Happy New Year everyone! I am glad to be here and since it is obvious that the Earth did not tip over on its axis turning our mountains into oceans and our oceans into mountains, I have to wonder what 2013 will bring to Western Dressage. Maybe the better question is “What will Western Dressage bring to the world?” Indeed it is an intriguing question when put this way. As our fledgling discipline begins to feather out, the directions in which western dressage may fly continue to...

Happy Holidays! Tis the season and all my best to everyone. This time of year we are especially grateful for all the perfections we find our lives are blessed with. Wishing all of you the very best of holiday seasons. Thank you for reading and supporting the development of western dressage. It was a very exciting time for representatives from North American Western Dressage to attend the USDF Annual Convention in New Orleans December 5-8. President Jen Johnson and Board member Jennifer Collman...

A little bit fast and a whole lot lucky give Farrington the win in a tough class where clean rounds proved very hard to come by Kent Farrington of the United States blazed a path to victory in the $50,000 Weston Canadian Open tonight, posting a clean round with Voyeur in an efficient time of 58.62 seconds. (BenRadvanyi.com) Toronto, ON – America’s Kent Farrington (Wellington, FL) topped the field of 18 in the $50,000 Weston Canadian Open Friday at the Royal Horse Show, producing one...

54th Annual Washington International Horse Show Hosts Opening Day with Professional and Amateur-Owner Hunters Washington, D.C. – The 54th Annual Washington International Horse Show (WIHS) hosted its opening day on Tuesday, October 23, with a full day of hunter competition at Verizon Center in downtown Washington, D.C. The professional and amateur-owner riders showed throughout the day in the first classes of their divisions and conclude their competition for championship honors on...

Hunter Chancellor is a 17-year-old junior at Mater Del High School from Evansville, Indiana. She is ranked third in her class and has a 3.99 GPA. Hunter is on the five-gaited section of the 2012 U.S. Saddle Seat World Cup Team. People always ask me at what age I started riding horses. I guess the true answer is, “since before I was born.” My mom showed American Saddlebreds long before I was around, and continued to ride in the early stages of her pregnancy. Not only did my mom show...

Tulsa, OK – Clearing the first major hurdle at the Adequan/USEF National Open Reining Championship, and after a year of qualifying for the chance to compete for the championship title, all riders cleared the jog today at the Ariat Tulsa Reining Classic in Tulsa, OK. Concurrent with the Open division held on Friday, August 31st, the Adequan/USEF National Reining Championship will feature the nation’s most elite horse and rider combinations all vying for the gold medal and the top of...

It is proving to be a big day for the U.S. at English competitions this morning and it’s only lunch time! At the 2012 Paralympic Games, the fourth U.S. rider, Donna Ponnessa, does not perform her 1a Team Test until 4:33pm, so another 4 hours of anxious anticipation! Her U.S. teammate’s got things off to a good start yesterday as Jonathan Wentz and Becca Hart gained massive scores for the U.S. to keep them in the team hunt. Jonathan scored 70.364% to finish fifth in the Grade 1b Team...

So I have been in London for about five hours or so and it is everything I was expecting and more. To rewind a bit I spent last Wednesday-Sunday at the 2012 USEF National Dressage Championships at the picturesque Lamplight Equestrian Center in Wayne, IL. After spending the better part of the last week watching the best up-and-coming Young and Developing Horses in the U.S. as well as juniors demonstrate fabulous equitation skill the future of the sport certainly seems very bright. A big hand and...

Caroline Zaunbrecher and Fire Van Battenbroek takes over individual lead. Zone 4, the US National Pony Jumper Team Champions (Ashley N. Williams/PMG) Lexington, KY - Thursday night the determined mounted their ponies to take on the indoor jump course at the Alltech Arena for the 2012 US Pony Finals at the beautiful Kentucky Horse Park. Riders from all over the nation participated in the US National Pony Jumper Team Championship and also competed at the individual level in phase II, a...

Dougie Hannum doesn’t stress. But when the red foam finger feeding frenzy kicked off today - he may have gotten slightly agitated. It didn’t last long. The SmartPak/USEF Foam Finger “Dressage is #1” Initiative has really taken off. These things are everywhere and everyone wants one. The British are so polite. They say please, they insist on paying, they ask if they can have their photo taken with Sarah Paull who is actually running around wearing a giant foam finger...