Week in Review - U.S. Equestrian

In 2005, two shocking back-to-back hurricanes, Katrina and Rita, catapulted equine enthusiasts from around the country into a cooperative effort to assist horses and their owners after these extraordinary disasters. At the time, USEF personnel worked around the clock to coordinate assistance from many local and national organizations. The biggest challenge was not manpower since there were hundreds of potential volunteers, but it was funding to obtain and transport much-needed feed and supplies to the equine victims of the disaster, as well as providing emergency veterinary assistance in the affected areas.

In preparation for the future, the USEF is starting a permanent USEF Equine Disaster Relief Fund and requests contributions from individuals and organizations. Formation of this fund is consistent with the USEF mission to help ensure the safety and well-being of horses.

Lillie Keenan Sweeps Three Divisions in the 2007 Wild Horsefeathers/USEF National Hunter Pony Championship

In the 40-year history of the United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) Pony Finals Championships, no one can recall a year when one rider dominated the small, medium and large divisions to sweep all three titles in the 2007 Wild Horsefeathers/USEF National Hunter Pony Championship. But the third time was a charm for 10-year-old Lillie Keenan who made history at the Pony Finals by besting a total of 257 competitors in the largest and most competitive championship.

Emerson Burr Horsemanship Awards Given at the 2007 USEF Pony Finals National Championships

The United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) announced the winners of the Emerson Burr Horsemanship Awards, which took place Saturday evening, August 18, at the USEF Pony Finals National Championships at the Kentucky Horse Park. With pony riders competing to win in each age division, the winners were: Annie Bolling of Fairhope, AL, in the 8 and Under group; Carly Reinsel of Alpharetta, GA, in the 9-11 age group; Madyson Ward of Zionsville, IN, in the 12-14 age group; and Arden Cone, Landrum, SC, in the 15 and Up group.

Elizabeth Boone and Magic BB Win the 2007 Adequan/USEF National Pony Jumper Individual Championship

Continuing the momentum of the previous evening, Day Four of the United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) Pony Finals included an evening of fast-paced show jumping by the top 19 riders in the Adequan/USEF National Pony Individual Championship. After the jump off, it was Elizabeth Boone who went triple-clear to win the Gold medal on Magic BB; the Silver medal went to Tori Berlin and Partly Cloudy with a total of four faults and a final time of 32.609 as they etched past Leigh Hartrampf and Spudd Webb, who had four faults and 30.676 on the clock to get the Bronze. Over an even more challenging course with larger fences than the team competition the night before, the pony jumper individual championship had the crowd on the edge of its seat as it came down to a jump-off for the medal placings. On her home turf of Lexington, KY, guided by local trainer Debbie White, Boone, who nearly grasped the Pony Medal Final the day before but settled for Silver, came back to win it all with 21-year-old Magic BB, a New Forest gelding owned by Campbellcroft, LLC.

Taylor Ann Adams Wins 2007 USEF Pony Medal Final; Zone 4 Wins the 2007 Adequan/USEF National Pony Jumper Team Championship

Day Three of Pony Finals was overflowing with 202 ponies competing for the United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) Pony Medal Final along with an evening of show jumping for the Adequan/USEF National Pony Team Jumper Championship. Taylor Ann Adams from Eads, TN, won the Pony Medal Final aboard Millpond Celebrity. Zone 4 ran away with the Gold in the 2007 Adequan/USEF National Pony Jumper Team Championship with a total of four faults; Zones 8 and 9 (combined) took home the Silver with a total team score of eight faults.

Victoria Colvin and Cortina Win 2007 Wild Horsefeathers/USEF National Green Hunter Pony Championship

As Day Two of the United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) Pony Finals National Championships unfolded, the first overall champion was named. One of the busiest hunter riders at the show, nine-year-old Victoria Colvin won the Medium Green Pony Hunter Championship and the Overall Green Hunter Pony Grand Champion title with a total score of 1,059 aboard Scott Stewart’s Cortina. Colvin also went on to claim the Small Green Pony Championship on Ballou with a total score of 971.

Next August 2008, athletes and spectators around the world will come together in Hong Kong for the Summer Olympic Equestrian Games from August 9-22, 2008. For many travelers, finding accommodations in Hong Kong and the surrounding area can be daunting, but Cross Country International (CCI) has taken the guess work out of the process and is offering a wide variety of options for equestrians and travelers alike.

To mark the first-ever hosting of equestrian events in Hong Kong and the one-year countdown of Beijing Olympic Games, the Olympic Equestrian Company is pleased to join hands with the MTR and OMEGA to launch a limited-edition “Olympic One-Year Countdown” MTR Souvenir Tickets Set. Priced at $88, each ticket set includes two adult souvenir tickets* and a specially designed ticket holder. Don't miss out on this commemorative collectible item!

Don’t miss a second of the action at the Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials in England where eight Americans will be contesting for the coveted £50,000 prize. For the first time, the Land Rover Burghley Horse Trials will be offering live webstream of the cross-country and show jumping worldwide September 1-2.

If you sign up before August 26, not only can you enjoy every minute of the 2007 event but you can also enjoy highlights of the 2006 event for free. There is also a special offer combining access to the webcast and a copy of the 2007 DVD after the competition is over.

Colorful commentary will be provided by some of the biggest names in the game, including:

—Alice Plunkett, Channel 4 Horse Racing Anchor, former eventer and wife of William Fox-Pitt;
—David O'Connor, Individual Sydney Olympic champion, World and Pan Am medalist, and winner of Badminton and Rolex Kentucky;
—Ian Stark, four-time Olympic Silver medalist, and triple Badminton champion; and
—Tina Cook, World and European Team medalist.

Norman Dello Joio won the $50,000 Vermont Summer Celebration Grand Prix to conclude six weeks of competition at the 2007 Vermont Summer Festival. The largest ‘AA’ rated hunter-jumper horse show held in New England, the Vermont Summer Festival took place July 11-August 19, 2007, in East Dorset, VT.

The USEF announced the show jumping team for the Samsung Super League Final at CSIO Barcelona in Spain, September 13-16, 2007. The Samsung Super League Final is a chance for the eight teams involved in the Super League to make up valuable ground as the Final offers double points for its placings.

The class schedule, up-to-date entries, results, a live paddock cam, plus the action from each class inside the ring are all part of the World’s Championship Horse Show online experience available on www.saddlebred.com. Additionally, the association’s daily publication featuring horse show news, results, judges’ cards and standings, American Saddlebred Daily, is available online. Access the class schedule, entries, results and American Saddlebred Daily at www.asha.net/WCHS-Results. Completing the online WCHS experience is the paddock cam, offering a view of the horses warming up before they hit the green shavings, and it’s free to anyone logging on to www.saddlebred.com.

Read More...

When Randy Weaver was diagnosed with colon cancer, priorities were adjusted. Randy moved reconnecting with horses up on his list. A light that had shined in his life long ago was now important to illuminate again. He’d shown horses in his youth. He knew then about Louisville.

What do you do when you’re faced with cancer? If you fight and win that battle, as Randy did, do you resume as normal? I imagine you examine your entirety, life as a whole, and reflect on the things that have brought you the most joy. How precious is life now that you’ve seen how quickly and unexpectedly it can be shorter lived? With your new appreciation for the time you’ve been granted to live on this planet, wouldn’t you focus on those things that have brought you the most joy?

When Mary Gaylord McClean rode down Freedom Hall’s “victory lane” on According To Lynn as the World’s Champion in the Five-Gaited Mare Stake Tuesday night, it capped a sensational night for her Golden Creek Farms, as both competitors and breeders.

According To Lynn, by CH Callaway’s Born To Win out of Carol Lynn (BHF), is the older sister of Lynn Williams, by Top Spool out of the same Broodmare Hall of Fame dam. And Lynn Williams herself had just won the American Saddlebred Registry’s very rich National Three-Year-Old Five-Gaited Futurity earlier in the same performance! So the human Lynn Williams, namesake of these other “Lynns,” herself the mother of World’s Champion Saddle Seat Equitation Star Matthew Williams, was undoubtedly celebrating long into the night with the entire barn at the Byers’ Premiere Stables. Mary, of course, is the owner and breeder of the equine Lynns.

American Shetland Pony Club & American Miniature Horse Registry Convention Scheduled for November in Buffalo, NY

The American Shetland Pony Club (ASPC) and American Miniature Horse Registry (AMHR) National Convention is scheduled for November 7-11, 2007, at the Hyatt Regency in Buffalo, NY. The annual national convention hosts the annual committee meetings, the ASPC and AMHR National Awards Banquet for All-Star and Hall of Fame winners and the legendary Trainer’s Auction fund-raiser. There will also be sponsor tables, vendors and educational seminars held in conjunction with the convention. In addition, a group trip to Niagara Falls is scheduled for November 8. Persons interested in complete details should visit the ASPC website at www.shetlandminiature.com under "Events."

On October 18-27, 2007, the U.S. National Arabian & Half-Arabian Championship Horse Show will bid farewell to Albuquerque, NM, and celebrate a weeks worth of riveting competition for both amateur and professional riders or handlers who will be competing in halter, native costume, reining, working cow, cutting, trail, show hack, sidesaddle, park horse, driving, and English, Western and hunter classes. The U.S. Nationals ranks as the most prestigious North American championship in the Arabian show horse industry and will also offer world-class shopping, elaborate barn parties and a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity to get up close and personal with some of American’s most famous and beautiful horses. For more information, please visit the Arabian Horse Association’s website at www.arabianhorses.org.

The Buffalo International Horse Show (BIHS) is Buffalo's most prestigious horse show. An 'AA' rated show, it is one of the best ways for exhibitors to prepare themselves and their horses for the fall indoor circuit of finals. BIHS offers a large indoor arena for competition that gives horses and riders a chance to compete indoors before showing at the national finals in Pennsylvania, Washington, D.C., or Syracuse. The horse show offers generous prize money in every division.

In October of every year, hundreds of Iberian horses and their owners gather in Ft. Worth, TX, at the Will Rogers Equestrian Center to compete for national titles in numerous disciplines. The schedule includes many classes—from carriage to English and Western, from hunt seat to doma vaquera and much, much more. Every year the schedule of competition is exciting, educational and beautiful to watch. There are also many unique shopping opportunities oriented toward Iberian horses that will be available. You will find books, tack, equestrian clothing, artwork and more to take home with you. The public is always welcome and admission is free to spectators. Join others in this week of competitions, exhibitions, seminars, banquets and fun.

2007 World Championship Horse Show Hall of Fame Class Includes Nevitt, Peppiatt and Robertson

The Kentucky State Fair has announced the World’s Championship Horse Show Hall of Fame class of 2007. Jack Nevitt, C.E. “Pep” Peppiatt and Jimmy Robertson will be inducted during the World’s Championship Horse Show on Saturday night, August 25, following the Harness Pony World’s Grand Championship. Biographies on each of the Hall of Fame’s newest members are viewable at www.saddlebred.com/WCHS-Results.

HITS, Inc., Announces All Stalls at Thermal and Ocala Will be Disinfected to Protect Against Equine Herpes Virus 1 and 3

HITS is proud to announce that Geoff Allison of 5/A Baker Products, Inc., the DuPont™-approved distributor for the equine market for DuPont™ Virkon® S Disinfectant and Virucide, will be a sponsor of the HITS Desert Circuit in Thermal, CA, and the HITS Ocala Winter Circuit in Florida.

Beginning in 2008, stalls at HITS Thermal and HITS Ocala will be treated with DuPont's disinfectant product, Virkon® S, which is registered with the U.S. EPA to kill the EHV-1 and -3 viruses. In addition to protecting against equine herpes, Virkon® S is also effective in protecting against a wide range of equine pathogens, including viral diseases like equine influenza and pink eye, as well as numerous bacterial and fungal diseases.

Read More...

The new Ariat

USA

“Look of the Team” merchandise is now available at the USEF online store. Visit the store online to check out the latest Ariat USA men’s and women’s polos and vests!

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.

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.

It’s summertime and the savings are easy with the United States Equestrian Federation Visa ® Platinum Card, now offering 0% APR for 12 billing cycles*! With this special card, you can take an extended vacation from interest payments. So whether you use your United States Equestrian Federation Visa for some patio plants right now, or for a fun vacation later this summer, it’s the perfect time to switch and save. Plus, you’ll benefit our organization and earn great rewards with every purchase!

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

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: College Rewards, Platinum, Cash Rewards and 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 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.