Kona Gold, winner of the 2000 Eclipse Award for Sprinter of the Year was humanely euthanized at the Kentucky Horse Park on the morning of September 29 after suffering a severe fracture to his left front leg while exercising in his paddock. He was 15-years-old. Within minutes of the accident, he was taken to Hagyard Equine Medical Institute for evaluation where it was determined by the surgical staff that his injury was beyond repair. The unanimous decision to euthanize was made by the surgeons,...

Sunday is not end of show -- After congratulations are given, ribbons handed out and horses in the boxes, the work continues. Horses are washed, the barn broken down and the camps are disassembled. Slowly competitors start to leave and the feeling of the win gets lost in the rush to get packed. It's a strange feeling to be a member of a team that just won the most prestigious driving event leading up to the world games. It feels almost surreal. The team was turned out in flawless fashion...

I have said good-bye to Kentucky and am making my way home to sunny California. I'm looking forward to being dry for an entire day! During the first leg of my journey, I thought about the past week and the memories I will be taking home with me. I thought about the Lexington area and the Horse Park, about not only how beautiful it is, but how there is so much to see there and I didn't see a fraction-I will have to go back when I can spend several days and see everything. I thought about...

The American Saddlebred Horse Association (ASHA) website will once again provide a live streaming video webcast of the 2009 All American Horse Classic (AAHC), set to take place beginning Tuesday, September 8, through Saturday, September 12, in Indiana, at the Indianapolis State Fairgrounds. Registration to view the webcast may be completed via the ASHA website at www.asha.net/video . The fee to view the Webcast is $15 per day/location. A discount is available to ASHA members, resulting in fees...

This past weekend, Canterbury Farm in Hampshire, IL, hosted a clinic for the United States Hunter Jumper Association (USHJA) Emerging Athletes Program. Held on Saturday, September 5, and Sunday, September 6, the clinic was conducted by renowned equestrians Melanie Smith Taylor and Ray Texel. Diane Carney of Hampshire, IL, was the on-site coordinator for the event, which was a Level II Training Session. The clinic was part of the Emerging Athletes Program, an educational program that focuses on...

Jeffery Welles Claims $7,500 Prudential Douglas Elliman 1.45m Open Jumper Win Jeffery Welles did it again, winning his second major class this week at the Hampton Classic Horse Show. Welles, of Wellington, FL, piloted Tango to top honors in the $7,500 Prudential Douglas Elliman 1.45m Open Jumper class. On Tuesday, he won the $7,500 1.40m Open Jumper Class aboard his veteran mount, Armani. The 34th Hampton Classic, one of the nation's premiere show jumping competitions hosted hunter/jumper...

The United States Dressage Federation (USDF) is pleased to announce that Kassandra Barteau and Gina Frantz’s Holsteiner stallion, GP Raymeister, were awarded this year’s Fiona Baan Pursuit of Excellence Memorial Trophy. Kassandra is originally from Orlando, FL, but now lives in Maple Park, IL. In her last year as a young rider, Barteau earned the title of Collecting Gaits Farm/USEF National Young Rider Champion. She was a member of the Silver medal-winning Young Rider Team representing Region 2....

Event: The High Roller Reining Classic, Benefiting the Equestrian Aid Foundation—September 4-12, 2009 What: The High Roller Reining Classic (HRRC) is the international "crown jewel" of western riding competition, and will feature the world's top reiners competing for over $200,000 in added money and prizes. The competition is managed and produced by Brumley Management Group, LLC, a promoter of reining competition in the western region of the United States. Reining is the only western...

Norman Brinker, who served as an alternate with the United States show jumping team at the 1952 Summer Olympic Games in Helsinki, passed away due to pneumonia while on vacation in Colorado. Brinker was born in Denver, CO, on June 3, 1931, to Kathryn and Eugene Brinker. He helped his family at a young age by buying and selling horses and a variety of other jobs. He attended the New Mexico Military Institute in high school, served in the Navy, and graduated from San Diego State University in 1957....

Iron Spring Farm lost a beloved member of the family when Heinse 354 succumbed to colic last week. The 15-year-old stallion was known for his impressive performance career as both a dressage and driving horse, as well as for his successful offspring, which includes three approved sons. The handsome Friesian exemplified the best traits of the breed—beauty, athletic ability and an excellent temperament—and is already missed. "Heinse was the type of horse that anyone would love to have...