Las Vegas, NV – 44 riders from 22 nations went to task this evening in the Thomas & Mack Arena, 12 of them American. By the time the music died down and the last pair of feet landed on the arena floor, it was the reigning Rolex FEI World Cup champion, Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum and Shutterfly who proved to be the fastest in the First Leg of the 2009 Rolex FEI World Cup Final: the Speed Class. Again. The German pair were quickest by just less than a second with a time of 56.48. “I thought the...

RAVEL and Steffen Peters (Shannon Brinkman) Las Vegas, NV – Steffen Peters always knew how good Ravel was. After the 11-year-old Dutch gelding’s performance in the Rolex FEI World Cup Final Grand Prix, he stamped himself as one of the best dressage horses on the globe. Beating nine-time (and defending) World Cup champion Anky van Grunsven (on IPS Painted Black) and Isabell Werth (on Satchmo) in the process, Peters won with a commanding score of 77.914% With the highest score of...

Content provided by Julie Bennett, Baylor University WACO, Texas— For the third straight season, Baylor and Waco will host the Varsity Equestrian National Championships (VENC) at the Heart of Texas Fair and Rodeo Complex. The eighth annual championships are on Thursday, April 16 and continue through Saturday, April 18. The event is open to the public and no admission will be charged. Varsity equestrian is divided into two areas: hunter seat and western. The University of Georgia claimed the...

So much has happened today I'm not sure where to start. This morning started with another run on the strip. More illicit activities witnessed and I was a little later so there was loads more activity. Made for some quick thinking at times. Back to the venue… the day got off to a very disappointing start for the dressage riders, my heart just broke for Jan Ebeling and Leslie Morse, both had huge disappointments. Jan's mare, Rafalca, simply couldn't take the atmosphere and...

Content provided by the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association National Championships Murfreesboro, TN— The Intercollegiate Horse Show Association (IHSA) National Championships announces the participating teams in the upcoming championships beginning Thursday, April 23 through Sunday, April 26 at the Miller Coliseum at Middle Tennessee State University in Murfreesboro, TN. The following teams have successfully negotiated regional competitions and qualified through zone finals to qualify to...

The Arabian Horse Association (AHA) recently bestowed two distinct horses, Tsarina Bint RII and WH Bodacious, with the honor of being named Arabian ambassadors. The Ambassador Award, presented annually, recognizes Arabians, Half-Arabians and Anglo-Arabians for outstanding achievement in representing the Arabian Horse community to the general public. Tsarina Bint RII (PRI Ibn Masriyyah x Normandie), owned by McKenzie Rae Jenkins of Gallatin, TN, is a 13-year-old Half-Arabian bay mare. Jenkins...

The American Saddlebred Horse Association (ASHA) 2009 New England Regional Championship will be held at the Eastern States Exposition Big E Horse Show. The show is set to take place September 17-October 4, at the Eastern States Exposition, in West Springfield, MA. Saddlebreds will be competing in the portion of the show taking place beginning on Thursday, September 17, through Sunday, September 20. For details about the saddle horse portion of the show, visit the Eastern States Exposition...

Chris Field, 59, of Shelbyville, KY, passed away Monday night, April 6, 2009, after an eight-month battle with cancer. Field was born on December 9, 1949, in Salt Lake City, Utah. After graduating from Olympus High School in 1968, Field attended the University of Utah. A member of the Church of Jesus Christ Of Latter Day Saints, she married the love of her life on August 9, 1974, and would have celebrated her 36-year anniversary with her husband, William (Bill) Field, this year. Field was...

Steffen Peters and Ravel (Shannon Brinkman) Las Vegas, NV – With the anticipation building in the Thomas & Mack Arena for the 2009 Rolex FEI World Cup Final, both the Dressage and Jumping competitors got their final tune up in the main arena on Wednesday. 14 Dressage horses from eight nations and 45 Jumping competitors from 22 will take center stage today, the first day of competition. Two masters are back to defend their titles. Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum and Shutterfly are looking...

Representatives from dozens of national and state-based equine protection, advocacy and rescue organizations gathered April 9-10 at Bally's Las Vegas for the third annual Homes for Horses Coalition Conference to discuss the re-homing of at-risk horses in America and other equine welfare concerns. The conference was held in conjunction with The Humane Society of the United States' Animal Care Expo, which included two equine welfare workshops on Wednesday, April 8. Immediately following Homes for...