“It was ok,” said Hart after her test. “I’m relatively happy, he was a little more settled, it was better (than Sunday). He was definitely a little happier in there.” Hart, 24, from Erie, PA was born with Familial Spastic Paraplegia and has been involved in Para Equestrian activities for over a decade. She is looking forward to her third and final shot at a medal in the Individual Freestyle on Wednesday evening. The arena proved to be quite buzzy for some of the horses, even during the day....

In the aftermath of Hurricane Gustav, the Louisiana State University (LSU) School of Veterinary Medicine and team members of the Equine Health Studies Program have developed a call center in an effort to respond to the potential needs of horse owners in southern Louisiana. The telephone number for horse owners in need is (225) 578-9501. This helpline will function from 8 a.m.-5 p.m. through the coming weekend and perhaps longer if the need is evident. A secondary number exclusively dedicated to...

Lexington, KY— The 2008 United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) Dressage Seat Medal Finals presented by Dressage Today® was held August 29-30 at the Lamplight Equestrian Center in Wayne, IL. Riders came from across the country to compete for the championship in two age divisions— 13 & Under and 14-18 division. The purpose of the USEF Dressage Seat Medal Program is to promote and reward excellence in equitation, including correct seat, position, and use of aids in the sport of dressage....

The World Games 2010 Foundation announced that Kathleen Spears has been selected as Director of Finance for the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games. Spears brings to the Foundation her experience in public and industry accounting, with an emphasis in equine industry accounting and finance. "We are very pleased to have Kathleen on board with our team," said Walter Herd, Chief Administrative Officer for the World Games 2010 Foundation. "Her experience and knowledge in this industry makes her a...

Jimmy Torano of Ft. Lauderdale, FL, topped the $10,000 Open Jumper High Score Awards, presented by Sir Ruly, Inc., at the six-week Vermont Summer Festival held July 9-August 17 in East Dorset, VT. Offered for the second year, the $10,000 Open Jumper High Score Awards, presented by Sir Ruly, Inc., awards $10,000 in bonus money to the most consistent open jumper competitors throughout the six-week circuit. For the second year in a row, it was Torano who came out on top. Torano is one of the...

The Missouri State Fairgrounds in Sedalia, MO, will be the location for Women and Horses Expo 2008, October 24-26. Among the presenters and clinicians will be Bonnie Davis from California. Davis is an avid trail rider, horsecamper, consulting editor to Trail Rider magazine, writer and owner of Two Horse Enterprises ( www.twohorseenterprises.com ), which is dedicated to trail riding and horsecamping. Davis will host the forum and discussion, "Who Says You Can't Do It?!" She maintains, "One is...

Hilary M. Clayton, BVMS, PhD, MRCVS, will be the speaker at the Dressage at Devon Forum on Wednesday, September 24. With "The Bio-Mechanics of the Horse," participants will enjoy a brief lecture as well as a lively question and answer discussion session. A gourmet boxed dinner and soft drinks will be served. There will also be a cash bar. The lecture, "Fitness Training to Maximize Dressage Performance," will address the fitness requirements of dressage horses at different levels of training,...

Authentic (Shannon Brinkman) Hong Kong, China – Under the unsettled skies of the impending typhoon the individual medals were decided by not one but two jump-offs. America’s Beezie Madden and Authentic out ran six other combinations to be the fastest of the four faulters to win her first Indivdual medal. “In the Olympics there is usually a jump off for medals,” said Madden. “So we expected it. When it ended up being seven to jump off for the bronze it made for a...

Hong Kong, China - The US show jumpers were all business when they returned to the main arena at Sha Tin tonight for the first round of the Nations Cup, the US riders finished on 12 faults, tied with Switzerland for the lead. Sapphire was Perfect for McLain Ward (Shannon Brinkman) Bookended by two members of the 2004 Gold medal winning team, Team USA’s performance was impressive, although somewhat unpredictable. McLain Ward and Sapphire started it off for the US but they had plenty of...

Becky Holder and Courageous Comet (Shannon Brinkman) Hong Kong, China – Becky Holder cashed in on a lifetime of preparation today when she cantered down the centerline of the dressage ring of her first Olympic Games. She put in a fantastic effort to lead the US Eventing Team to a second place finish after three riders. The US Team finished on a score of 121.50 behind the Australians who were on fire with a three rider total of 102.8. Riding the 13-year-old Thoroughbred Courageous Comet...