At the Queen City Classic, which concluded Sunday at North Carolina’s “Why Not an American Ark” Equestrian Facility outside Charlotte, Hunters Lane, led by trainer Robert Hunt, had a veritable clean sweep. In one of the week’s premiere event, the $5,000 Welcome Open Hunter Challenge, the Hunters Lane team captured the top six spots. Steve Heinecke, pro rider and co-trainer, won the class aboard the Alise Oken-owned Quintin. He also took second with Oken’s Alisette, fourth with the Robert...

Chester Weber Wins Sixth Consecutive USEF National Driving Championship at Live Oak (Darlene Wohlart) By Joanie Morris Ocala, FL - Chester Weber added winner and his sixth consecutive USEF National Championship to his list of titles at the Live Oak Plantation Combined Driving Event presented by Budweiser. Not only did he win the FEI Team Horse Division he also played host, presenter, bloodstock agent, farm manager and competitor. “I want it seven times because nobody has ever won it seven...

The American Vaulting Association board, at its recent annual meeting, voted to match the United States Hunter Jumper Association’s $1,500 donation to the USEF Youth Council, announced at the recent USEF Inaugural Youth Convention in Lexington. AVA President Nancy Stevens-Brown and AVA Board Member and USEF Youth Council Member Megan Benjamin led the charge. "Those lucky enough to be involved with horses take pride in the positive influence horses have on children, recognizing that every...

During a meeting on Monday, March 10, 2008, the Board of Directors for the National Horse Show Association of America, Ltd. approved with a unanimous vote for the move of the 125th National Horse Show to the Syracuse Invitational Sporthorse Tournament in Syracuse, NY. The show will run from October 29-November 2, 2008, at the Oncenter Complex. Officially, the show will be titled as the Syracuse Invitational Sporthorse Tournament featuring the 125th National Horse Show. After the 2007 National...

The 2008 Charlotte Jumper Classic will be held on April 11-13 at the Charlotte Bobcats Arena. It promises to be one of the biggest and best show jumping events in the United States this year for juniors, amateur owners and international open jumpers. The top international show jumpers in the nation will be vying for a purse of $500,000 and will show why the Charlotte Jumper Classic is one of America's premiere equestrian competitions. The biggest class of the week is the $500,000 Grand Prix of...

President of the Equestrian Committee (Hong Kong) of the Beijing Organising Committee for the Games of the XXIX Olympiad (BOCOG), Chief Secretary for Administration Henry Tang and members of the committee toured the Hong Kong Olympic and Paralympic Village and core equestrian venue in Sha Tin on March 4. They inspected the progress of construction works in relation to the competition venue and supporting facilities for the equestrian events to be staged in Hong Kong. The committee visited the...

The newly-seated 2008 Board of Directors of the American Saddlebred Registry held its organizational meeting on Friday, February 29, to elect its officers. Elected unanimously to one-year terms as its officers were Judith Werner (Illinois) as president; Anne Stafford (Tennessee) as vice-president; Barbara Molland (California) as secretary; and Jimmy Robertson (Kentucky) as treasurer. The registry’s bylaws require that the president, secretary and treasurer also be directors of the American...

Romelia Calderon and her 2007 FEI World Cup mount Pernot captured the blue ribbon in Sunday's $25,000 HITS Grand Prix to conclude the Kachina Classic at HITS Arizona. Calderon, who won the first Grand Prix at HITS Thermal in 2007, got the best of 25 pairs in the first round and nine combinations in the jump-off to score $7,500 in prize money for Riley Stables. The Mexican rider was also eighth aboard John's Flight. Calderon and Pernot were first to go in the jump-off and set Great American Time...

The United States Equestrian Team (USET) Foundation has announced that "Hong Kong by Night," a benefit held on February 8, 2008, at the International Polo Club in Wellington, FL, raised $500,000. Generous supporters contributed to the effort by purchasing tables for the dinner and by bidding on three once-in-a-lifetime trip packages in a live auction. Proceeds from the evening will benefit the U.S. equestrian teams competing in the 2008 Beijing Olympic Games. A sold-out event, Hong Kong by...

Thoroughbreds and Riders Able to Gain Recognition for Achievements at National, Regional, Local Levels The North American Thoroughbred Society (NATBS), a company that promotes the interests of Jockey Club-registered North American Thoroughbreds, today announced the first season of its North American Series Awards. The awards Thoroughbred participation as sport horses in all-breed, open shows in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. "The North American Series Awards is a wonderful program...