Following her victory in Thursday’s Sydney CDI Grand Prix, Sheridyn Ashwood said she and her stallion Prestige VDL would only get better as the competition progressed. And she was right. Ashwood’s prediction came true at today’s Australian Sports Commission Grand Prix Special where together with the 16 year old bay stallion she took out the title with a super performance which blitzed the field. The Queensland based rider and her mount scored a personal best 70.37 and were the only duo to score over 70 per cent. The next best placed combination was Rozzie Ryan and GV Bullwinkle who scored 66.72. Ashwood is delighted to win but even more thrilled to achieve a mark with a seven in front of it. “I was in shock, I rode the horse down to the stables and the girls came in running and cheering. Then they told me I’d scored over 70 per cent and I was so excited.”

It is with great sadness that the British Equestrian Federation and British Dressage announce the untimely passing of para-equestrian dressage rider Joanne Pitt. A World Class Performance rider, Jo, 34, has represented Great Britain up to Paralympic level and was a regular Grade II national and international competitor with notable success. With her long term partner Estralita, owned by her parents Robert and Hazel Pitt, she claimed the Grade II title at British Dressage’s winter championships less than a month ago. Jo, who was being treated for a very rare lung condition, pulmonary veno-occlusive disease, died peacefully on Thursday (02 May) afternoon with her family beside her.

In 1975 Judy Yancey was a “dreamy eyed kid” who wanted a different kind of horse. She saw a small ad in the Chronicle of the Horse for a Trakehner Stallion for sale, imported from Germany, who was up in Canada.  With her father’s help, she went to the library to research Trakehnen, an East Prussian region from which the breed takes its name. Yancey bought the stallion Beaute', and brought one of the first warmbloods west of the Mississippi when she was located in Texas, which began her odyssey as one of the first and foremost breeders in America of German Sporthorses. Christophe Hinkel, breeding manager at the renowned Performance Sales International, Germany, home of the majority of the worlds’ top breeding stallions, has this to say about Judy Yancey. "At PSI we have had a long and successful relationship working with Yancey Farms. Judy Yancey understands the importance of the quality services required for assuring the best results when using imported semen for mares. We are proud of our relationship with Yancey Farms and contributing to the breeding programs in America." Yancey Farms, in Ocala, Florida is one of the pioneers in the American Sporthorse breeding Industry. While she likes to consider herself as “flying under the radar” Yancey is the first and foremost broker of imported semen for top stallions, which she has listed on her website. Her magic touch for getting mares in foal have made her the “go to girl” for aspiring and established breeders in the USA.

Wellington, FL – She's been called the 'fashionista' of the dressage ring and eq-forum boards lit up with stylish approval when Mary-Cameron Rollins sported a medium dark grey shadbelly with pale pink accents while riding her elegant black mare Rose Noir 2 to third place in last year's Brentina Cup. But great style isn't just a hobby, it's her signature as she prepares to graduate in June from the Art Institute of Pittsburgh with a degree in Retail Management and Merchandising. No less than longtime New Jersey equestrian beat reporter, Nancy Jaffer, also mentioned her stand-out style at the 2012 Dressage Festival of Champions: “Mary was wearing a stunning pinstriped gray shadbelly with pink collar and vest points, to match her post-ride pink baseball cap with ShowChic written in rhinestones. ShowChic is where she got the outfit, and Mary isn’t alone in stylish turnout as dressage goes beyond black and a little bling on spurs. Colors have become a big deal. Having ShowChic as a mentor has been great preparation for gaining experience towards my career. I had a blast on the buying trips,” Rollins confesses with a shopinista's grin.