Arriving in Florida is always an adventure. Despite running laps between Lexington and Wellington this year, this was my first trip to Ocala, which of course means flying into Orlando. Which of course meant that I was the only person on my flight and in the airport without Disney World on the brain. Ocala and Lexington are locked in a fierce battle for bragging rights over which one really is the horse capital of the world. There are farms of every possible variety when you drive around this...

Chester Weber Goes for Eight (Joanie Morris/USEF) Ocala, FL, – The Live Oak International sponsored by US Trust kicked off with the FEI dressage on Thursday, and two USEF National Driving Championships bookended the six FEI divisions at the premiere event. Held at Charlotte Weber’s Live Oak Plantation, it is one of the featured events on the US calendar and showcased 40 of the best drivers in the United States. The USEF National Single Horse Championship got the morning started and Leslie...

Photo by Denisha Sproul Photography/USEF Archives Lexington, KY – With more than a thousand high school equestrians already working to earn their varsity letters, and new registrations arriving daily, it’s clear the United States Equestrian Federation’s new High School Equestrian Athlete program is a huge hit across the country. Applications are still being accepted for the 2009-2010 school year, and there’s still plenty of time left for those who would like to apply by the June 1, 2010...

Lexington, KY - As part of proposed expansions to United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) National Dressage programs in 2011 the USEF Dressage Committee is now accepting applications for the possible appointment of a USEF National Youth Dressage Coach for 2011. Therefore, the Committee is seeking qualified candidates to fill this position. The primary responsibilities for this coach will be to further the education of riders, trainers, and owners and the importance of proper development of...

Lebanon, OH-based Wilhelm Genn has done it again, winning both the $25,000 Nordic Lights Grand Prix and the $25,000 Budweiser Grand Prix during the fifth week of the 2010 Gulf Coast Winter Classics. International great Dave Ballard took up the reins of course designing for the double prix week. For Thursday’s $25,000 Nordic Lights event the co-creator of the 2008 Olympic layouts built a 15-effort test full of curves that had some riders struggling to keep the horses balanced, add to this...

Since the announcement of the 2010 American Saddlebred Registry Grand National prize program schedule of competitions, there have been updates to the calendar, and corrections to previously released information for some shows. The following shows were previously announced with incorrect dates, and below are listed the shows and corrected dates: Asheville Lions Charity, Fletcher, NC May 19-22 North Carolina State Championship, Raleigh, NC September 15-18 Southeastern Charity, Conyers, GA...

Week 10 of the 2010 FTI Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF) will welcome dressage riders from all over the world to Wellington to compete at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center. Dressage competition will be showcased in the International Arena on Thursday, March 18, through Saturday, March 20. Competition will include performances from 34 renowned grand prix riders such as Shawna Harding (USA), Marco Bernal (COL), Arlene Page (USA), Todd Flettrich (USA), Melissa Taylor (USA), Jacqueline...

Photo Courtesy Pics of You The Live Oak International Combined Driving Event, the premiere driving event in North America that attracts competitors from around the world, will host the Single and Four-In-Hand National Championships during the 2010 competition, March 25-28. Held at the picturesque 4,500-acre Live Oak Plantation in Ocala, FL, the U.S. Trust returns again as the title sponsor, and thousands of spectators are expected to attend. “Since this is the year of the World Equestrian Games...

This year the hunter divisions will be one of the main features during the Kentucky Spring Horse Show Series at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington. The hunters will feature $25,000 in prize money each week, a World Champion Hunter Rider (WCHR) week, and the $15,000 Chronicle of the Horse /United States Hunter Jumper Association (USHJA) International Hunter Derby, presented by Dietrich Insurance. The show will be led by Kentucky Horse Shows, LLC, and will feature two exciting weeks of...

Colombian dressage rider Marco Bernal lived every rider’s dream during the 2010 Palm Beach Dressage Derby CDI, when he heard his country’s national anthem played three times for three great wins. Bernal’s success came aboard his Westphalian stallion Farewell IV, the same stallion that he set the world record on at the Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF) in 2005 when they scored a record high score of 85.385%. “This was the best show for me so far. It is nice when you work so long with a horse and...