History repeated itself as Kent Farrington and Upchiqui won the $75,000 Budweiser Prix de Penn National for the second time on closing night of the 2008 Pennsylvania National Horse Show. Suspense is the essence of competition. Farrington faced 28 very tough competitors to repeat this win. The seventh of 10 clean trips in the first round, Farrington knew speed would be a prime factor in the jump-off. “Upchiqui is an exceptionally fast horse,” said Farrington, 20. “ He’s a great horse. He covers...

Reining champion Big Chex To Cash is set to join the Breyer stable for 2009 as the most recent reining addition to Breyer’s product line-up since Colonel’s Smoking Gun was honored in 2002. At only six years old, the stunningly gorgeous Palomino overo Big Chex To Cash has lifetime earnings of over $200,000 and holds the title to multiple national reining championships. His palomino sire, Nu Chex To Cash, is one of reining’s all-time leading producers, having earned more reining points than any...

The American Miniature Horse Registry (AMHR) National Championship Show announced the two winning young authors of the Youth Essay Contest in Tulsa, OK, this month. The 2008 winners were Katherine Richey and Allison Payne, each of who was awarded a Miniature horse for their efforts. The Youth Essay Contest was open to all current junior members of the AMHR. In the 13 to 17 age group, Katherine Richey from Meridian, MS, wrote a charming piece on why she would be the best person to win the...

Lexington, KY— With two phases of competition on both sides of the country, it was Foxy’s Magic Gift who earned the title of Overall Grand Champion of the 2008 Sallie B. Wheeler/United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) National Hunter Breeding Championship. Even though it was his first time showing in the Hunter Breeding Championship, Foxy’s Magic Gift proved that he has a promising career ahead of him by winning Best Young Horse in the Hunter Breeding Championship – East Coast along with the...

At the age of 25, the legendary Holsteiner sire Le Santo (Landgraf I x Metro, by Wildfeuer) was euthanized on Sunday, August 3, 2008, from complications from an injury last week. Le Santo was very well known for being one the highest bonited stallions in the United States, as well as being a leading sire for more than two decades. Le Santo was injured while being collected on July 30, 2008. With recommendation from several veterinarians and sports medicine specialists, his owners at Irish Hills...

With only two more FEI World Cup™ qualifiers to run in the 2008 season, Australia’s Kevin McNab has sensationally swept into a huge lead in the FEI World Cup™ rankings, after scoring a one-two at his local qualifier at Warwick, Australia. A popular member of the local Queensland Eventing Committee, McNab, 30, now has 220 points, 60 clear of his nearest rival, Clark Montgomery (USA) with 160. McNab won at Warwick on Hufflepuff, his Melbourne runner-up, and finished second on Game Play. He is now...

Richard Johnson of Great Britain has been appointed to the new position of FEI Director of Communications following an extensive and open international search. Johnson, who is currently Head of Media of The Children’s Society, will join the FEI on September 1. The Children’s Society is a leading charity dedicated to the care of young people and is a benchmark for media relations in that sector. With 14 years’ experience, working in the charitable/not-for-profit sector for organizations with...

Lexington, KY – Aiken, SC resident Meghan Benge won an Individual Gold medal today at the 2008 FEI World Championships for Drivers with Disabilities CPEAI4* in Greven, Germany. Driving Jack, a pony borrowed from England, Benge won the dressage and never looked back. She also led the U.S. to a Team Silver at the conclusion of today’s Cones competition. Benge’s teammates were Arroyo Grande, CA.driver Diana Kastama, who drove her own horse Jasper to the Individual Bronze medal, followed very...

Patrick Seaton and Good Guiness not only won the $20,000 Bayfest Grand Prix the second week of the Woodside Summer Circuit, but Seaton also earned a $5,000 rider bonus for winning two of the three major jumper classes at the 2008 Woodside Summer Circuit aboard the same horse. If he can make it a hat trick by clinching the $30,000 Golden Gate Grand Prix, Seaton will be the first rider to claim the Woodside Jumper Accumulator bonus worth $20,000. "When I started the Woodside Jumper Accumulator...

For the forth year running, Americans everywhere will be celebrating the National Day of the American Cowboy (NDAC), this year slated for Saturday, July 26, 2008. Parades, chuck wagon cook-offs, roping contests, street fairs, and rodeos are just a few of the many different regional events taking place all across the country to commemorate the American cowboy and cowgirl and their important contributions to our nation’s history and culture. American Cowboy , a leading Western lifestyle magazine,...