The 2007 Platform® American Shetland Pony National Championship Congress show is set to kick off August 1-4 at the Gordyville Arena in Gifford, IL. Last year’s Shetland Pony Congress show drew almost 500 entries from all over the United States. “Shetland ponies are very versatile and compete in a variety of competitions, and the best-of-the0best go head-to-head each year at this Congress Championship show,” said American Shetland Pony Club Director of Operations Zona Schneider. Shetland...

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil – The first equestrian discipline at the XV Pan American Games came to a close with three medals for the U.S. The dressage team handily won the Team Gold and Chris Hickey with Regent and Lauren Sammis with Sagacious HF won the individual gold and silver medals. The dressage squad has passed the torch to the event riders. The six American riders, four of which are former Pan American Games medalists, are looking for a repeat performance of the 2003 Pan Ams which left them...

Officials with the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games announced the addition of seven new board members to be added to the current 10-member board that has been in place since the inception of the World Games 2010 Foundation, Inc. These new members are as follows (alphabetically): Sam Barnes— President and CEO of Fifth Third Bank, Kentucky, Inc., Barnes is also a director of the Kentucky Horse Park Foundation, the Downtown Lexington Corporation, Commerce Lexington and is a trustee of...

The United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) and the United States Dressage Federation (USDF) are pleased to announce official qualifying competitions for the 2008 CN North American Junior and Young Riders’ Championships presented by Gotham North and UlcerGard and 2008 Collecting Gaits Farm/USEF National Dressage Championships for the Junior, Young Rider and Young Adult “Brentina Cup” divisions. A complete list of these designated qualifying competitions is now available at www.usef.org and...

Lexington, KY— A last minute decision to enter the class paid off for first-time USEF Saddle Seat Adult Amateur Medal Finalist Michelle Krentz as she swept the class with a unanimous decision from the judges and went home with the title. Krentz beat six other finalists in the 71st Lexington Junior League Horse Show at the famous The Red Mile racetrack. Even though Krentz has not been regularly riding her 17-year-old mare, CH Louisville Lass, the chemistry was right between them. “Since I’ve...

A record number of almost 130 horses have been nominated so far to compete in the 2007 Markel/USEF National Young Horse Dressage Championships, presented by Collecting Gaits Farm, which will be held at the Kentucky Horse Park, September 14–16 in Lexington, KY. The nomination list (to date) is now posted on the Markel/USEF Young Horse Dressage Program web page at www.usef.org/_IFrames/breedsDisciplines/discipline/allDressage/2004yhProgram.aspx . The inaugural USEF National Developing Horse...

The United States Dressage Federation (USDF) announced that competitors now have access to a rider score check for the 2007 competition year, available on the USDF website. This new feature allows individuals to track all scores earned during the current competition year, no matter the number of different horses ridden. A reference tool for members, this score check is also an acceptable form of score verification that can be submitted with the USDF Rider Award Report Form when applying for the...

The American Horse Council’s 2007 National Issues Forum in Washington, DC, was a huge success and featured dozens of respected speakers on important issues and opportunities to meet and mingle with federal legislators and regulators. More than 150 people gathered at the L’Enfant Plaza Hotel from June 17-19, participating in American Horse Council (AHC) committee meetings, attending panels on different topics and socializing with other attendees and Congressional staffers. “With so many federal...

The newly created FEI Safety Sub-Committee held it first meeting in London on June 18, 2007. The committee is chaired by international rider and course designer David O’Connor (USA). Members include Chris Bartle, international rider and trainer of the German National Eventing Team; Laurent Bousquet, international rider and chairman of the French National Federation Safety Commission and trainer of the Belgium National Eventing Team; Yogi Briesner, trainer of the British National Eventing Team;...

The American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) Foundation will be hosting a Lameness Research Meeting and Panel on August 1, 2007, at the Fort Collins Marriott in Fort Collins, CO. This special research meeting is being supported through donations by two major industry partners, Boehringer Ingelheim Vetmedica, Inc., and IDEXX Laboratories, Inc., as well as three partner equine foundations: American Quarter Horse Association Foundation, Grayson-Jockey Club Research Foundation and Morris...