Show jumping will never be the same. The first Pfizer Million Grand Prix qualifier and the $5,000 Devoucoux Hunter Derby made a big impact on the show jumping circuit, in what will be a mainstay throughout this year's HITS Ocala Winter Circuit. The winner of the $25,000 HITS Grand Prix, presented by Pfizer Animal Health and first prospective Pfizer Million qualifier was Callan Solem on Allison. With 32 horse and rider teams eager to win, it was a competitive field. "She [Allison] invented me,"...

The inaugural $25,000 Chicago Hunter Derby was a huge success this year, bringing top-notch hunter competition to the Midwest for a special one-day event that raised more than $60,000 for the Children's Memorial Hospital. The Chicago Hunter Derby was hosted by Chicago Equestrians for a Cause (CEC) and was held on August 30, 2009, at Annali Farm in Antioch, IL. Children's Memorial Hospital is one of Chicago's most precious civic assets. As Illinois' only freestanding hospital exclusively for...

Members of the American Shetland Pony Club, the American Miniature Horse Registry and the American Show Pony Registry (ASPC/AMHR/ASPR) will reap the rewards for a successful year and plan for 2010 at the small equine organization’s upcoming annual convention. Supporters of the versatile and popular small equine breeds will meet in Orlando, FL, November 5-7. The ASPC/AMHR/ASPR are non-profit organizations established to preserve and refine the bloodlines of small equines and promote the...

Wayne, IL – In the spectacular setting of Lamplight Equestrian Center in Wayne, Illinois, competition got underway at the Markel/USEF National Young Horse Dressage Championships and USEF National Developing Horse Dressage Championship presented by the Dutta Corporation and Performance Sales International. After all the horses were presented at the veterinary inspection on Thursday, excitement continued to build as young horses began their quest for USEF National Championships titles. Traveling...

The United States Dressage Federation (USDF) is pleased to announce that Kassandra Barteau and Gina Frantz’s Holsteiner stallion, GP Raymeister, were awarded this year’s Fiona Baan Pursuit of Excellence Memorial Trophy. Kassandra is originally from Orlando, FL, but now lives in Maple Park, IL. In her last year as a young rider, Barteau earned the title of Collecting Gaits Farm/USEF National Young Rider Champion. She was a member of the Silver medal-winning Young Rider Team representing Region 2....

The Swedish Warmblood Association of North America (SWANA) is pleased to announce their 2009 Inspection Tour. The international team of Swedish judges includes Jan-Ove Olsson of the Stallion Committee and Lasse Berglund, jumping judge. The Inspections are fun and educational. Everyone is welcome to come enjoy the horses and learn; the Swedish judges are very good about explaining what they are looking at; always with an eye to finding the best points of a horse and explaining the Swedish sytem...

As the Arabian Horse Association’s (AHA) Youth Nationals Arabian and Half-Arabian Championship Horse Show approaches, AHA continues to celebrate its 2008 Youth of the Year, Kim Luebcke of Peoria, IL. Luebcke, a college freshman at Southern Illinois University, Carbondale, past Region 11 Youth Director and past Arabian Horse Youth Association (AHYA) President, maintains her role of Youth of the Year with grace and gratitude. Each year the Youth of the Year subcommittee works to find an Arabian...

The United States Eventing Association (USEA) is pleased to announce that its Board of Governors has awarded the 2010-2012 USEA American Eventing Championships (AEC) to Chattahoochee Hills Eventing in Fairburn, GA. This will be the third site to host the championships, which began in 2004 at the Carolina Horse Park in Raeford, NC, and moved to Lamplight Equestrian Center in Wayne, IL, in 2007. "We are very excited and energized by our partnership with Carl Bouckaert and his team,” said Kevin...

Norman Brinker, who served as an alternate with the United States show jumping team at the 1952 Summer Olympic Games in Helsinki, passed away due to pneumonia while on vacation in Colorado. Brinker was born in Denver, CO, on June 3, 1931, to Kathryn and Eugene Brinker. He helped his family at a young age by buying and selling horses and a variety of other jobs. He attended the New Mexico Military Institute in high school, served in the Navy, and graduated from San Diego State University in 1957....

Lexington, KY – The 2009 Cavalor/United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) Para-Equestrian Dressage National Championships begins Friday, May 15 at the Lamplight Equestrian Center in Wayne, IL and will conclude Sunday, May 17. Rebecca Hart and Norteassa will be back to defend their championship title against sixteen horse and rider combinations. In addition, this National Championship will be held concurrently with the Lamplight CDI; and for the first time ever in the US, a CPEDI3* will be...