The first in a series of guest blog posts from Michelle Binder My first pony ride was in 1967. I was 18 months old. It must have stuck with me because I rode horses forever after that. I have been a professional in the equestrian industry since 1989 and my parents have supported my horseback riding activities all my life. Recently, seeking that formerly ever present support, I shared with my mom my desire to get involved in Western Dressage. Imagine my surprise when she exclaimed “Western...

Reed Kessler and Onisha won the 1.40m Open Jumper Power and Speed at the Kentucky Spring Horse Show. (Rebecca Walton/PMG) Lexington, KY - It was a great day for the team from Plain Bay Farm as student Reed Kessler won the 1.40m Open Jumper class, and trainer Katie Prudent placed second, as well as claiming her own victory in the 1.35m Open Jumpers. In the 1.40m Power and Speed event at the Kentucky Spring Horse Show, Kessler piloted her talented mount Onisha to the blue ribbon prize with quick...

Ruth Carlson, chair of the FEI Endurance Committee; Ian Williams, FEI Director, Non-Olympic Sports; Brian Sheehan, FEI Endurance Committee member, at today’s Round Table. (Edouard Curchod/FEI) Lausanne, SUI - The Endurance Round Table session, which shared the final morning of the FEI Sports Forum with the Eventing Round Table, attracted representatives of National Federations (NFs) and veterinarians for discussion on proposed rule changes that will be presented to the FEI General Assembly 2012...

Friday morning dawned cold and rainy as the CIC3* and Advanced Division A both got underway at 8:00 AM at The Fork Horse Trials in Norwood, North Carolina. The 60 competitor strong CIC3*, which is running as part of the PRO Tour Series, had split dressage days with half running on Thursday afternoon and the remaining this morning. Michael Pollard and Jude’s Law held the overnight lead on a 41.1, but the very first rider of the morning, Will Faudree, upset that lead by scoring a 39.6 with...

Wellington, FL - Christopher Hickey of Colora, MD rode Balissa HTF to the highest score of the day at the Global Dressage Festival National 2 Horse Show on Wednesday. The pair scored 75.323% in the USEF First Level Test 3-Open at the Stadium show grounds of the Global Dressage Festival (GDF). Mary Ambrose of Canada and Ming Dynasty were reserve high score receiving 71.757% in the USEF Fourth Level Test 2- Open. Balissa HTF is a Hanoverian owned and bred by Jane MacElree of Hilltop Farm in...

Wellington, FL - Yvonne Losos de Muniz of the Dominican Republic received one of the highest scores on Dondolo Las Marismas at the West Palm Beach National Show on Saturday. The pair won the Freestyle with 77.875% at the Stadium show grounds of the Global Dressage Festival. (GDF) "It was amazing! It felt like one of the best tests I have ever done with him," said Losos de Muniz. "It was so smooth and he was with me the whole way. I have not had such a good ride with him in a long time. It was...

Adelson Anchors the Amateur-Owner Championship with Reeva II for Week One of Tampa Bay Classic. (Elizabeth Vieira/PMG) Tampa, FL - Week one of the Tampa Bay Classic is in full swing, and with only two days of showing behind them, the hunter riders have indisputably set steep standards for their competitors. Mary Eufemia and MJ continued an exceptional week by receiving the tri-color in the 35 and Over Amateur Hunters, and Lynn Seithel took top ribbons in the 3'3 Amateur Owner division....

Charlie Jacobs and Flaming Star (Kenneth Kraus/PhelpsSports.com) Wellington, FL and East Aurora, NY - March 11, 2012 - Charlie Jacobs of Deeridge Farm proved himself as an all-weather rider during Week IX of the Winter Equestrian Festival in Wellington, FL. Thunderstorms approaching the International Ring caused Saturday's $15,000 Show Jumping Hall of Fame High Amateur-Owner Classic to be split into two days, but not before Charlie Jacobs and CMJ Sport Horse's Flaming Star produced a...

Laura Goldman (USA) and VPRH Pegasus vom Nieh-HOF (Lindsay McCall) Del Mar, CA - Day two of the 2012 Rancho Valencia Dressage Affaire CPEDI3* at the Del Mar Horse Park concluded with impressive results from the Para-Dressage competition. Multiple horse and rider combinations built upon yesterday's scores earning top results under FEI ground jury Hanneke Gerritsen 5* (NED), Marco Orsini 4* (FRA), and Ulf Wilken 5*. Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games participant Laura Goldman (USA) topped...

Steffen Peters won the Grand Prix Special at the Burbank CDI-W/Y/J and showed why "Legolas" could be his next superstar. (Jennifer M. Keeler) Burbank, CA - A curious crowd gathered to watch Steffen Peters and his potential new superstar "Legolas" passage to victory for the second day in a row at the Mid-Winter Dressage Fair CDI-W/Y/J in Burbank, CA, the first Olympic Games qualifying competition of the year on the West Coast. In the shortened Olympic Grand Prix Special Test, Peters and Four...