Week in Review - U.S. Equestrian

Time is Running Out. Cast Your Vote for the Equestrian of the Year and the Farnam®/Platform™ USEF Horse of the Year Before December 31

New York’s Brianne Goutal and Tennessee’s William Harris have been named Junior Equestrians of the Year by the United States Equestrian Federation® and will be honored during the Federation’s annual gala – The Pegasus Awards – on January 12, 2007, in Louisville, KY. It is the first time in over a decade that two youths have been named co-recipients of one of the Federation’s highest honors – the Ruth O’Keefe Meredith Trophy, established in 1985 to honor a junior equestrian who has made outstanding contributions to equestrian competition while exemplifying exceptional talent, sportsmanship and dedication.

2006 Recipients of the United States Equestrian Pegasus Medal of Honor Announced

The United States Equestrian Federation® will award the 2006 Pegasus Medals of Honor during the Pegasus Awards Gala at its Annual Meeting, Friday, January 12, at the Seelbach Hotel in downtown Louisville, Kentucky. The award recognizes individuals who have exhibited outstanding service to horses and sport, and who, through their dedication, have attracted people to the sport and contributed to it by advancing its popularity.

Nine cases of Equine Herpes Virus – type 1 (EHV-1) have been confirmed with laboratory testing from horses, seven in the Wellington area, one in Ocala, FL, and one in Indiantown, FL. The Ocala horse shipped from south Florida and had a direct link to one of the horses shipped in from New York, on November 29. Five deaths have been attributed to this disease, although only two of those cases could be confirmed by laboratory tests. The index, or first case reported, was a horse imported from Europe through the USDA New York Animal Import Center.

In light of the recent outbreak of the Equine Herpes Virus (EHV-1), organizers of this years Sidelines Equestrian Triathlon™ have postponed the event originally scheduled for January 6, 2007.

Samantha Charles, publisher of Sidelines Magazine regretfully announced, “At this time, I am afraid that we are on hold for the Sidelines Equestrian Triathlon to benefit the Equestrian Aid Foundation,” she said. “Due to the recent virus outbreak, most of our horses are in a lock down and no events or intermingling of horses is advised. We will certainly reschedule the triathlon. We're just not sure yet of a date. Much depends on the duration of this outbreak. We will be contacting everyone in plenty of time so that we can keep you all involved,” said Charles.

Preparations for the 2007 Winter Equestrian Festival Continue; 2007 Winter Equestrian Festival to Feature Top Hunters in the Nation

Despite the current EHV-1 outbreak in South Florida, work continues in preparation for the 2007 Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF) scheduled to begin on January 24, 2007, at the Palm Beach Polo Equestrian Club in Wellington, FL. This year’s festival, the nation’s longest and consecutively running equestrian sporting event, celebrates its 35th year in Florida, and will offer more than $4 million dollars in prize money.

A number of exhibitors using the GPA brand of helmets while competing in USEF licensed events may be unaware that they are not wearing an ASTM/SEI certified model as required by USEF rules. Helmets purchased in Europe, from online stores in Europe, or possibly from EBay, if the helmets originally came from Europe, may not meet the ASTM/SEI standard as required by USEF GR318.2-GR318.7. Riders should check the buckles of their GPA helmets to see if there is an SEI logo on it and they should also check the inside of the helmet which should carry the SEI certification tag on it. If it does not appear there, then the helmet should not be used in USEF licensed competitions

American Laura Noyes Begins International Dressage Career at FEI Young Rider World Cup Dressage Final

Laura Noyes, an aspiring 19-year-old dressage rider from Falmouth, ME, found herself in a rather special situation – receiving an invitation to the FEI Young Rider World Cup Dressage Final in Frankfurt, Germany. Through a sponsorship from the competition organizers, Noyes and her 12-year-old bay Trakehner, Syncro, made the trek to the December 14-17 competition in Frankfurt.

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.

U.S. League Qualifying Prepares for Last Push Toward the 2007 Rolex FEI World Cup™ Jumping Final

With U.S. qualifying more than half over, the race to earn berths in the 2007 Rolex FEI World Cup™ Jumping Final is tightening up. Final qualifying events in both the East and West Coast Leagues will decide which horses and riders will represent the U.S. in the World Cup Final in Las Vegas, April 18-22, 2007.

FEI Competition Marathon Highlights the HorseTV Channel's January Programming Lineup

The HorseTV Channel’s January programming schedule features all new premieres from popular competitions and series including Free Rein: FEI World Equestrian Games 2006, Kleo The Misfit Unicorn, AQHA’s Best of the West, FEI World Cup Jumping 2006/2007, Spirit of the Equestrian and HorseFlicks.

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Show Jumping Hall of Fame Elects John Madden to Board of Directors; Seven Board Members Re-Elected at Annual Meeting

The Show Jumping Hall of Fame elected John Madden to its board of directors at its annual meeting on December 7, 2006. Elizabeth Busch Burke, Frank Chapot, David Distler, Eugene Mische, George Morris, Mason Phelps and Robert Ridland were re-elected and will continue to serve on the board through 2012.

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.