Welcome to the fifth nstallment of a different kind of blog from WDAA! The purpose of this post is to allow the reader "into the heads" of both a trainer/judge/competitor, Karen Abbattista and her student, Deborah Herbert, a Florida WDAA member. We would like to share with you some moments in Deb's journey as she pursues her riding goals with her AQHA mare "GenuineArcticSpring", barn name "Belle". Please enjoy as you follow along with these posts that we consider interesting or challenging...

Maggie Jayne and Manneken du Cory won the $10,000 Open Welcome Stake with a speedy round (Phelps Media Group, Inc. International) Wayne, IL - The highlight of the Grand Prix ring Thursday was the $10,000 Open Welcome Stake at the Showplace Productions' Fall Classic Championship Horse Show, running September 10-15. With an impressive double clear round, Maggie Jayne and Manneken du Cory earned the Welcome Stake victory gallop at the Lamplight Equestrian Center. In the Junior/Amateur-Owner...

Lexington, KY - The United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) is pleased to announce the High Performance Dressage Committee's plan for a series of High Performance Dressage Observation and Strategic Planning Sessions in preparation for the 2014 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games. A total of six two day sessions will be held on the East and West Coasts; two in November 2013 and a further four between January and April 2014. At these sessions, Robert Dover, U.S. Dressage Technical...

Shane Sweetnam and Solerina (The Book LLC 2013) North Salem, NY - The 2013 American Gold Cup CSI4*-W returned to the picturesque Old Salem Farm Wednesday to kick-off the week-long international jumping competition featuring the world's top athletes. Thanks to phenomenal reviews from 2012, a large number of entries created a section split for the day's main event on the Grand Prix Field: the $8,000 Danbury Porsche Audi 1.40m Open Jumper class. During the first section, it was...

Jennifer Alfano and Jersey Boy took led the Working Hunter division sweeping the over fences for the opening day of the 67th Buffalo International Horse Show ( Kendall Bierer/Phelps Media Group) Buffalo, NY - The first day of the sold out 67th Buffalo International Horse Show (BIHS) opened to top-tier hunter competition as the Indoor Arena at the Buffalo Equestrian Center was alive with action. The premier fundraiser for the Buffalo Therapeutic Riding Center (BTRC) offered an array of hunter...

Major equestrian competitions attended by U.S. athletes, both domestic and overseas, are listed in this weekly preview. Please look below to find competition listings by discipline* and breed. We hope you will follow the competitions that most interest you, but check Equestrian Weekly on Monday for a report of any top finishes by U.S. Equestrians. *lists of competitions in all international disciplines will include only FEI competitions or USEF Championships within the USA and international FEI...

Lexington, KY - Eduardo Sanchez Navarro of Mexico has been named the Show Jumping Hall of Fame Rider of the Month for August. Navarro competes in the West Conference Amateur-Owner Division of the Show Jumping Hall of Fame Jumper Classic Series aboard Virgo. The month of August was successful for Navarro and his riding partner, as they earned first place finishes at the Showpark August Festival and Blenheim Summer Classic II and placed third at the Showpark Summer Classic. The Show Jumping Hall...

Clark Montgomery and Loughan Glen at the First Horse Inspection (USEF) Lexington, KY – Seven horse-and-rider combinations will be representing the U.S. at the Fidelity Blenheim Palace International Horse Trials, September 12-15. Set at Blenheim Palace in Woodstock, England, the field is packed with some of the best riders in the eventing world. Eighty-four combinations will tackle the CCI3* while 67 are competing in the CIC3* for eight-and nine-year-old horses. All U.S. horses passed the...

Jimmy Torano and La Bonita putting on a show in the final round of the Diamond Mills $500,000 Hunter Prix Final (©ESI Photography) Saugerties, NY – Jimmy Torano of SW Ranches, Florida admits that he and Kathryn Haefner, who owns La Bonita, gambled on the Diamond Mills $500,000 Hunter Prix Final, entering the five-year-old German-bred Warmblood mare in the highest stakes hunter class in the world. Lady Luck, however, was on their side at HITS Saugerties this week. Or, perhaps, La Bonita is...

Pieter Devos celebrates his double clear performance on Candy (Spruce Meadows Media Services) Calgary, Alberta - The highlight event of the season wrapped up the Spruce Meadows 'Masters' with some of the best show jumping competition in the world. Pieter Devos of Belgium rode Candy to victory in the $1 Million CN International, part of the Rolex Grand Slam of Show Jumping, over Olympic gold medalist Steve Guerdat (SUI) on Nasa and France's Penelope Leprevost with Nayana. The opening...