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George Williams and Rocher Photo by Susan Stickle

George Williams and Rocher Claim Championship Title at USET Foundation Dressage Festival of Champions, featuring the 2005 Collecting Gaits Farm/USEF National Grand Prix Dressage Championship, Presented by Paul Miller Auto Group, Inc.

George Williams of Delaware, OH, and his comeback mount Rocher (1991 Westfalen mare), have made their way to the center of the national stage, claiming the title at the 2005 Collecting Gaits Farm/USEF National Grand Prix Dressage Championship, presented by Paul Miller Auto Group, Inc. on Friday. Clear favorites from the start, the pair earned a 70.333% in the USEF Grand Prix on Thursday, a 73.84% in the USEF Grand Prix Special on Friday, and a 74.750% in the USEF Grand Prix Freestyle on Saturday. Each of the three equally-weighted classes were combined for a final championship score of 72.963%.

For the full story, click here.

Steffen Peters on Marlando and Shannon Peters on Luxor Photo by Susan Stickle

Team Peters Sweeps the USET Foundation Dressage Festival of Champions, featuring the 2005 Collecting Gaits Farm/USEF National Intermediaire I Dressage Championship, Presented by Paul Miller Auto Group, Inc.

In their first national competition riding together, husband and wife team Steffen and Shannon Peters of San Diego, CA, won first and second place respectively, taking home the titles in the 2005 Collecting Gaits Farm/USEF National Intermediaire I Dressage Championship, presented by Paul Miller Auto Group, Inc. Steffen earned a cumulative score of 73.425% riding Marlando (1999 Dutch Warmblood gelding), and Shannon was awarded a 71.695% overall riding Luxor (1993 Dutch Warmblood gelding).

For the full story, click here.

New USEF/USDF Agreement Streamlines Dressage Competition with Dual-Recognition

As part of a series of improvements designed to relieve competition headaches for members and management, the USEF and the United States Dressage Federation (USDF) have agreed to begin joint recognition of dressage competitions in the United States. Beginning in 2006, dressage competitions recognized by the USEF will be automatically recognized by the USDF, eliminating the need for show organizers to apply for USDF recognition. In addition, competitions will be given one recognition number, which will be shared by both organizations.

For the full story, click here.

Super Swiss Reign in Rotterdam in Round Four of Samsung Super League

Switzerland came out on top in a super-tight finish to the Dutch leg of the 2005 Samsung Super League series in Rotterdam and now stands at the top of the league table. It would be difficult to imagine a more exciting conclusion to any show jumping competition with last man in, Pius Schwizer, running into trouble at the end of the course, but still managing to snatch victory from the jaws of defeat.

At the end of the day the scoreboard showed Switzerland with just a one-point advantage over the joint-runners-up from Germany and Belgium. The Irish at last scraped off the bottom of the leaderboard when slotting into fourth with a much-improved performance, but the French were struggling when having to settle for fifth while luck still evades the Dutch who were sixth. The British finished a disappointing seventh, while the new rotation of American riders showed as they wound up last. However, after the superb run from their predecessors, the USA still lies only 0.5 points behind Switzerland at the head of the league table and it is still up in the air as to who will come up on top at the end.

For the full story, click here.

More Samsung Super League News

2005 Dressage Festival of Champions Offered Ride of a Lifetime for Young Riders and Juniors

To compete in Gladstone has become a milestone for dressage competitors looking to make their mark on the national scene—from Olympians to seasoned World and National Champions, the famed facility at Hamilton Farm in Gladstone, NJ, has seen them all. Last weekend, June 16-18, several young riders and a junior joined the ranks, competing alongside the pros, and stabling their horses on-site in the same areas as those competing in the 2005 Collecting Gaits Farm/USEF National Grand Prix and Intermediaire I Dressage Championships, presented by Paul Miller Auto Group, Inc.

For the full story, click here.

The groundbreaking ceremony for the new home of the United States Dressage Federation took place at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, KY, on June 22. The ceremony included equestrian and dressage dignitaries—all present in support of the impressive facility. The new USDF building will be directly next to the offices of the United States Equestrian Federation. The new building will be complete by June 2006. USEF Archive

The USEF and USDF have approved a change of venue for the 2005 New England Dressage Association (NEDA) Fall Festival, September 14-18. Last week, the Board of NEDA unanimously voted to move the Festival from Fieldstone Farm in Halifax, MA, to HITS-on-the-Hudson in Saugerties, NY, a year earlier than originally anticipated. The Fall Festival is USEF-, USDF- and FEI-recognized (CDI Three-Star/Y Saugerties, formerly Halifax), and will host USEF qualifying competitions for the 2006 USEF Grand Prix and Intermediaire I Dressage Championships and the U.S. Grand Prix Freestyle Championship.

For the full story, click here.

Celebrate the Morgan! Grand Events to be Held Across the United States

The horse industry is huge, competitive and powerful. How does the 10,000-member American Morgan Horse Association compete for their share of this enormous market? They mobilize their membership and draw attention to a specific weekend of September 10-12, 2005, where the Morgan community will celebrate the beauty, splendor and unique relationships that can be developed with a Morgan horse, America’s first breed.

For the full story, click here.

National Horse Show Announces the Syracuse Invitational Sporthorse Tournament Will Host the 2005 ASPCA Maclay National Finals

The National Horse Show Association of America, Ltd., and the Syracuse Invitational Sporthorse Tournament announced that they have reached an agreement that will see the ASPCA Maclay class produced by the National Horse Show at the 2005 Syracuse Invitational Sporthorse Tournament to be held on November 2-6, 2005. The present plan is to hold the warm up for the ASPCA Maclay on Saturday morning and the first two phases of the Maclay on Sunday morning. The Maclay competitors would then be able to observe the international finale to the Syracuse Tournament-–the uniquely formatted Syracuse Cup and the Beacon Hill $35,000 Junior/Amateur Grand Prix. Following that, the third, or testing, phase will be held as the feature and closing event of the session.

For the full story, click here.

2005 National Riding Instructors Convention Speaker Line-up

Three days of seminars, one-on-one consultations and networking opportunities for equine business managers, stable owners, trainers, coaches and instructors are right around the corner. The National Riding Instructors Convention takes place October 20-23, 2005, in Orlando, FL, and the American Riding Instructors Association (ARIA) has announced the line-up of major speakers.

For the full story, click here.

Ladies' White Spandex T-Shirt
Official USEF Merchandise

The June feature item of the month is the Ladies’ white spandex T-shirt. Very comfortable with a great stretchy fit. Click here to order this item.

From now until June 30, purchase $50 or more of USEF merchandise and you’ll receive a FREE USEF magnet. Click here to enter the official USEF online store.

Jane Forbes Clark and Arlene (Tuny) Page Elected to U.S. Equestrian Team Foundation Board of Trustees

The United States Equestrian Team (USET) Foundation announced the election of Jane Forbes Clark and Arlene "Tuny" Page to its Board of Trustees. Clark, 50, of New York City and Wellington, FL, is active in international horse sports, both as an owner of dressage, show jumping and driving horses. Page, 48, also of Wellington, is an active international competitor and most recently competed at the 2005 Collecting Gaits/USEF National Grand Prix Championship.

For the full story, click here.

Entry Deadline Approaching for 2005 Paso Fino Grand National Show

Entries for the 2005 Paso Fino Grand National Show are due by August 9, 2005, in order to be published in the 2005 National Show Program and to receive the lowest entry fee of $70 per class. Entries received after August 9, but prior to August 23, are slightly higher at $95 per class. All other entries must be received no later than September 16; however, entry fees are significantly higher at $396 per class.

For the full story, click here.

Owners of Dressage Young Horses: Don’t Miss This Championship Opportunity!

As a reminder to all riders and owners of five- and six-year-old dressage horses, the 2005 USEF/Markel Young Horse Dressage National Championship sponsored will be held at MSEDA Dressage at the Park, September 9-11 in Lexington, KY. In order to be eligible for this championship program, an Application of Intent must be submitted to the USEF office by Friday, July 1. Applications are available on the Federation website here. For more information, contact Jennifer Keeler, Sport Manager–Dressage, at jkeeler@usef.org.

Kentucky Embargoes Horses From Parts of Utah

With horses in both Davis county and Garfield county, UT, having been diagnosed with vesicular stomatitis (VS), Kentucky's Administrative Regulation 302 KAR 20:115 now prohibits the entry of all livestock, wild and exotic animals into Kentucky from the VS-embargoed portions of Utah designated to include all of Davis and Garfield counties. Arizona, New Mexico, Texas and Utah each have counties designated by the Kentucky Department of Agriculture as VS-embargoed areas.

For the full story, click here.

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Enroll in USEF Memberperks to save up to 16% on FedEx shipping services. USEF Memberperks is free to USEF members. Whether you need a letter delivered the next day or a box delivered within a week, FedEx has a shipping service that’s right for you. Simply call (877) 576-6872 to enroll and to find out about other discount programs also available.

National-Level Competition Slated for Northern Michigan

Hundreds of highly trained horses will descend upon Traverse City, MI, for a three-week USEF-recognized hunter, jumper and dressage festival slated for July 13–31, 2005. Recognized as “Horse Shows by the Bay,” this unique multi-discipline event qualifies riders and horses for prestigious year-end national finals and titles. Event highlights include a weekly $25,000 grand prix, $10,000 Show Jumping Hall of Fame Junior/Amateur Owner Prix, young jumper qualifiers, “AA” hunter divisions and classics. New for 2005 is the feature event Zada Enterprises, LLC, “Dressage by the Bay”--a rated USDF/USEF dressage show offering classes from introductory level to grand prix.

For the full story, click here.

USEF Members Receive Up To $1-million in Personal Excess Liability Coverage With Their Membership

Up to $1-million in personal excess liability insurance coverage is yours. To learn more about this important benefit, click here and go to page 6 of the PDF of the "Membership 101" feature from the May 2005 issue of EQUESTRIAN magazine.

Showing on a Shoestring Budget

How does one show on a shoestring? My first response is to tell you to take the shoestring and tie yourself to a chair inside your house! We’ve all seen the T-shirts for sale at horse shows that say, “How to make a small fortune in horses: Start with a large one.” It makes us laugh, and at the end of the day when we’re paying the bills, it make us cry, too.

Family and friends who don’t share our passion can stand and watch in awe of what seems to be foolish spending in the extreme. After all, at the end of a weekend show, we may have nothing more to show for our expense than a couple of 50 cent ribbons. It’s a mystery to the outer world, and can often be a mystery to ourselves in our more sane moments.

The love and passion for horses and competition comes dear, very dear. And even though there are a variety of ways to keep horses and compete, there are many different approaches to saving (and spending) our hard-earned money.

For the full story in PDF format, click here.

USEF Now Accepting Nominations for the Lifetime Achievement Award, The Jimmy A. Williams Trophy

Nominations are now being accepted for the USEF Lifetime Achievement Award. The recipient of this award will be presented the Jimmy A. Williams trophy at the 2006 Annual Meeting. This award recognizes a horseman or woman whose lifetime experience and accomplishments exemplify uncommon devotion to the sport of competition with horses and whose equestrian career and horsemanship have continually elevated the sport’s excellence.

For the full story, click here.

USDF Announces Record Prize Money and New Award for the 2005 Great American Insurance Group/USDF Regional Dressage Championships

USDF is pleased to announce that the Great American Insurance Group/USDF Regional Championship program has reached a new record for the amount of prize money available for 2005. This year's prize money fund totals over $116,000. This fund, which is made up of qualifying ride fees paid by competitors, enables USDF to distribute prize money to all champions and reserve champions in up to 279 championship classes in all of USDF's nine regions. These championship classes provide opportunities for recognition in Open, Adult Amateur and Junior/Young Rider divisions nation-wide. This year, champions will each receive $250 and reserve champions will each receive $166. In addition to the prize money, champions will also receive a commemorative Kyra K. jacket and an embroidered Saratoga Horseworks fleece cooler.

For the full story, click here.

Atlanta Summer Classic I Helps Horses in Need

“Kicking off the first week with 32 competitors in the Superchips, Inc’s, Lucky Sevens Welcome Stake is so nice,” was the comment event Chairman Bob Bell made just prior to the start of the class.

From the original starters only nine returned for the jump-off. Wellington, FL,-based owner/rider Pablo Barrios and his 10-year-old bay Dutch Warmblood mare, Nice To See You had a clear first round time of 77.06 seconds. "Nice” continued the pleasantries with another clear second round time of 34.180 seconds for the win.

For the full story, click here.

VISION STATEMENT

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.

©2005, United States Equestrian Federation, Inc.

June 23, 2005