Elizabeth Shoudy

In an overwhelming sweep of gold medals, the Zone 2 show jumping team proved unstoppable, winning the team gold medal for a record seventh time at the CN North American Young Riders Championships at the Virginia Horse Center in Lexington, Va., July 26-31.

Young rider team members (Onira/Brianne Goutal, River/Blythe Marano, True Love/Sarah Segal, and Flight/Addison Phillips) posted only 8 faults over five rounds to finish a full 24 faults ahead of the second-placed team, which was a combination of Zones 6/7/8. Team Mexico finished third (36 faults).

Dave and Susie Morris rise every morning before the sun starts to creep over the horizon.

They put on their jeans, clean polo shirts, signature baseball caps, and head to the horse show to begin a new day. It's usually still a few hours before the darkness dissipates, and they enjoy the early dawn, before the hustle and bustle of the horse show commences.

At only her third show back since breaking her leg, Betty Oare proved repeatedly that she was back at the top of her game at the Warrenton Pony Show, June 29-July 3 in Warrenton, Va.

Oare broke her left leg while showing in the amateur-owner, 36 and over, division on March 12, the last day of the Winter Equestrian Festival (Fla.) circuit.

The Kesslers are no strangers to winning, but for the second time this year, Reed, her father Murray, and her motherTeri Kessler, all took home championship honors, this time during the two weeks of shows at Lake Placid, N.Y., June 29-July 3 and July 6-10.

They also pulled off multiple championships at the Old Salem Farm II (N.Y.) show in May.

"There is no feeling like having everybody you love in arm's reach, at the top of their game and living out their dreams," said Teri with a smile.

For many people, it's hard to imagine that peace and quiet can be found at a horse show, but Glenn Geary, of Henry "Hank" Hulick's Horsewatch, knows otherwise.

After the sun goes down and the heat of the day dissipates, while the last groom is wearily watering one last time, and the horses are finally able to relax, Geary starts his rounds. There's the occasional stomp of a hoof, the dull hum of horses contentedly munching hay, and the heavy breathing of those taking advantage of the lull in activity to stretch out on the clean shavings for a snooze.

For the past four decades, most of the leading show jumpers in the world have been produced out of bloodlines descending from leading sires Ladykiller and Cor de la Bryere. At the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens, 45 percent of the show jumpers traced their pedigrees to Ladykiller and 34 percent to Cor de la Bryere.

Dr. Pete Birdsall, the leading sport horse pedigree analyst in North America, asserts that's evidence that the genetic pool is getting narrower and a reason for concern.

Last year, a broken leg put Margie Engle out of action for several months and kept her from winning a spot on the Athens Olympic team. But the winningest rider in grand prix history is back, and she proved it emphatically by claiming first and second in the $100,000 Budweiser/Upperville Jumper Classic CSI*** on June 12.

Engle captured the blue with Hidden Creek's Wapino and was a close second with Hidden Creek's Perin at the Upperville Colt & Horse Show in Upperville, Va. Her last win in the Upperville classic was 11 years ago aboard Land Of Kings.