Sinead Halpin and Manoir De Carneville (Jenni Autry) Unionville, PA - All three CIC divisions saw exciting conclusions to dressage on the first full day of competition at Plantation Field Horse Trials. In the CIC3*, Sinead Halpin and Manoir De Carneville set an incredibly high benchmark toward the end of the division, scoring 37.8 to hold a commanding lead. Halpin and Manoir De Carneville were meant to compete in Europe this fall, but a freak injury in July at Chattahoochee Hills kept Halpin...

Adult amateur riders like California's Whitney Harrington will be looking to qualify for the US Dressage Finals presented by Adequan during one of this weekend's Great American/USDF Regional Championship competitions. (Jennifer M. Keeler) Lexington, KY - From New York to California, excitement is sweeping the nation as the first round of Great American/USDF Regional Championship dressage competitions gets underway this weekend in five regions across the country. But this year it's not just...

Kent Farrington and Willow (Rebecca Walton) North Salem, NY - Kent Farrington was on fire Saturday, topping the $50,000 Hermès Classic with his talented mount Willow by besting a nine-horse jump-off with a double clear effort in 37.91 seconds. Forty-one of the country's top equestrian athletes turned out for the event at the 2013 American Gold Cup CSI4*-W, held at Old Salem Farm, but it was Farrington who had all the answers to beat Ireland's Darragh Kenny with Prof De La Roque...

Laura Chapot on Castelllano (Devon Walder) Devon, PA - Out of eleven riders, only five made it to the jump off. Four-- if you don't count Laura Chapot twice. After the first few rounds with both jump and time faults, it looked like the course was proving a little too tough for the riders and horses, especially in the heat. Then Laura Chapot took the ring and swept the first round clean. Chapot is notoriously a skilled equestrian, and she did not disappoint, securing a solid 33 seconds in...

Welcome to the fifth nstallment of a different kind of blog from WDAA! The purpose of this post is to allow the reader "into the heads" of both a trainer/judge/competitor, Karen Abbattista and her student, Deborah Herbert, a Florida WDAA member. We would like to share with you some moments in Deb's journey as she pursues her riding goals with her AQHA mare "GenuineArcticSpring", barn name "Belle". Please enjoy as you follow along with these posts that we consider interesting or challenging...

Jennifer Alfano and Jersey Boy took led the Working Hunter division sweeping the over fences for the opening day of the 67th Buffalo International Horse Show ( Kendall Bierer/Phelps Media Group) Buffalo, NY - The first day of the sold out 67th Buffalo International Horse Show (BIHS) opened to top-tier hunter competition as the Indoor Arena at the Buffalo Equestrian Center was alive with action. The premier fundraiser for the Buffalo Therapeutic Riding Center (BTRC) offered an array of hunter...

Clark Montgomery and Loughan Glen at the First Horse Inspection (USEF) Lexington, KY – Seven horse-and-rider combinations will be representing the U.S. at the Fidelity Blenheim Palace International Horse Trials, September 12-15. Set at Blenheim Palace in Woodstock, England, the field is packed with some of the best riders in the eventing world. Eighty-four combinations will tackle the CCI3* while 67 are competing in the CIC3* for eight-and nine-year-old horses. All U.S. horses passed the...

Jimmy Torano and La Bonita putting on a show in the final round of the Diamond Mills $500,000 Hunter Prix Final (©ESI Photography) Saugerties, NY – Jimmy Torano of SW Ranches, Florida admits that he and Kathryn Haefner, who owns La Bonita, gambled on the Diamond Mills $500,000 Hunter Prix Final, entering the five-year-old German-bred Warmblood mare in the highest stakes hunter class in the world. Lady Luck, however, was on their side at HITS Saugerties this week. Or, perhaps, La Bonita is...

Pieter Devos celebrates his double clear performance on Candy (Spruce Meadows Media Services) Calgary, Alberta - The highlight event of the season wrapped up the Spruce Meadows 'Masters' with some of the best show jumping competition in the world. Pieter Devos of Belgium rode Candy to victory in the $1 Million CN International, part of the Rolex Grand Slam of Show Jumping, over Olympic gold medalist Steve Guerdat (SUI) on Nasa and France's Penelope Leprevost with Nayana. The opening...

Conor Swail raises his trophy with George Lidgett, Chief Operating Officer, Americas, ATCO Structures & Logistics (Spruce Meadows Media Services) Calgary, Alberta - In a great display of horsemanship, Ireland's Conor Swail guided both of his horses to the top of the leaderboard in the $50,000 ATCO Structures & Logistics Cup 1.50m. There were 41 entries in the class, and 14 in the jump-off. Swail went fifth in the order on Lansdowne in the jump-off and with a daring approach to the...