Lexington, KY - The Markel/USEF Young Horse Dressage Selection Trials concluded the 2008 qualifying season with competitions held across the country in Illinois, California and North Carolina to select the U.S. representatives for the 2008 FEI World Breeding Championships to be held in Verden, Germany, July 31 – August 3, 2008. The first Markel/USEF Young Horse Dressage Selection Trial was held at CDI 3*/Y/J Wayne & Dressage at Lamplight in Wayne, IL, May 16 – 18, 2008. Champion Five-Year-Old...

Summer is just around the corner and parents will be looking for riding camps for their kids. Look no further. To find a summer camp, riding stable, trail ride program, or instructor near you simply visit the Certified Horsemanship Association (CHA) online directory at www.CHAinstructors.com . This comprehensive online searchable database contains all CHA certified riding instructors and CHA program member facilities throughout the United States, Canada, and beyond. Anyone looking for a riding...

More than 168 of Kentucky’s horses of various breeds have been provided with shelter and other humane assistance this year thanks to the Kentucky Equine Humane Center (KyEHC). The KyEHC is a first-of-its-kind facility, established with the specific goal of providing owners with a humane option when they need to give up their horses. Horses receive protection from abuse, neglect, and slaughter. The Center is located on a tranquil 72-acre horse farm just outside of Lexington, KY, it serves as a...

Much success in the show pen sent Brent Wright over the top in National Reining Horse Association (NRHA) lifetime earnings to earn a distinction many reiners only dream about. Wright has become the NRHA’s newest Million Dollar Rider. Wright’s triumph came at the 2008 National Reining Breeders Classic (NRBC) in Katy, TX. He won the first go-round and tied for ninth in the Open Finals on Miss Rey O Shine, owned by Bahn Quarter Horses, LLC. He won over $43,000 at this year’s NRBC. According to...

The North American Riding for the Handicapped Association (NARHA) and Purina Mills have partnered to bring horse lovers a fantastic opportunity to learn about equine nutrition and raise money for NARHA equestrian centers that serve people with special needs. Omolene University™ is an educational web site created by Purina Mills for horse owners. In addition to being a fun and interactive way to learn, the courses offer an opportunity to earn a discount on feed and help fund participants’...

Meet Molly. She's a gray speckled pony who was abandoned by her owners when Katrina hit southern Louisiana. She spent weeks on her own before finally being rescued and taken to a farm where abandoned animals were stockpiled. While there, she was attacked by a pit bull terrier, and almost died. Her gnawed right front leg became infected and her vet went to Louisiana State University (LSU) for help. But LSU was overwhelmed, and this pony was a welfare case. You know how that goes. But after...

The list of headliners for this year’s Western States Horse Expo, June 6-8, in Sacramento, CA, is bound to please all attendees. Clinicians include Chris Cox, John Lyons, Jane Savoie, Jonathan Field, Bob Avila, Al Dunning, Richard Shrake, Dana Boyd-Miller, Sandy Collier, Angelia Almos, Bonnie Davis, David Lichman, Scot Hansen, Muffy Seaton, Rallie McAllister, Donna Snyder-Smith, and Charles Wilhelm. This stellar line-up represents experts in multiple disciplines: starting the young horse,...

Chuck Stuart of Tuttle, OK, was recently recognized by the American Paint Horse Association (APHA) for being the second Ride America® participant to reach the 10,000-hour level in that program’s history. The recreational riding initiative recognizes APHA members’ independent riding time on their American Paint Horses. Stuart logged his remarkable number of hours aboard his nine-year-old sorrel tovero gelding Pretty And Cool, who he calls “Toby.” “I got involved with the Ride America program...

The Equestrian Land Conservation Resource (ELCR) is pleased to welcome four new members to its Equestrian Partners program. The diversity of these organizations demonstrates that all horse enthusiasts, despite their geographic location, breed preference or preferred discipline, are engaging in the most critical issue facing horsemen across the country—saving land for horses and horse-related activity. The Certified Horsemanship Association (CHA) is a national organization founded for the...

Experts report that eastern tent caterpillars are now wandering and population levels are among the highest they’ve seen since 2001, when Mare Reproductive Loss Syndrome (MRLS) hit Central Kentucky particularly hard. “The eastern tent caterpillar populations are dramatically up this year—the highest I’ve seen since the MRLS crisis. The larvae are full size, many trees are totally defoliated and I’ve seen very large numbers of caterpillars moving along fence rails and wandering out many...