The USEF Dressage Committee invites all members of the dressage community to participate in an open forum on Thursday, December 4, from 1:30-2:30 p.m. local time during the United States Dressage Federation (USDF) Annual Convention in Denver, CO. The Dressage Committee hopes for as much input as possible on the Performance Standards Rule Change Proposal during this open forum. We also would like to further discuss the challenges for regions outside the major competition areas, and also review...

Lexington, KY -The United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) is pleased to announce Airowear as the official supplier of safety vests for the 2008 U.S. Eventing Team. Airowear is providing their latest vest, the Outlyne, to all riders selected to the team. These vests were selected for their safety standards—they conform to the highest BETA 2000 standards, the system used to rate safety vests. The Airowear vests are also well suited for the weather conditions in Hong Kong, they are...

Lexington, KY - U.S. Young Reining Riders are taking the first steps towards international competition. This summer at the National Reining Horse Association (NRHA) Derby the U.S. Young Reining Riders will have their first opportunity to compete on behalf of their country. The NRHA Derby will host an FEI Concours de Reining International - Young Rider (CRI-Y) that will serve as the selection trial for all the U.S. Reining teams that will compete at the CN North American Junior/Young Rider...

Lexington, KY - Qualifying for the 2008 Adequan/USEF National Open Reining Championship presented by Equine Motorcoach is well under way. Two of the four qualifying CRI competitions have already taken place. Both the National Western Stock Show in Denver, CO and the Cowboy Capital Classic in Stephenville, TX have happened and Matt Mills and Jordan Larson took home top honors. There are two more opportunities for Reiners on the USEF Reining Long List to compete to qualify for the 2008...

Lexington, KY - 2008 will be an important milestone in the international Reining community. Previously, a World Reining Championship had only been offered at the FEI World Equestrian Games. But this year, in Maneribo, Italy, teams will compete for World Championship medals September 11-14. The U.S. team will be selected at the Adequan/USEF National Reining Championship presented by Equine Motorcoach in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma June 24-28, which will be held during the NRHA Derby. To compete at...

Of all the awards the United States Hunter Jumper Association (USHJA) offers, it is the Volunteer of the Year Award, that is deemed the most prestigious. The 2007 Volunteer of the Year Award was presented to Shelby French of Sweet Briar, VA, on December 13, at the USHJA Evening of Equestrians Dinner. French has been instrumental in developing grassroots outreach programs, has traveled to the Lexington office for program meetings, has been a member of the Board of Directors, co-chaired the...

The American Association of Equine Practitioners Foundation, Inc., recognized Ashlee E. Watts, DVM, of Ithaca, NY, as the recipient of the 2007 AAEP Foundation Research Fellow on December 3 during the AAEP 53rd Annual Convention in Orlando, FL. The scholarship, in the amount of $5,000, emphasizes the importance of equine research and is awarded to a researcher who is completing a residency or graduate program while conducting equine research. Dr. Watts is currently a resident in Large Animal...

Attention all junior and young riders interested in competing in show jumping at next year’s North American Juniors and Young Riders' Championships (NAJYRC) at the Colorado Horse Park in Parker, CO. Please check next year’s criteria and note the addition of Equine Canada and foreign FEI competitions for qualifying purposes. Please also note the addition of horse substitution language. Each Zone’s criteria and qualifying period for this championship can be found on the USEF web site’s Jumper...

The United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) is pleased to announce that the Federation Equestre Internationale (FEI), the international governing body for equestrian sport, has recently approved that the 2008 North American Junior and Young Riders’ Championships (NAJYRC) will take place at the Colorado Horse Park in Parker, CO July 29-August 3, 2008. Since 1974, the NAJYRC is one of the premier equestrian competitions in North American for Junior and Young Riders, age 14-21. Young...

The six selected chairmen of the newly established FEI Endurance Task Force held conference calls over the last two weeks to discuss and agree on their respective timetables and reporting procedures. Each chairman, together with their two co-members, will now start to review the various areas that have been designated to each division. Specific e-mail addresses have been established so that National Federations can send any comments and suggestions they may received from their members directly...