Lexington, KY— The United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) is pleased to announce the start of the second annual “My Favorite USEF Breed Competition Contest,” following an enthusiastic response to the program in 2009. Designed to function as a “competitor’s choice” award, this contest recognizes and applauds the efforts of the year’s favorite USEF-licensed breed competition, as decided by the officials, trainers, riders, drivers, handlers or owners who participated. Eleven competitions...

On Monday, January 25, 2010, the American Saddlebred Museum temporarily closed its doors to the public. During the closure, a complete renovation of the current exhibit space will take place. When the Showplace for Saddlebreds building addition opens in late March, the entire attraction will sport a new look. Originally, the facility’s grand opening was scheduled to be held during the American Saddlebred Horse Association's (ASHA) Annual Convention, however, weather and other delays now...

The inaugural United States Hunter Jumper Association's (USHJA) Emerging Athletes Program National Training Session (level 3) will take place January 8-10, 2010, in Reno, NV at Maplewood Stables, Inc., owned by Julie Winkel. The top 12 finalists will spend three days focused on displaying their riding, horsemanship and stable management skills. Finalists for Reno in Alphabetical Order 1. Alexa Anthony, Richmond, WA 2. Carly Anthony, Redmond, WA 3. Hayley Barnhill, Collierville, TN 4. Nelson...

The inaugural Emerging Athletes Program (EAP) National Training Session (level 3) will take place January 8-10, 2010, in Reno, NV, at Maplewood Stables, Inc., owned by Julie Winkel. The top 12 finalists will spend three days focused on displaying their riding, horsemanship and stable management skills. Finalists for Reno in Alphabetical Order 1. Alexa Anthony, Richmond, WA 2. Carly Anthony, Redmond, WA 3. Hayley Barnhill, Collierville, TN 4. Nelson Bierwirth, Roswell, NM 5. Arden Cone, Landrum,...

The American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA) has been researching and studying the sport of dressage for the past nine years. Through the efforts of countless individuals, including input from staff at the United States Dressage Federation (USDF) and the United States Equestrian Federation (USEF), dressage will become an AQHA-approved event beginning January 1, 2010. AQHA-registered horses, shown by exhibitors who are current individual members of AQHA, will be eligible to earn points at...

Tendon and ligament injury causes both economic and personal hardship for horse owners and industry professionals. A prolonged period of lay-up and rehabilitation is necessary, but whether the horse will be sound at the end of the rehabilitation period is uncertain. Lameness due to tendon and ligament injury is common in performance horses, affecting up to 25% of racehorses over a career and accounting for up to 43% of injuries in event horses, but it is also common to companion horses. Chronic...

Lexington, KY— Don’t miss your chance to vote for your “Favorite USEF Breed Competition.” The idea behind this contest is to award and promote the USEF licensed breed competitions for their efforts in running a show so well that exhibitors want to call it their favorite. Also, this contest gives exhibitors the opportunity to provide positive feedback about the competitions to the USEF. The competition rules include that you must be a USEF member to vote and you must have participated in the...

Every two years, while the selection committees ponder who will represent the United States, another selection process is under way to determine who will feed our horses while they represent our country. For the last four games—2002 Jerez World Equestrain Games (WEG), 2004 Athens Olympics, 2006 Aachen WEG, and 2008 Beijing Olympics—Pennfield Feed was the feed of choice for our equestrian teams, because just like them, Pennfield demonstrates the highest level of consistent quality....

The United States Dressage Federation (USDF) is pleased to announce that 47 USDF members successfully completed the USDF “L” Education Program between April and October of 2009. The USDF “L” Education Program is designed to prepare candidates to enter the United States Equestrian Federation “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...

Certified Horsemanship Association (CHA), in support of the University of Kentucky Saddle Up Safely campaign, is waiving its fees for the CHA Instructor Certification Clinic at the Kentucky Horse Park, scheduled for November 19-23, 2009, resulting in a significant reduction in the overall price. The UK HealthCare initiative to promote rider safety was launched in October, and is a five-year program to reduce the number of rider injuries. CHA Riding Instructor Certification is a five-day process...