When 15-year-old Chelsea Dowdy entered one of Kentucky’s many county fairs in 2009 with El Diamante, she could feel their usual synergy. With all the fun she had, it was an easy decision to enter another. And another. By season’s end, they had not only claimed top honors and a collection of garlands and ribbons—they had amassed a respectable college fund totaling $10,799.31. That hefty chunk of change came courtesy of the Kentucky Breeders’ Incentive Fund (KBIF), earmarked for a...

Kentucky Horse Shows, LLC, the management company for hunter/jumper competitions at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, is pleased to announce that Hagyard Equine Medical Institute will be the proud sponsor of the Hagyard Challenge Series. The 2010 Hagyard Challenge Series consists of five grand prix show jumping competitions at the world-class horse park. These classes start in May at the Kentucky Spring Horse Shows and conclude in August at the Bluegrass Festival Horse Show. The rider who...

Photo by SusanJStickle.com (Steffen Peters and Ravel) Wellington, FL – Somehow it keeps getting better. After just collecting the United States Equestrian Federation's Horse and Rider of the Year accolades for 2009, US dressage superstars Steffen Peters and Ravel ran their streak to six major wins with a convincing effort at the Grand Prix at the 2010 Exquis World Dressage Masters. Ravel, a 12-year-old KWPN gelding (Contango-Hautain) owned by Akiko Yamazaki’s Four Winds Farm appeared even...

HITS Shows, Inc., is pleased to announce that the HITS Culpeper Spring and Summer Show Series will be home to five grand prix qualifiers for the Pfizer $1 Million Grand Prix. One $40,000 qualifier will be held each Sunday of Weeks I-V, giving riders the chance to accumulate the grand prix classes and the prize money they will need in order to try to qualify for the unprecedented Pfizer Million, which will be held in Saugerties, NY on September 12. Beginning in April, the six-week show series...

Jane was on her way to Wisconsin when she pulled into popular gasoline station and filled both tanks of her diesel-powered truck. Down the road, the engine started cutting out on her. After having her truck towed, Jane learned from the mechanic that the fuel tanks had been filled with gasoline instead of diesel. Perplexed as to how she could’ve made such a ruinous mistake, Jane returned to the gas station to check out the pump she had used. She saw that—at this station—green handles...

The American Horse Council (AHC) is pleased to announce the American Endurance Ride Conference, the American Paint Horse Association, the National Cutting Horse Association, and the Thoroughbred Owners and Breeders Association have recently endorsed the Welfare Code of Practice further broadening the industry support of a national code. The AHC drafted the Welfare Code of Practice, which outlines in generic terms what it means for an organization to be committed to the responsible breeding,...

The American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) introduced Nathaniel A. White, II, DVM, a respected equine researcher and surgeon, as its 2010 president during the 55th Annual Convention in Las Vegas, NV. Dr. White was inducted to the office during the December 8 President’s Luncheon. Dr. White is the Jean Ellen Shehan Professor and Director of the Marion duPont Scott Equine Medical Center at the Virginia-Maryland Regional College of Veterinary Medicine. He is a former chair of the...

The deadline date for nominations for the 9th Annual Equine Industry Vision Award is on or before February 1, 2010. Pfizer Animal Health sponsors the award in partnership with American Horse Publications (AHP) and developed it to recognize outstanding leadership, creativity and meritorious contributions in the equine industry. The 2010 Equine Industry Vision Award will be presented on June 18, 2010, during the AHP 40th Anniversary Seminar in Lexington, KY. The award recipient is given the...

McLain Ward and his Beloved Sapphire at the 2009 Rolex/FEI World Cup Final (Shannon Brinkman for USEF) Gladstone, NJ -The USET Foundation is pleased to announce that the Whitney Stone Cup has been awarded to McLain Ward of Brewster, NY. The Whitney Stone Cup is awarded annually by the USET Foundation Executive Committee to an active competitor who displays consistent excellence in international competition, high standards of sportsmanlike conduct, while also serving as an ambassador for the...

Arenus-sponsored rider Kassandra Barteau of Maple Park, IL, and her horse GP Raymeister have topped the United States rankings for the FEI World Cup® Dressage Final for Young Riders. As a result, both have been invited to compete in Frankfurt, Germany, for the FEI World Cup Dressage Final for Young Riders, December 17-20, 2009. Barteau and her horse earned the sole United States Young Rider slot for the FEI competition in Frankfurt by averaging 73.375% in their two best test rides in the FEI...