With the victory gallop at Rolex now in the past, the East Coast eventing scene’s focus shifted to the final preparations for the New Jersey CCI** and CCI*** in early June and the Virginia Horse Park’s CCI* in mid-May. Many riders chose to have a final tune-up at the Maryland Combined Training Association (MCTA) Horse Trials located at Shawan Downs. Although MCTA Horse Trials are long time veterans of the spring eventing schedule, the organizers added both intermediate and advanced levels to...

The Friends of Winter Miles will sponsor an event to raise community awareness of the Winter Miles Horse Park, the first equestrian park in Seminole County, FL. The Round-Up will be Sunday, May 21, 2006, from 1-4 p.m. at the future site of the Horse Park. The Round-Up will feature live music, barbecue, carriage and pony rides, games and raffles. The event will also serve as an opportunity for the public to see the site and show their support for this important community asset. Advanced tickets...

Del Mar’s Evening of Musical Freestyles delighted dressage fans with competition from some of the best in the world, including three-time Olympic Bronze medalist Guenter Seidel and Olympic and World Cup veteran Steffen Peters. They scored within a tenth of a percent of each other in the $5,000 Grand Prix Freestyle sponsored by Chalk Hill Estates Winery. Seidel on Aragon won with a score 74.450%, while Peters on Floriano scored 74.325% for second. Aragon is a 1992 Bavarian Warmblood gelding...

Lexington, KY – The 2006 Show Circuit Magazine /USEF National Junior Hunter Championships have announced their East and West Coast dates and locations. The West Coast Championship will be held at the Oaks Blenheim facility in San Juan Capistrano, CA, August 15-16. The East Coast Championship will be held at the HITS-on-the-Hudson facility in Saugerties, NY, July 24-26. Show managers for the sixth annual event are Stephanie Wheeler and Tom Struzzieri. The Grand Champions on each coast win the...

Lexington, KY – The 2006 Sallie B.Wheeler/USEF National Hunter Breeding Championship will again hold its East-meets-West format. The West Coast phase will be held at the Showpark All Seasons Summer Tournament Horse Show in Del Mar, CA, on August 30. The East Coast phase will be held at the Warrenton Horse Show in Warrenton, VA, on September 2. This will be the second year that the officials will judge the West Coast phase and then fly to Virginia to judge the East Coast phase. Categories judged...

Lexington, KY – Ariat International, the leading equestrian footwear and apparel manufacturer, has created a collection of high-performance athletic gear for our nation’s top equestrian athletes that will debut in mid-summer. Through the newly-signed sponsorship, Ariat becomes the “Official Apparel Supplier” of the United States Equestrian Federation (USEF). As part of the category-exclusive sponsorship, Ariat has created an assortment of signature USEF garments to debut with the U.S. Team at...

Lexington, KY – Scott Monroe and Bethesda After Dark (Shadow) bested a field of 22 drivers to capture the 2006 USEF National Combined Driving Singles Championship. Monroe and his 13-year-old Morgan emerged victorious with scores of 44.0 in dressage, 77.48 in marathon and 4.08 in cones. The championship was held during the Garden State Combined Driving Event CAI-B in Allentown, NJ, May 4-7. The competition attracted the country’s best singles drivers and was a mandatory selection trial for...

Michael Matz and Kentucky Derby 132 Winner Barbaro (Anne M. Eberhardt ) Lexington, KY – Imagine having an Olympic Silver medal of your very own. Imagine winning the greatest horse race in the world - the Kentucky Derby. To achieve either is a milestone in any horse lover’s life. To do both is almost unthinkable. That is unless you are Michael Matz, who has created his own exclusive club. And it has exactly one member. The 132nd Kentucky Derby was an exceptional day for this former...

A team of the top United States show jumpers prepared on Wednesday, May 3, to launch the defense of their Samsung Super League championship at this French coastal resort city. The U.S. won it's first ever elite Nations Cup victory at this same show a year ago, which also marked the first major team event under the leadership of George Morris as chef d’ equipe. The Americans followed the win at La Baule with victory in Aachen, Germany, and high enough placings at the other six two-round events,...

The judges for the 34th Annual Paso Fino Horse Association (PFHA) Grand National Championship Show were selected at the spring meeting of the PFHA's Board of Directors, held April 29, in Atlanta, GA. The five judges selected are Rex Bradley of Louisiana, MO; Carmen Cepero of Miami, FL; Mike Cuming of Wichita, KS; Guillermo Iglesias of Doral, FL and Don Schanche of Marco Island, FL. The week-long event will begin Sunday, September 17 and run through Saturday, September 23, at the Georgia...