Lexington, KY – With the 2008 competition season just beginning, the United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) recognizes that the rising cost of show expenses can often hinder breed shows. To assist competitions with expenses, the USEF offers the Outreach Grant program, which provides financial assistance to various USEF breed competitions. The USEF grant program assists financially challenged breed competitions that meet the grant requirements and are approved by the USEF. The grants are...

In a continuing effort to embrace the foundation level of the horse show industry, the United States Hunter Jumper Association (USHJA) is proud to announce the addition of a Riding Instructor Award category to the Affiliate Sportsmanship Awards Program. This program currently recognizes a junior, amateur and professional from each of our affiliate associations. The goal of the Affiliate Riding Instructor Award is to recognize those individuals who are dedicated to teaching and provide riders...

The United States Equestrian Team (USET) Foundation is pleased to announce that it awarded grants totaling $2,295,000 to the United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) for high-performance programs in 2007. The USET Foundation funding provided support, in whole or in part, for athletes in seven high-performance disciplines to participate in national and international events. The high-performance disciplines are dressage, driving, endurance, eventing, reining, show jumping and vaulting. "The...

The Dressage Committee proposed a change to the “R” and “S” Dressage Judges Training Program requirements and the Licensed Officials Committee approved this change at the USEF Annual Meeting. The change made to each of these two programs was to allow an ‘r’ (recorded) judge to start the application process for the “R” program after holding the ‘r’ license for two years (24 months) instead of the three years (36 months) previously required. The same change was approved for the “S” program....

Lexington, KY – The United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) announces the 2008 Emerson Burr Horsemanship Awards Program and application process for horse shows who are interested in offering the program to young equestrians for the upcoming competition season. Opportunities to participate in the Emerson Burr program will be offered in each of the 1-10 continental zones and also at the 2008 USEF Pony Finals National Championships at the Kentucky Horse Park. This program is open to Ponies,...

Lexington, KY - This weekend, the first two USEF/North American Juniors and Young Riders' Championships qualifying competitions of 2008 for the USEF National Dressage Championship Programs kick off the new year in West Palm Beach, FL, and Tucson, AZ, with FEI junior, young rider, “Brentina Cup”, young horse and developing horse divisions. Complete selection procedures are posted on the national dressage programs page of the USEF website, www.usef.org. Recently added are the required...

The United States Dressage Federation (USDF) is pleased to announce that 36 USDF members successfully completed the USDF “L” Education Program between July and November of 2007. The USDF “L” Education Program is designed to prepare candidates to enter the United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) “r” Judges Training Program, to qualify individuals to judge schooling shows, and to give competitors, trainers and instructors greater insight into the evaluative techniques of judging dressage. The...

Each of the American Saddlebred Registry’s (ASR) prize programs increased its payouts in 2007 over what was distributed in 2006. Additionally, state futurities were up overall with nearly $800,000 in prize money awarded this year. The most encouraging increase came in the ASR Grand National program, in which $85,025 was awarded in 2007 versus $66,300 in 2006—an increase of 28.24%. The next highest spike was 15.39% more awarded this year in the ASR sweepstakes: $199,424 paid out in 2007...

The United States Hunter Jumper Association (USHJA) has implemented an Equitation Awards program through its Affiliate Organizations Medal Classes primarily offered at local and unrecognized horse shows. The goal of this program is to increase the USHJA membership and outreach in the equestrian community, by further informing and educating individuals who partake in equestrian sports at the unrecognized and local horse show level and demonstrating that USHJA has something to offer them through...

The new Fabulous Futurity Program passed by the Paso Fino Horse Association's (PFHA) Board of Directors is open to all breeders and owners of Paso Finos. The board of directors approved a motion to allow late nomination of weanlings to the Fabulous Futurity program. Prior to this motion being approved, a weanling had to be nominated by November 1 of its weanling year. If he was not nominated by that time, the owner's only option to nominate it into the program was anytime prior to July of its...