Welcome to the third installment of a different kind of blog from WDAA! The purpose of this post is to allow the reader "into the heads" of both a trainer/judge/competitor, Karen Abbattista and her student, Deborah Herbert, a Florida WDAA member. We would like to share with you some moments in Deb's journey as she pursues her riding goals with her AQHA mare "GenuineArcticSpring", barn name "Belle". Please enjoy as you follow along with these posts that we consider interesting or challenging...

David Dorner and Clyde 9 rode to the $5,000 1.40m Jumper victory on the first day of Equifest I Wayne, IL - It could not have been a more perfect day at the Lamplight Equestrian Center as riders were welcomed to the first day of Equifest I. There was not a cloud in the sky as the courses were set for the opening day of jumper competition, as top contenders gathered at the Grand Prix Ring for a day of enticing show jumping. It was David Dorner who stole the spotlight in the arena Wednesday,...

Tatiana Dzavik and Dahlia Lexington, KY - Perfect weather greeted riders as competition got underway during the Kentucky Summer Series at the Kentucky Horse Park. The Open Jumper riders gathered at the Rolex Stadium, where the first 1.40m Open Jumper class focused on speed and Tatiana Dzavik had the winning key with Dahlia. She topped Shane Sweetnam and Fineman by just 3/10ths of a second to claim the blue ribbon. The final event of the day was the 1.40m Open Jumper Table 2 Section 2b jump-off...

Kelsey Thatcher and Balougris SL Z slice the second fence in the jump-off round (Phelps Media Group) Parker, CO - Show jumping returned to the Kathy and Brad Coors Family Grand Prix Arena at Summer in the Rockies VI at the Colorado Horse Park. Highlights of the day included the $2,500 1.30m Open Jumpers and the $2,500 1.40m Open Jumpers. In the 1.30m Open Jumpers, seven of the 13 horse and rider combinations that took on international course designer Danny Foster's course progressed to the...

Kristen VanderVeen and Bull Run's Eternal (Carrie Wirth/Mary Adelaide Brakenridge Phelps Media Group) Parker, CO - Brazilian course designer Anderson Lima built what appeared to be a straightforward course for the $40,000 Holiday Inn of Parker Grand Prix for Summer in the Rockies V, considered the peak week of the summer series at the Colorado Horse Park. But the course was tougher than appearances let on. "I decided to do a more technical course than a really big course, which meant they had...

Paul O'Shea and Primo De Revel -- champions of the $75,000 Equine Insurance Services/Great American GP of Lake Placid (The Book LLC) Lake Placid, NY - A win by Paul O'Shea of Ireland in the $75,000 Equine Insurance Services/Great American Grand Prix of Lake Placid was the culminating highlight of the 44th annual Lake Placid Horse Show, Presented by Sea Shore Stables, LLC. Riding Michael Hayden's Primo De Revel, O'Shea was one of six entries from the starting field of 34 to reach the...

Eduardo Menezes and Caruschka (McCool Photos) San Juan Capistrano, CA - On a warm Southern California afternoon where the temperatures reached into the 80s, twenty-one pairs rode a course set by designer Pierre Jolicoeur in the $30,000 Blenheim Red, White & Blue Grand Prix, presented by Markel Insurance. With a mix of rookies and veterans, both horse and rider, the track was inviting to all who entered. Of the ten who were clear in the first round, Brazilian Eduardo Menezes once again led...

Sarah Tyndall and Jack Black (Phelps Media Group, Inc. International) Halifax, MA - The Plymouth Rock Hunter/Jumper Classic ended today with the much-anticipated $10,000 Fieldstone 3'3" Hunter Derby and both the Child and Adult Hunter Classics. The derby has always been both a competitor and crowd favorite at the Fieldstone Show Park in Halifax, MA, and today's class was no exception. Riding to two impressive scores and the blue ribbon in the derby were Emily Bickford and KEC Kool Kat....

Reed Kessler and Mika (Rebecca Walton for Phelps Media Group, Inc. International) Lexington, KY - The top horses and riders from across the country have returned to the Kentucky Horse Park this week for the start of the Kentucky Spring Horse Shows. The first day of competition kicked off with the Open Jumper divisions in the Rolex Stadium. Olympian Reed Kessler led the way in the 1.45m Open Jumper class aboard Mika with a double clear effort, while the victory in the 1.40m Open Jumper speed...

Lexington, KY – The final phase of the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event presented by Land Rover provided an exciting finish to the Kentucky Horse Park’s staple event. A sold-out Rolex Stadium crowd witnessed Andrew Nicholson (NZL) win North America’s only CCI4* event for the first time. With Quimbo, he held onto the overnight lead, only adding three time penalties to their dressage score, finishing with a score of 41.0. Deboarah Sellar’s 10-year-old Spanish Sport Horse...