The tension is mounting as the Meydan FEI Nations Cup™ series arrives in Rotterdam, The Netherlands, this week. This event marks the halfway stage of the team challenge, which pits 10 great show jumping nations against each other in an eight-leg battle for survival in the premiership of the sport. The USA holds the lead after scoring a superb back-to-back double at Rome and St Gallen over the past few weeks, but the pressure continues, and there is no time to rest on their laurels as they face...

(Lexington, VA) – The Virginia Horse Center was host to the Virginia Horse Trials and CCI* during the Memorial Day weekend. Divisions ran from Intermediate to Beginner Novice, and Connemaras were evident in ribbon winners in many divisions on many levels. Dornin North, of Berryville, VA, rode Mitford, a half-bred gelding by Aladdin’s Denver out of a Thoroughbred mare, to win the dressage and go clean in stadium in the Open Preliminary Division, only to have the horse slip on cross country,...

Lexington, KY— In days gone by, you could pick up the phone, dial the number of an organization and talk to the voice of a helpful employee, located within said organization (instead of a secretly positioned call center halfway across the world). At the United States Equestrian Federation (USEF), those days never left. In fact lately, the initiative to provide personalized customer service has been on an exponential curve upward. John Long, USEF CEO, says the Customer Care Center, implemented...

A century of sporting history will be celebrated when the much-anticipated first leg of the inaugural Meydan FEI Nations Cup™ series takes place in La Baule, France, this weekend. It was in 1909 that the indoor London Olympia and outdoor San Sebastian shows first hosted military team jumping competitions and, 100 years on, the honor and distinction of representing one's country in the battle for team supremacy has lost none of its edge. The advent of new sponsors, the Dubai-based development...

With summer just around the corner, now is the time to vaccinate horses against Potomac horse fever (PHF). “Horse owners need to be aware of the disease and its seasonality,” said Dr. Julia Wilson, DVM, Associate Professor, Large Animal Medicine, University of Minnesota. PHF is a potentially deadly disease that can cause mild depression, anorexia, diarrhea and abortion in pregnant mares. Some horses also may develop severe toxemia, and up to 40% of horses with PHF will develop laminitis. PHF is...

The Professional Riders Organization (PRO) hosted a press conference at the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event. The press conference came on the heels of the first day of competition and in the midst of an exciting membership drive at the competition. “We are excited by the reception the Professional Riders Organization has received in Kentucky,” said Craig R. Thompson, a distinguished event rider and PRO founder. “Though PRO is a relatively new organization, the encouragement and excitement riders...

The Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event, set to return to the Kentucky Horse Park in Lexington, KY, April 23-26, will feature a Who's Who of the world's best eventing horses and riders. The Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event, a part of the HSBC FEI Classics™ Series, will run a CCI**** and the 12th championship for the United States Equestrian Team Foundation Pinnacle Cup, signifying the zenith in eventing competition in the United States. The event draws over 100,000 spectators and...

Las Vegas, NV – Defending champion, Meredith Michaels-Beerbaum, looked impossible to beat throughout the 2009 Rolex FEI World Cup Final. Shutterfly was faultless going into the final round of the final leg. Looks matter: She became the third person, and the first woman to win three World Cup titles. She did it all with Shutterfly. That meant heart break for McLain Ward and Sapphire who chased the German combination through all three legs, jumped two immaculate clear rounds. But it didn’t...

RAVEL and Steffen Peters (Shannon Brinkman) Las Vegas, NV – Steffen Peters always knew how good Ravel was. After the 11-year-old Dutch gelding’s performance in the Rolex FEI World Cup Final Grand Prix, he stamped himself as one of the best dressage horses on the globe. Beating nine-time (and defending) World Cup champion Anky van Grunsven (on IPS Painted Black) and Isabell Werth (on Satchmo) in the process, Peters won with a commanding score of 77.914% With the highest score of...

The Arabian Horse Association (AHA) recently bestowed two distinct horses, Tsarina Bint RII and WH Bodacious, with the honor of being named Arabian ambassadors. The Ambassador Award, presented annually, recognizes Arabians, Half-Arabians and Anglo-Arabians for outstanding achievement in representing the Arabian Horse community to the general public. Tsarina Bint RII (PRI Ibn Masriyyah x Normandie), owned by McKenzie Rae Jenkins of Gallatin, TN, is a 13-year-old Half-Arabian bay mare. Jenkins...