Week in Review - U.S. Equestrian

New USEF Dressage Developing Programs and Championships to Create a Pipeline for U.S. Talent

The United States Equestrian Federation, Inc.®, announces the launch of new USEF Dressage Developing Programs. The new 2007 USEF Dressage Developing Programs are an initiative to recognize and reward up-and-coming talent in the sport, and will include the following:

• 2007 USEF National Junior Dressage Championship (riders 14-18). Formerly the Junior Team Dressage Championship, the top 12 junior riders in the country will now qualify for the national championship contested in head-to-head competition.
• 2007 USEF National Young Rider Dressage Championship. A brand new national championship offered to riders 16-21.
• 2007 USEF National Young Adult “Brentina Cup” Dressage Championship (riders 18-26 at the FEI Intermediaire II level). The second year for this well-received national championship.
• 2007 USEF National Developing Horse Dressage Championship. This will be a new national championship division for seven- to nine-year-old horses at the FEI Prix St. Georges level.

Maureen Pethick has joined the United States Equestrian Federation as Dressage High-Performance Coordinator. She will work two days a week from the USEF Gladstone, NJ, office and will be responsible for processing all high--performance athlete applications for international events; answering athlete/owner questions about those competitions; coordinating travel logistics; competition at an event; and administering USEF athlete grants.

United States Eventing Association/Spalding Labs Young Event Horse Series Set to Kick Off 2007 Season; Tentative Schedule Announced

The United States Eventing Association (USEA)/Spalding Labs Young Event Horse Series will kick off its 2007 season on March 14 at the Sporting Days in Aiken Horse Trials in Aiken, SC.

The series, which is best described as an equine talent search, gives some of the most talented youngsters in the country a chance to shine, with the ultimate goal to find future four-star champions. At least 20 qualifying competitions are planned for 2007, with the championships scheduled for September 12, at Lamplight Equestrian Center in Wayne, IL, leading into the start of the Wellpride American Eventing Championships, which will take place at the same site, September 13-16.

It's not too late to honor your favorite rider, horse or trainer with a congratulatory ad in the March 2007 issue of EQUESTRIAN magazine. The deadline to schedule an ad has been extended to February 7!This special keepsake issue will feature the 2006 Farnam®/Platform™ USEF Horse of the Year award winners. This is also a great time to offer your horse for sale or publicize your facility or stallion. As a USEF member you receive:

The first week of the 2007 Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF) concluded on January 28, at the Palm Beach Polo Equestrian Club in Wellington, FL. Hot off their win in Thursday's $25,000 WEF Challenge Cup I, Canada's Ian Millar and Redefin returned to the winner's circle on Sunday, January 28, after taking victory in the $35,000 WEF/PBIEC Cup.

The evening of Friday, January 26, saw the first of a new series of symposiums, “Ask the Judges,” presented by the United States Hunter Jumper Association (USHJA) and hosted by Katie Young of Coriander Farm. Close to 60 exhibitors, trainers and professional riders enjoyed an open discussion with three of the sport’s top-rated judges. Rob Bielefeld, Carl Hansen and Frank Willard were prepared to share hunter and equitation videos from both the Harrisburg and Devon Horse Shows with a little chatting afterwards, but they were pleasantly surprised to see an hour turn into almost three hours of questions and enlightenment for the participants.

2007 Winter Equestrian Festival and Littlewood Winter and Spring Circuits Join Forces to Offer Exhibitors a Wide Range of Showing Opportunities

In a joint effort, Stadium Jumping, Inc., the management company of the 2007 Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF), and Littlewood Horse Shows will offer exhibitors a greater variety in showing opportunities than ever before.

WEF runs January 24-March 18, 2007, in Wellington, FL, and then moves to the Bob Thomas Equestrian Center for two weeks of competition in Tampa, FL, March 28-April 7, 2007. WEF includes three new weeks of competition this year: the Littlewood PBI Inaugural, Littlewood Winter Circuit Finale and Littlewood President’s Day Equitation and Jumper Horse Show.

The American Saddlebred industry is mourning the loss of longtime Saddlebred breeder and exhibitor Barbara J. Blacklaw, who died Friday morning, January 26, in Palm Springs, CA.

Barbara and her husband of nearly 50 years, Bill Blacklaw, operated Singing Hills Stables in Oregon City, OR, for the past 39 years, breeding and training American Saddlebreds. Together, their contribution to the Saddlebred industry in the Northwest and across the country has been remarkable. Barbara's love of the American Saddlebred propelled her success as both a breeder and exhibitor. She was committed to the promotion of the breed and was admired by her peers and her friends for her pure enjoyment of competition, whether she was riding, driving or a spectator.

Week Two of the Jacksonville Winter Series Becomes International As New Zealand Pros Win Big

The second week of competition at the Jacksonville Winter Series proved to be a great one for newcomers to the series. Owner/rider Sharn Wordley’s first visit to the Jacksonville Winter Series got off to a blazing start with his 15-year-old Irish-bred gelding Quick Flash taking the victory in the Lucky Sevens Welcome Jumper Stake presented by the Grubb & Ellis Company on Thursday afternoon, January 25.

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The Kentucky Equine Education Project (KEEP) has relocated its office and is now part of the United States Pony Club headquarters building. Since its creation in 2004, KEEP had been housed in the United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) building at the Kentucky Horse Park. The U.S. Pony Club is next door to the USEF building.

Watch All Eight Rings of the Winter Equestrian Festival Live from Wellington, FL, on Your Computer from Anywhere in the World

Productions East Video, Stadium Jumping, Inc., the United States Equestrian Federation® (USEF) and LiveBroadcast.TV will be presenting eight channels of live video webcasting of the Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF) 2007 in Wellington, FL, and continuing in Tampa, FL, January 24–April 7, 2007.

This year’s Winter Equestrian Festival, the nation’s longest, consecutively running equestrian sporting event, celebrates its 35th year in Florida, and will offer more than $4-million in prize money.

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Call toll free today to order your USEF Leather Bags at (877) 256-7674 or visit www.freedmanharness.com.

The United States Equestrian Federation®, Inc. (USEF), as the National Equestrian Federation of the U.S., is the regulatory body for the Olympic and World Championship sports of dressage, driving, endurance, eventing, reining, show jumping, and vaulting, as well as 20 other breeds and disciplines of equestrian competition. As the country's largest multi-breed organization, the Federation has over 86,000 members and recognizes more than 2,800 competitions nationwide each year. It governs all aspects of competition, including educating and licensing all judges, stewards and technical delegates who officiate at these shows.

The vision of USEF is to provide leadership for equestrian sport in the United States of America, promoting the pursuit of excellence from the grass roots to the Olympic Games, based on a foundation of fair, safe competition and the welfare of its horses, and embracing this vision, to be the best national equestrian federation in the world.