Western horses jog. English horses trot. Dressage horses trot. Everyone knows that. What does that mean for the western dressage horse? The western jog was a gait that could be ridden for long distances over the range or on the trail that horses could sustain without exhaustion and which could be sat comfortably. The trot is a gait that covers more ground at a reasonable tempo. To deal with the dynamics of the gait and to unload the horses back, some riders learned to post. Western riders bred...

Ocala, FL – With two $1 million grand prix scheduled for 2013, HITS, Inc. upped the ante for 2014 by announcing the addition of a third ground-breaking class. The Ocala $1 Million Grand Prix, to be held next March and will join the Zoetis $1 Million Grand Prix in Saugerties, New York and the AIG Thermal $1 Million Grand Prix in Thermal, California next year to form the Triple Crown Challenge of Show Jumping. The Ocala $1 Million Grand Prix will take place at the conclusion of the now...

The U.S. Saddle Seat Young Rider Team (Laura Elcock) Fulton, MO - The U.S. Saddle Seat Young Rider Team swept the competition at the U.S. Saddle Seat Invitational over the weekend against international teams from South Africa and Canada. The three teams met for the competition at William Woods University, and the U.S. young riders were excellent during the two days of Three- and Five-gaited competition. After the first day of competition, the U.S. team led South Africa and Canada in...

Ocala, FL - Following an exciting marathon day at the Live Oak International, Lisa Singer has grabbed the lead in the 2013 USEF National Pairs Championship with a score of 133.07. Drivers had near perfect weather as they contested the second phase of competition held on the picturesque Live Oak Plantation. Lisa Singer (Picsofyou.com) 0 Singer (Chadds Ford, PA) drove consistently over the championship level course which hosted seven intricate obstacles. Using the experienced gained representing...

No.8 Kansas State University def. Oklahoma State University The Wildcats were looking to prove that they were back on top of their game. It appears as though they are. A huge question mark just a few weeks ago, Kansas State now looks like a team to watch heading into the big 12 championship and NCEA National Championship. Their 11-8 decision Saturday was vengeance for an early season loss to the Cowgirls, and a confidence booster. It was an even match, but K-State Hunter and Western teams got...

The thirteenth in a series of guest blog posts from Michelle Binder With growth comes ‘growing pains.’ The situation surrounding Western Dressage becomes more complicated with each passing day. More and more shows are offering WD classes with tests from several sources. YouTube watchers see a huge variation in the WD videos presented there. At least three different rulebooks now grace cyberspace and you can read articles and letters to the editor in national and local magazines. The...

Scott Stewart and Dedication took top honors during the Classic Hunter Round of the $100,000 USHJA International Hunter Derby Finals at the Bluegrass Festival Horse Show. (Kendall Bierer/PMG) Lexington, KY - The crème de la crème of the hunter world gathered at the Rolex Stadium for the first day of the long awaited 2012 $100,000 USHJA International Hunter Derby Finals. All the attention turned toward the classic hunt course that decorated the Rolex Stadium at the Bluegrass...

Lexington, KY - More than 500 of the very best ponies in the U.S. are in Lexington, Kentucky right now to compete at the 2012 US Pony Finals. Starting Tuesday they will be ridden into competition at the Kentucky Horse Park by youth riders from around the country. Over the next six days riders will take aim at the US Hunter Pony Championships presented by Sallee Horse Vans in Small, Medium, and Large Regular Hunter and Green Hunter sections and at an overall Regular and Green Hunter championship....

I knew, when accepting this job in December, 2011 that I was under-qualified. My writing credentials are fine enough, I have editing experience, a media background, and a good education. My deficiency was that I knew very little about horses and even less about equestrian sports. Compared to my USEF colleagues, I was in a state of almost complete ignorance. I’ve twice been on group trail rides in western Colorado. Adding that to the rest of my riding experience I’d been on a horse...

Sabine Schut-Kery rode "Sanceo" to another victory in the Markel/USEF Western Dressage Selection Trial at the Dressage at Flintridge CDI*/Y/J (Jennifer M. Keeler) Burbank, CA - The final rounds of the Markel/USEF Young Horse Dressage Western Selection Trial held at Dressage at Flintridge CDI*/Y/J in La Cañada-Flintridge, CA treated spectators and officials alike to beautiful tests showcasing spectacular talent. In the six-year-old division, defending Selection Trial champion "Sanceo"...