Johnny Robb (right), the Director of Marketing for the American Shetland Pony Club and Lori Nelson (left), USEF Assistant Executive Director, National Affiliates are excited about the new USEF Shetland Member High Point Awards. Small equines from all across the nation who attend the 122nd Shetland Pony Congress Show this year will not only compete for national championship titles but will also have the chance to win one of the new USEF Shetland Member High Point Awards provided by the United...

Swedish Warmbloods have signed an agreement to record all registered foals with the United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) starting with the 2010 foal crop. They now join other registries—the American Hanoverian Society, the American Holsteiner Horse Association, the Continental Studbook, and the Belgian Warmblood Breeding Association/North American District in this foal recording initiative. All American-bred foals in these registries will automatically also be enrolled in the...

Photo by Team Cardi, LLC (North Fork Cardi and Jessica Wisdom receive the Championship award for I1 Freestyle at Rancho Murieta. ) Welsh Cob stallion North Forks Cardi and rider/trainer/co-owner Jessica Wisdom broke a barrier, a glass ceiling if you will, for Welsh Cobs and large ponies. They won their FEI Intermediaire I Musical Freestyle class at a Concours Dressage Internationale (CDI) at Rancho Murieta, CA, with an impressive 68.5%. The CDI included four Olympic-qualified judges and one...

Photo Courtesy Minitube Internationa (Biopsita with surrogate mom.) Minitube International has achieved a scientific breakthrough that will allow for genetic testing and preservation of equine embryos. The world's first foal from a biopsied and vitrified embryo transferred into a surrogate mare was born on Wednesday January 27, 2010, at Minitube International Center for Biotechnology in Mount Horeb, WI. Both the mother, "Lola," and foal are doing well. The birth of "Biopsita" marks a new era in...

After 20 years of breeding and training Andalusians, Lusitanos, and more recently, Friesians, in Elkhorn, WI, Gareth A. Selwood is moving his operation to Bradenton, FL. “When I started here in 1989 there were not very many Iberian or Baroque horses in the Midwest, and now I am happy to say that this year our Regional Championship show in Elkhorn was the biggest in the nation for 2009,” said Selwood, proudly. In fact horses traveled from Texas, Indiana, Michigan, Missouri, Illinois, Georgia,...

He may have been small, but that didn’t keep an American Shetland Pony named Cornerstone’s Valiant Man from making a big impact when he attended the 82nd National Future Farmers of America (FFA) Convention in Indianapolis. The Shetland Pony, owned by Sherri Jolliff, represented the American Shetland Pony Club (ASPC) and the United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) and was a big hit with the horse enthusiasts attending the convention. “We were proud to have the opportunity to support the FFA...

Dressage at Devon, one of the nation's most important dressage and sport horse breeding shows, has awarded more than $51,000 to owners and breeders in the Born in the USA Breeders Awards series since its inception in 2003. Developed by the Dressage at Devon Committee to recognize and reward the achievements of American breeders, the awards are distributed in 14 divisions, and include prize money, rosettes and other prizes. Each year the program has grown and now the Born in the USA Breeders...

Judgement, Olympic Gold Medalist Beezie Madden's long-time partner, will make his final appearance before fans in a ceremony to be held on Sunday, November 1, during the Animal Planet Sporthorse Cup at the Syracuse Invitational Sporthorse Touranment. The storied 18-year-old dark bay stallion is a two-time winner of the Cup, and arguably one of the most successful American-bred stallions in show jumping history. Madden, who has ridden the horse to world fame, will ride Judgement once again into...

Brazilian superstar Rodrigo Pessoa headed the winning line-up of international riders in Sunday's $75,000 Grand Prix de Penn National on the final day of the 64th Pennsylvania National Horse Show. Pessoa, Olympic Gold medalist and three-time World Cup winner, aboard Let's Fly, was the eighth rider on course and the first to navigate the course designed by Steve Stephens without a rail down. "I have been riding him for a little over a year and a half," said Pessoa. "I started him in the bigger...

Members of the American Shetland Pony Club, the American Miniature Horse Registry and the American Show Pony Registry (ASPC/AMHR/ASPR) will reap the rewards for a successful year and plan for 2010 at the small equine organization’s upcoming annual convention. Supporters of the versatile and popular small equine breeds will meet in Orlando, FL, November 5-7. The ASPC/AMHR/ASPR are non-profit organizations established to preserve and refine the bloodlines of small equines and promote the...