How do good ideas happen? By great people putting their minds together – and that’s what happened when Frances Carbonnel, Cliff Swanson, and Neide Cooley got together last August to work on the Educational Program for the Western Dressage Association® of Colorado. I had the pleasure of speaking with Frances about how the Train The Trainers clinic came into being. “We decided we needed some videos to help people understand what the gaits are for Western Dressage,”...

This is a truly thrilling time to be a part of Western Dressage and the Western Dressage Association® of America! I recently had the opportunity to chat with Cliff Swanson, who has been instrumental in many facets of the program, including authoring and editing the new tests, working with the Rules Committee, developing the Train The Trainers™ Program and conducting a wonderful series of Skill Set Clinics. Cliff also sits on the Advisory Board for the WDAA. According to Cliff,...

The U.S. Five-Gaited Section Gold medalists (R. Millin) Parys, South Africa - On Saturday, December 8, the Saddle Seat World Cup sponsored by Impondo Mining and Live 2 Learn concluded with second round performances from the Three-Gaited sections of the Saddle Seat World Cup teams. After a stellar presentation of rail work, the U.S. Three-Gaited team set the stage for leading pattern work scores in both groups. With strong performances all week, hopes were high that both the U.S. Three- and...

Molly Ashe and Kennzo (© ManciniPhotos) Wellington, FL - Kristen Abbatiello-Neff's Kennzo and Molly Ashe jumped their way to victory in two rounds of competition in the $20,000 Holiday and Horses USHJA International Hunter Derby, presented by Dietrich Insurance, on Sunday, December 2, 2012. Concluding the week-long competition, the class was held in the spacious International Arena at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center with a beautifully designed course set by Skip Bailey, of...

Los Angeles, CA - The 2012 Platinum Performance/USEF Show Jumping Talent Search Finals West kicked off at the Los Angeles International Jumping Festival at the Los Angeles Equestrian Center on September 20. The final consists of four phases: flat, gymnastics, jumping, and a work off. On Thursday, the thirty-three finalists competed in Phase 1 and were split into groups of five to six riders to compete on the flat. Riders were asked to demonstrate the usual flat movements, such as the counter...

(Sportfot/GCT) Lausanne, Switzerland - Patrice Delaveau wowed the GCT Lausanne with a sprint finish to win the 2nd CSI 5* today on Ornella Mail. American rider Jessica Springsteen set the pace in the 1m50 speed class, accelerating and clearing the three challenging double combinations around the compact sand arena in 60.23. Jessica, daughter of “The Boss” Bruce Springsteen, has rocketed into the 5* league and is fiercely competitive. She was clearly delighted with her round on...

Upper Marlboro, MD – The Capital Challenge Horse Show (CCHS) is pleased to announce that the 2012 prize lists were mailed out and the PDF is available for download on the official horse show website www.capitalchallenge.org . In addition to the entry blank, also available for download are: the feed and bedding pre-order forms; stabling request forms; and the schedule of events. The Capital Challenge Horse Show will be held for it’s 19th year at the Prince George’s Equestrian...

August 3, 2012 (Blairstown, NJ) – The Global Federation of Animal Sanctuaries (GFAS), the only globally recognized organization providing standards for identifying legitimate animal sanctuaries, awarded Verified status to Saddlebred Rescue, Inc. as of August 1, 2012. Verification means that Saddlebred Rescue meets the criteria of a true equine sanctuary/rescue and is providing humane and responsible care of the animals. To be awarded Verified status, an organization must meet GFAS’s...

Kaitlin Campbell and Rocky W rode to the top finish in the $25,000 Hagyard Lexington Classic at the Kentucky Summer Classic. (Kendall Bierer/PMG) Lexington, KY - The Rolex Stadium was alive with the nation's top horse and rider combinations gathering to compete beneath the lights in the $25,000 Hagyard Lexington Classic during the Kentucky Summer Classic. Kaitlin Campbell and Rocky W topped tonight's seven-horse jump-off with a beautiful double-clear effort. Campbell also was the last...

The successful High Score Awards presented by the Welsh Pony & Cob Society of America at Pony Finals have been expanded this year to include registered part bred Welsh ponies in addition to registered purebred and half Welsh ponies recognized in past years. Earlier this year, WPCSA voted to register part bred Welsh and these animals are now competing at rated Welsh shows alongside half Welsh. Part bred Welsh are animals with at least one registered half Welsh parent. In addition to...