Ravel Settles for Second (SusanJStickle.com) Wellington, FL – Having convincingly won the Grand Prix at the 2010 Exquis World Dressage Masters on Thursday afternoon, the pressure was on Steffen Peters to continue his winning tear with Ravel. But unfortunately for the US fans, it was a repeat of 2009 and he still couldn’t eclipse Anky van Grunsven and her Olympic champion Salinero. The reigning Gold medalist wowed the fans with a classic fault-free performance and a score of 84.4% for the...

Photo by SusanJStickle.com (Steffen Peters and Ravel) Wellington, FL – Somehow it keeps getting better. After just collecting the United States Equestrian Federation's Horse and Rider of the Year accolades for 2009, US dressage superstars Steffen Peters and Ravel ran their streak to six major wins with a convincing effort at the Grand Prix at the 2010 Exquis World Dressage Masters. Ravel, a 12-year-old KWPN gelding (Contango-Hautain) owned by Akiko Yamazaki’s Four Winds Farm appeared even...

The U.S. Para Equestrian Association (USPEA) is hosting a benefit for U.S. para-equestrians called "Journey to the Games." Cocktails, light fare and musical entertainment with Mack Bailey and Rachel Levy will be provided. The event will take place on Friday, February 12 at 7 p.m. at the Horse Park at Equestrian Estates in Loxahatchee, FL. Hosted by Walter and Mary Ann McPhail, tickets are $35. Donations are also accepted and can be made to the USPEA, c/o Tomlinson Equine, 3940 Verde Vista Dr.,...

Photo by Sport Fot/Thierry Billet (Louis Jacobs on Kachina in the 1.45m.) The 2010 FTI Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF) had a successful third week of competition on January 27-31. The week featured the $75,000 Nespresso Grand Prix, CSI** and the $55,000 Nespresso Battle of the Sexes, along with a full schedule of hunter, jumper, and equitation classes. The week three title sponsor was Nespresso. In order to provide the best coffee to riders at the FTI WEF, Nespresso is the official coffee at...

The USEF Dressage Pony Handbook has now been updated for 2010 and is available for free download from the USEF website at www.usef.org/_IFrames/breedsdisciplines/discipline/alldressage/dressagePonies.aspx .

Photo by Robbi Meisel (Aaron Vale and Platinum) The $25,000 Jacksonville A-Z Grand Prix sponsored by North Florida Hunter Jumper Association on January 30 closed out Week IV of competition with one of the most successful riders in show jumping, Aaron Vale, adding another win to his illustrious career. After a week of observation, course designer Allen Rheinheimer put all he learned about the starting field into a lengthy and technical 13 obstacle-16 effort test with a time allowance of 96 tight...

The USEF Test Writing Sub-Committee is in the process of revising all USEF Dressage Tests (Training–Fourth Levels) for 2011, which will take effect December 1, 2010 (the beginning of the USEF competition year). As work continues, several important changes are being made, including the number of tests per level, test requirements, directives, and test length. More information is available online at www.usef.org/_IFrames/breedsdisciplines/discipline/alldressage/natDressage.aspx .

As of Wednesday, January 20, all rule changes for review at the USEF Annual Meeting have been updated with their final votes, and will now be available under the ‘Search for Completed Rule Changes’ of the site. Everyone is encouraged to use this search function—it’s the fastest and most up-to-date way to find rule changes. Please go to www.usef.org and click on "Rules & Regulation," then "Rule Book," then "Rule Change" to find the link to the search or visit www.usef....

Photo Courtesy American Driving Society (Jeff Morse) On February 11 at 7:00 to 8:30 p.m. CST, the American Driving Society will offer a free webinar with Jeff Morse, who will share his extensive knowledge of harness and bits with the driving community. Whether you are a beginning driver or an experienced whip, this seminar will provide useful, practical knowledge on the most common equipment used for driving horses. Morse has been a professional horseman for more than 40 years. He currently...

HITS Shows, Inc., is pleased to announce that the HITS Culpeper Spring and Summer Show Series will be home to five grand prix qualifiers for the Pfizer $1 Million Grand Prix. One $40,000 qualifier will be held each Sunday of Weeks I-V, giving riders the chance to accumulate the grand prix classes and the prize money they will need in order to try to qualify for the unprecedented Pfizer Million, which will be held in Saugerties, NY on September 12. Beginning in April, the six-week show series...