Adrienne Lyle (Mary Cornelius) The Board of Directors of The Dressage Foundation announced that, for the first time, two recipients have been chosen to receive a $25,000 Carol Lavell Advanced Dressage Prize in the same year. Adrienne Lyle (ID) and her horse, Wizard, along with Sharon McCusker (MA) and her horse, Wrigley, were selected because they display the characteristics and qualities of being talented, committed, qualified riders whose plans are to reach and excel at the elite,...

How do good ideas happen? By great people putting their minds together – and that’s what happened when Frances Carbonnel, Cliff Swanson, and Neide Cooley got together last August to work on the Educational Program for the Western Dressage Association® of Colorado. I had the pleasure of speaking with Frances about how the Train The Trainers clinic came into being. “We decided we needed some videos to help people understand what the gaits are for Western Dressage,”...

Wellington, FL -On Saturday night, the participants, parents and supporters of the USEF Horsemastership Training Session gathered with the USET Foundation and Karen Lloyd, who graciously hosted a dinner at her lovely Palm Beach Polo home in Wellington, FL. This year's riders participated in a five-day clinic at the Palm Beach International Equestrian center with former U.S. Chef d'Equipe USEF. The 12 riders selected for the clinic included Gabrielle Bausano, Olivia Champ, Meg...

Happy Holidays! Tis the season and all my best to everyone. This time of year we are especially grateful for all the perfections we find our lives are blessed with. Wishing all of you the very best of holiday seasons. Thank you for reading and supporting the development of western dressage. It was a very exciting time for representatives from North American Western Dressage to attend the USDF Annual Convention in New Orleans December 5-8. President Jen Johnson and Board member Jennifer Collman...

This is a truly thrilling time to be a part of Western Dressage and the Western Dressage Association® of America! I recently had the opportunity to chat with Cliff Swanson, who has been instrumental in many facets of the program, including authoring and editing the new tests, working with the Rules Committee, developing the Train The Trainers™ Program and conducting a wonderful series of Skill Set Clinics. Cliff also sits on the Advisory Board for the WDAA. According to Cliff,...

Lexington, KY - The Equine Academy at Lexington Catholic High School is hosting a truly unique eBay auction. If you still have holiday shopping to do, but don’t want to brave the crowds at the mall, try a little shopping from your sofa. Filled to the brim with items perfect for the hard-to-shop for, their auction, which runs through Sunday, Dec. 16 at 8 p.m., includes some very hard-to-come-by items. You can find all of these items and their details at: myworld.ebay.com/lchsequine or by...

George "Joey" Gadd on his way to winning the Kentucky CVI3* Individual Male division (MacMillan Photography) Lexington, KY - The United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) is pleased to announce George "Joey" Gadd as the winner of the 2012 USEF Youth Sportsman's Award. Seventeen-year-old Gadd was selected from an outstanding group of youth representing their respective recognized breed and discipline affiliates from across the country. An avid vaulter from Saratoga, CA, he was nominated by...

The twenty second in a series of blog post from Michelle Binder With the Holiday, I have just a short newsy blog for readers this week. I for one am looking forward to what the New Year brings in all areas, especially video submissions for the virtual shows. It is an exciting and challenging time for everyone involved on all fronts, a time that requires courage, flexibility, willingness to share and learn from one another, as well as patience as WD emerges over time. Like Edison with the light...

The twentieth in a series of guest blog posts from Michelle Binder This week is all about news, news and more news. Never a dull moment in Western Dressage! This just out via a press release from WDAA: “The WDAA has been guided throughout by the leadership, strategy, and policies of its Board of Directors and Advisory Board, both of which are volunteer positions and provide their services without funding. Each are comprised of distinguished professionals from all facets of the equine...

Lexington, KY - The United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) is now accepting letters of intent from competition managers to host the 2014 USEF Dressage Seat Medal Finals. These Finals will take place in the summer of 2014. The purpose of the USDF/USEF Dressage Seat Medal program presented by Dressage Today is to promote and reward correct seat, position, and use of aids in dressage for youth riders. The United States Dressage Federation (USDF) oversees the qualifying system and the...