Nick Maupin is a 19-year-old student at the University of Wisconsin majoring in Business Marketing and plans to graduate in 2015. From Sussex, Wisconsin, he is on the five-gaited section of the 2012 U.S. Saddle Seat World Cup Team. It would not surprise any member of the Saddle Seat world to hear me say that the discipline is generally, along with Saddle Seat Equitation, a female dominated sport. Quite possibly the only time one will see a male majority in a class is in the Open divisions. Not...

The sixteenth in a series of guest blog posts from Michelle Binder In an attempt to acknowledge the current diversity within the discipline, show organizers have started offering exhibitors the opportunity to ride ANY test they want to ride, from any organization that has published tests. A buffet of western dressage is now available with something for everyone. The show organizers want to meet the needs of the competitors and in so doing really have taken the first step toward acceptance and...

Monsieur du Reverdy and Victoria Colvin. (Shawn McMillen Photography) Upper Marlboro, MD – The $10,000 North American Junior/Amateur-Owner Challenge Cup Final Round highlighted the evening session Saturday at the Capital Challenge Horse Show. Fourteen-year-old Victoria Colvin of Loxahatchee, FL, sped to the win in the jump-off on Monsieur du Reverdy and captured first place, despite finishing the course with no stirrups. That also gave her the overall win for the North American...

Major equestrian competitions attended by U.S. athletes, both domestic and overseas, are listed in this weekly preview. Please look below to find competition listings by discipline* and breed. We hope you will follow the competitions that most interest you, but check Equestrian Weekly on Monday for a report of any top finishes by U.S. Equestrians. *lists of competitions in all international disciplines will include only FEI competitions or USEF Championships within the USA and international FEI...

Team Germany, Hans Dieter Dreher, Daniel Deußer, Philipp Weishaupt andChristian Ahlmann, this year’s winner of the BMO Nations’ cup. (Spruce Meadows Media Services) Calgary, AB - In front of record crowds, the fourth day of the 2012 Spruce Meadows saw both the American and German flag fly above the international ring. With the sun was shining and 80,961 spectators watching in the stands, 25 horse/rider combinations saddled up for the Suncor Energy Winning Round, spread over 495 meters with 15...

Major equestrian competitions attended by U.S. athletes, both domestic and overseas, are listed in this weekly preview. Please look below to find competition listings by discipline* and breed. We hope you will follow the competitions that most interest you, but check Equestrian Weekly on Monday for a report of any top finishes by U.S. Equestrians. *lists of competitions in all international disciplines will include only FEI competitions or USEF Championships within the USA and international FEI...

London, England - Passports in hand and the final tack box loaded, the United States Paralympic Equestrian Team is on their way to London. Chef d'Equipe Missy Ransehousen and equestrians Rebecca Hart, top ten FEI Paralympian Jonathan Wentz, Donna Ponessa, and Dale Dedrick will shortly accompany their horses when they arrive in the United Kingdom. From the logistics of international travel to the intense competition, the United States Para-Equestrian Dressage Team has a lot to look forward...

Taylor Johnson and Legato Zionsville, IN - Taylor Johnson of Carmel, IN, dodged raindrops and caught some rays Friday while scoring big wins during day four of the Traders Point Hunt Charity Horse Show. Johnson, 14, racked up the ribbons in the Junior Hunter Classic, Junior Hunter Stake, the Child Hunter Classic (NAL and WIHS), and the Junior Hunter 15 and Under Stake. When asked if she thought she was having a good show, she just shrugged her shoulders and answered, "I guess." Johnson won the...

Lexington, KY - The following vaulters have been named by the United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) to represent the U.S. in the 2012 FEI World Vaulting Championships, in Le Mans, France, August 13-19, 2012. The United States will be represented by the following vaulters: Individual Females (Name/Residence/Age) Mary McCormick/Woodside, CA/29 Alicen Divita/Redwood City, CA/23 Katharine Wick/Hillsborough, CA/19 Substitute Elizabeth Ioannou/Saratoga, CA/16 Individual Males Gabe...

Greenwich, UK - The Olympic Eventing dressage concluded today and the U.S. put in two strong performances to settle into seventh place after the first phase. The Germans have a commanding lead on a combined score of 119.10, just clear of Australia on 122.10. The home team sits third on 127. The next five teams are separated by less than 11 points, meaning that Monday’s cross country is destined to be influential. There is an unlikely leader at the top of the leaderboard as Yoshiaki Oiwa...