Exciting Five-Gaited American Saddlebred action at last year’s Mane Event Horse Show (Shiflet) Springifeld, Ill. - If you’re curious about high-stepping American Saddlebred horses and Hackney ponies, watch them compete on the free live webcast of the Mid-America Mane Event Show this Thursday through Sunday on the USEF Network. You’ll see top horses and riders compete in five gaited, three gaited and harness performance and pleasure classes. Mane Event also hosts three national...

Welcome to the fourth installment 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...

Conor Swail and GAME READY (photo © AlCookPhoto.com) Harrisburg, Pa. - It was a thrilling finale on the last night of the Pennsylvania National Horse Show as many of the world's top riders competed in the $85,000 FEI World Cup Grand Prix De Penn National. You could hear the crowd collectively hold its breath as each horse sped around the course, but it was Irish rider Conor Swail and GAME READY who pulled out all the stops to clinch the win. Twenty four competitors attempted course designer...

Cathleen Driscoll and FOREVER BLUE (AlCookPhoto.com) Harrisburg, Pa . - Cathleen Driscoll, of Elk Mills, MD, and FOREVER BLUE, won the $10,000 North American League (NAL) Adult Jumper Final, presented by SmartPak, today at the Pennsylvania National Horse Show. Only nine competitors made it through to the jump-off out of 28 starters, and Driscoll and her 7 year old mare were the only pair to produce a second clear round, stopping the clock in 33.707 seconds. Ericka Caslin and her own RIOLETTO,...

Giavanna Rinaldi and JULIETTE receive their awards from Siri Dupont-Hurley of EquiFit and Annette Longenecker of the NAL (AlCookPhoto.com) Harrisburg, Pa. - October 19, 2013 - Giavanna Rinaldi, of Wayne, Illinois, and her own JULIETTE, won the $10,000 North American League (NAL) Children's Jumper Final, presented by EquiFit, today at the Pennsylvania National Horse Show. This was the 14 year old's second NAL victory this week - yesterday she won the NAL Low Junior/Amateur-Owner Jumper...

Kelsey Thatcher and ATHENA receive their awards (AlCookPhoto.com) Harrisburg, Pa. - October 19, 2013 - Kelsey Thatcher, of Bluffdale, UT, had an amazing day at the Pennsylvania National Horse Show, winning the $15,000 Show Jumping Hall of Fame Amateur-Owner Jumper Classic and earning the division Championship with ATHENA, and also placing second and taking the Reserve Championship with EVERYTHING. Thatcher, who is trained by Alex and Maggie Jayne, was also named the horse show's Leading...

Elkton, Md.- Clear rounds were at a premium over Derek di Grazia’s testing cross country tracks on Saturday at The Dutta Corp Fair Hill International on a day that saw skilled and efficient riding rewarded. Jan Byyny with Inmidair and Sharon White with Under Suspection cruised around the scopey and technical CCI3* and CCI2* courses to fly into the lead of The Dutta Corp/USEF Three-Star Eventing National Championship and the USEF National Two Star Championship, respectively. The Dutta...

Darragh Kenny and PROF DE LA ROQUE (AlCookPhoto.com) Harrisburg, Pa. - Ireland's Darragh Kenny was the crowned the 'speed demon' of the evening at the Pennsylvania National Horse Show, capturing the $33,000 Keystone Classic Speed Stake with PROF DE LA ROQUE, owned by Postage Stamp Farm, LLC, as well as the Open Jumper Speed Championship with TOP GUN IV, owned by Oakland Ventures LLC. Fellow Irishman Alan Wade designed the course, which consisted of 13 obstacles set at 1.45 meters...

Emilie Rucci and I SPY A RAINBOW (AlCookPhoto.com) Harrisburg, Pa. - Emilie Rucci, of Pittstown, NJ, and I SPY A RAINBOW won the $4,000 North American League (NAL) Pony Jumper Finals today at the Pennsylvania National Horse Show. Out of eleven starters, only four made it to the jump-off. Spectators - including the top jumper riders - filled the best seats in the house and encouraged the smaller competitors with cheers and 'clicks' at moments where the ponies might have had a...

Giavanna Rinaldi and G.P.S. BRILLIANT DISGUISE (AlCookPhoto.com) Harrisburg, Pa. - Giavanna Rinaldi, of Wayne, Illinois, beat a field of 25 starters in the $5,000 North American League (NAL) Low Junior/Amateur-Owner Jumper Final on her own G.P.S. BRILLIANT DISGUISE at the Pennsylvania National Horse Show today. Rinaldi, just fourteen years old, was one of only eight riders to make it to the jump-off round, setting an unbeatable time of 34.993 seconds as second rider into the ring. Madeline...