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...

The American Saddlebred Horse Association and American Saddlebred Registry, which will conduct their annual convention this week in Lexington, KY, announced audited results for the year ending December 31, 2007. Prize program revenue increased a robust 15.1% to $610,375, well up from the previous year’s mark of $530,155. On a combined basis, 2007 net income for the two corporations was the second highest in history, at $175,982, dipping 9.4% from the previous year’s all-time high of $194,166,...

The American Horse Council (AHC) reports that the recently passed Senate Farm Bill includes several key provisions that would benefit the horse industry. The $286 billion bill, which passed the Senate on December 14 by a vote of 79 to 14, now includes the Equine Equity Act. Senator Mitch McConnell (R-KY) offered this bill as an amendment to the Farm Bill, and it was accepted without objection. This provision would: (1) shorten the capital gains holding period for horses from 24 months to 12...

LEXINGTON, KY— National Diversity Solutions (NDS) has been selected to manage the supplier recruitment, registration and qualification process for the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games. "The 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games represent a tremendous opportunity for our state and the Central Kentucky region," said D. Mitchell, Chief Executive Officer for National Diversity Solutions, which is a Lexington, KY-based certified minority owned business. "We are honored to be selected as a...