When the United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) announced its 2005 champions, the list included Hilltop Farm's elite Hanoverian stallion Contucci as the 2005 USEF Leading Sire Dressage Breeding. Contucci's accumulated points of 766 were more than double the #2 ranked sire, who accumulated 331 points. The title of USEF Leading Owner Dressage Breeding was also awarded to Hilltop Farm, likely due to many of Contucci's offspring successes. Since 2004, Contucci has been represented in the USEF...

Rick Silvia of Silvia Estate Dressage announced that two of the stallions in his newly formed Dream Street Stallion collection will compete in the Raleigh CDI. The stallions, Starlight and Lullaby, will be shown by Silvia's trainer, Olympian Lisa Wilcox, who recently relocated to Florida after more than a decade of training and competing in Europe. Twenty-two-year-old Silvia has been a well-known competitor/owner on the Southeast dressage scene for the past five years, as he made the humbling...

Margie Engle Takes Home the Syracuse Cup In the end, it was just one rail that kept Beezie Madden from her first Syracuse Cup win at the Syracuse Invitational Sporthorse Tournament in Syracuse, NY, November 3-7. In the Syracuse Cup’s unique three-phase competition, it was Margie Engle of Wellington, FL, riding Nobility and Animagus that claimed the title for 2004. Engle went faultless through all three phases. Second was Laura Kraut and Madden was third. Seven riders in all qualified to compete....

Sarah Hamilton from strategic communications consulting firm Kivvit gave a presentation on social media to kick off Friday’s Workshop Sessions. She reviewed the basics, different platforms, strengths and weaknesses of social media, and best practices. Hamilton concluded by fielding questions from the audience for a thoroughly informative session. Social media is a communication tool “Social media is just one tool in a larger communications and marketing external relations plan that...

Springfield, Ohio – The International Friesian Show Horse Association (IFSHA) is set to host the 2021 World and Grand National Championship Horse Show in Springfield, Ohio, from September 29 through October 3. Entries have brought the best of the Friesian breed to compete in more than 200 classes over the course of the show. Classes include a variety of disciplines, such as dressage, Western dressage, English pleasure, carriage pleasure driving, trail, in-hand, and more. Judges Ron...

Most competitors dread having to be the first rider to enter the arena in any class, let alone the first rider down the centerline on Day One of national championship competition First in the ring, Rachael Hicks & Fabio Bellini set the standard for the rest of the class and won the Intermediate I Adult Amateur Championship. Photo by Susan J. Stickle at the US Dressage Finals presented by Adequan®, a unique national head-to-head competition being for exhibitors of all levels held...

This year our World Show is going back to the West Coast for our eleventh Finals. In 2004 the inaugural show was held in the City of Industry. At the request and vote of the Membership the show has traveled many places including Lake St Louis, Missouri, and Del Mar, California. We are happy to be back on the West Coast and at such a beautiful facility in Burbank, California. IFSHA is the official Friesian Recognized Breed Affiliate for the Friesian Breed with the United States Equestrian...

Kelly Casey rode Golden State NRW win the Great American Insurance Group/USDF Region 7 First Level Freestyle Championship on the first day of the 2014 CDS Championship Show (Jennifer M. Keeler) "Every time I come out to the West Coast, I am amazed at the quality of dressage horses and riders out here," said FEI 4* judge Sarah Geikie of Connecticut on the first day of the 47th Annual California Dressage Society (CDS) Championship Show at the Los Angeles Equestrian Center in Burbank, Cal.,...

Christopher Hickey and Balissa HTF (Susan J. Stickle) Wellington, FL - Christopher Hickey of Colora, MD and Hilltop Farm's Balissa HTF took top honors once again at the Global Dressage Festival National 2 Horse Show on Thursday. Hickey and the Hanoverian mare received the highest score of 74.516% in the USEF First Level Test 3 - Open at the Stadium show grounds of the Global Dressage Festival (GDF). The reserve high score was awarded to Jennifer Griger of Wellington, FL on Delhia with 71....

Ilse Schwarz and Don Joseph (Susan J. Stickle) Wellington, FL - Transplanted Australian dressage rider Ilse Schwarz and Don Joseph, a six-year-old Oldenburg gelding, were the High Score Award winners on Tuesday, as they received a score of 72.591% in 1st Level Test 3 Open on the first day of the Global Dressage National 2 Horse Show at the at the Stadium show grounds of the Global Dressage Festival. (GDF). Schwarz, based in Wellington, and Don Joseph (Don Kennedy x Calmera x Santander) have...