Leaving the juniors behind, 18-year-old Lucy Davis ignited the adult phase of her career with a stellar four consecutive grand prix victories on the HITS Desert Circuit in Thermal, Calif., including the prestigious $200,000 Lamborghini Grand Prix of the Desert on Nemo 119. It’s been a breakout season even by Davis’ standard of steady and […]
When Bert Bonnett turns 101 on February 19, it’ll be without his beloved mare Cassie. Bonnett and the Missouri Foxtrotter were a regular presence in the Los Angeles equestrian community, where large trail rides to celebrate his birthday have become the stuff of legend. Cassie was euthanized on Dec. 6, following a tragic accident in […]
The HITS 2011 Dessert Circuit is one for the history books – qualifying West Coasters for the new $500,000 Diamond Mills Hunter Prix Final, offering jumper riders like Germany’s Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum the chance to rack up points for the $1 Million Pfizer Grand Prix and catapulting 18-year-old Lucy Davis into orbit as a superstar. “The […]
With $78,600 in prize money for the circuit, Oregon-based rider Rich Fellers won both the Catena Leading Grand Prix Rider and Platinum Performance Leading World Cup Rider honors on the HITS Desert Circuit, which ran Jan. 25-March 13 in Thermal, Calif. On Feb. 5 the duo began accelerating its World Cup drive with a blue […]
John French wound down the HITS Desert Circuit with a flourish on March 12, finishing first and second in the $25,000 Devoucoux Hunter Prix – the richest hunter prize on the six-week Thermal winter circuit. French claimed the blue on Oscany Inc.’s Clooney, and placed second with Jessica Singer’s Cruise. Jenny Karazissis came in third […]
There’s a new schooling show in town! Pegasus Equestrian Center in Agoura hosted a top-notch program on Dec. 11 that organizer Erin Rorabaugh said is the trigger for what she hopes will be four such shows this year. The idea, she explains, is to “run it like an A-rated horse show, but at a schooling […]
Cavalia has returned to Southern California. In the five years since the Canadian troupe touched down in Irvine, the size of the production has nearly doubled, and the act has been expanded with double the number of horses, which creator Normand Latourelle says makes for “double the magic” in a show for audiences of all […]
Nancy Cole, publisher of The Equestrian News, and I frequently have this debate: What is the U.S. epicenter for equestrian sport? I – East Coast born and bred – argue that it is Wellington, Florida. Nancy, a “West sider” (from Arizona) insists it is California. I cite the concentration of competitive riders in Palm Beach; […]
Feb. 6, 2011 was the 100th anniversary of Ronald Reagan’s birth, and a day worth celebrating. For many, the man who would become the 40th president of the United States exemplified many fine qualities. Humble, hard-working and down-to-earth, this was a man who chopped wood “for fun,” loved horses and respected nature. In her autobiography, […]
When Winston Churchill exclaimed, “There is something about the outside of a horse that is good for the inside of a man,” he had no idea the concept could inspire something as stunning as Normand Latourelle’s spectacular Cavalia, which returns Jan. 19 to Los Angeles. Latourelle, one of the founders of Cirque du Soleil, has […]
