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...

Beezie Madden (center) accepted the Farnam/Platform Horse of the Year Award on behalf of owner Abigail Wexner. Pictured with Madden are USEF President David O'Connor (left) and Farnam's Chris Jacobi. (Geoff Oliver Bugbee/USEF Archives) At the final social event of the 2007 Annual Meeting in Louisville, KY, the much-anticipated Farnam®/Platform™ USEF Horse of the Year Awards celebrated the equestrian world’s hardest working athletes—the horses—from across the spectrum...

With U.S. qualifying more than half over, the race to earn berths in the 2007 Rolex FEI World Cup™ Jumping Final is tightening up. Final qualifying events in both the East and West Coast Leagues will decide which horses and riders will represent the U.S. in the World Cup Final in Las Vegas, April 18-22, 2007. Las Vegas, the world’s premier city for exciting entertainment, will once again be the backdrop for the 2007 Rolex FEI World Cup™ Finals in both jumping and dressage. In 2005, the FEI...

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: December 22, 2006 (Lexington, KY) – A number of exhibitors using the GPA brand of helmets while competing in USEF licensed events may be unaware that they are not wearing an ASTM/SEI certified model as required by USEF rules. Helmets purchased in Europe, from online stores in Europe, or possibly from EBay, if the helmets originally came from Europe, may not meet the ASTM/SEI standard as required by USEF GR318.2-GR318.7. Riders should check the buckles of their GPA helmets...

Amber Siegelman and The Waterboy Sailing To The Gold Medal (PhelpsPhotos.com/USEF Archives ) Lexington, KY – When Amber Siegelman was the last to go in the jump-off at the 2006 Adequan/USEF National Pony Jumper Individual Championship, you would have thought you were at a Western event by the sounds of the crowd. All night the crowd was clucking on horses to help them over the fences. But, when Siegelman’s ride looked to be the only clean of the five in the jump-off, the crowd got...

Lexington, KY - In late 2005, the FEI determined that to better serve the sport, and because stewards’ responsibilities have considerably expanded, each of the seven FEI disciplines in a National Federation (NF) should have a Steward General. There will also be one overall Coordinating Steward General for each NF. Previously, just one Steward General for all disciplines was appointed in each NF. The new Steward General responsible for each discipline will report directly to the USEF...

Monica Christian of Brookville, OH, has been selected as the 2005 Arabian Horse Association (AHA) Youth of the Year by AHA out of a field of 17 nominees. The high school senior from Region 14 also serves as the Arabian Horse Youth Association (AHYA) Treasurer, a position she was elected to at the annual AHYA Convention in July of 2005. AHA honors one outstanding youth member annually with this award, which is based on an individual’s achievements and contributions to the Arabian horse industry,...

Photos.com ( ) Lexington, KY – Mississippi horse owners affected by Hurricane Katrina now have a new lifeline to help through the United States Equestrian Federation. As of Thursday, September 8, USEF will have a dedicated phone line to take emergency calls from Mississippians in need of emergency assistance for their horses. The USEF Mississippi Emergency Hotline number is (859) 225-2051 , and will be operational daily from 8:00 a.m. until 6:30 p.m., until the need has subsided. This...

(Lexington, KY) - Starting Thursday, September 8 you can donate both equine and human goods which will be trucked to hurricane victims in Louisiana and Mississippi. Items which are needed for horses include feed, grain, bedding (shavings and wood chips), Bute, Banamine, Gentocin, Dormosedan, first aid supplies such as Furacin, wraps, standing bandages, hydrogen peroxide, Vetwrap, cotton sheeting, antibiotic cream, etc. They also need lead ropes, halters, stall webbings, hay bags, buckets,...

United States Olympic Silver medalist McLain Ward was back in the saddle for the first time since breaking his collar bone three weeks ago while competing for the United States at the Samsung Super League in Hickstead, England. Ward, of Brewster, NY, rode in two classes on the opening day of Aachen’s World Equestrian Festival, the host for the seventh of eight Samsung Super League events on Friday. Aachen will be the site of the quadrennial World Equestrian Games next year. “I’m still sore,”...