Horse Illustrated readers attend shows and competitions in a variety of disciplines. If you want to keep up with news from major horse events and learn how to prepare your horse for an event, then enjoy this category within our archives. Topics include articles from competitors in various disciplines, winners of big events (e.g., national championships in various disciplines), ways to make competing fun, grooming for show-ring success, how to compete and maintain balance in life, how to showcase your horse at an event the best you can, and so much more. When you are an equestrian competitor, regardless of at what level, you are part of a unique lifestyle.

Tokyo Olympic Reboot: Final Preview for the Tokyo Olympic Games
July 14, 2021
Just 16 months ago, the sports world came to a standstill, and the Olympic Games Tokyo 2020 were no exception. Tokyo 2020 was put on hold until this year—although it is still called “Tokyo 2020”—and will go down in history as the Games stalled by a worldwide pandemic. As this...

It’s All A Go for Tokyo: Olympic Games to Proceed as Planned
July 12, 2021
Before the action even begins, the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games are already unforgettable. Running a year later than scheduled and with multiple challenges along the way, the best of the best are now putting in their final preparations ahead of the Opening Ceremony on July 23, 2021. All is a...

Jacob Arnold Claims USEF Advanced Pair Horse Combined Driving National Championship at Kentucky Classic CDE
June 25, 2021
The Kentucky Classic Combined Driving Event concluded with the cones phase at the picturesque Hillcroft Farm. A small but mighty field contested the United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) Advanced Pair Horse Combined Driving National Championship, and Jacob Arnold, of Goshen, Ky., took home his second consecutive title. Arnold drove Steve...

Missing Horse Shows
June 13, 2021
When I started working after law school, I thought I’d be back in the show ring in no time. I didn’t want to be missing any horse shows. I was fueled by childhood memories of showground shaved ices, long walks cooling out in the trees with friends, and afternoons goofing...

Horse Jumps – Ready for Better Takeoff!
May 5, 2021
You may have heard about “seeing” and “looking for” distances at the horse jumps. The problem with this approach is that it only deals with what occurs in the immediate vicinity of the jump. Much more important than the takeoff stride at the jump are all the strides that come...

Totally Tokyo: Previewing the Equestrian Events of the Tokyo Olympics (Now in 2021)
December 25, 2020
While this article was originally written as a preview for the Tokyo 2020 Olympic Games, shortly after publication the event was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic. It as been rescheduled for July 23-August 8, 2021 in Tokyo, Japan. We’ve updated the text to reflect the change, but we did...

Record Number of Exhibitors Compete at the 2020 Farnam and Adequan American Quarter Horse Association World Show
December 15, 2020
That’s a wrap on the largest American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA) World Show in history! During the 2020 Farnam AQHA World Championship Show; AQHA Select World Championship Show, presented by Adequan; AQHA Ranching Heritage Challenge Finals; and the Adequan Level 2 and Nutrena Level 1 Championships, more than 7,500 entries,...

First-Ever Concurrent Appaloosa World Shows a Huge Success in 2020
December 11, 2020
Prevailing during the 2020 pandemic, the Appaloosa Horse Club (ApHC) successfully rescheduled its Youth World Championship Show to run concurrently with its World Championship Show for the first time ever—and both shows were a success. The event ran October 29 through November 8 at the Will Rogers Memorial Center in...

Rebecca Hart Wins 2020 Adequan/USEF Para Dressage National Championship
November 4, 2020
Competitors in the 2020 Adequan/USEF Para Dressage National Championship concluded their week at the Tryon International Equestrian Center on October 25 with their FEI Para Freestyle tests. Rebecca Hart of Wellington, Fla., and Rowan O’Riley’s El Corona Texel held on to the lead through all three days of competition, finishing...

Tamie Smith and Elliot-V Win the 2020 USEF CCI3*-L Eventing National Championship at Galway Downs International
USEF CCI3*-L Eventing National Championship California eventer Tamie Smith had a big victory on home turf at the Galway Downs International on Halloween weekend, winning the 2020 USEF CCI3*-L Eventing National Championship with Elliot-V, an 11-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding owned by Smith’s student, Luisa Southworth. Smith took over the ride...