Royal Kaliber, one of the United States most brilliant horses ever to compete internationally in show jumping, was humanely euthanized today in the Netherlands. He underwent colic surgery for intestinal adhesions, on September 27th and had been recovering well until two days ago when his progress considerably slowed. Royal Kaliber took Chris Kappler to a Team Silver medal and an Individual Bronze medal at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens. According to Dr. Tim Ober, a veterinarian for the USEF...

As the door shut behind him, a 13-year-old show jumping stallion named Judgement tried to relax over the dull roar of the engines. This was no mere vacation—this was his shot at the Olympic short list, and carefully stored in style, he settled down for a long FedEx flight to the Olympic Selection Trials in California. While the cost of the departing flight from Newark to Los Angeles might have been worth every penny, Meghan De Garay, office manager at Iron Spring Farm, which owns Judgement,...

The Paso Fino Horse Association’s 32nd Annual Grand National Horse Show was held, September 19-25 at the Georgia National Fairgrounds and Agricenter in Perry, GA. Employees of the fairgrounds put forth the extra effort to get stalls prepared for those needing to arrive early to escape the wrath of Hurricane Ivan and to remain during Hurricane Jeanne. Though the weather kept a few people away, 822 horses and more than 1,700 entries, ridden by youth and adults, were slated to compete for a...

The American Horse Council has been informed that effective November 5, 2004, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport will close the Atlanta Equine Complex, which has served as an export-import facility for horses. According to reports, all exports that have been accepted at the facility through October 30, 2004, will continue to be served. If a facility within 60 miles of the airport can be approved as an export inspection facility, exports through Atlanta could resume. "The Atlanta...

Burbank, CA – With a weekend of competition to prove themselves, a ring full of young riders set out to convince judges they have what it takes to become tomorrow’s equestrian stars. Emerging at the top of the list from the BET/USEF West Coast Show Jumping Talent Search Finals is 17-year-old Kasey Ament (Reche Canyon, CA), who took home the Denali Trophy atop San Francisco. Riding her own horse first and then starting the rotations that are characteristic of these tests, Ament...

Lexington, KY – Royal Kaliber, the stallion that took Chris Kappler to a silver Olympic team medal and an individual bronze medal in Athens last month, underwent colic surgery in Someren, the Netherlands late yesterday. He suffered a leg injury in the final round of the individual show jumping competition and he was being monitored in Europe before a decision was made to ship him back to the United States. Dr. Jack Snyder and Dr. Barry David, who flew to the Netherlands from the United States,...

One step out of the ring, internationally renowned equestrian Lynn Seidemann and Phoenix B knew they had put on a good show. Slated to ride second to last in the line-up, the pair pulled out all the stops to wow the judges with a spectacular performance Thursday. Make that a Silver medal-winning performance that surprised even Lynn. “It was a good day,” Lynn said modestly after the news started to filter back through the time zones into the States. With a Silver medal in tow and a...

Day two of the Paso Fino Horse Association Grand National Championship show was another fun-filled day of extremely full classes, plus lots of fun and entertainment. Near record entries had many classes running two or even three sections before bringing back the best in each section to choose the best of the group. In the Performance Geldings for Gold class, Artillero Arroyo Maraca owned by Dick Miller of Des Moines, IA, was victorious. In the huge Pleasure Mares class, La Gavlota De...

ATHENS, GREECE— As U.S. equestrians, already medal-adorned from the Olympics, hang up their proverbial tack for another four years, a new team swiftly takes the ring, anxious for their turn at the spotlight in the city of ancient Olympic glory. Along with athletes from 141 countries, Paralympic riders from the United States will make their debut at Athens’ Olympic Stadium during the opening ceremony Friday—setting out to replace hearts full of hope with medals of gold. The...

West Grove, PA— World Class drivers and horses battled it out for the USEF National Pairs Championship in Pennsylvania Sunday, but a local woman beat the out-of-towners, claiming the title in her own backyard. West Grove native Lisa Singer came through victorious, surpassing a record number of competitors to take home the national title. Set apart by less than five points, Singer drove to the finish amid screaming fans and family, with a combined score of 121.96 points. "It is so special to...