Diana DeRosa (Karen O'Connor and Theodore O'Connor at the 2007 Pan American Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil.) It is with great sadness that the United States Equestrian Federation reports that super pony Theodore O’Connor was humanely euthanized Wednesday, May 28, as a result of an injury sustained in an accident at Karen and David O’Connor’s barn in The Plains, VA. The 13-year-old eventing pony defied odds and gravity throughout his career. Standing only 14.1 hands, the...

The first week of competition at Horse Shows by the Bay (July 16-20) has been awarded this year the prestigious World Champion Hunter Rider sanctioning by the American Hunter-Jumper Foundation (AHJF). Horse Shows by the Bay is a three-week equestrian festival held in scenic Traverse City, MI, July 16-August 3. In addition to its WCHR sanctioning, Horse Shows by the Bay will hold numerous hunter classics throughout the three weeks of competition and will offer fantastic prize money. Attaining...

The University of Vermont Morgan Horse Farm in Weybridge, VT, has received a pledge of $1 million from the Amy E. Tarrant Foundation. The gift, the largest ever to the historic facility, will be used to create an Amy E. Tarrant Endowed Fund for the Morgan Horse Farm, with $800,000 to establish the endowment and $200,000 designated for current operating needs. Earnings on the endowment will provide funding for the farm in perpetuity. "We are so very grateful to Amy Tarrant for her gift," said...

The Arabian Horse Association (AHA) is pleased to introduce a new Arabian Horse Foundation to meet the growing needs of the Arabian horse community. The foundation will fund previously unsupported areas, such as general education, equine research and disaster relief. Donors will have the option to designate their contributions to a particular category. “This foundation will provide, for the first time, a way for donors to select how they want their gift to be used,” said Larry Kinneer,...

President of the Equestrian Committee (Hong Kong) of the Beijing Organising Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad (BOCOG), Chief Secretary for Administration Henry Tang and members of the committee toured the Hong Kong Olympic and Paralympic Village and core equestrian venue in Sha Tin on March 4. They inspected the progress of construction works in relation to the competition venue and supporting facilities for the equestrian events to be staged in Hong Kong. The committee visited the...

In an effort to support the needs of the horse and horse owner in Kentucky, the Kentucky Horse Council (KHC), in partnership with the Kentucky Association of Equine Practitioners and the Kentucky Veterinary Medical Association, has established a hotline (866-634-0030) for Kentucky horse owners. The hotline is a network to connect resources—hay and other equine feed, vet and feed funding, rescue facilities—with Kentuckians who need those resources. Designed as a tool for all horse...

For the third consecutive year, Wachovia Securities, one of the nation's largest full service retail brokerage firms, will return as the title sponsor for the American Gold Cup, to be held Wednesday, September 17, through Sunday, September 21, 2008, at the Cleveland Metroparks Polo Field in Moreland Hills. The Wachovia Securities American Gold Cup attracts riders who compete for more than $200,000 in prize money in 23 different show jumping classes where the object is to jump obstacles without...

The American Endurance Ride Conference (AERC), the national governing body for endurance riding in the United States, will hold its 2008 annual convention in Reno, NV. The two-day program of seminars, informational meetings and a free trade show is set for February 29-March 1 at the Silver Legacy Resort Casino. Leading experts in equine health care and endurance-related fields will be featured at several seminar sessions as part of the convention’s “Riding With Education” theme. Other...

The Show Jumping Hall of Fame Jumper Classic Series is officially underway, and 2008 is expected to be a great year for the series and its competitors. The series will see classes at more than 100 horse shows across the country before culminating in year-end championships at the National Horse Show in Wellington, FL, in December. The series hosts separate divisions for junior and amateur-owner riders in two conferences—the East Conference and the West Conference. Series standings are used...

HITS is pleased to announce that the Stallion Services Department of the Equine Medical Center of Ocala, FL, will offer the Leading Mare Award to the mare that finishes the highest in the $100,000 DeLuca Toyota Tundra Grand Prix, presented by Great American Insurance Group on Sunday, March 16, at HITS Ocala. The award consists of a free embryo transfer, which will be performed by Dr. Corey Miller, head of reproduction at the Ocala-based veterinary hospital. Any mare based in the United States...