The Paso Fino Foundation Youth Scholarship Committee announced that it has awarded $15,000 in scholarships to five deserving young members. The committee, which began working to fund the program in July 2004, has raised more than $60,000 to date. Scholarship applicants were judged on academic achievement, association activities, community service and financial need. In addition, each applicant was required to write an essay and submit letters of recommendation from teachers or community leaders....

Lexington, KY – The USEF has announced the team members and ponies which will be competing at the 2005 FEI World Combined Pony Driving Championships in Catton Park, England this week. The competition begins on Wednesday, July 13th, with the official inspection of ponies, followed by two days of dressage, the Marathon on Saturday, and Obstacle Driving on Sunday. United States Team Members are as follows: Sara Schmitt of Glen Gardner, NJ, with High Country Doc (1996 Morgan stallion, owned...

The 2005 National Reining Horse Association (NRHA) Breeders Derby should be remembered for a long time, and not only because of the huge numbers of horses and riders. One of the two major NRHA Germany events, the Breeders Derby counted 132 horses in the Breeders Derby classes alone. Last year, there were 84 entries. Altogether, there were more than 900 starts compared to last year's 680. Reining obviously is growing more and more attractive. And it seems as if very slowly, even TV gets...

This year, the Friesian Horse Association of North America (FHANA) is changing the process of choosing inspection circuits. In previous years, the circuits were not established until early July, after the membership's requests for inspection service had been placed. This year, FHANA has established the sites based on the pattern of usage in previous years. The list below contains the planned inspection sites for 2005. The dates shown below are fixed but, in some cases, the exact inspection site...

(Lexington, KY) -- The United States Equestrian Federation announced today that it is implementing an organizational realignment that divides the Federation's activities into two primary areas - sport programs and business administration/governance. The organizational realignment of sports programs will better integrate staff assignments for both national and high performance programs. The management of the International Department in the Lexington, Kentucky office will be eliminated,...

Horse breeders should be aware of a new tax advantage that begins in 2005 and increases over the next five years until fully implemented in 2010. The deduction can shelter up to 3% of 2005 profit from the sale of horses that a breeder has bred and sold. The American Jobs Creation Act of 2004, passed by Congress at the end of 2004, provided a new tax benefit which lowers the tax on income from U.S. production. Specifically, it applies to income from the sale of property that was "manufactured,...

Lexington, KY -- The Performance Horse Registry would like to announce the results from the PHR Class at the recent Morven Park Sport Horse Breeding Show. The competition, which took place in Leesburg, Virginia, June 8, attracted many of the region's top in-hand equine stars. The winner of the PHR Class was Nokomis Farm's Oldenburg mare, Jenufa (Welt Hit Star -- Jarohu, by El Cornoa), while the Reserve Champion was her American Warmblood stablemate, Renaissance (Romantic Star -- Tess,...

Lexington, KY – A group of U.S. eventers has returned from Germany after competing in the Luhmühlen CCI 4*, June 15-19, the first CCI four-star to take place on continental Europe. Up against stiff competition from European riders trying to qualify for the upcoming European Championships in Blenheim, England, the four USEF-sponsored Talent Tour riders joined several individual U.S. riders for a positive experience abroad—just the learning experience that was intended for the...

USDF is pleased to announce that the Great American Insurance Group/USDF Regional Championship program has reached a new record for the amount of prize money available for 2005. This year's prize money fund totals over $116,000. This fund, which is made up of qualifying ride fees paid by competitors, enables USDF to distribute prize money to all champions and reserve champions in as many as 279 championship classes in all of USDF's nine regions. These championship classes provide opportunities...

SusanJStickle.com (George Williams and Rocher) Gladstone, NJ – George Williams of Delaware, Ohio and his comeback mount Rocher (1991 Westfalen mare), have made their way to the center of the national stage, claiming the title at the 2005 Collecting Gaits Farm/USEF National Grand Prix Dressage Championship, Presented by Paul Miller Auto Group, Inc. on Friday. Clear favorites from the start, the pair earned a 70.333% in the USEF Grand Prix on Thursday, a 73.84% in the USEF Grand Prix...