The twenty first in a series of blog post from Michelle Binder As this blog has progressed, I have tried to bring awareness about Western Dressage to the equestrian community at large. Now I am going to encourage you to do some research on your own. By now you know that there are several organizations promoting the development of the sport. At this point the question we hear most often from people all over is: “What is the difference?” To some it seems that the differences that...

Lexington, KY - The United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) will be represented by four show jumpers at the CSIO5* Spruce Meadows Masters Tournament, which runs September 7-11, 2011, in Calgary, Alberta, Canada. Please click on any athlete name for more information about that jumper. The following horse/rider combinations have been named to represent the U.S. Rich Fellers and Flexible (15-year-old Irish Sport Horse stallion owned by Mollie and Harry Champman) Lauren Hough and Quick Study...

Hagen, Germany - Ricky Neal saved his best performance of the U.S. Show Jumping Young Rider European Tour for the CSIOY Hagen Grand Prix. And the 19-year-old was rewarded with a major victory on Transmission. He topped a strong field of 48 competitors to take the top spot over Stephanie van den Brink and Wapper from the Netherlands and Germany's Andreas Kreuzer on Kanazia. The top eight from the first round went forward to the jump-off and Neal flew to victory over the short course with a...

Lexington, KY - The United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) will be well represented at the Rolex/FEI World Cup Final April 27-May 1 as 10 American show jumpers will head to Leipzig, Germany for the 2011 Final. After 29 World Cup Qualifying Events throughout the 2010-2011 season the following riders have qualified in this order in their respective Leagues: East: Michelle Spadone/27/Califon, NJ Margie Engle/53/Wellington, FL Beezie Madden/47/Cazenovia, NY McLain Ward/35/Brewster, NY Charlie...

Lexington, KY - The FEI World Cup Dressage Final for Young Riders will begin Wednesday, December 15, with the veterinary inspection. U.S. representative Meagan Davis arrived in Frankfurt, Germany on Sunday with the 17-year-old Danish Warmblood, Bentley, who is being housed at Schafhof, the stables of Ann Kathrin Linsenhoff. Since settling in Davis and Bentley have worked lightly twice a day with coach Lendon Gray and are feeling fit and ready to compete on Thursday. In preparation for the show...

Dressage In Frankfort, Germany the 2010 FEI World Cup Dressage Final for Young Riders is set to get underway December 15-19. Meagan Davis and Bentley will represent the United States. The pair had great success this year, winning the Collecting Gaits Farm/USEF National Young Rider Dressage Championship and sweeping the young rider divisions at the CDIs at Saugerties and Dressage at Devon. For more information on the 2010 FEI World Cup Dressage Final for Young Riders please click here and here ....

The European winter is off to a rough and very cold start this year. With record breaking snow and daytime temperatures dropping to 16 F, one might have expected a dismal turnout for the Winter Mixed Sales Auction held on December 4 at the Oldenburg Horse Center in Vechta, Germany. That was not the case, however, thanks to a fantastic lineup of sport horses, broodmares and young stallions, not to mention a very dedicated auction team. The top-priced horse was the mare, Franka Potente, who sold...

Franktown Meadows Hunter Derby EVENT: The Franktown Meadows Hunter Derby will be the first stand-alone hunter derby on the West Coast. The derby will be a member event of the United States Hunter Jumper Association (USHJA) International Hunter Derby series. This charitable event benefits the Parasol Tahoe Community Foundation, a non-profit charitable organization that aids the Northern Nevada area. WHERE: Franktown Meadows Equestrian Facility is located 15 minutes South of Reno at the foothills...

The United States Dressage Federation (USDF) has announced the dates and locations for the 2011 Great American Insurance Group/USDF Regional Dressage Championships: USDF Region 1 (October 20-23) at the Virginia Horse Center in Lexington, VA; USDF Region 2 (September 22-25) at Majestic Farm in Batavia, OH; USDF Region 3 (October 14-16) at HITS Post Time Farm in Ocala, FL; USDF Region 4 (September 9-11) at the North Iowa Fair Grounds in Mason City, IA; USDF Region 5 (November 4-6) at WestWorld of...

The sun over Hansen Dam shone on a packed parking lot and a whole crowd of smiling faces for the fourth in the Verdugo Hills/Lake View show series May 15-16. The momentum has been building in these shows over the year, and last weekend’s large turnout made for a great weekend of competition. “The weather was perfect for this show weekend, and it was so nice to see so many trailers in the parking lot and a significant increase in the amount of entries,” said trainer Sandrine Seifert of D&D...