Lexington, KY— In a unanimous decision by the judges, Brooke Jacobs defeated four talented riders in the 2008 United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) Saddle Seat Adult Amateur Medal Final. Despite the heat, Jacobs completed the rail and pattern work to outshine the competition at the Lexington Junior League Horse Show at the famous The Red Mile racetrack. Jacobs, of Georgetown, KY, claimed the title aboard CH My Southern Charm, a bay Saddlebred gelding owned by Werk Way Stables and trained...

29 April 2008 Dear Members of the Equestrian Community, This past weekend at the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day, Laine Ashker suffered a serious fall during the cross-country stage of the competition. She is currently in critical condition at the University of Kentucky hospital in Lexington. Laine’s horse and another involved in a separate accident had to be euthanized. These accidents come just a month after Darren Chiacchia, an Olympic rider, had a serious fall at an event in Tallahassee, Florida....

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...

The tally has just begun, and your votes will be an integral part of deciding which of the nation’s leading equines will be named the Farnam®/Platform™ USEF Horse of the Year. Merely weeks away from the 2008 USEF Annual Meeting, all heads are turning to five finalists in anticipation of which horse will be adorned with the title of Horse of the Year—one of the most prestigious awards the USEF bestows. This year’s winner will join dressage superstar Brentina (2005...

With three Americans competing at "Porsche Dressage Trophy," a German national indoor dressage tournament held in Paderborn, Germany, on November 2-4, Todd Flettrich of Coatesville, PA, and Wellington, FL, rode Amadeus to third place in the grand prix special, earning the distinction of being the highest-placed American in the FEI classes at the show. "Amadeus did everything I asked. He was very good," said Flettrich of his grand prix special ride, which held the lead for most of the class. "I...

(Lexington, KY) – Maria Partlow, Senior Vice President of Marketing and Communication has announced that she will retire effective October 1st, 2007. She has been with the USEF since March of 2004. “This is a life decision and one I have thought a great deal about,” she said. “My mother died very unexpectedly earlier this year, and her passing made me reflect on how fleeting life is and about how I want to spend the future. Although I love working at the USEF, I want to get up every morning,...

From a Press Release by Daniel Rieffer , Communications Manager, American Saddlebred Horse Association Louisville, Kentucky - Jen Raynes’ heart of gold led her to Louisville. She ran into a parent of an ASHA junior member at a horse show in Scottsdale, Arizona, who convinced her to donate her time and talent to create a painting for the AHSA Annual Auction. She’s known as “Mad Dog” Jen, and she’s experienced absolute madness since leaving California Tuesday morning to get to the World’s...

Thirty-five horses from 13 nations were presented for the dressage Horse Inspection on Friday July 13 officially getting the fifteenth Pan American Games underway. Beginning at 8am, the horse inspection ensures that all the horses in the competition are fit to compete. The horse inspection was done in alphabetical order by nation with the horses from the United States being presented last. All four horses looked super, led off by the diminutive Brilliant Too ridden by Katherine Poulin-Neff....

Meeting by teleconference, the 2007 directors of the American Saddlebred Registry elected officers on Tuesday, March 6. The nine directors are Joan Hamilton (Kentucky), David Howard (Tennessee), Dr. Rick Luft (Wisconsin), Spencer Mains (North Carolina), Mary Ann Pardieck (Indiana), Dr. Alan Raun (Iowa), Fred Sarver (Kentucky), Anne Stafford (Tennessee) and Judith Werner (Illinois). After discussion on each position, the following were elected unanimously: Joan Hamilton as president, David...

Marc Manning (Becky Holder and Courageous Comet tackle the Head of the Lake on the cross-country phase.) It was a big and challenging course that greeted the 59 horse-and-rider combinations going into Saturday’s grueling cross-country phase at the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event presented by Farnam. And while many Kentuckians’ minds were on next weekend’s Kentucky Derby and the “most exciting two minutes in sports,” the eventing world and tens of thousands of...