Oklahoma City, OK - The National Reining Horse Association (NRHA) Board of Directors voted to approve an Animal Welfare and Medications rule, including a multi-phase testing and research policy. Due to the overwhelming response from the NRHA membership throughout a series of Town Talks, the Board agreed this course of action is in the best interest of the reining horse and the organization as a whole. The information gathered in the multi-phase research process will provide a solid foundation...

Lexington, KY - The United States Hunter Jumper Association (USHJA) is now accepting nominations for the 2011 Jane Marshall Dillon and Lifetime Achievement Awards. The Lifetime Achievement award was first presented in 2008 to honor members who dedicated their lives to furthering the hunter/jumper discipline on a National platform and whose involvement in the sport and the USHJA has benefited the industry. The Jane Marshall Dillon award was created in 2010 to recognize the dedication of...

Lexington, KY - The USEF High School Equestrian Athlete program is officially underway for the 2011-2012 school year! Students are encouraged to sign up now to count their summer practice and competition hours toward their goal of lettering as a USEF High School Equestrian Athlete. The USEF High School Equestrian Athlete program is open to equestrian athletes involved in all breeds and disciplines who are enrolled in grades 9-12. The program honors participants who document their equestrian...

Jennifer Alfano and Jersey Boy. (Sportfot.) Wellington, FL - Jennifer Alfano and SBS Farms' Jersey Boy have led the USHJA International Hunter Derby program since its inception, winning classes all over the country in the last few years and proving their expertise in the handy rounds and finesse over the jumps. Tonight was no different, as the pair jumped their way to victory in the $50,000 USHJA International Hunter Derby during the twelfth and final "Saturday Night Lights" event at the 2011...

Boyd Martin on Rock on Rose. (Photo by Mike McNally) Lexington, KY - Welcome to the first of many features profiling various people in equestrian sport - athletes, trainers and more. The profiles will be published regularly in the United States Equestrian Federation’s Week in Review e-newsletter. Is there someone you would like to know more about? Email “10 Questions With” editor Stephanie Doyle at [email protected] . Then, stay tuned to USEF’s Facebook page ( www.facebook....

Tracy Magness and Tarco Van Ter Moude. (ESI Photography© .) Ocala, FL - The gift of warm weather, bright blue skies and outstanding competition have been the theme of this year's HITS Ocala Winter Circuit. Last week's Ocala Masters marked the mid-way point of the six-week, AA-rated Circuit, and with just three more weeks of competition remaining, the Circuit is shaping up to be the one of the best yet. Each week the Grand Prix and Devoucoux Hunter Prix qualifiers for the 2011 Pfizer $1 Million...

Don Harris and CHImperator. (Photo by Jamie Donaldson.) Lexington, KY - Friends and family of American Saddlebred icon Don Harris are having a party in honor of his turning 80, and you are invited. The party will be held on March 12, 2011, from 6 to 7:30 p.m. at the American Saddlebred Museum’s Showplace for Saddlebreds. There is no cost to attend, but reservations are required. Don has requested no gifts, but instead asks that his friends make a donation to the American Saddlebred...

McLain Ward and Pjotter van de Zonnehoeve. (Sportfot©.) Wellington, FL - Saturday night at the FTI Winter Equestrian Festival featured an exciting victory for McLain Ward (USA) and Pjotter Van De Zonnehoeve in the $78,000 Fidelity Investments® CSI 2* Grand Prix. The class was held on a beautiful Florida evening under the lights at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center. Riders representing 12 different countries made up the international field this evening, showing over a course...

Silvio Mazzoni and Remonta Habano. (Photo by ESI Photography©.) Ocala, FL - February 11, 2011 - After a successful two-week Pre-Circuit and a short break, show jumping resumed at HITS Post Time Farm in Ocala, FL, on Tuesday with the Ocala Winter Classic, the first of six AA-rated weeks of competition. Silvio Mazzoni of Leesburg, VA, piloted his own Remonta Habano to a decisive win in Thursday afternoon’s $25,000 SmartPak Grand Prix, presented by Pfizer Animal Health. “It was a beautiful...

Oklahoma City, OK - At the recent National Reining Horse Association (NRHA) Board of Directors meeting, the 2011 Hall of Fame nominations were approved featuring the largest class of inductees to date. The eight inductees include a mix of historic people and horses and some of today’s most well-known names. Those people who will be formally inducted at the 2011 Awards Banquet include Shawn Flarida, Bob Kiser, Mandy McCutcheon, and Ronnie Sharpe. Horses include three stallions Boomernic, Shining...