Welcome to the third installment 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...

Kristi Nunnink & R-Star after winning the Event at Rebecca Farm CIC3* (USEA) Kalispel, MT - R-Star has done it again. For the second consecutive year, this grey Holsteiner mare by Riverman, has won the CIC3* at The Event at Rebecca Farm rising from fifth after cross-country to first with an accurately ridden round over the Marc Donovan designed show jumping course. Katie Ruppel and Houdini took down just one rail to move up to second ahead of Katie Groesbeck and Oz The Tin Man who moved...

Dressage Young Rider Team Gold Medalists from Region 7: Teresa Adams, Ariel Thomas, Jamie Pestana, and Jaclyn Pepper (SusanJStickle.com) Lexington, KY – The first day of competition at the 2013 Adequan/FEI North American Junior & Young Rider Championships presented by Gotham North (NAJYRC) featured the top up-and-coming talent in the sport of dressage. Team medals were presented in the Junior and Young Rider divisions in the USDF/Platinum Performance North American Junior and Young...

Beezie Madden and Mademoiselle negotiate the table bank (The Book LLC) North Salem, NY - The $20,000 Speed Derby of North Salem featured a field of 35 competitors as they galloped through a course of 15 numbered obstacles and 18 efforts on a course that included the Devil's Dyke and table bank designed by Anthony D'Ambrosio of Red Hook, NY. Any rails down added four seconds to a rider's final time, so speed was imperative in today's class. Going 29th in the order, Beezie Madden...

David Oliynyk and Generous swept the first day of the Performance Working Hunters (Phelps Media Group) Halifax, MA - Beautifully set courses greeted hunter exhibitors for the first day of the Fieldstone Spring Festival. The professional hunter divisions kicked off the competition in the two main hunter rings, where David Oliynyk, Thomas Hern, and Kristen Bumpus all rode their mounts to top honors in the Performance Working Hunter and Pre-Green Hunter divisions. Competitors were thrilled to...

Todd Minikus and Uraguay (The Book, LLC) North Salem, NY – Todd Minikus and Legacy Stables' Uraguay won the highlight event of the first week of the Old Salem Farm Spring Horse Shows, the $50,000 Old Salem Farm Grand Prix presented by Suncast. They were fastest in the jump-off to beat Darragh Kerins (IRL) on E-Muze Yek and Christine McCrea (USA) with Romantovich Take One. Along with top show jumping, there were Grand Hunter Champions awarded, as well as Classics for the Medium and...

Darragh Kerins and E-Muse YEK were the winners of the $35,000 Grand Prix of Tampa after completing a jump-off round with blazing fast speed of 36.576 seconds (Kendall Bierer/PMG) Tampa, FL - It was a jump-off for all the nations today on the concluding class of the Tampa Bay Classic. The Bob Thomas Equestrian Center was alive with heated jumper competition as riders gathered to contend for the top earnings in the $35,000 Grand Prix of Tampa. It was one of the last opportunities for riders to...

The Oklahoma State Cowgirls, 2013 Big 12 Equestrian Champions (ostatephoto.com) Stillwater, OK - It was a close match to the end, but the Oklahoma State Cowgirls earned an 8-6 win over the Kansas State Wildcats at the Animal Science Arena in Stillwater, OK Saturday and were crowned Big 12 Conference champions for the second year in a row, and third time ever. The Cowgirls jumped to a slim 2-1 lead early on after their Hunter Seat team earned a win in Equitation over Fences. The Wildcats...

Leslie Howard and Lennox Lewis 2 Win $15,000 Equine Insurance Speed Stake Presented by Great American Insurance Group Candice King and Kismet 50 (Tammy Hardy Photography) Hampton Falls, NH – More than 5,000 spectators came to watch the final day of The Jumper Classic®, presented by Fidelity Investments® and Audi of America. Held at the Silver Oak Equestrian Center, The Jumper Classic had their two final highlight classes of the week. In the $75,000 Fidelity Investments Grand Prix,...

(Sportfot/GCT) Chantilly, France - The youngest rider to be selected for the 2012 Olympic Games clocked up a victory at the 5* GCT in Chantilly Sunday. Reed Kessler, only 18 years old, rode a stylish, fast clear on 57.71 in the early morning Prix Vicomte Arthur over 1m45 fences beating experienced show jumping stars, including fellow American Mclain Ward. After the win on her horse Ligist - she will be riding Cylana at the London Olympics - Reed said: “It is my last show before I go to...