The twenty fourth in a series of blog posts from Michelle Binder North American Western Dressage receives all kinds of questions at the website and on our FaceBook page. Last week Jen Johnson shared the following in a post and it generated a huge amount of material for consideration. She posted: “I received an email last night from a **** judge who had the following concerns about Western Dressage..... “The problem is that the western horse is going to have to be much quicker in...

Rachel Kolb and Stanford's Ronny (Stanford Univ/IHSA) Fairfield, CT - Stride for stride, solid horse sense leads to scholarly achievement. For the second time in two years, the Rhodes Trust has awarded a prestigious Rhodes Scholarship to an Intercollegiate Horse Show Association college equestrian athlete to pursue post-graduate study at Oxford University. This year’s recipient is IHSA hunter seat rider, Rachel Kolb, of Los Ranchos, NM, who is in her second year as president of the...

Isabelle Terry receives her awards from Show Jumping Hall of Fame Executive Director Marty Bauman. (McCool Photgraphy) Lexington, KY - Isabelle Terry of Dallas, TX and Chakira won the inaugural Show Jumping Hall of Fame Jumper Classic Series West Coast Championship, held at the Las Vegas National Horse Show on November 17. Prior to the Championship Final in Las Vegas, the 2012 West Conference regular season came to a close following the L.A. National Horse Show. Lauren Kay and Siendifie topped...

Hunter Chancellor, winner of the 2012 USEF Saddle Seat Medal Final, riding Imagine My Surprise. (Howard Schatzberg) Kansas City, MO - In an extremely competitive USEF Saddle Seat Medal Final at the United Professional Horsemen's Association (UPHA) American Royal National Championship, Hunter Chancellor (Evansville, IN) demonstrated precise equitation skills in her rail and pattern work on Steven Chancellor's Imagine My Surprise to take the Championship title. After earning Reserve...

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...

Lexington, KY – Meagan Nusz, of The Woodlands, TX, has been named the Show Jumping Hall of Fame Rider of the Month for October. This is the second time this year that Nusz has captured the honor, as she was the Rider of the Month for March as well. Nusz competes in the East Conference Amateur-Owner division of the Show Jumping Hall of Fame Jumper Classic Series aboard Vesuvius. The month of October was a success for Nusz and her riding partner, as they earned a 1st place finish at the...

Laura Kraut (Middleburg, VA) won the $32,000 Jolera International Jumper Welcome at the Royal Horse Show with her athletic mount Teirra (pictured), following a third place finish in the $20,000 International Jumper Power & Speed with Belmont. (© BenRadvanyi.com) Toronto, ON – When speed is the name of the game in a show jumping class, there are a few riders who jump to the top of your mind. Laura Kraut of Middleburg, VA, showed Tuesday night what makes her a top rider against the...