Robert Steele led the way aboard Gospel in the horse grand prix at the two star Central Districts Show in Foxton this afternoon (Sunday). The dairy farmer from Hawera was one of four combinations through to the jump-off from the 10 starters, and ended up taking the honours by just .4 of a second in a heart-stopping finale that saw horses and riders constantly up the ante. First out was Julie Davey (Hastings) aboard Air Hill Myka who threw everything at it and really laid the challenge for those to come. Simon Wilson (Waipukurau) and Swinger bettered the time by a smidgen, with Steele going even better. ...

Kids who have horses and ponies are usually a little tougher than your average teenager! The thought of spending more time with their beloved mate, camping out under the stars and bonding with their “best- horse-friend” is irresistible. So when the idea came about for a ride to Kalgoorlie along the Golden Pipeline these four friends jumped at the chance. ...

Queensland’s Gemma Creighton has been awarded with a Rising Star Award by Womensport Queensland. Her father and coach, Guy Creighton, competed at the 1976 Olympics in Montreal and the 1984 Olympics in Los Angeles. Gemma’s carving out a name for herself in the junior ranks. Since finishing school she’s now riding and competing full time with the hope of following in his footsteps. ...

Fifteen horses have now died at a property at Kooralbyn in South East Queensland and at this stage authorities are unsure of the cause of the tragedy. The devastated owner of the horses, Steve Hogno, and the large Beaudesert equine community were anxiously awaiting word from Biosecurity Queensland about the possible cause of the mass death. An emotional Mr Hogno said he only moved 25 Quarter Horses to the Kooralbyn property 10 days ago from Oakey near his Toowoomba home. Being moved from 'clean' country (tick free) into 'dirty' country - could the horses be victims of ticks? Apparently there were a few ticks on them but vets said not enough to kill the horses. Hendra virus has been ruled out. ...

Keen pony clubbers from across Australia recently competed at the Australian Pony Club National Championships, which were hosted by Pony Club Victoria and held at Werribee Park, over five days. All Pony Club disciplines were catered for with dressage, showjumping, eventing and games ensuring a wide variety of horsey fun for competitors and spectators alike. ...

The best jumping riders in Australia will compete at the inaugural Equestrian Grand Final Jumping, held as part of EQUITANA, Sydney 10-13 November. Excitement is building as the list of riders invited to compete at the elite Grand Prix event was finalised today following the announcement of the “wild cards”. The field of eighteen includes the cream-of-the-crop including international star Chris Chugg, who will be riding Diamond B Vigo, a daughter of his 2010 World Equestrian Games mount Vivant. ...

The 41st Boekelo CCI3* Three Day Event is being held from 6 - 9 October with 110 starters, including Australians Chris Burton (pictured) and Lucinda Fredericks, who are competing on two horses each. Check out the video footage below for more information about this exciting event......

Sydney Polo Club hosted its third annual International Polo Pony Sale on Saturday 24 September at their prestigious Clubhouse, Richmond NSW. In 2009, Peter and Rebecca Higgins decided to hold a polo pony auction at their private grounds, to serve as a reliable selling point for players to showcase and promote their horses. With Richmond now being the hub of polo in Sydney, the sale provides the opportunity to all seasoned players and beginners to view and trial top quality horses for sale in a world-class facility. ...

18 year old Tom McDermott is an extremely accomplished young showjumper with a stunningly bright future, if his past achievements are anything to go by! Tom is based in Wagga Wagga, NSW, where he trains and competes showjumping horses, and his father Greg is a racehorse trainer. After winning his first Australian Junior Showjumping Championship on Zaydan at an impressive 12 years of age, Tom went on to win again twice more, riding Merriwar and Capone. In 2010 he won both the Junior and Young Rider Championships, the first time a rider has achieved this. Tom has been listed on the Young Rider National Development Squad for the last two years, as well as being on the Emerging Athlete Squad with NSWIS. ...

The FEI, following approval by the FEI Bureau, has announced a small number of changes to its 2011 Equine Prohibited Substance List. These changes, which will be included in the 2012 List and will come into effect on 1 January, ...