Although the weather threatened to put a damper on the weekend, it held off just enough to allow the first Gold Coast show of the season (February 19-21), held at the Los Angeles Equestrian Center, to be the fun event exhibitors knew it would be. There was a great mix of familiar faces and new ones to make the show a big success with a record number of entries. One group of new faces came from Hayden Show Jumping and Riding School of Laguna Hills, riding under the tutelage of Mickey Hayden and...

Steffen Peters, Jessica Ransehousen, Maxance McManamy (Geoff Oliver Bugbee) Louisville, KY – In January of 2009 Steffen Peters was honored with the USEF’s Equestrian of the Year Award for his uncanny sportsmanship and his achievements on the field of play throughout 2008. In 2010, at the USEF Pegasus Awards dinner he was bestowed the title again – this time for simply blowing the doors off the dressage world in 2009. Made even sweeter by the fact that the beloved horse who made it all possible...

Mikala Munter Gundersen and Festivo Win Equilite Sponsored Class International dressage trainer and competitor Mikala Munter Gundersen was in the ribbons at the Wellington Classic Holiday Challenge, winning the USEF Third Level Test 3 with Christine DeHerrera’s Westphalian gelding Festivo. The class was sponsored by Equilite, makers of Sore No More, Herbal Blends and Botanical Animal Flower Essences, and Gundersen took home a giant tote filled with Equilite products. “Christine, who owns...

The United States Equestrian Team (USET) Foundation Holiday Fundraiser presented by SUCCEED® and Wellington Classic Dressage will be held on December 11-12 (6-10 p.m. both evenings) at the Jim Brandon Equestrian Center. The fundraiser will feature a combination of clinics, fun demonstrations, team competitions and many holiday surprises from some of the top horses and riders in the country. Along with the exciting equestrian performances, the holiday gala will feature a catered VIP dinner and...

The Certified Horsemanship Association (CHA) honored top individuals, horses and organizations at the annual awards banquet held at the International Conference in Fort Collins, CO, at Colorado State University on October 10. Clinic Instructor of the Year Clinic instructors are the CHA Master Level Instructors that are clinic staff and certify instructors for CHA throughout North America. At the end of each clinic, participants write evaluations of the clinic staff. It is from these evaluations...

The premiere event of the American Endurance Ride Conference (AERC), the annual National Championship ride, proved to be a weekend of celebration in Northern California on September 11 and 13. At the site of the annual Patriot’s Day ride in Greenville, CA, competitors arrived from all over the western U.S. and Canada to compete for AERC’s top prizes. The 100-mile championship ride, held Friday, was won handily by Lindsay Graham, a fourth-year veterinary student at the University of California...

In this day and age, there are many medications available to both human and horses. While some of these medications are quite benign, most of them have varying degrees of side effects. Some of the side effects are relatively minor, while some are rapidly fatal. Recent national events have shown us that we must take great care in what we put in our horses. Obviously, horses can neither tell you where it hurts nor can they tell you what they feel like on a given medication. So, paying attention...

The 2008 Nominating Committee of the American Saddlebred Horse Association (ASHA) held its first, formal meeting during the Lexington Junior League Horse show, under the direction of Chairwoman Barbara Molland. Also on the committee are Nancy Becker, Vicki Gillenwater, Scott Matton, and Carol Reedy. The duty of the committee is to prepare recommendations for ASHA directors to be elected to three-year terms beginning in February 2009. The Nominating Committee directed the staff of the...

The Reining Horse Sports Foundation (RHSF) is honoring leadership and achievement within the National Reining Horse Youth Association (NRHyA). The RHSF will soon award five academic and need-based scholarships to deserving youth members of the National Reining Horse Association (NRHA). The RHSF is dedicated to helping youth members reach their educational goals. Anne-Marie Burns, Director of the Reining Horse Sports Foundation and Vice-Chair of the NRHA Youth Committee noted, “One of our core...

Iron Spring Farm’s popular Friesian stallion Goffert 369 was euthanized Tuesday, February 13, 2007. The Grand Prix competitor colicked, and although every effort was made to save him, the damage was irreparable. Goffert 369, known as “Herbie,” was a beloved spokesman for the Friesian breed. Known for his tremendous athletic ability and intelligence, Goffert had a fan base around the world. In 2004, he performed at the 125th Anniversary Celebration of the Friesian Studbook where more than 10,000...