Final preparations for the 15th annual Capital Challenge Horse Show are under way at the Prince George’s Equestrian Center in Upper Marlboro, MD. The show begins on Saturday, September 27, continuing through Sunday, October 5. The first weekend features the Taylor Harris Insurance Services National Children’s Medal Finals and the Monarch International North American Junior and Adult Equitation Championships. Horses and riders are streaming in from all parts of the country to join in the...

Already an active supporter of horse shows from the local to national levels and spanning from hunter/jumper and dressage to reining and Western pleasure, SmartPak™ announced that they have partnered with HITS for their upcoming winter circuits. The partnership spans both coasts with a sponsorship of the HITS Ocala Winter Circuit in Florida and a sponsorship of the HITS Desert Circuit in Thermal, CA, two of the biggest horse show circuits in the United States. In preparation for the eight-week...

Tickets are now available for EQUUS "Deal or No Deal" event at the Syracuse Invitational Sporthorse Tournament on Friday, October 31, 2008. Hosted by Bates Saddles, The EQUUS Foundation will feature the top junior equitation riders competing at the show as the Deal or No Deal Suitcase Models. The event, which will held in the OnCenter Ballroom from 5:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m, will take place simultaneously with the Bates Equitation Meeting where equitation riders, trainers and parents will have the...

Two water towers in Shelby County will soon showcase its biggest tourist attraction—American Saddlebreds, as reported by Nathan L. McBroom in the Shelbyville (Kentucky) Sentinel-News . The Shelbyville Water and Sewer Commission voted Monday night, September 15, 2008, to allow the Shelbyville Horse Show to paint Saddlebred murals on the water towers in downtown Shelbyville and at Weissinger Hills Golf Course. The Horse Show will paint the murals on the towers at its expense. The...

The United States Dressage Federation (USDF) announced the dates and locations for the 2009 Great American Insurance Group/USDF Regional Dressage Championships: USDF Region 1 (October 22-25) at the Virginia Horse Center in Lexington, VA; USDF Region 2 (September 17-20) at the Lamplight Equestrian Center in Wayne, IL; USDF Region 3 (October 22-25) at the Palm Beach County Jim Brandon Equestrian Center in West Palm Beach, FL; USDF Region 4 (September 10-13) at the North Iowa Fair Grounds in Mason...

The Second Annual National Egyptian Breeders' Conference will provide participants with generous opportunity to work with knowledgeable horsemen who have the ability and patience to explain the strengths and weaknesses of individual horses, providing in the process an approach that breeders can apply in the examination of their own breeding herds. To be held September 5-7, 2008, at the beautiful and historic Highland Ranch, formerly Bentwood Farms in Waco, TX, this conference is an absolute...

The Sport Horse Nationals Payback Program purchases of discounted breeding services to the many stallions enrolled for 2009 will commence on September 1, 2008. Purchases are conducted on a first-come-first-served basis at 50% of the stallion’s advertised fee for 2009. Included are world class Warmbloods, Thoroughbreds, Arabians, Anglo-Arabians, Saddlebreds, Welsh, Friesians, Hackneys and others. Many are national or world champions, or have sired champions. The total number of stallions...

NARHA announced that Deborah Lipsky and Dr. Will Richards have been signed as keynote speakers for the 2008 NARHA National Conference and Annual Meeting in Hartford, CT on October 30. Their presentation is titled “Horses and Individuals with Autism: a Natural Therapeutic Relationship” Lipsky holds a masters degree in education and counseling and she presents workshops on autism across the U.S. to healthcare workers and laypersons. Diagnosed with high functioning autism, she has found her own...

The National Thoroughbred Racing Association (NTRA) announced the hiring of James Lawson as the organization’s Business Manager for the United States Equestrian Federation’s (USEF) MemberPerks program, which is administered by NTRA Advantage. Based at the NTRA’s Lexington headquarters, Lawson will oversee USEF MemberPerks, which offers significant savings on products and services from John Deere, Sherwin-Williams, UPS, Toshiba, Office Depot, Office Max, Equine Travel Advantage, FarmVet.com and...

Ballindaggin, the stately 23-year-old New York-bred chestnut who swept the 1987 New York Stallion Series and defeated an international field in the 1988 Molson Export Challenge, was humanely euthanized on July 22 at the Hagyard Equine Institute. A multiple stakes winner of $946,894 in just 14 starts, Ballindaggin was recently diagnosed by Dr. Doug Byars as suffering from severe back problems brought on by degenerative arthritis. The decision to euthanize was made in consultation with Dr. Byars,...