Week in Review - U.S. Equestrian

Dobbs Takes Individual and Team Gold at the 2006 Adequan/USEF National Junior Jumper Championship

Two nights and two big courses netted Hillary Dobbs two Gold medals. On Friday, Dobbs, an 18-year-old member of the Prix Des States winning Zone 2 team, returned to take Individual Gold in the third phase of the 2006 Adequan/USEF Junior Jumper Individual Championship at the Pennsylvania National Horse Show.

Riders accrue faults through each phase of the three-part series. Dobbs distinguished herself from the field of 30 by being one of three faultless riders coming into the final phase. Tied after the first round with Maggie McAlary, Dobbs rode the jump-off course first. All was well with Quincy B until the final fence, a narrow 4’7” vertical, where he tagged a rail.

McAlary Triumphs at 2006 Pessoa/USEF Hunter Seat Medal Final presented by Becker College

It was Maggie McAlary--all day, all the way, from morning till night. The 16-year-old, from Amherst, NH, rode 11th in a cavalcade of 271 junior riders vying for the prestigious 2006 Pessoa/United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) Hunter Seat Medal Final presented by Becker College.

This was McAlary’s third year qualifying for this national championship. “My horse, Mid-Accord, was nervous before the first round,” she said. “This is his first year doing equitation.” She topped the first call-back list after 50 riders, dropping to fifth after 200 horses, had tried the course. But, she really made an impression in the second round, riding with the top 25.

Sometimes winning looks easy, and sometimes it just doesn’t. Ask the junior jumper riders about the 2006 Adequan/USEF National Junior Jumper Team Championship - Prix des States. The Zone 2 team representing the best junior jumper riders from New Jersey, New York and Pennsylvania made every jump count as they edged the Zone 1 (New England) by a single downed rail. The defending champions, Zone 5 (IL, IN, KY, MI, OH), were never better than third where they tied with West Coast Zone 10 (CA, NV).

New Broadband Television Technology Enables HorseTV Access to Become a Reality

The HorseTV Channel introduced its new broadband channel, HorseTV Access, enabling horse enthusiasts across the United States to watch The HorseTV Channel’s programming on their computers.

"HorseTV Access will provide our viewers with the most television-like experience available via broadband and will complement The HorseTV Channel's current cable and satellite television service," said George Greenberg, Chairman and CEO of The HorseTV Channel.

U.S. Reining Team Honored for September Accomplishments by United States Olympic Committee

The United States Olympic Committee (USOC) recognized the male and female athletes as well as team of the month for their accomplishments during the month of September. The U.S. reining team came in second place with 22 votes based on their Gold medal-winning performance at the 2006 FEI World Equestrian Games in Aachen, Germany.

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The HorseTV Channel Debuts New Series In November; U.S. Premiere Episodes of The Horsemen Present Traditional Horsemanship Around the World

The series debut of The Horsemen, as well as world and U.S. premieres featuring top competitions and magazine series, headline The HorseTV Channel’s programming lineup in November.

The HorseTV Channel’s new 20-episode series The Horsemen takes viewers on a fascinating voyage to discover how people around the world have preserved their traditional way of life and their passion for horses. The Horsemen premieres two new half-hour episodes each week beginning Sunday, November 5 featuring The Guardians of Camargue in France at 9 p.m. and The Zaianes in Morocco at 9:30 p.m. Encore performances air Saturdays at 8 p.m. and 8:30 p.m.

American Grand Prix Association National Championship Moves to Christmas Festival

The 2006 American Grand Prix Association (AGA) National Championship will be held this year at the Stadium Jumping Christmas Festival, scheduled for December 15-17, 2006, at the Palm Beach Polo Equestrian Club in Wellington, FL.

In addition, to celebrate the holidays and the return of this year-end classic to its original dates, the prize money has been increased from $75,000 to $100,000 for this year’s extravaganza.

Southwest Regional Championships for Saddlebreds and Aikman Winning Ways Clinic Both Around the Corner

The 32nd Arizona Saddlebred Futurity Horse Show will host the inaugural Southwest Regional Championships. The regional is for horses residing in Zone 1 as designated by the ASHA (Zone 1 states are Arizona, California, Nevada, New Mexico and Utah). The horse show and Saddlebred Futurity will run October 27-29, 2006, at Westworld of Scottsdale, AZ.

While the often-raised question, “How many horses are there in Kentucky?” is a simple one, the answer isn’t as straightforward. The answer depends on who you ask and how the count is done. What is known is that many horses never get counted by the Census of Agriculture, because they are not on property classified as a “farm.”

Monarch International’s Show Circuit Magazine Presents World Championship Hunter Rider Awards at Capital Challenge Horse Show

This past weekend, the Capital Challenge Horse Show in Upper Marlboro, MD, held the Monarch International’s Show Circuit Magazine Professional World Championship Hunter Rider (WCHR) Finals. The WCHR National Awards program recognizes the top professional, junior, adult amateur, pony and amateur riders through points accumulated throughout the year at the rider’s top four WCHR shows. The top six riders from each region and the top 10 riders in the standings are then invited to compete directly against one another in Challenge Classes at the Capital Challenge Horse Show.

USEA/Spalding Labs Young Event Horse Series Championships; Rain Man and Hanno named 2006 Champions

After six months and 18 qualifying competitions, 20 horse-and-rider combinations made their way to Leesburg, VA, for the USEA/Spalding Labs Young Event Horse Series Championships, held October 6, during the Morven Park CCI* and Advanced Horse Trials.

The series and the championships are split by age into two divisions. The appropriately named Rain Man (the unpredictable fall weather resulted in gray skies and cold downpours), a black 16.3-hand Hanoverian (Rosentau-Esperanza) owned by Patricia Tackett, won the five-year-old division on an impressive score of 89.34.

Make Your Stallion Stand Out

Advertise in the December/January stallion and breeding issue of EQUESTRIAN. Reach over 80,000 USEF members in this special double-month issue. As a USEF member, you receive discounted advertising rates and reach the best audience. For more information, contact Kim Russell at krussell@usef.org or (859) 225-6938 Book Early! Space closes October 31.

Morris Animal Foundation Offers 12 Equine Health Sponsorship Opportunities; Guide to Horse Studies Available Now

Morris Animal Foundation (MAF) provides a unique opportunity for individuals or groups to demonstrate their love for horses by helping them via its animal health study/research sponsorships. MAF has published its 2007 directory of 101 sponsorship opportunities. All are invited to sponsor or co-sponsor with a total gift of $3,000 or more per study. Available projects include 12 studies related to the most crucial health issues for horses. Founded in 1948, 100% of MAF donations are used to fund research to protect, treat and cure the world’s animals.

Karin Offield of Offield Farms Offers USEF Members Interested in Dressage Free Membership to DressageDirect.com

Offield Farms has the opportunity to introduce all American dressage-interested USEF members to www.dressagedirect.com. Dressagedirect is dedicated to promoting the sport of dressage throughout the world.

In case you are not familiar with Dressagedirect, the service aims to provide its members with all international dressage show results on the grand prix level, along with interesting facts of the dressage community. This information is sent directly to the subscriber’s e-mail box shortly after each event.

For the full letter, click here.

You spoke (or wrote) and USHJA listened! Once again USHJA members have shown they have a voice, and USHJA wants members to know that their voice was heard. USHJA would like to thank all the members that took time out of their busy schedules to provide feedback on the announcement of the USHJA Foundation Awards. Due to your wonderful ideas, USHJA is proud to announce some changes and clarifications to the USHJA Foundation Awards. Listed below are some of the notable changes. For a complete listing of all the changes and adjustments, please visit www.ushja.org/awards/foundation.shtml.

The United States Dressage Federation (USDF) Youth Executive Board is pleased to announce that Colleen Akin, Marina Riker, Hannah Holland Shook and Mary B. Lauritsen have been selected as this year’s recipients of the USDF Youth Convention Scholarships for the 2006 Adequan/USDF National Convention and Symposium, to be held November 29-December 3 in Kansas City, MO.

205 Entries Tackle David O’Connor’s New Cross-Country Course at the Colorado Horse Park's Fall Horse Trials

More than 200 entries tackled the new cross-country course designed by Olympic Gold medalist David O’Connor last Saturday during the Colorado Horse Park Fall Horse Trials held September 29-October 1. The event, which featured divisions from Beginner Novice to Preliminary, attracted entries from several states. Competitors faced the triathlon of horse sports—dressage, cross-country and show jumping.

Olympic and World Championship Equestrians Headline Attractions at Fair Hill International Festival in the Country, October 19-22

Olympic and World Championship veterans head the impressive list of equestrian competitors expected at this year's Fair Hill International Festival in the Country, October 19-22. The 18th annual festival is highlighted by world-class equestrian competition, with horses, riders and drivers battling for top honors just a few feet from spectators.

Who Will Be the First Equestrian Idol? Auditions During the National Horse Show in Wellington

Guests at the EQUUS Equestrian Idol Talent Show & Bash on Saturday, February 17, 2007, will choose the first Equestrian Idol from performances by some notable grand prix riders and trainers, and others.

Rumor has it that Mason Phelps will take on the judging job of the infamous Simon Cowell, along with Susie Schoellkopf as Paula Abdul and Gene Mische as Randy Jackson. Robert Dover has signed on as Ryan Seacrest, and Leslie Howard is organizing a band of female grand prix riders to go head-to-head with McLain Ward’s Grand Prix Boy Band. Frank Madden and Beacon Hill Show Stables will also be waiting in the wings to claim victory.

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.