When I was at the North American Junior and Young Rider Championships last week, I was driving through downtown Lexington, Ky., and found myself brimming with excitement about the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games. Not only were there totally beautiful horse statues everywhere, but we drove under a countdown clock to the Games!

After a potentially career-ending injury, John Crandell’s mount is back at the top of his game.

“He’s a freak of nature,” John Crandell III said of Heraldic after winning his sixth and Heraldic’s second Old Dominion 100 on June 12 in Orkney Springs, Va. “He’s not the easiest personality in the world to get along with, but physically, athletically, he’s a freak of nature. That’s the best way to describe him. He’s just athletic in every way you can imagine.”

The World Endurance Festival in Compiègne, France, hosted the CEIO*** 100-mile race on Friday.

Rain prior to the competition provided an excellent preparation for the soft, sandy tracks, generating perfect going for the 62 riders who set out on the world famous course. Weather on the day could not have been better with a dry day and sunny skies. A top temperature of just 66 degrees Farenheit proved to be ideal for the horses and riders and was reflected in the competitive speeds and high completion rate of more than 60 percent.

And this year he hopes that will include a trip to Kentucky for the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games.

At the end of 2009, Steve Rojek had accumulated more than 42,000 miles in distance riding competitions, 19,000 of those miles at endurance rides. That’s the equivalent of twice around the world, and indeed he’s competed in Ireland, France, Qatar, United Arab Emirates, Saudi Arabia, Spain, Germany, Argentina, Uruguay and just about anywhere there is a ride in North America.

The win with Gold Raven comes in one of the toughest contests of her career.  

Danielle McGunigal admitted that after 30 years of endurance competition the Kentucky Cup endurance test event for the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games was the most difficult ride she had ever completed.