The American Trakehner Association (ATA) is pleased to announce the winners of the 2009 Futurity Awards. These awards are presented to the top young Trakehner horses who have achieved the highest scores for their disciplines during the 2009 season. Over $500,000 has been paid out in the ATA Futurity to date. American Trakehner Horses born in 2005 or later are eligible for nomination for the upcoming futurity competitions. Horses nominated for the futurity have several opportunities to win. As...

Exhibitors at the 2009 Arabian Sport Horse National (SHN) Championships raked in extra prize money for their accomplishments, courtesy of the SHN Payback Program for the second consecutive year. Founded in 2007, the SHN Payback Program was implemented by a group of longtime Arabian breeders and riders. By offering cash rewards, the group has been able to encourage interest and enthusiasm in the Sport Horse Nationals show, as well as the breeding of Arabians specifically for the sport-type...

The World Games 2010 Foundation, Inc., announced the American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA) as the Official Reining Breed Sponsor. Reining will be one of eight world championships contested at the Games, which will be held at Lexington’s Kentucky Horse Park on September 25-October 10, 2010. As the Official Reining Breed Sponsor, AQHA will assist with the promotion and coverage of reining during the 2010 Games, and will be featured in the Equine Village. In addition, reining will be...

Balmullo’s Azalea (Concord River Roaringwater Bay x Courtney’s April Frolic, by Custusha’s Cashel Rock), shown as Ooh La La and ridden by young rider and new owner Sara Powell of Lexington, KY, qualified for the 2009 USEF Pony Finals at their first "A" rated show together. The pair were champions, winning all over fences classes as well as the conformation class, in the large pony division at the USEF "A" rated Lakeside Arena Winter Series show. Powell, who is 15, and Ooh La La are currently...

For the 2009 breeding season, Flyinge, the Swedish National Stud, will include the KWPN stallion Lingh (Flemmingh x Columbus, by Uppercut xx) in its breeding program. Lingh has already arrived in Flyinge, a town in Southern Sweden just 48 miles from Copenhagen, Denmark. Throughout his performance career, Lingh has been one of the highest FEI-ranked dressage stallions in the world. He has had exceptional successes and numerous placings in international grand prix with Edward Gal and Karin...

Lexington, KY – Plans are under way for the 2008 United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) Youth Convention and registration is open, but space is limited for the convention. Already, over half of the available spots have been filled for the first annual Youth Convention, which will be held January 12 in Louisville, KY. Along with the schedule, the break-out sessions have been finalized. The Youth Convention will feature many notable speakers, including experts in the equine industry as well...

Lexington, KY - Marion Maybank has been promoted to the position of Director of Hunter and Collegiate Activities for the United States Equestrian Federation®. She assumes the position vacated by Andrea Ice, who had been with USEF since 1993 and is moving overseas. Maybank’s duties will include oversight of the Hunter Department, under the supervision of Karen Homer-Brown, Managing Director, National Affiliates. In addition, Maybank will continue her efforts in developing and implementing...

Tucker Johnson at the Royal Windsor Horse Show (RWHS/Peter Nixon Photo) Dressage In Germany at the CDI3* Hamburg, US riders Catherine Haddad and Susie Dutta put in very respectable performances in the Grand Prix. Finishing with a solid score in the Grand Prix on Friday, Dutta and Currency DC executed a beautiful test in the Grand Prix Special to finish in second with a score of 68.667%. Haddad, with 10-year-old Hanoverian Winyamaro, her newest Grand Prix partner, were second in the Freestyle...

(NBC, OLN, CNBC To Air Coverage May 2nd, 9th and 16th ) At this weekend’s Rolex Kentucky Three Day Event presented by Bayer, Kim Severson of Scottsville, VA, won the CCI**** (four-star) Championship and Darren Chiacchia, of Springville, NY, won the new Bayer Modified Four-Star Three-Day Event. The Rolex CCI**** included a strong field of international competitors from Australia, Belgium, Canada, Great Britain, Greece and New Zealand. It is the first time the modified format has been run...

Blacksburg, Va. – On Dec. 7, the Virginia Tech Helmet Lab released the results of its first-ever rating of equestrian helmets. Over the past two years, Virginia Tech researchers analyzed over 100 videos of riders falling off horses, precisely measured the hardness of the sand, dirt, grass, and synthetic surfaces underfoot at equestrian events, and dragged dummy heads and other equipment — and boxes and boxes of helmets — out to Virginia Tech’s equestrian facilities to...