2009 Festival Winner GP Raymeister (SusanJStickle.com) Lexington, KY – Bids are now being accepted by the United States Equestrian Federation® from photographers who would like to be considered for the position of “Official Photographer for the 2010 Collecting Gaits Farm/USEF Dressage Festival of Champions.” The championships return to the USET Foundation Headquarters in Gladstone, NJ over two weekends August 6-8 and August 13-15, 2010. These championships showcase the best American dressage...

Photo by Robbi Meisel (Eirin Bruheim and NLF Trans Atlantic) Thermometers were up and down, weathermen forecasted gloom and doom with the supposed arrival of three inches or more of snow, and like all good businesses the managers of the Gulf Coast Winter Classics decided to aire on the side of caution by cancelling Friday classes. The good news was that aside from some nasty rain, it truly was a “non event” day as Bob Bell co-chairman had hoped. Saturday saw the return of warmer temperatures,...

Adrienne Lyle and Wizard at the 2008 Collecting Gaits Farm/USEF Dressage Festival of Champions (Amy McCool) Weekly Updates from the USEF High Performance Programs: Dressage: In the dressage world, sweeps were the order of the weekend. American Tina Konyot rode her own Calecto V to a determined performance in the Grand Prix for the Freestyle on Saturday; they were the only pair to break the 70% barrier – scoring 70.596%. Pierre St. Jacques was second with Lucky Tiger. Konyot then won the Grand...

Photo by Amy McCool (Adrienne Lyle) Adrienne Lyle, the 2008 USEF National "Brentina Cup" Champion, was on fire during Thermal’s Dressage Getaway show, winning grand prix with both of her horses and earning top scores aboard all of her mounts. Lyle, an Ambassador for Trilogy Dressage Saddles, competed at the Dressage Getaway in Thermal in January and continued her winning streak in February at Thermal’s Dressage Getaway CDI. “I was thrilled with my horses during January’s show. Wizard and Felix...

Photo Courtesy Minitube Internationa (Biopsita with surrogate mom.) Minitube International has achieved a scientific breakthrough that will allow for genetic testing and preservation of equine embryos. The world's first foal from a biopsied and vitrified embryo transferred into a surrogate mare was born on Wednesday January 27, 2010, at Minitube International Center for Biotechnology in Mount Horeb, WI. Both the mother, "Lola," and foal are doing well. The birth of "Biopsita" marks a new era in...

By Lindsay McCall/PMG (Dr. Armand Leone, Jr. presenting the Thirty-Year Gold Medal Club Anniversary Award to USET President and CEO, Jane Forbes Clark.) As horses and riders prepare for the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games, the United States Equestrian Team (USET) Foundation's Road to Kentucky fundraising benefit welcomed owners, riders and fans of every discipline as they joined together in support of the elite athletes on February 5, 2010, at the International Polo Club in Wellington,...

Photo by Susan J. Stickle (Courtney Dye aboard Grandioso.) The Board of Directors of The Dressage Foundation announced that Courtney Dye of New Milford, CT, has won the 2010 “Carol Lavell Advanced Dressage Prize” in the amount of $25,000. The purpose of the prize, established at The Dressage Foundation, is to provide financial assistance for coaching and training to a talented, committed, qualified rider whose plan is to reach and excel at the elite, international standards of high-performance...

Endurance Rider Ellyn Rapp will Swap these Soggy KY Cup Conditions for the Desert in Abu Dhabi (Anna Studdenny) Lexington, KY – The United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) will be represented by two endurance riders at the 2010 Abu Dhabi Al Wathba President’s Cup in Abu Dhabi in the United Arab Emirates. This prestigious 160 km race is one of the premier events on the international endurance circuit and takes place on February 13, 2010. Riding for the US will be: Ellyn Rapp on Belshazzar and...

Ravel Settles for Second (SusanJStickle.com) Wellington, FL – Having convincingly won the Grand Prix at the 2010 Exquis World Dressage Masters on Thursday afternoon, the pressure was on Steffen Peters to continue his winning tear with Ravel. But unfortunately for the US fans, it was a repeat of 2009 and he still couldn’t eclipse Anky van Grunsven and her Olympic champion Salinero. The reigning Gold medalist wowed the fans with a classic fault-free performance and a score of 84.4% for the...

Photo by SusanJStickle.com (Steffen Peters and Ravel) Wellington, FL – Somehow it keeps getting better. After just collecting the United States Equestrian Federation's Horse and Rider of the Year accolades for 2009, US dressage superstars Steffen Peters and Ravel ran their streak to six major wins with a convincing effort at the Grand Prix at the 2010 Exquis World Dressage Masters. Ravel, a 12-year-old KWPN gelding (Contango-Hautain) owned by Akiko Yamazaki’s Four Winds Farm appeared even...