Certified Horsemanship Association (CHA), in support of the University of Kentucky Saddle Up Safely campaign, is waiving its fees for the CHA Instructor Certification Clinic at the Kentucky Horse Park, scheduled for November 19-23, 2009, resulting in a significant reduction in the overall price. The UK HealthCare initiative to promote rider safety was launched in October, and is a five-year program to reduce the number of rider injuries. CHA Riding Instructor Certification is a five-day process...

The Equestrian Design Guidebook for Trails, Trailheads, and Campgrounds , written by Jan Hancock in conjunction with U.S. Forest Service, has been released by the Federal Highway Administration (FHWA). This manual provides trail design and construction details, while explaining the particular physical and psychological needs of equines and their riders that necessitate them. The information in this guidebook is applicable to trails at all levels of development and locations. Recreational Horse...

Kentucky Governor Steve Beshear announced plans to earmark unused funds for state park projects to ready the Kentucky Horse Park for the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games 2010. “We must maintain Kentucky’s promise to the World Equestrian Games,” Gov. Beshear said. “And in light of our state budget situation, I believe this is the best way to make sure the 2010 World Equestrian Games are a great success.” In light of work to be completed at the facility and the approaching date of the event,...

The American Horse Council (AHC) wants to ensure that the American horse industry is properly accounted for in the upcoming census. There are three ways in which horse owners can participate in the USDA’s 2007 Census of Agriculture: 1. If a farm received a survey for census participation in the past (the last census was taken in 2002), the farm will be mailed a survey that can be filled in and mailed back. 2. If a farm was not part of the 2002 Census, the owner can fill out a basic USDA census...

September is National Preparedness Month. The American Association of Equine Practitioners is joining the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, along with other veterinary and equine organizations, to promote the need for equine emergency and disaster preparedness. To help horse owners and veterinarians get ready in advance of an emergency or disaster, the AAEP provides several online resources. Available tools include a hurricane equine evacuation plan, disaster planning guidelines for...

According to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission, in cooperation with the firm called Lasko, announced a voluntary recall of the certain box and pivoting floor fans that may have a faulty motor that can cause a barn or house fire. Consumers should stop using recalled products immediately unless otherwise instructed. For more information, visit www.cpsc.gov/cpscpub/prerel/prhtml06/06085.html . ~~~

The American Saddlebred Horse Association (ASHA) has announced the activation of the new My Trails feature of its website at www.asha.net . ASHA members can access this new application from the My Membership page, found under the "Members" section of the website. The My Trails feature is one of the many advances continuously being made by ASHA to improve the online experience of its members. This tool is a trail riding tracking application, which provides a utility for users to track their...

Renowned Victory (Rory), by Rotspon out of Victory at Concord, ends the 2005 year as the Performance Horse Registry's Dressage Sport Horse Breeding (DSHB) National Champion and Zone Three Champion. In addition, the two-year-old filly bred by Sarah Needham ended the year in first place for two-year-old fillies Oldenburg GOV All Breeds Awards and in sixth place in the USDF Two-Year-Old Fillies DSHB. Rory also qualified for the Cosequin Breeders Championship at Devon. Last year, she was second in...

On Monday, June 26, 2006, the Office International des Epizooties (OIE.) Reference Laboratory for Equine Viral Arteritis at the University of Kentucky College of Agriculture’s Maxwell H. Gluck Equine Research Center, confirmed an outbreak of equine arteritis virus (EVA) infection involving fetal losses among mares on a Quarter Horse breeding farm in New Mexico. This was based on the widespread prevalence of high antibody levels to the virus in both mares and stallions, plus virus isolation from...

This week a bill was filed in the Kentucky State Legislature that would benefit the horse industry in Kentucky. House Bill 263 calls for removing the sales tax that is charged on equine products, such as feed, grooming products, bedding supplies and many other items. For more information, or to voice your opinion about this bill, you can contact your legislator: By mail: Capitol Annex, Frankfort, KY 40601 By phone: (800) 373-7181 (Legislative Message Line); (877) 287-3134 (Spanish Line) This...