News

The 2027 Photo Contest is now open

Details: November 7, 2026; By SARA CAVANAGH

Entries are now being accepted for The Horse of Delaware Valley's 31st Annual Photo Contest

action 1sr place collies jumping DianneRose 2026 Action photo first place, collies jumping by Dianne RoseThe deadline is Dec. 30. 2026.

The categories are Action, Candid and Pet/Animal photos.

Photos are judged on clarity and sharpness of the subject as well as originality.

Photos showing only the backs of people and/or animals drop to the bottom of the pile of entries.

The three top winners in each category will receive a certificate suitable for framing.

Winners will be announced in January, 2027.

Winning photos and Honorable Mention photos will be published in January of Action photos, in February of Candid photos, and in March of Pet/Animal photos.

All entries must be of subjects from the 14 state area served by The Horse, Pennsylvania; New Jersey, New York, Delaware, Maryland, Virginia, Ohio, West Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Florida, Kentucky, Georgia and Connecticut, but the photos do not have to be taken in those states.

All photos must be taken in 2026

ACTION photos should be of a competition; CANDID photos should be of a person or persons in a horse setting, such as a show, farm, trail riding or event; and PET/ANIMAL photos can be of any animal, domesticated or otherwise. For example, a fox in the wild qualifies as a pet photo.

E-mail photos to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..

Each entry MUST include the full identity and hometown of the subject or subjects with a brief description of the action the photo captures, plus the name, mailing address, e-mail address and TELEPHONE NUMBER of the photographer.

Entries that are clearly doctored to achieve some artistic effect will be disqualified.

Todd McKenna gets another slap on the wrist

Details: November 3, 2026; By SARA CAVANAGH

Noah And The Ark, trained by Todd McKenna, won the Timber Stakes at the International Gold Cup on Oct. 24 and broke down immediately after crossing the finish line.

Noah and the Ark Skylar McKenna Todd McKenna paddock IGC 8 Noah and the Ark with Skylar McKenna, left, and Todd McKenna in thepaddock before the Timber Stakes (Photo by Tod Marks)Todd McKenna led a badly limping Noah And The Ark, his head dropping almost to his knees with every step, on the long route to the winner's circle, and stood with him in the winner's circle.

The whole time, Noah And The Ark still had to carry the weight of jockey Harry Beswick while he limped behind his trainer.

McKenna then happily went to be interviewed following the race, paying no attention to the horse that had won both hurdle stakes and now timber stakes for him, leaving him to Skylar McKenna, who ran the horse, to walk him back to the barn - not even giving him the relief of a van ride to his stall.

McKenna's only excuse was that he asked the jockey, Harry Beswick to get off the horse.

Along with the blatant cruelty to the horse, consider what this does to the image of steeplechase racing in this day of heightened awareness of animal cruelty.

Organizations like PETA are always waiting to pounce.

Todd McKenna and Harry Beswick fined and suspended

Details: October 31, 2026; By SARA CAVANAGH

THE PLAINS, Va.--On Saturday.Oct. 24 at the International Gold Cup, Noah And The Ark broke down immediately after crossing the finish line in front in the $50,000 Timber Stakes.

Noah and the Ark Skylar McKenna Todd McKenna paddock IGC 8 Noah and the Ark with Skylar McKenna leading him and Todd McKenna in the paddock (Photo by Tod Marks)Despite Noah being clearly lame, Beswick remained mounted and rode the horse beside McKenna along the long route in front of the spectators all the way to the winner's circle, where he stood on three legs while win photos were taken with McKenna and the owners.

McKenna and Beswick then spent quite a long time being interviewed.

Trainers and spectators, both at the event and watching the live stream described watching the lame horse going to the winner's circle as "appalling,"

On Wednesday, Oct. 28, the National Steeplechase Association announced that Trainer Todd McKenna and jockey Harry Beswick were fined $10,000 and $3,000 respectively and suspended effective immediately for the remained of the NSA season for "serious violation of the NSA Code of Conduct."

Irv Naylor, 91, top steeplechase owner, died Oct. 20

Details: October 25, 2026; By Staff Writers

Irvin S. “Irv" Naylor, the National Steeplechase’s leading all-time owner, died Tuesday at the age of 91.

Irv and Dane Naylor Tod Marks Irv and Diane Naylor (Photo by Tod Marks)A businessman, entrepreneur, and philanthropist, Naylor left an indelible mark, collecting accolades and honors from those in the many worlds he traveled in and touched.

Born on June 26, 1935 in Stevenson, Md., Naylor was the son of a filling station operator in nearby Pikesville.

Irv captained the McDonogh military school’s cavalry squad during his senior year.

After graduating from Miami University, he launched Lok-Box in 1960, a packaging company that produced wooden boxes.

He added Cor-Box – corrugated boxes – in 1968.

But his passion was skiing, and he carved out a lasting legacy building a successful winter sports empire: Ski Roundtop in York County, Pa.

His company, Snow Time, Inc., later helped develop Liberty Mountain Resort, Ski Windham in New York, and Whitetail Mountain Resort.

Horses were another of Naylor’s loves.

Kent Farrington and Boyd Martin second in jumping and eventing World Rankings

Details: October 9, 2026; By Staff Writers

Richard Vogel, who took over as world number one after that incredible German Team gold at the FEI World Championships 2026 in Aachen, has now extended what was a 73-point lead a month ago to a 108-point advantage over the USA’s Kent Farrington.

Richie Vogel on United Touch S (Photo by Benjamin Clark)In September, Vogel on Cloudio won the Canadian Nations Cup in Calgary, where Team Germany once again topped the line-up, but although his dream of taking the Spruce Meadows feature Grand Prix with his Aachen partner United Touch was denied, the 29-year-old still gathered enough points to further cement his place at the top of the rankings.

Vogel sits comfortably in the lead on 3,427 points, with former number one Kent Farrington holding onto second with 3,319.

Ireland’s Shane Sweetnam, after a busy month that included a 5* Grand Prix win with Coriaan van Klapscheut Z in Rockwood, Canada and a second-place finish in the opening leg of the Longines FEI Jumping World Cup North American League at Traverse City with James Kann Cruz, is back up from fifth to third on 3,171 at the expense of Scott Brash of Great Britain, who has slid a place to fourth on 3,097.

Sally Goswell, Fair Hill Training Center General Manager, died Sept. 28

Details: October 1, 2026; By Staff Writers

Sally Goswell, 72, longtime general manager of Maryland’s Fair Hill Training Center, died peacefully at her home in Newark, Del., on Sept. 28 of pancreatic cancer.

GOSWELLSALLY Sally GoswellSally was born Oct. 6, 1953 in Washington, D.C., to Frank R. Stoner III and Sarah Sutherland Stoner.

She grew up in Sewickley, Pa., northwest of Pittsburgh and rode show horses, including a top pony named Ace Of Spades.

Sally’s love for horses continued into her college years while attending Johns Hopkins University in Baltimore, where she galloped horses at Pimlico Race Course every chance she got and met her future husband, Michael “Mike” Goswell.

Sally and Mike were married in 1976, began operating a Thoroughbred training business on the Maryland racetrack circuit and eventually bought a barn at Fair Hill.

“I was working for Kenny Field and she was galloping for Billy Christmas,” said Mike this week of their early days together. “When I went out on my own, she was the groom for the two or three horses we had and kept working in the barn even after we had our boys. She had a backpack and one of them was in it most of the time.”

McLain Ward steps up, he and Laura Kraut lead team for Barcelona Final

Details: September 29, 2026; By Staff Writers

LEXINGTON, Ky.--The team for the League of Nations Final in Barcelona had originally included Paris Sellon, but after the qualifier at St.Tropez, her horse came up with a minor lameness and Sellon withdrew.

Barcelona team Chef d’Equipe Robert Ridland said he was talking to McLain Ward the next day, and when Ward heard about Sellon he said, without being asked, that he had other commitments that weekend but give him a day and he'd let Ridland know if he could fill in for the team.

Within a few hours, Ward said he was available.

A great example of making yourself available when the U.S. needs you.

So, on Sept. 29, US Equestrian announced the riders selected to represent the U.S. Jumping Team at the Longines League of Nations Final CSIO5* hosted in Barcelona, Spain, from Oct.1-4, at Real Club de Polo de Barcelona.

The team will be led by Chef d’Equipe Robert Ridland and Team Leader Lizzy Chesson, with horses to be confirmed week of the event.

The following riders have been selected to represent the U.S. Jumping Team and are listed in alphabetical order:

Laura Kraut of Royal Palm Beach, Fla.

McKayla Langmeier of East Granby, Conn.

Kristen Vanderveen of Wellington, Fla.

McLain Ward of Brewster, N.Y.

Competition Information

The Longines League of Nations Final will begin on Thursday, Oct. 1.

The Longines Grand Prix of the City of Barcelona CSIO5* will be hosted under the lights on Friday, Oct. 2, starting at 8:00 p.m. GMT, which is 2:00 p.m. EST.

The highlight of the week, the Longines League of Nations Final team competition, will start at 12:00 p.m. GMT, which is 6:00 a.m. EST on Sunday, Oct. 4, to conclude the 2026 LLN season.

The Longines League of Nations Final CSIO5* in Barcelona will be streamed on FEI.TV.

US Equestrian competing members, subscribers, and fans receive a 10% discount on a ClipMyHorse.TV Premium Subscription.

Eventing team for Boekelo

Details: September 27, 2026; By Staff Writers

LEXINGTON, Ky.--US Equestrian announced the following riders and horses selected to represent the U.S. Eventing Team at the FEI Eventing Nations Cup Boekelo CCIO4*-NC-L, hosted in Boekelo, Netherlands, from October 1-4.

Event team BoekoloThe team will be led by Chef d’Equipe Leslie Law, High Performance Advisor Karyn Shuter, and Team Leader Christina Vaughn.

Ten teams will contest the Nations Cup in Boekelo; Austria, Belgium, France, Great Britain, Germany, Italy, Norway, Poland, Switzerland and USA.

The following have been selected to represent the U.S. Eventing Team and are listed in alphabetical order.

Hallie Coon of Ocala, Fla.,, on Sirius SB

Jack Curtis of Beverly, Mass., on Luska Candy Clover

Allie Knowles of Lexington, Ky., on Montpellier Scais

Lauren Nicholson of The Plains, Va., on Landmark’s Jungle Gold,

The following has been selected as an alternate.

Allie Knowles of Lexington, Ky., on LS Crown Royal

Competition Information

The 2026 FEI Eventing Nations Cup Boekelo CCIO4*-NC-L will begin on Thursday, Oct. 1, at 9 a.m GMT, which is 3 a.m. EST, with day one of dressage, to be followed by day two, Friday, Oct 2, at 9 a.m GMT, which is 3 a.m. EST.

The cross-country phase will begin at 9 a.m. GMT, which is 3 a.m. EST on Saturday, Oct. 3.

Competition will conclude with show jumping on Sunday, Oct. 4, beginning at 10:30 a.m. GMT, which is 4:30 a.m. EST.

McLain Ward joins riders for the League of Nations Final

Details: September 25, 2026; By Staff Writers

BARCELONA, Spain--McLain Ward has replaced Paris Sellon on the U.S. team for the Finals of the Leagueof Nations in Barcelona which runs Oct. 3-5.

McLain Ward on Jordon Molga M Robert Ridland’s American team came within just 0.07 seconds of victory in a dramatic three-way jump-off in Rotterdam, a result that proved crucial in securing their place in the Final.

Ward joins Laura Kraut, McKayla Langmeier and Kristen Vanderveen, who were on the team at St.Tropez, as the four that will represent the United States of America in Barcelona.

In Barcelona, the Real Club de Polo will set the stage for one team to be crowned Longines League of Nations 2026 champions.

Ten nations began the series, but four fiercely contested qualifiers across three continents narrowed the field to eight: France, Germany, Great Britain, Brazil, Ireland, Belgium, the United States of America and Italy. T

They will be joined in the Final by host nation Spain, completing the nine-team line-up.

Bally Cor and the Gilded Shoe

Details: September 23, 2026; By Staff Writers

By BETSY DeMARINO

Fifty odd years ago, I was working hard, trying to get into veterinary school, polishing up my resume and trying to get the best work qualifications I could.

DeMarino hoof Bally Cor's gilded hoofI had the great good fortune to know Dr. Charles Reid, Chief of Large Animal Radiology at New Bolton Center, as a mentor, friend, neighbor and fox hunting buddy.

We sometimes rode together as a pair or team for hunter trials and paperchases.

Charlie offered me a job as a junior radiology technician at New Bolton Center, which was hugely significant for my ambition.

Charlie had done some favors for the owner of Cormac, the champion steeplechase horse of his time.

He offered a free breeding to Cormac for Charlie’s mare, Ballylickie, and so Bally Cor was born.

Bally Cor, like her mom, was somewhat opinionated.

I heard this from friends of mine who had been short listed as Olympic three-day riders and had gone to Gladstone, N.J, for tryouts.

Apparently, several Olympic hopefuls who tried Bally Cor did not get on well with her.

That was until Tad Coffin, at 21, one of the youngest Olympic hopefuls, was assigned to the opinionated mare.

That paring clicked for Bally Cor and she became devoted to Tad as her chosen rider.

U.S. team for St. Tropez League of Nations

Details: September 15, 2026; By SARA CAVANAGH

LEXINGTON, Ky.--US Equestrian announced the riders selected to represent the U.S. Jumping Team at the Longines League of Nations St. Tropez CSIO5* hosted in St. Tropez, France, from Sept/ 16-20.

St Tropez team The team will be led by Chef d’Equipe Robert Ridland and Team Leader Lizzy Chesson.

The following riders have been selected to represent the U.S. Jumping Team and are listed in alphabetical order:

• Laura Kraut of Royal Palm Beach, Fla.
• McKayla Langmeier of East Granby, Conn.
• Paris Sellon of Los Angeles, Calif.
• Kristen Vanderveen of Wellington, Fla.

Competition Information

The final qualifying competition for the Longines League of Nations Final will be hosted in St. Tropez, France, at Haras de Gassin Polo Club - St. Tropez, from Sept. 16-20.

Competition will begin on Thursday, Sept. 17, with the Longines League of Nations Grand Prix CSIO5* at 6:30 p.m. whichis 12:30 p.m. Eastern on Friday, Sept.18.

The Longines League of Nations two-round team competition will start at 1:15 p.m. which is 7:15 a.m. Eastern on Sunday, Sept. 20, to conclude the week of competition.

It will be shown live on ClipMyHorse.TV/FEI.TV

Richie Vogel now World Ranked number one

Details: September 5, 2026; By Staff Writers

Richard Vogel, a member of Germany’s gold medal team at last month’s FEI World Championships in Aachen, Germany, has taken over as world number one in the World Rankings for the first time in his career.

Richie Vogel on United Touch S (Photo by Benjamin Clark)The 29-year-old Vogel, who had been second behind Kent Farrington, had already earned enough points to overhaul Farrington with that team medal on home soil, but he made absolutely sure of it by winning the Brussels 5* Grand Prix with Gangster Montdesir on the final Sunday of August.

Vogel won individual gold and team bronze at last year’s European Championship in A Coruña, Spain. team gold in Aachen, and with the additional points from Brussels, Vogel has now turned around a 147-point deficit in the Rankings a month ago to a 73-point lead over Farrington.

“It still feels very surreal to hear that I am world number one”, Vogel said. “It is a huge achievement and makes me incredibly proud of what we have been able to achieve together as a team. As a rider, I am certainly far from being the best in the world, but I believe this title is a pretty good indication that I have the very best team around me.

Needed, a person to sell ads

Details: September 4, 2026; By SARA CAVANAGH

The Horse's Ad Director Ginny Jenkins is retiring. Position open for a person to sell ads. Needed, an enthusiastic go-getter. Work from home. Experience necessary. Send resume to The Horse, 721 Haines Mill Rd., West Chester, Pa. 19382. Or call Ginny at 610-873-3874.

Phelps for Devon Fall Classic sent a correction

Details: September 4, 2026; By SARA CAVANAGH

Please note a correction to the Devon Fall Classic press release sent yesterday.

The correct prize amounts for the three feature classes in the Dixon Oval are:

$5,000 Welcome Jumper Stake

$10,000 Open Speed Stake

$25,000 Devon Fall Classic

Devon Fall Classic returns Sept. 10-13

Details: September 2, 2026; By Staff Writers

DEVON, Pa.--The Devon Fall Classic returns to the historic Devon Horse Show grounds Sept. 10–13, bringing four days of exciting jumper competition, live entertainment, shopping, food, and family-friendly activities.

Devon Fall Classic winner Competition in the Dixon Oval will be highlighted by three feature classes under the lights: the $5,000 Welcome Jumper Stake, the $5,000 Open Speed Stake, and the $25,000 Devon Fall Classic.

Beyond the show ring, visitors can enjoy shopping from a variety of vendors, classic Devon food and drinks, and live entertainment throughout the weekend.

Families can also look forward to kids crafts, pony rides, and activities for young visitors, making the Devon Fall Classic a weekend for all ages.

Join us Sept.10–13, 2026, and celebrate the start of fall with competition, community, and some of Devon’s favorite traditions.

For additional information and to purchase tickets, visit devonhorseshow.net/fall-classic.

Young Rider and Junior teams for Nations Cup Final in Netherlands

Details: August 27, 2026; By Staff Writers

LEXINGTON, Ky.--US Equestrian announce the riders selected to represent U.S. Jumping at the FEI Youth Jumping Nations Cup Final hosted from Sept. 9-13, at Peelbergen Equestrian Centre, in Kronenberg, the Netherlands.

U R team 26 U.S. Jumping will field both a Junior Team and a Young Rider Team.

Both teams will be led by Chef d’Equipe Anne Kursinski and Team Leader Erin Keating.

The following riders have been selected to represent the U.S. Jumping Young Rider Team and are listed in alphabetical order:

• Campbell Brown of Fayetteville, Ark.
• Isabelle Ehman of Milton, Ga.
• Kait Meggenhofen of Noblesville, Ind.
• Eleanor Rudnicki of Conroe, Texas
• JJ Torano of Mohrville, Pa.

The following riders have been selected to represent the U.S. Jumping Junior Team and are listed in alphabetical order:

• Rylynn Conway of Fair Haven, N.J.
• Alice Goodwin of Richmond, Va.
• Lauren Padilla of Palos Verdes Estates, Calif.
• Scarlett Samuels of New York, N.Y.
• Violet Tatum of Los Angeles, Calif.

Competition Information

The FEI Youth Jumping Nations Cup Final will take place in Kronenberg, Netherlands, featuring pony, children, junior, and young rider classes for each different category.

The U.S. Jumping Junior Team will jump at a height of 1.40m, while the U.S. Jumping Young Rider Team will compete at 1.45m in height.

Each team will contest two qualifying rounds early in the week beginning on Thursday, Sept. 10, to compete in the Youth Jumping Nations Cup Final for both categories on Sunday, Sept. 13.