, and it will be named the Van Kampen Arena in memory of the late investor who established a family legacy of philanthropy and charitable...

Saugerties, NY — Todd Minikus of Loxahatchee, FL, went two-for-four in Friday’s $25,000 SmartPak Grand Prix, presented by Pfizer Animal Health, piloting two of his four mounts to the jump-off to ultimately take the blue on Candy Tribble & Windsor Show Stables’ Sweetheart at HITS-on-the-Hudson in Saugerties, NY. Show jumping at HITS-on-the-Hudson is operating at full throttle as weeks V and VI welcome roughly 1,900 horses to the show grounds for what is sure to be some...

Nina Montross and Voigtsdorfs Ohio won the $1,500 Marshall & Sterling Children’s Jumper Classic on Saturday, July 30, at the Vermont Summer Festival (David Mullinix Photography). East Dorset, VT — Nina Montross won and placed second in the $1,500 Marshall & Sterling Children’s Jumper Classic, a qualifying competition for the $15,000 Vermont Celebration Children’s/Adult Jumper Classic, presented by Parlanti. The $1,500 Marshall & Sterling Children’s...

Junior Gold Medal Jumping Team, U.S. Zone 4 (Photo by Sportfot). Lexington, KY - It was a clean sweep for the U.S. when Junior and Young Rider Show Jumping Teams vied in the USHJA North American Show Jumping Championships today. In the Junior division, the team from U.S. Zone 4 led the victory gallop with their Gold medal in tow while the U.S. Zone 2 carried the Silver, and U.S. combined Zones 1/6 took the Bronze. Michael Hughes and Shockwave, Hayley Barnhill aboard Toucan...

WUKY NPR correspondent Josh James spent Thursday afternoon at the NAJYRC talking with organizers and competitors. Click on the audio link to listen to the news story.

Area VII's Florence Miller sits atop the CCI* (Photo: Brant Gamma Photography). Lexington, KY - The 2011 Adequan/FEI North American Junior & Young Rider Championships presented by Gotham North continued today at the Kentucky Horse Park with Junior competitors completing the dressage phase of the USEA North America Junior Eventing Championship. Topping the leader board of the CCI* event is Florence Miller of Area VII who ended her dressage test with only 47.3 penalty points aboard...

Canada's YR Reining Gold team, l-r: Lisa Hiebert, Kylie Wasiuta, Jessica Green, Nancy Pratch (Photo: Diana De Rosa). Lexington, KY - High-quality runs and terrific scores from a field of top-quality reining horses and the continent's most elite junior and young rider athletes made for a spectacular night at the 2011 SmartPak Reining Team Championships at the Adequan/FEI North American Junior & Young Rider Championships presented by Gotham North. Canada reclaimed the top of the...

Jeff Ayers and Abercrombie won the $5,000 NEHJA Hunter Derby on Thursday, July 28, at the Vermont Summer Festival in East Dorset, VT (David Mullinix Photography). East Dorset, VT — Jeff Ayers and Abercrombie dominated both rounds of competition to win the popular $5,000 NEHJA Hunter Derby held Thursday, July 28, at the six-week Vermont Summer Festival in East Dorset, VT. Abercrombie is already an experienced winner at the Derby format and proved it by posting the first...