Ben Maher and Quiet Easy 4 (Sportfot) Wellington, FL -Week five of the 2013 FTI Consulting Winter Equestrian Festival (FTI WEF), sponsored by Adequan®, concluded on Sunday afternoon with a win for Olympic gold medalist Ben Maher of Great Britain aboard his young mount Quiet Easy 4 in the $25,000 Suncast® 1.50m Championship Jumper Classic. Maher has been a dominant force in Wellington over the last two weeks with back to back grand prix wins, including last night's $82,000 Adequan...

Schaefer Raposa and Jet Stream K (Sportfot) Wellington, FL - The fourth annual Collegiate Equitation Challenge, hosted at the FTI Consulting Winter Equestrian Festival (FTI WEF), took place Friday evening at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center (PBIEC). The top riders representing varsity teams from the National Collegiate Equitation Association (NCEA) competed head-to-head in a bracket format both over fences and on the flat. Schaefer Raposa, a freshman at Southern Methodist...

Lexington, KY - The first Markel/USEF Young Horse Dressage Training Session of 2013 wrapped up Sunday at Shannondale Farm in Alpharetta, Georgia. A diverse group of young dressage horses, representing a multitude of breeds and varied levels of experience, were selected for the training session with USEF Young Horse Dressage Coach Scott Hassler. Scott Hassler instructs Sandie Gaines-Beddard and Flairance (Chris Hutchings) Hassler commented, “We had another very successful training session...

Janne Rumbough and Junior (SusanJStickle.com) Wellington, FL - The 2013 Adequan Global Dressage Festival (AGDF) began this week with the National Opener Show on January 22-23. Dressage riders from all levels turned out to compete and get experience in the main Global Arena. The judge for the show was Margaret Freeman. The AGDF continues next week with the Wellington Dressage CDI-W presented by The Dutta Corp. on January 31 - February 3, which kicks off the international dressage season at the...

McLain Ward and Super Trooper de Ness (Sportfot) Wellington, FL - January 18, 2013 - Week two of the FTI Consulting Winter Equestrian Festival (FTI WEF) continued on Friday at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center (PBIEC) with a win for McLain Ward and Grant Road Partners' Super Trooper de Ness in the $6,000 Spy Coast Farm 1.40m jump-off class. Laura Chapot and Bradberry won the $6,000 Spy Coast Farm 1.40m speed class and Laurie Stevens and Iceman took home their second...

The twenty first in a series of blog post from Michelle Binder As this blog has progressed, I have tried to bring awareness about Western Dressage to the equestrian community at large. Now I am going to encourage you to do some research on your own. By now you know that there are several organizations promoting the development of the sport. At this point the question we hear most often from people all over is: “What is the difference?” To some it seems that the differences that...

The twenty first in a series of blog post from Michelle Binder It was an exciting weekend for western dressage in the Pacific Northwest November 2-4. On Friday the Washington State Horsemen (WSH) voted to add Western Dressage as a new discipline on the roster of events offered by the organization statewide. WD has been added as a sub-category of dressage and will utilize NAWD Official Rules and Tests for the 2013 show season so WD classes may now be added to any WSH approved Dressage show...

Lexington, KY - Another evening of electrifying American Saddlebred competition continued Friday. A cheering audience enjoyed the $3,000 Three Gaited Championship Stake, the $1,500 Fine Harness Open Championship the $3,000 Five Gaited Championship Stake and the very first Roadster class of the show, the $25,000 Equine Services Roadster Cup. The Roadster classes are a throwback to the origins of the American Saddlebred breed. The American Saddlebreds were developed from pacing Standardbreds, the...

Temecula, CA — A decorated field of riders and horses will be vying for the top prizes at the Galway Downs International Three-Day Event Nov. 1-4, with three Olympians competing in the CCI3*, as well as the 2011 defending champion and a Pan Am games gold medalist. Equine Insurance of California, Land Rover Professional’s Choice and the Professional Riders Organization are the presenting sponsors of the Galway Downs International Three-Day Event. A portion of all tickets sales will...

Elkton, MD - The second day of dressage at the Dansko Fair Hill International CCI got off to a late start on Friday after lightning storms caused an hour delay. Rain continued to threaten throughout the day and struck during the first rides of the final afternoon session as competitors completed the first phase the USEF National Two and Three-Star Eventing Championships. In the CCI3* Hannah Sue Burnett and Harbour Pilot hold the lead going into the cross country with a score of 43. No one was...