Waco, TX - The NCEA National Championship tournament got underway Thursday with the opening rounds of Western and Hunter Seat competition. The top four seeded teams in each bracket had byes to round two, so the Sixteen other teams competed Thursday for a chance to face them. Most succesful were the South Dakota State Jackrabbits and defending champion Texas A&M Aggies. The Aggies came in defending an overall National championship, and four straight Western championships. Their Western team...

Lexington, KY – Three members of the United States’ 2010 Gold Medal World Championship team and four-time Grammy Award winner Lyle Lovett highlight the list of riders from the U.S., Canada and Italy entered to compete in the 2013 Kentucky Reining Cup which returns to the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, KY, April 26-27. The event is held alongside the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event Presented by Land Rover, America’s only Four Star Eventing competition, April 25-28. Tom...

Lexington, KY - Land Rover North America and the United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) announced today that they will continue their longstanding partnership through 2016. Land Rover, the leader in world-class sport utility vehicles, will remain the official vehicle sponsor of the USEF as well as title sponsor of the Land Rover United States Eventing Team and the Land Rover Competition and Training Grant Program for Eventing Riders. "The Land Rover brand is distinguished for combining...

Lexington, KY - The United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) and United States Eventing Association (USEA) are pleased to announce the introduction of the Eventing 18/Advancing Athletes program, a new joint initiative beginning in 2013. The goal of this program is to build a foundation of future horsemen and women that will hopefully go on to represent the United States. This is an important step in the Athlete Pipeline. Selection into the program will be based on talent, competitiveness,...

Ocala, FL - The 2013 USEF National Pairs Championship concluded Sunday afternoon at the Live Oak International with the influential cones phase. Under blustery conditions and the threat of severe storms, the field of four went to task in the John Deere Arena. Misdee Wrigley-Miller (Lakewood Ranch, FL) travelled to Live Oak with her sights set on securing her first USEF National Pairs Championship. The 2013 USEF National Pairs Champion Misdee Wrigley-Miller (Picsofyou.com) 2011 FEI World Pair...

Ocala, FL - The USEF National Pairs Championship got underway Thursday morning at Live Oak International, as the first phase competition was held in conjunction with the FEI Grand Oaks Resort and Carriage Museum Driven Dressage. Misdee Wrigley-Miller has kicked-off her bid to claim her first Misdee Wrigley-Miller (Picsofyou.com) National Title by gaining the early lead following the dressage on a score of 41.41. Wrigley-Miller (Lakewood Ranch, FL) drove with extreme confidence and poise to set...

I have been promising to update readers on current trends in the Western Dressage world. One way of keeping track of what WD is doing, where it is going and who is doing it is to track events. NAWD, CD and WDAA all maintain calendars of clinics and shows around the country. By analyzing those calendars we have a simple method of tracking what is happening. The information is limited by the fact that show and clinic organizers must report their event to the organization for inclusion on these...

This week I want to update you about some exciting new programs coming in 2013 for Western Dressage enthusiasts. As this discipline continues to develop, more tests are available, more shows are available, and more award programs vie for participation. The show and clinic calendars are filling up for the year and so much is happening. In January our local WSH Zone added year end awards for Western Dressage following the inclusion of Western Dressage as a subdivision of Dressage on the...

Today’s post comes from Sin City, Las Vegas Nevada. Since I am here in the region of Southwest Western Dressage, I decided to write the blog as an interview with someone from the Las Vegas equestrian community who was doing Western Dressage. So I opened up the phone book to call a local barn. Every barn number but one was disconnected or no longer in service. The one that was working was a casino! So I called a feed store, thinking that at the feed store would be someone who knew someone...

Happy Holidays! Tis the season and all my best to everyone. This time of year we are especially grateful for all the perfections we find our lives are blessed with. Wishing all of you the very best of holiday seasons. Thank you for reading and supporting the development of western dressage. It was a very exciting time for representatives from North American Western Dressage to attend the USDF Annual Convention in New Orleans December 5-8. President Jen Johnson and Board member Jennifer Collman...