Jamie Barge and Luebbo (c) CapturedMomentPhoto.com July 19, 2015 - Del Mar, CA - Rain loomed over the grounds of the Del Mar Horse Park as the $30,000 Summer Festival Grand Prix, presented by SmartPak, got underway. It drizzled throughout the class, but the weather didn't stop Jamie Barge on Kylieco's Luebbo from earning her first Grand Prix win. Due to the rain, the jumps for the Grand Prix were moved to ground that had not been used for previous classes. Although only 20 of the...

Lexington, KY - Classes kicked off at nine o'clock on the final day of the inaugural Split Rock Jumping Tour. The skies were blue and the sun lit up the action in The Rock Jumping Field, which included the $7,500 UltrOZ Low Junior/Amateur-Owner Final, followed by the $7,5000 Brook Ledge High Junior/Amateur Final. The $15,000 Hagyard Equine U25 Cup began at noon. Charlise Casas and Forrest Gump take a victory gallop (SEL Photography) Twenty-four horse and rider combinations opened the Sunday...

Owens & Messick (Shawn McMillen Photography) Lexington, Ky. - Amateur rider Kyle Owens picked a good day to break into the 90s for the first time in his riding career. And, his excellent timing and performance aboard Messick paid impressive dividends, as he tied professional John Barker with Carlotta for the blue ribbon in the Second Round of the USHJA Pre-Green Incentive Championship, August 12-14 at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington. "This was so exciting. I'd never even gotten a...

California's Akiko Yamazaki celebrated her success aboard "Matrix" in the Prix St. Georges Adult Amateur Championship on the final day of the US Dressage Finals presented by Adequan®. (SusanJStickle.com) Lexington, Ky. - Emotions ran high as the final six champions were crowned Sunday at the inaugural US Dressage Finals presented by Adequan® in Lexington, KY. Riders who traveled to the Kentucky Horse Park from coast to coast celebrated their championship experience with memorable rides and...

Recently on the NAWD Facebook page, discussion has centered on the terms “connection” and “collection” with riders, trainers and instructors piping in with comments. If you have not checked in with the Facebook discussions on the websites for all the organizations, I encourage you to do so. All of these comments are so valuable! This is a critical conversation and is truly at the root of the discussion that surrounds WD videos that are currently out there. Dressage...

Mikala Munter Gundersen and My Lady (SusanJStickle.com) Wellington, FL - Following Lars Petersen's victory in Saturday evening's freestyle, Mikala Munter Gundersen collected another top prize in Denmark's honor with My Lady in the FEI Grand Prix Special 5* presented by Diamante Farms. The FEI Grand Prix Special 5* was the final 5* class of the Adequan Global Dressage Festival (AGDF) Wellington 5*, presented by Diamante Farms and hosted at That Stadium at the Palm Beach International...

Last week I gave you some wonderful numbers that show the tremendous growth we have seen in Western Dressage over the last year. Almost 200 shows and events are already scheduled for 2013… 200! All those events are the brainchildren of people who want to help develop WD in their area. Most riders start by going to audit or participate in a clinic first or by becoming familiar with different philosophies and approaches to western dressage via the FaceBook pages or investigating the...

Facebook is an unending super highway of material for use in a myriad of applications. I am always amazed by several things. First, how we can consider people we have never seen or maybe even spoken to directly as “friends.” Second, how we are able to use social networking to very positive effects from fund raising for good causes to arranging emergency transportation for rescue horses. Third, how easy it is to learn from so many people who are willing to share really great...

It all came down to speed in the $25,000 SmartPak Grand Prix, presented by Pfizer Animal Health, at HITS Desert Horse Park in Thermal, CA. Eduardo Menezes and Cruschka who had the speed and rode to the win (Flying Horse Photography) Thermal, CA – It was by all accounts a stellar kick-off to the 2013 HITS Desert Circuit Friday, as 38 horse and rider combinations tested themselves in the $25,000 SmartPak Grand Prix, presented by Pfizer Animal Health. Crisp weather and a light drizzle did...

The sixth in a series of guest blog posts from Michelle Binder When on a horse, I wear a riding helmet. My students wear riding helmets. I ride and show western and dressage. The helmet/hat quandary, style vs. safety, the tradition or common sense conversation is therefore a subject near and dear to my heart. On March 22, 2012, I went into the hay barn to get a bale of hay to feed lunch in the barn. To make a long story short, despite my usual care in tipping bales, as I turned to leave the...