Ariat International, Inc., is proud to announce that Beezie Madden won the overall title at the 2008 Spruce Meadows National Tournament and was named the 2008 Spruce Meadows Canadian Champion. Madden won both events on the last day of the National, including the $40,000 ATCO Structures Double Slalom on Conquest II and the $175,000 Nexen Cup Derby on Judgement. Madden's performance at the Derby is legendary. She is the only rider in the history of the event to master the course without incurring...

Thunderbird Show Park and the Washington State Hunter and Jumper Association have teamed together to create a new hunter/jumper circuit named the Northwest Summer Circuit. The circuit includes the Evergreen Classic, the Thunderbird Summer Classic and the Thunderbird Summer Festival. The Evergreen Classic will be held at Remlinger Farms Equestrian Park in Carnation, WA, from August 6-10. The Thunderbird Summer Classic is scheduled from August 13-17 at Thunderbird Show Park in Langley, British...

An active and well-known member of the Saddlebred community, Shan Ellis Donaldson, died on Tuesday, September 25, 2007, at St. Joseph Hospital in Lexington, KY. She was 60. The Georgetown, KY, native became an equestrian at an early age, and her love of horses led to her parents, R. E. Ellis Jr., DMD, and Martha “Perkie” Ellis, founding the Longview Riding Camp. Shan and her husband of 40 years, Jamie Donaldson, started their own horse photography business. For many years, Shan could be found...

Horse lovers from all walks of life gathered in the Sundowner Arena to attend a series of three clinics given by World Champion horsemen Al Dunning and Bob Avila, presented by Farnam Horse Products, during the Ninth Annual Western States Horse Expo, held June 8-10 in Sacramento, CA. Through a unique blend of demonstrations, expert techniques and humorous banter, Dunning and Avila combined their considerable talents to provide the crowds with the proven methods for training reining horses. In...

Allison Nemeth and Tiko. Photo: Annan Hepner/Phelps Media Group Wellington, Fla. – Twenty of America’s top young dressage athletes had the opportunity to work with former U.S. Dressage Technical Advisor and Chef d’Equipe Robert Dover and other prominent coaches as part of the 2021 USEF Robert Dover Horsemastership Clinic Week (RDHCW). This year’s program took place at the Adequan® Global Dressage Festival in Wellington, Fla., January 7-10. With a lifetime of...

Dear Fellow Members, We just finished our Annual Meeting in Lexington, Kentucky where we reported on the great results of the first year of our Strategic Plan. I was happy to report that we grew membership for the first time in years, increasing almost 30% to over 105,000 members. We also reported strong financial results, growing financial reserves, 23 signed and/or re-signed sponsors, new initiatives launched to strengthen the developmental pathway for horses and riders, increased access to...

Lexington, Ky. – US Equestrian, in conjunction with the UPHA Board of Directors, has agreed to move the USEF Saddle Seat Adult Amateur Medal Final to the UPHA American Royal National Championship Horse Show starting in 2023. The decision was made to move this Final from the Lexington Junior League Charity Horse Show to the UPHA American Royal National Championship Horse Show to enable the adult amateur riders to have a longer qualification time frame for the 2023 competition year....

Blaine Mangione takes a break from the jumper ring to win the $1,000 USHJA National Hunter Derby (Bella Nova Pictures) Versatility was the name of the game as riders transitioned between the equitation, hunter, and jumper rings at Gold Coast 5 (July 19-21). Young professional Blaine Mangione, usually seen in the jumper arena, proved she could win the blue ribbon in $1,000 USHJA National Hunter Derby as well. “I was really shocked! I’m usually in the middle of the pack so I honestly...

The equine genetics research group at the University of Minnesota College of Veterinary Medicine is collaborating with Ray Geor, BVSc, MVSc, PhD, Dipl. ACVIM, professor and chair of the department of large animal clinical sciences at Michigan State University, and Nicholas Frank, DVM, PhD, Dipl. ACVIM, associate professor of large animal clinical sciences at the University of Tennessee, to investigate the occurrence and genetics of equine metabolic syndrome (EMS). Bob Coleman, PhD, PAS,...

Grand Champion Hunter Lone Star with Leading Hunter Rider Hunt Tosh in the irons (Al Cook Photo ) Harrisburg, Penn. - Dr. Betsee Parker's Lone Star and Hunt Tosh turned in stellar performances in the Regular Working Hunter division this week, earning the 10-year-old gelding the Grand Champion Hunter title. Hunt Tosh was also named the Leading Hunter Rider. "He is the horse of a lifetime," said Tosh, who hails from Cumming, Ga. "It is such a great thing to win on a horse like this. He tried to...