At the 2013 United States Equestrian Federation Mid-Year Board Meeting held July 22 in Lexington, Kentucky, members of the Board of Directors approved two proposed rule changes that will become effective in 2013. Effective December 1, 2013 , the following rule has been approved: GR 414 Prohibited Practices 1. No injectable substances may be administered to any horse or pony within 12 hours prior to competing, with the following three exceptions subject to paragraph 2 below: a. Therapeutic...

Buffalo, NY - The Buffalo International Horse Show will host its 67th annual hunter/jumper competition this fall at the Buffalo Therapeutic Riding Center. The show will be held from September 11-15, 2013 in downtown Buffalo, NY. The show will take place in the indoor arena of the Buffalo Equestrian Center, the home of the Buffalo Therapeutic Riding Center (BTRC) and SBS Farms, Inc. The Buffalo International Horse Show (BIHS) is known for its large variety of hunter and jumper divisions,...

Kristen VanderVeen and Bull Run's Eternal (Mary Adelaide Brakenridge) Parker, CO - The crown jewel of the Summer in the Rockies six-week series, the $50,000 Parker Adventist Hospital Grand Prix, was held on Saturday afternoon. It was Military Day at the Colorado Horse Park, honoring and welcoming military and first responders to enjoy family activities and great show jumping. Title sponsor Parker Adventist Hospital was on hand for helmet fittings and distribution of free riding helmets to...

Hannah Holik and Dahlila (Mary Adelaide Brakenridge for Phelps Media Group, Inc. ) Parker, CO - Hannah Holik is moving up the ranks in the jumpers and showing that she is capable of dominant performances in the hunter ring as well. She and Czech Mate LLC's Dahlila notched two wins on Wednesday and placed well on Thursday to secure the championship in the 3'6" Performance Working Hunters, with Ashley Keeler and Emma Willsky's Simply Said taking the reserve. "She was really good...

Lexington, KY - The SmartPak North American Junior and Young Riders’ Reining Championship reached fever pitch today with the Team competition for Juniors and Young Riders at the Alltech Arena at the Kentucky Horse Park. With Gold medals for both nations in respective divisions, the top of the podium and hardware was evenly divided at the North American Championship today with Team USA South Central taking gold in the Junior division and Team Canada golden in the Young Rider division. With...

Lexington, KY - The 2013 Adequan/FEI North American Junior & Young Rider Championships presented by Gotham North (NAJYRC) is proud to welcome 222 young athletes from across the United States, Canada, and Mexico that will compete in five disciplines over the next five days to this annual championship event. The NAJYRC is held at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, KY. Today, the NAJYRC hosted the athletes, along with their trainers, friends, and family at the Opening Ceremonies, along with...

Note to self: The Boy Scout motto “Be Prepared” applies to many things. When teaching a WD clinic be prepared for anything! This week’s blog comes from Vancouver Washington on the Columbia River where the “Discover Western Dressage” clinic is being held as a fundraiser for Silver Buckle Ranch. The Buckle is a non-profit youth ranch that houses Clark County’s disabled riding program. It is a pleasure to be here and to know that the clinic proceeds will be used...

Ashlee Bond and Agrostar shined in round one and braved the rain in round two for their win in Saturday’s $33,000 ASHCOR Technologies Cup (Spruce Meadows Media Services) Calgary, AB – Ashlee Bond (USA) and Agrostar earned an exciting victory in the $33,000 ASHCOR Technologies Cup 1.50m competition on Saturday during day three of the ‘Pan American’ Tournament at Spruce Meadows. The pair led a five-horse jump-off out of 37 competitors to win over Canada’s Kara Chad and...

Victoria Colvin on Inclusive (The Book, LLC) Lake Placid, NY - Victoria Colvin of Loxahatchee, FL rode Betsee Parker's Inclusive to the win in the $15,000 USHJA International Hunter Derby Presented by Eastern Hay & Purina Animal Nutrition at the 36th annual I Love New York Horse Show, Presented by Sea Shore Stables, LLC. This marks the second straight year that Colvin and Inclusive have taken the title. Colvin and Inclusive dominated the competition, winning both the first round with a...

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...