Week in Review - U.S. Equestrian

Cast Your Vote! USEF Now Accepting Votes for 2006 USEF Equestrian of the Year

As the year comes to a close, the United States Equestrian Federation® (USEF) is pleased to announce the 2006 Equestrians of Honor. Of these eight honorees, one will be selected as the 2006 USEF Equestrian of the Year.

In a typical year, seven nominees are selected, one for each Equestrian of Honor trophy. This year however, due to a tie for the Becky Grand Hart trophy, there are eight finalists up for Equestrian of the Year.

USEF Announces 2007 Triple Point Competitions for Farnam®/Platform™ USEF Horse of The Year Program

The United States Equestrian Federation is pleased to announce the 2007 triple point competitions for the Saddlebred, Roadster, and Hackney/Harness divisions. Each year, the corresponding discipline committees vote to assign “triple point” status to a competition in each of the 12 regions. Points won at of these designated competitions will count as triple points for the Farnam®/Platform™ USEF Horse of the Year program. Questions regarding triple point shows should be directed to the Breeds and Western Department of the USEF by calling (859) 225-6986.

Florida Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services Continues Investigation into Horse Virus Outbreak

Florida Agriculture and Consumer Services Commissioner Charles Bronson says the department’s Division of Animal Industry is continuing the investigation into the presence of Equine Herpesvirus – type 1 (EHV-1) in several areas of the state, including Wellington, Jupiter and the Ocala area. EHV-1 can be a serious disease of horses, and the virus can spread through the air from the respiratory route of affected horses. Transmission can also occur through contaminated equipment, clothing and hands.

USEF licenses approximately 2,600 competitions per year. USEF currently has 275 licensed stewards and 178 licensed technical delegates. Stewards are licensed as either Category 1 (hunter/jumper) or Category 2 (breeds/Western) or Combined Category (both groups). The median age of our currently licensed stewards is 59 years of age.

With the goal of providing more accessible applicant sessions for individuals interested in becoming a licensed steward with the Federation, a total of six applicant sessions will be held during the 2007 competition year.

Arabian Horse Association Expands USDF All-Breeds Awards, Announces 2006 Winners

The Arabian Horse Association (AHA) has expanded its participation with the United States Dressage Federation (USDF) All-Breeds Awards for 2007 and announced the winners for 2006. These awards are presented to individual horses from participating registries that meet the requirements of the program.

USDF Announces 2006 FEI Junior/Young Rider Council’s Shining Star Sportsmanship Award Recipients

The United States Dressage Federation (USDF) announced the recipients of the USDF FEI Junior/Young Rider Council’s Shining Star Sportsmanship Award. The recipients include Emily Barnsley of Laytonsville, MD; Kirsten Lane of Medford, NJ; Becky Mark of Virginia; Emily O’Neill of Chester Springs, PA; Katie Pare of Lincoln University, PA; and Ryann Scelba of Lumberton, NJ, selected from the USDF Region 1 Youth Team Championships and Barbara Ayers of Cottage Grove, OR; Jessica Crawford of Tualatin, OR; Kate Fife of Boise, ID; Jessie Jacobs of Boise, ID; Kaitlin MacMillan of Cornelius, OR; Carena Mondragon of Clackamas, OR; Cara Seipel of Hillsboro, OR; Alyson Smith of Eagle, ID; and Keely Tommys of Hillsboro, OR; selected from the USDF Region 6 Youth Team Championships.

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.

Transfer balances while leaving the interest payments behind, with the United States Equestrian Federation® Visa Platinum Card, now offering…

Wrap up great holiday memories with this unique card, knowing you’ll pay no interest on balance transfers until next winter. The U.S. Equestrian Federation Visa is perfect for stuffing stockings at home, or for taking the whole family to grandma’s house. Plus, you’ll benefit our international teams and earn great rewards with every purchase!

The U.S. Equestrian Federation® Visa Platinum Card also provides great benefits, including:

This Visa Platinum card issued by U.S. Bank is now the only card that supports the U.S. Equestrian Federation. Upon receiving your new card, the U.S. 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.

The creditor and issuer of the Visa Platinum card is the U.S. Bank National Association ND.

In the future, Rolex will be supporting the World Equestrian Festival, CHIO Aachen, as their general sponsor. Until now, Rolex had shown its commitment to Aachen in their role as main sponsor. As the general sponsor, Rolex is also the title sponsor of the most important show jumping competition in the world, the Rolex Prize of Aachen.

American Quarter Horses take center stage Sunday, January 7, on NBC Sports Television at 1:30 p.m. Eastern/10:30 a.m. Pacific for the America’s Horse Championships presented by Ford Trucks. The one-hour special is based at a portion of the FedEx Open competition at the American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA) World Championship Show in Oklahoma City and highlights the reining and cutting competitions along with other features.

USET Foundation 2006 Limited Edition Breyer Model Horse Authentic Still Available

The United States Equestrian Team (USET) Foundation still has a few models remaining of the 2006 Limited Edition Breyer Model Horse, Authentic. The USET Foundation announced earlier this year that Authentic, owned by Abigail Wexner and ridden by Beezie Madden, was chosen as the 2006 USET Foundation Breyer model horse. Authentic, an 11-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding, is the 11th Breyer model in this popular series.

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The new USEF long sleeve tees will make the perfect gift! This Forrest Green unisex long sleeve tee is made of 6.1 oz. heavyweight 100% pre-shrunk cotton, with double needle stitching at the neck and a hemmed bottom. USEF is screen printed on the front chest. Be sure to stop by the USEF Online S tore for all of your holiday needs.

The Washington International Horse Show Extends Contract with Verizon Center for Two Years

The Washington International Horse Show, one of the world’s leading equestrian events, will remain at Verizon Center, its home since 2000, for at least two more years. The contract extension ensures the show will celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2008 in the heart of Washington, D.C., its namesake city.

The Board of Directors of The EQUUS Foundation, Inc., an all-volunteer fund raising and fund granting 501(c)(3) charity, will award grants to 37 charitable organizations that promote the positive use of the horse for the benefit of the general public, horse welfare and equestrian sport as a whole in 2006, up from 28 in 2006.

In just four years since its establishment in August 2002, The EQUUS Foundation has awarded over $600,000 in grants, with over $250,000 awarded in 2006.

Karen Healey Stables hosted a clinic with renowned trainer and clinician George H. Morris on December 8-10, 2006, at Shelburne Farms in Hidden Valley of Westlake Village, CA. The clinic was organized by Karen Healey, the trainer and owner of Karen Healey Stables.

The clinic had three divisions of riders: open jumpers, jumper 3’9”-4’, and advanced equitation. Each division had three sessions over the three days of the clinic. There were 25 riders total, and the clinic saw over 40 auditors for the three days, including a group that traveled from Texas to watch.

United States Department of Agriculture Re-Publishes Proposed Rules for Permanent Private Quarantine Facilities

The United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) re-published an updated proposal on December 13, 2006, that would permit the establishment and operation of permanent, privately-owned quarantine facilities under certain conditions.

United States Dressage Federation Announces New Associate and Certified Instructors

The United States Dressage Federation (USDF) is proud to recognize the following individuals for achieving USDF Instructor Certification status at the USDF Instructor Certification Test held at Morven Park in Leesburg, VA, November 10-12, 2006. The examiners for this Instructor Certification Test were Lilo Fore and Gerhard Politz.

The 2006 winner of the Arabian Horse Association (AHA) Distance Horse of the Year Award is presented to 23-year-old Half-Arabian Aron Moon+// (HA Shah Galleb x grade mare), owned by Mike Tracy of Hollister, CA. Aron Moon (or Moon) was chosen for his outstanding accomplishments. During his 17-year endurance career, he’s had 95 completions out of 108 starts, giving him an 88% completion rate and 5,625 miles. Additionally, he’s earned 536 Achievement Awards points during his career, reaching the prestigious Legion of Excellence level.

The 52nd Annual Convention of the American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP), held December 2-6 in San Antonio, TX, set a new attendance record for the association’s flagship event, as 6,842 veterinary professionals, guests and exhibitors participated. The previous attendance record of 6,284 was set at the 2004 Annual Convention in Denver, CO.

Lifelong horsewoman Rosey Reed passed away on November 30, 2006, due to complications from cancer. Born in 1954 in San Diego, CA, Reed grew up on a horse ranch and showed Appaloosas. After a stint as a singer and songwriter, Reed started Griffith Park Farms at the Los Angeles Equestrian Center. For over 20 years, Reed trained horses and taught riders. Her students won many year-end awards in the Los Angeles area, and in Zone 10.

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.