Lexington, KY - The final day of the Kentucky Summer Horse Show was filled with nothing but sunshine and a practically cloudless blue sky. The $2,500 USHJA National Hunter Classic witnessed talented horse and rider combinations striving to showcase their skills and claim the winning title in the Stonelea Ring. Stacey Arani and Bolero led the class from start to finish and eventually led the victory gallop after earning a total score of 185. Olivia Herbert and Capistrano finished second falling...

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...

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...

Mija Paris on 6-year-old Andalusian Stallion, Kamiakan (Photo by Katie Hill). Lincoln, NE - The Dressage Foundation's Continuing Education for Dressage Instructors Fund has awarded a $1,250 grant to Mija Paris (OR) to help her attend the United States Dressage Federation's Instructor Certification Program. Mija said, "This funding will be used to attend Instructor Certification workshops, and will help expand my dressage education as a rider, trainer, instructor, and judge. It will...

Lexington, KY - Temperatures soared, but dressage competitors managed to keep their cool as the 2011 Adequan/FEI North American Junior & Young Rider Championships presented by Gotham North kicked off today at the Kentucky Horse Park. This is the third year the championships have been held at the Kentucky venue, which was the site of the 2010 Alltech/FEI World Equestrian Games last fall. Region 5 Took the Gold medal in the Young Rider competition. Photo by SusanJStickle.com. The day began...

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,...

Lexington, KY — Every year USA Equestrian Trust provides grants to equine non-profits. This year a total of $198,822 was awarded to 10 projects. More than 61 percent of 2011 grant funds went to the United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) with the bulk of that going to its Equine Health Research Fund, which coordinates research to benefit all equine breeds and disciplines. Other monies went to programs of merit to help people with disabilities, create or expand educational opportunities...

Combined Driver Chester Weber, America’s reigning four-in-hand driving champion, shows his winning form in the Four-In-Hand competition at the Riesenbeck CAI. (Photo courtesy of My Elisabeth Weber). Riesenbeck, Germany – If you are superstitious you might credit combined driving champion Chester Weber’s fourth winning weekend in Europe to his team’s “four lucky rabbit’s feet.” Team Weber’s companion mascot, a hefty black rabbit named Kainzi, joined them...

For the past week, I have been working hard to stay ready for this big show. Because Smartie lives in Arkansas and I live in Mississippi, I obviously cannot ride her every single day—although, I wish I could. So, while I am at home, I ride other horses to stay in riding shape. Lately, I have also been teaching some riding lessons to a kid from our church. He went to camp and fell in love with horses. When he got home, he asked if he could come hang out with me at the barn and learn more....