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...

What is the equestrian demographic in North America? Surveys reveal it consists of women who, after a career, raising children, or both, have either returned to riding or are pursuing it as a life long dream. I fall into this demographic, having returned after both a career and children, and once again after major surgery. But where do we go to find training, a supportive community and a purpose in this endeavor? After much exploration, I was lucky enough to find Western Dressage through the...

Shelburne, VT — The American Morgan Horse Association (AMHA) Awards Committee is pleased to announce the following individuals will be recognized at the AMHA annual convention, which will take place February 21-23, 2013 in Portland, Oregon, at The Benson Hotel. Man and Woman of the Year Awards honor those individuals for their continued support of the breed. This year's honorees are Mike Goebig and Kathy Newcomb. John Green will be awarded the Cecil Brown Memorial Sportsmanship Award,...

Lexington, KY - The United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) is pleased to announce the winners of two prestigious awards in the discipline of Endurance, the Maggy Price Endurance Excellence Award and the Brunjes Junior/Young Rider Trophy. The awards will be presented at the USEF Horse of the Year Awards gala and dinner on Friday, January 18, 2013 at the Louisville Marriott Downtown in Louisville, Kentucky. Heather Reynolds (left) riding Riverwatch at the 2012 Longines FEI World Endurance...

Lexington, KY - The United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) has seated two new para-equestrian committees. The Para-Equestrian High Performance Committee and Para-Equestrian Eligible Athlete Committee are both pending approval of the USEF Executive Committee. Para-Equestrian High Performance Committee (Pending approval of the Executive Committee) Dale Dedrick Barabara Grassmyer, Elected Eligible Athlete Hope Hand Rebecca Hart, Elected Eligible Mary Jordan, Elected Eligible Athlete Kim Kelly...

Westport, CT - The EQUUS Foundation and the American Association of Equine Practioners (AAEP) Foundation joinly established the EQUUS Foundation Research Fellowship program in 2011 to emphasize the importance of equine research, to reward researchers for their contributions, and to meet the increasing need to train future equine veterinary researchers. Two equine researchers were presented with the 2012 EQUUS Foundation Research Fellows for their work to advance veterinary knowledge during the...

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...

Lexington, KY - The United States Equestrian Federation will ring in the New Year with the seventh annual USEF Horsemastership Training Session presented by USHJA and Adequan. The Palm Beach International Equestrian Center in Wellington, FL will once again host the prestigious clinic January 2-6, 2013. The following 12 riders will participate in the five-day training session sponsored by Practical Horseman and Equestrian Sports Production: • Claudia Billups • Olivia Champ •...

The twenty third in a series of blog post from Michelle Binder I began this Western Dressage Blog specifically as a blog for NAWD to help raise public awareness about WD groups other than WDAA. I saw a need for publicity specific to that organization. I also saw a need for a forum that presented the reality that other organizations with different missions and goals regarding WD existed. USEF has not licensed Western Dressage as an independent discipline so at this time there is no officially...

The twenty first in a series of blog post from Michelle Binder As this blog has progressed, I have tried to bring awareness about Western Dressage to the equestrian community at large. Now I am going to encourage you to do some research on your own. By now you know that there are several organizations promoting the development of the sport. At this point the question we hear most often from people all over is: “What is the difference?” To some it seems that the differences that...