Lexington, KY—A full week after the torrents of Hurricane Ike battered the Gulf Coast of Texas, the scene is still one of shock and destruction. With over one million residents evacuated, these coastal towns and cities are dealing with a long road ahead of them in the attempt to clear debris, allow residents to return to their neighborhoods and get utilities and services in working order. The situation is particularly difficult for those with large animals. Evacuating and housing horses has its...

The Kentucky Horse Council (KHC) announced the sponsorship of a day-long clinic teaching holistic approaches to whole horse health at Experience the Horse on October 4, 2008 in Georgetown, KY. Located at the Scott County Fairgrounds, the clinic runs in conjunction with Festival of the Horse which is held in downtown Georgetown. “The clinic we’re offering is a great educational opportunity for horse owners and horse-interested people to learn more about alternative horse health care and...

Lexington, KY – The United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) is pleased to announce that the USEF Executive Committee recently approved the Kentucky Horse Park as the host of the 2009-2011 USEF National Pony Championships (Pony Finals). The Kentucky Horse Park has successfully hosted Pony Finals for the last three years. The tentative show dates are August 5-9, 2009; August 11-15, 2010; and August 10-14, 2011. Kentucky Horse Shows, LLC. submitted the bid for retaining Pony Finals at the...

Each year, the American Saddlebred Horse Association (ASHA) honors several outstanding junior members for their high achievements in academic success, extracurricular activities, and most importantly for their involvement with and dedication to the American Saddlebred Horse. This year, five ASHA Scholarships, totaling $5,000 each, will be awarded, including the Youth to Youth Scholarship. The Youth to Youth Scholarship is given to an individual who has participated in ASHA Youth activities,...

Ballindaggin, the stately 23-year-old New York-bred chestnut who swept the 1987 New York Stallion Series and defeated an international field in the 1988 Molson Export Challenge, was humanely euthanized on July 22 at the Hagyard Equine Institute. A multiple stakes winner of $946,894 in just 14 starts, Ballindaggin was recently diagnosed by Dr. Doug Byars as suffering from severe back problems brought on by degenerative arthritis. The decision to euthanize was made in consultation with Dr. Byars,...

Lexington, KY - The USEF is currently accepting bids for facilities to host the 2009 and/or 2010 National Reining Championships. These are very important years for the high-performance reining programs as the United States prepares to host the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games for the first time in 2010. The National Reining Championships includes: The USEF National Open Reining Championship, USEF National Youth Reining Championship (13 & Under, 14-18 and 19 -21) and the USEF National CRI*...

The National Horse Show Association of America is pleased to announce the dates and locations for this year's ASPCA Maclay Regional competitions. The horse shows' qualifying classes determine which riders will compete in this year's ASPCA Maclay National Championship, which will be held at the Syracuse Invitational Sporthorse Tournament, featuring the 125th National Horse Show. The show will run from October 29-November 2, 2008, at the Oncenter Complex in Syracuse, NY. The ASPCA Maclay...

Lexington, KY – The Varsity Equestrian National Championships (VENC) announced the collegiate teams that have been selected and seeded for this year’s competition, in conjunction with the United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) and the American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA). A total of twelve schools were chosen for both the hunter seat and Western divisions to compete at the National Championships. The selected teams will compete April 17-19 in Waco, Texas at the Heart O’ Texas Fair...

Lexington, KY— The United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) has established a goal of providing more accessible applicant clinic sessions to be held during the 2008 competition year for individuals interested in becoming a licensed steward with the Federation. Two applicant sessions will accompany the continuing education clinic for Category 1 and Category 2 stewards. The remaining applicant sessions will be one-day each and will be held in differing geographic areas as listed: March 27-30,...

Lexington, KY- The United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) Executive Committee has approved the dates and locations for the following 2008 USEF Hunter National Championships. • The 2008 USEF Pony Finals National Championships will be August 13–17 in Lexington, KY. Five championships will make up Pony Finals, including the Adequan®/USEF National Pony Jumper Championship (Individual); the Adequan®/USEF National Pony Jumper Championship (Team); Wild Horsefeathers/USEF National Green Hunter Pony...