Three years ago, a group of grand prix riders came up with the idea of the North American Riders Group. Although it doesn’t have regulatory power, NARG has gained a voice in the show community, serving as an advocacy group, or a lobby, for the riders to communicate their concerns to show management.

No one taught Rodney Jenkins to ride. The man who would become one of the greatest hunter and jumper riders of all time never had a formal lesson from anyone.

Instead, Jenkins learned by listening to the horses and watching. “I learned a lot by the seat of my pants,” he said.

“We had woods behind the barn, and I’d build courses of old logs and branches and play horse show. Then, when I went to horse shows, I watched the people who won. I’d see their style and try to integrate it into the way I rode.”

Leading international course designer Frank Rothenberger, from Germany, will provide the challenging courses for the first leg of the 2011 Global Champions Tour to be held at the Qatar Equestrian Federation Outdoor Arena in Al Rayan, Doha from Mar. 17-19.

Since the beginning of 2011, Rothenberger has had a busy schedule in his capacity as course designer including the build at the CSI-W Zurich, Switzerland, where the World Cup event saw the success of German top show jumper Marcus Ehning, champion of the Global Champions Tour in 2010.

Scott Stewart may not spend much time in Las Vegas, but that doesn’t mean he’s not a gambler. He’s one of the few hunter trainers who regularly takes chances on young horses, often importing them from Europe as yearlings or 2-year-olds. His slightly unusual system pays off—almost every horse he rides into the ring is a top competitor, and they all do it in the same classic style. You can point out a horse and say, “That’s a Scott Stewart type,” and if the horse moves well, jumps beautifully and looks good to boot, you’d be right.

When Tucker Johnson drove his horses through the final gate at the final obstacle in the final marathon of his career at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games, he stood up in his carriage and saluted the crowd. After 25 years of competing at the highest levels of combined driving, Johnson was finally hanging up his whip.

“Tucker has been a real showman and a real promoter of the sport, and there’s something
in his personality that really attracts and appeals to the crowd,” said Edward Young, the chef
d’equipe of the U.S. combined driving team.