The eventers landed without incident, bringing two mares and three geldings in hopes of defending the Gold Medal the U.S. won in 2007. They handled the trip and the transfer to Club Hippica easily. Club Hippica is currently hosting Modern Pentathalon so there is a temporary pool in the covered arena. That ends today and then it’s all eventing out there. The U.S. horses are a variety of shapes, sizes and colors. Little Absolute Liberty is a nippy little bay mare by Aberjack that Buck...

Things are getting busy now. We went to the village at 730 this morning to try to buy some tickets and drop some stuff off for the eventers. The latter was successful but the ticket office doesn't open until 11 according to the lady in the Starbucks. Speaking of Starbucks, being that it is Saturday, the one at the hotel doesn't open until 8.00 so we actually had two successful missions at the village. We then checked in at the grooms hotel and we had to do a little maneuvering as there...

Elkton, MD - Clear jumping and quick trips across the country were the name of the game Saturday at the 2011 Dansko Fair Hill International. The rain that plagued the first two days of competition was nowhere in sight as the sun shone over Derek di Grazia’s tracks. Heavy going resulted in time faults for many of the competitors and a shake-up on the leaderboard in both divisions. Jan Bynny and Kylie Lyman produced two of the quickest rounds of the day in the CCI3* and CCI2* to lead their...

Katie Dinan and Belle Dame D. Photo: Phelps Media Group. Harrisburg, PA - It was an exciting night of jumper action at the Pennsylvania National Horse Show tonight, as the $15,000 USEF Prix de States Team Championship and Individual Championship Phase II took place in Harrisburg, PA. The team from USEF Zone 2 swept the top spot for the second year in a row with excellent rides by Meg O'Mara of Rumson, NJ, Katie Dinan of New York, NY, Charlotte Jacobs of Buffalo, NY, and last night's...

What? The Pan American Games features 42 nations participating in 36 events. Equestrian sport is represented by 14 athletes who make up 627 athletes to represent the United States. Where? This year's event is taking place in Guadalajara, Mexico, and is set to be the largest sporting event of 2011. When? Equestrian competition runs from October 16-29, 2011. Please visit: https://www.guadalajara2011.org.mx/eng/01_inicio/index.asp for more information about the Games. Want to Watch? The United...

The first half of this day involved my computer, two cappuccinos and the hotel office. "Just be sure we kick some ass." Unfortunately Jon Holling's Eventing horse Downtown Harrison was withdrawn for veterinary reasons in Ocala this morning. But those were his words when I texted him my condolences. He's a friend and a class act, so we're all sad for him. Luckily we have Lynn Symansky to step into his shoes. She's a star. Interestingly she will be making her second Pan Am...

The 11-year-old Westphalian gelding was produced through the USEF Young Horse and Developing Horse Program by Jason Canton. He was the 2007 6-year-old Champion at the Markel/USEF National Young Horse Championships and was then third in 2009 at the Developing Horse Championships. Now ridden by Cesar Parra, who until 2010 represented his native Colombia, is making his first U.S. Team appearance. Jenny Mandracia has worked for Cesar since 2002 but she is also making her first U.S. Team appearance....

It’s not Fair Hill if there’s no rain . Well, we are defiantly at Fair Hill. It could have been far worse but rain is still rain. The morning was grey but just threatened rained. Most of us lucked out as they majority of spectators, riders and connections were tucked under tents out of the elements when the rain started at the lunch break. However, there were a few competitors using the down time in the main ring to school in the warm-up. Needless to say they got wet! I was planning...

It takes a lot of people to keep our U.S. show on the road, so the first Barn Notes will be fairly basic introductions of the Dressage staff: Barn Manager Dougie Hannum first travelled with the U.S. Team in 1966 as a show jumping groom and he hasn't missed much over the last four decades. The first team horse he looked after was called Ilan, he belonged to James Paxton but Frank Chapot rode him on the team and Dougie was part of the deal. He was around when a jumping horse named Sloopy had...

Paragon He’s only eight years old but he’s the talk of the dressage world. Yesterday people came to watch him school because they had seen him on YouTube and they wanted to see him in person. Luckily for the U.S. he’s on our team at the 2011 Pan American Games, after claiming reserve championship honors at the 2011 Collecting Gaits Farm/USEF Dressage Festival of Champions. Owned and ridden by Heather Blitz, the lanky 18- plus-hand chestnut gelding has jaw-dropping movement in...