Lexington, KY – Ariat International, the leading equestrian footwear and apparel manufacturer, has created a collection of high-performance athletic gear for our nation’s top equestrian athletes that will debut in mid-summer. Through the newly-signed sponsorship, Ariat becomes the “Official Apparel Supplier” of the United States Equestrian Federation (USEF). As part of the category-exclusive sponsorship, Ariat has created an assortment of signature USEF garments to debut with the U.S. Team at...

Lexington, KY – Following the completion of the USEF Selection Trials on Saturday, the United States Equestrian Federation today announced the ten horse and rider combinations on the short list for the U.S show jumping team to compete at the World Equestrian Games in Aachen, Germany this August. According to the selection procedures, the top six finishers from the Selection Trials are placed on the short list along with four subjective horse and rider combinations recommended by the USEF...

Lexington, KY - Chester Weber of Ocala, FL bested a field of five international drivers to win the CAI-A Live Oak CDE held March 16-19. Weber was named the USEF National Four-in-Hand Champion for 2006 and won his fourth consecutive Vanderbilt Trophy from the USET Foundation. Reserve Champion was Tucker S. Johnson of Hobe Sound, FL. When asked about his fourth consecutive National Championship win Weber replied, “I am fortunate enough to have a superb group of horses and a wonderful crew.”...

Lexington, KY - The United States Equestrian Federation® has selected the six competitions where heel measurements will be required from the first and fourth place ponies in Roadster and Hackney Roadster Pony Championships. The 2006 competitions include: Midwest Charity – Springfield, IL (June 13 – June 17) Lexington Junior League – Lexington, KY (July 10 – July 15) Ohio State Fair – Columbus, OH (July 18 – July 23) Blue Ridge – Fletcher, NC (July 25 – July 29) Kentucky State Fair – Louisville,...

Lexington, KY – The USEF has announced the show jumping team which will represent the United States at the CSIO to be held in Wellington, FL, March 8-12. Team members are as follows: • Margie Engle on Hidden Creek’s Perin, a 16 year old Westphalian gelding, owned by the Hidden Creek Farm of Oak Creek, Wisconsin. • Kent Farrington on Madison, a 10 year old Dutch Warmblood mare, owned by Alexa Weeks, of Southport, Connecticut. • McLain Ward of Brewster, New York on Sapphire, an 11 year old...

Central Garden & Pet Company (NASDAQ: CENT) announced that it has agreed to acquire the stock of Farnam Companies, Inc., for approximately $287 million, plus $4 million for the purchase of related real property. Based in Phoenix, AZ, Farnam is a leading manufacturer and marketer of innovative health care products primarily for horses, household pets and livestock sold through over-the-counter and veterinary channels. In addition to the internationally recognized Farnam umbrella brand, Farnam’s...

Peter Wylde and the nine-year-old Holsteiner mare Quo Vadis, owned by Sagamore Farms, Inc., have recently been making their mark on the international show jumping stage. They finished second at the FEI World Cup Grand Prix at CSI-W Geneva in December, beating out Marcus Ehning of Germany, the current leader of the FEI Gandini World Rankings, and 2005 World Cup victor Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum, also of Germany. “It was a huge thrill," said Wylde. "I am especially proud as I have had this horse...

“Who is Paul Rohrbach?” asked many people after he posted his first major grand prix win at the $50,000 Los Angeles National Grand Prix. Rohrbach, a professional from Colorado who runs a successful hunter/jumper training business with partner Corky Shaha, has been steadily posting strong grand prix finishes over the years. After his stellar performance in the grand prix aboard Mary Dunahay’s Shiraz, everyone knew who he was. Rohrbach came to the Los Angeles National (November 16-20, 2005) by...

When the nation’s best equestrians converge on Wellington, FL, for the 122nd National Horse Show and Family Festival beginning on November 30, 2005, among them will be the elite of the Amateur Owner Jumper and Junior Jumper divisions. The top ranked riders from the year-long Show Jumping Hall of Fame Series have once again been invited to compete in a head-to-head battle in Florida in their special year-end championships at the 122nd National Horse Show (NHS) and Family Festival. The Show...

(Lexington, KY) - Gil Merrick joined the USEF as Director of Dressage Sport Programs on October 11th. Mr. Merrick will be based in the Lexington Headquarters and report directly to Jim Wolf, Executive Director of Sport Programs in our Gladstone office. In addition to his experience in showing and training dressage horses, Mr. Merrick has a strong career background in the management of international businesses most specifically in internal operations, financial planning, growth management and...