Annville, PA - Summer is here, and with warm air and sunshine flooding horse shows across the country, competition in the 2011 North American League (NAL) has heated up. The NAL's two year-end finals are just months away, and riders are continuing to put in stellar performances in the show ring with the hopes of qualifying for one of both of the finals. The NAL will maintain its traditional year-end Finals in six divisions – Children’s Hunter, Adult Hunter, presented by...

Eastern Selection Trial 5-year-old champion Lauren Chumley and Somer Hit (Photo by Pics of You). The Markel/USEF Young Horse Dressage Selection Trials 2011 qualifying season concluded last week at the Eastern Selection Trials in Leesburg, Va. The top five 5-year-olds and top five 6-year-olds that earned a minimum score of 7.8 from the three competitions will make up the short list of horses moving forward to the 2011 Markel/USEF Dressage National Championship at Lamplight in Wayne,...

McLain Ward and Oh' D Eole on course in the $75,000 HITS Grand Prix, presented by Pfizer Animal Health, at HITS-on-the-Hudson in Saugerties, NY (ESI Photography). Saugerties, NY — McLain Ward, aboard Oh' D Eole, has taken HITS-on-the-Hudson by storm, capturing Sunday’s $75,000 HITS Grand Prix, presented by Pfizer Animal Health, and earning his third consecutive Grand Prix victory. Ward also clinched the $50,000 HITS Grand Prix at HITS-on-the-Hudson I on his own Oh'...

Kenneth and Sally Wheeler Devon, PA - The $25,000 USHJA International Hunter Derby was a labor of love. The class was presented by the Wheeler family in honor of their parents, Kenneth and Sally Wheeler, whose names alone bring back images of phenomenal Hunters exploding over huge solid natural jumps on outside courses. Doug Wheeler spoke on behalf of the family. "This is in honor of my mom and my dad. Devon has been a part of our family's tradition and history for years. I was there as a...

McLain Ward and Domino cruised to victory in Friday's $25,000 SmartPak Grand Prix, presented by Pfizer Animal Health, at HITS-on-the-Hudson in Saugerties, NY (ESI Photography). Saugerties, NY — McLain Ward of Brewster, NY, proved once again why he is considered one of the best riders in the world when he won his second Grand Prix in a row at HITS Saugerties. Just six days ago he captured the blue in the $50,000 HITS Grand Prix, presented by Pfizer Animal Health, aboard his own...

Kevin Babington and Mark Q (Photo courtesy of Parker/Russell - The Book LLC). Devon, PA - The 20-horse field in tonight's $100,000 Wells Fargo Grand Prix of Devon read like a Who's Who of the show-jumping world. Two-time Olympic gold medalist McLain Ward, 2010 winner Peter Leone, Kate Levy, Todd Minikus and Kevin Babington just to name a few. The jumps were high; 150-160 m, the crowd was huge, and the competition was fierce over Olympic Course Designer Olaf Petersen's...

Pictured during the draw for the third leg of the 2011 FEI Nations Cup™ series at St Gallen, Switzerland today were : L to R - Peter Stossel, President CSIO St Gallen, John Roche, FEI Jumping Director and Henk Nooren, Chef d'Equipe for the French team. Photo: FEI/Katja Stuppia. St. Gallen, Switzerland - The American team will be first into the ring for tomorrow's third leg of the 2011 FEI Nations Cup™ at St. Gallen, Switzerland. A total of nine nations will compete, as the Swiss, who...

Lexington, KY - The USEF High School Equestrian Athlete program is officially underway for the 2011-2012 school year! Students are encouraged to sign up now to count their summer practice and competition hours toward their goal of lettering as a USEF High School Equestrian Athlete. The USEF High School Equestrian Athlete program is open to equestrian athletes involved in all breeds and disciplines who are enrolled in grades 9-12. The program honors participants who document their equestrian...

McLain Ward and Oh' D Eole on course in Sunday's $50,000 HITS Grand Prix, presented by Pfizer Animal Health, at HITS-on-the-Hudson in Saugerties, NY (ESI Photography©). Saugerties, NY — Perfect weather and strong entries highlighted the first week of show jumping at HITS Saugerties as HITS-on-the-Hudson I drew rave reviews from exhibitors competing in the heart of the Hudson Valley. Leading the way for High-Performance riders was the reigning Pfizer $1 Million Grand Prix...

McLain Ward and Oh' D Eole (ESI Photography). Saugerties, NY — Two-time Olympic Gold Medalist McLain Ward is on the road to the Pfizer $1 Million Grand Prix after a big win aboard his own Oh’ D Eole in Sunday’s $50,000 HITS Grand Prix, presented by Pfizer Animal Health, to highlight HITS-on-the-Hudson I. Ward, of Brewster, NY, won the inaugural Pfizer Million last year and has his sights set on this year’s event on Sunday, September 11. “This was a good...