Stadium Jumping, Inc.'s Tampa Equestrian Festival will feature three weeks of world-class equestrian competition at the Bob Thomas Equestrian Center in Tampa, FL, March 18-April 4. As the conclusion of the 2009 winter show season, the festival is set to host some of the top horses and riders from all over the country for big-money classes and prizes. The competition is divided into three weeks, with the Suncoast Internationale, March 18-22, the Tampa Classic CSI***-W March 25-29, and the...

The focus groups formed by FEI Anti Doping and Medication Commission members, selected experts and FEI staff have begun their work. Four working groups were created: Lab Group, Legal Group, List Group, and Communications and Education Group. Three groups—Lab, Legal and List—met on January 29-30 and February 4, respectively. The remaining group—Communications and Education—will meet on February 9. The groups' composition and main tasks are as follows: Lab Group The main...

The Unwanted Horse Coalition’s (UHC) National Speaker Program is up and running. If you are an equine group with an upcoming event and would like to have someone speak about the UHC, what it does and the problem of unwanted horses, the UHC has a program to provide you with this support. The UHC has volunteers across the country who may be able to attend your event and present information from the Coalition. If you have an equine-related event coming up, please contact the UHC to request a...

The 2009 Collecting Gaits Farm/USEF Dressage Festival of Champions will be held in Gladstone, NJ, June 18–21. This Festival of Champions will once again feature the national championships for the Grand Prix, Intermediaire I, Young Adult “Brentina Cup,” Young Rider, and Junior divisions. Applications of Intent for all divisions are now available on the Federation website at www.usef.org/Contentpage2.aspx?id=dressage . High-performance (Grand Prix & Intermediaire I) applications, qualifying...

The World Games 2010 Foundation announced a revision to the competition schedule for the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games (WEG). The new schedule moves the reining competition to September 25-30, and shifts the vaulting competition to October 1-10. No other discipline schedules were altered. As an added benefit, NBC Sports will extend its coverage of the 2010 WEG on September 26, adding an extra 30 minutes of Games programming. The broadcast, tentatively scheduled for noon-1:30 p.m.,...

The fundraising Gala Celebration of the Mid South Eventing and Dressage Association on January 31, 2009, was an overwhelming success, fetching more than $40,000 from the live and silent auctions for the Kentucky Horse Park. Over 200 guests attended this new event at the Hyatt Regency in downtown Lexington with Guest of Honor David O'Connor accompanied by prominent figures from the horse world. Proceeds from the evening sponsored by Fort Dodge Animal Health are being donated to the horse park's...

Horses and Humans Research Foundation (HHRF) invites proposals to investigate the therapeutic effects of horses on humans. The Foundation's broad research agenda includes basic research as well as clinical studies that will ultimately impact physical and mental health and the quality of life for people with disabilities who are involved with equine-assisted activities/therapies. Grants are awarded on a competitive basis, taking into account scientific merit, scientific and clinical significance...

HorseTV announced that an agreement had been reached with the Saugerties, NY-based HITS (Horse Shows in the Sun) organization for nose-to-tail broadcast coverage of the HITS Ocala Winter Circuit, February 3-March 15. On February 3, 2009, HorseTV Live, the live broadcast component of the HorseTV.com television portal, will make equestrian industry history by providing simultaneous coverage of six active rings of competition for the entire six weeks of the HITS Ocala Winter Circuit, including the...

The 2009 American Saddlebred Registry Grand National prize program schedule of competitions has been announced. This year, the Grand National features 32 shows offering 61 classes with over $138,000 offered in prize money for Grand National-eligible American Saddlebreds. The schedule is available at www.asha.net/asr-gn_showschedule . In addition, competitions that have traditionally supported the Grand National were entered into a drawing for three Grand National Championship Stakes. The...

The American Horse Council (AHC) has announced that the focus of this year’s National Issues Forum will be the “Welfare of the Horse.” The Forum will be held June 16, 2009, in Washington, DC, as part of the AHC’s annual meeting. Over the last year, concerns about the welfare of horses used in racing, showing, recreation, or work have been raised by our fans, the general public, the media, and Congress. Such concerns have been expressed before, but perhaps not as broadly as now. “Those involved...