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

Waiting to jump.
Photo by Shannon Brinkman

Get Ready to Jump: USEF Selection Trials for the U.S. Show Jumping Team for the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games Get Underway

Thirty-three of the country’s best riders are going to line-up for a nod to represent the United States at the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games. The Road to Lexington will run through the Winter Equestrian Festival when the USEF Selection Trials for Show Jumping grace the International Arena at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Club. Five trials over 11 days means an action-packed time in Wellington, FL – further highlighted by America’s only Nations Cup, which will be held on Friday, March 5, during CSIO**** week.

The field includes all four riders from the Gold medal-winning team at the 2008 Olympic Games. Will Simpson, McLain Ward, Beezie Madden and Laura Kraut will all be vying for spots on back-to-back teams. Only Kraut will ride her horse from 2008 – Cedric. The diminutive grey with an ever-growing fan club will be jumping with a heavy heart as his owner, Peter Wetherill, passed away last week. His obituary is available at www.usef.org/_IFrames/newsdisplay/viewPR.aspx?id=5371.

Ward will rely on Sagamore Farm’s Rothchild in the trials – as his unstoppable champion, Sapphire, was named by the USEF Ad HOC Committee on Selection to the long list for the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games. Sapphire jumped into the record books last year with immaculate performances from coast to coast throughout the year. Read more at www.usef.org/_IFrames/newsdisplay/viewPR.aspx?id=5372.

Live Webcast Available for USEF World Equestrian Games Show Jumping Trials 1 & 2

Equestrian Sport Productions announces that a live, free webcast will be available for the USEF World Equestrian Games (WEG) Trial #1 (Thursday, February 25, 2010), which runs tonight at 7 p.m. The USEF WEG Trial #2, which runs incorporated with the $75,000 Fidelity Investments Grand Prix, CSI** on Saturday, February 27, at 7 p.m., will also be available.

More Hunter/Jumper News

Conley Driediger with gelding, Winning Afire+//.
Photo Courtesy AHA/Conley Driediger

Doughty and Driediger Highest Amateur Point Earners in 2009 for the Arabian Horse Association

Alexis Starer Doughty of Cape Charles, VA, and Conley Driediger of Yarrow, BC, Canada, were named the Arabian Horse Association (AHA) Adult and Youth Amateurs of 2009, respectively. Doughty earned an impressive 646 points at 22 AHA-recognized shows in 2009, while Driediger earned a whopping 485.5 points from 17 shows. The AHA Amateur Achievement Award program began in 2002 and tracks the points of individual adult and youth amateur riders, handlers, and drivers over the course of a year.

In 2008, Doughty made an appearance as one of the top 10 point-earners, coming in at sixth place with 205.5 points. Earning more than triple that amount of points in 2009, Doughty says she didn’t set out with a goal to earn nearly 650 points but credits her success, in part, to her location. “We sit in a great place here in Virginia. We can hit several different regional shows—Region 15, 16, 12 and 14 are all fairly close,” said Doughty.

While Doughty rode several horses during the year, her main point-earner was One More Round++// (Al Jassur Laddin x Winifred), a 2004 bay Anglo-Arabian that earned AHA’s High-Point Horse of the Year Award. With the help of trainer Ben Flynn and husband Bill, Doughty earned her first national championship at Sport Horse Nationals with One More Round. “That was my first and only national championship, and since we bred him...that was a special win,” she said.

More Arabian News

Anglo-Arabian One More Round++// Named 2009 High Point Horse of the Year

Scottsdale Arabian Horse Show Coverage on ClubEquestrian.com

2010 Scottsdale Arabian Horse Show TV Spot: The Arabian Horse Association of Arizona (AHAA) celebrated their 55th Scottsdale Arabian Horse Show and Shopping Expo, February 11-21, 2010.

Videos

You Pick the Winner of the Photo Contest from the Scottsdale Arabian Horse Show

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Liza Boyd and Brunello
Photo by Diana DeRosa

Liza Boyd Makes It Three Wins in the 14th AHJF Hunter Classic Spectacular

"He is my Olympic hunter," commented Liza Boyd after she nailed her third victory in the 14th Annual American Hunter-Jumper Foundation (AHJF) Hunter Classic Spectacular in Wellington FL, aboard her seasoned mount, Brunello. She won the very first one riding Monday Morning in 1997 and then in 2008 tasted victory again on Fiyero. Now just 3½ months after the birth of her first child (Ellen), it was important to prove she still had what it takes. Yet, it wasn't just knowing that victory is sweet that inspired her.

Boyd, second-place finisher Peter Pletcher riding Vibe, and third-place finisher Louise Serio and Castle Rock talked about the stress leading up to this class because of how important it is for them to qualify. Boyd recalled that as she entered the arena for her final round it was the stress of the week that motivated her. As she entered the arena she said to herself, "Liza, you have got to win this so you are prequalified for next year."

After her final round, she left the arena and didn't look back. She knew that everything had fallen in place, but it wasn't until she heard the sound of her dad's melodious voice that she surmised she had won. "I was very happy with my round, but I didn't look back at the scores. I heard my father and I know his tone, so I thought it was good."

This Week in High Performance #2

Daniel Kaiser, top-ranked German vaulter working with U.S. vaulter Eric Garcia.
Photo by Primo Ponies Photography

Dressage:
Horses and riders with the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games and the 2011 Pan American Games on the brain got busy in Florida over the weekend training with 2009 FEI World Cup Champion Steffen Peters and U.S. Technical Advisor Anne Gribbons.

Peters helped the riders before they rode a test in front of Gribbons. Gribbons is also an ‘O’ judge with one of the keenest eyes in the game for attention to detail.

These USEF clinics are designed to provide guidance and instruction for future team horses and riders. This clinic was hosted at Betsy Juliano’s Havensafe Farm South in Wellington, FL and was a valuable opportunity for both horses and riders to gain guidance from some of the best in the sport.

“We tried a new format which consisted of a day of training and ‘warm-up’ with Steffen for the next day, when we had a morning ‘show’ in full dress and with video,” said Gribbons. “In the afternoon, the participants sat down together and went through their test sheets with me and watched their performances. I commented and explained, and the riders asked questions and discussed their problems together in a very open and positive way. The next day we worked on fixing some of the movements and further improve some areas of the tests. Steffen was great with the riders and got a lot from them and their horses without stressing them. The horses looked as fresh and happy the third day as the first, only more through and working even better.”

American Morgan Horse Association Honors its Masters, Promoters, and Club of the Year at Annual Convention

The American Morgan Horse Association (AMHA) is pleased to announce the following AMHA members who received honors at its annual awards luncheon, which took place on February 20, in Lexington, KY.

A Master's Certificate is given to individuals older than 60 years of age who have been active with Morgan horses in a variety of ways. Recognized clubs nominate members based on their involvement in breeding, showing, training, promoting, or just generally enjoying their Morgan horses.

More Morgan News

2010 American Morgan Horse Association/World Morgan Futurity Stallion Service Auction a Success

2010 FTI Winter Equestrian Festival to Host Inaugural Collegiate Equitation Challenge

Varsity Equestrian is pleased to announce the inaugural Collegiate Equitation Challenge to be held at the FTI Winter Equestrian Festival in Wellington, FL, on Friday, February 26, 2010, at 7 p.m. in the International Arena.

The tournament will be run in the Varsity Equestrian head-to-head format. Equitation and sale horses will be on loan from local professionals. Sixteen riders, 14 from NCAA schools and two from Florida schools, were invited to compete with selections based upon individual national rankings from the Fall 2009 season. The event will consist of eight head-to-head brackets with single elimination leading to an exciting head-to-head final. The course will be set at 3'6" with the riders competing on unfamiliar horses. Riders will have four minutes to school, two on the flat and two over fences with a maximum of four warm-up jumps. The 16 riders will compete on eight horses with the highest score of each match-up proceeding to the next round. Tournament will be single elimination.

USEF Announces Official Reining Team Selection Procedures for the U.S. Adequan® Reining Team for the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games

For high-performance reining competitors in the U.S., the USEF Reining Team Selection Procedures are an important road-map for riders who plan to qualify for and compete at the USEF Selection Trial for the U.S. Adequan® Reining Team for the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games. The trial will be held concurrently with the Adequan®/USEF National Open Reining Championship at the inaugural Battle in the Saddle, July 6-10, 2010, at Oklahoma State Fair Park in Oklahoma City, OK.

SmartPak™ Introduces New Educational Guide to Supplements and Horse Care

SmartPak™, the industry leader in daily dose supplement packaging, has introduced a new educational resource guide for horse owners and barns. The Guide to Supplements and Horse Care provides horse owners with a new way to learn about their horse’s health and supplements. “We’ve compiled our 10-plus years of supplement expertise into one easy-to-read resource that we think will be a favorite go-to for horse owners,” said SmartPak founder and president, Becky Minard. "We've included customer success stories and provided horse owners with direct access to SmartPak’s experts. And the best part is that it’s free!"

Kentucky Equine Research to Host Nutrition Conference

World-renowned equine nutritionists and veterinarians have been tapped to speak at the 17th Kentucky Equine Research Nutrition Conference, to be held April 26-27, 2010, in Lexington, KY. The theme of this year’s conference is “Feeding and Veterinary Management of the Sport Horse,” which is particularly appropriate considering the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games are being held in Kentucky this fall.

“Top-notch nutrition and veterinary care are vital components of sport-horse management, regardless of whether we’re managing an elite, Olympic-caliber horse or a hobbyist’s favorite mount. Advances in science and technology provide new management tools and creative ways of looking at age-old problems, and the speakers we’ve assembled for this conference are at the forefront of such science,” said Joe Pagan, PhD, founder and president of Kentucky Equine Research (KER).

Arlene "Tuny" Page and Wild One won the Grand Prix Musical Freestyle during the 2009 Palm Beach Dressage Derby.
Photo by Susan Stickle

Top Dressage Riders to Compete at Palm Beach Dressage Derby

The best dressage riders in the world will soon descend on Loxahatchee, FL, all with the goal of becoming a winner at one of the country’s most prestigious dressage competitions—the 27th Annual Palm Beach Dressage Derby. This year’s Palm Beach Dressage Derby, March 4-7, has an added bonus for attracting top riders as it is a qualifier for the Selection Trials for the 2010 Alltech/FEI World Equestrian Games Dressage Team.

With more than $12,000 in prize money and awards, the Palm Beach Dressage Derby attracts the best riders in the world and also draws thousands of spectators to the Horse Park Equestrian Estates in Loxahatchee. Admission and parking are free and visitors can enjoy watching classes of all levels, including the always-popular musical freestyles, which will be held Sunday, March 7.

In addition to the spectacular equestrian competition, visitors will also have the chance to shop till they drop at the Boutiques at the Derby—over 30 stores featuring everything from tack and riding attire to artwork and equestrian-themed house wares. Concessions are also available on the show grounds.

Lead line riders will once again be center stage at the Palm Beach Dressage Derby, as the show will host the Championship Lead Line Class for the sixth year. Another highlight of the show is the Famous Derby Brunch on Sunday afternoon, with proceeds benefitting the United States Equestrian Team (USET) Foundation.

Cross Gate Gallery Partners with United States Equestrian Team Foundation to Support U.S. Equestrian Athletes

Offering fine sporting art since 1974, Cross Gate Gallery is proud to announce that it will partner with the United States Equestrian Team (USET) Foundation February 24-March 15 in honor of the U.S. Equestrian Team's Road to Kentucky. Fifteen percent (15%) of all sales during Weeks VII, VIII, and IX of the Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF) in Wellington, FL, will go directly to the USET Foundation.

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

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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