Week in Review - U.S. Equestrian

Forty-four horses were presented in glorious weather conditions at the first horse inspection at the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event presented by Farnam, 35 of which are vying for the 11th USEF National CCI**** Championship.

The ground jury of Martin Plewa from Germany, Nick Burton from Great Britain and Jo Young from Canada saw horses and a pony of all shapes and sizes ranging from last year’s runner-up in the USEF National CCI**** Championship—Theodore O’Connor, who at 14.1 hands is eventing’s super pony—to Polly Stockton’s 17.3-hand Tangleman, the sole entrant to make the trip from Europe.

Ten American Show Jumpers Set to Take on the World at the Rolex FEI World Cup Final

The 2008 Rolex FEI World Cup Final boasts another strong international field of show jumpers. The U.S. horses shipped to Goteborg, Sweden, on April 18 to take on the world’s best.

The Rolex FEI World Cup Final features a unique format of three rounds of jumping. Goteborg hosted the inaugural World Cup Final 30 years ago. Seventeen nations will be represented in the Final, to be held April 24-27, 2008.

Georgia, Texas Christian University and Auburn Win Varsity Equestrian National Championships

The University of Georgia won its third overall Varsity Equestrian National Championship (VENC) at the Heart O’ Texas Fair Complex on Saturday in Waco, TX. Texas Christian University (TCU) won the Western national title while Auburn claimed the hunter seat championship.

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Bobby Murphy Advances Education at NCAA Varsity Equestrian National Championships

As a horse show manager, course designer, and jumper judge, Bobby Murphy of Lexington, KY, is no stranger to equestrian competitions. He has attended the most prestigious equestrian events in the country and has watched some of the very best international shows in Europe. He is involved with the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games (WEG) and was on the WEG Business Opportunities Panel last year to educate small businesses on marketing strategies pertaining to the equestrian industry.

However, this past week, Murphy experienced horse shows in a new light and discovered what he feels has been missing. By managing the NCAA Varsity Equestrian National Championships, which is the year-end finals for varsity equestrian teams, Murphy witnessed a site unseen: riders working together, as a team, and supporting one another through thick and thin.

Sterling Graburn of Florida had already secured the top FEI Single Horse spot on the U.S. team for the World Singles Driving Championships in Poland on August 28-31 with a victory at Sunshine State CDE in February. Naturally he hoped for another win at the prestigious CAI Live Oak on March 27-30, one of only two internationally ranked competitions in the United States. After a ninth in dressage, that outcome was doubtful. A win in the marathon boosted Sterling's standing, but even so he was trailing his girlfriend, Wendy Ying. It wasn't until a fast accurate cones win on the last day that the victory was assured—and then by only 1.72 points. Sterling scored 132.82 with CS Dante of Earl while Wendy had 134.54 with the black-hand look-alike brother, CS Duke of Earl. These two are "Born in the USA" by North Forks Black Earl, a Welsh cob stallion in Oregon, from sisters of Arabian and Paint background.

Book your advertising space in the 2008 Collecting Gaits Farm/USEF Dressage Festival of Champions Program. This prestigious dressage competition takes place in June in San Juan Capistrano, CA. For more information, contact Kim Russell at (859) 225-6938 or krussell@usef.org.

Allan Ehrlick from Campbellville, Ontario, Canada, took home top honors for this year’s Amateur High-Point Achievement Award with 451 points. Ehrlick showed four horses in 10 shows—three purebreds and one Half-Arabian. Most of his points were earned on Dal-Apollo, (Sea Ben Ben Bilal x Rudaynah), a 13-year-old purebred gelding who earned Ehrlick two national championships, two reserve national championships and six Top 10s at the 2007 Sport Horse Nationals in Lexington, VA, and Canadian Nationals in Regina, Saskatchewan. Ehrlick’s Anglo-Arabian, R Jay Bakaro (Emkay Bakaro x Elexe Joy) earned three national championships, a reserve national championship and three Top 10s at the same two shows.

New Draft and Survey for USEF Dressage Performance Standards Proposal Now Available

The USEF Dressage Committee has released a new draft of the Performance Standards Proposal for review and feedback from United States Dressage Federation (USDF) and USEF members. This proposal would establish a qualification process for competing at fourth level and above at USEF-licensed dressage competitions beginning with the 2011 competition year.

The committee invites USEF and USDF members to review the new draft, and then log in through the USEF website to fill out an online survey. This survey will be used to collect member feedback and comments, which will be reviewed by the committee members at their July 1–2, 2008, meeting.

Please visit this link for more information, and click on “Dressage Performance Standards Proposal Information.”
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For more information, please contact Jennifer Keeler, USEF Director of Dressage, National Programs, at jkeeler@usef.org.

This year is well under way and plans for the 2008 Paso Fino Horse Association (PFHA) Grand National show are already in the works.

"Celebracion del Paso Fino" is the theme for Nationals this year. We all gather at the shows, participate in parades and trail rides, not only to see old friends and meet new people but to celebrate this wonderful breed. It is my hope that this year and every year will be about the grace, beauty and fire of the Paso Fino.

Take advantage of one of the many USEF MemberPerks privileges by using Hertz for all of your travel needs. Simply use your USEF/Hertz discount CDP# 15757 each time you place a reservation, and instantly qualify for member discounts in the

U.S.

and around the world. For low web rates, special offers and free membership to Hertz #1Club®, visit their website at www.hertz.com or call (800) 654-2200.

The CN North American Junior and Young Rider Championships at the Colorado Horse Park: Previous Winners Show Success at International Level of Competition

The CN North American Junior and Young Rider Championships (NAJYRC) at the Colorado Horse Park presented by Gotham North are set for July 29-August 3, 2008. The championships, the premiere equestrian event in North America for riders age 14-21, serves as a first-hand experience of what it's like to compete in an international event under FEI rules.

From the April 2008 issue of EQUESTRIAN magazine:
Marketing Your Equine Business
By Hallie McEvoy

For those who own equine-oriented businesses, marketing is the key to getting the word out about your services. Whether you own a tack shop, manufacture equestrian products, host competitions, manage a stable or teach riding, unless you have a waiting list for your services and products, you’ll need to let the world know about what you have to offer. Even if you are “the product” you want to market in order to recruit sponsorships, you must follow basic marketing
guidelines to present yourself in the best light possible.

According to the 38,000-member American Marketing Association
(www.marketingpower.com), marketing is defined as the activity, set of institutions, and processes for creating, communicating, delivering and exchanging offerings that have value for customers, clients, partners and society at large. Billions of dollars are spent worldwide annually to educate the consumer about different businesses and to attract your hard-earned cash.

As a reminder to all dressage riders, the 2008 Collecting Gaits Farm/USEF Dressage Festival of Champions will be held in San Juan Capistrano, CA, over the weekends of June 20–22 and June 27–29. This Festival of Champions will feature the national championships for the Intermediaire I, Young Adult “Brentina Cup,” Young Rider and Junior divisions, and will be held in conjunction with the USEF Selection Trials for Dressage.

Division ranking lists are currently posted on the USEF website, but in order for horse-and-rider combinations to be eligible for a championship invitation, an Application of Intent must be submitted to the USEF office. The initial deadline for these applications is Thursday, May 1. Applications are available online. For more information, contact Jennifer Keeler, National Director of Dressage, at jkeeler@usef.org.

Federation members may submit rule changes if they feel an aspect of the USEF Rule Book needs revision. According to the process set forth in GR150, the deadline for individual members to submit a rule change for consideration at the January 2009 Annual Meeting is June 1.

Georgina Bloomberg of New York City, set to embark on an extensive summer tour of show jumping, took time out last week to participate in the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team Media Summit, held April 13-16 at the Palmer House Hilton in downtown Chicago, IL. The hotel, which opened in 1871, is one of Chicago's landmarks in the heart of the city's downtown.

Banking on Eventing: HSBC to Support the New FEI Eventing Series HSBC FEI Classics

In addition to being the exclusive financial services partner to the FEI, HSBC, the world’s local bank, has made a commitment to the discipline of eventing on a global basis. This commitment will cover the prestigious four-star events, which will be known as the HSBC FEI Classics. The five four-star events currently on the FEI calendar will make up the HSBC FEI Classics; these events not only have the richest tradition but are also the pinnacle of eventing attracting the best riders and horses in the world.

HITS Promotes the American Museum of Natural History's Upcoming Exhibit on the Horse

HITS, Inc., is honored to announce that it is helping the esteemed American Museum of Natural History promote its upcoming exhibit “The Horse,” which is set to open on Saturday, May 17, and will remain on view through January 4, 2009, in New York City.

This major new exhibit will examine the powerful and continuing relationship between horses and humans and explore the origins of the horse family, extending back more than 50 million years. The exhibition will also examine early interactions between horses and humans that eventually lead to horse domestication, and show how horses have, over time, changed warfare, trade, transportation, agriculture, sports and many other facets of human life.

The Inaugural Kentucky International Equine Summit 2008 will be held in downtown Lexington, KY, April 28-29 at the Radisson Hotel. The two-day event is being sponsored by the Equine Industry Program in the College of Business at the University of Louisville in cooperation with the Equine Initiative in the College of Agriculture at the University of Kentucky.

Another Samsung Super League with FEI Season on the Horizon for the World's Best Show Jumpers

When the sixth Samsung Super League with FEI season gets under way in three weeks' time it will mark an important moment in the history of international team show jumping.

Together with the world governing body for equestrian sport, the Korean multi-national has helped create something very remarkable indeed—a prestigious and gripping series that captures the imagination, commitment and enthusiasm of both competitors and spectators alike.

It is the sense of personal involvement that holds the attention when it comes to this unique sporting challenge.

1978 World Three-Day Event Championships 30th Anniversary Commemorative DVD Now Available

Equestrian Events Inc. (EEI), organizer of the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event presented by Farnam, is excited to offer equestrian sport fans their very own piece of eventing history in the form of a fully restored DVD.

Las Vegas Events (LVE) will once again host the FEI World Cup Finals in both show jumping and dressage at the Thomas & Mack Center in Las Vegas, April 15-19, 2009.

This will mark the fifth time that Las Vegas hosts the FEI World Cup Finals and only the third time ever, following two previous times in Las Vegas in 2005 and 2007, that the world’s premiere annual championships in the two Olympic equestrian disciplines are held concurrently.

Remember to take advantage of the USEF MemberPerks Program. USEF MemberPerks offers substantial cost savings on products and services from John Deere, Dodge, Office Max, UPS and many more!

For more information, please call (877) 576-6872 or fax (859) 422-9407, or visit USEF.org's MemberPerks page.

Platinum Performance/USEF Talent Search
Qualified Riders

The Talent Search program is a very demanding show jumping competition, which attracts the nation’s top young riders in head-to-head competition. The qualifying period for the 2008 events began September 1, 2007.

Learn more about the program today.

East Coast Riders
(October 4-5, 2008, USEF Show Jumping Talent Search Finals,
Gladstone, NJ)

West Coast Championship
(September 17-20, Los Angeles International, Burbank, CA)

A few riders that have now qualifed on the West Coast:
— Julia Mancini
— Alyssa Mansfield
— Hilary Marx
— Lawson Mayfield

To see the list of all qualified riders,
visit the 2007/2008 Ranking List online.

This Spring, take a break from interest payments!

Take a vacation from interest payments with the Visa® card that offers 0% APR for nine billing cycles*! With the United States Equestrian Federation Visa Platinum Card, every dollar you spend is interest free until next winter. Whether you use your United States Equestrian Federation Visa for everyday purchases or that major purchase you’ve been waiting to buy, now is the time to switch. Plus, you’ll benefit our organization and earn great rewards with every purchase!

0% APR on purchases and balance transfers for nine billing cycles*

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 here to apply today or call (800) 853-5576, etc. 9244.

Hurry. Offer ends June 30, 2008.

*Click product name for terms and conditions: Platinum, Cash Rewards, Select Rewards. 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 nine 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 vision of the United States Equestrian Federation® is to provide leadership for equestrian sport in the United States of America by promoting the pursuit of excellence from the grassroots to the Olympic Games, based on a foundation of fair, safe competition and the welfare of its human and equine athletes.

The 2008 Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event Gets Underway at the Kentucky Horse Park

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Ten American Show Jumpers Set to Take on the World at the Rolex FEI World Cup Final