Mavis Spencer (USEF/ Jennifer Haydon) Lexington, KY – The US show jumping riders got off to a fantastic start at the 2009 Australian Youth Olympic Festival on January 16, 2009. Led by 16-year-old Kylie Wright from Sparks-Glencoe, MD, the US filled the top two spots in the Individual Qualifier. She went first out of the 24 riders and produced one of only six clear rounds. No one went clear in the jump off but Wright, riding Pacific Wave, was the fastest of the four faulters with a time of...

George Morris (USEF Archives) Lexington, KY – 2008 was a year of remarkable achievement for the US Show Jumping Program. Highlighted by the Team Gold and Individual Bronze medals at the 2008 Olympic Games in Hong Kong, the US show jumpers won on major contests on four continents. At the reins of the program was the legendary, George H. Morris. For his attention to detail, unwavering commitment to perfection and unyielding commitment to the horses and riders in his program, Morris has been...

Stadium Jumping, Inc., one of the nation's leading horse show production companies, is pleased to announce the official dates of the 2009 Tampa Equestrian Festival and 37th Annual $200,000 Budweiser American Invitational. This year the festival will host three weeks of equestrian competition with the world's best riders, horses and Olympians. The show will run from March 18-April 4 at the Bob Thomas Equestrian Center at the Florida State Fairgrounds in Tampa, FL. The Tampa Equestrian Festival...

Margie Engle rode Hidden Creek's Tosca in the Dutch Warmblood mare's sixth grand prix Thursday to claim the inaugural $30,000 Braman Motorcars WEF Challenge Cup at the 2009 FTI Winter Equestrian Festival. The nine-year-old mare on whom Engle, of Wellington, FL, won the seven- and eight-year-old championship in Kentucky last year, won by 1/10th of a second over Georgina Bloomberg and Curius at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center. Laura Bowery on Henry Jota Romano placed third....

The United States Dressage Federation (USDF) is pleased to announce that 43 USDF members successfully completed the USDF “L” Education Program between May and November of 2008. The USDF “L” Education Program is designed to prepare candidates to enter the United States Equestrian Federation “r” Judges Training Program, to qualify individuals to judge schooling shows, and to give competitors, trainers, and instructors greater insight into the evaluative techniques of judging dressage. The program...

Perfect sunny South Florida weather and spectacular competition kicked off the 2009 FTI Winter Equestrian Festival at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center. Margie Engle and Hidden Creek's Tosca won the top prize of $9,000 in the opener to the $30,000 Braman Motor Cars WEF Challenge Cup in Round 1 on Thursday, January 8. Only 0.109 secs separated Engle's win from Georgina Bloomberg and her ride on Curius, placing second to win $6,600. McLain Ward jumped Rothchild to the first $25,000...

The first meeting of the International Equestrian Federation (FEI) Dressage Force took place on January 12-13, 2009, in Frankfurt, Germany. The meeting was chaired by Frank Kemperman with Richard Davison (GBR), riders’ representative; Robert Dover (USA), trainers’ representative; Alain Franqueville (FRA), representing chefs d’equipe; Elisabeth Max-Theurer (AUT), owners’ representative; and Katrina Wuest (GER), judges’ representative, in attendance. The FEI was represented by its Sports and...

The United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) Hunter/Hunter Seat Equitation Judges’ Clinic and the USEF Jumper Judges’ Clinics to be conducted in West Palm Beach, FL, on February 2-3 have achieved full capacity, so USEF is no longer accepting registration for those clinics. USEF is offering two additional clinic opportunities for these licenses in Thermal, CA, February 16-17, and Fulton, MO, on March 28-29. Those interested in attending can download information and applications on the USEF...

It's not too late to make plans to attend this years Paso Fino Horse Association (PFHA) Board of Directors Meeting and Membership Convention. Let your voice and opinions be heard. Without your imput changes cannot be made. Election of new officers of the Association will be held at this meeting. The 2009 PFHA Board of Directors Meeting & Membership Convention is taking place January 22-24th, 2009, at the Four Points by Sheraton Orlando City Hotel, located at 5905 International Drive in Orlando,...

Lexington, KY – The US show jumping riders had their first training session on their borrowed horses at the 2009 Australian Youth Olympic Festival in Sydney, Australia. The four riders all spent some time getting to know their borrowed horses and found both the horses and their Australian owners and riders very accommodating. Each nation is invited to bring four athletes between the ages of 15-20 and the four promising young stars representing the US are: Mavis Spencer, 17, from Santa Monica,...