Germany will be first into the ring once again when the second leg of the 2007 Samsung Super League with FEI series kicks off at the new-look Piazza di Siena in Rome tomorrow afternoon. Being first to go is not usually the preference for any chef d'equipe, but his team recorded a superb victory in the opening leg at La Baule in France two weeks ago when they were also pathfinders around the course, and Germany's Sonke Sonkssen was looking quietly confident this afternoon despite his side...

The World Games 2010 Foundation, Inc., the organizers of the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games, will launch a new weekly radio show this month. The weekly talk show, “The 2010 Countdown Show,” will air Sundays from noon to 1:00 p.m. on Clear Channel’s 630 AM WLAP, with the inaugural broadcast scheduled for May 20. “The 2010 Countdown Show” is the result of a partnership with Clear Channel Broadcasting. “The 2010 Countdown Show” will focus on a range of equestrian sport issues, with...

(Lexington, KY) - The United States Equestrian Federation is the National Governing Body for equestrian sport as designated by the United States Olympic Committee under the Ted Stevens Amateur Sports Act. Consistent with the mission of USEF and among its responsibilities under the Ted Stevens Act are the licensing of competitions that are in the best interest of equestrian sport and conducting a national program of athletic competition on a level of proficiency appropriate for the selection of...

Lexington, KY) – The United States Equestrian Federation has chosen the four riders to participate in the Developing Young Rider Tour this summer and has named Melanie Smith Taylor as the chef d’equipe. Smith Taylor, the first woman to garner the AGA Rider of the Year title prompting the association to eliminate a separate award for women in 1978, will continue her innovative contribution to the sport of show jumping in this new role. Inducted into Show jumping’s Hall of Fame in 1998, Smith...

Appaloosa Horse Club (ApHC) stallion owners now have a unique opportunity to increase the presence of the Appaloosa horse internationally. The intent of this new program is to help Appaloosa stallion owners increase the volume of exports as well as expand the breeding options for international affiliate members. The ApHC Board of Directors voted at their March 2007 meeting to approve an International Registration Incentive Program (IRIP) that will create a much needed avenue for Appaloosa...

In the past two decades, huge advances have been made in our understanding of many equine diseases, but we have a lot more to learn before we can truly improve the way many of these diseases are prevented or treated. One simply needs to consider the impact that laminitis had on Barbaro, a horse who captured everyone’s imagination, or the effect that equine herpesvirus-1 infections have had up and down the East Coast in the past few months. While these diseases might be the most glaringly...

Lexington, KY – The United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) has formed a multi-year partnership with Platinum Performance, Inc., a California manufacturer of premium nutritional products for horses, companion animals and humans. Platinum Performance will be the “Official Sports Nutrition Supplement Company” and the title sponsor of the 2007 USEF Show Jumping Talent Search Program for both the East and West Coasts. “The USEF welcomes the new partnership with Platinum Performance,” said USEF...

Some 70 delegates representing 31 National Federations have gathered in Paris, France, for the FEI World Endurance Forum from March 31-April 1, 2007. Under the motto “Consolidation, Cooperation, Creation,” this event was the starting point of an in-depth review of this FEI discipline. The basis of the current FEI Rules for endurance came into being over 20 years ago; indeed, endurance became an FEI discipline in 1982. In the last five years, the sport has undergone dramatic growth: in 2006 the...

A steward or technical delegate has many duties at a show, including protecting the interests of exhibitors, judges and competition management; investigating and acting upon alleged rule violations; reporting any misrepresentation of entries; supervising time-outs; measuring of horses and ponies for competition and much more. It can be a very rewarding experience that includes making new friends and traveling to new and interesting destinations. The United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) is...

(Lexington, KY) – Pam Lane has joined the United States Equestrian Federation as Director of Para-Equestrian and Vaulting effective March 5th. She is located in the Gladstone, New Jersey office and will report to Jim Wolf, Executive Director of Sports Programs. Pam has extensive experience with the USEF and the dressage discipline. Since 1997 she has organized West Coast athlete and developing rider training sessions and has been an event organizer for such competitions as the 2002 qualifiers...