Week in Review - U.S. Equestrian

The Arabian Horse Association (AHA) Sport Horse National Arabian and Half-Arabian Championship Show (Sport Horse Nationals) made its debut in Nampa, ID, from September 20-24, 2006, at the Idaho Horse Park in its first northwest appearance. Horses competed in 69 classes in four divisions: sport horse in-hand and under-saddle, dressage, pleasure carriage driving and hunter/jumper.

Besides the competition, the show featured clinics by hunter/jumper trainer Linda Allen and dressage notable Hilda Gurney; an Open Barn Night; grand prix and dressage musical freestyle, pleasure driving dressage, the Horse Illustrated Jumper Mini Prix, the Practical Horseman Hunter Classic and the naming of the Supreme Sport Horse in Hand.

Paso Fino Horse Association’s Grand National Championship Show Awards Top Competitors, Owners, Trainers and Horses

The Paso Fino Horse Association's (PFHA) 34th Annual Grand National Championship show at the Georgia National Fairgrounds and AgriCenter brought together the best of the best to compete head-to-head for various titles during the weeklong event. The schedule included 120 classes ranging from versatility and Western, to performance, pleasure and Fino. In addition to the competition, with amateur, youth and open divisions, the event featured a trade fair, a stallion service auction, Breeders’ Sweepstakes classes, programs and games for the youth and various clinics and forums throughout the week.

There is still time to contact your affiliate and submit a nomination for the USEF Youth Council and the USEF Youth Sportsman’s Charter Award. The deadline for USEF to receive nominations from the affiliates for the Youth Council is October 16, 2006, and the deadline for the USEF to receive nominations from the affiliates for the Youth Sportsman’s Charter Award is October 31, 2006. Both programs require that nominations be received by USEF from the USEF-recognized association.

The International Friesian Show Horse Association Grand National Horse Show Set for November 10-12 in Las Vegas

International Friesian Show Horse Association's (IFSHA) Grand National Horse Show Manager, Gareth A. Selwood, is pleased to announce that the third annual International Friesian Show Horse Association’s Grand National Horse Show will be held November 10-12, 2006, at the incredible state of the art South Coast Casino and Equestrian Center in South Las Vegas, NV.

The United States Equestrian Federation® (USEF) dressage tests for training through fourth level are now available. These new editions become effective with the beginning of the 2007 USEF competition year (December 1, 2006) and will remain in use for the next four years.

Pre Show Special Price DVD Available for the 2006 Pessoa/USEF National Hunter Seat Equitation Medal Final presented by Becker College and 2006 Adequan/USEF National Junior Jumper Championships

Productions East Video is offering a pre-show special price of $35.00 for a DVD of your competition round for the Pessoa/USEF National Hunter Seat Equitation Medal Final presented by Becker College and $35.00 for your round in the Adequan/USEF National Junior Jumper Championship. This includes a DVD of the round and shipping. Your warm-up class will be $40.00 and additional copies are only $25.00. You must order through e-mail at productionseast@starband.net, fax (518) 584-7359 or call (518) 587-4853. Orders must be in by October 11, 2006. The cost at the show is $70.00 for each of these two classes. This is a 50% savings, so take five minutes and get your order in to Productions East Video today. A live webcast will be available on www.Livebroadcast.tv for $25.00/day or $100.00 for the entire Pennsylvania National Horse Show.

After three challenging phases of competition, and a ride-off among the top four, California’s Nick Haness emerged as the 2006 USEF Show Jumping Talent Search Finals–West Champion during the Los Angeles International Jumping Festival (September 20-24) at the Los Angeles Equestrian Center.

Judges Anne Kursinski, an Olympic medalist, and Carol Hoffman, both of Frenchtown, NJ, presided over the championship event. "We were looking for the jumper influence," explained Kursinski. "We included a lot of jumper tests, and the competition was about getting the job done, and getting it done beautifully. Rodrigo [Pessoa] in the Olympics made it look like an equitation class." Hoffman added, "Form equals function, and the top four riders answered questions consistently and had good style."

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Creating a Pipeline for the Future: George Morris Horsemanship Training Session for Top-Ranked U.S. Young Riders Debuts in January

With a goal of creating complete “horsemasters” and a pipeline for future U.S teams, George Morris will conduct a Horsemanship Training Session at the Palm Beach Polo Equestrian Club, Wellington, FL, on January 15-20, 2007.

Hosted by the United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) and Stadium Jumping, Inc., and presented by Bates, the training session will include instruction each day by Morris. “This is not a clinic,” commented Morris. “This is a training session in all aspects of horse mastership—an important first step in becoming an international team rider.” Other experts in their respective fields will provide instruction in dressage for the show jumping rider; conformation; veterinary care; and stable management.

Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games 2010 Selects DigiKnow as Interactive Agency

DigiKnow, Inc., has been selected as the Interactive Agency of Record for the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games 2010, which will be held at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington.

"We needed to find a firm with experience—communicating our event internationally, selling merchandise online and creating and making available a worldwide online ticket program," said Jack Kelly, CEO of the World Games 2010 Foundation, Inc. “DigiKnow has all of those skills.”

Kristin Bachman almost met her goal of a clear show jumping round at the 2006 Wellpride American Eventing Championships at the Carolina Horse Park in Raeford, NC. But even with one rail down, she and Gryffindor finished on 37.3 penalties, well ahead of Mara Dean on Nicki Henley with 51.60, to win the 2006 Wellpride AEC advanced division.

Karin Offield of Offield Farms Offers USEF Members Interested in Dressage Free Membership to DressageDirect.com

Offield Farms has the opportunity to introduce all American dressage-interested USEF members to www.dressagedirect.com. Dressagedirect is dedicated to promoting the sport of dressage throughout the world.

In case you are not familiar with Dressagedirect, the service aims to provide its members with all international dressage show results on the grand prix level, along with interesting facts of the dressage community. This information is sent directly to the subscriber’s e-mail box shortly after each event.

For the full letter, click here.

Kentucky Governor Fletcher Urges Horse Owners to Prepare for Emergencies; Kentucky Office of Homeland Security and Kentucky Horse Park Join Effort to Save Horses' Lives

In a joint statement issued September 25, Kentucky Governor Ernie Fletcher and the directors of the Kentucky Office of Homeland Security and the Kentucky Horse Park, stated, “Kentucky and horses are innately, inseparably connected to one another. Horses are an integral part of our state’s national identity, our history and future. They embody the unbridled spirit of our state, and it is our duty to be mindful of their welfare. To that end, we encourage all horse owners to have emergency plans in place now, for their families, horses, pets and other livestock in case of emergencies, natural disasters and terrorism.”

American Saddlebred Registry Sweepstakes Total Payout Increases by 24% to $172,822

The American Saddlebred Registry (ASR) Sweepstakes, held during the All American Horse Classic in Indianapolis September 5-9, had a 24% increase in its total payout from 2005 to 2006. The 2006 total payout was $172,822 compared to $139,434 one year before. The biggest increase came in the four-year-old division, which paid winners $45,959 for a 51% increase from the previous year’s total of $30,376. The 2006 four-year-old payout is the highest since 1992.

Reining with an Altitude: Western International Makes a Big Bang in Inaugural Year

Excitement reaches a new high as the reining elite from all around the world make their way to Denver, CO. Organizers expect that up to 30,000 spectators and 500 horses from four continents will take part in the Western International Reining Festival, proud home of the 2006 FEI World Reining Masters Finals and National Reining Horse Association (NRHA) Mountain Region Affiliate Finals Championships. The Western International runs October 17-22 at the National Western Complex.

Amelia McArdle Captures Region 4 Win for ASPCA Maclay; Zazou Hoffman Rides to Blue in Region 1

The final two regions held their qualifiers this past weekend for the ASPCA Maclay National Championships. Region 1 (Northeast—CT, MA, ME, NH, RI, VT) had their qualifier at the Grand Fall Classic in Westbrook, CT. The Region 4 qualifier (Midwest—IL, IN, KY, MI, OH) was at the Kentucky National in Lexington, KY. Zazou Hoffman of Santa Monica, CA, won Region 1, while Amelia McArdle of Barrington Hills, IL, won Region 4.

Prince George’s Equestrian Center Welcomes the Washington International Horse Show Local Weekend and USEF Zone 3 Finals; Washington International Horse Show Continue for 48th Year

The weekend of October 20-22, 2006, a week before the Washington International Horse Show (WIHS) festivities take place in downtown Washington, D.C., local riders will compete at Prince George’s Equestrian Center in Upper Marlboro, MD. This horse show allows riders to qualify for the local finals at the Verizon Center that will take place on Sunday, October 29. The WIHS Local Weekend is proudly sponsored by The Tack Box, Inc., from Middleburg, VA.

USEF Eventing Championship CCI*** Takes Center Stage at 18th Annual Fair Hill International Festival in the Country

One of the most prestigious three-day events in the U.S., the United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) CCI*** Championship will take center stage when the Fair Hill International Festival in the Country returns October 19-22. This year’s Festival features competition in two disciplines at the Fair Hill Natural Resources Area in the beautiful countryside of Fair Hill, MD. The USEF Eventing CCI*** Championship will be joined by the return of an advanced and intermediate level combined driving competition.

U.S. Dressage Chef d'Equipe Klaus Balkenhol Offers Symposium in New England

The New England Dressage Association (NEDA) is extremely pleased and honored to welcome United States Olympic equestrian dressage team coach and German Olympic Gold medalist Klaus Balkenhol to New England for the first time. NEDA has been working on this event for over two years, and their efforts have finally been rewarded. Balkenhol will visit the University of Massachusetts’ Hadley Farm from his home in Germany this November 3-5.

Julie Welles Wins SHALANNO Style of Riding Award at the 31st Annual Hampton Classic

Julie Welles of West Simsbury, CT, won the SHALANNO Style of Riding Award Perpetual Trophy at the 31st annual Hampton Classic Horse Show. The SHALANNO Style of Riding Award Perpetual Trophy is presented to the junior jumper rider who best exemplifies the American style of equitation as modeled by Olympic medalists Joe Fargis, Conrad Homfeld and George Morris. The award recipient must have the respectful, dignified, courteous and workmanlike manner of a true sportsman.

Entry Deadline Change for NRHA Reining Classes at the Scottsdale Arabian Horse Show

The Arabian Reining Horse Association announced the entry deadline for all National Reining Horse Association classes held at the Scottsdale Arabian Horse Show has been changed. The new deadline is December 1, 2006 (as opposed to December 15, 2006) as previously published. Unlike previous years, contestants will be unable to enter NRHA classes at the show.

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.