Leslie Howard and Lennox Lewis 2 Win $15,000 Equine Insurance Speed Stake Presented by Great American Insurance Group Candice King and Kismet 50 (Tammy Hardy Photography) Hampton Falls, NH – More than 5,000 spectators came to watch the final day of The Jumper Classic®, presented by Fidelity Investments® and Audi of America. Held at the Silver Oak Equestrian Center, The Jumper Classic had their two final highlight classes of the week. In the $75,000 Fidelity Investments Grand Prix,...

Rich Fellers and Flexible (Shannon Brinkman) Greenwich, UK - Rich Fellers and Flexible put in a valiant effort in the Individual Show Jumping Final at the Olympic Games and came up with a top 10 finish on just five faults. Swiss rider Steve Guerdat put forward an immaculate effort to take Gold on Nino des Buissonnets while Gerco Schröder's clear jump-off round meant he takes Individual Silver home to Holland with the appropriately named London. Irishman Cian O'Connor would have...

Leigh Cofer and Breaking News made headlines with their NAL/WIHS Adult Hunter Classic victory at the Kentucky Summer Classic. (Ashley N. Williams/PMG) Lexington, KY - August 5, 2012 -It was the championship day for the Adult Amateur Divisions at the Kentucky Summer Classic. Riders and their top mounts approached the Stonelea Arena at the Kentucky Horse Park for the final day of the show, examining the courses as they prepared. The Adult Amateurs did not disappoint as they vied for the top...

Shawn Casady continues to hold the second place position behind Louise Serio for the $15,000 Hallway Feeds Leading Rider Bonus. (Ashley N. Williams/PMG) Lexington, KY - It was a nail-biter on Sunday evening as Louise Serio and Shawn Casady vied for the top spot in the $5,000 Hallway Feeds National Hunter Derby. It is professional rider Louise Serio who continues to hold the lead after the third part of the 2012 $45,000 Hallway Feeds USHJA National Hunter Derby came to a conclusion on Sunday,...

The seventh in a series of guest blog posts from Michelle Binder Before we learn to read we must learn the ABC’s. William Cavendish, Duke of Newcastle (1593-1676) suggested an analogy between the education of a child and horse trainers who made unrealistic demands on young horses. Centuries ago he asked, ‘I would fain ask such stupid people, whether, by beating a boy, they could teach him to read, without first showing him his alphabet?’1 Systematic progressive training is not...

Greenwich, UK - The Olympic Eventing dressage concluded today and the U.S. put in two strong performances to settle into seventh place after the first phase. The Germans have a commanding lead on a combined score of 119.10, just clear of Australia on 122.10. The home team sits third on 127. The next five teams are separated by less than 11 points, meaning that Monday’s cross country is destined to be influential. There is an unlikely leader at the top of the leaderboard as Yoshiaki Oiwa...

As the United States looks forward to the 2012 Paralympics for the United States Para-Equestrian Dressage Team, the Para-Equestrian Driving Team will be preparing for the 2012 Para-Equestrian World Driving Championships, scheduled August 30-September 2, 2012 in Breda, The Netherlands. The 2012 USEF Para-Equestrian Driving Team for the World Driving Championships include Diane Kastama, Grade 1, from Arroyo Grande, CA; Pam Johnson, Grade 2 from Pleasant Hill, MO; and Karen Gorham, Grade 2, of...

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...

Kristen Smith, the winner of the 2012 USEF Saddle Seat Adult Amateur Medal Final, riding Who Needs Mama (Howard Schatzberg) Lexington, KY - Kristen Smith of Smithfield, KY rode Stephens College's Who Needs Mama through heavy downpours to the championship win in the United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) Saddle Seat Adult Amateur Medal Final, under the tutelage of Zubrod Stables. The Final took place Friday the 13th as part of the Lexington Junior League Charity Horse Show at the...

The fifth in a series of guest blog posts from Michelle Binder Last week I poked a little fun at what western dressage riders are wearing for both schooling and show. This week I want to bring you the reality of the situation from manufacturers who give us the products that will ultimately be seen in rings around the country. Last week I showed you the proposed North American Western Dressage rules for WD show attire. Since the requirements state that riders must wear a long-sleeved shirt with...