From Louise Parkes/FEI THE LAST SHALL BE FIRST.......ESPECIALLY IF MELANIE HAS ANYTHING TO DO WITH IT....... The USA has been drawn first to go in tomorrow's sixth leg of the Samsung Super League with FEI series at Hickstead, England but Melanie Smith-Taylor, who is deputising in the absence of team manager George Morris, is not concerned. Lying last on the leaderboard the US really needs a good result in order to climb out of the relegation zone, but Melanie has every faith in her squad. "I...

Diana DeRosa (Mara Dean and Nicki Henley lead heading into cross-country in Rio de Janeiro.) Rio de Janeiro, Brazil – The American event riders got off to a fantastic start on July 20 at the XV Pan American Games taking the lead in the team portion of the competition and sweeping the top five places individually. American combination Mara Dean riding Nicki Henley went to the head of a quality field of 27 horse-and-rider combinations riding before the ground jury of Barry Roycroft, Jo...

Thirty-five horses from 13 nations were presented for the dressage Horse Inspection on Friday July 13 officially getting the fifteenth Pan American Games underway. Beginning at 8am, the horse inspection ensures that all the horses in the competition are fit to compete. The horse inspection was done in alphabetical order by nation with the horses from the United States being presented last. All four horses looked super, led off by the diminutive Brilliant Too ridden by Katherine Poulin-Neff....

Defending champion Jeffery Welles and two of the four riders on the United States squad for the 2007 Pan American Games head the impressive list of entries as the 38th Annual Lake Placid Horse Show opened at the North Elba Showgrounds in Lake Placid, NY. The 2007 Lake Placid Horse Show will once again host outstanding non-stop equestrian action highlighted by the $75,000 Budweiser Grand Prix of Lake Placid CSI***, presented by RV Sales of Broward, on Sunday, July 1. The 30th Annual I Love New...

Since most horses are used for recreational or performance activities, soundness is understandably of vital importance to horse owners. A 2003 study suggested that 60% of lameness problems in horses are related to osteoarthritis, thus stressing the importance of advancements in treating this disease. In humans, osteoarthritis is the most common type of arthritis and in the U.S. alone afflicts more than 20 million people. A horse’s joints give its skeleton flexibility and allow walking,...

Production East Video, along with leading online broadcaster MediaZone, announced they will be presenting live webcasts of the Lake Placid Horse Shows, including the Lake Placid Horse Show, to be held June 26-July 1, as well as the I Love New York Horse Show, to be held July 3-8. Live from the beautiful Adirondack Mountains, these webcasts are produced by Productions East Video and will be available by logging on to www.ProductionsEast.com or www.MediaZone.com/Channel/Equestrian/index.jsp . The...

June 15th, the second day of the Collecting Gaits Farm/USEF Dressage Festival of Champions, got underway with the Brentina Cup. Organized for young adults and named for Debbie McDonald's World Cup Champion mare, the Brentina Cup is open to Steffen Peters (phelpsphoto.com) riders 21-25 years of age. Performing the Intermediaire II test, the horses in the Brentina Cup are developing their skills for the highest level of dressage competition. The second horse of the day filled up the ring with...

Where else in central Indiana can the avid equestrian capture the amenities, prize money and camaraderie than at the Circle City Equestrian Horse Show at the Indiana State Fairgrounds? In an effort to provide another high-quality 'AA' show in the Midwest, Circle City is hosting this four-star event, held from July 18-22, which presents numerous conveniences to every exhibitor. Whether you are a beginner or a seasoned professional, Circle City caters to riders of all levels. Circle City...

The United States Dressage Federation (USDF) announced that the 2007 Great American Insurance Group/USDF Regional Dressage Championships will award prize money of almost $130,000 divided among the nine regions. Champions will each receive $278, a jacket provided by Swedish Exclusive, Inc., and an embroidered Saratoga Horseworks walking sheet. Reserve champions will each receive $185 and a lead shank from the Great American Insurance Group, title sponsor of the championships. Every year, Great...

The American Saddlebred Registry (ASR) Sweepstakes will be awarding over $120,000 in additional prize money, available to Kentucky-bred horses thanks to the state’s Breeders Incentive Fund. The Kentucky legislature enacted the Breeders Incentive Fund in 2005 to encourage breeding horses of all breeds in Kentucky. The fund takes a portion of the sales tax generated through stallion service fees and returns it to the breeders. Beginning in 2008, Kentucky-bred American Saddlebreds nominated to...