Vaulting to be featured in the Middle East for the first time Sisters Cassidy and Kimberly Palmer, who placed first in the pairs (pas-de-deux) Vaulting event at the 2013 German Masters in Stuttgart last November, will be among the roster of world-class competitors who will gather in Doha, Qatar in March for the Second CHI AL SHAQAB. The siblings are the first vaulters from the United States to win a World Cup event. The prestigious event takes place at AL SHAQAB, the Arabian Gulf’s...

The teams competing at the 2014 AGDF Stillpoint Farm CDIO Nations Cup (Susan J. Stickle) Wellington, Fla. - Competition for the Stillpoint Farm CDIO Nations Cup at the Adequan® Global Dressage Festival (AGDF) began with the FEI Prix St. Georges in the International Arena at The Stadium at Palm Beach International Equestrian Center. Juan Matute, Jr., and Don Diego Ymas topped the class with a 71.58%, helping Spain to second place in the team standings with a current overall score of 206.895....

Don Auriello and Tinne Vilhelmson-Silfven (Susan J. Stickle) Wellington, Fla. - January 10, 2014 - The Adequan Global Dressage Festival kicked off the "Friday Night Stars" series with an exciting FEI Grand Prix Freestyle competition and full spectator stands at The Stadium at Palm Beach International Equestrian Center. Leading the way was Tinne Vilhelmson-Silfven (SWE) on Don Auriello, who won with a score of 81.575%. Lars Petersen (DEN) and Mariett scored 76.925% for second place. Fellow Dane...

Valkenswaard, Germany - A good weekend in Valkensward ended well for U.S. riders. Though an American didn't end up on top of the Valkenswaard CSI3* Elm Rock Grand Prix, one did take 3 of the top five slots. Finishing in 2nd were Margie Engle (Wellington, FL) and Elm Rock Partners, LLC's Royce, finishing about a second behind them in 3rd were Nicholas Dello Joio (Wellington, FL) and EM Horses Carlos V.H.P.Z. Megan Nusz and Amalaya Investment's Vesuviuis finished in 4th place. For...

Aaron Vale and H&M Cisco (PMG) Lexington, KY - Although there were grey skies in the area for the second day of the Kentucky Summer Classic, the weather did not dampen the competition in the Rolex Stadium. Both the 1.40m and 1.35m Open Jumper classes were determined by just fractions of a second. As the last in the class, Aaron Vale had the draw on his side as he bested Juan Pablo Gaspar and Shamrock with H&M Cisco in the 1.40m Open Jumpers. In the 1.35m Open Jumpers, Geoffrey Case and...

Tatiana Dzavik and Dahlia Lexington, KY - Perfect weather greeted riders as competition got underway during the Kentucky Summer Series at the Kentucky Horse Park. The Open Jumper riders gathered at the Rolex Stadium, where the first 1.40m Open Jumper class focused on speed and Tatiana Dzavik had the winning key with Dahlia. She topped Shane Sweetnam and Fineman by just 3/10ths of a second to claim the blue ribbon. The final event of the day was the 1.40m Open Jumper Table 2 Section 2b jump-off...

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....

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...