Kate Shields (Pics of You)

Lexington, Kentucky – Advanced dressage tests at the Kentucky Classic CDE, which is hosting the United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) Singles and Four-in-Hand Driving National Championships, were held Thursday afternoon at the Kentucky Horse Park. When they were over, Kate Shields was atop the single horse leaderboard and Chester Weber set himself up for a tenth four-in-hand national championship. USEF National Single Horse ChampionshipKate Shields (Middleburg, Virginia) was the the first competitor in the single horse division Thursday and set the bar high enough that it proved unreachable. With Hastings Winslow she earned a 45.87 penalty score and will hold the lead entering Saturday’s marathon. Leslie Berndl (Newcastle, California) gave Shields a challenge and put herself in good position with a 46.29. Finishing third were Donna Crookston (Saltsburg, Pennsylvania) and RG Cowboy’s Black Cadillac on a score of 58.03. For full single horse results click here.

Chester Weber (Pics of You)

USEF National Four-in-Hand ChampionshipBefore competition Thursday the ring announcer joked that Chester Weber (Ocala, Florida) was going to interpret “four-in-hand” as literally as possible and drive his team with only one hand. He didn’t do that, but he did his best to put the competition out of reach by earning a stellar 33.74. He’ll be the first four-in-hand driver on the marathon course Saturday where he’ll look to further his lead. In second after dressage is James Fairclough (Newtown, New Jersey), he earned a 50.06. Sitting third is Casey Zubek (Manhattan, Illinois)with a score of 57.34. For full four-in-hand results click here. Follow the U.S. Driving team on USEF Network. For National Championship updates over the weekend search the hashtag #KentuckyClassicCDE on twitter.