When fellow equestrians and Paso Fino enthusiasts first suggested that Heidi Young consider riding with a drill team, Young demurred. “I had bought myself a very good-looking Paso Fino, and they said, ‘You should try this, because it’s fun, and your horse would look great,’” recalled Young, a Connecticut native and US Equestrian member who now resides in Horseshoe Bend, Idaho. “I said, ‘Oh, no, I don’t do that kind of thing. I don’t like...

Lexington, Ky. - The U.S. Saddle Seat Young Riders Teams attended their second training sessions at Cascade Stables in New Orleans, La., and Avalon Riding Academy in Lutz, Fla., in preparation for the 2017 U.S. Saddle Seat Invitational/Test Event. It afforded riders the opportunity to continue preparing for competition by riding multiple horses unfamiliar to them, just as they will at the Invitational/Test Event, April 3-6, 2017 in Perry, Ga. The Stripes Team training session was held January...

Well wasn’t that just an interesting 36 hours… Sorry I have not been in touch for a while but Friday, for us was about finishing up at the venue and then trying to pull together a bunch of loose ends in other areas prior to a hydrogen bomb going off under our world of semi serenity – i.e. the Team and the horses starting to arrive. For other Nations, Friday evening through to Saturday morning marked the first horse flight arrivals at times that would have made the Special...

Competitors like Faith Green and her Quarter Horse Dusters Legacy were awash with ribbons at the 2016 National Dressage Pony Cup. (John Borys) “I’m so happy we decided to make the trip, and I couldn’t be more thrilled with my pony. This has been so much fun!” These words were heard from juniors to elder adults ranging in experience from dressage newcomers to hardworking amateurs and international High Performance professionals who gathered at the National Dressage Pony...

Freddie Vazquez and Esprit De Vie (Andrew Ryback Photography) Wayne, Ill. –Patrick Boyle and the organizers of Showplace Productions Spring Spectacular produced a great day of competition at Lamplight Equestrian Center. Freddie Vazquez and his Pan Am Games mount, Esprit De Vie won the $20,000 C & E Transportation Welcome Stake over international course designer, Anderson Lima’s challenging track. In the hunter ring the professional hunter division champions were named. “He...

Most competitors dread having to be the first rider to enter the arena in any class, let alone the first rider down the centerline on Day One of national championship competition First in the ring, Rachael Hicks & Fabio Bellini set the standard for the rest of the class and won the Intermediate I Adult Amateur Championship. Photo by Susan J. Stickle at the US Dressage Finals presented by Adequan®, a unique national head-to-head competition being for exhibitors of all levels held...

Harrie Smolders and Emerald (Shawn McMillen Photography) Washington, D.C. – Harrie Smolders (NED) and Emerald emerged victorious in the $125,000 Longines FEI World Cup™ Jumping Washington, presented by Events DC, for the President’s Cup, on Saturday night at the 2015 Washington International Horse Show (WIHS). Competing for the coveted President of the United States Perpetual Cup as well as valuable Longines FEI World Cup qualifying points, the grand prix was the highlight...

Conor Swail and Viva Colombia (SEL Photography) Lexington, Ky. - The Split Rock Jumping Tour hit the mark in multiple ways this past weekend. With a mission to create an "unparalleled show jumping experience", the second event in Lexington, KY, was spectacular from the ground up. The intimate equestrian event was well-attended and received high praise. The first investment that Split Rock Jumping Tour founder and President Derek Braun made after the May event was in the footing. ESI stepped in...

Jonathan McCrea and Special Lux (SEL Photography) Lexington, Ky. - On a picture-perfect Fall day in Lexington, the Split Rock Jumping Tour welcomed 36 horse and rider combinations in the $100,000 CSI3* Grand Prix, presented by Split Rock Farm, with five making it to the jump-off. Some of the sport's top international athletes competed today, attracting a great local crowd. Jonathan McCrea and Candy Tribble's Special Lux were the only double clean and took the top prize. Anthony...

The EQUUS Foundation was born from the belief that the bond between horses and humans is very powerful and the realization that the impact of horses multiplies ten-fold for those with special needs. Riding makes me feel free . . . Horses help people walk, talk, connect, focus, behave, and learn. Engaging with horses helps people learn the meaning of trust and the value of partnership. Horses encourage people to live life as productively and independently as possible. Raising the bar for the...