HITS would like to congratulate all of the riders in this year's 2009 ASPCA Maclay National Championships, which was held on October 31 at the Syracuse Invitational Sporthorse Tournament, featuring the 126th National Horse Show. Of the top 10 ribbon winners, nine of the riders compete at HITS winter show circuits, either in Thermal, CA, or Ocala, FL. Winner Zazou Hoffman of Santa Monica, CA, is a past regular competitor in Thermal, as are Samantha Harrison (fourth place) and Lucy Davis (sixth)....

Rising star Daniel Bluman added another impressive line to his resume when he bested a star-studded field aboard Fatalis Fatum to secure the top prize in the $100,000 United States Grand Prix League (USGPL) Invitational Grand Prix at HITS Commonwealth Park in Culpeper, VA. Bluman and his impressive mount have now won three grand prix events in a row, including a victory in the $100,000 class at The Hampton Classic. "I am very proud of my horse," said Bluman. "He is proud to do his job. When I...

Today at Arabian Sport Horse Nationals (SHN), my fellow Arabian horse lovers and I were treated to a preview of the new Arabian Horse Galleries at the Kentucky Horse Park's International Museum of the Horse. The Purebred Arabian Trust funded a 9,000 square foot building to be added on to the existing museum, although they are still requesting donations to finish the exhibit. Those of us at SHN were invited to a special presentation (with a sales pitch artfully thrown in) to see what the...

Photo by Javan Schaller/Courtesy AHA (Patrick Swayze and Tammen) Patrick Swayze, a passionate and valued member of the Arabian horse community died from pancreatic cancer complications at the age of 57. Swayze was known to most as a dancer and actor in films such as “Dirty Dancing,” “Roadhouse” and “Ghost.” To the Arabian horse community he was an accomplished and giving horseman. An active participant at Arabian shows throughout the late '80s and early...

These last three days have been sooo busy! We get up at 6am and back to the hotel at around 1am! So let me give you an overview on what has been happening. August 25, 2009 Today our 14 year old rider Theresa rode and boy did she ride the hair off of her horse! She was a sight minus a few pilot errors that every rider makes once in a while. She unfortunately did not place in her class but North Wind Stables were very proud of her. August 26,2009 This day would be a day I will always remember. I...

August 22, 2009 Saturday was such an eventful day! We allowed the horse's to rest in the stalls on Friday to become accustomed to the climate and to calm their nerves down from the 12 hour drive. So after their relaxing day of rest, we got to work them. All 9 horses were perfect and we worked them to the best of their abilities. The funny part about Saturday though came after we worked the horses. Customers of ours and my family went to a café on the show grounds to enjoy lunch. And...

The ever popular Reining By The Bay celebrates its 10th Anniversary this year. In line with the celebration, show producers RBB, Inc., have announced that the Peninsula Humane Society has been deemed the official charity of the organization. The news is just in time for the 2009 Reining By The Bay event, which takes place July 21-26 at The Horse Park in Woodside, CA. "We are very excited to be working with the Peninsula Humane Society at the Reining By The Bay,” said Mandi Brumley of RBB,...

Photo by Howard Schatzberg (Jessica Moctezuma on CH A Magic Surprise.) Lexington, KY –The United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) announces that Jessica Moctezuma has been selected as the USEF Junior Equestrian of the Year. Moctezuma will be honored during the USEF’s Annual Meeting, January 14-18, 2009 in Cincinnati, OH, as part of the Pegasus Awards held Saturday evening. The Ruth O’Keefe Meredith Trophy was established in 1985 to honor a junior equestrian who has made...

The World Games 2010 Foundation, Inc., announced it has reached an agreement with Red Sky Publishing for Doug Prather to be the “Official Photographer” for the Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games 2010. The agreement will allow the Foundation to work closely with and have access to Prather’s work ahead of and during the 2010 Games. The images will be used in the organization’s media and marketing promotional campaigns, brochures, posters and displays, as well as many other areas. “We are excited...

Lexington, KY – The United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) is pleased to announce the continuation of a multi-year partnership with Markel Insurance to sponsor the USEF Young Horse Dressage Program. This sponsorship also includes the Markel/USEF Young Horse Dressage National Championships and the Markel/USEF Young Horse Dressage Selection Trials. “Markel came on board to sponsor this program early in our strategy to build our developing horse and rider programs which are critical to our...