Rodrigo de Matos is a Principle Rider of L'Escola Portuguesa d'Arte Equestre, and the Chief Instructor at Morgado Lustiano in Portugal. He represented Portugual at the recent Paris Symposium where all four of the great classical European schools of riding were invited to a joint performance and exchange of ideas. Participants included the Spanish Riding School of Vienna, the Cadre Noir, L'Escola Portuguesa, and the Spanish National School. As a representative of L'Escola and Morgado Lusitano,...

Caitlin Houlihan and Little Joe (Janice Hischer, owner and trainer) took home the championship ribbon from the first Riding for Reading class in Arizona, and earned some money for her school’s library along the way. Collman Equestrian Productions held the class as part of the Scottsdale Fall Preview (October 16-19). Earlier in the day, Houlihan won the Low Junior/Amateur Jumper Classic on her own Double O Seven. The Riding for Reading class marked her first time showing on the flat. "I wanted...

Exhibitors at the recent Sport Horse National (SHN) Championships were pleasantly surprised by the news that they won some unexpected cash at the show. Where did their windfall come from? Less than one year ago, the SHN Payback Program was born by a group of longtime Arabian breeders and riders. By offering cash rewards, the group hopes to encourage interest and enthusiasm in the Sport Horse Nationals show, as well as the breeding of Arabians specifically for the sport-type disciplines of...

Iron Spring Farm's three-year-old homebred Friesian stallion, Pilgrim ISF, was awarded the prestigious First Premie Star designation and was selected for KFPS stallion testing during the Friesian Horse Association of North America (FHANA) KFPS keuring on September 29, 2008. Iron Spring Farm's success during the keuring also includes Pilgrim's dam, Toltsje fan't Boekehof, receiving an 82.5 on her IBOP (performance) test to earn the prestigious Model designation. She also received the Champion...

International-level dressage with a Saturday night musical freestyle celebration under lights will be held at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center (PBIEC), December 4-6. The CDI*** dressage competition will be combined with the CSI*** Holiday & Horses event that includes the Rolex/USEF National Show Jumping Championship presented by Equine Motorcoach. The dressage competition is a major upgrade from the national level show of previous years. The musical freestyles will be in the...

The Syracuse Invitational Sporthorse Tournament is pleased to offer a special opportunity to meet the 2008 Gold medal U.S. Olympic show jumping team. On Friday, October 31, at 5 p.m., the team will make their first and only public appearance together since the Olympics. McLain Ward, Beezie Madden, Laura Kraut and Will Simpson, along with their alternate teammate Anne Kurskinsi, and their Chef d 'Equipe George Morris, will share their insights into bringing home the Gold. Syracuse University...

With the competition season drawing to a close, final nominations from its membership for the American Saddlebred Horse Association’s (ASHA) individual awards are due at ASHA no later than the close of business Friday, October 31, 2008. Each year, the association’s highest honors are presented at the annual Saddlebred Ball, held in conjunction with the Annual Meeting. This year, both the Annual Meeting and the Ball will be held at the Griffin Gate Marriott Resort in Lexington, KY, February...

The American Saddlebred Horse Association (ASHA) Junior Judging Contest will be a highlight at the Ninth Annual National Academy Championship, held at Miller Coliseum in Murfreesboro, TN. On Saturday, November 1, 2008, starting at 9 a.m., Junior Judges will have the opportunity to gain valuable knowledge as they judge four to six classes. Junior Judges must be in the judging section before the gate closes in order to judge the class. The Junior Judging Contest, sponsored by Directional...

Equestrian Sport Productions announced Tuesday that its Fall Circuit shows will be held at the South Grounds of the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center. The "A"-rated three-star Jumper Fall Circuit 2 for this Friday through Sunday will be held at the South Grounds, as will Fall Circuit 3, which is scheduled for October 31-November 2 and the Fall Circuit Finale scheduled for November 7-9. Major reconstruction around the International Arena, installation of new footing at several...

Corinne Ashton and Dobbin (Shannon Brinkman) Elkton, MD – The standings shuffled significantly both overall and in the USEF National Eventing CCI*** Championship at the Dansko Fair Hill International. Leslie Law (Great Britain) had been sitting in the top position after the dressage with Mystere du Val but run outs at fences 10 and 12 meant that he walked off the course at the half way point. Kim Severson, who had been the top-placed American after the dressage with Tipperary Liadhnan...