Whitney Weeks, Victoria Birdsall, Josephina Nor and Samantha Harrison emerged as champions of the 2008 Show Jumping Hall of Fame Jumper Classic Series. The Show Jumping Hall of Fame Jumper Classic Series conducted its largest series ever in 2008, with classes at 109 horse shows across the nation. This gave competitors an abundance of opportunities to accumulate points throughout the year. The Series featured separate divisions for amateur-owner and junior riders with standings kept separately...

The 2008 Trail Blazer Festival took place at the Earl Warren Showgrounds in Santa Barbara, CA, November 14-16, 2008. The festival had many speakers, exhibits and other events. One of the events participated in by Rocky Mountain, Paso Fino, American Saddlebred, Icelandic, Kiger Mustang, Mangalarga Marchador, Morgan, Arabian, Mustang, Quarter Horse, Peruvian, and Tennessee Walker horses was the “Battle of the Breeds,” which was a unique trail competition held between a select group of horses that...

Lexington, KY – The USEF has named the 2009 Eventing Training List. These horse/rider combinations will be invited to participate in training sessions to be held at various locations throughout the country. These sessions will be conducted by USEF Eventing Coach Capt. Mark Phillips and are currently being scheduled. Riders and horses are listed alphabetically: Rider / Age / Hometown / Horse / Sex/ Breed / Age / Owner A List William Coleman / 25 / Gordonsville, VA / Twizzel / G / Westfalen/ 12 /...

Olympian Debbie McDonald filled the house as this year's featured clinician at the New England Dressage Association's (NEDA) Annual Fall Symposium. The annual event, which has hosted such leading clinicians as Anky van Grunsven, Klaus Balkenhol and Ingrid Klimke, draws hundreds of riders and trainers from throughout the Northeastern U.S. With her popular partner, the Hanoverian mare Brentina, McDonald, a member of the 2008 and 2004 U.S. Olympic Dressage Teams, is one of America's most...

Mark Leone, George Morris, Mason Phelps and Susie Schoellkopf have signed on again as judges for the 2009 Equestrian Idol Musical Talent Show to benefit The EQUUS Foundation, Inc. New this year, the event will be held at the International Polo Club Palm Beach on Friday (not Saturday) evening, February 6, 2009, in Wellington, FL. Featuring musical performances by talented equestrians, including returning performers, Heather Caristo, Hillary Dobbs, Patricia Griffith, Casey Hodges, Brian...

The United States Dressage Federation (USDF) is pleased to announce that Kassidy Peacock of Helotes, TX, has been selected as the recipient of the 2008 USDF Youth Volunteer of the Year Award, presented by The Paddock Saddlery and sponsored by the USDF Youth Executive Board. This prestigious award honors one outstanding youth volunteer who has contributed on a national and local basis to the USDF and dressage. As the recipient of this award, Peacock's name will be engraved on a perpetual trophy,...

Friends of Sound Horses (FOSH) has announced the details of the second national conference to focus on ending soring of Tennessee Walking Horses and all gaited horse breeds. The conference is being held March 20-21, 2008, at the Paramount Plaza Hotel in Gainesville, FL. Soring is a cruel and illegal practice used to create a winning gait for the show ring. The purpose of the conference is to bring together a wide complement of experts, research and resources to address alternatives and...

The American Morgan Horse Institute (AMHI) Board of Trustees adopted a resolution to build an American Morgan Horse Pavilion at the Kentucky Horse Park with a targeted opening of Spring 2010. The AMHA offices and the National Museum of the Morgan Horse will remain headquartered in Shelburne, VT. “This is a landmark decision for the Morgan world,” remarked Bob Morgan, President of AMHI, and a member of the Kentucky Horse Park Foundation Board. “The Pavilion will showcase the Morgan breed and...

The Bates Year-End Awards were presented at the Syracuse Invitational Sporthorse Tournament featuring the 125th National Horse Show on Saturday, November 1. Jessica Springsteen took the Gold, Chelsea Moss the Silver and Victoria Birdsall the Bronze. The top ten riders as of the end of the ranking year (October 31, 2008) are as follows: Rank, Rider, Points, City, State, Trainer 1. Jessica Springsteen, 28,324, Colts Neck, NJ, Stacia Madden 2. Chelsea Moss, 27,425, Medford, NJ, Stacia Madden 3....

Lexington, KY – For the second time in three years, 21-year-old Laura Noyes has topped the United States rankings for the FEI World Cup™ Dressage Final for Young Riders. Noyes and her mount Synchro averaged 72.584% in their two best efforts in the FEI Young Rider Freestyle Test in a CDI-Y during the qualifying period (January 1, 2008 –October 27, 2008), and have earned themselves an invitation to Frankfurt, Germany for the Final, to be held December 18-21. Thanks to the generosity of the event...