Before a crowd of more than 500 people, as the bright sun set over the San Francisco Bay on Saturday evening, Tamra Smith and Kelly Loria jumped to victory in the two divisions of the $30,000 Preliminary Challenge, the feature of the Spring Event at Woodside. Loria, 16, of Lafayette, CA, rode Lucy In The Sky With Diamonds to top the 15-horse field in the Preliminary Rider Challenge, earning a check for $2,500 and a CWD Custom Saddle. Smith, 34, of Hemet, CA., rode CSI to top the 11-horse field...

Photo by Dr. C. Mike Tomlinson (Mary Jordan, a Grade IV Para-Dressage rider used this competition as a practice before the selection trials at the end of June.) This year is the most exciting calendar year for the United States Para-Equestrian Team in history. It will be the first time ever that the para-dressage team will compete with all of the equestrian disciplines at the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games™ (WEG) in Lexington, KY. The hopeful WEG riders first stop this summer was May...

Photo by Waltenberry (Wimpys Little Step ) Wimpys Little Step made history at this year’s Carolina Classic Derby, held May 13-16, in Williamston, NC, when his offspring surpassed two million dollars in National Reining Horse Association (NRHA) earnings. The flashy palomino sire joins eight of NRHA’s leading stallions as a Two Million Dollar Sire*. To achieve this elite status is no easy feat, yet Wimpys’ offspring went above and beyond expectations when they earned enough to make him the...

Jennifer Wooten-Dafoe and The Good Witch (Mike McNally) Lexington, KY - It's that time again. Winter vanished and suddenly the 2010 Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event presented by Bridgestone has arrived. Bigger than ever in 2010, the competition, which also serves as the USEF National CCI4* Eventing Championship, boasts many of the very best in the game both from the US and around the globe. The action gets underway at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington April 22, 2010. All eyes will be firmly...

Pikko del Cerro HU claimed the 2009 Markel/USEF National Championship for Six-Year-Olds (phelpsphotos.com) Lexington, KY - Following a banner year in 2009 for the Markel/USEF Young Horse Dressage Program, the United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) is pleased to announce the continuation of Markel Insurance as title sponsor as the 2010 Championship season gets under way. Markel Insurance has been a steadfast supporter of the USEF Young Horse Dressage Program since 2002. A long time supporter...

In celebration of its 35th anniversary, September 28-October 3, 2010, Dressage at Devon is adding two exciting new championship programs—the Pro-Am Challenge and the Young Performance Horse Championship. The goal of both awards is to identify success in two important groups of competitors—amateur riders and young horses. "We always strive to find new ways to recognize greatness at Dressage at Devon," said Lori Kaminski, President and CEO of the event. "This fall, while some of the...

Photo Courtesy FEI (Mara Dean and Nicki Henley) Mara Dean has become the first rider to post a winning score on the HSBC FEI World Cup™ Eventing leaderboard, following an emotional pillar-to-post victory in the Florida sunshine at the Red Hills International CIC***-W in Tallahassee, FL. Riding her veteran 15-year-old Irish-bred Nicky Henley, who was coming back into competition after sustaining a tendon injury at the 2007 Pan American Games, Virginia-based Dean held off the always serious...

Photo by Lauren Fisher/PMG (Mary Ann Grant and Tamaro will perform in the brand new figure skating and dressage exhibition at the 2010 Challenge of the Americas. ) The Ninth Annual Challenge of the Americas is excited to announce a very unique new dressage and figure skating performance to the Challenge lineup. Held in Wellington, FL, on Saturday, March 13, 2010, the evening will get under way at 5:30 p.m. with musical grand prix team quadrilles, four-bar jumping and a figure skating dressage...

The United States Dressage Federation (USDF) elected a new president and treasurer for three-year terms. George Williams of Delaware, OH, who was vice president of the federation for nine years and a United States high-performance rider, takes the helm as president from Dr. Samuel Barish. Steve Schubert of Methuen, MA, replaces Barb Tuohino Funk as treasurer. Williams also appointed Melissa Creswick of Clovis, CA, as interim vice president for a one-year term. George Williams is currently a...

As the United States Equestrian Team (USET) Foundation Holiday Fundraiser draws closer, many exciting performances have been announced for the feature event. SUCCEED® and Wellington Classic Dressage will be hosting the Holiday Gala Fundraiser, December 11-12, 2009, to benefit the USET Foundation. The venue for the fundraiser will be the Jim Brandon Equestrian Center in Wellington, FL. The two nights of exciting performances will include Pony Club Mounted Games featuring Gina Miles, Cathy...