Lexington, KY – Bracket-style national championships are well-known in the NCAA basketball world and will soon be second nature in the NCAA equestrian world as well. The Varsity Equestrian Steering Committee recently announced that the 2006 Varsity Equestrian National Championship will take on the bracket-style format, a welcomed change by fans, competitors and coaches. Visit www.varsityequestrian.com to view the 2006 Western and English (Hunter Seat) brackets. In the past, each individual...

Lexington, KY –The United States Equestrian Federation® has partnered with U.S. Bank to offer members a new way to support USEF equestrian teams in their quest to compete in international competition, including the 2006 FEI World Equestrian Games, with the new United States Equestrian Federation Visa® Platinum Card from U.S. Bank. “When our members sign up for a new card under the USEF—U.S. Bank credit card partnership, they can rest assured our USEF equestrian athletes will benefit...

The vacated position on the Kentucky State Fair Board of Directors occupied for the last nine years by Mary Anne Cronan, and before her for 28 years by Joseph Stopher, is to be filled at the earliest opportunity by appointment of the Governor of Kentucky from a list of six nominees provided to him by the American Saddlebred Horse Association (ASHA). The Kentucky State Fair is the site of the World’s Championship Horse Show each August, highlighted by the American Saddlebred breed’s most...

Thomas Farm's stallions Pharaoh and Gallarius have returned to the United States after their nearly three-year sojourn standing at Gestut Tannenhof in Germany. Susan Thomas chose to give her stallions the opportunity to stand in Germany and continue their training under Oliver and Katrine Luze. Oliver had worked with the stallions earlier in their lives and thought so highly of them he welcomed the opportunity to add them to the Gestut Tannenhof line-up. Oliver Luze is the trainer of Anja...

Helen Krieble, the Founder of the Colorado Horse Park, received the prestigious Colorado Hunter Jumper Association (CHJA) Lifetime Achievement Award at the annual CHJA Banquet. “I am overwhelmed and honored by the support of the hunter/jumper community,” Krieble stated. “The Colorado Hunter Jumper Association and its members have played a key role in the success of the Colorado Horse Park.” The Colorado Horse Park evolved from High Prairie Farms, which began as a community equestrian center....

The Ohio Limited Breeders Stallion Service Auction will take place Saturday, February 25, at the Springfield-Clark County Ohio Equine Facility, near Springfield, OH. The doors will open at 5:15 p.m. with dinner at 5:30 p.m. The cost of the dinner is $15.00 per person, with tickets available at the door. Reservations would be appreciated by calling Claire Messerly at (740) 654-1101. Following the dinner, American Saddlebred Horse Association President Fred Sarver will address the audience on...

The American Saddlebred Horse Association (AHSA) and American Saddlebred Registry, which conduct their annual meetings in Lexington, KY, this week, announced results for the year ending December 31, 2005. On a consolidated basis, net income for the two combined corporations doubled to $168,145 from year-ago figures, from $83,713. Combined revenues rose $174,464 or 10%, to $1,928,291 from $1,753,827, net of the Registry’s prize programs, which accounted for another $548,535 in gross revenues,...

The American Endurance Ride Conference (AERC), the national governing body for endurance riding in the United States, will hold its annual convention in Texas for the first time in 2006. The two-day program of seminars, informational meetings and a free trade show is set for February 24-25 at the Crowne Plaza Riverwalk in San Antonio. Leading experts in equine health care and endurance-related fields will be featured at several seminar sessions. Other highlights of the AERC's convention will...

Lexington, KY - The Florida Classic horse show in Wellington will host a qualifier for the 2006 FEI Children’s International Jumping Final this Saturday and Sunday, February 18 and 19. Please note that, unlike the past two years, the 2006 Children’s Final will NOT be held in the U.S. What this means is that U.S. riders are considered “foreign” and will be invited according to the FEI Children’s International Jumping Competition rules using the worldwide standings listed on the FEI’s web site at...

2004 Olympic Show Jumping Gold Medalists: McLain Ward, Beezie Madden, Chris Kappler and Peter Wylde. (Photo by Kenneth Kraus/PhelpsSports.com) Wellington, FL – It was a perfect star spangled afternoon in the Internationale Arena at the Palm Beach Polo and Equestrian Club as Silver turned to Gold when the 2004 Olympic Team Gold medals were awarded to the United States Show Jumping Team. The 2004 Athens Olympic team of Peter Wylde, residing in Maastricht, The Netherlands; McLain Ward of...