The fourth in a series of guest blog posts from Michelle Binder Every day I head out to the barn to work. Like other trainers, I work outside in temperatures from 0 to 100 7 days a week, almost 365 days a year, from dawn till dark and sometimes longer. As a professional trainer and riding instructor I am called on to muck stalls, fix fence, buck hay, dump grain, rake footing, fill water buckets, sweep the aisle, clean tack, change bandages, medicate, lead beginners, longe riders, heft children...

Lillie Keenan and Zycarla Z won the M&T Bank $5,000 High Junior/Amateur-Owner Show Jumping Hall of Fame Classic at the Brandywine Valley Summer Series. (Rebecca Walton/PMG) Devon, PA - The jumper divisions concluded tonight at the Devon Show Grounds with the High and Low Junior/Amateur Owner Jumper Classics during the Brandywine Valley Summer Series horse show, presented by Taylor Harris Insurance Services (THIS). Junior rider Lillie Keenan of New York, NY completed her clean sweep of both...

15-year-old Emanuel Andrade of Venezuela claimed the Low Junior/Amateur-Owner Jumper Championship title riding Black Pearl at the Atlanta Summer Classic II in Conyers, Georgia (Flashpoint Photography) Conyers, GA – 15-year-old show jumping sensation Emanuel Andrade of Venezuela added another championship title to his ever-growing resume, picking up the Low Junior/Amateur-Owner Jumper Championship at the Atlanta Summer Classic II held June 20-24 in Conyers, Georgia. Hot off his fourth...

Paul Mathews and Carino won the Grand Champion Hunter title at the Brandywine Valley Summer Series (Rebecca Walton/PMG) Devon, PA - The summer sun at the Brandywine Valley Summer Series horse shows presented by Taylor Harris Insurance Services (THIS) shone brightly over the Dixon Oval as Paul Mathews rode Carino to a dominating performance in the Second Year/High Performance Hunters. After claiming all five of the division's blue ribbon awards, the talented duo returned to ring to claim the...

Jaclyn Pepper is on of four young riders selected for the 2012 Olympic Dream Program(Laura Price) Lincoln, NE –Four young riders have been selected for the 2012 Olympic Dream Program that annually sends young riders to Europe for an intensive 10-day dressage experience. The program is administered and funded annually by The Dressage Foundation (TDF). An independent selection committee, after reviewing dozens of applications, chose Nicole DelGiorno (NJ), Catherine Chamberlain (AZ), Jaclyn...

Lexington, KY - The 2012 Rolex/FEI World Cup Champions have not been in the ring in six weeks - but based on their performance in the Husky Energy Classic on Thursday night at Spruce Meadows in Calgary, it didn’t make any difference. Rich Fellers and Flexible bested a field of 19 and made it look easy, stopping the jump-off clock at 51.237 to score victory by just less than a second over Beezie Madden and Coral Reef Via Volo. This class serves as the first half of the final Observation...

Shawna Harding and Rigo. (Susan J. Stickle) Gladstone, NJ - The 2012 USEF Dressage Festival of Champions continues this week with Young Adult "Brentina Cup" and Intermediaire I competition and the conclusion of the USEF National Grand Prix Dressage Championship. Riders will again perform their tests in the Dick and Jane Brown Arena at the USET Foundation Headquarters in front of an international judging panel. National Grand Prix Dressage Championship Competition heats up in the National Grand...

Donna Ponessa and Western Rose (Susan J. Stickle) Gladstone, NJ - The level of competition was extremely high Monday, as six combinations scored over 70% in the National Para-Equestrian Championships which are being held in conjunction with the USEF Para-Equestrian Dressage Paralympic Selection Trials. So with both a national title and spots to compete in London on the line, all competitors put forth their best efforts. FEI Team Tests were ridden by all 24 combinations in their respective...

Jonathan Holling of the United States won the Volvo Bromont CCI3* Three Day Event, The Todd Sandler Challenge, with Downtown Harrison. Representatives of title sponsor Volvo Canada presented Holling with the Todd Sandler Trophy. (Cealy Tetley) Bromont, Quebec – Jonathan Holling of the United States won the 2012 Volvo Bromont CCI3* Three Day Event, The Todd Sandler Challenge, on Sunday, June 10, in Bromont, Quebec. The CIC3* division was won by Karen O’Connor of the United States. It...

Dan and Louise DeRusseau 2011 Winners Egyptian Event Breeders Excellance Award Why is there always something wrong with the way people get started breeding and raising horses? If they manage to get the bloodstock right (always the most important part), they get the management wrong or the marketing and advertising, or the farm is located in Timbuktu. Not so with LD Arabians. Dan and Louise DeRusseau selected their bloodstock with the mentoring of veteran Arabians Ltd. trainer and manager Shawn...