The upcoming Fairfield County Hunt Club June Benefit Horse Show, June 24-28, 2008, on the grounds of the Fairfield County Hunt Club in Westport, CT, is filled with activities for the entire community to enjoy. The show is open to the public with no admission fees and features more than 700 riders competing in 200 classes over five days. The show benefits The EQUUS Foundation, Inc., a 501(c)(3) grant giving foundation that seeks to raise public awareness of the value of the horse in society...

International dressage trainer, Oded Shimoni, takes short breaks from his training schedule at Stillpoint Farm in Wellington, FL, to teach clinics throughout the U.S. Last month he was at Amanda Person’s farm in Atlanta teaching Amanda, Jason Canton, and others. This month Shimoni is heading to Pennsylvania to coach three-day eventer Bruce “Buck” Davidson, Jr., in preparation for the 2008 Olympics Hong Kong. Last year U.S. Three-Day Eventing Coach and Chef d’Equipe, Captain Mark Phillips,...

Winner’s of the 2008 Markel Amateur Winter Dressage Championships presented by The Paddock Saddlery were notified this week. The Markel Amateur Winter Dressage Championships recognizes leading amateur’s accomplishments over the winter show season in South Florida. The 2008 awards ceremony will be a virtual presentation. Photographs of winners with their awards will be viewable on The Paddock Saddlery’s website, www.paddocksaddlery.com . The idea for an amateur championship was the brainchild of...

The HITS Desert Circuit will return to the newly updated facility in Thermal, CA, starting in January of 2009 for eight weeks of incredible hunter and jumper competition. Since the close of shows last March, the management at HITS has been working on improving the facility with suggestions from riders and trainers, such as updating the landscaping and installing new portable stalls. The management at HITS is pleased to welcome riders of all levels to their shows this year. The schedule for the...

Traverse City's own world-class equestrian event, Horse Shows by the Bay, announced that it will bring the storied sport and spectacle of polo to Traverse City. The region's first ever polo match will be a charity exhibition between the University of Michigan and Michigan State University co-ed polo teams on Friday, August 1, at 6 p.m. The event will raise funds for both teams. The event will be held in the new Team Elmers competition ring at Flintfields Horse Park on Bates Road in...

Prior to Sunday's $50,000 Purina Mills Grand Prix, HITS handed out its Spring Circuit Awards to the most accomplished equestrians who participated at HITS Saugerties this spring. The overall and reserve circuit champions in 68 divisions were awarded during a special Parade of Champions celebration in the grand prix ring at HITS-on-the-Hudson to cap off three exciting weeks of competition. It was a very successful spring for trainer Cynthia Williams of New England Farms, and it showed on Sunday...

Todd Minikus and his ride Ultimo Van Ter Moude cruised past the star-studded field of 38 starters to secure $7,500 in prize money in Thursday's $25,000 Ariat Grand Prix at HITS Saugerties. Course designer Doug Russell sliced the large first-round field to 12 for the jump-off, making it a very competitive race over fences. “I was happy to have 12 come back for the jump-off," said Russell. "To be honest with you, I thought we had the right 12 come back. None of them got scared and they all walked...

After his spectacular success at the 2007 Stallion Performance Test, where he earned the highest score in the history of U.S. testing, 164.86, Little Bit Farm’s homebred Rashka took some well-deserved time off. At his first show of 2008, Rashka remained true to his early promise by winning all seven of his classes at the May Dressage at Lamplight show, where he was high score of the show with an 80.4%, champion at T4, and reserve champion at First Level. With an additional T4 score of 75%, he...

The All American Cup, in concert with the American Saddlebred Museum, is offering a Farm and Stallion bus tour on Friday, July 11, 2008. For the complete list of famous stallions that will be seen, please visit www.allamericancup.org/index . Reserve a spot on the tour in advance and DVDs featuring memorable interviews with Marty Mueller, Bob Ruxer, Don Harris, and Donna Moore will be available the day of the tour at a discounted price. Order all four and receive a bonus DVD, “Off of the Editing...

The American Hackney Horse Society Foundation (AHHSF) announced a $2,500 College Scholarship for incoming sophomore, junior, and senior students. This scholarship will be awarded to a selected student based on financial need, academic success, and a commitment to the Hackney breed, whether present, past or future. The scholarship is funded by the Ed Frickey Memorial and will be awarded on an annual basis. This new scholarship will join the currently offered scholarships for incoming freshman...