Lexington, KY – Frank Chapot, the six-time Olympic show jumping rider who has been chef d’equipe of the Unites States Show Jumping Team since 1980, has decided to retire. Under his leadership, the team has won nine Olympic medals and nine Pan American Games medals, which includes the first-ever team gold medals at the 1984 Olympics and at the World Championships in 1986, as well as the Silver Team medal at both the 1988 Olympic Games in Seoul, Korea, and the 1996 Olympic Games in Atlanta,...

ATHENS, September 20 - The riders taking part in the Paralympic Games had the opportunity to test the Dressage arena today, under real competition conditions. The warm-up session took place at the Markopoulo Olympic Equestrian Centre and was a successful dress rehearsal for all parties involved. However, not all riders went out to the arena today: a lot of them chose to remain out of the warm-up phase in order to allow themselves and their horses to rest until the real competition begins...

It was a difficult evening for the United States Team as an unusual equipment failure in the middle of his final round, a broken bit, caused McLain Ward of Brewster, NY to retire from the competition for the individual medals. Then, in a jump-off for the silver and bronze medals Chris Kappler of Pittstown, NJ was pitted against Brazilian rider Rodrigo Pessoa and his Baloubet du Rouet when he felt his horse, Royal Kaliber, take a bad step. He immediately stopped and dismounted, ending his bid...

In what should be described as a Herculean effort, Team USA brought their best to Athens to bring home a medal – and they certainly did not disappoint anyone. The team composed of Debbie McDonald of Hailey, Idaho, riding the mare Brentina; Robert Dover of Lebanon, N.J., on FBW Kennedy; Guenter Seidel of Del Mar, Calif., on the young and promising Aragon; and Lisa Wilcox, a Los Angeles native residing in Germany on the stallion Relevant, stood on the medal podium and proudly received their...

The 2004 United States Olympic Eventing Team will practice on Thursday, August 12th and the media is invited to attend from 10:30 am to 12:00 pm. The riders will be available for interviews. The practice schedule has not yet been finalized. All of the Olympic Equestrian events will take place at the Markopoulo Olympic Equestrian Centre, where the practice session will be held. Members of the Eventing Team are as follows: Darren Chiacchia, 39, Springville, NY, riding Windfall II Julie Burns...

In 1996, the American Morgan Horse Association (AMHA) Board of Directors (BOD) established a committee to investigate the possibility of establishing a Half-Morgan Registry. In 1997, the issue was placed on the 1998 proxy ballot as a non-binding referendum in an attempt to measure the member's interest in the issue. The results of the referendum indicated interest in the project and the BOD continued investigation in to the feasibility of the project. In 1999, the Board tabled the study until...

For Immediate Release Lexington, KY - Hummingbird Nest Farm in Simi Valley, California will be the site of the 2004 FEI Children's Jumping Final, November 22-28, which hosts competitors from around the world who have qualified in their native country. Due to the expense of shipping horses, the riders will not bring their own mounts. Since the U.S. is the host nation for this international competition, which is contested on borrowed horses, we must provide enough horses for the 32 riders. The...

The United States Equestrian Federation today announced the members of the show jumping team for CSIO Spruce Meadows, in Calgary, Alberta, Canada, September 8th through the12th. Spruce Meadows is widely regarded as one of North America’s premier show jumping events and most beautiful venues. Riders were selected based on their ranking on the July 23rd, 2004 USET Computer List, providing their first ranked horse is available. If that horse is not available, riders could request that the Show...

At the United States Equestrian Federation Board Meeting on July 6th, the Directors approved a new USEF recognized affiliate, the International Friesian Show Horse Association (IFSHA). The purpose of this non-profit organization, based in Clovis, California, is to provide a USEF recognized show circuit for the Friesian horse which will help increase the recognition of the breed and help ensure competitive consistency for exhibitors and competitors. This is the first new recognized affiliate...

The Competition Date Approval Task Force presented their recommendations to the Board of Directors of the United States Equestrian Federation, Inc. at their July 6, 2004 mid-year meeting in Lexington, Kentucky. The Board voted to accept the report and directed the Task Force, as it moves forward, to consult with the Affiliate Organizations and to use the six resolutions set forth in the report as the basis for developing and proposing rule changes at the Board’s annual meeting in January 2005....