The American Horse Council (AHC) has announced that the focus of this year’s National Issues Forum will be the “Welfare of the Horse.” The Forum will be held June 16, 2009, in Washington, DC, as part of the AHC’s annual meeting. Over the last year, concerns about the welfare of horses used in racing, showing, recreation, or work have been raised by our fans, the general public, the media, and Congress. Such concerns have been expressed before, but perhaps not as broadly as now. “Those involved...

Aussie Clayton Fredericks and Ben Along Time took home the top honors. (Amy Dragoo) Riding for the first time under the U.S. flag, former Australian rider Phillip Dutton finished second at the Rolex Kentucky Three-Day Event, presented by Farnam, for the fifth time. But, this year, it was former Aussie teammate, Clayton Fredericks, aboard Ben Along Time, who put in the best score to take the Rolex Kentucky four-star championship on a score of 54.0. Dutton, as the highest-placed U.S. rider aboard...

Wayne, Ill. – Friday at the 2023 U.S. Dressage Festival of Champions brought cooler weather, a full day of top-level dressage competition, and three newly crowned dressage national champions. The Adequan ® /USEF Junior Dressage National Championship and the Markel/USEF Seven-Year-Old Dressage National Championship divisions both completed their final tests, and the USEF Dressage Seat Medal Final 13 & Under closed out the day with its two-phase competition. All competitors at this...

Allison Springer and Arthur. (Photo by Leslie Threlkeld.) Tallahassee, FL - It's only fitting that the winner of the first event of the 2011 Adequan USEA Gold Cup Series would be decided on the final moments of the competition on Sunday afternoon, drawing out the nail-biting excitement to the very last jump. Overnight leader Allison Springer must have breathed a huge sigh of relief to cross the finish line with all the rails still neatly in their cups, solidifying her victory at the prestigious...

Gail Morey (John French and Crown Affair. ) Carson City, NV - With only a few days left to prepare for the $25,000 Franktown Meadows Hunter Derby at the Franktown Meadows Equestrian Facility, anticipation is mounting. Equestrians are traveling from all over to take part in the first standalone hunter derby on the West Coast. Among the many hunter derby exhibitors will be top professionals John French and Jenny Karazissis. French will be accompanied by four hunter derby horses, which include two...

During the weekend of November 5-8, 25-year-old Kerry Tracey of Watkinsville, GA, led the victory gallop at the final SmartPak Equine/United States Eventing Association (USEA) Training Three-Day Event aboard her homebred Thoroughbred/Appaloosa gelding Chasing The Music. Although the entries were low for this long-format division, which was held in conjunction with the Rocking Horse Fall Horse Trials (Altoona, FL), the competition was fierce, and Tracey moved up from fourth after dressage to...

Lexington, KY - After a day that tested the will and stamina of some of the world’s best endurance athletes, it proved to be a clean sweep of the medals podium in both the two-star and three-star endurance competitions in the 2009 Kentucky Cup Endurance race. The event, held at the Kentucky Horse Park and neighboring farms, served as the test events for the 2010 Alltech FEI World Equestrian Games. In the 100-mile ride (that was shortened to 75 miles due to inclement weather and deteriorating...

This past weekend, Canterbury Farm in Hampshire, IL, hosted a clinic for the United States Hunter Jumper Association (USHJA) Emerging Athletes Program. Held on Saturday, September 5, and Sunday, September 6, the clinic was conducted by renowned equestrians Melanie Smith Taylor and Ray Texel. Diane Carney of Hampshire, IL, was the on-site coordinator for the event, which was a Level II Training Session. The clinic was part of the Emerging Athletes Program, an educational program that focuses on...

Lexington, Ky. – Two athlete-and-horse combinations participated the U.S. Dressage European U25 Tour this spring and summer and scored top results. Ben Ebeling and Status Royal OLD competed in Belgium and France, while Erin Nichols and Elian Royale competed in the Netherlands. USEF Dressage Youth Coach George Williams advised the U.S. athletes to help them achieve strong scores in European competition. Ben Ebeling and Status Royal OLD compete in Crozet, France. (Photos Les Garennes)...

Wayne, Ill. – The third day of competition at the U.S. Dressage Festival of Champions featured exciting action in four divisions, including the first national champion title of the show won in the Adequan ® /USEF Para Dressage National Championship and the first of the young and developing horse classes with the Markel/USEF Seven-Year-Old Dressage National Championship. Codi Harrison and Katholt's Bossco. ©SusanJStickle.com Neue Schule/USEF Grand Prix Dressage National...