The red, white and blue were all over the Dixon Oval at the “Born in the USA” Awards at the 30th Annual Dressage at Devon Horse Show. High-scorers in 11 Breed Division categories were adorned with bright, patriotic rosettes and awarded a Certificate of Achievement, a stall plaque and a “Born in the USA” commemorative medal. The owners and breeders shared a generous purse in excess of $10,000, with 75% going to the owners, and 25% to the breeders. The two high scorers received sashes and coolers...

The Dressage and Jumping World Cup Finals will light up Las Vegas like never before when they come together at the Thomas and Mack Center, April 20-24, 2005. Individual tickets go on sale November 1, and they will go quickly, so spectators are advised to purchase early. Series tickets have been selling at an almost unbelievable rate, already surpassing the total ticket sales from 2003, the last time the Budweiser Jumping World Cup Final took center stage in Las Vegas. The start of individual...

Columbus, OH --Rocky Dare of Salem, NJ, won the United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) Open Reining Championship Qualifier at the All American Quarter Horse Congress on Saturday, October 9. The competition in Columbus, OH, marked the first of four qualifying classes for the 2004/2005 Season. Dare and Custom Pistol, a six-year-old Quarter Horse stallion owned by Steven Simon, received an impressive score of 220.5 to finish in the top spot. Second place went to Casey Hinton of Whitesboro, TX,...

Mark your calendars—this season will go down in the history books as the United States’ own Beezie Madden again claims a top three ranking in world show jumping standings. Madden, a true pioneer for equestrians, is the first woman ever to reach a top three placing. “It gives hope,” Madden says. “Women that ride here [in the United States] don’t think about it because we have more women [riders] than men, but Europe has always been a little behind, so it might...

Gladstone, NJ – After two days of rigorous testing, topped off with a final-four ride-off, 16-year-old Brianne Goutal surpassed even her own expectations with a well-earned, but nonetheless, surprise victory. “I was never expecting to get into the top four,” Goutal says. “I asked my trainer before the last round what score I would need and she wouldn’t give me an answer. She just said ‘ride well.’” And ride well, she did. Give her a few years, and...

Royal Kaliber, one of the United States most brilliant horses ever to compete internationally in show jumping, was humanely euthanized today in the Netherlands. He underwent colic surgery for intestinal adhesions, on September 27th and had been recovering well until two days ago when his progress considerably slowed. Royal Kaliber took Chris Kappler to a Team Silver medal and an Individual Bronze medal at the 2004 Olympic Games in Athens. According to Dr. Tim Ober, a veterinarian for the USEF...

As the door shut behind him, a 13-year-old show jumping stallion named Judgement tried to relax over the dull roar of the engines. This was no mere vacation—this was his shot at the Olympic short list, and carefully stored in style, he settled down for a long FedEx flight to the Olympic Selection Trials in California. While the cost of the departing flight from Newark to Los Angeles might have been worth every penny, Meghan De Garay, office manager at Iron Spring Farm, which owns Judgement,...

The Paso Fino Horse Association’s 32nd Annual Grand National Horse Show was held, September 19-25 at the Georgia National Fairgrounds and Agricenter in Perry, GA. Employees of the fairgrounds put forth the extra effort to get stalls prepared for those needing to arrive early to escape the wrath of Hurricane Ivan and to remain during Hurricane Jeanne. Though the weather kept a few people away, 822 horses and more than 1,700 entries, ridden by youth and adults, were slated to compete for a...

The American Horse Council has been informed that effective November 5, 2004, Hartsfield-Jackson Atlanta International Airport will close the Atlanta Equine Complex, which has served as an export-import facility for horses. According to reports, all exports that have been accepted at the facility through October 30, 2004, will continue to be served. If a facility within 60 miles of the airport can be approved as an export inspection facility, exports through Atlanta could resume. "The Atlanta...

Burbank, CA – With a weekend of competition to prove themselves, a ring full of young riders set out to convince judges they have what it takes to become tomorrow’s equestrian stars. Emerging at the top of the list from the BET/USEF West Coast Show Jumping Talent Search Finals is 17-year-old Kasey Ament (Reche Canyon, CA), who took home the Denali Trophy atop San Francisco. Riding her own horse first and then starting the rotations that are characteristic of these tests, Ament...