Henrik von Eckermann and King Edward aren’t giving up the crown without a fight. The Longines FEI Jumping World Cup Final defending champions raced to the top of the leaderboard in Round I of the 2024 Final in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Wednesday. They were the only pair to post a sub-67 second round. The Swedish sensations were more than a second fastest ahead of countryman Peder Fredricson and his 18-year-old SWB gelding Catch Me Not S (67.40) and two-seconds faster than third place finishers Hans-Dieter Dreher (GER) and Elysium. “I’m really proud of my horse, really proud of my round,” said Dr ..read more

Medal favorites Lottie Fry (GRB) and Everdale took the lead in the 2024 FEI Dressage World Cup Final in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia on Wednesday with a Grand Prix score of 75.388. Runnerups Patrik Kittel (SWE) and Touchdown trail by more than 2% on 73.292. Denmark’s Nanna Skodborg Merrald and Blue Hors Don Olymbrio sit in third on 72.904.  It’s a commanding lead for Fry and the 15-year-old stallion, but one well off their high score. Their personal best in the Grand Prix, achieved at Aachen last year, is 78.913. “He loves arenas like that and sometimes he can barely contain his excitement but he ..read more

It’s the marquee event of the spring championship season and this week, the 2024 FEI World Cup Final kicks off in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Though it’s location is not without controversy, this year’s event (April 16-20) will feature three days of top-tier show jumping and two days of elite dressage action featuring some of the best horse and rider combinations in the world. Here’s a look at the likely contenders and few, promising hopefuls that might still surprise. Who to Watch Show Jumping You can’t help but root for the returning champion, World #1 Henrik von Eckermann (SWE) who will attend ab ..read more

For junior riders, ‘catch riding’ is a huge thing in the hunter/equitation world, and to some degree in the jumper world. As a freelancing professional, it’s a little tougher; most barns have their own riders, but there are still some opportunities in the industry. I think as a trainer, the thought process behind choosing a catch rider is that we are looking for the kid that we feel our horse would be happy with. Usually, a catch rider for a junior ride is used for sales purposes for that specific horse. Sometimes, it’s to accumulate points, but mostly, it’s to get a solid record on the horse ..read more

Ranked 19th in the world, 30-year-old Nicola Philippaerts (BEL) has already amassed an impressive resume. He competed in his first Olympics at age 22. He’s ridden for Belgium at the World Equestrian Games (2018) and World Championships (2022), not to mention three World Cup Finals, four Nations Cup Finals and three European Championships. He’s a standout talent among her peers. But the best is still to come—2024 is trending to be Philippaerts best yet. At least, for his bank account. In less than four months, the Philppaerts twin has earned €338,209 in prize money, according to his Jumpr stats ..read more

Fernando Martinez Sommer had the crowd on the edge of their seats in Mexico City. One of only two Mexican riders to compete in the third leg of the 2024 Global Champions League tour on Saturday, he had both home field advantage and an ecstatic home crowd behind him. And Martinez Sommer delivered. Producing two foot perfect rounds on longtime partner Lady van de Haarterhoeve, he was the only rider to jump double clear on the day over Peter Grant’s challenging 1.55m–1.60m tracks, paving the way to victory for Prague Lions. “It’s something really special to be at home,” said Martinez. “For me, it ..read more

In April 2023, Days End Farm Horse Rescue (DEFHR), Woodbine, Maryland, responded to a request from Carroll County Animal Control to take in seven neglected horses from a private farm in their community. The owner of the horses was no longer able to provide adequate care and agreed to forfeit the equines to DEFHR. One of the horses taken in by DEFHR was a 14.2hh Arabian mare named Callista who was around 14 years old. Though DEFHR frequently treats severely neglected horses that require critical care and a robust rehabilitation program, Callista was in a stable condition and only required basic ..read more

When we see equines in the Gaza Strip today, it is via images of donkeys pulling large barrels of water and horses serving as life-saving ambulances. But hidden in the midst of the urban landscape that is Gaza was once a place where horses were a source of joy and companionship. Established in 2007, the Aljawad Club riding school was home to 36 horses ranging from up-down ponies to 1.10m jumpers. In October 2022, the facility came under new management and a younger generation of horse trainers and equestrians emerged. One of the people responsible for their renewed vision is Ahmed Al-Reefi, a ..read more

Last week, I introduced the basics of teaching True to stand still and respect human spatial boundaries on a halter and lead. Once he understood those foundations, we moved on to the details. True learned quickly to walk at a location just behind my right hand when it is extended parallel to my right shoulder. The correct position changes depending on discipline. In natural horsemanship, horses are usually taught to remain well behind their human leaders, sometimes directly behind them. I avoid that because of the risk that a horse might shy forward and accidentally smack the handler in the ba ..read more

Highway TN N.O.P is the result of generations of planning, writes Adriana van Tilburg in the latest edition of Rolex’s Pedigree Stories. The 12-year-old KWPN stallion won the latest leg of the Rolex Grand Slam of Show Jumping at the Dutch Masters in ‘s-Hertogenbosch, NED in March. Here van Tilburg dives into the breeding story that produced Willem Greve’s multi-acronym superstar: Breeder Peter Verdellen started the Highway TN N.O.P chapter almost forty years ago, and in those forty years he has bred four generations. With each generation he has added something new to the line that would make t ..read more