Mollie Bailey

A fast-moving brush fire tore through hunter/jumper trainer Julie Winkel’s Maplewood Stables in the Pleasant Valley area of Reno, Nev., on Jan. 19. No horses or humans were injured, but there is significant damage to the property, and Winkel’s home was destroyed.

Around noon Winkel was at home and saw the fire in the distance.

Aaron Vale will get a different kind of warm-up competition before the start of the grand prix show jumping season. He’s entered Torino Q in the Ocala Horse Properties Horse Trials in Ocala, Fla., Jan. 7-8.

New Orleans, La.—Dec. 8

It’s been an ongoing struggle to find the best system to track and reward a horse’s performance over the show year. But at this year’s U.S. Hunter Jumper Association Annual Meeting, held Dec. 5-8, an updated points format earned a welcome reception.

Oct. 29—Guadalajara, Mexico

Christine McCrea finished out the week the same way she started it: perfectly. She didn’t log a single fault over five rounds of show jumping at the Pan American Games to score the individual gold medal aboard Romantovich Take One.

McCrea edged out teammate Beezie Madden and Coral Reef Via Volo, with Brazil’s Bernardo Alves taking bronze on Bridgit.

Oct. 27—Guadalajara, Mexico

The U.S. show jumping team came to the Pan American Games for one reason and one reason only—to earn an invitation to the London Olympic Games. But they managed that and more, without any U.S. riders putting a single fault on the scoreboard today en route to a team gold medal and a spot on the Olympic start list. Brazil picked up team silver, and Mexico delighted their hometown crowds by earning bronze.

Oct. 27—Guadalajara, Mexico

Oct. 26—Guadalajara, Mexico

For Beezie Madden, the first day of competition at the Pan American Games was a relatively easy one. She got to watch 50 riders before her tackling the course, which told her exactly where she had go to outrun them.

Oct. 23—Guadalajara, Mexico

Jessica Phoenix wrapped up a perfect Pan American Games performance this afternoon, riding a second fault-free show jumping round to earn individual eventing gold aboard Pavarotti. She’d already jumped clean once that day in the jumping round that determined the team medals. That performance helped Canada clinch team silver.

Oct. 23—Guadalajara, Mexico

The U.S. eventing squad finished the team competition at the Pan American Games the same way they finished their first day of competition: without a single jumping penalty.

Oct. 22—Guadalajara, Mexico

All five U.S. eventing riders had a banner cross-country day at the Pan American Games, without a single rider picking up a penalty. Jessica Phoenix had the same faultless result on Pavarotti, so she stayed on top of the leaderboard for Canada on her dressage score of 43.9.