The USEF Executive Committee met on Monday, May 19, 2008 and approved the following rule changes for immediate implementation. These rule changes were submitted by the USEF Eventing Technical Committee with the support of the USEA Eventing Standards Task Force. EFFECTIVE IMMEDIATELY the first fall of competitor, at obstacles, on the Cross-Country course will result in Elimination. 1) EV141.1 (b) Cross-Country Scoring b. Falls - (1) First fall of competitor 65 penalties Elimination (2) First...

A relentless downpour disrupted the program of competitions at the Piazza di Siena in Rome Thursday afternoon, but spirits remained high amongst the teams preparing for Friday's second leg of the 2008 Samsung Super League with FEI series in which the Swedish side will be pathfinders. The draw for the competition is as follows: 1. Sweden 2. Switzerland 3. USA 4. The Netherlands 5. Germany 6. Belgium 7. Great Britain 8. Ireland 9. Italy Early Indications Early indications are that this is going...

Lexington, KY – The United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) is now accepting bids to host the 2009 USEF National Pony Championships (Pony Finals). This bid will be for a three-year contract with up to two additional one-year options. To request a bid packet, please contact USEF Director of Hunter and Collegiate Activities Marion Maybank at (859) 225-2033 or via email at [email protected]. Bids are due in the office by the close of business on Friday, June 20, 2008. Any request received after...

The University of Kentucky’s (UK) College of Agriculture is celebrating national championships by two of its collegiate equine teams. Riders from its equestrian and dressage teams nabbed top honors in their respective competitions. The UK equestrian team bested 17 other hunt seat teams from across the country at the Intercollegiate Horse Show Association (IHSA) National Championships, May 8-11, in Burbank, CA, to take home UK’s first team championship. This was only the second year the team’s...

Theodore O’Connor, the 2007 Farnam/Platform® USEF Horse of the Year, known as Teddy to his adoring fans, and his rider Karen O’Connor, were honored with a special treat at the 2008 Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event. The special treat was a pail of Platform® Treats with the winning pair pictured on the label. Picturing the Farnam®/Platform® USEF Horse of the Year and his rider on the label of Platform® Treats is a tradition begun in 2006 with the inaugural winner of the award, Brentina and her...

The American Association of Equine Practitioners’ (AAEP) summer continuing education meetings—Focus on the First Year of Life and the 16th annual Practice Management Seminar—will be held July 27-29 in Austin, TX, at the Hilton Austin. Attendees can participate in both meetings’ sessions for one registration fee. The topic of this year’s Focus meeting is the foal’s first year of life. Attendees will be presented with advanced research and state-of-the-art techniques in foal care....

Theodore O'Connor is one of two Horses Named to the USEF Short List for Eventing with Karen O'Connor (Shannon Brinkman) Lexington, KY - The United States Equestrian Federation has approved the following horse/rider combinations to the Eventing Short List for the 2008 Olympic Games in Hong Kong August 8-14, 2008. The combinations are as follows (listed alphabetically): Name/Age/Hometown/Horse/Sex/Age/Breed/Owner Stephen Bradley / 46 / Leesburg, VA / Brandenburg’s Joshua / G / 13 /...

Lexington, KY – After three days of competition at the Lamplight Equestrian Center in Wayne, IL, Rebecca Hart and Norteassa claimed the title of the United States Equestrian Federation’s (USEF) 2008 National Para Equestrian Championships. With a final score of 72.473, twenty-four-year-old Hart from Erie, PA couldn’t stop smiling after winning the championship. “I think he (Norteassa) was really good,” said Hart. “He was really focused and was listening to me. I could not have asked for more...

Diamante Farms of Wellington, FL, is pleased to announce that Michelle Gibson will compete Don Angelo, the farm's eight-year-old Oldenburg stallion, at the 2008 USEF National Intermediaire I Championship during the Collecting Gaits Farm/USEF Festival of Champions. The event will be held in San Juan Capistrano, CA, on June 21-22 and June 27-29, with the Intermediaire I championship scheduled for the second weekend. Gibson, a 1996 Atlanta Olympic Games Team Bronze medalist, is head trainer at...

The Laurels At Landhope International Combined Driving Event, the most prestigious event of its kind held in the U.S., will be held in West Grove, Chester County, PA, September 5-7, 2008. Combining family fun with international equestrian competition in a beautiful country setting just 40 miles from Philadelphia, the event hosts the best drivers from Canada, Mexico and the United States who compete in a series of three events with combinations from single horses and ponies to four-in-hands. It...