Week in Review - U.S. Equestrian

2007 Winter Equestrian Festival Nutrena/Western Hay Wellington Classic Wrap-Up, January 31-February 4

The second week of the Winter Equestrian Festival, the CSI2** Nutrena/Western Hay Wellington Classic, saw a total of 58 competitors line up to attempt the challenging track devised by Canadian course designer and 1976 Olympic Silver-medalist, Michel Vaillancourt. Laura Chapot and Little Big Man held it together for the win.

Riding eighth in the order, Mario Deslauriers kept Canadian hopes alive for a second consecutive Sunday victory by posting a clear round with his Belgian-bred mare, Naomi. His faultless performance was immediately duplicated by Laura Chapot and Little Big Man to ensure a jump-off.

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The triathletes of the equestrian world return to Galway Downs for the FEI Eventing World Cup on March 30-April 1, 2007.

An international field that will included hundreds of riders from around the world and their very talented horses will compete for points, prestige and prizes at Galway Downs, a world class equestrian facility in Temecula that has hosted the prestigious World Cup Series events for the past four years.

This year’s FEI Children’s International Jumping Final will be held in Jalapa, Mexico, December 3-8, 2007. The final for children between the ages of 12 and 14 as defined by FEI rules brings together riders from various nations around the world, not only to compete, but also to meet their peers from other cultures.

Qualifiers for this final will be held at the Florida Classic/WCHR Spectacular February 21-25, 2007, and the Oaks Blenheim Fall Tournament September 12-16, 2007.

More information about the FEI Children’s International Jumping Final can be found on the Federation’s website at www.usef.org/content/equestrianSports/disciplines/allJumping.php.

Please direct questions to Jennifer Haydon, Director of Show Jumping, National Programs, at (859) 225-6911 or jhaydon@usef.org.

The Budweiser Live Oak International will take place March 22-25, 2007 in Ocala, FL. It is a USEF Selection Trial. For more information, contact s_gilliland@msn.com or visit www.cailiveoak.com.

Does the Horse Capital of the World Have a Mandate? Public is Asked to Assist Horses in Urgent Need of Rescue

“How can you promote what you degrade?” is the question of three-time Kentucky Derby-winning breeder Arthur Hancock. “We claim that Kentucky is the ‘Horse Capital of the World,’ and yet we continue to turn a blind eye to the plight of horses in peril.”

Hancock and his wife Staci own Stone Farm in Paris, KY, which bred Kentucky Derby winners Gato Del Sol, Sunday Silence and Fusaichi Pegasus. Both are on the frontline of the equine welfare/anti-slaughter movements and highly involved in the new Kentucky Equine Humane Center (KEHC), which is getting ready to open its doors to a waiting list of horses that are in immediate need of shelter.

Potomac Valley Dressage Association Hosts Fourth Annual Ride for Life and Dancing Horse Competition

The Potomac Valley Dressage Association will host its fourth Annual Ride for Life recognized dressage horse show, a fund raiser for the Johns Hopkins Breast Cancer Center in Baltimore, MD. The show will be held on June 30-July 1 at the Prince Georges Equestrian Center in Upper Marlboro, MD.

American Hunter-Jumper Foundation to Host 11th Annual Hunter Classic Spectacular

On February 24, 2007, from 7:00-10:00 p.m., the American Hunter-Jumper Foundation (AHJF) will host its 11th Annual Hunter Classic Spectacular to be held at the Winter Equestrian Festival in Wellington, FL. The battle is on to qualify for this no entry fee event that showcases the top national amateur, junior and professional show hunter riders under the lights in the beautiful Internationale Arena. The Jockey Club Pavilion is where the party will be happening for the AHJF’s major fundraising dinner.

Kentucky Governor Urges Improvements to the Kentucky Horse Park; Improvements to Double Park’s Attendance and Economic Impact

Governor Ernie Fletcher announced his support for the funding of three major improvements at the Kentucky Horse Park: a new outdoor stadium, an expansion of the new covered equine arena and comprehensive improvements of the park’s 30-year-old road network.

The park will be the site of the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games—a quadrennial event never before held outside Europe. The facilities are needed to accommodate a doubling of the park’s attendance and annual economic impact, as anticipated in an analysis by park officials.

It took Mel Gibson’s Braveheart nearly three-hours to serve up epic action. But at the $35,000 Jacksonville A-Z Grand Prix presented by Outback Steakhouse, which closed out Week III of competition at the Jacksonville Winter Series, Braveheart, ridden by classic horseman Bjorn Ikast, turned in some epic thrills in under 40 seconds.

Ikast and the 11-year-old Holsteiner gelding that he owns and trains, bested eight jump-off contenders with a clear go in the seven-obstacle final round that challenged riders with a hairpin turn or two and a swift pace.

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The Kentucky Equine Education Project (KEEP) has designated February as its fundraising and membership month. The organization hopes to receive funds or pledges totaling $850,000 during the month, as well as renew its current memberships of more than 10,000.

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.

The United States Department of Agriculture’s (USDA) National Animal Health Surveillance System (NAHSS) is a network of many federal and state government agencies integrated into a comprehensive and coordinated system of animal health monitoring and surveillance. The overall goal of the system is to collect, collate and analyze animal health information and to promptly distribute this information. The program is intended to improve the protection of the national animal health and to increase the efficiency of existing animal health surveillance programs.

Beautifully Hand-Crafted USEF Leather Bags Made Exclusively by Freedman Harness, Canada

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.