Waco, Tx. – The National Collegiate Equestrian Association on Friday announced its October Riders of the Month, recognizing outstanding performances from the second month of the 2013-14 collegiate equestrian season. South Carolina’s Katherine Schmidt was named the October Equitation Over Fences Rider of the Month. She posted a 4-0 record in equitation over fences in the month of October with two MVP honors. Three of her four wins and one of her two MVPs came in away meets. On Oct....

Lexington, Ky. - The much-anticipated start of the US Dressage Finals presented by Adequan® became official today when the first horses trotted down arena centerlines at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, KY. As the inaugural national head-to-head competition for Adult Amateur and Open riders from Training Level to Grand Prix, hundreds of exhibitors from coast to coast have gathered to share in what for many will be a once-in-a-lifetime experience. Today 16 non-championship "USDF...

Jim, Harry, and Carolyn Sebring with CBMF Crown Prince, the 2013 World Champion Park Harness. (Photo © Abbie Trexler) Shelburne, Vt. - The best of the best in the Morgan breed was celebrated in Oklahoma City for the 2014 edition of the Grand National & World Championship Morgan Horse Show®, October 12-19. Since 1973, this show has represented the pinnacle of achievement in the Morgan horse world. More than 1,000 of the world's finest Morgan horses from across the United States,...

Storyteller and Ashton Alexander (Shawn McMillen Photography) Washington, D.C. - The 55th annual Washington International Horse Show (WIHS) concluded competition at Verizon Center in downtown Washington D.C. on Sunday, October 27, with the presentation of championship awards in the pony hunter divisions. Storyteller, owned by Samantha Kasowitz and ridden by Barbara Ann Merryman and Ashton Alexander, earned the Grand Pony Hunter Championship. Daisy Farish was named Best Child Rider on a Pony....

Kent Farrington and Blue Angel (Shawn McMillen Photography) Washington, D.C. - Kent Farrington (USA) and Robin Parsky's Blue Angel beat out Brianne Goutal (USA) and Remarkable Farms' Nice de Prissey in an exciting one-on-one jump-off for victory in Saturday night's $125,000 President's Cup Grand Prix CSI 3*-W presented by Events DC at the 55th annual Washington International Horse Show (WIHS). The FEI World Cup qualifying grand prix was a highlight event of the week at WIHS,...

Tim Gredley and Unex Valente clear 2.10m. (Shawn McMillen Photography) Washington, D.C. - The 55th annual Washington International Horse Show (WIHS) continued on Friday, October 25, with a exciting day of hunter, jumper, and equitation competition at Verizon Center in Washington, D.C. The $25,000 Open Jumper Puissance, presented by The Boeing Company, was the highlight class of the evening with a win for Great Britain's Tim Gredley and Unex Competition Yard's Unex Valente, clearing the...

Lexington, Ky. - During the USEF Mid-Year Board Meeting held on July 22, 2013 in Lexington, Kentucky, the Board of Directors voted to amend Bylaws and change the Federation's governance structure. Effective January 9, 2014, the Board of Directors will be streamlined to 19 members from the current 54. A chart depicting the new structure is available here . The new Board of Directors will include the three national officers; President Chrystine Tauber, Vice-President Ellen DiBella, and...

Abigael Kaufman and Ivanhoe (©Shawn McMillen Photography) Washington, D.C . - The 55th annual Washington International Horse Show (WIHS) hosted its opening day at Verizon Center in downtown Washington, D.C. on Tuesday with a full day of hunter competition. The professional and amateur-owner riders showed throughout the day in the first classes of their divisions and will conclude their competition for championship honors on Wednesday. The children's and adult hunter riders competed for...

Welcome to the fourth installment of a different kind of blog from WDAA! The purpose of this post is to allow the reader "into the heads" of both a trainer/judge/competitor, Karen Abbattista and her student, Deborah Herbert, a Florida WDAA member. We would like to share with you some moments in Deb's journey as she pursues her riding goals with her AQHA mare "GenuineArcticSpring", barn name "Belle". Please enjoy as you follow along with these posts that we consider interesting or...

Conor Swail and GAME READY (photo © AlCookPhoto.com) Harrisburg, Pa. - It was a thrilling finale on the last night of the Pennsylvania National Horse Show as many of the world's top riders competed in the $85,000 FEI World Cup Grand Prix De Penn National. You could hear the crowd collectively hold its breath as each horse sped around the course, but it was Irish rider Conor Swail and GAME READY who pulled out all the stops to clinch the win. Twenty four competitors attempted course designer...