The First International Combined Festival of Dressage for Para Equestrian held last weekend in Moorsele, Belgium is an important qualifying competition for the Paralympics in 2008. The United States placed riders in the top ten in both the Grade III Individual and the Grade III Freestyle. Three U.S. riders and their horses traveled to Belgium, Barbara Grassmyer from Placerville, California with Mibis, a 12 year old Dutch Warmblood; Rebecca Hart of Erie, Pennsylvania on her Norteassa, a 14 year...

Lexington, KY – With a score of 118.41, Diane Kastama of Arroyo Grande, CA, won the Grade 1 Individual Gold medal at the 2006 FEI World Carriage Driving Championships for Drivers with Disabilities in Mensport, Hellendoorn, The Netherlands. Kastama drove Jasper, her 11-year-old Welsh Cob gelding. They were first in the dressage phase and first in the cones phase. She and her teammate Mary Gray competed alongside athletes from 60 different countries. The event was held September 6-10, and occurs...

Bob Langrish (American Kathryn Downs was the highest-placed American in 17th in endurance.) Long before the sun rose over the first day of competition at the 2006 FEI World Equestrian Games (WEG) in Aachen, a flurry of activity was going on as the stage was set for the first medal decisions made in the equestrian discipline of endurance. The consensus is that today’s championship served as the biggest in the sport’s interesting development and history, and the fact that temperatures...

After four long years of waiting, an anxious equestrian world watched the clock roll down to the moment everyone had their eyes turned to – the Opening Ceremonies of the 2006 Aachen FEI World Equestrian Games. And while gray skies and wet and windy weather welcomed the crème of the equine world to the picturesque town located in the westernmost corner of one of Europe’s most powerful horse countries, not even a downright deluge could have dampened the excitement and energy that was waiting to...

Team USA takes to the field during the 2006 WEG Opening Ceremonies. (USEF Archive/Brian Sosby ) After four long years of waiting, an anxious equestrian world watched the clock roll down to the moment everyone had their eyes turned to – the Opening Ceremonies of the 2006 Aachen FEI World Equestrian Games. And while gray skies and wet and windy weather welcomed the crème of the equine world to the picturesque town located in the westernmost corner of one of Europe’s most...

The United States Equestrian Federation® (USEF) recently announced its team members for the 2006 World Singles Driving Championship set for September 20-24 in Pratoni del Vivaro, Italy. In exciting news for Morgan enthusiasts and American Morgan Horse Association (AMHA) members, two of the three drivers chosen are AMHA members set to compete with Morgan horses. Scott Monroe of Sharon, CT, driving his 13-year-old Morgan gelding, Bethesda After Dark (Shadow), and Fred Merriam of Newfane, VT,...

Lexington, KY - The United States Equestrian Federation® (USEF) is pleased to announce the team headed to Mensport, Hellendoorn, The Netherlands, for the 2006 FEI World Carriage Driving Championships for Drivers with Disabilities. This year's event will be held September 6-10 (the event is staged every two years). This year, the USEF Para-Equestrian High-Performance Committee has been working closely with the United States Driving for the Disabled (USDFD) in preparing for the competition. Team...

Two of the country’s premier events, The Event at Rebecca Farm and the Cosequin Stuart Horse Trials, ran Adequan United States Eventing Association (USEA) Gold Cup Series divisions the weekend of July 21-23, giving eventers from both coasts the chance to test their mettle against some of the top horses and riders in the nation. The Event at Rebecca Farm Approximately 450 horse-and-rider combinations, from novice level through three-star, came from as far as Idaho and California and Arizona to...

For the second day in a row, it was American Chris Kappler who stood in the winner's circle at the CSI-W Blainville Jumping International on Thursday, July 6. The international show jumping competition took place from July 5-9 at the Blainville Equestrian Park in Blainville, Quebec, Canada. Having claimed the win on Wednesday, June 5, riding VDL Maseratie, Kappler brought VDL Oranta out of the barn for the July 6 victory in the Open Jumper-Power and Speed. Only two riders managed to go clear...

Lexington, KY – The United States Equestrian Federation® (USEF) is pleased to announce the reining team, sponsored by Adequan®, that will represent the United States in the 2006 FEI World Equestrian Games held in Aachen, Germany, from August 20 to September 3, 2006, with reining competition being held September 1 and 3. The four horse-and-rider combinations and alternates are as follows: 1. Matt Mills, of Scottsdale, AZ, riding Easy Otie Whiz, a seven-year-old Quarter Horse...