F.A.C.E. Team Vaulters (Photo by Carole Dwinell) Santa Barbara, CA - Cool weather, a facility with more than 50 years of experience hosting championship horse shows, and the top vaulters in the United States came together at the site of the famed Santa Barbara National Horse Show to wow spectators with the classic and historical beauty of equestrian vaulting. Long the basic training for those entering the military cavalries...from early Macedonians to the Romans in the fourth century, to...

Photo by Terri Miller In this economy, businesses are looking for unique ways to reach new markets and expand their presence with their existing customers—all in a very cost-effective manner. For niche industries, like premiere equestrian events, the challenges businesses are facing have resulted in an interesting opportunity. This year Dressage at Devon (DAD), the premiere dressage show in North America, celebrates its 35th anniversary at the Devon Horse Show Grounds. Historically the...

Photo by SusanJStickle.com (Sagacious HF recently earned Crown Predicate honors from the KWPN (Dutch Warmblood) Registry) Al Guden’s 11-year-old Grand Prix KWPN gelding, Sagacious HF, recently earned Crown Predicate honors from the KWPN (Dutch) Registry. This special symbol on his registration papers means he is ranked in the top 200 FEI Dressage Horses in the world. Sagacious HF was actually ranked 56th in the world. Guden’s journey with Sagacious HF started when he purchased the...

The Portola Valley Training Center in Menlo Park, CA was the site of the June 5-6 Selection Trials for teams hoping to represent the US at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games. It was a celebration of top vaulting and Woodside Vaulters' 20th anniversary as a vaulting club. Again, the team competition was fierce. All five declared teams were present and the top two repeated the last trial's placings. FACE topped the leader board with an impressive overall score of 8.272, an improvement of more...

Riders4helmets website aims to encourage more equestrians to wear helmets Leading equine digestive health product Succeed® has teamed up with helmet advocate Jeri Bryant to launch an online helmet awareness campaign— www.riders4helmets.com . The campaign is designed to educate equestrians on the benefits of wearing helmets. The Equestrian Medical Safety Association (EMSA) states that head injuries account for approximately 60% of deaths resulting from equestrian accidents. Approximately...

Online store continues to raise funds and awareness in support of injured dressage star. The Courtney King-Dye Medical Fund eBay store is now featuring new helmet wearing campaign t-shirts, designed by Jeri Bryant, a single mom and dressage fan based in southern California. The t-shirts feature the slogan “Strap One On—Everyone’s Doing It” in an eye-catching graphic treatment. The Courtney King-Dye Medical Fund eBay store was established last month by King-Dye’s long-time sponsor Succeed®...

Husband Jason Dye Thanks Dressage Community for Its Support As Courtney King-Dye, a member of the 2008 U.S. Olympic Dressage Team, remains in a coma in a Florida hospital after suffering a serious head injury earlier this month, an award winning New York fashion designer and two California equine photographers hope that sales of a t-shirt honoring Courtney will help with the mounting expenses associated with her medical care. The black-on-white silkscreened t-shirt for women, designed by indie...

The Old Dominion Horse Show in Manakin Sabot, VA, was the site for the inaugural competition for ponies nominated to the North American Pony Futurity (NAPF) Registry incentive program. A parade of lovely young ponies competed in hand, divided by ages and genders. USEF “R” Hunter Breeding judges Joe Dotoli (of Vermont) and Beth Neilsen (of Colorado) evaluated the youngsters at the walk and trot prior to standing for conformation. Amateur and pro handlers were equally represented with Tim Foster...

When he entered the room with his confident style, it became the crowning moment to a spectacular evening. Ravel was among his fans and friends. On November 5, guests gathered at the home of Steffen Peters and Ravel—Arroyo Del Mar Farm in San Diego—to relive the team's accomplishments of the year, including a clean sweep of the Rolex FEI World Cup Dressage Finals and the World Equestrian Festival CHIO. The event lived up to its promise to deliver a once-in-a-lifetime event featuring...

Wilhelm Genn became the first rider to reach the World Equestrian Brands/United States Hunter Jumper Association’s (USHJA) Rider Recognition Program’s elite $1 Million Club after a successful campaign at the Lake St. Louis Hunter Jumper Show, April 1-5, 2009. Genn rode Happy Z, Chantal and Loredo, to third-, fourth- and sixth-place finishes in the $25,000 Grand Prix, to push him over the $1-million mark. “It’s a great program that World Equestrian Brands sponsors,” Genn said of the USHJA Rider...