While the often-raised question, “How many horses are there in Kentucky?” is a simple one, the answer isn’t as straightforward. The answer depends on who you ask and how the count is done. What is known is that many horses never get counted by the Census of Agriculture, because they are not on property classified as a “farm.” Figuring out how many horses live in Kentucky isn’t just an exercise in counting. It’s important. If we don’t know how many horses are in Kentucky and where they live and...

Phoenix, AZ – Farnam and Daily72 team-up to present The Horse Show with Rick Lamb. Scheduled to join the RFD-TV lineup beginning October 31, 2006, the show airs Tuesdays at 5 p.m. and 11 p.m. EST, and Wednesdays at 9 a.m. EST. The show will also air each weekend – check your local listings. This new weekly television show, certain to hook horse lovers everywhere, is a magazine-style program. Topics including training, travel, health, human interest and historical segments are all slated for the...

Bob Langrish (Vaulter Megan Benjamin won an Individual Gold medal.) (Aachen, Germany) – It all came down to one minute. It was years in the making, but it came down to one minute in Aachen, Germany, and when that one minute was over, 18-year-old Megan Benjamin of Saratoga, CA, was the first female American vaulter ever to take a world championship. For the past 20 years, a German woman has always held the title of World Champion, and Germany has also won 23 of the last 30 world championships....

Bob Langrish (American Kathryn Downs was the highest-placed American in 17th in endurance.) Long before the sun rose over the first day of competition at the 2006 FEI World Equestrian Games (WEG) in Aachen, a flurry of activity was going on as the stage was set for the first medal decisions made in the equestrian discipline of endurance. The consensus is that today’s championship served as the biggest in the sport’s interesting development and history, and the fact that temperatures...

Amber Siegelman and The Waterboy Sailing To The Gold Medal (PhelpsPhotos.com/USEF Archives ) Lexington, KY – When Amber Siegelman was the last to go in the jump-off at the 2006 Adequan/USEF National Pony Jumper Individual Championship, you would have thought you were at a Western event by the sounds of the crowd. All night the crowd was clucking on horses to help them over the fences. But, when Siegelman’s ride looked to be the only clean of the five in the jump-off, the crowd got...

Lexington, KY – The United States Equestrian Federation® (USEF) is pleased to announce the reining team, sponsored by Adequan®, that will represent the United States in the 2006 FEI World Equestrian Games held in Aachen, Germany, from August 20 to September 3, 2006, with reining competition being held September 1 and 3. The four horse-and-rider combinations and alternates are as follows: 1. Matt Mills, of Scottsdale, AZ, riding Easy Otie Whiz, a seven-year-old Quarter Horse...

The nine-year-old Brazilian-bred mare Shakira Do Jacare beat both the field of 32 and the stormy weather to take first prize in the Week Two Horses Helping Horses Lucky Sevens Welcome Classic. The Classic, presented by The Plaid Horse Magazine , was a repeat victory for Shakira and owner/rider Sergio Campos, having bested last week’s field of 35. “The course was a lot of fun,” Campos said of Buddy Brown’s challenging field, which utilized natural obstacles, such as hills and banks, causing many...

Alison Hartwell/Phelps Media Group (Laura Kraut on Miss Independent) Wellington, FL – At the completion of the World Equestrian Games Selection Trials, the gutsy Margie Engle owns the top two spots based on the placings after five trials, despite only placing fourth and fifth in Trial #4 and fourth in Trial #5. Engle placed first overall after all five trials on Quervo Gold with only 11 faults and second overall on Hidden Creek’s Wapino with only 17 faults. Two of the ten total...

The American Endurance Ride Conference (AERC), the national governing body for endurance riding in the United States, will hold its annual convention in Texas for the first time in 2006. The two-day program of seminars, informational meetings and a free trade show is set for February 24-25 at the Crowne Plaza Riverwalk in San Antonio. Leading experts in equine health care and endurance-related fields will be featured at several seminar sessions. Other highlights of the AERC's convention will...

The Certified Horsemanship Association (CHA) has recently developed a new certification program -- the Equine Facilities Manager (EFM) program. This program is done as a 2.5 day clinic to certify four levels of stable employees: - Stable Worker- Qualified to work in a barn under the supervision of a manager - Stable Manager- Qualified to manage a small private stable of up to 10 head and 1-2 employees - Herd Manager- Qualified to manage a public equine facility of up to 35 head and 3-4...