For Immediate Release Lexington, KY - Hummingbird Nest Farm in Simi Valley, California will be the site of the 2004 FEI Children's Jumping Final, November 22-28, which hosts competitors from around the world who have qualified in their native country. Due to the expense of shipping horses, the riders will not bring their own mounts. Since the U.S. is the host nation for this international competition, which is contested on borrowed horses, we must provide enough horses for the 32 riders. The...

At the United States Equestrian Federation Board Meeting on July 6th, the Directors approved a new USEF recognized affiliate, the International Friesian Show Horse Association (IFSHA). The purpose of this non-profit organization, based in Clovis, California, is to provide a USEF recognized show circuit for the Friesian horse which will help increase the recognition of the breed and help ensure competitive consistency for exhibitors and competitors. This is the first new recognized affiliate...

Lexington, KY – July 22, 2004 – The United States Equestrian Federation has selected the members of the Driving Team for the Four-in-Hand World Championships to be held in Kecskemet, Hungary on August 4th through the 8th. The team of three will be as follows: Driver Age Hometown Horses Age, Breed, Sex James Fairclough 46 Newton, NJ Baccarate 1993, Dutch Warmblood, G Charmeur 1992, Swedish Warmblood, G Cooper 1994, Sachsen, G Crabat 1992, Swedish Warmblood, G King Arthur 1990, Holsteiner, G...

Equestrian fans can follow the 2004 U.S. Olympic Team like never before. The networks of NBC: NBC, MSNBC, CNBC, USA, Bravo, Telemundo and NBC HDTV will broadcast an unprecedented 1,210 hours – more than the past five Summer Olympics combined. The 24-hour coverage will include action from all 28 Summer Olympic sports for the first time, with equestrian events featured on NBC, USA, Bravo and CNBC. Over the 17 days of the Athens Games, the networks of NBC will average more than 70 hours of...

This is the final opportunity the 15 short listed horse and rider combinations eligible to be selected for the 2004 Olympic team will have to impress the Selectors. Only five horse and rider combinations will be selected to compete in Athens. During the Final Mandatory Outing competitors receive training through a scored combined test from the Selection Committee. In this phase the overall quality of the performance is more important than the actual score. For example, if a horse has performed...

LEXINGTON, KY (July 8, 2004) Governor Ernie Fletcher announced today that the Commonwealth of Kentucky, on behalf of the United States, will submit a formal bid to the International Equestrian Federation (FEI) to host the 2010 World Equestrian Games (WEG). These games are the most important high-performance equestrian competition in the world, and are held every four years in a country designated by the FEI, the international governing body for equestrian sport headquartered in Lausanne,...

Riesenbeck, Germany – One of the United States’ most accomplished drivers, Chester Weber of Ocala, Florida, has become the first American to win the CAI Riesenbeck, one of the most prestigious titles in four-in-hand driving known as the “Fahrderby.” He won by a considerable margin despite deep footing in the dressage and muddy footing in the marathon. His final score was 525.10. Peter Tischer of Germany was second with a score of 568.34 and Ludwig Weinmayr of Germany was third with 596.20. The...

The United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) today announced the team for the 2004 World Singles Driving Championship in Astorp, Sweden in July 22-25. The team is as follows: Driver Age Hometown Horse Age & Breed Fred Merriam 54 Newfane, Vermont Gaitwood Lightwing Age 9, Morgan Scott Monroe 51 Sharon, Connecticut Bethesda After Dark Age 10, Morgan Scott Padgett 27 Southern Pines, North Carolina Collector’s Right Stuff Age 13, Morgan Alternate team member Driver Age Hometown Horse...

Two of the world’s most prestigious and glamorous equine events are coming to the United States in 2005! For the first time ever in international competition, two World Cup Championship events will be held concurrently in one location, Las Vegas, Nevada, April 20-24, 2005. The 2005 World Cup Champions in both jumping and dressage will be crowned in Las Vegas. Following its previous hosting of two World Cup Jumping finals, the highly-acclaimed Budweiser World Cups in 2000 and 2003, Las Vegas...