Lexington, KY - Five USEF National Champions will be crowned after two weekends of dressage competition in San Juan Capistrano, CA June 21-22 and June 27-29. Always an exciting competition Kassandra Barteau and Gabriella (PhelpsPhotos.com) amongst the nation’s best dressage riders, this year the National Grand Prix Dressage Championship is also the USEF Selection Trials for the 2008 U.S. Olympic Team in Dressage. The best horses and riders in each division are coming from across the...

When Randy Weaver was diagnosed with colon cancer, priorities were adjusted. Randy moved reconnecting with horses up on his list. A light that had shined in his life long ago was now important to illuminate again. He’d shown horses in his youth. He knew then about Louisville. What do you do when you’re faced with cancer? If you fight and win that battle, as Randy did, do you resume as normal? I imagine you examine your entirety, life as a whole, and reflect on the things that have brought you...

Victoria Colvin and Cortina, Champion of the Wild Horsefeathers/USEF National Green Hunter Pony Championship. (Phelpsphoto.com) Lexington, KY — As Day Two of the United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) Pony Finals National Championships unfolded, the first overall champion was named. One of the busiest hunter riders at the show, nine-year-old Victoria Colvin, won the Medium Green Pony Hunter Championship and the Overall Green Hunter Pony Grand Champion title with a total score of 1,059...

Lexington, KY) – The United States Equestrian Federation has chosen the four riders to participate in the Developing Young Rider Tour this summer and has named Melanie Smith Taylor as the chef d’equipe. Smith Taylor, the first woman to garner the AGA Rider of the Year title prompting the association to eliminate a separate award for women in 1978, will continue her innovative contribution to the sport of show jumping in this new role. Inducted into Show jumping’s Hall of Fame in 1998, Smith...

The United States Equestrian Team (USET) Foundation is proud to announce that Brianne Goutal of New York City is this year’s winner of the Maxine Beard Show Jumping Developing Rider Award. The USET Foundation awarded the rising young equestrian this honor because of her competitive record to date and because of her promise for the future. The recipients of this award are chosen based on their potential to represent the United States in international competition. A Show Jumping Developing Rider...

PhelpsSports.com (McLain Ward and Sapphire are leading the races for AGA Rider and Horse of the Year, respectively.) The 2007 American Grand Prix Association (AGA) tour is only five events old, but McLain Ward, a three-time American Grand Prix Association (AGA) Rider of the Year, has already put himself in a excellent position to take home a fourth title, following his impressive victory in the richest grand prix ever held in the United States. Entering its 29th year, the AGA Grand Prix Series...

The Executive Board of the National Reining Horse Association (NRHA) has voted to withdraw the proposed Strategic Plan. This plan called for the creation of a U.S. affiliate with a new governance structure and a realignment of the governance for the NRHA as a worldwide association. The Executive Board has determined that to serve the membership needs better, a new plan will be constructed in the near future. Bylaws changes have been submitted to the membership for a vote in June. If the legal...

Just how smart is a horse, anyway? While much research has been done on horses, hardly any has been on "horse smarts," or equine intelligence. Fascinating discoveries will be made with the airing of a program on RFD-TV, on Jan. 16, 17 and 21, 2007. The program, "The Horse Show" with Rick Lamb, is broadcast on Dish Network, Direct TV, Mediacom and National Cable. Tune in to see horses identify colors, pick out letters, numbers—even play cards! Inspired by the book Beautiful Jim Key (2005,...

On October 31, 2006, the Unwanted Horse Coalition (UHC) met officially for the first time under the auspices of the American Horse Council at the United States Equestrian Federation headquarters in Lexington, KY. The meeting was attended by representatives from the American Association of Equine Practitioners, American Paint Horse Association, American Quarter Horse Association, American Veterinary Medical Association, The Jockey Club, National Horse Benevolent and Protective Association,...

"Beautiful Music and Breathtaking Horses" take center stage in the The Symphony of Horses 2006. The Marion Therapeutic Riding Association (MTRA) is producing its third amazing evening of world-class horses and riders performing to the Central Florida Philharmonic Orchestra conducted by Dr. Susan Robinson. The production of 2002 and 2004 thrilled sold-out crowds to the benefit of the non-profit therapeutic horseback riding program. The 2006 performance will be held Sunday evening, December 10,...