At exactly 8:08 p.m. on August 8, the official one-year-to-go countdown to the 2008 Olympic Games was launched. Eight is considered a lucky number in Chinese culture. In general, eight is an auspicious number for Buddhists. In front of 10,000 people gathered on Tianan’men Square, with the Forbidden City as a backdrop, a sumptuous ceremony took place where Chinese culture and traditions were clearly on show. The International Olympic Committee President handed out the official invitations to the...

Rio de Janeiro, Brazil – And then there were five. The gold medal eventing and dressage teams shipped out early Monday morning, leaving the five show jumpers alone in the U.S. wing of the stables at the Pan American Games in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. With 17 countries represented, the most of the three disciplines, the show jumping will be very competitive. Florida’s Lauren Hough and Casadora are riding the crest of a very successful wave, having just won the valuable CN Reliability Grand Prix at...

The 28th Evergreen Classic, the largest and most prestigious hunter/jumper show in Washington State, is getting ready to take place at its new home at Remlinger Farms Equestrian Park in Carnation, WA, August 8-August 12. After spending the last four years at Evergreen State Fairgrounds in Monroe, WA, everyone associated with the show is very excited about this new venue. The show site consists of 80 acres of grass fields nestled between the Snoqualmie River and downtown Carnation with views of...

(Lexington, KY) – The United States Equestrian Federation is pleased to announce that show jumping fans will be able to watch the US Team vie for top honors at the CSIO***** Grand Prix in La Baule, France – courtesy of the horse show’s webcast. The opening leg of the 2007 Samsung Super League, held May 10-13, will showcase teams from eight nations and riders from twenty. The US squad of Laura Kraut, Beezie Madden, Todd Minikus, Lisa Silverman and Richard Spooner, all named on multiple horses,...

Lexington, KY – The inaugural meeting of the newly created Carriage Pleasure Driving Committee was held on March 7, 2006, at the USEF Lexington office. The focus of this committee is to develop more opportunities for growth with a broader range of competitions to attend; to monitor and support new rules brought forward from the discipline affiliate, the American Driving Society; and to promote and expand the Horse of the Year and high-point awards. There are 19 members of this new affiliate...

Lexington, KY – Ashlee Van Raalte, 18, of Scales Mound, Illinois, will represent the United States in Bahrain, December 15-18, as she rides for the title at the 2005 FEI World Endurance Championships for Juniors and Young Riders. The 2005 Championship promises to be the largest competition of its kind to date, and will play host to more than 150 expected entries from a record 33 participating countries. Van Raalte will compete on the 75-mile course with either “Saif Al Arab”...

Lexington, KY –The United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) is now accepting bids to host the 2006 Adequan/USEF National Open Reining Championship. In existence for more than five years, this prestigious event continues to feature some of the country’s best reining athletes. In 2002, the Open Reining Championship was used as the Final Selection Trial for the World Equestrian Games in Jerez, Spain. The resulting team made history by capturing the Team Gold medal and the Individual...

Lexington, KY – In a world competition that turned out nothing short of legendary, American reining superstars Craig Schmersal and Tim McQuay won the Gold and Silver Medals respectively, at the 2005 FEI World Reining Masters Final competition in Manerbio, Italy on September 24. Riding Tidal Wave Jack, Schmersal turned in a score of 231.5, earning a Gold Medal and one of the highest scores on record. Coming in second with a score of 224, Tim McQuay and Mister Montana Nic earned the Silver...

The Westfalian-bred stallions Damon Hill and Florencio won the World Breeding Federation Sport Horses (WBFSH) World Championships for young dressage horses, held July 1-3 in Verden, Germany. Five-year-old Damon Hill (Donnerhall x Rubinstein), ridden by Helen Langehanenberg, scored a 9.02 in the finals, just ahead of half-brother Donnerball (Donnerhall x Alabaster) and FBW Dejavu (Dacaprio x Glueckspilz). In the six-year-old division, last year's five-year-old champion Florencio (Florestan x...

Lexington, KY – The USEF and USDF have approved a change of venue for the 2005 New England Dressage Association (NEDA) Fall Festival, September 14-18. Last week, the Board of NEDA unanimously voted to move the Festival from Fieldstone Farm in Halifax, Massachusetts, to HITS-on-the-Hudson in Saugerties, New York, a year earlier than originally anticipated. The Fall Festival is USEF-, USDF- and FEI-recognized (CDI 3*/Y Saugerties, formerly Halifax), and will host USEF qualifying...