It's official. NAWD has applied for recognized affiliate status with the USEF. Supporters have until June 11th to let the USEF know that North American Western Dressage is the right choice of organizations to build the future of Western Dressage. NAWD President Jen Johnson states: “Western Dressage is coming. Over the past 3 years we have watched it grow at warp speed from the hint of an idea to not just one but three major organizations with very different ideals. Throughout, NAWD...

Katie Dinan and Nougat du Vallet (The Book LLC) North Salem, NY – Three teenagers and a veteran rounded out the jump-off in the $100,000 Empire State Grand Prix presented by The Kincade Group, and the first to go in was the one to return to the winner's circle. Nineteen-year-old Katie Dinan of New York, NY, and her energetic partner Nougat du Vallet were double clear to win the biggest class of the Old Salem Farm Spring Horse Shows, which ran May 7-12 and 14-19. Sunday's...

David Oliynyk and Generous claimed the $10,000 Fieldstone 3'3" Hunter Derby victory with a near-perfect score of 192 points during the Fieldstone Spring Festival. (Kendall Bierer/Phelps Media Group) Halifax, MA - All eyes were on the hunter competitors as they took center stage on the Derby Field at the Fieldstone Spring Festival. The derby has always been an exhibitor and crowd favorite at the Fieldstone Show Park in Halifax, MA, and today's derbies were no exception. Riding to a nearly...

Beezie Madden & Simon (Rebecca Walton/ Phelps Media Group) Gothenburg, Sweden - Valuable World Cup points were at stake Friday evening in the Rolex/FEI World Cup Final as riders vied for a place in Sunday's final competition. Uliano Vezzani tested the 38 riders that returned for round two over a flowing 13-obstacle track in the Scandinavium Arena. Riders within the top 26 placings following tonight's round qualified to jump in Sunday's final competition and of those entries...

Erin Haas and As Di Chupito earn the victory during the $10,000 American Invitational Stake Welcome at the Tournament of Champions (Kendall Bierer/PMG) Tampa, FL - It was a muddy morning as the Bob Thomas Equestrian Center welcomed numerous horses to the third day of the Tournament of Champions. The jumpers were able to dodge the effects of the inclement weather as they gathered in the Covered Arena to compete for the top prize at the Florida State Fairgrounds. Thursday saw great opposition as...

Eric Lamaze and Wang Chung M2S (Sportfot) Wellington, FL - Canada's Eric Lamaze was in the winner's circle on Friday with a win in the $33,000 G&C Farm 1.45m speed class during week eleven of the 2013 FTI Consulting Winter Equestrian Festival (FTI WEF). Lamaze and Wang Chung M2S, owned by Morningside Stud and Torrey Pines Stable, beat a field of top horses and riders in the day's highlight Longines FEI world ranking event. Also showing on Friday, Lillie Keenan was the winner of...

Tim Gredley and Unex Valente jump 7'6" (Sportfot) Wellington, FL - The $10,000 Puissance high jump competition was held on Friday evening at The Stadium at PBIEC prior to the FEI Grand Prix Freestyle presented by Horseware Ireland for the Adequan Global Dressage Festival. Great Britain's Tim Gredley and Unex Valente and Germany's Johannes Ehning and Salvador V went head to head over the wall in four rounds of competition with Gredley winning at a final height of 6'11" (2.10m). The...

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...

Lisa Wilcox and Pikko del Cerro HU. (SusanJStickle.com) Wellington, FL - The 2013 Adequan Global Dressage Festival (AGDF) carried on Saturday with the third day of competition of the Wellington Dressage CDI-W presented by The Dutta Corp. The morning's classes featured the FEI Grand Prix Special and the FEI Intermediare 1. Judges for the FEI Grand Prix Special were Janet Foy (USA) at E, Lorraine MacDonald (CAN) at H, Sandy Phillips (GBR) at C, Wojek Markowski (POL) at M, and Jennie Loriston...

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...