The Adequan U.S. Reining Squad got competition underway at the Caen Exhibition Center with the first half of the 82 horse-and-athlete combinations completing FEI Pattern Six in the Team Championship and First Individual Qualifier. After strong performances on Monday from all three American athletes, the U.S. has high hopes to defend their Team Gold and Individual Gold and Silver medal performances from the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games in Lexington, Ky. Riding as an Individual, Troy...

Caen, France . – The Adequan U.S. Reining Squad got competition underway at the Caen Exhibition Center with the first half of the 82 horse-and-athlete combinations completing FEI Pattern Six in the Team Championship and First Individual Qualifier. After strong performances on Monday from all three American athletes, the U.S. has high hopes to defend their Team Gold and Individual Gold and Silver medal performances from the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games in Lexington, KY. Andrea...

Margie Engle was unstoppable in the $100,000 Purina Animal Nutrition Grand Prix presented by Zoetis at HITS Saugerties. She jumped Royce to the win and claimed second aboard Indigo (ESI Photography) Saugerties, N.Y. - Margie Engle spent much of the HITS Saugerties spring series on the bench recovering from the flu, but returned to the Strongid® C 2X Grand Prix Stadium in top form Sunday. Engle rode young-gun stallion Royce, owned by Elm Rock Partners, to take a high-stakes blue, winning the...

Mickie Sage and Harlu. Photo by Horsin' Around Photography Parker, C.O. - The $2,500 USHJA National Hunter Derby and the Mini Prix both were set to run at the same time during Spring Warm-Up II at the Colorado Horse Park. Professional Mickie Sage planned to compete horses in both classes putting her a little under the gun. "I didn't have a lot of time to learn the derby course," said Sage. "I didn't even walk the course. I went in the ring and asked the other trainers what the lines...

Darragh Kenny and PROF DE LA ROQUE (AlCookPhoto.com) Harrisburg, Pa. - Ireland's Darragh Kenny was the crowned the 'speed demon' of the evening at the Pennsylvania National Horse Show, capturing the $33,000 Keystone Classic Speed Stake with PROF DE LA ROQUE, owned by Postage Stamp Farm, LLC, as well as the Open Jumper Speed Championship with TOP GUN IV, owned by Oakland Ventures LLC. Fellow Irishman Alan Wade designed the course, which consisted of 13 obstacles set at 1.45 meters...

Conor Swail and GAME READY (AlCookPhoto.com) Harrisburg, PA - It was an exciting evening as some of the world's top riders competed in the $40,000 Pennsylvania 'Big Jump' competition. Ireland's Conor Swail and GAME READY, owned by Sue Grange, were last to go in the jump-off, and pulled out all the stops to clinch the win in 34.54 seconds at the Pennsylvania National Horse Show. "It feels great to win", said Swail. "The horse is a very good horse, he's a fast horse and very...

John Pearce and Chianto won their second Smartpak Grand Prix of the HITS Desert Circuit winter season yesterday. The duo rode to a win in the $25,000 SmartPak Grand Prix, presented by Zoetis, over a star-studded jump-off (Flying Horse Photography) Thermal, CA - Forty-nine horse and rider teams competed for top slots in the $25,000 SmartPak Grand Prix, presented by Zoetis, Friday. Seventeen made the jump-off, with times getting progressively faster and building to a bang as the last pair to take...

Happy New Year everyone! I am glad to be here and since it is obvious that the Earth did not tip over on its axis turning our mountains into oceans and our oceans into mountains, I have to wonder what 2013 will bring to Western Dressage. Maybe the better question is “What will Western Dressage bring to the world?” Indeed it is an intriguing question when put this way. As our fledgling discipline begins to feather out, the directions in which western dressage may fly continue to...

Tulsa, OK – Clearing the first major hurdle at the Adequan/USEF National Open Reining Championship, and after a year of qualifying for the chance to compete for the championship title, all riders cleared the jog today at the Ariat Tulsa Reining Classic in Tulsa, OK. Concurrent with the Open division held on Friday, August 31st, the Adequan/USEF National Reining Championship will feature the nation’s most elite horse and rider combinations all vying for the gold medal and the top of...

The tenth in a series of guest blog posts from Michelle Binder The development of Western Dressage as a discipline is very exciting to riders, trainers, breeders and exhibitors alike. North American Western Dressage is dedicated to finding common ground between the two disciplines, educating riders from all backgrounds, and to making dressage concepts accessible to western riders without minimizing the importance of the training pyramid nor sacrificing the principles that are fundamental to...