Week in Review - U.S. Equestrian

Nathalie Bouckaert Pollard proved the leader in the third day of eventing at Fair Hill, finishing the show jumping course of the 2005 USEF National Three-Star Eventing Championship to exuberant applause. The final ride on the 12-year-old British Sport Horse gelding, West Farthing, was good enough to clinch the overall win at the 2005 championship, which took place once again at the beautiful grounds of Fair Hill International in Elkton, MD, October 14-16.

Goutal Wins Individual Title at 2005 Adequan/USEF National Junior Jumper Championships; Zone 5 Takes Team Title

Making a name for herself amidst a field of some of the nation’s best junior jumpers at the Pennsylvania National Horse Show, 17-year-old Brianne Goutal of New York, NY, and her mount Onira, won the individual title and the Gold medal at the 2005 Adequan/USEF National Junior Jumper Championship, October 13-15. Coming in second for Silver was 17-year-old Julie Welles, of West Simsbury, CT, atop Lapeti, followed by the Bronze medal winner, 15-year-old Kels Bonham of Claremore, OK, riding Orley.

New York’s Brianne Goutal Wins 2005 Pessoa/USEF Hunter Seat Medal Final

Brianne Goutal of New York, NY, defeated more than 200 of the nation’s top junior riders to win the 2005 Pessoa/USEF National Hunter Seat Medal Final, on Sunday, October 16, at the Pennsylvania National Horse Show. This marked the second largest field in history, with 279 riders vying for the title.

With preparations for the 2006 competition year in full swing, limited space is still available for the highly successful 2006 USEF Outreach Program, started by the USEF in 2005. The program is designed to build a productive bridge between the USEF office, competition organizers, show managers and competitors. In addition to employees rolling up their sleeves and sharing the work load for a few days, USEF will be able to assess the needs of organizers, managers and competitors and in turn, better serve them in daily USEF operations.

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Brazil’s Pessoa Stakes Claim in Las Vegas World Invitational $750,000 Grand Prix; America’s Hough Places Eighth

With solidly executed rides that can be described as nothing less than perfectly precise, it was Brazil’s show-jumping super-star, Rodrigo Pessoa who would stake his claim in the spotlight at the inaugural Las Vegas World Invitational at Las Vegas’ Thomas and Mack Arena, October 15. Out of a field of 25 of the world’s best, the 32-year-old Pessoa was one of only six riders to make it to the final jump-off in the most anticipated class of the weekend, the $750,000 Grand Prix. Of the final six, Pessoa and Baloubet Du Rouet were the winning rider and horse pair, shaving off bits of time throughout the entire course to speed through at an unbelievable 29.64 seconds. The win came with a hefty award too, earning $250,000.

CBS Sports, a division of CBS Broadcasting, Inc., will televise the inaugural Las Vegas World Invitational (LVWI), the world’s richest equestrian show jumping event, on a tape-delayed basis currently starting at 2 p.m. (EST) on Saturday, December 31.

Karen Kroon Wins FEI North American Endurance Championship at 2005 Fair Hill International; USA Pacific South Wins Team Championship

Karen Kroon of Cheyenne, WY, won the 2005 FEI North American Endurance Championship CEIO**** at the 17th annual Fair Hill International Festival in the Country in Elkton, MD, October 9-10. Kroon won the continental championship’s Individual Gold medal by finishing the 100-mile ride in a time of 11:45:30 on Rokket, her 11-year-old bay Arabian gelding.

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Directors of the American Saddlebred Horse Association (ASHA) and American Saddlebred Registry, along with past presidents of the Association and members of its Strategic Planning Committee, met for nearly three days last week in French Lick, IN, to assess opportunities for the breed, discuss member concerns and consider recommendations for action. The leadership retreat culminated in meetings of both boards of directors, as well as the Association’s Executive Committee on Wednesday, October 12.

Just before the start of Dressage at Devon’s freestyle competition on October 15, Dr. Richard Louis Stevens of Thousand Oaks, CA, took center stage and was honored with the 2005 Marty Simensen Memorial Trophy for his work in the area of equine rescue after a natural disaster.

The October feature item of the month is the ladies’ charcoal fleece vest. Cut to fit a woman, this vest is a great addition to your fall wear. Click here to order this item.

From now until October 31, when you purchase $50 or more on USEF merchandise, you’ll receive a FREE USEF magnet. Click here to enter the official USEF online store.

Washington International Horse Show Equitation Finals Features a Showdown of the Nation’s Best Junior Riders

The nation’s top junior and pony riders will face off in a challenging battle of horsemanship skills in the 2005 Washington International Horse Show Equitation Classic (WIHS) and WIHS Pony Equitation Finals, to be held October 25-30, 2005 at the MCI Center in downtown Washington, DC.

51st AAEP Annual Convention to Offer Premier Education for Practitioners and Horse Owners

Equine veterinarians from across the globe will gather in Seattle, WA, for the American Association of Equine Practitioners’ (AAEP) 51st Annual Convention, December 3-7, 2005. More than 3,300 practitioners, veterinary students and technicians attend the convention each year, making it the largest equine veterinary meeting in the world.

The HorseTV Channel announced that it has acquired exclusive North American broadcast rights to all of the FEI events, including the FEI World Equestrian Games 2006. The multi-year deal memorandum was signed today by the The HorseTV Channel and Alastair Martin-Bird, CEO of MBPtv, television coordinators for the FEI.

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 Crissi White at cwhite@usef.org or (859) 225-6936. Book Early! Space closes October 21.

My First Pony: Riders Remember Their Special Partners

By Amber Heintzberger

First ponies are dreams come true for many children, and the memories of that special partner often last forever. Young girls and boys around the world spend hours grooming, riding and sharing secrets with their furry four-legged friends. Some of them bring home championship ribbons, and some of them simply spend hours bareback in the fields and woods, exploring new territory, or perhaps dreaming of greatness.

Many successful riders started out on ponies: some of them began showing practically before they could string a sentence together, while others rode for pleasure for years before they set foot in a show ring. From the lead line to the Olympic lineup, these riders developed partnerships that have lasted a lifetime and set the basis for successful careers in the horse world.

If you have news you would like to contribute for the American Breeder News e-newsletter, a monthly news source about sport horse breeding in North America, brought to you by the Performance Horse Registry and the USEF, please review the “Guidelines for Releases” or e-mail press-ready releases to news@usef.org.

Please review your points and standings in your respective division(s) by:
Ordering a copy of your horse's point report via email or mail (faxed copies will incur an additional charge); Calling the Horse Report Hotline at (859) 225-2040;
Or, accessing your horse’s point report the USEF web site at www.usef.org.

Please refer to the steps below for accessing your horse’s point report:

Please refer to GR911.1 of the Federation Rule Book for deadlines for your breed/discipline.

Reminder: A horse's report is free of charge, to the owner, trainer or driver, for the current year. See GR818 for complete details.

Advertising is now available in American Breeder News and on PHR.com, home of the Performance Horse Registry. For information on scheduling your banner ad, contact Kim Russell at (859) 225-6938 or e-mail krussell@usef.org.

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.