Week in Review - U.S. Equestrian Federation's Weekly E-Newsletter

Leah Schwendeman and Gisele were among the winners at the FTI Winter Equestrian Festival during Week 5.
Photo by Randi Muster.

2010 FTI Winter Equestrian Festival Week Five Wrap-Up

The 2010 FTI Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF) had a great fifth week of competition on February 10-14. The week featured the $150,000 FEI World Cup, CSI*** presented by Spy Coast Farm, along with a full schedule of hunter, jumper, and equitation classes. The week five title sponsor was Spy Coast Farm.

Along with their week five title sponsorship, Spy Coast Farm was the presenting sponsor of the $150,000 FEI World Cup, CSI*** on Saturday, February 13, and is the overall circuit sponsor of the 1.40m jumper division.

Pablo Barrios of Venezuela stepped into the winner's circle for the first time in a major FTI Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF) grand prix in the $150,000 FEI World Cup™ Grand Prix, CSI***, presented by Spy Coast Farm. He led the victory gallop in front of 4,800 show jumping fans on G&C LaGran, owned by Gustavo and Carolina Mirabal. The other double-clear round for second place went to Jeffery Welles on Armani, owned by Abigail Wexner and Triton Ventures. Darragh Kenny or Ireland and Trade Winds Farm's Obelix continued their solid World Cup performances with third place.

More Hunter/Jumper News

"My Favorite USEF Breed Competition Contest" Under Way for 2010 Season

The United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) is pleased to announce the start of the second annual “My Favorite USEF Breed Competition Contest,” following an enthusiastic response to the program in 2009. Designed to function as a “competitor’s choice” award, this contest recognizes and applauds the efforts of the year’s favorite USEF-licensed breed competition, as decided by the officials, trainers, riders, drivers, handlers or owners who participated.

Eleven competitions will be recognized (one per breed category), receiving a plaque as well as a mention in the USEF’s Week in Review e-newsletter. From these competitions, two will be selected from a random drawing to win the Grand and Reserve prizes. The Grand Prize winner will receive a pizza party for exhibitors at the 2011 competition; the Reserve winner will receive an ice cream party for exhibitors at the 2011 competition. In order to be eligible to claim their prize, the competitions must remain USEF-licensed for 2011.

Do You Have a Horse for the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games in Your Barn?

The United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) will field a Para-Equestrian Dressage Team for the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games (WEG), and for the first time this world championship will be run concurrently with the seven other FEI disciplines.

This affords a very unique opportunity for U.S. horse owners, as some para-equestrian athletes are in need of horses. This discipline is unique in that is allows the use of borrowed horses for riders, which allows more athletes the opportunity to compete.

Adrienne Lyle and Wizard at the 2008 Collecting Gaits Farm/USEF Dressage Festival of Champions.
Photo by Amy McCool.

This Week in High Performance #1

Dressage:
In the dressage world, sweeps were the order of the weekend. American Tina Konyot rode her own Calecto V to a determined performance in the Grand Prix for the Freestyle on Saturday; they were the only pair to break the 70% barrier – scoring 70.596%. Pierre St. Jacques was second with Lucky Tiger. Konyot then won the Grand Prix Freestyle on a 72.15%, this time beating Melissa Taylor and Schumacker Solyst. Canadian Ashley Holzer won both the Grand Prix for the Special and the Grand Prix Special. Complete results from the Wellington Classic CDI-W are available here: http://www.wellingtonclassicdressage.com/index.htm.

On the opposite coast, 25-year-old Adrienne Lyle dominated at the Dressage Getaway CDI*** in Thermal, CA. With Felix, she scored 69.617% in the Grand Prix, which gave her a narrow victory over Sue Blinks and Robin Hood. Felix and Lyle also won the Grand Prix Special on a score of 69.375%. Proving the depth of her string, Lyle also won the Grand Prix Freestyle with a convincing score of 74.5% over 2009 Collecting Gaits Farm/USEF National Dressage Champions Leslie Morse and Tip Top 962. Both of Lyle’s horses are owned by River Grove Farm.

Pin Oak Charity Horse Show Hosts Annual Education Day

Pin Oak Charity Horse Show is excited to announce that more than 500 first, second and third graders from the Katy Independent School District will be attending Education Day at Pin Oak Charity Horse Show on Thursday, March 25, 2010, from 10:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m. The kids and their teachers will start the educational and fun day watching a jumping competition. The children will then be divided into smaller groups and visit various stations for about 15 minutes, learning about the following: outside hunters, braiding, farriery, and will get a behind-the-scenes barn tour and a visit with an animal communicator, along with more activities.

The Pin Oak Charity Horse Show will be held over a two-week period and will feature a wide array of equestrian talent featuring hunters and jumpers, American Saddlebreds, Andalusians, Welsh ponies, dressage and the United Mountain Horse breed.

Pin Oak Mixes High Jumps and High Tech for Winning Website; Prize List Now Available

Pin Oak Charity Horse Show announced that they have posted the prize list online at their website, www.pinoak.org for the 2010 Pin Oak Charity Horse Show. This year’s show will be held, once again, at the Great Southwest Equestrian Center in Katy, TX, starting on March 17, 2010, and will run through March 28, 2010.

The comprehensive website includes class listings, schedules, and entry forms for weeks one and two. Additionally, lodging/maps/RV information, purchasing flower barrel signs, bistro tickets, gala tickets and show tickets, Hunter Derby table forms, Pin Oak Club membership applications (10% stall discount at the show) and sponsorship information are also posted. For those visiting from out of town, Pin Oak has teamed up with TownePlace Suites & Fairfield Inn by Marriott as the “Official Host Hotels.” You can make reservations on the Pin Oak website.

This tribute video, shown during the 2010 USEF Annual Meeting, features Kripton-Seni II, who was a 2009 Farnam®/Platform™ USEF Horse of the Year Finalist. He is owned by Joe and Nancy Latta, and trained by Sandy Shields. Click on the image above to play the video.

43rd Intercollegiate Horse Shows Association Nationals are Coming to Kentucky

For Derby fans, the first Saturday in May will have passed, but the scent of roses will linger, May 6-9, as the Kentucky Horse Park hosts the blossoming talents of college-age riders in America for the 43rd Intercollegiate Horse Shows Association (IHSA) National Championships. Now in its 43rd year, the IHSA was the 1967 brainchild of a then-18-year-old sophomore named Bob Cacchione, and his Fairleigh Dickinson University professor, Jack Fritz, the quintessential Captain John “Jack” H. Fritz of three decades of United States Equestrian Team (USET) squads.

This year’s defending Collegiate Cup hunter seat team national champions are Centenary College (NJ) while the University of Findlay (OH) will be seeking to retain its American Quarter Horse Association Trophy Western national team title. All will meet the scrutiny of either hunter seat judges Don Stewart of Ocala, FL, and Susie Schoellkopf of Buffalo, NY, or Western judges Charlene Carter of Goodlettsville, TN, and Bonnie Jo Clay of Pilot Point, TX.

Saddlebred Convention Opened Thursday; Prominent Breeders Orr, Weldon, Capsuto-Walker, Others Honored

The American Saddlebred Horse Association's (ASHA) annual Saddlebred Summit and Youth Conference opened Thursday morning, February 18, at the Lexington, KY, Marriott Griffin Gate Resort and Spa, and a theme throughout will be honoring and recognizing breeding accomplishments.

Thursday's schedule included any number of open committee meetings to consider and discuss the challenges and opportunities facing breeders today. The Charter Club Workshop on Thursday afternoon pays tribute to international breeders of the Saddlebred, among other important topics. Dr. Sue McDonnell of New Bolton Center in Pennsylvania will be speaking and discussing breeding behaviors, and general equine behavior, both Friday and Saturday in open forums. Friday evening's unique cocktail buffet at the Lexington Country Club will honor Saddlebred equitation stars with special note made of the breeders and breeding of Triple Crown winning mounts. Saturday morning's Youth Conference field trip will stop at Nelson Green Stables, where World's Grand Champion Merrill Murray will be an honored guest, John and Tammie Conatser's Carriage Lane Farm, and Martin Teater Stables nearby, where the Teater Family legacy will be on display.

More Saddlebred News

American Saddlebred Museum Temporarily Closed for Renovation

Kentucky Spring Premier Horse Show Has New Date, Location, and Classes

As the flowers begin to blossom and a new season begins, the Kentucky Spring Premier Horse Show is looking forward to “sprouting” some participation by making some major changes to the previous year’s show. In particular, the show has been moved to the new state-of-the-art indoor facility at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, KY, which will house some of the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games' events later this year. The new arena, footing and stabling is expected to enhance the experience of the participants and their horses. Other changes will include: competition date (to avoid Derby conflicts) and the addition of new breed sections.

Lauren Sammis, left, won the FEI Test of Choice aboard High Field’s Casimirov, owned by Paula Runnells.
Photo courtesy JRPR

Courtney King-Dye, Heather Blitz, Lauren Sammis and Joan Pecora Win at Wellington Classic Dressage Spring Challenge CDI

Courtney King-Dye and Grandioso III, owned by Hampton Green Farms, turned in an award-winning ride in the Intermediaire II class at the Wellington Classic Dressage Spring Challenge CDI. The class was sponsored by Sho Clothes, and King-Dye and Grandioso rode away with a beautiful scrim from the upscale dressage boutique in Wellington that specializes in the latest and most fashionable dressage apparel for show and play.

Grandioso earned a 68.421 in the Intermediaire II class, and King-Dye was pleased with the stallion’s performance. “It was his second time to show in the Intermediaire II, and I was very happy with his improvement,” King-Dye said. “We still had some green mistakes, but when you are doing the Intermediaire II you feel like you have a foothold into the grand prix. There isn’t anything new the horse needs to learn, you are just perfecting everything.”

Vaccination Can Mean Saving Money and an Equine Life

In these tough economic times, nearly every horse owner is trying to pinch pennies. When watching your wallet, it’s also important to remember that trimming many veterinary expenses may cost you more in the end.

“Horses can be very expensive animals to own and maintain,” said April Knudson, DVM, Manager, Merial Veterinary Services. “So it’s no surprise that, even in a relatively strong economy, horse owners look for the most inexpensive ways to care for their animals. However, the urge to trim costs becomes even stronger in a weak economy. When that happens, horse owners must be extremely careful not to cut back on important equine health care staples—like vaccinations, for example.”

Your Next Auto Rental Could Help the Red Cross Haiti Relief and Development Fund

When PC#140825 is included in weekly rentals, now through February 28, you’ll save $25 and Hertz will donate $5 to the Red Cross Haiti Relief and Development Fund. Economy or higher, $25 Off, Weekly Rental

More Information

John Deere Drive Green

The Drive Green tour events give USEF members and other interested consumers a chance to ask questions and get a "hands-on" with John Deere's utility tractors and many other products and attachments. In addition, the events feature a uniquely detailed semi-tractor and trailer that transport several of the company's utility tractors, as well as a refurbished "Chip Foose" 4020.

Upcoming Drive Green Dates and Locations

March 2 Tractor City – 3030 N. Austin St., Seguin, TX 78155
March 4 Brookside Equipment Sales – 28715 Katy-Brookshire Rd., Katy, TX 77494
March 6 Coufal-Prater Equipment Ltd. – 3110 Highway 21 West, Bryan, TX 77803
March 9 Eastex Farm & Home – 9135 College, Beaumont, TX 77707

Dr. Armand Leone, Jr., presenting the Thirty-Year Gold Medal Club Anniversary Award to USET President and CEO, Jane Forbes Clark.
Photo by Lindsay McCall/PMG

United States Equestrian Team Foundation Road to Kentucky Benefit a Phenomenal Success

As horses and riders prepare for the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games, the United States Equestrian Team (USET) Foundation's Road to Kentucky fundraising benefit welcomed owners, riders and fans of every discipline as they joined together in support of the elite athletes on February 5, 2010, at the International Polo Club in Wellington, FL. The largest social event of the 2010 FTI Winter Equestrian Festival season, the Road to Kentucky celebration raised a remarkable amount of money in the name of equestrian excellence.

USET Foundation President and CEO Jane Clark and Event Chairs Bruce Duchossois and Robin and Gerry Parsky greeted 450 guests as they entered the sold-out event. Once the crowd was seated, the USET Foundation presented the highly prestigious Lionel Guerrand-Hermes Award and Whitney Stone Cup trophies as well as numerous USET Gold Medal Club Anniversary Awards.

Save Money with Partners Plus Auto Care Savings Plan!

Welcome to the Partners Plus Auto Care Savings Plan: A new program offered to USEF Members and designed to help save you money on maintenance, repairs, and tires for your vehicle.

Getting Started

Step 1: Go to www.PartnersPlusSavings.com and click the Enter Here button.

Step 2: On the next page, enter express sign-up code 59857381.

Step 3: Set up your profile.

The Partners Plus Auto Care Savings Plan is a FREE program that offers great savings on Bridgestone and Firestone tires and all vehicle maintenance and repairs at all company-owned locations, to routine maintenance, such as oil changes and check-ups, to vehicle repairs, like brakes.

For more information about MemberPerks, visit:
www.usef.org/_IFrames/memberServices/memberperks/Default.aspx.

Check Your Points in the Farnam®/Platform™ USEF Horse of the Year Program to see how your horse is doing this year. Please check your points and standings in your respective division(s) by:
Calling the Horse Report Hotline at (859) 258-2472, or Ordering a copy of your horse’s point report via e-mail or mail (faxed copies will incur an additional charge), or Checking your standings online.
Joining the program is as easy as filling out an application, which may be found on the USEF website here, or may be obtained at any recognized horse show, or by contacting the USEF office at (859) 258-2472. In addition, you can record your horse online through your My USEF Account.

Renew for 2010

The 2010 USEF Competition year has begun (as of December 1, 2009). Renew your membership now. It is so easy when you log into your MY USEF Account and click on "2010 USEF Membership Application" under 2010 Competition Year. For your convenience and the best membership deal, you can opt for a three-year membership for $150.

The annual USEF Competing Equestrian membership costs only $55. As a competing member, you are eligible to participate at all USEF Licensed Competitions, receive "equestrian" magazine at no additional charge, a million-dollar personal excess liability policy for horse-related accidents that cause bodily injury or property damage to third parties, and the added benefits of USEF MemberPerks—a members-only discount program with unbeatable deals from companies like John Deere, Hertz, Sherwin Williams, USRider, FarmVet, LifeLock, Moxie and others.

Not participating in USEF Licensed Competitions but still want to be a member? There are member categories for you. With the USEF Equestrian membership, at $35, you receive automatic insurance along with the MemberPerks. If you are a college student who is busy studying and not competing, you can join as a USEF Collegiate member for $25. This is another non-competing membership that will give you the benefits of MemberPerks plus four issues of "equestrian" magazine to keep you well informed of equestrian sports. And Club Equestrian, which is only $15, gives you access to the MemberPerks program.

USEF is pleased to announce that we can offer you the ability to pay for your membership renewal with a credit or debit card or by utilizing our newest electronic check payment method. We accept American Express, Visa, MasterCard and electronic check.

If you have questions, call the USEF Customer Care Center and a personal agent will assist you. You may call (859) 258-2472. Monday through Friday, 8:30 am - 5:00 pm [ET]

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 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 the United States Equestrian Federation® is to provide leadership for equestrian sport in the United States of America by promoting the pursuit of excellence from the grassroots to the Olympic Games, based on a foundation of fair, safe competition and the welfare of its human and equine athletes.

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