The competition will be fierce at the 2008 EQUUS Equestrian Idol Musical Talent Show on Saturday, February 9, 2008. Taylor Blauweiss, the first Equestrian Idol, will open the show to a line-up of talented equestrians vying for the title of 2008 Equestrian Idol, including the 2007 finalists Patricia Griffith, Brian Lookabill and Ki-Juan Minors. The event benefits The EQUUS Foundation, Inc., and will be held at the Winter Equestrian Festival in Wellington, FL. Are you an Equestrian Idol hopeful?...

Lexington, KY – Plans are under way for the 2008 United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) Youth Convention, and registration is open, but space is limited for the convention. Already over half of the available spots have been filled for the first annual Youth Convention, which will be held January 12 in Louisville, KY. The Youth Convention will feature many notable speakers including experts in the equine industry as well as spokespersons from equine-related careers. This one-day convention...

The American Saddlebred Registry Sweepstakes total payout of nearly $200,000 in 2007 tops the 14-year high of $172,822 in 2006 and is the most prize money awarded in one year since the sweepstakes’ all-time high set in 1992. Coupled with its futurities, American Saddlebred Registry prize programs distributed close to half-a-million dollars ($472,087) over the course of approximately three weeks during the Kentucky State Fair (August 19-25) in Louisville and All American Horse Classic (September...

The United States Dressage Federation (USDF) is pleased to have Jan Ebeling join the list of clinicians for the USDF FEI Junior/Young Rider (Jr/YR) Clinic Series. These clinics, with funding support provided by The Dressage Foundation, are open to riders between the ages of 14 and 21, currently riding at third level or above. However, auditors of all ages are welcome and encouraged to attend. Although an American citizen since 1998, Ebeling is a native of Germany and holds his Bereiter license....

The United States Dressage Federation (USDF) has announced the newly revamped business membership available for the 2008 membership year, December 1, 2007 to November 30, 2008. The USDF Business Membership (BM), which previously was divided into two levels, has been combined into one to provide a better value package that is more cost effective to the member. BM dues will now be $175, and benefits will include member discount rates at USDF events, a 10% trade show booth discount, a 15%...

On August 1, 2007, the AAEP Foundation hosted a Lameness Research Meeting and Panel in Fort Collins, CO. Twenty-four researchers and lameness experts from around the world met to prioritize future lameness research needs. The group also explored specific questions about the direction and cost of future lameness projects. Discussions by participants identified numerous lameness areas that require more research with significant financial resources necessary to complete the needed research. The...

SmartPak announced that they have joined the blogosphere with two new blog forums—Ask the Vet and A Peek at the Pak. "Blogging is a perfect fit for SmartPak because as a company, we are all about sharing our culture and personality, while also providing horse owners with the most up-to-date horse health care information," said President Paal Gisholt. "Our employees are horse and dog owners, too, and they’re excited to share their experiences with our customers.” A Peek at the Pak will...

Morris Animal Foundation (MAF) provides a unique opportunity for individuals or groups to help animals through health study sponsorship. In 2008, MAF will fund about 120 animal health studies, including 11 new and continuing studies for horses. Animal lovers are invited to sponsor or co-sponsor one of these studies with a total gift of $3,000 or more per study. The complete listing of 2008 studies and their descriptions is available at www.MorrisAnimalFoundation.org , or request a printed...

The 2007 American Trakehner Association (ATA) convention and breed inspection will be held November 8-10 in Denton, TX. In addition to convention meetings, many North American Trakehner breeders will bring their horses to be shown before an international committee of judges. All horse activities will be held at Whispering Farms Equestrian Center in Prosper and are open to the public. Events include a performance exhibition, stallion parade, and hunter and jumper stake classes. The Trakehner...

The Grand National and World Championship Morgan Horse Show is almost here. And, you don’t have to miss a single minute of the excitement. In cooperation with the American Morgan Horse Association (AMHA), The Morgan Horse magazine, WdA Video and Hawk Multimedia, organizers of the 2007 Grand National & World Championship Morgan Horse Show are proud to announce their plans to once again bring this premier Morgan horse show live to you via the World Wide Web. “We are very excited to offer the show...