The Western Dressage world is abuzz with dressage talk. The hot topic of the moment seems to be progressive training, especially as it has to do with pyramids and scales. Pyramids are extremely stable structures that rely on strong, broad foundations and which rise to a point, a pinnacle if you will that represents a point of focus. Without the foundation, the pyramid loses strength. The intrinsic nature of the structure itself necessitates culmination in a point. The pyramid is the perfect...

Wellington, FL - The 1.40m $175,000 Grand Prix Invitational Series continued at The Ridge at Wellington on Friday, January 18. The 10-class series culminates in a $24,750 Grand Prix series finale on March 23, 2013. The second class of the series premiered at the Ridge at Wellington on Friday, January 18, with Laura Kraut and Maranonis Is taking the victory. Rodriguez and Elatrice captured the top prize and $15,000 in the first week of the series, yet did not have the same luck this week. The...

Wellington, FL -On Saturday night, the participants, parents and supporters of the USEF Horsemastership Training Session gathered with the USET Foundation and Karen Lloyd, who graciously hosted a dinner at her lovely Palm Beach Polo home in Wellington, FL. This year's riders participated in a five-day clinic at the Palm Beach International Equestrian center with former U.S. Chef d'Equipe USEF. The 12 riders selected for the clinic included Gabrielle Bausano, Olivia Champ, Meg...

Karl Cook (USA) aboard Norories Utopia in the $30,000 EQU Lifestyle Speed Classic Las Vegas, NV - It was a night full of speed and spills as forty-two horse and rider duos broke from the gate in the $30,000 EQU Lifestyle Speed Classic. The evening was dedicated to great causes as Just Word International hosted their infamous horseless horse show and High Jump Finals, as well as the local Air Force Base Honor Guard presented our nation's colors before competition was underway. German course...

A little bit fast and a whole lot lucky give Farrington the win in a tough class where clean rounds proved very hard to come by Kent Farrington of the United States blazed a path to victory in the $50,000 Weston Canadian Open tonight, posting a clean round with Voyeur in an efficient time of 58.62 seconds. (BenRadvanyi.com) Toronto, ON – America’s Kent Farrington (Wellington, FL) topped the field of 18 in the $50,000 Weston Canadian Open Friday at the Royal Horse Show, producing one...

Pessoa/US Hunter Seat Equitation Medal Finals Presentation. (Al Cook) Harrisburg, PA - Meg O'Mara of Rumson, NJ, bested a field of 257 junior riders to win the prestigious Pessoa/US Hunter Seat Equitation Medal Finals, presented by Randolph College, at the 67th Annual Pennsylvania National Horse Show on Sunday. It was an emotional time for O'Mara. The announcer just finished naming Lillie Keenan of New York, NY, the Reserve Champion. When she realized that the Championship title was...

Dana Scott USEF Champion and KM Whatever RV Dana Scott of Wilton, CT, captured the gold medal riding KM Whatever RV in the $7,500 Randolph College/USEF National Junior Jumper Individual Championship at the 67th Annual Pennsylvania National Horse Show on Saturday evening. The 17- year-old rider was nearly perfect finishing with a score of only two faults. "I got a little lucky," said Scott. "Everyone here has a really fantastic horse, everyone here has a fabulous team behind them and everyone...

Boekelo, The Netherlands - Every member of the Land Rover U.S. Eventing Team that entered the show jumping arena at the Military Boekelo CCIO3* Sunday leapt up the leaderboard and helped the U.S. team improve to 6th place in the final Nations Cup standings. Leading the way for the Americans were Jonathan Holling and Downtown Harrison. Holling (Ocala, FL) and Constance Ann Holling's Trakehner/Thoroughbred gelding were just shy of a double clear round. They jumped flawlessly, but came in just...

The fifteenth in a series of guest blog posts from Michelle Binder Last weekend our barn attended the first Western Dressage classes in our area. It was a beautiful day to ride in a beautiful venue at a facility where the idea of western dressage has been warmly accepted. It was such a nice feeling to share space with dressage riders and enthusiasts, most of whom were very curious about the discipline. We rode all the North American Western Dressage Tests through Level 4 and found the tests...

Lexington, KY - The United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) is pleased to announce the new Dressage Rider Tests Program for the 2013 competition year. Designed and drafted by a joint working group from the USEF Dressage Committee and appointees from the United States Dressage Federation (USDF), these tests are available for use by riders at Training, First, and Seconds Levels. While neither these tests nor their subsequent scores are a requirement to progress through the levels, they are...