Well fall is under way and I am trying to clear a little writer’s block. The last shows of the year are winding down. We are headed for the last ones in our area the last two weekends of the month. Fall is time to evaluate progress and prepare for next season. Some of us set goals for training, some for clinics, some for next year’s show season. We look at our feeding programs, exercise programs, breeding programs and whatever else we are running. I always find myself thinking ahead...

Jimmy Torano and La Bonita putting on a show in the final round of the Diamond Mills $500,000 Hunter Prix Final (©ESI Photography) Saugerties, NY – Jimmy Torano of SW Ranches, Florida admits that he and Kathryn Haefner, who owns La Bonita, gambled on the Diamond Mills $500,000 Hunter Prix Final, entering the five-year-old German-bred Warmblood mare in the highest stakes hunter class in the world. Lady Luck, however, was on their side at HITS Saugerties this week. Or, perhaps, La Bonita is...

Lisa Goldman and Centurion B rode to the top of the Equifest II Welcome Stake this afternoon as they captured the victory in 35.029 seconds (Kendall Bierer/PMG) Wayne, IL - The Grand Prix Ring was alive with excitement as Lisa Goldman and Centurion 3 rode to the top of Equifest II's $5,000 1.40m Welcome Stake victory. Eager spectators gathered at the Lamplight Equestrian Center to watch the country's top riders compete during the $5,000 1.40m Welcome Stake, and the riders left nothing...

Victoria Colvin and Inclusive, the 2013 US Junior Hunter National Championships – East Overall Grand Champions (ESI Photography) Lexington, KY - The best junior hunter riders on the east coast travelled to HITS on the Hudson in Saugerties, NY to compete in the 2013 US Junior Hunter National Championships – East, July 29-31. The judging panel consisting of Jeff Ayers (Sellersville, PA), Scott Fitton (Royal Palm Beach, FL), and Hap Hansen (Encinitas, CA) assessed the field of talented...

As you know I occasionally receive a story from a Western Dressage rider and this week I would like to share with you the story behind a beautiful magazine cover photo that appeared recently in Paint Horse Journal and which featured coverage of Western Dressage. The photo was of Katrina Sanders and her Paint horse Pirate. Here is what Katrina shares with western dressage enthusiasts this week: “Thank you so much for offering to feature my photo in your blog! I am honored and so grateful...

Scott Stewart and Concept are honored as Grand Hunter Champions by Lake Placid Horse Show Chairman Richard Feldman (The Book LLC) Lake Placid, NY - While rain forced cancellation of the featured jumper classes Friday at the 44th annual Lake Placid Horse Show, Presented by Sea Shore Stables, LLC, many of the hunter classes ran as scheduled. Classes in the Richard M. Feldman Grand Prix Field were called off in order to preserve the field for the weekend's Classics and Grand Prix. After...

2008 Olympic Champion Eric Lamaze riding Wang Chung M2S scored victory in the $40,000 ATCO Structures & Logistics Cup on Sunday, June 9, at the Spruce Meadows “National” Tournament in Calgary, AB (Spruce Meadows Media Services) Calgary, Alberta – 2008 Olympic Champion Eric Lamaze was in the winner’s circle after claiming the $40,000 ATCO Structures & Logistics Cup on Sunday, June 9, at the Spruce Meadows “National” Tournament in Calgary, AB. While Lamaze has...

USEF Eventing Team Coach David O'Connor with riders at one of the spring training sessions. (USEF Archives) Lexington, KY - The USEF High Performance Eventing Spring Training Sessions have come to a close and are being regarded as highly successful. USEF Eventing Team Coach David O'Connor worked with the nation's top horses and riders in Aiken, SC, Ocala, FL, Gilroy, CA, Temecula, CA, and Berkshire, UK on their dressage and jumping skills throughout the training sessions, noting marked...

Lexington, KY- The United States Equestrian Federation’s Dressage Developing Program, made possible by a generous gift from Akiko Yamazaki and Red Husky Foundation through U.S. Equestrian Team Foundation, has gotten off to a successful start in 2013. The program opened with two observation competitions, at the Gold Coast Opener CDI-W in West Palm Beach, FL, January 17-20 and at the Mid-Winter Dressage Fair CDI3* in Burbank, CA, February 21-24. Debbie McDonald, USEF Developing Dressage...

I am thrilled to say the Cowboy Dressage Judges Orientation was a huge success on Friday, February 15th in Medford, OR. A stellar cast of presenters spoke on various topics to fifty plus attendees, most of whom were women. I was surprised there were not more men since it is Cowboy Dressage, but was very happy to see that at least seven states were represented including two individuals from as far away as Wisconsin. Beginning with the video called “From Then to Now” and proceeding to...