Maxance McManamy, 2009 USEF Junior Equestrian of the Year, shown during the 2009 North American Junior and Young Rider Championships (USEF Archives) Lexington, KY - The United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) announces that Maxance McManamy has been selected as the 2009 USEF Junior Equestrian of the Year. McManamy will be honored at the USEF’s Annual Meeting, January 13-17, 2010 in Louisville, KY, as part of the Pegasus Awards held Saturday evening. The Ruth O’Keefe Meredith...

Classic Company President Bob Bell is feeling pretty special thanks to the kind folks of the Georgia International Horse Park, City Manager Tony Lucas, and Randal Mills, the Mayor of Conyers, who proclaimed Friday, November 7 as “Bob Bell Day” in the city of Conyers. The proclamation was an expression of appreciation to The Classic Company for 15 years of quality hunter/jumper events held at the former Olympic venue. Mayor Mills shared how Classic Company was the first major equestrian event to...

In an exciting three-horse jump-off, Todd Minikus and Alaska were the fastest clear round to win the $100,000 President's Cup Grand Prix World Cup qualifier presented by The Boeing Company. Kate Levy and Lirving du Volsin finished second, while Mario Deslauriers and Vicomte D were third. Earlier in the evening, Samantha Schaefer was victorious in the WIHS Equitation Classic Finals. Saturday night's courses were designed by Guilherme Jorge of Brazil, and out of the 29 entries in the class, only...

Minikus, Farrington, Johnson, and Kessler in Winner's Circle for Jumpers The 2009 Washington International Horse Show (WIHS) CSI****-W is one of the most exciting equestrian competitions in the country, and it is one of only two shows in North America that offer a puissance, or "high jump" class. Friday night's $25,000 Puissance presented by Chevron Corporation saw a very familiar face for the awards presentation. Seven-time winner McLain Ward of Brewster, NY, was victorious in the class on...

Today at Arabian Sport Horse Nationals (SHN), my fellow Arabian horse lovers and I were treated to a preview of the new Arabian Horse Galleries at the Kentucky Horse Park's International Museum of the Horse. The Purebred Arabian Trust funded a 9,000 square foot building to be added on to the existing museum, although they are still requesting donations to finish the exhibit. Those of us at SHN were invited to a special presentation (with a sales pitch artfully thrown in) to see what the...

Gladstone, NJ - The rain just couldn’t help itself. After a dry day on Friday, the 2009 Collecting Gaits Farm/USEF Dressage Festival of Champions at the USET Foundation Headquarters – like much of the rest of the country, was again, drenched. The Grand Prix Freestyle, which was expected to be the highlight of the weekend – didn’t disappoint. But Adrienne Lyle surprised a few (including herself) by ending up on top of the leader board with Wizard. “Basically,...

The ever popular Reining By The Bay celebrates its 10th Anniversary this year. In line with the celebration, show producers RBB, Inc., have announced that the Peninsula Humane Society has been deemed the official charity of the organization. The news is just in time for the 2009 Reining By The Bay event, which takes place July 21-26 at The Horse Park in Woodside, CA. "We are very excited to be working with the Peninsula Humane Society at the Reining By The Bay,” said Mandi Brumley of RBB,...

Oklahoma City, OK – Under the lights at the Oklahoma State Fair Park, Craig Schmersal bested some of the top reiners in the country to win the 2008 Adequan®/United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) National Open Reining Championship presented by Equine Motorcoach. Schmersal, an Oklahoma native, won the title along with his share of the $25,000 in added money. The USEF championship was part of the National Reining Horse Association (NRHA) Derby. This is Schmersal’s second time...

Tennessee's Taylor Ann Adams and Millpond Celebrity take the 2007 USEF Pony Medal Finals in Lexington, KY. (Mary Phelps) Lexington, KY— Day Three of Pony Finals was overflowing with 202 ponies competing for the United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) Pony Medal Final along with an evening of show jumping for the Adequan/USEF National Pony Team Jumper Championship. Taylor Ann Adams from Eads, TN, won the Pony Medal Final aboard Millpond Celebrity. Zone 4 ran away with the Gold in the...

Lifelong horseman R. Don Hulse, of Center, MO, died Tuesday morning, May 8, 2007, at age 92. During his life, he built a reputation as one of the top trainers and breeders of American Saddlebreds, stamping his name on the industry with one of the most prolific stallions in the breed’s history, Champagne Fizz. Hulse learned a lot about horses from his father, Dyas B. Hulse. Dyas operated a dry goods store in Center. When customers were unable to pay their bill, he would often accept horses in...