The United States Equestrian Team (USET) Foundation is pleased to announce that Ashlee Bond, 23, of Hidden Hills, CA, and Michelle Spadone, 25, of Califon, NJ, are this year's co-winners of the Maxine Beard Show Jumping Developing Rider Award. The USET Foundation awarded these rising young equestrians this honor because of their competitive records to date and because of their promise for the future in show jumping. Bond and Spadone were given trophies at a presentation during the 2009...

Lexington, KY – Reining joined the FEI North American Junior/Young Rider Championships (NAJYRC) in 2008 with huge success. 2009 promises to be even more exciting with the addition of SmartPak Equine as the Title Sponsor of Reining. The North American Young Rider Championships will feature the best Reiners, aged 18-21, vying for FEI medals at the Kentucky Horse Park as part of the 2009 Adequan FEI North American Junior/Young Rider Championships presented by Gotham North. This Championship will...

American Saddlebred Horse Association (ASHA) Youth Scholarship applications will be due at the end of this month, on Thursday, April 30. Applications can be found on the ASHA website at www.asha.net/Youth-Scholarships along with additional documents and information. The purpose of these scholarships is to encourage, support and recognize participation in all aspects of the American Saddlebred industry, as well as to strengthen the American Saddlebred industry and breed through education. Four...

The Show Jumping Hall of Fame held its annual induction ceremony at the Budweiser American Invitational at Raymond James Stadium in Tampa, FL, on Saturday evening, April 4. Honored with induction were Dr. John Steele and the horses Abdullah, Miss Budweiser and Riviera Wonder. Induction into the Show Jumping Hall of Fame is a great honor bestowed annually upon select individuals whose contribution to the sport has set them apart from others and whose influence has had a significant impact on the...

Riders taking part in the "Intro to Eventing" clinic at The Oaks Equestrian Center, home to the inaugural O’Connor Signature Facility, not only learned the basics of eventing but also had a chance to test out the world-class cross-country course designed by Olympians David and Karen O’Connor. Rhonda Gailey, Resident Equestrian Facility Manager of The Oaks Equestrian Center, taught the two-day Intro to Eventing clinic. “We had an excellent response for the clinic. Everyone who attended learned a...

The 2009 American Saddlebred Registry (ASR) Futurity nomination forms and general provisions are now available on the American Saddlebred Horse Association (ASHA) website at www.asha.net/Prize-forms . The deadline to nominate mares and stallions for 2009 foals is April 15, 2009. This year’s nominations consist of two new additions. Stallions and mares registered with any foreign registry approved by ASR will now be accepted for sire and dam nominations. If registered with an approved foreign...

The American Vaulting Association celebrated the 40th anniversary of its founding and presented its most prestigious awards to its members at its Annual Convention last week. Suzanne Detol, a longtime AVA member, FEI (O) level judge, coach and lunger, was presented the coveted AVA Lifetime Achievement Award for her entire scope of vast contributions over the past 35 years. A former vaulter herself, Detol chairs the AVA’s Technical Committee and Judges Program, and has run the organization’s...

Christie Little, age nine, of Harrington, DE, is the winner of the Morgan horse, "Cash," or CBMF Walk The Line, as part of an essay contest sponsored by the American Morgan Horse Association (AMHA) and Team Morgan. Cash was generously donated to the contest by Ann Hailey of Copper Beech Morgans in New Albany, OH, which promoted the Morgan breed and raised funds for Team Morgan to travel to and host international equitation competitions. A fourth grader, Little has worked with her family's...

Combined driver Chester Weber continued his goal of qualifying for the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games by winning the FEI division for four-in-hand horses at the Sunshine State FEI Combined Driving Event held at the Florida Horse Park. Weber, who was recently named a 2008 Equestrian of Honor by the United States Equestrian Federation, was pleased with his weekend, which included a first place in the dressage, FEI horse team and the marathon course. While Team Weber dominated the...

USA Equestrian Trust, Inc. ( www.trusthorses.org ) has announced that its deadline for receipt of written applications for grants from not-for-profit organizations this year is Wednesday, April 15, at the close of business, 5 p.m. Eastern Time. Interested applicants should visit https://trusthorses.org/grant/request.html for instructions and the appropriate forms to be completed. At its annual meeting held in conjunction with the United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) convention in...