Fear of the unknown often darkens our dream of buying the young horse that will become the next show star. Perhaps we are drawn to this idea by the harmony that arises between human and equine when raising a horse from his first years; possibly it's the chance to be able to buy him before he costs six figures. But will this charming youngster transform into that fancy show horse we had envisioned? Here is a way to peek into a crystal ball. Start from the bottom up — your bottom line Clearly...

I am currently sitting in the sun outside the USEF merchandise booth, which is in a prime viewing location. The international Ring is directly in front of us and the warm-up is directly behind. Yesterday as we were setting up I snuck up the stairs a few times to watch some of the rounds in the $31,000 WEF Challenge Cup Round 8. The class was won by Mario Deslaurier and Jane Clark’s lovely grey gelding Vicomte D. Mario looked fantastic as did McLain, Beezie and Margie who did not jump their...

Shannon Brinkman (Steffen Peters and Ravel.) Lexington, KY - Simply put, it was the greatest night of dressage action in the history of the sport on American soil. It came down to a dashing Dutchman, a young English woman and the superstar American rider - all who continually broke and set records in a week that saw the world turn its attention to the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games in Lexington, KY. For the Americans, it was a double-dose of new heights achieved in the sport. Steffen...

Photo credit: Dawn Baxstrom Oklahoma City, Oklahoma – September 1, 2010 – During the Alltech® FEI World Equestrian Games (WEG), many will notice Reining as the only equestrian discipline to feature hand-tooled western saddles, distinctive cowboy hats and gorgeous, long flowing manes and tails of its horses. However, at this installment of the Games, the National Reining Horse Association (NRHA) will provide a unique experience for spectators and reining fans – NRHA “Ride a Reiner.” “Ride a...

The United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) acknowledges today’s announcement by the FEI that Sapphire (McLain Ward) was incorrectly eliminated from the second round of the FEI World Cup Final in Geneva on April 16, 2010. “We’ve had full faith in the outcome of this unfortunate situation since the beginning,” said David O’Connor, President of the USEF. “There could not have been a different result. The McLain/Sapphire combination has had and will continue to have the full support of the USEF....

The U.S. National Arabian and Half-Arabian Championship Horse Show (U.S. Nationals) begins October 23 and continues through October 31, 2009 at Expo Square in Tulsa, OK. U.S. Nationals is the flagship competition for the Arabian horse industry and is produced by the Arabian Horse Association (AHA) of Aurora, CO. Exhibitors and spectators will have plenty of shopping at their fingertips at the U.S. Nationals Shopping Expo in the Exchange Center and Ford Truck Arena. The expo features dozens of...

Dressage at Devon, one of the most prestigious dressage and sport horse breeding shows in North America, now offers online ticket sales for general admission, reserved seating and special events like the Forum with George Williams. With more than $50,000 in prize money and awards over six days of competition, the event features world-class horses and riders, shopping and fun for the entire family. This year's show will be held September 22-27, 2009, at the historic Devon Horse Show Grounds. "We...

The Arabian horse industry’s largest event for youth, the Youth National Arabian and Half-Arabian Championship Horse Show, moves into Expo New Mexico in Albuquerque, July 25-August 1, 2009. The eight-day event combines top-level equine competition in a variety of disciplines with daily youth activities and a shopping expo, bringing approximately $10.2 million to the city. Nearly 1,000 horses from across the U.S. and Canada will compete each day from 7:30 a.m. to about 10 p.m. in everything from...

Lifelong horseman Marty Mueller of French Lick, IN, died Friday morning, November 14, 2008, at age 96. During his life, he built a reputation as one of the top trainers of American Saddlebreds. Mueller was raised in the famous resort area of Indiana known as ”The Valley,” where his father was the head gardener at the fabled West Baden Springs Hotel. Marty grew up watching the horses at L. S. Dickey’s French Lick Springs Resort Stables, and he began working at Dickey’s as a stable boy,...

This year marks the 51st Annual Canadian National Arabian and Half-Arabian Championship Horse Show (Canadian Nationals); affectionately known as "The Royal Red," August 18-23, 2008, at IPSCO Place in Regina, Sask. The Arabian Horse Association (AHA) of Aurora, CO, produces the event, which stands alone as the only AHA championship show offering a full range of competition with Canadian flair. Spectators can enjoy a variety of classes in English, western and hunter pleasure, show hack, pleasure...