Lexington, KY – Mindy Darst was named Volunteer of the Year by the United States Hunter Jumper Association (USHJA) at the USHJA Evening of Equestrians on December 10, 2008. Evening of Equestrians is the USHJA’s awards ceremony held in conjunction with the Annual Meeting which took place at the Hilton Downtown in Nashville, TN, December 8-11. The Volunteer of the Year Award is given to an individual who donates their time to develop and implement programs in the organization. Darst was selected...

The North American Anglo-Arabian Horse Association (NAAAHA) has announced the winners of its 2008 High-Point Program for Anglo-Arabians that compete in working hunter, jumper, eventing, dressage, sport horse, conformation, endurance and competitive trail. All shows and rides, whether rated or unrated, counted towards these awards. Hunter/Jumper Champion: FF Irish Vodka/Collier McLeod Reserve: Diamond Jim Kelly/Beth Thomas Third: One More Round/Alexis Starer-Doughty Fourth: Foreign Policy/Kaylan...

Both Bugatti Hilltop and Festrausch saw their "stardom" grow this year as each earned additional stars from the ISR/OldenburgNA. Earning his star in the "Success of Offspring" category, Bugatti completes his fifth star and joins Parabol (Paradox I x Waldschuetz) in being one of only four stallions in the U.S. to earn the five-star ranking. Bugatti's quickly growing number of offspring are truly storming the dressage scene with horses such as Marcia Richardson's Bocaccio IOF's (Bugatti x...

The United States Dressage Federation’s (USDF) Youth Executive Board is pleased to announce the winners of the USDF Youth Convention Scholarship Program for the 2008 Adequan/USDF National Convention and Symposium. This year’s winners are Arielle Perry, Jannike Gray, and Jessica Rose Deimler. The Youth Executive Board annually awards scholarships of up to $1,000 each to help defray the expenses associated with attending the annual convention. Applicants are judged on such qualities as...

International-level dressage with a Saturday night musical freestyle celebration under lights will be held at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center (PBIEC), December 4-6. The CDI*** dressage competition will be combined with the CSI*** Holiday & Horses event that includes the Rolex/USEF National Show Jumping Championship presented by Equine Motorcoach. The dressage competition is a major upgrade from the national level show of previous years. The musical freestyles will be in the...

The Royal Winter Fair is thrilled to announce its line-up of international riders set to compete at the Ricoh Coliseum, November 11-15. Nearly half the field of show jumpers participated in this summer’s Olympic games in Hong Kong (where the equestrian events were held), as did two of the five dressage riders. Three of the four members of the Silver medal-winning Canadian team will be competing, including Individual Olympic champion, Canada’s Eric Lamaze, with his Olympic partner Hickstead. It...

The Syracuse Invitational Sporthorse Tournament is pleased to offer a special opportunity to meet the 2008 Gold medal U.S. Olympic show jumping team. On Friday, October 31, at 5 p.m., the team will make their first and only public appearance together since the Olympics. McLain Ward, Beezie Madden, Laura Kraut and Will Simpson, along with their alternate teammate Anne Kurskinsi, and their Chef d 'Equipe George Morris, will share their insights into bringing home the Gold. Syracuse University...

The United States Hunter Jumper Association (USHJA) is pleased to announce the $100,000 2008/2009 ASG Software Solutions/USHJA International Hunter Derby Finals will be held in Lexington, KY, August 21-22, 2009. The top 75 horses on the ranking list as of June 1, 2009, will be invited to attend this historic two-day event managed by Hugh Kincannon. On day one of the finals, all 75 horses will compete in a classic round, vying to be placed within the top 25, of whom will be invited back to...

There was a short press briefing at CSIO Barcelona on September 20 during which the FEI's First Vice-President Sven Holmberg and FEI Jumping Director John Roche answered questions relating to the new-formula FEI Nations Cup series 2009. By way of background, Holmberg explained that the current contract stipulated that negotiations with a new sponsor should not begin until January 1, 2008, and that this was a short time considering what needed to be done including creating a new product, finding...

Raeford, NC - The Carolina Horse Park is pleased to announce the appointment of a new board of directors and management team to lead the Park to a new level of excellence. M. Nixon Ellis, of Southern Pines, President and CEO of Argolyn Bioscience, a lifelong horseman with deep experience in the hunter/jumper/equitation ranks and a former steeplechase jockey, has been named chairman of the board. Ten new directors in addition to eight existing directors will join Dr. Ellis. This new board will...