It's official. NAWD has applied for recognized affiliate status with the USEF. Supporters have until June 11th to let the USEF know that North American Western Dressage is the right choice of organizations to build the future of Western Dressage. NAWD President Jen Johnson states: “Western Dressage is coming. Over the past 3 years we have watched it grow at warp speed from the hint of an idea to not just one but three major organizations with very different ideals. Throughout, NAWD...

Note to Self: 1. Prepare classical instructor that you will be appearing before him in western tack and riding an Appaloosa stallion, NOT your third level Westfalen import and 2. Don’t ride in a clinic without a photographer A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away…. I got a book from the library called The Schooling of the Western Horse by John Richard Young. It was published in 1945 (practically the dark ages) and outlined progressive training for western horses. Critically...

The Western Dressage world is abuzz with dressage talk. The hot topic of the moment seems to be progressive training, especially as it has to do with pyramids and scales. Pyramids are extremely stable structures that rely on strong, broad foundations and which rise to a point, a pinnacle if you will that represents a point of focus. Without the foundation, the pyramid loses strength. The intrinsic nature of the structure itself necessitates culmination in a point. The pyramid is the perfect...

Today’s post comes from Sin City, Las Vegas Nevada. Since I am here in the region of Southwest Western Dressage, I decided to write the blog as an interview with someone from the Las Vegas equestrian community who was doing Western Dressage. So I opened up the phone book to call a local barn. Every barn number but one was disconnected or no longer in service. The one that was working was a casino! So I called a feed store, thinking that at the feed store would be someone who knew someone...

Happy New Year everyone! I am glad to be here and since it is obvious that the Earth did not tip over on its axis turning our mountains into oceans and our oceans into mountains, I have to wonder what 2013 will bring to Western Dressage. Maybe the better question is “What will Western Dressage bring to the world?” Indeed it is an intriguing question when put this way. As our fledgling discipline begins to feather out, the directions in which western dressage may fly continue to...

Chris Hickey on Witness Hilltop (Hoof Print Images) Devon, PA – Much of the concluding day at Dressage at Devon was composed of Freestyle classes – from the FEI Junior Freestyle to the FEI Intermediare Freestyle CDI W. The afternoon also featured the FEI Olympic Grand Prix Special CDI W. Up and Coming Talent Alexandra Reid, a 20 year-old Canadian, and her mount V.I.P (Rousseau x Nastrade) swept the Young Rider classes this year with winning scores for the FEI Young Rider Individual...

FEI President HRH Princess Haya is proud to announce that London 2012 was a clean Games for equestrian sport, following confirmation that all human and equine samples taken during the Olympic equestrian events at Greenwich Park were negative. “The FEI had a really steep mountain to climb after Athens and Hong Kong, but we had a clean Youth Olympic Games, a clean FEI World Equestrian Games and now we’ve crowned it with a clean Olympic Games in London,” Princess Haya said....

Peter Pletcher and Copperfield Credit (photo by Katie Anich/PMG). Traverse City, MI - Sun and a light breeze set the stage for a wonderful day for the hunters at Horse Shows by the Bay today. It was very busy in the R.L. Polk Family Main Hunter Ring, with over ninety rounds to be seen. As the professional hunter divisions came to a close this afternoon, several championship ribbons were presented, with Peter Pletcher of Magnolia, TX, Kelley Farmer of Keswick, VA, and Erynn Ballard of Hornby, OT...

Lexington, KY - Today marked the beginning of what promises to be an exciting first week at Kentucky Spring Horse Show. Riders showcased their horses under beautiful weather at the Kentucky Horse Park's Stonelea Ring during the Professional Hunter divisions. The hunter competition will continue through Sunday, and will pick-up again next week during the Kentucky Spring Classic. Brian Walker and Garfield were victorious in the High Performance Hunters at the Kentucky Spring Horse Show (Photo...

USHJA Blog - 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games Meet Our Blogger: Jeannie Blancq Putney Jeannie Blancq Putney is an avid horse enthusiast who enjoys covering all breeds and all levels of equestrian sport. Jeannie blogged the 2009 & 2010 Derby Finals. As a result, in 2009 USHJA won the American Horse Publications Editorial & Graphics Award for an Equine-Related Blog. She has also covered the World Equestrian Games, World Cup, Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event, Pony Finals and NAJYRC....