Jonathan Wentz on NTEC Ritcher Scale with trainer/sponsor Kai Handt and USPEA President Hope Hand. (Lindsay McCall) Del Mar, CA – Closing day of the 2011 Dressage Affaire (CDI3* W/Y/J & CPEDI3*) arrived at the beautiful Del Mar Horsepark on Sunday, March 13, 2011. The para-equestrian dressage riders could breathe a sigh a relief with the two qualifying days of the Team Test and Individual Championship Test completed. Sunday was the day for each rider from the United States, Canada and Mexico to...

Joel Kiesner. (Photo by Stuart Vesty.) Welcome to the second of many features profiling various people in equestrian sport - athletes, trainers and more. The profiles are published regularly in the United States Equestrian Federation's Week in Review e-newsletter. This week meet Joel Kiesner, whose lifelong experience has evolved into training methods focused on maximizing the best assets and talent of the Arabian horse. His exceptional talent and abilities have resulted in numerous awards -...

Lexington, KY - The American Saddlebred Horse Association (ASHA) has established the standards and criteria for the Saddlebred Record Equitation Champion program. In 2010, the Directors of ASHA and the American Saddlebred Registry (ASR) approved the addition of an equitation section to the Saddlebred Record program. For equitation achievements, a horse can be honored by affixing a "CH-EQ" designation in permanent ASR records. In some cases, equitation results may not have been received or the...

Lexington, KY - The United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) is pleased to announce that beginning this year, it will assume responsibility for fielding and supporting the U.S. Saddle Seat Equitation Team for the Saddle Seat Equitation World Cup. The USEF will also assist in hosting the competition when held in the United States. "This is what USEF does," said Federation President David O'Connor. "It just makes sense for us to be involved with this." The bi-annual competition originated in...

Lexington, KY - The United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) has recently received an invitation from the Organizing Committee of CHIO Aachen to send riders to participate in the CDIU-25 for the first time. Caroline Roffman (Wellington, FL) received an invitation to participate as an individual starter and the U.S. also has the opportunity to send up to three additional Under -25 riders to compete at this prestigious event. Roffman's participation was approved by the Dressage High Performance...

Jumping Two familiar names jumped to the top of the $50,000 Strongid C 2X Grand Prix, presented by Pfizer Animal Health which served as the first of four FEI World Cup Qualifiers at Thermal in California. Rolex/FEI World Cup veterans (they were second in 2008), Rich Fellers and Flexible got back to business and won narrowly over Richard Spooner and Cristallo. Amateur Rider Karl Cook and Uno de Laubry were third. These three combinations were the only short course clears out of the field of 27 -...

DunHaven Expressive, 2010 People’s Choice Roadster Pony. (Photo by Casey McBride.) Lexington, KY - Each year two Shetland Ponies are honored with Shetland People’s Choice Awards. Members of both the United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) and the American Shetland Pony Club are invited to cast their votes in favor of their favorite Shetland Harness Pony and their favorite Shetland Roadster Pony. In 2010 two exceptional Harness Ponies were honored by their peers. Abracadabra owned by Cathy...

Nick Haness and Catwalk (Flying Horse Photography© ) Thermal, CA - Canadian Olympian John Pearce seems determined to return to the Pfizer $1 Million Grand Prix after a tremendous first week in the Grand Prix ring at the HITS Desert Horse Park in Thermal, CA. Pearce swept both Grand Prix classes at HITS Thermal last week, winning the blue in Friday's $25,000 SmartPak Grand Prix, presented by Pfizer Animal Health, aboard Forest View Farm's Chianto, the horse he placed third on in the 2010 Pfizer...

Oklahoma City, OK - At the recent National Reining Horse Association (NRHA) Board of Directors meeting, the 2011 Hall of Fame nominations were approved featuring the largest class of inductees to date. The eight inductees include a mix of historic people and horses and some of today’s most well-known names. Those people who will be formally inducted at the 2011 Awards Banquet include Shawn Flarida, Bob Kiser, Mandy McCutcheon, and Ronnie Sharpe. Horses include three stallions Boomernic, Shining...

Lexington, KY - The American Saddlebred Horse Association (ASHA) has announced its annual award winners, based on ballots tabulated by the ASHA Board of Directors. Nominees for each award are received from the general membership and committee volunteers, screened by the Executive Committee of the Association, and voted on by the full Board from the candidates selected. The awards are presented at the Annual Saddlebred Gala, to be held at the Griffin Gate Marriott Resort & Spa, Saturday evening,...