Lexington, Ky. - Thirty-two top U.S. saddle seat riders have been selected to compete at the U.S. Saddle Seat World Cup Trials on December 7, 2013 at William Woods University in Fulton, Missouri. These riders will attempt to earn a spot on the 2014 U.S. Saddle Seat World Cup Team as either a three- or five-gaited competitor. Riders invited to the U.S. Saddle Seat World Cup Trials are: Three-Gaited Aleia Brown/15/Dayton, Ohio Allison Schuh/19/Seymour, Wis. Anya Pierson/20/Wichita, Kan. Brooke...

The Southern Methodist and New Mexico State teams opened their seasons on Thursday at SMU’s home field, BuckBranch Farm. It was SMU’s first ever competition with a western team, and that squad held its own. SMU took horsemanship 3-2 while the Aggies earned a 4-1 win in reining. The four points that they earned helped the Mustangs earn a season opening 10-9 win. "The win means a lot in our debut as a united team (with western and hunt seat),"said interim SMU head coach Natalie Burton....

McLain Ward and Cadence (The Book LLC 2013) North Salem, NY - Passing thunderstorms did not deter the exciting action during the second day of the 2013 American Gold Cup CSI4*-W. The international jumping competition featured the $33,000 Don Little Memorial Welcome Stake, where McLain Ward of Brewster, NY bested 60 entries to capture the winning honors on the Grand Prix Field at Old Salem Farm. Earlier in the day, Michael Hughes and Dromma topped a 19-horse jump-off during the $3,000 High...

Major equestrian competitions attended by U.S. athletes, both domestic and overseas, are listed in this weekly preview. Please look below to find competition listings by discipline* and breed. We hope you will follow the competitions that most interest you, but check Equestrian Weekly on Monday for a report of any top finishes by U.S. Equestrians. *lists of competitions in all international disciplines will include only FEI competitions or USEF Championships within the USA and international FEI...

Christian Ahlmann and Asca Z (Spruce Meadows Media Services) Calgary, Alberta - Saturday at the Spruce Meadows ‘Masters’ is always full of national pride, and this year was no different. Eight top teams from around the world went head to head, and the winning nation for the second year in a row was Germany with teammates Hans Dieter Dreher/Colore, Christian Ahlmann/Asca Z, Daniel Deusser/Evita van de Veldballe, and Lars Nieberg/Leonie. Earlier in the day, the $125,000 Suncor Winning...

Rachael Blanchard (decraen.com/Rinaldo de Craen) Topolcianky, Slovakia - The United States sent two drivers into driven dressage competition at the 2013 FEI World Driving Championships for Pairs on Thursday. Rachael Blanchard and Scott Dancer performed admirably to each slot into the top 15. Blanchard (Upperville, VA) was first into the arena for the U.S. driving the talented horses owned Heather Briggs of Belle Grey Farm. In her first World Championship appearance, Blanchard drove to a score...

David Oliynyk and Generous rode to the top of the $15,000 NEHJA 3'3" Hunter Derby Finals during the Fieldstone Summer Showcase II (Kendall Bierer/PMG) Halifax, MA - Under sunny skies and beautiful New England conditions the $15,000 NEHJA 3'3" Hunter Derby Finals, presented by GGT Footing, featured the top horse and rider combinations from across the country. Besting a field of 40 competitors during the Fieldstone Summer Showcase II, David Oliynyk and Generous led the field from start to...

Lexington, KY - U.S. Pony Drivers, Wendy O’Brien and Katie Whaley drove like women on a mission over the weekend at the Minden CAIP-B4 in Minden, Germany to score two top 10 finishes for the United States. O’Brien (Aiken, SC) drove to a ninth place finish in the Pair Pony division which hosted 35 competitors. The 2012 USEF National Champion drove her own talented ponies to a fourth place finish in the dressage and then produced competitive marathon and cones phases to complete on a...

Washington, DC - The 55th Washington International Horse Show CSI 3* (WIHS) is pleased to announce an increase in the prize money awarded this year in the open jumper and hunter divisions. WIHS will offer nearly half a million dollars in total prize money in 2013, more than a $70,000 boost from 2012! The official prize list for 2013 competition is now available online at wihs.org/prize-list/, featuring some exciting new changes to the schedule. The country's only metropolitan indoor horse...

Lexington, KY - In Germany and Austria over the weekend U.S. Dressage riders and horses competed to top placings at CDI4* events in Lingen and Fritzens-Schindlhof. In Fritzens, Austria Tina Konyot (Palm City, FL) shined in Grand Prix competition with a 3rd place finish in Saturday's Grand Prix and a 2nd place finish in Sunday's Freestyles test, with a score of 76.450%, riding Calecto V. In small tour competition Jennifer Hoffman (San Diego, CA) rode to 3rd place in the Prix St. Georges...