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...

Lexington, KY – Craig Schmersal of Menifee, California, and Tim McQuay of Tioga, Texas will represent the United States in the 2005 FEI World Reining Masters Series Final in Manerbio, Italy, September 24. Each, a master, in his own right, Schmersal was a member of the Gold Medal U.S. team at the 2002 FEI World Equestrian Games in Jerez, Spain, while McQuay is the NRHA’s all-time leading money earner. Schmersal took the Gold medal and Championship title August 27, riding Tidal Wave...

January 10, 2006 is the deadline date for nominations for the fifth annual Equine Industry Vision Award, which will be presented at the American Horse Publications (AHP) Annual Seminar in Orlando, FL, on June 23, 2006. Pfizer Animal Health sponsors the award in partnership with AHP and developed it to recognize outstanding leadership, creativity and meritorious contributions in the equine industry. Anyone is eligible to be nominated or to nominate a candidate for the Equine Industry Vision...

(Lexington, KY) – George Morris, Chef d’Equipe for the United States Show Jumping Team, has good reason to be both happy and frustrated after Hickstead and Dublin. “We won four classes in Hickstead and were second in the Super League Nation’s Cup, and won 3 classes in Dublin and were 3rd in the Nation’s Cup. I’d say those are very, very good shows but we didn’t win the Super League Nation’s Cup classes. I want to win. That’s just how I am.” In Dublin, the U.S Team finished third behind Great...

Lexington, KY – Four show jumping riders have been selected to represent the United States at CSIO Spruce Meadows, in Alberta, Canada, September 7-11. The team members and their first-ranked horses, are as follows: Laura Kraut of Oconomowoc, WI, with Miss Independent (1997 Dutch Warmblood mare; owned by Passmore Stables LLC) Beezie Madden of Cazenovia, NY, with Authentic (1995 KWPN Dutch Warmblood gelding; owned by Abigail Wexner) Schuyler Riley of Wellington, FL, with Ilian (1990 KWPN...

Lexington, KY – A recent study profiling the USEF membership (18 and over) provides data important for advertising sales for the Federation’s publications, and is a tremendous asset in USEF efforts to obtain more sponsorship and commercial participation for equestrian sport. These efforts help fund current USEF programs; create new programs; and fund the international teams. Sport sponsorship is a hugely competitive arena and the USEF now has its own proprietary data to assist in...

The horse industry is huge, competitive and powerful. But do you know just how huge and powerful we are? According to the American Horse Council's 1996 industry study, the horse industry impacts the United States Gross Domestic Product by $112.1 billion. It provides 1.4 million jobs and pays $1.9 billion in taxes. How competitive is our business? There are approximately 87 breed registries and associations; the largest of which has more than 161,000 members. So how does the 10,000-member...

Laura Kraut extended her lead to 13 points over Beezie Madden in the race for American Grand Prix Association (AGA) Rider of the Year following a fifth place finish in the Mary Rena Murphy Grand Prix in Kentucky over the weekend. Meanwhile, victories by Aaron Vale in Kentucky and Rich Fellers in California have juggled the standings and moved both of those riders into contention for the American Grand Prix Association title. Entering its 27th year, the AGA Grand Prix Series of Show Jumping is...

Public and Media Invited to Attend the USET Foundation Dressage Festival of Champions, Featuring the 2005 Collecting Gaits Farm/USEF National Grand Prix and Intermediaire I Dressage Championships, presented by Paul Miller, Inc. Lexington, KY – Equestrian stars will light up the arena in Gladstone, June 16-18, as one of the nation’s premier dressage competitions unfolds in New Jersey. The 2005 Collecting Gaits Farm/USEF National Grand Prix and Intermediaire I Dressage Championships,...