Week in Review - U.S. Equestrian

2007 Rolex FEI World Cup Finals in Dressage and Show Jumping Ready for the Stage in Las Vegas

Riders from around the world have gathered to battle it out for the World Cup titles in dressage and show jumping at the 2007 Rolex FEI World Cup Finals in Las Vegas, NV, at the Thomas and Mack Center, and they are certainly ready to take to the stage. But before the curtain rises on the horses and riders, there was some unexpected news that could potentially shake up the final standings in the dressage competition.

Denmark’s Andreas Helgstrand announced in an afternoon press conference that his horse would not compete due to lameness. One of the favorites leading into the dressage competition, Blue Hors Matine, the striking 10-year-old grey Danish Warmblood that entertained and surprised the crowds at the 2006 FEI World Equestrian Games in Aachen, Germany, by taking the Individual Bronze and Silver in the grand prix special and the freestyle respectively, was pulled after the mare showed fluid gathering around her front left pastern.

For the USEF's Rolex FEI World Cup™ Section Online featuring athlete biographies, a daily blog from the event, and daily coverage from the event:

See all the action from the most exciting equestrian event in the country! For just $7.99 you get all four days of coverage of the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event Presented by Farnam on NBCSports.com. You can enjoy dressage on Thursday and Friday, the cross-country on Saturday and the show jumping finale on Sunday. All with multi-camera coverage throughout the course and commentary by Kerry Millikin, the 1996 Olympic individual Bronze Medalist and winner of the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event in 1987.

Athlete Portrait Campaign Debuts at Rolex FEI World Cup™ Finals with Poster Sales to Benefit USET Foundation

Sixteen extraordinary images measuring 4’ x 6’ of high-performance athletes who compete in the Olympic sports of dressage and show jumping will hang impressively in the walkway of the Thomas and Mack Arena in Las Vegas, NV, during the 2007 Rolex FEI World Cup™ Finals, marking the debut of the Athlete Portrait Campaign created by Director/Cinematographer Elma Garcia.

USEF Announces Partnership with Platinum Performance as “Official Sports Nutrition Supplement Company”

The United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) has formed a multi-year partnership with Platinum Performance, Inc., a California manufacturer of premium nutritional products for horses, companion animals and humans. Platinum Performance will be the “Official Sports Nutrition Supplement Company” and the title sponsor of the 2007 USEF Show Jumping Talent Search Program for both the East and West Coasts.

Full Coverage DVDs Available of the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event, Presented By Farnam

Complete unedited coverage of the 2007 Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event, presented by Farnam, will be available on a set of DVDs that will be produced daily during the competition.

This year’s Rolex Kentucky CCI****, an FEI Qualifying Competition and United States Equestrian Federation Selection Trial for the 2008 Olympic Games, returns to the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, KY, April 26-29. Separate DVDs of America’s only four-star three-day event will be available for each day of competition for $19.95 per day. The DVDs will show all of the rides for the particular day (Thursday and Friday dressage, Saturday cross-country and Sunday show jumping) unedited and without commentary other than the field announcer.

New Scoring System for Arabian Halter Classes Showcased at the Arabian Breeders World Cup

The Arabian Horse Breeders Alliance (AHBA) will be unveiling a new judging and scoring system for Arabian halter classes to help establish a better marketing opportunity for competition. This new scoring system will be showcased at the first annual Arabian Breeders World Cup in Las Vegas April 20-22, 2007.

The United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) will present an Exhibitor’s Seminar on Thursday, May 3, 2007, from 9:00 a.m.–11:00 a.m. at the USEF office located in the Kentucky Horse Park.

This seminar is free of charge and held in conjunction with the Kentucky Spring Premier Saddlebred Horse Show.

Hollywood Dun It has done it! The National Reining Horse Association (NRHA) Hall of Fame Inductee and All-Time Leading Sire’s offspring just surpassed $5-million in earnings. Hollywood Dun It’s offspring earnings now total $5,022,984.98. This is one more Hollywood Dun It accomplishment that will go down in the NRHA history books. The earnings of Hollywood Dun It’s get have broken one record after another and now the legendary sire becomes the very first NRHA Five Million Sire. It is difficult to pinpoint the exact horse that put Hollywood Dun It over the $5-million mark because of the numerous offspring competing at events. The search for this will continue and could be announced at a later date.

Severson and Winsome Adante Wrap Up Spring Session of Adequan USEA Gold Cup Series with Win at The Fork CIC***-W

After an unseasonably cold and blustery weekend, Kim Severson and her longtime partner Winsome Adante can finally breathe a sigh of relief after winning the CIC***-W at The Fork Horse Trials in Norwood, NC, on April 5-8.

Severson and “Dan” started out the year with a rocky run at Pine Top (Georgia) earlier this year, with the bay Thoroughbred gelding having two uncharacteristic run-outs on cross-country. After their win this past weekend, against many of the top horses and riders in the country, it appears the competitive twosome are back in fine form.

New Champions for 2006 United States Dressage Federation/Dover Saddlery Medal Program

Jacqueline Grande of Rancho Santa Fe, CA, was named the 2006 United States Dressage Federation (USDF)/Dover Saddlery Adult Amateur Medal National Champion with a score of 69.869%. Grande, who rides at Oakridge Farms, a dressage boarding facility in Rancho Santa Fe has been riding since the age of five. She won upon her mount Ducati, a six-year-old Hanoverian Warmblood. When not riding, Grande enjoys a career in gemology and jewelry design. Grande will receive a Jaguar Dressage Saddle along with a $1,000 Dover Saddlery gift certificate.

More than 350 participants took part in the 2007 FEI General Assembly hosted by the Portuguese Equestrian Federation. The number of National Federations (NF) represented was 97 (84 represented, 13 by proxy).

Kentucky Derby-Winning Breeders and Trainer Announce the Opening of New Shelter for State’s At-Risk Horses

Horses of all breeds in Kentucky who are currently in life-threatening situations will receive the gift of a second chance at the Kentucky Equine Humane Center (KyEHC), which officially opened its doors on April 16.

“This is an opportunity for all of us to do the right thing and play a role in ensuring the welfare and humane treatment of horses here in Kentucky, the Horse Capital of the World,” said the organization’s president, Staci Hancock.“With Kentucky’s signature event, the Kentucky Derby, just around the corner, we believe it is an ideal time to open our doors and bring attention to the plight of horses who are at risk.” Hancock and her husband, Arthur, own Stone Farm in Paris KY, which bred/raised Kentucky Derby winners Gato Del Sol, Sunday Silence and Fusaichi Pegasus. Both are on the frontline of the equine welfare/anti-slaughter movements.

Gene Lewis, one of the great American horsemen of the 20th Century who applied his Western training roots to the jumper world, died on Easter Sunday, April 8, after a battle with lung cancer. Lewis was 82.

Born in Oreana, ID, at the age of 11, Lewis went to work on an enormous cattle ranch in the state’s Southwest region. In 1944, he enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Force and spent time in England and flew numerous missions during the war.

The American Saddlebred community is mourning the loss of horsemen Charles R. Crabtree and Ellis C. Waggoner. Crabtree, 87, of Simpsonville, KY, died Sunday, April 15. Waggoner, 79, of Prospect, KY, died Thursday, April 12.

Betty Goshorn Weldon, 85, of Jefferson City, MO, died Wednesday morning, April 18, 2007. The former American Saddlebred Horse Association (ASHA) director was owner of one of the most successful breeding operations in American Saddlebred history, Callaway Hills Stable. Her contributions to the breed are countless. An accomplished businesswoman, Weldon also had a remarkable career as a publisher.

Schedule your advertising space now in the June Dressage issue of EQUESTRIAN and receive special discounted rates as a USEF member.

**Schedule ads in both the magazine and the 2007 Collecting Gaits Farm/USEF Dressage Festival of Champions program and receive an even larger discount. This is a great time to advertise to over 89,000 USEF members in EQUESTRIAN and receive added exposure at this prestigious event, which takes place in June.

As the official publication of the United States Equestrian Federation, EQUESTRIAN reaches the best market—competitive horse owners, riders and trainers.

The World Games 2010 Foundation, Inc., announced it has reached an agreement with Red Sky Publishing for Doug Prather to be the “Official Photographer” for the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games 2010.

The agreement will allow the Foundation to work closely with and have access to Prather’s work ahead of and during the 2010 Games. The images will be used in the organization’s media and marketing promotional campaigns, brochures, posters and displays, as well as many other areas.

The World Games 2010 Foundation, Inc., the organization responsible for preparing and putting on the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games 2010, announced that Crystal Bennett has been hired as marketing coordinator.

Bennett joins the Foundation after recently completing her graduate degree in sport administration at the University of Louisville. She received her undergraduate degree from Florida A&M University in Tallahassee. While completing her studies at both institutions, Bennett was very active with the athletic programs as both a volunteer and as an intern.

Speed was the name of the game for opening night of the Fourth Annual Charlotte Jumper Classic as some of the top riders in the world competed against the clock to score the fastest clear round on tight challenging courses. The three-day $400,000 grand prix show jumping event continued through Sunday, April 15, 2007, at Charlotte Bobcats Arena in Charlotte, NC.

30-Second Television Advertising Spots Available During Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event Broadcast

There are currently limited 30-second television advertisements still remaining for the NBC telecast of the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event presented by Farnam. This is the fourth year the event has been telecast on NBC, and the telecast will air on Sunday May 6, from 5-6 p.m.

For information on television advertisement, please contact Scott Carling at (859) 225-6928 or via e-mail at scarling@usef.org.

When Farnam introduced its first horse product, Repel-X® Fly Control Concentrate, 50 years ago no one could have predicted the brand would become one of the most trusted brands in the perennial fight against flies.

“Repel-X did the job — it was that simple,” said Bill Johnson, who retired from Farnam in 2005, after 53 years on the job. “Repel-X works because it repels flies with its odor and also gives the fly a hot foot when it lands on the treated horse.”

From the April 2007 issue of EQUESTRIAN magazine: Emergency Preparedness: A Job in Constant Progress

Be it a hurricane, a fire, a blizzard or an insidious virus, nature is, in the words of one of the world’s leading equine disease specialists, “like a Pandora’s box.”

Peter Timoney, MVB, PhD, FRCVS, explained, “A disease will appear and then disappear, only to come back again with a vengeance.” So it is as well with natural disasters like Hurricane Katrina and, more recently, the blizzards in the northwest. Forecasting provides the illusion of knowing what nature has in store, but there is no guarantee. Humans believe in their ability to handle whatever the natural world can produce until nature tells them differently.

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.

Do some serious spring cleaning with the United States Equestrian Federation Visa® Platinum Card

This spring it’s out with the old and in with the new when you use the United States Equestrian Federation Visa® Platinum Card, now offering 0% APR for 12 months*! With this exclusive card, every dollar you spend is interest free until next year, allowing you to purchase those new items you’ve been waiting to buy. So whether you use your United States Equestrian Federation Visa for everyday purchases, or that special purchase, switch now and save.

The United States Equestrian Federation Visa® Platinum Card also provides great benefits, including:

• No annual fee
• Your choice of benefits and rewards
• A percentage of every purchase goes directly to the United States Equestrian Federation

This Visa Platinum card issued by U.S. Bank is now the only card that supports the United States Equestrian Federation. Upon receiving your new card, the United States Equestrian Federation receives a payment from U.S. Bank, and then we will continue to receive a percentage of each net purchase you make on your card. This helps us fund our international teams.

*Click product name for terms and conditions: Platinum, Cash Rewards, Select Rewards, College Rewards. Offer not applicable for the College Rewards Visa Card. We may change APRs, fees, and other Account terms in the future based on your experience with other creditors or U.S. Bank National Association, N.D., and its affiliates according to the Cardmember Agreement and applicable law. The introductory rate does not apply to cash advances and is valid for the first 12 billing cycles. The rate will end early and increase to the APR for Purchases and Balance Transfers or to a Delinquency Rate APR if your Account is delinquent, over the limit or closed. We apply your payments to balances with lower APRs first.

The creditor and issuer of the Visa Platinum card is the U.S. Bank National Association ND.

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.