Western horses jog. English horses trot. Dressage horses trot. Everyone knows that. What does that mean for the western dressage horse? The western jog was a gait that could be ridden for long distances over the range or on the trail that horses could sustain without exhaustion and which could be sat comfortably. The trot is a gait that covers more ground at a reasonable tempo. To deal with the dynamics of the gait and to unload the horses back, some riders learned to post. Western riders bred...

Katie Dinan and Nougat du Vallet (The Book LLC) North Salem, NY – Three teenagers and a veteran rounded out the jump-off in the $100,000 Empire State Grand Prix presented by The Kincade Group, and the first to go in was the one to return to the winner's circle. Nineteen-year-old Katie Dinan of New York, NY, and her energetic partner Nougat du Vallet were double clear to win the biggest class of the Old Salem Farm Spring Horse Shows, which ran May 7-12 and 14-19. Sunday's...

Carl Bouckaert (left) and Michael Pollard (right) present Lauren Kieffer with her awards for winning the inaugural CHC International CIC3* division as part of the Adequan USEA Gold Cup and PRO Tour Series. Leslie (Threlkeld/USEA Photo) This article was originally published at www.useventing.com . Fairburn, GA - Lauren Kieffer and Team Rebecca’s 11-year-old Dutch Warmblood mare Veronica performed very well in all three phases in the Adequan USEA Gold Cup and PRO Tour Series CIC3* at CHC...

Kelley Farmer and Skorekeeper (Phelps Media Group) Lexington, KY - Clear, sunny skies and lush Kentucky bluegrass welcomed riders back to the Kentucky Horse Park for week two of the Kentucky Spring Horse Shows. The Kentucky Spring Classic runs today through May 19 and attracts the best of the best for five days of 'AA' rated hunter competition. Among those leading riders are Kelley Farmer and Shawn Casady, both of whom topped the leaderboard today. After a successful first week in...

Lexington, KY - Cross country day was an influential one at the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event presented by Land Rover. Derek di Grazia’s 6500 meter, 28 obstacle cross country course caused some problems throughout the day but did not pose any issues for HSBC World Rankings Leader Andrew Nicholson (NZL) who holds the top two places on the leaderboard. Nicholson is in the lead with Quimbo after having a textbook round, adding nothing to their dressage score of 38.0. Deborah...

Devon, PA - Two time Olympic team gold medalist McLain Ward will defend his Leading Open Jumper Rider title at the Devon Horse Show and Country Fair, which runs May 23 to June 2. Ward of Brewster, N.Y., has entered last year’s Devon Open Jumper Champion Antares F, the horse he rode in the 2012 London Olympic Games. Ward also won last year’s $100,000 Wells Fargo Grand Prix of Devon on Antares F, a class he has won six times in the last 10 years. Devon benefits Bryn Mawr Hospital,...

Western Dressage clinics are rolling all over the nation. Here in the Pacific Northwest one clinic series has been endorsed by our USDF Region 6 Director, Donna Longacre. Her lifetime of experience in the dressage world combined with her judging experience in both dressage and western disciplines makes her uniquely qualified to comment on Western Dressage training and judging. I am so excited to have created a clinic series that carries such an endorsement as I continue to try to present...

John Pearce and Chianto (McCool) San Juan Capistrano, CA - On a couple of cool, breezy afternoons, Blenheim EquiSports presented two stellar high performance events, the $50,000 Blenheim Spring III Grand Prix, presented by Equine Insurance, and this season's first $10,000 USHJA International Hunter Derby, both on the International Grand Prix Field. Exciting twists and turns captivated competitors and spectators alike. With grand prix prize money increased by over 20% for week three of the...

Lexington, KY - The focus of U.S. dressage this week will be firmly on The Stadium in Wellington, Florida for the Wellington Nations Cup CDIO3* presented by Stillpoint Farm. Held in conjunction with the 2013 Adequan Global Dressage Festival, America’s only CDIO will run April 11-14. The United States will look to secure a repeat victory after claiming top honors in 2012. The home nation will be represented by two teams; each composed of two Grand Prix (Big Tour) combinations and two Prix...

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...