Crisp and Hunt Tosh (Shawn McMillen Photography) Lexington, KY - Owner Douglas Wheeler said what may have been on many people's minds at the conclusion of the inaugural $157,990 Pre-Green Incentive Championship, at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington. "Hunt's instincts as a horseman and a rider are fantastic. He's very patient with the young ones, and his riding talent is second to none," said Wheeler. And on August 15 that statement was particularly true as Tosh rode the Wheeler...

McKayla Langmeier and Czar-Z on their way to victory in the $15,000 NEHJA Hunter Derby on August 8 at the Vermont Summer Festival. (David Mullinix Photography) East Dorset, VT - McKayla Langmeier of East Granby, CT, left the veterans in the dust as the 13-year-old collected the top prize in the $15,000 NEHJA Hunter Derby held Thursday, August 8, at the Vermont Summer Festival in East Dorset, VT. The win marked the second in a row for Langmeier and Czar-Z having also won last week’s $5,000...

Brett Burlington and Quigley (Emily Riden) Lexington, KY - Brett Burlington and Quigley picked up the right lead canter out of a line-up and cantered straight to the top of the leader board in the THIS National Children's Medal Friday at the Kentucky Horse Park. Out of a field of 35 talented young riders, Burlington was one of four to return to test for the top honors in the equitation class held as part of the Kentucky Summer Horse Show, running now through Sunday, July 28. Following the...

Rick Fancher and Osczar were the subjects of a painting by Michael Tang in the year following their incredible success at CCHS. Upper Marlboro, MD - The 2013 Capital Challenge Horse Show (CCHS) is quickly approaching and there are many exciting highlights to look forward to as the competition celebrates its 20-year anniversary. The show runs September 28 through October 6 at Prince George’s Equestrian Center in Upper Marlboro, MD. The Capital Challenge Horse Show has a great variety of...

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...

A couple weeks ago a friend and I attended a WSH Dressage Show halfway across the state to ride the NAWD tests. The weather was gorgeous, the drive uneventful, the horses well behaved. The show was at a beautiful facility, with a qualified judge I trust to evaluate our western dressage horses. My stallion was perfectly behaved even in the warm-up area with the little ponies and their tiny children. Sounds like a perfect horse show weekend huh? It was, but for one thing. I was confused! For the...

Like the tale of a great cowboy story, a monumental journey began in the kitchen of a house in a small town in Texas. It was there that a gathering of horsemen and women begin to discuss the merits for the use of Dressage for the Western horse; “Western Dressage” emerged. Understanding the need for an organization to provide education and resources for this discipline, the Western Dressage Association® of America (WDAA) was formed as the first national entity for Western...

Shane Smith & Shepherd Star (Shannon Brinkman) Lexington, KY For the second time in three years, Shane Brown won the World Championship Freestyle Reining tonight at the Kentucky Horse Park. He rode Shepherd Star to the title, receiving 228 points from the three judges. Brown’s score put him just 1 point ahead of three riders who tied for second with a score of 227—Aaron Ralston on Blue Taris Glo, Drake Johnson on Sonic Chic Dream, and Pete Kyle on A Ruf Gal. The winners split a...

Recently on the NAWD Facebook page, discussion has centered on the terms “connection” and “collection” with riders, trainers and instructors piping in with comments. If you have not checked in with the Facebook discussions on the websites for all the organizations, I encourage you to do so. All of these comments are so valuable! This is a critical conversation and is truly at the root of the discussion that surrounds WD videos that are currently out there. Dressage...

Devon, PA - Two time Olympic team gold medalist McLain Ward will defend his Leading Open Jumper Rider title at the Devon Horse Show and Country Fair, which runs May 23 to June 2. Ward of Brewster, N.Y., has entered last year’s Devon Open Jumper Champion Antares F, the horse he rode in the 2012 London Olympic Games. Ward also won last year’s $100,000 Wells Fargo Grand Prix of Devon on Antares F, a class he has won six times in the last 10 years. Devon benefits Bryn Mawr Hospital,...