The Swedish Warmblood Association of North America (SWANA) is pleased to announce their 2009 Inspection Tour. The international team of Swedish judges includes Jan-Ove Olsson of the Stallion Committee and Lasse Berglund, jumping judge. The Inspections are fun and educational. Everyone is welcome to come enjoy the horses and learn; the Swedish judges are very good about explaining what they are looking at; always with an eye to finding the best points of a horse and explaining the Swedish sytem...

As the Arabian Horse Association’s (AHA) Youth Nationals Arabian and Half-Arabian Championship Horse Show approaches, AHA continues to celebrate its 2008 Youth of the Year, Kim Luebcke of Peoria, IL. Luebcke, a college freshman at Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, past Region 11 Youth Director and past Arabian Horse Youth Association (AHYA) President, maintains her role of Youth of the Year with grace and gratitude. Each year the Youth of the Year subcommittee works to find an Arabian...

From the USEF Driving Department Lexington, KY – The USEF has named the following Drivers and Horses to represent the United States at the 2009 World Driving Championships. The Pair World Driving Championships will be held in Kecskemet, Hungary August 20-23, 2009. Driver/Age/Hometown Horse/Age/Breed/Sex/Owner Larry Poulin/59/Petersham, MA Wiley/10/Hanoverian/G/Natasha Griggs Rivage/11/Oldenburg/G/Natasha Griggs Cody/12/Swedish Warmblood/S/Natasha Griggs Keady Cadwell43/Southern Pines, NC...

Six-year-old Bijoux, owned by Janet Rolfs and ridden by Missy Fladland, is off to a phenomenal start to her young dressage career. Among her many honors, her most recent victory includes taking the reserve champion title at the Markel/USEF Young Horse Dressage Central Selection Trials. The young Hanoverian mare (Bugatti Hilltop x Whimiscal L), bred by Margaret Drury, started her performance career only a year and a half ago as a coming five-year-old in the fall of 2007. After seven months of...

Starlight, the stunning black Oldenburg stallion owned by Rick Rockefeller-Silvia’s Dream Street Stallions, is now in Europe under the tutelage of Karin Rehbein where he is sure to wow European fans with his amazing movement and outstanding looks. Prior to returning to Europe, Starlight won rave reviews from judges at Devon when he was crowned Devon’s Grand Champion Stallion in 2008. “Starlight has had an illustrious career so far—multiple Horse of The Year titles, the Championship at...

Two classes of Connemaras competed in the Connemara breeding division in-hand classes at the June Upperville Colt and Horse Show. Catherine Mack was the judge. In the Connemara Mares, Eight and Under, first place went to Ridgetop Harriette (Aladdin’s Denver x *Cloud Shadows, by Windy Day), owned by Marynell Eyles and shown by Paula Moore. In second was Thurman Keepsake (Landgate Bluebeard x Tre Awain Sileach, by Tre Awain DeValera), owned by Barbara Byrd and shown by Mary McMillan. Third place...

Lexington, KY – The Dressage Championships at the Adequan FEI North American Junior/Young Rider Championships presented by Gotham North (NAJYRC) annually bring out the continent’s best Juniors and Young Riders – 2009 promises not to disappoint. Once again these Championships will be sponsored by Platinum Performance and the United States Dressage Federation. The 2009 NAJYRC will feature Dressage riders, aged 14-21, vying for FEI medals in both Junior and Young Rider divisions at the Kentucky...

Shelley Van den Neste of Sunrise Farms Sport Horses continues to find success in the show ring, recently visiting the winner’s circle at two North Florida dressage shows. Ezmarelde La Biladora, owned by Brooke Horan of Vertu Sport Horses in Park City, UT, and Van den Neste earned the high point in first level at Jacksonville’s Horse Shows in the Park. Van den Neste has long been a fan of the 16.1-hand bay mare with the long, graceful catlike walk and ground-covering trot. “Ezmarelde has the...

The Vermont Summer Festival, New England’s largest “AA” rated hunter/jumper horse show, returns to East Dorset, VT, from July 1-August 9, 2009. Offering more than $750,000 in prize money, the Vermont Summer Festival is the richest sporting event based on purse in the state. The competition attracts the best athletes, including Olympic medalists, from across the country and around the globe to vie for top honors. The first five Sundays feature a $30,000 grand prix, culminating with the $50,000...

Marilyn Little-Meredith captured her first ever grand prix at a Winter Equestrian Festival on Thursday, March 19, aboard Comtesse Du Lys in the finale round of the $30,000 Braman Motor Cars WEF Challenge Cup Series. Little-Meredith of Frederick, MD, and the mare Comtesse Du Lys, owned by Raylyn Farms, Inc., and Beverly Sheehy, were just nine points short of dislodging Great Britain's Peter Charles and Murka's Pall Mall from the top of the WEF Challenge standings. Charles' finish in 17th place...