The EQUUS Foundation, Inc., recently awarded $250,000 in grants to charitable organizations that promote the positive use of the horse for the benefit of the general public and the equestrian sport as a whole. The “all volunteer” EQUUS Foundation raises funds from two annual events—one held in February during the Winter Equestrian Festival in Wellington, FL, and the the Benefit Luncheon held in June in conjunction with the Fairfield County Hunt Club June Benefit Horse Show in Westport, CT....

The 2006 American Saddlebred Registry Sweepstakes (ASR) began on Thursday, September 7, at the All American Horse Classic at the Indiana State Fairgrounds in Indianapolis. Sweepstakes payouts for 2006 are expected to increase over 20%. In 2005, the total payout was $139,433. Prize money was distributed as follows: Two-Year-Old Sweepstakes, $38,629; Three-Year-Old Sweepstakes, $70,428; Four-Year-Old Sweepstakes, $30,376. The total estimated payouts in 2006 are up almost $32,000. Since its...

Ten million dollars in equine research funding is needed to unlock the mysteries of the devastating equine disease known as laminitis, announced the American Association of Equine Practitioners (AAEP) Foundation, Inc. The life-threatening injury to Kentucky Derby winner Barbaro and the subsequent development of laminitis in the horse’s left hind foot has highlighted the prevalence and severity of the disease, which affects horses around the globe. Members of the AAEP have identified laminitis...

Smith Lilly and his gifted mount, He’s The Man (CH Man On The Town X Perfect), were the judges’ unanimous winners of the Five-Gaited World’s Grand Championship in Louisville’s Freedom Hall on Saturday evening, August 26. Having won the Five-Gaited Gelding Stake earlier in the week, the pair wowed the audience from the moment they came into the arena, with the trademark Louisville roar growing with every pass down a straightaway. In his comments to the show ring announcer, Smith was appreciative...

It was hot in St. Louis on August 2-5 for the American Shetland Pony Club (ASPC) National Shetland Pony Congress, but the ponies who came to compete were even hotter. Some 480 ponies trekked to the new show site, the National Equestrian Center in Lake St. Louis. After almost a decade of hosting the show in Rantoul, IL, show officials were very pleased with the number of entries the new show location attracted. “With a new location, soaring gasoline prices and record temperatures, we were...

Attention all juniors interested in competing in the 2007 Adequan/USEF National Junior Jumper Championships (Prix des States). Please check your zone’s criteria and qualifying period under the Jumping Discipline page of the USEF website at www.usef.org/content/equestrianSports/disciplines/allJumping.php Please direct questions to Jennifer Haydon, Director of Show Jumping for National Programs, at [email protected] or (859) 225-6911. ~~~

Lexington, KY— The fourth annual USEF Dressage Seat Medal Finals were held during the Golden State Dressage Warm-Up and Cool-Down Show in Rancho Murieta, CA, July 28-30. Junior dressage riders from across the country competed in their respective age divisions of 13 & under and 14 to 18 years of age. The purpose of the Dressage Seat Medal Program is to promote and reward excellence in equitation, including correct seat, position and use of aids in the sport of dressage. Junior riders in these...

Attention all junior and young riders interested in competing at next year’s FEI North American Junior and Young Riders Championships (NAJYRC) for show jumping. Please check your zone’s criteria and qualifying period for the 2007 NAJYRC under the jumping discipline page of the USEF web site at www.usef.org/content/equestrianSports/disciplines/allJumping.php . Please direct questions to Jennifer Haydon, Director of Show Jumping for National Programs, at [email protected] or (859) 225-6911. ~~~

Lexington, KY - The United States Equestrian Federation® (USEF) is pleased to announce the team headed to Mensport, Hellendoorn, The Netherlands, for the 2006 FEI World Carriage Driving Championships for Drivers with Disabilities. This year's event will be held September 6-10 (the event is staged every two years). This year, the USEF Para-Equestrian High-Performance Committee has been working closely with the United States Driving for the Disabled (USDFD) in preparing for the competition. Team...

Lexington, KY – The United States Equestrian Federation® is now accepting bids for both the 2007 and 2008 USEF Open Reining Championships, and the 2007 and 2008 USEF Youth Reining Championships, which run in conjunction with the USEF Open Reining Championship. The open reining event showcases the most talented U.S. reining athletes, both human and equine, as they compete for a national title. The youth championships offer exciting opportunities for a national title to future international...