A couple weeks ago a friend and I attended a WSH Dressage Show halfway across the state to ride the NAWD tests. The weather was gorgeous, the drive uneventful, the horses well behaved. The show was at a beautiful facility, with a qualified judge I trust to evaluate our western dressage horses. My stallion was perfectly behaved even in the warm-up area with the little ponies and their tiny children. Sounds like a perfect horse show weekend huh? It was, but for one thing. I was confused! For the...

Calgary, Canada - The United States sent two teams into competition Thursday afternoon in the $100,000 Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup at the CSIO5* Spruce Meadows ‘Continental’ Tournament. Not only was the U.S. eyeing top finishes but qualification for the Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup™ Jumping Season Series Final as well as a chance to win the North American, Central America and Caribbean League of Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup Jumping Series were all on the line. In its inaugural season...

John Pearce and Chianto (Flying Horse Photography) Parker, CO - The Kathy and Brad Coors Family Grand Prix Arena was christened on the first week of the Colorado Horse Park's Summer in the Rockies in a ceremony during the $30,000 Kathy and Brad Coors Family Grand Prix. A field of 12 horse and rider combinations accepted the challenge of Hector Loyola's technical track, but it was Canadian John Pearce who expertly navigated the jump-off round, besting the rest with long-time partner...

Western horses jog. English horses trot. Dressage horses trot. Everyone knows that. What does that mean for the western dressage horse? The western jog was a gait that could be ridden for long distances over the range or on the trail that horses could sustain without exhaustion and which could be sat comfortably. The trot is a gait that covers more ground at a reasonable tempo. To deal with the dynamics of the gait and to unload the horses back, some riders learned to post. Western riders bred...

Woodside, CA – Matt Brown punctuated a memorable weekend at the Woodside Horse Trials by winning the Horse division of the Preliminary Challenge on Che Landscape (32.4) and finishing fourth on Happenstance (36.0), while Kiera Carter rode Corinthoz to first place (32.0) in the Rider division. Professional’s Choice and Equine Insurance of California were the Presenting Sponsors of the Woodside Preliminary Challenge. The Preliminary Challenge reached an exciting climax in the...

As with all new things, as they develop, there are certain glitches and bugs that inevitably crop up. NAWD reviewed its 2012 tests for 2013 and has corrected errors and last week the WDAA announced that there were errors in calculating the point totals on some of their tests. An important notice to competitors who have ridden USEF Morgan Tests at 2013 shows came out in the WDAA newsletter and emails to members. They “…discovered minor errors in preparing the WDAA Western Dressage...

Although some of you may think Western Dressage is new; when I discovered the Western Dressage Association of America was formed 2 years ago, my first thought was “there is actually a name for it?” For well over 30 years, I have taught riders the wisdom of dressage to Western riders. Through the years, I have been contacted to resolve issues with horses and riders working on games, pleasure and reining. I have always addressed the issues the same. Learn the basics, understand the...

Amy Lewis and Sir Steinerman (David Honor) Lexington, KY - The final Markel/USEF Young Horse Dressage Training Session of Spring 2013 wrapped up Sunday at Oak Hill Farm in Lockport, Illinois. The two-day training session featured 11 horses between the ages of four and six and was once again led by USEF Young Horse Coach Scott Hassler. “We had a terrific training session at Oak Hill Farm in Illinois. There was once again a nice balance of U.S.-bred and imported horses,” said Hassler....

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...

Lexington, KY – Land Rover and the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event are increasing their partnership as Land Rover becomes the presenting sponsor of the prestigious equestrian event. The company will continue to be title sponsor of the Land Rover Tailgate and presenting sponsor of the NBC telecast of the Rolex Equestrian Championships presented by Land Rover. In its new role as presenting sponsor of the event, it will honor the top U.S. rider who comes closest to the optimum time on the...