Week in Review - U.S. Equestrian

The Platinum Performance/USEF Show Jumping Talent Search Finals West concluded with the stadium jumping phase and the ride-off among the top four riders. The track proved challenging and a number of riders were eliminated for refusals and falls.

“The five-stride to the four-stride to the bank caused problems for lots of horses,” said eventual winner Hannah Selleck. “I think that there was a lot going on and a lot for the horses to look at down at the part of the course.”

However, the riders who were well prepared put in lovely rounds.

Adrienne Dixon produced the highest score of the stadium phase (95) and secured herself a berth in the final four. Lucy Davis also put in a very strong ride and her score of 89 meant that she too would be in the final four. Although Selleck received an 80 for her stadium round, her overall score was high enough to keep her comfortably in the final four, and Michelle Morris rounded out the quartet.

Upcoming USEF National Championships

For the first time ever, a U.S. reiner has broken through to the top three on the FEI Reiner of the Year Ranking List.

Gabe Hutchins, whose season was highlighted by a runner-up finish at the 2007 FEI World Reining Masters on the legendary Juiced Up Doc, finished with 53 points behind Germany’s Emanuel Ernst and Arc Playsophie (74 points) and Belgium’s Ann Fonck-Poels and Chic Dual (56).

“It is an honor for me to win this,” said Hutchins of Sherman, TX. “Especially since I didn’t know I was eligible to win.”

Only FEI competitions are included in the rankings for this list, which ranks horse/rider combinations. CRIs and CRIOs (which are international reining competitions) are the only competitions from which the results are eligible for this award.

William Coleman and Twizzel jumped a flawless stadium round to win the CIC*** at the inaugural Plantation Field International CIC and Horse Trials, September 19-21, 2008, on the property of Mr. and Mrs. Cuyler Walker.

Coleman, 25, Charlottesville, VA, explained that Tivoli Farms purchased the warmblood gelding in Germany two years ago for him to ride. “We looked at the horse for a couple years before she agreed to sell it; she had a bad fall from another horse and agreed to sell him, so we jumped at the chance. He was still quite green at the advanced level, and then he had an interruption in his training, but he’s a super horse.”

This was Coleman’s first three-star win since he won the under 25 division at Bramham, England, in 2003.

Nineteen-year-old Western Star Galaxy (Georgetown Starlight x Cedarvale Splendora) won big at last week's Eastern States Exposition Big E Horse Show in West Springfield, MA. In a class of nine, "Alex" won the New England Horseman's Council's Junior Western Reining Seat Medal Finals with Stephanie Miranda of Assonet, MA, in the saddle. Alex is the only Morgan to ever win the finals to date.

Morgan Dressage Association to Award Scholarships Again in 2009

An exciting benefit to being a member of the Morgan Dressage Association (MDA) is the Annual Scholarship Awards. Each year, the association intends to award up to eight scholarships in the amount of $500-$750 each in three categories to MDA members: training/first level; second/third level; fourth level and above, with the larger amount considered for riders and Morgans competing at the FEI level.

Six of the eight ASPCA Maclay Regional qualifiers have been held and top junior riders came home with victory. The ASPCA Maclay National Championship will be held at the Syracuse Invitational Sporthorse Tournament, featuring the 125th National Horse Show. The show will run October 29-November 2, 2008, at the Oncenter Complex in Syracuse, NY.

There was a short press briefing at CSIO Barcelona on September 20 during which the FEI's First Vice-President Sven Holmberg and FEI Jumping Director John Roche answered questions relating to the new-formula FEI Nations Cup series 2009.

By way of background, Holmberg explained that the current contract stipulated that negotiations with a new sponsor should not begin until January 1, 2008, and that this was a short time considering what needed to be done including creating a new product, finding a sponsor and reaching agreement with all those involved.

Good news awaits when you renew your membership online for 2009! If you were an amateur, professional or junior member in 2007 or 2008, you will be able to renew online using our new Quick Renewal. In the next week or two when the 2009 online applications are available, you can just log in to your Authorized User Account and select the Quick Renew option. All of your membership information will be there. All you have to do is review it; edit it, if necessary; submit payment; and print out a copy of your 2009 card.

In addition, the membership process has been further streamlined by doing away with the breed/discipline dues. The new USEF Competing Equestrian Membership fee for all Senior Active and Junior Active members is $55. With that, you will be able to participate at all USEF Licensed Competitions, as well as receive automatic insurance and MemberPerks.

There are also two new member categories for individuals not participating in USEF Licensed Competitions. The USEF Equestrian ($35) includes the automatic insurance and access to the MemberPerks program, while the Club Equestrian ($15) includes access to MemberPerks.

If you have any questions about the new memberships, please call one of our Customer Care Agents at (859) 258-2472.

Already an active supporter of horse shows from the local to national levels and spanning from hunter/jumper and dressage to reining and Western pleasure, SmartPak™ announced that they have partnered with HITS for their upcoming winter circuits. The partnership spans both coasts with a sponsorship of the HITS Ocala Winter Circuit in Florida and a sponsorship of the HITS Desert Circuit in Thermal, CA, two of the biggest horse show circuits in the United States.

One of the most exciting American Saddlebred promotions of the year will take place at 7:00 p.m. on Friday, October 24, 2008, at the Verizon Center in downtown Washington D.C. The Washington International Horse Show (WIHS) will be celebrating its 50th anniversary this year. In honor of this event, the American Saddlebreds have been invited back once again to perform in Washington, D.C., as they did 36 years ago. American Saddlebreds will perform an exciting exhibition before a spectator audience of several thousand on Friday night to see the annual Puissance Open Jumper class. This event receives significant press coverage and the possibilities of exposing the American Saddlebred to the general public will be endless.

A Call to Action: Gulf Coast/Hurricane Ike - Donate Now to the USEF Equine Disaster Relief Fund

A full week after the torrents of Hurricane Ike battered the Gulf Coast of Texas, the scene is still one of shock and destruction. With over one million residents evacuated, these coastal towns and cities are dealing with a long road ahead of them in the attempt to clear debris, allow residents to return to their neighborhoods and get utilities and services in working order.

The situation is particularly difficult for those with large animals. Evacuating and housing horses has its own set of concerns. In response to past disasters and in hopes of assisting in future ones, the United States Equestrian Federation established the USEF Equine Disaster Relief Fund and is now requesting contributions from individuals and organizations wishing to assist those in the hurricane ravaged Texas coast.

Celebrate "Halfway There" with New 2010 Games Merchandise; Act now for Commemorative Merchandise and Special Discounts

New products will be available at the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games online merchandise store in time for the "Halfway There" celebration marking two years to go in the countdown to the 2010 Games.

New merchandise will include "Halfway There" T-shirts, which continues a line of horseshoe designs from the "Three Years to Go" celebration in 2007.

Sixteen days of eight world championships are officially scheduled for the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games. The competition schedule was released on September 22 by the World Games 2010 Foundation. A detailed competition schedule is now available online.

Tickets for the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games will go on sale one year from today, on September 25, 2009. The announcement of ticket sales comes at the “Halfway There” Celebration with two years to go until the Games.

Check Your Points Now in the
Farnam®/Platform™ USEF Horse of the Year Program

Do not wait until the end of the year! Your points are already online.

Please check your points and standings in your respective division(s) by:

Calling the Horse Report Hotline at (859) 225-2040, or
Ordering a copy of your horse’s point report via e-mail or mail (faxed copies will incur an additional charge), or
Checking your standings online.

Current Standings of a Few National Champion Divisions (as of September 25, 2008)

Division	Horse	Owner
Andalusian/Lusitano Performance Horse	Fandango Del Sol	Cara Rothrock
Arabian Hunter Pleasure-Open	C.A. Napostar	Shelley Sutter
Friesian Dressage	Dante F.Q.	Friesian Quest, LLC
Regular Working Hunter	Contender	Micaela Kennedy
Morgan In-Hand	Fight Song	Brett Bartley
Saddlebred Three-Gaited Open	Sunshine Way	Toni Guernera
Western Trial Open	Roxy Trail Music	Peggy Weems

To join the program: It is as easy as filling out an application, which may be found on the USEF website here, or may be obtained at any recognized horse show, or by contacting the USEF office at (859) 258-2472.

Tickets Now Available for The EQUUS Foundation "Deal or No Deal" Event in Syracuse

Tickets are now available for EQUUS "Deal or No Deal" event at the Syracuse Invitational Sporthorse Tournament on Friday, October 31, 2008. Hosted by Bates Saddles, the EQUUS Foundation will feature the top junior equitation riders competing at the show as the "Deal or No Deal" suitcase models.