One of the fundamental strengths of the European breeding system is the ability to show young horses affordably and in classes that are designed to show off a horse's talent, while simultaneously building their exposure and their confidence. The Young Horse Championships, the Bundeschampionat, the "Cycle Classique," the Pavo Cup, are all celebrated events for which European breeders aspire, develop and prepare their young horses. But the foundation of these high profile events is the smaller,...

It was day one of Rolex events on Tuesday here at the Kentucky Horse Park. The Kentucky Cup CDI3*, a Dressage Test Event for the Alltech World Equestrian Games, kicked off this morning with 25 horses strutting their stuff in the Grand Prix. Amid the hustle of preparations for the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day the outdoor stadium was as beautiful a setting as ever for this elite competition. Sunny skies in the morning turned grey and dreary in the afternoon, I was certainly under dressed for the cool...

The FEI is to freeze the Rolex Rankings points for jumping riders on maternity leave, starting with the April Rankings issued on March 31 . Under the new system, female riders will now lose only 50% of their Rolex Rankings points during their absence from competition while on maternity leave. The new ruling means that former world number one Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum moves up from 31st on the March Rolex Rankings to 20th following the reinstatement of 50% of her points. The German rider, who...

On Saturday, May 8, during the 43rd annual Intercollegiate Horse Show Association (IHSA) National Championships at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, a question-and-answer session, sponsored by Campus Equestrian and featuring a panel of collegiate coaches ready to answer your questions about riding, horses, and college competition, will be offered immediately following the championship’s most anticipated hunter seat class of the year, the IHSA Cacchione Cup. “This is a real opportunity, not...

Peter Wetherill's Cedric Winning Gold in 2008 (Shannon Brinkman/USEF) Peter Widener Wetherill passed away of natural causes on February 19th 2010 at Good Samaritan Hospital in West Palm Beach, Florida. Peter was raised at Happy Hill Farm in Newtown Square Pennsylvania by his mother the late Ella Widener Wetherill and his late father Cortright Wetherill. He is survived by his brother Cortright Wetherill Jr, his sister in law Janice N. Wetherill and their children Amanda Widener Wetherill Holmes...

Stadium Jumping, Inc., one of the premiere producers of equestrian events in the world, is pleased to announce that tickets for the 2010 $200,000 Gene Mische American Invitational are now on sale through Ticketmaster. This exciting event is open to the public, and tickets can be purchased online by visiting www.ticketmaster.com . The $200,000 Budweiser American Invitational is one of the world's richest equestrian show jumping competitions. Annually, this showcase of sheer equestrian power,...

In response to the tragic earthquake, which rocked Haiti last month, the International Equestrian Federation (FEI) is inviting the equestrian community to gather financial support. Funds collected will be sent to the International Olympic Committee (IOC) and the Pan American Sports Organization (PASO) to assist both organizations in their efforts towards the rebuilding of the sports movement and local sports installations in Haiti once local conditions permit. If you wish to partake in this...

Kim Severson Takes Her Expertise South of the Border (Mike McNally) Lexington, KY – The United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) will continue to lead a joint development program with the FEI in Central and South America. The USEF made a commitment to supply coaches from the USA and Canada to FEI regional Groups IV and V for 2010 and 2011 after a very successful pilot year in 2009. The objective of this program is to increase the participation in regional games in the area going forward....

2009 Intermediaire Champions Katherine Bateson-Chandler and Dea II (SusanJStickle.com) Lexington, KY – The United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) has announced the dates and location for the 2010 Collecting Gaits Farm/USEF Dressage Festival of Champions which will also serve as the USEF Selection Trial for the US Dressage Team for the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games (WEG). The competition will be held over two weeks: August 6-8 and August 13-15, 2010 at the USET Foundation...

Bob Bell, President of The Classic Company, announced new additions to the celebration of the 20th Anniversary of the Fall Classic to be held at Foothills Equestrian Center in Tryon, NC, September 24-25, 2010. The competition will host a new championship for equitation riders broken into age groups. “Both Carol [Kent, also of Classic Company] and I remember when there were not that many equitation classes and the age group equitation was very important at our A-rated events. We feel that with...