Welcome to the fifth nstallment of a different kind of blog from WDAA! The purpose of this post is to allow the reader "into the heads" of both a trainer/judge/competitor, Karen Abbattista and her student, Deborah Herbert, a Florida WDAA member. We would like to share with you some moments in Deb's journey as she pursues her riding goals with her AQHA mare "GenuineArcticSpring", barn name "Belle". Please enjoy as you follow along with these posts that we consider interesting or challenging...

Valkenswaard, Germany - CSI Valkenswaard has been kind to U.S. riders over the last two days. Eight classes have seen Americans atop the leaderboard and they've been near the top in others. Below is a quick breakdown of CSI2* and CSI1* classes with links to full results. CSI1* Friday Alexandra Crown started things well for the U.S contingent with a win in the Special Invitational against the clock. She and her own Quadrant finished first, Alexandra Cherubini and Lovelite LLC's Equifit...

Thanks to everyone who took the time to send emails to USEF and for sharing your thoughts and feelings about the direction Western Dressage should take. It is so important to hear and listen to different ideas from all directions as the discipline develops. At this point all there is to do is continue to ride and train and show, and most important, to have fun with our horses. With another show coming up this weekend for us, I have put a lot of thought into the questions the last show brought...

Note to Self: 1. Prepare classical instructor that you will be appearing before him in western tack and riding an Appaloosa stallion, NOT your third level Westfalen import and 2. Don’t ride in a clinic without a photographer A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away…. I got a book from the library called The Schooling of the Western Horse by John Richard Young. It was published in 1945 (practically the dark ages) and outlined progressive training for western horses. Critically...

Heather Blitz and Paragon (Susan J. Stickle) Wellington, FL - Blitz and Paragon finished first in the FEI Grand Prix Special CDIO 3* with a 72.313%, narrowly beating fellow American Cesar Parra and Van the Man who finished second with a 72.208%. Shelly Francis (USA) and Doktor rounded out the top three with a final score of 70.646%. Judges for the class were: Linda Zang at E, Anne Gribbons at H, Mirabel Alonso at C, Joan Macartney at M, and Evi Eisenhardt at B. The three-day, three-test format...

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...

Show season is rolling all over the country. Let the games begin indeed! Western Dressage tests are being ridden in competitive venues all over, especially in the more temperate areas of the nation. Not the northeast! Riders are already sending test sheets in to the “NAWD Trax” year end award program. IPHDA has already completed 2 cycles of virtual shows with entries due for the March V show on Monday April 1st. USEF Morgan tests have been ridden in the first dressage schooling show...

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...