Week in Review - U.S. Equestrian

2006 USEF Pony Final National Championships Get Underway

Excited children were all abuzz on Wednesday, August 9, at the Kentucky Horse Park with their favorite ponies by their sides, all hoping for an experience at this year’s Pony Finals that they will remember for a lifetime. This is the first year that Pony Finals is observing a five-day format instead of the traditional four days due to the growth of the championships in recent years. This year’s Pony Finals is the biggest ever by roughly 55 entries, with 705 total entries (some riders are campaigning two horses), with 400 riders, nearly 650 ponies and a record 205 entries in the USEF Pony Medal Final presented by Far Niente Stables.

For the full story, click here.

Gold Medals Awarded in Dressage, Eventing and Show Jumping at CN North American Junior and Young Riders’ Championships

Gold medals in dressage, eventing and show jumping were awarded to highlight a successful conclusion of the 2006 CN North American Junior and Young Riders’ Championships (NAJYRC) at the Virginia Horse Center in Lexington, VA.

The NAJYRC is the premier equestrian competition in North America for juniors and young riders. Young equestrians come from the United States, Canada, Mexico, Puerto Rico and the Caribbean Islands to vie for team and individual medals in the three Olympic equestrian disciplines of show jumping, dressage and eventing. This year marks the first time that fully-recognized championships for junior riders (ages 14-18) are being held along with those for young riders (ages 16-21).

The USEF announced the four horse-and-rider combinations that will compete in Aachen, Germany, in the 2006 FEI World Equestrian Games (WEG). Four ranked alternates were also named. The WEG will take place August 20-September 3, with dressage being held August 22-26.

USEF Announces Team U.S.A. for the 2006 FEI World Carriage Driving Championships

The USEF is pleased to announce the team headed to Mensport, Hellendoorn, The Netherlands, for the 2006 FEI World Carriage Driving Championships for Drivers with Disabilities. This year's event will be held September 6-10 (the event is staged every two years). This year, the USEF Para-equestrian High-Performance Committee has been working closely with the United States Driving for the Disabled (USDFD) in preparing for the competition.

USEF Accepting Bids to Host the Open Reining Championships and Youth Reining Championships for 2007 and 2008

The USEF is now accepting bids for both the 2007 and 2008 USEF Open Reining Championships, and the 2007 and 2008 USEF Youth Reining Championships, which run in conjunction with the USEF Open Reining Championship. The open reining event showcases the most talented U.S. reining athletes, both human and equine, as they compete for a national title. The youth championships offer exciting opportunities for a national title to future international reining riders in three age divisions.

Interested bidders must submit their bid by the end of business, 5:00 p.m. EDT, Friday, September 8, 2006. For further information and to request a bid document, please contact Courtney Barnett, Director of Reining Programs, at cbarnett@usef.org, or call (859) 225-6919.

2007 FEI North American Junior and Young Rider Championships for Show Jumping Information Available

Attention all junior and young riders interested in competing at next year’s FEI North American Junior and Young Riders' Championships (NAJYRC) for show jumping. Please check your zone’s criteria and qualifying period for the 2007 NAJYRC under the jumping discipline page of the USEF website at www.usef.org/content/equestrianSports/disciplines/allJumping.php.

Please direct questions to Jennifer Haydon, Director of Show Jumping for National Programs, at jhaydon@usef.org or (859) 225-6911.

Get Your Team U.S.A. World Equestrian Games Lapel Pin Before Supplies Run Out

Limited edition U.S.A. 2006 World Equestrian Games pins are now available! Get your limited edition lapel pin and show your support for Team U.S.A. Pin measures 1 ½” length x ½” width.Quantity is limited, so order now! $5 each. Order online through the United States Equestrian Federation® at www.usef.org/content/formsPubs/lapelpins.php.

Two USEF Drivers to Compete with Morgans at the 2006 World Singles Driving Championship

The USEF recently announced its team members for the 2006 World Singles Driving Championship set for September 20-24 in Pratoni del Vivaro, Italy. In exciting news for Morgan enthusiasts and American Morgan Horse Association (AMHA) members, two of the three drivers chosen are AMHA members set to compete with Morgan horses.

Welles, Cheska, Levine and Nor Lead 2006 Show Jumping Hall of Fame Jumper Classic Series Following July Competitions

The 2006 Show Jumping Hall of Fame Jumper Classic Series was jam-packed with exciting events in June and July. The series, which saw 21 events in the East Conference and 14 in the West, kicked off in February and continues through November, culminating in a year-end championship at the National Horse Show in Wellington, FL.

Spots are Seen in Oklahoma at the 59th National Appaloosa Show and World Championship Appaloosa Youth Show

Over 1,180 colorful Appaloosas converged in Oklahoma City, OK, to compete for championship titles at the 59th National Appaloosa Show and World Championship Appaloosa Youth Show June 26-July 8. The two-week event included more than 4,300 entries and 15,000 spectators. Exhibitors competed in 210 classes in three divisions: youth, non-pro and open. Exhibitors and Appaloosas in each class received points based on particular criteria, such as color, conformation, agility, athleticism and ability.

The Back Forte Equestrian Center will be hosting a hunter/jumper clinic with nationally renowned trainer Lee Dennie. The clinic runs September 15-17 and will have sessions each day for beginners (2’6”), intermediate (3’) and advanced (3’6”) riders, with the cost at $100 per day or $275 for all three days. Auditors and spectators are welcome at no charge.

The picturesque 109-acre equestrian center is located in Enumclaw, WA, the gateway to Mount Rainier. Stalls are available at $25 per day, and the daily haul in fee is $15.

For more information about the clinic, please contact Lisa Fisher at (360) 825-4287 or visit www.theback40.net.

From the July/August 2006 issue of EQUESTRIAN magazine:
The "How To" Issue

Have you ever asked yourself, "How Do I...?" Of course you have. And you're not alone. EQUESTRIAN magazine has compiled a series of features on a wide variety of topics which offers some good advice, instruction and fun reading.

You’re already running behind from waking up late. And now your horse won’t load in the trailer. You’ve tried everything and are totally worn out from the effort. After an hour of trying, your horse finally sighs and climbs aboard. Half an hour later, you’re finally on the road. And then you make a wrong turn and don’t realize it for 30 minutes.

After going out of your way for an hour, you finally arrive at the show, several hours late. You’ve missed your first class. You start unloading your trailer, and realize you’ve forgotten the hay. How could you forget the hay? Then an asteroid strikes, and it doesn’t matter anyway…wait a second….you’re now awake in a cold sweat after a horrible nightmare, dreading the weekend show you’ve planned and doubting whether you should even go. It’s enough to make you want to crawl back under the covers and never come out. But instead, you decide to get up early, grab some really strong coffee and start planning your trip. No more nightmares for you.

In the smallest of backyard pastures grows a dream. And no matter the odds, that dream thrives.

It’s a dream to stand atop a podium in some beautiful arena years down the road. It’s the dream to have a shiny medal placed around your neck. It’s the Olympic dream…and it is harbored in the hearts of thousands of young equestrians across the country.

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.