Week in Review - U.S. Equestrian

Craig Schmersal Outmaneuvers the Competition to Win 2008 Adequan®/USEF National Open Reining Championship presented by Equine Motorcoach

Under the lights at the Oklahoma State Fair Park, Craig Schmersal bested some of the top reiners in the country to win the 2008 Adequan®/United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) National Open Reining Championship presented by Equine Motorcoach. Schmersal, an Oklahoma native, won the title along with his share of the $25,000 in added money. The USEF championship was part of the National Reining Horse Association (NRHA) Derby.

This is Schmersal’s second time winning the Adequan®/USEF National Open Reining Championship—he first won the championship in 2005 when it took place in Lexington, KY. Schmersal, 35, won the championship with a score of 225.5 aboard Mr Dual Rey, an eight-year-old Quarter Horse stallion. Taking reserve champion with a score of 223.5 was Jordan Larson, 27, of Whitesboro, TX, on Lena Gallo, a bay Quarter Horse stallion owned by Lapke Quarter Horses.

Asa Peeples, Jason Kvols and Lacey Vernon Win Their Divisions in the 2008 USEF National Youth Reining Championships

Some of the top youth reiners in the country traveled to the Oklahoma State Fair Park to compete in three age divisions for the title of 2008 United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) National Youth Reining Championship. Asa Peeples won the 13 and under age division; Jason Kvols won the 14-18 age division; and Lacey Vernon won the 19-21 age division. The USEF National Youth Reining Championship was part of the six-day National Reining Horse Association (NRHA) Derby.

Peters Perfect in USEF Selection Trials for Dressage with Ravel; Gibson Sweeps USEF National Intermediaire I Dressage Championship on Final Day of Collecting Gaits Farm/USEF Dressage Festival of Champions

Steffen Peters and Ravel were crowned Collecting Gaits Farm/USEF National Grand Prix Dressage Champions and won the USEF Selection Trials for the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team in dressage with a spectacular performance in Sunday ’s grand prix freestyle. The pair finished with a remarkable score of 79.500%.

The United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) has approved the following nominated entry for the dressage team for the 2008 Olympic Games in Hong Kong. Final entries will be made to the USOC on July 15, 2008.

Breed Shows Can Receive Financial Assistance with the 2008 USEF Outreach Grant Program

To assist breed shows with financial challenges, the United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) offers the 2008 Outreach Grant program, which provides assistance to various USEF breed competitions. And even though the competition season is under way, it’s not too late to apply for a USEF grant.

USEF Publication and Week in Review E-newsletter Honored at National Awards Program

The USEF's Week in Review e-newsletter and EQUESTRIAN magazine, the official publication of the United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) since 1937, were recently honored at the American Horse Publications (AHP) Annual Awards Program held in Saratoga Springs, NY, on June 21. AHP members were named finalists in the 2008 AHP Annual Awards Contest for material published in 2007. This year’s contest included 105 AHP members and 1,092 entries. A select panel of 29 industry judges reviewed the classes and critiqued the entries.

The United States Equestrian Federation’s Board of Directors held its annual mid-year meeting on June 24 at the Northern Kentucky Convention Center in Covington, KY. Several important decisions regarding the immediate future of the Federation’s governance were addressed, as well as important and exciting marketing initiatives and the designation of the first horse show to receive the new “Heritage” designation.

Five U.S. Horses Take Step Toward 2008 Olympic Games at Barbury Castle International CIC*** in Marlborough, England

One of two eventing mandatory outings gets underway at Barbury Castle July 4-6. Short listed riders for the 2008 Olympic Games had a choice to run their horses in the Barbury Castle CIC*** this weekend or at a mandatory outing, July 11-12, at The Fork Stables in Norwood, NC.

Continuing their success from 2008, the United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) Youth Council will host the 2nd Annual USEF Youth Convention in Cincinnati, OH, as part of the USEF Annual Meeting. On Saturday, January 17, 2009, hundreds of youth athletes from the Federation’s 28 breed and discipline backgrounds will come together to participate in a day-long convention culminating with a dinner and dance for convention attendees and USEF Youth Sportsman’s Award finalists.

Benge Wins Individual Gold; U.S. Team Brings Home Silver at 2008 FEI World Championship for Drivers with Disabilities CPEAI****

Aiken, SC,-resident Meghan Benge won an Individual Gold medal at the 2008 FEI World Championships for Drivers with Disabilities CPEAI**** in Greven, Germany.

Merloch to Replace The Foreman on the USEF Eventing Short List/Nominated Entry for the 2008 Olympic Games

Due to a veterinary issue, Phillip Dutton has withdrawn Anne Jones' The Foreman from the 2008 USEF Eventing Short List/Nominated Entry for the 2008 Olympic Games.

USEF Names Team and Individuals for 2008 Vaulting World Championships

The United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) has approved the following three individuals and three alternates for the 2008 Vaulting World Championships to be held in Brno, Czech Republic, July 29-August 3.

USEF Names Short List for 2008 FEI World Single Driving Championships

The United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) has approved the following short list for the 2008 FEI World Single Horse Driving Championships to be held in Jarantow, Poland, August 25-31, 2008. The definite entries will be named July 27, 2008.

Live Video of Prestigious Lexington Junior League Horse Show Offered On Saddlebred.com

The prestigious Lexington Junior League Horse Show, first jewel of the American Saddlebred Triple Crown and billed as the largest outdoor Saddlebred competition in the world, begins Monday, July 7. Streaming live video will again be available worldwide at www.saddlebred.com, courtesy of the Junior League and the American Saddlebred Horse Association (ASHA).

Live Video of the 2008 Saddlebred Art, Antique and Rare Book Auction Offered on Saddlebred.com

As part of the American Saddlebred Horse Association’s video streaming from the Lexington Junior League Horse Show on Saturday, July 12, they will again offer a live video of the American Saddlebred Museum’s 2008 Art Auction held at The Red Mile’s historic Round Barn.

Dr. Stephen M. Reed, will deliver the prestigious Frank J. Milne State-of-the-Art Lecture on December 8 during the American Association of Equine Practitioners’ (AAEP) 54th Annual Convention in San Diego, CA. Equine neurology is the focus of this year’s lecture, which is sponsored by AAEP Educational Partner Platinum Performance in conjunction with the AAEP Foundation, Inc.

Riding For Reading, a non-profit organization dedicated to promoting reading, literacy and education through equestrian sports and activities, is pleased to announce that its Riding For Reading class will be held at three different shows during the summer.

Starlight and Kirsten Coe Win the $25,000 Fairfield Grand Prix to Benefit The EQUUS Foundation

Kirsten Coe aboard Starlight, owned by Laura King-Kaplan, emerged victorious at the $25,000 Fairfield Grand Prix on Saturday, June 28, the culminating event of the Fairfield County Hunt Club June Benefit Horse Show in Westport, CT. On hand to bestow The Callari Cup were George N. Venizelos of Wachovia Securities, LLC, the presenting sponsor of the grand prix, Claire Sussman and Catherine Herman, co-chairs of the show, along with Chairman Jenny Belknap and President Lynn Coakley of The EQUUS Foundation, Inc.

The FEI World Vaulting Championships are just a month off, to be held at the Brno Fairgrounds in the Czech Republic from July 29 to August 3, in conjunction with the FEI European Junior Championships. There are 400 competitors from 20 countries, with around 200 horses lined up for this important event on the calendar.

Highlighted by clear rounds from James Benedetto and Kannans Gigi Z and Michael Morrissey with Crelido, U.S. Developing/Young Riders handily won the Nations Cup at CSIO Lipica in Slovenia.

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In one of the deepest fields assembled in recent memory, Wimpys Little Chic, owned by Arcese Quarter Horses USA, Weatherford, TX, dominated a field of impressive four-, five- and six-year-old reining horses with a decisive win in the 2008 National Reining Horse Association (NRHA) Derby. Ridden by NRHA’s Leading Money Earning Rider Shawn Flarida, the team accomplished what no other combination has—winning the NRHA Futurity, National Reining Breeders Classic, and the NRHA Derby consecutively!

The week’s final spotlight shown on the children-adult jumpers as 47 horses took center stage with hopes of landing the starring role in the Classic Company-sponsored $15,000 Jumper Classic. Carri Carse aboard her mount Letterman had the final call back and left the Georgia Horse Park all smiles.

For many people, the answer is a resounding, "Yes!" CHIO Aachen, which this week presents the fifth leg of the 2008 Samsung Super League with FEI series, is a spectacular festival of horse activity with a long tradition of excellence, and the German town is already buzzing as the 2008 event has once more attracted huge crowds.

The American team will be first into the ring as the fifth leg of the 2008 Samsung Super League with FEI series gets under way in Aachen, Germany tomorrow evening.

The elite Nations cup competition, which will begin at 7 p.m. local time, will take place under floodlights, and if you are not lucky enough to be there then you can watch the action unfold on live-stream video by visiting the Aachen website, www.chioaachen.de.

U.S. Drivers Weber and Tucker Off to a Winning Start at World Equestrian Festival CHIO Aachen

Two of the top U.S. drivers are taking on some of the world’s best at the World Equestrian Festival CHIO Aachen in Aachen, Germany, as part of their important preparation for the 2008 World Driving Championships. After the dressage, U.S. drivers Chester Weber and Tucker Johnson are sitting comfortably in first and third.

Thousands of exhibitors flocked to upstate New York for three exciting weeks of competition in the beautiful Hudson Valley for the HITS Saugerties Spring Circuit from Wednesday, May 28, to Sunday, June 15.

The HITS Saugerties Summer Series of horse shows is filling up fast. But HITS is still accepting entries for the world-class show jumping experience that begins on Wednesday, July 23, for three exciting weeks of competition.

The Center for Equine Business Studies (CEBS) will offer its Fall series of sales and business management courses beginning September 8, but enrolling now can save students $100.

From the June 2008 issue of EQUESTRIAN magazine:
"Mr. Olympics" J. Michael Plumb
First Equestrian to be Inducted into U.S. Olympic Hall of Fame
By Brian Sosby and Joanie Morris

For half a century, Plumb played a key role in the successes of the United States eventing team. No other Olympian in the modern history of the Games has participated in more Olympics than Plumb—equestrian or otherwise.

His legacy includes an amazing total of eight Olympics—1960 Rome, 1964 Tokyo, 1968 Mexico City, 1972 Munich, 1976 Montreal, 1980 Moscow (though the U.S. boycotted, he attended the “Alternate Olympics” in Fountainebleau, France), 1984 Los Angeles and 1992 Barcelona. Truth be told, if it weren’t for a fall that left Plumb with a broken collar bone prior to the selection of the 1988 Seoul team, he would have made that one, too.

Elizabeth Niemi and Wholio Win the Grand Prix at Windy Hollow Hunt Dressage Show

Dressage trainer Elizabeth Niemi won the grand prix on Sunday at the Windy Hollow Hunt Dressage Show in New Jersey. Niemi rode Stan and Vivian Picheny’s strapping dark bay gelding Wholio to a score of 65.625% for the win.

Spooner Wins in Monaco; Hobbs Bests in Slovenia; and U.S. Vaulters Win in Aachen and Krumke

Richard Spooner and Cristallo won the CSI***** Grand Prix du Prix de Monaco. This was the fourth leg of the Global Champions Tour 2008. Spooner and the 10-year-old Holsteiner gelding sped around the course and picked up the win with a time of 38.99 seconds, only 0.02 seconds ahead of second place.

Patrick Seaton and Good Guiness not only won the $20,000 Bayfest Grand Prix the second week of the Woodside Summer Circuit, but Seaton also earned a $5,000 rider bonus for winning two of the three major jumper classes at the 2008 Woodside Summer Circuit aboard the same horse. If he can make it a hat trick by clinching the $30,000 Golden Gate Grand Prix, Seaton will be the first rider to claim the Woodside Jumper Accumulator bonus worth $20,000.

USET Foundation Raises $280,000 at "One Team, One Dream—A Salute to Hong Kong" Olympic Benefit

The United States Equestrian Team (USET) Foundation announced that "One Team, One Dream—A Salute to Hong Kong," an Olympic benefit held on June 28, 2008, at the Oaks Blenheim Rancho Mission Viejo Riding Park in San Juan Capistrano, CA, raised $280,000 to benefit the USET headed for the Olympic Games in Hong Kong.

Meredith Lipke Bartolone and Jennifer Alfano Bring Another Series of Wins to SBS Farms at Lake Placid Horse Show

It was a great week for SBS Farms and riders at the Lake Placid CSI*** show from June 25-29. Riders who were the shining stars of the show included Jennifer Alfano and Meredith Lipke Bartolone of Buffalo, NY.

It was triple honors this past weekend for Miranda and Sophia Gali of Potomac, MD. Both sisters earned top division titles at the Roanoke Valley Horse Show, held at the Salem Civic Center in Salem, VA.

Remember to take advantage of the USEF MemberPerks Program. USEF MemberPerks offers substantial cost savings on products and services from John Deere, 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)

A few riders that have now qualifed on the East Coast:
— Catherine Pasmore
— Rachel Roter
— Jessica Springsteen

West Coast Championship
(September 17-20, 2008 Los Angeles International, Burbank, CA)

A few riders that have now qualifed on the West Coast:
— Jennifer Stillman
— Kim Struglinski
— Natasha Traurig
— Kelly Tropin

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

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 90,000 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 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.