Lexington, KY —Adding to a legacy of fine tradition, the United States Equestrian Federation is pleased to add the trusted name of Markel Insurance to the 2005 USEF Young Horse Dressage Program. This sponsorship will include the USEF/Markel Young Horse Dressage National Championships and the USEF/Markel Young Horse Dressage Selection Trials. Built on more than 40 years of comprehensive equine coverage, the reputation of Markel is unsurpassed in the field of equine insurance. “It was...

Lexington, KY —The United States Equestrian Federation is pleased to announce the newest supplier of horse blankets to the Federation—Blue Ribbon Custom Blankets by Royal Riders. Holding a rich tradition of excellence in equine clothing, Royal Riders has been producing some of the best horse blankets in the industry for nearly 30 years; hunter and equitation enthusiast Janet Graham has been at the helm for the last 13. Graham says the company has evolved quite a bit since its...

The American Saddlebred Horse Association has joined forces with the Kentucky Equine Education Project (KEEP) and have added Misdee Wrigley as a board member to the organization. Also members Hoppy Bennett from Shelby County and Joan Hamilton from Washington County have been selected as team leaders in their respective counties. KEEP’s main initiatives are to: · Educate the public and key state constituencies with regard to the benefits of the horse industry to all sectors of Kentucky's...

When Tim and Michelle Hackbardt launched their new online business, www.homeandstable.com , in August of 2004, they knew they’d need a good reliable shipping service to get products out to their customers. FedEx was the natural choice—and when they learned their business could help the United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) at the same time, it sealed the deal. “It’s a three way win,” says Tim, co-founder of www.homeandstable.com . “Every product that gets shipped out—a portion of the...

The American Horse Council reports that approximately 160,000 postcard invitations have been distributed asking people to participate in the national economic impact study of the horse industry. Those selected should receive the invitation in mid-October. The glossy postcard includes an Internet link that will direct the recipient to an online survey, where the information requested can be provided in a secure website. “We hope that this electronic approach will make it easy for people to...

The American Saddlebred Horse Association (ASHA) continues to grow in memberships, foal registrations, futurities and horses in the 2004 World's Championship Horse Show as the third quarter results are released for the fiscal period ending September 30, 2004. ASHA now has over 8,000 members for the first time in the association's history. Now with 8,057 members, the ASHA increased membership 8% from the end of the 2003 third quarter total of 7,433 members. Alan F. Balch, ASHA Executive...

ATHENS, Greece – As a whirlwind of competition and ancient Olympic culture wraps up in Athens, the U.S. Paralympic Equestrian Team prepares to make the return journey after a seventh place finish in Sunday’s Team competition. Representing a compilation of Individual and Team scores, the group posted 399.876 points in the last equestrian event of these Paralympic 2004 Games. “We feel happy with our accomplishments,” says Chef d’Equipe Denise Avolio....

ATHENS, September 20 - The riders taking part in the Paralympic Games had the opportunity to test the Dressage arena today, under real competition conditions. The warm-up session took place at the Markopoulo Olympic Equestrian Centre and was a successful dress rehearsal for all parties involved. However, not all riders went out to the arena today: a lot of them chose to remain out of the warm-up phase in order to allow themselves and their horses to rest until the real competition begins...

The 29th Annual Hampton Classic Horse Show’s feature event, the $150,000 Prudential Financial Grand Prix, will be broadcast on Fox Sports New York at 4 p.m. EDT on Saturday, September 25. In the Grand Prix, Darragh Kerins of Ireland, along with his horse Nabucco, rode to victory. Kerins was one of three entries from a starting field of 26 to qualify for the tiebreaking jump-off by riding without penalty over the 14-jump, first-round course designed by Olympic veteran Conrad Homfeld. Kerins...

Dello Joio returns to venue of his 1992 Olympic Bronze Medal Victory Lexington, KY – The United States Equestrian Federation yesterday announced the show jumping team for the final 2004 Samsung Super League Competition to be held at the Real Club de Polo de Barcelona in Barcelona, Spain September 16-19. Selections for CSIO Barcelona were based on ranking on the August 6, 2004, USEF Computer List, with the possibility of up to two Discretionary Choices. The team members are as follows: Rider...