Kristi Nunnink & R-Star after winning the Event at Rebecca Farm CIC3* (USEA) Kalispel, MT - R-Star has done it again. For the second consecutive year, this grey Holsteiner mare by Riverman, has won the CIC3* at The Event at Rebecca Farm rising from fifth after cross-country to first with an accurately ridden round over the Marc Donovan designed show jumping course. Katie Ruppel and Houdini took down just one rail to move up to second ahead of Katie Groesbeck and Oz The Tin Man who moved...

This rule change introduces a new category of rules called Prohibited Practices to the USEF Rule Book. It will take effect December 1, 2013: 1. No injectable substances may be administered to any horse or pony within 12 hours prior to competing, with the following three exceptions subject to paragraph 2 below: a. Therapeutic fluids, which amount must consist of a minimum of 10L of polyionic fluids; and which must be used in accordance with the manufacturer's recommendations and guidelines....

Thanks to everyone who took the time to send emails to USEF and for sharing your thoughts and feelings about the direction Western Dressage should take. It is so important to hear and listen to different ideas from all directions as the discipline develops. At this point all there is to do is continue to ride and train and show, and most important, to have fun with our horses. With another show coming up this weekend for us, I have put a lot of thought into the questions the last show brought...

A couple weeks ago a friend and I attended a WSH Dressage Show halfway across the state to ride the NAWD tests. The weather was gorgeous, the drive uneventful, the horses well behaved. The show was at a beautiful facility, with a qualified judge I trust to evaluate our western dressage horses. My stallion was perfectly behaved even in the warm-up area with the little ponies and their tiny children. Sounds like a perfect horse show weekend huh? It was, but for one thing. I was confused! For the...

Upperville,VA - The course at the $75,000 Upperville Jumper Classic Grand Prix was merciless. Not one horse managed a clear round, and a week of soggy conditions even led to 10 riders retiring on course. The rain meant that the Grand Prix was every horse's first shot at jumping on the grass field (the welcome class, which is normally held on the grass, had to be moved to the adjacent all weather ring). Angel Karolyi, who rides for Venezuela but trains out of Aiken, S.C., described the...

Tori Colvin and Don Juan (The Book Llc.) Devon, PA - Everywhere you looked, riders under the age of 18, known as "juniors," were collecting ribbons Saturday at Devon. The morning kicked off with handy hunter classes. Like all junior hunter classes at Devon the horses in this division were divided into different sections. The first division is by height. Large hunters are 16 hands and over and small hunters are under 16 hands. The second division is by age, with competitors 15 and under in a...

An Equestrian Weekly guest blog post from Liam Killen of the Equestrian Creative Network Creative thinking has long been prized and praised, but the need for creative thought and execution has never been more valuable or vital for brands. And this need is no less urgent in the equestrian sector. For our highly specialized brands, it's not good enough to resort to the same old clichés in whichever field of creative work we're commissioning. We need new thinking for our writing,...

This article was originally published at www.useventing.com . Lynn Symansky and Donner won the Adequan USEA Gold Cup & PRO Tour Series CIC3* division at The Fork with a double-clear cross-country round on the final day of competition (Leslie Threlkeld/USEA Photo) Norwood, NC - An exciting day of cross-country in the final phase of the Adequan USEA Gold Cup and PRO Tour Series CIC3* at The Fork in Norwood, North Carolina ended with a race against the clock. Tremaine Cooper’s...

This article was originally published at www.useventing.com . Lynn Symansky and Donner performed a lovely show jumping round to lead the Adequan USEA Gold Cup & PRO Tour Series CIC3* at The Fork with cross-country up next (Leslie Threlkeld/USEA Photo) The margin of error is slim in the Adequan USEA Gold Cup and PRO Tour Series CIC3* division at The Fork. Phillip Dutton and Bruce Duchossois’ 8-year-old Irish Sport Horse Mighty Nice, the leaders after dressage, plummeted to 19th place...

Last week I gave you some wonderful numbers that show the tremendous growth we have seen in Western Dressage over the last year. Almost 200 shows and events are already scheduled for 2013… 200! All those events are the brainchildren of people who want to help develop WD in their area. Most riders start by going to audit or participate in a clinic first or by becoming familiar with different philosophies and approaches to western dressage via the FaceBook pages or investigating the...