International dressage rider and trainer, Heather Blitz, together with Mary Wanless, BSc, BHSI, FRSA, and Dr. Hilary Clayton, BVMS, PhD, MRCVS, will present the "Naked Truth of Riding," a two-day symposium on May 9-10, 2009, at the Leatherdale Equine Center in Minneapolis, MN. The symposium delivers a complete package of information. Students will learn about the relationship between veterinary medicine and dressage performance, with special emphasis on prevention and treatment of lameness...

Lexington, KY – The Varsity Equestrian National Championships (VENC) announced the collegiate teams that have been selected and seeded for this year’s competition, in conjunction with the United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) and the American Quarter Horse Association (AQHA). This year, there will be twelve schools competing in Hunter Seat, including Equitation Flat and Equitation Over Fences. There will also be twelve schools competing in Western, including Horsemanship and Reining. Eight...

The University of Minnesota is performing a study on tying up in Morgan horses. One cause for tying up in horses of all breeds is type 1 Polysaccharide Storage Myopathy (PSSM), for which there is now a genetic test that uses blood or hair roots. (For more information about the test, go to www.cvm.umn.edu/umec/lab/Advances_in_PSSM.html .) However, there are horses that appear to have a type 2 form of PSSM, which, at present, can only be diagnosed by muscle biopsy. The University of Minnesota is...

Combined Driver Chester Weber continued his winning streak at the prestigious Live Oak International Combined Driving event by driving away the winner of the Four-In-Hand FEI Horse Team. The world-class qualifying competition draws top competitors to Ocala, FL, each year, and is considered to be one of the premiere combined driving events in North America. Weber, who has his sights set on qualifying for the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games in the four-in-hand division, won all three...

The Children of the Americas Dressage Invitational (CADI) is the only competition of its’ kind in the United States. This United States Dressage Federation- and United States Equestrian Federation-recognized event is exclusively for children between the ages of 12 and 14. It features riders from South and Central America, the Islands, Mexico, Canada and The United States, all brought together for a week of training and international competition. New for 2009 is the working affiliation with...

WELLINGTON, Fla., Mar. 18--Forty of the world's top riders, including 17 Olympians, will jump for $600,000 at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center on Saturday night, Mar. 21. FTI Consulting is sponsoring the $400,000 Finale Grand Prix CSI 5* at the FTI Winter Equestrian Festival which is also the final event of the $200,000 FTI Rider Challenge. The Grand Prix is the richest ever held in Wellington and, combined with the Rider Challenge, will make it the richest pay day in USA jumping....

The 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games (WEG) will be held at the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, KY, the first time outside of Europe, where nearly one-million equine enthusiasts from around the world are expected to attend. It will be the largest sporting event held in North America, with more than 800 athletes and 900 horses from 60 countries expected to compete in eight FEI disciplines. Many horsemen consider the Games to be more important than the Olympics. In an effort to have...

Board Members of the American Shagya Arabian Verband, Inc. (ASAV), have a new and truly innovative program that will give mare owners the chance to breed their mares for a stud fee of only $200. This promotion will bring attention to this amazing breed and assist those with limited budgets a chance to compete in today's market. Details can be found at www.shagyaregistry.com . The Shagya is very rare with only about 150 in the U.S. and about 1,500 in the world. It is an Arabian-based breed since...

The Show Jumping Hall of Fame Jumper Classic Series enjoyed a great start to the 2009 season at the Palm Beach International Equestrian Center in Wellington, FL. The series will see classes at more than 100 horse shows across the country before culminating in year-end championships at the Syracuse Invitational Sporthorse Tournament featuring the 126th National Horse Show in Syracuse, NY, in October. The Series hosts separate divisions for junior and amateur-owner riders in two...

The American Horse Council (AHC) has asked the National Park Service (NPS), U.S. Forest Service (USFS), and Bureau of Land Management (BLM) to use stimulus funding for trails. The American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 signed into law on February 17 appropriates over $1.7 billion for the NPS, USFS, and BLM that can be used for the maintenance and construction of trails and other infrastructure improvements on public lands. The AHC recently wrote to NPS Acting Director Dan Wenk, Chief of...