Mario Desluariers and Urico (Randi Muster/Mustphoto.com ) Dressage The prestigious Palm Beach Dressage Derby got underway on Thursday, March 4th with some of the nation’s top riders competing in Loxahatchee, FL. Tina Konyot and her Danish Warmblood Calecto V triumphed over the field of elite horse and rider combinations in both the Grand Prix and Grand Prix Special. In the Grand Prix Freestyle Mikala Gundersen and Leonberg put in a winning performance with a score of 72.250%; Canadian...

Photo Courtesy FEI (Mara Dean and Nicki Henley) Mara Dean has become the first rider to post a winning score on the HSBC FEI World Cup™ Eventing leaderboard, following an emotional pillar-to-post victory in the Florida sunshine at the Red Hills International CIC***-W in Tallahassee, FL. Riding her veteran 15-year-old Irish-bred Nicky Henley, who was coming back into competition after sustaining a tendon injury at the 2007 Pan American Games, Virginia-based Dean held off the always serious...

A total of 15 riders from 10 nations will compete at the 25th anniversary final of the FEI World Cup™ Dressage series at 's-Hertogenbosch, The Netherlands, later this month. The 2008/2009 series champion, Steffen Peters of the U.S., will not be defending his title, but two spots still remain open for riders from the North American league which has just one last qualifier remaining. The Western European League line-up is already decided following last weekend's final qualifying leg in...

Bridle Creek Equestrian Development and Phillip and Evie Dutton are pleased to announce the third annual Olympic Gala in Aiken, SC, Tuesday, March 9, 2010, at 7:30 p.m. Supported most generously by Bruce Duchossois and Jack Wetzel, the Olympic Gala gives the Aiken community a chance to come together in support of the U.S. Eventing High Performance Programs as a portion of the proceeds will go to the United States Equestrian Team (USET) Foundation. "Partnering with Bridle Creek Equestrian...

Photo Courtesy Louise Burton (Am I Blue +/ and Louise Burton) The Arabian Horse Association (AHA) announced Am I Blue+/ (Red Wings Royalty x Petrovna), owned by Louise and Bruce Burton of Okmulgee, OK, as the 2009 Distance Horse of the Year. The notable award recognizes an Arabian or Half-Arabian with significant accomplishments in distance riding sports. Am I Blue, known as “Ducky,” topped off an excellent year with a championship at the AHA National Championship 100-Mile Endurance Ride in the...

Dressage: Dressage riders on the West Coast battled it out this weekend at the Mid-Winter CDI3* held at the Los Angeles Equestrian Center. Jan Ebeling and Rafalca were impressive in both the Grand Prix and Grand Prix Freestyle, easily taking home top honors. The pair was the only one to top 70% with a freestyle score of 71.800%. Canadian Sharon Merkel-Beattie and Essence of Glory were first in the Grand Prix Special with a score of 64.042; Adrienne Lyle and Wizard were second. Complete results...

The United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) has selected the following six competitions to require heel measurements be taken from the first place and fourth place ponies in Roadster Pony and Hackney Roadster Pony Championship classes, pursuant to USEF rules HK116.3 and RD112.2. The 2010 competitions include: • Asheville Lions Charity – Fletcher, NC (May 19-22) • Syracuse International – Syracuse, NY (June 16-19) • Lexington Junior League – Lexington, KY (July 5-10) • Kentucky State Fair –...

Photo by Don Stine (One More Round++// with Alexis Doughty riding, shown with trainer Ben Flynn and Bill Doughty.) One More Round++// (Al Jassur Laddin x Winifred), owned by Bill and Alexis Doughty of Cape Charles, VA, was named the 2009 Arabian Horse Association (AHA) High Point Horse of the Year. The 2004 bay gelding earned 467 points in 2009 by competing in over 200 classes at 20 shows. The rigorous show schedule, which was carefully balanced with rest time, began in January and ended in...

The Royal Dutch Warmblood Studbook of North America (KWPN-NA) is pleased to announce the exciting line-up of speakers at its 22nd Annual Meeting to be held in Wellington, FL, March 11-13, 2010. The three-day event includes a myriad of rare educational opportunities from some of the top experts in the industry. Attendees will have the chance to complete a grand prix course walk with Olympic Gold medalist Laura Kraut and a dressage lesson with Michael Barisone. Panel discussions with equine...

Photo Courtesy Iron Spring Farm (UB40) Two of Iron Spring Farm's flagship stallions, Meinse 439 and UB40, began the 2010 show season with big wins. Meinse 439 claimed the Second Level Reserve Championship and High Score Non-Warmblood at Ocala Winter Dressage. The six-year-old KFPS stallion followed that up with wins in both of his Second Level classes at American Dressage Concours with scores to 70.714%. UB40 also impressed. The nine-year-old KWPN stallion won all of his classes, receiving...