Harrisburg, PA – Brianne Goutal of New York, NY, defeated more than 200 of the nation’s top junior riders to win the 2005 Pessoa/USEF National Hunter Seat Medal Final, on Sunday, October 16, at the Pennsylvania National Horse Show. This marked the second largest field in history, with 279 riders vying for the title. Goutal received a Pessoa saddle, Gold medal and a custom USEF cooler for the win, and will have her name added to the Adrian Van Sinderen Memorial Trophy, joining famous...

Media Contact: [email protected] Las Vegas, NV – The inaugural Las Vegas World Invitational got off to a promising start at Las Vegas’ Thomas and Mack Arena Friday night, crowning Georgina Bloomberg, of New York, NY, the winner of the Knock-Out class, and Brazil’s Rodrigo Pessoa the winner of the Casino Classic, two of four classes which make up the United States’ first ever five-star, million-dollar show jumping event. “It was my first knock-out…I was a little nervous at first,” said...

The Area II Adult Riders Program Training Three-Day Event has received an outpouring of support from the equestrian community for its unique educational competition, to be held October 18-22, 2005, at Waredaca Farm in Laytonsville, MD. Among the upper level riders donating expertise are Olympic medalists Jim Wofford and Karen O’Connor, and Pan American Games medalists Jan Thompson and Phyllis Dawson. Other top people in the industry will also participate. The Training Three-Day Event...

The United States Dressage Federation (USDF) is pleased to announce the new USDF Breeder of the Year Award program, which will be initiated for the 2006 competition season, which started October 1, 2005. This is a year-end award, based on performance in a given competition year. Breeders of dressage performance horses and breeders of dressage in-hand horses will be able to vie for top honors. Scott Hassler, Chairperson of the USDF Sport Horse Committee, stated, "Over the last few years, a...

Gladstone, NJ – Riding through the chill, the rain and the mud of New Jersey’s wettest weekend in months, Julie Welles of West Simsbury, Connecticut, was awarded the Championship title at the 2005 USEF Show Jumping Talent Search Finals East on October 8-9, proving she not only had the stamina required to win the multi-phase Finals, but the skill and ingenuity to make her riding skills shine, despite the elements. “I had a positive outlook coming in. I went in and rode the best...

The Paso Fino Horse Association Scholarship Committee has successfully launched its 2005-2006 Fundraising Campaign with its First Trainer Services Auction. The committee teamed up with the Professional Trainers’ Association to raise more than $22,000 at the national show. The auction allowed members to bid on two months of training and board with some of the top trainers in the breed. Dwight Graber, Scholarship Committee member, praised Trainers’ Association President Alice Page and “super...

There was only one clean round, and it was ridden by Richard Spooner on Quirino in the $50,000 HBO World Cup Grand Prix of Del Mar presented by Mary’s Tack and Feed, a World Cup qualifying event. Spooner rode three horses in the grand prix, but it was his outstanding clear round on Quirino, owned by Oscany, Inc., of Los Angeles, which won, and also gave Spooner valuable points towards a spot representing the United States in the World Cup Finals to be held in Malaysia in 2006. Mariano Alario on...

The American Saddlebred Registry Sweepstakes, held during the All American Horse Classic in Indianapolis, September 6-10, had a 14% increase in its total payout from 2004 to 2005. The 2005 total payout was $139,434 compared to $122,353 one year before. The biggest increase came in the two-year-old division, which paid winners $38,629 for a 74% increase from the previous year's total of $22,155. The $38,629 paid in the two-year-old division is the most since at least 1995. Registrar Alan F....

Burbank, CA – With nary a misstep, Alex Maida, was picked as the winner of the grueling 2005 USEF West Coast Talent Search. The class was held in conjunction with the Los Angeles International Jumping Festival at the Los Angeles Equestrian Center, September 21-25. Thirty-eight junior riders qualified throughout the year for a spot in the two-day four-phase finals. On Wednesday afternoon riders were allowed into the Equidome for a practice round and the class started in earnest the next...

Lexington, KY – The United States Equestrian Federation is now accepting entries for the 2005 Pegasus Awards for Media. Bronze Pegasus statues will be presented in 10 categories to honor outstanding achievement in the coverage of equestrian in the United States, whether in aspects of sport, lifestyle or issues. This year’s categories include: • Best Publication of the Year • Best Specialized Publication of the Year • Best News Article • Best Feature Article...