On Sunday 13 November, Horse Handler Greg Powell won The Way Of The Horse at Equitana in front of thousands of spectators at Sydney Olympic Park. The Way of the Horse is a pressure test over three-days. Greg was just one of three Australian leading horse trainers who demonstrated their specialised skills in starting young horses. All three of the trainers were able to successfully ride a previously unhandled 2-year-old horse in three days. This feat was accomplished in only 75 minutes each day, under very strict rules about how much time each trainer could spend with the horse. ...

Olympian Heath Ryan took a big gamble last night when he decided to try out new music for the Dressage Grand Prix Freestyle at the Equestrian Grand Final – but that gamble paid off when he took out the inaugural title at the Sydney Showgrounds in front of a packed house. The shake up to the routine certainly impressed the judges with Heath and Regardez Moi finishing on 71.950% ahead of New Zealand’s Louisa Hill and Bates Antonello (70.275%) and Chantal Wiggan and Ferero (69.475%). ...

Another big day at Equitana done and dusted! Today's highlights included the Edward Gal and Hans Peter Minderhoud Dressage Clinic, held in the Dome arena this morning, which was hugely popular and enjoyed by all who attended. The Way of the Horse took over the Dome arena again this afternoon, with the competition hotting up! By the end of the day Greg Powell was riding his little horse around bareback, with a roller and saddle pad. David Manchon and Dan Maloney were getting on well with theirs and both had saddles on, but hadn't mounted up at this stage. ...

Tonight's Equestrian Grand Final Jumping Grand Prix saw a 4000 strong crowd cheering on competitors over a tight and exciting indoor course, featuring similarly challenging conditions to those found at the big European jumping shows! Fifteen of Australia's top showjumpers battled it out in the first round, with Cathy Graham and Da Vinci's Pride being the only clear. Ten horses went into the jump off and the rails continued to topple until Amanda Madigan riding Oakes Altes came out and pulled off a lovely clear, leaving her on her first round score of 12 faults. There was more bad luck for competitors until third last to jump, David Dobson riding As Akon, also managed a very nice clear, which left him on four faults. ...

Today was another huge day at Equitana with so much to see and do you seriously need a head on swivel and the ability to be in 10 places at once! On the competition front, the day started with the Equestrian Grand Final CDI-W Grand Prix Dressage in the Dome Arena, which was a joy to watch, with some top dressage horses performing. A very excited Louisa Hill and Bates Antonello (who are both Kiwis) were the winners of this prestigious event with a score of 68.468%, ...

The atmosphere was electric tonight when the first night of Equitana kicked off in style with the Open Reining Championships! Loud rock and country music, top horses, plenty of fast riding and super sliding gave the enthusiastic Equitana crowd heaps to cheer about and cheer they did, making sure the riders knew how much we were appreciating their runs. ...

Beautiful Arabian Horses took over the outdoor competition arena at Equitana today, competing in a variety of events. I personally enjoyed the Costume classes which showcases the Arabian's beauty and colourful history! ...

Stacy Westfall first rode into fame on Whizards Baby Doll (Roxy) at the 2006 Reining Championships in the USA, where she performed freestyle reining on the black mare bridleless and saddleless, to the Tim McGraw song, Live Like You Were Dyin'. Stacy and the lovely Roxy instantly became stars! Even those who weren't fortunate enough to be there for the actual performance, were soon able to watch it over and over on YouTube. Horse people around the world were inspired by the amazing girl and her black mare. ...

Congratulations to Jamie Inglis and Present A Playboy on winning the Open Non Pro Cutting this morning! Jamie and Present A Playboy scored 146.5 to win ahead of Kim Campbell and Lucifex on 144 and Ray Holden riding Little Miss Stylish on 142.5. The Open Pro Cutting followed with some good runs. Rob Hodgman and Undercover Girl and Corey Holden riding Six Spins both finishing with a score of 148, resulting in the need for a run off, which was won by Rob Hodgman when he did a super run to score 149 ahead of Corey on 147, with third place going to Corey as well on Reys Ya Garter with 146.5. ...

Preliminary findings from the post mortem on Hickstead, Eric Lamaze’s 2008 Olympic gold medal horse that died during the Rolex FEI World Cup™ Jumping qualifier at Verona (ITA) on 6 November, have confirmed an aortic rupture, resulting in heart failure. Further tests are to be conducted to establish the cause of the rupture, but these tests will take a number of weeks to complete and may prove inconclusive. The 15-year-old stallion collapsed and died after completing his round of jumping with just four faults. Eric Lamaze (CAN) was uninjured in the incident. ...