Week in Review - U.S. Equestrian

The 40th Annual U.S. National Arabian and Half-Arabian Championship Horse Show (U.S. Nationals) bid a final farewell to Louisville from October 12-21, 2006, at the Kentucky Exposition Center in Louisville, KY. It was the last time the show will be held in this particular venue.

The Arabian Horse Association (AHA) of Aurora, CO, produced the 10-day event, which reigns as the flagship competition for the Arabian horse industry and the grand finale of the show season. Almost 2,000 horses competed in 109 classes that included reining, cutting, working cow, trail, mounted native costume, pleasure driving, show hack, in-hand, sidesaddle, park, and English, hunter and Western pleasure.

Not one, not two, but three USEF eventing championships were contested from October 19-22 at the prestigious Fair Hill Festival in the Country in Elkton, MD. Each year, Fair Hill hosts the USEF CCI*** championship – one of two three-star competitions in the country. In addition to the three-star, the USEF National Owner/Rider and the USEF National Under 25 eventing championships were also contested.

Four Eventing Championships Awarded During the Mid-South Event at the Kentucky Horse Park

The nation’s horse center at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington set the stage for four different USEF eventing championships over the past weekend, October 19-22. The storms that plagued the region in the week leading up to the competitions left portions of the steeplechase course under water. Officials deemed it necessary to eliminate the steeplechase from the event. The national championships were also run concurrent with the ever-popular Mid-South Team Challenge.

Americans dominate at the FEI World Reining Masters Finals, Saturday, October 21, in Denver, CO, taking home both the Gold and Silver medals. Gold medalist Shawn Flarida of Springfield, OH, scored 223.5 in the Masters open division riding Tinsel Nic. He earned an unofficial $17,906.25 gaining him an elite distinction within the National Reining Horse Association (NRHA). Flarida now joins the Two-Million Dollar Rider Club. World Champion Reiner Tim McQuay is the only other rider in NRHA history to earn that two-million dollar distinction. After his gold medal win, Flarida says, “It’s an awesome feeling to win, especially when you know that you’re competing against the best horsemen from around the world.”

Dr. John G. Lengel to Retire as Director of USEF Drugs and Medications Program

After 28 years of loyal service, the most tenured USEF staff member, Dr. John G. Lengel, has decided to retire.

Dr. Lengel started working for the Equine Drugs and Medications Program as a testing technician and then testing veterinarian in the early to mid 1970’s. He was appointed the administrator of the program in 1978, succeeding Dr. Jordan Woodcock, the program’s first administrator. In addition, he served as the AHSA Executive Vice-President at the main office in New York City from 1982 to 1985. In 1985 he returned to the Columbus, OH, office, in order to devote his full attention once again to the Drugs and Medications Program. In 1995, with the assistance of Dr. George Maylin at Cornell University, Dr. Lengel helped establish the Equine Drug Testing and Research Laboratory in Ithaca, NY. Recently, he recruited the highly respected equine drug testing expert Dr. Tom Lomangino to serve as the Federation’s Laboratory Director.

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USEF members can now enjoy UPS discounts up to 30% off NEXT DAY and 2^ND DAY shipping and up to 5% off GROUND shipping services. To start to receive your savings, simply login to our specialized UPS website and select “Yes! Sign Me Up Now!” at www.savewithups.com/usef/ Enter your information and your current UPS account number if you already have one. They will add our savings to your new Corporate UPS account. Once you have set up your account with the UPS discounts, you can use that account number at any UPS store and the discounts will apply. There is no code to take into UPS and receive discounts without setting up an account first. USEF is very happy to have such a great program with UPS to extend to its members.

Pennsylvania National Horse Show Offers Highlights during the Budweiser Prix de Penn National, Pennsylvania Big Jump and the Gambler's Choice

For the second year running, literally, Laura Chapot and Little Big Man ran away with the $65,000 Budweiser Prix de Penn National on closing night of the Pennsylvania National Horse Show. Tenth to go of 31, Chapot was the third clear round, and she received both a warm welcome and appreciative applause as she successfully navigated the triple-jump combination that stopped so many others.

Announcing the 2006 United States Dressage Federation's Regional General Member Organization Volunteers of the Year

The United States Dressage Federation (USDF) would like to announce and congratulate the 2006 USDF Regional General Member Organization (GMO) Volunteers of the Year; Barbara Jarboe of the Kentucky Dressage Association (Region 2), Mary O’Brien of the Northeast Florida Dressage Association (Region 3), Margene Swarts of the Kansas City Dressage Society (Region 4), Susan Gregg of the Rocky Mountain Dressage Society (Region 5), Rose Newman of the Oregon Dressage Society (Region 6), Terry Wilson of the California Dressage Society (Region 7), Kate O’Connor of the New England Dressage Society (Region 8), and Elisabeth “Bit” Fingerhut of the Houston Dressage Society (Region 9). All of these individuals were chosen based on their dedication to and support of the sport of dressage. USDF is proud to recognize the outstanding volunteer efforts of these eight very deserving individuals.

The American Saddlebred Horse Association (ASHA) intends to webcast all three days of the 2006 Fall Sale at Tattersalls, as conducted by Teater Saddlebred Enterprises, Inc. The ASHA has previously provided streaming video of the Kentucky State Fair World’s Championship Horse Show on its Internet website, www.saddlebred.com, and plans to do the same for the Fall Sale on Thursday, October 26, through Saturday, October 29.

United States Hunter Jumper Association Announces New and Updated Clinic Opportunities Available Through the Practical Horseman/USHJA Clinics Program for 2006

The United States Hunter Jumper Association (USHJA) Clinics Program is dedicated to providing clinics throughout the country for the members of USHJA. Please remember to check the USHJA Clinics Calendar at www.ushja.org/clinics/clinics.shtml for updates to the calendar.

Prepare for an exciting ride as Appaloosa enthusiasts from all over the world take part in the 2006 World Championship Appaloosa Show coming to the Will Rogers Memorial Center for nine days of thrilling excitement and fun in Fort Worth, TX, October 27-November 4.

For more than 40 years, the World Championship Appaloosa Show has united outstanding Appaloosas in the competitive arena. This year will only continue that tradition as more than a thousand Appaloosas and contestants demonstrate their skills and abilities. Riders and handlers will showcase the Appaloosa's bold color, athleticism, sound temperament and versatility in a variety of classes, including reining, cutting, jumping, pleasure riding, trail, halter and games. Contestants will compete for trophies, prizes and cash awards, as well as for the World's Best Appaloosa and Leading Breeder titles.

Make Your Stallion Stand Out

Advertise in the December/January stallion and breeding issue of EQUESTRIAN. Reach over 80,000 USEF members in this special double-month issue. As a USEF member, you receive discounted advertising rates and reach the best audience. For more information, contact Kim Russell at krussell@usef.org or (859) 225-6938 Book Early! Space closes October 31.

The Infectious Disease Task Force of the American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) has developed guidelines for the control of contagious infectious disease within the horse population. Recommendations are provided for the control of suspected cases of infectious respiratory, neurologic, diarrheal and vesicular disease. The symptom-based guidelines provide a detailed action plan for veterinarians as they address a possible infectious disease outbreak. From the point at which a case of infectious disease is suspected, the guidelines offer measures to control the spread of infection, diagnostic testing options and communication considerations.

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.

The Reining Horse Sports Foundation (RHSF) is helping dreams of a college education come true for five National Reining Horse Youth Association (NRHyA) members. The RHSF recently awarded five $1,000 scholarships to help the high school seniors further excel in their future careers and National Reining Horse Association (NRHA) competition.

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.