The sixth in a series of guest blog posts from Michelle Binder When on a horse, I wear a riding helmet. My students wear riding helmets. I ride and show western and dressage. The helmet/hat quandary, style vs. safety, the tradition or common sense conversation is therefore a subject near and dear to my heart. On March 22, 2012, I went into the hay barn to get a bale of hay to feed lunch in the barn. To make a long story short, despite my usual care in tipping bales, as I turned to leave the...

The fifth in a series of guest blog posts from Michelle Binder Last week I poked a little fun at what western dressage riders are wearing for both schooling and show. This week I want to bring you the reality of the situation from manufacturers who give us the products that will ultimately be seen in rings around the country. Last week I showed you the proposed North American Western Dressage rules for WD show attire. Since the requirements state that riders must wear a long-sleeved shirt with...

The fourth in a series of guest blog posts from Michelle Binder Every day I head out to the barn to work. Like other trainers, I work outside in temperatures from 0 to 100 7 days a week, almost 365 days a year, from dawn till dark and sometimes longer. As a professional trainer and riding instructor I am called on to muck stalls, fix fence, buck hay, dump grain, rake footing, fill water buckets, sweep the aisle, clean tack, change bandages, medicate, lead beginners, longe riders, heft children...

Major equestrian competitions attended by U.S. athletes, both domestic and overseas, are listed in this weekly preview. Please look below to find competition listings by discipline* and breed. We hope you will follow the competitions that most interest you, but check Equestrian Weekly on Monday for a report of any top finishes by U.S. Equestrians. *lists of competitions in all international disciplines will include only FEI competitions or USEF Championships within the USA and international FEI...

Team USA's first training ride in Abu Dhabi. Photo courtesy Kelly Kimbler. Lexington, KY - The U.S. finished fourth among 19 teams Saturday in Abu Dhabi, UAE, at the FEI Junior and Young Rider World Endurance Championship despite an uphill battle that included an injured horse at the first inspection. "What an exhilarating team effort and realistically an unexpected result - but privately hoped for," said Chef d'Equipe Emmett Ross. Unexpected, in part, because Natalie Muzzio's horse...

Devon, PA – It’s a spring ritual. As pink and white blossoms dapple the trees across the Delaware Valley, preparations move into high speed for the annual International Dressage at Devon (DAD) Horse Show , a premier North American equestrian event, hosting top Olympic equestrians, more than 700 horses and 35,000 spectators annually. The show combines world-class dressage competition and the world’s largest open breed show outside of Europe with international Fall Festival...

Leipzig, Germany - The Rolex/FEI World Cup Final saw a shuffle throughout the standings after the conclusion of the second round this afternoon. With 44 World Cup points up for grabs and the chance to head into the final round on zero faults, clear rounds were at a premium. Forty horse/rider combinations jumped Frank Rothenberger’s impressive track, with seven riders representing six different nations returning for the jump-off. In Sunday’s final only the top 29 riders from the...

Leipzig, Germany - The EY Cup, held in conjunction with the Rolex/FEI World Cup Final, came to a close in Leipzig this morning with the final round of the CSI2*. The six Americans riders that have been contesting the competition all week looked to complete their time in Germany on a high note. With each competitor limited to riding one horse, there was all to play for over Frank Rothenberger’s 1.45m course. Twenty-nine combinations would start the first round with six returning to the...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: 12-19-2006 From the Florida Department of Agriculture Department Contacts: Liz Compton (850) 488- 3022 cell: (850) 251-5693 [email protected] Terry McElroy (850) 488-3022 cell: (850) 933-4562 [email protected] Florida Department Of Agriculture And Consumer Services Continues Investigation Into Horse Virus Outbreak TALLAHASSEE –Florida Agriculture and Consumer Services Commissioner Charles Bronson says the department’s Division of Animal Industry is...

Dear All, I have writers block and am not able to let my fingers dance upon the keyboard and compose a literary repartee of what has happened over the last few days. So, bing bong here you go in bullet and pictorial format: • Left Rio • Arrived in New Jersey • Gas (Petrol) tank on empty • In tray akin to Kangchenjunga but could have been K2 or, heaven forbid, The Big E. • In tray ignored • Spent weekend planting shrubs on 80 degree bank at back of house (could be...