Lexington, KY – Starting Friday at 5pm ET three- and five-gaited saddle seat equitation teams from the U.S. and the Republic of South Africa will go head to head in the second of two U.S. Saddle Seat Invitationals of 2013. This event is being held at Cascade Stables in New Orleans, LA's historic Audubon Park and will feature three- and five-gaited competitors riding unfamiliar horses in rail work and pattern phases. It will be the second ever competition for the newly formed U.S....

A couple weeks ago a friend and I attended a WSH Dressage Show halfway across the state to ride the NAWD tests. The weather was gorgeous, the drive uneventful, the horses well behaved. The show was at a beautiful facility, with a qualified judge I trust to evaluate our western dressage horses. My stallion was perfectly behaved even in the warm-up area with the little ponies and their tiny children. Sounds like a perfect horse show weekend huh? It was, but for one thing. I was confused! For the...

Lexington, KY - The United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) has named the following four horse-and-rider combinations to the U.S. Dressage Team for the Aachen CDIO5* held during CHIO Aachen in Germany, June 26-30, 2013. Additionally, one Large Tour and two Small Tour combinations have been named to represent the U.S. in CDI4* competition. In 2013, the United States will also be represented for the first time in CDI-U25 competition. The following four combinations have been named to the U.S....

Laura Kraut & Jubilee d'Ouilly clearing the water during the GCT Grand Prix of Madrid (Stefano Grasso/Longines Global Champions Tour) Madrid, Spain - The Global Champions Tour 2013 season started up in Madrid on Friday and right away Laura Kraut was making an impact. With Wotsamillion, Kraut sped to victory in the Trofeo Grupo Arturo 1.45m opening speed class. At 74.70s, their clear jumping round was more than four seconds faster than the next closest clear, delivered by Great...

Columbia, S.C - The National Collegiate Equestrian Association (NCEA) and The Chronicle of the Horse have announced this year’s top horses in collegiate equestrian. The top ten horses were selected from each of the four events that the NCEA competes in – Reining, Horsemanship, Equitation on the Flat, and Equitation Over Fences. Note – The horses below were not ranked 1-10. They are simply the top-10 horses in each of the four events. Equitation on the Flat Horse School...

Originally published at www.useventing.com Jessica Phoenix (CAN) and Patras VR are the overnight leaders in the Adequan USEA Gold Cup & PRO Tour Series CIC3* at The Fork (Leslie Threlkeld/USEA Photo) Announcer Brian O'Connor called it "difficult conditions." What started as a windy and slightly damp morning worsened as the day progressed, and by the time the Adequan USEA Gold Cup and PRO Tour Series CIC3* division got under way this afternoon, a cold rain blew sideways. Nevertheless,...

Last week I gave you some wonderful numbers that show the tremendous growth we have seen in Western Dressage over the last year. Almost 200 shows and events are already scheduled for 2013… 200! All those events are the brainchildren of people who want to help develop WD in their area. Most riders start by going to audit or participate in a clinic first or by becoming familiar with different philosophies and approaches to western dressage via the FaceBook pages or investigating the...

The Western States Cowboy Dressage weekend in Medford Oregon was held February 16 and 17. It was a very informative and educational weekend with Eitan Beth-Halachmy and a great cast of presenters that included renowned veterinarian Dr. Robert Miller, Modern Vaquero cowboy Jeff Sanders and VERY brave riders from all over the northwest. The event was presented by the Oregon Western Dressage Association, an affiliate of WDAA, despite the split between WDAA and Cowboy Dressage last fall. It was...

Wellington, FL - CSIO Wellington, Nations Cup Night is just a few weeks away, and the United States is calling on all fans to show their support. On Friday, March 1, the United States Equestrian Team Foundation and the United States Equestrian Federation will be hosting a TEAM USA Nations Cup Pep Rally Reception. The event will be held just prior to the Nations Cup, running from 6-7pm in the "USA" section of the Special Events Pavilion at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center. "Nations...

In early November, the USEF received inquiries from the New York Times regarding the use of Gamma-Aminobutyric Acid (GABA) to calm horses and ponies for competitive advantage. Since then, the USEF has endeavored to provide the New York Times with all the facts on GABA and to outline the aggressive actions the Federation has undertaken to deal with this emerging issue and the threat it poses to the health and welfare of our equine partners. You can read the USEF’s full response to the New...