Lexington, KY – Ariat International, the leading equestrian footwear and apparel manufacturer, has created a collection of high-performance athletic gear for our nation’s top equestrian athletes that debuted last weekend at the 2006 Adequan®/USEF Open Reining Championship. Members of the newly-announced U.S. Reining Team sponsored by Adequan® were able to try on the gear and be the first team to do so. Through the newly-signed sponsorship, Ariat became the “Official Apparel Supplier” of United...

When the United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) announced its 2005 champions, the list included Hilltop Farm's elite Hanoverian stallion Contucci as the 2005 USEF Leading Sire Dressage Breeding. Contucci's accumulated points of 766 were more than double the #2 ranked sire, who accumulated 331 points. The title of USEF Leading Owner Dressage Breeding was also awarded to Hilltop Farm, likely due to many of Contucci's offspring successes. Since 2004, Contucci has been represented in the USEF...

Lexington, KY – Ariat International, the leading equestrian footwear and apparel manufacturer, has created a collection of high-performance athletic gear for our nation’s top equestrian athletes that will debut in mid-summer. Through the newly-signed sponsorship, Ariat becomes the “Official Apparel Supplier” of the United States Equestrian Federation (USEF). As part of the category-exclusive sponsorship, Ariat has created an assortment of signature USEF garments to debut with the U.S. Team at...

Central Garden & Pet Company (NASDAQ: CENT) announced that it has agreed to acquire the stock of Farnam Companies, Inc., for approximately $287 million, plus $4 million for the purchase of related real property. Based in Phoenix, AZ, Farnam is a leading manufacturer and marketer of innovative health care products primarily for horses, household pets and livestock sold through over-the-counter and veterinary channels. In addition to the internationally recognized Farnam umbrella brand, Farnam’s...

(Gladstone, NJ) – Stand-out coaches George Morris and Kim Severson will share recognition as United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) 2005 Coaches of the Year, as part of the Coaching Recognition Program, developed by the United States Olympic Committee (USOC). Both will go on to become candidates for the USOC 2005 Coach of the Year. Selected for the tremendous strides he made in his first year of leading U.S. Show Jumping athletes, George Morris has received the 2005 USEF National...

Lexington, KY – The MidSouth Three-Day Event at the Kentucky Horse Park played host to four championships October 20-23. Mother Nature made the weekend cold and damp, but that didn’t stop 80 riders from competing in the CCI* with steeplechase, the 2005 USEF National One-Star Eventing Championship East Coast. John Williams and his own Sweepea Dean led from start to finish, winning the Championship for the Richard D. Collins trophy. Williams added only one rail to his dressage score...

The Cosequin Stuart Horse Trials and CIC** came down to a nail-biting finish as Corinne Ashton and Dobbin, the overnight leaders, entered the ring and began their quest for the top honor. Dobbin dragged down one fence giving them four penalty points, leaving only five points between her and Mara Dean, who had completed a clear round. The cheers were deafening as Ashton managed to negotiate the remaining fences fault free and within the time allowed to finish victorious with a final score of 41....

The multi-U.S. National Champion Andalusian stallion, Davido MC, died on May 2, 2005, of an aortic aneurism, while breeding a mare at Selwood Park Stable, in Elkhorn, WI. Davido MC was owned by Gareth A. Selwood for 12 of the horse's 15 years and was bred by Music City Andalusians of Nashville, TN. He was sired by the imported 2000 USEF Leading Andalusian Sire, Ofendido VII, and out of the imported Poseido V daughter, Huerfana. Davido MC qualified for and showed at a record 11 consecutive...

Patty Stovel rode Shandor 41, a 10-year-old Hanoverian gelding, to the win in Sunday's $50,000 HITS Grand Prix at HITS Culpeper Showday National. Jerry Dougherty of Geneva, IL, set a challenging first-round course that saw four horses advance to the jump-off. Stovel was the fastest of three double-clears with 40.69 seconds on the clock. Second place went to Megan Moran riding Quarnak De Longprec. Eliza Ferguson Shuford rode Larentino to third place. Beth Underhill finished in fourth place with...

Bloomberg Leading Rider La Baule, France – The U.S. Show Jumping Team arrived in La Baule, France last week, locked, loaded and ready. Not only did they handily win the first Samsung Super League Nations Cup of the season by four faults over Great Britain, but team members also won three other classes and were well placed throughout the show. And at the end of the four days of competition it was the United States’ team member, New York City’s Georgina Bloomberg, 22, who was...