The American Horse Council (AHC) is working to preserve the Federal Highway Administration’s Recreational Trails Program (RTP). If Congress does not take action this year this program could no longer be available to recreational riders. The RTP provides funding directly to the states for recreational trails and trail-related facilities for both non-motorized and motorized recreational trail uses. It was created in 1991 as part of the Intermodal Surface Transportation Efficiency Act of 1991 and...

International dressage rider and trainer, Heather Blitz, together with Mary Wanless, BSc, BHSI, FRSA, and Dr. Hilary Clayton, BVMS, PhD, MRCVS, will present the "Naked Truth of Riding," a two-day symposium on May 9-10, 2009, at the Leatherdale Equine Center in Minneapolis, MN. The symposium delivers a complete package of information. Students will learn about the relationship between veterinary medicine and dressage performance, with special emphasis on prevention and treatment of lameness...

Lexington, KY – The Varsity Equestrian National Championships (VENC) announced the collegiate teams that have been selected and seeded for this year’s competition, in conjunction with the United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) and the American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA). This year, there will be twelve schools competing in Hunter Seat, including Equitation Flat and Equitation Over Fences. There will also be twelve schools competing in Western, including Horsemanship and Reining. Eight...

The University of Minnesota is performing a study on tying up in Morgan horses. One cause for tying up in horses of all breeds is type 1 Polysaccharide Storage Myopathy (PSSM), for which there is now a genetic test that uses blood or hair roots. (For more information about the test, go to www.cvm.umn.edu/umec/lab/Advances_in_PSSM.html .) However, there are horses that appear to have a type 2 form of PSSM, which, at present, can only be diagnosed by muscle biopsy. The University of Minnesota is...

The Children of the Americas Dressage Invitational (CADI) is the only competition of its’ kind in the United States. This United States Dressage Federation- and United States Equestrian Federation-recognized event is exclusively for children between the ages of 12 and 14. It features riders from South and Central America, the Islands, Mexico, Canada and The United States, all brought together for a week of training and international competition. New for 2009 is the working affiliation with...

The American Horse Council (AHC) has asked the National Park Service (NPS), U.S. Forest Service (USFS), and Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to use stimulus funding for trails. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 signed into law on February 17 appropriates over $1.7 billion for the NPS, USFS, and BLM that can be used for the maintenance and construction of trails and other infrastructure improvements on public lands. The AHC recently wrote to NPS Acting Director Dan Wenk, Chief of...

From the USEF Show Jumping Department Lexington, KY – The United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) has approved the following modifications to the Selection Procedures for CSIO/CSI Competitions, aka “the USEF Computer List”. These changes will become effective on March 1, 2009. The following additions or changes have been made to the Selection Procedures: Under Classes to Count, Page 9: FEI (CSI/CSI-W, CSIO) – Classes at CSI’s, CSI-W’s, and CSIO’s in the United States and Canada meeting the...

Two of the many highlights planned for the American Saddlebred Horse Association Convention, held at the Marriott Griffin Gate Resort and Spa in Lexington, KY, are the Charter Club Workshop, to be held on Thursday, February 12, beginning at 10 a.m., and the Amateur/Owner Training Forum on Friday, February 13, at 9:30 a.m. For all convention information, click here . Charter Clubs are essential to the promotion of the American Saddlebred and form the national backbone of the breed’s outreach....

HITS is pleased to announce that the Stallion Services Department of the Equine Medical Center of Ocala will offer the Leading Mare Award to the mare that finishes the highest in the $100,000 DeLuca Toyota Tundra Grand Prix, presented by Great American Insurance Group on Sunday, March 15, at HITS Ocala. The award consists of a free embryo transfer that will be performed by Dr. Corey Miller, head of reproduction at the Ocala-based veterinary hospital. Any mare based in the United States who...

Las Vegas is the perfect setting for the most prestigious and exciting Arabian Breeders World Cup horse show April 16-19. Cash prizes and beautiful bronze sculptures will go to the lucky winners selected by an elite panel of International judges using an innovative World Cup Scoring System. Serious breeders from around the world have already bought up the ringside VIP tables. Over 20 countries will be represented from the Middle East, Europe, South America, Central and North America, Australia...