The facilities for providing first-rate care of horses brought to Hong Kong for the Olympic Games in August have been given the thumbs-up by members of the Animal Welfare Advisory Group (AWAG) who visited the two equestrian venues. “I think the welfare of the horses is being very well taken care of,” said Chan Pui-tin, after he and five colleagues inspected the venues on June 24.. “We have asked a lot of questions on a range of topics, big and small, such as whether the horses will suffer from...

Visitors to this year’s American Paint Horse Association (APHA) World Championship Show will get a special chance to see National Reining Horse Association (NRHA) and American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA) Freestyle Reining Champion and winner of the prestigious Road to the Horse Competition, Stacy Westfall. She will share her secrets to “thinking like a horse” during a free horsemanship seminar on Saturday, June 28, presented by SmartPak. Recently featured on the Ellen DeGeneres show,...

Lexington, KY - On January 13, the final day of the USEF Annual Meeting, the Board of Directors considered rule change proposals for all breeds and disciplines. Included in this review was the much-discussed “performance standards” proposal from the Dressage Committee, which would establish a qualification process for competing at certain levels at USEF-Licensed Dressage Competitions. After extensive discussion, the Board voted to officially table the proposal until the next USEF Annual Meeting...

The New England Dressage Association played host to Ingrid Klimke, one of Germany’s leading event and dressage riders, during NEDA’s annual Fall Weekend. As she has at previous symposiums, Klimke joined forces with Dr. Ina Goesmeier, one of the world’s leading veterinary practitioners in holistic medicine. Like her father, the late Reiner Klimke, Ingrid Klimke has achieved international success in both eventing and dressage. She shares with her father a strong belief in the importance of...

Starting in 2007, the American Morgan Horse Association’s (AMHA) Youth Member of the Year award will now be called the AMHA Annual Youth Achievement Award, as decided by the AMHA Board of Directors at their May meeting. The award, which recognizes a youth who demonstrates outstanding achievement and dedication to the Morgan breed , is determined by a point system. In 2006, Caitlin Novotny of Oklahoma City received the first AMHA Youth Member of the Year award. AMHA youth members may earn points...

You spoke (or wrote) and we listened! Once again our members have shown us they have a voice, and USHJA wants our members to know that their voice was heard. USHJA would like to thank all the members that took time out of their busy schedules to provide us with feedback on the announcement of the USHJA Foundation Awards. Due to your wonderful ideas, USHJA is proud to announce some changes and clarifications to the USHJA Foundation Awards. Listed below are some of the notable changes. For a...

The American Saddlebred Horse Association (ASHA) has formed an Advancement Committee. Appointed by ASHA President Fred K. Sarver, who serves ex officio on all committees, the new committee will be chaired by longtime horsewoman and former director Sandra Lilly of Princeton, WV. Vice Chair is Director Victoria Gillenwater of Tennessee, and members who have agreed to serve are Kayce Bell (Alabama), John Conatser (Kentucky), Lisa Duncan (Kentucky), Peter Fenton (California and Kentucky), James...

Lexington, KY - FarmVet.com, a leading web-based catalog featuring the best in equine and pet health products and supplies, has partnered with the United States Equestrian Federation® to offer an exclusive discount to USEF members through the MemberPerks program. As the “Official Internet Catalog of the USEF” FarmVet.com will offer a universal 5% discount to USEF members on products offered through the FarmVet.com website. The discount is available only for purchases made through the FarmVet....

In 2003, Virginia Tech placed the first sensors inside football helmets to measure head acceleration data that could characterize concussions. Nearly two decades later, the university’s Helmet Lab is on the cusp of adding equestrian sport to its arsenal of public safety information on helmet use and unveiling its STAR (Summation of Tests for the Analysis of Risk) ratings system for helmets. At the Equestrian Symposium, held Aug. 11-12 in Blacksburg, Va., Drs. Steve Rowson, Stefan Duma,...

Ocala, Fla . – The Florida Spring Fling Combined Driving Event (CDE) played host to the 2020 USEF Preliminary Combined Driving National Championships and the exciting competition that unfolded at the Florida Horse Park. Four preliminary divisions had athletes take home their national championship titles. USEF Preliminary Single Horse Combined Driving National Championship Raymond Helmuth and Kendro (Picsofyou.com) Raymond Helmuth (Cambridge, Iowa) and Kendro earned the USEF Preliminary...