Bronson, Fla. - Over 70 horse and rider combinations lined up Friday morning to race for top honors in the USEF North American Endurance Team Challenge. Competitors from Canada, Mexico, and the United States will vie for Team and Individual medals over the 160km course, with the leaders expected to finish the course just after 6:00pm ET. Many of the top competitors in North American have traveled to Florida to stake their claim on Team and Individual honors. Two-time world Champion Valerie...

Daryl Portela and Winner (Phelps Media Group, Inc. International) Lexington, Ky. - "I was very excited to come here because I've never shown here," Portela said. "I didn't get to show last year because I ride with Jimmy Torano, and he judged last year. After [the Pennsylvania National Horse Show] and [the Washington International Horse Show] this year I was pumped and ready and wanted to come and do well." Portela had previously shown at the National Horse Show at Madison Square Garden,...

Springtown, Texas - It was a tale of two teams in Texas on Saturday as No.7 Baylor and No.8 Texas Christian met in an early season in-state clash. TCU had the better western team, and Baylor was the dominant hunt seat team. But the TCU reining team was the only squad able to secure an outright, 5-0, sweep. In doing so they made the difference in a hard fought 11-9 win. Baylor won equitation on the flat 3-2 and TCU edged out an equal 3-2 victory in horsemanship. TCU was able to pick up one point...

Leslie Berndl (Pics of You) Lexington, KY – A good crowd turned out at the Kentucky Horse Park Saturday to watch the marathon phase of the Kentucky Classic CDE. When the driving was done and the spectators had left Leslie Berndl had taken a big step into the lead in the single horse division. Berndl (Newcastle, California) started off hot Saturday morning with Dutch Warmblood gelding Umico and her consistent driving over the entire course helped her take the lead in the division. Berndl...

Last week I posted a virtual show entry video from an amazingly brave woman who continues to allow me to use her material for examples in this blog. Her courage and generosity inspire me and I hope that her open heart and willingness to be visible inspire you too. I hope that some of you readers are able to identify with her as a peer, a rider struggling to understand riding and training her stock horse and that you professionals at least respect her courage. Reaction to the video has been...

Ali Tritschler and Dreamland rode to the top of the $5,000 NEHJA Pony Hunter Classic Finals leader board at the Fieldstone Summer Showcase II. (Kendall Bierer/Phelps Media Group) Halifax, MA - It was a bittersweet victory for pony ring veterans Ali Tritschler and Dreamland, as they claimed their final win in the $5,000 NEHJA Pony Hunter Classic Final Tuesday at the Fieldstone Show Park. Tritschler piloted Dreamland to the first place finish with two impressive rounds over fences. They nabbed...

Holly Shepherd and Triompf claim the $35,000 Grand Prix de Lamplight victory with speedy tie breaking jump-off (Kendall Bierer/PMG) Wayne, IL - The resounding cheers and applause could be heard throughout the Lamplight Equestrian Center as six horse and rider combinations faced off in today's $35,000 Grand Prix de Lamplight, presented by Saddler's Row. It came down to a battle of speed as each consecutive rider bested the next, but it was Holly Shepherd and Triompf that came away the...

Lillie Keenan and Pumped Up Kicks jump their way to a win in the $125,000 Purina Animal Nutrition Grand Prix, presented by Zoetis, at HITS Saugerties over the weekend (©ESI Photography) Saugerties, NY – Lillie Keenan and Pumped Up Kicks were pumped up just enough Sunday afternoon to win the $125,000 Purina Animal Nutrition Grand Prix, presented by Zoetis. The 15-year-old rider and Chansonette Farm, LLC’s Pumped Up Kicks closed out three weeks of spring shows at HITS-on-the-Hudson...

Kaitlin Campbell on Rocky W Devon, PA - This evening's open jumper class was the Idle Dice Open Jumper Stakes class. The class was named after famed jumper horse Idle Dice. Idle Dice was originally bred as a thoroughbred race horse, but he was discovered and retrained by Bernie Traurig who showed him as a hunter. He was later purchased by Harry Gill and shown as a jumper by Rodney Jenkins. Idle Dice won over $400,000 in his career (an amount that would triple if adjusted to the value of...

Western horses jog. English horses trot. Dressage horses trot. Everyone knows that. What does that mean for the western dressage horse? The western jog was a gait that could be ridden for long distances over the range or on the trail that horses could sustain without exhaustion and which could be sat comfortably. The trot is a gait that covers more ground at a reasonable tempo. To deal with the dynamics of the gait and to unload the horses back, some riders learned to post. Western riders bred...