The sixth in a series of guest blog posts from Michelle Binder When on a horse, I wear a riding helmet. My students wear riding helmets. I ride and show western and dressage. The helmet/hat quandary, style vs. safety, the tradition or common sense conversation is therefore a subject near and dear to my heart. On March 22, 2012, I went into the hay barn to get a bale of hay to feed lunch in the barn. To make a long story short, despite my usual care in tipping bales, as I turned to leave the...

Bromont, July 22, 2012 - Nicolas Dello Joio completes the only double clear round of the BonjourQuébec.com World Cup qualifying event at the International Bromont today, Sunday July 22. A high-caliber event The course, designed by Venezuelan Leopoldo Palacios, was made up of 13 obstacles for 16 efforts, including 3 double combinations (2 jumps counting as one). The time allowed of 80 seconds proved to be a handicap for many riders who did not make it to the jump-off. Of the 26...

Cosmo and Laura Pfeiffer. Traverse City, MI - After observing Laura Pfeiffer win the featured 1.35-meter Open Jumper class on Wednesday during the Horse Shows by the Bay Equestrian Festival, you might have believed that Pfeiffer could have done it with one hand tied behind her back. Because she almost did. During the jump-off, as Pfeiffer tackled what would become the decisive and winning turn with her mount Cosmo, she had an equipment malfunction. "I think the difference was the tight, tight...

Affier and Melissa Orlick-Zbierski. Traverse City, MI - Alexandra (Alex) Rheinheimer, Horse Shows by the Bay Equestrian Festival Competition Manager and Owner, was thrilled to be handing out award after award today to the many happy Junior and Amateur-Owner competitors. "It's due to the generous support of the equestrian community and wonderful sponsors, as well as the hard work from my incredible team, that enable these awards to be possible. To award nearly $35,000 in prize money in one...

Donald Cheska and Ad Fundum. Traverse City, MI - Sun and a light morning breeze set the stage for the $10,000 Open Jumper Welcome Prix today at Horse Shows by the Bay, as 30 competitors eagerly challenged the Evie Frisque (Ontario, Canada)-designed course. Sponsored by Positive Step Farm and Patrice Schreiber, today's competition is the first of four $10,000 Open Jumper Welcome Prix classes to be hosted by the Horse Shows by the Bay Equestrian Festival throughout the month of July in scenic...

Louise Serio and Aate won both over fences classes in the First Year Green/High Performance Working Hunters at the Brandywine Valley Summer Series. (Rebecca Walton/PMG) Devon, PA - Red, white and blue was the theme at the Brandywine Valley Summer Series presented by Taylor Harris Insurance Services (THIS) as the nation's top horses and riders celebrated Independence Day at the historic Devon Show Grounds. Louise Serio led the professional divisions with wins in the First Year Green/High...

Oklahoma City, Ok - 147 of the nation's leading middle school and high school equestrians competed at the Oklahoma State Fairgrounds in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma June 28-30, 2012. The Interscholastic Equestrian Association (IEA) student-riders competed in the Western discipline during the National Reining Horse Association (NRHA) Derby. The NRHA and the National Reining Horse Youth Association (NRHYA) are affiliates of the IEA and sponsored the event. The finalists represented 33 teams from...

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...