Gladstone, NJ - The rain just couldn’t help itself. After a dry day on Friday, the 2009 Collecting Gaits Farm/USEF Dressage Festival of Champions at the USET Foundation Headquarters – like much of the rest of the country, was again, drenched. The Grand Prix Freestyle, which was expected to be the highlight of the weekend – didn’t disappoint. But Adrienne Lyle surprised a few (including herself) by ending up on top of the leader board with Wizard. “Basically,...

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My Boy Bobby and Buck Davidson, Best for the US (Stockimageservices.com) By Joanie Morris Lexington, KY – The American riders had some catching up to do after the first day of dressage at the 2009 Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event. The European riders swept the top three places after Thursday and the US riders returned on Friday to find only a little bit of room at the top of the leaderboard. Germany’s Bettina Hoy wasn’t going to be bested in the main stadium at the Kentucky...

The dressage justice in the world continued last night. In a fiercely difficult freestyle, Ravel and Steffen delivered a World Cup Championship performance. It was one of those nights where the planets aligned. How lucky are we to have been a part of it? Ravel got better, and better, and better throughout the Freestyle and they brought down the house for the US. To the music of the Rolling Stones' Sympathy for the Devil, Ravel, who had an introduction to the world in Hong Kong last summer,...

Anyone who said they didn't cry is lying. In fact, photographer Ken Braddick told me that he didn't and I told him he had no heart. From the moment she set foot in the arena, the floodgates were open. Brentina has always moved people with her performances, but today, as she walked around the Thomas & Mack with Debbie McDonald aboard, everyone was astounded with her presence. Debbie had lost her composure by the time she got on the gallant mare. Everyone else was just a few seconds...

Katharine Brunjes and Theatric (Genie Stewart-Spears ) Lexington, KY – 160 km on horseback is no easy feat. But 142 riders from 34 nations will undertake the task when the FEI World Endurance Championships get underway in Terengganu, Malaysia November 6-9, 2008. The US has six horse/rider combinations in Malaysia under the guidance of three-time World Champion Becky Hart, who is serving as Chef d’Equipe. The team includes another multiple world champion: Valarie Kanavy. She is hot...

Corinne Ashton and Dobbin (Shannon Brinkman) Elkton, MD – The standings shuffled significantly both overall and in the USEF National Eventing CCI*** Championship at the Dansko Fair Hill International. Leslie Law (Great Britain) had been sitting in the top position after the dressage with Mystere du Val but run outs at fences 10 and 12 meant that he walked off the course at the half way point. Kim Severson, who had been the top-placed American after the dressage with Tipperary Liadhnan...

Gina Miles and McKinlaigh (Shannon Brinkman) Hong Kong, China – Gina Miles put in a personal best with McKinlaigh at her first Olympic Games to go into third place after the morning session of the first day of dressage. The Creston, CA rider and the giant Irish Sport Horse (owned by Thom Shulz and Laura Coats) had beautiful trot work, quality walk and canter and transitions. The pair received some nines, and would have scored even better but they made a couple of mistakes in their flying...

Lexington, KY - Five USEF National Champions will be crowned after two weekends of dressage competition in San Juan Capistrano, CA June 21-22 and June 27-29. Always an exciting competition Kassandra Barteau and Gabriella (PhelpsPhotos.com) amongst the nation’s best dressage riders, this year the National Grand Prix Dressage Championship is also the USEF Selection Trials for the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team in Dressage. The best horses and riders in each division are coming from across the...

Kent Farrington and Up Chiqui (Randi Muster) Wellington, FL – The only clear round in the second leg of the Rolex/USEF National Show Jumping Championship presented by Equine Motorcoach wasn’t enough to wrestle the title away from the consistently impressive combination of Kent Farrington and Up Chiqui. They were the fastest of the four faulters on Sunday, but their stellar performance in the first round on Friday compounded into the best score over the two days. Last year’s...