Two lucky youths won big with a small equine prize. At the American Shetland Pony Congress this month, two American Shetland ponies were awarded to winners of two youth essay contests. Youths from around the country exercised their writing skills for the chance to win one of these amazing Shetland ponies. Entries were numbered and judged anonymously. Kimberly Cotter was the lucky winner of E’s Sir Nite and Kasey Waxler of Pennsylvania was awarded Cross Country’s Mr. Banker. Kimberly Cotter, the...

The American Youth Horse Council (AYHC) cordially invites individuals to submit proposals to speak at the 2009 National Youth Horse Leaders Symposium in Lincoln, NE, on March 27–29, 2009. The deadline for presentation proposals is September 15, 2008. This annual event, now in its 32nd year, presents an opportunity for leaders in the youth horse industry to come together to learn, network, share ideas and grow as an industry. The American Youth Horse Council is a network of academic, breed,...

The Three Phase Event is proud to announce their first Training, Education and Development (T.E.DO) sponsored clinic, September 5, at 10:00 a.m., at the Kentucky Equestrian Center at 860 Kiddville Road in Winchester, KY. Specifically targeted for all breeds of gaited horses, each rider can get one-on-one time with a United States Dressage Federationjudge, so all are encouraged to get entries in early as there are limited time slots. Dressage Tests and Clinic Sponsored by The Three phase Event,...

Attention junior and young riders in Zone 2 interested in competing at next year’s North American Junior and Young Rider Championships (NAJYRC) for show jumping: Please check your zone’s selection procedures for the 2009 FEI North American Junior and Young Rider Championships under the Jumping Discipline page of the USEF website at www.usef.org/Contentpage2.aspx?id=natjumping . Please direct questions to Jennifer Haydon, Director of Show Jumping for National Programs, at [email protected] or...

Attention junior riders interested in competing at next year’s Adequan/USEF National Junior Jumper Championships. The 2009 selection procedures and qualifying period for this championship are now available on the USEF website’s Jumper Discipline page at www.usef.org/Contentpage2.aspx?id=natjumping . Please direct questions to Jennifer Haydon, Director of Show Jumping for National Programs, at [email protected] or (859) 225-6911.

The USEF Dressage Committee met on July 1-2, 2008 and discussed the USEF Dressage Performance Standards Proposal. This discussion included a review of compiled results of the online survey that was developed to gather feedback from USEF and USDF members. These results were recently shared with the United States Dressage Federation (USDF) Executive Board and show that a majority of the approximately 1,250 respondents expressed support for the idea of having competition performance standards for...

Twenty-one National Walking Horse Association (NWHA) youth members from across the country attended the First NWHA Youth Leadership Conference held at the Kentucky Horse Park. July 14-16. "The conference was everything we had hoped it would be for the youth and more," stated Tami Steinbrecher, Chair of the Youth Committee. The conference offered workshops on developing leadership skills, effective public speaking, equine first aid and horse judging and included two interactive clinics on...

The United States Dressage Federation (USDF) is pleased to announce that Christine Eidson of St. Andrews Presbyterian College (NC); Danielle Aamodt of Centenary College (NJ); and Heather Ajzenman of Mount Holyoke College (MA) are the recipients of the 2008 USDF Intercollegiate/Interscholastic Membership Organization (IMO) Senior Athletic Achievement Awards. To be eligible for the IMO Senior Athletic Achievement Award, Intercollegiate/Interscholastic members (IMs) must have earned a minimum...

Ponies will be the stars at two Langer Equestrian Group (LEG) shows this fall. The Woodside Labor Day Classic (August 29-September 1) features both the Northern California Pony Hunter Final and the Woodside Pony Equitation Championship, in addition to a full selection of pony hunter and equitation classes. Shaw’s Saddlery sponsors the Woodside Pony Equitation Championship and offers great prizes to top finishers. The winner will receive a gift certificate toward a new saddle, along with...

Twenty-five national and state-based equine protection, placement and rescue organizations gathered Tuesday for the second Homes for Horses Coalition Conference to discuss the re-homing of at-risk horses in America. The Humane Society of the United States (HSUS) and the Animal Welfare Institute jointly sponsored the conference. The coalition, formed in 2007, is dedicated to ending horse slaughter and other forms of equine abuse while promoting growth, collaboration and professionalism in the...