Endurance riders from around the country will face the test of time and terrain when they compete for national titles at the 2006 American Endurance Ride Conference (AERC) National Championship in October. The championship, sponsored by Gulf Coast 4 Star Trailers, will be held October 20-22 in Fort Valley, VA, on the trails of the historic Old Dominion Endurance Ride. The Old Dominion, first held in 1973, is considered by many to be the most prestigious endurance competition in the eastern...

Olympic Gold medalist David O’ Connor is offering a course walk of his newly designed cross-country courses at the Colorado Horse Park on Saturday, September 16, 2006 in Parker, CO. Riders and non-riders alike are welcome to join O'Connor for his insights into the design of the courses, as well as his suggestions for how to successfully complete the course. The event includes a walk of the new courses, a lecture and a question and answer session. All participants will also receive an...

When the dust settled after the record-breaking NRHA Derby Finals on May 20, 2006, in Oklahoma City, OK, one more milestone was added to the National Reining Horse Association (NRHA) record books. Topsail Whiz became the second stallion to achieve the NRHA Four Million Dollar Sire distinction. Owned by Bob Loomis Quarter Horses, Inc., of Marietta, OK, Topsail Whiz first became an NRHA Million Dollar Sire in 2001. In 2003, he earned Two Million Dollar Sire status and was inducted into the NRHA...

Mighty, mild and marvelous, the rare Cleveland Bay is Breyer's newest equine sculpture. This British breed is on the critically endangered list of the Rare Breed Survival Trust, along with the Bengal tiger, the snow leopard and the giant panda. Less than 550 Cleveland Bays are thought to exist today, and only 220 are mares of breeding age. Sculpted by artist Karen Gerhardt, the Breyer Cleveland Bay is depicted mid-trot and captures the strength, power and substance of this rare breed....

Wilhelm Genn of Lebanon, OH, cleaned house at Horse Shows by the Bay Series II by winning both the $10,000 Open Jumper Welcome Prix and the $25,000 Grand Traverse Bay Grand Prix on Happy Z and Chantal, respectively. Grand Prix Ring Designer Pierre Joliceur’s course produced four clean rounds out of 22 in Friday afternoon’s (July 21) Welcome Prix. Genn guided Happy Z to the win by skimming all of the turns and jumping diagonally across several of the verticals, beating out Quendo and Erin Haas...

The West Coast Active Riders (WCAR) have once again sent a team of top riders to compete in Europe this summer. The contingent of riders from California made their first stop in France a success as they picked up seven top placings, including a win, and as icing on the first week’s cake, the Leading Lady Rider title, as well. The team is comprised of Joie Gatlin, Francie Steinwedell Carvin, Jenni Martin and Susan Artes. Bernie Traurig is George Morris’ associate chef d’ equipe for the West...

Lexington, KY - The United States Equestrian Federation® is pleased to announce the team of three that will travel to Pratoni del Vivaro, Italy and compete in the 2006 World Singles Driving Championship, September 20-24. The following will be the U.S. team (in alphabetical order by athlete last name): •Eleanor Gallagher of Southern Pines, NC, and Kashmier, a 14-year-old Gelderlander, gelding, owned by Gallagher •Fred Merriam of Newfane, VT, and Gaitwood Lightwing, a 12-year-old Morgan gelding,...

Two of the country’s premier events, The Event at Rebecca Farm and the Cosequin Stuart Horse Trials, ran Adequan United States Eventing Association (USEA) Gold Cup Series divisions the weekend of July 21-23, giving eventers from both coasts the chance to test their mettle against some of the top horses and riders in the nation. The Event at Rebecca Farm Approximately 450 horse-and-rider combinations, from novice level through three-star, came from as far as Idaho and California and Arizona to...

For the eighth time in her career, and for the third year in a row on Hidden Creek’s Wapino, Margie Engle raced to victory in the $65,000 Merrill Lynch Cleveland Grand Prix, the nation’s oldest show jumping classic. The class is still held at the beautiful Metropark Polo Field in Moreland Hills, OH, the site of the original Cleveland Grand Prix, first held in 1965. An enthusiastic crowd of over 5,000 braved a blistering hot 90-plus degree Sunday afternoon in the steamy Chagrin Valley. Twenty...

The Horse Park at Woodside in Menlo Park, CA, will mark its 25th anniversary in August as a venue for the sport of three-day eventing with the reopening of its most challenging cross-country jumping course and a reception/fundraiser. The August 11-13 Event at Woodside Summer is the first Horse Park event in a half decade to offer an advanced division; this level of three-day competition requires that horses jump obstacles up to four feet tall and six feet wide on a winding, and often hilly,...