The 2009 American Saddlebred Registry Grand National competition schedule has been revised to include the Missouri State Fair, August 12-15, and the St. Louis National Charity, September 23-26. The designated Grand National Class for the Missouri State Fair is the Five-Gaited Championship. Likewise, the Western Country Pleasure Championship will serve as the Grand National Class for the St. Louis National Charity. Visit www.asha.net/asr-gn_showschedule to view the entire 2009 Grand National...

The Arabian Horse Association (AHA) of Aurora, CO, is proud to name its top point-earning amateurs for 2008. Natacha Lesburgueres of Louisville, KY, earned 532 points, becoming the adult amateur winner, while Collier McLeod of Augusta, GA, earned 522.5 points for the youth amateur top spot. The AHA Amateur Achievement Award program began in 2002 and has since tracked the points that individual riders, handlers and drivers earn each year. In 2008 the program was adjusted to recognize adults and...

The Arabian Horse Association (AHA) is proud to announce FF Irish Vodka+++//, owned by Collier McLeod of Augusta, GA, as its 2008 High-Point Horse. FF Irish Vodka, a 10-year-old, Anglo-Arabian ended the year with 487.5 points earned in working hunter, hunter hack, sport horse under saddle, dressage and in-hand classes. McLeod, who also picked up the Youth Amateur Achievement Award for the year, rode “Guinness” to three national championships at Canadian Nationals and several Top 10s at both...

The San Antonio Saddle Horse Association (SASHA) will host its annual Charity Horse Show on Friday, March 6, though Sunday, March 8, 2009, at the San Antonio Rose Palace in San Antonio, TX, to benefit their local, non-profit Visitation House of San Antonio. The Visitation House is a transitional housing program for homeless women and their children. The mission of the Visitation House Transitional Housing Program is to assist women in ending the cycle of poverty and homelessness in their lives...

The American Vaulting Association (AVA) will celebrate its 40th anniversary at its Annual Convention, February 26-March 1, in the Washington, DC, metropolitan area. The four-day convention, themed “Reaching Out, Reaching Up!” will feature a special full-day workshop by members of the Pilobolus Dance Company, who have thrilled millions around the world with their own take on the imaginative and athletic exploration of creative collaboration. Well-known equestrian and author Daniel Stewart will...

The United States Dressage Federation (USDF) and Great American Insurance Group are pleased to announce that prize money at the Great American/USDF Regional Dressage Championships has been increased to include the adult amateur and junior/young rider divisions at both the intermediate II and grand prix levels. In total, over $143,000 in prize money will be award in the 2009 Great American/USDF Regional Championships, divided evenly among the nine regions and 35 divisions that are offered....

Para-Equestrian Trainers’ Symposium This two-day workshop, held April 18 from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and April 19 from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. will educate dressage trainers and therapeutic riding instructors alike about para-equestrian dressage rider development, the classification system and rider eligibility, competitions, and resources, both regionally and nationally. Through the use of lecture, videos and demonstration riders, examples will be given of how to bring riders along in your own program from...

The Unwanted Horse Coalition’s (UHC) National Speaker Program is up and running. If you are an equine group with an upcoming event and would like to have someone speak about the UHC, what it does and the problem of unwanted horses, the UHC has a program to provide you with this support. The UHC has volunteers across the country who may be able to attend your event and present information from the Coalition. If you have an equine-related event coming up, please contact the UHC to request a...

Horses and Humans Research Foundation (HHRF) invites proposals to investigate the therapeutic effects of horses on humans. The Foundation's broad research agenda includes basic research as well as clinical studies that will ultimately impact physical and mental health and the quality of life for people with disabilities who are involved with equine-assisted activities/therapies. Grants are awarded on a competitive basis, taking into account scientific merit, scientific and clinical significance...

The 2009 American Saddlebred Registry Grand National prize program schedule of competitions has been announced. This year, the Grand National features 32 shows offering 61 classes with over $138,000 offered in prize money for Grand National-eligible American Saddlebreds. The schedule is available at www.asha.net/asr-gn_showschedule . In addition, competitions that have traditionally supported the Grand National were entered into a drawing for three Grand National Championship Stakes. The...