Gladstone, NJ - The rain just couldn’t help itself. After a dry day on Friday, the 2009 Collecting Gaits Farm/USEF Dressage Festival of Champions at the USET Foundation Headquarters – like much of the rest of the country, was again, drenched. The Grand Prix Freestyle, which was expected to be the highlight of the weekend – didn’t disappoint. But Adrienne Lyle surprised a few (including herself) by ending up on top of the leader board with Wizard. “Basically,...

Gladstone, NJ – The first leg of the 2009 Collecting Gaits Farm/USEF National Grand Prix Dressage Championship, which was rescheduled to Friday morning after Thursday’s deluge, showcased some of the top horse/rider combinations in the US. But it wasn’t until the final ride of the class that anyone could break 70%. Veteran Olympic rider Leslie Morse and her classy 15-year-old stallion, Tip Top 962, put in a very focused and expressive effort to take a commanding lead with a...

Have you ever wanted to learn more about the Hanoverian horse? In response to membership inquiries, the American Hanoverian Society (AHS) is currently developing a Breed Orientation Seminar that will tentatively be held November 3-6, 2009, in the Sacramento, CA, area. In order to test the financial viability of this developmental program, the AHS needs to gauge the level of interest in such a seminar. The seminar requires a minimum of attendees and is open to the AHS membership and others with...

Six-year-old Bijoux, owned by Janet Rolfs and ridden by Missy Fladland, is off to a phenomenal start to her young dressage career. Among her many honors, her most recent victory includes taking the reserve champion title at the Markel/USEF Young Horse Dressage Central Selection Trials. The young Hanoverian mare (Bugatti Hilltop x Whimiscal L), bred by Margaret Drury, started her performance career only a year and a half ago as a coming five-year-old in the fall of 2007. After seven months of...

Starlight, the stunning black Oldenburg stallion owned by Rick Rockefeller-Silvia’s Dream Street Stallions, is now in Europe under the tutelage of Karin Rehbein where he is sure to wow European fans with his amazing movement and outstanding looks. Prior to returning to Europe, Starlight won rave reviews from judges at Devon when he was crowned Devon’s Grand Champion Stallion in 2008. “Starlight has had an illustrious career so far—multiple Horse of The Year titles, the Championship at...

Well-known Region II American Connemara Pony Society (ACPS) Connemara trainer and rider Carol Kozlowski won three divisions of the Genesee Valley Riding and Driving Club (GVRDC) Spring Event on Sunday, June 7, 2009, in Geneseo, Livingston County, NY, on three different horses, including two of her own Connemara crosses. The GVRDC Spring Event offered an opportunity for riders and trainers to safely condition and prepare their mounts for upcoming two-day events. Being held for the first time as...

Two classes of Connemaras competed in the Connemara breeding division in-hand classes at the June Upperville Colt and Horse Show. Catherine Mack was the judge. In the Connemara Mares, Eight and Under, first place went to Ridgetop Harriette (Aladdin’s Denver x *Cloud Shadows, by Windy Day), owned by Marynell Eyles and shown by Paula Moore. In second was Thurman Keepsake (Landgate Bluebeard x Tre Awain Sileach, by Tre Awain DeValera), owned by Barbara Byrd and shown by Mary McMillan. Third place...

The Public Auction Task Force of the American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) has developed recommendations regarding the use of radiographic reports as part of the pre-purchase exams that are conducted on horses for sale at public auctions. The goal of the task force is to promote ethical practices during the sales process, particularly at Thoroughbred auctions. “We view our recommendations as a ‘best practices’ approach that is applicable to veterinarians as well as buyers and...

Last weekend, Will Coleman, 26, of Gordonsville, VA, had a spectacular event aboard Twizzel, a 13-year-old Westphalian gelding owned by Tivoli Farm, at the Luhmuhlen CCI**** in Germany. A rollercoaster year has finally culminated in a fantastic four-star finish for this talented duo. After Twizzel (Argentines x Lady Bedford) suffered an unfortunate injury at the Southern Pines Advanced Horse Trials in March, Coleman was forced to scratch his longtime partner from the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day...

Steve Simon’s Custom Crome is now among the very short list of National Reining Horse Association (NRHA) Two Million Dollar Sires. The sire’s offspring's official show earnings now total $2,001,691 putting him among the likes of Hollywood Dun It, Smart Chic Olena, Shining Spark, Topsail Whiz and Gallo Del Cielo—all sires of offspring earning in excess of $2 million at NRHA-approved shows and events. Custom Crome, a 1990 American Quarter Horse stallion, is owned by Steve Simon of Marietta,...