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Rolex/USEF National Show Jumping Champion to be Crowned in June at HITS-on-the-Hudson; $150,000 in Prize Money Will Be Offered Following a hotly contested open to the 2005 competition season in the warmer climates, and a highly-anticipated fight for the prize at the World Cup Finals in April, claiming the title of U.S. National Champion will be yet another challenge facing some of equestrian sport’s best athletes in June. Truly a headliner competition for the USEF this year, the new $150,000 Rolex/USEF National Show Jumping Championship is sure to become one of every top competitor’s definite stops on the show circuit. The making of a true championship tradition starts this year, as Horse Shows in the Sun’s HITS-on-the-Hudson equestrian center in Saugerties, NY, hosts the 2005 Championship, June 8-12. For the full story, click here. Nicole Simpson Rises in the Ranks as Top West Coast League Contender for 2005 FEI World Cup Show Jumping Final With only two World Cup qualifiers left for the West Coast League, Nicole Simpson stakes a new claim in the top spot, positioning herself 15 points ahead of second ranked rider Joie Gatlin. Simpson now boasts an impressive 81 points to Gatlin’s 66. Last week’s first-ranked Richard Spooner is in third place following this latest qualifier, with 65 points. These top contenders are among nearly 30 West Coast riders vying for the three World Cup spots the League is allowed. For the full story, click here. USEF Announces U.S. Show Jumping Team and Chef d’Equipe for CSIO Wellington 2005 Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event to Air on NBC; Limited Advertising Still Available The world’s best eventers will begin their quest for the coveted Grand Slam of Eventing April 28-May 1, and it all starts in the Horse Capital of the World–Lexington, KY. As the only four-star three-day event hosted in the United States, Rolex Kentucky will draw tens of thousands of fans from all across the globe, and millions of television viewers shortly thereafter. After a successful 2004 telecast, NBC sports will air the popular event again this year, on Sunday, May 8, from 4-5 p.m. EST. A double-header of sorts for the equestrian world, following this solid hour of Rolex Kentucky excitement, NBC sports will air an hour of the thrilling World Cup Show Jumping Final from Las Vegas. The coverage is slated to start at 5 p.m. EST. For more information on advertising in the NBC telecast, contact Scott Carling at the United States Equestrian Federation, (859) 225-6928. Rolex Celebrates 25th Year as Title Sponsor for the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event This Silver Anniversary year of Rolex Watch USA joining the Kentucky Three-Day Event as Title Sponsor is reason for grand celebration. The last 25 years have been a glorious partnership between the organizer, Equestrian Events, Inc. (EEI), and Rolex Watch USA, enabling the event to develop into one of the most prestigious in the world and exert a worldwide impact on the fortunes of U.S. eventing teams in Olympic and World Championship competition. For the full story, click here. Pony Finals Legacy to Continue in Nation’s Horse Capital Spring Training Session for All Long Listed Drivers in Southern Pines, CA The USEF is pleased to announce that it will host a training session for Long Listed Drivers. Drivers on the 2005 Long Lists are invited to participate in training sessions with Australian driver Boyd Exell, April 6–8, at James Creek Farm in Southern Pines, NC. For the full story, click here. When You Can’t Travel by Saddle, Give Hertz’ Horsepower a Try… For a Special USEF Price As equestrians, we’re no strangers to travel. Our horses aren’t either. We travel for competitions, for business, and on chance occasions when sunshine lures us out of the barn, we sometimes travel just for fun. Regardless of our reasons, we know what we want on these trips. We want value. We want no-hassle solutions. We want peace of mind. And whenever possible, we want simple one-stop answers that offer all of the above! For the full story, click here. 2005 World Reining Masters The FEI has announced that the second World Reining Masters will take place in Maneribo, Italy, on September 22-25, 2005.
Highlights From Week Three of the 2005 Winter Equestrian Festival 2000 Olympian Laura Kraut and her Sydney Olympic partner, Anthem, galloped to victory in the $50,000 Kilkenny/ICH Internationale Cup, CSI*** on a gorgeous Sunday afternoon in Wellington, FL. An enthusiastic crowd of 9,083 was on hand as 47 starters turned out for the first American Grand Prix Association tour event of this year’s festival.
Sale! Save on Official USEF Merchandise The February feature item of the month is the USEF wind shirt. This Port Authority microfiber wind shirt is fully lined with side seam pockets, and it is water repellant, wind resistant and extremely soft. Click here to order this item. From now until February 28, purchase $50.00 or more on USEF merchandise and you will receive a USEF sport bottle for 50% off the regular retail price – a savings of $5.50! Please enter the word sportbottle in the coupon code section when checking out to receive this special limited offer. While you’re shopping, please visit our discount/closeout section for 25% or more off on select USEF merchandise. Click here to enter the official USEF online store. USEF Announces Details of Mid-Year Board of Directors Meeting West Coast Active Riders Member Richard Spooner Successful at Indio Desert Circuit The West Coast Active Riders (WCAR) organization has many members competing at the Indio Desert Circuit horse shows in Indio, CA. Richard Spooner is currently one of the most successful West Coast grand prix riders, and he is the original founder of the West Coast Active Riders organization. The Indio Desert Circuit is only in its third week of competition, but Richard Spooner has won the majority of prizes in the grand prix competitions. For the full story, click here. ASHA Year-End Results Released; Annual Meeting to Address Saddlebred Future The American Saddlebred Horse Association (ASHA) announced that results for the year ending December 31, 2004, marked record highs in several areas. Net earnings for the year were $148,938 compared to $24,032 the previous year, prior to consideration of unrealized gains in investments either year, on revenues of $1.575 million in 2004 versus $1.473 million in the prior year. Including unrealized gains in investments, earnings doubled, from approximately $90,000 to nearly $181,000. For the full story, click here. 2005 USEA Gold Cup Series Calendar Announced U.S. Eventing recently announced the 10 events making up the 2005 calendar for the United States Eventing Association (USEA) Gold Cup Series, presented by Amerigo, Nunn Finer and SmartPak Equine, with additional support provided by Cover-All Building Systems. Many of last year’s seven events have returned, with several new competitions added. For the full story, click here. Del Mar National Horse Show Celebrates 60th Anniversary With $100,000 HBO Grand Prix of Del Mar The Del Mar National Horse Show celebrates its 60th Anniversary in 2005. Nationally renown for its world-class level of competition, excitement, pageantry and picturesque location, the 60th Annual Del Mar National Horse Show takes place April 21 to May 8, 2005, at the Del Mar Fairgrounds Equestrian Center. The 60th Annual Del Mar National is one of the nation’s largest and most prestigious annual horse show in the United States, attracting hundreds of North America’s finest horses and riders. The three-weeklong horse show offers more than $325,000 in prize money in Western, dressage and hunter/jumper competition. In celebration of the diamond anniversary, the show has increased the prize money for its premier grand prix, the $100,000 HBO Grand Prix of Del Mar, which will take place on Saturday, May 7. For the full story, click here. Gulf Coast Winter Premiere Highlights On Sunday, February 12, many of the top national equestrians tested their skills in the Bayer-Legend $25,000 Grand Prix Sponsored by Gulf Coast Winter Series. The competition was held at the Harrison Country Fairgrounds on County Farm Road in Gulfport, MS. The winner of the Bayer-Legend $25,000 Grand Prix was I.Z’s Lifetime, owned by Bjorn and Clara Ikast of Laredo, TX, with Bjorn Ikast in the irons. For the full story, click here. 1% Below Factory Invoice on Select New Dodge Vehicles for USEF Members Real savings for USEF members through USEF Purchasing. For more information, call USEF Purchasing toll-free (877) 576-6872. Judges in Place for Challenge of the Americas The Spanish Riding School in Vienna, the Cadre Noir in France and the Royal Canadian Mounted Police are the most notable performers of the dressage quadrille. Although quadrille has been performed since the Baroque period, only in the last decade has it become a competitive sport in the United States. The Challenge of the Americas is a grand prix team dressage quadrille and musical freestyle competition to be held on March 12, 2005 at the Players Club and Palm Beach Polo in Wellington, FL, to benefit the Breast Cancer Research Foundation. Teams from Canada, Latin America and the United States will participate. For the full story, click here. An Affair to Remember--The EQUUS Foundation’s Fete Cheval It’s not unusual for thousands of spectators to walk away thrilled by the spectacular athletic feats performed by the top riders in the country and their magnificent horses every day at the eight-weeklong Winter Equestrian Festival in Wellington, FL, but “unusual and amazing” was the only way to describe the Fete Cheval held on Saturday evening, February 12, 2005, to benefit The EQUUS Foundation, Inc. For the full story, click here. Casting For Texas Ranch House on PBS; Participant Search Underway PBS hits the trail for the next series of experiential history television events with Texas Ranch House, an eight-part series that will challenge a group of 20 intrepid time travelers to experience the exhilaration and exhaustion of life in the Old West. Producers Thirteen/WNET New York and Wall To Wall saddle up once more, riding high on viewer and critical acclaim for previous projects. For the full story, click here. 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 80,000 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. VISION STATEMENT 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. ©2005, United States Equestrian Federation, Inc. |
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February 17, 2005
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