Dressage News Notes Brought to You by Back on Track Products

The 2011 Collecting Gaits/USEF Dressage Festival of Champions is well under way with Steffen Peters in the lead with a 77% in the FEI Grand Prix (at the time of this writing)! There are 6 National Titles up for grabs this weekend so all eyes are on Gladstone... In Germany, the Bundeschampionate was held at the beginning of September with spectacular horses going head to head for the title! Great Britain has announced new helmet rules in dressage similar to that of the U.S. Been training your new show star? Get some tips on how to introduce them to a show atmosphere. In Health, can a horse do yoga? You bet! Check out this Arabian's yoga poses! Lastly, MCU college of Veterinary Medicine has developed a better way for vets to collect samples for EPM testing that help lessen the risk to your horse.



This week there is much at stake as the 2011 Collecting Gaits Farm/USEF Dressage Festival of Champions and USEF Dressage Selection Trial for the 2011 Pan American Games gets under way in Gladstone, New Jersey. Six National titles are up for grabs and the talent line up is incredible! This weekend also begins the Regional Championships with Region 4 in Mason City, IA. The rest of the country is busy as well with the south hosting several shows including the VADAF Dressage At Rose Mount I and II in Spotsylvania, VA, VADA/NOVA Autumn I in Leesburg, VA, Border Line Dressage in Tryon, NC, MSEDA Dressage At The Kentucky Horse Park I and II in Lexington, KY, Poplar Place Farm September Dressage in Hamilton, GA and the Dressage at Greystone Equestrian Center in Lynnville, TN. California will also have several shows with the 14th Annual DASC Championship Show in Somis, Dressage Derby V in Vacaville, CHR Fall Festival Dressage in Ramona and the Yarra Yarra Dressage September in Pleasanton. Elsewhere the is the Oregon Dressage Society Open and Championship in Sherwood, OR, San Antonio Fall Dressage I and II in San Antonio, TX, Cayuga Dressage and CT, Inc. in Horseheads, NY and the Aloha State Dressage Society (ASDS) VII and VIII in Waimanalo, HI.

Well the 2011 Collecting Gaits Farm/USEF Dressage Festival of Champions is under way in Gladstone, NJ with classes that started this morning at 8:00. For anyone lucky enough to attend there is a star studded cast on hand to vie for the National Championship as well as a chance to represent the U.S. at the 2011 Pan American Games in Guadalajara, Mexico. The show also has the Intermediare-I Championships. A total of 6 National Titles will be contested over the weekend. This is one show you don't want to miss the coverage on! Check it out!

The 2011 Bundeschampionate was held August 31-September 4 in Warendorf, Germany. The competition final for the 6-year-olds was a thriller with the winner coming down to two outstanding horses, South African owned Hanoverian stallion Callaho's Benicio and the Rheinlander licensed Damon Jerome H both of which broke the magical mark of 9! Check out the rest of this story and the coverage of the 5-year-old finals at Eurodressage.com.

You've been training your young dressage prospect and they are excelling and now it is time to take the next step to competition. Anyone who has dealt with a green horse in its first show enviroment can tell you that it can sometimes be an unpredictable and stressful time. HorseChannel.com has several very practical tips on how to bridge the gap between home and show grounds for your youngster that can help ease the transition. Check out the tips!

Great Britain has announced that there will be mandatory Helmet rules going into place December 1st which will be similar to the rules that were put into place by the United States Equestrian Federation. Member feedback has been mostly in favor of the new rule, which will still allow for use of a top hat in pre-test and actual test for the FEI classes. Read Here for More Info...

Fun! When Linda Guanti was taking a break from mucking stalls doing some Yoga strtches to relieve the pain in her back, she was truly amazing to see who joined in....her 17-year-old Arabian gelding, Lewis! The horse has actually learned complex poses that his owner has taught him and the once stiff joints is Lewis are so much better - he now continues to compete in both dressage and jumping! See Linda and Lewis do the poses here!

For horses suffering from neurological disease such as equine protozoal myeloencephalitis (EPM) often need a cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) tap to help determine if the symptoms are indeed caused by EPM. Many horse owners are not comfortable with the procedure that involve collecting a sample at the base of the spine near the tail or at the base of the skull. Well veterinarians at MSU's College of Veterinary Medicine have developed a new procedure that is safer and most vets have access to what is needed. Read more of the report from Horse & Hound here!