Endurance riders from across the U.S. and Canada made their way to Louisville, KY, for the American Endurance Ride Conference’s 2008 convention, held February 20-21 at the Galt House Hotel. The convention, which included educational seminars, “hot topics” workshops, trade show, meetings for international competitors, a class for veterinarians, and a dance, concluded with a heartfelt and tearful national awards banquet. Suzy Kelley, a longtime endurance rider from Southern California, was taken...

American Hunter Pony Classic Sale graduates captured both of the USEF Horse of the Year Grand Champion Pony Hunter titles in 2008. Small pony hunters won both titles. The American Hunter Pony Classic held each year in conjunction with the USEF National Pony Hunter Finals. Horse of the Year Grand Champion Pony Hunter honors went to 13-year-old Fancy Feet in one of most dominating HOTY performances in years. Fancy Feet was the nation’s leading small pony hunter earning 11,410 points, beating the...

All too often, talented junior riders are unable to fulfill their dream of competing in the “big eq” division at horse shows because they lack the funds to purchase an appropriate horse. Capable big equitation horses that can compete successfully in the division and qualify and compete at regionals and finals are extremely expensive to purchase or even lease. So for many junior riders, their progression through the equitation divisions ends when they reach the 3’6” level. For some, this...

The Arabian Horse Association (AHA) is proud to announce FF Irish Vodka+++//, owned by Collier McLeod of Augusta, GA, as its 2008 High-Point Horse. FF Irish Vodka, a 10-year-old, Anglo-Arabian ended the year with 487.5 points earned in working hunter, hunter hack, sport horse under saddle, dressage and in-hand classes. McLeod, who also picked up the Youth Amateur Achievement Award for the year, rode “Guinness” to three national championships at Canadian Nationals and several Top 10s at both...

Lexington, KY— The United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) has selected the six competitions which will be required to take heel measurements from the first and fourth place ponies in Roadster and Hackney Roadster Pony Championships. The 2009 competitions include: • River Ridge Charity - Columbus, OH (April 22-25) • Midwest Charity - Springfield, IL (June 16-20) • Lexington Junior League - Lexington, KY (July 6-11) • Kentucky State Fair - Louisville, KY (August 23-29) • Southeastern Charity...

The American Vaulting Association (AVA) will celebrate its 40th anniversary at its Annual Convention, February 26-March 1, in the Washington, DC, metropolitan area. The four-day convention, themed “Reaching Out, Reaching Up!” will feature a special full-day workshop by members of the Pilobolus Dance Company, who have thrilled millions around the world with their own take on the imaginative and athletic exploration of creative collaboration. Well-known equestrian and author Daniel Stewart will...

The United States Eventing Association (USEA) is pleased to announce that the Chattahoochee Hills Three-Day Event on May 15-17, 2009, will be a part of this year’s Adequan USEA Gold Cup Series. Chattahoochee Hills offers several events throughout the year at the state-of-the-art facility in Fairburn, GA. “Chat Hills” as it’s known to its fans, kicked off their first events last year, offering divisions from novice through intermediate. This year, they’ve included FEI divisions, and the CIC**...

The Arabian Horse Association (AHA) is proud to name purebred Arabian gelding Chase TheWind AH (El Paso x Wind Sonja), owned by Suzanne Ford Huff of Gardnerville, NV, as its 2008 Distance Horse of the Year. Chase received this prestigious acclaim for his outstanding accomplishments in endurance; he completed nine of nine starts during 2008 and received Best Condition twice. As the winner of the Distance Horse of the Year Award, Chase TheWind AH's name will be engraved on a perpetual trophy...

The rated series of the 2009 HITS Ocala Winter Circuit crowned its first winning grand prix pair on Thursday, when Tracy Magness rode Mr. and Mrs. John Bartko's Tarco Van Ter Moude to the blue in the $25,000 HITS Grand Prix at HITS Post Time Farm in Ocala, FL. Magness guided Tarco Van Ter Moude to the fastest double-clear round on course designer Guilherme Jorge's route as she collected $7,500 in first-place prize money. Magness outlasted 23 riders in the first round and the six who advanced to...

Brazil's Rodrigo Pessoa clinched a berth in the FEI World Cup Final in Las Vegas with a win Saturday night aboard his Olympic mount Rufus in the $150,000 FEI World Cup Grand Prix, presented by Spy Coast Farm, at the FTI Winter Equestrian Festival (WEF) in Wellington. Michelle Spadone of Califon, NJ, on the Belgian Warmblood mare, Melisimo, who has never seen a World Cup Final and was a last-minute addition placed second in the competition with 45 starters from nine countries. Among them were...