For Immediate Release December 21, 2006 Ocala, FL – Tom Warriner, Chairman of the Florida Horse Park Board of Directors, has released the following statement: Due to the recent concerns about the Equine Herpes Virus, the Florida Horse Park is closing its stabling facilities effective immediately. The barns will reopen on January 10, 2007. This is a precautionary measure taken to protect the well-being of all horses. The Park will allow horses to ship-in for trail riding and schooling, but will...

For Immediate Release: December 21, 2006 HITS Contact: Kristen Vale 845-246-8833 (Ocala, Fl) -You may have heard about the Equine Herpes Virus (EHV-1) outbreak in Florida. We want you to know that we are Virus-Free at HITS Ocala and the shows are on schedule. We are taking pro-active measures and ask that you comply with the following: Until at least January 15th, the following protocol must be followed for all horses entering the HITS Ocala show grounds: Vet Check Protocol 1. Anyone entering...

Will Harris, co-Junior Equestrian of the Year (Doug Shiflet) Lexington, KY – New York’s Brianne Goutal and Tennessee’s William Harris have been named Junior Equestrians of the Year by the United States Equestrian Federation® and will be honored during the Federation’s annual gala – The Pegasus Awards – on January 12, 2007, in Louisville, KY. It is the first time in over a decade that two youths have been named co-recipients of one of the...

Facts: USEF licenses approximately 2,600 competitions per year. USEF currently has 275 licensed stewards and 178 licensed technical delegates. Stewards are licensed as either Category 1 (hunter/jumper) or Category 2 (breeds/Western) or Combined Category (both groups). The median age of our currently licensed stewards is 59 years of age. Opportunities: With the goal of providing more accessible applicant sessions for individuals interested in becoming a licensed steward with the Federation, a...

The United States Dressage Federation (USDF) announced the recipients of the USDF FEI Junior/Young Rider Council’s Shining Star Sportsmanship Award. The recipients include Emily Barnsley of Laytonsville, MD; Kirsten Lane of Medford, NJ; Becky Mark of Virginia; Emily O’Neill of Chester Springs, PA; Katie Pare of Lincoln University, PA; and Ryann Scelba of Lumberton, NJ, selected from the USDF Region 1 Youth Team Championships and Barbara Ayers of Cottage Grove, OR; Jessica Crawford of Tualatin,...

American Quarter Horses take center stage Sunday, January 7, on NBC Sports Television at 1:30 p.m. Eastern/10:30 a.m. Pacific for the America’s Horse Championships presented by Ford Trucks. The one-hour special is based at a portion of the FedEx Open competition at the American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA) World Championship Show in Oklahoma City and highlights the reining and cutting competitions along with other features. “We were so pleased with the response from viewers and NBC last...

The United States Equestrian Team (USET) Foundation still has a few models remaining of the 2006 Limited Edition Breyer Model Horse, Authentic. The USET Foundation announced earlier this year that Authentic, owned by Abigail Wexner and ridden by Beezie Madden, was chosen as the 2006 USET Foundation Breyer model horse. Authentic, an 11-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding, is the 11th Breyer model in this popular series. Authentic was a member of the 2004 Athens Olympics Gold-medal team. In 2005,...

The Washington International Horse Show, one of the world’s leading equestrian events, will remain at Verizon Center, its home since 2000, for at least two more years. The contract extension ensures the show will celebrate its 50th anniversary in 2008 in the heart of Washington, D.C., its namesake city. “Washington has been our home for almost half a century, and we are so pleased to be able to continue this very special equestrian tradition in this historic city. Verizon Center is part of our...

The Board of Directors of The EQUUS Foundation, Inc., an all-volunteer fund raising and fund granting 501(c)(3) charity, will award grants to 37 charitable organizations that promote the positive use of the horse for the benefit of the general public, horse welfare and equestrian sport as a whole in 2006, up from 28 in 2006. In just four years since its establishment in August 2002, The EQUUS Foundation has awarded over $600,000 in grants, with over $250,000 awarded in 2006. The idea for The...

Karen Healey Stables hosted a clinic with renowned trainer and clinician George H. Morris on December 8-10, 2006 at Shelburne Farms in Hidden Valley of Westlake Village, CA. The clinic was organized by Karen Healey, the trainer and owner of Karen Healey Stables. The clinic had three divisions of riders: open jumpers, jumper 3’9”-4’, and advanced equitation. Each division had three sessions over the three days of the clinic. There were 25 riders total, and the clinic saw over 40 auditors for the...