Ocala, FL ­– Two USEF National Driving Championships are up for grabs at the CAI-A Ocala running March 27-30, 2008. Known as the Live Oak Plantation Combined Driving Event presented by Budweiser, the showcase of the country's best drivers and horses is taking place at Chester Weber's Live Oak Plantation in Ocala, FL. The competition also serves as the second USEF Selection Trial for two of the World Driving Championships. The USEF Single Horse Championship got the day started and dressage was...

Morgan trainer Tristanne Weber Childress, 34, of Siler City, NC, passed away March 17, 2008, following a short illness. Weber was born and raised in Colorado where she attended Evergreen High School before moving to Tulsa, OK, to train with her Morgan horses. She attended college while beginning her career as a professional horse trainer. Horses and her husband, Ed Childress, were her passion. Prior to opening her own training facility, Silhouette Training Stables, Weber was trainer at...

Raeford, NC - Task Force, owned by JC Chester and ridden by Jan Byyny, suffered a catastrophic hind leg injury and was humanely euthanized today during the warm up at Southern Pines II Horse Trials in Raeford, NC. Task Force, a 16-year-old Australian Thoroughbred gelding, had enjoyed a storied career in eventing with Jan. The pair enjoyed a long, successful partnership, including winning the Jersey Fresh CCI*** and representing the U.S. at the World Championships in 2006 and other international...

Jane Hannigan and Maksymillian Head to Europe to Represent the U.S. for the First Time at the FEI World Cup Final (phelpsphoto.com) Lexington, KY ­– Following the final North American League qualifying competitions in Loxahatchee, Florida and Burbank, California, two horses and riders have been named to represent the United States at the 2008 FEI World Cup™ Dressage Final in 's-Hertogenbosch, The Netherlands, on March 27 - 30. Courtney King of New Milford, Connecticut...

Laura Kraut and Cedric Continued to Dominate at the Finale of the USEF Selection Trials for Show Jumping (Kenneth Kraus/PhelpsSports.com) By Joanie Morris Wellington, FL ­ – As Cedric and Laura Kraut jumped the final fence of the fifth leg of the USEF Selection Trials for Show Jumping they cleared another hurdle toward the USEF Short List for Show Jumping, which is one step closer to a trip to the 2008 Olympic Games. The International Arena at the Palm Beach International Equestrian...

Wellington, FL - Severe weather on Thursday March 6 caused the postponement of the $30,000 WEF Challenge Cup which a also served as the fourth leg of the USEF Selection Kenneth Kraus/PhelpsSports.com (The Top Three Riders at the USEF Selection Trials for Show Jumping (L-R: Laura Kraut, Nicole Shahinian-Simpson, Will Simpson)) Trials for Show Jumping at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center. The Selection Trial began on Friday morning at 8 a.m. The grounds crew worked tirelessly and...

Ocala, FL ­- Sterling Graburn of Bonifay, Florida won the first USEF Selection Trial for the 2008 World Singles Driving Championships held at the Sunshine State CDE (CAI-B Ocala) in Ocala, FL February 28-March 2. The World Championships will be held in Jarantow, Poland August 28-31. Besting a field of 11, Graburn and Dante an 8-year-old Sport Cob owned by Graburn and Wendy Ying, narrowly beat Donna Crookston of Saltsburg, PA. Prior to Sunday's cones competition Graburn's score of 121.28 gave...

Bill Wilson, a 72-year-old from Pekin, IN, was named to the American Endurance Ride Conference’s (AERC) Hall of Fame at the association’s awards ceremony, held March 1 in Reno, NV. Wilson completed 24 of 25 50- to 55-mile competitions for a total of 1,775 miles in 2007, and has a total of 21,645 miles of endurance completions to date. He is also a trails advocate and a willing worker for preservation and building of trails. The horse named to AERC’s Hall of Fame for 2007 was CH Catch Me If You...

The FEI Task Force Chairmen met for four days, February 21-24, to agree on the final recommendations for the new FEI Endurance Rules for 2009 and onwards. Far reaching changes are recommended by the task force that has consulted widely with all those involved in the discipline over the last year following their creation immediately after the FEI World Endurance Forum held in Paris in February 2007. FEI Technical Committee members will now have an opportunity to review the task force proposals...

Laura Kraut and Cedric Remain High Atop the Leaderboard at the USEF Selection Trials in Show Jumping (Kenneth Kraus/PhelpsSports.com) Wellington, FL – The third leg of the USEF Selection Trials for Show Jumping got underway between the raindrops at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center in Wellington, FL on March 5, 2008. With 30 riders left in the mix for Short List for the 2008 Olympic Games, the third of five trials was for Selection Trial horses only. Sponsored by Equine Motor...