Money makes the world go round, they say. It does indeed, and this certainly is true of the world of sport. From a leisurely activity practiced exclusively by amateurs, sport has now turned into a highly complex profession governed by its own business strategies and rules. Prize money, TV rights, sponsorship fees have never been higher, and there is no indication that the movement is about to slow down. Good things usually march hand in hand with less good ones. If the increase in finances...

From an FEI Press Release by Malina Gueorguiev Hong Kong, China - Following Sunday’s cross-country, the top three riders—Frank Ostholt, Dirk Schrade and Shane Rose—suffered no change in the standings as a result of Monday’s jumping test at the Hong Kong Jockey Club. Germany’s Ostholt and After the Battle finished on their dressage score of 53.4 and won the Good Luck Beijing – HKSAR 10th Anniversary Cup Eventing Competition. Another German, Schrade (GER) on Grand Amour was second (54....

The Samsung Super League with FEI leaders from Germany will be last into the ring for Friday's seventh leg of the 2007 series in Dublin following Thursday's draw at the Royal Dublin Society showgrounds. The order of go will be as follows: 1. Belgium; 2. France; 3. Switzerland; 4. Ireland; 5. USA; 6. The Netherlands; 7. Great Britain; 8. Sweden; 9. Germany. Belgian Chef d'Equipe Lucien Somers failed to arrive in time for the Draw Press Conference, but his team's unfavorable starting position had...

Late on August 2, the U.S. House of Representatives passed the funding bill for the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) for Fiscal Year 2008 after removing the overly broad language that was opposed by the horse industry. When the USDA funding bill was reported out of the House Appropriations Committee two weeks ago, it included language that was intended to apply to slaughter horses. But the provision was so broadly drafted that it would have applied to all horses and been...

Karen O'Connor and Theodore O'Connor on Their Way to Pan Am Gold! (Diana DeRosa) Lexington, KY - Karen O’Connor, two-time Olympic medalist and recent double gold medalist at the Pan American Games, will appear on the Today Show in New York City on August 8. Riding the amazing pony, Theodore O’Connor, the three-day event rider bested a field of very talented horses and riders and led the U.S. team to gold medal honors in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. The popular morning show runs from 7a.m....

Diana DeRosa (2007 Pan American Games Bronze medalists Todd Minikus, Laura Chapot, Cara Raether and Lauren Hough) Rio de Janeiro, Brazil—It was a battle between the host country—Brazil—and the teams from Canada and the United States for the team show jumping medal today at Deodoro Stadium outside Rio de Janeiro. Fittingly, it was the host country’s most popular equestrian athlete—Rodrigo Pessoa—that was the last to go in the two-round series of Nations Cup...

From Louise Parkes/FEI THE LAST SHALL BE FIRST.......ESPECIALLY IF MELANIE HAS ANYTHING TO DO WITH IT....... The USA has been drawn first to go in tomorrow's sixth leg of the Samsung Super League with FEI series at Hickstead, England but Melanie Smith-Taylor, who is deputising in the absence of team manager George Morris, is not concerned. Lying last on the leaderboard the US really needs a good result in order to climb out of the relegation zone, but Melanie has every faith in her squad. "I...

The United States Equestrian Team (USET) Foundation awarded the 2007 Intermediaire I Dressage Championship Trophy to Christopher Hickey and Regent at the Collecting Gaits Farm/USEF Dressage Festival of Champions presented by Paul Miller Auto Group, held June 14-17 at Gladstone, NJ. The USET Foundation awards the Intermediaire I Dressage Championship Trophy annually to the winner of the Intermediaire I National Championship. Ivan Bezugloff, Jr., the founder and editor of the former Dressage and...

The American Horse Council’s 2007 National Issues Forum in Washington, DC, was a huge success and featured dozens of respected speakers on important issues and opportunities to meet and mingle with federal legislators and regulators. More than 150 people gathered at the L’Enfant Plaza Hotel from June 17-19, participating in American Horse Council (AHC) committee meetings, attending panels on different topics and socializing with other attendees and Congressional staffers. “With so many federal...

The AMHA stallion, Noble Flaire, recently went on to greenier pastures. He was laid to rest the night before the East Coast Park Saddle Championship at the 2006 New England Regional, where he was recognized by many. Noble Flaire was born in 1984. In 1986, he debuted in the two-year-old park harness. His emergence on the track caused people to run in order to watch him perform. After his first victory pass, he trotted out of the ring, down the track and around the turn with people running behind...