Lexington, Ky. - To reach the highest level of excellence in equestrian sport requires talent, perseverance, a tremendous spirit and often, unwavering courage. In 2013, six horses have shown the world these qualities and more. On January 11, the United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) will bestow two of them with the prestigious title of Horse of the Year, the highest honor the USEF awards a horse. Again this year, both a national and international horse will be crowned. The six champions...

Welcome to the fourth 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...

Holly Shepherd and Triompf claim the $35,000 Grand Prix de Lamplight victory with speedy tie breaking jump-off (Kendall Bierer/PMG) Wayne, IL - The resounding cheers and applause could be heard throughout the Lamplight Equestrian Center as six horse and rider combinations faced off in today's $35,000 Grand Prix de Lamplight, presented by Saddler's Row. It came down to a battle of speed as each consecutive rider bested the next, but it was Holly Shepherd and Triompf that came away the...

Kristen VanderVeen and Bull Run's Eternal (Mary Adelaide Brakenridge) Parker, CO - The crown jewel of the Summer in the Rockies six-week series, the $50,000 Parker Adventist Hospital Grand Prix, was held on Saturday afternoon. It was Military Day at the Colorado Horse Park, honoring and welcoming military and first responders to enjoy family activities and great show jumping. Title sponsor Parker Adventist Hospital was on hand for helmet fittings and distribution of free riding helmets to...

This article was originally published at www.useventing.com . Phillip Dutton and Mighty Nice lead the Adequan USEA Gold Cup & PRO Tour Series CIC3* division after dressage (Leslie Threlkeld/USEA Photo) Though the day remained mostly cloudy with the sun making brief appearances, today's weather was much more pleasant than yesterday, and the CIC3* division wrapped up dressage with close scores, many ties, and an exciting two days of jumping to come. Phillip Dutton, competing three horses...

Elkton, MD - As expected, Derek Di Grazia's challenging cross country courses were extremely influential Saturday at the Dansko Fair Hill International CCI. The leaderboards in both the two and three-stars saw great fluctuation in the second phase of the USEF National Eventing Championships. Hannah Sue Burnett was able to maintain her lead following the dressage with the classy Harbour Pilot, she will head into the show jumping on Sunday looking to secure her second CCI3* National Title. In...

Peter Leone and Lincourt Gino fly into The American Gold Cup Winner's Circle North Salem, NY - Peter Leone, aboard Lincourt Gino, sailed to the win as the only double clear horse and rider combination in the starting field of 29 at the $200,000 American Gold Cup at Old Salem Farm in North Salem, NY, on Sunday. The day dawned cool with fluffy clouds dotting the sky, while the wind billowed the tents dotting the show grounds. The weather throughout the week in North Salem has been ideal for...

Karen O'Connor and Mr. Medicott (Shannon Brinkman) Greenwich, UK - The German Olympic Eventing Team was in a class of its own as history was made at Greenwich Park. Michael Jung led a charge that finished with him winning Team and Individual Gold in a flawless effort on Sam. They were the only combination to finish the entire competition without adding anything to their dressage score. That score of 40.6 meant that Jung is the first person ever to be the reigning European, Olympic, and World...

Charlie Jayne and Chill RZ (Amy Dragoo) Devon, PA - It was another glorious day at the Devon Horse Show and 15 horses lined up for the $50,000 Idle Dice Open Jumper Stake in the storied Dixon Oval at the 2012 Devon Horse Show. This afternoon's class served as the second half of the third USEF Observation Event for the U.S. Show Jumping Team for the 2012 Olympic Games. Fourteen combinations, 13 of which are vying for a trip to the 2012 London Olympic Games, tested Michel Vaillancourt's...

The second day of the Nutrena/USEA American Eventing Championships, presented by Bit of Britain, boasted sunny skies at Chattahoochee Hills. Two disciplines and all levels competed today; Advanced through Training ran cross-country while Novice and Beginner-Novice competed in dressage. Advanced Allison Springer & Arthur - 1st in Advanced (Emily Daily/USEA photo). The top five standings in $25,000 Merial Advanced division remained the same after cross-country. Allison Springer and Arthur had...