Gladstone, NJ – After two days of rigorous testing, topped off with a final-four ride-off, 16-year-old Brianne Goutal surpassed even her own expectations with a well-earned, but nonetheless, surprise victory. “I was never expecting to get into the top four,” Goutal says. “I asked my trainer before the last round what score I would need and she wouldn’t give me an answer. She just said ‘ride well.’” And ride well, she did. Give her a few years, and...

One step out of the ring, internationally renowned equestrian Lynn Seidemann and Phoenix B knew they had put on a good show. Slated to ride second to last in the line-up, the pair pulled out all the stops to wow the judges with a spectacular performance Thursday. Make that a Silver medal-winning performance that surprised even Lynn. “It was a good day,” Lynn said modestly after the news started to filter back through the time zones into the States. With a Silver medal in tow and a...

Elkton, Md . – The second day of dressage had lovely fall weather at the MARS Maryland 5 Star at Fair Hill presented by Brown Advisory, much different from Thursday’s rainy conditions. Hannah Sue Hollberg and Capitol HIM moved into the lead in the USEF CCI3*-L Eventing National Championship, while Woods Baughman and C’est La Vie 135 maintained their top spot on the CCI5*-L leaderboard. USEF CCI3*-L Eventing National Championship Hannah Sue Hollberg and Capitol HIM (Shannon...

San Juan Capistrano, Calif. – With a record number of entries at this year’s Platinum Performance/USEF Show Jumping Talent Search Finals – West, reaching the top of the leaderboard required exceptional skill and smart riding across four phases of competition, and Zoe Brown proved that she has what it takes. The 16-year-old from Redwood City, Calif., piloted The Original, a 2014 Belgian Warmblood gelding owned by her father and trainer, Harley Brown, to victory from a field of...

Tokyo, Japan – The U.S. Para Dressage Team saw its two remaining combinations in Roxanne Trunnell and Dolton and Rebecca Hart and El Corona Texel make their way down the centerline for the FEI Individual Grade Tests at the Equestrian Park in Tokyo, Japan. Trunnell and Dolton went early in the order in Grade I competition and received an 81.464 percent from the judging panel, securing the first individual gold medal for the team since the Atlanta 1996 Paralympic Games. Hart and El Corona...

Mill Spring, N.C. – Competition concluded at the Perrigo Tryon Summer Dressage CPEDI3* with all 12 athlete-and-horse combinations completing their FEI Para Team Tests on Saturday night and 11 combinations performing their FEI Freestyle Tests on Sunday morning. Friday’s Individual Test scores and Saturday’s Team Test scores are combined with Sunday’s FEI Para Dressage Freestyle Test scores at a ratio of 40%, 40%, and 20%, respectively, to determine individual winners for...

Dear USEF Members, 2017 marks the 100 th Anniversary of the United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) and there is no better time than the present to launch a version of the organization which will pave the way for years to come. There was a much different feeling and buzz to this year’s USEF Annual Meeting. If you did not get to attend this year’s meeting, you missed out on an outstanding and high-energy experience filled with informative live presentations ranging from the...

Alison Wichman and Kix Littlestown, PA - June 21, 2015 - Alison Wichman has ridden a lot of great horses in her 62 years, but she says her 'Sunday horse' Kix is one of the best. The fiery Selle Francais gelding has an uncanny knack for sensing when it is time to step up to the plate for the Sunday jumper classics, and he did it again on Sunday morning at the Swan Lake Summer Kick-Off Classic, taking the victory in the $3,500 NAL/WIHS/M&S Adult Classic. "He seems to have a sense that...

Luifer Larrazabal and Atlodetto FZ (Kendall Bierer/Phelps Media Group) Lexington, KY –The $25,000 Under 25 Grand Prix saw a start list of 33 horse and rider combinations gather at the Rolex Stadium for the pilot event on the final day of the Kentucky Spring Horse Show. It was Luifer Larrazabal of Venezuela who dashed for the cash Sunday afternoon, winning the majority of the purse with recent mount, Atlodetto FZ. The 22-year-old consistently showed throughout the Wellington and Ocala...

Shannon Dahmer and Lakota Lace (Phelps Media Group) Parker, Colo. - A horse of a different color has been attracting notice at Dressage in the Rockies for more than just his spots. Lakota Lace, an 11-year-old Appaloosa/Percheron/Quarter Horse gelding, picked up back-to-back wins in the Intermediaire I at the Colorado Horse Park. In his first time out at that level, Lakota Lace scored 68.816 percent on Friday, winning the FEI High Percentage Championship, and 67.895 percent on Saturday. Trainer...