As the curtain was coming down on the 29th FEI World Cup™ Jumping Final in Las Vegas, thoughts were already beginning to turn to the 2007/2008 finale which will be staged in the city considered to be the true home of World Cup show jumping - Gothenburg, Sweden. At a press conference, FEI Secretary General, Michael Stone, pointed out that "next season is the 30th anniversary of the series and the Western European League will carry the Rolex FEI World Cup™ Jumping title. The final will take place...

The American Saddlebred Registry (ASR) Sweepstakes will be awarding over $120,000 in additional prize money, available to Kentucky-bred horses thanks to the state’s Breeders Incentive Fund. The Kentucky legislature enacted the Breeders Incentive Fund in 2005 to encourage breeding horses of all breeds in Kentucky. The fund takes a portion of the sales tax generated through stallion service fees and returns it to the breeders. Beginning in 2008, Kentucky-bred American Saddlebreds nominated to...

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...

An exciting new program for potential hunter and hunter seat equitation judges was approved at the January 2007 USEF Board Meeting, with an effective date of April 1, 2007. The purpose of the mentor program is to assist qualified horsemen in the pursuit of a USEF judges’ license in the hunter and hunter seat equitation divisions. An additional component is to assist ‘r’ judges in obtaining ‘R’ status in hunter, hunter seat equitation, and hunter breeding. Information about and an application to...

The Paso Fino Horse Association (PFHA) hosted it’s annual judges and stewards clinic in Ocala, FL, February 2-4, 2007. Friday evening, three Applicant Judges attended a four-hour workshop that addressed calling classes and show etiquette. They ended the evening with a written test and a gait test. The next day 21 certified judges and stewards joined the applicants to learn more about illegal tack, ring management, positive judging, equitation and determining a horse's age by...

The 2007 Show Jumping Hall of Fame Jumper Classic Series is officially underway, and it promises to be even bigger and better than ever before. The series will see classes at more than 100 horse shows across the country before culminating in year-end championships at the National Horse Show in Wellington, FL, in December. The series hosts separate divisions for junior and amateur-owner riders in two Conferences—the East Conference and the West Conference. Series standings are used to help...

The United States Eventing Association (USEA)/Spalding Labs Young Event Horse Series will kick off its 2007 season on March 14 at the Sporting Days in Aiken Horse Trials in Aiken, SC. The series, which is best described as an equine talent search, gives some of the most talented youngsters in the country a chance to shine, with the ultimate goal to find future four-star champions. At least 20 qualifying competitions are planned for 2007, with the championships scheduled for September 12, at...

The American Saddlebred industry is mourning the loss of longtime Saddlebred breeder and exhibitor Barbara J. Blacklaw, who died Friday morning, January 26, in Palm Springs, CA. Barbara and her husband of nearly 50 years, Bill Blacklaw, operated Singing Hills Stables in Oregon City, OR, for the past 39 years, breeding and training American Saddlebreds. Together their contribution to the Saddlebred industry in the Northwest and across the country has been remarkable. Barbara's love of the...

The purpose of the United States Equestrian Federation (USEF) Young Horse Dressage Training Sessions is to identify and develop top equine dressage talent in the United States for a future career at the FEI level and international competition on U.S. teams. Mirroring the existing high-performance development programs, horses should be actively training and competing and therefore may be invited to participate in training sessions with the aspiration of their participating in the 2007...

From: Jennifer Wood for Phelps Media Group, Inc. International MEDIA CONTACT: Jennifer Wood of Phelps Media Group, Inc. International at (561) 753-3389 or at [email protected] WEB SITE: Phelps Media Group, Inc. International Press Releases are available for download at https://www.phelpsmediagroup.com Gladstone, NJ – January 16, 2007 – At the 2007 United States Equestrian Team Foundation (USET Foundation) Annual Meeting, held January 12 in Louisville, KY, it was announced...