London, England, United Kingdom - In London, there is always one conversational topic that a stranger can depend on to relieve an awkward situation, the weather. On Thursday August 30th, at the 2012 Paralympic Equestrian venue in Greenwich Park, the weather transitioned from rain, to wind, on to more rain, and brisk temperatures. As the opening day of the Para-Dressage Team Test competition transpired the weather became accommodating to some riders and unpleasant to others. Jonathan Wentz (USA)...

Greenwich, UK - The Para-Equestrian Dressage competition of the 2012 Paralympic Games kicked-off Thursday with Grade II and Grade 1b riders completing their Team Tests on a day that ran the gamut of English weather. The U.S. sent three representatives into the main arena with Rebecca Hart and Dr. Dale Dedrick competing during the Grade II morning session and Jonathan Wentz competing in afternoon Grade 1b competition. Jonathan Wentz and NTEC Richter Scale (Shannon Brinkman) Riders for Great...

The Rolex One to Watch – August 2012 The Rolex One to Watch for August 2012 is awarded to Katie Monahan Prudent (USA). Monahan Prudent divides her time between Rosières aux Salines (FRA) and Plain Bay Farm, which she runs with her husband in Middleburg, Virginia (USA). During the month of July, the 54-year-old jumped from 361st to 244th – a move up the Rolex Rankings of 117 places. Monahan Prudent spent much of her early career training at Cherry Blossom Farm in Virginia,...

Lexington, KY - Thanks to the initiative of American Saddlebred Horse Association (ASHA) Board Member, Randy Cates, and the generous sponsorship from World Champion Horse Equipment, ASHA and the United Professional Horsemen's Association (UPHA) will be presenting inaugural ribbons to every "first timer" trainer and exhibitor at this year's 2012 World's Championship Horse Show. ?? The inaugural year ribbon is a way to recognize those trainers and exhibitors who are joining us at...

Greenwich, UK - Clear rounds were the order of the day in the First Individual Qualifier for Jumping in the main arena at Greenwich Park. Of the 75 starters in the Olympic Show Jumping Competition, 32 jumped clear rounds. Of those, two belonged to American riders Rich Fellers and McLain Ward. Reed Kessler added just one time fault at her first Olympic Games meaning the USA heads to the Team Competition with a strong start. Team Competition begins Sunday, August 5. Chef d'Equipe George...

Verden, Germany - Two promising U.S. young dressage horses went toe-to-toe with their European counter-parts today in the Prize of Mrs. Madeleine Winter—Schulze at the FEI World Dressage Championships for Young Horses in Verden, Germany. Competing in the six-year-old championships, Florentinus V and Sanceo produced admirable work on Friday but were unable to crack the top 12 in order to automatically move onto Sunday’s final. However, both horses will get a second chance to earn a...

Steffen Peters and Ravel led the U.S. team with a score of 77.705% (Shannon Brinkman) Greenwich, UK - Steffen Peters (San Diego, CA) returned to the Olympic Games with Ravel and proved that the 14-year-old KWPN gelding still has what it takes to be competitive at the highest level of the sport of dressage. Four years after they were fourth individually in Hong Kong at the 2008 Games, Peters and Ravel scored 77.705% in Greenwich Park's main arena to lead the U.S. Team to fifth place at the...

Boyd Martin and Otis Barbotiere (Shannon Brinkman) Greenwich, UK - The first day of Eventing Dressage at the 2012 Olympic Games featured three of the five American horses. Boyd Martin was the very first rider in the ring on Otis Barbotiere and made the most of his first Olympic experience, having the best test of the horse's career so far. The venue is stunning and although the arena proved full of atmosphere, the three U.S. combinations handled the occasion admirably. Judged by the Ground...

Day One at the 2012 Olympic Games It’s been crazy as I landed from one fire (NAJYRC) into another - trying to get my brain to switch over and into Games mode. So far it has been great. Considering it started by me flying from Lexington to Chicago to Boston to Washington, DC to London in one day. It’s a complicated story without a really logical explanation but ground stops in Chicago = desperate. The UNITED staff couldn’t have been more accommodating and they worked it out...

Mollie Kowalchik and Uccello Traverse City, MI - When Mollie Kowalchik walked into the Grand Prix Arena at Horse Shows by the Bay yesterday for the first time, she never dreamed that she would conclude the day with her first two major equitation wins in her young riding career. The 16-year-old Loveland, Ohio native captured top honors in both featured equitation classes by winning the USEF Talent Search Medal and the WIHS Jumper Phase. Aboard her 11-year-old warmblood Uccello, Kowalchik...