The United States Dressage Federation (USDF) is pleased to announce that Charles “Chuck” Smith has received the 2009 USDF Volunteer of the Year Award, presented by The Paddock Saddlery. This award recognizes a USDF member who, through consistent and cumulative volunteer activities, has demonstrated exceptional commitment towards carrying out USDF’s mission. As the winner, Smith will be presented with a perpetual trophy, which is permanently on display in the Roemer Foundation/USDF Hall of Fame,...

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...

Dana Fiore and her eight-year-old Hanoverian gelding, Redford, rode away with the victory in the Prix St. Georges class at the Gold Coast Fall Fling show, the kick-off show for the Gold Coast Dressage Association’s winter dressage series. Equilite, the makers of the award-winning Sore No More products and Botanical Animal Flower Essences, sponsored the Prix St. Georges, and Fiore took home a giant tote bag filled with Equilite products. “Redford was very supple, and he was forward. He did the...

Dressage rider and trainer Tracey Winter takes great pride in her horses, and thanks to her recent win at the United States Dressage Federation (USDF) Region 3 Championships she has even more to be proud of. Winter and Windsor, her six-year-old Dutch Warmblood gelding by Routinier, out of Oceana, by Charmeur, won the Region 3 First Level Open Championship. “It was a surreal feeling to win, as I was just hoping to be in the thick of things,” Winter said. “It was a good-size class with very nice...

Olympian and international dressage rider Lisa Wilcox turned in an all-American ride at the Gold Coast Fall Fling show, winning the Grand Prix aboard Ingred Lin’s Lusitano Quemacho Hi. The Grand Prix was sponsored by The Sanctuary Equine Sports Therapy & Rehabilitation Center, and Quemacho Hi won a beautiful Sanctuary signature orange embroidered polar fleece cooler and a $250 gift certificate for services at The Sanctuary. Wilcox and Quemacho Hi earned a score of 64.043% in the grand prix...

Young equine enthusiasts from around the country are expected to attend the EQUUS Foundation/USEF Youth Convention on Saturday, January 16, 2010, in Louisville, KY. The Youth Convention, now in its third year, is held in conjunction with the USEF Annual Meeting for the purpose of uniting youth as well as for growing equine interest and participation. Attendees will learn to become better horsemen, develop awareness of educational opportunities to pursue a career in the equine industry, and gain...

The United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) is pleased to announce that Louisville, KY, will once again play host to the USEF Annual Meeting. This event will take place January 13–17 at the Louisville Marriott Downtown,located at 280 West Jefferson Street. The hotel features 616 guest rooms and over 50,000 sq. ft. of meeting space. This four-diamond property offers contemporary design and unparalleled guest service. It provides pedway connection to Louisville’s bustling Fourth Street Live...

The United States Equestrian Federation, Inc. (USEF) is pleased to announce the launch of the USEF Dressage Youth/Pony Pilot Program for Fall 2009.This program is designed to seek out, educate and assist the development of the young riders, and will be under the direction of Lendon Gray, appointed by the USEF Dressage High Performance Committee. “I am thrilled that USEF is going to help to develop the best equitation and riding skills in our younger riders,” Gray said. “It is so much easier to...

The 64th Pennsylvania National Horse Show will host some of the biggest names in the sport of show jumping when it returns to the Pennsylvania State Farm Show Complex, October 8-17. McLain Ward, who made history at the Hampton Classic Horse Show by winning the $250,000 FTI Grand Prix and FEI World Cup Qualifier for a record fourth time on his two-time Olympic Team Gold-medal horse, Sapphire, and followed that with a win on Sapphire in the $1-million CN International Grand Prix at Spruce Meadows...

The Sanctuary Equine Sports Therapy & Rehabilitation Center recently hosted a Yearling Sale Preview Party for Central Florida Community College’s (CFCC) Horseman’s Society, a student equine club. Students from the club organized the fundraiser at The Sanctuary, which featured the presentation of two yearling prospects to buyers as well as a silent auction. “The students from CFCC were in charge of the Yearling Sale Preview Party and they did a fabulous job of hosting it at our facility,” said...