Lexington, KY —Effective immediately, Sara Ike will be taking on a new role at the United States Equestrian Federation (USEF), as High Performance Director of Vaulting and USADA Coordinator. “Sara Ike has a wide range of knowledge and experience in equestrian sport, coupled with outstanding organizational skills,” says Jim Wolf, Executive Director of High Performance. “Sara has such a high level of energy and a love for vaulting. She’s a natural fit for this...

Horse owners who frequently travel out of the state of North Carolina with their animals for horse shows and festivals can take advantage of a new agreement between Southern states that will eliminate the need to obtain monthly animal health certificates. The agreement between Alabama, Arkansas, Florida, Georgia, Louisiana, Mississippi, North Carolina, Oklahoma, South Carolina, Tennessee, Virginia and West Virginia will allow horse owners to apply for an Equine Event Permit that will be good...

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...

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...

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...

Lexington, KY – At their semi-annual meeting yesterday, The Board of Directors of the United States Equestrian Federation unanimously re-elected David O’Connor as USEF President. His new term will run from January 2005 to January 2009. O’Connor has served as USEF President since July, 2003. The USEF was created by the joining of the former USA Equestrian and the United States Equestrian Team and O’Connor has been instrumental in the transition to the new organization. He has an extensive list...