The Laurels At Landhope International Combined Driving Event, the most prestigious event of its kind held in the U.S., will be held in West Grove, Chester County, PA, September 5-7, 2008. Combining family fun with international equestrian competition in a beautiful country setting just 40 miles from Philadelphia, the event hosts the best drivers from Canada, Mexico and the United States who compete in a series of three events with combinations from single horses and ponies to four-in-hands. It...

Chester Weber Wins Sixth Consecutive USEF National Driving Championship at Live Oak (Darlene Wohlart) By Joanie Morris Ocala, FL - Chester Weber added winner and his sixth consecutive USEF National Championship to his list of titles at the Live Oak Plantation Combined Driving Event presented by Budweiser. Not only did he win the FEI Team Horse Division he also played host, presenter, bloodstock agent, farm manager and competitor. “I want it seven times because nobody has ever won it seven...

Morgan trainer Tristanne Weber Childress, 34, of Siler City, NC, passed away March 17, 2008, following a short illness. Weber was born and raised in Colorado where she attended Evergreen High School before moving to Tulsa, OK, to train with her Morgan horses. She attended college while beginning her career as a professional horse trainer. Horses and her husband, Ed Childress, were her passion. Prior to opening her own training facility, Silhouette Training Stables, Weber was trainer at...

Jeff Wonnell, a lifelong consummate horseman who assisted with the introduction of the Friesian breed to the Federation, passed away on November 21, 2007, from injuries related to an accidental fall at his Branson West, MO, home. He was 86. For the past seven decades, Wonnell’s accomplishments were as a horseman, trainer, mentor, breeder and friend, each documented by countless championships and the horses he was responsible for breeding and showing. Wonnell never ceased to serve the equine...

The United States Hunter Jumper Association (USHJA) High-Performance Hunter Committee has been hard at work hosting demonstrations and classes this summer and fall, and the horse world is starting to take note. On Saturday night, the Verizon Center and the Washington International Horse Show played hosted to a $15,000 High-Performance Hunter Classic that wowed riders and spectators alike with its natural, rustic obstacles and similarity to a true hunt field. Diane Carney, a Chicago-area trainer...

It was a “typical day” at the office for Chester Weber as he went out and captured yet another USEF National Four-in-Hand Championship, his fifth in a row. Yet, Weber, of Ocala, FL, had some top-notch competition to challenge him as two previous five-time winners sought to win their sixth title. Both Tucker Johnson of Hobe Sound, FL, and James Fairclough of Newton, NJ, have accomplished what Weber has done, but neither has had the reign that Weber has maintained over the past five years. This...

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...

(Lexington, KY) - The Selection Procedures for the 2007 FEI World Combined Pony Driving Championships and 2007 World Pairs Championships have been mailed to all USEF long-listed drivers and will be posted on the USEF website under High Performance, Driving, 2007 World Championships. For more information contact Wendy Wares, (908) 326-1159. ~~~For more information, please contact Maria Partlow, Senior Vice President of Marketing and Communications, at (859) 225-6941, or via e-mail at...

Lexington, KY – Tucker Johnson of Hobe Sound, FL, took first in the FEI Driving Four-in-Hand class at the USEF 2006 CAI-B Oldwick at Cedar Lane Farm held April 28-30. Johnson and his team of Warmbloods posted scores of 54.66 in dressage, 88.51 in marathon and 6.00 in cones. James Fairclough of Newton, NJ, and James Richards of Atlanta, GA, were second and third respectively. This four-in-hand competition was one of several selection trials for the 2006 FEI World Games to be held late this...

Mike Ferrara (Arabian stallion A Temptation takes the championship in Arabian Pleasure Driving Amateur Owner to Drive with Barbara Chur of Strawberry Banks Farm in East Aurora, NY, at the U.S. Arabian Nationals. ) The 39th annual U.S. National Arabian and Half-Arabian Championship Horse Show (U.S. Nationals) is underway with exciting competition in Albuquerque, NM. The 10-day show, held October 20-29, is the flagship event for the Arabian horse industry, featuring top-quality horses, a shopping...