I guess the beginning is a great place to start. I grew up in Maine, the oldest of five, to a father who was in the military and a mother who was a housewife until the youngest of my siblings was in Junior-High school. We grew up on the other side of middle-class, OK, we were poor. I grew up watching spaghetti westerns in black and white on Saturday afternoons. I always loved the intrigue of being a Cowboy, pushing cattle up the Chisholm Trail, fighting bad guys and Indians. Next to the pony...

Susie Artes and Zamiro are the only ones to answer Danny Foster's questions and nail the $30,000 Memorial Day Classic Grand Prix (Flying Horse Photography) Los Angeles, CA - Susie Artes delighted the crowd and dismayed the competition when she put in the only fault-free round to win the $30,000 Memorial Day Classic Grand Prix in grand style. “It was great to come back and win another grand prix after I won the $50,000 LA International Grand Prix in the fall,” Susie commented....

Meagan Nusz and Vesuvius (Rebecca Walton for Phelps Media Group, Inc. International) Lexington, KY - The Kentucky Spring Horse Shows came to a close Sunday with amateur rider Meagan Nusz claiming her second major victory. During the 16-horse jump-off in the $20,000 Bluegrass Classic, Nusz piloted Vesuvius to the winning clear time to lead the victory gallop during the Kentucky Spring Classic. Ramiro Quintana of Argentina was hot on her heels, qualifying three mounts for the tiebreaker and...

Adrienne Iverson and Salto Mortale (The Book LLC) North Salem, NY – It was derby day at the Old Salem Farm Spring Horse Show with two featured events in the schedule. Adrienne Iverson and Redfield Farm's Salto Mortale captured the top prize in the $10,000 USHJA International Hunter Derby presented by Houlihan Lawrence Real Estate, while Beezie Madden and Mademoiselle sped to the win in the $20,000 Speed Derby of North Salem. On hand at the show today as well was Robert Astorino, the...

Penny Brennan and Sun Tzu (Kendall Bierer/Phelps Media Group) Halifax, MA - The long-awaited $25,000 Fieldstone Grand Prix was hot with competition this afternoon for the fourth day of the Fieldstone Spring Festival. It came down to eight horses in the jump-off, vying for the coveted first place finish. Penny Brennan and Sun Tzu proved victorious, blazing the way from the start of the jump-off with one of only four double-clear efforts. She was the pathfinder with a time of only 46.036 seconds....

Lillie Keenan and Parkland (The Book LLC) North Salem, NY - The Grand Junior Hunter Champion was Parkland, owned by Jennifer Gates and ridden by Lillie Keenan. The pair was champion in the Small Junior Hunters and placed fifth, second, and second over fences and won the under saddle. The reserve champion in the Small Junior Hunter division was Wonderland, ridden by Morgan Ward for John Skinner. Keenan was also named Best Junior Rider on a Horse. Keenan has been paired with Parkland since the...

(l-r) St Lawrence Univ, Skidmore College, and Stanford Univ (LA Pomeroy) Harrsiburg, PA - "Sharing is better than losing to her," joked Mary Drueding, coach of defending Intercollegiate Horse Show Association Collegiate Cup team, St. Lawrence University, about good friend and even better rival, coach Cindy Ford, whose Skidmore College team turned up the heat in the homestretch like true Thoroughbreds on the first Saturday in May and brought the 2013 Collegiate Cup at the 40th annual IHSA...

Although some of you may think Western Dressage is new; when I discovered the Western Dressage Association of America was formed 2 years ago, my first thought was “there is actually a name for it?” For well over 30 years, I have taught riders the wisdom of dressage to Western riders. Through the years, I have been contacted to resolve issues with horses and riders working on games, pleasure and reining. I have always addressed the issues the same. Learn the basics, understand the...

Kimberly Herslow and Rosmarin (SusanJStickle.com) Wellington, FL - Ten teams of international dressage riders met on Friday for a chance to win the Wellington Nations Cup CDIO3* prese nted by Stillpoint Farm, America's only CDIO3*. And though there was plenty of good competition, Team U.S.A I (the U.S. was represented by two teams) was clearly the day's best. Total, seven horse/rider combinations earned scores of 70% or more. Three of them were on Team U.S.A. I. Leading the way were...

Traverse City, MI - What a difference a decade makes. North Face Farm, owned by Jake and Anne Haas, has supported Horse Shows by the Bay since its inception, and to celebrate the show's 10th anniversary North Face Farm is sponsoring a new $10,000 Leading Hunter Rider Cash Bonus Award. "I was one of the original members of the founder's club and began supporting the show when it was in a grass field," said Jake with a smile. "I have nothing but positive things to say about the show and...