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...

Although the weather threatened to put a damper on the weekend, it held off just enough to allow the first Gold Coast show of the season (February 19-21), held at the Los Angeles Equestrian Center, to be the fun event exhibitors knew it would be. There was a great mix of familiar faces and new ones to make the show a big success with a record number of entries. One group of new faces came from Hayden Show Jumping and Riding School of Laguna Hills, riding under the tutelage of Mickey Hayden and...

The American Saddlebred Horse Association's (AHSA) convention, including its large Youth Conference, the formal annual meeting and election of directors, and the Saddlebred Ball at Keeneland Race Course in Lexington, Kentucky, is scheduled for Thursday through Saturday, February 15-17, 2007. Headquarters will be the Embassy Suites Hotel in Lexington. Open meetings and forums with committees begin Thursday, as is customary, and the Charter Club Council will also conduct a workshop. The emphasis...

Bratislava, Slovakia – A team of up-and-coming athletes represented the U.S. in the Furusiyya FEI Nations Cup at CSIO3*-W Bratislava in Bratislava, Slovakia. Under the guidance of Chef d’Equipe DiAnn Langer, the team of Audrey Coulter, Allyssa Hecht, Michael Hughes, and Hannah von Heidegger, all of whom were competing on their first senior team, gained valuable international experience and finished ninth in the competition. View full results from CSIO3*-W Bratislava .

Watch here .

Last week I posted a virtual show entry video from an amazingly brave woman who continues to allow me to use her material for examples in this blog. Her courage and generosity inspire me and I hope that her open heart and willingness to be visible inspire you too. I hope that some of you readers are able to identify with her as a peer, a rider struggling to understand riding and training her stock horse and that you professionals at least respect her courage. Reaction to the video has been...

July 31 through August 4 Murieta Equestrian Center in Rancho Murieta California will be the site for the 2013 “Gold N Grand Cowboy Dressage Show.” The show sports 42 classes with competitive divisions for open, amateur and youth riders who will be riding walk/jog and walk/jog/lope and Cowboy Challenge tests. As of this writing, there were 165 rides scheduled in three days! Such a fabulous turnout for Cowboy Dressage in Northern California. Show official Michele Dodge will oversee 3...

Note to self: The Boy Scout motto “Be Prepared” applies to many things. When teaching a WD clinic be prepared for anything! This week’s blog comes from Vancouver Washington on the Columbia River where the “Discover Western Dressage” clinic is being held as a fundraiser for Silver Buckle Ranch. The Buckle is a non-profit youth ranch that houses Clark County’s disabled riding program. It is a pleasure to be here and to know that the clinic proceeds will be used...

Thanks to everyone who took the time to send emails to USEF and for sharing your thoughts and feelings about the direction Western Dressage should take. It is so important to hear and listen to different ideas from all directions as the discipline develops. At this point all there is to do is continue to ride and train and show, and most important, to have fun with our horses. With another show coming up this weekend for us, I have put a lot of thought into the questions the last show brought...

Tuesday June 11, 3013 will be the last day USEF will hear comments via email regarding the choice of organizations that will represent Western Dressage as the official recognized affiliate organization. This is a critical time in the development of the discipline and your input is very important whether you are a western rider, a dressage enthusiast, judge, breeder, trainer, or participant in any aspect of the equine industry. NAWD President Jen Johnson shares the following food for thought:...