Kristi Nunnink & R-Star after winning the Event at Rebecca Farm CIC3* (USEA) Kalispel, MT - R-Star has done it again. For the second consecutive year, this grey Holsteiner mare by Riverman, has won the CIC3* at The Event at Rebecca Farm rising from fifth after cross-country to first with an accurately ridden round over the Marc Donovan designed show jumping course. Katie Ruppel and Houdini took down just one rail to move up to second ahead of Katie Groesbeck and Oz The Tin Man who moved...

Show season keeps moving forward and the scores keep coming in. At the last WSH show, the high score rider, Linda Coates-Markle, received a whopping 76% on NAWD Level 3 Test 1 (that is the western equivalent of USDF First Level) riding her Quarter Horse mare. Once again, this last weekend, shows featuring Western Dressage classes were held all over the country and WD riders on both sides of the nation received the highest Phyllis Ray and Starr in the warm-up (Darcia Drapeau) scores recorded at...

Thanks to everyone who took the time to send emails to USEF and for sharing your thoughts and feelings about the direction Western Dressage should take. It is so important to hear and listen to different ideas from all directions as the discipline develops. At this point all there is to do is continue to ride and train and show, and most important, to have fun with our horses. With another show coming up this weekend for us, I have put a lot of thought into the questions the last show brought...

A couple weeks ago a friend and I attended a WSH Dressage Show halfway across the state to ride the NAWD tests. The weather was gorgeous, the drive uneventful, the horses well behaved. The show was at a beautiful facility, with a qualified judge I trust to evaluate our western dressage horses. My stallion was perfectly behaved even in the warm-up area with the little ponies and their tiny children. Sounds like a perfect horse show weekend huh? It was, but for one thing. I was confused! For the...

Tuesday June 11, 3013 will be the last day USEF will hear comments via email regarding the choice of organizations that will represent Western Dressage as the official recognized affiliate organization. This is a critical time in the development of the discipline and your input is very important whether you are a western rider, a dressage enthusiast, judge, breeder, trainer, or participant in any aspect of the equine industry. NAWD President Jen Johnson shares the following food for thought:...

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...

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...

Note to Self: 1. Prepare classical instructor that you will be appearing before him in western tack and riding an Appaloosa stallion, NOT your third level Westfalen import and 2. Don’t ride in a clinic without a photographer A long time ago, in a galaxy far, far away…. I got a book from the library called The Schooling of the Western Horse by John Richard Young. It was published in 1945 (practically the dark ages) and outlined progressive training for western horses. Critically...

As with all new things, as they develop, there are certain glitches and bugs that inevitably crop up. NAWD reviewed its 2012 tests for 2013 and has corrected errors and last week the WDAA announced that there were errors in calculating the point totals on some of their tests. An important notice to competitors who have ridden USEF Morgan Tests at 2013 shows came out in the WDAA newsletter and emails to members. They “…discovered minor errors in preparing the WDAA Western Dressage...

Recently on the NAWD Facebook page, discussion has centered on the terms “connection” and “collection” with riders, trainers and instructors piping in with comments. If you have not checked in with the Facebook discussions on the websites for all the organizations, I encourage you to do so. All of these comments are so valuable! This is a critical conversation and is truly at the root of the discussion that surrounds WD videos that are currently out there. Dressage...