Tag Archives: equitation

Awards, Community/Charity, Competitions, Events, Hunter/Equitation, Show Jumping

NFHJA Year End Awards Update

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Hi Everyone!
We know you are enjoying this beautiful Fall Weather as much as we are and are very excited for our final show of the season on November 6th <http://www.nfhja.com/schedule.htm> and hope that everyone will be able to come out to secure those points for year-end awards.

The USHJA Affiliate Equitation Awards Program Medal Finals will be held for the Children’s Medal, Adult Medal, Pony Medal & Pre-Children’s Adult Medal. Anyone who has shows in these classes over the course of the year is invited to participate.  Medal Champions will receive a special reward and recognition from USHJA.

Mandarin Equine Veterinary Services has sponsored two special classes:
$250 Handy Hunter
$250 Jumper Classic
Please see the Prize List for additional details!

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Competitions, Events, HITS, Hunter/Equitation, Show Jumping

The Marshall & Sterling League Mid-West Finals Crown Champions at the Lamplight Equestrian Center

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© Shawn McMillen Photography. Ryan Goodman and Pulsatilla W on course in the $2,500 Marshall & Sterling Children’s Jumper Championship.

WAYNE, IL – October 26, 2011 – The Marshall & Sterling League Mid-West Finals were held September 13-18 at the Lamplight Equestrian Center in Wayne, Illinois. This regionally-located Final took place during the Showplace Fall Classic and featured a total of 92 hunter, jumper and equitation riders.

Child riders have been the cornerstone of the Marshall & Sterling League since its inception as they compete all year for a chance to show at the Finals. The $2,500 Marshall & Sterling Children’s Jumper Championship and $1,000 Marshall & Sterling Children’s Hunter Championship saw two rising stars achieve top honors.

The $2,500 Marshall & Sterling Children’s Jumper Championship featured 18 horse-and-rider combinations as Ryan Goodman of Vernon Hills, Illinois took home the Championship aboard Adrienne Marciano’s Pulsatilla W.

“She [Pulsatilla W] and I have an amazing connection,” said Goodman of his 14-year-old Dutch Warmblood. “She is always there to help me out when necessary. The class was a great opportunity for me, especially being so close to home.”

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Competitions, Events, Hunter/Equitation, Jennifer Wood, Show Jumping, Washington Int'l Horse Show

WIHS Regional Horse Show & Zone 3 Finals

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Washington, DC – October 17, 2011 – Polish your boots and spiff up your horses because The Washington International Regional Horse Show & Zone 3 Finals starts this week. This popular show is the sister event to the Washington International Horse Show, the country’s leading metropolitan indoor horse show, held the following week at Verizon Center in downtown Washington, D.C. In addition to being a top show in its own right with a broad selection of classes for riders of all levels, the WIHS Regional Show offers several last-minute ways to qualify for the big event at Verizon Center.

The Regional will take place Friday through Sunday, Oct. 21-23, at Prince George’s Equestrian Center in Upper Marlboro, MD. The U.S. Hunter Jumper Assn. (USHJA) Zone 3 Finals, hosted by the Regional, will be held on Sunday. A warm-up day on Thursday, Oct. 20, from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., will give horses and riders a chance to acclimate to the indoor and outdoor arenas before the show begins.

Riders across the country compete year-round to earn enough points to qualify for Verizon Center. The Regional Show provides a great opportunity for top riders from our local area as well. The Regional Show’s Children’s and Adult Hunter champions will qualify for the WIHS Children’s and Adult Championship held Tuesday evening, Oct. 25, and the top Regional Horses and Ponies owned by exhibitors living within 100 miles of Washington, D.C. will qualify for the Regional Hunter Finals on Sunday, Oct. 30.

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Championships, Competitions, Events, Hunter/Equitation, USEF

Schaefer Raposa Earns Top Honors in Pessoa/USEF Hunter Seat Equitation Medal Finals at Pennsylvania National Horse Show

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Schaefer Raposa wins the Pessoa/USEF Hunter Seat Equitation Medal Finals at Pennsylvania National Horse Show. Photo: Phelps Media Group

Harrisburg, PA – Capping off an eventful junior weekend at the Pennsylvania National Horse Show, the Pessoa/USEF Hunter Seat Equitation Medal Finals presented by Randolph College saw Schaefer Raposa of Wellington, FL, earn the coveted championship honors. Edging out some of the most skilled young riders in the nation, Raposa smoothly tackled the first two rounds aboard her talented mount Charlie Z, as well as one challenging final test. Her quiet confidence garnered the top spot by evening’s end, with Brittany Hurst of Jackson, NJ, and Allison Fithian of Monterey, CA, finishing second and third, respectively. Rounding out the top four from the final test was Katie Tyler of North Kingstown, RI.

Today’s championship event featured two demanding rounds of competition followed by a test of the top four riders. The first course featured three imposing double combinations, a skinny coop without standards, and a triple bar. The judges invited the top 25 riders to return for the second course, which began with a three fence bending line, an oxer-oxer double combination, and a difficult plank vertical.

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Classic Company, Classic Company, Competitions, Events, Hunter/Equitation, Show Jumping

Zone 4 Finals in Atlanta

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The Zone 4 Finals – North, as you know, have been moved to the Atlanta Fall Classic I (Nov. 9-13) at the Georgia International Horse Park in Conyers.

These zone finals are a great way to get bonus points for year end zone awards.

The following divisions will have awards for zone members. The divisions will be the first three classes of the division:

Competitions, Events, HITS, HITS, Hunter/Equitation, Show Jumping

HITS Moves Marshall & Sterling Junior Medal Final and National PHA Medal Final to HITS-on-the-Hudson VIII, Creating a Super Finale in Saugerties, New York for the 2012 Show Season

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Indoor tent from Thermal will travel east to Saugerties for both prestigious Medal Finals

© Flying Horse Photography. The indoor arena at the HITS Desert Horse Park in Thermal, California is home to four FEI World Cup Qualifiers and a number other special classes during World Cup weeks.

SAUGERTIES, NEW YORK (October 4, 2011) — Looking to take next year’s season finale in Saugerties, New York to the next level, HITS, Inc. announced today that two major equitation finals will be incorporated into the competition schedule for the eighth and final week of the 2012 HITS Saugerties Show Series.

In addition to the $1 Million Grand Prix, Diamond Mills $500,000 Hunter Prix Final and the all-new $250,000 HITS 3’ Hunter Prix Final, the last week of HITS Saugerties will conclude with a three-day weekend extravaganza that will now include the National Professional Horsemen’s Association’s (PHA) Medal Final on Friday night and the ever-popular Marshall & Sterling Junior Medal Final on Saturday night. By moving the PHA Medal and the Marshall & Sterling Junior Medal up a week from the annual Marshall & Sterling League National Finals, the finale of the HITS Saugerties season will now feature a major final for hunters, jumpers and equitation riders.

In keeping with the great tradition of indoor medal finals, HITS will bring the tent used for FEI World Cup Qualifiers from Thermal, California back east to Saugerties for these two Finals.

“The final ingredient to make our season finale in Saugerties complete has just been added,” said Tom Struzzieri, HITS President and CEO. “The Marshall & Sterling Junior Medal has been a cornerstone of the League for many years and I believe this move will help to draw even more 3’6” equitation riders to the classes during the year and to the Final. The indoor tent will create an electric competition atmosphere, largely elevating the importance and experience of qualifying for and showing in this Final.”

Continue reading HITS Moves Marshall & Sterling Junior Medal Final and National PHA Medal Final to HITS-on-the-Hudson VIII, Creating a Super Finale in Saugerties, New York for the 2012 Show Season →

*Featured/Spotlights, Championships, Competitions, Events, Hunter/Equitation, Jennifer Wood, Show Jumping

Hayley Barnhill Wins North American Equitation Championships at Capital Challenge

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Hayley Barnhill and Asparagus

Upper Marlboro, MD – October 2, 2011 – Hayley Barnhill, of Collierville, TN, earned an exciting victory today as she topped the North American Equitation Championships at Capital Challenge. Barnhill’s win was followed by a top finish for Pilar Flournoy, of Topanga, CA, in the Taylor Harris Insurance Services (THIS) National Children’s Medal Finals. The day concluded with the North American Amateur Equitation Championships with a victory for Adrienne Dixon, of Hillsborough, CA. This weekend’s equitation competition at the Show Place Arena was presented by BigEq.com. The 2011 Capital Challenge Horse Show will continue through October 9 at the Prince George’s Equestrian Center in Upper Marlboro, MD.

Sunday’s competition began with the North American Equitation Championships with two rounds of competition. Nearly eighty competitors started out the day over fences, but the field was sharply narrowed to only twenty who were invited back for a second round. Riding Cayla Richards’ Asparagus, a 17-year-old Hanoverian gelding, Hayley Barnhill posted scores of 90.20 and 90.05 for a two-round winning total of 180.25.

“I’m very excited!” Barnhill beamed after her win. “It was a last minute thing to get to come here, and I love this horse show. I was second in this class last year; I was so close, so it is nice to win it.”

Yesterday’s flat winner, Morgan Geller, rode her gelding Fabricio to second place. Sarah Milliren and War Eagle, owned by Don Stewart, finished third. Conor Perrin and Nat King Cole earned fourth place honors. Alicia Gasser rode Schubert, owned by KMG Equestrian, to fifth place and Oliva Esse guided Oscany, Inc.’s Fernway Park into the sixth position.

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*Featured/Spotlights, Championships, Competitions, Events, Hunter/Equitation, Jennifer Wood, Show Jumping

North American Equitation Championship Weekend Presented by Big Eq.com to Begin 2011 Capital Challenge Horse Show

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Victoria Birdsall won last year's North American Equitation Championships

Upper Marlboro, MD – September 28, 2011 – The 2011 Capital Challenge Horse Show kicks off this Saturday, October 1, 2011, with its North American Equitation Championship Weekend presented by BigEq.com. Running through October 9, the 2011 Capital Challenge Horse Show will feature many of the nation’s best horses and riders in a week of exceptional equestrian competition held at Prince George’s Equestrian Center in Upper Marlboro, MD. The equitation weekend will host many exciting classes, including the finals for the 2011 Taylor Harris Insurance Services (THIS) National Children’s Medal series.

Bigeq.com is the premier website for buying and selling hunters, jumpers, equitation horses and ponies. The website sponsors the Capital Challenge equitation weekend each year and is proud to support the show and its exhibitors. The North American Equitation Championship Weekend presented by BigEq.com will feature the North American Equitation Championships, THIS National Children’s Medal Finals, and the North American Adult Amateur Equitation Championships.

Also featured over the weekend will be the 17-Year-Old Equitation, 16-Year-Old Equitation, 15-Year-Old Equitation, 13 & 14-Year-Old Equitation, 12 & Under Equitation, and Open Equitation 3’ and 3’6” divisions.

The Prince George’s Equestrian Center is a fantastic facility for both horse and rider, featuring indoor and outdoor rings and excellent stabling. Manager Oliver Kennedy looks forward to welcoming horse show participants and anticipates another fantastic year at the Capital Challenge Horse Show.

Kennedy stated, “Capital Challenge is a great opportunity for riders to show their horses in a fun and welcoming environment. The facility provides the experience of showing both indoors and outdoors, and there is always plenty of space to ride and school. We strive to give horses and riders the best experience available, and there is nothing better than showing at Capital Challenge in the fall.”

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*Featured/Spotlights, Community/Charity, Diana de Rosa, Events, Hunter/Equitation, Show Jumping, Washington Int'l Horse Show

National Museum of the American Indian and Washington International Horse Show Team Up to Celebrate Horses

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Photo: Fine Art Photography by Brady Willette

Exhibition Grand Opening Oct. 29-30 and Free Kids’ Day

The Smithsonian’s National Museum of the American Indian and the Washington International Horse Show announce a new partnership to celebrate horses in Native American culture and equestrian sport throughout history.

The museum opens “A Song for the Horse Nation” Saturday, Oct. 29, at its flagship museum on the National Mall, a major exhibition that explores the role horses have played in Native culture from the 1500s to the present. The exhibition runs through Jan. 7, 2013. The Washington International Horse Show celebrates its 53rd year Oct. 25-30 at Verizon Center. Together, the two organizations will celebrate these occasions with free family programs on Saturday, Oct. 29, at the museum, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m., and at Verizon Center, 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., and all day Sunday, Oct. 30, at the museum. A free shuttle service between the museum and Verizon Center will be provided by Reston Limousine on Saturday.

Activities include free pony rides at Verizon Center Oct. 29 for WIHS Kids’ Day, war-pony painting demonstrations by Crow equestrian and tribal general council member Kennard Real Bird, storytelling by award-winning children’s book author and illustrator S. D. Nelson (Standing Rock Sioux), hands-on ledger-art lessons, and much more at both locations.

“What better way for us to come together to illuminate our shared history and distinct cultures than through our mutual admiration for horses,” said museum director, Kevin Gover (Pawnee). “This unique collaboration celebrates the indomitable spirit not just of the Horse Nation, but of the whole nation. We are thrilled to be partnering with the Washington International Horse Show and know that the spectators at Verizon Center and the visitors to the museum will be, too.”

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*Featured/Spotlights, Competitions, Events, HITS, HITS, Hunter/Equitation, Show Jumping

Jennie Edwards Captures the USHJA Tad Coffin Zone III Junior Equitation Finals at HITS Culpeper

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© ESI Photography. Jennie Edwards and her own Welcome on course during the USHJA Tad Coffin Zone III Junior Equitation Finals at HITS Culpeper.

CULPEPER, VIRGINIA (August 22, 2011) — Jennie Edwards and her own Welcome rose to the top when she won the blue in the USHJA Tad Coffin Zone III Junior Equitation Finals on Saturday night at HITS Commonwealth Park in Culpeper, Virginia.

Edwards of Jacksonville, Florida is a seasoned equitation rider and trains under the tutelage of her aunt, Ginny Edwards at Hidden Hollow Farm. In all, 33 riders navigated course designer Jerry Dougherty’s route, and 12 of the top riders were invited back to show on the flat. After the flat phase, the top four were brought back for additional testing over fences, after which, Edwards emerged as the winner.

“I got this horse back in March and he’s been such a great ride,” said Jennie Edwards. “I’ve learned so much on him already. This is one of the most important events I look forward to each year, so winning it was just great. I couldn’t believe when it happened.”

For her efforts, Jennie Edwards won a Tad Coffin Performance Saddle, and a cooler donated by Gary Baker, while Ginny Edwards won a $300 trainer award for helping to guide her student to the crown.

“My goals this year were to qualify for the USEF Pessoa Medal Finals, the regional ASPCA Maclay Finals and this Final,” added Edwards. “I’ve been able to do all of that so far, so this year has been really successful for me. I’m very lucky to have my aunt as my trainer – she is so caring and hardworking, and it made the win a lot more special with her there.”

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