This year marks the inception of the Tristanne Weber Childress Memorial American Morgan Horse Association (AMHA) Youth of the Year Contest Sportsmanship Award. A Morgan horse trainer, Tristanne Weber Childress of Siler City, NC, passed away March 17, 2008, following a short illness at the age of 34. This award, funded by donations from friends and family, will be presented to the AMHA Youth of the Year contestant who best exemplifies the ideals of sportsmanship. The winner will be selected by...

A trailer full of clothing, blankets and other items to help victims of widespread flooding in Haiti has been sent from Wellington to Miami for shipment to the devastated nation. "We have had a tremendous response so far," said Katherine Bellissimo, who initiated the collection effort. She is a partner in Wellington Equestrian Partners that owns the management company, Equestrian Sport Productions, of the Wellington horse shows. "The tremendous response to the needs of the flood victims has...

California dressage rider Jan Ebeling and the 11-year-old Oldenburg mare Rafalca won the dressage World Cup qualifier at Saugerties CDI-W show in upstate New York this past weekend with a score of 71.700%. This result came after their victory in the grand prix on Saturday. Ebeling was delighted with the mare who, "didn't really have any mistakes," in the grand prix freestyle. "She was really, really super, and it was definitely a confidence builder." The test, which is ridden to music from the...

Lexington, KY— The United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) announces that the Executive Committee has recently approved the Show Jumping Selection Procedures for the Australian Youth Olympic Festival which will be held January 14-18, 2009 at the Sydney International Equestrian Center. Athletes from across the world will be competing in this international competition. The Australian Youth Olympic Festival is a multi-sport event that follows the structure of Olympic Games as closely as...

Attention junior and young riders in Zone 8 interested in competing at next year’s FEI North American Junior and Young Rider Championships (NAJYRC) for show jumping: Please check your zone’s selection procedures for the 2009 NAJYRC on the jumping discipline page of the USEF website at www.usef.org/Contentpage2.aspx?id=natjumping . Please direct questions to Jennifer Haydon, Director of Show Jumping for National Programs, at [email protected] or (859) 225-6911.

A strong international field descends on the stylish French seaside town of Deauville, France, this week to contest the HSBC FEI World Cup™ Eventing Final in what should be the most competitive finale yet. It all starts on September 18 with the first horse inspection. The 2008 FEI World Cup™ eventing standings leader Kevin McNab of Australia, will be making his first competitive visit to Europe, and has earned the right to pole position, while the Australian challenge is completed...

Lexington, KY - The World Endurance Championship Definite Entries and Alternates were named after the final Training Session in Williston, Florida on September 13. All 12 nominated entries participated under the guidance of Chef d’ Equipe and three-time World Champion Becky Grand Hart. The Veterinary Panel examined the horses and the Endurance Selectors observed the horse/rider combinations as they completed a 38 mile course. The following horse/rider combinations were selected to represent the...

On November 13-16, 2008, the American Saddlebred Horse Association (ASHA) will sponsor a breed booth at the East Coast Equine Affaire event, being held at the Eastern States Exposition Center in West Springfield, MA. Equine Affaire, the nation's premiere national equine exposition and equestrian gathering, organizes four days of clinics, seminars, demonstrations and exhibits, with an expected attendance of tens of thousands of horse people. "The ASHA booth will feature the versatility of the...

Lexington, KY— In the newly created 2008 United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) National Developing Horse Dressage Championship sponsored by the Dutta Corporation and Performance Sales International, Guenter Seidel and U II had a strong showing Sunday to win the championship with a total score of 70.873. Similar to the Young Horse championship, the competitors faced high winds which made their rides difficult and a spooky environment for the horses. Seidel felt he was lucky to draw an...

Maneirbo, Italy – The US Reiners had plenty to celebrate at the first FEI World Reining Championship, convincingly bringing home three medals. Jordan Larson will return to his Whitesboro, TX home with two medals, adding individual honors to his team Silver. Riding Lena Gallo, Larson loped into the arena on Sunday and had a nearly perfect trip. The coliseum was full of atmosphere and Larson’s ride was clearly the crowd favorite, nearly bringing the house down. His large circles were fast and...