Lexington, KY -­ It's an annual event that calls to the hearts of pony riders all across the country. And to compete in this revered series of championships is to say "I made it!" among a young rider's peers. It's the 2011 United States Equestrian Federation's Pony Finals National Championships, and it's once again time to sound the call for the country's very best pony competitors to gather at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington and throw down their gauntlets as...

Darren Graziano and Vernal won the $30,000 Mount Equinox Grand Prix on Sunday, July 31, at the Vermont Summer Festival (David Mullinix Photography). East Dorset, VT — Darren Graziano and his young mount Vernal bested a field of 21 to claim victory in the $30,000 Mount Equinox Grand Prix on Sunday, July 31, at the Vermont Summer Festival in East Dorset, VT. The six-week equestrian competition is running at Harold Beebe Farm from July 6 through August 14, 2011. Graziano and...

Albuquerque, NM - It was devilishly hot when the trainers and horses arrived and unloaded their vans for the 19th Annual Arabian Youth National Championships Tuesday and Wednesday, just a few short days before the beginning of the show. As the horses and tack trunks were walked or lifted off of the vans the temperature poked its nose over the 100-degree mark, leaving man and mount sweating and equally eager for a drink of water and a cool spot in the shade. After nearly 20 years in the...

We arrived at the venue today! Our horses had already arrived, so we dove into our first day at the Kentucky Horse Park! We arranged team shirts, walked out our horses, and began organizing for the race this Friday. It was hard work, since we had just come back into the humidity, and I’d done a 120 kilometer race two days before, not to mention the jet lag! But the trip with the United States Endurance Team for the Trial Run of the Endurance World Championship was worth it! I ended up in...

Combined Driver Chester Weber, America’s reigning four-in-hand driving champion, shows his winning form in the Four-In-Hand competition at the Riesenbeck CAI. (Photo courtesy of My Elisabeth Weber). Riesenbeck, Germany – If you are superstitious you might credit combined driving champion Chester Weber’s fourth winning weekend in Europe to his team’s “four lucky rabbit’s feet.” Team Weber’s companion mascot, a hefty black rabbit named Kainzi, joined them...

Lexington, KY- The United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) will be represented by five show jumpers at the CSIO Rotterdam, which runs August 24-28, 2011 in Rotterdam, The Netherlands. Please click on any athlete or team name for more information about them. The following horse/rider combinations have been named in ranked order to represent the U.S. Beezie Madden and Coral Reef Via Volo (13-year-old Belgian Warmblood mare owned by Coral Reef Ranch) Laura Kraut and Cedric (13-year-old...

Final Preparations My horse Verdicci and I have less than one week left to prepare for the 2011 FEI North American Junior & Young Rider Championships! I can’t wait to represent Region 5 on the Young Rider Dressage team! I have dreamed of being a Young Rider ever since I was twelve years old, so four years later it is great to finally be stepping up to the “big leagues” after competing in the Junior division for the past three years. It is especially great since I thought I...

Laurent Beauvais, chairman of the Basse-Normandie Regional Council and of the Normandy 2014 Organizing Committee, and Dr. Pearse Lyons, president of Alltech, celebrating the announcement of Alltech as the title sponsor of the 2014 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games™ (Photo by MC Chantrait). Caen, France – Laurent Beauvais, chairman of the Basse-Normandie Regional Council and Normandy 2014 Organizing Committee, and Alltech president Dr. Pearse Lyons today announced that Alltech will be the...

Lexington, KY - The Endurance Eligible Athlete Committee and Endurance High Performance Committee have recommended Emmett Ross to be the Endurance Chef d' Equipe. The recommendation will go to the USEF High Performance Working Group before being presented to the USEF Executive Committee. Fourteen applications were received by the Search Committee. The Committee rated each applicant, and presented their findings to the USEF Endurance Eligible Athlete Committee. Taking into account the...

The signature first turn at Churchill Downs (Churchill Downs photo). Louisville, KY - What an extraordinary moment in history. Arabian horses will be racing on June 18 at Churchill Downs, the home of the Kentucky Derby, most popular and widely televised horse race in the world. It’s a moment that has the potential to bring great notoriety to the Arabian breed globally. It’s a doorway to another level that is waiting to be opened so that both the general public and horsemen of all...