Kassandra Barteau and GP Raymeister at 2009 NAJYRC (Flashpoint Photography) Lexington, KY – Three-time USEF National Champion and NAJYRC Gold Medalist Kassandra Barteau has topped the United States rankings for the FEI World Cup™ Dressage Final for Young Riders and has earned an invitation to Frankfurt, Germany for the Final, to be held December 17-20. Twenty-one year-old Barteau of Maple Park, Illinois and her mount GP Raymeister (a 10-year-old bay Holsteiner stallion owned by...

Three regional qualifying competitions were recently held for the 2009 ASPCA Maclay National Championships. They were the last Regionals held, and the final list of qualifiers is now available (please see below). The 2009 ASPCA Maclay National Championship will be held at the Syracuse Invitational Sporthorse Tournament on October 28-November 1, 2009. Zazou Hoffman was the winner of the Region 1 qualifier at the Grand Fall Classic in Westbrook, CT. Hoffman finished second at Regionals last year...

Today at Arabian Sport Horse Nationals (SHN), my fellow Arabian horse lovers and I were treated to a preview of the new Arabian Horse Galleries at the Kentucky Horse Park's International Museum of the Horse. The Purebred Arabian Trust funded a 9,000 square foot building to be added on to the existing museum, although they are still requesting donations to finish the exhibit. Those of us at SHN were invited to a special presentation (with a sales pitch artfully thrown in) to see what the...

These last three days have been sooo busy! We get up at 6am and back to the hotel at around 1am! So let me give you an overview on what has been happening. August 25, 2009 Today our 14 year old rider Theresa rode and boy did she ride the hair off of her horse! She was a sight minus a few pilot errors that every rider makes once in a while. She unfortunately did not place in her class but North Wind Stables were very proud of her. August 26,2009 This day would be a day I will always remember. I...

I am giving you the view of the World's Championship Horse Show from the perspective of awards presentations which is a bit different from what most see at the Kentucky State Fair. I might tell you about presenters who come late for the presentations or those who do not show at all... Or about presenters who are challenged by footware or costume choices because being fleet of foot for presentations is very important. Before the horn calls the horses to the ring for the first class we have...

August 22, 2009 Saturday was such an eventful day! We allowed the horse's to rest in the stalls on Friday to become accustomed to the climate and to calm their nerves down from the 12 hour drive. So after their relaxing day of rest, we got to work them. All 9 horses were perfect and we worked them to the best of their abilities. The funny part about Saturday though came after we worked the horses. Customers of ours and my family went to a café on the show grounds to enjoy lunch. And...

Louisville! Is it that time already??? I still can't believe it's already the last 2 weeks of August! We prepare this whole year just to go to the "Big Dance" and make lasting memories. But what a lot of people don't realize is how much work we go through as trainer's children to go to Louisville. Well I'll tell you my 2 days so far at the World Championship Horse Show and hopefully you can see a different side to "My Life." August 20, 2009 • Today was the day we would...

Anne Gribbons is set to take on position of USEF Dressage Chef d’Equipe/Technical Advisor (USEF Archive/PhelpsPhoto.com) The United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) is pleased to announce that pending successful contract negotiations, Anne Gribbons will be named as USEF Dressage Chef d’Equipe/Technical Advisor through 2012. Gribbons will fill the role for dressage that Capt. Mark Phillips and George Morris fill for the Olympic disciplines of eventing and show jumping respectively. The...

The World Games 2010 Foundation, Inc., announced it has reached an agreement with Red Sky Publishing for Doug Prather to be the “Official Photographer” for the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games 2010. The agreement will allow the Foundation to work closely with and have access to Prather’s work ahead of and during the 2010 Games. The images will be used in the organization’s media and marketing promotional campaigns, brochures, posters and displays, as well as many other areas. “We are excited...

Lexington, KY – The United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) is pleased to announce the continuation of a multi-year partnership with Markel Insurance to sponsor the USEF Young Horse Dressage Program. This sponsorship also includes the Markel/USEF Young Horse Dressage National Championships and the Markel/USEF Young Horse Dressage Selection Trials. “Markel came on board to sponsor this program early in our strategy to build our developing horse and rider programs which are critical to our...