Meredith Darst and Soldier in their winning presentation. (Shawn McMillen Photography) Washington D.C. - The 2013 Hermès WIHS Equitation Finals concluded this evening with an exciting win for 16-year-old Meredith Darst of Lebanon, OH. Darst rode Elizabeth Gabler's Soldier, a seven-year-old Holsteiner gelding by Carolus II, through the first two phases of competition finishing with a score of 88.75 in the hunter phase and a 91 point total in the jumper phase. Returning for the final...

Mandy Porter and Chaya Cristalle, Winner of the 6 Year Old Jumpers (Captured Moment Photography) Del Mar, Calif. - Del Mar International World Cup Week gets underway Wednesday, and despite the stubborn fog, competition was a perfect way to kick things off. The Del Mar Arena saw plenty of jumper action, with the 1.10m and the 1.20m classes both boasting exceptionally large turnouts. Over in the San Diego Arena, hunters reigned, while the Durante Arena hosted a mix of hunter and jumper classes....

Kelley Farmer and Quotable (Shawn McMillen Photography, www.shawnmcmillen.com) Washington, D.C. – Day two of the 2013 Washington International Horse Show (WIHS) featured the presentation of championship honors in the professional and amateur-owner hunter divisions at Verizon Center in downtown Washington D.C. on Wednesday. Kelley Farmer was named Leading Hunter Rider after earning the overall Grand Hunter Championship with Quotable. Romance won the Grand Green Hunter Championship with...

Pau, France – Seven talented U.S. horse-and-rider combinations are ready to compete in Les Étoiles de Pau CCI4*. Taking place October 23-27 in Pau, France, an elite field of 75 is ready to take on the challenging CCI4*. With all horses passing the first horse inspection, 11 nations will be represented on the first leg of the 2013/2014 FEI Classics™. Competition grants have made it possible for the sizable U.S. contingency to attend the prestigious CCI4*. USEF Land Rover...

With the 2013 Pennsylvania National Horse Show behind us we (well, just me in this case) have taken a look at the video analytics, and I’ve learned two things. 1. Lillie Keenan is a star. 2. So is Victoria Colvin. Now that’s not a whole lot of insight, nor is it surprising. What is surprising is how much USEF Network Pennsylvania National Horse viewers love those two. As evidence, let's first take a look at the You Tube top five most watched Penn National videos. 1. 144 Lillie...

Abigael Kaufman and Ivanhoe (©Shawn McMillen Photography) Washington, D.C . - The 55th annual Washington International Horse Show (WIHS) hosted its opening day at Verizon Center in downtown Washington, D.C. on Tuesday with a full day of hunter competition. The professional and amateur-owner riders showed throughout the day in the first classes of their divisions and will conclude their competition for championship honors on Wednesday. The children's and adult hunter riders competed for...

Welcome to the fourth installment of a different kind of blog from WDAA! The purpose of this post is to allow the reader "into the heads" of both a trainer/judge/competitor, Karen Abbattista and her student, Deborah Herbert, a Florida WDAA member. We would like to share with you some moments in Deb's journey as she pursues her riding goals with her AQHA mare "GenuineArcticSpring", barn name "Belle". Please enjoy as you follow along with these posts that we consider interesting or...

Eduardo Menezes & La Fleur 4 (Captured Moment Photography) Del Mar, Calif. - Del Mar Welcome Week comes to a close today, and we've had gorgeous weather, exciting competition and some truly memorable moments. Now, riders, horses, trainers and show staff are looking ahead to World Cup Week, which will feature the Grand Prix Hunter Derby Final, the Rancho Valencia World Cup Grand Prix of Del Mar and our spectacular (spooktacular!) Halloween celebration as well as many other special...

Conor Swail and GAME READY (photo © AlCookPhoto.com) Harrisburg, Pa. - It was a thrilling finale on the last night of the Pennsylvania National Horse Show as many of the world's top riders competed in the $85,000 FEI World Cup Grand Prix De Penn National. You could hear the crowd collectively hold its breath as each horse sped around the course, but it was Irish rider Conor Swail and GAME READY who pulled out all the stops to clinch the win. Twenty four competitors attempted course designer...

Kelsey Thatcher and ATHENA receive their awards (AlCookPhoto.com) Harrisburg, Pa. - October 19, 2013 - Kelsey Thatcher, of Bluffdale, UT, had an amazing day at the Pennsylvania National Horse Show, winning the $15,000 Show Jumping Hall of Fame Amateur-Owner Jumper Classic and earning the division Championship with ATHENA, and also placing second and taking the Reserve Championship with EVERYTHING. Thatcher, who is trained by Alex and Maggie Jayne, was also named the horse show's Leading...