Happy Holidays! Tis the season and all my best to everyone. This time of year we are especially grateful for all the perfections we find our lives are blessed with. Wishing all of you the very best of holiday seasons. Thank you for reading and supporting the development of western dressage. It was a very exciting time for representatives from North American Western Dressage to attend the USDF Annual Convention in New Orleans December 5-8. President Jen Johnson and Board member Jennifer Collman...

Las Vegas, NV - The $50,000 Fisker Automotive World Cup Grand Prix was the pinnacle of the Las Vegas National beginning with a fiery opening ceremony act. Welcoming the local crowds, fans and competitors was a one-of-a-kind fire infused performance that set the stage for some hot competition. Thirty-five rounds of international talent prepared to take on German course designer, Olaf Petersen Jr.'s World Cup Qualifying test. From an early stage it looked as if the young stars were taking...

Karl Cook (USA) aboard Norories Utopia in the $30,000 EQU Lifestyle Speed Classic Las Vegas, NV - It was a night full of speed and spills as forty-two horse and rider duos broke from the gate in the $30,000 EQU Lifestyle Speed Classic. The evening was dedicated to great causes as Just Word International hosted their infamous horseless horse show and High Jump Finals, as well as the local Air Force Base Honor Guard presented our nation's colors before competition was underway. German course...

Lexington, KY - President Lee Vulgaris announced this week that the Paso Fino Horse Association (PFHA) has officially named Sally Walker as its new Executive Director. The association president stated that Walker was chosen to serve as the organization’s Director from over 70 candidates elicited through a nationwide search. Walker comes to PFHA with extensive leadership experience in the nonprofit, corporate, and private business worlds. She is also a lifelong horsewoman. Most recently,...

Saer Coulter with bay gelding, Springtime, during their performance in the Double H Farm $75,000 Open Jumper class at the CSI4*-W 2012 Alltech National Horse Show (Shawn McMillen Photography/Rolex) The Rolex One to Watch for November 2012 is awarded to Saer Coulter (USA), who trains at Copernicus Stables LLC, California (USA). During the month of September, the 21-year-old jumped from 294th to 209th – a move up the Rolex Rankings of 85 places. Coulter was born in New Orleans, Louisiana...

A little bit fast and a whole lot lucky give Farrington the win in a tough class where clean rounds proved very hard to come by Kent Farrington of the United States blazed a path to victory in the $50,000 Weston Canadian Open tonight, posting a clean round with Voyeur in an efficient time of 58.62 seconds. (BenRadvanyi.com) Toronto, ON – America’s Kent Farrington (Wellington, FL) topped the field of 18 in the $50,000 Weston Canadian Open Friday at the Royal Horse Show, producing one...

Courtney King-Dye at the FEI Awards 2012 (Photo courtesy FEI Fédération Equestre Internationale) Istanbul, TUR - The equestrian world celebrated its heroes last night at a glittering gala evening in Istanbul, Turkey. HRH Princess Haya, President of the Fédération Equestre Internationale (FEI), the world governing body of horse sport, congratulated the winners of the FEI Awards 2012. Addressing an audience of more than 300 guests, including representatives of the FEI's 132...

Toronto, ON – They don’t call him “The Flying Frenchman” for nothing. Two-time defending Canadian Show Jumping Champion Yann Candele (Caledon, ON), took the initial round of the Greenhawk Canadian Show Jumping Championships tonight in the Royal Horse Show, positioning himself well heading into tomorrow evening's final. Although Candele incurred four time-penalties when Game Ready lowered the height of the sixth fence, he was still able to post an impressively quick...

Misdee Wrigley Miller and Grande (Brooke Jacobs with Jacobs Photography_ Lexington, KY - The audience cheered as the first American Saddlebreds, since 1999 competed at the 129th Edition of the Alltech National Horse Show at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, KY. The breed, known as "the horse that America made," had been a fixture at the National Horse Show since the late 1800's but after the 1999 the Saddlebred performance classes had disappeared from the show. It is only natural that...

2012 is nearly over. Show season is winding down and Western dressage organizations are gathering feedback from judges and competitors alike about tests, rules, shows and all things western dressage. Late fall is time for annual meetings for everyone and WD is on agendas all over the country. NAWD and WDAA are busy analyzing data and perfecting tests and rulebooks before the 2013 show season starts so more news will be coming from these fronts very soon. USEF and USDF will have more information...