The American Saddlebred Horse Association (ASHA) Youth and Auction Committees have announced that the ASHA Youth Auction will be held on Thursday, August 27, 2009, during the World’s Championship Horse Show. The auction will be held at the new Crowne Plaza Louisville (formerly The Executive West Hotel) in Crowne Room A (formerly The Mary Room). Bid Numbers may be obtained beginning at noon on Wednesday, August 26, and bidding on silent auction items will begin at this time. Silent bidding...

The FEI Dressage Task Force met in Lausanne, Switzerland, April 21-22. The Task Force discussed the following items: Olympic Games: competition formula and qualification process. A proposal will be included in the Task Force’s final report to be presented to the FEI Bureau in November. Dressage Committee: future composition. A proposal in line with the FEI Statutes is currently being prepared in cooperation with the FEI Nominations Committee. The Secretary General briefed the task force on the...

The Horse Park of New Jersey announced the cancellation of the Garden State Combined Driving Event, scheduled to be held at the Horse Park, May 29-30. The Horse Park has hosted the popular event since 1992. The current economic climate in the United States has put a pall on all non-essential spending. "It's all about meeting expenses," said organizer Heather Walker. "Garden State must be self-supporting, as it has been for as long as I have been associated with the event. However, sponsorships...

Riders taking part in the "Intro to Eventing" clinic at The Oaks Equestrian Center, home to the inaugural O’Connor Signature Facility, not only learned the basics of eventing but also had a chance to test out the world-class cross-country course designed by Olympians David and Karen O’Connor. Rhonda Gailey, Resident Equestrian Facility Manager of The Oaks Equestrian Center, taught the two-day Intro to Eventing clinic. “We had an excellent response for the clinic. Everyone who attended learned a...

The Unwanted Horse Coalition’s (UHC) National Speaker Program has been up and running since January 2009 with immediate success. This program provides equine events around the country with UHC volunteers to speak about the issue of unwanted horses and what it means to “Own Responsibly.” To date the UHC has provided speakers for 12 events, with more set for the near future. “If you have an equine-related event coming up, please contact the UHC to request a speaker, and we will try our best to...

The Arabian Horse Association (AHA) is proud to announce FF Irish Vodka+++//, owned by Collier McLeod of Augusta, GA, as its 2008 High-Point Horse. FF Irish Vodka, a 10-year-old, Anglo-Arabian ended the year with 487.5 points earned in working hunter, hunter hack, sport horse under saddle, dressage and in-hand classes. McLeod, who also picked up the Youth Amateur Achievement Award for the year, rode “Guinness” to three national championships at Canadian Nationals and several Top 10s at both...

The admired stallion Hickstead, winner of Individual Gold and Team Silver medals at the 2008 Olympic Games under Canada’s Eric Lamaze, has been approved for breeding based on performance by the Canadian Warmblood Horse Breeders Association (CWHBA), the American Holsteiner Horse Association (AHHA), and the KWPN of North America breed associations. In addition to his performance at the 2008 Olympic Games, Hickstead’s long list of accomplishments include winning the richest event in show jumping,...

The Unwanted Horse Coalition’s (UHC) National Speaker Program is up and running. If you are an equine group with an upcoming event and would like to have someone speak about the UHC, what it does and the problem of unwanted horses, the UHC has a program to provide you with this support. The UHC has volunteers across the country who may be able to attend your event and present information from the Coalition. If you have an equine-related event coming up, please contact the UHC to request a...

The Minnesota Horse Council announced the selection of American Saddlebred Horse Association (ASHA) member Guy Warner as 2008 Horse Person of the Year at their annual meeting and awards banquet on Saturday, January 17, 2009. The award is presented each year to someone who shows long-term service and commitment to the equine industry in the Midwest. Warner, the 39th recipient of this award, has put in over 40 years of service—both equine related and community related. He served 10 years in...

Commandingly leading the 2008 International Jumper Futurity Listings, Reno (Riverman x Caretino) has offspring putting in top performances across the country. His American-bred son, Zero Point (Hilltop Reno x Galoubet A) has certainly been racking up the points during the competition season with his top-place finish in the USEF Five-Year-Old Jumper Horse of the Year division. Bred by Candy Tripple and owned by Matt Yeterian, Zero Point had numerous competitions last season with his rider Maggie...