Michael Morrissey rode to the top of the 1.40m Jumper leader board during the opening day of the Tampa Bay Classic. (Kendall Bierer/Phelps Media Group) Tampa, FL - The gates to the Bob Thomas Equestrian Center opened this morning to welcome in the top riders in the nation to the two-week Tampa Equestrian Series. Commencing with the Tampa Bay Classic, jumper riders gathered in the brisk morning to vie for the coveted championship honors. The competition was heated in the Covered Arena as...

Show season is rolling all over the country. Let the games begin indeed! Western Dressage tests are being ridden in competitive venues all over, especially in the more temperate areas of the nation. Not the northeast! Riders are already sending test sheets in to the “NAWD Trax” year end award program. IPHDA has already completed 2 cycles of virtual shows with entries due for the March V show on Monday April 1st. USEF Morgan tests have been ridden in the first dressage schooling show...

Kate Conover of Ocala, Florida and Trendy on their way to a victory in the $50,000 East Meets West Hunter Challenge, which was presented Saturday at both HITS Ocala and Thermal (©ESI Photography) Ocala, FL - East Coast hunter riders went to bats with their West Coast rivals Saturday in the highly-anticipated $50,000 East Meets West Hunter Challenge, where Kate Conover rode to first and second-place honors. Conover, of Ocala, Florida, piloted Caroline Kellogg’s Trendy to the win and James...

Tina Konyot and Calecto V (SusanJStickle.com) Wellington, FL - The Adequan Global Dressage Festival (AGDF) hosted an entertaining night of equestrian sport at the WEF Dressage Classic, CDI 3* presented by Today's Equestrian & Fellows on Friday. The night's schedule included an opening $10,000 Puissance won by Great Britain's Tim Gredley and Unex Valente, which led into the highlight class of the week, the FEI Grand Prix Freestyle sponsored by Horseware Ireland. The winning score...

The Western States Cowboy Dressage weekend in Medford Oregon was held February 16 and 17. It was a very informative and educational weekend with Eitan Beth-Halachmy and a great cast of presenters that included renowned veterinarian Dr. Robert Miller, Modern Vaquero cowboy Jeff Sanders and VERY brave riders from all over the northwest. The event was presented by the Oregon Western Dressage Association, an affiliate of WDAA, despite the split between WDAA and Cowboy Dressage last fall. It was...

Lexington, KY - The second Markel/USEF Young Horse Dressage Training Session of 2013 wrapped up Sunday at Oak Hill Ranch in Folsom, Louisiana. The picturesque ranch is a leader in U.S. sport horse breeding and provided a great environment for educating the area’s up-and-coming Kim Gentry and Leonardo (Oak Hill Ranch) young horses and their riders. The open training session was led by USEF Young Horse Coach Scott Hassler. “This is the first time we have held a training session in...

Wellington, FL - The United States produced a spectacular effort in Friday’s $75,000 Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup presented by G&C Farm to win America’s only Nation Cup for a fifth time on a total of four faults. Seven countries sent teams into the International Arena at the Palm Beach The Winning U.S. Team (Sportfot) International Equestrian Center to contest two rounds of jumping over Anthony D'Ambrosio’s 12 obstacle track. Earning second and third place were the teams...

After a second-place finish in last week’s $5,000 offering, Jenny Karazissis stepped up for the cash and finished first in the $10,000 Devoucoux Hunter Prix, this time aboard Undeniable. Karazissis hopes to again make the trip east this year for the Diamond Mills $500,000 Hunter Prix Final (Flying Horse Photography) Thermal, CA - It was a rewarding day for hunter riders in Thermal, as Desert Circuit III wound to a close with two big-money competitions on Sunday, which marked the conclusion of...

Since 1906, the National Western Stock Show in Denver has been the Super Bowl of livestock shows. On January 24th at this year’s show, Cliff Swanson, along with the Western Dressage Association® of Colorado , presented a two hour clinic in the basics of Western Dressage. Drawing from his skill set clinics, Cliff was able to demonstrate what he normally teaches in five or six half-day clinics. Cliff explained the history of dressage, as he began with a demonstration of aids,...

Schaefer Raposa and Jet Stream K (Sportfot) Wellington, FL - The fourth annual Collegiate Equitation Challenge, hosted at the FTI Consulting Winter Equestrian Festival (FTI WEF), took place Friday evening at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center (PBIEC). The top riders representing varsity teams from the National Collegiate Equitation Association (NCEA) competed head-to-head in a bracket format both over fences and on the flat. Schaefer Raposa, a freshman at Southern Methodist...