Bob Langrish (Steffen Peters aboard Floriano finished in fourth place in the grand prix special during Friday's dressage competition in Aachen.) (Aachen, Germany)—To say it was tough competition today in the dressage grand prix special at the 2006 World Equestrian Games (WEG) would be a gross understatement. But two Americans made it look like a walk in the park. American’s Guenter Seidel and Steffen Peters, who are now both poised to enter a showdown among the top 15 dressage...

Heidi White leads the Americans in the dressage phase of eventing at the 2006 WEG in Aachen, Germany. (Bob Langrish) (Aachen, Germany)—A brand new cross-country course awaits the eventers as they begin their first of three phases at the 2006 WEG. But before they can take to the new course (which will be contested in the short format without steeplechase), there are two days of dressage. And if the morning of the first day is any indication, it will be a cold and wet ride. In addition, it...

The U.S. dressage team won a Team Bronze medal. (Bob Langrish) Aachen, Germany – Day two of grand prix didn’t give any of the remaining 43 riders much of an advantage when it came to weather, but it did not seem to affect the Americans, the Dutch, the Germans or the Danes. The crowd of 32,000 definitely got their money’s worth today witnessing the best piaffes, passages, pirouettes and transitions in the world. Because of the caliber of today’s riders, the photographers...

Lexington, KY – In a conference call held today in cooperation with the United States Olympic Committee (USOC), five members of the U.S. 2006 FEI World Equestrian Games (WEG) team answered a wide range of general media questions. On the phone from Germany were dressage team members Guenter Seidel from Cardiff, CA, and Debbie McDonald from Hailey, ID; vaulting team members Elizabeth Ioannou from Saratoga, CA, and Blake Dahlgren from Sun Valley, CA; and on the phone from Florida was show jumper...

Lexington, KY - Marion Maybank has been promoted to the position of Director of Hunter and Collegiate Activities for the United States Equestrian Federation®. She assumes the position vacated by Andrea Ice, who had been with USEF since 1993 and is moving overseas. Maybank’s duties will include oversight of the Hunter Department, under the supervision of Karen Homer-Brown, Managing Director, National Affiliates. In addition, Maybank will continue her efforts in developing and implementing...

The finals for the Long Island Horse Show Series for Riders with Disabilities (LIHSSRD) will be held on Monday, August 28, of the Hampton Classic Horse Show. The LIHSSRD finals mark the first time in the horse show’s three-decade history that competition will be held on Monday. Admission will be free on this day when all of the shops in the Hampton Classic’s popular Boutique Garden and Stable Row will be open for business. The show series, created by HorseAbility, was founded to provide riders...

The United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) announced that Valerie Kanavy of Fort Valley, VA, will serve as the chef d'equipe for its 2006 World Equestrian Games Endurance Team in Aachen, Germany, this summer. Considered one of the finest endurance riders in the world, she is a two-time endurance world champion (1994 and 1998); Individual Silver medalist and Team Gold medalist at the 1996 Endurance World Championships; 2003 FEI Masters World Champion; 1999 American Horse Shows Association...

Jan Gyllensten (Arlene ‘Tuny’ Page and Wild One.) The 18 horses and riders participating in the FEI Dressage World Cup Final in Amsterdam, The Netherlands (April 20-23), had a “day off” today (Friday), following Thursday’s Grand Prix and prior to Saturday’s FEI Dressage World Cup Final Grand Prix Freestyle to music, which will decide the winner. Riders were allowed to use the Europahal of the Amsterdam RAI this morning for 90 minutes, with each rider scheduled for a solo...

Angela Moore and Land Baron 4 won Palm Beach Toyota’s $25,000 Grand Prix at Littlewood on April 9, 2006. Moore was the last to go in the jump-off, and she and Land Baron 4 were the fastest at 37.675 seconds with a double clear. Frankie Chesler-Ortiz and Ranville came in second with a time of 43.288 seconds and no faults. Bert Mutch and All Star were fast in the jump-off with 38.326 seconds, but downed a rail and ended in third. Pablo Gamboa with Findus had one rail and finished fourth. The...

Robyn Fisher, 26, of Topanga, CA, was the wire-to-wire winner of the FEI World Cup Qualifier (CIC***-W) at Galway Downs, CA, on April 2, on her 11-year-old Holsteiner Thoroughbred gelding, Le Samurai, with a score of 75.6. Fisher finished each of the three days as the top rider in dressage, cross-country and jumping. She also won the CIC** on Lady Calido, a 10-year-old Holsteiner, and received prize money totaling more than $6,000 for winning both classes. "I had a great day," said Fisher, who...