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....

OPRAH and More than 175 Olympic Medalists (including Show Jumping Gold Medalists Will Simpson, Gina Miles and Laura Kraut) Join Together for the Season Premiere of “THE OPRAH WINFREY SHOW” Monday, September 8 CHICAGO - The 23rd season of "The Oprah Winfrey Show" goes for the gold when it launches Monday, September 8, 2008 as more than 175 Olympic medalists gather together for an unforgettable hour. Viewers will cheer as their favorites from the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games take the...

Beesd, the Netherlands ­­­­­– The nineteenth edition of the World Four-in-Hand Driving Championship 2008 in Beesd, the Netherlands concluded today with a thrilling Final. The Chester Weber Celebrates Silver (Rinaldo de Craen) best four-in-hand drivers in the world showed the highest level of horsemanship and carriage driving sport in the crowded main arena in Beesd. The overall winner of the World Four-in-Hand Driving Championship 2008 is Ijsbrand Chardon. Chardon, who...

Hong Kong, China – Team USA faced some formidable competition in the first round of Team competition at the 2008 Paralympic Games in Hong Kong. Four riders from each country have ridden one test, and the US lies 10th on a score of 185.702. Barbara Grassmyer got the competition rolling for the US riders, putting in a solid effort with Mibis for a score of 59.231% in the Grade III Team Test. Grassmyer made the trip from Placerville, CA. She is confident she can improve her performance in the...

Todd Minkus and Pavoratti (Darren Reeves) Lexington, KY – The US Show Jumpers continued their winning ways, storming to victory in the prestigious BMO Nations Cup at the Spruce Meadows Masters CSIO5* in Calgary, Canada. The American squad of Lauren Hough, Todd Minikus, Richard Spooner and Rich Fellers finished on four faults, leaving them clear of The Netherlands, Canada and Germany who all finished on eight. George Morris, who led Team USA to Gold at the 2008 Olympic Games in Hong Kong...