Dressage News Notes - Brought to You by Mary Phelps, a Markel Equine Insurance Specialist

The FEI is looking to balance out the three teams of dressage, eventing and show jumping by making each team a foursome with three to count. Western Dressage is still making a steady trek to popularity with the Western States Cowboy Dressage Weekend. American bred Encanto XI has competed quite successfully for Spain in Europe but now is headed home to a new owner. Miniature horses have continued to be integrated into state and federal laws as service/guide animals with the same permissions as service dogs. Imagine seeing one on a plane or in a restaurant!This week the WEF Dressage Classic CDI 3* will take place in Wellington. Florida will also have the Deep South Dressage and Combined Training Association Northwest Florida Chapter Classic I St. Jude Benefit Show in Cottondale. South Carolina has the other show in the south with the Southern Comfort Show in Aiken. Up in the mid-west we have the Lake Erie College Dressage March in Concord Twp, OH and the Majestic Farm March Madness Dressage III in Batavia, OH. Heading out west we have the Tucson March Madness Dressage Show and March Madness II in Tucson, AZ and the Las Vegas Dressage Spring Fling I in Las Vegas, NV. California rounds out the action with the Spring Dressage at Hansen Dam in Lake View Terrace and the Yarra Yarra Dressage March in Pleasanton.

In an effort to equalize the U.S. international teams, the FEI has a proposal on the table that will be presented at the FEI Sports Forum next month in Switzerland. The proposal is to have fewer eventers which in the London Games was at 5 (while the dressage team had only 3). The number of eventers and dressage riders will become 4 for each allowing for a drop score. Check out more here....

Hampton Green Farm's homebred Encanto XI is on his way back to the US after a successful career in Europe. Competed from 2007 by Spain's Jose Daniel Martin Dockx the gorgeous gelding sired by Evento had much success with a Reserve Championship Developing horse in 2009 then moved to Grand Prix at 9-years-old. Check out more about Encanto at Eurodressage.com.

No matter how you feel about it, Western Dressage continues to gain momentum and a strong fan base. The Western States Cowboy Dressage Weekend was held in February in Medford Oregon presented by the Oregon Western Dressage Association. The event had informative talks and some of the topics touched on are some of the same things we think about in traditional dressage - the dangers of hyperflexion, not being afraid of the contact and getting some life in the gaits to allow for engagement. Read more here to see what the sport is about.

Miniature Horses continue to gain respect as service animals when a bill was recently introduced in the Arizona Legislature. The bill allows the mini's to be added into the state law that would allow them to be treated the same as service dogs. House Bill 2401 passed the AZ House of Representatives on February 26 and was apporved by the Senate Commerce, Energy and Military Committee on March 13. Check out what this means for the new members of the service animals.

Mary Phelps (mary@horsesdaily.com) is a Markel Equine Insurance Specialist and CSR Tracey Scharf (tracey@horsesdaily.com) provide the personal attention needed to help make the lives of their clients smooth and easy when it comes to the process of insuring your Farm, business and equine mortality needs. While Mary travels to the shows and barns, you can count on Tracey in the office to be available to answer questions and manage the details with ease. 1-800-572-3286.