News

Tracy Fenney once again proved why she’s a force to be reckoned with on the jumper circuit, capturing the win in the $24,500 HorseFlight Jumper Classic at HITS Ocala Championship X. Aboard her veteran partner S & L Cesana, Fenney delivered a lightning-fast jump-off round, stopping the clock at an unbeatable 35.69 seconds.

The U.S. Department of Agriculture’s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS) announced on March 21, 2025, that it is further delaying the effective date of the Horse Protection Act (HPA) final rule to February 1, 2026. APHIS has opened a public comment period regarding this postponement.

In Ocala, Florida, Augusta Iwasaki and her 12-year-old Hanoverian mare, Small Love, known as "Honey," triumphed in the $37,500 USHJA National 3’ Amateur Hunter Derby, competing against 27 other participants. Iwasaki, who is a student at Southern Methodist University, utilized her spring break effectively, delivering two commendable rounds that led to her victory.

Riding on a wave of success in the Junior Hunter ranks, Lilly Geitner and Banks Mill clinched yet another victory at the 2025 Winter Spectacular Show Series, taking the blue in the $37,500 USHJA National 3’ Junior Hunter Derby. This marks the pair’s sixth hunter derby triumph together, underscoring their consistent dominance throughout the winter circuit.

 Precision, poise, and polished rounds propelled Elizabeth Rinehart to the top of the leaderboard in the Arion Equitation Championship at HITS Ocala Championship X. Aboard the talented Jinter van Het Hagehof, Rinehart navigated her way to victory against a strong field of competitive horse-and-rider combinations.

Sophie Hinners of Germany and her horse Viva Las Vegas W secured victory in the $85,000 The Dutta Corp. Grand Prix CSI2*, competing against a field of 40 entries. The event concluded the Longines League of Nations™ Ocala CSIO5*-LLN at the World Equestrian Center, featuring a diverse mix of experienced and emerging riders tackling a challenging 1.45m course designed by Alan Wade from Ireland.

In a pulse-pounding finish, Alex Matz of the United States and his trusty 17-year-old Holsteiner Cashew CR earned top honors in the $150,000 Hermès CSI4* 1.50m Championship Jumper Series Final on Saturday night, during Week 11 of the Winter Equestrian Festival at Wellington International. Outpacing a formidable 15-horse jump-off by fewer than four-tenths of a second, Matz stopped the clock at 35.