Wayne, Ill. - The first three of five 2014 Markel/USEF Young & Developing Horse Dressage National Championships presented by HorseShow.com National Titles were awarded Saturday at the Lamplight Equestrian Center, in Developing Grand Prix Horse, Four- and Five-Year-Old, and Seat Medal Final 13 & Under divisions. All competitors rode in front of the experienced panel of Christel Carlson, Sandy Hotz, and Jane Weatherwax. In the Markel/USEF Developing Grand Prix Horse Dressage National...

McLain Ward and HH Carlos Z (Spruce Meadows Media Service) Calgary, Alberta. - The ‘Pan American’ Tournament CSI 5* continued at Spruce Meadows on Friday with an exciting showdown between two of the world’s top riders in the $33,500 Ashcor Technologies Cup 1.55m. In a two-horse jump-off in the Meadows on the Green, McLain Ward (USA) and HH Carlos Z came out on top against Kent Farrington (USA) and Uceko. The $15,000 CIBC Junior/Amateur Jumper 1.40m competition was also...

Nicole Lyvere and All In (Phelps Media Group, Inc.) Parker, Colo. - Nicole Lyvere has been on a mission to take her riding and her horses' training to the next level, and it paid off at Summer in the Rockies II as she dominated the Amateur Owner 3'6" Hunters, earning champion and reserve champion honors on Wink and All In. Lyvere and her hunters earned many top placings at Summer in the Rockies in 2013, and they have maintained a busy horse show schedule since then, traveling with Cindy...

Quentin Judge and HH Dark de la Hart (Spruce Meadows Media Services) Calgary, Alberta - – The Spruce Meadows 'National' Tournament, presented by ROLEX, came to an exciting conclusion Sunday with the $210,000 CNOOC Nexen Cup 1.50m Derby. Quentin Judge (USA) and HH Dark de la Hart, owned by Double H Farm, sped to victory in the class over Angel Karolyi (VEN) and Indiana 127 and Richard Spooner (USA) riding Cristallo. In the $40,000 ATCO Structures & Logistics Cup, Sameh El Dahan...

Kelsey Thatcher and Athena captured the $30,000 Barrington Saddlery Grand Prix victory during the Showplace Spring Spectacular I (Phelps Media Group) Wayne, Ill. - The Lamplight Equestrian Center had no empty seats Sunday afternoon as the $30,000 Barrington Saddlery Grand Prix got underway during the Showplace Spring Spectacular I. Kelsey Thatcher rode to a fantastic win during Saturday's $10,000 Show Jumping Hall of Fame High Junior/Amateur-Owner Jumper Classic, and duplicated her efforts...

Margie Engle and Eckham Van Het Steentje (Rebecca Walton/Phelps Media Group) Lexington, Ky. - It can take time for new partnerships to come together in the sport of show jumping, but Friday that happened for Olympian Margie Engle and her new mount Eckham Van Het Steentje. The pair captured their first victory together with a double clear effort in the 1.45 Open Jumpers at the Kentucky Spring Horse Show. Engle only began riding Eckham Van Het Steentje for owners Elm Rock LLC in December, but...

Ben Maher and Aristo Z (Sportfot) Wellington, Fla. - A $34,000 G&C Farm 1.45m speed class was held Friday afternoon in the International Arena at PBIEC with an exciting win for Ben Maher (GBR) and Jane Clark's Aristo Z. The class saw 60 competitors with 20 clear rounds and an increasingly fast pace as the rounds went on. Fifth to go, Shane Sweetnam (IRL) and Spy Coast Farm LLC's Cyklon 1083 set a very tough time to beat at 63.23 seconds. The pair held the lead through most of the...

Abigail McArdle and Cosma 20 (Sportfot) Wellington, Fla. - Friday's competition at the FTI Consulting Winter Equestrian Festival featured a $34,000 G&C Farm 1.45m speed class with a win for 19-year-old Abigail McArdle (USA) aboard Cosma 20. In the hunter rings, Kyle Owens swept the youngest division of the Adult Amateur Hunters with his horses Voila and Messick. Sponsored by Adequan®, FTI WEF week seven runs February 19-23, 2014. The week will feature the $280,000 Adequan® Grand...

Alexander Zetterman and Cafino (Sportfot) Wellington, Fla. - Saturday's competition at the FTI Consulting Winter Equestrian Festival (FTI WEF) featured a $34,000 Suncast® 1.50m Championship Jumper Classic, held on the beautiful derby field at The Stadium at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center (PBIEC), with a win for 24-year-old Alexander Zetterman (SWE) aboard Cafino. Twenty-eight entries showed over the Richard Jeffery (GBR) designed course with five clear rounds to jump-off....

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...