Scene from the $75,000 HITS Grand Prix, May 30, 2004. (Courtesy HITS and Fionn Reilly/Ulster Publishing) Lexington, KY – Following a hotly contested open to the 2005 competition season in the warmer climates, and a highly-anticipated fight for the prize at the World Cup Finals in April, claiming the title of U.S. National Champion will be yet another challenge facing some of equestrian sport’s best athletes in June. Truly a headliner competition for the United States Equestrian...

View of the show jumping course at the 2003 World Cup Finals. (Jan Gyllensten) Some of the world’s best riders and horses are placing their bets on Las Vegas this year, eager to see if their scores from earlier qualifying competitions will be enough to earn a ticket to the entertainment capital of the world in April. If they make the final cut, they’ll join the ranks of dozens of world-class athletes, each hoping their skill, combined with Lady Luck, will earn the coveted title of...

Wellington Dressage, the first of the three major dressage shows at the Winter Equestrian Festival, drew to a close on February 6 with the musical freestyle competitions and a special awards ceremony hosted in the Internationale Arena. Leading the musical freestyle winners, was show superstar, Ashley Holzer. Holzer won the $2,000 FEI Grand Prix Freestyle aboard her dynamic Dutch stallion, Imperioso, with a score of 71.583%. Holzer also won the $1,500 FEI Intermediaire-I Freestyle riding Pop Art...

Brazilian Sergio Campos riding Shakira Do Jacare opened fast and kept it in top gear to win Sunday's $25,000 Grand Prix during week two of the HITS Ocala Winter Circuit. Twelve horses mastered Jerry Dougherty's first-round course. Campos and Shakira Do Jacare clocked in with the fastest time by almost three seconds, making them the pair to watch in the jump-off. "She's fast, very fast," says Campos of the eight-year-old chestnut mare he brought over from Brazil last winter. Canadian Olympian...

The battle to earn berths in the FEI World Cup Dressage Final 2005 continues to rage in countries around the world as the date of the Final approaches. After a fierce qualifying season in the Canadian League, Leslie Reid of Langley, BC, won the Canadian League World Cup Dressage final qualifier, earning the right to represent Canada in the FEI World Cup Dressage Final, which will be held along with the FEI Budweiser World Cup Jumping Final in Las Vegas, NV, April 20-24, 2005. Seven riders took...

The United States Equestrian Federation is pleased to announce that it will host a training session for Long Listed Drivers. Drivers on the 2005 Long Lists are invited to participate in training sessions with Swedish driver, Jan Erik (Nicke) Palsson, April 1–3 at Katydid Farm in Windsor, SC. A horse four-in-hand driver, Palsson originally began his equestrian career as a show jumper, but turned to combined driving in 1979. Winner of the top driver award in 1993, member of the Gold Medal Swedish...

The 2005 WIHS Equitation and WIHS Pony Equitation Finals, to be held during the Washington International Horse Show (WIHS), October 25-30, 2005 at the MCI Center in downtown Washington, DC, will accept 30 riders in the WIHS Equitation Finals and 25 riders in the WIHS Pony Equitation Finals. Qualifying is based on points accumulated in WIHS Equitation qualifying classes held at shows starting on or after September 1, 2004, through shows starting on before August 31, 2005. Letters of invitation...

In an effort to improve the lives of horses, the Kentucky Horse Park and the American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) will conduct the first ever Healthy Horses series of seminars at the park on May 14. John Nicholson, Executive Director of the Kentucky Horse Park, commented, “The weeks preceding and following the Kentucky Derby bring national attention to Kentucky’s horse industry, so it’s a perfect time for everyone in our state who is involved with horses to take a fresh look at...

Entering its sixth year of competition, the Winter Equestrian Festival Equitation Championship for the R.W. Mutch Trophy is a showcase for the season’s top young riders. This year’s championship will be held during the CSIO**** United States – CN Finale on Saturday, March 12, 2005. The competition takes place in the afternoon as the featured event in the Grand Hunter Ring. The R. W. Mutch Educational Foundation sponsors the R. W. Equitation Classic. The trophy is named for Ronnie Mutch, a...

On August 5-7, 2005, the Over the Walls Horse Trials will take place in Hardwick, MA. Riders and spectators alike will enjoy the marvelous facilities and beautiful grounds at Great Meadowbrook Farm, the site of the event. With top-notch competition taking place, a trade fair with numerous booths offering an abundance of equine products and gifts for sale, everyone will find something to enjoy. Eventing is the equestrian version of a triathlon: one rider and one horse compete together in...