The American Shetland Pony Club (ASPC) is ready to rock and roll with the celebration of their 120th Anniversary during the 2008 American Shetland Pony National Championship Congress Show in Cloverdale, IN. The Shetland Pony Championship Congress Show will be held at the new Crossroads Arena facility in historic “Covered Bridge Country” on July 30 through August 2. The excitement is steadily growing as the Shetland Pony Congress kick-off date approaches. “In honor of the 120th Anniversary of...

Lexington, KY - U.S. Drivers Chester Weber and Tucker Johnson prepared for September's World Championships with solid performances at the prestigious CHIO Chester Weber's Second Place Team (Andres Steindl) Aachen today in Aachen, Germany. Weber and Tucker sit in second and fourth individually after the marathon and lie second, on a score of 296.81, less than a point behind The Netherlands (296.23), in the team portion of the competition. Weber, from Ocala, FL, has a two-day score of 144.64...

The Arabian Horse Association (AHA), an equine breed organization that serves 37,000 members and registers more than one million Arabian, Half-Arabian and Anglo-Arabian horses, is pleased to announce that Glenn T. Petty of Wake Forest, NC, will take over as executive vice president, effective July 1, 2008. Petty brings nearly 40 years of equine industry experience to the position, including over 30 years as a show manager, 15 years as North Carolina’s State Horse Specialist and years of...

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...