Mija Paris on 6-year-old Andalusian Stallion, Kamiakan (Photo by Katie Hill). Lincoln, NE - The Dressage Foundation's Continuing Education for Dressage Instructors Fund has awarded a $1,250 grant to Mija Paris (OR) to help her attend the United States Dressage Federation's Instructor Certification Program. Mija said, "This funding will be used to attend Instructor Certification workshops, and will help expand my dressage education as a rider, trainer, instructor, and judge. It will...

Saugerties, NY - Last week, HITS-on-the-Hudson ran 11 simultaneous rings and welcomed over 1,700 horses to its Saugerties show grounds, rising to the top of summer show jumping and paving the way for two more weeks of sold-out shows. Grand Prix and Hunter Prix riders alike continue on the road to qualifying for the Pfizer $1 Million Grand Prix and Diamond Mills $500,000 Hunter Prix Final as exhibitors continue to flock to Saugerties for Weeks V and VI. High-Performance riders shine at...

Started off the day with a nice bath for Smartie, which she greatly appreciated. Her ankle looked really good this morning with only minor swelling, but just for a precaution, we wrapped her back up in ice until we were called for the jog. My team went first, and of the three of us, Smartie was second. We entered the ring for the jog and began walking as directed. Looking back, it was very obvious that I was extremely nervous. The entire time I was talking to my dad about how worried I was...

Lexington, KY - Temperatures soared, but dressage competitors managed to keep their cool as the 2011 Adequan/FEI North American Junior & Young Rider Championships presented by Gotham North kicked off today at the Kentucky Horse Park. This is the third year the championships have been held at the Kentucky venue, which was the site of the 2010 Alltech/FEI World Equestrian Games last fall. Region 5 Took the Gold medal in the Young Rider competition. Photo by SusanJStickle.com. The day began...

We arrived at the venue today! Our horses had already arrived, so we dove into our first day at the Kentucky Horse Park! We arranged team shirts, walked out our horses, and began organizing for the race this Friday. It was hard work, since we had just come back into the humidity, and I’d done a 120 kilometer race two days before, not to mention the jet lag! But the trip with the United States Endurance Team for the Trial Run of the Endurance World Championship was worth it! I ended up in...

Well, we finally made it to Lexington yesterday around noon. My dad and I came as the “advance crew” to make sure everything would be ready for our team’s horses when they got here. We got all the bedding and the stall signs put up and everything else we could think of. Mr. Randy had an ETA of around 1 A.M. As it sometimes happens, things did not go quite according to plan. They rolled into the park around 5 o’clock this morning, exhausted from the all-night drive. So,...

Ashlee Bond and Chivas Z won the 1.40m Open Jumper class at the Kentucky Summer Horse Show (Photo: Kenneth Kraus/PhelpsSports.com). Lexington, KY - It was beautiful and sunny for the opening day of the Kentucky Summer Horse Shows at the Kentucky Horse Park. Today, riders gathered at the Walnut Ring to compete for top prizes in the Open Jumper classes. Ashlee Bond and Chivas Z were the big winners, claiming the victory in the 1.40m Open Jumper class with the fastest clear effort. In the 1.35m...

Lexington, KY — Every year USA Equestrian Trust provides grants to equine non-profits. This year a total of $198,822 was awarded to 10 projects. More than 61 percent of 2011 grant funds went to the United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) with the bulk of that going to its Equine Health Research Fund, which coordinates research to benefit all equine breeds and disciplines. Other monies went to programs of merit to help people with disabilities, create or expand educational opportunities...

Para-Equestrians bidding to compete at the London 2012 Paralympic Games can now apply for funding as part of a brand new grant scheme to help with training expenses. Eurovestech plc, the pan-European development capital fund, has put up a €25,500 grant to support 15 equestrian athletes around the world as they prepare for London 2012. The grants, which will be distributed by the FEI, will be available to riders who have not won medals at the Paralympics, World Championships or World...

Combined Driver Chester Weber, America’s reigning four-in-hand driving champion, shows his winning form in the Four-In-Hand competition at the Riesenbeck CAI. (Photo courtesy of My Elisabeth Weber). Riesenbeck, Germany – If you are superstitious you might credit combined driving champion Chester Weber’s fourth winning weekend in Europe to his team’s “four lucky rabbit’s feet.” Team Weber’s companion mascot, a hefty black rabbit named Kainzi, joined them...