Things are getting going now. The day started with a trip to the USOC communications headquarters at the Main Press Center - it was great to see everyone and make some plans for the next three weeks. To many of the sport people, what we do is very foreign so I did a lot of explaining about how these horses are going to get to Mexico. The USOC staff is great, I met them all in Colorado Springs a few weeks ago - it is a great reminder that we are part of something so much greater than our sport....

Guadalajara Day 2 : Happy Columbus Day to everyone at home! We are trotting along swimmingly here in Mexico – never a dull moment in thus constantly changing place. We had breakfast this morning with Mauricio Guererra, the competition manager for Equestrian, and got up to speed on all the things that going on in our sport here in Guadalajara. There are some changes, but flexibility is key at any Games so we are rolling with it. We met up with Kerri Macgregor, the Chef d'Mission from...

Gladstone, NJ- Fourteen-year-old Lillie Keenan, of New York, NY, was a front runner today in the first two rounds of competition for the 2011 Platinum Performance/USEF Show Jumping Talent Search Finals-East. Held at the USET Foundation Headquarters in Gladstone, NJ, the Talent Search Finals celebrate a momentous 30th anniversary this year. With Finals held each year on the east and west coasts, this program has produced some of the country’s top jumping riders, including McLain Ward,...

OXFORD, PA - The Dansko Fair Hill International is right around the corner, marking the culmination of the Bit of Britain Jersey Fresh Fair Hill Challenge. Lisa Marie Fergusson has her sights set on claiming the $15,000 prize by competing in the CCI 3* aboard her teammate Smart Move. John Nunn, owner of Bit of Britain, wanted to create a challenge that really gives upper level competitors some incentive to compete at two outstanding events. He also thought a hefty cash prize would be a nice...

The stars were out at the L.A. International Horse Show (Sep 21-25), particularly at the $50,000 L.A. International Grand Prix, a World Cup Qualifier, where performances in the ring kept the crowd on the edge of their seats. Sixteen riders tackled Michel Vaillancourt's course in LAEC's indoor arena, but it was the youngest of them all, Saer Coulter (Markus Beerbaum, trainer), who was the only rider to go double clear and clinch the top title. The excitement started early in the class,...

Devon, PA - More than 35,000 spectators enjoyed the equine entertainment and education provided by more than 700 horses (and their riders) at this year’s Dressage at Devon. Tuesday through Thursday featured the breed division in which young horses, from weanlings to six-year olds, shown both in-hand and under saddle, had their day in the sun (or in the rain depending on the time of day). Friskiness dominated the younger classes as their handlers worked hard to show off their charges. The...

Morgan Geller and Fabricio. Photos © CapturedMomentPhoto.com. San Juan Capistrano, CA - Drawing riders from across the nation, the USEF National Junior Hunter Championships-West Coast event was an action-packed two days of great sport and a chance for the Junior Hunters to stand center stage as they displayed their talents in three phases: a handy hunter round, a classic round, and an under saddle phase. When the dust settles, it is the horse with the highest cumulative score that takes home...

Well, we finally made it to Lexington yesterday around noon. My dad and I came as the “advance crew” to make sure everything would be ready for our team’s horses when they got here. We got all the bedding and the stall signs put up and everything else we could think of. Mr. Randy had an ETA of around 1 A.M. As it sometimes happens, things did not go quite according to plan. They rolled into the park around 5 o’clock this morning, exhausted from the all-night drive. So,...

Emma Schauder won the WIHS Equitation Classic on Thursday, July 7, at the Vermont Summer Festival horse show in East Dorset, VT (David Mullinix Photography). East Dorset, VT — Emma Schauder of Greenwich, CT, won the WIHS Equitation Classic on Thursday, July 7, at the Vermont Summer Festival in East Dorset, VT. The six-week equestrian competition is running at Harold Beebe Farm from July 6 through August 14, 2011. Schauder, 16, won both the hunter and jumper phases of competition...

Oklahoma City, OK - The 2011 National Reining Horse Association (NRHA) Derby slid into its second day of competition with the first go, first section of the $87,500-added Non Pro Derby and completed the go-round in the $155,000-added Open Derby. The Oklahoma City, Okla. show also welcomed 12 ancillary classes in the Adequan® Championship Arena. In the $155,000-added Open Derby, the lowest score to qualify for the finals, also known as “the bubble,” in the Level 4 was 221, Level...