Molly Sorge

Have you seen this photo circulating on Facebook? When Sarah Conyers clicked on the “make this my cover photo” option for her Facebook page this week, she had no idea the photo from 2011 would go viral and be shared and commented on prolifically.

“I had forgotten about it, but I was going through photos on my page and found it. I always loved looking at it, so I put it up there. I never thought so many people would see the photo and comment on it and pass it on!” Conyers said.

She and her U.S.-bred mare keep going through brain surgeries, broken shoulders, and more to earn national championships.

The rangy chestnut filly cantered away with an insouciant flick of her tail. Taylor Flury stood, silent, not quite believing what she’d seen.

She sent Role Model through the free-jump chute again, just to make sure.        

Lots of money got handed out in the form of prize-money checks on March 17 thanks to the AIG Thermal $1 Million Grand Prix and the $100,000 Sullivan GMC Truck Grand Prix, but the lion’s share went into German pockets. Victory in the finale events of HITS Desert Circuit (Calif.) and the HITS Ocala Winter Winter series went to German riders Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum and Andre Thieme.

March 12 - An update released by the Florida Department of Agriculture on March 11 revealed that as a result of extensive testing with no new positive results for Equine Herpes Virus-1, state officials are preparing to release the quarantine on the HITS Post Time Farm showgrounds in Ocala.

Apparently, Phillip Dutton just can’t help winning. Read all about his and Mighty Nice’s somewhat inadvertent victory over Marilyn Little and Buck Davidson in the Red Hills CIC*** in Kat Netzler’s online coverage, full of photos and the stories behind the scenes.

And over in Wellington, Fla., German rider Daniel Deusser showed just what to do when you see that flyer

If you weren’t watching the $150,000 CSIO Grand Prix either in person or on USEF Network, you missed out. The jump-off turned into one of the hottest speed duels possible, with just .06 seconds separating the top five riders. (see results) 

The Florida Department of Agriculture reported on March 1 that one of the four horses located at Miles Away farm in Loxahatchee, Fla., that tested positive for EHV-1 has developed neurological symptoms. Other than the index horse from the HITS Ocala showgrounds on Feb.

On the evening of Feb. 26, a horse who had shown on the HITS Post Time Farm showgrounds in Ocala, Fla., tested positive for EHV-1. This is the second horse connected with the HITS Ocala grounds to test positive. The entire HITS Ocala showgrounds are under quarantine as of the afternoon of Feb. 27, but the horse show continues to run as usual.

A week of intense international competition at the FTI Winter Equestrian Festival in Wellington, Fla., has been threatened by a positive EHV-1 test on a horse in the area. Currently, the Federation Equestre Internationale stabling at WEF is closed, and some classes are canceled. This CSIO week plays host to the $75,000 FEI Nations Cup on March 1 and a $150,000 Grand Prix on March 3, both of which are currently still planned to go forward.

All the talk this weekend centered around the confirmed case of Equine Herpes Virus (EHV-1) at the HITS Ocala showgrounds in Florida.