International dressage trainer, Oded Shimoni, takes short breaks from his training schedule at Stillpoint Farm in Wellington, FL, to teach clinics throughout the U.S. Last month he was at Amanda Person’s farm in Atlanta teaching Amanda, Jason Canton, and others. This month Shimoni is heading to Pennsylvania to coach three-day eventer Bruce “Buck” Davidson, Jr., in preparation for the 2008 Olympics Hong Kong. Last year U.S. Three-Day Eventing Coach and Chef d’Equipe, Captain Mark Phillips,...

Winner’s of the 2008 Markel Amateur Winter Dressage Championships presented by The Paddock Saddlery were notified this week. The Markel Amateur Winter Dressage Championships recognizes leading amateur’s accomplishments over the winter show season in South Florida. The 2008 awards ceremony will be a virtual presentation. Photographs of winners with their awards will be viewable on The Paddock Saddlery’s website, www.paddocksaddlery.com . The idea for an amateur championship was the brainchild of...

The United States Equestrian Federation® (USEF) would like to remind all adult saddle seat equitation riders that there is still time to qualify for the 2008 USEF Saddle Seat Adult Amateur Medal Final that will be held on Friday, July 11, during the Lexington Junior League Horse Show in Lexington, KY. To participate in the 2008 Final, you must win a ribbon in one of the USEF Saddle Seat Adult Amateur Medal “qualifying” classes held between June 28, 2007, and June 27, 2008. Please note that...

Traverse City's own world-class equestrian event, Horse Shows by the Bay, announced that it will bring the storied sport and spectacle of polo to Traverse City. The region's first ever polo match will be a charity exhibition between the University of Michigan and Michigan State University co-ed polo teams on Friday, August 1, at 6 p.m. The event will raise funds for both teams. The event will be held in the new Team Elmers competition ring at Flintfields Horse Park on Bates Road in...

Prior to Sunday's $50,000 Purina Mills Grand Prix, HITS handed out its Spring Circuit Awards to the most accomplished equestrians who participated at HITS Saugerties this spring. The overall and reserve circuit champions in 68 divisions were awarded during a special Parade of Champions celebration in the grand prix ring at HITS-on-the-Hudson to cap off three exciting weeks of competition. It was a very successful spring for trainer Cynthia Williams of New England Farms, and it showed on Sunday...

Todd Minikus and his ride Ultimo Van Ter Moude cruised past the star-studded field of 38 starters to secure $7,500 in prize money in Thursday's $25,000 Ariat Grand Prix at HITS Saugerties. Course designer Doug Russell sliced the large first-round field to 12 for the jump-off, making it a very competitive race over fences. “I was happy to have 12 come back for the jump-off," said Russell. "To be honest with you, I thought we had the right 12 come back. None of them got scared and they all walked...

At the Oaks Blenheim Classic, Karen Healey's riders were major players and very successful. Starting with the jumpers, in the $5,000 1.45m classic, Hannah Selleck of Thousand Oaks, CA, and her horse Bauer rode their way to victory. In addition, her name has been added to the Young Riders team for Zone 10 at the 2008 North American Junior and Young Rider Championships (NAJYRC). Shelby Wakeman of Westlake Village, CA, and Pandoer, were named as the alternates for the junior team. They finished...

Lexington, KY - The USEF/USEA Safety Summit took place on June 7-8, 2008, in downtown Lexington, KY. More than 250 people from all corners of the country and all levels of the sport of eventing showed up to listen, voice their concerns and work with fellow members of the eventing community to find solutions to the safety issues facing the sport. Attendees included spectators, coaches, riders from every level, officials, trainers, veterinarians, horse welfare advocates, media, medical...

Lexington, KY – Renewing their partnership with the United States Equestrian Federation (USEF), GumBits continues their support of the 2008 Collecting Gaits Farm/USEF Dressage Festival of Champions and the 2008 Markel/USEF Young Horse Dressage Championship, presented by Collecting Gaits Farm. GumBits, which specializes in manufacturing equine products, partnered with the USEF last year to support the Federation’s dressage programs. The contributions of GumBits will help to support the prominent...

Last week at the Upperville Colt and Horse Show in Upperville, VA, Katherine Newman continued her winning ways with Almelo in the Paul & Eve Go As You Please Handy Hunter class. Two weeks prior, the pair scored a major win at the Devon Horse Show in the $10,000 ASG Software USHJA International Hunter Derby in Devon, PA. Seventeen-year-old Newman piloted Almelo for Mimi Abel-Smith, who shows the horse in the older amateur-owner hunters. Abel-Smith resides in Middleburg, VA. "We had to make up...