The U.S. Dressage Team's Gold medal never looked in doubt today at the 2011 Pan American Games. They started off confidently and with each ride, the margin improved. They stormed to victory and won their fourth consecutive Pan American Games Team Gold medal - a first in the sport of Dressage. Their combined average score of 74.421% left them well clear of the Canadians who won Silver with a combined average of 70.413%. Colombia put in a valiant late effort to surge into the top three with...

The USEF Communications Department provided wall-to-wall coverage of several events last weekend: Dressage: Steffen Peters' sixth win. Photo by SusanJStickle.com. Six USEF National Dressage Champions were crowned at the 2011 Collecting Gaits Farm/USEF Dressage Festival of Champions at the USET Headquarters in Gladstone, NJ. Steffen Peters swept both the Intermediaire I (meaning he will lead the U.S. Dressage Team to the 2011 Pan American Games in Guadalajara) and the Grand Prix with his...

Tulsa, OK - A boutique group of fabulous American reining horses went head-to-head on Friday night, in Tulsa, OK, at the 2011 Adequan/USEF National Open Reining Championship, the featured evening event at the Ariat Tulsa Reining Classic. The National Championship title and top honors in the concurrent CRI3* ended up as a showdown between two teammates from the Gold medal-winning team at the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games. These two superstar reining riders were also the WEG Individual...

Nev went in and did a pretty good test. I was very happy with the way he warmed up. He was really trying. In hindsight I might of warmed him up 10 minutes too long, as he was a little flat especially in the trot work. All of my dressage coaches (Bettina, Mark & Silva) said that I should of pushed him a bit more in the trot work. He finished on a 49, which left him in 12th on the first day. https://www.bdwp.co.uk/bur/11/ I felt pretty bad for my USA team mate Will Colman who had to withdraw...

Shannon Lilley and Ballingowan Pizzaz (Stockimageservices.com). Richland, MI - The Richland Park CIC and Horse Trials wrapped up with influential show jumping in all of the divisions on Sunday, but none more than in the USEF Mandatory Outing for the 2011 Land Rover USEF Eventing Team. The 14 short-listed horses tackled the Advanced show jumping track and proved a test of accuracy and scope. Leading off with a large triple bar, course designer Marc Donavon asked for forward riding from the...

Started off the day with a nice bath for Smartie, which she greatly appreciated. Her ankle looked really good this morning with only minor swelling, but just for a precaution, we wrapped her back up in ice until we were called for the jog. My team went first, and of the three of us, Smartie was second. We entered the ring for the jog and began walking as directed. Looking back, it was very obvious that I was extremely nervous. The entire time I was talking to my dad about how worried I was...

Erynn Ballard and Fun 2 Fly (Photo by Robyn Keyster/PMG). Traverse City, MI - A few lingering clouds gave way to brilliant sunshine this morning at the Horse Shows by the Bay equestrian festival in beautiful Traverse City, MI. Held each year in one of the country's premier vacation destinations, Horse Shows by the Bay will welcome thousands of equestrians over the next four weeks. Hundreds of horse and rider combinations have arrived already, with many putting on powerful performances this...

Lexington, KY . — The field of 12 competing in the inaugural $25,000 Tarter Farm & Ranch Equipment World Championship Freestyle tonight Shane Brown and Houston Shine (Stockimageservices). included more than one gold medalist. But USEF President David O’Connor’s gold medal came in the Olympic sport of three-day eventing, not reining, the sport in which he participated tonight. The NRHA World Championship event was held as part of the CRI5* Ariat Kentucky Reining Cup at the...

Kent Farrington and Uceko. (V.Valenti/James Leslie Parker. ) Tampa, FL - Kent Farrington piloted the gray warmblood Uceko to two clear rounds to win Saturday's $200,000 Gene Mische American Invitational, presented by G & C Farm, in Tampa, Florida. This was the 39th year for the Invitational, which was held at Tampa's famed Raymond James Stadium. It is the first that was held after the death of Gene Mische last year. Mische, the founder of Stadium Jumping, Inc., was the creator of the...

Aaron Vale and Paparazzi. (ESI Photography.) Ocala, FL – Aaron Vale won the $25,000 Ocala Horse Properties, LLC Grand Prix on Saturday, April 9, during the Ocala International held at Sharn Wordley Equestrian in Ocala, FL. Just as Canada’s Francois Lamontagne had done the week before during the Ocala Jumping Classic, Vale won the $10,000 Blue Gate Farm Open Welcome on Thursday, April 7, as well as Saturday’s $25,000 Ocala Horse Properties, LLC Grand Prix during the Ocala International. Having...