A five-part series to learn more about the exciting new discipline of Western Dressage Part 1: What is Western Dressage? When most equestrians think of "dressage", they envision the graceful harmony of beautiful horses with riders clad in top hats and tails, dancing together through musical freestyles in an Olympic stadium. But now, an increasing number of competitors entering dressage arenas will be wearing Western hats and boots with their horses outfitted in stock saddles. What's going...

Lexington, Ky. - Voting is now open for the coveted 2013 USEF Equestrian of the Year award. Following decades of tradition, the winner will again be announced when the horse world meets at the United States Equestrian Federation's annual Pegasus Awards gala. This year's gala will be held on Friday, January 10, 2014 at the Hyatt Regency Lexington in Lexington, Ky., and broadcast live on the USEFNetwork presented by Smartpak. Known as the USEF Equestrians of Honor, eight stars of...

Sinead Halpin and Manoir De Carneville (Jenni Autry) Unionville, PA - The sixth annual Plantation Field International Horse Trials weekend concluded Sunday with an exciting finish in the CIC3*, as Sinead Halpin and Manoir De Carneville smoked the course to finish double clear and 13 seconds inside the time. Halpin led wire to wire all weekend, and she won the event on a very impressive dressage score of just 37.8. While Halpin said Saturday she didn't intend to go for time Sunday and...

John Pearce and Chianto jump to a win in the $50,000 HITS Grand Prix, presented by Zoetis, making it two in a row for Pearce at HITS Saugerties this week (ESI Photography) Saugerties, NY – On the heels of a win in Friday’s $25,000 SmartPak Grand Prix with Son of a Gun, John Pearce of Bermuda Dunes, California jumped his way to another blue on Sunday in the $50,000 HITS Grand Prix, presented, by Zoetis, this time aboard Forest View Farm’s Chianto. Celebration, however, soon...

John Pearce and Son of Gun jumping their way to a win in the $25,000 SmartPak Grand Prix, presented by Zoetis (©ESI Photography) Saugerties, NY - With hopes of million-dollar success, John Pearce of Bermuda Dunes, California made his way east this week and piloted Forest View Farm’s Son of a Gun to the top of the $25,000 SmartPak Grand Prix, presented by Zoetis, at HITS Saugerties on Friday. Pearce is one of several West Coast riders who are in Saugerties preparing for next...

Lillie Keenan rode Levistano 2 to victory in the Sam Edelman Equitation Championship, presented by The Chronicle of the Horse, at the Hampton Classic. (Shawn McMillen photo) Bridgehampton, NY - Lillie Keenan won the two-round Sam Edelman Equitation Championship, presented by The Chronicle of the Horse, at the Hampton Classic, scoring 175.5 points. Charlotte Jacobs finished second (171), and McKayla Langmeier finished third (170). Keenan, 16, was disappointed in her first-round performance,...

Bridgehampton, NY - Lillie Keenan rode her Londinium to a narrow victory in the $20,000 Hampton Classic Time Challenge at the 38th Annual Hampton Classic Horse Show. Her time of 57.08 seconds barely eclipsed the time of Todd Minikus on Tuxedo, who stopped the clock in 57.51 seconds. Shane Sweetnam rode Cyklon 1083 to third place in 58.47 seconds. Keenan, 16, New York, N.Y., said she'd watched Minikus go on Tuxedo, and she knew that replicating his performance would be the key. Minikus went...

Jared Petersen and Titus 2:11 on their way to a win in the $40,000 HITS Grand Prix, presented by Zoetis, at HITS Culpeper (ESI Photography) Culpeper, VA - Twenty-one-year-old Jared Petersen of Archer, Florida and fellow Legacy Farm rider Jordan Coyne of New Port Richey, Florida went one-two in Sunday’s $40,000 HITS Grand Prix, presented by Zoetis, at HITS Culpeper, posting the only double clear rounds of the day. In a field that included grand prix veterans such as Laura Linback, Tracy...

Fifi Schmidt and Gotta Dance rode to the Performance 3'3"-3'6" Hunter Championship during the Fieldstone Summer Showcase I (Kendall Bierer/Phelps Media Group) Halifax, MA - Fifi Schmidt and Gotta Dance rode to the top of the Performance 3'3"-3'6" Hunter Championship today during the Fieldstone Summer Showcase I. Blue skies greeted riders at the Main Hunter Ring early this morning, welcoming the second day of competition at the Fieldstone Show Park. Lisa Foster and Castleguard returned...

Lexington, KY - The 2013 US National Pony Jumper Championship, held as part of the US Pony Finals, came to an exciting conclusion on Friday night with Individual titles up for grabs. Twenty-one competitors came back to jump a fourth round over Marc Donovan’s testing course. A single rail Individual Medalists (Shawn McMillen Photography) separated the top 11 riders heading into Friday’s final round and a fourth round would not be enough as competitors would need to jump off for all...