Shelly Francis and Danilo (SusanJStickle.com) Wellington, FL - Shelly Francis (USA) and Danilo clinched another FEI Prix St Georges victory on Friday afternoon with a score of 72.579% in the class presented by Peacock Ridge. Francis and Danilo were the only pair to break 70% in the class of nearly twenty competitors. Judges for the class were: Cesar Torrente at E, Stephen Clarke at H, Anne Gribbons at C, Lilo Fore at M, and Raphael Saleh at B. Brittany Fraser (CAN) and All In secured a second...

South Carolina proved to be the best in the SEC when they won the first ever SEC Equestrian Championship over the weekend. Now they're No.1 in the NCEA Coaches poll rankings as well (Cory Burkarth) Lexington, KY – South Carolina has made a historic leap to return to No.1 in the NCEA coaches poll. With wins over the top two ranked teams in the country, the Gamecocks won the inaugural SEC Equestrian Championship over the weekend, and voters noticed. Previously ranked No.6, the Gamecocks...

I have been promising to update readers on current trends in the Western Dressage world. One way of keeping track of what WD is doing, where it is going and who is doing it is to track events. NAWD, CD and WDAA all maintain calendars of clinics and shows around the country. By analyzing those calendars we have a simple method of tracking what is happening. The information is limited by the fact that show and clinic organizers must report their event to the organization for inclusion on these...

Nepal and Jay Land sail over the Nutrena oxer on their way to the Winner's Circle in the $35,000 Nutrena Grand Prix (Classic Company) Gulfport, MS - Jay Land and his own Nepal galloped away with the win in the $35,000 Nutrena Grand Prix Sunday under perfectly clear skies and seventy degree weather at the Harrison County Fairgrounds and Equestrian Center. Twenty horses took to the course designed by Michel Vailancort but only six returned for the jump-off. Devin Ryan of Long Valley, New Jersey...

Tinne Vilhelmson-Silfven and Don Auriello (SusanJStickle.com) Wellington, FL - The Florida Dressage Classic CDI-W, presented by the USPRE Association, started Thursday at the Adequan Global Dressage Festival (AGDF). Competition at the Florida Dressage Classic CDI-W runs through February 17. With 18 entries in the $6,000 FEI Grand Prix, victory went to Tinne Vilhelmson-Silfven (SWE) and Don Auriello, owned by Lövsta Stuteri and Antonia Ax:son Johnson. Thursday's competition marked the...

There wasn’t a whole lot of NCEA team competition last week (many teams took the week off while they were represented at the WEF Collegiate Equitation Challenge ), but some top teams are back in action this weekend. Check below for my take on each of the NCEA Matchups that'll be happening in the coming days. No.2 Auburn University vs. No.4 South Carolina University South Carolina heads to Auburn to try and rein in a reeling season. Working with three straight losses, and coming off...

Georgia freshman Leylan Gleeson earned Equitation over Fences MOP Honors during the Bulldogs win over South Carolina. That win helped propel Georgia to the No.1 Ranking (Lauren Shamon) The first NCEA Coaches Poll of the spring season was released Wednesday and, as predicated , there was quite a shake up at the top. The Georgia Bulldogs have jumped Auburn University to reclaim the No.1 Ranking, and Oklahoma State has broken the SEC’s stronghold on the top three spots. The Cowgirls...

The Western Dressage world is abuzz with dressage talk. The hot topic of the moment seems to be progressive training, especially as it has to do with pyramids and scales. Pyramids are extremely stable structures that rely on strong, broad foundations and which rise to a point, a pinnacle if you will that represents a point of focus. Without the foundation, the pyramid loses strength. The intrinsic nature of the structure itself necessitates culmination in a point. The pyramid is the perfect...

Today’s post comes from Sin City, Las Vegas Nevada. Since I am here in the region of Southwest Western Dressage, I decided to write the blog as an interview with someone from the Las Vegas equestrian community who was doing Western Dressage. So I opened up the phone book to call a local barn. Every barn number but one was disconnected or no longer in service. The one that was working was a casino! So I called a feed store, thinking that at the feed store would be someone who knew someone...

Wellington, FL -On Saturday night, the participants, parents and supporters of the USEF Horsemastership Training Session gathered with the USET Foundation and Karen Lloyd, who graciously hosted a dinner at her lovely Palm Beach Polo home in Wellington, FL. This year's riders participated in a five-day clinic at the Palm Beach International Equestrian center with former U.S. Chef d'Equipe USEF. The 12 riders selected for the clinic included Gabrielle Bausano, Olivia Champ, Meg...