Dressage It was Dressage Week in San Diego, CA as part of the Del Mar National Horse Show. The Del Mar National CDI3* featured some of the top riders on the West coast including Steffen Peters who dominated both the Grand Prix and Intermediaire-I. Aboard Akiko Yamazaki's superstar Ravel, Peters won the Grand Prix and put in a near flawless effort in the Grand Prix Freestyle to win by 10 points with a score of 81.300%. Susan Blinks and Robin Hood were first in the Grand Prix Special with a score...

In recent months, the USEF Dressage Department has received many inquiries regarding use of protective headgear in USEF/USDF-Licensed Dressage Competitions. “Protective headgear” is defined as a helmet which is ASTM/SEI-approved and has a secured harness. USEF General Rule GR801.6-.7 states: “6. Except as may otherwise be mandated by local law, the Federation strongly encourages all riders, while riding anywhere on the competition grounds, to wear protective headgear with harness secured which...

The line-up for the final of the 2009/2010 FEI World Cup™ Dressage series, which will take place at 's-Hertogenbosch, The Netherlands, March 25-27 has been revised. The USA and Canadian Federations have confirmed that, due to health issues for either horses or riders, there will be no representatives from the North American League, so the two available slots will now be taken by reserve riders Tinne Vilhelmson Silfven from Sweden and Poland's Katarzyna Milczarek, who previously applied for any...

The American Saddlebred Horse Association (ASHA) convention will honor Saddlebred Stars of Saddle Seat Equitation in a unique setting on Friday evening, February 19. The Lexington Country Club on historic Paris Pike will be the site of the Cocktail Buffet beginning at 6 p.m. Friday. The new event was made possible this year when ongoing construction of the newly expanded Saddlebred Showcase at the American Saddlebred Museum in the Kentucky Horse Park prevented the usual Museum reception that...

On Monday, just days before the start of the first leg of the 2010 Exquis World Dressage Masters (WDM) in Palm Beach, the WDM organization announced the signing of a letter of intent to consider staging an event in Brazil in 2011. Camil Smeulders, Managing Director of WDM, announced the signing of the letter of intent with the company Haras Vale da Raposa operated by world renowned Brazilian architect Bennett Nisencwajg and his son, Heitor. WDM said it viewed the discussions as a major step in...

Lexington, KY – Olympic superstar, Debbie McDonald, has taken on the role of USEF Developing Dressage Coach for the United States Equestrian Federation. McDonald’s name is synonymous with the US Dressage program for the last decade having represented the US across the globe, winning the 2003 FEI World Cup Final and leading the US to Team Bronze at the 2004 Athens Olympic Games and the 2006 World Equestrian Games with her legendary mare Brentina. The USEF Developing Dressage program has been...

Watching a well-trained Lusitano float through intricate dressage movements reminds one of Pegasus, the horse whose wings protrude from his muscular shoulders. But unlike this mythical winged equine, the Brazilian horses from The 2010 Lusitano Collection™ International Horse Auction need assistance to travel the 4,000 air miles to Florida. Now in its third year, the Collection relies on Worldwide Livestock Services (WLS) and Lazcar International, both family-owned businesses, to ensure a safe...

Cavalor show jumping rider Hillary Dobbs found the perfect way to usher in the holiday season—by winning the Holiday & Horses $50,000 Grand Prix and FEI World Cup Qualifier at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center in Wellington, FL. Cavalor, the world's leading equine nutrition company for high-performance horses, announced Dobbs as the company's first "Cavalor Young Champion" earlier this year. "We are extremely proud of Hillary's recent victory in the Holiday & Horses Grand...

The Kentucky-born trotter Mr. Muscleman, a winner of $3,582,823, has a new home at the Kentucky Horse Park. He arrived on October 16, and will take up residence in the Hall of Champions along with the other breed ambassadors. The nine-year-old Standardbred was foaled at Brittany Farms in Versailles, KY. John Nicholson, Executive Director of the Kentucky Horse Park, said, "The Kentucky Horse Park is considered 'hallowed ground' in the Standardbred world, as it was built on the former Walnut Hall...

The United States Equestrian Federation, Inc. (USEF) is pleased to announce the launch of the USEF Dressage Youth/Pony Pilot Program for Fall 2009.This program is designed to seek out, educate and assist the development of the young riders, and will be under the direction of Lendon Gray, appointed by the USEF Dressage High Performance Committee. “I am thrilled that USEF is going to help to develop the best equitation and riding skills in our younger riders,” Gray said. “It is so much easier to...