Lexington, KY— The fourth annual USEF Dressage Seat Medal Finals were held during the Golden State Dressage Warm-Up and Cool-Down Show in Rancho Murieta, CA, July 28-30. Junior dressage riders from across the country competed in their respective age divisions of 13 & under and 14 to 18 years of age. The purpose of the Dressage Seat Medal Program is to promote and reward excellence in equitation, including correct seat, position and use of aids in the sport of dressage. Junior riders in these...

Lexington, KY – In a conference call held today in cooperation with the United States Olympic Committee (USOC), five members of the U.S. 2006 FEI World Equestrian Games (WEG) team answered a wide range of general media questions. On the phone from Germany were dressage team members Guenter Seidel from Cardiff, CA, and Debbie McDonald from Hailey, ID; vaulting team members Elizabeth Ioannou from Saratoga, CA, and Blake Dahlgren from Sun Valley, CA; and on the phone from Florida was show jumper...

PhelpsPhotos.com/USEF Archives (Pony Finals First-Timers Zone 10 Take Home Gold) Lexington, KY – On day three of the 2006 USEF Pony Final National Championships, Samantha Schaefer and Zone 10 walked away with the top prizes. The 13-year-old Schaefer, of Westminster, MD, rode her seven-year-old German Riding Pony gelding, Rockport, to their first Pony Finals win. This was their first time riding indoors, after the competition had to be moved inside today due to the torrential rainstorms...

Lexington, KY – The United States Equestrian Federation® (USEF) announced the newest addition to www.usef.org – the 2006 FEI World Equestrian Games (WEG) content area. Found online at www.usef.org/weg2006, this interactive media tool includes a description of each of the seven international disciplines that will be represented at the WEG in Aachen, Germany, August 20-September 3, as well as bios on the more than 40 U.S. athletes. The U.S. athletes range in age from 10 to 63. In addition, more...

The United States Equestrian Federation® (USEF) recently announced its team members for the 2006 World Singles Driving Championship set for September 20-24 in Pratoni del Vivaro, Italy. In exciting news for Morgan enthusiasts and American Morgan Horse Association (AMHA) members, two of the three drivers chosen are AMHA members set to compete with Morgan horses. Scott Monroe of Sharon, CT, driving his 13-year-old Morgan gelding, Bethesda After Dark (Shadow), and Fred Merriam of Newfane, VT,...

The 2006 Show Jumping Hall of Fame Jumper Classic Series was jam-packed with exciting events in June and July. The series, which saw 21 events in the East Conference and 14 in the West, kicked off in February and continues through November, culminating in a year-end championship at the National Horse Show in Wellington, FL. Show Jumping Hall of Fame Jumper Classic Series East Conference – Junior Division Thanks, in part, to a win in the $10,000 Pepsi Bottling Company High Junior Jumper Classic...

PhelpsPhotos.com/USEF Archives (On the first day of the USEF Pony Finals National Championships, 14-year-old Amber Henter, of St. Petersburg, FL, was in first place in the medium green pony division with a score of 250.) Lexington, KY – Excited children were all abuzz today at the Kentucky Horse Park with their favorite ponies by their sides, all hoping for an experience at this year’s Pony Finals that they will remember for a lifetime. This is the first year that Pony Finals is observing a...

Lexington, KY – The United States Equestrian Federation® (USEF) announced today the four horse-and-rider combinations that will compete in Aachen, Germany, in the 2006 FEI World Equestrian Games (WEG). Four ranked alternates were also named. The WEG will take place August 20-September 3, with dressage being held August 22-26. The 2006 WEG U.S. dressage team (listed in alphabetical order) is as follows: •Debbie McDonald of Hailey, ID, riding Brentina, a 15-year-old Hanoverian mare, owned by Mr....

PhelpsPhotos.com (Gold medal Dressage Team Champions from the NAJYRC.) Lexington, VA - Gold medals in dressage, eventing and show jumping were awarded to highlight a successful conclusion of the 2006 CN North American Junior and Young Riders’ Championships (NAJYRC) at the Virginia Horse Center in Lexington, VA. The NAJYRC is the premier equestrian competition in North America for juniors and young riders. Young equestrians come from the United States, Canada, Mexico, Puerto Rico and the...

Endurance riders from around the country will face the test of time and terrain when they compete for national titles at the 2006 American Endurance Ride Conference (AERC) National Championship in October. The championship, sponsored by Gulf Coast 4 Star Trailers, will be held October 20-22 in Fort Valley, VA, on the trails of the historic Old Dominion Endurance Ride. The Old Dominion, first held in 1973, is considered by many to be the most prestigious endurance competition in the eastern...