Debbie McDonald on Brentina during the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens (Bob Langrish) Lexington, KY – The best and brightest dressage stars will battle it out in Burbank, California this weekend, in a show-down that will determine who will ride at the 2005 FEI World Cup Dressage Final Presented by Offield Farms, in Las Vegas, April 20-24. Tickets to the World Cup won’t come easily though, with a red-hot roster waiting to take home the title at the U.S. Grand Prix Freestyle...

Dressage with the Expert will be offered at the 2005 Las Vegas World Cup, featuring FEI “O” Judge, Cara Whitham. Dressage with the Expert is a fascinating way to “eavesdrop” on the comments an expert might make about the performance of riders and horses while they are actually competing. It is a great way to gain a better understanding of this majestic sport. Whitham has judged all over the world and knows these horses and riders well. Headsets are available to hear a running commentary on each...

Despite a previous week of sunshine when the field of 30 competitors began the Gulf Coast Mid Winter $10,000 Open Welcome, Mother Nature decided to add another challenge to Anthony D’Ambrosio’s course. A deluge of rain began as the first horse passed judges Fred Brown and Mike Christian. David Q Wright’s Step Right Up did just that. After a clear first round the 14-year-old Thoroughbred gelding from Murfreesboro, TN, gave a repeat performance in a jump-off field of eight with a speedy 34.494...

Red Hills Horse Trials is preparing to host a major international event with an FEI World Cup Qualifier as well as being part of the USEA Gold Cup Series at the Elinor Klapp-Phipps Park near Tallahassee, FL, March 11-13, 2005. A total of seven divisions will be held during the three days with prize money reaching $20,500. Now in its eighth year, Red Hills welcomed over 37,000 visitors to the event in 2004 to watch some 200 competitors and is anticipating another hugely successful event. Over...

The American Saddlebred Horse Association 2005 annual convention had 579 attendees. The total includes both adults and youth who attended the various events that took place February 17-19, including the American Saddlebred Ball, youth field trip, forums, luncheons and more. This year 248 adults attended the Annual Meeting and other functions at the Embassy Suites of Lexington and the Keeneland Race Course. In addition, 206 youth members attended the Youth Conference. Youth Conference attendance...

The American Vaulting Association (AVA) has launched a significantly improved and updated website. Visitors to the www.americanvaulting.org site can expect to find the addition of many new resources and educational tools, including video. Whether you are interested in finding a club, starting a program or learning about vaulting, the expanded website provides multiple sources of information. The AVA first entered the information highway in 1995, long before many had heard of the worldwide web....

As equestrians, we’re no strangers to travel. Our horses aren’t either. We travel for competitions, for business, and on chance occasions when sunshine lures us out of the barn, we sometimes travel just for fun. Regardless of our reasons, we know what we want on these trips. We want value. We want no-hassle solutions. We want peace of mind. And whenever possible, we want simple one-stop answers that offer all of the above! Try renting a car from Hertz. Trips become a little more...

Indio, CA – With only two World Cup qualifiers left for the West Coast League, Nicole Simpson stakes a new claim in the top spot, positioning herself 15 points ahead of second ranked rider Joie Gatlin. Simpson now boasts an impressive 81 points to Gatlin’s 66. Last week’s first-ranked Richard Spooner is in third place following this latest qualifier, with 65 points. These top contenders are among nearly 30 West Coast riders vying for the three World Cup spots the League is...

USEF Archive ( ) For the past nine months the USEF Competition Date Approval Task Force has worked on a major overhaul of the current “Mileage Rule” which dictates how competition dates are awarded to horse show organizers. As the Task Force examined the process it became apparent that several other important issues involved in the awarding of dates were critical to the improvement of equestrian competition in the United States. These involved the licensing of competitions; establishment and...